Categories > Anime/Manga > Naruto > Pack of the new Kyubi
Kakashi knelt by Naruto’s side and ruffled his hair, “You look so much like him, but you move like your mother, you know. I know you’ll make them proud.” He snorted, “Scratch that, you already have.” The boy looked at him with stars in his eyes and the Jonin felt his heart clench again. This was his sensei’s legacy, battered and bruised but unbroken, for all that he nearly got the boy killed with his lack of training. The Hokage had given him a chance to train them seriously, he would not waste it, would not fail them again.
“You knew them.” It wasn’t a question but he nodded anyway, he sighed. “I could give you a thousand reasons why I didn’t take you in, but most of them would be excuses. Even now I’ve failed you as a sensei as well.” He said as he hung his head.
He glanced back up and saw the boy was still smiling, not that obnoxiously cheery grin of his, but still that small upturn of the lips. “I forgive you.” Was all he said, and that by itself nearly broke him, but he held on once again. This time not out of habit, but because he couldn’t break in front of his students, not while they still needed him.
“Thank you, Naruto.” He stood back up slowly, taking in the heights of the boys and girl in front of him and once again lamenting how young they were. He eye-smiled. “Ok! Now that all that heavy shit’s out of the way, who wants ramen?”
Teuchi and Ayame were as happy as always to see Naruto, and that is to say very. Their team all crowded into a booth and placed their orders, pork for Naruto, chicken for Sasuke, vegetarian for Sakura, and beef for Kakashi. For a while they ate in companionable silence, but Sakura had a few more questions.
“Hey, Naruto?”
“Mm-mm?” he said around a mouth full of noddles.
“I was wondering, are you going to move in with Sasuke, now that you’re together and all?” she asked awkwardly, pushing her finger-tips together and unconsciously mimicking Hinata. Whatever he was going to say back was drowned out by a squeal from Ayame.
“Oh, Naru-chan! You finally bagged him!” She said, rushing over to their table.
“Eh?!” was Naruto’s elegant reply.
The civilian girl put her hands on her hips, “Don’t you ‘Eh’ me Naru-chan! Me and dad have been waiting for you to give up chasing after the pink banshee for ages!” “Hey!” Sakura squeaked in protest, but was silenced by a finger being shoved against her lips in a shushing motion. She looked down at the finger then back up at the waitress it belonged to, who had a frightful look on her face, “Don’t you object, little witch! Naruto is never anything but nice to you and you return it with put-downs and fists!”
While Sakura was cowering in her seat, Ayame looked over to Sasuke and Naruto with a gentle smile on her face, “I’m just glad you two got over your machoness and fessed up to each-other. Don’t think we haven’t noticed you only ever smile when you’re with him Mr. U-chi-ha.” Naruto was blushing furiously by this point and sputtering like a kettle, Sasuke wasn’t having any better a time, having retreated the lower half of his face into his collar, ears pink. Meanwhile Kakashi was blessing his lucky stars that he was seeing an actual scene from Icha-Icha play out before him, giggling to himself.
“Ayame-nee-san~! It’s not like that! And don’t be mean to Sakura, she congratulated us!” Naruto whined while waving his arms about. Ayame frowned and looked back at Sakura, “Well, at least she knows how to lose with grace.” Kakashi made a show of looking around as he said, “Maa~ Ayame-san, not that this isn’t amusing but don’t you have other customers to tend to? Naruto will still be here when you get back and have cooled your head a bit.”
The waitress flushes and turns to take another table’s order, while the Genin slump in their seats in relief. Kakashi just looked puchably smug as he pulled out his perverted book over his suddenly empty bowl, ‘All according to plan. Ichiraku’s is a good place for the rumors to start from before the Hokage gives her announcement, considering it’s already full of people who don’t openly scorn Naruto.’ His eye flickered over to Naruto again, the boy was back to slurping down his noodles like no tomorrow and Sasuke was unconsciously eating faster than he normally would too.
‘Hmm, the Hokage did mention there’d be some bleed over of emotions, he’s enjoying it more because Naruto is.’ He frowned under his mask, ‘In all this I can’t help but feel at once grateful and regretful that chakra molding speeds up puberty, if it weren’t for that we might have lost Sasuke, but now these boys will have to become men in a way even harsher than being shinobi demands.’ The Jonin turn his attention back to his book. Relieved that, for the moment, all was well.
Soon enough Team 7 parted ways for home, with a reminder from Kakashi to the boys to go to the hospital should anything odd happen, “You’re both the type to suffer in silence, so keep an eye on each other.” He’d said as he sent them off with a pat on the shoulder (a covert reminder of the distress seals Jiraiya had placed on them).
As they were walking off into the night, Sasuke hesitated, then steeled himself, “Naruto,” The jinchūriki looked over his shoulder from waving bye to their teammates, “Yeah?” Sasuke licked his suddenly dry lips, “Come with me back to the Compound, we’ll move your stuff out of your shitty apartment tomorrow.” The blond boy’s eyes widened, “Are you kidding me?! My place may be cruddy, but you’re not going back to that ghost-yard.”
Sasuke grit his teeth, his alpha’s displeasure prickling at the back of his neck, “Dobe, I’ve been fine and I’ll be fine. What’s more important is space. I mean, what, are your other mates going to sleep on the floor.” He sighed and looked down, “Think ahead for once Naruto.” He glanced back up and saw the blond was still pouting, but thoughtfully. Naruto closed his eyes and sighed, “No, Sasuke, no. Not yet.” He opened his eyes to stare into his lover’s, “We’ll run up-keep on your old house, but until we need the room your sleeping at my place. End of story.”
