And thus, I'm back with more fluff. And some twisted feeling that I can't really describe...

And as I don't really have something important to tell you, I'll let you read this chapter.


(・・?) Kaeru (・・?)

Papa and Mama

He looked around him and frowned.

The hidden village of the Sand and its surroundings were almost deserted at that hour of the day. The harsh sun from the desert made it so difficult to go outside that nobody left their house until a more tolerable hour.

So that made the masked shinobi extremely suspicious.

The Fourth Kazekage's frown increased when felt one of his advisors gulp loudly behind him.

It seemed that the masked stranger's kill intent was perturbing for the advisors.

The Kazekage made a mental note to put his advisors through regulars checks. They were too weak if a sole shinobi could scare what was supposed to be the strongest and wisest ninjas of Suna.

He began to stretch his chakra around him and the Golden Dust stirred around him while he eyed carefully the lone shinobi.

From the swift and soundless steps, it was a young but war seasoned ninja. He had guts too. Or he was loony.

The Kazekage didn't move an inch and let that stranger approach him. The masked shinobi had traversed the whole village without attempting anything and the Kazekage was curious.

Was he a nuke-nin wanting to plead asylum in Suna? Or was he a diplomat from another Hidden village?

The Kazekage's dark eyes narrowed and he observed attentively the shinobi's clothes.

Traditional jounin vest. It was worn down but carefully tended over. He could see that the shinobi had ripped it frequently and had repaired it every time.

Dark pants and sweater that covered his whole body. The shinobi didn't want to be identified. Or he was extremely sensible to the sun rays.

A dark scarf around the neck. And a porcelain mask with toad like features painted on it.

He looked a bit like a Hunter-nin.

The masked shinobi entered the Kazekage building and, without even hesitating or faltering in his confident steps, he walked to the Kazekage's office.

The Fourth's frown vanished and he placed a poker face on while the masked stranger opened his door.

Strangely, the security hadn't stopped the stranger. The Kazekage clicked his tongue with annoyance when he understood that it was because his guards were too weak. Suna really needed more power.

The shinobi stopped right in front of the Kazekage's desk and the Fourth raised an inquisitive brow. The silence was heavy and some of his advisors shifted nervously.

He was really going to make regulars checks on his shinobi once this meeting was finished. This was getting ridiculous.

"Who are you?" The Kazekage finally asked when he realised that the shinobi wasn't going to talk anytime soon.

The masked shinobi didn't answer him and the Kazekage sighed heavily. He slightly moved his fingers and the Golden Dust suddenly attacked the stranger. However the man swiftly ducked and avoided being crushed by the Golden Dust before shunshining and appearing right behind one of the petrified advisors, a kunai against the man's neck.

The Kazekage stilled for a second before urging his Golden Dust to simply strike the two men. But when the dust dispersed after surrounding the two, there wasn't any corpse nor blood on the ground.

The fourth frowned and folded his arms while his eyes glinted ominously. He didn't take it lightly when someone irrupted in his office and kidnapped one of his advisors, no matter how weak they were. If he was Kazekage, it was for something.



Uchiha Sasuke was preoccupied for his brother's health.

Itachi hadn't slept in his room for the last four days and the younger Uchiha was slowly beginning to grow antsy. What if his brother was planning to leave the house?

Their father was already looking disapprovingly at Itachi's empty place when they had breakfast every morning and their mother was always looking distressed. Probably because she didn't know where he was.

And thus, Sasuke decided to go look for his brother and get him back to their house so their parents would be smiling and his father would recognise his talents.

All in all, it was a great plan.

Now, all that was left was to find where Itachi was.

Sasuke knew that Itachi's best friend was their cousin Shisui so he decided to begin his quest by asking the said teenager where his brother was and why he didn't come back home.

But Shisui's answer had been really strange. He had only ruffled his hair (something that Sasuke really hated because his hair wasn't anything like his brother's and taming it was a real pain in the ass) and told him that Itachi hadn't left to Village for a mission.

