Minato had once felt nothing but respect and awe for the Sandaime. That was why it was so strange to see the older man so obviously cowed by his anger, guilt-ridden and palpably leaking shame into the air like scolded genin.

Not for the first time, Minato wonders how his future self had commanded so much respect that even his predecessor was shamed by his disapproval. It might have something to do with his sacrifice, since even Shikaku had regarded him with reverence during their reunion, despite living to mock him in Minato's own time. He and Kushina often teamed up against him, pointing out his slight obsession with his hair, his inability to ignore injustice, his weakness for cute things…

And now, Shikaku walks a pace behind him, refusing to fill the empty space on Minato's left. He offered no explanation, just slowed down all the more when Minato hung back to look at him questioningly. And now Minato is stuck walking beside the Hokage, despite the awkward air between them.

Minato had been told often enough that he gave away his trust far too easily, but Minato never saw it that way. He trusted a select few implicitly, and the rare portion that let him down never regained his trust again. It was given freely when earned, but taken away for good when squandered. He'd trusted Kushina, his team, his teacher, a few important friends and allies, and above all else, the Sandaime.

Minato mentally draws a line through Sarutobi Hiruzen. The Hokage had shown faint signs of deception from start to finish the moment Minato woke up in this world, but the last straw was finding out what had happened to his son in his absence. What the Hokage had allowed - no, endorsed - was unacceptable. Minato knew he would never trust the other man again.

He ignores the twinge of pain he feels at the thought. It doesn't matter how much it hurts to lose faith in someone he once trusted above all others. It doesn't matter that the loss comes right after he found out he'd also lost Fugaku, Mikoto, Kushina. He still has people he trusts.

"The tunnel system hits a few key locations underneath Konoha. It was the Nidaime's idea," The Sandaime explains as they walk the length of the corridor, "There is an entrance to the Hokage Tower, the ANBU barracks, T&I, and outside the village. Every single one of them requires the chakra of the Hokage to be opened, so they aren't much of a security risk. Not only that, but knowledge of the tunnels is limited to the Hokage, the Council, the Jounin Commander, the Head of the Torture and Interrogation Force, and the Captain of the Intelligence Division."

"How many of them know about me?" Minato asks.

The Hokage's stride slows just a touch, then returns to normal at once, "Myself, Shikaku, Ibiki, and Inoichi."

Not the Council. I am a bigger secret than the existence of an underground system of tunnels beneath Konoha, Minato muses, then perks up in realisation.

"Ibiki and Inoichi? I haven't seen them around here, but they know about me?"

"They are, respectively, the most senior members of T&I. Inoichi is the medic who has been tending to Obito-kun, and Ibiki has been kept busy chasing down rumours of your return. Fortunately, none of have arisen as far as we can tell."

"It sounds like Ibiki's doing your job, Shikaku," Minato says idly, tossing a look over his shoulder at the older man, "That's odd, don't you think?"

Sarutobi does not wince, or sigh, or give any real sign of his weariness, but Minato reads it on him all the same.

"Ibiki was simply taking over Shikaku's duties while he visited the barracks. Ibiki is due to arrive tomorrow, to take over for Inoichi, who has failed to find out anything meaningful from Deidara - "

"No," Minato says casually.

Sarutobi stops walking. He gives Minato a very mild, quelling look. Minato returns it with a smile.

It seems the burden of Sarutobi's guilt really does weigh heavily on him, since he gives in all too easily, just holding up a hand and shaking his head, "Minato-kun…"

"I apologise for my rudeness, Hokage-sama," Minato says sincerely, "But I already promised the boy I would not allow him to be apprehended by Konoha, and I broke that promise. I won't allow him to be tortured when it's my fault he's here in the first place."

"Inoichi believes it's in our best interests to assimilate him into the village," Shikaku offers, "Iwa is in too shaky a position to protest, though it will undoubtedly harm our relations with them."

"Which have been non-existent beyond violence for many, many years," The Hokage says dryly, "Konoha has allowed Iwa some room to expand, despite that violating the promise they made to us after the war ended. I believe they will allow us to keep one missing-nin, because complaining would risk our… attention. If Inoichi clears the boy, I will grant him a probationary entrance into the village."

"It will take some doing. I hear the boy is… not a fan of compromise. Or Konoha. Or much of anything at all," Shikaku says, mirth flickering in his dark eyes.

"He won't be informed about our real identities, will he?" Minato asks.

"That's a tricky one. He saw both Obito and Rin without henge, and fought alongside Kakashi. I doubt very much that he would put the pieces together without help, but if he said the wrong thing to the wrong person…" Shikaku toys with his goatee, deep in thought.

