I do not own Naruto.

Their team was on the way back from rescuing a group of kidnapped kids when Sakura noticed and commented.

"Did something happen to your hand, sensei?"

Kakashi blinked at her in innocent confusion. "Hm?"

"Your wrist is bandaged."

"So are my legs," Kakashi pointed out.

"But you've always had those." Sakura huffed. "I'm the team medic, just let me see."

Kakashi ignored her and continued reading his book.

The bite had scarred over prettily, but it was still just fresh enough that a medical jutsu might manage to make it fade.

He definitely wouldn't allow that. Kakashi had stretched and exercised his hand carefully to make sure it could heal without causing the slightest impairment while remaining wide and striking.

It felt a bit kinky to be so proud of a mark of ownership, but hey, ANBU uniforms were made to show off their tattoos. Besides, it was mostly a mark of loyalty. Those things just happened to be very similar in Kakashi's mind. Blame indoctrination as a 'ninja tool' from a very young age.

-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-

Kakashi watched Naruto while the team trained. They hadn't had any complicated missions in a few weeks, and he could tell his prince was getting restless.

Running with the Packs had worked for a few days.

Following up those runs by following Naruto to bed had worked for a few more.

Kakashi suspected that this restlessness wasn't so much from lack of expending physical energy, but mental. With the Third dead, very few outside the ANBU knew just how much Naruto had directed his hyperactivity into paperwork and general administration.

Kakashi had eavesdropped more than once on the Hokage's secretaries cursing Tsunade for sending Naruto away.

He wondered if the woman even knew how much responsibility Naruto had once shouldered.

Were his Hokage-rank powers still in effect?

Yamato didn't defer to Naruto, exactly, but nor did he often give a direct order to the boy. He probably didn't know, either.

Sai was purposely kept out of the loop, due to his ROOT affiliations. Naruto had only just begun to turn his loyalty.

Sakura remained oblivious as ever.

Sasuke, now inducted into ANBU, might have found out what role his former teammate had held. But he was never around to share, if so.

Kakashi would hunt down Lynx and Rabbit, see if they were still alive and perhaps interested in brainstorming how to reinstate their Prince.

-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-

"He's fond of Tsunade, but he doesn't trust her," Lynx stated. As she often drew Hokage-guarding duty, it wasn't surprising that she had caught it as well.

But Kakashi had to clarify. "He doesn't trust her with his heart, but he does trust her to lead Konoha. And even if he didn't, he doesn't mind if people know what status he had."

"And you're sure of this, how? You've been his captain for a couple of months and his sensei for all of what, half a year? And it's not like you ever liked him."

While Kakashi enjoyed being mysterious, here were two people who could fully appreciate his pride. He twisted his wrist, letting the glove ride up. Neither ANBU missed the gesture, but they didn't catch the significance of the half-obscured scar until he said, "I've known him longer than that."

Lynx whistled her appreciation, but Rabbit scoffed again. "Screwing doesn't give you some miraculous insight."

Lynx kindly whacked him before Kakashi had to. "The kid's acknowledged he has claim on Kakashi, you idiot. Congratulations, senpai."

Rabbit let his body communicate what his masked face could not - apology and envy. "What she said."

"So this means he's still going for the seat? Some of the others had their doubts. Cat said he was, but…"

"He is," Kakashi confirmed, readjusting his glove. "We can use that as an argument for getting him back in the Tower."

"With Tsunade, sure. But the Council's not going to like it. How'd the Third blackmail them into going along with Prince's rank, anyway?"

Kakashi looked at Lynx, who tilted her head to the degree that indicated sorting through memories. "He didn't tell them, I think. It's not like Prince's name ended up on any of the paperwork, and we weren't going to say anything, so."

"No way did the desk chuunin keep quiet."

"You underestimate how grateful they are to get papers off their desk," Kakashi said. "Iruka was the only teacher at that damn academy who actually taught him."

Rabbit and Lynx both froze, oozing Killing Intent.

Kakashi smirked and added innocently, "Didn't anyone mention? The teachers either neglected to do their jobs or outright misinformed him. He came to me without a scrap of usable taijutsu after graduation."

Sure it had been three years now, but revenge was still sweet.

"We'll deal with them later," Lynx promised. "But, okay, Prince's rank was basically a conspiracy, hidden from the Council. Is there any reason we can't just add the Fifth to those being kept in the dark?"

"Prince would never allow it," Rabbit refuted. "Besides, he could barely even do a desk chuunin's job without the Fifth's knowledge."

"So we need to get the Fifth on board." Lynx snorted. "Bribe her with saki?"

They all shared a chuckle.

"Shizune is the easiest way to get to Tsunade, and she has just as big a soft spot for Naruto."

"We could start dropping hints to her," Lynx agreed.

"I'll spread the word," Rabbit said, and the three split.

-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-

Kakashi was slowly bringing Naruto to pieces with his tongue when a quick pattern of knocks announced Lynx's arrival at his window.

Naruto groaned and flapped his hand uselessly at the floor where Kakashi had dropped his mask.

Lynx wasted no time entering the apartment once Kakashi undid the window traps, and the ANBU took in the boy on the bed, just beginning to come to his senses.

"From the noises the pair of you were making I thought you'd at least gotten in his pants," Lynx teased Kakashi in her dry way.

Naruto huffed. "I would say I'd like to see how you'd do up against that, but he's mine."

Kakashi settled behind Naruto on the bed, kissing the boy's shoulder before drawing him into Kakashi's lap. Their fingers knitted together over Naruto's still-bare stomach

"What brings you here in the middle of the night, Lynx?"

"Shizune told Cobra that Tsunade was nearly sick enough of the paperwork she'd be willing to let Prince help her. Cobra said she was joking, but-" Lynx readjusted her posture to show, 'we both know how people are.' Such jokes were made because they had the ring of truth.

"So you were conspiring to get me back there," Naruto mused. "I have some ideas, if this course doesn't pan out."

"I wasn't sure if you'd think it too devious," Kakashi admitted.

Naruto chuckled. "I'd best get back soon, then, if you've already forgotten what a terror I was."

Lynx's body showed her delight and anticipation. "We look forward to working with you again, Prince."

"The same to you. I'd appreciate it if you could send some visitors over the next few days to inform me of our losses and who's taken over the masks."

"Of course," Lynx replied, despite how very illegal such a thing was. Apparently she, at least, had decided to assume he'd kept his rank.

Lynx didn't leave immediately, and Kakashi raised an eyebrow at her.

"I just wanted to say, Naruto. A lot of us are… envious of Kakashi-senpai."

Naruto hummed. "In a few years the marks on your shoulders will belong to me, as well."

Lynx nodded and relaxed minutely.

Kakashi wanted to curse the indoctrination that made all ANBU have the same blurred lines of loyalty and ownership.

"It's this that you really ought to envy," Naruto added, tilting his head and caressing Kakashi's mark on his neck.

Lynx's whole body revealed her shock.

Kakashi mouthed the scar to keep from growling his satisfaction.

"Tell Bat to begin wearing down Tsunade's resistance against help with paperwork, out of mask. Bear could help as well, if he's there anyway."

"Bear retired last year."

"Ah, well. Is he out of the loop? I'll visit and catch him up, then. Thank you for your report," he ended formally.

Lynx nodded and disappeared.

Kakashi summoned a shadow clone to reset the traps, already manhandling Naruto back down onto the bed.

He wanted to show his prince just how much he appreciated the bold claim.

Besides, there was a lot a clever jounin could do with a clone.