Disclaimer: Naruto and every character of the Naruto universe belongs to Kishimoto Masashi and companies I don't know.
I would like to ask a burst of applause for my fantastic beta readers: ImaginationJunkie1412 and Skyisthelimit.
Original upload date: 2013.07.30.
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Chance for a Prophecy
Chapter 18. – Namikaze Toroku
"Remember your name. Do not lose hope -what you seek will be found."
― Neil Gaiman
Naruto let out a long and weary sigh. His eyes were locked onto the ink black sky, spotted with an uncountable amount of stars, from behind the window of his room. His thoughts wandered around the events of the day. So many things had happened, and they had only increased the weight of the burden on his shoulders. The Kage would soon meet. Orochimaru…Danzo…'I forgot about Danzo.' Kurama didn't answer, but he still felt the fox's silent nod in agreement. 'ROOT…Sai…we must stop him somehow.'
"He is an unknown factor. Aside from his responsibility for Uchiha massacre and the existence of ROOT we know nothing about his activity. We don't know how his actions were influencing the future. The old Warhawk always stayed in and acted from the shadows without real confrontation. If we interfere with him now, we won't know the consequences."
Naruto narrowed his eyes. 'What Minato had told us before, about someone trying to debilitate him from the inside…That someone is Danzo. And I've got a feeling that he was behind that mess back at the Kusa borders with Kitsuchi.'
"Oh it seems you have finally started to use your brain. It's clear now that he was behind that ambush." Naruto only rolled his eyes, and parted his imaginary lips to retort but the opportunity slipped from his fingers. "He sees you as a possible treat. You can hate him for what he has done, but he has always acted for the sake of Konoha. If it wasn't for him, the Sandaime wouldn't have made that step with the Uchiha and the coup would have been successful. But I doubt he will confront you in public after the failure in Kusa. Maybe he will send an assassin for your head."
A snort bubbled up from the back of Naruto's throat. 'He is still doing things that are unforgivable. And how can you be so casual about my and your possible death?'
"Just watch your back extra cautiously."
'Great. So now I should walk around with an eye on my back even in Konoha.'
"We are safe until the end of the exams. The old Warhawk isn't a fool. Assassinating you now would only raise suspicion on the other nations and show that the Leaf is weak. Konoha is not ready for another war. Danzo knows this. He will wait until the exams are over, he won't risk a war over your head. We should worry more about the Snake. I don't like how he was eying us back then."
A cold shiver ran through Naruto's spine, despite the warm cover wrapped around him. 'Yeah…' He waited for more from the fox, but he got no answer.
He had already received Kurama's lecture about his sudden urge to confess, and he had listened to it silently, like a guilty child during a scolding from his father. Kurama was right. It was too risky. The less people knew, the safer the future and his plans to change it would be. If anyone leaked out information that he knew such things, half of the elemental countries would be on his heels. But who would believe him anyway? Nobody would believe that he was from the future. How could he even prove it?
Tell them things he shouldn't know? Their first thought would be that he was really a spy. Gathering information someone shouldn't have known, that was the purpose of a spy. Show them techniques? Minato had already shown him the Rasengan, so that was out from the box now. And even if he didn't, techniques could be learned and copied. Every technique could be remodeled with time and skill. His sage mode? To be able to use nature's energy is one of the rarest things, but not real evidence. Or show them Kurama's chakra and his seal? Kinkaku and Ginkaku were the finest examples showing that there were ways to obtain a bijuu's power other than becoming the jinchuuriki of its original form. What could he show to them to make them believe, instead of just locking him up in an asylum or in a dark cell immediately?
But...He didn't want to lie to them. He didn't want to deceive them. Maybe it would be better... Just tell them everything and let everything go its way and see what happens.
He turned around in the bed to face the empty wall in front of him, waiting for his troubled thoughts to settle down deep inside his mind and finally drift into sleep.
Seven figures sat in a clearing, their loud laughs echoing back and forth amongst the trees of the forest surrounding the ancient walls of Konoha. A group of ANBU were lurking behind the shadows of the forest line, guarding their peace invisibly. His parents sat side by side, their hands linked together in their laps. Jiraiya's loud and enthusiastic voice filled the clearing, while the others listened to his tales about the heroes of the Second Great Shinobi War. Everybody was there. His parents, Sarutobi, Jiraiya, Kakashi, Rin, all of them were smiling and laughing. He was happy. Really happy.
Minato cleared his throat and straightened himself, grabbing everyone's attention. "I have an announcement! Actually two." He gave a helping hand to Kushina, who also straightened herself, their hands locked one more time in the sweet embrace of pure love.
"We are getting married. Furthermore…I'm going to be a father! Can you believe it!? I'm going to be a father!" The cheerfulness expanded into overwhelming joy, while Naruto's heart almost exploded from his chest. Congratulations flew from every side, while he only stared at his parents, still sitting on the ground with a soft smile on his face. Tears of pure happiness stinged the corners of his eyes, and a lump filled the back of his throat. His parents crouch down in front of him, bringing themselves to eye level.
"Toroku. I want you to be the best big brother to our baby. I want you to guard him, as you promised. I trust you. I trust you with my life, and with the lives of my family." The tears of joy became the tears of guilt, tearing him apart from the inside once again. Kushina embraced him into a hug, her warm voice filled with love as she whispered softly into his ears and his guilt exploded. His lips parted unconsciously, and the words slipped from his sour and dry lips without a second of consideration.
"I'm sorry…to all of you. I'm so sorry. I lied to you. I remember. I remember everything. I'm not Toroku." The cheerful voices suddenly stopped. Everything froze and even the nature around them become soundless. Naruto glanced up at his father, whose expression first mirrored confusion, then a second later morphed into the perfect mask of betrayal, anger and sheer fury. Kushina quickly backed away from him, her eyes flamed with hurt, stabbing into his very soul.
Killing intent flashed across the clearing and in the next moment, he found himself on the ground, pinned down painfully by the ANBU guards. His father's stern voice reached his ears in the next second.
"Then who are you?"
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I don't know how, but I travelled back in time. I'm from the future. I'm the child who will born to you soon. Dad…Mom…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
Everybody looked back at him with eyes colder than the glaciers of the arctic. The love and care had long disappeared, and were replaced by the same look he had received during his childhood. The same pointed and cold stares. The same hatred, disgust and loathing shined in their eyes. His heart cracked, together with his soul.
"You are insane…Take him to prison! I don't want to see him again!" Naruto started to struggle, trying to get rid of the ANBU on his back, but his muscles became numb when he felt two fingers on the side of his neck, immediately closing his natural chakra flow.
"Wait! You have to believe me! You are in danger! All of you! Madara is going to kill you! Wait damn it!" His only answer was narrowed eyes from his father, while Jiraiya's voice echoed in the clearing.
"You are just insane. Who would believe you?"
