Beta work by Juopunumies

"Don't let go," she says. My body presses against her, while she carries me, piggyback. Strange, I never did let Kakashi live it down when Gai did this for him; glad he can't see me now. "If you start slipping, give me a tap. This way I know to tilt forward."

Kushina is very considerate, though she did carry me here so she must know what she is doing. "You remember the address the white haired guy said?"

I shrug, then grunt, "Hokaido street." Konoha has this habit of naming its landmarks after ancient islands.

"Darn," she says. "Grr, I am so lost!" She looks both ways while trying to cross. It's dark outside, but that isn't the main problem. The issue is how to get to the apartment address in one piece. Already the girl tripped over a few times, giving me a few bruises here and there, then apologized, and then did it again. "Did we cross this intersection already?" I nod; she feels the tap on her back, which means 'yes.'

"Should have got a map," she grumbles. "He should have wrote how to get there, kami what a moron! How does he expect us to find the apartment when he just gives me the address." The red head sighs.

"…Left…turn left…" I tell her. Her small face turns around, looking quizzical.

"You sure?" she asks.

"…Left…"

Kushina gets a better grip on my legs and continues to walk, one foot at a time. Strong girl, she is. Too bad the hospital cut her hair shorter; girls love long hair, they pride it. My fingers play with the patches of hair around her ear.

"Yeah, I should get it evened out," she says, understanding the meaning behind my gesture. "I was considering getting short hair, you know, so it doesn't get in the way of fighting." She skips off the road and into the sidewalk. "Huh, where do we go from here?"

"…Forward."

She does that, this time trusting my judgment. "Anyway, long hair is a pain. Still, I wanted to try buns, though I doubt that's gonna happen now." Too bad, they would have looked good on her. "But then I'd have to use more shampoo."

True, but it still doesn't change the fact that buns would have suited her. Sharp features and a short hair cut aren't the best mix when someone wants to look pretty, though I have a feeling the girl doesn't care too much about looks to begin with, which isn't a bad thing.

The two of us walk in silence for the rest of the trip to the apartment.

"Sorry."

I don't reply to that, partly because I don't know what she should be sorry for. If anything, Uzumaki Naruto should be the one to apologize for all of this. It's a miracle that we weren't killed; if I was Hokage, I would have put me down.

Instead, the Seal Master, Jiraiya, decided to put some kind of seal on my neck and let the girl take me to her temporary home.

Too bad she didn't know how to get back from the Uchiha Military Cells.

Luckily I did, this particular apartment is a place I am more than familiar with, and there have been times in my early life where my pranks landed me a day in the holdings. "…Stop…left."

"Right." She nods. "The apartment is that way." The tanned girl doesn't ask me how I know the village so well, it's probably a question better left unanswered, I think she is afraid of what she might find out. I don't blame her.

"Home sweet home!" she says, pointing to medium sized apartment complex. "Ever seen a building so big before?"

Course I have. I used to live here, girl.

"You'll like my neighbor," she tells me, as she walks up the stairs. "He's a nice guy, real helpful."

I do not like the sound of that. There is no such thing as "nice guy" just a mangy beast in dormancy. We are all after one thing and one thing only, only, some of us are better at telling ourselves otherwise.

"You'll think he is great! The two of you will get along fine!" I doubt that. "He helped me move in, showed me around, everywhere." Okay, now I really hate him. "He might be back from a mission, I'll knock and you can say hi." Kami, girl, please just get me to your apartment so I can take a rest.

Too late, she is already walking up the steps, through a hallway, and in front of a door. I look at the name tag on the mail box; my stomach lurches.

"Just a minute, I'll be there," a preteen voice replies, the kid opens the door and I try not to punch him.

"Hey, Minato!" the girl says, bouncing on her toes. "Look who I got!"

Namikaze Minato looks at me. I look back. He takes two steps back in the hall when he sees my expression, then takes a step forward when Kushina grabs his hand and pulls him closer to us. "What the hell? What's got you so afraid?" My rising killer intent, probably; the boy in front of me isn't exactly my favorite person. It's no secret that Namikaze Minato would someday grow up to be a man known as the Yellow Flash, the Savior of Konoha, and ultimately, my Sealer, the one who condemned me to a life of misery.

When I get better, I am going to be giving this boy here a visit.

"N-nothing," he says, closing his mouth when I sneer at him from the girl's shoulder, Kushina doesn't see this of course. "Just surprised that is all." Damn right you are. "Didn't think he would be so…small." Big things come in small packages, blondie. "Come in, I have some tea."

"Nah, maybe next time." Kushina shrugs and takes a step back. "Just wanted to get some introductions out of the way, you know, you were asking about him and all." He was asking about little old me? I am curious what the future 4th Hokage wants to know about the local demon. Whatever it is, it can't be good.

The taller boy looks disappointed; he bounces back fast enough, however, with a dazzling smile, but his eyes look at my face distrustfully. Interesting, so the boy isn't as 'nice' as he seems, apparently his motives for helping her are less altruistic than what Kushina was lead to believe. "Okay, see you tomorrow, Kushina-san."

"Sure thing, Minato!" she says, waving back to him, and taking us further to the hall, to a door that I am sure my key fit into for many years. "Well, here it is; my apartment!"

No, Kushina, you mean to say my apartment. I lived in this exact place.

She opens the door and brings me to a couch, same couch I slept in, then brings me a glass of water, same foul tasting water I was used to. Seems like hydro in Konoha hasn't improved in the past two decades or so, not really that big of a shock I guess. "You're welcome to try anything in the fridge," she calls out from the kitchen. "I don't have much but if ya feel hungry, take it!"

