Disclaimers: Naruto is owned by Kishimoto (and his publishers).

Beta Thanks: I'm proud to thank Lysdexic (author of the excellent 'Team 5') for all his advice and additions and Sir-Shun (author of the excellent 'Shadow and Wind: New Legends') for his questions and grammar.

The third Hokage was angry. As a good leader, and an excellent ninja, it was difficult to perceive. Moreover, Sarutobi could not entirely blame the beleaguered man in front of him.

"As you can see, with our current expenses and the drop in charity since we have provided housing for the boy, we will not be able to keep our doors open for much longer."

The director's tired and darkened eyes gazed firmly on his papers and away from the Hokage.

"Even with the gracious donation you have made, I regretfully request that Uzumaki Naruto be moved to a different orphanage."

Sarutobi Hiruzen accepted the proffered records and, quickly scanning through the relevant data, widened the scope of his anger. Clearly evident in the financial records of the orphanage was a cutting off of all charity provided to the orphanage by several of the major clans and not a few of the smaller clans.

Cutting short an exasperated sigh, the Hokage handed the records back to the superintendent. "Please give me a week to find a more" Hiruzen paused for a moment, "appropriate environment for young Naruto to grow up in." he said.

Hearing a clear dismissal, the superintendent thanked his Hokage and left the office. Noting that this was the last scheduled audience for the morning, Sarutobi declared himself in need of lunch.

The remainder of the day moved slowly as the Hokage endured various meetings, petitioners and oversaw the administrative facets of running a business that just so happened to also be a martial village. Heaving a sigh, Hiruzen slowly stood up and stretched his aching muscles.

'A brief spar' he thought, 'followed by a long massage, a dip in the Onsen and a quick ice bath!' That would certainly make his body feel invigorated and relaxed simultaneously, 'A good book would go a long ways as well, perhaps that treatise on Dichotomy vs. Trichotomy: Physical, Spiritual and Natural Chakra.' 'Or,' as "The Professor" thought a bit more, 'Jiraiya's new Ichi Ichi book.'

Walking over to the window, the one Jiraiya always used for his so-called Grand Entrances™, he looked out at the four giant heads staring back at him. 'Really, I just want something comforting, what was that first book Jiraiya wrote? The Tales of a Gutsy Ninja?' Being Hokage was the toughest job imaginable but there was his effigy mocking him, 'If only Biwako was still here!'

Hiruzen continued to stare at the carved figureheads overlooking Konoha in silence for a time, lost in miserable thought—His teachers, his students, Jiraiya's student but most painful of all, his wife. His thoughts turned until finally they came back around to the pain in his bones and the need to relax 'Tales of a Gusty Ninja', 'huh' that brought him back to a problem that had to be resolved more permanently, Naruto.

'Think.' Telling himself to extrapolate a solution from a problem somehow wasn't working. Sarutobi didn't get to pace often as he worked but when not behind a desk it generally helped-just not at the moment.

The day was getting on, the deep blue of the sky cascading down and covering the last orange of sunset, and the Hokage could go home and be Hiruzen for a few hours. An easy enough path to take, one he could walk blindfolded, but he had since taken two impromptu divergences. First he had turned aside to head for that Onsen he had thought of earlier in the day. Foregoing those tranquil waters, however, he had ended up at the children's park.

This was one of the 'safe zones' for shinobi and civilians alike to allow their children to play freely outdoors and interact with each other. Only a few months earlier the Hyuuga heiress had been briefly kidnapped, a clear reminder that children were both precious and future warriors.

An ANBU guard was casually leaning against a lightpost in civilian clothing while her partner surreptitiously patrolled the area, just visible enough to be obvious to would-be kidnappers.

Hiruzen smiled and waved the patrolling ANBU over. The young shinobi lazily made a sweep of the park, probably noting everything in his brain despite the lethargic appearance. He proceeded to walk down the tree quite slowly (a 15 foot drop at most) and meandered over to the Hokage.

Obviously Hiruzen wouldn't name Kakashi outright while in ANBU mask but he took a grandfatherly tone, "The weather looks to cool off quite quickly tonight."

Dog shrugged, half in affirmation and half in long-suffering allowance.

"I imagine a young pup might enjoy the serene warmth of an Onsen on an evening like tonight."