"You have to believe me! I'm not insane! At least listen to me damn it!" Golden flames encompassed his body as he reached for Kurama's power in his desperate struggle, making the ANBU on his back leap away as soon as the golden chakra touched their skin. He moved to get to his father, but Minato had already turned his back and started to walk away with Kushina.
The world around them suddenly slipped to the side. A figure in an orange mask appeared between his parents, their figures disappearing inside a whirling vortex. His heart pumped rapidly, and his head desperately snapped toward the remaining figures, only to see them disappear one by one, each of them to their destined death. He saw the Shinigami behind Sarutobi, he saw as Rin dropped to the ground with an enormous stab wound in her chest, he saw as Jiraiya slowly slumped over, his body pinned by black rods.
Only Kakashi remained untouched in the middle of the clearing, slowly walking toward him, his right arm already shrouded by electric blue lightning chakra. Naruto held up his hands in the universal sign of surrender.
"Sensei! Wait! We have to save them! We can save them!" The small Kakashi didn't listen to him. He just shot forward, and in the next moment lightning chakra cracked Naruto's ribs, tearing into his chest. He didn't feel pain, only betrayal and overwhelming panic, but it flared only for a second before his nerves calmed down. It's just a dream. It's just a stupid dream. Naruto let his head fall onto his torso as soon as a relieved sigh left his lips.
"You are still weak." His head snapped up when he heard Madara's voice. Where a moment ago Kakashi had stood, now there were two crimson red orbs. He saw nothing else; only the sinister eyes, but he knew who they belonged to perfectly. He stared squarely at the eyes, which were shining with a sinister crimson red. The three tomoe were slowly spinning and transforming into the form of the mangekyou sharingan, only to change a second later into its final stage: the purple rinnegan. With the last bit of his power, he grabbed the hand still buried into his chest, the odd mixture of fury and determination rising inside him to an unbearable level.
"I'm going to stop you! I don't care about your mangekyou sharingan, or the rinnegan or the Juubi, I'm going to stop you Uchiha! This time I won't let them die!" Madara only laughed unstoppingly, filling everything with his insanity as it echoed back and forth around him, while Naruto's body started to shake uncontrollably.
"I promise I'm going to stop you!" The shaking increased; the world tilted again, and the ground slipped away from under his feet .
Naruto jerked up from his bed, still on the verge of dream and reality, gasping for air. The next thing he noted was that he was staring into identical blue eyes, shining with concern.
"Dad…"
Minato's eyes widened for a second.
It took Naruto a long moment to puzzle out what had happened, while his heavy breathing filled the air around them. His foggy brain slowly cleared, and his experienced eyes surveyed his environment. Orange walls, soft bed. He was in his room. The blond distantly realized that he was gripping Minato's arms, his nails digging deep into his father's flesh, drawing blood and coloring Minato's light blue shirt. The adrenaline suddenly rushed out from his system and he slowly released his painful grip on his father's arm, careful to not make any more damage. Without the boost, his head swayed and otherworldly fatigue rushed through his body, despite the fact that he had just woken up from his disturbing sleep.
Naruto slumped forward with a groan, his shirt, soaked by his salty sweat, stuck to his body, his blanket completely crumpled and twisted at his feet. He wasn't just exhausted. He felt dead. When he finally managed to catch his breath and his rapidly beating heart slowed down, he shook his head to ease away the last bits of his nightmare and clear his thoughts.
But it had the opposite effect. Instead of disappearing, the image of his loved ones' bloody bodies popped up ceaselessly in his mind once again, supplemented with depictions of the death of his comrades, his friends, along with pictures of countless motionless, nameless bodies on the blood soaked battlefields. The almost unbearable weight of his responsibilities settled down on his shoulders, pushing and slumping his body further into his ruined bed.
As soon as he felt the sudden lump in his throat and the sting in the back of his eyes, he instantly burrowed his face deep into his palms, shrouding his swaying emotions on his face from his father's concerned eyes. He didn't want him to see him like this.
A muffled, almost silent sob escaped from behind his hands and he immediately felt gentle arms wrapping around his frame. His muscles tensed for a second from the unfamiliar contact, before he relaxed in the hug, his father's gentle whisper stroking his soul.
"It's alright. Let it out." Naruto violently shook his head in denial, his face still hidden in his hands. He tried to brace himself with the last strings of his pride, but it was a lost cause from the moment he felt Minato's arms around him. Another painful and muffled sob escaped from behind his lips, when a new pair of arms joined to his father's. Smaller and gentler hands stroked his back and Naruto unconsciously leaned into the warm touch of his mother.
His walls cracked and the dam that had been restraining his emotions ever since the Fourth Shinobi War started to break into tiny pieces. Unstoppable and shameless tears started to flow freely from his eyes, gathering in the lines of his skin to flow down onto his lap.
He cried soundlessly like a ten year old child for long minutes, aside from one or two muffled sobs which managed to escape behind his palms, until he felt a gentle touch on two special points at the back of his neck. He didn't struggle, only nodded softly, accepting the offered help from his father to flee from his misery. A small spike of warm chakra ran through his system from the two pressure points, and his body relaxed and almost immediately drifted into a dreamless sleep.
Minato gently placed him down on the bed, while Kushina grabbed a clean blanket. When they were finished, they stood in the door without a word, watching the now peacefully breathing teenager. His eyelids were still shining wet, but his relaxed expression calmed their aching hearts. A cheeky smile appeared on Kushina's face, followed by a small giggle, smoothing the heavy mood instantly. "He called you 'dad'."
Minato responded with a small, soft smile, while his eyes wandered back once more to his brother's peaceful form. He studied his face for a long silent minute, his eyes lingering on the small traces of childhood still hovering on his features, but he already could see the sharper jawline and hints of a soon to be fine man.
"Sometimes I forget that although he is a fine shinobi, he has also just left his childhood behind. We don't even know how old he is, Kushina. He looks around eighteen, but he could be much younger. I don't know really. Sometimes he acts like a ten year old child, and then in the next minute he spreads wisdom like an ancient old sage. But it was…strange. I've never heard or seen him like this before."
"Let him sleep. You can discuss it tomorrow. It's damn late and I'm sleepy."
They settled down inside their warm bed, but for the rest of the night, the Yondaime Hokage couldn't find anymore rest. His brother's pained and desperate yells echoed inside his head, as did his mumbling from before Kushina stepped into the room. His mumbles about the mangekyou sharingan. A memory floated inside his mind from their previous talk in the office. Toroku had wanted to talk to him. He had desperately wanted to tell him something. Confess something. Damn all his luck and all his secretaries for their bad timing.
He could start to feel suspicious again, he could run to Inoichi demanding an immediate check up. But he dismissed the idea. Even if he remembered something, the happiness and love in Toroku's eyes when he looked at them were still genuine.
And the faint shadows of sorrow and guilt behind those azure pools were also genuine. They didn't appear long enough to be recognizable to anyone, but if Minato was really looking for it, he could see it. They were real. Those kind of emotions could not be manipulated.
The Yellow Flash let out a long sigh and folded his arms tighter around Kushina.
