Naruko was proud with herself for managing to convince Ero Sennin to let them stay in Sunagakure for two weeks. She knew that their constant travel was supposed to help keep the Akatsuki off their trail, but it didn't feel right to abandon Gaara after just making friends with the lonely boy. Ero Sennin had assured her that Gaara's personal life wasn't her problem, but she had brushed him off. Gaara was a jinchuuriki, like her. But more importantly, he was her friend and one of her precious people by default. And she wasn't about to turn her back on him when he so clearly needed her.
Gaara had almost no idea how to be a friend to someone. He constantly referred to her whenever he had a question and while she did her best to answer him, Naruko frequently found it hard to explain just what it meant to be a friend and build bonds.
"Some people are easier to make friends with, I think. Hinata was so nice and friendly that we became friends pretty fast. But some people are mean and cold at first and they take more time," Naruko had tried explaining. Gaara had been listening raptly, as if he was going to be tested on her words at a later date. "I think you just have to keep trying to find things you have in common with people. Yeah, that's it!"
Now that she and Jiraiya were leaving Sunagakure, Naruko couldn't help but feel hopefully optimistic for Gaara. His father was still being a bastard and most of the shinobi in the village avoided him, but she could already see some taking a new interest in him. From where they stood at the village's entrance, the Kazekage, his children, and Baki were all up bright and early to see them off. There was a noticeable separation between Gaara and the others, but the stoic expression on his face hid any possible upset over the fact.
"Thank you, Jiraiya-sama. You have done us a great service," Rasa spoke as if it physically pained him to do so.
Jiraiya tilted his head back and let out a loud guffaw, an easy-going grin already in place. "Don't mention it. It was all Minato's idea after all."
"Right. I'll be sure to personally thank the Hokage as well."
Naruko thought that Rasa must have eaten something bad to get his face to look so constipated. Thankfully, she kept her thoughts and laughter to herself. Instead, she gave Gaara a bright grin. "I'll see you around, Gaara. Maybe next time, we can have a real fight. I'll be a lot stronger then," Naruko said.
Gaara returned her grin with a calm smile of his own. "Sure, Naruko."
Ignoring the astonished sputtering coming from the boy with the purple face paint, Naruko held out her fist for Gaara. The boy blinked at her for a few beats before touching his knuckles to hers. From the moment they made contact, Naruko could both hear and feel the kyuubi stirring. She wasn't sure if Gaara could feel the ichibi doing the same, but she did her best to ignore the grumpy furball within her.
"Naruko, let's go," Jiraiya called out from over his shoulder. Turning to leave, Naruko gave her newest friend a bright grin and final wave goodbye.
~:~
"Ero Sennin, what's the rush? You still haven't told me where we're going," Naruko pointed out as she clutched the straps of her backpack a little tighter.
"I told you, we're looking for someone."
"And who's that?" Naruko started, but then felt her suspicions grow. "We're not looking for another oneof those ladies you met in-"
Jiraiya waved his arms wildly before loudly shushing her. Ignoring the bright red blush gathering on his cheeks, Jiraiya straightened and cleared his throat. "No, brat. We're looking for an old friend of mine."
"Who?" Naruko asked, her curiosity piqued. They had been traveling together for about a year now and had never run into any old friends.
"An old teammate, Senju Tsunade."
"Oh," Naruko replied with a nod. Several quiet seconds passed before Naruko kept up her questioning, "Why are we looking for some old lady? She's not a pervert like you, is she?"
Jiraiya balked for a second before letting out a loud guffaw. "Whatever you do, don't let her hear you call her an old lady. It might be the last thing you do," Jiraiya said with a final chuckle. "Tsunade is a medical ninja- the best in the whole world. Minato wants us to find her and have her return to the village. One of Fugaku's boys is sick and it's not looking good."
Naruko suddenly jerked to a stop as Jiraiya's words sunk in. One of Fugaku's boys? "Is it Sasuke? Itachi-nii-san?" she asked, quickly rushing to rejoin Jiraiya's side.