Dog shrugged again and idly went back to his tree, once more walking lazily up the trunk rather than hopping to the branch.

Hiruzen snorted...seriously, Kakashi was so intent on appearing lazy and late that he would take the more strenuous option as long as it looked nonchalant and languid.

He himself felt like lazing around; it had been a long day filled with headaches and he felt he fully deserved this rest. So he simply watched as one by one the last of the children were picked up or called in for a late dinner.

This had been one of Biwako's ideas-having an ANBU guard at a few select parks served both the citizens of Konoha as well as the shinobi themselves. Allowing the hardened killers around children had caused a bit of an uproar when the thought was first suggested but ANBU were fashioned to obey orders (or more so than Jounin) and had yet to cause any disturbances. It was also a strong reminder to the 'hardened killers' of why they fought and for whom they fought as well as the preciousness of innocence in those arenas where innocence could be allowed.

That latter part was why Biwako had suggested it. Now Sarutobi Hiruzen was once more Hokage, older but infinitely less wise without his greatest and only real confidant to discuss...everything with.

He groaned a bit and sighed as he slowly stood up-not laziness, just age. Giving one last invitation to Dog with a few flicks of his wrist, he made his way to his favorite Onsen after all as he attempted to think of a solution to his second-largest personal problem.

Getting in the tepid water with a ginger step, Hiruzen reviewed the solutions that had proven to be specious in reality-discarding the ideas just as quickly as he cleansed his body from the work of the day before he could enter the onsen.

Foremost was always the hope that Kushina would revive from her coma. To this end (along with the many additional injuries suffered in Konoha) the Slug Princess had immediately been recalled for a number of months. Tsunade herself had shown some interest in the medical predicament and perhaps had even softened in attitude during the months following the disaster. Sadly, after the physical injuries had been healed and Kushina failed to respond to further treatment, she had returned to her depression with a vengeance.

When the last of her patients, besides Kushina, were discharged she too savagely packed a few belongings and left to wallow in her depression. A note explaining all the technical details of the distorted chakra pathways and permanent terminal chakra depletion (in anyone but Kushina) was all that was left; along with the opinion that Kushina would only come out of the coma on her own eventually or not at all.

Both Yamanaka Inoichi and Inoshi, his father, had worked with Kushina on occasion. Inoshi had eventually agreed with Tsunade and declared the problem beyond his ability to delve. As far as his ability could discover Kushina was effectively brain-dead. Inoichi, a little younger and innovative had declared he was very close to pushing through the distortion around Kushina's mind. However, after extensive forays he had only been able to state that he thought Kushina had perhaps, maybe shown evidence that her mind was working. Somewhere. Somehow... despite the distortions and serious dearth of internal life-giving chakra.

Inoichi would still make bi-monthly visits to the hospital. Occasionally they ended in excitement as he thought some response or other had been made. Shortly thereafter excitement would abate as no evident change occurred.

Naruto was brought in to visit his mother once a week. He tried to put on a brave face for a toddler, but however much he hopped around and babbled about this or that he would eventually stop and show the pain before he would galvanize himself and gaily wave goodbye until next week.

Still, Kushina served a few purposes. Danzo had repeatedly asked to take Naruto into his root program. Danzo had once been a great advisor...but that was when Biwako had been the opposing voice of reason and helped adapt many of the warlike ideas into more reasonable service to Konoha. Now Hiruzen thought he sometimes let Danzo take things a little too far. Sometimes he knew he let Danzo take things too far.

Nonetheless, the Hokage had been able to point out that Naruto was technically not an orphan and could not be put into any 'special' programs without his guardian's permission until he came of age. An obvious excuse but technically sound.

The Uchiha had also inquired into acquiring the boy. As if Naruto were something to acquire.

His politically worded refusal also pretty much meant Naruto could not be officially adopted by any clan or political powerful shinobi.

The Sannin? They wouldn't be able to adopt Naruto or apprentice him under themselves without pissing off Danzo, the Uchiha and a few others with political aspirations. Not to mention, from what Hiruzen had been hearing recently, Tsunade was being taken care of by her rather young 'niece' rather than the other way around. As for Jiraiya... He might make a much better father than anyone might think but… it was Jiraiya.

