I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!

Chapter 3

Outside POV:

The ninja returned to the castle without the little blonde prize. All of them looked nervous and afraid. They were sweating profusely and kept twitching. No one wanted to face the ire of Uchiha Sasuke's wrath. Entering a regal looking study, they saw the prince casually reading a book title 'History of an Empire's Empire.' He glanced up annoyed that quickly changed to amusement and…glee?

"Ahh~ My loyal ANBU. And where is the blonde?"

The captain stepped forward and knelt down on one knee. The group followed. "Sir. We failed the mission. We were unable to capture the target."

It was silent. "How?" Instead of angry the Uchiha seemed intrigued.

Taken aback, the captain glanced upward. The prince's eyes showed genuine curiosity. "Sir. We delivered the message but he refused. We attempted to capture him, but before we could he bolted. We pursued until he ran into a deserted alleyway and we lost him. However…"

"What is it?"

"He was able to hit one of my men and leave a bruise."

Sat leaned back in his chair and contemplated. Now that was some interesting news. ANBU was an elite unit of ninja. For one to be hit was amazing on its own, but to leave a mark was even more remarkable. Someone had to have power to manage that. Sasuke wanted to see him even more now.

"I understand. Dismissed."

The ANBU left but Sasuke new he wasn't alone.

"What do you want Kakashi?"

"Maa~ I was just curious about your little obsession."

"Hn."

"I heard the ANBU failed. I admit, I'm interested as well now. Want me to find him?"

"Do as you wish." Translation: Yes. Do it now.

Kakashi eye smiled in two upside-down U's. "Ok. Ja ne!" He disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Now where to start.

Naruto POV:

Later I decided it was safe enough to head outside and in the village again. I still didn't know what the teme wanted with me, but I wasn't going to let it ruin my day! Once I reached the village I noticed that there were at least triple the amount of people outside as there were before. I continued exploring until I came upon something called a candy store. I had never heard of it before. Was it like dried fruit or something?

Inside there were shelves filled with different types of candy. (AN: Idk if there was candy them, but for me there was.) Children were running through the store so fast that they seemed like they could outrun a ninja. (Sugarhigh! XD )Their parents trailing after them. Each of them had a small bag that they were filling with candy/ the colored stuff. Catching on quickly I grabbed the biggest one and started looking at what to put in it from the shelves. There was something pink that was stretchy and gooey, the sign said taffy. Next to that were rainbow colored things in the shape of a ball, and were covered in sugar. Gum drops. Following along there were tarts, jolly ranchers, sugar sticks, chocolate and so many more I thought my head would explode. They also smelled soooo~ sweet! I stuffed my bag with each one I came across until I arrived at the rock candy. It came in 3 colors: pink, blue and yellow. And it really looked like a rock put on a stick. I was entranced and confused. How could a rock taste good? Taking one of the samples, I put it in my mouth. I froze and sighed in ecstasy. It was so good! I took all of them and put them in my bag. Once it was stuffed I ran to the owner of the shop so that I could pay for them and eat them sooner.

The man was slightly overweight and introduced himself as Ruko. He wore a plain green vest over a red long sleeve shirt. Black pants and brown shoes. He also had brown hair and hazel eyes filled with kindness and warmth. He smiled and started adding the price.

"That'll be 6394.8 yen." ($80)

"K. Here you go." I handed him a gold piece the size of my thumb and left.

He looked at in shock and yelled. "Wait! This is too much! Come back!"

I wasn't paying any attention, too engrossed with my candy. I found a place to sit at the fountain I was at earlier. A stone boundary was around it and I sat down, munching happily on the candy. There were so many different kinds! Chewy, crunchy, sour, sweet, smooth, bumpy, ect. My favorite was the rock candy. It was sweet and crunchy, and boggled my mind. I still didn't know how a rock could taste so good. Runner-up was taffy. It was sweet and chewy. I preferred the sweeter ones, it was rare to find sweet things like this in the forest. Besides berries that were potentially poisonous. I had a big grin on my face, while my eyes were closed, that stretched my whisker marks on my face.

People were walking by and chatting with each other, when all of a sudden two kids dashed out of an alleyway followed by a couple of thugs. I cracked on of my eyes open to see what was going on. The area was silent save for the heavy breathing and cursing of the thugs. The two kids were standing a few feet in front of me, so I could see they were a boy and girl. The girl being the oldest. They looked like brother and sister. The girl had long, scraggly, brown hair and brown eyes. She was holding her brother in a protective embrace. The boy had shoulder length brown hair and eyes. Both kids looked scruffy and a little worse for wear. They looked to be 9 and 7. The thugs were in their thirties in scruffy clothes, and I could scars on their arms. One of them, presumably the leader, stepped towards the kids and started to speak.

