Incredibly long Chapter ahead! Beware! :D

No fights this time, sorry folks!

Thanks to like-a-freaking-fangirl, Unterflieger, ChamaeleonEyes, Chiruka, anaisonfire, AngelicRiver, Prescripto13, cloystreng, Bindi-fox, NarutoxHonoka, Guest, Angel Hatake, StorytellerD132, Sailor Pandabear, VampireDoll666, Rika24 and Guest for reviewing!

I'd hug everyone who fav'ed and followed too, but alas I can't name 509 followers and 399 favorites! Thank you so much, guys and gals! I hope you know how much it means to me! :'D

Cloystreng: Older Kakashi had left his memories in Chibi Kakashi, and what are we if not the stories we live, the tales we tell ourselves? (Assassin's Creed reference! :D) Basically, it wasn't Older Kakashi's conscience that took over, but his personality that stuck with his younger self. :3

Bindi-fox: Older Kakashi missed him dearly, how can he not take his offer of hugs? XD I always worry that my characters are OOC, so to hear (read) I kept them in character makes my day! I'm so happy I, puny human, made your week (a week!) with a bunch of words! Thank you! ;D

NarutoxHonoka: yup, Kushina's still on mission! But she's mentioned at the end of this waaaay too long Chapter, so… uh. Yeah. I thought about adding her, but then it'd have gone overboard with the words ;)

StorytellerD132 and VampireDoll666: Aaaand the Orochimaru Question is at the end of the Chapter. That probably answers the raging battle in my head between Logic and Preference D:

Rika24: the merging was definitely easier with only one conscience! Also, with the upcoming Chuunin Exams I can add more Youthful Gai, for the joy of everyone and the poor humor in this story! XD

I don't own Naruto – fortunately for just about every sane human on Earth – but I still got this Chapter out! Now, without further ado…

Chapter 35: Questions and Preparations

Team Ox, which had temporarily taken over Team Hound in keeping an eye on Kakashi, reported some unusual news that night.

"The Hatake kid used the ANBU standard kenjutsu style," Ox stated, though the Sandaime could hear confusion underneath his blank tone, "and one of the ANBU tactics, as well."

"What kind of tactics?"

"He implemented flawlessly the double ambush after he signaled his two teammates of his plan, Hokage-sama. The fact they even knew the hand signs for that is unusual by itself, not to mention suspicious."

The Hokage nodded at the man. "Kakashi had taught them to his teammates months ago; Hound too expressed his suspicions about that."

Ox stayed silent for a moment. "Hokage-sama, may I ask you something?"

The Sandaime nodded.

"Has Kakashi Hatake ever received ANBU training?"

At the question, he leaned back in his chair with a soft sigh. He mentally reviewed every interaction between the young chuunin and Konoha's highest elite.

Kakashi's mother was in ANBU – the lithe Lynx of Team Jackal – but she had died when he was just one year old. He couldn't possibly remember more than a vague face, maybe a smell, about her, if anything at all. Hiruzen was also sure she hadn't had time to teach him anything about shinobi, much less ANBU. It was Sakumo who took it upon himself to train his son before he became a genin.

From then on Kakashi was mostly under Minato's wing, who the Hokage was sure was not ANBU. Jiraya had visited his grand-student a lot during the year before Sakumo's fateful mission – then he had been called to battle, and the visits became more sporadic.

Kushina, Orochimaru, Sarune, Fuuyuki, Jiyo and any other jonin Kakashi interacted with were not ANBU.

Team Hound had never spoken to Kakashi directly.

The double ambush tactic could be chalked up to Kakashi's genius mind – or Kurama's addictional help, for those who knew about him – but the ANBU kenjutsu style? Kakashi had consciously used techniques for a longer sword than a tanto and that couldn't be overlooked. What if it hindered him in another fight?

Maybe it was Kurama's doing. But even then, the Hokage would have known if one of his ANBU had a bijuu in their gut.

He'd have to personally ask Kakashi and Kurama if the situation escalated to something more worrying.

"No, Ox – he has never received ANBU training."

The shinobi nodded in acceptance. "…Understood."

"Keep guard over Kakashi and report to me anything else you find suspicious. Team Hound will take over in a week, at the start of the Chuunin Exams."

As soon as Team Ox chorused "Hai!" and vanished, someone knocked on the Hokage's door.

He barely suppressed a sigh at the chakra signature on the other side. Why did he choose that moment in the middle of the night to know about the Kyuubi imitator? "Enter."

Orochimaru stepped into his sensei's office.

He was calm. He was relaxed and focused, because he pieced together the information he had gathered since Kumo's sudden attack seven months ago and analyzed the picture.

.

"The Raikage wanted the Jinchuuriki."

Was it Orochimaru's impression, or Minato looked paler?

.

"Stabbed and poisoned, uh? Did he survive?"

"…Yes."

"And how is he?"

"Kakashi's fine – Hokage-sama wrote he's already healed."

"Well, doesn't this bring back memories? Like that time Kushina-san had a mission in Kusa…"

.

Kumo would surrender immediately if Konoha gave up Kakashi Hatake? First the Jinchuuriki, now Sakumo's son? What the hell was up with them?

Maybe they wanted to get Kushina while Konoha focused on protecting Kakashi. Or maybe not, and there was something the red-head and the chuunin had in common. Something relevant enough to warrant Kumo's attention…

Their first target was Kushina, now Kakashi… they weren't known to be quitters after only a few months of trial.

.

There weren't any angry red stripes that came with rope scraping against skin and flesh.

"In the timeframe you've been held captive no physical wounds would have healed this completely."

