Summary: In which Sakumo gets ambushed by the new trio of kids and talks with Kurama

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Dark grey eyes narrow themselves as he observes his surroundings, darting left and right for possible ambushes. When he sees none, a sigh of relief escapes his lips. Slowly heads towards the compound in hopes of succeeding.

He's almost there to the door–

A shriek rises from some bushes and he freezes. "ATTACK!!!!!"

Someone flings several kunai from a tree, and his eyes widen, before whipping out his own kunai and quickly deflecting them around him. Is it too much to ask for one break? Just one? Whose idea is this exactly? He's going to have a long talk with them about allowing children near kunai–

Tiny bodies immediately clutches onto him when he isn't paying attention, and he stumbles around with the weight of three tiny kids. Falls down, knocking the breath out of him. Three pairs of eyes stare at him as he looks up.

They stay like this, unsure of what to say, before his son giggles. "Tou-san, did we beat you?" Kakashi asks brightly, looking eagerly at his father.

Really, Sakumo doesn't know what to say, because he's sure that he didn't teach anyone how to use a kunai yet. "Did we? Did we?" Obito chants with the little girl with him (Rin, he thinks). "Did we beat you?"

"Yes?" he tries, and the children cheer, as Kurama's voice cuts through the air. Sakumo can't help but feel gratitude to the red-haired man he's come to treasure as a friend.

"Brats! The snake made something for all of you, so get off the poor man so you don't suffocate him and go inside!"

Rin's face brightens up like the sun. "Orochi-nii!" she cries, scrambling off Sakumo and races off to the door. The other two yells at Rin to wait up and bolts after her, leaving Sakumo laying on the ground, before he sits up. A hand reaches out and he looks up to see Kurama.

"Come on," the Uzumaki says gruffly. He feels a smile tugging at his lips before taking the hand and allowing Kurama to pull him up. Grins at him as the man huffs and looks away towards the compound.

"You didn't happen to teach those kids how to use kunai, did you?"

"That was Orochimaru. He said learning how to use one will allow them to defend themselves more easily."

He stops, stares and before sharply asking, "He did?", because, Orochimaru knows better than teach the three children that he considers his own ( Mine! his mind snarls into his mindscape, these kids are part of my pack). Needs to talk to the hebi Sannin about teaching them how to use kunai.

Kurama shrugs, seemingly not bothering to stare at him as he delicately steps into shade, and Sakumo's breath hitches at the sight of the colour blood red looking at him through half-lidded eyes when the man does turn to look at him.

"So, plans tomorrow, Hatake?"

Sakumo grins with a canine smile, slinging his arm around Kurama and leads him to the door. "How about some lunch?"

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So, in this chapter here, Sakumo got ambushed by the trio of kids (maybe I'll do a chapter of them getting to know each other) and got saved by Kurama. Orochimaru has become another official member of the family, and Sakumo is secretly pleased (and disappointed, because who decided to teach the kids how to throw kunai yet?). It's a chapter of fluff ^^

Terms:
Tou-san - Dad or father
Hebi - Snake

Read, review and enjoy!