A/N: I would like to apologize for the long wait for this chapter. Everything at school compounded in the last few weeks, so I've found it hard to do just about anything else. I'm still floundering, but I've finally found the time to eek out this chapter. Pairings are:

ShikaxOC: 8
SasuxOC: 1
ObixOC: 3
MinaxOC: 8
NejixOC: 1
NaruxOC: 3
GaaxOC: 1
InoxOC: 1
KarinxOC: 1
NobodyxOC: 1

I'll give a caveat here: you can vote for more than one person, but your vote only counts once. So if you say this person OR this person, I'll give you a vote for each. If you vote multiple times for the same person, I'll only give one vote to that person. I hope this is okay, I don't want to give any pairing an unfair advantage.

But anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter (sorry if you don't. It took me ten years to finish it .-.); responses at the bottom!

Chapter 8

Minato felt eyes on him.

It was not a wholly unfamiliar feeling. He had garnered many a stare during his time as Hokage. However, those stares had been in awe, and he hadn't minded much.

This stare singed holes in his back as he strolled to the Academy. The morning dew was heavy in the air, and the scent of freshly baking bread wafted last his nose. At any other time, he would feel at peace.

Not now. His shinobi senses were sparking left and right. He had maintained his chakra suppression ever since he'd gotten use of it, and he was quite sure it wouldn't feel completely the same to others anyway. Just in case, he had even remained awake the entire night, pouring over scrolls he had taken from the Hokage's library the day before.

And yet, it seemed he had piqued Danzou's curiosity. He supposed it was only natural- Charlie had called many covert meetings with the Hokage, and none of the civilian council had been talked to before she was admitted into the village.

He had to have questions.

That made a small, satisfied smile curl his lips as he slung an arm boldly around Naruto, who was walking alongside him. After Charlie had explained everything about his involvement in the Uchiha massacre, Minato had grown to dislike the man. He had been a bit of an obstacle, a bit of a creep, in Minato's time, but knowing what he was capable of and what he had done had warped his perception in Minato's mind.

Minato could understand wanting to protect the village. But he couldn't understand killing off an entire clan to do so, nor would he abide by it.

The Fourth Hokage was a patient man, mild-mannered and kind. No one would have suspected him to have a cold streak, but then again, no one in Konoha had brought it out until now. No, the truth was, while Minato seldom got angry, and never let his emotions get the better of him, his righteous anger was deeper and more forceful than any other's. And should he become angry, he was most likely the most dangerous man alive.

So it gave him great pleasure in giving the man little to work with.

"You're going to piss him off, Minato," Charlie admonished mildly.

'His hands are tied, even if he is angry. Trust me, Charlie-chan.' And upon saying so, Minato suddenly broke out into a sprint, calling out, "I'll race you there!"

Naruto shouted his disapproval at being left in the dust, and shot off after him.

The ANBU Root said nothing as he paused in his steps. He had little desire to chase after the girl, and Danzou had told him not to draw attention to himself.

He would never voice his thoughts, given that he wasn't meant to have many in the first place, but... he wondered about that girl. He understood his leader's preoccupation with her, and despite her spectacular acting, there was an undercurrent of something darker in her. Something shrewd and omniscient. Something knowing.

She had been awake all night. She had been reading something, though peskily, it hadn't been visible from the window he'd crouched behind. She had either been constantly suppressing her chakra since entering the village, or she hadn't had any to begin with- and either was strange. She was ten years old, and yet she trained as though she knew what she was doing, as though someone had taught her. All things told, she was a conundrum that he was fairly certain didn't belong in the village.

Danzou didn't believe the little story that the Hokage had fed him, and her actions didn't exactly clarify matters.

Face a mask of indifference, he disappeared once again, intent on returning his findings to Danzou. He had been trusted with an important mission, one that was vital in protecting his village.

He would not fail.

He would find the dark part of that child, and when he did, he would crush her throat and feel nothing.

The Yondaime Hokage sat patiently in his chair, watching Kuboyashi Jin point out rivers on a map. It was all things he knew before, of course, but he had to keep up appearances, didn't he?

His son, on the other hand, was having a hard time keeping still. From what he'd seen, the kid had always been remarkably energetic- a product of his extensive chakra reserves, and as a kage in a child's body, Minato could relate. His chakra felt like pressure aching to burst from him, a blue current of electric energy that would not let him be.

But that didn't mean he could go easy on him.

