In a clearing on Uzumaki Clan land, three redheaded children were playing, running around and chasing each other. They were watched over by two sets of adults.
As the three children played, the sole boy of the group, Uzumaki Naruto, came to a realization. "Hey Karin, wasn't Tenten's hair brown yesterday?"
"Yes" the smaller of the two girls confirmed.
Naruto then turned to the third member of the group "Tenten, why is your hair red?"
"Dad says it's cause I went through the 'doption ritual"
"'Doption ritual? what's that?"
"Dunno, but Takahiro-ji-sama drew a bunch of stuff on me, then he yelled 'fuin,' then it hurt, then I fell asleep. I woke up with red hair. Dad says that means the 'doption ritual worked and that I'm really an Uzumaki now."
"Of course you are!" Naruto exclaimed, jumping into the air and raising a fist in joy, "The Uzumaki are the best!"
"Yeah!" Both Karin and Tenten offered quick agreement, mimicking Naruto's actions.
As the kids continued to play, Uzumaki Yoshide could only smile. It seemed that his daughter and Naruto had accepted and befriended Tenten. The Clan had gained another member, and the future looked a bit brighter for the Children of Uzu.
Putting his positive thoughts about the future aside, the Uzumaki Regent turned his thoughts to the present, and to the woman sitting next to him as they watched the children play.
"Are you sure you have to leave?"
"Yes," his companion responded. "I've already stayed in the village for too long. I have too many bad memories of this place, and have no desire to stay."
A brief silence ensued, before the woman continued: "I only came back to the village because I read your letter, and wanted to pay my respects to Kushina and Minato, as well as offer my support to my Grandmother's clan. Somehow Sarutobi-sensei roped me in to helping out at the hospital as well. I've already been here two months when I intended to stay for no more than two days. I need to get going."
"Lady Tsunade, I know the decline of the Senju and the deaths of your brother and fiance are painful, but we've all lost something. Hell, we Uzumaki lost our entire homeland and most of our friends and relatives. You don't need to keep running from your ghosts. You are part Uzumaki, we would welcome you as one of our own."
"No."
"If you won't do it for yourself, consider staying for Shizune's sake."
"Don't you drag her into this!" It seemed as if Yoshide had touched a nerve, but despite Tsunade's legendary temper, he had a goal, and he was willing to risk the slug sannin's wrath to achieve it.
He gestured, drawing Tsunade's attention to the other pair of people watching the children play.
"See there, Shizune and one of the finest young members of my clan Uzumaki Kozumu. They've gotten awfully close in the last month. Shizune is young. She needs to be around people her own age. I hear seeing her old friends again and working at the hospital has done wonders for her."
Tsunade saw right through Yoshide's ploy, trying to manipulate her be bringing her apprentice into the discussion. She remained stern-faced as she responded: "Shizune is free to stay if she wants to, she's not obligated to go with me."
"Is she really?" Yoshide thought aloud, "I wonder what her answer might be if I asked her about any obligation to you."
A crack appeared in Tsunade's metaphorical emotional shield. Yoshide's words had struck home, while she might not be forcing Shizune to go with her, the girl certainly felt obligated to follow..
Sensing that he might have scored a minor victory, Yoshide pressed his advantage.
"I'll be frank with you Tsunade, the main reason I wish for you to stay is for Lord Naruto's benefit."
"Look, Minato and Kushina were great kids, I really liked them, and will miss them, but I never agreed to be Naruto's godmother."
"That's not what I'm referring to." Yoshide responded, gently shaking his head.
"Naruto-sama will face a number of challenges. While keeping him secluded here has helped to dispel the idea that he is some sort of demon and Sandaime-sama's orders have kept that idea from spreading, I estimate that roughly one in every three villagers is both aware that Naruto is a jinchuuriki, and blames him for the events of that horrible night."
"I don't see how my staying here fixes that."
Unfazed, Yoshide continued with his argument.
"On top of that, the political situation is quite dangerous for lord Naruto. Shortly after his birth I was just barely able to save him from being given to a particularly vile village elder by the name of Danzo Shimura. Since then, the pressure to do so has not lightened. If anything it's only increased."
"I see the Uzumaki still don't have much of a knack for formality and politeness."
"We are fully capable of doing both when necessary, I wasn't aware this was a formal meeting, Princess Tsunade."
"Drop it. Again, I fail to see how I can help Naruto there. Besides, Sarutobi-sensei would never let Danzo get his hands on the boy."
"Don't be so sure, Your sensei is a good man, but being pulled out of retirement so suddenly has clearly impacted him. He has been ceding more and more powers to others. The Elders are growing in power, as are the civilians, and they in turn are putting pressure on the clans. I'll do my best, but I'm not sure how much longer I can protect Lord Naruto."
