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"Hey, I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I'm the hokage of Konoha. That's something like the mayor of the village." that's the first thing Kawaki heard when he woke up. The last thing he remembers is his father and how he sold him off, no, the last thing that happened was he was in a battle and he passed out. He had a nightmare about his father and when he woke up he was here, wherever that was. He was very confused about what was going on right now.
"Where am I?" he angrily asked.
"In Konoha. This is a safe place, you don't have to worry." replied to the guy who introduced himself as Naruto.
„Last time someone said this things didn't go well. Fuck, I'm not gonna make the same mistake again might as well escape while I still have the chance" thought Kawaki. He immediately jumped out of the bed and tried going out of the window but he suddenly froze in place.
"Calm down will you. If we were gonna eat you we would've already done it." said the other guy besides Naruto
Then the guy undid his jutsu and Kawaki could move his body again. He went to his bed again while the hokage and the other guy kept talking to him but he didn't listen.
A few hours later Kawaki was discharged from the hospital. It was afternoon already and the hokage was walking with Kawaki through the village. He tried escaping again but to no avail. He was caught again. Kawaki was surprised by the strength of the hokage and how easily he caught him and that left Kawaki too dumbfounded to try anything again.
"Where are you taking me?"
"To my house. It's also gonna be your home for the time being. My wife cooks really well y'know."
When they reached the house they were greeted by a lady with short black hair who Kawaki assumed was Naruto's wife. She welcomed the boy into their home with no hesitation and immediately started making them tea. They sat Kawaki at a table and Naruto tried questioning him again.
"I told you I'm not a member of Kara I don't know the info you're searching for."
"Hey, don't be like that, chill. Kara's chasing after you aren't they. You could really use some protection and we can provide that. For us any information on them will be helpful no matter how little. Defeating them will be the best option for both of us."
"So you just plan on using me and tossing me aside when I fulfill my purpose to you. Besides I'm not sure your abilities will be able to defeat any of them."
"Even so we can't just give up without a fight." - "This guy really is a pain in the ass" thought Naruto. - "Since you'll be living here from now on, why don't we start by you telling us your name."
Kawaki tried dodging the question again. This went on until Boruto came home. A young girl came down the stairs and greeted her older brother. Boruto, upon seeing Kawaki, immediately jumped at his father asking him for explanations. He really disliked Kawaki ever since they first met on the battlefield. Kawaki recognized Boruto as the other kid with a karma and didn't pull any tricks with him but with Boruto being so loud and annoying he couldn't keep his mouth shut. They started sparring and eventually Kawaki ended up destroying the table along with the young girl's vase that was on it.
That was Kawaki's first day at the Uzumaki household. It sure didn't look promising or something that would last very long. Kawaki was behaving quite rudely not just with the family but with everyone else who tried to speak to him in those early days. But now a few months have passed since then and Kawaki has adapted to life in the village. And the Uzumaki family still hadn't chased him away, which was unexpected. Quite the opposite in fact they seemed to have become attached to him even more which was something Kawaki couldn't comprehend yet.
His life in the village was drastically different than his previous life but he'd be lying if he said he didn't like it. He fought with Naruto and Boruto, team 7 and others by his side. Together they defeated Isshiki and other Kara members although they weren't completely safe yet, Otsutsukis were still plaguing their bodies. Kawaki had other improvements in his life. He became a genin and was now a Konoha shinobi and Naruto was also his teacher. He even went on several missions. He also went on the Uzumaki family's vacation. He also started letting himself feel and express his emotions.
Throughout his whole life Kawaki has never let himself feel his emotions. He never let himself complain while he was with his biological father no matter how much it hurt. When Jigen took him in, he gave him hope that he would finally be escaping his terrible circumstances but it turned out life with Jigen was even worse. That and the other guy that was ever kind to him, the guy that gave him his one and only desire of having a goldfish, turned out to be evil. This left him feeling so betrayed he couldn't bring himself to trust anyone ever again. Jigen was very strict about Kawaki's emotions and he wanted to make sure he doesn't feel anything besides gratefulness for the karma. When he came into the village though he noticed how everyone felt happiness and sadness and everything in between. He wanted to be like that too but he couldn't. Sometimes his actions hurt people, even if he didn't intend to, and he couldn't understand that. Nobody ever cared about his feelings and he grew up being someone who also doesn't care about others' feelings. The people of Konoha were starting to change him though.
Naruto was the first one who made a huge impact on Kawaki. He believed in him since day 1 and he first taught him some valuable life lessons. He was always generous, not only with him but with everyone. Naruto protected Kawaki as if he was his own child in every fight against the enemy and after he lost his arm he shared his chakra with him. He was the one who taught him ninjutsu and he protected him against people's mean attitudes. After Kurama told Kawaki more about Naruto's past he understood why he was like that to him. He started believing in what he was telling him and that completely changed his life.
At first Kawaki was really mean and disrespectful to Hinata but she also didn't give up on him. Since Naruto wasn't at home very often most of the care for Boruto, Himawari and now Kawaki was her responsibility and she didn't disappoint. She always treated Kawaki with the same love and care she treated her other children with. She also never hesitated to tell him that he was just as worthy and important as the other two. With time Kawaki started letting his guard down around her although the guilt of how he acted in the beginning was still bothering him internally.
