Twenty-Six Views

A/N: Okay...So these themes are taken from SlimReaper's 'ABC Challenge Drabbles'. I'll admit that some of the ideas that I already came up with don't really follow the theme...But I know I'll use the word in the shorts so that sorta counts, I guess, haha. Writing these will be fun though and that's what really matters, right?

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

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Apples

By the time their chuunin guest disappeared around the corner, the silver-haired boy stated, "He smelled like...like apples and cin-na-mon."

When he felt, more than heard, the fond snicker, the four-year-old blinked at his towering father and asked curiously, "Does he live in a pa-" He wrinkled his nose. "-pae-tis-ser-ree?"

"I swear...Do you force feed your kid a dictionary every night?" It was his father's friend, the past sensei of the chuunin, who rolled his eyes and squatted down to his height level. "Nah, he's just a brat like you who got roped into kitchen duty..."

(The words, 'baking apple pies...', were included in a derisive undertone.)

The boy paused. Not that he was intimidated by the alpha male-like appearance of his father's friend – because he wasn't – he just didn't like the man's sneer. The child inched behind the protection of his father's leg, tiny hands clenched tightly around the loose fabric of the dark shinobi-styled pants. And with his face half pressed against the crook of his guardian's knee, young Kakashi Hatake pouted at Jiraiya and mumbled, "I'm not a brat."

Sakumo chuckled lowly and ruffled the silver hair tucked safely against his leg. "No, you're not a brat; you're my little brat."

--

Bark

When asked about the first time he met his student, Minato would always, without fail, smile fondly. And if he were in a reminiscent mood, he would even close his eyes and listen carefully to the warm echoes contained within his memories...

Laugher mingled between excited yelps and barks.

Their first meeting took place within the confines of the Hatake's spacious estate; at the time he was still a chuunin while his then-future student had just entered the Academy. In fact, they – of two separate generations – would've never met if not for the friendship shared between his sensei, Jiraiya, and the Hatake patriarch, Sakumo.

And so when he was allowed to meander into the adjoined gardens, he was taken by surprise when a giant bulldog collided against his chest, barrelling him into the ground. The warm dark eyes peered down at him curiously while Minato sweated.

"Uh..." Slightly dazed, Minato gazed up just in time to see a small figure, undoubtedly the son of Sakumo, astride the large dog slide down until he was leaning over the animal's head.

Kakashi frowned gently and chirped, "Hi. Who are you?"

"A guest." Minato smiled nervously, "If you don't mind...The dog..."

"Mmm...Okay." The boy tugged at the dog's collar. "Bull!"

Grumbling, Bull barked loudly and Kakashi, hugging the beefy neck, laughed, delighted. Minato, who was in the perfect position to witness the brief revealing of snapping jaws and sharp teeth, paled.

Amused, Kakashi tried again. "Bull..."

The chuunin shifted uncomfortably and the dog whined and barked again, the noise reverberating in Minato's bones.

"Hmm..." Kakashi grinned impishly at Minato. "Neh, don't move...Bull might bite your head off."

Minato chuckled helpless. "I hope not...I think I'll make a rather angry headless ghost."

"Oh. Well in that case..." Kakashi scrunched his forehead as if seriously considering the words, and carefully slid off of his ride. "Bull-!"

-And the boy's words were lost in a helpless yelp and string of giggles. With his young charge off his back, the dog decided to pounce on top of Kakashi instead and groom his hair.

Minato sat up and watched the curious scene, glancing from the loving, gentle dog to the child dragging deft fingers through scruffy fur.

...Later on in his life, he would mark that day as one of the few he had seen his student genuinely happy.