Author's Note: Sorry for the wait. There is a bit of buzz about this story, so here is the second chapter to see how it goes. Let me know what you think. So, there is OOC-ness. Keep that in mind. Enjoy!

Warnings: Language, maybe. A bit of violence.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. The idea was brought to me by RedGoddessEclipse and asked me to write it for her. :3

Word Count: 5,223

Almost a month passed since Sasuke was put in the time he's in. Not the past, Naruto's voice kept echoing in his head. Sasuke has resigned himself to his new fate. In the past month, Sasuke has been able to identify that he is somewhere within this timeline's Third Great Ninja War. They are teetering somewhere between losing this war and starting to turn the tides. Which, if Sasuke remembers his history correctly, this is around the time that the Fourth Hokage - or the man that one day will become such a man - is becoming an independent force on the battlefield, bouncing from one battle to the next, turning the tide.

Sasuke makes sure to avoid major battles, fighting in skirmishes and small encampments. Over the past few days, Sasuke has been hearing about his own exploits through the war. It's only been a month yet already Sasuke has been gaining the nickname The Ghost of Konohagakure. Seen bouncing around all parts of the battleline. At first, Sasuke didn't know how it was, until he hear the description.

A young man with dark hair and a single Uchiha eye along with three, bright colored necklaces.

Now everywhere that Sasuke goes, people stare at him. No one says much, only murmurs their thanks and bows their heads to him. Sasuke ignores the for the most part, and because of the attention, begins avoiding towns whenever he can help it. He never stays in one place long and does his best to avoid any standing Konoha force. Sasuke doesn't hate Konoha, not anymore. He's too tired and sad to hate anymore.

This was the village his brother loved and died for, even if they were in some alternate timeline. Sasuke didn't hate Konoha, but that didn't mean he wanted anything to really do with them. Over the expanse of this war and what he participated in the Fourth, Sasuke wanted nothing more to do with war other than end it. His tribute to his pacifistic elder brother.

Sasuke doesn't want fame or fortune. He doesn't want anything anymore. There literally isn't anything for him anymore. After having achieved his sour vengeance, there was only one thing left of that dream afterward. Rebuild his clan. But there isn't even a need for that either. His entire clan is alive right now, fighting in war. No, these people weren't his family. They were cheap imitations of the real things. They may look and act, walk and talk like the people Sasuke would later remember as a child, but it wasn't them. They were other people all together.

Perhaps Naruto really does hate him. Sasuke couldn't blame him. He never gave the blond much reason to feel anything else for him.

And the pity party continues.

Sasuke relaxes, standing by a loud waterfall, listening to the powerful waves smash against the rocks behind him. Sasuke stands on a log in the middle of the pool, keeping it upright with his chakra, while balancing on one leg while using his Rinnegan to lift a couple of rocks around him, trying to keep his deviated attention keen. At the same time as all of that, he's also feeling around with his chakra for any potential dangers approaching.

Right now, with his Rinnegan only partially focused, he's only able to lift three separate rocks. His Rinnegan is still a pain, no matter how cool it is, by sucking out his chakra like a vacuum, but his chakra control is growing immensely in the past month and a half since he got here. His chakra supplies are lasting longer and longer as the days go on. Sasuke figures that one day he'll be able to use his Rinnegan indefinitely, like he's able to use his Sharingan.

Sasuke has his right hand level with his chest holding up two fingers as he straightens out the other hand parallel to the water. He closes his right eye and focuses solely on his Rinnegan. He keeps his breath even and his body as still as he can. He relishes in the slight burning in his muscles at the exertion. His heart beat was pounding, heavily, but slowly.

Sasuke used to be greatly opposed to killing needlessly. He hated what this place is making him. His lack of care, or even desire to do anything, has crippled and destroyed the person he used to be. At least on a fundamental level. He lives now on basic shinobi instincts. He eats, drinks, and trains. Occasionally, he'll go out and look for battle to sate his most basic shinobi desires. And then he'll return to a safe place and then he'll continue that cycle without a single thought one way or another.

He used to hate people who would act on auto-pilot. Such a person wasn't worth every living breath that they take. They were just lifeless creatures walking around in human skin. Not living with a care in the world. Without a thought in their head. It was not how Sasuke would have chosen to live if he felt he had a choice, but it's him now. It's slowly, but surely, becoming who he is.

