A/N: This will be the pace until we get to the canonical events which start around chapter 7. There are a bunch of things that I need to cover until that point, but I don't want to be 100k words in and not have started canon yet, so it's a bit more focused on the highlights until canon, where it will start to slow down.

{October 10th, 059}

Perhaps some thought they were a bit on the younger side to be parents, but they were ninja. Ninja tended to live short lives, so having children early was almost a requirement if they were to have any at all. Besides, Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze were in love. The mushy kind of love that is usually found in romance novels, the kind where they couldn't imagine being without the other. So, they 'decided', whether that was premeditated or not, we'll never really know, to have one at the ripe age of 19. Besides, Kushina's friend Mikoto was pregnant, too, and she was only three years older.

The only one that was as excited as the parents themselves was the 8-year-old Chunin Kakashi Hatake, who viewed Minato, his sensei, as a new father figure; his biological father having taken his own life years prior. Kakashi was fascinated at the prospect of his mentor having an heir. He would be able to return all the help his sensei gave him by being an older brother to the child; a prospect that he was more than a little intrigued in taking part in.

"It was a complete success!" Minato announced, smiling proudly after emerging into the waiting room. The present guests were Jiraiya-sensei, Kakashi, Mikoto Uchiha, and Sarutobi Hiruzen, the current Hokage. "Naruto Uzumaki is asleep in Kushina's arms. Kushina's a little tired with some...mood swings...but both are doing great! He's a happy little redhead and one with a bright future, I'm certain of it!"

"Uzumaki not Namikaze?" Jiraiya asked, smirking with a hand on his shoulder. "You really are whipped then."

"Oh, hush, Jiraiya," Hiruzen scolded. "I'm sure this was a mutual decision."

"Yeah...mutual…" Minato chuckled awkwardly, shivering at the thought of the Red Hot Habenero's wrath. As she put it, he wasn't the one who had to carry it around for nine months and push it through his- He cut that thought off quickly. She had a point, though, and Kushina's clan did need an heir after their destruction in Whirlpool. He was an orphan, so he would much rather help his wife than start his own clan. Especially since his only secret techniques weren't bloodlines; just blood, sweat, and tear-earned self-made or modified techniques.

"Minato-sensei, can we go in to see them now?" Kakashi asked.

"Sure, just be very quiet." Minato led them to see the newly born child sleeping in his mother's arms, all the while Kushina was staring at him with a look of absolute adoration on her face.

"I thought we agreed on two guests each, Minato," Kushina glared at her husband.

"Well...you only used one, so I thought-" he tried to defend.

"Daddy's not very good at listening to directions, is he, my little Naruto? No he isn't! No he isn't!" she cooed.

"I see what you mean when you said she was having m-" Jiraiya started, but was quickly stopped by the Yellow Flash's hand.

"A wonderful time with her new son, yep! Now, let's remember to stay quiet so we don't wake the little guy!" Minato said quickly.

Hiruzen chuckled and approached first. "You'll make a wonderful mother, Kushina dear. And I'm sure this little one will be a fine shinobi. After all, how could the son of a future kage be anything but? Oh, did I say that out loud?"

"That's the worst kept secret in the village, old man!" Jiraiya laughed, patting his sensei on the shoulder. "Everyone knows that you're too wrinkly to do the job properly anymore!"

"Minato-sensei…?" Kakashi asked. "Would it be alright if I held Naruto for a moment?"

"Kushina? Is that alright?"

"Sure thing, Kakashi," she sighed, gesturing for him to sit down next to her. "Now, be careful with him, ok? Keep his head up...yeah, just like that."
Kakashi looked down at the new life; had he not always worn that mask you would have been able to see his bright grin at the child in his hands. "Hello, Naruto."

{October 10th, 065}

The past few years had really had their ups and downs for Minato.

His son was the biggest blessing he could have ever been given...and also the biggest curse for Kushina for the first year or so. Naruto was a very needy child; happy whenever he had attention, but when he didn't have it, he would do anything to get it. Fortunately for him, he had a lot of attention, as he was the son of the Yellow Flash, now the Fourth Hokage.

