Suffice to say, the current Hokage was shocked. "The technology for time travel does not currently exist, what proof do you have?"

The Sandaime Hokage was not completely unbelieving, as he was the Shinobi no Kami, he understood that time and space travel was theoretically possible; they just had yet to achieve it.

Mumei stepped forward, reaching out his hand to the Hokage. Sarutobi narrowed his eyes in response, but took the outstretched hand in his own.

Blood. All he could see was red, oozing blood. The entire village was covered in it. Copper saturated the air, invading every sense. As used to blood as he was, this was too much; he gagged on the taste. It dripped down over the walls, flowed down through the streets, bubbled and oozed out of houses and stores.

As soon as Hiruzen had adjusted, the flashes began. Bodies removed from the wreckage of villages were piled high in the bloody streets in one flash. Shinobi battered and bloody in a field in the next. And on it went. Death. Destruction. Agony. Screams. And blood. So much blood. Never before had he seen so much blood. The Great Shinobi Wars 1 through 3 all combined hadn't created so much death.

He saw it all, up until time was rewound; he saw everything. It was an awful sight.

The Hokage grasped the hand in his tighter, rounding the desk quickly and enveloping the young man in a hug. Mumei flinched at the contact; it had been ages since had been hugged by one of his precious people."I'm sorry," the aged man whispered.

Mumei looked at the wall behind his Jiji in disbelief. This was not the reaction that he had anticipated. He had pictured some yelling, a lot of disappointment, maybe even a lecture, but this? This was worse.

He had killed them all and Jiji was sorry? No. It was his fault. Always his fault. He destroyed everything he touched. Everyone who even considered him someone to love died. Every. Time. Mom. Dad. Jiji. Iruka. Konohamaru. Sasuke. Sakura. Kakashi. Everyone. He couldn't bear this compassion.

"I did it. I killed them, but I'll fix it, Jiji. I'll fix it," he replied with a cracked tone. The old Hokage was heartbroken. This was not the future that he wanted for his pseudo-grandson. He had dreamt of happiness, the Hokage hat, but not like this; not because everyone was dead.

"You did nothing wrong, my boy. None of it is your fault," the Hokage replied, knowing that Naruto was beating himself up for everything that happened in the future.

Mumei disagreed but he was not interested in arguing with his Jiji, it had been a decade since he had last seen him. Instead, he hugged him tighter. In his head, however, he played his new mantra, I'm sorry, I'll do better. I'm sorry, I'll do better. I'm sorry, I'll do better.

Finally, the old man released the future Nanadaime.

"How old am I, Jiji?" Mumei finally pushed to one of the main points of his visit.

"6, Naruto. You are 6," the Third replied.

Mumei shut his eyes tightly, six years of loneliness, six years of hatred. He had hoped that he would have gone back earlier, somehow taken care of his younger self. Still, there was plenty that could be changed.

The Hokage released Mumei from his grasp. "How old are you?" questioned the Third.

"23," he replied simply.

"You've seen far too much, my boy," Sarutobi lamented.

"That's why I'm back. To keep younger generations from facing such horrors," he answered.

Sarutobi rested a hand on Mumei's shoulder. "What is your first course of action?"

"The Uchiha no Jiken," Mumei confided, "Under the orders of Shimura Danzo, Uchiha Itachi kills his entire clan."

The current Hokage stilled. "How will we prevent this from happening?" he wondered.

"Killing Danzo and freeing Root. We cannot help the older members, but the younger still have a chance."

"Root is still active?"

"They were never inactive, Jiji," Mumei shook his head solemnly, thinking of Sai and the challenges that he had faced. The brutality and brainwashing that each Root soldier went through was truly horrific. There was no way to combat the brainwashing, really. No documented ways, of course. If their memories could be sealed, however, the anguish that they had suffered could be taken away.

"Then killing Danzo is the only option."

"His death means that not every Uchiha has to die."

"In my name, Uzumaki Naruto-" before the Hokage could finish, Mumei interrupted.

"It's Mumei now."