Only an Uzumaki's or bijuu's chakra could withstand an onslaught of the Hachibi's own with minimum consequences.

It was definitely a barrier in Kakashi's chakra system. A Fuinjutsu, then.

.

It was embarrassing how Orochimaru hadn't figured it out sooner, really. Minato, Kakashi and the Kumo-nin kept throwing evidence in his face all this time and he had to hear the little chuunin say, "It's an S-rank secret, Hokage-sama's orders," to fully understand and piece together the clues.

He was getting sloppy, damn it.

(It also hurt that his sensei didn't trust him enough with this information. A bijuu was a wild card, an ever-changing factor that could very well turn a successful rescue mission into a massacre. As the jonin in command, Orochimaru should have been notified about Kakashi's Jinchuuriki status.)

Sarutobi-sensei engaged the privacy seals in his office. "I assume you already have an idea of what I'm going to tell you."

Orochimaru nodded. "Kakashi Hatake has been a Jinchuuriki for the last seven months."

"Yes, he has," the older man confirmed. A corner of his lips subtly twitched up, probably in pride. "It's supposed to be a secret told strictly on a need-to-know basis. The people who know about it are Minato-san, the Elder Council, the ANBU Commander, Hikari Ryuu in charge of the barrier around Konoha, Jiraya, Kushina, Team Hound, myself and now you."

Well, wasn't that a small number of people. 'Need-to-know basis', eh?

"Jiraya and Team Hound were with me when Minato-san reported his discovery of the seal on Kakashi-kun. Homura, Koharu and Danzo had been notified shortly after to prepare better defenses. Hikari and Kitsune had been told to watch out for the shinobi who sealed the bijuu. Kushina had been told about it because she might have helped Kakashi-kun."

The wording sounded suspicious. "'Might have', Sarutobi-sensei?"

The Hokage looked as if he wanted to be anywhere else but there. "She discovered the bijuu sealed inside Kakashi is a Kyuubi imitator, who had done nothing but help Kakashi-kun so far and, in turn, Konoha. Every piece of evidence leads to the only conclusion of him being a friendly bijuu. The sealer was an unknown shinobi."

…And Sarutobi-sensei believed that? Orochimaru knew the older man had the tendency to prefer peace and believed in second chances and all that, but really? A friendly bijuu, not to mention a Kyuubi imitator, that has helped Konoha since day one? Sealed by an unknown shinobi?

He shouldn't have gone to the Hokage's office as soon as he returned. He almost sighed into his hand, but restrained that movement into a slight twitch of his fingers. "What do we know about that unknown shinobi, Hokage-sama?"

His sensei had no qualms about sighing and reaching for his pipe. "Only Kurama – the Kyuubi imitator – has seen him, but he doesn't know his identity. He could teleport and was a high-level genjutsu user, not to mention a Fuinjutsu master who created the seal he used on Kakashi. He was alone when he did it. He's dead but he has associates that will undoubtedly try to get Kurama back – their initial plan to destroy Konoha failed when Kurama decided to help Kakashi-kun."

Orochimaru absorbed that information and tried to piece it together so that it made sense.

Assuming everything the Kyuubi imitator said was true – which it might very well not be – the first step would be to track Mister X's associates. To do that, they needed to know what kind of shinobi he was, and in turn what kind of ninja he had surrounded himself with.

Mister X was a genjutsu and seal master. He could have used his teleporting ability to get into Konoha undetected, sneak into Kakashi's apartment and then use that unique, probably unstable seal to create a bijuu time bomb. It didn't have a structure Orochimaru could recognize – he had to study more Fuinjutsu.

He could have used any of his high-level Genjutsu to cover his tracks, or lead the first pursuers astray.

The fact he could teleport could hint at an Hiraishin user, but one was dead and the other was Kakashi's sensei, who was clearly not a genjutsu master. It had to be some kind of unknown Kinjutsu or Kekkei Genkai, then.

But what group of shinobi would create a damn Kyuubi imitator and, instead of directly unleashing it on Konoha, seal it inside one of the village's ninja? It couldn't be any known nukenin: they weren't nearly as powerful as to complete such a difficult and delicate operation.

Kiri-nin were known for various Kekkei Genkai, but what grudge would they have against Konoha? Maybe Mister X was a former Kiri-nin, who betrayed them recently enough to not be known. But someone of his talent would have been noted in some Bingo Book.

Kumo was definitely out of the question: they wouldn't have gone through all this trouble had they had the Kyuubi imitator from the start. Kakashi's Jinchuuriki status had been as unexpected to Konoha as it was to them.

Iwa? As if the Tsuchikage would let a bijuu of the Kyuubi's strength to slip through his fingers. Suna had the Ichibi, the least powerful of all demons, and its Jinchuuriki was old and weakened. They wouldn't have risked gifting a willing bijuu to Konoha, either.

It had to be a group of nukenin who laid low all this time. A group of nukenin who either had a grudge against Konoha or were, against all logic, unexpectedly helpful.

Unless it wasn't a group of nukenin, but someone inside the village who wanted to lend a hand in the most roundabout way possible. Were there any teleporting high-level genjutsu users and fuinjutsu masters?

…The Uchiha fit the high-level genjutsu users category. There were only a handful of them – less than fifty – who had practiced Fuinjutsu, and only ten could be reluctantly regarded as A-rank sealing masters. Two of them had the skills to reach S-rank, but they seemed content enough with their level. Pathetic – why stop learning when you can continue?

No teleporting shinobi however, besides Minato, who was still on his way to become a Fuinjutsu master but was doing no progress with genjutsu.

A possibly rogue shinobi with at least a Sharingan and another teleporting Kekkei Genkai? A half-Uchiha half-something else from Kiri?

