Namikaze Tensai

When life hands you a Mini-Yondaime, what do you do? Train him, of course! Smart!Naruto, Minato-like!Naruto, Strong!Naruto.

Hey guys!

Sorry for the wait, been so so busy with my new school….and had a bitttt of a writer's block.

1. Writing my first ever fight-ish scene, I apologize for the crappiness.

2. I made Iruka an okay fighter. As a Chuunin he only does C-ranks and the occasional B-rank, in which I would assume included easy assassination missions. I got the echolocation technique from wiki.

3. I get you could consider this a Kakashi and Naruto OC story. Kakashi is such a complex character that whilst I'm trying to develop him, it's getting gradually harder. He also seem far too accepting of his parental role to me, but hey, it's needed for this story so oh well:') I hope you guys enjoy anyway.

4. I'm very surprised at the amount of people who vote for some shounen-ai. It's thrashing all the straight pairings on the poll at the moments. For the people who dislike yaoi, if it ends up winning, don't worry, the story will mainly be GEN will some shounen-ai flairs that can basically be taken as friendship/bromance.

Anyways, feel free to give criticism! I'm meh about this chapter, but I hope you guys like it!

Enjoy!

Chapter Four: Corruptible Innocence.

November 5th

Six Years Old

Unlike most clan compounds, the Akimichi's took immense pride in being welcoming, unlike the overwhelming opulence of the Hyuuga. The compound was grandeur whilst being seemingly modest, with impeccable glossy wooden houses furnished with warm colours and an abundance of flora. Though Naruto was standing before the clan head's home, the quality of the residence didn't differentiate from the rest of the compound. It was a testament of their respect of every Akimichi member, unlike the Hyuuga; in which the branch family often shared smaller, less pleasant homes to make way for the supposed superiority of the main house.

Naruto, never before seeing such well kept homes, or the splendour of different colours and willowing trees that adorned the compound, wasn't quite sure what to do. He followed the path religiously, as not to step on any flowers, and felt terribly out of place in the wealthy estate. He was incredibly eager to meet more children of his own age, especially with the promise of baking, but his tummy kept doing these bizarre little flips. When he told his Sensei that he may be unwell, the copy-nin simply said that he had 'butterflies in his stomach'. Naruto had been absolutely horrified to know that poor, pretty butterflies were flying around in his belly, especially after Anko's lecture on digestive fluids. Kakashi had laughed at the butterflies' predicament; it seemed his Sensei was extraordinarily cruel.

The Sensei in question leant over Naruto to deliver two quick knocks on the mahogany door. Naruto felt the familiar buzz of two well-developed Chakra's leisurely approach them. His nerves dissipated immediately; the two Chakra's sent a particular warmth coursing through his veins, they were simply...kind, even more so than Kakashi-sensei, whom he adored.

"Kakashi, Naruto! You aren't late." Chouza blinked in surprise and double-checked his watch. The infamous copy-nin was on time? Ludicrous!

"Maa, of course. I'm not that bad." Kakashi shamefacedly insisted, but he wasn't convincing anyone. Chouza and his wife, Chichi, simply stared at the Jounin dubiously before shaking their heads, even Naruto sniggered- which earned him a slight swat on the head.

"Yeah...anyway, why don't you both come on in?" Naruto and Kakashi followed the couple into their home. Remembering their manners, they took their shoes off at the Genkan. Naruto wriggled his toes and decided he liked the feel of the Tatami flooring beneath his feet. It was far better than his mottled carpet.

"Naruto, Kakashi, meet my wife Chichi." His eyes crinkled with affection upon uttering her name. It made Naruto smile, it was nice to see the obvious love and affection between the couple; Naruto had been exposed to very few of such acts.

"Nice to meet you, Kakashi-san, Naruto-chan." Chichi smiled warmly, her purple-ringed brown eyes crinkling. Naruto decided it was a pretty smile. "I'll put on some tea!" Chichi offered, smoothing down her short brown hair. Naruto felt terrible for noticing, but he'd never seen such large Ninja's before, even if his wife was apparently retired. He guessed it was some sort of family trait. Chouza turned to Kakashi, giving him a seemingly meaningful look, before facing Naruto.

"Naruto, my son Chouji and Shikamaru are in the garden, why don't you run on ahead and we'll see you in a minute?"

Naruto hesitated and eyed the door warily, all his previous attempts of introducing himself to other children had ended disastrously; the prospect of meeting them with no prior introduction was extremely daunting. Kakashi caught his hesitation and patted the blonde's head and sent him a re-assuring glance, before disappearing into Chouza's study. The large clan head had noticed the questionable activity around the two; it seemed he was as wary of Danzo as himself.

