Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto and I doubt I could keep it going as long as it has if I did.
Warnings: OCs, violence, swearing, and probably moreā¦.
*Line*
"Again!" Naruto shouted.
"Alright, get up and pay attention," Kaya told him. They were working on weapons training. Kaya was showing him all the different weapons that weren't common. Naruto would be starting the Academy in a couple weeks so she had them sparring together in order to help prepare him more. Her brothers had done the same for her. Every time she knocked him down Naruto would get back up and demand another round. Kaya admired his determination and would praise him after practice. Then she would show him what he did wrong and correct it. After months of nonstop training and food Naruto was finally starting to fill out and get some toning. Kaya had practically lived with Naruto making it easier to teach him anything he needed to know. She had claimed the couch as her own and practically all of her clothes were there. They were become as close as real family members.
Within a few minutes Naruto was knocked down again. He couldn't quite grasp using a staff or nun chucks. Kaya was still trying to instill the basics just in case he would need it. She found he was more suited to daggers and short swords or other such weapons. After Naruto picked himself back up Kaya pondered what she would do. With Naruto starting the academy he would be put in more danger she realized. It wasn't something she had really thought about before. She couldn't always be there for him but she could do what she could. He wouldn't need something to help protect him other than the few weapons he had. She also needed to get him a gift for joining the academy soon. "Mama?" Naruto asked noticing her distracted look. "What's wrong?" Kaya blinked as she came back to reality.
"Oh, nothing's wrong I was just thinking about something," Kaya replied.
"About what?"
"It's a secret."
"Not even a hint?"
"Nope, but I will let you guess all you want."
"Mission? No...You tell me those. Birthday? No both of are months away. Some kind of gift?" Kaya nodded her head. "What kind?"
"Not telling," Kaya replied. "How about we go get some ramen? You'll find out later, alright?" Kaya said placating him.
"Fine..." he mumbled.
He perked up as soon as Kaya bought him some miso ramen. Teuchi greeted them warmly as usual and asked how many bowls to expect. If Naruto had his way the whole restaurant would be his order. He absolutely adored the food. Luckily it was up to Kaya and she let him have four bowls of ramen. She wondered where he put it all. He seemed so tin y and it looked like he wouldn't be able to eat a lot. Kaya was glad he didn't leave leftovers at least. Her brothers and her had a policy about eating everything on their plates and not wasting any food. That and it made it worth all the money she had to pay for him.
The next day Kaya told Naruto she might be a couple hours late since she had to do a few errands. He was slightly down about this but was happy when she promised ramen for dinner again. Her plan was to buy Naruto a gift while he was with the Hokage's office. Naruto met up with the Hokage a lot since he was one of few people who liked Naruto and would keep him company while Kaya was on a mission or training. It was one of the shorter training days so she had time to browse around. Eiji decided to tag along with her and buy a few things for himself. Kaya didn't mind as it gave her a second opinion plus she could always ask him for money if it was too expensive. Currently they were having a stare down with the weapons in one of the stores that catered to shinobi.
"Okay, so I want to get him a weapon to keep on him at all times and some sort of guard or armor to protect himself with," Kaya said after a while. "Maybe a few protection charms while I'm at it."
"What did you have in mind?" Eiji asked looking around.
"Perhaps a short sword or dagger for a weapon, as he does better with them, and something for his neck is what I'm thinking. I also considered getting him a couple kunai..." Kaya replied as she picked up a weapon and inspected it. She examined it closely to determine how good the quality was.
"Well if you already know what you're going to get then why don't you just buy it already?" Eiji inquired.
"Because I have to make sure the quality is good," Kaya told him while rolling her eyes. "I can't just give my kid any weapon! It needs quality and durability!"
"Alright, geez, you're the future weapon's mistress not me," Eiji said with a placating tone.
"Damn straight," Kaya said this time with a teasing edge. Satisfied with the quality of the weapon she went up to the front to pay for it along with a neck guard she saw on her way to the counter. All of her purchases were thankfully within her budget for the quality she received. Eiji followed her out of the store.
"You know it still surprises me every time you tease someone or laugh," Eiji commented as they walked.