That angered Sasuke. If Itachi was still in the village then why wasn't he training in their compound?

Like every morning, Sasuke left their house after a last glance at Itachi's empty room and went to school. There, he ignored the girls who were looking at him intensively (girls were icky. He didn't like them and Shisui had said that they would give him cooties if he kissed them) and he sat next to a pink haired girl. The little girl glanced briefly from her scroll and scoffed lightly at him before going back to her reading. Sasuke glanced briefly at the seemingly difficult characters on the scroll and he folded his arms on the table before putting his head on them.

He observed silently the classroom and a tiny smile sprouted on his lips when he saw the Akimichi heir, Chouji, talk animatedly with the Nara heir, Shikamaru. They were best friends and Sasuke secretly wished to have a friendship like that with someone. However, there wasn't anyone in this class who could have that place in his life as everyone thought that he was a genius like Itachi and they all looked at him like they expected him to be the best at everything.

Sometimes, it was really difficult to keep calm.

The door opened suddenly and everyone stilled before relaxing when they realised that it was just the dead last Naruto.

Sasuke didn't hate Naruto, the boy already had it bad so the young Uchiha didn't want to be like the others who sneered at the boy. He too knew what he was to confront all those glares.

But when Naruto was confronted with hateful glares, Sasuke only had expectant ones.

And Naruto's way of dealing with it only forced Sasuke's admiration. Not that he was going to say anytime soon.

The blond was so stupid that he would think that Sasuke was his fan...

Something was dropped on his table and Sasuke was startled from his thoughts. He blinked slowly and glanced from the bento box wrapped in a familiar blue napkin to the wide and foxy grin that the infamous Naruto was giving him.

"You forgot your bento, Sasuke-teme!" The blonde told him with a cheery voice.

"Eh?" Sasuke retorted in a very un-Uchiha way.

He heard the pink haired girl sigh heavily and the young Uchiha tried to ignore his blushing cheeks.

"Your bento," Naruto insisted before he narrowed his eyes and put his hand on the dark haired boy. "You ok? You seem out of it!"

Sasuke swatted the hand and gulped, his face warming even more when he noticed that all the girls in the class were looking at him with speculative faces. Also, the Nara heir was smirking.

A smirking Nara never was good news. Never. Because when those stopped napping or complaining about how troublesome something could be, one had the right to panic.

Sasuke could still remember that time when Shiro, a civilian kid, had mocked Chouji's weight until the poor Akamichi had cried. Shikamaru went to talk with Shiro once the school was over and went back to Chouji with a light smirk on his face.

The next day, Shiro didn't come to school.

So Sasuke had all the rights to panic now that Shikamaru seemed interested in whatever was going on with Naruto and that bento box.

Sasuke frowned and glared at the said bento box. Why did Naruto know that he hadn't taken one? Normally, it was his brother who gave it to him.

Unless...

Sasuke's eyes widened and he sprang from his seat before taking a firm hold onto Naruto's arm and trailing behind him as he exited the classroom. They left like that, Naruto flailing because he had been surprised by Sasuke's sudden moves, and the teacher who had been at the door blinked slowly.

"Can someone explain me what the hell happened?" He asked as he glanced at the equally shocked class.

A sigh followed his question and the teacher, a Chuunin by the name of Takahiro, looked at the child who had sighed so heavily.

It was the pink haired girl. The child had placed her heavy scroll down and was kneading her rather large forehead while her green eyes were glaring daggers at the teacher like she was angry at his interruption.

"Isn't it obvious?" She answered with a light shrug while Nara Shikamaru snickered once (because doing it twice would have been a drag). "They are playing hooky. And with reason too if that box meant something."

"Sakura," Takahiro sighed as he felt himself grow by seconds in that damned class. "Go fetch them."

"Yes, sir," the little girl nodded once and left the classroom without anything else.

She passed right in front of the Yamanaka heir and the two girls' eyes met. Sakura frowned lightly and Yamanaka Ino briefly tilted her head before smirking. The pink haired then raised a thumb and left the classroom while Ino turned her head towards the Nara heir who was sitting two rows behind her.