Hiruzen sighed once more as he got out of the tepid water. Cleaner but still without an idea of how to proceed. Biwako would have been the one to take care of this but she had been murdered on that terrible night. Now that the orphanage wasn't able to keep Naruto the easy way out had been taken away as well.

Hiruzen suspected Danzo or Uchiha Fugaku would make a visit in the next few days with an offer to take the boy. The orphanage books and numbers had not been falsified but that didn't mean someone hadn't intentionally diverted the charity away from that particular orphanage.

Taking a towel and drying off, the old man dejectedly stepped into the hot mineral waters of the Onsen, hoping to find relief from his bones. Sadly, he presumed, he would be unlikely to find relief from his headache. Now that he guessed Danzo or Fugaku had likely been behind this maneuvering he knew he only had a few days to find a better solution.

The old man was startled awake when he felt a ripple of water surge quietly past him. His first instinct was to counter with a strike of his own. Instead he simply opened his eyes, turned around and smiled as the younger man entered the onsen. (After all, he hadn't been warned by his ever-present ANBU guards and had they been neutralized without his notice he likely would have met the same fate.)

"Ah, Kakashi. What a pleasant and unexpected surprise to see you visit this particular onsen at the same time as me." The old mans eyes twinkled as his voice lilted playfully.

'Hn.' Was the only reply followed by a torpid plunge under the water.

Hiruzen lounged back as he looked at the sky to see just how long he had nodded off for. 'Huh, guess I really did need this'. The other pleasant surprise was that the headache had quietly sought prey elsewhere.

Several minutes passed as a cool breeze from the West further alleviated the constant pain in his head and the stars shone through the vestiges of the indigo skies. 'The only thing that could make this better' Hiruzen stopped that thought and sighed as his mind automatically supplied the answer he hadn't been looking for, 'would be Biwako sharing the view.'

A spike of silver hair eventually poked out of the water, joined by the head it was attached to. As lazy as could be Kakashi looked around the onsen and spoke, as if to no one in particular, "I was walking down the path of life when a decrepit old monkey hobbled in front of me. I noticed he was going in circles so I decided to accompany him for a while."

Kakashi looked around. "Sadly I lost him just outside but," he paused briefly and shrugged "I thought I might as well enjoy a moment of quiet reading where life's path took me."

The young man brought his hand out of the water and in front of his face-miraculously holding a completely dry book.

As an afterthought he muttered through his book, "What a pleasant and unexpected surprise to see you here just when I lost the old monkey."

Ok, a smidge of decorum wouldn't go completely amiss from such a young man towards a respected, elderly and wise man such as himself. A touch of respect from an underling to one's Hokage!

Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at the Hatake, "You…" he stopped and his face showed that of a stricken man. Kakashi continued to read his blue covered book before slowly turning a page. "have Ichi Ichi Pooltime?"

"Hn."

Hiruzen wove his stratagem quickly, "That is an adult only book, it'd be best if you hand it over."

"Hn." Kakashi lazily pointed with his second hand at the Hitai-ate above his cloth mask. Both also completely dry.

Hiruzen switched his tactic, "Only 1,000 of those were printed. Where did you get that one?"

Kakashi looked over his book to glance at the old man. His eyes wandered up to look at the night skies. "Hmm." His hand scratched the back of his head as he yawned. He turned the cover to face him as if to review just which book he was holding.

… … "Hn" …

Sarutobi very slowly and very deliberately formed a Tiger seal before clapping both hands palm down onto the water.

Kakashi turned a page before his voice drifted indolently against the wind, "I seem to recall finding a blue book somewhere on Ibiki's desk. It had a little bit of blood on it."

"You just...found it?"

Kakashi shrugged, "He had just gone through a courier pouch and said he was just going to throw it all in the trash."

"He was going to...throw it in the...trash?"

The pup looked up from his book as he commented, "Odd, Bat on duty tonight?"

The Hokage looked at Kakashi in surprise at the sudden change of topic. "Um, no?"

"Oh, I thought I heard an echo out here."

The old man started to mutter under his breath. Kakashi paid careful heed not to upset the old man by pointing out that he was talking to himself-he was, after all, respected, elderly and wise.

After a few minutes of 'Ibiki' and 'gate duty' or 'Pup' and 'kennels' the Hokage chuckled, sighed and finally looked sadly towards Kakashi.

