Log: Complete

[relimited.livejournal.com]

When; December 22nd
Rating; U
Characters; Naruto and Arashi
Summary; After the dreaded 'I wish' curse, Kyuubi was wished out of existence. Cue AU!Naruto.
Log;
Now this had turned out to be an interesting day. Not only had he woken up in someone else’s apartment, but that someone else happened to be a miniaturised version of a certain best friend of his. And not only that, but he'd also found a child version of an apparently dangerous missing older Uchiha too. Things were certainly strange.

At least one thing had been normal. His dad was still around, and he seemed to be acting normally. There was only so long that he could hang around the two kids without going mad. The fact he'd taken them both to Shizune's for ice-cream hadn't helped much either. Shaking off Itachi for long enough to get away, Naruto had taken the chance without a second thought, leaving for the familiar safety of his family.

Arashi was in the midst of a pile of notes, sitting in the middle of the floor with the inked papers spread out around him. Prototype seals were carefully inked, with notes marked next to them. Scrolls were around that as he worked on the seal that he would use against Orochimaru in the upcoming new year. He knew Naruto would be over at around some point today, but had decided to keep up with his work, if only for a bit.

Finally, with a yawn and a stretch, he looked up from his work and cracked his neck. Time had passed without him knowing it, but some progress had been made. He couldn't fail now, he'd told Shizune about it.

It took no time at all before Naruto was making his way into the apartment as quietly as he could. Of course, he'd taken to using an alternate entrance. Namely the window he was currently trying to sneak inside through. His chakra was suppressed as well as he could, relying on his own strength to keep himself from falling. Peeking through the glass, he smirked. It looked like Arashi was busy, meaning he might finally be able to get to him before he was noticed.

Well, he could hope. And of course, it didn't help that the room was as quiet as it was. Sliding the window open slowly, he sighed internally, relieved at the lack of sound it made. Another look toward Arashi, and he began to climb in through the opening.

He was quite enthralled with his work, though not without being alert. Naruto was here, but doing an excellent job of suppressing his chakra and sneaking silently. Perhaps he would reward the boy for it. Keeping his back to Naruto, he smirked to himself, but kept going about his work.

Beginning to put away the notes he no longer needed away, the Yondaime kept his back a biiig open target, tempting Naruto further.

Continuing to make his way across the room, Naruto couldn't tell whether it was a good thing or not that Arashi hadn't noticed him yet. He decided to take it as a positive however, using it to coax himself into continuing. He hadn't been spotted so far, so perhaps, this time, he might be able to...

Continuing forward carefully, Naruto moved until he was a few steps away, before launching himself forward, practically pouncing onto his fathers back. "Gotcha!"

His smirk turned into a grin as Naruto pounced. Having been expecting it, the Yondaime was able to remain upright instead of being ridden to the floor with a boisterous shinobi on his back. "So you did, you're getting better." Then paused, "How are Itachi and Sasuke?" Unsure of whether Naruto were affected by the curse and if so, how much.

Shaking his head, Naruto couldn't help but laugh in response. "How long did you know for?" He remained as he was for a moment, looking across the piles of notes before he answered. "They're both alright. Sasuke keeps complaining 'cause I laugh at him. And Itachi wont let me leave his sight. He keep saying he's caught me." That Kyuubi thing completely confused him.

"Caught you?" Arashi asked, blinking in surprise. Was Itachi aware, even so young, that Naruto held the Kyuubi? And did Naruto not know? Then laughed, "Only from your appearance outside the window. Have to keep alert with Akatsuki and Orochimaru around."

"Yeah. He keeps telling me to give him something called Kyuubi." Sliding backward, Naruto sat back in a crouch, a thoughtful look on his face as he glanced back to the window. "Who's Akatsuki?"

Ah, so he had no knowledge of kyuubi or Akatsuki. "One of our enemies, you don't need to worry for them now. And. . Itachi is a strange child, he is probably hallucinating about one thing or another."

Taking Arashi's words at face value, Naruto turned back to him. "Him and Sasuke act just like each other too. It's really weird, considering what Itachi's meant to have done." Oh, he still knew bits and pieces of it. When he'd entered the academy, the stories had still spread all the same. "But they seem to be getting on, so I guess that's a good thing."

