Kakashi and Rin settle into their new (old) digs, they both make a scary new acquaintance, and Minato plans for the future.

Chapter 3.

Kakashi came home earlier than expected the next day, and promptly walked in on Minato and Kushina spending some quality time in the kitchen. Rin had still been asleep when the whole thing happened, so she had to hear about the incident while she was eating breakfast. Kakashi's outraged scowls and red ears had already clued her in. Minato-sensei was still trying to hide behind his own breakfast – which was a bit difficult, considering it consisted of a small bowl of rice and vegetables – with a face brighter than Kushina's hair. Kushina, at least, didn't seem particularly flustered, but did swat Kakashi over the head when he went on about it for too long.

The whole incident was refreshingly normal. Not the accidental voyeurism, obviously, but Kushina's loud voice arguing it 'really wasn't that weird', Minato's embarrassed but affectionate looks and Kakashi's world-class grimaces felt like coming home. It was like old times, when Obito used to pull stupid things just to get attention, and ended up instigating complete chaos in their small six-man group. Six-man family, she wanted to say. And they were her family now more than ever.

"So, did the mission go well?" Minato asked, his ears still a rather lovely shade of pink.

Kakashi shrugged. "It was fine. Not particularly challenging," he said. Of course, he was bored by anything that didn't include harrowing escapes and at least one bingo book encounter, so Rin didn't take it as commentary on how his mission had gone.

Minato, who had just taken a bite of his breakfast, stopped chewing. "What, not at all?"

"Not really. Aburame-san hardly needed me. It's almost like he could have done it by himself" Kakashi gave Minato a pointed look.

Oh, Rin thought. Oh sensei, of course he noticed.

Minato flushed again. "Well, I'm sure he would disagree."

"Sensei, I don't need you to coddle –"

"it's not coddling. I'm not coddling you. Am I coddling him, Kushina?"

Kushina lifted her hand and brought her thumb and index finger close together. "I wouldn't say you're not coddling him."

"Kushina!" Minato squeaked, even as Kakashi said, "Thank you."

Kushina shrugged. "That said, there's nothing wrong with coddling thirteen-year-olds who really shouldn't be so blasé about the whole high-ranking mission thing," she added nonchalantly.

"I'm not nonchalant, I'm–"

"– Occasionally in need of being protected from yourself," Kushina said solemnly.

Minato-sensei was giving Kushina one of those love-struck I-adore-you-and-want-to-have-your-babies faces. He was good at those. Kakashi was doing an excellent impression of a fish on dry land, opening and closing his mouth as if he couldn't think of just how to protest this particular offense to his good name. Rin giggled. She couldn't help it.

Kakashi ended up settling for, "That's it. Breakfast is over. I should get going."

Which was not the most mature response, but Rin couldn't really blame him. One trauma a day was plenty.

Besides, she was kind of eager to get home herself again.

Staying with Minato and Kushina was enjoyable even under the current circumstances, but it was also draining. Kushina took taking care of someone a little bit too seriously, and had made it her mission to make Rin smile at every opportunity – no matter how much of a fool she had to make out of herself to achieve it – and Minato had been either completely absent or borderline smothering. He had been antsy all week, and Rin wasn't sure whether it was because of what had happened to her, the impending birth of his first child, or simply the strain of being Hokage, but it resulted in a Minato who was hasty, chaotic, and absent-minded. He was a far cry from the controlled, terrifying Yellow Flash his enemies knew. Even Kushina's best efforts didn't really help him slow down. Rin was secretly relieved the baby hadn't been born yet.

After breakfast, Rin packed her bags and got ready to leave. Kushina caught her in a massive hug. She briefly tried to resist but Kushina was soft and warm and smelled of honey, and also just so happened to be the best hugger Rin knew. Minato-sensei settled for a good old-fashioned hair ruffle.

Kakashi, in an uncharacteristic fit of chivalry, picked up Rin's heaviest bag and slung it over his shoulder. He was still wearing his mission outfit, flak vest and all, but he didn't seem bothered by the additional weight. He shrugged when he saw her look. "You're still recovering. This is more practical."

