Naruto, I Just Want You to Know, This is Entirely Your Fault. - Willow_Ford (2024)

Chapter 1: The Seal that Started it All

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“Naruto, you should know better than anyone else who doesn't specialize in seals just how dangerous it is to provide a novice seal user with material more advanced than what they are equipped to handle. This, Naruto. This is what happens.”

She continued on for a while, though her words soon devolved into unintelligible mumbles as she became more focused on drafting a transfer seal.

Naruto scratches the back of his head sheepishly, “Hey! How was I supposed to know that something like this would happen?! Your seals never backfired like this!”

At this statement a small snort escapes Sasuke, which he quickly tries to cover up with a cough, though apparently not quickly enough if the glare Shikako throws at him is anything to go by.

“I assigned you a genin team so you would learn to be more responsible, not so that you could teach the next generation our special brand of recklessness.” Shikako says, graciously choosing to ignore Sasuke’s reaction for the moment.

Wishing to avoid allowing the argument to devolve any further, Kakashi smoothly cuts in, “Maah, Naruto, Shikako is hardly a good example of your average seal user.”

At Kakashi’s words, Naruto deflates, nodding morosely in agreement, prompting Shikako to once again shoot her teammates (and sensei) an irritated glare before turning her attention back to disarming the… monstrosity that Naruto’s genin had managed to concoct.

“There’s so much wrong with this seal that it’s honestly kind of amazing. How exactly you managed to mangle a basic barrier seal this badly without it exploding is a mystery to me, but even more impressive is that even with how badly you mangled it you also somehow managed to unintentionally balance all the components you messed with and have essentially given the seal an entirely different function from its original. I still haven't figured out exactlywhat that function is, by the way.And this part right here, why would you include the Kanji for time in a personal barrier? It dos- wait, did you really try and integrate the timing and radius matrices of an explosion seal into a barrier seal?! They work off of completely different bases, you moron! What were you even thinking?!” Shikako says to the genin currently sitting upon her desk.

Said genin pouts at her Hokages admonishment, “I wanted to use chakra scalpels, but I don’t have the control, so I thought if I wrote out barrier seals on my arms and just activated them while fighting, they’d do basically the same thing.” She mumbles.

Shikako closes her eyes and breathes in slowly before exhaling in an attempt to calm herself down, “Inscribing untested seals onto your persons is possibly one of the worst ideas I’ve ever heard. We test these things for a reason, Irumi-san. Without testing you had no way of knowing if or how these could have malfunctioned. What if they cutyour arms off rather than your opponents? What if the way you structured it also allowed for your opponent to activate the seal? Thats not even considering the variety in barriers - what if you'd chosen one that was meant to be used offensively? I know for a fact my notes contained the formula for a barrier that forms a self-contained vacuum. When we’re done Naruto will walk you home. When you get there, I expect you to hand him all of the research notes and reference material concerning sealing that was lent to you. I am also going to require you attend and complete the academy's remedial sealing safety course before you are allowed to practice sealing again, and even then, you are not permitted to do so without the express permission and supervision of either your sensei or another Jonin. Am I clear, Irumi-san?” Shikako said, looking up towards the genin in question.

Irumi’s upper lip wobbled a bit at the reprimand, but she did her best to keep the wet shakiness out of her voice as she replied, “Yes, Hokage-sama. I understand. I am sorry for the trouble I have caused you.” She said, turning her head away in shame.

Shikako exhaled once more. Finally finished with the transfer seal, she placed it on the genin’s abdomen before activating it, causing the swirling ink lines that had stained the girl's skin to move towards the paper before reforming upon it. Satisfied that she had removed the seal in its entirety, Shikako addressed the girl once more, “Irumi-san, please step outside and wait for a moment, I need to have a word with your sensei before he walks you home.”

The genin hopped down from where she had been sitting on the desk and bowed to her leader before departing (though the room's occupants were slightly amused to note that she had entirely forgotten to do the same for Kakashi.).

Knowing it was now his turn to endure a reprimand (in full this time) from Shikako, Naruto braced himself before turning back to face her after assuring his student that he would join her soon. Only, instead of scolding him like he expected, Shikako seemed to be fully immersed in decoding the seal now that she could see it more fully expanded.

“Um, Shikako?” Naruto said hesitantly,

Instead of stopping to look at him like he expected, Shikako only hummed in acknowledgment. By now all three men were fairly curious as to just what aspect of the seal had managed to so thoroughly capture her attention. Rather than interrupt her, they simply moved closer in hopes of better interpreting the mumbled words that came from her mouth as she fell deeper and deeper into her analysis of the seal. The focus with which Shikako regarded a seal that was unfamiliar to her was both intimidating and mesmerizing, as well as something they not dare interrupt once it had reached this point. Perhaps it was because of this that none of them were able to react to the sudden activation of the seal in time to escape it.

—

~1 hour 30 minutes later~

Tired of waiting and wondering if she could go home yet or if she still had to wait for Naruto-sensei to finish his discussion with Hokage-sama, Irumi decided to chance interrupting and possibly agitating the Hokage even more than she already had by knocking on her door to make her inquiry. A minute passed with no answer, so she knocked harder, but still no answer. Knowing that simply barging into the Hokage’s office without permission would only earn her the Hokage’s and an official reprimand, Irumi decided to ask the Hokage’s secretary instead, hoping he might either be able to give her permission to leave or ask the Hokage for it.

Upon hearing her request, the secretary gained a thoughtful look before flipping through what Irumi could only assume was the Hokage’s appointment book. Apparently satisfied with whatever it was he saw, the secretary asked her to take a seat while he went to speak with the Hokage. Nodding in acceptance, Irumi did just that, content to wait once more. Only, not even three minutes after her initial request suddenly the reception area was flooded with darkly clothed masked shinobi (ANBU, her mind supplied) who without a word grabbed her by her biceps before shunshining her into a blank walled room containing only a table and chair.

Time passed weirdly in the blank room, sometimes it seemed fast and other times it felt unbearably slow. The only thing of note to happen was the appearance of a Yamanaka asking to receive entry to her mind. Being the good shinobi that she was, Irumi didn’t bother asking why before accepting the request (in her heart she knew that for all that it may have been worded as such this was not actually a request - they would enter her mind with or without her permission, the only thing her cooperation or lack thereof would determine was how much this was going to hurt). Having the Yamanaka enter her mind was like blacking out after taking a hard hit to the head, she was simply awake, out, then awake again almost as if no time had passed.

Upon returning home after being released from the blank room, Irumi would come to learn that almost three days had passed since her sealing accident. Really, she found the entire thing quite confusing; it would only be almost a week after her release that she would come to learn that the Hokage, Sensei, Uchiha-san, and Hatake-sama were all currently missing. It didn’t take much to piece together the reason for her stay in the blank room after that.

Chapter 2: I Need A Hero

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They appeared in a brilliant flash of white, quickly adjusting to the change in footing while their other senses went into overdrive in an attempt to compensate for their compromised vision.

Blinking the spots out of her vision, Shikako took stock of their situation.

The familiar and comforting presence of her teams' chakras helped ease a knot of anxiety that had begun forming in her chest the moment the seal activated. Thankfully their signatures bore no signs of immediate distress in the wake of the seals activation, and as she expanded her focus slightly outwards, she soon discovered that all six of the ANBU on guard rotation that day were also present, thankfully she noted no immediate distress in any of their signatures either ‘here's to hoping there are no delayed adversereactions’.

Having finished ascertaining who was with her and if anyone had been injured, Shikako turned her attention to the very big and very angry elephant (or in this case, fox) in the room. Wherever they were was likely one of the more remote parts of the village, as no one had come to investigate the no doubt very bright flash of light that had happened just moments ago. Though, to be honest Shikako is fairly certain that unless they had appeared in one of the most populous parts of the village, they were unlikely to attract any attention with their arrival, given just how eventful everything was even before their arrival.

By that of course, Shikako was referring to the massive rampaging Bijuu currently destroying part of the village. Judging by the confusion clearly shown on Naruto’s face, this was not a case of Kurama having escaped and reverted to his old ways, so that was good. It was also very helpful for determining where and when exactly they were.

When Shikako had first proposed introducing this contingency code into those taught to the ANBU who routinely guarded the Hokage, Naruto had laughed, thinking she was joking - she was not. Had the circ*mstances been different, Shikako would have relished in being able to tell Naruto ‘I told youso’, but given their current situation, such things would have to wait until they were less likely to be crushed by a rampaging Kurama.

All of these thoughts passed through her head in less than a second before she was on the move, issuing the contingency code before taking off to move closer to the heart of the conflict.

“All ANBU commence contingency 77541 protocol! Naruto, Sasuke: you take Obito - alive, preferably.” They each gave a short nod before heading off towards their target. “Sensei: I’ll need you to be prepared to run interference with the yondaime. His plan is stupid, so we’re going to use mine.” She pauses for a split second, briefly flicking her eyes over to Kakashi, “And Sensei, don’t forget Rule 1.”

—

They’d all known that both the labor and the hours following it while the seal was still in recovery carried a not inconsiderable risk of the Kyuubi breaking free of it's prison. Because of that they'd put in place every safeguard, and enacted every safety measure that they could to avoid such an outcome.

And yet…

And yet, all there caution had proven futile, because here Minato stood, facing off against a newly freed Kyuubi no Kitsune, desperately trying to minimize the destruction that it was unleashing upon the village all while also preventing the man responsible from escaping.

In truth, Minato was stretched thin. He knew that no one among his shinobi save himself was any match for this man, and yet the same could be said for the Kyuubi, as no one among his men was capable of either fighting or resealing the bijuu either - even if only temporarily. Before him was a choice: allow the man to escape and deny the Kyuubi any more precious seconds to rampage across the village or continue to pursue the man in hopes of either killing or capturing him - allowing the Kyuubi to rampage for however long it took to do so. Even with the risk presented by allowing such an enemy to escape, allowing the Kyuubi to continue as it pleased had much clearer and more immediate consequences.

Finding the marker he had left near her, Minato teleported to where he had last left Kushina with Naruto. Not just anyone could be made into the Kyuubi Jinchuriki - the beast's chakra was simply too vast and corrosive for most to survive, and even if they did it was unlikely they'd every be able to be a Shinobi with how much damage containing the beast would deal to their chakra pathways. No, to be the Kyuubi Jinchuricki one must be either an Uzumaki, or possess the innate vitality and immense chakra reserves to match one.Currently, there were only two people of clear Uzumaki lineage in the village: his wife -who was still far too weak from labor to reseal the Kyuubi into - and his newborn son - a halfblooded Uzumaki still too young to bear the entirety of the Kyuubi’s chakra.

Taking these facts into consideration, Minato knew there was only one solution that would seal the Kyuubi without depriving Konoha of its power (at least not permanently). This was a contingency that both he and Kushina had hoped wouldn’t prove necessary, but that they had prepared anyway for the sake of being prepared - something he was incredibly thankful for in that moment, now that those preparations were proving necessary. When he appeared before Kushina she already bore a look of grim acceptance and determination upon her face, knowing what was to come next. Taking her by the arm not cradling Naruto, Minato brought them to the marker he had left at the ritual site that they had set up beforehand just in case they should need it.

There were many things that Minato expected to see upon arriving at the ritual site, but to be honest the Kyuubi no Kitsune being pinned to the ground by thick ropes of shadow was not one of them. Minato had always known that the Nara’s clan Jutsus was dangerous and effective, but this was a level of strength well beyond what he would have expected Shikaku and his clansmen capable of mustering.

His confusion only grew when from the shadows a figure emerged - no, solidified - taking the form of a woman who continued to approach. Her dramatic entrance wasn’t even the most notable thing about her, no, that title was claimed by the large hat and long flowing coat she wore- ones that were eerily reminiscent of the ones his predecessor and now he himself wore.

“Yondaime, I’ve restrained the Kyuubi but it’s best we hurry to complete the preparations to seal it into your son.”

In that moment, there were a million questions that Minato wish to demand this strange woman answer, but she was correct when she said that they needed to hurry, and if she had wished to kill or injure him all she needed to do was release the Kyuubi from where she kept it restrained.

Working quickly Minato drew the delicate lines of the seal onto his son, struggling as the newborn wriggled and cried at the feeling of the chilly October air on his bare stomach and the corrosive chakra that surrounded them.

Finally finished, Minato quickly checked over his work before rising from where he had knelt to perform the hand signs to complete the Shiki Fujin. Before he could do so however he was alerted to something amiss by a startled gasp escaping Kushina as she stared in wide eyed horror in the direction of the mysterious woman. Quickly Minato turned to see her as well, only catching the final hand seal before she called out those dreaded words.

“Shiki Fujin!”

Chapter 3: A Divine Accord

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“Shiki Fujin!”

In that moment, it was as though time stopped. Minato could see the Shinigami appear above the woman - (why could he see it, he wasn’t dying and he would know if he was the target of the seal, so why…? )

“Why have you called me here in such a manner, honored Shikabane-hime? What service do you require of this one?”the raspy voice of the shinigami echoed in his mind, haunting in its inhumanity.

Seemingly unbothered at the address, or the fact that a god was speaking to her, the woman was quick to respond, “The Kyuubi no Kitsune, I seek to seal it within the young one.”

The Shinigami tilted its head before replying, its tone almost contemplative, “Sealing such a vast quantity of foreign chakra into a vessel as young as this one would undoubtedly kill them. Is that what you wish, Shikabane-hime?”

Once more the woman was fearless in the face of the god's attention, “I am aware. I would ask that you seal only the yang portion of the Kyuubi within the boy for now. As he grows his body will become accustomed to the corrosive nature of the Kyuubi, until eventually he will have developed enough resistance to safely contain the yin half as well. I would ask that you hold the yin portion of the Kyuubi within your stomach until such a time, returning it back to its other half only when the boy is ready. Are you agreeable to such an arrangement?”

“I would be agreeable to sealing half of the Kyuubi within the child and keeping the other half for myself, but what you ask for is a different matter, Shikabane-hime. This summoning demands a mortal soul in exchange for my services,”

Almost imperceptibly, the woman flinched at the Shinigami’s words - it was such a small movement that Minato almost thought he was mistaken - afterall, what about that sentence could have caused the woman to flinch? If she was familiar enough with the seal to have known its hand signs, then she also inevitably knew the price of such power. The Shinigami’s next words would soon have Minato reassessing that thought.

“Which means that you lack the soul this ritual demands as payment.”

Minato’s thoughts came to a sudden screeching halt. Did the Shinigami just state that this woman did not possess a soul? Constructs of chakra were unable to successfully summon the Shinigami, which quickly ruled out the possibility that she was a shadow clone. In order for an organic being to use chakra, they must possess both spiritual and physical energy. It was hardly common knowledge, but thanks to his sensei’s connection with Tsunade-sama he knew that it had been concluded decades ago by observing the bodies of Kato and Yamanaka clan members who had accidents while training in their family techniques that spiritual energy could only be generated when a soul was present. That meant that the woman had to have a soul, which begged the question: what rendered her soul an unsuitable form of payment?

“For you, I was willing to make this an exception, but this is not the work of a single summoning, my lady. For this I cannot lend my services without some form of compensation.” At those words the Shinigami turns its head to face Minato, whose heart froze in the face of deaths regard.

“It is he who drew the seal, my lady. His soul would prove an acceptable altern-”

The air around them suddenly grew heavy with intent. Where the Kyuubi had felt like blind burning hatred of all things, this was cold indifference - it made him feel impossibly small and insignificant, like he was a speck of dust in comparison.

“No.” Echoed out the woman's voice, her tone suddenly glacial. The Shinigami reared back.

“A-Apologies my lady, this one was unaware that the mortal was someone of consequence to yourself!"

The atmosphere lightened quickly, the woman seeming mollified by the Shinigami’s words.

“I see. Then allow me to be perfectly clear. I consider none of the mortals who partook in this ritual acceptable compensation - that being said, I understand your position... perhaps we might come to an understanding of sorts instead."

The shinigami tillted its head slightly in what Minato interpreted as curiosity. Seeing this the woman continued.

" In the Land of Hot Springs there is a group who worship the Unnatural One, strengthening him and the influence he holds in this world from where he is imprisoned. The souls of those who die by their hand are given as offerings to their master, which in turn denies you what is yours by right as the reaper of this world.”

The Shinigami’s face had grown incredibly intense as soon as the woman had mentioned this group, quickly turning to barely concealed rage as she continued.

“In exchange for your services, I offer to journey to one of the temples that I know host those who worship the Unnatural One and cull whatever followers I may find there. You may take their souls in compensation and content yourself in the knowledge that for every one you collect there is one less person in this world who would deprive you your due. Is this acceptable, Shinigami?”

“Do you swear it by your name, my lady ?”

The two beings held each other's gaze, each one bearing a grave expression.

“I swear it.”

At her agreement the severe look melts off the death gods face, turning into an unsettlingly wide grin.

“Very well then. I look forward to receiving your offering, my lady.”

A snap of his fingers, the form of the Kyuubi began to warp and shrink before splitting in two. The darker half was absorbed into the seal he’d draw on his son's stomach, while the other, lighter half quickly disappeared into the Shinigami’s waiting maw.

Apparently finished eating his half of the Kyuubi, the Shinigami turned to the woman with a satisfied grin and bowed.

“It was a pleasure doing business with you, my lady, but this is where I must bid you farewell. ”

As soon as the Shinigami saw the woman nod in acceptance, it was gone, leaving Minato, his wife, and newborn son alone with the woman.

“Who- Who are you?” Minato says, stumbling over his words slightly.

Still trying to process the insanity of the past few minutes (in the back of the head Minato wonders how the woman dosen’t look more tired after not only summoning the Shinigami and negotiating with it, but also managing to hold the Kyuubi still throughout the entire interaction.) Minato thinks that he can be forgiven for the slip in his composure.

“Ah,” she says before turning around and using her thumbs to point to the characters embroidered on the back of her coat.

“The Sixth Hokage, sir.”

Chapter 4: Introducing: Team Lucky 7!

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“The Sixth Hokage, sir.”

Now, under normal circ*mstances, Minato likely would have responded to such a statement in a placating manner while covertly signaling for his ANBU to incapacitate the imposter in order to have them shipped off to T&I where Inoichi and Ibiki could better ascertain their motives. Under the present circ*mstances, however, not only was Minato certain that the individual before him was more than capable of evading his ANBU, but he had also just seen her summon the Shinigami, converse with it, and then seal part of the Kyuubi into his son - without dying, something which should have been impossible given the conditions of the technique she just used. Taking these things into consideration, even if he didn’t believe her claim to be true, he had little choice but to employ a more diplomatic approach when dealing with her.

Pasting on his best people pleasing smile, Minato deliberately situates his body to in such a way shield Kushina and Naruto from the woman's view - an action that certainly didn’t go unnoticed by the woman, though given the slight upwards twitch of her lips not one she was offended by either.

“The sixth Hokage you say? I’m glad to see that the village continues to endure.” He demures

Rather than offer a response to his statement, the woman instead shifts her gaze to a few meters left of where Minato and his family stand. Upon following her line of sight Minato is initially greeted by nothing but empty space, only for that to change when mere moments later four men appear in a shunshin.

With everything going on Minato had already been utilizing his sensor technique to act as a sort of early warning system, so he had felt the approaching signatures moments before they first appeared. As a result, Minato had already adopted that deceptively relaxed posture that all shinobi developed upon reaching a certain level - the one that would allow him to engage in combat at a moment's notice. In the back of his mind, he added ‘advanced sensor capabilities’ to the ever growing list of skills he had seen the woman use, as she had clearly detected their approach well before himself.

Taking in these new arrivals, he was quick to abandon all pretense of relaxation in favor of an actual combat stance as soon as he recognized one of them as his wife's attacker. Had Kushina not been in as vulnerable a condition as she was at the moment, he likely would have attacked the newcomers as soon as he realized who was among them. In her current state however, he was loath to leave her or Naruto exposed to any of these unknowns.

In the end, it was probably for the best that he hadn’t attacked this new group. Based on the relaxed manner both the woman and the men had towards each other, Minato suspected that they were at the very least familiar with one another, a suspicion proven correct only moments later as the dark haired one spoke (Minato carefully didn’t allow himself to linger too long on the all too familiar shade of bright yellow one of them sported. His hair color - and in turn this new arrivals as well - was particularly unique in the elemental nations. That this man had this exact shade…well, the possible implications were troubling)

“Hokage-sama, we’ve succeeded in our objective. The target has been rendered unconscious and had his chakra sealed. He awaits transportation to T&I.” He said, bowing his head respectfully as he finished speaking.

As the dark haired man had spoken, the blond's expression had grown progressively more confused. Now clearly finished delivering his report of their successful mission, the blond decided to speak, “Eh? Sasuke, why’re you talking like that, it’s weird.”

Minato could practically see the tick of annoyance appear above the man’s - Sasuke’s - brow as he reached over and smacked the blond on the back of his head.

“We’re in front of a foreign Kage you idiot!” Sasuke hissed at his companion.

At this point they had both dropped the hold they’d had on the man who’d attacked Kushina, causing his unconscious form to fall limply to the ground as it lost its support - not that either man seemed to pay it much mind.

As the men began to trade increasingly nonsensical insults, the gray-haired man casually walked to stand beside the woman, amusem*nt clear on his face (his masked face, Minato absently noted) even as the woman ran a hand down her face before looking towards the sky as if pleading with the heavens to grant her patience.

Just as it seemed that Sasuke and his companion would come to blows, the gray-haired man finally decided to intervene.

“Mah, Naruto, Sasuke, please consider our current audience.”

The sound of the man’s voice caused both men to freeze before jumping apart and adjusting themselves as though they weren’t a pair of fully grown men who had only moments ago been arguing like 10 year olds. Behind him he could hear Kushina’s no doubt valiant attempt to muffle a giggle behind her hand at the two men's antics. Like himself, she would also have realized that the entire confrontation had taken place in an attempt to get them to lower their guards around these strangers - an attempt to paint themselves as amusing and immature to distract from the fact that they had both just showed up carrying the unconscious body of a man Minato himself would be hard pressed to defeat, much less capture.

All of these thoughts raced about in the background, but in truth there was one particular detail about the gray haired man’s statement that stood out above all others. The blond man… he had called him Naruto.

(The womans introduction echoed in his mind: The Sixth Hokage, sir)

Chapter 5: An Explanation and Evidence

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The more he learned about this strange group of people the more the woman’s claim of being the sixth Hokage seemed increasingly likely.

Naruto.

That name, his newborn son's name - the name they had shared with precious few people.

Naruto.

It was hardly a common name - no, despite the word also being able to mean ‘maelstrom’ depending on the characters used, people were far more likely associate the name with its more common meaning: fishcake, the ramen topping. To most people such an association would deter them from choosing such a name. Kushina, however, was hardly ‘most people’. For Kushina, a name to be able to reflect her clan's mons or a topping of her favorite food was clearly one with no downsides. Minato of course had no objections - Naruto was the name of the protagonist of his sensei’s first - and in Minato’s opinion, best- novel.

And here before him stood a man who also bore the name Naruto, who had the same bright blond hair and striking blue eyes that Minato himself had, whose cheeks bore the same whisker-like marks as the baby cradled within Kushina’s arms…

He still had his doubts, of course - any shinobi worth their salt would - but if this was an infiltration plot it was the most elaborate and convoluted one he’d ever seen by a large margin.

Minato cleared his throat, causing the unknown shinobi to visibly turn their attention towards him (as though he hadn’t held the majority of their attention from the moment they’d arrived)

“I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage. You’re all familiar with myself, but I can’t say I remember having ever met any of you before.”

It was a leading statement to be sure, one that would likely determine the tone of the majority of their interactions going forward.

It was the silver-haired man who responded first, “Mah, it’s been a while, Minato-sensei - well, for me, at least. Allow me to introduce you to my students: Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and of course, the Rokudaime Hokage, Nara Shikako.”

As he said each name, Kakashi - for even if this supposed older version of his student had somehow regained the eye he had previously lost, the physical resemblance was undeniable - gestured towards one of his students, with each of the boys nodding their head in greeting and acknowledgement towards Minato. Curiously, Kakashi’s final student sent him a glare of vexation at the dramatic intonation he had used to introduce her before, just as her teammates had previously, she also turned to Minato and inclined her head in greeting.

While he only offered their names -and in the case of Shikako, her title- knowing Kakashi for as long as he had allowed Minato some insight as to Kakashi’s feelings about his students simply based on his tone. No matter how much older this man may be -if he even truly was Kakashi- Minato had known Kakashi for essentially half of the boy's life by this point, and Minato believes that watching someone grow up allows for a certain amount of insight into their behaviors. From what he just saw, it was clear that Kakashi was proud of his students - especially Shikako. He didn’t think that was just because she had become Hokage either. No, - if the pride Kakashi held for Sasuke and Naruto was similar to what Minato had held for Rin and Obito, then the pride he held for Shikako was more similar to the pride Minato felt for Kakashi - it was the pride of a teacher, sibling, and parent all rolled into one.

Before he can continue his comparison, Minato abruptly realizes that he had already begun thinking of them - well, Kakashi at least - as future versions of the people they claim to be. Logically he knows he shouldn’t, but the ease with which they address and move around each other seems so natural. Thinking on it for a moment longer, Minato concludes that there is only one way to quickly determine if they are who they claim to be until he can bring them back to the village to have genetic swabs performed.

“I need to verify your identities, but there is only one way to do so until I can have medical conduct genetic testing.” He says pointedly.

Shikako nods in comprehension while Sasuke reverts to what Minato recognizes as Uchiha expression #26: ‘I am confused but refuse to show it’. It would seem that unlike his Uchiha friend Naruto has no such reservations about expressing his confusion. Apparently used to her teammates' mannerisms, Shikako's face remains calm as she explains what Minato meant.

“There is only one thing that can’t be faked that is also unique to a single person. Naruto, please lift your shirt and channel a little chakra so that the Yondaime can verify that you are in fact the Kyuubi Jinchuriki.”

Realization dawns on his face before he nods and proceeds to do as instructed. Minato holds his breath as Naruto lifts his shirt, his stomach seemingly bare for a moment before the familiar pattern of the same seal he had drawn on his newborn son only minutes ago becomes visible. Just to be thorough, he takes a minute to examine the seal more closely on the off chance that it could be fake, but even after a more careful examination Minato can only conclude that the seal he is viewing in none other than the Shiki Fujin, and while he can’t determine if what the seal holds is in fact the Kyuubi without entering the seal, he can ascertain that there is a massive quantity of chakra within it.

Minato nods to Shikako

“Thank you Naruto, you can lower your shirt now.” She says before turning back to Minato

“Our arrival here was the result of a poorly constructed experimental seal created by one of Naruto’s genin. She decided to combine the matrices from multiple seals without taking into consideration the configuration of each matrix's original base and that's without even considering how each matrix changes based upon the other matrices used. The result was an unholy abomination that managed to catapult us roughly 24 years into the past of what I surmised to be an alternate dimension based upon the fact that Naruto’s seal remained intact and occupied despite witnessing what was clearly an unsealed and rampaging Kyuubi immediately upon our arrival.”

Minato had been unable to keep his face from clearly showing his horror as Shikako described his son's genin’s attempt at seal craft. He knows without a shadow of a doubt that in that moment if he had looked to his side his wife's reaction it would have mirrored his own exactly.

“While I am reasonably confident that I would be able to design a seal to transport us home eventually, I believe that the aid of Uzumaki-san, Jiraiya-sama, and yourself would greatly accelerate the process. I am of course aware that given the current state of the village you can hardly afford to spare such resources, so in exchange for your assistance in this matter I will offer you the use of my own shinobi to assist in the rescue, recovery, and reconstruction efforts.”

Minato raised a brow at her offer, “You believe that your shinobi are capable of compensating for such a loss?”

Finally dropping formality she had adopted when explaining their situation and requesting their aid, Shikako smirked, “No. I know they can. While you aren’t exactly his parents, you might be proud to know that just like you Naruto has also managed to achieve complete mastery over one of Nidaime's original jutsu. Naruto, send out about a thousand henged clones to aid in search and rescue efforts. Be sure that all of them are wearing a forehead protector somewhere visible so they’re less likely to be attacked when no one can recognize them.”

As soon as she has finished speaking Minato’s world is enveloped in some of the thickest chakra smoke he’s ever experienced, and once it clears it reveals an impossibility. Thousands - four thousand, if he had to guess- of clones blanket every flat surface around them, giving their Hokage a quick solute before taking off to carry out her orders.

It's impossible, no one should have that much chakra; Minato himself can make maybe seven shadow clones without suffering chakra exhaustion - something considered very impressive considering that of the Jonin with reserves large enough to create shadow clones most can only make one or two before passing out. Even Kushina, who has some of the largest chakra reserves he’s ever seen can only make about twenty!

This day just keeps getting more and more surreal.

—

She should have known that Kakashi would do something like this the moment he opened his mouth.

“Mah, it’s been a while, Minato-sensei - well, for me, at least. Allow me to introduce you to my students: Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and of course, the Rokudaime Hokage, Nara Shikako.”

Rokudaime Hokage, Nara Shikako

Like the same title didn’t also belong to him.

Just like that, Shikako had been left to the sharks by her own Co-kage.

She refused to allow such a shameless and blatant act of betrayal go unanswered.

She narrowed her eyes, ‘ Just you wait Kaka-sensei - I will get you back for this. Maybe not today, maybe not even tomorrow, but I will get-’

~

A bead of perspiration ran down Kakashi’s neck as he eye smiled at his beloved student, trying to hide his nervousness. Whatever amusem*nt and satisfaction he had felt upon delivering his introduction had turned to lead in his stomach upon meeting his students' glare.

Uh oh, It was her squinty-eyed glare. This was worse than he thought, that meant that she was doing a villain monologue in her head while planning her revenge. Whatever scheme she concocted to get even was always worse after she'd done an internal villain monologue. Just ask the Raikage…well, not actually - though he supposes it’d certainly be a unique way to commit suicide.

But he’s getting off track. Now, where was he? Hm…Oh, right! Shikako was giving him her squinty-eyed glare of doom…

Mah, his students were just adorable when they got all huffy.

Chapter 6: Recovery and Rescue

Chapter Text

Before their group departed from the field, it was decided to have Kakashi accompany Kushina back to their home where she and baby Naruto would be best protected. While the seals there may not have been powerful enough to withstand an escaped bijuu - thus why Kushina hadn’t simply given birth there - they were more than enough to protect them from infiltrators and the like.

Naruto (it was so strange, seeing his newborn child that wasn’t even a day old yet alongside a version of his son that looked to be about the same age as himself) and Sasuke decided to follow his clones and help in the worst of the disaster zones. Apparently, Senjutsu - considered one of the rarest and most dangerous types of chakra transformations - was one of his son's specialties. While certainly not one of his own specialties, Minato was at least proficient in the art, thus it didn’t take long for him to realize that the men meant to use the incredibly sensing capabilities the state offered to aid in search and rescue. With Naruto’s abilities, locating and retrieving survivors would be made far easier, so Minato was quick to agree. With the other three having left to carry out their roles, now only Shikako remained. Surprisingly - or, perhaps not - she asked to accompany him.

