It was finally the time for the team selections and Iruka was staring at the clock. He was thinking about Naruto as he watched the second hand tick away. It was only a few days ago that he had found out that not only was Naruto not the person he thought he was but he was also a father too. Shocked was an understatement...
(Flashback)
Naruto turned toward Iruka and said, "Iruka-sensei, this is Akara, my daughter."
Iruka stared... and stared... and stared... and-
"Iruka-sensei, are you-"
"Your daughter," Iruka said.
"Yes, Akara, my daughter."
Iruka looked down to the little girl and then back to Naruto. He said, "Your daughter?"
"Yes."
"Do you know where babies come from?"
Naruto's eyebrow started to twitch and he said, "Iruka-sensei, say hello to my daughter."
"Right," Iruka said quickly and he crouched down to look at the girl. She had white hair, grey eyes, pale skin, and a white cloth dress on. It was easy to tell, even at this young of age, that she would grow up to be a very beautiful women. He smiled and said, "Hello, Akara. My name is Iruka; I'm Naruto's Sensei at the academy." He reached out his hand and finished, "It's very nice to meet you."
Akara looked at his hand for a second before reaching her hand out as well. She shook his hand and Iruka wasn't surprised by the softness of her touch. Her voice was quiet, so unlike other children her age, "It's nice to meet you, Iruka..."
Iruka smiled at the obvious confusion she was under. She had no idea what kind of honorific to give her. He heard Naruto help her along by saying, "Nii-san."
Akara looked up at Naruto and after looking at him for a few seconds she nodded and said, "Iruka-nii-san." She gave a small yawn.
"Looks like you need to go to bed," Naruto said as he began guiding her out of the room. "Be right back, Iruka-sensei."
Iruka nodded and watched Naruto leave. While he looked at peace his mind was going a mile a minute trying to figure everything out. He decided that he might as well ask Naruto, it wasn't like he wasn't expecting questions.
When Naruto came back into he room he asked, "Did you want any tea?"
"Yes, please. There's something I wanted to ask you."
"I would be surprised if you didn't have questions. What is it you wanted to know?" Naruto asked as he opened a cabinet and pulled out a tea kettle.
"How old is she?"
"Eight," he answered as he filled the kettle with water and set it on the stove to boil.
"Isn't she a little small for an eight year old?"
"I can only guess, but my thought is that she was born prematurely."
Iruka nodded and then went to his next wonder, "She calls you Otou-san?"
"I am her father."
"Naruto, you only fifteen and she eight. You can't possibly be her father."
"I found her, eight years ago. She was in an alley and the only reason I even noticed her was because she let out a final pitiful cry. I barely heard it. When I check where the sound was coming from I found a baby underneath a newspaper. She was still bloody from birth, had mud on her from the ground on which she layed, and her umbilical chord was still attached, clamped off by a paper clip. I almost left her but from some act of Kami that little baby coughed and I picked her up on instinct. I brought her home, knowing I couldn't leave her after picking her up. I cleaned her, fed her, and have raised her as my own," Naruto's voice was rough as he spoke, like he was trying to bite back his anger. His last part on the other hand he didn't hold his anger back and it was clear that he was pissed, "So never tell me that she isn't my daughter and that I'm not her father. Jiji tried to take her once and I threw a cutting knife into his collar. This is a fair warning, don't try to take my daughter from me or I'll destroy this village to get her back."
Iruka watched the anger leave Naruto's eyes and he heard Naruto say, "The teas ready, let's sit in the living room."
"Naruto, I'm sorry, I-"
"I know, Iruka-sensei," Naruto said with a sad smile. "You were only thinking about me and worried that I might have to much on my plate. I should have controlled my anger, I'm sorry."
Iruka smiled and followed Naruto to the living room and they were soon talking about the past, present, and the future of both their lives.
(End Flashback)
Now, here he was watching the clock tick away with only thirty seconds before he started to assign teams. He would have normally started by now but there was one thing missing from the classroom and that thing was a person, Naruto. Iruka just couldn't understand why he would be late on a day like turned his head when he heard the door slid open and sighed in relief when he saw Naruto walk in.
