Three days ago, I got a message. It was a surprising message that I honestly was not expecting at all.

My story has been nominated for the 2010 Naruto fan fiction awards under adventure.

Now, this is quite the big deal for me, as the things I've written have never been nominated for anything. I'm not sure if it was one person, a group of people, or even the site itself that did the nominating, but whoever you are, thank you. Thank you from the deepest part of my heart. Even if I don't end up winning, knowing that you think highly enough of my story to nominate it in the first place makes me very, very happy.

Of course, right after I read this message, I felt that some sort of action was in order to make sure I earned this nomination. Thus, I settled down and pushed all other projects aside to write this chapter. I sincerely hope I don't disappoint.

That aside, please read on and enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Just some merchandise I bought from the store.

Chapter 5

The funeral took up most of the day.

Classes were cancelled, restaurants closed early, and shops didn't open at all. Team Minato watched solemnly as villager and ninja alike gathered together to pay their respects. No one seemed to notice that it wasn't the Fourth Hokage, but the Third who stood before the crowd and began to speak.

Although Minato wasn't about to point it out.

Being in a war meant that death was a common sight. Still, he couldn't hold back the ache within him at seeing so many being buried at once. It was a tragic thing to witness, especially when it was so closely related to one of his students.

He cast a concerned glance at Obito as he thought this. After awakening from what was no doubt a nightmare, he had remained unnervingly silent. It had only been a few hours since then, but he found himself missing Obito's cheerful demeanor. It would have been nice to have in a moment like this…

"-not forget all that the Uchiha clan has done for this village."

He was brought out of his thoughts as he sensed the Third to be nearing the end of his speech.

"Although the loss is one that will be felt for many years to come, I ask that you continue to stride forward. Hold them in memory, honor them, but do not allow your sorrow to cloud your path to the future. In that way, we can hope to prevent such a tragedy from befalling us once more…In that way, we can make sure that their deaths were not in vain."

Silence followed, broken by the sound of soft sobs scattered throughout the crowd. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, people began to disperse. Eventually, the only ones that remained were Team Minato, the Third, and Sasuke.

It was with saddened eyes that Sarutobi kneeled down next to the boy.

"It's time to go, little one."

Sasuke only stood there, staring blankly at the memorial stone dedicated solely to the recently deceased clan. The Third sighed sorrowfully, standing up once more with a slight effort that only the keenest eyes would spot.

"Dog," he called softly.

A cloaked ANBU appeared next to the man.

"Keep an eye on him…until he's ready to go. Cat can take over your other duties for now."

"Isn't Cat a little inexperienced for such a task?"

"He is new, yes, but he shows great skill. He is also trustworthy. You know as well as I that there are very few that I could entrust him to."

Minato's eyes narrowed slightly as his students stared in confusion. This ANBU was obviously one of the Hokage's most trusted shinobi, and the way he held himself said much of his skill. The question was who in the village needed such a high-ranking ninja watching over them? And why?

"…Of course, Hokage-sama. I will not fail you."

Sarutobi smiled slightly, but they could still see a bit of melancholy mixed in.

"Thank you."

He walked away, leaving ANBU and child alone. Dog stood silently, showing no reaction even as Sasuke turned to look at him.

"You can go, you know," he said quietly.

No response.

"Really. I-…I can take care of myself."

The break in Sasuke's voice and the way he turned away said otherwise. Dog didn't move. Something in Sasuke seemed to snap at the ANBU's refusal, causing an expression of deep anguish to appear for a split second before making room for a scowl. A bitter scowl that one would never have found on his face before that day.

"Go!" He yelled. "I don't need you! I don't need anyone! Everyone-"

He faltered, tears flooding his eyes as he sniffed.

"E-Everyone's gone anyway…and they're not coming back. They're never coming back…"

A choked sob escaped him as he fell to his knees.

"Why…?"

His voice was a whine only a lonely, devastated child could achieve.

"He-…He was my brother! I looked up to him!"