Naruto stood still for a few moments before toddling past the kitchen and Chouza's kind wife, eventually arriving at the Shoji doors. He investigated the garden aimlessly before recognising two small Chakra's signatures; Naruto immediately ambled towards their location. Anticipation instantaneously bubbled in his chest at the sight of one brown-haired, larger boy, which he assumed was Chouza's son, and another spiky-haired boy he didn't recognise. True to their Shinobi origins, both children noticed Naruto's presence before he made himself known.

"Hi..." Naruto greeted shyly, a small smile gracing his lips. Chouji seemed to appreciate his anxiety; the small, rapid fluctuations in his Chakra signified that he felt the same way. The other boy, the one he assumed was Shikamaru, groaned in annoyance; he wavered for a moment before deciding to stay seated on the ground. His blatant apathy, bordering on reluctance, immediately set Naruto on edge. Chouji seemed to recognise his guarded expression and was quick to reassure the smaller boy.

"Ah, don't worry, Shikamaru's just really, really lazy. I'm Chouji."

"Oh, well…that's okay then." Naruto suddenly found the loose thread on his jumper very interesting. "My name's Naruto Uzumaki." Chouji smiled brightly at the boy and held out a packet of barbeque flavoured chips. Shikamaru seemed to eye Naruto suspiciously, as if he were a threat. The lazy boy had very protective tendencies over his best friend; bullies were unacceptable. At first glance, clueless, insensitive young boys immediately wrote the young Akimichi off as 'fat' and 'useless,' which usually ended up with his best friend in tears. If this new boy showed any sign of taunting Chouji, Shikamaru simply wouldn't stand for it. Though, he had to admit, this newcomer, with his fluffy blonde hair, short stature and innocent blue eyes didn't look particularly menacing.

"Want a chip?"

"Sure!" Naruto smiled brightly and took a chip from the bag before putting it in his mouth, savouring the taste. Both boys looked at Naruto strangely.

"That's a weird to eat chips." Chouji commented. "You ate it really slowly."

"Hmm?" Naruto cocked his head to the side, frowning with confusion as Chouji froze. Shikamaru knew just what he was expecting; 'yeah, well I don't gobble it up like you, fatso!' But he well pleasantly surprised when the boy just smiled kindly. "I like it better that way, the flavour lasts longer. Besides, eating quickly can give you indigestion." Chouji's nose scrunched with puzzlement.

"Indigestion?"

"Yeah, you end up with..." Naruto's face went slightly red, he coughed in embarrassment. It had been even worse when Anko had described the dangers if eating quickly...in vivid detail. He wasn't that cruel. "Err, wind." Both boys looked fairly disgusted.

"Eww!" Chouji mentally noted to eat far more leisurely in the future.

"I can't be bothered to get up, you two can sit down." Shikamaru stated with a yawn. It seems the walk from his house to Chouji's used far too much effort for him to handle. Chouji flung himself on the ground, whilst Naruto tentatively sat beside them.

"So, Naruto! I heard you were going to school with us?" Naruto nodded eagerly.

"Yeah! Kakashi-sensei said I'm starting next autumn." Shikamaru made a curious grunt.

"Kakashi-sensei?"

"Yeah! I'm his apprentice." Naruto stated proudly. Chouji's eyes seemed to sparkle with admiration, even Shikamaru appeared slightly fascinated.

"Wow! What's he like? Is he strong?"

"Kakashi-sensei is the best! He's a jounin!" His voice lowered so he was whispering conspicuously. "I'm probably not supposed to tell you this, but he was ANBU too."

"Woah." Both boys breathed, not at all impressed by the fact Kakashi was a Jounin, their fathers were too, as well as clan head's, but ANBU was the epitome of cool.

"Have you learnt anything cool?" Chouji inquired keenly. Naruto's nose scrunched up in something akin to annoyance.

"Well, it wasn't like I thought it would be. I was kinda imaging loads of awesome Jutsu..." Naruto's eyes twinkled from Kakashi's prior demonstration of the Summoning technique. "But I guess Taijutsu is cool. Oh, I'm starting Chakra control exercises after Kaka-sensei gets back from his mission."

"Chakra control? Hey, I know how to do one of those!" Chouji insisted, scrambling away to gather some leaves. Naruto blinked confusedly.

"Huh?"

"You stick it to your forehead using Chakra. It's very...troublesome." Shikamaru briefly explained, before yawning and flopping back onto the grass, shutting his eyes. Naruto, not wanting to disturb his...nap, turned his attention solely to Chouji.

"Ano...how do you do it?" Chouji quickly handed him a leaf and began explaining.

"Okay, basically you need to put a really, really small amount of Chakra through the leaf to make it stick to your forehead. Once you get really good, you could do all sorts of stuff, like spin it!" Chouji abruptly stopped and blushed. "I haven't got that far yet..."

"Well, why don't we make it a challenge?" Naruto asked, his azure eyes sparkling with spirited anticipation.

"Huh?"

"Well, whoever starts spinning first will...gets the biggest slice of cake!" Chouji's eyes lit up at the mention of food and then glinted with fiery determination. Naruto could practically see the flames.

