I'm sorry for not updating sooner. Good news is that I have another chapter ready to be uploaded tomorrow :)
Minato's eyes fluttered open, lips curving into a soft smile as he replayed last night's events in his head.
It all felt unreal, like a dream.
He got to see his son again. Minato couldn't believe that he had already grown this big, part of him was sad that he missed so much of Naruto's life but another part of him- a bigger part of him was just happy and grateful to be here now.
He looked down at his son and grinned warmly at the sight. Naruto was snoring quite loudly and was smiling. It felt so good to see him smile after yesterday's events. Minato took one more look at Naruto's peaceful face before he got up from the bed, being careful not to wake Naruto and walked out of the room they were in.
He took a look at the rest of the house. Everything was plain white. The kitchen was very small, holding only a singular table with two wooden chairs. There was one small couch in the living room, the bathroom had a plain sink and a toilet.
He found himself in the living room of the house and started to pace as he took in Naruto's living conditions. Eyes twitching in frantic thoughts. The blond moved from one spot to the next.
He still couldn't believe that Naruto was living all alone. Why in the world would they let a child live all alone without a caretaker, and not just any child but the Fourth Hokage's child.
He felt a flicker of irritation. Where was Jiraya-sensei or Kakashi. Where were all of Minato's and Kushina's friends. Truth to be told, he didn't expect any of them to adopt Naruto or to even look after him all the time, they've got their own problems. But the least any of them could've done was to make sure that Naruto was okay and well looked after. His son wasn't supposed to live alone, miserable and scared of human contact.
He was disappointed and angry at all his so called friends- 'friends' that didn't even bother to check up on his son, but more than that Minato was angry at himself, he had naively thought that Naruto was going to be okay without him and Kushina. He had thought that one of their friends were going to look after Naruto but he was wrong.
Minato sat down at the kitchen table, letting out a harsh breath and buried his face in his hands. He felt so stupid. How could he sit here and call himself Naruto's father after all that's happened, all because of Minato.
He scoffed bitterly, what kind of father was he.
It was because of him that Naruto was lonely and sad. Not to mention the whole tailed beast situation, how could he explain all that to the kid, Naruto would hate him if he found out.
But Minato owed it to Naruto. He's been an awful father, the least he could do was to be completely honest with the boy, explain everything to him.
Minato wouldn't let anything bad happen to the kid from now on, he would make sure to shield Naruto from all of it. Naruto would never feel loneliness and pain again as long as he was around.
He hoped that one day Naruto would be able to control the nine tails power. An affectionate smile twitched at the corner of his lips, If anyone could do it, it'd be his son, he was sure of that.
He closed his eyes and moved his hand to his stomach, biting the inside of his cheek, with everything going on he had totally forgotten about the fact that he now housed the other half of the nine tails. He wasn't even sure if he could control its power, probably not. He wasn't too bothered about it though.
Minato tapped his fingers on the kitchen table as million thoughts ran through his head. He'd have to go to the Hokage today to not only announce his presence but more importantly to inform everyone of Madara's existence.
Madara.
Minato's eyes darkened, he hadn't forgotten about him, how could he forget the man that killed his wife and tried to destroy his village. Madara needed to be dealt with immediately before he could cause more destruction and pain.
The masked man was lucky that the last time they fought Minato was in a hurry to stop the nine tails, or he would've killed him right then and there for all the suffering he had caused his family.
Minato needed to stop whatever Madara was planning, to be honest he wasn't even sure if it really was Madara or not, but he didn't care much about the identity of the man. No matter who it was Minato would get his revenge soon, he already knew how to counter his jutsu.
Shaking his head, he decided to push those bitter thoughts in the back of his mind for now and focus on his son.
He got up and decided to cook some breakfast for Naruto, or he was going to, until he opened the fridge and found out it was completely empty. He searched the entire kitchen for any edible food, but all he could find was cups of instant ramen noodles.
Minato's eyes widened in horror, was ramen all that the kid ate?
God, Naruto have you really lived like this all your life? He thought, stomach clenching. You deserve better. The blonde thought sadly, as he closed the empty fridge.
He would make sure Naruto never had to suffer like this again. That was a promise.
Naruto was sleeping peacefully in his bed, cradling a pillow to his chest. The sun was beaming through the window causing the boy to stir. Normally, waking up was hard for Naruto, the thought of waking up to experience another miserable day was hard. He'd rather lay in his bed for eternity and dream about the perfect life he never got to have.
But today was different, his dad was here.
All of a sudden Naruto's eyes flew wide open in panic. It wasn't a dream was it? Heart pounding, Naruto quickly jumped off the bed and sprinted out of his room, praying that he hadn't dreamed the whole thing.
Minato had taken off his cloak earlier and thrown it on the worn couch, made two cups of ramen and leaned against the kitchen counter, waiting patiently for his son to wake up.
The Fourth Hokage was deep in his thoughts when he heard footsteps rapidly approaching. He turned his head to see Naruto panting and looking up at him, eyes teary. Minato immediately straightened in worry and was about to ask what was wrong when the boy rushed and threw himself at the stunned man, his tiny arms wrapping around Minato's legs in relief, laughing happily.
"I wasn't dreaming, you're actually real!" The boy yelled, elated, tightening his arms around Minato's legs. Minato's heart melted at the adorable boy and reached down to ruffle his hair lovingly.
"Of course I'm real and I'm never going to leave you again, Naruto." He spoke softly, eyes crinkled in a smile.
"You promise?" Naruto asked, holding his pinky up and staring at Minato hopefully.
