Chapter 1: Origins

"You are my only friend. That is why I can't let you walk away.. Naruto." Sasuke charged his onyx flamed chidori, while staring at the defiant blonde below him. He calmed himself after getting uppercut into the rock, merely whispering his words away. He saw Naruto stand tall, despite the exhaustion, his confidence never wavered. Even against him, Sasuke Uchiha.

"The more you say that.. the more power you give me Sasuke. I'm the last person you cherish, the only person left you care for. Your words.. They give me strength! That is why I won't die! I'm going to bring you out of the darkness you've holed yourself up in! Because I'm your friend!" Naruto's speech sent chills down the lone Uchiha's spine. His confidence wavering slightly.

He saw the swirling chakra in Naruto's palm and exhaled.

This was it, the final clash. This attack will decide if his ideology was more powerful than Naruto's.

His only friend.

Sasuke leapt off of the rocks and dived down towards Naruto, his chidori extended to attack. He witnessed Naruto jump up to meet him halfway. Despite the aid of gravity. Naruto's push upwards had Sasuke almost recoiling in shock.

'His strength.. Naruto, when did you-?' Sasuke widened his eyes midway through his thoughts as he saw Naruto's lopsided smile.

It wasn't a cocky smile, like Naruto had the win in the bag. It wasn't a sad smile either, like Naruto regretted the fight between them. No, it was a smile of genuine happiness, like Naruto accepted where he was, as if he wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

'Despite everything I've ever done to him.. he's still able to smile like that, to genuinely care about me.' As their opposing jutsus met, Sasuke saw a bright flash of white light overcome them.

'Maybe I was wrong after all.. Naruto.' The light was so blinding even the sun had to look away. Yet all Sasuke remembered was Naruto's smile. After the flash everything had turned black, leaving the two nowhere near the scene.

When Kakashi and Sakura arrived to the area later they would find no traces of Naruto and Sasuke, only the carnage they left behind.


10 Years Later Arcadia Bay

"Chloe, Max are you girls ready to eat?" Joyce asked as she and William had set up a picnic on the grass at the park while the girls hung out at the playground with kids similar to their age.

"Coming mom!" Chloe shouted as she and Max ran back toward them while in their pirate garb. The two scuffed up their clothes while playing, which received some smiles from Joyce and William.

"Well lookee here, it looks like some pirates need.. to wash up!" William snagged Chloe and Max and started play fighting with the duo.

"No! Neverrr!" Max screeched as William dug into her sides to tickle her. Meanwhile Chloe leapt on his back to try and get him off of her best friend.

"Get your hands off of her you dirty scalawag!" Chloe laughed as William turned his attention toward her, tickling her into submission. Max saw her opportunity and took out one of the foam swords her and Chloe had been playing with earlier.

"Get back villain!" Max swung the foam sword at William's shoulder causing him to collapse dramatically off of Chloe.

"Oh no! I've been wounded!" William said in despair and Chloe stood up, grabbing a nearby foam sword.

"Get him! Show no mercy!" Chloe cackled as her and Max started beating William up with their weapons. William flailed and curled into a ball.

"No! Anything but this! Please! I'll even walk the plank!" William cried and the girls stopped for a second, they looked at each other and shrugged. They lifted their swords to strike William again before Joyce cut in.

"Now.. ahoy mates. I bring peace offerings in exchange for Captain William's life." She smiled as she opened up the picnic basket to reveal all manner of snacks and food inside. She then opened up the cooler to hand the girls Caprisuns.

"Whaddya say mates?" She asked as she giggled at William's expression. One eyeball shut as he still curled up into a ball. Pretending to be scared for his life.

Max and Chloe stared at each other, then at their captive. They giggled before tossing their swords on the picnic blanket.

"Okay, you're free, for now.." Chloe said ominously and William sighed in relief.

"Oh thank you! Thank you so much! And to celebrate, why not feast on the peace offerings?" He said as he handed some ham and cheese sandwiches to the girl pirates. The girls took the food gratefully as the four of them made idle conversation. The afternoon held a lot of peace for the duration of their picnic. The sun is out, birds chirped happily, kids played and laughed in the background. Overall, nothing could have ruined the four's day.

Or so they thought.

The park heard a loud crash coming from a nearby restaurant as they witnessed a little boy being chased by two men in black and white chefs' garb.

"Get back here you little punk!" A burly man with a graying mustache shouted, spatula in hand. There was a younger man at his side, a frying pan in his hand.

"Yeah! You better stop running before you really get it!" However the boy proved to be faster and more swift as he suddenly turned toward the park, running to the Price Family plus Max.

The adults stood up quick as the children followed in their actions.

"Wow, he's really making them work for it." Chloe whispered and Max nodded in agreement.

"I'll say.." She trailed off as the boy ran until he arrived at their picnic spot, hiding behind William. The two chefs followed the boy, breathing in heavily from the impromptu cardio.

"You.. thief.." The older mustached chef heaved and William stood tall, protective of the boy behind him.

"So that's where you've been.. son. We were gonna start eating without you." William lied smoothly, causing the two chefs to pause in apparent shock.

"He's.. your son? I'll have you know, he's stolen some important meat for the Prescotts tonight!" The older man huffed as he stood up a little straighter than before. William nodded, confident and without pressure.

"If he returns the meat, can you let him off with a warning? He's still a child, and my son. I'll handle the rest." William negotiated, and the two chefs looked to each other.

"Okay, fine. Only because we're in a rush." The younger chef spoke up and William nodded.

"Son, give them the meat." William said and the boy behind him pouted, before sticking his hands in his pants and pulling out a raw hefty steak. The chefs looked in disgust at the action while William took it and gave it to the chefs.

"We're really sorry for the inconvenience. We'll make sure it won't happen again." The two chefs just huffed again before walking away, muttering curses about the boy.

After that ordeal had been dealt with, the four of them finally examined the newcomer.

He looked to be around Chloe and Max's age, with blonde hair, tan skin, and three peculiar marks on each cheek. His clothes were tattered, and had a darker orange than what it probably should've been. He had the bluest eyes all of them had ever seen. William knelt down in front of the blonde boy and checked for any bruises.