Jiraiya peered down at her from the corner of his eye before replying, "The older one, Itachi."
Naruko had a split second of relief that Sasuke was alright before the worry set in. What had happened? Did he get hurt on a mission? Was it something else? It had to be bad for him to need the world's best medic.
"Well, then we gotta find her now, Ero Sennin! What does she look like?" Naruko pressed.
"Relax, brat. I heard a pretty good tip that we should be able to find her in the next village," Jiraiya replied. Naruko accepted his words with a nod, but her worry hadn't decreased. She was so focused on her jumbling thoughts that she nearly missed Jiraiya's next words, "I thought the younger son was your little boyfriend. Don't tell me you're pursuing both."
All of her thoughts ceased as a wave of embarrassment flooded her body. It took a few seconds to get her mouth to work right, but she loudly objected, "Sasuke's not my boyfriend! He's my friend just like Itachi-nii-san!"
"Yeah. Whatever," Jiraiya chuckled softly.
Willing away the deep flush to her cheeks, Naruko continued, "Itachi-nii is one of Sasuke's precious people. If he's as bad as you say he is, then Sasuke probably not doing so well either."
Jiraiya remained quiet for some time after that. Naruko could feel his gaze weighing down on her, but she didn't falter. They would search everywhere for Tsunade because they had to. This was important, more so than her training.
"Well then, let's not waste time," Jiraiya said and suddenly picked up his pace. Naruko was surprised at how quickly he had dashed away from her, but her surprise was soon replaced with an eager determination. If Ero Sennin was taking this seriously, then they would find Tsunade in no time.
~:~
Jiraiya could honestly say that he wasn't surprised by the results of his first encounter with Tsunade in years. He wanted to rub at his temples to quell the brewing headache but resisted the urge. He could easily hear the curses Naruko was uttering as she pulled herself from the stone wall that Tsunade had sent her flying into. Kushina was going to skin his hide when she heard what a foul mouth her daughter had become.
Like a mini-habanero, Naruko was practically seething once she had removed herself from the small crater in the stone wall. She was bleeding slightly from her forehead, deep bruising already taking hold from where Tsunade had flicked her away. "Where did she go!?" Naruko questioned him, looking ready to foam at the mouth.
"Leave it, Naruko. I doubt you'll be able to change Tsunade's mind now," Jiraiya pointed out.
"She said no, Ero Sennin!" Naruko exclaimed as if Tsunade had personally insulted the girl with her rejection. But judging by the way Naruko was fuming, it probably had felt personal. "I thought medical ninja were supposed to heal people. Why did she just leave?"
"There's a lot you don't know or understand about Tsunade, Naruko. Although, I can't say that I'm surprised. Tsunade left the village years ago with no intention to return," Jiraiya mused. Minato wasn't going to like reading his report on this failure.
"But we told her that Tou-chan wants her back. A real Konoha shinobi would obey their Hokage," Naruko rightfully pointed out.
Jiraiya raised his hand placatingly, but Naruko was already leaping to the roof of a nearby building to continue her search. "Naruko-" Jiraiya started but stopped when he saw Naruko leap away. "So much like her mother," Jiraiya griped. He just hoped that it didn't get her killed…
~:~
When Jiraiya had managed to catch up with his charge and former teammate, he wasn't surprised to see Naruko loudly challenging her to a fight. Once again, Jiraiya was reminded as to why he never had children.
"Take me seriously dammit!" Naruko was shouting.
"Get lost, gaki. I have no intention of ever stepping foot in the village again. Not for you, not for some Uchiha brat, and definitely not because the Hokage said to," Tsunade sneered. Shizune watched from the sidelines, anxiously clutching a pig to her chest. Jiraiya could see the light blush to Tsunade's cheeks and hear the slight slur to her words, a clear indicator of her slightly intoxicated state.
"Naruko," Jiraiya interrupted and rested a hand on the girl's shoulder. He could see the determined fire in the girl's eyes and the tense anger flooding her small form. "Go take a walk. Let me handle this."
