Thinning Line Between

by Bethie82

Hound is a broken man who has a mission he can't refuse or fail. Harumi is a medic who can't say no to her siblings. What do these two have in common? A young blonde who needs to be kept safe from someone or something. AU where Kakashi becomes Naruto's guardian and his life is turned upside down by a medic and her family.

32. Chapter 31

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. I only claim my own OCs.

"I don't want to go shopping!" Masahiro whined.

"I didn't ask your opinion, did I, Masahiro?" Harumi asked, her tone sharper than she had intended it to be.

"But why do we have to go now?"

"Because we are here and you need a new coat, it is going to get colder and the rains will start soon, so you need to be prepared. You have outgrown your coat from last year." Masahiro drug his feet as he walked behind the fast-moving Harumi, the only reason they were able to talk was that she would stop walking every five minutes or so and wait for him. "The longer it takes for us to get to the store, the less time you will have to train, because you still have to finish your homework and Kakashi-san is taking us out for dinner, so you do not have all night."

"Kakashi-san is taking everyone to dinner?"

"Did you miss that when we picked you boys up?"

"I stopped listening when you said shopping," Masahiro admitted.

"Well then the parts you missed were Kakashi-san is taking us out for dinner, we are meeting over at our house in a couple of hours, Hideaki and Maiko will meet us there and once Kakashi-san and Naruto-kun arrive we will leave."

"Cool!" Masahiro cried as he moved faster, catching up to Harumi as they walked to the shop.

"Hello!" Came the cry from the woman behind the counter. "What are you looking for?"

"A new winter coat for my brother," Harumi replied.

"Are you looking for something warm, waterproof or a combination of the two?"

"I was thinking warmer than waterproof. Rain can be dealt with through umbrellas, so warmth is our priority." Harumi answered.

"Very good, we have a new selection of warm coats over on this wall," the woman waved her hand to her left, "Feel free to ask any questions you may have."

"Thank you, we will." Walking over to the wall indicated, Harumi and Masahiro quickly looked through the selection. "Is there a color you are looking for, Masahiro?"

"Black or green," came his reply.

"Are you sure you don't want to follow in Naruto's footsteps and wear orange?" Harumi teased, holding out a jacket that was bright orange with a red swirl on the back.

Masahiro shuddered, "No nee-chan, I will leave the eye-catching colors to Naruto and I will keep to the darker colors of the Nara clan."

Harumi smiled, "Can you try it on anyway? I want to see if this would fit Naruto, that way I can tell Kakashi-san where to pick it up if Naruto needs a new coat." Masahiro grumbled but tried on the coat, Harumi nodded as it was a little big on him but should fit Naruto just fine. Then she pulled out a hooded jacket that was dark green, (somewhere between forest green and hunter green) with black sleeves and hood. It zipped up the front and had deep pockets for cold hands, or to hide kunai in if needed.

"What do you think of this one?" she asked.

"I like it!" Masahiro cried out, throwing the orange jacket on the ground before snatching the coat out of her hands and throwing it on. He zipped it up and started to move his arms.

The woman at the counter nodded, "It has a re-enforced collar and armor can be added in the arms if you desire."

Masahiro perked up, "Like nee-san's jacket? Like a real shinobi jacket?"

Harumi grinned and nodded, "Yes, otouto, like a real shinobi jacket."

"Can I, please?"

"How about just leaving it as is with the re-enforced collar and if you end up needing armor in the sleeves, we can bring it back and have it added, or if you like the jacket, we can just continue to have it made," Harumi offered.

"Okay," Masahiro agreed.

Taking Masahiro's new jacket and the bright orange jacket to the counter, Harumi asked, "The orange one, does it also come with a re-enforced collar and sleeved armor?"

The woman shook her head, "No, but those are easy to add."

"Good, then could you please add the cost of the new collar to my total? I would like both of these. How long would it take for you to add the collar?"

"I can have the collar done tomorrow."

"Wonderful."

The two women quickly finished their transaction, Harumi and Masahiro quickly left the store with a promise to pick up the new jacket tomorrow.

"How come you bought that jacket? I thought you were just going to let Kakashi-san know about it?" Masahiro asked.

"I did too, but I figured this way, both you and Naruto can have new shinobi jackets and Kakashi-san could just pay me back if he wants, if not then the jacket will be an early birthday gift for Naruto."