"He knows me as Mugetsu. He wouldn't recognise my true face, only my henge. Kakashi - forgive me, Kiyoshi - having a similar fighting style to the older Kakashi could be excused by them being from the same clan. And I don't believe the kids are going to be using henge while in the village, so whatever physical differences 'Hisato' and 'Rei' have from Obito and Rin can be excused by time or style changes. I don't believe Deidara was with us long enough to be struck by the changes we will bear by the time we are reintroduced to Konoha," Minato says, shrugging.

Sarutobi nods, "It's a more acceptable risk than informing a missing-nin about the miraculous return of the Yondaime. Speaking of which, would you mind testing a theory for me, Minato-kun?"

Minato quirks a brow at him, "What would I have to do?"

The Sandaime gestures further down the corridor, fishing his pipe of his pocket and idly twirling it between his fingers, "I'm curious to see if the seals of the underground remember you."

Minato follows the Hokage further down the rabbit hole, perking up when a wall of beautifully intricate seals is revealed. He can see them pulsing a gentle blue, reacting to their approach.

"You see, the way the Hokage travels through the village in the event of a crisis, an emergency, or a simple demand for subterfuge, is through these sealed walls. Each Hokage is brought to the underground after they take the hat, and they imbue the seals with their chakra during a ritual in which only the Council and a select few senior members of the village are present. Naturally, there is usually only one Hokage at a time, and when I passed on the title to you, I removed my chakra from the seals. It seemed a poor idea to allow a former leader of the village access to high-security areas simply because they had the good fortune of living to meet their successor. But the Hokage who did not resign did not have the chance to revoke their access to the tunnels, much like this world's Yondaime. I have felt your chakra, Minato-kun, and I believe it is identical to our Minato's, so in theory… you should be able to traverse the underground as you see fit."

Minato blinks at him. He doubts it will ever seem normal that he is in a world in which he was once Hokage, and moments like this certainly underscore that feeling.

Sarutobi smiles, eyes crinkling in amusement. He gestures towards the faintly glowing wall, hundreds of seals etched in stone waiting to be activated, "Go ahead, Minato-kun. Just touch the wall and visualise it opening for you."

Minato is aware of Shikaku's heavy gaze boring through his head. The Sandaime seems content, not concerned in any way that Minato might be a threat to Konoha's security or his own job. He remembers what Shikaku had said, he'll ask you to succeed him.

Minato has no interest in shackling himself to a desk and paperwork without fully investigating the world he has dropped into. If he becomes Hokage, it won't be a rushed job. He will earn the position.

He reaches out, his palm meeting smooth stone. The seals are very delicately engraved, interlocking and entwining in beautifully complex ways. Definitely Tobirama's handiwork. Possibly with Mito's help, judging by the elegant swirls some of the seals bear.

Minato funnels the tiniest spark of chakra into the wall.

It lights up like a beacon, swinging open to reveal a deep, black cavern. The air is thick, undisturbed. He can hear the faint trill of birdsong overhead.

"I'm sure you can sense the exit seal," Sarutobi says, "It responds to familiar chakra. In this case, mine and yours. To anyone else, it would not exist, so even if someone were to somehow procure the right chakra signature to open the wall, unless they themselves were the Hokage in question, they would not be able to escape this cavern."

They could if they held the Hokage in question hostage, Minato thinks mildly. Every system has holes. He makes a mental note of what he has observed, just in case he eventually does become Hokage and is in a position to improve things.

He grins to himself.

"You mean this seal?" He says, flashing across the cavern and gluing himself to its ceiling, hand hovering over a patch of familiar chakra.

The Sandaime laughs warmly, "The very same. Come back home when you can, Minato-kun. I hope your mission will be swift and fruitful."

"Don't make us look bad," Shikaku calls.

"Couldn't if I tried!" Minato says cheerfully, slamming a chakra-filled hand against the seal.

The world warps around him, and he emerges inside a tree.

"Of course," He mutters, knocking his head against the trunk. He can see through the wood as if it was a window, the whole forest laid out before him. He takes a moment to breathe, cautiously putting out feelers to sense the nearby chakra. There's nothing but tiny traces of natural energy coming from the trees, plants and animals.

He flashes out of the tree, glancing around him with great curiosity. He is in the great wood surrounding Konoha, the village itself barely visible on the horizon.

He wonders what situation would call for a Hokage to leave the village in secret. Treachery, either on their part or someone else's. He hopes it never becomes necessary in his lifetime.

Already in his Mugetsu henge, he's free to leap up to the treetops and flash the length of the forest in seconds. He stops, grabbing the tree trunk and closing his eyes. He's been underground for too long. Being bathed in sunlight as it filters through the leaves brings him such a strong sense of nostalgia. He has to take a moment.

He's been fighting Iwa for so long, and yet the war ended while he was gone. The scarred battlegrounds he spent such desperate weeks in have healed in his absence, grass growing over mass graves of slaughtered soldiers and the hell they rained upon the earth. He spent so long feeling homesick and longing for Konoha, and he returned without realising it, then left without seeing it.

