Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Chapter Thirty-Seven: Turn and Face the Strange
(Still don't know what I was waitin' for and my time was runnin' wild a million dead end streets and every time I thought I'd got it made, it seemed the taste was not so sweet.)
"So, what now?" Teresa questioned as she turned to the hokage.
The old man stood above her, all of their previous pretenses of familial affection thrown out the window as his face took on a more diplomatic expression—one that she was quite more familiar with. "We'll have to sign the official documents and there's the pressing matter of having to find a way to move Naruto-chan now. After all, his existence hasn't been known for a long time now, by then, I believe the villagers have forgotten about him...Will you be continuing to live in the Shimura compound as of today?"
"No. I had been planning on moving out even before I returned home for quite some time now. My parents are aware of this, I believe—since I always spoke about doing so to Kurenai during or letters of correspondence. Chances are she told my parents that I wanted to move out of the compound if ever I were to return to Konoha," she replied as she let go of Naruto's hand to stand up as well.
"Ah, I see. Well, I'll have to inform your family members and close comrades of your ward now, if anything."
"Do you think perhaps I can return for Naruto after I set everything up? You know, make preparations to purchase a new home and furnish it properly, then I will have to reestablish myself in the village again, properly reintroduce myself to my former comrades and then my family as well. I could possibly get all of this done in, hm...let's say, approximately, a day and a half?"
"Yes, well...That will be fine...and while you do that, I shall finish finalizing adoption statements and forge a few documents too."
"Alright, until then, please continue to watch over Naruto. I'll visit him periodically during my short time away," she nodded.
Hiruzen frowned. "Wait, why not allow Naruto-chan to familiarize himself with you first?'
She paused, mulling his words over. "What do you mean, hokage-sama?"
"As much as I understand your need to make preparations first, I think it would be much better to bring Naruto out with you at least once before you both move in together. Let him get a good idea of your intentions as being his new guardian," the old man offered.
Teresa looked down towards Naruto, who himself had been too engrossed in playing with his various toys rather than even trying to understand what the two adults had been conversing about. As she watched him, the boy noticed her eyes, and looked up, only to wave at her and grin cheekily at her. "Hi!" He said again.
"Hello, Naruto," she smiled, before averting her gaze back towards the hokage. "So, what would you have me do to...allow him to familiarize himself with me?"
The hokage simply shrugged. "Whatever you want, really. As long as you two get to know each other first and foremost. As a parent myself, I'd suggest something as far as taking him out to the park, or to eat, or even shopping with you. You can return him here after that so you can finish setting everything up for him and reestablish yourself."
"...Well, I suppose that sounds fine. But, do you think he'll be safe if I take him out?"
"I believe so. The village is a big place, things are constantly changing every day. I'm sure they won't recognize Naruto after his long absence now. If anything, you both share similar characteristics, in a sense—light hair and light eyes. You'll look like any pair of mother and child just like the rest of them, completely normal."
She looked down towards Naruto and kneeled to meet him at eye-level. "What do you think, Naruto? Would you like to come out with me for a bit?"
The boy smiled a toothy grin, something that she realized she loved to see more than anything. "Ouside?" the little boy questioned with wide eyes.
"Yes, Naruto, outside. I can take you out to...eat, perhaps? Have you eaten yet, Naruto?"
Naruto shook his head. "No, I don' have lunch yet. Hungry," he said before reaching his hands out towards her to indicate he wanted to be picked up.
To this, Teresa gave a look of alarm as she glanced quickly towards the hokage. The man smiled in turn. "Go ahead, Teresa-san," Hiruzen encouraged. "I think he wants to be picked up."
"...Oh, alright," she said awkwardly before picking the toddler up with ease and placing him on the side of her hip for support. "So, shall we go now, hokage-sama?"
"Oh, heavens no, Teresa-san. I won't be able to accompany you on this. It would be better if it were just Naruto-chan and you," he replied before turning away towards the door. "Now, I believe I must attend to some more political business for the rest of the afternoon. If you need me, which I'm sure you won't seeing as you are a capable enough kunoichi, just call on me. I'll know if you do through my crystal ball, if anything. Have a good day, Teresa-san and do return Naruto back before his bed time at twenty-hundred sharp before you start your preparations."