It… it didn't make sense. There was too little evidence.

And that made Orochimaru highly annoyed.

"No other information about this shinobi, I assume," he hissed.

Sarutobi-sensei shook his head. "Nothing on him, nor his associates."

No more intel on that front, then. "What about the creature Team Hound had found?"

"It's a half-demon composed entirely by Kakashi and Kurama's chakra."

Wasn't that interesting. Orochimaru nodded – its chakra felt too strange for it to be just a wild animal or even a summon. The Kyuubi imitator must have created it to aid Kakashi's (and his own) escape, but his plan failed when they were separated. "Understood. I'll take my leave now, Hokage-sama."

His sensei nodded back. "Goodnight, Orochimaru."

And that was it for the night.

The next afternoon

After Obito and Rin's morning training on endurance – everyone but Kakashi unanimously agreed to leave the young chuunin out of that, allowing him only to rest near them – Team Minato received a sudden visit.

Orochimaru himself and his apprentice Anko had dropped by.

"Minato," he addressed the other jonin, barely glancing at his students. "If I can have a word with you."

"Uh, sure." The Yellow Flash told his genin to rest for five minutes before starting the obstacle course set up in Training Ground 25. They panted affirmatively.

Kakashi strained to hear the conversation, tugging absently at his new, too-tight-to-be-grabbed leather strap crossing his chest from his left shoulder to his right hip. He had tried to tie his tanto on the belt Minato-sensei gave him as a gift, but it ended up clinking by his side at every step.

So the young chuunin had to add that leather strap, after making sure grabbing it would require tearing it off him which, let's face it, was not going to happen. The belt and the brand new pouches were a bit bigger than his old ones too, so he could store more weapons and supplies in case he needed them.

During the 'welcome back' party, Rin had gifted him with a small medical kit – there were even a few antidotes, brewed by the kunoichi on Obito's half-serious suggestion – and a midnight black t-shirt with golden flame-like designs on the sleeves. On the back there was the Hatake Clan symbol surrounded by two silver wolves.

(Okugi had snorted, and Kakashi raised an eyebrow his sensei. There was no way this was on sale, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out when Minato had the shirt made. It didn't matter though: it was of a high-quality material and there were enough hidden pockets to make up for the mystery.)

"What can I do for you, Orochimaru-sama?"

"The Chuunin Exams begin in a week and Anko is still without a team. Your two genin need a third member to participate, who you don't seem to have found."

Minato-sensei's chakra brightened considerably. "Now I have, Orochimaru-sama, if I understand correctly your intentions."

"You do." Orochimaru's chakra didn't change in any particular way.

"I'll tell everyone of the change, then." The younger man was giddy, his energy almost bouncing in excitement.

"That didn't happen the first time around," Okugi commented. "Orochimaru had a full genin team. I guess he was too busy on the field for Hokage-sama to give him the other two."

Kakashi nodded minutely. 'Who was with Obito and Rin?'

"Aoba Yamashiro, I don't think you've met him. I don't know what he did before he became a Tokubetsu jonin." He sounded as if he were grieving. Kakashi nodded again and didn't comment on his older self's emotions.

Minato clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.

"Listen up, kids!" Obito grumbled something about 'not being a that small' that earned him a pointed look from Rin – and a more subtle one from Kakashi. "The Chuunin Exams, as I've told you, begin in a week. Anko here will join you to complete the team and will take the exams with you!"

Both Rin and Obito cheered with a, "Welcome to the team, Anko!" and the boy patted her on the back.

Orochimaru left with a nod as soon as Minato announced the news.

The jonin blinked at the quick shunshin, then turned with a grin to his new temporary student. "So, Anko-chan, we've seen part of your skills last time, but I bet that can't be all. Why don't you show us?"

Anko sparred with both Obito and Rin but not the other two, because Minato-san preferred to watch her and Kakashi was resting – "against my will," he had muttered, but his sensei pretended not to hear him. Okugi had smirked at that though.

"Where did you learn that jutsu?!" the Uchiha asked enthusiastically. He probably referred to the Dragon Fire ninjutsu, from which Rin had to save him with a Suiton jutsu.

The violet-haired kunoichi blinked at him. "Orochimaru-sensei taught it to me, duh."

"But…!" he flailed his arms, likely trying to find the words. Rin smacked him lightly on the leg and told him, "You fought with a branch and the branch won, you don't want to take the Exams with bruised ribs, do you? Obito, stop moving…!" "How did you make the fire stick to the wires? It didn't feel like you put oil on them!"

Anko rolled her eyes. "It's special ninja wire. Part of it is made of metal highly reactive to chakra."

"Annai wires, then," Kakashi murmured from his spot under the shadow of a tree. Rin and Obito were sitting by his left side, where Okugi's head was lying on his paws, while Anko was on the other. Minato was standing near Okugi's tails. "Earth-natured ninja focus their chakra on either iron or copper before mining it out and treating it to make the wires."

All four of them should have expected it. Minato kept watch on them, chuckling softly. "That's right, 'Kashi-kun," he said, reaching to ruffle his student's hair. The chuunin swiftly dodged the gesture with a scowl.

Rin thought about her teammate's words, then nodded. "Like for the chakra test papers."

Kakashi hummed affirmatively.

Obito's expression scrunched up in concentration. "You mean that paper I burnt when I put chakra into it?"

"Of course we do, Obito – do you usually randomly set slips of paper on fire?"

"B-Bakakashi!" he floundered, blushing slightly. "It, uh… never happened. Uhm."

"…Obito." This time it was Rin who pinned her teammate with a mild glare. The boy gulped. "When?"

