Disclaimer - I don't own Naruto. The series is the respective property of Masashi Kishimoto.
--ooOoo--
"Ummm baa-chan!".
"Hmm?".
"Why did you give me this necklace?".
"You don't like it? Then, should I take it back?".
"No! No! No! No!".
"Then why are you asking me these silly questions today?".
"It-It is just that I don't get presents like this very often, you know".
A smile bloomed on that beautiful face of her. "Ahh... So that's what the real issue is huh, Naruto?"
"Y-yes"
"Then you have to get used to it, Naruto.".
"Why?"
" People are going to shower you with gifts when you will take this seat of Hokage".
"I see...".
He finally smiled.
Blood.
An inconceivable amount of blood.
It was everywhere. From the North to the South and from the West to the East.
The soil was doused in that despicable red fluid of death while the skies were enveloped in the shadow of mourning clouds.
Everywhere he looked, there was nothing left other than a shroud of grief and resentment. It's all because of him. He is the reason why it all happened. They were after him. They wanted him. Then why do these all have to suffer? Why?
"Baa-chan" fresh tears fell to the ground. "Why?" his fingers caressed the palm of her cold hand. "Why did I have to be so late?" he whispered. "Why couldn't Nagato complete that technique of his?" his whimpering rose as his fingers gouged deep into her palm in search of a sliver of life. "Why did he run out of the chakra?" he mumbled. "Why do you have to be the one left out?" His sapphire eyes glanced at the lifeless and wrinkled face of the old woman as a cascade of sweet and sour memories captured his mind.
-x-
"I'm sorry, Naruto".
"Sorry won't bring him back!"
"I-I know".
"If Ero Sennin was the Hokage, he would have never sent you to that mission".
"I'm sorry".
-x-
He wanted to die, he wanted to die right now. There was nothing left for him now. Every person who cared for him was dead. The old man, Iruka-sensei, Ero Sennin, and now his baa-chan.
She was resting in his arms, dead and silent. Her whole body was draped in bruises and blood but still, she had a damn smile on her beautiful face. "Why are you still smiling?" Raising his hand, he flicked away a few strands of hair from her bloody face. "You should be sad too" his voice amplified a bit. "You left me!" words floundered in his mouth due to the sheer amount of sadness he was enduring. "You left me, Baa-chan!" he finally yelled at the lifeless form of the woman, and the dreadful silence which followed his outburst only made him more furious.
"Naruto".
Naruto immediately recognized the voice and like a boulder of imperishable ice, the words froze his soul and shattered the remaining courage left inside him. "Sakura" Naruto acknowledged the presence of the girl.
The girl known as Sakura stiffened at his gloomy words. "Don't talk like that Naruto!" she whispered, seizing the attention of the surrounding people in the process. "You are not the reason why this happened" her words held a sense of sadness and sympathy within them. It was as if she was feeling more sadness for the boy than for herself.
"No, you are wrong! It's all because of me" Naruto admitted himself as guilty of every single accusation she couldn't shoot towards him. He knew she was sad and wanted to rain her frustration at someone, and why wouldn't she? After all, she was Tsunade's dearest student.
"She loved you, Naruto. You were like a brother to her, someone whom she wanted to protect at any cost" Sakura whispered as a fresh trail of tears trickled down on the damp ground of Konoha.
"I know" he repeated in his initial dull voice.
"She didn't perish in a meaningless death. She died protecting you".
"I know".
"She sacrificed her status, her honor, and even herself for you. She did all that so you live a happy life!" Finally, Sakura's anger flared due to a lack of responses. The pain, the anger, and the sorrow which were running through her blood erupted in the form of words. The sight of the bloodied body of her teacher only emphasized it further.
"I know".