"It's only my chakra," Rin said, "I can still carry a bag."

He hesitated visibly. "Even so," he said lamely.

She gave him a bemused look. Two years ago, Kakashi carrying her bags and taking them to his apartment of all places would have been enough to send her into a excitement-induced fit idea (even though it was kind of dumb: chunin-level ninja strength, hello).

Now, while her crush was still undeniably and often times annoyingly present, it was tempered by experience. There simply wasn't an awful lot of space for a childhood crush in between the war, being turned into a jinchuuriki, and well, everything else.

Not that it would stop her stupid brain from trying to convince her it was a good idea. She was still only thirteen, after all.

At least living with him gave her a brand-new and probably healthy perspective. His apartment wasn't much to look at, for one thing. Housing laws stated that apartments in the shinobi blocks could only be rented by people who were either of chunin rank or over the age of fourteen. Upon being confronted by a seven-year-old chunin, however, they had quickly amended the law and told Kakashi to wait until he was at least ten years old. Knowing Kakashi, he had pressured his landlord into accepting him before the three-year deadline – with the help of some pointy, kunai-shaped friends – and moved in at age nine and a half, when he could no longer wait.

By which Rin really meant that he had taken his personality and somehow painted it all across the little apartment. It was filled to the brim with shinobi artifacts, training equipment and, in an effort to resemble something vaguely livable, a few secondhand, rundown pieces of furniture. The only thing Kakashi ever spent any real money on were his books, of which he now had enough to fill three separate bookcases dispersed around the tiny apartment.

Rin's favorite part, though, were the old, cartoonish dog posters decorating the bathroom wall. They seemed incredibly at odds with Kakashi's personality, but they had made her smile like crazy when she first discovered them. The thought of a younger, smaller Kakashi tacking them onto the wall had been enough to break through some of the worst of her anxiety at staying in his apartment. It was a reminder that he was just another kid, in the end – even if he had chosen to hang them in the bathroom, where he alone would usually see them. Kakashi had given her a bashful shrug and refused to say anything about it.

Once she had moved in, Kakashi and Minato had worked together to empty his small study/exercise room. There was still a lot of storage in the room, but now it also held her bed and a small desk pilfered from the chunin HQ by Kushina. The best part was the small bookcase, which held her shell collection and her books on maritime life (and her favorite book, which was admittedly about pirates and a magic seagull and the less said about that the better).

It was still a far cry from the pretty, light room she'd had back home, but it seemed somehow more fitting than sleeping in between pretty blue walls and large windows. For one thing, Minato-sensei had placed seals similar to the ones he'd used on the hospital room to reinforce the place. These seals weren't quite as powerful and he had insisted they weren't really necessary, but knowing they were there helped her sleep at night.

Well, sleep. It helped her nap, if nothing else.

In short, the small room felt a little like sanctuary. A place to be alone and think, a place where she couldn't hurt anyone.

She went into her room now, smiling at Kakashi as he dropped her things off, and sat cross legged on her bed. She took a deep breath and steeled herself, then closed her eyes.

She wasn't sure how to describe the Sanbi's cage. Was it part of her mind? Or some kind of physical manifestation of her chakra system? Or perhaps even another dimension attached to her being, like the summoning scrolls some weapon masters used? She didn't know. All Rin really knew was that if she closed her eyes and thought about Obito, she could go there.

It wasn't a good place to be, not by a long stretch, all drab green and teal and gray. And of course, in the center, there was the great cage that held Sanbi. He was little more than a dark shadow, skulking in a corner like a disobedient child. He hadn't moved around much since the last time she'd seen him, but he was noisier. The sounds he made were deep and guttural, like water boiling up inside a well. Perhaps he was starting to wake up.

The edges of her vision started to blur. "Not yet," she whispered, but it was to no avail. She clenched her fist and focused, but already the shape of her room in Kakashi's apartment started to re-materialize around her. The last thing she saw of Sanbi was a great, glowing green eye staring at her from the darkness.