Kawaki didn't get along well with Boruto at first. They used to make everything a competition and would fight constantly. They still do but now it feels more lighthearted they used to do it out of hate and anger but now even if they still compete often they both feel love towards each other. Although Boruto was quite rude to Kawaki because he broke Himawari's vase he quickly warmed up to him especially after all those battles and shared villains and powers. Boruto showed Kawaki what brotherhood felt like.
Himawari was amazing. She is always kind to everyone and Kawaki was no exception. She was hurt after he broke her vase and when he outshined her in some situations but Kawaki loved her deeply and sacrificed his arm to protect her and the hokage. Himawari just like everyone else wasn't shy to say to Kawaki that he was a part of the family. She always made sure to use the plural ,,big brothers". Boruto was always very overprotective over her which Kawaki also started to understand. Whenever someone threatened her, he wanted to immediately kill the person.
And of course he couldn't forget Boruto's friends. They were kind and nice to him no matter how many times he pushed them away. Even people like Shikamaru who weren't pleased with him being in Konoha at first were standing up to him. Everyone was so kind to him but he still felt so disconnected from everything.
"Kawaki, do you have a minute?" said Naruto as he entered the room
"Yeah sure, what's up…" replied Kawaki finally leaving his thoughts and getting back in the real world
"You've been thinking about something all week and you keep getting distracted while you do something. I just wanna ask what's wrong. We're your family you can tell us everything no matter if it's good or bad." Naruto has said that to Kawaki many times and he never actually listened to it or believed it. Naruto didn't expect Kawaki to listen now but when the teen replied he was shocked.
"How am I supposed to feel like part of the family?"
"What?" said Naruto out of surprise that Kawaki actually responded to that statement.
"I'm too different from any of you. No matter how many times you try I'll never be able to become someone who belongs here."
"What makes you think that? I'd say you're getting along with everyone here. You've started to learn ninjutsu and you've got friends and us - a family. What makes you not able to fit in?"
"I... I don't actually know... I just don't feel like I can be if I'm not born here. How can I be a part of the family if I'm not born here? I'm literally from an enemy organization. I have no right to be here. I've brought so many troubles to everyone. And also I've been too rude to everyone already... I feel so guilty because of it."
"Listen now, Kawaki, your past doesn't define you! It doesn't matter where you're born, what organization you came from. And I'm not that stupid to consider you a part of Kara now that I know what they did to you. Anyway what matters is that you're here now. You do belong here if you didn't belong it just wouldn't have worked out so well. We all love you being a part of our lives. We love you being a part of our village and a part of our big Konoha family. You know I grew up an orphan and do you wanna know what I learned during all those early years? It's that the people are the ones who define where your home and family is not as much where you were born or where you originate from. My friends have been there for me in many difficult times and they're my family."
"It's no use, you've said that many times before all of you have but I still can't believe it no matter how many times I try!"
"We'll continue to say it as many times as needed until you finally believe it."
"I don't think that's ever gonna happen…"
"Do you want it to happen?"
"Hm?"
"Do you want to feel like a part of the family?"
"Of course I do, I just don't feel like I'm allowed to... I've never been allowed to have anything good. My father never bought me anything and Jigen killed my goldfish…"
"What goldfish?"
"Well... When I was younger and I was still with my father, he made me work every day from dawn to dusk and buy him alcohol with the money I made. There was this guy who sold goldfish in my village's market. The moment I saw them I became obsessed. I've wanted to have one since then. The goldfish guy actually offered to teach me the craft and let me escape my father's abuse but I didn't agree at the time and that was the right decision because it turns out he was a child trafficer. When Jigen bought me he asked me what kind of present I wanted, since when he took me I didn't have any stuff to bring with myself and he wanted to buy me something. I told him about the goldfish and he ended up buying me one, however after he experimented on me I became scared every time he came to my cell and tried to hide. He ended up killing my goldfish out of rage. This was my only light in those days and he took it…"
"Oh Kawaki, you do deserve good things. You deserve to be here and be happy. I know you love us and we love you just as much you are allowed to be here for us to be your family. This village is for everyone, even if you weren't born here or you didn't have a decent past. If you're ready for a new chapter of your life you're more than welcome here. This applies to everyone on this planet. And if you want it, it will happen, just another life lesson I learned"
Then Naruto gave Kawaki a big hug. Although Kawaki would never admit it he needed it, he needed it so badly. He felt so secure in the hokage's arms. Naruto felt so bad about what past his son had prior to being adopted by his family. He wanted to make sure Kawaki never goes through similar suffering. He wanted to help him with all those emotions he was currently feeling so he came up with something.
A couple of weeks later Kawaki was walking home. He was hanging out with Shikadai until now. When he entered the house, he was immediately called upstairs by Naruto.
"Hey, Kawaki, could you come upstairs for a bit."
The boy did as he was told and climbed up the stairs.
"What's wro-" started saying Kawaki when he walked into the office room which now had a bed and a wardrobe and other furniture.
