Jiraiya rests against the rooftop railing watching the young girl that is the mirror image of her mother. Her long hair flows behind her as she glides around the small kitchen. The last time Jiraiya saw the red-haired girl she was holding her baby brother and crying at the memorial stone in training ground three of Konohagakure. She was so much smaller then, now, she is a growing woman that would someday be the beauty of Konoha. The reason Jiraiya is watching his goddaughter is because today is a special day for one member of the house. His godson is starting at the academy today.
His goddaughter, Mai, had gotten up earlier than usual to make her little brother's favorite food for breakfast. Naruto was going to be so happy to see all that his sister went through to make him happy, and Jiraiya could not wait to see the bright smile on the boy's face. He wishes more than anything that he could be there with his two godchildren celebrating this day, but as a spy he had to stay away for their safety. At least until they grew older and stronger. Naruto wanted to be Hokage, and Jiraiya was sure the boy could do it. Mai, she wanted to be a Medical-nin like Tsunade, but she had to give up her dream to take care of her brother. She could have been one of the best ninjas if it weren't for the incident that forced her to become a mother figure for her brother eight years ago.
Life was so very unfair, especially the life of shinobi. As Jiraiya stood and watched through the large window of the apartment he could smell the beginnings of broth, spices slowly filled the air. It took a long time to prepare ramen from scratch, but Mai has gained a lot of experience over the years, even getting some lessons from Ayame at Ichiraku Ramen. He watched her glide across the floor, her hair flowing behind her, it hurt so much to see his godchildren because they looked so much like his young student and his wife. Jiraiya felt the sudden appearance of two fellow ninja beside him, he did not move to look at them or even acknowledge their appearance.
"She looks just like, Kushina." Sarutobi remarks, taking a puff of his pipe.
"Hmm." Kakashi agrees.
"She may look like Kushina, but she is every bit Minato in heart and mind." Jiraiya states. The three shinobi watch the young woman continue to cook until all that is left is the rice. She sets the table for two then disappears further into the apartment. The observing Ninja holds their breaths waiting for Naruto's appearance.
"Naruto." they all hear Mai call across the rooftops. "Naruto get up. You'll be late for your first day at the academy."
"Nee-chan?" The horse voice of Minato reaches their ears. Jiraiya knew watching his godchildren from afar would hurt, but he did not expect for his heart to crumble to pieces. "Five more minutes nee-chan, dattebayo."
"I made Ramen." Mai whispers to get her brother's attention.
"Ramen!" Naruto shouts presumably jumping immediately out of bed. Mai chuckles before telling her brother to get ready. "You got it Nee-chan, dattebayo!"
Mai reenters the kitchen taking the rice off the stove and creating the complicated dish with only half hesitation. Naruto races out to the kitchen and finally the men release their breaths. From this distance all three veteran shinobi can believe that the two young children are their parents for a split second. Jiraiya is the first to leave, unable to take watching his godchildren. Sarutobi follows seconds after while Kakashi stays watching the children of his seinse. Minato would be proud of how his children grew up, how Mai became his miniature despite being the clone of his wife and Naruto being just as outgoing as Kushina.
"Itadakimasu!" the children chorus before digging into their Ramen. Deciding to give the two children their privacy Kakashi finally departs following the trail of Jiraiya and the Hokage.
"He will finally be with children his own age," Kakashi hears the Hokage say to Jiraya. "Naruto at least will be able to live a normal childhood."
"But Mai never will, as long as I'm still a spy, she will always have to be Naruto's mother." Jiraiya growls, what or who his anger is directed at is a mystery.
"You could always take up being their guardian." Kakashi offers, taking out his old copy of Icha Icha Paradaisu. Jiraiya hesitates thinking about the option for the millionth time in the past eight years. It was the wish of his pupil to take care of his children, it has been a distant dream of Jiraiya's for many years but due to age and occupation he has never had the chance to be a father. However, he is Jiraiya of the sannin, spy master of Khonagakure, a smug and selfish perverted old man who believes himself unworthy of being Hokage due to his mass failures. A man like him is not fit to be a father to two young children who he loves more than himself. Or so Jiraiya constantly told himself.