Something inside her snapped. Her heart stopped for a fraction of a second. "You idiot" she growled, shocking her other friends who were trying to calm down the civilians. Her statement was simple but the meaning it held for Naruto was inexplicable and was enough to send shivers down his spine. "Do you really think you could have saved her? No!" she wailed furthermore as her hands gripped the collar of his torn shirt. "Pain was a very strong enemy, Naruto. Unlike others who have attacked our village in the past, he had no distinct objectives" she growled. "He never wanted to hurt us for power and wealth. He just wanted to inflict pain and misery upon us!. My teacher and everyone else who couldn't be revived died because he wanted them to die. They all were close to you and he knew about it" her words sliced through the suffocating silence and entrenched the soul of the boy with creaks.
"I-I" words died in his mouth when a hand made contact with his cheek.
"Naruto... look at me".
He couldn't look at her. Her face was covered with tears and he couldn't tolerate that. Tears never looked good on her face. "Leave me alone Sakura. I don't deserve your kindness" he stumbled when suddenly another hand connected with the skin of his cheek harshly.
"Sakura!" Shikamaru who was watching everything shouted at the girl. "Leave him" his words came out as normal to the civil population of the village but every shinobi around him was able to decipher the hidden irritation in them.
Ino twitched into the action too. "Forehead, leave him alone for a minute" she advised the girl who just stared at her in surprise. "Deaths are common in the shinobi world. We can't dwell on them for long, but that doesn't mean we can't at least remember the departed soul for a while" her lips formed a sad smile at the end of her statement.
"But-But" Sakura was speechless. Her friends and even her own best friend were criticizing her for her behavior. Instead of chastising and motivating this idiot, they were belittling her for her foresaw actions.
"They are right, Sakura" a faint whisper touched her ears and she immediately turned around.
"Sensei!" she exclaimed sadly as raw tears sparkled in her eyes again.
Kakashi regarded the girl for a while before his eyes veered over to the lifeless form of his now former Hokage, 'Lady Tsunade'. "Naruto" he whispered to the boy who was sitting quietly beside the corpse. "I can feel that pain of yours very well".
Pain.
'To understand others truly, one must understand their pain'.
'Uzumaki Naruto, one day you will understand my pain'.
Pain.
"He was right" Naruto's words attracted the interminable attention of others. "We can never truly understand each other, sensei" placing his hands on the ground he tugged himself to his feet. "You all will never understand me and I will never understand you all" he chuckled blankly at the stunned people of Konoha. "This is our Destiny" he whispered as the skies screamed in the boisterous clamor of thunder.
Kakashi grimaced, his body trembled as a wave of nostalgia swept over him. He had seen that look before. That look of plain bitterness and loneliness. He knew it. He had experienced it. "You are wrong-" before he could even begin, his female student did something unbelievable.
"Naruto" Sakura screamed as her hands gently encircled around the left arm of her teacher. "There is nothing I need to know more about you" she hissed as droplets of rain crammed the cracks on her skin. "You are my friend and future Hokage of this village, Uzumaki Naruto" her words stirred something inside the people of Konoha again. "Tsunade-sama, Jiraiya-sama, Sandaime-sama, Yondaime-sama, and even that shy Hinata believed in you, Naruto. They not only sacrificed their lives for the village but also for you, Naruto" her ferocious eyes regarded her teacher for a while before returning back to the stunned Uzumaki Naruto.
"Sakura!" Kakashi was in total shock. His mind couldn't believe what was happening. His student who had never even acknowledged the presence of the boy even in passing was encouraging him like no one other. Maybe it was because of the current situation, but whatever it was, he was glad to see a change in her.
Sakura smiled at her teacher. "You don't know, sensei" she began. "How afraid I was when I saw the decimated state of our village. Those eyes of that monster were so terrifying, sensei. That monster was cruel and merciless. He spared no one who dared to cross his path. Even Tsunade-sama was afraid of that fiend" a whimper shook her whole body. "But then Pain mentioned your inevitable death to her!" her smile glowed as she pointed her fingers at the blonde-haired boy. "And everything changed" lifting her voice she whimpered in front of the population of Konoha. "I immediately saw the change in her eyes. At that moment she looked like she finally found the reason to truly fight. Even at the verge of death, she was smiling like a proud old sister" her wails forced Naruto to look at her.
