Manifest Destiny

A soft and gentle wind blew against Sarutobi, giving him a sense of relaxation. And relaxation was definitely foremost on his mind at the moment. Sucking gently on his pipe, he let the drug run through his system. Feeling elated, he turned back to a certain spot on his floor. The last hours events quickly rushed back to him. After all, it wasn't any day that four strangers suddenly appear out of the sky and land on your floor. It wasn't something easily forgotten either.

"Still thinking about those strangers, Sensei?"

Entering the room, Minato Namikaze plopped himself down on the sofa.

"Yes," said Sarutobi, "I can't get over the familiarity of those faces."

"Yeah," agreed Minato. "Talk about Deja Vu." Looking up, he recalled the strangers that had interrupted his work. Two were very unrecognizable, though the female was very attractive. They weren't the problem however. It was the other two that Sarutobi and Minato were most concerned about. The first had, unbelievably, looked exactly like Minato, save for whisker marks on the cheek. Even more unbelievably, the second looked exactly like Hatake Kakashi, one of the village's strongest ANBU member.

Aside from the familiarities, all four strangers had Leaf headbands. Were they spies? The idea had been dismissed as unlikely. If they had been spies, Minato reasoned, they probably wouldn't have come in with a four man team. But then, if not spies, who where they? This question continued to drive Sarutobi's thoughts continued back towards the apparent doubles. Was it possibly a joke pulled by Kakashi? But if that was the case, then the coma the four were in was superbly well done. It also meant that he didn't know all his Shinobi as well as he should, since he was sure he never met the pink-haired woman or the other man in his life. His keen eyes had already confirmed that none of the bodies were clones of any type. That meant each body was the real and original one.

A knocking on the door drew Minato and Sarutobi out of their thoughts. "Come in," said Minato.

The door swiftly opened, and one of medical staff rushed in. "Lord Hokage, I've concluded my tests. It's as you surmised; the masked man has the same DNA as Hatake Kakashi, although strangely enough, there is some Uchiha DNA mixed in."

'Definitely Kakashi, eh,' thought Minato. "What about the second man? The one who looked like me."

Shido nodded, "We concluded that the blonde man is not you. But…based on our test, we believe he is related…possibly a sibling or cousin. In fact, it could even be a son." The medic shrugged.

Sarutobi sighed as he sank into his luxurious chair, while Minato rubbed his hair, mulling over the developments. One mystery was leading to another. Minato was sure he didn't have any remaining family members. And the new Kakashi was entirely bewildering. The new Kakashi had, without a doubt, appeared much older than the Kakashi he knew, and the mixture of Uchiha DNA was somewhat of a puzzle.

Sarutobi nodded thoughtfully. "What about their present status? Are they awake?"

"Well about that Sir," said the Medic Ninja. "They have no internal or external injuries. I don't want to say they're in a coma; it's more like they're just sleeping."

The Third looked up, and his eyes narrowed. "Anything on their background? History? We need some answers, Shido."

The Medic Ninja gulped, "So far nothing Sir. I've searched all of their possessions. Aside from standard Shinobi tools, they have nothing on them. The scrolls that were on their body are bound by some seal. I can't open them. If I had to guess, only they have access to those at the moment."

Sarutobi groaned again. Again, they had nothing. "Alright, return to your post. Keep them in a secure room and keep your eyes on them."

"Yes Sir!"

"One more thing," added Minato. "Until we learn more, your results and everything concerning them will be classified. You understand? You, Sarutobi Sensei, and I are the only ones to know about these strangers."

"Yes Sir!"

As the Medic Ninja stormed out, Sarutobi cursed and kicked the empty trash basket next to him. And then, in frustration, he knocked over a pile of papers onto the floor. Only to find out they were the numerous unsigned papers Minato had neglected. "Thanks a lot, Sensei..."

Hours Later

A groan alerted Shido to movement from the beds. Shooting up, his face paled. "Oh shit, they're waking up."

And, dashing to the door, he threw it open. He grabbed the closest person he could. "You nurse…go to the Hokage. Tell him…that I need to see him immediately."

The nurse struggled in vain, "Let go of me."

"You must tell him," demanded Shido.

The woman growled, "Alright, just let me go." Shido blinked, before releasing the woman, who gave him the coldest glare he had ever received. Shido groaned. There went another woman he would never be able to date. Walking back into the room, he was surprised to find all four occupants up.

