Really Grey
10.
"Oh my God, I can't—I can't do this in thirty minutes—I…I—!"
Minato shook the formerly masked ninja gently on the shoulders. "Yes. You can," Minato offered him a pure smile of reassurance.
Trippy looked faint. Quite a bit of blood had exited down his face, leaving him appearing quite pale. "You can do it," Minato smiled. "Besides, you can blame me. I was the one that knocked down the ceiling fan."
"We bought it when we moved in."
"Shut up!" the ninja said in unison.
"Come on," Minato steered him over the scroll. "What can I do?"
Trippy opened his mouth, remembering the grand formula he was working on. "Well, I'm going to need you to write your seal. On what yet I'm not sure…" Trippy bent over and sat on the floor, hovering over the black ink. "Oh God…" he murmured. He could not see past a simple image of his daughter, right before his eyes, smiling, "Daddy!"
"Come on," Minato said again, holding him on the shoulder, "Show me."
.
"What in the hell just happened…?" asked Yondaime.
Rin stared at the new Minato-sensei a little fearfully. She said not a word. Minato looked around—"What happened here?"
Rin bit her lip. "Kakashi…" her throat was dry. "Obito…"
"Where is Obito?"
Rin turned her face away and sobbed.
.
Rin listened to the hokage explain it to Maito Gai when all of a sudden a tap on a shoulder made her inadvertently shriek: "AH!" Fearing it was another alternate version Gai, she was relieved it was only Obito. Throwing her arms around him in a quick hug, she noticed his shirt was torn in a few places. "Ha ha," he laughed, "Um, are you all right Rin?"
She nodded.
Just then, Kushina and the tower aide came running down the street. "SARUTOBI-SAMAAAA!" she said loudly, "THE CRYSTAL BALL!"
"What? What is it?"
"It…" she was panting to hard to speak now, "Showed…Sho…"
Nidaime turned the corner and stared at the ninja.
Might Gai pointed first, but he was shocked noticing his purple doppelganger. Then Sarutobi, Danzou, and Kushina looked on at the newest arrival on mainstreet. "Ni…daime…" they spoke in unison.
Obito and Rin looked at each other in utter astonishment.
Chiyo (who had recently beat up Sakumo) came marching in on this display exactly two seconds later, "AH-HAH, NOW WHAT DO YOU SAY, BROTHER? JIRAIYA, THEN SAKUMO! NOW NIDAIME HOKAGE! WHO THE HELL DO THEY THINK THEY ARE!"
"Ooo my…" Chiyo scrunched her nose, "Is that what I really sound like…?"
Jiraiya, Chiyo, and her traveling companions looked on at the other Chiyo and her other traveling companions.
Chiyo's brother looked at Chiyo's brother strangely.
Chiyo's guard looked at Chiyo's guard.
Chiyo looked at Chiyo.
Chiyo laughed, "Ha ha ha!"
Chiyo turned red. "WHAT THE HELL IN KAMI-SAMA'S NAME IS GOING ON HERE?"
"I'm you!" Chiyo smiled.
"What am I doing here?" Nidaime asked himself quietly.
"Why is there a purple me?" asked aquamarine Gai.
"Oh, hey, look, there's Nidaime," remarked Jiraiya.
"Jiraiya…" murmured Danzou, unable to see past a Jiraiya without prison clothes on.
"Hi all!" smiled Jiraiya cheerfully.
Chiyo was ready to blow. "WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?" she demanded, drawing several kunai in her hands underneath her traveling garb.
"Hold on me…" Chiyo grinned, amused by this phenomenon. "Don't be too hasty. We've all been caught in a great mishap."
"…Of time," supplied Sarutobi.
Chiyo (who had recently beat Sakumo very badly) looked at them each with suspicion. "You expect me to believe that!"
"In my…time…Sakumo is dead."
"In mine," said Danzou, "He's alive…Tentatively, anyway…"
Rin gasped, looking at Obito.
"Right, and in my time, Suna and Konoha are allies…somewhat," Chiyo laughed.
"WHAT."
Chiyo nodded.
Jiraiya folded his arms, "This is kind of interesting, I have to say. If it wasn't half so serious, I'd suggest we'd all head down to the tavern and get ourselves thoroughly—"
"Jiraiya that's enough."
"Yes sensei."
Danzou scratched his head.
Nidaime stepped forward, "Have you a plan?"
"…Actually…"
Sarutobi grimaced. "Minato—"
"MINATO!" Kushina burst, remembering, "I TOTALLY JUST SAW MINATO. That's why I came to see you! He was summoned someplace…" she noticed Rin and Obito. "THEY were at Kannabi," she pointed. "Minato was summoned there. And then he was…He was back at the house…" she spoke now in growing confusion.
