Anko's Apartment

After they got home, Anko had a Shadow Clone put away all the new clothes she had bought for Naruko, while she and Naruko watched children's television for a few hours, after Anko started preparing dinner while Naruko continued watching TV.

After dinner, Anko gave Naruko a bath and again with no incidents. After the bath, Anko put Naruko to bed wearing a nappy and her brand new pyjamas. Anko summoned Noki to guard Naruko so she could go out and do some work.

Streets of Konoha

20:05

{Maybe I'll start training Naruko after she turns four years old.} As Anko was on her way to work, she thought about Naruko's future in regards to training her.

{There is a possibility that Naruko has inherited her father's potential. Combine that potential with the vast reserves of chakra the Uzumaki were known for, Naruko could have more potential than Minato and Kushina had combined, I'd like to be the one to help bring that potential out of her.} Anko smiled at the thought of training Naruko into a high class kunoichi.

{But that doesn't mean I should skip out on schooling her, I don't want Naruko to become a female Might Gai, all brawn and no brawn.} "Brr." Anko shuddered at the thought of Naruko wearing that hideous green jumpsuit that Gai wears, shouting "YOUTH!" all the time.

Naruko and the World Tree

Adoption Arc

Chapter 4 - Surrogate Big Sister, Kurenai Yúhi

Anko's Apartment

08:50

A new morning arrived, washing clothes, making breakfast and giving Naruko a bath had by this time become almost routine, the only thing that was new was Anko dressing Naruko into her brand new clothes.

"Aw... you look so adorable in your new clothes, how do they feel?" Anko asked with a warm smile, proud of her work in dressing Naruko.

"I ove em." Replied Naruko with a wide grin, Naruko is wearing a pink sweater, a three-layered white flapper skirt and black pants, and when Naruko is outside she'll wear navy blue sandals.

After dressing Naruko, Anko brushes Naruko's hair until it's neat and tidy before tying it up into a high, fanned-out ponytail, leaving Naruko's bangs out of the ponytail, creating a Mini-Anko. "I'm going to turn you into an awesome kunoichi one day, but that doesn't mean you can't look cute and be awesome at the same time." Said Anko proudly of her work. {I have just transformed Naruko into the cutest little girl in the whole world. Bias fully intended.}

As soon as Anko finished dressing and doing up Naruko's hair the doorbell rings. "I better go and see who that is." {Hopefully not someone wishing to visit the hospital.} Anko transferred what she was saying to her thoughts, not wanting Naruko to hear her violent language, which she has become increasingly aware of since having Naruko and doing her best to try and change her outward language.

Front Door

09:00

Anko went to the front door and opened it to see Kurenai Yúhi standing outside. "Hello Anko, I haven't seen you at work for the past few days, plus I've heard you've been doing a lot of D-rank missions late in the evening, I started to worry about you because you've been acting different, so I stopped by this morning to see if you were okay." Kurenai greeted Anko with genuine concern in her voice.

{Kurenai Yúhi, a beautiful kunoichi, both in looks and personality, she was the first friend I made after we entered the academy, we have been best friends ever since, she has always doted on me as if I were her little sister, we aren't related in the slightest, but I've come to love her like my own big sister.} "Thanks for your concern, but I'm actually doing quite well." Anko gave Kurenai a warm smile. "In fact I couldn't feel any better if I wanted to." Said Anko with a lot of positive energy.

{I can tell Anko is telling the truth, I can see it in her facial expression, it's the happiest I've seen her in a long time, her whole body radiates a positive energy.} Kurenai has known Anko long enough that she can read her like a book.

Kurenai was about to assume that Anko suddenly had a new boyfriend, but before she could think anything along those lines, Naruko ran up the door grabbing onto Anko's left leg, "I her o talk to ew ady, ady talk back icely, me decide o look." Naruko said excitedly.

Kurenai's eyes widened in surprise. "I... was not... expecting that." Kurenai is shocked. {I never expected Anko of all people to ever consider taking in a child, her tomboyish personality never made me think she was the type of person who would ever consider such a thing.} Kurenai was speechless. {I'm not against it, quite the opposite, but I did not expect this.}

"I really didn't expect that." Kurenai gave Anko a warm smile. "But I am curious as to what made you decide to take in this child, would you please tell me?"

"Sure, I don't mind telling you, big sis Kurenai," Anko replied with a cheeky grin.

"I have a feeling what you are about to tell me will destroy all the expectations I ever had of you all this time." Kurenai gave Anko back a mischievous smile.

"Ha, ha, Anko is too tomboyish to do anything feminine and girly, are you going to come in or are you just going to stand there looking lost?" Anko replied with a deadpan stare, Anko and Kurenai bickering and teasing each other as any typical sisters would.

Open Plan Living room and kitchen

09.05

Kurenai entered the apartment, they all sat down on a three-seater sofa in the living room. "I wan o sit wif o ew ady, Anko ike ew ady, me ike ew ady, Anko wound ew ady, me wound ew ady." Naruko said happily and sat down between Anko and Kurenai.

"Looks like you have a new fan, Naruko said she really likes you because I like you, she wants to be around you because I'm around you, Auntie Kurenai." Anko grinned wildly.

"That's amazing, it looks like you've really bonded with her, so what made you decide to take Naruko in?" Kurenai asked seriously.

