Some notes/disclaimers:
This is a fem!Naruto story, and probably also slightly AU-ish, because admittedly, most of my knowledge of Naruto verse from Shippuden onwards are from fanfics. The purpose of this story is merely for fluff, and because there aren't a lot of fem!Naruto x Kakashi fics out there.
'italics in apostrophes represent thinking'
14 years older
"Can't I use my shadow clones for this?" Naruto whined.
"No," Kakashi replied decisively.
"But there's soooo much paperwork," the newly minted Hokage pouted, prodding at the stacks of paperwork on the Hokage table.
"No buts," Kakashi snapped. "Remember that agreement your clone signed and forgot all about during your Hokage training?"
Naruto winced at the reminder. Her clone had signed off a trade agreement that was mistakenly placed in the unimportant pile, and the memory of it was lost in the dispersion of multiple paperwork-tackling clones. The result had been a very irate merchant guild when they were left uninformed of a new merchant trader in Konoha that crippled the workings of Konoha economy as long established merchants refused to trade until their anger is appeased. Needless to say, Kakashi as the then Hokage was forced into hours-long meetings with the civilian council and merchant guild until they finally finally solved the issue, while Naruto bumbled around trying to atone for her mistake.
"It was just that one time," she complained, knowing full well that it was because Kakashi had reluctantly banned her from tackling his paperwork from then on, to prevent the risk of her committing such a mistake again, which only adds to his never ending responsibility.
Kakashi eyed his successor and ex-student in front of him. taking in the slump of her shoulders and the petulant pout on her face as she gazed despairingly at the towering stacks of paperwork in front of her. He sighed. "Tell you what, I'll help you with some of these paperwork, but only if you promise me that you will go through them properly without the help of clones and without slacking off."
Naruto pondered pensively at the proposition. "Would you treat me to ramen too?" she asked hopefully.
Kakashi merely eye-smiled at her. "That'll depends on how well you behave."
In response, the new Hokage broke out into a face-splitting grin and an excited yell of, "You're the best, Kakashi-sensei! What would I ever do without you!" before tackling her piles of paperwork with gusto, the thought of free ramen being her sole motivation.
Meanwhile, Kakashi shook his head slightly with a small smile at his ex-student's antics and helped her in the piles of paper that is dubbed the bane of all Hokage's existence across the elemental countries.
...
"Neh Kakashi-sensei, why do you still help me with my paperwork?" Naruto wondered out loud one day. 6 months into her Hokage's reign, Naruto still finds Kakashi in her office everyday helping her with her paperwork or buying Ichiraku for her when she's feeling particularly unmotivated (which is almost all the time). Of course, Kakashi is also there to catch her each time she tries to slack off but that's not the point.
Kakashi didn't even look up from the scroll he was reading through before responding with a lazy drawl. "If you don't want me to help, you just have to say so, Naruto."
"That's not what I meant!" Naruto exclaimed, eyes wide and slightly panicked that Kakashi might leave her alone to her paperwork because of her stupid mouth. "It's just that you are here everyday and I just wonder if there are other places you have to be."
"I'm retired, Naruto. I have no places to be. Doing paperwork seems more useful than doing anything else and I do have the security clearance for it." A smirk on the lips and Kakashi added teasingly, "Besides I have to see my cute little genin-chan being hardworking in order to believe it."
Naruto's intended response of "You're not useless, sensei" immediately turned into a indignant outcry of "It's not my fault that I'm still a genin!" and "Stop calling me chan!" earning chuckles from Kakashi as he returned to his work at hand.
"Of course it's not your fault, Naruto-chan," Kakashi replied. "Say, isn't the Chunin exams coming up soon?"
"Yosh! I can just sign myself up for the exams then!" Naruto exclaimed, eyes shining in anticipation of finally moving beyond the genin rank.
"I'm sure you'll do well, Naruto-chan," Kakashi commented affably.
She did, much to the horror of the other chunin hopefuls and amusement of the rest of the Kages.
...
"Did I ever tell you that you're the best sensei?" Naruto said as she skipped along the roads, clutching her newly earned chunin flak vest.
"You might have mentioned once of twice. How about we enjoy the rest of the day off before we have to head back to the village to work?"
"You really are the best, Kakashi-sensei!"
...
"Going anywhere for dinner today, Naruto-chan?"
Naruto merely huffed in response to the suffix, because Kakashi-sensei would just delight if she complained vocally about it. "Nope, no plans at all tonight."
