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Naruto’s apartment is of a similar size to Kakashi’s, which is depressing for multiple reasons. The two entrances are what Kakashi takes note of first: one, which only a shinobi or an incredibly ambitious civilian could use, leads out onto the short balcony, and the other connects to the tiny front room further into the apartment. It’s the former that Naruto tugs him through, clutching Kakashi’s sleeve with his pudgy fingers and leading them up the rooftops. The balcony opens into a bedroom containing a bed, a few chests of drawers, and a mirror. A washing line spans the width of the room, and from it hang various orange items of clothing. Naruto disables a trap as they step in, so some attempt at securing the entrance has been made. It’s such a simple trap that Kakashi could walk through without setting off, but he appreciates its presence. Unfortunately, the window is open to air the laundry which counteracts the point of laying traps, but at least Naruto colours at seeing it. He scrambles to shut it - but with Kakashi in the apartment, there’s hardly any need. An intruder would be dead before Naruto even knew they were there.
The bed isn’t made; it looks like it’s never been made. The multitude of ramen posters suggest that Naruto has taken after his mother. It’s a terrifying thought. There’s very little of Minato’s tidiness in the bedroom - and all throughout the apartment. Practice weapons lay scattered about the front room and the kitchen; there’s even a kunai in the sink. Kakashi fishes it out and prays it hasn’t been used as a knife. Takeout containers stack up onto the table and counters. There is, Kakashi is pleased to see, some attempt at separating rubbish from recycling, but neither bin appear particularly used. He doesn’t want to open the fridge but Naruto is hovering in front of it as though Kakashi might not see it. A swift look scares him into moving.
It’s half-empty, as expected. Something inside has gone bad. Kakashi resists the urge to cover his nose. It's unclear when Naruto last bought groceries and that's something Kakashi understands. The Academy reported that Naruto's henges were below par, but Kakashi will have to change that. And soon. He's familiar with avoiding prejudiced shopkeepers after all. Scowling, he shuts the fridge and reveals Naruto’s abashed smile from behind the door.
//Okay?// Naruto asks, speaking along with the sign. It helps him to translate, of this Kakashi is sure. But it’s a habit that Kakashi needs to discourage. Sakura and Sasuke do it too; in fact, everyone that he has taught has done it. Some signs require mouth movements, but not all. For ‘PLEASE’ and ‘THANK-YOU’, mouthing the word changes the meaning of the sign. Plus, KSL can be used in situations where shinobi mustn’t speak, so if the team want to take advantage of this, then they need to squash their instinct to talk.
Naruto’s living situation is far from okay, but it’s - passable. Kakashi hasn't sensed any ill intent from the neighbours. There aren't any glaring structural damage to the property or anything that could be dangerous. Most things have seen better days, but nothing is outright broken. It’s a mess, but Naruto is a twelve year old living without adult supervision, so that’s to be expected. Granted, Kakashi was once a six year old living without adult supervision and he kept the Hatake compound tidy, but he was hardly there to make a mess. Plus, his father had been a meticulously tidy person until the last year of his life - and then he’d been just as absent from the house as Kakashi, and he never left.
Kakashi thinks about what to say. The kids have only been learning KSL for four days, so he’ll have to simplify. If Yamato were here, then it wouldn’t be necessary. But he’s not - through no fault of his own - so Kakashi will have to make do. It’s hardly something new. He’s run many missions with nothing but ANBU sign, pointing, and insistence flares of chakra before - although the first isn’t feasible with Naruto, and the last might scare the kid. Pointing and iconic signs it is then.
He rubs his fingers together - ‘MONEY’ - making a point to look confused. //Could you show me?// He gestures around the room, adding, //How much does this cost?//
Naruto screws up his face in thought before disappearing into his bedroom. He returns after a moment with a piggy-bank, clutching it protectively. It’s cute, and sad, and not what Kakashi meant; he shakes his head and fingerspells ‘B-I-L-L’, gesturing around the room once again. He wants to know about Naruto’s finances: who pays for the apartment, and where does the money come from? Naruto probably receives something like a stipend every month, but as a genin earning a payroll from missions, he will be expected to start contributing to rent and living costs himself. It’s unlikely that anybody has told Naruto this (certainly nobody told Kakashi after his father died), but that’s why Kakashi is here.
