Minato's muscles were still recoiling from being electrocuted so thoroughly. They continued to seize and then fall apart like melted jelly. Rin was helping, but it wasn't fast enough. This man was dangerous. His attacks were strong, and no one could get close enough to hit him. He absorbed all the jutsus they threw at him and was currently using Kushina as a battery. He needed his muscles to cooperate so he could get back into the fray.

Kakashi's voice yanked at Minato's attention. Kakashi was running towards him, calling out. For a moment, he seemed even younger than he had been just a moment earlier. He nearly expected to see Iwa nins chasing after him, but instead, the air split in two like gaping maw. Kakashi whipped around and stopped to stare into it. It was going to consume him. He was going to lose Kakashi. Would he make it in time? Would he be too slow? His kunai wouldn't strike the earth fast enough. The seal seared across his skin as it called to him. He urged it to go faster. He needed to go faster. The void was growing, and Minato scooped Kakashi up into his arm. He ignored the voice that told him it was wide enough to consume them both now. Instead, he went to signal to another hiraishin tag, but the connection was lost before it was made. He was tackled to the ground.

Minato's breath was forcefully evicted from his body. He gasped, trying to keep his wits about him as he struggled to breathe under the unexpected weight. He tightened his hold on Kakashi, who was somewhere on top of him. A mirror image stared down at Minato. The same blue eyes, the same color hair, but the style differed, and scars lined his cheeks. This was not his reflection, but damn if he didn't look like him.

Kakashi grunted as he tried to shove the man off of him but was flattened again as two more strangers emerged from the void and landed on top of them. Minato was crushed under the weight of them all, and Kakashi was desperately trying to wiggle free.

Minato felt heat pooling on the top of his head. He tilted his head back and cursed. A giant ball of fire was hurtling towards them, and Minato was trapped. He did his best to tuck Kakashi in and wait for the fire to sear his skin, but it didn't come.

Purple chakra had engulfed them all, and it deflected the fireball. Then the people piled on top of him finally jumped off. Kakashi gasped noisily. Minato kept his arm around Kakashi and got them back on their feet. His other hand dove for a kunai as he watched the three unknown shinobi. The purple chakra still surrounded them all. Were they trapped? Was this some sort of barrier? It looked strangely like a set of ribs.

"You, okay?" the blonde man asked, who looked remarkably like himself, but his smile was too broad.

Minato wasn't going to accept just anyone's friendliness. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"Sensei, it's fine," Kakashi said, muffled against his side. Minato hadn't realized he was smothering the boy.

The pink-haired kunoichi slowly approached them, her hands exposed and empty. "Are either of you injured? I'm a medic-nin," she asked. Her eyes kept drifting down to Kakashi, which only irritated Minato further.

"We're fine," Minato snapped. He didn't want her getting closer.

"Otsutsuki, it's the same one we dealt with before." Minato looked over the kunoichi's shoulder to the second man. There was very little distinctive about him discounted his unusual style of clothes. His long brown poncho and head wrapping made him look thoroughly out of place among the other two. Like he should be riding a mule through rocky terrain instead of inside a civilized village.

"Aww man, I was hoping for a challenge, believe it," the blonde grinned as he settled into a fighting stance. It was a typical Konoha stance.

"Don't bullrush in," Kakashi's voice rang out, "the enemy is absorbing chakra and is currently leaching off-" Minato covered Kakashi's mouth with his hand. What was he doing? Kakashi knew better than to blabber information to unknown entities!

Kakashi glared at him then started clawing at his hand. Minato pressed Kakashi against his side and kept his hand secured around his mouth. The blonde crossed his fingers and shouted, "Kage bunshin no jutsu!" Hundreds of closes popped into existence around them. Kakashi struggled against him with renewed fervor. Minato didn't think he was suffocating Kakashi, but doubt and worry forced him to release him.

"Naruto, no!" Kakashi shouted as soon as his hand was removed. The blonde looked at Kakashi with wide eyes. "He'll absorb the clones! You'll just be feeding him!"

Naruto cringed and took a step back. In unison, all the clones popped out of existence. "How are we supposed to whoa-" Naruto ducked and retreated back into the purple ribcage when a wind blade nearly lopped his head off.

The dark-haired man rolled his eyes, "physical attacks, Dumbass."

"Just my specialty!" the pink-haired woman declared as she tugged on her glove. "You boys know what to do!"

The boys shared a look, a silent exchange of ideas and plans. This trio was a well-trained team. That could be a good thing if they were on their side, but a disaster if they were actually on the Otsutsuki's side. Minato twisted the back of Kakashi's shirt around his hand. He then threw his hiraishin kunai towards Kushina and teleported the both of them to her side.

"Fugaku-" Minato called to him but faltered. Fugaku was staring wide-eyed at the purple ribcage surrounding the trio.

"Susanoo, but I don't know that Uchiha," Fugaku explained without prompting.

"That's Sasuke Uchiha," Kakashi filled in, "your second son."

