Okay all here's the next chapter. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and added me to their faves and alert lists. It's very much appreciated.
I'm sorry that it's taken me ages to update but life has been rather hectic for me lately, so I haven't been jumping at my laptop for a while. I've been rather busy helping my poor Mom to clean up the entire house. I'm not sure when I'll be updating next, but I try to make it a habit to update at least once or twice a month. You see my Mom is having surgery and she won't be allowed to move around a lot afterwards, so I will be (unfortunately as it were) taking over the household until she's up and about. I apologise to all of you that have to wait for my updates, and I'm sorry for the inconvenience. Thanks for your patience everyone.
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Another Chance.
Chapter Nine – Some Things Never Change... But Some Things Do.
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
Two weeks after Naruto found out he was going to have a new sibling, Naruto finally managed to contact Kyubi in his sleep. He had too many questions that needed answering and he knew Kyubi would be the only one who could answer the questions.
"What do you want Gaki!" Kyubi grumbled.
"I need to ask you some questions." Naruto said.
"Hurry up. I'm tired." Kyubi replied.
"Why is it that Sasuke and I are acting more like children? I mean we were adults when this whole thing started but we're acting more like kids every day." Naruto asked.
"That's an easy question to answer. The timeline was warped when we went back in time. Originally your parents were dead. Your cousin was also killed, and the whole Uchiha clan was massacred. However because we travelled back it created a slight warp. Things are different because we travelled back in time. Because of this your mind isn't exactly reverting back to childhood, but your mind is reacting the way your body does. It's a natural instinct. So now you and the Uchiha, are acting more like children because you are children and while you still have memories from the original timeline your bodies are still catching up. It's a natural part of the jutsu I used." Kyubi replied.
"So this is our timeline but we warped it by travelling backwards?" Naruto asked.
"Yes." Kyubi replied.
"So what does that mean for things that might change in the future?" Naruto asked.
"Don't you mean things that you might want to change?" Kyubi questioned. Naruto nodded.
"It means that there are things that have already changed. Such as, with your father still alive, there will be no need to go and find your beloved Tsunade Baa-Chan. Unless of course you find a reason. There are things you will have to do to change things to your needs. Of course there are things you will not be able to change no matter how hard you try." Kyubi answered.
"Like what?" Naruto asked. He was almost afraid of what he might hear.
"Like the invasion by Suna and Oto." Kyubi replied.
"Or the death of the Third Hokage." Kyubi added. Naruto glared.
"I know how it happened so I can stop it." Naruto stated.
"I don't believe so but if you think you can change it then you are welcome to try." Kyubi quipped. Naruto pouted for a second before he asked another question.
"Was my Mom your host before I was?" Naruto asked.
"I never thought I would hear you ask that question." Kyubi stated.
"Just answer the question furball." Naruto shot out. Kyubi sighed.
"Yes she was." Kyubi answered.
"How did you manage to leave her body and try to destroy Konoha then?" Naruto asked.
"That might be a story best left for another time." Kyubi replied. Before Naruto could argue, he found himself awake in his bed, hearing someone knocking on his door. Naruto glared to himself slightly before he got out of bed and answered the door to Tenshiko, who told him to come down for breakfast.
xXxXxXx JULY xXxXxXx
Naruto was staring at the little blue envelope in his hand. Sasuke was next to him.
"It's a birthday party Naruto. Mentally we're both too old for it, but parents always want to give their kids birthday parties." Sasuke stated. It was Sasuke's birthday in a week and Naruto had already explained what Kyubi had told him before.
"I know. It's just..." Naruto trailed off. No one had ever invited Naruto to a birthday party in their timeline.
"Don't worry about it Naruto. Just be yourself. I don't want you to act differently." Sasuke quipped. He could tell what Naruto was thinking without even having to ask him. Naruto nodded.
"Okay Sasuke. It's just..." Naruto trailed off again.
