Three Hundred and Fifty Two
Four days after the Bell Test, the Junior Guards are initiated into Kurama's Guards. Kurama and Naruto managed to get the Key for their seal in those four days, and Kurama is able to preside over the ceremony from outside the seal. Half of his chakra remains inside Naruto, while the other half of Kurama sits outside the seal, presiding over the ceremony in all his glory.
All the Guards, retired Guards and the Guards' families gather for the initiation ceremony. When everyone is assembled, the two Junior Guards are presented with their half-uniforms and are officially recognized as Junior Guards.
The ceremony is very short, but it is followed by a huge feast. After the ceremony, the junior Guards change into their uniforms: black pants and black sandals with white spats, and a red kimono top with long, loose sleeves and a black undershirt. When the pair rejoins the party, everyone cheers for them except the failed trainees, who clap halfheartedly.
While the Guards and their families talk and laugh and enjoy the feast, Kurama, Naruto, Minato, Kushina and Sei stand a little way away from the crowd watching over the party.
"So Kurama…" says Minato hopefully. "Is there any chance you'll come back and live in my seal again?"
"None at all," answers Kurama, instantly. "I might be able to split myself in half more easily than before as a result of being in two pieces for a long time, but I cannot go back in your seal - not that I would ever want to."
"Are you going to have half of yourself outside Naruto all the time?" asks Kushina. "Or will it just be sometimes? What will you do when you are outside Naruto? Will Naruto still be able to access your chakra, 'tebane?"
Kurama rolls his eyes. Naruto definitely got his tendency to ask a ton of questions at once from his mother. "No, yes, whatever I want, most likely."
Kushina shrugs. "I guess that's fine. Just try not to cause too much chaos, alright?"
Kurama resolves to cause as much chaos as possible.
Sekitei hops around the hospital room on her new crutches. "It'll just be you boys here soon," she says. "I'll be going to our new home soon. I wonder what Uncle Madara's cooking is like? Oh, I bet I'll get to go to the academy too. It's gonna be so much fun!'
"You can go home today," says Shizune, nodding as he writes something down on his clipboard. "Ah, there's Madara now."
Sekitei hops over to the window and looks out. She sees Uncle Madara heading towards the hospital with Tachibana, Lucy and Ajisai. "YAY! I can go home! I can go home!"
Uncle Madara enters the room a few minutes later, and Sekitei hops over to him. "I can go home today!" she announces.
Uncle Madara sighs. "Sure," he says resignedly. "Okay."
"Cool!" says Tachibana, squeezing around Uncle Madara with Lucy.
"When do we get to leave?" demands Sazanka, crossing his arms. He and Yatsude are in separate beds now, much to Sazanka's pleasure and Yatsude's displeasure.
"When I am satisfied the two of you can function separately," says Shizune. "You are making remarkable progress, so it won't be too much longer."
"That's just great," mutters Uncle Madara.
"Isn't it?" says Tachibana, grinning. "We'll be all together again soon!"
"She can't leave yet, she doesn't have any clothes," says Uncle Madara, pointing to Sekitei.
"Then go get some for her," says Shizune crisply. "Leave the other two here. I'll give them check ups while you're gone."
Uncle Madara hands Ajisai and Tachibana over to Shizune and leaves. The moment he is gone, Ajisai starts crying.
"She cries whenever Uncle Madara goes further than a few steps away," says Tachibana helpfully.
Sekitei wonders if she would be able to get away with that. Probably not. Shizune checks over Tachibana and Ajisai, who eventually quietens her howling down to an unhappy sniffle. While Uncle Madara is gone and Shizune is distracted, Sekitei hops out of the hospital room and starts racing up and down the hallway, just to see how fast she can move. Eventually, Uncle Madara returns with a small bag. Sekitei races up to him, a big grin on her face.
"Look how fast I can go!" she says, proudly showing off. She has never been able to move so fast before in her life.
Uncle Madara blinks a couple of times and says, "Very nice. You'll be able to go much faster when that cast comes off."
Sekitei is not sure how to respond, so she copies Uncle Madara and blinks a couple of times.
"Back to your room, now," Uncle Madara says. "Hopefully you are quicker to learn how to put on clothes than Tachi."
"Yay!" says Sekitei, who rather likes the clothes stuff that all the people in the Leaf wear. She is happy to have her own, and get out of the hospital gown. As fast as she can, Sekitei hops back to her hospital room.
"Energetic little bastard, aren't you?" Uncle Madara mutters, easily keeping pace with her.
When they get back to the hospital room, Ajisai starts crying loudly again. Madara rolls his eyes and takes the baby from Shizune. "She is very attached to you," says Shizune, frowning.
