Chapter Beta by EvIlDemon 4/15/2024

Konoha's Retrieval Team

Chapter 7

Secrets Revealed Part 2

I don't own Naruto

Masashi Kishimoto does!

Konoha Hospital

Everyone bowed respectfully when the Hokage arrived at the hospital and entered with his Anbu guards. The Head Medic-nins, Medic-nins, and random villagers cleared the way for the Hokage as he smiled in thanks, giving thanks to the villagers. The Hokage quickly moved through the halls, where he made his way to an exceptional wing of the hospital the Hokage uses for diplomatic guests. The Hokage had the room secure, having Anbu posted outside the door and inside the room. When the guards saw their village leader they gave a quick bow and opened the door for him.

When the Hokage entered the private room, Neko followed, carrying Naruto on her shoulder. They saw that Head Medic-nin Yamamoto was checking on Karin once again. Both individuals were surprised to see the village leader with one of his guards in plain sight. The odd thing was that Neko was carrying the Uzumaki boy on her shoulder. The Hokage singled for Neko to put Naruto down on one of the beds and quickly vanished out of sight. The Hokage was ready to explain the rest of the story to both Uzumaki children.

"Good day, Yamamoto-san. How is everything going so far? Is the young lady healthy?" The Sandaime asked the head medic to better understand how to treat the situation.

"Good day to you, too, Hokage-sama; everything at the hospital is running smoothly, so I can't complain. And Uzumaki-chan has a good bill of health. So, she should be fine with you having a conversation with her. I'll be taking my leave, Hokage-sama." Yamamoto said as he checked a few more things on his clipboard before leaving the room.

"Hello, Karin-chan. How have you been doing?" The Hokage asked her, giving her a warm smile.

"H-h-hello, Hokage-sama. I'm doing just fine. I have felt a little bit bored being stuck in the hospital," Karin said in a meek voice. The Hokage could only smile at her innocent manner. It reminded him so much of Kushina when she first arrived from Uzushiogakure.

"Karin-chan, I came as I promised, and I brought with me your clan member so you could finally meet him. The only problem was that he fainted when I explained the situation before we came, hence the small dilemma. Then again, I don't have time to wait for him to wake up, so Neko, please wake Naruto-kun for me?" The Sandaime asked for his Anbu to do the honors of getting a slight chance at revenge for all the headaches he had caused over the last year.

When the Hokage gave Neko the order to wake up Naruto, she could only think of one way to do this to get the best laugh for everyone to see. She went and grabbed something out of her weapon bag and pulled out some smelling salt. She then pulled out the camera she used to collect evidence and handed it to the Hokage to take a picture of the funny moment. Neko then walked over to the bed Naruto was lying on and placed the smelling salt close to his nose before shoving it in his nostrils. Naruto yelled in alarm, having smelled something trouble shoved up his nose. He quickly jumped off the bed, screaming, "What a horrible smell."

"Naruto-kun, can you please calm yourself down? We are in the hospital I don't want you to be disturbing the people who are trying to rest. Plus, you are making yourself look like a fool in front of your clan member since she has been holding back her laugh for some time now." The Sandaime Hokage explains to young Uzumaki, who finally got hold of himself acting so childish.

"Huh, Hokage-jiji, what happened? Why am I at the hospital? Did something bad happen to me?" Naruto said without taking a breath to think. Then he turned to face the girl with the red hair and introduced himself.

"Hello Naruto-kun, I'm Uzumaki Karin. It's nice to meet you finally." She waved at Naruto from the bed she was lying on.

"Huh hey, nice to meet you Karin-chan, so Hokage-jiji, since my cousin and I finally got to meet, I guess it is time for you to tell us about the Uzumaki clan," Naruto said as a smile slowly appeared on his face as he turns to look at the Sandaime finally hear the truth.

"Children, before we get started, I want to hear what happened to you and your mother on your journey to Kusagakure." The Sandaime turned to Karin, wanting to hear what happened from her point of view.