Naruko stared up at him for several moments, her blue eyes searching. "Fine. You talk to her. But if you can't get her to change her mind, we can find someone else right, 'ttebayo? There has to be someone else besides this drunk, old bag," Naruko loudly sneered.
"What did you say!?" Tsunade shouted.
"Tsunade-sama," Shizune started, already reaching a comforting hand for her shishou.
Against Jiraiya's every wish, Naruko turned a cutting glare onto Tsunade and said, "You heard me. Ero Sennin said that you're the best, but I think he was lying. What kind of shinobi are you anyways?"
"Naruko," Jiraiya said in a warning tone. He could already see Hime's temper rising. Her fists were clenching, the skin over her knuckles straining. Her normal steady shoulders were shaking slightly as if she was fighting to hold back her strength.
"I'm a Konoha shinobi just like you are, but I'm just a lowly genin. Even I know that if the Hokage gives an order, we're supposed to follow it," Naruko said.
"You have no idea what you're talking about," Tsunade replied in a low growl. "Who cares about the Hokage? Only a fool would wear that hat."
Anticipating her reaction, Jiraiya quickly latched onto the back of Naruko's jacket, holding in place and preventing her from rushing towards Tsunade. "You take that back! Tou-chan is a genius! He's the greatest Hokage we've ever had!" Naruko shouted, looking ready to breathe fire.
Tsunade paused and straightened up. "Tou-chan? You're Minato's kid," Tsunade muttered.
"Yeah! I am! And just like him, I'm gonna be the Hokage one day, dattebayo! I'm gonna be the first and greatest female Hokage!"
Tsunade scoffed and folded her arms over her chest. Jiraiya was distracted by the action for only a few seconds but was quickly snapped out of it by Tsunade's next words, "Then you're more of a fool than I thought."
Jiraiya shot Tsunade a stern look, subtly warning her to back off. Tsunade seemed to get his message loud and clear but wasn't pleased by it. Directing his attention back onto Naruko, Jiraiya was surprised to see the normally exuberant girl completely still. Taking a chance, Jiraiya released the girl and set her back down onto her feet. Jiraiya felt his surprise grow when he saw a familiar look of fierce calm set in her blue eyes. The shape of her eyes was reminiscent of Kushina, and the shade of blue was a bit off, but she was the spitting image of Minato.
"You're the fool," Naruko said. Jiraiya watched Tsunade's expression shift to one of curiosity. "You're not a real shinobi. You must have forgotten what it means to be a shinobi. I bet you can't even remember how to save a life anyways. I wouldn't trust you to cure a cold much less help Itachi-nii-san," Naruko resolutely declared and turned up her nose at Tsunade.
"Oh really?" Tsunade replied with a frown. "And what does a brat like you know about being a shinobi? You look like you haven't even gone through puberty yet."
Naruko blushed a bit at Tsunade's words, but quickly shook herself out. "Being a shinobi means that you never run away, and you never go back on your word!" Naruko exclaimed with pure conviction coloring her words. "A shinobi is one who endures. We face the darkness in the world head on to protect our precious people."
Jiraiya couldn't help but stare at his charge in muted surprise. At the time, he had thought that sharing his philosophies with a teenager was pointless. He hadn't expected her to be listening and taking his words to heart. Not only had she done that, but she also seemed to have added her own philosophies as well. Jiraiya smiled as a sense of pride filled him.
"Like I said, spoken like a true fool. You would chase after an unreachable goal even if it means dying?" Tsunade spoke, moving in close to sneer down at Naruko.
"Being a shinobi means that I could die at any time. But that doesn't matter because I won't die before I become the Hokage, dattebayo," Naruko said, not backing down.
Jiraiya could see the tiny gears turning behind Tsunade's eyes. It was probably the alcohol in her system that was keeping her in place and making her actually consider Naruko's words. But perhaps this was a good thing? Jiraiya still had his doubts that he could convince Tsunade to return to the village, but if he could at least get her to consider healing the Uchiha clan heir he would count that as a win.
