After the fight in Minato's backyard, everyone involved, including Kakashi's three students, was escorted to the Hokage's office. Minato could only imagine what a political nightmare this was. Kakashi had just announced to the entire jounin and ANBU force that he was from the future. So much for keeping things the same.
They stood before Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo, and Nara Shikaku. Minato knew better than most that this was the trio you didn't want to stand in front of for any reason. Kushina looked worn out, but she was standing proudly next to him, her chin tilted up in either defiance or as a challenge. Minato was afraid to guess. Fugaku was standing next to her, constantly looking over at Sasuke. He understood the sentiment. His own eyes often drifted to Naruto, who stood on one side of Sasuke.
Naruto looked so much like him it was startling. But the curve of his nose and the flesh in his cheeks belonged to Kushina. He was unimaginably strong and confident in his team. Their eyes locked for a moment, and Minato's breath hitched. His eyes were a perfect mixture, his own color containing Kushina's zeal. What had he been like as a child? He briefly thought back to what Kakashi told him about his son's pranking a nature and decided he was looking forward to it after all. Naruto grinned at him, and Minato smiled back.
Naruto then leaned over to Sakura to whisper something to her while pointing at Kakashi, who was reporting how he had gotten to the past. Sakura elbowed him hard and shushed him. She focused intently as Kakashi began to list the injuries he received from this time travel. Sakura gapped, "Sensei! We should-"
"Mah, mah, Sakura-chan. Later. Have some faith in the hospital," Kakashi gave Sakura a placating smile.
She looked startled with her eyes that wide, "you are so cute. It's unfair, Sensei!"
An uncomfortable look crossed Kakashi's face, and Minato remembered his whispered plea not to give him to Sakura. With the monstrous strength she demonstrated earlier, Minato could understand why.
"Can we get back to the matter at hand?" Danzo-sama interrupted, earning him a sneer from Sakura.
Sasuke then took a step forward, claiming the spotlight from Kakashi. Kakashi moved out of the way and seemed to hesitate on where to stand. He finally decided to stand next to Minato.
"Kakashi's ninken appeared at Konoha's gate requesting back up. I was not in the village at that time. From reports, Naruto and Sakura were the first to arrive in the area. Still, Kakashi was no longer there, and there was no enemy-nin insight. A massive search was issued, and I was called in from my mission to assist. Weeks passed before we were able to locate the enemy. He was able to remain undetected even to Naruto's sage mode. We confronted the enemy, and a subsequent fight ensued. The enemy-nin attempted to send Sakura to the past. Still, I could follow and return her to the present before the consequences could manifest themselves. This allowed us to understand what liked happened to Kakashi, as his body was unresponsive."
Sakura nodded her head, "Kaka-sensei was in rough shape when we found him. He hadn't been cared for properly while under the Otsutsuki's care. But we brought him to the hospital, and I worked to get his body healthy enough for when Sasuke-kun managed to find Kaka-sense." It was a bit odd to see how casual this group was with their reports too. Nothing like how Kakashi typically reported. They used nicknames instead of ranks; they didn't stand at attention while the report was being given; instead, they fidgeted and pushed each other around. They jumped in to add to the report instead of only having one spokesperson. Have they always been allowed to report like this? Did his strict rule-abiding Kakashi allow this?
Naruto leaned against Sasuke's shoulder, "the bastard here had to spend days looking for Kaka-sensei in his weird eye. We couldn't get him to stop to eat or sleep. Hehe, I think he was really worried even though he pretends he doesn't- ack!" Sasuke jabbed Naruto in the face with his elbow.
"Shut up, Dumbass," Sasuke seethed, blushing. Kakashi gave a breathy laugh beside him, further corrupting Minato's image of his rule-abiding student.
"What the hell, Bastard!" Naruto demanded, clutching his nose.
"Boys. I'll beat both of you if you don't shut up!" Sakura threatened them, ending the comedic act.
Minato watched as the Hokage dropped his head into his hands. He couldn't imagine what Sandaime was feeling right now. They had all dismissed Kakashi's claims of being from the future. The Hokage had not taken the threat of the assassin seriously because he hadn't wanted to spare the manpower to chase a ghost. They had several meetings about it, but they were just monitoring the situation. Unless something solid could be pinned down, they needed to focus on the war efforts instead.
