Here you go. No more nasty cliffhanger.

To Be Acknowledged

Smoke billowed from the gaping hole in the Hokage Tower. Fire cast a red glow on the gray clouds of smoke that rose into the sky. Those closest to the tower had jumped back and assumed defensive formations. Hyuuga Hiashi leaped from the Hokage's office down to the ground. Akimichi Chouza grabbed Kiba-kun, who promptly bit him. Uchiha Fugaku ran towards the blaze. Minato's bodyguards surrounded him, alert for a second attack, and Minato himself clasped his trembling son to his chest while wielding a three-pronged kunai. He placed a Hiraishin seal on the back of Naruto's neck and murmured to him that he was safe. And Naruto was safe, Minato reassured his racing heart. Safe in his own arms. Itachi though -

"Put out the fire," he ordered two ANBU, who'd just arrived. To a second pair, he said, "Guard our guests from Iwa. Ibiki-san, establish a perimeter."

Minato's senses were hyper-aware, and the air itself became a pool of sensations: Each stirring or shifting caused a ripple. Not a movement occurred in a radius around Minato that he did not register and catalogue as threatening or not. Even his guards were suspect. He would not gamble with Naruto's life with the most trusted of his circle, not now that it was clear Konoha itself could be infiltrated.

A loud crack sounded from the tower, and fiery lumber rained down from what was once a window. The hole was blown into second and third stories from the top. By the Sage, the intruder must have been under his own feet as he'd spoken to Hiashi. How had an enemy shinobi gotten past the patrols? Even he had sensed nothing amiss, and Itachi - the young man to whom Minato owed everything - had saved Naruto again. If something happened to Itachi, Minato would never forgive himself. Minato watched his men dousing the flames with Suitons as one ANBU tried to block Fugaku from entering the building. Every moment Itachi did not appear lessened the odds he had survived the explosion.

"They've struck at our heart," said Ibiki beside him.

My heart, Minato thought. His son was surely the target. He tightened his grip and looked down. Naruto stared up at him with the eyes of last night - so wide, the pupils dilated with anxiety. Blue, but not sparkling. His lip quivered. Minato had to look away or risk scaring Naruto further. His rage set his veins afire. He had never felt such an overpowering urge for violence as he did now. Naruto had been laughing and playing. He was happy - until some intruder had ruined everything.

"Hokage-sama," said Ibiki, "I suggest you and the jin - ah, your son - perhaps you should retreat to a safehouse."

It was a mark of how drastically Minato's life had changed in the past twelve hours that the commander of ANBU would make such a suggestion and that Minato would consider it. Yesterday, he would have led the charge into the tower, but today, Ibiki read him correctly. Sick with anger though he was, Minato would not leave Naruto.

"We will wait for Itachi," he told Ibiki. Then Minato sucked in his breath and squinted to see beyond the angry smoke where the darkened figure of a man appeared. In a quick move, Minato switched the kunai to the hand that clutched Naruto. In his other, a glowing sphere sprang to life.

"Yes," he hissed in triumph and dispelled the Rasengan.

Enveloped in a cloud of purple chakra, Uchiha Itachi jumped through the smoke and fire. Even as he descended, the chakra began to dissipate. He touched down and jumped again in a single graceful motion toward his Hokage. His father made an about-face and pursued Itachi with more outward composure; however, the jerky strides he took suggested lingering worry. After the purple chakra completely disappeared, Itachi still looked oddly...colorful...and lumpy.

Minato blinked.

Toads. Five toads of various colorations clung to Itachi's shirt, on his chest, back, and arms.

The young Uchiha landed before Minato's bodyguards, whom Minato quickly ordered to stand down. Itachi kneeled to report, and Minato, to his great relief, discerned no injuries. A dark magenta toad with green eyes and brown, vertical stripes below his eyes hopped from Itachi's arm to his shoulder and stared at Minato dolefully. Naruto raised his head to study Itachi, but instead of throwing himself at the Uchiha, as Minato half-expected, Naruto settled more comfortably into his own arms. Naruto's little body gave a final shudder before the trembling ceased altogether.

"Hokage-sama," said Itachi. He stifled a cough. "A shinobi skilled in stealth -" He covered his mouth. His shoulders shook. "Pardon, skilled in stealth and evasion successfully infiltrated -" He tried to quell another coughing fit and gasped through it, "Threat neutralized."

"Take a moment to recover, Itachi-kun."

