Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 4: The Young Master

Flashback

It was pouring rain. Kushina tried not to gnash her teeth together. Her hair was piled high on top of her head. It was as tall as it was wide. The whole thing was ridiculous. Her head felt like it was twenty pounds heavier.

"I bet it's on purpose," she grumbled. She picked at the ornamental hair clips in her red locks. "So that women can't even lift their necks when standing next to men," she muttered darkly. "Male egos." She looked at the rich, thick silk pooled around her. She felt utterly ridiculous. But the servants, her servants now she supposed, had taken great care to arrange her in the way they had.

They were red-faced and hiding giggles the whole time. They had told her to wait. And that felt like hours ago. She glared at the clock that proved it had only been less than ten minutes. Her heart was in her chest.

"Who does he think he is?" She said with ample irateness. "I bet he gets off on making me wait for him." She made a face. "Stupid punctual Minato is probably having a power trip making me, ME, wait. I'm going to pound his teeth in dattebane!"

Today was the first time she had seen him in seven years. Seven! And she had not even been able to see him very well, on account of the hair, much less talk to him.

"Stupid, handsome Minato." She added. She felt her face grow red as she remembered just how handsome he looked from what she could see - from the corner of her eyes. He had grown. Seven years had been really kind to him. He no longer looked like a pretty boy. He looked like a man. A very beautiful man.

Her blush grew darker. "Behave, Kushina!" She chided herself. Her makeup would melt off if she kept at it. "It's just Minato, dattebane. You've known him since before you could read." She had admittedly learned much later than her peers for she could not be bothered to sit in one place and stare at unmoving ink characters on a stark page when there was so much to learn and see out in the world.

Her violet eyes moved from the garlands of red chrysanthemums that hung from the frame of the bed. She kept looking over to the shoji doors waiting for him to come in at any moment.

"Wait," she fisted her hand into the snow-white silk of her wedding outfit. "Do I want him to come?" Her eyes were wild. "What if he?" She gulped. She did not think it through. She looked around at the candles. It was all very romantic. Right out of one of Jiraiya's terrible books. She had read one on a dare from Kakashi. It was the easiest three copper pieces she had ever earned. Panic built in her.

"I'm married. He's married. He's married to me." Her blood ran cold. "What if he," she brought her hands to her face. She could not bring herself to say it.

'What if he wants to fulfill his duties as a husband?!'

Duties that she had just learned about not even thirty minutes before she was to be married. By her mother of all people. There were pictures. It was mortifying. She nearly passed out.

"What am I going to do?!" She closed her eyes and asked in great anguish.

"What are you going to do, Kushina?"

She froze. She raised her eyes to slowly up his person. Her breath hitched when she reached his face. She swallowed audibly.

There he stood the picture of poise and tranquility. He was the definition of composed and regal. Not a hair out of place. His blue eyes felt more vast than any ocean. His irises promised to drown her in their depth. He was leaning against the doorframe. His arms crossed over his broad chest. A chest that has gotten that way when she was not looking. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing just enough skin to keep her eyes engaged. He was clad in black. He looked very good in black. The low slit, showing off part of his chest helped matters immensely. She felt something quiver inside of her.

"Mi-Mi-Minato," she whispered. She licked her lips without even realizing what she was doing and how it could possibly be interpreted given context.

Amusement danced in his eyes. There was something else too, she realized. The longer she looked, the more she found.

'It's Minato-sama!' Her internal voice screamed at her.

She pulled her arms to herself as he moved in confident strides towards her. Panic consumed her.

"Don't come any closer!" She grabbed the closest thing to her and threw it at him.

He caught the pillow. He stopped in his tracks.

"I know," she looked at the pillow in his hands. She did not feel brave enough to look him in the eyes just yet. Not when he was standing so close and looking the way he was. Her head spun. He made her head spin.

