Unplanned Paternity

7

Six years old

A small brown animal padded through the halls of the Hatake home. His squashed black nose quivered rapidly as he sniffed constantly, sounding like a cold on fast forward.

Nudging a particular door open, he made his reluctant way into the centre of the room before giving a little hop that in no way looked sufficient to propel him onto the raised bed before him. But it did, and he landed daintily on stubby legs and matter-of-factly strolled over the lump in the centre of the mattress.

"Pup, time to get up." The lump mumbled and moved a little, before stilling. The creature sighed and began to paw at where he hoped the lump's head was. "Come on. Up, up, up. School today. I did not help with all that mathematics last night for you not to hand it in today."

The scolding and pawing was insistent, so much so that the lump eventually squirmed and whined and shoved the covers back, revealing Naruto's tousled head. "Pakkuuun," he whined. The dog was unmoved.

"Up, pup," he repeated. Naruto grinned and rubbed sleep out of his eye.

"Is Dad back yet?" he asked drowsily, though he knew the answer. The dog shook his head.

"Nah. But you know the drill: up, dressed, feed me, school. Hustle." The child obligingly rolled out of bed and began preparing for the day.

A little more than ten months ago, the Hokage had finally broken the long-term leave he'd assigned Naruto's new father. The old man had been trying to ease Kakashi back into it by offering him a genin team every year, and in secret planned to continue to do so until Kakashi found one that he liked, but as the Hatake continued to uniformly reject every trio put before him, the village leader was left to more concrete methods.

Kakashi's re-joining the ranks of active shinobi had been a relief, truth be told, as numbers were at an all-time low thanks to a certain demon fox with overlarge paws trampling his way through town. On this particular occasion, he was teamed up with a group of his old ANBU war buddies on a mission to flush out a suspected hidden camp of foreign shinobi spies. The gossip in the underworld was that it was manned by ninja – either loyal or defected – of Kumo origin, and Sarutobi had a feeling that the presence of Kakashi on the team that confronted them might send them running for their borders just a little faster.

Kakashi had, as he had promised to do so long ago, left one of his dogs to guard Naruto, with instructions for the boy to go home with Kiba if Dad didn't pick him up from school on the second day of absence – Tsume would look after him, whatever the outcome of the mission.

The child had managed to stay in Kiba's class, disappointing several gossips who were expecting his graduation at a freakish age. Kakashi fended off queries by pointing out that Naruto wouldn't be able to actually graduate until he was twelve or so, so there was no point in bumping up grade after grade.

Stumbling more than once and yawning intermittently (bedtime was not Pakkun's forte), the young Hatake set about preparing for a day of learning.

Far away, just inside the Wind Country border, an older Hatake shifted in his place, eye fixed on the unchanging horizon he was viewing through a slit in the hidden (illegal) fort that looked from the outside like just another sand dune. Even someone trudging up the sloping walls outside would be unable to tell the difference when the door was closed.

Inside, it was a tarp box. Sand pressed in on all sides, held back by thick canvas which was supported by a skeleton of hardwood poles. It was uncomfortable, stuffy, and stifling hot. The sun had been up for a scant few hours, and already Kakashi was wet through with sweat.

Something bumped his elbow, and Kakashi broke from his vigil to glance at the man in the shelter with him. Sarutobi Asuma had just recently returned to the village after an absence that had begun just after Kakashi had returned with Naruto. Gossip had it that the departure was caused by the broiling tension with the man's father reaching breaking point, but Kakashi hadn't asked Asuma for details. He was back now, and the Hatake treated him as if he'd never left.