"Now look here. Your brother tripped me and ruined my brand new shirt. How are you gonna pay for it?"

"We have no money! I'm sorry for my brother. Please let us go."

"HeeHee. Sorry girly. This is an expensive shirt, so you gotta pay for it. I know a way you can without money…"

It was easy to tell what the guy was thinking, if his leer and grin was any hint. The girl paled and shook in fright of the suggestion. I looked around and noticed that there were no ninjas and the people weren't helping. Great. Now I have to save them. Sigh~ Standing, I place my candy on the stone ledge and calmly walked in front of the children. Ignoring looks of surprise I spoke to the thugs, who had regrouped by now.

"Look. They said sorry. Your shirt looks fine to me, so why don't you leave before I make you."

"Ha! Like a kid could beat us. There are 3 of us and 1 of you. What could you do?"

"Kick your ass."

"Whatever kid. Get them!"

The thugs rushed forwards. I growled as I crouched low into a fighting stance. If they wanted to fight then so be it. Before they could get close I ran towards them. Surprised they stopped but quickly realized their mistake. I kicked one of them in the stomach and punched the other in the face. Of course I held back my strength a lot. They flew back into a fruit stand, destroying it. Outraged they came back and attempted to punch me. I dropped to the ground and swept my foot across thug 1's feet, making him topple over. I heard thug 2 switch positions and jumped o the right to avoid a kick. Both thugs stood up and attempted to rush me from behind and in front. I kicked my left leg back and punched with my right arm. Each hit landed on their solar plexuses and they became paralyzed in pain. I turned to face the leader who was sweating and trembling by now. Before he had a chance to beg I stopped him.

"Leave." It wasn't a request. It was a demand.

He quickly left, so I turned my attention to the kids I just rescued. As I took a step towards them I heard clapping. The people who had seen me fight were praising me and applauding me. Saying I was brave and noble. I sheepishly rubbed the back of my head as I smiled. I kneeled in front of the kids and saw them shiver in fear.

"Hey Guys! You alright? No injuries or nothing?"

The girl spoke in shock. "N-no. Thank you for h-helping us!"

I waved it off. "No need for thanks. How about you guys eat some candy? I bet you're hungry." As if on queue their stomachs growled.

Blushing they both nodded with a "please."

I smiled again. "C'mon. Its over here."

I led them over to the candy and pulled out some random ones. They stared at it in awe and tentivaly took some. They put it in their mouths and smiled brightly. It must've been the first time they tried candy. That seemed odd considering how many kids were in that store with their parents.

"So guys. Can I know your names?"

"I'm Cora. And my brother is Renji."

"Nice to meet you. You can call me Naruto. Why don't you tell me what your parents look like and I can help you find them."

Their moods dimmed. "We don't have parents. We're orphans that live on the streets."

I didn't know what to say, so I decided to help them. "Ne ne! How about we have some fun today? I'll be like your big brother! And we can get some better clothes, ok?"

They looked at me surprised. "We couldn't do that! You've done so much already."

"Too bad! You're coming with me anyway."

I grabbed their hands and dragged them to the closest clothes store. Inside was a man who greeted us and led us to the kids section. I told the kids to find something they liked, and to not worry about the price. They came back with their choices. Cora was holding a purple shirt with a black vest, black shorts, and blue sandals. Renji had a green shirt with brown vest, brown pants, and black sandals. I found similar outfits and bought those as well. Next on my list to help them was a bath. Luckily for us, public bathhouses existed.

After a quick walk we arrived and realized that Cora was going to have to split up from us. At first she was reluctant to leave her brother, but after some prodding she gave in. Inside the men's bath were cubbies filled with soaps and large springs of water. Grabbing a bucket of soaps we picked a pool. I sat down in the warm water and beckoned Renji to sit in front of me. He was very nervous and was rapidly scanning everyone around us. Deciding to calm him down, I did it in my own way. I dunked his head underwater. I laughed as his arms flailed around him and bubbles came up from in the water. I let him go and he came up for air, spluttering and coughing up water.

"What was that for!"

Ah. There it is. The real Renji. "You needed to get your hair wet to wash it. I was helping."

"No you weren't! You nearly drowned me!"

"But I didn't. Now come over here. I'll wash your back."

"Hmph." Nonetheless he swam closer and soon enough we were both clean.

Exiting the men's section we saw Cora leaving the women's. She looked like she was glowing. Her skin was clear, she was wearing clean shoes and she had a large smile on her face. When the siblings noticed each other they squeaked at how the other looked. Both looked very different now. Still they needed some haircuts. Bad.

"Ok guys! Next on your makeover is haircuts. Now I don't mean to brag but I got some skills!" I puffed out my chest.

"giggle…But your hair is messy and spiked in all directions."

I deflated. "It's style I tell you. Style!"

Cora rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say."

