Author's Note: Fixed 'baa-san' which actually means grandma to the proper 'ba-san' auntie.
Disclaimer: All of Naruto belong to Kishimoto, nothing to do with good old me
Chapter 2
"Good afternoon Weas-, I mean Itachi-san." greeted Shiina like the polite child she is and pretending she wasn't breaking the rules by being here at private Uchiha training grounds
"Shiina-kun." Itachi greeted back by nodding but that didn't distract him, "What are you and Naruto-kun doing here at private Uchiha training grounds?"
"Nii-san you know these two?" asked Sasuke
Itachi nodded refusing to say more and looked expectantly at Shiina and Naruto.
"She uh wanted to come here and thank you for some reason. I just tagged along." answered Naruto sheepishly
Shiina quickly nodded and handed over the box of dango, "Thank you for your help over the past few months Itachi-san."
Itachi smiled as he accepted them, "Thank you. Have you guys met my brother before? This is Sasuke, perhaps you guys can become friends." he introduced with gears turning in his head and formulating a plan that would let them become friends.
"He's the one with the terrible kunai throwing skills that almost killed me and Shiina right?" asked Naruto still not over the incident
Sasuke flushed, "It was an accident! How was I supposed to know you two were in the bushes!? I bet you can't throw that much better than me anyways!"
"Hah? I bet you I can!" shouted Naruto back rising to the challenge
Ignoring the two getting into a challenge, Shiina glanced at the other older boy curiously. Noticing that, Itachi introduced, "This is a friend of mine, Uchiha Shisui."
"Yo." greeted Shisui as Shiina nodded back politely then they all redirected their attention to Naruto standing in the clearing Sasuke was before and tried the same maneuver. Only three hitting the outside of the target and the rest completely missing.
"Heh" Sasuke smirked
Naruto flushed this time, "I-I'm just having a bad day today that's it!" he insisted
"I bet you're just terrible, stop making excuses."
"Teme, What did you say?!"
"You heard me Dobe!"
"Do you want to have a try Shiina-chan~" asked Shisui breaking up the fight he sensed was going to happen
Shiina blinked, "I never threw a kunai before, I'll probably mess up."
"You should try Shiina!" encouraged Naruto
Sasuke nodded in agreement, "Everyone has to start from somewhere." he said sagely
"I'll try then…" Shiina took the kunais handed to her by Itachi and positioned them in her hands like how she observed the others did and threw them. Not a single one hit and it wasn't even by a small margin.
"..." It was silent for a moment as the wind blew and the trees fluttered.
"I-it's fine Shiina, like Teme said everyone's got to start from somewhere." comforted Naruto
"Everyone's got things they are good at and bad at, well unless you're Nii-san." said Sasuke although he mumbled the last part.
Shiina pouted, "I'll get better. One day." she vowed, "Speaking of which, Sasuke-kun got half the targets didn't he? So Shisui-san has to teach him the kunai trick right? Can we watch too?" she said looking earnestly at Shisui, trying to shift the topic from her terrible kunai skills to something that seems more interesting. She knew she succeeded when both Naruto and Sasuke made voices of agreement and turned to look at Shisui.
"Ack! Yeah it's fine. It's all for the future generation of Konoha after all!" Shisui agreed cheerfully and so he taught the children the trick while Itachi watched occasionally offering tips.
~Uchiha practice Ground, Evening~
It was sunset and a few hours since Shisui taught them the sleight of hand kunai trick and while they got it down, they couldn't use it with the ease and dexterity of the two Shinobi.
"It takes a lot more practice after you get it down." said Shisui, "Anyways keep practicing my little minions, I'm ready to head home for dinner."
"Yikes! It's sunset already?" exclaimed Naruto
"Guess we lost track of time." said Sasuke, "Nii-san, Kaa-san's making karaage tonight right?"
Itachi nodded, then he turned toward Naruto who looked mildly envious that they have someone waiting for them at home and Shiina who looked confused most likely wondering what karaage is, "Would you two like to have dinner with us today?" he asked
"Eh? A-are you sure it's fine?" asked Naruto tentatively
"Hn. I send a clone home to inform Kaa-san already. She knew that we could be expecting guests today so she bought more food."
"I mean is she okay with me being there for dinner, I know I'm not the most popular person in the village…" Naruto trailed off thinking about how unwelcomed he is in some restaurants in Konoha
"It's fine Naruto-kun, Kaa-san would be happy to meet you." Itachi reassured calmly though furious inside at the ignorant villagers.
