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 Seven: Now My Baby's Dancing, But She's Dancing With Another Man
Jealousy is the most dreadfully involuntary of all the sins
-Iris Murdoch
Kakashi held in a sigh as Team 7 approached the gates of Konoha. Finally, they were home. The mission had been long and far more difficult than anticipated and he was glad to be back in Konoha where a hot shower was calling his name.
First though, the team had to debrief. Because Zabuza's involvement had elevated their mission for C to A rank, the debriefing would be done by the Hokage himself saving Kakashi the hassle of seeking out his sensei. Naruto had left to escort Itachi a week ago and Kakashi was itching for a status on his friend.
With every passing year, the risk to Itachi's wellbeing increased. It was bad enough that he'd been sent on such a deep undercover mission at thirteen but for him to have kept up the cover as well as survived life as a member of Akatsuki for so long…it was enough to break even most well-grounded mind. Also, it was unlikely that Itachi's desertion had gone completely unnoticed. There was a strong possibility that Naruto and Itachi would have to fight their way home and as formidable as they were, the Akatsuki were not easy opponents. It was at that moment that Kakashi was jolted from his worries by Sasuke's voice, raised in jubilation and almost unrecognisable for being so.
"Aniki!"
Naruto couldn't help but smile at the open surprise on Sasuke's face
"Sasuke," Itachi greeted, his eyes softening as they landed on his brother. "You look well."
"When did you get back?" Sasuke asked, ignoring the curious looks he was getting from Sakura and Sai.
"Four days ago" Itachi's glanced flickered over the other two genin before landing on Kakashi.
"Senpai," Itachi greeted.
"It's good to see you again, Itachi-kun," Kakashi smiled then transferred his attention to Naruto, letting the brothers catch up.
It was obvious to Kakashi that the full truth of the Uchiha massacre had been told to the general public immediately upon Itachi's return. How else could the eldest Uchiha be moving around so freely and besides, Minato-sensei was not one to let an injustice lie unfixed longer than absolutely necessary.
Naruto was looking at Itachi and Sasuke with something akin to fondness and a quick onceover revealed no injuries. Then again, she'd had four days to recover. With Naruto's healing, who knows what she could have bounced back from in that time?
"Ne, I'm fine, Kakashi," Naruto grinned, easily reading her friends expression. "We met Hidan and Kakuzu on the way but neither Itachi nor myself was seriously injured."
"Forgive me for being sceptical," Kakashi snorted. "I remember you dislocating your shoulder once and still calling it 'a small bump'."
"Please," Naruto huffed. "That healed in, like, 20 minutes. It doesn't qualify as serious."
"Point proven," Kakashi smirked when Sakura and Sai, who had been shamelessly eavesdropping, sent Naruto shocked looks.
"I can confirm Naruto-san's assessment," Itachi spoke and Kakashi glanced his way. "Neither of us were hurt badly."
"See?" Naru grinned at Itachi before turning to raise an eyebrow at Kakashi. "What'd I tell you, Hatake?"
Kakashi huffed good-naturedly and carried on teasing his friend but a part of him was paying close attention to the way Itachi and Naruto interacted. Although it was possible that Itachi and Naruto had met during Naruto's exile, it was unlikely that the meetings would have allowed them to interact normally for any significant length of time. Itachi's position was too important for him to risk letting his guard down. Despite that, Itachi and Naruto seemed to be at ease in each other's company.
As a thirteen year old, Itachi had been distant and aloof, held apart from most shinobi by his name and talent. One would think that spending five years undercover with the most dangerous missing-nins on the planet would not prove beneficial to social skills that most kindly described as 'under-developed'. Itachi seemed determined to prove him wrong though. He talked freely to Sasuke and Naruto, his expression softening every time it landed on his little brother and he initiated conversation with Naruto instead of just speaking when spoken to. It was weird.
Then, for a very brief moment, Itachi's gaze lingered on Naruto's legs and suddenly it wasn't weird at all. Itachi was a teenage boy in the presence of an incredibly attractive girl. Even the famed Uchiha stoicism was no match for hormones. Something curled, heavy and bitter, in Kakashi's gut and he pulled out his copy of Icha Icha Paradise. There were only a couple of pages left before his favourite scene and if he was blocking from view what a sickeningly beautiful couple Itachi and Naruto would make then that was not a factor in his sudden craving to read. Not at all.