Danzo leaned against his cane and observed the group from the future. He seemed the most interested in Sasuke of the three, but then his focus shifted to Kakashi. "Chuunin Hatake, why did you conceal your true origins from us?"
Minato was taken back by the accusation. Kakashi hadn't, but no one had believed him. Since the moment he woke up, Kakashi had insisted he was from the future. There had never been a point that Kakashi had concealed his true origins. Minato, himself, had reported this to Danzo.
"Mah, I seem to recall being rather forthcoming about my' origins'," Kakashi borrowed Danzo's word.
"Are you suggesting you were unable to prove yourself? I didn't see you putting much of an effort aside from those ramblings and that fable you tried to offer as an explanation for the assassin," Danzo pressed.
Minato frowned. What was Danzo getting at? He stayed quiet, trying to figure out what the older man was trying to gain with these accusations.
"I didn't see much of a reason to push my point," Kakashi shrugged. He seemed strangely relaxed despite the interrogation.
"No reason? Do you not realize we are in a war, Hatake? A war your father started, and you follow in his footsteps by withholding valuable information that could help us end it. This is treason!" Danzo's cane clipped the air with a sharp clack against the floor.
"Hey! You can't talk to Kaka-sensei like that! He's the Rokudaime, you ugly prick!" Naruto shouted.
"Naruto," Kakashi groaned and hung his head.
The entire room fell silent. Minato almost hoped that someone would laugh off what Naruto had said as a joke, but no one did. Instead, Naruto shrunk back among his companions with a nervous laugh.
"The hell, Kakashi? You're the future Hokage, and you didn't think to tell anyone?" Kushina screeched beside Minato. He couldn't help but mentally echoing her question. Why would he keep this from them? Obito started to make choking noises but had managed to keep his comments to himself while in the presence of the Hokage. Because Minato taught his students to be respectful.
"Mah, it's not a big deal," Kakashi waved it off.
"Not a big deal? I think everyone in this room would disagree with you," Kushina argued. Minato disagreed full-heartedly. Being Hokage seemed like a big deal. A huge deal. Oh, but Minato hadn't believed Kakashi to begin with, so him declaring himself Hokage would only add to his lunacy. Minato could feel a headache sprouting.
"As a future Hokage," Danzo seemed to sniff at the word, "your responsibilities to protect the best interest of Konoha is even more important, and your crimes more egregious."
"What crimes?!" Naruto shouted and was shushed at by Sakura.
Naruto turned to Sakura frowning, and flapped his hand towards Danzo-sama, "he's accusing Kaka-sensei of being a criminal! Danzo of all people."
"It is rather ironic," Sasuke pipped in.
Kakashi sighed dramatically, "Would you three stop it. You're not helping."
"What are you implying," Danzo demanded from them. The room seemed to drop several degrees, but Kakashi shook his head and looked Danzo in the eye.
"It's really none of your concern. The future is going to be whatever you make of it. Our past is not your future. Information that we hold would be of no use to you," Kakashi held up his hand when Danzo went to argue. "It would only complicate matters. You would rely too much on the information I could provide. It might help once, but the enemy is not in stasis. He will change his tactic. But you would be stuck trying to use obsolete information, and it will cause you to become inflexible," Kakashi explained.
Minato agreed that knowledge of the future was dangerous. But it was also the added pressure of just knowing. Knowing that Kakashi could be Hokage, would it cause Minato to push him in a direction that he doesn't want to go? Kakashi had never shown an interest in becoming Hokage like Obito did. Would knowing what his son is like in the future change how they raise him? Would the expectations cause a shift in personality? The ramifications felt so widespread he wondered why Danzo was even arguing.
"I can't even believe we're arguing over this. Chuunin Hatake, this is treason. If you are really the Rokudaime, then you would know that withholding pertinent information-"
"Regarding threats towards the village, its shinobi, resources, or dependents shall result in imprisonment for up to 3 years or death. Konoha Penal code 3.8.14 section a.3. It can also be found in the shinobi handbook on page 16 of the 3rd edition or on page 21 in the 6th edition," Kakashi finished for Danzo. Most end up dead shortly after their conviction, but there have been a few holdouts for the 3-year mark. If you can get T&I to believe you still have valuable information that has not been shared after three, you're free to go. In a sense, you won. You spent 3 years being tortured, but you still have your life.
