A/N: All's I want to say is to please review if you have the time if you like anything, see anything or notice anything out of place, or want to recommend any particular thing. Thank you so much for reading. -Alterant

Minato dreamt of blue light. A dazzling brightness, engulfing him, enveloping him, much like the sensation of swimming deep underwater. The pressure was outstanding, holding him still, yet making him sway, lulling him into the deepest sleep he'd ever fallen into. Time had no meaning, his thoughts drifting meaninglessly through his mind.

After an undeterminable amount of time, his underwater slumber was finally disturbed when an outside being intruded, and a warm hand came towards him and gently rested on his forehead. Instead of shying away from the touch of the unknown being, like he normally would, his senses seemed to pick up no threat, instead feeling at ease with it's touch. The contact only lasted for a few seconds, and at the retreating of the hand Minato felt saddened at the absence of warmth that had accompanied it. Trying to retrieve it, he tested his arm, but was disheartened when all he could accomplish was to barely lift his fingers.

"You have a fever."

The low voice of a man surprised Minato, uttered in so soft a tone that he could barely make out the words. Though it didn't seem as if he was in immediate danger, not being able to move was a downside to his situation. He had no idea where he had ended up, no idea who had found him and how, and no idea what he was going to do. Minato realized briefly he could probably start by opening his eyes and take in his surroundings. It was like he had somehow forgot about being human while he was in his reverie.

He discovered it was even a struggle to lift his eyelids, the dull light from a lamp blinding him as they slowly opened. Blinking multiple times until the pain had somewhat resided, he squinted over to where he saw the man kneeling beside the bed he was in. Those eyes widened in fascination as he took in the reflection of himself before him.

The man was dressed in a glaringly bright orange hoodie, black sweatpants, and was obviously from Konoha as the band wrapped around his forehead declared. Sky blues eyes stared back into his own, framed by a cut of spiky blonde hair just a tad bit shorter than his. It was true his face was a bit rounder, but what threw Minato off completely was the resemblance to his wife, Kushina. The eyes and facial structure… it was as if she were staring at him, making the exact same worried expression that he saw when he came home in rough shape from a mission.

The worried gaze that Minato saw calmed him a bit. So the man apparently meant him no harm, as he wasn't restrained in any way. Though his chakra levels and physical abilities were at an all time low. How the man looked like such a perfect mix of himself and his wife though… is what was throwing him off. He'd never seen this man before in his life, and being sure he knew the faces of every ninja in Konoha, this situation didn't make any sense. He barely remembered his mission… that girl. He remembered the color blue then he went blank.

Naruto was beyond shock and in such a level of disbelief that he was playing along as if it were just another dream where his father was alive. He knew it'd be over when he woke up and reality would just come crashing down upon him like a load of enemy nin. He'd count it as another bad night's sleep. In all actuality though, usually his subconscious would have reminded him by now that he was fatherless in some way, changing the longing and happiness into a fervent nightmare in the matter of seconds. Never before had it all been this real and lasted this long, even the warmth of his father's forehead still lingered on his skin.

Naruto was staring at his father as Minato opened his eyes, which were the exact same blue as his sons. The gaze that peered at him was paralyzing. It's power, even in the throes of a fever, sent shivers down his spine. The hardened glare of a capable ninja.

"Who are you?" Naruto heard Minato whisper in a tired voice.

His hand came up to his mouth and he cleared his throat before finding the voice to answer.

"My name is Naruto…Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto watched as his father's eyes, if it were possible, get a bit more troubled.

Minato had to process that for a second. A member of the Uzumaki clan, the same as his wife. Unusual, indeed. And with that facial similarity there was no mistaking it. Just add red hair and this man would be the image of his wife.

Man, Minato was glad that Kushina wasn't here to read his thoughts right now. He didn't think she'd appreciate that thought. "Are you familiar with a Uzumaki Kushina?" Minato inquired, intently studying the man, though his fever was taking a tool on him, causing his thoughts to whirl around his head.

The man in front of Minato shifted uneasily, his eyes seeming to deepen with remorse as he averted his eyes.

"Yes." Was Naruto's simple answer.

His reaction caught Minato off guard. "What is your relation to her? I am her husband, Namikaze Minato, and I am on a mission from Konoha that I have yet to complete. May I ask…what… " Minato's words drifted off as his exhaustion caught up to him. Eyelids drooping once again, Minato was swept off into a sea of blackness.