"Weird?" Sasuke asked. Naruto nodded and both boys smiled. Sasuke smiled a lot more often now then he had before.
xXxXxXx JULY 23rd - SASUKE'S BIRTHDAY xXxXxXx
It seemed that every child in the village had turned up for Sasuke's birthday. Sasuke nibbled at his lip nervously. Naruto wasn't there yet. The only reason Sasuke had even carried on with this was so Naruto could experience what it was like to actually come to a birthday party. That was when Naruto arrived, with Kushina holding on to his hand. Sasuke smirked a little. Naruto was just a tiny bit uncomfortable with his hand being held, but Sasuke was the only one who noticed. He knew Naruto wouldn't want to hurt his mother's feelings after never having a mother.
It had been a couple of months since "the announcement" and Mikoto was six months pregnant. Kushina was three months. Both women sported baby bumps and were happy to talk about their aches and pains, or cravings. Kushina had just stopped having morning sickness and was always wanting to eat sushi, even though the very thought reviled her before. Mikoto now seemed to be obsessed with Ramen. Usually chicken or pork Ramen.
Now the two women greeted each other, and Naruto handed Sasuke a small present.
"I know you don't want toys or need training equipment. I figured that you might want something else instead." Naruto whispered. Sasuke opened the little parcel and found a small Uchiha fan pendant on a piece of thick, black cord.
"It's special. My Dad was telling me about the rocks around the mouth of the Nakano River. They say if you channel chakra into them then someone holding another part of the rock can feel your chakra. Dad said a lot of Shinobi used it during the first great Shinobi war to tell their comrades that they were in danger." Naruto said softly.
"So how did you find one that looked like the Uchiha fan?" Sasuke asked.
"I made it look like that. I used Rasengan to fine carve it." Naruto whispered proudly. Sasuke grinned.
"So where's your one then?" Sasuke asked. Naruto grinned and tugged at a black cord around his neck, pulling out a small carving of a swirl in a circle. Sasuke couldn't help smiling. They'd found out that the swirl on all of Naruto's clothing was Kushina's family crest.
Just at that moment, a woman came over to stand in front of Mikoto. Her son was stood off to the side. She took special care to avoid Naruto and spoke to Mikoto.
"I'm sorry Mikoto-San but we have to leave." The woman said coldly. Mikoto gave the woman a strange look.
"Really? I thought you said that Hano was excited about this and that you wanted to make sure you arrived here on time Sali?" Mikoto stated blandly.
"That was before we knew you had a demon coming to your home." Sali hissed. Kushina clenched her fists angrily.
"What demon might you be talking about Sali?" Kushina hissed.
"We all know the truth about that brat of yours Kushina. The Fourth Hokage turned the fox into a baby. Why you chose to raise it, is beyond me. It could be something to do with your own history huh?" Sali stated coldly.
Naruto and Sasuke could see that Kushina was shaking with rage. Naruto ran over to his mother and took hold of her hand.
"Mom? What's wrong?" Naruto asked. He knew what was wrong, but he needed to act innocent in the hope of calming his pregnant mother down. Kushina picked up Naruto and held him tightly, hugging him as she calmed down.
"Nothing's wrong sweetie. Nothing is wrong at all. It's okay Naruto. Go and play with Sasuke okay?" Kushina said softly. Naruto nodded and Kushina put him down. Naruto went back over to stand with Sasuke. Both boys were watching out of the corner of one of their eyes as they pretended to talk about nonsense.
Kushina looked at Sali hatefully.
"Naruto is a little boy. He is not a demon. If you weren't so brain dead maybe you'd be able to figure that out." Kushina hissed out. Sali smirked.
"You would say that wouldn't you. Like mother like son right?" Sali stated. Kushina raised a fist, and before anyone could say a single word she had punched the women, square in the face. Sali went flying and the other guests stared in shock as the woman wobbled about unsteadily after she managed to pick herself up. Kushina had a cold look on her face as she glared at the wobbling woman.
"If you ever speak about myself or my son like that again I promise you that you'll get worse from me. That goes for anyone else who thinks it's alright to talk badly about my child." Kushina stated fiercely. Naruto and Sasuke stared in awe. After all, they didn't usually see Kushina get mad.
"And you're going to let her talk to your guest like that?" Sali asked Mikoto.