Karin explained everything to the Hokage: her family was forced to abandon their home, and her father stayed behind to stall the Kumo ninjas. Before he left them, he used the [Kage Bunshin no jutsu], making a few copies of himself as one of them, guiding them away as far as possible so they could reach Kusagakure. They ran into trouble with bandits and salvers during their travels, barely escaping. And when they were traveling through Takigakure, almost reaching Kusagakure, they stumbled into a disagreement between both minor villages. Karin's mother had them hide and chose to wait until the battle was over, but it started becoming too dangerous as she thought of the right decision.

Karin explained how they were a minute too late when her mother decided to make her move to the Land of Fire borders to avoid the battle. A kunai flew past them that had a paper bomb tag that set off, causing a big explosion. Once she finished telling the Hokage her story, he only nodded, walked over to the child, and hugged her. Karin could only hug back as she began to sob once again. After a few minutes, the Hokage stepped back and gave a tired sigh.

While listening to the sad story of his clan member, Naruto clenched his fist in anger at the fact that his cousin's mother died a pointless death. What hurt him even more was that she was a Uzumaki who could have been a mother figure. Naruto immediately knew he had to protect his last family member at all costs, even if it cost him his life. Naruto was determined to make this a vow in his heart since his blood felt on fire, knowing that the villagers would not kindly approach her if they found Karin was his relative.

"Karin-chan, I'm sorry for everything that has happened to you until this point, and we will do everything in our power to protect the both of you from now on." The Sandaime said while Naruto gave him a dubious look as if to say,

"Why the hell didn't you try harder for me?" But he kept his mouth shut as the Sandaime sped through some hand seal, activating their privacy.

"What I'm about to reveal to you both is an S-rank secret and is punishable by death; this is one of the many reasons I have avoided telling you Naruto-kun. When Senju Hashirama created Konoha, there was a moment of peace; he looked for alliances. One of them was the Uzumaki clan, who happened to be distant relatives of the Senju clan who broke apart from them, wanting to live in peace during dangerous times. They later became the Uzumaki clan and found a lovely, peaceful island to settle on to live away from the wars since they were trying to follow the teachings of the Rikudo-sennin. But peace was never so easy to achieve in the warring state era; soon enough, they found themselves creating the most prominent clan and technically the first ninja village in their eyes compared to everyone else. They soon became mighty when they helped some descendants of apostles of the Rikudo-sennin and taught them the teachings of ancient scripture. Over time, the Uzumaki turned to innovation, creating fuinjutsu, and this was their way of eliminating all limitations to chakra affinities, giving them an advantage compared to all the other clans in the world.

They also found out that the Uzumaki clan had many unique abilities that every other clan wanted for themselves. And over time clans began to try to kidnap any Uzumaki caught off the island for whatever reason. Then, the Uzumaki clan created a barrier around the whole island, and they used their fuinjutsu to create the whirlpools around the waters for extra defense. And since it's been more than a few hundred years since they separated from the Senju blood and distinguished from their own. The Uzumaki were the first clan to create blood seals and many other seals in the world, and only member from their clan would be able to enter and exit unharmed.

When Hashirama first met your great-aunt Uzumaki Mito, he fell enchanted by her. Mito fell in love at first sight, and both decided to get married. The Uzumaki clan head and Senju Hashirama agreed to become allies through marriage while writing down some conditions from the stories I heard, and it was a significant loss for the Uzumaki clan. Since she was, at that time, a prodigy in fuinjutsu and a great warrior in her own right, Uzumaki Mito followed her heart with the person she fell in love with. Fortunate for Uzushiogakure, she had a younger brother who became the Shodai Uzukage and Daimyo of the island of Uzushiogakure. The Shodai Uzukage had three children. The oldest was Uzumaki Kushina. As for her siblings, I never caught their names since one was a child and the other was a toddler.

