Hey there everyone, really short author's note for this chapter because it's not the full note.

I usually try to upload on a bi-weekly basis but these past 5 or 6 weeks have been hectic with planning, traveling, and writing in between. This lead to this chapter coming out nearly a month after the last one, so instead I'll just do a double chapter upload instead.

Both Chapter 10 and 11 are up so I hope you enjoy these chapters.

I will be responding to everyone's reviews and adding my prior thoughts for these chapter in the notes for the next chapter.

Hope to see you there after this one.

Thank you again for reading.

-Ken

{...}

Chapter 10: The Little Things

"I'm sorry."

"..."

"I'm… I'm so sorry."

"My boy, my darling boy."

The sound of hay crunching was heard as a white-haired boy suddenly shot up from where he was sleeping.

Small tears appeared on his face while he took a deep breath.

It was time to start his day.

The boy went to stand up from his spot but he noticed a black sandal next to him, he slowly trailed his vision from the sandal to a leg to the dumb looking face of a sleeping blonde teen.

The boy's eyes shot open before he yelled out at the strangers suddenly in his home.

"Huh?! What?! Who did it?!"

Naruto sleepily yelled while the boy fell backward, the black-haired teen slowly woke up before she slugged the blonde in the face. "Quiet down!" Kurotsuchi yelled while the blonde rubbed his face, his blue eyes then looked toward the scared boy before he smiled.

"Hey, you're awake."

Naruto greeted while the boy blinked rapidly before he dropped to his knees in bow. "Forgive me! I suddenly passed out and woke up in my home, please let me see your injuries!" The boy yelled while Kurotsuchi looked toward Naruto who looked back at her before they both looked toward the boy.

"No injuries here, are you ok?"

Naruto asked while the boy quickly looked at them both before he meekly pulled at the bottom of his shirt.

"You… aren't injured? You don't need anything healed?"

The boy asked while Naruto shook his head, "Nope, just wanted to make sure you were alright." The blonde responded while the boy gave him a confused expression.

"...I am so rude! Please give me a moment!"

The boy yelled out before he ran out of his little house leaving both Kurotsuchi and Naruto there with confused expressions.

The boy returned shortly afterwards with three cups on a small makeshift tray, he quickly passed both Kurotsuchi and Naruto cups before he sat down as properly as he could in front of them.

"I'm sorry… I don't have a lot of guests so I'm not very good at this… but welcome to my home."

The boy said politely while Kurotsuchi gave the boy a smile, "You're very polite." The girl said while the boy shook his head.

"I'm sorry-I mean… thank you."

The boy responded meekly while Naruto gave him a look, "It's not much but this water is safe to drink, it's from a small running stream by my home. I apologize for not having anything better." The boy said while Naruto grinned.

"You don't have to apologize for every little thing y'know."

Naruto said while the boy's eyes widened, "Ah I'm sorry. I'm mean… I'm not sorry? Sorry." The boy profusely apologized while Kurotsuchi chuckled.

"What's your name?"

Kurotsuchi asked while the boy looked toward her, "My name is Kou. It's nice to meet you, may I have your names as well?" Kou asked while Naruto pointed a thumb towards himself.

"Naruto Uzumaki! At your service."

Naruto greeted while Kurotsuchi slightly bowed her head.

"Kurotsuchi."

The girl greeted politely while the boy nodded his head, "Thank you, were you two the ones that brought me home?" Kou asked while Naruto nodded.

"Yup, we came here straight from the clinic and crashed for the night. Sorry for barging in without permission."

Naruto scratched the back of his head while the white-haired boy shook his head, "That's ok, thank you for taking me home but… why didn't you leave? You did what you came to do…" The boy trailed off while Naruto smiled at him.

"We just couldn't leave you alone."

Naruto said while the boy just stared at the blonde teen who took a sip of his water, "Oh this is really good." The blonde took another sip while Kurotsuchi did the same.

Kou could feel his eyes burning from the familiar sensation of tears welling up, the white-haired boy shook his head and took a sip of his water.

This was his main source of hydration that he spent hours and several sick days trying to find so usually it was just supposed to do its job. However right now this water tasted like the best water he's ever had, was it because he was drinking it with other people?

"So, I heard you saying something about your day. What's first?"

Kurotsuchi inquired while Kou blinked, "Oh um first I usually start out with a bath before I get started with chores." Kou explained while Naruto nodded his head.

"A bath sounds like a good idea! I probably really need one especially with the events of yesterday."

Naruto tugged at his clothes while Kurotsuchi inspected herself, "A bath doesn't sound horrible." Kurotsuchi spoke while Naruto gave her a look.

Even around the kid she was still being careful.

"Oh, then should I lead you to the usual spot? Or you can also go into the village and do that as well! The baths there are probably much nicer and-"

Kou was cut off by a hand rubbing his hair, "Lead away Kou!" Naruto chirped while the boy blinked at the taller blonde.

Soon the trio found themselves at a large waterfall that ran into a clear pond a little further away from his home into the woods, it was surrounded by trees and the pond itself was on top of natural stone. It was a beautiful sight.

Kou was carrying a bucket while Naruto was behind him carrying two more buckets and Kurotsuchi with a few large, tattered towels for drying off.

"Woah…"

Naruto trailed off as he looked at the beauty of the spot.

"This is where I usually go…"

Kou mentioned meekly while Kurotsuchi looked around, "This is really nice." The girl said while she looked toward Naruto who was already stripping his shirt off.

"Oi!"

Kurotsuchi yelled while she gave Naruto a solid kick to his side, sending the teen to the ground with his shirt still over his head. "What's the big idea?!" the blonde yelled back while Kurotsuchi had the faintest of flushes on her face while she pointed her finger at him.

"You can't just start stripping in front of me! I'm a girl you idiot!"

Kurotsuchi yelled while Naruto blinked before he gave the girl a look again.

"Don't worry, I'm a perfect gentleman no one's looking anyway."

Naruto said while Kurotsuchi's flush grew a little stronger before she slammed one of the towels she was holding into the blonde's face. She kicked her shoes off before she stepped into the water, the black-haired teen started weaving hand signs.

"Earth Style: Stone Wall!"

Kurotsuchi slammed her foot against the pond floor as hard as she could, causing a wall of stone to rise, splitting the pond in half. Kou fell backward at the sudden wall while Naruto blinked, "Yup, I figured." The blonde said before the sound of cracking was heard.

The word 'Death' was carved into the stone wall while Kou trembled at it, Naruto meanwhile shook his head.

"I said no one was looking, you shouldn't be using jutsu in your condition anyway!"

Naruto yelled while Kou pointed at the wall, "She made a wall like that? That quickly?" The boy asked while the blonde shrugged.

"It's pretty standard."

The boy said while Kou felt a little faint from the casualness of Naruto's tone.

"I've seen ninja perform jutsu before but she's super-fast and it looks really strong."