First he would try to solve this jigsaw by himself, before he shook the fragile base of their trust again.
It had been a week since Naruto had woken up in the middle of the night from his nightmare. For that long week Minato tried to speak with him, even corner him, but he refused to talk about it. He had been desperately trying to avoid the subject for as long as it possible.
Naruto was frustrated, and it only became worse and worse as the days passed. Nothing went as he planned; despite his determination growing after that dream, and him finally resigning to the fact that he was never going to reveal his identity, everything had gone wrong. A clone had been searching continuously for Obito and Madara, hidden deep in the woods behind barriers, far from the walls of Konoha. But success eluded him. He found every damn shinobi of the elemental countries except for the two he was desperately looking for.
And he also had to accept that a certain damn snake had also managed to sneak out of his reach. If he could at least find Orochimaru and one of his labs…But no. That serpent was not a fool. His presence disappeared at random times from random places. There was no pattern, not a sign, not anything that could lead Naruto to one of his hidden labs. But then again, it wasn't all that surprising, seeing as the snake had probably been acting in secret for a long period of time even back then.Might even have been for decades without anyone noticing his hidden activities.
But to hide from his senjutsu like this- He had to admit the snake bastard was good. He wasn't one of the Sannin for nothing.
He let out an angry snort and shook his head in frustration. His legs moved automatically toward his destination on the thin path, to the Hokage Mansion at the border of the village. He nodded in greeting toward the ANBU guard who was lurking behind the shadows of a bush, silently watching over their peace and safety. After a short chain of hand signs, he channeled some chakra into the small seal and the big mahogany door opened with an almost silent click.
Muffled voices could be heard from the living room. After a second of consideration he decided to grab something to eat from the kitchen before heading up to his room. Minato most likely had a visitor and based on the chakra signature, it was Uchiha Fugaku. Naruto didn't want to meet with that man; he always looked at him like he was some kind of criminal.
He grimaced at the thought. He'd never liked the man and after Tobi told them the truth behind the massacre, the dislike only increased. Naruto opened the fridge, but he froze when the muffled voices became louder and more vehement. They were arguing and the privacy seal he sensed was becoming weaker and weaker, based on the louder and louder argument until it finally completely disappeared when it ran out of chakra. Their voices echoed back and forth inside the house crystal clear.
"Toroku is the living example that it is already out of your hands!"
The clan head simply folded his arms in front of his chest, and raised his had higher in denial. "This proves nothing! That is just your theory about his appearance and you have got no real evidence. You still don't have any proof that he is here because of an Uchiha!"
"You can't be that impassive about this! You know just as well as I do that it is the most relevant theory! There is someone else out there with a sharingan! An Uchiha or someone else with the doujutsu who is powerful enough to disarm him! And I think his outburst last week is proof enough. Tell me. You claim that no one of your clan attacked him, and no one possesses the mangekyou sharingan. Then how did he know about it? Hell, even I didn't know the mangekyou stage existed, and neither did you before you dug up the clan's archives for me. So don't try telling me that his appearance isn't connected with it!" Naruto froze. What the hell. How the hell did they know about that!? Was he talking in his sleep?
"Don't be too concerned. They are just grasping around in the dark. At least they will be more on alert when the time comes." Naruto only nodded as a silent response, his senses were still glued on the conversation in in the next room, afraid of missing even a word.
"I'm not here because of that! We've already discussed that topic a hundred times since he appeared, and no one from my clan attacked that damn kid and no one is out of there with a sharingan besides Kakashi. Don't change the topic. I came here to talk about your student. The elders have made a last request for you. The Uchiha doujutsu isn't something that can simply be offered. The elders are still adamant about their previous stand."
A furious snort echoed in the large living room, and it was soon followed by the killer intent of Minato. "I still don't care what your elders are demanding! I am the Hokage, and I said 'no' once and I will say 'no' this time too! Tell the old geezers again that Kakashi's sharingan will stay where it is. It was Obito's last wish and not even the clan can go against his last will." Naruto froze again, his jaw almost to the ground. He, had also seen the glares Kakashi sometimes received from the members of the Uchiha clan, but he never thought the situation was this stressed. That they wanted to get back Obito's eye.
"Minato. If you go against them, you will lose the elders'support with time."
The Yondaime snorted one more time and turned his back to the clan leader. "And what about your support?"
Fugaku let out a weary sigh. "I thought you knew that during your short time as the Hokage, you have managed to earn my support, but as a clan head, I also have to take into consideration the decisions of the elders. As a clan head, I have to be focused on the clan's interest and welfare beyond my personal opinions. But I must warn you. The clan is becoming more and more distant from Konoha."
The new information stunned Naruto. It had already begun. The clan was already starting to loosen its bonds with the village. But more importantly, Fugaku had apparently been originally opposed to the coup, because of Minato. Then why? Why was it that in the end, he stepped up with the elders?
"It was my attack and his death. After your birth, the village did not trust in the Uchiha anymore. That was the last nail in their coffin. It seems your father's death links more events than we first thought." Naruto only nodded in agreement. That means if he could prevent that, maybe he could also interfere with the massacre directly.
"I respect you more than the Third. He was a good leader, but he started to become too old, too kind hearted and blind to some serious problems. During this short period of time, you have already proved to me that I was wrong to think that you would follow his footsteps. Without your silent support of the clan, the elders' grudge would have only grown larger and larger. The loyalty of the clan hangs by a hair and only your silent acts are restraining them from doing something. I can see what are you doing. What are you trying to do. But it's not enough." The clan leader shook his head and continued.
"Currently I am the only one who stands against them and you and I have to admit my tolerance will also reach its end if things continue as they are. We are one of the founding clans, but it seems like the village sometimes forgets this. The Uchiha clan is becoming alienated, and not just by the village's shinobi, but also by the other citizens. They fear us like we were some kind of criminals and not the one's who are guarding their peace."
"Do you think that I like this situation? Where there is a village inside the village? Do you think I'm so blind that I can't see the problems between your clan and the others? That I don't realize the people are starting to fear you instead of honouring your name? That I haven't noticed some of you growing more and more arrogant because of it?"
"Minato..." The named man closed his mouth immediately when their eyes met for a second. And what he found in the dark eyes made the hair on the back of his neck stand up instantly. It was fear. "...Some...Some of the elders are even whispering about a coup. They'll soon take the reins if nothing happens."
Minato didn't respond for a long minute, allowing his thoughts to settle down. And when they finally did so, he let out a long sigh.
"How much time do you think we have before that happens?" Fugaku didn't answer for another long moment, gathering and more likely weighting his own words before they finally echoed inside the small room.
"Years. A decade at most if nothing changes. Most of the clan aren't supporting the act. Yet. But with time..."
"Who else knows about it?"
"Nobody else. Just you. Not even the Sandaime."
"Good. It must stay like that."