"Deal! Just so you know, I'm going to win."

"Oh?" Naruto grinned good-naturedly. "And I'll have you know, when it comes to food, I always win!"

"Yeah? Well, same here!" Simultaneously, both boys snatched a leaf from the piles and placed it on their forehead. Shikamaru, who was supposedly sleeping, smiled gently. His semi-introverted friend was having fun; this new guy wasn't so bad, not at all.

Naruto sat upright and touched the leaf to his forehead. He hadn't yet begun moulding Chakra externally in his training, so he was having a far more difficult time than Chouji, whose leaf stuck for less than a second before flying away. Although Chouji had already begun his training, as a typical adolescent he had terrible Chakra control, resulting in channelling far too much Chakra, which made the leaf fly away, or not enough to make it stick. Neither did he have Naruto's advantage of being a Chakra sensor. Frowning in displeasure when his tenth leaf crumbled into ashes, Naruto grabbed another and held it firmly in his palm. With his other hand, he watched with undisguised intrigue as he run his fingers over the leaf; his yellow Chakra spiralled out from his finger and travelled through the leaf's veins in pulsing waves. He hadn't even realised he was emitting Chakra, which was problematic, because every time he tried to channel it deliberately, it ended up completely overpowering the leaf's energy and burning it to a crisp. Shikamaru, seeing his plight, decided to offer some helpful advice, courtesy of his father.

"It helps when you think of something big getting small. Say...an umbrella, slowly reaching the size of a pin." Naruto blinked in surprise at the quiet boy's intelligent advice before he beamed, nodding gratefully.

"Okay, Arigato!" Resuming his efforts with renewed vigour, Naruto's awareness flourished; it was like a thin, delicate thread had snapped inside his brain. He was suddenly aware of each movement, each flow the Chakra made, how fast Chouji was channelling it, each fluctuation and shiver. When Chouji finally made it stick to his forehead, and let out an exhilarated whoop, he recorded the minute amount of Chakra he needed. The only problem was is that he just couldn't reach that level. Trying to clamp down on his ridiculously large reserves of Chakra was like tying to screw the top on a bottle far too tightly; he'd just nearly be at the level he needed, before all his control broke and his Chakra exploded violently, taking the poor leaf with it. With thirty leaves diminished, and a newly acquired stack of ashes, Naruto let out an aggravated grunt and came to the conclusion that he

probably could not do this exercise. But he wasn't about to give up.

"Is there any other way I can go about this?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow curiously at Naruto's question.

"Why?"

"I think I have too much Chakra." Shikamaru didn't look convinced, in fact, he thought Naruto was just being a sore loser. "No, really! Chouji's chakra is like... a small candle flame, but y'see, mine's like a beacon." Shikamaru looked at Naruto, then to the pile of ashes. A tiny smile appeared on the corner of his lips.

"Ah, I see. Try multiple leaves... say, four." Naruto frowned at the advice, but complied.

"How do you see your chakra anyway? Some sorta' technique?" Naruto lay down on the grass and put all four leaves on his forehead before answering.

"Nope! I'm a chakra sensor; I can tell a bunch of stuff just by feelin' you. "

"Feeling?"

"Well, y'know, sensing. I can't explain it. It's just...there." Naruto cursed slightly when his forgotten leaves flew away with a gust of wind. A contemplative look crossed Shikamaru's face.

"That's…pretty useful."

"That's what Kakashi-sensei said!" Naruto nodded, beaming. Shikamaru couldn't help but smile slightly as Naruto gathered his leaves; the new kid was pretty ...bright? A few moments passed.

"What does my chakra feel like?" Naruto blinked at the abrupt question. He opened his mouth slightly before closing it, a puzzled frown marring his features. Shikamaru's chakra was...different.

"Well, your flame's slightly smaller than Chouji's, like a match light. Your chakra feels cool and dark...not evil or anything, just sort of airy. Relaxed." He paused. "I can usually feel certain elements. Like with Kakashi-sensei, he reminds me of storms- and he uses lightening, but with you...just sorta' shadowy I suppose." A knowing smirk graced Shikamaru's lips.

"I'm a Nara, we're naturally good with shadows. Dad's trying to teach me to use them...but it's so troublesome. I just want to sleep." Chouji stopped his exercise to roll his eyes.

"You always want to sleep." Just to prove a point, Shikamaru didn't answer. He turned to face away from the boys, closing his eyes. Naruto snorted with amusement before returning to his leaves.

Using four leaves was slightly easier; Naruto could release the same measure of Chakra to his forehead that would have crumbled a single leaf, but managed to only send them lightly tumbling away. Compressing his Chakra was a task in itself; the pressure rose uncomfortably in his chakra system, producing a light sheen of sweat that coated his skin. Every time he'd get his yellow Chakra...which he'd have to ask Kakashi about later, down to a small lantern sized output, it would fluctuate wildly after a couple of seconds. It was infuriating. Much to Naruto's dismay, he had to concede defeat; for now, anyway.

