HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

This chapter is dedicated to thelastunicorn! I really appreciate all your reviews and questions - and thank you so much for reading and following my stories.

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing from the Naruto universe but I do have an imagination of my own. PLEASE REVIEW MY CHAPTERS! I will take advice and suggestions from my readers while continuing the story. I hope that all of us have a wonderful remainder of the holiday season, and a VERY healthy and Happy New Year!

Thinking

Biju, etc. speaking

Biju, etc. thinking

Emphasis

Great: now there's two of her…

Kakashi internally groaned at the sight of yet another tea-party taking place in front of him. Jiraiya-sama would no doubt be proud and excessively brag, while Shizune-san and Tsunade-hime - if the latter was sober enough to comprehend what was going on - would undoubtedly grab Naru-hime to run various tests to find a diagnosis for the tiny blonde.

He'd have to ask Pakkun, who was specifically invited to attend the tea party - unlike me - how in the world little Naru-chan had managed to make what his Sharingan confirmed was a shadow clone. Could Kakashi tell which was the original girl and which one was the clone? No! He couldn't! It was impossible to figure out: the toddler's chakra was split evenly... Kakashi realized he was twitching all over and reached for his water.

And how the hell had she even activated her chakra? That was supposed to happen at LEAST a year or two from now - at the very, very least! And then it should maybe happen only after rigorous instruction and training... His pseudo-family had been either proud or horrified when learning that she'd activated it. He remembered it like it was happening now, although it happened a couple of weeks ago. Naru was riding Bull - and didn't that scare the hell out of him? Oh, it did! Especially when his largest ninken jumped over the couch happily. He'd sunshinned to stop Naru-hime's fall, only to find Naruto squealing happily, using chakra for fuck's sake, to hold herself down on his ninken's back.

Great. So now she can now make shadow clones, a Jonin-level technique, but makes a complete disaster when lifting her little toy teapot to offer tea to her accomplices… er, little animal friends, both stuffed and summons.

Naru looked behind her, a grin erupting on her face, and suddenly ran at the silver-haired Jonin. Waaay too fast to be normal, he thought, although he reconsidered, wondering if his sensei was like this as a child. He knew that Minato-sensei was a genius, but so was he! Kakashi let out a sigh as he bent down and let his sensei's child, the one driving him mad, leap into his arms.

"Are you having a nice party, hime?" She nodded her head, smiling and actually letting him see her baby teeth this time. "Can I come and join, too?" She shook her head and frowned. DAMN iT! He really wanted to go to a tea party! No other people were allowed either, so that made Kakashi feel a little better. If she allowed any one of the other adults in the house to come to her sacred tea parties, he knew for a fact he'd stab them.

Pakkun - that little traitor - jogged up to his summoner, a very superior smug look upon his little Pug face. "Yo Boss, did you see what she did? Did ya, did ya?"

Kakashi glared at his oldest, smartest ninken and denied the urge he had to throttle the dog. "Hai. Shadow clone, ne?"

"That's right!" Pakkun said proudly, giving the girl a lick on the cheek. She giggled softly and stuck her head in Kakashi's neck, hiding her face, but reached up behind him.

Kakashi felt his hair being pulled a bit and once again felt the fingers and thumb of a tiny hand. He wondered why in the world she kept doing it. Hair-obsessed, he thought. She'd felt through Tsunade-hime's hair openly, but wouldn't even consider doing so to Shizune-san. The poor dark-haired woman had even openly offered Naru to let her feel her hair, but the little blonde just put her hand up as if to silence her. He chuckled at the thought of it.

Jiraiya-sama had flinched when she tried to feel his hair and made the toddler cry. Eventually, he showed her one of his hair-jutsus, and little Naru was thrilled, forgiving him entirely. The Sandaime? He was probably spared because of the man's extremely thinning hair, but Kakashi would keep that observation to himself.

The young ANBU member rarely knew what exactly was going on in the little girl's mind. He could only hope that by being there for her as much as possible, she would eventually learn to trust him and eventually speak to him. Rocking her, he realized she was again asleep. She sleeps a lot, even more than the books say is normal. He tried to cast away his anxiety but just couldn't. The Sandaime said all children are different and progress or regress at different times, and he could only believe it, but still…

He'd, unfortunately, had a long talk with an inebriated Jiraiya-sama about a week ago, whom he was glad was now on an unknown mission. The Toad Sage had told him too many stories of Orochimaru's past, or the reports of such, that Kakashi didn't know: the man was an absolute monster.

And Naru had been stuck with him for years.

