Chapter 3.- Happy Birthday Naruto.
The group of ninjas arrived to the Uchiha residence in good time. There Izuki and Sakura could sense some chakras, the others guest had already arrived. And so Izuki and Sasuke entered first, pretending to be looking for the light switch in the dark, Kakashi followed them, and at last came Hinata, Sakura and Naruto, being him the last.
And just as Naruto entered the house Izuki pulled the light switch up.
"Surprise!" the cries of Tsunade, Shizune and Iruka filled the room.
"Nani?" Naruto was quite surprised.
And even when Hinata hadn't known about the surprise, it didn't take her long to understand it, and she couldn't help but smile.
"What's the meaning of this?"
"Happy Birthday Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed happily, hugging him.
"This is your surprise birthday party, baka." Sasuke told him with a big smirk, more like a playful smile.
"We know your birthday isn't until tomorrow, but as Kakashi-kun and I have to go on a mission tomorrow at noon, we decided to make the party tonight." Izuki explained.
"You did this for me?" Naruto asked, almost crying.
"Hai." Izuki nodded. "You don't like it?"
"I love it." Naruto replied, some tears, of happiness, falling down his cheeks. "Arigato gozaimazu."
"Hey, don't cry!" Sakura said poking him in the ribs. "You're supposed to be happy."
Naruto nodded and immediately dried his tears with the sleeve of his jacket.
"Well, we can't stay here all night." Kakashi said. "Let's begin the party."
"I brought sake." Tsunade announced.
Izuki and Sakura just turned to look at each other knowingly.
And meanwhile Hinata watched as Sasuke's mouth twitched into a small smile (not a smirk but a true smile) as he pulled Naruto to the table. She had noticed the important change in the Uchiha since his sister's arrival, but even then she never imagined she would actually see the boy smile.
'So many things are changing here.' The blue-haired thought to herself.
"Hey!" Naruto complained.
It seemed that right before Naruto sat on the chair Kakashi had pulled that same chair for himself, ending with Naruto falling hard on his butt; while those who had witnessed couldn't help but laugh at the scene.
'So many things have changed but not you, you'll never change Naruto-kun…' Hinata thought with a calm smile.
"Food is ready!" Izuki announced coming out from the kitchen carrying a pot with food, followed by Sakura who carried the plates.
"Ramen! Yeah!" Naruto yelled excitedly.
For the following two hours they all seemed to forget the conversation of earlier, and concentrated on just eating, drinking, chatting, smiling; in few words in doing what someone is supposed to do at parties.
As the hours passed by Tsunade got drunk, Shizune excused both of them and decided it was time to take the Godaime back home. Iruka excused himself saying he still had to give classes the following morning. And so, those who remained there decided it was time for the gifts.
"More gifts?" Naruto asked.
"What are you talking about dobe?" Sasuke asked. "We haven't given you anything."
"But you have, you gave me this party, a wonderful dinner, and your friendship." Naruto said with a sincere smile. "There's nothing more I could ask for."
"Good because our gifts aren't exactly big." Sakura said with a smile. "Here."
Naruto took the box and opened it, he found what looked like a pale-yellow sweater.
"It's pretty." Naruto thanked her.
"It's no normal sweater." Sakura told him. "It's made of a special thread, some say it uses chakra, it's as resistant as a thin armor, and reduces the impact of any punch or kick you may receive in the parts of the body covered by it.
"Arigato Sakura-chan." Naruto smiled even more.
Sasuke's gift was next. It was a pouch with some kunais and shurikens.
"They are not normal weapons." Sasuke explained. "Made of a special material, they are a lot more resistant that normal kunai and shuriken, and besides you may charge them with chakra to make your attack even more powerful."
"Wow…" Naruto was quite surprised with this gift.
Izuki just smiled, knowing Sasuke must really appreciate Naruto to give him such a gift. Those kunai and shuriken, the way they were made, they had once belonged to the Uchiha Shinobi, they were the only ones who possessed such weapons; in that moment Sasuke and Izuki were obviously the last ones using them, and now Naruto too.
"Arigato Sasuke-kun." Naruto strapped the pouch in place. "I'll see they get a good use."
Sasuke nodded.
"Even when I did not know this party would be taking place, there's something I had been wanting to give to you Naruto-kun." Hinata said with a shy smile.
She took a roll of paper and handed it to Naruto.
As curious as ever, the blonde shinobi unrolled the paper, coming out with a painting, a beautiful painting that showed Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, Izuki and Kakashi standing together.
"You did this Hinata-chan?" Sakura asked fascinated.
"Hai." Hinata nodded.
"It's beautiful." Sakura complimented the blue-eyed girl.
"Arigato Hinata-chan. It is indeed beautiful." Naruto nodded with a smile. "But there's someone missing in it."
"Who?" Hinata was suddenly in panic, who had she forgotten to paint?
"You." Naruto answered signaling to her.
Hinata couldn't help but blush at the answer.
Sakura laughed lightly when she noticed the reaction in the Hyuuga heiress, while Sasuke just turned his eyes and shook his head in mid-annoyance.