And within seconds, the hokage had body-flickered out of sight. And just like that, Teresa was left to her own devices with the little boy in tow who was also currently busying himself by playing with her hair.
"Grampa leave again," he said casually, as if it were a common occurrence. And then he looked up towards her. "Where we going?"
She glanced at the boy in slight alarm. "You are far too trusting for your own good..." she muttered, a bit surprised that Naruto had been acting so comfortable with her without a second thought. He even went as far as leaning his head on the crook of her neck as he proceeded to play with her hair.
"Hm...I suppose we should go out to eat," She continued slowly before exiting the room and closing the door behind her with her free hand, still carrying the boy with the other. "What do you like to eat, Naruto?"
"I dunno," the little boy giggled.
Teresa proceeded to trek down the silent corridors of the building. She knew there were shinobi occupying the halls, she could feel each and every chakra signature no matter how suppressed they were. Yet, it seemed as if their path had been nothing but desolate. Teresa figured the ANBU were most likely avoiding her.
"What do toddlers eat?" she wondered idly to herself before turning towards Naruto once more. "You can eat solids, am I correct?"
"Eh?" the boy looked at her confusedly.
Teresa shook her head before mentally making a note to herself to speak in more simple and concise sentences around the toddler. "Do you like eating rice or..." she paused trying to think of other foods that he might like. "Or chicken? Maybe even noodles, like...soba?"
"Yeah!"
"Hmm...maybe not soba," she muttered to herself as they made their way towards the exit. "What foods are more nutritious?" She looked down towards the little boy who continued to play with her hair and noticed how small he was. "You'll need something high in fats from the looks of it, you're quite a tiny little thing."
Naruto simply nodded his head, not really knowing what the woman was chattering away about to herself.
Soon, the two had made it towards the busy streets of the village, where all the small businesses had lined its corners. From her peripherals, she noticed a few wandering eyes staring intently at her, some even halted in their steps just to catch a glance.
"I only hoped we wouldn't make a spectacle of ourselves, but it seems to me, we'll be bringing attention no matter where we go, isn't that right Naruto?" She said idly toward the grinning tot who continued to cradle his head on her shoulder and hide under her hair. Teresa knew if she kept her eyes on him and if she continued to simply talk to him, then she would not have to meet the eyes of every passing stranger coming their way. And in that way, he would not have to be uncomfortable under the scrutinizing of the passersby, as he would only pay attention to her.
Naruto only took this with more zeal. "Spectal? I like spectal!" He clapped.
"Spectacle..." she corrected him, enunciating her words. "...So, what shall we eat today?" Teresa's eyes perused the many signs of restaurants that met their sight. Initially, she had thought about bringing the toddler to the Yakiniku restaurant she would often frequent with her former team, but thought otherwise since grilled, tough meats were not really appropriate for children at his age.
"I like noodles! Me and grampa eat noodles all the time!" he replied.
"Noodles, huh?" She murmured as she looked around once more. And then her gaze landed upon a small ramen stall. "...Ichiraku..." she read aloud. "Well, I suppose that will do. Ramen it is."
"Ramen? I like ramen. That's noodles!" Naruto piped up from her shoulder.
"Yes it is, Naruto."
She reached over with her free hand to move the curtains that covered the stall, brushing past it to inspect the small food stall. As she let the curtain close behind, she sighed in relief, finally able to relax with the boy after walking around a gawking village for so long. The restaurant itself was adequately sized, enough to fit a few fifteen to twenty customers at a time.
Mechanically, Teresa ignored the other customers occupying the stalls and sat herself down on the chair nearest her and plopped Naruto on the one next to her.
"Welcome!" A middle-aged man greeted as he strolled in from the kitchen with a warm smile before handing the two a menu.
Without even giving the menu a glance, she returned it to him. "No need. I'll have two bowls of miso ramen...and make the second one a bit smaller, for a child that is."
He nodded his head in understanding before strolling back into the kitchen to complete their order. As they waited, Teresa busied herself by fussing with Naruto's hair, trying in vain to tame his unruly spikes. "You look a lot like your father from what little I remember of him..." she remarked.