Masahiro nodded, "Maybe we should have gotten Sasuke and Shikamaru new jackets too."

Harumi laughed and ruffled Masahiro's hair, "I don't have unlimited funds, but if you want, we can ask Yoshino-oba and Itachi-san if the boys could use a new jacket and point them to that shop."

"Why Itachi-san and not Sasuke's mom?"

Harumi smiled, "That would be because I don't normally see Sasuke's mom, but if I did, I would ask her."

Masahiro nodded, "It would have to be blue with the Uchiha fan on the back."

"I am sure they could make something like that."

"Sasuke only wears blue, white, black and tan." Masahiro continued sagely.

"I have noticed that most Uchiha's wear subdued colors."

"Naruto wears orange." Harumi laughed, "Yes he does."

"I like green and black."

"True," Harumi was starting to question where this was going.

"You like purple. Maiko wears black and Hideaki likes brown and green."

"Yes, Masahiro, what are you getting at?"

"I was just thinking that we all have favorite colors to wear and they are different but still similar."

Harumi nodded, "How are orange and brown similar?"

"I saw some orange flowers with a brown middle the other day, so all of the colors we wear can be found in the forests," Masahiro said with authority.

"Okay, I am with you, so why are you talking about colors?"

"Just saying that we all like different colors, but we all go together."

Harumi frowned as she tried to figure out what her brother was saying, wondering if this was a coded message of some sort.

"At the academy, we were talking about different ways to remember people, one of them is by the colors they wear. Then one of the girls started talking about how certain colors go together and something," Masahiro rolled his eyes, "it was silly, nee-chan, we all wear different colors, but we still get along and we look fine together."

Harumi grinned, by this time they had reached their house, so she opened the door and the two walked in the house, "I think the girl in question was talking about something they learn in kunoichi classes. We had to learn about things called complementary colors, it is something that kunoichi learn for their undercover work. Soon they will be learning about flowers and all their meanings."

"Why do girls have to learn all that stuff?"

"To better pass ourselves off as civilians or nobility or any other position, kunoichi need to learn several skills. Skills that most women of different ranks are learning."

"So, girls have to learn more than I do?"

"Well, not necessarily more, just different things. Soon enough, if my memory is correct, the boys will be learning things that the girls can't learn so it will even out in the end."

Masahiro gave Harumi a disgruntled look, "But what if I don't want to learn more stuff?"

"Then you don't get to be a shinobi, ototo. Learning is something that you will continue to do even after you graduate the Academy after you are placed on a genin team, well and forever. It is just a part of what we do."

Masahiro groaned, "As Shika would say, how troublesome."

Harumi laughed, "Put your new jacket away and then sit down and finish your homework. You don't have that much time if you still want to train." Shaking her head as the young man ran upstairs to put his jacket into his wardrobe. Going through her afternoon routine was helpful, it allowed Harumi to go through her constant lists of things to do, check off the things she had done and added new things that she happened to think of. Currently on her list was making sure she had everything ready for it, and when Naruto would stay with them. This led to the thought that maybe she should invest in a bunk bed for Masahiro's room, or possibly just another bed, something to be more permanent than a cot in the corner. Maybe she should also look into getting another dresser for Masahiro's room, or at least make sure that there was an empty drawer and empty hangers for Naruto's stuff in Masahiro's current wardrobe.

Masahiro came back and sat down with a plate of cookies in front of him along with his homework for the night. Thankfully it was something simple today, just a review of something, Harumi was not going to look over his shoulder and tell him how to do it, Masahiro needed to figure this out on his own.

Moving around the table, Harumi walked into the laundry room threw some clothes and soap into the washing machine and started it. She then folded the clean clothes and set them in different piles to be taken to different rooms.

"I'm home!" Maiko called from the front door, "I'm going to take a quick shower and I'll be ready to go whenever."

"Come grab your clothes and take them upstairs!" Harumi called out, grabbing a pile of clothes and holding it out towards the laundry door.

Maiko grabbed her clothes and ran upstairs. Harumi just sighed, younger siblings were such a pain. Finished with her task, Harumi went to get a cup of tea and read her book for a little while.

