Minato should have planned it better, he thought as he stood inside the Hokage's office facing The Third Hokage and his old student.
He teleported to the office right after he had left Naruto. He wanted to get it over with quickly and get back to his son before he would start worrying.
His mind was too occupied with thoughts of Naruto, which was probably the reason he wasn't thinking very clearly when he decided to just wing it and teleport to the Hokage's office using one of his permanent seals he had placed there a long time ago.
Minato appeared in a yellow flash inside the office, right next to the door, while Hiruzen and Kakashi were talking, making them both startle. Turns out 'winging it' wasn't the smartest idea he's had.
Kakashi couldn't believe what he was seeing. Behind him stood his dead Sensei, smiling sheepishly.
"Hey, uh, I'm back..?" Minato greeted awkwardly.
The Jonin looked at the person in disbelief. Just the sight of him standing there even though it most likely was an illusion made Kakashi's mouth go dry and his heartrate shoot up to dangerous levels.
Was he hallucinating?
He whirled around to look at The Third Hokage. Seeing the older man staring at the newcomer mouth agape confirmed that Kakashi had indeed not gone crazy and this was really happening.
He took a closer look at the man. Minato's blonde bangs were slightly longer than before and his face was a bit skinnier but other than that he looked the exact same as he did when Kakashi last saw him seven years ago. Those small changes would've gone unnoticed by anyone else but Kakashi remembered his Sensei in perfect detail. He had played their last interaction in his head thousand times, he could never forget.
Suddenly his entire frame started shaking in uncontrollable anger and he started marching up to the blonde man, grabbing the impostor by the neck he slammed him against the wall so hard that the pictures and paintings on the wall dropped to the floor, shattering into dozen pieces.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Kakashi snarled, staring the man dead in the eyes. His one visible eye widened in anger.
Minato flinched, not having expected this reaction at all. He opened his mouth to say something- anything to calm the enraged Jonin down.
"Kakashi." He licked his dry lips. "I-I don't know what happened exactly but I somehow made it out of the battle alive." Minato explained with a low voice, not knowing what else to say.
Apparently it was the wrong thing to say because the Jonin slammed him against the wall again, even harder than before, making Minato's breath leave his lungs.
The blonde was shocked. This was the first time he had seen his student lose control like this, normally Kakashi was very good at hiding his emotions. He had seen the younger man noticeably angry a rare few times, but even then he was very controlled. This however, was a completely different Kakashi and Minato didn't know what to do.
"Don't fuck with me!" Kakashi growled, cocking back his fist, about to pummel the shocked blonde to a pulp when he was interrupted by a sharp yell.
"That's enough Kakashi!" Hiruzen ordered, jolting out of his chair.
Kakashi turned his head to see the Third Hokage's stern face. Hiruzen's eyes softened when he saw The Jonin's entire frame shaking in rage. Looking into Kakashi's piercing eye he continued speaking. "We will take him to Inoichi, he'll interrogate the man and find out who is behind this disguise."
His face hardened again as he looked his successor up and down. It wasn't a normal henge, Hiruzen could sense the same chakra in that man that was in Minato. Eyebrows furrowing slightly, he tried to use his sense of smell to identify the person to no avail.
Whoever was behind that disguise managed to replicate the Fourth's looks, smell and chakra.
Very impressive.
"A proper punishment will be given once we find out who it is." He continued, eyeing the blonde man with a sharp gaze.
Kakashi nodded and pushed the blonde roughly against the wall one more time before reluctantly letting go and stepping back. Minato knew it was better to stay silent, they weren't going to believe him anyway, and he didn't feel like getting slammed again.
He watched in apprehension as Kakashi uncovered his left eye, the three tomoe Sharingan whirling dangerously. Minato knew what was going to happen before it even happened. Still, he didn't resist, it was better not to. So he just took a deep breath and let it happen, standing still. He could feel himself losing consciousness
Kakashi watched the Blonde's body go limp as he put him in a genjutsu and before the man could fall to the floor face first, Kakashi grabbed him not so gently and was about to walk out the door straight to Inoichi when Hiruzen spoke up, stopping him in his tracks.
"Wait Kakashi."
"What is it?" He grumbled, tightening his hold on the unconscious blonde.
"Make sure no one sees you carrying the 'Fourth Hokage'. Only a select few will know about this. I will assign a small team of Jonin to accompany you just in case something happens."
