Title: Dental Hygiene For Dummies
Rating: K
Word Count: 375-ish
Summary: Little Naruto is learning how to brush his teeth. It's as messy as it sounds. AU with Naruto, Minato, Kushina, and a cameo from Jiraiya.
Warnings: Inordinate amount of cuteness.
Author's Notes: For the record, I actually have no idea at what age kids learn how to brush their teeth, so I apologize if toddler Naruto is too young to be doing that already. Written for (and won!) naruto100's challenge "Parental Supervision."

Kushina examined her well-lacquered nails as she dug into a pint of rocky road ice cream- straight from the carton because, Minato's ramblings about germs and saliva and ew, Kushina, please get a bowl aside, she didn't see the point of needlessly creating more dishes for him to wash later. She was doing him a favor, really.

"I'm not so sure about this color." Her voice was absent, but loud enough to carry to Minato down the hall. "Rin-chan said that it looked nice, but I think it's just a little too pink, don't you?"

"Um, Kushina-chan?"

"Yes-" She glanced up and froze, spoon halfway to her mouth.

"Minato, why is our son covered in toothpaste?"

Her husband smiled nervously as he clutched the squirming bundle of minty-fresh toddler closer to his chest. "Because the dentist said he was old enough to learn how to brush his teeth on his own, as long as one of us watches him until he gets the hang of it."

She stabbed the spoon deep into the block of ice cream. Minato flinched. "Yes, I know that part. Why weren't you watching him?"

Minato hitched his human shield- ahem, his son- up a little higher before answering, "Because I might have turned my back for one second to get a new bar of soap for the shower."

"Really."

Minato whimpered a little. Naruto, hating to see his daddy so upset, smeared some toothpaste across his mouth to cheer him up.

While Kushina was clinging to her angry facade with both hands- Rin and Kakashi would die when she told them about this- Jiraiya let himself in through the front door. He made it two steps into the apartment before stopping dead, eyes fixed on his apprentice and godson.

Naruto smiled jubilantly through the blueish-white paste and reached toward Jiraiya. "Ji-ji-chan!"

Jiraiya burst into howling laughter, dropped the sack of groceries- radishes and potatoes for tonight's stew- onto a nearby table, and walked right back out the door.

Poor Naruto was so disappointed.

Kushina finally gave into her giggles as she plucked the spoon from its now slightly-melted perch. "You two are the cutest things I've ever seen. Now go clean yourselves up so you can find Jiraiya-chan and go buy some more toothpaste."

She ignored Minato's grumbles and spooned another chunk of peanut-and-marshmallow goodness into her mouth. She loved being a mother.