By that time, the "Second Shinobi War" had begun with the death of the Nidaime Hokage death. During that time, the Uzumaki clan was neutral about the war and didn't want to be part of it. But because of the alliance we had written up, they were, in a way, forced to come to Konoha's aid even if it was not their war. Uzumaki Kushina was picked by her father to be sent to Konoha because she, at the time, had an extraordinary ability that the leave needed for the near future. Our ambassadors came to bring Kushina back to the village. Still, the Uzukage sent some of his elite teams back to Konoha. A week after she left Uzushigakure, the war around the Elemental Nations intensified, and Kiri, Kumo, Iwa, Kusa, and Taki the coalition to destroy Uzushiogakure and take all the priceless treasures and secrets of the Uzumaki clan.

When Konoha got word of this we were geared up to help our allies when we were beginning to be attacked by the same coalition trying to hold us off from going to help Uzushiogakure. From what I remember hearing from the report, they fought for an entire month to fend off the other villages until the coalition finally defeated them. But it came at a significant loss for many villages hoping to gain something from the Uzumaki clan. Still, after weeks of searching the island, they could not find anything grand, leaving the island with weapons, minor fuinjutsu seals, and some captured Uzumakis as well.

When word got back to Konoha, it became one of our greatest shame that we could not aid our longest-standing ally. And That is why we have a swirl on the back of our flack jackets and forehead protectors to remind us of the tragedy." The Sandaime said but was interrupted by Naruto as he shot him a question.

"So what happened to my kaa-san when she got to Konoha, and what was so special about her?" Naruto asked, curious as to why the Hokage was trying to lead them away from that topic.

"Kushina was picked to come to Konoha to become the next host of the Kyubbi who was sealed inside your great-aunt Uzumaki Mito since she was close to the end of her life. Then Uzumaki Kushina became the second host of the Kyubbi, becoming a very powerful kunoichi and was feared by the Elemental Nations for the brutality she killed her enemies, giving her the moniker of "Blood Queen." The Sandaime said as he had a look of reminiscing the past, and a smile appeared on his face.

"Wow, she sounds so cool, old man. So what happened to her?" Naruto asked, becoming curious about her since he had never heard of her or anyone talking about her.

"She died on October 10 after giving birth to her son, who happens to be you, Uzumaki Naruto, the last hope of the Uzumaki clan to flourish once again in the future. Right after your birth, someone was able to discover the secret location of your birth, then they captured her and later released the Kyubbi from her. Normally, the person who is a jinchuriki will die right away when their Biju is released, but what made the Uzumaki clan the perfect host for the Biju since they could still have a chance to survive the extractions. During the time of need, the Yondaime devised a plan to sacrifice himself to defeat the Kyubbi by sealing it into a baby boy. That boy happens to be you, Naruto. That is why the village holds great animosity towards you, but that was not supposed to happen. Since your status as Konoha jinchuriki should have been a secret. Unfortunately, someone released that information; otherwise, you would live like any other child in the village, so I apologize." The Sandaime said, bowing his head. All the while, Naruto and Karin froze at the last part of his statement.

Naruto's whole world came to a slow stop initially; he was happy to find out who his mother was and where his heritage came from. He was aww at the fact that the Uzumaki clan was mighty and could rival the Senju and the Uchiha using fuinjutsu and kenjutsu. In Naruto's mind, they were the most prominent and most assertive original village at one point. But the fact that someone killed his mother on the day of his birth destroyed what could have been a great life growing up if it was not for him. And to find out that he is the host of the Kyubbi had to be the most shocking thing he had ever heard, so he decided not to freak out and ask the Hokage some questions.

"Hokage-sama, are you sure you will be able to protect us? Everything I heard indicates that the village still despises Naruto-kun for irrational reasons. I need help understanding all the circumstances. Still, Konoha should be grateful to Naruto-kun and the Uzumaki clan that hold the most power, Biju, by keeping it contained," Karin remarked after listening to what happened to the Uzumaki clan.

"You are right, Karin-chan; we should be thankful to the Uzumaki. But you kids won't need to worry we will have some of my most trusted Anbu to watch over you in the shadows." The Sandaime replied, understanding why they were both skeptical after everything going on over the years.

