While Kushina brings her hair down from the bun she kept it in during her appointment with Tsunade, the blonde kunoichi watches with a question in her eyes. Kushina is pretty sure she knows what it is but for her own amusement pretends not to notice.

At last, the blonde kunoichi makes a noise of exasperation and settles back on her desk; butt shifting some forms as she makes herself comfortable. "Did Kakashi come to dinner like he was supposed to?" she asks Kushina.

She grins at the older kunoichi. "He did!" she answers. Running her fingers through her hair, she tells Tsunade, "It went pretty well. We ate, chatted a bit, and I gave him stuff that used to be Minato's." She pauses, recalling how the night ended. "By the way, do you know who might have introduced him to Jiraiya's dirty books?" she asks.

Tsunade snorts at her question. "He's a teenage boy, Kushina," she says, flicking a stray lock of blonde hair out of her face. "He probably discovered them all on his own."

Kushina doesn't believe that for a second. She states this flatly for the blonde. "Nah," she replies. "Kid's too focused on being the best shinobi he can be. There's no way he went seeking out stuff that can distract him from his goal."

Brown eyes drift away from Kushina and to some sight behind her. "Hmm," hums Tsunade as she presses a fist against her mouth. "Good point," she says when she pulls her hand away. Crossing her legs, Tsunade places her hands behind her on the desk and leans back. "Let me talk to Shizune. She's my connection to the village youth," she explains with a playful smirk.

Kushina perks up at the name and glances around as if it'll make the teen appear from thin air. "Oh hey!" she exclaims. "How is your apprentice? I haven't seen her much these last couple of visits."

Tsunade swings a foot. "I've been letting her take on her own patient load," she tells Kushina with clear pride. "We've been receiving many minor and not-so-minor injuries in the ED with all of the rebuilding these last several months."

She beams at the proud teacher. "Good for Shizune."

"Yes," agrees Tsunade. Her smile slips a little. "I worry a little when it comes time to leave…"

Kushina reached out and touches the blonde's knee. "She'll follow you, you know," she reassures. A shard of nostalgia pricks at her heart and she murmurs to soothe the other kunoichi, "Shizune reminds me a little of Kakashi. She's very dedicated to not just being a medi-nin but to you. Kakashi was the same way with Minato."

The blonde exhales deeply. "Thanks," she says with a small smile. "So, are you going to see Kakashi again when he comes back from his latest mission?"

Kushina looks away. "Ahh."

"What?" presses Tsunade, a little valley forming between her brows.

She winces and picks at the ends of her hair. "I kind of forgot to ask him to dinner again?"

Tsunade stares at her, disbelief and shock clear in her gaze.

Kushina huffs. "He ran off before I could!" she cries as she feels her cheeks start to warm with embarrassment.

Tsunade puts up her pointer finger. "Okay," she says. "Okay." A thoughtful air comes to her and the blonde rubs her chin. "Here's what's going to happen," she begins after a moment. "Who is Naruto with right now?"

"My friend Mikoto," answers Kushina without hesitation.

The blond reaches backward and pulls a black notebook from her mess of papers, scrolls, and books. "Let's see…" she mumbles as she flips through it. Finally, she lands on a page and turns it around for Kushina to see. She realizes then it is Tsunade's planner that she (or more likely, Shizune) pencils her appointments in. "Our next meeting is in two weeks. I'll talk with Hiruzen-Sensei and ensure Kakashi is in the village that day. Mikoto is going to be ''busy'' and you will give Naruto to Kakashi to babysit."

Kushina bites her lip. She feels a little nervous. It's a simple idea; one Kushina knows can work yet…

"You think that's a good idea?" she frets.

Tsunade snorts. "He can manage a baby for an hour."

"I guess," agrees Kushina with some reluctance. Tsunade's not wrong. An hour with a fed, freshly changed, and well-rested Naruto is practically fun these days. He walks and yammers and smiles all the time. He's also easy to entertain with simple games like rolling a ball back and forth or helping him stack blocks.

Still, Kakashi, who's never had the patience for anybody who can't keep up with him is unlikely to feel the same way.

"You'll see," reassures Tsunade.

-O-

When Kakashi swings open the door to his apartment he's barefoot, hair mused, and dressed in a singlet and ratty pair of pants. For a moment Kushina frets she's woken him from sleep and should just call this off and turn around. She'll be a few minutes late to her appointment but she can easily take Naruto to Chine and Hiroaki's place nearby to be babysat by them instead. "Kushina?" he says, at last, blinking at her like he doesn't believe she's real.

