Heart Like Mine

Akashiori sat on the floor, his forearms balanced loosely on bent knees in front and head tilted upwards against the wall. He sighed for what seemed like the twentieth time in two hours.

Next to him, Minato stood patiently as always, infuriatingly calm with lips twitching into a badly hidden smirk at every sigh. Had Uzuhara Naruto been on the surface, he would have scrunched his face and stuck out his tongue, but Akashiori had too much pride to do something so juvenile. So instead, he sent death glares in retaliation.

They were waiting opposite the double doors leading into the Third Kazekage's office for Sakumo to emerge from his meeting. No amount of subtle probing and blatant questioning had Akashiori been able to get him to disclose the mission details. Honorable men were the bane of his life, the Hunter-nin thought as he elbowed Minato's knee to wipe away the latest smirk.

After facing Chiyo, the group had immediately headed for Sunagakure. Akashiori had attempted to join the meeting but was promptly kicked out even when he insisted he had the Hokage's approval. He had sent Shiro back to get Konoha's side of the mission, but he needed Suna's part, as well as knowledge of the conversation between the two in the office to make any judgment on the situation.

But those men were stubborn, so he decided to join the meeting shinobi style.

Akashiori had tried to slip one of his fox summons inside the room but had been foiled by the security seals. Then he had tried to infiltrate the room by transforming into a beetle but had been foiled again by a different set of security seals. So the Seal Master had tried to take apart all of the seals on the office but discovered over thirty of them, which would take him half a year at the very least.

Two hours later, he had storm clouds in his mindscape and seriously considered pulling Haikage's rank to order stupid Hatake to tell him.

He grumbled under his breath.

A hand ruffled his hair as the ANBU Captain squatted down to peer at his face.

"Hey, calm down," Minato said and grinned when Aka knocked away the hand. "I'm sure you'll find out from Hokage-sama. Let's tour around the village for now."

The smaller blonde shot Minato another death glare when the hand settled back on his head. On top of everything, this idiot had watched all of his attempts with a smirk permanently etched on that face he wanted to Katon so badly, and how much he liked those eartails would hold no weight when he would make his decision to burn it all off.

"I need to know how this will affect relations between Suna and Konoha," he objected, "and I need to find out before we leave."

Minato tilted his head quizzically. "What exactly do you do for the Hokage? Aside from typical Hunter-nin missions."

Instantly, all expression smoothed away from Akashiori's face. "I cannot tell you that, Minato. That is between Hokage-sama and myself. All I will say is that my work pertains to international relations," he said coolly.

Minato smiled and sighed gently. "It's okay, Aka, I'm sorry for prying." He sat down next to the Hunter-nin and studied his hard profile. "Just let me know if you ever need anything, and I'll do my best to help."

At Minato's soft words of acceptance, Akashiori's tension uncoiled and he hung his head. "Please forgive me," he turned his tired eyes towards Minato. "I overreacted. Stress from recent inaction and the last several days have been wearing down on my cognitive functions."

"Dummy, there's nothing to forgive," he slung a comforting arm over Aka's shoulders, surprised at the absence of his friend's usual flinch. "You'll have more chances to ask him over the next few days."

He felt a resigned nod from next to him, and they fell silent again.

Half an hour later, he felt Aka's head slump against his side after giving up the fight to stay awake. Chuckling about how the sleeping shinobi would no doubt jump away in mortification when he woke in this position, Minato brushed aside the messy bangs for a closer look at his unguarded face. With this chance for unobstructed study, he noted the Hunter-nin's breathing made no sound even in sleep, an indication of familiarity with situations where a lapse in stealth could lead to immediate death. Seeing the thin lines on his cheeks, Minato wondered how he came to have those whisker mark scars. Maybe it was from his torture sessions in the past, Minato thought with an inward wince.

He considered the mental scars which Naruto suffered. Over the two months of the inaction he had mentioned, Naruto had strengthened enough for Minato to stay in his mind for around an hour each day. He had gotten to watch the gradual repair of the grey sky, grass sprouting from the barren ground, and Naruto's personality calming and returning to that of before.

Minato had been disturbed the first time he heard Naruto giggle in his mindscape. The sound was unsettling coming from of someone with so much pride, and both he and Naruto were relieved that it was one of the first things to fade. Naruto had been so thrilled that the grey sky lightened a shade as he whooped in glee. All in all, it was a fascinating experience. He had never been in his own mindscape, but according to Yamanaka-san, Naruto's was the most elaborate he had ever walked. Could that mean Naruto knew his own mind better than anyone else did their own? What made Naruto so different? He had vaguely mentioned something about reshaping, but how did that work?

Before he knew it, Minato's floating thoughts and the warm weight at his side drew him into a doze.

That was the scene Sakumo and the Kazekage walked into as they exited the office. They saw two boys sleeping against the wall, the smaller blonde leaning against the larger blonde who had an arm around the other and his cheek pressed to unruly hair.

It was a sweet sight. Both men wondered how these two innocent-looking boys could be two of the deadliest shinobi, but their actions when the door opened were evidence of their competence as they saw both boys tense, unnoticeable to anyone aside from the most capable of ninja. Both opened alert blue eyes as they assessed the situation and relaxed only after sensing no danger.

"Kazekage-sama, Hatake-san, I hope your meeting is progressing smoothly," the Hunter-nin greeted as he extracted himself hastily from Minato who also rose to his feet with another smirk. To Akashiori's irritation, the two men nodded but didn't reveal any details or even a tiny hint of what that progress entailed.

