Title: Sinners' Devotion

Summary: Sasuke saved Itachi instead of killing him-on a whim supposedly. Now back in Konoha with Akatsuki after them along with Naruto, they have to do everything in their power to protect everything they…. love? future ItaSasuNaru yaoi – rating may go up.

Words: 7,716

Total: 35,228

Date: 7-04-10

Disclaimer: When I consulted my lawyers, they told me that I, in fact, can NOT sue Kishimoto for Naruto since he wasn't mine in the first place. How sad. (I also do not own any lyrics/movies/songs I may put in my story.)

This chapter is dedicated to MattTheGamer because he left me an awesome PM that made me super happy. Enjoi!

ALSO! IMPORTANT READ!:

I realized that I need to put the ages up here since I kinda changed them around to fit my needs. Not a lot but a little.

Ino; Shikamaru; Chouji; Kiba; Hinata; Shino; Sakura; Sasuke – 16 yrs

Neji; Lee; TenTen; Suigetsu; Karin – 17 yrs

Naruto; Juugo – 18 yrs I am going off on the fact that Naruto failed the exam twice so he should be older than his graduating class by two years. I know this isn't how it is Canon but this isn't Canon now is it?

Itachi -21 yrs

Iruka-26 yrs

Kakashi- 30 yrs

End of Chapter 6:

He smiled as he came back inside without the bags, thinking about how they were still talking. Silences were frequent and plenty, but they were going somewhere. He walked up the stairs to Sasuke's room and took a quick shower before jumping into bed. The smile faded from his face as he closed his eyes.

He was glad that they were becoming a real family again but then… where did that leave him?

Sasuke was like a brother to him but, he was only a replacement for Itachi. Now that Itachi was coming back….. A tear slipped down from his eye.

He didn't like to be alone either, but for the sake of Sasuke's family, he'd be alone again.

Chapter 7: New Comers, Birthdays, and Bad News

Itachi and Sasuke were still up when Naruto stumbled down the stairs that morning in his boxers. Naruto paused at the entrance and stared blankly at the two mute Uchihas before moving on to the stove. Silence dominated the room as it mostly had throughout the night as the Uchiha's watched Naruto get out the things with which to cook breakfast with. When all the things were on the counter, Naruto started at them blankly as if trying to figure out what to make.

Sasuke glanced at Itachi and the two shared a questioning glance before shifting their gazes back to Naruto who had yet to move.

"Naruto-kun?" Itachi tried to get his attention.

Naruto gave a slight jerk and drew in a breath before moving again. He began to make a western style breakfast of eggs and bacon. It seemed as if he wasn't fully there, completely disregarding the two Uchiha whom were sitting quietly at the table. As time went by and breakfast became closer to being ready, Naruto began to hum quietly to himself. Soon he was humming loudly and slightly swaying his hips to the beat he was making. By the time he was done making breakfast, his hips were swinging eagerly with the beat of his voice.

"We are Fighting Dreamers Takami wo mezashite

Fighting Dreamers Narifuri kamawazu

Fighting Dreamers Shinjiru ga mama ni

Oli Oli Oli Oh-! Just go my way!"

He placed the eggs, bacon and toast on the three plates and paused in his dancing. "Itachi! Sasuke! Breakfasts ready!" He called as he juggled the three plates in his hands and turned around. When he looked up he jumped and almost dropped the plates. "Holy shit!" He steadied himself against the counter and took in a calming breath. He opened his eyes which had closed involuntarily and looked back to the Uchiha. He walked to table and set down the plates in front of the respective Uchiha.

"How long have you both been sitting here?" He asked as he set down the plates. His face was bright red and he wasn't looking either man in the eye. He turned back around and got out glasses and began to fill them with milk.

"We have been sitting here since last night, Naruto-kun." Itachi answered as Naruto came back with the drinks. He gave a small 'thank you' as Naruto set his drink in front of him.

Naruto sat in his seat and blinked at them. "Really? I didn't see you…" His eyebrows scrunched together.

"You walked in here and stared at us for a good two minutes before slowly starting breakfast, Dobe."

Naruto got a thoughtful look on his face. After a few seconds he snapped his fingers. "Ah! Iruka-sensei always tells me that I'm not fully there when I first wake up. He says it usually takes me a good ten minutes or so to be fully awake. I've never really noticed myself and it doesn't effect me on missions so…" Naruto shrugged.

Itachi frowned. "That is not very good Naruto-kun. What if you are attacked while you are in that state?"

Naruto flapped his hand in front of his face. "Maa, maa. Don't worry about it Itachi. I'm sure that I can take care of myself." Naruto smiled. "Now! Why don't we start breakfast, ne? We have to be energized today to help out our new guests. We have to set them up in their own house since there's obviously no more room here. So, eat up! Itadakimasu!"