Kou commented while Naruto was getting out of his pants, "Yeah. Believe it or not she's actually really strong. Super stubborn too but I can't really talk there." Kou marveled at the wall before he took off his pants.

Soon Kou was sitting on a rock with Naruto sitting behind him, "Come on, you can't bathe with your shirt on. We gotta wash your back." The blonde said while Kou shook his head.

"I can bathe with my shirt on. I promise."

The white-haired boy protested while Naruto tugged at the boy's shirt.

"I'm not going to laugh at you, I promise."

Naruto reassured while Kou wrapped his arms around his body, "Don't… I'm disgusting." Kou said while the blonde took a breath.

"You aren't disgusting."

Naruto said with a firm tone while Kou slowly looked back at him, he saw the serious look in the teen's blue eyes. "Don't you dare let anyone tell you otherwise." the blonde spoke while Kou looked ahead toward the ground with his hands still holding onto his shirt before he slowly let go.

Naruto slowly lifted the shirt off of the boy then his eyes slowly widened.

Scars littered the boy's back, from burn like marks to long slashes as if he had been cut by blades. The blonde could feel his rage bubbling within him while his fist clenched to the side and his teeth gritted.

"See? I told you."

The boy said while he kept looking at the ground before he looked up slightly. "I can take care of bathing myself Mr. Naruto, you don't have to worry about-" Kou was suddenly cut off by the cold sensation of a wet towel touching his back while he felt the soap lathering on it.

"What are you talking about? I already told you that I've got you."

Naruto said while he gently lathered the boy's back, Kou's eye's filled with surprise while he felt his back being washed. Naruto kept gently scrubbing the boy's back while Kou remembered his mother gently washing his back all of those years ago.

The white-haired boy sniffled before he kept his eyes to the ground.

"I'm sorry…"

The boy apologized while he lightly sobbed while Naruto kept washing the younger boy's back.

"You have nothing to be sorry about."

"Not anymore."

Naruto spoke in a gentler tone while the boy sniffled, eventually the pair made it into the water where Naruto sighed and relaxed. Kou looked at the older boy who managed to relax while he tried to do the same and failed, "Mr. Naruto… how do you do that?" The boy asked while the blonde looked toward the boy.

"Do what?"

Naruto answered casually while Kou kept staring at him, "Relaxing?" The blonde said while Kou nodded his head curiously.

"Well you just take in a nice deep breath, then you just-"

Naruto stopped his sentence, releasing his sigh and leaning further into the soft sand they were both sitting against. "You aren't worried about anything? I don't mean to rush your bath but there's plenty I have to do before the sun goes down." Kou panicked slightly while Naruto lifted a finger silencing the boy, "Like what?" The blonde asked while Kou scratched the back of his head.

"Like… I have to go collect food, make sure my home is still standing, do a few favors for some of the villagers…"

Kou listed while Naruto stood up and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "You're way too young to have to stuff your plate like that, sometimes you just have to take things one thing at a time." the relaxed teen philosophized while Kou blinked before he looked at the blue-eyed boy.

"Isn't that lazy?"

Kou asked while Naruto stared at the boy for a minute before he laughed. "I would have agreed with you a while ago, but now it's important to know when to work your hardest and when to give yourself a break." Naruto said while Kou blinked at the blonde before the teen went right back to his soaking position.

Kou wanted to retort but he instead wanted to try his hand at relaxing, the white-haired boy took in a deep breath. The boy sighed while easing as much as the tension in his body as possible, all the sudden he felt lighter. Almost like he was floating, it felt strange but it was good at the same time.

So wrong yet so right.

"I feel like… a noodle…"

Kou spoke slowly while Naruto nodded his head, "Yup, become the Ramen noodle." The blonde spoke while Kou closed his eyes.

"Ramen noodle…"

The two boys were completely relaxed, Kou fought the burning urge within himself to get up to keep getting work done.

All for the sake of this unfamiliar feeling.

"Hey, wanna learn something cool?"

Naruto spoke suddenly causing Kou to open his eyes, he heard splashing before he spotted the towel clad teen standing on top of the water. "How are you doing that?!" Kou shouted with excitement before he caught himself clearing his throat to calm his excitement down.

"That's more like it."

Naruto grinned before he tapped his foot on the water's surface before he sat down on it without sinking.

"You've seen ninja fight before right?"

Naruto asked while Kou slowly nodded his head, "So, like how Kurotsuchi made that wall or how I'm sitting on top of water. Everyone has this flow of energy in them called Chakra." The blonde began his lesson to the young boy.

Kurotsuchi meanwhile on the other side of the wall listened carefully to the sound of the water flowing around her. How the waterfall crashed into the rest of pond, how the tree's leaves gently shook in the breeze, normally her response to this would have been her usual recon. Listening for enemies, allowing her senses to catch wind of even the slightest changes in the peace of the vicinity.

However, this time around much to her chagrin, the black-haired teen was actually trying to relax herself. Not that she would admit to Naruto that she was listening and taking his advice of course, it was merely a curiosity.

Kurotsuchi was never one to consider herself a slacker but a few moments of relaxation on a mission couldn't be fatal. While she herself was in little to no condition to fight, she was just a wall away from one of the strongest weirdos she ever met.

Not that she trusted him completely or anything.

She just figured due to his extremely naive honor code, the boy would have her back if the time called for it. In the mean she would try to disprove his theory in practice. In more unfortunate news, so far he was right. The girl felt herself feeling more and more at ease while she rested against the rock wall.

At that rate she could have sworn she was about to doze off.

She would blame Naruto for it later.

"YOU'RE DOING IT!"

A yell from the otherside of the wall from previously thought about blonde shocked the girl back awake before she turned toward the wall.

"I-im doing i-it!"

Kou stuttered out while his legs shook while standing on the surface of the water, Naruto's jaw hung open while the white-haired boy grinned sheepishly. "That took me so long to get down and you're just doing it!" Naruto yelled out with pride while Kou nodded his head rapidly, "I'm sorry!" The boy yelled out while the blonde shook his head.

"Why are you sorry? This is awesome! I wasn't expecting you to get this down so quickly."

Kou continued to shake his footing before Naruto reached a hand out from where he was standing.

"Alright, time to take a step."

Naruto said while Kou shook his head, "N-no… I can't…" The boy said while the blonde nodded his head.

"You can do it… come on. I've got you."

Naruto reassured while Kou looked at his hand the boy took a step forward before the blonde grabbed onto him preventing the boy from slipping. "I did it…" Kou spoke quietly while Naruto grinned, "You sure did! That's only your first test though." The blonde responded.

"First test?"

Kou asked while Naruto's face adopted a mischievous grin, the teen pointed his thumb toward the stone wall behind him.

"Wanna peek?"

Kou nearly broke his concentration and fell into the water at the suggestion, Naruto meanwhile kept the grin on his face.

