Hello and welcome to chapter two~

Just a quick note (it will be quick this time, promise!): Because I played around with Minato and Kushina's ages (they were actually 24 when they had Naruto but I couldn't have time travel Naru being born to a 9 year old Mother and Father xD so yeh.) That means that I'm also changing the age when Minato becomes Hokage to 34, which is just prior to when we actually see him as the Fourth during the Kyuubi attack (if there was one) in my universe – Yes, I do plan to continue this fic into later years.)

Also, in this universe, there has been NO Kyuubi attack and there will be none. This is because Obito did not become Tobi by the time (my) Naru was born and therefore, missed when the seal weakened, meaning the chance to free the Kyuubi from his jinchuuriki is gone.

This chapter is complete and utter Uzumaki-Namikaze family fluff because I just want it to be, shush! Honestly, I'm sort of disappointed at how Naru(to) ended up being so demure in this chapter – I like the boisterous personality but I just didn't know how to write it into this situation. I know that he becomes extremely comfortable with people right away but it felt… off?

Naru retreated from her mindscape and lay in bed for a while, looking at the unfamiliar ceiling. Her ceiling was orange (bless it) but this one was a pale yellow – She noted that it was a rather boring color but it was probably more reasonable than orange. She wiggled her arms and legs from side to side, feeling how much her span had decreased. It felt strange, to say the least. She was sighing and thinking to herself how she was going to survive being 11 again when the door opened abruptly.

"Naru, it's time to wake up!" A woman with blazing red hair, who Naru immediately recognized as her Mother, stood in the now-open doorway, smiling widely. It reminded Naru a lot of her own grin.

Feeling oddly calm, Naru pushed herself into a seating position and flung her legs over the edge, expecting to feel the ground but instead feeling nothing but empty air. She forgot how small she was at this age, her clothes also felt like sheets on her. She cringed. For some reason, when she looked at her Mother, smiling warmly at her, she felt a sudden rush of emotion that hadn't been there a second ago, as if sitting up had put something into perspective for her.

"Good mor—Wait, Naru? Why are you crying? Hey, what's wrong?" Kushina asked, alarmed. She ran to her daughter's side, sitting down beside her with a light thud, and draped her arm around the girl's shoulder, pulling her closer.

"Ah, I…" Naru began, feeling confused. She looked at her tiny hands darkening with each salty droplet of her tears. That was weird, why is she crying? She didn't feel sad a moment ago. "I… don't know," she finally uttered. She didn't know why she was crying like a little kid, she was an adult already, even if she didn't look it. No matter how much she told herself that, the tears wouldn't stop.

"Did you have a bad dream?" Kushina asked, worried. Shifting, she now took Naru completely in her arms, their length easily encircling the eleven year old.

Naru felt slightly confused as she latched onto her Mother and buried her face in her shoulder, not sure why it felt so natural. It felt like, for some reason or other, her body automatically reciprocated the gesture, despite Naru having only met her Mother once before and getting quite a hard knock to the head for her 'attitude'. Naru shook her head; she had an incredibly pleasant dream.

"Hey, you two, breakfast will get cold if you don't hurry up," A cheerful Minato walked in with a smile and upon witnessing the display, he frowned: "Did no one see fit to invite me for a hug?" He said, mock angry.

Naru attempted to lift her head to look at where that familiar voice was coming from but her Mother's light touch pushed her head back to its spot. When Kushina looked at Minato, her anger was not mock in the least and she threw a nearby pillow with enough force to make the Yellow Flash actually fear the squishy object, sidestepping to avoid it: "Can't you see Naru's upset, dattebane?!" She roared. Naru briefly acknowledged the verbal tick with a small exhale through her nose.

Minato shrunk under his wife's angry gaze, cursing his timing before registering her words. He rushed over to the bed, looking panicked: "Naru, are you hurt? Let me see!" He spoke, frantically inspecting his young daughter for any visible injuries.

"'M fine," came Naru's muffled response. Her Mother was holding her with more force than intended, she surmised, and she lightly patted Kushina's arm, as if to tap out.

"Ah, sorry, sorry," The red-head said, realizing. She nervously scratched the back of her head and let out a light laugh after releasing Naru.

Naru's large, blue eyes looked from Minato to Kushina with an unreadable expression, tears still amassed at the corner of her eyes. These two people, her parents, were alive and well – She could feel the warmth rolling off their bodies, she could hear them breathing. They were right there. Less than an arm's length away, she could touch them. It wasn't just a dream she had on particularly lonely nights, they were actually there with her. Forgoing all the emotional control of an adult, she began crying again, wailing like she hadn't since she was a kid when the villagers had been particularly brutal towards her.

Minato and Kushina shared a deeply worried glance before moving to comfort their distraught daughter. Minato smoothed over her blonde locks, which were colored by him but textured by her mother, while Kushina grabbed a tissue to wipe her tears away. They both looked at her with overflowing love in their eyes as if she was their most important person.

Looking at them, Naru felt bad for crying – They looked really worried but at the same time, seeing them look at her like that made her cry even harder. She didn't know if she had ever been this happy in her life. At this age, she had been arguing with Sasuke and Sakura thought she was annoying; she was trying her hardest to graduate the Academy but she'd already failed three times and the villagers barely concealed their hatred for her but now she was being cared for like something precious and her tears actually meant something to them.