Itachi's lips twitch down unnoticeably at Naruto's answer but he muttered his own thanks and began to eat.

Naruto got up when he was finished, muttering a 'gochisoosama' and heading for the sink. He began washing the dishes and was soon joined by Itachi who carried both Sasuke's and his own plate. Naruto muttered a 'thank you' and took them from the brunette's hands. He gave Itachi a clean plate to dry.

When Itachi was done, he held out the plate as if to give it to someone. When no one took it from his hand, he twisted his head to look at Sasuke who was still seated at the table. "You are slacking in your job, Otouto."

Sasuke's eyes widened momentarily before a small, almost unnoticeable smile took over his face and he stood up. He took the plate from Itachi's hand and put it away. This continued until all the dishes were done.

Naruto dried his hands with a towel and turned to Sasuke, a bright smile on his face. "Arigatou, Sasuke. I'm glad you finally decided to join us instead of leaving to do god knows what."

Sasuke muttered. "Whatever, Dobe. You need all the help you can get."

"Oi! I am perfectly capable-"

"Ooh, big word Dobe. Do you even know what 'capable' means?"

Naruto glared at him, a pout on his face. He opened his mouth to form a retort, but was interrupted by a knock on the door. He glanced at the door before turning his glare back onto the smirking Sasuke. "You're getting off easy this time." He wagged a finger in Sasuke's direction as he walked towards the door. "But never again Teme!"

Naruto opened the door to be met with four masked faces, ANBU, and three slightly familiar faces. Two were scowling at each other and the other looked like he didn't know what to do.

"Ohayo! Welcome to our humble abode!" Naruto heard a snort of laughter from behind him, but he ignored it. He gestured for the three former Sound nin to come in the house. "Have you three eaten yet?" He waved the ANBU off and closed the door.

"Yes, we have eaten. Thank you." The tall orange haired one answered him.

Naruto nodded and walked further into the house. When he turned around to ask another question, he screamed. Everyone was on guard immediately and the two Uchiha's appeared next to him. When no one saw anything worth screaming about, they turned to Naruto, only to see him glaring at the floor next to the new guests' feet.

"What?" The white haired man sneered.

"Go back to the door. NOW." Naruto's voice was promising pain.

"What? Are you kicking us ou-"

"NO." Naruto interrupted the screeching woman. "Go back to the door and take your shoes off." Naruto's voice was deathly quiet.

The biggest man immediately did as told, earning him some points in Naruto's book but the other two stay where they were, glaring at the blonde.

"Why should we?"

"Yeah! I never thought I'd agree with this skanky slut but what does it matter?"

"Just do it, Karin, Suigetsu." Sasuke's voice broke through the tense silence.

"Hai, Sasuke-kun!" Karin walked past Juugo, who had taken off his shoes and come back, to the door. She took off her shoes and placed them with the others.

"Suigetsu." Sasuke glared at him.

"Tch. Whatever. I'm not your bitch." Though the words seemed rebellious, Suigetsu did as he was told.

Whenever they were all back together in the hall, Naruto clapped his hands in front of his chest and smiled. "Alright minna-san! Welcome to our home! You will respect the rules in my house and you will respect me." Naruto opened his eyes slightly, which had closed from his large grin. "If you don't, there will be consequences. As of now, I am the only one in the Uchiha District with chakra and access to weapons, do not test me. Any questions?" This was all said with a smile on his face, needless to say, Suigetsu and Karin were quite freaked out.

"Excuse me…" The orange haired man trailed off.

"Ah! Gomen ne! I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Uzumaki Naruto. You know Uchiha Sasuke, I'm sure, and this is Uchiha Itachi." Itachi nodded his head in greeting.

"My name is Shinobu Juugo." Juugo bowed his head in return. "This is Akane Karin," he gestured to said person who gave a smirk in greeting, "and Hoozuki Suigetsu." Suigetsu made an annoyed sound earning a frown from Naruto. "If I may ask, why do we have to take off our shoes? I do not understand."

Naruto blinked in surprise as the other two looked on with question. His eyebrows scrunched. "Did you not do the same at… Orochimaru's?" The name tasted foul in his mouth.

"No, Dobe. Suigetsu was locked up in a cage as was Juugo. They're experiments. And Karin… looked after the experiments." Sasuke answered.