"The trees will end up naked at this rate." Naruto's voice cut into the silence, catching Chouji's attention from his leaves. The blond smiled good-naturedly. "You win, Chouji."

"Yes!" The larger boy whooped gleefully. "More cake for me!" He then proceeded to fling his leaves away, settling for the far more precious wonders of nature (and human industrialisation) resting in the garden; his chips.

"Boys! Time to make some cake!" The three craned their necks around to see Chouji's large mother waving wildly, rolling pin in hand.

"Aw, man. Just as I was falling asleep. Troublesome."

"Shut up, Shika! Cake's much better than sleep!" Shikamaru yawned, his eyes flickering to Chouji for less than a second, before shaking his head.

"Nah."

"Boys! I'd like to bake a cake before New Years."

"Coming Kaa-san!" Chouji beamed, toddling forward, leaving his two friends to amble behind. Naruto visibly flinched at the title, which made the ever perceptive Shikamaru narrow his eyes in concern. He'd known the boy for less than an hour, but Shikamaru was quite astonished to find that he was indeed becoming extremely fond of the boy; a feat none had quite managed since he'd met Chouji.

"You okay?" Naruto's eyes widened in surprise at the question. He stammered for a while, not knowing how to explain the empty, sore feeling stabbing through his chest as he saw Chouji and his mother walk hand-in-hand back to their house. Shikamaru waited patiently for the dejected boy to answer.

"Y-yeah, I guess I'm fine." He licked his abruptly drying lips. "It's just; I don't really have a mother..."

"Oh." Shikamaru hesitated, not knowing how to console the other boy. He knew some people didn't have mothers; his Mom's friend, a Sarutobi, had died a year before, and his own mother had cried for days. It was sad, and Shikamaru thought he didn't know how to handle that. "Well, you can share mine if you want..."

"Huh?" Naruto gaped at the absurdity of the statement. It did, however, made his feel warm and tingly.

"What? You can come over sometime this week, if you want. I'll warn you though, she's scary."

As it turns out, Shikamaru will always knows what to say, just as Chouji will always have the kindest heart. That day, Naruto made his two of his most dependable, steady bonds.

November 23rd

Six Years Old

"Hey, Naruto! It's getting kinda late." Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto's best friend, commented on the gradually darkening sky. The blonde craned his neck upwards and blinked in surprise at his dim blue surroundings, the house had passed so quickly; he hadn't even noticed. With a quick flick of his wrist, Naruto flung his last kunai towards the training post. He turned to the raven with a small, triumphant grin when it the bottom in the post, his other five kunai spaced above it, bisecting the post in a rather jagged line, but it was good enough to make Naruto beam with a sense of pride. Sasuke nodded eagerly in approval. "Nice! Next time you could make a smiley face."

"Or a frowny face. I'll name it Uchiha-sama." Naruto giggled.

"Hey!" Sasuke called out in indignation. He was far too polite and well-mannered to speak ill of his own father- especially when he strived so had for his acceptance. "My tou-san doesn't frown all the time."

"Eh..." Naruto didn't look convinced.

"I've seen him smile a few times." Sasuke paused, desperately trying to come up with examples. Finally, he conceded to the point that his father may have a rather dull personality. "Well, alright, whatever. Anyway, you want me to walk you home? It's getting dark."

"Nawh, I'll be okay!"

"Are you sure?" Sasuke's brow furrowed in concern. "Kaa-san said to walk you home, or go get her if it was too dark." Naruto immediately shook his head. It wasn't as if he didn't like the woman, Mikoto Uchiha was super kind, pretty and she seemed to absolutely adore Naruto; to the point where he didn't quite know how to handle all the affection. Plus, she'd look at him weirdly sometimes; it made Naruto wonder just what about his appearance was so unsettling, because the intense examining of his features made him feel quite uncomfortable.

"No, it's okay." Naruto shook his head. "Anko-nee-chan should be picking me up. I'll see you next week, Sasuke!"

"Bye!" He paused. "Hey, call me Aniki!" Sasuke requested with a grin. Naruto, however, turned around with a frown.

"Why do you get to be the older brother?" He asked in displeasure. He was definitely more mature than the Uchiha; surely he should be the Aniki?

"I'm taller and I'm older." Sasuke stated factually, much to Naruto's chagrin. He scowled in distaste.

"Not by much, for either!" Sasuke snorted.

"Please, I tower over you."

"Whatever. Bye, Aniki-teme."

"Bye Otouto!" Sasuke waved cheerfully, ignoring his friend's latter comment. His smile turned into a frown as the evening turned into a dark navy blue, and the moon's light was clouded by ash-like vapour. Sasuke couldn't purge of his sense of foreboding. In hindsight, he should've really gotten his Kaa-san to walk Naruto home.