"Hokage-sama, I have a question that has been bothering me since my kaa-san told me about the destruction of Uzushiogakure. I don't understand how the other villages could invade when Uzushiogakure had a barrier surrounding the island. How were they able to bypass it?" Karin asked, hoping to get an answer to one of the mysteries on the fall Uzushiogakure.

"The honest answer to your question, Karin-chan, is that we don't know; we only came up with a theory during that time and no evidence," Sandaime replied, avoiding getting into that topic when he heard Naruto speak.

"H-Hokage-jiji, does that mean I'm the Kyubbi in human form then? I guess the villagers were right about me; I guess I am a demon, and maybe I deserve everything that has happened to me." Naruto whispered as he discovered why the village treated him so horribly.

"No! Naruto, don't listen to what the villagers say about you. You are still Uzumaki Naruto, not the Kyubbi; they are just ignorant and blinded by the pain of loss. There is a difference between a summoning scroll and a kunai; you are the summoning scroll, while the Kyubbi is the kunai. Do you understand the difference between the two, my boy?" The Sandaime said that he feared Naruto would think he was the Kyubbi in human form. Hence, the Hokage wanted to ensure he understood.

Karin was genuinely shocked that her cousin was from the royal blood of the Uzumaki, and to make his life story even sadder, he was treated poorly in his village over a misconception. Who would have known that her fellow Uzumaki was the jailer of the strongest Biju? It upset her that her cousin was treated so poorly in such a way to the point that everyone disrespected the Uzumaki clan in such a way. But now that I'm with him, we will have a chance to change all that by helping one another through this time of need for both of us. I will protect him and help him become the strongest ninja in this village, where they won't be able to ignore his existence, Karin thought.

"Naruto-kun, don't worry about what the rest of the villagers think of you. You are still Uzumaki Naruto from the Uzumaki clan, and no one could take that away from you and me. I will focus on getting strong alongside you to show everyone they shouldn't look down on the Uzumaki clan, even if we are two clan members for now." Karin passionately commented that Naruto's eyes hardened in determination to make what his cousin said a reality.

After listening to both the Hokage and Karin, Naruto repeated the words they finished telling him. He carefully began to understand what the two were trying to say by giving him an example and showing him that they cared for his well-being. Naruto understood now what Shisui had been trying to explain to him before that only the ones who care and your faithful friend would stand by your side no matter the cause or reason. Now that he has gained a clan member around the same age, it will make it easy for him not to feel as lonely as before. And since the Hokage finally told him the identity of his mother made him feel over the moon. The fact that he has a godmother to look after him makes everything that has gone wrong vanish from his mind now.

"Jiji, I'm happy that you finally told me about one of my parents, and I'm glad that it happens to be from a mighty clan. And I'm not going to lie and say I understand everything that has to do with the Kyubbi that is sealed inside me. I understand that it is an S-rank secret of the village. And to be related to the Shodai Hokage's wife I would even have imagined that. But I promise to give it my all when I start the academy to become the village's best ninja, just like the Yondaime and my mother." Naruto said, giving a big smile to the Sandaime, who could only smile at the little Uzumaki vow.

"Naruto-kun, let me inform you that we found out who your godparents are. Since one of them was in the council meeting when they read her will, she got word that she would take care of the two of you. Both of you will be living together on your own in the new home given to both of you. Naruto's godmother, Uchiha Mikoto, is the matriarch of the Uchiha clan and has donated a house to the Uzumaki clan." The Sandaime told both children, who were shocked by the news.

"Naruto-kun, when you get a chance, make a trip to the Uchiha clan compound and visit your godmother Mikoto Uchiha. Both of you will have to sit and discuss the living arrangements. She is going to be your guardian of you and Karin. And anything that has to do with the Uzumaki clan, she will be in charge of your finances." The Sandaime said as he stared at the young blond as he nodded in understanding.

"So when will Karin be allowed to leave the hospital? It would be nice if Karin were with me when we saw my godmother. It will give us a chance to get to know one another on our way there," Naruto asked Sandaime as he waited for his response.