"Do what?! Mr. Naruto, what happened to being perfect gentlemen and not looking?!"

Kou freaked out while Naruto pointed a finger upwards, "It's only ungentlemanly if you get caught, since I'm a experienced ninja we won't be. She won't even know it happened." Naruto spoke while Kou blinked.

"But she'll kill us…"

"A little death never stopped progress."

"It would be like we were lying to her."

"Not if she doesn't find out."

Kou began to sweat from Naruto's responses before the blonde placed a hand on his shoulder and waved the other one in the air.

"Have you ever seen a naked lady before, Kou?"

Naruto asked while the white-haired boy slowly shook his head, "Their super soft skin, the way the light just catches on their soaked frames making them seem angelic, the bounty of their bosom?" The blonde set the scene for Kou who was breathing a little faster.

"What do you say? Wanna find out?"

Naruto asked while Kou shut his eyes super tight before he came up with a response, meanwhile on the other side of the wall.

Kurotsuchi heard everything.

For a so-called experienced ninja that loudmouth practically screamed out their plans almost as if he wanted her to hear it. It was a brief time but Naruto had to die before he continued to corrupt this innocent child, Kurotsuchi placed her hand on the wall while forming hand signs with the other.

Tis be the fate of a pervert.

"I won't do it!"

A sudden yell caused Kurotsuchi to pause while Kou kept his eyes shut, "She wanted her privacy, and we should respect that. Ninja or not, people shouldn't be taken advantage of." Kou then opened his eyes to look at Naruto.

"I'm sorry, I just-"

"You passed."

Naruto spoke with a smile on his face while Kou just blinked.

"Huh?"

Kou's jaw dropped while Naruto gave the boy a big smile, "It doesn't matter who you are or what you can do, having talent comes with knowing when to use it. Taking advantage of someone is not how you use that talent." The blonde spoke while Kou's eyes began to water.

"I know you might not remember everything I tell you but remember this, no one should be taken advantage of. Not even you."

Naruto said while he rubbed the head of the now crying Kou, meanwhile on the other side of the wall Kurotsuchi paused. She slowly brought her hand down from the wall before she leaned against it again, this guy was unpredictable.

But he really was kind.

She then heard the loud sounds of splashing followed by the sounds of laughter from both of the boys.

The trio walked away from the large pond refreshed and cleaned the grin on Naruto's face seemed to sparkle while Kurotsuchi ran her towel through her hair trying to dry it further. Kou walked ahead of the pair with a small smile on his face as well.

"So what's next on the itinerary?"

Naurto asked while Kou gave the teen an apologetic look, "You both seriously don't have to help me, I'm honestly fine…" Kou spoke while Naruto narrowed his eyes at the boy with a smile on his face before gently hitting him on his head.

"Nope, you're stuck with us now at least for a little while. So, we're going into town right?"

Naruto spoke while Kou blinked before he looked toward Kurotsuchi for some kind of reasonable response, but the girl's eyes lingered on the blonde before she looked toward the white-haired boy.

"Sitting around and recovering isn't something I would like to endure; I'd rather stay busy too."

Kurotsuchi spoke while Kou sighed in defeat while they walked toward the village, the pink eyed girl gave her own smile toward the younger boy. She turned her attention to Naruto giving her a look that was a mix of gentle and something else she couldn't put her finger on.

"What? I'm just not comfortable just sitting around that's all."

Kurotsuchi responded while Naruto's smile grew a little bigger, "You're super pretty with your hair down like that." the blonde suddenly said while Kurotsuchi stopped walking for a moment the girl blinked while Naruto kept walking.

"Maybe that was a little frank but I couldn't help but notice it."

Naruto kept speaking without missing a beat while Kou looked at the blonde curiously. Kurotsuchi meanwhile stood in one spot before she lifted her hand to touch her long hair. She's always kept her hair short since she was a child, whenever it grew past her neck, she would make sure it was cut.

However she didn't notice that it had grown so much, nor did she notice the style she ended up always putting it in. A high ponytail with some of her hair while she just let the rest hang on her head, just like someone she used to look up to once upon a time.

Ever since that day she's been dedicated to working as hard as she could to protect everything that was dear to her, she never even thought for a minute that she would completely lose track of herself in the process.

"Pretty?"

The girl asked herself while she held her hair in her hands before she thought back to the honest look on Naruto's face when he said that, the expression on her face softened. The softened expression went away quickly at the thought of another blonde man souring her features.

'I'm a shinobi, one that won't let anything like that happen again…'

Kurotsuchi's face hardened while she followed behind Naruto and Kou, her gait changed into a more determined one.

'I don't have time to be pretty.'

Kurotsuchi resolved in her head while she caught up with the two boys, her eyes not being able to escape the smile on Naruto's face.

{...}

The trio eventually made it into the village, Jasmine village was as lively as ever. The adults went about their business with their shops and the kids played together, Naruto looked toward Kou who tried to not stick out as much as possible.

The boy noticed the glances toward his direction, the villagers were looking at him again. Those looks filled with disdain, he would just have to bear it. He always did up to this point and today wouldn't be any different.

Naruto placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and gave him a quick smile, meanwhile Kurotsuchi resisted the urge to glare back at the villagers.

The blonde knew these looks and was used to them himself but seeing it happen firsthand right in front of him frustrated him to end, a part of him wanted to lash out and show these villagers that they were wrong about him. That Kou was gentle and kind, not some kind of monster.

Yet another part of him knew there wouldn't be any sort of results from that violence, it would just make his situation worse. Was this what granny was going through when it came to him? Wanting to protect someone without harming others to make the situation worse?

This was hard.

In the six months that he's been banished from the leaf village have things gotten better there without him? Probably, Kakashi's probably way less stressed having to deal with one less student. Sakura's definitely happy he's not there to bother her anymore and the rest of his friends must be growing leaps and bounds without having to deal with his antics.

Now's not the time to think about that.

He had this boy to look after for right now, not to mention one of the toughest kunoichi he's had the pleasure of meeting that he had to escort. He had to continue moving forward making sure they were both taken care of before he thought about himself.

The trio made it to the town hall where Kou kept his eyes toward the ground, there at the front were two men standing directly in front of the doors into the building. The two men glared at the white-haired boy before Naruto stepped in front of him.

Naruto's eyes narrowed before Kurotsuchi flinched at the sudden change in air pressure from around the boy, the two men also took a step back before the blonde looked toward Kou again.

"Come on, let's grab this list."

The teen spoke with a smile on his face while Kou nodded following him quietly, Kurotsuchi looked at the two men that stared at Naruto's back with surprise. Her pink eyes lingered on Naruto's back while they walked ahead to the office.

There was something about this guy that she couldn't pin down, he was gentle yet there was another side to him that felt completely different. The side that he has to hide around others but he occasionally would slip and show a part of it.

The best words that Kurotsuchi could describe Naruto with from what she knew about him so far.

He was like a storm.

