A/N: Some more build up and foreshadowing, for things to come. Oh, and you can go to my profile where there's a link to Obito's clothing from this chapter. It's kind of a mash-up of his Academy-outfit and Minato's Genin outfit. Word count ~4.8k.

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I still don't own Naruto.


Chapter 7 - Concentric Ripples


Twin onyx eyes blinked lazily as Obito took in his surroundings, still disoriented from sleep. He was in the middle of sitting up when he froze at the unexpected warmth he felt from both of his sides.

Of course, when he identified the sources as his teammates, he merely smiled as he carefully maneuvered himself out of the odd sleeping arrangement, leaving Kakashi and Rin on the couch and in their dreams. He had then gone to look for Minato and Kushina, but found a small note on their bedroom door saying that they were out. Apparently, Team Seven was to complete a D-Rank mission that day, and Minato wanted the team to head to the Hokage tower as soon as they woke up and were ready. He would meet them there at around 8am for the briefing, but would have to leave again afterwards.

The Uchiha frowned lightly—never had Minato simply left their team to handle a mission on their own at this time; the man even made sure to supervise their D-Ranks—but went to the guest room anyway where he found his selection of clothes stashed away, from both his little excursion with Minato and the time he had fully come to accept his place in the past.

A few minutes later he stood in front of the mirror, giving a quick glance at his outfit. He wore a dark, navy-blue jacket with an orange up-turned collar and trimmings, the sleeves rolled up to hit elbows to reveal the orange lining. The color of the jacket was a shade darker than his forehead protector and Shinobi sandals. and fit comfortably around his frame. His mesh under-armor was tucked under his black pants that ended mid-shin, and had his calves wrapped in bandages as he had them when he was a child.

Obito smiled as he fitted his new pair of goggles with his ensemble. Everything was different and new. But, it was also familiar, and it gave the man-boy a new sense of self while also adhering to the fact that he wasn't quite the same as any past incarnation of himself.

Something caught his attention just as he was about to walked away, and his eyes narrowed as he assessed the figure before him. Or rather, the face reflected in the mirror.

He let out a quiet snort as he noted the scars on the right side of his face, left over from the burns he had suffered but a week ago. It was some irony that the medics were able to fully restore the left side of Obito's face while his right had some residual scarring, though it wasn't as severe as the rippled pattern that he once identified as a part of himself after years of getting accustomed to it. The scars themselves were faint; only the barest shade darker than his normal skin tone and they didn't completely litter the right side of his face. In fact, from a distance, one would be hard-pressed to see the scars at all.

Shaking his head as he shelved his musings, he quickly scanned the room until his eyes fell on a small clock that rested next to their team photo.

"6:30am," Obito whispered quietly. If he was correct, he and Kakashi had passed out sometime just before midnight, and Rin most likely after. Obito decided to allow his teammates to rest; if his own body was protesting about the lack of sleep despite the fact that his mind was trained for otherwise, then he had no doubt that his teammates could use the extra shut-eye. Besides, he had something that needed to be done soon, and now was a perfect time to do it.

He scoured the room for paper and a writing utensil, and once he found what he needed, he plopped down on the floor and began to write.

His memories prior to his time as "Tobi" were hazy at best, but it would help him to write down what he knew for future reference. He could come back to it should his mind fill some of the holes and gaps in his memory, but for now, marking the major events in sequential order was all he needed to do.

First, was obviously the Kannabi Bridge mission. That mission was Obito's first step into the darkness, however small.

Next was Rin's death. Prior to that was the sealing of the Sanbi wherein she became it's Jinchūriki, the label being the cause of her death. This event was not so much of a step so much as a complete(-ly stupid) leap into darkness and insanity for Obito. Obviously, the same wouldn't happen again this time, whether she died or not. Not like he would let her die, however; she was one of the three people he decided he would save. And that was exactly what he was going to do, damn it.