With an inward grin, he subtly kicked Naruto's leg under the table. The boy had started boredly rocking back and forth in his seat, but he halted and stared bug-eyed at him after. "Charlie-chan-" he whisper-whined.

"Pay attention," Minato and Kuboyashi said at the same time. Minato found a small blush rising on his cheeks and jerked round sheepishly.

To his surprise, Kuboyashi had a glint of humor in his eye as he turned back around, as though nothing had happened. "Oh, maybe he does have a soul? Could it be?"

Minato sweatdropped at her jab. 'Charlie-chan-" he admonished. She had grown to have quite the attitude since relinquishing control to him. He had come to notice, however, that she became negative and unpredictable only when faced with a situation she could not change or easily find the answer to. A bit of a childish streak she had not yet surpassed.

Then again, facing hard situations was, from what he'd gathered, something she hadn't had to do very often. It was only natural that she would be unused to such a difficulty.

Kuboyashi finished his lecture on the geography of the Land of Fire shortly after, and called lunch. Minato stretched and yawned, glancing to his side to see Naruto rubbing his eyes of sleep.

He sighed a little. "Naruto, you're going to need this eventually..."

The blond shrugged petulantly, glancing longingly out the window. Minato got to his feet, and watched with amusement as Naruto took the initiative to dash out of the classroom. Through the window.

Laughing a little, Minato followed at a more sedated pace, following the little blond head towards their usual lunch spot. The weather had turned out relatively pleasant, as it often was, and Minato relished the clean scent of trees in the air as he sat cross-legged across from his son. The boy had, miraculously, already managed to dig into his bento before Minato had even reached him.

Minato watched him eat with raised eyebrows. "One would think I starved you," he mumbled in awe, taking his own bento from his pack. He had prepared a simple rice with red bean paste, coupled with a vegetable stirfry coated in teriyaki sauce- it was a relatively simple meal, and didn't even have any meat in it, yet the child still went to town.

Naruto stared at him meaningfully with a full mouth, poised to speak as soon as his mouth was clear. Inside, Charlie was grinning; one of her manner lessons had stuck in him, thankfully. The blond pointed his chopsticks at Minato with a grin. "I'm gonna beat you in training today," he revealed casually.

"Oh?" Minato raised his eyebrows. So that was why he was scarfing his food? "What makes you so sure?"

"I listened in biology today. Kuboyashi-sensei said that ninjas are at their strongest when they have a good diet and food in their belly. So you just watch out, Charlie-chan, 'cause I'm gonna kick your butt!"

Minato laughed openly and leaned back on his hands to catch the sun on his face. "I hope you do, Naruto." A colder breeze shuffled the hair on his face, and abruptly, goosebumps broke out on his arms. "Hey, what's the date today?" he asked, frowning. The trees did look slightly dryer than usual. Were they approaching autumn already? In fact, what date had she arrived there in the first place?

"September- something-eth," Naruto replied nonchalantly. "It's getting colder now," he added with a pouting lip, "We won't be able to train outside soon."

Minato grimaced. Winter had never been his favorite month, mostly because of the inconveniences it caused. Konoha never got overly cold or even overly hot, but winter did stall him from training outdoors. "We'll have to find a gym somewhere," he said in reply.

Then, he noticed something interesting. On the corners of his sensor mind, he felt a little nudge. Something a normal sensor off their guard wouldn't have noticed, and it wasn't even that close, but he felt it drawing nearer. He recognized this chakra very well, the same cool and shrewd presence that was so bountiful it demanded attention. He fought not to tense his shoulders as he slouched with practiced ease, finally digging into the bento propped onto his knee.

If Naruto noticed his strangely casual position, he didn't mention it.

"This stir-fry is pretty good," Minato noted, licking a drop of sauce from his lip.

Naruto made a displeased expression. "But you didn't put any meat in it," he sulked, "how am I supposed to get my protein?"

A smile grew on Minato's face. "Where'd you learn that word?" he teased, and laughed heartily when Naruto's face turned red. The chakra signature paused a moment, eminating strongly from the other side of the fence near the school. He had made no attempt to hide his chakra- it was as if he wanted Minato to notice, or at least give some indication that he did.

Minato would not give him the luxury.

"In biology!" Naruto insisted, scowling. "I know we need protein to be strong!"

"You're right. But you need vegetables too!" The Yondaime retorted, and held up a broccoli florette for inspection. "Plus, Kuboyashi-sensei said that these have protein, too."

Big blue eyes widened. "Really?" And then he was eating again, decimating his lunch in another two minutes. All the while, strange chakra watched them both.

