Hashirama stood in the middle of the main house and looked around. The room he and Mito shared still had her things in it, but not his and he wondered if she had just packed them away or if she had gotten rid of them.

He moved around the house and looked in his children's rooms and found that while some of their things were there, there were also some that had been taken. It looked as though his children had moved out. He would have to check if they had moved to another house in the compound and died or if they had left the compound.

As painful as it would be for his children to leave behind their Senju roots, he hoped that had been the case and that they either were still alive or that they had died after living a full life. He suspected that they were dead, however, after what Hiruzen had told them about the Third Shinobi War. So many had died and those of clans – especially famous clans – had been targeted more than others.

Before he went looking for his family, however, he needed to take care of the child next to them.

"Naruto, for now, I will take my old room, Tobirama can take his old room, and we will clear out a room for you. Would you like one next to Tobirama and I?"

Naruto looked at him, unsure. He was still scared of these men, but they didn't seem to mean him any harm. They were taking him in. He was still waiting for this to be revealed to be a trick, for them to discover how horrible he was and then get rid of him. But for now, maybe he could enjoy this family he had.

He looked down at his feet and said, "Yeah, I think that I would like that."

Hashirama smiled down at him reassuringly, trying to show Naruto that he was trustworthy. "Ok, Naruto. How about this room? It's right next door and used to belong to my oldest. It's supposed to be the room of the Heir of the Clan, and that's what you are. Does it look good?"

Naruto looked inside the room and saw a room bigger than what he had at his apartment. It had a window, a closet, a bed, a dresser, pictures on the walls and a bunch more of various things. Things he had never been able to afford. Naruto looked at feet shyly again, "I really like it."

Hashirama and Tobirama both looked at him with sad looks, seeing how unsure and scared the young boy was. They then looked at each other and understood each other in a way that only siblings could. They would do everything for this precious boy.

Tobirama took charge this time and said, "Alright, Naruto, I have the room on the other side of Hashirama. First, let's get this room cleaned out and put your stuff in it.

"To start with, let's look at all of the pictures, clothes, etc., and see what we should keep in here and what we should pack up and put in storage."

And so, the three of them start looking through the closet and the dresser. They find that, while Naruto likes the clothes, they are all much too big for him. Those need to be packed away for later, so Tobirama goes out to get some boxes. Hashirama and Naruto start looking through the other things, and Naruto starts saying that he likes everything.

Hashirama looks down at him once again. "Naruto, you don't have to tell me you like everything. I won't be mad if you don't like something. It's completely ok." Hashirama can tell that Naruto doesn't believe him and it makes him sad. How much has he been hurt by the village? How much has Hiruzen failed him? It's starting to infuriate him and he's getting more and more angry the longer he spends around Naruto.

Tobirama comes up behind the two of them with boxes, and says, "It really is ok, Naruto. We won't be offended. We know that you are not Shiori. You will and do like different things than she did. You are a different person and that's totally fine."

Naruto looked at him hopefully but skeptically and decided to test them with a small thing, "Well, I don't really like the pictures of places. I like foxes more."

Tobirama and Hashirama looked at each other. Foxes? Could it be the influence of the Nine Tails? Whatever it was, though, that's what Naruto liked. So, they would take down the pictures and put up something he like more, whatever they could find in stores. If there wasn't anything, they would order something. Naruto deserved to be comfortable and with everything that he had gone through so far, he also deserved to be spoiled.

Hashirama smiled down at Naruto encouragingly, "Alright, Naruto, then let's take down the pictures on the walls. We'll get something that you like better later, once we're done with all of the cleaning that we have to do. Is there anything else that you don't like?"

Now that they hadn't reacted badly to his request, Naruto felt much more comfortable talking to them and especially telling them things that he didn't like. "Well-um-I-uh, I don't like the curtains. I prefer blue over red. Otherwise; I think it's fine. There isn't really much in here."

At this, Hashirama looked sad. "No, I suppose there's not. Shiori must have taken her other things with her when she left the main house.

"Well, now that we've packed away what we need to, let's clean everything up. There is dust everywhere. We can't have you sleeping in a room that is dirty."