Danzo's face pinched and reddened. "Don't backtalk me, boy."
"Hey, I already told you, you can't talk to him like that!" Naruto took a few steps towards Danzo, but Sasuke hooked his arm around Naruto's chest to stop him. Naruto turned to look at Sasuke, frowning, "dude, what? He's the asshole that-"
"Would you stop," Sasuke hissed, "we're in the past."
Sakura shook her head with a heavy sigh and looked over at Danzo, "do you have any idea how weird it is that you're standing there threatening a child. I mean, look at him, he's so cute and little, and you're like a creepy old ogre." She shook her head slowly, "is that really the reputation you want, bullying little kids? Are you going to let him, Hokage-sama?"
Sarutobi sat up straight and sputtered some. He then coughed in his hand, "of course not. Hatake-kun is right in how dangerous future knowledge is. We shouldn't press the issue."
"Hiruzen," Danzo protested.
"Danzo-sama," Kakashi drawled, "a Hokage needs to trust his shinobi. Perfect obedience even to the law leaves no room for advancement. The hive mind, regardless of its effectiveness, has no longevity. Once the controller dies, the hive dies too. If we want a strong future for Konoha, the Hokage must have faith in his shinobi to do what is best. At this moment, I am telling you it is not suitable for Konoha to know our past because it is not relevant to you in any way. The information would more likely cripple Konoha than aid her. Do you trust your shinobi, Sandaime-sama?"
Minato looked at the sandaime and saw him grinning. Minato couldn't help but be impressed with how Kakashi had managed to silence Danzo while backing the Hokage into a corner. Kakashi made for a good Hokage, and his students clearly loved him too. Minato nearly wanted to clap for him. He had always known Kakashi had potential, but not even he realized how much.
"I do trust my shinobi," Hiruzen relented. "When will you four depart, and what will become of our Kakashi?"
Once against Sasuke explained. "As soon as I am able. I will remove Rokudaime's chakra from this body, and it will naturally return to the original. His chakra is suppressing the chakra of the present Kakashi, so once Rokudaime's chakra is gone, present Kakashi will return to you."
"I see. And you can do this?" Sarutobi asked Sasuke.
"Hn."
"Sasuke is awesome like that, believe it!" Naruto tossed out a thumb up and nearly smacked Sasuke with it, but he dodged it. They really were something else. Not exactly the kind of students Minato ever saw Kakashi teaching.
"Then I expect this to be done as soon as possible. Do not speak of this further. You all are dismissed," The group bowed to the Hokage and the elder before filing out.
Once on the other side of the door, Minato invited them all to his house. He knew there was still much to discuss.
The fight had been really rough on Minato's backyard. He stood there surveying the damage. What grass he did have was charred. There were huge cracks in the ground, one of them being uncomfortably close to his house's foundation.
"Sorry about that Namikaze-san," Sakura blushed lightly. "I should have been more cautious."
"Ne ne, don't worry about it, Da-Minato-uhhhh," Naruto paused and blinked for a moment. Minato wasn't sure what to fill in for the name either. They were the same age.
"Just call him Minato, Naruto-kun. He's too young for you to be going around calling him Dad," Kakashi filled in helpfully.
"Please forgive me, Naruto uh san. I'm not trying to-" Minato's worries were waved off.
"It's weird for me too, believe it! The last time I saw you, you were super dead! Like that weird dead where your skin was kinda-"
"Naruto," Kakashi snapped, "Let's do something productive instead. How about you start filling the cracks in the ground with dirt?"
"Huh? Yeah, sure, Kaka-sensei!" Naruto crossed his fingers and growled, "Kagebunshin-no-jutsu!" About 20 clones appeared, and Naruto ordered them to start filling the cracks with dirt. The group cheered and took off along with the original Naruto.
"Ah-but where is he going to get the dirt?" Minato asked, confused.
Kakashi shrugged, "he'll find it, somewhere. Don't worry about it, Sensei." Kakashi then smiled up at Sakura, "Sakura-chan, shouldn't you be helping Naruto? After all, you created them."