"Thanks for the laugh, it really is refreshing to talk to someone who doesn't always cater to my position. I think I needed some comedy today." Hiruzen looked wistfully at the stars in the sky and took a deep breath. Surprisingly, the fragrance from a bouquet of loquat flowers drifted past his nose. Taking another deep breath of the perfume he sent a quick prayer to his beloved.

"Kakashi," he started "I would like to ask you something."

The younger man looked up at his superior, recognizing the change in tone.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want, but I can't think of many left who are both able and willing to be a sounding board for my current dilemma." Hiruzen gathered his thoughts, trying to figure out how to broach the subject with as little pain as possible.

Ok, that was an impossibility so he'd better get on with it and ask or withdraw completely.

"When Sakumo died..." He started over, "When your father died you were barely older than a baby." Hiruzen's voice trembled and almost broke, "But we needed raw talent, a little more power on the battlefield and there you were. The shockingly unexpected weapon in the street child or goose herder. A perfectly rigid tool-obedience first! Mission first!"

Kakashi didn't need to see the tears falling down the Hokage's face. He had lived that life. He hadn't asked for commiseration and, quite frankly, didn't want to hear it from others. He had lived his life and made, if not as many mistakes as his father or the Hokage and various other superiors in his life, his fair share of mistakes he would have to live with for the rest of his own life. He was more than capable of pitying himself for himself thank you very much.

Meanwhile, now that the Hokage had put into words something he knew to be fact, he resolved that Naruto would not be entering Root regardless of the circumstances. Quite frankly he knew Biwako would try to figure out how to incorporate Root into ANBU or something similar and he determined to look into the matter himself.

"Anyways, what I want to ask you. What I want to know… If there were another you and you could decide what that person's childhood would be like, how would you want to live?"

Kakashi didn't move a muscle in his face. He simply closed the book and slid it under the water.

(The ANBU on guard, Otter, while diligently committing the conversation to the non-accessible classified section of her brain set up by Inoshi, decided she really needed to learn that trick.)

After a minute he looked at his Hokage and nodded, "Naruto?" he stated.

Hiruzen nodded, "Naruto." Seriously, he wasn't quite sure why he didn't simply promote Kakashi to Hokage. He was certainly able to decipher and discard various hypothesis fast enough to find the common denominator. And he was both fast and strong for his age. But he had also just stated that Konoha had basically taken everything from Kakashi and made him a tool. Hokage, more than any other job, completely removes any concept of 'self'.

A thought randomly popped into his mind as he waited for Kakashi to make his decision. As soon as we find him a stable, sensible (and stubborn) wife I can make him Hokage. Yep, that would do… now who could he set the kid up with? His own face outwardly remained melancholy.

"A child." Hiruzen looked at Kakashi hoping for a bit more.

"Oh, I would have wanted to grow up to be a ninja. But it should have been an aspiration, not something I was living out elbow deep in blood." His voice was thick with disgust despite an attempt to stay calm and civil.

"It depends on the kid, but maybe a father or uncle or older brother...he still has a mother he won't want to feel he's 'replacing'. Minato," he paused, "Minato was enough most of the time."

Kakashi forged his way out of the onsen and started to dry himself off. "Maybe some friends? 'Teammates' weren't enough for the rigid bastard I was...am."

Kakashi stepped inside for a quick scrub down but called back casually, as if the subject were simply a matter of 'what do you want for dinner tomorrow', "I'll think a bit more on the subject."

The old man nodded briefly at the now empty doorway and with one last glance at the stars decided it was time for him to soap and rinse himself before heading home.

That night a figure of a teenager could be seen, asleep or possibly meditating in front of the memorial stone until the sun broke over the horizon.

Another man sat in a rocking chair in front of the shrine of his wife, finally falling asleep. Otter quietly pulled a blanket over top of him and went back to guard duty.

Authors Notes:

A warning and invitation-This is an alternate or parallel universe to Naruto. If you want to read Naruto try the Manga. I wish to explore the Elemental Nations (starting with Naruto) in a way that interests me and hopefully you will also enjoy the ride! If things are different than you expect I hopefully have done so for a reason. In any case, who wants to read the same story everytime?