⋆ 𝔯𝔢𝔡 𝔡𝔢𝔳𝔦𝔩 ⋆
chapter one / no friend of mine
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     Natsumi Uzumaki has had her fair share of grief. It greeted her like an old friend. A kind soul. But it was anything but. At the tender age of fourteen, she lost the last of her family. Of the Uzumaki clan and the two people she thought of as more than two siblings. But as her only parental figures.

     Kushina Uzumaki came to the village after the fall of their clan. And all she had was herself and the infant baby that was her little sister, Natsumi. But to her, that's all she needed. So in pair of going to school, she also helped raise Natsumi. Her bright red hair and sparkling light green eyes was a reminder of their mother. The same woman Natsumi never got to get to know. So Kushina did her best to fill in that roll. Being the mother and sister she needed. Which shaped her to be the person she is now. Even after her death.

      The night she and Minato died was the night Natsumi's childhood ended. She had to grow up in order to do right by her sister and brother-in-law. By doing that, she was determined to keep her promise to Kushina. And that was take care of their son, Naruto. No matter what.

       And what's exactly what she did. But in doing so, Natsumi lost friends. She lost the people who she used to grow up with, go to school with and hang out with. But after a while, she didn't care. They weren't real friends if they had a problem with taking care of a baby. For all Naruto had was her and she did not want to leave him in this world alone. The same world that seemed to blame him for something he did not do.

      So it had been just her and Naruto ever since. She loved every second of it. How sweet that little boy is. How much he looked like Minato but had Kushina's personality. It was like the gods were giving her a chance to protect the last bit of semblance of her sister and brother-in-law. Which she was determined to do just that. 

     Parenting a child at the age of fourteen was a challenge. Most nights, Natsumi found herself crying when she couldn't get Naruto to sleep or whenever she thought of the idea of him not ever knowing who his parents really were. If it weren't for Junko's help, she would have gone crazy with grief a long time ago. But the moment Naruto called her 'mama' for  the first time solidified the love she had for her nephew, who was now her son. The joy she felt after he uttered his first words made everything else worth it. The sleepless nights, the struggles, everything. It was all meant to be as it was. She felt right in her decision and she hasn't gone back on it. 

      "My lady, you must slow down!" Junko huffed, carrying what seemed like mountains of bags and a few boxes. 

     The day was bright, the streets of Konoha were busy like usual and Junko struggled to follow the beautiful young lady with long red hair as she made haste through the street. The excitement sparkled in her eyes and her legs couldn't have moved any faster than they were now. 

     "I cannot waste any second, Junko!" Natsumi beamed as she turned to Junko with a smile brighter than the sun above them. "Naruto's first day of kindergarten is coming to an end soon. I promised I will be there and I never go back on my word, y'know!" 

       Junko sighed as she shook her head. Natsumi was a lot like her older sister when it came to excitement. It was exhausting but endearing. To see her love that little boy so much. It was a heart warming sight. But also tiring to keep up with. 

    It seemed that excitement has made her less perceptive to her surroundings. Just as Natsumi turned back around, she bumped into someone's chest. With a soft 'oof', she stumbled back a bit. "Oh, I'm sorry." She mumbled without seeing who it was. 

    "It's fine-" the male voice stated before pausing. "Natsumi?" 

    She looked up upon hearing the recognition in his voice. Her light green eyes looked up to see Asuma Saratobi. An old friend of hers. Or.....ex-friend. During the funeral, he kept his distance from her. And then once he found out she was taking care of a baby now, he just stopped trying. Their friendship ended on that basis, alone. A ridiculous excuse, on his part. He recognized that a long time ago upon missing her presence in his life. 

   Natsumi's smile disappeared upon seeing him again. Asuma grew up, obviously. He was a lot taller and he was handsome. He smelled of cigarette smoke and something earthy. Asuma did have a bad habit of smoking even when they were pre-teens. Which is where it started. But that didn't matter to her anymore. Ever since they stopped being friends, Natsumi held some resentment towards him in the beginning. Because when she needed a friend in her time of need, he was nowhere to be found. Even going as far as actively avoiding her on the streets. 

    But as time passed, when she stopped caring about what others thought, she let that resentment go. That didn't mean her distrust went away. She didn't have to be friendly with him anymore. Because it still hurts to lose someone she was so close to. 

   "Asuma." She mumbled, standing back with her fingers laced together. 

    Asuma looked at her with mild shock. Natsumi physically changed a lot. He remembered how her hair used to reach just three inches past her shoulders. But now, her bold red locks reached her hips in soft waves. Her eyes seemed greener and she grew a bit taller. It showed just how much he's missed out on her. 

     "H-How are you?" He asked almost awkwardly, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Truthfully,  he knew he had no right to try to be cordial with her as if he didn't avoid her like the plague. But he was here, now. That mattered enough, right? Probably not. 

   Natsumi looked at him a bit stiffly. Almost astonished at how he was actually trying to talk to her casually. Any other time, she'd probably brush him off harshly and leave but since she no longer held that resentment that fueled her anger, all she could do was look at him a bit coldly. 

    "I am well." She answered him plainly. Not giving him much else. He didn't deserve that. "Now, if you will excuse me, I need to pick up my son from school." 

    Asuma tried to say more but she pushed past him, her handmaiden Junko followed close behind. Giving him a small nod on the way. All he could do was look as she walked deeper into the busy street. He sighed, a solemn expression on his face. He really hated himself for what he did to her. Natsumi has always been a good person. An angel, even. He really missed her but he was afraid he will never gain that trust back again. That was what hurt the most. 