Naruto's lips pursed. He gave no pity but he did have empathy. He gave Karin a sided look; he knew what Sasuke meant by 'looked after' and he was not pleased. But Naruto was never one to judge based on the past. "Ah well, it is common courtesy to take off your shoes before entering the house. It keeps the floor cleaner and if you don't take off your shoes, you are practically telling me that you don't respect me and that you don't care. I will have your heads if you ever wear outside shoes inside my house. I will let you off this once since you did not know, but from now on, take off your shoes when entering a house."

Juugo nodded, Suigetsu shrugged, and Karin looked at Naruto skeptically.

"You think you can do some damage? You look like a girl. All you need are boobs, and there you go! Besides, this is Sasuke-kun's house, not yours. Don't act as if you own the place."

Karin and Suigetsu took a step back as Killing Intent (KI) filled the hallway. Karin really stepped out of line there.

"I am living here for the next five months. I am the one doing the cleaning. I am the one doing the cooking. I am the one doing the shopping. This is my house just as much as it is Itachi's and Sasuke's. I have spent more time here than Sasuke and Itachi combined in the past four years. I have spent my life's savings on this complex, keeping it neat and clean. I spent more time here than in my own apartment. Do not tell me that I have no right to call this place my house, my home or you will no longer be welcomed here." Naruto's stormy expression turned back to a sunny smile. "Now, why don't we get you all cleaned up? I'm sure you haven't had a proper shower since you got here."

Juugo and the others nodded numbly.

"Good! Now, Sasuke, why don't you take Suigetsu up to your bathroom? And Itachi, will you please take care of Karin? I'll lead Juugo to the public bathroom." The Uchiha's nodded. "And don't you all worry about clothes; I'll go get some from the store for now and we can go out to pick some you like later." They nodded and followed their respective person to get cleaned.

"Oh~ this will look good for Karin! Oh~ and this for Suigetsu! Now all I need is Juu-PERFECT!" Naruto grabbed the three outfits and hurried to the counter. Had he had more time, he would have taken much longer to pick out clothing, but he only had a few minutes until the others were done with their showers/baths. He hurriedly paid and ran out the door, running into someone. "Ah! Gomen ne! I-"

"Naruto? Where have you been man! I haven't seen you in like two weeks!"

"Kiba! Minna-san! How have you all been?" Naruto looked at the group that he had, quite literally, run into. All the teams were together; Kiba's team, Neji's team, and Shikamaru's team. Kakashi, Sakura, and Iruka were also with them. "Why are you all together? Is something going on?"

"It's May 26th Naruto." Kakashi answered as if that would explain everything.

"May 26th…..?" Naruto's eyebrows scrunched as he tried to remember why that date was important. His eye widened. "Oh my god! It's May 26th! Holy shit Iruka-sensei! I'm so so sorry! Happy Birthday!"

Iruka smiled. "Ah, don't worry about it Naruto, I know you're really busy. Thank you."

"I have a present for you I promise! It's at the house! You can come by today. In fact, please do! I can't stand this Uchiha moodiness anymore. All of you are welcome to come. The other's just arriv-HOLY SHIT! I gotta go! Come by for dinner-all of you! I'll make something special!" He called over his shoulder, speeding out of sight.

"….Well that was weird." They all nodded at Kiba's statement.

"Finally!" Karin snapped when Naruto came into the living room. She and the two others had been sitting in the living room in naught but towels for the past five minutes, waiting for Naruto to come back with their clothes. She was freezing. Suigetsu was the only one out of the three of them not shivering.

"Gomen nasai!" Naruto rushed out, winded by the run. "I didn't mean to take so long."

"Whatever! Just give me my clothes!" Karin wanted to get dressed now.

"Gomen, gomen. Here." He handed her the bag with her clothes in it and she rushed out to get changed. Naruto handed the boys their respective bags as well.

"What the fuck is this!" Naruto, Itachi and Sasuke could hear her perfectly from downstairs.

"Just put it on!" Naruto called up the stairs. "I promise you it will look good!"

"No way in hell!" Was the reply.

Naruto got a smirk on his face. "I'm sure Sasuke would like it~!" He sing songed. There was no reply and Naruto giggled in victory, ignoring Sasuke's glare.