"When Head Medic Yamamoto returns, you should ask him that question, my boy. Well, I have to get going since I still have another appointment I have to see today. I wish both of you well, my boy. Come back in a couple of days so you can keep practicing your fuinjutsu." And just like that, the Hokage took his leave.

"Well, I guess we will wait until the Head Medic-nin returns to let us know if it is okay for you to leave here today. So, where were you born? And how old are you?" Naruto asked him to get up from his bed and grab a chair next to Karin's bed.

"You have a point since you have to wait here for Yamamoto-san. But anyways, I was born in Yugakure, and I was born on June twenty, so I'm eight years old. Why don't you tell me more about yourself, Naruto? Karin quietly asked if she had waited for him to tell her about himself.

"I was born here in Konoha on October 10. The Hokage told me that both my parents died on the day the Kyuubi attacked the village." Naruto thought for a moment before he began to speak again.

"I like to play pranks on the villagers. I like ramen, mainly from a ramen shop called Ichiraku's. I want to work out and practice my ninja training. I like to discover exciting places I have yet to go to. I dislike stuck-up, arrogant people when they think they know it all. Also, I'm not too fond of bullies who mistreat others for things out of their control. Let me think about my hobbies; yes, I like planting. I want to camp in the wilderness and fish. And my dream is to become the strongest ninja in the village. And since I found out today who my mother was, she was from a powerful clan. And I hope we find more survivors from the Uzumaki clan. So we can become a large and awesome family in the future." Naruto said with a cheeky grin as Karin thought about everything her cousin told her about himself.

"So Karin, why don't you tell me more about yourself?" Naruto asked as he sat next to her with a big smile on his face.

Karin momentarily considered combining her thoughts to answer her cousin's question best. Once she knew what to say to him, she began to see something interesting that he was doing. Sitting there patiently waiting and getting bored, he was practicing the hand seal for jutsu so he could familiarize himself better and avoid making mistakes when learning jutsu. Karin could only stare in fascination at how he would place his finger in the correct position.

"I liked playing with my friend when I lived in my old village. I also like going to school and learning about science and botany. I dislike people who look down upon me. But I guess you could say I hate anyone who was part of the destruction of Uzushiogakure. My Hobbies are reading, planting, and cooking. My dream, my dream, I'm not sure I have one yet. I have a wish, I wish that both my parents were still alive. But I know that will never happen, but maybe by living with you, I will get a chance to find a dream of my own." Karin told Naruto as she laid back on the bed to relax from everything she had to do. They fell into a short silence when someone knocked on the door. Yamamoto-san and his medic-nin followed behind him. Both smiled at the children before Yamamoto spoke.

"Karin-chan, I believe you are good to leave the hospital today. My medic here will give you a physical for our medical records. Since the Hokage mentioned it, you will become a citizen of Konoha. When the medic finishes her checkup, I will give you another appointment for some blood work. It was a pleasure meeting you, Karin-chan." Yamamoto gave Naruto a nod, turned around, and left the room.

"Uzumaki-kun, could you please wait outside while I finish checking Karin-chan here?" the medic-nin told Naruto as he got up, quickly walked out the door, and waited in the hallway.

The medic-nin began to do the physical on Karin, which only lasted ten minutes. Karin received new clothes since the ones she had on had her mother's blood. And the last thing they wanted was to bring bad memories. Karin received a red kimono, a yellow sunflower design, black sandals, and an envelope with some ryo as a gift from the Hokage. After getting dressed, she walked out the door, followed by the medic-nin.

When Naruto saw Karin come out, he became thrilled and gave her a thumbs up and his famous foxy grin as he waved at Karin like an idiot. Karin, for her part, could only smile at her cousin's enthusiasm. Both kids said thanks to the medic-nin before she left. Then Naruto told Karin he had to meet his godmother at the Uchiha clan's compound. But before they go there, they should visit his favorite place to eat Ichiraku's Ramen. Both kids left, walking as the villagers saw this with mixed feelings. They could only watch the demon brat walk with another child walking out of sight down the road with a face full of happiness.