As of a year ago, give or take a few months, he'd been officially named Hiruzen's successor and became the Fourth Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. That was one of the happiest days of his life, alongside marrying Kushina, having Naruto, and the official end of the Third Great Shinobi War, which had ended shortly prior to his elevation to the Hokage position.

Unfortunately, when life gives, it also takes away. Two out of his three students had passed away since his son had been born. One died after saving Kakashi from a cave-in during a rescue operation for their other teammate, Rin. His team was devastated, but they moved on...until Rin was kidnapped again, this time by the hidden mist, and forcefully implanted with the Three-Tails. After managing to escape, she impaled herself on Kakashi's Lightning Blade, sacrificing herself for her village at the hands of the one she loved.

He was also nearly losing Kakashi himself. The young Jonin joined the ANBU immediately after the war, unable to truly face himself after failing to save Obito and Rin, but more so for his failure to keep Obito's promise. The white-haired Sharingan-user only seemed happy the few times he would visit Naruto, but he was so miserable in general that he could hardly force himself to even do that, especially with the hefty workload that ANBU demanded.

The boy himself, Naruto, was coming along greatly. He was still a bit of an attention hog, loving to have everyone's eyes on him, but at least he hadn't gotten cocky or selfish. The few times he'd started to develop anything that seemed close, Kushina beat it right back out of him. The joys of motherhood…

He'd started Naruto's basic training at five, around his initiation to being Hokage. Well, it was mostly Kushina, seeing as he was just recently elected ruler of the village, but he helped whenever he had free time.

Naruto was naturally fast...very fast to an almost uncomfortable degree. His natural speed was up to par with a slow genin, and, being an Uzumaki, he was not short on stamina in the slightest. Come January, Naruto would officially join the ninja academy, having reached the minimum age requirement, alongside his best friend Itachi Uchiha, Mikoto's eldest son, who he'd met and befriended through Mikoto and Kushina's friendship.

Now, however, he was being blessed again. By some strange coincidence of fate, he and his wife Kushina were having another child on the very same day Naruto had been born 6 years ago. Minato was apologetic about not being there to celebrate with his son, but Naruto said having a little sister to spoil would be the best present that he could ever have. Sadly for Naruto, it was a present he would never receive.

{January 3rd, 066}

It was the first day of the academy, yet, Naruto had no desire to be there. In truth, he had no desire to be anywhere. Everything had been taken from him. His father? Dead. Skewered to death by the rampaging nine-tailed fox's claw right before completing the eight-trigrams seal. His mother? Also dead. Skewered right alongside her husband. His younger sister? Three makes a morbid hat trick. Murdered just moments after birth by some unknown masked man. What was left? A husk of a once-happy child with only memories and his parent's final words to continue off of.

{Flashback}

There was an attack by a demon. There was a nine-tailed fox, taller than the Hokage tower, that was rampaging through town, destroying everything in its path. He knew that much, but he was in the Hokage tower, all alone. While his mother and father had left to have his sister, he was left with the Third Hokage, a kind, grandfatherly old man that would watch him from time to time. But he had to leave to deal with the attack, so now, he was alone again. Unknowing as to what was really going on or where his father was.

Soon after, those questions he had would be answered. His father had teleported to him with tears streaming down his face, grabbed him, and teleported back out without a word. Before he could recover from that surprise, he had been brought in front of the biggest fox he'd ever seen in his entire life; nine raging tails flailing around in the sky, furious red eyes, and a thick coat of orange fur. Naruto's father placed him in a ring of what seemed like nonsensical symbols to him and told him to not move a single inch, before his father flashed away, coming back less than a second later with his mother.

He watched as his exhausted mother, her face also streaked with tears, and visibly exhausted, wrapped the massive fox in massive, golden chains made of pure chakra and held it down. He watched as his father ran through seals at the fastest speed he'd ever seen in his entire life. Though, it didn't seem as though the fox appreciated what his father was doing. It fought back against the chains and fiercely. Had he been able to count his father's seals, he would have counted 93 before the fox managed to get free enough to lunge out at him. Naruto just sat frozen again in horror, his eyes squeezed shut in preparation for his own death, but no death claimed him.

