Well, here it is, the big project I've been hinting at for some time in my authors notes on my other stories. Now, I want to stress right now, as always, this by no means is an indicator that I'm dropping any of my current works. This is just something else for me to have fun with. As always, if y'all read 'em, I'll update them. Now, I did some tweaks to the ages of the characters to make this premise work, but that's all part of the game y'know? I'll cover the new ages for the important characters in the first couple lines, so you have a better idea what I'm shooting for. I did my best on the math, to account for roughly 12-13 years between Minato's new age and his students. In this timeline, the fateful mission where Kakashi lost his eye ended without Obito's 'death', and Rin was never taken hostage, so she also survived. Just wanted to give that last little bit of context. Anyways…let's get this started!

Ages (Prologue)

Minato: 32

Kushina: 32

Shikaku: 32

Kakashi: 20

Obito: 19

Rin: 19

Chapter 1: What is left behind

The atmosphere amongst the shinobi of the Hidden Leaf was one of despair, rage, and confusion as to where to go next. It had been a little over a week since the nine-tailed fox had ravaged their home and killed hundreds of their civilians and fellow ninja. Though it hadn't been entirely lost in the chaos, it would be hard to tell any difference. With four of the five residential districts taking some form of damage, and two of the three ANBU barracks also suffering all compounded by the loss of dozens of upper level chunin and jounin, it would take years before it was restored to the prosperity it had held before. If they even could get to that point again, which many were unsure if it was. The one saving grace from a military perspective was that their garrisons on the border had been untouched and remained in place. Though the great nations were more or less at peace, it would be child's play for one of their potential enemies to take advantage of the sorry state of the village.

The worst of it all, was that their leadership position was completely gutted. Lord Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had given his life to protect the village when the assault of the tailed beast was at its peak. Doubling down on this tragedy was that his wife Kushina, also very loved by many, had been lost as well. This left a power vacuum at one of the most critical roles in the Land of Fire, and the most critical in the village. The council had been in emergency session for days now, debating over who could possibly step in and fill that role. The Sannin were first considered, or rather the two that they'd still trust with the role, with Orochimaru being a known traitor. Sadly, for different reasons, neither of the remaining two were an option. Lord Jiraiya was viewed by many as not being serious enough to fill the role at such a critical time and the future rebuilding that would need to take place, and Lady Tsunade had been disillusioned with her childhood home and her current whereabouts were unknown to all but perhaps Jiraiya himself.

Briefly, Hiruzen Sarutobi had considered stepping in and acting as Hokage again, but his time in trying to fend off the nine-tails had convinced him that his peak years were beyond him. While he was far from decrepit, younger leadership was needed. Likewise, he suspected that were he to do so Danzo, who'd long been untrustworthy, would likely begin to plot against him if he hadn't already. The man's resentment of Hiruzen was far from a secret. And, fearing what could happen, Hiruzen had done his best to sway a handful of votes to ensure he could not get the spot either. As if they didn't have enough to be concerned about in the process, things were stressed with the Uchiha in such a way that made Fugaku, their current leader, also a non-starter as a candidate though there was little doubt, he had the skills required. There were several reports of the sharingan potentially being involved in the attack, and the fact that the Uchiha district of the village hadn't been touched only did more to accelerate these tensions. The village simply didn't trust the clan right now.

So, with all their obvious options exhausted, and their potential recruits thinning out rapidly, by law the job then had to be offered to one of the other great clan leaders. And from here, little debate was needed.

For years, the Nara had been gaining a reputation for being one of the most loyal, and at the same time least problematic clans in the history of the village. Their immense knowledge of medicines and healing arts had saved countless lives, and their wise, careful style of carrying themselves made them prized as strategists and advisors to not just the Hokage, but several other higher ranked politicians. So, when approached for the role, Shikaku Nara couldn't very well say he was surprised. The other clans being viewed as 'Too troublesome' in his own words made it seemingly inevitable. He'd taken a lot of convincing, but the council gave a near unanimous decision approving it, Danzo being the only one to abstain, and pressure from them and even his wife convinced him to take the role. Even still, this didn't mean things were going to get better overnight. Shikaku had inherited a mess to put it charitably but having Hiruzen around helped him settle in easier. His first, most pressing matter, was the fate of an infant, and when he'd heard that he'd almost resigned on the spot.

Born during the attack of the nine-tails, the son of their late Lord Fourth and Kushina wasn't even a month old and yet he carried the attention of those high above his status. Hiruzen had briefed him on what had occurred, during those climactic final moments. Minato had used the seal of the reaper to seal half of nine-tails chakra within himself, its massive chakra being too much for a single person, and then sealed the second half into the newborn boy. This was a delicate situation. One of Minato's final wishes was that Naruto be viewed as a hero carrying an immense burden for the sake of the home his parents loved so much. But many would likely never see it that way. To them, having the boy around was inviting trouble. A beast with the ferocity of the nine-tails couldn't possibly be contained by a boy with no training, some said. Others feared what might happen if any of their enemies discovered the boys secret, especially those within the Hidden Stone. The scars from their war were still fresh in just about everyone's mind, and if they believed the Hidden Leaf could potentially use the tailed beast as a weapon against them, they could quite possibly try and launch a preemptive strike. By now, news would be spreading of the attack. And it was best for all involved for their allies and enemies alike to believe the beast was gone rather than just contained.

