The last three days had cycled between tranquility, reckless abandon, collapse and frustration.
The two laborers had gotten a lot done working together, almost as much as the one working by himself.
Like all Genin, Kosuke did quite a lot of D-rank missions when not on patrol. Usually these missions served to rejuvenate the recluse.
Searching through the dark forest for various herbs, flowers, roots and barks didn't take much knowledge; Naruto proved that right quickly. Searching through the dark forest for specific and useful herbs, flowers, roots and barks took an expert.
Between the hospital, clinics, various clans and specialists there was no end of these missions. In the past twenty years as Kosuke became more and more adept as a naturalist, he had accumulated more than enough money to retire and live quite comfortably.
"Hey-hey! How 'bout this flower? It's pretty right?" They were currently in one of the reckless abandon cycles as Naruto ran around trying to collect useful specimens for Kosuke.
"Yes, it is quite lovely." It was also quite common; which could be a good thing as it would allow Naruto to feel useful in trying to find more like it.
Not that it would make a lot of money, between the commonality of the flower wherever natural clearings occurred and the limited uses he wouldn't have normally bothered gathering it. Oh well, Akimichi restaurants enjoyed seasonal dishes and the late fall flower would go well in a sweet and bitter salad.
"Can you find as many of that exact same flower as you can Naruto? Mind you pick the stems and leaves as well as the flower, we don't need the root though." Specification was important when it came to Naruto and his finite attention span.
Thankfully Kosuke couldn't think of any similarly coloured flowers that were poisonous in the area. He'd still have to double check after Naruto was finished-he did have a reputation to uphold.
The sun informed him that it was almost time to return home. While Naruto was showing a lot of energy right now Kosuke had learned the hard way that it was better to stop early than late. Yesterday had been a disaster as Naruto had been running around one second happy as could be and suddenly he had turned into the whiniest brat imaginable.
Evidently five year-olds were supposed to take naps still.
That wasn't likely in this case, so the next best thing would be to make sure Naruto was in a comfortable and familiar environment when he did finally collapse for the day.
While the child ran off to look for the flowers, Kosuke returned to a quiet state of tranquility as he completed his current mission. One of the hospital's burn victims was allergic to the normal pain medications they used so they had asked him to bring them several samplings to see what would work on the afflicted man.
Carefully placing each ingredient in the separate containers in his pack, he went to collect his ward.
Stepping out of the forest into a pocket of waning brightness, Kosuke took a moment to watch Naruto zip around the clearing. His eagerness was surprisingly tempered by carefulness as the child gathered the flowers.
"Wow Naruto, you found a lot of those!" A simple compliment sent Naruto's direction made the child vibrate in excitement and happiness.
Kosuke tried to reserve his compliments for Naruto when he deserved it, but in this case, the child had done quite a good job as a pile of the flowers was neatly stacked against a tree.
Rushing over to the pile, Naruto bundled it up and started to hand the bunch over to Kosuke.
"No, you keep those. Tie them up like I showed you and put them in your pack. You can sell them when we get back to Konoha if you like."
The child's face scrunched up and shone with a beatific smile. He very carefully made four neat stacks and wrapped them up in a little wax paper they had brought and tried to tie them up. In the end, Kosuke had to help a little with tying each of the bundles but the majority of the work was done by Naruto.
As they walked back to Konoha Naruto was unusually silent. After a couple minutes Kosuke was afraid the child might be on his last bit of energy but it seemed he was simply content with the 'hard work' he had done.
As they started to near the houses and shops Naruto became more impatient, "Hey Gramps, when are we going to sell the flowers?"
Ah, Naruto was slowly learning. One question only followed by an expectant pause. It made Kosuke smile.
"We have to go to the hospital first to sell the rest of our harvest."
"Why do we have to go there first? And why would anyone want a bunch of dirty old roots anyways? Hey, can you grow new trees with those?"
And back to multiple questions.
"You remember how I talked to you about how I am a Shinobi of Konoha?"