The blonde was being held down by the pink haired girl and the masked man. He seemed to be yelling something 'Mad Air,' or something. The black haired man with a sword on his back was checking himself out in a mirror.

"Um, excuse me…you guys…should…" Shido froze. Four pairs of calculating eyes settled upon him, sending shivers up his spine. "H-Hi?" And then, chuckling madly, Shido fell down in a dead faint.

"Who's this," asked Naruto, poking at Shido's body.

"I do believe his name is Shido," said Kakashi, patting his body. Then, "Darn, I forgot to bring a copy of Icha Icha Tactics! But, looks like we made it back…in one piece."

A blue-green book landed in his hands. "There," said Naruto, who had tossed it. "I borrowed it from you that day before we found that bastard Sasuke. Anyway," he growled, "where's that Madara?"

Kakashi, however, too overjoyed, had already turned a deaf ear. Instead, Sai answered, "He probably avoided capture once we landed in this time." He paused as he looked around the room. "Judging from our current situation, I'd say the Hokage has already been alerted to our presence."

"We're in the central district," said Sakura. "This medical establishment is right behind the Hokage Tower. If he knows we're here, I'd venture to say he will be here soon. Hm…I think we need some sunlight."

Walking over to the window, she threw aside the curtain, filling the room with the bright sunshine. The window was already open, letting in a cool breeze. Outside, the hustle and bustle of activity was almost like music to Sakura's ears. Shoppers jumped from store to store, while vendors called out to potential customers. It certainly wasn't anything like the type of noises she had heard recently. For a moment she felt odd, like she was dreaming almost. "This feels like a dream. I can't…I can't believe we're really here."

"Some dream," said Naruto, as he joined her. Casually, he reached behind her and pinched her butt. "Oh wait, not a dream."

The antic earned him a playful slap, but Sakura seemed to be in too good a mood to hit him. "Stupid Naruto," laughed Sakura.

"So," said Naruto, turning back towards Kakashi and Sai, "according to Madara, we should have landed sometime around the Uchiha massacre. Do you think it's already passed? Should we stop it?"

"Hey, relax." Three heads swiveled to where Kakashi was flipping through pages. Out of them all, he seemed to be the most relaxed. "We won't make any decisions until we know exactly what time period we are in. I tend to think Sakura is correct in her saying the Hokage will soon pay us a little visit. We'll analyze the current situation and then move on from there."

"I guess," said Naruto.

After a brief pause, "Wow! I really am feeling the nostalgia," said Naruto, as he gazed happily out the window. Sakura sighed. Trust Naruto to always blurt something random.

For the next few moments, Team Seven sat in silence, pondering their situation. They were certain someone would be sent to them soon, and the thought of Leaf back on its feet was something of a shock.

Soon, however, footsteps outside could be heard. With anxiety, the four waited to see who had been sent to question them. None of them were prepared to see the Fourth Hokage walk in, along with Sarutobi, the Third Hokage.

For a moment, there was a silence as both groups stared at each other. Both Naruto and Kakashi had gone pale; the latter actually dropping his disinterested façade (as well as his treasured book). And then, Naruto, rudely pointing at Minato, blurted. "D-d-ugh…!" Before he could blurt anything else, Sai had quickly smacked his hand over Naruto's mouth.

The blonde quickly realized he had just about blurted out, "Dad," and turned red.

Minato looked oddly at Naruto for a moment, before he cleared his throat. "Well…" He stopped there, unsure how to begin.

Quickly, Sarutobi took the initiative. "I'm…glad to see you're up and standing. As I'm sure you know, you are currently inside of Leaf Village."

No response. The Third frowned slightly, as now everyone's attention was on him. Even worse, the four strangers were staring at him as if they had seen a ghost. Little did he know, that was exactly what they were thinking.

"I was hoping that we could have a little chat in my successor's office," continued the Third, when no one spoke. "I'll have you know that if you decline, we'll have little choice but to detain you until you reveal to me your identities and purpose in this village."

Minato nodded, though he seemed more interested in Naruto.

The man that looked like Kakashi quickly put on a blank expression, while taking charge. "Of course," he said. And then, "C'mon, let's go."