"I know that as your w-w-wife," her lips tingled, "I have certain responsibilities. And you probably have certain expectations of me meeting those responsibilities. But I just found out. And I'm not sure I fully understand it. I-I-I" she closed her mouth.

She watched silently as the pillow fell to the ground. It landed near his feet.

"Kushina," he said her name gently. If she closed her eyes, they were twelve again. That was the feeling of his energy. It took her right back. Despite his voice being different. It was deeper. Richer. More confident.

"The only thing I want is for you to be comfortable."

She looked at him in shock. So much was different but he was the same, fundamentally. She only saw the boy when she looked into the face of the man she was married to.

"Really?" She asked with a hung open mouth.

"Really," he smiled. She watched as he lowered down onto his heels. "I'll stay right here." His knees rested on the pillow.

"And do what?" She narrowed her eyes.

"I was thinking maybe we could talk." He grinned disarmingly at her. His voice was smooth and calm. But there were traces of authority to it too. That was new.

"Is that a euphemism or something, dattebane?" She eyed him suspiciously.

His face went red. He held up his hands. "N-n-no." That was the Minato she remembered. "Talk is talk," he met her eyes.

"You want to talk?" She asked him slowly.

He nodded his head.

"If you really want me to be comfortable," the expression on her face softened slightly. "Help me get all this garbage out of my hair."

"Gladly," Minato said with a laugh. It was a deep, throaty sound. It sent a thrill through her. Her cheeks heated. She decided not all new things about Minato were necessarily bad.

End of Flashback

Lee held his messenger bag tightly to his frame. His dark eyes took on the faded facade of the home. The walls were crumbling. The paint was muted - the concrete was exposed. The home needed some attention. It needed money. He cleared his throat. He brought a hand to his mouth.

"Hello! I have a letter for you." He called out loudly just outside the threshold. His dark eyes did not register movement. "Hello!" He said in an even louder voice.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" A voice matched his volume. He barely heard it.

He was mesmerized by a familiar pair of green eyes. He lost his train of thought.

"Well, the letter?" Mebuki looked at him with irritation over the rusted black gate.

"Right," he furrowed his brow. He suddenly remembered. "I brought it with me from Konoha -"

"Konoha!" The woman brought her hands to her face. "Why didn't you say something?" She all but snatched it out of his hands.

Before Lee could open his mouth to respond he saw the tears swimming in the blonde woman's eyes. She pressed the letter to her heart. The coins inside brushed up against each other in a distinctive sound.

"You really hand-delivered a letter from Konoha?" She asked him with rich emotion in her voice.

He nodded his head. "I made a promise to do so."

She looked at him. He watched her lips part. The woman pulled open the gate. It screeched loudly. "Please come in," she took a step back and gestured to the home.

"Ma'am?"

"If you just give me an hour of your time, I could have another letter ready for you to take to my daughter. I would be so grateful. Have you eaten?" Her emerald eyes bore into his with an intensity backed by desperation.

"Uh," he had to break his gaze away.

"That's settled then," she turned her back. "You're eating here. You can stay the night too. It's a long journey back to Konoha."

He remained rooted in place, unsure of what to do.

Mebuki wheeled around. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

"Uh sorry," he pointed to his left ear. "I'm partially deaf. I need to see lips to know what you're saying."

Mebuki's expression lost its edge. "I see, please come in," she looked at him expectantly.

"Lee, Lee Rock." He answered.

"Please come in, Lee-san." She dipped her head.

"Okay, Haruno-san." he entered through the gate. He could see the fire pit they used to cook not too far from him. There was a pot there bubbling away. It smelled delicious enough to make his mouth water. The house was small. Two rooms. Lee could almost see the entirety of it from the front entrance. He sat down on the wooden chair stool that she was gesturing.

"Just one second, please." She was beside herself.

Lee watched as she moved through a blue door. It was much like the rest of the house, peeling away. He could see mold growing on the bottom of the frame. She re-emerged after a couple of minutes. The letter was gone.