"As a matter of fact, Kushina is my guest too. By my invitation and Naruto is Sasuke's best friend. If anyone has a problem with Naruto or Kushina being here then feel free to leave right now." Mikoto stated.
A few mothers grabbed hold of their children and left. One such mother was Ino's, and Ino looked sadly at Naruto and Sasuke as she was led away. Kiba, Shikamaru, Chouji, Shino, Lee, Neji, Ten Ten Sakura and Hinata were still there. Neji and Hinata had been brought by Hizashi, and neither of the Hyuga twins had felt that Naruto was a danger to their children. It seemed that quite a few parents actually didn't think Naruto was evil. However the majority of people still did. That hurt Naruto more than anything. People still saw him as a monster.
xXxXxXx SEPTEMBER 5th 4 O CLOCK PM xXxXxXx
Naruto couldn't believe it when he walked into Sasuke's house and saw Mikoto trying to move furniture around.
"Auntie Mikoto! You should be sitting down and resting!" Naruto yelled. Mikoto looked at Naruto curiously, and then shrugged as she carried on pushing a sofa around the living room. Naruto was wide eyed as Sasuke came out of his room.
"She's been doing this since three o clock this morning." Sasuke whispered.
"Really? I thought pregnant women were supposed to rest?" Naruto whispered back.
"My Mother doesn't. She's gone totally crazy. She bit Itachi's head off this morning when he tried to help her out. Then she cried when she dropped a spoonful of food on the table and said we thought she was fat. Itachi went out after Mother yelled at him for having a glass of water. She didn't want the glass to get dirty." Sasuke uttered as he cringed. Naruto's eyes went wide.
"What about my Mom?" Naruto whispered.
"Just hope she's saner then my Mother." Sasuke replied. Naruto's eyes went wide as he pictured his own mother.
"Nah your Mom was always the saner one. My Mom is crazy all by herself. I think I better write out my will. You can have my instant ramen cups that I stored under my bed." Naruto stated seriously. Sasuke smirked. That was when there was a knock at the door.
Sasuke went to answer it but Mikoto practically ran to the door. People didn't usually knock if they knew Mikoto well, like Naruto, who would just usually walk in. However, when Mikoto opened the door, and saw Tenshiko standing there, the woman almost threw a fit.
"Tenshiko you know you don't have to knock!" Mikoto yelled. Tenshiko put her hands over her ears and nodded. Then Mikoto started crying.
"I'm sorry Tenshiko-Chan! I'm so sorry I yelled at you! I didn't mean it!" Mikoto wailed as she hugged Tenshiko tightly. Tenshiko just nodded and allowed herself to be squashed for a few moments.
"Auntie Mikoto? Is Naruto here?" Tenshiko asked. Mikoto nodded.
"What's wrong?" Mikoto asked seriously.
"Auntie Kushina went into labour." Tenshiko said softly. Mikoto's eyes started welling up again.
"Oh no! The baby's early! I have to go and see how she's doing!" Mikoto wailed. That was when there was a splash of water, and Tenshiko, Sasuke and Naruto all stared in horror.
"Oh no." Mikoto said softly.
"Oh Kami!" Tenshiko exclaimed.
"Oh great." Both boys stated sarcastically. That was when things started to get hectic.
xXxXxXx FIFTEEN MINUTES (and Thirty Seven Seconds) LATER xXxXxXx
Naruto and Sasuke walked with Mikoto into the hospital. Tenshiko had gone to find Itachi (wherever the teen had gotten to after Mikoto had screamed at him this morning) and both boys were quite nervous. Minato was sat in the waiting room while Kushina was being checked over and saw the boys come in.
"Oh no!" Minato exclaimed.
"What's that supposed to mean Minato?" Mikoto yelled. Then, as seemed to be normal for Mikoto, her eyes welled up with tears and she started crying.
"I'm sorry Minato! I always seem to be yelling!" Mikoto wailed. Naruto and Sasuke both sighed and had the exact same thought.
