"Naruto-chan?"
Bright blue eyes stayed focused on the cracked rock that lie at the boy's small feet. A deep, heavy breath unbefitting of a child so young left his mouth. His fists clenched too tightly by his side as his tears mixed with the blood staining his cheeks.
"Naruto-chan?" The old man who had just arrived repeated.
Again, the old man was met with silence. Every second he spent watching the child hold back his sobs felt like a kunai to the heart. The boy was his grandson in every way but the law and blood and the man hated the way that his hands were tied by the cursed council. Suddenly, a loud cry pulled him back to the dusty street he was standing on. His worn robes fluttered in the breeze as Naruto threw himself to the ground and unleashed a torrent of tears.
"Why can't I go with Jiraiya, Jiji?" the small boy wailed. At this point, his tears had washed the blood on his cheeks away, but the stuff was still caked on his forehead. "I hate it here!"
The genuine distress erupting from the blonde was concerning. Before today, his sixth birthday, he had been all smiles and much too-loud laughter. A malnourished but lively child who caused a racket wherever he went. The broken child in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi was not the one he had watched grow up and for the first time since that fateful day, Hiruzen's faith in his late successor wavered. His weary bones protested as he dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms around Naruto.
"I'm sorry, Naruto-chan," was all the man could say. With his arms secured around the boy, Hiruzen rose to his feet and drifted away into the night. His mind was made up. He could no longer respect the wishes of the Fourth. As much as he adored his successor, Minato was no longer alive, but Naruto was. No longer would Hiruzen be the doormat of the council. He was the Hokage and he would start acting like it.
The discomfort in the meeting room was palpable. The traditional meeting room was designed to never incorporate the happenings of the shinobi world with the civilian one which meant that it was a relatively small room when compared to its occupants. Those in the shinobi council lined one side of the room and the civilian council lined the other with the Hokage standing tall at one end. Beside the elderly man, stood a lone shinobi holding a terrified child. Hiruzen gazed at each face present before clearing his throat.
"I never expected to return to this position after giving my hat to Minato, but here I am. I know my role as Hokage better than any of you present. I have been Hokage longer than most of your careers. After decades in this position, I am making a change that I should have made in the beginning," His eyes jumped from face to face before continuing. "No longer will the council have finalizing powers. All proposals must be submitted to me for review and I, alone, will approve or deny the notion."
A bubble of protest erupted from the civilian side of the room. The Hokage let them battle for vocal dominance as he calmly stood his ground. The protests dwindled to a frustrated silence when they realized that the Hokage would not be rethinking his decision.
"As Konoha was founded as Hidden Shinobi Village, our main priority will be returning to our roots. The civilians must be aware that their home is subject to attack at any time. If they do not like that, they are free to leave. The Land of Tea is a beautiful place to relax." Hiruzen's statement caused a couple of chuckles from the shinobi side of the room and a piercing glare from the civilians. "However, the change in politics is not what we are gathered here for."
The room fell uncomfortably silent once again. A few shinobi gazes wandered over to the tiny blonde who shrank back into the shoulder of the man holding him. The young man ran a soothing hand over the boy's bandaged head and held him tighter.
"Does this boy look healthy to you? Can any of you honestly look at his pallor and sunken face and see a healthy boy?"
"With all due respect, Hokage-sama – " a burly civilian stepped forwards. His graying hair was tucked into a fraying rag and his face wrinkled in disgust.
"Inoue-san, I urge you not to finish your sentence. It is clear that you did not understand my rhetoric. Let me say this. This child has failed to flourish in the orphanage, therefore he will be removed and placed into the care of an individual I have hand-selected." Hiruzen gently plucked the frightened child from the shinobi and gave the boy all of his attention. "Naruto-chan, how would you like to stay with Kakashi-kun from now on? I know he's not Jiraiya, but he'll take good care of you."
The lone shinobi who stood by the Hokage's side blanched. His panic was obvious even through the mask he wore on his face. "Hokage-sama, I'm not fit to raise a kid!"
Hiruzen rose to his full height and held Naruto out to Kakashi with a stern look. In hindsight, he probably should have spoken to the young man before calling the meeting, but he had been desperate to help young Naruto. Jiraiya was too big of an asset to call back to the village for an indefinite amount of time and Kakashi Hatake had been the closest thing Naruto had to family. "Kakashi-kun, I am not asking you to be his parent. I am simply asking you to love and guide him so he will not fall into the abyss. This village has pushed him to the edge and I want you to bring him back."