"Twenty ryos that those two end together by the end of the Academy," she whispered cheekily.

"Troublesome," the Nara muttered before he yawned loudly. "Twenty-five that they get together by their first year as genins."

"Deal," Ino smirked. "Sakura said the same thing."

"Doesn't surprise me," Shikamaru shrugged. "She's a cunning girl. So troublesome..."

And indeed, Sakura was going to be the most troublesome kunoichi of Konoha once they graduated. But that, the Nara wouldn't know it until they passed their Chuunin exams.



When he had asked them to take care of Uzumaki Naruto, he had had just thought that it was that. Just a small favour that he asked them.

Not a A-rank mission that the Toad masked shinobi had someone managed to convince the Hokage to give them.

And thus, there they were. The two best shinobi of Konoha. Playing babysitter.

To a prankster who seemed to think of them as his personal slaves.

Uchiha Itachi was beginning to think that the Toad was the devil himself.

The fact that he still hadn't seen the shinobi's face made it even more probable. Hell, he could perfectly be Uchiha Madara.

That sadism was almost Uchiha. Or something like a Mist-nin could be proud of.

And yes, babysitting Naruto was that bad.

It was just that the kid never stopped. And thus, they had to take rolls on watching them. Itachi hadn't slept in his beds for days, it was now almost like an urge to go to his house, bathe in their private onsen and then sleep like the dead in his bed.

And if that time where Kakahi had collided against a lamppost during their nightly observations of Naruto's pranks wasn't a hallucination, then the Copy-nin needed the same too.

Itachi blinked wearily from his hiding place on a roof and he wanted to groan when he saw his little brother trail the Uzumaki out of the classroom and then run in the corridors until they got out of the school.

'What are you doing, Sasuke?' The Uchiha heir thought while he followed discreetly the two children.

He passed in front of the slumbering Kakashi and without any regrets walked with his muddied sandals on the forgotten Icha Icha book. Itachi could be a petty person when he wanted.

And that night where Kakashi had been late for his turn on watching Naruto was still fresh in his mind.

The two shinobi continued trailing the children and Itachi sighed when he noticed that Sasuke was taking Naruto to his favourite training ground. That meant only one thing.

Sasuke had found out what was going on.

"Maa," Kakashi said softly as he patted the teenager's shoulder once. "Don't sweat over it."

Itachi rolled his eyes. It was at times like these that the teenager realised how bad the silver haired was at relations.

Those were Naruto, his current mission and protégé, and his little brother. Who was known in the Uchiha compound for his growing brother complex.

That wasn't going to end well.

Don't sweat over it?

If by the end of the week he didn't end with white hair then he would be a lucky man.



Explosions could be heard somewhere far away.

He frowned and the sand shivered around him while a soft wind tousled his short hair. His eyes narrowed and he slowly raised a hand, his fingers slightly crooked and his lips pursed in a disgusted scowl.

The snake in front of him let out its reptilian tongue and tasted the air. Its beady eyes blinked quickly and the boy tilted his head. He took a deep breath and the snake coiled its body around itself, preparing itself to attack.

The boy's fingers twitched and another explosions resounded. He blinked and the snake hissed softly at him. That didn't deter the boy and his hand didn't shiver. The sand around them was hot and the air was slightly vibrating under the harsh sun of the Wind Country.

The boy let out his tongue and slowly dampened his lips. The snake did the same some seconds later. The smell of blood was pungent between them. The snake's body was red.

Like the blood that surrounded them.

The boy's lips moved silently and the snake's beady eyes stopped blinking.

They were in the instant where everything could change.

The boy didn't move. As did the snake.

The explosions had stopped.

He could feel someone approaching. The boy cocked his head and frowned. Those steps weren't like the ninjas of Suna. They were too heavy, not accustomed to walking on the shifting sand.

Another assassin?

