Disclaimer: As much as I would love to, I do not own Naruto/Naruto Shippuden

Chapter Four

It was a rough day for Karibi and Naruto.

The 18 year old had awoken from a rather realistic nightmare, tears streaming down her face; it had been awhile since she had cried in her sleep. She laid in her bed for a few hours, wide awake, before she finally got up and got dressed. And it was a few hours later in which Naruto came strolling out of his room with nothing but his boxers on.

"Didn't I tell you to wear clothes when you're out here?" The blond stopped, any trace of sleepiness gone; he could tell by Karibi's voice that it was going to be one of those days.

Just like the redhead had said, things were going to get harder before they got easy. Although they had a few good days, most of the time, the young woman was bitter and cold. That always led to Naruto acting up in class and having to deal with his own frustrations in the only ways he knew. But, like she had said, she was trying, and he supposed he appreciated that.

"...Where are you going?" She was dressed in her white short-sleeve and black shorts, her kunai pack and her little pouch where she always had them when she was ready for a mission. The young boy's eyes flickered to the red swirled design on the side of her sleeve as he then looked back to his guardian.

"...I've got another mission." Naruto glared at that.

She never told him what exactly it was that caused her to be so cold. He didn't bother asking, because as a 7 year old—almost turning 8—he didn't really care all too much about the reason, more of how to fix the problem. And although she was normally around, whenever things seemed to get bad for her or when she seemed to lose all of her patience, she was off on a mission; a long mission.

"What kind of mission?" the blond asked as he stood in the kitchen with his arms crossed, Karibi rolling her eyes as she finished making food.

"That's classified information, short-stuff." That cracked a smile across the blond's face.

"Now sit down so you can eat breakfast." Setting plate of rice with a fried egg over it, Karibi set ketchup out as well, Naruto's eyes brightening for a moment as he saw what she had made him. He giggled as he quickly rushed up to his usual seat, slapping his hands together and shutting his eyes for just moment.

"Itadakimasu!" The jonin smiled slightly before she sat down, her appetite no where near as big as the boy's.

"I'm going to be gone for a few weeks," she began. "And when I come back, you better not have burned this place down."

"Yeah, yeah. It's not like this is the first time you've gone away," Naruto snapped, causing Karibi to grimace. She stared at the boy as he ate with a pout before she stood up and walk around the table to head out of the kitchen. She stopped, lingering behind the blond before she reached out and placed her hand on the top of his head. Naruto's eyes widened as he abruptly stopped eating, feeling his guardian gently pat his head.

"Sorry, Naruto." Pulling away, Karibi let out a quiet breath and then walked into her room to grab her rucksack. She glanced up at the dream-catcher that hung over her bed before she turned and made her way out of the room. She yelped as she found Naruto waiting for her at her door, relaxing as she gave him an exasperated look.

"Good luck!" The redhead blinked before she let out a relieved breath, smiling as she pat the 7 year old's head one last time; he smiled wider.

"I'll be back in two weeks, short-stuff. And if you're not causing a ruckus around the village then maybe I'll treat you to Ichiraku."

"Alright! Yeah!" Naruto cheered as Karibi chuckled, walking out the door after slipping her sandals on.

"Behave." And with that, she was gone.

Naruto stood by the doorway for a few, quiet seconds. His eyes lingered on the shut front door as he slowly began to frown, the loneliness creeping back up to him; these times were always the hardest, but he never told Karibi that.

Holding his head up high, the child rushed back to his food and finished eating; at this rate, he was going to be late for school.

§

Running her fingers through her hair, Karibi sighed while she stretched; she needed to get a trim. She walked tiredly to the village gates, her role as an escort beginning once she met with her client.

"Heading out, I see." Looking over her shoulder, the redhead came to a slow stop. She smiled slightly, seeing Kakashi out of his Anbu uniform and in his casual attire—which was really just a jonin's uniform.

"Mission," she stated simply as the silver haired shinobi nodded.

"And here I was, ready to invite you to spend the afternoon with me."

"Oh? How intriguing. An invitation from the Scarecrow himself." Karibi smirked. "Unfortunately for you, I have work to do. But if you're interested in spending the day with someone, I know a certain someone who's been itching for a good fight with you."

"I was thinking about something a bit more relaxing than that," Kakashi said with a sheepish smile under his mask.

With a laugh, Karibi nodded. "Guy's at the academy. I'm sure he has some time to humor you," she stated as the Anbu slid his hands into his pockets.

"When will you be back?"

"Should only be two weeks." Kakashi's gaze softened at that.

"That's a bit long for someone who has a kid waiting at home for them." Karibi stiffened before she stared hard at her friend, the man shrugging. "Nothing more than a statement."