Meanwhile, Naruto was blissfully unaware of her friend's thoughts and skipped happily beside Itachi, chatting a mile a minute. Sakura and Sai were, for once, completely silent since both genin realised they'd learn a lot more from listening than pestering their teammates with questions. Sasuke was being abnormally talkative, joy and relief at finally having his brother back safe and sound loosening his tongue and Sakura could do little more than stare at her crush, transfixed at seeing him so animated.
The sequence of events that occurred next happened so quickly that the genin were left scratching their heads a little. Itachi pushed Sasuke behind him and moved to shield the genin just as Kakashi sped to take a protective stance in front of Naruto, his forehead-protector raised and eyes narrowed. Three foreign ninja, two boys and a girl, had appeared ahead of them and the menace radiating off the shortest one of them was palpable. Nobody noticed the way Naruto smirked and crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes lighting with mischievous glee. For the moment, she was content to wait this out.
"You really don't want to do that," the taller of the boys said, his gaze lingering on the way Kakashi's hand hovered over his weapons pouch.
"It's not a good idea to threaten us."
"You are foreign shinobi giving of killer intent in the presence of the Hokage's daughter," Kakashi informed them, his voice steady. "We are not the ones being threatening."
Sakura shrunk back when the killing intent spiked, her eyes widening even as Sai reached for his brush. Sasuke stiffened and made to move forward but Itachi was blocking him. Scowling, Sasuke took a deep breath to calm himself and settled back into position.
"I'm telling you," Temari spoke. "Gaara's a monster. You should just let him pass before he gets mad."
Just like that Naruto's patience vanished, her good humour disappearing as she stepped past Kakashi, glancing at him from the corner of her eyes as she did so. Smart guy that he was, Kakashi got the message.
"A monster, huh?" Naruto scoffed. "Well I guess it takes one to know one."
That got exactly the reaction Naruto was hoping it would and Gaara's siblings bristled with anger.
"Do you know who you're talking to, bitch?" Kankurō glared. "Show some respect!"
Naruto outright laughed at that.
"The two of you have shown yourselves to be little more than insulting, judgemental and ignorant. You want my respect?" Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Earn it."
From the letters she exchanged with Gaara, Naruto knew that his siblings were easily angered if you knew the right buttons to press. Because of that same correspondence, Naruto knew the right buttons to press.
Temari growled at her and drew her fans, aiming a blast of wind in Naruto's direction. Naruto merely rolled her eyes and batted away the attack. Temari had the potential to be a truly fearsome ninja but, at her current level, she was no match for Naruto. Especially not with Naruto's own elemental affinity. Kankurō's eyes narrowed to slits and he started to reach for the puppet slung over his shoulder. In the next moment Naruto had her hands around both his and Temari's throats and was pinning them against a tree with little trouble. Kankurō blinked. What the fuck had happened?
Kakashi's smirk was hidden behind his mask and Itachi's face was typically impassive but the three genin couldn't contain their shit-eating grins. It was always good to see a fellow ninja kick ass but when the asses in question were rude and hostile foreign ninja, seeing justice met swiftly and efficiently was all the sweeter.
Kakashi glanced at the short redhead that was the original source of the killing intent they'd felt. The menace had since dissipated and the boy, Gaara of the Sand, was watching his siblings get beaten up with apparent apathy. The Sand siblings were making a name for themselves and were in the bingo books of more than one Hidden Village. Their missions were reportedly bloody and over quickly. Gaara's control over his sand was absolute and fearsome and his siblings barely had to lift a finger. He also seemed to be surprisingly willing to protect them given that, from what Kakashi had seen and heard, Kankurō and Temari treated Gaara like he was some sort of psychotic, unstable freak.
He didn't pretend to be an expert in psychology but Kakashi thought it was odd that someone who was psychotic or unstable would care whether or not his teammates lived or died. Kankurō and Temari, like Konoha's council, operated with a very narrow frame of mind. Holding in a sigh, Kakashi covered his sharingan once more and Itachi followed his example, relaxing in a way that would be unnoticed to anyone not well versed in Uchiha. If there was anyone who was adept at setting people straight it was Naruto. Her stories about her exile were almost all about people who started off as enemies but eventually became friends. Naruto was almost as well connected as Jiraiya.
