Naruto: Jinchuriki of the Six Paths by X009

Chapter 5

It looked to be another beautiful day in Konoha as the sun began to rise over the horizon, shining its bright rays upon the stirring village. Several of those rays of light managed to make it through the window of the apartment to one Uzumaki Naruto, causing the whiskered blond to stir from his slumber. Cracking a single Rinnegan eye open, Naruto groaned as light hit his retina and caused some minor discomfort. He wished he could sleep in, but knew that if he didn't get up on time Zabuza, heartless man that he was, would probably come to his apartment and drag him out.

And so, with the deliberate slowness from one who had not fully woken up, Naruto moved into a sitting position, his eyes still closed as he scratched his belly.

It took a few moments for him to become capable of movement, but when he did Naruto threw the covers off and slowly turned his body until his legs dangled over the edge of the bed. Another moment later his feet were touching the cool tiling of his floor, and Naruto stood up, arms stretching above his head and back popping and cracking as he did so.

Making his way over to the window, he let his right hand fall to the back of his head, scratching his scalp while using his left to wipe a tear out of the corner of his still sleep-filled eye as he reached his destination. The blond winced as the light shined into his eyes before letting out a yawn and stretching once more.

Finally, he felt his famous vitality begin to awaken. A confident smirk grew across his face as he finally fully woke up, ready to face whatever the new day had in store as he took in the sunrise. Suddenly, his stomach growled. With a slight chuckle, he rubbed his belly before walking over to the door. His hand reached for the knob before stopping just inches from its target as a grimace marred his features. He had just remembered that his milk had expired... again... and he'd neglected to get more.

His smile returned. 'Ah well. I guess I'll just have to treat myself to some ramen.' It may not be as good as the divine dish that was Ichiraku ramen, but instant ramen was still delicious. He turned the knob and the door opened, creaking slightly on its hinges. The blond took one step into the living room before he stopped with a look of shock on his face.

Lounging on his couch was none other than his sensei. The silver haired man was reclining with his head on the pillow and his feet over an arm of the couch and hanging in the air, reading his book. He turned a lazy eye to his student, but didn't take his nose out of his precious Icha-Icha. "Hey, good morning. Sleep well?"

Naruto shook himself out of his astonishment. "K-Kakashi-sensei? What are you- How'd you get in here?"

Kakashi just chuckled as he sat upright. "Come now. You should know that it would be easy for a ninja to sneak into a place like this. As for why I'm here, well, I thought I'd bring you a gift."

Naruto's expression lit up. Not counting Ichiraku ramen, he could count the number of gifts he had gotten on one hand. "Really?" Then his expression fell, now showing slight disbelief. "Wait... you broke into my apartment this early in the morning just to give me a gift?"

Kakashi shrugged. "Well, I think you'll understand when you see what it is." Kakashi reached behind the arm of the couch and Naruto ran forward, wild anticipation clear as he neared Kakashi pulled the gift into view... then the blonds' face twisted in distaste. In his hand, Kakashi held a basket full of fresh fruit and vegetables. Giving one of his eye-smiles, the copy ninja approached his student and handed him the basket, who took it with both hands. "I thought that, with all the ramen you eat, you could use a little more nutrition in your diet." He didn't mention that one time the Third Hokage had shown him the genin's apartment and he had seen what was in Naruto's fridge. The boy ate nothing but ramen, cereal and bread. How anyone could get by on just that was beyond the jonin.