His frown deepened and the sand around him rumble threateningly. The snake scurried away, trailing behind the corpse of a bloody fennec. The boy looked at the trail of blood left by the snake and wondered if the reptile would eat the ninja once he had killed it. He was curious now.

'Spill his blood,' the only one who hadn't abandoned him said with its raspy voice in his head.

The boy pursed his lips and bit them lightly. The sand around him reeked of blood.

The smell made him sick.

The ninja was already in front of him. The boy stayed put, sitting cross-legged on the softly rumbling sand and he raised his head to glance at the future corpse.

It was an adult, masked and wearing clothes from another country.

'An assassin,' he concluded.

'Spill his blood,' the other added.

The boy could feel his blood rumble and rush to his ears. A mad smile began to stretch his dry lips. His eyes widened and he felt the now familiar bloodlust take its hold on his consciousness.

'I'll kill him,' the boy thought and the sand raised to his command.

It was everywhere and the masked ninja didn't have any chance to survive his attack.

'Spill his blood!' roared the other.

The boy nodded.

The sand sprang to attack the enemy and the boy smirked. Blood was already everywhere. The pungent smell covered everything and he blinked. He wanted to cry and he didn't know why.

'Stop whining,' the other chided. 'That wasn't enough blood.'

The sand settled and the boy widened his eyes when he saw the assassins still standing. His dark sweater was now mattered and the enemy threw it to the ground, he had a slight injury on his arm. The boy could now see that the adult was only wearing a mesh-armor under his sweater and that he didn't have any scar on his arms.

As he was wearing a scarf and a mask, the boy couldn't know if he had scars somewhere else.

He felt some hope. Maybe that stranger was like him, a monster who couldn't be touched.

But then, the hope was squished.

It didn't matter if that stranger had the same abilities as him. He was there to kill him.

The stranger raised the arm who hadn't been touched by the attack and passed a finger on the injury. He tilted his head and the boy frowned. The ninja passed then his bloody finger on his neck and the boy tensed.

He had felt the sudden surge of power. Seals.

He hated seals.

'Kill him! Kill him!'

He obliged.

His sand began to swirl viciously around them and he narrowed his eyes when he noticed that the assassin wasn't even trying to avoid the attack. Or to protege himself against it. He just stood there, unmoving and with his finger against his neck.

And suddenly, the other talked.

"Gaara," the masked shinobi said.

He had a raspy voice, as if he had shouted for hours, and it conveyed happiness. Almost like the assassin was genuinely happy to see him.

The sand condensed into a spear and the boy twitched imperceptibly his head.

That voice reminded him of Yashamaru.

'That traitor is dead! Kill him!'

The boy's lips quivered slightly and he took a sharp breath. His face lost all emotion and he just looked with dead eyes at the ninja.

"Who are you?" Gaara asked.

The assassin scratched abashedly his neck and laughed softly.

"Right!" He exclaimed and the boy blinked. He wasn't accustomed to someone shouting happily at him. Normally, it was more of a horrified cry for help. "You don't know me yet! But don't worry, Gaara, I won't disappoint you, 'ttebayo!"

Disappoint him?

The boy cocked his head and blinked. He was intrigued.

"You can call me Kaeru," the masked ninja added cheerily. Gaara could picture him smiling brightly and he frowned. "I'll be your teacher, dattebayo!"

"Teacher," Gaara deadpanned and the sand shifted threateningly around them.

Kaeru didn't seem fazed by it and laughed happily once again.

"Not in ninjutsu," he explained. His raspy voice creaked faintly when he added, "you don't need my help for that, Gaara. You're an amazing shinobi already. But I know that you need help for something else."

The boy frowned and his eyes narrowed. So he needed help?

Was this another plan from his father so he would be his perfect weapon?

He felt his stomach churn.

"What if you could sleep without fearing that it would result in you going into a rampage?" Kaeru added and this time, his voice was serious and deep. "What if you could reason with the voice in your head that always asks for blood?"