As Naruto followed his team out, he took one look back into the medical room. Then he looked at Shido's body. Then he turned to the Third. And then one final time to his father. 'I'm dreaming…'

-Pinch-

"Nope, not a dream."

Hokage's Office

"Allow me to get straight to the point. Who are you and what are you doing here," asked Minato.

The question was open to anyone, but there was silence. While they waited, he and Sarutobi observed their guests closely. From first appearances, the Kakashi look alike seemed to be the one in charge. Sarutobi noticed how he seemed to direct the other three with gestures and nods. By guess alone, he would say these four were more towards upper ranking Shinobi, such as Jounin. For one, they were adults. Second, they seemed way too mature to be Genin, staring at him silently and calculating. Personality wise, the blonde seemed to be the least patient; unable to stand still, and occasionally making grunting sounds. The pink haired woman and the black haired male were much calmer compared to their rowdy teammate and nothing in their actions could help Sarutobi guess at their personality.

But the strangest thing of all was the blonde's eye. As Minato was quick to notice, Naruto possessed two Sharingan, though they were different from any Sharingan they had ever seen.

It was Kakashi who spoke first. "My name…is Hatake Kakashi." The Third shared a glance with Minato. Their guess had been correct, which made the whole situation that much worse. It was a phenomenon; the reality of the man standing before him just made entirely no sense at all.

"Sakura Haruno," said the woman. The Third frowned. He had never heard of this woman in the village. Surely he would have heard of someone as beautiful as her.

"Please call me Sai," said the black haired male. Another mystery Shinobi.

"And I'm Naruto Uzumaki." Minato blinked in confusion. One, because he had just used his wife's surname. And two, because no person outside the Uchiha blood, with the exception of Kakashi, possessed the Sharingan eyes.

Unsure of how to respond, Sarutobi said, "Well, that's interesting. Would you happen to know that…"

"That there is a younger version of me in this world," interrupted Kakashi. "That Naruto has Sharingan eyes? Yes, we know. The explanation for our appearance…time travel."

Minato's mouth actually dropped at this. In fact, even Naruto, Sakura, and Sai stared at him with some surprise. Meanwhile the Third frowned very deeply. "E-excuse me?"

"Time travel, old man," said Naruto loudly, interrupting Kakashi, "don't tell me your ears don't work. I know your old, but…"

"Naruto!" Sakura quickly tapped him on the arm.

The Third's face scrunched up, while Minato silently chuckled. It wasn't every day the Third Hokage was called old, despite the truth of it. "Y-you brat," muttered the Third, while Naruto grinned.

"Time travel, huh…that…sure is strange," said Minato, steering thoughts away from his predecessor. As far as he knew, time travel was nonexistent, and these strangers were lying. As far as he knew anyway. And he knew a lot.

Biding time, Sarutobi prompted them to explain more. "Time travel. Time travel…you do know that's a pretty farfetched story? How are we supposed to believe what you're saying is true or not?

"You know," said Sai, "they say that unless the brain cannot come up with a believable explanation for a phenomenon, the phenomenon will remain just that. In other words, unless we provide absolute proof that we were telling the truth; something your brains could not explain, you would never believe us. I can see it in your eyes that you believe we are spies."

"True," admitted Sarutobi. "I do admit that your "story" is rather unbelievable and I'm inclined to send you off to my ANBU investigation and torture department. Still, tell us something then and we'll see.

"How about," began Kakashi, "something that nobody in the village could know. Something that the Fourth Hokage has been keeping very secret up until now? Perhaps, something like the birth of son? Perhaps that son's name will be Naruto Uzumaki." As he said this, he nodded his head toward Naruto, who began posing.

The Third's head shot over to Minato, who had jumped up. For a moment, all thought of deception was gone. "What?! Kushina's pregnant, Minato? Why didn't you tell me?"

Minato looked at Sarutobi once in horror, then at Kakashi, before jumping. "H-how did you know that? We didn't tell anybody."

"Maybe," said Naruto, jerking a thumb towards his chest, "Because I am Naruto Uzumaki. And maybe…because we ARE time travelers." And this time, neither Minato nor Sarutobi looked like they disbelieved it.

"Alright, I admit you're…tale… is promising. Tell me," said Sarutobi, "I want to know. What are you doing here? What prompted you to use this…Time Jutsu? Your time isn't good enough for you or something?"

