xv. Back Towards Konoha

A/N: wait, just reminding that this chapter was updated the same time as the chapter 14, so make sure you have read the previous chap first before this. I hope you like the updates too. ;)

Continuation:

Minato found himself staking this time as he found himself bringing his team closer to the Konoha border. His curiosity got a better of him. Since the day they have encountered the joint ANBU squad of Suna and Konoha, he has become so restless. All because of that young man who carries the kyuubi's chakra. At this point, he is way too certain that in a way, it scares him. His Sage Mode has never been wrong before.

So, it wasn't a huge surprise to find themselves surrounded by a three-man cell who looks at them with both expectancy and wariness. These team are wearing the same forehead protectors they have become so familiar with. The kanji character spelling 'shinobi' on them.

Minato could tell though that the unknown team were from Konoha. The stench of Inuzuka clan clings strongly on one of the boys. Still, Minato is even more reluctant now, unable to come up with a strategy.

Minato looked back to find his young teammates. They are all tense on their stance but already looked ready if it turns bloody in the end. Minato could see Obito's sharingan already activated even though his hood hiding most of his face. Same thing goes to Kakashi, his combat-skills already apparent with the way he grips on his kunais. Rin is the same.

Minato always think his team is way too young to handle whatever shit they are in now. He realized that soon after when a single twitch from the only woman of the opposing team had sent Obito and Kakashi charging. Being young and impulsive, the two of them thought it would be easy to end this battle as soon as possible and it was all too late for Minato to stop them.

An enraged monstrous tiger made with ink appeared before Kakashi and an equally huge white furred dog beside it, charging towards Obito. Minato was not quick enough to do anything when he found himself dealing with a skilfully arm thrust of the woman.

"Gentle fist!" The woman cried as she tried to aim her perfectly composed attacked, the veins in both the sides of her eyes appeared.

It made Minato jump back as he murmured, "Hyuuga's byakugan…" Truly from Konoha. He mentally added as he prepared himself with his transportation jutsu.

With his infamous Flying Thunder God technique, he was able to come close to the Hyuuga clan member, held her by the waist and went to grab Rin with them. He disappeared quickly with the women from that battle, aiming to get information off that Hyuuga clan member as soon as he is able to pick the remaining Obito and Kakashi with them.

The moment he had brought Rin and the Hyuuga person somewhere far and safe, he was forced to tie the Hyuuga person because he was not about to leave Rin with a potentially dangerous person. "I'm sorry about this." Minato whispered, arranging the hood over his head once again.

Quickly again, Minato returned to where Obito and Kakashi were left battling the other Konoha team. He momentarily almost punched himself realizing what the hell is wrong with him leaving the young ones dealing with jonin level enemies.

"HINATA!"

Minato looked at whom he could say now as a member of Konoha's Inuzuka clan screaming for possibly the woman from the Hyuuga clan Minato forcedly abducted. He was gonna say something to stop the fight when his eyes caught Obito being pushed to the ground by the big white furred dog.

"You got him, Akamaru!"

Minato turned and by using his seals marked on Obito, he was able to grab him away from the dog. Yet, because of that, he was not able to foresee that another person behind the trees had charged at him, aiming for a good stab on his back.

"RAIKIRIIIII…!"

Blinding lights made everything in slow-motion and when Minato had successfully turn around, it was Kakashi with heavy breathing standing behind him, a blood-soaked brunet guy dropped motionless in front of him.

Minato momentarily couldn't move his muscles, trying to comprehend what happened. He doesn't know whether to think Kakashi had once again saved him or to scold the boy for using such a distractive attack that could also endanger himself.

But in the end, he grabbed for Kakashi and left the battle as soon as possible. Whatever had happened here was way too much for them.

Minato stares for the longest time at the Hyuuga's face, trying to read through her façade. She's fairly polite, too gentle for her own good. Yet, just like a strong jonin level person and as a part of a noble clan, this young woman is tight-lipped. She's only answering questions she thinks won't endanger what she protects. She's being wisely suspicious of them.

"Shinobi," Minato mumbled, looking at the head protector the Hyuuga is wearing now. "All the five nations wear the same forehead protector, you say?"

The Hyuuga nodded. "It was one of the rules between the Alliance…" She worried on her lower lip as she tried to refuse to say things further. Yet, she continued seeing Minato was not dropping this one down, "Look, I know who you are… but I don't know why you are here… I don't know who sent you and the others. I was told not let my guard down. I prefer not to say anything else."

Minato nodded, understanding full well where the woman stood now. Instead, he asked the woman, "Is Konoha okay?"

The woman smiled, the uneasiness disappeared quickly, "More than ever." She quickly said and added, "In fact, the war between villages have stopped… we are—" She stopped and looked away, realizing that she's been talking way too much.

