DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything from the Naruto universe.
Thinking (+ flashbacks, etc.)
Emphasis
Bijuu, etc. speaking
Bijuu, etc. thinking
They were working on it...
Although grateful that Naru was wearing a mask like his, thus giving her more respect and much gentler treatment in the village, Kakashi wondered what having his daughter giving the finger to so many was going to do to his reputation. She even knew the terminology for it.
"Naru-chan," he sighed while asking the masked girl on his back, "why did you flip off Gai-kun?" Poor Gai had run away crying after her little performance.
"Maa, too much youth."
Kakashi chuckled then wished he hadn't. The books he read said that she badly needed discipline and spraying water on her like he used to train his ninken only encouraged her bad behavior. The girl loved water and could manipulate it even at her young age. She'd told him that she was "wind natured" but it was hard to believe. Maybe I should get some chakra paper? Most of her little attacks on their "family" were either water whips, bullets, or rather vicious taijutsu for a little kid.
He pulled the little blonde off his back. "Naruto," he said with a serious tone once they were safely in the Senju compound after their somewhat disastrous ice cream trip. The girl straightened out and then crumpled, knowing that she must be in trouble since he used her given name. He felt bad about that but continued. "What have I said about using that finger?"
Naru pouted but nearly recited his exact words. "Only use that in situations where someone is a really bad person."
"And is Gai-kun a bad person?"
"No. He's just silly. I'm sorry, Daddy."
Kakashi reached over and patted her head before scratching her behind the ears. She purred, which was just weird. "Maa, where'd you learn that anyway? It's an awful habit, hime."
"Sorry," she said again, hating to disappoint him. He was her hero! "It's... from that place," she said darkly, her brow furrowing with distaste.
Kakashi slumped even further before twirling her onto his back again, making her squeal with delight. Thank Kami. He carried her into the house, sensing that only Hashi was home. The boy was in the backyard; he really needed to teach him how to hide his large chakra signature better. Maybe Naru can give him some tips. The little blonde was doing a great job of partially hiding her monstrous reserves for longer and longer periods of (short) time.
She ran into the house once off his back and turned on the TV.
Naru was watching an anime that didn't make sense to him so he figured that reading Jiraiya-sama's masterpiece was fine for now, plus the hag wasn't here to beat him senseless for seeing his book out. With the little blonde curled up next to him as he laid on the couch in the sitting room, he pulled out his latest obsession but turned it to the side slightly to ensure that she couldn't easily read it. Getting to the point in the story that was a little boring but led up to the exciting fight between the protagonists, Kakashi laid the book on his chest and looked down at the happy little girl. "Maa, what did you mean by the bad finger being a salute? You said that earlier, didn't you? Look at me, hime."
Naruto looked up at him with befuddlement written all over her cute face. "This is a proper salute." He displayed the salute he usually gave the Hokage and Jonin Commander, a little less sloppily than he normally actually awarded them. He remembered the way he used to salute his sensei but felt too lazy to show her. "Let's see you do it... Wrong hand, hime."
"Oopsies," Naru chirped before doing the same thing with her other hand. It was a terrible attempt, but Kakashi figured that the village leader who considered the girl his granddaughter wouldn't mind. Hokage-sama would probably just be glad she didn't flip him off like she did last week.
After a few minutes of trying to figure out what was happening in the violent anime she was watching, he noticed that Naru was scratching her cheek and thinking so hard that it was beginning to get on his nerves. "What is it, Naru-chan?"
She hummed as she considered it. "Is this," she saluted the way he'd shown her again, "the way they just do it here in the village? 'Cause that's not how they..." Her voice became very small, and Kakashi wondered if she might finally be ready to talk about something - anything - that had happened with the traitor, considering her angst-ridden expression. "They do it different in the cave," she said in just a whisper.
"Maa, how so?" Kakashi asked, not pushing - just like Inoichi had advised.
Naru got up and looked like she was slithering around: it was a little gross, really. She turned away from him, then hopped back a few spaces with a serious expression and threw her hand out in a gesture that just screamed "Fuck You!"
Kakashi couldn't help it; he began laughing. "Are you saying that your little gesture - that, salute - is what the big snake's minions do behind his back?"
Naruto tapped her chin and thought about it, realizing that it really was something the big weirdos did whenever that... man-snake was turned the other way. She nodded her head, which made her daddy laugh even more, then laughed along with him because he sounded so happy. She didn't really understand why, though.
"Oh! Naru-chan," Shizune said, her voice conveying how surprised she felt at entering the large chemistry lab and finding all these little girls. "Who are your little friends?"
"Maa, this is Sakura-chan," Naru said, pointing at the pink-haired girl who had ducked her head down when Shizune entered the room. "She's shy and has a terrible temper." As if to prove the point, the girl hit Naruto, making her whine although it was obvious that Naru wasn't hurt. "This is Hinata-chan and she's so damn shy, she can hardly speak!"
Shizune thought that the Hyuuga heiress might faint and was so concerned that she forgot to scold Naru for cursing again.
"This is Ino-chan. She's my best friend and loves to cuss and gossip, right Ino-chan?"
Shizune noted that the Yamanaka heiress wasn't surprised by her introduction at all, and felt future headaches being guaranteed by the way the pale blonde sassily threw her short ponytail and bangs back before giving her a wink. A wink!
"And this is Tenten-chan. She's in the class above ours and likes pointy shit."
"Language, Naru-chan," Shizune scolded but nodded politely at the girl smiling with two buns on her head. She couldn't help but smile, herself, at seeing that Naru was standing on a stool to undoubtedly make her look as tall as the other girls from the table they were all standing behind.
