AN:Cross posted on AO3 with additional chapter. Did not post the other chapter here since it's sexually explicit. I'll post all non-lemon chapter here since each chapter is like a short story of different time loops.
-AWHIT- Chapter 1 Karasuki Adventure: Saving Sakumo
Sakumo Hatake was having a bad day, and the churning in his gut told him it was going to get worse. The dark clouds forming in the sky portended misfortune.
He and his team stealthily hopped from tree to tree on their way to assassinate the primary Iwa war strategist, Satoshi Kasen, who was travelling to a town north of Kusagakure. Every instinct in his body screamed at him to stay alert. He didn't reach S-class at twenty-eight in this war-torn world without listening to his gut. Nevertheless, his Hokage needed this mission completed, and it had a small window of opportunity for success.
Sakumo was not a superstitious person. He was a guy who relied on intellect and his spot-on instincts that were honed from years of war experience and S-Class shinobi life. Typically, ominous looking clouds wouldn't have him feeling so unsettled. He would throw on a poncho continuing to do what needed to be done; however, his genius brain added up every fact, every omen from the day, and he did not like that feeling deep within his core to his very soul.
It was the feeling of imminent death. For him? One of the comrades accompanying him? He did not know. What he did know was that he would do everything in his power as Squad Captain to ensure everyone made it back home to their families alive.
-AHWIT-
His bad day started when he received a summons from the Hokage at 0400. Way too early unless they were being invaded. He heard no siren going off in Konoha. There were no jutsu firing in the background, the clinking of weapons, or panicked screams. He quickly deduced an invasion was not occurring. It was also his off day to rest after returning from a weeklong mission the previous day. He couldn't think of a single reason he would be called at such a time.
Oh.
The only other time he was summoned this early was in the middle of the Second Shinobi War. Iwa, Sakumo growled in his mind. The genius White Fang's stomach churned unpleasantly as a sense of foreboding washed over him.
He rubbed the sleep from his grey eyes and replaced his drowsy look with the steely glint of a hardened war veteran. He informed the white mask ANBU he needed a quick wash, but he'd be there in fifteen. The ANBU's hand twitched like he wanted to grab Sakumo and shunshin him there in his half-dressed state, but he nodded his head in silent acknowledgement before reporting back.
On his way to the shower, he stubbed his toe on the corner of his bed and cursed loudly hopping around on one foot. He hoped he didn't wake Kakashi-kun, but it couldn't be helped if he did. I can take a kunai piercing through my flesh without flinching in the heat of combat, but a stubbed toe phased me, yeesh, he admonished himself with a glint of mirth breaking through his steely greys.
"Dad? Is everything okay?" He heard from his son's room. Damn, Sakumo silently cursed cracking open the door.
"Go back to sleep, Kakashi," he called on his way to the washroom. "I received a summons and I need to see what Hokage-sama wants ASAP. I love you."
"Love you too," Kakashi called back tiredly and snuggled back under his blanket.
Sakumo quickly washed up, hopped into his last clean set of combat clothes (not having time to do laundry since his return), and took off at top speed to the Hokage tower. When he arrived, Danzo Shimura and the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, were both there. Danzo immediately calculated his appearance with a frown, apparently dissatisfied, while Hiruzen greeted him with a smile that did not soften the fire in his eyes from the seriousness of what they were about to discuss during the meeting.
"Sandaime-Sama," he bowed at his waist to respectfully greet his Hokage, the leader of the military might of Konoha and his supreme commander. After righting himself, he gave Danzo a short nod to acknowledge his presence. Danzo's frown deepened; he was even more dissatisfied with the casual greeting that Sakumo intentionally directed towards him. As far as Sakumo was concerned, Danzo and himself were near equal in terms of station, combat skills, and war strategy. He bowed only to his Hokage and the Fire Daimyo.
"At ease, Sakumo. We're waiting on your teammates before the briefing at such an ungodly hour," Hiruzen teased to lighten the tense atmosphere.
Sakumo relaxed his posture and beelined towards the tea station on the side table thankful for something to wake him up. As he prepared his cup, he casually commented on his earlier musings, "Figured this has to do with escalating skirmishes from Iwa at the border." He stirred the tea and took a satisfying sip letting the heat clear any scratchiness that may have remained in his morning voice.
"You are correct, Sakumo," Hiruzen simply answered, leaving the details for the briefing. "How's Kakashi-kun?" The mention of his prodigious son had Danzo near salivating. Danzo hid his interest expertly, but someone of Sakumo's caliber instantly picked up on it from the slight twitch of the elder's head in his direction.
"Good," Sakumo replied shortly and cordially. "He was happy to spend time with me after I returned from my mission yesterday. We had sushi." He didn't give anything away to the War Hawk about Kakashi's skills, but he was certain Shimura already knew details of his son's performance as a Genin from more than just mission reports. It unsettled him. It was not the Hi no Ishi he and his family joined the leaf to safeguard.
He sometimes felt like he was the only one perceptive enough to see the rot growing at the root of the great tree of Konoha, but he knew that wasn't true. He would gamble Jonin Commander Shikao Nara, Hiruzen, and Uchiha clan head Kagami Uchiha had their own doubts about the man and his program. He didn't have any proof of foul play from Shimura, he doubted the others did as well because Shimura was too good a ninja and strategist to leave a trail. However, his instincts told him every single time he was in proximity of Shimura that he was a man who could not be trusted. It made his hair stand on the end.
They were ninjas, yes, but the difference between chaos and order of a village, winning or losing a war, was a thin thread easily snapped without trust. Not trusting a commanding officer was a festering disease that would eat away at morale in a ripple effect contagion down the entire military structure from Hokage to Genin. And he didn't trust Danzo, Hiruzen's right hand man. He would kill the man, consequences be damned, if he ever tried to recruit his Kakashi into his brainwashed ROOT. Kakashi only turned six a few weeks ago for Kami's sake.
Sakumo snapped out of his brief internal musings when his longtime teammate Tatchi Hyuga arrived. They were two of the eight comrades still breathing from their academy graduating class after the Second Shinobi War. Tatchi looked just as tired as him. They were on the same mission the day before. Sakumo readied Tatchi's tea to his usual liking while Tatchi greeted the Hokage and Danzo and handed it to him.
"Arigato, Sakumo," Tatchi said with a tired smile. "Akiko had me up most of the night fretting over her. Her morning sickness has been relentless."
"Poor, 'Kiko-chan," Sakumo said. "Hopefully it'll let up in a few more weeks. Tsuna had it bad in her first trimester, but it completely stopped after." Tatchi nodded agreement and they sipped their tea in companionable silence.
The next two arrived in tandem looking just as tired. Shina Aburame and Kaide Uchiha looked stoic, not giving away whether they were tired or not, per their usual. They were not a part of the same mission Tatchi and Sakumo were on so at least those two were more rested if they had to take off immediately for whatever mission they were about to be assigned. Sakumo and Tatchi downed the rest of their tea and stood at attention next to the two who just finished their formal greetings.
"Squad White Fang, the mission you are being assigned will make or break the leaf in the upcoming war," Hiruzen started. "Danzo's men found evidence that Iwa's leading war strategist, Satoshi Kasen, will be on his way to the command post they have been setting up in preparation for their assault on Hi no Kuni. The command post near Kusa is heavily guarded as well as the surrounding area. The only opportunity to take him out will be on his way there. You will have a small window of opportunity. You must succeed without implicating the leaf to avoid inciting the war too early. Killing Satoshi will delay Iwa's plans significantly, but not indefinitely. It will give us more time to prepare, allowing us to effectively stop them at the border. Unfortunately, the war escalation has taken us by surprise due to some skillful planning on Iwa's part despite our rapid mobilization in response. Any time we get from the delay will prove invaluable. Everything you need is in the mission packet. You will leave by 0700. Any questions?"
