Living Arrangements, the Council Changes, and the Hokage's Deal
…
Thinking/ Indention/ Flashbacks/ Fantasies
Kyuubi talking to Naruto in mindscape/ Naming a jutsu/ bold indention
Kyuubi talking telepathically to Naruto/ Calling out a jutsu/ Bold words
…
I unfortunately do not own Naruto; if I did I would've made Naruto and Hinata a couple a long time ago!
…
Naruto blinked and suddenly became aware that he was surrounded by darkness. He looked down at himself to see that he was wearing but a silky white long-sleeved shirt and pants. He then took a look at his surroundings to find any source of life. "H-Hello?" He squeaked out softly before walking forward slowly, his bare feet slapping lightly against an invisible floor. "I-Is anyone th-there?"
Whispers. The small boy could only hear whispers but not the source that it was coming from. The whispers began to become louder and louder at each step the blonde would take before falling silent as another sound entered the darkness that was not his own.
Tap… Tap… Tap…
"I-Is s-someone th-there…?" Naruto said with his voice wavering at the eerie sound.
Tap… Tap… Tap…
A sudden hush fell over the darkness putting Naruto on edge. He trembled as he felt a sinister presence coming from behind him. In a show of speed, the blonde whipped around to confront the presence only to see…
Himself.
He was standing right in front of him and looking back at him with the same fearful expression as Naruto, but there was a key difference. The other Naruto was wearing grey clothes instead of white.
Naruto stared at his other self with apprehensiveness and slight curiosity. "Wh-Who are you?" He stammered questioningly. The other just chuckled and gained a sudden dark and malicious look that Naruto never thought that could appear on his face.
The other's eyes turned black as his pupils turned red. He held out his hands straight towards the original and laughed as black steam began to emit from his small body. "Someone that you will meet in the near future, Faker." And with that, a sea of bubbling hot black water rushed at Naruto with the black steam swirling around it.
Naruto screamed before his cries were muffled by the black water and his struggling gradually weakening as he continued down under the dark sea. The water was surprisingly thick and restrained the Jinchuriki's movement before the boy ultimately gave up and let himself get caressed by the iron grip of the sea of darkness.
Am I going to die…? Naruto thought with his eyes slowly closing as he pulled his knees to his chest. Is this how it will end…? Naruto sighed, bubbles escaping from his mouth and more thick black water began to rush in, filling his lungs. He knew that anyone in his situation would be panicking, but he actually found the darkness calm and peaceful. It's so warm… like a blanket… so warm…
He heard something calling to him, trying to reach out to him but he ignored it. He opened his eyes for what seemed like the final time and saw an odd red door that was heavily chained and sealed. There was something written on it but it was badly muddled up and hard to make out. The blonde tried reaching out to it only to see a white ribbon tied firmly around his wrist.
Huh…? The shy lad struggled as he turned his body and his cerulean eyes widened as he saw long streams of white ribbons flow gracefully in the dark ocean before wrapping around his lithe body and slowly pull him towards a small light.
The voice from earlier began calling out to him much louder than before, the white light growing significant with each shout from the ominous voice. Naruto squinted his eyes as the white light completely engulfed him and winced when he heard clearly of what the voice was calling out to him.
"Naruto!" His name.
…
Naruto gasped as his eyes immediately flew open and his vision was blurred and swirling. He thrashed around wildly as he registered that a strong force was holding him down and desperately clawed at it for his freedom. He screamed and kicked and clawed until the force's voice reached the disoriented boy's ears.
"Naruto! Naruto, calm down! It's me, Kakashi!" The young man shouted loudly over the boy's frantic screaming.
The whiskered child immediately stopped his excessive struggling and took calming breaths to regulate his heart's erratic beating. Black spots swarmed the boy's vision before they focused on a giant blurry thing before finally clearing after a few moments. The giant blurry thing was none other than the allusive Kakashi Hatake, who, was in fact, staring at the small boy with worry.
"Kakashi… san…?"Naruto croaked out hoarsely before coughing violently at the dryness of his throat. The boy knew that his throat could dry sometimes, but never to the extent that he was feeling right now. It felt like it was void of any moisture and would break and bleed at the slightest touch.
Kakashi panicked as the small boy's coughing rapidly turned into hacking and the young man quickly reached out for the water that he had placed by the boy's beside and quickly gave it to him. The Jinchuriki gave his thanks with a nod before downing the cool and refreshing liquid in messy and large gulps.
Naruto let out a relieved sigh as he finished his much needed drink and made sure that every last drop was gone. He looked at Kakashi sheepishly before he bowed politely. "I-I'm sorry to have tr-troubled you K-Kakashi-san, I-I hope that I-I haven't d-disturbed you of your s-sleep." He apologized with his head bowed and voice meek.
The shinobi just sighed in relief and began to scratch his gravity defying hair. "Honestly, you should worry a little more about your state of being than others Naruto. It's okay to be a little selfish once and a while." The masked ninja saw the boy nod but he knew well enough that the boy would ignore his advice, feeling as though he would be cheating the populous somehow. The blonde boy had an almost unhealthy habit of putting other people's needs before his own, even if it would most likely backfire at him. "Anyway, that's not what I wanted to talk to you about. What happened Naruto? It sounded like you were having a bad dream, albeit a horrible one."
The meek child just played with the bed sheets, his blue eyes flicking from the bed to the young man as if he was contemplating whether he should tell him or not. "A-Ano… I-I don't know if it w-was a bad d-dream or not Kakashi-san," the boy began. He knew that he could trust the lone Hatake; he just felt that the ANBU Captain was very trustworthy if not reliable. "I-It just h-happened so suddenly a-and I couldn't make out what i-it meant…"
The shinobi saw the boy's mental struggling and began to soothe the boy by rubbing his back. "Take your time Naruto, we've got all day to do this so don't rush into it. And if you don't feel like telling it today then we'll try again tomorrow." Kakashi cooed encouragingly, making the boy sigh in appreciation.
The whiskered child took in a deep breath before he unloaded his horrifying experience to the white-haired ninja. He told him how he was surrounded by nothing but darkness and his violent encounter with his other self. He told him about how the black sea suffocated him yet filled him with warmth, which made the Hatake extremely worried for the boy's sake—much to Naruto's confusion, and the red door that the blonde saw before he was pulled back into reality.
At this revelation, Kakashi instantly straightened up. "Wait, a red door you say? What did it look like? Were there any words on it? Any seals?" If it was what the ANBU feared it might be, then there might be some complications in the near future.
The blonde Uzumaki nodded. "H-Hai, I-It was very h-heavily ch-chained with lots of s-seals placed on it." The boy's eyes narrowed and he folded his arms as he tried to recount his horrifyingly vivid nightmare. "N-Now that I think about i-it, there w-was a plague above it w-with some words written o-on i-it, but it was too b-badly damaged up to m-make out."