Time passes Harumi was sitting outside in the back garden watching Masahiro continue to try and master the kunai through the middle of the shuriken trick. Thankfully this was something that wouldn't result in injury unless Masahiro did something horribly wrong, so she was able to continue to read her book and just glance at her brother from time to time. Not that she even needed to be out here, but she couldn't shake Kakashi's words that she might be a target now from her mind and she was not going to let her little brother pay the price for being sloppy.

Maiko and Hideaki were either taking showers or just relaxing from today, Harumi was grateful that her family was home together today. With the weather getting colder, missions would start to slow, meaning more 'in house' missions will happen and most of their training. It also means that the hospital will be filled with more ninjutsu related injuries, chakra exhaustion, and stupid bet or prank injuries.

This was also the time when Harumi could focus on researching or creating a new poison or antidote. Or maybe look at a disease to research. The Nara research team was always looking into something and always had ideas for Harumi to work with if she ran out of ideas. Although with the rise of poison usage, it would be helpful to be more proactive in creating antidotes or more lethal poisons.

So many options, too many. But she would use this time to focus on some training, maybe work at getting better at the Nara secret techniques. Or just work on her taijutsu or something. There was too much that she could do. But for now, Harumi focused on reading her book and helping her brother with anything that he needed. Also, to continue to work on the problems that having Naruto in her life brought about, mainly problems centered around a man trying to kill Naruto.

Skillfully ignoring the fact that thinking about Naruto brought Kakashi to mind. Last night was all about Kakashi's paranoia, however, she would be lying to herself if some small, tiny, minuscule part of her wasn't a little disappointed that Kakashi wasn't interested in her that way. Hey, what woman in her right mind wouldn't want to be considered attractive by a man? Especially a man that has proven to be smart, dedicated to his mission and those around him whom he considers teammates, and to Naruto. A man that has gone out of his way to ensure she was doing okay after her release from the hospital by taking care of her brother and Naruto. Making sure she ate enough.

Especially when said man was long considered to be a cold-hearted bastard. Harumi shook her head, no point in going down that path of thought. SHE was not looking for anyone, Kakashi could be a good friend like Katsu and Tamotsu are. He was even acting like her teammates, being all big brother protective of her. That was all it was, a friendly concern.

Shaken from her thoughts by a knock on the door, the sound of Maiko running down the stairs to answer it. Harumi marked her place in the book and walked into the house, Masahiro on her heels because they both heard the boisterous greeting of Naruto.

"Hello, Maiko-chan! Kaka-nii is taking us out for barbecue, which isn't ramen but still good. Did you know that ramen is the best food in the whole world?"

Maiko shook her head, "Ramen is a food that I like on occasion. If I had a choice I would eat dango all the time."

Naruto stuck his tongue out, "Dango is good, but RAMEN is the best!" Noticing Masahiro standing next to Harumi, he continued, "Right Masa-kun?"

Masahiro shook his head, "Ramen is good, but salted salmon is my favorite."

Harumi shook her head as she walked over to hug Naruto, "Ramen is good, but you should eat more than just one food. A shinobi diet should consist of varied foods to ensure that you get the proper balance of carbohydrates, fats, protein, vegetables, vitamins, and minerals." To quickly move them onto a different topic before Naruto dug his heels in and started a fight, "I heard the girls in class were talking about color coordination today."

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Why does that even matter?"

Maiko and Harumi laughed and Kakashi was entranced by the musical sound of it.

"A shinobi must be able to blend into any setting that he or she is thrown into. For you and Masahiro, you will learn valuable skills that will allow you to blend in, like carpentry or something strange like fishing. Kunoichi must learn the more feminine arts, like flower arrangements and how to coordinate a kimono and obi."

"Man, that seems lame, why can't you just learn to fight?" Naruto asked.

"Because sometimes your mission isn't to fight, but to gather information. You can't just bash heads in to find the information, so you must do something subtler," Harumi answered. Then she turned to Kakashi, "I just need to get Hideaki and we are ready whenever you are."

Kakashi nodded, "No reason to hurry, I made a reservation for one hour from now. I wasn't sure when Hideaki and Maiko would be back."

Harumi grinned, "Then there is plenty of time for us to talk about that book and the boys can go and continue to practice that trick you taught them. Unless Naruto has mastered it already?" she added as if thinking out loud.

"Not yet!" Naruto replied, "But I will soon, believe it!"

