Minato got up with the dawn. Apparently old habits transcended peculiar reincarnation kinjutsus. Naruto snuffled into a pillow next to him, groped blindly for the blanket, and abruptly disappeared beneath the covers like a caterpillar in a cocoon. Exposure to the morning chill had the unfortunate side-effect of erasing lingering drowsiness. Smiling at the snoring lump fondly, Minato eased himself off the mattress, resolving to prepare breakfast and have a quick shower. After being dead for nearly two decades and stuck in the Shinigami's stomach, Minato figured he had earned the right to feel clean again. A few improvised stealth tactics later had the former Kage slipping soundlessly out of bed and tiptoeing out the door.
Latching the door silently, Minato's plans went up in smoke as he wandered around the small apartment common area.
When Naruto had dragged him to his apartment last night, the newest Senju had imagined himself prepared. Nasty looks: check. Rundown neighborhood, that was little more than a ghetto, with huddles of raggedly dressed people, and one too many rats: check. In his exhaustion, the former blond had been deceived. Minato scarcely remembered the struggle to climb the endless flights of stairs to the top of the complex. And it was Naruto who ushered him inside, where they both struggled out of their sandals. There had been no lights, leaving the two boys to fumble through the darkness mostly by feel, but Minato had been running on dregs and needed sleep badly. The last thing he remembered, was following Naruto to a small futon, where they both collapsed atop a shared pillow, before the lights went out and he could recall no more.
Now with a clear head, some much-needed rest, and a few rays of sunshine for light, Naruto's apartment was an appalling sight to behold. The apartment had the most basic of furnishings and all of it appeared to be second-hand. A threadbare couch that might have been beige at one time but was a greyish brown with a suspicious amount of stains. A tiny kitchen table with a pair of rickety chairs and little else to speak of. A quick foray into the kitchen and bathroom where scum and mould were rather apparent and little in the way of cleaning supplies save a mostly full jug of bleach.
Aside from a few empty containers of instant ramen, there was little in the way of clutter or garbage to be disposed of, but that lead to precisely what distressed him the most. There were a pair of shelves in the living area, but nothing was on them. A five-year old child lived in this apartment, but who would have known that? Not a single book on the shelves, no pictures, no treasured possessions. Not a toy anywhere in sight. There was nothing for a child in this empty place.
How could this happen? How could anyone let this happen? How difficult would it be to dispatch an ANBU to pick up even a few things for Naruto? Namikaze Minato had always held Sarutobi Hiruzen in the highest of esteem, but seeing this perverse emptiness dredged up resentments he could not afford to entertain. This time around, Senju Minato was hardly going to be so forgiving.
Resolving to do something about the layers of filth coating Naruto's living conditions, the newest Senju set about getting organized. Scrounging up a pair of decently sized bowls, even if one might barely consider them serviceable, he filled them with hot water and soap and added some bleach to the second. With that in mind, Minato scoured the small bathroom until the unwashed scent vanished and the worst of the mould was scrubbed away. The rest would have to wait until he acquired better supplies.
The kitchen was an obstacle for height challenged individuals, such as himself, and the kitchen chairs looked frail enough that a little extra weight just may cause them to collapse which left...chakra.
Minato felt confident that his natural chakra reserves as a Senju would easily outpace what he had as a Namikaze. His new body and chakra had a noticeably different feel to that of his original chakra pool, but over time he believed it would come to feel more natural given an adjustment period. It was a standard misconception that young children were incapable of accessing their chakra. Kakashi was the prime example that these beliefs were misguided. The actual reason most students were unable to become shinobi at a young age had more to do with how much chakra they possessed rather than inability to use it. A ninja only able to perform two jutsus was a liability rather than an asset and so the precedent encouraged students to have a longer education in the Academy—outside of wartimes, of course.
Putting his hands together in the ram seal, Minato coaxed his chakra into action. Like being hit by a livewire, chakra responded to his call much quicker than he anticipated: the Senju blood was certainly living up to its reputation. Enough chakra to serve a genin well was just passing through his chakra network. The chakra control would be difficult, but certainly far from impossible.
Knowing what success should feel like reaped its own rewards. It took a few poor attempts and a few false starts, but Minato tentatively managed a few steps up the wall before his lack of control sent him tumbling down. It was enough to get him to most of the high to reach areas if he wiped quickly, and he only earned a few bruises to his knees that should vanish in short order, even with Kurama mostly out of commission.