Kakashi's one-eye narrowed at the boy's revelation. He had a very good suspicion on what was held beyond that door but said nothing as he contemplated the situation. It looks as if the Kyuubi no Yoko has somehow found a leeway to communicate with Naruto… though it may be small now, as time progress on, it won't be long before it finally speaks to the boy… Kakashi sighed before rubbing his neck wearily. I'm gonna have to report this to the Hokage… it's such a pain…
Kakashi eye-smiled at the boy nonetheless as he returned from his thoughts. "Thank you for the information Naruto, and if there's anything else you want to tell me feel free to at any time." The white-haired shinobi reached a hand out to pat the small boy on the head, but Naruto hesitated and quickly backed away from him.
Naruto stared at the lone Hatake's outstretched hands with skeptical azure eyes before turning away from the experienced man. "Th-Thank you very m-much for the offer H-Hatake-san, I-I will think a-about i-it…" The boy whispered softly.
Kakashi blinked a few times at the boy's behavior before he regained his composure. That's right… he has never experienced this kind of affection before… He sighed through his nose. Looks like I need to take things slow with him... "That's good to hear Naruto. Hey, I bet you're hungry so I'll whip us up something to eat." Kakashi said with his famous eye-smile before pushing himself up off of the bed and walked out of the room. He turned around as he reached the door and stared at the boy with a white eyebrow raised. "You coming?"
Naruto looked as if he was about to protest but instantly quieted once the loud and lonely grumblings of his stomache filled the room. The blonde's face erupted into a dark red color as he poked his index fingers together in embarrassment. He nodded once before quickly following after the chuckling ANBU Captain downstairs to the kitchen.
…
Naruto hungrily scarfed down the beautiful spread that was provided for him to eat. The contents of his plate contained perfectly golden fluffy pancakes, some toast with slight blackened ash on the edges, thick strips of bacon, a glass of deliciously cold milk, and two giant eggs made over-easy; just the way that the boy liked it.
Kakashi watched the blonde with morbid fascination and nervous sweat at his impossibly rapid eating. It was like he hadn't eaten in days, which was probably true considering he had lived with wild animals for over a month and the orphanage underfeeding him over the many years of his abuse.
The blonde used his fork and knife to cut off giant pieces from the pancakes before stuffing it in his mouth and gulping it down after three enormous bites. He then went for the bacon and ripped it half, immediately noshing on its fatty goodness before washing it down with his milk and letting out a very content burp to show his satisfaction of the meal. After a few moments of happy belly rubs, the boy suddenly realized that he was not alone and looked across the table to gauge Kakashi's reaction. Surprised was an understatement, the man was so shocked at the Kyuubi Jinchuriki that, if he could, his jaw would have already dropped to the floor.
Naruto blushed heavily and ducked his head to avoid the white-haired shinobi's stare. "E-Eto… A-Ano…" He stammered as he played with the hem of the pajama shirt that was willingly given to him, "I-I just h-haven't eaten much i-in the F-Forest of D-Death because T-Taiga-chan said that conserving f-food is important and w-well… a-and the orphanage h-hasn't b-been feeding me m-much, I-I think because of s-soo m-many mouths already… s-so… I-I… umm…" His voice trailed off during his tenacious explanation and his blush steadily increased with every second his incoherent mumbling danced clumsily out of his mouth.
Kakashi shook his head before finally speaking after the awkward silence that pursued after the Jinchuriki's hesitant explanation. "Maa maa Naruto, it is perfectly understandable given your fragile standing as of right now." The seasoned warrior sighed before folding his arms and his one-eye narrowed. "Considering the way that you have been treated for most of your life, it comes as no surprise to me to see you this hungry. So eat as much as your stomache can carry, it's on me after all."
The whiskered child's cerulean eyes widened considerably at the ANBU's kind words. "R-R-Really?! Y-You don't mind my i-intrusion of your h-home and m-my eating of y-your f-food?" The boy asked with surprise and a hint of weariness in his voice.
"First of all, you are not intruding. I am your charge and I willingly volunteered for taking care of you." Kakashi stated sending the boy a bored stare; he had heard this all before and was getting very tired of it very quickly. "Secondly, if I did mind you eating here, wouldn't it have made sense that I should've already kicked you out of my house by now?"
Naruto mulled over the man's words slowly and carefully, his one finger tapping against the table to show his deep concentration on the matter. Naruto had never known how to react to the compassion that a few people in the entirety of village has given him out of the goodness of their hearts. All that the boy was ever taught or do was to never say anything out of line with others and to retreat into his shell of shyness if anything got to overbearing… which was almost all of the time…
The blonde outcast glanced up at the youthful shinobi before squeaking out in surprise once he saw that Kakashi was still staring at him, waiting for an answer. This was another thing that the boy was very perplexed by. Kakashi Hatake himself. He was a very odd man, he seemed to be very young despite being an ANBU Captain, and he always had a very conflicting personality like how one minute he's laughing then the next he turns very melancholy. It was all so new, curious, and frightening to the young lad. He just couldn't seem to read this guy's ulterior motive no matter how hard he tried!
"U-Un…" Naruto nodded after coming back from his analytical processing of the being that was known as Kakashi. "A-Ano, K-Kakashi-san?"
"Hm?" Kakashi grunted as he took out an orange book and began to read it after flipping through a few pages. Naruto raised a brow at the piece of literature but said nothing.
"H-How old are y-you exactly?" The blonde asked slowly, fearing that this may be an inappropriate question and that the ninja could strike him at any moment.
Kakashi looked up from his book with both of his brows raised. If you knew Kakashi long enough, you would've known that it took a little short of a miracle to get this stubborn man to look up from his book. Even when out on dates with women, no matter how distracting they were, Kakashi always had his eyes glued on his little smut.
The white-haired shinobi scratched the back of his head before looking up at the rotating fan that was attached to the ceiling. "Mmn, I'm eighteen now and I'll be turning nineteen in a few more months, I think." He replied before looking back down at his book and flipped to another page.
You think…?! Naruto's subconscious questioned quite loudly but the boy harshly squandered that complaint as something else interesting arose. "K-Kakashi-san, you're eighteen a-and y-you're an A-ANBU Captain…?" The boy inquired inquisitively as he stumbled over his words.
"Un Hn." Kakashi muttered and flipped another page before glancing up at the small blonde. "What's up with that?"
The whiskered child's hands fidgeted with the hem of his pajama shirt, his cerulean eyes downcast, before looking back up at the teenager. "W-Well… i-it's just that from wh-what I've read a-about shinobi and their standing i-in a hidden village is that it takes a very exceptional n-ninja to become an ANBU member l-let alone a captain… A-And it either insinuates around e-experience in the shinobi f-field or very noteworthy sk-skills." Naruto finished, his voice strengthening as the explanation went on.