"I'm sure," the young woman snipped before she turned and began to head out. "...Keep an eye out for him if you can," she said over her shoulder as the 21 year old watched her go. He said nothing in return, but he didn't have to; he always followed through with what Karibi asked of him.

"Hello, you must be Karibi-san." Said jonin smiled as she nodded, glancing back over her shoulder; Kakashi was gone.

"Yes. My name is Karibi Uzumaki. It's a pleasure to meet you."

*Three Weeks Later*

Things had taken a bit longer than Karibi had intended them to. She had run into a few rogues from the mist, but she had taken care of them; if there was one thing she had kept from her Anbu years, it was keeping no prisoners.

Walking with a drag in her step, the jonin yawned. It was late afternoon now, but she was exhausted and ready for sleep. She glanced up at the sun and counted the time in her head. By now, Naruto should be almost finished with class. She had just enough time to go and meet him.

She always felt guilty. Although she still had her duty to the village and doing missions was just a part of that, she knew it was truly just her trying to runaway. Because that was what she did best. She didn't know how to deal with some of the emotions she had, so she went on missions when she felt overwhelmed and felt like she needed an escape. But she knew what sort of consequences that brought about. Naruto was young, and even though he put on a good facade, he was fragile. She was supposed to be there for him, and she was trying her hardest, but sometimes she just couldn't make it through for him.

Walking through the village gates, the redhead smiled as she let out a relieved sigh. She rubbed her neck but stopped when one of the gatekeepers approached her. "Karibi-san."

"What is it?" She raised a brow when she was handed a new edition of the bingo book. "What is this for?"

"...Something tragic has happened in your absence. Our orders were to give these out to all returning ninja who have been gone for the last few weeks and to tell them to report to the Hokage immediately." Karibi frowned at that but nodded as she quickly jumped, heading straight for the Hokage residence.

§

"The Uchiha Clan has been destroyed from the inside-out." The Hokage's words repeated in Karibi's mind as she walked aimlessly through the village. There was still an awestruck look on her face, even though the news had been broken to her nearly a half-hour ago.

How could he have done that? How could Itachi Uchiha have done something so cruel and so disgusting? It was one thing, killing on a mission, but it was another thing to kill your own clan—your own family.

But then the memory of Karibi lingering over Naruto's crib flashed in the young woman's mind, and she found that she truly couldn't criticize the S-classed ninja; in some ways, she and him were nearly the same.

Still, there was also something that didn't quite make sense in the jonin's mind. Why had he left his brother alive? He had massacred an entire clan except his younger brother. If his actions had been done out of contempt or hatred, then why did he leave his younger brother alive? And yet he killed his own parents as well.

With a heavy sigh, the redhead found herself standing outside of the academy, just in time for the students to come running out. With confusion, Karibi watched as the blond child she was searching for came walking out slowly with a sad gleam in his usually bright eyes. She frowned at that as she crossed her arms, raising a brow.

"Oi, short-stuff." Looking up, Naruto's expression immediately brightened. He smiled widely as he looked up at the sound of his guardian's voice. He found her standing by the swing, a smirk across her lips; she seemed to be in better spirits.

"Ribi-chan! You're back!" He had missed her more than he thought.

Running up to her, the blond grinned as Karibi smiled, her gaze wandering off to the young boy in black that weaved his way out of the crowd before he walked down the street alone. She tried not to frown before she looked down to Naruto. "You hungry?"

"You bet!"

§

"Ah! Ichiraku really is the best!" Karibi chuckled at the satisfied kid as he walked with his hands locked behind his head. The woman frowned though when she saw his expression fall, that concern she had seen earlier returning.

"What is it?"

"Huh?" Karibi gave the 7 year old a knowing look. "Naruto." He should've known that his guardian would notice.

"...This guy in my class—he's a real jerk and thinks he knows everything, and all the girls love him, and it's super annoying!" Naruto began with an irked look upon his face. "...But lately, he seems worse than usual," he said quietly. Karibi's eyes widened as she blinked; she was surprised to hear Naruto had even noticed.

"...Sometimes, people act a certain way because they don't want others to know how they really feel," the 18 year old explained. "It's important for you to just be patient. Sometimes, time is all people really need." Naruto's brows furrowed; he wasn't entirely sure if he got what Karibi was saying.

"Alright, short-stuff. Let's get you home, and then I've got someone to see."

"Who?" Naruto asked curiously as Karibi's smile softened.

"Just a friend, is all."

§

"I thought you'd be here." Kakashi looked up from the KIA stone, an alto-ranged voice catching his attention. He turned and looked over his shoulder, Karibi approaching him with a smile across her lips.

"Back already?"

"I'm late, actually," she informed him as he thought before shrugging, turning back to the stone. The kunoichi frowned before she sighed.