That task done and some of his energy depleted from the chakra exercises, he made for the bathroom for a little clean-up before attempting breakfast. Except the best laid plans do not always go according to plan; Minato stripped, climbed in the shower, and shrieked as frigid droplets of water grazed his skin.
"What's going on?!"
Minato watched from the crack in the shower curtain as the blond spitfire darted into the hallway. His poor son still looked half-asleep and perplexed while dragging a train of bedding behind him like some of the most 'interesting' kimonos Orochimaru had been known to wear.
"Whoa! It's all clean and stuff!" The blonde was looking around in shock, before turning toward him with a quizzical look that morphed into one of surprised pleasure. "Minato-chan! Err...what's wrong?"
"Is it cold like this all the time?" Minato had his back pressed against the scrubbed tiles, feeling goosebumps forming along his arms as he awkwardly folded his far too small hands over his chest as an additional barrier to the spray.
"What do you mean? Why wouldn't it be cold?"
Why wouldn't it be cold?
The lump returned to Minato's throat. Naruto was the picture of confusion, one arm adorably scratching his head and tilted in a perplexed manner that was so reminiscent of his mother in her Academy days.
Why wouldn't it be cold?
"Ah, I suppose I better wash quickly then. I'll be out in a flash!"
Smiling would make him more of a fraud than he already felt like, so Minato just glared at the spitting showerhead determinedly and stepped under the spray. Each droplet is cold and evoked far too many memories of bathing under waterfalls or rinsing blood off in glacier melt. Rushing through his shower, he managed to ring his long hair and scrub away the worst of the unwashed sensation before he hastily stepped out and dried himself off with a towel that Naruto must have put there for him.
That kid...I can't believe he is still so kind after everything.
Minato's clothing from yesterday was still mostly clean and so he dressed quickly to take his mind off the freezing shower. Fortunately, even Naruto has a comb, which allowed Minato to tame his hair. Studying his appearance in the cracked mirror, he noted his dejected expression.
I'm such a failure. My son has never even felt the warmth of a bath.
I'm starting to think you really are a sadist, Yondaime. I preferred you sleeping to this self-imposed misery. Quit being pathetic and think about how you're going to save the world. A little cold water isn't worth this amount of fuss.
This was never what I wanted for my son, Kurama. When I sealed your chakra inside him, I hoped that the village would tolerate him at least, but this is far beyond what I ever imagined. There is nothing good about this life. Kushina would despise me if she saw what our son is coping with.
Then why is it that your son became so powerful and earned so many friendships?
Minato blinked as their shared mindscape grew brighter and he was drawn in to where he was resting next to Kurama's enormous paws. The bijuu was stretched out with one of his tails flicking in irritation back and forth and a single eye narrowed on him.
Your son partnered with my other half. You know better than most what sort of person he had to become to accomplish a task of that magnitude. You haven't given up, have you?
'No,' he denied, dropping down so that he was eyelevel with Kyuubi's enormous pupil. 'I just feel that I have so much to make up for. When the masked man—no. When Obito, destroyed our lives that night, the future was set in motion. Now I've come back in time to make a better future for everyone. I just wish that I could have done things right the first time.'
You really piss me off. A gargantuan nose slammed into his abdomen, knocking the breath out of him and leaving him sputtering in his mindscape.You act like you're the one to blame when we really should be focusing on solving our problems. We're in this together from now on, Senju.
Senju! Gah. It's going to take forever to get used to the sound of that. You truly are an amazing friend, Kurama. Thank you.
Tch, get going. It galls me to share a body with anyone related to that Shodai scum. Minato was unable to resist leaning in to tease his large friend.
Would you rather I was an Uchiha?
Joke about that again, I'll eat you. Friendship or no friendship. We clear?
Understood, Kurama-sensei.
You've got guts, gaki. I'll give you that. The bijuu's laughter followed him all the way out.
Taking a measured glance at the markings on his face, Minato raced to the kitchen. Before he arrived, his nose detected the smell of bubbling ramen—no doubt the instant kind.
Injecting a hearty dose of excitement into his voice was a simple matter.
Turning the corner, Minato was rather bemused by Naruto's obvious excitement. The table had four bowls of steaming ramen set on it and the blonde was standing next to his meal fidgeting from the effort it took to wait.
