A/N: Hey everybody, sorry for the wait. This one is a bit shorter than usual, but it touches on some serious topics so I hope that makes up for it. I swear this thing writes itself sometimes, I did not even plan half of what ended up in this chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Text examples:
"Hello." Biju or jinchuriki using biju's powers speaking
'Hi.' Person thinking
'Hi there.' Person speaking through mental link
'Howdy.' Biju speaking through mental link
Chapter 3: Failings as a Guardian
Naruko woke up and tried to stretch out a bit only to find a pair of arms wrapped around her. She turned a little and smiled when she saw that it was Aika. The red head scooted up a little and kissed the woman on the cheek.
"Wake up Momma." The brown haired woman was the closest thing Naruko had to a mother. The fox girl knew her real mother was Kushina, but Aika had always been there when she need her and as far as Naruko was concerned that made Aika he mom too. The older woman opened her eyes and smiled down at the girl before she placed a kiss on Naruko's forehead.
"Good morning kit. How did you sleep?" Aika drew her girl closer and the two snuggled together. The red head had a tired smile on her face.
"I slept great! I dreamt that I was out with Hinata and it started to rain ramen!" Naruko grinned brightly as she thought about the best dream she ever had. Aika was pleased with the response, but she had to ask a question.
"That sounds great Naruko, but who's Hinata?" Naruko's face seemed to light up when she thought of the blue haired girl.
"She's my new friend! I met her yesterday when I saved her from a bunch of jerks. She's really nice and her eyes are pure white like snow." Aika shook her head, beating up bullies definitely sounded like something Naruko would do.
"That's very brave of you kit. It sounds like one of those old fairytale love stories." It really did sound like a fairytale and Aika was proud of her little warrior for protecting the princess. Naruko dug her head into the mattress before she answered.
"Momma!" The red head was blushing so badly that it matched her hair. It was not a fairytale, even if it did sound like one. Aika just drew her little girl close and rubbed her back to calm her down. She sat up and looked around the room.
"I can't believe Jiraiya actually got such a nice room for you." The Luxury suite was great. It not only had a queen sized bed, but also a TV, a complete kitchen, a balcony, and a massage chair. Naruko grinned sheepishly as she scratched the back of her head.
"Well I may have tricked him into getting the luxury suite and then convinced Rika to change it to two singles. Oh, Rika is the nice lady who works at the check in desk." Aika was happy for the girl. It seemed that she was meeting a lot of good people.
"That's great honey. It sounds like you've been having lots of fun." The girl nodded in agreement and got out of bed. She had noticed the clock and decided to get up seeing how it was already eight in the morning. Naruko walked over to her bag and started to pick out clothes for the day. She wanted to wear something nice to meet Hinata later.
"Momma. How much longer can you stay?" Naruko knew Aika could never stay for long since she had duties in the demon realm, so she was always grateful for the time they had together even if it was short. Naruko figured Kurama summoned Aika last night when she fell asleep. The only one with enough authority to get Aika away from her duties was the red head's Dad. Aika got off the bed and walked towards her kit.
"Not long kit. I probably should have left right away, but it's been a few weeks since I last saw you so I decided to stay the night. I missed my little girl." Aika hugged the girl from behind and placed a quick peck on her cheek. Naruko turned around in her Momma's arms and hugged her tightly.
"I love you Momma." Aika heard the small voice and clung onto the girl even tighter. She knew how much pain the girl had gone through even though she was so young. She wanted to protect her kit like any mother would.
"I love you too Naruko." The red head had a huge grin on her face. Her Momma always gave the best hugs, though she might lose her spot to Hinata once Naruko gets a hug from the Hyuga girl. The two parted and Aika kissed Naruko on her head. "Okay kit. I need to get going before someone realizes how long I've been gone." The other nobles could be such asses sometimes, Lord Kurama being the exception of course.
"Bye Momma." Naruko did not want to see her go, but she knew that her Momma had responsibilities. The woman smiled brightly at the small girl.
"Goodbye my little fox." Aika squeezed Naruko one more time before she got up and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Naruko was a sad the woman had to go, but she was happy that she got to see her too. She took a deep breath and held it a second before letting it out. She turned around and grabbed some clean clothes along with her hygiene bag and went into the bathroom to get ready for the day. Half an hour later she was all cleaned up and heading downstairs after she performed the transformation to make herself look normal. She hadn't realized it, but she let it break last night before she headed off to bed.
-Hotel Lobby-
"Hey Rika!" The blond teen looked over to see Naruko coming down the stairs and she wondered why children always seemed to be so active in the morning.
"Hi Naruko. I take it you slept well?" The girl certainly seemed to have. The red head nodded as she approached.
"Yeah it was great! I love how big the bed is and the bath felt great!" Naruko was smiling as she remembered the joy of being able to take a bath after so long. She was used to sharing a room with Jiraiya and he never let her take baths. He said it was a waste of time. The clerk woman brightened a bit at the complements. She was proud of the hotel.