"Well, just one gift missing." Izuki said bringing out a small wrapped gift. "Kakashi and I got this for you, I know it's not big, but perhaps you'll like it."
Naruto had never cared about the size of what he was given, as he had already said having that party had been already enough of a gift. He took the package and unwrapped it as fast as he could. Inside was what looked like two portraits folded together.
In one side was a couple: the man blonde with deep blue eyes dressed in a white suit, the woman of long fire-red waves and sky-blue eyes wearing a beautiful snow-white dress; holding each other's hands, smiling.
The photo on the other side showed the very same couple, some years later: in this the man wore a green shirt, and dark yellow jacket and pants, while the woman wore a cream dress; smiles adorned their faces while he hugged her from behind, as she held in her arms a small blonde and blue-eyed baby.
"Are they…" Naruto didn't even dare finish the sentence.
"They are your parents Naruto." Kakashi nodded. "Kushina-sensei and Minato-sama."
"The first photo was taken by Kakashi-kun in the day of their wedding." Izuki explained. "The second one I took it, the day you were born."
Hinata, Sakura and Sasuke immediately peeked from behind Naruto to see the photographs, they were really beautiful.
Naruto was slowly crying again, even after everything Izuki had told him, he never imagined to be able to see his parents.
Suddenly Sakura shrieked, she had noticed something.
"Oh Kami! Oh Kami! Oh dear Kami-sama!" she repeated over and over.
"What is it Sakura-chan?" Sasuke asked.
"Don't you see it?" she asked. "That man is Yondaime-sama!"
"Nani?!" Sasuke and Naruto turned their heads again to the photo.
"Sakura-chan is right." Hinata nodded. "Namikaze Minato-sama was the Yondaime Hokage."
"You knew this too?" Kakashi asked.
Hinata nodded.
"My father, he was the Hokage…" Naruto murmured to himself.
"Looks like that craziness of wanting to become Hokage is a family thing." Sakura commented with a playful smirk.
"Looks like it." Sasuke agreed.
"It wasn't craziness." Izuki replied. "Minato-sama always said he would be the Hokage, and he demonstrated he deserved that title."
"Wait a moment." Sasuke seemed to notice something else. "You mean the Yondaime sealed the kyuubi into his own son?"
"Hai." Izuki nodded.
"As Izuki-chan already told you, Minato-sensei always believed his son would do a great good with the power of the kyuubi." Kakashi explained. "He wanted to believe his son would one day be considered a hero."
"It's sad that most people thought more in the fact that Naruto-kun had the kyuubi inside him, and not in who's son he was, or why he had been given that power." Hinata said sadly. "Maybe if things had been the way Minato-sama and Kushina-dono wished, Naruto-kun wouldn't have had to suffer so much."
"Maybe." Naruto nodded. "But I do believe things turned out fine, after all I have you Hinata-chan, and Sasuke-kun, Sakura-chan, Izuki-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, Iruka-sensei, Konohamaru-kun, Tsunade-oba-san, and that old pervert of Ero-sennin. I need no one else with me."
The rest just smiled.
"Their smiles, and the light in their eyes." Hinata commented suddenly. "They loved each other and you so much."
"Indeed they did." Kakashi nodded.
"Kushina-sensei was so happy the time she was pregnant, some would assure she glowed with pride and joy, she was so happy you would be born." Izuki commented.
"And I remember Minato-sensei." Kakashi added. "I remember the day he found out he was going to be a father…I noticed he was distracted, and took the chance to challenge him to a fight, as always he accepted, but even as we fought he didn't seem to be fully focused. That was the only day I ever defeated him, and even when we had finished, he continued with the same face, and it was until I asked him what was wrong that he finally told me: 'I'm going to be a father Kakashi. Kushina is pregnant. We are going to have a child.' I honestly never saw him so excited about something. Not even when he was named Hokage."
Naruto smiled.
"You have grown into a very mature young boy, and a wonderful ninja, Naruto-san." Izuki murmured in a low voice, so only Kakashi heard her. "I'm sure that, wherever they are now, Minato-sama and Kushina-sensei are very proud of you."
And meanwhile Naruto just hugged the photos to his chest.
"Oka-san…Otou-san…"
.---.
The following morning Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto met Izuki and Kakashi near Konoha's gates to bid them farewell.
"We shall be back in one or two weeks." Izuki explained. "I hope you'll be good kids meanwhile."
Sasuke raised a brow at the comment.
"And I suggest you use this time to rest because once we're back I'll have you training very hard." Kakashi added.
"Yeah, sure." All three ninjas dismissed the comment immediately.
It was still around an hour until noon, so the group stopped to have a picnic right in the limits of the village. Hinata too arrived carrying some pastries she had baked earlier that day and it was like a continuation of the previous night's party.
"So, how are you liking this birthday so far Naruto-kun?" Sakura asked with a smile.
"I can say it is the best birthday I've had in my whole life." Naruto assured.
Just then he was eating some small cake with cream Hinata had done for him when 'accidentally' he threw some of the cream into Sasuke's face.
"Hey, baka!" Sasuke complained.
