Hello everybody! It has been a while… Sorry!

Thank you for your reviews! I hope to hear from you again, your opinions about this chapter!

With great help of my beta-reader, Phillipa Engles, this chapter is now free of grammar error. Thank you, Phillipa!

Also this chapter is the last before…

Chapter 4. Before the storm

Kakashi was standing near the monument for the fallen shinobis staring into space like he did every morning.

"Do you come here every day?" a newcomer asked him and Hatake turned around to find the blond hokage.

"Yes," he nodded. "I…just don't want him to be all alone…He didn't like it."

"Obito liked being in company," Arashi smiled.

"Sometimes I wonder…" Kakashi kept staring at the monument. "What kind of shinobi he would have become?"

"You know," Arashi looked at him attentively. "You remind me a lot of him. Your manner of speaking, actions…it's almost like a part of him is still living."

"Well," Kakashi ruffled his hair and breathed out a sad smile. "A part of him is really living in me."

"Let's go training," Yondaime offered trying to make the situation easier. "I want to see how much you've improved."

Now a real smile appeared on his ex-student's lips.

"With pleasure, sensei," he nodded. "You'll be surprised."

"I really hope so," Arashi smiled back. "You had a lot of time to train while I was…hm…out."

While talking they came to the familiar training spot.

"Bell training?" Arashi offered still smiling.

"Nah," Kakashi shook his head in humorous fear. "I remember your thousand years of pain too well."

Arashi laughed.

"You deserved, it fighting me in such a reckless manner."

"Doesn't matter," Kakashi's grin became evil. "I paid it back to your son."

"Nani?" Arashi stared at him. "You caught him with that trick? I can't believe it!"

"You didn't hear the whole story," Kakashi kept smiling. "He was the one who was tied to the log – after all he tried to eat all the breakfast himself."

Arashi's gaze radiated partly with laughter and partly with despair.

"My only son…caught with such an easy trick…" he sighed.

"He began his shinobi career as a prankster who just talked a lot," Kakashi said becoming serious. "But he became strong in a short time. I couldn't believe my eyes! He mastered rasengan…he reminds me of you more and more with time, and his heart…"

"His heart is Umi's," Arashi smiled. "Do you remember?"

"Your quarrels! How could I forget them! " Kakashi laughed.

FLASHBACK

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Three of them – Kakashi, Arashi and Umi were having dinner at Yondaime's house. Jokes and laughter filled the house. Finally the talk's topic came to Naruto and Umi became serious.

"He'll become mizukage. " she said.

"No way!" Arashi answered. "He'll become hokage, I'm telling you!"

"You are not the one to choose," Umi hummed. "He'll be a perfect mizukage."

"We have already decided," Arashi insisted. "Our second child will become mizukage but the first one will be hokage, that's for sure!"

"Eh, sorry," Kakashi's hesitant voice interrupted them. "Maybe you should let him choose who he will become?"

"Shut up!" they turned to him and answered at the same time. "He will become mizukage!" Umi said while Arashi insisted on the hokage version.

Finally realizing the foolishness of the situation they looked at one another and burst into laughter.

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"I was right after all," Arashi breathed out with a sad smile. "One day he'll become hokage."

"He failed his first chuunin exam," Kakashi reminded him. "He isn't prepared for the second one."

"To make things worse we can't let him participate in it – the ones who destroyed his house aren't caught yet." Arashi nodded.

"If you say that you forbid him to participate in the exams he'll hate you." Kakashi warned.

"It is for his own sake…even if it happens," Arashi said in stern voice. "He'll understand me one day. I just hope that day won't be too late for both of us," he whispered.

Kakashi, not knowing what to say, just slipped into defense stance offering for Arashi to begin the training fight.

The first move didn't take long – Arashi shot a couple of shuriken and with a fast move of his hand doubled their count. Kakashi avoided them partly with kunai and partly by simply moving out of their way.

"Not bad," Arashi nodded slipping into a defensive stance himself. "Now it's your turn."

Kakashi moved to his side. This time he used taijutsu. Their legs met on the ground then in the air and then Arashi tried to make a counterattack but Kakashi blocked his fist. They jumped in opposite directions eyeing one another.

"Let's see your copy abilities now," Arashi offered making some fast moves with his hands. Kakashi copied them perfectly. It looked like some fire jutsu…or…no…water?

