Naruto and his hound
“It’s clean…” Minato murmured, staring at the vibrant house that was full of colour. It felt as if nothing had been touched or moved, everything looking as if he had just been gone for a day rather than 7 years. 7 years. Minato cringed.
“Well, the Sandaime wanted to keep it clean… in case of anything. In case…” in case Naruto ever wanted to see it. That part was left unsaid. “Well… I guess Sarutobi wasn’t all that bad” Minato chuckled, hiding his sadness behind his laugh. Kakashi glanced at him sympathetically, and that made it all the more worse. Kakashi watched quietly as Minato roamed the house, checking nooks and crannies and staring at photo frames as if he were a curious visitor rather than the owner of the house.
Minato stopped abruptly walking down the corridor at a certain picture hanging on the wall. Kushina, looking as vibrant as in his memories, was painted exactly to life, caressing her pregnant belly while the painted Minato stood behind her, one hand on her shoulder and the other on her belly, smiling gleefully back at him. Minato slowly touched Kushina’s belly slowly, as if something more than a light touch would break the painting and the illusion of happiness would be gone. It was such a huge contrast, this smiling Kushina, a small peaceful grin on her face speaking volumes of her happiness and hope for Naruto’s future, and the Kushina in Minato’s memories with blood streaming down a pale face. Minato stared intently at the painting, wishing he could trade places with the him the painting. Oh how he wished he could go back to that time, where everything was fine, where Kushina was alive and where he had a chance with Naruto. Instead, he alone was left alive, left to pick up the broken pieces of their family.
“…Sensei?” A tentative voice broke Minato out of his wallowing. “Ah, Kakashi,” Minato tried his best to crack a smile that said ‘I’m totally not trying to cry and roll into a ball on the floor’. It didn’t work, Minato’s smiling-crying face was so contorted that Kakashi took a step back. “ALthough Kushina-sensei isn’t here anymore, I’m sure she would be happy that Naruto has you around.” Kakashi said softly. “She would be…” Minato let out a genuine chuckle at that. “She would punch my shoulder and yell at me to make up with Naruto already.” Kakashi smiled seeing Minato smiling again, and walked forward to place a comforting hand on Minato’s shoulder. “She wouldn’t want to see you grieving like this.” Kakashi smiled at Minato. “She would want to see you happy and confident, just like when the both of you were working as jonin together.”
Minato turned away from Kakashi, hiding his tearing eyes. Talking about Kushina had always made him so emotional, which was unbecoming of the Yondaime. Minato took a deep breath, feeling himself collect all the shards of his heart and gluing them back with the idea that was Naruto. He still had Naruto. He had lost Kushina, lost her warmth and her smile, but he had Naruto. His son, that looked so much like him, but had Kushina’s boisterous smile, had Kushina’s mischievous streak. He knew Naruto was not Kushina, but sometimes it was hard to make that distinction. They were too much alike, but Minato knew it was wrong. Naruto was his own person. His own person, who had gone through his own experiences and would be different from Kushina. Minato couldn’t let his own inability to let go of Kushina sabotage his relationship with Naruto, and Minato was sure Kushina would hate him if he did.
“Kakashi, should we go and visit Naruto now?” Kakashi had been silent up to now, waiting for Minato to make the first move, to give Minato the silence to reminisce. “Me?” Kakashi asked in surprise, his brows jumping up. “Is there anyone else here named Kakashi?” Minato joked light-heartedly at Kakashi’s shocked response. Kakashi stared at Minato’s smiling face, it was like before this, Minato was just a shell of himself. Now that he had finally come to terms with reality, he seemed relaxed, growing into this new world. Kakashi absent-mindedly followed Minato, all the way to Naruto’s house, just silently appreciating his sensei’s presence, one that he had missed for so long. Kakashi let himself get washed away in the familiar sense of Minato’s chakra. The tightly-controlled, razor-edged chakra of Minato’s was the last thing Kakashi had felt from him, but now, the wind-chakra was lazily sweeping around Minato, languid and slightly hopeful. Kakashi could almost reach his hand out to touch it, to assure himself that Minato was truly here, that he came back.
“We’re here!” Minato announced happily. Kakashi jumped. Here? Where? Naruto stared at the familiar red door and realized that they had walked all the way to Naruto’s house already. “Sensei… Are you sure I should be here? Isn’t this like… a private thing between the family?” Minato stared at Kakashi like he had just said Sarutobi did not smoke. Then he laughed, a low, mellow thing that made Kakashi’s heart sing. “Kakashi you are part of our family by now, don't you think, hound?” Kakashi stared open-mouth at Minato’s words. “Hound, do you really think that I couldn’t tell your chakra signature when I first saw Naruto?” Minato continued teasing him. “I think that for someone that has been around Naruto all his life like you, hound, you could be considered his older brother by now!” Kakashi felt his face grow hot, thankful that he had a mask on so no one would see the copynin’s face turn crimson. Minato rapped at the door, and as they waited for the door to swing open, Minato said softly, “I’ve always considered you as a sort of son, you know?”