Minato respected her. After all, all that he wanted to know is whether Konoha is okay or not. The serenity in her voice when she talks about the village is unmistakable. He realized then that there was no forcing her if he wanted to know more about the village.

He just have to take a trip there himself. For a short while.

The moment Minato's feet landed on the wooden floor of his own house, the first thing he was able to sense was the absence of the very essence of what makes this place his home. Kushina. He thought as he took his first step, eyes roaming around the emptiness of his house. "Kushina, where are you?"

Empty…this house is empty. That's all Minato could think and his frantic heart thumps faster now as his prancing quickened, opening doors after doors hoping to find Kushina but all that he finds is the horrible truth that this house has been empty for way too long now. In fact, the house looked like it went through a slight reconstruction. This is not the home he once knew.

He slump down to the floor, trembling as tears started to form on his eyes, unable to comprehend what the heck was happening. He has been there outside Konoha fighting for his life and his team's way too long that it's taking a toll on him now. Emotional breakdown.

He wallowed there for a couple of minutes before he forced his Sage Mode, desperately trying to locate Kushina's chakra but what greeted him was a strong chakra of Kakashi heading his way.

His eyes widened, a panic crossed his face as he willed himself to stand up. Did Kakashi follow him here? No way he could, right? And most especially, this isn't exactly Kakashi's chakra now…it was stronger…more powerful…more imposing…more mature.

Minato quickly made a hand seal, concealing his chakra fully as he pushed himself back into hiding. At his current emotional state, he cannot will himself to transport anywhere. He just weakly stayed there, though invisible.

A few moments later, a shadow appeared and skipped over the window, revealing a tall man wearing a white coat with matching Hokage hat. Could it be the Sandaime? Minato wondered but then again, he could clearly sense the strong chakra of nobody else but Kakashi.

And true to that, the Hokage turned around and Minato almost undid his own concealing jutsu after seeing closely the face of the man in front of him.

Kakashi.

There is no mistaking it. This person is Kakashi and it was not only because of his identical mask to the younger Kakashi but also because chakra signatures cannot be fabricated. And this more mature Kakashi carries that same chakra.

Just…what exactly is going?

He watches the older Kakashi, probably around his age now, looking around the place, seemingly looking for something. If this is a usual occurrence to see Kakashi snooping around his house, Minato couldn't tell.

He was so focused to the fact that Kakashi is standing in front of him in his older self.

Wait a second…is this… is this…did they time skip?

Oh no… Minato caught his widened mouth. Just by that mere half-ass realization, everything started to fall back into the right places. Everything that has happened seemed to all fit now. If only he has more time to comprehend what's happening now.

But because he noticed that the doubtingly older Kakashi jumped out of the window, he was not able to think fully of what he just learnt. The next thing he realized, he has already followed Kakashi cautiously.

The destination wasn't far enough from Minato's house. It would have been a chance for him to notice the huge difference of the village from what he has remembered but because of the impact of what he learnt, everything went to a blur. His focus just stayed on Kakashi.

He saw Kakashi climbing on one of a small, almost ran down apartment and jump through the window as well. He waited for a few moments before he peeked onto the window. As soon as he exposed himself fully onto the scene, he had a huge swift of the massive chakra of a Kyuubi and there is no mistaking it, it was coming from the blond boy Kakashi is talking with now.

What is the meaning of this?

"Where's your decency to use the door, old man? And you call yourself the Rokudaime…" The younger blond man asked Kakashi, glaring at him judgingly.

Rokudaime? Minato wondered. From the time he was from, if indeed this is a miraculous time-travel, there was only a Sandaime and that has been Hiruzen Sarutobi. To think that Kakashi is appointed the 6th Hokage now, he briefly wondered who has become the 4th and 5th Hokage–and above all, how many years did they skip?

"Ah, sorry, sorry." Kakashi seemed to realize this and gave the boy an embarrassed chuckle.

"Why are you not in your office?"

Minato could just hear Kakashi sighing problematically, "It bores the hell out of me…" He walked closer to the younger male and stared closely, "Hurry up and grow up, Naruto… become the Hokage now…"

Naruto… Minato mentally noted. So, indeed it was the boy that carries a massive amount of chakra from the day they have encountered the joint ANBU of Suna and Konoha. He hasn't seen his face at that time…but now, Minato couldn't help but stare at the boy's face closely.

The boy has light blond hair, spiky in a ridiculous way despite it being damp from his shower. He also has these unique whiskery scars on both his cheeks. He's noticeably glamorously tan, Minato also noted they might have had the same tan color. Aside from that, the boy's eyes are pure oceanic blue and as wide as…the typical Uzumaki's eyes.

