TammyHybrid21: Yup, Uchiha drama XD Yes, Katsu has black hair…but that's because she's half Hatake. Who she is actually related to holds little relevance to the plot itself, but I'd like to think it's still a twist. Lol Sasuke won't die if that's what you're thinking…really, it should be Obito and Kakashi you should worry about more. Yup ^.^ Obito acted like Madara and Tobi for a number of months/years, so him acting like a child really wouldn't be too hard. He jukes everybody's ass like a boss for quite a long time. Thanks for your review :3
I probably should've put the "multi-time traveler" warning on chapter one, but I got lazy. So other than Naruto, Kurama, Obito and Sasuke, five or six other people have joined on the journey. Two of them show up in this chapter ^.^
Original word count: 4.7k~
Recommended song: Not Alone by Park Jun Min (Instrumental version).
Enjoy my balconies (lol) :p
Chapter 2: Fields, Fans & Jokers
Hiruzen opened up the door of the apartment, walking down the hallway. He reached the dining room, and saw Katsu right where he expected her to be: Sitting at the dining room table right next to a window. The dark haired woman looked at him and smiled her greeting. "Hokage-sama."
"Katsu-chan," he greeted back. He sat down on the chair across from her, looking at her with a smile. "How are you?"
"Good," she murmured. Her finger traced the cup of teas rim, her eyes downcast. "Still kind of bummed out about Naruto…I've known him for quite a while."
Hiruzen nodded. So has he. The blonde, along with Sasuke, had such an odd story.
Sasuke was lost at birth, his records and parents were unknown and he lived in Uzushio until it was destroyed. He ran in to Naruto while escaping, and they've been together since the days of being thirteen.
That was twenty-one years ago.
When they arrived to Konoha, they were seventeen; it had been five years after Uzushio's destruction. They became shinobi, starting out as chūnin. Not too long after, the Second War started and they gained field promotions. Only four years ago did they become ANBU. Naruto retired a year ago from an internal wound, and recently he died of organ failure because of said internal wound.
But they were both powerful—formidable and to be greatly feared. Dying at the age of thirty-five was pretty solid, considering they were shinobi. Sasuke was likely to live longer, too.
The Sarutobi pulled himself out of his muse and nodded again. "As am I," he agreed. "He was good."
"Yeah…" Katsu mumbled. The woman was nineteen; she had known Naruto half of her life, if the Sandaime was correct. She looked up again. "Anyways, I should probably get to the point as to why we're here."
He hummed thoughtfully, "Does it have to do with Obito?"
"It does," she replied. "Obito's full name is Uchiha Uzumaki Obito…his biological parents are Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke."
Hiruzen stared at her. "Two males can not have a biological child," he pointed out, obviously demanding an explanation.
"Only if one of them is literally half female," Katsu stated pointedly. "Naruto was a hermaphrodite. He had the hip bone of a female, a uterus and a female opening. He has a cervical mucus plug and external os, along with a female urinary bladder. But even then, the organs in his abdominal region had to be moved out of the way. His kidney's were failing towards the last few months of his pregnancy, so even if he survived he'd very likely die very soon after."
Hiruzen blinked. "So what you're saying is that he died of childbirth and not organ failure," he concluded.
She shook her head. "No," she murmured. "He died of organ failure, but what lead to it was childbirth."
The Sarutobi leaned back, taking a moment to soak in what she had just said. It did explain Naruto's past girly antics. He was snappy, moody and at some point of every month the moods shifted like crazy. Sasuke had told him a story where Naruto had been mad enough at him to throw a burning ball of paper. After the almost-fire happened and was put out, the blonde had asked—demanded—if they could go to Ichiraku's.
He also walked a bit like a girl. He swung his hips slightly and sometimes even crossed his legs whilst strolling through the village with Sarutobi and Sasuke. His hips were shaped like a woman's, too, as pointed out by a female ANBU.
He turned his head back to the female Hatake. "Did he have menstrual cramps by any chance?"
"Once a month, twelve times a year," Katsu replied with a smirk. She giggled. "Poor Sasuke had to deal with his mood swings for over twenty years!"