"I know," says Uncle Madara. "Shut up, now," he tells Ajisai gently. "I haven't abandoned you, silly."
Ajisai grabs a fistful of Uncle Madara's top and glares at him angrily, still crying. Uncle Madara tucks Ajisai into her sling and rocks her until she calms down. When the baby is quiet, although still glaring at Uncle Madara, everyone sighs in relief.
"Clothes, clothes, clothes!" Sekitei chants, snatching the bag off Uncle Madara. She empties the bag onto her bed and then, with a little help from Uncle Madara, Sekitei puts on her new purple dress, which reaches her knees. There is a pair of shorts for her to wear underneath so she can still climb trees without flashing her new underwear (although how she is going to climb trees with the cast is a mystery), a jersey with a zip down the front and a hood on the back, and a pair of sandals. When Sekitei is fully dressed, minus one shoe because of her cast, she parades around the room on her crutches.
"I think she likes her new clothes," Shizune whispers to Uncle Madara.
"Oh, I do, I do!" says Sekitei, hopping over to Uncle Madara and throwing her arms around him.
Uncle Madara responds by awkwardly patting her head. Ajisai does not appreciate the hug at all, and starts crying. "Alright, that's enough hugging," says Uncle Madara. "Let's go home. Oh, and Shizune? Can you lot warn me the day before the twins are to come home with me so I can bring their clothes with me when I come to the hospital to get them?"
Shizune laughs. "I'll make sure everyone who's dealing with this case knows," he says. "You're doing a good job with Ajisai and Tachibana. They've put on a lot of weight. They are a much healthier weight now."
"They are still far too thin," says Uncle Madara stoutly. "But I will fix that. Let's go, you two. Say goodbye to the twins."
"Bye-bye!" says Sekitei, grinning at the twins. "You two better hurry up and get well enough to come home."
"Please, take your time," says Uncle Madara. "There is no rush for you two to recover any time soon." That said, Uncle Madara herds Tachibana, Lucy and Sekitei out of the hospital.
Sekitei's eyes light up with wonder and she stares at the buildings and people and everything. Uncle Madara does not let her stop and stare. She will have plenty of time to look at everything later, he tells her.
When they get to their new house, Sekitei hops around the garden looking at everything outside, until Uncle Madara drags her inside and shows her were everything inside the house is.
"This is your room," he says, showing her a room with a pink bed, a white chest of drawers and a mirror hanging on the wall. "Please stay in it at night while you sleep."
"Ooooooh!" Sekitei hops over to the bed and flops down on it. "It's so soft!"
"Ajisai will sleep in here too, once she's a bit older," says Uncle Madara. "At the moment it is more convenient for her to sleep in my room."
Sekitei sits up and asks, "Where's Tachibana's room?"
Madara shows her around the rest of the house. Sekitei and Lucy have their own room, and the twins have a room for when they get out of hospital.
There are more clothes for Sekitei in the chest of drawers, and she spends the rest of the afternoon trying them on and showing them to Uncle Madara, who honestly seems like he would rather do anything else. Sekitei doesn't care because she is so excited about everything. Then Madara cooks tea while Sekitei dresses up Ajisai in some of the cute frilly baby clothes stuffed at the back of the chest of drawers. It seems Uncle Madara only dresses her in the plainer clothes he got for her.
"If you don't like the frilly clothes," says Sekitei, tying a lacy cap onto Ajisai's head. "Why did you get them?"
"I didn't," says Uncle Madara. "People keep giving me things for you brats. It's mostly stuff their children grew out of."
"Uncle Madara, look how cute she is!" Sekitei holds up Ajisai proudly, so that Uncle Madara can see the lacy gown and cap properly.
"Very quaint," says Uncle Madara. "Dinner is ready."
Dinner is stir-fry and rice followed by muffins and milk. Uncle Madara drinks tea rather than milk and, when he is distracted by Ajisai fussing, Sekitei takes a sip of his tea. Ew. Far too strong.
"If you want a cup of tea, make your own," says Uncle Madara, without turning around. "Don't steal mine."
So Sekitei makes her own cup of tea, standing on one leg and leaning against the bench. Uncle Madara carries it to the table, and Sekitei happily drinks it - after she puts in some sugar.
Later, Uncle Madara tucks Sekitei and Tachibana into bed. Some time later, he goes to bed himself. Sekitei is having trouble sleeping all alone, so she gets up and sneaks into Uncle Madara's room. Then she climbs up onto his bed and cuddles up to his chest, leaving her crutches on the floor.
She wakes up a couple of hours later to Uncle Madara swearing, "OH FOR F***S SAKE!"