After that was his meeting with the Ame Orphans as "Uchiha Madara." Obito paused his writing and tapped the ground with the pencil as he thought about the odd trio. He wasn't quite sure what to do with them. On one hand, he could kill them and ensure that they couldn't be used. On the other hand, he could simply destroy Nagato's borrowed Rinnegan and therefore allow them to live.

He sighed as an image of an orange-clad blonde popped into his mind. '… Or, I could spare and bring them back to Konoha, like Naruto would probably want.'

Truth be told, any of the aforementioned paths would help Obito complete his task, but the first and second would be much easier. If he chose the third option, he would have to not only make certain that no one got ahold of the Rinnegan, but would also have to try and convince the three to come and live in Konoha. Nagato having his innate fear of Konoha-nin, along with the fact that the three were quite attached to their home, wouldn't make things easier. Their whole purpose at this point, if Obito was correct, was to try and form a new regime in Ame and openly oppose Hanzō's ways. He would know; he had used their pure ideals, the loss that resulted from it, and the brief insanity incurred from said loss to his advantage in order to conscript both Nagato and Konan to the Akatsuki.

The Uchiha's eyes narrowed as he rolled the current Ame-leader's name around in his head. One thing that he could be certain of was that Hanzō had to die. When, he wasn't sure, and without Yahiko's death it was more than likely that Nagato wouldn't be prepared for the position of leader as soon as he had been previously. Perhaps Obito could stage Hanzō's death this time around so that Nagato could take his place without any conflict?

The Uchiha shook his head. No, because then there was still the issue of Danzō.

Deciding that that particular subject was one he didn't want to dwell on(it would no doubt ruin his morning), he jotted down a few notes to consider about the whole ordeal and moved on to the next major event.

His mouth set in a grim line, in-between a nostalgic smile and a regretful frown. The Kyūbi Attack, A.K.A. the day Naruto was born and the day both Minato and Kushina died. Aside from that bare information, Obito wrote no more and instead opted to fold the paper. There was nothing else to be written about it; the whole attack itself was staged by him under Madara's hand, and he wasn't planning on playing the role of "Madara's puppet" again. Not without a plan to bring him down. And he sure as hell wasn't going to sacrifice the lives of his sensei and nee-san for this.

No, he was going to change things, and he had about two years to ensure that Madara wouldn't be able to so much as look at Konoha with his rotted Sharingan eyes.

Obito's eyelids fluttered closed and he inhaled a deep breath before exhaling. When he opened his eyes, his irises were blood red with swirling, black pinwheels at their center. He glared down at the piece of folded parchment in his hand and watched as it twisted and bent, until there was not a trace of it left. It was kept safe in his separate plane of existence, where no one could access it without his eyes.

He knew it was a rather belligerent use of the almost all-powerful technique, but it wasn't as though Obito was skilled enough in Fūinjutsu to keep the scroll safely sealed up. He'd be a fool to think that he could keep his secrets utilizing seals while he lived under the roof of two of Konoha's best Fūinjutsu masters, and a third that visited from time-to-time. His best bet was the Kamui, however unorthodox and excessive it may've been.

He winced at the sudden pressure that seemed to build up behind his eyes, sending him into waves of nausea. He gripped his head, as though trying to keep the disorientation from increasing despite the fact he knew it would do nothing. It almost felt like someone had slammed a hammer into the back of his skull and ruptured his eyes, only to pour liquid fire into his eye sockets. A shaky hand came up to press against his eyes, which felt sore and as though they had their own individual hearts, what with the unnerving pulsating he could feel from them. He removed his hand when he registered that a thick, wet substance trickled down his arm.

Obito stared blankly at the blood that streamed down, absently noting the metallic smell and sting of the substance in his already irritated eyes.


The trio of Chūnin had made their way to the Hokage tower as Minato's note had instructed them to do, two of them still fighting off the last vestiges of sleep that gripped them, the third deep in his thoughts.

