A/N: As far as the point UseFistNotMouth brought up, about Inoichi's characterization, it has admittedly been a couple years since I seriously watched Naruto, so I could be a little off. But I'm sorta using the (fanon?) principle that it is impossible to lie in a mindscape. So everything that Sakura did tell him, he knows is true – especially since she's the kind of girl who will repeat things word for word when being questioned by an authority. As such, his first priority – ascertain Natsu is not a threat – is already handled. It just made sense to me that his next step would be finding a way to remove Natsu, and only after he realizes it's impossible will he try and gather additional information, especially since Konoha as a whole will have to live with a stranger's presence for a while. Only, since I didn't really write from Inoichi's point of view, I guess this didn't come across too well. Thank you for pointing that out!
Also, I've been slowly building out some pre-Lucy jobs and events to add backstory/characterization to Natsu. He references a couple in this chapter, and obviously I've mentioned stuff in previous ones. They aren't canon, just sorta flavor-text, but if anyone was interested I might actually write them up as one-shots/short stories of their own. So feel free to let me know if that's something you'd like me to write!
Inoichi returns before Sakura-chan's sensei does, and Natsu glares at him as he sits in the vacated chair.
"Sakura-chan's parents are understandably upset, and I promised to speak with all three of you together later today. I am aware that it might be awkward for you, you have your own parents-"
"I don't." Natsu crosses his arms, turning his eyes to glare at the hospital blankets instead. "There was only Igneel and he's gone, and NO ONE is taking his place!"
Inochi shifts in his seat, and looks consideringly at Natsu. "You hardly let me finish. I'm not expecting you to treat them like your parents. But you have to understand, you still look like their daughter. Your voice still has the same tone and pitch as their daughter's. Even if you don't treat them like family, they will have a hard time looking at you and seeing a stranger. In all honesty, it would be kinder for everyone to put you in independent housing. However, Sakura-chan was civilian-born. Her parents have already tried very hard to adjust and support her as she joined the shinobi forces, and I don't want to destroy their relationship because of this. Which is why I want to talk to all three of you, together, and hope that we can come to a compromise while we look for a solution to this. Do you understand?"
Natsu shifts uncomfortably, moving his arms to pick at the edges of the blanket. If Romeo woke up one day, and suddenly there was someone else inside him…
Of course everyone would come together and try and fix it, find a way to help, but… there's no way Macao would want to leave Romeo alone, even if it wasn't Romeo… So… even if he'd rather live on his own, is it really okay…?
Natsu's lips contort into a snarl as the blanket tears audibly.
It's not fair! I didn't ask for this! And now they're saying I have to-!
"Natsu-san."
Natsu jerks his head up, pulled from his thoughts by Inoichi's gentle voice.
"Please understand. It is not that I believe your emotions are meaningless. However, you are not one of my people. And my people are more important. If you truly find the situation intolerable, we can arrange separate housing. But I am going to insist that you at least try. For Sakura-chan's sake, if you can't do it for her family's." Inoichi's eyes narrow sharply, the first severe expression Natsu has seen cross his face. "You are the interloper here. If there were even the slightest doubt against this being an accident, you'd be in a cell right now, not a hospital bed. I am already going to have to justify my decision to the Hokage. If you are not willing to compromise with me, you will only be making this harder for both of us. Are we clear?"
Natsu bites back his first response and nods jerkily. "Yeah I gotchu. When's this meeting thing supposed to be anyway?"
Inoichi's posture relaxes as he chuckles. "For all that this isn't a normal situation, it is not an emergency. To expect Hokage-sama to drop everything in a heartbeat for something that can wait is very presumptive. Though I would expect Hatake-san to be back around shortly."
Natsu nods again, sliding back into the mattress and staring up at the ceiling. Inoichi says nothing else, and they both sit in silence.
...problems you can't just blow up are the worst. At least when we went to Edolas we knew what we were doing!
Sorta.
"Hngg…" Natsu grumbles, rolling over to his side to stare out the window. Everything looks so odd, compared to home. Something like loneliness curls through his chest, and Natsu clenches his fists around the blankets.
Stupid! I've been on my own for longer than a day before! This is nothing to get upset over!
The door opens and Natsu bolts upright, exclaiming in relief. "Finally!"
Hatake laughs, leaning against the doorframe. "Someone's eager." he turns to Inoichi. "Hokage-sama asked that we give him ten minutes, then he'll be ready to see us."