Instead, the Kazekage turned to the three and bowed.

"Hatake-san, Namikaze-san, Aka-san. I must apologize for the actions of my citizens and the harm they have caused you and your team. It was a grave error on my part to have allowed such an attack to occur, and words will never be enough to express my regret. The perpetrators will be duly punished for their actions. If you would like, I will leave the method up–"

"No!"

Three pairs of surprised eyes swiveled to look at the Hunter-nin.

Despite his firm stand against Chiyo's punishment, Akashiori's eyes dropped in embarrassment. "I-I mean…I believe we should also consider her side of the story…" he trailed off lamely.

However, Sakumo agreed. "I was about to suggest the same. Her actions, while extreme, were fueled by the consequences of my actions in the past. She had the option of killing me but chose not to. I have already forgiven her. No, I'm the one who wishes for her forgiveness. Furthermore, we have already been healed. Please do not punish Chiyo-san."

"You are too kind," the powerful leader sighed, considering their defense.

"Very well. She will not escape punishment, but the sentence will be reduced at your request. Sunagakure is in your debt, Hatake-san, as she is an asset to my village, regardless of her foolishness."

"Kazekage-Jij…er…Kazekage-sama," three pairs of eyebrows rose at Akashiori's slip. He his eyes dropped again in embarrassment, inwardly cursing Naruto's awful manners. "Please don't mention anything about this to Sasori unless Chiyo-san decides to tell him. He is merely a child, and his mind is fragile. I hope he will not suffer from her decisions."

The Kazekage smiled and nodded. "I will follow your wishes, Aka-san." He chuckled. "I do not know what to make of you, Hunter-san. You are a seasoned fighter immersed in the darkest side of shinobi life, yet you are innocent and unmarked by its cruelties. That is an admirable quality."

Within his mindscape, Naruto couldn't help but chuckle darkly at the irony.

That evening over dinner, Minato finally had a chance to introduced Sakumo and the Hunter-nin.

Akashiori was fascinated by how the man was like a more refined version of Kakashi-sensei, and he was most qualified to make that observation because the Kakashi he last saw was probably around the same age as Sakumo now. The two Hatakes were no doubt father and son, but while Kakashi could look and act commanding at times, Sakumo held the natural air and mannerisms of a leader without effort. Every feature and every action screamed confidence.

He didn't know whether it was because of Kakashi-sensei's lazy habits, but the duo fit the stereotype of the elder always looking wiser and more powerful even when the offspring reached the same age. Like how the ex-king would always seem more distinguished than the prince-turned-king, or how the predecessor would always seem more knowledgeable than the successor.

"Sakumo-senpai, this is Aka, Hunter-nin of Konoha. Aka, this is Hatake Sakumo-san, the most powerful shinobi in Konoha."

Sakumo coughed into the glass of water he had been about to drink from but grinned charmingly. (Naruto snickered from his mindscape as he guessed the father also had a much, much bigger fanclub than the son.)

"Minato-kun! I'm nowhere near the most powerful," he denied. "I could never measure up to you, Hokage-sama, and countless others in Konoha."

"Hah, he's too modest," Minato mock whispered to Aka. "He beat Jiraiya-sensei in a fair match just a few months ago, and Orochimaru-senpai always disappears during Sakumo-senpai's Shinobi Assessment."

Akashiori didn't know whether to grin, scowl, or slump at the mention of the Sannin, so he pasted one of Naruto's childhood fake smiles. "I was quite impressed by the incredible lightning panther jutsu you used earlier. I believe you agreed to teach me the move."

"Did I say that?" He set an elbow on the table to lean his chin in his hand, head tilted in thought and eyes fixed on the Hunter-nin's face.

Sakumo laughed as he recalled his replying grunt to Aka's request during battle. "I guess I did, Aka-kun. It would be a pleasure to teach such a talented student. And thank you, both of you, for saving me and my team earlier. You were the impressive ones."

As the Past's history and the man's demise came to mind, Akashiori hid his grimace behind another fake smile, biting out a curt reply, "It was nothing."

"We only helped out a bit at the end," Minato agreed.

That night in the privacy of the rooms provided for their stay, Sakumo asked a question which had been nagging him since the ambush.

"Aka-kun, how did you know of Chiyo's plans?"

Shit…

Akashiori projected grave professionalism.

"I received intel from an inside source about strange activities within Suna. Money trails, imports, unexplained movements at night," he lied. "I made the connection that they were targeting your team when those activities stopped several days ago and when I heard that you left for an important mission at the same time."

To Akashiori's relief, Sakumo ate up the story. The man placed his hand firmly on the Hunter-nin's shoulder in gratitude. "I cannot thank you enough. I owe you and Minato-kun my life and the lives of my teammates. You two are truly the epitome of protectors serving Konoha."

"Nah, like Minato said, we only helped at the end." Despite flinching under the hand, a bit of Naruto slipped harmlessly through. He pulled away and settled his arm on Minato's shoulder but was unable to hide the flattered grin on his lips.

While Sakumo studied the Hunter-nin in puzzlement, Minato looked down at him in surprise. This was the first sign of a stable Naruto he had seen on the surface since his long-term mission. It was also the first time in the last two months that he had initiated casual contact.

Minato frowned inwardly. Was it because of Hatake-senpai?

