Naruto looks up from the scroll he's reading when the front door of the apartment he and Sarada are staying in clatters open. "Menma-Sensei!" calls the girl as she races in.
He smiles at her. "Hey," he returns as his eyes flicker behind her in search of one of the many new friends she's made over their last month in the past.
There's no one with Sarada.
His smile falters. There's nobody to keep appearances up for. Why is she calling him by his alias instead of his name?
"Naruto?" Sarada says at a more inside-appropriate volume.
He shakes his head. Naruto can figure out that later. Right now, the kid's here for something. "Yes?" he asks.
The girl comes inside a few steps but doesn't slip out of her sandals and joins him at the table. "I was wondering," she begins, "if maybe I could skip looking for those books you and Gramps wanted from the library today?"
Naruto cocks his head. "Why?" he asks. He's already been letting her slack on helping with Kakashi-Sensei out of the village. Naruto hasn't been sure how to bring it up to his teacher but he really thinks they should be having Sarada focus more on her own training rather than on getting back. At the rate things are going, she's going to be behind her peers when they return.
The girl lowers her gaze and begins to fiddle with the hem of the red vest she's wearing. "Kurenai and Yūgao invited me to hang out with them. They're going to a party an older Yamanaka girl they know is throwing…"
He holds back a sigh. Really, Naruto's glad she's fallen in so easily with all of the young shinobi of this time. Sarada being a typical preteen makes them seem a lot less suspicious to people. Still. Naruto wants to say no.
He could really use some help. Especially since he ended up spending the better part of yesterday acting as an aid to the old man and fixing a paperwork kerfuffle for him. That's set them back a bit. Kakashi-Sensei isn't going to be happy when he comes back in a couple of days at this rate. Naruto promised him they'd handle things while he was gone.
He sighs. How can he say, no, though? Those eyes Sarada is making at him…
Naruto looks away. He should really be better at resisting a set of puppy-dog eyes. He's only got two kids of his own. "Fine," he grumbles. He supposes he can just wrap this up to finish later and visit the archives himself.
Sarada beams. "Thank you!" she gushes. "I swear I'll do extra work tomorrow, Sensei!"
Something inside of his chest twangs at the title. Sarada's been calling him teacher a lot more as of the last week or so. Even when it's just them in private. Naruto isn't sure if that's a good thing. He's not her teacher. Konohamaru is. Naruto would never want to take that role from his friend. He knows how proud he is to have students, to be teaching the next generation.
Hopefully, Sarada tapers off with it once they return to their own time.
"You're welcome," Naruto replies. He furrows his brows. "Is this a casual party or…?"
The girl waves a hand at him. "Don't worry!" she reassures. "Yūgao and Kurenai are going to let me go through their stuff. I'm sure they'll have something I can wear."
He exhales. "Okay," he says.
Turning on her heels, the girl cants her head and squints at him. "Hey, Naruto?" she asks.
"Yeah?"
"D'you think we can take a mission or two?" she questions. Hastily she throws up placating hands and explains, "Just D-Ranks in the village, though! I know getting home is our focus. The stipend the third gives us is great; especially since it's enough to let me eat out with some of the other kids once in a while. Still I'd like it if I had some pocket change to buy nail polish or cute hair clips to use for parties like this one in the future."
Naruto frowns. "This might be your only party, you know," he remarks quietly.
Sarada doesn't roll her eyes. He can feel she wants to. "Kurenai is already talking about having a sleepover when Rin gets back with her team later this week. I know I haven't helped as much as I should have this week, Sensei, but I am aware we're not that close to having what we need to go back yet." She sighs. "I'd really like it if I didn't have to turn up empty handed at the sleepover."
He swallows. "Okay," he agrees. "I'll talk to the old man. I'm sure he can find something for the both of us or even just you."
"You're the best!" she compliments. With a little wave, she says, "See ya!"
"See ya," Naruto echoes.
The front door shuts firmly behind the girl. Alone again, Naruto tilts his head back and stares up at the ceiling. Another thing to do. Damn. Here Naruto thought this fuck-up might end up being a bit like a vacation.
-O-
Naruto stares down at his tiny teacher with a fist pressed to his mouth. Kakashi-Sensei stares steadily back at him, looking extra pathetic in his too-big hospital gown and medical mask. He sighs and lowers his fist. "Man, didn't we discuss this?" he asks while gesturing meaningfully to Kakashi's casted foot.