"Naruto, don't let the opinions of other people get to you, they don't know you so their opinions mean nothing. I could tell that you're a good kid just after a few minutes of knowing you." Shisui said to him, looking serious for once
"I-I…" For the first time in a while Naruto was at a lost of words
"We would be taking that offer then." Shiina said while smiling encouraging at Naruto who nodded hesitantly
"Cool!" said Sasuke who didn't really understand what happened but understood that they were coming, "It's been a while since we had guests other than Shisui-san over for dinner! Okaa-san's karaage is amazing!"
"Ne, Itachi…" said Shisui, staring at Itachi intently trying to convey his thoughts through looks.
"Yes Shisui?" asked Itachi confused, clearly not getting the signal
"...Aren't you going to invite me too?"
"Oh...cough~Shisui, would you like to come over for dinner?"
"Heck yah! Mikoto-ba-san's karaage's the best!" cheered Shisui
And so, the group of five headed over to Sasuke and Itachi's house.
~Uchiha Compound, Clan Head's house~
"Tadaima!" "Ojamashimashita!" as the door opened and the five headed indoors.
"Okaeri Sasuke, Itachi. Oh you brought the guests and Shisui-kun." greeted Mikoto as her eyes wandered over to the guests and almost dropped the rag she had in hand from the surprise. Itachi only told her to expect two other guests other than Shisui. That sunshine blond hair, those blue eyes, and that face, he looks just like Minato-kun thought Mikoto.
"H-hi Sasuke's mom! Ojamashimashita! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage dattebayo!" Naruto introduced himself nervously despite the reassurance from Itachi previously.
Mikoto couldn't help herself from giggling despite the pang in her heart. That attitude against the unknown, the dattebayo, and that dream is all her best friend Kushina. Mikoto got ahold of herself before the kids could tell anything, and smiled warmly at the boy "Welcome to our house Naruto-kun. I do hope you are hungry, I made a lot of food today. Someone's got to help me finish them."
"You bet I'm hungry!" grinned Naruto, the apprehension from before going away after his guts told him that Mikoto really didn't have any bad will against him.
"And this is…" asked Mikoto as her eyes tore away unwillingly from the blond to the only girl in the group. How cute! squealed Mikoto internally after getting a good look at the child. Shoulder length white hair, cheeks with baby fat (something Shiina got back after following the diet by the Iryo-nin for three months), and big ruby red colored eyes that looked at her curiously. It was Mikoto's secret wish to have a daughter. She was so sure before Sasuke was born that he was a girl but after getting another boy (though she loves both her children despite their gender no less) and not planning on having anymore children, she had given up this dream but that dream got reignited after seeing Shiina.
"Ah. Um, my name is Koyama Shiina. Thank you for having us over Uchiha-sama." greeted Shiina and bowed politely like the books said.
Internally Mikoto was awing at the two children but externally she remained calm and gracious, "Just call me Mikoto-ba-san. Do come on in, just treat here like your own house. The bathroom is the second door to the right. Dinner will be ready in another 20 minutes. Sasuke, can you show them the dining room?"
"Hai~"
~Uchiha Compound, Clan Head's house Dining room~
Uchiha Fugaku had arrived home during the 20 minutes but after greeting his children, Shisui, and the guests stoically, he didn't say anything else and ate silently. Naruto, Shiina, and Sasuke retold Mikoto about today's adventure and like Sasuke assured, Mikoto's karaage was delicious. After the first bite of the crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and perfectly seasoned chicken Naruto exclaimed, "Wow it's almost as good as ramen!" which made Mikoto giggle and felt a little nostalgic. She came up with this recipe together with Kushina who said the same exact thing after trying it the first time. "I'm glad you like Naruto-kun, a good friend of mine and I came up with this recipe together." It made Itachi, Shisui, and Fugaku look at her in alarm.
"Your friend must be really good at cooking too. This taste kind of familiar though, like these mysterious bento that I get sometimes get." said Naruto taking more karaage
"She was…" said Mikoto smiling sadly, "Do you like those bentos?" she asked tentatively hoping Naruto didn't notice why she's asking about it.
"Yup, they are delicious! I usually don't get to eat that good since I live alone. I usually have cup ramen when I don't get the mystery bento since I can't afford to eat at Ichiraku all the time with the allowance I have and how much I eat." said Naruto completely not realizing why Mikoto is asking
"I see...what about you Shiina-chan? Are your parents okay with you eating here and being out so late?" Mikoto asked
"I don't have parents either." said Shiina nonchalantly while savoring the chicken, "I just started living alone yesterday, right next to Naruto actually."