"For Sasuke's sake, at least," Arashi replied with a smile, tilting his head as he realized that Naruto did have some memories of other events that had happened. "Still want to go out?" He asked, putting away the scrolls and the altered seals. He could finish working on them later. Now was time spent with his son.

Nodding his head in agreement, Naruto watched as Arashi put away the papers that he'd been working on moments before. He'd ask about them soon enough, but right now... "Sure!" Time with his dad was something he'd never waste. After all, the man was Hokage, which meant free time was a rare thing indeed.

"What are you in the mood for, then?" Arashi asked, giving Naruto his full attention. With Itachi out of the way for the evening and Orochimaru busy elsewhere, it could be a rather nice evening for the both of them to spend together. Though if Naruto had eaten earlier, he was slightly unsure whether he would want something heavy now.

"Anything except hanging around with kids, or eating ice-cream." He'd had more than enough of that for the time being. How parents put up with their kids, he didn't understand. So in offering, he asked the ever familiar question, "Have you eaten yet?"

As if on cue, Arashi's stomach growled and he gave a laugh and grin, rubbing the back of his neck, "I got a little too into what I was doing." Then smiled, "In the mood for ramen?" Granted, he himself was always in the mood for ramen.

"Do you even need to ask?" he answered, grinning. Standing back up, Naruto moved back to the window, sliding it shut. Turning round, he made his was back over, shifting eagerly. "Let's go!"

Looking bemusedly at his son, Arashi replied, "Shall we use the door this time?" And cast a grin, moving towards the front door, pausing there to wait for Naruto. "Have you had the ramen at the cafe yet? Not as good as Ichiruka's, but it's better than instant."

Sticking his tongue out in response, Naruto followed Arashi over to the front door. "No, not yet. We got some ready-made stuff earlier, but it was from some place that Itachi picked out." And he wasn't going to take food advice from the kid again. Ever.

"Doesn't sound like that went over well," And half smirked, exiting and holding the door for Naruto. "Hm. The way things are going in this place, I think we can expect a curse every day up until Christmas."

"It was gross. But the dango was good." Which was probably the only reason the boy picked it out. Heading out the door, Naruto waited for Arashi to lock up, before he'd make his way outside. "There's been enough already though. They better stop after." All these curses were starting to get annoying.

"It would be nice if they went back to something more sporadic," Arashi replied. "Though one last debilitating one to set the plan into motion for a seal against Orochimaru." Then finished locking up and started towards the cafe.

Following alongside Arashi, Naruto nodded. Even if they were just less often, it'd be an improvement. "...is that what you were working on before?" A way to stop his fathers rival from causing any more trouble.

"It was. The method is strictly forbidden, though in this case, I think we can make an exception," His tone was more serious, then. Forbidden and against all morals he had, but necessary, Arashi thought.

A forbidden technique? And if Arashi was planning to use it, did that mean that things had gotten more serious than he'd thought? Was his father hiding things from him? "...what's he done?"

"He has. .been rather tame as of late. . but needs to be stopped for future purposes. And I think this technique will be better than simply killing him." It would mean a powerful ally for Konoha and that Orochimaru would makeup for the lives he ruined by saving others.

Even after all this time, it looked as though Arashi refused to turn his back on his sensei's team-mate. It was something he couldn't fault him for, despite everything the villagers said. If it meant not having to kill someone... "What's it going to do?"

"It's going to suppress his urges to do harm," Arashi replied. "As well as his ambition. It will also bolster his want to protect his Konoha allies." A less kind way of putting it would be brainwashing. But it would also mean they could request him to remove the memory suppressing jutsu from Kabuto.

"And it'll work, right? I mean..." He sighed, looking to the side. "...you're not gonna get hurt, are you?" It didn't matter if Arashi was the most powerful ninja in Konoha, he was still his dad, and so Naruto would worry about him, whatever happened.

"Of course not. If the seal doesn't work, then there won't be any negative recourse," Arashi replied. "What? Worried about your old man? I'm the one supposed to worry about you." Then reached out to muss Naruto's hair.

His relief was clear as he grinned back at Arashi. "Someone's gotta keep an eye on you." Something that he would do without fail, regardless of the situation. "I wouldn't want to have to come save your ass, would I?"