A horrible, empty person that - if one pulled him back at the seams - there wouldn't even be a person in there. Just an empty husk. A shadow of a man.

He used to have some sort of morals. No senseless killing, staying out of other's business, things of the like. But now, none of that even matters. These aren't his people. This isn't his timeline. This isn't his problem.

Yes, Sasuke decided on what to call this place. An alternate timeline. Something parallel to his own, but not exactly alike. Of course it can't be exactly alike, because Sasuke is here now, killing people who probably shouldn't have been killed and saving people that probably shouldn't have been saved. Everything was different now that Sasuke got here. If it wasn't an alternate timeline then, it is now. Either way, Sasuke's future is gone.

And it left Sasuke with nothing. Perhaps the blue haired boy really had nothing to begin with. Not after he lost his parents. Not after he killed his brother.

Sasuke shakes his head. He worked hard - most of the time - a lot harder than he should, to keep his mind blank. He's been doing that a lot lately. Doing everything he can to keep from thinking at all. What a tragic way to live life. But slowly and surely, Sasuke is growing used to it. A lot less drama in thinking. A lot less room to go out of his way to ruin other people's lives. And to make connections that he'll only end up messing up.

"Please help us!"

Sasuke stares down at the young boy. He didn't know this child, nor did he owe this way-too-young-to-be-a-shinobi boy anything. Yet somehow, standing a few feet away from the small brown haired boy, tears of fear and exhaustion filling his little eyes, made Sasuke stop. He tried to avoid larger battles, and while this wasn't a huge battle, it had almost a hundred people battling on both sides. So, it's bigger than the ones he usually participates in.

The young boy, covered in dirt and grime with a Konoha headband tied around his forehead, reaches out for Sasuke but doesn't touch him. "Please, sir. It's you, isn't it? Th-the Ghost of Konohagakure..?"

Sasuke glances down at the boy with his black, right eye. "A fitting name," he mutters, more to himself than the boy. Then he steps past the small foxhole, as ironic as such a name is now for Sasuke, and into the no-man's-land between the two forces. Sasuke hadn't meant to stumble upon this battle. It was just one of those times. And Sasuke, with no soul in his body, has nothing left to fear and no morals left to uphold.

Truly a lost man.

Sasuke quickly closed the distance between himself and the Iwa ninja. He dodges the shuriken and kunai thrown his way. Jumping this way and that to avoid weapons wrapped up in paper bombs until he's right on top of them, slashing and bashing away with his sword and sheath. He points his sword down the line and summons up a chidori true spear, skewering the shinobi next to him. It doesn't take him long to kill his way up one side of the line. About half way to the end, the Leaf shinobi finally crossed the distance and helped out.

He stops and watches as the Leaf shinobi take care of the remaining Iwa ninja. Sasuke slowly re-sheaths his sword and climbs out of the hole. Sasuke picks a direction, away from the battle field and starts walking. He sheaths his sword once more and pulls a shuriken that was lodged in his right thigh out, dropping it onto the grass with a thud.

"Stop."

Sasuke doesn't stop, not at first. Perhaps a part of it was because he didn't know the person was talking to him. Or perhaps it was because he didn't care to listen even if they were. But the flash of blond in his vision gave him pause. That blond, in the mid-morning sun, was so achingly familiar. It almost made the Rinnegan eye in Sasuke's left eye socket open, but he closed it before it could open past a crack.

"Please stop and allow us to thank you properly, at least," the man before him says. Sasuke's single black eye lands on the Fourth Hokage's stoic, but dirty with sweat and mud, face.

"No need," Sasuke says, lowering his head to step around the man, but the taller blond easily blocks his path.

The Fourth - or future Forth, if this timeline continues to live up to his own - looks down at him with light blue eyes so similar to Naruto's in their blueness, but a lot older and wiser than Naruto's could ever be. His long blond hair frames his thin face and his long, thin lashes cast long shadows across his cheeks. There was no doubt in Sasuke's mind that this man was Naruto's father. The two were so similar in appearance.

