Tampering with Time

by Palaserece

When Kyuubi was extracted from Uzumaki Naruto, it was the Nidaime Hokage that came up with an unconventional solution. An experimental reincarnation jutsu on Namikaze Minato and a one-way trip, with his Kurama, to the past. (Minato-centric)

5. Pranks and Learning Something New

Hiruzen admired the kunai neatly buried in his desk and subtly drank in the impressive amount of killing intent saturating the air. Only a kunoichi with guts would dare behave so aggressively in his presence. It was refreshing. Biwako had attracted his attention, once-upon-a-time, by striking him across the face. He married her six weeks later after pursuing her. Watching how Mikoto's face had reddened so prettily, so defiantly made Hiruzen long for days when he was much younger and far more dismissive of danger. It was almost a shame that age was accompanied by the wisdom to know better.

With a wave of his hand, the Sandaime dismissed the edgy ANBU lurking and preparing to intervene.

"Do not disturb us." Like wraiths, the masked shinobi all but faded into the backdrop and left him alone with the two Uchiha clan leaders. While he performed the handseals to activate the privacy seals in his office, Fugaku unwisely dared to stir from his stupor, edging toward his wife with a forbidding look in his eyes.

"Just what do you think you're doing? Have you lost your senses, woman!" The man's eyes flashed into scarlet pinwheels only for him to backpedal when Mikoto spun with the grace of a dancer, her arm lashing out, and her palm connecting with a resounding slap to Fugaku's cheek.

It was difficult to say who was more shocked, but Mikoto buried it instantly and lifted her chin looking every inch a lethal tigress.

"Don't you ever speak to me that way." Hiruzen smiled triumphantly, sensing there was more than one battle to be won on this occasion. "I am your wife. I am not your servant. You will not treat me like dirt to grind beneath your sandals. And you will not tell me what to do!"

"Mikoto-san." The Hokage brushed off the stubborn kunoichi's killing intent like one would a bothersome insect. "It's been a long time since I've been graced with the presence of Konoha's original Genjutsu-hime. I'm inclined to forgive your overly zealous behavior for no other reason except that I'm pleased to see you. But tell me, why should I turn over custody of Uzumaki Naruto?"

"You're denying me, old man?" Mikoto stared at him incredulously with a look just teetering on insubordination.

"By no means." The Hokage smiled genially and rested his chin on his palm in a relaxed manner that seemed to raise the hackles on the kunoichi's back. "But while I did, at one time, anticipate having this conversation...I find this discussion has arrived four years late. So please, enlighten me, Mikoto-san. Why should I give you custody of Naruto-kun, now? What has changed in the grand scheme of things? I'll be honest, my inclination to grant your request is weighed not by your threats, but by what you offer."

Some of Mikoto's bravado slipped, but there was iron in the woman's eyes. Good, perhaps there was a fire still burning inside her that could spare more than just one life tonight. There was never an end to political machinations-not for a Kage-but Hiruzen hoped he did not find her answers wanting.

"I would be interested in hearing the reasoning behind this as well." Hiruzen zeroed in on Fugaku's voice dripping disdain and it took everything the Hokage had not to flatten the pompous Uchiha where he stood. Dithering fools were all too commonplace in a Kage's position, but his tolerance for foolishness was reaching even his limits for the day.

"Fugaku." His voice dropped an octave and the Clan Head's attention flickered his way, releasing only the smallest tremor of fear before burying the emotion behind the mask the Uchiha Clan so prided themselves on. "If the source of your disdain is what I believe it to be, I will be greatly displeased."

"I could care less about the boy being a jinchuuriki," the Uchiha managed to surprise him and the Sandaime smothered his killing intent, absently running a finger nail along his wrinkled jaw. "That gaki may only be four years old, but he lacks manners and is a ruffian in the making. I don't want him influencing Sasuke at such a critical stage."

"Do you suppose the death of his parents and the spite of an entire shinobi village might have something to do with that?" Mikoto's anger was back, having found a target to vent her frustrations upon. "Do you suppose being thrown out of the orphanage onto the streets might have something to do with that?"

The Uchiha patriarch had paled considerably, but was far from cowed. "True or not, I don't want him around our children!" Fugaku crossed his arms in a futile attempt to look stern.

"Are you afraid?" Mikoto mocked her husband boldly, seeming to take considerable pleasure out of the outraged shock on her husband's face. "Are you such an incapable parent that you don't think you could handle, Naruto? Or are you such a coward that you would abandon Namikaze's son!"

"I am no coward!" The famous Uchiha temper was out in force and it appeared that Fugaku had forgotten he had a captive audience to this not-so-little spat. "You will not speak to me this way!"

Little chunks of spit flew out of Fugaku's mouth, but his wife was entirely unphased. To Hiruzen's delight, Uchiha Mikoto reared back and struck her husband squarely in the nose with a solid crunch.

"I'm not your doormat." Mikoto panted harshly, muscling the shocked, bleeding man into one of the Hokage's empty chairs where he gazed at her with stunned eyes. "I am your wife and you will treat me with the respect that I deserve. I want to bring the son our best friends into our home and put a roof over his head. I want to feed him until his ribs stop sticking out so much. And I want to see Sasuke smiling with Naruto and the Senju boy. I want to make sure the son of my best friend gets a chance to live the dreams that his parents died defending."

"Mikoto." The reply was stuffy and whispered from behind his cupped hands, but the man's shoulders were slumped and the Hokage felt like a hyena just waiting for his prey to succumb to the inevitable.

Hiruzen, not blind to the suffering of his subordinates, handed the man a tissue that Fugaku actually made a sign of gratitude for while wiping grimly at the blood running over his face and fingers. Mikoto dropped to her knees in an act of repentance, her fingers faintly glowing green from an out-of-practice healing jutsu. Fugaku was stiff as a board, looking distinctly unhappy.

"Naruto-kun can't read." Sarutobi's pipe that he had begun filling with tobacco fell nerveless from his fingers. How could he have missed such an important thing? To have spent barely half a day with the boy...this woman had already picked up on something that the Sandaime should have noticed. "Can you imagine my dismay, husband? The son of the studious Namikaze Minato, unable to even recognize basic characters? I've never felt the weight of my failures so keenly in all my life." There was something frayed and pleading in the woman's eyes as she stared up into the eyes of the man that she so obviously loved despite her earlier actions. "If you tell me now that you are so heartless and so lacking in love that we cannot look after this child, I will not press this issue further. But you will have lost my fondness, for I did not marry a callous stranger. I will never forgive you."

Fugaku sucked in a breath, looking absolutely wrecked and pained. "It seems the choice is made."

Mikoto ceased her efforts to heal the damaged tissue and settled for wrapping her arms around her husband in a moment of vulnerability and burying her face in his neck. The Uchiha patriarch, still decorated in blood smears, looked so utterly lost for a moment; perhaps it was to be expected since Uchiha love madly and deeply, but are incredibly private about their affections. Eventually though, Hiruzen was pleased to see Fugaku's stiff arms fold around his wife with an air of resignation clinging to him.

"I'm afraid things are not settled quite yet." Hiruzen loathed the idea of squashing an opportunity for Naruto, particularly when it was so clear that he would have an incredible mother, but the village's security had to be a priority in this situation. All he could do was hope he could get the Uchiha couple on board with his thinking. "I have yet to grant you permission."

Politics were something the Uchiha Clan understood better than most and the pair rose from their seats and faced him together. Fugaku blooded and poised for battle with Mikoto fingering a senbon between her fingers as if she were itching to pepper himself and his desk in the tiny monstrosities. Together, the couple were frighteningly formidable and the Sandaime yearned to attach them to the regular duty rosters-surely they would accomplish amazing feats together.

"What do you want?" Fugaku boldly stepped toward his desk.

"Before your wife barged in, I believe we discussed placing Senju Minato under the care of the Uchiha Police Force." Sandaime began methodically packing the spilled tobacco back into his pipe, sparing a second to wave them both into seats which they both did after a moment of hesitation. "I could have placed Minato in any clan until Tsunade returns, my own included, and they all would have taken the boy and protected him to the best of their ability. Do you know why I chose the Uchiha above the rest?"

"What does this have to do with adopting Naruto?" Mikoto asked with a frown.

"Humor me." Hiruzen remarked with a sharp look directed toward the suddenly frozen Uchiha patriarch. "Why would I choose the Uchiha above any other clan in the village?"

It was an interesting question designed with the sole intention of trapping Fugaku in a corner. Observing the patriarch with a keen eye, he could visibly see perspiration coating the man's forehead and a subtle, but all too noticeable increase in respiration. That and the sudden chakra spike that had drew his wife's attention and left Fugaku swallowing like an animal caught in a trap.

"You know." A statement rather than question, but Hiruzen dignified his response with a light nod. Fugaku's lips pursed. "Then why?"

Sarutobi was pleased to see the furrow in Mikoto's brows and the way her lip trembled slightly as she shifted toward her husband with a perceivably alarmed look. All indicated that she was in the dark and that would prove incredibly useful.

"Because whatever the Uchiha Clan might feel, I want to show them that they are wrong. The Uchiha Clan has not only an incredible dojutsu, but talent and finesse that easily ranks them among the finest shinobi of Konoha." Hiruzen wove a bit of flattery, but anchored it to stone-cold facts and hoped to impress upon the leaders of the Clan exactly how serious he was about reintegrating them into the village. "I have had little opportunity to do something about the doubts beginning to take root amongst your kin, but I'm not about to pass up the opportunity to create a new foundation that the Uchiha Clan can come to appreciate."