"Seriously?"
"Yeah, you always seemed so reserved and hardly talked to anyone before so it came as a surprise. Heck I thought you were a block of ice or something when we first met!"
"I suppose...I just never really connected well with the kids in our year. I mean most of the girls my age talked about boys and fashion which I couldn't care less about. The few that talked about other subjects were still generally immature. A lot of guys were just either plain annoying jerks or trying to ask a girl out on a date...I could never see the point in socializing with them. Besides I was busy enough without having to play and spend time with them outside of the academy."
"True enough. It's just ever since you unofficially adopted that kid you've seemed more open and talkative."
"Really?"
"Yes, I mean the first thing you did after adopting him was to get Masao-kun and I to get our acts together. Usually you said nothing except to maybe give a few pointers. You were usually just in the background. Now you've started talking more during training and even going out a bit more with us. Heck I thought you would spend less time with the team because of the new responsibilities you took on."
"Hmm...You have a point. I never really thought much about it...I should thank the brat when I go see him. His cheerful attitude makes me relax and want to open up."
"Tell him I say thanks also."
"Sure, I might as well go pick him up now. I thought shopping would take a lot longer."
"Well, see you later then."
"Bye!"
Kaya ran to the Hokage's tower where she was sure Naruto would be. His gifts were stored in a storage scroll and ready to be given to him. When she got there she immediately began looking for him. When she noticed he wasn't in the building she began to worry. The Hokage's secretary took pity on her and told her Naruto went to the park. Apparently the Hokage had a lot of paperwork piling up and Naruto was bored so he left. Kaya thanked the secretary and headed out towards the nearest park. Naruto wouldn't go too far without her permission.
When Kaya got to the park she saw him near the sings with a few children calling him names. Rushing over she shouted at the children to stop what they were doing. All of them froze including Naruto. When he saw it was her he ran to her and hugged her waist tightly. Kaya glared at all of the children as she comforted Naruto. They flinched under her intense gaze. "What do you think you were doing?" she asked them deceptively calm. Anyone that knew her knew she was beyond pissed though. Naruto cuddled closer to her when he heard the tone she was using. He had only heard her use that tone once before when an adult civilian was messing with him. She ended up sending the man to the hospital with bruised ribs and a broken nose.
"Properly punishing the demon," one of the braver children announced. He had his hands on his hips self riotously.
"I see...so does that mean you are worse than a demon?" Kaya asked. "You are picking on someone shorter than you in a larger group without provocation. Meaning you fellows are in the wrong. Now, if I ever see you picking on Naruto again I'll make sure you never walk again. Got it?" Kaya said threateningly. The children all felt shivers go down their spines before nodding their heads quickly and running away. "Are you okay?" Kaya asked voice soft once again as she crouched down.
"I'm fine," Naruto responded a little downcast. He was used to this kind of behavior for everyone besides Kaya and the 'old man' as he liked to call the Hokage.
"Truthfully I don't think so but whatever. Let's go home. I have something for you," Kaya said sighing lightly. Naruto perked up at the mention of a gift.
"What is it?" he asked excitedly.
"You'll see when we get home," Kaya replied.
The rest of the way home Naruto kept guessing what his gift could possibly be and asking questions trying to find hints. Kaya wouldn't budge and ignored all his pouts when she wouldn't answer a question. She kept telling him that patience is a virtue and he'll find out when he gets home. Naruto sulked for a bit at that of course but Kaya wasn't moved. He had tried to pull that ever since she started caring for him and it never worked. Besides Kaya secretly thought it made him look adorable. Since asking questions wasn't working and Kaya wasn't responding to his begging, Naruto decided to try to get her to move quicker. He figured the quicker they moved the sooner he would see his gift. Kaya let herself be dragged along by him.
They reached the apartment in record time with Naruto jumping up and down in excitement. He was pulling Kaya into the apartment with all of his enthusiasm to see what he got. Kaya just smiled indulgently and followed right behind him. Once Kaya felt Naruto had waited long enough she pulled out her storage scroll. Opening it up, she present two long daggers and a neck guard. Naruto hugged Kaya in thanks when he saw his gifts. "I love you mama!" he said happily. Immediately he began doing a basic set of katas with the daggers. Kaya was proud as he correctly went through the forms.