Hiruzen chuckled in amusement. Biwako still had her monthly periods. They weren't nice. The laughter helped him relax a little bit, and the confusion was somewhat cleared up. Soon, it disappeared, and they started talking again. "Well that explains some things, then," he said. "It's kind of hard to believe, but it's logical."
Katsu smiled again, though it didn't exactly reach her eyes. "Yeah," she agreed.
"Has his body been burned?"
"Sasuke stored him in a scroll and kept it away from all eyes. I don't know the current status."
Hiruzen blinked, pausing thoughtfully before blinking again, his eyes widening slightly as realization dawned. "He's preserving the body."
Katsu blinked as well.
They basked in the suspenseful silence, both thinking one thought: Why preserve a shinobi's dead body?
A full year with uncoordinated limbs would indefinitely irk anyone. Obito scoffed in irritation every time he reached for a cereal bite on the high chairs table, because it'd either fall out of his hands because his fingers wouldn't stay still or his hand just didn't grab it right. But he eventually got the hang of it. At six months old he mastered it.
At seven he learned how to crawl, at eight he stood on his hands and feet, at nine he could easily hold his balance, at ten he could take baby steps with assistance and at eleven he could practically walk flawlessly like a dog.
On the tenth of February, a woman named Hatake Katsu visited. His interest was caught by her, as she was a dark haired Hatake. Rare. Very, very rare. Apparently, she knew his parents. Hell, she was the family nurse.
He was excited. He found a connection to his parents—one that was guaranteed. He quickly rushed to Kushina's side via army crawl towards the door, clinging to the Uzumaki's leg as he stood and looked up at her with big, curious black eyes.
He blinked when he suddenly started feeling small flickers everywhere—a mile out, he could feel a panic flicker as a creature scurried away from a trio of determined flickers. He could feel a flicker on his bedroom window sill, where a bird was most likely pecking at the seed there. He could feel one in Katsu; it was warm and carefree. Same went for Kushina, only deeper down within her flicker was something empty.
She looked down at him and smiled. The flickers disappeared, and he blinked again. "Hello, Obito-chan," she said kindly. "You've certainly grown."
He grinned cheekily, baby teeth flashing white.
Her smile widened. "Last time I saw you, you were an itty bitty one eating from a bottle your father was feeding you," she continued.
His eyes grew wide. He could get a name now. "Really?!" he exclaimed loudly.
Kushina looked down at him, her eyes wide as well. "You just said your clear first word dattebane!" she said. She picked him up, the two of them having a mini party as he exclaimed "really" over and over in baby talk.
When they calmed down, Katsu smiled brightly again. "Yes. Really. I do."
Kushina stepped aside. "Then come on in," she said. "Besides, I'd be nice to know why…"
Katsu nodded her understanding. She stepped inside, kicking off her zori and putting them aside. Kushina put Obito down, murmuring something in his ear. He pouted, but started playing with a sock monkey and a fox plush.
Oh, the irony.
The two women sat down at the kitchen table, and started talking.
"So," Kushina started, "who're his biological parents?"
"They are both ANBU unfortunately," Katsu said. "So I can't say their names without Hokage-sama's permission. But I can talk about their heritage and personalities. There are no rules against that."
Kushina chuckled and nodded her agreement.
"Well, his mother was Tajū, and Tajū was the ANBU Commander for a good three years," Katsu explained. "Retired from an internal wound that wouldn't fully heal. It lead to organ failure, which lead to Tajū's cause of death. Died of childbirth and organ failure."
Kushina blinked in surprise. "Three years?"
Katsu nodded.
Obito babbled and continued playing, but internally he was freaked out and…upset. His mother was dead because of him.
"His father's ANBU code name is Hachidori," she continued. "He's the ANBU captain of Team Predator—you know, the Hokage's prime front line team?"
The red haired Uzumaki nodded.
"Well, anyways, he has been captain for about two years…" she said, "and recently he—"
"Died?" Kushina cut in darkly.
Katsu chuckled and shook her head. "No, no. Don't assume," she stated. "He's currently on a long term mission. He most likely won't be back for a few years. A decade is the longest he'll be gone."
Obito wasn't really sure what to think of it. His mother was dead, never to be seen again because his father, who may or may not be Uchiha Sasuke, has absolutely no pictures of her within the walls of Konoha. He was confused beyond measure.