As the small child was explaining the social standings and progression of a shinobi, Kakashi was quite surprised at the blonde's expansive vocabulary. As far as he knew, eight year olds had very limited vocabulary that centered around very sophisticated words. But it seemed that Naruto completely eradicated this supposedly well-known fact with his superfluous narrative dialogue about the skill set that was required of an ANBU shinobi.
The Hatake blinked once he realized that the Uzumaki was finished and closed his book and carefully placed it to the side of him (A/N: Holy crap! The world's coming to an end! –snicker-). His one-eye narrowed as he leaned forward on his elbows that had been placed on the table, his eye raking analytically over the lone boy. Now he had the famed Copy Ninja's attention. "While that is true Naruto, a ninja must have great knowledge of the aspects of dangerous jobs that a shinobi must take; they also must have extraordinary skills to even land a spot amongst the Leaf's ANBU organization…" He saw the boy nod, supposedly comprehending the white-haired shinobi's knowledgeable answer, making the teen's eye narrow even further. "Naruto, why do you have such a sophisticated vocabulary? I know that an eight year old's vocabulary does expand quite a bit, but not to the extent that you have reached. I would've expected this level of sophistication from an Aburame or a Nara…" He mumbled as he trailed off into his thoughts.
"O-Oh that…" Naruto gave a shaky sigh before delving into another explanation. "W-Well at the orphanage, b-before they kicked me o-out, I was o-ostracized from the caretakers and the other k-kids so I was left to my own d-devices. I-I taught myself to read s-since the caretakers wouldn't and before I kn-knew it, I learned how to read d-difficult books and memorize the vast c-content that they held in them…" The boy closed his eyes and gave a small smile at the recollection of the books he had read over his short time at the orphanage. It was one of the few things that he quite enjoyed.
Kakashi, on the other hand, was absolutely seething with rage at the uncaring and poor attitudes the caretakers had towards the Jinchuriki. I can understand their resentment for him, but to completely cut him off from human contact and leaving him to learn things on his own at this tender age… He clenched his fist so hard that his knuckles turned white. … is unforgivable…
The Copy Ninja forced a smile at the boy with his one eye curving into his famous "eye-smile". "Well you're very smart for your age Naruto, that's actually quite a good thing." Kakashi mused as he got up from his seat, dishes in hand, and walked over to the sink before beginning to clean his dishes.
"R-Really?" Naruto stammered out.
"Of course. It just shows that you are going to become a very special person to this village one day Naruto. I just know it." The teen responded as he looked up at the ceiling, seemingly deep in thought, before returning his gaze back to his cleaning. "If you're finished with your dinnerware you can put them in the sink, I'll wash them for you."
Naruto blushed heavily at the ANBU's praise; his heart soared at the thought of having another person in his life that actually liked him enough to support him of believing that he could do great things in his life.
With his heart and mind resolved, the blonde quickly got down from his seat and carefully picked up his empty plate and cup from the dinner table. He briskly scampered over to where Kakashi was and stood up on the tips of his toes as he put his dishes in with the others. He then looked around for some cleaning supplies and smiled once he spotted a scrub and began to help the shinobi with the cleaning.
Kakashi momentarily stopped his washing to raise a brow at the small boy who was currently struggling to reach for the soap. It made him chuckle at the sight but he decided to cut the boy some slack and went over to the table, got a chair, and set it beside him at the sink. "Here." He said as he patted the chair and watched as the boy clambered up the chair before resuming his cleaning.
After a few minutes of comfortable silence between the two, Kakashi decided to break it with a question. "So why are you helping me with the dishes Naruto? I did say that I was going to wash yours for you."
The blonde was silent for a few moments, furiously trying to get rid of a sticky spot that wouldn't just come off from a dish before finally answering the teen. "W-Well, I just feel like I-I ought to do something f-for the trouble I've caused y-you. A-And because I wouldn't feel right i-if I just let you clean all b-by yourself…" Naruto mumbled as he moved on to the next dirty piece of silverware.
The white-haired teen just smiled before he raised a wet hand and placed it on the small lad's head. Seeing that he wasn't pulling away or uncomfortable, Kakashi then began to ruffle Naruto's already messy hair. "You're alright for a kid." Kakashi smiled before resuming his cleaning.
Naruto blinked in surprise before his face glowed with happiness with a very sheepish smile before beginning to hum a very happy tune with flushed tan cheeks.
And throughout the morning, you could hear soft humming and dishes clattering resound inside the apartment as the two males worked until the sun was nigh.
Kakashi yawned as he trekked down Konoha's streets at a slow and steady pace. He and Naruto had spent the whole day out and about Konoha and its markets, searching for new clothes for the blonde and more groceries for the white-haired teen.
And speaking of the blonde, he was currently being held by Kakashi on his back and would occasionally mumble in his sleep. Naruto had changed his attire before they left; Kakashi had lent him an old grey T-shirt with some black shorts and a pair of standard blue sandals. They were, of course, way too big for the little kid but it was temporary for today since he couldn't just walk around outside in the streets of Konoha in just pajamas.
"Taiga-chan…" Naruto mumbled in his sleep and tightened his hold around Kakashi's neck as he did so. "Don't lick me… there…"
Kakashi smiled at Naruto's mumbling and shifted the boy a little so he could get a better hold on him. The blonde Uzumaki was a very interesting child to the white-haired teen and he seemed to have grown on the supposedly indifferent shinobi.
I wonder if Hokage-sama will let me adopt him... A thought that seemingly surfaced out of nowhere into the ANBU Captain's mind. I do have to file a report today on Naruto's progress and tell about his vast vocabulary… I could just casually mention it in the report without a problem, right…?
Oh how wrong he was…
…
Kakashi was currently sweating bullets as he stood in front of the desk of the most powerful man of the entirety of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Ah Kakashi," Hiruzen said as he swiveled his chair around and regarded the teen with a grandfatherly smile, "what can I do for you this evening?"
The lone Hatake took in a deep breath before sighing out through his nose. He knew how important Naruto was to the Third and how stubborn and fickle he was towards the adoption of the blonde. From what he has been told, on the day of Naruto's birth, which was also the day the Kyuubi no Yoko nearly annihilated the Leaf Village, many of the shinobi clan heads wanted to adopt the child when shinobi officials found him.
But for some strange reason, Lord Hokage denied all of their attempts of the custody of Naruto… Kakashi furrowed his brows in thought. But… why did he do it…? Why didn't he let other clans take Naruto in….?
The Copy Ninja was so deep in thought that he didn't even hear Hiruzen calling out to him. "Kakashi!"
"H-Huh? Wha?"
"I said are you alright?" The Third questioned. "You look a bit out of it this night. Did something happen earlier today that I should be notified about?"
