The forest of brambles slithered out of the path of the approaching group revealing the small keep.
"If it had hot springs it would be perfect," Jiraiya said as they approached, looking forward to relaxing after the battle they'd just been through.
"I think I'd need illusionary terrain to create hot springs," Xander said.
"Not sure an illusion is as good as the real thing, but I'd give it a go," the toad sage said cheerfully.
"That's just the name of the spell," Xander replied as they entered the keep, following the others in kicking off his shoes and putting on house slippers in the entryway before stepping into the main room and claiming one of the couches to rest on, "it's more of an alteration in reality that can be dispelled if needed."
"Sounds handy," Joan said, removing a handful of storage scrolls from her person and setting them on the table in the kitchen, Tiamo and Anko doing the same.
"We have a lot of extra gear," Jiraiya noted as he added yet more storage scrolls to the pile.
"Much of which will have to be cleaned and repaired," Joan pointed out.
"None of it is legendary," Xander said, "once I've recovered all my mana I should be able to restore it all to like new condition without much effort."
Anko and Tiamo claimed seats on either side of Xander and leaned against him before putting their feet up on the coffee table.
"It's nice to see someone else doing the grunt work," Anko said, "especially when they can just wave a hand to get it done."
"They say power corrupts, but it's pretty useful for chores," Xander said with a grin, putting his arms around both girls and relaxing.
"Company," Joan noted, turning to look at the front door. "Looks like the squad you sent out is returning."
Jiraiya settled into a couch across from the three and Joan joined him, kicking off her slippers and putting her bare feet on his lap. The toad sage automatically started rubbing them, getting a moan of pleasure in response. "Instant minions on command," he said as he worked, "and unlike summons, they don't pop when they take damage."
"A very handy ability," Xander said cheerfully, "but of course then you have to provide food, clothing, and shelter for them."
"True, but having loyal underlings is worth the price," Jiraiya said as he massaged Joan's feet.
The front door opened and the three-man squad Xander had created to clear out Orochimaru's supply depot entered, Donald carrying a large trunk on his shoulder while Minnie and Daisy were unencumbered.
"Mission complete," Daisy said cheerfully, "we've got enough weapons and armor to fight a war."
Donald chuckled and set the trunk on the floor. "Not to mention a large amount of currency and rations."
"And all the little extras," Minnie added, "sealing supplies and what not. They were even kind enough to provide already prepared sealing scrolls so we could carry it all in one trip. I'd definitely shop there again."
The girls claimed the love seat while Donald grabbed a large comfy chair.
"It was a cakewalk," Donald reported. "Daisy had no problem taking out the traps and Minnie got to stand around and look pretty while telling us what to do." He caught the pillow that the slender blonde flung at him and stuffed it behind himself with a grin.
"Any further orders?" Minnie asked.
"Unseal everything and store it in the basement," Jiraiya ordered, "and once you're done with that you can relax for a bit. I'll be sending you to Konoha to join our forces there once I've written up the proper paperwork to give you a solid backstory. Unless Xander has any objections?"
"No, I think they'll fit right in," Xander said.
"Excellent," Jiraiya said. "I'll send out some messages to clear the way for them through the normal bureaucratic minefield and see what my local contacts can find about where Princess has gotten off to." He pushed Joan's feet off his lap, making her sit up and kicked off his house slippers before putting his feet in her lap.
Joan grinned and started massaging his feet.
Donald got up and retrieved the chest. "Daisy, see about making lunch while we get everything sorted and put away."
The blue haired girl bounced to her feet. "On it!" she announced cheerfully and danced into the kitchen while Minnie followed Donald into the basement.
"So, what's on the agenda for the rest of today?" Xander asked.
"I thought I might start you on drawing," the toad sage replied, eyes closing as he enjoyed the foot rub.
"It should improve your sealwork," Joan said, "so you don't have to go around licking everything you want to put a seal on."
"Everything…" Xander looked thoughtful for a second before pulling a paper tag out of his pocket and licking it. "Flash tag," he announced and flicked it into the air where it exploded in a burst of light.
"I was joking," Joan said in disbelief.
"You can apply seals by kissing someone's neck, of course you could make a tag the same way," Jiraiya realized. He chuckled and shook his head. "Planeswalker."
"Planeswalker," Xander agreed cheerfully.
0o0o0o0o0o
"Have you heard the news?!" Ino demanded as she claimed the seat next to the pinkette.
"What news?" Sakura replied, surprised at Ino's cheerful tone since they were both competing for Sasuke's favor.
Ino grinned. "The Fourth Hokage is back."
"Back?" the pink haired girl replied, confused. "He died killing the nine tailed fox. How could he come back from that?"
"No idea," Ino replied cheerfully, "but Daddy was talking to Mom about the best way to release the information to the village over breakfast this morning."
"That's wonderful," Sakura said, thinking about how powerful the Fourth Hokage had been and how much he'd done for the village.
"And that's not all," Ino teased with a smirk.
"What else?" Sakura asked suspiciously.