Throughout the debriefing Sakumo could not shake the feeling they were walking right into a trap. His squad would have to travel through heavily guarded enemy territory to cut off the group without any backup. Additionally, this should have been assigned to ANBU assassination experts who live and breathe the art of assassination if the importance of this mission is as Hiruzen said. Sakumo could do stealth and assassination. His team could do stealth and assassination. But they were more of a heavy tracking and assault squad. It wasn't their expertise per se.
The entire set up seemed far too convenient. If anyone other than Danzo had acquired this information Sakumo might have been more at ease. He couldn't exactly voice this concern with Danzo peering into his soul with his calculating eyes. It would sound far too accusatory and could easily paint a target on his back.
"This will be a challenging mission, but we'll give it our all. No questions from me, Hokage-sama," he said instead of saying, 'this sounds like a trap, Hokage-sama,' or questioning his authority in front of his inferiors.
"You can not fail this mission," Danzo added harshly.
Hiruzen sighed and said, "Challenging, yes. That is why I am entrusting it to you, Sakumo. You are the strongest ninja in the village currently aside from myself. Since there are no questions, you are dismissed."
"Hai, Hokage-sama!" The four said together. They all left understanding the need to give their families a goodbye worthy of their last time seeing them. The risks of the mission weighed heavily upon their shoulders, but they squared them regardless of their misgivings, ready to bare the weight as true shinobi of Konoha.
-AWHIT-
Five squads of Iwa shinobi (twenty shinobi) were spread out waiting for them at the entry point which was marked in their mission packet on the border of Kusa and Hi no Kuni. There was no information in their packet saying Kusa had sided with Iwa or were even leaning towards siding with them. Either it was a recent development or Iwa's involvement in Kusa was conveniently left out of any information provided to the Hokage. Either way, Sakumo's team was well hidden waiting for their captain to provide additional instructions.
Sakumo internally cursed at the lack of intelligence provided. Kusa could now be considered hostile territory that they would have to navigate blindly through in addition to Earth country. They had no idea the numbers they would be facing. Sakumo was excellent, his team were all Elite Jonin too, but to get through Kusa and Earth to their goal without implicating the leaf would be nearly impossible. Regardless of disguise Sakumo was an incredibly well-known shinobi with known affiliation to the leaf.
Sakumo signed for the team to retreat. They followed Sakumo silently, backtracking to a safer location to discuss their next move. It was a delay they could not really afford, but they couldn't call the mission a failure yet. There was still a small chance of success if they could create a good enough plan to move forward.
Once they reached a safer location, Sakumo signaled the three to set up a perimeter while he readied a missive to send to the Hokage informing him of the setback and situation with Kusa. If they didn't make it back, at least Konoha would be informed of Iwa's advancement through Kusa. He summoned his fastest wolf, Yūrei, to deliver the message, then pulled out a map to strategize on a potential successful path forward.
"Fuck," Sakumo hissed silently.
He already had a good idea of the general topography of Kusa and there really was no better route than the one they were advised to go through. Going further North or South would not give them enough time to reach their destination because of the vast marshland on either side of their path. By the time they travel far enough to get around the marshes they'd miss their window of opportunity for the assassination.
In the Second Shinobi War, the marshes proved fatal to navigate through so they couldn't wade through the marshes water walking either. There was no cover, Kusa shinobi knew how to use them to their advantage, and they were heavily trapped. Konoha was never able to send a successful team through them during the war, and it seemed Iwa was taking strategic advantage of that once again in this new war. Sakumo had to commend them on strategy. It left fewer openings requiring patrols which freed up even more soldiers for their offensive.
They would create a distraction and stealth through whatever opening it created. He would then have Kaide shroud them with an area genjutsu when they cross into Kusa even if it would rapidly deplete his Uchiha teammate's reserves. The genjutsu should enable them to get far enough away from the border patrols before Kaide reached chakra depletion. It was the best option. He initially thought he could have Kaide trap them all in genjutsu to conceal their movement completely, but more squads started popping up. Trapping twenty enemies in a genjutsu would completely deplete him and basically leave him for dead. That was not an option in an already suicidal mission. They needed the entire squad to make it for a chance of success.
He whistled to call his team back from their watch. They were there within half a minute. Kami, I love this team, Sakumo thought.
Sakumo kept his voice low while leaving his senses open to maintain awareness for anyone who might want to catch them off guard. "I'll use a shadow clone to set up a flashy distraction north of our entry point. I'll try to draw them into the marsh in disguise using explosive notes. Prior to that, I want Shina to get a bug on each of our combatants so we can track them if they pursue us. Tatchi will keep watch on the patrols and let us know when we can proceed when the distraction goes off. Kaide, you'll need to cast an area genjutsu on us for as long as you can without going into chakra exhaustion. This is our only path forward to make it to the target in time. Any question?"
While overall apprehensive of the mission, the team had fire in their eyes ready to engage in the first major move from Konoha for this war. They had no questions. They were ready and determined to succeed.
"Good. Moving out."
-AWHIT-
Iwa was told of their mission. They were way too prepared to not have been told exactly who was being sent.
Everything went wrong.
Only one squad fell for the distraction. The Iwa nin dispatched Sakumo's clone quickly using well hidden traps in the marshland even after it used kawarmi multiple times to avoid them as they were triggered. All the bugs Shina sent to mark their enemies were squished.
The only thing that went to plan was Kaide's genjutsu, but the enemy squads spread out searching for them. Kaide sweated profusely trying to keep up the genjutsu longer than he should have so they could put distance between them. He was pushing his limits. His breathing was heavy. It was going to give away their location through no fault of his own.
Sakumo had to change their tactics quickly. He signed 'Up' to his team to follow him to the top of a tree. Kaide needed to drop the genjutsu or he'd be dead weight. Literally dead when they hit the enemies because a skirmish was inevitable at this point. They were already suppressing their chakra signatures to their utmost ability, but if Iwa had a sensor nin with them they'd be screwed.
Tatchi's byakugan eyes widened. 'Enemy surrounding,' he signed.
Fuck. Of course they had a sensor.
Kaide popped a chakra pill. If they got out of this fight alive, he'd be sick in a few hours, useless to the mission, and he knew it. 'Don't hesitate to leave me behind,' he signed urgently. Sakumo shook his head. He'd find a way to drag everyone through this or he wasn't the White Fang of Konoha. He's been up against this many enemies before and lived.
'Kaide with me, Shina north, Tatchi west,' Sakumo commanded. He wanted Kaide with him so he could keep an eye on his state and keep him out of harm's way.
As soon as he finished the command, a paper bomb exploded on the tree they were using to regroup. They all used kawarmi and ended up in their standard formation on the forest floor. Sakumo gave a small nod to his team, and they were all off engaging the enemies. Sakumo beheaded the two closest to him and Kaide with his white light chakra sabre in a matter of seconds. Kaide shot a fireball behind him only for it to be countered by an earth wall. It was a great distraction, though, and gave Sakumo the chance to stab another enemy in the heart, cutting through the kunai the enemy used to deflect the blade.
That's how it went, Kaide watching his back, Sakumo charging forward. They were a great duo, them surviving against the odds. Cutting down enemies one by one. White flashes slicing through them before they could react properly. His white lightning cutting through their earth attacks like butter.
Everything seemingly went downhill at once. Kaide dropped to his knees exhausted after the ninth kill having reached his limit, then Sakumo heard something that would haunt his nightmares forever. He heard a heart wrenching scream of agony from Tatchi a short distance away. Tatchi who had a pregnant wife to take of when he got home. It distracted him, he turned to the noise, but he should have known better. Shinobi can't show emotions on the battlefield. While he was distracted, a thrown kunai sliced through Kaide's combat gear and implanted itself deep in his gut.
Sakumo saw red. Literally. It was gushing from the wound, and he couldn't do anything to stop it. The only thing he could do was quickly and savagely murder the rest of the enemies so he could try to tend to his team as soon as possible. As Kaide fell forward, Sakumo quickly caught him so he wouldn't fall on the kunai and imbed it even more deeply than it was already. He laid him on his back, then took off towards Tatchi having already finished the enemies on his side.