He could go back, take in a good look. See what he's missed. Damn the Hokage's orders, rush past the gate guards, track down Naruto and give him the hug of his life. Walk through the Uchiha Compound and seek its ghosts out. Head to Team Minato's designated Training Ground and look for signs of his last remaining student. Go to the Memorial Stone. Find Kushina's name and never leave it.

The breeze is cold against his wet cheeks. He rubs them dry absently, his eyes on the horizon, his thoughts a decade in the past.

The world thinks he's dead.

His son doesn't know his name.

The love of his life is gone.

And yet, there are still people in the world that he loves and trusts.

There's a reason he left Konoha today, and he'll hopefully see him soon.

xxxxxxxx

Deidara hates this fucking place.

He's so ready to blow it all up, even if he is pretty certain it's underground. Iwa nin have a kind of rock sense – they have a feel for knowing the structures that surround them, be it a cave or a building.

He hates the chakra seals on his palms and chest. He hates the shitty room they stuck him in, more like a cheap hotel room than a cell. If it at least had the decency to have barred windows and nailed-down furniture, he wouldn't wake up confused, wondering where the hell he was.

He hates the guy who keeps coming to see him, Yamanaka Who-Cares, with his creepy-crawly voice all reasonable and nice. He goes back and forth between talking to him like a normal human being, and scraping the insides of his mind out with a mental spoon. He's just another two-faced hypocrite, one who looks unsettlingly like Deidara's own father. It doesn't do much to endear him to Deidara.

He was very interested in Deidara's explosive kekkei genkai, but asked a lot more questions about the mouths in his palms and on his chest – and yeah, they found that after a particularly humiliating search. They seemed to know what they were looking for before they found it.

Deidara might be young, but he's been around the block. He didn't clam up, he told them as much as he could about Iwa (a lot) and Akatsuki (next to nothing), and didn't try to escape. He didn't even try to resist when the Konoha nin burst into the hotel room, dragging them all back with them. It was mostly because of what Mugetsu had said, the sheepish way he confessed to going rogue to save his team. If he was found with Deidara, a missing-nin, who then put up a fight when confronted with Mugetsu's fellow shinobi, it would reflect badly on the old man.

Not that Deidara cared that much about some middle-aged busybody. He owed him. That was all.

Besides, he escaped Iwa just for the sake of furthering his art. If it came down to it, he could leave Konoha by whatever means necessary.

He's definitely thinking about it now, as Yamanaka Who-Cares blathers on.

"No, thanks. I'm not staying in Konoha," He says flatly, too irritated to even enjoy how Yamanaka's face falls mid-sentence, "And I'm sure as hell not pretending to be your cousin."

"You don't have much of a choice, Deidara," Yamanaka says, his tone deliberately mild, "Unless you really want to stay in a cell for the rest of your life. Which is what the Council would demand, if they knew you were here. The only reason they don't is because Mugetsu insisted you were a good kid, and the Hokage believed him. Here's what I'm really suggesting – you have an established place in the strongest Hidden Village in the world with protection both from Akatsuki and your former village. You would gain ties to one of the strongest clans, with the legitimacy and status that comes with being a Yamanaka. If you get through your probationary period, your restraints will be lifted, you'll be allowed on missions and receive pay like any other shinobi."

"I wouldn't be allowed to create anything," Deidara spits, "So you can quit acting like this would benefit me, as if I wasn't better off on my own. At least I was free."

"Free to be forced into Akatsuki's service." Yamanaka says dryly.

"I'm telling you, they wouldn't have been able to force me. Without these damn seals, I'm pretty far from helpless, yeah."

Yamanaka drums his fingers on the desk, playing at being thoughtful. Deidara can see the sharpness in his gaze. He already knows exactly what he wants to say, but he's stretching the silence out to give the illusion that this hasn't already been set in stone, like Deidara really is making a choice here.

"You can still use your clay techniques. You just won't be allowed to blow anything up. I think that's a pretty reasonable request to make. You can spend this time perfecting your sculptures and expanding your creative horizons. Also, I'll let you set off fireworks and make small, controlled fires under supervision."

Deidara heaves a sigh, "I'm not – that's not what my art is, okay? Art is fleeting, it's an expression of how life is short. That's true beauty, something fragile that stubbornly lives on until it's abruptly cut off before its time. It's like the blossoms in spring, how they bloom so spectacularly for such a short time, then wither and die all at once. If they lasted longer, you wouldn't appreciate them as much, yeah?"

Yamanaka actually seems to be considering what he said, "Like mayflies. No – like fireflies."

Deidara blinks, sitting up in his chair, "Uh… y-yeah," He says cautiously, waiting for the catch, "They fit the bill, too. But not as much as explosions. There's nothing like seeing something burn up and turn to ash on the wind, y'know?"

