Chapter 1
A cold breeze swept through Konuha, still in the midst of winter most villagers and even ninjas had chosen to stay in their homes this cold night, except one. Passing through the streets like a phantom, the figure jumped from shadow to shadow, always watching their back while gripping the bundle in their arm with just enough force to ensure they wouldn't drop it but not too much in case of damaging it. After half an hour the figure landed in front of a reasonably large house, taking this chance to catch their breath, the figure looked down to inspect the bundle they had hefted across Konoha. A small child with tufts of black hair peered up at the masked figure with crisp blue eyes, the baby tilting its head as it watched its carer.
The figure let out a chuckle at the baby, clear confusion until they heard a crash and ducked back into the shadows and looked up a street where the sound had animated. Only to see a cat going through some nearby trash cans. The figure groaned as they watched the cat run off with a half-cooked fish.
"Damn scavengers," the masked figure groaned before looking back at the house. Realizing it was now or never the figure grasped their resolve and made it up the stairs leading to the front door.
The snow crunched under the boots of the masked figure and they slowly approached the door, making sure to duck underneath a window near it, wishing to avoid drawing the attention of the occupants just yet. Once reaching the door, the figure squatted by it and brushed away a light layer of snow before playing the wrapped-up baby down. Seemingly realizing what was happening or that at the very least it was going to be alone. The baby started to whimper as it reached its arms out to its carer.
"Shhh shhh it's okay" the figure whispered as they brushed a few tears from the baby's cheeks. "I can't look after you, but I refuse to dump you at that orphanage, besides…." the figure looked off into the distance. "I know if I did it would end badly for both of us. But I know these people will care for you and this is the best option I got, I just hope that one day." For a moment the figure lifted their mask just a bit and kissed the baby's forehead. "That you'll be happy."
Readjusting the mask, the figure quickly pressed the doorbell, once they heard footsteps making their way to the front door. They held up two fingers near their mask and disappeared in a puff of smoke just before the front door opened. Revealing a fairly tall man with fair skin, clearly in his early twenties. He sported blue eyes, and spikey blond hair with jaw-length bangs framing either side of his face.
Looking around, the man was clearly confused, about who would ring his doorbell at this hour only to disappear.
"You gotta be kidding me," the man chuckled. "Who still ding dong ditch at th-" but he was interrupted mid chuckle when he noticed the bundle by his front door. Crouching down, he pulled back a piece of cloth only to be greeted by an infant, clearly only a month or two old at most.
"Minato!" A woman's voice called from inside the house. "Who is it? Did Kakshi finally accept an invite or is Jiraya back to catch up?"
"Ughhhh," was all Minato could say, his mind ceasing to function in this predicament. In the background, he could hear his wife Kushina ask if he was okay. It was only when he heard the baby sneeze did he find himself moving again.
He scooped up the baby as carefully as he could, he had one final glance in case he spotted the child's parent or guardian. Once proven he was all alone, Minato walked back inside as he figured out his first challenge.
'I hope Kushina doesn't jump to conclusions.'
"Awwww, who's a cute baby? You are, that's right," Kushina cooed as she tickled the baby, who was giggling happily in response to the affection.
Minato let out a sigh, he knew Kushina wouldn't accuse him of cheating. Hell, she had made sure of it after putting the fear of god into anyone who had attempted to flirt with him. This made the Fourth Hokage laugh recalling the last time that had happened.
"I thought you were going out to get dinner. There's hardly enough here for us to share" she stated coyly while continuing to tickle the baby.
"Well honey, last time I checked, I can't exactly predict when a baby will be dropped off at your front doorstep," Minato chuckled in response as he walked over and took a seat next to his wife. Only to flinch when he heard Kushina let out a low growl.
"Still I can't believe someone just abandoned them outside, that's horrible," Kushina growled as she held the baby closer. "What if we had gone to bed early? Or what if we were out and didn't come home till late only to find this little guy suffering from the cold."
Minato placed a comforting hand on Kushina's back, he knew she would have thought of a worst-case scenario once she had a moment to collect her thoughts. Especially after recently learning that she was expecting their firstborn child.
"I know it seems like that at first glance but clearly whoever brought the little guy here cared. They swept away the snow from the front door and bundled up the little guy in enough layers to keep them warm, and the fact they rang the doorbell before leaving shows whoever was the baby carer. At the very least I wanted to make sure they got here safely and healthy." Minato explained as he rubbed circles on his wife's back, he let out a chuckle when he noticed Kushina pouted.
"Finnnnneeee," she groaned before getting back to tickling the baby. "Still what do you think, should we keep this little cutie?"
That was definitely something Minato considered, clearly whoever left the baby here either wished for Minato and Kushina to either adopt the baby or at the very least make sure a good family took him in. It's not like he hated the idea when Kushina had revealed to him a couple of weeks ago he was going to be a father, after the initial shock. He was over the moon that this was happening, but if he took this child in, it could put extra stress on both him and Kushina. The latter was what brought him the most worry, but he had known many families who took on challenges like this, granted most he knew were because the parents got intimate too quickly after a baby's birth.