Naruto looked at him as if the question was both stupid and irrelevant. "Um, yeah."
"And what do the Shinobi of Konoha do?"
"They go on really cool adventures and save princesses and kill off all the bad dragons and their…" Naruto searched for that cool word he had heard last week, "minions!"
They had discussed that, yes (although 'dragons' hadn't been part of Kosuke's vocabulary), but it was to show that wasn't all that Shinobi did.
"And why would Shinobi help a princess?"
(Not to mention everyone knew that dragons were mostly beneficent, where had Naruto gotten the idea that dragons kidnapped princesses?)
"Because it's cool!" Naruto had actually stopped for a second and looked at the older man with a 'well, duh' look to his face before marching on.
And now came the frustration. Naruto was both way too stubborn and way too needy. That wasn't a good combination for the learning process.
"No, Shinobi of Konoha help princesses because they protect people who can't protect themselves." 'Except when they assassinate people who can't protect themselves. That is for another day though.' "We are going to the hospital first because it is my job to help provide the medicines they need to help the sick."
Kosuke carried on, overriding Naruto's rejoinder. "You don't want to make someone be in a lot of pain for a couple hours simply because you want to make a little money do you?"
Along with Naruto's stubborn and needy personality, Kosuke had found the child to have a very unusual amount of empathy in one so young.
Naruto's eyes widened and gave off a slightly haunted gaze as he shook his head vigourously.
"After we finish the business at the hospital we can go and sell your flowers, ok?"
This time Naruto nodded, a little more subdued.
As the pair approached the hospital Naruto nervously inched closer to Kosuke and became clingy.
Clingy was common for Naruto, he would bombard anyone that gave him a chance with his loud, irresistible presence. Those tendencies, somewhat ironically, caused those exposed too long to pull away from him.
Needy and pushy often but rarely nervous.
As Kosuke looked around, his ward wasn't the only one having a change in attitude. In the village no one had given the pair of them a second look. Here a number of the nurses, doctors and regular visitors physically and socially eschewed Naruto. Some gave sympathetic glances towards Kosuke while others showed associative animosity.
The attitude was disturbing.
However, Kosuke supposed the likelihood that people would recognize Naruto in the hospital, the only place Naruto ever visited outside of the orphanage besides an occasional visit with the Hokage, was certainly higher than anywhere else in Konoha.
"Why is he here?"
"I don't know, the … devil child isn't scheduled to visit his bearer today"
The whispers as they entered the hospital conformed into a homogeneous subject as they passed. The people weren't just attacking Naruto as their murmurs convened en masse; They were also besmirching Kushina-possibly a greater evil for the impressionable child.
Very disturbing.
With their communal mentality they weren't likely to have a change in opinion concerning the very human child and mother. Kosuke thought maybe Naruto should avoid the hospital for a while, at least until he was less recognizable as the kyuubi (or even the container) and more so as Naruto. Perhaps Kushina could be moved to a more private clinic; it was something he could at least suggest.
He had hoped to show Naruto some of the patients and doctors who used the medicine they had gathered (Naruto needed physical evidence that what he was doing was useful, good or at least fun.) Unfortunately, it looked like going straight to the business would be a better choice given the circumstances.
"I'm here to see the on-duty pharmaceutical technician."
The young man at the receptionist table looked towards Naruto and blanched slightly but tried to stay professional, "May I ask on what business and who is asking?"
"Genin Maruboshi, I have the medicinal ingredients requested by the hospital."
"Excellent, Miss Kuzaishi has already asked me twice about their arrival."
The sandy-haired man rolled his wheelchair to the wall behind him and touched a seal, releasing a burst of chakra. "Miss Kuzaishi, your ingredients have arrived."
Naruto looked extremely tempted to examine the contraption used by the receptionist. But the obvious anxiety the man showed whenever Naruto started to approach was enough even to stall his insatiable curiosity.
The tension dissipated slightly as Miss Kuzaishi arrived. Kosuke had worked with her on a number of occasions and, if she was uneasy, she showed no sign of it as they quickly finished the transaction.