Kakashi shook his head to clear his thoughts before addressing the village's leader with a stern expression. "Actually, something did happen to Naruto that you should know about Hokage-sama. Apparently it has affected him to a very… traumatic extent, and that worries me."
Hiruzen looked warily at the teen before he waved for him to continue. "Well," the white-haired youth began, "Naruto apparently had a dream where he encountered another version of himself that had a very… ill-intent towards the original. Naruto was then swept away by a thick black substance that resembled a sea that the other Naruto had conjured which had made the original experience a feeling resemblance to death." At this part, Hiruzen grew even more worried for the blonde Jinchuriki's safety. "And before Naruto was pulled back into reality, he saw a red door that was heavily chained and sealed with words that were too badly damaged to make out."
"A red door you say?" The Third questioned before linking his fingers together in thought after Kakashi's confirmation. After a terse amount of silence, Hiruzen perked up and shot the ANBU Captain a nervous look. "You don't think it's..."
He was soon silenced again at the masked ninja's nod. "Hai, that had also come to mind as soon as I figured it out as well Lord Hokage-sama. Could it be that the seal is finally weakening?"
"It seems very well like it is Kakashi," Hiruzen sighed, his withered face seemingly putting on more years at his look of distress. "Naruto-kun will be in grave danger if we leave it unattended any longer. I thought the seal would hold on a little longer but it seems that I will have to contact Jiraiya much sooner than I first anticipated."
Hiruzen sighed and he rummaged in his pocket before pulling out his favorite pipe. He ran through a few seals before lighting up his pipe with a small fire jutsu and inhaled before exhaling out a ring of smoke with a sigh. "As the Nara Clan would say, this has become very troublesome indeed. The fox is pushing for more influence on Naruto's body at a much dangerous pace than we first thought, and I don't know if it will negatively impact him in any way." Hiruzen sighed again, a stream of smoke floating languidly out of his mouth. Now the question is… how am I going to find a suitable guardian for Naruto-kun at this time of night?
Now's a good time as any I guess… The Copy-Nin thought with a sigh. "Uh, Hokage-sama? That is what I actually wanted to talk to you about, well something similarly related to it anyway." The teen said as he scratched the back of his head nervously.
Hiruzen just regarded his reaction with a raised brow. "Go on."
The masked shinobi drew in a deep breath before he began. "You and I both know that the condition Naruto is currently in could escalate to dangerous levels without the appropriate supervision." The Hokage slowly nodded his head in agreement. "So I was thinking of proposing that a very exceptionally skilled shinobi take fulltime charge and custody over the betterment of the person that is Naruto Uzumaki… in other words… me."
Hiruzen was so surprised that his pipe fell out of his mouth in utter shock at Kakashi's proposal. He knew that the teen was very skilled in his job, heck; he made Chūnin at the age of nine! But the old war veteran never thought that the shinobi would ever want to take a child into custody.
It was a while before the Hokage found his voice again. "K-Kakashi I—!"
"I know what you're going to say but just hear me out Lord Third." The masked nin interrupted his leader in mid-speech. "I feel as though I… I owe Minato-sensei of taking care of his only son. I've failed him soo many times that it pains me soo much to continue to let Naruto suffer," his one eye was down-casted as he wallowed in his guilt and self-pity for a moment, "but I don't want to be on the sidelines anymore Hokage-sama. I want to… I want to be on the frontlines by Naruto's side so that I can better protect him. And I know that you have denied the right of the custody of Naruto to the clans—"
"You can adopt him Kakashi."
"—and you will probably deny me as well, but know that I…!" The Copy-nin had stopped mid-speech and his pacing that he was doing as well to stare blankly at his leader. "…What?"
The God of Shinobi chuckled at the dumbfounded expression on the white-haired youth's face before picking up his pipe again and putting it back in his mouth. "I said, you can adopt him Kakashi."
It was a few moments before said ninja blinked before responding in inaudible mumbling. "But… I… the Clans… Wha…?!" He stuttered as he gestured around the room franticly.
"My my!" The Hokage chortled, "I have never seen the great Kakashi Hatake of the Sharingan so worked up before! It's such a rarity to see you so passionate these days!"
"B-But with all due respect Hokage-sama, why choose a single shinobi to take charge over Naruto Uzumaki than an entire clan full of shinobi?" Kakashi asked, still confused by the willingness of his commanding officer.
"Because my dear boy," The Third tutted as he folded his hands out in front of him on his desk, "you, I trust more than any other shinobi or clan in this entire village. Sure, the numerous of shinobi protecting Naruto-kun would undoubtedly guarantee his safety, but you never know if any of the clan members still hold ill-will in their hearts because of the Kyuubi. I trust you much more because you have seen past Naruto-kun's burden and hold much care for him, and not just because he is your sensei's son." The old Kage explained with a knowing look in his eye.
The lone Hatake watched as Hiruzen rummaged in his desk's drawers before pulling out a few stacks of paper stapled together. He then gestured the Hatake forward before giving him a quill slathered with black ink on its tip. "I am sure Minato-kun will be proud of you Kakashi." Hiruzen smiled at the teen who nodded back at him in return.
"I hope so," Kakashi murmured as the quill zoomed across the fine print, moving dexterously between his skillful fingers. "I have been lax on my job as Naruto's guardian and it's time I started taking it a little more seriously." After finishing the adoption papers, he then handed them over to the Sarutobi who looked over it so as to verify it. He took notice of one minor detail in the papers and was about to make a comment about it, but Kakashi had already beaten him to the punch.
"Even though I am adopting him, I won't become his new father." The cyclops said while looking up at the ceiling. "Minato-sensei is Naruto's rightful father and me assuming that important role just isn't right. So a brother is a much more suitable role for me."
Hiruzen smiled and nodded in agreement. "Very well, I will gather the council and tell them of the news. I have some important announcements of my own to make… it's time I make a few changes to the council that has been long overdue." And with that the old man snickered evilly, greatly confusing and creeping the young youth out.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, the fearful God of Shinobi, and the great Professor of many jutsu… was currently relaxing in his chair, smoking on his favorite pipe as he watched the council bicker over the latest issue that was presented before them.
The council room was a dimly lit chamber that had many tables placed in a "U" shaped pattern, and those of shinobi clans had their clan's insignia on a banner in front of their designated table. The Hokage's desk, however, was at the end on the "U" and had a higher vantage point so as to display his rank as a higher officer over everyone else.
The Third merely watched with an amused expression as a rather foolish council member made a brazen comment towards Tsume Inuzuka, the Clan Head of the Inuzuka Clan, only to shrink in fear as the woman threatened to rip of the council member's genitals with her claws.