Kagiri was working in his office while the doors opened up, his eyes lit up when he saw Naruto. "Naruto! It's good to see you, what brings you into my office…" The brown-haired man's words died in his mouth when he saw Kou walk in with him.

Kurotsuchi followed while Kagiri chuckled a bit, "So uh Naruto, why is he with you?" Kagiri asked while Kou shrank into himself while Naruto kept the smile on his face.

"I'm here for the work that you give Kou, we'll make sure to get it taken care of."

Naruto spoke while Kagiri chuckled at the blonde's response, Kurotsuchi gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes at the village leader. "Naruto… you and your friend are our guests. The last thing I could ask you to do anything more than be welcomed and taken care of, why don't you just leave this to him?" Kagiri spoke while Naruto extended his hand toward the man.

"The list. Please."

The blonde insisted while Kagiri broke into a small sweat at his tone before he pulled out a scroll, "Thanks!" Naruto said cheerfully while he turned back toward Kou and Kurotsuchi with the scroll in his hands.

"Alright let's go."

The trio tried to leave while Kagiri suddenly stood up from his chair, "Naruto, please listen. The more we interact with that thing the more we compromise that peace, I get it seems really unfair but for the sake of the village I do what I must… are you really going to assist this boy despite that?" Kagiri spoke while Kou trembled at his words.

The white-haired boy took a breath and turned toward the blonde, Naruto turned his head to look directly at the village leader.

"Watch me."

The simple response came out of Naruto's mouth completely stopping Kou's protest in its tracks, Kagiri just stared at the blue eyes of the teen standing near his office doors before he quickly escorted both of his companions from the room.

Kagiri stared at where they were standing long after they had left the building, meanwhile the trio were walking away from the building.

"This is a load of crap!"

Kurotsuchi raised her voice causing Naruto and Kou to look at the girl, "Clear forest sections, repair broken down homes, product delivery to shops? You do this everyday?" the black-haired girl asked while Kou nodded his head.

"That usually lasts until the end of the day, then I go home."

Kou responded while Kurotsuchi growled, "These bastards, he's just a child and they're working him like a mule not even a day after he came back from the Sound ninja torn up. I've got half a mind to show them a thing or two." the girl fumed while Kou shook his head.

"It's fine, I'm exactly what they said…"

The boy spoke while Kurotsuchi looked toward him, "I deserve all of this… I'm just a tool. Like Mr. Kagiri said it's like this because I'm protecting their peace. If I'm doing that then that's good enough isn't it?" Kou spoke with a shaky smile on his face while Kurotsuchi's turned into a frown.

"A simple day's work."

Naruto said while he looked at the list, "We should have this done before noon." the blonde rolled up his sleeves and rolled his arms to pop them. "Before noon!?" Kou shouted while Kurotsuchi slapped the list with her hand.

"No one should have to do all of this, especially not a 10-year-old boy by himself."

The girl growled while Naruto gave her a determined look, "He's not alone." the blonde responded while the pair looked toward Naruto.

"I have a super dumb philosophy, I developed it recently. If someone hates you for no reason, then you prove them wrong and show them that you are way better and then they thought you were through your efforts."

"I… wanted to become the best and strongest ninja in my village, all because no one else believed that I could. If I could show them I could and do so much more than they would just end up being wrong and no matter how much they insisted on calling me a loser I would always make sure they were wrong."

Naruto spoke while Kou's eyes slowly brightened at the blonde, "That's why we work hard right now, one day these villagers are going to treat you like the hero you deserve to be. Until then you prove each and every single one of them wrong." Naruto said while Kurotsuchi blinked at the boy.

"That's stupid, you can't just sway the opinions of people like that. Someone is always going to find a way to keep you down."

Kurotsuchi rationalized while Naruto nodded his head, "That's why you keep fighting until they're the ones that have to accept you too. You can't join them? Beat them." the blonde spoke while Kurotsuchi sighed loudly before a sniffle was heard.

"Do you really think I can?"

The white-haired boy asked while Naruto gave the boy a strong thumbs up and his catchphrase grin.

"Believe it."

Kou rubbed his eyes at the words before he threw his own fist up, "Then… I want to try my best!" Kou mustered the strength to put the passion into his words while Naruto grinned.

"Then let's do it!"

Naruto yelled while Kurotsuchi looked at the two yelling boys, a part of her finding their newly shared philosophy ridiculous yet the part of her that prevailed was the one that allowed a small smile to crack over her features.

The trio then found themselves in a forest with a lot of marked trees, Naruto looked around and whistled while Kurotsuchi's jaw nearly dropped at the sheer amount of trees that needed to be removed.

"This… This is just impossible to get done."

Kurotsuchi said while Kou pointed at two holes in the ground, "It's not impossible, it just takes a really long time." Kou said while the girl blinked.

"How long Kou?"

"Usually about… 3 hours per tree…"

"3 hours per tree!?"

Kurotsuchi yelled out while Naruto inspected the trees, "Yeah, looks like these are pretty sturdy." the boy said to himself while Kurotsuchi nearly rolled her eyes.

"You think? There's no way this is being done by noon, let alone everything else."

Kurotuschi said while Kou shook his head, "If Mr. Naruto says we could do it then… I want to at least try." the white-haired boy clenched his fists and nodded his head with a determined look on it.

"Well Mr. Naruto is craz-"

The girl was cut off by a sudden gust of wind and the sound of a collapsing tree, the duo of the girl and the younger boy turned toward the noise spotting the blonde looking down at the tree he quickly felled.

"Looks like these go down pretty easily."

Naruto spoke while Kurotsuchi and Koulooked at the boy with shock before he jumped off of the tree, "Kou, you're on root duty. Dig out the roots of the trees I take down then we'll roll them into the village once we're done with this section. Kurotsuchi you still need to rest so nothing crazy for you." The blonde delegated while Kou shook out of his surprise.

"Y-yes sir!"

Kou grabbed his shovel he had leaning against a tree while Kurotsuchi huffed, "Being injured is a pain in the ass." the girl grumbled while Naruto formed his signature hand sign.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

The blonde yelled out creating multiple clones, "You three are with me, you six are in charge of preparing the trees to be knocked as nicely as possible for easier root removal. Lastly you three are working with Kou on root removal." Naruto ordered his clones while they grinned.

"We're on it boss!"

The nine other clones went to their positions while Naruto and the three other clones were forming hand signs, the wind pressure changed around them while Kurotsuchi noticed the wind picking up. The clones further down the way gave a thumbs up.

"These are ready guys!"

The clone yelled before Naruto nodded his head, Kou watched as gusts of went kicked up dirt while Naruto and his clones blasted through the air kicking four trees down easily from the power built up from the launch.

The trees were knocked over with more of his clones digging away at the roots, Kou watched in awe while Naruto smiled toward the boy.

"Let's keep them coming Kou!"

