7

Ayame finished wiping the long table and huffed out a tired breath.

It always annoyed her when people who didn't know what they were talking about commented on her tasks and called them easy. They weren't, not really. Yes, they might not have needed much thought or technique or any particular ability, but they were physically tiring, especially if you were a twelve years old girl with no ninja training whatsoever.

Her father was an excellent ramen chef, a good man and an even better father. He let Ayame help with small things at the stand, while teaching her his business whenever the flow of customers lessened. He was stern and always expected the best from his employees, and Ayame wanted to become a chef that his father would be proud of someday, so she learned.

Teuchi didn't let her feed her ramen to clients, though, not until she had more practice. It annoyed her a bit, because how could she gain experience if no one tasted her food?

She had been brooding about it one day when one of their regular customers—the sweet, happy blonde girl with a bottomless pit of a stomach—had refused another serving of pork ramen because she didn't have enough money to pay for it. Her tummy had loudly grumbled in protest, blue eyes resting sadly and regretfully over the empty bowl of noodles. Ayame had felt bad for her, because it was obvious that she was still hungry, so she decided to ask her father if she could possibly take Naru-chan as her somewhat official ramen taster.

Teuchi had grinned proudly when she presented him with the idea, stating that in that way both Ayame and Naru-chan would gain something they needed, and saying how clever and good he thought his beautiful daughter was, making Ayame flush, pleased.

Since then, Naru-chan had come over to Ichiraku's much more frequently, always with a beaming smile and an endless supply of cheer that made even a gloomy day look brighter.

It was not surprising then that, not long after Ayame had finished with the cleaning, the small girl entered the stand. What was alarming and even worrisome was the lack of bouncing steps and exuberant greetings.

The older girl rapidly approached her. "Naru-chan? What happened? Are you feeling sick?" She asked with concern, putting a hand over the girl's forehead to check for a fever. Her tone must have alerted Teuchi, as the man got out of the kitchen, frowning.

"What's wrong with our best customer?"

Naruko pouted and batted Ayame's hand away.

"I'm not sick," she said, and the reassurance together with the lack of high temperature let Ayame relax some. "But something weird happened today and jiji didn't explain nothing to me, so I don't know what!" She whined, looking irritated and slightly upset. "And it's not fair because Mister was in my apartment and he was being nice—if a bit weird, so jiji should have said something to me before he went away and took him!" She ranted.

"There was someone in your apartment?" Teuchi asked with narrowed eyes. Ayame recognized that gesture—he was feeling protective. She understood, though. She was feeling that way, too. Who wouldn't, when a child so young confessed to have been talking to a strange man in her own apartment—where she lived alone? Not to mention that the child in question was a little girl who was not particularly liked by the majority of the village (which Ayame thought stupid, but what could she do apart from supporting Naruko and letting her have a safe place to return to?)

"Uh-huh," the blonde girl confirmed, nodding with her head, "I was eating my cup of instant ramen—" Teuchi flinched, but didn't interrupt— "when suddenly Mister opened the door and entered, taking off his sandals and going straight for the cupboards. And then he saw me and he kinda froze, and I froze because I was so surprised, and then I asked him what he was doing and he said he got confused, and then I told him I would be the next Hokage and he didn't laugh! He said that he believed me!" She blabbered excitedly, blue eyes round and flashing with excitement and incredulity. "Then he said his name was Naruto—it sounds so much like Naruko! Don't ya think so? And he's as blond as me!" She exclaimed. "But then he passed out and I couldn't wake him so I thought he died so I went for jiji and he told me he wasn't dead so I calmed down, but then he took him away! He called those weird masked ninja that never say nothing and said 'don't you worry, Naru-chan, we'll take care of him' and then fwooosh! They were gone! And now I don't know who Mister is, or what happened to him, nothing!" She growled in indignation.

Ayame traded looks with her father, concern and relief mixing with a small dose of curiosity. What was all that about?

