By Selim
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Summary: Naruto wants Sasuke for his mate, plain and simple. To do so, he must prove himself an adult in his mother's eyes, a strong leader in his father's, and a powerful Shinobi in Sasuke's.
Pairings: Sasuke x Naruto, Kakashi x Iruka, and Kyuubi x Arashi
Thank you: (FF) Darktulip, crazygrl3568, A-Hime, ekc19929, JoelleSandy, CuriousDreamWeaver, AnneCwa, Angeldiane, (AFF) LoFaBe, Sama, Wickedwiccanofthemiddwest, Xzanayu, Renu, Ai-chan, DrakenD4, Dragon, Hello, Secretsex92, and Yummietummy.
With his bags piled up next to him and a knapsack full of mementos, Naruto was grinning like the fox he was. His large demon ears pulled back when his mother began brushing blonde strands playfully. "-And you play nice with the other shinobi-" He continued talking, even though they both knew Naruto was too far-gone to be listening. Humming a tune happily, Naruto let his fingers stray through a pet fox next to him. Standing still, Naruto looked up as his mother finished talking. "Take this with you, Naruto." Arashi pulled a necklace from around his neck and wrapped it around his little boy's.
"But dad made you this." Naruto whispered staring over the gem collection specially made during his parent's courting days.
"Naruto, wear it." Arashi tightened the string around his son's neck so it wouldn't get in the boy's way. "It'll protect you when mommy and daddy can't." Pecking the boy's cheek, he ignored the jerky motion his son gave trying to wash the imaginary saliva away. "Henge into human. Look like me." He instructed, and Naruto performed the proper seals before transforming into his third form, a human. With plump, pink cheeks, he gazed up at his human guard. "Iruka, come here for a second." Arashi walked off and the guard followed.
Alone, Naruto sat on the floor, kissing his beloved fox's nose. "Miya-chan, are you coming to Konoha with me?" He asked the fox. He wasn't expecting an answer, to be honest.
There were four stages of foxes. The lowest were just the animals that were unable to utilize knowledge collected. Second were shifters that took the form of a demon but couldn't fight. Those were the ones that slaved away in Kyuubi's manor as servants. The third were half-demons, demons that processed human abilities as well as demon abilities. Then there were demons, the small bunch that could become large foxes and held years of collected chakra ability. Naruto was a half-demon, stuck in second class even though his father was the Kyuubi, lord of all Fox Demons.
"No, Miya-chan will be staying home with your mother and me." Kyuubi put a hand on his son's shoulder. "You can summon her, if you remember what I've taught you. If you're in real danger, do summon me immediately." He placed a loving hand on his son's golden mane, kissed the boy's slung arm then stood up. "You're demon blood has healed it nicely. Have Iruka remove the cast when you reach Konoha. Speak not of your mother or of me."
"If asked of my last name?" Naruto put his hand on his hips.
Kyuubi's eyes dimmed. "Naruto Uzumaki." He roughly pronounced, using man's tongue. Naruto formed the words as well before smiling again. "If that brat lays one hand on you without proving himself, I'll rip his dick." He threatened.
"Okay!" Naruto squealed, releasing his hold on Miya. "Go home to your parents!" He pushed the fox ahead as his mother and Iruka turned the corner. Donning Iruka's forehead was his mother's old haitai-ate, a large band Naruto remembered playing with when he was still a kit suckling for milk.
"Don't you think," Kyuubi turned his attention away from his son, "you're overriding your boundaries. Iruka is a guard of my realm, not a shinobi of Konoha. You expect too much of them to just accept him as a shinobi."
"I'm doing nothing wrong." Arashi tightened the metal plate around Iruka's forehead with affection. "I'm merely sending a note that Iruka has shown enough skill and love for Konoha to be a shinobi and, if denied as one of Konoha, he will return this for a blank one." Satisfied that his old headband wouldn't fall off, he leaned over Naruto and touched whisker-like scars. "My baby is leaving me."