As they retreated back to the classroom following Kuboyashi's call, Minato masked his displeasure beneath an expression of nonchalance. He would have to talk to the Hokage about his new stalker, and figure out how to give Charlie her body back.

It was getting harder to lay low, he reflected regrettably.

In her little fish bowl, Charlie was circling.

It was a strange feeling, to pace her confines despite not having a body, but she managed it, and managed it well. The overarching feeling of compression and claustrophobia was unbearable for her, and grew worse by the day- and yet, she bore it. Charlie had tried her best to quiet her complaints before they left her- it wasn't Minato's fault, after all- but it was increasingly more difficult. She felt stuck. She felt like a five foot long goldfish in a one gallon tank.

Trapped in her own head. Imagine that.

The comforting labyrinth of her memories had thankfully still held her occupied, and she lied there most days, doing her level best to ignore the free range Minato was getting while she, the real Charlie, was locked away. She tried to ignore the outside world, and instead took comfort in the memories of her old one.

She had a few fond memories from her childhood, and she relived them, over and over. She relived old episodes of cartoons she used to watch, toys she used to play with, songs she used to sing. She read books, over and over again. And yet, the itchy feeling of being suppressed never left.

So then, she took to watching Minato. Sometimes, he was in class, and she regretted not being there with him- she was missing out on potentially important information, after all- and other times, he was training her body to the point of pain- pain which she was then grateful she didn't have to feel. Sometimes he was reteaching Naruto what Kuboyashi had failed to get across, and others he was studying alone, pouring over scrolls of sealing or of chakra or of both.

It was during these times when she decided to speak, that she realized exactly how much she missed being herself. She droned for hours to him, complained ceaselessly, talked about anything and everything just because it was more comfortable for her to speak and be heard. She had never been the talkative type before, but she was now.

If it bothered him, Minato never let on. He let her complain, accepting her biting remarks as though he were duty-bound to do so. He was nice like that.

The days drug on, one after the other after the other.

Minato kept searching, and Charlie kept swimming.

In between his searching, Minato found himself planning. He had access to the storyline, thanks to Charlie's memory, and he was ready and willing to ensure that the bad things that happened in it, didn't come to fruition. It all came down to preparation. He loved his son, and he wanted to protect him, even when he couldn't do it physically.

That meant that he would need to learn how to protect himself.

Charlie was special, yes, and she was so, so smart, and she knew everything that would happen, and he felt her dedication to protect his son was almost as strong as his own. But she was also weak, and her brain would get her into trouble more than once- he was sure of that.

So again, preparation.

As the curtains closed on the month of September, Minato found himself standing in the Hokage's office once again. It was a rarity, nowadays- they both conducted their research separately, as meeting repeatedly would only draw more attention to the situation- so Minato gave the old man an especially large grin. They had been communicating solely via messenger hawks, and though it was effective, it was slow and obnoxious.

Sarutobi Hiruzen rested his chin on his hand, giving a tired smile. He knew Minato wouldn't call a meeting with him in person if it wasn't important, but damn if he wasn't exhausted. He spent hours in his office, going through paperwork, and hours alone in his home, researching how the hell they would put Charlie in her rightful place.

They were at a precipice, he knew, and the answer loomed before them like a treat for a dog, but that didn't make it any less tiring.

Minato gave a knowing smile that didn't fit the cherubic face of the girl. "So I've been thinking, and I've decided that I need a teacher."

The Hokage blinked. The idea that Namikaze Minato, a kage, would need a sensei after all that he'd done and been through, was absurd. "You... do?"

"Yes. Well, more specifically, she needs a teacher, and Naruto does as well. I think it would be beneficial to the both of us if we're trained up already by the time we graduate the Academy."

There was more to it than that. If Minato wanted to train the two kids, he was more than apt to do so.

"And who were you thinking to train you?" Sarutobi said, squinting at the boy... girl.

Minato gave a big grin. "Hatake Kakashi."

Ah, that explained it. "You certainly haven't grown less conniving from your time away, Minato-kun." Of course he would be concerned about Kakashi- he was his teacher at one point, after all. The man lived a life of solitude, and had no one he really let close. Sarutobi had tried numerous times to give the man a genin team, but he had failed them each time, one after the other.

"What are your thoughts?" the Yondaime inquired, eyes dancing. He already knew what the old man would say.

"I doubt Kakashi-kun would be interested in that," the Sandaime answered.

"Then force his hand," Minato said, shrugging. "Assign it as a mission or something. Pay him for his troubles. I'll take care of the rest."