Gaara blinked. He noticed that the assassin, Kaeru, was standing just where the fennec had been killed by the snake. The trail of blood wasn't visible anymore. The only blood left was the one running on the ninja's forearm.

'Kill him!' The other's voice was still as imperious as ever.

But for once, the boy didn't want to follow his order. He blinked again.

"How?" He asked.

The adult sighed and suddenly sat on the sand. It was hot and under Gaara's control. The boy was slightly shocked to see a stranger trust him so much as the sit on his sand.

Shocked and honoured.

"This will take some time," Kaeru specified. "And I won't be able to stay long here... So listen attentively, Gaara. You're really smart so I'm pretty sure that you'll understand quickly, 'ttabayo!"

The sand around the boy shifted and pushed him discreetly towards the adult. Then, it began to grow and casted a shade on the two shinobi. Suna's sun wasn't something to underestimate.

The pungent smell had disappeared.

Kaeru wasn't bleeding anymore.

Gaara wanted to cry and he didn't know why.



A week had passed and he was slowly growing restless. Of course, he had two amazing babysitters. His Papa and his Mama, as Kaeru had called them, and they were both two kick-ass ninjas.

Also, they didn't despise him and he liked being able to be a kid around them. The white haired man's reactions were always hilarious whenever he used all those tricks that Kaeru-san had taught him. And the black haired man was great too. Whenever he ruffled his hair, the kid liked to close his eyes and imagine that it was Kaeru-san who did it.

Sasuke-teme's brother had the same size as Kaeru-san after all. But Kaeru-san was maybe smaller.

As the days passed, he couldn't remember precisely how Kaeru-san looked. And that was killing him.

Naruto sighed heavily and he ignored the glare from Sasuke-teme. The dark haired boy hadn't stopped pestering him since he had discovered that his beloved big brother was currently staying with him. Even if the young Uchiha knew that a shinobi had to always put the mission before his life, he couldn't help but envy Naruto who could stay with Itachi without being pushed aside.

Naruto blinked wearily, trying to stay awake and he sighed dreamily when he remembered that Kaeru-san was supposed to come back that night. The pretty pink haired girl that was sitting between him and that idiot of Sasuke glanced briefly at him before getting back to her dusty scroll.

Naruto knew that it was a scroll of Medical jutsus. He knew it because he had stolen it some weeks ago with Kaeru-san. That had been funny.

He yawned loudly and blinked away the tears. His teacher ignored him and the blonde was happy with it.

If he was ignored and despised, that meant that he was free to do whatever he wanted.

He looked wistfully at the window and frowned. It was raining heavily and he could already feel his hair curling from the humidity in the classroom. Sasuke-teme's hair was too and Naruto snickered when he saw the boy try to tame a curl on his forehead that always bounced whenever he tried to read something. It was funny. And ridiculous for someone who always tried to look serious.

Naruto balanced his pen on his nose and froze when he reached the perfect equilibrium. The pen wasn't even moving on the tip of his nose and the blond grinned widely.

It seemed that Kaeru-san's exercises on chakra control and meditation were way more efficient that those of the Academy. He wanted to see the adult and show how much progress he had made during his leave.

But first, Naruto mused grimly, he really needed to get out of this scruffy classroom.

The teacher was droning something about the Fourth and Naruto snorted. His pen shivered but stayed on his nose.

Whenever they talked about the Fourth, the kid couldn't help but wonder what had happened to that brilliant ninja. Why had he died fighting against the Nine Tails? Wasn't he supposed to be the strongest and wisest ninja in Konoha?

If it had been Naruto, he would have make the Nine Tails his friend. So the beast didn't attack the village anymore and would protect it with him.

That would be so kick-ass!

His grin widened.

Something poofed softly under his desk and Naruto glanced at his legs. His pen fell and rolled under the desk so he had to squat so he could find it. The kid blinked when he noticed that his nose was at mere inches from a little toad.

"Gamakichi?" Naruto whispered softly.