"Alright brat. You've piqued my interests," Tsunade smirked. "Tell you what. I'll make you a deal. You want to be Hokage so badly, prove you've got what it takes. If you can hold your own in a fight against me for three minutes, I'll heal the Uchiha."
Jiraiya mentally sighed while Shizune loudly objected and tried to reason with Tsunade. Predictably, Naruko replied, "Deal!"
"Naruko-" Jiraiya started but was cutoff.
"Don't worry, Ero Sennin. I won't back down no matter what. I'll last the three minutes and win the bet, 'ttebayo," Naruko promised.
Jiraiya admired Naruko's headstrong, never-give-up attitude. He loved that about his goddaughter. But sometimes he wished that she would take more time to think through her actions before sticking her foot in her mouth. Nonetheless, he followed her lead as she walked back the way she came and out of the town.
"Jiraiya," Tsunade's voice whispered to him as she took up the place at his side. He looked at her from the corner of his eye. "What's so important about some Uchiha brat?"
"Uchiha Itachi, the Uchiha clan heir. Minato is friends of the family," Jiraiya explained.
Tsunade rolled her eyes. "So what? I'm expected to drop everything for that one's little boyfriend," Tsunade scoffed and gestured at Naruko's straight back marching along ahead of them.
Jiraiya chuckled lowly. "Wrong son," he hinted. At Tsunade's questioning look, Jiraiya smirked.
~:~
Three minutes.
She just had to last three minutes against the strongest kunoichi in the world.
Naruko had a suspicion that this whole bet was Tsunade's way to get her to either give up or discourage her. Unfortunately for her, Naruko had no intention of baking down. It didn't matter that the odds were stacked against her here. She wasn't about to run away. Not when Itachi-nii-san needed her. There were people counting on her and she wasn't going to let them down.
Naruko had chosen a deserted field outside of town for their bout. Unfortunately, the mostly level terrain didn't offer too many places to hide should she need to make a quick getaway from Tsunade's monstrous strength. "Kage bushin no jutsu!" Naruko exclaimed and summoned three clones that all rushed towards Tsunade. While her clones were engaging Tsunade head on, Naruko quickly hid amongst the blades of grass with a henge. As she expected, Tsunade was too strong for her clones to handle, even while drunk.
When Tsunade landed a powerful punch that had the ground in front of her splitting in two, Naruko felt a small spike of anxiety. A short-range fight wouldn't get her anywhere but a trip to a hospital with multiple broken bones. Plus, she wasn't much of a long-range fighter. If only she knew how to do genjutsu like Itachi-nii…
"There you are!" Tsunade exclaimed and raised her leg above her head.
Fear spiking, Naruto quickly abandoned her disguise while ducking to the side. Mid-roll, Naruko started gathering enough chakra for a small army of clones. She just needed a few seconds to think through a plan. "Tajuu kage bushin no jutsu!" Naruko shouted and pulled a kunai from the pouch strapped to her thigh. Slipping in amongst the crowd of kunai-wielding clones, Naruko carefully watched Tsunade's movements.
The woman was an absolute monster. Tsunade's movements were far from delicate, but they sure were effective. She punched and kicked like a brawler but with perfect form and immeasurable strength. Naruko would probably feel admiration for the fellow blonde if she didn't have such twisted views on the Hokage.
'Two minutes and fourteen seconds left,' Naruko counted. If she wanted to last the full three minutes, she would have to do more than waste chakra on making punching bags.
"Now!" one of her clones obviously shouted while latching onto Tsunade from behind. Naruko watched as two more clones grabbed onto her legs, all holding her in place while a third clone readied to land a punch. Before the clone could get close, Tsunade had ceased her fake surprise at being caught and was subtly performing a kawarimi.
'Gotcha!' Naruko couldn't help but think as she swiped at Tsunade with her kunai, ignoring the clones that had dispatched of themselves.
"Not half bad for a brat. You're halfway decent with those clones of yours," Tsunade complimented while dodging the kunai. "But you're still no match for me," Tsunade said and quickly disarmed Naruko.
