A/N: Well, here we go again with yet another new story because it is a necessary process in the writing of my other stories. I can't help it, I read a story and an idea will come to me and I can't focus on my other stories until I write it down and get it out my head, so forgive me if you don't like it. Anyways, I noticed that Naruto is read as Naruto U. so in a sense, this is a perfectly logic thing. Also, because I still haven't found a way to 'properly' translate jutsu, I'm still writing them in English, sorry. :(
-New Friends-
"Katon: Great Fireball Jutsu" yelled five-year-old Sasuke as he practiced his jutsu facing the pond at prevent damages to the property. His older brother Itachi was nearby, having the day off, as he critiqued Sasuke's work.
"Breath more calmly and evenly for a bigger fireball, Sasuke-ototo." Itachi droned as he turned to look at the house where his mother and his other younger brother were preparing dinner for Itachi and Sasuke as Fugaku was away on a mission.
Inside Mikoto was speaking with her son on his training habits.
"Naruto, as much as I appreciate the company, why don't you want to go outside and training with your brother? It is clan tradition that young males master the Great Fireball Jutsu at a young age." Mikoto asked while cutting vegetables for stew as Naruto watched the pot of water to let his mother know when it began to boil.
"Well, Kaa-chan, I see it like this. When I go out on a mission with Sasuke-ototo, and Itachi-aniki, someone will have to be able to care for them and feed them. If a battle should occur, Itachi and Sasuke can both fight well enough, as long as they have enough energy. Besides, I like spending time with my beautiful Kaa-chan!" Naruto said as he tilted his head and shut his eyes before smiling as he turned off the stove. As Mikoto turned to blush at the compliment, Naruto channeled his fire chakra to his hands as he pressed them to the pot, super heating it.
About a month ago, Itachi had given Naruto and Sasuke a piece of paper each and told them to channel their chakra into the paper and it would tell them their elemental affinities.
Naruto had gotten wind and fire, Sasuke got fire and lightning, while Itachi had told them that he had fire and water. The two younger brothers had quickly jumped on training to be able to use their affinities; however, Naruto didn't really know how to channel his wind since it was a rarity in Konoha.
"Kaa-chan, the water is ready for the vegemtables." Naruto said as Mikoto nodded and dropped them into the boiling pot.
"Vegetables Naruto. The correct pronunciation is vegetables, now then…" Mikoto said as she turned to get some rice. "Oh dear, we're out of rice. Naruto, could you please run to the store quickly and get some rice?" Mikoto asked as she received a nod.
After getting some money from Mikoto, Naruto ran off towards the store. As she saw him turn a corner, Mikoto chuckled, "Haha, he's growing up to fast, sometimes I feel like I may lose him at any moment. Still, the fact that he passed up battle training for helping care for his siblings, he's certainly unique." Mikoto said as she went back into her house.
-(With Naruto)-
As Naruto raced down the streets, he saw many people look strangely at him. He was used to the amused stares by now, after all, in a family/clan of black eyed, dark haired, and generally emotionless people, a blonde, blue eyed, well half blue eyed, cheerful kid was an anomaly. In fact, sometimes he thought that if it were for the jacket with the Uchiha fan on the back, no one would recognize him.
As he stopped with a huff as he gulped down air, he opened the door to the store as entered it, having visited it before with his mother on occasion. Knowing that the rice was located on the third aisle to the right he turned down the aisle as he looked around, not seeing that many people in the store. Sighing as he grabbed a bag of rice before turning to leave as he collided with a young girl about his age, sending the pair to the ground.
"Gomen, gomen, I wasn't looking where I was going." Naruto said as rubbed his head as he looked at the girl who was glaring at him. He gasped as he saw her face, framed by crimson red bangs, her cheeks were currently puffed up in anger, stretching the strange marks on her cheeks that looked like whiskers as her violet eyes glared a hole through Naruto before she inhaled and yelled at him.
"WATCH WHERE YOU"RE GOING, BAKA!" The girl shouted before making a fist and punching Naruto only for him to laugh as instead of pain, it felt like a pillow hit him.
"You're hands are so soft." Naruto said as he grabbed her hands, getting an even stronger glare if that was possible. "And I like your hair, too." Naruto mumbled, although the girl heard it, causing her to blush the same shade as her hair.
"Who do you think you are ba…ka." The girl said, trying to reign in her blush as she picked herself up and pulled the blonde across from to his feet as well.
"My name is Naruto, Naruto the Great they call me." Naruto said, striking a pose.
"Hehe, more like Naruto the Great Doofus. Hehe, my name is Naruko, Naruko Uzumaki." Naruko said as she bowed to Naruto before picking up her cup of instant ramen.