"So sport, mind if we get your name?" He asked and the boy grinned.

"Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki." Satisfied with Naruto's condition and answer, he smiled and gestured toward the basket full of food.

"Well, Naruto Uzumaki.. how's about some food? Or does sending you back to steal from those chefs sound more appetizing?" William teased and Naruto shook his head.

"Hehe, I'd rather not! I'm starved!" The girls giggled while Joyce and William smiled somberly.

"Let's eat then sweetie." Joyce responded this time and the five of them happily dug in.

Now that Naruto has landed into their lives, everything they ever knew and will ever know has changed. They have no idea what's in store from the blonde.


The first thing they did was what Chloe thought was a "Severe Code Red Emergency". They needed to get Naruto some new clothes. Because those rags Naruto had been wearing were unacceptable. Max and Chloe wanted to pick out Naruto's outfits and dress him up, but Joyce quickly cut into that before they can get ahead of themselves.

The two girls pouted but relented to the adult. William told everyone that he would take Naruto on a 'manly' shopping spree, since he was the only other man there. Joyce thought it was a great idea, so Naruto and William went to separate from the girls to have 'guy time' as William called it.

When the pair had been well alone, Naruto looked to William in curiosity.

"Hey, why are you doing all of this for me? I'm just a random kid." Naruto asked, and William nodded followed by a shrug.

"I honestly don't know. It just felt like the right thing to do. Besides, we don't mind if we have another kid in the family. The fact you're a boy is a plus. Chloe is going to need an older brother figure to protect her. I can already feel my future self fending off the boys with a garden hose and a stick.. Yet, I know it won't be enough." William sighed dramatically and Naruto widened his eyes.

"So you mean-"

"Yes Naruto. We're going to adopt you and make you a member of the Price Household." Naruto had been shocked into silence. This was the first time he had ever been accepted into a home, a family home. Even where he came from, the orphanage kicked him out as soon as he was of age to 'live on his own'. Which was utter nonsense considering how young he was at the time.

"I.. don't know the best way to show my gratitude." Naruto said honestly and William laughed, rubbing the little blonde's head affectionately.

"You don't have to. You being a part of our family is enough. I have a feeling you're going to shake things up quite a bit." William and Naruto kept walking forward toward the clothing store, as Naruto contemplated his situation, with a certain nine-tailed friend.

'Kurama, this crazy! Who knew I would just be adopted by a random family!' Naruto exclaimed in his head and Kurama smirked.

'Knowing your luck, this isn't just a random act of coincidence. You always find trouble, no matter where you are.' Naruto pouted at his life-long friend's words.

'I'm not that unlucky.' Kurama visibly sweated, and Naruto felt the bijuu's apprehension.

'..Yes, yes you are.' Before Naruto could retort, he felt a tug on his arm as the blonde looked up to his soon to be adoptive father.

"Okay, we're here. What's your favorite color?"

"Orange, no question about that!" William hummed at Naruto's excited answer.

"Orange, cool. Anything else?" Naruto struck a thinking pose before a light bulb turned on above his head.

"Blue, and black works too. Maybe red." Naruto shrugged noncommittally at the last color and William smiled.

"Alright, let's find you some things to match those colors. We better be quick too, I don't want the girls saying we take longer than them when it comes to shopping!" William said in mock horror getting Naruto to laugh.

"Yeah right! Girls take hours shopping! And then they make us carry everything!" William arched an eyebrow at Naruto's sudden exclamation. It sounded like the little boy experienced something like that before. It was peculiar since Naruto was homeless, as well as just a ten-year old child. William shook his head as he lead Naruto around the clothing store. Naruto was already growing on the man.

'Things are going to get more than interesting around here.'


After the clothing detour Naruto and William met back up with the girls who awed in the stack of clothes.

"Wow dad, if I didn't know any better then I'd say you were a closet fashionista!" Chloe quipped while looking over an orange long sleeve shirt. William raised an eyebrow at her words while Joyce, Max, and Naruto laughed.

"I didn't know you were old enough to know what fashionista means missy." Chloe simply stuck her tongue out at the man who chuckled at her actions.

The group of five made their way to the car as they placed Naruto's bags of clothes in the trunk along with the picnic supplies. They piled in with the adults in the front, while the kids sat in the back. Max and Chloe unfortunately thought Naruto stunk, but kept their comments to themselves. It helped that while William drove he slid down the car windows.

Naruto was oblivious to it all, simply taking in the sights as they drove. As they drove Naruto could see that they were pulling up to a white two-story house. The sight of the home had the adults relieved, while the girls were excited to play more. Naruto raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

William helped unload the supplies while Naruto took out the bags of clothing, they all knew he needed to wash himself up as soon as possible. Joyce helped Naruto settle into the bathroom upstairs, pulling out a blue long sleeved shirt, with black pants, as well as undergarments for the boy. She took out a spare towel and set it all up for the little blonde.

"I'll let you get cleaned up, if you ever need anything you have me and William for help okay? Chloe's a good girl, just a little.. troublemaker." Joyce laughed and Naruto nodded.

"Thank you Joyce. I'll head down when I'm done." Joyce smiled and turned the knob for the water to warm it up for Naruto.

"Don't bother saving the clothes you were wearing when we met you sweetie. Unless you like the muddy, torn up look." Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"I'd rather not, I don't want everyone thinking I'm homeless when I'm living with you guys now." Naruto quipped back and Joyce laughed.

"I'm glad we found you, your jokes are much better than Chloe's." Joyce bantered lightheartedly. She then closed the door and Naruto hopped into the shower, he felt his muscles relax from the warm water. All the aches and pains of being homeless washing away and down into the drain.

'I don't want to interrupt your integration to this random family but we still need to figure things out.' Kurama grumbled into Naruto's head.

'Kurama I know, but isn't it nice to actually be in a safe and secure place?' Naruto asked and Kurama huffed.

'They might just be luring you into a false sense of hope. They're going to fatten you up and eat you alive.' Kurama's words jolted Naruto's paranoia.