"Just for that your first. Mwahahaha!"

She sweat dropped and started to run away, but I tackled her before she could.

15 minutes later:

Sitting up I wiped the invisible sweat off my forehead. Glancing at my work I nodded my head in approval. Standing up dramatically and whipping out a mirror from kami-knows-where I exclaimed

"Behold! Perfection!"

Cora looked at the mirror and gasped. She looked so-so beautiful. She couldn't believe this was the same girl that ran in the streets picking through trash and running from thugs. Her previously long hair was trimmed to just below her shoulders. And the scraggly mess was now soft curls. Her bangs rested on her forehead and framed her face. She gasped as she felt it. It was soft to the touch. She turned and thanked me. I simply told her I was awesome. Next up was Renji and after another minutes he was done. His hair was cut super short with a few bangs in his face. It was easier to manage that way.

"Now that your makeover is complete, how about we grab some food. I don't know about you guys but I am starving."

Both kids giggled and we made our way back to the center of the village. People were gaping at us as we passed. Not believing that those were the same kids as before. It's amazing what a little change in clothes and a bath could do. I led them to Ichiraku Ramen and we all sat at a table in the middle. We started chatting about random things like being a ninja, how hot the prince was. The usual. Then Ayame came over to take our orders. We all ordered and settled back into the seats and kept chatting, but one topic couldn't be avoided. Where the kids would go now. They obviously couldn't stay with me. I lived in a dirty forest filled with monsters. No that wouldn't work…Where can they go? Then a thought popped up in my head.

"So, this is gonna be a very important question for you two. I need you to listen carefully." they nodded. "I may know someone that could adopt you, but you would have to help him around the house and outside. He has a large farm and could use an extra pair of hands. What do you say?"

Both kids stared wideyed before Cora spoke. "Really! Of course we wouldn't mind! Please let us meet him! Please!"

"Alright, alright! Calm down. We head over to his house after we finish eating."

And so dinner ended unsurprisingly quick. Both kids were excited at the idea of having a home to live in. Grabbing their hands I led them to Oji-san's house. I hoped he wouldn't mind the intrusion. When we reached his house Cora and Renji started fidgeting. The sooner this was done the better.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK! "Oji-san you there?"

The door opened to the old man. "Naruto? May I ask why you are here? And please come in."

"Thank you. I remembered that you could use some help around the place and that it got lonely by yourself, and I have come here to solve that problem!"

"Oh?"

"Yes. These two-" I pointed at the kids. "are Cora and Renji. Orphans. They were living on the streets running from thugs when I found them. Scraggly little things, but they shined up with a bath and some new clothes. Anyways, they have nowhere to go."

"How horrible!"

"Yeah. So I was thinking that you could adopt them. They agreed to do chores and take care of the fields."

"Naruto, of course you know I would take them. Just look at them. A couple of adorable kids could really help brighten the place up around here."

Renji spoke up. "S-so we're allowed to stay?"

"Yes. Call me 'Grandpa'"

"Cora! Cora we have a family now." They both cried in joy.

"Thanks Oji-san. The kids really needed it. I'll come by to check up on things. Until then Ja ne."

"You're not staying?"

"Sorry Cora. I gotta go, but I promise I'll visit everyday. I promise and I always keep my promises."

Alright"

I smiled. "Bye guys!"

Kakashi POV: 1 week later

Well I know Sasuke will be happy with this information. Kakashi had been traveling through the town talking to everyone trying to see if anyone knew something about this Naruto. It seemed he is very popular with the civilians in the village. Everyone he spoke to knew him in one way or another. He also heard about some very interesting stories and a schedule that he always used.

"Sasuke~ I have something to tell you~"

Sasuke was sleeping before I barged into his room. He sat up and I met that glare of his. I smiled because it was always fun to annoy him.

"What. Do. You. Want?"

"Ahhh~ I have info on the blonde you're looking for."

"What information?"

"Apparently he rescued a couple of kids from some thugs the other day. People say that he fought very well."

"And?"

"Also, he seems to be very wealthy. And when I say wealthy I mean pay for candy in gold. I mean it. He gave a candy store owner a gold piece the size of a finger. And then he paid for kids clothes with gold too. With that money he could've easily bought the store."

"Where does he get his money?"

"That I don't know. He appeared in the village only a short time ago and appears to have no permanent residence here."

"That is odd. If he was royalty I would have known, but To have such money with no name….This must be investigated not only for me but for the village as well."

"I thought you might say that. Well I know that he has a schedule he always follows as well."

"Schedule?"

"Yes. He always visit's a man called Henry to check on the 2 kids he saved."

"Then we will meet him there tomorrow. Bring backup. If he hurt an ANBU I am not taking chances."

"Maa, Maa. Sasuke. So Serious."

"Hn."