"You waited to speak to him directly?"
Hatake shrugs, as a nurse slips past him to start pulling the IVs out of Natsu's arm. "The secretary asked me the reason for the meeting, but I don't want to spread this around until Hokage-sama has his say, so I waited. I hope that wasn't a problem for you?"
Inoichi chuckles, as Natsu all but throws himself out of the bed. "Not at all. It may well be better this way. I just know how much you hate dealing with such official procedures."
Hatake pulls up an air of supreme affront, actually sniffing like one of those stuffed-up nobles who act like they've got dirt under their noses. Natsu laughs, cutting off the sensei's retort, and the silver-haired man's face contorts into a smile under the mask.
"See? Someone appreciates my humor." Hatake gestures, as Inoichi moves to join them and walk out of the hospital.
"You do 'stuck-up noble' better than half the nobles I've seen!" Natsu exclaims, throwing his hands behind his head as they walk. "Of course it's funny!"
The sensei offers a slow blink of surprise. "Maa, you work with enough of them and you just start doing that to see how angry and unnerved you can get them. It's great fun. I get lots of practice."
"Heh, I got banned from jobs with noble clients - apparently there's no such thing as a 'good reason' to blow up their mansions. Which is stupid, cause it's not like I blew it up on purpose!" Natsu glares in offense, and the sensei laughs.
"The entire mansion? I've seen the size of those things. That's a lot of property damage to claim as accidental." The silver-haired man's tone is impressed, but something feels suspicious. Natsu turns to stare intently at him, but can't figure it out.
"Tch. Look, how was I supposed to know they had ALL their fireplaces lit? It wasn't even cold out! And the stupid bastard I was fighting kept saying something about how he knew everything I was gonna do before I did it, and I was just so done with it, you know? So I just called up all the fire I could and overwhelmed him! Doesn't matter if he can see it then! Only there was so much loose fire in the mansion, that I destroyed the whole thing! I didn't mean to!" Natsu drops his arms, crossing them firmly as he silently dares Sakura-chan's sensei to contradict him.
Something about the impressed look on the man's face changes, and Natsu realizes what felt so suspicious before.
He was faking it! But now he's not?
...He milked me for information and I fell for it!
"Pretty brutal way to kill somebody." Hatake offers mildly, with a curious head-tilt.
Natsu trips.
"Wha- no way!" Pushing himself off the ground, Natsu shakes his head violently. "I didn't kill him! Why'ould I do something like that?"
The sensei stares at him in obvious confusion. "...That much fire would definitely burn a man alive."
Natsu shrugs, and starts walking in the direction they'd been heading before. "If I don't want my fire to kill someone it's not going to. I'm the one who controls it after all!"
Out of the corner of his eye, he watches Hatake and Inoichi trade speaking glances, and bites at his lip to keep from grimacing. The rest of the walk is conducted in silence, and Natsu fights not to grimace at the feel of his companions' considering stares.
A couple words are exchanged between Inoichi and a woman who looks like a secretary once they get inside, and they only have to wait a minute before they're given permission to enter a big open room with a desk at the back.
The old man behind the desk has a presence that fills the room, demanding attention like Makarov in his titan form, making the wide open room feel so much smaller.
But that's where the similarities stop, and something like trepidation curls through Natsu as he looks at the man. His presence may feel a bit like the guild Master's at his grumpiest, but there's something missing, some lightness, or friendliness, or something, something that's supposed to say "I'm annoyed but the worst I'll do is thump ya!", and Natsu gets the feeling that this man, this Hokage, would strike to kill if he thought Natsu a genuine threat.
Natsu gulps, and thinks that Inoichi's warning holds a lot more weight than he thought it did.
In the back of his mind, Natsu wonders if Sakura's body would be able to keep up, if it came to blows. He tries to ignore the feeling that it wouldn't, that he'd be lucky to run away, nevermind fight.
There's a suspicious lack of chairs in the office, and Natsu doesn't know whether to be grateful or concerned. Hatake immediately moves to lean casually against the wall, as Inoichi-san strides to the center of the room. Natsu can't manage 'unobtrusive' even on his best days, but he gives it a shot, lurking just to the side of Inoichi and trying to look as non-threatening as possible. Every one of his instincts screams about how dangerous this man is, and Natsu finds himself somewhat relieved to be in Sakura-chan's body for once, because her soft, childish face and slight body is so much more innocent than he could ever manage with his muscular frame and the scars on his throat.