'Don't joke about things like that Kurama! They're nice people and you know it!' Naruto exclaimed and Kurama chuckled evilly.

'I guess you're right. We would've sensed their negative intent long by now anyways.' Kurama stated, easing Naruto's worries.

'But even though you're in this family now, we still have to figure out a way to get back home.' Naruto frowned at Kurama's words. He knew Kurama was right, but..

'I know Kurama. I really do. It's just.. this is my first time finally having a family, people I can eat dinner with, laugh with, people will know my birthday and just.. celebrate with me. I do miss everyone in Konoha, and me and Sasuke definitely have unfinished business. It's just, while we figure this out.. can I just enjoy being with William, Chloe, and Joyce while I'm here?' Naruto's question had Kurama consider his words in silence.

Kurama knew Naruto wasn't the type to be selfish like this, and really this request wasn't selfish at all. Naruto deserved more than what their world has given them. Naruto's selflessness, compassion, love, and determination is what makes him so special. Maybe it wasn't a terrible thing to let the shinobi be happy.

'..Okay, I concede. But I will remind you every now and then. You're right, you deserve happiness. But I won't let you stray too far from our goal.' Kurama stated and Naruto openly grinned as he shampoo'd his hair.

'You're the best Kurama.'

'I know.'


When Naruto had sufficiently cleaned himself, he went downstairs in his new outfit, the blue long sleeved shirt, and black pants combination had been a good choice from Joyce. When Naruto came into view in the kitchen, it had an instantaneous effect.

The Price Family plus Max stared at Naruto in shock.

'He's adorable.' Was everyone's minus William's reaction. Meanwhile, the dad of the family was thinking,

'Oh boy. At this rate I'll have to chase off girls too. Maybe even boys.' William shuddered at the thought but even he knew Naruto is a potential lady killer.

"Uh.. why are you guys staring at me like that?" Naruto rubbed the back of his head in confusion, which had the unintentional effect of making himself look cuter than he already was.

"Wowser." Max whispered and Chloe punched her in the arm.

"Wowser indeed." She teased and Max told her to shut up, a blush donning her freckled cheeks.

"Naruto, sweetie we were just making dinner. We hope you're okay with some fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy." Joyce said and Naruto grinned.

"I'll eat anything, whatever you got!" They all knew it must be his appetite talking more than his head, being homeless must've been rough for a boy like him.

"Great, go ahead and have a seat." Joyce gestured to the table and it had five chairs in total. Three on one side, and two on the other.

"You kids have a seat, me and William will bring the food in a minute." The kids did just that.

"Okay Shorty, you're in the middle. Me and Max will bodyguard you on either side." Naruto's eye twitched at the comment, as he mentally measured himself between him, Max, and Chloe.

He was a few inches shorter than Chloe, and two inches shorter than Max.

"I am NOT that short!" He yelled indignantly and Chloe giggled, while Max sighed in exasperation at Chloe's antics.

"Chloe stop being mean to Naruto!" Joyce demanded from the kitchen. Chloe huffed and folded her arms.

"How'd you know it was me?" Joyce sighed and planted her forehead in her palm.

"Because Max is a sweetie pie who doesn't like to get a rise out of others." Both Chloe and Naruto looked to Max who just wanted to shrink into her chair. her face red and her whole being flustered. Chloe looked to her mom and blew her lips.

"Are you saying I Chloe Price am not a sweetie pie?" Chloe asked sardonically.

"I didn't say you weren't a sweetie pie. I said Max is a sweetie pie who doesn't like to get a rise out of others." Joyce retorted and Chloe smirked.

"I can't argue with that logic." Chloe turned back to Naruto who sat in between her and Max.

"So, Shorty. Where are you from?" Chloe asked a spark of interest landing in her eyes. Naruto's eye twitched from the nickname but let it go.

"Japan." Chloe widened her eyes at the answer while Max had her jaw open in awe.

"Japan? But that's so far. How did you get to Oregon?" Max asked and Naruto turned his head to the right to look at her.

"I dunno." He shrugged and both girls blinked in shock.

"What do you mean you don't know? That's such an odd thing not to know." Chloe pried and Naruto shrugged again.

"Okay girls, quit interrogating the boy. I think he's had enough for one day don't you think?" William piped in and both girls said sorry before stopping their onslaught of questions.

'Jeez. Talk about curious.'

'They are kids, and you are physically their age. And a boy no less. You're going to attract more attention because of that.' Kurama explained to Naruto who sighed internally. A few moments after their conversation lulled Joyce and William brought out the food, and to the kids it looked and as well as smelled heavenly. Before they all dug in Joyce looked to Naruto.

"So Naruto, in Japan do they have a specific routine or a phrase they say before they eat?" Joyce asked and Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, it's really just one word. 'Itadakimasu'. It means thank you for the food basically. We all say that and then we dig in.." Naruto said and everyone nodded. Although they were all confused on how to say it.

"Ee-tah-dah-kee-mas." Naruto enunciated, and after a few tries everyone got the phrase well enough.

"Itadakimasu!" Immediately everyone dug into their own respective plates, and they just couldn't get enough.

"Wow Joyce! This is really good y'know!" Naruto exclaimed as he tore a piece off a fried chicken leg with his teeth.

"Thank you Naruto, I put my heart and soul into the dish." Joyce smiled in satisfaction as everyone echoed Naruto's sentiments.

"I helped prep.." William sighed dramatically and Joyce laughed as she patted his shoulder reassuringly.

As the day went on The Price Family plus Max enjoyed their dinner and turned into bed. Max spent the night with Chloe in her room while Naruto tagged along.

"Don't be too loud kids, and sleep tight. Otherwise the bed bugs might just get ya." William said and the kids laughed.

"Goodnight dad/William." Chloe, Max, and Naruto said and William closed the door, a serene smile on his face. Chloe and Max turned to Naruto who looked a little flustered,

"Is this really okay with Joyce and William? I'm a boy.." Naruto trailed off and Chloe looked to Max who blushed as well.

"Oh come on you two, we're all friends here. And if what mom and dad said earlier rings true then you'll be my adopted brother!" Chloe said excitedly and Naruto smiled at her positivity.