"Weeell, I'm sure that Hokage-sama will tell you everything once you see him again, and if this Mister—"

"Naruto."

"Yes, if this Naruto is a good man and he just got confused, you can bet you'll see him again," Ayame tried to appease her, though she really doubted it. If the Hokage had taken the man with ANBU—

Suffice it to say that she didn't believe they would be seeing a blond man that called himself Naruto round the village ever again.

"Would you like some miso ramen, Naru-chan?" Teuchi asked kindly, "It'll be on the house, today," he added. With those words he was subtly telling Ayame that she keep the younger girl company while he cooked—he didn't want to leave her alone when there was a possibly dangerous person in the vicinity.

"Sure!" Naruko grinned happily and sat near the counter, on her usual spot. She idly kicked her legs back and forth as she watched Ayame put away her cleaning supplies and prepare the place for her.

"So… It'll soon be your birthday," the older girl commented with a soft smile, putting down a glass of water and a pair of chopsticks in front of the small girl, "and you told me that the Hokage gave you permission to start the Academy once you were seven… are you excited?"

"Yes! Like, ya can't imagine! I'll be the bestest kunoichi in the history of Konoha, I'll surpass the Yondaime! I'll be the next Hokage, without a doubt, because I'm awesome like that, dattebane!" She proclaimed, jumping on her stool and pointing to the roof with her index finger in one of her 'heroic posses'.

Ayame chuckled softly and heard her father doing the same in the next room—Naruko was always so lively and so passionate about her dreams, they admired her. She was cute, too, and Ayame could admit it without any shame.

"I don't doubt it for a moment," said an aged voice, warm and soothing and full of amusement. It was easily identified as their current Hokage's. "I have high hopes for you, Naru-chan."

"Hokage-sama!" Ayame exclaimed, surprised. She straightened her spine behind the counter and hurriedly bowed her head in respect. "Welcome to Ramen Ichiraku."

"Thank you, Ayame-chan. You don't need to bow," he said kindly and with a touch of fondness. The girl blushed, uncomfortable. Since becoming Naruko's favorite dinner place, they had received the Lord Third multiple times, but she was still awed every time he showed up. "I will request you two more of whatever delicious ramen Naru-chan here is waiting for."

"Hey, jiji! Where's Mister? Is he with ya?" The blond girl asked just as Ayame was saying "Right now, Hokage-sama," and a new person entered the restaurant with a cry of "Wait, old man!" which made it very difficult for anybody to understand what was happening and what was being said.

They all froze for a moment in confusion. Ayame looked wide eyed at the frighteningly familiar new customer, while said customer studied her with amazement and a hint of recognition. At the same time, Sandaime-sama's amused gaze traveled from one person to another and Naruko gaped at the newcomer with a finger pointing squarely in his direction. For a couple of seconds, nobody breathed.

"Ya're here!" Naruko finally accused, breaking the awkward atmosphere, and suddenly time seemed to resume its natural course. "Ya really are here! Ayame-chan said jiji would let me see ya if ya were a good guy, and now ya're here with jiji so it must mean ya are a good person!" She deduced shrewdly. "I knew ya couldn't be a bad person when ya said that I'd be an awesome Hokage!" She cried happily and hurriedly took the stranger's sleeve, tugging it and guiding him to sit beside her.

Ayame was expecting the teenager to shake her off and sneer, or awkwardly try to disentangle himself with muttered excuses, trying to hide an uncomfortable expression—things that normally happened around Naruko—but was pleasantly surprised when he only laughed happily and let her manhandle him, no hint of disgust or misplaced fear on his face.

"You bet!" The man said merrily but without any sarcasm. He was being completely honest as he said, "You'll be one of the best Hokages ever, dattebayo!"

And Ayame was confused, and startled (because the verbal tic? It was impossible not to notice it), and completely unbalanced because she had never met another soul that not only took Naruko's words at face value but actually believed in them, too.