The blonde yelled out while the younger boy nodded his head, "Yes sir!" Kou yelled, finishing up his tree before moving to the next one. Kurotsuchi watched in awe while the two boys and the clones took down and got rid of tree after tree.

The smiles on their faces were damn near unforgettable.

A couple hours later two men sat in a log cabin that was connected to a large shop with a sign that had a picture of a log hanging from it. One of the men sighed while the other raised an eyebrow towards him, "I know, I'm bored too." His partner responded while the first man ran a hand through his hair.

"This is honestly the worst part of this job, waiting on that damn kid."

The first man groaned while his partner shrugged, "It's not like we have all the manpower in the world, that kid is the only free resource we have to get fresh logs at the moment."

"Yeah but a ton of hours just for a couple of trees? It's just ludacris, he's way too damn slow and weak."

The two men discussed while the partner noticed a small cloud of dust in the distance, the first man stood up slowly looking toward the approaching cloud.

"The hell is that?"

The partner asked while the first man rubbed his eyes, before he noticed the cloud was getting closer.

"Oi, you think we should move?"

"That might be a good idea."

The two men immediately went to start moving but the cloud seemed to move toward them even faster as it got closer. They jumped behind the counter right as the dust cloud slammed right into the front of the wooden building. The two men covered their heads before they heard the sound of poofing, the first man looked at his partner.

His partner slowly stood up to check if the cloud had passed, instead his eyes widened slowly before he pointed a finger. "What? What is it? Some kind of beast?" The first man asked the still on the ground, his partner coughed before he looked down at the still hiding man.

"Wood."

"Wood?"

The first man then quickly stood up before his jaw dropped, standing on top of a big stack of logs was a white-haired boy. The look in his eyes was meek but his stance was an awkward yet trying to be confident hands on his hips. Sitting on the logs behind him was a black-haired girl with a blonde young man who had a tired yet bright smile on his face.

The two men looked at the pile in near awe while the first man walked toward the wood covered sled slowly. There had to have been sixteen trees on this sled, they were all lined up and properly stacked on top of each other.

They even cleared them of their branches and leaves.

In only 2 hours.

"You're back?"

The first man asked with confusion while his partner came out from the shop as well to look at the stack. Forget being bored with this amount of wood they would have a full day's work ahead of them.

"Go on."

Naruto nodded toward Kou who quickly nodded his head before he jumped down and nervously walked toward the surprised men. "You- you're… You're welcome!" Kou shouted at the two men suddenly shocking them both with his sudden amount of energy behind his words.

Usually, he would drop the wood off, apologize profusely, then head to his next task on his list without a beat.

But now.

The two men looked at each other before they looked toward the slightly trembling boy, the pair slightly bowed their heads. "Thank you." The two men spoke while Kou was taken aback from the sudden gratitude from the two men who usually dismissed him.

"The day's burning, Kou."

The white-haired boy heard Naruto call before he turned around, "Right." Kou responded leaving the two men in awe of the tree stack.

Soon Naruto, Kurotsuchi, and Kou were zipping through the village, completing task after task each time Kou telling the villagers he helped that they were welcome. The old couple with the broken windows in their home, the shop clerk that needed product delivered to his store, even the blacksmith for metal working got his tools faster than normal.

Each of these villagers had the same look in their eyes.

Surprise.

This boy that had always just moved through the village like he was exactly what they thought he was. Was owning his work. Meanwhile Naruto just could help but feel a swell of pride from the smile that was growing on the face of the hard-working boy.

{...}

"Break time!"

Naruto announced while Kou raised an eyebrow, "Already?" The white-haired boy scratched his head while Kurotsuchi nodded.

"I agree, you both have been working hard for hours. A little break should be fine."

The girl agreed while Kou blinked before he nodded his head as well, Naruto grinned before he looked out over the large body of water by where they were walking.

"Hey, you ever go fishing?"

Naruto asked while Kou shook his head, "Fishing? Naruto, renting out a boat and getting fishing equipment is a little more than just a break." Kurotsuchi mentioned while Naruto grinned.

"Who said anything about a boat?"

The blonde said while Kou and Kurotsuchi slowly looked at each other with the same expression on their faces. Shortly after the trio left to get fishing supplies, they soon found themselves in the middle of the lake. Kou trembled in Naruto's lap while holding his own fishing pole, meanwhile the blonde was carefully watching his in the water.

"Naruto."

"Yeah?"

"I know you said something about us not needing a boat but…"

Kurotsuchi trailed off while she held onto her fishing rod, revealing the trio sitting directly on the water.

"This has to be the dumbest thing ever."

The black haired girl complained while Naruto just chuckled, "It doubles as a good chakra exercise and a peaceful getaway." The blonde said while he tapped his foot on the water's surface.

"Something tells me this isn't the first time you've done this."

Kurotsuchi spoke while Naruto just grinned back in response, "Kou is pretty good at water walking too, once he's ready he's going to show you." The teen spoke confidently while Kou's eye's widened at the response.

"Um I don't know if I can."

The boy spoke while Naruto nodded his head, "I know you can." The blonde said while Kou gave a short nod.

"Do you fish a lot Mr. Naruto?"

Kou asked while the blonde pondered his question for a few moments before he shook his head. "Nah, not as much as I would like to. Believe it or not I used to be a fisherman." Naruto spoke while Kurotsuchi looked toward the blonde while Kou looked at him excitedly.

"Seriously?!"

Kou responded excitedly before Naruto nodded his head. "Yep, it was for a small village when I was living there. It was one of my jobs, kind of like you have here." Naruto responded while Kurotsuchi looked toward the blonde curiously, was this village he was talking about the same one that he was banished from?

"So they thought you were a monster too?"

Kou asked, causing Naruto to pause for a moment, the blonde looked ahead before a small smile appeared on his face. "Not there. They actually took me in and made sure to pay me for my hard work." Kou looked at the boy with awe while Kurotsuchi kept her curious gaze, she never really did find out where he was from.

The real question that came to mind for her was, what would she do with that information whenever she did get it? It's not like it mattered anymore since he was banished from there, however there are chances that he could still have ties to that village. From what she could gather she already figured that he wasn't from the Village Hidden in Lightning, his techniques didn't line up.

He wasn't from the Hidden Stone or she wouldn't have heard of someone like him running around. That left Water, Sand, and Leaf. That's based on the assumption that he's even from one of the major villages.

If he did hold ties with an enemy village, does that make Naruto her enemy? He barely acts like a shinobi so he wouldn't really be one to suddenly fight for no reason from what she's seen.

She however would fight in a heartbeat.

Naruto was strong and if he turned out to be an enemy then the longer he lives the more dangerous he will become.

Why is it that it feels like she didn't want to have to fight him then?

"You look like you're struggling."

Naruto broke Kurotsuchi out of her stupor, her head immediately turned toward his smiling face.

"With what?"

