Another Chance

Naruto, sleeping soundly in his bed, definitely didn’t notice a certain copy-cat nin flash into his apartment, picking up his clothes strewn on the ground and folding them neatly and placing them on the coach. He also didn’t notice the tender, full of love stare the ninja stared at him with, the love in his eyes so tangible that it was about to leak out. No, Naruto was too busy talking with his self-proclaimed best friend.

Yet again appearing in his mindscape, Naruto walked past the dirty water of the place, and placed a hand on the giant metal bars surrounding his only friend. Two human-shaped chakra figures, bearing the similar resemblance to Naruto in the way a child would think his parents would look like, rested by the sides of the gate. Usually, Naruto would run up to them, sitting between the two as he happily chatted with Kurama.

However, today he glared at the dark-haired male figure, before promptly treating it as if it didn’t exist. “Kurama” Naruto called out chirpily, yet with a hint of panic. What if after what Kurama had seen today of Naruto acting, in his own opinion, like a brat to the Yondaime, Kurama had decided he wanted nothing to do with Naruto. With his grip slightly tightening on the metal bars, Naruto started scrunching his eyebrows when Kurama didn’t respond even after a while.

“Shuddup, kit, I didn’t abandon you” The Kyuubi exasperatedly said, two flaming red eyes suddenly appearing in the darkness of the cage. “Stop your useless worrying kit, it's making me annoyed.” Kurama huffed, a puff of air exiting his nostrils that pushed Naruto back a few feet.

Undeterred by the fox’s mean speech and even cheered up by it, Naruto sprinted closer to the fox, reaching out both hands up towards it. Closing both it’s red eyes, the fox extended one of it’s nine tails towards Naruto, letting him wrap his hands around the fluffy ends of the tail. “Kurama, you’re even softer than I remember, believe it!” Naruto didn’t even notice his usual speech tic coming back, but Kurama did. He exhaled softly at that, he was worried when Naruto didn’t say it during the whole argument with Minato. Thinking of that man, Kurama felt himself get upset. How could that man all of a sudden try to come back into his kit’s life and claim to be the dad even though he was absent all the way throughout. His kit was his and Kurama was not going to let anything make him sad, biological dad or not. Although, everything would depend on what his kit wanted… Kurama opened one eye slightly to gaze down at Naruto’s figure resting on his tail.

“Hey kit. Do you want me to change that chakra puppet’s hair to blond? And eyes to blue?” Kurama tested the waters. If Naruto said yes, it meant that he had already let Minato into his heart, and even though Kurama did not want that, he was hopeless to stop it. Maybe this would be good for him. His siblings informed him that it was not normal for human children to only interact with one person, and Kurama wasn’t sure if he counted as a person. It would be good for Naruto to get the social interactions he needs. He had always craved having parents.

“I…” Naruto stuttered. “Do I… have to decide now?” Naruto sheepishly lifted his head towards Kurama and asked. Kurama smiled. “‘Course not kit, just letting you know the option’s always there. C’mon, don’t you always want to talk about one thing or another here? Go ahead, talk my ears off.” Kurama closed his eyes again, letting his tails fall into a relaxed pose as he listened to Naruto ramble on about miso ramen broth versus salt ramen broth.

At the same time, Minato was officially, high key freaking out. How- What should he do? His son hated him! He said it three whole times! He didn’t want Minato near him at all, and didn’t even call him ‘Dad’. Was Minato expecting too much? But that was his son! His one and only son! How should he get into Naruto’s good books?

The genius of his generation, the ninja hailed as a prodigy, was at a loss. He never expected that his first stump would be with his own son. Quickly teleporting to Hiruzen in his Hokage office, he burst through the doors, and asked the most important question that he had ever asked a Hokage, “What do I do now? Naruto hates me!”

Hiruzen had seen a lot in his life. He was over 70 years old, and was the Hokage for the majority of his life. He had been through war, been through his closest friends’ and families’ births and deaths, but never in his life had he seen nor heard such a question. The seal fell out of his hand. The eyes met each other, one flaming with passion and drive, the other so wide that whole melons could fit inside. “What?” Hiruzen choked out.

After both kages calmed down, Minato started again, calmly this time. “Hiruzen” Minato wailed. “Sensei, my son hates me! He said it thrice! He hates me!” Hiruzen cringed. His best student, always calm and composed, was wailing like the world was ending, sounding very much like a pot kettle with how high his voice went.

Hiruzen secretly thanked his quick wit of putting up a sound barrier, he had thought it was something important that no one else could know when Minato burst in, looking the most serious Hiruzen had seen him in a while. Hiruzen thinks he would rather that. Instead, the sound barrier is protecting the Yondaime’s dignity and glory as the hero of the Hidden Leaf. The hailed yellow flash was here, crying like a baby, worse than his own 7 year old son. Hiruzen wished he had retired already. Kami-sama, was his life not hard enough looking after the village that he had to deal with a crying, distraught Minato?

“Well, why not try giving Naruto something he might like? He loves ramen.” The Sandaime offered, subtly trying to remove Minato’s limp body plastered on him. “He also likes frogs. He has a frog wallet he carries with him all the time”

Minato’s eyes suddenly went sharp, like his crying a second ago was a figment of Hiruzen’s imagination. “Are you suggesting I bribe my own son?” Minato bit out. The Sandaime was just about to retract his suggestion, when Minato, full of energy again, stood up and disappeared, not before snagging Hiruzen’s wallet off of his body. Hiruzen simply looked over, not even surprised anymore.

Slowly, he got up and went to sit on the Hokage’s sit, pulling out a budget sheet and wrote the entire sum in his wallet as a ‘Work Fee’ because, let’s be real, Minato would spend every single ryo in there and not bat an eye. Hiruzen considered it as atonement and continued his paperwork, sighing every now and again he reached into his pocket to get his wallet and realising it was gone.