"I could never do that to them. Having me in their life would put them in more danger than they already are." Jiraiya sighs, shoulders slumping forward.
"You could keep them safe if you took up the position of Hokage and let your old Sensie finally retire." Sarutobi says trying to lighten the conversation and convince his student to live a happier life. Jiraiya laughs, his depressed demeanor gone replaced by his exuberant attitude and over the top actions.
"Try as you might, old man, I'm not taking your hat." Jiraiya takes a small envelope out of his red haori and hands it to Sarutobi. "Here, it's this month's allowance."
"You know she is no longer accepting any help from you or the village." Sarutobi states taking the envelope anyway.
"I know, I still feel like I should give them something. They have the money if they ever need it and I already sent Naruto a few gifts. Mai may be as stubborn as Kushina but she has never turned down anything for Naruto. I just hope he likes them." Jiraiya says, rubbing the back of his head. Working around his goddaughter and her stubborn attitude was a chore that he will never admit he enjoys doing. Only because it irritates Mai and she has no power to deny Naruto anything, even if it is gifts from his godfather, who she denies even exists.
"Are they toad based again?" Kakashi asks knowing full well that they are. Jiraiya shrugs.
"The kid has good taste. Anyway, see you around old man." Jiraiya shunshin's away leaving the third Hokage and former Anbu leader on a roof far from the new Uzumaki residence.
*4 years later*
Mai paces the small apartment waiting for any sign or word from her brother. Last she saw of him he was painting the Hokage faces with slanderous words and comic markings. Half the chunin and Jonin of the village were out searching for him and of course the first place they looked was home. Mai is furious. She has told him many times to be smart and not get caught when out prepping his pranks. Iruka-sama was the first to arrive at the apartment and demand to know where Naruto was. Mai could answer honestly because she really did have no idea where Naruto was, at that moment in time. Naruto has numerous hiding spots all around the village that he regularly goes to in order to avoid punishment.
The other reason Mai was worrying and pacing so much was the time. It was getting close to her shift at the hospital and if she didn't leave soon, she would be late. Yet, she couldn't just leave without knowing what happened to Naruto. The best option she could hope for was that Iruka-sama finds him instead of another shinobi. Iruka has a soft spot for both Uzumaki and is a regular guest for dinner and lunches. With fifteen minutes until her shift Mai starts to panic. She is too busy stuck in her own head. She does not hear the approaching footsteps outside her door and jumps when someone knocks on the door. Running to the door, Mai flings it open to reveal Iruka with a struggling Naruto in his grasp.
"Thank Kami-sama!" Mai cries, wrapping Naruto in a tight hug. He stops struggling in his sensei's grip and hugs his sister back. Once they pull away Mai looks to Iruka. "Arigato Iruka-sama. I hope Naruto did not cause you too much trouble."
"No more than normal. I figured I should bring him home to you before I take him to the Hokage faces to clean up his work." Iruka says not taking a step into the apartment even though he is more than welcome.
"Aw, sensei." Naruto complains.
"I agree with Iruka- sama, Naruto." Naruto whips around to gawk at his sister, normally she tries to get him out of trouble. "You were foolish enough to get caught even though you had plenty of time to cover your tracks." Mai scolds. Naruto puffs up annoyed that his sister is, in fact, right. Iruka looks a little put off that she is scolding him for not covering his tracks better instead of pranking in the first place.
"Kuso." Mai cries looking back at the clock and noticing she has ten minutes to get to the hospital and clock in. "Naruto, I'm so sorry but you're on your own for dinner again. I had to pick up another late shift." Mai rushes around the apartment collecting the items she needs for the night, her go bag with her work uniform, her badge and leftover paperwork from the night before.
"But Nee-chan, you said," Naruto begins but Mai cuts him off with another quick hug.
"I know. I'm so sorry. This is only temporary remember. If you're still up when I get home, we can talk about your day, but I have to go." She releases him from the hug and kisses his forehead before racing out the door and jumping from the railing. She may work a civilian job, but Mai had enough years in the academy to know how to push her chakra into her body to help her jump from incredible heights and run as fast as the shinobi around her.
Naruto watches his sister leave, her red hair flailing behind her in the long ponytail she kept it in unless she was working. In which she would then pull it further up into an elegant bun.