"Sorry I'm late, Iruka-sensei. My neighbor is sick and I had to take care of them," Naruto said as he walked across the room.
Iruka caught the hidden meaning easily, Akara was sick. "How sick are they?"
"A high fever and a cough. I think it might just be a bad cold."
Iruka nodded.
"Who would want you to look after them when their sick, dobe?" Sakura asked in a snide tone.
"Yeah, you wold be more likely to kill them then help," laughed Kiba.
A few more insults were thrown out from some of the class but Naruto didn't even acknowledge that they was talking. He simple walked over to a spot next to Shikamaru and waited for Iruka to begin.
"You could just rip one of their heads off and beat another to death with it," Shikamaru advised without raising his head from his arms.
Naruto raised an eyebrow and asked, "But wouldn't that be troublesome?"
"If they can't see that you've change in the period of a day from a spazmatic child to a calm man then they might just deserve the troublesomeness that would come from such an act. Anyways, it would get them to be quiet so I can sleep," Shikamaru replied.
Naruto stared at him for a moment and whispered, "Remind me to never piss you off."
Iruka cleared his voice and when all eyes were on him be began his speech. Naruto tuned it out, not because he was uninterested but because he heard the speech last night when Iruka wanted to practice it. The speech talked about how, even though they graduated, they will still have to work hard to become respectable Shinobi and about how they will have to rely on one another for everything. It wasn't long though until he got to the teams.
"... Team 7 will be Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha. Your Jonin-sensei will be Kakashi Hatake.
"Team 8 will be Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata Hyuga, and Shino Aburame. Your Jonin-sensei will be Kurenai Yuhi.
"Team 9 is still in rotation.
"Team 10 will be Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, and Ino Yamanaka. Your Jonin-sensei will be Asume Sarutobi.
"Always remember, in this world your strongest weapon is the bonds you share with others," Iruka finished with smile and disappeared in a cloud of smoke and leaves.
It was at that moment that the Jonin came in to collect their teams. Shikamaru stood form his spot when his team was called and said to Naruto, "If it makes you feel better, I feel sorry for you."
"I hate you," Naruto said as he laid his head down. He whispered to himself, "Kakashi you had better get here soon."
-The Choice-
It was an hour latter and Naruto had given up on praying to Kami. He glanced over and saw that Sakura was currently sitting next to Sasuke and was talking up a storm. Sasuke was looking out the window acting like he didn't care the the Jonin-sensei was late. Naruto sighed and stood up.
"Where are you going, dobe?" Sasuke asked.
"To the bathroom, want to join?" Naruto said as he walked out of the room. He went down the hall a short ways and turned into the bathroom. It was at that moment that a clone of him appeared. It took him years of practise with the technique but he was finally able to make the clone without hand seals and that stupid poof of smoke that always happened. He could now form them with out giving away his position with the damnable smoke and the popping sound that was made when the jutsu was used. "Henge and go home. Make sure that Akara is alright and then stay there until I get back."
The clone nodded and asked, "What are you going to do to Kakashi?"
Naruto smiled, "I'm going to ask politely why he kept me away form my sick daughter."
The clone shivered and Naruto's tone and, after a quick henge, he left the bathroom with a shunshin.
Naruto waited a minute or two before he returned to the classroom. He sat down and pulled out a scroll from his pouch. Now that he wasn't worried about Akara he would be able to read and wait.
"Naruto-baka, what is that?" Sakura yelled form her spot.
"A scroll," he answered dully.
"What's in it?"
"Words."
Sakura's eyebrow twitched and that as when her inner self said, "Cha, he likes you so just offer a date and he'll tell you whats in the scroll, cha! When he tells you, you can just not go on the date.
She nodded to herself and walked over to Naruto, slowly. She sat down next to him and said, "I'll go on a date with you if you tell me?"
"We both know that you would just say no or say that no time works for you. Anyways, what makes you think I like you?"
"But-"
"Sakura," Naruto said with and even tone, "the Naruto you knew was a fake, a mask if you will. This is the true an me. Learn that quickly and you might be able to have a friend in me."