"You guys think Gaara is a monster?" Naruto scowled and her fingers tightened ever so slightly, making Kankurō and Temari gasp for breath.
"You think one tail is scary?" Naruto had already assimilated Kurama's chakra so she used a henge to turn her irises into slits and her pupils' red, a visual aid to help get her point across. "Try handling nine."
Naruto's hostages paled visibly and her lips curved into a wicked smirk.
"That's right kiddies," Naruto grinned. "You wanna meet a real monster? Because that can be arranged."
"Naruto," The voice that spoke was soft but commanding and the genin present almost jumped out of their skins.
"Yes, Gaara," Naruto answered without turning her head.
"That's enough," Gaara said and Naruto's scowl deepened.
"Are you sure?" Naruto asked. "These assholes should be taught a lesson."
"I believe you have made your point."
Naruto met and held Gaara's gaze for a moment before nodding.
"Okay," she said before turning back to Kankurō and Temari.
"Consider this your only warning," Naruto spoke, low and fierce so that only the two sand siblings could hear. "Open your damn eyes and get to know your brother. You don't want to know what will happen if I have to repeat myself."
Kankurō and Temari both nodded as vigorously as Naruto's hold on them would allow and Naru had to hold in a scoff as she dropped her arms and the two sank to the ground, their knees shaking too badly to hold their weight.
"So, Gaara," Naruto spun to face her friend, her entire demeanour changing and a huge smile lighting her face. "Let's go get some ramen, I'm starving! And after that we can go talk to my dad about a seal."
She was about to hook an arm through Gaara's and skip off, forgetting all about the people watching, when Kakashi hooked a finger into the back of her collar, halting her progress.
"What gives, Hatake?" Naruto grumbled, rubbing her neck where the action had caused her to choke.
"Naru," Kakashi explained with exaggerated patience. "Anything involving your father, another jinchūriki and a seal comes before ramen."
The expression of outrage on Naruto's face was hilarious.
"Sacrilege!" she proclaimed. "Nothing comes before ramen!"
"I would prefer to speak to your father first," Gaara spoke and Naruto turned to him with a betrayed expression.
"Not you too, Gaara!" She complained but had already started to lead the way to the Hokage tower. "You're supposed to be on my side, you know. We gotta stick together."
Itachi held the Konoha genin back when they made to follow Naruto the two men, shooting his brother a reprimanding look when Sasuke scowled at him. Not one to stay disgruntled for long, it was Sakura who spoke up.
"Itachi-san," Sakura asked, her hesitance to directly address Itachi obvious in her voice but her curiosity winning over. "What's a jinchūriki?"
~O
Minato was having an exhausting day.
The chūnin exams were being held in Konoha this week and he was flooded with work. You would think that, being Hokage, he would be able to delegate but everything required his personal approval. Housing for foreign shinobi, safety protocols, visa checks, extra training grounds, housing of and schmoozing with the visiting dignitaries…the list went on and Minato was very, very much looking forward to the exams being over.
The Kazekage had decided to attend the final round in person since all three of his children would be participating and Iwa was sending a delegation as well, quite a large one at that. Konoha had held the exams four times since Minato had been instated and all four times Iwa had refrained from entering. Imagine his surprise, then, when he received confirmation that they would be sending not one, but six teams this time. Of course the fact that this was the first time in ten years since Naruto had been in the village and would be moving around out of his supervision had nothing to do with their decision. Nothing at all.
A humourless smirk curved Minato's lips. You would have thought that Iwa had learned by now that distance meant little to him. Naruto could be all the way in Kumo and all she had to do was throw his kunai for him to be there in a second. Besides, his daughter was far from helpless. She was his daughter after all. If Iwa was planning to harm Naruto then he was going to make what he'd done to them during the war look like something akin to a little kid cooing over a cute animal. A knock on the door roused Minato from his dark thoughts and his bad mood evaporated the moment Naruto came skipping into his office.