Tsume was a rather… interesting character with a rough and hardened persona fitting of a warrior, but compassionate towards family and sometimes friends. She had long, spiky, untamed brown hair, animalistic slit-like pupils, and elongated canine teeth and nails. She had her clan's fang markings, as does any self-respecting Inuzuka, but instead of the common red color, she had purple. She wore the standard outfit of Konoha shinobi which consisted of a green flak jacket and a black suit underneath with her sleeves rolled up and bandages wrapped around her legs. Her face was rather stern-looking, but that was how she normally looked, and had purple eyeliner on her eyes as well as a dark shade of purple that was coated on her lips.
Hiruzen, finally having enough fun with Tsume harshly chewing out the foolish council member with a very colorful vocabulary, picked up his gavel before banging it loudly to restore order in the room. "That's quite enough Tsume-san, I am sure he's had enough of your… rather interesting accusation." Hiruzen said coolly but there with an amused glint in his old eyes.
Said woman begrudgingly sat down with her arms crossed, but muttered childishly about "disrespecting men would be better off without their testicles" much to the distress of many of the males in the room.
"I have called you all here today to announce two important events today, the first being better than the last." The Kage began and held up a hand for silence when the chatter began to escalate, mainly the civilian council members. "I will get straight to the point with the first topic… I have found a perfect guardian that will adopt the Kyuubi no Yoko's container, Naruto Uzumaki, whom has willing agreed to oversee his care."
Almost immediately the council was in an uproar many displaying dissatisfaction and anger at the mention of Naruto and others at the mention of the adoption. Hiruzen sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. He knew that the civilian council would blatantly display their reactions towards Naruto, but he didn't think that the shinobi council would partake in the chaos as well.
This is going to be much more vexing than I had first thought… The old man sighed again before restoring order with his gavel once again. "I know that there has been a few of you who wanted to take custody of Naruto-kun, and I am sorry to inform you that I still don't think that your care would suffice for his growth. Even though you think that you might be a better choice, but I know for a fact that a great many of your clan members still hold ill-will towards him because of that fateful night eight years ago."
He puffed a ring of smoke from his pipe before he continued. "So that's why I have entrusted Naruto-kun's safety to one of my most trusted shinobi who, in fact, has looked past the boy's burden and sees Naruto-kun for who he really is…You may come in now."
The door to the room opened and from it waltzed in Kakashi Hatake with a bored look on his face as his hands were stuffed in his pockets. "Yo." He greeted idly with a two-fingered salute, much to the shock of many in the council room. Kakashi was a little confused himself, being in the room, but the Hokage had told him that he wouldn't want to miss out on this particular meeting.
"Kakashi Hatake?!" Tsume roared and abruptly stood up as she slammed her hands on her desk. "You are entrusting him to take care of the little pup?! Hokage-sama, this kid has no experience for child care and is way too young to become a father!"
Kakashi raised a brow at the woman. "Who said that I was going to be his father?"
Everyone looked at him in bewilderment. Didn't he know anything about adoption papers?
"Troublesome, don't you know anything about the adopting process Kakashi?" A man said in a lax but inquiring tone. It was Shikaku Nara, Head of the Nara Clan, who was currently regarding the eighteen-year old with a tired but skeptical look. Shikaku had two scars on the right side of his face, dark hair tied up into a spiky ponytail, dark eyes and pierced ears as well as a goatee. He wore a meshed shirt underneath his flak jacket, a deer skin coat over that and hand guards as well as black moveable pants and the standard blue shinobi sandals. He, as well as Tsume, had volunteered for the care of Naruto, and even though he liked Kakashi, he couldn't help but feel suspicious yet curious of the teen's sudden action.
"Of course I do," Kakashi regarded Shikaku with a bored look, "I just took on the role of being Naruto's foster brother instead of his father. It doesn't say anything in the papers that I can't become his brother."
"It's true." Hiruzen said as he took out the papers and handed them to Shikaku who was on the right of him. "It's says nothing in the papers that goes against his decision."
Shikaku just raised a brow before reading thoroughly through the papers before his usually lax eyes widened in surprise. "He's… right." Tsume snatched it out of his hands before her eyes running over the papers at a fast pace. She growled before handing it off to the next person.
As the paper was passed along, the murmurings of the council members buzzed throughout the room and many had the look of confusion and disbelief as they stared at the paper before turning their attention to the suddenly caring-about-others teenager.
"Now that we have resolved this issue," Hiruzen began as he received the sheet next before straightening it out and placing it neatly on his desk, "it's time to proceed to the next one… and I must say that this next issue will benefit this council room for the better."
After a few moments of silently smoking his pipe, the Hokage addressed his council once again before he spoke. "I am formally disbanding the civilian council in its entirety." This immediately caused loud uproar and shouts of anger, disbelief, and shock among the civilian council members.
"Why would you do such a thing Hokage-sama?!"
"Have you gone senile?! This village needs the civilian council!"
"What right do you have to do this to us?!"
"Silence!" Hiruzen hissed, releasing a large amount of killing intent into the room. The civilians' voices immediately died in their throats at the heavy air pressure that was being releasing from the old war veteran and some of them either fainted or urinated on themselves. "I am the Hokage of this entire village and what I say is law! You have absolutely no right to question my authority on how I run my village! Do I make myself clear?!" The civilians nodded vigorously and whimpered in fear and fright at Hiruzen's imposing figure.
The old Sarutobi pinched the bridge of his nose before drawing in a shaky breath. "The reason why I am disbanding you is because the civilian council holds no real purpose on how to help finance and run a shinobi village. This village is made up of a percentage of ninety-three shinobi to the villagers mere seven percent. So as it goes, the council will only be made of shinobi from this day forward and will have only one civilian representative."
"Haruno-san." The tired leader said as he pointed a bony finger towards a frightened and slightly jumpy woman. Her name was Mebuki Haruno, a very… loud civilian member with green eyes, fair skin, and shoulder-length blonde hair that had a single bang which fell to the center of her face. She wore a white qipao dress with three red circular designs at the bottom of the front of her dress as well as the back. However, underneath the dress she wore pink ¾-length pants along with brown sandals. "You will be that representative and will only attend meetings that deal with the financial aid and structural importance of the village. Am I understood?"
"H-Hai Hokage-sama!" Mebuki screeched in fright, not aware of her high-pitched voice causing some ear trauma to the other members in the room.
"Now then, the rest of you are dismissed. Don't bother coming to the next meeting or any others for you will have neither reason nor legitimate power to do so." Hiruzen waved his hand dismissively and the former civilian council members immediately filed out of the room, dragging some others who were currently unconscious.
"Now then," Hiruzen said as he addressed the remaining members of the council, "Are there any more questions? No? Then I officially declare this meeting adjourned." And with that said, the Hokage banged his gavel for the final time that night before standing up and exiting the room, leaving a band of shocked shinobi and one civilian in the dim room.