"Surprise!" somebody said behind his back and Kakashi turned around to receive a kick. He blocked it but not completely – the moves caused pain.

"You distracted me and sent a clone," he smiled facing real Arashi while the second one who kicked him disappeared with the loud "puph".

"Looks like I won," Yondaime declared.

"Only hurt me a little," Kakashi smiled again. "Now get ready sensei. I won't hold back!"

He increased his speed and activated his sharingan. Different jutsus were sent towards Arashi. Fire, water – everything was there.

"Hey, not so fast!" Arashi joked blocking them. "Oh, here's a newer one, I haven't seen this in my life!"

"Come on, use your body flicker!" Kakashi insisted. "Otherwise I'll hurt you!"

"Try if you can," Arashi smiled and disappeared behind the tree. Kakashi ran there to find nothing. Of course, he didn't expect an easy fight from his sensei, did he?

Thick fog gathered at their fighting place.

"Trying to block my sharingan with your hidden mist's tricks?" Kakashi muttered. "Where are you hiding? This way…or…" his eyes caught a broken branch of the tree. He came closer to examine it. "No, it's too easy. He is trying to make me think he ran this way. What's his real purpose?"

Suddenly a thought struck him.

"It's bait! To move me into the place he needs!"

He tried to move but it was too late.

"Doton Shinjiuuzanshu no jutsu!" he heard a shout from somewhere under the ground.

Kakashi tried to move out of the dangerous territory but Yondaime was too fast. A moment later copy ninja found himself caught in the ground, Arashi smiling in front of him.
"Not bad, Kakashi," Arashi acknowledged while helping him to get out of the earth's prison. "Previously I could handle with you without body flicker but now to prepare the trap I had to use it. Otherwise it would be impossible – you analyze the situation too fast. You've obviously improved a lot."

"Yeah," Kakashi sighed. "But the result is the same as always. Arashi-sensei…I…could you show me the 'body-flicker' technique again? I thought…"

"Of course," Arashi nodded. "Your sharingan abilities are certainly higher than they were in those days. You couldn't master this technique but maybe you can do it now!" with those words he activated his technique and made a few moves. And then more moves and more…

"Got it," Kakashi nodded and got up. "Hiraishin no jutsu!" he said and tried to move the same way. After a few moments he gave up.

"No, it's still impossible for me. Nobody after you could repeat this technique. You know, I thought a lot about it. It's not a simple technique, that's what I think. Arashi-sensei, it's bloodline limit, I'm sure."

"Bloodline limit of the family I never knew," Arashi sighed becoming sad and stared somewhere far away. "Maybe you are right. One day, I hope, I'll have a chance to know it."

"Naruto," Kakashi smiled. "How old were you when you used this technique for the first time?"

Arashi shrugged.

"About his age. You know, you are right. After this entire story with assassins I should try to teach him…if he permits…" he added a second later.

"If he masters body flicker, I'm afraid there won't be any rivals for him at the chuunin exam," Kakashi laughed.

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"Catch the cat, plant trees, clean up the house," Naruto read the list of missions for today given to him by Godaime and became angrier with every minute.

"Tsunade-baachan!" he shouted to her but the 5th only turned around a little and smiled.

"Sorry, Naruto! I should be at the hospital and I don't have time to talk with you. Just do these missions already!"

Naruto sighed remembering the conversation while he was heading to Konoha's central building again to speak with her. He had already done these missions but it was really annoying. He, a shinobi, with "B" and even "A" missions in his list…it was a shame to take so many "D" missions lately.

He prepared his speech and entered Tsunade's room. Nobody was here.

"Just perfect," Naruto growled. "But…it has to be stopped! But…she is not here."

"Wait…" he came to another conclusion. "If Tsunade-baachan isn't here then there is another hokage to speak to about it!" Yes, this Blondaime was a pain in ass but sometimes Naruto felt it was easier to make him understand his problems than to explain them to the 5th.

"Blondaim…" he began entering the room of the 4th and suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Yondaime was talking with a gray haired man, one of the elders as Naruto recalled. But another thing impressed him. The hokage's stance, movements, language…

"I understand," Arashi nodded. "But it is hardly possible. I have a lot of work here, in Konoha."

"Arashi-sama," old man sighed. "You are our last hope for these talks. You are really talented in this field. Just remember your infamous agreement with the hidden mist. Nobody before you could do that!"

