A Growing Affection

Chapter 41: A Home Never Known

"What the heck?" Naruto backed away from the door, coughing, "It's such a mess."

"Well, the managers check every so often to make sure the utilities are still working, and that nothing... unpleasant moved in," Tsunade told him, "But I guess sweeping wasn't part of the deal."

"This will take forever to clean up," Yukihana's son complained. Gaara put his hand on Naruto's shoulder, and the blond teen turned to face his former enemy.

"Allow me," the Sand ninja offered. Uzumaki moved aside, and Gaara entered the neglected residence. He raised hands, and then pulled them towards his chest. The dirt flowed towards him, congealing before his feet. After a few seconds of concentration, the entire condo was clean, and a 4-inch sphere of dense sandstone rolled into Gaara's shoe. He picked it up, and slid it into his jacket pocket with a mild smirk.

"Man, Gaara," Naruto gawked, "If this Kazekage gig doesn't work out, you could make a mint as a maid service."

The other stared at Naruto in varying degrees of shock and dismay. But the leader of the Sunagakure only chuckled.

"I'll keep that in mind," Gaara said dryly, moving further into the dwelling so the others could enter.

To the left of the door was a dining area, with a closet against the outside wall. It hosted a table that easily accommodated the eight chairs around it. The table and chairs were covered by white sheets, which were now clear of the dust they were meant to protect against. To the right was the kitchen, a full kitchen with a full sized refrigerator, four-burner stove and oven, dishwasher, and plenty of cabinet and counter space. Tsunade threw open the curtains over the sink, letting more light into the building.

On the other side of the kitchen and dining area was a large living room, almost twice the size of Naruto's current apartment. It was equipped with a sofa and two love seats, with a short table in between them, all covered by sheets. The eastern wall, opposite where they entered, had floor to ceiling curtains. And the northern wall sported a waist height shelf, with two box shaped objects, also obscured by tarps. Between the shelf and the dining area, a hallway extended into darkness, and on the southern wall between the kitchen and the sofa was a closed door.

"This place is huge," Shizune was amazed. The others could not help but agree, especially considering there was more they had not seen.

Anko quickly crossed the room, and pulled open the drapes, flooding the room with the midmorning sun. Behind the curtains were glass doors leading onto the balcony. And beyond that was a clear view of Ninja Ops, and the stone faces of the five Hokages.

"Damn," Anko whistled, "How did she afford this place on a Genin's income?"

Then she looked back at the new owner, "No offense, kid."

"None taken," Naruto shook his head, "I was kinda wondering the same thing."

"She didn't," Tsunade answered, her eyes going unfocused as her mind cast back in time, "Despite her rank, Yukihana was more skilled than most Jonin. As that fact became obvious to our clientele, demand for her skills increased. Eventually, Sarutobi-sensei decided to bump her pay up to Tokubetsu level, to try to cut back the requests."

She smiled sadly, as she remembered, "But that's not how she bought this place. Soun Uzumaki was never a very healthy person, so Yukihana lived at home to help her mom take care of him. That let her save more of her income. But then your grandmother died suddenly of a heart attack. After that, your grandpa seemed to just give up. He died less than a week later. After that, Yuki just couldn't stay in that house. She sold her parent's home, and her dad's stake in the printing company, and used the cash to buy this place."