Disclaimer: All HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and respective publishing companies and all Naruto characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. This is nothing more than a simple FanFiction that I have written. I have made no money from this or any of the other stories I have posted on this or other sites.
Warnings: Mentions of character death, angst and drama, mild to moderate violence, mature content (foul language & mentions of alcohol), and AU. Child!Harry, Powerful!Harry, Intelligent!Harry, NOTstupid!Naruto, Powerful!Naruto, and Protective!Naruto.
AN: This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance.
Chapter 13: A Matter of Companionship
October 06, 1986, Late Afternoon/All Night
Konohagakure, Hi no Kuni
"He had better have passed; considering he didn't even taking the standard Genin Exam. After all, the standard Exam requires the participants to last only two minutes in a taijutsu spar against a Genin, hit the targets with eight out of ten kunai and shuriken, and perform only one of the basic three jutsu once in front of a pair of Chuunin instructors," Naruto growled as he held onto Nanashi's shoulder in order to keep his ward at his side. "My itoko was required to last three minutes against a Jounin, accurately throw almost twice the number of weapons, and forced to demonstrate a Chuunin level proficiency over all three of the basic jutsu. All in front of a panel made up of six Jounin and four instructors."
"And then there was that farce of a written exam that forced him to scramble through at least twenty pages filled with ten questions each in an hour and he was not even given a chance to check over any of his answers before the instructors whisked the pages away to grade them the moment he set each page aside. That was even more difficult than the five pages of advanced questions that I was forced to answer during a two hour period during all three of the Genin Exams I attempted."
Naruto paused for a moment in order to get his anger under control before he ground out, "From where I'm standing I'd say that someone was doing their damnedest to see that my ward and cousin failed this exam. An exam that I was told would determine whether or not I was allowed to keep guardianship of my cousin. If anything, Nanashi-kun deserves to be awarded the rank of Chuunin for just completing the physical portion of the exam within the prescribed limits for passing."
"Of course the child was not given the standard Genin Exam!" Koharu spluttered indignantly. "He's already been awarded the status of Genin by another village!"
"He is a six year old child that was informally trained by his parents while living on the streets up until they were murdered; so, technically, he never belonged to any village! The old hitai-ate he is wearing is all he had left of his parents; to him, it is a treasured keepsake and not proof that he was a full-fledged Genin. On top of that, I was told that the symbol on that old hitai-ate belonged to Uzushiogakure no Sato; a village that had been destroyed long before I was even born. So please tell me how my six year old itoko could possibly be a Genin for a village that no longer exists?"
"Hell, you didn't even give him a chance to be tutored in Konoha's history and laws before you forced him to take a written exam that tests a person's knowledge on the history and laws of this village! You didn't even allow him enough time to fully recover from the injuries he received during the fight with the Akatsuki! Then there is the fact that you never even asked Nanashi whether or not he wished to be a shinobi. For all you know, my itoko could have wished to be a civilian for the rest of his life! But you took even that choice away from him!"
"Hmpf, you'd already started training the little gaki," Homura countered.
"So? Is it a crime now to want to improve my itoko's health?"
"Enough!" Tsunade roared as she slammed her fist down on the table, cracking it in half and making more than half of the shinobi present cringe in the face of her anger. "This assessment has dragged on long enough! Uzumaki Nanashi, you have scored a total of two hundred and fifty-two points out of a possible three hundred points on the physical portion of the Genin Exam; giving you a passing score of eighty-four percent."
Iruka Shunshined behind the Hokage and passed her Nanashi's score for the written portion of the exam at that moment and Naruto felt his heart lurch as she scowled at the paper. When she glanced up at the scowling Naruto and the near panicking Nanashi, she smirked as she stated, "You have scored a passing grade of sixty-eight percent on your written assessment; correctly answering one hundred thirty-six questions out of two hundred questions total. Congratulations, Uzumaki-kun; you have officially earned your hitai-ate and can now consider yourself a certified Genin of Konoha. I expect to see you bright and early tomorrow morning so that I can give you your team assignment."
"Looks like I'm going to need to train even harder," Naruto mused as he lifted Nanashi off the ground and perched him on his hip while the last of his anger fled in response to Tsunade's declaration. "If I don't, you just might grow stronger than me and steal the Hokage's hat right out from under my nose when I'm least expecting it, dattebayo! Just thinking about it makes me tired."
