Author Notes: Constructive criticism very welcome. Future sequel possible.
Gaki means Brat(s).
x
Kayaku ran through the deep, thick forest. Occasionally, he would duck tree branches as wide as his arms, or flip to another branch when the one he was on became unstable. He moved with great speed, but it wasn't enough for what was following him from behind. He planned to lead it towards and open clearing he knew of up ahead and fight it there, but he wasn't sure if he could make it. Kayaku had gotten used to fighting unknown enemies, but he'd always been able to find out their weaknesses and defeat them. This enemy was different in the way that it hid every chakra in its being, but letting it out in huge bursts every few seconds. It was quite a bit of chakra, and it was doing it to frighten him. Kayaku had faced enough danger in the past, even a demon, and if he were afraid, he wouldn't let it overcome him.
The creature let him lead it forth until Kayaku suddenly slid to a stop, leaving trenches in the dry earth. He was fast. There certainly was a reason he was nicknamed the Yellow Flash in the past, though now with his muddied hair no one would recognize him. The creature had kept up every inch with him. He stood in the middle of the clearing for five minutes, waiting, before the beast finally leapt out overhead. He barely had time to jump back before it landed with a large crash inches away.
He thought he had avoided the beast, but he felt a sharp and furry paw against his side, and a most curious sensation came over him. It was like his body was being put in a blender and then slowly poured back together.
The last thing he saw before he blacked out from the odd sensation was the dark blue sky of the world he's been stranded on for years, and the inky black darkness of the beast's eyes staring into his own blue.
x
Kayaku had changed. When he'd "died" he'd been young, in his twenties. He'd had short spiky yellow hair and was a little over medium height. He'd been wearing his Yondaime Hokage robes. Now, he was still recognizable but not immediately so. He had waist length long dirty yellow hair now, the same eyes and height, and he almost looked as young as when he'd gone, except for his eyes that spoke of his growth. He wore bits and pieces of his old robes, cut to allow as much movement as possible. The world he'd lived in for the past 14 years was harsh, unforgiving and would kill any lesser man. Luckily, Yondaime was faster than most of the large and heavy beasts here, and he knew the best places to hide for the ones who were smarter. For the unavoidable ones, he had fought; nearly losing his life many times, but as he grew stronger, triumphed. Most of his days were spent running, looking for new places to hide. When he was safely hidden, he would try to understand what had happened that day so long ago, when he'd sealed the Nine-tails beast into that little baby boy. After coming upon some of the beasts, he'd come to conclude that he'd been sealed himself, in the dimension of beasts.
Kayaku woke up a few hours later. He was on soft ground, and when he opened his eyes, it was dark. He was uninjured, and he was so used to sleeping in odd places that his back thankfully wasn't sore.
As he looked around, he realized that this could not be the same forest he'd been in before with the beast. He recalled the sensation of being in pieces and wondered if that had something to do with it his current location.
The trees in this forest were a lot smaller. The space was a lot more open, the grass shorter, and even the air was less humid. Kayaku jumped to his feet and took a moment to look around cautiously, just in case a beast was still lurking among the trees for him to make a move. Over the years, he'd gained a keen sense of instincts. If he were being watched or followed, he would know and move accordingly. Somehow he didn't think there was any danger here though.
Kayaku didn't have to wait long to exit the forest. He'd walked about one hundred feet before he saw the gates. They brought back a memory.
Kayaku stood on Gamabunta's back, giving his village one last look. The doors that were the only entrance to Konoha, and the gates that protected his people. The bridge that merchants and others took to get to the village. He heard a baby's cry and looked beyond the bridge to see a yellow haired baby crying on a bed of hay. Kayaku would give anything not to have to do what he was about to. Anything but his people. With determination, he faced his opponent who had stopped crashing its great tail into the ground and onto the shinobi surrounding it to face him instead. This would end here and now.
Without a doubt, these were the very same gates of fourteen years ago. He almost turned away then, afraid that with all the years of hoping, he'd gone mad and started seeing illusions. But a part of him, deep down, wondered.
So with slow steps, he headed towards the bridge. The wood felt odd against his sandals made of sticks and leaves. He was used to large, uneven tree trunks.
Kayaku stood silently, looking at the large doors with the Kanji and symbols of the Fire country, and hesitated. It had been so long. What if the shinobi at the gates wouldn't let him in, especially since it was night and they wouldn't recognize him? Had Konoha changed much in fourteen years? Was Sarutobi still the Hokage? He was old even when Kayaku was still there. He was a stubborn old man, but he wouldn't live forever. If he'd passed away, who'd taken his place? This made him start wondering what happened to his own sensei and his student, and then to the little yellow haired babe he'd sealed Kyuubi into. Was the boy treated like a hero, as he'd hoped? He didn't want to imagine the other prospect.
As there was no one who could answer these questions without getting into the village, he would have to wait for answers within.
As he approached the double doors, he felt the presence of two chuunin on the other side. They were leery of a midnight visitor, but as was their duty, stepped outside the doors and closed them so that they could question him.
"State your name and business." The one on the right asked. He had black hair, a mask that came up to his chin, and a cap on his head with his hitai-ate pushing the hair down over his left eye.
The one on the left also had black hair. He also wore a cloth strip across his nose and wore his hitai-ate on his forehead. Kayaku stared at them for a moment before figuring out who they were.
"Why if it isn't the two troublemakers, Kamizuki Izumo and Hagane Kotetsu! Last time I saw you, you were both still gaki." Kayaku's voice was rusty with disuse, but was sure he'd been understood.
The two jerked back slightly in surprise, but stepping closer to get a better look at him.
"Who are you?" Kotetsu asked politely, not wanting to start anything until he knew Kayaku's intentions. Kayaku hoped his reasoning skills worked even when he hadn't talked to another living soul (besides a lowly beast or two) in too long.
"I know it's been 13 years and I probably sound and look awful, but still, you'd think you'd recognize your first ever sensei." His teeth flashed in the dark as he grinned.
"But… our sensei was… and he's…" Kotetsu stumbled out a moment later. Izumo stepped up close to Kayaku and peered into his face. Kayaku could tell the precise moment Izumo realized it, as the man stumbled backwards into Kotetsu in shock, mouth gaping and wide eyed.
"Ka.. Ka.. Kayaku-sensei!" Kotetsu jerked in surprise and scrutinized him in the same way. He figured it out too, and then his two old students at the academy stared frankly at him for a whole minute.
"Yondaime…" Kotetsu murmured in a shocked voice.
"The one and only. Only now, I'm not so sure after all this time..." He rubbed the back of his head tiredly. What a day. Well at least two people recognized him. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard after all.
Of course, he was forgetting that he'd always been popular before his death, and he had no idea many saw him as a savior. He had no idea what an uproar his sudden presence in Konoha would cause, but Kotetsu and Izumo did, so carefully led him to Hokage tower.