Anko's expression became equally serious. "Three nights ago I couldn't sleep so I decided to go for a walk to clear my mind, during that walk I came across Naruko standing under a street light transfixed on some moths flying under it, she was in a terrible state, she had cuts, scratches and bruises all over her body, her clothes were ruined, she had no shoes, she smelled really bad and she is currently malnourished and underweight." As Anko recalled the condition she had found Naruko in, her emotions began to fluctuate.

"She's that girl isn't she? The one information was leaked about having the Nine-Tailed Fox sealed inside her?" Kurenai asked, this was her simply putting two and two together from the additional information Anko just gave her.

"Yes, Naruko is that girl, it was obvious she had been beaten up and abused before I encountered her, and all because of that f..." Anko began to blow through her closed mouth to keep from swearing out loud. "...Information leak." Anko took a deep breath. "I knew in my heart that no one would ever take her in, let alone adopt her, so I decided to take her in myself." Anko closed her eyes. {Damn, I almost swore out loud in front of Naruko.}

"After I decided to take Naruko in, I approached her, the moment I first made eye contact with her, I figured something else out about her, Naruko Uzumaki, she was the daughter of Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage and Kushina Uzumaki." Anko looked at Kurenai deadly serious, Kurenai's mouth gaped open in shock as she began looking at Naruko and started examining her. "When I figured that out, I knew I had to take her in off the streets, she was the Fourth Hokage's daughter and was attacked and abused by the other villagers." Anko finished her explanation venom came into her voice as she mentioned the villagers attacking the Fourth Hokage's daughter.

"The more I look at Naruko, the more I see Minato and Kushina in her, she seems to be about three years old, no other Uzumaki lived in and around Konoha when Kushina gave birth to her and Minato's child, plus I can't think of anyone who had Naruko's exact eye and hair colour combination except Minato, so I can believe she's their daughter." Kurenai can see it now after examining Naruko.

"Well, it doesn't matter whose daughter Naruko was, I think you did the right thing taking in an orphaned child, it's a very difficult decision, and one that not many others are willing to make." Kurenai really believes that.

"So how have you gotten on with looking after Naruko? Have you had any difficulties?" Kurenai asked, expecting to hear that Anko has struggled with looking after a child.

"No, the truth is that taking care of Naruko was not difficult in the least, I thought it would have been difficult myself, but it wasn't, my instincts kicked in every time I interacted with Naruko or did anything with her, my memories of what my Mum used to do for me kept coming to me, which helped me in all my decisions with Naruko, that or Naruko herself is somehow the easiest child in the world to raise, and I was just lucky enough to be the one to find her and take her in." Anko's expression was soft and gentle, an expression Kurenai had never seen on her surrogate little sister.

"Oh wow." Kurenai let out her astonishment. "Anko, it sounds to me that you have a natural talent for motherhood." Kurenai's words cause Anko's eyes to widen with shock.

"Yes, motherhood is a skill set all its own, for some it comes very easily, for others not so much, and for most it lies everywhere in between, but for you it seems very easy, Anko." Explained Kurenai cheerfully, happy for Anko and her natural ability to raise children.

"Your natural ability allows you to avoid most bad decisions and mistakes, it also helps that you yourself had a very loving mother when you were growing up, that love your mother had for you is now becoming your love for Naruko, Naruko has awakened your maternal instincts, to your maternal instincts Naruko is your child whether you gave birth to her or not, your maternal instincts towards her are clearly very strong." Kurenai smiled warmly at Anko, happy and proud that her surrogate little sister was a naturally gifted, caring mother.

Naruko began to laugh, she stood up on the sofa and then hugged Anko. "Mummy? Anko hook afer me, mean Anko my Mummy, me love Mummy!" Naruko tried to interpret Kurenai's words and came to the conclusion that Anko is her Mum, because Anko cares for her and loves her.

Naruko's words actually cause tears to start forming in Anko's eyes returning the hug. "I love you too, Naruko." Anko's heart was touched when the little girl she cared for called her her mother, for Kurenai's words were true. {The love my Mum had for me is becoming my love for Naruko, I'm starting to think of her as my daughter.} Anko began to cry and Kurenai watched with a warm smile seeing her surrogate sister become emotional, something she had never experienced with Anko, well unless you don't count the times Anko got in trouble with her Mum.

After that conversation, Kurenai began to help Anko take care of Naruko from time to time, and although motherhood came naturally to Anko, there were still things she needed to learn.

Kurenai started teaching Anko how to cook better, Anko was not bad at cooking but she could be better, Kurenai taught Anko how to do chores more efficiently, however. "Kurenai, I have a big request." Anko said blushing because she was embarrassed to ask this. "Naruko as kind of helped to bring out my feminine side, and I kind of like it, I want you to teach me how to be more feminine, how to make tea and stuff." Anko was so embarrassed by the request.

"Sure." Replied Kurenai, no teasing, no making fun of Anko, she was simply happy for Anko.

Anko, with Kurenai's help, began schooling Naruko to improve her speech, teach her to read, write and count. Through this they learn that Naruko has inherited Minato's intelligence, along with his ability to absorb information quickly and memorise it down to the smallest detail, which led to her speech improving rapidly, learning to read, write and count without much difficulty, Naruko was truly Minato's daughter.

To Be Continued

Next Chapter - Chapter 5 - Hiruzen's Plan

Thank you for reading, please leave a review.