"How was Sakura?" she looked at him through the gray plume of smoke.

"Haruno-san seemed to be in good spirits." He said the first thing that came to mind.

Mebuki's shoulders dipped in relief. "I was so worried about her. I am so worried about her." She put her hand on her forehead. She lifted up her long blonde bangs to reveal a forehead that matched her daughter's.

His eyes softened. "The Namikaze House treats their staff very well."

Mebuki seemed to nearly fall apart at his statement. "That's what my sister said. She pulled some strings to get Sakura in there. That's the only reason why I could stomach the idea of sending her so far away. The world is not what it used to be. We all hear the stories of what happens to young girls and women who are unmarried in situations like these."

She took a breath. It was the calm before the impending word whirlwind was about to touch down and sweep him away in it all.

"Sakura's father lost his leg in the war a year ago. It had to be amputated in the field to save his life but the medic did not have clean tools." She pressed a curled fist to her heart. "It's been one thing or the next with his health. If he were healthy, we never would have had to send her away. We never would have agreed to her suggestion. We never would have let her do this."

He felt his throat start to seize up. Sympathy filled his gaze.

"Look at me," Mebuki sniffled. "Sharing all this with a perfect stranger. Please forgive me, Lee-san." She could not raise her eyes to his.

"I lost my hearing in the war too." He said loudly. "I could have lost a lot more. They sent me back. I was one of the lucky ones. I'm sorry to hear about Haruno-san."

"Thank you," she swallowed.

"Is Sakura-san your only child?" He asked slowly.

Mebuki flinched. "She is my only living child."

Lee's hands tightened around his knees. The silence threatened to swallow him alive.

"Well," Mebuki slapped her knees and got up. "You're just in time for dinner and while you eat I'll have the letter for Sakura for you. I can pay you." She looked at him sharply.

Lee shook his head. "The meal is more than enough payment. It has been a while since I had a home-cooked meal from the hands of a mother."

Mebuki smiled sadly at him. "It will be just another minute."

Lee nodded his head. "Thank you, Haruno-san."

The pot bubbled away. His appetite grew as the steam rose.

Tomoha looked at the hopeful face with bright green eyes staring at her expectantly. All it was missing was a slight pout and it would be all the more pitiful.

"It will hardly take up any space at all." Sakura brought her hand together not unlike how one did to pray.

Tomoha sighed. "You will only use scraps?"

"The discarded food waste," Sakura nodded her head emphatically.

"You will take care of all the maintenance?" She asked with a raised brow.

"Yes," Sakura's eyes were full of fire she was not accustomed to seeing. "No one will have to lift a finger."

"You will not make it my problem?" She asked in the same, flat, colorless tone.

"Yes, Ambe-san."

"Fine," the older woman sighed deeply. "You may use a portion of the undeveloped land behind the kitchen for a garden. But you must not let your other work fall behind. If it does, the garden is gone and if you make another mistake, so are you. Understood?" She studied the twenty-year-old closely.

"Crystal clear," Sakura bit the inside of her cheek to keep from exclaiming in excitement.

"Go get out of my hair," Tomoha shooed her away.

"Thank you, Ambe-san." Sakura bowed before she actually skipped out of the kitchen.

"That girl is not right," Tomoha furrowed her brow.

"She's a hard worker," Miharu the brown-haired cook said offhandedly.

Tomoha shook her head. "That may be the case but she is trouble. I can feel it." Tomoha moved to the large black vat that Miharu was stirring. "Congee again?"

Miharu nodded. "The war must be bleeding the Land of Fire dry. Money does not go as far as it used to."

"I need to go serve young Master breakfast before he gets into trouble." Tomoha walked to the door.

"Good luck with that," Miharu said with a snort.

"All I can do is try," Tomoha pressed against the wood and stepped into the open air. Within three minutes she was in the main compound. The section of the house beyond the gardens where only a couple of servants were allowed including herself. She dipped her head in greeting with the guards. She spotted a familiar face leaving the main house.