Harumi ruffled his hair and gently pushed both Naruto and Masahiro towards the back door. "Then off with you two, do NOT get dirty!"

"Yes nee-chan!" the boys cried as they ran through the house.

"I'll go check on Hideaki, I want to finish getting ready anyway," Maiko waved as she too left the room.

Watching them go, Kakashi grinned, "Well you certainly know how to clear a room."

Harumi smiled, "If you think that was something, you should see me tell a fully-grown man that it is time for his vaccinations."

Kakashi laughed, "I'm sure I don't."

Harumi sat in a chair and waved a hand at the couch, a clear sign for Kakashi to sit, so he did. "I was out shopping with Masahiro, he needed a new winter jacket, and I saw one that Naruto would like."

Kakashi snorted at this.

"Yes, it is bright orange, but it is a warm jacket that is water-resistant, so he doesn't have to worry about getting soaked while walking to and from the Academy. I asked the shop keeper to add the re-enforced collar, so it will be like the one that I got Masahiro, who said it was a 'real shinobi jacket.' Which I am going to translate to mean that he will wear it and not take it off once he is out of my sight."

"That saves me from asking if you could do some shopping for Naruto. He needs warmer clothes and I don't know what to get him." Kakashi ruefully replied.

"Well, he needs more than just a jacket. He will need long-sleeved shirts, longer pants, and some sweatshirts or sweaters to pull on if it gets very cold." Harumi answered.

"So, would you mind while you are shopping for Masahiro, picking some stuff up for Naruto? Maybe some colors other than orange?"

Harumi laughed, "I can do that, although I make no promises because I refuse to spend money on clothes that Naruto will not wear because he doesn't like the color."

"Keep the receipts, I have money set aside for Naruto's clothes, so I can pay for them, or at least pay you back. And some blacks, blues or grays would be nice. They work with orange."

"True, I can do that. Do you know how many shirts and pants he needs?"

"Everything as far as I can tell. His clothes are very worn and are starting to be too small."

"So, a little bit of everything, I can do that. I have the morning off tomorrow, so I can get most of Naruto's clothes shopping done when I go and pick up his jacket."

Kakashi opened his mouth to say something when Naruto yelled from the door to the kitchen, "A new jacket?!"

Harumi turned her head, "While looking for a new winter jacket for Masa-kun, I found a winter jacket that you would like. Masa-kun says it is a 'real shinobi' jacket like his new one is."

"A real shinobi jackets?" Naruto asked, reverence evident in his voice.

"Of course, the future Hokage needs to have a proper shinobi jacket to survive to be Hokage," Harumi replied.

"Yeah, I'm going to be Hokage!" Naruto hollered.

"Inside voice, Naruto," Masahiro chided. "I am standing right next to you!"

"Sorry, Masahiro," Naruto mumbled.

"So tomorrow I'm going to finish up some clothes shopping for Masahiro. Naruto was there anything you would like me to be on the lookout for?" Harumi broke in.

"Like what?" Naruto asked, very confused.

"Long pants, shirts, sweats, sweaters, new shoes," Masahiro offered the same list Harumi gave him when she originally told him he needed new clothes.

"I could use another hooded sweatshirt, nee-chan," Hideaki said as he walked up behind the boys.

"Oh, and I would like a pair of leggings, like the ones you use on missions," Maiko added.

Harumi sighed, "Anything for you Naruto?"

Naruto looked at the floor in front of him, shifting from foot to foot.

"Would it help if I told you Kakashi has already asked me to get you some warmer clothes?" Harumi asked.

Naruto's head jerked up and he looked over to where Kakashi was sprawled on the couch, his nose buried in a book to no one's surprise.

"Maa, I just saw that you were growing out of the clothes you had and since Harumi is already going to be shopping and has a much better idea of what you would need, I asked if she could help me out," Kakashi drawled.

Naruto's face split into a huge grin, "Some longer pants would be nice, and maybe a shirt or two, something that would look awesome under the jacket you picked out."

Harumi nodded, "I can do that. Would you prefer a sweatshirt or a sweater?"

"Umm… whatever is easier?" Naruto replied.

"Soft or not?"

Naruto started to look around the room, anywhere but at the other people in the room.

Harumi stood up, "Never mind Naruto, I will just pick stuff out and if you don't like it Kakashi can always take it back and exchange it for something you would like."