Now, despite being reasonable sure that they were who they claimed to be, Minato was still wary of letting a foreign kage out of his sight- even after his display of power through the making of so many clones, Minato somehow felt safer allowing Naruto to wander essentially unsupervised than he did Shikako, especially with the village in such a state. Given this, Minato gladly agreed to allow her to accompany him, feeling much more secure knowing he would be able to keep a closer eye on her.

Of course, with Naruto and Sasuke aiding in search and rescue and Kakashi accompanying Kushina that left Minato and Shikako to deal with their prisoner. He was about to suggest that they simply make a stop at T&I to deposit the man before heading back out to coordinate relief efforts, when Shikako began to walk forward. Curious, he allowed her to approach the man, wondering if she had been thinking along the same lines as him. He needn’t wonder long, as once she was within reach Shikako simply tapped her finger on the back of the man's head, causing him to vanish. What with the evening having been as long, tiring, and stressful as it was, Minato must have been concealing his emotions much less skillfully than usual, because as soon as Shikako turned back to him and took in his expression, she hurriedly began to explain herself.

“Oh! Um - don’t worry, he’s still alive and everything, I just - I thought this would be easier than risking him waking up and possibly escaping from T&I or having to stop and take the time to prepare a cell with modified security seals capable of holding him. With the nature of his favored technique being space-time manipulation, those modifications could take a while, especially without knowing its limitations. He’s essentially in stasis until I let him out.”

Minato was flabbergasted at the casual way she said this.

“Is - is this common in your village?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah! I created storage seals capable of holding live prisoners in stasis after a particularly horrible one managed to escape one too many times. We still needed him alive for continued questioning, but he was clearly more than capable of escaping so after the third time I was fed up enough to dedicate a few days to creating a seal just for him. Smug bastard didn’t think we could hold him - the look on his face when he figured out why he was losing time was glorious .” She said as an unholy vindictive glee shone in her eyes.

Minato shivered, both from the bloodthirsty look in Shikako’s eyes and how casually she mentioned developing a revolutionary seal. From the way she said it, he wasn’t sure if it was one only she was capable of using or something that the entirety of her T&I used. Even if it was only the former, the fact that she had accomplished something that countless seal masters had tried and failed to achieve for centuries was astonishing. Deciding that her reasons for sealing the prisoner instead of just dropping him off at T&I or taking the time to personalize a cell for him were valid, Minato chose to accept this as the best course of action and began to make his way towards the worst of the damage.

At some point before they reached the populated areas of the village, Shikako removed her hat and robes, stashing them in what he believed to be a personal pocket dimension she used for storage. Of course, seeing this Minato found himself once more full of questions. This time he decided to ask something more open in hopes of gaining a broader understanding of her abilities.

“So, do you specialize in storage type seals?”

She considered his question for a moment before replying.

“No, not really. I use and have designed or personalized a number of storage seals, but that was mostly because they were best suited to fulfill whatever function I needed at the time. Back home I’m actually most known for my talent with explosive seals. They’re the ones I’ve been studying and using the longest. They were actually the first seal I learned to place just by touch.” She says, sounding fond and nostalgic as she voices the last part.

Minato hums in acknowledgement while considering the implications behind possessing such an in depth understanding of explosive seals that she is able to place them not only by touch, but - if the fact that she seems to be known for them is anything to go by - in battle as well. Despite also being able to place hirashin by touch, such a seal requires no formulaic alterations. He could be wrong, but he has a sneaking suspicion that along with being able to place explosions with a touch, Shikako is also able to alter things such as the heat, radius, and time until detonation on the fly. Quite frankly, the thought is terrifying.

When they begin to approach the village, he finds it to be roughly as chaotic as he had expected, though certainly not as bad as it could have been. By this point, the KMP had thankfully managed to evacuate most of the civilians to the shelters, so at the very least they didn’t have hordes of civilians running about and preventing search and rescue crews from reaching those in need. There were of course a few stragglers, but from what he could tell it appeared that most of those courageous enough to remain behind even after the KMP had evacuated civilians to the shelters were partaking in rescue efforts of their own - likely looking for a friend, relative, or pet who they had seen trapped or crushed by the rubble.

The next few hours pass in a blur as he moves to establish a central command near the portion of the village that had been destroyed. By the time midday has come he has seen three field hospitals, two morgues, and multiple reunification centers erected around the disaster site as well as directed teams of trackers and medical shinobi in order to optimize their abilities, and through it all Shikako’s help had been invaluable.

Though it pains him to be thankful for anything like the blasphemous act against god that was the seal Shikako described, he found himself thankful nonetheless. Even excluding the invaluable aid she provided in the aftermath, had Shikako and her team not been subject to that seal, Minato is certain that he and many more of his men would have perished in order to reseal the Kyuubi.

It is only as sunset approaches that he finally feels comfortable enough to delegate the search and rescue command center to another so he can return to the Hokage tower to sort through the bureaucratic elements that urgently need to be addressed, not to mention he needs to call a meeting of the council so the clans can report on their condition in the aftermath of the attack, and so he can inform them about some of the circ*mstances surrounding the Kyuubi’s escape, rampage, and subsequent capture and resealing. He’s reasonably sure that the Nara have been receiving quite a few assessing looks after how Shikako subdued the Kyuubi. Afterall, the Nara had always been regarded as a clan of strategist who specializes in precision strikes, as far as he knew the power Shikako displayed last night was unheard of among the Nara.

Minato lets out an exhausted sigh, causing Shikako to pat him on his shoulder in sympathy.

Afterall, as a Hokage herself she would know how much paperwork and politicking is left to be done.

Chapter 7: The Council is in Session pt. 1

Chapter Text

Being careful not to let the resignation and reluctance he feels rise to the surface, Minato quickly has runners sent out with council summons. It’s only been a handful of minutes since he first returned to the tower, but there's no sense in delaying what he knows to be inevitable.

It takes a level of self control he rarely has to employ outside of missions to refrain from outwardly displaying his reluctance to call the meeting. Minato’s never been overly fond of attending council meetings in the first place, but he can already tell that this one is going to be particularly trying.

Just the thought of the barrage of questions that will no doubt be lobbed at him as soon as the meeting begins causes dread to pool in his stomach. He spares a glance towards Shikako, who has become uncharacteristically stiff since he issued the summon. If he hadn’t already been fairly confident that she’d been telling him the truth, this alone would have done much to convince him. Only a true Hokage experienced in the horrors of bureaucracy would experience the type of dread that even the most powerful shinobi would struggle to conceal at the thought of an impending council meeting.

For a moment, Minato almost feels bad about his request that she accompany him.

The justification he’d offered - unprompted save for by the dawning look of horror she wasn’t quite quick enough to conceal - was that it would be impossible to cover up her involvement in subduing the Kyuubi, and since she would need to deliver her account of events anyway, it made more sense to do it sooner rather than later.

It was a weak explanation and they both knew it. Shinobi were trained from the time they were children to be able to deliver detailed accounts of missions spanning weeks, having Shikako wait a day or two to deliver an oral report would be nothing in comparison.

He was certain Shikako had seen through to his true reason for having her there - the hope that the presence of an unknown would be enough to deter the council from interrogating him the moment they arrived. They either wouldn’t recognize her and would keep quiet so as to avoid disclosing potentially sensitive information, or they still won’t recognize her but will find her presence intimidating enough to refrain from speaking. The latter was unlikely to work on the elders - Minato personally thought that after having lived so long the elders simply no longer knew fear, there was no other explanation for why they would be so comfortable making enemies of every powerful shinobi they interacted with - but it stood a fair chance against the handful of lower-ranked shinobi who would be in attendance by virtue of their positions.

As useful as she was for the seemingly endless well of knowledge she possessed on all matters pertaining to disaster recovery, Minato was most appreciative of Shikako’s ability to deter anyone who didn’t absolutely have to from approaching with her aura alone. Minato was pretty sure that it wasn’t a conscious decision on her part, but sometime after the 6th or 7th person interrupted them for information instead seeking out one of the numerous chunin and jonin they had disseminated marching orders to, Shikako had begun to exude some sort of dark and menacing aura that was incredibly effective at keeping such individuals away.

Before long one of Minato’s ANBU appears to inform him that all of the essential members of the council have arrived. In truth its not overly surprising that they had been able to assemble so quickly. With how chaotic things have been people are no doubt desperate for any concrete information they can get their hands on. Even if a clan head or representative was unable to make it themselves, they would have been quick to appoint a proxy to attend in their place. Even those who usually skip council meetings are bound to be in attendance.

When the last of the attendees arrive, Minato gestures with his hand for one of the ANBU to close the chamber doors. As soon as they’re shut he activates the privacy seals that he and Kushina had personally added upon his inauguration, effectively sealing the room from any unwanted observers. Meanwhile, two of the Chunin secretaries begin handing out packets containing the results of the preliminary damage assessments. Each packet is printed on paper inscribed with a combustion sequence set to activate upon being removed from within the bounds of the privacy seals. The information itself isn’t too sensitive, as it's still far too soon after the initial incident to have compiled anything even approaching a complete picture of the damages incurred, but it’s still not the kind of thing he wants lying around.

“I call this emergency session to order. Last night the Kyuubi Jinchuriki was attacked by an as of yet unidentified person shortly after giving birth. I engaged the target, but was unable to subdue them before they were able to release the Kyuubi from its prison. The Kyuubi has been resealed, but so far all we know of the perpetrator was that this attack was deliberate and targeted. Now, Clan heads, please deliver your casualty and damage reports.

It was clear that the information he’d shared was hardly enough to satisfy those present, but as ever dutiful shinobi they knew to hold back their questions until after all of the reports had been delivered.

“-and that concludes the casualty and damage reports of the Nara clan.”

Minato inhaled deeply through his nose, before exhaling slowly as he turns the figures he had just received over in his head. 300 clan Shinobi, dead or permanently disabled in the attempts to stall the Kyuubi. Already such a large number, and yet it doesn't even factor in how many civilian-born shinobi perished in the conflict, nor how many civilians. Both of those figures will only be known once clean up efforts have been completed and the bodies of the deceased have all been retrieved and cataloged.

Minato takes a deep breath and forces himself to continue forward.

“Thank you, Shikaku.”

And now the part of the meeting which he had been dreading more than any other,

“Now that all reports have been delivered, I yield the floor to the council.”

Just as he expected, chaos erupted immediately.

Eventually the council members settled down enough to realize that trying to speak over each other only ensured that no one's questions were addressed. Of course, this was only the civilian portion of the council, the shinobi were much more orderly in their silent debate as to who could go first.

Perhaps not unexpectedly, it was Shikaku who spoke first.

“Has the instigator of this attack been apprehended?” Minato was used to Shikaku speaking during these meetings, so the gruffness of his voice surprised him for a moment before he identified a possible cause.

‘Ah, that's right. I think I heard something about Shikaku’s daughter being in the hospital because of the Kyuubi. I recall overhearing that she was born with a severe form of chakra hypersensitivity, apparently the fact that she even survived long enough to be taken to the hospital was a miracle in and of itself.’

Judging by the tension Minato could see lining his friends shoulders, her prognosis must be grim. A pang of sympathy rang through him as he finally noticed the carefully concealed grief his friend had been carrying throughout the meeting.

“Yes, the instigator was apprehended.”

At this, Ibiki straightened as he made to speak.

“Pardon, Hokage-sama, but we have not received any new high priority prisoners since the attack.”

Almost immediately whispers began to break out among those in attendance. Minato raised a hand to silence them lest they get too carried away, before turning to address Ibiki.

“That is correct, Ibiki. After careful consideration I ultimately decided to use an alternate method of containment until such a time that I could outfit a cell with personalized containment seals. The technique was not one I had heard or encountered before, and given it was very clearly a form of space-time manipulation, I felt it best to err on the side of caution.”

There was still more to discuss, but before he could delve any further into sensitive information Minato dismissed the civilian representatives and members present. They weren’t exactly happy about it, which was understandable, but they weren’t surprised either. Once the last civilian had left the room, the doors closed once more and Minato reactivated the security seals.

Even while organizing rescue and relief efforts, Minato had been contemplating how he would explain the situation to the council. Ideally, he would have liked to keep Shikako and company a secret from the others, but given the Shikako’s very visible interference the night before when she single handedly held down the Kyuubi, that option was lost to him. He couldn’t present her as an ANBU - she was far too powerful - and he couldn’t claim her as a Nara bastard or returning deep-cover operative either for the same reason. Really, the only option he was left with was to tell the truth. Once he’d come to that conclusion, all that’d been left was to figure out how exactly he was going to tell them. In the end, he’d decided to go with mostly blunt as his strategy.

“I’m sure everyone present also bore witness to the Kyuubi being restrained with what appeared to be a Nara technique. For those of you who may have already approached Shikaku to ask who in his clan performed this feat, you will be glad to know that he was not in fact lying to you when he denied it - at least not intentionally.”

Minato pauses a moment to let them take that in, before gesturing towards Shikako.

“The woman responsible for that is standing to my left. Ladies and gentlemen of the council, I present to you Nara Shikako - the Rokudaime Hokage of an alternate dimension.” Suddenly Minato understood why Kakashi had chosen to introduce his student in the way he had -beyond to annoying her, that is- it was just really fun.

And, just as when Kakashi had done so, Minato’s introduction also got him an annoyed side-eyed glare (though, he noted that the one he received seemed to contain much less venom than Kakashi’s).

On her part, Shikako didn’t even bother stepping forwards from where she was leaning against the wall. With a deceptive laziness she slowly eyed her audience, before pulling only one hand out of her pockets in greeting.

“Yo.”

If Minato wasn’t trying to convince everyone that this was not, in fact, a bad joke - he would have face palmed hard enough to leave a mark.

Maybe this was Shikako’s revenge for trying to use her as a shield from the council - in which case, he supposed this was fair - but still…

He shot his fellow Hokage an exasperated and pleading gaze, trying to convey with his eyes alone his desperation for her to cooperate. Unfortunately for him, while Shikako definitely knew what he was trying to say, she did not seem inclined to offer much in the way of help, judging by the raised eyebrow he received in response.

It would seem explanations would be left entirely up to him…

It was at that moment that Minato had a brilliant idea.

—

Shikako couldn't identify the origin of the glimmer of mischief she had just seen flash through Minato’s eyes, but she had a feeling that whatever it was, she wasn’t going to like it.

When the cause was finally revealed to her, she took a moment to lament the accuracy of her foresight.

Sometimes she hated being right.

Chapter 8: The Council is in Session pt. 2

Chapter Text

Shikako should have known that taunting someone who was regarded as a prodigy among prodigy wouldn’t end well for her, but somehow this nugget of common sense had escaped her in the moment, which is ultimately what led to her current predicament. Really, she only had herself to blame. And Kakashi. She could blame him too.

—

“And that is the exact sequence of events that led to our arrival in this dimension. Now, of course, once she had figured out where we were - even if she already knew it wasn’t the Konoha that we called home - our brave and honorable Hokage Shikako-sama immediately ordered those of us who had come here with her to lend you our aid in your moment of greatest need -”

Minato doesn't think he’s ever heard his Kakashi speak as much in one sitting outside of a mission debrief - which, he supposes the argument could be made that this was also a sort of mission debrief, but the unrestrained glee with which Kakashi prattled on and on about his ‘ brave and honorable Hokage Shikako-sama ’ and how they had come to be here more closely resembled a form of poetry than a mission report. In summation: his tactic had gone even better than he’d hoped.

Apparently having reached her limit of Kakashi’s nonsense, Shikako finally decided to put an end to her Sensei’s fun. She closed her eyes and began to massage her temples before speaking,

“Kakashi.”

Her tone was utterly blank - almost scarily so, if Minato was being honest. Yet despite that the older version of Minato’s student only gave his student a delighted eye smile before stepping back and giving her the floor.

She sighed before beginning, voice utterly exhausted from her sensei’s antics, and now that he thought about it, probably also everything she’s had to do since arriving here.

“As Yondiame-sama just said, I am Nara Shikako, Rokudaime Hokage. Our dimension seems to be a parallel of your own, only set 24 years in the future.” She pauses for a moment before giving Shikaku a sweet smile, “Hi, Dad. It's odd seeing you looking so young again. All of you, really.” She adds on, looking around the room.

“So you survive then? You recover?” Shikaku says a bit breathlessly, a hint of desperate hope audible in his tone.

Unfortunately, Shikako’s face twists in sympathy rather than the reassurance that Shikaku was looking for

“I-I don’t know if your Shikako will survive or not. I remember reacting badly to the Kyuubi when I first felt it - it was incredibly painful - but I don’t remember having to be hospitalized for that specifically, though I did have nightmares about it for quite a while. If your Shikako had to be admitted to the hospital, then if they haven't already I would recommend that they place her in a room with some of the strongest dampener seals you have available. I’d even seal her chakra for a few days before slowly introducing it back to help her recover from the shock. It may not be the case for your Shikako, but personally I’ve always been able to sense all forms of chakra - that means nature chakra too. If it's anything like I remember she probably feels like she is drowning from the air itself.”

Shikako’s tone was solemn as she recalled how she’d felt all those years ago. Kakashi’s own face had blanked as soon as Shikako said it hurt, but knowing him as he did Minato recognized the desperation and anger in his eyes at the thought of his student suffering.

Knowing that Shikaku would be largely unable to focus after hearing what his daughter was likely going through, Minato signaled for an ANBU to go to the hospital and see that Shikako’s recommendations were carried out, causing his friend to visibly wilt in relief.

Minato called the meeting to a close only a few minutes after. It was clear that the clan heads still had questions - many, many questions - but it was also clear that neither Shikako nor Kakashi had any intention on expounding upon their role in the previous evenings events, nor their own background. He could tell by the less than subtle side-eyes he was receiving that they were hoping he would make them reveal more, but Minato had no intention of doing so. At the moment, as far as he was concerned the clan heads knew everything they needed to know about their visitors - anything else would only serve to satisfy their curiosity. Really, for a people who valued secrecy so much, Shinobi sure were nosey.

—

Before they made their way to his office, Shikako sent a pulse of chakra through the master seal on her forearm to summon her ANBU to her position. Unlike standard ANBU members, those who served on either hers or Kakashi’s guard rotation were required to receive another service seal in addition to the one that all ANBU receive upon attaining full admission into the shadow ranks. The seal her guards receive is an altered version of the standard, one which she’d altered to suit her needs personally and that only she knew how to apply.

Only Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke knew the full range of functions she’d added through her alterations, but even without a true understanding of the complexity of the seal she’d made they were suitably impressed by the supposed ingenuity of her design. While her boy’s wouldn’t ever know (or understand, even if they did) like with many of her idea’s this one had been inspired by something she recalled from her first life - specifically, the dark mark worn by Death Eaters in the Harry Potter books. If she had been her younger self Shikako probably would have denied that her creation was anything all that impressive, feeling like the idea wasn’t really hers to begin with. Thankfully though, as she had grown older Shikako had come to realize that just because she got the idea from elsewhere doesn't make the work she puts into making it a reality any less impressive.

In the case of the companion Kage and Guard seals, Shikako knows what she’d made was impressive. One of the functions she was most proud of was the one that allowed her to reverse summon her guards. In truth though she’d only made use of this function once in order to summon a guard who had been seriously injured and was incapable of movement, outside of that specific circ*mstance she’d never been able to justify the exorbitant chakra cost of the technique. In most situations - such as her current one - it was simply more practical to send chakra pulses into her seal to relay messages.

The code she’d sent through her own seal would be relayed to all six of her subordinates' seals as well. To the ANBU currently connected to her seal, the exact translation of her directive was ‘Priority: Urgent. Non-Hostile. Summon.’. From that they would know to come to her immediately, but also that there was no present threat.

Part of the beauty of her seals was that unlike standard chakra signal codes, only those with a Guard or Kage seal would be able to feel her signal regardless of how far away from her current position the ANBU were. Had she used standard chakra signaling, even in a code no one in this time was yet familiar with, anyone with even a slight sensitivity to chakra would have been able to feel her message - meaning anyone who had unlocked their chakra. That certainly would have been awkward to explain, particularly to Minato.

As it was, all Minato would have felt was slight fluctuations in her chakra, which he had judging by how his eyes had focused on her the moment her chakra would have first moved.

“Yondaime-sama, before we reach your office, might I trouble you for a slight detour? It would seem that nature has finally caught up with me.”

Over the course of the day she had spent helping him deal with the aftermath of the Kyuubi, she had grown a fair bit more comfortable around him and the formality of her speech had lessened greatly. While he displayed no visible indicator that he’d made note of its reappearance, Shikako knew that he had. Luckily, it would seem that for the moment Minato was willing to play along with her, as before he responded she saw him subtly sign for the ANBU following them to wait for them in front of his office. Minato flashed her a sunny smile and changed his direction towards what she knew led to one of the more secluded areas of the building.

“Of course Shikako-san. The bathrooms are right this way.”

As they made their way to the bathrooms, Shikako could feel her ANBU arrive at her position and begin to follow her in silence.

When they reached their destination, Shikako took a moment to focus on her chakra sense to ensure that they were truly alone. Upon confirming this, she motioned her hand informing her ANBU to reveal themselves. While she could have simply sent a pulse of chakra through her seal with her command as she had before, it would be seen as a show of respect for Minato to signal visibly, as well as an acknowledgement of his awareness of their shadows. While she didn’t think Minato would have seen it as such, using her seal to command the ANBU to reveal themselves could have been interpreted as a power play, and she had no desire to risk fostering such a misunderstanding with him.

“Gazelle, status report.”

“We were successful in fulfilling our directives as specified in contingency 77541 protocol, and sustained no injuries in the process, Hokage-sama.”

Shikako nodded.

“Excellent. Gazelle, from this moment forward I am designating you as captain of temporary team Blue. Your mission is to perform reconnaissance in the epicenter of Ash in the Land of Hot Springs, particularly on the state of the town's temple and any cult members. I want to know their numbers, how long they’ve been in the area, any suspicious illnesses or deaths. Under no circ*mstances are you to in any way engage a cult member. If any of your team begins to feel abnormally tired or lethargic you are to abort the mission and retreat immediately to report back your findings. I expect you to return within 10 days. Am I understood?”

Gazelle bows their head to Shikako.

“Understood, Hokage-sama. It shall be done.”

Gazelle bows once more, deeper this time, before disappearing along with the rest of the ANBU.

Shikako closes her eyes and inhales deeply before exhaling steadily. In truth, Shikako has no wish to the site of the mission whose events still haunt her dreams almost a decade later. Unfortunately, a deal is a deal and as much as she dreads returning to that cursed town she desires even less to discover what fate befalls those who renege a promise made to the Shinigami.

Having settled herself as much as she can, Shikako turns to Minato and gives him a polite - if somewhat strained- smile.

“Well then, now that that’s taken care of I suppose it’s time to get down to business. Lead the way, Yondaime-sama.”

It’s clear that Minato had noticed her discomfort with anything concerning the Land of Hot Springs, particularly that cult, but she was thankful that at least for the moment he seemed content to keep his questions to himself. Instead he simply nodded and returned her smile with one that was far more relaxed before heading back the way they came, this time leading them to their initial destination.

Both Shikako and Kakashi were silent as they followed him back, with Shikako studiously ignoring the concerned looks Kakashi was sending her after hearing the mission she’d assigned their ANBU. While he didn’t comment on it, having surmised that she wouldn’t have given such orders without a good reason, Kakashi also made no effort to hide his concern for her. After becoming Hokage alongside her Kakashi had become privy to the true sequence of events that led to the Land of Hot Springs becoming the Land of Ash, so his worry was understandable, especially since he hadn’t been there to witness her deal with the Shinigami. Shikako made a mental note to fill the rest of her team in on the terms of her deal as soon as she got the chance.

This whole situation was entirely too troublesome. Shikako resolved that when they got back home she and Kakashi were finally going to sit Naruto down and establish a concrete timeframe for when he would finally take the hat and let them retire. Even with Kakashi as her Co-Kage, seven years with this hat is seven years more than she’d ever wanted.

Chapter 9: Sealmaster Soiree

Chapter Text

Even taking into account the detour Minato had made to allow Shikako to meet and assign her ANBU a mission, Minato, Kakashi, and Shikako arrived at his office not long after their initial departure from the council chambers. During the council session he had received a message from one of his ANBU that Jiraya-sensei had arrived and was currently waiting for him in his office. He had sent the ANBU off with orders to retrieve Kakashi and bring him to the chamber while Kushina was to be escorted to his office. Thankfully, he had located Kakashi the younger hours ago, so he sent his remaining student to stand guard over his son while he held a long overdue debrief with their dimensional time travelers.

They arrived and settled down in silence, Minato carefully leashing his surprise upon seeing that both Naruto and Sasuke had also made their way to his office. Clearly his security needed a complete overhaul, because there is no way that the concealed ANBU guards outside his office would have allowed these men to enter without permission -which, while he didn’t exactly object to their presence, he certainly hadn’t invited them- meaning they must have been able to sneak in while evading the ANBU’s notice.

At the moment Minato was left wondering just how much Kushina had been able to tell Jiraya about their guests' unique circ*mstances and their actions before either Naruto or Sasuke had arrived. Judging by the man's goofy expression upon seeing Shikako, the answer was clearly not much. Minato groaned internally, already predicting this ending poorly just from the way that her male teammates turned in perfect synchronization to level Jiraya and intense glare. Minato may know by now that his sensei’s lecherous behavior was (mostly) just an act to make people underestimate him, but at times like these that was little more than a cold comfort.

Apparently choosing to ignore the clear warning in all three men’s eye’s, Jiraiya slowly and deliberately raked his eyes up and down Shikako’s form, letting out a low whistle in appreciation. Objectively, Minato could acknowledge that Shikako was indeed a beautiful woman - a slim yet strong frame, deep brown eyes that shown with curiosity and intelligence, clear and healthy skin with only the occasional thin white scar, long and thick dark brown hair - she wasn’t what he’d come to understand as his sensei’s ‘ type ’- able to snap him in half, blond, and busty - but that’d certainly never stopped him from expressing his appreciation before. Still, while Minato could acknowledge Shikako’s aesthetic appeal, it was incredibly difficult to view someone that had only hours before he had seen the Shinigami defer to in anything approaching a sexual or romantic light.

Trying to ignore his sensei, Minato instead busied himself with activating his office's privacy seal. Unfortunately, that excuse was exhausted far too soon, and he was forced to return his attention to the group before him. Equally unfortunate was the steadily growing killing intent both Naruto and Sasuke were now leveling at Jiraiya who continued to blatantly checkout Shikako.

“Sensei, meet Hatake Kakashi, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and Nara Shikako - they’re from the future.”

His sensei’s lecherous expression fell carefully blank; those familiar with him could see the shock he tried to hide while trying to process what Minato had just said.

Deciding to take advantage of the momentary silence, a red faced Naruto jumps to his feet,

“Yeah, so show some respect to your future Kage, Ero-sennin!”

This seemed to succeed in pulling Jiraiya from his thoughts as he processed what Naruto had just revealed.

“Future Kage?... Hey, wait a minute, who do you think you’re calling Ero-sennin you brat?!”

Once again Minato internally sighs at the situation. This was not among the things he’d anticipated dealing with when he accepted the hat.

“Naruto, please sit back down.”

Judging from the patient yet firm tone she used, it would seem Shikako was accustomed to curbing her teammate’s behavior. Though clearly reluctant, Naruto complied, allowing Shikako to turn to face Jiraiya.

“As Yondaime-sama said, I am Nara Shikako. It's nice to meet you, Jiraiya-sama.” She said, inclining her head respectfully.

“Hm, Shikako you say? You wouldn’t happen to be Shikaku’s kid, would you? And the blond brat called you ‘my future kage’- so you’re who ends up succeeding Minato as Godiame, eh?”

Jiraiya's tone may have been playful, but Minato was certain that everyone in the room saw beyond the seemingly innocuous veneer of the questions to his sensei’s true aim - information.

Jiraiya was a legendary shinobi - how could he be anything less when he made up a third of the storied Sannin? While Jiraiya was no slouch when it came to ninjutsu, his true specialty lie in sealing. Because of that, it was really no surprise that Shikako requested his aid and input alongside Minato and Kushina in designing a seal capable of taking her and her companions home.

Conveniently for him, this also gave Minato the perfect excuse to include Jiraya-sensei in this, er… information gathering session. During the emergency council session both Kakashi and to a greater extent Shikako had been rather tight lipped when it came to information, not sharing anything beyond what he’d already managed to find out. In Shikako’s case, after spending the day with her Minato was fairly sure that her reluctance to talk about herself if it didn’t have to do with a seal or jutsu was simply a facet of her normal personality. In Kakashi’s case, he appeared to have chosen to employ the strategy of talking a lot without actually saying much of value. A strategy that -much to Minato’s growing annoyance- had so far been admirably effective.

But, while he hadn’t been willing to risk provoking Shikako or Kakashi’s ire by attempting to force them to reveal more about themselves in front of the clan heads, he was much more willing to do so within the confines of his own office. That was where his sensei came in.

All Shinobi were at least passingly decent at soft interrogation techniques - on missions that required any form of infiltration which had a shinobi interact with a number of targets, such techniques were invaluable. As with most things, Minato knew that Shikako and company would easily be able to identify their tactics. However, since Shikako was far too powerful to have forcefully mindwalked, Minato had no choice but to gather information another way - hence: soft interrogation, something Jiraiya was incredibly skilled at on account of being Konoha’s spy master.

Even if a target was aware that you were employing such soft interrogation tactics, when done right they can still be used effectively without souring you relationship with the target as a result.

At the moment, Minato was unsure how cooperative Shikako and company intended to be, but he was hopeful that for the most part they would be agreeable.

Focusing back on the conversation, Minato watched as Shikako rubbed the back of her head (a nervous tic. Was it deliberate?) as she made to answer.

“Ah, no. Tsunade-sama became the Godaime after the Sandaime died fighting Orochimaru in an invasion during the Chunin exams when we were 12.”

That…was a lot to unpack. Judging by the amused smirk on Sasuke’s face, this was likely going to be a trend of the conversation.

“So Sandaime-sama was Hokage when you were 12?”

Shikako nodded in confirmation.

“I died during the Kyuubi attack, didn’t I?”

He’d phrased it as a question, but it was really more of a statement. Nonetheless, Shikako nodded solemnly in confirmation.

“Both you and Kushina-san perished while sealing the Kyuubi into Naruto. After your death Sandaime-sama came out of retirement and retook the hat until his death.”

Briefly Minato’s gaze flickered over to Naruto. Appearing to read the question in his eyes, Naruto gave him a sad smile.

“I ended up in the orphanage until I was 5 and Hokage-jiji gave me an apartment and stipend to live off of while I was in the academy. Danzo spread word among the villagers that I was the Jinchuriki, and our attack was a lot worse than yours, so I’m sure you can imagine that I wasn’t a very popular kid.”