Minato gestured for one of his guards to share the information with the other ANBU. Raidou, wearing the mask of a bear, leaped to do so. While Minato motioned for Ibiki and Fugaku to approach, Itachi expelled the smoke from his lungs with forceful coughs. Fugaku's face was fixed into an expression of tightened lips and a narrow-eyed glare. Minato felt certain that Fugaku was concerned about his son - how could he not be? - but Minato thought it was just as well Itachi's head was turned down. Meanwhile, a small crowd had formed in the streets nearby, and clan heads had joined the jounins in both calming them and keeping them back. Smoke continued to climb the air until ANBU extinguished the fire, and a small contingent of the Uchiha Police Force muscled their way past an ANBU member trying to maintain the perimeter.

"Fugaku-san," said Minato, nodding towards the budding altercation.

Fugaku's glare became more pointed. His jaw tightened. "This is a matter of internal security and therefore a matter for the police. The attack occurred on Konoha's soil."

"It was almost certainly carried out by a foreign entity," said Minato. "This is ANBU's jurisdiction unless evidence indicates otherwise. Have your men tighten security on the streets. We must be wary of letting a panic break out."

Itachi coughed. Fugaku eyed his son, glared at the Hokage then at Ibiki, and strode over to his men, who instantly backed off at his sharp commands.

"I beg your pardon, Hokage-sama, Morino-san" said Itachi. Minato glimpsed water in his eyes from the suppression of his coughs. "The shinobi infiltrated Hokage Tower with incredible stealth. He was in the lounge itself before I became aware of him. He is dead now."

So close, thought Minato desperately. So close to Naruto. A hand's width? A hair's breadth?

"Just the one intruder?"

"To the best of my knowledge, yes."

"Did you learn anything from him?" asked Ibiki.

"I put him under a genjutsu to compel him to speak. He began to choke. I apologize. It may have been my genjutsu that activated a seal to strangle him."

"And the explosion?"

Itachi hesitated. "Under an outer layer of clothing, he was covered in exploding tags. He - I had removed the genjutsu in the hopes that the seal would deactivate, but as he continued choking, I thought I heard him say, 'Get out.' He may have been trying to warn me, which I find puzzling."

Minato and Ibiki exchanged glances. Their thoughts matched Itachi's.

"When I attempted to secure him, I discovered the exploding tags. I had already sent the children with the largest toad." At that, Itachi cast a guilty look upwards. Blast the boy, thought Minato. He put all the shinobi of Konoha including the Hokage himself to shame and had the nerve - or rather, the humility - to look guilty?

"The enemy had potential hostages," Minato said for now. "Your actions were appropriate."

Itachi released another cough, and Fugaku returned during it, having dispensed orders to the police. The man really needed to adopt a more neutral expression, thought Minato with some ire. He saw Itachi stiffen ever so slightly as his father approached. Minato prayed his presence never provoked such a reaction from Naruto. Though he supposed he should be more concerned right now with making sure Naruto could even pick him out from a crowd.

"The intruder seemed very surprised to be discovered," said Itachi. "I suspect, Hokage-sama, that his goal was to gather information and - not to -"

He tilted his head towards Naruto. Minato appreciated his care to avoid alarming Naruto further. It was hard to know at this moment what the boy understood, but Minato guessed the world for Naruto was divided between those who frightened him and those who fed him. Right now, he simply remained still in Minato's arms - too still, Minato feared. Was that a defense mechanism of some sort? Freezing when threatened? Or was it a result of Itachi's needing him to be still and quiet as they raced across three nations? In any case, Minato wanted to take Naruto away from the tower and the shinobi who shouted back and forth to one another as they tried to bring the situation under control.

The blackened hole in the tower's side still gave off wisps of smoke, but the structure stood as ANBU jumped in and around it. Puddles had formed on the ground from excessive Suiton use, and shinobi splashed through them as they secured the area. Minato should leave them to it. He could be no help to them. His most important tasks now were to restore Naruto's sense of security and insist that Itachi visit the hospital. Minato's eyes fell on the toads that still clung to Itachi, and he had to stifle a pang of guilt. The summons were little more than adolescents.

"Toads," said Minato. "Forgive me, I have not yet learned your names. I am sorry to have put your lives unknowingly in danger."

The magenta toad on Itachi's shoulder said, "I'm Gamaken, Yondaime-sama, and we aren't mad at you. We - erm - we are clumsy." His green eyes dropped with embarrassment.

"Clumsy?" asked Minato with some surprise. When the toad maintained an abashed silence, he looked at Itachi.