"He's adopting Sasuke-kun," Ino said smugly.
"That's wonderful!" Sakura exclaimed, happy that the boy she loved was gaining a father.
"Yes, it is," Ino agreed, smiling broadly.
Sakura's eyes narrowed. "And why are you so… bubbly about that?"
"Well, since the Fourth Hokage is going to be his father, that means he'll make sure he marries a girl of the appropriate station," Ino said, leaning back in her chair, "like the daughter of a prominent clan head."
Sakura's pencil snapped in her hand as she glared at her frenemy. "I'm sure Hokage-sama is wise enough to see who is a better choice to marry his son, piggy!"
Ino opened her mouth to retort when the entire class fell silent and stared at the back of the room.
The two young girls spun around and saw Sasuke... smiling! It took a few seconds before they noticed Naruto standing next to him and the two adults behind them.
Iruka and Mizuki stared in shock, both recognizing the Fourth Hokage and Mikoto Uchiha.
The two recently deceased adults walked their children to the front of the class, while everyone stared, ignoring several quiet 'kais' from the students.
"Iruka," Minato greeted the young man.
"Hokage-sama?" Iruka asked cautiously.
"I know, I know," Minato waved it off, "I died a decade ago. Fortunately, the seal I placed on my son eventually finished its work and destroyed the Kyubi while bringing me back."
"The fox is gone!?" Iruka gasped out.
"Completely," Minato assured him.
"Fortunately he was with me, visiting my mom's grave when the seal finished killing the fox, so Naruto somehow managed to bring back my mom too," Sasuke said cheerfully, spreading the story his new father had asked him to tell everyone.
"The fox is dead," Mizuki said, having a hard time comprehending it.
"The seal was powered by Naruto's will and happiness," Minato said with a sigh. "My last order was for Naruto to be treated like a hero for keeping the fox locked away, which should have provided enough happiness to have finished the job by the time he was five, but apparently no one obeyed that order. Still, he has the Will of Fire and kept enough cheer to not only kill the fox and bring me back, but Mikoto as well."
Naruto blushed as his father ruffled his hair. He wasn't used to receiving positive attention much less from his father, who he hadn't even known was his father and was just his idol and who he most wanted to be like. Naruto pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming, something he'd done half a dozen times since he woke up this morning.
The students began whispering among themselves unable to believe what they were hearing, but looking from Naruto to the Fourth Hokage the resemblance was unmistakable.
"Naruto is the Fourth Hokage's son and he resurrected his father and Sasuke's mom," Sakura said slowly, wishing she'd been nicer to Naruto as his father was the one who would decide who married his other son.
Ino was going through a similar set of thoughts but also trying to figure out how Mikoto factored into all this and why the Fourth Hokage would adopt Sasuke if his mother was alive. Her nose twitched. She could practically smell important gos- intelligence, important intelligence she could share with her mom. She just had to figure out what was being hidden from them.
"Best take your seats," Mikoto told the two boys. "Listen to your teachers and we'll be by to have lunch with you," she promised.
"Yes, mom," the two boys chorused. With Sasuke giving his mom a quick hug while Naruto just smiled awkwardly, still not sure how he felt about that particular change.
"We can talk more at lunch," Minato promised before taking Mikoto's hand and the pair vanished in a flash of yellow light using his signature jutsu.
Iruka shook his head, before turning to the class. "Quiet!" he roared out. "Everyone in their seats!" He may not know how to deal with the latest shock, but dealing with a class full of genin hopefuls was something he was a pro at. "Someone poke Shikamaru, he's fallen asleep again."
0o0o0o0o0o0
Minato smirked as he appeared in his office with Mikoto. "That should start things off nicely."
"It's not exactly subtle," she said with a chuckle, "but then considering how stubborn the average villager is…"
"I think overt is the only way to proceed," Sarutobi spoke up from behind the Hokage's desk where he was busy filling out paperwork for handing over the office to his successor for a second time. "I have arranged a meeting of all the clan heads in half an hour."
"It'll be good to get back to work," Minato said cheerfully. "A decade of doing nothing, or rather memories of twenty some odd years, has left me rested out!"
"I'm glad you feel that way," Sarutobi said, "because the last ten years have left me with the urge to spend about a century relaxing while watching someone else work."
Minato grinned. "I'm sure you'll find something to do to entertain yourself."
"Fishing," the old said firmly. "I am going to go fishing and drink sake."
"You'll be bored out of your mind within a week," Minato promised him.
"I'll research the matter and let you know," Sarutobi said while lighting his pipe. "By the way, Jiraiya has sent in his report. Xander is sending three of the nin he created to join our forces, two jounin and one chunin that will reach jounin in a short amount of time."
"How trustworthy are they?" Minato asked.
"Completely," Sarutobi said confidently. "While their primary loyalty will always be to Xander, they will obey anyone he instructs them to as if they were him and they would die at his command without hesitation."
"So, barring betrayal by Xander, they are completely trustworthy, something rare in our line of work," Minato said with a nod.