Inoichi-san offers a curt bow to the Hokage once he's within a few feet of the desk, and Natsu awkwardly follows suit, and stubbornly refuses to check out the room any more than he did walking in.
"Inoichi-san."
The Hokage's voice is softer than Natsu expected from a man with such a great presence, but his blond companion doesn't react except to respond.
"Yes."
"I wonder why you wouldn't classify the unwilling possession of one of our shinobi to be an emergency deserving of my immediate attention."
Inoichi-san flinches subtly at the censure in the Hokage's tone, and Natsu bites his tongue on a retort that really would not help.
The blond doesn't let it bother him though, responding smoothly. "After entering their mind, I spoke with both Sakura-chan and Natsu-san. I have ascertained that this was entirely accidental. They bear certain physical similarities that have lead me to-"
"Just cause both our hair is pink doesn't mean we look anything alike." Natsu grumbles under his breath, though Inoichi continues smoothly as though he weren't interrupted.
"-consider the possibility of familial relation. Natsu-san has been entirely non-hostile and willing to cooperate entirely to resolve this situation - as I understand, he would rather return to his home, and is in agreement that this be resolved as quickly as possible. As such, even after I found that the possession is unusually well-anchored, I saw no reason to interrupt more important matters by classifying this as an emergency."
The Hokage shows absolutely no emotion, calmly lacing his fingers as he stares at them. "Even if that is true, I would not expect one of my chief T&I agents to be so lax with our security."
Inoichi doesn't flinch, only inclines his head slightly. "Natsu-san has no knowledge of the Elemental Nations. Sakura-chan mentioned that his nation was called Fiore, and that he had not even heard of Hi no Kuni, much less Konoha itself. As such, as far as security from our enemies is concerned, he is no threat. You know as well as I that the outer continents have never seen fit to bother with us. Steps can be taken once we actually come to a solution if security is still a concern at that time, but for now it would be needlessly excessive."
"I notice that you address Natsu as masculine."
Natsu's fingers twitch at the blatant snub, but he refuses to let them curl into fists. The Hokage's eyes follow the motion anyway, before returning to Inoichi's face.
"Natsu-san is an adult man. He wishes for a quick solution as much for Sakura-chan's sake as his own desire to return home. I believe he would rather see this handled before it becomes necessary for him to take a bath." Inoichi's lips curl into an amused smile, and Natsu turns to glare fiercely at his unwelcome spokesman.
He stumbles as the presence that filled the room unexpectedly lightens with the sound of the Hokage's chuckles.
"I see. My condolences, Natsu-kun. I assume, Inoichi-san, that his continued presence means that this possession is too thorough to be dispelled safely. What have you decided to do to resolve this?"
Natsu stares suspiciously at the Hokage. He can't even find the slightest trace of that crushing presence, even the slightest hint of the old man's willingness to kill him if necessary, but stuff like that doesn't just disappear! If he hadn't felt it before, he'd swear the old man wouldn't even hurt a fly!
Something sharp and uneasy curls through Natsu's stomach, and he wonders if everyone here can act like that, if even Inoichi-san and Hatake could be willing to kill him if necessary but just don't show it…?
Even my instincts feel like he's safe… but clearly…!
"I'm afraid I could not even find the bridge that joins his mindscape with Sakura-chan's. We spent the entire time within her Field. It is possible that the bridge is located in her Heart, but Sakura-chan herself is trapped in there, with no way for her to get out or us to get in, and I am leery of allowing her to investigate herself when she has no training in the arts to protect herself should there be any issues. As such, I have extended an offer to teach Natsu-san some of my clan's techniques, in the hopes that he could learn to use them, and even perhaps teach them to Sakura-chan. I feel that in this situation, the only safe way to handle it would be to instruct them on how to safely resolve it for themselves, rather than risk both their lives trying to fix this as an outsider."
The Hokage's eyes narrow, though the crushing weight of his presence remains absent. "You would teach secret, clan techniques to one not among our people. Even if he holds no allegiance to our enemies, could you be truly certain he would not take advantage of this? That anyone else would not take advantage of this should they learn of it?"