"Naru!" Minato beamed. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I brought lunch!" Naruto proclaimed, holding up the containers of take-out ramen she'd insisted on stopping for.
"And a friend as well?" Minato prodded, his eyebrows rising when he noticed Gaara.
Kakashi met his sensei's gaze and, seeing the question there, nodded to confirm Minato's suspicions. This was the jinchūriki of the Ichibi.
"This is Gaara," Naruto smiled. "Gaara, this is my dad."
The two men exchanged handshakes, Minato nodding his greeting and Gaara staying silent. Naruto briefly wondered why it was that she always seemed to befriend the stoic, silent type of guy.
"We need your help," Naruto explained when it became obvious that Gaara was not going to do so. "Gaara's seal is….well," she shrugged her shoulders and met her father's gaze, "to me it looks highly unstable. It's only barely containing Shukaku's chakra and has done nothing to stop Shukaku from influencing Gaara."
"May I see the seal?" Minato asked and Gaara nodded, pushing his scarf out of the way and lifting his top to reveal the seal that held back Shukaku. It was placed in almost the exact same place as Naruto's had been but was drastically different, both in structure and appearance.
Minato frowned as he examined the seal, absently reaching for a book on his desk. He flicked through the tome, navigating the pages with the ease of practice and his frown deepened when he found the page he was looking for and perused its contents.
"You were right to be worried," Minato said as he quickly sketched out Gaara's seal onto a piece of paper. "It looks like there's only one anchor point which is, frankly, ludicrous if you're expecting to hold back a bijū."
He turned to Gaara.
"I need to do a bit more research to clarify a few things but we can definitely do something to reinforce your seal. Come to my office tomorrow, around lunch time. We can fix this then."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama" Gaara bowed formal but fluid.
"I don't mean to be a downer," Kakashi spoke. "But are you sure that's alright, sensei? Shouldn't we consult the Kazekage first?"
"My father will not care," Gaara's response was immediate. "In fact, I have reason to believe my father is…not himself."
"Ne, you never mentioned anything like this," Naruto pouted, her eyes narrowing as she regarded her friend.
"I was waiting for the right time," Gaara replied and Naruto rolled her eyes, correctly interpreting that to mean he wanted to see what her father was like first.
Naruto's exile was a sore point in her friendship with Gaara. He was of the opinion that the Hokage would never have allowed Naruto's exile if he'd truly cared for her. Naruto, on the other hand, was personally involved with the matter in question had a much clearer view of what had happened and knew that her father's love for her was never in question. Getting Gaara to see that though was proving to be…difficult.
Nonetheless, they were on the right path now. Gaara had been introduced to the Hokage and no blood had been shed. That was a very positive sign. Naru had high hopes for the sealing tomorrow and so she was in a fantastic mood as she skipped home. Then she spotted Itachi and her mood brightened. Ever since he'd returned to the village, the oldest Uchiha had been kept busy with all the official work that was involved in reinstating him as the head of his clan. Now, however, he should have some free time and Naruto could ask for something she'd been dying to do.
"Itachi!" Naruto greeted, beaming up at him and noting the way his eyes lightened slightly in amusement.
"Naruto-san," Itachi replied. "I trust your visit with your father was a good one?"
"Hm? Oh, sure!" Naruto waved away the discreet question. "Everything's fine there, no worries. I wanted to ask you something though. Are you doing anything tomorrow afternoon?"
"Not as of yet," Itachi answered, his steady gaze the only clue as to his curiosity.
"Great!" Naruto grinned. "Then you're free to spar with me. Training ground 10? Three on clock?"
"I look forward to it," Itachi replied and Naruto laughed, she knew the feeling.
When her exile had ended, one of the first things she'd done was seek out Kakashi for just this purpose. Spending all those years fighting for her life turned a friendly fight against someone on her level from a great way to keep in shape into something life-affirming. It was like proof that she was home and among friends and with people who would watch her back. Itachi would likely feel the same way.
As Naruto waved goodbye to Itachi and continued on her way home, blonde hair swinging behind her and eyes brighter than the sky, she had no idea that the entire encounter had been watched. Kakashi pulled his book out and turned around, going back the way he'd come from.