Sakura groaned and hung her head, "Fine," she trudged her way over to the exuberant Narutos, and Minato had to fight the urge to laugh.
"Your students sure are something else, Kakashi."
Kakashi watched Sakura smash a fallen tree into splinters with her fist. "Mah, they sure are.
"So…Hokage, huh?" Minato prompted.
Kakashi groaned, "we don't need to discuss that, Sensei."
"But you never told me you wanted to be Hokage. You know I would support your dreams, right? Did you think I would make fun of you or-"
"Sensei," Kakashi cut him off, "I have never had and still have no desire to be Hokage."
"But then how?" Minato blinked.
Kakashi shrugged, "Everything was really turbulent. We suffered a lot of losses. Team 7 came out as heroes, but they're not ready to take over a village."
"So, you were forced into the position," Minato finished for him.
"They may be powerful, but they need someone that isn't going to abuse their abilities. Team 7 came out of the 4th war stronger than even the Sannin. I didn't want to see them reduced to demolition force. The only way to make sure that didn't happen was if I was calling the shots," Kakashi said, keeping his focus on the two, somehow carting dirt in to fill in the holes. Where did they find it?
Minato couldn't decide if Kakashi's reasonings for becoming Hokage were good or not. They seemed really small, but he also didn't know what the future was like. But at the same time, at least his son and his teammates had someone looking out for them. He saw Team 7 in action and agreed with Kakashi's assessment they really could have been used as a battering ram to subdue the other villages. But Kakashi kept saying they were at peace. Maybe having such a small goal as protecting his students was what Konoha needed.
He looked down at Kakashi and found him missing. "Kashi?"
Kakashi was partway into the house. He glanced back at Minto and motioned for him to be quiet. Minato walked up and peeked in too. In the kitchen were Fugaku and Kushina. They were arguing over how to slice a cucumber.
"I don't care how your mom does it, Fugaku. I will bit your hand if you touch my cucumber again," Kushina growled.
Fugaku sniffed, "you asked me to cut them."
"And I showed you how I wanted them done!" she stabbed her knife into the wooden cutting board.
"And it was wrong. I was simply trying to do it properly. The seeds are bitter. They should be removed," he gestured to the cucumber guts he had already removed.
"I like the seeds!"
"That's because you're a bitter person," Fugaku crossed his arms.
Kushina yanked the blade out of the cutting board and pointed it at Fugaku, "Uchiha Fugaku, you take that back right now!"
Fugaku seemed undisturbed by the threat. Minato couldn't help but wonder where the hell was his self-preservation. "I will not."
Minato decided to step in before blood spilled on the floor, "how about I cut them instead?" He held out his hand for the knife and offered Kushina his best-disarming smile.
"Fine," Kushina handed him the knife and glared at Fugaku, "only because Minato will cut them the way I want them cut."
Fugaku turned his head and scoffed, "that is because Minato is a pansy and does what he's told."
"That's true. He is a pansy," Kushina agreed. Wait, why were they now suddenly bullying him? "But he's a cute pansy, and that's all that matters. I didn't marry him for his brain."
"You haven't married him at all," Fugaku pointed out.
Kushina paused for a moment, "Oh yeah."
"Clearly, he's not interested in you for your brains either," Fugaku grinned.
"You know what, I'm about this close to stabbing you. Minato, give me back my knife. We're having Uchiha Flambe today!" Kushina screeched but didn't go after the knife.
Minato caught sighed of Kakashi speaking quietly to Sasuke, who shook his head. The younger Uchiha got up and left the kitchen table where he had been watching Kushina and Fugaku bicker. Minato then looked at Fugaku, who watched Sasuke go with pursed lips. He was then punched in the arm by Kushina. Fugaku gave her a sharp look, and she gestured to the door. Fugaku shook his head though and went to sit in the dining room.
"You shouldn't avoid him," Kushina tossed a kitchen towel onto the counter, and Minato went back to slicing the cucumbers.
"He killed his brother for his eyes," Fugaku reminded him. Kakashi makes a throaty noise but is otherwise ignored.