While shaken, Mikoto appeared to connect the dots and stared in open horror at her husband.

"What have you done?"

"Nothing!" Fugaku's fist slammed into the desk, scattering the wood fragments from the earlier kunai strike as he glared back challengingly at his wife and his Kage. "We have done all that has been asked of us and we have been loyal!"

"But there is trouble brewing amongst the Uchiha, is there not?" Hiruzen challenged the protest cleanly. "And instead of coming to me, have you stirred the pot, Fugaku?"

"I am no traitor!" Fugaku protested, his eyes screaming. The not yet was left unspoken but implied all the same.

"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama." Mikoto murmured quietly, her attention narrowed on her husband. "I swear to you that I will discover the root of this disquiet and I will do what I can to repair the damage."

"We will." Hiruzen raised his voice, drawing even Fugaku back to wary attention. "I meant what I said before. I want the Uchiha Clan to understand how important their role was within the village. If the three of us work together, I'm confident that we can work out any loose ends."

"And Naruto?" Mikoto spoke again, looking up with bitterness in her voice and far too much shine to her eyes. "I may not have been aware of it before, but I understand perfectly the precarious position I've put you in. Even so, he doesn't deserve such a cruel fate. Give him to me. Please!"

For the first time that night, Hiruzen imagined that Fugaku actually looked like he understood where his wife was coming from. The man reached out and almost tenderly took his wife's hand in his own;

"If you want to adopt Naruto, I will allow it. As if foretelling the future, the Uchiha pair watched him but otherwise did not react. "But I have a few conditions."

"What is your price?" It was Fugaku's voice laced with resentment this time and Hiruzen knew he would have to address that or risk losing everything he was gambling upon tonight.

"First, Naruto must consent to the arrangement. I'm sure we can agree that adopting an unwilling child is out of the question."

The pair nodded slowly like they were searching his words for hidden traps.

"What else?" Mikoto demanded.

"You know as well as I do that giving you the village's jinchuuriki is already a massive show of trust, but that alone will not assuage years of doubt. In order to rebuild our relationships, I would like members of the Uchiha Police Force to return to service in the village on a rotational basis. I perceive that unlike many Clans that have ties with each other, the Uchiha have stood alone." Raising his hand to stifle comment, Hiruzen pressed forward. "I think you may find that engaging with another clan on a regular basis will benefit our community as a whole, but also create relationships with other individuals. I would like you to invite two other Clans to take part in the police division. You may choose whichever you like to extend the offer to, but this way when some Uchiha are earning themselves new reputations by performing missions outside the village, the police force still has an active role. And while leadership can remain with the Uchiha Clan, a little integration may be just the thing we need."

"I think it will appeal to many of our young people to take missions outside the village." Mikoto attempted carefully, shooting her husband questing looks.

"The idea is not without merit. Such a task is a difficult one." The Uchiha patriarch sighed and winced, hand reflexively moving to cup his sore nose. "It's not an unreasonable suggestion."

"While I cannot ask you to become friends with the Hyuuga Clan, if Naruto, Minato, and Sasuke want to continue to associate with Hyuuga Hinata, I ask that you permit this to continue."

The Sandaime watched Fugaku's expression morph to an immediate refusal only for Mikoto to brazenly reply.

"You really are more manipulative than I remember you being when I was a genin," Mikoto murmured, rubbing her hitai-ate tiredly. "But after seeing the difference in my son today, we won't protest. Though I can't say that the Clan will be happy about it."

"Perhaps they will alter their opinions once they see the benefits of such interaction."

"Perhaps." Fugaku sniped, and the Hokage reached into his desk and rifled through a stack of documents.

"I am prepared to offer you something in return, but I will not make it official for a few years." Without looking up, he felt the intense curiosity flare in the pair and sorely wished he had a camera handy to document this historic moment. Pulling out a file, Hiruzen nonchalantly deactivated the blood seal, feeling strangely thrilled that he was the focus of such intense interest. Hiruzen glanced over the file that he had painstakingly been working on over the last year fondly; he had truly begun to believe that this document would never see the light of day. It was nice to be proven wrong sometimes. With no hint of reservation, he passed the file over to the Uchiha patriarch, smiling fondly when Mikoto sidled closer to peer over Fugaku's shoulder. "You will speak of this to no one, least of all your son. If word gets out, I will deny it and therefore close the door on this forever."

Fugaku eyes the folder like one might an exploding tag, but gingerly flips it open just the same before freezing in place.

"This..this is."

"I had been considering this since your son made genin." Hiruzen revealed, pleased to see the Fugaku's face drain of color for the second time that evening-unless you included the broken nose. "However, if we can agree that there has been a misunderstanding between the village and your Clan, I would be willing to move forward and make this official after Sasuke, Naruto, and Minato join the Academy. I believe that will give Itachi time to gain mileage and be prepared for my offer."

"Hokage-sama." Fugaku looked truly at a loss and Hiruzen felt triumph as the man bowed in a show of respect. "I don't know what to say. If this offer is genuine, than I am appreciative of this great honor. And I would like to respectfully request a private meeting at another time to discuss matters pertaining to stabilizing our ties to the village."

Dropping this on the man had been a calculated risk on Hiruzen's part. If Mikoto had not arrived and he had not seen the fire in the kunoichi's eyes, it was likely the folder would have remained buried and forgotten. But...as any leader must, the Sandaime had followed one of his sensei's finest pieces of advice. 'Strike or the opportunity is lost.' It was true that Tobirama had been referring to a battlefield, but the statement applied to this situation just the same.

"Sowing dissension among the ranks is something I will not tolerate from anyone." Hiruzen snagged his pipe and lit it. "I've been lenient for a long time, but if our village wants to be strong, it must do so through unity. I look forward to meeting with you Fugaku and I look forward to strengthening our ties."

The Uchiha patriarch surrendered the folder with obvious reluctance before bowing once again and turning to leave.

"Hokage-sama." Mikoto fingered the sword on her back, looking from her husband that had paused by the door and back to him. "If you were aware of the failing relations between the clan and the village, why are you trusting us with Naruto and the Senju boy?"

"Because I remember two friends that had a dream." Hiruzen looked over the two Uchiha individuals and was struck by how young they both were and saw how much they both still had to learn. At least they had the opportunity to correct their mistakes. "Though Madara chose greed over his clan and this village, Hashirama never stopped believing in the ideal of trust and fairness. Many other nations would claim these are weaknesses, but I've always believed that they are some of our greatest strengths. So in answer to your question, Uchiha Mikoto, I'm entrusting those children to you because I do believe in the Uchiha Clan. And I believe that our bonds can be restored."

"Our Clan sided with the village over Madara for a reason." Fugaku rasped. There was more than a hint of shame in the man who thrived on pride. Hiruzen smiled, knowing that he had won this round. "You are proving that your words are not empty, Sandaime-sama. I will meet with you later this week, though I suspect tomorrow's clan meeting will play a pivotal role in the outcome of all of this."

It was a thinly veiled warning that the old man had heard many times over the course of his career. But it was understandable, a public declaration of intent and follow-through would be significant in turning around the attitudes of the Uchiha Clan.

"Mikoto-san," Hiruzen called out, feeling the need to reward and manipulate one more time before the inevitable meeting to come. The woman paused again, raising a brow in question. "If you wish to return to active duty as an academy instructor or jounin-sensei, I would hire you in an instant. There is no one more suited to teaching the next generation."

"I'll consider it." Mikoto bobbed again and the pair disappeared linking arms. Perhaps more than just the village had repaired their relationship this night.

Hiruzen stared up into the unearthly glow of the moon, feeling uncharacteristically pleased. All in all, it had been a surprisingly fortuitous day.

---

Minato was roused from bed by Mikoto bright and early. Before he had time to ask questions, the strict matriarch had ushered him into the bathroom where he groggily brushed his teeth in front of the mirror. Staring at the pale stranger in the mirror, he carefully raised himself up on his tip-toes to reach the brush and mechanically pull it through his gleaming silver strands. That said and done, he paused at the medicine cabinet before quickly sliding it open, scanning the contents, and pocketing something for later.

Probing his bond with Kurama, Minato suppressed his disappointment to find the bijuu occupied. He could sense the fox's chakra without effort, but it felt like Kurama's spirit was absent. It was a strange, if unsettling side-effect of this communication attempt. Not that the Senju was insecure, but not being able to communicate effortlessly with his best friend was...strange.

Setting aside the matter of Kurama, Minato felt a familiar chakra presence flicker and move toward him until it was waiting just outside the bathroom door. Bare feet drumming across the floor as he ran, Minato slid to a stop and flung open the bathroom door.

"Good morning, Itachi-san." Minato greeted tiredly.

The older boy extended a fresh set of clothing which his arms automatically moved to accept.

"Good morning." The other boy greeted him calmly. "Kaa-san is preparing breakfast, which should be done shortly."

"Where are Naruto and Sasuke?" He asked, feeling like the omission may have been deliberate.

"Gaaaah!" There was a loud bang followed by a crash that had Minato sidestepping into Itachi. Without missing a beat, the Senju felt steadying hands brace him before he could topple over and dump his clothing.

"I believe they were up early plotting on your behalf." Itachi offered quietly and Minato's eyes bugged. "But you should dress first. I have no doubt you'll be regaled with stories of what you missed."

Definitely not pouting, Minato uttered a quiet thank you before reluctantly retreating to his bedroom and slipping into the traditional clan clothing of Uchiha males. If it was the last thing he did, the Senju was going to find a shirt without such an irritating collar!