Kurotsuchi asked, cursing the boy's perceptiveness before the blonde pointed, "With fishing, need a hand?" Naruto asked while the black-haired girl relaxed. "I don't fish, I never really saw the point in just sitting in water and pulling creatures out of their home." Kurotsuchi said while Naruto blinked before he grabbed Kou from his lap, "Remember to concentrate." Naruto warned before the boy freaked out slightly.

Naruto gently placed the boy on the water, Kou managed to quickly stop himself from sinking into the lake. The blonde scooted over the water's surface to sit closer to Kurotsuchi, the girl looked at the blonde before he reached out and grabbed her wrist gently.

"Hey."

Kurotsuchi protested while Naruto inspected her wrist and hand, "You're really bad at relaxing too huh?" The blonde chuckled while Kurotsuchi huffed.

"There's no point, you never know when you could be in a dangerous situation. Better to have your guard up constantly then not at all "

Kurotsuchi said while Naruto exhaled out of his nose before he let go of her wrist. "Fishing can feed people, it can be competitive and like a game, and in a way it can show respect for both fish and patience." Naruto explained while Kurotsuchi blinked at the boy, she felt his arms on hers with his hands resting on the back of hers.

She could feel his steady heartbeat through her back as he laid his chest against it, his legs stretched out around hers before he took a breath.

"I never really got fishing either at first."

Naruto calmly explained while Kurotsuchi felt a warmth rushing through her body, "It just seemed way too boring and time consuming." The blonde continued to explain while Kurotsuchi flinched at the way his hand repositioned itself to assist her with her fishing form.

"Then I realized something, fishing isn't about what you catch. It's about how you feel. And to me fishing just feels relaxing."

Naruto spoke while Kurotsuchi turned, his face was close to hers. She was able to count the amount of the whisker-like marks on his cheek. Blue met pink while Naruto's lip curled into a grin.

"I hope that you could feel even a second of that."

Naruto spoke while Kurotsuchi continued to feel that warmth moving through her, he was so close to her. To her, the shinobi that considered him to be a potential enemy, his guard was completely down with her.

Like hers unfortunately was with him.

She felt conflicted, she still barely knew the guy but he had a warm presence about him. Kurotsuchi almost felt safe. The distance between them was so close that even a small movement could change that to no distance at all. There was a slight urge to threaten that distance.

Kurotsuchi knew what the urge was, she wasn't unaware but that was all the more reason to not do it.

Attachments in the ninja world only led to despair. That was one of the one things that Kurotsuchi prided herself on that she claimed helped with her amount of strength.

That she wouldn't ever gain anything to lose.

The girl found herself beginning to close that distance anyway, in her own mind she would just declare it a moment of weakness. Something like this would never happen again.

Then she felt a jerk in her hands, "I think you landed one!" Naruto cheered, snapping Kurotsuchi back to reality.

Lo and behold her rod was being pulled at, the girl focused and held on as tightly as she could to the catch. "Looks like you've got a big one! Go ahead and bring 'em in!" Naruto yelled while Kurotsuchi pulled at the fish, the fish continued to fight back while the teen growled.

"Come on!"

Kurotsuchi growled while Kou crawled over to watch, "You can do it Ms. Kurotsuchi!" The boy yelled out while the pink eyed girl continued to fight.

"I… I won't let you get away!"

Kurotsuchi yelled while Naruto and Kou cheered the girl on during her fierce conflict with the fish. This fish wasn't making it easy but she wasn't going to give up. Kurotsuchi leaned forward before she yelled, pulling back as hard as she could, launching the fish out of the water and into the air.

Kou and Naruto both continued to cheer before the fish fell into her lap, the fish flopped while she felt a smile grow on her face.

"I did it…"

Kurotsuchi trailed off with excitement while Naruto nodded his head, "Yeah, you sure did." The blonde said while Kou marveled at the fish.

"It's so big!"

Kou cheered while Naruto nodded his head, Kurotsuchi meanwhile stared at the flopping fishing her hands. It was slimy and alive. She had fished for the first time in her life and it wasn't as bad as she thought it was, as a matter of fact she felt a little accomplished.

Kurotsuchi looked at the fish for a few more moments before her chuckle slowly became laughter. Kou joined her in laughing while a warm smile grew on Naruto's face watching the pair enjoying themselves.

"So where's your fish master fisherman?"

Kurotsuchi teased while Naruto's smile morphed into a confident look, "You'll see, I'm going to reel in a massive one that will put yours to shame!" The blonde declared while Kurotsuchi was already back to fishing.

"Oh yeah? Prove it."

The girl taunted with a light smile on her face while Naruto immediately went back to fishing himself. The trio sat on the water's surface back to back with each one being focused on catching a bigger one then the next. After an hour and a half on the water the trio made their way back to shore, Kou excitedly bounced ahead of the two teenagers.

"Don't rush so far ahead Kou."

Kurotsuchi gently reminded while the boy stopped bouncing for a minute, "Right, I'm sorry." Kou quickly apologized, causing Naruto to chuckle.

"Ah, don't worry about it she's just trying to keep you in sight. She's one of those thorny types who cares but pretend not to."

Naruto finished with a wink earning him a nudge from the black-haired teen while Kou smiled at the pair. "Oh wait." Kou said while he started looking around, "What's wrong?" Naruto asked while Kou pointed out to the water.

"I left my fishing pole."

The boy pointed while Kurotsuchi popped her knuckles, "I'll get it." The girl said before Kou shook his head.

"I can get it!"

Kou said excitedly while he ran back toward the water before he gingerly stepped on the surface walking on top of the water. Naruto and Kurotsuchi kept their eyes on the boy who grabbed the floating pole from the water, he turned to return to the two teens. He got more and more confidence even beginning to run on the water's surface, a small smile graced his features.

"Woah!"

A sudden shout almost caused Kou to lose his concentration and fall into the water, the white-haired boy froze when he saw a small group of children on the shore.

"How are you doing that?!"

"Lookit! He's running on water!"

"Cool!"

The kids that seemed to be around the same age as Kou yelled toward him while Kou himself was frozen in that spot. The boy trembled at the sight of the kids while Kurotsuchi took a step forward, only to be stopped by Naruto.

"What?"

"Just wait."

"What if they-"

"Trust him."

Naruto and Kurotsuchi went back and forth before the girl reluctantly conceded, still ready to dash at a moment's notice. Kou looked toward the pair with fear laced in his eyes only for his gaze to meet the calm one of Naruto's. The blonde-haired teen nodded his head toward Kou who blinked before he slowly looked at the interested kids.

"You… You… You think this is cool?"

Kou struggled while one of the kids jumped on the water and sank through it before they started laughing. Kou chuckled too before he started shuffling his feet, the kids continued laughing while the white-haired boy was doing a small dance on the water's surface.

The kids laughed at the boy's antics while they got into the water as well.

Kurotsuchi and Naruto watched the kids from afar, the girl relaxed while Naruto beamed at the sight.