When they finally arrived, Rin immediately bounded up to Minato. "Minato-sensei! You weren't there this morning, did you have a mission?" The man chuckled at the almost puppy-like antics of his female student.

"It's good to see you guys too, and, well…" He scratched his head. "… No, I didn't have a mission. But let's go get your mission, ne?" He began herding the trio into the Hokage's office.

Obito eyed his sensei suspiciously. The blonde looked oddly drained of his usual energy and vigor, and his usually vibrant complexion and hair looked much paler than usual.

"Ah, Minato, Team Seven, here for your mission?" The team immediately turned to face the Sandaime and bowed with a unanimous, "Hokage-sama" in greeting.

"Yes, Team Minato, reporting in for placement on the active duty roster once more," Minato spoke fluidly, his paleness betraying the facade of being "fine." "I understand that skirmishes along the border have not been going well and that we are bound for a greater conflict, but I would like my team to maintain a stream of D-Ranks if you don't mind, Hokage-sama."

Obito tensed at Minato's words. With key words of "border" and "greater conflict," it was easy enough for the time-traveler to realize that the Third War was about to begin.

"Of course," Hiruzen replied calmly, a wreathe of smoke circling above him. "What with recent events, it is acceptable that you would want your team to have some time to adjust."

Minato sent a grateful smile to the elderly Hokage. "Thank you, Hokage-sama. The mission…?"

"D-Rank, client is Madame Shijimi, wife to the Daimyō," three groans were heard at the mention of the name; they knew exactly what mission they were receiving. The elderly Hokage gave an amused smirk at the reactions. "Mission: the retrieval and delivery of Madame Shijimi's cat, Tora."

When they had received their mission slips and left the office, Minato turned to his three students with a strained smile. "I'm afraid I have to leave now, you guys know what to do, right?"

Kakashi rolled his eyes as Rin pouted. "Of course we do," the silver-haired boy drawled. "We're Chūnin, Minato-sensei, not Genin."

The blonde only responded with a mirthful chuckle as he ruffled Kakashi's hair, to the boy's frustration. "Of course, how could I forget. Even though you three are as cute as Genin, you are also just as capable as Chūnin."

Obito would've questioned exactly why their sensei wasn't going to be with them, but he decided against it. The man was already stressed, and if he didn't wish to say(or dwell on whatever was bothering him), then Obito didn't plan on prying. If it proved important enough, Minato would tell them, Obito was certain of this. Besides, it was possible that whatever he was dealing with were residual issues resulting from Obito's little stunt when he came back to the past, and he knew that it was a sore subject with the entirety of his team.

So, when Minato disappeared in a familiar flash of gold and blue, the Chūnin of Team Seven trudged off, mentally(and emotionally) preparing themselves for the monster of all D-Ranks.


"Man, we look like shit."

Obito's little comment earned him two heated glares from his teammates, but he couldn't help it. All three of them really, truly did.

Kakashi's clothes were caked in dried mud and covered in various tears. His mask was torn about six times, but somehow, each time it seemed like the dark material was about to give, the silver-haired Chūnin managed to replace it with a fresh, tear-free mask, and Obito could honestly say that there was something seriously wrong with his friend. Obito himself was glad that he had bought multiple spares of his clothes, because he was certain that even one of Kushina's patch jobs wouldn't be good enough to make his now-ruined clothes wearable. And Rin... The poor girl lost their game of rock, paper, scissors, and ended up being the one to carry the cat. Her hair was as messy and frazzled as she likely felt, her clothes disheveled and torn in odd places thanks to Tora's dangerously sharp claws.

The small group was walking back to the Hokage tower, hell-cat in hand, and it had only taken them three hours to find and subdue the damn thing. Yeah, only. Considering the fact that Obito recalled a time where the mission took them fourteen hours(they practically chased the little shit to the four corners of Hi no Kuni), three hours was nothing. Nothing.