"Just Mumei, no sir name?"

"No."

"You will be a Namikaze then. Minato's brother."

"But Jiji-" the Hokage returned the favor, cutting the younger man off.

"No. You won't be in the shadows, my boy. You are meant to bask in the sunlight. I refuse to allow you to slip into the shadows of yourself and let the darkness consume you. You will by my emissary, my bringer of light."

"Jiji, I deserve the darkness, I failed everyone. I failed you."

"You've never failed me and you never will. You are my precious Hi no Ishi. Mumei in name, you will not remain anonymous, not in my Konoha."

Mumei sighed. He had forgotten how stubborn Sarutobi was; the man refused to give up once he had decided on something.

"Hn," he acquiesced. Kami-sama he really was turning into a broody, older, cooler version of Sasuke. He had spent way too much time around that teme; up until his death of course. "Since I'm a Namikaze, can I tell Naruto of his heritage?"

Sarutobi sighed but agreed, "I suppose that would be best."

Mumei took a moment to determine his new appearance. He would have to have sunny yellow hair like his father and younger self. He decided on spiky locks with two smooth bangs coming down over his hitai-ate. Bright blue eyes completed the combo. He covered the whisker marks he had his whole life with smooth, soft skin.

His blue body suit and flak jacket remained the same as well as his black ANBU pants. On his arms he carefully chose forearm protectors made of non-reflective metal that resembled those that the young copy nin once wore. Completing the ensemble were black shinobi sandals and black fingerless gloves with the Konoha symbol engraved on the metal.

Biting his finger and placing it on the naruto behind his ear brought his pictured henge to reality. He looked quite similar to his father without being a complete replica. His facial structure still appeared to be Uzumaki-esque. Mumei decided that he and Minato had the same father but different mothers, his being an Uzumaki. That would help explain his sealing abilities better than saying 'I read a few books.'

"Better?" he asked.

"Much," the old man replied. "Now then, lets get you settled in Konoha. I will give you your father and mother's inheritance; I know you will share it with your younger self. Your blood should allow you into your parents' compound. It's up to you if you would like to live with Naruto; I won't stop you."

Emotions welled up inside of Mumei. He wanted to know why his Jiji didn't allow him to live with anyone. The number of people who would have taken him in were limited but there were still a few. Jiji could have taken care of him. Mikoto, Sasuke's mom was Kushina's best friend. There was Kakashi. Jiraiya. There were several places he could have lived besides the orphanage where they abused him. It was unfair; that's how a shinobi's life was, unfair. At least he could make little Naruto happy, safe.

"Thank you, Jiji."

"Alright, let's get you set up with a picture so I can complete your shinobi paperwork," the Third said happily. "Aaah I almost forgot," he continued before rummaging around in his desk. He pulled out a Konoha hitai-ate. "Now you can have a real one, not just a henge."

Mumei reached out his hand, apprehensively taking the protector as if it might bite him. It had been a long time since he had worn the Konoha band; the one engraved with Shinobi had taken its place for a very long time. He released his henge and removed the Shinobi hitai-ate from his forehead and tied it around his waist. He then put on his new hitai-ate. He reminisced about his first hitai-ate, how Iruka had literally and metaphorically saved his life and given him that hitai-ate; he missed it.

Biting the same finger as before that had healed thanks to Kurama, he placed his finger back on his seal and became Namikaze Mumei once again. This time, his forehead protector was real and his Shinobi band was concealed. He could feel it on his person, reminding him of what happened in the future, grounding him, but it could not actually be seen.

"Let's get your shinobi photograph taken so I can finish up your paperwork," the Hokage cut in after giving Mumei sufficient time to settle himself.

Mumei removed the barriers that had kept them protected while they had their discussion. The ANBU quietly appeared back in the room, taking their previous positions. They seemed suspicious of the blond-haired man that had replaced the brunette. Their hair was the same, just a different color but the face was completely different. Something odd was going on here but it was not their place to speak of it.

The Hokage raised his hand and an ANBU in a Rabbit mask appeared next to him. "Call for the photographer, we have a new shinobi," he requested.

