Chapter 9

Senju's Heir

~~Weeks Later~~

After several -dozens- of D-rank missions, Naruto's patience had reached its limit.

"Stop everything!" Naruto crowed, his arms extended opposite of each other for dramatic purposes. He pointed his index finger at the unamused looking Hokage sitting in his desk. "I'm tired of going on pity tasks like painting some old dude's shed or repopulating destroyed forests!

"I want a real mission! Besides... I find it offensive that you keep sending us on missions involving the latter just because I'm a Senju. I can only find Sasuke forced to bring me towels amusing every so often!"

"Oi, Naruto!" Iruka immediately shot back, "You've only been Genins for a few weeks now! You can't request anything beyond a D-rank until you've garnered a decent amount of experience as a team! You won't be getting any special treatment just because you're a Senju, you know!"

Naruto hummed and pouted to Sakura's side, his arms crossed behind his head. "I'm not asking for special treatment... I just want something worthy of our skills! You know pretty darn well we're the best Genin team in Konoha!"

"Hoooh...?" Sarutobi chuckled. "It's rare to hear you speak so boldly, Naruto. Is this confidence, or perhaps arrogance?"

"Neither," Naruto quickly clarified, a pinky rummaging through his ear. "I'm just stating the obvious by piling up the data, like Jiraiya-ojii taught me." He made a face as his eyes reminisced his time in the Academy. "This job looked a lot cooler in the brochure..."

"I don't tend to agree with the dobe," Sasuke, surprisingly, added. "But I also think we're ready for something a little more challenging."

Iruka sighed, "Not you too, Sasuke..."

Sarutobi tapped his fingers on the wood of his masterly crafted table -one ironically carved by Naruto in one of their D-ranks-. As Naruto pulled on one of Sasuke's bangs and Sakura looked on annoyed, Sarutobi observed the accumulated prospects, inspecting their strengths and weaknesses.

They were definitely an odd bunch.

Sasuke was hot-headed and cynical, and could be easily swayed by his emotions. Naruto was the other side of Sasuke's coin, yet at the same time harbored those same weaknesses. Sakura was the levelheaded of the team -if not a little fan-girly-, but offered little ability-wise at the moment. They all had much to grow.

Still...

Worst case scenario, they all had Kakashi's flawless skills to snag them out of any unfavorable situation. The man was a retired Anbu captain, after all.

"Kakashi," he called to gather the attention of said Copy Nin. He tapped his index on the wood under it, gauging his own capacity to ask himself if he should or shouldn't grant a higher-ranked mission. "What do you think? Are they ready for a small scale operation?"

A hollow thump spread within the room when Kakashi's book clapped to a close. He stored his... entertainment in his pouch, and directed his eye down at his students. It's a good thing he took -was forced into- that training to grow immune to puppy-dog eyes with Kushina.

That woman could really put pressure on you.

"No I don't."

He savored their looks of betrayal, from Naruto the most. "However, not to offend, Hokage-sama, but at their age I had already gone on several A-class missions which you had personally given to me. A C-rank is nothing special. I'm aware times have changed, but the tenacity of young ninja still remains... In fact, I dare say it's gotten stronger with these relatively peaceful times..."

Sarutobi breathed a column of air. He considered it, yet battered himself for the mere act of doing so. They were inexperienced, too inexperienced. Hashirama-sama had died leaving behind a legacy that discouraged exactly this, and now he was going to go against it just because he trusted Team Seven. Yes, they were Team Seven, his mind argued back.

This was the team that had breeded some of the greatest shinobi in history; the Sannin, Hokages and various legends.

He rummaged through some scrolls for a moment in search of something small, but worthy of their time.

Ah, perfect.

"Very well then, C-rank it is. Team Seven, I hereby assign you to do some data-based recon on an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Port City. You are not to physically enter the base, you are only to collect and report back your findings immediately. Anbu will be sent to sweep the area with your intel."

"Weak..." Naruto murmured, "The Anbu are always getting the good stuff... Maybe I should join them...?"

"Don't be ungrateful. Besides," Kakashi's eyes wandered off towards the Yondaime's stone head visible through the back window. "You're not cut out for Anbu. I should know..."