"She is right, Naruto!. You shouldn't blame yourself for everything" Sai, the impassive member of Team 7 walked out of the populace to encourage his one and only friend. "The people who lost their lives loved you more than anything else," he told the boy.
"Love" Naruto giggled wistfully at the remarkable words of his friends. "I wasted my whole life in search of acknowledgment and love, Sakura" after each word the pelting of water increased and numerous fragile streams of blood and water started eroding their way through the soil of Konoha. "When I finally found them, the Gods above stole them from me" he asserted.
"Naruto" Kakashi broke down. "Enough of this stupidity of yours" he whispered.
"W-What?!".
"I said-".
"Let him speak, sensei. I wanna know more about our friend" Shikamaru strode past his teacher and placed himself in front of his childhood friend. "Tell me more about your pain, Naruto" he urged the boy to continue his speech as he really wanted to witness the pain that resides in the heart of the boy. If understanding each other's pain was the right way then Shikamaru was all prepared for it. Kyūbi or not, Idiot or not, this boy was his best friend and he would make sure he remains the same at all costs.
Naruto shivered when his eyes met the damp and curious eyes of his friend. It was the first time someone other than Ero Sennin and Old man had wanted to know more about his life. "Everyone I loved died in some way or another, Shika" he replied and immediately trembled when Shikamaru inclined his head towards him. He knew he wouldn't humiliate him in front of everyone but still, that blank look of his was twisting his heart in an incomprehensible way. "The only thing common in their demise is me. I'm the reason why they all perished. Even Hinata lost her life because of me." Mustering his remaining courage, he uttered his parting words.
Shikamaru remained silent for a while as his eyes inspected the different expressions of others present around them. Civilians, as usual, were staring at them in curiosity and panic while the other part of the population, the shinobis were just observing everything quietly. "I see. Then what are you going to do now?" he finally glanced over to his friend and raised a question that would dictate everything regarding the future of the elemental nations.
Naruto didn't waste any time. "I will try to stay away from the village as much as possible" He answered sadly. Hard or not, He would do anything to protect his remaining friends from the dangers that lurk around him. After all, he didn't want them to loathe his very existence for life.
'Uzumaki Naruto, you don't know anything about the people of this world. They are very fearful creatures, it doesn't matter if they are a friend or an enemy. They fear everything which overwhelms them. Be it physically or be it their imagination. Gradually, that fear cultivates a seed of hatred inside their devious hearts and then, they show you their true colors.'
Naruto flashed a fleeting smile at his friend as his mind recollected the small part of that enlightening conversation he had with Uzumaki Nagato. "Please let me do this, Shika" he trailed off. "Please everyone" he turned around and pleaded to his friends while hoping that they will approve of his request.
"I can't allow you to do it, Naruto" Sai answered in his desolate voice. "According to one book I read, one must stay with his or her friends no matter what happens" his words sparked a flare of confidence inside the blonde.
"And I can't bring myself to hate you, Naruto" Shikamaru smiled sadly at the boy. "We have lost a couple of people today but I don't blame you because we would have lost more if you hadn't defeated that guy" he grumbled uncharacteristically. "We both have lost many parts of our hearts throughout this whole journey, Naruto. You lost Jiraiya, Iruka and others while I lost Asuma-sensei and Chōji" Now that shocked Naruto to no end because as far as he knew only a few people were unable to receive the effect of that technique, Tsunade, Iruka and Hinata being one of them, but he knew nothing about Chouji.
"Chouji?" he gasped.
Shikamaru sighed and looked away from the boy. He didn't want to hurt him anymore, and tears that were beginning to flow through his eyes didn't help on that part. "He and Kakashi were gravely injured during the fight with one of the paths, Naruto. While Kakashi was revived, Chōji, on the other hand, was not so fortunate." he managed to speak between the silent sobs.