Naruto’s face lights up in comprehension. He retreats back into his bedroom with the piggy-bank and comes back with a paper-basket full of documents. There’s no order to them. Most are splattered in sauce or tea. Kakashi prays to the ceiling for patience and seats himself at the table with the basket. Naruto hovers next to him, looking concerned. Not being able to blurt out every question on his mind seems to have come as a challenge. Yamato is right - one day, the kids will be able to sign anything and everything and then they’ll never shut up. But for now, Naruto’s KSL vocabulary is extremely limited, and given his frustration as he tries to work out what Kakashi is doing, this frustrates him.
As long as that frustration encourages him to learn, then good. Most people find Kakashi’s deafness frustrating and simply refuse to communicate with him.
Fun times.
//What?// Naruto signs, watching as Kakashi sorts the bills into piles. //I don’t understand.//
Those are some of the first signs that Kakashi taught them. Naruto is picking up KSL almost as fast as Asuma did, and Sakura is proving to be a consistent, analytical learner. She asks all the right questions and is meticulous about perfecting every element of a sign; the shape of her hand, the bend of her fingers, how far it moves through signing space. Naruto’s signing is clumsy and childlike, full of errors and heavily influenced by his native language, but it’s effective. Sasuke is somewhere in-between. He signs the least, but when he does, he is accurate in almost every parameter: except facial expression. His facial expressions are… reluctant. He often forgets to shake his head during negation, of which ‘I DON’T UNDERSTAND’ is a prime example. Naruto doesn’t have this problem, shaking his head so vigorously that Kakashi nearly misses his baffled look.
(Unless, of course, Sasuke always intends to say ‘I UNDERSTAND’, in which case he’s signing it perfectly).
//I’m sorting everything by date// Kakashi explains, showing Naruto the piles that he’s organised by year. Some of the papers are over five years old. He wants to ask how long Naruto’s been living here, but he’s not sure he’ll like the answer. Many of the documents are redundant, just receipts and account statements. It seems that the Hokage has taken a personal interest in Naruto’s finances, which may or may not be a good thing. A few of the documents should really be in a safe place so that Naruto can use them for proof of residency and the like. Again, Kakashi doubts that anyone has explained this to him. His Academy enrollment letter is in the basket, buried deep amongst noodle-stained envelopes, but his graduation papers aren’t. At least he has his forehead-protector, Kakashi thinks, making a mental note to find the paper listing Naruto’s shinobi ID before leaving.
//Important// Kakashi signs, pointing at one of the piles. //Keep them safe. S-A-F-E.//
//Why?//
He taps Naruto’s forehead-protector. //R-E-S-P-O-N-S-I-B-L-E.// He follows with the appropriate sign, which Naruto repeats enthusiastically: ‘RESPONSIBLE’, ‘RESPONSIBLE’, ‘RESPONSIBLE’ says his hands, which he’s most certainly not. Kakashi smiles despite himself and passes over the important documents.
//S-A-F-E. Go.//
Naruto nods and scurries off to put them with his piggy-bank, no doubt. ‘CUTE’ really is the right name-sign for him, but Kakashi needs to resist. He was considering something emphasising Naruto’s whisker-like marks or maybe incorporating the Uzumaki swirl. Kushina’s name-sign referenced her long, red hair. It’s almost a shame that Naruto’s hair isn’t the same, vibrant red, but then there would be no question of his lineage.
So, groceries and badgering the Hokage are on Kakashi's to-do list tonight. Tomorrow, he needs to check Sasuke's apartment, which means Sakura's house visit will have to wait till next week. Yamato should be back from his mission by then, so he can interpret for Sakura's parents. Kakashi also needs to ward everyone's homes as soon as possible and Sakura's civilian parents might not be receptive to that. Yamato can deal with them. He's nicer. And scarier.
I am an adult, Kakashi reminds himself.
He can ward Naruto's apartment tonight. He's no seals master but he learnt from the best. Still, Kushina would probably cry at the state of some of his seals. Sometimes they work… and they probably shouldn’t. He’s wouldn’t be winning any awards in the Land of Whirlpools for his skill, that’s for sure. But they’re functional - effective, even. Kakashi tweaked one of Kushina’s defensive wards to alert him to intruders; a quick prod against his chakra wakes him even from the deepest of sleep. It’s not as though he can hear the doorbell.
//I’m going to ward your apartment// Kakashi explains once Naruto trots back in. He hands back the newly organised paper-basket, doubting it will stay organised for long. What’s important is that Kakashi now has the information he was after - and who to ask for more. //If you take all of the rubbish out, I’ll show you one of the seals. Deal?//
Naruto’s shout of excitement falls on deaf ears, but Kakashi appreciates the enthusiasm.