Ichiraku Shop

When Naruto and Karin reached the Ichiraku Ramen shop, there were no customers inside, which meant it would be a good and peaceful lunch. Naruto greeted both Teuchi and Ayame, who were surprised to see him in the ramen stand since the Hokage had punished him for the prank he had in the village. He was at least thankful that the old man let him just for today to eat with Karin to let them get to know each other better. Both father and daughter were surprised to see him with another kid, but this time, it was a pretty red-haired girl. Both children sat and got ready to order some ramen while talking animatedly.

"Naruto-kun, do you realize you are prohibited from eating here for a week? Those are the orders of the Hokage," Teuchi commented, reminding the blond Uzumaki of his punishment.

"Oh, I know, but the Hokage permitted me to celebrate a reunion with a fellow Uzumaki clan member only today. And I'm again back on punishment by tomorrow, I swear." Naruto explained this to Teuchi and Ayame, who were both surprised for different reasons.

"Hi there, young lady; my name is Ayame, so what happens to be your name?" Ayame asked with a big smile. She was happy to see Naruto having someone his age interact with him instead of being alone.

Teuchi, meanwhile, was in complete shock when he saw both children. It brought back memories of a specific pair of people who had entered his shop long ago. It was like watching the reincarnation of the two most potent ninja who lost their lives on the night of the Kyuubi attack eight years ago. It was just too surreal for the poor ramen shop owner as he looked at the two children.

"Hi there, my name is Uzumaki Karin from the Uzumaki clan; it is nice to meet you, Ayame-san," she said as politely as possible. Naruto waited for her to finish the introductions.

"Hi there Karin-chan, it's nice to meet you, young lady. My name is Teuchi, and I own this ramen stand. So your Naruto-kun clan member, then let me welcome you to Konoha. And since your cousin is are number one customer, your first bowl of ramen will be on the house." he said, giving both children a big smile to let them know this is the exclusive ramen stand of the Uzumaki clan.

"Thank you so much, Teuchi-san and Ayame-san. I appreciate your kind gesture," Karin said as she gave them a kind smile in return to the small family.

"Thanks, old man, and to you, Ayame-nee-chan; you are the best. Karin-chan let you know, but they make the best ramen in the Elemental Nations. So I hope you like ramen since it is the leading food I always eat, and the village makes it hard for me to get any other types of food.

"Is that so well? When my kaa-san was alive, she told me that the Uzumaki clan made the best ramen. I even have the Uzumaki ramen recipes she left me in my belongings. Maybe I'll give them to Teuchi-san so he can make them for us, and maybe later, we can talk about using the recipes on a special occasion and a limited-time dinner special." Karin said, shocking the rest of the audience by giving them a chance to eat Uzumaki ramen for the first time for everyone.

"Karin-chan, it would be an honor to keep the memories of the Uzumaki ramen recipes alive. If you could come by with them, we could review the ingredients and discuss the ideas you mentioned. We could also work out a contract to use the Uzumaki recipes to give you a portion of what they sell." Teuchi-san explained surprising them with this piece of news.

"Well then, I think we have gotten carried away, so what would you kids like to order?" Ayame asked, not wanting to take any more time for the children since they might have somewhere to be.

"I like my free bowl to be the Naruto special with extra everything. As for the next bowls, please give me one of each. I must take advantage of my chance to eat as much ramen as possible since I will return on my punishment tomorrow." Naruto said as he rubbed the back of his head; everyone looked at him with widened eyes.

"Naruto-kun, how can you eat all that ramen? Isn't it bad for your health? Karin asked as she tried to comprehend how he could fit all that ramen inside that tiny little body.

"I don't know; I just do that all the time," Naruto said as he waited for his first bowl.

"Okay, then we get right to it. Naruto-kun, the food will be ready in fifteen minutes. So go ahead and catch up with Karin-chan then." Ayame said as she returned to help her father make the children's food.