After a brief conversation concerning the various plants (locations, age, sunlight and shade, along with other pertinent details that would help with knowing the dose and efficacy of each medicine) she thanked him.
"Hopefully my patient will be able to have a good night of sleep without constant pain tonight. Thank you as always Kosuke."
She turned around and was quickly gone, headed for her laboratory.
Kosuke turned towards Naruto, and a little louder than was necessary, stated, "Good job Naruto, thanks to our hard work gathering all those plants someone will be feeling much better and hopefully get well soon."
He looked briefly, and meaningfully, at the receptionist and smiled. "It's nice to find children who will help others once in a while isn't it? Why, when I was a young lad every child helped where they were needed and..."
He blathered on like an old man talking of his glory days. The receptionist looked confused if not overly thoughtful but Naruto lit up proud and tall.
As they left the hospital Naruto ignored the whispers, instead inquiring about the various medicines that could be made because of their hard work. He finally declared loudly as they walked out the doors that he would "find enough nasty old bark, stems and leaves to heal everyone in the world!"
Naruto blithely ignored said world around them as they entered one of the commercial areas of Konoha. His imagination was typical of someone his age, that is to say, dramatic and unrealistically positive. The innumerous complaints he had spouted while in the forests were completely forgotten when the child spoke of saving all of Konoha from the dreaded Purple Spotted Yellowing Fever™.
Kosuke nodded and agreed at the appropriate times with an occasional disagreement or question to make sure the kid was using his brain. Whatever this Purple Spotted Yellowing Fever was, (Chicken Pox and Yellow Fever perhaps?) if it had any of the symptoms that Naruto was inventing, Konoha would require all the help it could get.
Kosuke quickly shunted the symptoms out of his mind as they were best left to the imagination of someone who could fix them-like Naruto. Granted, the medicines were almost as scarily inventive.
None too soon, Kosuke turned off the thoroughfare and headed into a narrow alley. Trash was stacked against the economical grey blocks that made up the backside of the buildings while smoke from two long ceramic pipes shone against several carefully tended lanterns.
As they approached a recessed doorway (and the trash) Kosuke smiled-this was why he enjoyed frequenting this particular establishment.
Namely: no rats or other vermin were startled out of the pile of trash as they approached.
Akimichi Semiji did whatever he thought was needed to make his restaurant the best: whether it was spending the money necessary to purchase an anti-vermin seal (and anti-poison seal), spending the time to arrive early and make sure all his foods were prepped or spending the effort to make sure his food was the freshest and highest quality.
Naruto was startled out of his embellishments when Kosuke stopped and knocked loudly on the door.
"Hey, what are we doing here? Oh, is this some kind of secret Ninja society where th…"
The door opened leaving Naruto gaping at the largest man he had ever seen.
In truth, Semiji was slightly small for an Akimichi in both height and weight but he did cut a pretty impressive figure while standing in the doorway. His umber hair was cut short to fit nicely under a forest green toque while his neatly trimmed mahogany beard magnified the jovial personality clearly already visible in his eyes and laugh marks. Most shocking of all, perhaps, was the deep green apron covered in brightly painted pink and purple flowers while a single smaller golden handprint was clearly centre stage over his heart.
"Mr. Maruboshi? I wasn't expecting you today but come in, come in."
Naruto continued to gape as he entered an extremely large, but tidy kitchen. Both orphanages he had lived at had a simple metal oven and cooking range. Food was quickly prepared, heated and served: usually steamed rice or porridge with processed fish. The cheapest seasonal vegetables or fruits provided a little variety and nutrients.
Against the outside wall two large brick ovens had a cord of wood neatly stacked up next to each while a long counter with recesses lined one of the side walls. Woks were smoking and hissing in the recesses where another large man seemingly effortlessly worked them all.
"Do you mind talking while I work Mr. Maruboshi?"
He waited for Kosuke's consent before walking to the other side of the kitchen.
More food was cooking over there on two long slate tiles, mostly various meats.