Kushina screeched next to Minato as she tried to rear back. "Fucking hell, let go of me!" The Kyuubi's corrosive red chakra was beginning to seep from Kushina's skin.

"We need to end this," Minato said, glancing about quickly.

"Sensei, just wait. They know what to do," Kakashi gestured to the new arrivals. "They're my students."

Minato could hardly grasp what Kakashi meant by that. When he tried, the implications rushed out of his hands like sand in a colander. The trio marched their way forward towards the firestorm. They weren't even trying to mask their intention. Either this was a really foolish team, or they were simply that strong.

Naruto was the first to lunge at the Otsutsuki with only a kunai in his hand. Minato sucked in a breath and watched him barrel through the fiery chakra, seemingly unconcerned for his own safety. The next thing he knew, Sasuke and the kunoichi disappeared from where they were standing, replaced by a kunai that dropped to the ground.

There was a loud yell of "Shanroo!" and the assassin flew out of his own chakra storm, skidding across the dirt on his back.

The chakra storm cleared out, revealing Naruto howling in laughter. "Ha! That's right, you stupid Otsutsuki! Hehe, Sakura-chan, that was amazing, believe it!" Sakura flipped her short hair over her shoulder, preening in the praise.

Kushina's chains retracted, and she sat back on her heels, sighing in relief. Minato crouched down, but she swatted him away. "I'm fine." Minato had to trust her.

The pink kunoichi jammed her fists onto her hips. The pose was so blatantly mocking Minato wondered where the hell this group put all their confidence. Was quiet, calm Kakashi sure these were his students? "I'm not done with him yet. You boys stay back. I'm going to pulverize this guy!" Sakura launched herself forward, slamming her fist into the Otsutsuki's face so hard it cracked the earth below. The earth that his house was fucking standing on!

"Sakura, mind the property damage," Kakashi called out, far too calm. "Tenzo isn't around to fix it."

Sakura didn't respond and lifted the parasite up from the ground over her head. But when she went to slam him into the ground, Minato was sure that was not a typical shinobi move. The assassin latched on to Sakura. "Sasuke!" She yelled.

Before Minato could register what happened, Sasuke and Sakura switched places. The speed was incredible even to Minato. Never had he seen someone do a switch that quickly. The assassin looked equally confused to suddenly have a hold of Sasuke. Then a repulsion of chakra shot the assassin away from him and towards Sakura's new location.

Minato expected to hear a crunch as her fist reached the back of the Otsutsuki's skull through his face. But he had phased through her hand. Minato cursed; the assassin could phase again. That made things a lot harder.

Minato gripped his kunai, ready to join in the fray. He couldn't just watch as the three strangers fought their battle. Kushina's hand on his shoulder stopped him. Her eyes were brighter than he had ever seen them. A closed-lip smile stretched her face, and pride radiated off of her. "Our son is about to make his move. I want to see it. I want to see Kashi-kun's legacy and what he has been so determined to protect."

Kakashi's legacy. Minato was suddenly struck by that. He was watching the future. Kushina had told Minato before that she didn't believe they were around to raise their son but that he ended up as Kakashi's student. Minato had trained Kakashi, and Kakashi had trained Naruto. This was the future right before his eyes.

Minato looked down at Kakashi, who was focused on his own students. His tiny body was taut, as if ready to jump in at any moment. Minato had no intention of letting that happen, but he understood the sentiment. Minato felt the same when he was forcing himself to allow his students to fight their own battles. It was the most challenging aspect of teaching. Kakashi suddenly looked away, and Minato followed his line of sight.

Naruto was sitting off to the side of the battle in a lotus position that Jiraiya-sensei had taught Minato. Was he gathering natural energy? Was Naruto a sage like Jiraiya-sensei? Minato struggled with sage mode because he couldn't clear his mind. He often fell into the trap of thinking about not thinking.

An ANBU landed softly next to Minato. He didn't need the ANBU to speak to know what the question was. On the roof of his house and in the trees were Konoha's ANBU and jounins standing at the ready. All of them viewing the fight with the three strangers. Even the Hokage and Danzo-sama stood among them. "Hold your positions. I want to see the newcomers plan in action," Minato instructed.

The ANBU left Minato's side to report back to the Hokage. Minato paid them little mind.

"Now," Kakashi said quietly.

As if obeying Kakashi's order, Naruto's eyes snapped open, revealing gold amphibian eyes. He stood up and then was suddenly gone, replaced by Sasuke and Sakura. Sakura jumped up with a shout, "Get em' Naruto!" Minato couldn't help but feel this trio was not taking the enemy seriously. Should he feel slighted, considering how this assassin has been plaguing them for months now?

The assassin flew like a cork through the air and skidded on the ground. Naruto was on him in a moment. His fist going through the assassin's face and into the ground. The entity resolidified with Naruto's arm going through his head. It didn't seem to affect him, but Naruto wasn't able to pull his arm out.