Without a word, Rabbit disappeared. The Hokage went about some paperwork while Mumei stood there in silence. There was an uncomfortable tension in the air between the blond-haired man and the ANBU guards. The Third seemed none the wiser, going about his paperwork with practiced ease.

About ten minutes later, a lithe man appeared at the door to the Hokage's chambers panting quite heavily. In his hands he had the camera and its stand. Obviously the ANBU had said it was urgent because the man had arrived quite quickly for being a civilian stationed 15 minutes walk away.

On unsteady legs, the cameraman staggered into the room."Where *huff*should I *huff* set *huff* up, *huff* Hokage-sama?"

"By the window is fine," the Hokage replied with a wave of his hand.

Mumei moved over in front of the window and waited patiently while the exhausted cameraman set up his equipment.

Several minutes later, the contraption was set up and Mumei tried on a smile for the first time in several years. It was a strained looking thing, far too forced. In the end, he looked like he had bit a lemon and was trying to smile around the sour pucker. It was an odd picture but strangely fitting for the man who was not quite a man.

"I'll be taking my leave, Hokage-sama," Mumei said respectfully with a bow of his head. Before the Hokage could say anything in response, Mumei had disappeared in a Shunshin, leaving leaves all over the floor where he once stood.

The blond-haired man appeared in a tree not far from the Hokage's office. He closed his eyes and determined his next move.

He could go see his younger self or he could go straight for the action and kill Danzo. He still had plenty of time before the Uchiha no Jiken. He truly wanted to see Naruto, but there was a feeling in his gut that he would never be good enough. So, the newly minted Namikaze took off in search of his parents' compound.

Mumei unsealed the scroll given to him by his grandfather figure and pulled out a map with a big red X marked on it. His Jiji could certainly be subtle when he wanted to, but this was definitely not one of those times. He raced to the outskirts of Konoha and found nothing but an empty lot. There was a tall gate in front of the surprisingly well-manicured property with a seal matrix on the side.

He bit his finger for the nth time that day and placed his hand on the matrix. In a flash of a barrier dispelling, a mansion appeared. Apparently his mother had managed to take quite a few riches with her when she left Uzushiogakure and his father had managed to accrue quite the fortune going on high-level missions.

The palm of his hand met the cold metal gate and it swung open easily. Stepping inside, he closed the gate and saw another matrix on the inside. He placed his hand on this one too and the outside world disappeared. Instead, there was a beautiful mountain view. His parents must have created a visual barrier on the very outside of the property. Inside of that barrier appeared to be a sound and chakra barrier.

Mumei turned from the intricate barrier work and looked at the mansion in front of him. It was three stories tall with a bottom story of stone and two upper stories of wood. It was a traditional Japanese house, but on steroids. On the top story there was a lovely balcony that stretched around the side of the house facing a body of water. The house bordered on a small lake where there was a dock leading out a quarter of the way to the center. It was a beautiful house.

Glancing to the right of the building, he saw a new installment – a small version of the house in front of him, presumably meant to be his playhouse. It was a sweet gesture that told him how much he was loved before his parents were ripped away from him. For a moment he thought tears would well in his eyes, but it seemed that he had cried too many tears and he had finally run dry.

He walked up the stone path through a brilliant garden that was surprisingly not overgrown in the least. He did not know of any sealwork that could create a self-preserving garden so he assumed that Kakashi had been by, taking care of his sensei's legacy until Naruto came of age. Luckily, he supposed, the copy nin was in the hospital still so he did not have to worry about being disturbed.

Mumei stepped up to the double doors that marked the front entry and opened one, holding his breath. Then he stepped in. The front entrance was marvelous with busts of what he assumed to be his ancestors lining the right wall. To the left was a magnificent staircase that led to the second and third story. There was so much to explore and see, he could barely stand it. All this had been hidden from him; he never had a chance to see it.

He ran from room to room like a kid in a candy store. There was an enormous library, an armory, a sealing room, a kitchen, a dining room and a lovely little breakfast nook and that was all on the first floor!