"So you really want me as a brother?" Naruto asked and Chloe nodded her head without hesitation.

"Of course! I can make fun of you for the rest of our lives! It'll be great!" Chloe laughed maniacally and Naruto rolled his eyes. Meanwhile Max was about to burst into steam with how red she was becoming.

"What's up Max? You're not usually this quiet." Chloe asked and Max bit her lip.

"I don't know.. we're all sharing the bed? I don't want to be mean but he is a.. boy." Max said and Naruto shook his head with a smile.

"I can sleep on the floor or something, I don't mind. I've slept in far worse environments before." Naruto said and Chloe wanted to pinch his cute whisker cheeks right then and there.

So she did.

"OW! What was that for?!" Naruto screeched and both girls giggled at him.

"You're so cute. But no, you're not being dumb and hurting your back sleeping on the floor. Only dum dums do that." Chloe said with finality and Naruto grumbled about his red cheek.

"But Chloe..." Max whined and Chloe shushed her with a finger to the lips.

"He's my brother now, he'll sleep with us on the bed, or no one sleeps on the bed." Chloe ordered and Max conceded. She's slept on hardwood before. It hurt her back hours after she woke up.

"He can be our personal teddy! Or a cat, or fox, or something else with whiskers.. how about an otter? I fricking love otters." Chloe laughed and Naruto looked at her resignedly.

'What did I get myself into?' He sighed in defeat as he heard Kurama howling with laughter. Chloe brought the blonde's attention from Kurama's joy to the present as she wrapped an arm around Naruto and dragged him to bed.

"Stop being a wuss, you too Max." Chloe laughed as Max dejectedly went into bed, laying down on Naruto's other side.

Chloe reached over the blonde to put Max's arm around Naruto's waist. Naruto was wondering what he was supposed to do in this situation.

With Kurama laughing in his head, he sighed and resigned to his fate.

After Max was coerced into cuddling Naruto with Chloe, the Price daughter wrapped her own arm around Naruto again.

"Okay you two, I'm getting tired. Let's sleep." Chloe said, and she reached up to her desk turning off her lamp.

"Goodnight Max, goodnight Shorty." Chloe said and she closed her eyes.

"Goodnight Chloe, goodnight Naruto." Max sighed, closing her eyes trying to force herself to sleep.

Meanwhile Naruto grumbled until he eventually fell unconscious himself.

What in the world is he going to do now?


Through the Years.

Age 11

"Shorty! Shorty!" Naruto opened his eyes to the sight of his adoptive sister. She was hovering about a couple centimeters over his face.

"..What." Chloe could tell that Naruto was really annoyed. She laughed and kept the grin that came with it.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" She screamed and Naruto widened his eyes.

'I actually-'

'Forgot? This isn't the first time for you. Even back when we were in Konoha you'd forget that it was your birthday. Since no one ever..' It was unusual for the bijuu to trail off into silence. Naruto could tell that Kurama felt extremely guilty for what he was about to say.

'It's alright Kurama, we both know it wasn't your fault.' He assured, and Kurama hummed.

'Well, at least I didn't have to remind you this time. Now you have a family to help you properly celebrate.' Kurama's comment immediately made Naruto grin. He was right.

"Shorty come on! It's your first birthday in our kickass house! You're going to have so much fun you'll get tired of fun!" Chloe's declaration had Naruto laughing as she dragged him out of bed and out of the door.

When Naruto and Chloe arrived downstairs they were treated to the sight of William and Joyce cooking breakfast.

"Happy birthday champ! We have your favorite coming up real quick." William said as Naruto latched his eyes onto the very brothy noodly substance in a very gigantic pot. Everyone in the house saw Naruto's eyes physically sparkle, as well as his mouth filling up with drool.

"No way.." Naruto gasped as Joyce laughed at his reaction.

"Happy birthday hun. We're going to help you see what birthdays are really all about. Have a seat over at the table. You're going to love this." Joyce promised as Naruto quickly and eagerly plopped his butt on the chair. He felt hands snake around his neck and he raised an eyebrow to see some sort of orange cloth came with it.

"My first present to you. A fox bib!" Chloe said and Naruto smiled.

"Thank you Chloe, I love it." Chloe pinched his whisker cheek lightly, a slight blush on her face. It would've been unnoticeable if Naruto wasn't a shinobi.

But he is.

"If you love that then you have another thing coming!" Chloe giggled, sitting next to Naruto and making idle chatter with him.

"Yeah. and my second gift is.. a secret." Naruto raised an eyebrow at her.

"What kind of secret.." Naruto felt a little worried about this, knowing the girl he's been living with for a year.

"It's happening later, that's all I'm gonna say." Chloe teased and Naruto sighed.

"But I'm the birthday boy. Don't I get special privileges or something?"

"Yes, which is why I can't tell you. Dum dum." Chloe laughed, pinching his dejected face again.

'She really likes pinching our whiskers.' Kurama's comment made Naruto raise an eyebrow.

'Our whiskers?'

'Yes. After all, who did you get it from? You may have been a product of Minato and Kushina, but the whiskers are all me, and the chakra your mother had from me.' Naruto hummed at that.

'Huh, I wonder why I never noticed that.'

'You didn't have time to focus on menial things like the whiskers on your face. You faced death every other day back then.' Naruto was about to respond with a mighty witty retort but Chloe pinched his cheek hard enough to get his attention.

"Ow! Jeez! What was that for?!" Naruto rubbed his reddening cheek as Chloe smiled.

"Becauseee. I wanted to." Her answer had Naruto grumbling. He was about to give her a taste of her own medicine, right until William and Joyce brought the gigantic pot to the table. Naruto widened his eyes, quickly forgetting about avenging his pride as the adults set the pot on the table.

It was so wide and gigantic that it took both Joyce and William to carry it over.

"We don't usually eat ramen for breakfast, but since it's your special day, we had to make sure you started it off right." William said as he wiped some sweat from his forehead.

"Exactly. We home made these noodles and broth ourselves, it's our first time but it turned out perfectly." Joyce said mirroring William's previous gesture. Cooking all of that and making the noodles was much more difficult than they thought.