"He won't like that."

"He can still take other missions. I'm just..." Minato trailed off, zoning out as if he was lost in thought. His forehead crinkled. "Ah, she's yelling at me again. Anyway, I think my assistance is needed again. He's gotten too sullen and lonely."

Sarutobi sighed, closing his eyes. "I'm going to regret this, but go ahead and try. Just know, if he puts up too much of a fight, I'm not going to force him into training you two."

Minato grinned. That was all he needed.

The next night, there was a redheaded girl standing atop the Hokage Monument.

She was there, perched on one of the spikes of the Yondaime's hair, as though she belonged there. As though it were nothing out of the ordinary, for a child so small to be up so high, probably breaking a village rule not to stand on the Hokage Monument.

If she wasn't standing, he could've thought she was asleep, or dead. Her eyes were closed, no movement behind the lids. If he squinted, he could see her chest lift with each slow, shallow breath, yet only barely. The wind cascading through the trees of the plateau behind her didn't seem to bother her, nor the rose-red ringlets of hair that swatted her face. Her body was as still as the stone under her feet.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. What was she doing there? Nothing nefarious, he hoped. It wouldn't be the first time someone had tried to desecrate the monument. It also wouldn't be the first time someone had tried to jump off of it. What was unsettling was how successful both parties usually ended up being.

It was a simple matter to shunshin to the top of the mountain, and go to her side. If it weren't for the slight twitch of her lips, he would've thought he'd successfully snuck up on her.

Alas, hazel eyes opened slightly to glance at him. "Hello," she greeted evenly. "It's nice to see you again." As though it were a common occurence to meet someone under these circumstances.

Where had he- oh, yeah. She was that weird girl who was training in his old training grounds. He recognized her now- hell, how could he not? There weren't many people alive anymore that had hair like that.

"Did you come to join me?" she asked, filling the silence that had begun to form.

"Join you in...?" His visible eye dropped to the village below them. It was a startling drop, and would definitely do the job.

Her porcelain face cracked into a wide grin as she laughed openly at him. "No, no, nothing like that!" She struggled to get her composure back, and annoyance caused his brow to twitch. "I'm meditating, of course," she added, and rather boldly nudged him with her elbow. "You should join me. You look tense."

The kid was weird, he decided. She talked too... maturely, and she was meditating. What person under the age of sixty meditated? Plus, she was standing up.

Kakashi made to leap away, satisfied she wasn't about to off herself or ruin the cliffside, when she gripped his elbow. There was a serious glint in her eye as she said, "No, seriously. I can tell when someone's had a bad day. So join me a while." Then, with a grip surprising for a person so small, she positioned him to stand next to her. "I'm doing mindfulness meditation right now. It helps me to be more cognizant of what's going on around me. So focus on your breathing, and when your mind strays, just go back to focusing on your breathing. 'Kay?"

The Copy-nin gave a longsuffering sigh, before doing what she said. Maybe if he stood here for a few minutes, she'd be too out of it to notice his departure.

The wind buffeted his shirt, and he cracked his eye open to glance at the girl. She had gone back to the almost-dead state she'd been in before, only this time, her eyes were open. She didn't look at him, didn't even seem to notice his stare. All she did was look down at the sprawling village below her. Sadness flashed in her eyes before she composed herself again. "You're not meditating."

With sweat suddenly beading at the back of his neck, he shut his eye again, grimacing. What was the point of this?

Long minutes went by, at least ten, before the girl finally cracked her neck and blew out a breath.

"I found out who you are," she mumbled abruptly, turning to him. She was still a bit sedated, yet her eyes were shrewd as she stared up at him. "Ojii-san told me you're Hatake Kakashi, a jounin." She stared up at him expectantly, before rolling her eyes at his nonresponse. "I found out, because I asked him if he had anyone who would be willing to train Naruto and me in their spare time."

No. No. No way in hell was he taking on a student. He had just escaped ANBU, for Christ's sake, there was no way he was stable enough to take on students. Let alone ones that seemed annoyingly cunning, like her. And hell to the no was he taking on Minato-sensei's kid. That was just a whole other can of worms. There was no way, no way he could deal with that.

So he opened his mouth to tell her 'no', obviously, but she interrupted him. "He already said you'd be up for the job. In fact," she gave a small grin, "he told me to tell you to think of it as another mission. You'll be paid the same quantity as a B-rank mission."

He didn't do B-ranks, either. What kind of person did the Hokage take him for? A chuunin?