Naruto hummed a happy tune as he walked side by side with Kakashi Hatake towards his favorite ramen stand. The last few weeks had been utter euphoria to the former orphan as he finally had a family member, though not related by blood, and a place to really truly call home.
Kakashi had told him of how he had signed his adoption papers on the night of the extra-ordinary council meeting with the Hokage and, though skeptical at first, Naruto became very ecstatic at the news that someone had finally, finally, adopted him and actually wanted to take care of him.
And since that day, he and Kakashi became closer and closer to the point where Naruto had absolute trust in the ANBU Captain.
As of now the blonde was wearing a form-fitting, dark green T-shirt with an odd orange swirl in the front, as well as white shorts that stopped at the middle of his calves and a grey haori with black trimmings and the standard blue sandals.
"N-Ne, K-Kakashi-niisan," Naruto stammered but with a pleased smile on his face, "D-Do you think that T-Teuchi-san and Ayame-san will have a new flavor o-of ramen today? O-Or will let us h-have five bowls of miso ramen o-on the house?"
Kakashi was currently wearing a black mesh, skintight long-sleeved shirt with black pants and blue sandals. It was basically his shinobi uniform without his grey flak jacket and silver arm-guards. He smiled under his mask at the "niisan" Naruto had attached to his name. Even though Naruto had been adopted just a few short weeks ago, and it would normally take a little more time for a child to adjust to a new home with new family; it seems that despite his shy nature-Naruto had rapidly taken the concept of Kakashi being his new family to heart at a very fast pace.
"I don't know if I can be able to eat as much ramen as you Naruto," Kakashi said with an eye-smile, "but I do like the prospect of getting a free meal."
The two adoptive brothers began to chat about mundane things that happened about in Konoha and a little bit of their pasts as well. Naruto was amazed at the immense power and skill that the masked shinobi possessed even during his earlier years. He had no idea that you could become a Chūnin at such a young age! It made the blonde admire his brother even more.
Naruto glowed as warmth bloomed in his chest at that word. Brother. He finally had a brother—no, a family.
They were fast approaching the ramen stand, its cloth banners serving at the door fluttered in the gentle wind and its rich aroma that filled the air had beckoned Naruto to increase his speed. Ichiraku's Ramen stand served as the only restaurant in the Market District of Konoha that would serve Naruto as a customer. The manager of the establishment, Teuchi Ichiraku, saw Naruto as a boy who wanted food, not as a demon, and gladly served him as a regular customer. As soon as Naruto took his first bite of a bowl of ramen, he has been hooked on the food ever since, making him one of Teuchi's best customers.
"Hello T-Teuchi-san, A-Ayame-chan! I'm back and I-I brought Kakashi-niisan w-with m-me this time!" Naruto beamed as he hopped in a stool, his little legs dangling off of his seat.
"Yo." Kakashi greeted simply as he sat in a stool next to Naruto and pulled out his smutty orange book from his weapons pouch. He always brought it with him even on his days off of work, which greatly confused his blonde-haired counterpart. Oh well, better safe than sorry.
"Naruto-kun! Kakashi! Good to see my two most favorite customers!" A very spritely old man said cheerily at the two spiky haired brothers. Teuchi wore a white haori with matching white pants, wooden sandals, and a short white chefs hat that had the kanji for "Ichiraku Ramen" in red on the left side of the hat. He also had squinty eyes that always looked like they were permanently closed. "So what can I get for you two today?"
"O-Oh, I-I would like t-to h-have five, n-no six, no s-seven bowls of m-miso ramen!" The boy said gleefully as he held up seven fingers, much to the two men's amusement, "a-and do you have a-any new flavors I-I could try out f-for you? I-If it's o-okay with y-you Kakashi-niisan?"
The white-haired teen just waved a dismissive hand at the boy's request. Teuchi's smile stretched into a wide grin as he rubbed his hands together. "As a matter of fact Naruto, I do have a new flavor for you to try out, if you're willing?" The boy just nodded vigorously. "Alright then! Anything for you Kakashi?"
"I'll just have one bowl of pork ramen," the teen said with a drawl, "unlike Naruto here, I don't particularly have a big appetite." Said boy blushed with his fingers poking together shyly.
"Okay! I'll be back with your orders in a moment." And the ramen shop owner quickly disappeared into the kitchen.
The two brothers were once again talking about trivial things and Kakashi began to tell Naruto of another one of his missions as a shinobi, with the little blonde listening with rapt attention and adoring wide eyes at Kakashi's epic tale.
After the story was told, Naruto quickly asked his brother a question. "N-Ne Kakashi-niisan, do y-you think that I w-will ever become a great n-ninja like you?" His small fingers began to play around with a pair of chopsticks.
Kakashi regarded the new Hatake with a raised brow, although on the inside, he was smiling. "It all depends. Would you like to become a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Naruto?"
The whiskered boy looked up at the older boy before he looked back down at his fingers before he nodded. "I-I've always wanted t-to become a n-ninja for as long as I-I could remember. I've heard so m-many stories about so many a-amazing shinobi, and even more s-so of the F-Fourth Hokage." He then sighed. "A-And I've always w-wished that one day I-I could be a person and a ninja as half as gr-great as he was."
Kakashi was about to make a comment when they were suddenly interrupted by the bowls that were set down in front of them. Naruto immediately snapped his chopsticks in half and with a surprisingly gutsy shout of "Itadakimasu" from the usually shy lad, he began to gobble down his broth with enthusiastic gusto.
"It always amazes me of how much ramen he can eat for such a small boy." Their server said with a smile. Kakashi looked up from his pervy orange book to regard the person with a bored look. It was a girl around his age with long, brown hair and eyes and fair skin. She was a very spirited girl that had a talent for cooking, a kind heart, and a firm belief of discipline that made her one of Naruto's most precious people.
She wore a white robe with the sleeves cuffed and folded, a dark blue apron with ribbon ties designed at the top and a white bandana that the kanji words "Ichiraku Ramen" written on it as it nestled on the top of her head.
"Well, well. If it isn't Ayame-chan," Kakashi said with obvious amusement, "my how you've grown. It seems like it was only yesterday when you used to be such a tiny little thing."
"Hai, and it seems like it was yesterday when you still had your innocence, at least somewhat, and didn't read those raunchy books, Kakashi-kun." Ayame said with obvious annoyance as she put her fists on her hips. "Geez, and reading in front of Naru-chan no less! That's bad parenting if you ask me!"
"I didn't ask you. And Naruto doesn't seem to mind." Kakashi retorted with a lazy drawl as he regarded the young woman with a bored look. "Right Naruto?"