"…I may or I may not have, uh…" Obito turned redder at the slightly interested stares he got from Kakashi and Anko. Minato's looked half-amused, but Rin's promised a punch on his bruised ribs. He almost flinched at that. "…two years ago, I found a, uh, box. Full of that chakra testing stuff. In my aunt's house. It seemed fun to test my chakra on those. So I, ah…"

Kakashi snorted. The sound was so unexpected everyone turned to him with both eyebrows up. "You almost set fire to your aunt's house?"

Obito's blush deepened as he scowled. "I didn't– it was all controlled!"

"Was it, Obito-kun?" Rin asked oh-so-sweetly. Her healing hands had already finished their work, but it (probably) wouldn't be above the kunoichi to smack him again to 'practice a little more'. Not when Obito's more life-threatening Stupid Tales were brought up.

"Uncle knew Suiton, so the fire didn't spread…"

Rin considered whether hitting him or not. Anko decided in her place.

"OW! Anko-chan!"

"I'm only two years younger than you and I'm not that little, you baka!" Cue another swat on his head.

This time Obito avoided it. He ended up on Kakashi's lap instead.

"Get off me!" the chuunin shoved his teammate with little sympathy, charging his hands with lightning chakra for the heck of it.

Obito yelped at the electric surge and jumped on one of Okugi's tails.

The supposed Konoha summon growled – playfully, Minato hoped – and pounced on the impudent genin.

"Bakakashi! He's gonna eat me!" the young Uchiha shouted as Okugi chased him lazily. He seemed to enjoy making the genin run for his life. The half-demon put a little more speed into his steps and nipped playfully at Obito's heels.

Obito screamed bloody murder. "Call him off, call him off!"

Kakashi found his tanto – which he had been polishing for the last half an hour – very interesting to look at and ignored his panicking teammate completely.

Anko laughed and sat back to enjoy the show. After glancing at his sensei and silver-haired teammate and watching Okugi chase Obito around in circles, she too leaned back and smiled.

Minato face-palmed at his team's attitude, but couldn't help the chuckle leaving his lips.

Children.

Two days later, Minato showed up to the Training Ground 25 with a young woman.

"This," he said with a grin, "is Minami Fuuma, tokubetsu jonin specialized in genjutsu."

The brown-haired woman nodded, the two bangs framing her face swaying slightly. The rest of her hair was tied up in a neat bun over her head. "I've heard a lot about all of you," she added as her gaze lingered on Team Minato and Anko. She frowned slightly when she looked at Okugi before her expression morphed into a small, not-exactly-friendly smile.

"You have quite a known team, Namikaze-san – Sarune-neesan just won't shut up about them. Rin-chan and Obito-kun in particular, though Kakashi-kun and Anko-chan are the talk of the village these days." The woman reached Okugi's head to pat him, but he moved out of her reach. "This guy too already has a reputation among the jonin."

Minato chuckled awkwardly at the silence that fell upon them. She seemed to know all about them, while they knew nothing about her. "Well, Minami-san, now that we've finished the introduction… what about we begin genjutsu training?" The woman nodded.

"Genjutsu training?" Obito parroted, uncertain.

His sensei nodded. "Not everyone during the Chuunin Exams uses taijutsu and ninjutsu. Most genin prefer them, but others have a certain predisposition to the other main ninja art – genjutsu. They'll be clever and sneaky opponents, who can be very dangerous if you don't know how to deal with illusions."

Rin shuddered. "Kakashi-kun has already tried to use genjutsu on us, sensei."

Obito's face turned a little green at the memory of an upside down reality. He agreed with his teammate, nodding a little too frantically.

"I know," he placidly said, though he shot a look in Kakashi's direction. "But there is more than one type of genjutsu, and they all require lots of chakra control: they're usually divided in two groups by difficulty."

Minami took over the explanation from there. "The first group is the main one, the True World Genjutsu. Most of the techniques are included into this category because the caster meddles with the target's chakra to create images, sounds, sometimes even smells to deceive the target. Shinobi use this kind of Genjutsu to trick their enemies into thinking they're somewhere else, or even not there at all. Sometimes they rely on the caster's imagination and attention to details to create something that doesn't exist: a pack of wolves, a trail of blood, a corpse-" Obito shuddered at that image, "-and anything that can buy the caster precious seconds to kill their target."

The green-eyed woman smirked. "However, the true fun comes with the second, most difficult kind: False World Genjutsu."

No one quite liked the way she said 'fun'. "What do they do, Minami-san?" Anko bravely asked, though she had a hunch.

"As the name suggests," the jonin purred, "they do more than meddle with the five senses. They are the most feared Genjutsu: the target is trapped in an actual illusionary world created by the caster, in which they can trick the target's mind into feeling excruciating pain when, in reality, they haven't been touched."

Both Kakashi and Okugi had a full-body shudder that suggested a past traumatic experience.

Minato planned to get an explanation for that, and if he got a name as well… eh, someone will probably get dismembered limb by limb. Slowly. Kicking and screaming, though not kicking for long.

"The human mind is a fickle thing," Minami continued, ignoring the looks of horror she was receiving from the genin, "and even illusionary pain can be debilitating."

"But I don't think other genin can properly use that, so you don't have to worry too much!" she cheerily added as she clapped her hands. Her mood just took a one-eighty from bloodthirsty to happy-go-lucky. It was upsetting, and more than a little frightening. "They're also used mainly as torture methods-" everyone's eyes snapped briefly to Kakashi, "-so it's unlikely you'll have to face them. Any questions before we begin?"

After a few tense seconds, Rin spoke up. "M-Minami-san… at the Academy, we learnt that pain can dispel a genjutsu. How can the… False World Genjutsu inflict pain, when they can be dispelled with that?"