It took only a second for Mikoto to make a decision, "Well in that case the two of you simply must come over more! For dinner or anything! You two are welcomed any time." she insisted despite the wide eyed look everyone was giving her especially her husband who choked midbite.
Dinner ended afterwards with nothing else special happening.
~Uchiha Compound, Clan Head's house Dining room late night~
After Shisui, Shiina, and Naruto headed home after dinner and Sasuke had gone off to bed, Mikoto, Fugaku, and Itachi sat at the dining table with tea in front of them in silence.
"Mikoto, how could you!?" asked Fugaku, breaking the silence, "You know our clan is already in hot water regarding the rumors of us controlling Kyuubi six years ago! If we have the Kyuubi jinchuuriki coming to our compound frequently do you know how bad the rumors would get?"
"His name is Uzumaki Naruto." Mikoto insisted, "We've been avoiding him for six years already and the rumors haven't died down at all. That approach simply isn't working Fugaku."
"Mikoto-"
"I finally met him after so long, even if he only knows of me as Sasuke and Itachi's mother and never as his godmother. I can only look at him from afar and make him bentos without showing my face. He should have grown up with us. He's Kushina and Minato's only legacy yet failed my duties as a godmother." Mikoto ranted finally losing control of her turbulent emotions she felt after finally seeing Naruto today.
"But the clan…" Fugaku said trailing off, helpless when seeing his wife feeling distraught
"Otou-san if I may say something."
"What is it, Itachi?" asked Fugaku turning toward his genius oldest
"As Kaa-san had said, avoiding Naruto-kun hasn't resolved any of the rumors surrounding our clan after so long. I think we should allow him to come. Naruto-kun has Anbu following him to protect him up till he enters the academy, who will report back to the Hokage. Which means if he comes to our compound, it is approved by Hokage-sama. In a way it's like Hokage-sama's way of entrusting Naruto to us and trusting in us to not do anything to him despite the rumors or so we can convince everyone of that. Perhaps this can resolve the rumors if we are seen not doing anything despite having Naruto come over all the time." analyze Itachi
Fugaku sighed, he knows himself that both are speaking the truth about how avoiding the boy hasn't resolved anything which is something that frustrates him to no end, perhaps as Itachi said, having the boy over might solve the problems instead. "Fine, I'll let the clan know then." Then he paused for a second, "What of the girl? Why is she living alone like Uzumaki and not in an orphanage?"
Having the same question Mikoto turned toward her son who seemed familiar with the girl from how he acted at the dinner table.
"She is the lone survivor from Orochimaru's labs other than Mitarashi-san" admitted Itachi. His parents are part of the upper echelon who have the clearance to know of this so there's no point of hiding it, "Hokage-sama assigned me to teach her about the world whenever I had time which is why she is familiar with me."
Mikoto gasped, "That poor child!"
Fugaku's eyes darkened, while no experienced shinobi have their hands clean, those that hurt children for their own selfish reason are a special kind of filth in his eyes. Both knew that there was a survivor out there in their village but they didn't care enough to know of her identity nor imagined her to be so young. They could only imagine what she went through in the labs of that madman.
All three retired for the night in a solemn mood.
~Three days later at Uchiha Compound entrance, Evening~
Naruto and Shiina were once again hiding in a bush staring at the gates to the Uchiha. They didn't take on Mikoto's offer because normally when people offer that, they are just being polite and don't really actually mean it or so Shiina's books and Naruto's common sense said. However after being spoiled with Mikoto's home cooking and going back to three days straight of cup ramen for dinner, both started to crave Mikoto's food which is why the two are in front of the gates observing and wondering if they should go in or not because it is a little shameless to smooch dinner off someone else especially when you just met them Naruto explained to Shiina when she asked why they were in the bushes again. A voice behind them made the decision for them though.
"What are you two hiding in the bushes for again?" asked Sasuke who saw them after coming home from the library and creeped up on them.
Shiina and Naruto jumped. "H-hey Sasuke. Fancy seeing you here." greeted Naruto sheepishly
"This is my clan compound." said Sasuke raising an eyebrow
Defeated, Shiina sighed, "We were thinking about having dinner with you guys again. It was really good but it's kind of shameless to just come especially when we don't really know you guys that well or at least that's what the books and Naruto said" said Shiina frowning a bit at that last part
"...what kind of books are you even reading?" asked Sasuke
"Social Interactions and the Common Courtesies:The Do, Don'ts, and Hidden Meanings and Messages" answered Shiina promptly
Not expecting an actual answer Sasuke raised an eyebrow again, "...why are you reading something like that, actually I don't want to know." he concluded wisely, "It's fine if you guys want to eat at my house, we are kind of friends right after learning Shisui-san's trick together that day? Plus Kaa-san said you guys can come over any time."
