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As far back as he could remember, Naruto had always been alone. Until he was 7, he had lived in an orphanage, but even then he was always alone. The other children avoided him and even the adults who were supposed to look after him shunned him, without him understanding why.
And then, when he was 7, someone, he honestly wasn't sure who, decided he was old enough to live on his own. So he was given an apartment. Meals were delivered twice a day and he received a little money every month to buy the rest, but that was all.
For the first few weeks, someone came to check on him every other day, but these visits too soon stopped when the adults decided that he was doing well enough on his own and didn't need anyone. That was what they said, based on what they thought, because obviously, nobody never bothered to asked Naruto.
After all, Naruto was used to doing everything on his own, so being in his own apartment didn't change much. He was used to waking up alone in the morning, having breakfast alone, going to class alone, coming home alone, doing his homework alone, so it wasn't much of a change from the orphanage.
When he'd entered the academy and been put in Iruka Sensei's class, he'd sensed that the older man was trying to include him more, to take an interest in him, but with everyone hating him, it was complicated. And it had to be said that Naruto didn't make it easy for his teacher.
So when the whole mess with Mizuki had happened and Iruka had protected him at the risk of his life, Naruto hadn't really known what to think. On the one hand, he finally knew why everyone hated him and it made sense, sort of, but he also had proof that someone from whom the Nine-Tails had taken everything could also love and appreciate him, seeing him as Naruto Uzumaki and not the Nine-Tails.
Everything had gone pretty quickly after that and he'd been assigned his Genin team. Once again, he'd been skeptical. Being with Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha was... unexpected, to say the least. And while he hadn't let on, almost refusing to admit it to himself, Sasuke was the one who intimidated him the most.
Growing up alone, Naruto could only notice that the Uchiha was also always alone. And Naruto also knew what it felt like when people didn't see you for who you were, but for what had happened to you. For Naruto, it was the Nine-Tails inside him, and for Sasuke, it was the massacre of his clan by his own brother.
Several times when he was younger, Naruto had wanted to get closer to the other boy, but the latter didn't make it easy for him and Naruto was honestly too impressed and intimidated by the other boy to approach him.
So when they'd been put on the same team, Naruto thought it was an opportunity to get closer to him.
And it had happened. After just the first day, after Kakashi-sensei's test of bells and friendship, Naruto felt much closer to his teammates. Even Sakura, he felt, he could get on well with. They still had work to do to work together, but it would do. And Kakashi-Sensei seemed really cool.
And he was. He was strict enough not to make a mess of things, but he wasn't too bothersome.
Little by little, Naruto felt more and more at home with his comrades and sensei. It wasn't like having a family, not that Naruto knew what that felt like, but it was the closest he'd come.
Sometimes he longed for more, and in his dreams he found a real family in Sakura, Sasuke and Kakashi.
But he also knew that he couldn't ask for too much, and that expecting more than he already had would be a mistake. So he was content to enjoy it.
And then the unthinkable happened.
One day, during a classic training session, Kakashi stopped and looked at them as if they were a riddle he had to solve.
"You know what? There's no point in doing this. Go tell your parents, I'll take you to the mountains for 3 days. There's no need to pack anything, there's everything you need there, just what you've got on your back will do." The Jônin announced.
And then, neither Naruto, Sakura nor Sasuke moved, content to stare at their teacher. Kakashi was still watching them, his face as impassive as ever, but still looking a little surprised.
"Have you gone deaf in the last few minutes?" The older man asked.
The three youngsters exchanged glances before Sasuke answered. "You have to have parents to let them know you're leaving the village." He scoffed darkly, as he always did when talking about his family.
"If you need I can remind you that my parents are dead." Naruto added, trying not to let his words lower his spirits.
A flash of pain shot through Kakashi's visible eye, but he quickly recovered. "I'm not stupid and I haven't forgotten you two are orphans. I just wanted to ask you to go home and tell them you won't be home for a few days, so no one will worry."
Still no movement from the three youngsters, who were still looking at their sensei as if from another planet.