"Good morning, Shimura-sama." She bowed deeply. Her hands were folded at her front.

"Ambe-san," his lips barely moved as he returned the greeting.

She waited with her body bent for the sound of his shuffling feet and cane to register in her ears.

"Ambe-san," his voice called out to her.

She lifted her head slowly in surprise. "Shimura-sama?"

"Has the new servant girl arrived?" The man asked her.

She blinked. "Yes, Shimura-sama. About a week and a half ago." She tried to keep her face neutral.

"I see," Danzo rubbed his face, the side that was not covered in bandages. He rested both of his hands on the round grip of his ivory cane.

"Is something the matter?" She asked slowly.

"No," Danzo said dismissively. "My niece will be visiting the compound in a couple of months." He said almost distractedly.

Tomoha smiled. "It will be a pleasure to host Tsuhi-sama."

"See to it that everything is up to standard before then, Ambe-san. And that there are no distractions from this goal on your part."

"Of course, Shimura-sama." She dipped her head again. "Is there any correspondence as to when the Master will be back?"

Danzo shook his head. "I have received no word."

Tomoha hid her disappointment well. If it were only her own, she would have stopped asking years ago.

"Can't be helped." She smiled tightly. "If you'll excuse me, Shimura-sama, but I must get the young Master his breakfast."

Danzo nodded his head. He stepped to the side. Tomoha bowed before she walked away from the man with brisk steps.

She walked to the side entrance of the large kitchen. She pulled out the white china with blue patterns. She placed the soup, rice, and three side dish bowls into the wooden tray. She ladled the miso soup into the soup bowl, she filled it half the way. She repeated the process with the steamed rice and the rice bowl. Pickles, broccoli, and cut-up fruit went into the side dish bowls. She removed the lid from the pan that was sitting removed from the heat. She lowered the perfectly cooked piece of salmon onto the singular plate in the center of the tray. She wrapped a pair of chopsticks in a cloth and added them to the tray. She covered the tray with a linen cloth. The cloth contained a spiral design. It was a bright orange color. It always lifted his spirits. It was the little things, the small details that he appreciated the most.

Her sandals clicked against the spotless wooden floors. She slipped out of them and stepped up onto the platform. She walked into the dining room. Her shoulders dropped.

"Where is the young Master, Uka?" She pointedly asked the brown-haired middle-aged woman who was avoiding her eyes. She was wringing her hands.

"Young Master…escaped," she lowered her head further.

Tomoha lowered the wooden tray to the surface of the table. She exhaled deeply through her nose.

His shoulder shook as he snickered to himself all the while he waited for his prey. He lay flat on his stomach on the branch of the tree. He was completely hidden away. His green outfit provided further camouflage. He even had on a brown hat over his yellow hair. He held the slingshot in his hand. He pulled back the rubber, stretching it to its maximum tension.

He saw his victim come into sight. She had just filled another pot with water. She was holding them in her hands. He frowned. Usually, he was used to seeing women carry them on their heads.

"She's weird," he muttered to himself.

He watched as she held one against her hip and the other in her hand. He closed his left eye. The tip of his tongue stuck out past his top lip. He waited for the wind to die down until it was nearly nothing. He let go.

The projectile sailed in the air. He lowered himself down even further when he heard the sound of terracotta breaking. It was followed by the sound of water spilling.

"Ah!"

He grinned. He raised his head. The woman was looking around stunned at what happened. She was completely drenched from the hip down. He covered his mouth with his hands as he tried to stifle his giggles.

"Oh!" He exclaimed softly. He closed his eyes and pressed up against the bark of the tree. The woman had been looking right at him.

'She can't see me. I hide really, really good!' He assured himself.

He lifted his head after some time. She was gone. He let out a breath. He shimmed down the tree. The front of his clothes were completely snagged and dirty. He walked over to the wet puddle in the ground. He moved his hands around along the wet dirt. His blond brow furrowed together.