Naruto looked at their sweating heads, and their noticeable exhaustion and felt so much guilt.

"I love the fact you guys did this.. but now I feel so bad. Like, are you sure I deserve all of this?" Naruto looked down as the family members gasped from his comment.

"Of course you do Naruto!" Naruto looked to Chloe in astonishment. She doesn't usually say his name more often than not opting to use one of her teasing nicknames for him.

"I mean, there's no reason to.. I got used to not celebrating my birthday. I don't want you all to go through all this trouble just for me. I don't think it's fai-" Chloe decided to pinch the blonde extra hard on his cheek and the blonde screeched. Joyce immediately pulled on the girl's ear while Naruto escaped his adoptive sister's clutches.

"That's enough Chloe. What Naruto is saying isn't wrong." Joyce let go of Chloe's ear who pouted but listened anyways. Joyce turned to Naruto whose rapt attention had been focused to her.

"Sweetie, this is your first birthday with us. Of course we're going to make a big deal out of it. We all understand that you've gone a while without celebratin'. You're not used to being surrounded by a family who loves you and cherishes you. And me, William, and Chloe love you. That's why we want to make today special, because you've never had that before." Joyce said and Naruto felt some tears well up in his eyes, he bit his lip to keep from crying.

"Joyce is right you know. You deserve all of this and more. You may not be our blood, but that doesn't mean you are not our son. So you better get used to having presents, special foods, birthday cakes, and birthday songs. Because this is only the first birthday, it'll only get better from here and forward." William added and Naruto couldn't take it. He started crying, he closed his eyes and looked down letting the tears fall.

Chloe had been the first to hug him, then William and Joyce.

It was only the morning, and yet Naruto knew this was already the best birthday ever.


After breakfast had ended William took Naruto into the city to have 'man time' as he called it. William currently had Naruto sitting on his shoulders, he was a pretty light eleven year old.

"Okay buddy, where do you want to go first?" The adoptive father asked. Naruto was at a loss, he didn't really know what he wanted. He's never celebrated his birthday like this. Back in Konoha all he did was ask for ramen, and Iruka took him, as well as baked him a cake. If only the chunin could see him now.

"I don't really know, I don't care about toys. I'm just happy we get to spend time like this. I wonder what the ladies are doing."

'Ladies? I might have to beat the girls away sooner if he keeps that vocabulary up. So suave.' William thought with a smile.

"Hm, I'll be honest Naruto I'm surprised. Maybe instead of wondering around town looking for fun.. maybe I should just start teaching you how to be a man." William said and Naruto widened his eyes.

"How to.. be a man huh? What do you mean?" Naruto had been taught by Jiraiya on 'how to be a man' before. But that included more of the perverted side of manliness. As well as shinobi and chakra things. In this world, being a man could be interpreted entirely differently.

"I mean how to treat women, how to fix things, what you should do in certain situations, how to be an adult." William explained and Naruto nodded.

"Well, I know how to treat women at least, but the other stuff might be difficult." Naruto said and William raised an eyebrow.

"You do huh? Okay, I'll give you a surprise quiz then." William and Naruto sat on a bench at the nearby pier. William looked at Naruto with utmost seriousness.

"Okay Naruto, you're on a dinner date at a fancy restaurant with your date. You and her are about to approach your table, what is the first thing you do?"

"I help scoot her in her chair, asking if she's comfortable." Naruto answered quickly, William nodded in approval.

"Okay good, once dinner is over who takes up the bill?"

"It depends on the person, I offer to pay for the date if she is okay with it. " Naruto's answer had William raising an eyebrow. Naruto really knew his game so far.

"Okay, last question. A girl has had too much to drink and is trying to.. make moves on you. What do you do?"

"I tell her that I'm not going to do anything, and that she needs to drink water and eat something. She's under the influence, it's not true consent unless she's sober." Naruto said and William smiled at the answer.

"Okay, you definitely know more than I gave you credit for. Why do you know so much?" Naruto shrugged at the question.

"There was a pervy guy I knew. He had way too much time on his hands." Naruto said and William slowly nodded.

"..Huh, that wasn't what I was expecting."

"Yeah, he was nice though." Naruto said, reminiscing on Jiraiya for a bit. William caught a slight hint of solemness on Naruto's face and picked the boy up, placing him on his shoulders again.

"Okay, let's go see what kind of trouble we can get into." William said mischievously and Naruto grinned.

They stayed in town for the another couple hours.


While Naruto and William had hit the town, Joyce and Chloe set up their house for Naruto's surprise party. They had received help from guests who had come early. Max and her parents had been included in that list.

"Hey Dana, can you help Max and Chloe with blowing up the balloons?" Joyce asked as she hung up an orange and blue birthday banner for Naruto. The brunette had a pep in her step when she was asked.

"M'kay!" She replied joyfully and her parents smiled when looking at her.

"You know, Naruto has been helping Dana out in class. It's no wonder they became close." Dana's mom, Annabelle said while Dana's dad Daniel chatted up Ryan, Max's dad. Joyce looked at her with what was a proud expression.

"I wish I could take credit for that, but when we adopted him.. it's like he knew everything already. How to do laundry, wash his dishes, sweep, anything. He's even helping William repaint the house for crying out loud." Joyce said and Max's mom, Vanessa piped into the conversation.

"Is he like, a genius or something?" Joyce arched one of her eyebrows at the woman.

"I.. I never thought about it like that. Me and William did wonder why he was never adopted, hell he was out in the streets dirtied up in tattered clothes and everything. But if he is a genius.. what could that mean?" Joyce asked and Annabelle Ward hummed.

"It means that he'll need help in different areas besides academics. Maybe being so smart and good everything would mean he's not great at socializing." The mother of the peppy student had The Caulfield and Price Women in deep thought with her words.

"But that wouldn't make sense right? Because our daughters are here, and there's more people coming for the party. Naruto is actually really popular." The Caulfield mom pointed out and the other two ladies frowned.

"Hm, that is strange. But it makes me all the more proud of him. He really might have a bright future ahead." Joyce smiled and she received a couple nods at that.