"How did you know?"

"Know what?"

"That they weren't going to make fun of him or try to hurt him?"

"I didn't."

"Alright you bastard."

"Wait, I mean I didn't but kids are honest. They usually just say and do what comes to mind at a certain age."

Naruto tried to explain himself to an unamused Kurotsuchi while he chuckled, "When people see something they don't understand they're quick to judge it without a beat. However once someone at least tries to understand something it makes it easier to get to know it." The blonde explained while Kurotsuchi looked toward the kids again.

"These kids are no different, so I placed my faith in their curiosity over something cool that only Kou could do."

Kurotsuchi watched Kou playing around with the other children while Naruto watched on with a small smile. "Why are you so fixated on being there for him?" The black-haired girl asked while Naruto looked toward the ground.

"I used to be just like him when I was a kid back at my home, I guess I just didn't want anyone to have to feel the same pain I did."

Naruto explained while Kurotsuchi blinked at him, her eyes went toward the ground as well contemplating his words.

"That's in the past though! The future's right here in front of us, if Kou can live a somewhat normal life before we leave them that's all that matters to me."

Naruto cheered up causing Kurotsuchi to look back up at him with surprise in her eyes, the blonde always managed to stand so tall. His strength was something Kurotsuchi could never wrap her head around yet she could also feel a weakness in that strength as well.

"I'm sorry!"

Kou ran back over toward the two teens with his fishing pole close to his chest and completely out of breath.

"I got a little caught up and-"

"Don't worry about it, you had fun right?"

Naruto asked while Kou looked between the two smiling teens before he nodded his head. "That's what matters, so let's get back to it and we'll have some more fun later." Naruto coordinated while Kou cheered.

Kurotsuchi walked alongside the enthusiastic boys deep in her own thoughts.

{...}

The sun had fallen behind the clouds with the moon replacing it shortly afterward to indicate that the day was done. A tired trio made their way through the village roads almost aimlessly if it weren't for a growl of a stomach indicating their destination.

"Man, all that work has me starved."

Naruto complained while Kurotsuchi rolled her eyes at the blonde boy before she placed a hand on her stomach.

"I guess I'm a little peckish…"

She reluctantly agreed while Kou rubbed his chin, "I still have some rations at my home, I'll have to restock from the forest tomorrow but there should be enough for us tonight… If you both want to of course." The white haired boy offered while Naruto shook his head.

"No way, we're not putting you through gathered rations after your hard work today. You've earned a nice hot meal!"

The blonde exclaimed while Kou shook his head, "W-wait Mr. Naruto I think that's very nice but… I'm not allowed into any of the restaurants around." The boy explained while Kurotsuchi gave him a look.

"So? You're with us, they got a problem with you then they have a problem with us."

Naruto reasoned while Kou tried to talk the enthusiastic blonde out of it, Kurotsuchi followed with a shake of her head as they began exploring around for a place that would take them.

Like Kou had said, no one would take them into their establishments.

They apologized before shutting the door, lied about being fully booked, some of them straight just refused to answer the door.

"Those jerks."

Naruto grumbled while they continued to walk around in search of another restaurant, "Honestly, he's done so much for them and yet he's being treated like this." The black haired teen agreed while Kou shook his head.

"It's seriously fine you two… Let's just go back."

The boy tried to get Naruto to give up on the search but the blonde quickly placed his hands on Kou's shoulders.

"It's not fine, you earned a nice warm meal. Don't let any of these bums try to take that away from you. Even if I have to spend most of my night looking then damn it that's just what I'll have to do."

The blue-eyed boy stated with a serious look on his face while Kou gave him a small smile, "Naruto, you're bleeding." Kurotsuchi said while Naruto raised an eyebrow.

The teen then looked at the back of his wrist, noticing the large cut on it, "Oh guess I am." The blonde said nonchalantly while Kurotsuchi opened up her pouch.

"It's nothing to worry about, something like this should heal super quick-"

Naruto was cut off by the sensation of a hand grabbing his wrist, his attention went to Kou who closed his eyes. Naruto then felt sharp objects stab into his arm from Kou's fingertips, the boy's hand lingered for a second before he pulled it away.

"There, good as new."

Kou said while Naruto looked at his wrist again, the cut was completely healed, "Woah Kou that's-" the blonde's words died in his mouth when he looked at the boy again.

The back of Kou's wrist began to split open like the cut of the back of Naruto's previously before it quickly scarred over closing up.

"Pretty cool right? It's something that I always remembered being able to do, my mom could so something similar but the ninjas that take me said that mine was stronger than hers-"

"Never do that again."

Kou's eye's blinked open now looking into Naruto's serious blue ones, "What?" The boy said while the blonde gritted his teeth.

"Is that what they make you do? You heal their injuries and take the scars?"

"I was trying to help."

"Hurting yourself to help other people isn't helping, your pain isn't worth anything less than anyone else's."

Naruto growled while Kurotsuchi took a step forward, "Naruto…" The girl said while Kou looked at the blonde shocked.

"That's what it means to help right? This is what I've always done, it's supposed to be the right thing to do. I can handle it like I always have."

Kou spoke with a trembled in his voice while Naruto looked toward the ground, "You shouldn't have to, you're just a kid!" The blonde yelled while Kurotsuchi placed her hand on the other teen's shoulder.

"Naruto relax."

Kurotsuchi warned while Naruto went to say something but paused when he saw the sad expression on Kou's face.

"I- I just… I just don't want you to be hurt."

Naruto spoke while Kou's expression lightened up a bit, "You're a good kid and you shouldn't be called a monster because you're different. You shouldn't be taken advantage of either, I just-" the blonde was cut off by Kurotsuchi taking a few steps forward toward Kou.

She took two of her fingers and gently pinched Kou's nose, tugging it upward, "Ow ow, Miss Kurotsuchi." Kou complained while the girl huffed.

"Listen, Naruto's an idiot but he's right. Constantly hurting yourself to help others will only worry the people who care about you."

Kurotsuchi lectured Kou while the boy got out of her grip, "No one cares about me, so it doesn't matter." The boy said while Kurotsuchi pinched his nose again.

"Newsflash brat, now you have two people who do."

Kurotsuchi spoke before she released the boy's nose, Kou just looked at the girl before she flicked Naruto's forehead.

"Oi."

"I get this is important to you but you can't go getting emotional and scaring kids you asshat. Think before you get passionate."

Naruto listened to Kurotsuchi's words before she pointed her finger ahead at a small shop with it's lights still on. "Now I'm hungry and I'm not letting either of you naive boys slow me down from a meal." Kurotsuchi said while she waited for the two boys to get themselves in order.

"Kou... I'm sorry."

Naruto apologized while Kou looked at the older boy, "It's fine... I guess I'm just not used to anyone being worried about me. You're right I should take more care of myself." the younger boy admitted while the blonde smiled before rubbing his hair.