Opening his eyes slightly again was enough to make him fall to his knees. Both his parents, together, were skewered on the claw of this massive fox. Yet his father, ever the persistent one, kept going through seals as his mother began to talk.

"Naruto...listen to me," she wheezed out, coughing blood onto herself and Naruto. "Don't be a picky eater...eat a lot, and grow big and strong."

"Mom…-"

"Go to bed early and sleep well. Study hard on your Ninjutsu...I was never very good at it...but maybe you will be…"

"MOM!"

"Everyone is good at some things and not so good at others...so if things don't go so well, don't get depressed. At the academy, listen to your teachers."

"MOM! WHAT'S HAPPENING?!"

"JUST LISTEN TO ME!" Kushina yelled back, continuing to sob. "Please...let me finish...my last words to you…"

"Mom…" Naruto whispered, trying desperately to move his body to do something...anything...but he couldn't move at all.

"Make friends! It doesn't matter how many….just be sure they're ones you can really trust...a few is enough. Even if it's just Itachi, everyone...needs at least one friend. Regarding the three prohibitions of shinobi…"

"Kushina…" Minato wheezed out, coughing out blood of his own. "We're running out of time."

"No drinking until you're 20! Find a good girl that you love, Naruto! And be careful with money!" she rushed quickly, body racking with coughs and sobs. "And I love you! So much more than you could ever imagine, Naruto! I love you!"

"Naruto! Listen to me!" Minato said, holding the 150th seal. "I'm sorry that I failed in getting you your sister...she was killed by a strange man wearing a mask. I need you to tell this to the third. Someone ripped the fox out of your mother and used him to attack the village. They said...Madara…"

"I WILL NOT BE SEALED INTO A BRAT!" the fox roared, trying desperately to get out of its chains.

"Get along with the fox, Naruto," Minato looked with pleading eyes.

"Minato, what are you saying? That creature-" Kushina gasped.

"Let me finish, Kushina!" he yelled back. "If anyone can stop this, it's you, Naruto. I want you to forgive the fox...don't live with this hatred...don't succumb to it...it wasn't his fault. Only you can control this power...Naruto...my son."
Naruto continued to cry, though if you weren't facing him, you'd never know. His entire body was still except for his breathing while tears streamed down his face like a small river.

"It's time. Eight-trigrams sealing method!" Minato called, finishing the 151st hand seal.

"DAMN YOU, FOURTH HOKAGE! DAMN YOUUUUU!" the fox roared as it was sucked into Naruto's stomach, who shot backward at the impact and struck the ground a few meters away, falling unconscious, never to hear his father's final words.

"I love you...Naruto...my...son…."

{Flashback End}

Ever since that day, his life had hit an all-time low. He went from being loved by the village, to being openly abused. He lived alone in his parent's house and used funds from his father's old bank account, which was managed by the newly reinstated Third Hokage until he was old enough. Almost no store would let him purchase anything, so his ability to buy clothes, food, and equipment was limited to the Uchiha compound, which only let him in because he was best friends with Itachi. His simple act of walking through the street was met with jeers, glares, insults, and small objects like rocks or bottles thrown at him. They called him names like 'demon brat', accused him of murdering their loved ones and his own father, and wished for him to disappear.

The Third Hokage didn't exactly have a whole lot of choice left, so he ordered the fact of Naruto's jinchuriki status to be left a secret, punishable by death. This meant that the children were to be taught that the Fourth killed the fox in battle, rather than sealed it into his only living child.

Ever since that day...his own birthday...Naruto rarely spoke to anyone. In fact, if it weren't for Itachi, he would have been out of practice and wallowing away in his own sorrow. Instead, he spent all of his free time training. He would wake up, eat, train, train some more, eat, train even harder, be forced to stop by Itachi before he accidentally killed himself from overtraining, eat, get some last-minute training in, wash up, and go to bed, before doing it all again the next day.

Now he had to go to the academy, which he had finally arrived at the doors of, where Itachi stood with his father, Fugaku, waiting for him.

"Naruto," Itachi greeted him. "It's good to see you."

"Itachi. Mr. Uchiha," he greeted quietly.

"Naruto," Fugaku replied, nodding slightly, before turning back to Itachi. "Remember, Itachi. You're the pride and joy of the Uchiha clan. I expect great things to come from you."

