FicWad

Naruto sat calmly on the bench just outside the Hokage’s office, idly watching the Hokage’s secretary. Anyone who knew him prior to his jaunt to the Wumpa Islands would have looked twice. Naruto had always been overly energetic, always moving, especially when he was suppose to be sitting still and loud with it.
Now…
He had learned many things on the island, patience among them, and firmer nerves. His thoughts drifted to the last time he’d sat at this bench. But the details of that occasion were quickly shunted aside by the memory of sitting in the bench itself, in that he took up only slightly more space on it. For while he’d been gone for four years, he’d aged at a fifth the speed, due to some lingering energies from the confluence of events that landed him in another world.
‘The Crystals and Gems, the Time Twister. Heh, Big-bro Crash has had some crazy adventures.’ Tap, tap, tap, tap The gentle sound of shinobi sandals pulled him from his musings. ‘Obviously someone being polite and making noise at all.’ Naruto glanced up, and jerked, because the shinobi in front of him was Hakate Kakashi.
His father’s student.
His father’s student, who up till now he’d never seen in person.
The man’s one eye trained on him, and Naruto abruptly realized he’d been staring. He cleared his throat, “Um, uh, hey…” The man finally truly focused on him. Were it not for his observation training with Big-sis Coco he would have missed the slight twitch of the eye under his slanted headband, told by the tiniest tightening of skin around his visible one. Then suddenly his view was obstructed by an orange book-cover as the man said, “Hmmm, did you say something?”
He knew of course, that Kakashi couldn’t acknowledge him… He knew now, that it would still hurt. His hands clenched on his knees, but his face didn’t betray him, as for the first time in years he pasted on a false smile. “Hehe, you look kind of silly with your face covered like that!”, he snickered. Kakashi peaked over top his book, a fraction too slow to see Naruto’s hands unclench. He curved his eye upwards, like he was smiling, “Ma, and aren’t you a little young for tattoos?” Here Naruto’s grin became a bit more genuine, “Ha! No, these mark me as an adult member of the Bandicoot Clan!” he said brandishing his arms to show off the swirling stylized paw prints, inked in black and orange over the backs of his hands down to his elbows. He squinted so the man wouldn’t notice he saw the way his jaw tightened.
“Hmm, so you have a Clan, then?” Obvious. The only reason someone as skilled as Kakashi would use so direct a tactic, even on a child, was if he’d been shaken but good. ‘He… must have been keeping an eye on me, enough that he’s startled I’ve been taken into a clan without his knowing.’ His smile got smaller as it became more real, and if the man noticed that he gave no sign, “Yeah, they adopted me, but when I come of age or make Chunin I’ll gain Headship of my own Clan, the Uzumaki!”
The man slouched further, trying to cover his discomfort with casualness, and Naruto… He wasn’t cruel, he was about to back off, when, “You know, I think I remember knowing an Uzumaki once.” Naruto’s eyes flew open and he stared at the man. ‘Is he…’ The man put a hand up to scratch the back of his head, “But I’m not so sure, I hope the Hokage can jog my memory.” Kakashi walked up to the door to the Kage’s office, ruffling the boy’s hair as he went, and pushed it open. Then he looked inside, and closed it again. He opened it again. Closed. He turned to the secretary and cocked his eyebrow questioningly, “Is there actually three giant orange rats and a floating mask in there or have I finally made like an egg, and cracked?”