"Let me make it up to you, dinner is on me so eat as much as you like."

Kurotsuchi gave the boy a soft smile while they caught up to her, "That goes for you too." Naruto commented while giving Kurotsuchi a teasing look causing her to roll her eyes.

"Whatever."

The trio found a small restaurant that still had it's lights on, once they reach it the two teens pushed aside the cloth while Kou just walked underneath it while looking around cautiously.

Naruto rang the bell causing a sudden commotion in the back of the shop, "One minute!" The voice of a woman called from the back.

Kurotsuchi and Naruto looked at each other before Kou took a step back behind them to hide himself. Suddenly a woman came from the back corner of the shop tossing multiple pans to the ground before she faced her patrons at the front.

She was a beautiful woman with light honey brown colored haired, round but scary looking brown eyes with her left one having a thin scar run from the bottom of her eyebrow to the top of her cheek. Her body was thin but had defined muscles.

"Welcome, what can I-"

She paused when she saw Kou and her eyes widened, the boy freaked out hiding further behind the two teens.

"Listen we just want-"

"Shut up, sit down."

Naruto was cut off by the woman catching him off guard before she started walking toward the back before she pointed a rough finger at Kou. "Especially you. Take a seat." The woman's voice got dangerously low while Kou nodded his head seemingly satisfying the woman who disappeared into the back.

The trio took a seat while Kurotsuchi looked at the back, "She seems… intense?" The girl tried to place a word but Naruto shrugged his shoulders.

"Hey she didn't kick us out, she's a little rude but I'm grateful."

The blonde said while Kou fidgeted in his seat, "She's a little scary." The boy said while Kurotsuchi and Naruto silently agreed with him.

A short while later the woman had returned with her full kitchen set up.

"So uh is there a menu?"

Kurotsuchi asked while the woman kept working on her prep, "Nope." She said quickly, continuing to work.

"The stuff in my restaurant… is to die for."

The woman said almost ominously while Naruto and Kurotsuchi sweat dropped while Kou continued to shiver.

The woman began cooking when Naruto noticed a familiar sight, "Those noodles… you're making udon!" The blonde chirped, causing the woman to snap her head from her cooking to make eye contact with the teen.

"You… you know your stuff. You might be one of us. A fellow noddle enthusiaist."

The woman said while Kurotsuchi looked at the blonde with confusion Naruto returned a sheepish smile. They watched the woman cook while the scent filled the air, easing their nerves from the strange cook before they were presented with the dishes.

Three bowls of perfectly made udon sat in front of them while she huffed, she watched them look at the upon before she saw Kou trying to eat his food.

"Hold it!"

The woman yelled suddenly causing Kou to nearly drop his chopsticks, she then clapped her hand together.

"Before one eats. They must appreciate their food."

The woman said while Naruto clapped his hands together, "Thanks for the food!" The blonde then began to eat.

Kurotsuchi did the same in a less obnoxious version before she began to eat Kou looked at the teens before the woman gave a nod of approval to them.

"Um… Thanks for the food."

"More passion!"

"Thanks for the food!"

Kou yelled out as hard as he could while the woman nodded her head, the boy then grabbed his chopsticks again and tried to eat once more but stopped when he noticed the woman had pulled up a chair on the other side and stared at the boy. "Um…" The boy felt awkward with the stare of the woman lingering on him right before he was about to eat.

"I want you to tell me it tastes good. From the heart."

The woman said while Kou blinked at her, meanwhile Naruto finally came up for air from his food.

"This is awesome!"

The boy exclaimed while Kurotsuchi nodded her head, "I'm not really the biggest noodle person but this is really good." The black haired girl said while the chef's hair covered her face ominously causing them to pause.

"That's good."

The woman spoke with a sweet smile on her face, "I'm glad you're enjoying it." The intensity in her frame had suddenly disappeared.

Kou stared at his steaming bowl before the woman tilted her head, "What's wrong? Is it too hot? Do you want me to cool it down for you?" The woman asked gently while Kou shook his head.

"It's just… all of this for someone like me… I don't deserve it."

The boy spoke while Naruto was about to speak up but was cut off by the woman placing a hand on the boy's head feeling his hair.

"I used to serve your mother that same udon."

The woman spoke gently while Kou's eyes widened, "My… Mom?" The boy asked slowly while the woman smiled.

"She was a weird one, constantly refusing to eat only to shovel down food the minute you placed it in front of her. She used to come here all the time."

The chef reminisced while Kou blinked at the woman, "I made her cry a lot… or maybe she was just a big crybaby either way whenever she ate she always ended up crying her little heart out she wouldn't even stop eating to do it." The chef continued while she smiled to herself.

"She brought you here once."

"Just this young woman and her newborn baby and all she could do was cry, eat noodles, and try to calm you down. She at one point became a reason for continuing to try as hard as I do."

"As you could probably tell I'm not great with people but she always accepted me no matter what, I even got to meet you."

The smile on the chef's face slowly disappeared, "Then one day she was gone, I waited for you here. Yet you never came… you would always go back to that little house all by yourself. I… I should have done more." The woman confessed while Kou stared at her wide-eyed.

"I was a little sad you didn't remember me but I don't hold that against you. It's my fault for not wanting to bother everyone else to be there for you… Im just…"

The chef began to tear up a little thinking back to the young woman in the stool in front of her sobbing while eating noodles with a smile on her face.

"I'm so glad I can finally see you."

The chef said while Kou's eye's began to water, Naruto and Kurotsuchi smiled toward the boy while the chef wiped her face. "My name's Natsuri, but you can call me Natsumi." Natsuri said while Kou sniffled, "Why that name?" He asked while the brown-haired woman smiled at him.

"Because it's cuter. Now eat up for me, Kou."

The woman asked while the boy sniffled again before he finally took his chopsticks in his hand picking them up to eat the udon. The minute they made contact with his mouth tears flowed freely from his eyes.

"It's… It's really good."

Kou answered while Natsuri smiled, shedding a few tears of her own before she bowed her head, "Thank you. You can come back to eat it as much as you want anytime you want." The woman said while Kou continued to cry and eat.

"That's right Kou as much as you want. It's on me."

Naruto said while Kurotsuchi nodded her head at Kou who kept crying while eating his noodles from his bowl.

A ninja from the Hidden Stone, a misunderstood udon chef, an abandoned hero from nowhere, and the boy the village called a monster.

They all sat together in this small stand eating together.

Without a care in the world.

This had been the best day of Kou's life and Naruto watched the white-haired boy eat and slowly the boy was replaced with a younger version of himself in his vision. "Huh…" Naruto said while he placed a hand on Kou's head and rubbed his hair.

'So that's why you did it, huh Iruka sensei?'

The blonde silently thought to himself while the group continued to eat.

Even if it took everything he had.

Naruto was going to make sure that nothing could take these days away from this boy again.

No matter what the cost.