"Fa-ther? Whas that?" the little boy questioned.
"A father is...how do you put it? Someone who takes care of you, essentially you are born from a father being that you share hereditary traits and contain half of his DNA in your own encoding, though yours itself is unique."
"Whas DNA mean?"
"It stands for short as deoxyribonucleic acid, it is what is encoded in your genes. It is what makes you inherently you."
"So, I'm DNA?"
Teresa smirked, amused at the boy and a little irritated at herself due to the fact that she kept forgetting that this was a three-year-old child, not someone who possessed abstract thought. "Not particularly, but you are made up of DNA from your father and mother," she continued.
"Whas a mu-ther?" Naruto questioned once more.
Teresa frowned this time. "Well, a mother is where you get the other half of your DNA. She's the other half as is your father. It takes a man and a woman to make a child, a mother and father. They are considered parents, they take care of you...feed you...shelter you..." Teresa could only be reminded by her own parents, Takahiro and Ikumi and mentally noted for herself to visit them as soon as possible.
"Are you a parent?" The boy said so suddenly, breaking her off of her reverie.
"...Well..." She did not know how to answer this. "...I, uh...Suppose in the most technical sense, I am...or...will be your guardian. And by default, that makes me a parental figure I suppose."
"Oh! Since you're a girl and you're gonna feed me and take care of me now, does that make you my mu-ther too?"
Teresa blanched, not knowing what to truly answer the curious little boy. Thankfully, their food had been set in front of them in the nick of time, allowing Teresa to stall for that moment for another time.
"Here's your order, ma'am," a teenaged girl with light brown hair and mahogany eyes said with a smile. "Two bowls of miso ramen, the other one child-sized."
"Yay, food!" Naruto squealed as the girl set the little bowl of steaming noodles and broth in front of him while Teresa thanked her in return.
She watched first as the boy clumsily held his pair of chopsticks to slurp up the noodles. Realizing his struggle, Teresa reached over to properly adjust the utensils in his pudgy hands. "Here, you hold them like this—" she placed one chopstick over the other and moved his fingers around to properly grasp the ends. "—And then you use your fingers to clamp down on your food and pick it up, see?"
Naruto mimicked her movements before quickly getting used to picking up his noodles with ease. "There. You've done it. Now, you can properly use chopsticks," she chuckled. "Good job, Naruto."
She did not know what chord she had struck within the little boy, but immediately upon hearing her words, the boy had broken out into a grin even wider, even brighter to any of the ones he had ever shown her. "Really?" Naruto questioned incredulously.
"Yes, Naruto. Good job," she repeated, a little curious at his reaction.
"Thank youuu!" He beamed before nuzzling the side of her arm.
Teresa gave the boy a sideways glance, still smiling in amusement. "You're welcome."
With a sad look, Teresa realized then that all the boy ever really needed was someone to commend him for even the most diminutive things. What he needed was self-assurance from someone else, for a way of seeking validation. It was quite odd knowing that even a toddler recognized the need for validation and a bit heartbreaking, really.
Soon, the two began to eat in silence with Teresa having to occasionally wipe away the mess that the toddler was making of himself as he eagerly slurped the noodles down.
As Teresa was finishing up her meal while simultaneously engrossing herself by cleaning Naruto up, she suddenly felt a tentative tap on the back of her shoulder.
She had felt that signature before, along with a few other familiar chakra signatures that passed by only moments ago. This signature was unmistakable.
Slowly, Teresa looked up, only to be met with a pair of vibrant, ruby colored eyes. "T-Teresa?" Kurenai questioned in disbelief. "Oh Kami, I knew it was you! The villagers have been talking about some really tall, pale, blonde haired woman with silver eyes walking around the village. Can you believe it? They said there was an angel walking amongst Konoha, I only had to see it for myself. I knew it was you all along, I spotted you the moment we came in, you're just unmistakable, Teresa-chan!" Her best friend then proceeded to envelop her in her arms.
"Oh, Kurenai, hello," she greeted as the woman continued to embrace her, gingerly wrapping her arms around her as well, basking in the touch of a familiar soul.