"Just look what happened after," Arashi protested. "The agreement was broken 6 months after my death. There are a lot of skilled negotiators in Konoha."

"But Arashi-sama…they want you," gray-haired man sighed again.

"Why in the hell!" Arashi cursed to himself. "Why does it happen at the same moment when Naruto is in danger? Was it really wise for me to stay as the hokage? Maybe I'd do better to give up? No..." he answered to his own question. "I must be an example for my son. I can't…"

"What's your answer, Yondaime-sama?" the elder asked.

Arashi walked to the window and looked outside.

"Ok, I'll participate in the talks," he finally agreed. "But it's only this time. Don't try to drag me into this process on a constant basis."

"We understand, hokage-sama," gray-haired man nodded and moved out of the room.

Naruto watched the scene in awe. So, that was what Shikamaru and Ino were talking about – this part of the hokage. Yes, it was really the part one could be scared of or respect. He was such a…stern…calm person at this moment. For a moment Naruto even wondered if he should talk to him.

The gray-haired man walked past Naruto and closed the door leaving them alone.

Hokage sighed and finally looked at Naruto. At the same moment his expression changed becoming more lively and funnier.

"Sometimes I really hate them," he said and fell into his armchair offering for Naruto, with a hand gesture, to do the same. "You came to say hello or is it some business?"

"Y..yeah, business actually," Naruto said quickly becoming afraid of Arashi just telling him to get out because he's too busy.

"Business? What business?" Yondaime looked at him attentively.

Naruto lowered his head.

"I'm tired of D-rank missions! I understand I'm genin but just look at my mission list! I can participate even in an A-mission already! Why couldn't you give me at least C-rank mission!"

Arashi looked at him again and at the same moment Naruto felt Yondaime understood him completely. How in the world did he do it? Making people trust him that much…understand their feelings with just one look!

"Look," the Hokage began keep looking him in the eyes attentively. "You have already seen most of the missions that came in yesterday. Do you remember? There are a lot of "D", some "A" and most of them are "B". There weren't "C" missions!"

Naruto sighed. He was right, how could he forget? He had sorted those missions with his own hands!

"Maybe…there could be some "B" missions with a jounin?" he asked. "I can do it, I swear!"

"Naruto, all the jounins are on their missions," Arashi explained, "Outside Konoha. Except for Kakashi but he is on special mission here."

"So maybe…we can go on mission together?" Naruto offered and shut up at that moment.

He…with his own lips had suggested it! To go on a mission with the person who sealed Kyuubi in him!

"Sealed Kyuubi…and now what?" someone's sardonic voice inside his mind retorted. "But he is a good man and you really enjoy being with him, don't you?"

Arashi looked at Naruto his eyes wide open. Had he really heard that just a second before? Naruto himself offered for them to take a mission together?

"Damn my job," he cursed. "If I didn't have it I really could go on mission with him again and that would be great."

"Sorry…" he sighed. "You heard my conversation with the elder. They want me to participate in their talks."

Naruto lowered his head.

"But…" Arashi continued. "As soon as I'm back we could think about some missions…together. We will just sit and look through the scrolls and choose something interesting. Do you agree?"

"Yes!" Naruto smiled not really understanding himself. Signing out on another mission with this…this…

"Naruto," Yondaime's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "I'm going out of the village for awhile so you are on your own. You are my house's host for that time."

He closed his eyes for a moment and scary images of Naruto organizing some party in his house and crushing it with some new jutsu came into his mind.

"Don't think about something bad," he ordered to himself and continued.

"Can you live with that?"

"Of course!" Naruto nodded. A part of him shouted in joy – such a big house and all his own, and the other part became sad – it will be boring without Blondaime.

"When are you leaving?" he didn't recognize his own voice.

"Today. I will just take some things I need and give out orders and then I leave," Arashi answered. "I'll return soon I promise," he added really not knowing why.

"Good luck," Naruto smiled and went to the room's door. At that moment his heart squeezed with the feeling…like it was a farewell and they would never see each other again.

"Naruto!" Arashi called and the blond boy turned around to find Yondaime with the same expression all over his face staring at him with hesitation.

"Be careful," his voice was full of emotion and Naruto himself didn't really understood what he felt at this moment. It just felt…overwhelming.

"You too," he said in a small voice and finally disappeared behind the door.