Before any further inquiries could be made about Kakashi's choice of words, Sarutobi cleared his throat and regained the attention of the younger members of Team Seven. "You have your instructions, boys and girls. Remember that it's a consensus," he hurled the scroll with the coordinates of the warehouse to Kakashi, and the latter caught it without taking his eye off the window. "That those that break the rules, are scum."

'But those that abandon their comrades, are worse than scum.' Sakura glimpsed at their teacher, her mind recalling his words after they had been instated as Team Seven. 'He seemed so distraught when he said those words to us... I wonder what kind of hardships Kaka-sensei has been through?'

~~Senju Household~~

The day to depart was tomorrow, so he and his team had been given the day to prepare for the mission. Something which, Naruto had no qualms with -he had only complained for twenty minutes-.

The mission involved a standard collection of data sparked from suspicious activity formerly reported by Port City's officials. Apparently, there had been some mysterious disappearances in the nearby vicinity, and the board was calling on Konoha -its parent governmental body- to investigate where the city suspected they were being held.

Basically, they were being sent to gather intel so the big-dogs would come and eat the prosecuted. Naruto didn't know how he felt about that.

After the front guards had cheerfully allowed him entrance into the compound, Naruto made his way across the mellow whistling a tune he had once heard Jiraiya whistle.

"Again!"

"Yes!"

Naruto stopped and wandered his gaze towards the grand fields of pasture to the west. There he saw Jiraiya and Gaara, the latter attacking the much grander man with a flurry of kicks and punches -something Tsunade had strictly forbidden him from doing for the first four weeks-. He immediately made his way towards them with his arms flailing back.

But for the wrong reasons.

"Oi!" He cried hysterically, "Let me in! I want in, I want in! Gaara, let's rid the world of the God of Hentai together!"

"Oh!" Jiraiya made hooting noises at the nearing Jinchūriki. "Naruto, my boy! We haven't had a good spar in weeks! Come at me then and show me what ya got!"

"Nobody's showing anyone anything!"

Like divine intervention, Tsunade appeared out of the heavens and slammed her fist in between both parties. The grass spurted in every direction, the rock under it came to greet the sun for the first time in centuries, and the eyes of everyone present turned egg-white with dread.

Tsunade stood, a hand on her hip and a dangerous glint in her eye. "Have I made myself clear?"

"Y-yes, ma'am!"

"And you!" She pointed at the red-haired Jinchūriki, the latter standing at attention. "What in the hell are you doing out of bed?! Was the large amount of sedatives not enough to indicate that I wanted you to stay in it?!"

"I'm sorry..." Gaara's eyes fell for a moment, but he quickly regained his determination when he remembered why he was doing this. "But I want to grow strong so I can some day accompany Naruto in one of his missions. I want to be of some use to you, not loiter around all day like I have."

Jiraiya didn't know just how many things were wrong with that wish.

For one, he was already a registered ninja, one from Suna. Not only that, but he was their Jinchūriki. If word got out that they were harboring a Jinchūriki from another country, the balance of power would shift even more than it already had.

'These are major dilemmas, just to name a few... But to tell Gaara this would be crushing his resolve.'

"Gaara," Tsunade started, aspirated. "You're already a ninja owned by Suna. Not to mention you're the Kazekage's son. Oh, and they also don't know you're alive. If word were to get out we're giving you asylum, you can be sure they will demand you back at the penance of war. By all logical aspects, I should lock you under our basement and give Suna a call lest they find out on their own."

Jiraiya could have slapped himself. Though honestly he shouldn't have been so naïve when Tsunade was involved. 'Really, I'm more surprised she didn't crush his hopes sooner... Women tend to do that...'

Gaara seemed a little jittery hearing Suna brought up. "Do I really have to return to Suna...?"

Naruto neared, and this time, made his intentions clear as he lifted a hand and patted his shoulder. "Gaara, don't you want to go back to your home-"

"No!" Gaara subconsciously denied, his eyes darkening and his entire composure trembling, though no one knew if it was out of fear or something else entirely. "I...! I don't want to go back there...! Can't I stay here... please...?"

"I'd love that," Naruto smiled, a smile that calmed Gaara immensely. He turned to Tsunade with that very same expression. "Tsunade-obaa, can't he...?"