Suigetsu came down first. Naruto did a glance over to make sure that he got the measurements right. He got Suigetsu a sleeveless, turtleneck shirt, much like the one he previously owned, only black. White shinobi pants covered his legs down to where the pant legs ended with bandages wrapped around his shin. Belts surrounded his waist, large enough to hold both his Kubikiri Houcho and a shinobi weapons pouch. The shirt was a bit tight, but overall, Naruto did a fine job in picking out the outfit. ( 1 )

Juugo was the next one to come down in his new outfit. It was a simple three-quarter sleeve white top, with an open neck and matching white shinobi pants which were left open at the bottom instead of tied down with bandages. A fiery orange flame design licked at the bottom of the pants. Naruto had also gotten a white overcoat, much like his previous blue one, but Juugo hadn't worn it. Naruto was glad that he was able to find something suitable in Juugo's size. Juugo was a large man after all. ( 2 )

Karin was the last to come down. (AN: Her outfit is hard to describe, but I'll try my best. It's probably best that you just look at the picture.) A black cloth was the only thing covering her breasts, her smooth stomach showing proudly. Black shorts, held up by a black and white belt with swirly designs, covered her bottom, and what seemed like a black thong's straps displayed high on her hips. A piece of cloth designed similarly to the belt covered her neck separating just above her cleavage, going under the black top to cover her sides and connecting in the back, her shoulder blades exposed. Arm warmers adorned her arms from just below her shoulder down to her wrist; the top covered with the same pattern as her belt and side cover, and the bottom just a plain black. A bandana with the same swirly design was on her head, her hair up in a ponytail instead of its usual style. The outfit fit her perfectly. Damn he was good. ( 3 )

Karin took this opportunity to check out Sasuke. He was in a shirt similar to Suigetsu's except it was a few shades darker, the black seemingly taking in all light around it. The sleeveless turtle neck looked like it could be pulled up higher to mask his face much like Kakashi's own turtleneck. It fit on his body snuggly, showing off toned abs. Sasuke's pants were standard shinobi attire, bandages keeping it tightly against his ankle so as to make slipping on shinobi sandals easier. Black arms warmers went from midway between his shoulder and elbow down to his wrists. Both the shirt and the arm warmers looked like something could be attached to it, armor maybe? ( 4 )

Naruto clapped his hands in front of himself excitedly, smiling brightly. "Yatta! You all look so good! Don't you think so, Sasuke, Itachi?"

"Yes, Naruto-kun. They look very well."

"Hn."

"Don't be an asshole, Sasuke-teme! Don't you think Karin looks absolutely gorgeous? I thought that a pure black and white scheme would fit her hair and face perfectly and I was right! Plus, I thought she'd like the 'sexy' look more than a conservative one." Naruto explained.

"Hn. She looks fine." Karin practically squealed.

"Now, we'll go shopping tomorrow for some more clothes, so you are just going to have to borrow one of our pajamas or something if you don't want to wear that to bed. We're going to get you guys settled in today first, then we'll move on to shopping. And I must say, I like these outfits much better than your old ones. I would advise you to pick something similar, if not the same ones, as these."

Karin frowned. "What's wrong with my old outfit?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? Are you being serious?" Karin glared. "Well first off, you had a lavender shirt. Lavender with your color hair? Major disaster. You have to be careful what you pick to wear because it will look horrible if you choose the wrong color, but the good thing is that the colors you can wear look amazing. Like black. Secondly, it was open stomached, and not in a good way either. It made you look larger than you really are. With this outfit, it shows off that you have a toned stomach, as well as amazingly smooth legs that most girls would die for. I'm also going to have you buy you some standard black Kunoichi sandals; those thigh length sandals make your thighs look big."

Karin winced at the criticism. Naruto moved onto the boys.

"Suigetsu. Never, and I mean never ever wear purple again. Your skin tone does not look good with purple. I don't care what Orochimaru told you, you look like a pedophile. And Juugo, you look better in lighter colors. And generally, black and orange don't go together. It tends to make you look like Halloween." He rolled his eyes when they looked at him incredulously. "I know, I know. I have no room to talk, but I have a good reason for wearing this jumpsuit okay? Anyway, like I said, you look better in lighter colors. You seem too pure to be wearing dark colors." He saw Juugo wince at this, but he continued. "The clothes you had on earlier looked like you took a window curtain and draped it over yourself."

Suigetsu burst out laughing. "Man, you're good kid! That's exactly what we did!" He continued to laugh as Naruto shook his head.

"You know, for seeming like an idiot with no fashion sense, you sure do know a lot about what looks good on a person." Naruto blushed at Karin's comment. "No one would have thought it, especially with that outfit you have on."

Naruto scratched the back of his neck. "Well, it was a gift." His smile turned reminiscent. "Well, that's for a later date! Why don't we go get you settled! Itachi. Sasuke. Is it alright to use the house next to us? It will be better if they're closer to us than if they were further away." The Uchihas nodded. Their cousins were dead now anyway. "Awesome! Let's go!"

Hundreds of Kage Bunshin, a lunch break and a few hours later, they were finally done in clearing the house out of all personal possessions. All the photos, clothes, toys, etc. were in bags, stored in another house to be sorted out later. Luckily, this house had four bedrooms, meaning everyone got their own room with an extra one for a guest if there ever was one. There was a small dispute between Karin and Suigetsu about whose room was whose but it was quickly sorted out by Naruto and Sasuke. The house was clean and only the barest of furniture was left in the house. They would go shopping for more things tomorrow; there were more important things at the moment.