The boy's brows furrow and he crosses his arms. "I didn't do it on purpose," he grumbles.
Naruto scoffs. "Sure," he replies, disbelieving. "How'd you break it then?" he demands.
"Fractured," Kakashi-Sensei corrects before he heaves a big aggrieved sigh. "A tree was going to fall on Obito."
Naruto nods. Well. He supposes that would do it. He can't really be mad at Kakashi for protecting his teammate. Nor will he try to punish him for it (though he might still buy him a picture book as a joke). "Right," he replies. A thought occurs to Naruto. He scrunches his nose and asks, "Where was Dad?"
"What?" replies Kakashi, taken aback at the question.
Naruto crosses his arms. "Where was Minato?" he asks, thinking of how when he'd been a young genin Kakashi-Sensei did his damnedest to keep him and his teammates safe from harm. Often to his own detriment. "He's your teacher, shouldn't he have been keeping an eye out for you guys?"
Kakashi bristles. "He was busy with protecting our charge," he replies, tone short. "In case you've forgotten, I'm a Chūnin. Sensei trusts me to help my teammates."
Naruto winces. He supposes Kakashi-Sensei is right. He's not a regular kid. He's far more advanced than many. Of course he'd be entrusted to help his teammates while his dad focused on keeping the lady they were escorting alive. "Sorry, Sensei," he says. "I didn't—"
"Menma," Minato breaks in. Both Kakashi and Naruto turn their attention to the doorway of Kakashi's hospital room. The young shinobi's expression is placid but when his eyes meet Naruto's they flash with what Naruto thinks is annoyance. "You're here," he says flatly.
Naruto takes a step away from Kakashi's hospital bed. "Hi, Minato," he says while running a hand through his hair. "I heard what happened on your mission. I just thought I'd stop by to see how Kakashi here is doing," he explains.
The other hums. "I see," he replies. Walking over to the other side of the boy's bed, he smiles down at Kakashi-Sensei and places a hand on his shoulder. "He's doing quite well, all things considered," he tells Naruto. This makes him blink in surprise. He hadn't really expected the young shinobi to share even that much about Kakashi-Sensei's well-being. "The medic assigned to him thinks he'll be back on both feet in no time," he says. Smile broadening, he asks, "Kakashi, are you ready to blow this place?"
"Always," the boy replies, squirming towards his teacher who helps him off the bed and hands him a pair of crutches that were leaning against the wall behind him.
"All right," says Minato, hands on his hips. "We'll get you dressed and then pick up your pain meds before we go back to my place."
Naruto's stomach twists. He thought the other shinobi said Kakashi's injuries aren't serious. "Oh, Kakashi needs to stay with you?" he says.
Minato looks at him oddly. "No," he replies. "But it's easier to recuperate with help."
He laughs nervously. "Good point."
"I agreed," Kakashi explains, gazing up at Naruto with his eyes curved reassuringly.
Minato snickers. "Only because Rin and Obito were trying to set up a rotating schedule to come check on you."
The boy huffs. "I appreciate they're grateful I kept them safe but their type of fussing is a lot less tolerable than yours."
His dad seems to brighten from this errant comment. Whether if it's because he finds it funny or he's taken it as a compliment Naruto can't say. For all the similarities he shares with the young shinobi, he is quite the mystery to Naruto. His mom is a lot easier to read. She's always excited to share things about herself with Naruto and do things together. She's quickly becoming familiar. A friend.
Naruto's gonna miss her when they go back to the present. He's trying not think about it. It's better to cherish this time. Get to know the girl who will one day be his mom.
"Oh, hey," Naruto calls out, drawing both Kakashi-Sensei and Minato's attention. The two are across the room now next to the chair where Kakashi-Sensei's stuff ended up upon being given this room. His teacher and dad are in the midst of dressing Kakashi-Sensei. The blond's hands are stretching the collar of the boy's shirt, which allows Kakashi-Sensei to bring his head through without pushing the medical mask he wears askew in the process.
Kakashi-Sensei sighs. "Yeah, Menma?" he returns.
Naruto smiles and hopes his uncertainty doesn't show in it. "Um. Saraka. She's busy right now but she really wanted to see for herself you were okay…"
"Send her to my apartment," the young shinobi replies.
Naruto blinks. "Really?" he asks. "If you got like a café or bbq joint near your place, she'd be fine meeting up at one of them with you two over the next couple of days."