"Smells pretty good." Figuring action was once again the most assertive proof, he dropped into the chair across from the other boy and took a hearty taste. "I was really hungry this morning. Thank you very much, Naruto-kun."
"You bet! You're the one that cleaned up so it only seems fair that I can get breakfast ready."
The other boy flushed red like a tomato but his enthusiasm resurged with a vengeance and Minato watched in horror as history repeated itself. In under a minute, Naruto decimated his two bowls of instant ramen, going so far as to rub his stomach appreciatively.
Kushina...you've contaminated our son from beyond the grave...you must be very pleased with yourself right about now.
"Here, one is more than enough for me." Minato slid his second bowl in Naruto's direction while focusing on taking another measured sip of his broth. It was overly salty and the flavor was far from excellent, but it was warm and it dealt with the hunger pangs stirred by his cleaning free-for-all.
"You're sure?" Naruto was already poised over the bowl, but looked reluctant to just attack it.
"Positive." Waving his hand in ascent, he smiled into his noodles when the blond crowed victoriously and slurped the noodles like he was starving.
Taking the opportunity to clear the empty cups away, Minato tossed them out. A flicker of chakra drew him up short and the former Kage paused and extended his senses carefully. In his previous life, he had possessed a minor sensory aptitude, but nothing compared to the sensory prowess of Senju Tobirama. Yesterday he had been far too distracted to pay attention to the flickering chakra signatures, but today he would remedy that.
Unlike with regular jutsu, a sensor functioned by identifying chakra strands and following them back to their source. Shinobi could suppress their chakra while not performing techniques, but passive chakra flow was easily traceable. On pursuit squads, a precise sensor was worth a dozen heavy hitters for their ability to eliminate surprise assaults, discern attack strengths, and overall chakra levels in their opponents. In his new, untrained body, Minato had felt the use of chakra from individuals with matured reservoirs of chakra nearby. Following the strands like one might follow a strand of spider web, Minato counted approximately four chakra signatures poised west of Naruto's apartment. Close, but not too close. The distance was still difficult to gauge without further training, but Minato surmised to be an ANBU patrol.
You know...you probably could have just used this ability to find Naruto yesterday.
'I suppose you're right!' He pressed a finger into the bridge of his nose and sighed softly. 'But Naruto's chakra doesn't stick out like it did in the warzone. He definitely feels like a Jinchuriki but he isn't old enough for his chakra to stick out in a village this size unless an exceptional sensor was searching for him. And until I familiarize myself with my new skillset, I won't be able to consider my sensory skill very reliable. Like any talent, it must be honed or it's completely useless.'
You humans make things much more complicated than they need to be.
Minato accepted the derisive comment with a grain of salt and merely indulged his grumbly companion amiably. 'Perhaps so, but I imagine it's our capacity for growth that allows us to surpass our limitations. At least, that is what I would like to believe.'
"Say, Minato-chan, are you okay?" Blinking, the silver haired boy released his hold on his senses and nearly leapt out of his skin when he found himself practically nose to nose with the whiskered boy.
"Eh, sorry! I guess I got distracted." It was a lame response and he knew it so he brushed up some of his former diplomatic skills and tactfully changed the subject. "I hope you don't mind that I picked your apartment up. I felt it was the least I could do since you were generous enough to allow me to stay with you, Naruto-kun."
"Oh, it totally looks awesome!" The blonde fell for the tactic hook line and sinker; Minato sweat-dropped while the hyper blond gesticulated with a crazed, hyper leer—were people really dumb enough not to connect the dots to Kushina? "Say! Say! You want to go to the park again today and play ninja?! I dreamt up some totally amazing ideas for today, dattebayo! We could take turns being enemy shinobi or just go on an infiltration mission! Gah! There are just too many possibilities!"
That gaki gives me a headache just listening to him. Kurama grumbled unhappily. Makes me wish I was able to hibernate for a few years while you deal with this nonsense, Yondaime.
Except we both know that you're curious about what your other half saw in Naruto. and I know that you're just as nervous as I am. We're on the clock and we don't have the luxury of pretending we don't know what's coming. But trust me on this, my friend. We can spare a little time for fun. Just trust me.
No reply was forthcoming, but Kurama was never one to cater to emotions so it was hardly surprising. Instead, Minato nodded affably and gestured to the door.
"I would love to play with you again, Naruto-kun." There had been far too many missed milestones, but he could give his son today. "And maybe Ichiraku later?"