"Well then how about going for ramen together, my treat."
"Yatta! Let's go let's go!" Naruto cheered, bouncing all the way to Ichiraku with Kakashi following at a more sedate pace behind, eyes creased into his famous eye-smile.
"Ji-san!" Kakashi heard Naruto call as she ducked inside the ramen stall. "One miso ramen and one pork ramen please!" 9 months of near daily ramen eating means that Naruto has long figured out Kakashi's favourite ramen flavour.
"Neh, isn't it a little empty in here today?" Naruto asked when Teuchi served the bowls of steaming ramen to his most regular customer and her companion.
"It's Valentines' Day, Naruto," Teuchi replied mournfully. "Most people wouldn't think that taking their dates to a ramen stand is appropriate for such a day. Even Ayame is out somewhere with that boyfriend of hers."
"What? But ramen is the food of gods!" Naruto proclaimed, aghast that people would think of not bringing their dates to eat ramen, and on such a special day too! She paused. "Neh, is that what today is? I was wondering why there were so many flowers around the Hokage tower."
Beside her, Kakashi snorted bemusedly at the blond's obliviousness, though it's not like he expected otherwise from her.
Naruto's head turned suddenly towards Kakashi, her hair just a breadth away from whipping him across the face as she scowled at her former sensei. "I was busy!" she snapped. "Not like remembering it would have made things different," she added, murmuring to herself. "Itadakimasu!" she called as she break apart her chopsticks.
Kakashi, being Kakashi however, heard her perfectly well. "Well, you're here on a ramen date with me, aren't you?" Kakashi asked cheerily after his own murmur of "Itadakimasu".
Embarrassed that Kakashi heard her own mutterings, Naruto flushed before shooting Kakashi a withering glare. "It's not the same," she grumbled, and proceeded to slurp her bowl of ramen.
"Why not?" Kakashi asked in response. "I wouldn't mind."
At that, Naruto promptly choked on her mouthful of ramen, coughing desperately to get the food out from the wrong pipe of her throat. "What did you say?" she asks hoarsely, her throat still hurting from the violent coughing fits.
"I said I wouldn't mind dating you," Kakashi repeated, his eyes twinkling in merriment as he take in the red-faced girl in front of him, while Teuchi disappeared mysteriously into the back kitchen.
Naruto goggled at him, mouth opening and closing like a goldfish as she tried to find something to say. "Are you saying that you, my sensei 14 years my senior, wants to date me?" she finally sputtered, ramen left forgotten on the table.
"Yes," Kakashi smiled, thoroughly enjoying how he made the loudmouth kunoichi speechless.
"But but, you don't even like me like that!"
At that, Kakashi pinned her down with a serious look. "I spend my time helping you with paperwork that nobody likes to do, and buying endless ramen for you. If I didn't like you like that, I would probably prefer to sit on a tree somewhere and do my readings."
"But guys who like girls buy flowers for girls and take them out to nice places to eat?" she asks uncertainly, displaying her innocence and ignorance in affairs of the heart.
"Would you have liked that if I did that to you?" Kakashi deadpanned.
"Um, no?" she squeaked, utterly embarrassed right then.
"Exactly," Kakashi said in a satisfied tone. "I know you better than you think, Naruto. I'm also pretty sure I ticked all the imaginary boxes you have for a guy. Afterall, I brought you here today, didn't I?"
Naruto flushed heavily, partly from how well Kakashi knows her, and partly because what he said was true. Hadn't she just thought that a while ago?
"Um, so this is a date?" she asked timidly.
"Yes. First date."
Naruto turned even redder at that, if that was possible. Scrambling for something to say, she stuttered out a "Um, how about the second?" only to promptly cover her mouth in horror as what she said caught up with her brain.
Kakashi merely broke into a grin that was noticeable even through his mask. 'Operation date Naruto was a success,' he smirk inwardly. 'That was so worth the effort of scaring her pursuers away for the past 9 months.'
A/N:
Had this idea around Valentines' Day, but only got around to posting it now. My first Naruto fic, and writing because I think fem!Naruto is cute and there aren't a lot of fem!Naruto/Kakashi fic. This is pretty much a standalone one-shot over the idea that Kakashi's language of love is through acts of services (go search language of love if you don't know what I'm talking about). Hope you enjoy this little fluff, and please review to let me know what you think about it!