Shikako gave Naruto a supportive smile.

“You weren’t a very popular kid, but now both the village and the world sees you for the hero you are.”

This confused Minato. While he could understand the village seeing Naruto as a hero, the world seeing him as one didn’t make sense. Since the formation of the hidden villages, hero was a title given to a shinobi who had performed some amazing feat and triumphed over their enemies in battle. Which begged the question: why would residents of other villages view Naruto as a hero if it was a title he had to have earned by slaughtering a large group of at least one foreign village's shinobi. Before he could think about it more, Kakashi decided to interject as well.

“And don’t forget Naruto, you’re Shikako-sama’s chosen successor for Nanadiame.”

Shikako gave Kakashi a dirty look.

“I think you mean our successor, Kakashi.”

Kakashi merely eye smiled and proceeded to act as though his student hadn’t said anything.

“What do you mean by 'our'successor, aren’t you the Hokage?”

Jiraiya asks, confused. Shikako crosses her arms and continues to stare down her former sensei who is still pretending to ignore her.

“For all that he conveniently seems to forget the fact, Kakashi is my Co-kage. We share the position.”

Jiraiya gains a thoughtful look.

“Mah, you flatter me Shikako-sama, but if anything I’d classify myself more as Assistant Hokage.”

Naruto and Sasuke nod silently in agreement. Shikako spares them an irritated glare before turning to face Kakashi fully, leveling her finger at him accusingly.

“Don’t give me that ‘Assistant Hokage’ crap! When neither of us had won by the 20th round of Janken, we agreed to share the position instead, sensei!”

Thankfully for Minato, Jiraiya sensei decided to voice the question he too had been burning to ask:

“Putting aside the fact that you tried to determine who would be the next Hokage using Janken of all things, why are you upset that Kakashi is ceding the hat to you, isn’t that what you wanted? And on that note why do you already have a successor selected? You can’t be much older than Minato and he’s only had the hat for about a year at this point, are you really already considering retirement?”

Sasuke huffed a laugh at his question.

“Of the four of us, only Naruto actually wants to be Hokage. Shikako got saddled with the hat because she was the most qualified candidate when Tsunade-sama announced her retirement at the end of the fourth shinobi war. Shikako tried to get out of it by saying there were other candidates just as qualified but the only one to come close was Kakashi, so she challenged him to a game of Janken where the loser had to take the hat. They kept tying so eventually they made a compromise to share the hat as ‘co-kages’. As it is only Shikako and maybe Gaara actually believes Kakashi is her ‘co-kage’, the rest of the villages think he’s her assistant.”

Minato is certain that the expression on his face is just as baffled as the one on his sensei’s. To his side he can hear Kushina trying to muffle her giggles.

“As for why she’s already named her successor, Shikako came into the hat not long after we’d turned 17. She only agreed to be Hokage until Naruto was ready to take her place, but if the fact that he’s got two kids still too young for academy is anything to go by it may be another seven years before Shikako actually gets to retire.”

Shikako let out a defeated whimper upon hearing Sasuke say that.

Chapter 10: Gameplan

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The more he unraveled the mystery of Shikako the more fascinated he became. The youngest Hokage to ever take the hat - despite not wanting it. Someone who commanded respect across the entire elemental nations, who was both revered and feared for her strength.

Kakashi had told them of Zetsu and Kaguya - how the former incited Madara to take revenge on the nations for the death of his brother. Hearing how the nations had been manipulated so masterfully to play right into Zetsu’s plan, only narrowly managing to escape total annihilation…

Kakashi’s students were impressive indeed.

—

The weeks that followed the attack were a flurry of frantic activity as the village had to mourn their losses and rebuild while also putting on a tough front to assure clients and enemies alike that they still stood strong even after what they’d suffered. In that time Minato often found himself reflecting on just how grateful he was that Shikako and company had appeared when they had. He thought it when he greeted his citizens in the streets, when he caught and denied an insidious piece of legislation the elders had once again tried to sneak past him, when he held his son and witnessed his gummy smile. All these things were only possible thanks to Shikako’s arrival and intervention.

It had been a challenge trying to determine what they would tell the village about the events of the attack. Ideally, Minato would have liked to simply brush off any questions about it. Unfortunately, there were two things that prevented him from taking that route. The first being that simply too many people had stood witness to the display of power Shikako had used when subduing the Kyuubi. If it had been only this, Minato would have been able to doge most queries the general population would have made, even if with some difficulty. When Kakashi had risen a second point against his preferred solution, he knew he’d have to pursue another option.

At the time Minato had held the meeting with the otherworlders and his own confidants (Jiraiya and Kushina) to discuss what they might tell the general population, Kakashi had revealed that at the moment Naruto was only able to use about two hundred clones for reconstruction efforts. Of course, that revelation had left Minato practically reeling - two hundred was practically nothing compared to the thousand he had watched the man deploy in the immediate aftermath of the attack. When he had demanded to know why the man had so greatly reduced the number of clones aiding in reconstruction efforts, he was a bit embarrassed to have not thought of the reason himself.

—

“I don’t know anyone who can create as many clones as me, and nobody here knows me, so I have to henge each of my clones into different people. If they move around enough, two hundred people that nobody recognizes isn’t likely to catch many people's attention. The more there are the more likely someone’s going to catch on, and since enough time has passed since the attack for the other villages to have heard about it, if someone realizes that there are a bunch of shinobi running around that nobody recognizes the best case scenario is they think that it's an attempt to plant as many infiltrators as possible while the village is vulnerable. Worst case scenario, they think it's an invasion attempt. Either way, neither is easy to explain.”

Naruto says with a shrug.

That…that makes an unfortunate amount of sense. Belatedly, Minato recalls the dark circles that had become a permanent fixture under his eyes over the past week. Shinobi can go long periods of time without proper sleep - sleep deprivation is a common interrogation technique after all - but at the end of the day, they are only human, and Minato has yet to hear of any person able to circumvent the negative side effects of sleep deprivation in their entirety. As a new father and Hokage of a village recovering from a large-scale disaster, Minato had hardly been sleeping well lately, and it would seem it's finally begun to take a toll on his mental facilities.

Perhaps noticing Minato’s fatigue and taking pity on the alternate-version of his old sensei, Kakashi graciously decided to offer the man a solution.

“Mah, sensei, this all has an easy solution - just tell the village that you were granted salvation through the divine favor of the Shikabane-hime!”

“Kakashi, no, don’t-”

“Mah, Shikako-chan, there’s no need to be upset, sensei’s just trying to help is all!”

Kakashi’s demeanor is playful, but he quickly adopts a serious tone as he continues.

“Don’t think we’ve forgotten what you promised the Shinigami. If you have to fight the abomination before we can leave here, then you have to strengthen your presence in this dimension. You can’t do that if you continue to deny your nature.”

“He’s right, Shikako. I may not have been there to witness the immediate aftermath, but I’ve heard enough to know that there’s not a chance in hell any of us are going to allow you to face that thing again without making the proper preparations. If nothing else, then consider this: it took you months to fully recover after your last encounter - we can’t take that risk. All of you are incredibly talented sealmasters, but there is always a chance we end up in another situation similar to the one when we first arrived here. We need to be in the best shape possible to account for these possibilities as best as we can.” Naruto said, eyes steely as he held his teammates' gaze.

Even without looking into his eyes Minato could tell that this wasn't a point the man was willing to budge on, and if Naruto was anything like Kushina then arguing with him when he was like this was an exercise in futility. Apparently Shikako had reached the same conclusion. She nod stiffly in agreement before making her way out of the room, Sasuke flashing him an apologetic look before rushing after her.

“Kakashi, why does this upset her so much?” Minato asked softly

Kakashi sighed.

“Because it’s true. Shikako has never been much of one for the spotlight. It’s not that she doesn’t want acknowledgement, but rather that she does not seek glory. Shikako is my precious student - just as Naruto and Sasuke are as well - but she has become so much more over the years. People don’t just respect her, Sensei - they worship her. She has temples dedicated to her all across the elemental nations. Every member of the Shinobi alliance was ready and willing to die trying to stop Kaguya from casting her Infinite Tsukuyomi - we expected to die. Even with Naruto and Sasuke’s powers we didn’t have much hope of winning. You saw Shikako restrain the Kyuubi with her shadows, but you haven’t seen her hold down the Juubi - haven’t seen her transform into a wall of shadow dark and tall enough to shield 60,000 men from a tailed beast bomb and succeeded. During that battle, it wasn’t like fighting alongside another shinobi - it was like fighting alongside the physical manifestation of darkness itself. We won, and the Shinobi she saved went home and told stories of the great goddess who fought alongside them, of how she pulled down the night sky itself and hid them in her darkness to shield them from the Juubi’s wrath.”

Kakashi’s eye wrinkles in a way that Minato has learned over the years is his version of a wry smile.

“With most people the legends eventually fade into obscurity or become so fantastical that it doesn't take much to figure out they’re gross exaggerations - no one will ever forget what Shikako is capable of, and they’ll know the stories to be true because they’ll be consistent from Kiri to Iwa. A good portion of the younger generations outside of Fire who’ve now grown up hearing stories about her also pray to her. Your predecessors were called god of shinobi for their mastery of our craft - Shikako is also called the Goddess of Shinobi, but she is regarded as a patron deity, not just a mortal woman with incredible power. Pointing out Shikako’s divinity upsets her because she knows she can’t escape it. Being here was probably really refreshing for her - where she’s not known as anything other than the Yondaime's assistant. Getting to experience a bit of normality among the general public for the first time in years meant a lot to her, Sensei. Having to give it up again so soon is going to hit her hard. She’ll get over it, but that dosen’t make it hurt any less in the moment.”

Chapter 11: Sacrifices Made For the Greater Good

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Sasuke had never been particularly skilled at having ‘heart-to-heart’ conversations, as Naruto would call them. Really, he just wasn’t very good at emoting in general. He’d improved over the past few years - having children will do that…

(It won’t, but that's a story for later.)

But even with the improvements he’d made, Sasuke still tended to avoid these kinds of situations whenever possible. Unfortunately, this would be one of the times when it wasn’t.

Following Shikako, they made their way up to the roof of the tower. Walking to the ledge, Shikako stood in silence against the railing, seeming to take in the sight of the village while she collected her thoughts. Knowing better than to rush her, Sasuke decided to follow her example and let himself take in the view from the tower. As far as vantage points went, the tower wasn’t a bad one, though he felt that the view from atop the Hokage monument was far more spectacular. Gazing out at the village, Sasuke couldn’t help but be fascinated by how different this version of Konoha appeared compared to his own.

He’d learned a great deal about the Kyuubi attack over the past few weeks he’d spent aiding in reconstruction efforts. For instance, until his arrival her he hadn’t known that the areas that suffered the most damage (or in some cases, destruction seemed more apt a word) in the wake of the Kyuubi attack had consisted largely of civilian businesses and residences. In his time most of the land -which he now knew had once been occupied by single family homes- was now the site of a number of multistory integrated apartment complexes which housed both civilian and shinobi tenets, a trend that had been gaining popularity ever since the newly restructured KMPF had begun collaborating more often with their civilian counterparts.

Of course, it wasn’t just the areas destroyed in the Kyuubi attack that were different from what he remembered. The Konoha Crush had also destroyed large, developed districts, most notably in the area surrounding the east gate, where a number of Orochimaru's summons - some who were reported to have exceeded over a hundred meters in length - had flattened the surrounding buildings over the course of their fights.

Overall, he found that it was much easier to tell which buildings were planned fixtures and which ones had had to be quickly constructed as the village's population quickly began to multiply. There were other signs of additions made over time that hadn’t been anticipated - such as the odd and uneven manner in which the power lines were distributed, or how starkly the large metal heating and cooling units contrasted against the largely wooden structures they serviced. The overall aesthetic was hardly anything he’d consider pleasing or even efficient.

Before he could spiral further over the internal debate over whether it was more likely that Konoha’s overabundance of atrocious asymmetrical structures was the result of a truly disturbed saboteur set upon them by their enemies, or if there are genuinely people in the Buildings Regulations and Compliance Department who fail to recognize the role they play in perpetuation this cycle of needless violence (against good taste), Sasuke was pulled from his thoughts by the familiar feeling of Shikako’s chakra fanning out as she laid a seal.

Patient and attentive, Sasuke waited as Shikako struggled to put her thoughts into words.

“I never wanted this.” She said softly.

While she doesn't explicitly say it, Sasuke’s fairly confident he understands what she means by ‘this’. Calmly he reached over to where her hands grip the railing. He gently tugs on one of her wrists to signal to her his intention, and she complies without a word, gaze still firmly starting out into the distance. A long moment passed in which she has still yet to look at him, and for a moment he worries that she’s disassociating. Thankfully he is quickly proven wrong as she moves the hand he holds in his own to interlock their fingers in a move he knows is so that she can feel the comforting pressure of his grip while holding him in turn - in their present circ*mstances, it's as much affection as they can display without crossing the unspoken, undefined, yet somehow still clear limit of what is considered an acceptable degree of intimacy between teammates.

A bubble of resentment rises within him at the thought before he ruthlessly crushes it with an efficiency that can only be obtained through years of practice.

Sasuke loves Shikako. She knows it, and so does he.

Shikako loves Sasuke. He knows it, and so does she.

That should be enough for him. It was already more than he could have ever hoped for when he first realized his feelings for her all those years ago.

And yet, resentment still rose within him everytime he was prevented from doing as he so desperately wanted to lest he risk them becoming a subject of the council's scorn - or even worse, interest. Sasuke knew that he would be able to weather the storm of their attention and unsolicited advice - he’d had plenty of practice when he announced Sarada’s impending arrival via an unknown (to them) surrogate. But in the end, it wasn’t just about him, it was about Shikako as well, and while she may be Hokage and therefore above their usual avenues of coercion, that just meant they had to be creative. No matter how much Sasuke wanted to be able to freely show his affection towards Shikako, he cared for her wellbeing - both physical and mental- more. So, every time he felt that familiar resentment rise within him, he smothered it.

He won’t lie - this instance was particularly hard to control, but he thinks it's understandable given the circ*mstances.

Afterall, it's hard not to feel bitter or frustrated at the fact that even though they’re in an alternate dimension, circ*mstances (though quite different) still deny them the chance to love each other freely.

The remnants of his teenage angst that he’s never quite been able to rid himself of make him want to stew on the unfairness of it all a little longer, but right now Shikako needs him, and Shikako will always be his priority.

“I know you didn’t.” he says.

Finally, she turns her face and meets his eyes, looking more desperate and vulnerable than he’s seen her in a long time.

“I - sensei was right. I don’t know how, but the moment I thought of trying to fight J-Him without an anchor in this dimension, it was like I could suddenly see exactly how it would end. A strong following cementing my presence in this dimension is absolutely vital, because even if I could defeat him without it, I’d still have no way to return to my body after it's over.”

Sasuke’s brow furrows a bit.

“If you need a strong anchor, will Konoha be enough?”

Her shoulders hunch over in defeat, her grip on his hand having tightened to the point of becoming painful- yet he remains silent, waiting.

“No. It won’t be.” She says, starting off so softly it was little more than a whisper. Her volume rose as she continues speaking, but that just made it easier to hear the shakiness as she voiced what she’d ultimately been forced to conclude was the only way forward.

“We need to go to the dead wastes. I have to free Gelel.”

—

When Shikako and Sasuke return to the office, Minato can see a new resolve in her eyes - as well as barely concealed resignation.

“I’ll do it.”

Jiraiya perks up at her words, his eyes gleaming with a barely restrained excitement at the thought of the performance that is now destined to take place. The same excitement can be seen in Naruto’s eyes, that is until Shikako informs him of his own part.

“I know Jiraiya-sama. He’s going to make me put on an obscenely expensive outfit and style my hair to sell my part, but if I have to do this then so do all of you. We’ll introduce you as my divine retainers.”

Kakashi laughs nervously, his eye widening in barely concealed panic at the thought.

“Mah, Shikako-chan, surely you don’t need all three of us to pose as your retainers - right?”

With a solemn expression Shikako approaches Kakashi, firmly gripping his shoulder while looking him straight in the eye.

“Sensei, I’m sorry this makes you uncomfortable, but this must be done. Think Sensei - so long as we’re all in this together, Naruto can’t back out. We can finally get rid of that horrible haircut. Don’t do it for me - do it for him, for little Hima and Bolt, for Hinata… Sensei, do it for Konoha.”

A lone tear runs down Kakashi’s cheek as his eyes gain the same resolve Minato had seen in Shikako when she had returned.

“You’re right, Shikako-chan. I’ve dedicated my life to serving the village and it’s people - this is simply just another part of my duty as a shinobi of Konoha.”

Minato was sure he was missing some context to the situation, but that didn’t stop him from appreciating the joke.

Naruto, on the other hand…

“Oi, what the hell guys!? My haircut is not that bad! Right, Sasuke?!....Eh? Wha- don’t act like you can’t hear me you swirly-eyed bastard!”

He looks over at Kushina, who is once again observing the team's squabbles with glee.

Minato turns back to the team, who have now moved from criticizing Naruto’s haircut to his outfit.

“There’s nothing wrong with what I’m wearing! Orange is the best, sensei!”

“Naruto, you would have painted your whole house orange if you thought for even a moment that Hinata would let you. You have a problem.”

Ultimately, it was the painful sincere way in which Kakashi said it that broke him.

Like a floodgate finally being released, light, joyful laughter poured out of him. He wasn’t alone for long though, as soon both Jiraiya's own booming laugh and Kushina’s cackles joined his own.

It had been three weeks since the attack. Slowly but surely, they were recovering.

—

Whenever people who’d grown up with him or knew him when he was younger remarked on how much he’d changed since Sarada was born, Sasuke would offer one generic response or another before hastily changing the subject or abandoning the interaction all together (his response varied depending on how much he actually liked the speaker). In reality, his road to improved interpersonal skills was much more complicated than he led others to believe.

It all started after he’d panicked upon finally realizing that as her father, he would be his daughter's main reference for humaning - something he was notoriously poor at. Sasuke was happy with the friends he had now, but he was well aware that the only reason things turned out as well for him as they did was because he had Shikako. Without Shikako…well, he didn’t really want to consider it, but the point is that he has no desire to see his daughter suffer on account of his own shortcomings!

Not really sure what to do (or thinking very clearly) a panicked Sasuke decided that since his problem was people then clearly the best course of action was to seek aid from the clan that specializes in people.

After a few quick shunshin across town where he proceeded to deposit his sleeping daughter into an incredibly confused Naruto’s arms, Sasuke made his way towards the Yamanaka compound. Now, Sasuke was never ‘close’ to Ino when they were younger (for obvious reasons), but he had been to her house a few times with Shikako over the years and was fairly confident that he could find it again, even if it’d been a while.

When the person to open the door wasn’t Ino -like he’d expected- but rather Inoichi -someone he was even less familiar with. Sasuke weighed his options and decided that - while he may not know Inoichi - the man had successfully raised a daughter. When you take into account that he also happens to be the retired head of T&I, Sasuke thinks he may have found himself one of the most qualified individuals in the village to offer him advice on his problem.

So relieved to have found someone he believed could help him, Sasuke didn’t even both with pride and instead let everything pour out of him. In retrospect, it's a miracle that Inoichi was able to make any sense of his incoherent rambling, but he did. When Sasuke had finished Inoichi nodded and invited him in for tea. That meeting would be only the first of many more over the years, and also marked the beginning of what would eventually blossom into the unlikely friendship of Yamanaka Inoichi and Uchiha Sasuke.

Chapter 12: The Flock Was Threatened

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It was a long discussion with many difficult decisions before they finally had an acceptable plan to introduce the Shikabane-hime to Konoha. At first Minato thought about doing it after the conclusion of the burial ceremony for the dead, but Shikako had balked at the idea and outright refused, claiming that redirecting attention to her during a funeral -or even shortly after- would only come off as gauche and give those in attendance the wrong impression of her.

Honestly it was a far more difficult decision than Minato had anticipated. After his funeral idea had been shot down so swiftly he offered a few more, only for these to be rejected as well - this time by Jiraiya!

(Betrayed by his own sensei! Is this how Shikako felt when Kakashi…Kakashied? Well, now he almost regrets having inflicted him on her during the council…almost.)

It was incredibly frustrating, but made even more so by the fact that it wasn’t even just a case of Shikako or Jiraiya being picky, each reason against his ideas was well thought out and logical!

Before he could pull his hair out in frustration, Kushina - his beautiful, wonderful, talented wife - voiced her own idea.

“Well, you said that in your world worship of Shikako-san spread after all those shinobi saw her fight, why don’t we just do the same thing here?”

Naruto gained a contemplative look as he thought over the idea.

“Hm, it has potential, but I can’t think of anything powerful enough to face Shikako while she’s serious and not lose in the first five seconds.”

This- no. Just no. Minato refused to believe that any child of his could be that thick. It didn’t matter how serious Naruto looked when he said it, this was just another example of the man’s superb acting skills. Yes, that. Truly, Shikako must be so thankful to have such an incredible infiltration asset. Yes. Clearly Naruto also understood that Kushina was implying they reveal Shikako to the Shinobi first and let rumor and word of mouth disseminate the news among the civilians. Yes, just a poorly timed gaff to make everyone relax -

“Argh! Darn it, you’re right!”

Kushina said, slumping back dramatically in her seat.

“Whatever, even if we could find an opponent strong enough, nobody would be able to actually see it in the first place without being killed.”

She says despondently.

Minato slowly moves his eyes from Kushina, to Naruto, and back again, brain still trying to process what he’d just seen.

‘Oh. Oh dear.’

Maybe his son is that stupid.

‘He just looks so much like me, that for a moment I had hoped that maybe I had won…’

Alas, it was at this moment that Minato finally saw Naruto for what he really was: a male clone of Kushina, with Minato’s coloring.

‘The Uzumaki is strong in this one.’

—

Shikako’s not quite sure what happened to make Minato look so depressed all of a sudden, but seeing as she couldn’t think of anything happening over the course of the conversation that would warrant such a reaction, she chose not to comment on it and move on instead.

“The idea does have merit; we just need to adjust it a bit to make it work in our current circ*mstances. Actually, Minato-san - are there any temples around the village that aren’t currently in use? I think I have an idea.”

—

Ultimately, Kushina referred them to the Uzumaki Mask Temple. The temple was owned by the Uzumaki clan, and as the last (known) Uzumaki to reside in Konoha, Kushina was willing to allow them to use it for Shikako’s plan, so long as they were respectful and mindful of not to cause any damage.

—

“Aw, come on, why do we all have to wear face veils?! They’re itchy and uncomfortable and priest don’t even wear them, Shikako-chan!”

Naruto whines. Shikako can’t help the slight twitch of her mouth at hearing her teammates' complaints. She rolls her eyes in exasperated fondness but chooses to otherwise ignore him. There are so few constants in the world, but Naruto is one of hers. Married and a father of two, yet still pouts and whines to her like he did in the academy when he wanted to get his way.

“And what the hell Shikako-chan, I thought the things these guys wore were red and yellow, why are the outfits Indigo?! They’re so dull!”

Shikako sighs, not even bothering to turn to Naruto as she responds in a deceptively light tone - though if she had, she would have seen the way his eyes widened in barely concealed panic at her words.

“They’re also supposed to shave their heads, but I figured it was probably ok if I changed a few things here and there to better suit my tastes since you’re going to be acting as my priests.”

Naruto laughs nervously, understanding the implicit threat that she could make the outfits far more uncomfortable and drab if he kept complaining.

“Of course, Shikako-sama, you’re absolutely right!”

“Good, now sit still while I fix your hair. I even made a new seal so it would grow faster than if I used medical jutsu, just because I knew you hate sitting still.”

“Wha-how long did this take you?! Why would you take the time to make this instead of working on the seal to get home? My hair is fine!”

Naruto says, backpedaling as Shikako moved closer. His panic began to rise, growing increasingly uncomfortable at the blank expression on her face and her unwavering intense gaze.

“For the greater good.”

She says, Kakashi and Sasuke echoing her.

“Guys, come on, we can talk about this! Please, no - AHH!”

—

A pouting Naruto sat sullenly in a chair as Shikako stood behind him, brushing out his much longer hair.

“Really, you have such nice hair Naruto. Even if you didn’t want it long like this, I don’t understand why you would want to cut it as short as it was; you look so much better like this - right guys?”

“Anything is an improvement to what you had.”

Kakashi says casually, not even bothering to look up from his novel.

“Hn.”

Sasuke grunts in agreement - though it’s unclear whether it was with Shikako or Kakashi. Knowing Sasuke as well as he did, Naruto could say with about 70% confidence that the correct answer was both.

“Bastards.”

He grumbles out, slouching down further in the chair, only to feel a sharp -though not too sharp- tug on his newly grown out hair.

“OW! What the hell, Shikako?!”

“Don’t slouch, it's bad for your back.”

Naruto's expression went from affronted to incredulous.

“And you decided to convey that by yanking my hair instead of, oh I don’t know, using your words?!”

“...”

Shikako stares at him, but he can see the faint spark of mischief in her eye.

“Hn.”

—

“Sensei…”

Shikako says hesitantly. Reluctantly, Kakashi’s eyes leave his book to look at his student. She looks…disturbed yet fascinated. With a mental shrug Kakashi returns his eyes to his book, deciding that so long as there’s no panic he’s probably not in immediate danger.

“Yes, Shikako-chan?”

“Sensei, your hair…”

He makes a sound of vague interest, eyes still fixated on the contents of his book.

“Sensei, your hair has grown almost 30 centimeters.”

Kakashi turns the page.

“Why is it still sticking straight up?”

He shifts his gaze back to his student for a moment, knowing from the tone of her voice that her facial expression is bound to be amusing - ah, yep. He returns to his book, glad to have caught such a gem for his memory bank. Most people think it's the p*rn that makes him giggle, but really he’s just thinking about any especially good reactions he’s drawn out of people with his bullsh*t. He’s not quite sure what he did to warrant the look of fascinated horror that had been on Shikako’s face, but whatever it was must have been good - Shikako has spent so much time with him that over the years she’s become practically immune to his usual antics, so reactions like this are a rare treat he has learned to treasure.

“Hm? Oh, the hair? Yeah, it does that.”

He peeks at her again, just in time to catch the tail end of her thousand yard stare as she processes his total lack of concern (the best part is that he’s not even lying - it really does just do that.) at this unexplained violation of physics.

“Sensei, why -”

“Mah, mah, Shikako-chan - there’s no need to worry, it’s always been like this.”

—

Oddly enough, Kakashi’s reassurance doesn't seem to be even remotely successful in placating his student, and he spends the next three hours in that same chair while she runs various tests on him. Eventually she discovers that his hair’s odd behavior is actually due to an accumulation of chakra bleed off from raiton jutsu giving his hair an imbalance in electrical charge. With that information, Shikako decides that the best course of action is to just shave his head and start over - thankfully though she uses the seal to regrow it quickly rather than make him grow it out naturally.

Kakashi’s glad she regrew it, bald does not suit him.

—

Of the three men, Sasuke was by far the easiest to deal with, and Shikako made sure to reward such good behavior accordingly by being extra gentle when brushing out his hair. It was important to reinforce good behavior with positive stimuli so that they would be more likely to repeat it in the future. Shikako is fairly certain that she learned this from a book on dog training (she was bored once in Kakashi’s apartment and found it gathering dust on one of his shelves), but she is also fairly certain that the same principle is applicable to humans as well.

“Hey, how come you weren’t that gentle with me or sensei?”

Naruto says, pushing his bottom lip out in an exaggerated pout.

“Because Sasuke hasn't been complaining the entire time he’s been over here, and Sasuke doesn’t have hair that passively absorbs raiton chakra bleed off so that it can confuse everyone when it doesn’t obey gravity.”

Kakashi actually looks up at that.

“Mou, so mean Shikako-chan, blaming your poor old sensei for something he can’t help.”

Kakashi sighs dramatically as he returns to reading his book.

“Youth these days, no respect for their elders. Hmp.”

“Mah, Sensei, you’ve been an old man for so long that I figured I’d do something nice and give you a taste of the youth you lost as soon as your hair grew in.”

Shikako shot back, dry as the Suna desert.

Naruto burst out laughing at Kakashi’s expression while Sasuke’s shoulders shook with his own silent laughter. Shikako sent a smug smirk her sensei’s way, relishing in the comically betrayed look on his face. It wasn’t a particularly witty comeback, but she had a lot of warming up to do.

Shikako still hadn’t forgotten the lovely introduction Kakashi had given her.

Unfortunately, before she could continue to tease him, Shikako felt the ANBU she had sent to investigate It’s temple enter her range, and as they got closer she felt her heart rise up into her throat at the feel of their chakra. It was a familiar taint, one she had seen often in the early stages of that fateful mission. She hadn’t known what it was then, or else she would have taken Aoba and run back to Konoha as fast as she could, but she knew now. She clenched her fist and grit her teeth before forcible relaxing herself. When she opened her eyes (she hadn’t even realized she’d closed them) Kakashi, Sasuke, and Naruto had gone silent and were staring at her with questioning eyes. Unfortunately, their questions would have to wait while she tried to figure out why her ANBU were returning carrying Jashins taint in their chakra.

Chapter 13: Goddess!Shikako Concept Art

Chapter Text

I generated like 60 different versions of the same concept worded slightly differently each time and these are my favorite, I would have put more but Ao3 wasn't liking that.

Chapter 14: Flight of the ANBU pt.1

Chapter Text

Gazelle knew they were going to be in deep sh*t when they finally got back and delivered their report to the Hokage, but with the turn things had taken at the end, Gazelle was just happy to be returning at all.

It all started roughly three days after their arrival at the town. They had all begun to sleep a bit longer on their off rotations but didn’t think much of it at the time - looking back now, he’s almost sure that whatever it was that was going on in that town wasn’t just messing with their energy and chakra, it was messing with their heads too.

They wasted no time starting their recon and surveillance, already establishing shifts and setting up traps to defend the campsite. He’d thought things were fine -sure, he’d felt a little tired, but fatigue was expected on these types of missions, and their recon efforts were proving incredibly fruitful, which made him hesitate and eventually decide against leaving. He wanted to collect as much information as possible on this cult they had been sent to investigate, and to do that he needed to stay as long as possible. At the time it’d seemed like a perfectly logical choice, but it wouldn’t be long before he regretted it.

On the morning of their seventh day there, Gazelle went to wake the other three agents so that they could carry out their shifts. Since there were six of them, Gazelle had done the logical thing assigning three to each shift. It was an ideal set up for this kind of mission, since it allowed for a pair of people to go and perform recon while the third remained behind and stood watch over their sleeping comrades. This day had been Gazelles turn on watch duty - it was an incredibly dull but important all the same. Like every other watch rotation that had occurred during this mission, absolutely nothing of interest occurred. Nothing of interest occurred, but Gazelle still found himself exhausted - far more than he should be even with the length of the mission. A suspicion had begun to grow in him, something that was unfortunately confirmed when of the three agents sleeping, only two rose.

