Chapter Text
Kakashi might be crazy.
Most people probably wouldn’t argue that fact. A ruthless ANBU, he hadn’t earned the name “Cold Blooded Kakashi” by making friends.
No, he only left them to die or just killed them.
Or just wasn’t there at all…
The shake he gave himself wasn’t able to be seen by the Jonin passing him in the hall. No, he was too well trained for that.
Since that night he had taken the hardest missions, the ones that kept him out of the village the longest. He didn’t want to see him, the child who looked so much like his sensei, with his bright blonde hair and piercing blue eyes.
But he had.
The Leaf Village wasn’t small, but it also wasn’t so large that it would be impossible not to run into someone he knew.
And though they had never formally met, he knew who Naruto was.
He had seen him earlier today, shortly after returning from his past mission that had kept him out of the village for the last six months. And the boy was living alone on the not-so-good side of town.
What the fuck was up with that?
He opened the door to the Hokage’s office and asked precisely that.
The Samdaime sighed. “Kakashi, all of the orphans from the Nine Tails attack are given the same financial allotment from the village. I cannot give Naruto more simply because of who he is. It could jeopardize his safety and the safety of the village.”
“Surely the financial assistance is more than enough to cover a better apartment.”
The old man sighed. “I cannot control what private individuals charge for rent on their property. I wish the people would not hold it against Naruto that he harbors the fox spirit, but that is not a belief that can be forced.”
“He’s alone. He’s five years old and living alone.”
“He is monitored regularly by the ANBU.”
It wasn’t good enough. There had to be something Kakashi could do. He had let this go on for far too long.
“Then I’ll adopt him,” he said before he even fully registered what words were coming out of his mouth.
“Kakashi —”
“I said I’ll adopt him. I’m nineteen, I’m of age.”
“It isn’t that. Because of who and what he is, legally he cannot be adopted.”
“Ok. What about legal guardianship?”
The Sandaime took a puff from his pipe. “You’re really serious about this, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
There was another pause.
“You would still be bound by the law. Naruto cannot know who his parents were or about the fox spirit that dwells within him. It might seem harsh, but it’s for the boy’s protection. If the Fourth Hokage’s enemies found out his child survived, he would be at risk. And if it gets out that he is the Jinchūriki, host to the Nine Tails Fox spirit, then the entire village would no longer be safe.”
“I understand.”
The ghost of a smile touched the old man’s features. “All right. Let’s sign the papers.”
Fifteen minutes later, papers signed and dressed in his normal shinobi uniform, Kakashi found himself standing outside Naruto’s door. He knocked, then froze.
What the hell was he supposed to say, anyway?
The door cracked open. Naruto stood there, wearing a black T-shirt with the Uzushiogakure symbol on the front and a pair of orange shorts. Those bright blue eyes looked up at him.
“Who are you?” the child asked.
“Kakashi.”
Awkward silence.
Someone should have told him what to say.
Better yet, someone should have told him he was being hasty and was getting in over his head.
Oh well, too late now.
“I’m your new guardian. Gather your things. You won’t be staying here anymore.”
Well, that sounded more like the captain of an ANBU squad speaking and less like a guardian.
But… he was an ANBU squad captain.
And what did a guardian even sound like?
The kid looked at him, wide eyed and confused. “What?”
“You’re going to be staying with me now. Come on, let’s go.”
Naruto’s lower lip trembled. “But… but I was given this place months ago. They said I would be staying here from now on. As long as I pay my rent and I do! I’m always on time, too!”
“This isn’t a suitable situation for a child,” Kakashi stated bluntly.
“But I can take care of myself! Come in and I’ll prove it!”
The kid pulled the door open and ran deeper into the apartment.
Kakashi hesitantly stepped inside. Even under his mask he could tell the apartment smelled. The boy’s clothes were strewn all over the floor and he honestly couldn’t tell which ones were clean or dirty. The covers on the bed were a mess. The floor was covered in a layer of dirt… and was that evidence of a leak in the corner of the ceiling?