"…Rin. Obito," said Sarutobi, "…Gai. Genma. You are children. I know this is difficult to grasp, but if you could collect the other genin around here and keep them calm, you will be doing a great service."
They nodded slowly, and went off to obey.
"This is terrible," said Kushina regretfully.
Nidaime rested a heavy aged hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump and stiffen as he smiled an old smile, "I suppose we'll have to trust…Yondaime…?"
Sarutobi smiled, "Yes."
.
Tsunade looked at herself in disbelief.
Dan stood near her. Their child was with a nurse. "Dan, I don't know what to say," she trembled.
"Well. You don't have to say anything. I just hope all this blows over so I can get on with my life. Alone," he grumbled.
"Dan…Please…Isn't there someway you can—we can work it out?"
Dan looked at his Tsunade, until to his terror, his Tsunade roused. Reluctantly, he held up a hand for Tsunade not to come close while he walked near the bedside of his wife. "Dan…" Tsunade heard herself whisper. "I'm sorry."
Dan shook his head, and walked out—down the hall. Tsunade watched him stop, pressing his forehead against the cool of the wall. Never in her life did Tsunade feel so helpless.
.
Kakashi took out something from his pocket and sighed, "How could I forget?" It was the medkit Rin had given him. "Doesn't matter now…"
"RIN! He's in HERE!"
Kakashi stood, put away the pouch, and stared at an aquamarine jumpsuit. "…Gai?"
"Yes?" A Gai in a purple jumpsuit appeared behind his identical twin.
Kakashi freaked.
"Kya-kya-shi! At least you're still here," the blue Gai smiled.
Kakashi rolled out a shake from his shoulder, "What the..."
"Kakashi!" said Rin, coming with Obito and Genma following close behind. "Will you come with us? Sandaime-sama told us to seek out the young genin, keep them calm."
Kakashi looked over his shoulder, in the direction of his father's room. "What's wrong?" Rin added gently.
"My mom's gone…again," He stuffed his hands in his pockets, "Fine, I'll come," he said a little reluctantly, keeping an eye on the two Gai.
"My aunt is trying to murder my uncle," said Obito humorously…except it didn't really come out that way.
"Oh so that's why your clothes are all ripped," Kakashi observed.
"Hey you don't look so hot either."
"It was Chiyo," Kakashi growled.
"Oh, yes…she was outside meeting…" Rin shushed him, "Come on, let's go."
The six young people left the hospital.
Jiraiya met them on their way out, "Oh, hi again kiddies!"
All three of Minato's cell stared wearily while the blue Maito Gai smiled, "Hi Jiraiya-sama!"
"Hello …uh…who are you?"
"I'm Might Guy!" they both replied naturally in unison. Then they looked at each other precariously.
"Oh yes. Fuzzy brows. Is Tsunade still in here?"
Kakashi nodded.
"Awesome."
.
But as Jiraiya entered the hospital, he was greatly surprised to see one of his students there, taking to one of the nurses; "You weren't here before," Jiraiya remarked with a grin on his lips.
Minato brushed off his grey clothing. He had been in a fight. "Jiraiya-sensei?"
"Glad to know I'm still your sensei in another alternate reality."
"An alternate reality? So it's true? I must warn Kushina—this is nuts—"
"Don't waste your time—she already knows."
"Oh. Where is she?"
Jiraiya hesitated. "She's with Sarutobi, Danzou, and Nidaime with two sets of suna nin outside. Don't worry, they're all friendly," he pointed behind him with a lopsided grin.
"Wait…did you…say…Danzou…?"
"Um…yeah?"
"KUSHINAA!" The alternate Minato bowled over the staff and people, rushing outside.
Jiraiya chuckled.
.
Minato saw them all in the street and prepared to enter in as only a true ninja would: "Hiiiii…YAH!"
A flying kick rolled into Danzou's body.
The Chiyos were both equally astonished.
"Minaa-to…What's the meaning of this?" asked Sarutobi.
"SPY! SO IT'S YOU!"
Danzou defended himself, "Yondaime, what are you-?"
"Yon…dai…me…?" Minato hesitated.
"Oh sweet Lord," Kushina slapped her palm to her face, "Minato…" she said ruefully.
"Kushina! Stay back! I'll protect you! Be careful, all of you! He can issue the most skilled genjutsu!"
Danzou's mouth was open, glancing at Sarutobi, but the utter silliness of the situation prevailed, and Chiyo finally found an enemy: "DANZOU!" Chiyo yelled her battle cry, and attacked.
"Oh my," said the placid Chiyo, "Ha…sorry!"
Minato suddenly became aware of the two identical women, and the two identical suna men. "KA! RELEASE!" shouted the man who would be Yondaime.
Nothing happened of course.
"…Huh? It must be too powerful! KAA!"