"Again, how exactly does my staying help?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'd like to ask you to take up the Senju clan's seat on the council. As a Sanin, last of one of the village's founding clans, and genuine princess your word would go a long way."
"So you want me to not only stay in this god-forsaken village, but want me to actively get involved in politics? You ask too much, good-day Lord Regeant."
Tsunade stood to leave, causing Shinzune to stand as well, preparing to follow her.
"Will you at least return to the compound to say your fare-wells to Naruto before you leave the village?"
Yoshide's question caused her to pause, and turn to face him.
"Of course, he's a good brat, and even if I didn't want the role, he is my god-son."
-At the same time that Yoshide and Tsunade were speaking-
Across the field from the Regent of the Uzumaki and the Senju Princess, two young adults sat next to each other, watching the children play.
They sat close to each other, closer than normal, with fingers interlaced as they held hands, with Kato Shizune's head resting against Uzumaki Kozumu's shoulders.
Since being introduced to each other 7 weeks earlier, the two had instantly connected, though to this point their relationship had gone no further than just the occasional display of affection, they'd never even been on a real date.
And based on their conversation, it seemed like it might never progress to that point either.
"So you're really leaving then?"
"It seems like it, I'm sorry Kozumu. I really want to stay, but I must follow Lady Tsunade."
"She's not making you go, is she?"
"It's nothing like that, but still, I have to go with her."
"I wish you could have stayed."
"I do too."
The somber conversation was interrupted by the intrusion of an oblivious 5 year old.
"Tou-san."
"Tenten, what is it?"
And as oblivious 5 year old tend to do, Tenten asked a questions that prompted great embarrassment.
"Is this lady going to be my kaa-san?"
Shizune's face turned beet red, and Kozumu quickly put an end to this line of questioning.
"That's not the nicest thing to ask me in front of her, Tenten."
"Why?"
"I'll tell you later, go play with Lord Naruto and Karin for now."
"Ok!"
Reminded that her friends were waiting, Tenten quickly forgot about Shizune and gave her father a quick hug before returning to play with her companions.
Kozumu quickly turned his attention back to the embarrassed young woman sitting next to him.
"Sorry about that."
"It's ok."
"She likes you, you know. After she met you yesterday, she didn't stop talking about how cool you are for at least an hour."
"She's a good kid, and she's lucky to have you."
Out of the corner of her eye, Shizune noticed a clearly frustrated Tsunade stand and prepare to leave the Uzumaki Clan lands, so she quickly got up to follow her master. Her standing prompted Kozumu to stand as well, their fingers still interlaced with each other as neither were fully willing to break apart.
"Shizune, please, consider staying."
"Kozumu, I want too, really I do. I missed Konoha, I missed my friends, and I'm really glad to have met you. I'll try to convince Lady Tsunade to stay, but I don't think it'll do anything. I expect we'll be leaving in 3 days or so. Thank you for everything."
Surprising the young Uzumaki, Shizune stood up on her toes to be able to reach Kozumu's face, planting a quick kiss on his cheek, before reluctantly breaking away from him and hurrying to catch up with her master.
Out of the corner of her eye, Tsunade witnessed Shizune's display of affection, and recalled Yoshide's words about her young apprentice.
It was true that if Tsunade left, Shizune would follow. As much as Tsunade might have said that her apprentice was free to remain in Konoha she knew there was no way that would happen. But was that really what was best for the girl?
Pushing those thoughts from her head, Tsunade passed through the gates of the Uzumaki compound, offering no acknowledgment to the guards on duty and making a bee-line for the nearest tavern. She needed a drink.
Yoshide remained seated, watching the children play. Only after Tsunade had passed out of his sight did he turn his head to a nearby tree and speak: "You can come out now."
The person in the tree moved faster than a normal eye could track, and within a matter of seconds was seated next to the Uzumaki regent.
"You know," Yoshide said with a smile on his face, "We've been expecting you to visit the Uzumaki compound for more than three years now, Hatake Kakashi."
"Well, I guess I got lost on the road of life" came the response from the teenage jonin.
"How much of my conversation with Lady Tsunade did you hear?"
"The whole thing."
"Well then, you're hailed as a genius, surely you've realized that the things I said about Tsunade and the Senju Clan could apply to you and the Hatake Clan as well."
"Lord Uzumaki, I don't really know anything about my clan. My father was an exile, and I was raised apart from it. Besides, Lady Tsunade may be the last Senju, but I'm not the last Hatake. There's still 15 or so members of the clan left."
"True, but the vast majority of those 15 members of your clan are 70 or so years old. They're retired elders. They're not capable of running or reviving a clan right now. They've earned their right to enjoy what years they have left in peace.
If anyone is going to be able to reverse the fortunes of the Hatake Clan it would be you. I'm told they've been trying to get you to agree to at least live on Clan property."
