Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, I don't even own pants that fit properly.
"Dialogue"
'Thinking'
Location:
"Kurama/Technique"
* Sound Effect *
Building A New House
Chapter 5
Konoha (Naruto's Apartment):
After enjoying several bowls of ramen as well as tales of his parents' exploits, whose names and titles were carefully omitted for the sake of those not privy to such information in the establishment, Naruto was finally beginning to show signs of fatigue.
Being carried back to his apartment on the shoulders of the giant Jiraiya, the three stopped in front of the dilapidated building.
"You actually live here, kid?" Jiraiya asked his passenger.
"Uh huh! Gramps set me up with this place! Cool right?" Naruto asked back.
"I imagine especially in the winter, yeah." The Toad Sage answered, not hiding his disappointment in the tone of his voice over the living conditions of his godson. "Kakashi, does he actu-"
"It was the only building that would accept a minor tenant of Naruto's 'status.'" The Cyclops intercepted.
"Was the orphanage that bad?" Jiraiya asked.
"There were more than a few incidents and we were starting to run low on… replacement caregivers." Kakashi answered.
"Head Lady #3 kept putting sharp things in my food!" Naruto cheerfully chimed in.
After reaching the door to his apartment, Naruto was removed from Jiraiya's shoulders and the young blond was quick to get his key out, only to realize said door was already unlocked.
"Dang it! I just fixed that lock too!" Naruto shouted as he ran inside his home.
Before the two men followed him inside, Jiraiya pulled Kakashi aside and informed him of his displeasure, "You know, we're all kind of banking on him loving this village."
"The village is great, it's the people who live in it that are hard to love." Kakashi responded.
"You guys coming!?" Naruto shouted from inside.
The two men entered and Jiraiya was actually pleasantly surprised at the relatively clean state of the apartment. No chipped paint, broken windows, or water stains to be seen.
"Not too shabby, kid!" The Toad Sage declared.
"I have to keep it clean or the rats will come back! Plus the jerk that owns the building said he'll double my rent if he finds the place messy, so I have to fix and clean things everyday!" Said Naruto, as he was currently scrubbing the painted message of 'Die Demon!' off his bathroom mirror. "One time, I found this black sticky stuff growing in the corner, but I think I got most of it!"
"Kakashi."
"On it, Naruto, pack your things, you're actually going to be moving in to my place tonight." The Cyclops informed his charge.
"Sweet! Can Bitey come?" Naruto asked.
"Bitey?" Jiraiya asked.
"Uh huh! He's the one good rat who lives in my mattress, I talk to him… sometimes he talks back."
"Kakashi."
"Sorry Naruto, no Bitey." Kakashi flatly answered.
"Sorry Bitey!" Naruto called out, to the slight amusement of the two shinobi.
"No worries!" A small voice squeaked out from the boy's bedroom.
"Kakashi."
"Naruto, let's pick up the pace, yeah?" Kakashi asked with a hint of urgency.
"Okay!" Naruto hollered.
A few minutes later, the boy had managed to fit all his precious belongings into a bag and started dragging it towards his apartment's entrance where the two men waited.
Seeing Naruto trying to carry out all his worldly possessions in a burlap sack twice his size, Jiraiya immediately took out a small scroll, sealed the sack inside it, and tossed the scroll to the stunned blond.
"That's so cool! What is that!?" Naruto inquired, cradling the scroll in his hands as if it were gold, or silver, or ramen.
"That my dear boy, is the art of sealing!" Jiraiya proudly declared.
"Can you teach me!?" The blond asked unable to contain his excitement.
"When you're older, kid. I don't want you accidently blowing yourself up… or intentionally blowing someone else up." The Toad Sage stated, holding back his own urge of blowing people up after the shit he's seen today.
"Come on, I'll be really, really, really careful!" Naruto pleaded.
"I promise I'll teach you my best stuff when you're older and a ninja never goes back on his promise!" Jiraiya assured his godson.
"Then I promise to be the best ninja ever!" Naruto proclaimed.
"That's the spirit! Now you and Kakashi head on out, I'll catch up, I have to make another promise!" The Toad Sage stated as he gently ruffled the boy's hair.
Once Kakashi and Naruto were a good distance away, Jiraiya turned his head towards the boy's former squalor. "I promise you will never harm another human being ever again."
"Fire Style: Shoddy Apartment Incinerator!" Jiraiya shouted before shooting a steady stream of fire from his mouth, engulfing Naruto's former small home in flames. Nodding his head in approval, the white-haired giant left the building and regrouped with the boy and Cyclops outside.
"Hey! My apartment's on fire!" Naruto cried out.
"Good thing we got you out of there in time!" Jiraiya stated with a goofy smile on his face.
"But, what about the other people in the building?" Naruto inquired.
"Well, I'm sure the fire alarms will alert them… speaking of which, shouldn't-"
"Fire alarms?" Naruto cut the Sage off.
"Kakashi."
"Wait here Naruto." Kakashi ordered, before he and Jiraiya quickly moved to evacuate all the other poor, unfortunate souls that dwelled within the now burning slum. The partygoers in the village's marketplace assumed that the bright light in the distance was a part of the festival, so they resumed their drinking and dry humping. Most children were asleep at this point.
"Best. Night. Ever." Naruto stated as he looked up with wide eyes at the fiery appearance of the place he called home, bathing him in an orange glow. Little did the young blond know however, that at that moment, he too was being watched from a distance.
"So, young Asura, it seems that your fate as well as the fate of many in this timeline has changed. Whether it is for better or for worse remains to be seen and I assure you that I shall be there to bear witness every step of the way. I will not leave your side again… brother." Stated a rat looking out of Naruto's former bedroom window, with lavender eyes.