"Yatta!" The blonde cheered. "Let's go!"
Not again. Naruto flung Minato's sandals at his head. Luckily a few decades of reflexes translated well enough to avoid the hit. The second his feet were in his sandals, his hand was grabbed in a tight, sweaty palm and they were racing at breakneck speeds back to the same park from the previous night. Channeling just a touch of chakra to his legs, Minato evened out his pace and kept up much more easily with Naruto. Apparently the Uzumaki genes must have taken that as a challenge because Naruto sprinted even faster.
Ah. Minato detected a faint chakra burst that Naruto must have subconsciously used and simply grinned widely and followed suit, frustrating his son by keeping up so gamely. Uzumaki stamina really was something, but Senju stamina was revered for good reason too.
The park was deserted when the two of them arrived panting happily.
"Let's be an ANBU team again!"
"What are our orders, Taicho?" Minato quipped back, pleased to see Naruto puff up with pleasure.
"We're got to rescue a princess from the evil shinobi."
Evil of course, was a varied definition and could easily be assigned to almost anyone in the shinobi world when considered from differing perspectives. His own former reputation being the perfect example as revered as both a hero and genocidal murderer depending on what village you were in. But of course, Naruto would have a wake-up call sooner or later.
They played for several minutes until Minato sensed two chakra signatures approaching from the periphery—too large to be a civilian but not particularly large. Dropping down, Minato felt his son following him faithfully.
"What's wrong, Minato?" There was an underlying tension that Minato recognized right away.
"I thought she might want to play with us." Minato felt the ruffled feathers ease but not entirely dissipate; again, he noted the reaction but refrained from acting. The last thing he wanted to do was alienate Naruto by implying the boy was weak.
The approaching duo were unmistakeably Hyuugas—eyes like those would give them away in any territory. A well-dressed young girl and what was unmistakeably her attendant. Hiashi's daughter if he had to guess.
"Good morning!" Well aware of Naruto nervously fidgeting at his back, Minato smiled and waved to the girl who had gasped and looked about ready to dash for cover. "Hyuuga-san. Would you care to join us for a game of ninja? We're pretending to be ANBU!"
"You want me to play with you?" The girl stammered lightly, clearly as surprised as Naruto had been the night before that someone wanted to be around her. What exactly had happened after he passed away? Surely some of the next generation had grown up in a stable environment?
"Sure!" Naruto had regained his own courage, stepping out and toward the startled blue-haired girl. "We were about to do the infiltration part. You wanna come?"
"Ano, I suppose if you want me to…" The girl spoke hesitantly, but her eyes looked increasingly hopeful and interested.
"Great! I'm Uzumaki Naruto!"
"Hyuuga Hinata."
The girl bowed and Minato quickly assessed the scowling attendant radiating loathing opening his mouth and smoothly interjected himself in the conversation before the tool could ruin a good moment.
"Nice to meet you, Hinata-san." He bowed, not exactly sure how he felt about the wave of silver hair that fell down around his face. Raising his face for inspection, he took a sadistic amount of pleasure in seeing Hinata's chaperone lose all remaining color in his face. "My name is Senju Minato. Come join us."
You know the old monkey is going to hear about this today, Yondaime.
Minato unconsciously brushed a hand over his abdomen.
There's no help for it. With the ANBU detachment checking on Naruto, I had little hope of concealing my presence for any length of time. It was a foolish notion when I have no functioning skills to avoid detection at this time. Besides, this may just work out for the best after all.
Whatever you say gaki. They better not send a mind-walker in here though...I won't hesitate to deal with such an intrusion.
Understood, old friend.
The poor Hyuuga girl barely had time to attempt a reply before Naruto was on top of her and dragging her away. Minato spared a bemused moment to look at the slack-jawed chaperone, gaping after the pair in horror.
"If you don't close your mouth, you're going to catch flies, Hyuuga-san." He kept his tone as respectful as possible, even tacking on a polite smile just to infuriate the man.
Abandoning the sputtering adult, Minato sprinted toward where Naruto was hauling the heiress up the climbing wall.
"Whoever made you wear a kimono to the park is crazy!" Naruto chattered away, utterly oblivious to the mortified flush on the small girl's face. "How are you supposed to get dirty? Who thought that was a good plan?"