Kushina gently moved Naru's blonde bangs out of her eyes, "Are you hungry?" She asked, gently, cautious of her volume as if it would upset her daughter more if her voice was even the slightest octave too loud.

Naru's stomach grumbled loudly, as if just being reminded itself that it was, in fact, hungry – A light pink blush dusted her cheeks as she looked away, embarrassed – It was amusing to her, in some place at the back of her mind, since she actually never cared if people heard her stomach before then. She supposed it was just that she had just met her parents (in the flesh) for the first time in her life and their opinions meant a lot to her, who grew up as an orphan.

Minato and Kushina both laughed at her. "Let's eat! Breakfast is on the table," Naru's Father said, all but dragging her out into the living-cum-dining room. They all sat down at the mahogany dining table - Minato and Kushina sat across from each other while Naru took the seat next to Minato, awkwardly.

Naru quickly brushed her sleeve over her eyes to dry them off and gave a shaky smile. She liked to think that she blended in rather well and could handle interacting with new people due to her (former) position as Hokage but she just felt plain awkward right now. There was this odd comfort but somehow, it made her feel even more uneasy – She looked at both her parents; obviously, they didn't find this strange since Kurama said she had actually been there the whole time, so they were used to having a daughter – Naru was not used to having parents. Furthermore, when she looked at Minato, she felt like she was looking at herself if she was over 30 and male, it was ridiculous – She really couldn't appreciate their resemblance this much from just pictures, being up close was on a whole other level.

Minato noticed Naru simply looking at them and the food, "Aren't you eating? You're usually hungriest in the morning." He pointed out, giving her a closed-eye smile.

She looked startled for a second before nodding, slowly. She clapped her hands together and said a light 'itadakimasu' before grabbing her chopsticks and digging in – They had rice with poached egg; somehow they knew how she liked hers and she wondered how a simple egg could taste so good. Naru had heard her Mother was an extraordinary cook but this was incredible – Just an egg was enough to make her close her eyes and savor the taste – It still had nothing on ramen though.

Seeing her enjoying the food, Kushina swelled with pride – It seemed to her that Naru had become immune to her food's charm, which had been quite a shock to her but now her little girl was making a very satisfied expression as if it was the best breakfast she'd ever had. Both her and Minato began eating away, too, enjoying the warm family atmosphere. They both couldn't remember how long it'd been since Naru took her time eating instead of inhaling the food and retreating back to her room.

Naru was pulled out of the blissful taste by a soft "Naru," coming from her left. She turned and looked at Minato with an inquisitive expression, willing him to go on as she chewed. She had just met her Father; she didn't want to make a bad first impression by spitting some egg and rice on his face.

"Ah, you're so cute," He gushed after looking at her with stars in his eyes for a few seconds, which felt like hours to Naru as she nervously sweat dropped, forgetting what he originally wanted to say.

"Didn't Naru tell you she hated it when you did that?" Kushina pointed out bluntly, still chewing her breakfast in the side of her mouth.

Naru looked from Kushina to Minato and found that, in fact, she did not hate it. She rather liked it, actually. No one had ever complimented her appearance at this age; not one person even noticed that she had the basic features belonging to a person, and not a monster, until she was 13 and none of the other kids knew of the nine-tailed fox. So when Minato looked sad, like a puppy with its ears padded down onto its head, and apologized, she quickly interjected with her signature tooth-bearing smile, "No, it's okay. Thank you!"

The food dropped out of Kushina's mouth as it fell agape, looking at Naru with wide eyes. Had that Naru just approved of Minato's doting ways? "Naru, are you feeling alright? I know you said you were but…" the beautiful red-head trailed off.

"I'm totally a-okay, why wouldn't I be?" Naru replied, still beaming. Only half an hour had passed since she woke up but she felt oddly comfortable with these two, as if she'd known them her whole life. She felt her old personality coming back to her quite easily – Rightly so, she assumed, as she had never been shy before.

Kushina blinked twice at the happy response. Naru seemed strange today. She looked at Minato and he seemed equally as confused but he was also fighting back a pleased expression at her acceptance.

Naru felt both worried and mildly amused watching them stare at each other, unblinking, the only movement being a quirk or two of Kushina's eyebrow – She wondered if they could speak to each other telepathically. Kurama. Hey, Kurama! Wake up, you lazy fox. She thought to the kyuubi.

Shut it, brat. You are the only human I know with the audacity to speak to me like that.

Thanks!

It wasn't a compliment, fool. What do you want?

Why are they staring at each other like that? Do they sense something's up?

You are most likely different from the former Naruto that they are used to.

Different? Wouldn't me be just like me?

Did you honestly not think that their Naruto would be different to you? You were an orphaned jinchuuriki who everyone hated. This world's Naruto is the daughter of the Yellow Flash and sheltered by her parents.

Ah. Naru cursed herself, feeling stupid. What was it about this time that made her forget that she was an adult? This whole time was like one big Kakashi-sensei! She was 25, she was the Hokage, she could think for herself, too. She wasn't that stupid, reckless kid anymore. What do you think their Naru was like?

Judging from your parents' reactions, I would say she's the opposite of you. You even accepted a compliment that that crazy woman mentioned you hated.