"Of course, father," Itachi bowed before turning back to Naruto. "Shall we head inside?"

Naruto said nothing but nodded.

Itachi wore a high-collared blue shirt with the Uchiha crest on the back, wore his black hair straight back with bangs hanging down to his eyes, and had deep, pitch black eyes. Naruto had Uzumaki-red hair that kept its usual spike, reminiscent of the late Minato, and wore a black t-shirt with an Uzumaki swirl on the back.

The two boys entered the classroom together, Naruto finding a seat at the back as quickly as possible, and Itachi coming along beside him, as the rest of the class filled in over the next ten or so minutes. Soon, an adult entered the room full of young ninja-hopefuls and began to introduce himself. He was a bit pudgy, had his headband on a bandanna that covered his entire head, and wore the standard-issue Chunin uniform.

"My name is Daikoku Funeno and I'll be your primary Chunin instructor for your first three years at the academy, but you may refer to me as Daikoku-sensei," he introduced, before moving on to discuss what was going to happen. Essentially, the standard graduation for students during peacetime was to occur after six years, however, with a recommendation, they could test out early. They would cover a brief history of Konoha and its many influential ninja, some of the most influential ninja from other nations, basic exercises, basic Taijutsu forms, basic weapons training, basic Genjutsu training, and basic Ninjutsu training, in addition to various other topics such as language skills, mathematics, and the like. "Now that we've covered all of that, I'll begin taking-"

"Anko Mitarashi is in the building and ready to kick some major ass!" a female voice announced, loudly kicking open the door, as a young girl entered. She had purple hair that was held up in a high ponytail, light brown eyes that held no pupil, and she wore a red t-shirt and a backpack

"You're very late, Miss Mitarashi. Go find an empty seat while I continue to take roll," the instructor scolded.

"Oh, don't get your pudgy panties in a twist. If you're just now taking roll, I didn't miss squat," she waved him off and strode proudly to the seats, ignoring the stares from the rest of the class. She saw two open seats; one near a group of girls that looked very friendly and one near the back of the class next to a redhead who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here. Her choice was obvious.

"How's it goin' red and broody?" Anko greeted cheerily, sitting down to Naruto's right as Itachi peered at her curiously from his other side.

Naruto said nothing but looked at her, tilting his head slightly as if trying to figure her out.

"Take a picture, it might last longer," she winked, trying to tease him. "What about you, dark eyes? You got anything to say?"

"Your name is Anko, isn't it?" Itachi asked.

"The one and only!"

"I see. I'm Itachi, Itachi Uchiha," he introduced. "This is Naruto Uzumaki."

"Fancy, an Uchiha. What's up with red and broody here? Cat got his tongue?"

"Anko Mitarashi!" the instructor called.

"What?" she called back.

"Not 'What?'! When I call your name during roll, say 'here' or 'present'."

"Yes, sir, slave-driver, sir!" Anko saluted sarcastically, earning a few chuckles. The instructor sighed but kept taking roll.

"You have a strange way of interacting with Daikoku-sensei," Itachi commented. "You should show him more respect. He is our sensei."

"Respect is earned, Itachi," Naruto said softly. "Don't give it to others so easily."

"Oh, so he can talk," Anko teased. "You gonna talk to me?"

"You are...peculiar," Naruto told her.

"I'll take that as a compliment," she grinned. "I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship!"

Itachi stared at her for a moment while Naruto put his forehead on the desk and tried to repress a groan...this was going to be a long year.

{Timeskip - February 18th, 066}

"Come on, please! Please! Pretty please!" Anko begged, following Naruto out of the academy. It had been like this for a while. Ever since she learned that she, by complete accident, 'befriended' the two most talented students in class, by miles, she had been begging one or both of them to train her. That was two weeks ago.

Itachi was normally not one to refuse, but he was unable to accept as he had developed a terrible disease that plagued people like him for as long as the academy had existed...fangirls. Had he actually accepted to help Anko, he would have likely been mobbed by his fan club with demands of their own, or Anko would have been mobbed for taking 'their precious Itachi' away from them. Thus, Naruto was Anko's target.

"No."

"Come on! You're so good at everything and can teach me! Please?"