Despite the kunai in her left hand, Tsunade was already clutching her right hand into a tight fist. Eyes widening in shock, Naruko knew she wouldn't have enough time to dodge. Fortunately, one of her clones had managed to slip in between them, taking the punch to the gut, and sparing her from receiving the knockout blow. Taking advantage of her second chance, Naruko quickly jumped back to gain some distance. Ignoring the smug smirk on Tsunade's face, Naruko tried to calm her breathing. She just had to remain calm, and she could win.
"Halfway there. I'm impressed, but this is where it ends, gaki," Tsunade said and ominously cracked her knuckles.
If Tsunade was getting serious, then she would too. Once again drawing on her wellspring of chakra, Naruko doubled the crowd of clones that she had leftover. Holding her hand out to a nearby clone, she started gathering her chakra in palm. Tsunade looked momentarily surprised at the sight of the Rasengan taking shape in her palm, but she was complete floored by all of her clones copying her movements as well. Naruko allowed herself a smug smirk.
"Rasengan!" Naruko exclaimed and leapt into the air at the same time as her clones.
Naruko supposed that she shouldn't have been surprised that Tsunade was able to dodge her many attacks. She couldn't help but grit her teeth in frustration at the sight of a completely untouched Tsunade easily evading and dispelling her attacking clones. 'Forty-five seconds,' Naruko reminded herself. She could do this!
As if in tune with Naruko's thoughts, Tsunade's movements began picking up speed, almost moving too fast for Naruko to keep track. Her eyes widened in shock as she watched the remainder of her small army disappear with rapid fire pops. The memories of her clones were blurring together in her mind, the force and strength behind the blows were making phantom pains throb through her own body. Only fifteen seconds had passed and Naruko was standing alone.
A single moment of stunned surprise was all Naruko was allowed before Tsunade was closing in on her. She would never admit it, but the sight of Tsunade rushing at her with her fist drawn and a fearsome expression on her face had Naruko's knees locking in place and her body frozen. At the last second, instinct took over, and she was able to raise her arms to defend her face from Tsunade's punch. But she was left gasping desperately after Tsunade landed a blow to her gut and sent her flying.
She had heard her ribs crack and when she'd tried to pull in a breath, she'd choked on the blood gathering in the back of her mouth. When she'd finally crashed into the ground, the impact had aggravated her injuries and left her entire body screaming. Vaguely, she could hear voices speaking, but her heart was pounding so loudly that she couldn't hear what they were saying. She could only register the pain. For an old lady, Tsunade really knew how to throw a punch.
"Just stay down, brat. I know for a fact that you have three broken ribs and internal bleeding. You're done," Tsunade's voice called out.
It was the certainty in Tsunade's voice that incensed Naruko. How could Tsunade sound so sure that she was done? Despite the overwhelming pain that she was in, she was still alive. And if she was alive, then she could keep fighting. And as long as she could keep fighting, then she could win. 'I won't give up now! Itachi-nii-san needs help,' Naruko thought as she slowly pushed herself onto her knees.
From her knees to one foot shakily planted to two feet, Naruko got up into a slouch. Shooting Tsunade a determined glare, she spat out the blood that had collected in her mouth. "Shut up. I'll never give up even if all my bones are broken because I'm fighting for a reason!" Naruko said and made a hand sign. She ignored Tsunade's deliberating look and held out a hand to the clone she had summoned. She dispelled the clone once her Rasengan had fully formed and took off in a labored run towards the older blonde. Tsunade was still looking down her nose, her arms folded under her chest and a small frown on her face. 'She can look down on me all she wants cause I'm gonna win!'
Before she could get close to Tsunade, Naruko was pulled to an abrupt stop by the back of her clothes, her Rasengan disappearing with a slight breeze. The jerky stop had aggravated her injuries, but that didn't stop her from turning an angry gaze onto whoever had stopped her attack. Jiraiya stared evenly down at Naruko, not affected by her ire. "Ero Sennin-" Naruko started to complain but Jiraiya cut her off.
"It's over, Naruko," Jiraiya said, his voice leaving no room for arguments.