Uzumaki… and the boy carries the Kyuubi that Kushina has…or used to have at this era. Shit… Minato made a sudden stop on his thoughts. He's not so ready to jump on this conclusion just yet. The possibility is increasingly high he's so scared to analyse it for now.

Minato looked back again at this boy called Naruto. Naruto was eyeing Kakashi judgingly. "Are you for real even…" He turned around and picked the first shirt he saw. "I'm sure you don't mean that…you might be lazy as fuck, sensei but you are not stupid as to entrust the whole village to a knucklehead that is me."

Minato's attention focused on the quick display of the blond's abdomen before the new shirt fell in place. The Eight Diagram Sealing… Minato is well familiar with that seal taught to him by the Uzumaki clan. It was specifically designed to seal a tailed beast into its jinchuriki. It was no denying the boy has the kyuubi inside him and that someone else aside from Minato performed the sealing. Or that's what he wanted to believe. There's no way he could have done that sealing himself.

"Ah…" Kakashi exasperatedly sighs, "You've really grown." He muttered.

"Really, why are you here?" Naruto asked again, slipping on his trousers as well. He took his towel and dried his spiky hair with it, "Sensei…"

Sensei… Minato thought. Expectedly, a fine shinobi such as Kakashi yields equally skilful shinobi like himself.

"I'm just checking if you're awake or not…"

"Not because you're bored as fuck reading all the reports…?"

Minato could swear Kakashi has momentarily hesitated answering the boy there. There has been this habit Kakashi always seem to carry. Being observant yet private and that has made him very strategic and it never fails him since.

Instead Kakashi asked the boy in return, "Where are you off to today?"

"Visiting Sai in the hospital."

Sai… The Hyuuga woman has once said that name and Minato knew he was the third boy and unlucky the one who met the younger Kakashi's Raikiri. He looked back again to the two men conversing naturally close. He couldn't help but to admire the change and obvious affection this Kakashi seemed to have for the boy.

He watched Kakashi nodding and catching Naruto's towel and continued the action himself, drying to smooth the blond hair. "Be careful."

The blond confusedly eyed Kakashi, "Don't be such a mother… I'm just going to the Hospital. It's not as if I'm going to a battle…"

As Minato saw Kakashi grinning, his heart thump so fast that all he could think was that, something is about to happen and he is not ready enough to see this. It felt like he's barging on their privacy. There were just too much going on in Kakashi's eyes that Minato has never seen before. And looks like it was all because of the boy named Naruto.

"Well…Naruto…"

It was the last thing Minato wanted to hear as he undid his transportation jutsu, leaving that place and let his mind analyse what he just learnt. Everything seemed unreal but at the same time, made everything so clear.

present:

"Tsunade-sama."

"Minato."

Kakashi watched the interaction between the Yondaime and the Godaime once they all arrived in the Hokage office where the Godaime waited along with Kakashi's loyal advisers as the current Hokage.

It didn't escape Kakashi the relief that crossed his sensei, Minato's face. He understood just how much of a relief it must be for his sensei to see someone familiar at last after what happened to them recently.

Beside him though, stood Naruto still uncertain whether to follow inside or not. He wanted to hold on the young man's hand, assure him it will be alright and like all the years between them, he would stay beside him.

Yet, he noticed the uncertainty in Naruto's face completely replaced with determination. Kakashi can't help but to lightly snort in his mind. That's my boy. He cheered mentally as he placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder instead and ushered them inside to join the rest.

Just seeing Naruto's determination like that gives him courage. Naruto's effect on people goes beyond expectations. Kakashi knows this well.

Naruto gave a timid smile towards Kakashi, feeling just how much this made him a lot better and at the same time making himself even more convinced that he had become way too dependent on Kakashi. He doesn't know how else to do this now though if Kakashi is not around.

"Tsunade sama," Minato started.

"Yes, Minato?"

"Is Kushina out in a mission?"

Naruto was not able to hold himself from looking away, fists curling on his side, a look of pain so visible on his face. The eyes his father gave him hurts even more. They were piercing through him slowly but deeply. It was not purely because of the question alone, it was more to the fact that this father before him does not hold any memory of him.

The father who died for him, the father who became one of his two suns isn't the person in front of him.

It was just way too hard for him. The sacrifice, the encouragement his father left him made him strong and live the life he has now. Without any memory of that, it seems all meaningless.

Naruto doesn't know how to put himself around this guy who would become his father in his own time.

Indeed, maybe he just couldn't do it right now.

A/N: I'm sorry for not able to update for so long. I'm just caught up doing something... urr caught up writing my original story. lol ;) and watching Naruto all over again. cant get over it. but anyways. Hope you had a good easter.

about the story, I will narrate more about Minato's conversation with the others soon enough. alrightie? xD