They conversed pleasantly through the evening. A little more of Naruto laughed with them as he finally relaxed in the presence of a new acquaintance. Sometime during the conversation, he had gotten comfortable enough to share his real name. It was only his first name, but it made him seem a bit more alive and those sapphire orbs a bit more vibrant.

That was until Sakumo made an innocent comment which meant much more to Naruto even before the he himself understood why.

"Oh, Minato-kun, isn't it your birthday in a few days? The twenty-fifth, right? How old are you turning?"

"What?" Minato paused, eyebrows raised, and then chuckled lightly. "That completely slipped my mind. I don't know how you remembered, but thank you for reminding me. I'm turning twenty."

Naruto froze.

'Kyuu…it's January right?' He asked uneasily. 'W-what happened to my birthday?'

Kyuubi also froze, not knowing how to answer.

'October. It's in October. Where was I in October?'

'Kit…' the fox trailed off.

Minato looked to his side when he felt a tug on his wrist. "Naruto?"

"Minato…" a confused expression met Minato's eyes blankly when Kyuubi offered no words, "I'm nineteen…"

The older blonde's eyes widened as he caught on immediately, hoping against hope that he wasn't referring to a certain time and that the birthdate didn't match up to that time. To the side, Sakumo watched the exchange curiously with silent questions about the sudden changes in the Hunter-nin's behavior and recalling the breakdown in the desert, as well as the sudden lift in mood earlier. He recognized glaring signs of mental instability.

"I don't know what happened to my birthday. I used to be eighteen. Where was I on the tenth of October?"

Minato's heart sank. "Naruto, I guess your birthday slipped your mind too, but let's celebrate ours together, alright?" He tried to lead the Hunter-nin's thoughts away from the date. "We'll take a day off and find some fun things to do around the village. We'll have ramen for dinner and maybe light some small fireworks and have cake. What's your favorite flavor?"

"It was Hanzou, wasn't it?" His lost eyes darkened in remembrance.

Minato switched tactics. "Aka. Aka. Are you there?" He tried to call out the Hunter-nin persona before Naruto slipped too far.

"Minato, I-I spent my nineteenth birthday being tortured, didn't I?"

Sakumo's breath stuck in his throat. The pieces which were previously disjointed now fell into place. The breakdown, mood shifts, flinching. They could all be explained as remnants of such trauma. This young man survived torture just several months ago, but he's already back in the field, he noted with admiration and concern as he mentally listed the methods to calm victims, and he's only nineteen. He now realized why both blondes' eyes had hardened when the Kazekage made his remark about Naruto's innocence.

"Didn't I?" Naruto repeated the question with distraught emphasis.

"Hey, where are Aka and Shiro?" Minato brushed aside his friend's messy bangs to better see into his eyes.

Naruto gripped Minato's wrist. "Aka and I are starting to mix back together. Shiro says that's good. If I get through this one myself, I'll get better. But…but…the memories are starting to come up," Naruto looked over at Sakumo and flinched.

Kakashi-sensei…

Sakumo saw a glimpse of the wild, glazed eyes before they snapped away as if the boy had seen something terrifying in him.

"Do you want me go to in?" Minato asked with urgency, wrapping some of his chakra around Naruto's hand.

Naruto shook his head forcefully and tried to calm his shallow breaths. "I have to do this outside. We just have some more. Just some more until the sky is fixed." His grip on Minato's wrist was almost bruising.

He squeezed his eyes shut to concentrate on the layers upon layers of memories seeping out, slowly opening himself to accept them instead of letting the fear of discovery overwhelm his mind. They were of his last years in Academy and the first few years as genin when he had begun the long road to proving himself worthy of acknowledgement. These weren't too bad. Disappointment and ridicule, fear and anxiety, failure and loss. But these weren't too bad…

Naruto could feel tears spilling out as thoughts of how he had fallen so low circled around these memories. He was supposed to be strong enough to become the Rokudaime Hokage, damn it! But here he was, barely able to face himself. Moreover, he was showing this pathetic side of him to the future Yondaime Hokage whom he had idolized so many years ago and still looked up to even through resentment.

Do I still resent Namikaze Minato? The question floated forward from the back of his mind.

No, he decided, he didn't resent this Minato. This Minato was unrelated to the Past Yondaime because his return to the past had changed the man, and the Past Naruto was going to make sure this time's Naruto would never go through the same horrors he did.

He felt a pang in his heart which he identified as jealousy but shoved it aside immediately.

His new promises gave his broken ones a steadier ground to rest and with them went some of his sorrow. Gradually, Naruto's breaths evened out as the memories calmed and settled. The negative feelings were still there, but it wasn't shredding – only pounding.

He opened his eyes, bright once more, and grinned.

"I made it."

At those three solid words, Minato met the grin with a proud smile and ruffled his friend's hair. "Good job. Where are you with the sky?"

"The hard part's still coming, but it shouldn't be too long now."

"And how's that trench?"

"Uhh…" he shuffled his feet guiltily, "that's still there. I think Aka was right about it taking ages to fix."

"One step at a time, Naruto. Now can you let go of my wrist?"

Naruto glanced down and swore when he saw the bruised skin under his hand. He pursed his lips in displeasure and looked at it helplessly.

"Hey, it's fine," Minato said gently, coating his other hand in green healing chakra and applying it to the injury. "See?"

Naruto examined the healed wrist in relief. He opened his mouth to ask for lessons in medical techniques when a cough from the side caught their attention and caused both blondes to jump and blush. Naruto had forgotten about Sakumo standing in the room with them and that he had seen the entire embarrassing show. He braced himself for the questions and pity that were sure to come.