"Nee-chan." Naruto whispers sadly. He was looking forward to a nice night with his sister, they haven't been able to spend dinner together in so long.
Iruka stands in the still open doorway watching the twelve-year-old next to him. He could see how much his sister's departure hurt his young student. Looking into the distance where the sixteen-year-old disappeared, he wondered why she had to work so much and be away from her brother. He knew plenty of other civilian workers that didn't have to work nearly as much as Mai and were able to take care of their families. He would have to look into the hospital records and see how much the oldest Uzumaki was being paid. If she was working this much and still unable to support her and her brother then something must be wrong.
"Come on Naruto. The sooner you clean the statues the sooner I can take you to Ichiraku." Iruka says placing his hand on Naruto's shoulder in a comforting manner. Naruto doesn't even look at his sensei at the mention of his favorite restaurant. Instead, he still watches after his sister. Iruka grows genuinely concerned, the mention of ramen always gets some sort of reaction out of the young teen. "Naruto." Iruka tries again, this time the young teen looks at him, but his expression is still somber. "Come on, I'll help you."
Iruka guides Naruto out of his home and closes the door behind them.
It only took Naruto and Iruka a few hours to completely clean the stone faces of the past Hokage and sit themselves at Ichiraku Ramen. The entire time Naruto doesn't crack one joke, complain at all, or even smile when Ayame and Teuchi greet them. Iruka is growing considerably more worried about his student but cannot think of a way to bring up Naruto's mood without possibly making it worse. While they have been sat Iruka slowly ate his ramen and is almost finished, Naruto normally would be on his fifth or sixth bowl, but he has not touched his food. His chopsticks hang in his hand ready to be used but they hang over the broth creating small ripples with Naruto's breathing. Iruka sighs before starting some form of conversation.
"Naruto, why would you do that to the Hokage faces? You know who they are right, and how important they are to the village." He speaks softly not wanting to startle the boy or make him think he is in trouble still. Naruto continues to look at his bowl of ramen but nod his head.
"They were the greatest shinobi of their time. The best of the best. Undefeated ninja legends. And the fourth Hokage is the one who saved the village from the nine-tails fox." Naruto says finally taking a bite of his ramen, it is small and is taken slowly. Not at all how Naruto usually eats.
"Then why?" Naruto looks up from his bowl and towards the stone faces.
"Because I'm going to be greater than any of them." Naruto clutches his chopsticks in his hand, almost crushing them. "I'm going to be the next Hokage." He then looks to Iruka with fiery determination in his eyes. "A ninja legend! Then everyone will have to stop disrespecting Nee-chan and me. I'll be better than any hokage before and Nee-chan will never have to work another day in her life. She can live her dream. Dattebayo!" Iruka stares in awe at the blond next to him then gives a small smile.
"I have no doubt you will Naruto." Iruka runs his hand through Naruto's unbrushed hair getting a disapproving whine from the boy.
"Sensei, stop." Iruka only laughs.
Mai stumbles up the stairs of her building only slightly wincing with every step, her feet hurt, and her back was in so much pain from carrying large loads of medical equipment from one part of the hospital to the other. Not once during her ten-hour shift was she able to sit and take a breather. It is one in the morning as she slowly slides into her apartment hoping not to disturb Naruto. She still has to get his lunch ready for his day at school. Mai sighs but quietly walks around the kitchen gathering all the ingredients for a simple meal that Naruto could share with his friends.
Mai heard him approach, she heard him slip out of bed and walk to the kitchen where she quietly worked. Still, she sucked in a breath when Naruto spoke her name startling her out of her own head.
"Mai, are you just getting home?" Naruto asks, rubbing his eyes. Mai nods not looking at her brother. She had promised to spend the evening with him, and she had broken her promise. This was the first time in over a month that she had free time to spend with Naruto, but she had gotten a letter asking her to come in. A large team of Anbu ninja had just returned from an S-rank mission and they did not come back in the best condition.
"Hey Naruto, you should be in bed." Mai says trying but failing to get her brother to go back to bed. Naruto shrugs and takes a seat at the table unpacking her overnight bag. He notices her uneaten dinner and frowns.
