Time Flows Like Ink

Summary: After a fuinjutsu experiment gone wrong, Minato is yanked into a future where his family is dead, his team fell apart and the Uchiha were slaughtered. With the defective seal burning in his palm, Minato struggles to stay afloat in a Konoha that isn't his.

Chapter 8

Minato was lucky that both of the people present to witness his and Naruto's arrival were shinobi. Shinobi did not lose their composure easily. As such, the revelation was not met with either hysterical screaming or fainting.

Kushina put together two and two quickly. She was one of the smartest people Minato knew, and it wasn't difficult to deduce that the child he'd brought from the future who had her face and Minato's hair was theirs.

Unfortunately, while Kushina was a splendid liar, her skills of deception went flying out the window when attempted to be utilized against her best friend.

"R-Right! Minato, what did I tell you about trying to teleport while you're still sick?" Her scolding tone fell flat. Her eyes were far too wide and fixed on Naruto. The spilled tea had formed a puddle at her feet.

"Kushina," Mikoto said. "What's going on?"

"W-What do you mean?"

"The kid," Mikoto deadpanned. "He called Minato 'Dad'."

"Minato cheated on me," Kushina blurted out.

Mikoto arched a graceful eyebrow. "Minato? Please. Besides, the boy can't be younger than ten. Minato would have had to be thirteen."

That was the moment Naruto decided to chime in as well. "I'm twelve!"

"He would have had to be eleven," Mikoto corrected.

Minato could tell that it was a lost cause. He heaved a sigh, nudged Naruto off of him gently and sat up. "It's alright, Kushina."

"Oh, thank god," Kushina sighed, dropping the pretense and leaping off of the couch to join them on the floor. She flopped down next to Naruto with a beaming smile. "It's you, isn't it? You're Naruto!"

"Um." Naruto, his gaze still slightly foggy, leaned away from the over-enthusiastic stranger. "Yeah? Who're you?"

Kushina squealed – there was no better word for it – lurched forward and took Naruto's face between her hands to take a close – far too close – look. "Figured. Of course you'd get most from him, that's just typical. Lucky about the eyes, no one has a prettier eye color, you know. Too bad about the hair. How did he win out over the Uzushio genes? That's just not fair, you would have made a marvellous redhead."

"U-Um. Dad?"

Minato bit his lower lip to keep himself from laughing out loud. Naruto shot him a help-seeking glance, not daring to pull away from who must seem like a lunatic to him. "Kushina, dear. Maybe introduce yourself first. You're scaring him."

"Scaring him? I'm not scaring–" Kushina broke off as she took in Naruto's wide eyed stare and pouted. She did, however, let go of Naruto's face. Her pout only grew worse when Naruto scrambled backwards, bringing distance between them and planting himself next to Minato.

"Who's that crazy lady?"

Kushina drew an indignant breath. "Crazy? Who are you calling crazy?!"

"Kushina. Sweetheart. Introductions first, don't you think?"

"Wait!" Naruto stared up at him, then back at Kushina with rapidly widening eyes. "You keep calling her 'Kushina'. Does that mean…? Is that…?"

Kushina sobered up. She dropped to her knees and beamed widely. Minato thought he could see her eyes dampening.

"Hello, Naruto. My name is Kushina Uzumaki. I'm your mother."

For a moment, Naruto didn't react. He stood frozen, eyes wide and mouth open with no sounds coming out. Minato could tell that Kushina was getting nervous. Her smile began to falter, insecurity creeping into her frame and making her shift restlessly.

"I- I mean. I'm sure Minato told you about me. He did, didn't he? Still, I know this is a lot, I mean, I have no idea what it feels like, I thought you were dead until today. Dead in your version, you're not even born here, and– Er…"

Luckily, Kushina broke off at Minato frantically waving his hands behind Naruto's back. Before he got around to breaching the topic of time travel to Naruto, it was probably not a good idea to mention that Kushina was currently pregnant with him.

"Naruto?" he asked gently, laying a hand on Naruto's shoulders when he still wouldn't say anything.

"I have a mom." Naruto's voice was nothing but a whisper, but it was enough to make Kushina straighten up and send warmth through Minato's chest.

The impossibility of the situation caught up with Kushina, and disbelief crept into her voice. "And I have a son."

Naruto's face split into a grin, and he launched himself at Kushina. "I have a mom!"

"Naruto," Kushina brought out as she caught him, arms closing around him in a firm hug. She laughed, disbelief and wonder caught up in it and the most wonderful sound Minato had ever heard.

This was his family. The first time that all of them were together.

All of them, plus Mikoto. Minato's attention was drawn back to her as she discreetly removed herself from the heartwarming meeting, walking towards their kitchen.

"Mikoto? Where are you going?"

Mikoto turned, a pleasant smile on her face and ever so collected despite the surreal scene going on in their living room. "Refilling my cup. I have the feeling we will be here for a while."

"So we're in the past?!"

"He's from the future?"

Naruto stared at Minato with wide eyes and even Mikoto's composure had begun to crumble. Minato could probably be glad that no one had declared him mental yet.