The four members of Team Seven stared at one another. It was clear someone was going to have to explain their situation. Folding his arms, Naruto stepped back, "No way, I'm out. I'm not good at this kind of thing."

"Oh, I'll explain," said Sakura. "You see, Lord Hokage," she began politely, "in the future…" And for the next ten minutes, Sakura listed off the major events that led to the Shinobi Villages' downfall, as well as the proposal by Madara. Sarutobi and Minatos' faces were blank after the story.

"So…," Minato began, "you struck a bargain with Madara Uchiha. I thought that guy was dead."

"Although there were no records of his death, it's been assumed that he passed away from old age," said Sarutobi."

"Well, that's wrong," said Naruto. He folded his arms, "Madara is very much alive and he isn't happy. Luckily enough for us, the future Madara doesn't like the idea of two Madara's running around, so he's going to kill the one from this time period."

Burying his face in his hands, Minato took a deep breath. "So, in the future, Leaf falls to the hands of some lunatic who was trying to set his justice upon the world. How terrible!"

He paused before he pointed a finger, "That's supposing I believe your story to be true! Don't get me wrong; I'm inclined to believe you, especially since the DNA tests came up the way they did. However, as Hokage, I must carefully observe anything suspicious and out of the ordinary. So, tell me, what exactly do you want me to do with you all? And…what exactly do you plan to achieve now?"

Kakashi paused before, "We're still trying to work out details ourselves. Actually, I'm not even sure what the date it is. Not much we can do if we don't know what's going on? How about we save the details until you can think this over? And also, if I may suggest…how about activating us as Shinobi of the village? We can use our knowledge of the future to make necessary changes in the past. Of course we'll alert you to any changes that we make."

"That's a pretty bold request," interrupted Sarutobi. "Your story has some merit, but I wouldn't go so far to blindly trust you four just yet."

Minato sighed, "Hold on just a minute, Sensei. Like I said; the DNA tests came up positive. So far, everything these guys have been saying has some merit. Besides this is Kakashi we're talking about. I think I trust him. And…" He hesitated. "They don't strike me as the shady type."

"They never do," muttered Sarutobi. "Listen Minato, if they were spies…and good ones, they would make sure their story was solid in case of capture."

"What about knowing about Kushina's pregnancy? Even you didn't know…and you know everything. Besides, they weren't even captured. They "appeared" in our room."

Sarutobi blushed at the compliment. He quickly switched back to seriousness. "In the world of Shinobi, gathering information is a talent. How do you know they just didn't eavesdrop one day? As for falling in our room, it could have been an accident."

Sai shrugged, before leaning towards Naruto. "Like I said," he whispered, "the imaginative aspect of the brain is so fascinating. Just look at him coming up with excuses."

"I think I would have realized if I had unwanted guests," argued Minato. "Look Sensei, just give them a chance."

"But…"

Minato waved his Sensei off, "I'll take responsibility for them, Sensei." And he turned away, before the Third could retort back, leaving him fuming, puffing furiously on his pipe.

Meanwhile, Team Seven had been listening to the exchange between the two. "Go Fourth," said Naruto, with a grin. 'You tell him, Dad.'

Minato turned to Kakashi, who seemed grateful. "So, listen, Kakashi. I need some time to think this over. I think I've learned enough already to last me a lifetime. I'll arrange for accommodations for you all. There is one thing you haven't told us yet, however."

"What's that," asked Kakashi.

"Why," said Minato, pointing, "do you have Uchiha DNA? And why…does an Uzumaki, assuming he is one…have Sharingan eyes."

Kakashi blinked, while Naruto brought his hands to his forehead. "Oh, I forgot I had these. Shoot…I can't deactivate them. How bothersome."

"They were given as gifts," explained Sakura quickly, "by a friend. It just happens, that friend was an Uchiha. A very close friend." She broke off and quickly turned away. Nearby, Naruto sighed, as his eyes darkened.

"Err," said Minato, sensing the tension. "So…" He too broke off; not wanting to stir up bad memories. Instead, he quickly changed the subject. "Okay, so Naruto received a set of Sharingan eyes, much like Kakashi did from Obito, and now Kakashi has Uchiha DNA. Got it! Shame you can't deactivate it, but whatever. Anyway, now we come to this. There is already a Kakashi in this time. And soon, there will be doubles of the rest of you. What do we do about that?"