The young jonin looked pensive, or at least as much as one can with a mask over their mouth and a headband covering one of their eyes. After several moments of silence, Kakashi finally responded in a soft, almost subdued voice:
"I don't think that's the best idea. Everyone I get close to ends up dead. You ask me to save the Hatake, yet if I took over it would only hasten the clan's demise."
"I expected to have to emotionally manipulate Tsunade, she acts like a petulant child the way that she insists on dwelling upon the past. I expected better from you. You may still be a child, but I thought there was a certain level of maturity and pragmatism about you."
"So you're saying you're going to try to guilt-trip me like you did with Lady Tsunade, Lord Uzumaki?"
Rather than answering Kakashi's question, Yoshide just dove right in: "Minato and Lady Kushina thought of you as a son. You know that right?"
Silence.
"I'll take that as a yes."
With Kakashi seemingly unwilling to speak, Yoshide rolled up a sleeve, revealing a kanji written on his arm. From that kanji he unsealed a scroll.
He unraveled the scroll, passing fuinjusu matrices indicating that an item was sealed there, searching for one particular item. As he did, he continued making his point:
"They hoped Naruto-sama would view you as a big brother, and that you would view him as a little brother. There's still plenty of time for you to have that relationship if you want. But more than anything, Lord Naruto needs allies. If you took the Hatake's seat on the council, you could do a great deal to help him."
Kakashi had no comeback, he very much wanted a relationship with his sensei's son, and had often volunteered for Anbu missions watching over the Uzumaki lands. Still, even as he acknowledge that everything Yoshide had just said was true, he couldn't envision himself as a clan head.
Finally, Yoshide reached the spot on the scroll he was looking for, and released the seal, revealing three sealed envelopes. After which, he turned towards Kakashi, offering one of the envelopes to him.
"On that fateful day, Lady Kushina had a feeling that something would go wrong and so she wrote four letters in case something happened to her. One was to Minato, another to Lord Naruto, one was to me, and the last one was to you.
The reason I invited to you to come by the compound, an invitation that I'll remind I made more than three years ago and which you are just now acting upon, was not to try to convince you to take over as the head of the Hatake Clan, it was to deliver your letter."
Kakashi took the offered envelope, and just stared at it, as if unsure of what to do.
"Go ahead, open it and read it."
Despite his temporary affiliation with ROOT, and the exercises Danzo had put him through to suppress his emotions, it was clear that as Kakashi read his pseudo-mother's final words to him he was on the brink of tears.
When Kakashi finally finished reading and looked up from the letter, he found Yoshide offering him a second envelope. "I haven't had the heart to read Lady Kushina's message to her husband. Perhaps it would be best if you took it, you knew the man better than I did after all."
"I'm sorry, but I can't accept it either. Perhaps one day Naruto will take it." As Kakashi spoke, he also stood and offered a formal bow to the Uzumaki Regent. "Thank you for the letter, Lord Uzumaki, and for your words. You've given me a lot to think about, but I must be going."
"Oh, so soon? You don't even want to introduce yourself to your sensei's son?"
"I do want to meet him but I'm not ready yet, emotionally."
"I understand. Thank you for coming Kakashi. Next time some one invites you to visit them, please don't keep them waiting for three years."
"Dad!" "Uncle Yoshide!" "Yoshide-sama!"
As Yoshide watched Kakashi leave, three young voices calling out to him. Turning around, he saw the three children running towards him. Turning back towards where Kakashi was, he saw that the teen had already disappeared.
When the children arrived, Naruto was the first to speak: "Hey, Uncle Yoshide, who was that guy?"
"Someone that I hope you'll be able to meet soon." Now come on Naruto-sama, Karin, the sun is starting to set, let's head home. Tenten, go see your father."
As the sun set, the 5 Uzumaki that were left in the field began making their way back towards the cluster of buildings that made up the core of their clan's lands.
While the children were satisfied after a fun afternoon with friends, Yoshide and Kozumu's minds were both wandering, each wondering if they had been persuasive enough in their conversations. Ultimately, upon getting back to their homes, it was hugs from their daughters that pulled the two back to the present.
Only time would tell if they had been successful, but even if they had failed, they'd manage somehow. They were Uzumaki, and despite everyone and everything, they were still here.
"Er gwaetha pawb a phopeth Ry'n ni yma o hyd" - Dafydd Iwan (Despite everything and everyone we are still here [at least according to google translate], from a Welsh song)
And that's the end of this proof-of-concept/short story. I have some more of this story outlined (up to the start of Shippuden, actually) but I'm not sure if I want to take the time to go through with turning said outline into prose and turning this short story it into a full story. Maybe I will, maybe I won't. Either way, I hope you enjoyed it, and thank you so much for reading.