Chapter Seven: Visitors like tea.
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Uzumaki Household…
Iruka stood in front of the Uzumaki home (a two story house Naruto and Seishi had moved into just the week before), straightening his chunin uniform nervously. He knew he shouldn't be so apprehensive, since Seishi-san was his student teacher and a friend, but he was here for no ordinary visit.
It was required of all Academy instructors to meet a student to enter the Ninja training center early personally, and since his good friend had recommended him as a teacher for her ward, Iruka found himself at the front door of the Kyuubi carrier's house.
As Iruka drew up his ninja courage, set his jaw and raised his hand to knock, the door was opened by his female friend Seishi. Ready to speak, the man was thrown a bit off balance when she shouted over her shoulder.
"I told you! Iruka-san is coming, and since we've already eaten lunch, don't you dare ask him-" The annoyed young woman was cut off from whining behind her.
"But Sei-nee-chan! I want ramen!" the unmistakable voice of one Uzumaki Naruto said. His instructor could practically see the blonde pouting and using his infamous Lost-Puppy eyes on Seishi, which he'd perfected over the years.
However, it seemed to have no effected on the beggar's caretaker. "I said no. No means no, Naruto-kun. Now, Iruka is supposed to be here any minute, so-" She turned around, now facing her slightly-smiling senpai, and flushed a bit as she glanced down.
"Or now," she muttered, though Iruka heard her. Looking up and smiling blindingly, his reddish blonde haired friend ushered him in politely, an almost total 180 from what she'd acted like a few moments earlier.
"Come in, Iruka-san! Naruto's waiting in the kitchen," she raised her voice a bit, hinting to younger blonde, "with tea."
"Thank you, Seishi-san, though I'm here on business, not to visit." Iruka followed her to the spacious kitchen decorated stylishly, a step up from Naruto's former one-bedroom apartment.
"Yes, I know, senpai. I've been told guests like tea, though," replied the girl, steering her friend toward a 6-seating table.
Taking a seat herself, the scarred dolphin named man pulling out a chair across from Seishi, putting a case of paper work for the guardian to fill out on the oaken wood. Before Iruka could started business, though, the blonde called out, clapping her hands loudly, "Naruto-kun! He's here!"
In raced the hyperactive blonde as Iruka had never seen him before. Gone were the patched black pants, torn dark orange T-shirt with a spiral design, and second hand sandals. Naruto now wore a bright orange jumpsuit, baggy on his once unnaturally thin form (now healthier and with more muscle), the top open to reveal and expensive-looking comfortable black undershirt. His sandals, blue as the trim of his jumpsuit, seemed custom made and only a bit worn.
"IRUKA-SENSEI!" shouted the soon-to-be ninja-in-training boy, tackling his mentor in a bear-hug.
The black haired man, stunned to silence, unconsciously hugged the clinging blonde back, one thought racing threw his mind, 'Orange... Bright, blinding orange... And he's going to be a ninja?' Orange said 'Please kill me' to all those who saw it, especially the hideous color on Naruto's clothes.
"I know. You noticed his wardrobe change, ne?" asked Seishi, who'd gotten the tea trey while the males were otherwise occupied, and took her seat from Iruka again.
"Yeah..." Did she realize just how stupid it was for the boy to stand out so much? Shinobi used stealth; a ninja of her capability must understand the importance of going unnoticed.
Or so Iruka thought.
Seishi smiled, poring her self a cup of green tea and taking a sip. "Orange is such a nice color, don't you think? Another thing Naruto-kun and I share a love of, surprisingly."
Iruka sweatdropped, a vein popping open on his head, as he tried to keep his cool. "Maybe so... Now, about the Academy..."
"Oh, yeah. You have the files I need to fill out, right?" The scarred male nodded, his blonde 'otouto' clinging to him still. "Good."
Seishi excepted the brown folder her senpai handed her, reading over each paper carefully, expression serious, before filling out the necessary information. It took her a total of twenty minutes, in which time Naruto was chattering off as Iruka listened with interest and the tea disappeared.
Signing the final form with a flourish, Seishi sighed. "I really do wonder how Sandaime-san can stand doing paper work all day. Thank Kami-san I'm never going to be Hokage.." she muttered to herself.
"No, I'm gunna be Hokage and you'll be doing all the paperwork and boring stuff for me!" said Naruto confidently, causing the elder male to smile.
The elder female mock scowled. "No, I won't. You'll have to higher your own assistants, hun, while I go on missions."
"Hmph." The blonde crossed his arms, turning away, as he squinted his eyes and pouted his lower lip.
Seishi just grinned widely. "And all the missions will be stopping the evil plotters who want to destroy our wonderful ramen!"
Naruto stuck his tongue out at her. "Nuh-uh. While I'm on ramen-rescuing missions, you can do the paperwork! I'll be Hokage, so I choose the missions!"
"Why you-"
The blondes then proceeded to chace each other around the kitchen, until Seishi caught up to the Kyuubi carrier and tickle-attacked him into begging for mercy. Iruka chuckled at the younger two's antics, glad the one he considered his younger brother had full time family.