They all headed back to the Main Uchiha House where Itachi and Sasuke were lounging to freshen up. Naruto quickly got in and out of the shower, heading downstairs to the living room when he was done. He was greeted with a tumbling Karin and Suigetsu, rolling on the floor and biting and cursing at each other. Itachi and Sasuke were ignoring it, preferring to read their books silently while Juugo was trying to stop it without hurting them. Naruto sighed to himself. Does he have to do everything?

"Karin! Suigetsu! Stop or so help me neither of you will be getting dinner!" They stopped immediately, they were famished. They only got a small sandwich for lunch and two pieces of toast for breakfast. "Can any of you cook?" He asked the former Team Hebi. Heads shook. Naruto sighed. "Should've known. How the hell did you people survive?"

Suigetsu was the one who answered. "We stopped at food vendors, usually eating dango or like an apple or something."

Naruto shook his head. "Anyway, there's going to be a large group of people coming over since its Iruka-sensei's birthday. They're going to be joining us for lunch so be on your best behavior."

"Who?" Karin asked.

"My academy sensei. He's kind of like a mother to me." Naruto grinned and put a finger up to his lips. "But don't let him know that." He turned to the Uchihas. "Kakashi-sensei, Iruka-sensei, Sakura-chan, Team Eight, Team Ten, and Team Gai are coming over to eat with us. That's…." He counted in his head, "… twelve people, plus us… that's eighteen. Woah, big number of people I'm feeding. Why don't you two guys clear out a space for all of us to eat. I'm sure Kakashi-sensei is going to bring some sake, and if he doesn't I'm sure someone else will, so make sure that there isn't going to be anything that will break in the room. Set out some tatami mats while you're at it so that they don't have to sit on the floor. Suigetsu, will you help them? Thanks!" He didn't even wait for him to reply.

"Karin, Juugo, I know you two have no cooking experience what so ever, but can you two help me in the kitchen? I can't cook for eighteen people by myself. You won't have to do anything big and I'll help guide you through it all. Please?" Naruto held his hands in front of him in a prayer position, practically begging them for help. Juugo nodded his head, and Karin muttered a 'fine.' "Yatta! Come on!" He ushered them into the kitchen as the others set up the living room.

"Come in, come in! We're almost ready for you!" Naruto ushered the hesitant Konoha shinobi into the house. He waited for them to take off their shoes. "Come on!"

He showed them to the living room where Itachi, Sasuke, and Suigetsu were seated. He refused to let any of them enter the kitchen since they almost blew up the kitchen with the flour. Suigetsu was just as helpless at cooking as the Uchihas were. The shinobi tensed when they saw them, but Naruto pushed them into the room anyway.

"Set the presents on the table by the backdoor where my present is, find a comfortable spot to sit and dinner will be ready soon." Naruto smiled at them. When none of them moved, he sighed to himself. "I know guys. An ex-mass murder, an ex-traitor, and an ex-enemy in the same room as you. They're harmless, I promise. Itachi isn't all that bad, neither is Suigetsu, but Sasuke-teme is still just as bad, maybe even worse." Sasuke growled at him. He ignored it.

The ninja, though skeptical, did as they were told. As Itachi, Sasuke, and Suigetsu were sitting on the middle tatami mats, there was no way of getting around sitting by them. There were a few minutes of silence, only broken by the sounds in the kitchen. Kakashi was the first to speak.

"How have you been Itachi?" All eyes were immediately glued to the ex-S Ranked shinobi.

"I have been fine, Kakashi-senpai. Have you been faring well?" The eyes shot to Kakashi who eye smiled at the old name.

"Ah. Naruto-chan is a delight, as are the rest of these students." Back to Itachi who nodded.

"I have heard many things about the 'Rookie Nine.'"

"Maa, maa. I hope they were good things."

"Indeed they were." Itachi's eyes went to Iruka who stiffened at the attention. "Happy Birthday Umino-san. Forgive me for ruining it. I do not mean to. I can leave if you'd like."

Iruka's eyes widened. "N-No, no!" He stuttered out. "It-It's alright! Thank you. An-And please, just Iruka."

Itachi nodded. "You have done a fine job in raising Naruto-kun, Iruka-san. I fear that without him, Sasuke and I would be helpless in our own home."

Iruka blushed at the praise. "A-Ah, thank you Itachi-san. But, I wasn't the only one who made Naruto who he is today. I do not deserve the praise you have given me."