"Naruto's not a baby!" Stamping his feet, the little blond puffed his cheeks out. "Just wait, Naruto will bring home his mate and show you!"
Brushing a claw through his little son's blond hair, Kyuubi stepped back. "Just remember to learn well, Naruto." Wrapping his strong arms around his mate's waist, he nodded affirmatively towards the human guard. "Take care of my son, Iruka." He threatened. Nodding, Iruka picked up an extra bag that held living supplies.
"Oh! Wait!" Arashi squeaked, pulling away from Kyuubi and rushing in another direction. He returned shortly with a bag, handing it over to Iruka so his son's grabby hands wouldn't touch it. "This is enough for a motel room. I've picked up these coins from traveling shinobi since coming to live here. It will also buy you some food to live off of."
Clutching the money, Iruka blushed. "I couldn't-"
Chuckling, Arashi waved his hand. "I don't need it here. You won't get very far with humans without money." Smiling towards Naruto, he reached forward. "Mom will come see you in a few weeks. Remember your lessons with Iruka and be nice to the people in Konoha." Pecking the boy's head, he returned to Kyuubi's side as Naruto turned foot and took off in the direction of the woods. With a queasy look, Iruka took off after, carrying several of the bags before disappearing in the woods after his liege.
"My children…" Arashi mourned to himself.
Konoha was so big, Naruto realized as he stepped past weary guards at the front gates. Beside him, Iruka's grip on their material goods tightened as he looked around quickly. "Do you remember living here, Iruka?" The blonde asked quickly.
"Yes." Iruka said in his own tongue, looking around. "Let's go find a motel first, then we'll talk to the hokage about accepting us as part of the village.." Handing some bags to Naruto, Iruka jerked a bigger bag over his shoulder before grabbing Naruto's hand when the boy started off in the other direction. "Excuse me!" He approached a passing couple. "Can you point us to some hotels? We just came into town, and we don't have much money…" He tried to explain their situation.
At his side, Naruto glanced around quickly for any sign of his mate. Finding none, he sulked some. Instead, he found interest in a little cemetery just a few yards from him. His mother use to bring him out of the Fox Village every year around his birthday to burn some candles for Konoha's losses. Naruto still didn't understand what was going on, even as he stared at the cemetery he blessed yearly.
Unclasping Iruka's hold on his arm, Naruto walked towards the cemetery with morbid curiosity. Under the watchful gaze of the shinobi on guard, Naruto entered the filled cemetery, his wide blue eyes wandering over the tombstones. Names upon names, none that rang a bell. Standing up, he moved further until he reached a large stone that seemed different and more taken care of than the others. Letting his fingers move over the writing, he hummed lightly.
A sudden hand grabbed his shoulder, making him jump back, summoning his fathers rasengan in his left hand as he turned. There was that man that was with Sasuke; the silver haired shinobi that had tended to his wounds. Letting his chakra return, he released the rasengan calmly. He wished he could just start talking to the man, but his human language skills were nil since his mother never spoke the human tongue unless he was training Iruka. "Hello! Is Sasuke here?" He danced around some.
Looking around, the jounin stepped around, touching the stone. "These are the names of those who lost their lives to the Kyuubi attacks thirteen years ago." The man took a deep breath before glancing down at Naruto. "You can't understand me though, can you?"
Tilting his head to the side, Naruto bobbed on his soles of his feet. The man had asked him something; he knew that by the rise in the man's voice. Going through the few articles he knew, the blond giggled. "Yes?" He rubbed the back of his head, and thought of something else his mother had said he needed to know. Words his mother had insisted he knew before leaving. "Name Naruto," he pointed to himself. "Find mate. Sasuke." He explained.
A fine silver brow rose off the docile man's face. "Sasuke's your mate? That sly dog." He chuckled. Thinking the man had said a joke, Naruto joined in his laugher.