"Hence the fireworks," Yamanaka says, spreading his hands out like an explosion in slow motion, "They're harmless if you use them right, but they make one hell of a bang. If you're not already looking in the right place, you'll miss them. Takes a lot to make a firework, especially a big, spectacular one, but it only takes a few seconds for it to burn into nothing in the sky."

Deidara gazes at the older man, stupefied.

Yamanaka smiles in quiet satisfaction, "So, what name do you want to use?"

Deidara says nothing for a long time, fiddling with the gloves they'd provided to cover his hand-mouths.

"Deidara," He says finally, "If I'm doing this, I'm keeping my name. And I want to design the fireworks before I set them off. Also, be prepared for me to blow up your shitty Hokage Mountain on my way out of this place when I get bored."

Yamanaka pinches the bridge of his nose, "Sure. Yamanaka Deidara, who uses clay techniques, likes setting off fireworks and has extra mouths. There's no way Iwa will make the connection."

Deidara spreads his palms demonstrably, "That's what the gloves are for."

Yamanaka clearly fights the urge to bang his head on the table.

Deidara smirks.

xxxxxxxx

Kakashi and Rin have pretty much set up camp around Obito. They dragged two of the other beds next to Obito's and claimed one apiece. Obito is still grumpy, occasionally confused, and sometimes tearful. Thankfully the tears are rare, though it's always worse when he wakes up, tries to move and remembers what happened all over again.

They haven't told him everything. He remembers being crushed by the boulder, now, but he had to be told how they escaped the Iwa nin, and he still has no clue that they're in the future.

Inoichi says Obito's condition is dependent on his morale, so it's important to deliver the news to him slowly, in bits and pieces, so they don't overwhelm him.

It's hard, though.

Rin feels terrible. She knows how much everyone lost. Even the fact that Minato now has a child is like salt in the wound for him, since he missed his childhood, and according to his terrifying display in front of the Hokage, his son suffered greatly in his absence.

Kakashi is just grateful that he's escaped his future self's losses - Obito, Rin herself, Minato, … all after losing his father, too. Kakashi is stubbornly not thinking about the long-term issues of their journey through dimensions. He's focused solely on helping Obito get better, while doing his best to avoid looking at Rin's new scars.

Rin doesn't actually mind them, though she knows Kakashi wouldn't understand. Kakashi didn't spend the better part of the war being protected and held back at every turn. Kunoichi are rare, medics rarer still, and in the middle of war Rin was considered too important to risk. She spent most of her time healing wounded shinobi in tents, determinedly ignoring the not-too-distant sounds of screaming and fighting, knowing she was forbidden to aid them.

She wanted to, more than anything. Sometimes it felt as though every inch of her was magnetised, drawn to the battlefield with her intense need to be of use.

After she'd woken up in the bed next to an unconscious Obito, Rin had been very gently informed of everything she'd missed while sleeping off her injuries. They'd been rescued by Konoha, but not their Konoha. They were in the wrong place and the wrong time. She was supposed to be dead, but instead she was here with her team. She was supposed to be grieving.

Rin didn't have much to grieve.

Her parents had died in the war. She hadn't missed them. She occasionally stared up at Minato, wondering why he was so kind, waiting for the other shoe to drop, and then she'd remember. Not all adults were like her parents.

Inoichi had shown her the stitches with a small hand mirror. She'd spent a long time angling the glass to get a better look. Kakashi, who should have known better, was livid on her behalf, even more so when she refused to get angry with Deidara. Rin had just examined her newly-shorn hair, soft and prickly to her fingers, and the thick black stitches corded into her flesh.

She liked them. She'd never had scars before, having always been capable of healing whatever minimal wounds she rarely received while being babysat by her own comrades. With her hair like this, half-shaved, half curling down to her jaw, and visible scars on her head, she looked like a real shinobi.

Rin's parents had been extremely traditional. They'd expected her to become a career genin, using her rank to have a slightly elevated position in society - one rung up from a civilian. Instead she'd followed her classmates into war, earning a field promotion and discovering she had a greater taste for warfare than tea ceremonies.

As a child, she always had to be quiet and polite, neat and clean.

Now, she can be whatever she wants.

She's already picked a new name to use in Konoha, to avoid being identified as the long-dead Nohara Rin.

She's now Tsurugi Rei, a tomboy medic who's transferring to Konoha from a nearby clinic.

Inoichi said she can either cover up her clan markings, or have more added to disguise them. She's chosen to add to them, so at some point one of the ANBU guards is going to give her some new facial tattoos. She's pretty excited about it.

Kakashi chose the name Kiyoshi, which Rin is never going to remember. He's already insisting on being called Kiyoshi at all times, even when they're alone. Apparently subterfuge relies on commitment to verisimilitude - which is what Kakashi had said, word for word, when Rin accused him of enjoying himself too much.

But when Obito's awake, Kakashi goes back to normal, all his focus intent on his injured teammate.