Naruto started to drool at the smells that were overwhelming him.
"What brings you here today Kosuke? You always manage to bring me something special on your visits."
While he spoke he went to one of the large brick ovens and pulled out a bubbling pan filled with coconut milk, cream, various herbs, green onion and a large fish fillet. He quickly placed some sauted onions, thinly sliced coconut and ginger in the bottom of a bowl, transferred the fillet to the bowl and poured the creamy sauce around it. He finished it by squeezing half a lime over the top of one side and dribbling some sweet carrot sauce on the other side.
Finally he placed the bowl on a counter and slid it halfway around the room to the door with practiced ease and pulled on a nearby rope-a quiet chime sounded at the door leading to the serving area.
Kosuke smiled brightly with his eyes shut before turning and gesturing towards the drooling youngster, who for once was completely still except for his pivoting head and eyes comically complimented by his flaring nostrils.
"Actually, it is young master Uzumaki here who found some excellent and fresh produce for you."
The rotund man turned and smiled, "Is that so?" he asked Naruto before turning towards his old friend, "Find a protege did you Kosuke? Would you mind tending the food for a moment while I talk business with our young entrepreneur?"
Naruto looked slightly shy all of a sudden before Kosuke knelt down and smiled at him, "Master Akimichi would like to buy your flowers. You found them so you get to decide what you want to do with them, ok?"
Naruto nodded a little more enthusiastically as he looked around his gramps to the smiling man in front of him.
"I'll be right here if you need any advice."
The man across the room called 'pork ribs' and slid a plate full of steamed rice and tempura vegetables (sweet potato, kabocha, carrot and bamboo) across a specially constructed counter which Kosuke then deftly caught. He proceeded to take a cut of spare ribs that was finishing up on the slate and placed it atop the rice before sliding it towards the door.
Evidently he knew his way around this kitchen.
"Alright Master Uzumaki, let's see what you have for me." Semiji spoke in a business tone, obviously taking this very seriously. A twinkle in his eye went unnoticed by Naruto.
"Yes, right, Mister Cook sir."
Naruto shrugged off his backpack and carefully brought out the four rolls of wax paper. He looked at the bundles and then Semiji, uncertain what to do.
The large chef pointed at a counter near the door with various weights and a small money box, "Why don't we take a look at it over there?"
Naruto jogged to the counter and carefully placed all four bundles on top. After Semiji casually placed a stool for him to sit on (Naruto was having trouble seeing over the top) he untied them and rolled the paper out, revealing the bounty within.
"Oh, hmm, what have we here?"
Semiji appropriately hemmed and hawed at the flowers, picking them over and occasionally peering at one especially hard.
"Ah, late blooming Chrysanthemums. Very fresh with no travel bruises." He smiled as he looked up from his inspection. "I could make a lovely bitter greens and sweet apple salad with this."
He carefully put down the flower he was holding, "But I'm getting ahead of myself. I haven't even bought these from you."
Naruto looked wide-eyed and was speechless for once. He hadn't ever bought anything before, let alone sold anything.
The solid Akimichi took charge of the situation while allowing Naruto to see the entire process.
"Ok, we'll have to weigh everything to see how much I need to pay, right?" He waited for Naruto's nod.
He theatrically moved the entire contents onto a single sheet of wax paper before placing the flowers onto a large scale he often used during his daily delivery purchases.
Both Kosuke and Semiji knew that the contents of this sale would be minimal at best and was worth far less time than Semiji was taking off from his cooking. This alone told the chef that Kosuke meant the sale for another purpose. He didn't recognize the boy but his attitude clearly showed a desire to be helpful and this was a good way to cultivate it at a young age.
After fiddling with the weights until the scale was exact he looked at the boy and declared, "Almost one full kilogram. I think I could manage to pay 300¥ for all of the flowers."
Naruto nodded eagerly, not even thinking of bartering.
The chef smiled as he went to his money box and retrieved the 300¥ and placed it on the counter in front of the child.
"A good transaction Master Uzumaki, I would love doing business with you again sometime."