"Hmm, of course not. That might keep you out past your bedtime, after all," And saw the cafe up ahead, "There we are. I think I'm in the mood for pork and egg."

And a mock pout was his response. A bedtime. One of the downsides of living with your family. Not that he wasn't used to it by now. Looking back at the mention of the cafe, Naruto's mind moved straight to the various types of ramen available. And, as always, it was a hard choice for him. In the end however... "...wonton for me, I think."

"A good choice," Arashi replied and guided them into the cafe. The menu was immense to look at as they were seated, but the ramen section was easily found and the appropriate orders placed.

Dropping into his seat, Naruto looked round happily, leaving the task of ordering to his father. Only once the waiter had left did he turn back again. "Can we invite everyone over again? I haven't seen them all together since my birthday." Yet another memory given to him by the curse.

Arashi smiled indulgently, "If you want." Though this was a curse day, and he knew that Naruto's memories were false, they could at least share some good ones for the boy to remember when he returned home, if Arashi himself were not able to follow.

"We can invite Itachi as well. I'll bet all the others would want to meet him too." Despite the rumours, Naruto hadn't had a single reason to distrust the 'elder' Uchiha yet, and so, he thought of the boy as another friend.

The Yondaime's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Naruto had mentioned Itachi before. So he was a child? It would be incredibly wrong to harm him this way, defenceless. But he had dirtied his hands before and this was for his son. Flashing a brilliant smile, he replied, "Of course. I'd like to meet your new friend."

"I know he's gonna like you. He's really nice." And scarily familiar after knowing Sasuke for so long. "They're both at home right now. But after we're finished, I'll go see if they want to come over."

"It’s a plan, then," And set aside any thoughts for later, "I look forward to meeting him." Then paused, unsure of how much Naruto remembered from the past few days, "And how is Sasuke?"

"Other than being a kid, he's fine." Of course, in his mind, nothing had happened out of the ordinary over that week. Well, other than still being stuck in the City. "I don't know if he understands why he's a kid or not."

"Most likely not. Many don't understand their curses when they are in the thrall of them," Arashi replied. Case in point, Naruto right in front of him. "When the day ends, he should be back to his normal self again."

"Can't he just stay like that though?" he asked, grinning in amusement. "He's less annoying this way." Of course, he knew he'd get annoyed pretty quickly if he had to put up with a child version of his friend for longer than need be. But at least he could joke at the boys expense.

With a laugh, Arashi replied, "24 hours, enjoy it while it lasts." And gave a wink. At last their ramen had arrived in steaming bowls. Once it was settled in place, he took out the chopsticks and snapped them apart, "Itadakimasu, dig in!"

Oh, he would. He knew he'd probably end up paying for it in the end, but that didn't matter right now. At the arrival of the ramen, his attention was pulled away. The second it was placed down, he too was reaching for his own set of chopsticks. Separating the two, he then found himself digging into the meal as though he hadn't eaten in days.

Though the Yondaime was a little more tactful in his eating habits, the two shared the same bottomless pit for a stomach and habit of rather quickly devouring the ramen. And the cafe was quite better than instant.

Only once his mouth was filled to the point that he couldn't put any more in, did Naruto look back up. Chewing quickly, he swallowed his mouthful, licking his lips in approval. Arashi was right; this ramen was great! And, without fail, he began to dig back in as soon as he could, his bowl emptying in moments.

Arashi ate nearly, but not quite as quickly, as Naruto and soon he was putting his bowl down as well. Grinning he asked, "Another round?" After all, one bowl of ramen was simply an appetizer.

"Y'mean it?" Of course he wasn't going to say no to that. "Sure! But miso this time, okay?" If he had his way, he'd probably end up trying everything on the menu.

"Of course, I know one bowl can't fill up a growing boy," The Yondaime replied and ordered beef for himself and miso for Naruto. "Have you been training, or putting it off until Sasuke is . .back to normal." In more ways than one.

"A little." Without the same drive as he usually had, Naruto found himself taking whatever breaks he could from training, instead of focusing on trying to get stronger. "I nearly managed to burst the balloon last week!" After what must've been months of trying to learn the first stage of the Rasengan.

