The World Was All Before Him

The World Was All Before Him

- SuishouTenshi

No, you’re not hallucinating. The chapters are indeed becoming larger in size.

Act II, Scene I: Sweet Joy Befall Thee

Vast, blue, and depthless, the infant’s eyes swept across Kakashi’s masked countenance like the ocean’s tidal wave, forceful, powerful, unafraid. The resemblance between father and son was incredible, both in terms of physical appearance and force of presence.

There was no doubt in Kakashi’s mind as he held the bundle of flesh wrapped tightly in blankets that Namikaze Naruto was truly Yondaime Hokage’s legacy.

There was a brief flash of green in his vision of which he preferred not to dwell upon.

An ear-piercing screech filled the small hospital room. Naruto’s face scrunched up unpleasantly; a chubby little hand had somehow escaped the confines of the blanket and was reaching towards Kakashi’s mask... again.

The fifteen-year-old genius Jounin sighed but relented. For the six months after Naruto’s birth, he had somehow been put in charge of the little boy by the village council and Sandaime on the basis that he was Yondaime’s most loyal subordinate and the only one (left) who could get through the security barrier around Yondaime’s private estate without being zapped like a bug.

And it was roughly two months ago that Naruto began to resent his face, or lack thereof. The medic-nins informed Kakashi that an infant’s eyes took time to develop, and once they did, the child would need to see and register their caregiver’s facial expressions to gain reassurance.

So Kakashi sighed heavily, but pulled down his mask nonetheless. The drool-monster, as Kakashi secretly dubbed Naruto as, giggled happily, and promptly rammed his stubby index finger up Kakashi’s nose.

A deep, melodic chuckle accompanied Kakashi’s groan of discontent. Shocked at the sound, the young Jounin looked up and saw the clear aqua eyes of his sensei.

“You’re awake,” Kakashi murmured.

Yondaime nodded and sat up with a slight grimace, smile still somehow firmly in place. “How long was I out?”

“Six months,” answered Kakashi as he pulled Naruto’s finger out.

Yondaime groaned. “I missed New Year’s celebrations.”

Kakashi replied with a shrug. “You didn’t miss much. Just that us ANBU captains stole your Hokage robes and deflowered all the virgins in the next village over.”

“Hmm, even the two-year-old little boys?” Yondaime asked calmly.

Kakashi blanched, causing his teacher to laugh openly. “I like your developing sense of humor, Kakashi, but you still need practice.”

Kakashi rolled his eyes but could not come up with a retort. His teacher inclined his head toward the baby in his arms and asked, “Can I hold him?”

“I should call the medics,” said Kakashi as he carefully placed Naruto in Yondaime’s arms. “The village is holding up poorly after the attack and Sandaime Hokage-sama is constantly yet subtly reminding us that he is getting too old for this job. They need you.”

“Just give me a few minutes before you throw me to the wolves. This little guy needs me too.”

Yondaime held his son with practiced ease. Enough village women had begged him into holding and blessing their newborns so that he had gotten quite used to the action.

Naruto’s previous grin disappeared once he was taken away from Kakashi. To his credit, however, he didn’t start bawling. Familiar eyes studied each other intently, neither blond made a move until the father asked quietly, “What’s his name?”

Kakashi’s Sharingan eye twitched. “You mean you don’t remember?”

“The last thing I recall was Nara-san telling me my wife is dead and I have a son.”

Kakashi scoffed. “His name is Naruto. Namikaze Naruto.”

“Fishcake?!”

“You’re the one who named him,” Kakashi ground out through clenched teeth. “And it’s too late to change it. His name is already in the registry and announced to the village.”

Yondaime gave a surrendered smile. Looking down on his curious son, he bounced the child lightly and sighed. “Naruto, eh? Can you say, ‘papa’?”

“Sensei... he’s only six months old.”

“So? Uchiha’s kid was able to say ‘shinobi’ at six months.”

“Uchiha Itachi is hardly a normal child.”

“Tch, like you have any right to say something like that, boy wonder.”

Yondaime placed the bundle on his lap and unraveled the blankets in order to roll up the panda-patterned pajamas.

“I see you found the baby stuff.”

Kakashi nodded. “Everything was in Kushina-sama’s bedroom.”

Yondaime nodded and channeled a bit of chakra into Naruto’s stomach. A swirling black mark appeared at the belly and Naruto giggled as if tickled. Yondaime nodded in satisfaction. It seemed like the seal was firmly in place. The danger was over.

“The villagers are still wondering how you sealed it,” said Kakashi.

“Hmm.” Yondaime didn’t deign to answer and continued to check the mark’s details.

“What happened to Kushina’s body, and her maids?”

“Her father’s men came and took her body and attendants back home. He left word with Sandaime-sama that he didn’t want his daughter to be buried here. He also said he won’t recognize Naruto as his grandson, and he doesn’t wish to see you ever again. Last I heard, Lord Uzumaki moved his entire family out of the Whirlpool Country altogether,” Kakashi reported monotonously.

Yondaime sighed but didn’t take his eyes off of Naruto and began to tickle the boy. “Good thing I was out cold when all that happened.”

Kakashi could only glare.

“When Naruto grows up, I don’t want anyone to tell him about Kushina.” The familiar weight in his voice told Kakashi that it was not a request.

“She was his mother.”

“No, his mother shall be Konoha. No child deserves to know that he was born out of a loveless marriage. My son will know nothing but happiness. I’ll make sure of it.”

“But sensei, you know the circumstances called for it,” said Kakashi exasperatedly. “As someone born outside of the village, you wouldn’t have been chosen as Hokage without some ties to nobility.”

“It wasn’t fair, to either of us.”

Kakashi was silent.

The machines beeped and hummed around them, and Naruto’s giggles could only momentarily distract them from the awkwardness.

Yondaime cleared his throat and looked up. “Hey, your mask has been down quite often lately. To what do I owe the honor?”

Kakashi immediately turned his back on his teacher when he felt the rising heat in his cheeks. He pulled up the mask and grumbled, “It was torn in the battle that time. And it makes Naruto-kun upset.”

“Or maybe he just thinks your face is too beautiful to cover up.”

Sadly enough, Kakashi couldn’t tell whether his sensei was joking or not. Before he could reprimand his teacher for teasing him, however, Yondaime began to groan in pain. It must have been quite severe to make the Hokage cry out loud.

Kakashi took Naruto back and sighed. “You’re pushing yourself again. You should’ve said something earlier, sensei. I’m calling the medic.”

“Wait for me at home, Kakashi. I’ll be back by sunset the latest.”

Kakashi rolled his eyes and opened the door. He cradled Naruto closer and said, “The sun hasn’t even come out yet, sensei.”

With a soft click of the lock, Kakashi and Naruto were gone.

- TBC

A/N: Chapter title comes from William Blake’s “Infant Joy”. Chapter three is on its way. This chapter comes with fanart, by the wonderful Red Mako Eyes. Link is: www.deviantart.com/deviation/52860751

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