Team Otsutsuki

Four

Naruto was almost four when he finally felt comfortable enough to leave his apartment. He spent the first few months outside the orphanage completely secluded in his new, beloved home and no one can blame him. He has his own trauma from his first contact with the outside world to overcome. Kakashi has never been more pissed off.

The first month, somehow news about Naruto's where about leaked to the public but Kakashi's and the three former members of the Yondaime's Guard Platoon surrounding Naruto's building was enough deterrent. The second month an idiot tried throwing Molotov Cocktails at Naruto's apartment in an attempt to burn it down with the boy's inside. But before they could throw the burning bottle, they were apprehended by the ANBU. While trying to escape, the cocktail exploded in his hand and he died on the way to the hospital.

Fortunately for both cases, Naruto has Minato distract him as well as his plants. One plant acted really weird. In fact, it's ridiculously active and social with Naruto. Minato took a while to sense that it's more than just a tree. There's a soul inside the tree that has recently become aware.

As a joke, Naruto called the sapling Hashirama-ki, or Hashirama-tree.

Minato didn't know how to break to his son that the Shodaime has indeed been reborn as a tree due to Naruto's otherworldly chakra and the fact that the seed came from one of the original Mokuton grown tree of the Shodaime. Not to mention Naruto being Ashura and thus carry the memories of Hashirama as Ashura's transmigrate, Hashirama's spirit dwelling within his trees scattered throughout the forest managed to get attracted to Naruto's sunshine chakra just like a tree would reach for the sun. Him being the most conscious in a sapling born of one of his own trees raised by Naruto really shouldn't be such a surprise.

Hiruzen on the other hand was shocked when a tree greeted him by opening the door. Even more when the tree grew 'arms' and hugged him. Hashirama-ki moving about the house almost made the old Hokage walk back out in fear of hallucination and senility affecting his mind. Strangely, his sanity was proven intact when the tree dragged the man back into the apartment.

Due to how active Hashirama-ki was, Naruto had placed numerous pots around his house after they discovered that Hashirama-ki can move anywhere. Minato suspected that the tree being haunted by someone that can grow a forest of sycamore out of nothing but soils and chakra allowed this to happen. But better that than the table that first time they noticed his talent. The tree 'looked' just as shocked that it could do that.

Minato rubbed the crease between his brows. His son has such a confusing life but at least he's happy for another company.

Kakashi has no comment on the matter, he's just happy with his Mr Ukki.

But back to the present time, Naruto walked beside Kakashi with Hashirama-ki attached to his head via chakra in the form of cute little sapling making it looked like Naruto's growing a plant on his head. It took the boy a lot of courage just to step out of his home even with all the encouragement given by his little family.

Now with security on his side, Naruto looked around with wide eyes. He stared at everything his eyes could see, even from his rather short perspective. Kakashi glared at anyone who even looked at Naruto wrong, dressed to the teeth in his ANBU armour and face hidden by his ANBU mask. In his left hand he held Naruto's trembling fist gently but firmly. He shifted his body as he tried his best to shield the boy from the worse of looks.

Naruto froze when he saw familiar features and grinned, dragging a surprised Kakashi straight for the Uchiha who was off duty. Surprisingly it was Fugaku, Head of the Uchiha Clan. Kakashi wondered why Naruto looked so happy approaching the intimidating Wicked Eye Fugaku, who in turn looked just as flustered as his trained stone face showed.