Rin came up gasping, and knew she would have to take Kushina up on her offer of help soon.

Kakashi had a feeling Rin was hiding something from him. She'd been just fine when they walked back to his apartment, but then she'd gone into her room and reappeared some twenty minutes later looking pale and weary. She'd disappeared into the bathroom without a word.

The shower was still going.

Kakashi chewed his lip. Well. She clearly wanted to be alone. Perhaps it wasn't the best thing for her, but he understood the need for a solitary hour or two. He knocked on the bathroom door. "Rin? I'm going out for a bit. I'll leave Bull with you."

He heard a faint response, but that was enough. He hadn't used so much chakra on his mission that he couldn't still summon one of his dogs, so he went ahead and called up Bull. Bull was big and strong enough to take on just about anyone, and he also just so happened to be Rin's favorite of the pack. She would feel more comfortable with him there.

And yes, he was aware it was a bit hypocritical of him to accuse Rin of keeping secrets when, well, he was keeping this from her. But he would tell her eventually. He would. Definitely. Eventually.

After instructing Bull, Kakashi left the apartment and took a deep breath. He looked at the piece of paper Aburame Shibi had given him. It held a single name – an improbable name, if you asked him – but it was his best bet. If anyone would train him, Aburame thought it would be this particular person.

The route to the Uchiha compound was a familiar one, well-known from picking up Obito for missions back in the day. He felt a sharp pang of something missing when he thought of Obito's small, cozy house, which he had shared with his old grandmother. She had died shortly after Obito had, her heart utterly broken, and a new family had moved into the place. They had painted the windowsills and doors over with sober colors and planted the family crest over the door. Somehow, seeing the empty house was worse than seeing Obito's empty grave.

Entering the compound had always felt uncomfortable, though, even before Obito's death. There was something about having all those Uchiha together in one place, dark eyed and brooding, that felt ominous somehow. Kakashi didn't like to admit it, but it was quite intimidating to enter an area filled with people who wouldn't care less if he stumbled and fell on his own sword. He had considered transforming himself so he wouldn't stand out as much, but the sharingan would see right through that. So instead, he let them recognize him. Didn't have much of a choice, between the silver hair, the mask, and the hidden left eye.

And he hadn't exactly made friends amongst the Uchiha by taking Obito's eye on. Most of the Uchiha felt it was inappropriate for someone not of the clan to have one of their prized eyes. Others were convinced he had somehow coerced Obito into giving it to him. If not for Minato-sensei's protection, Kakashi wasn't sure he would have been allowed to keep it at all.

He looked at the name on the slip of paper again, and then walked up to the house the name belonged to with a sense of trepidation. There was no getting around it, though – there was only one Uchiha Mikoto in the village.

He knocked on the door. Of all the bloody Uchiha, of course Aburame would direct him to the wife of the clan-head herself. He vaguely remembered seeing her at Obito's funeral. She had been kind, at least, unlike her stone-faced husband.

The door opened slowly, and Kakashi had to readjust his gaze; on the other side of the door stood a boy of perhaps six. He had a serious little face with serious little eyes, framed by his family's trademark dark hair. "Hello?" He said, a little shyly.

If this was Mikoto's home, that meant this little boy was the Uchiha heir, Itachi. A prodigy, according to Minato. "Hi, Itachi-chan. Is your mother home?" Kakashi said, trying to sound as gentle as he could. It wasn't a particularly successful attempt as his voice came out more reluctant than kind, but he felt Minato at least would be happy that he had tried.

The little boy nodded and turned around in the doorway. "Mom? There's a visitor here." He turned back to meet Kakashi's eyes was a patient expression. "She's feeding the baby."

"No, no, it's fine," a woman's voice said, and then Uchiha Mikoto appeared in the doorway, holding a small baby. She was a beautiful woman with long, black hair and equally dark eyes. She recognized him instantly and smiled. The smile was more polite than pleased, perhaps, but it still seemed more genuine than he felt he deserved.