Except the Fourth was a lot more refined. At this point, the future leader of his home village has to be in his early 20's. The war, if Sasuke recalled correctly, began turning around when the Fourth entered the battles around 20 years old. About five years later, the treaty is signed and two months following, the man before Sasuke becomes Hokage.

"Who are you?" the Fourth asks.

"No one," Sasuke says, leaning onto his right hip, wondering how long this is going to take.

"I'm Minato Namikaze," the Fourth says.

Sasuke didn't know that, but it didn't mean that it made him anymore forthcoming about talking. The last person Sasuke wanted to deal with was the fastest man alive and Naruto's father. So, the blue haired boy just stares at him, blinking slowly.

"..."

Minato's blue eyes study Sasuke closely, looking him up and down. He appears curious but also analytical. He takes every little bit of detail about Sasuke into whatever little file folder is being made in his head about the young Uchiha. Sasuke stares into the eye of the Fourth with his black Uchiha eye, an idea coming to him.

He's sick in the head and for the past two months, he has nothing but his mind and not even his own thoughts could be trusted. He activates his sharingan, letting it spin into life. Minato's eyes lock on to the Sharingan in Sasuke's right eye socket.

"So you are an Uchiha," Minato says.

"Will you tell the clan leader?" Sasuke asks. "Will you tell him about the rogue Uchiha out and about without living under the thumb of the clan leader? I can't imagine he'll take that well." Sasuke's father never was one for dealing with matters of the family with a level head and a gentle hand.

Minato seems to contemplate that. "I'm not sure. What would I tell him? An Uchiha is running around killing our enemies? I can see where he'd be furious..."

Sasuke stares at him, deactivating his sharingan. "Was that a joke?"

Minato nods, smiling softly. "Thank you for helping us. Judging by your words and the reputation you've made for yourself, I can tell it wasn't your intention to be here but that doesn't mean I don't thank you nonetheless."

"No need," Sasuke says, making a move to step past the Fourth again, but once again, he steps into his way.

"I'm right," Minato says. Sasuke says nothing. "Then tell me why you helped. You didn't have to, but you did." He stares at Sasuke with keen light blue eyes. "So, why?"

Sasuke tilts his head. "Need I a reason?"

"Do you have one?" Minato asks, blinking slowly. One hand is brought up and placed against his hip.

Sasuke shakes his head. "No."

"Then do something else you don't have a reason to," Minato says. Sasuke raises an eyebrow at that. He's not dumb enough not to see a trick when it's being waved around in front of his face. But he doesn't say anything, just stares at him, wondering if there was anything that could be said. It's not like Sasuke had anywhere to go from here. All he could do was just go back to his usual routine.

Sasuke doesn't respond, just stares at him.

"Come back to Konoha with me. The Hokage has wanted to speak with you." Minato looks down at him with calm blue eyes.

Sasuke shakes his head. "There is nothing there for me."

"A village. People who can appreciate what you've been doing 24-7 for the past few months. A famil-"

"No," Sasuke snaps, face scrunching up in anger, cutting Minato off. "Those people are not my family. Do not ever call them such."

Minato seemed surprised by Sasuke's words, his eyes widened. In the outburst, Sasuke opened both his eyes wide, letting his sharingan spin to life and the intensity of his Rinnegan shine through. Minato didn't back up or shutter under the gaze, even though a part of Sasuke expected him to, he just stared into the eye of the old god, lips moving slowly.

"Rinnegan."

Sasuke was actually surprised by Minato's knowledge of the godly optic, even if all he showed he knew was the name. Still, even that is a lot. Sasuke didn't know about it until during the Fourth Great Ninja War. The blond haired Hokage truly was amazing. A force to be reckoned with. Sasuke had to wonder how the blond had come across such information.

Minato frowns, staring at a outwardly brisling Sasuke, still unhappy about that family comment. Those people weren't his family. They were poor imitations of the people that Sasuke once called family. The blue haired young man didn't have to meet any of them to know that he would never like them, any of them. He'd rather avoid them all together than let these feelings become a true issue. He has, and wants, nothing to do with these people.

They aren't his family. They'll never be his family.

"I'm sorry," Minato apologizes quietly, still looking slightly surprised. His face slowly relaxes again. "But what about the people. You've been protecting them all this time. Don't you want to meet the people you're protecting?"