Feeling oddly eager, Minato charged out of the room and skidded to a halt in the living area where his friends were having a good snicker. Shisui was kneeling on the ground swearing harshly while trying desperately to keep his glittery pink hair from dripping all over the furniture.

"Wow you guys really pulled one over on him!" Minato praised the pair, seeing Naruto swell like a balloon and Sasuke smirk viciously over his cousin.

"We totally got him!" Naruto boasted cheerfully, while Sasuke silently mouthed. 'One more to come.'

Minato's brows shot up in intrigue and he could not help the sly smirk he shot Shisui.

"Pink suits you so well, Shisui-nii!"

"I'm going to beat the crap out of both of you! All of you!" Shisui swore murderously. "Son of a-"

"Uchiha Shisui!" Collectively the room froze but Shisui looked like an animal caught in a trap. From the doorway, Minato's old friend stepped into the room looking exhausted and sporting a bandage over his nose. The Uchiha patriarch scowled at everyone, but his eyes seemed to linger over Minato the longest before finally settling on Shisui and his lip curled downward in disgust. "Clean yourself up. No Uchiha will present himself this way."

For all his bluster, Naruto looked ready to use Sasuke as a human shield despite the fact that Sasuke looked ready to piss himself.

"I don't want to see paint in this house again." Fugaku glared at the shaking duo, seeming perplexed when Minato just stared back coolly. "Get into the kitchen. Breakfast is about ready."

They scrambled to obey like a pack of wolves was at their heels.

The kitchen itself smelled even more tantalizing than Kushina's cooking. Thankfully he would never have to face the redhead's wrath for thinking something so dangerous. Behind them the sound of running water marked the shower running.

"My goodness." Mikoto turned, greeting them all with a pleased smile while a platter of tasty morsels on a plate. "You all must be very hungry this morning."

"Good morning, Mikoto-sama." Minato smiled, ducking his head when the matriarch ruffled his hair with her free hand. "Can we help at all?"

"What he said!" Naruto leapt into the air cheerfully, only missing knocking the platter away due to some adept reflexes on Mikoto's end. The platter was carefully set on the table and a bemused mother gave both Naruto and Sasuke half-hugs.

"If you boys want to make sure everyone has some tea, I would appreciate that."

They quickly scurried to the counter, Sasuke pouring the tea while Naruto and Minato ferried the cups to the table. Of course, Minato may have casually stirred his medicine cabinet acquisition into the last glass before placing it on the last remaining seat smugly.

Fugaku appeared in the doorway with his hair looking a bit more orderly in a ebony toned kimono. It confirmed Minato's suspicions that a Clan meeting would be underway this morning.

To his experienced eye, Minato noted the stiffness interactions between the Clan Head and his wife. It was subtle, but it was there nevertheless and Minato suspected the man's bandaged nose had something to do with that. Mikoto cheerfully patted each of their head's in turn and place a plate of steaming food in front of them.

Itachi sat down next to his father without comment, dressed informally in Uchiha standard, genin attire. Lifting his chopsticks to his mouth, he paused when pounding feet sounded and Shisui appeared in doorway freshly dressed and only a few flecks of pink stubbornly clinging to his buzzed hair. Fugaku had paused and was observing the panting Uchiha with his shirt clinging to his moist skin. Shisui rubbed his hands together and took a seat between them. Prepared to greet the older boy, Minato was suddenly overcome by a distinctly unpleasant smell and recoiled slightly from the chunin who had already begun loading his plate with extras.

"Shisui-kun," Minato greeted the other boy faintly, catching sight of Itachi who appeared to have shifted away from the other boy minutely. "Didn't you...just shower?"

"Yeah, why?"

Naruto was gagging over his bowl, reddening like a tomato. Ah. Minato grimaced, a look of resigned understanding crossing his face as he turned to look at a smug looking Sasuke who was smirking into his plate.

"No reason." Minato murmured faintly, scuttling toward Sasuke and taking a hearty bite of oatmeal that burst with fresh fruit.

"I bet you guys just want me to play with you." Shisui swallowed his food, leering down the table at the group of them. "After that little stunt this morning, it would only be my sincere pleasure."

"Why would we want you to join us, gum-head?" Naruto asked rudely, stuffing a large bite into his mouth and chewing obnoxiously; Minato groaned into his fist, taking only some solace in Fugaku and Mikoto's dismayed expressions. "You're a total teme!"

"Weak too." Sasuke added in between considerably smaller bites, though Minato noticed the frown on Fugaku's face at his son's casual declaration. "And he looks stupid with a buzz cut."

"Naruto-kun!" Mikoto, wrapped the boisterous blonde with her chopsticks causing the Uzumaki to recoil and stare at her in shock. "Chew with your mouth closed, ok? And no speaking with your mouth full, got it?"

Naruto shivered, looking prepared to spontaneously combust at the aura of danger surrounding the deceptively sweet-smiling woman.

"Got it.." he choked, staring in horror at his food for a moment.

"Why is your hair like that?" Fugaku's tone dripped disdain as he addressed the lower ranking Uchiha member with a narrow look.

"Shisui was playing with Sasuke and his friends when they utilized an impressive teamwork strategy that resulted in a large clump of chewing gum being stuck in his hair." Itachi somehow managed to respond in a way that made it seem that Itachi found the entire matter boringly trivial. "I believe Hiashi's daughter was responsible for the success."

"You were defeated by a Hyuuga?" Fugaku looked like he was about to spout a large Katon jutsu."Disgraceful."

"What's wrong with the Hyuuga Clan?" Sasuke wondered aloud, oblivious to the displeased glower on his father's face. "Hinata-san seems fine to me."

"Nothing at all, Sasuke-chan." Chakra flickered, registering irritation and determination in spades from both of the stubborn married couple. "Your father simply has a lot of pride as an Uchiha, which is a good thing. Sometimes though, I think he forgets that there is life outside the clan.

Yep, classic double conversation happening with them being stuck right in the middle.

"I don't see why we had to wake up so early. I never get up this early." Naruto whined, giving an unmoved Mikoto the wide-eye treatment.

"Naruto," the sly Senju prodded the blonde's arm, disrupting his efforts to rub his eyes tiredly. "It's clear that Sasuke-kun isn't used to getting up early either." Sasuke grunted cutely into his bowl. Minato could hardly wait until they realized that getting up for the Academy would require early wake-up calls. "But I doubt Fugaku-sama or Mikoto-sama would wake us all up without good reason, do you?"

Minato was aware of Itachi's analytical mind examining him, but waved the matter off. Might as well reinforce the prodigy label; concealing his intelligence was not just unavoidable, it was strategically unwise. But a bright child could get away with accelerated growth and even encouraging others in a similar development. Better to plant the seeds that Minato wanted to grow rather than to end up with an unexpected crop.

"I guess not." Naruto groused, uncharacteristically moody. Was Sasuke rubbing off on him already?

"Why are we up so early?" Sasuke looked hopefully down the table to where Itachi was sitting. "Is Nii-san going to train with me and my friends today?"

The kid got points for remembering his comrades, but Minato's heart fluttered painfully at the shattered look on the youngest Uchiha when his older brother shook his head apologetically.

"Sorry, Sasuke. I have training today."

"Train hard." There was an iron look from the patriarch as he looked at Sasuke expectantly. "Be like your brother."

Minato did not care if he was four in that moment, nor did he care that his position as a Senju would hardly credit him, but the hurt look on Sasuke's face was just...

"Everyone has different talents." Minato spoke, straightening his spine and channeling every ounce of subtle authority he could without looking like an utter imposter. "Sasuke will become stronger by working hard and honing the talents that he is suited for. Following in another person's footsteps, however well intended, will hamper his efforts to grow." Sensing that perhaps he had gone a little too far, he slung an arm around Naruto, fingers skating over Sasuke's bony shoulder for a moment in a gesture of solidarity. "Besides, we're going to be a team, ne Naruto? Sasuke-kun?"

"The will of Fire truly does resonate in you, Minato-kun." Itachi commented dryly, though Minato detected a glimmer of approval in the other boy's chakra. "I'm pleased Sasuke has found such friends. Perhaps I'll have to borrow you from my otouto."

"Not a chance," Sasuke snapped back, pointing to Shisui. "You can take that idiot."

"Language." Mikoto murmured.

While Fugaku continued to look rebellious, he mulishly ate his breakfast while Sasuke and Naruto returned to their grazing. Minato took in Shisui's empty cup of tea with a pleased eye-mission accomplished.

"Now, after everyone is finished, we're going to go see Hokage-sama this morning." Mikoto explained reasonably, expression clouding slightly when Naruto interrupted-yet again.

"Noooo." Naruto only avoided knocking his glass flying due to Minato's quick reflexes."What could possibly be so important? Jiji is always in his office. Day or night! We didn't have to wake up early!"

"Naruto-chan." Minato recoiled wisely, reading the symptoms of Mikoto's rising displeasure in the inflection of the matriarch's voice. "There is a very important meeting between the Clan Heads set for this morning that the Hokage must attend. Therefore, it's important that we meet with Sandaime-sama before we attend."