Naruto looked apprehensively around, which did not go unnoticed by the brothers. This time, it was Tobirama who said, "What's the matter, Naruto?"

Naruto looked at the ground, unwilling to admit that he didn't really know how to clean all that well, that no one had ever taught him. He was afraid that they would be angry with him, the way the Hokage was when he visited and saw the mess of an apartment that Naruto used to live in. He wanted this to last as long as possible and didn't want the fact that he didn't know how to clean to get him kicked out and back at his apartment, alone. "Nothing's wrong."

Once again, it was Tobirama who spoke, despite him usually being short on words and not good with emotions, "Naruto, you don't have to fear us. I promise that we will take care of you and be here for you. Anything that is wrong, you can tell us."

Naruto thought about it for a minute. They hadn't gotten mad when he asked for some of Hashirama's daughter's things to be removed from the room. Maybe they won't get mad at this? He wasn't really sure, but he knew that they had both noticed that he was upset. Even if he tried to hide it, they wouldn't believe him. "Um-well-um-Idon'tknowhowtoclean." Naruto said it so fast and quiet that they had a hard time understanding him.

Hashirama knelt down and looked Naruto in the eye, so he was on the same level as the boy instead of towering over him, "I'm sorry, Naruto, we didn't quite catch what you said. Can you please repeat it?"

Naruto looked at him and then the ground again, frightened, but he couldn't refuse the request, so he said in a whisper, "I don't know how to clean."

This time, both of the brothers could make out what he was saying, and their anger was only rising. He lived in an apartment by himself and didn't know how to clean. Did no one teach him?

Hashirama, being on the same level as Naruto asked, "Did no one teach you how, Naruto?"

Naruto would no longer look up from the ground, ashamed of his ignorance. "Not really. They kind of showed me how to use the stove. And explained how to sweep and wash the dishes and stuff, but that was it."

Hashirama wondered what on Earth was going on. Not teaching him anything? Him living alone? The state of his apartment? How had Hiruzen though that this was acceptable. Hashirama really wanted to tell Hiruzen exactly what he thought of his treatment of Naruto.

Hashirama, being the more emotional brother, pulled Naruto into a hug. "It's alright, Naruto, we'll show you."

Naruto tensed at the hug, not used to any kind of affection, a look of shock on his face. He had never been hugged before. It wasn't long, though, before he held Hashirama back as tight as he could and burst into tears. "Th-th-thank you! I-I've never been hugged before."

This statement genuinely enraged both of the brothers. He's never been hugged? A child who has never been hugged. Even though the two of them had entered a war when they were children, they had received hugs. The story of Naruto's life just kept getting worse and worse. How bad was this going to get?

Hashirama picked up the crying child and looked at his brother, "Can you go check to see if the cleaning supplies are still where they used to be and in good condition?"

"Of course, brother."

***********************************************************************

When Naruto woke up the next morning, the entire house had been cleaned. All of the dust was gone and everything that needed it had been washed. Naruto looked around and wondered how they had gotten everything done, though he supposed that they could move faster when they weren't teaching him.

Walking by his room, Hashirama noticed him, "Oh, Naruto, you're awake! Fantastic! There isn't any food in the house, or it would have spoiled, so we'll have to go out to eat breakfast, but that's fine since we need to get basics for you and for the house in general. Most of the things here are fine, but there are some that are missing. Let me go get your uncle!"

At this, he turned down the hall and called, "Tobi, Naruto is up! Let's go get breakfast!"

Tobirama appeared out of his own bedroom next to Hashirama's and nodded, coming down the hall himself.

Hashirama looked down at Naruto and said, "You're not the only one that we need things for. My wife kept some of mine and Tobi's stuff, but not all of it. We need clothes, hygiene things, food, and more.

"But first we'll stop at the bank to pull out some money and then get breakfast. I'm sure you're hungry. Tobi and I don't need to eat or sleep, but it's something that we enjoy, so we'll see how much money is in our account and then we'll decide if we're going to eat or not. Knowing Mito, we should have plenty.

"We'll still have to earn more, or we'll run through it all just by living, but it should be enough to get settled.

"What would you like for breakfast?"