The toad nodded and beckoned him to get closer. Naruto obeyed and sat on the ground, his nose scrunched when he noticed that his head was close to Sasuke-teme's legs. The pink haired girl's legs weren't anywhere close to him and Naruto blinked before he realised that she was sitting cross-legged on her chair.

"What is it?" The blonde kid asked as he shook his head slowly so he would stop looking at the girl's chair.

"Message from the Boss," Gamakichi explained with his chirpy voice. He had recently grown from his tadpole phase so his voice was still childish.

Naruto's eyes sparkled and he fought to stay silent while he waited for the message.

"It says," the little toad added. "I just left Suna and I'm traveling the quickest I can. Wait for me at Ichiraku, 'kay?"

"Will he have presents?" The blond asked with sparkling blue eyes. "Like Suna ramen? Do they have ramen there? If they don't, that would suck..."

Gamakichi snorted and poofed away without answering him. Naruto pouted and went back to his chair, his eyebrows furrowed while he thought of his adult friend and almost family-figure.

When Kaeru-san had told him that Sasuke-teme's big brother and that the stranger with white hair were his momentary Papa and Mama, Naruto had been torn between happiness and sadness. Kaeru-san had never said anything about what he felt. The blond boy didn't even know if the masked adult thought ill or something else (worse? Better?) of him.

'No,' Naruto thought and he frowned harshly while he gritted his teeth.

He shouldn't be having those thoughts. Kaeru-san had taken him under his wing, he (or she) had helped him whenever he needed help, had taught him things that they didn't teach at school or never wanted to teach to him. The adult had always been there for Naruto.

But at the same time, Kaeru-san had never talked to him. He could be mute, the boy mused. Or he could be trying to hide his true identity so he wouldn't be bothered by Naruto if he were to cut their ties.

That scared the boy. Some nights, when sleep seemed to run away from him, Naruto stayed put in his bed and wondered about his future.

Would the Toad masked adult be still in his life? Or would he abandon him? Betray him like the adults in the orphanage had?

'He doesn't like us,' his darker self whispered softly.

'No!' Naruto insisted.

Kaeru-san liked him. He had saved his life more than once and he protected him from the shadows. Naruto knew it. He had heard his two 'parents' talking about the shinobi.

'Then why didn't he ever touch us?'

Naruto scowled and closed his eyes. It was true that Kaeru-san had never since their first meeting touched him. And even when Naruto stumbled and needed something to balance himself, the masked jounin always used a stick or something around them to help him.

He had never ruffled his hair. Nor patted affectionately his head.

Naruto wanted to feel the adult's hand on his head. He wanted to feel loved, wanted.

He craved it.

'We should just take it by force,' his darker self muttered darkly.

Naruto tightened his fists and took a deep breath. His belly was getting warmer by seconds and he could feel his blood rush to his ears.

"Oi, dead last."

A silence, followed by a little tap on his forehead.

Naruto blinked vividly and glanced at the boy who had called him with that irksome nickname.

"What?!" The blond frowned and raised from his seat, ready to punch the little punk.

"School has ended," Uchiha Sasuke explained as he rolled his dark eyes. "You promised that you'd let me see my big brother."

Naruto blinked and felt the heat in his belly recede. He smiled brightly at the annoyed Uchiha and jumped to the door.

"Let's go!" The blond exclaimed happily. "I race you to Ichiraku, Sasuke-teme!"

The dark haired boy rolled his eyes.



When the Toad masked jounin came back from wherever he had gone, Kakashi had been surprised.

The man wasn't wearing his jounin vest anymore. He just had a mesh-armor and a grey cape covering his upper body. For a man who had always hidden all of his body, that was a surprising sight.

But Kakashi didn't let his surprise show and he just sipped discreetly his cup of sake. He could see from his good eye that Uchiha Itachi was talking softly with his younger brother and that the Uchiha siblings were actually having a blast. They were both smiling after all.

And Itachi's stress marks on his face had diminished.

That was good. Kakashi gulped his sake and licked his lips dry while he discreetly fixed his mask.