Minato reeled back, shocked. So it had been Itachi! But why? He looked over at Obito as Sasuke continued to cry. It was possible that Obito might know more about what happened, but it seemed cruel to ask. As it was, watching his yet-to-be-born cousin pour his heart out to a stoic ANBU had made Obito's face twist in anguish, his fists clenching so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.

It wasn't until Sasuke's tears stilled that Dog finally made a move. With only a faint flutter to indicate movement, he crouched down beside Sasuke and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. He didn't say anything, but Sasuke seemed to prefer the silence. They remained that way for a while longer until Sasuke finally sniffed, rubbed his eyes with his sleeve, and stood up.

"I'm gonna go ho-…back now."

"Hokage-sama has offered a small apartment if you do not wish to return to the compound."

"No. I-…I want to stay there."

"Very well. I am to accompany you, so let us be off."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

There wasn't much to see once Sasuke and Dog left the Uchiha memorial stone. The ANBU merely walked him home and stood guard nearby. Various thoughts and theories were colliding in Minato's mind, and he was sure his students had questions of their own, so he gathered them together (Obito with a bit of trouble, as he didn't really want to leave) and led them back to the clearing where they had first arrived.

Minato sat down on the log he'd claimed when they first arrived, gazing at his students who in turn were staring intently at him. He wasn't quite sure how to begin this conversation, but finally, he decided to treat it as one would a mission.

"Kakashi. Report."

Judging by the way his team relaxed slightly, he figured he'd made the right choice.

"Other than the buildings looking newer, there's not much difference."

Minato suspected as much.

"However, there was one thing that caught my attention."

He frowned a bit at Kakashi's hesitance. Kakashi almost never hesitated.

"What's that?"

"Your house…"

"Hmm? What about it?"

"…It was boarded up."

Rin turned to Kakashi in confusion, intrigued at this news.

"But why would Sensei do that?" Rin asked. "He wouldn't move away just because he became Hokage, and even if he did, wouldn't they just sell the house to someone else?"

"That's what I thought. There must be a reason."

"Maybe Sensei's dead too," Obito said flatly.

It was the first time Obito had spoken since he awoke, but Rin didn't seem to care about this fact. Her eyes widened in shock before glaring sternly at him.

"Obito! How could you! That's not something you should joke about!"

"Rin."

Rin faltered in her tirade to look at Minato. He smiled, but it was small, and with a hint of resigned sadness.

"I'm sure he didn't really mean to say it that way."

"But Sensei-"

"It's all right…but…He's right, you know."

There was only a split second of confusion before three sets of eyes widened.

"No!"

"You can't be…!"

Minato sighed and gave them all a serious gaze.

"I'm not sure what happened, but I'm pretty sure that by this point in time, I'm already dead."

"The Third…That's why he was the one giving the speech."

"Correct."

"But your son! What about him?"

"Ah, so you did guess, Rin."

"Son? Does that mean Kushina-san-"

"Yes. It seems we had a son."

"Then how come they aren't living in your house?"

Minato frowned. It was a good question. He was already pretty sure that Kushina was gone as well (a thought that still sent a jolt of anguish through him), but that was still no reason for Naruto not to live there at least.

"I only have guesses," he finally said. "And I'd prefer not to say anything until I'm sure."

"…What's his name?"

Minato turned to Obito, who had remained silent after his initial comment.

"Naruto."

"Naruto…huh?"

A ghost of a smile passed over Obito's face.

"It's a good name."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Rin watched her team settle in for the night. After Kakashi had finished pointing out what he'd seen, Minato asked her if there was anything she'd noticed. She'd briefly said a few things before the man suggested that they get some sleep. Rin didn't think they needed sleep while the jutsu was in place, but she couldn't deny she felt tired out from the day's events. Sleeping would at least help her believe she'd gotten some rest, with the added bonus of helping time pass by faster than if she were to remain awake. She frowned slightly as Obito settled down away from the group, clearly not planning on going to sleep any time soon. Minato walked over to him and sat down, beginning to speak to him in low tones, so she looked away, but her mind remained on her teammate.

