Episode 10:

"Home"

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, for if I did Sasuke would have had his precious eyes plucked out a long time ago.

Naru sat at the modest table a fork in her hand. She slowly swirled the food around her plate as she tried to ignore the awkward silence that filled the space between her and the grey haired man sitting on the other side of the table. To his credit Haruno Kensuke was having a slightly easier time dealing with the weird situation they now found themselves in.

When Kensuke asked the Hokage if he could adopt Uzumaki Naru he wasn't exactly in his right mind. Having his wife sentenced to death so soon after losing his daughter had sent the man spiraling into depression. All he wanted at the time was to die so he could be with his family once again. The Hokage would not grant his request though.

When the aged leader made it known that Naru needed a home, at least temporarily the last surviving Haruno grabbed onto the idea as if it were a lifeline. In an instant the depressed man made an impulsive decision that now left him and the young girl in such an odd situation.

Kensuke let out a cough to break the silence and put a smile on his face. "So Naru why don't you tell me about yourself" he said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster up. The blonde girl jumped as the man's voice broke through the silence that surrounded them, her fork clanging against the plate when it slipped from her fingers.

The man nodded somewhat eagerly. "Yeah, I mean sure I may know who you are but Sakura never really said much about you and if you're going to be staying here it's probably best if I get to know you better" he said cheerfully. Naru chewed on her lower lip for a moment before taking a deep breath.

"Well my name is Uzumaki Naru. Or at least I think it is… Will it be Haruno now? Because Haruno Naru just sounds… odd" she asked with her head tilted slightly to the side. The grey haired man chuckled and shook his head. "No you won't have to change your name if you don't want to Naru" he replied. The blonde grinned at him happily before continuing.

"Hmm let's see… I'm 12 years old and I'll be 13 in six months. I like ramen! A lot... but Kakashi-sensei says I can't eat too much of it" she said sadly. Kensuke had to fight to keep himself from laughing. He didn't want Naru to think that he was making fun of her. Naru gave him a weird look when she noticed the expression on his face but decided to let it pass as she continued with her little autobiography.

Naru spent a moment trying to think of what else she could tell him that he probably didn't know. An image flashed in her mind of Mizuki leaning over her, his body dwarfing hers in size. The blonde shook her head rapidly trying to expel the embarrassing memory from her mind. Naru's face flushed a bright red when she realized that Kensuke was giving her an odd look.

"I have anemia" the girl blurted out quickly to disguise her embarrassment. "The doctor says that I don't have enough iron in my body so I have to eat iron rich foods and I also have pills with me just in case" she finished hastily. The elder Haruno looked at her an expression of alarm plastered across his face.

"Isn't that a rather dangerous condition for you to have while being a shinobi?" asked the man in his confusion. Naru nodded in response. "It can be, but as long as I make sure to eat properly and take my iron pills I should be just fine. At least that's what the doctor said" she said with a nervous giggle.

Kensuke let out a sigh of relief. "Well I guess that doesn't sound too bad" he said as his expression of alarm turned into a smile. The blonde shrugged "It doesn't really bother me except…" She trailed off without finishing her sentence, her cheeks once again a rosy color. The grey haired man gave her a gentle smile. "When you menstruate" he finished her sentence softly.

Naru's eyes widened and her blush darkened. "How did you know?" she asked in wonderment. Kensuke chuckled and spoke "It was Sakura. She was surprisingly worried about you when you fainted shortly after becoming a part of Team Seven. Sakura was actually the one to suggest anemia as the source of your troubles to the doctor."

Silence once again descended upon them as they remembered the pink haired girl that lost her life only a few short days ago. "I'm sorry Haruno-san!" the blonde blurted out, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. Kensuke stood up with a sigh and walked over to the now sobbing preteen. He kneeled beside her and reached out.

Gathering the girl up in his arms he pulled her against his chest and whispered in her ear while stroking her back. "Shhh… don't be sorry Naru. What happened to Sakura wasn't your fault" he said quietly. Naru Hiccupped and whispered back "But she was my teammate I should have been able to help her. I saw… I saw her die and it hurts."

Kensuke wished with all his might that he could break down like Naru was doing. However the Hokage knew what he was doing when he made his suggestion. When his wife was sentenced to death it felt as if his heart had been torn from his body. He was empty, devoid of any drive to continue living. Adopting Naru had been an act of desperation from a dying man.

And amazingly enough it was working. The diminutive blonde has worked her way into his heart in such a small amount of time. There would always be pain when he remembered the loss of his wife and child but maybe he could ease that pain with new memories. Memories he could make with Naru, a girl that nobody wanted and nearly everyone hated.

Kensuke wasn't lying when he told Naru that he didn't blame her for the loss of his daughter. Sakura died young, way too young but that was the life that she chose for herself. He knew deep down that Sakura would never regret the choice to become a shinobi. So he would be strong. Not because he wanted to be but because he needed to be. He had to be strong for Naru, and so that his daughter could look upon him with pride from the afterlife.

The grey haired man spent an indeterminate amount of time there on the floor with the blonde child in his arms. He would rock her gently and whisper words of comfort in her ear. Eventually he realized that the girl's trembling had stilled. Pulling back slightly he looked down at her face. Kensuke gave the now sleeping girl a smile and stood up.