"He really is a great boy, Maxine wouldn't shut up about him at home." The women giggled at that, sharing in the joy of the moment.

"Naruto does a lot around the house, I love Chloe but I wish she'd take more initiative." Joyce sighed and her friends laughed.

"Maxine isn't that great at chores either."

"Dana, could use some brushing up too. Maybe Naruto can give them a couple of tips to not be so lazy."

"That's the thing, Naruto has so much energy. But he isn't overly loud or obnoxious. He just can't keep still, yet he does that in a mature way. He's able to go to bed on time, and he's able to do more than his fair share of chores. It's just now it's getting to the point where I have to ask him to not do the dishes. He's making me and William look lazy in comparison!" Joyce and the moms laughed at her words.

"You better stop talking about him, I'm starting to get jealous!" Annabelle said, wiping a tear from her eye. Vanessa slapped her knee.

"I second that! I love Maxine but wow Naruto sounds like God's angel!" The ladies laughed about gossiping about their kids, having a merry time.

They heard the doorbell ring and Joyce excused herself to see who was at the door. Joyce opened it up to see another little girl with her own parents.

"Hello Joyce. We're here for Naruto's party."

"Ah, I wondered when the Gingrichs would show up!" Joyce smiled and both Lita and George Gingrich smiled. While Steph looked inside curiously.

"Mrs. Price, Naruto's not here yet right?" She asked and Joyce shook her head.

"You can call me Joyce hon. And no, Naruto is gonna be out with William for at least another hour. In the meantime, the kids definitely need help decorating." Joyce winked at the young girl who ran inside excitedly.

Meanwhile Steph's mom and dad laughed.

"Such a go-getter that one." George said, and his wife agreed.

"She can't stop talking about Naruto when she's at home. Even though we know she likes girls, Naruto is constantly the subject of everyday." Lita said and Joyce laughed.

"I keep hearing that, it's like Naruto's some sort of.. Social Butterfly." The Gingrich parents were quick to agree to that. After the exchange Joyce invited the parents in and they split off into their groups.

Steph was quick to engage with the other kids to help blow up some balloons.

"Guys, soon we're gonna have more balloons than floor if we keep this up." Max said as she looked at all of the black, orange, and blue balloons scattered throughout the floor. The girls giggled in delight.

"The more the merrier!" Chloe said, quickly filling up an orange balloon.

"Naruto is gonna trip over all of these, I can't wait to see that!" Steph said and her friends giggled.

"He's gonna be so shocked, I hope you have Chloe's dad's camera ready Max." Dana said excitedly. Max exuberantly took out said camera with a small smile.

"I've got it right here. I can't wait to see his face. This is the kind of party Naru deserves." Max said and everyone agreed.

"Shorty is pretty awesome. I'm glad he's my brother, even though he's adopted." Chloe agreed and the girls smiled.

"Naruto's so funny too, remember when he had that whoopee cushion on our teacher's chair? She sat down SO hard on it." Steph giggled and the girls followed, laughing at the memory.

"Or that one time where he farted so loud and blamed it on Mikey. So awful." Dana actually heaved a breath at that, laughing so hard her lungs were starting to hurt.

"Or! Or! Or!.. Hold on.. haha! That one time..! haha! That one time where he..!" Chloe was laughing so hard that everyone else was laughing because she was laughing.

"Okay okay okay! It was when he slipped in the hall and he accidentally started the first human domino effect! All those kids just fell down one at a time!" Every girl was laughing, struggling to take in air with how much they laughed. All of the parents noticed the kids doing so and basked in their presence.

"What do you think got them like that?" Vanessa Caulfield asked. Joyce simply shook her head with a smile on her face.

"Naruto, I heard some of their conversation. They're talking about Naruto's silliness." Joyce said and it made her friends smile.

"Who knew one kid could bring so much joy? He really is one of a kind." Annabelle said and the other two smiled.

"Yeah, he really is." Joyce agreed, wondering how William and Naruto were doing. She hoped they were having the most fun they've ever had.


"Okay Naruto you think you're ready to go home when we're done with these?" William asked and Naruto grinned, he had mango flavored ice cream in his hand, while William had chocolate in his own. Naruto licked at his ice cream with a grin.

"Yeah, I wonder what mom and Chloe are doing." Naruto hummed and William widened his eyes.

'That's the first time he ever referred to Joyce as his mom. She'll freak when she hears thi-' He saw Naruto blocking his widened eyes with his hands, waving at him to get his attention.

"Dad, dad, you still on Earth?" William widened his eyes even further right before bolting off of the bench they were sitting on. He snatched Naruto off of the bench and spun him around, much to the delight of the little blonde.

"Dad my ice cream! Haha!" Naruto didn't really care, but he did love the fact William was so happy with what he said.

"I'll get you another one! Haha, this is great! You really called me dad!" William nearly had his tears falling with how much joy he felt in this moment. Naruto took only a year before he truly considered William and Joyce his parents. This has got to be the best birthday ever.

"Yeah, yeah I did." Naruto kept laughing with his adoptive dad, the man making Naruto fly like an airplane soaring through the air.

'Best. Birthday. Ever.' Naruto couldn't help his exuberance, he heard Kurama chuckle as well.

'Yes it is, it really is.' The bijuu agreed, giving Naruto his toothiest grin. Kurama was so happy for his best friend, Naruto deserved all of the good things in the world, hell the universe if it was doable. For Kurama, he hoped that Naruto kept this happiness. And if he didn't, he hoped Naruto would keep pushing through the adversity.

Because he wouldn't be Naruto if he didn't.


After William's emotional outburst because of Naruto, he happily drove the both of them home. The man couldn't personally wait for them to arrive. They had been planning this party ever since they found out about Naruto's birthday. They contacted the parents of Naruto's friends to make sure they would all be available to come to the party, and some of them even offered to help decorate.

It turns Naruto is one of the more popular people at school. He was able to quickly make friends, and to William's interest, most of Naruto's friends had been girls.

So it was peculiar, but not too out of the norm. The girls and their parents were quick to accept the invitation. Their enthusiasm for the event hadn't been missed by the Price Parents. William was wondering how everything was going, he hoped it turned out well. This is Naruto's first birthday at their home, they wanted to make sure they did it right.