Konoha (Hokage's Office):
An exhausted Hiruzen was staring outside his office window, watching the festival over the defeat of the Nine-Tails slowly start to die down. The aged leader sighed, 'Some days I wonder if everyone would have been better off if I was the one who made the sacrifice in your stead, Minato? After that meeting, I know I would have been.'
Writing Style: Mediocre Flashback Technique!
Hiruzen stared at the opposite side of his office where three other seniors stared back at him. The staring contest went on for what felt like an eternity before Danzo Shimura, a character more bandages than man broke the silence.
"Once again you've failed, Hiruzen, give me the Jinchuriki." Danzo demanded.
"No Danzo." The Third Hokage denied.
"Hm, give me the female Uzumaki." Danzo demanded.
"No Danzo." The Third Hokage denied.
"I should have been Hokage." Danzo stated.
"No Danzo." The Third Hokage denied.
Hiruzen then turned his attention towards his former teammates Homura Mitokado, a bespectacled old man and Koharu Utatane, a non-bespectacled old woman who was pretty damn hot in her youth.
"Would you two care to add anything?" Hiruzen asked.
"Sensei would be disappointed." Koharu said flatly with Homura nodding in approval.
"Sensei was always disappointed." Hiruzen fired back.
The conversation pretty much went like this for the next few hours leading deep into the night, with the only thing worthy of note being Danzo mentioning that he was going to increase his observation efforts in regards to Naruto and Tayuya.
Writing Style: Mediocre Flashback Technique Dispel!
'Yep, should have been me,' Hiruzen nodded to himself.
The Third Hokage turned his thoughts to the new addition to his village. With Naruto somewhat figured out, he felt sure that his surrogate grandson was in good hands, but Tayuya was technically a foreigner coming from a well known and well despised traitor and she's already attracted Danzo's attention. He would need someone he could trust to watch the girl, someone who could set the foul mouthed youth on the right path.
'Ah well, it's not like the answer's just going to come knocking on my door.' Hiruzen thought. His thoughts were broken when he heard a knock coming from his door.
"Enter." The aged leader ordered.
The door opened revealing a purple-haired ANBU wearing a cat mask. The woman moved to kneel in front of her Hokage, "I am here to deliver my report on the day's events, Lord Third."
A sly grin appeared on Hiruzen's face, "Excellent Cat, but before you begin, I must ask you, how do you feel about children?"
"I am skilled in the ways of the sword, children become better listeners when I inform them of this." The scary cat lady explained.
"Excellent Cat, I believe I may have a new mission for you, but for now please begin your report." The Third Hokage beckoned, pleased with his rare moment of good fortune.
Konoha (Kakashi's Much Nicer Apartment):
After saving the squatters and dealers of Naruto's old/blazing abode, Jiraiaya had left the group, stating that he had to check on Tayuya upon realizing that she had been left with Iruka for several hours at this point. Poor Iruka. After a tight hug from Naruto, the Toad Sage was off to find the other Uzumaki.
Naruto had to admit that Kakashi's neighbourhood was much nicer than his. This was made evident by the lack of scruffy people digging through trashcans or grinding against one another in the alleyways.
When the two finally made their way into Kakashi's apartment, Naruto looked around his new home in wonder making small comments throughout his exploration.
"It's big!"
"Yep."
"It's clean!"
"Yep."
"It's quiet!"
"It was." Kakashi sighed as he watched his sensei's son paw through everything he owned. It wasn't until Naruto found his roommate's orange book collection that Kakashi decided to intervene.
"Hey Naruto, it's been a pretty busy day, you should probably get to bed, I think you have school tomorrow, do you have school tomorrow?" The newly appointed guardian asked.
"Yep! But, I'm not * YAWN * tired." The blond said as he began rubbing his eyes.
"Alright, bedtime my cute little juvenile." Kakashi said with an eye smile, before lifting the boy up and tucking him into his bed.
"Where will you sleep?" Naruto asked.
"I've got the couch." Kakashi answered pointing a thumb in the direction of his living room.
"Oh, sorry." Naruto apologized with a downcast expression.
"Hm, for what?"
"I took your bed, I don't want to be a pest."
"You're not a pest, you're more of a welcomed surprise." Kakashi affirmed.
"I like that." Naruto said, sleep starting to grip him.
"I like that too." Kakashi nodded as he began to leave the room, but was stopped by his new roommate.
"Umm… when school's over tomorrow," Naruto was fidgeting nervously in the bed, "Will you be there to pick me up?" The young blond inquired trying to keep the hope out of his voice.
"I'll be there the second the bell rings." Kakashi told him, making Naruto grow a smile that stretched from ear to ear. "Goodnight Naruto."
"Goodnight Big Bro!" Naruto yawned before placing an adorable walrus nightcap on his head, drifting off to sleep with visions of his father saving a group of young women from the clutches of an unnamed white-haired wizard and his mother holding back a squad of Iwa ninjas with nothing but a frying pan.
"Big Bro?" Kakashi questioned before quietly chuckling to himself.
"Looks like life is starting to get a bit more interesting." The silver-haired Jounin commented before making his way to the couch, leaving a peacefully sleeping Naruto in his room.
END.
AN: There's Chapter Five! Next chapter, we're going back to school, baby! Thank you so much for reading guys, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter, if not, then I'm sorry, but thank you for giving it a chance. Any and all feedback is appreciated. Take care and stay safe!
Sincerely, Big Chuggs