They wound up staying in Wave for a few more days, which gave Naruto and Zabu time to get to know each other. For her part, Haku wasn't entirely sure how to feel about the whole situation. A teen that was around her age openly flirting with her mot- master didn't really sit right with her, but Zabu looked like she enjoyed the attention. She even flirted back, which threw her for a loop the first time she saw it.

At least he didn't act like a teenager. That helped. If anything, he acted like a grumpy old man.

But now it was time to go back to Konoha. They would be applying for citizenship there, apparently. If she was being honest with herself, Haku couldn't wait until they had an actual home. It was something she hadn't experienced since Zabu found her when she was a little girl, all those years ago.

"We can't thank you enough for everything you did for us." Tazuna shook each of their hands in turn as they stood gathered on the finished bridge.

"Of course you can." Kakashi eye-smile in response. "Just make sure to send those concessions out way and the Hokage will be happy. And if the Hokage's happy then I get to keep my job after this mess of a mission." He muttered the last part to himself silently, earning a not to subtle jab from Naruto.

"I had fun." He said with a grin, taking one of Gato's premium cigars and lighting it.

"You would." Kakashi shot him an evil glare with the one eye he had available.

"Ah, lighten up cyclops." Zabu grabbed him around the neck with the crook of her elbow, yanking him next to her, earning another glare. "It couldn't have gone better."

"You two deserve each other." He muttered. Zabu just beamed at him in response.

"Now let's go tree-huggers. I'm looking forward to a hot bath and some more sake!"

"More, Zabu-sama? Did something happen to the bottles you obtained?"

"I drank 'em all."

"Of course you did." Haku sighed. "Zabu-sama, I think you might have a problem."

"Yeah I do. It's called 'no alcohol'."

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"Somehow, I can't help but think this is all your fault." Hiruzen deadpanned, puffing on his pipe, as he looked over the group gathered in his office. Naruto just grinned in response. "The concessions you agreed on should help, Kakashi, so I'll take that as a win. But I'm cutting your pay to cover the increase in ranking."

"Eh?" Kakashi blinked in surprise. "Hokage-sama, be reasonable."

"I am being reasonable." Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. "Would you like me to change my mind?" Something in the older man's tone of voice suggested to Kakashi that it wouldn't be a good idea.

"Erm, no thanks. I'll take it. Come on you three, let's go. Before I get condemned to community service." He grabbed his three Genin and poofed out of the room before the Hokage could do something worse.

"As for you two." Sarutobi turned to the last remaining occupants. "You said you wanted a home?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Haku spoke respectfully.

"And sake." Zabu cut in. "Don't forget to tell him about the sake."

"I get a feeling you'd get along with Tsunade."

"Oh, is she here?" Zabu asked, excited. "I'd love to go on a bender with her."

"Thankfully, no. I don't think the village would survive." He took another drag of his pipe. "Alright, I'll allow it. We'll set you two up with an apartment, and you can come by tomorrow to register. You'll be assigned your ranks."

"Thank you Hokage-sama. Zabu-sama?"

"Right, yeah, thanks."

"You two can leave now."

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The apartment they had gotten was a small, two-bedroom one near the Hokage Tower. Zabu took a quick look around before heading straight to the bathroom and using up all the hot water in the building, if the steam coming through the door was any indication.

When she came out, she found Haku in the kitchen, standing in front of the open oven. She was holding a tin with some kind of cake in it, freshly baked.

"Ah, Haku?"

"I went out shopping while you were in the bathroom, Zabu-sama, I hope you don't mind."

"And you just spontaneously decided to bake us a cake? Are we celebrating something?'"

"The cake is not for us." She moved on to the frosting and decoration.

"Then I'm automatically liking it a lot less."

"I thought you might want to go and say hello to our neighbor."

"I'm not really the 'bring-a-cake' kind of kunoichi."

"Shame." Haku said simply, finishing up the decoration. "I though Naruto-sama might appreciate the gesture." She brought the cake over to the older woman. "I doubt anybody else brought him one, since he's the only other tenant here." In less than three seconds the cake vanished from her hands and Zabu was already rushing out of the door.

"Bye sweetie, have fun, I'll be back later." Haku smiled after her teacher before her eyebrows furrowed.

"… sweetie?"

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Flashback
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"Hey there." Zabu climbed out of the window of the bridge builder's house, settling down next to Naruto on the roof. "Can't sleep?"

"Not when there's a full moon." He muttered, taking a drag from his cigarette. "What's eating you?"

"It's nothing, don't worry about it." She said simply, tilting her head back and glancing at the stars.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Hm?"

"What is Haku to you? Really?" Zabu sighed.

"She is… the result of one drunken night fifteen years ago that left a heavily-pregnant Swordswoman of the Mist."

"Something tells me she doesn't know that."

"I took a six-month vacation from my duties so I could have her in secret. I… it was for the best. The only one that knew was my best friend. It was pure dumb luck that she ended up with a family that had the same Kekkei Genka as her deadbeat father did."

"Do you regret it?"

"Having her?" She looked at him now, a fire in her eyes.

"Leaving her." Zabu remained silent.

"Speaking as someone who never had a family… it's never too late. If my parents dropped out of the air in front of me right now, I'd probably latch on and never let go." He stood up, moving back to the window. "And, for what it's worth? I'm glad you two are coming back home with us."

"Yeah, me too." Zabu muttered quietly, still staring up at the stars.