Third POV
Naruto sat at his desk, the academy was rough and with no friends by his side, it was worse. The parents of his classmates had told their children to stay well away from him. He heard the whispers, he saw the scornful looks the adults gave him as he walked past.

"Oi, idiot!" The high pitched voice of the academy's banshee shrieked at him. Naruto was tired, it was only the first year but he was sick of it. He didn't have anyone to greet him after school, no one waiting for him at home. The young blonde plastered the same old fake smile on and responded,

"Yes, Sakura-chan?" His tone was enthusiastic but there was no doubt on the sarcasm if one listened close enough.

"Ha-" she was infuriated, much to Naruto's relief, as Iruka walked in. The chunnin seemed tenser than usual and Naruto could sense the underlining fear that he tried and failed to suppressed. A second figure followed their teacher in. One not many of the kids new, Naruto however knew full well.

"Kids, th-this is Orochimaru of the sannin," Iruka introduced the figure. Seeing as no attention was on him, Naruto let the mask slip and his face grew calmer and more calculative. The Sannin's eyes locked onto his and the blonde gave a small, childish smile and stuck his tounge out. Orochimaru raised an eyebrow but gave a small smile in return. It had been years since the Sannin had interacted with anyone normally, let alone a child and kushina's child at that. He could still faintly remember the faint good memories that he held with his secret student.

"Naruto-Kun," The sannin spoke, addressing the blonde who didn't even bother to hide his suprise. A sannin knew of him? His questions were answered slightly as Orochimaru spoke once more. "Please come with me to the hokage's office," the sannin spoke. Naruto couldn't tell anything from the tone of his voice nor his expressions. His 'classmates' gasped and a dull murmer filled the room. The blonde didn't waste anytime, he sprung to his feet and all but raced over to the tall figure. As he made it to the front of the classroom, all eyes were on him and he found himself reverting back to his old habits.

Orochimaru paid little thought, other than a slightly curious gaze, to the young boy's hand which now held the long black sleeve of his robe. The two found them self in silence as they walked back to the hokage's tower. The silence wasn't awkward though, rather comforting to the young boy as the villager's gazes bore holes into the two of them. Despite being young he could faintly feel the presence of the multiple shinobi that surrounded him.

"Naruto," The sannin called his name. Naruto's attention snapped to the man, ready to listen, "as you have heard, I am Orochimaru of The Sannin. I am your godfather and godmother, according to your parent's will, or more specifically your mothers." Naruto listened intently as he spoke. For a moment he said nothing, his mind processing the word. He looked up at Orochimaru, still cautious yet trusting. This was the only person other than his Jiji and Iruka-sensei that hadn't pushed him away. He felt comfort in the man's unsure but warm tone. He could tell that the man was trying his best to not scare or startle him and so he appreciated the gesture.

"You know my momma?" Naruto spoke quietly. He trusted this man a lot already but not as much as Orochimaru hoped he would. 'Very well,' the sannin thought to himself, 'I can build trust with him as I did with kushina.' Orochimaru nodded to the child.

"Yes, you mustn't tell many people but she was my student back when I lived in this village," the Sannin explained. Naruto looked up at him in surprise. Admiration and curiosity shone in his ocean blue eyes, a trait that he shared with his father.

"Mhmm, I know both of your parents, I can tell you many stories about them if you wish," he said. No one ever said that luring a child in with stories of their parents weren't allowed. Naruto was about to burst into questions but stopped himself. He had just met this man after all, he didn't want to scare him away, but the thought of his parents, something he had envied the other children of was something that took a lot more will power than he had to keep down. His mind raced with questions and emotions but he knew one thing for sure. This man was a valuable asset.

Orochimaru could see the thoughts of the child as clear as day. He almost wanted to laugh, those of his did not hide anything. He didn't feel angry at the thoughts however, kushina had been along the same lines when she was a child. Not only had she been envious of what the other children had but also the teachings that Jiraya had to offer her 'rival', Minato. 'This is progress,' Orochimaru thought to himself.

"Hey, mister, your my godmother right?" Naruto asked.

"And godfather," Orochimaru didn't know why he felt the need to point that fact out but he did so, feeling a twinge of dread creep in.

"Does that mean I can can call you Kaa-chan?" The sannin felt the need to cry. He knew this was coming. First it was kushina and now her child. He swallowed the blood that he almost choked out before answering.

"What ever you want, Naru-chan," he answered. His crumbling pride was worth raising this child, or at least he hopped so. The man had been through a lot in his life time. When he said a lot, he meant a lot. He had accomplished most of his goals, created his own village, been through wars, taught students, he had been through a lot and all he really wanted to do know was settle down, if raising a child came with it, than so be it. The blonde didn't seem to mind the girly nickname, seeing as it came from his new 'kaa-chan', he seemed more than pleased with it.

Hiruzen found himself unable to speak for a moment as Orochimaru and Naruto walked through the doors of the meeting room, the younger still clutching onto the sleeve of the Sannin. The child seemed so happy, eagerly chatting to the older male, despite if he was listening or not. The sannin in question was listen to every word. Hiruzen had never seen his former student so calm and parent like before. Was letting Orochimaru take Naruto really the right choice, or should he try and keep the boy here? It was inevitable either way, the last words of the hokage's were always treated as law and couldn't be overruled. Hiruzen had no idea what Minato had been thinking, assigning Orochimaru as the sole godparent of the Junchuuriki.