"Make sure to take good care of them," Kaya said lightly.
"Don't worry I will!" Naruto exclaimed.
"I know you will," Kaya stated fondly. "If anyone would take care of it well it would be you. Now are you up to getting some ramen for dinner?"
"Yes!" Naruto shouted happily.
"Of course you'd be up to ramen no matter what time it was," Kaya said grinning. "Okay, let's clean up a bit before heading out." Naruto rushed to clean up the apartment as he wanted his ramen as quickly as possible. Kaya helped at a more leisurely pace. Naruto whined at her to hurry up. She decided to stop teasing him as she created a couple clones to help out. Pointing to each one she told them what needed to be done. The clones nodded and immediately began to help. No words were needed to be exchanged as they all began to work. Soon everything was spotless and Naruto was bouncing in place. "Alright, let's go."
Teuchi gave them a warm greeting and commented on them coming two days in a row. He was used to his two favorite customers coming every other day or at random times depending on how busy Kaya was. "Hey old man!" Naruto shouted his greeting. Kaya gave a small wave and told him it was a special occasion. Teuchi didn't even bother asking for their orders and they were always eating the same thing. After making sure they were seated happily he went in the back to prepare their bowls.
"So what's the occasion?" Teuchi asked. "You mentioned it was a special occasion when I said I was shocked you came in two days in a row."
"Naruto here starts at the academy tomorrow," Kaya proudly boasted.
"And I'm going to be the best shinobi there!" Naruto continued.
"I'm sure you will be," Teuchi responded fondly.
Kaya was glad that the paperwork for enrolling Naruto was done so he could go to the academy. She had to go to the Hokage's office in order to fill it all out. He let her be an emergency contact and caretaker despite her not officially adopting Naruto. A few times he asked her if she was okay with everything, only for her to reply that it was what Naruto wanted. There were a lot of forms and she had to give a lot of information about herself. It was worth it though since that meant she would be kept up to date on Naruto's progress. She could also attend any meetings or functions as a stand in for Naruto's parents. "Tomorrow is the first day and I can't wait to drop Naruto off and see him become one step closer to being a shinobi. I was thinking of waving a banner saying 'Congratulations! It's your first day Naruto!' or something," Kaya said honestly. She actually had the banner made and kept it in her closet.
"Would you really do that?" Teuchi asked amused.
"My mom did that when I started at the academy so I figured I would do the same for Naruto," Kaya replied. Naruto's eyes seemed to sparkle at the prospect of carrying on a family tradition. "I figured it was better than doing a weird jig in front of the school. Mom did that when I entered the civilian school."
"She really did that?" Naruto asked in amazement.
"Yup. She wore her best clothes with her hair all done up, walked me to school, and did a little dance in front of the school."
"What was your mama like?"
"My mom was very nice and open. She was always honest about everything if not a bit ditzy...Minor things she forgot all the time but if it was important she would remember. She was hardworking and optimistic. We shared a sense of humor," Kaya responded thoughtfully. Kaya talked about her fear of snakes and how she adored cats. She talked about the funny moments like her mom tripping and dropping paint on someone's head. Naruto absorbed each story with fascination. Out of a side pocked, Kaya pulled out a picture of a woman. Teuchi respectfully kept quiet while she talked about her mother. "This was her." Naruto peered at the picture curiously.
"Do you think she would have liked me?"
"Of course! She would have taken you in in a heartbeat and smothered you with love! Then she would pout at you whenever you doubted her or yourself," Kaya replied confidently. She had always had a deep bond with her mother. They always would talk about everything and anything. Naruto wished he could meet Kaya's mother since she sounded like a really nice lady. He voiced this only to receive another fond smile. Kaya told him she hoped it would be years from now since she didn't want him to leave her so quickly. She then joked saying it would be nice to meet her mother first and brag about him. The conversation switched topics and led to the night ending in laughs.