The flowers would be enough for maybe five salads on the daily specials menu but he spoke truthfully. He had enjoyed spending these few minutes with the little one.
The restaurant was quite busy right now though and he had to get back to work.
"How does a meal on the house sound? In honour of our continued business."
An average meal at his restaurant was cheap for the quality of food, usually around 800-1,500¥ but if he made a barrel of Plum and 'Mum Cordial instead of those salads he might even make some money.
Not to mention Maruboshi really did find him some real culinary treats on occasion, like the Matsutake mushrooms from last month.
Kosuke handed the kitchen back to the chef and told Naruto that they could stay if he wanted.
Now that the excitement had dissipated slightly Naruto's olfactory sense was overloading once more. The drool was answer enough.
"Right, let's go find ourselves a seat."
Kosuke took him out the back alley again in order to avoid getting in the way of the servers.
The back of the restaurant was utilitarian gray and non-flammable. The front, while still plain, was warm brown wood panelling. A dainty portico shadowed the doorway with a small sign over the top-Akimichi Homestyle. If the name alone wasn't enough to draw in customers, a ceramic pipe subtly snaked around the building from the kitchen filling the air with the smoky smells that emanated from the magical realm otherwise known as an Akimichi kitchen.
The only tables available were two in the middle of the restaurant and a small booth for two on the side.
After being seated at the booth and receiving their tea the two quickly ordered, Naruto pointed at the Ribs and Roots dish he had seen earlier in the kitchen while Kosuke ordered a side of deep-fried Sweet Potato and Kabocha croquettes (evidently they were in season as the various roots and squashes were in half the dishes) along with a bowl of Oden with homemade, freshly prepared fish-cakes.
Kosuke tried not to ignore Naruto (it was impolite even with a child) as he yammered but it was a skill that was quickly becoming second-nature to him. His thoughts turned to the meeting the Hokage had scheduled for the morning.
He still planned on doing his best to warn Hiruzen that this was a bad idea, but the thought of retirement in order to avoid this responsibility no longer seemed like the right thing to do.
Naruto was quite precocious, hopefully even enough to survive Kosuke's deficiencies. Although survival might have to become a mutual agreement considering how much energy the child had… took?
The arrival of the food allowed for a modicum of peace and quiet.
"Oh hey, this is really hot!"
Kosuke sighed as he watched Naruto try to juggle the ribs in his hand before finally getting it back onto the bowl.
"Try blowing on it to cool it down. Also, you have chopsticks for a reason."
Ah, peace and quiet. Perhaps he'd be able to help at the Fire Temple as a Shinobi Emissary if the Hokage listened to reason tomorrow. He'd be able to live out the rest of his life in quiet harmo…
"Hey Gramps! This stuff is even better than your food!" Naruto pointed at the Sweet Potato Tempura that was already half-chewed in his mouth.
Maybe not.
The meeting had been brief.
Having given a half-dozen reasons why someone else should have the responsibility of raising a child and village asset, the Hokage's reply left little room for maneuvering.
"Even you will admit that your avoidance of responsibility has little to do with combat skill or personality flaws. You believe that your tactical decisions and squad leadership are cursed to failure-Mind you, the only reason I have not promoted you anyways is because your belief could easily become a self-fulfilling prophecy and you accomplish most of the duties you are best at even as a Genin."
Lord Sarutobi's face was pinched slightly in pain as he explained in a terse manner, "I have yet to hear a complaint from any of your squad members related to competency in the field or even personality differences."
Many Shinobi had a short list of colleagues they all but refused to work with in their files as well as the best or most common collaborations for easy squad make-up.
"So unless you refuse to take the child out of hatred or politics you will become Naruto's caretaker and bodyguard."
That part had been unnecessary but the receptionist had warned him that the Hokage had several confrontational meetings prior to his own.
A short pause allowed a reply but none was forthcoming, "Very well, Pika has all the paperwork you will need to fill out."