Like precisely crafted arrows, the words of his friend impaled his heart and soon it was covered in the blood of sorrow and pain. "I'm sorry" Fingers clenched the hem of his shirt as desperation and remorse simmered inside his veins. "I'm sorry" he repeated. Shikamaru was suffering yet again because of him. First his teacher, Asuma, and now his best friend, Chouji. It was all because of him and the fox inside his abdomen.
After a long time, Kakashi was feeling worthless. Seeing his student like that, begging for forgiveness from others was very painful to watch. The last time he had felt like this was when his teacher was sacrificing himself for the village while he just sat there silently on the sidelines, watching everything unfold. Since then he had trained himself to his limits so that none of his loved ones would have to suffer the same fate as his old team members. "Naruto," he whispered. "It wasn't your fault," he whispered because that's all he could do at the time.
"Your isolation won't bring them back, Naruto" Sakura spoke sadly. Her teammate was quite an extraordinary person. Instead of bragging about his newfound powers to them, here he was, begging for forgiveness due to things which weren't under his control to begin with. "They are gone. They played their part. Your apologies will not bring them back. Now it's your time to become stronger so that their sacrifices wouldn't be in vain, and so that you can make sure things like this don't happen in future" her face was all red because of the embarrassment and frustration she was feeling. She had never acted this supportive for him before, it had always been the other way around. He had supported her through everything no matter what, so doing this for the first time in front of everyone was a bit unsettling.
She also realised that her teammate wasn't as happy with his life as he let others to believe. Rather he was carrying a lot of sadness inside him. He had helped countless people get through difficult times, but not a single person had ever managed to see past his happy facade and see the sadness buried below, her being one of them. The thought made her want to hit herself, but it could wait, she had a friend to help.
Naruto lowered his head in shame. Sakura was right, his sorry wouldn't do anything. "I know," he admitted. "That's why I have decided to stay away from you guys in the first place." he declared, shocking everyone again.
"Naruto!" Kakashi, Sai, and Shikamaru snapped at him in unison. They couldn't believe what they were hearing. Naruto, the one who always yearned for attention and acknowledgement from others, was going to stay alone from now on. The whole thing sounded stupid and unfair to him.
"Why are you guys supporting him?!" a voice they knew very well made everyone turn their heads.
"Kiba" Naruto acknowledged the boy.
"Shut up, you fool. You bearer of monster". His words brought a particular memory with itself.
-x-
"They call me a monster, old man."
"Haha, really? Don't believe them, Naruto. They are the mindless fools of Konoha."
-x-
Naruto smiled sadly to himself. 'Looks like our Kiba is a mindless fool too, eh old man?' he thought.
"Why are you smiling, Naruto? Are you still not satisfied with all these deaths? Do you want more people to suffer?!" Questions after questions, Kiba bombarded Naruto with his harsh words. His mind was numb because of her death. She didn't deserve to die.
Naruto ignored his shouts as his eyes regarded Tsunade's body for one last time.
-x-
'Why do you constantly irritate her by calling her Baa-chan, Naruto?'
'Because I like calling her that, ero sennin.'
'Hmph! You always make fun of us brat. Show us some respect, you know.'
'Respect? Hahaha. What is that?'
'Laugh as much as you want brat, but I promise you, one day you will regret not showing us the love and respect we deserve... Hmph!!'.
-x-
Fresh tears flooded his eyes again. "How many people do you have who love and care about you, Kiba?" he finally spoke to the boy.
"Huh?"
"What dumb sort of question is this, Naruto?".
Naruto remained still. "Just answer me" he prodded to the boy.
"I can't count. There are many." Kiba answered awkwardly while everyone else remained silent.
"I only had them. Now I don't have anyone else, nor do I want anyone else."
And it was at that very moment, the whole populace of Konoha got the answers to the countless questions which were storming inside their minds.
'My eyes can discern something extraordinary in you, Uzumaki Naruto. You are just like me yet, very distinct from me at the same time. Your verdicts will determine the future of the world. So to guide you through your journey, I grant you my vision'.