"Sorry Sakumo-senpai. We got, um, distracted," Minato frowned, also bothered by the audience.

"Don't worry, boys. It was my fault."

"No, no, no. It wasn't your fault," Naruto waved his hands to refute the claim. "I was the one who freaked out. But um…"

"I won't ask, Naruto-kun. I've already forgotten it," Sakumo chuckled at Naruto's surprise. "If both of you are taking the day off, perhaps I could treat you to dinner–" He cut off when Minato's lips twitch downwards ever so slightly and wondered in amusement whether the ANBU Captain realized his own displeased expression. "On the other hand, how about I treat you two after we return to Konoha? The next several days will be quite busy."

At the indirect mention of the mission, Naruto reflexively brought out Akashiori for another attempt at extracting information from the man. He was pleased to note that the act was becoming more of a shift than a replacement of personas.

"Hatake-san, may I have a word with you?" Akashiori turned to Minato and squeeze a shoulder. "I apologize, Minato. This concerns my work for Sandaime-Jijii. However, I can come find you when I finish here. What would you like to do?"

"I'll wait," Minato answered a bit too quickly. "We should review what just happened before we sleep."

"Thank you. I will be out soon."

As they left the private lounge, a stab of guilt shot through him for keeping secrets from the Minato who had stuck by him and had been his support from the very beginning. He hadn't asked a single question about his work except the one earlier nor had he pressed for answers. It wouldn't be surprising if he had already worked out the inconsistencies and was just holding back for courtesy's sake.

Akashiori spared a last glance back.

Just before the door closed behind them, cutting off his view of the man leaning patiently against the wall, he made a silent promise to himself and to Minato that he would somehow amend that.

The room they entered was a luxurious guest room. At the sight, another memory bubbled up. It was of one of his many visits to Suna when Gaara had been the Godaime Kazekage. The image of Gaara's silent glare when he had asked for directions to a nearby hotel was a warm mix of bitter and sweet and brought a smile to his lips. And how he had taught his stuffy friend (forced him to learn) the fun of bouncing on those immaculately prepared beds. Seeing the stoic leader of Sunagakure bouncing on the mattress with an awed expression on his face had been one of the funniest moments in his life.

Gaara…

"Naruto-kun?"

The Hunter-nin jumped when Sakumo bent down to look into his unfocused eyes. When had he gotten so close, and how had he not sensed him?

"Thinking of something?" Sakumo asked with a wink as he led them over to armchairs.

"What?"

"You blanked out with a cute smile when you walked in. Pleasant thoughts?"

Akashiori sputtered at the word 'cute' but smiled again softly. "Yes…it was a…good memory. Yes, Suna is filled with wonderful memories."

Sakumo marveled at the honesty and the innocence that the Kazekage had accurately perceived. His question had meant to tease but its original intent had been lost when it reached Naruto's ears, and out of those softly smiling lips came such purity and sincerity. How surprising for one who had been through as much as he. Or maybe not surprising if it was Naruto.

"So, Naruto-kun, what is it you wanted to speak to me about?"

"Hatake-san, perhaps it would be better if you called me by my codename Aka during this meeting," Akashiori said as he stood and fastened his red mask.

Suddenly, he was dangerous.

This was no longer a troubled young man but a full-fledged veteran tracker and killer who knew perfectly well just how deadly he was and who had already instinctively calculated all the ways to kill him in an instant. The friendly gait from a moment ago was gone; now his presence was one of a commander and predator. Sakumo could guess what the Hunter-nin wanted – he had been asking all day – and under the authoritative force and piercing gaze of this man, he didn't know if he could stand his ground.

"Hatake-san, I am in need of the details to this mission and the business between Konoha and Suna. I was hoping you could tell me about it."

Sakumo shivered at the combination of polite wording, chilling undertone, and demanding eyes.

However, Sakumo also knew how powerful and dangerous he himself was and drew his body to its full height, a full head taller than the Hunter-nin. "Aka-san, I am afraid I cannot do that, as I have sworn an oath of secrecy. I can and will only reveal the details to Hokage-sama and Kazekage-sama."

Akashiori clenched his jaw. "I have already received the Konoha side of this mission. You merely need to share your progress here."

Sakumo replied without missing a beat. "I still cannot say."

Trying to get anything from this man was like pulling teeth. From the resolute tone and posture, Akashiori could tell the man wasn't going to back down even in the face of death, and he certainly couldn't kill the man for being loyal to their village. That would defeat the purpose of saving the man and leave Kakashi-sensei as an orphan once again.

Beyond frustrated, he allowed himself to flare a compressed burst of killing intent, all of it concentrated on Hatake, before stepping back to lean his hip against the chair and think.

Sakumo released a deep shuddering breath; that instant of pressure was more petrifying than any he had felt before. This Hunter-nin was angry and ready to snap at him from irritation – or maybe he had already snapped – and it scared him shitless.

Regardless, he would never betray Konoha.

Heavy silence stretched for minutes until Akashiori straightened again, this time with his spine taller than ever and eyes full of conviction. He reached into his pouch to unseal a scroll which he clutched in a death grip and snapped his hard, calculating eyes up to Sakumo's.

This was a different Aka than before.

"Hatake-san, do you know who I hate working against the most?" The Hunter-nin asked, voice like honey but tone like steel.

Sakumo answered by narrowing his eyes.