"Naruto! You need to stop running away!" Iruka marched towards them. Waving happily, Naruto ran towards Iruka, talking fast for introductions between him and the silver haired jounin. With a sigh, Iruka nodded. "This is Naruto, my liege. We've come to Konoha to enroll Naruto into your shinobi program. My name's Iruka, his translator for the…duration of time we're here. And you…?"
Stepping back, the silver haired man rubbed the back of his head. "M-my, ahem!" He coughed, clearing his throat before bowing politely. "My name's Kakashi Hatake. Welcome to Konoha." He returned to his proper shape. "Where are you staying? If you'll be here for a prolonged visit, you'd best get an apartment. Until then, you can stay at my place. I'm rarely home and I have an extra bedroom." He smiled beneath his mask.
Looking up at Iruka, Naruto tugged at the man's arm, bored with the conversation he couldn't understand. Even the stone in front of him wasn't interesting anymore. "Let's go find Sasuke." He suggested.
"No." Iruka looked down at Naruto. "We should just be going to find an apartment on our own, um… Thank you anyway, Kakashi-san, come on Naruto." He took the blonde's hand and left the cemetery. "Maybe we'll see each other again, good bye." He whispered something to Naruto, and the little blonde squealed, holding his hands up.
"Bye 'Kashi!" The blonde waved before taking helping Iruka with their bags again. "So where are we staying now, Iruka?" He asked as they turned the corner.
"Those ladies suggested this motel just north from here. Traveling shinobi stay there when they return to Konoha, so it's cheap fare until we have enough money to get an apartment." Iruka shuffled through their bags, taking out their money. "Your mother also suggested going to a shop and buying something cheap like ramen to live off of until we can afford something a little more decent."
"I'll go hunt us some fish then! And some bunny, they're flourishing this season." Naruto offered, earning a pleasant nod of agreement from his guard. Humming, the blonde jumped forward. After awhile, Iruka joined him in his run, both laughing as they passed dozens of people until Iruka grasped Naruto, stopping the boy in front of a worn down building. "This is it?"
It wasn't much. The windows were barred shut and the paint faded with wear. Iruka twitched lightly. He was sure this area had bad crime too, judging by the prostitute walking the street in clothes that would barely fit Naruto's lithe form. "I think so." Iruka admitted.
"My offer of staying with me is still open."
"Ack!" Both Naruto and Iruka jumped, turning to face the man who said that. Kakashi. "What are you doing here?" Iruka hissed. "I told you; we'll be finding other means of staying. We're not going to intrude on Konoha more than necessary."
Smiling behind his mask, the jounin rubbed the back of his head. "Well, you see. This place is always being monitored for murderers, prostitutes, and thieves. So on and so forth. I figure if you're taking care of a lord, you might want to live in a more decent area. Now, my place is in the good part of town. You can live there, rent-free; Naruto-chan here can serenade little Sasuke. You can earn money and get a good apartment wherever you seem fit and we're all happy."
Accusingly, Iruka narrowed an eye towards the smiling jounin. "And what do you get out of this?"
"Company! Living on my own is so boring!"
Throughout the interaction, Naruto was trying to pick up words he knew and would want to use when talking with Sasuke. Through all his studying since meeting the boy five years before, Sasuke hated stupid people. By all means, the blonde was anything but, however when he tried speaking the human language even his father had said he sounded like an idiot. That was something he had to fix, so maybe he picked up some of these bigger words that Iruka tended to use, Sasuke would think he was smart. Like that one awesome word Kakashi had used. Serenade. Whatever that meant.
Grabbing Iruka's hand, Naruto whined a bit. "I'm hungry. Let's get some rabbit and some ramen, get that motel room."
Rubbing his head, Iruka nodded his heat. "Okay, Kakashi-san. We'll stay with you. We might have some guests though, throughout the months. I also need to speak with the Hokage about getting Naruto into a genin team and me certified under Konoha as a ninja. That may take awhile, so I want to get that done now." Picking up his bags, he told Naruto to do the same. "Lead the way, Kakashi-san."