Once again, Naruto didn't want to be a burden, but they were asking him, so he stuck with something typical and said, "Um, could I get some miso soup? And maybe some fried fish?" He thought that these were foods that he saw others eating all the time, even if he couldn't make the fish for himself since it was too difficult.

Hashirama and Tobirama looked at each other knowingly. They could tell that he either didn't really know what people ate for breakfast or he didn't want to say the wrong thing. Perhaps both.

At least they got an answer out of him. In time they would discover what he really liked to eat and all of his other preferences.

Since Tobirama didn't really talk all that much, Hashirama looked down at Naruto and said, "Of course we can get that. Let's go out and find a restaurant. Do you know any good ones?"

For some reason, this question made Naruto clam up and look scared.

Naruto hadn't really thought about it when they were talking about getting food, but he was terrified about what they would think when they found out that most of the restaurants wouldn't let him in. Maybe he should have suggested ramen? Then they could go to Ichiraku's. Except he wasn't really sure they were open this early. Ramen was really a lunch and dinner meal. He wasn't really sure what to do.

This time Tobirama took the lead and knelt down to ask Naruto, "What's wrong, nephew?", only to have Naruto look at the ground and not answer him. "It's alright, Naruto, we won't be angry with you, no matter what it is you have to say."

Naruto appreciated what Tobirama had to say, but he didn't believe him. He knew for sure that they would be infuriated with him when they found out that he was a monster. And even if they weren't, they would be angry that the villagers wouldn't serve him. It would make everything much harder for them, they wouldn't be able to go in certain stores, they would get glares and whispers, and they would have to deal with the hatred of the village on his behalf. Instead of saying that, though, he said, "Maybe we could see if my favorite ramen shop is open?"

Tobirama and Hashirama both knew that this wasn't the real reason that he was upset. Just a minute ago he had been unsure about asking for a specific food and now he was? Something else was going on, but they could figure out what it was later. If they didn't push and were patient, then he would tell them in his own time.

Tobirama, very patiently, said, "Of course we can, Naruto. If they aren't open, we can find another place that sells ramen, or we can go with the original plan of miso soup and fried fish. We can even make it at home if we need to."

Naruto was very grateful for the two brothers, just overnight, they had changed his entire life for the better. He was just afraid that he would mess this up or that it would end as suddenly as it had begun.

As soon as they stepped out of the compound, the brothers noticed it. Last night it had been too late for many (or any) people to be out. The whispers. The glares. A lot of them were for the brothers. It wasn't every day that the First and Second Hokage came back, after all. But just as many were about Naruto. It seemed that they had been right in that he was not appreciated or treated well in the village.

"What is Lord First and Lord Second doing with the monster?"

"They are looking like they like it."

"What on Earth? It's a monster that destroyed the village! How could they like it?"

Hashirama and Tobirama shared a look at all of the conversations going on around them. If this was what he dealt with every day, no wonder Naruto was so shy and wary of upsetting them.

Hashirama felt the need to hug Naruto, so he picked him up and said, "You know that what they are saying isn't true, right Naruto? You aren't a monster."

Naruto did not believe him. How could he not be a monster? Everyone told him that he was. The only person who didn't was Hokage-sama, and he never said that he wasn't the way these two – his family – were. Maybe they just didn't know yet? Naruto wasn't sure what made him a monster, but there had to be something and maybe these two just didn't know what it was yet the was the other adults did.

Hashirama was enraged on Naruto's behalf, especially since he could see that all of the whispers had convinced Naruto that he really was a monster, but this wasn't something that he could fix right away. It would take time – a lot of it – to convince both Naruto and the villagers that Naruto wasn't a monster or demon.

Instead, for the moment, Hashirama would do some convincing of the villagers to just not say anything in front of them. Loudly, so that all of the villagers around him could hear, he said, "So, Naruto, nephew, what where is this favorite restaurant of yours?" Hopefully referring to Naruto as his nephew would curb some of the more blatant comments.

"Lord First, we will need to turn left right up here," Naruto almost whispered.

Indignantly Hashirama looked at Naruto, "Lord First?! I am your uncle, and you should call me that. Lord First is far too formal for family!"