Kakashi had no time to say anything before the door swing open outwards, almost getting hit by the door. Kakashi did not know whether to laugh or to cry. The him in the past was such as stickler for the rules, deciding to ignore his feelings (that a son feels towardss a father this is not a love story thx) towards Minato as it “went against the rules”. Had he known Minato had considered him as a son, he would have… It would have made his childhood a lot more pleasant.
“Mister Yondaime!” A flash of yellow suddenly appeared from the open door. “Mister…” The voice repeated again, this time more unsure and hesitant. “W-why are you here?” Naruto had his gaze directly at the floor, afraid to see Minato’s expression. Was he disgusted that the village monster had called him so excitedly? Naruto gaze drifted a bit, before locking onto another pair of sandals. Huh? Did the Yondaime bring someone else this time. Naruto ignored the way this thought caused his heart to pang. Slowly, he chided himself. Tentatively, he thought, as he moved his gaze up the shoes, to long black pants, to a standard issue jonin vest. Naruto slowly willed himself to look up, that ripping a band-aid off quicker would hurt less.
White, fluffy hair and a singular eye staring at him came into Naruto’s view. The tension building up in Naruto’s body disappeared as quickly as it came, like a rubber band pulled tight had finally been released. Naruto visibly lit up, it was Hound! The person he considered his guardian angel, a person whose chakra had always been next to him, not hostile or expectant, but patient and caring. Although Hound never really did anything, his presence had always made Naruto feel that he was not alone in a world that hated him. How did Naruto not feel Hound’s chakra before? Naruto chided himself. Was he really so excited by the prospect of his so-called father coming back that he completely let down his guard?
Naruto took a few steps back, allowing Minato and Kakashi to enter his house, Kakashi silently closing the door behind them. “H-hound…” Naruto whispered out, trying to not make his emotions so clear. It did not work. Minato swooned over how taken Naruto seemed to be by Kakashi, like a duckling following behind the white-haired man. It was really a testament to how Kakashi had cared for him, and also to how badly the village treated him for Naruto to regard an ANBU guard that remained hidden so highly. Minato felt his smile waver, but immediately tried to smile happier. He couldn’t scare Naruto.
“You know me?” Kakashi asked Naruto in surprise, confidant that although he had stayed around Naruto longer than he should have, he had not slipped up and revealed himself to the boy. It would go against Sandaime’s orders. “Y-yes! You’re my ANBU guard, Kurama told me that you always clean up the area and-and-!” Naruto seemed so excited by Kakashi showing himself that his cheeks puffed up, face flushing as he excitedly rambled about Kakashi and what this Kurama had told Naruto. Kakashi chose not to dwell on it. “Eh must be a sensor, just like me,” Nothing could hide Minato’s smug smile. He felt his pride swelling up inside of him, that Naruto had taken after him in this way,
Naruto turned his gaze away from Kakashi to Minato, less revenant but significantly more hopeful than the last time Minato came. Glancing between the two men, Naruto stuttered out, “You left the bag the last time… Was it on purpose?” The second the question left Naruto’s mouth, he felt like smacking himself. Kurama already told him that it was deliberate! It wasn’t like his old bag could disappear into thin air! What if Minato was now angry that Naruto was questioning him?
Naruto snuck a look at Minato’s face before hurriedly turning his gaze away, heart racing. On the Yondaime's face, there was no emotions, like the calm before the storm, like the expression the villagers stare at him with when the other kids throw rocks at him. Naruto knew it was an irrational fear, that he was being paranoid and willed himself to calm down. Hound was here, Hound brought this man, that meant that Naruto could trust him, at least somewhat.
Minato struggled to keep a straight face, wanting instead to cry out about how cute his son’s shy look was and then cry about how he missed all of Naruto’s other 7 years of life.
The biggest crime was that Naruto had missed out on 7 years of tender affection, and now was this wounded. Minato resolved himself to ensure that Naruto would never again have to face such experiences now that he was back.
Naruto decided to hear Minato out. Hound brought him, and Naruto owed it to Hound to hear Minato out. Naruto pursed his lips, and waited for Minato to say something, head still hanging low.