Naru unconsciously nodded her head – Even if she loved her Mother, Kurama still held a deep grudge against her for how he was treated. He claimed that even Naru's dark prison was better than Kushina's mindscape.

Oi, they're talking to you, pay attention! I don't want anyone trying to extract me because their fool of a daughter kept spacing out, understand?

Ah right, thanks Kurama. She received a grumble in response and turned to her Father, who had been trying to garner her attention for some time now. "Sorry, sorry!" She said, scratching her cheek with an index finger nervously: "What were you saying?"

Minato's shrewd gaze rested on her for a while before he returned to his usual smile, "I've been wondering this for quite a while now, Naru…" He began, inspecting her, "… What's with those clothes? They're far too big for you." He said finally. Naru's parents had both been so distracted by her crying to notice that her blue, button up pajama top was far too long, falling down to her knees and the baggy pants were probably barely clinging onto her comparably thin waist.

Naru's eyes widened as she looked down, surprised at herself – Sure enough, she was wearing her pajamas from 'her world' and the clothes of a 25 year old woman did not fit an 11 year old girl very well at all. "Ah, well, you know…" She began, trying to find her words: "It's a fashion statement. A fashion statement!" She repeated, as if to drive the point home.

Minato's intelligent blue eyes scanned her nervous face, though the fact that he was scrutinizing her didn't reach his mouth as he kept his smile. Naru could feel how analytical those eyes were, as if they stared right through her – She understood why people detested being an enemy of the Yellow Flash – Quick in mind and body. He didn't seem to miss a thing, despite his frivolous attitude.

After what seemed like hours, but was probably less than 20 seconds, Kushina finally spoke: "Minato Namikaze, what did I tell you about scrutinizing your daughter, hmm?" She spoke, looking down on him like he was a child, in her best motherly tone.

Minato turned to her and smiled with closed eyes, "I wouldn't do that to my own daughter, dear." He said lightly, chuckling – Naru liked the sound of it, it was deep and calming; she could imagine the sound resonating from his chest.

Kushina's eyebrow quirked in provocation, "Oh? So you didn't stare at her for 20 minutes when she was 9 trying to prove she had been spending time with a boy?" She said, slight sass in her voice.

Naru's body blushed on its own but she, herself, didn't feel embarrassed in the least. What was so weird about spending time with boys? A majority of shinobi in Konoha were male, after all. Besides, she was actually 25, she'd gone further than simply spending time with men. However, this piece of information could remain her little secret.

Minato looked nervous before changing the subject: "Well, in any case, you should probably get changed into something that fits you better, Naru. Fashion statements are nice but clothes that fit are even better," He said brightly, ushering Naru into her room.

Naru sweat dropped – He was probably one of those embarrassing fathers she had heard such bad things about. She shrugged, a father was a father and there was absolutely no denying that Minato was her father – She also wasn't complaining about the attention. She went into the other Naru's closet and released a deep sigh of relief. The two Narus atleast had something in common; they both liked orange. It seemed, however, they had both learned to tone it down to a stripe here and there. The only thing that bothered her was that she only owned one pair of shorts, the rest were skirts and bike shorts for underneath. It was okay though, she was (mentally) an adult, and she could handle worse than this little hiccup.

Naru undressed herself from her large pajamas and stowed them away in the bottom drawer of a nearby dresser. She found herself drawn to the mirror and inspected herself. She found she looked identical to how she looked at 11 – She supposed she shouldn't be this surprised, Kurama did warn her, after all – It was only logical she'd look like she did at 11 when she turned back into an 11 year old. Still, it really drove the point home. She was glad she didn't wear a bra to bed; otherwise, her parents definitely would've noticed a C-cup poking out and questioned why their pre-pubescent daughter was wearing it. She looked in the dresser for underwear and found an array of orange sports bras and matching panties. She quickly put them on and sighed, feeling her own chest without reservation – She really had no breasts to speak of. Her legs were scrawny and undeveloped, lacking the definition they had in her grown body. She was atleast two feet shorter. She sighed. She wouldn't say she was ugly but she had really enjoyed a grown-up body. Now she'd have to wait at least 2 years before her body even began showing any signs of belonging to a woman.

She spent a long time inspecting her arm - It amazed her to feel her own skin and bone again. It was as if she'd never lost it. Well, she supposed, she really hadn't lost it. She bent it at the elbow and rotated the forearm continuously, marveling at it as if it was some new piece of technology totally foreign to her. Though she'd never been particularly handicapped by her loss of the arm, due to the replacement, it was still nice to be completely herself again.

She dressed herself in the one pair of shorts that reached her knees, which were the obnoxiously bright shade of orange that she loved and a black tank top with a matching orange stripe down the side. She found that the bottoms of the shorts flared up too much and tapered them down using nearby bandages as to not inhibit her movement. She searched the whole room but she couldn't find a leaf hitai-ate. The shoes that the alter-Naru (affectionately nicknamed, of course) owned also looked too smooth at the sole and only had one, thin strap keeping them in place – In short, they looked like casual sandals. How did she wear these as a shinobi? Naru thought to herself but pulled them on nonetheless.