On his Sharingan eye's side, Naruto was looking gloomily at his ramen. The broth was still hot and the noodles looked delicious. Not something that would have provoked such a depressed reaction.

Kakashi glanced at the cause of the kid's gloom and he almost snorted. Of course, it was Kaeru's fault.

The adult was actually sitting on the end of his stool, almost as if he really didn't want to be near Naruto. And the boy, being the extremely sensitive child that he had always been, had noticed it.

Kakashi rolled his eyes and put his empty cup of sake down. The sound was startling and the Uchiha siblings stopped talking to look at him. The Konoha ANBU ignored their inquisitive eyes (Sasuke was looking more and more like his brother on that point...) and he swiftly stood up.

"That was a nice mission," he commented in a laid back tone. "Call me again if you want a babysitter."

The Toad masked shinobi nodded silently and Kakashi cocked his head. If he had evaluated correctly the stranger, everything would end well and Naruto would stop looking so depressed.

"But," the ANBU drawled and his grey eye flashed cockily. "If you keep neglecting him, I'll become his favourite person. And who knows... I'll even become his father."

Itachi snorted. He could see where his brief partner was trying to lead the Toad. But that had almost made him laugh. Naruto had despised Kakashi during the first day of the week, saying that he was too boring to be his idol's father.

Naruto lifted his eyes from his broth of ramen and glanced with hopeful eyes at Kaeru. The latter's head was turned toward Kakashi so he didn't notice the boy's hopeful and at the same time sad face.

Kaeru clicked his tongue loudly.

Naruto quickly looked down and sniffed discreetly. He had known the man for enough time to know that whenever he clicked his tongue, it meant that he found the discussion ridiculous. That or he was pissed at something.

So the idea of being Naruto's father was ridiculous for Kaeru.

Naruto sniffed again and tensed when he felt something that he wasn't accustomed plop on his head. He raised and crossed his eyes, trying to find out what was on his head before he noticed that Kaeru was actually just behind him.

The jounin had an arm raised and his hand was on Naruto's hair. Or rather, on the beanie that he had just put on the child's head.

The young blond slowly raised his hand and froze midway when he felt the strange feeling once again. Kaeru-san was ruffling his hair through the beanie.

He felt tears announce their unwanted arrival in his eyes and he quickly dipped his head so he could rub them.

"Well," Itachi drawled from his spot with a satisfied smirk. "This is proof enough."

Kakashi was happy that his mask hid his lips. Grinning that happily wasn't proper for a shinobi.

But a blushing Naruto with a frog beanie was simply a sight too cute to not smile fondly at him.

「See?」 Kaeru wrote on the Ichiraku stall with a stick and some water. It made his writing even worse. 「I'm his favourite person ever!」

Kakashi hesitated between smiling or facepalming.



When he had heard someone knock gently at his door, the Fourth Kazekage hadn't expected to see his younger child open the door and enter quietly his office.

"Gaara," he greeted his son with his habitual stern voice.

Since his wife's dead, he couldn't have find the time to see and play with his children. Something that was subconsciously tormenting him.

"Father," the redhead retorted coolly.

He didn't have anymore that air of quiet madness.

The Fourth wondered if that jounin traveler had actually helped his son like he had promised on their first meeting.

"I want to learn more about Mother," Gaara added quietly.

The Fourth inclined his head and closed his eyes.

Even if he had been persuaded that his mother hated him, he still wanted to know more about her. As his father, that saddened him so much that he couldn't breathe. But as his Kazekage, that announced improvement for the boy's control on his chakra.

"Very well," he relented in a sigh.

He joined his hand on his desk and tilted his head.

"Take a seat, Gaara, I don't have any appointments today and it will be a long story..."

Gaara took his sand gourd and put it against a wall before he sat just in front of his father's desk.

The Fourth Kazekage took a deep breath.

"Her name was Karura..."


Still needing a beta. And I love reviews. No! I adore them!

Next chapter: Growing.