"I think he'll be happy here," Kushina's words cut through Minato's thoughts like a kunai through an enemy ninja.
"A-are yo-yu sure?" Minato had to ask to make sure he didn't mishear her.
"Yep," she said like it was nothing. "I mean, our baby would definitely like to have a big brother to play with and can you really say no to this face?" To emphasize the point, Kushina placed the baby in Minato's arms and she had a point, he couldn't say no.
'I really hope I grow out of this or any of our kids will be able to get away with murder,' Minato mentally groaned as he relaxed on the couch. Kushina was quick to snuggle up to her husband, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Well since we're adopting him, what should we call the little guy?" Kushina let out a hum at Minato's question, after a moment her eyes lit up with joy.
"Ohhh I got it, Nihan. Yes Nihan Namikaze, that's a great name"
"Oh come on," Minato chuckled. "What about Menma? That sounds like a nice name."
"Nope, besides he doesn't look like a Menma," Kushina stated, it being clear the discussion was over. Minato felt himself deflated at this defeat, truly his wife was still the only one who could still beat him.
"Oh don't worry sweetie" Kushina cooed as he hugged Minato. "Maybe if the baby is a boy, we'll call him Menma."
The now-named Nihan Namikaze, let out a short laugh at the couple before yawning, just before he fell asleep in his adoptive father's arms. Minato smiled at the sight, now even more excited to meet his unborn son or daughter.
"Welcome to the family Nihan, I get the feeling you'll grow into a fine ninja."
"Nihan! Naruto!" A store clerk screamed as he watched the two demon children run away. He turned back to his store and let out a cry at the damage to it. From the paint, Naruto used to mark up the store both inside and out, to the rancid smell from one of his elder brother's famous stink bombs. "Those bastards are gonna pay for this!"
The two boys laughed as they watched the store clerk continue to vent as he dragged himself back into his store. Now 8 years old, Nihan's tuffs of black hair had turned into what could only be described as a mess of black hair, only a sign there being a style to it, a small bang forming on the right-hand side. He wore black boots, a pair of gray pants with a few noticeable stains that varied in color and size. He had on him a black T-shirt with a white swirl pattern in the center. Finishing the look he wore an orange jacket with the sleeves rolled up to his biceps.
"That was hilarious big bro!" Naruto wailed as he held the sides of his stomach. On the other hand, Naruto had spiky yellow hair and 6 whisker-like marks on his cheeks. Unlike his brother, Naruto sported a more simple look. A pair of blue boots, a pair of white shorts with a blue line down each side, and a black t-shirt with the same pattern as Nihan's shirt only being red instead of white.
"You're the one who spotted him overcharging us, so you get all the credit and blame." Nihan chuckled deviously, he chuckled even further when Naruto weekly punched him in the sides.
"You're the worst, you know that!" Naruto shouted, only to get more irritated when Nihan's chuckle turned into full-blown laughter as he fell onto his back. It only got worse when they heard the same store clerk wail in the distance as a large green cloud burst forth from the store.
"Hah! He triggered your second stink bomb!" Now joining in his brother's laughter, Naruto watched as the overcharging store clerk came out half-dazed after clearly taking the stink bomb to the face.
After finally gaining control of his laughter, Nihan took the spot next to Naruto on the roof edge and draped his arm over his little brother's shoulder. The two hadn't known their parents, their earliest collective memory was the two of them playing in their apartment when old man Hiruzen or as the village called him, The Third Hokage. Arrived and joined them in their little play session before watching some random cartoon. They were always together and that's how it stayed.
"So with our daily dose of fun over, want to get dinner?" Nihan asked casually, he had his hands grasped around the back of his head as he walked down the streets with his little brother in tow.
"Let's get Ichiraku ramen!" Naruto shouted, thrusting his arms in the air.
Nihan groaned at the answer. "We always get ramen though… what about curry for once?" He asked, turning to face Naruto while he kept up his pace.
"No way, ramen is the best food ever. Believe it!" The little brother chanted, the big brother could only groan as he let Naruto lead the way to what was their home away from home.
"It's them," a woman whispered
"I can't believe Lord Third lets those little monsters walk around like nothing happened" A man growled out in contempt.
"A pair of demons truly," another woman whispered.
"I heard the older one beat up a few academy students because he was bored," someone gasped.
"I remember, one of them was my little boy, that one claimed he was the little one protector"
"More like the demon protector," a man growled as he gripped his broom.
Nihan heard it all, his smile was replaced with a feral grimace. He looked at the nearby villagers, a few looked away, some started walking back into their stores but a few met his gaze like they accepted his challenge.
"Bastards" Nihan growled. "All of them…" Deciding not to stick around any longer, Nihan ran up to Naruto and within a few seconds. He hoisted his little brother onto his back and leaped onto a nearby lamp post and then to a nearby roof. Naruto let out a cheer at the sudden piggyback ride, Nihan on the other hand only let out a light chuckle when he heard shouts of disgust at the villagers who had mocked the pair.
'Hope you like my new stink bomb, it'll take a week to wash out.' Nihan laughed at his little revenge.
