Hello everybody! Here I am again! 33 reviews for the last chapter of 'Like father like son 1', that was huge! Thank you, for all these warm words you've written! That's truly pleasant!
So I've decided not to make you wait long and started to write the second part. This is its first installment, prologue. Not very long but it's only the beginning.
Phillipa Engels, my precious beta-reader, thank you a lot! You corrected all my mistakes and gave really interesting ideas about some story lines. Thank you again, and I think all the readers will join me in these thanks.
MasterFranny, I still can't think out the way of putting Itachi in this story – LFLS storylines begin to break the moment I do it, so he won't appear in this part too (I'm really sorry!) Thanks for the advice about italics for the thoughts. I did it in the prologue, let me know if it's better or not.
Scienceboy, just read it. The answers about what happened are in the prologue ;)
Win, you are really observant, my congrats, your guess was sharp…:)
It is the second part in the 'Like father like son' arc. I strongly recommend to read the first one 'Like father like son: Beginning' before reading this part.
I don't own Naruto (sigh), don't own Arashi (or what is his real name in manga anyway…) (double sigh). Umi is my original character (smile).
No Narutos were damaged fatally during this story. :))))
As usual I'm waiting for your reviews…
Like father like son 2: My home is your home.
Prologue
Naruto almost flew, jumping from tree to tree. The mission wasn't difficult but it took some time. He hasn't been in Konoha for a week and wanted to get home really badly.
"Naruto!" he heard familiar voice behind him and turned around finding a smiling Kiba.
"How are you?" he asked looking at his friend.
"I'm good," Kiba answered back. "Training here and there, preparing for the chuunin exams."
"Chuunin exams!" Naruto exclaimed. "Oh my! I had completely forgotten about them! How much time do we have?"
"Don't worry, it's two months starting now," Kiba reassured him. But Naruto's tension didn't disappear.
"I'd better find Ero-sennin if I want to pass the exam. Everybody learned new jutsus during these few months when he left me here without any scrolls to learn! That sucks!"
"Well, I wish you luck then," Kiba nodded. "But next time, if you are my opponent, I'll pay you back for that defeat."
"Don't even dream about it!" Naruto slapped and bid him goodbye running towards the Konoha gates. Yeah, he definitely needed a teacher. Maybe…Kakashi-sensei? Yes, it looked like a good idea.
The white-haired jounin he was thinking about stood near the gate waiting for him.
"Oh, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted. "It's good to see you. I have a favor to ask of you," but his teacher didn't give him a chance to finish.
"Naruto, Godaime wants to talk with you. Now," his voice was serious.
"Oh my," Naruto thought. "I haven't done anything wrong, why does she want to talk to me?"
Kakashi looked at the scared boy and gave him a reassuring smile.
"Just go," he ruffled Naruto's hair and pushed him a little in the direction of Tsunade's office.
Naruto obeyed continuing to wonder, "What in the world happened?"
"Tsunade-baachan!" he exclaimed once he got to the doorstep. "What's so urgent! I haven't even had a chance to go home after the mission, dammit!"
Tsunade's look was full of pity.
"Oh, my," Naruto thought. "That's bad. She even hasn't paid attention to me calling her "baachan" again!"
"Naruto," she finally began. "You know, something awful happened while you were on your mission."
Naruto's heart came to the sudden stop.
"Something awful?" he slowly repeated. Images of different awful things came to his mind, starting with Ichiraku's closing permanently and finishing with Sasuke being killed by Orochimaru.
"What?" he didn't hear his own voice.
"There was a hurricane here," Tsunade sighed. "Your house…it… was kinda destroyed."
"Nani!" Naruto's scream was heard by all the villagers. "What do you mean by "kinda"?"
"Kinda completely destroyed," Tsunade told him.
"Oh my," to say Naruto's face was shocked and he was speech less.
A moment later the door slammed and Naruto ran downstairs.
"Naruto, wait!" Tsunade stood up but it was too late.
He couldn't remember how he got to his place. Just a few minutes after he left Tsunade's cabinet he already stood at the place that had used to be his home. There were several roof parts, board parts and that was all that was left.
"Oh my," was all Naruto could manage. He tried to find his things like photos, toys but nothing was there. So he just sat down not knowing what to do next.
A few hours later Naruto stood at Tsunade's office again.
"We'll repair it as soon as possible," she assured him. "But it will take some time. Do you have a place to stay?"
"Actually…no," Naruto sighed remembering.
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"Sorry," Shikamaru sighed. "My mom…she has no hospitality at all. She told me "no" and me and dad could do nothing about it."
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"Sorry," Sakura shook her head. "We don't have a lot of rooms in our house. Only my parents' and mine…" Naruto's eyes filled with hope.
"But you definitely can't live in my room!" she finished.
Naruto lowered his head.
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"Sorry," Kiba answered. "Our dogs don't like strangers. You won't be able to live in our house."
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"Naruto, I'd like you to live with me," Kakashi sighed. "But I have only one bed and one room so there is no way…"
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"Maybe Iruka?" Tsunade suggested but remembered finally. "Oh, he's at a teachers' conference in the Hidden Sand."
Naruto's head fell lower and lower with every moment. He was tired and for the last few hours all he had done was try to find a place to live. He could never even imagine all his friends would act in such an unfriendly manner.
"Then there is only one choice left," Tsunade sighed. "You will live in Sasuke's house. It's empty now."
"Sasuke's house?" Naruto whispered in shock.