Kosuke dared ask a single condition regarding freedom in sharing necessary information about and to Naruto without petitioning the release of classified information each time.
The Hokage consented after asking what a potential scenario might look like. He would, however, need to make a mission report afterwards with his reasoning and any concurrent results; It was left unstated but clear that he'd better have good reasons.
Which left him with a dozen papers after Pika had finished with him-Everything from official guardian status to birth certificate to a pamphlet on 'Everything a Child Needs from Toddler to Teen' (if Pika wrote that they were all doomed!)
And, of course, the need to inform Naruto that he had been adopted by the old man that met him four days ago.
Surely that wasn't creepy.
Naruto was waiting on the other side of the door with Otter in the small cafeteria.
What Kosuke really wanted to do right now was visit the woods, perhaps find a quiet place behind the Nara's and watch the deer for a couple of hours.
This… everything was in such disarray right now that Kosuke wasn't sure how to handle it.
His little outing with Naruto had been simple enough. They both went out, stayed within easy reach of one another and came back to sleep at his little cottage. But now, even going to the Hokage's office, he had to find someone to take care of Naruto for however long it took (he hadn't thought of that prior to arriving-the secretary had asked Otter to help during the meeting).
He was in charge of the child's safety as his bodyguard and he was in charge of the child's upbringing as his caretaker.
If Kosuke were any younger, less experienced or liked everything nicely organized he would have started to panic.
Courageously he pushed the door open to collect Naruto and found himself in a warzone.
Growling assaulted his ears as bits of paper floated around the air and pasta lay plastered against the walls and ceiling.
A small figure in bright red paper Samurai armor bravely defended himself against the hulking menace of a ninja.
The ninja advanced, animated hair writhed and hissed at the brave warrior standing in it's path.
"Hey, what's goi,... lurggh!"
Pika, who had been behind Kosuke following the debrief and hearing the noise emanating from the small kitchen, had strode purposefully around Kosuke only to have his mask pierced by a large tan shuriken.
'Squelch'
Three figures turned to face Pika where he lay on his ass.
He grabbed hold of the wet noodle that had conformed to his mask, roughly shaped like a shuriken, and stared-as did everyone else.
The two theatrical figures within started to chortle before breaking out into full laughs.
Kosuke calmly offered a hand to the fallen ANBU-red ears turning almost purple behind the pale mask.
Pika stood, ramrod straight, and started to glare at the two culprits.
Where the ninja had lurked, a serene Otter now looked appropriately chiding in Naruto's direction. A wig of noodles miraculously lay half in the nearest trashcan.
A single noodle protruded from behind the mask, and gaily waved at Pika until she absentmindedly pushed it aside and threw it in the trash.
"A proper Samurai or Ninja must not only protect himself but also takes note of her colleagues and ensures their survival." The words were ushered forth in the command voice of a drill sergeant.
Naruto stood up straight, trying to stop his laughter as he barked a "Yes sir!" and snapped his 'sword' into his belt.
Pika hadn't moved during the admonition but now he snapped his jaw shut and primly turned around, headed for his office.
"Hey Pika, I left some Yakitori in the fridge if you are up for some more noodles when you get hungry. First come, first served!"
The mischief sparkled off her eyes as Otter called out through the doorway.
Kosuke looked around the ruined kitchen before planting his eyes on Naruto.
The kid looked nervously back after quickly glancing at Otter.
"Did you learn your lesson Naruto?"
"Um?"
Kosuke knelt down and grabbed the offending shuriken off the ground before flinging it (extremely slowly) at Naruto.
Naruto clumsily dodged out of the way before a soft 'squelch' was heard behind him.
Peeking quickly backwards while trying to keep an eye on Kosuke he saw Otter dramatically grab her shin, where the noodle had struck, before falling 'dead' on the floor.
Kosuke sighed, "I guess not. Looks like Otter can't help you clean up the mess you made now that you let me defeat her."
Catching Naruto's eye and holding it, he added "If you are playing a game or prank someone the most important rule is to make sure no one ever gets hurt."