"I wasn't lying about the training accident," he said, showing Mikoto the palm of his hand. "That's exactly what happened."

Mikoto raised an eyebrow. "You simply left out the part of being transported to an entirely different time period."

Minato went for an appeasing grin and missed spectacularly. Kushina, on the other hand, was entirely unapologetic.

"The first time it happened we didn't know anything about the seal. For all we knew it could have been an isolated event." She raised an eyebrow. "Besides, do you really want to know what some of the council members would have wanted us to do with it?"

"Point taken." Mikoto took a moment to collect herself. "Are you planning to keep it a secret?"

"I don't think we can. At least not for much longer." Minato sighed. "Some of the problems that have to be fixed are just too big for one person alone."

"Like?" Mikoto asked.

Minato thought of empty streets and empty houses, the Uchiha crest a relic of the past. A lump formed in his throat. "Not here," he murmured with a pointed look towards Naruto.

Naruto, who looked at them like they were all crazy. "We're in the past?"

Minato gave him a – hopefully – calming smile. "I'm afraid so."

Naruto frowned like he was trying to put together a particularly difficult puzzle. "So… When you said that you were gone for twelve years–"

"I was. I came from here, from this time. I couldn't control how far the seal would bring me."

"But why aren't you there in my time?" Naruto frowned, and Minato shared a glance with Kushina and Mikoto. This wasn't a subject he looked forward to discuss, but how could he not? Naruto deserved an answer. "Nobody told me anything about you. I didn't even know your names until you told me!"

"Nothing?" Mikoto asked. "You didn't know anything about your parents?"

"I know now that they're super badass ninja!" Naruto practically glowed, making Kushina beam and Minato smile proudly.

"They definitely are," Mikoto said. "Right until you get to know them. After the fifth fuinjutsu related explosion you start to realize what a miracle it is that the village is still standing. Especially since they started living together."

"M-Mikoto!" Kushina sputtered, her smirk fading into a look of betrayal. "Don't listen to her, Naruto! We're awesome. Well, I am. He's a nerd."

Minato glowered at them half-heartedly. He couldn't believe they were ganging up on him.

At least they'd made Naruto laugh.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to distract him. "But why weren't you there?" He looked away with a frown. "Is it… Is it because you're dead?"

Minato sighed. "Naruto… Mizuki told you about the fox, didn't he?" Next to him, Kushina straightened up. "What else did he tell you?"

Naruto's frown deepened. "He said that you were the one who sealed it inside of me. Which is weird, because I always thought the Yondaime did it, but whatever. He was right, wasn't he? Why did you do it? Why me?"

How long had Naruto asked himself these questions? Even before he knew about the Nine-Tails, before he knew the reason for his isolation. Minato owed him.

He sighed. "Yeah. Mizuki was right. But so is what you heard before." He cracked a weak smile. "I'm the Yondaime."

Naruto's eyes widened. "You're the–? But that means– Oh." The spark of excitement vanished before it could fully form. "They say the Yondaime died after defeating– after sealing the fox."

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Mikoto stiffen. "I'm sorry," he said, taking Naruto's hand and squeezing it. "That's what people have been telling me, too. It hasn't happened to me yet."

"And it's not going to." Kushina scooted closer to them, a look of determination on her face. "We know what's going to happen – what was supposed to happen – so we can stop it. And we will!"

Naruto didn't react. He met Kushina's eyes, took in the certainty of her words. The confidence in her expression. He turned his head to look at Minato, and he hurried to give Naruto a reassuring glance.

Finally, Naruto nodded. "Okay." The solemn atmosphere shifted as a smile found its way back to his expression. "Can you tell me more stories about you?"

At once, it hit Minato how exhausted he was. The several sleepless nights had taken their toll, as had the excitement of Mizuki, and Naruto's accidental trip into the past. There was so much left they had to take care of.

Minato stifled a yawn and Kushina caught his gaze. She snorted. "Looks like your father is about to drop. Go ahead," she nodded towards their bedroom, "catch some sleep."

"You sure?" Minato didn't want to leave. He wanted to soak it all in, wanted to spend as much time as he could with all of them together. But as of now, he would probably fall asleep on the floor if he didn't move.

"Yeah, why not? You got your share of bonding with him already." Kushina grinned and ruffled Naruto's hair before he managed to lean away. "Now it's my turn."

Minato mustered enough energy to send Kushina an unimpressed look. "Kushina…"

"Go on. Don't worry about us. We'll have a great time."

Minato admitted defeat with a sigh. On his way to the bedroom he came to terms with the fact that by morning, Naruto would know about all the embarrassing stories about him Rin and Kakashi had yet left out.

With Kushina's voice still in his ear – enthusiastic and so, so excited – he couldn't bring himself to care. Minato closed the bedroom door with a smile.

It was the next day, and with Naruto dead to the world on the couch, Minato finally had the chance to fill in Kushina and Mikoto on the less pleasant details of his trip. They took the news of the Uchiha massacre stoically, Mikoto with an expression carved of stone and Kushina with wide eyes and a grim line to her mouth.