Naruto came back out, holding a ramen cup. “I make this to eat. It’s so good and I have a lot!”
The boy obviously noticed he was staring at the crack in his ceiling. He grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. “Yeah, I don’t know how to fix that. My plants like it, though!”
Kakashi was less concerned about the collection of healthy green plants below the crack and far more concerned that the ceiling fucking leaked! “Have you spoken to the landlord about that?”
Naruto looked away. “Well, yeah, what do you think? I’m not an idiot.”
“I never said you were.”
He shrugged. “He doesn’t like me. Most people don’t. But that’s ok. I don’t need them!”
“That’s not a healthy train of thought,” Kakashi told him, ignoring the fact that he himself was also alone and kept people at a distance.
The boy scoffed. “I don’t care,” and turned to walk back in the kitchen.
Kakashi followed him and the kitchen was even messier than the bedroom. Old milk containers sat on the table and counter, along with empty ramen cups and disposable chopsticks. Flies danced around the room and Naruto swatted them away with a swatter.
Kakashi opened the refrigerator door, but only just barely kept himself from gagging. Even though it was practically empty, it absolutely reeked. He closed the door and decided he did not want to see what Naruto’s bathroom looked like.
“You can’t stay here,” he said. Plain, simple, to the point.
“But—”
“This place needs repair. And this isn’t exactly the best side of town. It’s not safe for you.”
“It’s safer than that stupid orphanage,” the boy argued. “They didn’t like me there, they were glad when I left.”
Anger boiled in Kakashi’s belly. He fought so damn hard to protect this village and they treated one of their own like this? It was sickening.
But do you really have any right to be mad at them? a treacherous voice in his head whispered. You abandoned him, too.
“You’re coming with me,” he told him in a tone that allowed no argument.
“But—”
“No buts. This isn’t up for debate. Pack your bag with your clothes, you won’t need anything else.”
He meant it in a way that everything else would be provided for him. But his tone wasn’t right, it came out sounding cold.
The boy scowled. “No!”
“Naruto—”
“No!” he shouted. “This place is mine! Mine! I’ve never had a home before and this isn’t really the best one, but it’s the only one I’ve got! Please, mister, don’t take it away!”
His blue eyes were wide and rimmed with tears.
Oh hell, don’t cry! I… I… oh shit, I’m already in over my head!
A small part of Kakashi started wishing he had never gone through with this.
But it was very small.
He knelt in front of Naruto. “Look, I won’t take it away from you, ok? But there’s a lot that needs doing to fix it up and you can’t stay here while that happens.”
The small lip trembled. “But… I can’t afford…”
“I can,” Kakashi ensured him, while simultaneously wondering why the landlord wasn’t covering the repairs. “And the sooner you leave, the sooner we can get this place repaired. Ok?”
Somehow, he seemed to have averted the crisis, because the boy beamed. His smile was so like Kushina’s that it made Kakashi’s heart ache.
Naruto ran and grabbed his backpack, stuffing clothing items in it quite haphazardly. “Make sure whoever comes won’t mess up my plants!”
“I will,” Kakashi promised, rising.
A few minutes later, they were walking down the streets of Konoha. Kakashi didn’t miss that people gave them a wide berth. With monikers such as “Friend Killer” and “Cold Blooded Kakashi” it was no wonder people kept their distance from him.
But at least he knew why they did.
Naruto had no clue why people hated him so much.
“So, where are we going?” the boy asked, kicking a small pebble on the path.
“My apartment.”
“Oh. So, where do you live?”
“The Jonin barracks.”
Naruto nodded. “That makes sense.”
Huh?
“What do you mean?”
The boy kicked another pebble. “I figured you lived alone. No one with a family wants me around. And you’re a ninja, I can tell from your headband. Which means you probably got told to do this, so you don’t want me either, you’re just stuck with me.”