"So I'll meet you here at seven tomorrow evening, Kakashi-sensei, and I'll bring Naruto. Oh, and do me a favor?" There was a knowing glint in her gaze as she added, "Please be on time."

And before he could open his mouth, she was already bounding away, footsteps silent as her form got smaller and smaller.

Did... did she just force him to become her teacher? And did the Hokage... go along with it?

Kakashi grit his teeth. Oh, he was going to have a vigorous conversation with his Hokage.

The lazy jounin shunshined to the Hokage's office, irritation making his lips turn down. If what the girl'd said was true, his wise leader had pawned him to her as a teacher. He already had enough on his plate as it was, he didn't have time to look after a couple of wayward brats!

Kakashi stopped before the Hokage's office, giving a belated knock to the door. 'I should just march on in,' he thought. Then again, he had more decorum than that.

"Come in," Sarutobi said. The amusement in his voice told Kakashi that he already knew who was at the door, as well as what he wanted.

Kakashi dropped any pretenses he'd had and waltzed in with his hands slung in his pockets, though he couldn't keep his chakra from flaring with his bad mood. "Hokage-sama," he greeted.

"Kakashi-kun. It's good to see you," his Hokage said. He sat behind his desk as per usual, flicking casually through a stack of missions he'd yet to assign.

"Is it?"

Sarutobi smiled. He pushed back the stack of papers and finally met his eye. "This is about Charlie-chan, isn't it?"

'Oh yeah, that was her name.' "It may be."

The Hokage leaned back in his chair, his eyes glinting mercurially. Kakashi had no doubt the old man was enjoying this. "She's a very smart girl. I think even you will find value in her." Which was saying something, considering Kakashi had no patience for children or slow people at all.

The jounin wasn't convinced. His visible gray eye turned cold as slate. "You know as well as I do that I have no time to be training children. Especially-" he broke off. That kid, the blond. He couldn't bear to look at the kid, let alone train him. Sure, he'd kept an eye on him, but only from afar, and partly because of his guilt from being such a hardheaded student to his father. And because Minato would've liked that, him looking after the boy.

"Kakashi-kun, you are more than able to train them both." The old man finally began to look serious. "This is as much for them as it is for you. It's time you take students." 'I'm tired of seeing you alone.'

Kakashi clenched his fists. "You're certainly pushing this, aren't you? Anything about this new girl that I should know?"

He knew he'd hit the nail on the head as the Hokage broke eye contact. "If she wants you to know anything about herself, she'll tell you."

People said many things about Hatake Kakashi. Some of them nice, some of them not-so-nice. But nobody had ever said that he was stupid. "So there is something, then." He quirked his lips, though it went unseen behind his mask. "All right."

The Hokage said nothing as the silver-haired ninja walked out as nonchalantly as he'd walked in. Once alone, he slumped a little, pinching the bridge of his nose. 'Minato-kun, I sure hope you know what you're doing.'

salokii: Aww thank you! I know I love Minato with Naruto it's just sad Naru himself doesn't know it ;-;

Lyrigami: I know I haven't decided what I want to do with Minato yet! It'd definitely be a huge boon for Konoha if he somehow did come back to life, though.

Lyra: Thank you ;-; You're so kind, I'm trying to be as realistic as possible (well, as realistic as one could get given the circumstances). Sorry this update took so long!

Nerdcat21: It took almost a month! I'm crying I picked a bad time to write this story but it's okay because once mid- April is through, I will have a TON more time. Thank you! I've been thinking of what their interaction would be like when they meet for the first time in Naruto's mind since I began this story, so definitely have high expectations for that.

AngelAmongTheStars: I just figured it would be easier for everyone to go along with her name rather than waste time with them being like "Oh... so your name is Charuri?" "No... it's Charlie" "So... Chari?" every time she meets someone new. And I would agree with you about the SI/Mary Sue part you brought up, if I used her superhuman memory as 'just another awesome thing'. I use her memory as a plot point, as a bane and a boon, and as we go on, I hope you will see that it adds an integral piece to the story. Just saying she's smart is not enough, I agree, but using her memory and all that comes with it? That is okay, I think, and I'm sorry if we disagree on that. Also, as an added note, you're right: she is very dependent on Minato. She doesn't have chakra of her own, and I think that adds another obstacle for her to tackle. She has lived an easy life until now, granted by her memory in part, and she has never had to work for anything. Now, how will she deal with something that she can't attain easily? I hope this response has cleared things up a bit.