"Really?! Great! Thanks Sasuke, you're surprisingly a nice guy!"
"What did you mean by that?!"
And so, Naruto and Shiina followed Sasuke back to his house. Mikoto was pleasantly surprised by the two guests and was glad she went grocery shopping this morning so they had enough to feed the two extra guests. This time she made some seared salmon, miso soup, and rice. Fugaku once again was present and ate silently but Itachi and Shisui were both away on missions. After taking a bite of the perfectly seared and seasoned salmon, Naruto once again proclaimed it almost as good as ramen.
Perplexed, Sasuke asked him, "Why do you compare everything to ramen?"
"Because Ramen is the food of the gods!" insisted Naruto with Mikoto and Shiina giggling in the background
"Hn. Is that so? I never had it before so I guess I wouldn't know."
Naruto gasped in horror, "Never had Ramen?! You too?! This must be fixed! You, me, and Shiina are meeting at Ichiraku for lunch tomorrow! Shiina never had it before either but after she tried it she loves it now too!"
Sasuke looked doubtful and glanced at Shiina who nodded in confirmation. "Fine I'll go." said Sasuke
"The three of you, be sure to save some appetite for dinner. We are having tempura tomorrow night." said Mikoto
~The next day, Ichiraku Ramen, Early afternoon~
"Yo Sasuke." greeted Naruto as Sasuke arrived
"Hn. Is this the store you always rave about?" asked Sasuke as he observed the store. The aroma coming from the small stand did smell good he admitted.
"Let's go order then" said Shiina as the three walked into the stand and handed Sasuke a menu
"Hey Naruto." greeted Teuchi "You brought a new friend again?"
"Yup! This is Sasuke, he never had ramen either!"
"Well I'm sure you'll like it once you have it like Shiina-chan here" said Ayame, "Now what would you guys like this time?"
"I'll have my regular extra large miso with extra chashu!"
"I'll like to have the tonkotsu ramen please."
Sasuke examined the menu while the two ordered and one particular ramen caught his eye, "I would like a tomato broth ramen."
"Alrighty! One extra large miso with extra chashu, one tonkotsu, and one tomato coming right up!" Teuchi shouted back confirming their order.
The children talked as they waited.
"Is Itachi-san and Shisui-san still on a mission?" asked Shiina, "They weren't at dinner yesterday."
"I don't know about Shisui-san but Nii-san isn't due back for another two days though" answered Sasuke
"Hey hey how old is your brother?" asked Naruto curious
"He's eleven, five years older than me."
"Huh?! I thought he's much older than us. Wait, don't you normally graduate at 12?"
"Nii-san is super strong, he graduated at 7 years old."
"He's what people call a genius right?" asked Shiina
"Yup! The whole clan is super proud of him" said Sasuke full of admiration for his brother
"Dig in!" said Teuchi as he set down three hot bowls of Ramen
"Itadakimasu" three voices rang out
"11 minus 5 er, so you're six too Sasuke? When's your birthday?" asked Naruto midbite
"Hn. July 23." said Sasuke as he took a bite of the noodles soaked in broth. It was good like Naruto said especially the deep taste of his favorite food tomatoes coming from the broth
"Ahhhhh why is everyone older than me! Mines on October 10th." wailed Naruto
"You're older than me at least." said Shiina, "My birthday is on December 2nd."
"Yas! Finally found someone younger than me!"exclaimed Naruto
Shiina and Sasuke finished their one bowl while Naruto finished two, "He had three last time we came here, he's probably saving space for Mikoto-ba-san's tempura tonight." whispered Shiina to Sasuke when he stared fascinated at the sight of Naruto gobbling down ramen into a what must be a bottomless whole because one bowl of ramen was a lot and Naruto had two extra large ones.
After finishing and paying, they decided to walk back to the Uchiha compound.
"It was good wasn't it?" asked Naruto
"Hn. I really liked the broth." Sasuke admitted then he noticed the villagers moving out of the way and glaring at… Naruto?
"Hey what did you do? Why is everyone glaring at you?" Sasuke asked
Naruto froze, he had gotten used to Shiina not caring about the villagers that he forgot about Sasuke so he answered honestly, "I really don't know. They've been like this for as long as I can remember."
Shiina stared intently at Sasuke's onyx eyes and asked seriously, "What do you think about Naruto after seeing the reactions of the villagers? Do you think he's a bad person like them too?"