She pulled away to give her a quick once-over. "Oh Kami, you've gotten even more beautiful than I could remember. Breathtaking... Just, breathtaking..." she hummed. "I missed you so much!"
"As have you, you're stunning," Teresa replied lightly. Kurenai had grown into a beautiful young woman, her hair was long and black, skin pale as snow, and lips red as blood. Simply put, she really was stunning. "I missed you as well, the letters you've written me were my only solace during my years away. Thank you for keeping me in your thoughts."
"Of course! I couldn't be away from you, I needed something to do, something to let me know that you were still here. The letters were all I could do. Oh Kami, did I tell you how much I missed you?"
"Yes, and with that being said, I too have missed you equally, if not a little more."
Kurenai sat herself next to Teresa before her eyes trailed towards the small toddler who was sitting partially on the blonde's lap. Her eyes widened immediately. "T-Teresa, you, you have a child? Why didn't you tell me you had a son? Oh my gods, he's absolutely adorable!"
Teresa raised her brows before realizing that she had indeed been cradling the small toddler instinctually. "Ah, yes, this is my...ward, Naruto."
"Hi!" Naruto greeted enthusiastically.
"Hi..." Kurenai replied shyly. "Kami, you made a cute kid..."
It took a bit of time for it to register, but then Kurenai's eyes widened in realization and Teresa could have sworn that the other woman had gone three times paler than her shade. "Wait...ward? N-Naruto...? Oh, oh my!...That's the Fourth's son, isn't he? I-I thought he died or disappeared or worse... You're taking care of him now, Teresa-chan?"
"Yes, the hokage asked me to take him under my protection. As of now, I believe he is finalizing the adoption papers as we speak. I am to be his permanent guardian."
"Y-You mean you're going to be his mother from now on, Teresa-chan? Don't you think he won't be safe? I mean, yeah, I'm sure that the civilian's won't realize who he is and might really pass him off as your son, but...the other shinobi...they'll all know!"
Teresa shrugged. "Eh, what of it? I don't really mind, as long as they don't provoke any harm, otherwise, I'll have to break a few arms or two," she laughed lightly. "Hokage-sama said most, if not all, the villagers have forgotten about him by now. I was hoping that were to be true."
"But his features, well...the whiskers, they're really noticeable. You should hide them, or cover them, just for protection at least," Kurenai murmured as she inspected Naruto, while lightly touching his cheeks.
"Well what do you suppose I do?"
Kurenai's eyes brightened at this. "Well, I could cast a genjutsu on him. It'll be a simple beauty modification one, just enough to hide the birthmarks, yeah?"
"Alright then, how long will it last then?" Teresa queried as she propped Naruto in a more comfortable position on her lap.
"It'll last as long as you want it to. I can cast it and all you have to do is maintain it with your own chakra, then he'll go unnoticed. Don't worry, I won't change any of his features! Well, I don't think I really have to because he kind of can pass as your son to be honest," Kurenai reassured.
Teresa nodded before handing Naruto over to the other kunoichi. Within seconds, Kurenai had transformed his complexion into a clean, flawless slate. "There you go, mama Teresa!" she giggled before handing the toddler over. "Completely clear!"
"Thank you, Kurenai. I owe you," Teresa smiled before reaching over to give her a light embrace.
"What she do?" Naruto questioned as he looked up from Teresa's lap. "Who's that lady?"
The two kunoichi laughed. "This is Kurenai, Naruto. It's rude to address someone without asking for their name first, okay?" Teresa corrected.
"...'Kay," he said simply before continuing to eat his food.
"You can call me Auntie Kurenai, Naruto-chan!" Kurenai said hopefully.
"Whas a auntie?" he turned towards Teresa. "
"It's a way to address relatives or close friends. A friendly and familial gesture, more out of respect than anything. It's much like the way you call the hokage, grandpa," she replied.
"Oh, grampa?" He nodded his head as if in understanding before patting Kurenai on the arm. "'Kay, I'll call you auntie then!"
Suddenly a group of other shinobi approached the two and Teresa sighed upon seeing all of them. Three familiar faces met her eyes as she looked at them in slight apathy. It was Sarutobi Asuma, Mighto Gai, and...much to her dismay Hatake Kakashi.