She borrowed the brush that sat on the dresser and began threading the bristles through her shoulder-length blonde tresses – They fell over her shoulder as the brush lost contact with them and Naru was about to begin braiding it before she realized there was no need. As a 25 year old, her hair reached her waist easily and so she had grown accustomed to braiding it to keep it out of the way but she didn't have any responsibilities that leaving it out would hinder at this age, so she did leave it out.

She heard chattering coming from the living-cum-dining room she had just vacated and pushed her ear against the door to listen, focusing her chakra in an attempt to enhance her hearing, which worked.

"Don't you think Naru is acting strange, Minato?" Kushina said – Naru could hear the faint click of dishes and the swishing of water accompanying her soft voice.

Light footsteps padded against the wooden floorboards as Minato paced: "She has." He said sharply. Naru noted that this goofball of a Father could actually sound serious when he wanted to. She wasn't pleased, however, that her parents seemed to be catching on that she was different.

"Maybe it's just because she's getting older." Kushina pointed out, still scrubbing away at the dishes. Her husband had taken a seat in their living room and was humming in thought.

"I don't know about that." He returned, propping his elbow on the armrest and balancing his chin on his palm, "She felt completely different. Her clothes were too big, she was acting like she wasn't used to us, she accepted a compliment when she usually says it's embarrassing, and she was eating really slowly." He listed, staring at their family picture. Every time Minato looked at the picture, he remembers when she was young and sighs with happy nostalgia.

Kushina hummed her agreement, placing the now-dry dishes in their respective compartments of the kitchen. She joined Minato on the couch and leaned into him: "Not to mention the fact that we were completely babying her this morning and she didn't say anything about it. Plus when did she get that necklace? It looks awfully familiar."

Naru's eyes widened as she peered at the necklace – It was Grandma Tsunade's necklace, the one she had given her after she managed to master the Rasengan in a week – It had travelled with her just like her pajamas. Her ear still tightly pushed against the door, she kept listening in:

Minato nodded, remembering the many times Naru had told him to back off or gotten mad because they treated her like a kid. He lazily laced his fingers with Kushina's and sighed a deep sigh. "Maybe it isn't so bad, though?" He spoke with uncertainty.

"What do you mean?" Kushina's voice had a slight edge to it. Naru surmised that Kushina was assuming Minato didn't like Naru the way she was – From the sounds of it, he liked her a bit too much for alter-Naru's liking, however.

"Ah, calm down, dear. I'm not saying I didn't love Naru just as much as before but… If, say, she has decided that she was past her phase of being embarrassed by us, I'm not going to complain." He said with a hopeful tone.

Kushina blinked a few times then rested back into him; the two weren't exactly cuddling but they were enjoying light contact – Kushina supposed they often sat like this when they had a spare moment since Naru was born, just a lazy embrace, really. "Isn't it you she's embarrassed of?" She teased, smirking only slightly.

Minato sputtered then spoke defensively: "What have I ever done to embarrass her?"

"She said she wanted to spend time with her friends at the park and you followed her to make sure there weren't any boys."

"At that age, boys are dangerous!"

"She was 7."

"Exactly! How was she supposed to defend herself if I wasn't there?"

"The parents spotted you in the bushes and thought you were a pervert."

"A minor transgression." He waved off with an invisible hand; Naru laughed to herself – She had that memory; alter-Naru had been so embarrassed she ran home, crying.

Kushina laughed loudly and was soon joined by Minato. Naru slid against the door, sitting with a smile as she listened to them laughing together. Kushina was quite short-tempered but they did get along well enough – Naru wondered why alter-Naru would be at all displeased with having parents like them. Then again, Naru would have been content with any parents at all.

Kushina's eyes snapped up to the clock and she gasped: "Crap! I have to go. It's almost 11 and my team moves out on their mission at 12. I'll be home in three days, Minato." She quickly ran into the room she shared with her husband and put on a form-fitting, black turtleneck and matching leggings, bandages at the knees. She placed her jounin flak jacket over the turtleneck, tied her waist length hair up in a high ponytail with two strands on either side framing her face and tied her leaf hitai-ate over her forehead.

Minato stood up and kissed his wife on the cheek. He waved at her as she passed him, "Good luck." He said with a smile. When the Yellow Flash had first married Kushina, he'd felt rather listless when she left for missions and constantly worried, sometimes even manipulating the roster so they were on the same team but she'd proven time and again that she was more than capable of taking care of herself, so he could now rest easy.

Naru heard them speaking and, by instinct, shot out of her room. She ran up to her Mother and hugged her around the waist. She didn't know what had possessed her to do it. She'd just heard them talking about a mission and suddenly felt this unstoppable urge to make her stay somehow. Naru had lived 25 years without parents and if she lost her Mother again, she didn't know if she could handle it. Even if it was just a mission. Even if shinobi came back from missions all the time, she didn't want to risk it. Sometimes, shinobi didn't make it back and that was what worried Naru.

"Naru, what's wrong?" Kushina tried to hold her voice at a soft level but the impatience rang through her tone regardless – She was behind schedule and if she was late, they'd make her carry the heavier supplies – She was no weakling but she wasn't a fool either.

Naru's arms quickly retreated from Kushina and she looked shocked. "O-Oh. Sorry, I… don't know why I did that." The blonde girl said awkwardly, hopping from one foot to the other. She looked down at the ground as if she was ashamed and waited for her Mother to tell her not to touch her, or that she shouldn't be so familiar, or even hit her for daring to.