Naruto huffed at his watch and made circular designs in the dirt due to utter boredom. The designated time to pick him up had passed half an hour ago, and with the knowledge that Anko was usually on-time, if not early to pretty much everything, he concluded that she'd probably forgotten all about him. He wasn't sure if he felt upset that she hadn't come to meet him, or just plain annoyed for making him wait. Not sticking around for a moment longer, Naruto took off in the direction of his apartment. He wasn't incapable of returning by himself, as he'd done many times in the past, but he'd grown accustomed for being led around for the past month by his sensei's friends. That, and the added fact that it was getting incredibly dark, to the point where he almost couldn't see his feet in front of him, made him far more skittish that usual. Passing through the area where the buildings gradually became of poorer quality, usually housing other orphaned civilians and ninjas devoid of family funding to support them, he ended up outside his apartment building unscathed.

That's when he saw the bloodied ninja wearing a Kohona hitai-ate...but something was off, he could feel the buzz of foreign Chakra surround him, dulling his senses. He didn't like the sensation. The man himself looked strange...transparent almost.

What's going on?

"You, kid!" Naruto froze and dropped his keys in surprise. He didn't even notice the sharp clang as they hit the floor. The shinobi, a nondescript, brown-haired Chunin was bleeding profusely from his side. The metallic smell and thick consistency made the blond feel woozy.

"Y-yes?" Naruto took a few small steps towards the man and sent a weary glance towards the direction of the hospital. If this man wanted help, he didn't even know how to wrap bandages!

"It's Kakashi! Kakashi Hatake!" Naruto felt his heart shudder, and then beat wildly at the name.

Kakashi-sensei. Mission...blood?

"S-sensei?" The mentally crafted blockage in his throat was obvious. "Kakashi-sensei?"

"Yes! He's in trouble. He needs your help." Naruto somehow missed the smirk as he darted downwards to grab his keys, pocketing them and stumbling towards the injured ninja. His adolescent mind, combined with the Genjutsu and the trust which accompanied the familiar leaf symbol resulted in the strangeness of the scenario going unrealized; why would a Shinobi approach a young boy to help his injured comrade?

"What's h-happened?" Naruto didn't even cringe at how close he sounded to crying; he was far too upset. The smell of the blood made his force bile down his throat, he idly wondered why he felt so dizzy, but a little instinct...a voice perhaps, in his head, told him to ignore to oncoming feelings of nausea; the blurriness that dulled his senses and thoughts of reason.

"Doesn't matter, follow me!" The bleeding man leapt away with far too much vitality for one so injured, and ran in the direction of Kohona's outskirts. Naruto followed in pursuit; his small legs couldn't quite keep up with the man, the injured shinobi became a small figure in the distance. Desperation crept in as he tried to keep up; his chest became increasingly uncomfortable with shortness of breath due to the long-distance sprint. He didn't even register that the dripping wound was leaving no trail on the floor...

Nor the slender figure watching the scene with suspicion, reluctantly leaping across rooftops when the use of Genjutsu was recognised.

Naruto followed the man though a hole in the village wall, abruptly stopping in a clearing in the surrounding forest. Gasping for breath, his eyes searched wildly for the injured Shinobi who was going to lead him to his Sensei, where is he?

"Hello?" As he took a small step forward, the cloud in his mind seemed to dissipate. Just as the strangeness of his situation seemed to set in and the accompanying panic yet to emerge, four darkly dressed figures leapt from the treetops.

He was surrounded.

"Well, that was easy. You sure this is Hatake's brat?" A heavy-set man which an unfortunate series of facial scars sneered, turning to his comrade with an expression of disbelief. His lanky, wheat-haired comrade simply rolled his eyes.

"He's only a child. You expected too much, Arata."

"Pft. What exactly has Hatake been doing? The kid's practically a civilian."

"I don't see why you're complaining, it just makes it better for us. Easy money." The non-descript Chuunin from the earlier illusion cut in; the Kohona garments replaced with typical mercenary equipment. Whilst they bickered back and forth, Naruto wildly searched for a way to escape. He didn't have any weapons on him; the blunted Kunai were Uchiha property. He only had minimal Taijutsu training and absolutely no Jutsu to his name. Quite frankly, he was defenceless, and he sincerely hoped someone, anyone would find him. Faces flashed through his mind rapidly, but one's contrast was far brighter than the others.

Kakashi-sensei...

Iruka Umino mentally cursed. He was barely seventeen, a recently promoted Chuunin, and though he'd like to think he was qualified to deal with what seemed like a group of mercenaries, probably a few weak missing-nin; their skill level was currently an anomaly he'd yet to fill. If they were indeed skilled, he had no backup to support him, nor the time to inform anyone of where he was going; his split second decision to follow the boy had been rather reckless. Some may say heroic, but nevertheless, reckless. How many ninja have perished from acts of heroism? An unfortunately large amount.