" Uchiha-san, I'm sorry for disturbing you," he said, and gave her a clumsy bow. "Your friend, Aburame Shibi-san, sent me."

The formality made him feel even more awkward than before. Manners were hard.

"Hatake-kun, isn't it?" She said, as if she didn't know already. She threw a look over her shoulder and pushed the baby up a little higher in her arms. "Of course. Shibi told me of your request."

"Ah. Uhh. Yeah. He already told you, huh?"

"There's been talk of one of us training you before, with the Hokage," she admitted, "but the timing didn't seem right."

No one wanted to take up the job, Kakashi heard. "Of course."

"That said, I'm willing to consider it," Mikoto said, surprising him.

He blinked at her. "Really?" He asked, all formality forgotten.

Her expression softened a little. "I won't lie to you, because I think you're clever enough to understand this; my husband doesn't like the idea much." Her baby gurgled and reached out with his little hands. She shushed him patiently. "But I remember Obito-kun. He was a kind boy. If he was willing to give you a chance, then so am I."

I didn't deserve the chance he gave me, Kakashi thought. "I will try to live up to his expectations," he said slowly.

"No," Mikoto stopped him, "try to live up to mine. I can only train you if you have enough aptitude with the eye. Come back here tomorrow and I will have a test prepared for you."

He blinked. "I will. Thank you. I..." Wasn't expecting this.

She nodded sharply, as if she had heard what he had meant to say. "Now if you'll excuse me, Sasuke is still hungry."

She closed the door before he could answer. For a moment, all he could do was stare at the wood dumbly. Then he blinked again and, still stunned into silence, turned around and left.

If someone asked Namikaze Minato whether he wanted to put the whole world on hold for a year or two, starting immediately, he would absolutely leap for the opportunity. As it was though, the best time-space ninjutsu could get him was a break from his personal ANBU guard for about half an hour. Which was honestly not enough, given that he usually spent those thirty minutes either checking up on his heavily pregnant wife or his troubled students.

It would be really great, he thought, dropping his head on the Hokage desk with a long sigh, if the baby could just wait a few more months until Minato had everything figured out.

Jiraiya-sensei hissed in sympathy. "That bad, huh? Makes me glad they never asked me to take up the hat," he said, leaning against the desk with his hip.

Minato glared up at him from underneath his bangs. "You're the one who just gave me Intel that Kiri is on the move again," he said. "We were getting so close to peace, I could feel it…"

"Iwa has been behaving itself lately," Jiraiya said. "Anyway, you know why Kiri is stirring."

Minato lifted his head off the table and stared at his hands. "Their hunter nin were slaughtered and Konoha wasn't destroyed by a rampaging bijuu," he said.

Jiraiya lightly swatted his head. "Try sounding like you're actually happy about that, Minato-chan. Anyway, they won't be able to do much about it. They are hardly going to openly admit they lost one of their bijuu. Not with Kumogakure panting down their necks"

Minato hummed under his breath. "Our forces have been beating them back for months, now. They must have been desperate to try out this whole ploy with Rin."

"Extremely desperate, or reckless, if you ask me," Jiraiya snorted. "You gotta admire their guts. But why not just create a permanent jinchuuriki loyal to their own village?" He shook his head. "Madness, that's what it is."

"You know it's not as easy as that. Not everyone can become a successful jinchuuriki. Konoha brought Kushina in years before Mito-sama died, knowing that Kushina had the same chakra ability and aptitude. They were prepared. Perhaps Sanbi's previous jinchuuriki died unexpectedly. Come to think of it, we haven't had any reports regarding their Rokubi for a few years either," Minato said.

"Oh?" Jiraiya perked up.

Minato spread his hands. "The last reports of the Rokubi jinchuuriki go back a decade and a half and state he was in his fifties. They will likely want to replace him soon. Perhaps they already have." His lips thinned in disgust. Another child, around Kakashi and Rin's age perhaps, or even as young as his own unborn son, turned into a living weapon. Few jinchuuriki enjoyed the standards of living Kushina had in Konoha. "To think how they would treat Kushina, if she lived in their village. They would discard her the moment she was no longer useful to them."