Again, Kushina buried her face while Sarutobi decided he would not stand by and watch Chiyo beat up the universe's only good Danzou. Chiyo also could not bear the sight of herself. So she decided to fight herself, "Take this, ME!"
The suna men shrugged; they fought each other.
Minato stepped in to take on Danzou, old Nidai stepped in to stop Minato.
"Oh yes," said Kushina, "Let's trust all this to my husband—OW!" Vengeful Chiyo had just thrown a shuriken at the red-haired kunoichi's feet—"Okay! YOU ARE GOING DOWN, LADY!"
.
Elsewhere, Gai, Gai, Genma, Kakashi, Rin, and Obito did not have to wander far to tag young Kurenai to their team. However, they soon found someone else had beaten them to their goal as they heard a snarky, lazy voice, "Hey, look, Asuma, more of them!"
Kakashi (even after meeting the two Gai) was now quite speechless. A tattooed, hollow, masked, thug-like delinquent version of himself wearing a Konohagakure headband on the wrong side of his forehead came into view alongside an equally tattooed, indignant, angry young form of Asuma, smoking. Next to him was a fiery dark-violet haired Mitarashi Anko, blowing a gum balloon from black lips.
"Holy…Moses…"
"Kakashi?" said Rin, in utter horror, hanging onto Obito's sleeve fearfully.
"Rin," thug Kakashi recognized. "What're you doing hangin' with these cheap imitations?" he smiled behind his mask, the leader of this gang.
Rin's eyes were wide, but she too had nothing to say.
"Kya-kya-shi…" muttered purple Gai, groaning.
"Asuma…" uttered blue Gai.
"Ha-ha, all the colors of the rainbow, Kakashi," Asuma grinned, cracking his knuckles. "We missed these two."
The two Gais looked at each other indignantly.
"Why am I such a punk?" Kakashi asked himself.
Obito turned behind him, realizing it was coming from his Kakashi and he smiled. "Funny, kid?" thug Kakashi disagreed. He stepped forward brazenly, "Let's see that Sharingan of yours, if you can muster it!"
Obito narrowed his eyes, "I always thought you bordered on incorrigible, but really," he smiled. "What do you say, Kakashi?" (For he sure as hell might not have done this alone.)
"What? And beat MYSELF up?" Kakashi exclaimed, "What the HELL!"
"What a pathetic version of me," Kakashi sneered. "You aren't even worth my time."
"Boys…" Rin interjected but the thug Kakashi reached out and stroked her brown hair, "Rin, you're always too soft."
Obito grabbed Kakashi's arm. "No. Way."
Anko struck first.
Obito protected Rin, and Kakashi came up from the rear, attacking…himself.
"Kurenai—you too?" said punk Asuma in surprise of her surprise attack—Anko popped her gum—"I'll take her," she said, throwing shuriken to stop her advance. The blue Gai and Genma joined Kurenai and so did Rin while purple Gai remained with Kakashi and Obito fighting punk Kakashi and punk Asuma.
Their fight was not going well. Gangster Kakashi and gangster Asuma were seriously overpowering the three young leaf nin. "This is too much!" Obito cried, wishing his protection stone was working.
"I know, and it's only me! What the hell! How could I get that strong!" Kakashi added to Obito.
"Well, it looks like you bypassed conventional methods…" Obito dodged punk Kakashi's super-speed and Asuma's super-strength.
"Weaklings," said Kakashi.
The fight was going poorly for all non-gangsters involved until a kunai marked the entrance of another young man—this one half the size of Kakashi—"Kabuto! We were looking for you!" said punk Kakashi.
"YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING." Obito complained over the tattooed six year old. "HOW MANY OF YOU ARE THERE?"
"Ah, you know…" smiled Kakashi, admiring his group in line.
"Our leader went AWOL…" said Asuma.
"…And who the heck was that…?" said Kakashi, dreading the answer he guessed was coming.
"…Orochimaru!" proclaimed Anko proudly, flexing her snake tattoo on her bare arm.
"Orochimaru!" gasped Rin, looking at Kakashi, then alternate Kakashi.
"Augh!" bemoaned Obito, "Kakashi, you're crazy!"
Kakashi didn't really know who he was referring to, but, "Got any more friends?" he growled.
Thug Kakashi was about to respond when a flying kunai in front of Kakashi answered, "This will end here and now," said young Morino Ibiki firmly.
"Ibiki…!" Obito brightened.
He descended like a hawk from the roof of a building nearby, standing firm and resolute with the other teenagers.
"Well well," admired thug Kakashi, "Morino Ibiki."
"You're on our side, right…?" Obito whispered to him frantically.
Ibiki drew a kunai from his holster and held it out in front of Obito. He yelled. And attacked Kakashi. The thug version.
"…You know, you almost had me going there…!" Obito saw fit to mention while dodging Asuma's shuriken.
.