It's good to see, though a little strange. Rin's used to the two of them yelling at each other, so she can't help but be confused by this turn of events.

Obito slumps in his bed, exhausted just by trying to sit up, "Okay," He says wearily, "Okay. Tell me everything. I can handle it."

Rin and Kakashi both go to his side at once, Rin on his left, Kakashi on his right.

Inoichi furrows his brow, clearly considering his options.

Obito isn't an idiot, and he's been demanding the truth endlessly. Inoichi had wanted to spoon-feed the news to him over time, but that might just make him angrier and angrier if he feels he's missing the full picture. Rin wants him to know more than anything, but she's also terrified for him to find out. She can't bear the thought of him being in even more pain.

Rin takes Obito's hand, lightly stroking his knuckles. She knows how hard this is going to be to take in. Finding out they were years into the future was already difficult to understand. Everything else on top of it - Rin, Obito, Minato and Kushina's deaths, the Kyuubi incident, the Uchiha massacre, everything - just made it beyond impossible to absorb.

And then Inoichi slowly, quietly tells Obito everything.

The revelation of the year they're in just makes Obito look incredulous.

The Uchiha Massacre leaves him a wreck for over an hour, refusing to even entertain the possibility that it was true. It takes a very long time for him to stop crying. It takes even longer for him to hesitantly ask for more information.

The news of his death makes Obito gasp, his hand covering his missing eye. Kakashi does the same, lowering his head until it almost touches the mattress.

Rin's death makes Obito sob wretchedly, clutching her hand as if it will be torn away any second. Rin grips his hand in return.

Inoichi gives them some time to recover.

"R-Rin," Obito cries, "I can't believe you - "

"I'm alive," Rin says softly, wiping his tears, "And so are you."

"Kakashi, are you okay?" Obito says, sniffing, "W-what happened to you?"

Kakashi flinches, turning pale. He shifts back, "I'm fine, apparently. Alive and well."

Inoichi returns to Obito's bedside, "I wouldn't go that far," He says to Kakashi, though it's said with wry amusement, not the matter-of-fact voice he's used up until now to deliver bad news, "You're perpetually late and forever reading porn."

Kakashi stares at him, aghast. The tips of his ears turn pink.

Obito laughs wetly, "No way! Kakashi? I knew you were a secret pervert all along!"

"I'm not!" Kakashi insists.

"It wouldn't be any weirder than this," Obito says, gesturing at Kakashi's close proximity, "I don't get why you keep…"

"What?" Kakashi says hotly, a challenging note ringing in his voice.

"Acting like you care. About us. About anything. Look, I really can't handle all of this… everything changing so suddenly… it's like I really did die, and now I'm just trapped in this weird, fake version of my life, and you being pretending to give a damn about us really isn't helping, okay?" Obito snaps, fresh tears spilling down his face. "So, please, can't you… just be normal? Just call me an idiot, act like you don't even know I exist, just do something real!"

Rin sucks in a breath. Obito doesn't remember what Kakashi was like when the boulder came down, the way Kakashi's barriers fell with it. How his youth was suddenly audible and all too obvious in the raw desperation of his voice. The utterly bleak look in his mismatched eyes when it seemed as though all was lost.

Kakashi has a similar look now. He gazes down at Obito, his eye dark and hooded. "Come on," He says, his voice coming out gentle and soft. He clears his throat, trying to inject some severity into his tone, "Come on, idiot, stop being so slow and get over it already."

Obito stares up at him, his eye a weeping slit. He blinks, opening it more, his dark iris glossy from tears. He gives a hiccuping sob. Rin and Inoichi exchange worried looks. Kakashi takes a step closer to the bed, shoulders hunched up guiltily.

Then Obito laughs, abrupt and too loud. He turns his head, muffling his laughter into his pillow, "S-sorry… I just… I never thought you'd be so bad at being mean, Bakashi!"

Kakashi's face crumples.

"Kakashi took your deaths to heart," Inoichi says, a tone of reproach in his voice, "He's the biggest champion of teamwork now. He's never passed a genin team because his standards are impossible to meet. He visits the Memorial Stone twice a day, and has done ever since losing you all."

Kakashi stares at the floor.

Obito watches him carefully, "I… I didn't think you'd care, Kakashi. I thought we were just… teammates you got stuck with."

Kakashi shakes his head.

"You cared all along?" Obito presses.

"I only figured it out when you got…" Kakashi takes a deep breath, trembling all over. "When you nearly died."

"So when we did die, for this world's Kakashi…"

"I imagine it destroyed him," Kakashi says coolly.

Silence falls among them.

Obito sighs, his swollen eyelid slowly shutting, already exhausted just from holding his head up for the conversation. It looks as though his pain medication is starting to kick in.