"Are you trying to flatter me in order to get me to accept? I thought you tried that last week?"

"...Doesn't hurt to try again…" Anko mumbled, silently cursing her failure to try and butter up his ego. If there was one thing she believed, it was that all men had an ego. Somehow, Naruto didn't recognize his yet. There was only one last thing to try... "Look, how about this. You train me and I'll stop hanging around you and Itachi all the time. That sound ok? I can just be your student."

"What?" Naruto did a double-take and stopped, looking at her in confusion.

"It's not hard to read, ok?" she snapped. "I know you don't like me and neither does anyone else...though that might be because I hang out with Itachi more than the other girls...so I'll leave you alone if you train me. You just seemed lonely, so I figured I'd hang out with you, but if you really don't want me around then I'll leave."

Naruto looked at her for a long moment before closing his eyes and sighing. He was going to regret this. "Fine. I'll help you."

"Yes!" she cheered, before turning to run off. "I'll be the best student ever! Every day after school, k?"

"Anko?" He stopped her. "I'm...I'm sorry. I don't...I don't dislike you, ok? So don't…"

"Don't what?" she feigned ignorance.

Naruto blushed and turned away. "Don't stop hanging out with Itachi for such a stupid reason."

"Ok, I guess I'll just stop hanging out with you then," she sighed loudly and turned again, developing an evil smirk when he spoke again.

"Wait, that's not what I meant!" Naruto fidgeted. "I...like having you around...ok? So...you don't have to...you know…"

"Of course you do!" She grinned, turning around. "I knew it the whole time!"

"WHAT?! Then what was all the-the-the-" Naruto flailed his hands wildly while Anko just laughed.

"I played you like a fiddle, red and broody! You may act all quiet but you're way too nice to just let me think you hate me, aren't you?" Anko laughed again when he turned an even darker shade of red and turned away. "Gotcha!"

"You didn't 'get' anyone!"

"Yes, I did! I got the ever-quiet Naruto Uzumaki to admit he actually loves having me around!"

"I DIDN'T SAY THAT!"

"Sure you did! Oh, man! I gotta tell Itachi!" she raced off to find him. "ITACHI! YOU'VE GOTTA HEAR THIS!"

"ANKO! SHUT UP! I DID NOT SAY THAT!" Naruto shouted and began chasing after her.

{Timeskip - April 20th, 066}

"I'm so tired~," Anko moaned, lying face up on the ground, panting desperately. "Can we please take a break yet?"

"You are the worst student I've ever had," Naruto shook his head, smirking.

"I'm the only student you've ever had," she pointed out. "And that's so not fair! You cannot be human with how much stamina you have."

"I think you're just weak."

"I am not weak!" she protested weakly.

"I'll prove it," he said and sat on her stomach facing out to the training field, earning a grunt of pain from the purple-haired kunoichi.

"What the hell?" she grunted, wiggling. "Get offa me!"

"If you can't get me off you, then you're weak," he explained, grinning all the while.

Two months had passed since Anko asked for Naruto's help with training and she'd come rather far. Initially, the only things she knew were...well...absolutely nothing. She lived at the orphanage and hadn't really made any friends, so, with nothing but the dream of becoming a ninja and the clothes on her back, she joined the academy.

Naruto had forced her to spend the first month doing only exercising, saying he wouldn't train someone with no stamina, speed, or strength, because it was a waste of his time. During that month, he continued to train himself as well, doing Anko's entire routine far before she could and then practicing other things, such as sparring with Itachi, practicing the few ninjutsu he got his hands on, and training with various weapons.

The second month they'd worked on some taijutsu and weapons practice, with plenty more exercise to boot. She was improving rapidly, as most of the students, outside of clan children, were only just getting started learning the basic academy-style stances. Sparring with someone as fast as Naruto every day had its perks for her improvement, but it hurt like hell.

About two hours every day, they'd spend training, before Anko would go home and Naruto would continue alone. Itachi joined them when he could, but he frequently trained with his father, Fugaku, in various Uchiha methods. Anko had managed to crack Naruto completely out of his shell...around her and Itachi... She was still working on getting him to talk to other people.