With that in mind, one of Shikaku's first decrees as Hokage was that the open discussion of the nine-tails to any outsiders that visited the village and what had been done to it was strictly forbidden under threat of the harshest possible punishments. With that done, they had to address whether the parentage of the boy would be acknowledged. And here, there was considerable debate amongst the council. Many voices argued that, to hide the history of his family from the child would be cruel. 'Lord Minato and Lady Kushina were heroes, and their son shouldn't be unaware of such a thing' they said. Other, more conservative voices thought that if his lineage was known, no decree would be able to keep it hidden from the outside world forever, and eventually those who hated them would perhaps use it as an excuse to try and move against them again. Minato after all, had turned the tide of more than his fair share of battles when their backs were to the wall. After another day of heavy debate, Shikaku had heard enough and decided on what he believed to be the best path.

Mention of Naruto's parents, like the news of the nine-tails fate, was strictly forbidden to be divulged to outsiders, but he saw no great harm in Naruto at least knowing where he came from one day. He'd not been an orphan himself, but he could only imagine all the questions he'd have to suffer with if they attempted to shush the truth up behind some door. And besides, the boy was going to, more than likely, be a ninja someday. It was in his blood. It would be hard to keep any secrets for long once that happened. Some of the less flexible council members didn't like this, however, so a compromise was reached. Naruto would not be told of Minato or Kushina until he reached the age where he would be accepted into the academy, nine years old, ten at the latest. This way, they had a practical or literal decade of additional time for tensions in the shinobi world to further cool off, and for some of the lingering grievances to be settled. This was agreed to, and Shikaku's signature on the decree made it law.

Compared to these, the final issue revolving around Naruto seemed tame in comparison, and that was who would care for the boy. One of the two major orphanages had been lost in the tailed beast assault, and the other would no doubt be overflowing with new kids to care for with all the deaths that had occurred at the hands on the monster, and the same was true of some of the smaller ones as well. Likewise, finding someone who'd be willing to overlook his...condition as the container for the tailed beast would be a long process, and with everything else going on, they simply couldn't mess around with it that long. The council wanted this settled now. And it was on the one-month anniversary of the attack that a solution quite literally came barreling into his midst. Minato's old team, led by Kakashi, had requested an audience with Shikaku, which he'd granted without much thought, until Obito almost knocked the door off its hinges made him nearly regret that.

"Lord Fifth!" he said excitedly, hurrying inside. Rin wasn't far behind, face red with embarrassment at this heavy-handed entrance and Kakashi, only one eye visible, facepalmed as he was the last inside. Obito seemed to take note of the door and chuckled, rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "F-Forgive me. I sometimes get a tad bit overexcited," he said quickly.

"Understatement of the year," Kakashi mumbled, making Obito throw a scowl his way. "Don't glare at me because I speak the truth," he said.

"Guys, come on! Can you two not do this now?" Rin sighed in exasperation at her boyfriend and Kakashi's constant arguing. Just when she thought the death of their sensei would be enough to put all that petty bickering to rest, they'd been slipping back into it again. As much as it sounded awful to say, the first three days following Minato-Sensei's passing had been the most peaceful their inter-team dynamic had been through. They were all united in their grief. Ironic, in a way, considering that when he was alive Minato had tried and failed so many times to squash these attitudes. Shikaku cleared his throat.

"Not that I'm not thrilled to see you kids, but Rin is right. I'd appreciate it if you didn't treat my office like a training area. Now, tell me why you're here," he said. Obito and Rin exchanged a look, her giving an encouraging smile to urge him forward.

"We heard that the council and yourself have been debating what to do with Minato-Sensei's son…Naruto was the name, right?" he said. Shikaku nodded. "Yes, well…me and Rin have been talking and…if you haven't made any long-term decisions yet, we'd like to make a request of you," he said. Shikaku didn't respond, only motioning for him to continue speaking. Obito took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. Rin approached and entwined her fingers with his own and he felt any nervousness he had left melt away. "Rin and I would like to take Naruto in," he said softly. Shikaku's eyes widened, and he leaned forward on his desk, resting his chin on his folded hands. "We've been living together for a little over a year and…we've been kicking around the idea of starting our own family eventually anyway."

"It's true, Lord Fifth," Rin said, squeezing Obito's hand again. "I've been transitioning more into the medical corps anyway, so I'd be around the village more, and we think this is the best way we can try and do right by Minato-Sensei," she said. "If we have any say so in this, we refuse to let Naruto just…drift around the village alone. It wouldn't be right," she said softly. Shikaku digested this for a few minutes. It certainly was an intriguing solution. The two of them had already been forced to grow and mature beyond many in their year, and if they'd already settled in together as it was, Naruto would have a home and two people who wanted to care for him. And the council wouldn't have to worry about them potentially doing any harm to the boy or trying to extort payments from the village in exchange for their caring for him.