"This is going to be a LONG night."
xXxXxXx THREE HOURS (Ten Minutes and fifty Seven Seconds) LATER xXxXxXx
Itachi, Tenshiko, Naruto and Sasuke were sitting in the waiting room. It turned out that Kushina really was going in to early labour and Mikoto was also in labour early. Although all three boys had a feeling that Mikoto had gone in to early labour because she had spent all last night moving furniture around by herself.
Surprisingly, a few moments later, one of the medic nins came out of a delivery room.
"Itachi, Sasuke, your mother wants to see you." The female said kindly.
"Is she okay?" Itachi asked.
"She's fine. You have a sister." The medic nin replied. Naruto grinned at Sasuke.
"Congratulations Teme!" Naruto exclaimed. Sasuke smirked as he was led into the room.
A few moments later, Minato came out of the room next door and knelt down in front of Naruto and Tenshiko.
"Naruto, go and get a can of Soda okay." Minato said softly. Naruto nodded and took the change that his father had given him for the vending machine. He waited around the corner to hear what his father was going to say to Tenshiko.
"What's wrong with Auntie Kushina, Uncle Minato?" Tenshiko asked.
"The baby's too early. They're worried that it's not able to breathe right and your aunt isn't very well. They want to perform a caesarean to get the baby out safely." Minato replied.
"Is Auntie Kushina okay with that?" Tenshiko asked. Minato nodded.
"I'm going to take Naruto to see your aunt before they do anything. You can go in first. I'll take him in when he comes back. It's... it's just in case." Minato said softly. Tenshiko nodded and walked into her Aunt's room.
Naruto stayed round that corner for a few minutes, as he tried to stem the tears that threatened to leak from his eyes. He hadn't had a mother for long enough to lose her now. Besides that, now he loved her dearly. After all, you couldn't miss what you hadn't had before, but now he had her, Naruto didn't want to lose his mother. He walked slowly to the vending machine and got a can of cherry soda. It was his Mom's favourite drink. Then he walked in to the bathroom and stared at the can while he cried.
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
Iruka Umino had just visited a friend of his at the hospital after he'd finished his extra duties. He heard a strange sound, like a child crying, as he went past the bathroom. When he went in he was shocked to see Naruto there, staring at a can of cherry soda, crying. He wasn't used to the blond ball of sunshine ever being upset.
"Naruto?" Iruka called to the boy kindly. Naruto spun around, and Iruka could see the tears on his face.
"What's wrong Naruto?" Iruka asked gently. He was very surprised when Naruto threw himself into Iruka's arms and sobbed more loudly.
"Iruka-Sensei! Something bad might happen to my Mom and I don't want her to die! I never had a brother or sister before, unless you count Sasuke! I know I've got Tenshiko but I want my Mom to be okay!" Naruto sobbed into his teacher's chest. Iruka just hugged the boy tightly and let him cry. After all, he knew exactly what it was like to lose a mother.
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
Sasuke and Itachi approached Mikoto, who was sitting up in a bed, holding a pink blanketed bundle in her arms.
"Hi boys." Mikoto said gently. The bundle stirred and gurgled. For once, Sasuke was fascinated. He'd never really approached a baby before. He'd seen babies, of course he'd seen them, but this was totally different. This was his sister. He looked at the baby and couldn't help thinking that she was cute. Her tiny perfect face was peaceful in sleep, and Sasuke could see that her hands wouldn't even be able to wrap around his little finger. Her dark hair was curled over her forehead. He wondered if this was how Itachi felt when he'd seen Sasuke as a newborn. He decided to ask his brother later.
"What's her name Mother?" Sasuke asked. Mikoto smiled widely.
"Her name is Hikaru." Mikoto replied gently. Almost as if hearing her name, the baby opened her onyx eyes, even though they were bleary and unfocused, and gurgled loudly. Then her eyes closed again, and Hikaru Uchiha was sleeping once more.
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
Tenshiko looked at her aunt, who seemed to be in pain.
"Hey Tenshiko. Is Naruto alright?" Kushina asked softly. Tenshiko nodded.
"He doesn't know what's going on." Tenshiko replied.
"It's probably better that way. I don't want him to be upset." Kushina said sadly.