Naruto visibly perked up.

Kakashi stood up, "Time for dinner I think."

Just like a starter shot was fired, the boys ran out the front door, shouting about a race. Maiko shook her head at Hideaki and the two of them took off after the two boys, while Harumi slipped her shoes on and locked the door behind them. A small push of chakra into a seal and the whole house was as secure as she could make it.

It didn't take the group long to reach their destination and get their table. The owner took one look at the four pairs of glaring eyes and wisely didn't say whatever he was going to say when he spotted Naruto in the group. Or it could have been the fact that killing intent had been unleashed at the disgusted look on the owner's face. Either way, the group was seated, and their order was put in. Naruto and Masahiro were still comparing ideas on how to be able to complete the trick Kakashi showed them. At this point, it was all about timing, and the way you release the shuriken, but mostly timing.

Their food arrived, and Harumi started to put the meat and vegetables on the grill in the center of the table. After distributing the first round of food, Harumi stated that

"Everyone was now responsible for grabbing their own because I am going to eat."

However, Kakashi watched as Harumi's actions made her words a lie, she kept the grill full and set the cooked food items on a plate next to the grill where everyone could grab it if they didn't take it straight it from the grill.

"So Nee-chan, how was the hospital?" Hideaki asked.

"It was a good day, I got to spend most of it in the labs, and with the cold season coming, I am making a list of all the things I would like to research. Mainly I would like to investigate a new paralytic, something that would attack a chakra system and not the nervous system."

Hideaki shuddered, "I am not sure what is scarier, the fact that your favorite days are when you think of new and inventive ways to hurt people or the fact that you get very excited when those new ways work."

Harumi stuck her tongue out at him, "You spend your days perfecting ways to kill people using shadows."

Hideaki grinned, "Well not all my days, just the days I am not on a mission."

Maiko shook her head, "At least he is doing something productive, Sensei is having us work on our chakra control again! All because some idiot decided to fall off a tree while we were on patrol!"

"Is said idiot okay?" Harumi asked while Naruto and Masahiro looked at Maiko with wide eyes.

"Of course, he is, it isn't like he doesn't have a hard head, foolish boy!"

Harumi reached over and pat her sister's head, "It is okay, at least it will be dry for the next few days, so you don't have to practice walking up and down wet trees."

Maiko sighed, "At least wet trees would be a challenge."

Kakashi grinned, the only evidence was in his voice, "I could arrange for you to have a wet tree or two, I know a few water users who could be bribed with the promise of entertainment."

"Not yet, but I will keep that in mind. The idiot might need a lesson on paying attention!"

Harumi rubbed her forehead to soothe the headache she was sure to come in the next couple of days. "Just remember that you will have plenty of time to do something constructive and not destructive. Besides aren't the chuunin exams happening soon? Is your sensei going to enter you into it?"

"I don't know, he has been talking about it for a little while, but mainly as a way to get a teammate to behave or pay attention."

"I do remember having that problem with Katsu a long time ago. However, he did get better over time and what's more, during our first mission that went bad, he woke up and trained harder," Harumi replied. "That was also the time when I started to get serious about being a medic and Tamotsu started working on perfecting his genjutsus. I am told it is fairly normal for young people to have some trouble getting focused because compared to what they know, they are doing great."

Maiko nodded, "I can see that, especially since none of us have seen any real violence in our missions."

Harumi nodded, "Don't worry, we are shinobi, violence and blood are like well-known cousins to us, you will see it, hopefully before the chuunin exams, if you are going to be entered."

Hideaki turned to Kakashi, "How about you, Kakashi? Did you have an idiot on your team?"

Kakashi looked over at Harumi who just smiled and continued to put vegetables on Masahiro and Naruto's plates. "As you sister said, all of us have an idiot on our team, the biggest difference is that I was on my team during the war, so we all were brought into this life under the threat of death, where it didn't take much for you to get your entire team killed."

"So, you didn't have to deal with stuff like this?"

"I did, but for the most part it was less not paying attention to what you were doing, and more not being on time for training." Kakashi worked hard to keep his voice even, to not betray the guilt, grief and self-loathing coursing through his system just by thinking about his team. "The other difference was that I was already a chūnin when I was put in a team."

"What?" Hideaki asked.