--oOo--
Naruto was at peace. After that horrendous disaster which was his awkward interaction with those people, everything has changed for him. Long gone was that stupid blonde knucklehead who wanted the attention of others. Now, he was just a normal shinobi and all he wished for was peace.
After that conversation with his friends, he immediately moved away from those busy and narrow districts of Konoha because he knew people wouldn't let him live peacefully there. There would always be someone who's going to interrupt him or attempt to bring him back to their nutty group. He didn't want to be associated with any person or group anymore. Konoha 12.. pfff, what a silly name, with two of them dead and one having become a missing ninja. Couldn't these people have come up with a better name?
~Ding~
A smile spread over his lips when his ears picked up the melodious sound of his stove. Pushing himself to his feet, he unhurriedly trekked to the paradise of his home, his tiny but magnificent kitchen. A place where he usually spends most of his day now, endeavoring to learn every recipe present there. He was sure that if Ayame or Teuchi were still alive they would have been very happy with his progress. They had tried to make him learn several recipes, but he always declined saying that he had them and Shizune to cook for him.
"Ahhh" he sighed when the blissful aroma of steaming ramen and miso reached his nostrils. No matter how many recipes he acquires, nothing could beat the flavor of Miso ramen. It's divine. "The food of the Gods" he whispered as he took a few more whiffs of the aroma. "Hah! Who would have thought I would turn out to be a master... Aaii Aaii Aaii" he screamed when the burning hot steel met the soft and delicate skin of his fingers. "Stupid! Stupid!" he chided himself for his silliness. "Now where are those gloves?" His eyes drowned in a lavender color as they scanned the room for the current most essential part of cookery. "Ahhh" he smiled when he finally found his favorite premium edition green mittens lying beside the counters.
"Banshō Ten'in"
"There..." he giggled when the mittens finally made contact with his palm. "This is such a useful Jutsu" he murmured as he carefully lifted up the cooker from the heated surface of the stove. "I should be thanking Nagato for it but am I gonna? Nah" Lifting the lid, Naruto immediately stepped away from the silverware in order to protect himself from the flavorful and hot steam of the food.
"Shinra Tensei"
He moaned in relief when in a matter of seconds the steam evacuated the house through the ventilation network. "Ok... I should thank that man" he thought to himself but again concluded against it. That man doesn't deserve shit from him. He was a maniac who stole everything away from him. "Oiii Oiii" he pinched himself to protect his sanity from the brewing dark emotions. "Ero Sennin and Baa-chan wanted to see me live happily and I won't disappoint them" he chirped as he undid his cooking apron and relaxed on one of the chairs positioned at the large dining table.
Lavender eyes twinkled again and soon a moderate-sized Chinese bowl was positioned in front of him. "Now let's see how it tastes" Picking up the wooden ladle, he dipped it in the creamy broth present inside the cooker. He swirled the broth for a minute before he laid the ladle and amassed a nice amount of liquid out of the cooker. "There There" he couldn't help but smile as his eyes evaluated the contents of the broth. Everything was perfect and he knew it. "Perfect" he hummed when the broth finally filled the bowl. "I still can't believe I can make things as beautiful as this masterpiece" his hands subsequently reached the closest drawer and plucked out a pair of chopsticks.
~Snap~.
Like a fragile piece of art, the wooden ornament snapped into two symmetrical sticks. "Thanks for the meal!" he whispered. "Now let's eat this masterpiece" The smile he had on his face did nothing to hide his enthusiasm, he was proud of his accomplishments.
"Blissssss..." he fluttered in ecstasy. "It's really amazing" Raising the sticks, he seized another bite. "Broth could have been a little spicy though," he couldn't help but notice the little bland texture of the liquid. "I will remember to put in more spices next time" he assured himself and resumed his delicious meal.