Said boy had stopped eating his tenth bowl of ramen to regard them with a surprised look and a mouthful of noodles. He quickly slurped them up and swallowed before he spoke. "I-I've never really had a p-problem with Kakashi-niisan r-reading those orange books. H-He says that I'll get to read th-them when I'm old enough." He saw Ayame give Kakashi a death glare while he looked away in another direction as if she weren't there. "A-Are they bad b-books? Should I n-not read them?"
Ayame gave out a shaky sigh as she tried and failed to reign in her anger by pinching the bridge of her nose. "Hai Naru-chan, they are very bad books and you should never ever read them." Ayame gently put a hand on his shoulder as she stared deeply into his cerulean eyes. "Listen Naruto, you like me right?"
"H-H-Hai!" The blonde said with fierce determination as tidal waves of embarrassment engulfed his person, a vibrant blush exploding upon his tanned cheeks. "I-I l-l-like Ayame-chan very m-much! A-And I respect y-you a lot t-too!"
Ayame was very pleased by the small boy's revelation. She knew that it took a lot out of him to admit things like that because of what he had to go through. "Well then, take my advice and don't let those books corrupt you Naru-chan. Trust me, when you start to develop certain... feelings towards girls you do not want to turn out like your lecher of a brother-"
"Oi!"
"-because no girl will want to date a pervert," she said with a sigh, "but instead learn how to be a gentleman and treat all girls with the kindness and respect that they deserve. No matter how they act towards you."
"Ayame, I think that's going a little overboard." Kakashi said with a sweatdrop. "No guy is actually like that, even womanizers' aren't entirely pure-hearted. And besides, Naruto is a growing boy and one day he will feel that urge that all boys go through. There's nothing you can do to stop that."
She pouted at him childishly. "Well I can sure as hell try!" She then turned to Naruto, "Naruto, promise me you will be the nice, kind, sweet, loving, and caring boy that I know you are and can be when you grow up. And never, ever, change who you are. Promise me."
"I promise A-Ayame-chan!" The whiskered lad said before he jammed his thumb into his chest. "A-And as proof o-of my vow to you, I-I will make a motto a-about treating g-girls with the r-respect that they deserve or my n-name isn't Naruto Uzumaki-Hatake!"
Kakashi slapped a hand over his forehead while Ayame squealed with delight. "That's great Naru-chan!" Ayame beamed as she plucked the blonde Hatake out of his seat and squeezed him hard, nearly snapping him in half. "What's it gonna be?! What's it gonna be?!"
After regaining his breath and the feeling in his lower body, the blonde thought long and hard before it struck him like a bolt of lightning would crash on the defenseless earth. "I-I got it! "All women must be cherished and cared for as the wind does the sakura petals of the dewy spring", h-how's that?"
The two teens had looked at him as if he had grown two heads. Even Teuchi had his mouth agape when he had walked in on the conversation.
"Wh-What? W-Was it something I s-said?"
Ayame then ended the silence with a fangirlish scream, much to the ire of the two men, and squeezed the blonde even tighter to her chest. "It was everything you said Naru-chan! Who knew you were so poetic! You're gonna make a fine man for a very lucky girl some day, I just know it!"
Kakashi, though suffering from a possible ruptured eardrum, stared at his brother with a wide eye. "Naruto, wh-where did you get that line from?"
"I-I just thought i-it up Kakashi-niisan." Naruto said with a wheeze when Ayame loosened her death-grip somewhat. He then tilted his head to the side and gave his brother an adorable look of confusion. "I-Is that so wrong?"
"No, no. Quite the opposite actually, it's brilliant!" Kakashi said with a large grin underneath his mask. You could tell he was smiling due to the corners of the mask lifting up from his ludicrous grinning. "It's genius, absolutely genius! I should tell Jiraiya-sama about the prospect of making one of the characters in the Icha-Icha Paradise series use your line in one of the chapters! Oh Kami, how much that would make for the sexual scene afterwards-!"
He was interrupted mid-rant when Ayame took the courtesy upon herself of putting the lecherous man in his place by a well-placed fist to his head. "You pervert! Don't say such heinous things around Naruto! Are you trying to corrupt him?!" Kakashi was about to open his mouth when Ayame put a hand up. "On second thought, don't answer that."
After much bickering between the two teenagers, Teuchi came back with the two Hatake's orders.
"Here you go, one order of pork ramen and seven orders of miso ramen along with my new creation!" The old ramen shop keeper said with evident glee at the last part.
"Wh-What is it called T-Teuchi-san?" Naruto said as he stared at the different bowl of ramen. Its broth looked crimson red with shrimp floating along the top with numerous colors of spices thrown into the fray of soup. A hot and spicy aroma invaded the whiskered child's nose-causing him to scrunch it up to form some kind of blockage against the pungent smell.
"I'm glad you asked my dear boy!" Teuchi said with a happy glint in his eye. "I call it, 'The Eater's Challenge: Spicy Volcanic Shrimp Ramen Combo!'Has a nice ring to it right?"
Kakashi just raised a thin brow as he stared at the glowering broth. "Looks hot." He stated simply before he resumed his eating.
Naruto stared at his brother with awe and confusion. Kakashi was eating, but he still had his mask on. And whenever he brought noodles to his mouth, it would phase right through like nothing was there. I'll never understand how he does that... Naruto thought and looked back at his own meal.
Naruto belted out a hearty "Itadakimasu" before splitting his chopsticks in half and grabbing a bunch of noodles from his spicy ramen. He blew on it a few times before he stuffed it his mouth and started to chew.
"Well, how is it?" Teuchi asked with bubbling excitement.
Naruto swallowed before staring blankly at the old man. "W-Well it's not what I-I thought it would-!" He immediately stopped once he felt the noodles hit his stomache. It was like a bomb had gone off and its aftermath heatwaves immediately started to scorch his stomach before it steadily made its way up. His tanned face immediately turned crimson and this time it wasn't out of embarrassment.
"Water!" He screamed and lunged for the cup after Ayame had hastily prepared it. He gulped it down without any reservation and downed three more cups when his face finally returned to its normal tanned hue.
Naruto sighed in relief and burped out a cloud of smoke when his stomach had finally settled the unbelievability spicy noodles.
"Ha ha!" Teuchi bellowed, "another successful ramen concoction completed! Thanks my boy! This oughta bring in a lot more thrill-seeking and arrogant customers!" And the old man started to greedily rub his hands together as he thought of more sales with his daughter and the two brothers sweat-dropping.
Kakashi and Naruto were currently in the Hokage's Tower lobby as they waited for the Hokage to call them in for an appointment. They had just finished their ramen when an ANBU operative had digressed that they both report to the Hokage's office for a debriefing. What it was about, neither knew.
"Lord Hokage-sama will see you now." The receptionist announced as she addressed the two Hatake brothers from behind her desk.
"Thank you." They both said and gave her a bow, Naruto's much more humble than his white-haired counterpart, and both climbed up the stairs and went down the hall towards the Hokage's office.