"You'll be okay Auntie Kushina. You're one of the strongest people I know. You'll be fine." Tenshiko said sternly. Kushina half grinned and half grimaced at her niece.
"Thanks Tenshiko. I almost forgot that." Kushina stated. Both females giggled a little. They talked for a little while when Kushina looked out of the window.
"You know it's a full moon tonight." Kushina stated. Before Tenshiko could make a reply, they heard a knock on the door.
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
Minato got worried about Naruto after a little while and went looking for his only son. He found him rather quickly. He was surprised to see Naruto hugging his teacher and crying for all he was worth. Iruka saw him first and gave the young boy a nudge. Naruto looked up to see his father and wiped away the traces of his tears.
"What's wrong Naruto?" Minato asked kindly.
"I heard you and Tenshiko-Chan talking." Naruto replied softly. Minato nodded. He looked at Iruka, who'd stood up.
"Thanks Iruka-San." Minato said softly before the Chunin made to leave. Iruka nodded his understanding and looked at Naruto.
"I'll see you on Monday right Naruto?" Iruka said kindly. Naruto nodded vigorously.
"Thanks Iruka-Sensei." Naruto said softly. Iruka nodded and ruffled the boys blond spikes before he left.
"Naruto, you don't ever have to be afraid to cry in front of me." Minato said softly. Naruto nodded.
"I know Dad. I just... I didn't want you to be upset." Naruto replied. Minato picked Naruto up, along with the can of cherry soda.
"I didn't think you liked cherry soda." Minato stated. Naruto nodded.
"I don't mind it. It's Mom's favourite." Naruto replied. Minato took Naruto to the room, where Kushina was waiting for him, and knocked on the door. As he sent Naruto in, he couldn't help releasing a few of his own tears.
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
Naruto walked into the hospital room, and saw his Mom sitting up in bed. He could see she was trying to hide her pain, but Naruto could tell it was there. So he did the only thing he could. He tried to make his mother feel better.
"I bought you cherry soda Mom!" Naruto exclaimed cheerfully. Kushina grinned at her son.
"Wow! See what a caring son I've got?" Kushina said to Tenshiko. Tenshiko gave a soft smile of her own and left the room.
"Mom?" Naruto asked softly.
"What's wrong Naruto?" Kushina asked.
"I know what's going on. I heard Dad and Tenshiko-Chan talking about it." Naruto said softly. Kushina looked at Naruto sadly.
"Don't be sad Mom!" Naruto exclaimed. He climbed up on a chair (cursing being too small to just sit on the bed by himself mentally) and sat next to his Mom, hugging her tightly.
"I love you Mom." He said softly. Kushina hugged her son back.
"I love you too sweetie." Kushina replied.
"I hope the baby has red hair like you Mom." Naruto stated. That made Kushina laugh.
"Really?" Kushina asked. Naruto nodded.
"Your hair's really pretty Mom." Naruto replied. Kushina hugged Naruto even tighter.
"I love you Naruto. Never forget that." Kushina said softly. Naruto nodded.
That was when the door opened and Minato stood there. A medic nin was also waiting.
"I'll see you soon Naruto." Kushina whispered.
"I know Mom." Naruto whispered back. He allowed his Dad to pick him up and watched as they wheeled his mother away. He hoped she would be alright.
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
Mikoto Uchiha was curious. It had been a while but she hadn't heard anything about Kushina. That was when there was a knock at the door. Itachi went to open it, and Minato stood outside.
"Is Kushina alright?" Mikoto asked. She saw the look on Minato's face then told the boys to wait outside for a moment.
"What happened?" Mikoto asked.
"The baby is too early. They're saying that there are complications. I don't want anything to happen to her." Minato said softly. Mikoto nodded her understanding.
"She's strong Minato. She'll be fine. I have a good feeling." Mikoto said. Minato gave a sad smile.
"I hope you're right Mikoto." Minato said.
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
Sasuke and Itachi's eyes widened.
"I'm going to talk to Naruto." Sasuke said seriously. Itachi nodded and watched his little brother run off to comfort his friend. Sometimes Itachi wondered if the two boys were smarter than they ever let on.