       Standing outside of the kindergarten grounds with the other surrounding parents, Natsumi waited with anticipation as she counted down the time before school was let out. Many parents around her often whispered about her and how she adopted Naruto. Years ago, Hiruzen allowed the village to think that Naruto, a baby, was responsible for the nine tails attack. A damn baby. An innocent soul. He did nothing about the false rumors and he continued to do nothing. 

     Natsumi lost faith in him and the village after that. The only thing tying her to this place was the fact that she had nowhere else to go and her sister loved this place. Otherwise, She would have taken Naruto out of this village and never come back. 

     But no one dared to speak ill of Naruto in her presence. Natsumi was known to never hold her tongue for anything. Especially when it came to protecting Naruto. She never lets anyone look at him with disdain or speak of him in any negative way. She didn't care who it was. 

    Ignoring the whispers like always, Natsumi scanned for him after the children were all pouring out of the school. A head of shaggy blonde hair came into her view and immediately, she smiled. 

     "Naruto!" She called out, getting his attention. 

     Little Naruto Uzumaki's face went from neutral to gleeful upon spotting Natsumi in the crowd of parents. "Mommy!" he cheered, bolting towards her. As fast as his little legs could take him. 

    Natsumi squatted down as he jumped right into her arms. She chuckled wholeheartedly, picking him up in her arms. She stood back up, holding him on her right hip. Her free hand brushed some of his blonde hair from his forehead, caressing his face before giving him a kiss on his forehead. 

     "Hi, Miss Jun." He greeted Junko, smiling and waving at her. 

      Junko smiled, nodding towards him. "Good afternoon, Naruto." 

    "How was your first day, my little fox?" She asked, grinning warmly at him. 

     Naruto circled his arm around her neck, beaming brightly at her. "It was good." He said, showing her a paper he had in his hand. One she didn't even notice at first. "I made this for you." 

    Natsumi took the paper, looking at it. It was a squiggly drawing of some red flowers. It was colored and everything, too. Her heart warmed at the picture so much, she gave him another kiss on his forehead. "It's stunning." She complimented it. "I love it. What do you want for dinner tonight?" 

    Naruto thought for a second. "Miso ramen." He said with an excited tone. 

    Both Natsumi and Junko sweat dropped. Naruto developed a love for ramen after one trip to Ichiraku a while back and although she would moderate his consumption, he always found a way to circle right back to it. But hey, at least he's a kid that eats all of his food. 

    "Ramen, it is." She sighed a little, keeping her smile on her lips. "It's a special day, anyway." 

     Natsumi and Junko turned to leave the school grounds as Naruto rested his head on her shoulder. But before they could leave completely, Natsumi was stopped. 

    "Natsumi, wait!" The feminine voice called out to her. Causing them to pause and turn. 

     She recognized her to be Shoko Nara. Shikaku's wife. And she only knows that because she remembers talking to Shikaku a few times before. Though their interactions were always brief, he was kind to her. Scared of his wife, though. But through meeting him, she met Shoko. She and Mikoto Uchiha were two women who did not judge her for adopting Naruto. In fact, they even helped Natsumi with childcare. Teaching her everything they knew of taking care of a baby. 

  "Miss Nara." She said as the woman stopped in front of her. "Hello." 

   "I'm sorry to stop you so suddenly," Shoko apologized with a small grin on her lips. "I just wanted to know how you've been lately, it's been so long." 

    "I've been okay," She answered truthfully. Adjusting Naruto in her arms. Said boy lifted his head to look at Shoko with wonder coating his cerulean blue eyes. "Naruto and I have been getting by, day by day." 

    Shoko nodded along to her words. "That's good. I'm glad you are." She replied sincerely. Shoko hasn't stopped thinking about Natsumi and Naruto as of lately. Wondering if she was doing okay, if Naruto was okay. It bugged her but she was happy to be able to stop her now. "Listen, umm....Shikamaru wants to be friends with Naruto." 

    Natsumi looked at her with shock before her eyes down cast to the little boy, who looked up at her sheepishly. He was standing behind Shoko's leg, peeking at her and then at Naruto. He looked so much like Shikaku, it was adorable. She was also shocked because not many kids even want to interact with her son. Especially with how parents paint him to be. Oftentimes, it rolled into their children's behavior. 

     To Shikamaru, Miss Natsumi was very pretty. It was hard to look at her straight because he would get shy. That's why he asked his mom to talk to her. He wanted to be Naruto's friend but was too scared to ask her. 

   "Usually, he's more bold about his approach but for some reason, my usually mature son wanted me to talk to you." Shoko chuckled, placing a hand on her son's head. "I wanted to let you know if you want, you can always drop Naruto off at my house. I'd be happy to watch him on some days you cannot or if Junko cannot. I know Shikamaru would love to have him around." 

     Natsumi smiled softly at her. This really made her happy to hear this. There were some parents out there who refused to listen to the poison spewed about Naruto and saw him as a child. 

     "Thank you, Miss Nara." She thanked her kindly. "I will definitely take you up on that offer. Also, Shikamaru is welcomed over at our house, as well. I would love to have him around." 

     Shoko smiled, giving her a thankful glance. She looked at Shikamaru, who had a very tiny grin on his face. "Of course, thank you." She said before they turned to head home. "I'll be seeing you around, Natsumi. Be safe." 

    "Good afternoon, Miss Nara." She bid her goodbye before she and Junko turned to leave. 

    Naruto looked over her shoulder at Shikamaru, giving him a small wave. To which, he smiled a bit more at him and waved back. Starting a life long friendship between the two.