Sighing, Tsunade rubbed her aching temples. "It's not that simple..." Truthfully, she wouldn't mind having Gaara around. He was a Jinchūriki just like Naruto, and she could tell they could understand each other perfectly. They had only known each other for a few weeks, yet they already had a flourishing friendship. "Let's not talk about this right now. Besides, in his condition, he can barely walk to the gate."

"Gaara," Naruto interrupted, arms behind his head. "Wanna go get some ramen?"

Gaara instantly nodded. "Sure."

"Oh," Jiraiya chirped. "Can I go too?"

"Yeah," Naruto started walking with Gaara right next to him. "But you're paying."

"Che," Jiraiya ruffled the blond's head. "Sharp as ever I see...! Fine, but no more than ten bowls."

"Thirty."

"Fifteen."

"Twenty. Final offer."

"Fine."

"Oi!" Tsunade growled, the party of three freezing with a noticeable hump.

"..."

She tapped her fingers on the upper corners of her biceps as the three males turned back to her. "Bring me a bowl of salt ramen... And I'm serious about Gaara! If either of you make even a speck of blood drape the wraps around his head, there will be hell to pay, major hell. You have been warned."

"Oh, quit worrying!" Naruto said with a thumbs up, his canines glistening like two shooting stars in a starless sky. "It's only one block away! What's the worst that can happen?"

~~Five Minutes Later~~

"YOU LOST HIM?" Naruto roared, a duet of vanilla crepes in his hands. "I WAS GONE FOR THREE MINUTES!"

"You're so loud..." Jiraiya grumbled, his index cleaving through his ear to demonstrate his -apparently- wounded apparatus. "This young little lady came to me asking for directions. What was I supposed to do, ignore her to watch over a little brat with a bump on his head?"

"YES!" Naruto retorted without so much as an ounce of hesitation. "THAT'S WHAT ANY REASONABLE ADULT WOULD DO!"

Jiraiya nodded sagely. "Well, to be fair, the concept of reason is fairly overrated in our world..."

Jiraiya looked around, but was incapable of finding any little dude with bandages on his head. It was impossible, at least not with this many people walking around. He could use Natural Energy, but that would be a gross misuse of such legendary power. Besides, Ma and Pa would literally tear his ass apart -ow- for even considering it.

"I think it's best we split up. You go north, I'll go south."

"Fine!" Handing the crepes to Jiraiya, Naruto took off north, towards the park he met Hinata. Once there, he stepped within the field of green enveloping a decent amount of land. He immediately felt Gaara's exact body mass within the confines of the park. Jogging towards the direction where he could sense him, he saw the patch of bands on a teen the exact size of his target. "Gaara!"

Said individual turned to the source of the shout pulsing through his eardrums. "Naruto..." He spoke in a near whisper, his mouth clinging low. He stared off into the distance, admiring the long landscape dotted by adults and their children. "This place is... even bigger than the one in the compound... It's beautiful."

Naruto stood next to him, one hand in his pocket and the other scratching the back of his head. 'To some degree, he must feeling awed by all this... I can't really blame him. Suna's a wasteland compared to this place. Well, going by the rumors.' He fell to a squat and caressed the grass below. "Hey, Gaara... What do you think of this place so far? Of us?"

"I..." Gaara observed how the blades under Naruto's palm seemed to follow, even grow under his hand. He had seen this reaction of nature around Naruto before, but to this day he still felt amazed by his very existence. They were so different, yet at the same time so identical. "If there's such a thing as paradise, this place is it. But what I enjoy the most isn't its environment, but the people around me.

"Tsunade-sama is someone I admire for her strength, ability and grace. But above all, her passion to help others regardless of who they are... Even someone like me. She has fed me countless times, healed me and scolded me. She offers this warmth I somehow... know I have never had before. Almost like she was... like a... I don't know the correct concept nor expression."

"Like a mother," Naruto turned to him smiling, oblivious to Gaara's look of complete confusion. "I consider her my mother too. She's someone who saved me, who was there for me and fights to protect me. She came to this village, a village she loathes, for my selfish request of coming back. We're on the same boat, you and I; on many different levels."