He carried Naru to the master bedroom and laid the girl on the bed. As gently as he could he pulled her sandals from her feet and placed them beside the bed. After doing that he slowly unzipped the girl's hooded sweater. He had to lift her back slightly to remove the sweater but he managed to do it with only a quiet mumble coming from the still sleeping child. Lastly he removed the hitai-ate from around her head before pulling a blanket over her small form.

The middle aged man smiled warmly at the girl as she curled up beneath the soft blanket. With a nod to himself Kensuke left the room and shut the door quietly as to not disturb the girl's sleep. He turned to his left and trekked down the hallway passing two other doors before coming to a stop In front of the one he was looking for. The man gathered his courage and shut his eyes as he opened the door with a gentle shove.

Kensuke stepped into the room with his eyes still shut. It took him a moment before he could open his eyes and look at the pale pink walls of his daughter's room. A choked sob escaped from the man's throat and tears gathered at the corner of his eyes before spilling down his face. A large hand went up to wipe the tears away. He had a job to do and he wouldn't ignore it simply because it hurt.

While it was fine for Naru to sleep in his bed tonight she would eventually need her own bedroom. When Kensuke and Sayo first became married they talked about having a large family. However it was shortly after Sakura's birth that they found out that they would never again conceive a child together. So it was with heavy hearts that the two of them purchased this house.

It turned out to be a wonderful home for the three of them. If he had another option he would leave Sakura's room just as she left it but the one downside to this house was that it only contained two bedrooms. So it was with a pained heart that Kensuke went about boxing up his late daughter's belongings.

The small figure shifted around a bit on the soft bed as blue eyes blurry with sleep opened. Naru rubbed at her eyes and yawned before stretching. She pushed the blankets off of her and sat up her gaze slowly encompassing the room. "Where am I?" she asked herself as she stood up from the bed. Her toes flexing as the cool touch of the wooden floor sent a shiver up her spine. She saw her sandals lying beside the bed but decided to leave them for now, so she walked over to the door and opened it.

"Kensuke-san?" said Naru as she stepped out into the hallway. "I'm over here Naru!" replied a deep voice from a doorway down the hall. The blonde smiled and turned left before rushing down the hall towards the voice's origin. She came to a stop in front of an opened door and wrinkled her nose as the scent of fresh paint assaulted her sense of smell.

"What are you doing?" the girl asked with a small giggle as she took in Kensuke's paint spattered form. The grey haired man shrugged. "I thought you might like a different color for your room. You don't seem like the kind of person that enjoys pink very much" he replied. The blonde shuddered in mock horror and stepped through the threshold into the room. Naru gazed at the walls now painted a pale shade blue and smiled. "It's really pretty, thank you" the girl said as she walked over to her adoptive father. Naru, always the affectionate one latched onto the man and hugged him as tightly as she could.

Kensuke responded in kind as his arms wrapped around the girl to return her hug. They stood like that for a few second before Naru pulled away with a smile on her face. Naru was going to say something when she noticed a pair of figures in the window. "Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke too!" she shouted as she rushed over to the pair.

"How are you doing Naru?" asked her teacher as his gloved hand reached out to ruffle her hair. The blonde let out a yelp and shoved his hand away. "I'm fine and don't do that again!" she grumbled as she tried to smooth out her hair. "You're such an idiot" said Sasuke after witnessing their antics. The blonde's grumble turned into a growl. "Shut up Sasuke or I'll kick your ass!" she shouted her fists clenching.

The raven haired boy snorted. "Like you could blondie" he said with disinterest. Said blonde's eyes narrowed as her lips turned up slowly into a smile. "Oh yeah? Have you forgotten how I knocked you out during the graduation exam? I certainly haven't" she said with a gloating tone to her voice. Sasuke hopped into the room and stepped towards the girl. His progress was halted however when a gloved hand placed itself against his chest.

"That's enough Sasuke. We didn't come here for this." Kakashi said before removing his hand. The raven haired Genin gave him a blank look before turning away from them. "Hn…" he replied. Naru sighed and rubbed at her temples before fixing her teacher with a glare. "Why are you here Sensei?" she asked. Kakashi gave her one of his patented eye smiles. "Well I wanted to get you and Sasuke together so I could tell you that I have recommended Team Seven for the upcoming Chunin exams" he said cheerfully.

Naru's eyes narrowed at the sound of her teacher's overly cheerful voice. "What's the catch?" she asked suspiciously. Her teacher, a Jonin actually let out a nervous chuckle at the Genin's question. "Well… as it turns out the Chunin exams are taken in teams of three. So I went ahead and requested a new member for Team Seven" he said with the same false cheer.

Kakashi shivered as the temperature of the room seemed to drop to near freezing. "Who?" Naru asked in a tone that promised death. Kakashi was saved from the need to respond by the emergence of a soft high pitched voice. "Are you my new team?" asked a young child with dark brown hair and pupilless lavender eyes. Naru's jaw dropped as she looked at the girl who could be no older than eight. "Who are you?" she asked.

"Hyuga Hanabi" replied the girl.

A/N: Well folks I hope you enjoyed this mostly filler chapter with a nice little twist at the end. As always thank you for reading and please review!