“Rabbit, sleep rotation has ended, you’re on recon.” He said a little louder.

Except, she didn’t react…at all.

One of the worst parts of being inducted into ANBU ranks is the initiation training used to weed out those who have what it takes from those who don’t. It’s a grueling experience, but an extremely necessary one that teaches ANBU recruits many essential skills - one of them being the ability to operate with little to no sleep for long periods of time. That part of the training usually spans a two week period. Gazelle knows Rabbit, has run multiple missions with the kunoichi - she’s been in ANBU for going on two years now, and her reflexes show it.

Disjointed pieces of a larger puzzle he hadn’t even realized was in front of him suddenly began to fall into place.

‘ If any of your team begins to feel abnormally tired or lethargic you are to abort the mission and retreat immediately… ’

‘ ...abnormally tired or lethargic…’

‘...tired or lethargic…’

‘...abort the mission…’

‘...retreat immediately…’

‘...abort…mission…’

‘...retreat…’

ABORT.

RETREAT.

The words rang through his head. He’d had a headache for days by that point, the same string of sounds repeating over and over again in the back of his head but always lacking any decipherable meaning…

Now though, now they rang clear.

They’d all been feeling tired lately, despite spending more than eight of every twenty four hour sleeping. He hadn’t thought anything of it, just chalked it up to mission fatigue, but…

‘Rabbit is physically the smallest member of the team, we’ve all been getting progressively more tired, I haven’t been thinking straight for days…’

Completely violating protocol, Gazelle took off Rabbit's mask so that he could have a clear view of her face. He already knew that she was still breathing - that much was clear from the rise and fall of her chest - but he didn’t know a damn thing about medical chakra beyond what was necessary to perform patch jobs on flesh wounds that would hold up until he could get himself or a comrade to a qualified medic. He could do a diagnostic jutsu - it wasn’t hard if you knew mystic palm - but it would be utterly useless given he had no idea how to interpret the information. There wasn’t much he could do, but what he could do would at least give them a better idea of whether Rabbit still had enough going on upstairs to be worth the risk carrying her deadweight would pose to the rest of the team. Gazelle wasn’t one to abandon a comrade, but he also wasn’t one to endanger the rest of the team for something that was already beyond help.

Taking his medical kit out from the storage seal, he quickly located the pen light he kept in there and set to work. Straddling her torso Gazelle leaned over her face and pulled back each of her eyelids, turning on the pen light he carefully observed her pupillary response, and was relieved to find it normal. Some of the weight that had been on his chest lifted at that, glad that things didn’t appear to be as bad as he had first feared. The next thing he checked was her pain response, which was also normal. The second test had mostly become a redundancy as soon as she’d shown a normal pupillary response, but more information was always good, and even if she’d failed the second test, he still wouldn’t have left her behind.

Realizing that in his rush to determine the presence of Rabbit's mental facilities he had yet to give Boar and Lion their marching orders, he quickly issued them as he began repacking his supplies and disassembling the camp.

“We have to go. Now. Locate Squirrel and Lizard and inform them that we are aborting the mission and returning to Konoha effective immediately.”

Both men were gone as soon as he finished speaking.

Chapter 15: Flight of the ANBU pt.2

Chapter Text

Boar and Lion returned with Lizard and Squirrel just as he had finished disassembling camp. Not wanting to spend even a moment more than absolutely necessary, Gazelle quickly barked out orders.

“Boar, you’ll be carrying Rabbit. If you need a break, you can hand her off to Lion once we’ve crossed over into Fire. Lizard, Squirrel, you hold the rear and I’ll take point.”

Boar had already picked up Rabbit by the time he’d finished speaking, so he immediately took off, trusting the team to fall into formation behind him. The pace Gazelle set was brutal but well one he knew to be within the abilities of the squad from training and previous missions. Honestly, he’d like to have gone even faster, but while he would have been capable of maintaining it about half of the team wouldn’t be, which would inevitably lead to a break in formation. When Shikako-sama finished designing the seal to take them home Gazelle swore he was going to make every ANBU under him run speed and endurance drills until they dropped - he didn’t care how much Boar hated running, he would do it and he would like it, damn it!

They ran and ran, the landscape little more than a blur as they passed it by.

More than 16 hours had passed since their departure when Lizard signaled for the squad to stop.

“Lizard, do you need a break? We should only be a few more hours from the border-”

“Sir, we’ve passed the same bush four times. At our current pace we should have already begun seeing more flora indigenous to fire, but it’s been unnaturally sparse.”

Gazelle’s insides froze for a moment before he shook it off,

“f*ck, genjutsu?”

His tone was noticeably grim. Gazelle considered the facts: an unknown genjutsu that he hadn’t noticed for more than 16 hours, an illusion that their genjutsu mistress still hadn’t tried to disrupt-

“You think the caster is nearby?”

Lizard shook her head.

“No, I tried to break it multiple times but was unsuccessful. I-I also haven’t been able to mold my chakra for anything other than body enhancement. This is a genjutsu I would think only someone with a sharingan was capable of casting.”

Boar, Lion, and Squirrel had been silent since Lizard first mentioned the possibility of a genjutsu, but Gazelle felt all three also try to flex their chakra or perform a jutsu only to be unable to.

“What the hell is happening? Hokage-sama didn’t mention anything like this when she warned us.”

Boar said, breathing noticeably harder than the rest of them on account of having to carry their downed teammate. It was then that another voice rang out, causing them to jump in surprise.

“Aww, the little Lizard has gone and ruined my fun! Naughty, naughty - hasn’t your Master taught you better by now? For shame!”

The voice sent shivers of fear down their spines, its tone cruel and mocking - Gazelle could practically hear the sneer at the end that was followed by a stomach curdling laugh.

“Oh well, it was beginning to get a bit boring anyway. What do you say we do something a bit more…exciting? ”

They couldn’t speak. They couldn’t move . Each one of them simply stood there, frozen in fear like a prey animal who had just detected the hungry gaze of a predator. Gazelle had fought hopeless battles before; he had been one of thousands of shinobi to take part in the initial suicide charge against the reanimation of Uchiha Madara. And yet, not even when he had believed himself running to his death against Madara had he felt fear as potent as this. Hard earned instincts honed through years of combat told him this opponent was beyond anything he had ever faced before.

Within the illusion - because this had to be an illusion, even if he couldn’t escape it - the world shuttered, and suddenly he and his team found themselves cast into a free falling through an unending darkness as reality…

S H A T T E R E D.

—

Lion knew this place - how could he not, when it still haunted his dreams?

From the corner a darkly dressed figure donning the same featureless white porcelain mask he too would one day wear spoke in a monotone voice.

“Only one of you can be worthy of serving among the Roots which uphold the foundation of our great village. This is your graduation exam - prove your worth.”

And, just like every other time he had dreamt of this moment, no matter how much he howled and raged within his mind, willing (begging, pleading) himself to stop, to rebel, to surrender, anything - his protests would ultimately go unanswered. Just as with every other time, Lion was reduced to a prisoner within his own body, forced yet again to watch helplessly as he and his companion charged each other. And, just as with every other time, the dream would end the same: breathing heavily as he stared numbly at the slowly growing pool of red beneath the form (corpse) of his companion (friend). The sound of the bloody tanto clattering to the ground as his trembling, slick, hands lost their grip would barely register as he fell to his knees and emptied his stomach just before his chakra exhaustion claimed him.

Most nights, this was the point at which Lion would wake in cold sweat, heart thundering in his ears as he quickly tried to calm his erratic breathing. Occasionally the dream would feel especially vivid. On those nights he often found himself scrambling from his bed to his bathroom where he would wretch and tremble with the grief he had never been allowed to express while in Root. Both options were unpleasant, but he had learned to cope with the nightmares by using strategies recommended by the Yamanaka to ground himself in the present - to remind himself that he was safe, that he was free .

This wouldn’t be like those nights though, because instead of waking to find himself in his apartment back in Konoha, he once more found himself standing in the center of an underground training room, with a darkly dressed figure donning the same featureless white porcelain mask he too would one day wear.

“Only one of you can be worthy of serving-”

—

Rabbit didn’t know how long she’d been trapped in this repeating nightmare, but she’s long since reached the point of desperation. She no longer cares how it’s accomplished, so long as it ends -

Her thoughts are cut off by the all too familiar sound of heavy boots thundering up the stairs. She curls in on herself tighter, unable to help the hysterical bubble of hope that maybe this time will be different, maybe this time he won’t find her-

She’s lost count of how many times she’s relived this moment, and yet, despite knowing that by allowing herself to hope she is only setting herself up for future despair when once again her hope is proven fruitless, she just can’t help herself.

It’s ironic, really, how little she’s changed over the years. Rabbit is a grown woman, an accomplished kunoichi, a jonin of Konoha -

And yet, everytime she hears those boots, all those years of experience seem to just melt away, until all that's left is the little civilian-born girl hiding in the closet from what she knows is to come, but still can’t stop herself from hoping.

—

Boar knows this scene, it features in his nightmares often enough that he’s become quite familiar with it.

He’s helping clear the streets of unsprung traps, discarded weapons, and other by-products of the invasion that would pose a danger to civilians if left unaddressed. As a chunin, he’s needed to supervise the genin-corp squads helping with clean up, mainly ensuring that any traps encountered are within their skill level to dismantle. It’s tedious work, but it’s good to know that the higher-ups are still looking out for the most vulnerable members of their ranks, so he accepts the assignment without complaint.

The squad he was assigned to supervise seem to be veteran members of the corps who understand the importance of their assignment - something he’s incredibly thankful for. For hours they systematically and meticulously comb through the rubble and building of their sector for anything that could pose a danger to the civilians once the area is cleared for occupation, and Boar can’t help but grimace when he imagines how busy the requisition office and the smithies contracted with it will be once they receive all the stray weapons his team and others like it will have collected. He doesn't ponder the logistics of requisitions reforging the weapons being collected for long though, as he’s soon far more focused on the unpleasant metallic scent that hangs heavy in the air.

Boar had been enhancing his nose for most of the day; it was a simple yet surprisingly effective way to detect any residual poison that may have been used in an area or on a weapon before anyone on his team can be exposed. It is because of this that he is the first to register the heavy scent of blood in the air, though to their credit none of his squad are that far behind.

While medical crews had already conducted a cursory sweep of the area to collect anyone still alive to receive medical attention, it was up to squads like Boars to collect any bodies they found for disposal. Konoha-nin were to be kept separately from civilian or enemy remains, which meant teams were required to determine to the best of their ability previous affiliations before they could collect anything, which could be difficult depending on the state of the corpse.

Boar and his team had been lucky, only finding roughly a dozen or so bodies littered throughout their sector so far, but it would seem that their good fortune had come to an end.

They approached the area cautiously, conscious of the fact that areas with high casualties carried an increased risk of traps or explosives planted with the intention of taking out first responders or clean up crews. Their initial investigation turned up no secondary trap, so they cautiously made their way further down the street. It was as they did this, that Boar realized that there was something familiar about this street, and when he realized why it seemed familiar his heart practically stopped.

The street was almost unrecognizable now, but Boar had been here only this morning to drop off his nephew at his nanny's house.

His body trembled as he stumbled towards the collapsed structure he had seen only this morning, heedless to the concerned calls of his squad. As he approached the scent of blood grew stronger, and so did his tremors.

It was as he was right next to the building’s remains that he saw it. Had he not been searching so intently, he likely would have missed it, as the small hand had been pale to begin with but covered as it was in concrete dust from the explosion it was almost impossible to make out, if not for the reddish-brown stain of dried blood that marked the heavy piece of debris laying on top of his precious nephew’s body.

In his mind, Boar knows that it wasn’t a boy he found that day but a girl, and it wasn’t the house he’d dropped his nephew off at that had been struck but one two streets over. Boar knows that, but the idea that it could have been his nephew, the series of events that all too easily could have been true, is enough to make his heart constrict in agony as though it was.

—

Usually when something reminds her of her first infiltration mission - first and last - she starts to dissociate, just like she had when it happened.

Lizard is a genjutsu mistress, so she knows illusions and can usually separate them from reality with ease.

Lizard knows illusions, but this isn’t an illusion - it’s a memory, one that the caster of the genjutsu must have pulled from the recesses of her mind where she keeps the things she doesn't ever wish to think of.

Lizard had always thought that she didn’t remember most of the time she spent as a captive of Kumo because their interrogation methods had enabled her to pass out relatively quickly.

She should have known better - no, she did know better, she just didn’t want to face the truth.

The awful ugly truth of how she got the deep whip lashes that now permanently decorate her back, or the burns that cover the soles of her feet.

Lizard had indeed passed out under the tender loving care of Kumo’s T&I, but not nearly as often as she wished.

The reason Lizard didn’t remember most of her time there is because she didn’t want to remember it - she had suppressed, to protect herself from the horrors she endured while there.

In another life she might have been fine, might have retired from active duty without ever realizing the truth…

But this wasn’t that life, because in this life when a sad*stic force she was helpless to resist invades her mind and discovers what she’s been hiding from herself, she is forced to watch and relive something so horrible that her mind had deemed it simply safer to forget. —

Having lived as long as he has, having fought in two different wars, it was inevitable that Squirrel had accrued some regrets over his lifetime.

His biggest regret is that he didn’t ask her to stay that night, or at least follow her until he knew she’d made it there safe, because maybe - maybe then she’d still be alive.

But Squirrel was a bitter and broken man, just like she’d said, so when she said she couldn’t do this anymore - was tired of him ending up in the hospital every other mission, tired of watching him drink himself into a stupor once a week when the memories got to be to much - when she left for her mother’s, Squirrel didn’t follow. Instead, he’d brought out the cheap bottles of shochu and drank until he passed out into a blessedly dreamless sleep.

He woke up the next morning with a pounding headache and an impatient KMP officer pounding on his door to inform him that she’d been beaten, robbed, and killed on the way to her mothers, while he’d sat at home drinking his memory away.

He’d stopped drinking after that, but by then it was too little too late.

Squirrel may have mourned the deaths of his comrades, but he never blamed himself for them. They were shinobi, dying was an unavoidable hazard of their trade. He didn’t blame himself for the deaths of his comrades, but her death - it haunted him.

He’d read the autopsy reports, and from them a new nightmare joined his usual rotation. Most other things that haunted his sleep were memories of missions gone wrong, of things he was ashamed to have done, of comrades dying - all terrible, but their content unchanging. With her though, well, the autopsy can only tell you so much, which left his imagination (the imagination of a man who had killed enough people in various ways to have plenty of reference material) to fill in the blanks, cycling through possibilities.

And so, Squirrel watched -as he always did in these dreams-, as the woman he loved was beaten, robbed, and left to die in the street. Again and again, over and over he watched, and wondered.

—

Gazelle was an ANBU. He had taken up his mask in service to his village, and he was determined to die under that mask in the service of his village. No one would mourn him save perhaps the comrades he left behind, his name would be lost to the sands of time as just another person who led an altogether unremarkable life - exactly as he wanted. When he had been a younger and less seasoned shinobi he had still occasionally entertained the possibility of settling down one day, maybe even starting a family of his own, but it had been many years since he had deemed such possibilities forever lost to him.

This being had been in Gazelle’s mind - it knew his life, and most importantly it knew his greatest fear.

To his horror, Gazelle began living through ‘memories’ he knew had never happened, forced to silently observe as he lived a life never meant for him, and as he proved exactly why that was the case.

A beautiful woman - his wife - lay in a hospital bed holding a wrinkly red newborn

The baby - a son - was perfect, and as Gazelle watched the child grow, as he identified all the little pieces of the boy that were his and which came from the woman (wife, his wife!) a longing he had been sure he had rid himself of years ago resurfaced, one which wished to make the scenes in front of him a reality, one which wanted what this version of himself had.

But of course, such a happy family wasn’t meant to last - not for him, at least.

Each time the cycle restarted. But, no matter what changed, whether it be different ages, different genders, even different spouses, the end result - if not the stressors which set it into motion - remained the same.

Sometimes he snapped from not decompressing properly after a difficult mission.

Sometimes the baby cried in the middle of the night startling him awake but not before he reflexively threw a kunai at the source of the noise, silencing it and the child forever.

Sometimes his identity was leaked and he comes home to find his house wrecked and his family dead from an enemy seeking revenge for his actions.

So many different scenarios, yet each one ultimately ended the same, reinforcing what Gazelle had known for years now to be true: he is not meant to be happy, his purpose in life is to serve the village in whatever capacity it demands.

Gazelle has known - and accepted - this for years, so why…

Why does it still hurt so much, each time they die?

He knows the end result before the visions even start, but he is still helpless to stop the

AttachmentFondness Love

From blooming anew inside his heart, unhindered by any attempt of his to resist their formation.

For the first time in years, Gazelle wants to cry. He wants to cry and scream and sob and weep at the unfairness of giving him a taste of the happiness he had never truly known enough to miss, to show that he is capable of loving someone and being loved back, while in the same breath showing him that the only way for him to obtain that happiness - even if only for a time - was to damn the one who gave it to him in the first place to any number of gruesome and horrific deaths.

Gazelle wants it, he wants it desperately, but Gazelle was never meant to lead a happy life, and he is not so selfish as to damn another to share his fate just to taste the love that he now so desperately craves for a time.

So instead he mourns. He mourns what was and what yet wasn’t and what will never be.

—

A burning world

Fractured dreams

Evil laughter

Childrens screams

Broken bodies

Bloodied swords

Salted fields

Endless war

The pleas of the helpless, unheard and unseen

The agony of an existence, governed by pain

—

“ It’s unfortunate, but I suppose we’ll have to end our encounter here - a shame really, your anguish is simply delectable. Oh well, I’m sure we’ll have more time to revisit such things once I’ve consumed your Master, but for now you’d best wake up and get going - your Master is bound to miss her menagerie, and I for one can’t wait to see how she likes the gift I’ve so graciously bestowed upon some of her stars. HAHAHA!”

—

They awoke all at once, each in various states of disarray. No one spoke for a long while, instead taking the time to adjust to the abrupt cessation to their eternal hells. And if a few of them took their masks off to cry in relief that it was finally over, that they were finally free - well, Gazelle was hardly going to judge.

Their peace didn’t last long though, as the voice of the being - Jashin , his mind supplied- rang out in their heads. As a group they tensed with anxiety and fear at the possibility that they weren’t free of the illusion, that this was just some cruel reprieve that let them think they were free only to pull them back in once they’d finally accepted their freedom.

“ Hurry, hurry, little stars. It’s poor form to keep your Master waiting, and you’ll already miss your deadline as it is. Unless…you’d like to stay?... HAHAHAH! Run, Run, little stars!”

And oh , did they ever. Now that Rabbit was awake and Boar was no longer weighed down by deadweight they ran considerably quicker than they had in their initial attempt to flee, and managed to reach the border in only a few hours, leading Gazelle to believe that they hadn’t been as mislead by the first genjutsu as he had thought, and that it was more intended to put them close to the border without letting them cross it. They could almost feel the physical weight of the evil gods' attention lift from them when they crossed the border, but still their pace did not slow, wishing to put as much space between them and that accursed country as possible.

—

Jashin may have left them once they crossed the border into Fire, but even days later his cruel laughter and the horrific visions of a broken world kept replaying over and over again in his mind - like they hadn’t escaped him, like they hadn’t made it out of the land of Hot Water.

Gazelle was an ANBU, he knew how to compartmentalize his emotions so that they wouldn’t effect his mission, and had been doing so for years. But Jashin would identify your most secret, fears, thoughts, and desires - the ones you kept locked in the deepest parts of your mind, sometimes ones you didn’t even realize you had - and exploit them mercilessly. He made you feel like there was nowhere you could run that would be far enough to escape him, but as Gazelle stood in front of his Hokage - no, his God - he’s not ashamed to admit that a tear escaped his eye.

Because Jashin was wrong .

There was somewhere he could run where the evil god could not follow, somewhere hope was real and joy was abundant.

For the first time in 14 days, Gazelle felt like he could breathe again.

And even as he felt the awe inspiring power of his Lady’s aura unfurl from the confines of her mortal vessel, even as he felt the fury and possessiveness radiate from his Lady’s Shadow, even as that Shadow swallowed him and his team whole, he felt not fear, but relief.

Somehow, he knew that so long as they were in his Lady’s Shadow they would be safe. Here they could rest and recover until they were ready to face the world once more. With this last thought, he closed his eyes and surrendered himself into her Shadow’s embrace.

—

A day later, Gazelle and the rest of the temporary team blue would emerge from Shikako’s shadow, fully healed if not slightly dazed.

When asked by Hatake-sama what had happened to them while in the Shadows, the ANBU agents - unmasked for a more thorough health assessment - with distant gazes, would only utter three words:

“ We were stars. ”

Chapter 16: Gelel Interlude pt.1

Chapter Text

Shikako had been aware of the well of not-chakra thrumming within her chest for going on a decade now. It was an energy that had resided within her from the moment she was born, but it was only after emerging from her joining with Gelel -with something other - that she gained an awareness of its presence.

( Her mind knew Gelel was foreign, yet... )

Her encounter with Gelel left Shikako…changed. In more ways than one.

Looking back, Shikako can’t help but feel that it shouldn’t have taken merging with a god and experiencing reality from their perspective to realize that something wasn’t right about her, but until she had borne witness to the cycle of souls from within Gelel she’d just… never really thought about it. Before then, any thoughts she had in regard to the memories of her previous life was in the context of how she could use said memories in this life. Of course, logically Shikako knew that her situation was hardly normal, but she’d never really stopped to consider the How or the Why (and certainly not the possibility of a Who or a What ) behind her presence here, she’d just accepted it and moved on.

Joining with Gelel had forced Shikako to confront the uncomfortable questions and bitter truths she had long avoided asking or even thinking about.

Shikako’s birth into this world may not (as far as she knew) have been intentional, but that didn’t make it any less unnatural. The nature of the human soul was defined by an endless cycle of death and rebirth. So long as humanity persisted, they were destined to live, to die, and to live again, for as long as the wheel kept turning.

( She had lived, she had died, and now she lived again - this time as Nara Shikako.

And yet,

memories of another life -things that should have been cleansed, lost to the turning of the wheel- linger. )

Human souls that enter the wheel of reincarnation are cleansed of their previous life before they’re reborn.

Human souls.

But then…

What did that make Shikako?

It felt like for every question answered, another even more uncomfortable one rose to take its place.

She was human… had been human…something had changed. What had changed?

( Shikako is far too distracted by her thoughts to notice the feelings of Interest_Query Gelel sends her, but her soul isn’t, and it responds in her place:

‘ The symphony of Us has gained its final movement, but something is missing, we’re incomplete, unbalanced- it's not right! We’re meant to be more! ’

‘ An arrangement too grand for a human, yet still short of being More -’

Gelel was moved by the sorrow and despair within the song her soul sung. The girl had broken the seal, releasing Gelel from their prison after centuries of confinement. The girl had granted Gelel their freedom, Gelel thought it only fitting that such a gift was repaid in kind.)

—

Shikako recalls vividly the moment Gelel provided that final piece of herself she had never even realized she was missing. The song that had been haunting her for days echoed clearly all around her and through her. It was like resurfacing after sitting at the bottom of a pool, her view of the world suddenly gaining clarity.

She had felt Gelel’s gratitude and intent the moment before everything changed, and as she took in this seemingly new world she distantly felt Gelel’s gratitude turn into confusion, followed by realization, and then a blinding joy as they abruptly pulled the manifestation of her spirit impossibly close and embraced her.

Of course, there were a number of things about this that confused Shikako, such as: when had she (or Gelel, for that matter) manifested an astral body, and why were they hugging? Her confusion didn’t last for long, though.

‘Oh .’

Now that she had stopped trying to focus on everything -and consequently, nothing- at once, the reason for Gelel’s joy was evident.

Both of their songs rang out unrestrainedly, temporarily overpowering the base melody she now recognized belonged to the universe itself. Over the past few days, as the Song had become increasingly clear to her, she had come to realize that in the absence of the Song of the Universe, everyone else’s songs were reduced to a cacophony of discordant notes all in conflict with another. Logically, that's what should have happened then as well, except…

‘Oh. ’

(Her mind knew Gelel was foreign, yet the song of her soul had never experienced such perfect harmony with another.)

She was starlight.

They were starlight.

It was beautiful.

Chapter 17: Gelel Interlude pt.2

Chapter Text

Shikako had never realized how ‘other’and out of place she had felt until Gelel. Those moments of discomfort around supposed peers, the pressure to please and impress; what was the point of any of it? Every interaction, every relationship - she could now see that it was all just her way of unconsciously trying to fill the void that had formed in the absence of her other half. But she didn’t need those people anymore; now that she had Gelel, she was finallywhole.

And what a feeling it was, to be whole for the first time.

Now that she knew this feeling, she never wanted to be without it again.

Shikako held Gelel closer at the thought.

Faint, indistinct noises echoed throughout the plane - Shikako ignored them, intent on continuing to savor her completeness.

The echoes grew louder.

A shadow entered the plane, and Gelel turned their head towards it.

“You would fight a God? ” They asked, their voice curious and light, entirely at odds with the determined and fierce tone that answered back.

“Yes,” They snarled, causing a brief jolt of surprise to run through Shikako as she recognized Shikamaru’s voice. “Give me back my Sister!”

And then he struck, lashing out with his shadow against Gelel. His efforts were ultimately pointless - detrimental really, given the chakra he was wasting.

Shikako frowned. She knew her brother, he would have realized that his shadows had no effect on Gelel after the first hit, so why hadn’t he stopped? She stepped away from Gelel and towards her brother, sisterly instincts bidding her to check and see if he hadn’t received a head injury at some point during the fight.

‘Oh.’

Once again, Shikako’s worldview shifted.

The moment she had lost contact with Gelel, her head cleared and she remembered the thoughts that had run through her mind a minute ago. Without their songs ringing so loudly within her head Shikako began to realize just how much her thought pattern had deviated from its standard course. Shikamaru had always been her priority, and Shikako loved her parents and her friends, so why…?

Gelel titled their head at the mounting panic they could feel her trying to suppress.

“Shikako! ” Shikamaru pleaded.

She stood there, frozen as the two sides warred within her.

‘Gelel is our other half ’

‘But so is Shikamaru. And what about mom and dad? What about Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi, our friends and all our comrades - we can’t just abandon them. ’

‘Shikamaru is our twin, Gelel is a part of oursoul.’

‘Shikamaru is human, and a shinobi at that. Gelel is a god. Only one of them faces any real risk of dying in the near future. ’

And that…was true. Her choice had become clear, but that didn’t make it any easier.

She turned to Gelel. Her emotions had likely made her decision obvious already but leaving without a word felt…wrong.

It was the matter of a few ‘steps’ for her to get close enough to Gelel to hug them one last time. She heard Shikamaru’s pained voice call out from behind her, likely misinterpreting her actions. She would apologize later, for now though, she focused her attention on Gelel.

Repeating their own actions from earlier, Shikako pulled the god into her embrace with a heavy heart.

Gelel wasn’t human - they never had been and that would never change. Their avatar - which she knew they had only adopted for her sake to begin with- only served to emphasize that. While Shikako’s avatar had simply adopted the same appearance as her physical body, Gelel had no physical form - and it showed. Gelel’s avatar was devoid of all features that might otherwise identify them as anything more specific than ‘humanoid’. Frankly, they more closely resembled an iridescent mannequin than a human, but the consideration they showed had filled her with warmth once she’d realized it.

They had only just found each other, and they were already being separated. Honestly, all her leaving with Shikamaru got her was the chance to watch everyone around her slowly wither and die over the course of a few decades. Why bother suffering through that when she already knows how it’ll end, she should just stay here-

Recognizing the unnatural train of her thoughts, Shikako untangles herself from Gelel and abruptly steps back, almost immediately noticing her thoughts becoming clearer as the pleasant fog that had once again begun to warp her thoughts retreated once more.

Not willing to risk a third test of her already faltering willpower by delaying any further, Shikako ignored the way her soul rebelled at the very idea of leaving and forced herself to speak.

“I can’t leave them. Not yet. I’m sorry to make you wait, but…”

Her sentence trailed off, but rather than try and finish it or start over, Shikako let it hang between them, knowing that Gelel would understand what she refused to voice, and what she lacked the words to. Gelel was silent in response, but she could feel them accept her words - when Shikako was ready to join them, they would be waiting. There was nothing else left to say, so Shikako made her way to Shikamaru. She gave Gelel one last longing look, and then she -

-let-

-go.

Shikako thinks it's the hardest thing she’ll ever do.

(She’s right, but some things certainly come close.)

—

They reentered reality exactly where they’d left it. Shikamaru had already been cradling her previously limp body in his arms, but upon their return he holds her as tight and close as possible, paying no mind to the pool of her blood on the floor beneath them, sobbing and clutching at her in a manner that's almost suffocating, like he thinks that if he lets up for even a moment she’ll disappear.

It’s a valid concern. She’s not so sure if she won’t either. For a moment she even contemplates it, just calling out to Gelel and begging them to take her back, that she was wrong - they’d do it too, Shikako knows they would. But Shikamaru’s bruising grip grounds her, and so instead she just cries. Shikako cries, and sobs, and wails while her brother cradles her in his arms. She pays no mind to their audience as she lets out her grief, she knows they won’t judge her for it. So Shikako cries, and Shikamaru holds her, and Naruto and the Sand Siblings gather and herd anyone else out of the area to give them both a moment.

For a few minutes, Shikako allowed herself to feel the full weight of what she had done, and of what she had lost -no matter how temporarily- as a result.

Chapter 18: Is This Hell? I Thought There'd Be More Fire.

Chapter Text

He had been sitting in on a council meeting when it happened, listening to Suzuki Reiji - a finance minister of the Daimyo - deliver what he probably believed to be a truly scathing assessment on the villages’ finance department, telling him that it was so ‘poorly organized’ that the man hadn’t been able to locate a single file with the information relevant to his needs. As the man kept speaking, it became increasingly difficult to maintain a straight face.

‘You being unable to find any useful information means our filing is working exactly as intended, you imbecile. Of course,our files are messy and nonsensical - we hardly want to make things easy for infiltrators. To do anything less would massively compromise infosec.’

Minato withheld a sigh and gave a small nod so that Suzuki would still think he was listening.

‘This is a waste of both the council members and my own time. I’m not particularly eager to return to the mountains of paperwork I need to complete, but at least that would be productive. What was the Daimyo thinking, allowing Suzuki to come here - the man is positively clueless on all matters relating to shinobi. Hell, I doubt he’s ever even seen a shinobi outside of one of the twelve guardians.’

Minato had tried to be patient and accommodating with the noble, not wishing to deal with the inevitable backlash that would result from any perceived slight, but his patience was rapidly growing thin.

This whole situation was a mess, and absolutely not something he needed to be dealing with on top of everything else.