"I hate dealing with honorable men like you who have the mind and will to uphold his principles. They make the best teammates but the worst enemies," Akashiori paused. "But we are not supposed to be enemies, are we?"

Without waiting for a reply, he continued in an overpowering voice of a true commander. "Hatake Sakumo, loyal shinobi of Konohagakure, I order you as Sandaime Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen's second-in-command to report the details of your current mission to Sunagakure." He handed over the scroll in his hand. "This scroll holds proof of my position and authority. What will your answer be?"

To say that Sakumo was shocked would be the understatement of the century.

This was the farthest from anything he had expected. He had thought of the possibility of an imposter or treason, the possibility of a test of loyalty, or even the possibility of an egotistical man who had grown too arrogant. The prodigious mind he had been gifted with had come up with a long list of possibilities in less than a minute…

But not this.

He never even thought to consider possibility because it was so far-fetched. This unassuming young man, nineteen years of age, vulnerable and dependent, kind and mischievous, damaged and suffering, with neither name nor face recognizable in the village as Hokage-sama's right hand man? In the thirty some-odd years of his life, he had come across many unbelievable claims, more often than not false, but this was the most unbelievable of them all.

However, here in his hands was the official document, signed in blood, chakra, and Kage-level security seals proving Aka's claim true. It also stated that all demands and actions by this Hunter-nin were considered to have come from the Sandaime Hokage and were to be carried out with his full backing.

His usual composure couldn't keep up with the information just revealed. The scroll slipped from his hands when his arms went slack, but it was snatched from the air, resealed, and replaced in Aka's pouch before he could blink.

"Hatake-san?"

The Hunter-nin's voice was gentler, missing that razor-sharp edge which had skimmed dangerously over his skin. He was back to the previous Aka.

"Since we are to be working closely together, perhaps I should introduce myself properly. My full name is Uzuhara Naruto. My full Hunter-nin codename is Akashiori. You are now the second person in this world, aside from myself, to know the connection between Akashiori and Uzuhara Naruto. I hope to keep it that way, Hatake-san." Akashiori's eyes hardened again through the eyeholes of the mask. "Please refer to me as Aka on duty and Naruto off duty."

"Does Minato-kun know?" Sakumo's subtle request for time to collect himself.

Akashiori made the allowance. "He does not know that Naruto and Akashiori are the same entity, though, I believe he suspects a connection between Aka and Akashiori. He is as shrewd as he is honorable," Akashiori grimaced, "much like you."

Sakumo nodded his thanks before pulling out a scroll and offering it to the Hunter-nin. "Here are the mission details, Aka-sama."

Akashiori snorted lightly, the tension in his shoulders dissipating. "It's Aka. That honorific, or any honorific, is not befitting for this name."

Sakumo's arched his eyebrow quizzically. The Hunter-nin worded the reply as if he owned a different name that did match the honorific, which wasn't so unbelievable since he already held three.

"Hatake-san. I will have this back to you by the morning. I appreciate your cooperation, as well as your unwavering loyalty to Konohagakure. You will be called upon for further services in the future," Akashiori tilted his head forward in the smallest of bows. "I must take my leave. I should not keep Minato waiting any longer."

The smaller man removed his mask, and he was suddenly the softly smiling young man with soulful sky-blue eyes again.

"Do you want to come with us?" Even his speech had changed.

"Thank you for the invitation, Naruto-kun, but I need to retire early. I have an early morning with the Kazekage tomorrow."

"Hatake-san…I'm really sorry for pulling rank earlier," Naruto said remorsefully. "I know you were just doing your job, and you were doing it really well, too. And…please don't treat me like your superior. I don't want to be considered one, at least not when I'm Naruto or even when I'm Aka."

"Kazekage-sama was right about not knowing what to make of you," Sakumo chuckled. "I can't do that when you are Aka-san, but I'll be your equal when you are Naruto-kun, so you must call me Sakumo in return."

Naruto furrowed his brow. "Hmm…I guess you're way too young to be another 'old man,' so you're my senpai," he grinned and backed out of the room. "Well, I'll leave you to your beauty sleep, Sakumo-senpai. Good night!"

Before his door swung shut, Sakumo saw Naruto attack Minato with apologies for taking too long and Minato respond by slinging an arm over the smaller man's shoulders to steer the two out of sight. With a bemused shake of his head, Sakumo accepted the young man for who he was and felt respect, which had nothing to do with rank, swell within him.

The rest of their stay in Suna was uneventful. After Naruto skipped out of Sakumo's room, he had remained the cheerful Uzuhara Naruto, only slipping into his Hunter-nin persona when he met with the Kazekage and Sakumo. Minato didn't know how he'd done it, but Naruto had somehow gotten tight-lipped Sakumo-senpai to give in and talk and even convinced the Kazekage to allow him into the meetings. Incredible.

He tried not to feel left out, but waiting, training, and rereading jutsu scrolls alone for hours at a time made it a little difficult to ignore. It was irrational. Duty came first, and who was he to demand entrance into political affairs?

However, his birthday – their birthday – more than made up for his displeasure. Naruto took half the day off, and during their stroll through the village, they stumbled across Suna's civilian gaming arcade. It had been a surprise and a laugh to learn that Naruto had frequented casinos for the last six years but had never even heard of an arcade. Then they watched expert puppeteers at work, and spent the rest of the night just as Minato had planned: Suna's best ramen for dinner, hand-held fireworks, and a cake with nineteen plus one candles. Naruto had thanked him with a huge smile and a desperate hug for giving him the best birthday so far even if it wasn't the official day. That smile, bigger and brighter than any Minato had ever seen, was the greatest birthday gift anyone could have given him.