His words shocked Kakashi. “I wasn’t… assigned to you,” he said. “I asked for this.”
He thought that would make Naruto happy. But the child only shrugged, shifting his backpack on his shoulders. “We’ll see how long you want me.”
That confused Kakashi even more. But he decided not to inquire further.
They walked into the Jonin barracks and up the stairs. It was highly irregular for a child to be here, but Kakashi’s glare kept any curious eyes away.
That and the fact that most of them knew who Naruto was.
Kakashi pressed his hand to the wards on his door and it unlocked. He opened the door…
… and realized what an utter fool he was.
With one bed, a desk, a few bookshelves, and a closet so tiny it could barely be called that, this was no place for a child.
“You… live here?” Naruto asked, wrinkling his nose.
“Yes,” Kakashi said, realizing his room was more dusty than Naruto’s apartment.
The blonde scoffed. “Well my place is better than this!”
“At least my roof doesn’t leak!” Kakashi retorted.
Naruto made a sound of frustration and dropped his backpack on the floor. “So, when do we eat?”
Oh…
Another oversight. Kids eat.
Did they eat ration bars?
Kakashi hoped so, because that was all he had. Since he’d just come back from a six month long mission, his food stock was literally non-existent.
“Here,” he said, handing the kid a bar. “It’s not much, but it’ll keep you full.”
“That’s not dinner!”
“It is for tonight. I’ll make it up to you tomorrow.”
Naruto looked at him questioningly, but took the bar. He opened it and took a bite, grimacing in disgust. “This tastes like cardboard! We should’ve stayed at my place… then we’d have ramen!”
“I know it’s not the best, but it’s healthier for you than the ramen. And let’s keep the complaints to a minimum, all right?”
As the kid ate his bar in silence, Kakashi created a couple of shadow clones to give the small space a quick cleaning. He took the bedding to the roof to shake it off while one clone dusted and the other swept. They worked fast and were finished by the time he was done.
“Alright, get your pajamas. Time for a bath.”
“I’m not dirty!”
“No arguing. Now hurry up.”
The kid grumbled, but did as he was told. He followed Kakashi as they walked to the shared bathroom for this floor.
Kakashi led him into a room that had a tub with a flexible shower head, a tiny sink, and a toilet. He closed the door and found Naruto looking at him grumpily.
“What?”
“I know how to take a bath,” he grumbled.
“Oh,” Kakashi said, realizing the kid wanted to be alone. Which was totally fine by him, he had never bathed a kid before anyway. “Alright. I’ll be just outside, just yell if you need help with anything.”
“I won’t.”
Kakashi sighed and exited the room, making sure the door was securely closed behind him.
Luckily, no one seemed to need the facilities right now and Kakashi was grateful. He didn’t want to explain why he was sitting outside the bathroom door.
After about twenty minutes, Naruto emerged, dressed in plain pajamas and a soft sleeping cap that was probably supposed to represent some sort of animal, since it had eyes.
“All done?” Kakashi asked.
“Yeah.”
“All right.”
They made their way back to his room. “You can take the bed,” Kakashi told him.
Naruto tilted his head. “But where will you sleep?”
“The chair’s good enough for me. Trust me, I’ve slept in worse places.”
Naruto got on the bed and looked at him. “Are you gonna eat something?”
That was when Kakashi realized that he had given Naruto his very last ration bar. It was supposed to have been his dinner tonight and he’d grab groceries in the morning, but seeing Naruto alone in the street earlier today when he’d gotten back and seeing his current living conditions, had completely detoured his plan.
“I’ll eat later.”
Tomorrow counted as later, right?
Kakashi decided that it did.
“Go to bed, Naruto.”
“But it’s only 8:30!”
“No arguments. We have an early day tomorrow. So, bed. Now.”
Naruto sighed loudly and got under Kakashi’s green shuriken blanket, facing the wall.
Kakashi stared at the small boy, looking even more tiny in his large bed.
What the hell had he gotten himself into?