The tokubetsu jonin smirked. "Real pain can dispel the genjutsu. Illusionary pain only strengthens it, because the target's mind will convince itself of the fake world's existence without added chakra from the caster."

"U-Understood, Minami-san…" Rin gulped, her face paler than usual.

Minato kind of regretted having brought such a blunt kunoichi for genjutsu training, but he knew his students would be better off knowing everything sooner, rather than discovering it the hard way during the Exams. He was doing it for their own good, he reminded himself.

He also couldn't find anyone else he knew with an expertise on genjutsu: they were mostly busy, loners, Uchiha or a combination of the three. Often all three together.

"And the Sharingan?" Obito cringed at the woman's stare. It didn't look friendly. "It can create genjutsu and dispel them faster, right?"

Minami nodded. "It allows an advantage when confronted with an illusion, yes. The Sharingan – as you should know-" the Uchiha squirmed slightly, "-can see sooner more details and discrepancies in both illusion and reality, which is a determinant factor when stuck in a genjutsu. Every second spent in an illusion is a second in which you can be killed."

Obito and Rin shuddered. Anko's fingers twitched.

"That dojutsu can also detect irregularities in someone's chakra flow, for example your teammates', so you know when they're being affected by a genjutsu. In the more advanced stages, you should be able to see the caster's chakra linked to your teammate's, as well." The kunoichi shrugged. "That's what my sensei told me, at least."

The young Uchiha answered with a trembling nod.

"What if two Sharingan users," everyone turned to Kakashi once more, "were to use a genjutsu on each other? Who would come out on top?"

Minato recovered first from his gaping. Did that mean he expected Obito to awaken his Sharingan and have to confront with his clansmen during the Exams?

The brown-haired jonin also seemed the slightest bit surprised. "It's unusual for two Uchiha to attempt a genjutsu on each other," she commented, "but it isn't unheard of. Usually the one with more experience in genjutsu breaks the illusion first, so they have an advantage. But sometimes – at least, that I know about – even the youngest can win if their Sharingan is more developed then the other's. It's a rare case, though."

Kakashi nodded and stayed silent.

"What about the Byakugan?" Anko asked. "It's a dojutsu as well, and even if it can't cast genjutsu it gives a more detailed visual than the Sharigan. Are the Hyuuga advantaged when under a genjutsu because of that?"

The woman shook her head. "It's a dojutsu that focuses on the shinobi chakra system and its tenketsu, so it doesn't give any particular advantage when trapped in a False World Genjutsu. The True World ones can be easily recognized if the caster puts too much incriminating chakra, but otherwise the Hyuuga are on the same level as those without Byakugan."

"Understood, Minami-san."

The older kunoichi allowed a wide smile to stretch on her red lips. "So, shall we finally begin?"

Kakashi – and, reluctantly, Okugi – left his genin teammates to fend for themselves. He had already taken the Chuunin Exams and his older self's knowledge about genjutsu was jonin-level: he had no need to subject himself to that kind of training again.

"I'm going to the lake in this Training Ground to train," Kakashi informed his sensei, already turning around to jump. Obito fell to the ground behind him.

The chuunin didn't expect his sensei to say, "I'm coming with you."

With a slightly hesitant nod, he allowed Minato to follow him.

Older Kakashi barely had enough chakra control to jump between trees.

If some of the branches had deeper claw marks than usual, or his imprints smelled strongly of Kurama's chakra – his own? – he could only grit his teeth (fangs) and try harder to control his energy.

He, his younger self and Minato-sensei stopped in front of a small lake.

"Okugi," the chuunin addressed him, "you know your chakra control is barely genin-level, right?"

"I know," he grumbled and Minato-sensei blinked at him. He must have known summons could speak, but was surprised he hadn't done so before.

"Then you know what to do." Chibi Kakashi pointed one of the tallest trees near the lake. Okugi nodded and made his way to the plant.

…At this point, he'd form the Tiger hand seal to better focus his chakra. Sure, his body wasn't what he was used to, but his paws were enough hand-like to allow him a simple hand seal. He thanked the Sage of Six Paths for that.

Okugi rose to his hind legs and locked his front paws into the Tiger hand seal, closing his eyes.

Minato made a curious – surprised, suspicious, interested – hum.

Then Older Kakashi made a run for the tree bark, tightly controlling his rushing chakra.

He got three meters over the tree before he was blasted off in the most embarrassing way ever. He sunk in the lake with an exasperated whine before slowly swimming his way back to the tree. At least it hadn't fallen.

He heard his younger self sigh. "I don't have to tell you what you've done wrong."

"You had problems with tree walking, too!" Okugi barked back, having listened to Kurama when he talked about that first training session. He shook most of the water off himself – which rained accidentally on the young chuunin.

Kakashi hurled a kunai at him. "Move!"

Okugi snickered at the angry puppy look on the boy before returning to tree walking.

He still kept an ear out for his younger self and Minato-sensei's conversation. The jonin had approached his student after Okugi's third failed attempt.

"Kakashi," Minato began, "you were telling the truth when you told me about… what Killer Bee did, weren't you."

The boy nodded. "Of course I was."

"Did you omit anything about that?"

"I didn't." Though the accusation was partially true, it still stung.

"Did anyone… use a False World Genjutsu on you?" Minato would've probably added a 'dare' before 'use'.

Kurama was still replenishing his missing three tails, so Kakashi was left to create his own lies. "…Once, seven months ago. When Kurama was sealed."

Okugi was blasted into the water before he could see the – probably furious – look on his sensei's face.