"These five, the youngest of the lot, couldn't undo the summoning and return home. They were too panicked," Itachi explained. Then he added, as an afterthought, "I had some difficulty catching them before the tags exploded."

Minato had a sudden mental picture of toads hopping wildly around the lounge while Itachi chased after them and struggled to restrain their squirming bodies. It almost made him laugh - almost.

Fugaku, however, choked upon the implication. In a biting tone that also managed to be aghast, he said, "You endangered your life to save the frogs?"

A tense moment followed. Minato was deciding how to be diplomatic - thanking Itachi while being careful to not to suggest that his life was less important that the toads' while simultaneously wishing to ensure his summons that they were not expendable and all the while watching Fugaku's eye twitch with what was surely stark indignation.

"My fwogs."

The assertion caught everyone off guard. Eyes turned to Naruto, who leaned away from Minato's chest. Naruto met Fugaku's disapproving stare with one of his own. Then he wriggled, and Minato set him carefully upon the ground. Naruto's head did rise above Minato's knee but not by much. The little blonde did not take his eyes off Fugaku as he walked to stand before the still kneeling Itachi and the frogs - erm, toads. His jaw was set in an expression of displeasure. Then he reached for Gamaken, who submitted to a bone-crushing hug.

Itachi's mouth twitched to form a small smile. Ibiki blinked at the little boy. Fugaku's frown deepened. Minato almost melted with relief. Kami-sama bless the toads and Naruto's love for them.

"Naruto's frogs," Itachi calmly corrected his father. "And the Hokage's summons. The risk to myself was minimal."

"You have my sincere gratitude, Itachi-kun," said Minato. "Now trot over to the nearest med-nin. There's Taji-san. She'll do nicely. If she recommends it, you must visit the hospital. I'm sure your father supports me in this."

Fugaku was surprised to learn of his support when what he truly wanted was to drag Itachi back to clan headquarters and learn every detail of the events that had transpired these last two days. The blonde-haired boy who looked so like the Yondaime, could he be the son of Uzumaki Kushina? Fugaku saw no other explanation, and even as he recognized the boon the boy's discovery was for Konoha - opening a new avenue of inquiry to recover the Kyuubi no Yoko - he could not reconcile Itachi's recent behavior with that of the dutiful child he had raised.

Until yesterday around this time, Fugaku's life had operated in an acceptable manner. He had a strong, healthy family with a loving wife and two sons to carry on his legacy. He had problems to deal with, of course, including a growing clamor within his clan that gave him cause for concern. The investigation into Shisui's suicide three months past had only fanned the flames that burned so hot in the heart of an Uchiha. However, those involved were known quantities. They were family, and their grievances were not without merit, though he almost bit off Inabi's head after the suggestion that Itachi had a hand in Shisui's death.

Itachi was the clan heir and their most valuable asset: talented, poised, intelligent, articulate, even handsome. Not a single member of the Uchiha clan would deny his right to ascend as their leader when the time came for Fugaku to step down - if only Itachi would act the part. As it was, his son had started down a path of disinheritance. It wasn't until last night that Fugaku had understood how far Itachi's detachment had grown.

The Mangekyo Sharingan, such a treasure. A greater sign of Itachi's right to lead he could not fathom. And the purple chakra he had wrapped around himself as he leaped from the burning tower...could it be - could his son have awakened an ability so powerful it had not been seen since the days of Uchiha Madara?

Itachi must see reason. Fugaku would make him.

"A moment, Hokage-sama," said Itachi. "Alone please."

Minato raised his brows but agreed instantly. "Recover the corpse of the shinobi, Ibiki-san. Its examination is top priority. Discover all we can from it."

Ibiki nodded to them both and departed. They looked at Fugaku - lost in his own thoughts - for a long moment during which he realized they expected him to leave. When he stood rooted to the ground, the Hokage and Itachi walked away from him as the little boy hopped along between them.

The sight was the latest in a string of unpleasant realities Fugaku was forced to accept. It was worse than Itachi's anger of last night, for anger and even hatred could be understood, could be molded, could be used. This, though - this was a dismissal, and from it, Fugaku could come to only one conclusion: The Hokage had suborned his son's loyalty. The realization was sucker punch to his gut. It left him weakened.