Nanashi giggled once before he latched into Naruto's neck and buried his face against Naruto's shoulder. Naruto hugged the kid close before he reached up and snagged the hitai-ate Tsunade had thrown at him out of the air while he gave the Godaime Hokage a wide, toothy grin. The teen then allowed Kakashi and Iruka to drag him to Ichiraku's in order to buy Nanashi his promised ramen; the two older shinobi tagging along to provide extra protection as well as to help the pair celebrate. They were joined halfway to the ramen stand by a stoic Shibi and Naruto visibly winced as he knew exactly what the other man wanted.
"Can you hold the interrogation until later this evening, Shibi-san?" Kakashi requested as he glanced sideways at their tag-a-long.
"That would be acceptable," Shibi agreed in his monotone. "Where should I meet you?"
"You can meet at my house in about half an hour and I will personally answer your questions," Shikaku announced as he popped up unexpectedly alongside Chouza and an exhausted Inoichi (the chakra requirement needed to perform the Shintenshin no Jutsu and hold it for prolonged periods of time one of the reasons why he didn't use it during the entire test). "My troublesome wife planned a small party in order to celebrate Nanashi-kun's success over earning his hitai-ate. Do make certain you both save room for desert, Naruto-kun; Yoshino will be most upset if the two of you don't at least sample the sugar feast she is certain to have baked for the occasion."
"I will be there," Shibi stated before he disappeared in a swirl of bugs.
"How many others are going to be there, Shikaku-san?" Naruto asked softly as Nanashi yawned and snuggled closer to him.
"Expect all of the clan heads and, if they are in the village, their heirs; and you can consider this more of a welcome to Konoha party than a congratulatory party, though everyone will make it a point to congratulate Nanashi on passing the exam."
"If the Inuzuka bring their ninken, Nanashi-kun is going to panic."
"He's going to need to learn that not all dogs will attack him," Inoichi pointed out.
"I know that but most of the Inuzuka dogs are two and three times taller than him."
"Hmm… have you considered getting him a puppy to help him get over his fear?" Chouza asked. "It would allow him to get used to spending time with a dog and a puppy could grow with him so by the time it got big enough to appear threatening he'd have accepted that it won't harm him intentionally. Having a canine companion would also give him a measure of protection."
"I don't know. Who would take care of the pup while we're out on missions? A dog would also have to be trained and I don't know the first thing about training a dog. Heck, most dogs can't stand me because of the you-know-what."
"Why not take the pup with you on missions? Kakashi would be able to help you train him or her," Shikaku suggested after a minute. "It's something to think about at least. Enjoy your ramen, boys."
Naruto watched the three older men head off towards the Nara Estate while his small group resumed their journey towards the ramen stand. As he walked, Naruto gave Chouza's suggestion some serious consideration. He knew ninken could be exceedingly useful partners; he'd been on more than enough missions with Kiba and Akamaru as well as with Kakashi's summoned pack to know that. Then there was the fact that a ninken partner would be able to keep watch over his ward and help keep him out of trouble once it was properly trained.
"It's not a bad idea, Naruto," Kakashi offered as they ducked beneath the banners hanging over the entrance of the ramen stand. "Pakkun and Bisuke would probably be willing to help a train a pup and those two are the least intimidating out of my entire pack. A puppy would grow to be companion, partner, and guard. There is also a chance that he could establish a bond with a young animal that would make it easier on Nanashi during the times when you have responsibilities that take you from his side."
"And a young enough pup can adapt to the presence of your passenger," Iruka added with a smile as he sat down at the counter.
"Back again so soon?" Teuchi greeted as he peeked out of the back to see who'd entered his restaurant.
"Yeah, this time we're celebrating Nanashi-kun earning his hitai-ate," Naruto answered as he held up the shiny new forehead protector that he was still holding in his hand.
"Why would you make him take the test when is still so young?" Teuchi demanded in a soft tone that held more than a little disappointment.
"Tch, I didn't. The nosy old biddies forced him to take the test in an attempt to revoke my guardianship. If he'd failed, then he would have been taken away from me because of some stupid law that says Konoha Genin are not allowed to claim guardianship of foreign shinobi and Nanashi-kun had been seen wearing an Uzushio hitai-ate that had belonged to one of his parents so it was assumed he was already a Genin."
"He must have had some training if he managed to pass," Teuchi replied, his tone much more relaxed and jovial now that he knew it wasn't Naruto that had pushed the kid to become a child soldier at age six.