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
Sasuke found Naruto quickly.
"Are you okay Dobe?" Sasuke asked. Naruto nodded.
"I just never thought it could hurt so much." Naruto replied.
"My Mother thinks she's going to be fine. Your Mother is really tough." Sasuke stated. Naruto smiled.
"Thanks for trying to cheer me up Teme." Naruto replied. Sasuke gave a half smile.
"So you have a sister?" Naruto asked. Sasuke nodded.
"Mother called her Hikaru." Sasuke replied. Naruto nodded.
"That sounds right." Naruto said. The two boys sat together waiting to hear that Naruto's mother was alright.
xXxXxXx ONE HOUR LATER xXxXxXx
Naruto and Sasuke saw a medic nin coming down the hall and stop in front of Naruto's father. They went over to listen to what was happening. After all, both Naruto and Sasuke wanted to know if Kushina was alright.
"Hokage-Sama, the baby is fine. She's a strong, healthy girl. We thought she might be underweight but she seems to be perfect." The medic nin said.
"And my wife?" Minato asked.
"She's also fine." The medic nin said. Minato breathed a sigh of relief. Naruto and Sasuke grinned cheerfully.
"Congratulations Dobe." Sasuke stated.
"Well our Mom's both wanted girls right?" Naruto stated. Both boys felt a weight lift from their shoulders as they knew Kushina was alright. Itachi came over and both he and Sasuke watched Naruto and Tenshiko go off down the corridor.
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
Naruto found himself face to face with his exhausted mother, who was holding a wriggling bundle of pink. Before Naruto could say a word Minato lifted him to sit on the bed next his mother. Naruto looked at the wriggling bundle, who was wailing pitifully. Her face was as red as her red hair.
"What's her name?" Naruto asked. Tenshiko grinned.
"She's beautiful Auntie Kushina." Tenshiko said kindly. Minato stood to the side. He and Kushina looked at each other before answering Naruto's question.
"Her name is Tsuki." Kushina said gently. Naruto smiled at the wailing baby.
"Can I hold her?" Naruto asked. He'd never been allowed near a small baby before. Minato and Kushina looked at each before Kushina gestured to Naruto sit closer to her. Naruto did as he was asked.
"Now make your hands into a cradle like I'm doing Naruto." Kushina said gently. Naruto nodded and did as he was told. Suddenly a weight was placed in his arms. He looked down at little Tsuki, who had now stopped wailing to look up at her brother. Her eyes weren't focused. Naruto knew that babies couldn't see for a certain time after they were born. But Naruto couldn't help that little moment in his mind, when he thought his baby sister had looked at him, really looked.
"Don't you worry Tsuki-Chan because I'll always look after you." Naruto whispered to the small, red-haired baby. She gurgled and was still wriggling as the family got used to their new member.
xXxXxXx OCTOBER 10th xXxXxXx
Naruto didn't want to go to school today. In fact he wanted to hide away in his bedroom and not move from his bed. Today was his eighth birthday. His birthday had never been greeted with much enthusiasm. Of course he'd never spent a birthday with a family before. That morning, Naruto was surprised when he heard someone enter his room, and he had the quilt pulled over his head. He felt someone tickling him through the sheets.
"I dun wanna get up." Naruto muttered.
"That's a shame, all those chocolate chip pancakes I made will go to waste. I'll have to just give them all to Sasuke." Naruto heard his Mom say. At first Naruto didn't register what his mother was saying at all. After a few minutes, Naruto finally registered what his Mom had said. Sasuke was there? Chocolate chip pancakes? Sasuke getting them all? Naruto soon shot up out of bed, making Kushina laugh.
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
Naruto was sat with Sasuke in the kitchen and happily eating chocolate chip pancakes. Sasuke always preferred his with strawberries. The two boys were happily eating. Kushina then gave Naruto a little bag. Naruto looked in the bag and saw the same blue envelopes that Sasuke had handed out.
"Mom? Do I have to have a birthday party?" Naruto asked.
"Why not?" Kushina asked. Naruto felt that something was about to go wrong when he placed the invitations in his school bag.