"So, Naruto, I heard you will join the Ninja Academy. Aren't you afraid that you will possibly die by any chance?" Karin asked as she tried to figure out what to do while he was gone.

"No, not really, since I'm still too young to understand and won't be a ninja for another few years. So why don't you ask me that question then, and maybe I'll have an answer for you, Karin-chan? So why don't you join the academy with me? I'm sure the old man would let you join me, and possibly, we could be on the same squad when we grow up." Naruto said, hoping for her to join him at the academy.

"Let me think about it for the next few days; that should be enough time to come up with an answer," Karin replied, knowing that she would have to consider becoming a ninja with Naruto.

"So, Naruto-kun do you have any experience in fighting or any of the ninja arts by any chance?" Karin asked an innocent question, not knowing what to expect from her cousin.

Naruto stopped what he was doing, turned, and looked at Karin to determine whether he should tell her that he knew a jutsu and was already training in the ninja arts. Naruto would have to wait until he returned to the hideout to tell Shisui everything that had happened till now to update his current circumstances. And to see if it is okay to introduce Karin to him and help her train if she becomes a ninja. Naruto guessed it would hurt to tell her he knew two handy jutsu to help him evade and escape. He decided to tell her one of his little secrets and to show her, and maybe she would want to join him at the academy, and he could teach her, so he came near her ear and said.

"I know how to do two basic jutsu you must learn before you graduate from the academy. Maybe I'll show you later and some of my other ninja skills I picked up living on the street for the past few years to survive." Naruto told Karin, who was surprised that he already knew how to do jutsu at a young age.

"Okay, that's a promise then, Naruto-kun," Karin said as Ayame handed them their first bowl of ramen.

"So, what is your favorite color, Karin?" Naruto asked as he began to eat his ramen; she paused before answering to get a taste of the ramen, and to her surprise, it was very delicious.

"I like the color lavender; it was my kaa-san favorite color. My tou-san favorite color was red because of our clan's red hair." Karin replied getting a nod from Naruto with an empty bowl of ramen in front of him.

"Hmm, I thought you liked red or yellow because of the dress you are wearing since it looks very nice on you. But anyway my favorite color is orange, but some people told me it would be a good way to get myself killed if I tried to become a ninja. So, I will have some of my casual clothes in orange to show them off. But my ninja outfit might be different. I will draw up some ideas to see which one I like best." Naruto said as he began to eat another bowl of ramen

"So, Naruto-kun, how long have you lived alone?" Karin asked as she ate her ramen slowly, enjoying the taste of it.

"I've been an orphan my whole life. I was placed in the orphanage but kicked out when I was three. Hokage-jiji found me on a cold, rainy night and took me to the hospital, where I stayed for a few days before he got me an apartment so I could live on my own." Naruto explained as he finished another bowl of ramen, not knowing if she should feel sad for her clan member or disgusted with his poor table manners.

"Oh, sorry for bringing up such hurtful memories, Naruto-kun. I didn't know you grew up in such a horrible situation, and I feel bad even bringing up the topic." Karin replied as she asked for another bowl of ramen.

"Ah, don't worry about it; since my situation is about to improve, I have nothing else to complain about. I'm just happy to have a family member who will be living with me from now on. And to top it off, in a new home better than where I'm living in a run down area. I guess it is better than being homeless, but still, I'm sure it would have made you feel uncomfortable." Naruto said as Karin made a complicated face as she imagined the place.

"So, Karin-chan, how was the ramen?" Ayame asked as her father was making another bowl for Naruto.

"I have to admit it was delicious. I have to give Teuchi-san credit; he is a master ramen cook. I could only imagine they would turn out perfect if he could cook the Uzumaki recipes." Karin replied, getting grateful smiles from the two cooks.

"Teuchi, I also discovered my mother's identity today: Uzumaki Kushina. I also heard that she was crazy intense kunoichi fear by many people. Naruto said in a low voice, not wanting other people to listen to what he was saying.

"Naruto-kun where did you hear that from?" Teuchi asked cautiously, not wanting to break the Sandaime laws.