This time Kakashi stared at Harumi who shrugged at him, very unhelpful! "I graduated from the academy when I was five and became a chūnin when I was six. I didn't get a team until I was eleven, almost twelve when the rest of my previous classmates had graduated. So, I just had a Sensei for the most part."

"Wow, you were apprenticed right away?" Masahiro asked.

Kakashi looked at the young man, "I guess you could say that it was more that I was too young to be on a team because everyone else was twice my age and would end up resenting me." This time Kakashi moved his leg and gently kicked Harumi under the table.

Harumi looked up and correctly read the discomfort in Kakashi's face, the discomfort that quickly changed to frustration and anger when she met his gaze. With an apologetic smile, she changed the subject, "So Naruto, how was your day?" This sufficiently distracted everyone enough to drop the subject of Kakashi's early years, Harumi would have to make it a point to let Maiko and Hideaki know the basics and ask them to not talk about it anymore. They were both smart enough to read between the lines when they wanted too. When Naruto took a breath, after discussing all the boring math they worked on, Harumi caught Kakashi's eye and nodded towards Naruto, a clear demand to tell Naruto about the possible missions.

Sighing, Kakashi spoke up, "Naruto, I may have to go on a mission or many missions at some point in the near future, it is unknown how long I will be gone. With this in mind, Harumi-san has consented to let you stay at her house, should the need arise."

Harumi chuckled at the very confused look on Naruto's face, while Masahiro positively lit up like a light. "What Kakashi-san means, Naruto is that when he has to go out on a mission, you will stay with me. Just like you did the last time Kakashi had a long-term mission."

Naruto's face cleared up and he grinned, "Yeah! I like staying at your house, Harumi-nee-chan. How will I know when Kakashi leaves?"

Harumi shrugged, "I don't know, and really, Kakashi probably doesn't know either," glancing at Kakashi, who nodded, "It will probably be just like it was today when I woke you up, or it will be when I pick you up after the academy."

"But how will I say goodbye?"

Surprisingly, it was Masahiro who answered, "You don't say goodbye, idiot. Goodbye means you don't think Kakashi will return. So instead you just say see you soon, or something like that and you say it every time you part ways. Just like I do with nii-san and nee-chan. It is easy."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, "Don't call me an idiot!"

Masahiro shrugged, "Okay, but don't act like one."

And with that simple word Naruto's bright personality was back. "Don't say goodbye but wish Kaka-nii a see you later. I can do that."

Kakashi gave Masahiro a grateful smile, "That works for me too, Naruto." Kakashi was surprisingly grateful that the Shimizu family had brought Naruto into their fold. Now Naruto wouldn't have to sit around and worry like he did when his father would go out on missions. Not that younger Kakashi would ever express that, but it was always difficult to come home to a quiet house and know that he would be going to sleep by himself. Kakashi was confident that Harumi would provide enough distractions that Naruto wouldn't worry about him.

The rest of the meal was filled with stories about patients and the hospital and a small game about the worst D-rank they had been on. Surprisingly it was the dreaded "Find Tora" missions that seemed to top the lists of the worst mission. Naruto was upset that shinobi would be reduced to doing chores, but Hideaki explained it as a necessary skill so that one could perform such tasks when undercover.

While Maiko said it was so that the civilian population would get used to seeing these new shinobi as shinobi and it had nothing to do with giving the civilian population a sense of control or lessen the guilt of seeing children grow up to be trained killers. Kakashi was convinced that the last part was pure sarcasm, but he could be wrong.

After paying the bill, Kakashi was happy to see that it would only take a C-Rank to cover it, the two groups parted ways. Kakashi and Naruto heading to their place, while Harumi and her family heading to their home. The short walk to the house and Kakashi quickly unlocked the house, disengaged the security seals and the two males were in the house. Naruto ran to his bedroom and a few minutes later Kakashi heard the tell-tale sign of Naruto taking a shower, the water running.