A thought occurred to Obito, and he cringed. 'Wasn't… Tora still alive around the time that Naruto was a Genin…?' The Uchiha was also pretty certain that when Minato had spoken about his own Genin-and-D-Rank-days, Tora was included in those stories. Obito severely hoped that it was just his imagination or maybe some sick tradition of naming the most cantankerous gits of the Fire Daimyō's cats "Tora" and not the idea of the freak being immortal. Obito was fairly certain that Tora was the only living being that would lose out to Madara in regards to who Obito would prefer to ensure that immortality was never reached, and he was fairly certain that any self-respecting shinobi of Konoha would agree.

When they entered the tower, they were immediately lead to the Hokage's office. They gave their formal bows of respect in the presence of the elderly Hokage as Kakashi stated, "Team Seven under Jounin Namikaze Minato, reporting in for the successful retrieval and delivery of the cat Tora."

"OH, MY BABY!" The three Chūnin jumped back as Madame Shijimi snatched Tora from Rin's arms and promptly began to strangle—wait, no—hug the cat. To death. Obito could tell from the slightly horrified and surprised look his rival wore that he had not detected the woman's presence before she had all but announced it to the world, and was most likely wondering how she managed that. Obito didn't want to know. Whether it was the truth behind Tora's apparent immortality or Madame Shijimi's latent stealth abilities, he really didn't want to know.

A cough brought the team's attention back to the Hokage, who was pointedly ignoring the shrieks of the mangled cat and the praises of love(was Obito hallucinating or were those physical, bulbous hearts being emitted by the rotund woman?) from the Daimyō's wife.

"Congratulations on another mission completed, Team Seven." He slid three small envelopes across his desk towards them. "Here is your payment."

Obito picked up his pay and eyed it curiously. Typically, missions, especially D-Ranks, were assigned and filtered through the mission's desk downstairs. For whatever reason, the "Tora Mission" was always given by the Hokage, and was a cut above the normal D-Ranks in regards to payment.

'… Oh well,' Obito thought with a shrug. Most likely, it could be attributed to the fact that the woman was the Daimyō's wife and insanely rich. The man-boy would never understand the minds of nobles, and he never planned on learning.

After the trio of Chūnin escaped the room, Obito decided that he wanted to spend some more time with his team.

"Ne, Kakashi, Rin," he began, gaining the attention of his two teammates. "Let's go out someplace as a team, y'know, bonding!"

Kakashi sighed. "I have training."

Rin looked down at her feet and kicked the dirt. "I, er… I'm trying to save money."

"You always train, Bakashi," Obito stared down the silver-haired boy who glared at the nickname, "and you don't have to worry about money, Rin. I'll treat both of you!" He paused. "… But only if we go to Ichiraku's."

The Hatake looked at him with a raised eyebrow, but started walking in the direction of the ramen house anyway. "Ichiraku's? Since when did you become a fan?"

A small chuckle from the medic of their team made them turn to her. "Kushina-san is rubbing off on you, isn't she, Obito?"

Obito only shrugged, lifting his arms up behind his head in a casual movement. "… Hmm, I guess you could say that."

The three walked in amiable silence the rest of the way there, and arrived to place their orders.

"One miso ramen, please!" Obito exclaimed happily. His two teammates gave their orders at a lower volume, "shoyu for me," was Rin, and a muttered, "shio," was Kakashi in his usual monotony.

As Rin chatted with Kakashi—the latter only contributing to the conversation with quiet 'hn's and nods, with an occasional real word—Obito observed them fondly out of the corner of his eyes. He had been worried about how the event at the hospital would affect them, but it seemed his worries were unfounded. Not only did they seem to have bounced back to their normal selves, they both seemed somewhat… Stronger? Less vulnerable? Obito wasn't certain, but the hesitance in Rin's steps and voice dwindled, and Kakashi seemed more ready to interact with his team. The fact that he even bothered to attempt keeping up with Rin's conversation was enough to indicate as such; in the past, he wouldn't even be facing the girl and would turn on his "I'm a socially-retarded jackass" vibes in an effort to steer clear from anyone and everyone.