Minato grinned, locking his pinky with Naruto's. "I promise"
When he saw a satisfied grin on Naruto's face he let go of the boy's pinky, and bent down to pick him up in his arms.
Naruto shrieked and giggled, wrapping his arms around his dad's neck and legs going around his waist. Minato had his right arm around Naruto's waist, holding him up against his chest.
"You hungry?" Naruto nodded against his shoulder. Minato moved them to the kitchen table and tried to set Naruto down on the chair but the boy refused to let go.
Minato chuckled. "Naruto you have to let go so you can eat your ramen"
Naruto looked up at his dad, an embarrassed smile on his face and mumbled something Minato couldn't hear.
"What was that?"
Naruto looking down at the floor, darted his eyes to him then back to the floor nervously. "Can I sit on your lap?" He mumbled again in a quiet voice, wanting to be close to his dad but also not wanting to ask for too much.
Minato's smile dimmed a bit, Naruto clearly starved for physical touch, he once again cursed at himself and his so called friends for not being there for his son. He shook his head, he'd be more than happy to hold him in his arms for the rest of the day if the kid asked him to.
"Of course." He chirped happily before Naruto could start worrying about his answer. He sat down on the chair wrapping one arm around Naruto, holding him close to his chest and with the other arm he grabbed the ramen cup that he had made earlier and handed it to Naruto, who was grinning in anticipation.
Naruto felt really warm and comfortable in his dad's arms. A tiny part of him was scared that his dad would leave again once he realized Naruto was a nuisance. But he promised he wouldn't and Naruto believed him. He dug into his ramen, enjoying his dad's presence.
Minato watched as Naruto began devouring his food and chuckled warmly. "You really love ramen huh?" He asked the boy cheekily.
Naruto blushed before grinning proudly. "Ramen is my favorite food, you know!"
Minato shook his head laughing, the kid reminded him too much of Kushina. Once his laughter died down his face turned serious. "You have to eat something other than ramen every now and then."
Naruto's face scrunched up in confusion and slight disgust at the idea of eating something other than ramen. "Something else besides ramen?"
"Yes, like meat, eggs and vegetables for protein"
Naruto looked confused. "Protein?"
"Protein is very important for your health, It keeps you energetic and makes you stronger." Minato tilted his head in confusion. "I thought they already taught you that kind of stuff in the Academy?"
Naruto shrugged sadly, twirling the ramen around with his chopsticks. "I don't really understand everything he says and everytime I ask for him to help me to understand he ignores me."
"Who?"
"Iruka-sensei. He doesn't like me" Naruto sniffled, trying to keep his tears back. He had to be strong.
Minato's lips pursed into a thin line, anger rising in him but he forced it down and let out a slow breath, calming himself. "Well, if you want to be a great shinobi one day, the first step is a healthy diet." Minato continued, tongue feeling heavy in his mouth.
He made a mental note of that name Naruto mentioned.
Naruto's eyes lit up. "I'm gonna be a strong shinobi one day, strongest of this village, Believe it!" He exclaimed, resolutely.
"I know you will." Minato said, matter-of-factly, making Naruto's lips part open in surprise.
The Hokage winked at the boy when he saw the shocked look on his face. Naruto smiled from ear to ear and continued eating his food. Feeling happier and lighter than ever.
For the next five hours they talked about everything they could think about, Naruto kept rambling and asking questions that he'd been dying to ask forever. Minato answered them cheerily. Every now and then Naruto would laugh or giggle, making Minato's heart swell with love and affection.
They were talking about the five different Shinobi villages when Naruto's eyes suddenly widened and he let out a loud gasp, jumping off Minato's lap. "I forgot to go to the academy today!"
He couldn't believe how fast the time flew by.
Minato raised an eyebrow at the panicking boy. "It's okay if you miss one day." he tried to reassure him but Naruto shook his head furiously. "No it's not, Iruka-sensei will be super mad at me!"
Minato's eyes narrowed slightly and he stood up from the chair, clasping a hand on Naruto's shoulder, making the boy look up at him in awe. "Don't worry about it Naruto, take the day off today. Nothing bad is going to happen, trust me."
The panic started leaving Naruto's body when he heard his Father's soothing voice and he took a deep breath nodding. Minato smiled at him and ruffled Naruto's hair, looking outside the window. He chewed on his lip, he really didn't want to leave Naruto, not even for one second but he had to announce his return to the Hokage sooner or later. It was better to get it out of the way now so he could stop hiding and start taking Naruto outside for grocery shopping and other needed stuff.
Kneeling down on one knee Minato cupped Naruto's face gently. "Naruto, I'll have to go to the Hokage's office to announce my return to the village, are you going to be ok?"
Naruto's eyes widened in fear. "You will come back right?" He questioned, lips trembling.
Minato nodded firmly and pulled him into a warm embrace. "Of course I will." Naruto hugged him back tightly and desperately like it was the last time they were going to see each other. Minato frowned, It was going to take time to gain the boy's trust and to make him see that he wasn't alone anymore.
"I won't be gone for too long, alright?"
After Naruto reluctantly nodded, Minato pulled back from the embrace, ruffling his hair one more time before standing up. He picked up the empty ramen cups, threw them in the bin and walked over to the couch to pick up his white coat.
Naruto watched in awe as his dad pulled it on.
The Hokage paused before making his way to the door and looked back at his son, his eyes crinkling in a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it, I'll be back before you know it."
Minato turned back and walked to the door, opening it.
Naruto stood there frozen, watching his dad's back, eyes almost bulging out of their sockets when he read what was written on his Father's coat for the first time as the man was walking out.
Naruto, completely stunned, whispered "F-Fourth Hokage.." Long after Minato had already left.