The next day, at noon.
Naruto had slept until late morning. He lazily climbed out of bed, feeling listless.
Namikaze Minato had been working late lately, so he was never around. Kushina was away on a mission outside the village, so she was never around. Hanfu had also left the village, so he was never around either. Naruto felt like a fox left to fend for itself...
Uh, why had he used the word "fox"?
Naruto went to the bathroom and washed his face, then ran his fingers over the whisker-like marks on either side of his cheeks. He'd always wondered why he had whisker marks like that. Now he knew.
It was all Kurama's fault!
Naruto grumbled as he left the bathroom. Nobody was home again today. Should he have instant noodles for lunch, or go eat at Ichiraku Ramen?
But he was running out of money... Naruto opened his parents' bedroom door and slipped inside with a cheeky grin.
A few minutes later, Naruto came out of the bedroom looking bright and cheerful. He swung his legs as he hummed a strange "la la la" tune and headed downstairs. When he reached the living room, he froze!
"D-D-Dad?"
Naruto guiltily covered his pocket and gave a forced laugh. "Dad, aren't you going to work today?"
Namikaze Minato smiled. "Naruto, come over here. Let me introduce you. This is Kakashi-senpai."
Only then did Naruto notice the young man with a head of white hair sitting on the sofa. His outfit looked familiar, so Naruto hurriedly called out, "Kakashi-senpai."
"Naruto, Kakashi will be looking after you for the next few days. You need to listen to him, understand?" Namikaze Minato said.
Looking after me?
Naruto stared blankly at Kakashi, then at Namikaze Minato. "Dad, are you going away?"
Namikaze Minato