"I should also mention that Hachidori is an outsider Uchiha," Katsu murmured quietly. "So if Obito gains the Sharingan, don't be surprised."
Kushina gaped. "Then why is he with us dattebane?"
"Because Hachidori was kidnapped at birth for his dōjutsu," the dark haired Hatake replied. "He lived in Uzushio until it was destroyed before he met his spouse. Then they came to Konoha a few years later, and have lived here for a good twenty-one years. And besides, even if he went back to the Uchiha Clan, I…don't think he'd like it."
The red head chuckled. "I wouldn't want my child to have a sixty foot pole up his or her ass," she said.
Katsu smiled, leaning back and sighing. They basked in comfortable silence as the kunoichi duo watched Obito continue playing. She signed at Kushina, the Uzumaki nodding her understanding. She stood up. "Time for a nap, dattebane!"
Obito whined and pouted, by complied anyways. He grabbed Kushina's hand, and the two walked slowly into the hall behind the couch. He was put into his bed, covers tucked in and all.
Then Kushina left.
Once her chakra signature ended up in the living room, he army crawled out of bed until he reached the door. He sat up, and pressed his ears against the door.
But then he remembered the silencing seals that were up. They blocked sounds from coming outside. He huffed in annoyance; his tenkutsu wouldn't fully develop until he was three, and even then his chakra would still be rather raw and new. He grumbled something in baby babble, and crawled back into bed with a sulky expression.
Kushina smiled as she sunk into the kitchen chair again. "So, what do you wish to talk about?" she inquired.
"The necklace he wore when you found him…where is it?" Katsu asked.
"Around his neck," she responded. "We were assuming it was a present from his parents, considering there was a protective seal carved into the metal."
The Hatake smiled and nodded. "Yes, it's a birth present," she stated. "It was also to act as a helping hand if he ever was in deep trouble."
Kushina blinked. "Like a future near-death situation?"
"Somewhere along those lines," she confirmed. "Their chakra is also within that necklace, so make sure it stays stable. Please?"
Kushina blinked again before her expression brightened a considerable amount. She laughed and smiled broadly. "Smart, 'ttebane!" she exclaimed. "Sure, sure! I wouldn't mind that."
Katsu's smile widened, but it easily faded. "I know this might be a bit much to be asked of by an acquaintance, but…do you think you can watch my nephew for me while my brother and I go out on a mission?" she asked. "You're the only kunoichi I know who's on maternal leave."
The Uzumaki nodded. "That'd be fine, dattebane," she said. "You're an Hatake, right?"
Said dark haired kunoichi nodded. "I am. We aren't really all that social…" she said sheepishly. But it turned into a stone cold, sorrowful face that brought a grim expression to Kushina. "My sister-in-law died last September birthing my nephew, unfortunately. Her parents left Konoha, and we have no other family-friends or anything…so…"
The Uzumaki frowned. "Oh," she said, "my sympathies."
Katsu nodded again. "Well, anyways, Sakumo-nii and I have to leave tomorrow…I'll be here with Kakashi-chan at five or six…"
"How old is he?"
"He's almost a year old," she replied. Her expression turned thoughtful. "Was born in September…so…he's eleven months."
Kushina smiled. "Not too far from Obito-chan's age," she noted. "I'm fine with it. How long will you guys be gone?"
"Predicted timing is a week," Katsu replied. "Two, at most…but you know how escorting missions can be."
"Alright," the Uzumaki said. She smiled again. "I'll be looking forward to meeting Kakashi-chan."
Katsu smiled back. She leaned backwards and crossed her arms, her dark eyes scanning the ceiling for a few moments. "I should probably mention something else about Obito's mother…" she drawled thoughtfully.
Kushina's interest was caught very quickly. "What is it dattebane?"
"…Hmm." The Hatake sighed. "After the mission. I have to get permission from Hokage-sama anyways…I'll see if I can get his consent when I turn in the report."
Kushina visibly wilted. "Damn…" she grumbled, but she shrugged it off and smiled. "Well, I guess I'll be waiting dattebane."
Katsu chuckled and stood up, walking towards the door. "I'll be taking my leave now," she said as she slipped her shoes on. "Thank you for the hospitality, Kushina."