"Oh, Hokage-jiji was the one who told me, and it was all thanks to Karin being brought to Konoha that the old man spilled the beans. Hahaha!" Naruto replied as he started to eat another bowl of ramen.

"Ah, I see. That makes me feel a whole lot better. I was afraid I was going to get into trouble. So how does it feel to know who your Kaa-san is finally?" Teuchi said, relieved that he hadn't broken any laws, but was happy for Naruto.

"I have to admit that it feels good to know that my Kaa-san loved me. Also, I'm glad to see that she was a powerful kunoichi and not some of the things the villagers had told me," Naruto replied, smiling happily at Teuchi and Ayame.

"Karin-chan, are you going to live with Naruto-kun in his apartment, or will you get your place?" Ayame curiously asked the red-haired Uzumaki. The Hokage explained that we will live together, but from what I understood, we are moving with Naruto-kun's godmother." Karin said, surprising both father and daughter.

"Naruto! You didn't tell me that you had a godmother? And how long have you known?" Teuchi asked out of shock since Naruto had never mentioned godparents before.

"Teuchi-san, to be honest, Naruto-kun and I just found out today. And after we finished eating here, we went to her place to introduce ourselves." Karin explained the misunderstanding, and the ramen owner nodded in understanding.

"So, who is your godmother, Naruto?" Ayame asked as she was dying from the suspense.

"From what the Hokage explained, my godfather is Jiraiya, and one of my two godmothers' name is Senju Tsunade, and my other godmother is Uchiha Mikoto," Naruto said, shocking them to the point that their eyes almost popped out of their heads.

"I see! So you will head to the Uchiha compound after your meal, right?" Teuchi asked out of curiosity while Ayame looked at her father in disbelief.

"That is right. It will be a long conversation since I have many questions, and maybe Uchiha-sama can tell me. And I'm sure Karin will also have some questions for her. "Naruto replied, and Karin nodded in agreement as both of them finished their bowls of ramen.

"Well, the next time you come to eat again, maybe we could hear what you guys talk about?" Teuchi said, wanting to know at least the little bit of gossip Naruto told the father-daughter pair.

"Yeah, maybe! So what is the amount I owe, old man." Naruto said as Karin quickly smacked Naruto for saying something disrespectful in her eyes.

"That will be one thousand ryo for the ten bowls," Teuchi said as Naruto winced at the amount he had to pay when he realized he didn't have enough ryo.

When Karin noticed Naruto's predicament, she let him borrow the currency, knowing that he would get his own as soon as he spoke with his godmother. Once they paid for their food, the children spoke for a bit more before leaving the ramen stand. At the same time, Naruto began to tell her about Konoha, its many businesses, and all the beautiful sights she could see in the future. He also explains that she might have to be careful of the villagers if they mistreat her because of him. And so they talked on their way to the Uchiha compound, distant from the village. Naruto always wondered why they wanted to leave at such a distance from the town.

Two Anbu squads followed the children from the shadows, ensuring no one would attempt to hurt or kidnap Naruto or Karin. The good thing is Naruto picked a spot where he usually comes, so everybody already had their spots picked out and waited out the young Uzumaki on his ramen fest. They all knew that the Hokage had given Naruto an exemption to eat their only for today; otherwise, they would have had to appear before him and remind him of his punishment. Once the children were done eating, they followed them to the Uchiha compound, having been explained the reason why they were going there. Little did anyone know that a crow was following the children from the sky as it followed its summoner's orders to keep an eye on the young blond Uzumaki.

A/N: Hello, my fellow readers and writers. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Recently, I had my son Beta my story and fixed many of my mistakes, so the story sounds and reads cleaner. Since I got laid off and found work recently, I have been able to write once again instead of focusing all my time on job searching. I know to give shouts or special thanks to those who have reviewed before. So here is a Shout-out to Samuel Santillan, KidneyZero, and NinjaFang1331 for reviewing and following the story; thanks, you guys. I really appreciate it.