"Shiina-" Naruto didn't think Shiina would ask something like that but at the same time despite the feeling of dread at possibly hearing something he wouldn't like and losing a new friend he stilled wanted to know deep inside.
"Hn. Nii-san and Kaa-san wouldn't let me and encourage me to make friends with someone bad so you can't be a bad person. Plus from what I seen, you're just a regular maybe a bit dumb kid who loves ramen and sucks at shurikenjutsu." Sasuke concluded smirking at the last part. Then thinking back to the first day they met and Shisui's words that he didn't get then but did now, he added "Like Shisui-san said, they don't know you so their opinions mean nothing."
"Sasuke you…" Naruto trailed off not knowing what to say, half insulted half moved
"Well it's good that we established that then!" said Shiina happily as she grabbed both their arms
Sasuke didn't know at that time but this was the moment that cemented their friendship, making it last through everything the future would throw at them.
That night, they had Mikoto's tempura for dinner and worked out a schedule of dinner at the Uchiha's every three days. The next day and then onwards, Naruto and Shiina can be frequently found at the Uchiha Compound, playing or "training" with Sasuke. That day they ran into Shisui during his break between missions or rather Shiina sensed his chakra which she memorized after meeting him that day. Naruto and Sasuke were in the middle of teaching Shiina and practicing themselves how to throw kunais so Shisui thought it would be funny to show off how to make a Konoha symbol using kunais or any weapon really. Naturally, the kids thought it was really cool and hounded him to show it again and teach them how to do it too. That set the precedent of whenever the kids can catch Shisui in the village they would hound him to teach them some new technique or tell them stories of some interesting missions he had taken in the past. The second time they found him, Shisui taught them the simplest chakra controlling technique in the books, the leaf concentration, where they have to concentrate chakra to their forehead to get a leaf to stick there. Shiina and Sasuke figured it out quickly but Naruto struggled for a bit but eventually he got it down after another day. Eventually they started adding more leaves like Shisui explained. The next time Itachi came back from a mission and had free time to spend with them, the three proudly showed off their successful attempt at leaf concentration with multiple leaves. While Itachi smiled and laughed slightly at how silly they looked with leaves all over their face, it also led to a talk between Shisui and Itachi.
~Extra 2: Teuchi's Point of View~
My name is Teuchi Ichiraku, I am a ramen chef and the proud owner of my own little ramen stand Ichiraku Ramen which I operate with my daughter Ayame. I served the people of Konoha ramen for over twenty years earning manying loyal customers over the years. The most loyal one though has to go to young Uzumaki Naruto. The other villagers fear and hate him because they are reminded of the terror of Kyuubi that terrible night, their lost loved ones like my dear wife, or simply dominated by the fear that the Kyuubi would be let loose again and not wanting to be anywhere near that. But whenever I see him, all I can think of is that small starving boy in the rain with eyes of distrust that shouldn't be on any child. I am just a ramen chef so all I can do is offer the boy ramen. The way his eyes shine with happiness reminded me of another loyal patron that is now gone, Uzumaki Kushina. She used to come here a lot with the Fourth Hokage before he was Hokage for dates. It doesn't take a genius to put together Uzumaki Naruto's name and coloring to figure out his parentage. When Naruto tells me his dreams of becoming the Hokage, the resemblance gets even stronger. These villagers will surely regret one day for treating him like this. His name is Uzumaki Naruto, he is not the Kyuubi, he sacrificed more than anyone during that terrible night losing his parents and gaining such a burden that no one thanked him for. He is a hero, someone I believe I will look up and see carved on the Hokage Monument someday.
Recently though, Naruto's been much happier whenever I see him. It started when he started to bring friends over to eat. Young Shiina-chan, such a polite child, she would be a good influence on Naruto. Young Sasuke-kun, he looks very much like his mother Uchiha Mikoto if I am not mistaken. Seeing Naruto and Sasuke both eating ramen here reminds of those days Kushina-san used to drag Mikoto-san here to eat. I barely see Mikoto-san anymore though after Kushina-san died, this place must have held too many memories of her best friend. Those rumors about the Uchiha clan orchestrating the Kyuubi attack is simply inconceivable. Was everyone blind to have not seen that devastated look on Mikoto-san's face all week after she found out about Kushina and her husband's death? How could she or her clan have possibly caused it not when even they suffered some casualty however small it was compared to the other clans. However, I am just a ramen chef, making ramen is my job, I cannot change the perspective of the mass, one is powerless in front of the rest. Seeing Naruto grow up and happier each day in the stead of Kushina-san and Minato-san and enjoying ramen, is enough.