The biggest darkest house in the village, even the thought of entering there gave him the creeps.
"No way," he whispered. Living there…where Sasuke had lived all alone…becoming an unsociable person like he was…what if it was because of his house? So after some time he, Uzumaki Naruto would become like Sasuke completely!
"I'd be better off sleeping on the street," he thought preparing an answer but was interrupted.
A familiar flash flew beside him throwing all the papers from Tsunade's table with a gust of wind. Finally it stopped revealing Yondaime with a huge grin on his face.
"I did it!" he exclaimed. "Tsunade, they signed out the peace agreement! We have more allies now!"
Tsunade's look wandered from the papers now lying all around her table to the smiling blond in Hokage's robe.
"You!" she shouted in angry voice. "How many times have I told you not to use your freaky jutsu in my office! You ruined everything!"
Arashi's grin became wider.
"Well, let me think…" he thought for a while. "22…or 23…yeah, something like that."
"Get out!" Tsunade shouted. "We have serious matter here and here you are with your pranks!"
"Serious matter?" Arashi's expression changed into curious one while he looked around finding Naruto who was laughing loudly watching the scene the Hokages made.
"Oh, hello, baka!" he greeted Uzumaki.
"Stop calling me that!" Naruto shouted. He hadn't seen Yondaime for a few weeks and had started to forget how irritating the 4th could be.
"What's the problem Tsunade?" Arashi turned to the 5th now looking serious. "Has he done something wrong?"
"Why do you think I've done something wrong!" Naruto exploded but Arashi's hand appeared in front of his face.
Naruto shut up remembering this gesture. It meant "Shut up for a while and then shout as much as you want. But now I'm busy." He learnt it well during their mission in the hidden moon.
"Naruto's house was crushed by a hurricane while he was on his mission," Tsunade explained. "So he doesn't have any place to live. I suggested for him to stay at Sasuke's house but he doesn't like the idea very much."
Arashi turned to the blond boy. Sadness and understanding was in his eyes.
Naruto just lowered his head studying the floor attentively. He wasn't used to someone feeling sorry for him.
"Well," the sadness in Yondaime's eyes turned into his normal steady expression. "I have a big house. You may stay there until your house is repaired completely."
"Really?" Naruto's voice for a moment was filled with hope but finally he realized who offered him a place to stay.
Yondaime. The man who sealed Kyuubi into him and ruined his life. The man who almost killed him when Orochimaru used Edo Tensei and returned the 4th back to life. The man to whom he lost the ramen challenge and with whom he had to carry out difficult mission in the hidden moon village. The man he Didn't like with capital "D".
"Well, now you have two different places to stay," Tsunade didn't give him a chance to finish his thought. "Which one will you choose?" Sasuke's house or Arashi's?
That wasn't an easy choice for Naruto. The dark corridors of the Uchiha manor or the house of the man he disliked the most in Konoha. What a choice…
"Well," Arashi sighed. "I won't push you or anything. Just let me know if you decide something," and he went to the door.
Was it just Naruto's imagination or had he really heard a hint of disappointment in the 4th's voice?
For a moment Naruto remembered their talks during the Moon's mission. The Yondaime wasn't as bad as he tried to make himself think. He had never seen the Hokage's house but he was pretty sure it didn't look as scary as Sasuke's house. Again staying there…at the rooms where his friend-rival had lived, with all the things reminding him of him… it would made him crazy. So…he didn't have a choice then.
"Wait!" he shouted to Arashi who had already opened the door.
"Yes?" blond hokage looked at him attentively.
"Uh," Naruto began. "If it is not a problem for you, could I stay in your house for a while?"
A wide grin appeared on Arashi's face.
"Of course you can, baka," he told him and watching Naruto scowling at the last word said "Wait for me a little near the entrance. I'll take some papers and will take you to my house."
"Ok," Naruto nodded. "I'll go then," and went out of the room.
Yondaime also took a step but Tsunade's voice stopped him.
"That's strange, don't you think? Only one house in the entire village was destroyed by the hurricane…"
Arashi stared at her.
"You don't think," his voice was angry now. "You don't think I would do such a thing to my own son!"
"Wouldn't you?" Tsunade smiled but looking at her predecessor's face she thought she'd better stop it – Arashi had the "kill you now" look.
"I've caused him pain twice in my life," he told her in a wounded voice. "The first was the day I sealed Kyuubi in Naruto. The second one was when Orochimaru used me to kill him. There won't be the third time. Never. If I find out someone was the cause of that hurricane I swear I'll make sure he will regret it a lot."
His voice caused a shiver run along Tsunade's spine, the man standing in front of her didn't look like the friendly goofy person she was used to seeing. All she saw now was a very angry father preparing to rip everyone who tries to do something bad to his child.
Tsunade smiled internally.
"So you are finally learning it…how to be a father, you go overboard, Arashi, but I'm really glad that Naruto has such a protector. With all the dangers in the world…Akatsuki…I can be sure you'll be safe, Uzumaki."
"I'm sorry, Arashi," she nodded. "Sometimes I just don't think what I'm talking about."
Yondaime exhaled becoming his old self.
"That's alright," he nodded too. "But it's a really strange story. I must examine the remains of the house."
"Ok," Tsunade answered. "You are off for today, aren't you?"
"Yeah," Arashi's smile returned to his lips. "My son came back home, dammit! I just can't sit here!' with these words he left the room.
Tsunade shook her head in amusement and went to pick up the papers.