When had it happened? How had it happened? It was true that Itachi's reports about the Hokage had always been rather minimal in content and never carried suggestions of weakness or improprieties. The omission had never much bothered Fugaku in the past, for though he had more than one reservation about the man's leadership, he approved of Namikaze Minato. Or he had. Now a sense of distaste curdled in his stomach at the thought of the Yondaime. Itachi was meant to become a valuable member of ANBU and bring pride to their clan as he built a fearsome reputation before he eventually retired from ANBU, started a family, and took his rightful place as clan leader. Though ANBU reported to the Hokage, they were meant to be faceless soldiers who carried out the Hokage's directives without question. With such an impersonal relationship, how could the Yondaime have so thoroughly won his son's loyalty? What wiles had the man used? Shades of Madara, his son had nearly thrown his life away to save a few frogs but could not bring himself to attend a half-hour meeting with Uchiha clansmen!

Fugaku could not bear it. He spun on his heel. After a few minutes of slogging through the quagmire of doubt and denial, the image of Itachi's angry Sharingans morphed into the warm onyx eyes of his younger son. The thought of Sasuke soothed his wounded soul. It was a weakness, certainly, to grow dependent on familial bonds, especially when he was meant to be their strength, but Fugaku knew he could more easily confront the problems plaguing his clan and his firstborn if he could first fortify himself with Sasuke's affection. He quickened his step towards home.

Itachi watched him leaving from the corner of his eye and breathed a sigh of relief. He had feared for a moment that his father would challenge him or, worse, challenge Hokage-sama, but something had quenched his growing anger. Itachi didn't know what but was glad for it.

Ever insightful, Minato said, "He raced towards the flames, Itachi." He thought he detected a flicker in Itachi's eyes but hadn't a clue how to mend wounds of this nature, so he let it pass. The short distance he and Itachi had walked brought them closer to the street where a swelling crowd of civilians and young shinobi gathered. Minato purposely stayed within their view so that they could see their Hokage alive and well. It should go a long way to quelling panic.

Then Minato said to his summons, "Let's get you toads home. You must be exhausted."

Naruto was in the process of transferring the four other toads on Itachi to himself. Gamaken was perched on his head, rather comfortable amid the blonde locks of hair. A yellow toad rested on his shoulder, and Naruto cupped a bright green toad in his hands. He attempted to stuff it headfirst into the pocket of his shorts. He still didn't recognize the word "toad" so Minato's suggestion and the short conversation that followed flew over his head, but he certainly took note when the two toads still in Itachi's arms and the one on his own shoulder disappeared.

Minato realized his mistake a moment later as Naruto spun around, hunting for the missing toads. He needed to assure his son that the two toads with him now had chosen to stay with him for a while.

"Naruto," Minato began, but his voice caught in his throat at the look on his son's face.

Blue eyes brimming with outrage, Naruto jabbed a finger at Minato and said, "Bad!"

Then he ran.

Fled.

Minato gaped at his son's retreating back, and his mind journeyed on a dizzying quest to figure out what the hell to do. A wave of anguish swelled within him, and it was all too easy to identify the cause. In an instant, the truth hammered itself into the marrow of his soul: Given the chance, Naruto would leave him. His son would not think twice about it. Minato meant nothing to him. He would simply vanish when he grew discontent. Minato could assign ANBU to protect him, to eliminate the enemy, and to bring back Naruto when he ran, but if Naruto could not come to see Konoha as home, Minato would become his captor. Even as Minato admired Naruto's independence, he feared it.

Minato watched his son race across the open ground, reaching an impressive speed for one so small. He wondered if this was a sign of things to come. He could catch up with Naruto in a second, but he didn't want to give Naruto another fright so soon after the last. And what good would grabbing him again do? Minato couldn't force his son to love him.

Or even tolerate him.

"Hokage-sama," said Itachi at his side. Minato shook his head. He had forgotten about the Uchiha.

"Yes?"

"I misreported information, Hokage-sama."

That got Minato's attention. He didn't turn his gaze from his son, who - much to his surprise - was running straight towards the largest bunch of shinobi. Minato eyed the shinobi in the vicinity for hands twitching for kunai or making covert signals. The possibility of a traitor within Konoha had not escaped him, and there were still the Iwa couriers to take into account. They stood between two ANBU guards, looking anxious and twitchy. Naruto's safety was paramount. Naruto might come to hate him forever, but Minato would allow no harm to come to his son.

The gathered shinobi certainly kept a close watch on the little blonde. The ANBU still remained vigilant for threats within and around the tower, but the off-duty jounin and clan heads stared without compunction. In their gazes was a sort of baffled fascination. There were whispers of the child's identity, and the name "Uzumaki" was tossed around.