"I wanna meet this world's Kakashi," He says finally, "If losing us messed him up so badly, then he should be fine now we're back. And… I don't want to leave him in pain if I can help it. Okay?" He directs the last word to Inoichi, his eye fixing upon him.

"I don't have the authority - " Inoichi starts to say.

"I don't care," Obito grumbles, "I'm older than I look, you know. You should know, man to man, that I'm not gonna give up. I'll keep asking every day. I'll tear all my stitches. I'll ask Kakashi to beat me up - "

Kakashi makes a protesting noise.

"I'll ask Rin to beat me up," Obito amends.

Rin rolls her eyes, but can't bite back her smile. Obito is finally starting to sound more like himself.

Inoichi sighs, "I'll… see what I can do. No promises."

Obito tuts, mumbling as he starts to drift back to sleep, "The future is the worst so far."

xxxxxxxxx

Minato picks a quiet spot underneath a rocky ridge. There's a few trees encircling his camp, but not so many that he can't see every angle someone could approach from. They could come from above, but he's tucked in so well that he'd see their arrival.

He knows Shikaku said they wanted to inform Jiraiya about the whole situation so he didn't come rushing back to Konoha, but Minato can't help but feel the Hokage wouldn't have minded if he did. The idea of being used as bait to lure Jiraiya back home just to have another potential successor rankles Minato.

He's near Ame, according to the map Shikaku supplied him with earlier. It's fascinating, noting all the little differences between his world and this one. Ten years and one choice, made obvious by the map's omission of the Kannabi Bridge. If Minato had stayed in his world, the bridge would still be there. It's easy to dwell in what-ifs, so instead he considers what-nexts.

What next?

Ever since he woke up in a dark room with a much-changed Sandaime and a hell of a lot of bad news to swallow, he's been planning his next move. He stopped trusting the Hokage after Shikaku's revelation, and Shikaku was clearly bound by his word to keep quiet besides the odd feigned slip here and there, so Minato had no reliable source of information. He needed to get out of the ANBU barracks.

Escaping wasn't an option. He wanted to leave his ties with Konoha intact - such as they were, seeing as he was considered mostly dead - and his team in a safe place to await his return.

When the Hokage spoke of Akatsuki with such potent anger, the analytical side of Minato sat up to take notice. He'd observed the old man during his stay in the barracks, and although he had changed since he knew him last, he still had the same slow-burning temper, so it was strange to see it flare up. Minato quickly made the connection - Akatsuki were a big threat to Konoha as long as they had Naruto, and they couldn't lose him without losing their biju, making them vulnerable to attack from the other villages. Minato had already fought Akatsuki three on one, while suffering from critically low chakra after taking on a thousand Iwa shinobi and winning.

Therefore, if Akatsuki really were such a big threat, Minato was currently Konoha's best weapon to aim their way. He was supposedly dead, his henge'd persona having nothing but a name and a single encounter for Akatsuki to go off of, making him an unknown in their books. From Minato's personal experience, organisations like theirs didn't like unknowns. Minato could pursue their members into every territory without Konoha receiving backlash or threats of war. Even if his henge failed, unless it was someone who was familiar with Namikaze Minato, he wouldn't be recognised.

Knowing all of this, he cheerfully volunteered for the job. Sarutobi had seemed concerned at first, worried he was throwing himself into danger to distract himself from his loss, but it hadn't taken much to convince him that he simply wanted to make the world a safe place for his son.

Mostly because it was true.

All he knows about Naruto is his name, and the fact that he is just like Kushina. That's enough to make him the most important person in Minato's life, and the idea of clearing out the organisation that dares target his child is a very appealing one.

But it's not the real reason he chose to go on this mission.

Minato flexes his hand against the grass, the summoning seal bright in his mind's eye. It's been a while since he has called on any of the toads, but it's been even longer for them. He hopes they aren't put off by his henge.

He takes a deep breath, settling into a meditative pose, and siphons off a small amount of chakra for the summons, not wanting one of the giants to emerge and signal his position like a shining beacon from the heavens.

A small puff of smoke emerges from the grass. Beneath it is a bright red toad wearing goggles around his neck. Minato's smile turns fond. He's very familiar with this toad.

"Hello, Kosuke-san," Minato says politely.

Kosuke looks up at him, confused, "Who're you? I thought it was… that chakra…"

Minato stretches out a hand. Kosuke gives it a dubious look, but gamely hops onto his palm. Minato raises him to his face, lightly pressing his forehead to the toad's cool skin. He sends a tiny spark of chakra to him, not wanting to leak too much in case someone else was around to feel it.

Kosuke's eyes stay shut for a long time. When they open, they are round with confusion and tentative hope. "Minato-chan?" He whispers.

Minato smiles.

Kosuke lets out a loud croak, leaping at Minato with great enthusiasm, "Minato-chan! It's really you!"

Minato cradles the little toad to his chest, laughing, "Yes, yes, it's me, but you must be quieter about it, okay? It's top secret. Only for you and Jiraiya-sensei to know."