Once she was awake, Kaya snuck into her closet's hidden compartment and pulled out a make-up kit. Rarely if ever did she apply any make-up to herself but she figured Naruto's first day of school was a special occasion. She wanted to look her best and make him proud to say she was his mother. In her closet she also found a camera so she would be able to take a lot of pictures. Kaya then began to apply a light amount of make-up and do her hair up. Normally it was left down so she decided to put it in two pigtails and curl it. Then she added orange hair clips to go with her orange shorts and ribbon. Grabbing the banner after she was done she put it into a hidden pocket.
In the kitchen it was like a tornado had hit it or an earthquake. Pots and pans were scattered around and ingredients were set in rows by their food division. Dairies were in one pile while vegetables and meat both had their own. A lot of different scents mixed to create an enticing aroma. Kaya was in the midst of this making both breakfast and lunch. It was a special day in her opinion and deserved a feast. She was even making lunch for her teammates. Kaya was glad she knew how to use a sealing scroll so she didn't have to carry everything in her arms. It was the only type of sealing she knew. Akira had taught her when she was younger and interested in being a shinobi.
Checking the clock she noted that it was six in the morning. Not wanting to be late she dashed to Naruto's house at full speed. She took a short cut by jumping on the roofs. It wasn't long before Kaya was at the apartment and taking out breakfast. Naruto was easy to wake up once she mentioned it was his first day of the academy. He jumped out of bed and rushed to get dressed. Kaya calmly set the table and waited for Naruto to emerge from the bathroom he was changing in. He did so and ran to his chair inhaling the food as soon as he sat down like a vacuum. It wasn't until he was finished eating that he noticed how Kaya looked. "Wow mama, you look really pretty this morning," Naruto said amazed.
"I thought I would dress up a little for your first day," Kaya told him a little self-consciously. She wasn't used to wearing make-up after all.
"I bet you'll be the prettiest mama there!" Naruto announced with a big grin. She fondly ruffled his hair and told him to get ready for school. He grabbed the supplies he needed and they headed out. A few people threw glares at them as they headed towards the academy. Kaya placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and ignored the strangers. She didn't know why they didn't like Naruto but she wouldn't let it bother either of them.
Dozens of parents and caretakers stood in front of the academy when they arrived. Last words of advice and comfort were spoken to the children before they entered. A few were dressed up nicely like Kaya was while others wore their work clothes. Kaya patted Naruto's head before pushing him to enter the academy. He gave her a big smile and waved at her. Before he turned around towards the school Kaya pulled out the banner she made for him. Some of the parents glared at her as she began cheering while others looked at her incredulously. Seeing Naruto enter the school, Kaya put her banner away and left. Everything had gone the way she wanted which she was glad for.
Her teammates were shocked when they saw how dressed up she was. At first they thought their eyes were playing tricks on them. Eiji thought it was a genjutsu while Masao thought it was a henge. Then they both wondered if it was an imposter. It wasn't until Kaya started talking that they realized it was really her. "What's your problem?" she asked them annoyed.
"You're wearing make-up," Eiji exclaimed loudly.
"So?"
"Usually you don't dress up as nicely," Masao replied. "You look very nice by the way." He was used to his sisters' attitudes and knew when to keep quiet and not say much. Masao also knew that you should complement a girl when they dressed up or they would get pissed.
"Thank you," Kaya responded happily. Masao let out a silent breath of relief.
"Why are you wearing make-up anyways?" Eiji inquired.
"Today is Naru-chan's first day of the academy," Kaya answered easily.
"I never knew you took in that whelp," their sensei muttered with hidden disgust. He had been quiet this entire time but he couldn't hold it back any longer. Kaya was surprised he would say something like that especially using the tone he used for criminals.
"There is nothing wrong with Naruto," Kaya said hotly. Masao and Eiji had no idea who the two were talking about except that it was Kaya's unofficial child. They were shocked by Kaya's tone though. She always respected their sensei even when he was being particularly harsh on them.