The red head nodded and smiled in respect, opening the door and waving her good bye at the other kunoichi walked out. "No problem. I look forward to meeting your nephew," she replied.
Katsu smiled back. "Bye," she said.
And then the door closed.
"Another baby? Really?"
Kushina turned her head towards the hallway. She chuckled. Minato leaned against the door frame, looking like shit, wearing only a t-shirt and boxers. His usually straight and spiky hair was messy, and he had bags under his eyes. He had arrived from a mission at six in the morning earlier today, and instantly collapsed on the floor the moment he walked in.
Apparently he was deprived of sleep, pulling five all-nighters in a row to steal information from Amegakure no Sato. She looked at the clock, seeing that it was only noon.
"I'm sorry," she said sheepishly. "But it'll only be for a week or two dattebane! And besides, they're future shinobi. Might as well get acquainted with your future comrades now or never. You never know! They could be your future students, dattebane!" She laughed.
Suddenly, Minato's eyes flew wide. He undid himself from his position, pure surprise marring his features. He stared dumbly at Kushina for a few moments, and that confused the red head—mainly because she hadn't been stared at by him as such since they were nine, when he had grown the balls to tell her about his feelings.
She giggled to herself when she remembered, which brought Minato back to earth. He blinked. "K-Kushina-chan?"
"Yes…?"
"…Never mind. I'm gonna go take a nap," he stated. He turned back around and dragged himself to their bedroom. Kushina tipped her head slightly in confusion, but she followed.
He still felt uneasy.
The next morning, Hatake Compound…
Blood. He saw blood. It was everywhere. The moon was bloody red, the leaves of the trees surrounding him dripped with blood, the soil soaked with blood, the bark drizzled with streaks of it…the ground—it was like a lake of blood. There really wasn't an ending in sight.
Blades of battle and greenery scattered across the clearing, bodies of both comrades and enemies right beside the sharp tools.
One dark and haunted eye.
He saw it, and looked into it. The flesh surrounding the eye—blood. The iris—bloody red. Skin; blood; scars; blood; tears; blood; cloaks; blood; tendrils of the Wood Release; blood.
The eye belonged to a boy—but the boy was gone.
A man took his place, bent over with the bases of his wrists resting just above his knee caps. Aged and mature facial features etched experience, and curved eyelids gave a bright happiness with the smile he sported despite the bloody environment.
Blonde hair framed his fairly toned face, loose locks of what once was short hair sagging. The man had two small locks of hair that were in braids, residing just above his right ear—the small black rubber bands were ones the man in the lake of blood thought held bright and happy memories.
The man who stood before him grinned a happy and toothy one, lips moving. However, no words were heard, and then he disappeared. But his reflection stayed in the lake of blood. His face was covered by the shine of the moon, the only significant feature being the sunny hair.
But that disappeared with ripples, too.
He turned his one eyed gaze towards the source of the disturbance.
However, before he could apprehend what was disturbing the bloody lake, his body compelled itself to move. He stood up, the crimson forest disappearing in crackles of silent lightning. The background turned into a cave—one he was all too familiar with. But he didn't pay it any attention.
His one-eyed gaze stayed on his mirrored self—the exact same features of slanted silver hair, black eyes, masked face and fairly toned skin. The copy was that of his thirteen year old self.
The mirrored kid version of the one-eyed man raised his right arm, twisting and flicking his wrist. In a "magical" movement, a poker card appeared in between his index and middle finger. His eyes narrowed rather smugly, his arm moving so then he could reveal the card of the Joker.
"Déjà vu," was all he said before the scene shifted into a round platinum cage. But the preteen didn't move, nor did he fall as his older version did.
Said man plummeted to the bottom, landing on his back awkwardly. Metal clattered and water splashed, but he didn't feel pain.
He paid it no mind. He simply just took brief notes of his surroundings, slowly standing up with a steely gaze. The world above was purely white. Black, soft lights hovered over the dark blue and green water the cage hovered over, the chain going on for eternity into the everlasting world above. It was pretty to some consent. The black things in a white space was…interesting, to say the least.
"Déjà Reve," the preteen Hatake recited coldly—robotically.
The one-eyed man's eye widened when he saw the dark shape of a five year old boy being impaled in the heart by a Iwa kunoichi. The woman's black eyes were hurt and sad as she put her free hand on the boys head, ruffling black hair as he collapsed—dead within seconds, bloody navy shirt stained with red over the left side of his chest.