"Some but I would have preferred allowing him more time to settle in and get some proper training, maybe even attend the academy for a couple of years first."
"No use crying over a rusted kunai when there is ramen on the menu tonight," Kakashi sagely advised in order to cheer the teen up as he ruffled Naruto's hair and pushed him onto a stool.
"Yosh! Nothing beats a bowl of ramen; especially when it's been made by old man Teuchi! Two extra large bowls of your miso and shrimp ramen please!"
"I'll have a beef ramen," Iruka requested while Kakashi added, "One chicken please."
"Coming right up!"
While they waited for their food, Naruto sat Nanashi up just enough so that he could tie the kid's new headband around his forehead (leaving the Uzushio headband where it was around his neck). Nanashi scrunched his nose up as he ran his fingers over the metal plate engraved with a stylized leaf before he stared up at the headband tied around Naruto's forehead. The kid then sighed in resignation as he slumped back against Naruto's chest and closed his eyes.
"Try not to fall asleep yet, Nanashi-kun," Naruto murmured with a fond smile as he tapped the kid on the nose. "I have a question I'd like to ask you." Nanashi sat back and looked up at Naruto's face to show he was listening. "What do you think about us getting a dog?"
Nanashi frowned before he tentatively asked, "Narto not want Nashi? Narto want inu?"
"No; I don't want to trade you for a dog. I wanted to know if you'd like to have a dog; someone you can play with when I have to sit in boring meetings with boring old men."
"I heard that," Kakashi growled as he lightly slapped Naruto on the back of the head.
"Nashi not sure. Nashi not like big dogs. Nashi not want dog bite Nashi."
"How about a puppy, a cute little baby dog?" Kakashi cajoled; the Jounin apparently more excited about the prospect of having a puppy around than either teen or boy.
"Koinu?" Nanashi parroted slowly as he turned to blink at the gray-haired shinobi in surprise. "Nashi not mind koinu. Narto get kuro koinu?"
"A black puppy? Why a black puppy?" Iruka wondered even as he smiled over the ready acceptance Nanashi had given to the idea of having a puppy despite his obvious fear of large dogs.
"Nashi like black dog. Star dog man black dog. Star dog man not bite."
"Naruto, just out of curiosity, what color was the stray that attacked Nanashi?" Kakashi asked as Teuchi set their orders down in front of them before softly calling out, "Itadakimasu."
"Itadakimasu! It was a huge stocky grey and brown mutt with long filthy fur; the thing was nearly as tall as I am and towered over Nanashi-kun."
"Nanashi-kun had a run in with Tenma?"
"Oh, I didn't know the dog belonged to someone; I thought he was a stray."
"He was a stray alright, earned that name because of the problems he used to cause; that dog was a menace! He had been terrorizing the area for over a year before he suddenly disappeared about two months back. Tenma would attack anyone and everyone that passed within a dozen feet of the alley he lived in and then disappear into thin air anytime the Inuzuka attempted to hunt him down. I thought maybe he'd gone back to wherever he'd come from when he stopped attacking people. He didn't hurt Nanashi-kun, did he?"
"Nashi fine," Nanashi drowsily stated as he snagged a piece of shrimp out of his bowl and ate it. "Narto save Nashi."
"That's good to hear. Do you know what happened to the beast after the attack? I'd hate for him to find his way back to the alley down the street."
"He won't bother anyone again; I made sure of that," Naruto stated in a grim tone that told the adults exactly how he'd dealt with the dog.
"Good!" Teuchi firmly stated as he set a small plate with extra shrimp and a hard boiled egg beside Naruto's bowl as an unspoken thanks for ridding the village of the menace known as Tenma.
Nothing more was said as the shinobi gave their full attention to their food. Teuchi was a little disappointed when no one ordered a second bowl but Naruto had been instructed to show up with room for whatever treats Yoshino-san had made for the occasion. They left the ramen stand not long after that with Nanashi drifting off to sleep on Naruto's back before they'd even taken five steps out of the ramen stand; not that Naruto blamed the kid, he'd had an exhausting day. The four of them arrived at the Nara Estate about fifteen minutes later to find that they were the last ones to arrive.
"There you guys are! Hurry up; we've been waiting on you for hours!" Kiba bellowed as he caught their scent the moment they entered the estate; Akamaru and the other ninken present off exploring and patrolling the grounds where they wouldn't be immediately noticed in order to avoid frightening the child.