"Perhaps. But you have played a large part in making Naruto-kun who he is today. If I recall correctly, he called you his mother."

Iruka's eyes widened. He blushed, spluttering out nonsense.

Suigetsu chuckled, drawing attention to him. "What?"

"Why are you laughing?" Kiba dared to ask.

"What's it to you dog boy?" Akamaru growled at the white haired teen. Suigetsu gave a growl of his own, showing off his sharp teeth to the room.

"Alright!" Naruto took that moment to walk into the room. "Dinner is just about ready! Juugo should be coming out soon with the drinks, so Itachi would you help his pass them out?" Itachi nodded and stood up, making his way to the kitchen. "Thanks! Sasuke, Suigetsu, I swear to god! If I come back in here and the place is a mess, or if you two are fighting, neither of you are getting dinner." With that threat, he walked back into the kitchen.

Suigetsu snorted. "What's so special about this kids cooking anyway? I can make my own damn food."

"Charcoal is not food." Sasuke replied.

Suigetsu aimed a glare at the youngest Uchiha. "I don't make charcoal." Sasuke just shrugged as Itachi and Juugo came into the room, bearing drinks.

Silence was almost a constant factor as they silently sipped their drinks, waiting for the food to be done.

"Okay everyone!" As always, Naruto had impeccable timing, coming in just before the tension broke and something bad happened. "For dinner today, we are having Iruka-sensei's favorite: Maze Gohan!" ( 5 )

Iruka winced and his face paled. "Um… Thank you… Naruto…"

Naruto started laughing. "Naw, I'm just kiddin' with you Iruka-sensei! I know you despise the stuff! We're going to be having my famous Uzumaki Ramen Special! I know how much you like my homemade ramen Iruka-sensei." Naruto smiled, getting one in return.

"'Famous'? In what country, Dobe?"

Naruto's smile turned to a pout. "Whatever Sasuke-teme. Karin! Sasuke said he wants you to have his babies!" Sasuke face immediately paled as he heard a fangirlish scream. He glared with all his might at the grinning Uzumaki.

"I'm going to kil-!" Before he could get the full sentence out, Karin was on top of him. "Oomph."

"Sasuke-kun~" Karin drawled his name in what she probably thought was a sexy voice, "I didn't know you felt that way about me."

Sasuke glared at her. "I don't. Get off." He pushed her off of him and got off his back.

Suigetsu burst out laughing. "HAHAHAHA~! REJECTED!"

Karin turned her attention onto him. "Shut up you bag of water! You couldn't get any if you tried!"

"Yeah right! I'm sure I could get any girl in the village that I want! Unlike you, you ugly whore!" Before Karin could retort, Naruto walked into the room, balancing two trays in his hands with multiple ramen bowls on them, Itachi and Juugo following after with the same items.

"Dinner is served!" Itachi, Juugo and Naruto gave each person a bowl. Naruto collected the trays from the other two and took them to the kitchen. He reappeared with a large pot, setting it in the middle of the tatami mats. "Feel free to have seconds or thirds!" Naruto sat down on his assigned mat in between Iruka and Itachi. "Itadakimasu!" They dug in.

"Wow, Naruto! This is really good! You made it all by yourself?"

Naruto blushed at the praise. "Ah, no. Karin and Juugo helped me Sakura-chan. And thanks!" He smiled before remembering something. "OH! I never introduced everyone! Minna-san, this is Juugo, Karin, Suigetsu, and I'm sure you all know Itachi and Sasuke-teme." He pointed to the respective persons. "Guys, this is Iruka-sensei, he's twenty-six this year! And Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan, Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, Shino, Kiba, Hinata, Neji, TenTen, and Lee." They all gave their own type of greeting; Lee's being the loudest and most friendly. "So what all have you done today, Iruka-sensei."

Iruka swallowed the food in his mouth before talking. "Well, Kakashi picked me up this morning to pick out a present and we met Sakura-san on the way so she tagged along. Then we saw Team Eight and Team Ten training together so we asked them if they'd like to join us and Team Gai joined not to long after. We saw that new movie with Kazahana Koyuki, (first movie), then we went to training ground for a picnic and we played some games. Then we killed some time before coming here. How has your time here been?" This got everyone's attention. They wanted to know what happened with the Uchiha's too.

Naruto smiled. "Ah, nothing too big. They nearly burned the house down when they tried to cook. I swear, they can burn water. And you said Kakashi-sensei picked you up this morning?" Naruto asked curiously to which Iruka nodded in answer. Naruto turned an icy glare towards Kakashi. "What are your intentions?"

Kakashi eye smiled. "Whatever do you mean Naru-chan?"