"Oh, so it is you Teresa-san?" Asuma was the first speak. "I heard the villagers gossiping a mess about some tall, blonde, Amazonian woman walking around the streets. I could only think of one person, really."
"Hn, glad to see you after so long, I suppose," she remarked dryly.
"You have blossomed to become quite a lovely, kunoichi Shimura-san, the powers of youth are quite a wonderful thing!" Gai cried out as he reached over to firmly shake her hand.
Teresa smirked before tucking Naruto instinctively closer to her body. "Nice to see you as well, Gai."
It was Hatake Kakashi's turn to speak last as he set aside a book he had been casually reading the entire time. She could sense his initial shock as the group approached them, however, it had been carefully veiled under feigned indifference. He looked at her with half-lidded, dark grey eyes, intense yet feigning boredom all the same.
"...Oh, it's you," he said simply as if it were the most casual thing in the world. "I was wondering where you've been."
Kurenai gave all three men an annoyed look. "I told you all to wait outside!" She whispered harshly.
"Well, we thought,' Why waste a good opportunity at having lunch?'" Kakashi shrugged. "Besides, I happen to enjoy ramen."
Kurenai rolled her eyes and Asuma shrugged sheepishly. "It was Kakashi-san's idea, it can't be helped."
And then the silver-haired shinobi's gaze zeroed in on the toddler nestled in between Teresa's lap. "Is...Is that sensei's...?" He questioned in slight disbelief.
"Ah, yes. How rude of me. I forgot to introduce my ward to you all. This is Naruto," she said whilst she gazed at the blond toddler affectionately.
Asuma chuckled. "My old man always told about how much he thought you'd be a suitable caretaker for him...Never really paid much mind, 'til now. Can't say he was wrong."
"That is splendid news, Shimura-san!" Gai added.
"Yes, isn't it? I think Teresa-chan will make the perfect guardian," Kurenai agreed as she threw her arm over Teresa's shoulder.
"...Well, congratulations, I guess. I'm sure he'll be fine in your hands," Kakashi said softly, but she knew he had something weighing on his mind, something else he wanted to say, but just could not.
"Thank you, Kakashi," she smiled faintly at him.
"Kakashi?" Kurenai said incredulously. "Since when did you call Kakashi-san by his actual name? My, have times changed!"
Both Gai and Asuma laughed at this, whereas the copy nin himself looked uncomfortable to say the least. To appease him, Teresa spoke up," It's all water under the bridge, Kakashi," she said, alluding to what the both of them were thinking. "It's been so long, it's not worth putting any extra effort in dwelling in the past."
She knew better now, anyways, for her entire life up until that moment she met Obito once more was nothing but carefully constructed lies. It still hurt thinking about it, about him, but Kakashi did not need to know that. Teresa conceded that she could not really hold anything against the silver-haired shinobi now.
"...Well, I guess I'll have to agree then," Kakashi said with wide eyes.
Teresa stood up, with Naruto still clinging tightly on her person, before leaving a few ryo to pay for their meal. "Unfortunately, I'll have to cut this reunion a little short today," she said. "I have a lot to do today. But please, feel free to stop by at the Shimura compound if you wish. That goes for you especially, Kurenai, I wasn't able to properly catch up with you."
"Bye, bye!" Naruto cheered as he waved vigorously at all four shinobi.
"I'll see you later, Teresa-chan," Kurenai called out sadly.
Teresa turned around and grinned. "I'll be waiting for your visit. Until then."
And just like that, she was long gone leaving the group of shinobi in both slight shock and awe with Kakashi being one of the most at that.
She carried Naruto along the way for the rest of the day, as they walked around the more obscure parts of the village just so he could get acquainted with her.
By the end, of the afternoon just in the midst of sunset, he opted on walking beside her while still keeping a tight grasp around her hand. Surprisingly, Teresa found herself at ease as she ambled around the village, running errands and actually finding a decent sized townhouse outside the Konoha's main road that led to the marketplace to purchase as their new home.