With another tug, Hinata was safely atop the structure shooting a fearful glance in the direction of her guardian while Naruto frowned cutely at her distress. So cute. Minato stood next to his scowling son with a supportive smile.
"Ano, Tou-sama believes that my appearance reflects upon the clan." The girl tugged on the sleeve of her kimono restlessly and her voice dropped to a barely audible whisper that was more of a confession. "I'm not supposed to get dirty."
"Well no offense, Hinata-chan, but your Tou-san sounds like a big teme!" Of course, Naruto just blurted out his opinion for the whole world to hear. Minato smothered a smile and a laugh when Hinata gasped and her guardian exclaimed loudly. "How are you supposed to have fun if you can't get dirty? Obviously, your dad just wants to try and look cool."
There was a spark in Naruto's eyes that Minato imagined would have resembled that special moment the Shodai first used Mokuton; alternatively, Naruto looked like Kushina when she had been inspired to prank half the village into begging for mercy. In both cases, there was amazing creativity and talent along with a swath of destruction.
Amazingly, the indignant Hyuuga's chakra signature suggested the man was rapidly retreating. Minato set the manner aside; if the Hyuuga was reporting his appearance to the Hokage, he had little control of the matter. All he could do now was wait.
"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun." The poor girl apologized and Minato winced. They were going to have to infuse some confidence into the poor thing or she was going to end up a stuttering mess.
"Don't be silly, Hinata-chan. Let's play! We were playing ANBU so what kind of ninja would you like to be?"
"Oh, well maybe a medic?" There was an ounce of backbone in the girl's tone that reassured the former Kage that the girl was not yet too far gone at this point.
"Medic?" The blatant confusion would not have been so bad if the expression did not have practically a thousand question marks hovering around his poor son.
Minato rolled his eyes as he called on years of patience garnered from putting up with Kakashi's overzealous attitude and Obito's—right, not going there.
"Ah, a shinobi with healing jutsu..." Hinata trailed off.
"Alright! Someone to fix us up after we pound some baddies!" There were literal stars beaming from his son's eyes and Minato bit back another laugh. "Okay, Minato-chan and I will get the bad guys! Let's go!"
"You got it, Taicho!" Minato called supportively, sprinting after the blond, with Hinata surprisingly keeping up with an incredible show of dexterity, despite the restriction of the heavier kimono.
"Hai, Taicho!" At last, a shine of enthusiasm from the timid girl.
The trio ended up taking a headfirst dive down the slide, peels of boisterous laughter exploding like unexpected tags. They seized a few tree branches and the group scaled the seesaw as one unit and nimbly survived the inevitable tip to the far side. A quarter of an hour later had Hinata schooling the pair of them on the monkey bars with yet another incredible demonstration of athleticism.
Minato was truly having a goodtime. His son looked like he was bursting with happiness and Hinata had a look of abject joy that Minato rarely saw on any Hyuuga's face outside of Hizashi. There was a seed of something new growing in the pearly eyed girl and Minato had been a sensei long enough to see that the roots were already deep.
Again, he stilled for an instant when he sensed an incoming chakra presence—this time a significant one. Except when he saw exactly who it was, Minato barely stifled a gasp. Kurama was growling behind him, but the new Senju ignored his bijuu companion and slipped away from the others.
"Be right back guys."
Instead of waiting behind, Minato sensed the other two moving to follow him as he approached the incoming ebony haired trio.
"Hi, would you care to join us? We could use another person for our ANBU squad." Minato directed his greeting to the shortest of the group who looked, but his eyes skated to the surprised looking teens flanking a boy around his age. It had been a long time, but he would recognize Fugaku's son anywhere, and young Shisui's vibrant anti-Uchiha traits were equally unmistakeable. Perhaps it was his regained youth, but Minato was rather delighted when Itachi's stoic reputation when his gaze fell landed on the marks on the identifying marks on Minato's face.
"Ah, our Sasuke here is a bit of a grump!" Shisui ruffled Sasuke's ebony locks affectionately and the stony-eyed boy jerked away with an annoyed glare. The older genius of the Uchiha Clan shot Minato an apologetic smile as he made a cursory sweep of both Naruto and Hinata while projecting nothing except a relaxed, lazy mood. Color him impressed, there was definitely a fine infiltration and tactical expert in this youth.