Instead, Kushina placed her hand on her daughter's head, ruffling the blonde locks, "Don't worry; your Mother is suuuuuper strong. Nothing can stop me, got it?" She spoke boisterously with a wide grin. She had zeroed in on the worry in Naru's eyes and her impatience had melted away – Who cares if she had to carry a bit of extra weight? She wanted to tone her body a bit more anyway. "That aside, don't stay up too late and eat properly, don't just eat take out because I'm gone, you hear me? I know it's tempting to let your Father spoil you because of how he is but don't get sucked in – Minato doesn't have a limit when it comes to you, so be the wiser one in this family for me." Naru could tell she wanted to continue; the nagging felt familiar in many ways but lacked that dull sadness that ached when she remembered – In contrast, it made her happy.

Naru looked up and found an identical grin spreading across her face. She nodded. I want to go with her. She thought but stifled it – She wanted to ask so badly, to ask if she could go but Naru, more than most, knew what the protocol for missions was – After all, in another life, she had been the one to assign missions and give instructions on protocol. Besides, the current Naru probably wasn't even a genin yet – There was no hitai-ate for her in sight.

Kushina left the house with a pleased smile on her face. It had been, what, 3 years since Naru had last clung to her like that as she left for a mission. It was a fulfilling feeling, to say the least, and she started agreeing with Minato that maybe this change in behavior wasn't bad at all. She jumped onto the roofs of the village and hoped she wouldn't be late, even if she was going to be the last.

When Naru was gone, she sighed heavily – Her Mother had said nothing could stop her but if that was the truth, Naru wouldn't have been made an orphan in the first place.

"Naru-chan," Minato cooed at her from the living room, hoping to cheer her up as she was just forlornly staring at the door.

She turned to him, "Yes?" She said, an imaginary pair of ears drooping.

Minato stopped for a moment, admiring how cute his daughter was before pulling himself out of his trance. "Since Kushina's gone for three days, you get to spend all that time with me!"

Despite her actual age, Naru felt giddy and excited like a, well, little girl – The Fourth Hokage had been her personal hero for a long time and finding out he was her Father just made her existence a bit prouder than before. Now she has the chance to not only spend quality time with the Father she never had but he's also going to be the Fourth Hokage. She tried her hardest to push the worry for Kushina to the back of her mind and walked over to her Father, beaming happily: "Okay! Let's do it, dattebayo!"

Minato's eyes narrowed for a second, inspecting Naru's face. With a confused voice, he repeated the verbal tick: "Dattebayo?"

Naru cursed herself – Kakashi-sensei told her that the verbal tick came from her Mother so she assumed alter-Naru would share the habit but apparently not. Under that astute gaze, she felt like biting her tongue off right now and getting it over with.

Dispelling Naru's worries, Minato tipped his head to the side and smiled – no teeth showing, mind you – with closed eyes, "Just like your Mother, huh?" He said fondly. "So, what do you want to do today?"

Something about Minato's smile really made Naru comfortable. She felt emboldened and gave her usual Cheshire cat grin: "Ramen!" She roared with conviction.

Minato froze for a moment; he could've sworn Naru said she was on a diet. He shrugged, glad to see her becoming more comfortable with herself. If it was a chance to spend quality time with his daughter, he'd do it, "Let's go," He affirmed.

Naru inwardly did a little happy dance as they both walked out. She patiently waited for Minato to lock the door to their home and they both walked side by side in companionable silence until they were on the street.

Naru noticed with amazement how people came up to Minato and initiated pleasant conversation or simply waved to him. She also didn't miss the flirtatious glances sent his way from women and she couldn't help but laugh as she thought about how her Mother would react if they ever tried to act on their desires. She also wondered how she could apply these types of interactions between Hokage (though Minato wasn't there quite yet) and the citizens in her Konoha. Then again, there was no telling whether she would actually return to that Konohagakure again. For all she knew, this was her Konoha now.

Minato had just finished saying goodbye to a passerby when he heard Naru laugh quietly to herself, "What's funny?" He inquired curiously.

She looked mischief and grinned, "Oh, nothing." She couldn't very well tell him that she was imagining her Mother's red hair flying everywhere as women ran for their lives. "You're popular, aren't you?" She mused passively, more trying to make conversation than anything.

Minato's blue eyes lit up on that note, "Naru, are you jealous?"

Naru deadpanned at his complete misunderstanding. "I was just pointing it out,"

The soon-to-be Hokage slumped, "No chance, huh?" He uttered sadly, the hope slowly dying in his eyes.

On the other hand, Naru's eyes lit up. "There's Ichiraku, dattebayo!" She said with vigor, doing a little fist pump in the air as she wasted no time running to the stand. "Hurry up, let's go – Let's eat!"

Minato smiled warmly at her excitement, following at a steady pace. Naru took a moment to look at him and finally noticed the difference between Minato and other shinobi. He walked with passive grace, straight posture and earned nobility – There wasn't even a degree of a slouch present in his form. She could tell just by looking at him what a great man he was. She was proud that he was her Father.

She smiled back at him, not her usual boisterous grin but just a gentle smile. They both ducked under the curtain partitioning the actual restaurant from the street and took a seat at the short counter. Looking at the old design sure brought back memories!