After cleaning, warding, and showing Naruto the basic components of a barrier seal, it's time for groceries. The market shuts soon so they'll have to be quick, but Kakashi wasn't the Yellow Flash's student for nothing. Speed and stealth are his middle names.
Naruto is noticeably less enthusiastic about the shopping trip.
//Don't like me// he signs, pointing in the vague direction of the market. He refuses to budge from his chair. //M-A-E-N.//
Badgering the Hokage might result in violence.
//M-E-A-N// Kakashi corrects, giving the kid points for trying. He forces himself to remain calm, but it's difficult in the face of Naruto's impression of a kicked puppy. There's a lot of injustices in the world, and the fact that this stupid, bright child has been living on his own in a village that hates him is one of them. Kakashi stuffs down a surge of guilt. //The village is delusional.//
//What?//
Okay, delusional might have been a bit of a stretch for Naruto's vocabulary. //Assholes// Kakashi amends - and that is a sign that Naruto knows. Kakashi prioritises the most useful signs, of course.
Naruto startles with a laugh before quickly slapping a hand over his mouth. He looks abashed, ducking his head and averting his big, blue eyes from what he imagines will be disapproval. Kakashi is feeling nothing of the sort. He taps his knuckles on the table to attract Naruto’s attention again. He can only hope he doesn’t look too menacing behind his forehead-protector and mask.
//You're a shinobi. Use your skills to your advantage. Watch.//
Kakashi henges into a nondescript young man and waves his hands: ta-dah. Dark hair, dark eyes, no sharingan and no scar. He straightens out his face, too, and sharpens his chin. Gone are his jōnin blues and in their place are barely-functional black trousers and a dog-printed graphic tee. The shirt is baggy enough to suggest that he likes to lounge on the sofa after ‘work’. His mask is gone too, revealing a jaw of stubble and normal, flat teeth.
Naruto flails and slaps his hands over his eyes. Kakashi rolls his - or not his; henge-his - and drums his fingers on top of Naruto’s head. He could pull Naruto’s hands away and the kid probably wouldn’t mind, but if somebody did that to Kakashi, he’d pitch them through a wall. Better to show the same courtesy, he thinks, waiting for Naruto to look up.
Naruto does so shyly, peeping out from between his fingers. His eyes fixate on Kakashi’s mouth.
Ah, Kakashi thinks, squashing down the urge to cover his face. Even with a henge, not wearing a mask makes him feel self-conscious. It’s sweet that Naruto covered his eyes, but it’s hardly necessary. The transformation doesn’t look anything like Kakashi’s real face, thank god, although it’s true that Naruto doesn’t know that.
//Come on// Kakashi signs, hurrying the conversation along. He forms the hand-seal for a henge but doesn’t perform one again, raising his eyebrows in question.
The topic change works. Naruto starts picking at the edge of the table. //I'm… not good.//
Four days into teaching these kids and Kakashi is aware of this.
//Really? Can’t you think?// As far as he knows, there’s only one type of henge that Naruto can perform. It’s not a standard transformation and it certainly doesn’t have the same desired effect, but it is, fundamentally, a henge. He doesn’t want to encourage a twelve year old child into performing what has been crudely dubbed as the Sexy Technique, but it might help Naruto to apply his knowledge of one technique to another. Granted, the two henges are the same except that one of them is wearing clothes, but those are finer details.
//S-E-X-Y?//
Kakashi nods. //That’s a henge.//
//But… Konoha?//
No, Kakashi definitely wouldn’t use the Sexy Technique in the streets of Konoha. He shakes his head, wondering how to explain. //Same// he tries, knocking his index fingers together. //S-E-X-Y and henge. Clothes different.//
//Same?// Naruto repeats. //S-A-M-E?//
Kakashi nods.
Naruto’s face twists in contemplation. After a few moments, he nods and scrambles from the seat, forming the seal for a henge. Chakra swirls around him. It's too much, far too much; chakra control is right at the top of Kakashi's list of things to deal with, but then Naruto grits his teeth and POOF!