"It's not even been a full hour since his assessment was officially concluded," Iruka dryly pointed out to the boisterous teen, who had the grace to blush in embarrassment at being caught over exaggerating.
Naruto spent the next two hours catching up with his fellow teens while Nanashi slept on completely unaware of the attention that he had garnered. At the end of those two hours, Shikaku passed by and collected the sleeping six year old in order to give Naruto a brief break from toting him around and to make certain the afternoon's test hadn't done him any lasting harm. The blond earned a bit of ribbing from the other teens present over how much he appeared to mother his ward but he told them to wait until their first child was born and see if they acted any different. Granted, Nanashi wasn't Naruto's biological son but that didn't change that fact that Naruto was responsible for the kid's wellbeing.
At the end of the night, when the festivities had long since ended and most of the party goers had departed, a still sleeping Nanashi was returned to Naruto along with an extra package and three storage scrolls. One storage scroll held a selection of the treats Yoshino had made for the party since Nanashi hadn't woken up once during the evening. The next scroll held several second hand mesh shirts, shorts, and sleeves in various sizes (the entire lot no longer being used but still in good condition) that Iruka had scrounged up during his lunch break in response to their conversation the previous evening. The final storage scroll was simply labeled as supplies.
The package turned out to be a wicker basket holding a pair of young puppies; both of them still fairly small and both of them black as sin. They had long pointed snouts, pointed triangular ears that stuck up stiffly on their heads (much like a wolf's ears), short sleek coats that were still puppy soft, long fluffy tails, and large paws. They looked something like a cross between a wolf or a German shepherd and a black Labrador. He would later learn their eyes were a dark blue so deep they appeared almost black. Over all, they were rather cute but Naruto was uncertain why there were two of them as he'd only been thinking about getting one puppy that could be both companion and guard for his ward.
"Ano…" Naruto drawled uncertainly as he continued to stare down at the sleeping pups.
"Kakashi told me the gaki wished for a black pup and those two were the only black pups born in the last six months and therefore old enough to be partnered out," Inuzuka Tsume explained as she walked up and clapped Naruto on the shoulder. "They're a little on the runty side but both of them are healthy. I'm giving you both pups because the two of them grew unhappy every time I attempted to separate them and few people want to deal with two puppies; which is the only reason why they were not paired up with a partner the moment they turned two months old. The scroll of supplies contains just the bare basics you'll need to care for the pair; including a week's worth of pup chow and instructions on how to care for them. If you have any questions you can ask any of the Inuzuka."
"Arigatou, Tsume-san," Naruto murmured as he reached into the basket to pet the nose of the nearest pup.
"You're welcome, gaki," Tsume replied as she ruffled both his hair and Nanashi's before she left.
"Shikaku-san?"
"Nani, Naruto?"
"Just how long have the lot of you been planning this?" Naruto inquired as he glanced over his shoulder at the small group of older men loitering about and arched an eyebrow at them.
"I've been thinking about how to encourage Nanashi to form other bonds since about five minutes after learning that forcefully separating him from you could potentially harm the little fawn due to the connection he formed with you the night you saved him. And after Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji told us how Nanashi reacted to seeing Akamaru the first time, we thought it logical to get him a pup to help him get over the fear. Although, in my defense; I only planned for there to be one pup involved."
"We spoke with Kakashi to confirm that he would be willing to help you train the pup before we approached Tsume to see if the Inuzuka had any pups available. The fact that a ninken would not only be a companion but extra protection for the both of you made it a perfect solution in a way; especially after the attack the other night," Inoichi interjected when Shikaku trailed off.
"Everything I've heard about Nanashi-kun reminds me of Chouji when he was younger; always concerned with others and painfully shy at times. I've heard Shikaku talk about how much the kid loves the deer more than once and how he's always happiest with the creatures bar the time he spends at your side," Chouza added with a smile as he glanced towards where his son was chatting with Ino and Shikamaru. "It would be a shame for him to fear all dogs just because he was attacked by a feral stray. It's also not wise to allow fears to grow least an enemy attempts to use that fear against the sprout in order to hurt or capture him."
"I suppose I should at least be thankful you didn't try to talk me into taking one of the deer home," Naruto sighed as he glanced inside of the basket a second time.