Upon seeing just who it was he intended to save; a tiny, vile consideration crept into his mind to just leave the boy. He vanquished it immediately. He, a proud shinobi of Kohona, whose livelihood depended on worthy intelligence, should know better than to blame the boy for what he held. How could he ever again meet the Sandaime's gaze if he left the Uzumaki child, a citizen of Kohona, to the wolves? Putting his personal feelings aside, and the vivid memory of his parent's deaths, he resolved to save the boy.

His thoughts were interrupted by a cluster of Kunai. Cursing softly, he laced his feet with Chakra and swiftly dodged onto a lower branch. The attack had been surprisingly fast, which could only indicate some semblance of formal training. His potential courses of action were severely restricted by the live hostage. If this were a standard assassination, Iruka would simply line the area with minor Genjutsu before swooping in with his volley of explosive tags. He'd never been in a scenario where there was a chance of injuring an innocent.

Knowing that the weapons were particularly harmless, Iruka threw a few Kunai into the clearing, visibly missing the mercenaries. Upon seeing their sneers at his supposedly pitiable aim, Iruka allowed himself to smirk. It only grew when a thick layer of mist was released from the seals; reducing the enemy to absolute blindness. Mist tags weren't widely used by many Shinobi; their uses were incredibly limited, dependant on situation and terrain. It also rendered the user unaware of his enemy's movements; luckily, Iruka had an ace up his sleeve.

A piercing cry echoed from Iruka's parted lips, the rippling sound-waves from his Echolocation technique sprung back from the mercenaries' bodies; their precise location rebounded and processed via the Tenketsu in the chuunin's ears. Twirling a kunai in his hand, Iruka readied his stance, Chakra developing around the soles of his feet. Setting his sights on the two mercenaries closely guarding the young boy, he shot down from the tree, leaving an imprint remaining in the branch.

Terror and disorientation dulled Naruto's senses. He knew he was whimpering like a newborn baby, he could feel the tears burning a path along his scarred cheeks; but the adrenaline from having a kunai to his throat blocked any sense of self-preservation. The man holding him, the man he formerly believed to be a Kohona-nin, smelt of sour, burnt cinders; the smell would be forever ingrained into his mind. The fear from his fifth birthday paled in comparison to feeling the cold blade digging into the skin above his jugular, the hopelessness of his limbs being pinned, useless against the sturdy muscles of his abductor. He didn't even have time to question why, instead the thoughts of please help me dominated his mind.

Blinding pain- the pain that turned the inside of your eyelids turns white, consumed him as his was hurled into a tree. The shatter of his ankle, a sickening snapping sound, rose above the clashing of the Kunai.

What the worse, the feeling of utter hopelessness, or the crushing of hope when your saviour appears to be losing?

Iruka's eyes widened with momentary horror as a controlled breeze swept away his cover. Only two of the mercenary's were dead, and the others were circling him like vultures. Another,whom he hadn't even noticed, and was apparently skilled enough to proficiently use Futon, was headed straight for him; a blade dripping with a nasty looking purple substance drawn at his side. With a guilty glance towards the shivering, prone form of the young boy, Iruka readied himself to jump away from the fray and inform the Hokage, like he should've done from the start.

At least, until he felt the overwhelming killing intent emanating from the tree's ahead of him. The mercenaries seemed to disappear in a sea of blood and severed limbs.

It was terrifying.

Kakashi Hatake had just finished a tedious, yet prolonged espionage mission. With no other injuries, bar the minor case of fatigue, he was quite ready to hand his report in and perhaps go have some fun with his cute little student. At least, that had been the plan until he sensed a suspicious spike in Chakra outside the village walls, coupled with intent far too vicious to be an impromptu training session. The scene he'd silently swooped upon? His student, his sweet student, lying beneath a tree, bone protruding from skin, his only defence being an obviously green Chuunin? What the hell were the Shinobi of Kohona doing? Twiddling their thumbs, enjoying a cup of tea?

'Well, I guess the details don't matter too much right now.' He mused, eye's zoning in on the three remaining enemies. 'Because they...are dead men walking.'

He didn't even have to use his Chidori, his clean method of assassination. No, he ripped them apart with nothing but a Kunai, a hurricane of slashing and destroying before they lay twitching in their own pools of blood. It was shocking, it was ghastly, and it was why he was legendary. Killing before most could write their own names, the art of butchering was second nature to him. It was so practised, so focused onto the almost mindless acts of carnage; it made most experience men tremble. ANBU hadn't completely moulded him into a mindless killing machine, but oh kami, he was good at it. Pulling his Kunai free of one man's artery, he disappeared in a haze and rematerialized behind the lone survivor's throat. He sent the Chuunin, a rather meek, mousey looking boy, a look which shifted toward his charge meaningfully, before tightening his hold on the man's throat.

He watched out of his peripheral vision as the Chuunin painlessly knocked his student unconscious and scooped him into his arms, leaving only a pile in leaves in their wake.