Oh great. He probably was asleep. "S—" she starts only to shake her head and square her shoulders. Kushina is here. Half-asleep still or not Kakashi is more than capable of keeping a baby alive and well for an hour. To hide her nerves, she puffs out her cheeks and hitches Naruto, who burbles with interest at the events around him, higher on her hip. "I need you to watch Naruto for an hour," she declares.

Kakashi rears back. "I—"

Stepping forward, she pushes Naruto at Kakashi until he's forced to wrap his hands around the baby's ribs. "Mikoto can't and I have an appointment with Tsunade I'm not allowed to miss," she explains over his protests. Once Naruto is held securely (if inexpertly) in Kakashi's arms, she shrugs off his diaper bag and sets it at Kakashi's feet. "This bag has a couple of snacks, diapers, and a change of clothes," she tells him. Shuffling back out of his apartment, she stands on the threshold and nods at the utterly bewildered teenager. "Summon a ninken if you can't soothe him; it should distract him from whatever he's upset about."

"Kushina," he calls, almost tripping over Naruto's diaper bag as he tries to follow her.

She ignores him in favor of blowing a kiss at her baby. "Mommy loves you," she tells a wide-eye Naruto. With a smile, she says to both, "Thanks, Kakashi! Bye boys!"

"Kushina!" snaps Kakashi as she practically sprints away from him and Naruto.

-O-

The door opens almost as soon as she finishes knocking. It reveals Kakashi on the other side arms crossed. "Kushina," says the teen in a tone spilling with contempt.

She holds back a wince. "Hey," she greats with a weak smile. "How was he?"

Kakashi scoffs and steps back, allowing her entry into his efficiency. "Fine," he answers as Kushina comes inside. Her eyes immediately find her son. He's sleeping curled between two of Kakashi's ninken. Drool drips off his chin as one of the dogs cracks an eye and wags its tail lazily at her.

Well. It seems Kakashi took her advice. She's a little disappointed. Kushina had hoped he might try to bond with Naruto a bit on his own. She lifts her gaze from her son and seeks out Kakashi. He's on his bed, slumped against the wall, legs out in front of him, calves and feet dangling off the edge.

There is a distinct tightness around his visible eye. She remembers when Obtio used to cause that look. Her throat spasms at the memory.

"Are you mad at me?" she croaks as she tries to rid herself of her sorrowful thoughts.

Kakashi sinks further into his sulk and snarks, "Way to state the obvious."

She can't stop the instinctive way her hands curl into fists. "I wouldn't have left Naruto here alone if there was a better option, you know!"

The teen narrows his eye. "There are a thousand better options," he says. "Most would give up a hand to watch the Yondaime's son for an hour."

She scowls. "He's not the Yondaime's kid, he's Minato's!" she all but shouts. "I want him with people who know that! Who'll care for him because they cared about Minato."

As she heaves for breath, Kushina realizes Kakashi has gone taunt where he lays. His eye is haunted and his nails pierce into the flesh of his arms. She takes a step toward the teen. "Hey," she calls.

One of Kakashi's ninken, a smaller tan and white dog with slanted eyes and big teeth, plants himself in the way. "Don't," he growls. "Not unless you're looking to deflect a kunai."

She jolts. "What?" she whispers, horrified.

"Don't take it personal," says one of the dogs, a pug Kushina thinks is named Pakku or something. "Boss gets set off by a lot of stuff."

Kushina feels lost but holds still and watches as another, larger summon with bandages wrapped around its head goes and lays its snout on Kakashi's leg. "Boss," they call. "Boss, the pup needs you."

Kakashi snaps back into awareness and throws himself upright. "Naruto?" he demands.

"Here," says the pug, gesturing with a paw at the largest dog and her baby who are still cuddled up together in the middle of the efficiency. "He needs you to hand him back to his mom."

Slowly, Kakashi's eye drifts to her. "Right," he says. "You probably want to get on with your day, don't you?"

No. She'd rather stay here and get to the bottom of this unsettling behavior. Kushina is more than aware that's not an option. Not today. Maybe not ever given how intensely private Kakashi is.

So she finds all she can do is nod. The teen gets off the bed and plucks Naruto from his ninken's side. He also accepts the strap of Naruto's bag from the jaw of another dog. Kushina puts out her hands for both and is careful to not brush against Kakashi's skin as she takes her son and the bag.

"Thanks, Kakashi, for taking good care of him," she says. "It wasn't fair to spring him on you I know."

The teen shrugs a shoulder. "It wasn't so bad," he fibs. "I… would do it again. Maybe with more warning though?"

Kushina wants to cry. This is forgiveness, a truce, and a hand of friendship all rolled into one. This kid, man. Kushina feels she is starting to see why Minato loved him so much.

Someday maybe she can love him too.

"Yeah," she agrees. "Okay."

Thank you so much for reading and let me know what you think!