"He's a little demon," their sensei spat out. Kaya glared at him before storming off. She marched to a clear field yards away and kicked a training post with all of her might. A loud crack could be heard as a few splinters broke off. Blindly she began to punch the post until her knuckles started to bleed. It pissed her off that other people would make fun of her Naruto and it would make her more determined to take care of him. She barely noticed when Eiji entered the grounds behind her.
"Hey, are you alright?" He asked as she paused in her assault. She looked back at him blankly.
"Seriously? Do I look alright to you?" Kaya asked annoyed.
"I suppose not..." Eiji replied wincing at her harsh tone. "I just wanted to check on how you were. You've never stormed off before and I was worried."
"Nothing has ever angered me enough to make me storm away before," Kaya replied calming down slightly.
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Nothing in particular. A regular spar might do me some good though in order to get my emotions out."
"First wrap up your hands so they don't get infected."
"Fine," Kaya said as she took out her gauze. Eiji began to talk as she wrapped up her hands.
"Alright, what kind? All out, genjutsu, taijutsu with or without weapons, or ninjutsu only? Or a mix of some of them?"
"Taijutsu with weapons, no ninjutsu, but genjutsu is permitted."
"Well let's get started then."
Eiji was the first one to move by throwing a kunai with an explosive tag on it. Kaya dodged only to throw a barrage of shuriken. A few scratched Eiji's arm but he didn't' let that deter him. He pulled out a few more kunai with explosive tags before setting up an illusion. Eiji knew it was one of Kaya's weakest points. Waiting for the smoke to clear Kaya kept her guard up. Eiji was the team's tactician and knew how to set up traps well. He also knew all about each of their weaknesses and strengths.
Once the smoke cleared Kaya noticed a barrage of kunai and shuriken coming towards her. She dodged as many as she could yet a few managed to cut her. Tags covered the forest floor exploding whenever she came near them. It was similar to a mine field as Kaya had to watch her step. Kaya pulled out her short sword in time to cut away the vines coming towards her. She briefly wondered if Eiji was using a ninjutsu technique before another barrage of kunai came at her. After each trap a new one emerged causing Kaya to tire. She wasn't sure if she could keep up with all the traps Eiji had set up. Eiji in the meantime was trying to hold the illusion. HE tried to make it as realistic as possible in order to throw Kaya off with his genjutsu.
A small snake coming from the forest threw her off. It was bright green with a yellow stomach and red eyes. She didn't mind snakes but she knew that there weren't any snakes of that color in this forest. That is when she realized she was in a genjutsu. Quickly she dispelled it to see Eiji off to her left in stance to perform a genjutsu. Pulling out a kunai she threw it at Eiji's chest. Then using her quicker speed she got behind him. She went to punch him only for him to grab her wrist and throw her momentum off. He then pinned her while she was disoriented and held a kunai to her throat.
"I really hate losing," Kaya grumbled as Eiji got up.
"As long as it is to fellow Konoha shinobi it's not that bad," Eiji responded.
"You can only say that since you won," Kaya complained.
"So, do you want to do anything?" Eiji asked changing the subject.
"What time is it?" Kaya inquired.
"About one o'clock."
"Very quickly then. I still need to pick Naruto up from the academy."
"How about we get lunch?'
"Sure."
They got dango and tea at one of the stands off of the main road. It was a quiet place that not many visited. Eiji teasingly tried to take one of Kaya's dango sticks only to have to jerk his hand back in order to protect it from a kunai. Kaya glared at him, daring him to try to take her food. He put his hands up in a nonthreatening manner and backed off. He knew a losing battle when he saw one. Both of them enjoyed their talk about how training was going outside of meeting with teammates. Eiji was training his genjutsu and traps. Those were his specialties and he was supposed to be learning about some fire jutsus from his brothers. Kaya told him about her wind techniques she was training in and some of the weapons she was beginning to master. It took Kaya's mind off of what happened at the training ground.
"What time is it now?" Kaya asked after a while.
"About two o'clock," Eiji replied.
"I should start heading out then."
"Alright see you later."
"Bye."
