a/n: stay safe everyone! tell me what you guys think?

enjoy~

Chapter iii: Kalon

Kalon (n.) the kind of beauty that is more than skin deep

Nara Shikaku was taken aback when he got home to the sound of children within their house. If he remembered correctly, he only had one child, however as soon as he heard the familiar chime of laughter, he had heard a few days prior a smile quirked up his lips.

A memory of bright blonde hair and crystalline blue eyes on an older boyish face melted into that of a young girl's face with a starkly similar smile than his memories. His fists clenched as sorrow erupted from within him. He could understand the countless reasons as to why that particular order was placed. But that does not mean that erases the things that they had all done when it comes to that particular child.

There were other ways that they could have gone about the matter of Naruto, the matter of the child whose path was created for her at the moment she was born. He shook his head, his mind clouded once again with countless thoughts. He might not be capable of changing the past however the present, yes the things that he has the capability of changing are now right in front of him. He released a sigh he didn't know he was holding before he entered their household.

When he reached the open patio where their backyard garden was, he could spot exactly four children playing around. Their laughter echoing within their once silent house. His eyes caught the only girl in the group practically vibrating with energy and happiness all bubbled up seemingly about to burst.

What caught his eyes a bit more were her clothes, he had seen those numerous times enough he knew those aren't hers. He turned his head towards his wife who gave him a smile before she welcomed him home.

"So, care to tell me why is Naruto-chan wearing Shikamaru's old clothes?", Yoshino looked irritated as she turned around to face her husband. After Yoshino had told him of what happened he couldn't help the exhausted sigh that escaped his lips.

"This is not fair and you know it Shikaku.", Yoshino's voice was filled with something that Shikaku knew too well. He nodded in agreement however they cannot overrule the verdict of the council and the order of the Hokage.

"I don't ever want to think about what would've happened had Shikamaru not been there for her.", his eyes then landed to his own son who looked troubled and annoyed that they were running around and playing but there was something akin to happiness in him as well.

"Have you seen how small she is?"

Yoshino huffed as she glared not at Naruto but at her skinny lithe figure. She was so small despite being six, she had seen Inoichi's daughter and even she was bigger and taller than her. They both remembered the first time they had interacted with her, the distrust in her eyes, the wariness, the way she looked down on the ground to evade their eyes. How her shoulders droop as if she was carrying a weight too heavy for her form, the sadness, and now her eyes had never looked this much brighter than before.

Shikaku knew his wife too well. He had seen her disapproving eyes when the verdict had been passed all those years ago. However she had no say on the matter, most of them didn't have any say on it despite them wanting to voice out their concern. But now, now things were different, Shikamaru made things different, though the adults were not allowed to make the first contact with her but due to Shikamaru's sudden involvement with her made things a little bit possible.

"Shikaku.", his eyes met his wife's brown determined eyes and at that moment he knew the next few days would turn out to be troublesome. But perhaps as he looks towards her, the living legacy of Minato and Kushina, he thinks the trouble might just be worth it.

It's been a long time since their house was this crowded and if Shikaku were to be asked he had long forgotten when the last time it was. He didn't mind it. His wife was more than happy to have more companions and other people she could talk to inside the house. He watched as Naruto easily moved around to offer her help towards his wife, which she happily obliged not having the heart to refuse.

Chuckling to himself he gazed at the boys by their patio. One was sprawled out on the floor playing with his pup, the other was munching on a newly opened bag of chips and his very own son seated just in front of a shogi board. Deciding to sit in front of his son he pushed one of the tiles to move as they started to play.

"So, what do you kids think about Naruto?", three pairs of eyes landed on him but he acted as if he didn't feel their gazes land on him. There was a moment of silence before Inuzuka's heir broke their silence.

"Well I don't know much about her but I guess she is loud. There is this weird smell on her but she was okay unlike the other girls who just yap about Sasuke anyway."

"What smell?", Chouji asked Kiba and the boy sat up hugging Akamaru before he replied.

"There is always this smell of sadness on her I guess, even if the idiot smiles all the time. It's like it's stuck on her or something but I guess now it's fading a bit.", he wrinkled his nose in distaste.

Shikaku hummed in reply, he knew his own son's sharp eyes were watching him. "What about you Chouji?", he could hear the sound of a wrapper being held slightly tight at the sudden question on him.

"Naruto is—she is too kind for her own good.", he replied before he continued to munch on his chips.

He didn't need to hear any kind of answer from Shikamaru since he already has an inkling on what he might say.

"But why are you asking Uncle?", Chouji suddenly asked and Shikaku smiled at them as he replied.

"No reason, it's just that you kids really are better than us adults at times.", Shikamaru huffed, Shikaku then laughed, Chouji and Kiba looking at one another shrugging their shoulders not quite understanding what he had meant.

Naruto began to fidget, a few minutes ago Kiba was picked up by his Mother who stared at Naruto oddly before smiling at her. She had a fierceness in her that Naruto couldn't help but admire, she was very much like Kiba in a way. She then said her thanks for taking care and inviting Kiba for dinner towards the Nara's. The three remaining kids waved at Kiba and Akamaru as they left.