"O-ok, Uncle," Naruto stuttered. It was weird to call someone, anyone, so familiarly, but he liked it. It meant that he really did have family. This wasn't a dream.

After that, the word spread through the market and down the streets about Naruto being related to Lords First and Second and while people watched them, they didn't get the whispers anymore. At least, not that they could make out.

They finally got to Ichiraku's just to discover that it wasn't open for breakfast.

Uncle Tobirama looked at Naruto, "It's alright, we can find another restaurant that sells what you were interested in to start with."

This made Naruto bury his head in Hashirama's shoulder. He didn't want to find another restaurant. They wouldn't let him in and then, even though they had been nice so far, his uncles would discover how much of a pain he was and would send him away again so that they could do what normal people could.

Tobirama and Hashirama noticed once again Naruto's reaction to finding a restaurant and figured that he had lied earlier when he said what was bothering him and that it was actually going to a restaurant. They knew that he was upset by it, but not why, and, with a look, they decided that, even though it would make him upset, they wanted to discover what, exactly, upset him.

"There's a restaurant right here, just across the street. Let's try that one," Hashirama encouraged.

Naruto knew this restaurant. Knew for a fact that they didn't want him in there and would prefer to not even have him around. When he went to Ichiraku's, they would always hassle Teuchi and Ayame. It was one of the reasons why he didn't go to Ichiraku's very often anymore.

But he knew, knew without a doubt, that there wasn't another restaurant he could suggest that would let him in. There were a few he didn't know about, but they were all the way across the village, and they were probably the same as all the rest.

Hashirama led the way into the restaurant and was stopped by the first waiter they came across, "Excuse me, sirs, but if you would wait right here, the manager will be with you shortly."

Hashirama and Tobirama were both mildly confused, though they assumed it was because of them. It was still a novelty to have the multiple Hokages in their restaurant. This didn't apply to Naruto, since he was a part of the village that they should recognize. They both hoped that the furor around them would die down soon as everyone got used to seeing them around.

After waiting for about five minutes, the manager came out of the back room, "I'm sorry, sirs, but that thing is not allowed in this establishment. I apologize for the inconvenience. You are welcome back here without it. I appreciate your patience on this matter."

Tobirama didn't speak much, but this enraged him enough that he did, "What on Earth do you mean he isn't allowed in here?! He is a citizen of Konoha and a child! What could he possibly have done that would get him banned?!"

The manager gulped at Tobirama's display of anger and at the Killing Intent that was coming off of him, but he would not budge, "It has killed enough people. I will not risk my staff and other patrons to have it nearby. Please, sirs, I am asking you to leave."

Naruto was expecting this. He was expecting them to throw him out. At least he was being held by Uncle Hashirama right now so they didn't literally throw him out of the restaurant. He was just waiting for his uncles to get angry with him and take him back to his apartment and vanish forever.

Hashirama noticed Naruto shaking and noticed that he wasn't lifting his head from Hashirama's shoulder.

Naruto was terrified.

In response, Hashirama put a hand on his brother's shoulder in order to ger his attention. Once Tobirama was looking at him, Hashirama just looked him in the eye to convey that they needed to go, at least for now.

Tobirama got one last word in, "Don't think this is the end of this. There will be repercussions for you denying us."

The manager looked at him and said, "This is the policy of most restaurants and businesses. You will find that you have to punish everyone if you wish to punish me for this."

Leaving the restaurant, Hashirama looked at the small boy in his arms and asked, "Was he right, Naruto? That all or most of the businesses deny you? That they don't let you go inside?"

Without lifting his head, Naruto muttered, "Yes. They don't want me inside. You heard them earlier. I'm a monster, a demon. I don't deserve to go in the stores."

This broke Hashirama's heart. How could the village have been so cruel as to convince a small child that he didn't deserve to even enter businesses? "You are not a demon, Naruto. Once we get home, I will explain things to you about why people act this way. You will at least understand your burden instead of being in the dark." Even if it was against the law, he would tell him. What would Hiruzen do? He couldn't execute them, they couldn't die. He couldn't politically afford to declare them missing-nins. He was stuck, and so they could do as they wished within reason.

Naruto looked at Hashirama curiously, "I would like that."