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Later, outside…
"Thank you for visiting, Iruka-san. Come anytime," said Seishi politely, looking a bit rustled from her playing with Naruto.
"See you next week in class, Iruka-sensei. Take me out to ramen afterwards, ok?" said Naruto, the worse for wear. The blonde had been at a disadvantage as his guardian was older, stronger, and a better statistic mind whilst they were wrestling and chasing each other around the entirety of the house.
Seishi hit her ward atop the head, gazing scolding down at him. "I told you not to ask! I'm taking you out to Ichiraku tomorrow, remember?"
"Yeah, but tomorrow and next week are two different days, 'nee-chan!" argued the ramen lover, pouting slightly.
"Fine, fine," the girl let up with a sigh, smiling apologetically at Iruka. "I'll treat you'll come with us after Naruto-kun's first day of classes, senpai. Care to join us then?"
Startled, Iruka protested. "Oh, no, I don't want to impose-"
Seishi's giggled stopped him and her comment made him blush. "How humble of you, Iruka-san. Really, though, 'totou-kun here see you as family, so there for you are as good as a brother. And in our family, you'll have to have ramen when we do!"
"Uh... alright," Iruka accepted, staring at his student teacher. He was part of her family, just because Naruto saw him as a brother...?
"Yay! You'll have to come over for dinner too, sometime, Iruka-sensei!" shouted Naruto enthusiastically, smiling brightly up at his new teacher. "Then we can hang out and you can teach me some cool ninja tricks!"
"Naruto-kun., your just starting the Academy. Be patient and you'll learn all you want," said Seishi, saving her mentor a bit of embarassment. "No special treatment in class too, just 'cause your our little brother, 'k?"
Iruka nodded in agreement.
The eight year old pouted. "Fine. But you'll have to tutor me extra to make up for it."
"Iruka-san?" Seishi raised an eyebrow questioningly.
The Academy teacher nodded. "A bit, but not so you're too far ahead of the rest of the class."
"Yippee! Your the best, 'nee-chan, Iruka-sensei!" He hugged both of his teachers, dancing happily in circles.
"Wait for your lessons, Naruto-kun. You may not be so happy then..." The girl and Iruka's traded smiles were none too reassuring.
"I can take anything you dish out," he said confidently, inside a little creped out. Kyuubi agreed, sending his comments about demons and learning.
Seishi suddenly smiled and leaned closer to her charge, whispering in his ear, "Naruto-kun, there's ramen in the fridge if your hungry. Go ahead and eat all you want."
Naruto smiled brightly and nodded, racing off as his 'nee-chan turned to Iruka with a serious expression. The scarred male, who knew Seishi's moods well enough, turned serious as well, a bit curious.
"Hokage-sama has no doubt told you of Naruto-kun's discovery of Kyuubi, correct?" asked the demon in human form.
Iruka's jaw tightened, black eyes turning cold. "Yes."
"He has not, I think, told you of a bargain between the Kyuubi, Naruto and myself..." Seishi trailed off, gauging from her friend's expression she was correct. "The demon fox had his reasons for attacking Konoha, which are now a S-class secret."
Seishi paused and took a deep breathe, thankful for Iruka's waiting silence. "He has... agreed to leave Konoha be for the time being and stop trying to take over 'totou-kun's body, in exchange for the right to teach him kitsune skills..."
"And you?" asked the listener emotionlessly.
She paused, smiling slightly, eyes guarded. "I... will shield Naruto from the influence of prejudice ningen, as he called them. And..." she paused again, "will protect my brother and I if someone releases him, for my first born child..."
"WHAT!" Iruka yelled in surprise, cheeks a bit pink from embarrassment and rage, as he stared at the blank faced girl in disbelief.
After a brief moment of staring into the black haired man's gaping face, Seishi couldn't hold in her laughter any longer. Her burst of hysteria caused Iruka to stare blankly at the girl in confusion as if she'd lost her last shred of sanity, which it probably seemed like to him.
"Just-laugh-kid-chuckle-ding," Seishi gasped, leaning against the doorframe for support.
"Eh?" said Iruka intelligently, not understanding.
"Just kidding," she finally managed after a few needed seconds of calming herself. "All Kyuubi-san wanted was protection for his vessel from me, until he can take care of himself."
"Why you, though?" asked Iruka.
"From what I understand," Seishi explained, back to a serious mood, "kitsune have some type of... bond with those of their blood, that can be activated a number of ways. Since I am 'totou-san's cousin by blood and sister my emotion, the Protection part is naturally activated. As long as I'm within a 15 mile radius of Naruto-kun, no one who wishes him harm can attack him."
"Oh." The black haired man thought it over, though all his pondering did was cause a vague headache Seishi somehow sensed.
"You'd better go home, Iruka-san, it's getting late."
The addressed nodded absently and turned away, wandering down the path with a distracted yet polite goodbye. "See you soon, Iru-kun!" Seishi called.
"Hai, Sei-chan," Iruka called back absently, too tired to notice the familair nicknames he'd be embarrassed about the next day.
"Bye for now, Iruka-san. Thank you for being kind to Papa in a place I didn't exist," said a girl to the night air before closing her home's door, going back inside to her sergeant, ramen-loving brother.
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