Sakura stared at him and said, "Like I would want to be your friend, dobe." She got up and walked back to her seat next to Sasuke. She may have looked mad on the outside but on the inside she as scared. She knew that this was a new Naruto and he scared her when he looked at her. His eyes were too old for someone so young.
It was two hours later that the door slid open and a man with gravity defying silver hair poked his head in. He saw Sakura and Sasuke staring at him and he saw Naruto reading a scroll. "Team 7?" he asked. He saw Naruto nod his head and said before Sakura could yell at him, "Meet me on the roof." He shunshined away.
Sakura and Sasuke ran out of the room but Naruto took his time to finish the paragraph he was on, put his scroll away, and then proceeded to walk to the stairs that would take him t the roof.
When Naruto made it to the roof, both Sakura and Sasuke sent him a glare. He ignored them and leaned against the concrete wall and waited for the sensei to start.
"Why don't we introduce ourselves?" the silver haired man said.
"What should we say?" Sakura asked.
"Well, your likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams of the future, that sort of thing."
"Can you show us how?" Sakura asked again.
He nodded and said, "My name's Kakashi. I have likes...and dislikes...hobbies...and I'll keep my dreams to my self."
Sakura and Sasuke bowed their heads thinking, All we learned was his name.
Naruto laughed lightly.
"Okay, why don't you go first, pinky," Kakashi said.
"My name's Sakura. I like Sasuke-kun, I don't like Naruto, my hobbies are," she giggled, " and my dream is," she squealed.
"Alright, broody, you're up."
"Sasuke. I don't like anything, I have a lot of dislikes, my hobby is to get stronger, and my dream, no, ambition is to kill a certain someone."
"And you, Naruto."
"Wait," Sakura said. "How do you know Naruto's name?"
"Because I've met him before."
"Oh."
Naruto staying leaning against the wall and said, "Name's Naruto. I like many things, I dislike some things, one of my hobbies is training, and my dream is my own." He raised his head so that Kakashi could see his glare and said, "Kakashi, my neighbor is sick and I had to wait for you."
Kakashi nodded slowly and felt a bead of sweat go down his back. "Right, then I won't take anymore of your time. Be at training ground seven for your survival test, six am."
"But we've done survival tests in the academy," Sakura said.
"This test is to see if you are cut out to be Genin. There is a sixty-six fail rate so come prepared." Kakashi stood up and said, "Oh and don't eat breakfast unless you want to throw it up." He disappeared in a shunshin.
Naruto walked to the stairs and was down them by the time other two noticed that he was gone. He made his way home and when he got there he heated up some chicken soup. He took that with him and nodded to the clone that was sitting on the couch, the clone disappear by fading out of existence.
He opened the door to Akara's room and found her sitting in the dark with an illusion battlefield hovering over the scroll he got a few days ago. She didn't move her eyes away from the illusion but said, "Welcome back, Otou-san."
"Here, I brought you something to eat," He said as he placed it on the end table next to her bed. "What are you doing?"
"VT is teaching me," she answered.
Naruto looked at the scroll and said, "You haven't taught me."
VT's voice cam form the scroll, "You never asked. Now Akara, from were we left off..."
Naruto listened to VT talk and explain the strategy he was going through. While listening, Naruto climbed into the bed and, after moving Akara, sat down behind her and started to rub her temples as she rested against his chest.
-The Choice-
Naruto sat against a tree that was growing on the side of training field seven and pulled out a scroll from his pouch. He had left a clone at home today but he wasn't too worried since Akara had broken her fever the night before. It was about 5:50am and Naruto knew that Kakashi wouldn't be here until ten or eleven. He was here early because Akara was sleeping peacefully and it was a beautifully cool morning. He took a breathe of the air and let it out. He smiled and went back to his reading.
Sakura and Sasuke got there five minutes later but neither talked to him. It was about four hours later that Kakashi appeared and said with a wave, "Yo."
"YOU'RE LATE!" Sakura yelled.
"Well you see, there I was on my morning walk when a black cat walked by. I had no choice but to find a new path for my walk but when I got farther down my new path another black cat walked by. I knew that it was getting serious so I jumped onto the nearest roof and started to head home as quick as possible but that was when I was attacked by six ninja black cats."