Kakashi stared at his superior in defeat. He glanced down to the child only to be met with tearful eyes. He had lost this one without even having a fighting chance. His gloved hands reached out to receive Naruto and gently tucked the boy against his chest. "Understood, Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen turned to face the two councils once more. "I will not be tolerating any objections. The official decree will be announced as soon as Monday morning. You are all dismissed, however, Kakashi-kun, I would like to speak to you privately."
The shinobi and civilians filtered out of the room with varying levels of discontent. Most of that was from the civilians. Whether it be the decades of emotional training the shinobi went through or his lack of attention towards them, Hiruzen wasn't able to receive a reading from them. Not that he was concerned. They were his shinobi and he trusted them to accept his orders without too much fuss. The elderly man narrowed his focus onto the unlikely duo he had forcefully paired up. Naruto seemed infinitely more relaxed after the numerous people left the room, but Kakashi had tensed so much he looked like a statue.
"What did you want to speak to me about, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi inquired flatly.
"It pertains to Naruto-chan. Just some details I think you should know," Hiruzen paused briefly to look at the boy. Naruto's too-thin arms were weakly linked around Kakashi's neck and his red-rimmed eyes are gazing directly into Hiruzen's tired eyes. The old man watched Naruto whisper something into Kakashi's ear before the silver-haired man bent down and set the child on the ground. Naruto shuffled over to Hiruzen on shaky legs and stopped just short of knocking into the older man's knees.
"I'm sorry, Jiji!" tears began to fill Naruto's eyes again. "I swear I don't hate it here! Don't send me away! I don't wanna leave!"
What had brought this on? Hiruzen was baffled by the outburst. He didn't recall ever telling the young child he would be sending him away. As far as he knew, he just made Naruto's stay in the village more secure. "Naruto-chan, what do you mean? I'm not planning on sending you anywhere."
"You're not?" Naruto sniffled.
"No, I'm not."
"But, why is Nii-chan taking me away?"
A gentle smile spread across Hiruzen's lips. "Kakashi-kun isn't taking you away. You're going to live with him from now on. You don't have to go back to the orphanage anymore."
"I don't?"
"No, you and Kakashi-kun will get to go home to a place that's just for you two. And neither of you will be going anywhere."
Naruto's eyes widened with awe and possibly fear, but Hiruzen chose to ignore the latter. He was certain Naruto would no longer have anything to fear. He wouldn't allow it. Hiruzen returned his attention to the lone shinobi who stood in his signature slouch, but it was clear that every muscle in his body was tensed.
"Kakashi-kun, starting immediately, you are removed from your duties as Anbu Captain. You will return to Senior Jonin status. Your new shinobi duties will be made clear to you at a later date. I'm sure you know that Naruto-chan is a special child. From now on, your foremost duty is to ensure the safety of this child. Your studio is not suitable for this new arrangement, so I have provided you with a fully stocked and furnished accommodation. It will be ready tomorrow morning, and, Kakashi-kun, be prepared for big changes. I know I am asking a lot of you, but you are my most trusted and talented shinobi." Hiruzen's voice was calm and steady. Every word held finality to it, but behind the power was exhaustion.
Kakashi straightened at the praise and gave an accepting nod. "I understand. I will do my best to ensure that Sensei's son will be integrated into society as normally as possible."
As much as Hiruzen tried to ignore Kakashi's apathy, he could not. "Kakashi-kun, you will not treat Naruto-chan as a mission, understood? Family is not a mission."
There was a pregnant pause and Hiruzen wondered if he had made a mistake in entrusting this abused child to the desensitized shinobi, but it was too late to reconsider. His plans were already put into motion and he would just have to pray that things would all work out in the end. The old man was pulled from his thoughts at Kakashi's voice.
"I understand, Hokage-sama. I will... I will do my best to not disappoint you. Or Sensei." The silver-haired man took Naruto's small hand into his own and, for the first time since his beloved comrade's death, the man left the Hokage Tower using the doors.
Naruto struggled to keep up with Kakashi's steps. He knew he was incredibly small for his age because everyone at the orphanage the same age as him felt like they were three times bigger than him. His hands were so small they couldn't properly latch onto the older man's hand so he settled for gripping a finger because it was easier to hold. And despite the slow pace of the older man, Naruto was basically running to remain by the man's side.
"Nii-chan, you're walking too fast!" Naruto gasped as he tripped on a particularly big rock. Before the boy could fall on his face, he felt a tug on his shoulder and his body was no longer falling.