Of course, the vision faded when the snap of the chain was heard. His head snapped up towards the metal above. Said chain disintegrated, and the cage plummeted into the water.
Within seconds, the light around him was green. His copy had disappeared, and he was left alone in the bird-alike cage. Bubbles suddenly rose from his mask, an odd flowing deep sea green substance flowing around him like mud at the bottoms of a lake.
Fifty-two year old Hatake Kakashi was not amused when the substance continued to rise until it was red.
Blood—
"—Kumo! Kashi-chan is still sleeping!" the hushed voice of Hatake Kakashi's half-blooded aunt, Hatake Katsu, snapped.
Unwillingly, his eleven month old baby body whined slightly as he woke up rather abruptly. Big dark and innocent dark eyes opened up, his head lifting from Hatake Sakumo's shoulder. He yawned, rubbing his eyes tiredly. He was shaking—and it wasn't from the cold. Why, though, was a question he couldn't answer. All he could say was 'blood' to answer.
Katsu huffed. "It's five in the morning. He went to bed at…like, what? Midnight? One in the morning? You're gonna need a nap, mister, and your auntie refuses to let you run off of four hours of sleep," she rambled. She took him from Sakumo, who looked dumbfounded, perplexed and confused. The woman rolled her eyes, putting a blanket over Kakashi's back as he put his cheek on her shoulder.
He never knew he had an aunt…so it was only natural that he take a major interest in her. His father could wait for a little bit…really, it was only the suicidal time he was stressing about. Everything else was perfectly fine—head to toe, earth core to atmosphere. Of course, what would follow would be a mystery.
Time traveling had its perks, it seemed.
Well of course it does… he thought. He sighed deeply, closing his eyes again and falling into an easy sleep.
He was—physically—only eleven months old, and already he was stressing out.
Because he was pretty damn alone in the whole time traveling thing.
Joker.
Obito woke up to the feeling of being watched.
At first, he bunched up a little bit more than he probably would've liked, and the eyes of his watcher were trained—he could tell. So he played innocent child and opened his eyes tiredly, rubbing the dryness away. He yawned, rolling over in his newly bought bed and looking at the rocking chair.
A blonde bundle of hair was the first thing he noticed. And then the blue eyes, the finely tanned skin and the blue shinobi shirt of his future sensei. The tension in the man's posture and the tight expression of his face made him look constipated, and the fact that he was frowning deeply didn't help.
Obito blinked owlishly, sluggishly registering the world around him. "Nii-chan…" he murmured tiredly.
Minato smiled from his spot, leaning back into the chair. The dark expression was completely gone, replaced by the softness of the smile the young Uchiha had missed more than he thought. "I'm sorry, Obito, did I wake you?" he asked quietly.
The dark haired toddler moaned quietly, rubbing his face in to his pillow. But he was internally frowning. Minato usually used "Obi" unless the situation was serious—which only happened once, when he got bored and decided to grab the cactus on the window sill. They had gotten rid of it, but his boredom had been satisfied.
Minato stood up, the wood of the chair creaking slightly as he did so. He made his way towards the edge of Obito's bed, and he stroked the locks of dark messy hair down. He kissed the Uchiha's temple. "Go back to bed, okay?" he murmured, "…A friend will be here when you wake up. I'm sure you'll like him."
Obito could only nod. His child body was too tired at the time and he—or his internal clock, at least—was guessing that he got at least four hours of sleep. He wasn't too content with that. He rolled back onto his side, closing his heavy eyelids and drifting back to sleep.
A soft expression stretched across the blondes face. The child…the child who slept before him was so different. Too innocent, too childish, too—too out of character.
And the whisker marks…
That perplexed him.
But it also intrigued him.
How did Uchiha Obito get and stay in contact with the Kyūbi for ten months whilst in the womb?
He plucked one or two hairs from the top of the boys head, turning away and walking out of the room. He closed the door quietly, heading out the door and making his way towards the hospital. It was still dark out, but there was no moon or stars. Towards the main entrance of Konoha, however, there was the distant sun light rest and pooling over the horizon.