"One order off miso, shoyu, and shio each!" Teuchi slid the bowls in front of the three and Obito's eyes lit up at the familiar smell of the tantalizing broth.

The Chūnin of Team Seven split their chopsticks, and with the unanimous call of "itadakimasu," they dug into their freshly-made ramen treat. Well, two people dug into their ramen; Obito halted just before his utensil hit the noodles.

It was strange how easily Obito was able to meld right back into the team, how easy it was for him to be accepted once again. He wasn't quite sure if it was mostly due to his almost instinctual habit of "blending in" that was honed through years of Shinobi training and reconnaissance, or if it was because he was still "Obito," even though he wasn't exactly the same as he once was. Whatever was the case, considering all of the griping and brooding he had done over the subject, it had been shockingly easy to become reacclimatized to his team, and they, him.

A hearty laugh escaped his lungs and he felt a faint moisture build up in the corner of his eyes. Crap, he was getting emotional again. In the past week, he had experienced more mood-shifts than he had in the decade prior to coming to the past. It was almost unnerving, but in all honesty, he was too happy to really care.

"Obito…?" He abruptly stopped laughing and quickly wiped away his tears before turning to his teammates, where he was met with two looks with clearly written confusion. He waved off his teammates gazes as he finally dove into his ramen, the steamy noodles reminding him of a certain blonde-haired Uzumaki that would become a dedicated patron to the ramen-house.

It was nice. Obito really was home, and it wasn't an illusion like he had once decided to settle for.

'Thank you, Naruto.'


Sunshine locks swayed as Minato hurriedly walked down the hallways of the Jounin HQ, Nara Shikaku and Yamanaka Inoichi falling into step with him. It had been a rather abrupt confrontation: Minato found them, they exchanged quick pleasantries, and then the blonde told them that he needed their help.

"Er, so…" Inoichi began, only to be silenced by a raised hand from Minato.

"Not now, Inoichi. Thinking."

Shikaku let out an amused snort. "But what about? Your wife or your student?" The Nara did not miss the minute stiffening of the short-haired blonde's shoulders. "We understand that you are stressed, Minato, but we are worried about Kushina as well. We just want to know how she is doing."

Minato's fists clenched. "She's… Physically speaking, she's fine."

This left Inoichi somewhat alarmed. "And mentally…?"

"Fine," Minato replied tersely, earning him a relieved yet confused look from the other blonde. "The doctors found nothing wrong with her after a quick scan, which is why she is to remain in the hospital for the time being. Her levels are normal, pulse, blood pressure, temperature, everything. They're hoping to find the cause after more thorough tests have been run, but for the time being, it's a waiting game."

Shikaku frowned. "What alerted you to a problem to begin with? All we heard was that Kushina was admitted to the hospital." Inoichi nodded at the Nara's comment.

The dark look that passed over the shorter blonde made the two members of Ino-Shika-Cho worried. "... Her stomach. She fainted after a sharp pain in her stomach knocked her out." Minato noticed the immediate understanding that flickered through Shikaku's eyes and nodded.

"… Her stomach?" Inoichi asked incredulously. "What's wrong with that? If there were no physical abnormalities, then she should be… Fine… " He paused at the serious looks the other two gave him. As realization hit him, he paled to a color lighter than his platinum blonde hair. "… No… Is it…?"

"That's just the thing," Minato sighed, combing a hand through his hair. "The seal was untouched. There were no abnormalities, and aside from a slight disruption in her chakra, there were no signs of tampering. It's chakra was still held tightly behind the seal, and if anything, the stream of it's own chakra was actually thinner than before."

Shikaku and Inoichi shared a look, neither of them as well-versed in Fūinjutsu as their friend, but still worried about the implications. Finally, the Nara voice his question in a careful tone. "… What could that mean?"