"Nee-chan, why do you have to work so much?" Naruto asks about placing the uneaten meal in the fridge. Mai had no answer for him for a while. She thought about it for a moment, with how often she worked she should be able to take care of them, but she still had to work more hours than anyone else. She has an idea why but if she finds that it is true, then what little trust she has in the village will vanish. She needs to trust the village, trust the Hokage that he knows what he is doing, otherwise she will only be bitter and full of hate. Mai can't be that person, not when she has Naruto to think about.
"I'm not as skilled as everyone, so my pay is not as high. In order to make the same as the trained medical ninja I have to work harder doing any odd jobs the hospital needs me to do." Mai lies. She can't tell him, not yet. "How is your studying going for graduation?" Mai asks, turning the conversation away from her work. Naruto grumbles crossing his arms on the table and resting his head on them.
"I still can't figure it out, Nee-chan. I try and try but i just can't get the clone jutsu. If I want to graduate this time, I need to be able to do the jutsu." Naruto whines. Mai finishes putting Naruto's lunch in his bento, it's nothing fancy. Rice with a small portion of Tsukemono pickles, some Edamame, baked chicken Karaage and a few Onigiri Rice Balls for Naruto to share with his friends.
"What about your friends in school, can any of them help you?" Mai asks, still not realizing that Naruto is as outcast in the academy as she was. Naruto does not look at her, instead he separates her paperwork into piles, the documents she still has to start, the ones she has to sign and turn back in and the ones she has to finish. Mai never asked her little brother to do this for her, but it was something he felt he could do to make her day easier. "Naruto?" Mai asks again. Finally, Naruto looks at her, he is sad and afraid about failing the graduation exam for the third year in a row. Mai sighs and sits next to her brother holding her arms open for him. Though he is much too big now he still climbs into her lap and rests his head in the crook of his sister's neck while she hugs him and rubs soothing circles on his back.
"It will be alright, I promise." Mai says into her brother's messy hair, he took off his sleep hat when she came home and placed it on the table while she was making his lunch.
"Nee-chan, what if i never become a gening? If I can't become a genin I'll never become Hokage." Naruto tried to hide his tears by not making a sound, but Mai can feel his body shake in her arms, she holds her brother closer and kisses his head.
"You will Naruto, you will become Hokage. I promised you I would help you accomplish your dream, and I will never break that promise. I'll talk to Hokage-Gigi and see if he can do anything. You have so much power and potential, you just need someone who knows how to help you. Iruka- sama is a great sensei but he can't play favorites. You need someone who can give you all the attention and training you need to succeed. Becoming a genin and getting a sensei that can give you that time is all you need." Naruto pulled away enough to look at his sister, his eyes red but the tears gone, he smiled at her.
"Can you really do that Nee-Chan?" He asks Hope to fill him once again after so many failures.
"I can talk to the Hokage and tell him exactly what I just told you. He will understand and as long as you pass the written test, I'm sure he will agree to pass you." Mai smiles. If he doesn't, Mai knows a few things to say that will make the old man see things her way and agree. The only reason Naruto and Mai are treated with a fraction of respect and aren't driven out of every store they enter is because she has dirt on everyone that has ever done them wrong, and a few who haven't. It's not really an honorable way to live but it is better that the glares and harshest whispers be directed at her instead of her brother.
"Nee-chan, you are the best." Naruto says hugging his sister and smiling for the first time since she left for the hospital.
"Now, come on kitten, time for bed." Mai says slightly pushing at Naruto to get him off her now asleep legs.
"Nee-chan, I told you to stop calling me that." Naruto complains but gets off his sister and grabs his nightcap from the table.
"I'm your older sister so I can call you whatever I want." she says sticking her tongue out. Naruto returns the gesture then lets his sister guide him to bed.
Un-noticed by either sibling, Kakashi Hatake lay under their kitchen window listening. Originally, he was only there to make sure Naruto was safe in the apartment by himself until his sister arrived home, but tonight something about the air made him stay put and listen. He agreed with Mai and what she had to say about Naruto's training, he just needs a sensei who knows how to work with him and give him the jutsu he can use with his abundance of Chakra. Once he heard the sound of the bedroom door close, he got up from his resting spot and ran to the Hokages office to have a word of his own with the old man.