Instead of settling, Naruto apparently was intent upon having a fulfilled death wish and plowed onward. "What could possibly be so important? And is Fugaku-san going, because he has that look on his face that I get when I really, really need to go to the bathroom." Shisui guffawed helplessly, while Fugaku purpled and shook a fist purposefully in the chunin's direction. Thankfully, Minato sensed amusement creep into Mikoto's eyes and Minato risked a glance at a slack-jawed Sasuke. Naruto, his impudent sort-of, offspring, just pointed the finger toward the enraged patriarch. "See what I mean! His face just shrivelled up like a prune! How can we go anywhere if-"

The Senju gambled and slammed a palm over the blonde's mouth, causing plates to rattle in warning, and muffling Naruto's squawk of protest. Sasuke looked torn between laughter and good, rational pretend-this-moment-never-occurred, trauma.

"I love this kid!" Shisui snickered, pounding a fist on the table hard enough to tip over Itachi's mug had the alert genin not rescued it.

"Naruto-chan." Mikoto was the epitome of poise. Sipping her tea lightly, the woman wrapped the table with her free hand lightly. "While your comparison may have some accuracy, it is unfortunate that you spoke aloud. You may have unintentionally hurt Fugaku's feelings. Perhaps you should apologize."

"Sorry." Naruto grumbled, obviously not really meaning it, but at least the blonde had done so.

"I don't want to hear any more complaints about seeing Hokage-sama, am I understood?" Mikoto shined an eye on the lot of them.

"Hn."

"Understood, Mikoto-sama." The Senju bowed in acceptance, aware of Fugaku's calculating stare from the corner.

Without breaking a sweat, Minato nudged Naruto who grudgingly nodded in what Minato recognized to be feigned compliance. Kushina had pulled one over on him far too often with that look. Feeling it was both his prerogative and duty to step-in before his unruly son-friend, required a legitimate rescue, Minato dropped a line.

"Perhaps, if we behave well, Mikoto-sama will take us for ramen after this is all over." The use of the honorific to placate the Uchiha Clan, and the ramen to divert a stubborn Uzumaki.

Attitude turning a 180, Naruto almost tearfully held out a pair of praying hands toward the woman.

"So that's how it is." Mikoto huffed. There was almost melancholic cast to the proud woman's features in that moment. "Only if you're good, than perhaps we will stop for some ramen."

"Yatta!" Genetic fixation quirk was a go.

"Let's go." Fugaku rose looking strangely quiet and resigned at the same time. Then the father took on a look of peculiar pleasure when he paused in front of his eldest. The genin must have sensed something was up because Minato's breath caught in his throat as the father dropped his hands on his son's shoulders. "Itachi, make me proud."

"Tou-san." For the first time, Itachi looked uncertain and his voice a bit shaken.

Fugaku dropped his hands away from his eldest's shoulders and made a beeline straight for him. Before he knew it, Minato was swept forward under the impatient patriarch's arm. This certainly felt out of character and Minato stiffly craned his neck to stare at the man who was determinedly looking away.

"Tou-san!" Sasuke appeared on his father's opposite side, sliding under an arm too. "I'm ready!"

"Your kaa-san has the Naruto?" Fugaku grunted.

"She has Naruto." Sasuke replied tentatively and Minato just closed his eyes against the negative behavior. Certainly Naruto could be trying, but that did not earn him such poor treatment and regard.

"And I'm coming too!" Shisui zipped forward, vanishing in an impressively rapid shunshin.

"Like anyone asked you to come." Sasuke muttered under his breath.

"Sasuke." Fugaku's tone had Minato and Sasuke straightening their spines. "You are not to turn out like your cousin."

"Understood." If there was a flash of rebellion in Sasuke's chakra, Minato certainly was not about to point that out.

A few rapid shunshin had them standing outside the Hokage's office. Minato feigned looking around which was hardly difficult since the building triggered a lot of nostalgia in the small Senju.

The door opened for them and Hiruzen beckoned them inside. Mikoto slipped her arm into the crook of her husband's elbow and they walked together presenting a unified front-even if Minato was aware that there was real trouble in paradise.

"Jiji!" The blonde made an impressive running leap only to be caught midair by a put-upon Fugaku.

"You are in front of the leader of the village." The words carried a hint of warning and the blonde ceased his struggles and tipped his head curiously while he was released much more gently than he was grabbed. "While you live under my roof, I expect you to conduct yourself like an Uchiha. Understood?"

My old friend. I can tell that you don't want to like Naruto...but I think if you give him a chance, you'll find your life much better.

"It is no burden upon me, Fugaku-san." The Hokage spoke calmly, stepping forward to urge Naruto back to his desk. "How has your morning been, Naruto?"

Minato was equally pleased and disturbed by the familiarity the two exchanged. Naruto was eagerly retelling the Sandaime about lunch yesterday, the incident with the koi pond, and ending with breakfast that morning. Still, the blonde withheld nothing and was provided little in return. Though Minato had lived before and recognized that attention starved individuals devoured affection wherever it was offered and perceived crumbs to be cake. It was a hollow realization to know that Naruto was potentially valued more as a village asset than as a person. Had his son's growth been purposefully stunted or had it been a consequence of a hundred factors conspiring together.

Minato desperately wished Kurama was not unavailable in that moment. The Senju desperately needed someone to vent to and unfortunately his only viable option was out of the question until his round of discussions with the other bijuu were concluded.

Time travel really was bothersome.

"Minato-kun," the Sandaime smiled benevolently on him, his fingers waving him forward. Having not entirely been paying attention, Minato mentally berated himself for the little slip and nearly jerked away when his hair was patted wistfully. "Did you have a good evening last night?"

The question was innocent sounding, but Minato knew exactly what the old man was digging for.

"I have mixed feelings about Shisui-kun." Minato threw the smelly chunin under the bus without batting an eye. Hiruzen chuckled, putting on a performance that had the benefit of being honest. "But Mikoto-sama was very welcoming and I enjoyed playing with my friends." Considering for a moment, he added. "I just met Fugaku-sama this morning...he seems fine."

The Senju was more than aware that his every utterance would be put under a microscope for fine analysis. Fugaku, while not particularly warm, had done nothing overly negative thus far. Minato only hoped that trend would continue to improve.

"I am pleased to hear that." Hiruzen smiled, before reaching into his desk drawer and withdrawing a pouch that looked to weigh no small amount. "I have taken the liberty of withdrawing an amount of money from the Senju Clan accounts on your behalf. I imagine you'll want a few changes of clothing."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Minato bowed deferentially, before reaching out to accept the pouch. On impulse, Minato turned to the pictures on the wall and felt a moment of loss at seeing his old face staring at him. Deliberately ignoring that picture, Minato moved to deceased Nidaime, the man who had made this transition possible.

"We look alike?" Minato did not look away from the picture, sensing his friends moving to flank either side of him.

"You do." Sasuke agreed, looking from Minato to the picture and back again."Except the hair. Yours is nicer."

"Thank you, Sasuke." Minato fingered his long, smooth hair for a moment before tossing it over his shoulder.

"And you smile more." Naruto hummed, narrowing his eyes on the Nidaime's portrait. "He looks like he needs to poop too!"

"Naruto-kun." Mikoto murmured dangerously.

"Eh?"

"You definitely look like my predecessor, Minato-kun." Hiruzen acknowledged, eyes looking almost glassy for a moment. "My sensei was not an expressive man, but he was incredibly devoted to Konoha. Every choice he made was for the betterment of our village. His final act was to stay behind to provide an opportunity for his students-myself included-to return to Konoha safely."

"Just like the Yondaime." Naruto whispered and Minato blinked back a tear. For even a second, Minato wished he could just tell the boy. But even that truth was constrained by the fact that he could never share the real truth with him.

"You kinda look like him, dobe." Sasuke dropped the remark casually, not realizing he had alarmed all the adults in the room. "But you're hardly the type of shinobi the Yondaime Hokage was."

"Like you would know, teme!" Naruto snapped back.

And any chance that Naruto might see underneath the underneath dissolved.

Mikoto sidled over and dropped into a crouch in front of the boys, but her body angled to cater to the blonde. "Naruto-kun." Something set off the alarm bells in Minato's head and it hit him instantly when Naruto tensed next to him. The blonde must have noticed it too. Without a thought, he reached out and interlaced their fingers and squeezed. It was a childish gesture, but they were children physically even if his mental state was another story. Minato hardly cared for propriety when his son was afraid and hurting.

"I want you to come live with us, now. How would you feel about that?" Mikoto spoke to Naruto with a slightly hoarse inflection in her voice that suggested there had been tears shed recently. "I know that you just met us yesterday, but-"

Minato's heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest; Naruto had thrown himself at Kushina's best friend and had broken down instantly. There had been a plethora of wailed promises of good behavior-those would survive an hour or two at best-and endless doubts and restless fears. Fugaku had moved to join his wife and awkwardly crouch down and place a hand on Naruto's shoulder. It was a sign that it would take him time, but his old friend might have what it takes to get there.

Minato felt he should have been prepared for this moment; in fact, he had suspected something happening, but had failed to comprehend just how painful it would be for him. His stomach clenched and Minato himself felt like crying. Why did it hurt so much?

"C'mon, little silver." Shisui picked him up and settled him atop his shoulders and turned to the exit. "Let's give them a moment."

"Naruto..." Minato murmured quietly, feeling like he was abandoning the blonde rather than giving him privacy. Body slumping, Minato was ridiculously grateful for the foul fishy stench clinging to Shisui because it helped him hold back his tears. The office door closed with a dull click, but not before Sasuke darted through behind them and slammed his foot into the back of Shisui's knee viciously.

"Gah!" Shisui screamed.