The Jounin all laughed at that since they all knew that Nanashi would gladly take the entire herd home with him if he could; he loved the deer that much. Naruto took his leave at that point; Inoichi and Chouza escorting him home since both Iruka and Kakashi had already left. Once home, Naruto changed Nanashi into his pajamas and tucked him into bed before he opened the scroll holding the puppy supplies that Tsume had provided (which had been paid for by Shikaku) and read through the instructions on how to care for the ninken. Included in that list was a series of dates when each of the puppies' next rounds of vaccinations were due to be given.
He was pleased to learn that the two pups had both been paper trained and house broken so that he wouldn't have to worry about them piddling or pooping all over the place. He spent a few minutes unsealing their sleeping box, a stack of newspapers, their food and water dishes, and a small bag of dry dog food and arranged everything beside his entertainment center before transferring the still sleeping pups into their sleeping box. Naruto then prepared himself for bed before joining Nanashi in bed; the six year old automatically gravitating towards him the instant he made himself comfortable.
The teen was out like a light two minutes later.
October 07, 1986, Early Morning
Konohagakure, Hi no Kuni
A small finger repeatedly poking him in the side woke Naruto at the crack of dawn the next morning. Opening one eye, he glanced down to find Nanashi sitting up with a frown on his face as he stared at something down on the floor and absently continued to poke Naruto in the side. Reaching down, Naruto grabbed the offending finger in order to save his side from developing a permanent bruise from the continuous little jabs.
"Narto wake?"
"I am now."
"Narto?"
"What, Nanashi-kun?"
"Nashi see too many. Nashi need glasses. Nashi see… see two."
"Huh…?"
"Nashi see two puppy. Nashi need glasses."
Confused, Naruto sat up and followed Nanashi's line of sight to find the two pups Tsume and the others had given Nanashi timidly exploring the room. Chuckling, because of the way the two dogs moved in perfect synchronization, Naruto dropped back onto the bed and pulled Nanashi close as he replied, "You don't need glasses because you're not seeing double; there actually are two puppies. Tsume-san gave them to you last night but you were asleep at the time."
"Why two puppy?"
"Well, you asked for a black puppy and those two were the only black puppies available. The two little puppies don't like being apart so we got them both instead of just one."
"Oh," Nanashi murmured in understanding as he slipped out of Naruto's arms and dropped down onto the floor; immediately garnering the attention of the curious pups.
Naruto rolled up onto his side and propped his head up with one hand so he could keep an eye on both his ward and the two puppies. The six year old dropped down onto his belly and set his elbows on the floor as he propped his chin on the palms of both hands and continued to stare at the puppies that were slinking across the floor in his direction. Nanashi's little feet rose up in the air behind him and idly swung back and forth as he patiently waited for the puppies to come to him. The two pups sat down in perfect unison about two feet away from Nanashi and the child's feet slowed to a stop in midair as he tilted his head to one side and to Naruto's amusement the two pups mimicked him a split second later.
Leaning slightly to one side, Nanashi reached out to offer his right hand to the two pups so that they could sniff him. The kid let out a giggle when both pups licked him after a brief sniff. As if the sound of his laughter were a signal, the two pups scampered forward across the small distance separating them from Nanashi and eagerly attacked his face with their tongues. Nanashi let out a single cry of shock before the room was filled with unrestrained laughter as the two dogs licked every inch of him they could reach and repeatedly poked him with their cold noses. Naruto had been afraid for a brief moment that his ward was going to panic but the fear passed the instant the laughter began pouring forth.
Chuckling to himself, Naruto slipped out of bed and left Nanashi to get acquainted with the pups while he emptied his bladder and washed his face. When he returned to the room five minutes later, it was to find Nanashi sitting in the middle of the room with his legs crossed and one of the pups sprawled across his lap. The other pup was firmly and gently being held in Nanashi's hands as he held him up for a proper inspection; which included being submitted to one Nanashi's Soul Searching Tests. The puppy was then settled beside its twin while Nanashi let out a sad sigh as he scrubbed at his face; as if to wipe away tears.
"Is there something wrong, Nanashi?" Naruto asked as he couldn't think of any reason why the kid's mood would change so drastically in the short amount of time he'd been gone.
"Nashi miss star dog man," Nanashi stated as he dropped his hands to the puppies in his lap and gently ran a finger down the length of each puppy's nose at the same time. He then glanced up at Naruto, the grief in his eyes fading as he focused on the blond. Nanashi then asked, "Narto, where two puppy stay when Nashi go deer man?"