"What did he make you see?" That could still shake you after all this time, Older Kakashi added mentally. Minato-sensei must have seen the reaction he had at the mention of that type of genjutsu. Itachi's Tsukuyomi was rather hard to forget, after all.

Kakashi kept silent.

"…What do you remember?" Minato whispered, so quiet that Okugi might have missed it had his senses not have been enhanced.

For a couple of seconds, it seemed the young chuunin would give him the silent treatment. Then he spoke. "Everyone was dead," he answered blankly. "You, Kushina, Rin, Obito, Anko, Hokage-sama, Jiraya-sama, Tsunade-sama… even Tou-san, at the beginning."

Minato's eyes turned icy for a second before they melted into a warm, comforting gaze. He didn't show surprise at the way his student called Sakumo Hatake.

(Seven months ago, Chibi Kakashi would have scoffed and leapt away to face his problems alone.)

(He also wouldn't have been caught uttering Sakumo's name, much less calling him Tou-san. It had to be the influence of Older Kakashi's memories of forgiveness.)

"I don't know what that man wanted to achieve," the boy admitted, "besides keeping me distracted while he finished the seal. He didn't ask me anything, and I… don't think he could look into my memories." He offered a tiny shrug to his sensei's expression. "Not that he'd have found anything worth using, anyway."

Minato's right arm slowly crept behind his student's shoulders.

"You're not being subtle, sensei."

The blonde's arm dropped.

Kakashi sighed. "I didn't say you couldn't, sensei."

Minato instantly perked up and rested his arm on the chuunin's shoulders.

Okugi couldn't help staring longingly at both shinobi, though he stopped when Kakashi glared at him. It'd be no use to make him leave the one-armed hug to hurl another kunai at him.

The half-demon reached the fifteen meters mark on the tree – so he did keep some of his own control after all – when Minato spoke up again.

"Yesterday, during the spar… what kenjutsu style were you using?"

Kakashi hummed. "The one I've always used," he answered easily.

Minato didn't seem convinced – rather, he looked more confused. "…Kakashi, who taught you that style?"

A brief hesitation. "…Tou-san did."

"Sakumo-san wasn't in ANBU."

This time Kakashi shuffled out of his sensei's reach to look at him in the eyes. "So?"

"So," Minato stressed, though worry was plainly displayed on his face, "why did you use the ANBU standard kenjutsu style?"

Kakashi's shoulders rose defensively. "How do you know it's the ANBU's?"

The blond was getting irritated with his deflecting. "Do you?"

The chuunin's chakra bubbled in both annoyance and fear, but he didn't answer.

Minato sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "I'm sorry for pressing," he apologized softly. "I'm just… concerned with every new… development." I'm worried, I've almost lost you four times these months – let me understand what is happening.

Okugi made it up another five meters - uh, he was relearning fast - before Kakashi answered.

"Tou-san taught it to me, but said it was Kaa-san's." The chuunin's eyes betrayed no emotion as his face slipped into a blank mask. Minato regretted being the reason of its return. "He told me to use it only with a long katana. I wanted to… surprise you, sensei. With the chakra extension."

The jonin blinked at that then smiled, relieved. "You did, Kakashi-kun," he praised warmly. "Had I had slower reflexes, you'd have win right then and there – I really didn't expect that attack."

Kakashi's eyes slowly lost their blankness as he searched his sensei's gaze. "You didn't?"

"Not one bit," the man confirmed, still grinning. "It's rare that a shinobi decides to shape their chakra around their weapon to create another – given that they can do it, which is a difficult feat in its own right."

"But you can do the Rasengan, sensei… isn't that the highest mastery of chakra shaping?"

Minato chuckled. If Kakashi noticed him scooting closer, he didn't seem opposed to it. "Yeah, kind of, but you see…"

The blond jonin launched into an explanation that Chibi Kakashi listened to with rapt attention. Both inched their way closer to each other as the speech about chakra shaping slipped into changing chakra natures, affinities, strengths and weaknesses, yin and yang jutsu, converging (somehow) into an hypothetical plan to raid an Iwa camp.

(Minato was the only one who could attempt gentle coaxing to melt Kakashi's blank mask – and even then, it could happen only when the two of them were alone. Anyone else came up? The mask did, too. Then Minato-sensei was dead too, and Kakashi's mask had become permanent. He just figured out how to show some degree of emotion so no one realized.)

(Until Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura stubbornly shouldered their way into his lonely life.)

Having now reached the top of the tree running, Okugi started slowly walking up and down its height, thinking.

History was keeping mostly the same for now. If it continued doing so, Kushina would return for the Chuunin Exams and a few days later Jiraya would personally report to the Hokage that Iwa had planted spies among Suna and even Konoha's ranks. Orochimaru and Jiraya would then take the matter into their hands.

But what if the Tsuchikage was too busy making deals with the Raikage to 'awaken' his sleeper agents?

What if the Raikage would try to get Chibi Kakashi himself, given the failure of his strongest warriors?

What if Orochimaru and Jiraya were both busy fighting on Kumo's border and Iwa slipped into Konoha's territory? What if Jiraya never discovered the Kannabi Bridge location?

What if another Uchiha fell into Madara's hands?

Okugi shook those questions out of his head. He had to think clearly.

Their main goal was to kill Madara Uchiha and Black Zetsu and destroy the Gedo Mazou. Until then, Kaguya could still return – unacceptable, for both the time-travellers and Chibi Kakashi.

Between training, adapting, missions, injuries and two kidnappings, the Save The World Plan was hazy at best. There were a lot of loose ends and factors involved to do anything more specific.

After the Kannabi Bridge Mission, Minato would take the mantle of Yondaime Hokage.