Sakumo was so wrapped up in red, in bloodlust to kill for survival, that he didn't notice a silver-haired man and a golden-haired woman drop next to Kaide.
The man's palm lit up in a calming shade of light green. He removed the kunai and immediately pressed his glowing hand to the wound. The wound stitched closed in matter of seconds. He took some red pills from his pouch on his leg and shoved them into Kaide's mouth. He placed his palm over Kaide's forehead and put the man into a deep sleep.
"He's ready for transport," the silver-haired man said.
"Be back in a flash," the golden-haired woman replied. She placed her hand on Kaide's shoulder, and they were both gone in a yellow flash. Half a minute later, she returned in a yellow flash. They both set off after Sakumo.
Tatchi's leg was twisted unnaturally in the opposite direction when Sakumo arrived. He was pale, deathly white, and passed out from pain. His bone was clearly visible through a bloody rip in the skin at his knee cap. One of the enemies was about to bury Tatchi with earth burial, but Sakumo used his white lighting to swiftly counter it. The last thing the enemy saw was a flash of white and bloody guts pouring out from his own midsection.
Sakumo swiftly dispatched the remaining four nins surrounding Tatchi and himself. His heart ached looking at his broken friend, but he squared his jaw and moved on to check on Shina. His long-time friend was going to be crippled for life. Crippled for life. One of the best comrades a guy could ever need never to fight alongside him again. It was tragic. Sakumo hated it. He hated war and the death resulting from it.
Sakumo choked down his emotions when he left Tatchi. He would end this swiftly and keep everyone alive. He knew he could reign in his emotions, but he could barely keep it together when he saw Shina's state. It took everything in him to remain in control. Shina was covered in burns on her left side. Her hive was completely decimated. Her clothing was burned into her flesh in bloody, peeling patches of angry red skin. He didn't know how she was still standing, still breathing. She was fighting with everything she had, kunai gripped tightly in her hand deflecting the shuriken and kunai coming at her.
Sakumo quickly deduced her enemies were long-range combatants specifically assigned to Shina to avoid her insects. He took off in the direction of the thrown weapons to hit them from behind. He was not expecting two of the Iwa nins to be tied up in ninja wire from top to bottom, gag already in place. He was shocked.
He smelled two scents in the wind coming from the direction of the other enemies north of his current location. One scent was unfamiliar, but the other reminded him of his son except sharper, more defined. It was the scent of ruthless lighting that struck anything in its way down mercilessly until it turned to ash. He wondered briefly if Sandaime-sama sent him back-up, but that couldn't be possible. There was no way his message even made it to Konoha yet.
He moved towards the familiar scent trying to discern if he had even more enemies to kill. Though he was hoping they were allies, he wouldn't let his guard down. Ahead of him, he saw a purple flash of light between the trees. The light covered a vast distance zigzagging towards multiple targets. The smell of charred bodies let him know the strike struck mercilessly. There were no more enemies left in the area after that one jutsu of purple light hit all of them. It looked like purple lightning. It had to be an S-Ranked technique which meant his saviors/potential enemies were incredibly strong.
Sakumo stealthily moved towards the purple lightning wielder. From the cover of a tree, he saw the back of a head covered in silver, gravity defying hair. The man was looking in the direction his lightning hit moments before. Sakumo looked towards the wooded area as well. A golden-haired goddess emerged carrying three charred men who were still alive. They were secured with ninja wire and gagged. Sakumo's mouth gaped open. The woman's stomach protruded noticeably. She looked about six months pregnant.
"These fuckers tried to pop suicide pills," she growled at her silver-haired companion who didn't seem inclined to help her carry the men. Sakumo was instantly annoyed that the silver-haired man wasn't trying to help her. She was pregnant in the middle of a battlefield. What the actual fuck. "I took care of it."
"Mah, I can see that, foxy-chan," the silver-haired man chuckled. "The others were transported safely?" Sakumo wondered who and if these 'others' would be more potential enemies he'd have to fight.
"Of course, you asshole," the pregnant lady groaned. "Remind me again why I let you get me pregnant?" She dropped the men unceremoniously to the ground, turned to the side, and threw up the entire contents of her stomach in a chunky puddle next to one of the tied-up men. Finally, the silver-haired man did something to help her. He held her hair up to keep it out of the path of her vomit and rubbed her back with his other hand.
"You weren't saying that when it was happening," he reminded her smugly.
She swatted his hands away roughly in response. "Gah! Leave me alone, asshole!" She pouted. "Sakumo-kun, it's not polite to spy on a pregnant lady," she mumbled.
Sakumo tensed up, ready for combat. They knew he was there. His hand reached for his blade, and he hopped down from the tree. There was no use trying to hide. The silver-haired man turned towards him completely relaxed not fearing for his life at all. The blonde woman wiped at her mouth to clear the residual bile, also not worried for her life in the slightest. He looked at the man, then to the woman, then back to the man, and his breath caught in his throat.
The man looked like an older version of his Kakashi. He even had the same birthmark on his chin, just below his lips. His features were his own, but so much like his mother's it made his heart clench. He was blatantly staring, forgetting to breathe. The man was looking at him with platonic love of family in his eyes. His eyes were soft, his lips were quirked up slightly in amusement. He looked like he wanted to hug him but was restraining himself. Sakumo rubbed his eyes wondering if he was seeing things. Maybe he got poisoned from the combat and didn't know it. It was an eerie feeling.
"Sakumo-kun, we took your teammates to a hospital," the blonde said snapping Sakumo out of his mesmerized state. She swished water in her mouth and spit it out next to the men on the ground. "They will make full recoveries. We got to Tatchi in time to save his leg."
"We have a gift for you," the silver-hair one said next, not giving Sakumo enough time to process what the blonde said. He reached into his pouch slowly to indicate he meant no harm, and carefully pulled out a sealing scroll. "The severed head of Iwa's Satoshi Kasen."
"What!" Sakumo said in disbelief. Were these two even real?
"Mah, that was your mission, right?" The silver-haired man said while rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.
"You were totally set up!" The blonde exclaimed from the side. "Danzo is even more of an asshole than him!" She pointed to the silver-haired man who replied by smiling fondly at her.
Sakumo was totally confused. Completely and utterly bewildered. What kind of chaos was going on here? "Erm," he said, then coughed into his hand. "Who the hell are you people?"
"Oh! Duh! I'm Naruto, child of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki. He," she pointed at the other man again, "is your son, Kakashi. We came to the past so you could watch your grandkids grow up this time."
Sakumo blinked. That was a lot to process.
"We came back a few months ago and rebuilt Uzushiogakure. We teleported your teammates to the hospital there." Naruto said nearly jumping in excitement like she didn't just shatter his perception of reality. The pair were completely insane, bonkers, nuts. Time travel? What the fuck?
Kakashi cleared his throat, "Since your mission is a success," he slowly passed the scroll over to Sakumo, "You should come back with us and rest up before Danzo sends more ROOT agents after you. All of these 'Iwa Ninjas' are ROOT nin in disguise. Poor disguises… I mean, they didn't even shout insults like usual Iwa nin. We caught one about to kill Yūrei." Sakumo's KI instantly rose. It would have suffocated anyone in the vicinity. The tied-up nins whimpered from the intensity. Kakashi continued, unconcerned with the KI, "We took care of him and let Yūrei have a snack." He eye-smiled at Sakumo.
Sakumo didn't know what to think. Even if they weren't from the future, their delusions did save him and his team from enemy combatants (ROOT or Iwa, he still wasn't sure). He wanted to see his team to make sure they were okay like the blonde said, but he also didn't want to walk into another trap.