No time to worry about leaving Naruto, Minato's eyes bugged while Shisui stumbled like a drunken elephant and careened toward the wall. Minato's fingers grabbed for purchase and ended up pinching the chunin's ears. Shisui wailed like a little girl, but thankfully kept his footing even though there was a perceptible limp to the otherwise graceful motions.

"You little brat!" Shisui shouted. Minato cringed and felt sorry for the poor secretaries that had to put up with all this nonsense. Though...considering how vicious the kunoichi at the desk looked, perhaps he should re-evaluate exactly whom he felt sorry for. "What was that for?!"

"Set him down." Sasuke sounded positively lethal, eyes flashing dangerously and the Senju half-expected the eyes to shift to crimson. "You're unreliable and untrustworthy."

Minato wiggled slightly and Shisui shrugged and set him down next to his friend. While violence was more of a last resort card, Minato appreciated the sentiment and whispered a quick, "good job" to Sasuke who practically glowed from the praise alone.

"Sasuke, you can't just go around attacking people! And I'm always around to help take care of you so I think your definition is in question. Although, your kick was a little-" Oh no. This guy was supposedly a genius. Even Hiruzen had asked him to stay during the interrogation yesterday. Admittedly, the older boy had earned a lot of points in his book for how supportive he was yesterday, but the Senju was having serious doubts about the boy's intelligence. "-wimpy. We're gonna have to work on toughening you up."

"Then how about this!"

Sasuke shot forward, executing an impressive feint toward Shisui's abdomen only to reverse and twist backward, making direct contact with Shisui's groin. Minato's eyes ballooned while Shisui teetered sideways clutching his family jewels with a painful squeak before the Uchiha collapsed to the ground.

"Most impressive." The kunoichi behind the desk taunted from behind the lid of her tea. Shisui merely whimpered pathetically. The woman leaned over him, pressing the toe of her sandal to his belly. "You know that you smell like fish, right?"

"He should have been able to dodge that." Minato muttered in confusion.

"He's weaker than Itachi." Sasuke shrugged it off, obviously pumped up about his 'victory.'

Had Shisui gotten hit on purpose? Or had the attack really caught him off-guard. Though, under Minato's suspicious eye, the chunin sat up and looked like he was recovering a bit too quickly. Was it possible Shisui was just...playing along?

"I'm gonna get you back, brat!" Shisui hissed, though now that he was looking for it, Minato found the flash of playfulness. So his theory had been correct after all; Shisui really was an odd duck. But his spirit was exactly what the village needed. "And not even Itachi can save you!"

"As if I need nii-san to deal with you." Sasuke waved the other boy off.

The door swung open and Naruto trotted out followed by Mikoto and Fugaku. The blonde grinned at the Uchiha hauling himself to his feet.

"What's wrong with gumhead?" Naruto asked as he walked out, looking far less watery eyed and just...happy. Like a young boy should.

"Ah, Sasuke-kun just got him good." Minato bragged on his friend's behalf, watching Naruto color with what had to be jealousy. Ah, youth. "Don't worry though, I'm sure you'll get your chance to gang up on Shisui-san later."

"You're all brats!" Shisui protested, throwing a pleading look to the kunoichi who was pointedly ignoring him behind a familiar orange book-who knew sensei's trash would appeal to women too?

"Can we leave now?"

"I'm afraid not, Naruto-chan." Mikoto responded patiently, making a clucking noise as she squatted and gave the blonde's collar a tug to try and straighten the collar. "We're going to drop you and the other children off to play with the other kids while the meeting is going on. Then, we're going to go shopping."

"I don't like shopping!" Naruto whined.

"Naruto." Fugaku barked, the command doing the trick of freezing the poor blonde in place. "No child of mine will be wearing clothing like you had. They would be unseemly to wear and would reflect poorly upon the clan."

Feeling Naruto's chakra bubble unhappily, Minato quickly slid his arm over the blonde's shoulder. Minato suspected the root of Naruto's hesitation had not occurred to anyone else; reticence was developed from experience and all his son had developed was a list of negatives with very few positives to speak of. It was really no surprise that a boy that expected to be called terrible names and refused service by more businesses than not would prefer to avoid shopping trips.

A four year old afraid of new clothes, it was a miserable thing to digest even if Minato understood that the world was a harsh place; it was another thing when it was happening to your own flesh and blood-sort of.

"Clans can be very judgmental of each other." Minato felt gratified that Naruto's protests deflated and the blonde seemed to absorb what he was telling him like a sponge. "If you live with the Uchiha Clan, but people see you wearing clothing that is not in good condition, they might say unkind things about Mikoto-sama and Fugaku-sama."

"They would do that?" Naruto looked alarmed, turning to peek up at Mikoto for affirmation and frowned when his new guardian nodded slightly.

"Tou-sama, you wouldn't let anyone say things about kaa-san that aren't true." Sasuke stated matter of factly, looking like the cat that caught the canary when his father inclined his head in a soft nod.

"I would never allow anyone to disparage your mother in my presence." Fugaku agreed, pointedly walking down the hallway, while Minato trailed beside his two friends. "I expect the same from both of you."

"Hai!" The pair chorused with a steely determination.

"Alright, you boys go with Shisui. He'll take you there. We want to make sure we're a little early." Mikoto frowned at Shisui. "Perhaps Shisui should...have another shower."

"I smell?" Shisui gripped his shirt, burying his nose in it before rearing backward. "I smell!"

"Tch, loser." Sasuke grunted at his cousin.

Minato's heart quaked at the sight of his son gathered into the arms of his new mother. Kushina would have been pleased that her son would no longer have to grow up alone, but this left Minato uncertain of how to predict the future. And seeing the woman wrapping both Sasuke and Naruto in a heavy embrace, the Senju felt a pang of loneliness.

He had not given much consideration to his own fate. Senju Tsunade was a legend in her own right, but as the Yondaime Hokage he had seen the medical expert as a mere shell of the woman that his sensei had been not-so-secretly in love with. If the woman was to return, Minato was not convinced that Tsunade would just magically decide to give up a decade of booze and gambling for a stripling she had never met. Of course, Minato hardly required parenting, but he could hardly make a reasonable claim that a four-year old did not require looking after. And it was probably better to go along with Hiruzen's suggestion because Danzo's plan for his upbringing would be problematic at best.

"Hey, Sasuke." Naruto chirped as they walked away from the adults.

"Hmm?"

"Does this make us brothers?"

"No." Sasuke deadpanned and Naruto dogged the grumpy boy's footsteps with that feisty resolve that would no doubt wear the other boy down given enough time.

"Ha I'll show you! I'll be the most awesome brother EVER and you'll have to accept me!"

Hopefully this was a phase and not one of those lifelong dedications. Minato had a feeling it was the latter which was in the words of the Nara: troublesome. The Senju could hardly fault his son for being tenacious since it was a rather desirable quality to have in a shinobi, but overkill was still overkill.

"Just think, Shisui-san," Minato tugged the miserable chunin's arm companionably, unaware of the fond smile sliding into place on the non-conformist teen. "You get to deal with both of them all the time now. At least things won't be so boring right?"

Shisui shivered, no doubt his life was flashing before his eyes along with his clothes, hair, and personal hygiene. "Maybe I'll just move in with you, little silver."

"Well, you aren't all bad when you aren't tossing me into freezing ponds." The conference room that Minato had guessed would serve as the 'kid's zone' was just around the corner, so he slipped his hand into Shisui's just the way a youngster might and squeezed two of Shisui's fingers in his small fist. He smiled triumphantly when the older boy returned the gesture. "Hokage-sama told me that I'll be living with a relative, Shisui. Do you know much about them?"

"Er..." Shisui looked a bit green around the gills, whether it was from thoughts of Tsunade's notorious temper or from that special surprise he had slipped the older boy earlier...who really could tell? Either way, made his day more fun. "Maybe I'll just visit you. I'm sure you're going to need your privacy."

Before any further exchange could occur, they arrived at a door where a tall, string-bean of a man wearing a bandana and sunglasses stood with his arms folded behind him and a smarmy smile on his face. It looked like Ebisu had changed little except perhaps that the jounin was a bit taller now. When exactly did he get that promotion? And how? The man was not...bad, but neither was he particularly impressive in any particular field. How had the man possibly made it through the jounin exams? Perhaps the Sandaime was going senile after all?

"Shisui-san!" The jounin greeted the Uchiha with a polite bow before straightening his glasses as he examined each of his charges; a frown to Naruto, an impressed look to Sasuke, and practically star struck when he spotted the Senju. To say the least, the man was not endearing himself so far. "Young, Minato-kun, Sasuke-kun, it's good to see you with us today."

The man bit back a comment when Shisui crossed his arms and glared.

"Let's go inside Naruto-kun." Minato spoke coldly, pleased when Ebisu took a hasty step backward with his hands lifted in a gesture of surrender. A coward too. How had this fawning imbecile become a jounin?

Sasuke grunted, also shooting the beanpole an unimpressed glare before yanking the door open and pausing. This particular room was devoid of windows and had privacy and protection seals on every wall-if you knew where to look. A few other children were sitting around. While Minato was able to identify just about every clan heir just by looking at them, Hinata was the most obvious rushing their direction closely tailed by a taller Hyuuga boy with his forehead bandaged carrying an infant.

If it was the last thing he did, Minato swore he was going to find a way to remove the curse seal. Of course, the Hyuuga Clan might just abolish the entire proceedings if he sicced Naruto on them. The thought was tempting and Minato hardly felt inclined to support the heinous practice so he would keep that option open for future reference. After all, if his son became Hokage, he would need an advisor and he certainly could fulfill that duty.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata rushed the doorway, darting forward to greet them all with a huge smile that appeared to have caught the stoic boy behind her off-guard. "Sasuke-kun, Minato-kun. I'm so pleased to see you both!"