"No," Sasuke says, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. To be honest, Sasuke didn't really understand what Minato was saying. He didn't even see it like that. He didn't see what he's doing as a form of protection for the Leaf, he saw it as a way of honing his shinobi skills and every opportunity he's had with taking out Leaf shinobi he's just... never really felt up to it.

"Or perhaps this is your way of owning up for your mistakes," an evil little voice in the back of Sasuke's head whispers. "A way of apologizing to Naruto for everything that happened between, even if he'd never see it. You'd see it. You'd know."

Sasuke frowns, closing his Rinnegan eye again, deactivating his Sharingan. If he was doing that, he hadn't realized it. Perhaps all this time trying so hard not to hear his own voice in his head had began to blind him of what was really right in front of him. Suddenly, Sasuke is uncomfortable, not liking this part of him. He's so strange. He's not like he used to be.

Sasuke used to think he was very apathetic before all of this. Now he wonders if he even understood what such a thing meant. Sasuke definitely wasn't the person he used to be, but what had he become? Was this the type of person that he wanted to be for the rest of his life? He hadn't given much thought to it, these last few months, because didn't put much thought into really anything these last few months.

"Will you come to the village with me?" Minato asks, taking a moment to look around at the Leaf shinobi taking out any more living Iwa ninja and securing the area in order to move the battle line forward, radioing in to headquarters to tell them of their success.

"No," Sasuke says again, shaking his head. "There is nothing there for me."

Minato suddenly looks thoughtful, placing both hands on narrow hips. "Not yet," he says slowly, "but maybe one day there could be."

Sasuke stares at him blankly, not sure why the man was saying such a thing. "Doubt it," he mumbles.

"You'll never know unless you take a leap of faith," Minato says and Sasuke could have choked on how much that reminded him of Naruto. The words were so honest and indiscriminate. Minato knew nothing about Sasuke - which Sasuke could also say about the young and illusive future Fourth Hokage - but the fact that he had been assisting the battle line for the Leaf for almost two months now. The Fourth didn't even know Sasuke's name yet. He didn't divulge such information. Yet for some reason the man was willing to take him to the Hidden Leaf to see the Hokage?

Something didn't feel right.

"Why do you want me to come with you?" Sasuke asks, not even bothering to hide his suspicion. If Minato was surprised by Sasuke's question, there was no reaction on his face.

"It's my mission," Minato says, truthfully, his voice falling even and his face turning impassive. This was all business. "The Third has asked that I look for you and try and bring you to the Leaf when I find you."

Sasuke opens his Rinnegan eye and narrows them both in further suspicion. "Why?"

Minato doesn't miss a beat, still unaffected by Sasuke's Rinnegan. "It's not my place to ask such things."

"But you do know," Sasuke says keenly, eyes sharpening. His lazy pose from earlier stiffens, making the nearby shinobi suddenly look uncomfortable, putting safe, weary, distance between them and the two young men. They do remain close enough, though, should Minato require assistance.

Minato's smile is paper thin. "I do. But the only way I can think to explain it would only give you the wrong impression."

"Try me," Sasuke says daringly. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Sasuke wondered why he was even still there. He had no real connection to the Fourth. Except for maybe Naruto. But Sasuke's connection to Naruto alone is questionable, let alone the man's father.

Minato reaches up and scratches the back of his head in an action so reminiscent of Naruto that it gave Sasuke pause. The Fourth was widely known as an honorable man, even to his enemies. He fought fairly and is even well respected in Kumo. He would also have been well respected in Iwa if he wasn't known for slaughtering their armies one after another. Through no fault of his own. That was where they needed him and well, he did his job well. But from what Sasuke heard in school and over his years as a shinobi and even what he saw in the war, the Fourth didn't let people suffer on his side or the enemies. He was a straight up guy. Supposedly.

But this is an order from the Leaf. No matter how good someone can be, that doesn't mean that he's not a shinobi and literally kills people for a living. No, he doesn't just 'kill' people. He slaughters en mass their armies. Mostly Iwa's, but still. He is no doubt very, very deadly. The only shinobi in Sasuke's time officially recognized as a double-s-ranked shinobi threat.