Nodding, the Jounin grabbed as many bags as he could as he made a sharp turn in the other direction. "This way please!" He started forward. Excited, Naruto ran after him, talking amiably in his fox language about Sasuke. Even though Kakashi couldn't understand what the blonde was saying, he nodded and agreed with anything the boy said. Smiling, Iruka followed close behind, watching the building pass deep in memory. It wasn't long before Kakashi halted suddenly, throwing his arms out. "This is it! My 'palace' so to speak."
"Wow! Do most humans live in places like this? Naruto tactlessly asked with enthusiasm. If this was really Kakashi's home, Iruka looked ready to turn and return to those motel rooms. At least the windows weren't barred off and a prostitute wasn't walking the corner. Maintenance on the place was lacking though, and it probably hadn't been repaired since the Kyuubi attacks. "You live in this whole place? Are you rich??
"No, Naruto. Humans need to make buildings with lots of houses to make room for more construction. It's not like your home where the animals make homes out of trees and caves." Iruka glanced around. "But you're right about how crappy this place is. Dear lord, is that a rat?" He intently looked at a large animal crawl from the trash pile in the ally.
Running forward, Naruto picked it up by its tail, bearing his fangs in hunger. "Possum!" He returned towards them with the possum screaming before falling limp. Confused, the boy tugged on its tail a few times. Shrugging his shoulders, the boy grinned. "He's playing dead. Now he's good dinner." He handed lax animal to their host.
"Um…thank you?" Kakashi took the animal with a faint green around his face. "You know, I have some food upstairs if you're hungry." He faced Iruka.
"Give me the possum." Iruka grasped the animal and handed it to Naruto again. "Kakashi-san has some food up in his room for us, you can bring that with you if you want and have some meat on the side, but make sure it's dead before dragging it inside."
With understanding, Naruto turned around, his human hands wrapped around the possum's neck quickly snapping it so his dinner felt no pain. Turning back towards the group, he put his meal under his arm. With a bored look, Kakashi shook his head and started in the long hallway. Iruka followed close behind, Naruto at the end. "I meant put the possum down in the trash." Kakashi explained as he turned up a flight of stairs.
"As a demon, he's expected to catch his own food. Usually he just lets a lesser demon find food for him, but when he kills it himself, he's expected to eat it all by himself. I've had possum anyway; it's not all that bad. He'll eat the hind end and the some upper portion before being full, and I'll cook it after that. Just tell him to eat it outside or something. You'll find the bones in the trash when he's done. Promise."
"…As long as it's cooked." The jounin relented as they stopped on the second floor and down the hall, not facing the main street. In comparison to the rest of the building, it was kept up, just with two dead plants up in front. "I forget to water them when I leave." He explained, opening the door with a pair of keys he pulled out of the pouches on his vest. "Welcome home!" He threw the door open.
Stepping in first, Naruto dropped his stuff on the ground with his possum. The room was messy with take out dishes, scrolls, and other forms. The furniture was worn and piled to the brim with dirty clothes. In the back of the apartment were three doors. Kakashi was talking again, and Naruto waited for his interpreter to do his job. Pointing, the jounin spoke firmly as he pointed out the rooms.
"That there's my room. I'll get this mess cleaned up while you're with the Hokage. In fact, I think I can get two little genins to help me. The other room is my guest room. The futon is in the closet in there, but I need to clean the mess up while you're gone. Let's put all your things in this corner until I get the room cleaned." He moved all the things against the wall. With tongs, he picked the possum up and put it in his empty freezer. "For later." He stressed towards the blonde, who nodded as though he understood what the man said.
"Come on, Naruto. Let's go talk to the Hokage. Thank you, Kakashi-san for putting up with us for a few days." With a smile, the pony tailed human stepped towards the door. Hot in his heels, Naruto followed behind as they left the building.