Naruto finally decided it was enough. He heard plenty and if they found out he was eavesdropping he would get into big trouble. Not to mention if someone else overheard this conversation, the clan would be in bigger trouble. He slowly moved to the entrance of the room and hesitantly cleared his throat to gain the other two men's attention. It was successful; they immediately flung their heads toward him.
Minato blinked and the stern face of the clan leader immediately melted away first to surprise then to shock. The Hokage glanced down to the privacy seal on the coffee table and grimaced, immediately replacing the worn out seal, before turning toward his relative with the full authority of the Yondaime Hokage.
"What you heard here cannot slip from your mouth! Ever. You understand?" Naruto nodded and turned toward the clan leader.
"My apologies, Uchiha-sama, but if you don't agree with the elders why don't you just go against them?" Fugaku raised an eyebrow, observing him with a carefully emotionless face. However, Naruto saw that he was restraining himself from snapping at him immediately or casting him out from the room.
"You know nothing about the situation."
Naruto shrugged. "Maybe I don't know every aspect, but even I can see that it's not too difficult a situation. You have to dismiss the segregation and stand your place against your elders." Fugaku's eyebrow rose more if that was even possible. His muscles visibly tensed, but Minato only shook his head.
"It isn't that easy. If Fugaku openly goes against the elders, they could strip him of his position as Clan Head and they would place someone else whom they could move as a puppet." Naruto narrowed his eyes and grimaced.
"Then you just have to flip the situation upside down. He has to obtain the elders' full respect to influence them. That would give you time to change the situation. The biggest problem is the separation I guess."
Minato quirked an eyebrow. "What's on your mind, Toroku?"
"What could he know about politics? He is just a teenager." The clan leader snorted, but the Hokage slowly shook his head.
"I would disagree with that. He is good at affecting people to go into a better direction. And he is often able to see aspects that have been overlooked."
Naruto unconsciously straightened himself after his father's praise. "Well, you know…if maybe…" Naruto trailed off, "…People respect power, and this is definitely more true for the most powerful clan in Konoha." His thoughts drifted back to stuck-up and almighty Uchiha Sasuke. He never showed any respect to him, at least not until he proved that he was at least equal to him.
"I mean, you two trust each other. Well, if I'm judging correctly. I mean otherwise you wouldn't share this kind of information." The named men shared a quick glance and nodded.
"Well then, Minato, why don't you give him a position of authority and power? It would please the elders and he could act freely as a clan head. If he shows that he has your respect they will settle down and you can work more calmly on the root of the problem. I know that walls can't just be bulldozed down, but if you let the people know more about the clan it could be a good start. For example, becoming a police officer is a cool thing." Minato frowned and turned around, lost in his thoughts for a long silent minute, unaware of the other two men in the room eyeing him warily.
"They could also become greedy by this. There is a chance that they will ask for more power, and still try to go against Fugaku's will." This time, it was Fugaku who shook his head.
"The decoy could actually work. The boy is right. The elders respect power above everything else. This could settle down their frustration and give us more time to work on the segregation. We as a clan should become more open to the village." He glanced at Naruto with narrowed eyes. "The question is how you know my clan so well."
Naruto only casually shrugged and poked his temple. This was the first time he actually felt grateful for Kurama's small interference back then. He could cover up a lot of things with his amnesia as an excuse. Minato let out a small chuckle and finally turned around to face the others, his face serious once more.
"I was already arranging a big change with the body of personal advisors, but I wanted to wait until the council became more familiar with me before pushing them over the edge. I planned to make this step next year, but I think now is as good a time as any, if not better." Minato folded his arms across his chest, a frown appearing on his face as he became lost in his thoughts.
"You haven't mentioned anything like that."
"No, because it wasn't relevant, Fugaku. They are at ease, currently, but it would give us a perfect opportunity." Minato shrugged casually.
"What's your plan?"
"The Hokage's personal advisors aren't satisfying my needs," Minato explained, "I don't trust them. They were chosen by the Sandaime decades ago and since then they've gathered too much power and have become too arrogant. I'm sure they won't stay silent for long.
"I can't let them gather so much power as to allow them to act freely behind the Hokage's back. Behind my back! I'm aware that one advisor especially is trying to influence the other two to his advantage in smaller issues, but I can't just simply cancel the whole body. The body of personal advisors is essential in case a fast decision is necessary. I also need the help and advice
"That one individual is especially problematic. But first I need to steady the other sections of the personal advisors. Only after that is done can I try to get rid of him. And slowly. I'm afraid that if I just cut him out of the system he will do something drastic." A deep frown appeared on Minato's face, his eyes darkening into royal blue. "Danzo…He could be a big problem in the future."
Minato started to pace back and forth in the room, lost in his own world for long silent minutes, his movements followed by the curious eyes of his two companions.
"I believe that he acts on behalf of the village. I truly believe that his intentions are not against the village's welfare, but I do believe that he is walking in the wrong direction. He is heading into the very darkness Sarutobi left him to handle. I'm afraid that with time he will act more drastically, forsaking morals, if he hasn't already taken that step. While I do believe he loves Konoha as much as I do, there is a line over which I would never cross. But he doesn't have such limits. He will do anything for Konoha. And that anything is something I'm afraid to even contemplate. He would kill and manipulate people if he thinks it necessary for Konoha's future. I have to interfere before something goes terribly wrong. I'm aware of his…" he glanced toward his brother, "…plaything." Naruto frowned. So his father did know about ROOT.
"What do you want to do with the personal advisors?" Minato stopped his pacing and looked up at Fugaku to answer his question.
"As I already told you, they have too much power and I don't trust them. I want trustworthy and strong people around me when there is no time to summon the whole council. Plus, currently they don't have the knowledge to fully support the Hokage. Instead, they are three old hags who aren't up to date with things. Ok, I have to admit Danzo is up to date, but the other two…" Minato slowly shook his head again. "I want to reselect the three personal council members as a first step."
"Who do you have in mind?"
Minato turned to face Fugaku. "The Jounin Commander, Nara Shikaku, as the brain and as the representative of the shinobi. He knows our shinobi up and down, and because of missions he also knows what's going on outside of the walls." Naruto suppressed an amused snort. During the war and after Shikaku's death, it was Shikamaru who had acted as the tactician and the brain, keeping Naruto from just rushing out thoughtlessly. If Naruto hadn't declined the position back then, as Hokage he'd have definitely wanted Shikaku's son beside him.
"One open position, for someone who will be elected by the current general council. I will give free reign to the council in that matter. And last but not least, the third member, who will also be picked by me personally, will be someone who knows what's going on inside the village, among both civilians and shinobi, and also is up to date with the village's security. Someone who will interact with and already looks out for the civilians. Someone who will cooperate with them in some cases from now on. Maybe with that, his people could forge stronger bonds with them." A small smile appeared on Minato's face as he observed the clan leader with an amused glint in his eyes, watching as realization slowly appeared on Fugaku's face, forcing the calm mask he always wore to crack as his features moved into the perfect example of disbelief.
"I…I-I don't know what to say..." Minato sent a wide grin to his hesitant companion.