Letting his hard face dissolve into some mirth he smiled at the boy, "That did look quite funny though didn't it?" He winked at the boy and vaguely gestured back to where Pika had left.
Naruto let out the breath he had been holding and tentatively smiled back.
"Hey, you should have seen his face when that noodle hit him, it was like 'whiz' and then 'splat' and…" Wild gestures accompanied the words as the child went on to portray the entire battle that led up to the demise of Pika.
Eventually the words ran out and Naruto started to head out the door,
"Um, didn't you forget something?"
Naruto looked around before emphatically shaking his head.
"Someone has to clean up the mess you two made."
Big eyes looked innocently back at Kosuke.
"If you make the mess, you get to help clean it up."
Naruto grimaced with a moment of indecision, looking to the door for a passage of escape but wisely heeded the implied warning of Kosuke's unblinking stare and helped clean the mess up.
Between Otter's water jutsu, Kosuke's earthen abilities and Naruto's quickly recovered exuberance the cafeteria was cleaned up in minutes-the only interruption being Naruto retelling the entire tale a second time and Pika marching in a dignified manner between the trio to retrieve a box of Yakitori from the refrigerator.
While Otter returned to her official duties, the eldest and youngest of the trio wandered aimlessly away from the Hokage Tower.
Like all people, Kosuke had settled into a steady routine: He'd go on border patrol for a pair of fortnights before returning to Konoha where a list of his specialized missions waited his expertise.
That was pretty much the entirety of his life for the past fifteen years. Even during the wars his routine had been steadier than most. The previous twenty-five years of his working life had followed a similar routine, just not quite as specialized.
He looked at the young boy skipping around the street peering at everything as they walked (evidently he had enjoyed the observation game-it was amazing how fast something like that could become the routine and tradition when walking through the town.)
Well, it didn't look like he'd be going on Border Patrols anytime soon and he'd already finished all outstanding gathering missions which just left him Naruto.
With nowhere better in mind, the two eventually arrived at Kosuke's cottage. As they headed towards the garden in the back Kosuke decided he might as well talk things over with Naruto.
"Naruto, you did a great job helping this week. Thank you."
"Yep! I did awesome, yeah? Hey, does that mean you can visit mum with me again this week?" Naruto looked hopefully up at Kosuke.
Kosuke nodded, any vocal affirmation that may have been forthcoming was drowned out by Naruto's cacophonous celebration.
After waiting for Naruto to calm down he was able to get a word in edgewise.
"I need you to come over here and listen for a moment."
The best way to deal with most people is to be straightforward and clear, children even more so.
"Look at me."
Naruto most of all.
Naruto recognized that phrase, it usually meant someone was in trouble or there was something important an adult wanted to say. He settled down and prepared himself for a heartbroken response to whatever it was-that was generally what foiled the adult.
"How would you like to live here with me instead of going back to the orphanage?"
Naruto blinked.
After a moment of silence Kosuke tried to clarify himself, although he thought he had been about as direct as was possible.
"You know that most kids don't stay in the orphanage," Come to think of it Kosuke wasn't sure how many children were adopted but he assumed most of the clan kids would be taken in within a year. "Usually a family comes and picks them up to become part of their own family."
Naruto still remained blank and unnervingly silent. Kosuke, in turn, was starting to feel foolish with his redundant statements.
"So, would you like to stay with me?"
The weight of a five year-old suddenly compressing his torso wasn't precisely pleasant but he supposed it sufficed for an answer.
Such a momentous decision in both of their lives required an equally momentous response.
"Well, with winter coming we'd better trim down some of these plants."
A/N:
Concerning Reviews. What constitutes a great review for author's (like me) who wish to improve their writing? Share your emotions, feelings, thought process and immersion from the perspective of the reader!
Was there a part where you felt giddy with laughter or joy? Sadness? Anger? Disgust? Annoyance? I can compare your review with what I was trying to accomplish. Was there a paragraph that you skimmed over? Character description or flashbacks?
Of course, an 'awesome story' review is still fun to receive.