She took her time heading to the academy since it released the students at two thirty, unless there was a holiday and they got out early. Passing by a training filed Kaya saw a boy punching a tree stump. He had black hair cut into a bowl cut with bushy eyebrows and looked a year or two older than Naruto. Checking a nearby clock again, she noticed it was ten minutes past two thirty. She realized she must have been lost in thought longer than she thought. 'He must be pretty quick,' she thought as she observed his training. The boy repeatedly punched the tree adding a kick after every third punch. His hits were with consisted of the same strength never faltering.
"You're very determined," Kaya said startling him. He jumped at the voice and stopped punching the tree. "What's your name? Mine's Kaya."
"Rock Lee!" the boy replied passionately. Kaya blinked at his extreme reaction.
"Ah, well that's a good name," Kaya said a little uncertainly before adding. "I just thought I'd tell you that your determination is praise worthy. Your punches are strong and seem consistent." Lee's eyes sparkled at the praise. Kaya nearly backed away from his excessive cheerfulness.
"Lee!" A voice boomed out behind them. Kaya jumped in shock.
"Gai-sensei!" Lee called back equally as loud. Kaya watched in shock as they ran towards each other and hugged. She wasn't sure what to think when she thought she saw a sunset in the background. The newcomer had the same bowl haircut and eyebrows as Lee but instead of a white training outfit Gai had a green spandex suit.
"And who is this youthful friend of yours?" Gai asked turning to face Kaya.
"Um...my name is Kaya," she replied. "I was just passing by when I saw Lee training. I thought I should say hello and tell him how good he was doing."
"Would you like to train with my youthful student Lee and I?" he asked grinning. Kaya backed away slightly as she saw his teeth sparkle.
"Sorry, but I have to pick up my adoptive son," Kaya replied apologetically. "I'm late enough as it is...Maybe some other time."
"Well then you can bring your youthful son with you!" Gai exclaimed. "That way he can start igniting his flames of youth!"
"Sure..." Kaya agreed. Calmly she walked away until she was out of sight of the training field. Once she was positive they couldn't see her she bolted. Gai didn't seem like a bad person but she found he was extremely odd. She wasn't really sure what to think of him. Kaya hadn't wanted to agree to what he wanted but she thought it would be rude to do otherwise. She could see his student shaping up to be like him already.
Naruto was still waiting at the academy when she arrived. He was alone and looked dejected as he stared off into space. Kaya rushed over to him apologizing profusely for being late. Naruto cracked a smile and told her it was fine. He was just glad that she had come like she said she would. His stomach growled a few minutes later. She was about to take him out when she remembered the bentos she made for her and her team. After she stormed away she had completely forgot about the food. Not wanting it to go to waste she decided to split them with Naruto. Naruto was happy to receive so much food at once. In a few minutes he inhaled the food leaving barely a crumb.
"Why were you late?" Naruto asked accusingly once he was done. Kaya chuckled at the cute sight. His cheeks were puffed out and it looked like he was pouting. It amused her how quickly his moods changed from sadness to happiness and so forth.
"I lost track of time on my way to pick you up," Kaya replied once she got her laughter under control. "Eiji invited me to a late lunch and I was going to be early so I decided to walk here. On the way I got lost in thought and then met an interesting duo."
"So you didn't forget about me?"
"Of course not! I could never do that. I just thought I had more time to get here."
"Well I guess I can forgive you. You did bring me food after all."
"Thank you Naruto. So, how did the first day at the academy go?"
"Well..." Naruto drew out the word in emphasis. He had a flair for the dramatics as Kaya had soon learned. "None of the other kids really talked to me but that's okay since we had to pay attention to the teacher anyways. He was tall! I swear his head almost hit the ceiling and his hair was blue! I don't like him very much though. He's kinda mean and glared at me a lot..." Kaya listened attentively as Naruto talked about his day. She didn't like this Tori-sensei that Naruto went on about. He sounded like a lot of the villagers did in regards to Naruto.
"Don't worry I'm sure it'll get better," Kaya assured Naruto as she led him home. "Tomorrow is another day after all."
*Line*
TBC!
I'm kind shocked that I finished this so early. I thought with everything going on I wouldn't be able to. Anyways R&R! I always appreciate comments!
