Disclaimer: If I did own Naruto the question of whether Kakashi was alive or dead wouldn't be a question.

SnapDragon

"But Hokage-sama!-"

"No. I've up my mind already. Hatake-kun will live with you."

The Sandaime stared over his interlocking hands at the tall blonde youth in front of him. Minato stared right back clearly wanting nothing to do with his latest assignment. Eyes glanced to the side as Minato found an interesting pattern on the wall. Jiraiya sat in seat next to the window, leaning back in his seat looking between the two. At first he had laughed at the prospect of his favorite student getting a genin team or having to mentor little academy children, now he was somber. He understood why his student was reluctant to take on an apprentice, especially this one.

"I can train him. But I don't understand why he has to come live with me. Doesn't he live at his clan house at the moment? Why not continue with it?"

Sighing. Sarutobi pulled his cap down a little tiredly looking over his desk. Jiraiya's lips spread thin.

"Minato has a point sensei. So what's the reason Sakumo's get has to live with gaki here? There is no way you can tell me the kid doesn't already take care of himself. "

Minato nodded his agreement. Giving them weary stares Sarutobi kneaded his forehead.

"How long have you two been back from whatever missions you were on? And where exactly were you working?"

Jiraiya sat up straighter hearing the urgent tone in his sensei's voice. Minato threw them both a curious glance.

"What did we miss? I just got back from Iwagure sometime last night and came by to give you the report this morning when you snagged me in here with Minato to listen to him get assigned one genin."

Nodding Minato hummed an agreement.

"I've been in Konoha for two days after coming from the front lines near Suna, but I haven't had much time to go out yet. The first day I spent in reports and the second day I did training on a ninjutsu I'm trying to master."

"For one thing Jiraiya: Hatake-kun is a chunnin as of six months ago."

They both looked at him in surprise. Minato had heard the boy had beat his record but not by that much.

Secondly, I take it neither of you has heard the news?"

Both shook their head, giving him curious apprehensive eyes.

"No."

"Hatake Sakumo committed suicide a week ago."

Two sets of shoulders tensed, freezing as the implication hit them. Jiraiya was the first to get up with clenched fists.

"That idiot!"

Eying his furious sensei from the corner of his eye Minato showed no visible reaction. His voice on the other hand had become colder and distant.

"And exactly what brought him to that? When I left, he had just returned from saving his fellow shinobi from death."

Icy blue eyes met regretfully knowing ones.

"Exactly."

"So little Kakashi-kun is left without a father because some idle indulged councilmen and prejudice villagers thought finishing the mission was more important than bringing back two seasoned shinobi that could be of use in the war they are so intent on occurring?"

Sarutobi sighed shoulders drooping.

"My hands were tied. There was no way I could let him keep performing his duties of a jounin after the insubordination he had shown in disregarding the mission. I settled for demoting him to a chunin so he could at least still do missions. Sadly, his performance continued to deteriorate, and he came to the point where he couldn't even complete a simple C-rank mission."

Two sets of enraged eyes rested on him- one a dangerous icy frost, the other a blazing inferno.

"No wonder he committed suicide! This village was intent on shaming him to death. He is- was- equal to all three of us sennin, and more deserving of the respect too! Yet this village does what it's best at- it crushed his heart and pride. And you sensei! How could you let those doddering seat warmers do that to him?! Will you let them do that to us if we fail? Huh? Cause the White Fang might have gone with it like a whipped dog, but I assure you I won't. Tsunade and Orochimaru either."

"Jiraiya stop overreacting. The council would never think to do that to the sannin. I'm sure none of you will have trouble carrying out a mission, but even should that happen I would hope the three of you don't attempt to go against the council and get labeled as missing Nin. "

Silence filled the room as the angry toad sage took angry breaths standing aside his calmly collected student. A very unimpressed idealistic student.

"I must agree with Jiraiya-sensei, Sandaime-sama. What exactly is there to keep the council from judging us in the same manner should we fail to 'meet their expectations'?"

As Sarutobi opened his mouth to say something, he was cut off as Minato continued speaking.

"But why talk about something you can't change? Let's discuss the obviously gifted angry orphan you are attempting to pawn off on me after having his father dishonored and given no choice but to kill himself to keep what little honor he had left. Since he has no one else to turn to I suppose I have no choice but to teach him, but I still disagree with this idea of him living with me. My lifestyle isn't the best for an emotionally distraught child."

Two angry toad summoners were just what Sarutobi needed at the moment. At least he had expected this.

"Hmm, Angry yes, distraught…..well I'm going to leave it up to you to figure that part out. And for the final time Namikaze Minato you will be teaching and sharing the same quarters as your student which does not mean allowing said student to inhabit a separate building while you occasionally check up on him. I want you two sharing meals together, sharing the same bathroom and sleeping under the same roof when you don't have other duties to be tending to."

"Trying to make another Orochimaru, sensei? Isn't one pedophile enough?"

Minato and Sarutobi threw the amused toad sage irritated looks at his childish behavior. Seems as if he was going to ignore the Hatake incident, for the moment at least.

"When are you going to stop insinuating Orochimaru is a pedophile Jiraiya? And I highly discourage Minato from doing anything of that sort. Nevertheless Hatake-kun will be living with you, do you understand that? Both of you."

The 'older' one gave an eye roll followed suit by a shoulder shrug, while the younger one continued to stare at him petulantly.

"Hai Hokage-sama. When is my new 'student' supposed to move in?"

Sarutobi took out his pipe lighting it as he put it to his lips.

"I had two Anbu drop his belongings in your exceedingly warded apartment earlier. As for your student, Hatake-kun was informed a night ago that he was to be moving in with his new sensei. In fact he should be here any moment to meet you."

The stunned look on Minato's normally composed face was almost worth the headache this new sensei/apprentice relationship was going to cause him.

"What?! Today! I just found out I'm going to get a border/ student this morning and you're having him move in with me this afternoon! That's too soon Hokage-sama. I haven't even got a chance to prepare the apartment yet."

"That was the whole point Minato: to ensure you couldn't find a way to weasel yourself out of this. Better to get over with right away than let you have time to stew and tell everybody how unfair I am. Good Luck."

There was a knock on the door.

Woot! First Naruto fic. Posted, not written.

For some reason I'm most inspired to write Kakashi fics. And this one sort of rooted itself into my head and continued to grow, until I had to write it. Pretty crazy that the main character of the fic doesn't even make an appearance in the first chapter, but I just want to set up the story.

Thanks for reading!

False Sourires