Alternate Ending

Naruto smiled as he walked to the Ichiraku Ramen Shop, walked slower than normal as he listened to the sounds of the kids playing and the adults talking. His ceremony was coming up in a few days and he was a nervous wreck.

"There you are, we were beginning to think you weren't going to show."

Blue eyes swirled on the worn face of his first sensei as he pulled the curtain to the side and sat on the stool between him and Kakashi with a grin, "just taking my time, got lost on the path of life and all that."

Kakashi's eyebrow quirked in amusement, "that's my line."

A steaming bowl of noddles with extra BBQ pork was placed in front of the blonde, his mouth watering at the sight before reaching for his chopsticks.

"Thank you, sensei's." he stated around a mouthful of food.

Iruka shook his head, it still amazed him how much ramen the kid—well, guess he wasn't a kid anymore, could fit in his stomach.

"Naruto, you're not eating as quickly as you normally are. Is everything okay?" Kakashi asked, raising a hand to place it to his forehead.

The jinchuriki shied away from his fingers as he blushed and swatted the hand away, "I'm fine but not when you do crap like that."

"What's on your mind then?" Iruka smirked.

Naruto set his chopsticks down and crossed his arms, "how do you do it?"

"How did you balance your family with being the Hokage? Boruto's already acting out and I haven't even taken office yet… How hard was it when it came to sending your kids out?"

Kakashi's eyes softened in understanding, leaning forward to brace his elbows on the countertop as he mulled over the answer.

All three of his kids were accepted into the academy at 6 and 5 all three graduating a year later and moving onto Chūnin easily, much like himself. They had formed Team Hatake as they were called around the village. Under all of their combined efforts between office visits and at bringing it up at home he finally relented and acknowledged they were all more than ready and promoted all three to Jōnin at 13 and 12.

"It wasn't easy… I was hoping they wouldn't have the natural shinobi talent that seemed past through the Hatake clan, but with Kagome's bloodline it seemed inevitable. The hardest thing I had to do as Hokage was view them as regular shinobi, not my kids. That was hard when you need someone for A—and S—rank missions."

He sighed and dropped one arm, turning to look at the blonde lazily, "I also made sure I was home every night and on weekends. I may or may not have always told Shikamaru when I was leaving so there was some fun in it."

Naruto nodded, "but how did your marriage do?"

Iruka snorted into his bowl, a blush spreading across his face at the question.

Kakashi grinned under his mask, heat coursing through his body as he thought about the question. Within the first two weeks Shikamaru was knocking so loudly on the door and announcing himself three times before his hand even made it to the knob, all because he had the misfortune of walking in on them in a compromising position.

"You'll be fine," was all he answered with.

All three laid their money on the counter and walked back onto the street, shielding their eyes from the sun.

Iruka stared at something across the street and furrowed his brow, "well… look at that."

"Look at what?" Kakashi questioned.

"Iruka-sensei?"

The brunette grinned and pointed across the street, "look, you've got the younger versions of the first three Hokage over there and there's also our current."

Blue eyes followed his finger and swallowed hard, Ren's silver hair had whitened as she grew older, much to her parents dismay she also had her great-great-grandfather Tobirama's attitude with her twin radiating the joy and mannerisms of Hashirama. Sayuri laid her hand on her sword hilt at her hip and smiled at something Konohamaru said as he brushed his hand against hers, her laugh ringing clear around the surroundings.

Sakumo rolled his eyes and shoved his way between his sister and the man, throwing the sandy haired man a glare that made him rub the back of his head and laughed nervously. If anyone had thought Kakashi was scary, they hadn't met his son who inherited his mother's temper and ability's on top of his father's brain.

Naruto nodded, he could see everything his former teacher was saying, "aside from the twins being girls they could all pass for it."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed on Konohamaru and tilted his head as the younger man smiled at Sayuri.

"Oh, hell no." he whispered.

Iruka laughed and slapped a hand on Kakashi's rigid shoulder, "they're growing up Lord Sixth, and they were bound to start dating at some point."

Naruto smirked and started forward, raising his hand in greeting as the Hatake kids all latched onto him.

"Uncle Naruto!"

Naruto ruffled each of their heads, watching as Ren pulled back with a huff and fixed her tresses.

"Do you have to do that?" she grumbled.

"Getting too old for that or something?" Naruto asked with a furrowed brow.

Sayuri gently shoved Ren and clasped her hands together, "ignore her, she's still pissed about Sakumo saving her."

"He didn't do anything special," Ren sighed.

Sakumo's fingers glowed pink as he poked her in the arm teasingly, "remember that next time you need a medic."

"Stop fighting you three; Konohamaru." Kakashi acknowledged as he finally walked up to the group and eyed the younger man under a darkened gaze.

The smile slowly dropped from Konohamaru's face as Kakashi's glare intensified, sending a shiver of dread down his spine.

Iruka shook his head and crossed his arms; those three in class together had been something, even he had to remind himself that they weren't triplets with how easily they could pass for them.

"What's going on?"

Iruka turned with a small bow, Kagome eyeing the group with a critical eye as she carried two bags of food in her hands.

"Kakashi's threatening Konohamaru," Iruka explained.

Kagome laughed and shook her head, "too bad, I liked him."

"Lord Husband, leave the kids alone and come and help me!" She called easily.

Sayuri shot her mother a grateful glance as Kakashi turned and stalked over to his wife, clearly fuming under his mask as he left his kids behind.

"It was good to see you Iruka," Kagome waved.

The instructor nodded and watched the duo leave before turning back to the small crowd with a smile.

"They're going to start noticing boys," Kagome snorted as she walked.

"No."

Hazel eyes rolled at his curt answer, "why not?"

"Because, now I'm going to have to figure out how to kill them and make it look like an accident. Boys only want one thing." Kakashi announced.

Kagome hummed, "funny that you bring that up, I distinctly remember mom telling both of us to use protection."

"What's that? I suddenly can't hear you." Kakashi furrowed his brow carefully.

Kagome chuckled at his answer, "right aren't you worried about Sakumo?"

"No, he's more interested in reading about women than actually getting a girlfriend," Kakashi explained.

Kagome's lips pursed together as she glanced up at him, "what's that mean?"

Kakashi's face reddened at his wife's stare, swallowing hard as sweat broke out over his body, "nothing."

"Has he been reading your porn?" she hissed.

"It's not porn!" He defended quickly.

Kagome shook her head as they climbed the three stairs, "that's it, I'm burning those books."

"I've gotten some of my best ideas to use on you from those books, they have kept our marriage solid and you're not touching them." Kakashi hissed, his eyes glinting dangerously.

"You're absolutely insane, those books haven't done anything like that!"

Kakashi watched as she put the food away, handing her items every once in a while before leaning his hip against the counter and crossing his arms, "yeah, want to bet on it?"

Kagome smirked and flicked a finger on the tip of his nose, "Kakashi Hatake, you're a worse pervert than Miroku ever was. The fact that you let Sakumo read those books just tells me everything, stop trying to recruit him into your Hentai Army"

Kakashi grinned and moved to take his mask off, leaning down and rubbing his nose against Kagome's, "he'll get the prettiest girl in the village with that knowledge. I did, and I'm still madly in love with her."

"Don't you have some things to finish doing in the office before Naruto takes over?" Kagome sputtered.

"Mmm… that was before I was challenged, besides I've got to hold up my end of being the laziest Hokage so I can't go back to the office today."

Kagome giggled before squealing as he lifted her over his shoulder easily and began walking through their house.

"Come now, Lady Priestess, let me show you all I've learned." He whispered huskily before dropping her to their bed.