Mumei found another door leading to a basement and descended the stairs. At the bottom was a state of the art training facility and the walls appeared to be chakra and force resistant, ensuring their stability in the face of jutsu. Several training dummies lined one wall and seemed to also bear some seals. He would have to investigate them thoroughly later.

With haste, he ascended to the first floor and then to the second. He investigated each room, finding several guest bedrooms and what appeared to be the master. In the bedroom adjacent to his parents' he found a soft baby blue room with a cradle in the center; a nursery. He froze at the door. This was for him. The toys in a colorful toy box, for him. A changing table, for him. A spinning overhead mobile of kunai and shuriken, for him. He was so loved before he was even born, it brought him to his knees.

This was all stolen from him. Ripped away as he had barely had one breath. Tobi. He would make sure that he never rose to power. He would ensure the destruction of the tailed beast hunters, the Akutsuki. He would turn them back into a peaceful organization. There was so much to do and so little time. At least he had his shadow clones to help him out.

Backing away from that perfect room, he climbed to the third story and found a little apartment. He assumed that it was for Kakashi as it was completely barren of the knickknacks that his mother seemed to be fond of. On a bedside table there was a small family photograph, Kakashi on his father's shoulders and his mother looking at them affectionately. Not for the first time, he wondered what happened to the gray-haired man's mother. It was none of his business, but he wanted to know every detail about Kakashi, know the man so thoroughly and completely that it felt like they were one. It seemed selfish but he needed to be a little selfish every once in a while.

Mumei set about creating a space for young Naruto to live in one of the guest rooms. He unsealed a decent amount of money as he didn't know how much he would be spending. Leaving the house briefly, he visited a linen store in order to pick out toad-themed sheets and comforter. He also visited a hardware store and picked out several shades of green paint as well as orange, brown, silver, and black. A furniture store was he next stop and he picked out several lights and a desk that fit the theme.

Returning to the Namikaze household, he laid down some tarps in the chosen room and got to work. On the walls he painted a mural of cattails and a pond. The dresser was painted a light green and given dark green spots. He painted several orange shinobi toads with kunai on the walls after the mural had dried, obviously in a battle, kicking butt for Konoha. He placed the toad-themed lamps on the bedside tables and one on the desk that he had picked out.

He stepped back to admire his work. It was an atrocious mix of green and orange with toads absolutely everywhere. Naruto would love it.

Now he just had to get the boy and explain what the hell was going on. He had plenty of world saving to do, but he felt it was most important to rescue the young boy from the loneliness that consumed his life.

Just then, he felt a signature enter the bubble that encircled the house. He knew that signature all too well. Kakashi.

Mumei slipped out the front door and sent out a wave of chakra to locate the copy nin. He was sitting cross-legged in front of some sort of shrine. The other shinobi did not seem to notice Mumei's presence. Silently, Mumei stepped behind the gray-haired man and prepared himself for violence. "You're off your game, Kakashi, you should still be in the hospital."

As he said this, the copy nin spun around, kunai in hand. "Who are you?" he growled.

"Namikaze Mumei," came the response.

"Let me rephrase. Who the hell are you?"

"Namikaze Minato's brother."

"Minato-sensei didn't have a brother. He would have told me," Kakashi snarled, teeth bared.

"Maa, I guess his half-breed baby brother was a secret."

Finally, Kakashi scented the air. Steel. Blood. Sunshine. It was him; the man from his hospital room.

"Why were you in my hospital room? How did you get into Konoha?"

"I told you, napping. I walked through the main gates, well ran."

"How did you get in here? I'm the only one alive that the gate is coded to," Kakashi questioned suspiciously.

"I guess nii-san cared a little bit after all because he apparently coded my DNA to the gate."

"I'm calling ANBU," he retorted before moving towards the main gate.

"Hokage-sama already knows I'm here. I'm a shinobi of Konoha," Mumei called after him. This gave Kakashi pause. "I have the hitai-ate, ne?" Mumei wiggled around the metal engraved with the Konoha symbol in Kakashi's direction. He missed teasing him.