"Just accept. You are more than suitable to be one of my personal advisors. I earned your respect with time; you didn't just give it to me instantly like the others. Furthermore you are not afraid to tell me if I'm doing something idiotic. I'm going to speak with that lazy Nara and I will put the changes to vote at the next council meeting. Assuming they pass, we'd not only be helping the Uchiha segregation issue, but we'd also shake up Danzo quite a bit."
Naruto frowned, confusion running across his face. "This Danzo guy, he has the power to influence the council, right? If you want to remove him, you have to make sure that they won't elect him to the open position again and again."
A cheeky smile appeared on Minato's face. "There will be a new rule: those who have already acted as personal advisors will be forbidden from that position for ten years after the first election. With this rule, all of the council members will get a chance to become the Hokage's personal advisor. Plus it would rule out the possibility of someone gaining too much power for a long period of time. I think the council will understand my point of view." Naruto only hummed in response and scratched his cheek.
"Still, it's very likely that Danzo will be the third member," Minato shrugged, "but I won't be too bothered if Danzo gets his seat back now. His presence would be troublesome, but if the other two advisors are hard to influence it won't be an issue. That is the current main problem. Homura and Koharu are easy to influence and the three of them together could easily out rule my decisions. I don't have any doubts that with Fugaku and Shikaku at my side he will lose a major part of his power. Maybe it is a temporary solution until the next round, but it will always depends on the other parties of the council. I bet that the next personal advisor body will have Hyuuga Hiashi and the Inuzuka head in the line. They are both hard to influence and loyal to the Hokage and have the support of the other clans. If my intuition is correct, and most of the time it is, it won't matter who the third party is as long as the other two are loyal and trustworthy. With Danzo not in a position to drastically influence the decision making process I could sleep well at night for a long time.
"Our next step is to make the Konoha Military Police Force open to any shinobi and not exclusive to Uchiha. We will let them join your side. Let them see and experience your daily life and intermingle with the clan members. It'll help. And with time, the walls that are now separating your clan from the rest of the village can fall." Fugaku made a wondering face, then in the end nodded, slightly lower with gratitude than was actually necessary.
Minato sent a small smile toward the clan head before he turned to his brother, once again slipping into the authority of a Hokage. "You already know, but I will repeat once more. Everything you heard now, or before, is a village secret. Under no condition are you to repeat any of this! If this information were to reach Danzo's ears... I don't even want to think about what he would do to prevent a future coup."
"I understand, Hokage-sama. I really appreciate your trust." Naruto made a small bow with his head, adding weight his words. Minato watched his brother-figure's every small movement, every twitch of his muscles, every change in his eyes, but when he found no lie there, he nodded.
"Good. Fugaku, we will talk tomorrow." The named man made a small bow and left the house, leaving the two blonds alone. Minato's cerulean eyes observes his relative with an unreadable expression, until his features settled into a small smile.
"You know, with a little polishing around the edges, you would become great Hokage material."
Naruto's heart skipped a beat and his eyes widened as he glanced up to his father. "Seriously?"
"Yeah. Seriously. Your diplomatic style may be a little rough, but that's something that can be learned with time. A little more manners and thoughtfulness and you'd be good to go. With your personality, you would be a good leader. Determined, sometimes easygoing or goofy, even silly, but with that you'll easily line everyone behind you with time. You've been here since when? Five months? And you've already managed to wind a quarter of the village around your finger." Minato grinned and continued.
"Sometimes you act like an idiot, but you can also be deathly serious and as wise as a sage when you have to be. You are unpredictable, which is also good in politics, and you have a tendency to throw a stone into still water. Your hero complex is just a bonus to the package. Even if it makes you reckless sometimes. You're not afraid to sacrifice your life for your loved ones, and this is something a real leader would do for the village." A beaming smile appeared on Minato's face, his hands still resting on Naruto's shoulders, who silently stared up at with disbelief, the edge of his ears flamed crimson red.
"If you become much stronger, I should really start to be afraid for my hat." Minato's face softened to a tender smile as he continued. "I don't know where you come from, but the will of fire burns inside you, even brighter than it does in some of the native-born shinobi of Konoha." Naruto's whole body seemed to beam with pride. But he also felt a little bit of regret. He had declined the position to be the Rokudaime. Maybe it was the wrong decision after all. Minato tightened his grip a little on his shoulder to get his attention and he immediately glanced up to his father's now concerned eyes.
"Look, I know you don't want talk about what happened last week, but if you ever change your mind, I will be here. But I would really appreciate your trust." Naruto felt his body stiffen and he almost immediately averted his gaze. He licked his lips to ease away their dryness, and sent a wide grin in response.
"Thanks, but it was just a silly dream about me falling from the sky." Minato frowned. Even when the grin looked honest, even when his voice was cheerful, he could see the lie in his eyes. He could see that even when he concentrated with every nerve to look happy, his eyes didn't sparkle with the same cheerfulness. They were darkened, they were foggy. Clouded by guilt once again. Then it was gone.
Minato let out a weary sigh and shook his head. "Please...don't lie to me."
Naruto flinched and his orbs drifted to the side in shame even though his father's voice was barely enough to call it a whisper. That was it. He really couldn't lie directly to his father's face. His voice was soft as he mumbled his sincere answer.
"You-You were dead…All of you were killed. Kushina, Jiraiya...Everyone I care for." Minato frowned, watching his brother's eyes with his every nerve. Now they seemed sincere. The Fourth let out another sigh.
"Is it connected with a Mangekyo sharingan?"
Naruto hesitantly nodded. He didn't dare to look back to his father, afraid to see suspicion in his eyes.
"I see. But don't be concerned. We are all more than capable of kicking an Uchiha's ass if necessary." A wide and confident smile appeared on Minato's face.
Naruto finally gathered enough courage and glanced up to his smiling father, but he could force only a shadow of a real smile on his own face. "Yeah." 'But not if he has Kurama as backup.' He added silently.
"Are you really sure about this?" Naruto made a determined nod in his mindscape.
'I'm sure.'
"It could damage him."
'He is a damn genius. He can handle it.'
"Hey, are you going to show me what you mumbled about before, or did you drag me here to watch you daydream?" Naruto glanced up to meet his father's annoyed, but still curious blue eyes.
Scrunching his nose with a grimace, he retorted, "Geez, for being a Hokage you sure are inpatient." The blond time traveler shook his head disapprovingly and gestured toward the edge of the training ground.
The named impatient Hokage rolled his eyes, but obediently walked to the side and folded his arms in front his chest, even tapping the ground continuously with his foot like a small child, waiting for his brother to finally demonstrate why he had been dragged through the whole village without any explanation.
Minato watched with inpatient eyes as two clones popped into existence next to his brother figure. One of them started talking while they moved into position, forming a triangle.
"The trick is in the teamwork. But as soon as it strikes you have to run for your life, or you will also get caught in the effects. If that happens, it could be deadly for you." The real Naruto made a last glance toward his father and sent a wide smirk. "Now just watch!"