"Easy," said Kakashi, "back in our time, we discovered a few of our enemies' scrolls. One of them contained a shape shifting jutsu. With little chakra use, I can take the form of another person I have seen. I'll use it when I'm in public, though I rather like my appearance, so in private, I'll change back. For Sakura, we'll simply adjust her hair color to a lighter pink to separate her from the Haruno clan. Sai; well, there's no problem there. By the time this time's Sai grows up, our Sai here will be too old to compare. Same goes for Naruto here. Meanwhile, his shorter hair and the whisker marks on his cheeks should be enough to differentiate him from you."

Minato nodded thoughtfully, "Hm, I guess that is acceptable," he said, as he walked around Naruto. The latter stiffened, unsure how to react around his father.

"Well, you certainly took after me. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were my brother, hehe." And then he smiled, "Wow, what am I going to tell your mom? Oh boy!"

Naruto started. He had been severely caught off guard by the sight of his father. The thought of seeing his mother was beyond his pea-sized brain's comprehension. "W-what?"

"Your mother," repeated Minato, "I am soooo going to introduce you." Naruto looked at his friends for help, but they had turned a blind eye.

Luckily for Naruto, Kakashi's mention of the shape shifting jutsu had piqued Sarutobi's interest. "Kakashi, how about we see this jutsu then?"

Kakashi raised his hands into the snake hand sign. Flashing through a series of signs, he muttered, "Change!" For a moment nothing happened. The next however, Kakashi's face began to twitch. Then, to the Hokage's horror, the skin began to twist itself in different shapes and directions, until it finally settled back down into an unfamiliar new look.

"Hello," said Kakashi, in a deeper voice. "This body was one of those that I met from Cloud Village in the future. I only met him on a recon mission there, so, if I were to not go on that mission, he would never meet me. Plus, he dies three days after I meet him anyway, so no trouble from him at all." Kakashi grinned, revealing a sexy new smile, "Besides, he looks pretty cool."

Sakura turned away in disgust, while the men stared at him with admiration.

Sarutobi mouth opened and closed for a minute. "I-incredible. That is some jutsu. If you had walked in like that, I would have never known it was a deception."

Kakashi shrugged, before pointing to Sakura's hair. A flash later, her hair had become visibly lighter. "That's much better. No one will compare her to the Haruno Clan now, not with their fiery pink hair."

"Um," said Sakura, feeling her new hair, which was the same really, except for the color. "Naruto…Sai, what do you think? Do you like it?"

"Looks…ugh…different," said Naruto, pointedly.

Sai nodded to himself, as if seriously analyzing it. "Looks terrible."

A Moment Later

"My apologies, Lord Hokage," said Sakura, bowing. She had an innocent and angelic smile; one Minato associated with the devil himself.

Gulping, the Fourth nodded, "Its okay, Mrs. Haruno."

'That is one…dangerous woman,' thought Sarutobi.

Glancing behind the Kunoichi, he looked at the slumped forms of Naruto and Sai; both of whom were groaning and clutching their stomachs. "Note to self," said Sai, slowly standing, "never tell a woman her hair looks bad."

"Anyway… we'll take a break from all of this, and go explore the village," said Kakashi, who seemed unperturbed by the antics of his companions. "Is that okay with you?"

Minato stared blankly at them.

"What's wrong," asked Naruto, who was the subject of Minato's gaze. The Fourth opened and closed his mouth, before pointing. It wasn't long before Sarutobi had noticed something too.

"Oh my… that can't be."

Naruto shared a confused look with his friends, before, to his surprise, they suddenly gasped.

"What the heck is wrong with you guys," demanded Naruto.

"Your eyes," said Sakura, "they're…they're back to normal."

Naruto tilted his head to the side, "What?" He quickly rushed to the room's mirror. A moment later, he rose happily. "Sweet…I always liked my blue eyes."

"W…How did you do that," asked Minato?

Naruto shrugged, "Must be the nine-tailed fox's chakra. I can feel it running through me like a current. It must have adapted my body to accommodate the Sharingan. Seems like I can turn them on and off now." And like a kid who had just been giving a new toy, Naruto experimented with his new eyes, switching between normal and Sharingan.