"I don't think sitting on me proves anything other than you're an idiot!" she demanded, desperately to get him off.

"It proves you can't lift me. I don't weigh that much, ya' know."

"I can't lift you because you spent the last half hour beating me up!" Anko protested, finally getting some leverage. "And we've been training every day all week!"

With a final grunt of effort, Naruto was thrown off as Anko sat up panting even more. "Hmmm...still pretty weak."

"DAMMIT, NARUTO!" she shouted, tackling the redhead to the ground.

Itachi watched from across the clearing, smiling slightly. He hadn't been able to do much for his friend, but Anko really had come through and brought him back. Naruto had always been full of life, loving to just goof around and have a good time whenever they weren't training, and it seems like that aspect was back in full force.

"GET BACK HERE!"

"Not a chance, Apricot!" he teased, referencing one of the translations of her name. "Maybe if you were a bit stronger you could catch up to me!"

"DON'T CALL ME APRICOT, STUPID FISHCAKE!" she roared, redoubling her efforts as Naruto continued to laugh.

Itachi sweatdropped. Maybe he should stop them before Anko tries to kill Naruto.

{Timeskip - November 26th, 066}

"You're both WHAT?" Anko shouted.

"Itachi and I are taking the graduation exam," Naruto explained. "Daikoku-sensei recommended us. He said that there was no point in us continuing. We're scoring as high as some of the sixth years, ya' know."

It was true; Itachi was a one-of-a-kind prodigy at everything and while Naruto wasn't quite up to his level of true, natural genius, he was very good at what he did and worked harder than anyone.

Naruto was faster than every genin in the village and even the slower Chunin. Combining that with his taijutsu skills and weaponry? The only one who could keep up with him was Itachi if he went all out and that was only because he was used to the blonde's speed. Besides that, he had almost the highest chakra levels in the academy, and that included the instructors. Only the few Jonin that were there, mostly on temporary assignments for reasons such as medical rehabilitation, surpassed his levels. Once he got some more individualized chakra control training and Jutsu under his belt, he'd be quite a force to be reckoned with.

Itachi had sizable reserves for his age, around genin level, and was even more proficient than Naruto in everything except Taijutsu, and he only lost at that because of the redhead's natural speed. He was a promising up-and-comer at Genjutsu, knew the trademarked Grand Fireball Jutsu of the Uchiha clan, and scored the best in the class in the written work.

"But...you're just gonna leave me alone in the academy?" Anko demanded angrily. Really, she was just sad. She'd come to really like the two boys. They helped her get as far as she had. Starting as the class' dead last for the first month or two of class, she quickly started to rise up to the middle of the pack, and was rapidly approaching the top, really only being completely overshadowed by the two of them. 9 months of training would do that to anyone, but now, after only one full year at the academy, she was going to be all by herself, just like at the orphanage.

"It's a very good opportunity for us, Anko," Itachi reasoned. "I'm sure you'll graduate early as well."

"Besides, we'll come to visit you lots. I'm still helping you train, aren't I?" Naruto grinned. After about four months of training, Naruto declared that he was no longer her teacher, but someone she trained alongside, as she'd reached a level that was, as he referred to it as 'no longer pathetic'.

"I guess," Anko sighed. "But still, that won't make it any less...lonely."

Naruto thought for a minute. "Itachi should we-"

"No, Naruto," Itachi shook his head. "This is a very good opportunity. We need to do the best we can in order to protect the village. That is a ninja's duty. Staying in the academy would hinder us and stunt our growth. Anko wouldn't want that, would you, Anko?"

"Whaaaat?" Anko began to sweat slightly at his pointed glare. Call her selfish, but she still didn't want them to leave. They were just...they were inseparable before and now that was all being thrown away!

"Oh, I have an idea!" Naruto exclaimed. "How about you move in with me?"

"WHAT?" Anko and even Itachi yelled.

"Yeah, that's a great idea!" Naruto nodded, not really realizing what he was asking nor his phrasing. "You always talk about how awful the orphanage is and I still live at my parents' old house all by myself. How about you live there with me?"

"Naruto, you have never been good with words," Itachi sighed.

"I-uh-er," Anko didn't exactly know how to respond to that.