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
As Naruto and Sasuke walked through the village, random civilians glared at Naruto fiercely. Sasuke glared back at the villagers. Naruto felt the same old feelings he'd had as a child crawl up in to his heart. He felt Sasuke standing next to him and felt slightly better. As they got to the gates of the Academy, Sasuke stopped Naruto and handed him a small box.
"I wanted to give this to you before we went in to class." Sasuke said softly. His face showed a tinge of a blush and Naruto knew that Sasuke was just a little embarrassed.
"Thanks Sasuke." Naruto said. He opened the little box and found a silver half of a medallion inside. It had the Uchiha fan on it.
"My half has your swirl on it." Sasuke said quickly. Naruto grinned.
"Thanks Sasuke." Naruto said. He placed the pendant on the piece of string that had his stone on it. Naruto grinned at Sasuke cheerfully.
"You used fire jutsu didn't you?" Naruto questioned. Sasuke nodded. Naruto pulled out one of the birthday invitations and handed it to Sasuke. Sasuke smirked and Naruto grinned as they walked in to the academy together.
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
At the end of the day, Naruto handed out birthday invitations. He handed out invitations to Neji and Hinata, then Sakura, then Shikamaru, Chouji and Kiba, then to Lee and Ten Ten and Shino. Finally Naruto went over to Ino. Her mother stood there waiting, glaring at Naruto fiercely. Naruto handed an invitation to Ino.
"I know that you don't like me Yamanaka-San, but Ino is my friend and I don't want her to be sad, so please let her come." Naruto said kindly. Then he left the woman to fume, while Ino couldn't help the smile that graced her face.
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
Later that day Naruto sat there wondering why on earth he'd ever handed out the invitations. Sasuke was with him. Mikoto and Kushina were chatting away in the kitchen, and Hikaru and Tsuki were lying on a big quilted mat on the floor. Tsuki was wriggling around as always, while Hikaru was peacefully staring at her companion. Of course now that Tsuki was over a month old, her face wasn't bright red, except when she cried. However whenever Kushina and Minato couldn't stop Tsuki wailing they bought her straight to Naruto. It seemed she had a great affection for her Aniki and she never cried when placed in his arms. Hikaru had the same sort of quiet affection for Sasuke. Itachi and Tenshiko found this amusing most of the time.
At that moment there was a knock at the door. Kushina left the kitchen to get it and found Inoichi Yamanaka outside, with Ino and Sakura.
"Hello Kushina." Inoichi said kindly. Ino and Sakura both ran inside to say hello to Naruto. Naruto was amazed that Ino was there. He concentrated for a few moments to listen to what Inoichi was saying.
"I'm sorry that my wife seems to be so ignorant of Naruto. She lost her parents when Kyubi attacked the village. But I insisted on bringing Ino to Naruto's birthday. She and Sakura really seem to like him and Sasuke." Inoichi told Kushina. This made Kushina and Mikoto grin.
xXxXxXx THREE HOURS LATER xXxXxXx
Everyone Naruto had invited had turned up. Even his beloved Iruka-Sensei. Naruto had never outgrown the bond that he'd always shared with Iruka. Minato and Kushina were both wondering when Naruto created such a huge bond with the Chunin Academy teacher.
"Iruka-Sensei! Look at what Mom made!" Naruto exclaimed loudly, and showed his teacher a pot of Ramen. Iruka couldn't help grinning at the boy and ruffling his hair.
"He really seems to get on with Iruka-San." Kushina said to her husband. Minato nodded.
"Maybe it's just me but sometimes Naruto acts like Iruka is a second father or something." Minato quipped.
"Nah, more like a big brother." Kushina stated. Both parents were happy to see that at least one of Naruto's teachers could stand him.
Kiba and Naruto started bickering, and Sasuke soon stepped in, not allowing the boys to come to blows. Mikoto and Kushina thought that was extremely cute. Sakura, Ino, Hinata and Ten Ten were all talking about normal things, and also trying to drag Naruto over to play with them. Hinata wasn't so shy around Naruto anymore. After the whole cloud ninja incident, Neji seemed to actually like Naruto, for speaking well about his father. Hinata was usually found with Neji, who would protect her without any complaint. Naruto and Sasuke talked to some of their classmates now. Mostly their old rookie friends, so Hinata had lost her shyness, after realising that Naruto wasn't going to stop talking to her because she was shy.