"I'm listening, Itachi-kun."

"I did not detect the intruder, Hokage-sama. He was inside the lounge, and I had no inkling of his presence."

"He revealed himself?" asked Minato.

Itachi shook his head. "The shinobi's chakra was so well suppressed I would say it was erased. Likewise, his physical presence was not merely camouflaged; he had assumed a state of invisibility. Hokage-sama, I have never encountered a shinobi so well concealed in every way."

So this was the caliber of his enemy. "Then how did you sense him?"

"I didn't. Naruto did."

Minato started. A hundred questions raced through his mind, and he picked one almost at random. "How?"

"Naruto, Kiba-kun, and the frogs - ahem, the toads - were playing, and Naruto was running past me, but he stopped and pointed at the ceiling. He asked me why the sad man was hiding."

"The sad man?"

"Even knowing where to look I could not sense him," said Itachi, frustration heavy in his voice. "Even with my Sharingan, I could not make out his chakra. Then I -" he hesitated. His eyes darted towards the Hokage. "Then I activated a more advanced form of my Sharingan. I still could not see his body or his chakra, but a trace of him - more like a shadow of chakra - became visible to me. I tried to subdue him. The rest is as I said before."

Minato shook his head. Some Uzumakis had once been known to have great sensory perception, but he had never heard of the skill manifesting in one so young. Was his son so powerful a sensor? Kushina had never shown exceptional abilities in that area. Neither had he.

"Thank you, Itachi-kun. I will consider this carefully."

Minato tensed as Naruto reached the group of adults. Then Naruto's high-pitched voice rang out. "Kiba! He took da fwogs! He took da fwogs!"

Sitting atop a fat man's shoulder, Kiba understood that a game was afoot. He chomped down on the fat man's ear, planted a foot in the fat man's chubby cheek, and bounded between various pairs of legs to join Naruto in streaking across the field of mud and puddles. Within minutes, Naruto's trajectory had altered from the beeline it was to random zigzagging and haphazard circling. The toads leaped from his arms to hop around him and Kiba, much as they had in the lounge. Naruto took a running jump to land in puddle. The filthy water splashed everywhere, all over Naruto and the toads, and his son's laughter indicated to Minato that it might be safe to approach him again. Could Minato dare to hope his son had already forgotten the disappearing frogs in favor of the muddy puddles? Minato began strolling with false calm in his direction.

One ANBU sought to be helpful to his Hokage. As the little blonde barreled past him, he jumped towards the boy with arms outstretched to snatch him up. His leap was arrested mid-air, and a flash of pain shot from his shoulder down his spine. His legs couldn't move from the pain, and as the sky and ground traded places in his vision, he was deposited in a twisted lump into a puddle. A spot of yellow appeared in the corner of his eye.

"Forgive me, young man," said a voice the addled ANBU recognized as the Hokage's, "but please don't touch my son right now."

Seeing this, every shinobi present feared to come too near the blonde. Everywhere Naruto ran, adults scattered. For good measure, they avoided the Inuzuka boy, too, and when they scattered, they didn't simply move out of the way. They made exaggerated leaps to maintain a wide berth and kept checking over their shoulders for flashes of yellow. The boys eventually noticed this and began targeting the largest clumps of adults, shrieking with laughter as the big people fled.

The situation was fast devolving, Minato noted wryly. However, the chaos served at least one purpose. Ibiki's men had recovered the corpse of the intruder and made off with it without causing a bit of speculation. No one had noticed, not with their attention captured by his son. Last night, Minato had feared Naruto would become nervous and unsettled if too many eyes were trained on him - it was a large consideration when he'd determined to let the Hyuugas take him in - but from what he could see now, not only did Naruto not shrink from attention, he reveled in it.

Minato had decided to hide Naruto away and let him gradually adjust to life in Konoha, but Naruto had rejected so staid an introduction to the village and orchestrated one of his own design. Minato should be horrified. Instead, his mouth worked itself into a smile. Kushina's son indeed.

His son.

Breathing out, Minato molded chakra and disappeared into the interdimensional space marked by his Hiraishin seals, only to reappear above a mop of golden hair. In an instant, Minato flipped through the air and landed in a crouch. An astonished Naruto ran headlong into his father's open arms. Minato didn't give him a chance to recover from his surprise. He wrapped his arms around Naruto and lifted him off the ground.