"Oh hey there, Hinata-chan!" Naruto buzzed, glancing around behind the girl and waving at the girl's tail. "Gosh he looks just like you, Hinata!"

The other boy looked resigned, but merely nodded.

"Hyuuga Neji." The boy grunted before passing Hanabi to the jounin who had popped a prepared bottle out of nowhere.

"So what are you all doing in there? It looks totally boring?" Naruto stated. For once, Minato readily agreed. There was a table with punch, snacks, and treats, but aside from that, there was craft table and. In the corner, there was a pile of books that had seen better days but aside from that, there was nothing to do.

"Well, this is where all of you will stay while the adults have a meeting." Shisui scratched the back of his head before grimacing sympathetically. "And come on...you all can color...and stuff."

"You mean we just have to sit around while you guys talk all day?!" Naruto appeared outraged, justifiably so in Minato's humble opinion. "Why can't we go to the playground again? It's not like we need you!"

"We're going shopping after this remember." Shisui smirked, standing just outside of arm's reach on the other side of the door. "They have snacks for you guys, games, books. It'll be great. And we'll be done before you know it."

"If it's so great, why aren't you staying?" Sasuke sneered at his cousin.

"Ebisu will be staying and he is an incredible jounin." Shisui looked at the bandana wearing individual in question doubtfully. Rightfully so, the man was bigoted, prejudiced and potentially a disastrous comrade. Perhaps Gai's eccentricies were a little more understandable having such a lousy teammate. Though, Genma had turned out pretty impressive and fairly normal so maybe it was not such a promising theory.

"Tch, I could take that guy." Sasuke declared after sizing up the man in question who had rushed, Hyuuga baby in one arm, to a table in an effort to appropriate some of the chips from the Akimichi boy who had a death-grip on the bowl.

"Me too." Naruto folded his arms and shook his head vigorously.

"That jounin seems incompetent." Neji offered into the conversation, casting a dubious look at the man failing to retrieve the rapidly emptying bowl. "Hiashi-sama must not have realized what lacklustre shinobi would be caring for us at this time."

"Perhaps he is simply new to his position?" The Hyuuga heiress chimed in, obviously trying to think the best of the unknown man. Minato respected the idealist in the girl, but the former Kage was having trouble swallowing the potential loss of standards that must have occurred as a result of casualties during Obito's bid to destroy the village.

"Shisui-san." Even Minato was realizing that this was going to be a miserable experience. Turning pleading scarlet eyes on the Uchiha blocking the exit, he plead with the other boy. "Can we please go to the park? I swear that we won't run off and we'll wait there until you come back."

Judging from the look on the chunin's face, the answer was a definite no and the group must have sensed it because they all sighed collectively.

"Guys, just give me a break." There was something off about that remark. Searching the Uchiha's face, Minato felt his mood lift a bit as he noticed sweat starting to dot the teen's brow and he shifted restlessly. "The Clan Leaders are meeting and you can't go. End of story. And I have to attend so I can't go with you."

"That's alright," Minato replied with a voice sweeter than sugar. His three friends perked up with interest, apparently keyed into his change of mind and looking a bit hopeful. "I suppose we should say goodbye then, Shisui-kun?"

"I guess." Shisui replied agreeably, but looking a bit confused while continuing to shift in place with a slight grimace.

"Naruto, Sasuke, I have a feeling we won't be seeing Shisui for a while, why don't you give him a nice squeeze." Minato nudged the pair and winked, tipping his head toward the Uchiha with a smirk. Like a switch flipping, the boys responded and lunged forward, wrapping their arms tightly around a suddenly squirmy Uchiha.

"Okay, let go!" There was a sudden edge of panic to Shisui's words and the boys honed in on that weakness like sharks in the water.

"Well, you heard him boys!" Minato cheered, actually impressed by the show of teamwork between the two boys. That had a lot of potential there. Naruto whooped, automatically high-fiving his comrade companionably even if they did not know precisely why they were celebrating.

"Brats!" Shisui squeaked, wobbling like an unsteady toddler. The Uchiha recovered rather impressively and lunged at them only to stagger back and grip his stomach and breathe hard. "What?" The older boy gagged, looking confused and suddenly desperate.

"Ah, sorry about that, Shisui-san." Minato truly did have the best teacher. Kushina would have been so proud! "While I was brushing my hair this morning, I was thinking about how you threw me in the pond yesterday. Mikoto-sama spent a long time in the bathroom getting us all cleaned up, so I thought it was only fair you should do the same."

Thunderstruck with awe, his friends were practically vibrating next to him, even Hinata's chakra felt a little giddy. Shisui's confusion morphed into a furious outrage crossed with terror.

"I heard that laxatives keep you in the bathroom for a long time, so I dumped the box into your tea this morning."

"You!" Shisui choked, looking like he was about to reach for a kunai except his face suddenly drained of any remaining color. Like an enemy-nin was on his tail, Shisui bolted away, his shrieks of misery like music to Minato's ears.

"I'm not a prank person," Minato stated coolly. "But he had that coming."

"That was awesome!" Naruto hoisted him into the air with a cheer and Minato basked in the warmth of the moment.

"It was a team effort." Minato accepted the praise humbly as he was dropped back down, encompassing both of them in his victory. "Besides, we're going to need a lot of time to prepare for whatever he does to retaliate since we got him three times today. So we better learn some tricks to help us out!"

"Ano, how are we going to do that, Minato-kun?" Hinata asked timidly.

"Well," Minato remarked smugly."Something only ninja in training learn!"

"Like what?" Naruto asked, eyes round. Sasuke and Hinata were attentive listeners and even Neji seemed to be listening in.

"Well, this is what I have in mind..."

Minato approaches the far wall, paused to concentrate, and very carefully placed his hands and a foot on the wall and takes a few step upward-making it deliberately a bit wobbily. Thankfully, Ebisu was distracted by a very loud, very demanding infant in his arms and most of the other kids are engrossed in their own activities.

"Ta da!" He lifted his hands skyward like some mystical sage. Though his audience proved attentive with both Sasuke and Naruto looking prepared to attack the wall. As was only sensible, Hinata interspersed between the pair and was reaching for his foot.

Well, it seemed everyone knew who the brains of their little operation was. Hinata goggled, nearly retracting her hand when she traced his foot with her palm.

"You are using chakra in your feet?" The question was almost a statement, but Minato would count his victories where he could.

"Yes." Minato confirmed, hopping off the wall before they attracted attention before they were ready. "I've been paying attention to shinobi in the village and I felt chakra concentrated in the feet so I figured I would try replicating what they did. I succeeded!"

It was plausible enough to be true. It was impossible not to notice ninja running up the side of buildings. And coming from a sensor of Tobirama Senju's lineage, no one would think too much about the implausibility of his explanation since it wasn't a lie.

"Is that not an ability that one would not normally learn until after becoming a genin?" The Aburame boy was bundled up in an oversized coat that fell well past his knees with miniature shades covering his eyes and a nest of spiky brown hair.

"Eh, who are you?" Naruto shoved a finger at the boy with the sunglasses who looked rather nonplussed by the overt reaction. "You're kinda creepy, dattebayo!"

"Aburame Shino." The boy intoned blankly, earning a bunch of sweat drops from the crowd of children. "You speak at an abnormally high level of volume. I am perplexed by this as my eardrums are functioning normally."

"Huh?" Minato sighed at the question marks circling his son's head like vultures.

"It's nice to meet you Shino-kun!" Minato saluted cheerfully, remembering how reliable the boy's father had been. "I'm Senju Minato and these are my friends." He named them and pointed to each in turn, even Naruto doing a good job of standing up straight. "And I don't know when they teach this exercise." It was not necessarily a lie since Academy curriculum was constantly in a state of flux and some clans were more diligent than others in preparing their children for life outside the Academy. "But I thought it might be fun to learn. Would you care to join us?"

The curt nod was all the answer he needed. Minato waved the group to the ground and they all crouched down crowding together in a circle. It was an interesting experience and it reminded the Senju of moments with his old team would gather beneath a specific shady thatch of trees and have team meetings where they discussed missions, shared Kushina's amazing boxed lunches, and hours of Minato imparting some last minute training before being sent back into the chaos of a warzone.

"I know that Sasuke-kun has already accessed his chakra, but what about the rest of you?"

"Ano, we've just been learning." The Hyuuga leaned forward, looking nothing like her reserved counterparts. Nobility was one thing, but repressing someone's personality was just plain wrong. If they could prevent it, Hinata would not become one of emotionally repressed drones produced by that clan.

The quiet Aburame that had sat down with them pushed up his glasses up the bridge of his nose in a gesture that mimicked Shibi to a T. Quirks must be genetic or there was absolutely no explanation for this.

"My clan is required to begin understanding chakra at an early stage in order to better comprehend the symbiotic nature of a host to their kikai." The boy spoke astutely.

Minato nodded thoughtfully and pressed a finger to his lips while concentrating. An Aburame's chakra was constantly being drained of reserves. Most never realized that a jounin Aburame likely had chakra reserves that rivalled a Kage, but did not have the ninjutsu repertoire to back it up simply because their kikai required such a large portion of their resources. It was very well possible that Shino had chakra levels close to a genin but was restricted to perhaps 20% of that amount at his age. As his chakra pool grew, that too would change, but for now that was a perfectly acceptable amount.