"I'll be here when you come back!" The jounin smiled and waved. As the door shut firmly, his dark eye fell onto Naruto's items. "Arashi-sensei…you're still alive?"
Trying not to stutter, Iruka went through his pockets and pulled out the enclosed letter he'd been given by Arashi before the two left. "My lord instructed me to give you this, Hokage-san. I'm not sure what it says, but he insisted that only you should read this." He handed the note to the aged man in front of him. The intent gaze was sending shivers down his spine, and Naruto's wandering, curious gaze wasn't helping his nerves.
"Mm-hm." The hokage pealed open the seal, opening the document slowly.
Grabbing his instructor's hand, Naruto tugged a few times. "Iruka! Is this where mommy used to work? Did he leave this place because it was too hard of work?" He pointed towards the numerous scrolls that were piling up.
"Does the boy speak any Japanese?" The Hokage asked quickly, folding the paper smoothly.
"Not much. He's a fast learner though! And I'm here to make sure he continues his lessons in our language. Naruto don't touch that." Iruka hissed towards the blonde, tugging the child away from the many scrolls lining the walls. "This isn't like your father's office where you can prance around. Mind yourself."
During his reprimanding of Naruto, Iruka failed to notice the Hokage dismiss every guard in the room behind a firm, soundproof door. "Arashi's son. Arashi is alive I wager, judging by this letter. Tell me, Iruka-san, how is he?"
Touching Naruto's head, Iruka smiled warmly. "I don't know very much how he feels inside. Whenever he trained me, he was smiling. He's warm to Naruto and stern around Kyuubi, but I think he hurts for Konoha. That he couldn't stay. When Kyuubi first brought me to his village, Arashi-san was so cold to people besides Naruto. I watched him physically fight with Kyuubi's human form. He'd pick up Naruto and try running. Sometimes he'd even try killing himself, screaming that it was all Kyuubi's fault for what happened. Except, Arashi hasn't done this since I first came. Now, he's always smiling and with Kyuubi-san. I think I prefer seeing him that way."
"M-mom." Naruto's broken Japanese voice raised. His wide blue eyes blinked a few times. "Iruka, you said mom's name."
Smiling, Iruka nodded. "The hokage wanted to know if your mother was still alive and well."
"Oh." Naruto looked forward again, blushing when the Hokage touched his face.
"I knew Arashi was pregnant, thirteen years ago. I had my student, Tsunade, take care of Arashi when the boy admitted to being raped by a demon and, surprisingly, pregnant with Kyuubi's heir. I wanted only the best care for him when it happened to Arashi. No one in the village knew their Hokage was pregnant. Sadly, the night the Kyuubi attacked – to claim his mate and child – was the night Arashi gave birth so suddenly.
"I don't know how he gave birth, Tsunade knows those horrific facts, but he did. It the midst of the battle, there he was, limping, crying some. He was going to put the Kyuubi into the child, but it never happened. As their chakra rose to seal Kyuubi, a sudden burst of dust raised into the air and when it cleared Kyuubi, Arashi, and the baby were gone. We assumed all three were dead, but apparently we were far off. Poor Arashi. Child," he addressed only Naruto, "may I hug you?" Without permission, he wrapped his arms around the boy. Peeling away from the blonde, the Hokage smiled. "You look just like your mother."
A silence fell between them before the Hokage returned to his desk, shuffling around. "Tell Naruto, if he can pass the Konoha test of skills to be a genin, I will give him a Konoha haitai-ate. You, Iruka, have been tested by an informal hokage under both the Genin and Chuunin exam against the strongest of demons, however I just can't give that to you. Keep the headband; you deserve that at least. Is this fine?"
Nodding, Iruka bent down to tell Naruto he would be tested. Something they both knew Naruto would have no issue in training. The story the hokage had just told him echoed in memory, much to Naruto's ignorance.