The young Hokage snorted and opened his mouth to retort in annoyance. But his mouth was left hanging open, his eyes widened, and his arms slackened as powerful chakra started to swirl with insane speed between the palms of his relative and the clones, and he realized what was about to happen.
A shining azure orb, made from pure energy, appeared between the hands, then it slowly shifted. The air filled with the squealing sound of razor sharp wind chakra. Four snow white chakra blades appeared on the sides of the Rasengan, made by pure wind chakra. Minato's ears slowly became numb from the harsh sound as millions of invisible blades continuously cut into the empty air and the blond teen slowly raised the finished technique above his head.
"Fuuton - Rasenshuriken." Naruto said in a low tone, but his lips turned into the widest grin he could manage without tearing his face apart, seeing the expression on his father's features. He let the ball spin slower and slower until it faded into nothingness. Step by step, the squealing sound faded away, leaving behind an unnatural silence.
The young Hokage's eyes were still frozen on the now empty place where not a second ago he could see the technique he'd been desperately trying to finish for years. And there stood his brother, maybe a decade younger than him and he pulled it out like it was nothing. His ears were still ringing, his eyes were still wide, his sight still frozen to the place where the technique disappeared. Even his mind became numb by the sheer power of the technique. Naruto slowly stepped in front of him with a satisfied smile on his face.
"So... You wanna learn it?" Azure eyes snapped back to reality as he blinked away his awe. Then in the next second Minato smirked.
"You can bet on it, Otouto."
Excited, surprised and even angry murmurs spread across the lines of the village council after Minato's announcement. The aforementioned man watched the members with a straight face, his chin resting on his folded fingers, but when the members didn't seem to calm down after two minutes of continuous argument, a vein started to throb on his temple, mimicking the rhythm of his heartbeat.
"Silence!" He slammed his fist onto the hard surface of the wooden table, making the murmurs die down immediately. "Don't act like immature children. You heard my proposal. Now I'm waiting for any intelligent questions concerning my decision."
"You can't do this." Danzo was the first one to hiss out through his gritted teeth in restrained anger, and sent a very out of character pointed glare toward Minato.
"I would like to correct you Danzo-san. I can do it, if the general council and the Daimyo agree with my proposal. I already received the Daimyo's approval months ago and I don't think our members will oppose it after hearing the details. The current personal advisory body is not competent enough to support decision making in a lot of aspects."
"How dare you!" Homura and Koharu stood up as one immediately, with speed to give lie to their age. Minato only raised a silencing hand, aware of the raised eyebrow of the Third next to him.
"My apologies for my rudeness, but the Hokage's personal advisors must be up to date with everything that goes on inside and outside of the village. While I do not question your knowledge and experience in other aspects, you are definitely not competent in this very important part. Tell me Koharu-san. What's the current situation between Kusa and Takigakure?"
"We know nothing about their current relation and you know this very well."
"Shikaku-san. What's your opinion in this case?" The Nara closed his eyes gathering his thoughts before he opened them to answer. 'Minato…you sly fox.'
"That is true, that we haven't received any direct information, but during the assignments in that area, our troops spotted several patrolling groups from both of the villages. The activity had been increasing until two weeks ago, when we received an assassination request. The target was one of the Takigakure noblemen. The client was officially anonymous, but it is clear that it was Kusa. After the assassination, the patrolling died down and our troops spotted several small groups, with one or two envoys, going back and forth between the two small villages. After that nobleman's death, they've obviously started peace talks with each other."
"You could have received all of this information if you read the mission reports, Koharu-san." Minato nodded, and a satisfied smile appearing on his face when he saw the twitching eyes of the old woman.
"This proves nothing."
Minato closed his eyes, then glanced toward Homura. "Homura-san. Something happened two days ago in the sixth district of the village, at the market. Could you enlighten us about that case?" The named man narrowed his eyes, and snorted dismissively. Minato had already won.
"Uchiha-san. If you would be so kind…" Fugaku nodded.
"A new, small group of travelling merchants arrived to the village three days ago. They are working with unbelievably cheap prices. Our vendors didn't tolerate that too well."
"Thank you, Uchiha-san." Minato nodded.
"Is there any more questions considering the necessity of a new personal advisor body?" His only answer was silence and he nodded once more in acknowledgement.
"If there are no more questions I will open the vote. Those who agree with my proposals regarding the personal advisory body please raise your hands." Several hands rose almost immediately, and the supporters were obviously dominant. He didn't even have to count the raised hands.
"And lastly, there is another issue you have to be aware of. From next week, Konoha Military Police Forces will accept recruits outside the Uchiha clan." Minato look over the council members one by one, waiting for any reaction or resistance, but none came.A wide grin spread across his face.
"Perfect. For the next council meeting, discuss who you are going to nominate as the third advisor. You are dismissed."
Minato watched as the members left the room one by one, most of them with an amused expression on their face. Only the Third Hokage stayed, still sitting by his side, stoically puffing his never missing pipe and filling the meeting room with the scent of the mixture of herbs and tobacco. When the last of the council left the room, Minato allowed himself to let out a relieved sigh and slump down to the desk. He enjoyed the cold surface of the wood against his throbbing temple with closed eyes. The Sandaime cleared his throat to gain his attention.
"Just let me enjoy my victory for a little longer in silence. Please." Minato grunted.
"You made a dangerous step, Minato. You didn't just poke, you kicked the sleeping tiger in the face." The named blond let out a long and weary sigh and straightened himself to rub his eyes.
"A dangerous, but necessary step. And you know that. He's got too much influence over Homura and Koharu. Maybe you could ignore that for years, but I can't allude to senility like you."
Sarutobi let out an amused snort. "I'm not that old."
"Yet, you still turned a blind eye, just so you didn't have to see the problems." The Third rubbed the bridge of his nose and let out a weary sigh. In the next second, the shadows around his wrinkles deepened, his back seemed to slump slightly under a sudden weight like he had suddenly become older by a decade during this one second.
"Maybe you think I let him act on his own and I turned my head, but letting him do so for this long was part of a long-term plan. While Danzo stays in the background he won't do anything drastic. But now, I really don't know what his next move will be." Minato snorted and folded his arms across his chest.
"You were gambling like Tsunade. I know what Danzo is doing behind the scenes, and I know you let him deal with the darkest missions. I understand why you left him and Root ANBU alone. But we are different. "
"Maybe you are right. Maybe I became too old to deal with hindrances and maybe I believed that if I pretended a problem didn't exist it would simply disappear with time. The Shodaime and the Nidaime also warned me about this." Minato let out a small smile.
"Perhaps. But all of us have our weaknesses. I've got friends to turn to if I need help. So do you. You just sometimes forgot that and bore those burdens alone."
"Maybe. But I think I made at least one good decision: to give my hat to you," The Third answered with a small smile on his face.
They stayed in silence, enjoying each other's company in the empty meeting room. The Third blew out some bluish smoke, watching as it danced through the air, swirling abstractly only to completely dissolve in the air a second later. Sarutobi eyed the young leader carefully, his old experienced eyes observing him with a little concern.
