Chapter 14

"Hello Naruto, I thought I would come by, see how you were getting along." the Hokage said gently.

Naruto smiled politely, stepping aside to allow the older man to enter which he did. Hiruzen smiled as he gazed around the house, having visited more than a few times before and after Naruto's birth. He noted happily that it was well-kept, even if a few articles of clothing were strewn across furniture now and again; he just didn't know those weren't Naruto's. It at least told him the boy hadn't gone into any kind of depression over his parents' deaths like he had feared.

He was also happy to hear that Naruto was top of the class, even if he shared that space with the Uchiha clan heir, really to be expected though from Minato's son. That told him he hadn't neglected his training at all, even reports of him visiting the Uchiha compound and making friends. In all Hiruzen was rather glad, he was very busy in the last few months dealing with the aftermath of the attack and didn't have time to visit Naruto so it was heart-warming to see he was doing just fine.

However, he didn't expect to walk into the house, only to see a young purple-haired girl walk in from the back door, looking at the Hokage first curiously then in surprise. Hiruzen raised an eyebrow at the scene, scanning the house again as he took note of all the slightly feminine clothing dotted around. He turned back around to Naruto but the boy simply walked past him, smiling at Anko before moving into the kitchen to prepare some tea as his mother had taught him to do when entertaining guests.

"Hello, Anko is it?" The Hokage had made a note to know every face in his village; the young girl was no exception. Anko just nodded quickly and respectfully, some of Naruto's polite personality managing to rub off on her, slightly. "It's good to see you." Anko smiled a little nervously, never having spoken to the Hokage before, even when the fourth was still alive.

"And you, Hokage-sama." she said with awkward stifness laden in her voice.

Hiruzen just waved a hand, dismissing the formal suffix; after he had retired he had hoped to be rid of it, as well as a certain amount of paperwork.

"Please child, no need for the pleasantries, I am no more important to this village than anybody else." Anko nodded slowly, obviously not believing the overtly humble statement but following him as they both walked into the kitchen anyway. Hiruzen was mildly surprised when he found Naruto already laying out three cups of steaming tea, smiling pleasantly at the Hokage and Anko.

"Very kind of you Naruto." The redhead simply nodded as he sat down at the table.

"Might I ask why you're visiting Hokage-sama?" Hiruzen sighed, knowing it would be a losing battle to try and get Naruto to treat him with anything but the utmost politeness; his father was exactly the same, even when he had been Hokage himself.

"I just thought I would come and see how you're getting along, with your studies, friends and the like." As he said friends he made sure to glance in Anko's direction; watching the girl as she sipped her tea like it was the most normal situation in the world. Naruto just smiled as he settled back in his chair, his defences really had come down with Anko's help, he was smiling a lot more now; not like he used to, but more.

"Please Hokage-sama; you have records of all out progress updated monthly, if you wanted to know you could simply flick through my file." The Hokage nodded with a smirk of his own, Naruto was sharp like his father but with just the hint of cheekiness he got from his mother.

"Ahh but it's nothing like hearing from the source." Naruto nodded with a smile, admitting that small fact.

"I guess... I have been keeping up with the training schedule my father had planned for me while also staying ahead of my studies, as you probably know I'm top of the class along with my friend Itachi." The Hokage nodded, indeed knowing this beforehand and he was curious about it.

"Tell me, how exactly did that happen? I knew your mother was very well acquainted with Mikoto Uchiha but before you started at the academy I thought you had limited interaction with them at best." Naruto nodded, in fact he had limited interaction with children his age period.

"He approached me at lunch on our second day, with a lunch prepared by his mother. We talked and became friends. We train together every so often too; I think he sees me as somewhat of a rival, I see him the same way." Hiruzen smiled as he sipped his tea, a rivalry was always good to push students harder as long as it didn't get too out of hand.

"Very good, and I assume you met Shisui through him?" Naruto shook his head with his own smirk, it felt somewhat good to have information the Hokage didn't, no matter how inconsequential.

"No, we became friends after the first sparring session of the Academy, he likes to have a partner who can keep him on his toes but doesn't have the same style of fighting as him." The Hokage nodded, somewhat surprised at how civil and mature Naruto could be as he talked. In his opinion it was nothing how a six, bordering on seven year-old should be but there was little he could do about the strange precociousness. Finally Hiruzen turned his gaze to Anko, the girl still sipping away at her tea slowly, so far staying out of the conversation.

"And how did you two meet?" Naruto just chuckled as Anko smiled sweetly before she explained about her unconventional arrival to the academy on her first day and seeing Naruto climb up the building. If Hiruzen was surprised that Naruto was already proficient with the tree-climbing exercise he didn't show it. He might've though if he knew that wasn't the extent of Naruto's chakra control exercises. Hiruzen however seemed concerned with the living arrangements and while understanding it made both their lives less lonely he still had to be the adult in the situation.