"Oh, that's a pretty name, it sounds almost like mine." Naruto said as he picked up his bag of rice as the pair walked back to the checkout counter. Setting the bag on the counter, the owner read the price before he looked up and saw Naruto and knowing who he was he lowered the price causing Naruto to sigh.
Naruto reached into his pocket, fished the money out, paid and was about to walk out when he heard the man speak to Naruko.
"Oh, it's you, humph, if it weren't for Hokage-sama, I wouldn't even allow you in here, but since I have to, I might as well get what I can." The man said as he read off the clearly overpriced item. "The total will be 1000 ryo." The man said as Naruko's face fell since she couldn't afford that much, before she heard the rustling of money as she opened her eyes to see Naruto covering the rest of her night's dinner.
"Here, money isn't a problem for me and I can tell you really want that ramen, so here, I'll pay the rest and you can owe me later." Naruto said as Naruko looked at him skeptically before leaping at him and hugging, as her eyes teared up.
"Th-Thank you, Naruto!" Naruko sobbed before disengaging the surprised blonde before pulling him out the door. As the pair walked through the streets, Naruto noticed the glares, similar to the one the shop owner had on his face when Naruko tried to pay.
"So, where do you live?" Naruto asked as they stopped at a ramshackle apartment building.
"Right here, in this run down piece of junk." Naruko said depressively.
"Oh, well, maybe I'll see you tomorrow?" Naruto said, his mind already forming an insane idea/plan as he turned to head home with his rice.
"Yeah, maybe, anyways, maybe I should go ahead and get started on paying off my debt to you." Naruko whispered as she blushed as Naruto turned back to question her, only for Naruko to run up to the blonde and pressed her lips to his cheek, causing the five-year-old to stumble backwards as his face turned a shade of red to rivaled Naruko's hair.
"Naru-Naruko, why did you do that?!" Naruto exclaimed as he hung his head.
"Oh, please, it's not like I have an infectious disease although you couldn't tell from the looks I get. Anyways, this is my declaration; I will treasure you always as my first friend, well first on my age." Naruko said as she nodded as if to affirm the statement as truth.
"Haha, fine, then I'll treasure you as my first girl friend!" Naruto said causing Naruko to sputter which in turn caused Naruto to laugh before turning once again to leave.
"Well, I have to go home now, my Kaa-chan is waiting for me bring home dinner!" Naruto shouted as he walked away, not noticing the look Naruko made before she also went home.
-(20 Minutes Later)-
Once Naruto returned home, he told Mikoto about his new friend, sans the walking her home and the events that concurred.
"Kaa-chan, I made a friend at the store." Naruto called as he removed his shoes before entering the kitchen.
"Really, dear, who is she?" Mikoto said causing Naruto to look at her questioning.
"Who said it was a she; how do you know that is wasn't a boy?" Naruto asked as Itachi and Sasuke walked into the room from outside.
"Well, for one, your cheeks did, you're blushing, and two, and a mother just has this sense for such things." Mikoto said as she prepared the rice for dinner and Naruto took in Sasuke's appearance.
"Sasuke-ototo, why are you covered in dirt and wet?" Naruto asked as Itachi snorted and Mikoto motioned for the two brothers to remove themselves from the food preparation area.
"Itachi sparred with me, and he tripped me causing me to fall into the pond." Sasuke explained as Itachi snorted again and Naruto giggled.
Having finished preparing the food, the family sat down for dinner and after giving thanks, dug into the food. Sasuke burnt his tongue on the stew and Itachi found the rice too salty but for the most part, the dinner was delicious.
"So, what were you talking about earlier, Kaa-chan?" Itachi asked referring to the talk between Naruto and Mikoto.
"Oh nothing, Naruto found himself a girlfriend." Mikoto said causing Naruto to choke on his water. Mikoto took advantage of his lack of air to ask the all important question. "So, when will you invite her over for dinner, Naru-kun?" Mikoto said as Naruto's eyes reached anime sizes.
"I *cough* don't know, Kaa-chan. She seems familiar, I could promise that I know her." Naruto said as Sasuke tried to snatch a fish off Itachi's plate only for the older Uchiha to catch Sasuke's finger between the chopsticks.
"Really, what's her name? Sasuke stop trying to kill Itachi, or I'll give you to Naruto to spar with." Mikoto said causing Sasuke to freeze as he met Naruto's smile that for a split second seemed to turn purely sadistic.
Sure Naruto may not like battle training, but when he did training or spar he put his full self into it, never holding back which frequently lead to destruction and pain for anyone who interfered, even Itachi had ended up with the tips of his hair singed when he thought it would be smart to show Naruto how to do the Great Fireball Jutsu one last time before leaving his younger brother alone. Naruto, too eager to wait until Itachi had moved, rushed through the signs quickly and spit out a fireball that surprised even Itachi. He was lucky to react quickly enough to use the pond water to block the fireball, but Naruto and Sasuke took the rare chance of Itachi being exposed to tackle their brother into the pond.