He looked down at the sealing scroll in his hand. He first needed to confirm the kill of their target. He unsealed the scroll and a head popped out and rolled in the dirt. He bent down and lifted it up, and yep, that sure looked like Satoshi Kasen. He examined the head for any signs of tampering such as making a body double, but he found none. It was truly the head of Iwa's lead war strategist. It almost felt like he was cheating, but there was no honor with ninjas. They weren't samurai. He resealed the head, then turned his attention to the tightly bound men.
"How do you know they are ROOT?" Sakumo asked, completely ignoring the crazy for the moment.
Naruto fanned herself with an ornately decorated tessen. "Their tongues, senpai," Naruto said. "Danzo puts a loyalty seal on his tools so they can't speak against him." She waddled over to them holding her aching back with one hand. She bent over one and removed the gag. She released KI to scare him into submission, opened his mouth with little resistance, and pulled out his tongue. Sakumo clearly saw an intricate seal on the nin's tongue. "They go paralyzed if they talk about Danzo." She gagged him again, then wiped her fingers on the enemy's shirt with a disgusted look on her face.
"And how do you know this seal is Danzo's?" Sakumo asked skeptically.
"Mah, there are three here. Another couple tied up over there. Test it with one of them," Kakashi shrugged.
Naruto's face went red with anger of a thousand women, KI leaking menacingly. "So help me, if you guys prevent me from going home and relaxing for much longer, I will make you regret it. Save the interrogation for Uzushio." She then started muttering about ramen and dango with a dreamy look on her face, a complete one-eighty from her previously murderous intent.
Naruto was insane whenever she was pregnant, and it was worse this time around. She was pregnant with twins. For some reason Kakashi did not know, double the children meant double the insanity. He loved her. Desperately. Forever and always. He would do anything to keep her happy, even if she was threatening his life. So, Kakashi paled, and his eyes widened. He knew they would have to move quickly to not incur her wrath. He immediately set off to secure the other ROOT nins they had tied up and was back in a minute throwing them down on top of the other captives.
Sakumo's eyebrow was pretty much permanently quirked up at this point calculating everything in his genius brain of his. His supposed future son was completely whipped by this insane pregnant lady. He took a good look at Naruto, his eyebrow obviously still quirked, and could see the resemblance of Minato and Kushina. That shade of yellow was so uncommon it nearly made him believe their farcical story. However, he was too practical and too much of a genius to believe it yet. He did know one thing. He would have to play along for now to see his team again. His eyes hardened, accepting his fate and the potential trap he was about to walk into willingly.
As soon as Sakumo made up his mind to go with them, Naruto noticed the change in his eyes and posture. It was the posture of a man who would do anything to save his comrades. Naruto created five clones without using hand seals. "I'm going to hiraishin us there," she said, eyes fixed to Sakumo's hand which tensed on the handle of his white chakra blade when she made the clones. "Clones make it easier so I can port the captives to separate cells. You and Kashi will travel with me to the hospital. Place your hand on my shoulder." Kakashi walked over and did as commanded, but Sakumo hesitated. Naruto narrowed her eyes at him. "Now," she gritted out. Sakumo sighed, then complied.
Such a demanding woman, he thought. Before he could really process what was happening, he was standing in the forest one second, and the next second he was standing in a hospital waiting room ready to hurl up all the contents in his stomach. Thankfully someone shoved a bucket into his hands, so it didn't end up on the floor. Once he finished, someone then shoved a bottle of water in his hands. He gratefully used it to swish the disgusting taste of vomit from his mouth and spit it into the bucket. The bucket was promptly removed and Sakumo saw a beautiful, curvy woman with long red hair walking away to dispose of it. He instantly felt embarrassed, his face heated up, cheeks red.
"Ah, Sakumo-kun has a crush," Naruto cackled next to him. "Her name is Rei."
He did his best to ignore her swallowing his embarrassment swiftly to avoid additional teasing. "Will one of you take me to my team?" he asked impatiently. He needed to confirm they were still breathing.
"Of course, Sakumo-kun," she said brightly. "Kaide and Shina are in the same recovery room. Tatchi is still in surgery. His injury was more complex to heal. Should be out of there in about an hour. You can watch from the observation room after you check on Kaide and Shina if you want."
"Please," Sakumo said while following Naruto to the room at the end of the hall. Sakumo let out a sigh of relief upon seeing the two in the large room. There was a window and Sakumo noted the ocean view before checking over his team. Shina was heavily bandaged, but her heart monitor was rising and falling steadily. Kaide was hooked up to a machine receiving a blood transfusion, but his stomach was bare. There wasn't even a scar where Sakumo knew the kunai was previously. He thought only Tsunade could heal like that.
"Mah, I closed up his wound pretty much right after he was hit and you left," Kakashi said. He could see the disbelief on his father's face. "He only needed blood."
"It hit a vital point," Sakumo argued.
"Like I said, I healed him quickly. If I had been even a little later, he'd have died," Kakashi explained. "I used an advanced technique to rapidly multiply and regenerate his cells in the affected area."
"That's – you're – what the actual fuck," Sakumo mumbled in disbelief.
"It's a lot to process," Kakashi agreed. "It took me a few lifetimes to perfect it. I'm certainly not a medical prodigy like Tsunade."
"Lifetimes?" Sakumo blurted more to himself than anyone else in the room.
"Annoying fucking time loops," Naruto mumbled under her breath, but Sakumo caught it and sweat dropped. What the actual fuck happened to these two. "Follow me to Tatchi while Kakashi gets me ramen-sama and dango. Time for mommy to sit down and relax." Kakashi gulped and took off to do as requested while Sakumo followed silently behind the pregnant monster of a woman shaking his head in disbelief. He tried to fluctuate his chakra to dispel a genjutsu, but everything was real.
The room had an entire wall made of glass giving the observers a full view of the operation taking place below. The chairs were surprisingly comfortable looking. Surprising because he had never sat in a comfortable chair in a hospital before. Naruto sank into one and sighed contentedly, happy to be off her swollen feet. She pulled another chair in front of her, kicked off her sandals, and propped her feet up. Sakumo's lips quirked up in amusement. He had no doubt she would have done the same even if she was in a room full of daimyos.
He investigated the surgery room after Naruto got comfortable. There were four iryo-nins working on his friend. Tatchi's leg was back to its natural position. He could only imagine the work it was taking to make it fully functional again. The four iryo-nins were taking turns every five minutes piecing together the shattered bones, tendons, muscles, everything piece by piece. It was like trying to repair shattered glass. They were regrowing what could not be restored and differentiating between what needed regrown and what needed to be pieced together. Uzushio iryo-nins were impressive. If he had brought Tatchi back to Konoha, his friend would have been a cripple with an amputated leg.
"If you only rebuilt Uzushio from complete destruction a few months ago, how do you have such good medical facilities?" Sakumo asked.
"Shadow clones, senpai," Naruto said. Sakumo's eternally raised eyebrow said he didn't understand. Naruto elaborated, "I made three thousand shadow clones per day."
"That's impossible!" Sakumo said. "Even Hokage-sama can only make a handful."
"I have an ocean of chakra. I'm the only one alive who can do it. Well, maybe my mother can… hmmm…" Naruto brought a finger up to her mouth in a thinking pose before remembering she was talking to someone. She cleared her throat, "Anyway, most of the clones worked on construction. We rebuilt it stronger than ever with my godly seal work. It's pretty much indestructible now. A couple hundred clones who weren't building everything were finding lost family members who had been imprisoned or who went into hiding after the attack. I was able to save over a hundred of my clan. The clones also stormed through Kiri and invited bloodline clans to move here. There is a raging discrimination problem towards bloodlines slowing rising over there. It will ultimately result in a civil war, so I gave them the option of joining Uzushio. Terumi, Kaguya, Takado, and Yuki clans joined from Kiri. The Chinoike clan joined from Yugakure. A few rebels from Ame joined. Some missing nins who left their villages for valid reasons joined to find a place to belong and the promise of a better life. We took in a lot of war orphans too."