"Naruto, I've felt you use chakra before, but you probably didn't realize what you were doing." Minato informed him, enjoying the pleasure light up Naruto's eyes.

"You sensed him?" Sasuke asked with interest in his dark eyes.

"Apparently the Senju line that I descend from has an incredibly talented sensory ability." Minato explained, reaching out to grab Sasuke's hands. "If you were to use chakra, I can feel you using it but I could also sense where the chakra is moving in your body."

"You mean you can sense people coming?" Naruto asked.

"Yes." Minato admitted easily, watching the various different reactions with curiosity. His son looked put-out, Sasuke looked seemed a bit envious, but not in a petty, mean way. Even the silent Hyuuga boy looked contemplative.

"That is rather impressive." Shino observed quietly, but otherwise remained silent.

"Can one learn to be a sensor?" Hinata asked. Children, their thinking never failed to amaze him.

"A limited ability can be honed over time, but in the case of a sensor, there is never a true replacement for the real thing. Although," Minato smirked slyly, brushing the girl's forehead and causing her to jump slightly. "I don't think you would need one."

Hinata's eyes widen slightly but Minato quickly changed the subject.

"But we have to be careful. Maybe try using your hands." Minato stood again and willed a concentrated amount before placing both hands on the wall and using his chakra to attach his hands to the side. "If you can get your hands to stick, all there is to do is keep the chakra the same, but direct it to your feet."

Before Naruto could rush forward, Minato tugged him back.

"Can you copy the seal my hands are making?" He clucked under his tongue, sweeping the group that each had a hand on the wall.

"Got it!" Naruto held his hands up in a crude approximation of the ram seal. Kudos for the attempt, right?

"Tuck your finger in a little," Minato poked Naruto's right pinky and adjusted the elbow a bit. "Now describe what you feel."

It was a emotional moment for the former Namikaze. Here he was talking his son through the steps of beginner's chakra awareness. Minato wondered if this is the age that Naruto would have started with them or if he would have started training sooner. To a civilian, four years old was barely past the age of diapers, but it was the beginning of a struggle for survival in the shinobi world. Kushina would have wanted Naruto to have more time, but Minato would have wanted Naruto to start early simply because of the necessity of it.

It was amazing. A little over ten minutes and Naruto already had the hang of it. This was potentially made easier by starting early because an Uzumaki jinchuuriki's chakra reserves make chakra control ridiculously difficult as they age, but starting early just might smooth out some of the bumps his son might otherwise experience.

"Now let it travel down your arm. Can you feel it?" Minato moved so that he was standing next to his son and set his hand on Naruto's shoulder. It was strange being able to sense chakra so keenly, but he could literally feel bubbles of chakra travelling in his son's body. Following the large bubble, he traced it and felt the flow fluctuate and falter at Naruto's elbow. "Don't give up. I can feel it travelling down your arm. Keep pushing it to your hands."

To his amazement, Naruto did. There was a fire blazing in those blue eyes and he knew this boy was not about to give up anytime soon.

'Just like sensei's story. You sure have guts, kid.'

When he felt Naruto mostly had the hang of it, he dragged him toward the wall where Sasuke was giving his hands the stink eye. Singling the other boy out would make it worse, Kakashi had loathed it when he had done so and he knew that this Uchiha's pride was no different. So he settled for the next best thing; the Senju planted Naruto at the space directly between Sasuke and Hinata-the latter of which had successfully gotten her hands and feet to stick, but had trouble maintaining the connection to the wall. Minato would give her a few minutes before the girl blew everyone else out of the water-natural talent was natural talent. Out of the corner of his eye, he spied the older Hyuuga and the Aburame exchanging advice and both looked to be tackling the wall together in a logical fashion. Now that was a duo he rather should have expected considering both repressed their emotions albeit for different reasons.

Now, how to explain this exercise in a way that Naruto would be able understand without confusing him. Something that would click would be...ah.

Shaking that off, he set about giving Naruto tips and letting Sasuke feed off of the advice he gave the blonde. "Now Naruto, what would happen if Teuchi-san gave you ramen with only a couple noodles?"

"Eh?" Naruto froze, his chakra faltering before his body automatically continued the flow steadily. "Only a couple noodles? He wouldn't do that to me!"

"I know, but we're pretending." Minato rolled his eyes and shot a wink at the listening Uchiha. Sasuke blanched and quickly looked away. Minato just shook his head; it was not like he cared that his friend was listening in, that was the entire point! "So what would happen?"

"I would still be hungry." Naruto muttered, obviously disgruntled by the idea.

"So too little few noodles would be lousy ramen, ne?"

"Yes." Naruto's face crinkled up making him look like a frowning jiji and Minato just shook his head.

"Okay, so what would happen if Teuchi-san gives you a bunch of noodles, but only one spoonful of soup?"

"But, but, but!" Naruto sputtered. The blonde was so appalled that he did not even notice Hinata shooting him a concerned look from a foot above his head from where she was standing on the wall.

Minato subtly gave the girl a thumbs up and felt a surge of pleasure when his friend only teetered slightly, but hung in there and reconnected her chakra. Thankfully, baby Hanabi was screaming up a storm and thoroughly distracting the panicked looking Ebisu. Minato could not find it in him to feel sorry for the prejudiced jounin. If anything, the man had it coming.

"What would happen?" He continued as if oblivious to Naruto's flustered state of being.

"It wouldn't be ramen...no flavor." Naruto groaned in self-inflicted misery.

"That's right." Minato tapped the wall right in front of Naruto's eyes in an attempt to refocus his son-it mostly appeared to work. "Too few noodles and too many noodles gives you a completely unbalanced dish. What we're doing now is just like that."

"Huh?"

"Your chakra needs to stay even. Not too little and not too much." Minato smiled proudly as the blonde appeared to have a light bulb moment: bingo. "If not, you'll have a bowl of not-so-tasty ramen."

Naruto shivered and turned back to the wall in a fixture of concentration. Minato moved next to Sasuke who was studying the wall with an almost manic intensity.

"Here take my hand." He offered his hands and saw the boy's shoulders stiffen with obvious reluctance. Minato laughed aloud, a light burble of sound that made the Uchiha pause in surprise. "I don't bite, Sasuke-kun. I just thought if you felt my hand while I was molding chakra it might give you a better idea...but I'm not going to make you."

"Oh."

"Here." Minato was not unsympathetic to the chagrined looking Uchiha that was tentatively reaching out his hand. Taking initiative, he kept his touch as clinical as possible and immediately channeled a chakra into his hand, taking pains to keep the flow even.

"Is that?" Sasuke's eyes had flared wide at the sudden tickle of power. It was a technique that few jounin bothered demonstrating because it never occurred to most. But Minato had always favored the perspective that teaching by experiencing was sometimes the better bet. In this instance, he felt his beliefs had paid off.

"That's how my chakra feels. Can you tell how much?" In response to his question, Sasuke's second hand moved up to feel around the sides of the chakra only to fall away after a moment.

"I think I'm ready to try again." Sasuke eyed the wall.

Stepping away, Minato returned to the wall where Neji and Shino were taking their first steps and to his immense pride, Hinata was assisting Naruto who was tottering like a newborn bird, but not slipping and not falling.

"Good job, Naruto-kun." Minato carefully took a step up and made a beckoning motion to the frowning Sasuke. "You can do it, Sasuke-kun. Come!"

His gamble with their smaller chakra reserves paid off. That and a little coaching on the side. Sasuke took a step. For a moment, Minato thought the boy was going to topple, but something steely crossed the Uchiha's face and he took a step. Then another. And another.

"You made it teme!" Naruto shouted and would have fallen over if it had not been for Hinata's firm grip fisted in his shirt.

"Naruto-kun!" The Hyuuga-no, the kunoichi in training snapped, jerking Naruto out of his excitement. "You need to be careful or you're going to fall!"

"Sorry Hinata-chan!" Naruto looked rightfully cowed and Minato wondered if this was a bit of history in the making with the crooked smile he was showing the unimpressed Hyuuga heiress. Minato was more than pleased the girl was putting her foot down; it would be good for both of them in the long run.

"Oi, isn't it a bit troublesome to learn to do that?" It was a dead giveaway whose child that was without turning to look. But that was no reason not to be polite!

"It looked fun!" Minato turned, flashing a wave to the Nara heir who was being trailed by Chouji who had obviously hijacked dessert tray while the moronic jounin was distracted, and a Yamanaka female that looked both envious and incensed at the same time. Yep, Inoichi's daughter for sure.

"How are you doing that?" The feisty Yamanaka groused, shaking a fist at them.

"It's awesome isn't It!" Naruto cheered and Minato despaired. It seemed his offspring had definitely not learned the dangers of antagonizing the fairer sex.

"As if we'd tell you." Wonderful. The Uchiha's feathers had been rankled by the girl.

The Aburame and Hinata's cousin had paused, but helpfully not offered up any additional commentary.

"Why you!" The Yamanaka was turning an unattractive shade of puce and Minato flinched before recovering. At least she had not tattled on them to the jounin. Now that would be troublesome.

"I just worked it out." Minato spoke, but directed his comment toward the Nara in a likely futile hope that he would prove to be the sensible leader of the trio. "I could try to show you if you're interested."

"It does look kinda neat." The Akimichi offered while stuffing dango into his mouth.

"I'd rather nap." The Nara yawned widely, showcasing his clan's rather spectacular lack of motivation.