"I know you, but I can't use you as you are." The assassin sat up, Naruto's arm slid further through his head. Minato cringed for his future son. He couldn't imagine what that felt like. Naruto's eyes crossed as his face scrunched up in disgust. "But I'll take your energy and kill Kakashi. Then I will take out every last one of you," Naruto's arm began to glow, and Naruto struggled to remove himself. "Once I have you all, I will be able to present my findings to the council. They will finally understand I am more than they thought."

Chakra poured out of Naruto in waves. Why wasn't anyone helping him? Why were Naruto's teammates standing back and watching? Minato shared a look with Kushina. Her face was pinched with worry. Neither of them knew what to do.

"Trust them, Sensei. They know what they are doing," Kakashi said firmly next to him. His unwavering faith kept him anchored on his spot.

Naruto continued to struggle as the Otsutsuki spoke, but then he stopped. Naruto tucked his chin down and glared down at the parasite. "You took my Sensei and tried to kill him when he was young and weak." Minato ignored Kakashi's whine of protest. "Then you tried to do the same with Sakura. We've already defeated you once. I won't lose to you now!" Naruto roared the last part of his speech.

The panic appeared on the parasite's face as he glanced down. Stone crept up his legs, building on top of itself as if to entomb the assassin. He flickered as if to dispel himself, but it only managed for a moment. Naruto had yanked his arm out of the parasite as soon as he tried to phase.

Minato finally understood the plan. Naruto had poured natural energy into the assassin, causing him to become unbalanced and turn him into stone. That was why none of Naruto's teammates tried to intervene. It was a trap, Minato couldn't help but grin; that had been a smart move. Naruto's teammates had distracted the chakra-hungry entity long enough to give Naruto time to accumulate the needed natural chakra. The struggle to get his arm out of the parasite had been an act to lull the Otsutuski into a false sense of security so he would continue to extract the natural chakra. Minto looked down at Kakashi to see him smiling with unadulterated pleasure and pride at his students.

The assassin screeched before turning completely solid. For a breath, no one moved, waiting to see if it would hold. Then Sakura closed the distance and slammed her fist into the statue. It exploded from the force raining bits of rock down on them. Then she turned sharply on her boot and looked at Minato's group. Minato wasn't sure what they did to attract her attention, but he really didn't want it. Her red eyes gleamed in the sunlight.

"Kaka-sensei!" Sakura screeched and dashed over to them.

Minato yanked Kakashi out of her path and placed him on his opposite hip between him and Kushina. Sakura rushed past them then turned sharply with a huff. "I wasn't going to hurt him. He just looks so cute being all small and standing there. Can I have him, please?" she held out her arms.

"Sensei don't," Kakashi whispered. "She's a liar."

Minato adjusted Kakashi on his hip but didn't have a chance to respond. Several ANBU jumped down along with Danzo-sama and Hokage-sama.

"You all have made quite the ruckus. Perhaps someone would like to explain?" The Sandaime's tone was jovial, but his eyes were sharp and focused, and the three newcomers then landed on himself. Minato wasn't sure what to say either. He pulled in a breath to give him a bit more time before answering. Yet, he still wasn't sure what to say.

"Ah, JiiJii!" Naruto screeched and waved his arms in the air. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki; you better remember my name!" He was then smacked across the head by Sasuke.

"Not so loud, Dumbass."

"Shut up, Bastard!" Naruto snarked back. For a moment, Minato was reminded of Obito and Kakashi.

"Mah, Hokage-sama, I did try to tell you. I'm from the future, and these three are my students who defeat the moon goddess, Kaguya. The assassin was from her clan called the Otsutsuki, a race of aliens that gave our world chakra. He wanted information on how Kaguya was defeated and sealed back into the moon to achieve personal gain among his peers. But you didn't believe me," Kakashi shook his head slowly.

Minato had to bite his lower lip so he wouldn't laugh. It still sounded ridiculous. He glanced at the Sandaime, who looked conflicted, and Danzo looked ready to beat Kakashi over the head for mockery.

"We sure did! That Kaguya and her weird plant child, Zetsu! Man, that was a trip. We worked as a team and beat her! Just like Kaka-sensei taught us! Even the bastard joined in!" Naruto grinned.

"Naruto, stop talking," Sakura lifted her fist in a threat.

"I see. So, you three...no four are from the future then?" Sandaime asked, trying to wrap his mind around what had been going on under his nose.

"Hn. We'll be leaving shortly. I just need a moment of rest to recharge. Finding Kakashi had been challenging due to the fact I wasn't there to follow him when he was first sent back," Sasuke explained.

"You can time travel at will?" Sandaime sputtered.

"Yes," Sasuke answered simply.

What the hell kind of students did Kakashi have?

Geeze, Hiruzen, why didn't you believe it the first time Kakashi told you? Lol. A lot of guessed it, Team 7 suddenly appeared to take Kakashi home. I couldn't have Kakashi solve this himself. It was supposed to be an impossible situation for him. But at this point, Kakashi will start articulating his answer to the big question plaguing him since the prologue. I hope you'll enjoy the wrap-up of the story too!