"Where is it?" He asked himself in a huff.

"Looking for this?" A voice asked him in a light tone.

His heart stammered in his chest. He looked up from his squatted position. His eyes locked on the peach pit in between her thumb and index finger. He raised his eyes to her face. He glared at her.

"That's mine!" He tried to snatch the pit from her hand. "Give it back!"

The woman straightened. "You can have it back."

He looked at her with distrust in his blue eyes.

"If you apologize and promise not to do that again." Her hand was on her hip.

His face pulled into a look of indignation. He got up to his feet and ran away. But not before directing one last glare at her over his shoulder.

Tomoha sighed for what had to be the third time in less than an hour. She moved through the compound with as much speed while maintaining grace as she could. She turned her neck slowly. She was starting to feel every bit of her sixty-plus years. She was not as spry as she once was. All those years ago when she served the first master. She certainly was too old to be chasing after the third.

His antics were not new. She knew that better than anyone but she could not help but feel surprised and a little sad every time. She had already checked his usual haunts. The koi ponds were both free of one pint-sized Master. The servant manning the stables and barn had not seen him all morning. Even the trees he liked to hide in were empty.

She looked at the sky. It was early afternoon. The boy must be hungry.

"He'll be back for lunch," she told herself. She turned on her heel and headed back towards the main house kitchen. She would have it ready for him.

Sakura stretched her tired frame. It had been a long day. She adjusted the blue kimono on the clothing line. It was still not dry. The lack of light coupled with such few hours of it was not enough to put a dent in the dampness. Her eyes darted to the bushes where her little blue-eye shadow was hiding.

'I wonder if he's one of the servant's kids.'

She could not help but notice there were a couple of young couples and families working for the Namikaze household.

'His clothes are certainly dirty enough, he looks no older than five.'

She dusted her hands. She brought her hands to her hips. She heard a grumble come out of the bushes.

'Someone's hungry.'

Sakura grabbed the empty laundry basket. She moved with slow steps back towards her quarters. She could see a streak of green and brown trying so very hard to not be noticeable. She had to keep biting the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling.

She slipped out of her shoes, she did not bother to close the door. She walked over to the desk. She reached for the item wrapped in cloth. She walked back out to where her shoes were. She looked at the basket.

'I'll put it back later.'

Sakura wandered over to the edge of the bushes. She squatted down. She unwrapped the cloth from the sweet potato.

"I'm so hungry," she said in a volume above her normal talking rate. She looked at the foliage from the corner of her eyes.

"It looks so good!" She gushed. "I'm so glad I saved my breakfast."

"But even so, I don't think I can finish this whole sweet potato by myself. It would be so nice if I could share it with someone." She heard the leaves rustle. She kept her eyes on the potato in her hands even as two little sandal-clad feet came into her view.

"Oh," she raised her eyes and gave him a smile. "You're that boy from earlier."

He looked at her with his lower lip sticking out past his upper one. His cobalt eyes were almost bigger than his face.

He held out his dirty hand. "Gimme." His fingers curled towards himself.

She frowned. "Only if you ask nicely."

The boy crossed his arms. "I said gimme!" His blue eyes blazed with disgruntlement.

"Ask nicely and you can have half," she repeated calmly.

She lifted it above her head as he tried to snatch it from her.

"What's your name, kid?"

He blinked at her, he was on his tippy-toes trying to reach the object that was very much out of reach.

"Na-" he stopped. "Uzumaki." He answered.

'Liar.'

Sakura regarded him.

'If he was an Uzumaki he would not be in dirty clothes and spending time watching a servant.'

"Okay, Uzumaki-kun," she said smoothly. "I'll help you out. If you can say 'please', I'll give you all of the sweet potato and even your peach pit back. Deal?"