"Do you think it was a good idea to teach him the Rasengan? Not to mention to dismiss the surveillance?" Minato rolled his head side to side to ease away the stiffness of his muscles and also hide his annoyance. He didn't answer, only shrugged. Silence fell over them for another long minute until the Yondaime opened his mouth to finally respond.
"Since he appeared, he's done nothing wrong. He is a good boy, Sarutobi. All of his actions have caused only benefit to this village and not harm. The Kazekage is grateful to us; he saved the life of his wife and the sanity of his son. The alliance between Konoha and Suna is stronger that it would have been without him. Every country agreed to participate in the chuunin exams for the first time since the Second Shinobi War. All the five Kage will met for the first time in history. Maybe we can really make an alliance. Or at least make the first step toward it. And I also got the final push to make the necessary steps to change the council and help out the Uchiha. Kakashi slowly starting to get out from his shell thanks to Toroku. Hell, I heard him snicker last week! And, he gave a powerful jutsu to me." Sarutobi didn't answer; his old eyes were still locked on his successor, who just continued without a pause.
"I'm not dense. I'm aware that he changed, but I truly believe that he means no harm to the village and my opinion won't change until he does something to contradict it. I know perfectly well when he is lying." A weary sigh left Minato's soft lips, then a caring smile spread across his face.
"He is a member of my family and he truly cares for this Village. In fact, he cares for the whole Shinobi world. I also want peace between all of the nations, but compared to his determination and efforts, mine look like a child's plaything." A hand ran through his golden locks, easing away his increasing frustration.
"You can sleep well, Hiruzen. If we spot anything that points towards him being a threat, we will step in. But not before. I still know my responsibilities. You don't have to remind me about them. If I have to, I will kill my heart for this Village. I would die for this Village. But for now, I trust him."
Hiruzen's eyes stabbed through Minato, looking into the very soul of the man in front him. And when he found what he was looking for, the Third nodded in his satisfaction.
The distant sounds of dripping water filled the black passages, while the faint light of the lamps painted abstract forms with the shadows on the floor. Otherworldly shadow creatures danced on the empty walls, and the only thing that broke their struggle was a lonely figure in black robes who silently slipped toward a giant wooden door like a snake. The hinges didn't squeak or make any sound in general, and the door opened as smoothly as the visitor's soundless and graceful movements in the passage. He stepped closer to the wooden desk in the middle of the room, and the lean figure glanced at a very ravaged Danzo seated behind it. The warhawk took his time before he addressed the visitor with a tint of irritation in his voice.
"You have some new information to report Orochimaru?"
"No. Nothing new which worth mentioning."
"I see. So he has no bloodline limit, no other special abilities that could give us a headache?" A shadow of a sinister smile flashed across on the pale face, but not for a long enough time to be recognizable.
"He has strong jutsus, an advanced understanding in fuuinjutsu and enhanced sensing abilities, but those are already listed in the previous reports. Nothing new that a bigger group of elites can't handle."
"Then why did you volunteer for this task? Any of my elite shinobi could do this reconnaissance." The sannin didn't answer for a long silent minute, weighing his words carefully before he opened his mouth, revealing predatory sharp and pointed teeth behind his lips.
"Let's just say I got a small grudge against Minato-kun and some personal interests in Toroku-kun."
Jiraiya watched from behind as his former sensei fixed his old and experienced eyes out through the window. The orbs darted across the people below his gaze, living their own, innocent lives, unaware of the hidden problems hovering above their heads continuously. The Sannin sipped from his tea, waiting for Sarutobi to finally face him and settle down in front of him. He didn't have to wait too long.
"I want you to be sincere! What's the situation with Toroku-kun? Did you find anything new that points toward him being a threat to this village?" Although Sarutobi wasn't the leader of the Village anymore, he still kept an eye on some cases. And Minato's newfound relative was one of those special cases.
The Toad Sage took another sip, and then slowly put down his cup and leaned back, letting the question hang in the air for a long tense minute to Sarutobi's annoyance before he answered.
"Have you recently talked to him, old man?" Sarutobi slowly shook his head. "You should. If you do, look into his eyes. Look deep into his eyes and you will find your answer there. Because his eyes reflect his very soul. Always."
"Don't beat around the bush Jiraiya!" Sarutobi finally snapped, his patience gone. The named man let out a long sigh.
"Fine," he mumbled,"I think he remembers. Probably not everything, but at least some parts of his past." Sarutobi narrowed his eyes, while Jiraiya continued. "Is he hiding something? Definitely. Is he a threat to the village? Definitely not .He truly cares for this village, for Minato and Kushina. He cares for me and the two gaki. He even cares for you. You should hear him- he talks about you with respect and love like you were some kind of grandfather or something." Sarutobi frowned at Jiraiya's finger, which was pointing straight at his chest.
"Do you think Minato also suspects it?"
Jiraiya closed his eyes and nodded. "Of course. He is an observant little brat. He always was. Now, he is waiting just like me." Sarutobi narrowed his eyes.
"Then why don't you step in?"
Jiraiya snorted and shook his head. "And then what? Lock him up? Torture him until he confesses or have Inoichi attack his mind until he becomes nuts?" Jiraiya shook his head once more. " It wouldn't do us any good. That brat is more stubborn than Minato and Kushina together; he won't confess under torture or a simple interrogation. With the old fashioned way we would know nothing about him. But if we let him act freely and supervise him from the background, soon he will either slip or we will realize his true intentions if he even has anything like that." The sage sipped from his tea, then continued.
"But I don't think so. He is a terrible liar. He can act, and even put a real actor to shame, but as soon as a false word slips from his mouth you can see it in his eyes. You can almost touch his shame. He is too honest for a shinobi. So instead of lying completely, he tells half-truths or simply doesn't answer. He is definitely not a spy or a sleeping agent, he is not that type. You can be at ease. His sudden appearance isn't related to any ill intentions toward Konoha and with time we can put together the pieces of his jigsaw. But what Minato and I both think from all of this is that he is trying to get rid of his past. He is trying hard to earn our acknowledgement and be a valuable member of Konoha."
Sarutobi puffed from his pipe and slowly let out the calming smoke into the empty air, a tint of irritation in his voice. "Minato trusts that boy too much."
A small smile spread on Jiraiya's face. "The feeling is mutual. Toroku trusts Minato and this is why he didn't tell us that he remembers. He didn't want those bonds to falter."
Sarutobi closed his eyes, and scowled. "And you trust him also." Jiraiya didn't answer for a long, silent and also tense minute, weighting his own words before he answered.
"I do." The Third let out a long and weary sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose in the hope that it would ease away his doubts, but Jiraiya's faint voice kicked him out from his musing.
"The Great Toad Sage summoned me two days before I came home and became the jounin sensei of Minato's old team …" The frown deepened on Sarutobi's face, waiting for his student to continue.