"I don't trust you, I'm still calling them," Kakashi retorted.

"Very well. Call Rabbit first. She can attest. Call Hokage-sama while you're at it."

Kakashi decided to call Rabbit first after all, just in case this stranger was telling the truth. He didn't want to get on the Hokage's bad side if it turned out this man actually was Minato-sensei's brother.

Rabbit appeared almost instantaneously, like she was waiting for something to go wrong. Kakashi started his questioning and she answered to the best of her ability. No, he was not an intruder. Yes, he was a Konoha shinobi. Yes, the paperwork has been filed. Yes, he is a Namikaze. Somewhat satisfied that Mumei wasn't there to assassinate anyone, he dismissed Rabbit.

"Are you here to take Naruto?" Kakashi probed.

"I am here to ensure his happiness and safety, whatever that may entail. Hokage-sama has given me permission to do what needs to be done."

"You will not take him away from me," he bristled.

"I will do what needs to be done. You've done a shit job of protecting him so far. His only friends are his plants and his Jiji, you know that, right? He had no-one. Now he has me."

"I... he looks so much like his parents."

"He is their precious legacy; he deserves so much more than what you have given him, how the village has treated him. I will ensure his happiness. How you are in his life is up to you."

Kakashi lowered his head, knowing that he had lost another of his precious people. Stupid. Everyone always leaves. Everyone always dies. He's a bad luck charm. He didn't want to say it, but that's why he never took on the child. He did not want to cause his sensei's precious child's death like he had all the others in his life.

"I'm going to pick up Naruto," Mumei commented, "it's up to you if you are still here when we return." The blond-haired man meandered over to the gate before unlocking it with another swift bite to his finger. He exited and locked it from the outside once more. Internally he hoped that Kakashi was still there, but he knew that he wouldn't be. The other shinobi was still too isolated. No matter, he would fix that too.

A Shunshin later and he was standing outside Naruto's door. Slurs were written all over the door, calling him a monster, telling him to die. Rage boiled up inside the man. On the other side of the door, Naruto sensed the anger and dove into his closet, hiding among the clothes and boxes out of fear.

Mumei knocked gently on the door and received no answer. He could feel the fear radiating from the other side and easily picked the lock. Jumping to his left, he avoided a bucket of water that was rigged to the top of the door jamb. He smirked. That would catch any rowdy civilian off-guard.

"Naruto," he called softly, "it's okay, I'm not here to hurt you. Hokage-sama sent me."

The closet door rustled and Naruto peeked through the slots. The man didn't seem threatening. In fact, he looked a lot like him. If Jiji sent him, he must be okay. Slowly, the six-year-old stood and opened the door. The child was only 35 inches tall, a whole 7 inches shorter than the average for his age group. He appeared to also be quite underweight.

Mumei beckoned to the boy and crouched down to his level to appear more non-threatening. I brought you a present, he murmured, reaching into the pouch on his right thigh. He pulled out a toad plushie and held it out to the child. "His name is Gamakichi-kun and he says he's pleased to meet you," he relayed.

Naruto giggled. "He's just a toy, he can't talk, dattebayo."

"Aah but that's where you're wrong, my dear. If you listen close enough, he talks."

In reality, Mumei had rigged up a two-way radio seal so that Naruto could communicate with Gamakichi, the young son of the toad chief. Neither the toad nor the boy knew that they were talking to an actual being, they just thought it was a clever toy and their imagination.

"Who are you, ojisan?"

"That's the thing, Naruto, I'm your ojisan. Your father's brother," Mumei informed him with a smile.

Mumei translates literally to Anonymous, what I originally intended future!Naruto on being. The characters kinda ran away with it though and apparently, Mumei isn't going to be as shadowy as first intended. There will still be quite a bit of dark!Naruto and some brooding, though, so not to worry.

I'm not sure how far off the KakaNaru is going to be, but based on how the chips are falling, I'd say it will be a bit of a slow burn so buckle your seatbelts.