Hatake butts in before Inoichi can respond. "It's especially concerning if he takes to the field as well - after all, unless we want to make an exception for Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun and allow them to operate as a two-man team, Natsu-kun will have to take missions with us. Even if your solution is what's best for them, I admit it doesn't look too good for Konoha as a whole, Inoichi-san."
"I understand these concerns. But, considering the political background of the current Team 7, Natsu-san taking the field is no more dangerous than allowing Sasuke-kun or Naruto-kun to do so. Whether two members or three are high-profile targets, the amount of protection Konoha would provide the team remains the same. Beyond that, Natsu-san has not, in any of my interactions with him, given me the impression of someone who would carelessly or selfishly squander clan secrets. Nor does he give me the impression of having any desire to work with interrogation or infiltration, the two places my clan techniques are most highly used - even if we parted on unpleasant terms, I do not see him attempting to use such techniques against us. It is not in his nature."
...listening to Inoichi-san's defense of him, Natsu thinks that now is perhaps not the best time to mention that one infiltration job he took, back before he was famous enough as the Salamander to not be able to get away with them anymore.
Though, admittedly, it's not like the job was difficult. It's surprisingly easy to convince people you're a criminal when you already like to blow things up. The Magic Council gave him so much grief after that job, the property damage was through the roof, more than triple what he usually does as a member of Fairy Tail, and there might have been some burns and broken bones here and there, but he paid for all the medical bills and damages dammit!
Natsu bites his tongue before he can start complaining about their completely unnecessary investigations, they were the ones who sponsored the job! It was ridiculous!
The Hokage sighs, interrupting Natsu's inner grumbling. "Very well, Inoichi-san. As they are your clan techniques, I will trust you with this. Please keep me updated on any progress. Kakashi-san, shall I take your words to mean that you plan to pass Team 7?"
"Kakashi!"
Everyone looks sharply at him, as Natsu turns to point at the man.
"Eh? I mean, I just couldn't remember your name for the life of me! I was like, it's gotta be Kaka-something, but I couldn't remember. That Sasuke kid called you Kakashi-sensei!"
"Haha, yes, that's correct, Natsu-kun. I am Kakashi Hatake, the Jonin-sensei of Team 7. Admittedly, Hokage-sama, I get the feeling that if it had been Sakura-chan instead of Natsu-kun, they wouldn't have technically passed my test. None of them actually guessed at its true purpose after all. But Sasuke-kun was willing to work together with Natsu-kun, they did say they would have included Naruto-kun if Natsu had realized there was a third team member, and I think that refusing to pass them at this point might cause more problems than it's worth… I suppose I'll just have to take everyone's training a bit more seriously than normal to make sure they're actually ready. So, I suppose you can record this: Team 7, pass." He says the last words with a bright voice that's blatantly fake, and Natsu gives him a suspicious look. Behind him, the Hokage sighs in clear exasperation.
"Very well. Please let me know how your team takes this news, then. I will speak with them myself if they have a hard time accepting this situation. Please note that due to the unusualness of this situation, your team will not take any out-of-village jobs without my direct approval - please do not request any while someone else is manning the missions desk."
Kakashi nods, offering a sharp bow. "Of course, Hokage-sama."
"Then you're dismissed. For now, keep this on a needs-to-know basis."
"Of course." Inoichi offers his own bow, and Natsu follows him as he turns to stride out the door.
"Hatake-san, Natsu-san, please join me for lunch. If Natsu-san is going to be taking Sakura-chan's place on Team 7 until this is resolved, then I'd like to speak with both of you while we work out schedules. We can also take this as a chance to inform Natsu-san of the particularities of his position and hopefully ask some questions of our own?"
The expression on Inoichi-san's face as he looks at Natsu makes the pinkette feel like it's not quite a suggestion, and Natsu gets the feeling that everyone else thinks this is going to be a very long-term situation. Grimacing, he sticks his head in the air.
"Only if you're paying!"
Hatake- Kakashi? Should probably call him Kakashi, Natsu muses, laughs a bit. "Maa, I think Natsu-kun has the right idea. If you're going to host a meeting, you have to provide the food, Inoichi-san."
Inoichi casts a mild glare at both of them, which Natsu meets with stubborn determination. The blond huffs a laugh of his own, and concedes.
"Very well. Please have mercy on my wallet."
Natsu hopes the menus include prices on them in this strange world, because he's going for the most expensive food possible and no one is going to stop him!