Without Madara's involvement, Rin wouldn't have the Sanbi sealed in her and she wouldn't attempt suicide. Even if the Kiri-nin managed, somehow, to bypass two angry Hatakes and one pissed-off bijuu and continue with Madara's plan without the man himself, Isobu would still listen to Kurama. Like Gyuki did, just with less conflict. Probably.

If Rin didn't die (wouldn't have died?), Kakashi would never (wouldn't have ever?) step into the shadows of ANBU with his sensei and teammates right there. Minato had proposed him a position in ANBU to keep an eye on him and hope that the distraught teenager would heal with time.

Since past-Kurama wasn't as hostile as ever, he'd probably not go on a rampage to destroy Konoha. The fact that Madara was dead was also a huge change that tipped the scale in Minato and Kushina's favor. That was, if no one pulled a future-Obito and tried to control the past-Kyuubi.

Everything after that was an even more complicated mess.

With Minato as Hokage, Naruto would live showered in praises and weighted with expectations.

With Minato as Hokage, Fugaku would probably voice his displeasure – about what? The Kyuubi Attack never happened…? – instead of organizing a coup d'état.

With Minato as Hokage, Danzo'd better keep his damn hands to himself. The Yellow Flash could show mercy, yes, but he had no reason to close an eye on treacherous activity within the village. Especially if Danzo had plotted to assassinate him, or his students (namely Kakashi).

With Minato as Hokage, what would Orochimaru do?

Continue his experiments? Stop his experiments? Try to steal the hat from Minato's dead hands and then continue his experiments? Spread rumors to get the Yondaime overthrown? Be jealous? Sulk and brood? Do nothing?

Would he even become a nukenin? He ran away because the Sandaime couldn't – wouldn't? – stop him.

Kakashi had been in ANBU the first time around and had chased after him. That was how he met Tenzou face to face, discovered that strange smoke Clan living in a tree and eventually formed a bond with the young, impressionable ROOT agent.

(He shoved away the thought of how Tenzou's body has never been recovered before Kaguya had her revenge.)

That bond eventually led to the Sandaime discovering the boy, bringing him under Wolf-taicho's tutelage.

Obito doesn't die, Madara does, Rin doesn't, Minato and Kushina don't – Kakashi isn't in ANBU.

Kakashi doesn't turn to Danzo to betray the Hokage, Kakashi never meets Tenzou.

Tenzou is never recovered, Danzo keeps the young Mokuton user to himself.

Unless Kakashi himself used his future knowledge to break Tenzou out before he fell completely into 'the-mission-is-all-that-matters' mindset of ROOT. There was also no way he could save him before Danzo got to him: he had never known where he was kept first, but Orochimaru had (presumably) already experimented on him. Or maybe he was too busy with the war and the whole Jinchuuriki-Kakashi-has-been-kidnapped debacle.

Either way, Older Kakashi wanted his kouhai back. Nobody should ever grow and stay inside of ROOT, either.

But.

There must be a way to tell the Hokage – Sandaime or Yondaime – that Danzo had kept ROOT active, and that no, Kakashi isn't insane, yes I'm not lying and I'm not a traitor thank you very much.

Leaving a trail of clues sounded tempting, but what clues? Danzo might as well bide his time for years on end – he did it before, why not now – and Kakashi would waste the advantage of surprise by planting false evidence that was true only in his past.

Danzo was also a key player in the Orochimaru Escapade – if Orochimaru was so careless as to be discovered experimenting by the Yellow Flash – the Uchiha Massacre – if Fugaku didn't voice his displeasure first – and probably countless other troublesome underhanded plans no one quite managed to pin on him.

How different would the field be with all the chessboard pieces scattered to the winds?

Would Naruto, without Kurama, still be the Child of the Prophecy?

Would the Uchiha, without the misplaced blame of the Kyuubi Attack and Danzo's meddling, still be wiped?

Would Itachi, without the coup d'état looming over Konoha, still be forced to kill his Clan?

Would Sasuke, without his family blood on Itachi's hands, still be the broody teenager on Kakashi's team?

Would Orochimaru, maybe still inside the village, attempt to possess Sasuke's body, if there were still (presumably) other Sharingan running around? Would he even be that dead set on immortality (ha) to do that?

Would Tsunade, without being talked into taking the Godaime's mantle, still return to Konoha? Would she get over her fear of blood and train Sakura? Would Sakura even be the same as the one in his memories?

Would Sasuke run away from Konoha to… to who? Orochimaru was either dead or inside the village, or very deep in hiding.

Each small action piled up, causing ripples that changed how the Timeline would continue. But killing Madara, the biggest change they could cause, what kind of ripples would that do? Because of Obito's mere absence, how many people would be saved?

Because the fresh jonin Kakashi Hatake went back for his teammates, how much destruction would be (have been) avoided?

That was why Kakashi didn't (couldn't) make plans after Operation Kill Madara.

Every single one of the people he knew (Minato, Jiraya, Tsunade, Orochimaru, Sandaime-sama, Danzo, Naruto, Sasuke, Itachi, Sakura…) was an annoyingly big key player in the Timeline.

A change in one of them and puff! ROOT tries to take over ANBU, Minato rasengans his way through dark politics, Obito takes the mantle of Godaime to change Thursdays into Ramen Days (though Kushina could manipulate Minato into doing just that), Orochimaru's had enough of this shit and Kakashi uses the Jikan no Fujin again because what the fuck?

Yeah, not going to happen.

Also, he shouldn't forget Yahiko, Nagato (without Rinnegan, because Madara didn't give it him yet, maybe?) and Konan, and how Akatsuki was supposed to be an organization aiming for peace in Ame before Obito/Madara had to corrupt it.