It sounded like they were building an army. Sakumo schooled his features to not give anything away. Naruto was casually going in depth about things he would have to report to Hiruzen. He almost wanted her to stop for the sake of the Uzushio, but he was a loyal shinobi. He would take whatever information she was willing to give.
"Sounds like a formidable force," Sakumo settled on saying.
Naruto nodded happily. "Honestly, I'm thrilled to give them all better lives. From the time we're from, there were only like seven Uzumaki left in the world. Kiri was in a civil war and entire bloodlines were wiped out during the bloodline purge. The Chinoike clan would have been died off in a year. The entire foundation of this new Uzushio is to save lives and preserve life. It's our Will of Uzushio. We will be the defense force the world needs when the time comes."
Sakumo felt the whirling of emotions rise inside him from Naruto's declaration. It's how he felt when he felt his Will of Fire burning bright. Clearly Naruto had no qualms providing him with this information. She was confident in their ability to defend their home. She was probably even doing it with a hidden agenda.
"Are you telling me this to initiate alliance talks with Konoha?" Sakumo guessed.
Naruto laughed loudly. "No-oo," she said between gasps of breath before her face morphed to the most serious look he had seen from the woman. "Konoha is the reason Uzushio fell."
Sakumo gasped loudly at the accusation. Konoha was devastated when they found out their sister village was decimated. Konoha nin wear the Uzushio spiral on their uniforms to never forget their biggest failure for kami's sake… to accuse them of betrayal was preposterous.
"More specifically, Danzo was the reason," Naruto growled. "He sold our secrets of the barriers protecting the village. Then, he coordinated with the enemy to ensure Konoha's force would be focused on a different battlefield so they would not have enough time to support their ally when the news arrived. The price of his betrayal was secret Uzumaki sealing scrolls he received from the other Kages after their assault was successful. So, no. We won't be hostile towards Konoha, but we will not ally. Hiruzen doesn't have a strong enough leash on his subordinates to ally. His complacency is as bad as the one doing the deeds."
Sakumo's temper flared while Naruto casually insulted his Kage. It was irrational anger on his part. He knew what she was saying was true, but he could not allow her to continue to insult Konoha's leader. He would never hit a pregnant lady, but he was tempted. "Do not insult, Sandaime-sama," he said harshly.
"Did I touch a nerve," she said dangerously sweet in a candied voice. "Imagine me, the Nanadaime Hokage, finding all of this out. Sandaime-sama was like a grandfather to me. I called him Jiji. Anywho, imagine me finding out that my grandfather was complacent towards the genocide of my clan. Disillusionment is a bitch." She crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked at him harshly, daring him to do something.
"You know what else is a bitch?" She continued, unconcerned with Sakumo's rage. "Imagine that mission you were on a few hours ago. Imagine Kakashi and I didn't save your ass. You would have easily handled the remaining nin. They weren't anything special. What would you have done after you slaughtered them?" she asked in that same candied voice. Sakumo didn't respond.
"I'll tell you what you would have done, Sakumo-kun. You would have abandoned the mission and returned to Konoha to save your comrades. An admirable choice in my opinion. Those ROOT nin posing as Iwa nin would have been cleaned up with more ROOT nin to leave no evidence behind. Your wolf would have died, your missive never making it to the Hokage. Kaide would have died in that fight. You would have brought your two living comrades back home. Tatchi would have lost his leg. Shina would never be able to host a hive again."
Sakumo hit the wall creating a giant hole where his fist hit.
"Wait, it gets better. You would have been dragged to a meeting with Hiruzen and the elder council. They would condemn you for choosing your comrades over completing the mission because failure to complete this mission meant a higher Konoha body count in the war. Even Tatchi and Shina would condemn you when they woke up. They would have rather died than be saved in their conditions. Rumor spread to the Konoha population that you failed to follow the shinobi code resulting in the escalation of the war. They ostracize you and Kakashi-kun. Like full blown ostracization refusing to sell you food among other things."
"Enough!" Sakumo roared with spit flying from his mouth. He looked like a deranged mad man, but it didn't scare Naruto. She had seen the likes of Madara and poser Madara in full blown derangement in a fair share of lifetimes. Crazy people didn't really phase her anymore.
Naruto did not stop as Sakumo demanded of her. She had to thoroughly disillusion him to save him and tiny Kashi-kun. "Then, from the shame of not filling your duty, the shame of being the cause of Kakashi's ostracization, you commit seppuku to atone using your white chakra blade. Little Kakashi comes home to find you covered in your own blood and guts. It traumatizes him a long time."
Sakumo shook in anger, his chakra vibrated violently. He knew it was all true. Everything she said resonated to the core of his being as if he lived it before. He imagined himself in the meeting with Hiruzen, Danzo, Hamura, and Koharu and he could imagine their displeasure with Danzo fanning the flames of his condemnation. He would have been used as a scapegoat for increased tension with Iwa; his spotless reputation tarnished. It was a fact that Hiruzen was contemplating naming Sakumo as his successor. He could see Danzo plotting his downfall the moment he found out. The perfect plot to make the White Fang fall into disgrace. Sakumo didn't even want the Hokage hat.
How dare they! Sakumo roared in his mind. My son would have been dragged down with me! Sakumo wanted to hit something else. The wall wasn't satisfying. Before he could act on that urge, a warm chakra suddenly wrapped around him. It was comforting. It reminded him of snuggling in a warm blanket on a cold winter's night. It allowed him to calm the heck down before he made an ass of himself.
"Apologies, Naruto-san," Sakumo said.
"Don't worry about it. You had to hear it," she said matter-of-factly. "Say, Sakumo-kun. You have given your whole life to Konoha as a loyal shinobi. If this is the thanks she gives you… If she has turned her back on you, maybe it's time you turn your back on her." (A/N: mini allusion to Einstein's line in Oppenheimer).
"I'm loyal, as you said," Sakumo said firmly.
"Loyalty is an admirable quality, senpai. Blind loyalty is not."
Sakumo shook his head fervently. He would not fall victim to someone trying to turn him against his home. "All of that would have happened if we failed. You ensured our mission was a success. There is no reason to abandon ship."
"So, what? You show up with your team healed and the head of Kasen like a shining white knight of Konoha. Puh-lease," She scoffed at his delusion. "You ask to speak to Hiruzen privately, but Danzo always has an ear on Hiruzen's 'private' meetings. You bring up ROOT's involvement. You even hand over the prisoners with one of their seals removed for interrogation. You think you and Kakashi will live happily ever after? Use your genius brain, senpai. Danzo will annihilate you through Kakashi if necessary. That man has plans within plans within plans for every move he makes. There would be a civil war at the most inopportune time with Iwa already stationing troops for a major offensive."
Sakumo had to admit she made a lot of sense. He wasn't thinking clearly with his emotions riled up. Danzo was a ruthless and relentless warmonger. No one even knew how many ROOT agents he had following him. It would cause a lot of chaos in the leaf during already tumultuous times with tensions high from the threat of war. It could be the downfall of Konoha.
Sakumo gulped. "What would you suggest, Naruto-san?"
Her face was stern. He could tell she would give it to him straight. "You should lie, Hatake." Sakumo drew in a deep, harsh breath at the thought. "You don't believe me? You have your doubts? That's fine. I wouldn't call you a genius if you didn't. You tell your Hokage," she spat out the word like it disgusted her, "your team engaged in combat at the border of Kusa. You tell him it was Iwa nin, but you were able to find a small town with a doctor willing to treat your team after dealing with the ambush. You tell him you left your team there and continued the mission. You were successful. You returned to your team with a head in a scroll, then returned to Konoha. Your comrades are in a forced sleep. They won't remember anything about who rescued them to refute your story."
"Sounds like a good suggestion," Sakumo said with a faraway look. It would give the Hokage the false perception that Iwa advanced faster than they thought. That would mean quicker mobilization for Konoha. Quicker mobilization wouldn't be terrible. The war was already escalating anyway. The only downside was his guilt, but it was necessary. He couldn't find a single fault in Naruto's logic regarding the threat of civil war.