The others however, had immediately frozen at Naruto's mention of the Nine-Tailed Fox. Sakura, Sai, and Kakashi all smacked their foreheads. 'Naruto, you idiot!'

"WHAT?!

Minato's yell was like a roar through the building and several ANBU knocked on the door. "Sir? Is everything okay?"

"Fine," said Minato, quickly, "fine. Please, return to your posts." There was a pause, before the guard replied. "Sir…"

"Okay," said Minato, "what the hell is going on? What's this about the Nine-Tails?"

Kakashi sighed, "Ah, I was hoping we could put this off for another time. Anyway, I'm sure you know what the Nine Tailed fox is." Both Minato and Sarutobi nodded, grim looks upon their face. "Well," continued Kakashi, "according to this calendar, the Nine-tails fox will attack Leaf Village in just a few days. Anyway, in the future, the arrival of the nine tailed fox caused quite a stir within the village. Its attack threatened even the village itself. Wait…don't interrupt," he said, cutting off both Minato and Sarutobi; both of whom had jumped up. Hesitantly, they nodded for him to continue.

Gulping, Kakashi continued. "As a last ditch effort, you," he said pointing to Minato, "you will sacrifice yourself to seal the Fox into your newly born son's body. Into…Naruto's body."

The Fourth mouth dropped and he slowly dropped into his seat. Kakashi looked away; the memories of his Sensei's death resurfacing to the top of his mind. Meanwhile, Naruto, Sai, Sakura, and Sarutobi looked around helplessly.

"I…sealed that beast into my own son's body. God, what kind of parent am I? I'm sorry Naruto…for whatever hell I put you through…so…so sorry."

Naruto blinked away a tear coming to his eye, "Apology accepted. And…don't worry about it. There was no other option for you to take."

A sudden thought struck Minato, and he stood. "What about Kushina? What happens to her?"

Kakashi sighed, "She was…killed in action, by the nine tails." 'She was trying to protect you.' Of course Kakashi kept this thought himself. The Fourth collapsed into a chair, his head spinning. "No…no… that can't be…"

"Minato," said the third, "Minato, pull yourself together. Minato!"

"W-what do I do," asked Minato, "my wife is about to be killed, and I'm about to condemn my son to a life as the jailor of a monster."

"You'll let us handle it," said Naruto, quietly.

All eyes settled on him.

"What," asked Minato, who seemed to be struck dumb?

Naruto looked up, grinning widely, "We'll take care of it for you. As a sign of our loyalty to you and the village."

Kakashi shared a glance with Sakura, unsure exactly what Naruto's intentions were.

"Impossible," shouted Sarutobi. "There is no way. They say the Nine-Tails can move mountains with just one swing of its tail. They say it has near infinite chakra."

Minato nodded, "He's right, Naruto, how do you expect to fight that … thing?"

Naruto winked, "You guys forget? I have a 'thing,' as you put it, inside of me as well. Besides," he said, with a confident grin, "I'm a lot stronger than you might expect me to be. Anyway, I'm hungry. I need…some food." And turning his back, he walked out, giving a small wave as he vanished from sight.

Sarutobi scowled, while Minato sat back exasperated, but with an odd smile on his face, "What a kid."

"Lord Hokage," said Kakashi, bowing slightly, "I apologize for Naruto's behavior. It seems, if anything, his personality remains unchanged from the day I first met him. Just like a kid."

Minato laughed, "Hah, he kind of reminds me of myself. I'm glad I was able to meet my son. Anyway, why don't you head out after him? We'll send someone for you when we're ready to talk again."

Kakashi smiled, "I see. Very good."

Leaf Village

"I still can't believe we have to endure this nonsense," said Naruto, walking with his hands casually resting behind his head." He was, of course, referring to the ANBU team trailing them from the roofs. They were currently walking down the main village path towards the South Gate. The main path was home to many of the traveling wanderers from other countries that came to sell their wares.

"Relax, Naruto," said Kakashi. "After all, you would be a little suspicious too if four strangers popped up in your room claiming to be time travelers. Give them some time to process everything we've told them."

"It's annoying," growled Naruto, "his own freaking son. Do we really look that suspicious?" No one answered. And then, "Can't I spook them?"