So had that other boy, who remained in the hospital but was said to be conscious and now recovering. Tsunade-hime had ordered Kakashi to stay away from the boy for the time being - and maybe forever. From the things she said, he realized that the Slug Sannin had become quite attached and protective of the unnamed boy. Kakashi wanted to ask him what went on in Orochimaru's lab: what kind of horrible things that he and Naru-hime had undoubtedly been inflicted with, but could understand conversations like that could hurt both children.

The silver-haired Jonin sighed. He had another eight months off before he'd be forced to return to active duty status as an ANBU. What would he do then with Naruto-chan?

Jiraiya had his spymaster duties to the village - and he could only assume the Sage was doing that right now. Tsunade-hime had been volunteering at the hospital, specifically between the young, unknown child who had been held by Orochimaru and the Sandaime's still-comatose daughter-in-law, along with her premature son. Kakashi had a clone visit them a few times: he didn't want to leave Naruto-hime alone. He sunk into his chair, considering what he'd do over the following months.

"I'M HOME!"

Hearing the Toad Sage from Naru-hime's room, Kakashi could only sigh. Why oh WHY didn't his sensei tell his own sensei that he wanted his student to take care of his little girl?! Kami knows, Minato-sensei had told him this time and time again to take care of the girl. It wasn't so much the Yellow Flash had said he didn't want his sensei to take care of the girl: he was just worried and wanted to ensure her safety. After all, Jiraiya-sensei - as Minato-sensei called him - had duties outside of the village in order to keep it and all its citizens safe. Plus he was a massive pervert.

The Sandaime had told Kakashi straight out that it would kill the old man to know that sensei was concerned that his perverted nature would negatively affect Naruto-hime… But of course, the Sandaime had so much faith in the best of everyone - even that bastard, Danzo.

Kakashi would have told the old toad straight to his face, but before he'd even had a chance, the Sandaime had ordered him not to do such a thing. He said it was "cruel to Jiraiya-kun." It had pissed him off to no end at the time. Now - just a short-time later - he could understand. He knew that Jiraiya-sama really loved his goddaughter… his legal goddaughter... The silver-haired teen nearly cursed Minato-sensei at that thought. He was comforted by the memory of a teary Kushina-nee, telling him he needed to be strong as she begged him to be good and kind; as well as a teacher to Naru-chan.

His eyes teared up at the thought of that. Seeing Kushina-nee scared? It was alarming, and he couldn't help but wonder at the time if she'd ever let anyone see her so vulnerable before. At that time, he promised to do everything in his power and more to be there for his imouto.

I miss you sensei, Kushina-nee. He tried to stop the tears from gathering in his eyes to no avail as he layed Naru-hime down in her bed. He was grateful she was fast asleep.

"Brat?" Jiraiya came up behind Kakashi as the teenager wiped his eyes. "How's she doin'?"

The Toad Sage ran his hair roughly through his best-friend's son's crazy silver hair. The brat tried to duck, but good luck with that, the Toad Sage thought. He looked down at his goddaughter with great fondness. He patted her head and ruffled her hair. So much like Minato-kun, he thought sadly, reminiscing on the boy - no, the man - he had lost. Minato was as good as any son he would ever and never have. He considered the girl's father to be his only child. He looked at Sakumo's brat and felt pride: he was really doing well with child-rearing duties. But the kid needs to get laid…

The idea of telling the brat just that stopped entirely as he considered what Sakumo would do to him if he said it out loud. He hadn't been called the White Fang for nothing! He imagined his buddy using those damn wolves of his, along with that white chakra blade, and shivered: Sakumo would kill me! Still, Sakumo's boy was on his way to the true path of enlightenment with or without his beloved father: Kakashi-kun had embraced his Icha-Icha like no other! He slapped the boy on the back with joy and pride, before noticing he'd awoken the little princess.

"Hey there, hime! Guess what incredibly handsome fellow just returned home to see his Precious Toad Princess?!" Naruto immediately pointed at him. "That's right, gaki!" He picked her up and swung her around in a circle, not paying one bit of attention to Hatake-brat's admonishments.

His weird little goddaughter reached for his hair again, and he couldn't help but wonder what the hell the little one was thinking. Surely this has to be a weirdness of Kushina-chan...

Naru-hime made one of those way-too-adult faces she'd shown time and time again. She kept hold of Jiraiya's ponytail while reaching out for Kakashi. Finally she smiled, now understanding everything perfectly. They heard her sweet voice addressed to them for the very first time…

"Me," the little girl pointed at herself. "Daddy," she addressed Kakashi who stood in shock. She pulled down Jiraiya's ponytail, "And Grandpa!"