Yes. Such a man is not to be taken lightly. Just because he's Naruto's father, doesn't mean he's as stupid as Naruto. Or as disgustingly loyal as the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki. Sasuke needs to not forget that.

"You are someone who is viewed associated with Konoha without any apparent association... with Konoha," Minato says slowly, tilting his face up toward the sky. He saw what Sasuke could do, right? Then why is he so relaxed? Is Sasuke that nonthreatening?

"I never asked to be associated with the Leaf," Sasuke says, slipping passed the older man, wanting to get out of there before this turned into a nasty situation involving the Yellow Flash but that's too much to ask for. Minato is in front of him a moment later, living up to his legendary speed. Sasuke takes a step back to put a bit of distance between them.

Minato smiles apologetically. "Unfortunately, we don't get to choose who we become associated with." His smile fades into a neutral expression again. "But in all seriousness, the Hokage wishes to speak to you. You've done nothing wrong as far as I know, he's just intrigued by the Ghost of Konoha. Will you come?" The question was asked innocently enough, but Sasuke's smart enough to know that there is no way Sasuke's leaving this place without a fight, unless he just goes with the future Fourth.

Sasuke sighs, narrowing his eyes up at the blue eyed man, more annoyed than angry. "Fine. Make this quick. Let us go." He turned toward the direction of the Leaf when a hand wrapped around his elbow, surprising Sasuke. On instinct, he whipped his sword out for a strike. Minato, the fastest man alive, catches the sword with his signature three pronged kunai.

They stood frozen, staring at each other. Sasuke was half turned toward Minato with his sword in his left hand level with Minato's head being blocked by the three pronged kunai in Minato's right hand. Minato's left hand is wrapped around Sasuke's right elbow. They both don't move as Sasuke's half turned face was pointed just passed Minato, sharingan spinning.

The other shinobi around them were tensed, hands reaching for their weapons.

There was a moment. A strange moment, where they both were just staring at each other. Looking at Minato and having a strange connection with him that he usually had with Naruto. It made Sasuke's stomach settle heavily. There was always something between Naruto and Sasuke - they were the reincarnations (apparently) of Asura and Indra Otsutsuki, sons of the Sage of Six Paths - but Sasuke also feels that connection with Minato. Is it because they are father and son? Is there any way that can be possible?

Sasuke didn't know.

"Sorry," Minato finally says, pulling back his kunai and releasing Sasuke's elbow. "I didn't mean to startle you." Sasuke didn't respond, but he put his sword back onto his side. "Come," Minato says, holding a hand out for Sasuke, "I have a faster way home."

Sasuke knew what he was saying right away - the Fourth's signature jutsu, the Flying Thunder God - and had to frown at that. For the first time in a long time, something blossomed in Sasuke's chest. It had been so long since Sasuke had felt much of anything and it took him a moment to identify what the feeling was. Curiosity.

How many people could say that they've experienced the Flying Thunder God technique that didn't ultimately end their life? Sasuke has his own version of a teleportation technique that came with his new Rinnegan, but he can only move within a ten foot radius from his current position in all directions. It's one of the few techniques of the Rinnegan that drains his chakra with each use. It maybe takes up about an hours worth of chakra fueling his Rinnegan just before the Fourth Great Ninja War. He could probably use such a technique a couple dozen times before he even began to get tired.

As intrigued as Sasuke was to learn the inner-mechanics of the legendary Flying Raijin, he knew what it did to people who the Fourth decided not to protect with however he protected himself to perform the technique. It blew them to pieces. Was Sasuke suicidal enough to be okay with that possibly being his fate? He didn't care what happened to him now... but such an end is... undignified, in Sasuke's eyes. He fought a primordial god in the Ten Tails and a dead goddess in Kaguya.

"Before we go," Minato says, turning to one of the shinobi that Sasuke recognizes now as soon as Minato addresses him, "Raido, thank you for all your help. I couldn't have done this without you."

Raido, younger than Sasuke remembered, nods, pulling out a very familiar three pronged kunai from his kunai pouch and tosses it over to Minato, who catches it easily. "No problem," Raido says, eyeing Sasuke mistrustfully. "Be careful, Minato-san."