"I'm glad to hear that. Have you eaten yet this morning?" The answer became apparent as a loud growl came from the red head's stomach. Naruko just smiled and scratched the back of her head. Rika chuckled. "We have a complimentary breakfast bar through that door over there." Naruko looked at where Rika was pointing and sure enough she could see breakfast foods laid out on a table.
"Thanks Rika, you're the best! Oh, so do you know if Gramps ever came in last night?" Naruko was used to Jiraiya not coming back some nights. She would go look for him and end up finding him in some alley somewhere. Why her parents ever picked the man to be her godfather was beyond her. Rika tilted her head to the side as she thought for a moment.
"You mean the old perv? Last time I checked he was passed out in the entryway." It was not a pleasant thing to find during the morning shift, but Rika would be lying if she said she had never seen worse. Naruko turned and headed over to the entryway. She opened the door and stuck her head out. In the corner of the entryway was Jiraiya passed out with a bottle of sake in his hand. Naruko grinned evilly.
"Aunt Tsunade! What are you doing with that knife?!" As soon as the words left Naruko's mouth Jiraiya was up and running. He ran straight into the wall on the other side of the entryway. The white haired man hit the wall so hard he actually stuck there for a few seconds before he slid to the floor. Naruko was laughing uncontrollably. Jiraiya eventually rolled over and looked around.
"That wasn't funny brat." Jiraiya was giving his goddaughter a death glare that could peel paint, but it did not seem to affect her. The red head just laughed it off.
"It totally is funny." Naruko was laughing so hard she thought she might pee herself. "Come on. Get up and lets grad some grub." Jiraiya got up and followed Naruko into the breakfast area. They each grabbed a plate and began to put food on it.
"Once we finish here we have a meeting with the Hokage." Naruko almost dropped her food when she heard that.
"The Hokage. I get the meet THE HOKAGE?!" The white haired man just nodded as he rubbed his temples. He had a wicked handover and the yelling was not helping. "That is so cool!" Naruko got a cup of juice and proceed to a table to eat. She was inhaling her food. The faster she ate the sooner she got to meet the Hokage, at least in her mind that was how it worked. And apparently that was how it worked. Once she finished eating she got up, grabbed Jiraiya, and ran out the door with him. Rika almost cracked her neck form the whiplash of turning her head so fast.
-Academy Building-
Naruko had actually managed to find the Academy with the help of the map that Himeko had given her. The little red head was excited to say the least. She knew a lot about the Hokages, her father had been one after all. They were the strongest ninja in the village at their appointment and it was rumored that Hiruzen Sarutobi had been the strongest Hokage ever. He was one of Naruko's heroes, right after her mother and father and her Dad and Momma Aika. It would sadden Jiraiya to learn that he was not even on the list. The two made their way inside and headed to the administrative portion of the building where the Hokage's office was. They stood outside the office and Naruko had to take a breath to keep from bouncing off the walls. Jiraiya slammed the door open.
"Hey sensei! Long time no see!" Jiraiya made his way into the office leaving a slightly annoyed Naruko at the door. That was no way to talk to the Hokage. The Hokage looked up from his paperwork and smiled at his old student.
"Jiraiya. It's good to see you again. It has been too long." The Hokage embraced Jiraiya for a moment and then turned to Naruko. "Naruko it is so good to see you again." Naruko bowed to him.
"It is a pleasure to meet you again Lord Hokage." Hiruzen was impressed by the respect that she showed him. Not many children her age could behave so properly. Jiraiya thought he was hallucinating. He had never seen Naruko act this way before, she never showed respect to others, not even him.
"How come you never show that much respect to me brat?" Naruko smiled at Jiraiya.
"Because I only show respect to those who deserve it." Jiraiya practically hit the floor as Hiruzen and Kurama laughed. Jiraiya got back on his feet and picked up Naruko by the scruff of her neck and held her in front of his face.
"You little ingrate! I raised you for the last 3 years and I get no respect?" He could not believe the red head thought that little of him. Naruko glared daggers at him.
"You raised me? All you did was pay for hotel rooms and then go off chasing skirts all night! Dad and Momma are the ones who have been raising me! You used to leave me alone for hours all by myself and it never occurred to you to feed or change me! While you were out all night Dad would bring me to his forest and play with me! Then he would use my body to do hand signs and summon Momma Aika to take care of me! You never did a thing! Who do you think it was who taught me how to talk? How to read and write? It sure as hell wasn't you!" Naruko was pissed. She could not believe Jiraiya had the nerve to say that he raised her. The white haired man looked stricken. He put the girl back on the ground. The white haired man had always assumed that the girl had just picked up how to do those things by watching him. He had no idea that he was doing so poorly at raising the girl. Hiruzen had been surprised by what he heard. From the letters he got from Jiraiya he had known that Naruko called Kurama Dad, but he had no idea who this Aika woman was. Nor did he realize how bad Jiraiya was at being a guardian. All the letters indicated that he was doing a decent job of it. The Hokage let out a sigh and looked at his former student only to see the man walking out the door.