Teuchi smiled at them hospitably, "Welcome! What can I get you, folks?" He said by habit. Naru was amazed; she knew she had travelled back but Teuchi really was a young man, he might've even been younger than Minato – There were no signs that time had affected him as much as it did her Teuchi; that smile was free from any lines of age. He was the picture of youth. "Ah, Minato, is it? Kushina-chan isn't here with you today?" His eyes lit up, his smile now warmer and more familiar.

Minato returned the smile: "She's off on a mission. Today, it's just Naru and I." There was barely concealed excitement behind his words as if he desperately wanted to tell everyone that he was able to spend time with Naru.

"Oh ho, is that so?" Teuchi replied kindly. He dutifully wiped the counter on his side and looked over at Naru, "How long has it been since I've seen young Naru here, hm?"

Naru smiled weakly; she didn't know how long it had been. She had memories from her birth until now but they were vague and many slots were left unfilled – She remembered happy, sad and mundane things but she could not recall them as she wished most of the time, despite Kurama telling her they were her memories. "Too long," She finally spoke after their smiles clashed for tens of seconds; the statement had been more of a question than anything.

"True enough!" Teuchi replied with a light chuckle. "What can I get you?"

"Miso, please!" Naru said excitedly, anticipating the delicious, genuine ramen. Her eyes absently went behind the counter as she scoped the area for Teuchi's daughter, Ayame. In her time, Ayame was almost 31, which means that right now… Ayame is only 2 right now. So weird; she was always older than me and now I'm 9 years older than her.

"I'll take soy," Minato chimed in, eyes casting a sidelong glance at Naru as he watched her spacing out. Since this morning, she's been a bit strange – Crying in the morning, zoning out during breakfast and now she looked to be deep in thought about something. He'd have to find out about that later.

Teuchi seemed to find it amusing that Naru would choose the ramen with the naruto topping but decided against mentioning it. "Good choice," He settled. He retreated to the back to begin cooking the ramen and left the two family members.

"Hey, mister!" Naru called to him before he could get to his noodle-cooking station. After receiving a questioning look from Teuchi, she stared directly at him with an imploring look: "No matter who asks you to do it, don't ever make this a dipping noodle shop, got it?"

Teuchi sweat dropped, wondering what had come over the girl. Still, he gave her a smile and laughed benevolently, "Ramen's all I know, kid! I ain't changin' anytime soon," he replied before getting to work.

Naru's eyebrows creased - even if she warned him, he might forget by the time Ayame was old enough to go on those fancy supply and demand courses.

"I didn't know you liked ramen so much, Naru," Minato spoke without any real direction, simply turning to look at her.

She smiled lightly, trying to keep her undying love and admiration for ramen from surfacing, "It's okay; it tastes good so I like it." She said coolly. And by okay, I mean that ramen is the food of the Gods, dattebayo! With that inner hype, she was starting to feel like Sakura – She just hoped her inner-Naru didn't say 'cha!' anytime soon.

Minato decided to play along and not mention how fired up she was at the mere mention of ramen, not to mention, how excited Naru got when Ichiraku was actually in her sights. "It's nice that we can spend some time together," He pointed out.

Naru nodded with a big grin: "I think so, too," she said honestly. She doubted Minato knew to the true extent that she was glad to spend time with her Father – The only thing that could make it better was if her Mother was there with them.

"Your Mother will be very jealous that we went to get ramen," Minato spoke again. His tone was level and calm; Naru noticed that even when he was doting on her, the tone remained – Only flecks of emotion or changes of inflection were present and she could tell it had been so well-honed that it was now second nature.

Naru poked out her tongue childishly, "That's her fault for going on a mission," She joked, letting out a small laugh.

Minato shared her laugh, "That's true but now you can have me all to yourself, isn't that great?" He said – Naru almost heard the slightest hint of teasing.

She hummed in thought for a second. Her eyes were caught on a silver feather hanging off an ornament nearby and it reminded her of a certain lazy sensei of hers, "What about your genin team?" She asked as the thought came to her. In truth, Naru had been so overwhelmed by today's events that she may or may not have completely forgotten about Kakashi-sensei.

Minato paused for a second, trying to remember if she had ever shown any interest in his team or if she even had any idea that he had one. "Ah, them." He nodded, looking thoughtful. "I suppose I do need to train them this coming Monday,"

"You forgot?" She asked, almost accusingly.

"Of course not! I would never forget my students," He defended, looking penitent – He had forgotten.

Naru let out a benevolent laugh, "That's no good! You can't just forget your team," She scolded jokingly.

"I told you I didn't forget, Naru," Minato said, dragging out her name in a whiny way.

"Okay, okay, I believe you," She conceded, waving an invisible hand. In truth, she just wanted to enjoy the ramen Teuchi delicately placed infront of her.

"Enjoy!" Teuchi said with a large smile. He enjoyed watching the two of them interact; from the sounds of it, when Minato is dragged to Ichiraku by Kushina (when all he wants to do is eat her home made cooking), Naru hadn't been very interested in spending time with either of her parents these past few years but times changed, he supposed. He just hoped his little Ayame would skip that phase.