Naruto's eye twitched at the nickname and his smile grew strained but he let it slide in favor of getting an answer. "What are your intentions towards Iruka-sensei?"

Said brunette blushed and spluttered. "N-Naruto! We're just friends! Nothing more!"

Kakashi and Naruto ignored him in favor of staring each other down. Kakashi broke the stare first. "I intend to ask Iruka-sensei out for a date and possibly have a serious relationship with him." There were shocked faces all around, none more shocked than Iruka himself.

Naruto glared at his sensei and scrutinized him. After a few moments of scrutiny, Naruto let up on his glare and gave Kakashi a nod of approval. "Alright. But if you so much as look at Iruka-sensei inappropriately or try anything that is in that perverted book of yours, you will find yourself without the ability to have sex. Do I make myself clear?" Kakashi nodded enthusiastically; after all, if he had the approval of Naruto, he had the approval of Iruka. It was common sense that if you wanted to date someone with a kid, you first had to have said child's approval first, and Naruto might as well be Iruka's son.

Iruka hid his red face in his hands, slightly whimpering at the embarrassing situation. "So!" Iruka cut in. "How about that ramen?" There were murmurs of 'It's good,' 'I like it,' and 'I didn't know that the baka could actually cook!' They all understood Iruka's want to change the subject. There were a few moments of silence as everyone finished eating, some getting seconds or thirds.

"So, what's up with you all? I haven't seen you guys in weeks?" Naruto hated the silence.

"It's all good man! Much quieter now that you aren't around Fox Face!" Kiba gave a mocking grin.

"Oh, shut it Dog Breath!" Naruto rolled his eyes, smiling in return.

"My beautiful Cherry Blossom has finally agreed to go out on a youthful date with me! I await our youthful night of wonderful passion together my love!" Lee practically screamed out.

Naruto raised a brow at that, turning to a red faced Sakura. "What? You never told me! When was this?"

"Yesterday my youthful friend!"

Naruto groaned. "Ugh! I'm so behind~!" He whined to himself. Usually he's ahead of the gossip, knowing things before most others did. He and Ino had their own little gossip spy system after all. "Well, I'm bored! Time for presents!" Naruto sure did have a small attention span.

Everyone got their present off the table and sat back down with it. Iruka grabbed Kakashi's first giving him a 'thank you.' He opened the present, making sure that he didn't rip the paper. Iruka was weird like that. He blushed when he saw what Kakashi got him and he immediately rewrapped it. "U-umm… Th-thank you… Kakashi-sensei." Iruka didn't look him in the eye causing Naruto to become suspicious and narrow his eyes at the Copy Nin.

"Your welcome!" Kakashi sounded too pleased with himself.

Many 'thank you's and 'your welcome's later, Iruka had opened all the presents. From Team Ten, he got a new kunai and shuriken set which he was thankful for since he had been neglecting his own set, causing the to become too dull and rusty for him to repair. The Uchiha's and former Team Hebi had no gifts to give since they didn't know, but Itachi apologized anyway. He got a scroll of advanced taijutsu from Neji, a Wakizashi and a promise to teach him how to wield it properly from TenTen, and training weights from Lee. ( 6 ) Sakura gave him a set of medical supplies and a basic medical scroll.

But the best present came from Naruto. He gasped in surprise when he opened it. It was a simple present, not costing a lot and it wasn't ninja related like most of his other presents. It was a collage of pictures featuring him and Naruto. One picture was simply of him during class. He obviously wasn't aware of the picture being taken as his hand was clutching the bridge of his nose in an irritated manner and he looked like he was about to start yelling. Another was of him and Naruto at Ichiraku a few years back. The twelve year old Naruto was wildly gesturing something with his hands, his mouth wide open in talk, while Iruka was smiling softly; they were both ignoring the steaming bowls of ramen in front of them. There were many more pictures – some funny, some sweet, and some where Naruto was obviously in trouble with the other. Iruka gave Naruto a tearful hug and a whispered 'thank you Naru-chan.'

Naruto merely gave him a big grin. "No problem Iruka-sensei! Now who's up for some home made cake?" He got up and headed for the kitchen, only to come back with a red velvet cake with cream cheese icing. The cake was designed with a yellow icing outline, and a light blue 'Happy Birthday!' going from the bottom left corner to the top right. There was a little picture of a chibi Naruto popping out from the bottom right corner making everyone chuckle. ( 7 ) There were twenty six lit candles stuck into the cake in random spots so as not to mess up the design on top. While on his way towards Iruka-sensei, Naruto started singing, the others following along soon after.

"Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday dear Iruka(-sensei)~!

Happy Birthday to you!"

