A minute passes. Then two. Finally Tsunade turns to Naru. "Why don't the four of you go off and train for a bit?" Naru takes the hint that Tsunade wants to be left alone with the other two adults and gets up to leave.
The three students don't seem to understand like Naru does and stay seated. "But why do we have to leave?" Asks Sakura. The ninja in training see a vein pop in Tsunade's forehead and practically jump in their haste to leave.
"Follow me guys!" Calls Naru. She sets the fox on the ground and starts running in a seemingly random direction. The three do as she says and just like that they are on their way to train while the three adults talk.
Tsunade sits on the grass and pulls out a hidden bottle of saké along with a small cup. Kakashi waits for her to pour and take a drink before he asks again.
"Will you become the Fifth Hokage of the Village Hidden in the leaves?" She pours again and takes another drink, but this time she takes her time and drinks it in small sips. "I refuse."
Kakashi's visible eye widens slightly before his many years of ninja training take effect and he schools his face back into a seemingly emotionless mask.
He glances at Jiraya who doesn't seem at all surprised by the refusal and then turns back to Tsunade. "Do you mind if I ask why not?"
A small smile tugs at the womans lips. "No, go ahead." Kakashi looks mildly stunned. He had not expected the slightly childish answer.
"Ok, then why do you refuse to be Hokage?" His curiosity seems genuine. He would never want the position himself, but he was curious as to why she wouldn't take it.
Tsunade sighs before she pours another cup and seals the bottle back into its hiding place. "Did you get to talk to the kid in length before we got here?" The silver-haired man shakes his head no.
Tsunade swallows her last cup full of saké and puts the cup with the bottle. "When I met her, she had three broken ribs, her leg was broken in two different places, a broken wrist, and numerous cuts and bruises. These were only the freshest of her injuries. She was also extremely malnourished. It took Jiraya and I almost a year to convince her to eat more than a once every two to three days. She was afraid of either being punished or eating too much and not having any later on. It took us another two years to get her to eat normally and healthily enough so that she would gain enough weight so that we could no longer see her ribs."
Kakashi's eyes widen in surprise. "How did all of that happen to begin with? And where? I don't know of any place that would treat a child in such a way." Jiraya and Tsunade share a look before Jiraya speaks up. "That child is Namekaze-Uzumaki Naruto of Konoha."
Kakashi pales rapidly. "I thought he... I mean the orphanage said that... and the people were supposed to..."
"Three things." Interrupts Jiraya. "The orphanage probably lied through their teeth. The villagers never saw Naru as a hero like Minato wanted. And Naruto is, in fact, a girl. She prefers the nickname Naru."
Kakashi opens and closes his mouth a couple of times before he finally manages to find his voice. "I thought Minato-sensei said that they thought it was a boy." Jiraya laughs quietly.
"They did think she was a boy. However they had no way of knowing for sure because at the time Kushina was the jinchuriki, so they couldn't tell the baby's gender because the kyuubi's chakra blocked the ultrasound image."
Understanding floods through Kakashi like a tidal wave. He opens his mouth to ask more questions but shuts it when he notices that the four teens have just returned from training.
All three of his students looked like they had just been trained by Gai for an entire month with how worn out they look. He glances at the masked figure of his sensei's daughter and immediately he wants to talk to her. Is the girl more like her mother or father? I wonder...
"Naru. How exactly did you train with them?" Asks Tsunade with a hint of amusement laced into her voice.
Naruto shrugs. "I only asked if they wanted to have a race." The fox shakes its head in mock sympathy for the three older students.
Sakura groans and lays on the ground. "I will never, ever, challenge you to another race, ever again." She states between pants.
"But, why not Sakura-chan?" Asks Naru with a pout.
The pinkheaded girl glares playfully for a moment. "Because I never thought that Gai-sensei would be more sane than a teenage girl!"
Naru seems to deflate slightly under her cloak before she perks back up again. "So when do we leave?"
Tsunade raises one pale blond eyebrow. "Leave for where?" She asks the younger blond.
"To Konoha of course!" Says Naru excitedly.
"Why would we be going there?" Asks Tsunade angrily.
Naru looks slightly stunned. "Aren't you going to be the fifth? It's always been my dream to go there, and we have been everywhere else. And look at the friends I have already made!" The adults look at the said 'friends' who are worn out and panting heavily.
Tsunade sighs. "If you really want to go, than I guess..." She never gets to finish her sentence because as soon as she heard what sounded like permission, Naru jumps up and yells happily.
Each shinobi pulls out their own sleeping bag and places it near the fire for its offered warmth. Naru offers to take watch because her excitement makes it nearly impossible for the girl to sleep. Sasuke looks at the girl through the bright flames. Her hair is dancing in the calm breeze, making it look like it is dancing with the fire. He closes his eyes and falls into a vivid dream full of light and warmth.
Sasuke wakes up several hours later when he hears soft voices just outside of their camp. He glances at Sai and notices that his silent teammate is also awake and is already listening to the muffled conversation. He looks across the fire and doesn't see Naru on her bag. Sai puts his finger to his lips in a warning to stay quiet and Sasuke nods. His curiosity peaks when he notices that one voice is unfamiliar and masculine. The other voice belongs to Naru.
The masculine voice speaks again. Jealousy bubbles unbidden through Sasuke. He forces the strange new emotion away so that he can listen to the conversation.
"I know it's your dream to go back Naru, but I don't think it is a good idea. Don't you remember how they treated you? If they find out that you are friends with me it could be a lot worse."
"Kyuu, I understand why you are worried but I can take care of myself. I am considered a high level jounin in Earth, Wind, Water, and Lightning countries."
"That doesn't mean you will defend yourself against those you consider innocent."
"... Go to bed Kyuu. It does no good to think about that until we get there."
It once again goes silent and the two boys glance at each other in awe and confusion. Awe because Naru was apparently a lot stronger than she seems and confusion because of the rest of the conversation.
Sai shrugs his shoulders and points back to the camp. Sasuke nods. The two of them return to the camp where the others are still sleeping. Sasuke makes a mental note to ask about it later.
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Hi! If you are still reading this story then it must be at least ok. So far I have nothing but positive comments so I'm really excited about that.
If you have any questions about the story just let me know and I will do my best to answer you.
Throughout the story don't be worried about telling me about any errors that I have made and feel free to 'constructively criticize' my work.
^_^ I hope to see all of you next chapter!