It was standard procedure for a senior finance minister to travel to Konoha every three years in order to renew the defense contract they held with the Land of Fire. Of course, this was not without exceptions- wartime, for example.

During times of war, nobles were far less willing to leave the capital or their respective territories during such times - something Minato had always found uncharacteristically practical of them. That unwillingness had likely spared more than a few nobles a rather gruesome death at the hands of bandits, which always grew more prevalent during wartime as a result of scarcity and Konoha’s lack of available manpower to cull them as they usually did. So, rather than pull six or more shinobi from the front to escort a noble and their entourage to Konoha for the annual renewal, the Daimyo and the Hokage made a compromise. Having realized the impracticality of escorting a noble to Konoha during war, the Nidaime Hokage got the Daimyo to agree to amend the contract to instead allow for three shinobi to be sent to the capital for the renewal.

This was a good amendment - great, even - but it did not come without a cost. As per tradition, shinobi did not venture to the capital (publicly) without first being invited by the Daimyo, a rare occurrence given the seemingly genetic dislike of shinobi that had run in the line for generations at this point. Naturally, the Daimyo demanded his own amendment for the great burden of allowing shinobi to enter his city. In exchange for approving his request, the Daimyo had demanded an amendment that allowed him and his descendants to commission a review of terms if ever they felt the stability of the village was in question. In other words, the Daimyo demanded an amendment that enabled him to send his cronies to review the contract at anytime - both the Nidaime and Daimyo were probably aware that the man was incredibly unlikely to ever make use of it, but the Daimyo would have also known that the fact he could do it at all would doubtlessly rankle the Nidaime and any of his successors.

To be honest, Minato hadn’t ever really worried about that particular amendment - the Daimyo and his wife were both incredibly fond of him for some unknown reason, so he’d figured that as long as he never did anything to remove himself from their good graces he should be fine.

It turns out, he was wrong - though in the privacy of his own mind he can begrudgingly admit that if a Daimyo were ever going to use that provision for anything other than a powerplay, right after a part of the village had been demolished by a rampaging bijuu was probably a pretty good time.

That didn’t mean he had to like it, though.

Actually, if he didn’t know how fond of him the Daimyo and his wife were, he probably would have thought this to be a show of power meant to punish him for something, because that's what being in the presence of Suzuki Reiji is - punishment.

In fact, Minato would bet that this visit had to be among one of the worst any of the Hokage had ever dealt with before. There were multiple reasons that supported this belief, and Minato felt like he was discovering a new one for every minute longer spent in Suzuki’s presence.

To be honest it was almost amazing how slow Suzuki managed to make time feel.

Another minute passed, and Suzuki showed no sign of stopping, content to continue to rant to his captive (they are being held prisoner, please send help) audience. Minato’s eyes flitted around the room covertly - everyone had completely zoned out, with the exception of Inoichi, who’s face had fallen into an expression of fascinated horror - good, that meant he saw this for what it was too. Minato bet’s Inoichi never expected to be beaten so soundly in the art of subtle torture unintentionally by a civilian noble with absolutly no training to speak of. Thankfully Minato knew Inoichi to be a man of good sense, so he knew there was no need to assign an ANBU to watch him for the duration of Suzuki’s stay. Inoichi was a man of good sense, he wouldn’t seek out Suzuki in an effort to learn the man’s technique. No, as a man of good sense Inoichi surely understood that some things were simply too powerful. Suzuki’s technique must die with him.

Minato’s gaze shifted to Inoichi’s left, falling on Shikaku. Shikaku is sat ramrod straight in his chair, eyes focused on Suzuki. If someone were to enter the room at that moment, Shikaku would appear to be the most attentive of anyone in attendance. Having known Shikaku for as long as he has, Minato knows with absolute certainty that Shikaku is actually just sleeping with his eyes open.

Normally, a part of him would just be jealous that Shikaku was able to get away with sleeping through something like this, but Minato was just relieved to see his friend getting some much needed sleep. The past few weeks had been hard on everyone, but Shikaku had spent much of it in a room in the long-term care ward watching over his daughter. Little Shikako was stable, but she still hadn’t woken up, and with each passing day the chances that she ever would became increasingly slim. Normally, given her prognosis and age, the hospital would have stopped treatment weeks ago. As a hidden village they couldn’t be frivolous with medical resources, especially in the wake of the Kyuubi attack. A baby with chakra hypersensitivity, who -as far as they knew- would never be able to be a shinobi even if she did wake up - was a resource sink, not a patient.

Shikaku had known this, but so had Minato, and while Shikaku might not be able to do much about it, Minato was the Hokage - he wasn’t above abusing his position to help a friend.

It was also worth mentioning that Minato felt guilty. Shikako had been hurt by the Kyuubi, and even if none of this had been his or Kushina’s intention nor was the beast released by their own will, Minato knew that some people would have laid the blame at his or Kushina’s feet. Honestly, Minato’s not so sure how wrong they’d be to do so. Knowing this, Minato had expected a bit of resentment from Shikaku, maybe some blame or accusation when their gazes met. But Shikaku hadn’t leveled any blame or accusation his way; he’d never looked at him with resentment or contempt. No, Shikaku’s gaze was not one colored with resentment, but rather one of resignation - and somehow, it feels that much worse for it.

Before he can spiral deeper into things he would rather not think about, Minato turns his attention back to Suzuki - who is still talking - hoping to distract himself with whatever it is the man is say-

“...such poorly stocked guest quarters, the quality of the tea was simply atrocious! How anyone can stand to consume such swill is beyond me! And the size! Don’t even get me started on the size of the room - who do you think I am: a servant?! I have never been mor-”

Oh, no - ouch. Right, there was a reason he was employing the dissociation technique ANBU used to withstand torture - really, Suzuki was something of a marvel. His technique was so subtle in its ways that it could even bypass torture countermeasures by making you forget why you were using them in the first place. If the man weren’t so insufferable Minato might even be tempted to try and get him to work with their T&I department - except…no, bad Minato! Honestly, what was he thinking, considering establishing a relationship between Suzuki and T&I! Only minutes before he had been relieved, he wouldn’t have to have an ANBU watch Inoichi to make sure he didn’t somehow convince Suzuki to share his technique, and now he’s considering exposing it to a whole department!

.

.

.

Hm, interesting. Minato adds to the mental note he had made containing his observations of the technique: Prolonged exposure can result in momentary psychosis and severe degradation in judgment. Will continue observations.

Minato’s eyes pass over the clock as his gaze wanders around the room, only to freeze and whip back to it in disbelief.

‘10 minutes. It’s only been 10 minutes. How has it only been 10 minutes, it feels like it's been hours.’

Minato’s eyes sharpen in realization.

Clearly his earlier postulations of a possible time dilation effect were correct.

—

They lost Choza a minute ago - he could tell it was only a matter of time before Shibi followed him into the light, given the increasingly sluggish movements of his Kikachu.

Tsume was the first to go, though he’s not clear on when exactly it was aside from ‘early’.

He takes comfort in knowing that she didn’t suffer. There’s a reason they give ANBU suicide capsules - not everyone can handle torture, and this was just another case of that. Tsume knew her limits and understood there was no point in suffering needlessly in a battle she had no hope of winning.

Her body had fallen out of her chair and onto the floor. It was rather loud, and he had worried for a moment that Suzuki would notice, but his technique must significantly dull the user's perception, because the man continued on without any indication that he was aware of what had just happened.

A rather fortuitous turn of event, all things considered; Tsume was apparently something of a restless sleeper, judging by the unintelligible mumbles and constant tossing and turning. A rather incredible trait to maintain even after all her years as a shinobi - after all, it wasn't uncommon to sleep in trees on missions.

Knowing his partner was out for the count, Kuromaru bravely sacrificed himself and took up her place at the table. For a moment, Minato had worried, thinking that surely Suzuki would notice this time.

He didn’t.

Along with a few other differences in their appearances, Tsume and Kuromaru’s silhouettes look nothing alike. It would seem that Suzuki’s perception is affected more than he had initially assumed.

Minutes dragged on at a glacial pace, and more of his comrades were lost - though thankfully they had still been cognizant enough to position themselves in such a way as to remain upright once they could no longer fight the inevitable.

Minato looked at the clock again, it had only been 15 minutes since the meeting - and consequently, Suzuki - started. He wept internally upon remembering he’d had his secretary block this meeting out for two hours.

By now only three remained, though at some point it would seem most of the Shinobi clan heads had been broken from their merciful reprieve and made to suffer once more. Judging by the glazed looks in their eyes, they were dissociating quite badly - even Inoichi had adopted a pained expression as his eyes stared out towards a horizon that wasn’t there.

Subtly, Minato flickered his eyes over towards the elders, hoping they might have some plan to escape, only to realize that they too had been lost to Suzuki. His shoulders deflated microscopically, before perking up again as he saw it - a twitch. His gaze flew to Danzo, hoping that his eyes had not deceived him - and they had not!

In that moment, Minato could have shed a tear of pure relief upon discovering that he wasn’t the only one left, but he clamped down on those feelings with a will of pure steel and sucked that sh*t back up - he could not show such weakness in front of the enemy, no matter how diminished Suzuki’s perception was.

Unable to move too much for fear of drawing Suzuki’s attention, Minato instead tried to convey his intent with his eyes. Usually, such things are pointless as the humans are simply too diverse to be able to decipher a train of thought on body language alone, but it would seem that this moment was a rare exception. Minato almost felt excited when he realized that Danzo understood he was asking if the man had come up with an escape plan, but that feeling died a swift death as Danzo's expression grew more grim.

This couldn’t go on. Minato was struggling - hell, even Danzo was struggling!

Out of options, Minato did the only thing he could in that moment:

He prayed.

Chapter 19: Salvation

Chapter Text

Minato would like to be clear: when he had prayed, he hadn’t actually expected anything to come of it, much less this - whatever this was.

“Minato, I require your presence at once. The acolytes I sent to investigate the tainted lands have returned bearing grave tidings. The Unnatural One’s foothold in this world is far stronger than any of us anticipated.”

Said Shikako - except, this wasn’t really Shikako who he was in the presence of at the moment, now was it? It was only out of habit that he had referred to the being before him - even if only in the confines of his own mind - as Shikako. He could see Shikako within this Kami, but it was clear that the one before him was something more than the person he had grown acquainted with over the past couple of weeks.

Shikako had always felt a little… eerie to his senses. But in spite of the constant slight wariness her presence evoked within his hindbrain, he had never regarded her as anything less than ‘human’.

…

Well, he supposes that was still true even now - no man would ever mistake the being before him as less in any sense of the word.

Everyone hid parts of themselves - shinobi especially - and this held true for Shikako as well. People hid the parts they didn’t want others to see, or that they didn’t wish to see themselves. Sometimes these were things such as fear or insecurity, vulnerabilities they didn’t wish others to take advantage of. Other times it was things such wrath or avarice, traits that may make others think less of them. In the end it’s all for the purpose of curating an image, but because it was curated there were bound to be flaws - instances where a person slipped up, let out more than they intended.

With Shikako, there was just something about her that had always caused the hairs on the back of his neck to raise, his mind whispering that there was something off, that there was something other about her. When the feeling persisted even after weeks of working alongside her to create their return seal, he’d eventually been forced to simply chalk it up to a mixture of his instincts recognizing her as a fellow kage-level shinobi and her frightening competence.

Now though, now that she’s no longer suppressing this part of herself it is clear to Minato that he was mistaken.

While he had never encountered a higher power in the flesh before, some primal part of him clearly recognized it for what it was and had been warning him to tread lightly. He may not have understood it at the time but in retrospect it certainly helps explain a few of his behaviors - such as his willingness to listen to her advice and to accommodate her. However, he’d rationalized it in his mind up until this point he’s grateful, because standing here now being bathed in wave after wave of wrath-filled chakra he’s certain he wouldn’t have been able to fight her. Hell, he doubts even the Shiki-fujin would have been all that helpful against her if the way the Shinigami had reacted towards her was any indication.

The thought reminds Minato of what Kakashi had told him. While he hadn’t really doubted the man in the first place -having judged him to be similar enough in character to his own Kakashi to conclude that he likely wasn’t one for hyperbole on such serious matters- whatever doubt had existed before now was well and truly gone, because standing here now he can’t help but agree.

Sarutobi may be called a god of shinobi, but he could never compare to the sheer presence of the being that stood before Minato. This was a True God.

That otherness Minato had detected within Shikako had expanded, and with it so too had her presence. She’d always been one to draw the attention of any room she entered when she was in her element, but now it was as if gravity itself was warping to accommodate her, cowed by the sheer power she was emanating. Minato could sympathize - what has his life come to, that he’s commiserating with one of the fundamental laws of reality - every part of his brain was screaming at him to crumple to the floor and beg the Goddess for her forgiveness. Unfortunately, as Hokage Minato was expected to maintain a certain level of decorum and dignity, so rather than crumple to the ground as the rest of those in attendance had Minato rose from his chair calmly and lowered himself to his knees while bowing his head in deference.

“Greetings, Kami-sama. You honor us with your presence. I will summon Jiraiya-sensei and Kushina to my office immediately. We may convene there, if my Lady deems this acceptable?”

The wrathful chakra gradually began to calm as he spoke. It was still there, but it now felt more like an enraged Kage rather than a horde of bijuu. Still incredibly unpleasant, but a marked improvement nonetheless - Minato has learned to take the wins when he can.

“That is acceptable.”

She agreed. Her head turns to take in the room, pausing on Suzuki, she glides closer to the Demon - who had only further proven his status as such by somehow managing to remain standing throughout the entirety of the Kami’s rage -, her head tilted in curiosity.

“How strange. This one feels familiar, yet I am sure I have never encountered him before.”

Suzuki falls to his knees as she approaches, pure, unadulterated awe on his face as he gazes upon her.

“This one greets you, Kami-sama, but it is with great shame that they must admit to also never having encountered your divine visage before. If it pleases your Grace, might you grant this lowly one the knowledge of where they might venture to receive your holy word? It is surely a crime that your Grace is not known far and wide!”

Suzuki says breathily, eyes never leaving the Goddess before him.

Before the Shikabane-hime - who Minato notes has begun to exhibit more and more of the mannerism he has come to associate with Shikako as the goddess calms down - can respond, an unexpected presence does so in her stead, extending a hand down to help the still star struck Suzuki up.

“Mah, you must be a very wise man, Suzuki-san, to seek out her holy word before your first encounter has even ended. We the priest of the Shikabane-hime would gladly welcome one such as yourself to our ranks.”

Kakashi said solemnly.

Meanwhile Minato was trying to wrap his head around a number of things at once. Such as:

• How Kakashi would have even gotten in here when he still had the wards up,
• When had Kakashi decided to grow his hair out so long
• Where had Kakashi gotten the monks robes he was currently wearing
• Why was Kakashi trying to convert what was clearly a demonic entity into a worshiper of the Shikabane-hime

All very important questions, yet all questions that would likely go unanswered for a while yet as he still had to deal with Shikako - and she did appear to be more Shikako than the Shikabane-hime at the moment - and whatever it was that had gotten her into such a tizzy.

If this was a result of karma, then Minato must have been a terrible person in a past life.

—

The moment she had appeared Fugaku’s Mangekyo had activated - purely on instinct. In the time it had taken Minato to deescalate the situation, Fugaku had never felt closer to death, so he’d known that the goddess was powerful. But, what had truly cemented her might in his mind was how she had handled Suzuki.

It had not taken long after Fugaku’s Mangekyo first failed to escape Suzuki’s technique for him to conclude that the ‘man’ was in fact a demon from hell sent by their enemies to destroy them.

(Fugaku desperately avoids considering what their enemies would have had to sacrifice to summon such a powerful creature. They must have truly hated Konoha to pay such a price.)

He had lost all hope, until she appeared, freeing them from the demons' clutches.

Truly she was magnificent. But the miracles she was capable of did not end there - oh no. Rather than send the demon back to the hell from whence it came, the Shikabane’s power was so great that it beguiled even one as powerful as Suzuki, and upon witnessing her divinity the Demon had begged to for her enlightenment, and merciful goddess that she was the Shikabane-hime accepted, summoning one of her priest to take Suzuki to her temple.

Historically, the Uchiha primarily worshiped the goddess Amaterasu-sama, but if he can explain it to the clan, if he can fully convey the greatness of the Shikabane-hime, he’s sure they won’t mind adopting her as a patron as well.

Yes, when he returns, he will call a meeting - the clan must be made aware of the glory that is the Shikabane-hime.

—

After one of Kakashi’s clones takes charge of leading Suzuki to Shikako’s temple, the much calmer goddess and her sensei join Naruto and Sasuke where they stand waiting in the hall and begin making their way to Minato’s office.

Never one to let silence stand for long, Naruto is the first to speak.

“Huh, like father like son I guess.”

Shikako - who has largely regained her senses by then - turns to Naruto with a questioning glance.

“What do you mean?”

She asks, just as confused as usual by his non-sequiturs but far too exhausted by the days events to attempt to figure it out as she usually would.

Naruto shrugs and keeps looking forward as he responds.

“Well, I’m pretty sure that guy Sensei had his clone taking to the temple is actually Meiji’s father.”

Were Shikako a less talented shinobi, such a statement would have made her stumble. As it was, she instead whipped her head towards Naruto, giving him her full attention as her exhaustion momentarily dissipated in the face of such news.

“Meiji? As in, Meiji the rouge noble who’s convinced the rest of the nation's he’s one of my prophets?!”

Naruto turns to face her with a smile, completely missing her growing horror.

“Yeah, thats the one! But, what do you mean he’s ‘convinced’ the nations he’s your prophet - he is, isn’t he? I mean, Kakashi-sensei held an initiation ceremony and everything like three years ago. Even the Daimyo attended.”

Shikako stopped walking, slowly turning to stare at Kakashi, who was trying and failing to look innocent.

“Sensei.”

She said calmly.

“Is that what you spent the month of vacation I gave you doing?! What happened to ‘oh Shikako-chan all this work is making me feel burnt out, won’t you take over for a bit and let you poor, old sensei take some time off?’, huh?!”

Kakashi chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head, pointedly not meeting his very angry students' eyes or providing an answer.

All of a sudden, the anger on Shikako’s face disappeared, leaving in its place a pleasant smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“I see. Well, if you’re coping with the hat so well that you can spend your vacation on something like that, maybe it’s time I retire.Clearly,you’ve got everything more than handled over there Sensei.”

Alarms begin blaring inside Kakashi’s head. Desperately he tries to talk her down.

“Mah, Shikako-chan, let’s not be hasty here…!”

Ignoring her sensei’s increasingly desperate pleas, Shikako continues.

“Yes, clearly you are more than equipped to handle Konoha on you own, sensei.”

“Shikako, NO!”

Kakashi cries out desperately. Shikako just grins meanly, walking past where her Sensei had fallen to his knees to plead with her.

“Shikako, YES!”

Chapter 20: Laying Out Plans and Remembering Loose Ends

Chapter Text

By the time Minato got home from the impromptu meeting with Shikako and co. It was already well into the early hours of the next day. He let out an exhausted sigh. Logically he knew she wasn’t entirely to blame for her arrival here or the problems she had caused but he couldn’t help but resent her for it. When he’d taken the hat he’d known that the work would likely be cutting into his sleeping hours, and he’d accepted that, just like he’d accepted that they would become even more scarce once Naruto was born. One on top of the other was already a lot, but he’d made plans to account for that - he doubted anyone could have anticipated the appearance of a time traveling Hokage.

The meeting had gone pretty much exactly as he’d expected - meaning it was basically just one bombshell after another. It’s ok though, with how many have been dropped on him since Shikako arrived he’s practically used to it by now!

…

‘Oh god.’

He’s helpless to stop the hysterical giggle that bubbles out of him.

‘I…I’ve been infected.’

Just like he’s sure happened to Sasuke, after spending so much time around team seven his standards of normal have slowly been eroded away and replaced by insanity. Minato sighs forlornly, oh well, he supposes it was bound to happen sooner or later - maybe the tolerance he’s building up now will serve as a sort of inoculation against whatever nonsense his own son’s team is bound to get up to upon becoming genin…

As much as he would like to think that there’s no way his sons team could ever be as bad as what he’s seen from the so called ‘lucky sevens’, he knows better than to tempt fate. Past experience has led him to conclude that the universe would only take such a thought as a challenge.

As he lie in bed next to his wife, Minato can’t help his mind from wandering back to what was discussed during the meeting.

— Flashback —

“As thrilled as I am to see you all, would anyone care to enlighten me as to what just happened to make Shikako do… whatever it was she just did?”

For a moment Shikako looks sheepish over her behavior, but that is quickly replaced by a severe expression.

“My ANBU returned from the reconnaissance mission I sent them on. His taint was all over their souls. He violated their minds and tormented them with their worst fears and failures! Breaking minds is easy, Minato. But to damage a soul? Only the most advanced forms of the sharingan have techniques capable of such. Jashin is usually content to let his followers commit the atrocities that he revels in - him being willing to expend the not inconsiderable power necessary for a god without a vessel to influence the physical world means that this wasn’t something he did on a whim - this was personal. He remembers me.”

That…was alarming, to say the least. Minato may not have been a religious man, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t familiar with the stories of how vindictive gods with a grudge could be. The god of pain and suffering holding a grudge? If he weren’t already invested in them Minato may very well have washed his hands of the situation right then and there. He had no desire for himself or Konoha to become collateral to some cosmic grudge match, but they were in too deep to pull out now.

“Shikako, is this being a threat to Konoha?” He asked, making no attempt to conceal the urgency in his tone.

Shikako sighed. “Actively? No. Jashin won’t be raining down holy wrath upon the village anytime soon. Passively? Absolutely. There’s still a lot about divinity that I don’t understand or know yet, but what I do know is that even if he doesn’t actively target Konoha or it’s people, his very existence serves to heighten the presence of his domains. He’ll make wars longer, deadlier, and more frequent. Brutality will become more prevalent; people will be less inclined to seek peace or resolution. As his influence grows the world may well devolve into a level of chaos and brutality we haven’t seen since the height of the warring clans era.”

As reliving as it was to know that Konoha was not going to be actively targeted by a literal god, the rest of the explanation made it hard for Minato to appreciate that fact.

‘Oh’ he thought hysterically. ‘Well now that’s just peachy. He won’t be targeting Konoha, because he’ll be targeting everything. Wonderful.’

Pushing aside those thoughts Minato again addresses Shikako.

“So, can you defeat him? Will you be able to seal him off from our dimension like you did yours?”

Shikako nods.

“Yes. If I could defeat him when I had only just awoken my…divinity… then I should be able to do so now that I’ve had time to grow into it. The only problem is that he’s much more powerful than before - with the war only ending a year ago he’s probably still quite strong from all of the violence and carnage it generated. The seal I used to boot him from our world won’t work here, this will require a more direct confrontation. I know we already told you before, but it’s only become more imperative that we be allowed to journey to the dead wastes.”

Minato knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that involving Shikako and co. in international politics was a disaster waiting to happen, but at the moment it didn’t seem like he’d have much of a choice. Minato had to attend the final exhibition of the chunin exams, Suna was an allied (on paper, at least) village and to not attend would look bad to both clients and the other villages. It would either be interpreted as an admittance of weakness in the wake of the kyuubi attack or a snub of their ally, neither of which Konoha could afford at the moment.

It wasn’t like he could just have them go by themselves to release Gelel either. The first thing people would think when a big ass forest popped up in the middle of the desert would be Konoha, and Minato didn’t need relations with Rasa to be any tenser than they already were.

When he said as much to Shikako and the rest, it was actually Naruto who proposed a solution.

“Ne, why don’t you just introduce Shikako as your patron and tell the Kazekage that she said if he let her fix Gaara’s seal she’d turn the Dead Wastes into a garden. That way we don’t have to explain our real motives and Suna is less likely to reject it on principle since it at least has the appearance of us getting something out of it as well.”

Minato thought it over. Gaara was the Kazekage's youngest son, and if he had a seal, it probably meant that the boy was a Jinchuriki. Suna had never been renowned for their sealing prowess, so their jinchuriki having a faulty seal honestly wasn’t that surprising, but…

“Why would we want to fix the seal as our part of the deal? That doesn't look like an exchange, it looks like we’re setting them up to sabotage them.”

Naruto beams, seemingly thrilled that Minato had asked such a question.

“Don’t worry, I thought of that too! Gaara’s seal sucks! Like, really, really badly. Since one of Shikako’s domains is sealing, we’ll just say she requested to fix it because it’s an affront to her as a goddess of seals! Technically we’re not even lying cause it really is that bad!”

The plan was unorthodox, to say the least, but oddly enough Minato thought it had a good chance of actually working.

‘Huh. Maybe there was hope for Naruto after all.’

——End Flashback——

Discovering that his sons might not be entirely hopeless when it came to strategy gave Minato the strength to make it through the rest of the meeting with his sanity mostly intact.

The more he thought about Naruto’s plan the more he saw the benefits it could bring - that is, if it worked. Giving Suna such a large swath of arable land may have some slight negative impacts in the short term, such as a decrease in the volume of grain and other foodstuffs purchased from the land of fire, but as far as Minato could tell the long term impact would be undeniably positive.

More food grown in Wind meant cheaper food for its residents, and residents who had to spend less money on food could now spend that money on luxuries they couldn’t previously afford, which would likely lead to more imports overall. It would also put Suna in a more favorable position to negotiate its defense contract with its Daimyo. The only village Minato could think of with a worse relationship with their Daimyo was Kiri, and given the rumors he’d been hearing as of late…well, lets just say that if you’re being compared to Kiri something has gone horribly wrong. There was also the fact that casually gifting Suna something as valuable as a lushous forest and arable lands would make Konoha look both wealthy and strong in the aftermath of the Kyuubi, all without technically costing them a thing.

But, with the exam exhibition date closing in, so too does the teams imminent departure. This forced Minato to address an issue he thinks they had all been putting off - the prisoner.

Up until then things had been too hectic for Minato to sit down and design the specialized containment seal with Shikako for their guest. So, with time to spare - in a manner of speaking, no Hokage ever really had time to spare after all- the two finally decided to sit down and hash out the details of the seal. Taking the time to do so have Minato a new appreciation for the utility of Shikako’s ability to place prisoners in stasis, because the entire process took hours. Even so, Minato was glad to take the time to close any loopholes they found now rather than have to deal with repeated retrieval missions when the prisoner inevitably found said loophole and exploited it.

Minato left the meeting tired but content - after all, tomorrow he would finally get to look the man who had tried to destroy the village (who tried to kill his wife and son) in the face and get answers. The next day couldn’t come soon enough.

Chapter 21: Reunions pt. 1

Chapter Text

Last night had been stressful for Shikako. Having her ANBU return in such a state, having to discuss how they planned to free Gelel without accidentally sparking a war, working with Minato to design a seal to contain Obito, realize none of them had actually told Minato that the man who attacked him and Kushina was in fact Obito, panic over how to tell Minato that the man who attacked his wife and newborn child was Obito, ultimately decide that the best option was to just not address it and how that it all worked out in the end…

So yeah, stressful. That's ok though, Shikako was used to stress - in fact, anxiety had been a constant companion throughout both of her lives. She wasn’t worried. Nope. Why would she worry, it was just an S-class Shinobi discovering he’d been betrayed by one of his students whom he’d thought dead for upwards of a year now. Everything would be fine.

…probably.

—

Shikako wasn’t avoiding her meeting. She was still going to be perfectly on time thank you very much. Minato had said to meet him at T&I at 0830 so that was when she would meet him. With 30 minutes to spare before she had to be there, Shikako decided to take the scenic route and make her way through the markets rather than use the rooftops as she normally did.

It was nice, actually. With how notorious she was back home (and the fact that her face was literally carved into the mountain), Shikako rarely ever got to see the village in its natural state. Without her noticing, a small smile had bloomed on her face as she marveled at the resilience of the civilian populations of hidden villages. Only a month out from the worst disaster Konoha had ever suffered and yet here they were simply going about their business as best they could. And their best was remarkably good all things considered. Given what she recalled of the recovery process the village underwent in her own dimension, this Konoha was already in a state that had taken her own almost nine months to achieve. Of course, there were a number of factors that probably helped this, such as the fact that they had stopped the Kyuubi much earlier here, this village didn’t have to deal with a transfer of power on top of rebuilding efforts, and that Minato had both herself and her team who had a great deal of experience in situations similar (and usually worse) than this.

It was incredibly rewarding, being able to see tangible evidence of the positive impact she and her team had had here.

Turning the corner, Shikako froze in shock at who she saw.

‘Uchiha Mikoto’

There was no mistaking it. Personally, Shikako had always thought that between the two of them it was Itachi who most closely resembled their mother, but seeing her now, Shikako found herself reevaluating that opinion. The eyes, the nose, the face shape… Sasuke just looked like a sharper, more masculine version of his mother.

Unfortunately, it would seem that Mikoto had felt someone's gaze upon her as she soon turned around and waved, clearly beckoning Shikako over. Ideally Shikako would have liked to play it off and continue about her business as if she hadn’t seen Mikoto, but much to her dismay that option was no longer available.

‘sh*t, we made eye-contact.’

Deprived of her escape route, for a moment Shikako seriously contemplated pulling a Kakashi-sensei and just shunshining away like none of this had ever happened, but alas, cooler heads prevailed in the end, and she made her way forward with a halfhearted smile.

It wasn’t that Shikako had anything against Mikoto - or the other Uchiha - it was just that enduring Itachi’s Tsukiyomi wasn’t something people could just ‘get over’. Shikako was confident in her ability to maintain a normal conversation with an Uchiha, but that didn’t mean she enjoyed the flashes of their deaths that always accompanied such interactions - even if she knew that about half of them hadn’t even been the actual progression of events.

“My, what a pleasant surprise! It’s not often that I see one of you out and about in the village unless you’re working or with the Hokage. I’ve never seen anyone make as many clones as that Naruto fellow, quite impressive. Shikako-san, right? My husband mentioned you.” She said, smiling pleasantly.

While on the surface her words may seem innocent and banal, Shikako could hear what was left unsaid.

‘My husband mentioned you. So she knows, then.’

Shikako smiles and bows her head in greeting.

“Mah, a pleasure, Uchiha-sama.” Shikako says.

Mikoto raises a hand to her mouth and giggles daintily.

“Come now, Shikako-san! If what I hear from Fugaku is correct, we’re practically family! Please, call me Mikoto.”

The pleasant smile remains unchanged on her face, yet Shikako would swear it had taken on a sort of evil gleam.

“Or maybe ‘Okaasan’, if you insist on being formal.”

Shikako swears her heart skips a beat.

‘Oh. So she KNOWS knows. Ok. That's ok. Everythings fine. Nothing to worry about. I’m not panicking.’

“Actually Shikako-chan, I’ve been meaning to speak with you or Sasuke for a while now, so it's really quite fortunate that I’ve caught you today. Why don’t you and Sasuke join us for dinner this evening, hm? How does 17:00 sound?”