"I wanted to train with Nii-san today." the young boy, Sasuke, grumbled while shooting a glare at Itachi who was once again completely devoid of expression even if his eyes had narrowed in what the former kage knew was a calculated move. "But since I'm already here, I suppose I could play a bit."
The boy skirted over Hinata's eyes before pausing and looking to his brother for confirmation.
"You don't have play with us if you don't want to!" Naruto puffed up like an offended pigeon. "We don't need you!"
"I think it would be nice if Uchiha-san wants to play with us." Hinata spoke up timidly. "I..I've found today very enjoyable and I believe he would too if given the opportunity."
"Forming bonds with comrades is the first step to becoming an excellent shinobi, Sasuke." Itachi responded, only to poke his brother on the forehead with two fingers much to the pint-sized Uchiha's supreme displeasure. "You should join them."
"Hn."
"That's a traditional Uchiha greeting passed down from our dearly departed patriarch, Madara-sama!" Shisui winked at the group, causing Sasuke to redden in embarrassment and Naruto and Hinata to giggle softly. "I'm Shisui and this is my cousin, Itachi-san. And of course, you've already met little Scowly here."
If looks could kill, Shisui would be a smoldering pile of ash. Considering what pyromaniacs the Uchiha Clan tend to be, Shisui knew it as well since he merely edged half a step away from the enraged youngster.
"Wait!" Naruto looked startled and scratched his head absently. Minato felt his stomach fall in preparation for the worst. "Who is Madara again?"
"Dobe."
"What was that, teme?!" So this was the legendary friendship that inspired his son...it was like his students except these two might still have a future ahead of them.
Before the next Great Shinobi War was started on the playground, the newest Senju stepped in to play peacemaker.
"Please don't fight. We should save that for enemies. I'm Senju Minato." He bowed his head slightly, not missing the exchange of glances from the two young shinobi over their heads.
Hinata's years of ingrained etiquette kicked in and she bowed much more respectfully than he had bothered with. "Hyuuga Hinata. It's an honor to make your acquaintance."
Minato nudged Naruto's shoulder and he grunted lowly. "Uzumaki Naruto."
"Uchiha Sasuke." The other boy replied after a pointed look from his brother.
"Perhaps Sasuke could be our kenjutsu master," Minato threw that detail out there, drawing on what little he knew of the future boy to try and distract the group.
It appeared to work because Sasuke's attention was diverted and he genuinely looked interested.
"Kenjutsu?" Sasuke asked, shooting a look at his brother again who looked to simply be observing again with interest. "My clan tends to focus on genjutsu."
Hinata, bless her heart, was whispering in Naruto's ear. When a look of sudden understanding crept over his face, Minato realized the girl had likely been explaining a concept to his son.
"Clans tend to have specializations that families develop over generations," Minato acknowledged, lost in memory of his own precious comrades and all that made them unique. "But every person can be unique within their clans and have talents to excel in some areas and not measure up in others. But being different does not signify failure, it just means that your talents are better suited to other pursuits."
The boy appeared to consider that and simply nodded and Minato felt slightly relieved the other boy had not been inclined to argue. "Kenjutsu then. Let's go."
"Where to Naruto-kun?" Minato called.
"The dobe is in charge?" Sasuke hollered, swinging himself up adeptly to the top of the tower.
"Shut it, teme!" Naruto fumed.
"Well, you all better watch out," Shisui cut into their little discussion, earning four surprised looks. "Because I'm giving you squirts five minutes to plan and then I'm coming after you. Not that any of you can possibly escape a chunin like me!"
The older nin's comment inspired identical looks of determination from all of them. Even Minato felt excited by the impromptu challenge and gestured for his new friends to gather around closer. The group looked unnaturally grim and it easily reaffirmed the notion that shinobi could be lethal from a young age. And here they were; a Senju, Uchiha, Uzumaki, and a Hyuuga working together to overcome a powerful foe. This was what the will of Fire was intended to represent and collectively, Minato saw the beginnings of true greatness in the simplicity of child's play.
"We need to prepare some traps." A chilling suggestion coming from the lone female of their squad, but both Sasuke and Naruto were nodding in agreement.
"Tou-san has not taught me to do much with traps yet," Sasuke grimaced, apparently still comparing himself to his brother. A brother that Minato noticed had quietly slipped away when they had dropped into their huddle.
"I've never trapped, but I've tried out a couple pranks and they turned out pretty sweet." Naruto adopted a sinister look that had the Uchiha appraising him shrewdly.