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Minato, hands full of cash now, excitedly ran to Ichiraku’s, ignoring the ache in his legs. Maybe he wasn’t all that recovered from his fight with Kyuubi. “Tuechi-san, Ayame-chan!” Minato threw open the curtains and exclaimed. Both turned to look at him, Teuchi ready to welcome him with his signature smile, before both froze and let out a scream, as if they had seen a ghost. And in hindsight, Minato realised, they probably felt like they had.

“I need some… uh ramen coupons!” Minato scratched the back of his nape, a nervous habit, after sitting down and explaining his situation to both of them. Teuchi sighed as Ayame looked on at him pitifully, “Naruto, that one’s a hard one to crack. Hides everything behind a smile. Reminds me of Kushina, that boy. More than you” Teuchi smiled wistfully into the distance, remembering how Kushina would stop by practically everyday and eat her weight in ramen, especially when she was pregnant. “Need them to get back into his good books?” Ayame joked, hands already preparing the coupons. “Shouldn't be too hard, Naruto has always wanted a family. We were close to offering him a place in ours!”

Hearing her words, Minato slumped even further. “... No, Naruto hates me…” Ayame looked shell shocked, but Teuchi only glanced at him sympathetically. “Give him some time, Minato. He needs some to get used to your presence! I’m sure he still likes you!” “Thanks…” grabbing the coupons, Minato stood up slowly, as if trying to convince himself to continue on. And then he vanished again.

“Haha, that one, always teleporting everywhere!” Teuchi laughed. Ayame smiled knowingly and giggled.

Next stop! Minato thought to himself. He arrived in a flash to the supermarket, grabbing a basket. He tossed all kinds of orange items into his basket, including but not limited to: orange pens, orange notebooks and orange towels. He stumbled across the most glaring, neon orange school bag he had saw in his life and grinned madly. Naruto would definitely love this. This would be his ticket back into Naruto’s heart!

Minato reached out to grab it, but his reached another’s. Minato opened his mouth, immediately going to use his ultimate weapon of being the Hokage to get the bag, but his eyes landed on familiar fluffy white hair. “Kakashi?” Minato whispered. “Sensei?” Kakashi’s eyes widened in surprise, before jumping away in a hurry. Minato groaned silently. Why did everyone he cared for keep jumping away from him.

“Remove your henge now!” Kakashi cried out. Minato now sighed audibly, but chuckled silently. Ever on guard, this Kakashi. His Kakashi. Minato’s eyes watered. He turned away to wipe them away, before turning back and telling Kakashi, “Haven’t you heard the council’s announcement? It really is me.” Kakashi lowered his stance in response to that casual answer, but kept his guard up.

“Can I have that bag though? I think Naruto would really like it! I mean, of course he would, it’s oran-” Minato tried to convince Kakashi about that bag, He really needed it. “You know about Naruto?” Kakashi fully dropped his guards, arms returning to his side. Glomping his sensei in a gigantic hug, Kakashi soaked in the warmth of his Sensei that he lost so long ago. “I was going to buy that bag for him too” Kakashi mumbled, head buried in Minato’s shoulder.

“Heck, Kakashi, you’re taller than me now!” Minato laughed joyously, rubbing Kakashi’s back in small circles. He missed this, missed having someone he could hold so close. After a moment of silence, Kakashi pushed him away, and looked away, saying, “You can have it Sensei, how’s your relationship with Naruto now?” Minato chuckled as he saw Kakashi’s ears turning red.

He sighed. “Not very good, actually.” Kakashi’s head shot up at that, his eyes – or eye rather – furrowing. Minato could tell he was confused, although more than half his face was covered in fabric, it was only natural he knew what his student was thinking. He told his sob story to Kakashi as well “Naruto said he hates me”

Ah. There it was. The look of surprise, of absolute and utter shock. Then sympathy. “Sensei, I acted as his ANBU guard, I know a lot about him. Should we go shopping together to look for something Naruto might like?” Minato clung to his words, hanging off of them. His face broke out into a wide grin, as he readily agreed to Kakashi’s suggestion. “Let’s go! I’ll pay, of course!” Minato waved Hiruzen’s wallet around, with a foxy grin. Kakashi went wide-eyed staring at that wallet, before grinning as well. “Lets go, Sensei.”

“One bright orange school, 3 sets of stationary, 2 back to the academy bundles, 3 sets of orange jumper-and-pants combo, 4 dozen kunais, 3 dozen shurikens, 5 different styles of ninja pouches, 2 pairs of new footwear and of course, stacks and stacks of drawing materials.” Kakashi looked through their basket and said monotonously. Minato nodded nervously. “What do you think, Kakashi? Is it enough?” Kakashi felt a headache coming on. He knew his Sensei, why did he sign himself up for this. “Why don’t you just buy the whole shop, Sensei?” Kakashi asked sarcastically.

Minato paused and seemed to consider it, causing Kakashi to shudder in horror. Oh, the paper work he and Hiruzen would have to fill up if Minato did that. Dragging his Sensei by the arm, he pulled Minato out of the shop after tossing Hiruzen’s wallet to the stunned shopkeeper. “Okay, point taken, you can afford to splurge on this” Kakashi tossed everything into separate bags. “Don’t need to rub it in” Kakashi placed the basket back at the head of the shop, and handed 4 of the 8 bags to Minato to handle, carrying the others. “Let’s just go see Naruto now.” Minato could feel Kakashi’s patience start to wear and laughed happily. He had missed this. His laughter caused Kakashi to smile back up at him, shoulders shaking in a suppressed laugh.