"… I don't know." The words were spoken in such a dejected tone that his two companions could practically feel the frustration evident. "I have my suspicions, a few hypotheses, but all of them are unheard of. It's unheard of, and the seal, while restraining, shouldn't cause such a reaction. I wouldn't know the results or effects it would have on the host, since this has never happened before…" He trailed off, his voice falling just below a whisper. "… A Bijū dying within it's Jinchūriki."

A tense silence fell, and remained for the handful of seconds it took the group to finally reach their destination. Minato sighed while shaking his head, clearly planning to move on from the subject.

"… But for now, we will not focus on that. I called you two for a different issue," Minato opened the large doors with ease and walked into the records room with purpose in every step. "Help me look for anything with the mention of 'Kaguya'. Tell me if you find anyone that goes by that, or if you find even a mention of the name."

"… Kaguya?" Shikaku questioned, bemused at the fact that Minato didn't even notice the way the other Jounin present immediately cleared the way for him as though clearing for a Hokage. He could already tell that the man's charisma and power would net him that position in the near future, and it gave Shikaku a sense of pride that he had been one of the first few to see past the "sissy" facade to see the real Minato.

The blonde nodded. "Yes. That is the name Obito had shouted at the hospital, and I had remembered it last night. I want all documents that list the name found and brought to me. We will reconvene in four hours to compare our findings."

Shikaku raised an eyebrow as he followed his friend further into the room. "… The Hokage approved of this?" Minato halted in his steps abruptly and gave a sheepish smile. Both Inoichi and Shikaku sighed before the latter gave a bemused smirk. "I know you plan on becoming Hokage one day, Minato, but aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself? You still need the Hokage's permission for this kind of thing, in case you have forgotten."

"Wait, no, it's not that," Minato quickly replied, denying the accusation with a nervous chuckle. "I did gain Hokage-sama's permission, it's just… Well, I didn't mean to command you guys like that, I know that you are only doing this as a favor for a friend, and—"

"It's okay, Minato," Inoichi interrupted with an amused chuckle. It was quite funny how their friend could go from an oppressive leader to a nervous sap that tripped over his words. "We get that you're stressed and somewhere between work mode and mission mode, while also trying to keep calm. Your default in tense situations is to take up the role of leadership to help diffuse said tense situations, so it's only natural that you would behave as such—in the presence of friends or otherwise."

Minato sighed before offering the mind-specialist a grateful smile.

"Well then," Shikaku began with his usual drawl. "It'll be troublesome, but we should get to work if we can to finish this."


It was four hours later that the trio finally reconvened at a desk off to the corner of the room to compare their findings. Inoichi was the first to present.

"First of all, I found a 'Kawasaki Kaguya' who was well-known for Genjutsu despite being a Bukijutsu specialist." This got the attention of the other two, and Inoichi continued with a sigh, "… But she died a decade ago, during the Second War."

Minato and Shikaku frowned, but signaled the man to continue. He laid out a few files, each with detailed notes on individual people. "I also found multiple entries about individuals with the surname Kaguya, all of which were labeled anywhere between C-Rank and A-Rank offensive threats."

The other blonde nodded as he perused the dog-eared papers. "I found similar files, with the same ranking. Enemies of Konoha, then; that matches. I also found some other individuals with the first name 'Kaguya,' but similar to your findings, they have either been dead for a while or have shown no aptitude in the Shinobi arts." He sighed. "There really wasn't much that I managed to find."

After Minato finished his spiel, the two turned to Shikaku, who had his arms crossed as he leaned back in his chair. "… I found some old documents about a clan, and I think it has to do with your findings on the individuals with the surname 'Kaguya'." He slid a manila folder in the middle of the table and the two blondes flipped it open, inspecting it of it's contents. "They are an independent, nomadic clan known for their savage ways, love of war and bloodshed, and over all bloodlust. Select few of the clan possess a kekkei genkai called Shikotsumyaku that appears to be some sort of bone-manipulation technique."

