Kakashi gazed out at the forest as it was torn apart beneath giant claws. He watched helplessly as his comrades were destroyed by the beast's attacks. "Let me go," he whispered, " why are you holding me here? The least you could do is let me go out there and die with the rest of our village." His eye gazed up at the one who was holding him against a tree with his back. "Are you really just gonna let everyone die like dogs out there? Those are your ninja. Your village."

"I know." The man whispered. "But I'm not about to let you die as well." His blue eyes clouded, "Kakashi . . . You need to live to take care of what will be left behind."

"Wh - what are you talking about?" Kakashi felt his voice falter, "what are you planning to do?" He moved his headband off his left eye. "You're their Hokage . . . You can't be thinking . . ." He grabbed the sleeve of the man who held him back, "Don't . . . You can't be thinking of that jutsu . . . That one we learned in The Country of the Wind?"

"I'm not 'thinking' of doing it. I'm going to do it." He turned around, his blue eye's meeting Kakashi's mismatched ones. "Because I am their Hokage. And I won't let my village perish." He put his hands on either side of Kakashi's face. "So promise me you'll stay here."

" Don't be stupid! I couldn't just let you-"

The hands moved to Kakashi's shoulders, and the Hokage pulled the jonin towards him, his lips softly brushing those of his former student's. "Promise me. Promise me that you'll carry on after this night."

Kakashi rested his head against the Hokage's shoulder, "Please . . . Please don't do this to me . . . Minato . . . You're all I have left!" Tear's stung the corners of his eyes as he clung to the other.

Minato smiled, "I'm sorry Kakashi." he rested his cheek against the side of Kakashi's head. "You know as well as I that this is the only way." He kissed the top of Kakashi's head. "Kakashi. Do you remember the name we decided on?"

"Yes . . ."

"Kakashi . . . I love this village . . . And I love you. So please understand this selfish decision of mine."

"Minato . . ."

"Everything will be alright . . ."

^-^ ^-^ ^-^

Kakashi scooped up the small blond baby into his arms. "Shhh . . ." he soothed to the crying child, "Nothing's here to hurt you any longer." He waited as the baby's cry's died down, whispering softly to the child the entire time. Slowly, he tilted the baby up towards his face to get a better look at the newborn boy. He smiled slightly through his tears, "He looks exactly like you, Minato. Right down to his beautiful blue eyes. . ." He traced the freshly drawn seal on the child's stomach with the tips of his fingers. "He'll have a very hard life because of this . . ." he bent his head, holding the child close to him, "and as I promised . . . I won't tell anyone he's yours . . .not even the child himself"

The baby started to cry again. Kakashi began to rock the child, whispering softly to him. "Shhhh . . . Naruto . . .Everything will be alright . . ."

^-^ ^-^ ^-^

"Tell me something about yourselves. What are your hobbies, your dreams, do you have anyone you like? That sort of stuff." Kakashi tilted the headband over his eye just slightly. Though the rest of his new team of Genin's didn't know it, this question was directed more or less at Naruto. "Minato, did you set this up? For this child to be in my care once again?" he thought.

"Oooh! Me! Me!" Naruto exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air.

"Alright, you Naruto." Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. "Ah, Minato, he's just as air-headed as you . . ."

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki! My favorite thing is ramen! My hobby is trying all different kinds of ramen! And I like . . ." the blond's eye's glanced at the Uchiha boy, and then they pointedly swiveled around to his female team member. " I like . . ." He blushed.

Kakashi laughed inwardly, "he has the same tastes as you do." he thought. He ran his hand through his prematurely gray hair, "He likes stubborn, self-centered, spikey-haired guys. . ."

" And-and my dream is . . . To be the next the next Hokage!!" Naruto burst out.

"Dobe. Like they'd ever let an usuratonkachi like you be Hokage." Sasuke muttered.

Kakashi covered his mouth, suppressing his laughter. "Minato . . . He really is your son . . . In more than just his looks. . ." He shook his head, "and maybe I should stop talking to the dead Hokage." He laughed. Tilting his head up towards the sky, he whispered, "But you and I both know that's impossible." He blinked, "Minato . . . I love you . . . Thank you for leaving me, and this village, a child such as this. . ."

"Kakashi-sensei! Pay attention!" Naruto yelled.

The Jonin blinked. "Naruto, come here." He smiled beneath his face mask as the boy trotted up to him. The ninja reached out and took hold of the Genin's face. "Naruto, you're stupid, and loud, and a clutz. How'd you pass you're Genin test?" He smiled as a shocked look crossed the blond's face. "If you continue along like this, you'll be Hokage in no time . . ."

Naruto's face lit up, "Thank you Kakashi-sensei!" He turned towards the Uchiha boy, "hear that Sasuke? I'm going to be Hokage!"

Kakashi laughed, "can you see us, Minato? This village is doing just fine . . . I guess . . . Everything will be alright. . ."

RANDOM AUTHOR RAMBLE

Waaahhhh….. I love Minato. (As I'm sure every Naruto fangilr in the world does. . . ^- -^) but I don't just love him cause he's the beautiful sexy Hokage-sama, father of our precious little Naruto. Whom which around the entirety of Konoha revolves . . . (just kidding. *hugs Naruto*) anyways. I do love him for those reasons, but I really really really love him cause of Kakashi. My sick little fan girl brain likes the idea of a relationship between Minato and his student-chan, Kakashi. Hehehe….. And there's so few Doujinshi of them even in it together!!!! Waaahhhh!!! The only ones I have are "And We . . ." and "And We . . .2" and that doesn't really count . . . Arggghhhh . . . . Not fair. But at least there is some . . . Damn Gaalee . . . No Doujinshi's for you apparently . . .

Anywho . . . Offtasknessremble there . . . I practically start crying when I think about how Kakashi must have felt when Minato died. Okay . . . I do start crying . . . He lost everyone, even the cute little goggles kid (can't remember names . . .) and then he loses Mintao? I cry every time I see him standing in front of the fallen Ninja memorial thing each morning before he meets with his chibi Genin team. And he's always so late, cause he stares at the memorial rock thing for hours . . . I can't help but think he's probably always talking to Minato in his head. Awwww . . . Anyways, thankies for reading and I hope u liked it!