Crafty Chameleon

Denial

Last Time:

Karin smiled as they walked down the street, "Strangely enough, I feel better ... hey, Mito, look." Both girls spotted Izumo and Kotetsu on guard duty and went to speak with them.

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"No! I refuse!"

Naruto clenched his teeth in anger though he did a really good job of hiding it considering the source of his rage was the blonde fool glaring at him as if what he was saying was wrong. The hokage couldn't do anything with only his children's welfare in mind. He gives them privileges and promotions away without letting them earn it for themselves and seems to think he's helping them, but he won't let his stupidity effect little Mina any further ...

A stack of papers about a foot tall appeared from a seal on the ROOT agent's jacket onto Minato's kitchen table just as Kushina walked in the room. Just as the redhead saw Naruto she smiled, but before she could say anything Naruto spoke ...

"These are all the reports from Mina's bodyguards." Naruto tapped the stack with his hand before glaring back at the hokage blatantly ignoring the stunned redhead's presence. "Do you honestly think Mina would be safer with you when you aren't even aware that she has been coming back and forth from the Sarutobi compound since the mission to Wave without supervision?" Minato gaped like a fish as he floundered for an answer. In a fit of disbelief he snatched a report off the pile only to pale at what he was reading. "That is that report of one of the several attempts to kidnap her on one of her trips."

"WHAT?" Kushina's scream startled Minato who apparently was hoping she wouldn't be home for this, but Naruto timed his visit just right. She stormed over and took the report from Minato. "Oh my god ... well it's a good thing you assigned her bodyguards, right honey?" Kushina looked up at her husband only have the smile fall from her face as she saw her husband's pale face. "Minato ... you did assign her the guards right?" The blood in her veins ran cold when silence and avoiding eye contact was all she got as an answer to her very serious question.

Naruto narrowed his blue eyes on them both making Minato flinch almost wishing the younger blonde was wearing the usual black goggles, which were in need for a tune up. "To answer your question, no. Opa was the one who gave Mina protection the second he found out that she was going around the village without supervision of any kind and it was a damn good thing he did because in her first attempt to return to the Namikaze compound she went straight through the red light district." Naruto paused letting the information sink in. "It has been over a year since that first visit and she has made the trip everyday twice except for storms, holidays or when it gets to late and can you guess where she has been staying during those times."

"A-a year!" Minato spluttered as his wife seemed to lose all the strength in her legs and fell back on the couch completely speechless.

Naruto dropped the adoption forms on the table, "I have no interest in making amends with either of you since neither of you seem to care about what's best or even understand the situations you put your children in. I'm only here for Mina. That precious girl deserves a real home. She shouldn't have to go through dangerous situations or put up with people who treat her like an afterthought-"

The hokage shook his head frantically, "We don't! We love her!"

"Really ..." Naruto raised an eyebrow. He was tempted to pull rank since he was basically on the same level as the hokage and get the Daimyo involved, but he wanted them as little fuss as possible for Mina. "Keep in mind the reason you had her and then think about where you were for Mina's sixth birthday."

Silence reigned supreme and Naruto left knowing he made his point ...

Mina's sixth birthday was a month ago. There was a big party at the Sarutobi compound that day. Many people came to celebrate even Tsunade and Shizune, both of whom neglected to inform Kushina and Minato of the big bash. However, it shouldn't have been necessary to tell them ...