"Keep bitching, and I'll really give you something to be annoyed about," interrupted Sakura. "It's called a knuckle sandwich."

"Lovely," said Naruto, sarcastically, before leaping up to avoid a back fist. "Now, now, dear…let's act like civilized people."

"Pfft," grunted Sakura, "whatever. Hey, Sensei, where are we going?"

"I don't know," said Kakashi, "I'm following you guys. I'm just the lead man."

"The lead man," repeated Naruto, "now that's irony." said Naruto. "And all this time we were following you."

"I didn't say I was going anywhere," said Kakashi, shrugging.

Naruto grunted, "Well, alright, then, I've got the perfect place to go. It's…"

"Let me guess," interrupted Kakashi, "Ramen?"

Naruto stared blankly back.

"Hah, looks like I guessed right," said Kakashi, chuckling. "Can't lay off the noodles can you? Well, we may as well get something to eat then. Besides, you couldn't stop whining when the seven tails stepped on it."

Naruto shook a fist, "He got what he deserved. Anybody who kills my ramen is gonna get it."

Whispering, Sakura said to Sai, "Now we know what to do when the village gets invaded. Just tell Naruto that the invaders blew up the Ichiraku Stand."

"Shut up," growled Naruto, turning down a side alley way.

Ichiraku Ramen

"My my," said Teuchi, "slow down there champ." He was of course referring to Naruto, who seemed unable to control himself. Noodles disappeared into his mouth faster than Neji's 64 palm strike.

"Don't bother," said Sakura, watching with a small smile, "once he gets going, he doesn't stop."

"Fourths," declared Naruto loudly, and another bowl appeared before him.

Teuchi chuckled, "Wow, you remind me of this one kid. Eats just like you."

"Uh, hey…" said Sai, "perhaps it's unwise to eat so much. You might give yourself a stomach ache."

"Arkdinge. Gupepaking. Imisting."

"God," said Sakura, "don't talk with your mouth full."

After swallowing, Naruto sat back, "Ah, that was good," he said, patting his belly. "Now, I was saying that I haven't eaten ramen in such a long time that it would be ridiculous to hold back now. Mmm…"

"Yeah, right," said Kakashi, finally peeling his eyes away from his book. "Anyway, now that you're all nice and full, how about we all have a little chat?"

"About what," asked Naruto, turning.

"Not here. This way," said Kakashi, dropping his savings onto the counter. And, winking, he vanished.

"I wonder what he wants," said Sai, before he and Sakura leapt away. Naruto, after thanking the owner for the ramen (and leaving a very generous tip), took off after them. He arrived at the old training ground…the very same one the original Team Seven first received their Genin titles.

"So, Sensei," said Sakura, "what is it you wanted to tell us?"

"I'm assigning us our last mission. After this, we're all going to retire." And he said it so calmly that it was impossible to tell whether he was serious or joking.

On the other hand, Naruto had the feeling this was going to be a big mission.

"Our focus…," continued Kakashi "…is Madara. We need to stop him from obtaining the Tailed Beasts. We'll prevent him from nabbing Gaara, and at the same time we'll use whatever means at our disposal to protect Naruto. In the meantime, we'll be collecting information on the other seven beasts. I'm calling this an S-ranked mission."

"Right!"

"We do have one good thing going for us," said Kakashi. "I don't think Madara intended to land us so far back in time. If we play our cards right, we may just be able to save the Fourth Hokage. However, we must be aware of the consequences this may bring. So, I wanted to ask you; should we do it?"

"Of course," said Naruto, "he's my dad. I'm not about to let him die."

"But if we do that," said Kakashi, "the unborn Naruto will never receive the Nine Tails. Everything about his life will change. He may not even end up on the same team as Sakura and Sasuke."

"It's my dad," shouted Naruto, "I can't just sit here and watch him die. Isn't he your Sensei? C'mon Sensei!"

Kakashi instead shifted his attention to Sakura and Sai.

Sakura glanced at Naruto. The blonde stared at her calmly, yet it was clear he was begging her to agree. "I…think we should save the Fourth Hokage."

"I say we should as well," said Sai a moment later.

Kakashi eyed his former students carefully. "I thought so," he replied, a wide grin seen behind his mask, which, despite his appearance change, he kept on. "I tend to like that idea as well. So be it, Naruto will take care of it."