Shortly after cleaning Naru up for her uncle, Kurenai left. But not before the child somehow managed to manipulate Asuma into 'thanking' her with a bouquet of red poppies. Her favorite flower.

And a nice dinner with just the three of them at the nicest place in the village. Which Naru apparently ate free at whenever she liked because the owner had really stepped into it a while back with the Hokage when he had brought her there to eat once for one of her birthday's.

So naturally when he had seen Asuma walk in with the child, the man had met the three at their table with a pleasant smile while trying to hold back tears.

Finding the man's behavior just a little strange, both adults had looked at him funny, then glanced at Naru who wore nothing but a happy, innocent (*cough* evil *cough*) expression on her face as she looked over her menu while subtly signing to the man without being noticed by the two adults sitting with her that if he didn't want to die, he should play along.

And play along he did. Just like any good puppet.

He was polite, courteous, and all smiles despite the weird tears running down his face like little rivers that reminded the two adults a little two much of their friend, Gai.

"Do you know what you'd like Naru?" Asuma asked curiously as he broke off his small bit of conversation with Kurenai to look over at the little blond. Finding it somewhat strange that a child her age could be so quiet, or sit so still for any length of time.

But then she had been living with his father for a while, and it was entirely possible that since he was already training her in the shinobi arts that perhaps her quietness and stillness was something that she had picked up from her training. Sort of like her...other peculiar habits that he'd noticed already.

Like the pick pocketing, and somehow managing to manipulate him and Kurenai into going on a date.

Yeah, he'd figured the whole flowers and dinner thing out the second they had sat down to eat in the nicest place in the village. The sly little minx had even somehow managed to wrangle out what kind of flowers were Kurenai's favorites just to earn him some extra brownie points.

And he wasn't entirely sure just yet... But he now had more than a sneaky suspicion that the wallet and change purse that she had handed to him right after Kakashi had left- had belonged to the silver haired nin.

And he was absolutely dreading how to explain that one to the Copy nin who would no doubt be furious and have blood in his eye for quite some time after he returned them to him since he was likely to be broke for a little while.

At least until Asuma could pay him back plus interest since the money was paying for their meal, and Naru's new clothes and toys.

He merely kept reminding himself that he and Kakashi were friends, and it wasn't like the man had never borrowed money from him or eaten lunch or dinner somewhere and stuck him with the bill before. So technically this was more like Kakashi finally paying him back.

Okay, he knew that was a damn lie and what he was doing was wrong but sitting in the booth across from the most beautiful woman he'd ever known (not to mention his somewhat secret crush) and the adorable little blond that had manipulated him into this date- he found he really couldn't care less about Kakashi at the moment.

He studied Naru for a moment as she did this weird little nail tapping motion that not only him gaping at her in shock, but Kurenai too apparently. And it wasn't just because the motion was odd or anything per say, it had more to do with the fact that it gave Naru a much older appearance.

Like a girl in her teens or her twenties or something.

And that's the moment that something clicked for him concerning his niece. The reason she didn't act much like a kid her age was because she appeared to be more mature and somewhat adult like. Though many of her actions were playful and tinged with mischief, she was in fact not as childish as she appeared to be.

And as if to prove it, she did the little motion again and slowly folded her menu and said easily. As if her reply had been rehearsed a million times, "I'll have the chicken and vegetable stir fry, miso soup, and a small side salad. And for after dinner I want two sweet buns with red bean paste in them. And green tea sweetened with honey-" No sooner than she had finished speaking than the owner appeared with a tray of food and placed the dishes in front of her along with her drink and then practically ran back to the kitchen to get Asuma and Kurenai something because of the dark look the child had sent him that practically screamed volumes about how unimpressed she currently was with the service.

He returned barely three minutes later, red faced and out of breath as he set to lobster dinners down before the two adults and long with some really nifty side dishes and some drinks and started to leave when Asuma spoke up, "H-Hey! We didn't order these."

The man turned and gave Naru a nervous look before smiling to the best of his ability under such scrutiny from the demon child and replied as carefully and smoothly as he could while he saw her eyes flash crimson, "Your the thousandth customers. So you get a nice lobster dinner, and to sweeten the pot- it's all on the house."

"Really? I've never-"

"Thousandth customers!" The man insisted, cutting Asuma off as he then scampered off to hide and wait until the three were gone. Maybe if he were lucky, the child would leave his business alone instead of ripping the roof off and unleashing a whole herd of rodents and rusting the pipes and causing heavy flooding like the last time she had been displeased with him and his service.