"Oh that's unbelievable." Kakashi muttered, running a hand over his face. "Sakura, as far as I know, your parents are still alive and you're still living with them. Why didn't you go and warn them? And if it's out of solidarity with Sasuke and Naruto, that's admirable but-"
"It has nothing to do with the boys." Cut in the young girl. "You asked us to go and warn people who might worry if we didn't return to the village for several days. You've been warned, so as far as I'm concerned it's done."
Kakashi stared at his pupil for a moment, trying to construct the puzzle with the few pieces he had. Naruto was just as lost and Sasuke didn't seem to know either, even if he hid it better than the blond.
Seeing their bewildered looks, Sakura sighed, annoyed. "It means my parents won't worry if I don't come home for several days, nor will they notice for that matter, so I don't need to go and warn them."
"What do you mean they won't notice?" Kakashi asked, now sounding slightly angry.
"Do you remember when we went to the Land of Waves? When we got back to Konoha, I went home to tell them I was back, and they told me they didn't even know I'd left, even though I'd told them. So now I don't waste my time talking to them since they don't listen. I have no other family and no close friends other than Genin who won't worry if I'm away for several days. So no, I don't have anyone to notify. That's it, the interrogation's over and we can go? Clearly, Naruto and Sasuke don't have any more people to notify than I do, so we're wasting our time here." Sakura seemed annoyed at the end, but Kakashi soon saw that she was more hurt by what she was saying than she let on.
And it was his job, as their teacher, to do something about it. "Sakura, that's not right." He said. "How long has this been going on?"
"What?"
"Your parents ignoring you."
"Since I entered the academy I'll say. They disapprove of the Shinobi way but I won't let anyone, not even them, hold me back."
"Okay, well I'll see what I can arrange but it can't go on like this."
"What can't go on?" Sakura asked, clearly not understanding.
"Your current living conditions. From what you tell me, your parents, so the people who are supposed to take care of you, are neglectful at best, and borderline on abusive. You can't go on living under these conditions."
"And why not?" The younger girl asked defiantly.
"Because you're only 12 and you can't live on your own."
"Oh yeah? How come Naruto and Sasuke get to live alone and I don't?"
Kakashi was about to reply, but recorded Sakura's words before he could and turned to his other two students.
"Do you live alone?"
"Unless ghosts count, yes." Sasuke replied with a shrug, while Naruto simply nodded.
"You... You still live at the Uchiha Estate?" Kakashi asked, his eye widening.
"This is my home, where else do you want me to live?" Sasuke grumbled.
Kakashi remained silent for a moment before turning to his latest pupil. "I'm almost afraid to ask but... Naruto?"
He didn't need to clarify his question, the blond had already understood.
"I've lived alone since I was 7, in an apartment lent to me by the village. But even before that, I was on my own at the orphanage, so you could say I've always lived alone." Naruto shrugged.
Kakashi remained motionless for a moment, staring at his students, before making a decision. One he might question later, but one he doubted he'd ever regret.
"Okay, change of program. Follow me." He turned and started walking.
"Aren't we going to do the cohesion training in the mountains anymore?" Naruto asked, trotting a little to get down to the older man’s level.
"We're going to do a cohesion training, but not in the mountains. We'll stay in the village instead."
"I thought you said we couldn't do that in the village." Sakura contradicted.
"For what I had in mind, we'd need to get out of the village and into the mountains." Kakashi agreed. "But I've changed my mind and my new idea has to take place in Konoha."
"And what's this wonderful idea?" Sasuke asked, hands in his pockets as usual.
"Restoring and renovating an Estate that has been derelict for decades. Just all 4."
"Why? And which Estate is it? I don't think there are many abandoned district like that around here." Sakura said.
"We're going to restore the Hatake Estate." Kakashi simply declared, never stopping or turning around, not even looking at his students.
But when he felt his 3 students suddenly stop, he suppressed a small sigh and turned to face them.
"The Hatake Estate?" Sakura repeated.
"Yes."
"Isn't that where you live, Sensei?" Naruto asked.
"No. For personal reasons." He anticipated, knowing that this was going to be the three youngsters' next question. A question he had no desire to answer.
"So why do you want to renovate it? Feel like moving?" Sasuke snickered.