And the time-travelling team should fix the political situation too, because without the corrupted Akatsuki's bijuu hunt, Gaara as the Naruto-reformed Kazekage and 'Tobi's war declaration, everything was bound to go to hell in a hand basket.

No pressure.

It was troublesome, and not what Kakashi had signed up for. (It was and he was just lying to himself.)

By this point, the tree smelled of his chakra – not unpleasant, but definitely a weird vulpine-canine combination that would raise more than a few Inuzuka eyebrows – and Chibi Kakashi was drawing with a stick his plan of attack on a supposed Kumo convoy (he recognized the formation, at least).

Obito and Rin screamed in the distance and he snapped his head in that direction.

"They're training," the chuunin called, glancing up just once before returning to his plan. "Minami-san is using genjutsu to test them and we'd know if someone else was there."

Okugi still stretched as little of his chakra as he could in that direction.

Obito's chakra was buzzing frantically as if he were fighting, which he probably was in the genjutsu that trapped him. Rin has been caught in a Double Demonic Illusion, in which she recognized one layer of illusion but not the other. It was a tricky one to escape from without the Sharingan.

Anko had just broken free from a genjutsu, but her chakra was still on edge. Minami left her a minute of respite before attempting another illusion on Orochimaru's apprentice.

(There was also the matter that Orochimaru would probably test his Cursed Seal on Anko.)

Minato and Kakashi were mostly tranquil – as tranquil as Minato could be while pointing out where an Exploding Tag would kill more people in a convoy – but Okugi was restless.

There was only one clear goal in their plan; the rest would sort itself out with an enormous amount of luck on their side, but would they really leave the fate of the world in the hands of a bloodthirsty Timeline? Absolutely not.

But what could they do then? He saw only three clear options.

Option 1: they spilled the beans to Minato-sensei.

Pros: someone else could vouch for them, help them and kick asses with them. The Hokage had more power than a chuunin-almost-jonin-Jinchuuriki, more influence and authority, not to mention more people willing to follow him to the end of the world.

Cons: Minato might as well lock him in an asylum, have his memories searched and have a heart attack to boot. The shinobi population might not believe him or demand an explanation for his strange orders. Kakashi wouldn't be believed and everything goes to hell once more. Just differently.

Option 2: they sent at least three Chakra Clones to do the job for them.

Pros: nobody would see it coming. The budding Akatsuki would find a Konohan ally that could contact Jiraya-sensei for them, Danzo's ROOT would slowly waste away as their members mysteriously disappeared, Minato would get unknown missives by an unknown shinobi that revealed him the future. Possibly. And maybe Gaara didn't have to be so alone, if he could help it.

Cons: if someone managed to prove it was him, or a Konohan in general, Konoha would stew in hot international waters for a long time. Minato could think the unknown shinobi was one of the associates of the Masked Man who sealed Kurama in his student. There was also the matter of how much those Chakra Clones would last, and how the untainted Akatsuki could contact him if the bunshin was to disappear.

Option 3: Kakashi and Okugi parted ways temporarily to cover more ground.

Pros: Kakashi and Kurama deal with the Inside Problems – aka Danzo, part of ROOT, possibly Orochimaru, some douchebag Uchiha – and help Minato-sensei, Rin, Obito, Kushina, Naruto, Sasuke, Itachi, Tenzou and Sakura. Okugi deals with the Outside Problems – aka other part of ROOT, underhanded plots to cause friction between villages, possibly Orochimaru – and help the original Akatsuki, Tenzou if he can help it, Gaara, Tsunade, Jiraya if he took to travelling again, the general political situation.

Cons: being separated didn't sit well with him. After Madara's real death, the Timeline would at least redouble its efforts in killing them and if one of them were to actually die, namely Okugi... how long before everyone knows? How long before the Fourth Shinobi War starts all the same and the villages tear each other apart? It's better to face the unknown together as one.

Okugi was tempted to bash his head on the tree and sleep until everything was sorted out.

When Kurama woke, they'd better have a long discussion about the outline of a plan. There was no way he'd sleep again without a reassurance – however fragile it might be – that it was them controlling the flow, not the other way around.

Crap, this Chapter is longer than the "Konoha vs Iwa" one! Nearly 8000 words! D:

So. I made everything up for the Genjutsu explanation. Minami's sensei was/is an Uchiha, and s/he described what the Sharingan did about Genjutsu. I hope it wasn't too tedious ':)

Minato's prying. He's worried, and he has questions.

Mentions of Kakashi's ANBU mother. Older Kakashi had to have heard about her in ANBU at some point, at least. Minato knows she was ANBU, so doesn't question further his student - since it also made him close into himself once more.

Older Kakashi/Okugi's thinking is as logical as I could make it. Everything up to the Kannabi Bridge mission is almost set in stone, but not quite. If Madara and Black Zetsu die, it'd probably lead to a better future.

But there are lots of loose ends and loose cannons, which Kakashi can't help but notice. He lived during that time, recorded it with the Sharingan and all that jazz.

The question of Orochimaru is a Mess. Kakashi and Kurama know he can turn on Konoha. But will he? Did they change enough? What would be the determinant change the makes Orochimaru either a bat-shit crazy nukenin or keeps him loyal to Konoha?

Danzo, at least, is a clear target. That much I can appreciate. ;)

Also, Minato Namikaze as Hokage. I hope you believe me when I say it's another Mess on its own.

(See, this is why I should get someone to brainstorm with. Just PM me/review with ideas not to get stuck in my own convoluted musings. D:)

Beware of the Kitsune's rage!

Shiiroi Kitsune21