The smell of delicious ramen wafted through the small establishment. Nihan had to admit, ramen wasn't his favorite, but Ichiraku Ramen was definitely one of the few places in the village where he felt calm. Almost as if to be his brother's opposite, Naruto was bouncing in his chair as he watched old man Teuchi and his young daughter Ayame, prepare the necessary ingredients.
"Ramen! Ramen! Ramen!" Naruto chanted, causing the father and daughter to chuckle at the young boy.
"Don't worry naruto," Teuchi called as he chopped the pork. "It's not going anywhere."
"I know," Naruto replied. "I'm just so hungry for ramen." This answer made Nihan chuckle.
"You always hungry for ramen, me and Ayame got a bet saying how many bowls you can eat in one go"
"I got money for thirty-one bowls!" The pre-teen called from the other side of the kitchen.
"And I say forty-six!" Nihan fired back. "You should see how many instant ramen cups he eats, and say he's gonna make a throne out of them one day." The shop erupted into laughter at the image, Naruto's cheeks turned red in embarrassment before he punched his brother in the shoulder.
"Well until you make that mighty throne of ramen, you'll just have to keep coming here for quality ramen," Teuchi said before placing two steaming bowls of ramen in front of the Uzumaki brothers. One miso with extra pork for Naruto and curry ramen for Nihan. "Now dig in you two and don't feel shy if you want seconds."
"Trust me, he won't." Nihan laughed out
"Hey!" Naruto shouted, having enough of his brother taunting, he jumped from his seat and tackled his elder brother to the ground. Teuchi and Ayame burst into another round of laughter as they watched the Uzumaki brothers get into what boiled down to a play fight.
After an hour spent half struggling, half wolfing bowls of ramen down, the young duo bid their favorite family business goodnight and headed home.
It took several minutes before the Uzumaki brothers finally reached their apartment building. Naruto let out a yawn once they reached the front door, clearly on autopilot, Naruto pulled out his key for the apartment and made his way in. Before he could pass the threshold though, he felt something tug on his jacket. Turning around he saw Nihan giving him a blank stare.
"Naruto, what did you forget?" Niahn asked, not losing the blank stare.
"Ughhhhhhh, I forgot to take my shoes off," the half-awake Naruto answered. Only to get in response was a weak chop to his head, courtesy of Nihan. The elder brother let out a groan as he tugged Naruto out of the apartment and squatted by the door frame.
Looking over his brother's shoulder, Naruto remembered what Nihan was talking about, their booby trap. A paint bomb the pair had worked on together recently after they found a note nailed to their front door. Someone cursed them and said that they get revenge for something they did. Naruto wouldn't lie, that night he could barely sleep.
So a couple of days later, Nihan said they should set up a security system, sadly with an already stressed budget, the two children were limited in options. Until Naruto had half-heartedly said they should make something with the paint he found and one of Nihan's new stink bombs. And it turned out brilliantly, Naruto had scored a certain type of paint that took forever to wash out and Nihan had made sure to pour a really smelly batch of his stink bomb materials. So if someone did break into their apartment, not only could they tell who did it, but they could smell him from a mile away.
"O-oh yeah. Right." The younger of the brothers' whiskers grew a faint red as he realized the almost blunder.
"Where would you be without me?" The elder asked, his smile reinforcing his smug demeanor.
"In a bath for the next three days?"
They smirked. They sniggered. They fell into a burst of full-blown laughter that would wake their neighbors.
Once Nihan gave the all-clear, Naruto bounded past his brother into the living room, their apartment was a shabby two-bedroom apartment, once you reached the end of the hall, you found the living room. Large enough for a few people to hang out, it contained a couch old man Hiruzen brought the boys that apparently could fold out into a bed, a small table with enough room for three people to eat on, and an old tv. The living room also doubled as a kitchen, with one corner dedicated to this function. It had a few cupboards, a sink, and a kettle that had seen better days. At last on opposite sides of the living room, were two doors each leading to the brother's room. Neither though bothered to decorate it, the only way to tell the difference was the difference in the color bedsheets and Naruto's room containing his work in progress, his ramen throne.
"That ramen was awesome!" Naruto shouted down the hall as Nihan reset the simple trap.
"You say that all the time" the older brother shouted back, not caring about how loud he was
"Old man Ichiraku always mak-" Suddenly nihan heard a thud. After a few seconds and not hearing a peep from Naruto, he let out a sigh and finished with the trap. Walking up the hall, he found his brother passed out on the floor snoozing away.
Nihan let out a chuckle. "Lasted longer than last time you pigged out."
Nihan let out a sigh as he picked up his brother and with some effort, pushed the younger brother's bedroom door open and proceeded to deposit him on the bed. He suppressed a yawn as he grabbed one of his brother's nearby blankets and draped it over Naruto.
"Good night," Nihan whispered and he snuck out of Naruto's room and made a b line for his bed. Once in bed, Nihan let out a sigh and stared up at the ceiling. His smile disappeared when he recalled how Naruto learned the shopkeeper was overcharging them when an Uchiha bought the same instant ramen Naruto got. A ghost of a smirk appeared on Nihan's face when he recalled the bastard's reaction to his store being vandalized.
"It was a good day…" Nihan sighed as he fell asleep.