"On who?"
"Lots of people," Naruto looked incredulous as if he could hardly fathom why anyone should receive a pass from his particular talent. "I've been pranking the Academy teachers so I'm prepared when I start. I even got the emo-sensei covered in paint."
Sasuke appeared begrudgingly impressed while Hinata looked torn between disapproval and amused, with the latter looking to be the winner.
"Four minutes!" Shisui sounded far too confident and even Minato wanted to put his intellect to the test and crush the Uchiha.
"Pranks are a good start, but do any of you have anything to set up a prank?" Minato inquired.
"I only have some ninja-wire I nicked from Aniki's room." Sasuke glared at the spool gloomily. "I haven't figured out how to work it and I doubt it would work on a Chunin anyway."
"I've got some soy sauce packets." Everyone stared at Naruto blankly as he waved the them around, digging into his shorts pocket. "And a piece of gum I was going to save for later."
Minato closed his eyes and thought for a moment before smirking broadly.
"I have the perfect plan. Now listen, this is what we're going to do."
Sarutobi Hiruzen giggled, turning the page of Jiraiya's latest masterpiece. Above him, the ANBU shuddered in disbelief that their Hokage—the world renowned Kami of Shinobi—was salivating over pornography. The Kage Bunshin continued to give the bemused Kage hostile glares from over the nearly completed stack of paperwork, ominously muttering about the unfairness of it all.
A seal flared briefly near his door and the Hokage instantly dispelled his clone, replaced his book in his drawer, and executed a sealless Shunshin. The door swung open and the Sandaime smiled grandfatherly at one of leaf's most promising genin.
"Itachi-kun. I thought you were given the day off." While he may have had perverted tendencies that he indulged, Sarutobi Hiruzen was no fool and he could sense something off about the boy that had the potential to be his next successor. "What brings you to my office today?"
"Apologies, Hokage-sama, but it could not be helped."
A troubled statement that implied a dozen different possibilities and nothing all it once. It was premature to hope for good news with the Uchiha situation and it was equally naive to consider this a frivolous visit. No, whatever brought Itachi here today was something that would require his undivided attention should intervention necessitate itself.
"Leave us."
His ANBU were well-trained and they followed direction quickly and efficiently and Hiruzen took a moment to be pleased by Itachi's lack of surprise. Truly he prayed negotiations with the Uchiha were successful, for Itachi truly would be a Hokage worthy of the name.
"You have my attention, Itachi." The Sandaime deliberately dropped the use of honorific and rubbed his hands together. "Report."
"Hai." Itachi bowed. "Thirty minutes ago, Shisui and I took Sasuke to the Shodai Remembrance Park. On our way there, I noticed a Hyuuga branch member heading toward the Hyuuga Clan Residence behaving erratically. When we arrived, I discovered the Hyuuga heiress playing with Uzumaki Naruto and—" The Sandaime tensed at the name, hoping whatever had spooked Itachi was not merely his successor's legacy. "A child unmistakeably of Senju descent."
Whatever he had expected Itachi to report, it certainly was not this. Uchiha Itachi was not prone to being wrong, indeed the boy was a shoe-in for Chunin and likely ANBU within the next year. Exaggeration was not among the prodigy's skillset. But such a claim was...unfathomable.
"Explain your assessment." If his tone was a bit frosty, the Uchiha hardly seem offended and did not appear to bat so much as an eye.
"Hai, Hokage-sama." Itachi responded obediently and Hiruzen listened intently as the youth explained the silver hair, the pale complexion, the identical markings and eye coloration. And the exchange of introductions where the boy offered his name without blinking an eye. It was impossible and yet...the proof was waiting for him at that park. Taking a wistful glance at his nearly empty desk, the Kage pressed a hand to his brown.
"The ramifications of discovering a living descendent of Tobirama Senju are... beyond comprehension. Treat this as A-rank information and share this with no one."
Itachi nodded patiently while he scribbled a quick note and called to the rooftop.
"Cougar, Duck." Instantly, the duo appeared kneeling in front of him awaiting instruction. "Have Inoichi and Shikaku meet me at the hospital. Go."
"Hai!" The ANBU vanished, racing off to take care of their respective jobs.
What a mess...and it was only a matter of time before Danzo became a pain in his side when this information went public. So much for reading.
"Itachi, you're with me."
"Hai, Hokage-sama."