While William was lost in thought Naruto tugged on his sleeve. William visibly shaken out of his daze looked down toward his adopted son.

"You know, this was the best birthday I've ever had. I don't really care for big surprises. If us spending time like we did today was all we did, then I'd be more than happy about that." Naruto had William surprised with his words.

'He's such a kind and considerate kid. I can't believe he's so satisfied about today already. I really believe him when he says he doesn't mind just ending the festivities here.' William smiled and patted Naruto on his head.

"I'm glad you're so happy Naruto. Because, if that was great to you.. then wait until you see this." William's mysterious tone had Naruto inquisitive. William had unlocked their front door and had beckoned Naruto to open it. Naruto reached the handle and twisted, feeling something he had sparsely felt before. His palms were sweaty, his back had chills, his stomach felt fluttery, and he was overcome with an immense joy.

When he finally opened the door, that joy came to life.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY NARUTOOO!" He didn't know when he stopped crying. All he knew, was that he was loved, genuinely loved.


12

"Introducing Naruto Price!" Naruto stepped forward, his grin was even more charming than a tourist attraction in Hawaii. The audience ate his presence up, cameras flashed, women screamed in awe and the men cheered Naruto on.

"HE'S SO CUTEEEEEEEE! AAAAH!" That was the women.

"YOU GOT THIS BUDDY! WOOOOO!" And that, was the men.

Naruto simply bowed, then he stood tall, well, tall for his four and a half foot self. He waved and gave kisses to the crowd.

"Wow, they're eating him up aren't they?" Joyce asked and William laughed.

"That's our boy."

"Jeez. Shorty sure is popular." Chloe nudged her best friend who was caught looking at the blonde in a dreamlike state.

"Um.. Yeah, he is." She agreed, and Chloe stared at her before smiling and focusing on Naruto.

Naruto himself couldn't believe how he got here, it was all thanks to Chloe. And his parents.

A Year Ago Naruto's Eleventh Birthday

"And THIS is your second gift Shorty." Chloe handed Naruto an envelope and he took it curiously. Everyone in the room watched him with bated interest. Naruto looked to Chloe who kept her big doe eyes on him.

Naruto opened up the envelope and raised an eyebrow by what was inside it.

"It's a ticket, for... A NATIONAL RAMEN EATING COMPETITION?!" Naruto widened his eyes right before latching onto Chloe with a powerful hug. The girl laughed as she was lifted up into the air by the blonde.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He repeated and Chloe blushed at his affection, yet she accepted it anyways.

"I knew you'd like it." Naruto put her down and looked at the ticket in his hands, curiosity taking over his thoughts for the moment.

"How did you get this?" Chloe shrugged at the question.

"It was my idea, but mom and dad funded the whole thing." Naruto turned his gaze to his adopted parents and had tears in his eyes.

"Mom, dad, thank you so much!" Naruto dived toward the duo and they laughed while hugging the blonde back.

"Did he just call me mom?" William laughed at his wife's question, nodding in the embrace.

"Yes, yes he did." After a few moments of silent revelation, Joyce snatched Naruto up and spun him around.

"Haha! You called me mom! You really called me your mom!" Naruto laughed, enjoying her excitement.

"Best parents ever."

Present

Now Naruto was going to eat the best ramen this world has to offer. Yet he knew deep in his heart, nothing could beat Ichiraku's. Naruto shook his head before looking at his competition. There were three other people, three men and one woman.

One of the men was burly with an overflowing amount of muscle.

Another man was overweight, and unlike Choji, this overweight guy had no muscle whatsoever.

The third contestant was a woman, she was around five feet tall and petite. Naruto wondered how she became a part of this.

And there Naruto was, a twelve-year old. Physically at least.

"WITHOUT FURTHER ADIEU! LET THE RAMEN EATING COMPETITION BEGIN!"

Naruto began scarfing down his ramen, the inhumane speed caught everyone off guard. Yet all Naruto could focus on was the texture of the soft, salty, flavorful noodles.

They brought out the best ramen, and Naruto was gonna eat it the best way possible.

Quickly and cleanly.

He was done in under two minutes.

"WOW WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT! NARUTO PRICE HAS EATEN TWENTY BOWLS IN UNDER TWO MINUTES! THIS HAS TO BE A WORLD RECORD FOLKS! I ALMOST CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" The crowd cheered at Naruto even if some of them were disappointed by how quick it was.

Meanwhile the Price Family was grinning ear-to-ear.

"All those bets really paid off." William chuckled as he held up an enormous stack of cash. He looked over to Joyce who had a stack of checks.

"We're gonna be going to Paris after all." She laughed and William nodded.

"We might be able to travel the world with this kind of money!" Chloe perked up at that.

"No shit?! You got that much?"

"Chloe your mouth." Joyce said warningly and Chloe rolled her eyes.

"Sorry mom."

"But yes, we've got quite a bit from all the bets. And Naruto won, there's some prize money there too." William said, and they all looked at the blonde. fondness in their eyes.

'He's really changing our lives. I wonder what else he'll change..' Max thought reflectively, but then she shook her head before smiling.

They just told her she and her family can come along to Paris too.

Naruto, you rock.


13

Steph's House

"Hey thanks for having me over again." Naruto looked around their place and smiled at all of the dungeony things they had. He knew Steph loved that game she always talked about. What was it called again?

"Of course Naruto, Steph was really excited to have you over. She just couldn't stop talking about it ever since we said yes." It was Steph's dad, George who said that and Naruto laughed.

"She can be eager can't she?" Naruto's question made George guffaw.

"Oh! You don't even know the half of it! When she was ten she got her first Dungeons and Dragons game on Christmas. She completely forgot about all of the other presents we bought her, and insisted we play with her. Ever since then, she's made advancements on it and is now creating her own story. It was actually her and her mother who got me into Dungeons and Dragons." The mouthful that came from his mouth was easy for Naruto to follow. He loved the enthusiasm he had for his daughter.

