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Chapter 6

It was Saturday, and I had woken up unusually early.

... Ok, I may have been a little excited to meet a certain silver-haired ninja at the training grounds. But I put it down to nerves. It was just nerves. I managed to wake Naruto up for once on a Saturday morning, but I had threatened his ramen, so he had literally no choice. Once we had eaten a quick breakfast of toast, I decided to get some shopping done with Naruto awake, so he could pick some things that weren't ramen, but that he might like. I was also running out of, erm, female toiletries, but I'd get that when Naruto was busy in the ramen section. No need to go through 'the Talk' with him just yet.

And chocolate.

We needed chocolate.

Lots of chocolate.

I decided to make the trip a half-day out, so I took Naruto to the village centre, where the slightly larger shops were. The nearest city was a little too far for us to go and come back in time for my appointment with Kakashi, however late he would be. When all the shopping was done, Naruto had somehow managed to convince me to buy him an ice-cream, which he was now eating surprisingly slowly from a biscuit cone. Strawberry ice-cream + white T-shirt + Naruto = huge washing up when I get home. But it was sweet watching him enjoy himself with the simplest things as he held his small hand in mine.

Lugging multiple shopping bags for a whole morning was quite tiring I found. And when I came across a playground with a free bench, I dumped myself on the bench with a sigh of relief, and deposited the bags around me. Naruto ran off to the swings, ice cream cone still in hand, and a huge grin on his face. I just shouted out a 'Don't wander too far' before relaxing fully on the bench.

I closed my eyes and just felt my surroundings. I could smell the air, some hints of smoke and dust from the busy road nearby, and scents from food-stalls made my mouth water. The sun was up high and warmed my cheeks softly, and I heard birds twittering, children laughing and the pitter-patter of pedestrians walking by. I felt a soft breeze on my face, like a caress, and I thought I heard a voice. A soft but deep voice. "You're doing well" was what I thought I heard, but it must have been someone nearby. I was imagining things in my tired state. I'd go back to listening to the birds, and the children, and Naruto crying, and-

I shot up in my seat and scanned the playground quickly to find the blonde head of hair I sought. I spotted him, and ran. The bags could wait, Naruto was crying. I knelt by him, pulling him to me in a hug, and cooed softly to him.

"Shh Naru-kun, what's wrong? Why are you crying? Tell me how to help you." But all I got was a blubbering reply, words indistinguishable through his tears.

"I'm so sorry, but my son must have been playing without looking where he was going and knocked into him. He dropped his ice-cream cone."

I looked up to the gentle voice and saw a woman, with long black hair and equally black eyes. Uchiha. But who? It was then that I saw the little boy peeking around her skirts. Sasuke!

Naruto was easily pleased; I had simply to buy another ice-cream for him. Mikoto had tried to pay for it as apology, but I had insisted that Naruto was just being a baby, and there was no need to fuss about him. I had been at first surprised at her seeming acceptance of Naruto when she heard for sure who he was, but I think she just liked children too much to hate one, especially one as cute as Naruto.

He was now playing with, or should I say competing against, Sasuke on the swings. The typical game of 'I can swing higher than You!' and they were neck to neck and had the cutest expressions of concentration on their faces. It had been entertaining seeing Naruto finally realise who the boy was, pointing a finger at him and shouting "YOU! You go to school with me!" Sasuke was more subtle, nodding his head, but not in indifference as I had come to see in his older self in the manga. It was a nod of recognition. Acknowledgement. Something Naruto had always tried to achieve. Sasuke was surprisingly sweet, and I dreaded the changes he would go through when his family was to be massacred. Unless...- no, no decisions yet. I'd have to discuss it with the Hokage.

"So you are his sister now?" Mikoto said with a smile, sipping a cup of tea from her thermos.

"Yes. He's the best little brother." I said with a smile back, chewing on a sandwich I had packed for lunch. It was a simple ham sandwich. No mess. You learnt what did or didn't make a mess when you lived with Naruto long enough.

"They seem to be getting along well. I bet they'll be the best of friends." She said, indicating with her head to the two little boys playing on the slide now, oblivious to our conversation. It was a surreal sight, watching them playing together in the playground, so carefree and innocent.

"You have no idea..." I muttered.

Glancing down at my watch I saw to my horror the time had flown to- "1:16? SHI- erm... SUGAR!"

"Is something wrong dear?"

"I have to be somewhere right now, I'm so sorry- Naruto! Time to go!"

"Natsuki-chaaaan!... I don't want to go yet..."