Minato pulls a face at the suggestion. "No," he says. "She's welcome to come by." He returns his attention to Kakashi-Sensei; lets go of his collar and ruffles the boy's hair. Naruto's teacher, batters away the blond's hands. "I know our students are friends," he explains. "In her place, I'd be in knots if I had to wait to see one of mine longer than necessary."
"Thank you," murmurs Naruto. He means it too. Minato doesn't care for them (though it's definitely Naruto he actively dislikes right now). For him to make this concession is kind. He's going to make sure Sarada appreciates it. "I swear she won't be a bother."
Minato snorts. "I'm not worried," he replies. "She can't be worse guests than Obito and Rin."
Naruto bites his lip. He wonders what the two did. He itches to ask. Naruto doesn't think his dad will humor him with the story. He'll have to make a mental note to ask Kakashi-Sensei later.
"I'll let her know," Naruto tells the other.
The other shinobi nods. "Of course."
"I'll see you soon, Menma," Kakashi-Sensei tells him as he fastens his mask around his neck.
He waves. "Sure," Naruto agrees before he makes a quick retreat out of the hospital room. When he's alone in the hallway, he breathes out in relief. Naruto leans into the wall behind him.
This isn't a great development. But Kakashi-Sensei being injured does mean he'll be grounded in the village for a bit. Hopefully, once he's healed up a bit, they'll be able to buckle down and solve their dilemma. Go home.
Naruto would really, really like that.
-O-
"So, whatcha think?" Kushina asks, her chin in her hands, from the stool she sits on beside the stove in Naruto's apartment.
The room's a bit small for the tall stool. Kushina is in the way if he's honest; every time he wants to get at the stove he has to squeeze himself between her and the wall. Naruto would have it no other way, though. It reminds him of the first place he and Hinata shared. It had been small too. The memories the action conjures make Naruto feel homey and warm. Two things he's been severely lacking from his life for the last six weeks.
Lowering the spoon he'd used to taste-test the kunoichi's broth, he smiles at her. "It's great!" he tells her.
Kushina lifts her head, cheeks rounding with a grin. "Whew!" she exclaims. "Like, I trust my friends, but I've been practicing my cooking on them a while now. Sometimes I worry I've ruined their tastebuds and they don't know the difference between good food and bad food anymore, y'know?"
Naruto laughs. "I'm sure your cooking wasn't ever that killer," he assures. "Either way, I think this is pretty tasty!"
Flushing with pleasure, the teenager suggests, "Let's add the noodles then."
"Totally!" Naruto agrees.
As requested, Naruto pops them into the broth. Kushina then stands from the stool and together, the two work in tandem to get together everything else they'll need for the ramen they're making. Not ten minutes later, they're seated at the table in the next room slurping down their ramen.
As Naruto's bowl grows close to half-empty, he asks, "So what're your plans for the rest of the day?"
Kushina hums while gnawing on her ramen's boiled egg. "Oh, I dunno," she admits after a moment. "I was going to spend time with Minato. Do some stargazing or somethin' romantic but he's being an ass."
Naruto's stomach knots and his appetite dies. "Really?"
"Yeah!" she huffs, jabbing at a fishcake in her bowl. "I slipped up and said I'm having lunch with you and he became so— so—" She drops her chopsticks altogether and claws her hands in the air. Turning her head, she stares at Naruto with a fretful frown and says, "Minato really doesn't like you, you know?"
Naruto sighs. "I've noticed," he agrees, miserable. "Nothing I'm doing seems to be helping that." He stirs his ramen. "At least he looks like he's warming up to Saraka," he adds to keep the mood from taking a complete nosedive.
"She is a really cool kid," Kushina compliments. "It's hard not to like her." She grins. "I mean, have you seen lil'Kashi? He practically wants to spend all his time with her. That's super strange, you know? Before you two showed up, he was always up Minato's butt."
Naruto, who's in the midst of sipping his glass of water, doesn't choke on it by sheer luck. "That so?" he replies. It's weird to hear his teacher described in such a way. Naruto can only think of a handful of times Kakashi's chased after anybody rather than the other way around.
The kunoichi bobs her head. "Yup, he was always bugging Minato for extra training, lessons, whatever. It didn't matter as long it would help him grow as a shinobi. I could barely get Minato alone for a kiss let alone a date before."