"Yet I still feel alone," Gaara clenched his fists. "I feel unwanted for whatever reason, like I've been conditioned to feel this way... Like I'm worthless, expendable and nothing more than a tool! It drives me mad...!"

"You're none of those things," Naruto stated firmly. He stood back up and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I nearly thought myself just like you years ago. The people in this village used to loath me for reasons beyond my comprehension. I did pranks to get their attention, to have them acknowledge my existence, but I never allowed them to downsize me.

"Nobody has the right to call another human being worthless. Whoever warps a reason to do so, I don't care who and why, I'll beat their asses to the ground until they stop breathing! We all have a right to exist, and you and I aren't the exception! Follow my example, Gaara, and don't give up just when things seem dim. Instead fight harder!"

Gaara stared into Naruto's brilliant, violet eyes. There was a fire brimming behind those seldom seen orbs, a fire born in every one in a million people. A fire bigger than Gaara's own, but nonetheless identical.

He smiled and finished the connection by placing his own hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Thank you, Naruto..."

"No problem!" A grin, one boasting more power and energy than any Gaara had seen before. "What are friends for, right?"

'Friends...?' Gaara had never heard the word directed to him. It felt foreign, luxurious and underrated, this connection which many took for granted. His mile grew impossibly larger, one Naruto had never seen on Gaara. "Yeah... Friends!"

~~Konoha's Main Gate~~

Sakura didn't know how to feel about this boy Naruto was introducing.

At first glance, he seemed a little... unnerving. To be fair, though, the way he was trying so hard to make a good impression was kinda cute. 'He reminds me of Hinata when she's around Naruto... Wow... I just saw a very naughty image flash through my mind.'

Sakura was truly surprised to realize her tastes were somewhat same sex oriented. When Naruto and Gaara were involved, anyways.

"So when will you be back?" asked Gaara as Tsunade, Kakashi and Jiraiya were conversing behind the four Genins. "Will it be dangerous?"

"Nah," denied the blondest of the group, hoisting his blue pack to better accommodate his shoulder. "Like I said, it's a C-rank mission, so it's really just something we'll probably finish in a week or two. I am excited we actually get to leave the village, though!"

"Naruto," Sakura sounded annoyed. "I don't think you should be giving details of a mission before we even start it."

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan!" Naruto winked at her. "I already told him all about it at dinner."

"OI!"

"So," Kakashi started once again when he was sure their conversation wouldn't be overheard. "You both know the risk of him finding out increases as the rank of the missions does, Tsunade-sama, Jiraiya-sama. What is the procedure if he starts asking questions? I doubt denying affiliation would work at his age..."

"We've discussed it with Sarutobi and decided you're allowed to inform him," Jiraiya said, his eyes hard and his arms crossed over his chest. "I think we've waited long enough and I have faith Naruto can handle the information. I doubt the occasion will arise, but you have our blessing to tell him. He's grown to trust you, he's told me so countless times now."

"Are you sure?" Kakashi felt hesitant, almost unworthy. "Naruto views you two as his parents. I'm sure he would want to be told by people he feels comfortable with."

Snorting, Tsunade chuckled. "It's unlike you to sound so unconfident, Kakashi." She reassured him with a smile. "It's thanks to you that I garnered enough resolve over the years to come back for my little blond Senju to begin with. You're as much as his godfather as Jiraiya is, and a part of what he considers family. We're counting on you if the situation comes to be."

Kakashi sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "I understand." Accommodating the small backpack over his shoulder, he turned to his team and joined them. "Alright guys, time to go. I'll take the lead, Sakura you take our flank, Sasuke and Naruto you take our sides. Let's move! I want to be back as soon as possible!"

"Yeah!"

As Tsunade watched Naruto take off with his team, she thought back to the moments she and Jiraiya had blasted him through trees, and the drills Tenzo had made him do every morning at four. He was but a child back then, but now he was a ninja - one heading out to his first real mission.

She looked down at Gaara when the latter's face dropped. "What's wrong, Gaara?"

Gaara raised his head and narrowed his eyes. He could still see Naruto's back, getting farther and farther away. He made a choice then and there. "I need to get back to full health. If Naruto were to ever need me, I would be of no use to him as I am... No use at all. I need to be strong to be worthy of standing next to him..." His hands