For a moment Kosuke seems struck by the honour, but then his pleased surprise sobers up. "Minato-chan," He says gravely, "We felt you die."

Minato isn't sure what to say to that.

"I didn't… I didn't know," He says uselessly, but it seems to make sense to the little toad.

"Well, take it from me, Minato-chan… we are very happy to have you back. And Jiraiya will be even happier, I bet!"

"I hope so," Minato says, a touch of worry slipping into his voice, "That's why I summoned you, Kosuke-san. Would you mind taking a message to Jiraiya-sensei?"

Kosuke beams, "It would be my honour! You have no idea how thrilled he's going to be!"

Minato gives a weak grin and a thumbs up.

The toad laughs in return, "Yes, you certainly are our Minato-chan, despite the henge. It's a strong one! I thought you were some weirdo who'd grabbed our scroll from Jiraiya!"

"Weirdo's not exactly what I was going for with this henge…" Minato says, plucking a lock of his hair and dropping it with a thoughtful huff. It falls into his eyes, much to his annoyance. Namikaze Minato would never have floppy hair, so it makes sense to use a henge that has it, but… he hates it.

He quickly scribbles a note for Jiraiya, aware that his handwriting alone will probably alert Jiraiya to the fact that this is no hoax.

"Here. This'll tell him where I should be for the next twenty-four hours. If he doesn't show up in that time, I'll just summon you again and reschedule. Is that okay?"

Kosuke takes the note with obvious pleasure, still beaming, "Of course!"

He has a pleasant conversation with the toad for the next half hour, until Kosuke tuts at the sun's position, annoyed at his own tardiness.

"I'll see you again, Minato-chan," Kosuke promises, then disappears in a puff of smoke.

Minato waves, then shoves his hair out of his face. It flops back down, perfectly in place. He suppresses a groan.

Time to consider his secondary reason for leaving the village. Shikaku had filled him in on everything they knew about Akatsuki, which was pretty much nothing. Minato's own encounter with them had been one of the only Konoha nin clashes with the group. They knew the most about Itachi, obviously, but Sarutobi warned him he'd be a difficult foe to face, so he would be better off starting with the weaker members.

Minato remembers slamming his fist into the Uchiha's gut and watching blood spray out of his mouth. Somehow, he isn't too worried about him. He is worried about Kisame. The big man had seemed to enjoy their fight, which had been one of the most exhausting clashes of Minato's career. He wasn't eager to repeat it without the element of surprise.

There was a slim file on a bounty hunter turned Akatsuki member, Kakuzu, whose partner they couldn't get an accurate name or description of, since it seemed to change so often. He seems to skulk around the Land of Fire most of the time, which placed him high on Minato's list.

But first place was Akasuna no Sasori, the missing-nin from Suna. Reports placed him in the Land of Wind, almost circling his old village. He had an extensive bodycount to his name. That, and the close proximity to Konoha's closest ally - and he'd never get used to calling Suna an ally - made him Minato's top priority.

Even now, he wonders about Deidara. They sent three of their members after him. Three. Since all of their info seems to indicate Akatsuki always travels in partnerships, and Itachi and Kisame were known to be partnered up, Minato ponders whether they might send members to recruit their own prospective partners. If so, Sasori was going to be the one to work with Deidara, meaning they'd decided his fighting style was compatible with Deidara's. If Minato can get rid of Sasori, Akatsuki will have less reason to go after Deidara.

He must be talented, since they sent more than just his potential partner to forcibly recruit him. And, Minato recalls, Rin had said that Deidara took on all three at once, destroying Sasori's puppet body. Apparently Sasori had survived, but still. That level of raw power. Minato didn't just want to keep him out of Akatsuki's hands for his own good.

Deidara bombed his home village while he was leaving, seemingly out of spite and nothing else. Minato hopes there was more to it. He also wishes he could bring himself to care more that Deidara committed a terrible act against his own home. He'd probably care more if it wasn't Iwa.

Minato studies his map, plus the log of Akatsuki's last known movements. It isn't terribly useful, since Minato himself was the last person to provide an update.

He settles down for a long day of waiting, nerves fluttering in his stomach at the realisation that his teacher could appear at any moment.

xxxxxxxx

It only takes Jiraiya six hours to arrive.

By this point, Minato has set up a complex network of seals to make his camp almost invisible, the naked eye simply sliding away to look elsewhere, along with a collection of alarm seals to warn him if someone breaches the circle barrier he has created.

He is deep in his bedroll, thoughts still rattling around from the long day of quiet contemplation. He tries to steer away from speculation of what his son looks like, because he's afraid of the painful hook of longing piercing his chest again, but this time it brings him a small measure of comfort. There's someone to return to. He pictures red hair, his eyes, Kushina's face, his smile…

His alarm seals activate, sending a nasty shock of chakra through his system. He's on his feet in less than a second, hiding in the narrow gap in the rock he'd made earlier.

