Naruto's Kit

Chapter 10

A few days went by uneventfully for Naruto. He found out in that time that Akane could already read, swim, and do basic math. She couldn't hit a bulls-eye in target practice or write eligibly yet however. She seemed as smart as a first year academy student who hadn't been taught history, jutsus, weapons, or chakra exercises. Maybe a little smarter. If she attended the academy when the next term started, and wasn't treated like he had, then she would be a decent student at least. Maybe not Rookie of the Year, but surely not the dead last.

One afternoon, as Naruto and Akane were having a ramen-eating race at Ichiraku's, they were joined by Iruka. "Hey Naruto. I heard you got a daughter recently. This would be her I presume?"

"Yep." Naruto said with his mouth full of noodles, then looked at the girl. "Akane, say 'hi' to him."

The young girl turned to look at the scarred instructor, not pausing her eating, and instantly felt a friendly, trusting sense of familiarity towards him. "Hi. I'm Akane Uzumaki. You friends with Otou-san?"

Iruka nodded. "Yeah, we go way back. I taught the little troublemaker back when he was in school. Maybe I'll be your teacher too. Just don't be as bad as him, okay?"

"Alright, then I'll be worse." Akane playfully replied with a sneaky grin.

Naruto gave his former instructor a pitying look. "Sorry sensei. There's no stopping her now. Now it's a challenge for her."

'First Naruto, then Konohamaru, and now her? Guess bad things do come in threes.' Iruka thought. "Anyway Naruto, the hokage wanted me to tell you that she's got a mission for you. One that might cause you to be out of town for several days."

Naruto stopped eating, allowing Akane to get ahead of him. "Crap. Hinata-chan's out already with her team. I need a sitter for Akane-chan fast."

"Well, I can cover that part for you if you'd like. It'll let me see what I've got to worry about when she enrolls." Iruka offered.

"You sure it won't be a problem?" Naruto asked.

"Shouldn't be. Sound okay girl?"

"You say something?" Akane asked as she finished off her 12th beef-flavored ramen bowl.

"Looks like she's got your attention span." Iruka commented.

After being informed about the mission by Tsunade, Naruto took Akane back to his apartment and packed up a few things in a pack for her. He also gave her a key so she could come back if she had to for some reason. Then he brought her to Iruka's own modest apartment. "You be good you hear? Nothing dangerous or inappropriate." Naruto told her paternally.

She nodded. "But I can still have fun, right?"

Naruto shrugged. "Of course. Just don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Gotcha." Akane nodded. 'That must mean that if he would do it, then it was okay.' Shame he once told her about all the pranks he used to pull one night when she asked how good he was. "Have fun."

He ruffled her hair and and left with his partners hoping nothing bad would happen. Not to Akane, not to Iruka, and especially to Konoha in general.

Akane was sort of unsettled. Due to impressions of Naruto's memories acting as her own, the idea of being alone in Konoha as a young child didn't comfort her. Sure, she was a demon rather than a defenseless human, but she didn't want to reveal that side of her here. The town had a major dislike of fox demons such as herself and if her identity was revealed any chance of her and her adoptive father having a decent life would be gone like shedded fur.