"Welcome to your new room Kawaki." said Naruto
"What...?" he couldn't stop being shocked.
"We made you your own private bedroom. No more sleeping on this uncomfortable couch. We thought you should have your own space just like Boruto and Hima have theirs."
"You have trouble feeling in place in the village but now you'll have your own room where you'll totally feel like you belong since you're its only owner." Naruto started joking.
"Oh guys the couch wasn't that bad, you didn't have to…"
"Shut up dude just appreciate it" shouted Boruto from his room
"Thank you all. This is... Amazing, I don't even know what to say. You didn't have to put yourself through all that trouble though. I'm sorry I made you do that."
Everyone was surprised by Kawaki's reaction. They've never seen him be thankful before.
"You've got nothing to worry about, it wasn't that much work. Besides with kage bunshin it was a piece of cake."
"I don't mean only for now. Ever since I came here I've been creating troubles for everyone whether it's attracting villains or insulting everyone. I just wanted to formally apologize since I've never done it. I'm sorry especially to Hinata and Hima for acting like that."
"Oh don't worry, who can blame you that you didn't trust anyone at the beginning. You must've been hurt so many times for that to happen. And you're also a teenager, what else can be expected of kids your age. When he was your age your father also used to not be careful with what he said. But he always used to give people second chances no matter how they acted before. I guess that's one thing I've learned from being Naruto's friend. And also the fact you're apologizing already shows you're growing up and becoming a better person day by day."
Everyone in the family was surprised with what just happened with Kawaki and he was surprised about the room but they all had a pretty good evening that ended with them watching a movie together.
A few months Kawaki's birthday was coming up. No one ever celebrated his birthday so he didn't think it was all that special. He thought of it as just a normal day, or a day even worse than normal cause in the past it used to remind him that this was the day all his pain and suffering started. The Uzumaki family didn't think so though. They threw him a surprise birthday party. Kawaki was totally oblivious and just walked into the house like normal.
"I'm home." he said, taking his shoes and coat off. When he turned to face the kitchen he saw the whole family gathered around the table with the biggest feast he's ever seen. They had huge smiles on their faces and before he could process anything else they shouted in unison.
"Happy birthday, Kawaki." he didn't know how to respond. He'd never even seen a birthday party before he didn't know what to do.
"Come on, now, we've been waiting for you for so long the food is gonna go cold if you don't come now." said Boruto and Kawaki came.
He tried many dishes he's never tried before. For dessert, Hinata brought out a big cake that was very nicely decorated. Everyone took a piece and ate it. They sang some birthday songs and they all gifted him some little presents. Kawaki felt so loved the entire time. He couldn't believe that this was actually happening, it seemed so unreal. At the end of the party Kawaki went upstairs to his room and there he saw it - a huge tank filled with many different colored goldfish. The tank had different decorations and it was just all so beautiful.
"What do you think, big brother?" - asked Himawari who along with the whole family had come up the stairs to see his reaction to the main present - "I chose the colors of the decorations."
"They are awesome, thank you Himawari."
Kawaki went and hugged everyone. „I told him how Jigen had taken away my light when he killed my goldfish and now the Uzumakis returned it to me. No, they returned light to my life long ago. Now they just gave me the whole sun" thought Kawaki.
"This has been the best day of my life. Thank you all so much. No one's ever cared about my birthday, I can't believe you do." - he said, he couldn't hold it in anymore.
"Of course we do, how could we not." said Boruto. The whole family continued hugging. Kawaki felt so calm, so at ease, so loved and cared for.
A few days later the whole family decided to spend quality time together and they went out for a picnic in the forest around the village. Naruto and Hinata knew a gorgeous field which was just perfect for a picnic. The whole family went there and started preparing the blanket and food. When everything was done the whole family sat down and started talking, having fun, playing some games.
"Why don't we take a picture?" - Himawari suggested after they all finished eating. - "We have to take a picture everywhere we go to keep these memories of our family forever."
Everyone agreed so they positioned the camera, set the timer and gathered in the frame.
"Our family, huh." - said Kawaki and started looking at his arm where the karma that brought him here in the first place used to be - "I love you guys" - he said right before the picture was taken. This of course surprised each of them hearing Kawaki say those words but they couldn't say anything cause the camera started taking pictures. Kawaki did this on purpose and that's why he looked at the camera with a smile. Or that's what he wanted to believe. In reality he smiled because he loved this family and he loved being a part of it, no one could ever imagine how important all that was to him.
This was the first picture ever in which Kawaki was smiling instead of keeping his usual resting bitch face. Because of this, and the fact that just before it was taken was the first time Kawaki ever said I love you to somebody, quickly became everyone's favorite and they all kept a copy of it in their rooms or office in Naruto's case. Even Kawaki had his own copy of it and it sat framed on a shelf next to his bed. Every time he ever felt like he didn't belong or doubted any of the good things that happened, he just looked at the picture and reminded himself that he wasn't alone anymore. He had someone who he cared about and someone who cared about him. And not just one person, no, there were 4 not counting the numerous friends he had made. This really was his place and he really did belong here.