"See you guys tomorrow!", Kiba shouted and Akamaru yipped at the idea. His mother hit his head for shouting too loudly enough to disturb the whole compound. The echoes of their arguing voices could be heard as they slowly disappear from view.

As soon as they left Chouji's father came by to pick up his son. Once again Naruto was subjected to a look he could not decipher but soon enough Chouji's father smiled down at her and Naruto couldn't help but see the similarity of father and son. They both had a sense of warmness within them that was hard not to ignore.

'I wonder who I would have taken after? Would it be my mother? Or my father?', something stung and prickled at her as her thought began to go down that particular lane. She clutched her stomach feeling it twist and turn as she didn't want to clutch at the pain in her chest.

Instead she forced herself to smile widely and waved at Chouji as he was leaving with his Father. She swallowed as she too stepped out bowing her head towards the Nara's.

"Thank you for dinner Yoshino-san, Shikaku-san. I should be getting back as well.", she smiled widely trying her hardest to push her thoughts back deeper into the back of her head.

"Naruto-chan.", Yoshino's soft voice laced with concern stopped her as she kneeled in front of her to be on level with her.

"Yes?", she squeaked out suddenly, super aware of everything.

"How about staying here?", Naruto suddenly didn't understand what she meant as her head tilted.

"What do you mean Yoshino-san?"

"Literally what she means.", Shikamaru voiced out and Yoshino shushed him, Naruto blinked once, twice until it fully sunk into her what she had meant by it.

"N—no. that would be too much and it would bother you.", her hands waving in front of her as one hand reached up to scratch the back of her head.

"Naruto-chan.", Yoshino held her hand in her warm huge ones and Naruto can't help but stare at her in disbelief.

"It's okay, you can be a bother all you want. I mean aren't you a child as well? Don't worry about the complicated stuff and let us adults for once handle it for you okay?", Naruto was frozen where she stood, she stared up at Shikaku who just smiled at her and nodded his head as if everything was going to be alright. A warm hand almost as small as hers held her hand and began to tug on her slightly.

"Come on inside, it's cold.", Shikamaru's usual bored tone called onto her. She looked down on the ground with a small smile on her lips as she nodded. Blinking away the tears pooling in her eyes she allowed Shikamaru to pull her alongside him.

The room was big. She stared wide-eyed at the room that Yoshino told her to make use of. She swallowed as she blinked unbelieving she slowly approached the bed where Shikamaru sat down. He was asked by Yoshino to lead her to the room.

His eyes stared at her questioningly, curious, she inwardly shook her head and smiled slowly approaching the bed and jumping on it, taking Shikamaru down with her. She giggled when she heard him grunt in annoyance. She snuggled into the soft pillow and rubbed her feet at the soft covers of the bed.

It was the first time she had felt something this soft, so comfortable that she didn't realize it when she was now suddenly dozing off. She could feel Shikamaru lift her arm from his person and move away from her. She didn't want him to leave but the call of sleep and the exhaustion of the day was getting to her.

She felt the blanket underneath her was being tugged. Soon enough she was covered by the soft material and was now snuggling in the warmth it provided. Shikamaru tucked her to bed, something she had only seen the Matron's do to the other kids in the orphanage.

'It's warm. So warm.', those were her thoughts as she softly heard Yoshino and Shikaku's soft faint voices coming by the door. Without her realizing she was off to dreamland.

Shikaku woke up with a dry throat. Slowly moving out of their bedroom to avoid waking up his wife as much as possible he tiptoed out of the room and went to the kitchen. Pouring himself a cup of water and drinking it in one go, noticing that one of the sliding doors to the patio was slightly a jar, he moved to close it when a small figure stopped him from doing so.

Golden hair was the first thing he saw, sitting by the edge of the wooden floor her bare feet dangling and blue eyes set on staring up at the starry night sky. He noticed how thin her clothes were and despite it being the summer season, does not excuse the cold night air.

He released a sigh as he turned back in, grabbed one of the woolen shawls that his wife rarely uses and headed out towards the child. She barely noticed his presence, she seemed to have snapped out of her daze as soon as Shikaku placed the woolen shawl on her small shoulders.

"Shikaku-san!", she voiced out loudly, startled and Shikaku raised his forefinger to his lips signalling for her to keep quiet. Naruto flushed and covered her lips with both of her hands embarrassed.

"Aren't you supposed to be asleep?", he whispered as he sat next to her cross-legged, he made sure to keep a safe distance from the wary child. He could feel Naruto's eyes from his peripheral view as he too stared up at the night sky.

"I suddenly woke up and now I just couldn't sleep.", Shikaku nodded his head in understanding, to Naruto this must've been a foreign environment, something she wasn't used to.

"Why is that?", he couldn't help but ask as he stared down at this girl who caught his son's attention, this girl whose story he should've known but was instead prohibited from doing so. He wanted to know more about this girl who could still smile, still laugh, still be this strong despite the things that life had thrown at her way.