"I heard about Itachi Uchiha." Kakashi said nothing as he merely stared hard at the names that were carved on the stone. "...It's not your fault."

"I was his squad leader for two years, and yet I never would have seen this coming." The masked ninja shook his head. "I should have been able to stop this."

"You couldn't have known Itachi would do this."

"But that's exactly it. I should have," the Anbu snapped quietly as Karibi frowned. "...I've failed again." The 18 year old glared at that.

"Ok, that's enough!" The young woman stomped up to her friend's side as she grabbed his wrist and turned him so he was facing her instead of the stone.

"You can't save everyone!" she snapped, catching the older one off guard as his visible eye grew wide. "There are going to be people you just can't get through to. And there are going to be people that slip from your fingertips." Kakashi relaxed as he let his shoulders sag.

"But it isn't about how many people you failed to save...It's about how you've impacted the ones you have." Kakashi's eye widened as Karibi gave him a desperate stare, taking a step closer to him.

"I can't keep watching you do this to yourself—build yourself up and then tear yourself down even further. It's not right! Because, at the end of the day, the people we've lost? They're not coming back...and maybe it was our fault, maybe we weren't strong enough. Or maybe it had nothing to do with us and losing those people was out of our hands." Kakashi frowned as Karibi stared at him. "But no matter how much we brood or how much we berate ourselves, nothing changes. And isn't that the point? Aren't we supposed to take the bad things and learn from them and do better? Because if we don't, isn't that just a waste of a life?" Reaching out, Karibi grabbed her friend's hand with her own, holding it tightly. Kakashi remained still as he felt her tight grasp around his fingers, her own hand trembling.

"...Shouldn't we at least try and do better? For their sake?" Because it was hard, but trying was better than giving up; that much, Karibi knew.

Slowly, Kakashi began to smile under his covering. He began to give a squeeze to Karibi's hand as his other one carefully rose up and cupped her left cheek, his thumb lightly caressing her cheekbone. She relaxed and smiled, seeing a small glimmer return to his one eye. "...Let's keep trying then, hmm?" Karibi grinned as she relaxed and leaned forward, resting her forehead against his chest. She sighed as Kakashi chuckled, wrapping his arms around her and rubbing her back in a soothing motion.

"Sorry, sorry," he said as Karibi chuckled, bathing herself in the warmth of his body. "Didn't mean to worry you." He glanced down at the young woman before his gaze softened, his expression falling.

"Thank you."

*Eight Months Later*

"Oi, if I hear from your teacher that you've skipped class again, you're getting a beating. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah." Naruto threw a wave over his shoulder as he lazily walked up to the school with a dark blue, short-sleeved shirt and an orange vest and shorts. He stopped by the entrance and looked at Karibi before he smiled widely at her, the woman rolling her eyes but smiling back. Her gaze softened as her ears twitched, two voices softly murmuring to each other. She glanced to her right and narrowed her eyes, two woman glaring at the blond as he walked into the school.

These days were better. Karibi's nightmares had lessened to the point where she rarely remembered them when she awoke from her sleep; that was better than nothing. Naruto's behavior was always a rollercoaster, though. He was still causing trouble and drawing attention to himself, and the reason why was he was always afraid. In the back of his mind, he was afraid that if he didn't act up and seem as though he needed someone there to scold him, then they would leave; he would lose Karibi. But as it turned out, for the time being, she was there to stay. For him, this had been the longest he had stayed with any guardian before—a guardian he actually enjoyed being around that treated him just as he wanted to be treated; like he was just a normal kid.

Karibi, herself, found that she was beginning to slowly warm up to the kid. Sure, it was tough, and sure, her parenting style was a bit...flawed, but she was doing her best to keep Naruto on the right path, and as far as she was concerned that was what truly mattered. Her sleepless nights were slowly decreasing, her dream-catcher protecting her from what it could. No, not all nights were perfect, and yes, she still had more bad nights than good, but they were all beginning to even out.

It was all beginning to meet down the middle somewhere.

Karibi continued to glare at the two gossiping woman before she relaxed, approaching them quietly. "I can't believe that Hokage allows that monster to attend the academy."

"I know! What about our children? How safe are they?"

"Much safer than the two of you at this very moment." The two women blinked as they turned, a redheaded woman glaring icily at them; it sent shivers through their souls. "Don't you two have something more productive to do than gossip about a mindless kid? And I'm rather positive Hokage-sama banned all talk about the Nine-tailed fox, isn't that right?" The women quickly nodded, giving Karibi nervous smiles before they scurried off, glancing back at her as she glared harder.

"How scary." Karibi instantly rolled her eyes as she turned and met a single gaze. She opened her mouth but stopped, noticing her friend out of his Anbu attire.