He peers through the gloom of the night. He didn't make a campfire, and his bedroll is the only thing besides his seals to draw suspicion. His bedroll is the same colour as the ground and his seals should be too subtle to sense, so he might be safe…

He glances up, and sees Jiraiya standing before him, several paces away.

Minato nearly trips in his eagerness to get to his teacher, a grin lighting up his face. He stops before he can throw his arms around him, remembering his henge. He makes a face at himself, then opens his mouth to explain.

Before he can, Jiraiya yanks him into his arms.

Minato blinks, his face buried in Jiraiya's shoulder. He pulls back to breathe, confused.

"You knew it was me?" He asks.

Jiraiya grips Minato's arms, studying his face with the most intense expression he has ever seen him wear.

"How could I not?" Jiraiya says finally, his voice cracked and raw. "I've spent more than enough time regretting you, kid. I thought about you every day since the attack. Thought about what I could have done. What I should have done."

"Sensei…"

"I should have been there, Minato," Jiraiya says grimly, "There are no excuses. I know that."

Minato frowns, "There's one excuse. You couldn't have predicted the Kyuubi would attack Konoha. Not on that night, not on any night. Ku - Kushina's… labour… shouldn't have been enough to break the seal. I was responsible for keeping that seal secure, and I obviously failed. Is it my fault?"

Jiraiya shakes his head, his eyes wide and emphatic, "God, no. Don't try to make me feel better. Minato, you don't get it. Ghosts can't walk back into your life, and yet here you are. I… I'm not here to cry or makes excuses or even talk about me. Somehow by some miracle, you're alive, and I'm here for you. That's all there is to it."

Minato stares up at his teacher's face, something weakening inside his chest. His breath hitches on a sob, taking him by surprise. Jiraiya tugs him back into the hug.

"Come on, Minato," Jiraiya says, his voice gruff but warm, "Let it out, kid."

Minato tries not to at first. He doesn't have the luxury of crying over this, yet again. He needs to ask Jiraiya important questions, verify what he's been told. He needs to do so much.

Jiraiya's heavy hand pats him on the back, like a father with an infant, and Minato crumbles in his arms.

"I've got you," Jiraiya says, sounding resolute.

Hello, friends!

For those of you who desperately want Minato to be Hokage... give it a sec. He's just got back from the past. He's got stuff to do, you know? Plus if you arrived in the future by mistake and found out you were dead, a heck of a lot of your loved ones were dead, a bunch of shady, terrible stuff happened while you were dead, and also you used to be President, would you mind being President again? Right now. Also you can't see your son, don't ask why. Would you be President? Because I believe I would find a nearby tree and never come down, personally.

So, Minato's plan wasn't just to meet Jiraiya, but they got a little weepy against my best wishes and I couldn't really continue the scene just to be like, okay, now that's over... here's this important info!

So, Inoichi set out to make Deidara believe him being assimilated into the village is SUPER inconvenient and just the worst and the absolute last thing Inoichi wants to do, which, naturally, makes Deidara want to do it. I figured Iwa would be angry about one of their worst missing-nin, the one that bombed 'em, joining their ene - cough - tentative ally, but maybe it's like how the Allies used Nazis to further their own country's gain after the war was over and peace treaties were signed. Iwa moving beyond their treaty's limit and being allowed to do so in order to hold over them in the future was a dim reference to the Treaty of Versailles, and how Germany violated it by marching into the Rhineland, etc. etc. and the Allies didn't immediately declare war despite those being the terms. (Sorry for the impromptu shoddy history lesson. Whoops!)

The underground tunnels exist because, c'mon. Danzo needs a way of moving his ROOT dudes around, surely? How does he get the Hokage chakra to do it? HE'S DANZO. He probably has twelve of the Nidaime's handkerchiefs, all imbued with his chakra. That guy is just frighteningly prepared. Who needs twelve handkerchiefs?

Kosuke is a real toad in the series, and Danzo kills him for pretty much no reason so HERE HE IS, EFF YOU DANZO! The toad lives!

So, Obito had a lot to process in this chapter. Still managed to crack a few jokes. Still feels pretty bad, man. But he demands to see older Kakashi!

I had so much fun developing Rin for this story, you guys don't even know. I love her so much.

Minato's going on an Akatsuki hunt.

Fun fact: Kosuke gave Minato's note to Jiraiya, who recognised his handwriting in seconds, and then promptly sat and had a good cry. That's why he's all gruff when sees him later, he's been bawling his eyes out.

Quick poll, but not in bold because who knows how to do that in the end notes, not me, no siree: If you could swap lives with anyone in the world for one day, who would it be and why?

I wouldn't do it, because I'd pick someone tall and I just know I couldn't bear being short again after knowing how the other half live.