"Yeah, that's pretty messed up," Kushina agreed, unsure what to say in response to that. "But maybe he had-"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Kushina," Fugaku warned her.
Kushina visibly swallows her words, "how about some tea instead? I still have some of that piss tea?"
Fugaku snorted in amusement, "Piss tea, really Kushina?"
"Yeah, it'll go great with your pissy attitude," Kushina grinned.
"Ah, then, by all means, I'll go with your recommendation," Fugaku nodded. Kushina jumped up and went to start the water. Minato would never be able to keep up with how quickly those flipped through emotions together. Mikoto was much calmer. Maybe Minato was Kushina's Mikoto?
Kakashi came inside suddenly, dragging the source of angst back into the house by his poncho. Minato knew Kakashi could not overpower Sasuke, so clearly, Sasuke wasn't opposed to returning as he looked.
"Fugaku-san," Kakashi smiled, "I'm glad we ran into you." Minato wondered if Kakashi actually believed anyone would buy that comment. Kakashi then bowed low, "Uchiha-san, I have done you a disservice. I have caused a rift between you and your son, and I lead you to believe that Sasuke had killed his brother for the purpose of taking his eyes. But Itachi had taken ill and died. He intended for Sasuke to have his eyes after his death."
Both Uchiha's looked at Kakashi, "What?" they said at the same time.
Fugaku then looked at Sasuke sharply. "Is this true?"
"I" Sasuke glanced at Kakashi and then back at Fugaku. "I'm sorry."
"What was he sick with?" Fugaku demanded,
Sasuke shook his head, "Nii-san was on a long-term mission, I couldn't tell you. I didn't know he was sick."
Kakashi nodded his head, "Itachi refused care, choosing his mission over his health. It was…his way."
"I see," Fugaku frowned, looking pensively at the floor.
"But look, this one is still alive!" Kakashi grinned up at them.
Both men gave Kakashi the same irritated look. Minato couldn't help but grin. He hadn't thought the two looked anything alike until that moment. Sasuke was, without a doubt, Fugaku's son.
The back door slammed opened, shaking the house. "Shanroo!" Sakura stepped inside. "We finished, Kaka-sensei!" she zeroed in on him, and Kakashi's eyes went comically large. He turned to run, but Sakura caught him. She scooped him up and hugged him tightly. "Shut up, Sensei, I deserve this. I had to work with 20 Narutos." she nuzzled his cheek.
Kakashi looked near tears as he tolerated the affection being lavished on him. Minato contemplated stepping in but then remembered how Sakura nearly demolished the foundation of his house. Kakashi would just have to deal with it for the good of his wallet.
Naruto bounced in, covered in the dirt and with no concern about his shoes. "Ne ne, I wanna turn Sakura-chan. I did most of the work!"
"My floor!" Kushina yelled, pointing to the clumps of dirt Naruto just tracked in.
"Huh?" Naruto turned to look at his mess. He looked back at the angry Kushina and laughed nervously, "hehe, I'll fix, believe it!" He grinned and then ran out the door to yank his shoes off and leave them there. When he got back in, Kushina handed him a broom.
Minato dumped the cucumbers in a bowl just as Rin and Obito came in from the backyard too. Rin suddenly snapped her fingers, "oh! I get it now, Kashi-kun!" She then pointed to each student in turn, "Orange, pink, and bruise! Oh." Rin cringed. "that was rather mean. I'm sorry, Uchiha-san."
"Brusie?" Sasuke repeated, confused.
Obito squinted at the group, "Are you sure you all are Bakashi's students? You don't look like it."
"And what would his students look like?" Sakura asked, moving to hold Kakashi better.
"Please put me down, Sakura. This is too weird for me," Kakashi bemoaned.
Sakura gestured towards Minato. "You let him hold you like this, so shut up."
Kakashi sighed, "If you don't put me down, I will assign you D-rank missions for a month."
Sakura laughs, "I have to release you from the hospital first, Kaka-sensei. You know Tsunade-shishou had to step in, right? She's not happy about that. You'll probably be in the hospital a lot longer once she's through with you."
"That would be counterproductive," Kakashi pointed out.
Sakura shrugged, "she doesn't always make sense, especially when she mad."