Naruto trotted over to Sasuke and looped an arm over his shoulders, “I appreciate you looking out, but I don’t have other mates.” He smiled at his raven, “I have you, and if were my choice that’d be enough.” With that he gave the other boy a quick peck on the cheek.
Sasuke slowly put a hand to it, blushing like a school-girl. “Hn, let’s just go, dobe.”
“You knew them.” It wasn’t a question but he nodded anyway, he sighed. “I could give you a thousand reasons why I didn’t take you in, but most of them would be excuses. Even now I’ve failed you as a sensei as well.” He said as he hung his head.
He glanced back up and saw the boy was still smiling, not that obnoxiously cheery grin of his, but still that small upturn of the lips. “I forgive you.” Was all he said, and that by itself nearly broke him, but he held on once again. This time not out of habit, but because he couldn’t break in front of his students, not while they still needed him.
“Thank you, Naruto.” He stood back up slowly, taking in the heights of the boys and girl in front of him and once again lamenting how young they were. He eye-smiled. “Ok! Now that all that heavy shit’s out of the way, who wants ramen?”
Teuchi and Ayame were as happy as always to see Naruto, and that is to say very. Their team all crowded into a booth and placed their orders, pork for Naruto, chicken for Sasuke, vegetarian for Sakura, and beef for Kakashi. For a while they ate in companionable silence, but Sakura had a few more questions.
“Hey, Naruto?”
“Mm-mm?” he said around a mouth full of noddles.
“I was wondering, are you going to move in with Sasuke, now that you’re together and all?” she asked awkwardly, pushing her finger-tips together and unconsciously mimicking Hinata. Whatever he was going to say back was drowned out by a squeal from Ayame.
“Oh, Naru-chan! You finally bagged him!” She said, rushing over to their table.
“Eh?!” was Naruto’s elegant reply.
The civilian girl put her hands on her hips, “Don’t you ‘Eh’ me Naru-chan! Me and dad have been waiting for you to give up chasing after the pink banshee for ages!” “Hey!” Sakura squeaked in protest, but was silenced by a finger being shoved against her lips in a shushing motion. She looked down at the finger then back up at the waitress it belonged to, who had a frightful look on her face, “Don’t you object, little witch! Naruto is never anything but nice to you and you return it with put-downs and fists!”
While Sakura was cowering in her seat, Ayame looked over to Sasuke and Naruto with a gentle smile on her face, “I’m just glad you two got over your machoness and fessed up to each-other. Don’t think we haven’t noticed you only ever smile when you’re with him Mr. U-chi-ha.” Naruto was blushing furiously by this point and sputtering like a kettle, Sasuke wasn’t having any better a time, having retreated the lower half of his face into his collar, ears pink. Meanwhile Kakashi was blessing his lucky stars that he was seeing an actual scene from Icha-Icha play out before him, giggling to himself.
“Ayame-nee-san~! It’s not like that! And don’t be mean to Sakura, she congratulated us!” Naruto whined while waving his arms about. Ayame frowned and looked back at Sakura, “Well, at least she knows how to lose with grace.” Kakashi made a show of looking around as he said, “Maa~ Ayame-san, not that this isn’t amusing but don’t you have other customers to tend to? Naruto will still be here when you get back and have cooled your head a bit.”
The waitress flushes and turns to take another table’s order, while the Genin slump in their seats in relief. Kakashi just looked puchably smug as he pulled out his perverted book over his suddenly empty bowl, ‘All according to plan. Ichiraku’s is a good place for the rumors to start from before the Hokage gives her announcement, considering it’s already full of people who don’t openly scorn Naruto.’ His eye flickered over to Naruto again, the boy was back to slurping down his noodles like no tomorrow and Sasuke was unconsciously eating faster than he normally would too.
‘Hmm, the Hokage did mention there’d be some bleed over of emotions, he’s enjoying it more because Naruto is.’ He frowned under his mask, ‘In all this I can’t help but feel at once grateful and regretful that chakra molding speeds up puberty, if it weren’t for that we might have lost Sasuke, but now these boys will have to become men in a way even harsher than being shinobi demands.’ The Jonin turn his attention back to his book. Relieved that, for the moment, all was well.
Soon enough Team 7 parted ways for home, with a reminder from Kakashi to the boys to go to the hospital should anything odd happen, “You’re both the type to suffer in silence, so keep an eye on each other.” He’d said as he sent them off with a pat on the shoulder (a covert reminder of the distress seals Jiraiya had placed on them).
As they were walking off into the night, Sasuke hesitated, then steeled himself, “Naruto,” The jinchūriki looked over his shoulder from waving bye to their teammates, “Yeah?” Sasuke licked his suddenly dry lips, “Come with me back to the Compound, we’ll move your stuff out of your shitty apartment tomorrow.” The blond boy’s eyes widened, “Are you kidding me?! My place may be cruddy, but you’re not going back to that ghost-yard.”
Sasuke grit his teeth, his alpha’s displeasure prickling at the back of his neck, “Dobe, I’ve been fine and I’ll be fine. What’s more important is space. I mean, what, are your other mates going to sleep on the floor.” He sighed and looked down, “Think ahead for once Naruto.” He glanced back up and saw the blond was still pouting, but thoughtfully. Naruto closed his eyes and sighed, “No, Sasuke, no. Not yet.” He opened his eyes to stare into his lover’s, “We’ll run up-keep on your old house, but until we need the room your sleeping at my place. End of story.”
Naruto trotted over to Sasuke and looped an arm over his shoulders, “I appreciate you looking out, but I don’t have other mates.” He smiled at his raven, “I have you, and if were my choice that’d be enough.” With that he gave the other boy a quick peck on the cheek.
Sasuke slowly put a hand to it, blushing like a school-girl. “Hn, let’s just go, dobe.”
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