As they finished, Naruto placed the cake in front of Iruka. "Make a wish!" He called out enthusiastically. Iruka chuckled at the childish behavior but did as he was told, closing his eyes for a moment before blowing out all the candles with one breath, resulting in clapping all around. Naruto gave Iruka the cutting knife so he could cut the first piece. It took a bit of encouragement from Naruto and the others because Iruka claimed that he liked the way the cake looked too much to cut into it, but soon Naruto was passing out pieces of cake to everyone sans Sasuke who absolutely despised sweets. The rest of the night went without incident.

"Sayanora minna-san!" Naruto waved goodbye to his friends as they left the Uchiha Compound. It was almost two in the morning and he knew that some of them would wake up with a searing headache in the morning. Kakashi, as Naruto predicted, broke out the alcohol after cake, getting many of them drunk. He gave Iruka a big hug, avoiding the presents in the man's hands so as not to make him drop them. "I'll see you later, Iruka-sensei. I hoped your birthday was good."

"Oh, it was Naruto." Iruka gave him a sincere smile. "This was the best birthday I think that I've ever had. Thank you so much Naruto."

Naruto scratched his cheek in embarrassment. "Aww, Iruka-sensei. You're makin' me blush." He joked though there actually was a blush present on his face. Iruka just chuckled and headed home after another hug.

"What do you need Kaka-sensei?" He turned to the remaining person.

"I need to talk to you Naruto." Kakashi's face was dead set; nothing like his drunken expression he had a few minutes prior.

Naruto's smile dropped off his face immediately. "Alone?"

Kakashi nodded. "Preferably."

Naruto nodded. "Sure, give me a second." He walked back into the house and grabbed his shoes. "Itachi! Sasuke! I'm going out for a second! I shouldn't be long so don't wait up! Oyasumi!" He closed the door behind and followed Kakashi into the main streets of Konoha which were deserted at this time of night. "What'cha need Kaka-sensei?"

There was silence for a couple of minutes, only the sounds of the wind filtering through Naruto's ears as they continued to walk through the abandoned streets. Kakashi came to a stop next to a bench, the lamp post providing light above them. He turned to Naruto with a saddened sigh, his eye downcast, alarming Naruto.

"What?" He asked frantically, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "What's wrong? What happened Kakashi-sensei?" Kakashi's mouth opened only to shut once more. He brought up his eye to meet the blonde's. Naruto gasped at the anguish that was present in the eye. "Kaka-" Naruto breathed out, not even able to finish his question.

"Naruto…" Kakashi trailed off shaking his head slightly before continuing. "Naruto… Jiraiya's dead." Those two words sent Naruto's world crashing down around him.

( 1 ) Suigetsu's outfit

-Not much of a difference. http:/quizilla (dot) teennick (dot) com/user_images/C/CO/COO/COOKYSNCREEM/1234007685_9446_full (dot) jpeg

( 2 ) Juugo's outfit

-Please disregard the fact that it's a little boy. http:/www (dot) atravelersblessing (dot) com/media/zoom_detailProducts/ss_size2/boy-outfit (dot) jpg

( 3 ) Karin's outfit

-I must say, I really like this outfit-even if it's a little slutty. http:/i331 (dot) photobucket (dot) com/albums/l480/NeraTheDragonMaster/Naruto/Anime-Ninja-1 (dot) jpg

( 4 ) Sasuke's outfit

-Basically it's the Konoha ANBU outfit without the armor, though he will probably be wearing the armor later on. http:/farm4 (dot) static (dot) flickr (dot) com/3659/3536987455_dfb21e7ecc (dot) jpg

( 5 ) "For dinner today, we are having Iruka-sensei's favorite: Maze Gohan!"

-On Narutopedia it says that Iruka hates maze gohan (blended rice), which is a type of Takikomi gohan (Japanese rice dish seasoned with dashi and soy sauce along with mushrooms, vegetables, meat, or fish.) wiki it.

( 6 ) Iruka's present: Wakizashi from TenTen.

-I thought that this weapon was really cool and it getting a weapon for someone seemed like something TenTen would do. –shrugs- http:/www (dot) samurai-swords-for-sale (dot) com/store/images/P/tiger-wakizashi-paul-chen-samurai-sword-blade (dot) jpg

( 7 ) Iruka's cake

-I thought this was an adorable idea and it also seemed like something Naruto would do. http:/fc06 (dot) deviantart (dot) net/fs26/f/2008/034/f/a/Naruto_Birthday_Cake_by_Hei_Chan (dot) jpg

Links are in profile if you're too lazy to get rid of the (dot)'s. Hoped you liked it! :D This is my longest chapter so far!