"I would also suggest you watch your back. We came back in time so you could see your grandchildren grow. Little Kakashi and my Kakashi would be devastated if anything happened to you. Also, you are always welcome to move here."
She pulled a tri-prong kunai from her weapons pouch and handed it to him. "Channel chakra into this if you decide to make a move. If not, we'll be sad, but we accept your decision." She hesitated for a moment, but quickly resolved her indecision. "I would only ask that as payment for us saving your team, please keep Uzushio a secret for now. I really don't feel like dealing with our return being public knowledge yet. Once the twins pop out, we'll make ourselves known."
Sakumo internally debated with himself. If he was lying to the Hokage, he wouldn't have any reason to know about Uzushio. Even if Uzushio was a potential threat, Naruto said they wouldn't be hostile, and he felt like he could trust her. She had an aura that screamed at him to take a chance on her.
"You have my word, Naruto-san. I will keep your secret."
"Good deal!" Naruto beamed at him with the most radiant smile he had ever seen. No wonder his son fell in love with her. She was a dynamic, strong-willed, powerful woman. The epitome of a good partner. Smart, funny, but also serious when she needed to be serious. He could easily fall in love with her himself, but he perished that thought instantly. That would be weird. "Now, where the hell is my ramen-sama," she whined, finally realizing Kakashi never returned with the food.
As if waiting for the right moment, Kakashi poofed into the room carrying the food and drinks. Naruto stretched out her grabby hands immediately. She was pregnant, and her craving needed to be satisfied pronto. She literally wept when she opened the jumbo bowl of ramen. Kakashi immediately moved behind her to give her a shoulder massage to comfort her. Hormones were a bitch.
"Sorry for the wait, love. I had to handle a dispute near the ramen stand," he kissed the top of her head.
"I-I though you st-stopped m-making those d-dumb excused," she said through tears.
"I did!" He defended himself. "Tenchi Kaguya was getting riled up over one of the orphans who accidentally ran into him. I handled the situation." Naruto nodded, wiped her eyes, and the waterworks finally started to diminish while she slurped her noodles.
"Thanks, Kashi-kun," she mumbled. The massage worked wonders on her. "Sakumo-kun, you must be hungry. Help yourself." She gestured towards the takeout bags with her chopsticks. He thanked her and dug in ravenously. He had a light meal for breakfast. He was starving after the eventful day.
"Looks like they're almost finished," Kakashi said while observing the operation over Naruto's head. "Damn, they learned quickly." Sakumo heard pride in his voice.
"You taught them?" He said through a mouthful of dango.
"Yep. Naruto helped me develop a seal to transfer medical knowledge to people with innate talent for the iryojutsu. It doesn't do all the work for them, but it sure speeds things up."
Sakumo choked on his food. That was revolutionary. If anyone got their hands on that seal, they would have a major advantage over their enemies. It seemed too good to be true.
"Any side effects?" He asked.
"Mah, minor. Negligible considering the benefits. They passed out for eighteen hours when it was applied, but they woke up without even a headache. When I was observing them after they passed out, they had a minor fever and increased brainwave activity spiking irregularly. It was like what is seen when someone has a seizure, but they weren't seizing."
"That's amazing," Sakumo said in awe of his son's accomplishment.
"Mah, time loops really give a person time to experiment and innovate. Amazing, yes, but I wouldn't wish our fate on anyone. We wish we could die." Kakashi said his morbid comment so casually it sounded unnatural. It was like hearing a suicidal person express their innermost thought until Sakumo really looked at the two of them and assessed the statement.
He wouldn't want to live so long he'd wish for a death that would never come. Part of the thrill of living is knowing life has an end. Living forever would be a slow torture as the years tick by like seconds, each lifetime feeling like an hour. Time itself becoming pointless. No wonder they traveled back in time. Probably trying to shake up the monotony.
Sakumo didn't ask how long they lived. In fact, he decided he wouldn't ask any questions. He would listen to what they felt like sharing, sure, but he could live without knowing everything. The little details Naruto shared were enough to completely shatter his reality. He didn't need anything more any time soon. It was enough. He would use it to stay a step ahead of Danzo when he returned.
"Sakumo-kun, are you listening?" Naruto huffed.
"Apologies. I am now," he said sheepishly.
Kakashi eye-smiled at him, then repeated what he said, "I said you'll be staying at our house. Your team needs at least another day of rest before they're travel ready. You'll be confined to the house during your stay. Can't have you learning all our secrets regardless of being family."
"Of course, I have no problems with that," Sakumo bowed his head in acquiescence.
"Great," Kakashi said. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to let us know. Naruto will teleport you directly there when you're ready to leave."
"I'm ready to rest," Sakumo said tiredly. "My team will be sleeping anyway. Pointless to stay now that I know they're okay."
Naruto downed the rest of her noodles, then Kakashi cleaned up the trash for her. She reached out her hand impatiently waiting for Sakumo to grab it. Once he grabbed it, they were gone in a flash.
"Home, sweet home," Naruto sighed contentedly. For a home built by the person who restored Uzushio, the house was a humble two story. Despite being two stories, it was spacious and stunning to behold from the outside alone. There were sakura trees, koi fishponds, and flower gardens on both sides of the path leading up to the front door. The gardens popped with white, purple, and blue flowers.
When Sakumo entered the home, it was surprisingly traditional. He was expecting something more extravagant with the gardens outside. The first floor had a living area, a dining room, a kitchen, a half washroom with a sink and toilet, and a home office. The backyard had a personal hot spring. The second floor had five guest rooms, a master bedroom, and two washrooms. One of the washrooms was in the master bedroom. The other was fully stocked with any toiletries Sakumo might need during his stay. The guest room he was shown to was slightly bigger than his room in Konoha.
Sakumo gratefully sank into the queen-sized bed after excusing himself for the evening. The sun was starting to set so it wasn't quite night, but waking up as early as he did with the mission from hell earlier, he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
-AWHIT-
"Iwa is in Kusa?" Hiruzen said when Sakumo finished his initial report. The Hokage was calculating his response. If he knew about Danzo's plot, he was a good actor. He seemed genuinely concerned.
"Yes, sir. It was five squads," Sakumo lied. "There were several things strange about the encounter, though."
"Continue," Hiruzen commanded.
"They didn't act like Iwa shinobi, sir." Sakumo had to hold back a smile from the Hokage's deadpanned face waiting for a better explanation to the vague statement. "They wore the headband and clothes, but none of them yelled obscenities or made derogatory comments towards us. They were unnaturally silent. Some of them even used fire jutsu. While not unheard of outside of Fire, it's unusual for Iwa nin who hate us and refuse to use it on sheer principle."
Hiruzen hummed in thought. "Anything else?"
"Yes, sir. Initially, I thought they had already taken control of Kusa, but I didn't encounter any other Iwa nin until I reached the border into Earth country. It was strange, but it could have been good luck after the shitty luck at the border of Fire and Kusa. My mission was to assassinate Kasen. I did not linger to investigate with injured teammates needing me back as soon as I could. It would be prudent to send a scouting team to Kusa."
It was a blatant lie, but he was an excellent shinobi. He didn't do or say anything to cause suspicion. He decided on his way to Konoha, three of his wolves carrying his sleeping teammates, to alter the lie slightly from what Naruto suggested. He didn't want to change too much about the current situation without knowing the butterfly effect of escalating the war early. It could lead to more a devastating war.
"If they weren't Iwa nin, who were they?" Hiruzen wondered aloud.
"Mercenaries maybe?" Sakumo mused fully aware ROOT was most likely spying on their conversation. He needed them to view his report as harmless. He didn't need them to know he knew more than he was letting on. "Perhaps the Tsuchikage wanted Konoha to make the first real move in the war to clear them from aggressor reparations when we beat them. It's a good strategy for the long game."