Now on the journey back to Konoha, Minato watched Naruto fidget, and it got worse as they neared the village. As they crossed the West Gate, he had even begun to slow his pace.

"Naruto, what's wrong?"

Naruto threw Minato a pitiful look. "Sandaime-Jijii is going to kill me," he smiled weakly. "I forgot to report to him over the last week. He sent his monkey summons to check up on us, but I got distracted and…brushed him off."

Minato's jaw dropped open. "You brushed off Hokage-sama's direct messenger?"

Naruto nodded and fidgeted once more. "Twice. I brushed him off twice… You'll help me face him right? The old man can be a devil when he wants to, and I'm pretty sure he's been stewing for a few days…"

"…I can try but I don't know what went on, and I didn't send any of my summons either," Minato paled. "I think I might also be in the red zone."

Naruto blanched. "Crap, that's right. I dragged you with me without permission," he dropped his face into his palms with a groan. "That's another mark against me."

Sakumo chuckled from behind at these two elite shinobi bemoaning their irresponsibility and possible doom, especially Naruto who was supposed to be second highest in the chain of command.

"Naruto-kun, Minato-kun. You will be fine," he assured them, hiding his amusement behind a cough. "If not, I will be there to support your case."

Hope shined in Naruto's eyes, and relief in Minato's.

"You'd do that?"

"Of course." Sakumo set a hand on Naruto head as he had seen Minato do often but pulled it back in disappointment when he felt the flinch. "You two saved our lives, after all."

He then smirked and added, "But only if you come over for dinner tonight. Kakashi would love to see you again, Minato-kun, and I would like you to meet my son, Naruto-kun. I'm sure he would be eager to befriend a delightful young man like you."

Naruto sputtered again as he seemed to do often in Sakumo's presence but tensed a moment later. Seeing Kakashi-sensei… He feared his reaction to seeing someone from the Past. Aside from the Sandaime, he had only officially met people he had heard stories about. But the one time he saw the child version of Iruka-sensei from afar, he had turned into a hysterical mess of tears. He didn't know how he would react to interacting with the child version of Kakashi-sensei who had been just as precious to him.

Naruto forced one of his fake smiles. "Of course, Sakumo-senpai! That would be great. I bet your son looks just like you."

While Sakumo laughed, Minato furrowed his brow. He couldn't help thinking that something seemed off about Naruto's expression, and this hadn't been the first time either. Since arriving in Suna, he had sensed something strange multiple times, but he couldn't tell what or why. The first time had been during dinner on their first evening at Suna, and it had appeared many times after. There seemed to be little consistency in their appearances, but he was sure it had something to do with Naruto's past and possibly related to Sakumo-senpai. But they had only met a week ago…

Just as Sakumo said, the meeting with the Sandaime-Jijii had turned out fine. There had only been a full hour of scolding and lecturing, and it was only a week of night-shift Gate Watch Duty. At least Minato would be joining him half of the time… Who was he kidding; the meeting had sucked. The only reason Gate Watch was only one week was because the Hokage needed him for other missions.

Naruto shook his head to rid himself of the dread of the boring task.

Now he, Minato, and Sakumo were heading to the man's house for another dreaded task of dinner with Kakashi. It's a wonder that he hadn't run away yet. He had pulled out his deception skills to hide his anxiety, but it didn't seem to be working since Minato was throwing him worried looks. He was an idiot to think he could remain undetected under his friend's sharp, perceptive eyes, especially when those eyes were familiar with every one of his expressions, but thankfully Minato was also tactful and held back from mentioning his agitation in front of Sakumo.

By the time Sakumo unlocked the entrance to his clan compound, Naruto was suppressing the urge grab onto Minato's ANBU vest like a child to calm his nerves, and he was only able to hold back because, like Minato, he didn't want to ruin Sakumo's lighthearted mood.

Without warning, the door to the main house flew open and a small silver blur knocked into the man.

"Dad!"

Naruto snapped his eyes to the owner of the voice, swallowed, and stared. Kami, it was miniature-Kakashi-sensei, and he was adorable. The skinny kid was barely four feet tall with part of his height made up by his signature spiky hair. His eyes didn't droop, and he showed more positive enthusiasm in ten seconds than Kakashi-sensei did over any single mission.

And he wasn't wearing a mask! No one had ever succeeded in finding out what was under that infuriating mask, and to find out this way was hilarious, yet at the same time like something was tearing at his insides. The unveiled face was grinning widely at Sakumo, chattering about his week and asking about the mission. This little boy only had eyes for his father.

"Kakashi, wait a minute. There's someone I'd like you to meet," Sakumo turned his son around to face the two blondes. "You remember Minato-kun, right?"

Kakashi nodded slowly but his suspicious gaze was focused on the stranger.

"Now, I want you to meet Naruto-kun. This incredible man saved mine and my teammates' lives from an ambush on our mission. He is the reason I made it home today." He looked up from his son. "Naruto-kun, this is my boy, Kakashi."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes and took a bold step forward.

Naruto stepped tentatively forward and formed another fake smile down (down!) at him. "Hi Kakashi-kun, my name is Uzuhara Naruto. It's nice to meet you." His face strained to hold the smile as steady as possible, but was so hard.