"YOU'RE LIEING!" Sakura yelled.
"I didn't even get to the part about all the cats comeing together to form a super mega black cat," Kakashi saids with a sigh. He pulled out an alarm clock and said, "This will go off at twelve. Before this goes off you must get," he raised a pair of bells in the other hand, "one of these from me. If you get one you get something to eat, but if you don't, not only do you not get to eat and tied to one of those pulls over there but you also will be dropped from the program."
That got Sakura and Sasuke's attention but Naruto simply continued listening and Kakashi finished, "You might want to come at me with the intent to kill."
"But, we could hurt you," Sakura said in fear.
"I'm a Jonin, I think I'll be fine. Go!" All three disappeared.
Kakashi sighed as he walked out into the middle of the clearing and waited for something to happen.
-The Choice-
Naruto made several clones and had them move out into the forest, to surround the clearing, while he searched for Sakura and Sasuke. There has never not been a four man team, one Jonin and three Genin, so he knew that Kakashi was just setting them against each other. That meant that he wanted them to work together as a team. Teamwork was the answer to this test, he knew that, now all he had to do was convince the other two. If I fail this test because of them and don't get to publicly claim Akara as my daughter I'm going to kill someone.
He move with the silence and grace that he had worked so hard for and soon enough found Sakura from the rustling of leave, twigs, and the occasional muttering. Moving behind her he quickly put his hand over her mouth and said, "Sakura, it's Naruto."
Her screech of fear was blocked by Naruto's hand and after she calmed down she turned on him and said in anger, "What do you want, I'm trying to get a bell so that Sasuke and I can be on the same team?"
"You won't be on the same team with that kind of attitude. We should work together, Kakashi is just trying to trick us."
"Yeah right, our sensei wouldn't try to trick us."
She clearly doesn't know Kakashi, he thought before saying, "Listen, I have more to lose then both you and Sasuke if we don't pass, so you're going to help me whether you like it or not, understood?"
Sakura glared at him and walked away with a huff.
Well, damn. On to Sasuke, he thought as he moved away from Sakura. It was only a few minutes before he heard her scream and he said quietly, "Take it easier Kakashi, she's only a fan-girl and can't hope to deal with a real Shinobi." He moved quickly because, while he was good at covering his tracks, Kakashi was one of the best trackers in Konoha and it would only be a matter of time until he was found.
He made it to a clearing just in time to watch Sasuke get pulled into the ground and Kakashi say a remark and leave. He ether didn't notice Naruto, unlikely, or he just wanted to see what was going to happen. Naruto sighed as he walked into the clearing and heard Sasuke say, "Don't say anything, dobe."
"You know, if we worked together we could get a bell."
"I don't need yours or any ones help."
"Be that as it may, you're the one that's in a hole." He paused. "Kami, it's up to you to let me pass now," Naruto said as he looked into the sky. "Maybe I can get him to accept an apprenticeship?" he muttered as he walked out of the clearing.
-The Choice-
Naruto walked out of the forest and over to Kakashi, who was standing in the center of the clearing. They stared at each other before Naruto said, "You're probably going to fail us, aren't you?"
Kakashi nodded.
"The answer is teamwork, isn't it?"
Kakashi nodded.
"Then can I pass?"
Kakashi shook his head.
"You know that I have to pass this test to publicly claim Akara as my daughter, right?"
Kakashi nodded hesitantly.
"Good," Naruto said as he bolted toward Kakashi. He launched a flurry of kicks and punches and when Kakashi jumped back for a reprieve Naruto started running to the side while throwing kunai.
The second Kakashi landed he was on the move to avoid the kunai that were flying his way. His eyes widened somewhat when the earth shot up in a spike right in front of him and he had to throw himself to the side so that he could avoid it. That was when he realized that he had lost Naruto and when he felt the ground shake he knew right where the blonde was.
The ground started to collapse around him and before he could jump away the ground under him fell down into the crater that was made. He looked up when he landed to see Naruto standing on the edge and asked, "You took the time to carve out this crater and you're up there, mind telling what you're up to?"