Sasuke just stared blankly back at Raido. It was a little amusing to Sasuke that they worried for Minato, who was the superior shinobi. Sasuke wasn't a fool, he was strong, but Minato became the youngest Hokage and had a double-s-ranked status. At twenty seven! Sasuke, at least the way he sees it, still has some ways to go before he reaches that threshold. Minato may or may not be close to that level yet, being in his early twenties, but Sasuke still isn't dumb enough to test such a theory.

Although, he wouldn't expect Raido to know that.

"I will," Minato says, slipping the kunai into his own kunai pouch, still holding the other one in his right hand. "Good luck, friend." Raido tips his head a bit in respect, giving Sasuke one last once over before turning to the other shinobi and ordering them to fortify the position. Telling Hyuga scouts to keep an eye on the area and make sure there is no enemy ninja nearby. They do so wearily, looking at Sasuke, though were smart enough not to turn their Byakugan toward Sasuke.

"Reverse summon seal," Minato explains to Sasuke. "I gave to some friends all long the main battle line in case someone saw you." The blue haired ex-avenger doesn't respond to that. It was pretty smart. There was no other way to track Sasuke.

Sasuke closes his Sharigan eye. As he does so, all the world as the Sharingan views it, vanishes. For the most part the Sharingan views the world similar to the human eye, it just increases perception, prediction and allows the perfect mimicry of moves as opposed to the human eye. But he can see faces and colors and little details with that eye that he can't with the Rinnegan.

The Rinnegan sees everything in black, white and gray, for the most part. He can see the outlines and the lines of detail in people and things. Living things, like animals and plants, come out gray, outlined and detailed in white. Humans with chakra, are outlined and detailed in white but their chakra surrounds them in the unique color of their chakra. Some people have so much chakra it forms a physical haze inside and outside their body. Just by looking at them with the Rinnegan, Sasuke can tell their chakra nature, how strong their affinity is, their level of chakra control and how full their reserves are. And that's all just a primary glance.

Looking up at the sky, even in broad daylight, is blackened out. All empty, chakra-less space is black and unrecognizable by the Rinnegan. But, from what Sasuke's is coming to understand, when he focuses on the Sharingan aspect of his Rinnegan, he is able to switch his vision over to how he's always been able to see it. It's a matter of preference but the Sharingan in Sasuke's left eye socket can be used with either version of sight. The Rinnegan powers can only be used with the Rinnegan sight. The only downfall to seeing through the Sharingan sight in his left eye, would be that if he wanted to use his Rinnegan powers, he would have to switch over the sight first, which takes up precious seconds.

So, Sasuke opts to learning the abilities of the Sharingan with the Rinnegan's sight. It's kind of cool seeing the Amaterasu through the eye of the Rinnegan, it becomes this spray of multiple colors.

Turning Sasuke's Rinnegan eye to Minato, he's amazed at how light blue Minato's chakra was. It was so light that it was almost white in his body. His control over his chakra was perfect. Hardly any of his chakra, that floated around the outside of his body, dissipated. That showed a high level of control as the chakra spins and curls in on itself around his body and instead of breaking off and floating away like even Sasuke's own chakra, and he has pretty good chakra control, it curls back into the mass with tiny trickles escaping.

Minato holds his hand out for Sasuke. "Come, we shouldn't keep the Hokage waiting any longer than we have." Sasuke takes a moment to look at the hand before reaching out and taking it. The chakra of their hands intermingle and Sasuke watches the chakra in the man as he prepares to do the jutsu. What he sees, blows his mind. Minato's chakra becomes a carbon copy of Sasuke's, mimicking it down to the most minute detail. It's color and physical properties change until they are the exact same as Sasuke's.

Minato's chakra shutters and shakes and then explodes in a bright yellow light before they appear at the gates of the Konohagakure.

For the Reviewers:

1. Masy: I'm going to try. I've never written for this pairing before, so here's to hoping I do it well!

2. bribright91: Thank you!

3. Tobee: I adore Minato so much.

4. Mizuki hikari: Thank you!

5. Mimic: He doesn't. But the way I see it, right now, this isn't really Sasuke. He's in this weird limbo place where he has no idea what he wants or what he's even doing. Thanks!