Hiruzen cocked his eyebrow giving the theory thought before dismissing it with a shake of his head. "Onoki is going into this war thinking he has a real chance of winning. He doesn't strike me as someone who would strategize as if they were going to lose."
"If not Onoki, perhaps another nation trying to stoke the flame? I'm honestly not sure. They were mainly low Jonin in skill, a few high Chunin."
"Maybe," Hiruzen said not convinced of the theory. He looked slightly disappointed at Sakumo's deductive reasoning. "We have a rat in the house, Sakumo. That ambush was too convenient. This was an S-Ranked mission. No one without S-Rank clearance should have known."
"The thought crossed my mind, Hokage-sama. I wondered if it was simply my own paranoia after the encounter. It could be a double feint, though. Iwa spreads word about Kasen's movement, plants mercenaries at the border to make us think information was leaked. If we're too busy cleaning house, it makes it hard to focus on the war. Unless I'm looking too far underneath the underneath," he chuckled. Hiruzen cracked a smile as well.
"It wouldn't be the first time Iwa tried to deploy a similar tactic. You might be onto something there." Hiruzen puffed on his pipe a few times. "Well, excellent job against the odds, Sakumo. I chose you for this mission and you did not disappoint. I'll keep you off duty for a week. You deserve it. Spend time with your son. Dismissed."
Sakumo bowed low and left the office maintaining his cool despite the curveball that came right out of the Hokage's mouth. What did the Hokage mean he chose him for this mission? Did he know about the ambush and wanted a strong nin there to handle it? Did he plan everything with Danzo? Did he willingly want to use Sakumo as a scapegoat to warn others against breaking the shinobi code or as a martyr to escalate things with Iwa if he died? What in the actual fuck is going on here. That one statement threw his entire world out of orbit.
Was he looking too far into it? Maybe he chose Sakumo at the suggestion of Danzo, but ultimately made the final decision. Maybe because Danzo was involved, Hiruzen chose Sakumo because he knew he could handle whatever the War Hawk dished out. If that's the case, he didn't even attempt to warn Sakumo. It is as Naruto said. Hiruzen's inaction was as bad as Danzo's actions. It was even worse in Sakumo's opinion. The leader he placed his trust in had major blinders regarding his old friend. How could he continue to trust Sarutobi's judgement?
The dominoes of his disillusionment kept falling one by one. 'If she has turned her back on you, maybe it's time to turn your back on her.' Naruto's voice echoed in his mind on repeat after each domino clicked against the next.
Was she alluding to Hiruzen's betrayal?
Click.
If the timeline did not change, would Hiruzen have supported him when the rest of the village turned their backs?
Click.
He committed seppuku.
Click.
He had no support.
Click.
He was used like a tool.
Click.
Sakumo wished he could forget everything about the last three days. He didn't let it show on his face as he walked through the market district. He kept his confident posture, smiled at the people he passed, and made small talk with a few of the shop owners. He did not crack. He would not crack. Kakashi-kun needed a rock, so a rock he shall remain.
Kakashi wasn't there when he arrived home, so Sakumo started the laundry he neglected his last time home. He then went around all the windows and openings to the house placing traps to ease his paranoia, if even a little. After setting the traps, he did a deep clean of the entire house from top to bottom searching for listening devices to see if he was under surveillance of ROOT.
He found one under a loose floorboard in the living room.
Click.
-AWHIT-
"Tadaima," Kakashi called. He was covered in dirt from his training session with his sensei, Minato Namikaze.
"Okaeri," Sakumo called from the kitchen wearing a yellow frilly apron that belonged to his late wife. He took one look at his son, and said, "You need a bath."
"You look like a girl!" Kakashi said in shock. Sakumo never wore that apron before.
Sakumo chuckled while continuing to cook dinner. "It was your mother's. I was feeling nostalgic. Now, shoo! To the bath! I cleaned the whole house earlier. It better stay that way."
"Okay, mom," Kakashi deadpanned. He ran from the room cackling on his way to the washroom.
"Brat!" Sakumo teased back. It was good to see Kakashi joking instead of his usual stoic demeanor. Sakumo smiled fondly, but it was tinged with a hint of sadness. He needed to have a serious conversation with his son during dinner. Said conversation was going to occur in a privacy barrier with a genjutsu layered on top of it to make the conversation seem like a normal father and son conversation.
When Kakashi returned clean and refreshed, he set the table while Sakumo plated the food. The privacy barrier was already in place. Both said, "Itadakimasu," then dug into the meal.
"How was your training while I was gone?" Sakumo asked.
Kakashi swallowed down his food before replying, "It was great! Minato-sensei has been drilling me on reaction time this week. He pelts rubber balls at me, and I deflect or dodge. I'm at 85% success rate now." Kakashi smiled proudly at his accomplishment. Sakumo noted his smile was still full of baby teeth. It always hit him right in the gut whenever he remembered his genius boy was only six and already a shinobi. He never should have let the Hokage talk him into having Kakashi graduate early.
Sakumo gulped down the feeling of rage bubbling in his throat and returned Kakashi's smile with his own. "That's excellent for your age, son. I'm proud of you." Kakashi's baby fat cheeks heated up from the praise and he quickly shoveled more food in his mouth trying to cover his blush.
"How was your mission?" He asked with his mouth full.
"Ah. I wanted to talk to you about that." Sakumo wiped his mouth and put down his chopsticks into their holder. He folded his arms across his chest, one hand rubbed the back of his neck. He levelled Kakashi with a serious look and it made his son instantly sit up straighter. "This will be our first real man-to-man conversation, son. I need you to swear on your mother's grave that what we speak about will not leave this house."
Kakashi gulped and his eyes widened. He searched his father's face to give him any clue as to what was going on, but all he saw was how serious his father looked. He was deadly serious. Even if what his father said was treasonous, he had never seen his father like this before. Sakumo trusted him with whatever this concerned. He would take whatever his father told him to the grave even if he disagreed with it.
"I swear, father," he said with conviction. Sakumo nodded his head in acknowledgement of the promise, a flash of pride broke through the hard gaze. Sakumo took another half minute to gather his thoughts. He wouldn't bullshit his son. He'd tell him the truth as much as he could.
"Bear with me, Kashi-kun. Do you know how many generations of Hatake have served the leaf loyally?"
"I'm the fourth generation," his son responded unsure of what it had to do with this conversation.
"You're correct. Four generations of brilliant and strong shinobi dedicated their lives to protect and serve Konoha loyally. Our clan originally had thirty combat ready shinobi join Konoha because we believed in the Will of Fire Shodaime-sama preached. Now, we're the last two living Hatake. What do you think of that?" Sakumo initially asked it rhetorically, but he was curious how his son would respond so he remained silent waiting for a response.
Kakashi's cute little eyebrows furrowed together in thought. He looked like a little man with how serious he contemplated the question. "I wanted to say they died honorably fighting for a just cause."
"But?" Sakumo asked.
"But it seems strange that our clan is almost dead… Like maybe someone was sabotaging us to systematically wipe us out?"
"Who knows?" Sakumo said. "I was never suspicious of anything until my last mission. It's been making me ask some hard questions and I've been reexamining our clan's existence in this village." Sakumo pulled out the broken listening device from his pocket and passed it to Kakashi. "I found that under a floorboard in our living room earlier."
Sakumo watched Kakashi pick it up and examine it. His eyes widened in disbelief as the pieces of a puzzle started clicking into place. "Who?" Kakashi demanded. "What happened?"
"Danzo Shimura and Hiruzen Sarutobi," Sakumo spat out. "I was sent on a mission meant to either kill me and my team to use us as martyrs for the war, or for me to be disgraced by breaking the shinobi code and abandoning the mission to save my comrades. It was a complete set up. The enemies we encountered were Danzo's ROOT Anbu."
Kakashi stood up angrily, chair clattered to the ground. He walked around the table and pulled Sakumo into a tight hug the elder Hatake desperately needed. The tension in his shoulders he didn't realize released. He didn't think Kakashi would be so quick to believe him with the propaganda Konoha fed children. Kami, he loved his son.