Naruto raised his hand and snapped his fingers. It was that moment that the ground fell away and Kakashi could see that there were explosive tags lining the crater. He sighed and said, "I shouldn't have asked."
The explosion was channeled upward and the flames and dust were rocketed into the air. Naruto sighed, "You should've stayed down there."
"Maa maa you'll get me next time," Kakashi said as he walked up behind Naruto with a kunai in one hand and his orange book in the other.
"Kakashi, do you really want to fight me with that book out?"
Kakashi looked at his book and said, "But I'm at a good part." His visible eyebrow widened when he saw Naruto pull out a kunai and he said, "Fine, I'm putting it away."
He had just gotten it into the pouch when Naruto was on him. Naruto's kunai fighting style was unique in the fact that he had incorporated an entire taijutsu to be used with or without kunai. It was a style that was mainly made for stabbings with two kunai, one in each hand, and Naruto was deadly effective with it because he could switch seamlessly from that style to a more flowing style that relied on the slashing of the kunai. He called the stabbing style, Iron, and the slashing one, Flow. When he was using both at the same time it was called, Flowing Iron, because it seemed like the kunai or his hands just warped around your defenses.
Kakashi cursed as he tried to keep up with Naruto's onslaught but it was to no avail as he felt cuts open on his arms an legs. The problem with kunai fights was that the person that had better taijutsu training would most likely win. This wasn't true, however, if the person you were fighting was trained in a kunai fighting style, like Naruto was. Kakashi dropped into a back roll and pushed off the ground with his arms. He launched into the air and landed on the branch of a tree. He sighed in relief but got it caught in his throat when he felt cold steel press against his back.
Naruto curse when the Kakashi in front of him popped into a cloud of smoke and he didn't get out of the way in time to dodge the kunai that entered the back of his head. Kakashi was surprised when the Naruto that he stabbed didn't burst into smoke but just suddenly disappeared. He looked into the clearing to see that Naruto was standing in he middle of it looking at some... Kakashi checked his belt loop and saw that the bells were gone, he cursed.
-The Choice-
After waking up Sakura and digging out Sasuke, Kakashi roped Sakura to a training log an handed Naruto and Sasuke some bentos.
Kakashi started to speak when everyone was seated, Naruto and Sasuke, and quiet, Sakura, "I have seen what each of you have are capable of and I can easily say that there is only one of you here that has the right to be a Genin." Sasuke smirked at that. "Naruto, you were the only one that should that you were ready to be a Shinobi."
"What?" Sasuke yelled. "He's nothing but a dobe, a dead last. How can you say that he is more ready than me, an Uchiha, to become a Genin?"
"That is precisely why you're not ready to be a Shinobi, Sasuke. You're arrogant and think that you can do everything by yourself. You're the kind of person that would get your team killed." He turned to Sakura and said, "Sakura, you do have the making of a fine Kunoichi but until you start to act your age and get over you childish obsession with Sasuke you will only ever be a detriment to a team." He looked at both Sasuke,who was glaring heavily, and Sakura, who had tears at the corners of her eyes, and said, "Naruto is the only one here that deserves to become a Genin because he cares for his team and knows that it isn't a game. He knows that life and death comes hand in hand for a Shinobi and he has come to accept that. He knows that he can't do everything by himself and even asked for both of yours help, but nether of you were willing to give it." He turned to Naruto and asked, "You have the bells, what will you do?"
Naruto pulled the bells out of his pocket and looked at them.
"How did you get the bells?" Sasuke asked.
"How do you think, I took them," Naruto answered darkly. "I have a reason that I want this team to pass, but I don't want to be on a team that will get me killed on our first C-rank mission." He looked at Sakura, "I know that Sasuke will only let his pride get in the way and pride has no place on a battlefield. I think that you could become a great Kunoichi if you tried, Sakura, and it is to you I leave the choice. I have two bells, who gets them?"
Sakura looked at Naruto, not the bells, Naruto, and saw that he was perfectly serious. She licked her lips and said, "I-I don't deserve to be a Kunoichi. All I've ever done is chase after Sasuke and look where that's gotten me. You and Sasuke should get the bells, I don't deserve it."