"Who are you, Mister?" She asked before she could stop the words from exiting her mouth. The blond stopped chattering with Naru-chan and looked at Ayame once again, and the girl blushed slightly at her rude interruption. "Sorry," she mumbled.

He didn't seem bothered, though, as he smiled gently, eyes crinkling at the corners in a gesture that looked natural in that face—a face that resembled greatly that of the small seven-years-old sitting at his side.

"It's fine—Ayame-chan, was it?" he wondered, and Ayame nodded her head affirmatively. "My name is Naruto—Namikaze Naruto. I moved here just a while ago from the Land of Wave, and this morning I accidentally entered Naruko's apartment instead of my own," he explained awkwardly. "I—Err—I was recently informed that I'm actually her uncle."

"WHAT?!"

The scream came from the girl in question, who was looking from the recently named Namikaze Naruto to the Hokage and back again in an increasingly agitated fashion. The teenager flinched and looked at the Third pleadingly.

The man cleared his throat and said, "Naru-chan… You must understand that Naruto here didn't know of your existence before he saw you this morning," he explained gently, but the girl didn't seem to be paying attention to him. She was now steadily looking at her uncle—her uncle!—with a mix of betrayal and hope that was almost painful to witness.

"If ya are my uncle, then why—" She started, choking on her words and trying to keep the tears at bay before continuing, "—If ya are my uncle, then why did I have to grow up alone?" She asked in a small, wavering voice, and if Ayame hadn't been paying attention to the Third's words, she'd be extremely angry with the man for affecting her little friend like that right now.

"I'd like to hear that reason, too," her father said darkly, stepping out of the kitchen with a huge knife glinting dangerously on his hand. He seemed surprised when he finally laid eyes on Naruto's form, color draining from his face and menacing pose disappearing. "Minato?" He breathed incredulously and the teen flinched again, shaking his head vigorously.

"No I—I'm his little brother," he corrected with a small grimace. "We didn't—we got separated when we were kids, and lost contact. Um…" he turned back to the small girl that looked so much like him it was uncanny. "Naru-chan, I didn't know you existed I—" he huffed angrily and messed up his hair with his right hand. "Believe me when I tell you that if I had known I had any family left—any family at all—I'd have come to Konoha sooner, I'd have taken you in, no questions asked," he said intensely, looking the child dead in the eyes with sincerity that was hardly found in anybody but the youngest of children, before the world robbed them of their innocence. "Had I known you existed, I'd never have left you to grow up alone," he swore, "Never." And Ayame believed him.

Naruko seemed to believe him, too, because she threw herself towards him in a tackle-hug, which was returned with fervor, crying her eyes out in happy tears and lonely tears that she had probably been avoiding for a long time.

Ayame herself discreetly wiped out tears of her own off her face, and watched as her father did so, too.

The day was finishing on a good note once again, and it was thanks to their best little customer—again.

Ayame was honestly happy for her. She hoped that Naruko could start to find her place in the world, now, and that her uncle helped her in her fight against a village that didn't want to recognize her. She hoped he gave her the family she always craved for and helped her reach her goals, her dreams…

She deserved it.

Another long-ish chapter! This time in a female's point of view! (I was thinking, oh my! they have all been male and they have all been adults, let's break the pattern!) And it has the added bonus that she doesn't really know what it's happening, so she accepted the story at face value—even when we all know that it's bullshit. Ehem.

If you are confused, don't worry, it'll slowly become clear as the story advances. But you are free to leave me your theories, too! (It's probably pretty obvious, though—but maybe not the reasons behind the decision.)

Anyway, there are two things that I want to highlight:

First: The story won't have romance or pairings of any kind as its main driving plot. If they appear at all they'll be low-key and of the blink-and-you'll-miss-it type.

Second: I have two weeks of exams in the horizon, so I probably won't be updating as frequently as I've been doing. Sorry!

That said, thank you for reading! :)