They disappeared and reappeared on top of Hokage Tower. Naruto's head swiveled wildly as he adjusted to the sudden change in scenery. Minato absorbed Naruto's presence and curiosity. He truly was a beautiful little boy. The sun's rays caught his hair and brightened his eyes to a glow.

"Naruto," said Minato softly. He gestured to the view. "This is Konoha. I'd like for it to become your home."

Naruto leaned back in order look at Minato, who began to feel an acute sense of shyness. He cleared his throat. "There are many wonderful people here and so many good things to eat and fun things to do. You can make more friends like Itachi-kun and Kiba-kun. Konoha is where your mother and - and your father met, and I believe you can come to love living here. I'm - I'm the Yondaime Hokage of Konoha. That means it's my job to protect this precious place and the people who live here. I want - Naruto, if you'll let me, I want to protect you, too."

Minato smiled at him in the hopes that Naruto would at least understand that Minato meant him no harm. To his surprise, Naruto reached up a hand to touch his cheek. Then Minato realized a tear had slipped from the corner of his eye. Naruto caught it on a fingertip and studied the drop.

Wearing a puzzled expression, Naruto looked up at him again. "Not sad?"

"No, Naruto, I am very happy."

"You was mad - and bad."

"Not mad at you," said Minato hurriedly. "And I didn't mean to take the frogs away from you. They were going home to take a nap. They'll come back and play with you."

"Going home?" he echoed.

"They live in a place called Mount Myoboku, but they visit Konoha often."

Naruto pointed to the view beyond the tower. "Kohana?"

"Konoha," he said more slowly.

Naruto's lips moved silently over the syllables.

"Tachi?"

Minato studied the many shinobi on the ground. He tried to point out Itachi, who was speaking to the med-nin, Minato was pleased to see. "He's down there."

For some reason, Naruto giggled. Minato hadn't a clue why but enjoyed it all the same.

"Fwoggies?"

Gamaken was hard to spot, but the green toad at least was bright enough to catch his eye. He took a step towards the edge and felt Naruto tighten his hold on Minato's cloak. Was it deplorable that Minato enjoyed it so? He was learning many things about himself. He gave a rueful shake of his head.

"Kiba?"

It was both easy and hard to point out the Inuzuka. Kiba ran pell-mell through the puddles, highly visible against the backdrop of slower moving adults, but he didn't stay in one place long enough for Minato to point to. Chouza had begun chasing after him. Both of their sets of clothes were now the color of Kiba's hair. Minato hoped Tsume would still allow Kiba to play with Naruto. Speaking of Tsume, she was hustling past the crowd of villagers and carried something furry.

He caught sight of Inoichi. He - along with Ibiki, Itachi, and Genma - knew the full truth now: that Naruto was not only his son but was the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi. That was one secret Minato was determined to keep. The Kyuubi -

Ah.

A thought struck Minato like a lightning bolt. Uzumaki Mito, the first jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, could sense negative emotions. What had Itachi said? The sad man. And Naruto had known how angry Minato was after the explosion. Kami-sama, could his son sense every negative emotion swirling around him at all times? Surely that would drive him mad. Checking the seal became a greater priority, right after dealing with the corpse and Iwa. And dispersing this crowd. And seeing to repairs in the towers. And reforming ANBU defenses. And ensuring the police was keeping the peace. And arranging for Naruto's protection while he was distracted.

He had to be the Hokage again...but not quite yet.

"Naruto." A mischievous grin stretched across his face. "Want to jump?"

Naruto's eyes grew big as he oggled the sheer drop. He searched Minato's expression, and whatever he found there convinced him. A similar grin spread across his own face. He nodded.

"Hold tight."

Naruto plastered himself against Minato's chest. His arms formed an iron grip around Minato's neck. When he jumped, Naruto squealed loudly in his ear, but he could easily bear the shrill sound if it meant his son was happy again. Airborne, Minato tightened his hold on Naruto and buried his face in the curve of Naruto's shoulder and neck, breathing in his scent.

It was too much to expect Naruto to experience the same jolt of recognition as Minato had the moment he laid eyes on him, but Minato could earn Naruto's acknowledgement. For so precious a hope, he would never give up.

Dear readers! This chapter began to get really long and rambling, so I've split it into two. I hope to get that second half to you soon. However, I am also determined to spend more time on my other Naruto fic, which is pretty close to being completed. If the next update takes more than two weeks, please check my profile for information about updates (if you're interested, that is). Wish I could give you more details, but I'm going to let my mood and muse decide how much to work on each story.

Hope you enjoyed it!