Having traveled around the world moreover and establishing a position amongst Kirigakure, Teresa slowly amassed a small fortune after the myriad of freelance missions and bounty hunts she enacted during the years of her departure from Konnoha. Her reputation as a legendary swordsman and kunoichi helped as well, making her high in demand for the upper echelon of the elemental worlds to hire her as muscle. With the benefits of the small fortune she had gathered, Teresa calculated all her expenses, enough for her to be able to purchase a new home, to furnish it, and then some.
It would seem that the odds were in her favor after all these years.
Having already made the down payment for the mortgage and finishing the last of her orders for the furnishings, Teresa decided it was time to bring Naruto to her old home—the Shimura compound. She was absolutely certain that her parents would be waiting for her and by then she could only hope that the hokage had already informed her family of her new...ward.
"Where we going now?" Naruto questioned as he swung their interlaced hands back and forth.
"I want you to meet my mother and father. I'm sure they're probably waiting for us now, no doubt that your grandpa told them that I'd be visiting. After that, I'll have to bring you back to your room for now before I set our new home up, does that sound fine, Naruto?" She replied.
"Yeah, okay!"
When they entered the Shimura compound, it had been like any other day and like many years before. Teresa felt as if nothing changed as her relatives passed by greeting her joyfully and greeting her new jinchuriki ward without contempt. As the pair had finally made it upon the clan head's house, Teresa's former home, she was greeted by her tearful parents.
"Teresa-chan, you're home!" She heard Ikumi shout from beyond the house. In minutes, both her parents came strolling out with arms wide open as they both embraced her and the little boy who had been hiding behind her leg.
"We've missed you so much!" Takahiro cried as he continued to hold Teresa.
When they pulled away, they went to give her a quick once-over, much like the way Kurenai had. "Oh, my daughter has grown up to be so beautiful," her mother blushed. "Oh! And very, very tall. You're almost as tall as your father."
"Yes, I think your mother's right, my gods, what are you now? Six foot?"
Teresa laughed. "No, I believe I'm one hundred and eighty centimeters, give or take? I think that's five feet and eleven inches."
Her father whistled in slight awe. "Kami, you're a tall one."
Ikumi smiled at this before averting her gaze to the little boy still clinging onto Teresa's pant leg. "Ah, and who is this?" the woman beamed as she bent over to kneel in front of Naruto.
"I'm Naruto," he said shyly.
"Mhm, you'd be surprised to know that the hokage visited us earlier this afternoon," Takahiro explained. "He told us all about your new adoption, as it were. Just hours after my only daughter returns, she brings a son! I almost had a heart attack." He laughed heartily at this.
"We're so glad that you've taken it upon yourself to adopt the poor boy, the village wasn't treating him very kindly... And I sure am pleased to know that I am now officially a grandmother," Ikumi said proudly.
"So...you are fine with all of this? My moving out and raising a child?" Teresa questioned a tad bit shocked.
"Well, we knew you'd grow up eventually!...And... I'm going to be honest, Teresa-chan, the moment you left for Kiri, we sort of knew you weren't ours to keep any longer. You have grown so quickly, I can't even express how fast time had flew by, but we understand," her father said in all seriousness.
"And—And we've heard all about you all over the world!" Ikumi gushed with the utmost pride. "Who knew my beautiful little girl would become such a legendary kunoichi at such a young age? I knew you were destined for big things, I just knew it... The day you were born, I said to your father, I said,' Hiro, she's going to be something big, I just know it!'"
"It's true, she did," her father confirmed with a smile before turning to address Naruto. "And you—who is this dashing young boy? Have you come to take my daughter away from poor, old me?" He then proceeded to gently pick the little boy up and swing him playfully in the air. To this, Naruto squealed in glee.
"He's quite adorable, if I didn't know this was the fourth's son, I'd actually believe him to be yours," her mother giggled. "Aw, and he's such a happy child too!"
They watched as Teresa's father continued to play with Naruto, occasionally tossing him in the air and flipping the child over his shoulders. "Guess you're going to be calling me grandpa, from now on, huh little man?"
Welcome home, Teresa.
Author's Note: Now all she has to do is face Danzo. With a new life and new beginnings, things will only get better though. And what about Kakashi? Read until next time.