Kakashi glanced at the Third Hokage and nodded before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
Meanwhile...
Naruto blinked once, then twice, his eyes never leaving the door, mouth still hanging open minutes after the man had left.
"Oh my g- OH MY GOD!" He clapped his hands over his mouth. "My dad is the Fourth Hokage?!"
Naruto had heard of the legendary Shinobi, it was practically one of the first things they taught you in the Academy. The epic battle between the Fourth Hokage and the Nine tails. In the end the fight stopped when the Hokage sealed the Tailed beast away, saving the village heroically and sacrificing himself in the process.
Or apparently not, since he was still very much alive.
The Fourth Hokage has always been described as a legend and a mythical being. Based on the stories Naruto had heard, he was a person that defeated the strongest Tailed beast, almost single-handedly ended the third great ninja war, and moved at light speed when he fought, they called him the Yellow Flash of Konoha.
It was crazy to think that the Fourth Hokage was his dad.
"Woah." He fell down on the worn couch staring at the ceiling wide-eyed. "My dad is frickin AWESOME!" He shouted, his voice echoing around the empty apartment.
He heard one of his neighbors smack the wall.
"Be quiet brat!"
But even that couldn't wipe the wide grin off Naruto's face.
"You be quiet old man!" He shot back at his annoying neighbor, jumping up on his feet and pointing at the wall offensively, as if he could see him.
"Don't make me come down there and make you!"
"HAH! I dare you to try!" Naruto yelled, shaking his fist.
"Don't push your luck kid!"
"Don't fall down the stairs on your way here gramps!" He shouted back and snapped his mouth shut right after, shaking his head. He was getting too carried away, this was the first time he had fought back with the toxic neighbor.
Laying back down on the couch Naruto ignored the rest of the shouts coming from the man and stared blankly at the ceiling, starting to daydream about his super awesome dad. He wondered what he was doing right now.
Minato could feel a headache coming and groaned. He opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was his old friend Inoichi standing in front of him, muscles tensed.
The Hokage was tied to a chair by shackles. He felt really weak, looking down he could see why, they had placed multiple chakra binding seals on him, draining his chakra.
Chuckling weakly, he looked up at his old friend and spoke up. "This is a bit extra, don't you think?"
Inoichi leaned close to him, eyes cold. "What are you hoping to achieve by impersonating the Fourth Hokage?"
Minato raised his head, looking the Yamanaka straight in the eyes when he answered. "I'm not impersonating anyone. As I just told Kakashi, it really is me, as unbelievable that sounds."
He felt a wave of killing intent wash over him. Looking to his right he smiled sadly, when he saw Kakashi leaning against the wall, eyeing him in distaste.
"Drop the act already! The Fourth Hokage died years ago. What kind of idiot would disguise himself as a dead person." Inoichi growled.
Minato let out a loud sigh, shaking his head in irritation. "No matter what I say or do you won't believe me. Just go ahead take a look at my memories and see for yourself."
"That's what I was intending to do."
He watched as Inoichi beckoned Kakashi closer and the last thing he felt was a hand on his forehead before his mind blanked.
Minato Namikaze stood on top of his Hokage face statue, staring impassively as the Kyuubi was charging a tailed beast bomb.
"I won't let you do this!" The Hokage spoke, making hand seals. He stopped the massive bomb in it's tracks and redirected it away, far from the village.
"I need to alert the Third Hokage of the masked man." He thought, before his senses went haywire. Turning around, a snarl on his fine features, he swung his Kunai full force at the masked man. Intending to stab him in the head, only for it to phase through the man.
Looking up at the man in surprise Minato heard him say. "I got you now."
The Hokage felt himself get sucked in. "He's using space time ninjutsu?!" Acting quickly, he teleported away to one of his marks, leaving the irritated masked man.
"Are you Madara Uchiha?" Minato wondered, standing across the masked man.
"No. He is dead, after all" He continued, changing his mind.
The masked man took his hood down and tilted his head slightly. "I wonder about that."
Many other memories played from the night, up until Minato and Kushina sacrificed themselves to save Naruto and sealed the last half of the Kyuubi in the boy.
Kakashi's visbile eye widened in horror, as the memories played and once they had faded away he took steps back until his back hit the wall. "Impossible..."