"Naruto-"

"Leave him with me dear, you can pick him up later. He's having fun, and it's the least I can do. Come pick him up after dinner."

"Are you sure?" not to say I didn't like her, I just didn't trust her entirely. For all I knew, she could be in a conspiracy to hurt Naruto for all I know, and would lead him into a dark alley filled with angry villagers the moment I left... Maybe I was being a little paranoid.

"Thanks, I'll pick him up at six."

"Bye then!"

"Bye."

After a quick explanation and goodbye to Naruto, I ran back to the apartment and dropped off all the shopping, before running to the training grounds, where I doubled over from all the running I did in only ten minutes. This'll be so much easier when I can just flicker anywhere. Luckily, Kakashi wasn't there-

"You're late."

"AHH!" I spun around clutching my chest in fright, only to see a silver-haired ninja come out from behind a tree, lazily reading his 'book'. "You're already here? But how? You're always late!"

"I made an exception today." I couldn't help but blush a little, but hopefully he'd only think it was my rosy skin after all that running. "Expect the unexpected."

"You're never on time!"

"I am today."

"But- But- ARGH! The one time I'm late..."

He just chuckled at me. It was a nice chuckle, but I wasn't going to tell him that. "Shall we begin?"

I stuck my tongue out at him, immature, but I'm sure he got the point. But he was suddenly in front of me in a split second with my tongue between his fingers, his eye now on me. "I'd keep that in your mouth if I were you, unless you want to lose it."

Cheeky bastard, I couldn't speak with him holding my tongue. I just nodded, his close proximity to me was making me fluster, damn copy-nin, I couldn't wait to be faster than him.

What had started as what I assumed was a simple sit-down lesson on the theory behind being a ninja, turned out to be a quick pep talk before a long game of 'Catch-Kakashi'. How was I, an untrained civilian, supposed to find an elite ex-ANBU shinobi of Konoha? It was crazy. But I attempted to use what knowledge I had of him to catch him, but I came across several problems.

I couldn't use chakra yet.

I couldn't fight 'properly', at least not against him.

I can't use any weapons yet.

I'm not tall so reaching the tree branches without training yet is QUITE difficult.

I'm not particularly fast.

Basically, I was NOT A KUNOICHI.

I think Kakashi really was crazy. I had seen him a maximum of four times in the past four hours. I would have felt a little proud... if I wasn't completely exhausted. My whole body was covered in bruises from running into things while I tried to chase Kakashi without losing sight of him. My legs were screaming in agony from practically non-stop running. My arms ached from hauling me up and over obstacles in the chase. My skin was covered in minor cuts and scrapes from the shrubs and branches I had run though. And I felt particularly skittish.

Any sound or movement in the corner of my eye made me jump. I was acting practically on instinct now. Even if I caught up to him, how would I catch him?

A net? No.

A fight? No.

A trap? No.

Nothing! I couldn't think of any way to catch him! I was hopeless... no... I wasn't hopeless. HE was hopeless, as a teacher! How could he possibly think that I could complete this task successfully?

And then I understood.

He didn't think I would succeed. And he didn't care. He didn't think I was worth the effort of being taught by him properly. He thought I was a waste of time. He probably wasn't even in the training grounds half the time, just dropping by to keep up the pretence. In which case, where would he be? It was still too early for dinner, so he probably wouldn't be at a restaurant. He could be at the memorial stone, I'd have to check. Or at his home, but I didn't know where that was. Or a million different places in Konoha! How was I supposed to search all over the place before I had to get Naruto? It was impossible...

For me.

I had now a new challenge; to find Konoha's 'Beautiful Green Beast'.

It wasn't hard to find him. I simply asked where he usually trained, and made my way there. It was an interesting meeting, to say the least.

"AH! What is a beautiful youthful girl like you doing on the training grounds? I am Konoha's Beautiful Green Beast, Maito Gai! Who are you?" cue the blinding white smile.

"I'm Natsuki."

"Beautiful Natsuki, will you go on a date with me and be my girlfriend? I promise to protect your life!"

Now when and where had I heard that already? It was quite surreal.

"Erm, sorry, but I'm fine thanks."

"Oh..." he seemed to physically deflate a little.

"But I have a question to ask you."

"Anything!"

"Could you get Kakashi for me? I needed to see him for something."

"My eternal rival? YOSH! It is a challenge I will enjoy! Look out Kakashi! I will get him for you in an hour, or I shall be your slave for failing you!"

What? "Erm, you don't have to do that, I just needed to see him-"

"I shall see you soon then!"

"But-"

And off he went. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea...