Warnings: Scenes of a violent and sexual nature, graphic imagery, gender bending.
Pairing: Kakashi/Female!Naruto
Summary: AU. Naruto was born, and thus the Kyuubi attack occurred, a few years earlier than in canon. Minato did not die in the sealing but the council forces his hand and his worst nightmares come to life. Naruto's father might be alive, and she is very obviously the apple of his eye, but her childhood is the furthest thing from easy or happy.
Author's Note: This fic is actually quite fluffy and light-hearted overall. Very little angst here folks. All I really wanted to do was set up a universe that I've been itching to write. If there's interest, I might be persuaded into writing a sequel ;)
Chapter Three: You Feel Like Home, Home To Me
It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
The wind picked up her hair, blowing it behind her in a river of gold. Naruto smiled, tilting her face up towards the sky and leaning back to lie against the tiles of the roof. It was a glorious morning, made all the more so because she was spending today with Kakashi. Naruto had been home for a full week and it still felt like she had returned only yesterday.
A lot had happened in that week. Her father had officially announced her return to Konoha and also made it public news that she was no longer the jailer of the nine-tailed fox. Naruto, with a bit of help from Jiraiya, had managed to modify the seal and allow for faster assimilation of the Kyuubi's chakra. Breaking the news to Konoha as a whole was a decision Naruto was fully behind and turned out to be the correct one. Nobody could accuse her of being unstable now.
Drawing in a deep breath, Naruto inhaled the smells of home in the morning. There was the jasmine that was the pride of the goundskeeper's garden and there was also an undercurrent of pine. The coniferous trees were particularly abundant in Konoha and nowhere else on the hidden continent carried quite the same smell. There was also a rather delicious, albeit man-made smell that instantly caused Naruto's stomach to growl and her grin widened. Porridge! Slipping back in through her bedroom window, Naruto practically skipped downstairs. Porridge was her absolute favourite breakfast food but could only really be found in the Hidden Villages and Naruto had spent ten years avoiding those at every turn. Also nobody cooked porridge quite like her father.
"Morning Naru," Minato grinned as his daughter bounced into the room.
"Morning Papa!" Naruto beamed dropping a kiss on his cheek before crossing to the stove to fill a bowl with nutritious, creamy goodness.
"You're in a good mood," Minato noted, grinning as Naruto sprinkled blueberries and strawberries into her breakfast until there was almost more fruit than porridge.
"I'm spending the day with Kakashi," Naruto returned the smile as she hopped onto the counter instead of sitting on a chair. "I can't wait! The lazy ass barely wrote me at all when I was away. We have so much to catch up on!"
"I'm sure," Minato replied, "Just don't forget we're going to Asuma's house for dinner. It wouldn't do be late."
"Please, when am I ever late?" Naruto scoffed, swinging her legs as she ate. "I can't wait for that either! I missed Asuma-san, he's another one that was too lazy to write."
"As long as you don't say that to his face," Minato grimaced.
"Why not?" Naruto raised her eyebrows in question as she hopped off the counter and rinsed out her bowl. "It's true."
"You haven't changed at all, Naru-chan," Minato tried to sound stern but it mostly came out affectionate. "You're still a tactless brat."
"Hey, a bit of honesty never hurt anyone," Naruto winked. "But I gotta go now. Kakashi told his team he's meeting them in twenty minutes and I intend to hold him to that."
"I'll bet he'll love that!" Minato laughed, ruffling Naruto's hair as she passed him on her way out and taking the opportunity to also drop a kiss onto the top of her head. "Have fun!"
Naruto waved and grinned at him over her shoulder and then the door was slamming shut behind her and Minato was left staring at a piece of wood with a soft smile on his face. His daughter might have grown in height but she was still his little girl, and the moments where she was little more than a mischievous blur of energy proved it. Shaking off his nostalgia, Minato slung his cloak over his shoulders and strode out of the house. Hopefully the day would pass without Naru and Kakashi doing irreparable damage. Those two could be a force to be reckoned with.
Waving to Gai as he sped past her on his, well she shuddered to think how many laps around the village he had already done, Naruto hummed softly under her breath. It was a beautiful day and she was going to spend it with her oldest friend. It didn't hurt that Kakashi was hot as hell. Ten years ago he had been a lanky twelve year old that towered over her in a highly annoying way. Now he was a tall, broad shouldered twenty two year old that towered over her in the best possible way. Also, those jōnin uniforms he wore were the best invention ever because they were a little…fitted. When you had legs like Kakashi's fitted was very, very good. Jiraiya's books were detailed and graphic and Naruto couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to try out some of the stuff he wrote about with someone as attractive as the Copy-Nin.
Shaking the lecherous thoughts from her head because it was just wrong to think of her friend in that way, Naruto grinned broad and bright when she spotted Kakashi standing at the memorial stone. He would undoubtedly have picked up on her chakra signature by now so she wasted no time on stealth. Instead Naruto ran, with enough speed to generate a soft breeze, and jumped onto his back. Her arms went around his neck and her legs wrapped around his waist and still Kakashi barely even blinked.
"Naru," Kakashi turned his head so that he could glance at her, "you're heavy."
"Then you're out of shape," Naruto pouted, put off by the unexpected greeting. "And you're also gonna be late. It's not nice to keep your students waiting you know."
"Hm," Kakashi glanced at her again, his lips curving into a smile beneath his masks. "If I remember correctly you called one of those same students a 'harpy'. Do you really think you should be telling me how to treat them?"
"I was only playing with her," Naruto scoffed. "Besides, I can't believe you let your genin go around being so…loud. Haven't you taught them stealth?"
"I don't need to," Kakashi replied. "Sakura can be quiet when she needs to be."
"She's a genin, how often does she need to be quiet?" Naruto asked resting her chin on Kakashi's shoulder and lifting her arms out in front of her. Her nail polish was chipped.
Kakashi turned his head to look at her, amusement clear in his visible eye but Naruto just shrugged, not in the least bit bothered by her current position. Neither was Kakashi if he were completely honest with himself. The training grounds weren't far from the memorial stone and Naruto really wasn't all that heavy. Not for him anyway. Besides, it felt nice to carry her. His hands rested on her legs, feeing the deceptive strength there even through the material of his gloves and her breasts were squashed against his back. Her hair was unbound, some of it falling forward and tickling the side of his face and, from this close proximity, Kakashi could make out the clean, sharp scent of the soap she used. No, he wasn't slightest bit bothered by her current position.
"Kakashi?" A female voice spoke, breaking through his thoughts and, as one, Naruto and Kakashi turned their heads to look at the speaker.
"Kurenai," Kakashi greeted, ignoring the three gaping genin that were accompanying her. He made no move to introduce Naruto or acknowledge their blatant shock as seeing him carrying a fellow ninja when she obviously uninjured.
"Rude," Naruto scolded, poking his sharply in the ribs and, in retaliation he let go of her legs, hoping to drop her. Instead, Naruto slid easily off his back and stepped around him to smile at the newcomers.
"Good morning Kurenai-san," she greeted. "Please forgive my friend's rudeness; I've heard he's not used to actually being awake in the mornings. I'm Namikaze Naruto and you must be the new jōnin I've heard so much about."
"Yuuhi Kurenai, and welcome back Namikaze-san" the older woman smiled, instantly charmed by Naruto's politeness while Kakashi barely refrained from rolling his eyes. Sure Naruto was all sugar and spice but then you actually got to know her!
"This is my team," Kurenai continued, "Aburame Shino, Hyūga Hinata and Inuzuka Kiba with his companion, Akamaru."
"Why'd you have the same surname as the Hokage," Kiba asked as Shino and Hinata mumbled their greetings.
"He's my father," Naruto replied, trying not to get too annoyed at the question. She'd met most of the village's ninja yesterday but it was inevitable that some were out of the village or had taken training days. Still, you'd think they'd know such recent history.
"No way!" Kiba's disbelief was evident. "The Hokage has a daughter! How come we've never seen you before?"
"Kiba!" Kurenai instantly scolded before turning to Naruto with an apologetic smile. "Pardon him, Namikaze-san, Kiba sometimes forgets his manners."
"It's no problem," Naruto assured, "And to answer the question, I've been out of the village for a long time. We really must be going now," she linked her arms with Kakashi, "I wanted to make sure Hatake was on time for once. It was nice to meet you, though!"
"Goodbye Namikaze-san, see you around Kakashi," Kurenai waved as Naruto dragged Kakashi away, seemingly unaware of the unimpressed stare the Copy-Nin was bestowing upon her.
"You don't have to pull so hard you know," Kakashi said as Kurenai and her team became blobs of colour in the background. "I think you've dislocated something."
"Oh shut up, you big wuss," Naruto stuck her tongue out at him. "I only hurt your pride."
"Nope, definitely feeling something dislocated," Kakashi teased, making a show of prodding at his shoulder.
Naruto merely grinned at him; even after ten years she knew that the joke was Kakashi's way of saying he didn't mind her teasing him in front of his friends. It was a good thing too because Naruto liked teasing Kakashi. Her friend smiled back at her, his visible eye curving with the motion and Naruto linked their fingers together, swinging their joint hands as they approached the training grounds.
"Sensei," Sakura sounded awe-struck, "you're on time!"
"Maa, a leech started clinging to me and woke me up," Kakashi explained.
"A leech?" Sakura's brow scrunched in confusion and her gaze flitted from Kakashi's bored visage to where Naruto was coughing into her hand. Sasuke and Sai looked intrigued for a moment before brushing away the explanation as their sensei being typically vague.
"Will you be joining us today, Namikaze-san?" Sai asked, smiling at Naruto.
"Me? No," Naruto bounced on the balls of her feet before glancing at Kakashi from the corner of her eye. "I'm just here to keep your sensei company."
"So I don't have to spar with you?" Sakura asked, not managing to disguise her hope. Naruto had dropped in on their training before and had sparred with Sakura in an attempt to show the younger girl just how far she had to go before she could consider herself a true ninja. Needless to say the lesson had been learned and Sakura still carried the bruises to prove it.
"Actually I was hoping to take a little of Kakashi's time to do just that," Naruto said. "It's been a while since I've had a worthy opponent and maybe your team could get a taste for what they're training towards?" Her last words were directed towards Kakashi who turned to look at her, wariness evident in his body language.
He took a moment to think over the offer, certain that Naruto would have ulterior motives and, sure enough, those motives were made obvious when Kakashi noticed the way Sasuke had straightened at the mention of a fight between him and Naruto. The youngest Uchiha was temperamental and expected to progress faster than he had been doing thus far. It wasn't surprising that Naruto had noticed and it also wasn't surprising that she was looking out for Sasuke by giving him a goal to work towards other than catching up to Itachi. Naruto, of all people, knew exactly how futile an exercise that would be. Sasuke was talented, extremely so, but he wasn't a thirteen year old ANBU captain.
"Okay," Kakashi easily agreed, "but if I win then you have to agree to a welcome back party."
"Fine," Naruto crossed her arms over her chest and raised a challenging eyebrow at her oldest friend, "if you win."
~O
Minato let his annoyance paint his features, eyebrows furrowing into a scowl as he watched the village Council.
"Let me get this straight," he said, "First you forced me into exiling a six year old girl for a decade and now that she's back you want to strip her of shinobi status? The same girl who wiped the floor with all five of the jōnin you handpicked to test her abilities upon her return?"
"The issue with the Kyuubi is still unresolved," Koharu Utatane replied, her hands folded neatly on top of the table. "The girl has to be monitored, for the village's safety."
"My daughter" Minato sneered, "is one of the most gifted ninja this village has ever seen and a true asset, in every possible way."
"Hokage-sama, I don't think…" another member of the Council started to speak but was quickly cut off by the glare Minato levelled his way.
"Fortunately for me, what you think is irrelevant," Minato forced his expression back into one of neutrality, and took a deep breath to regain control of himself. "This council no longer has any input into matters concerning the ninja of Konoha and exists in an advisory capacity only. On this matter, your advice is unwanted and uncalled for."
Murmurs of outrage ran through the assembly but Minato quelled them with a look (something he had become very good at over the past decade) before sweeping from the meeting hall, his coat billowing out behind him. Thankfully for the people who had appointments with their Hokage later that day, Minato's anger did not last for long. The Council were an annoyance but they no longer had the power to force his hand and that knowledge, more than anything, was what enabled him to calm down.
Cocking his head, Minato smiled as a dim flare of chakra, thick and familiar, brushed against his senses and he quickened his steps. Kakashi was in a spar and with a very worthwhile opponent if the chakra he was expending was anything to go by. Minato had a very good idea as to who exactly that opponent was. He arrived at the training grounds in time to see Naruto jump into what would have been a devastating roundhouse kick had Kakashi, with his sharingan blazing, not back-flipped out of the way. The two flew towards each other, their kunai meeting in a loud clang of metal and shower of sparks. Kakashi stabbed his kunai towards Naruto's face but she ducked under it and aimed for his torso. Body flickering out of the way, Kakashi appeared behind Naruto, his kunai inches away from her neck. Launching into a forward roll, Naruto pushed chakra at her feet and flew into the air, using her momentum to turn and face her friend once more.
Her leg was already flying towards Kakashi and this time she made contact and her foot impacted solidly against his stomach. The power behind the kick caused Kakashi to stumble backwards and Naruto was on him an instant later, launching into a flurry of kicks with such smooth transitions that Minato felt more than just paternal pride. After all, not just any ninja could get Kakashi on the defensive like that.
"She's good, isn't she?" Minato said and the three genin in front of him jumped, turning to face him with startled eyes. None of them had realised he was watching. Neither did they know that there were jōnin and ANBU all around the clearing drawn by the flares of chakra.
"Hokage-sama!" Sakura managed to squeak out a greeting. "I…we…we didn't know you were here."
"Have they been sparring for long?" Minato asked, ignoring the slightly obvious statement and smiling to put the children at ease.
"It's been approximately twenty minutes, Hokage-sama," Sai said, his head swinging from left to right as he tried to keep track of the two older ninja's movements.
Sasuke and Sakura were in a similar predicament as they followed the sound of metal clashing together of the rush of wind from the speed of Naruto and Kakashi's movements, unable to spot the ninja themselves. Naturally, Minato had no such problems and he whistled as Kakashi somehow managed to dodge Naruto's drop kick, the follow up punch and the proceeding spinning kick to his jaw before reaching forward to ruffle Naruto's hair. She promptly grabbed his wrist and tossed him over her shoulder but Kakashi landed on two feet, sprang into a new attack and the spar started afresh.
It was almost half an hour later that Kakashi body flickered behind Naruto and gently pulled on a few strands of hair. She whirled around to face him only to find that he'd covered his sharingan once more and his visible eye was curved into a smile. Relaxing out of her stance she reached up and flicked his nose through the material of his mask before skipping up to Minato and the genin, hair mussed and breathing harder than normal.
"Papa!" Naruto's smile was wide. "You're done already? I expected the Council to take up most of your day."
"It turned out that what they wanted to discuss wasn't that important after all," Minato shrugged then smiled at her. "You've gotten fast, Naru."
"Not as fast as you," Naruto shrugged before linking her hands together behind her back and gazing imploringly up at her father. "Speaking of which, when are we gonna start training together?"
"Soon enough, Naru-chan," Minato grinned. "Soon enough."
"Unless it's, like, tomorrow or right now even then no, Papa, it's not soon enough."
"Demanding aren't you, Naru-chan?" Kakashi teased.
"Want me to kick your ass, again, Kaka-kun?" Naruto teased back, her voice sugary and smile false.
"That fight was a draw," Kakashi reminded her.
"And yet you're the only one with bruises," Naruto scoffed, flipping her hair over her shoulders.
"I can still give you some if you'd like," Kakashi offered, "I just didn't think you'd want your face messed up."
"I'll mess up your face Hatake!" Naruto sneered only to find that Kakashi was already immersed in Icha Icha Paradise.
"Hm? You say something, Naruto?" Kakashi blinked and blood rushed into Naruto' face with the force of her anger.
Sasuke, Sakura and Sai watched on with more than a little confusion as Naruto chased Kakashi around the training grounds, more worked up now that she had ever been over the course of their hour-long spar.
"Those two won't ever change," Minato chuckled. If there was one thing Maito Gai and Naruto had in common was that they hated to be ignored.
"Come on, you three," Minato said to the genin. "Kakashi will probably be evading Naruto for at least a couple of hours and I'm sure Iruka could use a hand at the Academy."
With one last look at the indistinguishable blob on the horizon that their Sensei had become, the genin trio obediently trudged after Minato. After all, one simply did not say 'no' to their Hokage.