"Shut it, Shikamaru!" The blonde popped up behind the Nara and smashed her fist into his head eliciting a shout of misery from the brunette.

"What's going on here?" Ebisu, finally holding a quiet Hyuuga infant, appeared only to recoil in shock at the group of small children standing horizontal on the wall. "W-what? What are you all doing?"

Minato considered all the possible outcomes to his scenario before settling for a sturdy nod and commanding prompt.

"Scatter!"

With that, the newest Senju raced up the wall until he was racing upside down along the ceiling toward the opposite side of the room from the shocked jounin. It didn't take long for his other friends to pursue and soon enough, the room was filled with the shouting of Ebisu, ceiling footsteps, the renewed screaming of Hyuuga Hanabi, and warcries from Uzumaki Naruto. Minato wondered if anyone would bother checking on them.

---

There had been drastic changes for Konoha in the last twenty-four hours. And Sarutobi Hiruzen would not have been a Hokage had he not exploited the opportunities that had fallen into his lap. The meeting had ended, but instead of the room emptying, clan members had remained to mingle and discuss what had gone on.

The only one that had immediately departed after the meeting was Danzo. It had been a stroke of luck that had prevented the old warhawk from confronting him last night, but Hiruzen knew that he would fair much worse this afternoon. Contrary to what everyone believed, the Sandaime was more than aware of his old friend's little project. The fact that he allowed Danzo some leeway was simply because the man was damned useful. If necessary, he would show his old friend what an end to his leniency would mean for the so-called Yami of Shinobi.

When he had announced the discovery of a Senju heir, there had naturally been a demand for details from Koharu. The Sandaime had tailored his responses, but had admitted that Tsunade had been recalled to raise the boy. Strangely out of character, Danzo had remained silent through the proceedings, but Hiruzen had known that his old friend was incredibly attentive despite his silence. Of course, once he announced his decision to place the Senju heir with the Uchiha Clan, the first voices of dissent made themselves known from Hyuuga Hiashi.

No shinobi in Konoha that held the rank of jounin was unaware of the escalating rivalry between Fugaku and Hiashi. If it was not haughty stares in the street, there may have been unsanctioned sparring matches that had required intervention on more than one occasion in the intemperance of youth. So naturally it was no surprise that the Hyuuga Clan Head was quick to protest the placement of young Minato.

What no one could have anticipated was Hizashi stepping up and voicing his disagreement publically with his brother. Hiruzen was not often surprised, but he had paused. Even Fugaku had been taken aback at the defiance of the branch brother to the main family at a meeting of such importance. Not only that, but Hizashi had formally approved of the placement and suggested that the Hyuuga Clan host not only Minato, but young Sasuke and any other friends they wished to invite, to dine with the Hyuugas as friends at least twice a week.

Of course, Chouza just had to add his two-cents and invite all of the Clan Heads for a barbecue at the Akimichi Clan residence later that week. The Sandaime was sure that would have sparked some churlish rebuttal since the Akimichis were possibly one of the smallest ranking clans in the village but another miracle occurred. Uchiha Mikoto, possibly spurred on by Hizashi's outlandish behavior, had agreed to the Hyuuga's proposal and further countered by insisting that Hinata be allowed to visit with them at once a week. Of course, Mikoto had slyly slipped in a final comment to Chouza stating that the whole of the Uchiha Clan would be in attendance even if no one else showed. Of course, that lead to all clans agreeing to show, much to the giant redhead's delight.

Privately, Hiruzen was thankful that Tsume was out of the village. The Inuzuka was loyal to a fault, but he just knew that things would have gone wrong at some point if the feral woman had been present.

His plans from the previous evening had borne fruit as well when Fugaku publically submitted a request to Aburame Shibi regarding an invitation to join the police force. The Clan Head had not been able to provide an affirmative yes immediately, but the fact that the man had seemed interested and was currently engaged in a quiet discussion off to the side with the Uchiha patriarch was promising.

The only oddity was that Uchiha Shisui was absent when he had specifically ordered the chunin to be present...that would have to be investigated later. His tolerance for Hatake Kakashi's tardiness notwithstanding, his patience did have limits.

"You didn't mention Uzumaki Naruto." Shikaku sidled up next to him with his arms folded as he studied the interaction next to his leader.

"The protection of a jinchuuriki is the concern of the Hokage. It is not up for discussion." The quiet censure was accepted and the scarred man scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Besides, I think enough was covered today."

"Today's outcome was unexpected." Now that was interesting. For the results of today to be unpredictable to the Nara was perhaps a once in a lifetime phenomena. And for Shikaku to admit so was equally troubling.

"Most of us knew what was being discussed today." Hiruzen nodded quietly. "But Mikoto and Hizashi pulled out a result that should not have been possible. A gathering of clans outside of this meeting room...even if it was not intended to be one, is monumental in the history of Konoha."

"All for the better." Hiruzen advised quietly. "This is the best chance we have to bring our young back into the fold.

"Danzo and his cronies will burn you with this if we're wrong, Hokage-sama." Shikaku advised, clearly analyzing the individuals in the room in an attempt to make sense of everything.

"We, Shikaku?" Hiruzen asked, amused.

"I'm starting to believe that you might not be entirely insane." Shikaku sounded almost wistful and Hiruzen saw years fall off the man's face for a single moment in time. "Change is on the horizon."

"Is that so?" Hiruzen tugged on the sleeve of the robe that he constantly wore. Despite decades wearing the damned thing, he still longed to cast it off and wear simple shinobi colors and his old helm again. Though he knew that if he ever engaged in a serious confrontation, there would be little guarantee he would survive since every year his bones ached just a little more and his chakra frayed an ounce.

The Sandaime could only hope that his chosen successor enjoyed his next few years because Hiruzen intended to train him into the ground should all move according to plan.

"It looks like Mikoto-sama is holding her own against Hiashi-sama's griping." Shikaku muttered, indicating the matriarch who was shooting an unimpressed look at the surly Hyuuga. "I did notice the hitai-ate today...does that mean?"

"I've reinstated her under your division." Hiruzen remarked casually, delighting in the startled look on his favorite advisor's face. "Her duties will be constrained until the children enter the academy, but having Mikoto on active duty, however limited, should boost integration with the village."

Spying the matriarch heading for the doorway with the Hyuuga brothers at her heels, Hiruzen made a slight gesture and made to intercept the trio. Shikaku dutifully trailed behind, though he knew the Nara was more curious than he let on.

"This is certainly a great opportunity to meet the next generation." The Sandaime mused aloud, stroking his beard thoughtfully. Addressing the group at the door."Shall we?"

"Of course." Mikoto and Hiashi chorused at the same time, freezing, and shooting each other irritated glares.

Hiruzen took point. Setting a brisk pace, he waved aside the secretary toting forms and made for the conference room. The faint sound of childish screaming met his ears and the only reason he did not quicken his steps was the utter lack of reaction from the ANBU that remained hidden instead of moving to intervene. The volume increased the closer they got and he heard a discontent mumble from Hiashi and a murmur that might have been a prayer from Mikoto.

Turning the handle on the door, Hiruzen felt the collective group behind him stiffen up in shocked horror. Every piece of furniture in the room was overturned and fashioned into a crude barricade. The Akimichi boy-who else could it have been-was on his hands and knees collecting bits of fruit and smoked meat from one of the trays that had obviously suffered a violent ending. Hyuuga Hinata had her eyes narrowed beyond the crude barricade with her a cooing bundle in her arms and a fork clutched in one fist that looked to be dripping blood. Shikaku's boy was nowhere in sight and that lead the Hokage to conclude that he had gone into hiding. The main source of the banshee like screaming, Inoichi's daughter who looked like she had gone swimming in a punch bowl and was hurling spoons at the new jounin Ebisu that the Sandaime had-mistakenly apparently-thought could handle this little task. Said jounin had lost his sunglasses somewhere along the way and had kikai bugs clinging to his eyelids; Ebisu was frantically clawing at the insects in a desperate act of futility. Uchiha Sasuke was racing across the ceiling with Senju Minato unravelling a spool of...was that crafting twine? Uzumaki Naruto had issued a warcry and launched himself from his own spot off a wall wielding a container of plum sauce in one hand and fish sauce in another and squirted Ebisu's face, chest, and backside when the jounin tried to evade the hits.

"Sasuke, Minato, now!" Naruto gave the order like a proud captain would.

Both boys dropped from the ceiling, the twine extending between them and they converged for a moment before racing in opposite directions. A flailing Ebisu was captured for an instant before a white poof of smoke appeared leaving the severed chair leg in the twine job.

Privately the Sandaime was relieved. If Ebisu had failed to pull off a simple substitution, he would have demoted him on the spot. To be honest, he was still considering it given that the only thing left to do was light a Katon jutsu and leave the room a smoldering ruin. As things stood, a couple genin teams would be receiving D-rank missions to...do something with the mess.

"Jiji!" Naruto crowed, racing at him with the speed of a little devil and wagging his fist in the air triumphantly. "We got him good!"

The horrified chakra spikes behind him made up for all the trouble. At last, the clan heads all had something in common.

Sarutobi Hiruzen laughed.

---

Author's Notes: A couple of things. I'm aware that Tobirama Senju's facial markings are not genetic, but there must be some advantage to being the author because I'm handwaving that and declaring it is genetic.

Also, Minato will definitely not have Mokuton. I already have plans for the abilities of my favorite kiddos and Mokuton is not on the agenda. Sorry if people are disappointed!

Please take time to review! I'm always inspired and want to work that much harder for all of you!