‘I’M PANICKING!’

It should go without saying that Shikako has zero experience when it comes to in-laws, and somehow she doesn't think pointing out to Mikoto that Shikako isn’t technically married to Sasuke will dissuade her. So, she does what she does best and rolls with the punches. If that means that she accepted a dinner invite on her and Sasuke’s behalf for tomorrow with his dead family who he all saw brutally murdered is hardly relevant. Sasuke’s been avoiding them the entire time they’ve been here anyway, maybe this will help him get some closure.

—

Shikako arrives at T&I with roughly five minutes to spare and is immediately greeted with the annoyed face of one baby-Kakashi.

Shikako takes a moment to internally cringe at the emotional turmoil she’s about to unleash on her Chibi-sensei. This may not be her Kakashi, but that doesn’t mean she's any more comfortable with him suffering. And he will suffer from this, of that she’s sure. Even if he can get past the initial blow that Obito is alive in the first place, with how smart Kakashi is Shikako doubts it will take him all that long to figure out just how Obito learnt both the date and location where Kushina would give birth. Shikako would like to spare him from this, truly, she would, but even if she asked Minato to dismiss him all she would be doing is delaying the inevitable.

With a heavy heart, Shikako plasters a brittle smile onto her face, claps her hands, and looks at the two men expectantly.

“Alright then. Now that everyone is here, let's begin, shall we?”

She’d soften the blow if she knew how, but as much as Minato has shown himself to be willing to suspend his disbelief, this is something they’ll need to uncover themselves.

—

It goes about exactly as Shikako expects it to. Given the complexity of the seal, it takes her and Minato working together about 2 hours to ink it out across the floor. The entire time they’re working Kakashi stands guard in the corner, a silent sentry to guard their vulnerable backs as they immerse themselves in the ebb and flow of the seals lines.

By the time they’re finished, ink stains the cuff of Minato’s sleeve and has somehow been smudged on his forehead. Shikako would laugh at the absurdity of such a powerful and composed shinobi with ink smudged across his face and staining his sleeves as if he were a child learning calligraphy, if she wasn’t fairly sure she was just as bad at the moment.

Nonetheless, the silly sight granted a small but welcome reprieve from the heaviness that had been weighing on her since they had decided to do this yesterday.

Once the seals were dry, it was finally time for her to release the prisoner from her hammerspace. She could tell that had this been any other situation Minato would have been asking question after question about the mechanics behind her stasis storage, but right now his desire for answers was stronger than his interest in seals. That curious, almost hungry gleam she had come to associate with all seal practitioners flashed in his eyes as she unsealed the prisoner, but it was snuffed out just as quickly as Minato turned the full weight of his attention onto the man now lying unconscious on the floor.

Having spent so long in seal space, Shikako knew it would take Obito roughly a minute to orient himself. She took that time to place a few more physical and chakra restraints on him before placing him in the metal chair oriented in the center of the array. Using some rope, she further secured Obito’s torso to the chair, forcing his body to sit up. Muscle weakness was also a side effect of prolonged exposure to seal space. While his upper body was now secured to the chair, his head still hung downwards, hiding his face. With Obito clearly stirring, Shikako knew she only had a few more seconds until he regained full consciousness. Making a quick decision, she decided to remove the mask he wore as well, before finally stepping out of the array, thus allowing it to activate fully.

Seconds go by, Obito having gone entirely ridgid as he took stock of the new circ*mstances he found himself in. It was Minato who broke the silence.

“You’ll be glad to know that your attack has failed. Both Konoha and myself still stand despite your efforts to make it otherwise. You’re powerful - extremely so. Clearly not just some rouge or wanderer either, that kind of power requires training and resources to nurture, and yet I’ve never heard of a nin - missing or otherwise - who matches your skill set. Who hid you only to send you off to your death? Was it Iwa? Maybe Kumo? Who are you?”

Shikako recognizes the interrogation tactic Minato is using, trying to plant the seeds of doubt in what he believes to be an enemy shinobi, trying to foster resentment to loosen lips. It’s ironic, really, that he would choose the same method that had been used to such great effect already on Obito.

Obito lets out a bitter and scratchy laugh, mayhaps also drawing similarities between what Madara had done and what Minato was trying to do. Slowly, Obito raises his head, revealing his face, so different from when Minato would have last seen him yet still undeniably Obito.

“I’m hurt, you don’t recognize me… Sensei?” Obito says meanly.

A sharp inhale comes from the corner of the room followed by a low whine, both so quite that they’d normally go unnoticed, but in the thick and tense silence that has descended they seem so loud that it’s almost unbearable.

Minato’s face had fallen into a mask of perfect blankness as soon as Obito had finished speaking, but as her eyes flickered over to Kakashi it took a considerable amount of self control not to react. Kakashi’s face - Shikako doesn't know how to describe the tsunami of emotions visible in his expression. Seeing someone with her sensei’s face look so…broken was like getting kicked in the chest.

“Shikako-san.”

Shikako turns to Minato, that perfect blankness still in place.

“Thank you for your assistance today.”

It’s a clear dismissal, and one she’s incredibly thankful for. Shikako bows to Minato before she turns to the door and takes her leave.

—

Her exit from the T&I building is silent, as her thoughts keep circling back to the noise Kakashi had made when Obito had spoken.

She had hated it - it felt so wrong, and more than that she felt like it was her who had caused it. She’s…not sure how Minato will choose to handle Obito now that he knows his identity. She’d never asked before, both because there was little point in knowing when it was not her place to interfere and because she couldn’t be sure if his answer would remain the same once all the details were revealed to him. The Sandiame had been a sentimental man, but Minato hadn’t been Hokage long enough before he died for people in her dimension to get a good idea of how he would rule. They knew how he commanded troops, but one must take into consideration that he did so under the Sandaime. The question now was what kind of Kage he would be when it came down to it.

Would he be the Sandaime, sentimental to the end?

Would he be the Nidaime, who prized logic above all?

Or maybe, would he be something completely new and unto himself?

Only time would tell, and in her world, he had not had enough of it to do so, which meant his actions and decisions here would be a defining moment in his reign - even if no one knew it.

Checking the time, Shikako saw it read 10:45 which mean she had roughly 6 hours until she and Sasuke had to be at Mikoto’s for dinner…

‘sh*t, dinner. I haven’t told Sasuke yet.’

Contemplating her options, Shikako decided to send him a message through their connected seals. Technically these were one of the failed prototypes for the seal she used on her ANBU - they’d been forced to scrap it due to the strain it placed on the chakra system when linked to more than one other seal - that didn’t mean they were useless though, just that they wouldn’t be used for the purpose they were initially intended for - i.e quick communication with Sasuke.

Pulling out a brush, Shikako began writing what she wanted to say on her arm.

‘I saw your mother at the market this morning. She thinks we’re married. We’ve been invited to dinner at 1700 this evening. Be ready.’

Satisfied she had communicated all the pertinent information, Shikako infused the ink with her chakra and connected it to the seal. Infused with her chakra the ink sank into her skin before being sucked into the seal which would transfer it to the other seal. Perhaps the best thing about these seals is that they required the use of ink to activate, which mean that Sasuke was forced to wait before he could respond since - unlike her - he didn’t carry calligraphy equipment with him.

As she thought over what to do with the remaining time until dinner, Shikako was reminded of something else she had been avoiding. While Sasuke may have been the one to do it most actively, Shikako can admit to herself that he's not the only one who's been avoiding his family. Sighing, Shikako looks off in the direction of the hospital.

‘It's a bit far, but at least then by the time Sasuke stops to read my message I’ll be on the other side of the village.’

If Sasuke was going to be facing his family, then she would too - a gesture of solidarity, if you will.

Maybe if she was lucky, she could even get in and out of there without running into her parents.

With the way her day was going though, she wouldn’t bet on it.

—

Kakashi stood frozen outside of the seal array as he stared at the man who was apparently responsible for the attack that had released the Kyuubi upon the village, the attack which had almost cost him everyone he had left in one fell swoop. Sure, Naruto may have been able to survive, but Kakashi knows himself - had Sensei and Kushina perished during the attack he wouldn’t have stuck around. Kakashi would never kill himself, not after what his father did, but if he had died on a mission…

Kakashi would rather not pursue the thought any further.

Turning his attention back outwards, Kakashi takes in the man before him. Bound with both physical and chakra restraints, he sits on a cold metal chair in the center of the seal array Sensei and Shikako had developed and drawn for the express purpose of rendering his powers inert. Kakashi would think that simply sealing the man’s chakra would be enough, but with how reluctant the Uchiha were to share any details - much less weaknesses - on the Mangekyo they had apparently decided it was better not to take any chances lest the man’s eye somehow allowed him to bypass such measures.

He can’t recall the exact words Shikako had muttered while she was helping Sensei lay the seal, but it was something along the lines of ‘Magic-eye bullsh*t’. He’d heard many complaints regarding the advantages the sharingan afforded their wielders over the years, but he’d never heard it phrased quite like that.

A hoarse and raspy voice breaks him from his thoughts.

“Why don’t you take a picture Bakashi, it’ll last longer.” He says acerbically.

Kakashi swallows, realizing he’d been caught staring - though, that implies he’d really been trying to hide it in the first place. Of course he was staring, before him sat the boy he’d thought dead for going on two years now. Kakashi had had many a daydream (never at night, that was a time reserved solely for nightmares) over the past two years of how different things might have been had Obito survived that fateful mission. So many different scenarios, of where Kakashi hadn’t waited as long to retrieve Rin, where he was able to get them all out before the cave collapsed (where he took Obito’s place beneath the rubble). None of them had been like this. This was the type of scenario that haunted his nightmares.

Never in Kakashi’s wildest dreams would he have ever imagined himself anything less than ecstatic to see Obito, and yet…

Obito had tried to kill Sensei and Kushina, had almost orphaned Naruto, was directly responsible for releasing the Kyuubi and sending it on a rampage.

Within Kakashi his ideals, emotions, trauma, and conditioning waged war on one another, with no clear end in sight. How does one reconcile with what he has learned here today? He’s not sure, and the longer that uncertainty drags on the more it threatens to tear him apart.

Chapter 22: Reunions pt. 2

Chapter Text

Getting into baby-Shikako’s room was almost worryingly easy. It made sense, despite how well the village is recovering they are still recovering so they can hardly spare the shinobi to guard an infant most people doubt will even survive, especially one that's not an heir. So, besides a curious glance from the nurse manning the desk of the long-term care units, Shikako enters the ward entirely unnoticed.

Upon passing the doors, Shikako comes to the abrupt realization that she…doesn't actually know the room number of her baby-self, something that would pose issues in trying to get in and out mostly undetected. While the nurse probably won’t make a fuss about some unknown Nara (because she is very clearly a Nara, for all that she isn’t currently wearing the Mon) entering the room of an infant, if she checks all of the rooms…well, looking like you don’t know where you’re going is the mark of a rookie infiltrator, and Shikako had just left T&I - she has no desire to return to the building anytime soon.

Her dilemma doesn't last long however, as she soon notices that one of the rooms feels like a dead zone to her senses. To most people, depriving a room of natural and ambient chakra would be detrimental to their recovery, but to an infant who was sent into a coma from bijuu chakra exposure while having hypersensitivity? It’s the ideal environment. Add on the fact that she had specifically recommended such seals to her father and Shikako is fairly certain she’s found her target.

Now confident in her destination Shikako makes her way to the room, careful that the door closes softly behind her. The moment it does, a few things immediately become clear.

One: opening the door disrupts the array. This makes sense, as an environment entirely devoid of chakra would be incredibly uncomfortable for the medical staff to work in, so they probably just leave the door open while doing their rounds and close it behind them to re-engage the array.

Two: She’s not sure if its the lighting, perspective, or what, but baby-Shikako looks a lot worse than she expected.

Shikako looks at the tiny form connected to a number of wires and machines. The baby looks sickly. She’s thin and small, missing that distinctive flush all infants have.

She looks like she’s dying .

It is then that Shikako realizes that this might just be more serious than she’d first thought. A wave of guilt washes over her.

‘ I should’ve checked up on her weeks ago. This is - this never happened to me, so why is it happening here?’

A startling thought crosses her mind.

‘ Is this…was this supposed to be cannon-verse? Is she just…not meant to survive? ’

Shikako banishes the thought from her head as new determination fills her.

‘ Whatever. Whether this was supposed to be a canon-timeline or not is irrelevant and has been for weeks. From the moment we arrived here the future of this world entered a state of flux, and I’ll be damned if I choose now of all times to bow to fate's whims. ’

Shikako thought about the grief her parents would suffer if baby-Shikako died. Shikako thought about the agony on Kakashi’s face when he realized that the masked-man was Obito. That pain, she wished she could have spared him of it, but she saw no alternative. It was frustrating, the feeling of inevitability and powerlessness she’d felt in that moment was something she hadn’t felt in years .

‘ Maybe I can’t spare them from everything, but that won’t stop me from doing what I can .’

She never wanted to experience such helplessness again.

—

As Shikaku finished up the requisition form that had been bumped up to him he let out a tired sigh and looked at the clock.

‘ Time for lunch. ’

Grabbing the bento his wife made him, he left his office and began making his way towards the exit. Two months ago such an action would have earned him a dirty look from his secretary and a scolding from his wife once he got home (the man was a certified snitch who’d learned early on that while he may not be able to tell Shikaku what to do, Yoshino certainly could. Unfortunately for Shikaku the man was also damn competent at his job, and Shikaku was far too lazy to try and find a replacement.) but not now. No, ever since the Kyuubi attack the only look he got from his secretary when he escaped his office was one of understanding - afterall, it was no secret where Shikaku was headed.

His walk to the hospital was brisk, and just as usual he entered the long-term care ward and waved hello to the nurse on duty, expecting her to simply wave back and return to her book, only today was different.

“Ah, Nara-sama! It seems you’ll have a bit of company today, one of you clansmen came to visit little Shikako-chan about an hour ago and hasn’t left yet.” She - Kyomi, if he remembers correctly - says.

“Thank you, Kyomi-san.” He says, before walking to his daughter's room a little more quickly.

Shikaku didn’t know of any of his clansmen who would want to visit Shikako, much less one that would stick around for anywhere close to an hour. He didn’t think Shikako would be targeted for assassination or held for ransom (doing so would require medical equipment and experienced doctors the likes of which are only found in Konoha) ...

His heart rate had begun to pick up at the thought of a threat to his little girl, and so too did his pace. He opened the door, ready for a fight should it come to that, but what he found was quite different.

Sat on the floor in the middle of the room, radiating green healing chakra from her entire body was Shikako - adult Shikako - and cradled in her arms was the small form of her younger self. Part of Shikaku wanted to yell at her and take his baby back, but the rational part of him made him pause and assess the situation first. Shikako - the adult - was emitting healing chakra, and Shikako - the baby- was already looking noticeably better. The fat she had been lacking and rapidly losing no matter how much they fed her was once again present on her face. Her chest rose and fell steadily and without the whistling he had become familiar with over the last month.

He has a fairly good idea as to the why - though the how still eludes him - but Shikako was somehow healing her younger self.

Not wanting to risk disrupting her, Shikaku sits down on the floor across from her, content to wait.

—

Shikako emerges from her healing trance feeling more at peace than she had since the moment she first arrived here. Using her Gelel stone had been a gamble - after all, it hadn’t worked for Shikamaru - but it was one that paid off in the end. It also helped explain why Kako had deteriorated so quickly.

Shikako’s soul wasn’t mortal, which means there could never be more than one of her. Every Shikako through-out the multiverse was just a part of their much larger whole - even her. All gods were like this, it was why Jashin remembered her despite her not yet having confronted him in this worldline. Shikako’s presence here had interfered with Kako’s connection to the greater whole, making it think Shikako was its aspect in this world rather than Kako. Being so young compared to Shikako, Kako’s soul lacked the strength to push back and assert its presence, while Shikako had been unaware it was even a problem in the first place. Through meditation she was able to identify the problem and address it, but this was only a temporary fix. So far from the seat of her power Shikako’s soul was closer to the state it had been before her joining with Gelel, and so long as that remained the case, she would have to consciously ensure that she didn’t weaken Kako’s bond again. While she’d already been set on doing so beforehand, this knowledge made her communion with Gelel all the more urgent.

Hearing Kako gurgle contentedly brings a soft smile to her face. Adjusting Kako so that she is supported by one arm Shikako moves her now free hand to gently stroke Kako’s now chubby and rosy cheek, relishing in the warm feeling that blossoms within her chest when Kako leans into it.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so… content .” Says a deep voice from directly in front of her.

Shikako jumps, startled by this presence she hadn’t noticed, only to relax when she sees Shikaku.

‘ I was so deep in my trance that I didn’t notice him enter, and with the seals in here my chakra sensing isn’t really working either. ’

Ignoring the instinctual discomfort upon realizing just how vulnerable she had unknowingly left herself, Shikako takes in her father. He seems relaxed - relieved, really.

“Before the Kyuubi she would cry constantly from the chakra exposure. When I got home that night, there was only one baby crying, so I thought maybe Shikamaru had slept through it, or maybe he had woken up and cried earlier before falling back to sleep. But, when I went into the nursery, it was Shikamaru crying - not her. She was completely silent, I thought she was dead, really. I picked her up, and I finally noticed her chest rising - barely, but it was there. I rushed her to the hospital as fast as I could, and she’s been here ever since. You never think you’d miss those cries until they’re gone. She was in pain, and I hate that, but at least she was alive. I was- before you - she was dying.”

Shikako pretends not to see the wetness gathering in her father’s eyes.

Rising to her feet, Shikako places Kako back in her crib, running her finger along her cheek one last time before turning to leave.

Before she can go, a hand is on her wrist. Instinctually she stiffens, preparing herself for an attack, before realizing it was her father. Shikaku is quick to release her wrist, clearly having seen the instinctive response she had tempered.

“Sorry. I -” His mouth opens, but no words come out. Shikako stays and watched intently - it is so rare to see her father at a loss for words.

Closing his eyes, Shikaku breaths out steadily before opening them once more.

“Are you happy?”

It’s a loaded question. Immediately, moments she’d rather forget flash through her mind, but for every horrible memory a bright one follows. There’s so much left unsaid between the two of them, and it will stay that way, but Shikako can give him this.

“There are certainly aspects of my life I dislike - how much paperwork I have to fill out each month or the speeches I’m expected to deliver, but honestly… I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

Having said her piece Shikako leaves, content and settled for the first time in a long while.

.

.

.

And then she remembers that she still has dinner with Sasuke’s family.

Chapter 23: Reunions pt. 3

Chapter Text

Sasuke loves Shikako. Really, he does.

But sometimes…

‘I saw your mother at the market this morning. She thinks we’re married. We’ve been invited to dinner at 1700 this evening. Be ready.’

‘Oh, thanks for the heads up Shikako, much appreciated.’

He thinks sarcastically.

‘She probably thought this was a good explanation, too. I don’t know if that makes it better or worse.’

Sasuke takes a deep breath and begins to count backwards from 10 before exhaling, just like Inoichi taught him. After repeating this a few times the sharpness of his initial panic has passed to a dull throb as acceptance and resignation wash over him. He sighs. Honestly, he should have expected something like this from her at some point. He can even picture how the whole interaction probably went in his head: his mother would simply state a time and politely trample over whatever weak protest Shikako mustered and Shikako would decide to just accept her fate rather than have to continue the conversation.

Sasuke tries to look at this from Inoichi’s perspective - at least, how he thinks Inoichi would look at it. The man would probably say this might be good for Sasuke, maybe even say something ‘like it could provide closure’. And maybe he’d be right, maybe this would help to heal some of the wounds the massacre left behind, the ones that he knew still lingered even after so many years had passed. When he thought about it, there were so many things he wanted to tell his parents that he would never have the chance to - cool missions he’d been on, promotions he’d gotten, Sarada. He had been trying to just think about this as another long term mission - something he had largely stopped taking after his daughter's birth - but every time his mind was idle it would drift back to her.

He wondered what she was doing right now? How had she dealt with his disappearance? It was times like this that made Sasuke even more thankful to have such a great friend in Inoichi, because he knew the man would take care of his daughter while he was unable to, and unlike most of his other friends he was confident the man would do a good job too. One need only look at Ino for proof of tha…

No. You know what, Sasuke stood by it. Inoichi was a good, supportive parent who raised a strong, independent woman. Blaming him for Ino’s…quirks was like blaming Yoshino for Shikako being the way that she was.

Alas, he digressed. Maybe this could be good for him - seeing all the people who had haunted him for so long alive and well for once rather than as corpses featured in his worst nightmares.

It’s thoughts like that that makes him realize how much worse he could have been had it not been for Shikako. He owes her his sanity, quite frankly.

But then again, when she does things like this he can’t help but wonder if she doesn't know he owes her his sanity and has therefore decided it is hers to spend as she pleases.

—

The life of shinobi was one rife with peril, which meant that living long enough to witness those pivotal milestones in a child’s life was never a certainty for him. Sure, as head of the KMP he’d been village bound since the third war concluded, but not even that would ensure his survival if another war were to break out.

Therefore, Fugaku thought it was perfectly reasonable that he was unprepared for the exploding tag Mikoto dropped on him upon returning from the market.

“Anata, I want you home early today, I’ve invited Sasuke and Shikako-chan over for dinner.”

Caught off guard by her words his throat spasmed, causing him to choke on the tea he’d been drinking. He made to respond as soon as he’d gotten his coughing under control, though his voice was notably hoarser than usual.

(He knows his wife - she did that on purpose. Mikoto had clearly been spending too much time with Kushina.)

“But - I have night shift, I can’t-”

Mikoto was quick to cut him off.

“Yes you can, I’ve already asked Nakano-san to cover for you. Now if that’s all, you should get going - you wouldn’t want to be late.”

Fugaku looked at the clock in their kitchen and cursed under his breath - a testament to how off balance the entire situation had caught the normally stoic man - quickly grabbing his lunch, pausing only momentarily to kiss his wife, he headed out the door, deciding to leave the matter of dealing with meeting his month old son’s spouse for future Fugaku.

In his rush to leave he failed to see the smug grin that formed on his wife’s face, but even if he had he would have ignored it anyway - when Mikoto got to scheming you could either stand aside and watch or be crushed in her wake.

——

To any onlookers, the way that Shikako and Sasuke made their way through the Uchiha compound was more reminiscent of soldiers marching off to war than a couple attending a family dinner. To those onlookers Sasuke could only say that the former was probably a better representation of what was to come.

Their arrival at the clan head’s house (his house) was marked by a powerful wave of deja vu washing over him, threatening to pull him under. For maybe the first 30 minutes following their arrival Sasuke found himself regressing to the monosyllabic words and grunts he had so favored in his youth. It was all he could do in the face of the nostalgia and grief every inch of the home seemed to inspire in him. Everything in that house acted as a reminder of gentler times, but even so many years after the fact Sasuke could rarely recall such moments without flashes of that night superimposing itself upon those happier times.

It was times like these that he thanked the gods above for Shikako’s ability to practically read his mind, because Thankfully Shikako seemed to understand what was happening, as she was quick to turn the attention to herself, ultimately falling back on the etiquette that Yoshino (bless that woman) had managed to drill into her. The host gift was presented, pleasantries were exchanged, food was complimented and as the meal drew to a close it almost seemed as though they would be able to escape unscathed. Alas, Sasuke's mother was a cunning one, and after spending the evening lulling them into what Sasuke now recognized as a false sense of security, Mikoto finally pounced.

“So, how long have you two been married?” She said sweetly.

At this point Sasuke had largely been able to get a handle over his earlier flashbacks, locking them up in the back of his mind as they were taught in ANBU. Inoichi would probably give him a slightly disappointed if understanding look for that - those techniques were hardly healthy and he knew he would feel their consequences keenly the next time he slept, but there wasn’t much else he could do at the moment. Mikoto’s (his mother, alive and well-) question only served to further affirm his decision and the necessity of it.

Shikako was all but frozen. For most of the night she’d been the one fielding questions and making conversation, but this was one she’d clearly been dreading. They’d both known it was coming, but that clearly didn’t make her any more comfortable with the topic. It was understandable, Shikako had never really been comfortable addressing such matters, well, at least not when it involved her. Back home it was largely a non-issue - friends and family knew better than to ask, the general population wouldn’t dare, and all she had to do to evade the topic with the council was say ‘It’s not up for discussion.’. Unfortunately, they were not home, and while these may technically be his parents and therefore family they were also virtually strangers, and strangers couldn’t be expected to know any better. Shikako’s gaze flicked over to him with barely concealed panic. Sasuke sighed internally; it seemed that it was his turn to, as he’d once heard Shikako say, ‘take the plate’.

He’s not sure why he’s taking a plate, but the metaphor seemed apt given how Shikako had used it.

“We aren’t. Shikako and I are partners.”

Sasuke had decided to go for brutal honesty, hoping that maybe he could shock his mother into dropping the topic - he was wrong, of course. Mikoto merely raised an eyebrow at his statement, as if to say ‘I know what you’re doing, did you truly believe it would work?’

“Oh my, have I misread your relationship so greatly? You’re just old teammates then?”

Normally such a statement wouldn’t even bother Sasuke. Neither he nor Shikako had ever bothered to put a label on what they shared. Friendship was too shallow a concept to truly encompass it, but calling the bond familial felt wrong too. It certainly wasn’t sexual, and he’d hesitate to label it as romantic either. Sasuke and Shikako simply were. But, a part of Sasuke’s heart squeezed in hurt at the mere notion that he was ‘just an old teammate’ to Shikako. It wasn’t true. He knew it wasn’t true. Mikoto almost definitely knew that too, and was just trying to get a reaction out of him. Unfortunately, it felt like it was working. Hearing her say that bothered him in a way it never had before.

Shikako chose this moment to step in. Judging by how her eyes had hardened she had definitely detected the brief flash of hurt that must have echoed through his chakra, and feeling his pain seemed to be more than enough motivation for Shikako to overcome her own discomfort for the topic to defend him. Grasping his hand under the table Shikako was quick to interlock their fingers and give him a gentle squeeze of reassurance.

“Sasuke and I are life partners. I don’t really feel like explaining what all that entails other than it’s pretty much exactly how it sounds. We should change the topic.”

Sasuke knew that tone. It may have sounded like a request, but Shikako wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Though, judging my the way his mothers eyes had sharpened she wasn’t ready to let the topic go either. The two stared at each other for a moment, and probably would have continued to do so for a while longer. Just as Sasuke was preparing himself to step in and try and redirect the conversation, his father stepped in - something rather surprising considering Sasuke didn’t think the man had spoken much more than Sasuke himself over the course of the dinner.

“An excellent suggestion. What about children? Do you have any yet?”

It wasn’t the best topic his father could have chosen given that there was a very real chance Sasuke didn’t actually have children, in which case they would be right back where they started, but luckily for Fugaku, Sasuke did have a child. A very cute one, even. The idea of grandchildren was more than enough to get Mikoto to break away from her stare down with Shikako.

“Ah, I do, actually. Her name is Sarada…”

—

The rest of the dinner went without a hitch after that, and any grudge Mikoto might have held towards Shikako was quick to disappear once the latter pulled a copy of a scrapbook containing baby pictures of Sarada - something she’d compiled as a gift to him - from her hammerspace to give to Mikoto.

(Shikako had a problem. Well, two, really. The first was her tendency to squirrel away anything and everything in her hammerspace like a hoarder. The second one was her inexplicable ability to find herself in situations that only served to reinforce the validity of her behavior because, look, she did need a rusted sink and pickle costume.)

Despite the earlier hiccups, as Sasuke and Shikako bid his parents farewell and left, he did so feeling oddly lighter.

— Extra —

Years ago, after the war ended and they arrived back home, Sasuke came to the sudden realization that he’d done it. Itachi, Danzo, Obito, Madara, and Zetsu were all dead, Kaguya had been sealed, and he was a Shinobi both respected and feared across the nations. It was everything he’d ever wanted…except, as he’d walked towards his home through deserted streets of the now empty compound, he’d realized that that wasn’t quite true. Maybe he hadn’t fully comprehended exactly what ‘restoring his clan’ had meant when he’d said it as a 12 year old, but the general sentiment still held true. Sasuke wanted a family, he wanted to hear little feet padding along tatami and see gummy smiles and have children's laughter replace the silence that blanketed his clan’s compound like a shroud. Sasuke wanted a child, but the thought of being with anyone in that way caused disgust to pool in his chest, and the thought of marrying anyone felt like a betrayal.

It had confused him at first. Why should the mere idea of marrying someone feel like betrayal when he wasn’t with anyon- except, just as the thought crossed his mind his eyes fell upon a familiar object, and he froze as realization washed over him. It was their team picture, the one they’d taken years ago upon becoming genin. But it wasn’t the picture he was focusing on, rather a specific person in it.

Shikako.

The feeling of betrayal was illogical. He wasn’t with Shikako, he never had been and never would be, given he knew for a fact that she identified as asexual. Logically he knew that he wouldn’t be betraying Shikako if he got married to someone else, but feelings were hardly logical, and thus they remained.

Those thoughts prompted another realization in Sasuke, namely that he’d never really examined his own sexuality. This wasn’t entirely unexpected given that Sasuke hadn’t even seriously contemplated the idea of a relationship up until maybe a minute before, but it did make him wonder if maybe he just wasn’t attracted to women other than Shikako.

Over the next few days a good chunk of his free time was spent contemplating the issue, but if he were honest with himself he’d been fairly certain of the conclusion from the very beginning. Gender, sex, appearance, even power - none of it mattered, because at the end of the day in his mind there was no one who could compare to Shikako.

‘I guess that means I’m Shikako-sexual.’

Chapter 24: Suzuki Reiji's Path to Enlightenment

Chapter Text

Having grown up in the capital, Reiji was actually rather familiar with most of the deities worshiped in Fire country - after all, it wouldn’t do to inadvertently offend a fellow lord…

He much preferred to do so deliberately, thank you.

All of this is to say that before that fateful meeting - the one which would change his life irrevocably - Reiji had never heard of the Shikabane-hime.

Just the thought itself was distressing. Had someone asked him only a day prior to his arrival in Konoha if he had any interest in ‘finding religion’ he would have laughed in their face before proceeding to ignore them entirely. Now though, after meeting her…

Well, Reiji had never been quite so happy to be proved wrong.

—

The moment he first laid eyes on her, Reiji felt the world shift .

Reiji had been in the presence of powerful people before - one’s whose mere presence demanded respect, demanded reverence . Yet nothing could compare to what he had felt in that moment.

For a precious few moments, it was as though the world itself had stopped and waited with bated breath as it beheld her. In those moments, Reiji felt as though he had been unmade, losing all sense of himself as he beheld her splendor, only to be born once again simply because she had acknowledged his existence, and so reality had obliged her.

It was more than that though. She had spoken to him, addressed him personally - him, an existence so lowly that even the sight of her had been enough to see him unmade had she not decreed it otherwise!