"She said her name was Naruko Uzumaki." Naruto answered before he heard a clatter of chopsticks dropping as he saw his mother freeze up. "Kaa-chan, are you okay?" Naruto asked worriedly as he began to rise only for his mother to motion for him to remain sitting.
"Can you describe her to me?" Mikoto said as she rose from the table, strode out of the room, and returned with a picture.
"Yeah, I guess, Kaa-chan, long red hair, violet eyes, her lips were soft, as was her skin. She had these strange marks like whiskers on her cheeks." Naruto recited before Mikoto thrust a picture in front of him.
"She looks just like the girl on the right, but who's the girl on the left, she's really pretty." Naruto asked as a blush adorned his cheeks yet again.
Mikoto snickered as she turned the pictured over for Naruto and company to read. 'Me and Kushina Uzumaki during the Academy'.
"Wait, y-you mean that that's you in the picture, but you," Naruto sputtered before Mikoto fixed him with a glare that said to not say anymore about it.
"I made some lifestyle choices." Mikoto said to defend herself.
"What, like marrying a teme?" Naruto deadpanned.
"And the other woman, her name is Kushina Uzumaki. Is that…" Naruto trailed off as Sasuke shrugged his shoulder before once again attempting to steal some of Itachi's food.
"I believe that she is this girl Naruko's mother." Mikoto said as Naruto's eyes widened.
"Well, judging from the picture, you and Kushina-san were close so why haven't we heard of her until now?" Sasuke asked from the wall where he was hanging from a pair of chopsticks.
"Because, Kushina died in the Kyuubi attack, along with Naruko's father." Mikoto answered before Naruto jumped to his feet.
"So, Naruko is an orphan without anyone to care for her? Then, then, then we have to help her, adopt her into the clan or something." Naruto shouted as he pleaded to Mikoto while Itachi watched on, wondering how this conversation would turn out.
"Now Naruto-kun, you know that I would help if I could, but ultimately, it's the clan head's decision to adopt anyone into the clan. If you can convince Fuga-kun, then by all means we'll adopt her without haste." Mikoto said before Naruto slammed his fist down on the table, causing ripples to spread over the water's and stew's surface.
"Kaa-chan, you know that Tou-san is strict about who is allowed to associate with the clan, some girl whose mother was a friend of yours from the Academy days will never be allowed past those doors without at least 15 kunai, shurikan, and other assorted weapons heading straight for her." Itachi said in a rare moment of emotion expressed towards strangers as Mikoto could only nod.
"Fine then, this will work just fine with my plan. I'll move in with her, I'm sure she won't mind, after all, she owes me." Naruto said in a tone that left no room for argument for the redhead, not that she would've argued.
"Plan?" Sasuke said skeptically before Naruto whirled around, flicking his wrist as he buried his chopsticks in the wall, splitting Itachi's as Sasuke fell to the ground.
"Yes, I have a plan, and I plan to enact it while Tou-san is gone, so he won't be able to argue, but first I need the Hokage's help, but that shouldn't be too much of an issue. If all goes right, by next week, it will be late to stop." Naruto said before he explained his plan to his two brothers and his mother, all of whom had their own problems with it.
"Absolutely not!" Mikoto shouted as Naruto sighed.
"But, but Naruto?" Sasuke said as tears formed in his black eyes as Naruto placed his hand on Sasuke's shoulder to comfort the youngest Uchiha.
"Huh, the plan does have its merits but do you have to go about it like that?" Itachi asked as Naruto nodded.
"Kaa-chan, I need you to really sell it, Sasuke-ototo, I promise to visit as often as I can, Tou-san can't stop your friends from visiting, and Itachi, it has to be me or else someone will see through the plan." Naruto exclaimed, attempting to calm all the members of his family down.
"Okay." The three other Uchiha's answered, setting their fate's in motion and the plan into action.
"Come Naruto-ototo, I will teach you a useful jutsu before you go, The Shadow Clone Jutsu." Itachi said and when Naruto nodded the pair began to head for the backyard once again with Sasuke in tow.
"Naruto-kun, can't I please buy you one last thing before you go, just as a going away present?" Mikoto said as the blonde opened the door for his brothers.
"Sure, Kaa-chan, you can call it my 'death day' gift." Naruto said before he began to howl in laughter as he viewed the full moon.
A/N: Well, another chapter done and without any reviews since I have yet to upload this story, I think I'll wait until after the plan, i.e. next chapter and just upload in the triple pack, you know, like a box set, maybe catch up on my other stories too and have one massive uploading day. Anyways, have a nice day.