It really was Minato, the same chakra, same smell, same looks, and now the memories. Kakashi's chest squeezed painfully.
But how?
Kakashi looked at him and the tears he had been holding back ever since he saw him in the Hokage's office, slid down his cheek.
Oh god, he had yelled and slammed his Sensei against the wall earlier.
"Kakashi-"
"Is that really you Minato-sensei?" He cut him off, voice breaking.
Minato nodded. "But y-you d-died! I was at your funeral I saw your grave." Kakashi cried, fists squeezed. "I-I don't understand, how?" His eyes never left his teacher's face.
"I have no idea, like I said. I somehow regained consciousness after all these years, It might've been because of the Kyuubi's chakra but I really don't know." He said, frowning.
Inoichi stood beside the two, body frozen. He didn't know what to do, The Fourth Hokage was alive, it was surreal.
He cleared his dry throat. "Minato-sama." The Fourth Hokage looked up at him in question. "I'm sorry for interrupting your conversation but I was ordered by The Hokage to inform him of your.. identity..." He trailed off. Inoichi didn't know why he was telling him this, maybe because Minato was the previous Hokage but he felt the need to let him know.
Minato's lips twitched into a genuine smile for the first time since he left Naruto. "Of course Inoichi-san."
Nodding, Inoichi left the room, the Sensei and student could hear him barking orders outside.
They fell into another awkward silence. Kakashi's eyes were glued on Minato the whole time, even during his interaction with Inoichi, like he was trying to drink him in.
"Could you get rid of these chakra binding seals please?"
Kakashi nodded quickly, cheeks turning pink, and hurriedly walked up to him, unbinding him from all the seals and chains.
Minato, feeling refreshed, sighed in relief once the seals were off. He could feel the large amounts of chakra flooding back into his body slowly.
After the Blonde stretched his limbs, moaning in relief, he noticed Kakashi's eyes were still on him. And for the first time since Minato came back he took a good look at Kakashi, just now realizing how much he had grown during these years. He wasn't a teen anymore, he has turned into a fine man.
Minato smiled a genuine, affectionate smile and that seemed to break the spell, he felt a body crush into his and a pair of arms wrapped around him in a tight hug, startling him.
"I missed you so much Sensei. I've been so lost without you and Rin and Obito" Kakashi sobbed against his shoulder, and Minato could feel his own eyes getting wet.
"I'm so sorry Kakashi." How many people has he let down, how many lives has he ruined? He was a horrible person.
"No!" Minato's eyes widened at the raised voice of his student. "Please don't apologize it wasn't your fault."
"Kakashi I-" His chest tightened in sorrow, and guilt tore at his throat. He struggled to breathe properly as the full weight of his failures settled down on him.
"I- I should've been there for you all, but I failed you Obito and Rin. I keep failing everyone over and over again." An image of Naruto popped up in his head, intensifying the feelings. "I can't do anything right."
Kakashi shook his head insistently.
"You're being too harsh on yourself, none of it was your fault. I was the Jonin leader of our team, remember? I insisted on leading the team, it wasn't on you."
"Besides, have you forgotten all the other times you've saved me, Obito and Rin from getting killed? All the other times we needed you, you were there. But even you can't save everyone all the time. None of us blame you for it, we signed up for this life when we graduated from the Academy." Kakashi paused, eye crinkling in a smile, before continuing.
"Not to mention, you were really busy at the battlefronts of the war saving thousands of our Shinobi-" Kakashi poked Minato's chest to emphasize his point. "It was because of you that we won the war, our people are living in peace now mostly because of you" Kakashi finished, eyes filled with pride.
Minato nodded, feeling grateful. He really needed to hear that. He pulled back from the hug and wiped furiously at his eyes, laughing.
"I'm the one supposed to be comforting you, not the other way around."
Kakashi shrugged. "You need it too."
"Thank you Kakashi, that meant a lot." Minato smiled. Before they could continue their conversation further the heavy door of the interrogation room opened.
Hiruzen walked in, looking at Minato with surpressed curiosity.
"Minato... is that really you?"
The blonde nodded.
Hiruzen looked him up and down, scrutinizing him. He must've found something in his eyes because he let out a sigh of relief and smiled.
"It's so good to see you again Minato."
"It's good to be back, we need to talk."