Don't mind if I do, just got to catch some sleep first.

"Oi, don't sleep now!" she says. "I've almost got dinner ready!"

My eyes are wide awake just then, can't say no to a free meal. I eat in silence, listening to her day and how big the village is. There are parts in her story where I want to correct her, but find that is too much a bother to try.

Eventually she carries me to a bed, my old bed, and lays me there. I didn't protest, not one bit. I had to sleep. So tired.

I wake up to find nothing but the color brown. Normally people would think this is a bad sign, but when your head happens to be on the chest of a somewhat busty 13/14 year old girl, it doesn't seem so bad. She smells nice enough, must have taken a shower before she went to sleep.

I look around and see her arms have wrapped around me, like I am some kind of teddy bear. This doesn't feel half bad, not bad at all. Shame these things don't last. Her cleavage isn't that great, thankfully for her, so I don't get to see much skin, just the top of her collarbone, which is still a huge score for someone like me.

She nuzzles on my neck and dribbles something about 'curry' in her sleep, I like the way she thinks, the girl has her priorities right. Reminds me of that one time I woke to hear Sakura giggle about Sasuke while her hands roamed around her chest, sure it gave me a boner at the time, but it's disturbing.

Her orange ramen pajamas look good on her, gives her a more 'natural girl' feel, none of that fake stuff. I am reluctant to part with her since she is so warm, but I have to get up to make breakfast, plus there is probably an Anbu watching me.

Getting too attached to her is a bad thing; I can't have that. Stepping off the bed, I look for some slippers, looks like there is only one pair and it belongs to the tomboy, don't think she'll mind if I use it. I am impressed how well they fit; we must have the same foot size. Either I have dainty feet, or the girl just has big floppers.

The morning light shines through a window, making the girl squirm. "Turn it off, mom." Hmm, this must be common for her, where she used to live, that is. I walk up to the window and close the blinds. As expected, I see someone standing on a nearby tree. He isn't exactly inconspicuous, but it works well enough in the dark.

"Oi, Kakashi-sensei!" He flinches, almost falling off the tree. I am in the past. Who knows, it could be him. There isn't a lot I know about Hatake Kakashi, who says he is 26? For all I know, he could just as easily be in his 40's, he wears a mask after all. "Nice day isn't it!"

For some reason the name 'Kakashi' gets him ruffled and he disappears. I start trying to sense him out, but no such luck, he must have left the area. Odd, if that is all it took to get rid of him I would have done that sooner.

Before I can make my way to the kitchen, I hear the distinct sound of knocks from the door. "Oi, Kushina-chan, get out here!" The voice sounds feminine, if barely. There is a raspy quality to it, like it had been chewing on something earlier. "Open up! We got shopping to do!"

It doesn't look like the girl is going to leave without a fight. My steps take me closer to the front door. I hesitate to open it, who knows what manner of beast stands behind it. Clutching at the knob, I decide to chance it; what is the worst that can happen?

As the door opens, something pounces on me and tackles me to the floor. It tries to wrestle me to the ground, but I manage to hold it off. It gives me a vicious swipe on my side and proceeds to keep me down. It takes me a moment to wrestle myself from under it. Now I am the one straddling my attacker.

The attacker doesn't give rest and grabs my hands and pushes me to the ground; in return my enemy kicks me on my side again. "Oh damn, you hit me there twice!" My body still isn't at its maximum yet; I need more rest. The person lunges at me one more time, but misses as I roll out of the way.

My attacker tries to get up again, but only manages to turn towards me before, I tackle her to the floor and straddle…her? "What the hell?" I ask.

"Hell is right!" she growls, her sharp teeth bared. "Who are you?!"

The girl is about the same age as Kushina, they even smell the same kind of. Spiky brown hair crowns the top of her head like a porcupine. I am glad I didn't prick myself touching that. Right below those brown shards are a set of canine black eyes, with fang shaped tattoos marking both sides of her olive face.

"Oi, stop staring and get off!" she snarls, this gives me a better view of her neck, which has what looks like a black dog collar wrapped around it. My eyes travel further down, getting a glimpse of double meshed tank top underneath a striped vest.

Looking down, I finally see a nice pair of curvy black shorts. Practical girl, she is. "I'll move," I tell her, "if you tell me who you are."

She smirks, feisty, I am loving her fanged smile. In a swift motion both her legs wrap around me, twist me onto the ground, and give her the straddle position. "Damn, should have seen that coming." I should be mad, but it just gives me a better view of her from below. I have to say I am liking it.

Her purple lips scowl. "Let's try this again," she says. The girl reaches into her shirt to to pull out a Kunai. There must be pouches in there, I think. "What are you doing in Kushina's room?" Her feral face inches to my own. Her weight pressing on my pelvis would have been stimulating had she not been so heavy, and her breath seems to be releasing some unconscious musk, that I am not even sure she is aware of.

Before her face could get any closer I make a move to trip her balance, and she falls face first onto me. Nice, she is developing it seems. As my arms try and grasp her hands-

"TSUME! WHAT THE HELL!" -the two of us are interrupted by the owner of this habitation.

The girl doesn't look happy. You know what they say about redheads. "I can explain, this isn't what it looks like," I tell her. However, my hands on the feral girls back, while her body pressed on me probably isn't helping my case.

"What is going on here?" says the voice of our neighbor. Great, just what I need.

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