I Think I

Chapter 6:The Mission Starts

"So this is what you meant by saving a friend," Kakashi's amused voice came from behind her, and she turned around to look at her former sensei.

The ceremony was over. Her… husband was talking (or rather, being talked to) by a few clan heads and the Council. Naruto had been surprised to find the clan heads there for the ceremony, but then she realized that something this important (namely, it involved the last Uchiha, and the merging of that clan and a relatively obscure family to form a new clan name), so the heads should have been present.

"Well, yeah," Naruto replied shortly. She missed the anxiety that crossed the silver-haired man's face. He gripped her shoulder.

"All the best, Naruto," he said quietly. Kakashi gave her shoulder a squeeze and disappeared.

Naruto absently looked at where Kakashi had been standing as she played with her new wedding ring. A hand descended on her shoulder, and she turned around.

"Feeling better, Naruto?" Iruka asked kindly.

The blonde girl just nodded quietly. Iruka gave her a small smile. "That's good." He paused for a while, smiling at her fondly. "You know, it feels like I've just given my daughter in marriage."

Naruto stared at him with tinges of hope in her eyes. "Daughter?"

"Yeah... I feel like a father who has just handed his daughter to her husband. Feels like I've given away part of the family or something."

"You... me... daughter... father?" Naruto blurted incoherently. Iruka nodded, his eyes a little teary.

Naruto wrapped him in a bone-crushing hug, feeling her own eyes start to tear and a warm feeling settle into her formerly empty heart. "Iruka…tousan?" she asked tentatively.

The man started in surprise, and Naruto almost backed off before he smoothed back her hair and chuckled warmly. "Tousan, huh? I'll have to get used to that. But it'll be my pleasure to have you call me tousan, Naruto."

The blonde girl released her newly-acknowledged foster-father, and grinned happily at him. Iruka was glad to see most traces of her earlier somber mood vanish from her face, to be replaced by her usual cheerfulness. He lifted his hand and carefully wiped away a tear from her eye. Naruto frowned a little and looked sheepish.

"Sorry, Iruka-tousan… I seem to get all teary and stuff nowadays."

Iruka gave her a half-smile and opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off with a strangled cry of "Leader!"

Both the shinobi turned to the source of the sound to find Konohamaru staring and pointing dramatically at Naruto. Naruto's sheepish look returned and Iruka chuckled as Konohamaru rushed to them.

"I'll see you later, Naruto. Take care." Iruka gave her a pat on the head and left to find his wife.

"Leader!" Konohamaru said again in a pitiful tone, staring with a tragic expression on his face. "You're… you're a… girl!"

Naruto shot him an amused look tinged with irritation, though she was inwardly worried that he might be angry with her for keeping it a secret from him.

"And…?"

"…A girl! You're a girl!"

"Believe me, it's not by my choice," Naruto said dryly, looking at the shocked teen. Konohamaru was also dressed in a kimono with the Sarutobi family symbol on his sleeves. He had been the eldest of the Sarutobi since Asuma died, and thus was the head of the family comprised only of himself and a young nephew – Asuma's and Kurenai's child.