"Sorry, not sorry. Tenten-chan's real nice and wants to be like Drunk -er, haha. I mean Tsunade-shishou, 'ttebayo."
Ugh, Naruto; you are playing with fire! "Well, it's certainly very nice to meet your cute little friends, Naru-chan." All of the girls seemed to preen under her words, making Shizune feel exceptionally better. The Hyuuga heiress was once again completely red in the face, however; she was going to have to investigate to see if she had some kind of mental or physical impairment. "Now, why don't each of you tell me why you're here." Naruto jumped up and down with her hand in the air, forcing Shizune to call on her first.
"I wanna do more than hurt people 'ttebayo! I want to fix them and make 'em feel good and be healthy and strong again!"
Shizune smiled approvingly at the little masked troublemaker. She didn't like that Naru always wanted to wear the mask that was identical to Kakashi-kun's, but knew that the girl had an extremely sensitive nose, which was why she was approved to wear it in the hospital. And it seems to protect her from the village idiots, of course. "Very good, Naru-chan. Wanting to help people is essential for becoming a med-nin."
"Ano," the girl with the purple-haired hime-cut said as she pushed her fingers together. "I'm not sure if my father will approve. I like flowers and my... mother," the little heiress said while wiping tears from her eyes, breaking Shizune's heart for her, "made salves and other things with flowers." She sniffed hopelessly and Shizune was glad to see that the other girls were giving her hugs or pats on the back. Little Hinata's mother had passed shortly after giving birth to the heiress' little sister.
"That's right, Hinata-hime," Shizune agreed. "Tsunade-sama and I knew your mother well. I believe she'd be very proud of you for choosing to heal as she did. ...And perhaps Tsunade-sama can speak with your father," she said sweetly although her thoughts were menacing. Everyone was afraid of her mentor, however, even the Hyuuga clan head. "Tsunade-sama's taijutsu is different from your clan's, but I can imagine that combined they could be formidable."
Dear gods, did I just suggest that? Shizune cursed herself internally. Tsunade's chakra-infused punches could, potentially, increase the damage the juuken could produce to an absolutely fatal degree. Or perhaps not: it may not work at all. I'll have to speak with Tsunade-sama about this. Shizune knew how to fight, but was not considered a front-line fighter. At least her words had managed to brighten up the little Hyuuga.
"I'm Yamanaka Ino and I'm doing this because Naru's doing it." Ino tossed her hair to the side again. "Daddy says that we Yamanakas have naturally excellent chakra control and that means I have outstanding potential as a medic," she said, sounding quite pompous. The little blonde's mood immediately soured as she continued after a beat. "Daddy also says that I still have to team with Lazy and Fatso, though." Naruto and Sakura both crouched at the same time, their hands covering their heads as they looked around in fear.
"Ino-chan, I'm pleased to have you here with us, but I will not allow you to disrespect your comrades," Shizune scolded sharply. "I know that you've been taught not to use that term for the Akimichis, correct?"
Ino pouted. "Yes ma'am. It's just that Choji's such a baby!"
"He's nice and 'Big Boned,'" Naru said, using her fingers to make air quotes around the term. "Akimichis use yang release and need lots of calories to use their clan's secret jutsu."
"That's correct, Naru-chan," Shizune said approvingly then wanted to roll her eyes as the little blonde swiped her finger above her head as if to indicate that she'd scored a point on a whiteboard. "Sakura-chan?" It was hard to forget the girl's name considering the unique color of her hair.
"Mmm, my family... Ano, I thought my family might be proud of me if I do this. Plus..."
"Say it, Sakura-chan," Naru encouraged her friend brightly.
"Yeah, Forehead! Use that big ol' brain of yours to tell her how it is."
"PIIIIIIIIG," the formerly quiet girl snarled loudly, startling Shizune completely. The other girls squeaked, aside from the Yamanaka girl, who seemed to have wanted this reaction. "Tch, FINE! People say I'm really smart and school's boring!"
Shizune schooled her reaction; it was almost as if the girl had two personalities with the way she was shaking her fist now. "I see. And how do you feel about healing, Sakura-chan?"
The little pinkett's attitude shifted again. "I'd like to do that," she said in a small voice while looking at her shoes. "Naru-hime's really strong and I'm not but... SHE'D BETTER STOP HAULING ME AROUND LIKE A SACK OF RICE UP BUILDINGS OR ELSE! SHANNARO!" Sakura shook her fist at the smallest girl in the room, who laughed at her and jumped up and down on her stool.
"Alllllright," Shizune said warily before pointing at the girl with the buns, whose name she didn't recall.
The girl cleared her throat and looked very confident, even when surrounded by the quirky girls around her. "My name's Higurashi Tenten and Tsunade-sama's my hero!"
"She's not mine, 'ttebayo," Naru said while snickering. Tenten gave her the stink eye as the door opened. Naru squealed and hid behind the table.
"Oh-ho? Is that the way it is, brat?" Tsunade said, as deadly as a viper, Shizune thought. "Now what do we have here?"
Three of the girls dropped to the ground, the girl with the buns head only being saved by her hairstyle, she'd thudded to the floor so hard. Fortunately, the Hyuuga and civilian girl with the possible dual-personalities fell rather elegantly. Naru peeked up from behind the table. Ino-chan was squeezing her hand so hard, she thought it might break.
"Tsunade-sama! Your Killing Intent is going to make them sick!"
"Tch! Help me get the little shits up," Tsunade groaned while bending down to the floor. She turned to her "granddaughter" while waking the skinny girl with the pink hair. "As soon as everyone's awake we're going to have a little talk about respect, brat."
Naruto gulped and nodded her head. She'd already messed things up! "H-hai, Tsunade-shishou!"