"What's this? Day off?"

"Ah, it's more like a promotion," Kakashi said as he kept his hands in the pockets of his navy pants. "Sandaime has given me the position of a team instructor." That had caught Karibi off guard.

"Since when?" she asked as she began to walk down the street with her companion.

"A month ago. I'm going to have my first set of students this week," the jonin said as Karibi glanced over at him before she smiled.

"Those kids are in for a treat." The woman's expression faltered when she noticed the masked ninja's silence. She relaxed as she took a seat on a concrete bench just below where Kakashi usually spent his free days relaxing.

"...You seem nervous."

"What makes you say that?" Kakashi inquired; to others, he appeared to be the same as ever.

"Because I know you, of course," Karibi stated playfully before letting out a sigh. "...You'll do better than you think you will."

"Hmm..." Kakashi stared up through the leaves of the tree before he frowned; was he truly fit for a position like this?

"Buy me some riceballs."

"A 'please' is appropriate when you ask something from your elder."

"You'll be busy once you get students of your own to watch. And with missions and that little idiot, I barely have free-time as it is." Standing to her feet, Karibi smiled as she held her hand out to Kakashi. "So buy me rice balls, please." It was sardonic, but the 22 year old took it.

Slipping her hand into Kakashi's, the young woman held it tightly before she pulled him along. The young man chuckled before intertwining their fingers, glancing up in the sky.

Karibi may have had faith in him, but Kakashi wasn't so sure about himself.

I feel as though we're gliding along with this story! Soon enough, we're going to reach the Naruto series, and that's when things will begin to get interesting with all the different twists that Kishimoto has! I'm excited to see how Karibi is going to fit and to write those chapters. But until then, I hope you guys have been enjoying this story thus far :)

Just a quick thank you to those who have read, followed, favorited and reviewed! I appreciate whoever has read this taking the time out of their day to do so, and I hope that you've been enjoying yourself! I'll continue to work hard! And if there is anything you would like to request or want me to fix and change, feel free to let me know! I'm always open for suggestions and advice and critiques! Thanks, everyone!

Reviews:

korohoshi: I don't think I could abandon any story at all! Once you've put in a certain amount of time and effort into a project, you just get too attached and too invested LOL Of course, you will definitely be seeing more Karibi and Naruto moments. I think as Naruto gets older, there will be more of those moments to come. Angst and fluff are sort of like a storm and rainbow. It has to rain a bit before you get to see the rainbow; there needs to be a bit of angst before you get to the fluff XD Thank you for reading! Hope you liked this chapter!

Anahissa: I know this may seem strange, but I'm actually really happy that you were angry with Karibi! Your reaction means that I wrote her correctly and that you perceived it the way I wanted you to! Granted, I hope you still like her as a character and just see her with flaws, but I'm glad that I'm able to convey these major scenes correctly! I definitely think the way she reacted was extremely too harsh and she should have known better, but like you said, she did apologize. And that's really only one little step to what she has to do to make it up to Naruto, but at least she's working on it! Thank you for reading! I hope you'll continue to read even though Karibi made you angry XD Thank you!

ajwehri: I'm glad you've been happy with this story so far :) Yes, there will be so much more between Karibi and Naruto to come! There are going to be good and bad moments, but they'll go through them together, so I suppose that's what counts LOL I know I never went into detail about what Karibi learned from Kushina, but I will say you will see some stuff in the future, if you're curious!

WindyCitySlayer1: I will definitely be continuing this story :D It may or may not be a longer series, and I hope you don't mind XD I plan on going through until the end of "Naruto Shippuden", so we'll see how it all goes. I know Karibi was a little unlikable in that last chapter, but I'm glad she was perceived that way because that was how I wanted her to be! I hope that throughout this story her character grows up and gets better, and hopefully you readers will see that for yourselves! Thank you for reading, I appreciate you taking the time to do so and to review!

CandyMe21: I'm happy you were excited by the update! And like I've said, I know that Karibi was emotionally out of control last chapter, I hope she will develop as a character and grow! Along with her relationship with Naruto. And yes, she has been staying in the same apartment since Minato and Kushina passed. I think she just felt a bit too attached to leave, but too weak to really face the fact that they were gone forever. And now she and Naruto are starting fresh and beginning their own chapter in life together! So we'll see how their relationship develops ;D Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy!

PredatorPuck: I'm glad that this story has got your attention. I know it takes some time for this story to pick up, but I think we're at a good pace now, and important parts are being played out at a good rate. I've put a lot of thought into this story and the chapters and the sequence of events, so hopefully you do enjoy that, and I'm glad you found some of my original ideas enjoyable and fun to read! I can only hope that you'll continue to read and enjoy :) Thank you so much for reading and supporting!