The other council members say in silence, somewhat stunned by the interaction.

"Naru-chan, there are others in the room," Orochimaru pointed out quietly. Hiruzen was shocked further. Was, was that warmth in Orochimaru's voice? He watched comically as Naruto's talking halted and the boy looked around the room.

"Ah! Hi Jiji!" He bursted out but unlike usual he didn't run into the old man's arms and instead just waved, his other hand still clutching the sannin's sleeve. The hokage's heart twisted slightly but he ignored it as the meeting started. Orochimaru sat to his right, Naruto on his lap as the boy had refused to let got if his sleeve. The sannin didn't mind at all, only half-heartedly scolding the blonde before addressing the council.

"Today we gather to come to agreement on the custody of Uzumaki Naruto and the current situation surrounding it," hiruzen announced to the skeptic group. Danzo spoke from his place at the end of the table, opposite of Orochimaru,

"I believe it would be preposterous to allow our village's Junchuuriki to fall into the hands of that traitorous snake," he hissed out. The old war hawk was practice seething at the thought of letting the 'weapon' out of their grasp.

"I don't believe we have much of an option," a voice spoke up from beside hiruzen's left side. Shikaku had been a member of the council and the hokage's advisor for many years now, his words held weight behind them. "As stated in the late forth hokage's will, 'The custody of Uzumaki Naruto will be left in the hands of his sole God parent, Orochimaru of the Sannin and all matters concerning the boy until the day he turns eighteen will be handled by Orochimaru of the Sannin unless he wishes to reject custody of Uzumaki Naruto. If that is to happen, custody shall fall to the third hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen and the same conditions apply to this as custody regarding Orochimaru of the Sannin. This may only be exempted if the person in question, Uzumaki Naruto, rejects custody of Orochimaru of the Sannin'," the advisor quoted straight from the will. The council's gazed hardened and their hearts grew heavier.

"Do you, Orochimaru of the Sannin, formally accept custody of Uzumaki Naruto?" Hiruzen stated, interjecting before anyone could protest.

"I, Orochimaru of the Sannin, formally accept custody of Uzumaki kushina and Namikaze Minato's child, Uzumaki Naruto." Orochimaru stated clearly with authority laced in his voice. The third hokage let out a heavy sigh.

"Naruto, my boy. I need you to answer me seriously. Do you want me or Orochimaru to take care of you?" Hiruzen asked as simply as he could. He really hoped the boy would decline and the custody would fall to him. Orochimaru gaining custody could very well mean a lot of things. He would be the 'owner' of the Kyuubi, the nine tailed beast that had almost destroyed the entire leaf village, he would be in charge of raising a young child. Somehow, he knew, he knew Naruto would choose Orochimaru. He didn't know how the two had become so close during the span of a fifteen minute walk but here they were, already looking somewhat like parent and child.

"You're way to old to be my kaa-chan! Old man, I want Orochimaru to be my Kaa-chan," Naruto stated. A few of the more relaxed members of the council stifled their laugher. Orochimaru internally cried and felt his reputation die within seconds but it was worth it. Or at least he really, really hoped it was. He wasn't the only one, Hiruzen felt like crying. If he had know all the boy wanted was a mother he would have found one for him. But no, he had to be stupid and put the boy in an orphanage.

"Then I don't see any reason to keep this meeting going," shikaku spoke once more. Multiple members of the council spoke up, voicing their concerns.

The meeting took a good three hours but Orochimaru was satisfied by the results. He had full custody of Uzumaki Naruto on the condition that he stayed in the village for a week before departing and that the boy would come back to the village once a year, the week straight after his birthday. The sannin was pleased by the results and decided to take a quick trip down to the cemetery. Naruto had fallen asleep during the meeting, within the first hour actually. Orochimaru carried the blonde in his arms, he was severely malnourished to the point that his growth would be permanently stunted if he didn't eat well now. That was a problem the Sannin would fix right away.

Orochimaru stood solemnly from a moment, in front of the grave that held the sealed body of his first student. He and kushina had shared a bond he didn't have with anyone else but his parents. He didn't know what their relationship actually was. He knew he loved her but not in a romantic way. The two always tossed between friends, siblings, parent and child, student and teacher. He once told her his goal of immortality. She didn't laugh at him nor did she scorn him for it like others had done. She had just shrugged and said 'cool, I guess.' Orochimaru felt a sad laugh bubble in his throat. Most people didn't even know they knew each other. He had planned to keep it that was. He didn't want her image being tainted by his. Naruto stirred and shifted in his arms. Orochimaru crouched down, still in front of kushina's grave.

"Naru-chan, wake up." He didn't speak too loud but it was enough to wake the boy. It didn't take to long for him to realise where they were.

"This is kaa-chan, isn't it?" The blonde said quietly. He didn't receive an answer but knew he was right. The two didn't move for a while, only staring at the grave in silence, the absence of words bringing them closer.