Naruko felt her objections die on her tongue, shame filling her. Did Ero Sennin have no faith in her at all? Staring down at her feet, Naruko ignored the sounds of Tsunade coming closer. Beating Tsunade at her current level was impossible. She knew that. But she had just wanted to-
"You only needed to last three minutes after all," Jiraiya continued. Naruko's train of thought derailed while Tsunade loudly scoffed. With wide eyes, Naruko looked up at Jiraiya in surprise to see him smirking down at her. Had she gotten so lost in the fight that she'd miscounted? 'Whoops,' Naruko thought, mild embarrassment flooding her as a nervous chuckle escaped her.
"Three minutes," Tsunade scoffed again, but she did shoot Naruko a considering stare. "You're gutsy, kid. I'll give you that. You really don't know when to quit do you?"
"I already told you! I'll never give up!" Naruko shouted up at Tsunade. "Geez. You must be older than you look for your hearing to be this bad…"
"What did you say to me, you little brat!?" Tsunade shouted and clenched a fist.
Naruko flinched on reflex, already bracing for another hit. But she was surprised to feel Tsunade gently rest a hand on her head instead. Even more surprisingly, Naruko felt Tsunade's chakra cover and fill her, soothing the injuries she had sustained from the woman. Naruko blinked up at Tsunade in surprise and got a smirk in return. Maybe this old granny wasn't so bad…
~Omake 1~
"So, then you tie the end and it's ready to go," Naruko instructed and quickly tied a knot to seal the paint-filled balloon. Gaara stared at the colorful orb silently before accepting it when Naruko dumped it into his hands.
"What do you do with it?" Gaara asked, almost adorably confused.
Naruko grinned mischievously at him while filling the rest of the balloons with the rest of the paint. "We make art, 'ttebayo," she cryptically explained. "I couldn't find the type of paint that I normally use back home, but Kaa-chan showed me how to make normal paint harder to clean."
Once she had finished filling the dozen or so balloons, she picked up the bucket of balloons and led Gaara out of his room. Gaara quickly picked up on Naruko's furtive behavior, doing his best to not attract attention as he dutifully followed after the blonde. He followed her up and out of the building, needing chakra to stick to the outside of the building. Gaara patiently waited for Naruko to explain what she was looking for out in the village before attempting to spot whatever it was as well.
"There!" she exclaimed and pointed off to the side. Gaara looked in the direction that she had indicated, but he couldn't see anything of worth. He didn't get a chance to question her, however, because Naruko was already gripping one of her paint balloons and chucking it as hard as she could. They both paused and watched the projectile arc through the air before zooming towards a small gathering of men below. Gaara's eyes widened as one of the village's jounin spotted the incoming balloon and quickly launched a shuriken in retaliation. His jaw dropped slightly at the sight of the balloon exploding midair, releasing a wide spray of paint all over the men. "Now!" Naruko shouted and proceeded to hurl the remaining balloons as quickly as she could while the men below were still objecting from the initial paint shower.
Gaara hesitated for a moment before gripping the balloon in his hand. Naruko was laughing as she threw balloons now, slightly less accurate but still excited. She had called it a prank, but Gaara wasn't sure that he understood the purpose. Upon closer inspection, Gaara realized that he recognized the men that she was targeting.
Just yesterday, they had run into these jounin while out in the village. It had been a short interaction in the grand scheme of things, so Gaara hadn't paid too much attention to the hateful words and looks that he'd received from the shinobi. If anything, Naruko had been far more upset by the exchange. She always took personal offense to any insults on his behalf. It made Gaara wonder if this was how friends behaved?
"Try it, Gaara," Naruko coerced, giving him an encouraging grin and pat to the arm.
Gaara looked down at the balloon again in consideration. He could have easily killed those men yesterday. Their strength didn't compare to his and he'd killed for less than a few insults and poor treatment. Mother would have immediately demanded their blood as a sacrifice. But if he had learned anything from Naruko, it was that he didn't have to kill them. Glancing at Naruko's smile again, Gaara clenched his hand and tossed the balloon off the roof.