The eight year-old took another step closer to study him critically, scanning Naruto up and down.

"You look like a girl," Kakashi deadpanned.

Naruto gaped, nerves forgotten.

He could feel Minato shaking with silent laughter behind him, and Sakumo grimaced.

Naruto was about to shoot back an insult when he spoke again.

"Are you sure you saved dad's life? You don't look very strong," his doubtful eyes swept up and down again.

He isn't adorable at all! Naruto swore that if he ever, ever, saw his teacher ever again, he was going to burn one of his Icha Icha books.

"Well, you're a little shrimp," Naruto couldn't help but retort indignantly.

"I'm eight years old. Of course I'm short," Kakashi defended. "But if I've calculated correctly, between my dad's height and the rate I've been growing in the last two years, I'm going to be six feet tall when I grow up."

Naruto gaped again. He'd forgotten that Kakashi-sensei was supposed to be one of those maddening prodigies, the little smartass. He was going to burn that precious hard cover, Limited Gold Edition Icha Icha Violence book with the spread-out poster of Jirou and Tsubasa going at it.

"You, on the other hand, are too old to grow any more, except maybe sideways."

Forget it. He was going burn his stupid teacher's entire apartment with his largest katon jutsu.

"I'm not going to be fat!"

"We'll see about that. You look like the hopeless type that neglects to eat vegetables."

"People don't get fat from not eating vegetables! And how am I hopeless just because I don't eat them?"

"So I was right. Vegetable fibers reduce the risk of obesity. You have a higher chance of getting fat than everyone else."

Naruto growled softly. Minato behind him bent over gasping for air, and Sakumo gawked in horror.

This was war, and it was one he refused to lose.

"Kakashi-kun~" Naruto said in a sing-song voice. "You said I look like a girl. Care to elaborate?"

A wicked smirk formed on the boy's smug face, and he began ticking off his fingers without hesitation.

"First of all, you don't look like Minato-niisan."

Naruto glared behind him as Minato raised his hands to indicate his innocence.

"You're short."

"You're skinny."

"And your face is girly."

"Your eyes are too big to be a boy's."

"You don't have any hair on your face."

"Your hair looks too soft."

"You have small hands."

"You–"

"Okay, okay, okay! I get it! (You're such a liar. My face isn't girly!) Geez, I'd rather face Gai than this little terror," Naruto grumbled the last part to himself.

"Well, Kakashi-kun, I think your idea of a true girl is very infantile, just like you," Naruto smirked. "But that can be fixed. I just have to reeducate you."

He chuckled evilly. I'm going to win this hands-down!

"Naruto…" Minato realized what he was about to do. "Don't–"

Too late.

"Oiroke no Jutsu!"

The puff of cloud dissipated to reveal…

"Now this is a true woman, little boy," Naruko licked her lips lustfully and waited eagerly for the reaction.

Kakashi looked stunned at the well-endowed blonde beauty. Naruto had kept her dressed PG-13, but this Naruko was still smoking hot, if she said so herself.

But oddly, Kakashi only stared owlishly at the blonde bombshell without reacting the way he was supposed to. Where was the blood and giggle?

Oh oops, she thought in hindsight, I guess it's too early for puberty.

However, blood did show up at the scene but from a very unexpected source.

"Sakumo-senpai!" Minato exclaimed. "Naruto, change back!"

Blood had dribbled out of Sakumo's nose as soon as Naruko appeared. It wasn't the usual spray of blood since she was only PG-13, but Naruto never guessed this distinguished man was a pervert… Nevermind, he should have expected it from the way Kakashi-sensei turned out.

Kakashi spun around to stare in shock at his father who was dabbing his nose. Naruto groaned inwardly; the kid was going to hate him even more after this. After a few intense moments, Kakashi unfroze to turn back around and broke into a bright smile. "Thank you for saving dad's life, Naruto-neesan! Will you be my friend?"

"Wha…? Wait, I'm not a girl!"

Minato burst into another fit of laughter.

"Naru-chan, you've passed Kakashi-kun's test. He does this with every single one of Sakumo-senpai's friends and teammates. He's never been this harsh on someone before, but then again, no one else fought back like you did." Minato tapped his chin. "Now that I think about it, no one's ever passed it as thoroughly as you did either, but I'm not sure why…"

He grinned. "With this, you have his approval to hang around his father."

"T-that was a test?" Naruto asked incredulously.

Minato nodded, stifling his chuckles.

"A test…" Naruto whispered, dumbfounded. "Hatake Kakashi gives the worst tests in the world…"

By now, Sakumo had recovered and was eyeing his guest with an apologetic but pleased smirk.

Kakashi grabbed onto Naruto with small but surprisingly strong hands and pulled him into the house, completely ignoring Minato and Sakumo. "I'll give you a tour of the house, neesan!"

"You brat, I'm not a girl!"

The boy dragged him around each floor, sharing stories about each room, adding a blunt, insensitive comment here and there like he did as an adult in Naruto's Past.

Naruto took back his previous thought. This kid really was adorable.

So this playfulness and curiosity were what Kakashi-sensei lost when Sakumo committed suicide, Naruto smiled humorlessly. Every two sentences was a boast about his father and his upstanding ninja principles.