The boy stilled. He seemed to be weighing his options. She did not miss the way his eyes darted to the food in her hand nor the way his tongue licked his lips.

"Please," he relented.

Sakura grinned in triumph. "There," she handed him the sweet potato. "That wasn't so hard was it?"

The boy chose to bite into the flesh of the root vegetable in favor of answering. She watched him polish it off. He wiped the remnants from his face with the back of his hand. She could not help but smile through the entirety of it.

"Here," she presented her palm to him. In the center was the pit.

He looked at her with still some degree of distrust in his eyes.

"It's not a trick, you can have it back." She said gently.

He took it from her hand. He regarded it.

"Don't go around breaking any more pots or hitting people with it, okay? Or animals." She tapped her chin. "It would make me feel a lot better about giving it back if you stop making trouble."

Naruto looked at her in surprise as she got up suddenly.

"Well, Uzumaki-kun, I have to get back to work. And you should go find your parents. I'm sure they are worried about you." Sakura put a hand on his hat-covered head. "Thanks for keeping me company."

He watched with wide eyes as she left.

"Naruto-sama!" She barely had the chance to say his name before he barreled into her. Relief instantly flooded her. "I've been so worried. Where have you been? You missed breakfast and lunch." She looked down at the top of his brown hat.

The boy did not respond. Instead, he tightened his arms around her. "Where are my parents?"

"Oh, Naruto-sama," Tomoha wrapped her arms around the shaking boy. She pulled him closer. Her throat tightened at the sounds of his soft sobs.

She let out a tired sigh. Her troubles all but melted away as she washed the last remnants of all of the day's hard work off of her. She stood in the furthest stall on the left. Her body was warmed by the heat of the water. She wrapped the brown towel around her, determined not to let any of the heat escape before she was in the covers of her bed. Her ears pricked at the sound of the door opening.

"Ah," a high-pitched voice sighed loudly. "Today was proof that I would get so much more done if that little demon did not ruin everything."

Sakura's ears perked. She reached for her clothes at the end of the stall. She pressed up against the divider. She moved as far back to the wall as she could.

"Don't be so loud," a different voice shushed her. It sounded nervous.

"We're the only ones here." The first voice said.

"I don't know where he got to today but I'm so thankful I didn't need to wash the laundry twice." The second voice said with a sigh. "He really can raise hell."

"It's because no one tells him no. They just let him do what he wants when he wants." The first voice was full of bitterness. "He's going to grow up to be a monster."

'Who are they talking about?' Sakura's pink brows furrowed.

"You can try telling him no." The second voice said with a scoff.

Sakura strained her ears to hear them over the sound of water hitting their bodies.

"Yeah right. I like this job." The first woman said in a deadpan.

"Let's just hope that he's growing out of it." The second voice said with little hope.

"Right," the first voice snorted. "Maybe he caught a cold or something. One can hope right?"

"Stop!" The second woman laughed. "You're horrible."

"It was just a joke."

Sakura stood perfectly still. She waited for the water and discussion to stop. She walked back to her room only after both women had long left.

She blinked in the dark. Her mind kept replaying the day over and over in her head. She had seen bits of blond hair peeking out of his brown cap. His blue eyes were more vibrant than any blue she had seen before. They made the hue of the sky look dull and muted. She sighed deeply.

It did not sit right with her. The conversation she overheard about the boy.

"Sure, he's a little exuberant but who isn't at that age?" She argued with no one. "He's just a kid. He's probably just bored." She played with the ends of her braid. "What kind of person wishes for a kid to get sick?" She blew out air, angrily. "Why am I getting so worked up anyway?" She asked herself. She let out a long sigh.

A face danced in her head. It had been the trick of the light when the blond turned into strawberry and the eyes became green. She curled a hand over her heart. She would dream of him tonight. There was no doubt in her mind. She closed her lids over jade orbs. She welcomed just another glimpse of him. Beggars could not be choosers. And she was the biggest beggar of them all.

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