Naruto smiled, "Looks like I'm giving you my bell, Sakura."
"But-"
"You've faced that you have flaws and have accepted that. Now you can learn what it means to be a Kunoichi of Konoha. I meant what I said, you have the potently to be a fine Kunoichi and I won't let you give that up. I only have one question, if there had been three bells what would have been the meaning of this test?"
Sakura thought about it and it wasn't a second later that her head shot up and she said, "Teamwork."
"Good," Kakashi said with an eye smile. "Since two of you have figured out the meaning of the test, I'm going to give you one more chance to pass." He caught the bells that Naruto threw to him and as he walked away he said, "Don't feed Sakura."
Naruto watched Kakashi leave and when he lost sight of him, but knew that he was watching, he walked over to the poll that Sakura was tied to. In one swift motion, he cut the ropes with a kunai and held Sakura up by catching her by the arm.
"Naruto," she said, "what are you doing?"
"Letting you eat."
"But he said-"
"You're hungry and that will effect the team, I'm not, eat." Naruto handed the bento to her.
She looked at it and then finally accepted it. She sat down next to the poll and, right when she was about to take a bite, Naruto jumped in front of her. She was about to yell when a gust of wind blow by and she heard dirt pelt the poll above her. Behind Naruto she saw Kakashi appear out of a large cloud of smoke and dust, he looked angry.
"YOU," he said in furry, "pass." He eye smiled.
"I owe you one, Kami," Naruto muttered as he stood up. He looked down at Sakura and said, "Sorry about scaring you but I didn't want any dirt to get in your food. You really do look hungry."
"Thank you," Sakura answered slowly.
"We will meet here at eight every morning, train for a few hours, and then go pick up a D-rank mission," Kakashi said.
"Great, I'll see you around Kakashi," Naruto said as he walked toward town.
"He could at least call me sensei," Kakashi said.
Sasuke didn't say anything as he walked off and left Kakashi and Sakura alone. Kakashi turned to Sakura and said, "I have to go report your passing to the Hokage. You really should eat that before you head into town, Naruto's right, you do look hungry."
-The Choice-
"Do we really have to wait for Kakashi?" asked a random Jonin.
"Yeah, we already know that he failed his team," said another.
Sarutobi sighed, "If he's not there is three more minutes then we'll continue with out him."
Right when the three minute mark rolled by did a poof of smoke appeared and Kakashi with it. He looked around, his orange book in his face, and said, "You see there were these ninja chipmunks and they-"
"I'm sure it's an interesting tale Kakashi but right now I would like to get this done," Hiruzen said.
"Right."
The Third looked at the Jonin-sensei that were in his office and said, "Jonin-sensei, report."
"Team 1, fail."
"Team 2, nope."
"Team 3, crying like babies."
"Team 4, not even returning to the academy."
"Team 5, I don't even want to talk about it."
"Team 6, even I was scared."
"Team 7, pass," Kakashi said.
"What?!" yelled a Jonin.
"They passed," Kakashi repeated.
"I don't believe it, who did you have on your team?"
"Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha, and Naruto Uzumaki."
"That explains it, Sasuke must have wowed you because the other two are worthless," said the Jonin.
"Sasuke was the reason I almost failed them and it was Naruto who helped the team pass," Kakashi said.
"That's not possible, Naruto's an idiot."
"Naruto isn't the person you think he is. You'll find out what I mean soon enough," Kakashi said cryptically.
"Enough," Hiruzen said firmly. "Please, Miss Yuhi, continue."
"Team 8, pass."
"Team 9 is still in rotation. Team ten, pass."
Sarutobi nodded and said, "Thank you, everyone. You're dismissed."
Kakashi made to leave but was cut off by Kurenai and Asume.
"Kakashi, your coming to the celebratory dinner," Asume said.
"What dinner?"
"Asume and I were talking and decided that if our teams passed we would take them out together for a dinner between friends. We want you and your team to come," Kurenai said.
"I'll think about it."
-The Choice-
Sakura took Kakashi and Naruto's advise and ate the bento. he was hungrier than she thought because she easily finished the entire thing. She was now walking around the village thinking about her life and what she wanted to do with it.