"Jiraiya!" He did not even look back at Hiruzen. Naruko just watched the man as he walked down the hall.
"Let him go. That's what he's good at. Walking away." Hiruzen did not know what to say to the remark, so he let it go.
"Is he really that bad?" Naruko looked up at the Hokage and shook her head as she released a heavy sigh.
"No, he isn't that bad. He has his moments where Dad just wants to strangle him, but he isn't that bad. He does an alright job nowadays. He may be a perverted lady's man, but he makes sure that I always have a roof over my head, clean clothes to wear, and good food in my belly. He even plays with me sometimes and we have a lot of fun." Naruko's anger had dissipated and she was smiling a little. Hiruzen was glad to hear that his former student was not a complete failure at being a guardian.
"I'm glad to hear that, but it still means he can do better." The red head let out a little noise in agreement. "I'll speak with him some more later." Hiruzen knew the man would be at his favorite bar drinking, trying to figure out where he went wrong. He meant well but his heart was not always in the right place. His mind wandered back to a question he thought of earlier. "Naruko, who is Aika?" The red head smiled as she thought of her Momma.
"Momma Aika is a fox from the demon realm. Dad used to use my body to summon her when I needed taking care of when I was little. She's really nice and she takes good care of me." Hiruzen was a bit surprised at learning that Kurama could take over the young girl's body, but he let it go. If the demon had not wreaked havoc in the past he doubted Kurama would do it now.
"I am glad that there was someone to take care of you when Jiraiya was away. I would like to meet Aika someday and thank her for all that she has done for you." The Hokage really was grateful and truly happy that Naruko had some kind of mother figure in her life, even if she was a fox demon. Naruko nodded with a smile on her face before she remembered something.
"So Lord Hokage, what is this meeting supposed to be about." Hiruzen had nearly forgotten the entire purpose of the girl's visit today. He made his way back around behind his desk.
"Ah yes, well it isn't really a meeting. I just had to call it that to get time out of my schedule for it. The reason you are here is so that I could give you this." Hiruzen pulled out a small blue crystal from his desk draw and handed it over to Naruko. She took the crystal and for a split second she thought she saw a man floating in a void of white, but then it was gone. Naruko blinked a few times and wondered what she had just seen, but dismissed it as nothing as she took to examining the crystal.
"It's really pretty. I get to keep it?" Naruko really liked the small crystal for some reason. Hiruzen was not surprised that the girl had taken an interest in the crystal so quickly.
"Yes you get to keep it. It belonged to your mother. I would have gotten it to you sooner but I misplaced it for a while." Hiruzen had a sheepish look on his face. He was a bit embarrassed that he had lost something so valuable for so long. The red head went wide eyed as she looked at the man.
"This was my Mother's?" Naruko looked back at the crystal liking it even more now that she knew of the connection it had to her mother. The Hokage chuckled to himself.
"Yes. It is actually an old Uzumaki Clan relic that is passed down to the heirs when they are old enough." Hiruzen seemed a little sad as he remembered the lost clan. Well almost lost, there was one Uzumaki left. Naruko had to smile.
"Cool!" The red head did a little jump and put the crystal in her pocket. Then she seemed to remember something. "Oh that reminds me. Lord Hokage how do I adopt people into the Uzumaki clan." Hiruzen was quite surprised by the question. He wondered if the little girl was really only four. No doubt Kurama played a heavy roll in her development.
"Well Naruko, being the heir of the Uzumaki clan you will have the right to adopt people into your clan once you become clan head, which will happen when you turn thirteen. Once you're clan head you need two other clan heads to approve of the candidate and sign off on them as well as my approval. That and a whole lot of paperwork, but that is more on my end than yours." Naruko was chest-fallen when she heard this. Not only did she have to wait nine years before she could start adopting people into her clan, but also find two clan heads you would be willing to help her.
"That sounds hard." Hiruzen chuckled to himself. He guessed it did sound hard to a four year old who has never even met a clan head before.
"Well it might not be so bad. Your mother was fairly good friends with the heirs of the Yamanaka and the Inuzuka clan back in the day. Both of which will probably be the heads of their respective clans by the time you become head of the Uzumaki clan. So they may be able to help you out." Naruko brightened up considerably after hearing that. She started to repeat the two names over and over again in her head so she would not forget them.
"Yamanaka and Inuzuka, got it! Thank you Lord Hokage." Naruko bowed to the man and he smiled at the girl.
"Well if that's everything I really should get back to work. It is almost time for lunch and I really don't want to miss out on the curry chicken today." Naruko went wide eyed and looked at the clock. It was already eleven thirty. She had to move fast if she wanted to get to the Hyuga Compound on time.
"Crap! I have to run! Thank you for everything Lord Hokage!" Naruko did a quick bow before racing off out the door. Hiruzen was wearing an amused expression as he watched the girl go. It must me so nice to be young.
A/N: And there you have it folks, Chapter 3! I hope you all enjoyed and are looking forward to the next update, which should be out in a week or so. And just to keep you interested, Jiraiya and Hiruzen will be having that talk next chapter.