"Indeed," Sarutobi agreed. "They are currently tracking down Tsunade so Xander can acquire her 'pattern' which will allow him to create a healer of her skill level."
Minato slowly nodded. "He is frighteningly powerful."
"Indeed, but also kind and generous, fortunately for us."
"Let's hope he remains that way," Minato said.
"Thankfully everything we've learned about him points to that being likely," Sarutobi said with a smile. "It would take a betrayal on our end to sour relations."
"And speaking of betrayals," Minato said, "what have we discovered about Danzo's private army?"
"Ibiki has been his usual productive self and my former teammates have given us all the passcodes and commands to take control of all Root operations in his absences," Sarutobi said with a heavy sigh. "More proof that I'm too old for this position. A decade ago I wouldn't have missed a tenth of what has been going on beneath my very nose in our village."
"Age gets us all in the end, Sensei," Minato said, "what's important is that we're handling it now."
"Is there any news on my eldest son?" Mikoto asked hopefully, reminding them she was there.
The Third Hokage nodded and puffed on his pipe before replying, "I've sent a message to Itachi letting him know of recent events. He should receive it in the next three to five days."
"Thank you Hokage-sama," she said, giving the old man a grateful bow.
"How are we dealing with the whole situation?" Minato said delicately.
"Root forces and traitors are responsible for the death of his clan, he feigned loyalty and infiltrated them to preserve the life of his younger brother and spy on them," Sarutobi replied, "it's close enough to the truth that we need not fear any evidence to the contrary appearing. Of course all this is contingent on what he reports about the Akatsuki. While the nine tails is no longer around to complete their plan, they are still incredibly dangerous."
"True, but there are few enough Uchiha left that we can afford to lose one," Minato said. "Between myself and our revitalized forces we should be able to handle whatever they have planned."
"I pray you're right, but then I'm old and cynical," Sarutobi joked before taking a drag off his pipe.
Minato chuckled. "But you've never lost hope."
"No, I've never lost hope," the old man agreed, "and if I had, I have no doubt Naruto would find it for me again."
"How hard has it been for him?" Minato asked. What Naruto had told him about his life was understandably slanted by his naivety and optimism.
Sarutobi sighed and leaned back in his chair. "While he wasn't physically abused in any way, he was mostly ignored and sneered at by the civilian population who did their best to keep him isolated."
"And the clans?" Minato asked, frowning in thought.
"They didn't participate in shunning him, but they didn't welcome his presence either. For the most part they remained neutral and let their children make up their own minds," Sarutobi replied.
"For the most part?" Minato asked quietly, eyes narrowing.
"Well…"
0o0o0o0o0o
"Adjust your stance," Sasuke told Naruto, "and throw like this."
A kunai thudded into the target just an inch below the bullseye.
"If I do that it doesn't sink in as far," Naruto complained while following his directions.
The kunai thudded into the target just above and to the left of Sasuke's but only half as deeply.
"Yeah, you have to practice for weeks to get the same amount of power in your throw, but you've got a lot more control," he explained patiently.
"Oh," Naruto said. "Wish someone had told me that before."
"They were deliberately not training you as well as they could," Sasuke pointed out.
"Bastards!" Naruto growled.
"Could have been worse," Sasuke said with a shrug, "they could have intentionally screwed up your training rather than doing as little as possible and at least Iruka does a good job, that's why he's so hard on you."
Naruto perked up, a large smile growing on his face.
"Now, come on… bro," Sasuke said, testing out the word and finding he liked it, "let's see how many bullseyes we can hit before lunch."
Naruto nodded as they retrieved their kunai from the target they were sharing. "Hey… bro, does it seem… strange that we're going to be brothers after spending the last few years arguing and insulting each other all the time?"
Sasuke turned to Naruto. "Our dead parents have sprung back to life and are getting married because your mom decided it was the best way to make sure we were happy if she died, strange doesn't begin to describe it… but this strange I like."
Naruto grinned. "Yeah. Think I'll be a good brother?"
"Are you going to go nuts and kill our parents before torturing me for several days while telling me to live for revenge on you?" Sasuke casually asked.
"No!" Naruto exclaimed horrified.
"Then you're a step up from my last brother," he said. "I'd say a big step up, but that orange monstrosity you wear makes my eyes hurt."
"Hey!" Naruto complained before seeing the smirk Sasuke was wearing and bursting out laughing. "Okay, you got me with that one."
Sasuke chuckled. "But seriously, we are getting you new clothes."
"Orange is awesome!" Naruto declared.
"So is black for a ninja," Sasuke said firmly. "How about clothes that are orange and black, like a tiger?"
"That doesn't sound bad," Naruto said thoughtfully.
Sasuke smirked and threw a kunai at the target, nailing the bullseye. His life was a thousand times better today than it was yesterday and he was beginning to feel a faint hope that was the start of a trend.
Typing by: fyrewolf5
TN: Can't wait to see the rest of Minato's plans to fuck with all the villagers, already have the 'fact' that he'd have been back years ago if they obeyed his final order, starting to go around.