"He…He told me that he saw a new vision. I think it's about Toroku." The Third's eyes widened as he leaned forward, eagerly waiting for Jiraiya to finish.
"He said that: 'A boy trying to escape from the path of his past will appear in your life. He will bring a new chance and a new tomorrow.' That's all he said. Cryptic as always."
The frown appeared on the face of Sarutobi and he closed his old eyes once more to weigh this new information. "A new chance for what?"
Jiraiya shook his head. "A new chance to fulfill the prophecy? I don't know. But I want to think it's about that. When Toroku talks about peace I...I believe in him, old man. I truly believe that he is able to find that peace. That he can end the circle of hatred," the Toad sage said slowly, before his seriousness became nowhere to be seen as he sent a wide grin toward his once leader.
"Do you want to confront him in the future?" The Sannin thought about it for a second before he shook his head.
"Not in the near future. He trusts me. I think he will confess with time. Once, he almost confessed to Minato."
"I really hope both of you are right. For the sake of my sanity and for the sake of the Village."
"Hey old man, you retired. Let Minato lead this village. He knows what he's doing. So do I. I'm not a stupid immature genin anymore." Jiraiya sent back a cheeky grin, and emptied his cup with one swig. The Sannin grimaced like a child when the hot liquid burned down his throat, making the old leader to let out another long sigh and shake his head in a fatherly way, while his matured student tried to look as grown up as he could as he choked and coughed.
A loud scream echoed inside the Hokage Mansion and Naruto was on his feet in the next moment, rushing toward its source with insane speed. Only his last bit of his logical mind restrained him from snatching up some of Kurama's chakra to boost up his speed. In the next second he kicked the door open to jump onto the attacker, only to find none, though his mind became frozen by the sight in front of him.
He stared at his mother's lap, where her clothes were soaked with crimson liquid. Her eyes were wide as she just stared down at Minato, who was kneeling on the floor next to their bed, his face as red as Kushina's stained lap. He glared at his brother in obvious annoyance. Naruto's mind raced through several horrifying scenarios while he jumped next to his mother, shoving his father to the side and shaking her shoulder.
"Who hurt you?! Where is the bastard?!" Kushina blinked herself out from her temporary daze and finally shook Naruto's hands off of her, but she didn't avert her gaze from his father on the ground. However, instead of just staring, she burst out into a hysterical laugh. The smell of alcohol hit Naruto's nose and that was the moment when he decided to finally glance around for real to survey the situation. A broken wine glass rested next to their feet, another next to his father, a half-full bottle laid on the ground in the middle of a growing crimson strain.
His father suddenly yelped and immediately started to look for something on the floor until he finally shoved Naruto out from his way. With an excited and relieved sigh he grabbed something from the floor and cleared his throat as Kushina's hysterical laugh died down into small giggles.
"So. Putting this small…disturbance to the side. Kushina. I'm still waiting for your answer." The named red haired woman gulped and an odd expression spread over her fine features. She stepped closer to his father, carefully avoiding the glass shards on the floor and sank down to her knees in front of Minato. Silent tears flowed from her eyes from the emotional rollercoaster. The Hokage's muscles tensed during the long wait his eyes drifting to his still confused brother for a moment, maybe to find some encouragement.
In the next moment, Kushina flung herself into his arms, continuously murmuring something into his father's ears between almost silent sobs. But Minato's expression told Naruto that he was in the middle of devastating joy and ecstasy.
A wide smile spread across Naruto's face when he finally spotted the small silver ring in his father's fingers. Two small silver leafs were embracing a purple gem, steadying it in the middle of the jewelry, like parents would do for a child.
The blond teen immediately retreated from the room silently, with the widest smile on his face that he could manage. And suddenly all of his previous anxiety was gone. The future wasn't looking so dark anymore.
Longest author's note ever:
Naruto's little emotional breakdown was expected. Don't flame me for showing him as weak. He is strong physically, but his burdens are heavy and if you remember the last chapter, his walls had almost cracked. In a lot of fics, he acts like nothing had happened before, or he hasn't got heavy responsibilities which are just unreal, and I want to dig a little bit deeper. But don't be afraid, it won't turn into an angst fic. I'm working on it. I also noticed that the story is heading toward that direction, so I'll work on it and cheer you up. ;) Hopefully the next chapter will do it.
If you ask why he isn't just telling them who he is, my answer is: because I don't want him to. I want him to act from the background and not cry out who he is like in most of the other time travel fics.
You thought Minato and Jiraiya would be that dense? That they wouldn't notice something had changed in Naruto? A Kage and a Sannin? You were utterly wrong. :) But Naruto is Naruto. He is someone who can make his enemy into allies, into friends. So he does affect everyone around him. Even a Kage and a Sannin.
People tend to bash Uchiha Fugaku and the whole Uchiha clan, but I have a tendency to presume the best from people, and I really like to think that he wasn't a bad man in the beginning. So no. No Uchiha bashing. Uchiha Fugaku wasn't a dictator of his clan. But there are expectations that he has to meet.
Well, the engagement scene is based on a real life experience…Yeah. :) It was the happiest but also the most awkward, and silliest moment of my life. :) First I broke into a fits of laughter, then I cried for a long while pure happiness. :) So girls, wake up from your pink and perfect dreams. It doesn't have to be perfect, it still will be the happiest moment of your life. :) And now you also know what my own ring looks like. :)
Proposed update date: 17th of August. And the next chapter is my favourite so far.
Story recommendations:
Hope from the shadows by Alianachan
Time travel, ANBU. On his way back from a mission ANBU captain Inu found two unknown injured masked nins. The questions are why are they so strong, why is one of them looking exactly like Minato sensei and why oh why is Sandaime-sama trying to make Kitsune the next Hokage? / Just two chapters as of now, but it is brilliant. Good old time travel in which the author is approaching it from a different view. /
Other Worlds by njking24
Obito casts Naruto into another while both are on the thin line between life and death. In a new world where his family's alive and thriving, and one in which he feels and knows he doesn't belong, Naruto strives to fit in, all the while seeking a way back to his home. Yet, each world holds its perils, and Naruto slowly comes to realize home isn't quite where he thought it was. / Naruto in another dimension. I just love his/her descriptions are just...wow. I want to learn how to do that./
The Waves of TIme by njking24
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Concentric Rings by Arafell
When Naruto is defeated by the Ten-Tails, Kurama is forced to take drastic measures. Time Travel/AU. NaruHina eventually. / Time travel. What else ;) Baby Naruto and Minato. /
Naruto: The Missing Nin by Lightimus
What if Naruto didn't belong to the world he has always lived in. Everyone believed that Obito's mangekyō sharingan was a space-time jutsu, but what if it wasn't. What if Obito's sharingan was a dimensional plane jutsu. Find out what happens when both of Obito's sharingan eyes are destroyed during the fourth shinobi war leaving Naruto to go back to where he is supposed to belong. / Lightimus is one of my precious readers. A dimensional hopping fic/