Naruto absorbs this all and swallows. He's known Kakashi-Sensei for decades at this point but his teacher's always been tight-lipped about Naruto's parents (and his childhood). Seeing him interact with Minato, Kushina, his teammate… It's been odd. Showed him an entirely new side of the frequently aloof shinobi.
Sometimes, he feels kind of jealous. Why didn't he get to see this side of his teacher back home? What makes these people so special? Has time really changed Kakashi-Sensei so much?
"Maybe, if you want to earn some favor with Minato, you should have Saraka hang out a little less with Kakashi," Kushina remarks.
Naruto blinks, surprised at the idea. "Huh?"
"I get it," she hurries to reassure him with a couple of pats on his arm. "Kakashi's a genius. Your student's pretty clever herself using him to help you guys out with your dilemma." Kushina pauses then, trepidation pinching the corners of her eyes. Leaning in, she asks him, "Aren't you worried he's going to figure out soon you're from the future?"
"Um," Naruto replies. "You think we should be?" he inquires, a hand running through his hair. Sometimes he wonders why they're still hiding Kakashi-Sensei is also from the future from Kushina. His teacher swears they need to. He's convinced she won't be able to act normal around him if they don't.
Which is something they need from Kushina if they're going to insure their impact on the past is minimal.
Naruto feels pretty guilty about it, though. Kushina's obviously been worrying about him and Sarada even though she doesn't need to. He hopes when (because he doesn't think it's a question of "if" anymore) she finds out she can understand their motive.
At least she'll probably be the angriest with Kakashi-Sensei. Since getting to know his mom, he's come to realize the two of them are not friends at this point in time. They seem to be jealous of one another and hate that they have to share Minato.
Honestly, it'd be funny if it wasn't for his parents and teacher. But it is. So. He'd really like it if they could get along instead. Naruto doesn't think he's going to see it happen, though.
Kushina makes a face. "Yeah, dude," she replies. "Kid's probably almost got it all sussed out already."
Naruto sighs. For as much as she dislikes Kakashi-Sensei, Kushina holds his intelligence in high regard. He cocks his head. Huh. Maybe that's part of the problem between them. Kushina's reading a lot more calculation into little Kakashi's behavior than is probably warranted.
Smart as he is and was at eight, Naruto doubts everything his teacher does is as thought out as she believes. Maybe he should mention that the next time Kushina starts complaining about something the boy's "done" to her. He hopes she listens and doesn't take offense.
His mom's kind of sensitive. Which is a whole other problem. And totally another reason why she and Kakashi don't get along.
"Uh, hello?" Kushina says, waving her chopsticks in his face. "You still there, bud?"
"Yeah, yeah," he replies. "Just thinking about what you said," he explains. "I'll try to keep it in mind going forward," he promises. Then, because he can't help but want his dad to like him, he asks in a voice a touch small, "About Minato. Do you really believe pulling back on using Kakashi might help Minato come around to me?" he questions.
The kunoichi nods enthusiastically. "A hundred percent!" she swears. "Minato is super protective of him. He thinks of the kiddo as a little brother, not just a student. The way you have him working for you in his free time looks like you're exploiting him to Minato."
"Oh," whispers Naruto. He'd never realized the two were that close. Or that's where all of Minato's ill feelings had been stemming.
Kushina's jovial attitude falters. "…Are they not close in the future?" she inquires.
"Kakashi visits him most days," Naruto answers. Which, in a sense, is the truth. He visits the Memorial Stone, where Minato's name is carved, frequently. On special days Naruto knows Kakashi-Senei sees his dad's actual grave too. "He's…" Naruto starts only to trail off as he struggles to find a word to describe Kakashi's repressed behavior. "Private, I guess. Doesn't show how he feels about others in big ways where most people can see."
"Huh," murmurs the teenager, a dimple beginning between her brows as she looks towards the ceiling. "I can believe that," she tells Naruto when she returns her gaze to him. "He's already pretty reserved."
"Yeah," concurs Naruto. He eats a few more bites of his ramen in the comfortable silence that follows. When his bowl is just shy of empty, he says, "Kushina?"
The kunoichi, wide-eyed, asks, "Yes?"
He smiles. "Thanks for coming over," he tells her. "Helping me out. I appreciate it, you know?"
"Don't sweat it!" she chirps. "I love to help." Leaning in over the table, she giggles as she practically bumps foreheads with Naruto. "Plus you're my son."
Naruto flushes. "Right," he mutters, much to the teenager's continued amusement.
Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!