"How about you rephrase that, Naruto?" the Uchiha suggested. "Perhaps use the term roommates to make Anko less uncomfortable?"

"What else would I mean?"

Itachi just slapped himself on the forehead. "Dense…"

"I mean...I don't really want to intrude," Anko hesitated. That actually did sound like a pretty good idea. Naruto was a lot of fun to hang out with and living with him would kind of reverse her days. Rather than being lonely at home and looking forward to spending time at the academy and training with the two, she would spend the time at the academy and look forward to being at home with Naruto.

"It'll be fine," he waved her off. "Just...eh...I can't cook."

"Are you trying to make me your personal chef or something?!" she demanded.

"Well, no, but I figured you shouldn't be expecting me to cook much," Naruto admitted sheepishly.

"Is that why we never eat at your house?" Itachi asked.

"Eheh…"

"Well, I can't cook either," Anko sighed.

"Well, you can learn to cook since you won't have to pay rent. The house is already paid for," he shrugged.

"YOU ARE TRYING TO MAKE ME YOUR PERSONAL CHEF!"

"Whaaaaat~?"

"Dammit, Naruto!" Anko smacked him on the back of the head.

"So…do you want to live with me or not?"

"ROOMMATES!" Itachi and Anko yelled.

"WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?"

"Idiot…" Itachi sighed.

"Eh, why not," Anko shrugged. "I'll just fake my own death at the orphanage and-"

"NO!" Naruto and Itachi shouted.

"Relax, I was kidding," she lied.

"Just go get all your stuff and meet me here and we can go," Naruto suggested.

"And what makes you think I have so little stuff I can just 'run and get it,' huh?"

"Anko, we're seven years old and you live at an orphanage…" Itachi said. "I don't think that's an unreasonable assumption."

"Point taken…" Anko grumbled. "I'll be right back…"

Sure enough, Anko had a bag of clothes and some toiletries in it...that's it. So, the trio headed to Naruto's place to move Anko in as a roommate, which was a very important specification by Itachi.

"Well, here we are," Naruto sighed after a short walk, gazing sadly at his house. He never liked coming here. In truth, he was going to ask Anko to move in with h-become his roommate anyway. It was so painful living in those hollow hallways that were once filled with his parents' joy. He hadn't seen Kakashi since, he'd only met his Godfather Jiraiya once, and he was too young to really remember it, Kami knows why he never came back to look after him, and the Old Man only stopped to visit about once a week.

"Wow, this really is a nice place," Anko commented. It wasn't overly big or small, just a quaint two story family-style home painted a light blue with a front garden and a porch.

Naruto gave a quick tour; the ground level had the kitchen, the dining room, a half-bathroom, a sitting room, a study, and what looked to be some sort of an indoor gym. The second floor was where the bedrooms were. His room was the master bedroom, which he had moved into shortly after his parents' death, desperate for some semblance of continued connection to them. Aside from that, there was a guest bedroom where Anko was to stay, which had its own closet and bathroom, a second room that was permanently locked and Naruto said nothing of what it was other than to not go in there unless she wanted to be kicked out, and another sitting room.

"I guess you can stay in the sitting room when you stay over, Itachi. Or you can stay in mine. I have enough space for a futon," Naruto told him.

"And you're really sure I can stay here?" Anko asked, still kind of amazed at the place. As long as she could remember she'd been an orphan, never knowing, or frankly caring, who her parents were.

"Yeah. It'll be nice to have some company," Naruto smiled.

"Well then...thanks…" Anko gave him a quick, slightly embarrassed hug, and then quickly headed off to her room.

"I'll be going as well, Naruto," Itachi informed him. "I'll see you tomorrow for our test."

"Yeah, good luck," the redhead held up a fist.

"To you as well," the Uchiha agreed, bumping his fist with his own.

"How the heck does this shower work?" Anko yelled.

"Good luck living with Anko. Perhaps you should have thought this through more," Itachi smirked slightly.

Anko stuck her head out of her room. "And we're getting dango for dinner, ya' hear! You're paying as a housewarming gift!"

"That's not how housewarming gifts work…" Naruto sighed, trudging off to deal with Anko's whims. "And they're normally for people getting their own house anyway…"