"Naruto, as much as it pains me to say this after hearing just how friendly you two have become Anko cannot continue to live with you." Both kids looked up at the man in shock and disbelief, Anko especially; she didn't want to leave. For the first time in her life since she was little she was happy and it was mainly thanks to Naruto. The redhead was also distressed about this turn of events.

"What? Why?!" Hiruzen sighed, arguments with children, especially those as stubborn and mature as Naruto were always difficult.

"Naruto, she is in the legal care of the orphanage; that is her home." Anko huffed loudly at that, nearly dropping her tea cup as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"That place will never be my home." Hiruzen sighed again, trying to get the right meaning across in his words that would get through to the two kids who had obviously grown very attached.

"While you may think that way it is still the orphanage's obligation to care for you and by living here you make that impossible for them." Anko still didn't look happy in fact she only grew more irritated.

"So what?! I've been living with Naruto for three months and the orphanage did nothing! They're probably glad I'm gone!" Hiruzen frowned at that, however unnoticeably, he should have been contacted if a child had gone missing from the orphanage for that long. Also the fact that Naruto had not only cared for himself but another child as well wasn't exactly good news, even if it did show his maturity in a new light.

"Come on Hokage-sama! It's not like we're hurting anybody, if anything everybody is happier this way. This house is too big for just me anyway and I don't mind having Anko live here," he shot an apologetic look at the girl before continuing "And from what Anko tells me her experience in the orphanage wasn't ideal, here she feels safer and with us training together she is improving at the academy as well." Hiruzen sighed; he argued with the same undeniable passion and logic as both his parents, it was like talking to Minato himself if he was shorter and a redhead.

"I can see the benefits Naruto, but there is a reason there is protocol and systems in place, if Anko's experience was as you say 'less than ideal' there are people she is supposed to go to." He turned and addressed Anko directly "Not included in those people, despite how good they're to confide in, are your fellow academy students." Anko just seemed to shrink into her chair slightly under the Hokage's warm but undeniably powerful gaze. Naruto didn't really feel like giving up on this though, as his mother wouldn't.

"Well isn't there some way she could come and live here properly then?" Anko looked up and around in surprise at the redhead. Before now, both had just sort of accepted their living situation without really discussing it. This was the first time either of them had openly admitted to wanting it like this and it made her feel a little warmer inside to know somebody actually wanted her around. Hiruzen just sighed, putting a hand to his forehead in both exasperation and thought.

"Until Anko becomes a fully fledged adult or has a legal guardian she is under the care of the system." Naruto narrowed his eyes at this, frustrated that the Hokage kept coming back to that same point.

"Then how can I be made her guardian?" Hiruzen looked up from his palm, genuinely surprised Naruto was fighting so hard for this. He didn't know if it was genuine affection for Anko or just his inherited stubborn streak in his Uzumaki genes.

"You need to be an adult to be made somebody's guardian Naruto." Naruto finally smiled in victory, even though Hiruzen had no idea what was going through the boy's mind.

"Then as soon as I become a Shinobi I'm eligible right?" Hiruzen's eyebrows shot up in incredulity as he finally caught on to what Naruto was thinking. "If I pass the Genin exams this year then I can legally be made Anko's guardian and she can stay with me?" Hiruzen finally sighed as he nodded slowly, only increasing the smile that spread across Naruto's features. "Then just you watch, I'll pass the exams, believe it!" Hiruzen tried to keep his mirth from showing as he stood up, walking towards the door with a smile.

"Very well, in the mean time I think it wouldn't be too much to allow Anko to stay with you, call it a trial run." Naruto was a little shocked and relieved at the Hokage's concession as he followed the older man to the door. "But be warned, if you don't pass the Genin exams the Anko will have to return to the Orphanage." Naruto just nodded with determination even as the Hokage left, leaving the two Shinobi in training with a lot of thoughts. Naruto returned to the kitchen where he found Anko, just staring at him with a mix of awe and gratitude.

"Why did you fight so hard for me? I mean why go out of your way just for me? It's not like I'd be disappearing. Aren't I just a lot of trouble?" Naruto only smiled kindly as he gently hugged the shocked girl, pulling away with a smile.

"You're my friend. And you want to stay, right?" He began to walk back outside to the training ground, not forgetting what the Hokage had interrupted with his visit. "Plus it would be way too quiet around here if you left." Anko smiled until she got the other meaning in Naruto's words as a playful scowl made its way onto her face.

"Hey!"