The men below froze up instinctually, their fear quickly permeating the air around them. It was that paralyzing fear that prevented them from dodging and defending, causing the balloon to nail one of the men in the face and burst on impact. Gaara blinked in stunned silence, but Naruko was already bent at the waist and laughing loudly.
"You brats!" the man shouted up at them, his fear already forgotten.
Naruko pulled down her eye lid and stuck her tongue out in response before taking him by the hand and pulling him and the empty bucket back inside. "That was awesome the way you nailed that guy in the face, Gaara!" she exclaimed as they ran together.
As a warmth bloomed in his chest, Gaara smiled softly and agreed. "It was."
"Serves them right for being mean to you, 'ttebayo," she said and slowed to a more casual pace.
"Do you do things like that a lot?"
"Sometimes. I painted the Hokage monument once. Iruka-sensei got so mad and made me stay after school to clean it off though. It took so long that I got in trouble with Kaa-chan cause I got home late for dinner!" Naruko said with a weepy expression. Gaara gave her a small smile of amusement.
It still amazed him how easily Naruko expressed herself around him. He wasn't sure if it was their shared jinchuuriki status that had her so at ease around him or if she didn't see him as a threat after managing to beat him once. But ever since publicly declaring them to be friends, Naruko had sought out his company and interacted with him with an ease he had never experienced before.
People still stood aside as they passed, more so to give him a wide berth than anything. But Gaara could see the fear that he normally instilled being slowly replaced with astonished curiosity. He never paid any of these people any mind, far too concerned with observing Naruko.
She was a jinchuuriki like him, but she didn't seem to be suffering as one. She often told him tales of her village and the people within it, her friends and family. He felt as if he was familiar with them all- the shy and quiet Hinata, the lazy, genius Kakashi, and the arrogant Sasuke. (She seemed to have a million stories about Uchiha Sasuke that all ended in her admiration and animosity towards him. Gaara was admittedly curious as to just who Uchiha Sasuke really was.) He was still far off from having as many friends or connections as her, but maybe…in time…
~Omake 2~
"What's your obsession with the Uchiha anyways?" Tsunade asked over dinner. She tipped her cup back to finish off the last of her drink before giving Naruko a curious look. She had burned off her buzz a long time ago and she had been itching for another.
"Itachi-nii-san is my friend. He's nice and strong and really smart. Everyone says that he's a genius," Naruko explained and slurped up more of her ramen. It couldn't compare to Ichiraku Ramen, but it was still filling after her fight earlier that day.
"I see," Tsunade mused and grinned slyly. "Does Minato know that his only kid has a crush on an Uchiha?"
Naruko choked as her face flamed. Jiraiya's loud guffaws weighed down on her, making her embarrassment grow until she was sure that it would become its own living thing. Even Shizune was lightly giggling at her. "I don't have a crush on Itachi-nii-san!" Naruko objected. 'Anymore,' she amended in her mind.
When she had been younger, she'd had a small crush on Itachi. It still made her cringe because she was sure that someone as observant as him must have known. Thankfully, Itachi was always kind to her and never called attention to it. But she'd gotten over her crush years ago!
"I told you, Hime. Wrong son. It's the younger one that she favors," Jiraiya said conspiratorially, not at all managing to keep his voice down.
Naruko balked. "I don't like Sasuke either!" she shouted before shrinking in on herself. Her face felt like it had to be glowing now. At least Shizune was giving her sympathetic looks. Jiraiya and Tsunade were silently shooting each other looks, having a whole conversation about her nonexistent love life. "He's just my friend. We're rivals! That's it," Naruko said firmly and folded her arms over her chest with an affirming nod.
"That reminds me of an idea that I had for my latest novel," Jiraiya mused. He rubbed a hand over his chin in thought before a dopey grin slowly slid over his face. Naruko cringed with a look of disgust over her face, but thankfully Tsunade intervened with a well-timed punch.
"Pervert," Tsunade muttered and rolled her eyes at Jiraiya's unconscious form slumped over on the floor.