"I don't want to suddenly wake up and find out that this is all just a dream.", Shikaku's grip on his crossed arms tightened. Yes, she had never implied nor told anyone about her circumstances and yet her words rang so strongly. Now he could somehow understand the burning embers within his son's eyes whenever she was involved.

As he stared right at her crystalline blue eyes he could see it, within those well veiled eyes was a pain that she had strongly carried for so long. The anguish, the loneliness and the hidden fear that she loses what she had found right now. There was a darkness there, a dullness in those blue eyes and he wondered what would've happened had she remained all alone this time.

It was an expression, an emotion that a child must never have at such a young age. He felt like cussing and he could feel his fingers twitch, the urge to do something was overpowering that he couldn't help the words that came out of his lips.

"You won't, Naruto-chan. I will make sure that it won't be.", he voiced it out with such conviction, with such promise that her eyes lit up the darkness dissipating from her eyes as if it was never there in the first place.

'That is the least that I could give you for what your family had sacrificed and done for Konoha to protect all of us. That I swear to you.', he never voiced out those following words but swore it to himself. A soft smile that reminded him so much of Kushina graced her features as she uttered the following words that cemented his resolve.

"I believe you. Shikaku-san!", and as if all her worries washed away she edged closer to him and gave him a hug. Shikaku chuckled and returned the hug slowly as if he was holding something precious. Because she truly is precious, no matter what anyone dictates. He looked up to the sky wondering what the Fourth and Kushina would say at such a moment. Naruto released him from her awkward hug but she no longer shied away from him and instead leaned to him.

"Shouldn't we be getting back to sleep?", Shikaku asked as he looked down at the girl only to see her fast asleep, he chuckled as he then picked her up, tucked her with the shawl and headed to her bedroom. She was so light and so small, he frowned at that and reminded himself to make sure Yoshino prepared healthier foods for her.

He huffed, who was he kidding, without him stating it he was sure his wife would do it. After he had tucked her in bed, he realized it was only a few more hours and dawn would arrive. He then stretched his limbs and headed to his office to prepare all the necessary papers he would need to take Naruto as his ward. It was troublesome but it would all be worth it.

Shimura Danzo sat by his office leafing through several paper works. The candles flickered at the sudden change in the air. He didn't mind it as he read one of the reports. A shunshin appeared in front of him and the masked Anbu bowed to him. The Anbu stood up after Danzo acknowledged his presence.

"Report.", the Anbu bowed and began to report to him in a clear concise voice. Danzo hummed at the information as he then stood up and began to walk towards one of the underground training grounds. He watched as a few Root children were already preparing to spar with each other and train.

"Tell the Root who has always kept watch over Orochimaru to keep track of his travel, we have to find out when he is exactly arriving.", another Root member who was standing to guard him at all times bowed his head before leaving his order.

Danzo's eyes stared down at a few of the newly promising Root operatives. Especially one who was now using Wood Release against one of the younger ones who dodged it and began to attack back with Fire Release.

"Well at least that snake did leave us with something useful.", he watched as the Wood user easily overwhelmed his sparring partner and won. He still remembered when he asked Orochimaru if it was possible to somehow obtain the First's capability of regeneration to help cure those who were injured in the war. He was able to make Orochimaru believe that they were both on the same side when his agenda was also to find out if the Wood Release of the First can also be passed on to someone that isn't of his blood.

During those times it was like killing two birds with one stone, with the First's DNA he could regenerate the arm that he had lost and perhaps maybe even obtain the DNA that bears the powerful Wood Release of the First that was able to make even the powerful bijuu's bow down to mere mortals.

The glee he had when Orochimaru was successful in extracting the First's DNA, but the horror in Orochimaru's eyes when proposed to make use of the orphans during the war for that specific experiment. Truly such a shame Orochimaru wasn't the person he had thought him to be.

He had thought Orochimaru would be the type of person who wouldn't care about the means, only the results that they would obtain from experimenting with the First's DNA. When Orochimaru left he had made sure to continue his research despite the other burning it to ashes when he told him about the orphans he had collected.

That particular experiment wasn't in vain despite losing almost all of the children he had prepared for the experiment. One survived, and one was enough to hold down that fox, until Danzo would make sure that the fox would only work to protect Konoha under his orders. His subordinate's voice brought him back from his musings and his eyes turned to the Anbu.

"What of the Nara Clan Danzo-sama?", Danzo waved his hand before his eyes turned back into the training ground.

"I will deal with it, I'm sure the other Clan Heads wouldn't be happy especially the other Representatives.", it was a new development that luckily didn't hinder his plans however if Shikaku were to be successful it would delay his plans a bit more. They needed to take the Jinchuuriki before any more troubles went their way.

"How are the other preparations coming along?"

"Everything will be prepared by tomorrow Danzo-sama.", Danzo nodded his head seemingly pleased.

"Good, we will make our move two days from now then."

To Miroku Kensei: waaaa~ thank you so much!:))
To Sandy45: i'm so happy you do! I have not clued it in this chap yet but i guess you will all find out who on the following chaps, really? May I know who your guesses are? I'm glad you see their friendship that way i thought i was pushing it a lil bit too far but im glad you found it that way, yess Kiba and his cute and adorable Akamaru!:))