The henge isn't naked, so that's a plus. It's still a woman though, perhaps Kakashi's age (which is jarring), and she's still strikingly blond. It's easy enough to account for, though, as Kakashi alters his own henge to match. Naruto has, at least, had the foresight to remove his whisker-like marks, but the orange tee is a dead giveaway. Kakashi signs 'CLOTHES’ again and frowns until Naruto notices his error. Otherwise, it isn't a bad henge by any means. Naruto has enough chakra to make it believable through sheer force of will. Sakura's henge would be sharper and Sasuke's more practical, but what point is there in comparing his students? They're a team.
//Okay?// Naruto asks, lifting hopeful eyes.
Kakashi nods. //Good.//
Naruto's cheer is once again unheard, but Kakashi smiles.
The shopping trip is quick. They've both perfected the art of efficient shopping, dipping it and out of stores and market stalls before anyone catches a good look at them. It's almost a game when there's two of them. Naruto seems to enjoy racing around in search of everything, at least. Afterwards, Kakashi doesn't need to stay and make sure that Naruto eats something other than ramen, but he does. He can't help but feel more like a parent than a teacher, but that's definitely a line of thought he doesn't want to get into.
Meeting with the Hokage will have to wait till the morning.
//Go to S-A-K-U-R-A and S-A-S-U-K-E too?// Naruto asks. He's sitting on his bed with a cup of tea while Kakashi scoured the room for his shinobi ID. He has no idea where he's left it, which is both unhelpful and incredibly like Kushina, especially since he only graduated four days ago. He waves for Kakashi's attention, balancing the mug on his knee.
Kakashi rocks back onto his heels. //Yes. S-O-O-N.//
//Why?//
That's the million-dollar question.
//I'm your sensei. D-U-T-Y.//
That's perhaps a bit of a stretch. It's doubtful that Asuma and Kurenai will be checking the living situations of their kids, since they're all from prominent clans. Kakashi's team, on the other hand, have unique circumstances, with Sakura's parents being civilians, Naruto an orphan from birth, and Sasuke the lone survivor of his family's mass murder. It's only natural that Kakashi checks in on them. It's not like it has anything to do with the fact that he grew up alone after his parents’ deaths, an outcast, with the only adults in his life (until Minato, at least) being civilians.
Not at all.
Naruto, for some reason, looks disappointed. //Hokage ask?//
Kakashi takes a moment to understand the question. Did the Hokage ask you to do this? He shakes his head, wondering why Naruto would think so. He's never seen Kakashi and the Lord Third personally interact, and he probably never will. Kakashi's relationship with the Hokage has been… rocky… since Minato died. Unless Naruto's logic stems from the fact that the Hokage handles his finances, and Kakashi has been checking said finances tonight; he must assume that Kakashi is here under orders, that it's the only reason he's here.
Kakashi considers his words. He's known Naruto for four days - that's not long. But seeing this dismal apartment, the empty fridge, Naruto's apprehension of the villagers, and his delight at having Kakashi stay for dinner is just not fair. It's not fair that Minato and Kushina's child is living like this because of one awful night and a village's inability to see a little boy as a little boy. Naruto shouldn't have to manage an apartment by himself. He shouldn't have to henge to do some shopping. He shouldn't need to assume that Kakashi is here under orders because that's the only way anyone will show any care for him.
//I want to// Kakashi decides, catching himself at Naruto's blank stare. He can't remember what signs he taught. //W-A-N-T// he tries. //I want to be here.//
Naruto shakes two fingers: //Repeat?//
//I want to be here// Kakashi signs slowly, feeling himself blush under his mask. This is far too much honesty for his own good.
Naruto signs 'REPEAT’ again, his eyes bright and gleaming. Kakashi almost does so until he recognises Naruto's game.
Little brat.
//I'll throw you out the window.//
No interpretation needed for that one. Naruto throws his head back and laughs, sending the mug on his knee flying. He flails to catch it and ends up with tea all over himself for his trouble. He jumps up, face contorting in pain, and tumbles right off the bed: the mug rolls under the bed and out of sight, but it's the slip of paper that slides out from Naruto's jacket pocket that catches Kakashi's eye. He snatches it from the air instead of catching his ridiculous student, and the floor quakes as Naruto crashes into the floor.
It's Naruto's identification document. Of course it is. Kakashi's spent the last half hour looking for it.
Naruto tries and fails to look surprised.
Sorry sensei, Kakashi thinks, folding up the slip of paper. He tucks it back into Naruto's jacket and gives the pocket a meaningful pat. Naruto manages 'I'M SORRY’ from his awkward position on the floor, but it's too little, too late. Kakashi smiles. Naruto really, really doesn't.
I'm going to have to kill your son.