Looking back, he’s still not sure how he did it, but somehow he managed to respond - coherently, even - to her query. Reiji was still so disoriented from the initial encounter that to this day he’s still not certain exactly what he said, and truth be told he doesn't much care either. All that mattered to him - both then and now - was the end result. Being accepted into her service was more than enough for him.

—

Reiji spent the majority of his first week in the service of the Shikabane-hime, acquainting himself with his new circ*mstances while helping around the temple.

Reiji’s presence in the temple had been an adjustment, he thinks, for both the rest of the Order and Reiji himself.

On Reiji’s part it was mostly a matter of learning to function in the absence of the luxury he had never truly been without. Being forced to make his own tea was a truly humbling experience, and he had prayed to the goddess in thanks for the wisdom he was already gaining.

—

The first two days after Reiji’s arrival were spent in meditation, as he allowed himself to recall over and over again the feeling of insignificance, absence, and then existence he had experienced while in Her presence. For those first two days Reiji didn’t encounter a single other person in the temple - the only thing that assured him that he wasn’t alone was the meals that appeared outside of his quarters every morning and evening, and the dishes that would disappear once cleared. The experience was hardly what Reiji had expected when he had asked to receive the teachings of the Shikabane-hime’s holy Word, but he was sure the isolation was not without purpose - after all, he personally felt that those days had granted him sense of a clarity and perspective towards his existence that he had lacked before.

It was on the morn of his third day at the temple that he finally met a member of the Order. Squirrel was an… odd man - something he felt would likely be a theme among the order. Reiji is sure that some of that oddity stems from the painted porcelain mask he wears, but the rest of it is probably thanks to how utterly unassuming he was. It had been clear from the start that the goddess was closely associated with some aspect of battle - the ferocity of her presence and the sword of lightning she carried at her side seemed to allow for nothing less. The appearance of Kakashi-sama had only further cemented this. It was in the grace he displayed simply by walking. Where a noble might be whimsical and soft, Kakashi-sama was controlled, precise, and restrained - like a jungle cat stalking its prey from the canopy, waiting to pounce.

Squirrel on the other hand, was… well.

They were rather unremarkable - almost startlingly so. Not a single characteristic of theirs - that Reiji could see - was of any note upon first glance. So much so that even after they had spoken Reiji only tentatively settled on trying male pronouns to address them - which given the lack of offense at their use Reijji could only assume were correct until such a time that he was told otherwise.

At first Reiji had assumed this must mean that his period of reflection was over, that now they would begin to share with him Her teachings. This assumption was soon proven false as that day and the next were spent performing a number of menial tasks such as sweeping, scrubbing floors, airing out rooms, and tending to the garden. It had confused Reiji a bit at first, but he performed each task to the best of his ability without question - A deities temple was like an extension of their home, and as Reiji was now a servant of the Shikabane-hime, it was his duty to maintain it.

It was on account of the nature of these tasks that Reiji arrived at his next assumption - this being that Squirrel had been given the task of helping Reiji familiarize himself with the ways of the temple. The only problem with this was that aside from directing him towards new tasks once the last one had been completed and showing him the bathing rooms, Squirrel didn’t say much of anything. Reiji had been waiting for the man to broach the subject of Her Word first, but when the fourth day came to an end with no indication of Her teachings being shared, Reiji felt both frustration and confusion begin to rise within him. The matter plagued his mind for hours, and it wasn’t until he was washing the dirt from his body after a long day of helping Squirrel with the inner gardens that he realized the true reason that Squirrel did not broach the subject.

‘ They were testing me. ’

Suddenly things began to fall into place, and Reiji felt the frustration from earlier be directed inwards towards himself to have only realized such an obvious thing after multiple days had passed. Of course they would test him - as far as they knew Reiji was just some noble who had up and decided to abandon a life of luxury to follow a goddess he had only just heard of that same day. Indignation rose to join the frustration he had already been feeling, replacing the confusion that had only just been alleviated, but Reiji took a deep breath and pushed them both down, replacing them instead with determination.

If his fellows doubted his dedication, then he would prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that he belonged in this Order.

—

Suzuki was acting weird - even for a Suzuki.

(Squirrel had accompanied Kakashi-sama on his ‘vacation’ to the capital a few years ago. He remembers wondering at the time if the Suzuki were known to produce eccentric nobles or if the oddities Suzuki Meiji displayed were uniquely his own. Well, he now had his answer. Turns out it’s genetic.)

Squirrel had taken some time to observe Suzuki from the shadows before he had revealed himself, and for a while everything had seemed fine as he and Suzuki did some busy work while Kakashi-sama tried to figure out what to do with him.

(Squirrel had no pity for the man. It was only right that Shikako-sama made him deal with the situation himself. If Kakashi-sama didn’t want to do the work then he should have thought about that before he opened his mouth. Not that Squirrel would ever say such a thing aloud - even if Kakashi-sama wouldn’t kill him for his impudence, he’d still be punished. Legend of ANBU Hound’s brutal training methods lived on even after more than a decade had passed since the man had been forcibly retired.)

It wasn’t until the second day that it became apparent that something had changed. Where once Suzuki had been quiet and reflective, now the man was asking questions .

“I’ve been wondering, Squirrel. I noticed that Naruto-san and Kakashi-sama wear face veils, so why is it that you and some of the others wear masks instead?”

Squirrel was not prepared for this. And it wasn’t like he could just not answer either, because from Suzuki’s point of view it was a fair question. Thinking back to all of the bullsh*t Squirrel had heard Kakashi-sama spout of the years, Squirrel did his best to channel that ask he spoke.

“Ah, a good question.”

Damn, three words and already off to a rough start. There was a reason that Squirrel avoided infiltration. Well, the best lies have a bit of truth mixed in…

“It largely comes down to rank. Kakashi-sama, Naruto-sama, and Sasuke-sama are divine disciples, whereas we are heavenly acolytes. When we became…acolytes, we gave up our names and identities to fully devote ourselves to the…goddess. We received our masks and new names in exchange for our eternal service. For the rest of our…existence…we will carry out the will of the goddess.”

Suzuki nodded solemnly, eyes glimmering with…admiration? It was supremely unsettling, Squirrel decided.

“So if I was fully inducted into the order I would also receive a mask…”

Suzuki said contemplatively. Behind his mask, Squirrel blanched. He hadn’t known what to say, and in his panicked scramble he’d essentially just portrayed ANBU as a religious order. Which…wasn’t entirely false, now that he thought about it.

“Uh, n-no. You’d be a -uh- worldly apostle, if you were inducted.”

Squirrel cringed inwardly at how bad that sounded, even to him - but Suzuki only nodded in understanding.

‘ He…he bought that?!’

“Ah, I see. So that is why word of the Shikabane-hime hasn’t spread yet…”

Suzuki continued talking, but at this point most of it had devolved into unintelligible mumbles as the man got lost in his thoughts. Squirrel decided to leave him to it - he still couldn’t believe that his excuses had worked, and he wasn’t too keen to risk jinxing it while the man was busy making his own dots to connect.

—

“Kakashi, we’ve been over this already. I’ve done everything I can to reassure you. I’ve had Sakura perform a DNA test on seven different occasions over the past four years using samples that you collected personally each time. Not a single one has found any evidence of close genetic relation between them.”

“Mah, you know how the saying goes Shikako-chan: 8th times the charm.”

He says casually.

“...”

Shikako is silent. She desperately wants to massage her temples in an attempt to soothe the tension headache she can already feel building, but experience stills her hand. Kakashi is like some sort of unholy combination of a shark, a dog, and a child - he can smell weakness, and he will not hesitate to capitalize on it mercilessly. An invaluable skill in combat, but one he has no problem turning on his allies either.

“Kakashi.”

“Yes, Shikako-chan?”

“They’re not even our Gai and Lee.”

Kakashi nods seriously.

“That may be true, but even if they aren’t our Gai and Lee, they are functionally identical to them, and since this timeline is so many years behind our own I’m hopeful that we’ve arrived before the genjutsu has had time to fully set.”

“Sensei, we've talked about this . You did the investigation yourself, for Sages sake! The Yamanaka found clear memories of Lee over the entirety of his childhood - including of his birth!”

Kakashi puts his hand up, halting her admonishment before it has truly had a chance to start again. The gaze he levels on her is deadly serious.

“I understand why you would find this hard to believe, Shikako. That's what makes this whole genjutsu so insidious - the memories it creates are nigh indistinguishable from reality. Not even I would be able to distinguish those memories from reality-”

“Sensei, that's because they’re real -”

Kakashi continues speaking, ignoring Shikako’s attempts to reason with him.

“-but my intuition is telling me that something here isn’t right, and that feeling has saved both myself and my comrades too many times for me to ignore it. Gai has a previously undocumented kekkei genkai that not only allows him to reproduce asexually, but also produce reality altering genjutsu that not even the sharingan can break. There is no other way to explain the appearance of Gai’s entirely-unrelated-yet-somehow-still-identical clone.”

“Sensei, intuition is a feeling! What you just said is a fully formed conspiracy theory!”

“Then how do you explain the rainbows and sunsets? Sasuke couldn’t break it with either of them, not even once he’d obtained the eternal mangekyo.”

“That-....I-…”

“See! You can’t, can you?”

As the moments of silence that followed Kakashi’s statement stretched on, Shikako felt herself grow increasingly desperate as she racked her brain for something - anything - to explain the strange phenomena her sensei was referring to. Kakashi stood there unwavering, and only a few seconds later he bore witness to the moment when she finally accepted that she had no explanation for it either -or that she decided that this was an argument that could not be won through reasoning and logic. Whatever the case, both scenarios led to his desired outcome: victory. Kakashi observed as Shikako deflated visibly from whatever conclusion she had arrived at.

“...I’ll have Sakura run the test with the new samples when we return.”

Turning back to face the direction they were heading, Shikako stuck out her hand in askance. Secure in the knowledge that he had successfully impressed upon his former student the importance of his search for the truth - namely that he would not be giving it up- Kakashi quickly pulled the newest samples he had procured from where he had stowed them, and watched in satisfaction as his student quickly sealed them into her hammer space. However, Kakashi forgot one very important detail: Shikako is never one to take a loss lying down. As she began to walk away, perhaps sensing the subtle smugness in Kakashi's chakra, Shikako decided to throw a final parting shot - one she knew would be deadly.

"And Sensei, don't think I've forgotten about Suzuki-san - ours or this one. I want it dealt with by the time I return from my meeting with Kushina-san."

As Shikako felt the smug satisfaction of her sensei's chakra be replaced with sullen disappointment, she smiled. Nothing brings down Kakashi quite like the thought of extra work and the consequences of his actions - it was hardly a coincidence that these things were more often than not one in the same when it came to him.

Chapter 25: Parting Gifts

Chapter Text

As much as Kakashi may have complained about it, the truth was he actually didn’t mind this ‘punishment’ too much. After all, he’d always told himself that when (if) he retired he’d dedicate that time to writing his own masterpiece to rival even the great works of Jiraiya-sama.

Sure, he wasn’t exactly retired yet, and sure, he’d always pictured that the genre of said masterwork would be erotica rather than theology, but it’s close enough that he’ll still count it as a win. After so many years of service as a highly combat oriented shinobi, Kakashi has long since learned to take what he can when he can, because you never know when you’ll get another chance. When you live a life lacking in any certainty that you’ll live to see tomorrow, it becomes that much more important to treasure what you have today.

‘...and the Lady said “Let there be light,” and thus, there was light.

From the great yawning abyss She brought forth the first stars, and ‘twas only in their light that the abyss did finally gain meaning, and so became darkness.

The Lady saw the light, She saw the dark, and Knew them to be Great.

But as the Lady saw the light and the dark, so too did She see She was alone.

And so, reaching out into the Song the Lady called out to the Mirror of Her Soul, to which They gladly answered.

To Them She said, “Let there be life,” and, never one to deny their Mirror, Gelel easily complied, and thus, there was life.’

Kakashi leaned back from his desk, stretching his arms over his head until they gave a satisfying little pop which had him sighing in relief. It was times like these that made him wonder how Jiraiya-sama did it. Already he was starting to feel the consequences of the abuse he’d put his body through when he was younger, and spending hours hunched over paperwork - or in this case, the rough draft of holy texts for a religion that was accidentally started by his student and deliberately spread by him because he had been bored- certainly wasn’t doing him any favors. Kakashi made a mental note to ask Jiraiya-sama for his secret to getting through these writing sessions when they got back. Even if this marked both the beginning and end of Kakashi’s career as an author, he still had an abundance of paperwork in his future, and for that alone such information would be priceless.

Having alleviated the ache in his back for the time being, Kakashi turns his focus back to his writing.

‘And so, having conquered the beast who had sought to destroy the kingdom which She held so dear, her faithful companions turned to Her, ready to carry out her orders - whatever they may be.

The beast had partaken in an attack that had dealt great damage to a place She held very dear, but as she gazed down as his bruised and bloodied body lying prone before her, it was not a beast she saw, it was a boy - a child.

Her gaze traveled to the demon’s siblings. Unlike their brother who had been so blessed by the dessert, the siblings possessed not a drop of divinity. She had seen them before the attack, She knew they feared their brother and the power he wielded. She had seen them cower in his presence, unwilling to even meet his gaze for fear of angering him.

They too had participated in the battle, their condition only marginally better than their brothers, and their exhaustion was evident in the trembling of their limbs.

There was no reason for them to protect the boy, She knew. And yet, the Sister whom She knew to possess great pride had fallen to her knees before Her to plead for mercy for the boy, her little brother. When the silence lasted for too long the siblings had shifted, the Sister placing herself between her brothers and the companions, while the Brother leaned down to wrap his arm around the unconscious form of the boy.

They pleaded for the Lady’s mercy, but in their eyes it was clear that they had no hope. No, their gazes help only a grim determination, as they prepared to sacrifice themselves to make a final stand in an attempt to save the brother they so clearly feared. They were exhausted, and it was clear that even if the Brother were to escape with the boy the Sister would die in the process, but this did not dissuade them.

Seeing the siblings ready to die for a brother they thought a monster - not out of obligation or duty, but out of love - the Lady thought of Her own brother, and the lengths She would go out of love for him.

Moved by their bravery and devotion to each other, the Lady made her decision, and turning to her audience she spoke.

“Listen, and take to heart my words for they are my Will.”

“The quality of mercy is not strained. It is twice blest: it blesseth he who gives and he who takes. It is mightiest in the mighty, and it becomes a monarch better than any crown. The scepter is a symbol of worldly authority - it inspires awe and majesty, to wield it is to impart the dread and fear of kings. But mercy is beyond this sceptered sway - it is enthroned in the hearts of kings, an attribute of Divinity. Only when worldly authority is tempered by mercy may the mortal monarch truly know power that resembles the Divine.”

“Much death has been dealt today, and I do not wish to add to it any further. Go. Return to your homeland and think on the mercy I have granted you on this day. Treasure your lives, for no boon shall ever be greater than this one I grant you, may there never come a day where you see Me regret it.”

So, when the boy became king and enemies became allies, the people rejoiced in Her, for it was by her mercy that they now prospered.’

As he finished writing Kakashi couldn’t help but let out a little giggle when he thought of the face Shikako would make if she were ever to read this. Kakshi made a mental note to send Kankuro something nice when he got back as a thank you since it was thanks to him that he knew so much about Shikako’s impromptu monologue to them during the Crush. The thought of that also made him giggle, though this time it was at the thought of the increasingly confused and panicked messages Kankuro would no doubt include in their usual correspondence if he sent something extravagant with no further explanation. Kakashi had no qualms about admitting that he was a cheap bastard, it was one of his most well known traits. If he sent Kankuro an expensive gift basket while refusing to give an explanation, the man’s mind would undoubtedly only conjure increasingly terrible scenarios to explain it the longer Kakashi let it drag on.

Theirs was an unexpected friendship, but one that Kakashi very much enjoyed. When he’d allowed Kankuro to engage him in a conversation about Icha Icha all those years ago at a Kage submit it had mostly been out of boredom, but much to his and Kankuro’s surprise, the experience was actually quite pleasant. He had been similarly surprised when a few weeks later he’d received a letter from the man containing his thoughts on a piece of classical literature that Kakashi had read years ago, a feeling which only grew when he found himself not only reading and enjoying Kankuro’s thoughts on the matter, but also taking the time to write and send his own response.

It was through their correspondence that Kankuro had shared the words Shikako had said when she spared him and his siblings, as well as the full quote that she had told him when he’d asked years later. Kankuro had been curious to see if Kakashi might recognize it from any of the more obscure literary pieces generally only found in the land of Fire, but surprisingly enough, he hadn’t. Of course, this was hardly the first time Shikako had made some profound statement or quote that Kakashi wasn’t able to recognize, and Kakashi had said as much in his reply. That had marked the beginning of Kakashi and Kankuro’s journey to compile and record every weird quote they’d heard her say, which had turned their correspondence from occasional to something much more regular.

Just as Kakashi was about to turn back to his work he felt a very familiar chakra enter the temple wards and begin approaching him. Setting down his pen, Kakashi stared at the door expectantly, waiting for the chakras owner to arrive, something which didn’t take long.

‘Well, this is certainly interesting.’

He thought, as he took in the appearance of his younger counterpart. If he was being quite honest with himself, he hadn’t expected Kakashi the younger to seek him out. If he thought about it, outside of their initial encounter when Kakashi had been guardian Kushina in the immediate aftermath of the attack, the times they’d crossed paths could probably be counted on one hand, with fingers to spare.

Looking at his younger selves visibly messy appearance, he had a creeping suspicion as to why he might have decided to come.

The boy had deep bags under his eyes - though only one was visible - and his hair was visibly drooping, likely due to an accumulation of oil after too long without a wash given its greasy sheen. To summarize, Kakashi the younger was sleeping poorly and had likely not bathed for an extended period of time, in other words, he wasn’t taking care of himself. Knowing himself at this age and what his younger counterpart -whom he would henceforth be referring to as ‘junior’- was likely going through, Kakashi decided to speak first lest they continue to stare at each other in silence for a few more minutes.

“So, when did you last eat something that wasn’t a rations bar?”

After another minute passed without Junior responding, Kakashi closed his eyes and sighed before pushing himself up from his chair and walking to the door. When Junior just continued to stare at him blankly and made no move to follow, Kakashi slowly reached out and lightly clasped the boys (so tiny, was he really this tiny?) wrist to guide him towards the living quarters.

“Come on kid, you look like hell. You need a shower, a warm meal, and a nap - in that order - before we talk about anything, so follow me.”

Junior didn’t protest the treatment - which is good, because Kakashi wouldn’t have listened even if he had.

—

According to his therapist - er, friend - Kakashi has a tendency to focus on only the negative aspects of his circ*mstances. Upon a little self reflection, Kakashi is willing to admit -at least, in the privacy of his own mind- that this is a more than valid statement. Rather predictably, Inoichi hadn’t bothered waiting for him to unpack that statement before continuing in his entirely unprompted pseudo-therapy session. Per Inoichi’s advice, when Kakashi found himself descending into a spiral of these negative thoughts, he should try to pause and identify at least one positive thing about his situation.

The situation Kakashi was currently in - which was hitting him right in all of his unresolved trauma - seemed like exactly the kind of situation Inoichi would have advised him to employ his ‘strategy’.

The results were…mixed.

While it had successfully pulled him from his spiral, it had also highlighted the fact that the only ‘positive’ thing he could think of was that Junior wouldn’t be able to judge him for his culinary skills -or, rather his lack of them. You’d think that having lived alone for so long Kakashi would at least be a decent cook, but you’d be wrong. Kakashi could cook exactly four different dishes reliably. The quality of anything outside of those tended to settle on ‘dubious at best’.

All of this is to say, that as calm as Kakashi may have acted about the appearance of his younger self, that was very much a lie. Thankfully, one of the things he had improved on over the years was his acting skills thanks to all of the infiltration missions he ran over the course of his tenure in ANBU.

Unsurprisingly, despite how exhausted Junior clearly was, he didn’t sleep any longer than thirty minutes. Kakashi would have been frustrated if he hadn’t been expecting it, but since Junior was him Kakashi was all too familiar with why he hadn’t been able to sleep for long.

Staring at the younger version of himself who had just woken from nightmares that Kakashi was intimately familiar with, once again he found his thoughts lingering on how small he was, and in that moment more than ever before Kakashi was struck by the realization that for all his maturity, Junior was just…a kid.

Desperately not wishing to linger any further on that thought, Kakashi once more took Junior's wrist and led him out onto the engawa that overlooked the courtyard.

They sat together in silence for a long while, staring out at the bustling garden bursting with life and vitality, allowing its liveliness to act as a balm on their aching hearts. It was Junior who would speak first.

“Does it get better?”

His voice was raspy from disuse, and he spoke softly, as though scared of his question being heard - scared of what the answer might be.

There were a lot of ways Kakashi could interpret that question, and the answer to most of them was ‘no’, but that wasn’t what Junior needed to hear right now, and most importantly it wasn’t the answer to the only one Kakashi felt mattered in the end.

“It does.”

Because, while it never stopped hurting to think about everyone he’d lost, the comrades he’d failed to save, the promises he’d failed to keep…

“Don’t try to bear these burdens alone.”

—

Like her Sensei, Shikako had also decided to leave something behind.

(Shikako would like to clarify that when she’d told Kakashi she’d wanted the Suzuki situation ‘dealt with’, she had not meant for her Sensei to further feed the man's religious delusions by writing a holy text for a religion that didn’t exist)

After seeing the condition little Kako had been left in due - however unknowingly - to her, Shikako had felt more than a little guilty, especially since she knew that this version of herself was aware of and would remember the pain she had endured until Shikako had come to fix it.

Shikako doubted Kako would blame her, but that didn’t alleviate the guilt, if anything, it almost made it worse.

To help alleviate some of her guilt over the situation, Shikako decided to write a journal full of things she wishes she’d known earlier, hoping it would help smooth the transition from her previous life into this one. The end result was a rather thick journal which she’d titled: ‘The World of Naruto: An Incomplete How-To Guide for Living Well’.

Normally she would have never written such a thing, but after living so long in the elemental nations, she knew that English was simply too foreign in its rules and structures for even the best cryptographer to decipher without a foundation and many years of dedicated study.

She’d finished the journal only two days before their set departure date to Suna - she’d even included a little note on the inside cover, hoping that it might offer some comfort to Kako whenever she was feeling overwhelmed:

‘Don’t worry kid, this world isn’t all that bad once you get the hang of things.’

They were words she wished there had been someone there to tell her, someone who understood just why she was struggling.

Only, it didn’t feel like enough.

There was so much more she wanted to say, but the things she wanted to convey to Kako most of all were feelings that refused to be confined to such a rigid thing as language. Unable to offer her the comfort Shikako knew she had so desperately wanted at times, Shikako settled instead for strength. She had been horribly shy and unsure of herself as a child, so maybe knowing that there was a version of her that had lived - had thrived - would give her the confidence to be a little more bold.

With that thought in mind, Shikako began to write once more.

—

Shikako and company depart for Suna with Minato and his retinue just as the morning light begins to break over the horizon. Their departure comes with no fanfare nor tearful goodbyes at the village's gates - those have already been shared, and all that is left now is to continue on. Only a handful of people will ever know to mourn their absence, and few still will ever comprehend the sheer magnitude of devastation they helped avert on that fateful day.

In the end, only three tangible things would remain to ever indicate that they had existed in the first place.

The first was a religious text, entrusted to one Suzuki Reiji, a man who would later become known as the first Worldly Apostle of the Cosmic Order.

The last two items were entrusted to the Hokage, along with instructions that they be given to Nara Shikako on her second birthday. The contents of the last two items - a journal and a letter, both written in a code none in Konoha had ever encountered before - would forever remain a mystery to all but their intended recipient.

—

Remember these words, Shikako. They may not be ours, but they will serve you well all the same:

I must not fear.

Fear is the mind-killer.

Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.

I will face my fear.

I will permit it to pass over and through me.

And when it has gone past, I will turn to the inner eye to see its path.

Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.

Only I will remain.

Feel your fear, Shikako. Feel it, face it, and then continue on. Do not let it rule you. This life will constantly force you to confront your own powerlessness - no matter what heights you achieve, there will always be a higher submit. Sometimes that distance will seem insurmountable, sometimes you will be confronted with heights beyond your reach. But if you cannot move, then move them.

What makes up their mountain, Shikako?

What do they stand on? What do they stand for?

If the mountain is too tall, then bring down the mountain.

Chapter 26: Inoichi Interlude

Chapter Text

The news of the Hokage and her companion's disappearance spreads quickly among the upper echelons of the village, and while Inoichi may be - mostly - retired, he still holds more than enough political clout as a clan head to be included in said circles.

Given the sensitivity of the situation, he wasn’t overly surprised when he received a summon to T&I. Again, Inoichi was - mostly - retired, but he did still receive the occasional summon for a consult every now and again. It wasn’t a common occurrence - on account of both the optics of frequently having to consult the former Head, and because Ino was nothing if not competent in her chosen field - but when it did he was always willing to lend his experience when she needed it. Though he knew little about the present circ*mstances, Inoichi was confident that she wouldn’t, though he applauded her prudence all the same. While Ino would never knowingly do anything that might put Shikako at risk, the more people present to observe the interrogation, the more witnesses she could call upon should her conduct ever be brought into question. One could never be too careful when dealing with potential acts of treason of this caliber.

The interrogation went off without a hitch. Given the child’s age, after consulting with Ibiki, Ino had decided to try ‘soft’ interrogation before resorting to anything…harsher. Of course, since the child was being investigated as a potential suspect in the disappearance of two of Konoha’s clan heads (even if the Hatake were currently only a clan of one), their Jinchuriki (who also happened to be the person next in line for the hat), and their Hokage, in this case, ‘soft’ interrogation just meant letting her set the tone for her time in their custody. Perhaps Irumi understood this too, because she didn’t hesitate to agree when Ino ‘requested’ she undergo a mindwalk. The girl was a model detainee, offering no protest when the other two interrogators in the room performed their own mindwalks on her after Ino had finished - despite her clear discomfort with the technique.

When the last agent had retreated from her mind, Irumi swayed slightly in her seat, and Inoichi had just enough time to register her eyes rolling back into her head before her entire body went limp, falling to the floor with a solid thunk that had him wincing in sympathy. Inoichi had expected that something like this would happen - mindwalks placed a huge strain on a persons’ psyche, something which would only be compounded by her age. Quite frankly the fact that she’d managed to endure all three mindwalks before passing out was rather impressive.

As none of the mindwalks had found anything suspicious, Irumi was likely innocent - or at the very least, ignorant - of any involvement in the Hokage and the rest of team seven’s disappearance. Now that the mindwalks were over and Irumi unconscious, ANBU swiftly appeared to transfer the girl to a different - though undoubtedly visually identical - holding cell, where Inoichi knew she would spend the next few days under strict observation as a precautionary measure.

The purpose of such was twofold: firstly, it would allow the ANBU time to search her living quarters for any evidence of foul play that hadn’t appeared in the mindwalk, and secondly, it would allow the department to monitor her in case she showed any adverse reactions to the jutsu. Such instances were rare, but the younger the subject of a prolonged mindwalk was the greater the risk they faced. Given that the girl had undergone multiple prolonged mindwalks in such a short span of time, it was best that they kept her in observation for at least a few days just to be sure - that way, if she did show signs of complications the medic on staff would be able to provide the type of early intervention she would undoubtedly need if she were to have any hope of surviving long enough to get to the hospital for more advanced treatment. Such complications didn’t happen often, but when they did they were nothing short of life-threatening.

Ino and the other mindwalkers testimonies served to dissipate the slowly building tension Inoichi had felt from the moment he’d entered the room. This prompted him to scan the expressions and body language of the personnel present - at least half of which where Shikako’s direct subordinates. As he scanned their faces, Inoichi’s eyes narrowed slightly as he felt a seed of suspicion begin to take root. Despite the slight anxiety they’d displayed earlier, these people were far too calm for such a serious situation - especially considering the fact that they were administrative-shinobi, and thus shouldn’t be even remotely accustomed to situations like the one they presently found themselves in. With this in mind, their demenors were suspicious, deeply so…

…Until he remembered just who it was that they worked directly under.

In a matter of moments, the seed of suspicion that had taken root in Inoichi withered and died, gone just as quickly as it had come. As her fathers teammate and one of the three heads of the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance, Inoichi had been there to watch as Shikako grew from a timid little girl into the nigh mythical force of nature she was today. Given this, he liked to think he knew the woman pretty well, and after so many years of knowing her he was willing to bet good money that the reason her subordinates weren’t overly worried was because she’d put protocols in place in case something like this were to happen. Even from the time that she was just a genin, Shikako had always been one to create contingencies for oddly specific scenarios, and he was more than a little amused to see the evidence that even after becoming Hokage this part of her hadn’t changed.

His suspicions were confirmed when a moment later Shikako’s personal secretary stepped forward to assure them that however unprecedented the situation may be, ‘Rokudaime-sama had foreseen the possibility of such a situation, and left instructions on how to proceed should such a thing come to pass, as well as a way to monitor her current status and condition.’

‘Of course she had,’ Inoichi thought fondly, and, judging by the similarly exasperated yet soft expression on his daughter's face, he wasn’t the only one to think as much.

——

Inoichi didn’t linger in the bowls of T&I much longer after that. With the investigation having progressed rather clearly into territory beyond his current clearances, he was quick to excuse himself and head home.

Meandering sedately back towards the clan compound, Inoichi let his thoughts wander as he took the time to appreciate the lively bustling streets of the village he called home. He smiled fondly as he saw a KMP officer scolding a group of children that had evidently become a bit too rowdy.

Inoichi froze, his thoughts coming to such an abrupt screeching halt that had he been a civilian he almost surely would have physically stumbled.

‘KMP… children…’

Inoichi closed his eyes and sighed, a bit disappointed in himself that it had taken so long for the thought to occur to him in the first place. Turning around, Inoichi channeled some chakra into his legs and leapt up onto a nearby roof before taking off at a much quicker pace back in the direction he came. Thankfully, judging by the position of the sun, he shouldn’t arrive too much later than she was used to.

Recalling his first true interaction with her father, Inoichi felt himself smile. It was almost four years ago now; he’d been relaxing with a book in the back garden when he felt it, that bright, burning, and unmistakably Uchiha chakra.

Most Yamanaka tended to have some measure of sensing ability -though the acuity of it varied widely from person to person. Inoichi’s personal aptitude had settled at what he would call ‘comfortably above average but still short of exceptional’ by the standards of his clan; his range and clarity was good, but aside from chakra nature most details were beyond him. Clans tended to share similarities in the feel of their chakra - something especially true of the Uchiha, which made it difficult to tell them apart by chakra alone unless the sensor was especially gifted. Feeling this particular chakra and knowing immediately who it was served as a testament to their failure as a clan. They’d never identified the Yamanaka who’d been responsible for conducting the quarterly psychological screenings of active duty ANBU at the time. If he had, Inoichi would’ve had the traitor drawn and quartered before striking their name from the clan's register, a position he maintained even after learning that Itachi had acted under orders.