"And if it helps, I'll vouch for them," Kakashi said. "We all feel like we could've, should've done more to help our sensei and his wife, and if they need anything I'll also be around. This means a great deal to us." Shikaku smirked a bit.

"I admire your commitment. It certainly is a solution that we hadn't considered, having someone close to him adopt the boy." They gave him a confused expression as that was normally the first option you considered in scenarios such as this. "Frankly, we didn't consider it because Kushina had no direct family left, and Minato was much the same way. I hope you understand, of course, that I can't fully authorize this without running it by the council, even as a formality. Well, I probably could, but it would be such a drag to put up with their griping over me 'overstepping' my privileges. Damned village bureaucracy…" he muttered, running a hand over his face. "But, for what it's worth, I personally think it's a fine idea, and I can't see them having too many arguments against it." He stood from his chair and walked around the desk. "I'll summon them now. If your comfortable waiting around for a bit while we old men bicker, your free to do so. Otherwise, we can always call you back later," he said. Obito and the others didn't mind waiting one bit and once Shikaku was gone, mulled around the tower while the meeting was taking place.

He retuned after about three hours, just as Obito was really getting wound up from waiting. They all stood, Rin and Obito's faces a mixture of fear and expectation, while Kakashi's was more the latter than the former. Shikaku saw this and, after a moments silence, let his lips curl into a smile that erased any fears the team had. "They approve. If you're willing to wait around just a bit longer to fill out the paperwork, your statuses as Naruto's guardians will be official." Rin threw her arms around Obito and laughed along with him, Obito hugging her back with a stunned smile seemingly plastered permanently onto his face. Kakashi smiled and clapped his best friend on the shoulder. He was proud of them both. This was by far one of the heaviest burdens any adult could possibly bear, and they were barely into adulthood themselves. But he also knew that his sensei's son couldn't be in better hands in this village than two people loved one another and their teacher as much as anyone possibly could. And he'd meant what he said. He would be starting his ANBU training shortly, but he would always be a third pair of hands, ready to do whatever was needed to keep Naruto safe. That was his new goal. 'Sensei…we'll make you proud. Just watch'.

-A couple days later-

It had been a mad dash to get the essentials for having Naruto in their home. Obito's connection to the Uchiha clan helped, but it was still a big stroke of luck, and Kakashi putting in a decent amount of his own pay that they got mostly everything. Finally, after being on the edge of their seats for what seemed like forever, the big day came.

The nursery section at Leaf Hospital was one of the only areas on the third floor that hadn't been repurposed into a long-term care unit for the scores of people still on the mend from the nine-tails attack, but you could still faintly hear all the commotion if you listened closely enough. Rin felt her heart beating out of her chest as she and Obito were led into the room, but it wasn't from nerves, it was excitement. She hadn't been positive that the council would go for her and Obito's idea, but she was thrilled they had. "Here he is," the nurse said, stopping at the final spot. Naruto was currently asleep, but already they could see the bright yellow hair of their teacher and the little whisker marks on his cheeks.

"Can…can I hold him?" she asked in a tiny, almost choked voice. It was a dumb question when she said it aloud. She was legally his guardian now. Why wouldn't she be permitted to hold him?

"Well of course! Here, let me get a chair for you, "she said, looking around and pulling one up. Rin sat down and carefully listened to the instructions on how to hold the baby safely and the moment she had Naruto there, her heart absolutely melted. She had already been determined to watch over him, but being here, holding him…it was made all the clearer to her that she would protect him at all costs, no matter what it took. She looked up at Obito, giggling a bit when she saw he was closer to tears than even she was. Some things never changed. "Look at him, Obito..." she said softly. He nodded, wiping furiously at his eyes. After a few minutes, Naruto fussed a little, and cracked his bright blue eyes open just a bit. Obito grinned widely.

"Hey there, Naruto…it's okay. You don't need to cry," he said gently. "Your Uncle Obito is here."

"And so is your Aunt Rin," Rin smiled softly, her heart feeling even more full when Naruto quieted and closed his eyes. She and Obito exchanged another warm look. This was bound to be a big change for them…perhaps the biggest. But as long as they had one another, they'd be okay. And so would Naruto. They'd make certain of it.

I genuinely had a lot of fun with this one. Idk if that comes across, but I had a big grin on my face the entire second half of the chapter. Something about what-if stories where Obito and Rin survive just make things so much more free form for me. And what did y'all think of Shikaku as the new Hokage? Tsunade is still in this story, but I thought it might be kinda fun to go down a different route for the post-attack leaf village. So! I hope you enjoyed your awesome readers of mine. Review, follow, fave and all that good stuff. Next time you hear from me, you'll have a new chapter of Darkness Rejected to read.

Till next time,

-Elise