"Itadakimasu!" Naru exclaimed, clapping her hands together before reaching for her chopsticks. She broke them apart and began swirling the ramen around them, blowing it before slurping the spindly noodles up. Naru was amazed by the flavors; she knew Teuchi was an amazing ramen chef, she'd go so far as to say he was an artist but this taste was beyond anything he'd ever made for her – She supposed this is what Gai-sensei and by extension, Lee, called 'The Power of Youth'.

Minato watched, amused, as he saw her eat as if she had been eating ramen consistently her whole life – He also didn't miss the dribble of juice falling down her chin. He decided to focus on his own food and followed suit, enjoying the rich taste of the soy (but not as much as Kushina's cooking, of course).

Some time passed before Minato spoke again: "Naru, isn't that your third bowl already? You're still hungry?" He said, both frightened and impressed by her indomitable appetite. If his wallet was alive, it would be crying or trying to flee right now before it was drained dry.

Naru looked unabashed at him and smiled, "It's so good! This is the last one, I promise," She said before digging into her fourth bowl.

Minato nervously scratched the back of his head and gave a weak laugh, glancing at Teuchi who only smiled – He knew the man was only smiling affably but it looked malicious somehow just because of the amount of money he'd have to cough up after this. But if it's for Naru, he would endure.

Naru marveled at the simple fulfillment she felt just sitting with her Father and eating ramen together. It reminded her a lot of the times she had spent with Iruka-sensei – She felt bad but this might feel roughly one hundred times better. Iruka-sensei had been like a Father to her but Minato truly was her Father – Even if she wanted to kid herself into thinking it wasn't so, the two were on different levels.

"Wow, I'm so full," Naru breathed out, patting her stomach as the two walked side by side out into the street after leaving the stand. "Thanks for the food!" She beamed up at Minato, who looked a bit defeated in all honesty.

His mood brightened at her smile and his hand found her head, ruffling the blonde locks: "Not a problem, Naru-chan," He replied happily. He realized he was pushing his luck – (His) Naru didn't like when he messed up her hair or when he added –chan to the end of her name because it made her feel like a child.

Naru, though, felt the warmth soothe her and she smiled a gentle smile, not bothering to reset the pieces of hair that had become fly aways due to the friction – She didn't want to disturb anything about the moment. She was actually an adult and yet she so easily allowed herself to be pulled along with Minato's fatherly whims back into the days when she was just a kid. Well, mind you, she had settled down considerably since then – She wasn't nearly as loud or obnoxious, she could handle making normal conversation without major outbursts.

"Where do you want to go next?"

"I'm not sure," She replied, looking thoughtful. She spotted a convenience store and her blue eyes lit up, "Could we stop there for a second?" She pointed at the store.

"If that's what you want," He said, smiling.

Naru instructed her Father to wait outside for her and she walked in, looking around – She noticed the freezer in the back and briskly walked there, whistling happily. Her eyes settled on what she wanted and she reached into her pocket – alter-Naru was truly broke; she just barely had enough to afford the item. I miss my Gama-chan. Naru thought ruefully before going to the register. She nodded when the cashier asked if that'd be all and walked out with her purchase in hand.

"What did you end up buying?"

"This!" Naru said excitedly. She showed him a blue popsicle, or rather two that were joined together. She pulled them apart and held one out to Minato with a smile, "Here, this one's for you!"

"Really? Then I humbly accept,"

Naru laughed and began eating hers. She couldn't think of a better person to share the treat with than Minato – The sweet, cool taste brought back both happy and sad memories but all important. It didn't feel that long ago that a lonely Naru had been looking at her makeshift mentor, hoping to find some sort of father figure in him and he'd humored her by sharing the same type of popsicle with her – She truly missed Pervy Sage, er, Jiraiya. Her smile wavered for a moment but true to her character, it really was only a moment – She cheered herself up by remembering that, in this time, Jiraiya was very much alive. She stood there, thinking about what would happen if they met – Naru was sure she'd cry and try to hug him but to him, she'd be a stranger. She briefly wondered if she could reveal her time traveller status to him – He was pervy but he was wise and trustworthy.

Despite his rather overbearing and doting ways as a Father, Minato was renowned for his intellect – He was, for all intents and purposes, considered a prodigy in every way – He could analyze a situation logically from angles others didn't even begin to perceive, he noticed the slightest twitches in his enemies and could use it to discern their intentions, habits, personalities, and his head was never under pressure, never without purpose when it counted. He didn't like using this skill on his daughter, he truly didn't but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

At times like these, he'd notice the expressions on her face change from childish smiles to brooding looks. Those eyes that shone of determination and happiness somehow portrayed the feeling of hidden depths – When her mouth quivers and her eyes turn glassy, when she isn't entirely there and it seems that a new maturity swims in the cerulean pools passively. When she spaces out, a defenseless display of eyes that have seen hardship and knew pain; the eyes of a shinobi – not just a genin or even a chunin – Minato dared to think they even reminded him of the hardened eyes of a veteran or an ANBU whose life was endless and senseless slaughter without identity or recognition. Minato was acutely aware that the atmosphere was already more serious than he intended.

"Is something the matter?" Naru's voice rings through his thoughts. Minato's face doesn't change; he doesn't show his surprise – He was practiced and careful, that's how he survived and thrived as a shinobi.