Still, Sakura put Kakashi down. He barely made it two steps before Naruto swung in there and picked Kakashi up with a satisfied grin. "Hehe, you're so small, Kaka-sensei!"
Kakashi just glowered at him and folded his arms. Kakashi's irritated face reminded Minato of a question he had earlier. "How exactly can we remove older Kakashi's chakra from the younger's body?"
"Eh? Sasuke does it," Naruto supplied.
"Yes, thank you, Naruto, but I mean, how? What technique will you use?" Minato clarified.
"I will use my Rinnegan, the path of the soul," Sasuke explained. Minato didn't know what the Rinnegan was, but Fugaku seemed to.
"How?" Fugaku looked at Sasuke wide-eyed.
Sasuke looked at his father and then away, "Things happen. I didn't earn it if that is what you are thinking."
"Oh-oh! I know it was-"
"Naruto," Kakashi snapped, cutting him off. "You don't need to tell them everything."
"Awww, but Kaka-sensei, they should know how cool we are!" Naruto whined.
"How cool are you?" Obito pipped up, squinting at him. "What rank are you? Are you in ANBU?"
"Obito, if they were in ANBU, they couldn't tell you," Minato reminded him.
Kakashi started snickering, though, and Naruto let out a low whine. "Oh, my students are very cool indeed." Minato had a bad feeling about this. Kakashi was looking far too gleeful. "Sakura-chan is a Tokubetsu Jounin."
Sakura grinned and threw out a peace sign, "Gonna try for jounin the next testing."
"Naruto and Sasuke are genins," Kakashi announced. Minato looked at the two men to see them both looking away, embarrassed. Was it true?
"What?! But they beat up the assassin like he was nothing?" Obito argued.
"It's not my fault. Stupid Kaka-sensei won't promote us," Naruto muttered.
Faguku nearly stood to his feet but sat back down before he made it that far. "What reason could you possibly have by refusing to promote them? He has the Eternal Mangekyou and the Rinnegan!" Fugaku gestured to Sasuke. "How could he possibly still be considered a genin?"
"Mah, mah, Fugaku-san. Sasuke was out of the village traveling starting when he was a genin. It was the same with Naruto. They both failed their first chuunin exam, and because they were gone for so long, they didn't get the opportunity to test again. At this point, I can't possibly allow them to compete against another genin. It would be unfair. And if I pit them against each other, they will destroy the whole of Konoha. We really can't afford to rebuild again," Kakashi shook his head.
"But- surely a field promotion?" Fugaku suggested.
"Hmmm? I could, but it amuses me too much. I like them staying my cute little genin."
Naruto pouted, "You look more like a cute little genin than I do, Kaka-sensei."
"And I could leave you like that too," Sasuke muttered.
"Don't be like that, you two," Kakashi smiled, offering a flimsy attempt to placate them.
Minato noticed the time and the lack of completed dinner prep. They had been so distracted by this new group they hadn't gotten much further than some sliced cucumbers. Minato leaned over, bumping his shoulder with Kushina, "I'm going to order dinner and bring it here."
"Sure," her eyes swung over to Kakashi, "Take Kakashi with you. He can help you carry the stuff."
Minato had been considering taking Obito or Rin to help him but not Kakashi. He couldn't help but feel a little bit suspicious of Kushina's motive. Maybe she was hoping to interrogate the future people without Kakashi's constant monitoring of them. Still, he called Kakashi to go with him. It would be good to spend a bit more time with him before he left.
Oh.
Kakashi was leaving. Minato's stomach twisted at the thought. Of course, his Kakashi would be coming back, but he had grown attached to this older Kakashi. They quietly left the house and silently walked down the street. The atmosphere on the streets was lively, contrasting sharply with the hollow feeling Minato was experiencing. What do you say to someone you'll never see again?
They arrived at the restaurant and put in an order for a few dishes to share. Minato was hoping something would come to mind. Something to share, something that would make this moment memorable. Maybe something wise or heartfelt. He could tell Kakashi he was proud of him? He was proud of him! From what he could tell, Kakashi grew up well, he became Hokage, and his students were strong. But why would such a self-assured Kakashi care if Minato was proud of him or not? It probably would be met with a shrug. What if he told him he loved him? Kakashi would probably say that's too weird. Kakashi was older than Minato, even if he looked 8. Kakashi had clearly accomplished more than Minato could ever hope to. He was sure of it. The way Kakashi spoke to the Hokage and Danzo? Not even Minato was willing to talk back to them the way Kakashi had done. He even cornered them verbally. It was impressive!