The rage he’d felt initially at the idea that a member of his clan had played a role in facilitating the massacre had dulled over the years, but he suspected that the guilt would never fully leave him, even if it had eased slightly over time.

When Inoichi had opened the door, he’d expected that the man was here with a missive for his daughter, but before he had the chance to speak and tell him that Ino was actually at T&I at the moment, Sasuke spoke first.

It was as though a dam within his mind had failed, for a torrent of words poured forth from the typically reticent man at such great velocities that Inoichi could only pick out every few words with any certainty. Thankfully, what little he was able to catch was enough to give him an idea of what it was the man was asking.

It had been guilt that had prompted Inoichi to invite the young man in for tea that day, but it was genuine enjoyment and eventually friendship which led to all the meetings which followed.

Now, years later, Inoichi could confidently say that he was one of the few people whom Uchiha Sasuke would claim as a friend, a sentiment which Inoichi wholeheartedly returned.

Of those who had disappeared, Inoichi knew that both Sasuke and Naruto had young children. Inoichi wasn't too concerned for Naruto’s children, as they still had Hinata -and by extension, her clan- to care for them, but Sarada was a different story. Unlike Naruto, Sasuke wasn’t married, and the closest person he had to a wife had disappeared along with him. Shikako’s disappearance eliminated not only herself but also her clan as potential candidates to care for Sarada until they returned. Shikaku might deny it -or not, it really depended how lazy he was feeling that day- but his family's dynamics tend to be much more volatile whenever Shikako ended up hurt or missing (as he’d seen multiple times over the years for both situations). Inoichi knew his friend -the man would have no problem taking in little Sarada until her father returned- but such a turbulent environment was hardly ideal for a child who would already be stressed by the sudden disappearance of her father.

With those options eliminated, all that really left was Inoichi himself to take on the job of caring for Sarada in Sasuke's absence.

The sun was already setting on the horizon as he arrived at the daycare, apparently later than he’d thought given the minder was already waiting with Sarada by the door. Looking at the precious child hugging a stuffed animal to her while rubbing her eye sleepily, Inoichi smiled again, reminded of a similar scene many years ago of another little girl doing the very same thing.

Picking up a sleepy Sarada, Inoichi waited patiently as the minder took a moment to verify his identity and that Inoichi was authorized to pick the child up, bidding them farewell once they voiced their approval.

Jumping back to the roof tops, Inoichi easily fell back into the same smooth movements he’d perfected carrying Ino when she was a child. Inoichi could feel the moment when Sarada drifted off to sleep, having been soothed by the gentle rocking movements just as Ino had. He held the little girl a bit tighter against him.

‘Don’t take too long to find your way back home, everyone.’

Chapter 27: The Musings of Men

Chapter Text

The Land of Wind - and Suna by extension - doesn't really have much going for it. Sure, they have a few regional specialties - their silk is second to none, the various perfume oils they produce are unmatched in quality, and the spices that grow along the very narrow strip of fertile land on the coast are as exquisite as they are expensive - but aside from that…

It’s just- sand.

So much sand.

Too much sand.

Minato hates sand, especially the type of sand found in the deserts leading to Suna. It's the type of sand that gets into your clothes and doesn't leave for months. It’s coarse and hot and wholly unpleasant.

He supposes if there’s one thing the Land of Wind has going for it, it’s that the only reason another Daimyo would ever invade it is over a truly grave insult - anything less and not even they would be able to justify the costs. Of course, that doesn't mean the Wind Daimyo can behave with impunity - quite the opposite, really. While their lack of natural resources may make them unappealing for conquest, it also leaves them almost entirely reliant on imports. Sanctions are never pleasant, but against the Land of Wind they have the potential to be more devastating than any invasion. A starving people is a desperate people, and desperation…well, when people feel they have nothing left to lose, social order collapses.

But, no matter how delicate international politics were for the country, they could hardly compare to the mess that was their internal politics - particularly Suna’s.

Before he had been named as the Sandiame’s successor, Minato had possessed only general knowledge of Kaze no kuni - and, to a lesser extent, the Kazekage clan. His lack of knowledge at the time regarding the regions political climate was understandable, he felt, seeing as he rarely ran missions through the area. (Un)fortunately it was an ignorance the Sandiame had been quick to rectify, though the method through which he had chosen to do so had left much to be desired.

(Minato can still recall the day with great clarity. It had been much like any other day during his leadership training with the Sandiame - meetings, paperwork, mission reviews, ect. They had been sitting in the Hokage office doing the latter when suddenly Sarutobi had broken the silence. This also wasn’t unusual, it typically just meant that the man had seen something in a report - such as a mistake or irregularity- he felt was important to point out to Minato.

“Hmm. We’ve received new intelligence reports from Wind. Tell me, what do you know of the Kazekage clan, Minato-kun?” The man had asked.

“Well I know they rule Suna. Um… I think I also heard that they’re supposedly pretty powerful too, but I wasn’t clear on if that was in reference to the whole clan or an individual.” He’d replied.

Minato hadn’t thought much about his answer, only glancing up distractedly to respond to Sarutobi’s question before turning his attention back to the report he had been reading.

After seconds passed with no reply, Minato glanced back up at Sarutobi, about to question if that was all, only to pause at the bewildered and - dare he say - mildly horrified look on the mans face.

“...Is that it?” He’d asked faintly, to which Minato could only nod slowly in confirmation.

What followed had been one of the most grueling crash courses of international who’s - who he’d ever had to endure. Only Kiri could compare to the convoluted mess that was Suna, and even then they were still beat. How a country that was more sand than anything else could possibly manage to be so complicated would never cease to baffle him.)

Unlike the other great villages, the mantle of Kazekage was hereditary, in keeping with the tradition of Sabuku, who both founded and rule Suna. The Sabuku - now more commonly known as the Kazekage clan - were a powerful clan of Kaze no kuni long before the hidden villages. They had risen to prominence centuries earlier after gaining the favor of the countries nobility thanks in no small part to the utility of their bloodline. Having spent centuries as the most prominent clan in the region, it is of no surprise that when other countries began establishing their own hidden villages, it was none other than the Sabuku whom the Wind Daimyo called upon to found and lead his own, a task which they had fulfilled rather admirably.

Everything about that place was needlessly convoluted. The Kazekage clan - which was actually the Sabuku - was only really a clan in the loosest sense of the word. No one aside from the head and their successor were allowed to use the Sabuku title, and those positions could only be held by those who had inherited the clan's unique version of magnet release. As for everyone else, they were entitled to only their given name, something which Minato found more than a little ridiculous seeing as the only time the title was ever really used was during a formal greeting or introduction.

There was more, of course - much more. But contemplating anything beyond the little things when it came to Kaze no Kuni’s political and cultural peculiarities had a tendency to give him a headache - which, to be fair, also seemed to be true for most things these days - something he could ill afford at the moment - after all, he could already see the gates of Suna in the distance.

—

Staring out at the village he ruled from his office window, Rasa felt the familiar feelings of pride and inadequacy well up inside him. This village was his family's legacy, a reward for centuries of service, a symbol of their strength and power. It was his duty to protect it, to nurture it and see it prosper and rise to even greater heights just as his predecessors had, and yet…

Rasa closed his eyes and let out a tired exhale.

Sabuku no Rasa. A title that proved his bloodline just as his bloodline proved his heritage. His Kekkei Genkai had emerged before he’d even entered the double digits, and with its awakening the trajectory of his life had been irrevocably altered. Rasa came from a line that had diverged from the Sabuku four generations prior - two generations more and his line wouldn’t have even appeared on the register anymore. A line so far removed from the Sabuku, which had produced no notable talent, was one which received no special privileges in Suna. His line should have consigned him to a life as nothing more than another rank and file shinobi, but fate had seen fit to decree it otherwise.

The day Rasa’s Kekkei Genkai awoke was one of the worst days of his young life. In other countries, in other clans, awakening a bloodline was usually something to be celebrated.

Not in Kaze no kuni.

Not for descendants of the Sabuku.

At the time, he had been too young to understand the HeartbreakGreifResignation that had flashed across his birth parents' faces. He didn’t understand why they weren’t excited, nor why their behavior became so cold and distant.

Within an hour of revealing what his younger self had only seen as a cool new ability, Rasa’d found himself deposited at the Kazekage building, with only a storage scroll containing the contents of his room for company. His birth parents had stayed only long enough to collect a payment voucher before leaving. They offered no explanation for their actions, not even a goodbye - they simply left, practically washing their hands clean of him. It would be many months before he would even begin to come to understand why they’d acted as they had, and even still he never quite forgave them for it - though, he supposes the forgiveness of what was now a stranger wouldn't hold much value to them anyway.

Only a Sabuku could be Kazekage, and only someone with the bloodline could claim the title Sabuku.

Failing to deliver a child of the blood to the Sabuku was viewed no differently than bloodline theft in the eyes of both the clan and the law. They were within their rights to visit swift and brutal retribution upon any who dared do such a thing, a privilege which the clan took full advantage of.

Maybe if he’d known that, Rasa would have tried to hide his bloodline instead, but he hadn’t, and he’d paid the price for his ignorance. Over the course of a day Rasa had gained a Kekkei Genkai and become a clan heir, and all it’d cost him was the love of his parents and the remainder of his childhood.

He prayed to any god that would listen that one of his children had inherited the bloodline, that he wouldn’t have to watch another child go through what he had. Part of him felt wrong for wishing for such a thing. He could practically hear the bitter laughter of the lonely boy he had once been echoing in his mind - ‘hypocrite’ it hissed ‘you have no right!’ it seethed.

Damningly, he couldn’t find it in himself to disagree. Because Rasa knew in his heart that if history were to repeat itself once more it would not be he who would resist the current.

No, after his fathers abrupt disappearance, his wife's death, and the disadvantageous position they’d ended the war in - even from the winning side - Rasa was in no position to challenge tradition. Already a political block had formed on the council that was pushing him to name Sasori as his successor - despite the fact that the man didn’t possess the bloodline. That they felt confident enough to suggest such a thing had opened his eyes to how truly precarious his current position was. The situation was made all the worse with how the Daimyo was blatantly acting against their interests. Rasa remembered the man from one of the few visits where he accompanied his father to the capital. To the third Kazekage the Daimyo had been gracious and respectful, but no such courtesy had been extended to Rasa, even after the war had ended.

Rasa was pulled from his thoughts as he felt the air behind him shift, prompting him to turn and address the messenger who had appeared.

“The Konoha delegation has been sighted, Kazekage-sama. The Hokage is accompanied by the usual guard and at least four unknowns, three with Kage-level reserves.”

Rasa felt himself straighten at that. While having Kage-level reserves didn’t automatically mean that the individual could fight at such a level, it did mean that they were capable of incredible damage if given the chance. The fact that none of the scouts had recognized them meant that they weren’t in the bingo book, which was unusual for shinobi of such a caliber, but then again, he’d been hearing quite a few unusual rumors surrounding Konoha as of late, some even going so far as to claim that gods walked among us once more. Of course, Rasa didn’t put much stock into such rumors, but it was important to know them nevertheless.

“I see. Sato, initiate village wide high-alert protocols. It would seem that I have guests to greet.”

Chapter 28: I Got 99 Problems

Chapter Text

The intelligence reports he’d been receiving from his agents in Konoha had been strange for a while now. It had started a few weeks ago, when all of his agents had missed their drop dates for the week. That alone was enough to tell him that something had happened; it wasn’t uncommon for one or two agents to miss their drop date for the week, but for all of them to fail to report? It was unheard of.

At first, his mind had immediately turned to the worst case scenario: that Konoha had discovered all of his agents. That would have been an unmitigated disaster. Even if no village would ever willingly acknowledge the fact to another in anything close to an official capacity, that every one of them had some sort of infiltration asset stationed within each other was an undeniable fact.

Sometimes these people were caught -an unavoidable risk given the assignment- but this would have been far more than that. Establishing a deep cover agent in one of the hidden villages took a great deal of time and money. Because of that, no infiltrator was made aware of others. It was a simple but essential contingency put in place so that in the event that one was discovered, there was no risk of them exposing anyone else.

Considering this, it was hard not to find the universal silence unsettling - if all of his agents had been caught at once, it meant a leak at the highest level. Only those who worked directly with Rasa possessed any identifying information regarding infiltration assets, and their number could be counted on a single hand.

It had been a great relief then, when a week later he revived a report from inside Konoha explaining the situation. An attack had occurred, one which had somehow freed the Kyuubi from its jailor, allowing it to wreak havoc until it was eventually resealed. It didn’t take a genius to conclude that the Kyuubi rampaging within or even near a village would inevitably result in a great deal of destruction, something which the damage estimations he had received further supported, so it was understandable that none of them had been able to make their drop dates. In the aftermath of the attack civilians would be expected to focus on rebuilding their lives and livelihoods, to act in any other manner when the Konoha shinobi were bound to be at their most vigilant was practically begging to be discovered.

The damage reports his agents had been able to smuggle out were sobering, particularly since each report had noted that the damage likely would have been far worse if not for the timely intervention of an as of yet unidentified party which had aided the Hokage in restraining the beast until it could be resealed. As he sat at his desk reading those reports he couldn’t help but wonder if they weren’t a sign of what was to come for his own village.

When Chiyo had proposed her experimental seal for the Ichibi, Rasa had granted it his approval with high hopes for it’s potential. If it had worked as intended, Gaara would have been able to access more of the Ichibi’s power than any Jinchuriki before him. Alas, those hopes were soon proven to have been woefully misplaced, as the numerous complications it had inflicted upon his wife over the course of her pregnancy ultimately resulted in an early labor which had cost her her life. They’d bet so much on the success of that damned thing, and in the end all they had to show for it was an unstable mess of a seal that was for all intents and purposes ready to unravel at any moment.

That first damning report he’d received mere days after Karura’s death had only served to heighten the devastation he’d felt. He still remembers the bitter thought that mayhaps their hopes and prayers for the experiment's success hadn’t been entirely useless afterall, seeing how as far as the R&D team could tell that may as well be all that kept the damned thing from falling apart.

It was as if taking his wife wasn’t enough for it, so it had chosen to bind to his son just enough to serve as a permanent reminder of Rasa’s own failures until the day when it would inevitably fail and claim Gaara’s life as well.

The reports from Konoha had only served to bring those fears back to the forefront of his mind. The Ichibi was far weaker than the Kyuubi, but even a fraction of the damage that the nine-tails had dealt Konoha would have been devastating for Suna.

Rasa didn’t allow himself to linger on such thoughts for very long - he couldn’t afford to with the chunin exams - but even if he could have the peculiar reports that followed were more than enough to divert his attention. Most of them seemed normal enough at first - updates on reconstruction efforts and any other intelligence they’d been able to discover - but it didn’t take long for them to become… odd .

He hadn’t recognized it at the time, but the first sign of things to come had lain in but a few lines on one of the first reports he received following the Kyuubi attack. Truthfully, it had hardly seemed very important at the time, just a few lines reporting an unidentified woman often seen to be accompanying the Hokage in the wake of the attack, speculating that she was perhaps a newly appointed personal assistant. Proceeded as it was by the agent's personal account of the attack and then followed by the stolen classified damages report, an unknown and unconfirmed assistant seemed to be of little consequence in comparison.

That week's report had been normal enough, all things considered. The same could not be said for the weeks that followed.

If Rasa were to create a list of things he never expected to read on an intelligence report, ‘ Demonic being finds religion ’ and ‘ Goddess descends to the mortal plane ’ would not be on that list. Of course, that isn’t because he had expected them, but rather that both of the reported events were simply so fantastical that they would’ve never crossed his mind, even in the context of impossible things.

And really, why would they?

In this world, there existed some things that were simply so self evident, so fundamental to the laws that governed their reality, that they didn’t even bear mentioning. They were things that were not meant to be a part of one's understanding of the world, but rather to act as the unseen absolutes which shaped said understanding. In Rasa’s opinion, the act of questioning -or worse, challenging - any of these things was nothing less than a blatant declaration of an individuals instability.

So, for one - let alone multiple- of his agents within Konoha to report things like deities and demons -mythical beings whose very nature was said to challenge if not outright ignore the fundamental laws which govern reality- walking the mortal plane just as legend claims they did in ages past…

Well, Rasa thinks it's perfectly understandable that his initial thoughts after receiving those reports was that his infiltrators - and perhaps Konoha at large - were suffering some sort of delayed onset delusion brought about as a consequence of the undoubtedly massive amounts of corruptive bijuu chakra they must have been exposed to during the Kyuubi attack.

It had only gotten worse from there, as less than a few weeks after those unhinged reports from his Konoha assets, the agents he had stationed in the Wind Daimyo's court began to pass along news of a new religious movement originating from Fire that had taken the nobility by storm, and was now steadily beginning to garner interest among Wind’s nobility as well.

That particular report had been especially alarming.

Religion didn’t spread quickly, it couldn’t . Cultivating a religion takes time, because that is the nature of faith. And that right there is the crux of his issue. Religion takes time to entrench itself among a populace, but this new movement was growing far quicker than a religion had any right to. The thought had made him scowl, because that detail meant there was really only one conclusion he could make: this wasn’t a religion, it was a cult .

A cult, which according to the reports he’d received, was rapidly gaining favor and traction among not only the common people, but the ruling class as well. Such influence among those in power, even if they were a substantially smaller demographic than the peasantry, meant that this new cult was well on its way to being a force to be reckoned with.

Of course, it’s entirely possible that Rasa was overreacting. At the moment, this so-called ‘ Cosmic Order ’ was still relatively new, to the point where it had yet to find any true traction outside of Hi no Kuni. It may be that ultimately this new Order ends up as just another court fad, burning hot and fast before fading into obscurity.

For some reason though, something in Rasa told him that that wouldn’t be the case for this ‘Shikabane-hime’.

—

Rasa made his way towards the northeastern entrance at a moderate pace. It was times like these that made him truly appreciate the strategic value of a good summons. Rasa had assigned Sayuri, a special jonin contracted with the white-throated needletail, to send her summons out as scouts for the incoming delegations. By herself, Sayuri would have likely been nothing more than a career chunin due to her rather lackluster combat skills; it was only thanks to her summons that she’d been able to achieve the rank of special jonin. The white-throated needletail may only be a minor clan under the greater swift family, but their speed and vision were unmatched by any other summon in the vision, making them ideal for the purpose of reconnaissance.

It was only thanks to this that Rasa knew he could set a more sedate pace and still arrive before the Konoha delegation, something he was thankful he’d done when he saw the poorly hidden tension in the stances of those on guard duty, which only grew more pronounced upon his arrival.

Frankly, Rasa could hardly blame them. Suna may be the… most specialized (weakest) of the major shinobi powers, but they were still one of the five great hidden villages. For Rasa -a Kage of one of the five great villages- to personally come to the village gate to receive another Kage was practically unthinkable to them, but once again, their feelings and thoughts on the matter were understandable.

The Chunin exams were about more than just showing off the strength of your village to prospective clients, it was also about showing off your strength to the other shinobi villages. It was a delicate dance, these exams. Show too much, and you risk revealing your hand to the enemy. Show too little, and you could lose the interest of prospective clients. Each Kage had to calculate how much intelligence on their rising talents they could afford to expose before the cost outweighed the benefit. How much a Kage could afford to reveal, how much risk they could afford to incur, these were signs of strength in and of themselves.

This was doubly true for the village hosting the exams. Letting foreign shinobi into your village in such great number was a statement. For all that the hosting village may act unconcerned about inviting in foreign shinobi, they all knew it to be a great risk, just as the other villages knew it to be a great risk to send gennins into a foreign village. In the end the villages had no choice but to take these risks, because to do otherwise would be to admit weakness, and this above all else was unacceptable.

This was the way of things in their world, it was something that all shinobi understood, and it was because of this that Rasa could not blame his men for their poorly hidden anxiety. For Rasa to come out personally to greet the Konoha delegation meant he was acknowledging them as a threat before everyone, and yet he could not afford to treat three unknown shinobi with kage-level reserves lightly, regardless of the fact that they were here as a part of their nominal allies’ delegation.

—

He felt them before he saw them.

Well, one of them, that is.

Even to his admittedly mediocre chakra senses, the signature felt loud and bright. Thankfully it did dim down to manageable levels as the group drew closer to the village, indicating to Rasa that they were likely familiar with leashing their presence within villages, which he was thankful for. Such a large signature blaring throughout the remainder of the exams would undoubtedly only serve to set any shinobi in the village further on edge, which would hardly be conducive to improving international relations in the first exam since the conclusion of the war.

Without the one signature drowning everything else out, Rasa was finally able to get a better feel for the rest of the group - unfortunately, it did little to soothe his nerves.

It was exactly as the scout had said, three unknowns with kage level reserves.

As they came to a stop outside of the gate, Rasa knew he couldn’t risk taking any longer to collect himself, lest his men catch on to his hesitation. With a deep breath he stepped forward, and jumped.

—

The last time Rasa had seen Namikaze Minato had been a little over a year prior, at the last Kage summit. It was already clear to everyone present then that the man was being groomed to succeed Sarutobi, and sure enough only a few short weeks after the submit concluded the rest of the nations received news of his inauguration as the yondaime Hokage. Reports indicated that his ascension was met with wide approval from both the civilian and shinobi factions. Apparently, some of the civilians in Fire had even taken to referring to the man as ‘The People’s Kage’, ostensibly in reference to his roots as a clanless orphan.

Rasa hadn’t been able to stifle a scoff upon reading that particular report - the ignorance of civilians would never cease to amaze him. Namikaze Minato may very well be an orphan unclaimed by any clan, but implying that talent and reserves like his could occur in someone of purely civilian heritage was ignorance that bordered on delusion. Even if Namikaze himself wasn’t the result of some clan members' affair, if at least one of his ancestors within the last three generations wasn’t a byblow then Rasa would eat his hat.

Taking in the man before him, Rasa could safely say that Namikaze hadn’t changed much after his ascension. His eyes looked perhaps a bit more weary, but nothing beyond what Rasa would have expected given recent events and how new he was to the position.

“The Kazekage greets our allies from Konohagakure. I pray that the journey here was not over hard on your companions, Hokage-dono. The desert is an unforgiving place, particularly for those unused to its harsh ways.”

He says, inclining his head slightly towards Namikaze in greeting. Rasa is sure that the implications of his statement weren’t missed by either Namikaze or his companions, though he notes that none of the latter so much as twitch. Possibly court trained, he notes, though Rasa’s never heard of a court priest as powerful as any of the four before him.

“Indeed it can be, Kazekage-dono. Fortunately, we encountered no serious impediments - I can only hope that the journey back will prove similarly uneventful.”

Namikaze replied, smiling prettily as though he hadn’t just entirely ignored Rasa’s unspoken inquiry as to just who the hell the man was trying to bring into his village.

Unfortunately for Namikaze, Rasa had no intention of simply letting this slide - though, to the man’s credit, it didn’t take too long for him to pick up on, after which he was quick to change tactics. His quick capitulation was suspicious, but Rasa didn’t get very long to ponder it before he was presented with something that was far more concerning.

Having correctly concluded that Rasa was not willing to play along and ignore the existence of the four very powerful and unidentified people accompanying him, Namikaze decided to do a complete one-eighty with his approach. Adopting a feigned air of sheepishness, the Hokage towards the shortest of the four figures, who stepped forward with the sort of poise Rasa knows only comes from many hours of etiquette training. He’d endured something similar growing up - as with most titles, being a Sabaku came with certain… expectations .

“Ah, forgive me Kazekage-dono, it would seem my etiquette is in need of some polishing. Allow me to introduce my companion, Shikako-sama, Avatar of the Shikabane-hime, and the divine disciples who will serve as her attendants during this pilgrimage.”

—

Sometimes, Rasa really hated being right.

Chapter 29: Vested Interest

Chapter Text

The first thing Shikako thought upon seeing Rasa was that Temari had been correct in saying that Kankuro was practically their fathers spitting image. Truly, if Kankuro ever lost the face paint and adopted a permanent frown Shikako’s not entirely certain she’d be able to tell the difference.

…

Ok, well, she would actually be able to simply on account of her chakra sensing but barring that - practically identical.

It did make her stop to truly appreciate the fact that outside of the rare baby pictures she’d been shown by Temari, Shikako had never truly seen Kankuro without his war paint. When she thought about it, it was probably a habit he’d developed from a young age simply out of necessity. Of the three siblings, Kankuro had the smallest chakra reserves by far, and his specialties lent themselves to precision rather than power. Those facts alone made Kankuro the easiest target of the three siblings, so it made sense that he’d be encouraged to obfuscate the very obvious resemblance to his father. Anonymity was its own kind of shield - just look at Naruto.

‘Though,’ Shikako thinks, ‘there is an argument to be made that in the case of Naruto the greater shields were ignorance and credulity.’

Minato was heralded as a genius comparable to the likes of the second Hokage. Taking that into consideration, along with some of the truly asinine stunts she had seen Naruto pull over the years, Shikako can’t say she blames people for not making the connection sooner. Quite frankly, there were times where despite her foreknowledge Shikako herself couldn’t help but feel a bit of doubt, even after said knowledge had proved its credibility time and again.

She supposes Kankuro might’ve had something similar going for him as well, given just how different his own personality was from what she knew of his fathers. In the end though, as interesting as her musings were, she also knew that they were not what she needed to be focusing on at the moment. So, pushing those thoughts aside Shikako instead began to more closely observe their host.

The diplomatic quarters they were led to were nice - perhaps a bit less opulent than she was used to in her own time, but that was to be expected. In their own dimension Suna hadn’t experienced their economic boom until after the Garden was born, whereas this one was visibly still recovering from the third shinobi war.

This isn’t to say that the village appeared overly run down or anything - Shikako just knew where to look, and once you knew the signs it was hard to unsee them.

They’d felt especially apparent as they’d been led through the market. It was one she and Gaara had often frequented when she ran diplomatic missions, and thus one she had many a fond memory of. For the most part, it appeared largely as she remembered it - a bustling street lined with stalls of vendors peddling seemingly anything you could dream of. It was in the little things, though, that let her know that not everything was quite what it seemed.

It was in the way that the brilliantly dyed canopies that shielded the stalls from the unforgiving desert sun seemed a little duller and more threadbare than she ever recalled them being. She could smell it in the typically heavy scent of exotic spice she had come to associate with the street seemed so much fainter, as though the vendors had only recently started using it in any considerable quantity again and so it hadn’t quite had time to permeate the other wares.

It was those little, seemingly inconsequential things that hinted to her that not everything was as good as it seemed, and Shikako felt her heart clench for her friend's village.

Gaara had come so far from when they had first met. He had mended his relationship with his siblings and was beloved by his people. Shikako knew that everyday since he’d first donned that hat, Gaara had given everything to lift up his village - his people - from the ruin they had so nearly been brought to at the hands of Orochimaru and their Daimyo. To see something he had taken such pride in - even if it wasn’t his village - in such a state…it was upsetting, to say the least, and it made her need to free Gelel seem that much more urgent.

—

It took a number of days before Minato was able to secure a meeting between the two of them and Rasa. From the moment she had been introduced by Minato, Rasa had been wary of her. But, while his reluctance to take part in a private meeting with herself and Minato wasn’t exactly surprising, Shikako still felt frustrated by it.

While she hadn’t specified a time frame when she’d struck her deal with the Shinigami to seal Kurama, Shikako had been feeling a growing discomfort with each day that passed without her fulfilling her end of the deal. She could feel herself being watched - at the moment it was with naught but intent, but there wasn’t a doubt in her mind that that would change the moment the Shinigami felt she was taking too long. The deity had been patient thus far, but Shikako had no intention of testing the limits of that patience. Shikako may be powerful, but she cared about far too much to risk Death as anything but an impartial observer.

As a shinobi - as a Hokage - Shikako was no stranger to being under the scrutiny of others, but she was rapidly approaching her limits. So, the moment Minato came back with the meeting, she practically ran in her eagerness to go - figuratively speaking, of course. Afterall, they were still being watched by Suna’s ANBU, and such behavior wouldn’t be befitting of either the priest she was posing as nor the shinobi that she was. That was fine though, because with this they would be that much closer to reaching their goal.

—

Rasa hadn’t been entirely sure what to expect when Namikaze had requested a meeting, much less when the man had made it clear that while he would be both facilitating and attending said meeting, the request itself was actually on behalf of the priestess - pardon, Avatar - he had introduced to Rasa at the gate.

And wasn’t that a headache? Being a part of a kage’s delegation was no small matter, so for Namikaze to not only bring a group of priests with him, but to personally introduce one of them to Rasa, and to address them so respectfully while doing so? Well, suffice to say that that had not been a fun council meeting.

The way they spoke to him - as though he was little more than a child rather than their Kage - would never have flown in his Father’s day, but that was just the problem; Rasa wasn’t his Father. Rasa was not a genius who came up with techniques that revolutionized the way they used their kekkei genkai, nor was he an indomitable pillar or strength whose mere name inspired fear into the hearts of his enemies. No, in the minds of the council the only thing Rasa was symbolic of was the decline of their village.

Suna’s fool - that's what Rasa was to them. The worst part was that they weren’t even wrong, at least not really. The fact that he lacked the same raw power and intellect his father possessed meant his authority had already begun to decline the moment he came into power, and the failure of the jinchuriki experiment had been the killing blow. As it stood, Rasa felt as though he had been reduced to little more than a puppet meant to carry out the council’s whims, a feeling he despised and yet was powerless to change.

Maybe that's why he’d accepted the Mad Priestesses offer so easily. The seal she was offering could change everything…provided that it actually worked as she claimed it would.

As soon as they two had left Rasa had sent out a summons for Chiyo and the handful of other Suna shinobi who were known to dabble in seals. Night had fallen hours earlier, and he could faintly make out the bustle of the night market through the building walls. On his desk lay a paper that wouldn’t look out of place among any of the many stacks of paperwork that could be found around the building, and yet it was that same piece of paper that could very well hold the answer to, if not all, than certainly a good many of his problems.

Memories of their conversation flashed through his mind. How at times, he could’ve sworn he saw something that bordered on desperation flash across her face before disappearing just a quickly, or when the lighting would reflect off of her eyes just so, making it seem as though they held some sort of inner light.

The way she looked at him had been unnerving at points, but it was nothing Rasa wouldn’t endure a hundred times over if the seal proved true.

Truth be told, he knew that there was a good chance that the seal he’d been given would ultimately prove to be a fake, but when all she asked in exchange was passage for her and her companions into the Dead Wastes, well…

He hadn’t bothered to ask what she could possibly be seeking in those cursed lands. It was well known throughout the nations that only the desperate and those who sought death would willingly enter there. Which category she fell into mattered little to him, as usually the result was the same regardless.

If the only cost for the possibility of securing one the most powerful forces in the natural world for Suna, was the lives of some deranged priestess and her flock, then that was a price that Rasa was more than willing to pay.