They ran into many shinobi along the way and although most were too busy to greet them, a few would acknowledge them with a curt nod or a small wave.
Kakashi had then stopped in front of a single door with Naruto following in his brother's stead. The little Hatake looked up and saw a wooden plank with the kanji for "Hokage" scribed on it before looking back at the door once the white-haired teen had knocked on it.
"Enter!" A raspy voice said from within, prompting the two brothers to do as told.
Naruto's electric blue eyes widened with happiness once he saw the veteran warrior behind the desk. The old Sarutobi looked up from his piles of paperwork and smiled once he saw the two brothers, his eyes warm once they settled on the whiskered boy. "Ah Kakashi, Naruto-kun! How are you two doing? Good I presume?" Hiruzen said with a grandfatherly smile, his pipe bellowing a ring of smoke.
"Hai, it's been very quiet lately." Kakashi said with his usual bored look adorning his face. "Naruto has been—!"
"Hiruzen-jiji!" The little boy exclaimed as he quickly ran over to the elder shinobi before launching himself at him.
"My my Naruto-kun," Hiruzen laughed as he ruffled the boy's unruly hair, "it seems that you have had a good day! Care to tell me what happened?"
"H-Hai!" The boy beamed and then regaled the elder man about his day. He told him about how happy he was that Kakashi had a day off of work and how the teen took him on a shopping trip. Hiruzen laughed when the shy blonde told him of his encounter with the Ichiraku's and the spicy ramen broth.
"I-It was really hot H-Hiruzen-jiji!" Naruto said and his cheeks flared when he realized that he had shouted, so he began to play with the hem of his sleeves. "I-It was so h-hot, I thought m-my stomache was g-gonna explode..."
Hiruzen chuckled at the whiskered Jinchūriki before patting his head. "Well then, I'll just have to go with you next to taste this alleged, spicy ramen, ne? It sounds like fun!"
Naruto looked at the wizened Hokage with awe before his mouth stretched into a happy smile. Both Kakashi and Hiruzen smiled at the blonde's happy expression—Kakashi's hidden by his mask—before said white-haired teen remembered something.
"Oh yeah. Hokage-sama, why did you call us here in the first place?" The older Hatake said with his usual bored tone.
"Ah yes," the Sandaime then picked up Naruto and put him on his lap—much to the surprise of said boy—before he addressed the skillful shinobi. "I have called you both here to talk about the topic of entering young Naruto-kun into Konohagakure's Shinobi Academy."
Kakashi didn't say a thing, just raised a single, thin white-eyebrow while Naruto looked up at the Sandaime with curiosity and question gleaming in his cerulean eyes. "Sh-Shinobi Academy? What's th-that Hiruzen-jiji?" He asked timidly.
"A Shinobi Academy is a school where ninja-aspirants, or children who wish to become shinobi, learn the basics of the ninja arts before beginning their careers as shinobi in their designated village. However, only a select few of villages—Hidden Villages are their names—have shinobi academies." At this, the little blonde looked downcast but instantly perked up when Hiruzen continued his mini-lecture. "Fortunately for you Naruto-kun, you do live in a Hidden Village and therefore can learn the way of the ninja if you so desire."
"S-So that means that I-I can l-learn to b-be a ninja like Nii-san, a-and like you too Jiji?" Naruto asked. Both men couldn't seem to make out the boy's face for he took on a surprisingly efficient blank expression.
"H-Hai Naruto-kun..." Hiruzen said after a moment of temporary shock. "However, if you do not wish to, we will not—!"
"I'll do it."
Hiruzen and Kakashi blinked before looking down at Naruto, who donned a rare look of determination that blazed in his young eyes. "R-Really?" Both shinobi said at once.
"H-Hai!" The blonde nodded with enthusiasm. "I-I may not kn-know a lot about the shinobi w-way of life, o-or have any skills i-in the ninja arts, but I wish t-to—no, I want to l-learn all I can to become a-a great ninja like you Jiji, a-and Nii-san, and the Y-Yondaime Hokage as well!"
Hiruzen smiled proudly at the boy and ruffled his hair. "I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that you will become a great shinobi one day Naruto-kun" Maybe even greater than your father... The old veteran thought as he cast a quick glance at a picture on the wall. It hung with three others under a plaque that had the words "Past Hokages" written in kanji letters. However, the picture that the Sandaime was specially gazing upon was the picture of a man with unruly blonde hair with electric blue eyes that held seriousness as well as kindness.
After pulling his gaze away from the picture, Hiruzen addressed his attention towards the skilled young ANBU Captain who had been all but silent since the meeting started. "Well Kakashi, your thoughts on Naruto-kun's decision?" He asked with a brown raised.
Said teen sighed before he began to scratch the back of his head. "I have no qualms with Naruto going to the Academy if that's what your asking. If Naruto wants to become a shinobi of the Leaf, then who am I to stop him?"
The elder Sarutobi chuckled. "Indeed." He then clasped his weathered hands together with a loud boom, frightening Naruto by the sudden and unexpected sound. "Well then, I shall draw up the papers and register Naruto Uzumaki-Hatake as a new student of Konohagakure's Shinobi Academy next term in August." Hiruzen once again looked down at Naruto but with a grandfatherly smile adorning his lips. "Congratulations Naruto-kun, you are now a shinobi student of Konohagakure!"
The whiskered child blinked before his eyes widened and a smile that soon stretched into a grin appeared on his thin lips. The boy then jumped out of his seat and pranced around excitedly, an unexpected reaction from a timid person like he, as he screamed his glee to the world.
Next time on The Quiet Uzumaki and the Robust Hyuuga: Training and First Encounters!
...
For any fan or reader who is reading this and who knows of me and my work, I am NOT dead.
...
WHOOO! I'm finally done with this chappie! Sorry to all of my faithful readers and fans about my extra MEGA DUMB BRAIN and its writing block, but I was LITERALLY coming up with nothing on how to finish this.
Until this year in 2015!
It just came to me like BOOM! POW! WHAAAAAT?! ALL UP IN YO FACE SON! And then I finally finished it.
Now if you're wondering about my other stories then I shall put thine fears to rest.
YES, I am going to continue this and The Lost Clan of Whirlpool fanfictions, however I am still debating on the Changes for the Better fanfic. I dunno, I'll see what'll happen with that one.
I am also happy to announce that I shall be coming up with new stories as well, two in the Narutoverse and two crossover ones too! A bit of a twist on my part, since these two crossovers shall be MY FIRST EVER CROSSOVERS!
If you're wondering about the names then you'll just have to wait and see my cute little students~! :3
Anywhoo, if you have sneezed anywhere in this SUUUUUUUPAAAAA LOOOOOOOONG chappie then GOD BLESS YO FACE and I'm sorry for you snot rockets!
Till next time, PEACE!