"Sakura!"
She turned and saw Ino running toward her. "Hi, Ino."
Ino looked at her oddly and said, "You didn't call me pig. You feeling okay?"
"I had a wake up call today, Ino. I'm rethinking my life."
"Well, while you're doing that my team and team 8 are have a celebrator dinner tonight and you should invite Sasuke to come."
"What about Naruto?"
"What about him? He would probably ruin it if he came."
"Ino, you can't tell me that you haven't noticed that he's changed?"
Ino studied her for a second and said, "Yeah I noticed, kind of hard with who my family is. It's...unsettling that someone can change that much over one night. Psychologically speaking, it doesn't happen."
"You mean that..."
"The Naruto we knew was probably an act that he put on. I know all that but I still think him an idiot, force of habit I guess."
"I'll invite Sasuke and Naruto. Wait, do you know where Naruto lives?"
Ino thought it over and said, "No, I never bothered to find out."
-The Choice-
Kakashi walked into the BBQ place casually and immediately spotted the rest. They were seated at a large table that had an open wall facing the road outside. The wall could be closed easily by sliding doors but at the moment they were open, letting the cool night air in.
"Look who's here," Asume shouted from his spot and was followed by an uproar of cheers and welcomes.
Kakashi walked over and sat down next to Kurenai and Kiba, the later looking a little put off. He looked around and noticed something, "Where's Naruto?"
"I was going to ask him to come but none of us know where he lives," Sakura said.
Kakashi nodded and said, "I believe that, out of everyone here I'm the only one that knows and is probably allowed in to his home."
"What do you mean?" Kurenai asked.
"Naruto is very selective on who he lets into his home. He'll only let you in if he trusts you with the life of his most precious person."
"Who's that?" Ino asked.
"That's something you'll have to ask Naruto."
"Then is anyone else allowed into his home?" Hinata stuttered.
"Besides me, the Hokage and recently Iruka, your academy sensei."
"Hold, on," Ino said. "Only three people in the entire village is allowed to enter Naruto's home?"
"Yes."
"Why?" Kurenai asked.
Kakashi was about to answer when he saw the devil walking. Naruto was just walking down the road next to he opened wall and with him was Akara. He pointed, "Speak of the devil."
Everyone turned and saw Naruto, who had also seen them. Naruto smiled and said, "It's not nice to point Kakashi."
"You know you could try to call me sensei," Kakashi retorted.
"I could but how long have we known each other?"
"Good point."
Ino cleared her throat and Naruto and Kakashi turned to the crowd of people. Naruto asked, "Did you need something Ino?"
"Yeah, who's that girl with you? Is she your neighbor or something?" Ino asked.
Naruto nodded and said, "I can only answer that question and then I have to go, dinner with the Hokage that I can't be late for." Naruto smiled as he put his hand on Akara's shoulder and said, "This is Akara, my daughter."
Everyone fell silent and watched Naruto and Akara walk away. It was Kurenai that finally said something, "Did he say daughter?"
"Yeah," Kakashi answered, "that little girl is Akara Uzumaki, Naruto's daughter."
"Wait you knew that he had a daughter?" Asume asked.
"Yeah, I meet her when she was three."
"How old is she now?"
"Eight."
"Then she can't be his, that would make Naruto seven when he had her," Shikamaru said.
Kakashi sighed, "He found her."
"Found her?" Hinata asked.
"Kami, I'll get you for this Naruto. He found her in an alley way when he was seven. He saved her life by taking her home with him."
"But, I thought Naruto was an orphan? Who took care of the baby?" Sakura asked.
"Naruto is an orphan and he has raised her on his own since he found her."
Silence went over the group and it was Asume who broke it, "I've heard being a single parent was hard, but being a single parent while you're still a child yourself, I can't imagine the difficulty."
Kakashi nodded and said, "There is no doubt that that girl is his daughter, maybe not by birth but his makes more than up for it by his love for her."
"You say that pretty easily," Kurenai said.
Kakashi looked at her, "Naruto would fight ten Kyuubi at once if it would make her smile. Yes, I can say that very easily."