DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything from the Naruto universe.
"Let me ask you a question, Kakashi," Minato said to his former apprentice with a discerning glare, "do we have a problem?"
"No, sir," Kakashi said blankly. He was itching to grab his book so that he wasn't (once again) necessarily thinking of Chidori-ing his reinstated village leader.
Minato set his chin in his hand while frowning at his surviving student. He sighed, knowing that of all people, he should have probably told Kakashi where he had been early on, and what his plans were. His student was a dangerous shinobi even at 14 years of age, but Kakashi was now S-class: probably the best inside the village of Konoha before he and his family arrived.
"Good," he sighed, still unsure of the Jonin's loyalties. Kakashi hadn't called him "sensei" once like he used to. "Explain what you know of Naruto." Even saying his second son's name made him have to thickly swallow down the guilt and anger he was feeling.
"I was on a mission when it happened," Kakashi admitted regarding Naruto's "death." There's no way in hell he was telling his former sensei more than he had to. "When I came back and Sandaime-sama told me who was responsible, I ended them."
Minato nodded as he sat back in his chair. "Thank you," he bit out, hating what had happened.
"Is there anything else? Sir," Kakashi added, not wanting to. Minato, as far as he was concerned, didn't deserve the respect he was forced to show. Naru would bring me back to life and kill me again and again if I got myself killed, though.
"I'm giving you Jonin-sensei duties." That way Kakashi would be in the village more and Minato would be able to keep an eye on him and his loyalties. He almost wanted to laugh at the way his former student shrunk down and his mouth had obviously fallen open underneath his constantly worn mask. "It'll be good for you, and I'm sure your wife will be happy!"
"I'm sure she will be, too," Kakashi reluctantly admitted. He guessed that it would be a good idea to get used to brats since he'd soon be having one himself, or rather, Naru would have their little boy. Just thinking about it made him well up with pride, but it's not like he would tell Minato about it. A knock on the door, and his wife's familiar scent and chakra make him perk up even more.
"Enter!"
Tsunade entered with Kakashi's redheaded wife following behind her. "Minato, why are you requesting my apprentice? You know you can't do that."
"Apprentice?" Minato asked, looking between the two women: the younger of whom looked incredibly worried. He thought it was rather cute that his former student moved toward her protectively. It was hard to believe that the awkward, loner Kakashi he used to know had come so far.
"I put in the paperwork the day after we arrived," Tsunade said, crossing her arms - all but daring him to take Naru away from her.
Minato sighed despondently. He had really needed Naru to either take over or help with some of Kushina's duties. Kushina had even agreed with getting help when they finished some of her work in the early morning hours - and that was saying something! Kushina was a fiercely independent woman, and admitting she needed help was something she rarely did. "I didn't get the request. Gomennasai, Tsunade-hime, Hatake-san."
"That's alright, Hokage-sama," Naru said lightly while Tsunade just scoffed.
"Can I trouble you to work with my wife again on…"
"No," Tsunade said before Kakashi had a chance to. Tsunade had a strong feeling that Naru was pregnant, considering what Katsuya said the day before, although she'd let her daughter - cue internal squeal - have her secrets for now. "What the two of us will be doing will be heavily chakra-intensive, and she'll need to rest and recover when she's off."
Minato grumbled as he looked at a request to open a new trade route. Tsunade took that moment to wink at Kakashi, who sheepishly nodded back in appreciation of what she'd just done. He was going to speak up as soon as the Yondaime finished speaking: Naru needed to rest now more than ever - and once again, he definitely didn't want to mention why. He sent a quick warning growl his wife's way because it looked like she was going to volunteer to help regardless. She jumped at the sound, making him grin.
She was just too cute.
"You're dismissed," Minato said, ending their conversation. Kakashi wasn't even going to ask when he'd be forced to be a sensei; he just hopped out the window after smiling gently at his wife. "Sorry, Tsunade-hime."
"Whatever," the Slug Sannin replied with only a slight wave over her shoulder as Naru followed her out after bowing to Minato.
Kushina was back at her desk by that point. "Nar- Hatake-san?"
"Hai! How may I help you, Kushina-sama?"
"You can't," Tsunade said, lifting her eyebrow at both women. She grinned when she realized that she'd just pissed Naru off. Apparently, the gal had more of that Uzumaki fire in her than she'd earlier thought.
"Please," Kushina said, feeling a need to get to know her clansman - plus she was really drowning in her new job. And grief. "Just call me Kushina: I insist."
"As you wish," Naru said with a polite bob of her head and practiced smile.
Tsunade got between the two women, wanting to get back to training with her new apprentice. "I believe you have paperwork somewhere in that pile that makes Naru my apprentice, Kushina." Kushina, for a moment, looked like she might cry before she fisted her hands tightly and her hair began to float. Naru took a step back but Tsunade only laughed. "I already told Minato; don't stress out about it. Just file it after he signs the thing."
"He's agreed to it then?" the older redhead asked while pouting.
"He has no choice: this is Konoha! C'mon then, Naru-chan."
"It's good to see you again, Kushina-sam- Kushina," Naru said before leaving. Her eyes couldn't help but worriedly rove over all of the paperwork that was piled on and around her old desk. What a mess!