"Naruto-chan, you need to be more careful." Kakashi chided as if he hadn't heard a word of what Naruto had said.
The blonde bristled at the scolding and ripped his hand away. "It's not my fault that I can't keep up with you!" He stood as tall as he could with his arms crossed over his chest and continued talking with a pout. "Anyways, what are we gonna do today? Jiji wouldn't let me go to the academy today and I don't go tomorrow or the day after. So what are we gonna do, Nii-chan?"
Kakashi balked at the boy talking a mile a minute. This was not the boy who was shaking in his arms just a moment ago. The boy in front of him was a typical hyperactive, snot-nosed brat. The man could feel a headache inching around his head, but he knew if he didn't answer Naruto, the boy would talk even more. "We're going to get you some clothes because all of your old stuff is at the orphanage and we won't be going there ever."
Naruto's arms dropped at the mention of his possessions, or rather, lack of. The matron had never let him have more than one set of clothes and he had to wear them until physically impossible. If he even thought about asking for more, he'd get punished, and as the phrase goes – old habits die hard. Before he could stop his voice, Naruto found himself protesting. "That's okay! The clothes I'm wearing are enough. You don't have to spend money on me! Promise!"
Something in Kakashi's demeanor changed and Naruto wasn't sure what it was but he didn't like it. He had always been more attuned to other people's energy and emotions than other kids, and it affected him greatly. He often found his own feelings being pulled all over the place and it was exhausting. Naruto chanced a quick glance at the older man and immediately regretted it. It looked like Kakashi's eyes were on fire and if the man were to focus his one gray eye on the boy, Naruto would have been burnt.
Naruto was not a loud child by nature. He was actually fairly quiet and enjoyed the calmer things in life, but he learned early on that if he played to the population's expectations, his life would be easier. The physical beatings were temporary. The pain was temporary, but the silence was not. If he didn't cause a ruckus, he wouldn't get a reaction which meant that not a single person would speak to him. He could live with bruises and broken bones, but he didn't want to drown in the silence of sorrow.
Over the short few years that Naruto was able to move around and be vocal, he developed impressive reaction times so he could adapt to any situation he was tossed in, and this was no different. "Ne, ne, Nii-chan," Naruto chuckled. To anyone else, they would have heard the obnoxious laughter of the demon boy, but an experienced shinobi could hear the nervousness. "I'm hungry, can we get some food first? Jiji didn't let me eat this morning, and the hospital didn't give me dinner last night so I'm kinda hungry! What's your favorite food? Ichiraku Ramen is – "
Naruto's rambling was cut short when Kakashi dropped to one knee in front of him. Kakashi's larger hand was warm on his shoulder and his gaze was much softer than before. "Naruto-chan, we're friends, right?"
The little blonde boy was shocked at the random question, so he replied with a stiff nod and wide eyes.
"Good! I once knew a man who told me this: Those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their friends are worse than trash. Look at me, Naruto-chan," Kakashi made sure Naruto was looking into his exposed eye before continuing. "As long as you're with me, I will never leave you. I've made many mistakes in my life, but taking you in is not one. I only wish I had the courage to do it sooner."
The tears were forming before Naruto knew it. No one had ever said something so nice to him before and meant it as much as Kakashi had. His heart felt like it was being ripped into pieces and being patched together all at once. If this is what it felt like to have a family, Naruto would be forever upset that it took six years to experience it, but also forever relieved that he was able to experience it at all. Naruto stood there with tears and snot running down his face as Kakashi gently smiled at him. The older man used the back of his hand to clean the boy's face and gave Naruto's hair a ruffle as he returned to his feet.
As Kakashi led Naruto down the street, the boy did his best to stop his tears. He was going to be a shinobi and shinobi didn't cry. With a final snort that sucked back most of his snot and a vigorous rub to his eyes, Naruto shot off after Kakashi and reclaimed his hand. He wasn't ever going to leave Kakashi either.
Naruto was up before the sun. He sat at the center of his bed with his green frog blanket wrapped around his shoulders and his frog nightcap hanging haphazardly off of his head. He watched the sun creep up the horizon as his stomach churned with nerves. The night before, after they had gotten fully settled into their two-story home located just outside of the Shopping District, Kakashi told him that he would be getting a new teacher at the academy. Change wasn't something that usually bothered the boy and he wasn't worried about being in a class with new classmates, he was worried about the teacher. Would his new teacher hate him as much as the last one? What if he was meaner? Naruto sighed and dropped his head to his chest. Sometimes, he really hated being alive.