What could Minato say at this moment that would mean anything to someone like Kakashi?
They were already nearing the house, and still, Minato had said nothing directly to Kakashi. How could he waste this last opportunity they had together? What kind of sensei or even person was he?
"Mah, Sensei?" Minato stopped and looked down at Kakashi curiously. "I was wondering, what do you think of my students? I wasn't as talented at teaching as you are, but-" he shrugged and looked down at the sack of food he was holding.
"They're wonderful, Kashi. I couldn't have trained students better myself."
"Ah, well, I didn't train them that well. They had better masters than me that moved them further than I could have," Kakashi scratched at his cheek.
"Kakashi, that isn't true. You taught them the most important thing they could ever learn. To trust each other. I saw how they fought, I see how they take care of each other even now, I see how they orbit around each other. Kakashi, you taught them something so valuable that their other masters could not have gotten them where they are today had you not been there first. Kakashi, you gave them more than a team; you gave them trust and a family," Minato said wholeheartedly.
Kakashi stared up at him for a long moment, and Minato's heart fluttered in his chest when Kakashi's eye crinkled in a smile. A tear ran the short distance to his mask. "Trust and family, huh? I guess I passed on what you taught me after all."
Minato's breathing hitched, and he dropped to his knees. He put the containers on the ground and pulled Kakashi into a hug. Kakashi's thin arms wrapped around his neck in return. They didn't say anything. What was there left to say but the goodbye that neither of them wanted to hear or say? Kakashi released him too soon. Minato felt Kakashi's hand settle on his head and his fingers sift through his hair. "You'll be okay. You have so much to look forward to. I'm sure you'll do a good job with both Kakashi and Naruto. Because of you, no matter what happens, neither of them will be alone now."
Minato grinned and pinched Kakashi's cheek, causing Kakashi to swipe at his hand. "Don't think you can start telling me what to do, Kashi-kun. You may be older, but I was born first. We should get back before the food gets cold. And who knows what sort of wringer Kushina is putting your students in."
"Mah, it's not my students that you should be worried about. They can handle themselves. It's whether or not you still have a house to go home to." Kakashi grabbed his bags and started walking home.
"What? What does that mean? Kakashi!" Minato snatched up the food containers and chased after Kakashi.
The house was quiet. Sasuke had been the first to fall asleep. Apparently, time travel was more than a bit of taxing on him. He was passed out against the tree outside, away from the chatter inside the house. Sasuke and Fugaku had apparently spent some time together after Minato had left with Kakashi. Still, by the time they returned, Fugaku had left for home. Sasuke had refused to go with him.
Naruto and Sakura carried him inside and used one of the only guest futons available for him. They explained that Sasuke had been searching for weeks for Kakashi. He wasn't sure when Kakashi had landed in their timeline, so it was nearly impossible for him to determine which offshoot dimension he was in. But Sasuke had been the only one that stood a chance of even finding Kakashi.
Kakashi had seemed taken back by the story. Minato wasn't sure why. It was clear his students loved him dearly. Another piece of evidence on the kind of man Kakashi grew to be. He could only imagine what amazing things Kakashi would go on to do if he hadn't been alone for so long. He looked forward to seeing it.
Minato leaned against the wall and watched Kakashi. He slept on the floor in the living room near his students rather than in his own room. A hand slipped into his, and Kushina's freshly washed hair filled his senses. Sasuke said they would leave tomorrow. Tomorrow they would have a genuinely 8-year-old Kakashi back. One still grieving the loss of his father and trying to destroy his own personality in hopes of fulfilling what he thought the village wanted from him. They had their work cut out for them.
He turned to lead Kushina down the hall.
It came sooner than Minato was ready for. The lull over the house was misplaced. In a way, Minato attempted to hold on to every moment as if it would slow time down. But then they were ready.
