Chapter Text
In one timeline, a fourteen year old left to grieve would let his sensei's home rot away, stripped of valuables and sold to the highest bidder.
This was not that world.
The Anbus’ movement would have been silent and untraceable to anyone else. Yet Kakashi’s senses let him hear their steps, as they flickered through Minato-sensei and Kushina’s apartment. Combing through every piece of paper and removing anything that could be sensitive information. Which was, apparently, most of what the two had kept in their apartment.
Kakashi himself might have laughed when two of the Anbu almost got themselves killed trying to get into the master bedroom, Kushina’s seals unfailing even in death, had it not been for the deep rooted apathy that settled in the aftermath of the Kyūbi’s attack. His captain had clearly forgot to mention to his temporary replacements that this place was boobytrapped. The boy wasn't meant to be here, legally, but the Third had taken pity on him, too busy reclaiming the Hokage seat and figuring out what to do with baby Naruto. Named after ramen, of course. Kushina never could of named her son something normal.
"Hound."
Snapping back into the role of a Shinobi, if only for a moment, came easier than expected as his current Anbu captain stood in front of him. Kakashi hummed in acknowledgement.
"You're free to pick up what you wish. We're done here."
Retreating chakra signatures let him know the rest of the Anbu had taken their leave. The captain joined them after a dead-eyed nod confirmed that he had been heard.
He was alone.
And it was quiet.
It was never quiet in the Uzumaki-Namikaze household. Kakashi walked through the abandoned hallways, taking note of the multiple seals Anbu had missed. His heart burnt at the reminder, and he moved on. (He only knew they were there because Kushina took pleasure in explaining them to him, of course.) A pulse of chakra from his hand and the master bedroom opened, this time without any deadly kunai or explosions. Kushina had keyed a few people into the room, including himself and the rest of her Anbu guard. With Minato’s insistence of course, the woman hated having her privacy intruded upon. Too bad she was dead. Her body still warm in the morgue next to her husband's.
Morbid. Kakashi almost laughed.
Stepping in, he noted that whoever went through the room had enough care to leave anything they didn't touch in place, a thin layer of normalcy over the haunting image of the abandoned home. Pictures were the first thing he took, Kushina had taken to being an amateur photographer while pregnant, sprouting something about making memories. A lot were of herself and Minato. Small moments when she had managed to wrangle Kakashi out of his duties scattered throughout. He was surprised she kept them, even more so that Minato had let her frame and hang them.
Then again, Minato-sensei had always been sentimental. The few pictures of the three of them, one of him and Kushina and a few more blurry ones of Minato and Kakashi’s rare training sessions had likely made the man melt. Sensei was soft like that.
The jōnin ignored the team picture placed on the side desk.
Once the pictures were gathered, he left them on Kushina’s workplace as he riffled through whatever the Anbu had left of her notes. Which was little to nothing, but Kakashi snatched a few notes on fūinjutsu the Anbu had thought pointless to take, piling them up next to the photos.
The scrapbook Kushina had been making was where she had last left it at the foot of her bed, open onto a blank page. He placed that on the desk as well, not having the heart to go through it now.
Kakashi let himself move on. Kushina and Minato-sensei weren't hailed as masters of fuuinjutsu for no reason.
A quick check ensured no one was snooping around the apartment. Slicing his finger on the kunai that hung from his side pouch, a familiar dog joined him in the room. Pakkun blinked.
"Boss, any reason you're snooping around Minato and Kushina's room?" The pug, though innocent, earned himself a dark look, and silence hung in the room. Pakkun let the subject drop, knowing there was no point pushing the kid while he was like this, the pack had long since learnt he'd only close up. He waited for Kakashi to speak.
"Make sure no one barges in." With that simple order, Pakkun was very impolitely ignored, signalling to him that boss most definitely was not interested in being spoken to. The pug went about his command, slipping out and guarding the bedroom door in silence.
Alone again, Kakashi wiped a few stray silver strands from his face and knelt down. No panels were loose of course, that would have been an obvious tell for a secret compartment. No, Kushina wasn't that sloppy, no matter what her eating habits suggested. A pulse of chakra, Kakashi half expected it to blow up in his face, since he hadn't been keyed into Kushina’s hiding spots so much as told where they were. Kakashi had expected to spend the next five hours trying to unseal the multiple compartments Kushina had boobytrapped. With Sensei’s own seals to re-enforce them.
The ease of it all put an unsettling feeling in his gut.
He picked up the wooden box anyway. Setting it to the side as he pulled out a few loose scrolls and a journal. Setting the wooden panel back down he left the hidden compartment. He placed the scrolls and journal by the rest of the things he'd gathered. Uzumaki scrolls, signified by the swirl he spotted adorning them. The twirl of Kushina's handwriting labelled 'adamantine chain' on one of them, he tied that one up tighter, she'd always been protective of her notes. The box settled next to it and Kakashi paused before attempting to open it.
He blinked when it opened easily, not even a seal in place.