Naruto couldn't help but laugh at him.
And when the Uchiha boy noticed Sakura too was laughing he turned and tried to glare at her, failing miserably.
"Fine. If you want it." Sasuke said, he took some cream himself of another piece of cake and threw it. "Take this."
And even when he had tried to throw it to Sakura, Kakashi moved and got in the middle.
Seconds later it all turned into a food fight with everyone missing almost in purpose and laughing their heads off. Their fun went on for some minutes more until a female voice called their attention.
"Excuse me."
They all stopped their fight, or game, and turned to see the newcomer. None of them had problems to identify her, but even then the reactions were quite different: Hinata bowed her head in respect, Naruto got to his feet and gave a step backwards, Sasuke and Sakura immediately took a defensive stance right in front of their friend, while Kakashi and Izuki just stared right back at her: Naoko Kimazuu.
Hinata was quite surprised at the attitude the three friends took.
"What are you doing here Kimazuu-dono?" Kakashi asked as he stood up before the woman.
Izuki followed suit, all the while cleaning her face and hands, and standing next to her boyfriend and before the woman.
"I just came to talk to you." Naoko explained.
"Don't you think you've done enough damage already?" Izuki asked coldly.
"Listen to me." Naoko insisted. "Onegai, Naruto-kun, I know I made a mistake yesterday, I shouldn't have said all those awful things I said about you. It's just that…I don't know, I couldn't think clearly."
"But the main mistake you didn't make it yesterday Kimazuu-dono." Kakashi said seriously. "You made it the day you turned your back on Naruto, even knowing he was your nephew, the son of the sister you claimed to love."
"And I loved her, I really did!" Naoko insisted. "It was just that…Oh I don't even know." She sighed. "My parents insisted so much that Minato-sama was the worst person for taking Kushina-onee-sama away that I came to believe that. I'm really sorry."
"It's not us you should be apologizing to Naoko-dono." Izuki said trying not to sound so harsh this time.
Knowing what she meant Naoko turned her head to Naruto. Sasuke and Sakura seemed to understand what she wished and after a couple of seconds in doubt they finally stepped away.
"Naruto-kun…Gomen nasai." Naoko said. "I know I'm not worthy of even begging forgiveness after what I've done to you, I'm not worthy of you ever calling me family, or of being considered as the sister of someone as great as Kushina, but still I hope you'll one day give me a chance to prove you I'm truly sorry for everything I've done."
"I…" Naruto didn't seem to know exactly what to say. "I have nothing to forgive. I think…I think that in a certain way I understand why you did everything you've done. And even if I have to admit it hasn't been easy for me to live all alone all this time; like I said, I believe it all turned out for the best. I have friends, people I know that accept me no matter how I am, or what I have inside me; I consider them almost like a family. I need nothing else."
Naoko remained silent, almost loosing all hope of having a chance.
"As I said there's nothing to forgive." Naruto went on. "But if you wish so much for my forgiveness you have it, you've always had it." He smiled a bit when he added: "And if you wish for us to be family, I would be very glad to give it a try."
"Arigato, Naruto-kun." Naoko said with a big smile.
And after thinking about it for a couple of seconds she embraced Naruto tightly. Naruto smiled warmly and embraced her back.
'Is this how it feels when you have someone you can call family with you?' Naruto wondered. 'Is this warm feeling what Sasuke gets from Izuki-sensei, and Sakura from her family? Is this what I could have gotten from my parents hadn't they died?' he sighed. 'Then the only thing I wish now is to be able to feel it everyday for the rest of my life.'
"Naoko-ba-san…" Naruto whispered in a low voice.
Naoko couldn't help but cry out of joy at this.
Izuki, Kakashi, Sakura, Sasuke and Hinata just stood there, watching the scene in silence and with small smiles on their faces. It seemed things were finally turning out right for them all.
But even when this meant an end to a situation that began fourteen years ago; it also meant a beginning to many more that would be taking place from now on. With everything they had seen until then it was obvious that, in their lives, anything could happen.
The End.
(Or isn't it?)
Actually it is, the end I mean, and on my part at least. Originally this was just the second of a long series of stories in which more new characters would be entering, changing things. Eventually our heroes would have to face the Akatsuki and of course Orochimaru and the Sound. I had even considered making something quite rash once I found out that Itachi wasn't really a villain, but in the end I never did. I went about halfway through the second chapter of this fic's sequel, and then nothing, there was a huge writer's block, and so much has changed in cannon, and then it has just been so long, I guess I mostly lost interest in this fic. This is also one of two where I use NaruHina and SasuSaku, right now I much prefer NaruSaku, and mostly dislike Sasuke.
Another important fact is that only one person has reviewed this fic, and only did so once. As few readers as I had in Izuki I never thought it would go like that, so I guess one could say I'm also lacking the motivation to give the sequel a try.
However if (and I know this is a Huge If) anyone shows any interest on continuing this just let me know, if you want I can even send you what little I had done, I'm stating right now I won't be doing it. So, that's that.
I still, hope you liked this fic, as far from current cannon as it is.
Adieu