--oOo--
Rias Gremory, the Princess of the underworld was not pleased with her current life. Even though she had everything one could perpetually wish for, she still yearned for more, something extraordinary. One would think that she was being insatiable and selfish but that's just how she and her whole family was. They were Devils after all. They existed as the manifestation of all the seven sins.
Greed was one of them.
Throughout her entire life, she had been a desirous girl. She always wanted to have everything. From the most precious toys to the most precious peerage members. She never settled with low-class aspects of life. For her wealth and quality were above everything, but that doesn't mean she never changed her principles. Surprisingly and with due regret, she did change her opinion about the world. That girl made her change it actually.
Akeno Himejima.
A girl, An angel, A queen, and most importantly her best friend. Akeno changed her, she changed her life, for good? She didn't know but she was glad that she did. When she first met her in the forest, she knew something was wrong with the girl. She looked so normal to her, horrifyingly normal actually. Her clothes, her shape, her face, and almost everything of hers was plain simple. She was completely opposite to her. If she was the Sun, then Akeno was the Moon.
Akeno knew how to appreciate life, she enjoyed it to its fullest, even with the flaws. She accepted them as if they were a part of her body. Rias could never do that. Flaws annoyed her. They were like the scars which violated the surface of the gorgeous Moon. No matter how delightful you become, people would invariably notice them right away.
"I want a normal life like her!" and there she was, soliciting for a life that could be as normal as her best friend. After all, for a devil, can anything be more phenomenal than living a normal life? Devils don't normally prefer it but then again, she wasn't a normal devil. She wanted to try it.
"Ara Ara".
Rias jolted from her position. Fuck, she must have heard her.
"I never thought you preferred to live a normal life, Princess" Her violet eyes regarded Rias in amusement. "You could have just asked me, my king" she suggested with a small wiggle of her brows.
"Akeno!" Rias shouted at the girl. "Why didn't you knock before entering?" she scolded her friend.
Akeno giggled. "Since when did I start knocking on your door, Rias?" she asked.
Rias closed her mouth. Her friend was right. Well, this was embarrassing for her now. "Ohh" she grumbled to hide the burning shame. "I must have said it by mistake, Akeno" her senses slapped her rear for the lame excuse she just utilized.
The queen of Rias blinked. "Huh?".
"Leave it".
Akeno blinked again. "You are behaving strangely, Rias. Is this because of Riser?" she could have avoided this question but she let the curiosity run free through her mind.
Rias deflated at the mention of that fool. "Why would I think about him, Akeno?" her mouth even twitched in disgust at the end.
"Who knows? You may have started to like him?" Akeno said it as a joke and knew she shouldn't have said it but then again, the reaction she got from her friend was all worth the trouble.
"As if he is worthy of it", she snorted at the statement. Suddenly, something clicked in her mind. "By the way, how is Issei handling all of this?" She nearly forgot about the unusual member of her peerage, the one who potentially possessed the power to free her from the restraints of that treaty.
"I don't know. Last time I checked on him, he was busy ogling your boobs" she replied. "And that sounds like a satisfied boy to me" her lips curved upward when the pink color of embarrassment tainted the cheeks of her friend.
"Ahem" Rias coughed, several times, again and again, but that color didn't flicker away from her cheeks. "He is quite a-"
"Pervert" Akeno finished for her friend.
Rias lowered her head in shame. "Yes" she approved. "Do you think he will be able to defeat the Phenex?" she asked the most obvious question.
Now that made Akeno ponder about something. Unlike Rias, she didn't think that much about the boy. Did he possess a formidable weapon? Yes, but did he possess the talent to wield it? No. He was a pervert with a silly dream of becoming a harem king. His only redeeming quality was his sacred gear otherwise he was useless to them in any sort of combat scenario. "I don't know, he may or may not. It all depends on how he awakens his gear" she admitted.
"Hmm... Sometimes I think I should leave everything, Akeno" Rias confessed to her best friend.
"Why?".
"I don't want this type of life anymore. I want to live freely like you. Free from the burden of this contract and the tag of Gremory Heiress".