Walking to the kitchen Kakashi quickly got some water going for tea and he shook his head, at the habit Harumi seemed to have passed on to him. Harumi said that it was something her mother used to do, it gave her a chance to think about something, while also being productive, in other words, she couldn't get stuck in her head.
Kakashi stopped midway through pouring the boiling water over the tea, he was copying Harumi. In order to create a 'safe and loving environment,' Kakashi was copying what Harumi did in her home to make sure her siblings had the environment she wanted. Kakashi needed to think about this. Yes, this mission was to ensure Naruto's safety and to ensure that he could grow into an adult, to protect the kyuubi container, to find and eliminate the current threat to the two previous points. Kakashi was very aware that he was the least qualified to be a guardian and to give Naruto a safe and happy home. Hell, what did he even know about those things? So, he was copying what he saw, and since he mostly saw Harumi, he was copying her. That was fine in the short term, but for the long term, Kakashi would need to figure out what would work for him, or did he?

Well, to be honest, this making tea all of the time was annoying and not something he wanted to continue to do, so strike that off the list. Hiding vegetables was a good idea especially since it allowed Naruto to actually eat the vegetables. Bedtime stories were okay too because it did help Naruto with his reading skills. Maybe he should make a list, that way he could eliminate all the stuff that he knew wouldn't last at least not for him. Slightly disgust with himself for even thinking about this stuff, he was a shinobi, not a fucking housewife!

However, that sneaky little voice that sounded suspiciously like Obito replied, "For this mission you are. Not only a housewife but a parent too!"

The water turned off and a few minutes later Naruto came bounding down the stairs. Kakashi was sitting on the couch flipping through a book.

"Is it time for bed, Kaka-nii?" Kakashi looked over his shoulder, taking in Naruto's appearance. He was dressed in pajamas, with his hair sticking out in all directions, holding a book in his hand.

"What book do you have, Naruto?" Kakashi watched at Naruto's cheeks turned pink.

"I found a book at school about different jutsus, and though that since you read a lot of books about jutsus, you could help me with this one," Naruto replied, his voice slightly above a whisper.

Kakashi pats the seat next to him and nodded, "Of course we can read it together. It has been a while since I have read about Academy jutsus and it will be interesting to see if they have changed the books." Naruto climbed up and settled against Kakashi's side, letting his fingers move under the words, Kakashi slowly read the book on how to use the three jutsus taught by the Academy.

About halfway through the book, Kakashi noticed that Naruto's weight was leaning heavily against his shoulders. He glanced over and saw the blond boy's eyes were closed and his breathing was very even, all things pointing to Naruto fell asleep a while ago. Smiling to himself, Kakashi noted the page he was on and set the book down. Then leaning down, he slipped one arm under Naruto's shoulders and the other arm under his knees. Twisting, Kakashi set Naruto on his lap and after securing his hold, he stood up. Moving quickly, and quietly, Kakashi took Naruto to his room, pulled back the blanket and set Naruto down on the bed. Pulling the blanket up to Naruto's shoulders, Kakashi tucked him in. Checking on the security seals around the room one last time, Kakashi made sure the door was slightly ajar and turned off the hallway light.

Moving back to the living area, Kakashi set both the book he was reading and the book Naruto borrowed from school onto the kitchen table. He poured himself a glass of sake and sat down to try and make a list of what Kakashi as a parent figure will do. Topping the list was to continue with storytime and to continue to have Naruto take showers daily. Taking a sip of sake, he drew a line down the center of the paper and wrote tea in the other column. Continuing with the list, Kakashi found that there were more things he could continue to do, such as having Naruto eat more vegetables, eat less ramen, and use training as an incentive to get school work done. However, Kakashi wouldn't continue to make tea all of the time, he wouldn't worry about holding Naruto's hand or giving him hugs all the time. Harumi could handle that part, besides Kakashi hated touching people, he couldn't remember the last time he willingly gave someone a hug that wasn't mission-related. He would continue to fill in the education that was missing, including reading, writing, math and chakra control, more than just what they were teaching at school and what he was learning with Harumi. Satisfied with his lists and progress so far, Kakashi put the pen and paper away, folded the list and stuck it in the pocket of his vest.

Making sure the kitchen and living room areas were picked up and ready for the next day, Kakashi walked slowly to his room, making sure a small night light was on in the hallway in case Naruto needed something in the middle of the night.

AN: And here we are, family dinner done. Shopping done. Kakashi is thinking long term... I think this is going well. Let me know what you think.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and to everyone who loved the little Christmas Omake. I have a few more omake ideas running around my head, we will have to see if I am get the onto paper. As always, I hope you enjoy. Have a safe a happy week.