Kakashi was soon pulled into an underground bunker. It used to be a ROOT facility before the organization was taken down. "Maa, you should be careful, Commander. Meeting like this will not be seen favorably by Lord Hokage."
Shikaku pulled his hand down his face. "Troublesome. So he already suspects you as being disloyal?"
Kakashi only shrugged. "I did receive something I'd say was akin to a warning," he admitted. "But I am forever loyal to Konoha."
Sometimes Kakashi wondered why that was true; oh that's right. He was loyal because his wife was ridiculously loyal. And Gai. And Tenzo: dammit. And there was his father's sacrifice. …Not that he would admit any of that out loud to anyone but Naru-chan. "I'll be off then," Kakashi said, turning around.
"You're our best option if things turn south," Shikaku said in the end.
Kakashi closed his eyes and sighed deeply before stepping into his Jonin Commander's personal space. "The last thing Konoha needs is a coup," he whispered. "We lost a lot of our forces and a strong bloodline when Danzo last stirred things up. Let's not have a repeat of that, ne? Ja!"
Kakashi went home and felt sick. If the Jonin Commander thought he'd fight The Yellow Flash and those loyal to him just to become Hokage, he was sadly mistaken.
And that was odd, considering who Shikaku was.
Things were relatively slow at the hospital, so Naru spent most of the day training with Tsunade and her niece, Shizune. Shizune was a very nice person, Naru thought. She wondered if they normally snacked on bland things throughout the day or if they were onto her little secret. – The smallest of her secrets, anyway.
"There is a LOT to go over considering Lady Katsuya's abilities and that will probably take us months," Tsunade explained. "Actually, I'm sure the old girl still has things up her sleeves she hasn't taught me yet!"
"Shizune-san," Naru began after the silence got to her. "Do you have a summon?"
Shizune shook her head. "I… doubt that I could find a willing partner."
"Why is that?" Naru wondered if she shouldn't have said anything because Tsunade hastily got up and left.
Shizune looked at the door Tsunade had closed behind her sadly. "My family is capable of a… certain jutsu."
Seeing the way Naru's blue eyes widened, she guessed that she had heard of her brother, at least. "The spirit transformation technique is one that many are fearful of, especially animals - and that includes most summoning animals – Or at least they're not comfortable with it."
"I see," Naru said. "Is it a Kekkei-Genkai?"
"My brother believed that it could be," she said, surprised that it didn't hurt to talk about this. It had been so long since she had. "Our father was killed before he had an opportunity to explain the ability more, and because of a certain incident, our family's library was burned to the ground. And Dan-kun didn't realize..." Shizune's eyes filled with tears.
"I'm so sorry," Naru said sincerely.
"And now the jutsu is lost to the tides of time."
Naru blinked owlishly. "May I ask why that is?"
"I have promised Tsunade-hime that I will not use it." Naru didn't ask, but Shizune felt that she should explain, or maybe it was just refreshing to be able to talk about it. She had never been comfortable in Uzushio… "Tsunade-hime lost herself for many years, blaming herself and unable to get past… failing to protect my brother's body, as she put it, while he used the jutsu when he died. She doesn't want the past to repeat itself."
Naru nodded, having heard that the Senju princess had left the village for years before she'd left with the Yondaime and his family. It was said that Tsunade-hime had struggled with hemophobia for years: something that, as a med nin, Naru couldn't imagine. It must have been mortifying to have developed such a phobia, although it made sense after what reportedly happened, and the redhead certainly didn't think less of her for it.
"When did you make that promise?"
"It's been decades at this point, I suppose."
Tsunade reentered the room, but sent the younger women home, asking that they return the next morning. Naru apologized for bringing up something uncomfortable and was told there was no issue; that she couldn't have known.
"A Kekkei-Genkai?" Kakashi asked later that night when they were in bed. "It's not on the registry, but Sandaime-sama may have kept it off the books to protect Kato-san."
"That sounds like him," Naru agreed, running her nails through his hair as his head rested on her chest. "I never understood why anyone would register a bloodline, frankly."
"Maa, in the beginning, the registry probably began as a written record as villages came across them," Kakashi said, acting as if he was absently reaching down under the covers. He wanted to see if his mate was willing to get busy again. He knew that she needed to rest, but they'd originally turned in early tonight, right? He was fairly certain that wasn't selfish, and even if it was, he liked to think that he was a giving partner. "That was most likely how it began, probably in the Warring Clans era, now that I think about it. And there have always been those who wanted to boost their family or clan's status."
"I guess so."
"Hmm? You guess so?" he teased. He began kissing her but stopped when her stomach growled. "How much did you eat today?"
Kakashi was glaring at her, making Naru pout. "Tsunade-hime and Shizune san were very kind and allowed me to snack throughout the day."
"How kind?" he asked, finding anyone else knowing about her pregnancy to be dangerous.
"Too kind?" Kakashi grumbled and locked his hands behind his head. "Make me ramen? Please?! Just the cup of ramen: I don't want you to use the stove for anything but water."
She had to get the fire extinguisher minutes later. A magnificent shinobi Kakashi might be, but her husband was an absolute disaster in the kitchen.