Kakashi trembled slightly in his arms. "I'm happy you made it home, father."
"Me too, kiddo." He ruffled his son's hair and pulled him back keeping his hands on his son's tiny shoulders. "I was saved on that mission by two people you'll need to see to believe, Kashi-kun. They rebuilt Uzushio and offered us a place there. It's quite nice. Extremely secure so we wouldn't be living like rogue nins. I know this because they took my team there to heal them before we came back to Konoha. What do you think about moving?"
Kakashi looked down at his feet, internally debating the major life-changing decision. Sakumo hated that his son had something this heavy dropped on him at a young age, but it was necessary. He would have time to heal.
"I'm going to miss Minato-sensei," he said quietly with anguish in his eyes. His brave, usually stoic son was trying so hard not to cry.
"I know, Kashi-kun. He's a good man. There are a lot of good people we will have to leave behind." Sakumo sighed. "I can guarantee I will die by some accident in the next few months if we stay, though. Danzo desperately wants you to join his ROOT Anbu. He will make moves against me. The only move I can make to keep us both alive is for us to leave before he gets a chance to checkmate me."
"I feel terrible about breaking the oath I made to the village," Kakashi said softly. "But… they broke Hatake trust first," Kakashi said with fire blazing in his eyes. "They tried to take you away from me. They don't deserve my loyalty."
Sakumo was momentarily stunned by his son's passion and convictions. After snapping out of it a wide smile took over his face and he pulled his son in for another quick hug.
He nodded his head, making up his mind right then and there. "We're leaving tonight, son. I have plenty of sealing scrolls to pack up our clan items and whatever else we want to take with us. If you want to write a note for Minato, I'll have one of summons deliver it right when we leave."
Kakashi rightfully looked confused. "Don't we need a plan? We can't just walk out the front gate!"
Sakumo had a look in his eyes of someone playing a prank. "The friends who saved me have a way to teleport us there. We'll leave without a trace."
Kakashi opened and closed his mouth several times. "Like the hiraishin?" He nearly yelled in disbelief.
Sakumo nodded and he pulled out a tri prong kunai from a pocket on the apron he was still wearing. "She personalized the formula. We won't accidentally call Minato here."
"Kami," Kakashi mumbled. "We're actually doing this."
"Yes, son. Now finish eating up. We have a lot to pack, and I don't want to call her here too late. Pregnant women are scary," he shuddered at the thought.
-AWHIT-
It took them three hours to pack their lives away into scrolls stuffed into two full backpacks. They cleaned out anything useful, only leaving behind furniture. That was fine. Naruto and older Kakashi promised they would have everything they needed in their new home.
Kakashi's tiny hands clutched the note he wrote for Minato. He looked pale. Reality was crashing in on him.
Sakumo wrapped an arm around Kakashi's shoulder and gave him a half hug. "Any second thoughts, kiddo?"
Kakashi shook his head vehemently. "No, father. Seeing the house look empty hit me. Everything is moving quickly. It's a lot to process."
"It's natural to feel this way. Know that I love you and we will get through this transition together, yeah?"
"Yeah," Kakashi nodded in agreement. "Love you too."
Sakumo took a few steps away and summoned one of his wolves, Sayaka. She was an elegant female wolf with white fur and blue eyes. "Hello, Sayaka."
"Hey Sakumo and Sakumo's brat," she replied. Kakashi huffed and it looked like she smiled at his annoyance with her mouth curled up.
"I have an important mission for you, Sayaka." She sat back on her haunches and cocked her head sideways. "We're leaving the leaf. They betrayed our pack." She howled and started pacing back and forth on the hardwood floors, growling and whining her displeasure. "I need you to deliver Kakashi's letter to Minato Namikaze after we leave. Once he has it in hand, dispel the summoning. Don't get aggressive with anyone. We're leaving quietly and without a trace."
"I will do as you ask," Sayaka replied gruffly, hackles still raised. Sakumo rubbed her head in thanks, trying to calm her down a little before she left the house.
"Thanks, Sayaka," Kakashi said with a watery voice. Finally, his son let a few tears fall when he passed her the scroll. While sad, Sakumo was glad Kakashi wasn't locking his emotions away. It was a good sign.
It was 2100 and when he channeled chakra into the kunai and 2101 when Naruto flashed into the empty home with a foxy grin.
"Sakumo-kun! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she exclaimed cheerfully. "I won the bet."
Sakumo's eyebrow quirked, "Bet?"
"Yep!" she beamed. "I said you'd leave the same day you return to Konoha. My lover bet 3 days to a full week. He owes me a foot massage every day for a month thanks to you!"
Sakumo chuckled. "It's strange that you were the one who won. Shouldn't he know me more than you?"
"He was banking on the kid giving you a hard time." She turned to mini Kakashi and eyed him up and down. His red, puffy eyes made her smile drop for a brief second before it returned. "Hello, Kakashi-kun. I'm Naruto Namikaze-Uzumaki. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Kakashi's mouth opened, then closed, then opened again, "You look like Minato-sensei!"
"Yes, chibi. We'll discuss this more after a good night's sleep in your new home. Deal?" She held out her hand to shake on it. Kakashi nodded and shook her hand. He had enough revelations for one day. He could wait for a few more.
"We're packed and ready whenever you're ready, Naruto-san," Sakumo said slightly impatient. He wanted to leave this cursed village behind him before they were found out. His paranoia had been at an all-time high the past few days and he was ready to be rid of the cause.
"Right! Take my hands boys! We'll be in Uzushio in a flash!"
Sakumo readily grabbed a hand in his eagerness to leave. Kakashi took one final look around the home he grew up in before catching his father's eyes. His resolve returned instantly. They would be fine if they were together. He took Naruto's hand, and they were gone in a flash.
Omake:
Scratch, scratch, scratch.
Minato was buried deep in his research on fuinjutsu when he heard the scratching at his front door. He reluctantly put down the scroll he was reading and walked to the front door. He opened it slowly in case there was a trap, but when he saw white fur, he knew it was one of Sakumo's summons.
The white wolf had a scroll in her mouth. He reached down and took the scroll. Before he could thank her, the summons poofed away back to the summoning realm. Minato shook his head at the abruptness of her departure but shrugged it off.
He opened the scroll and immediately knew it was Kakashi who had written to him. The kid had damn near perfect handwriting at such a young age. He was still trying to find something Kakashi wasn't good at other than socializing with his peers.
Minato-sensei,
I wanted to say thanks for everything you have done for me. You have been the best sensei I could have hoped for to guide me.
I ask that you do not run to the Hokage demanding answers, but you probably will. Konoha betrayed my father on his last mission. The roots are diseased, and they wanted to strangle him. Watch your back if you try to get answers. You'll be next if you start asking questions you shouldn't.
Pack shouldn't betray pack, but I learned today that blind loyalty will get you killed. If you're reading this, we already left the village. We will be labeled as rogues, but that's okay. I will not sit by idly while the hawk picks away at my father.
Hopefully we will meet again. You have been like an older brother to me. I would like our meeting to be on civil terms, but I understand if you decide loyalty to your village is worth fighting me. I can't blame you. I would have done the same to anyone who defected from Konoha earlier today.
It's strange how the wind blows, and everything changes before you can catch your breath.
Take care,
Kakashi Hatake
PS – Tell Kushina you love her already! Yeesh!
Minato read the letter twice. The first time in disbelief, eyes widening more at each revelation. The second time to commit it to memory, fire burning brightly behind his cerulean orbs. Then he burned it. He would not go to the Hokage. The message was crystal clear.
He wanted to murder the Hawk, but not literally. Killing him quickly would be too good for the bastard. He would take his time and destroy him piece by piece, relishing the long game.
He wanted to be Hokage before, but now his Will of Fire was a raging inferno. There was no way in hell he would not achieve his dream.