"Because four of us won't fit in my current apartment." Not to mention the fact that he still lived in the Anbu district and having his students live there didn't really go with the anonymity there.
"4? " Naruto asked, refusing to believe it could be what he was beginning to think it could be.
This time, Kakashi really sighed, before looking at his students, very serious. "None of you have stable living conditions and this can't go on. I'm sorry I didn't realize it sooner, but now that I know the truth, there's no way I can stand by and do nothing. So we're going to renovate this huge house and move the 4 of us in so that you can have better living conditions. I'm not sure I'm the most qualified for this, but it'll have to do."
"Do you really want us... to live together?" Sakura repeated, not seeming to believe her ears.
"Being your Sensei, I have emergency custody over you. And even though right now, I'm more than willing to officially adopt all three of you right now so it'll never be a problem again, we'll have to settle for this."
"You... you'd really be willing to adopt us? Just like that?" Naruto asked, still dumbfounded.
Kakashi hesitated for a moment before answering, and sighed once more. "Look, I know what it's like to grow up alone, with no adult to lean on and no one to talk to when you got home at the end of the day, and I know it sucks. And I wouldn't wish that on anyone, least of all my students. So I'm going to take matters into my own hands because no one took care of it before, which is a shame, honestly. I'm not trying to replace the families you have or had, I'm just trying to offer you a less lonely life than the one you lead now. You're still children, and you should be able to behave as such for a few more years."
"But you don't want to adopt us because once you realize how much work it is you're going to duck out and send us back from wherever we came from." Sasuke said sharply.
"No." Kakashi immediately retorted. "It's not that I don't want to adopt you, it's that I can't."
"And why not?" The Uchiha challenged.
"For different reasons for each of you. First of all, Sasuke, you're a Uchiha and a Uchiha can't change their name. You're born Uchiha and you die Uchiha, the whole deal. Secondly, Naruto, you're a ward of the Village and the Council would never agree to me taking you under my permanent guard. Furthermore, you're both the last representatives of your clan in Konoha and the Council would never let two of the Village's greatest clans die out. And finally Sakura, being of civil birth, for me to adopt you, I'd need to convene a shinobi and civil court and get your parents to agree. I'm not sure I'd win that procedure if it were ever launched, and I don't want to risk it, because if these trials don't turn out in my favor, I'll be forbidden to ever contact you, so I don't want to risk it."
Kakashi had pulled all this out without stopping and without any hesitation, which proved that he had already known all this for quite some time. And the truth was that Kakashi had already made inquiries in case this kind of situation arose. He wasn't satisfied with the result, but he knew there was nothing he could do about it.
But what would really help him here was emergency custody. With that, he could justify that he found his students' living conditions inadequate and could take whatever steps he deemed necessary to remedy the situation. So that's what he did.
He opened his mouth to continue, but instantly forgot everything he wanted to say when Naruto literally threw himself at his neck.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you." Naruto repeated, holding on tightly to the older man.
Kakashi remained silent for a moment, but recovered himself and put a hand on Naruto's back. He hadn't said it, but Naruto's living conditions were what angered him most. Naruto was the hero of the village, he was the one who had helped stop Kyûbi, and he is the son of the 4th Hokage! How and why the 3rd had allowed this constant humiliation, Kakashi didn't know, but Naruto certainly didn't deserve it.
That changes today. He promised himself. Those kids won't be alone anymore.
Kakashi felt a tear slip down his neck but didn't take offense, making no remarks and keeping Naruto against him.
Sakura came to join the blond, albeit more quietly, and even Sasuke moved a little closer. Kakashi didn't expect a hug from him, but even he seemed relieved that he wouldn't have to return to the Uchiha district.
If Kakashi had been a little less emotionally constipated, he might have shed a happy tear, but he held back. Instead, he raised his eyes to the sky.
Sensei, Kushina-san, I promise to take care of Naruto from now on. Obito, I won't let your little cousin live in this hellhole anymore. Rin, I promise I won't let another kunoichi of civilian birth be bullied by her parents. I promise you all that I will make amends and take care of them.
After his silent promise, Kakashi looked at his three students and promised himself that he would do his best. He couldn't give them back their families, but he could try to create a new one with them.