Compared to the Uchiha Clan, her own family was tiny. They weren't even well known among the ninja world, since she was the first in her family to become one. Still, the thought of losing even one person in her family scared her. So she couldn't even begin to imagine how it would feel to know that every single member of your family- save for one, small boy -had been murdered. It was part of the reason why she hadn't told them that her future self wasn't working in the hospital. If they came to the same conclusions she did while she was there, then it would only hurt Obito even more. The other part of her didn't want to admit the fact yet.

Her eyes widened as she thought of something. If the Uchiha had been murdered, then did that include Obito himself? Had his future self been lying there in the compound among the dozens of other Uchiha, staring up with blank and glassy eyes, cold and lifeless? Tears sprung to her eyes at the image. It couldn't be. Obito would have found a way to survive. He was too full of life to die so young.

Still, if it turned out to be true…

She did her best to stifle the cry that arose and turned away from the others. If Obito really was dead, then this future was an awful place. Sensei and Kushina-san were dead, Obito was dead, she was probably dead, and-

'What about Kakashi? Is he dead too?'

She couldn't bear the thought.

Silent tears streamed down her face as she pleaded for him to be alive at least. Losing Kakashi would be devastating, and she didn't know if she could take it after everything else she'd learned. She was brought out of her more anguished thoughts by the slight shift of air on her right.

"You all right?"

Flushing lightly in embarrassment, she rubbed her eyes and did her best to smile.

"I'm fine, Sensei. You should go back to Obito."

"He's the one that asked me to come over here," Minato said with an upward twitch to his lips. "He was concerned."

"He shouldn't be," she said softly. "Not when he has his own things to deal with."

"I'm concerned too. Obito's not the only one who's been down since we grouped up."

She looked away at the serious look in his eyes.

"What's bothering you, Rin?"

"It-…It's nothing, Sensei."

"Nothing wouldn't make you cry like this."

Rin flinched, but remained silent.

"If it makes you feel better, I promise I won't say a word."

"…Promise?"

"Promise."

"…I…went to the hospital today…when all of us split up."

"Did you see someone you knew?"

Rin shook her head.

"It's more like I didn't see someone."

She paused.

"I wasn't there."

Rin sniffled, tears coming into her eyes once more.

"I want to be a medic-nin more than anything, Sensei. I've never thought of anything else. So the only reason I can think of for me not being there is if I'm-…if I'm dead too."

Minato's eyes softened in sorrow before he wrapped an arm around her comfortingly. She hadn't mentioned this when he'd asked earlier. He had a good guess as to why, but it still wasn't good for her to keep this sort of information bottled up inside. Rin leaned against him, soaking in the warmth he always seemed to radiate.

"I don't want to die, Sensei. Not so soon. There's still so much I want to do. So much I want to see and learn…Then you tell us that you and Kushina-san are gone, and now Obito-"

Minato's mind gave a mental jerk. He hadn't really realized the implications of the Uchiha massacre until Rin pointed them out. He cast a brief glance over to where Obito sat slumped next to a tree. Did he realize this already…?

"We don't even know if Kakashi is alive in this time either, but he's probably dead too and it's not fair, Sensei! Why are all of us gone? Why us?"

She felt the hold around her tighten just the slightest bit before a weary sigh escaped the man next to her.

"I don't know, Rin. There's a lot of things I can't tell you about this future, and I doubt this will be the last horrible piece of information we'll come across, but I can tell you this-"

He took a breath and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Whatever bad things we might see or learn, I promise you I'll do my absolute best to make sure they don't happen. It's like Obito told us before. We're here to see things so we can change them, right?"

"Right."

She managed a shaky smile before it faded into a look of concern.

"…How is he?"

"…Better than before, but it'll be a while before he's back to normal, if ever. This was a huge blow to him, and it's not something that'll just go away. I think that even when we go back to our time where his family is still alive, the memory of what he saw will stay with him."

"Oh…"

"He'll be alright. I have faith that he'll pull through. Then, he'll probably start thinking about what he could do to change this. Until then, the best thing we can do is be there for him."

"I can do that."

He smiled.

"Good to hear. Now get some sleep, okay? It's been a long day."