Kushina placed seals on everything. Even her coffee maker. Minato-sensei had gotten a nasty surprise when he tried to use the last of the coffee one morning. If he had arrived at the Hokage tower that day with coffee stains on his robes no one pointed it out. (At least until Kakashi had asked his former teacher about it, leaving the man flustered. He let the good memory fade.)
So it was odd when the engraved wooden box opened with no resistance. The contents made him question the mind of Kushina even more. She really liked being unpredictable.
'To Naruto and Kakashi-kun.'
Of all things to leave, Kakashi had expected scrolls, notes, or even one last prank.
He hadn't expected letters.
Let alone ones addressed to him and Naruto. Lifting the top letter he found that they were split into two different piles, one for each of them. The letters for Naruto at least seemed logical, but his eyes lingered on the ones addressed to him. He ripped open the letter without letting himself pause.
'Hello Kakashi!
(Or Minato, if this is you reading, put the letter back!)
If this is Naruto, make sure to pay attention!
Well, might as well get on with it huh? Kashi will probably be the one to read this first if things really do go wrong. Ah, I'm getting ahead of myself huh, I should explain the letters. You probably already know from all my complaints that I've had a bad feeling for the past month or so. The fox has been restless. And with birth being one of the seals weakness points… well, you must be able to figure out my train of thought.
I won't survive Naruto’s birth.
Minato has been optimistic but that's how he always is, I wish I could join him this time.
I've written a few letters, I'd like you to give them to Naruto when the time is right ok? You'll be able to figure it out from what I've written on the front. I wrote some for you as well, I know you don't have many precious people left, and I thought of as many events as I could to write about for you. Minato chipped in with a few of the letters for the two of you. Ha, you're probably pretty confused as to why you have letters to right? Well, it's pretty simple, you're a part of our family Kakashi, Dattabane. Even with how much you like denying it!
You're important to Minato, and to me too. I hope you'll be important to Naruto too.
I hope, deeply, that Minato is alive too, but that man has never been one to sideline himself, I'm afraid he'll meet the same fate as I do, one way or another. So keep an eye on Naruto for us will you Kashi?
I'm sorry we couldn't be there for you two, for Kohona. Minato’s been worried about the council a lot nowadays, make sure they don't try anything, Minato hasn't gotten a chance to replace them yet. Really, Kohona’s underbelly is tiring. He’s been coming home later and later lately.
I'm rambling huh. I'm not sure how a dying letter is meant to end.
Stay safe, keep Kohona safe. We love you Naruto. You can get through this Kakashi-kun.
PS.
Minato keeps his actual notes on a seal in his top drawer, under the bottom panel. My sword should be there too, give it to Naruto when he gets into the academy would you?'
He swallowed. Shinobi didn't cry. Shinobi didn't even feel. (He just had heartburn, he swore.) The box clicked closed again after the folded letter was returned to its place. He'd check them over later.
Minato-sensei’s desk was next he supposed.
Opening it was easy, having been checked already by the Anbu. They'd clearly not been thorough enough as the seal under the bottom panel was still untouched. Normally he would complain about their incompetence, he was mildly grateful just this time.
Minato-sensei’s seal was harder to open, it actually required him to pull out the drawer and spend the next three hours of his life filing through what he could remember about Minato’s fuuinjutsu lessons, that he regretfully hadn’t paid much attention to. Maybe if he had it would’ve been a quicker process. Pakkun checked on him twice within the hours.
Kakashi was just glad the Anbu had left some ink and brushes behind after their search.
Kakashi barely registered that it was dark by the time he opened his seal. He was glad that Kushina had keyed him into her hidden keep. He would’ve given up if he had to spend eight hours undoing their seals. The jōnin was only grateful for them talking about said seals in detail while he was around, breaking them from scratch would have taken days.
Kushina’s sword was the first thing he set aside.
Sensei’s notes were next, the Rasengan’s notes were on top, and Hiraishin’s multiple techniques were at the bottom of the pile. While the Anbu has clearly taken the official notes, immediately most likely, these were obviously Minato-sensei's personal notes, less polished and more detailed. Kakashi paused to skim them. They were quickly tucked away as Kakashi returned the drawer to its proper place, making sure to place the bottom panel back.
From his place on the ground, Kakashi wanted nothing more than to fall back and pretend the last 48 hours were one of his many questionable dreams that T&I would put him in the psych ward for. He was forced to open his eyes (eye) again at Pakkun’s bark, clambering in a very non-shinobi-like manner to his feet he let the photo album and box be sealed away in storage and shoved into his pack, the red of the scrolls and notes being handled more carefully until nothing was left on the desk but the pictures. And the door opened.
"Kakashi."
"Hokage-sama."
"Have you finished grabbing what you wish? The Anbu have cleared Naruto’s room and moved him to a secure location."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
A moment of silence. "Go home, Kakashi, you have a week's leave."
He grabbed the few pictures he'd taken, and turned them in his hands.
His cold empty apartment was waiting for him after all. (There wasn't anyone left to wait for him now, not really, the village seemed so much colder in the wake of a demon of fire, it was almost ironic.) Pakkun left in a puff of smoke at his command.
And Kakashi went home.