It took him a moment to realize what Naruto was talking about, then inclined his head, smiling, "That's excellent. You're progressing nicely. With the amount of chakra and your determination, there's no doubt you'll become the best ninja Konoha has ever seen."

"If you can get some time off work again..." The trouble with having the Hokage as a father meant there was limited time to spend with the man, and even less to do things like training. At least being sent to this City place had added to the time they could spend together. "I'm sure I'll get it if we can train again!"

"We have as much time as you need in this place," Arashi replied. It had occurred to him, early during his wife's pregnancy, that there would be little time to spend with a child. There were many other complications as well, but, those were far in the past.

And now he was torn between the promise of training time with his father, and the steaming bowls of ramen that we're being made at that moment. On top of that, he had the trouble of the two cursed Uchiha's he seemed to be taking care of. There just wasn't enough time in this single day.

"You're too young to stress," Arashi replied, noting Naruto's tension. "We'll set up a plan. I'm sure Shizune wouldn't mind looking after Itachi and Sasuke until they return to their normal age while we train. After that, they can resume taking care of themselves. There will be plenty of time to train."

"Yeah, but...uh..." He sighed, turning serious for the first time that day. "Dad? You know...their family? ...what happened to them? I remember people at the academy saying it was another person in their clan who did all that. But I know it wasn't Sasuke, and Itachi doesn't seem dangerous like that." So was there another Uchiha running around somewhere?

"I know," Arashi replied. "You shouldn't worry about that for now. Everything will be more clear tomorrow, hm?" And was broken from having to explain it by the interruption of more ramen.

Frowning briefly, Naruto did his best to take it in his stride, turning his attention to the bowl that was being place down in front of him. "...fine." He began to eat once again, attacking his food with less enthusiasm than before.

He himself felt a lack of appetite after Naruto's frown and answer. The boy seemed upset, but that was the best answer Arashi could supply for now without having to explain everything about the curse.

Eating at a slower pace than before, it didn't take all that long for the blond to put his current mood behind him. If Arashi said he'd explain it later, then he would trust him on that. It was only fair after all. His chopsticks paused for a few moments as he looked back at his father again. "Are you getting any closer to working out that seal?"

"I'm on the last layer of it," Arashi replied, then inclined his head, "What I am planning on doing to him is wrong, Naruto. I want you to understand that. That is why this technique is forbidden." It was possibly worse than death, however, his hope was that Orochimaru would genuinely accept the ideas the seal would enforce.

He remained as he was for a while, simply looking at the other. Nodding his head once in agreement, he smiled weakly. "I know. I'm not gonna try to copy it. There's a reason why they're called forbidden." The same reason why he'd been told off for even asking to see some of the scrolls that were kept locked away. "I don't get why you can't just talk to him though."

"I've tried. He rejects every possible way to return to Konoha. But I believe this is in the best interest for both the village and Orochimaru himself," Arashi replied. "I know you won't try to copy it, Naruto. You've got too good of a heart. I just want you to realize that what I am doing is wrong."

"You're the Hokage. So sometimes you've gotta do things you don't want to do. I know that." It came with the task of having to head the protection of an entire village. It was yet another reason why Naruto had so much respect for his father as the Yondaime. Of course, there was even more for him as a father, but that wasn't on question right now. "If it's what you have to do, then no one can say you're wrong for doing it."

"It is wrong, Naruto. I just can't find a better way and that is my own fault," Then continued in on his ramen for a moment, before smirking, "But I'm sure when you are Hokage, you won't have that problem." He'd noticed that, for most people, it was very hard to dislike the boy.

He shook his head. "You're forgetting, I know what you're like!" And a small grin. "You wouldn't do something like this if there wasn't any other choice." Besides, he had to get it from someone; the want to help others in the best way he could.

With a smile, he replied, "All right, I Give up. You're right." Then laughed and finished off his ramen. "That about does it for me. Do you want anymore?"

"'course I'm right!" A smirk. "I always am~" Looking down into his bowl, Naruto found himself surprised at the fact that he still had half his bowl left. Had he really been that preoccupied that he'd forgotten to eat?! "Nearly!" And he began to dig into what was left of his bowl, not stopping until it was completely finished.