Jiraiya grunted. "Technically, that's what happened to old Mito. She just got to pick a time and a place. Kushina's arrival meant her death." he said. "Anyway, most of Konoha doesn't know she's the jinchuuriki. I mean, you saw what happened with your student's father. Konoha people are as narrow-minded as they are anywhere else."

Minato wished he could contend Jiraiya's point, but he knew his old mentor was right. The discourse amongst those in the know seemed to be that Kushina was either a hero for keeping the kyuubi at bay, or a hybrid monster, half human and half demon. Even now, some of the older jounin (fewer every year, he thought darkly) who knew about Kushina's status tolerated her mostly for Minato's sake. Once his back was turned, they would pull up their noses at her. Kushina didn't open up about it as often as Minato would like and when she did, she downplayed the effect it had on her, but Minato knew it hurt her. No matter how good or kind or strong she was, to some people she would only ever be a monster.

Perhaps it was a mistake keep their status secret. Perhaps doing so only strengthened the idea that they were dangerous and inhuman.

And now one of his own students would be in the same boat.

As always, Jiraiya-sensei seemed to have the unerring ability to read Minato's mind. "The thing I'm wondering about… Not everyone can become a jinchuuriki successfully. The strain simply rips most apart. So how on earth is your little medic going to manage? She's got a triple seal where Kushina has a single one, just to keep her chakra system her own."

In all honesty, Minato had no idea. Rin was the daughter of a chunin of no remarkable ability who had been killed in action some ten years ago, and a civilian merchant whose chakra was less impressive than that of an Academy student.

But then Rin had always had unexpected depths. She was clever, studious, and disciplined. None of those things could protect her against the immense overload a bijuu's chakra would place on her system, but perhaps sheer willpower could do the trick where brains failed. That, and she had been quick to discover her affinity for more than one element – a good indicator of a flexible chakra system.

Minato smiled faintly. "If you had told me five years ago that the sweet little girl who prefers collecting shells to sparring would be able to withstand enemy genjutsu torture for hours, go through the trauma of losing her teammate and friend, perform an incredibly complicated organ transplant while her friend is dying, and come out the other end still able to report to me, I would have called you mad. Rin is stronger than she looks," he said.

Jiraiya watched him quietly, his dark eyes unreadable. Then he smiled. "Well, if you believe in her, I suppose I will as well. People aren't going to like it when they find out, though. And not just in Konoha, I mean everywhere. Konoha now has two bijuu. Which wouldn't be a problem if one of them wasn't Kyuubi. Even if Rin can never fight again, the power balance of the major shinobi villages is no longer even."

"I'm not sure it ever was," Minato said thoughtfully. "Either way, that's a concern for the future. Kiri won't know Rin survived unless we send her out and Sanbi breaks loose. And that's not going to happen, not on my watch."

Still, he couldn't deny that Rin didn't have the natural advantage Kushina had. Whatever happened, it wasn't going to be easy.

"You can't protect her forever," Jiraiya frowned. "She's still a shinobi, and one with a heck of a lot of potential to boot. She won't be content to sit back and do nothing while her friends fight."

Minato smiled. "Who said I'm going to have her sit back and relax?"

AN
Comments are life and keep me writing. Please do let me know if you liked it! Make me a happy author.

Who's got two thumbs and completely forgot to edit the layout of the previous two chapters? Yours truly.

Thanks to keepyourpantsongohan for helping me work out some jinchuuriki politics! To be more specific, why on earth Kiri did what it did with the Sanbi. As for Kushina… I'm pretty sure most people didn't know who she was other than Minato's wife, or shit would have hit the fan a long time ago. I personally hc most high-ranking shinobi are in the know, but most other shinobi can only speculate and wonder. Which they do, of course. Rampantly.