"Nothing," Minato says with a level tone but Naru is quick to note that his usual smile isn't there and the slight tension in his jaw doesn't lessen with each step that they take. Naru's eyelids cover a little more of her blue orbs as she notices his suspicion; Kurama doesn't let her miss it, even if she wants to. The popsicle sat forgotten in his hand, drops of its melted form falling onto the dirt road.

She sighs deeply and ushers him to a seat. She doesn't look at him when she speaks, not wanting him to see the look in her eyes, "There is something, isn't there?" She said. Suddenly, her voice wasn't as high-pitched as before and her eyes dull; she's an adult and she can't handle everything like a child. What else could she do but face it head on? That's how she'd always dealt with her problems and it'd worked out.

Minato works to discern the quiet sadness in her voice and leans back, "You seem strange," He tells her honestly. His eyes flick to her in a sidelong gaze, watching her face.

"Is that so?" She ponders, more to herself than Minato. "What's different?" She asks after a pregnant pause. She attempts to keep a straight face but no matter how old she gets, her emotions always show on her face – everyone knows she's too expressive.

What Minato finds there threatens to break his heart; an eerie mixture of sadness, loneliness and only the slightest twinge of hope daring to show behind. He steadies himself and begins, "Everything about you seems to have changed to some degree. Your reactions, mannerisms, expressions. It still feels like you're my Naru but I can't explain these changes." He tells her.

Naru doesn't feel like the Hokage who was sensible and clever at a moment's notice or her twenty-five year old self that had almost moved past the irrevocable loneliness that came with being orphaned from birth. She feels like a lost child when he talks to her in that analytical tone – Is she an enemy? It hurts to think that's how he sees her. Even if she's a little different, she's still Naru. "Do you think I'm someone else or something?" She hopes it comes out as a joke but she's obviously cutting straight to the point.

"No, but I…" He trailed off. What exactly did he mean? It certainly sounded like he was insinuating that she wasn't his Naru, his daughter. It was undeniable that he felt his paternal instincts drawn to her like a moth to a flame but his logical brain was telling him something was up. For Minato, logic meant survival.

Naru's blue eyes were like steel as she stared directly ahead of her, "Explain it to me clearly." It was almost an order. She used that voice on Minato, her Father. Her Hokage voice. She was treating him like a comparably insignificant subordinate because if she looked at him like her hero and her Father, if she saw him in that light then his rejection of her existence would hurt too much to bear. Even now, it hurt so much already. She knew she didn't really have the right to feel that way, she had usurped alter-Naru's place, after all.

Minato decides screw it and turns to Naru. His arms are slow and deliberate, treating her like a frightened cat. They encircle her with warmth formerly unknown and Minato envelopes her small form in a hug because he's not sure what else to do at this point. His logic was failing him, which had never happened, and his emotions were all he had left. His mind screamed that something was off but his senses told him that she was his daughter, even if she was different, it was her. "Sorry, don't worry about it." He mumbled. He was aware of the stares they were getting but didn't know if he had the strength to care. All he knew was that he didn't want her to have to use that voice and talk to him like a stranger because he was her Father and even if she came home with a second head, he'd still love her.

Naru's eyes widened – It certainly wasn't what she was expecting when the conversation had taken a turn. Despite her incredibly strong emotions, she fancied herself as someone who could overcome sadness by herself and push tears away without any incredible effort. However, this time it felt like quite a feat. She didn't know if it was because her current body was breaching puberty but her emotions were so much stronger – The urge to cry was all-consuming. Still, she held it in and nodded, bringing her small hand up to his arm and just clutching Minato's sleeve like affirmation because that's all she could think of.

"Let's go home," He said simply. No question, just a statement.

"Yeah," Naru agreed. She was oddly embarrassed, although she was the type to publicize everything she did at this age back then; she honestly didn't feel the need to draw anyone's attention.

The two walked back in silence, reeling from what had happened. Minato pondered the constant fluctuations and inconsistencies in his daughter's demeanor; one moment she was a child, the next she was like an adult. Naru thought about how much a day could change everything; how scared she was to be hated by Minato and Kushina – She'd never had parents, she didn't know what this feeling was. Despite this, they found that they walked slightly closer together and the silence wasn't awkward by any means, just there. Unanswered questions hung in the air but the two were content to leave them as mysteries for now.

Naru bitterly recalls when Sasuke had told her that she didn't understand his pain because she never had parents in the first place; she was alone from the start. It's almost laughable that it would take 12 years and a time travel jutsu for her to come to understand. But oh, how she understands now. That feeling of warmth and comfort, a specific feeling that can't be described if it isn't felt – A need to cling to it until it is wrenched from your grip and all you can do is mourn the loss – The feeling that can't be replicated by anything but the original source.

As Naru stares at the house that seemed so unfamiliar that morning, she understands the desperation she felt when she had sensed Minato's suspicion. Unlike her apartment in her youth that was just a mere shell, this was a home – Minato and Kushina were the difference. Naru had dealt with a lot of pain in her life but she didn't know if she could recover from that pain.

~Chapter End~

Ending Note: Sorry if that was a boring dialogue-fest, I just wanted to ease the story into it. Also, sorry for the random seriousness – I just felt like for most of the chapter, I was underestimating Minato's acute observational skills and I needed to include those so yeh.