Minato hesitated when it came to reveal the culprit.

"Stop it, Minato." Mikoto's voice was sharp and left no room for protest. "You're thinking of hiding something. Don't."

"I don't know all the details," Minato warned. "This is what people told me. I don't know how much of it is the truth, or how much is missing."

Mikoto nodded, curt and accepting. She visibly steeled herself for what Minato was about to say.

"They said Itachi did it." He paused as Kushina gasped and Mikoto's back went rigid. "Jiraiya, Rin and Kakashi all suspect that there was more behind it. But while his motives are somewhat sketchy, everyone seems to agree that it was Itachi."

Mikoto's mouth formed a white line. "Why? Why would he?"

"I've been told he was an ANBU. Apparently he received orders from the very top. And before the massacre, there was… turmoil between the Uchiha and the rest of the village."

Mikoto looked away. "There's already been disagreements," she muttered. "Some arguments. Animosity between clans. It's nothing new, but you're saying it will escalate to such a degree?"

"People have been very tight-lipped about it," Minato admitted. "All they could tell me were speculations. That the stress was too much for him to handle."

Mikoto huffed a laugh, brittle and humorless. "And so he decided to kill his clan and family? Because of stress?"

"I'm only telling you what I heard."

Mikoto clenched her fists, a rare sign of emotion. "I know. Forgive me."

"I don't believe it either," Kushina said, taking Mikoto's hand and squeezing. "There's something missing. Someone didn't want anyone to know that they were involved."

"There's plenty of Konoha nin who would prefer the Uchiha out of the picture," Mikoto said, bitterness in her voice and stubborn eyes daring them to disagree.

"And an operation like that would have had to have been massive," Minato said thoughtfully. "If we assume that somebody planned the massacre, it couldn't have been over a short period of time."

"When is it supposed to happen?" Kushina asked.

"Only a few years from now."

"Are you considering that whoever is responsible has already started planning?" Mikoto asked, doubt painting her voice.

"Maybe not," Minato allowed. "But the intention must already be there. Nobody decides to wipe out an entire clan on a whim."

They fell into silence, each of them lost in their own thoughts.

"I might have an idea," Minato said, slowly sitting up. "It might not work, but until I can go back and try from the other end…"

"If there's a chance it will save my clan, Minato, tell me."

Minato met Mikoto's eyes and saw fire in them, determination, protectiveness and a glimmer of fear. He set his jaw and they shared a moment of understanding. If the three of them had any say in it at all, the Uchiha clan would live.

And so they schemed, alone in their knowledge of the nearing catastrophe. But if the three of them weren't able to come up with a solution, who else would?

"Thank you for coming on such short notice," Minato said. "I've summoned you in private because what I'm about to tell you is highly classified. The safety of the village may depend on it. Do you understand?"

Ibiki returned his gaze stoically. "Yes, Hokage-sama."

Inoichi raised an eyebrow. "Naturally."

Sarutobi sighed. "Of course, Minato. Although it looks like my retirement is not meant to be."

"Apologies, Sarutobi-san." Minato swallowed down the remainder of bitterness lingering from the Sarutobi of the future. "But I assure you, you'll want to know about this."

"Is this related to your disappearance several days ago, Hokage-sama?" Katsumi asked.

Minato looked his ANBU commander in the eyes. "It is. Although as of now, I am not able to share all of the details."

Ibiki's mouth tightened. "I fail to see how I can be of use while lacking vital information."

"I'm asking you to have faith," Minato said, "while I'm trusting in your position at T&I–"

"– your connection to the other clan heads–"

"– your expertise in village politics to gain insight on the matter."

"Of course, Hokage-sama," Danzō said. "I have served Sarutobi for years. I will gladly offer my skill set and my experience to you."

Minato's expression betrayed nothing. "I am reluctant to say that I suspect a traitor within the Uchiha clan. Possibly a group."

"A traitor?"

"The Uchiha?!"

"How long have you suspected?" Katsumi asked, her spine rigid.

"Not long," Minato said. "And I need you–"

"– to keep quiet about it. The information cannot leak, otherwise we risk–"

"– alerting the traitor and losing our chance to identify them."

"Of course," Inoichi said, a glimmer of doubt in his eyes. "I'll keep my eyes open."

"I will alert you at once," Ibiki said with a stoic bow.

Shikaku said nothing, scrutinizing Minato with a sharp glance. He didn't let his expression waver, waiting out Shikaku's response patiently.

"You will have your reasons to keep secrets," Shikaku said. "I trust you to come clean when you need to." He muffled a yawn. "Feel free to take your time with that."

With that he rose and left, leaving Minato to suppress a smile.

"Alright," Minato said, closing the door behind him. He turned to Kushina and Mikoto with a smirk. "Now, let's wait and see who rises to the bait."

A/N: My betas are Igornerd, To Mockingbird and PyrothTenka! Go check them out, they're all wonderful writers!

Please take the time to leave a review!

~Gwen