Chapter 4 — The Shadow of the Cat Scare
The headband was back on the dresser, but the damage was done.
Aaron lay awake, listening to the quiet breathing of his new family. His first successful "jutsu" was a cat sound that scared a rat into dropping a piece of official Konoha property.
He was a ninja prodigy, but only when he was being utterly ridiculous.
I need a plan, he thought, staring at the ceiling. If I'm going to survive the Kyuubi Attack, I need an edge. I need the equivalent of a secret cheat code.
The Genius Interpretation
The next morning, the household was abuzz with quiet excitement. Aaron was placed in his bouncy seat, where he was immediately faced by Minato, who was examining the spot on the floor where the headband had landed.
"It's incredible, Kushina," Minato whispered, his genius mind already spinning complex theories. "I left my seal on the headband. There was a faint trace of residual disruption energy near it this morning."
Kushina leaned in, intrigued. "Disruption? Like a localized seal breach?"
"No, something... softer," Minato murmured. He looked at Aaron, who was currently wrestling with a plush toad toy. "I think the energy came from him."
Aaron froze. Oh, great. Now my failed telekinesis is being mistaken for a new type of Ninjutsu.
Minato crouched down to Aaron's level, his eyes shining with paternal pride and scientific curiosity. "What did you do, little brother? Did you create a new passive energy emission? A subtle repulsion jutsu?"
Aaron, desperate to stop the dangerous extrapolation, tried to make the Cat Scare sound again. "Mrow! MROW! It was just a rat, you idiot!"
What came out was a high-pitched, insistent "Meow! Gaa!"
Minato beamed. "He's saying 'Meow'! A code word? Does it activate the ability? Kushina, grab a scroll. We need to document the 'Meow-Gaa' Technique."
Kushina was already scribbling furiously.
"It has a rhythmic signature, Minato! Maybe it's a sound-based Genjutsu meant to disorient an opponent's spirit!"
Aaron wanted to weep. His accidental cat sound was now being logged as a Secret Kinjutsu of the Namikaze Clan.
Kakashi's Suspicion
Later that day, Kakashi visited. He was still the quiet, skeptical child who was not easily fooled. He had seen the drool and the spit-bubbles; he knew the truth of babyhood.
Minato immediately cornered his student. "Kakashi, observe Aaron's new technique. It's a low-power, wide-range sensory repulsion. Aaron, show him the word."
Aaron refused. He simply stared blankly at Kakashi.
Kakashi stared back. The silence stretched until it became deeply uncomfortable.
"The baby looks like he's judging me," Kakashi finally stated.
I am, Aaron thought. You're reading smut. Stop it.
Minato nudged Aaron's bouncy seat. "Come on, Aaron. 'Meow-Gaa'!"
Aaron, feeling pressured, let out a noise of pure frustration: "Haa-ka-shee!"
Minato's jaw dropped. "He spoke!"
"No, he said my name!" Kakashi looked truly alarmed. "He knows how to talk, and he chose to waste it on my name? What is his objective?"
The Meta-Awareness in Aaron's head cheered. Finally! A successful communication, even if it was just to call out the supporting cast!
Minato knelt beside Aaron, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Aaron, you're a genius. Was that a Jutsu Name? Did you develop a technique to instantly recognize—and subtly mock—a strong opponent?"
Kakashi looked insulted. "I am not being mocked!"
"He's clearly making fun of your stoicism," Kushina observed with a grin. "Our baby is developing a comedic fighting style."
The "A-Rank" Diaper Mission
Aaron's one success—calling Kakashi by name—only increased Minato's belief that his little brother was a developing prodigy who communicated via secret codes and bizarre jutsu.
This led to the ultimate mission: The Diaper Change.
Minato had decided to turn the necessary evil of baby hygiene into a Chakra Control Exercise.
"Focus, little brother," Minato said gently, holding Aaron aloft. "If you can concentrate your chakra into a defensive layer, we can make the cleanup faster."
Aaron didn't care about the chakra. All he cared about was escaping the indignity. He tried to wiggle away, accidentally kicking Minato in the jaw.
Whoops. Too much force.
Minato staggered back, rubbing his cheek. "Incredible power control! Did you just activate a burst of raw physical strength? A Hokage-level tantrum?"
"He's definitely a shinobi," Kushina said, taking over the changing table. "He saves his strongest attacks for the moments of vulnerability."
Aaron felt the humiliation wash over him. He was a baby, surrounded by legends, and his entire existence was a running gag. He decided to unleash his strongest, most reliable, most ridiculous power.
He let out another loud, perfectly timed, distressed "MROW!"
Kushina instantly flinched and pulled her hand back. "Did you hear that, Minato? It sounds... threatening."
Minato nodded solemnly, taking notes on a tiny scroll. "The 'Cat Scare Technique' again.
He uses it to create distance and lower the opponent's guard. A truly advanced infiltration tactic."
Aaron sighed internally. His desperate plea for help had been transformed into an A-Rank Defensive Ninjutsu. He closed his eyes.
Truck-san, he mentally narrated to the cosmic chauffeur. You didn't send me to Konoha. You sent me to a reality show where my failure is their comedy gold.
But as his eyes drifted shut, he couldn't help but notice the tiny, subtle movement in his hand: his index finger, curled inward, the beginning of a motion he had been practicing all day.
He had almost grasped his thumb.
End of Chapter 4
Next: Chapter 5 — The First Steps of a Scared God