The Boy in the Park
Chapter Thirty-Five
Naruko was humming happily, grinning as if she had just won a ramen lottery. The moment the door opened, she rushed ahead to greet her Aniki.
"I did it, Aniki!" she exclaimed with a cheerful expression. He blinked.
"You did what?"
He removed his jacket, hanging it before dropping his suitcase in the nearby shelf.
"I summoned this big mean toad! His name is Gamabunta and he's like, the boss of them all!" Naruko clapped her hands cheerfully. "And I met with the Kyuubi."
Shinku had been halfway through the kitchen when he heard that and nearly choked on his spit.
"Ah," he said slowly. "I see," he nervously laughed as he used his right hand to put the water to boil.
"He's really mean!" Naruko exclaimed after a bit, "But I walked up close to him you see, and I told him 'You have to pay me rent!' and he did it because he said 'Naruko-sama! I'm so scared of you!' and so…"
She babbled excitedly about it, somewhat adding about the man throwing her down a ravine to get her to use said chakra.
He remained dutifully busy —using one hand wasn't funny at all, and he still had two months to go.
"I'm going to kick Neji's ass when I see him! I'll squish him with a giant toad!" she nodded happily, before moving to assist him in the kitchen. She had actually bought a long white apron with bright green toads on it too, and holding her hair at the back of her head, she was pleasantly humming again as she peeled the vegetables.
"Careful when you use the knife," he chided her.
"Duh! I'm a Kunoichi Aniki, I'm not going to cut myself with a knife!" as if to prove the point, she twirled it around her fingers deftly.
"Still, it's dangerous," he retorted, steering carefully clear of the spinning knife.
Naruko nodded and returned to her own side of the cooking.
"So…you're not scared?" he asked then carefully. "Of having the Kyuubi inside you?"
She skipped a moment, nearly cutting herself, before laughing aloud. "Who? Me? I'm Naruko Uzumaki, future Hokage! I'm not scared, 'ttebayo!"
"I would be," he replied with a shrug. "It is the beast that tore down the entire village once, you know?"
"Nah! It's safe behind these big mean bars of metal!" she made a wide gesture as if to show how big they were. "And really, he's all filled with teeth but he's all bark and no bite!"
She scrunched her face upwards, to look at him. "Are you worried for me, Aniki?"
He chuckled. "Course I am. Why wouldn't I? You tend to act first and think later. Sometimes I wonder if you actually ever take your time to think it through before trying something dangerous."
"But I do think!" she pouted. "Like, how I'm going to wait until you enter the bathroom and then slip in afterwards, so you'll wash my back!"
He exhaled. "And you just told me your diabolical plan now because?"
"Ah!" her eyes widened. "Never mind Aniki! I didn't mean it! Really!"
"You didn't mean it, uh?" he raised an eyebrow. "Well…how about, if you do win the tournament, and when the cast gets off, I take you to the mixed hot springs?" the left unsaid part was 'where everyone has a costume on, and thus everything will be fine'.
Her eyes sparkled with the power of twenty-five kilotons of electricity, forcing him to stare elsewhere.
"Really!?"
"Yes."
"YOU'RE THE BEST ANIKI EVER DATTEBAYO!" and then she proceeded to crush-hug him.
"AH! The cast! NARUKO THE CAST!" he screamed back as she sheepishly let go as he cradled his arm. "Naruko," he hissed. "Really!?"
"Sorry, sorry," she looked downwards scratching the back of her head as she made a slight bow in apology.
Naruko kept on giggling and chuckling afterwards, humming happily. He sighed once more, before shaking his head slowly and returning to his side of the cooking. Really…it didn't take much to make the girl happy.
It was as dinner went by, that he asked carefully.
"Do you need anything for the tournament?"
"Uh?" she said between slurps.
"Chew your food," he sighed. "I mean, are you stocked with everything?"
"Uh-uh!" she nodded. "My fists are ready!"
"Kunai? Wires? Caltrops?"
Naruko rolled her eyes. "I don't need those, Aniki!"
"Why not?"
"Because duh, I don't need them! Neh, can you pass me the soy sauce, Aniki?"
He exhaled and shook his head. "Really?"
"Yeah, really, I need the soy sauce! Come on…" she whined making an adorable pout. "I can't reach it," she added then stretching herself. He gently lifted the soy and passed it over, eliciting a 'aha!' of excitement from Naruko as she grabbed the bottle.
"So you don't really need anything?"
"Nope!" she cheerfully said with a bright smile.
"Really?"
She scrunched her face up a bit.
"I'm fine! It's a tournament and I'll be fighting against Konoha shinobi! I'm not going to need them!"
"Not even once?" he asked in exasperation. Was she really planning to fight a Hyuga bare-handed!? He was a civilian, and he had heard the rumours of how powerful they were in short-range combat.
"Yeah," she softly added. "And they cost a bit," she finally supplied. "I don't need them," she shook her head.
He rolled his eyes. "Too late for that," he retorted. "I do have them already bought and packed after all."
She flinched and looked at him. "B-But!"
"Oh, enough of that," he retorted. "I got a raise already, apparently 'dedication to a hoodlum' like you works well enough that the Hokage decided I needed one to take care of you. So enjoy your bonus," he carefully used his right hand to grip on the bundle packed with assorted weaponry that could kill a man, and then stopped midway.
He was handing over dangerous and highly lethal equipment to Naruko.
Then again, she was a Kunoichi.
Then again, she was a kid.
Then again, she needed them.
Then again, they were dangerous and lethal.
"No using them in the house," he added as his brain decided to compromise. "And no using them in my presence, understood?"
Naruko nodded numbly as she accepted the package.
"Oh…and Happy Birthday in advance," he carefully added. "Since you didn't want me to find out your parents' names…I needed something else. I know it's not that much but…"
Naruko swallowed heavily, and then…ah darn it.
There went the waterworks again.
"Must you always cry when I give you a birthday gift? Really?" he sighed in mock-exasperation as he ruffled the girl's head with his right hand. "Is that a tradition of sorts for you?"
"B-But Aniki's…"
She shook her head slowly. "I wasn't crying. It's the food's fault. It's spicy."
He snorted. "You like spicy."
"Too spicy."
"All right then," he softly muttered. "I'm sure you'll do great, so bring home a Chuunin vest, all right?"
She nodded, before whispering. "You can count on it, Aniki…dattebayo!"
Such normal days…would not last.
Unfortunately, the day of the Tournament…soon arrived.