Kushina pulled out the birthday cake and Minato lit the candles for Naruto. Even though mentally, both Naruto and Sasuke were too old for candles on a cake, they both played along. Although Naruto, after everyone had sung happy birthday, couldn't help making a wish as he blew out his candles. He wished that Tsuki and Hikaru would always be able to remain friends.
That moment was when everything started to go wrong. The door was yanked open, and there stood Ino's mother, fuming. Ino hid behind Sakura and hoped that she wouldn't notice her. Ino wasn't that lucky.
"Ino! Come here now!" Her mother called her, and Ino did as she was told, looking at everyone else sadly.
"Is there a problem?" Minato asked sternly. Ino's mother glared fiercely at the floor. No one would dare to glare at the Fourth Hokage.
"My daughter is here without my permission." Ino's mother hissed.
"Oh? Didn't you send her with her father?" Kushina asked.
"Not to come here I didn't." Ino's mother replied. Minato glared angrily.
"Are you trying to say there is something wrong with my home?" Minato asked coldly. Kushina could see the anger welling up within her husband.
"You have a demon living in your house! Of course there's something wrong with it!" Ino's mother exclaimed angrily. Minato had a cold, hard look of determination on his face as he stepped in front of Ino's mother. A woman was a woman, but a Ninja was a ninja, and Ino's mother had been a Kunoichi for years.
"What demon might you be referring to?" Minato asked coldly.
"The one that you call your son." Ino's mother replied. Kushina snarled angrily as she made to punch Ino's mother.
"Mom don't!" Naruto called out. He ran to his parents' side in an instant. Minato and Kushina looked down at Naruto, and both calmed down. Naruto looked at Ino's mother.
"I'm sorry that you don't like me. Just because you think I'm a demon. I can't make you think differently. Thank you for coming Ino-Chan. I'm sorry if you get in to any trouble." Naruto bowed. Ino bowed back.
"Thank you for inviting me Naruto. It was lots of fun." Ino replied softly. Her mother glared and she stayed silent. But all the children smiled at Ino and she smiled back. Then her mother dragged her daughter away, and both Naruto and Sasuke felt a slight wave of sadness. But it soon lifted. After all, if everything went the way they wanted it too, then Ino would be their friend anyway. Inoichi apologised profusely for his wife's behaviour and went to go after her to make sure that she didn't yell at Ino too much.
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Kushina and Minato were amazed at the good grace their son had showed to the rude mother of his friend. After the party, when Naruto was holding little Tsuki and feeding her a bottle of milk, Minato and Kushina sat down next to him.
"Naruto we just wanted to say that we're very proud of you." Minato said. Naruto looked at his parents with confusion written on his face.
"Why? What did I do?" Naruto asked.
"Because you behaved very well today. You could have let me punch Yamanaka-San. But you didn't. You showed us that even though you were insulted, that you could behave better than some grown-ups. That's why we're proud of you today." Kushina said. Naruto cocked his head to one side. The first time around, Naruto had had to grow up by himself, with no one to tell him when he was doing things right or wrong. When he'd gotten older, he had accepted that some people would never accept him because of Kyubi, so he tried to be gracious about it, in the hopes that his good nature would get through to those people eventually. He'd never been told that he was doing the right thing in such a way before. He grinned widely at his parents.
"Thanks Mom! Thanks Dad!" Naruto exclaimed. Tsuki gurgled whilst drinking her milk.
When Naruto put Tsuki in her crib that night, with his parents watching over him and Tenshiko ruffling his hair before she went to sleep, Naruto finally understood exactly what it was like to have a family.
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Okay all that was an exceptionally long chapter. I was hoping to show that Naruto and Sasuke are still a little more adult, even if they are acting like kids sometimes. Anywho, I hope you all enjoyed it and I'll update soon. Please R&R and let me know what you think.