When it was more light than dark, Naruto slid off the edge of his bed and shuffled over to his brand new closet. It still felt weird having more than one of something, but Kakashi had said that it was okay. The boy reached a hand out and pulled the door open and browsed the clothes the older man had bought him. There were enough red, orange, and yellow t-shirts for him to wear for at least a week and enough pants to match them. After thinking deeply, Naruto removed a plain red shirt and black joggers. He quickly slipped into them and strapped his feet into the worn black sandals that Jiraiya gave to him. Despite being dressed and clean, Naruto felt far from ready for the day. With a sigh, he pushed the door to his room open and trudged down the stairs.
There was a dull thud that sounded from the kitchen and Naruto figured his new guardian was in there. The boy paused midway down the stairs. He was reluctant to go any further and that was how Kakashi found him. Naruto was frozen stiff with his hands clenched into tight fists. His discomfort was palpable. The silver-haired man approached the base of the steps and placed a hand on the railing.
"Naruto-chan, what's wrong?" Kakashi inquired.
Naruto took a moment to calm his beating heart at being spotted so soon, but he wasted no time in letting out his loud laughter to hide his nervousness. "Nothing's wrong! I'm just not used to this yet, It's still kind of weird not seeing the other kids," His words weren't a complete lie, but they weren't exactly the truth either. He looked down at Kakashi and immediately knew that the man didn't believe him. He should have known better than to try and deceive a seasoned shinobi.
Kakashi released an almost silent sigh and if wasn't for the subtle movement in the man's chest, Naruto wouldn't have known. The boy remained still as he watched Kakashi climb the stairs until he was kneeling and at eye level. "This, Naruto-chan," Kakashi began as he moved his hands to grip the child's shoulders. "This is the behavior that I do not want to see. Emotions are detrimental to a shinobi, but right now, you are not a shinobi. You are my little brother, so tell me what's wrong."
Once more Naruto was hard-pressed to hold back his tears. He had never had someone express so much care for him besides Jiraiya and the Hokage. But there was one thing he couldn't help but notice and his tears took on a much more painful meaning. "Nii-chan, why are you only doing this now? You've been around for my whole life, but this is the most you've talked to me ever. Why weren't you there when the matron left me in the Red Light District last year and all those men beat me? Why didn't you do anything when she gave the kids money to mess up my meals? Where were you when the academy wouldn't accept me? Why now?"
Naruto wasn't naive enough to not recognize the guilt in the elder's eye. It was a look he had never seen before and it wasn't a look he liked. The look immediately pushed his own pain to the back of his mind as concern for Kakashi took over. The blonde wanted to apologize for stepping out of line, for causing the older man pain, but the words wouldn't form fast enough.
"When I was born, my mother died and when I was four, my father killed himself," Kakashi began quietly. "When I was thirteen, my best friend died and I killed my own teammate. One year later, my teacher died. I'm not sure if you see the pattern, but was afraid that if I took you in, you would also die. And I couldn't have that. I tried to stay away as much as I could, but in the end, I couldn't."
A huge feeling a relief washed over the small boy when he heard that Kakashi was just afraid for him. The man wasn't afraid of him, but for him. However, the feeling of relief quickly went away when Naruto realized just what Kakashi had been through. It took him no time to reach out and wrap his arms around Kakashi's neck. It was clear the man needed a hug, many of them, but had never really gotten them.
"Don't worry, Nii-chan! I'm gonna be Hokage one day and you can't be Hokage if you're dead!" Naruto reassured.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, Naruto felt embarrassed for his choice of words, but the chuckle the rumbled up from his guardian's throat washed his embarrassment away. He must have said something right if it made the other person laugh like that.
"I have no doubts," Kakashi reassured with a smile. "Now, unfortunately for you, breakfast will have to be on-the-go today if you want to make it on time to class."
Naruto's stomach dropped and his arms went limp around Kakashi's neck. He had forgotten about the academy. Kakashi had removed himself from the loose hug and returned to his feet so he could urge the small boy to continue down the stairs.
"Come on, I'll walk you there today and I'll even pick you up later so we can get ramen for dinner," Kakashi promised.
At the mention of ramen, Naruto gained a newfound confidence. Food was the greatest motivator for the boy and if Kakashi could live through all of that death as a kid, Naruto could live through a new class. After all, he was Naruto Uzumaki, future Hokage.
Next Time: Naruto's first day with his new class.