"Oh, I noticed that!" Inoichi started in an excited tone, apparently pleased that their little investigation was going somewhere. "One of the entries I found of a Kaguya autopsy stated that the bone structure was odd, as though constructed to accommodate chakra." He shivered. "Apparently, the individual literally had to be dismembered and separated into several different parts to successfully neutralize him. I can see how that could scar a young child."

Shikaku tapped his chin, absently noting the rather blank look Minato had. "Do any of us know where they tend to stay? Their habits? Now that I think about it, I've heard some whispers in the Jōnin HQ about the Kaguya clan and brief encounters with individuals from the clan. They were always on the move, but surely there is a way to track down—"

A rather out-of-place laugh made the Nara halt his words, and both he and Inoichi turned to Minato. The man was laughing, and as such, Inoichi and Shikaku couldn't quite help the strange looks they gave him.

Minato, seemingly sensing their unease, gave a small shrug and a questionable smile. "Oh well."

The other blonde gaped as Shikaku's eyes widened, the two exchanging worried glances. "Er… Minato?" Inoichi finally began, hoping that the stress hadn't finally gotten to his friend. It was unlike him to give up so easily, especially concerning the people he cared for so dearly. "You're not… You're not giving up are you? I mean, just because the clan is constantly moving and difficult to track doesn't mean that—"

"Oh no, I think you misunderstood my statement," the shorter blonde interrupted, his smile still in place. When the other two looked at him uncomprehendingly, he elaborated.

"They are a small group of barbaric, war-loving individuals that move independently. Don't get me wrong, that actually makes it much easier," Minato quipped easily with a cheerful lilt. The suddenly frigid gaze his azure eyes took on made Inoichi and Shikaku tense.

The smile itself still appeared warm, but the eyes. The eyes were frightening, and promised a world of pain. "… There won't be any political disputes if a nomadic clan is suddenly wiped out, since they don't have any ties to a village. Not to mention, since they are small, I'll know that any Kaguya I find is that much more likely to be the one I'm looking for." He paused as a thoughtful look crossed his face, not noticing the looks of horror that the other two present had. "… With their history, I doubt they would give up the perpetrator without a fight, anyway."

He turned back to the other two and smiled before giving a wave, and without another word, the blonde Hiraishin'd out of the room.

The spell broke, and the remaining two both breathed out the air they didn't realize they were holding. They sat in silence for a few moments before Inoichi turned to Shikaku with a wry smile. "… Er. R-remind me to never get on Minato's bad side, because to use your saying… It'd be rather…"

Shikaku sighed as he shook off the remaining vestiges of fear that had gripped him, unbidden. The word was muttered lowly with a scowl. "…Troublesome."


Violet eyes took in the bleak surroundings as the red-head gave a little huff in discontent.

Kushina didn't like hospitals. In fact, she hated them, what with how many times she had come to visit friends that had come in injured, many with death looming over them threateningly. It was the first time in many years that she had been the one admitted, but that only made her dislike it even more. It meant that she would be spending more than a few hours in the room that smelled of harsh chemicals and sickness.

With a sigh, she leaned back to plop onto the none-too-comfortable pillow attached to the raised incline of her bed. Her hand reached her stomach as she recalled her checkup.

The tests had returned, and the results had been worrying, in the worst sense possible. Absolutely nothing was wrong with her, but she knew better than that. There was something, something out of place, something wrong. She just couldn't figure out what.

She glanced down at her bare midriff with a frown. Outwardly, it was true that nothing was wrong. She could channel chakra into the seal to make it appear, and it disappeared with ease—no pain, no abnormalities. And yet, she was almost certain that her fainting spells had to do with the fox.

Kushina shook her head as she turned to face the window, which gave her a pleasant view of the village she had come to adore.

She could only hope that the foreboding feeling she had wouldn't harm the people she loved.