Darting forward, Naruto quickly checked to make sure Minato indeed has just fallen back asleep. There was no chance in hell he would ever let his father be taken from him again. Letting out a huge sigh of relief, and after he had tucked Minato into his small bed and made sure the man would be comfortable, Naruto had stood up and was now pacing in the kitchen. This scenario didn't make any sense. If this was real, which he still wasn't sure if it was, how did the father who had sacrificed himself to save Konoha wind up miraculously appearing unconscious in the streets of Konoha on a rainy day? Unless everything that he had been told was a lie, which he didn't think he had been, the only solution was to wait for Minato to recover in order to find out what was going on. Which might be awhile because the man was as weak as a babe. Which was one of the most surprising things since he had heard stories of how strong his father had been.

As the logical side of his brain was working in overtime, simultaneously, the emotional side spluttered in the back with joy. Just the sight of his presumed dead father was enough to make him so happy he could hardly contain it. But hearing him say his son's name, touching his forehead, made his inner kid glow with happiness. It had been awhile since he'd actually been this enthusiastic. His signature smile couldn't be wiped from his face.

"Man, if this is a dream, I really hope it lasts awhile longer." Naruto said as he readied some cool towels and soup to help gain his father's strength back. Preparing it only took a few minutes, and, placing a towel on the man's heated forehead, Naruto went out to see for sure if he was really in his dreams. Minato was so exhausted Naruto had some time before he knew the man would be up and talking again. He'd be back before that. Plus, he had to make sure, cause if it wasn't true, and his father was just a figment of his overworked imagination, he should probably seek some serious counseling.

Recently, he felt like he was just a dog for Konoha. It was mission after mission, the other villages of course trifling with some matter of this village, feuding over some stupid thing, and the sort. So they sent Naruto Uzumaki to help calm them down. He didn't mind so much helping anyone he could, but he just wanted to have some time to relax in his own village every now and then. He shook his head, he was a ninja and his duty was to his heart and village. Now wasn't the time to complain.

No matter what, even when he was dreaming, he went to Ichiraku. There, he would eat more ramen than humanly possible and not have to pay a single cent, his memorable smile and demeanor winning over the old man and they'd part their separate ways waving goodbye to each other. So, with a spring in his step, Naruto made his way over to the ramen stand.

Warmth spread through his at the familiar welcome from the old man. "Naruto! Good to see you, business was just getting a bit slow."

Greeting Teuchi back, and taking his usual seat, Naruto nodded and didn't say a word as he readied his chop sticks.

More bowls of ramen then humanly possible to eat later, Naruto was broke and sprinting towards his apartment.

Dodging and weaving through the villagers, it was like he was a kid all over again. But instead of a kid overjoyed at the thought of making trouble for the mean people, it was a kid overjoyed at the thought of actually getting to meet his father in the skin. What should he say to him? Minato hadn't recognized him and still believed Kushina was alive, so could that mean he was stuck in the past somehow? All the questions swirled in his head like the rush of a waterfall. Wait till Kakashi and everyone found out! The flash of the leaf, their hokage, alive and well!

"Slow down, kit."

As the raspy voice growled inside his head, Naruto slowed and barely missed knocking down an old lady that had appeared out of nowhere. "Woo, Kurama, you saved me again."

"You should be able to avoid those situations on your own. What are you, five? Just because Minato has returned doesn't make you a toddler again." Kurama sighed inside Naruto. "And I don't know if his return is anything to be that excited about."

Naruto sighed in return. "What do you mean! He was the Fourth Hokage, the heart of the village, and him being alive means that we have one of the most powerful ninja and leader back home."

"Yes kit, but I watched him die with my own eyes. I'm the one who killed him, remember? I watched as his lifeblood leaked and his eyes die. There is no way he could have survived. And even before that, that jutsu he used to seal half of me inside you was going to kill him."

"How is he here then, Fox? How is he alive and in my bed?" Naruto, heart hurting at the remembering of his father's death and how he had sacrificed himself for his son, retorted back.

"I have a notion that it involves something that goes back more than a few hundred years. But I want to hear Minato's side of the story first, Kit. Then I can make assumptions. You should get back to him anyway. There's no telling what would happen should be awaken and wander the village."

Kurama was right. So, breaking into a jog, Naruto made his way back to his apartment.