"My dad is really strong, but he never shows off. I'm going to be like that when I grow up." I assure you, your adult self is just as humble as your father…

"When I get a team, I'm going to protect my teammates with my life." That's the same thing you said during our mission to Wave…

"Right now, Pakkun is my teammate. He's a really smart ninken. I'll introduce you later." Oh god, a much younger Pakkun…

"When I get good enough, I'm going to go on missions with dad." Now you can. Now you can…

"I want to learn all the jutsu in the world so I can protect Konoha like my dad." And you will do both…

"Dad always says to look underneath the underneath, but that's one of the only rules from the official Shinobi Rules he follows. He's so cool!" You also taught us to think for ourselves…

"My dad says it's okay for shinobi to have emotions." You taught me, Sasuke, and Sakura that too…

Naruto didn't want to cry, but with every word mini-Kakashi blurted out, he was getting closer to losing it.

"Maybe someday I'll get to teach dad's Shinobi Rules to my own students."

With a pitiful moan, Naruto crumbled to his knees and wrapped his arms tightly around Kakashi's small frame. He dropped his head and sobbed into one of the boy's scrawny shoulders which had been broad and sturdy the last time he had cried into them.

He wasn't strong enough to handle this. If he thought the first few weeks of his stay were agony, he had been naïve. This was agony. Facing evidence of loss was so much more painful than just feeling full of loss. He had been watching from the outside for the last seven months, but now he had stepped inside to see first-hand that he was finally irreversibly alone. What remained of the lonely little boy in his mind screamed as the dam broke, and what teenager that had stayed hopeful fell to drown in the flood.

This wasn't insanity and madness like before. That had been fueled by rage. That was the breaking of what he knew of his person – the structure of his identity. But this. This was the crushing of a splintered heart. His mind could be rebuilt because the pieces were still there, but his heart had been ground into dust, and it was impossible to collect all the grains before they blew away.

And those grains of his heart were already disappearing into thin air.

Within Naruto's shaking arms, Kakashi stood frozen with eyes wide at the funny niisan who had suddenly broken down. The cries were so sad and he wasn't sure what was going on, but he did what his dad did whenever he had a nightmare. He brought his arms around Naruto and held onto him tightly.

"Naruto-niisan, don't cry. I'll protect you with my life too."

The grieving blonde wept even harder. Oh god, this was Kakashi-sensei through and through. No matter what age and no matter what he had suffered, this Kakashi had never stopped being the Kakashi he knew. No, Naruto whimpered, that's not right. Through everything, Kakashi-sensei had never stopped being this Kakashi-kun.

Why? Why did the gods torture him like this, taunting him with proof of his failures? Hadn't he suffered enough? By now, he had gone through every pain in the world, and he was only nineteen! Why punish him even more with reminders? The entirety of Konoha was his precious people's – his family's – graves even if only in his mind. Now they had to throw his precious people right in his face.

…

…huh?

W-What was that?

He had just thought to himself that his precious people were being thrown in his face. That their graves were only in his mind. That Kakashi would always be Kakashi. And he was now physically feeling Kakashi comforting him and promising to protect him like he had always done.

Naruto gagged on a strangled laugh. Insight always seemed to come late for him, unlike Kakashi-sensei whose insight was never late regardless of physical tardiness.

He hugged Kakashi tighter, probably suffocating the boy.

Kakashi-sensei was still here in this world, still alive, breathing, and protecting his teammates. He was sure the mother hen Iruka-sensei was here too, just like how Sandaime-Jijii had been here the entire time. He just hadn't made the connection because he had been too hung up on staying away.

These people weren't his precious people, but they were in essence the same.

They weren't cheap imitations; they were the real thing. This Konoha was as real as the one from his Past. The landmarks were here, the people were here, the history was here, and the future was to come. It wasn't empty or lifeless to him like he had convinced himself.

Hadn't he already noticed that when he just arrived? That this Konoha was alive? How had he forgotten?

The dreams and promises he had made in his childhood didn't have to die. His dream had always been to protect; they just had to be molded to fit this new world so that those precious people to come would live in peace. They may not be his, but in essence they were the same. Of course there was 'nature vs. nurture,' but they were the same. His task here was to change the future so that the 'nurture' part would turn out better, so why should he overlap his Past with this present?

The Sandaime-Jijii here was already one of his precious people, and Minato too. Why couldn't the others be? He'd just have a different place in their lives; jealousy could go screw itself.

He would recreate his heart from scratch with new memories, but he didn't have to fear his old memories being replaced. They would be the building blocks for the new because, like he had promised himself on his second day here and repeatedly over the last several months, he was going to protect this village, not the one from his Past. And to protect it to the best of his abilities, he needed to know and understand and love what was inside this Konoha.

What was it that both this Sandaime-Jijii and his Past's Sandaime-Jijii had told him? You had to love to truly protect.

"Kakashi," Naruto gasped between dying sobs. "I'll also protect you. I'll do everything I can to protect you and our home. Please believe in me. You'll believe in me, right?"

"I believe in you," Kakashi said confidently, patting Naruto's 'too soft' hair with an awkward hand.

A weight fell off of Naruto's shoulders and he exhaled a shuddering sigh of relief. Kakashi-sensei believed in him. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you," He didn't know what he was thanking for anymore. "Thank you for everything."

Seven months late, he knew this was his true beginning, and like always, Kakashi-sensei had been the one to teach him the life lesson.

Wiping away the last of his tears, Naruto whispered, "Don't tell anyone about this, okay?"

"I promise I won't, Naruto-niisan."

Naruto finally formed a genuine smile from the bottom of his growing heart. "Thank you, Kakashi…-kun."