"You will answer my questions." He spoke in a low, dangerous murmur. It was a tone that he'd practised to death, cultured towards only one purpose; instilling fear.

"Fuck you!" The man spat through bloodied lips. Kakashi felt his rage swirling into a torrid maelstrom; this bastard was obviously a masochist. His free hand trailed up towards his Hitai-ate, releasing his Sharingan from its cover. The mercenary was spun around, and before he could react, ended up face-to-face with the devil's eye.

He wasn't referring to the Sharingan.

Suddenly, the feeling of burning alive in a vicious sea of blazing flames and drowning in pool of corrosive acid enveloped his being; the Copy-nin was giving no mercy. It was hell.

"Oh kami, make it stop!" Kakashi stared dispassionately as the mercenary; possibly a Iwa or Suna deserter, judging by the dishwater blond hair, writhed on the ground in anguish. It was obvious the man didn't have a strong will; it was only seconds later he cut the Jutsu. Who'd answer his questions if his mind was fried? He gave the man a couple of seconds to regain his breath and wipe the spittle from his chin. Placing his foot on the man's trembling chest, a black eye flashed towards the treetops; he could feel several Chakra signatures heading their way.

"Who ordered you to come after that boy?" The man growled slightly and bit his lip, ignoring the slight throbbing from the split. It didn't even compare to the agony he just endured.

"I dunno! I dun' 'andle the orders, Kai did, but you killed him." Kakashi ignored the man's glare, sending his a rather creepy looking eye-smile.

"Oh, I'm sure you can come up with something." His hand trailed up to his Hitai-ate once more...

"Iwa! From Iwa! I dunno names, but they were definitely big shots! This was good cash, y'know?" Kakashi frowned at the man's eyes; the held no regret in giving up the information, according to underneath the underneath, it almost...seemed like a cover. Which just left the question, who was the real perpetrator?

"Why him?" It seems the man still had some confidence left in him as he cracked a sardonic smirk.

"You should know, what better prize then ye' great Hatake's student?" Kakashi's face grew pale...he hadn't even thought of that. All hints of his growing suspicious were halted, replaced with only shock. This was his fault?

Of course...

As several familiar faces arrived on the scene to take the man to a friendly session of T and I, he could only form one coherent thought.

"Fuck!"

Kakashi, true to his Hatake roots, hovered over his student's bed like a guard-dog. The leg bone had been set under general aesthetic, leaving Naruto under the mercy of the medication and hospital staff for at least five days, even if he seemed to be healing at an alarming rate. A product of the Kyuubi, it was assumed. The boy had yet to wake, which did little to calm Kakashi's nerves. Was he traumatised? Of course he is. Will this change anything? It shouldn't, but...

He couldn't help but feel this wouldn't have happened if he'd used his father's unforgiving training regime.

Early rise, eat, study, train, nap, study, train, eat, sleep, repeat.

He hadn't wanted to put the pressure onto Naruto; after all, it had almost ruined him. If it kept him safe, however... to be evil to be kind, perhaps?

"Kakashi." He ignored the intrusive presence and stared gormlessly at the child swamped by sickly green blankets. "Hatake-san. I'm speaking to you." Seconds ticked by, an uncomfortable silence was exchanged between the numb Shinobi and the exasperated elder. Koharu finally grew impatient of the young man's unappealing behaviour and put her aged hand on his shoulder. A blank-looking black eye met with hers, her throat parched slightly as the prospect of becoming the boy's temporary councillor, but it was needed, thus it was her duty.

"What?" He wasn't in the mood to talk, it seemed.

"It was hardly your fault. A security breach perhaps, a fault of the village's. Not a singular Shinobi, not you." Kakashi jolted slightly, doubt seeping into his expression.

"Aaa, but if I had taught him more..."

Koharu stilled. It wasn't a secret that a good portion of Shinobi had disagreed with Sakumo's demanding training regime. To create a Genin at five... it was unheard of, and to most highly inhumane. It was effective though, the sweet, cherubic silver-haired child she remembered had killed more Ninja on the battlefield than she had. Overall, Sakumo had managed unintentionally to create an incredible weapon towards Kohona's benefit. As a whole...Koharu should be pleased. But his prior words resonated somewhere within her.

'Naruto needs companionship and positive training.'

Was this was her sensei was talking about? She cared as deeply for the village as her sensei had, but their views slightly differed. While she took Kohona as a whole, her sensei's saw the village for each individual inhabiting it. Was letting Kakashi being turned into a child weapon a good, or an evil? Was letting Kakashi ruin his chance of personal redemption a good or an evil? He needed this, of course; the chance to cultivate a talented Ninja kindly and have him come out alright in the end, to show that their world wasn't as cold and merciless as it seemed, to give him an answer. Tools or people? Love or indifference? This was possibly Kakashi's only chance to save what little identity as a human being he had left. On the other hand, Naruto, the Kyuubi jinchuriki as a weapon would be highly beneficial to Kohona.