As he walked, his thoughts drifted. He only knew one person who could make that possible—but it was impossible at the same time. His son stayed in the land of the living; Uzumaki Namikaze Naruto wasn't to be stuck in whatever the hell was going on, and he wanted it to stay that way.
Everything was wonky. Obito lived with them, had whisker marks, he and Kushina were eight years older and Katsu existed. Who she was wasn't really a concern of his, but he was still curious.
Curiosity killed the cat, though. So checking out a complete unknown right away was risky. He had just arrived, and even though this was the Pure Land, he really didn't want any chances taken. He would investigate after figuring out who Obito was related to.
The sound of a pot whistling snapped Obito awake. His eyes opened up, revealing sunlight spilling from his window. He yawned and rubbed the dryness away from his eyes as he sat up, leaving the warmth of his bed as he walked out of his room. He kept one hand dragging on the hallway's wall until he made it to the living room entrance.
The whistle of the pot was stopped. He blinked and looked at the stove, noticing that it was Minato who was at the cooking station instead of Kushina.
He blinked again. That can't be right…
The blonde Namikaze was almost never in the kitchen; he was always out on missions or spending time with him and Kushina, with the occasional company.
Then he heard the sound of blocks falling.
Obito looked at the source of the sound, blinking dumbly when he saw thick silver hair on top of the head of a dark-eyed baby. His skin was fairly toned, more on the pale side, and he wore a dark navy onesie. One lone freckle resided right underneath the left corner of his mouth, and instantly, the Uchiha tried not to grin in triumph.
He was looking at Hatake Kakashi as a baby.
Minato turned and glanced at the dark haired eighteen month old. "You took your time in waking up," he murmured. A smile etched his lips. "Good morning, Obi."
"Where's nee-chan?" he asked, obviously struggling with his tongue.
The baby sitting on the living room floor almost looked amused as he continued chewing on a block.
"She had to go on a mission," he replied, pouring some green tea into two cups—one a sipping cup and the other an actual cup. "Someone wanted her to go on the mission and no one else, so she won't be back for a few days."
He pouted slightly, but dropped it and walked towards the couch. The kitchen table was way too far away and he honestly didn't want to go that distance. His baby legs get tired rather easily.
He hated it.
The assumed Hatake sitting not too far away from the front of the couch babbled something almost incoherent around the block, but Obito easily identified as somewhere along the lines of "lazy ass butt". He glared at the eleven month old, accepting the cup of green tea he favored over juice.
Minato looked between the two young children, chuckling softly. "Obi, this is Kakashi. 'Kashi, this is Obito," he introduced unconditionally. "You two are going to be living together for a little bit, so play nice and no fighting. I'm going to change my shirt, okay? I'll be right back. Obi, please make sure 'Kashi doesn't hurt himself."
"Hn," Obito grunted sulkily. Nothing really changed outside of battle, it seemed.
But he hasn't known anything outside of battle for nearly two decades, so deliberately sliding back into the role wasn't going to be easy.
…Nothing was easy.
Minato almost—almost—looked hopeless. He sighed, shaking his head and walking down the hallway towards his room.
Not even a second later, the fox stuffed animal was thrown at Obito, the soft stomach hitting the toddler on the head. The dark haired child rolled along with it, pulling the fox off of his face to glare at the Hatake before throwing the toy back.
His only reaction was a slight jump and blink.
He scoffed at that, continuing the peaceful enjoyment of his green tea.
But that was interrupted, again, by the exact same fox toy.
Obito scoffed again. He really hoped Katsu and Sakumo were gonna come back within the next three days, because he could never stand Kakashi that long without trying to punch the little brat on the head with no mercy.
He'd prefer to do it with a kunai, but he was trying to stay anti-violent.
The child Uchiha threw the fox back, only for it to hit his face. Again.
The urge to hang the little shit up by his intestines wasn't helpful.
So much for trying to stay anti-violent…
I guess this ended on a cute note. Though I guess you could say that this was the calm before the storm. Next chapter won't be so bright. I guess. Or maybe it's the chapter after that, I don't really know.
I'll be honest, I only have a vague idea of the plot. I have ideas of what I can do non-canon wise, but that only happens when Obito is, like, five or six.
Question: Do any of y'all know what a Déjà Reve is?
Peace! :3