"Okay."

His hold tightened one more time in a sort of squeezing hug. After that, he stood and watched her until she settled down comfortably. She was glad he did, even though she still didn't think sleeping was really necessary.

Her body begged to differ, however, as moments later she fell asleep.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Kakashi watched as his sensei spoke first to Obito, then Rin, and lastly made his way over to where he was sitting. He didn't really see why, however. He wasn't depressed like his teammates. Minato sat down beside him with a soft exhale, allowing a brief silence to fall between them before breaking it.

"How're you doing, Kakashi?"

"Fine."

"We didn't really discuss the things we saw, did we? Are there any theories you want to run by me?"

Kakashi relaxed at the question. So Minato didn't want to try to pull out some emotion he wasn't feeling from him in misguided concern. He was just asking him his own opinion on things- something he'd started doing more and more the closer he got to becoming a jônin. This was something he could deal with.

"Not really, Sensei. There's not enough to draw from."

"That's true."

Another silence, but it wasn't uncomfortable. They were never uncomfortable. This time, however, his mind refused to be silenced. There were too many questions dancing around in there for him not to voice them.

"…Sensei?"

"What is it?"

"…How do you know you and Kushina-san are gone?"

The chances of it were very low, but it was possible that Minato had made a mistake. His sensei had become Hokage, and if he was strong enough to do that, then he shouldn't be dead already. Maybe he'd just been meeting with some other Kage in another village and had the Third fill in for him.

He pushed away the little voice that told him he only thought this because he didn't want it to be true.

Minato smiled that sad smile that Kakashi was quickly growing to dislike.

"Remember how I told you Kushina and I had a son? Naruto?"

Kakashi nodded.

"He was eating ramen with that Chunnin instructor Obito knows. He-…"

Minato sighed softly, running a hand through his hair as he thought on how to explain.

"It's hard to describe, but there was just this look in Naruto's eyes as he sat there with him. Something that said that he didn't really get that sort of attention often…I just kind of knew…"

"That, and he wouldn't be having ramen in the first place if you were there, huh?"

Minato laughed softly.

"You know me too well, Kakashi."

Kakashi smirked a bit.

"I don't know what happened to me or Kushina, but I plan to find out. Hopefully, I'll be able to keep it from happening."

The thought filled Kakashi with happiness before he realized it. He quickly squashed it down because it didn't really matter and he hadn't been upset, damn it!

He was too busy reining in the rebel emotion that he missed the knowing smile on his sensei's face.

Knowing that he wasn't going to get much more from his student, especially after that little slip, he stood up and brushed the nonexistent dust from his pants.

"Get some rest, Kakashi. There's no telling what we're going to come across tomorrow."

"Do we even need to sleep?"

"Maybe. I'm not sure yet, but better to be safe, right?"

"I guess."

"Good. Goodnight, Kakashi."

"Night, Sensei."

Kakashi lay down, and to his surprise, felt sleep creep upon him. He'd been tired, sure, but he didn't actually expect to be able to sleep, even after Obito and Rin pulled it off. He didn't get much time to ponder over this, as darkness finally claimed him for the night.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Obito blinked sluggishly as he stared at the stars above him. He was exhausted from the events of the past couple days, and the emotional upheaval they brought with them, but he knew better than to fall asleep right now. Sleep meant nightmares, and the last thing he wanted right now was to relive that horrible massacre.

He tensed as the memories came unbidden anyway.

He shook his head frantically, desperate to get rid of the images, stopping when Minato cast him a concerned glance from the log he was sitting on. His sensei had already spoken to him once tonight, and it wasn't that he minded, but he just didn't feel like talking right now. Minato, seeming to understand this unspoken desire, just nodded and went back to watching over Rin and Kakashi.

