Kakashi paced the length of the room, holding Sasuke while the little Uchiha played with his mask. He wasn't pulling it down, but if he did, Kakashi would be able to yank it back up before anyone saw his face.

Minato sat in a chair next to him, bouncing a little blonde Naruto up and down in his lap gently. The baby was cooing, tugging on his father's long jacket.

"Kakashi," Minato groaned. "Sit down before you wear a hole in the carpet. Inoichi is an expert; he knows what he's doing."

"What if he messes up? Oh, God, this was a bad idea." Kakashi dragged his hand through his hair frantically.

"Kakashi, this was your idea! Are you saying you don't trust yourself?" Minato said.

"Exactly! That's the whole point! This was my idea; when have my ideas ever worked?" Kakashi said loudly.

"Uhh…" Minato struggled to come up with an idea Kakashi had had that worked.

"Exactly! You can't come up with one. Why, why would you let me convince you of this? You're the Fourth Hokage; aren't you supposed to be immune to this kind of stuff?"

"Apparently not. I've been spending too much time with you and Kushina. You two have broken me down."

Inoichi finally stepped out of the room that he had been holed up in for the last hour or so, his daughter on his hip.

"It's done," he announced tiredly, collapsing in one of the many plastic chairs. The tiny blonde in his arms was asleep on her father's shoulder. "He's asleep now. When he wakes up, he will have no memory of ever being an Uchiha. He will act the same; except for the fact that he thinks Kakashi is his father."

"Oh, thank God, "Kakashi moaned, leaning against the wall. Minato raised an eyebrow at him.

"Is it possible that the great Copy Ninja Kakashi Hatake has grown to care for his two charges?" the Hokage asked. Kakashi glared at him.

"Of course I care for them! They're too cute not to love," Kakashi defended himself. "I'd better go get Itachi."

He handed Sasuke to his former sensei and opened the door, closing it quietly behind him.

Kakashi let his eyes—well, eye—adjust to the darkness, easily finding Itachi's small body laying on the only piece of furniture in the room. The couch wasn't very big, but it was enough for Itachi to stretch out on fully and take a comfortable nap.

"Itachi," Kakashi whispered, shaking the raven gently. Black eyes fluttered open, blinking at the man above him.

"Dad?" Itachi croaked.

Kakashi just barely stopped himself from shrieking and jumping backwards. Inoichi had said that Itachi would think he was his dad, and technically, he was. He just wasn't used to it.

"I'm here, Itachi," he murmured, gathering Itachi's small form in his arms and lifting him up. Itachi situated himself on his 'father's' hip, falling asleep again almost immediately.

When Kakashi appeared next to Minato again, Inoichi was gone, having gone home to get some much-needed sleep. Kakashi wanted to follow his example and find Iruka so that he could watch the kids instead, but he had to do one thing first.

"Minato-sensei, thank you," he said.

"For what?" Minato asked, standing up after creating a Shadow Clone to carry Sasuke for Kakashi.

"For assigning me this mission."

/\/\

Iruka stared down at the three-year-old disbelievingly. "Did-did he just call me what I think he called me?"

"Yep." Kakashi answered from his place on the couch. He was stretched out, mask nowhere to be found. Sasuke had long ago ripped it off, and Kakashi was too lazy to get a new one. Besides, Iruka didn't care what he looked like. He had seen it before that night long ago, when Kakashi refused to go to the hospital and came to him instead. His mask had been ripped to shreds, and the only reason no one noticed was because he replaced it with his ANBU mask.

"Itachi just called me 'Daddy'."

"Yep."

"Why?"

"Because Inoichi apparently went one step too far and accidently made him think that you were his dad, too."

"You're kidding me, right?"

"Nope."

"Can you say anything besides one-word sentences?"

"Your dinner is burning."

Iruka spun around and stared open-mouthed at the stove, where his dinner, was, in fact, burning. He didn't know how it was possible to burn water, but apparently he had a talent for it.

"Damn it!" he shouted, rushing forward to turn the stove off.

"Daddy shouldn't say words like that," Itachi said from his place at the table. He was busy coloring, having just recently discovered it from his new best friend, Hana Inuzuka. They were close in age, and she had been coloring when they first met on the way home from the store.

While Kakashi had cowered behind Iruka with Sasuke at the sign of Tsume Inuzuka, Itachi had cautiously crept forward, ignoring Kakashi's protests. He and Hana had become fast friends, and Itachi now had a new hobby.

Iruka almost said something along the lines of, 'Daddy can do whatever he damn well pleases,' but he figured that might not be something he should say to a three-year-old. So he opted for silence.

Kakashi was happily staring at Itachi, glad that at least something good had come from this whole experience. Itachi's whole personality had changed. Sure, at times he still acted like an Uchiha. But at others, he was as happy and child-like as a three-year-old could be.

That night, when Kakashi and Iruka had finally gotten the two kids to bed, they would sleep through the entire night without having to get up once.

A/N: Yes! Another chapter! Does anyone realize that I've updated FIVE TIMES THIS WEEK? Man, I am on a roll!

So, to explain the reason Iruka is sleeping in Kakashi's apartment… there really isn't a reason. It's just necessary. So pretend that he temporarily moved in to help Kakashi with the kids.