When had the words, highly beneficial, become so cold?

"You're teaching him well as you are. Don't train him too harshly." Kakashi blinked in surprise at the uncharacteristic response.

"I would've though you would jump at the chance for..." He couldn't finish his sentence.

"Another you?" Koharu offered. Her wizened eyes seemed to see straight into him, it was unsettling. Kakashi have a slight nod. "We both know that wouldn't be beneficial for him. Or you."

"Maa, I'm flattered by your concern." A blasé response; it was easy to cover how touched he felt. It wasn't every day that his feelings were taken into consideration, an occupational risk of being a Shinobi.

"I'm sure you are." Koharu gave his shoulder a slight squeeze. "Your boundaries with the boy seep far past the lines of just being his sensei. It's a beautiful relationship; don't ruin it over this one event."

"Hai, Koharu-sama." It had sounded like an order. Kakashi idly noted how questionable it was that he felt more acceptant because of it. Looking at his student sleeping peacefully, he was sickened by the thought of turning his into a psychological wreck. How did his father do it? Did he know the full effects of the lessons he drilled into his young mind? How did he watch the long, hard sessions of training to fatigue and falling hard into the dirt? He couldn't remember a time where he spent with his father that he wasn't covered with scrapes and bruises, or the feeling of aching muscles. He'd been training since he was three after all. He could've, just as easily, turned out like Orochimaru; a talented sociopath, if it wasn't for the kind treatment he received from Minato-sensei.

He wouldn't, and couldn't, train Naruto to that point; the point where he stops being a child and starts being a weapon. He cared for him too much for that.

Why could things never be simple?

"Ah, just the people I was looking for." The spicy aroma of pipe-smoke filled Kakashi's nostrils. He gave a slight inclination of the head to show his respect.

"Hokage-sama."

"Kakashi, Koharu." Hiruzen stepped into the room and closed the door quietly behind him. "Inochi has finished processing the detainee."

"And?" Koharu prompted eagerly, from her teammate's expression, it hadn't ended well.

"We have no idea of his real name of affiliation, but we do highly doubt his orders came from Iwa. When he seemed to finally release the correct information...he, quite simply, died. Judging by the man's facial expression upon death, I don't think he expected it either."

"Died? How?"

"We suspected seals...or poison, but the autopsy revealed nothing." Kakashi released a string of colourful curses.

"Great, Absolutely fantastic." So, basically, his student may still be in danger and they had no leads? Kakashi was not happy. "What happens now?"

"A few council members are questioning the boy's safety in his current situation." The words, and your ability to provide sufficient protection, were left unsaid.

"I have a plan." Hiruzen saw Koharu's sharp gaze at his words and raised an eyebrow.

"You do?"

"I'm moving him into the Hatake compound. It's safer than in his apartment." Hiruzen almost stumbled from the shock. The Hatake compound he refused to set a foot in after his father's demise? The Sandaime's expression softened. He really cares about Naruto. Koharu was just happy he wasn't going to train the boy into the ground. "If I may, who was the Chuunin who attempted to save Naruto?"

"Oh, Iruka? Why, if I may ask?"

"Hmm, he seems a little soft. His actions were hesitant, almost as if he didn't want to kill. That's dangerous in a Ninja." Hiruzen grimaced, he cared deeply for Iruka. Though he had to admit, it was true.

"If you're suggesting a demotion..."

"Not at all. Perhaps...babysitting duty?" Kakashi's eye-smile seemed so devious.

"Babysitting duty?" The Sandaime exclaimed incredulously. "Do explain."

"Simple, when I'm not here, Iruka acts as an escort and guardian. After all, he can't hate Naruto if he tried to save him." Well, at least he hoped not. "I'd ask one of my...friends to do it, but I only really know Jounin..." He added in afterthought.

"Wouldn't a Jounin be safer?" Koharu queried. She couldn't really see him reasoning to employ a Chuunin.

"Not only would they be away far too often, but they were supposed to be looking after him today, and look at how well that turned out!" He shook his head. Earlier, Anko had practically been in tears over his student's state. He hadn't been sympathetic; it would've been fine if she'd escorted him home. "Besides, I highly doubt a Chuunin would be able to sense the ANBU I assume you're assigning to Naruto." Koharu snorted at his cheekiness. Hiruzen smoked thoughtfully on his newly-lit pipe.

"I'd have to talk to Iruka. His parents were killed in the Kyuubi attack..." He shook his head and smiled warmly at the figure beneath the covers. "But he's generally a kind boy. It's a fine idea, it should mollify the council."

"Arigato, Hokage-sama." Kakashi nodded at the aged leaders and went to sit by his student's unconscious form. Hiruzen paused before he and Koharu both left.

"I'll try and keep you away from missions for now. Spend time with him, Kakashi." And not so much on the dead.

"Hai, I'll try."