"The puppies will stay with you no matter where we go," Naruto replied without hesitation. He was curious as to who or what the star dog man was that Nanashi kept mentioning but hesitated to ask because he suspected that the kid wouldn't be able to fully answer the question because of his missing memories and still rather limited vocabulary.
"Pupp…ies too small," Nanashi countered with obvious concern as he sounded out the plural form of the word 'puppy' after hearing Naruto use it more than once. "Deer too big. Deer step puppies. Nashi not want deer step puppies."
"You're right; the puppies are very small still. They are also small enough that you can carry them around in a backpack so that they won't get stepped on by the deer. Kakashi-sensei promised that he would help us train the puppies so they'll know not to get too close to the deer or other things that will hurt them."
Nanashi tipped his head to one side to consider that and then nodded in understanding or maybe in acceptance; Naruto wasn't quite certain which. Naruto simply watched the trio for several minutes, a small smile tugging at his lips as he watched Nanashi lavishing attention on the two pups.
"Have you given any thought as to what you'd like to name the puppies?" Naruto asked a few minutes later as he sat down on the floor near Nanashi – soliciting twin growls from the puppies as they caught scent of the Kyuubi's chakra that clung to the teen.
"Bad puppies. No growl Narto," Nanashi scolded as he lightly flicked the pups on the nose to stop them from growling at the Jinchuuriki. Naruto was only half surprised at his ward's reaction; the blond had quickly grown used to Nanashi defending him but he was partially surprised that the puppies' growls hadn't frightened the six year old. "Narto name puppies?"
"Nope; it's your job to name both of them because they are your puppies. I'll help you take care of them when you need me to and both Kakashi and I will help you train them but they are your responsibility."
"Nashi not good names."
"All you need is a bit more practice. I'm sure the puppies won't mind what you call them, so long as you take care of them and spend time with them, dattebayo. You won't know until you try though."
Nanashi sighed and pouted at Naruto before he lifted one of the pups up so he could look it in the eye once more; an intent look of concentration on his face. Five minutes later, he set the pup down on the floor and repeated the process with the other pup before setting him down beside his brother. Nanashi then propped his right elbow on his knee and dropped his chin on his right hand while he drummed his left fingers on his left knee and flicked his eyes between the two pups that were avidly watching the boy in return.
After a good ten minutes, Nanashi suddenly froze and sat up straight before a smile slipped onto his face. Naruto suspected the kid had just found his inspiration for the puppies' names and he leaned forward; curious as to what he'd call them. The six year old then glanced up at Naruto and asked, "Puppies go Nashi? Like Nashi go Narto? Like shadow stay all time?" Naruto thought about the odd questions for a moment before he nodded an affirmative.
Nanashi then pointed at the puppy on the left with his right hand and declared, "Nashi name puppy Awaikage." He then pointed to the other puppy with his left hand and added, "Nashi name puppy Kurokage." He then glanced up at Naruto for approval as he stated, "Puppies stay Nashi. Puppies Nashi's shadow like Nashi Narto's shadow."
"See, I told you that you'd pick out good names, dattebayo! We should get them different colored collars so they'll be easier to tell apart."
"Nashi not need. Nashi know names. Nashi not forget."
Naruto thought about insisting before he shrugged it off; figuring the kid would come around eventually. It was at that point that he turned to glance at the clock and discovered that he'd wasted an entire hour just watching Nanashi interact with the puppies. He cringed at the lecture he just knew that Yoshino was going to give him for showing up late before he remembered that he was supposed to take Nanashi to the Hokage's office first thing this morning in order for Nanashi to register himself as a Genin and give him his team assignment.
Turning to his ward he stated, "We have to go see the Hokage this morning; so you need to get moving and get dressed if we are going to have enough time to do our morning exercises before we leave."
"Hai."
Translations: Japanese to English
Ano – um/uh
Arigatou – thank you
Gaki – brat
Hai – yes
Itadakimasu – expression of gratitude usually given before a meal
Itoko – cousin
Koinu – puppy
Kuro – black
Nande – why
Nani – what
Yosh – yeah or okay (usually an exclamation of excitement)
Names:
Awaikage – light shadow
Kurokage – silhouette/dark shadow
Tenma – demon/evil spirit: name given by villagers to the stray that attacked Nanashi at the start of the story