Akeno rolled her eyes at her friend. She was acting like a typical rich female teenager from an anime again. "Do you really think you could live without all of these luxuries? Without your family? Without me?" her words may have sounded bitter but they were precisely true. She has grown up alongside this girl and she very well knew about her unique nature. Rias Gremory wanted to be known as Rias, just Rias.
"I don't know but I want to try" Rias' words caused Akeno to visibly recoil a bit.
"W-What?" To say she was surprised would have been an understatement of the century. Akeno Himejima was absolutely stunned.
"Yes, Akeno. I want to go on an adventure, a journey to a very far away place" The red-haired devil whispered.
Akeno smiled at the girl. She was looking so innocent right now. "I hope your wishes turn into reality, Rias" she chirped.
"Really?-" Rias was cut off when abruptly the purple skies of the underworld rumbled with the sounds of thunder.
"What is that?" Akeno peered outside the window and glanced at the skies. It was unusual for thunderstorms to materialize in the skies of the netherworld. "We should-" words died in her throat when suddenly a roar, a loud roar which forced everything to cease echoed throughout the purple sky.
Before the two girls could do anything a spear of purple light pierced the skies and descended in their direction.
Rias who was overseeing everything unfold quickly pushed her queen aside.
"Rias!" Akeno screamed when the strange energy swallowed her friend.
Rias looked at her friend and smiled. "It happened too fast, you know" her eyes twinkled with tears when they saw her body disintegrate into tiny particles. It was like someone was erasing her very existence from this world.
Akeno lunged at her friend and hugged her tightly. "I am not going to let you go anywhere" she whispered and immediately smiled when her own body began to follow the same disruption.
"Akeno!" she tried to warn her but unfortunately, it was too late.
~Blink~
In a blink, they both completely vanished from the supernatural world. The last thing their ears heard was some muffled shouts coming from the other side of the room.
--oOo--
Uzumaki Naruto was in a dilemma. His whole brain was working on a plausible solution for the problem in front of him. It all started with a dire mistake on his part. "I shouldn't have eaten this much. Now, who is going to clear this mess" he slumped in depression as his eyes tried not to look at the mountain of dirty dishes.
He disliked cleaning dishes as much as he liked eating ramen. They were the most useless and boring part of cooking, useless according to him at least, who actually liked doing the dishes? The action yielded no fruitful results. "If only Rinnegan had a technique to clean dishes too" he wailed to the Gods above, after all, one could only hope.
A pungent smell entered his nose. "Eww," his nose crinkled in disgust. It was horrible. "Guess I have to do this all by myself" he sighed. It was moments like these when he truly missed having someone beside him. When Shizune and Tsunade were alive, they used to do all the work while he used to slack off on the couch like a dumbhead. "They must be laughing at me from the above" he pouted while his hand gently plucked out a small bowl from the sink. "Can't I at least have one of them back, God?" he whispered with a smile on his face. The idea of having them back in his life was enough to light up his mood.
Skies rumbled.
"Wait!" Naruto ceased his work as the whole house started shaking violently due to the power of the storm. "Are you really sending them back?" he looked at the shaking ceiling of the house and grinned. Stretching his hands in front, he waited for the person.
Something snapped right above his house.
"Huh?" His smile flickered a bit when he sensed a presence right above his house. A presence without an ounce of chakra.
~Bam!~
Naruto blinked "Who are you?" he asked the girl who was resting uneasily in his arms.
Blue eyes regarded him for a while. "Ummm" the owner of the eyes tried to speak something but ultimately decided to remain silent. It was uncomfortable.
Naruto frowned. "I asked who are you?" he warned as he withdrew his hands back to his body, plopping the person down in the process.
"Umm..".
His eyes observed the person for a while before his right hand grabbed a kunai from the nearby desk and pointed at the person. "Tell me," he warned again.
"There is a noodle on your face".
"...".
--ooOoo--
A.N:-
Noodle on your face... Sounds like a good answer to me.
Right?