What he still couldn't understand was why. Why had his little cousin, who always seemed like such a cheerful little brat, suddenly decided to kill the clan. He'd been crying when he left, so he couldn't have wanted to! Unless-

His eyes shot open, sleep fleeing from the sudden sense of terror that took root. Was it possible that Itachi knew what he himself had found out not too long ago? Was that why he'd done it? There were whispers even from the time he'd come from that there was little left to plan. They could've possibly finished that little bit of planning in the years they'd traveled. If the Uchiha had really been ready to attempt a coup, and Itachi had found out and was against it…

Bile rose to his throat, but it was no longer solely because of his more recently acquired memories. If he was right, then that meant little Itachi had done what he couldn't and made his choice, sacrificing any possibility at having a happy life. There had been no whispers of the Uchiha's betrayal, so it meant that like him, Itachi had loved his clan dearly enough to keep the horrible secret, choosing instead to become a missing-nin than to have it revealed.

'Oh, Itachi…'

He had more courage than Obito could ever hope to have, that was for sure. He didn't think he'd ever be able to make a sacrifice like that.

Feeling a bit better now that he knew Itachi hadn't really wanted to kill the clan, he started nodding off. As he felt sleep come to claim him, something tugged at the back of his mind. There was something else to the massacre that he was forgetting…something important…

Hadn't there been someone else there…?

Unfortunately for those involved, he fell asleep before he could think on it any longer, and when he awoke, he wouldn't remember this last train of thought at all.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The next morning, Minato was glad to see his students had been able to get a decent sleep. He still didn't know if it was really needed, but he couldn't deny that it seemed to help. Obito looked better than he had the day before, and the other two looked much more upbeat.

Minato himself had forgone sleep, choosing instead to explore the possibilities that this ghostly form granted him. He already knew he could phase through objects, but the solitary hours had proven fruitful as he could now hover a couple inches off of the ground. It wasn't flight, and it made him tired, but it was something.

How this particular skill could be useful still evaded him.

"Morning, team," he greeted. "Sleep well?"

He smiled at the halfhearted answers he received. Never let it be said that Team 7 consisted of morning people.

Once they shrugged the remnants of sleep away, Minato began leading them into town.

"Today I kind of want to see if we can figure out exactly what happened to both the village and ourselves. That way, we can at least rest easy about that as we start to learn about other things…"

He trailed off when he spotted a familiar blond haired boy quickly walking by. He would've smiled had it not been for the concealed nervousness on the boy's face and the obvious tension around him. His students seemed to notice this strange behavior as well, and joined him in staring curiously at the sight.

"What's wrong with him, Sensei?"

"I don't know…Maybe he was friends with someone in the- Hey!"

One of the villagers had grabbed on to Naruto's wrist with an icy glare, and it didn't look like he was going to let go any time soon.

"You have some nerve showing your face around here today, demon."

"What?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo Chapter End

Don't kill me, please.

I know this seems like such an awful place to end it, but I thought it would be best. This chapter is meant to be sort of a closure on the massacre. I didn't want to take away from the feel of it by introducing a whole new can of tomatoes, so to say. I promise I'll do my best to not keep you waiting for the next chapter, which will be loaded with completely justified rage on Minato's part on behalf of his son.

There'll be angst too, but that's a bit of a given.

Anyway, I think I'm almost done with what I want to cover here. There'll be a skip sometime in the next couple chapters, but I'll make them as smooth as possible (or at least I'll try to do so). It won't be long before we reach the starting point of the main Naruto plot.

Minato was kind of doing damage control here. He knew that Obito wasn't the only one affected by what they'd found out, so he wanted to make sure they would all be okay. He was affected too, but being a ninja for so long has allowed him to hide it better until he can safely deal with it. I don't know if that'll work with his anger, though.

Rin ran away from me again, but I don't mind. I was happy that she insisted on getting more of a part, since I really had no clue on how to include her until she did (does that make sense to anyone, because I still don't really understand it myself). I have to say, I'm kind of starting to grow fond of her.

Obito figured out Itachi's motives! Of course, it helps that he knew what was going on behind the scenes of his clan. What is he going to do about it? Who knows…

Kakashi is so in denial.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter. Thank you, once again, for the nomination. I'm not quite sure how this contest thing works (all I know is that people vote, but where and how I have no clue), but I'm happy nonetheless. Take care of yourselves. Until next time!