"I bet she'll ask me to play while I'm here, I don't know much about it. But she must love teaching people how to play huh?" Steph's father had a whimsical expression as he recalled Steph's hobby.

"She does, playing the game is when she's her best self. Sometimes she forgets how to interact out of the game, she gets so absorbed in it she starts saying things like 'doth' and 'thou' at the dinner table. But that's our daughter, we love her to death." The father smiled as he went to open up the fridge.

"You can head over to her room, I'll be cooking dinner with her mom soon. Make yourself at home okay?" Naruto chuckled at that.

"Might want to reconsider your words, if I made myself at home then I'd do all the chores in the house. Then you'll start saying things like, 'Steph you should be more like Naruto and blah blah blah. My mom ribs in on Chloe all the time." Mr. Gingrich smiled at that as he took out some raw ground beef.

"I hope you'll make yourself comfortable quickly then! Steph needs reminding to clean her room! Haha!" The dad guffawed again and Naruto laughed with him. He waved the man off as he headed to Steph's room.

Naruto knocked on the brown wooden door but heard no one inside. Naruto shrugged and opened the door. He entered and took a look around the room. Although he heard the shower going. Naruto looked around finding it unsurprising to see what was inside. There was a pride flag on the door, a guitar in the corner, a computer with a gaming chair in the other, and there was rainbow drapes donning the window. The room had been painted red, and the floor was dressed in a fluffy red carpet. Naruto actually liked this room, he then noticed the collectibles on a black shelf. They weren't opened, meaning Steph kept it in pristine condition.

'She's such a nerd. That's adorable.' Naruto shook his head, smiling. He sat on Steph's bed which had red and black checkered sheets on them, and a huge dinosaur plushy that was sitting in between two black cased pillows.

He waited patiently thinking about what he and Steph were gonna do while hanging out. He was most likely going to get roped into playing D&D with her. He loved Steph, he really did. But that's all she really talked about, or about being a lesbian.. He actually wanted to pry more about her music, but she always clams up and doesn't say anything. He's heard her sing before, she has a beautiful voice.

Naruto kept thinking about his interactions with Steph, that he didn't notice the shower stop running. By the time he noticed the silence, he heard the door to the bathroom open.

There was Steph.

There was a very naked Steph.

There was a very naked Steph who turned red in the face.

Well, someone was definitely hitting puberty.

"N-Naruto?! L-look away you dimwit!"

"Sorry! Sorry!" Naruto yelped and immediately turned away to watch the paint dry. Then he thought better of himself and closed his eyes for good measure. He heard her shuffling to find clothes and heard her slam the door to the bathroom.

After a painful five minutes he heard the bathroom door open again.

"Okay.. you can look now." Naruto turned around to see her in black booty shorts and a long sleeve top that exposed her collar bones.

"Pervert." Steph sighed as she walked toward him and sat on the bed.

"L-Look, I-I-" Naruto had been physically shushed as Steph clamped his lips shut with her hand.

"Not.. a word. All I'm gonna say is, announce when you're entering a room.. Next time." Steph stopped pinching his lips as Naruto rubbed at them. She pinched hard.

"Okay.. I will, next time. But can I say one thing?" Steph sighed and looked into his blue oceanic doe eyes.

"..What is it?" Naruto stared straight into her eyes and smirked.

"You look great at least!"

One.

Two.

Three.

It took Steph three seconds to register the meaning of his words, and then to the audacity of his words, and then to the consequences of his words.

"Oh you ass! I'm gonna kill you!" She tackled him onto her bed and start hitting him with her dinosaur plushy.

"Agh! Stop! I was teasing! Can't you take a joke?!" He yelped as she kept hitting him with her stuffed toy.

"I'll take the joke as soon as you take Diny down your throat!"

"Diny? That name's ador-AAAAAAAAAAAH!"

They kept 'fighting' for about half an hour more before they calmed down. Well, until Steph calmed down. Steph goaded Naruto into playing Dungeons and Dragons with her, since he just saw her naked. It was an exchange, and Naruto felt he got off really easily.

He heard Kurama roaring with laughter in his head. The damn fox.

'Not my fault you blatantly sneaked into her room.'

'I didn't sneak- we'll do this later Kurama.' The bijuu just chuckled before going to sleep. Naruto sighed before he looked to Steph, he saw her eyes light up as she narrated about his venture through another dungeon.

"It seems that your archer.. Sasuke has to pass a skill check in order to avoid the spikes. Roll please." Naruto nodded and he rolled the d20 dice.

"You rolled a twenty! Sasuke avoids the spikes without a scratch. What do you do now?"

"I want to-" Before Naruto could finish his sentence, his phone rang. It was a number he didn't recognize.

"Hello?"

"Is this Naruto Price?"

"Yes, it is. Who is this?"

"This is the Arcadia Bay Police Department. We have to tell you something you need to hear."

Naruto then found out one of the worst news he's ever heard. He looked to Steph who became bewildered by the serious expression on his face.

"Steph, I have to go home."

"Naruto, what is-"

"My dad got into a car crash. I'm leaving."

Before Steph could say anything Naruto stormed out of her door, he ran outside of their front door and when he knew no one was looking, he ran as fast as he could to his house.

He was there in under a minute.

Naruto opened the door to see Chloe, Joyce, and Max huddled together tears in their eyes. Without saying a word he joined in on the embrace. All of the memories flashed into his head, how William stood up for him when they first met, how he covered for him, adopted him, how he taught him to be a man.

He taught Naruto what it was like to be loved by a father. He gave Naruto a loving home, with a loving family. He made sure Naruto had all of the knowledge he needed in order to be a man in the future. Naruto made sure to cherish everything he said, to practice hid advice to the tee.

Yet he felt it wasn't enough. He wanted more time, he wanted more memories, he wanted more of his father.

Why did life always have to take the things he loved away? Why was it so unfair? Why did he have to suffer? Why, why, why?

Naruto shook his head, he hugged the girls tighter to him, and they all appreciated the warmth.

"I'm here, I'll make sure everything is okay." His declaration was heard. Yet, it didn't emit a reaction. The women all knew though, that Naruto would keep his word.

They just hoped that it was enough.