Minato wasn't sure what to do. He fidgeted, standing next to Kushina in the backyard. Kakashi was talking to his students. The sight would be humorous if his stomach wasn't full of hornets. Naruto bounced his way to him, followed by Sakura. "Kaka-sensei is going to go back first. Sakura-chan is going to check over little Kaka-sensei, and then we'll leave."
Minato politely smiled his thanks. But his sorrow must have seeped through because Naruto's sunny demeanor dropped. "We'll take care of him."
Sakura put her hand on Kushina's shoulder and smiled, "Kaka-sensei is really special to us too. He may be a lazy pervert, but he's ours."
Lazy pervert? Kakashi? That didn't sound right, but he never expected him to be Hokage either.
Kakashi walked over to them with a smile, "it was good seeing you again, Sensei. Kushina-nee, thank yo-" he was cut off when Kushina dropped to her knees and pulled him into a hug. Kushina's long hair curtained Kakashi's reaction, but Minato could imagine the surprise.
"You take care of yourself, okay? Eat your vegetables. Make sure you get enough sleep. Don't cause too much mischief. And-" Kushina's words choked off for a moment, "and just don't forget whose you are, okay? And just because you're Hokage doesn't mean you gotta do it all on your own. No one's shoulders are big enough for that. And there's so much more I want to say, but-" a sob wracked her body, and she squeezed Kakashi all the tighter.
"It's okay. I know what you are saying. Maybe you can get a gray sweater?" Kakashi suggested. His voice was softer than he had ever heard it before.
Kushina sobbed a laugh, "I think a cactus would work better."
Minato knew he was missing something, but they shared such an affectionate look. Maybe he didn't need to understand this exchange.
Kakashi extracted himself from Kushina and headed back to Sasuke. He waved as Sasuke revealed a very unusual purple eye. Then suddenly, Kakashi went slack, and Sasuke caught him.
"It's done," Sasuke announced.
Strange Minato had expected more. Perhaps to actually see something happen. But then again, he hadn't seen anything when Rokudaime Kakashi came originally. Sakura ran over and helped lay Kakashi flat on the ground. Her hand glowed green and passed over him. Minato held his breath until Sakura spoke. "He's okay. I think he'll wake in an hour or so, but what happened to his chakra network? It's mangled."
"Ah, when Kakashi came to the past, he blew his entire network. He nearly didn't survive it. He fell into a coma due to a severe head injury.
Sakura's hands were roaming over Kakashi's limp body again. "I remember you mentioning it yesterday. He has knots already forming and aneurysms."
"That's bad, right, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.
"He needs to be seen by Tsunade-shisho. I'll fix what I can, but he'll need routine care as he grows," Sakura explained.
Minato frowned, "Tsunade-hime left Konoha."
Sakura sighed heavily, "I know, but if you want Kakashi to grow up healthy, you need her. This could turn dangerous for him, especially during puberty when he grows quickly. He could die."
A chill spread through Minato's bones. "We'll be sure he's taken care of," he vowed.
Sakura nodded. Minato scooped Kakashi up into his arm. He stepped back beside Kushina as Sasuke opened a purple portal. Fugaku's son was really amazing. Naruto shouted goodbye, and Minato smiled. So was their son. Naruto was the one the team had relied on to finish off the assassin.
Minato waved as the three disappeared. The two stood there for a moment allowing the sudden hush to drift over them. He then turned to look at Kushina, "do you think we're ready for this?"
Kushina laughed and shook her head, "no, but we are doing it anyways. I think we might be back to Kakashi stabbing you when he finds out you adopted him."
"You'll protect me, right?"
"Not a chance. I'll hand him the knife."
Minato hadn't strayed for from Kakashi as he slept. Sakura had said an hour, but it was just under when Kakashi began to stir awake. He sat down on the bed he had tucked his baby chuunin into earlier and watched as Kakashi blearily opened his eyes.
"Sensei?" Kakashi's words slurred out. He pushed himself up and looked around. "Where am I?"
"Home, Kashi-kun. Welcome home."
Just one more chapter! Kakashi made his way, and baby Kakashi is back! Not that he had ever left; he was just dormant. So my question to you is, how do you think baby Kakashi reacted to all the changes that happened while he was 'out'?