It was quiet and dark when they made it back. Naruto's breath plumed out into the chilly air. The only thing nearby was the faint outline of a wood fence beside them, bare tree branches spilling over the top and swaying slightly in a soft breeze. Further on, he could just barely see the edges of a clean but narrow alleyway.
"Where did you drop us?" Naruto hissed in a whisper. "This doesn't look like the onsen."
"Er, I might have missed," Obito said in an undertone. "Give me a break, okay? This dimensional travel thing isn't as easy as it looks. And I was only at that place for a few seconds. It's easier to go toward somewhere familiar."
"Somewhere familiar... wait." Naruto craned his head up, but it was impossible to see anything over the tall fence. "Don't tell me we're in Konoha? How am I supposed to tell Ero-sennin what happened? Try it again. Further west."
"You try it again," Obito muttered. But he put his hand on Naruto's shoulder once more.
Several seconds passed in silence.
"Uh, Obito?"
Obito dropped his hand. "I... I can't. I think your stupid dimension broke my Kamui."
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, voice growing higher in pitch.
"Not really, calm down." Obito sighed and scratched his head. "But I don't think I can use it again for a little while. Something like this happened after I went from the future timeline to my own in the same day. Man, I really need to work on that."
"When do you think you can use it again?"
"I just had to sleep it off last time. I should be able to move us to the onsen tomorrow. But what are we supposed to do until then?"
Naruto thought about it. "I guess it could be worse... at least we're in the village. I don't care if you stay over at my apartment. But what am I supposed to do about Ero-sennin? He'll think I got kidnapped by—well, you."
"You can summon the Toads, can't you?"
"Oh, duh."
Both of them froze at the sound of a slamming door in the distance, then a barking dog.
"For now, let's just get out of here," Naruto whispered. "I really don't want to have to explain this to Tsunade-baachan."
"The Slug Sannin?"
"Yeah. She's the Hokage. And now's not a good time for some unexplained person like you to show up."
They made their way carefully out of the alley and into the street. It was much darker here than at the onsen. The moon was masked by a heavy layer of dark clouds.
"Can you see where we are?" Obito asked, following behind him closely.
Naruto walked out further and looked up, twisting around to find the Monument to help orient them. There! He could just barely see the Shodai's face around the corner of a building. Judging by its position, they were...
Naruto felt a chill and crossed his arms tightly over his chest. No wonder he hadn't recognized this street immediately. This was one place people in Konoha rarely went.
"I think we're in the Uchiha district. Look," he murmured, pointing. Now that he was looking, the crest was plastered on the wall every few feet.
It made sense that Obito had been drawn to it. But this place was creepy enough in broad daylight. At a moment like this... "Let's just hurry and get out of here before someone catches us."
"And what, exactly, are you kids getting caught doing?"
They both jumped. Obito yelped, and Naruto took a startled step backward as a paper lamp flared into life right in front of them.
The lamp was held up by a man dressed in a flak vest, looking down at them with black eyes that glinted in the flickering light.
"Obito. Why am I not surprised?" The man sighed. "And who is this?" He studied Naruto with a stern frown, obviously failing to recognize him. He held the lantern out toward him and Naruto stepped back once more, away from the light.
"Oh, no," he whispered hoarsely.
"Ch-Chief!" Obito said with an edge of panic to his voice, pushing himself between Naruto and the lantern. "It's just a misunderstanding! I had a friend over, see, but he—yeah, he has a bad sleepwalking problem. I was trying to hurry up and find him before he bumped into the police."
The police chief looked over Naruto again, taking in his onsen yukata, bare feet, and complete lack of weapons. He stayed silent for almost a full minute, face made even more forbidding by the heavy shadows cast on it by the lamp.
"Alright. I'll accept your story this time, since the elders think so highly of you," he rumbled. "Get back to your home immediately. I will not be so lenient the next time. I shouldn't have to remind you that, as a shinobi, you're no longer a child. Everything you do reflects on the village and our clan." He gave Obito a look that was a mixture of pure disdain and annoyance.
"I know," Obito said sullenly.
"You've already caused enough trouble for Minato with that Kumo affair. You're fortunate the enemy isn't willing to challenge him directly. I'll be watching you to make sure there are no more incidents. You are dismissed."
Obito scowled, but he pulled Naruto along past the older Uchiha.
"You, one moment. What's your name? Rank?"
Naruto halted. "Uh, Naruto. Genin. Sir."
"Naruto-kun, is it? If you were a troublemaker, I'm sure I would have heard of you. Still, the same goes for you. Youth is no excuse in a shinobi. Do not even think about causing trouble in my town."
"I won't."
Obito was pulling him along more insistently now. Naruto followed as quickly as he could without stubbing his feet on the paving stones. He could feel the stare of the older Uchiha following them into the darkness.
Just once, it would be nice to travel to another time with his shoes on.
Neither of them dared to say anything as they walked. After what felt like an eternity, Obito stopped in front of a closed shop and slipped in through a door beside it. They climbed the stairs to a cramped landing. Obito pulled a key out from under a rug and quickly unlocked the door.
They stood in silence for a few seconds after Obito shut the door behind them.
"I almost had a heart attack," Obito wheezed, slumping back against the door and sliding down to the floor.
"How do you miss so badly that you land in a completely different time?" Naruto said, clutching at his hair and pacing, full of nervous energy. His own heart was racing so much that he couldn't sit still.
"I don't know." Obito pulled off his goggles and stared up at the ceiling. "I didn't mean to. I guess... maybe I didn't have enough power left to jump back into your time, so we came here instead."
"Oh, man," Naruto said, sinking onto a chair. "I don't think that guy believed a single thing we said. I shouldn't have told him I was a genin. He'll look it up and see that I don't exist."
Obito snorted. "He could already tell you were a ninja. If you denied it, he'd know you were lying. He's the Uchiha clan head and chief of the police force, Uchiha Fugaku. He's been on my case ever since the Kumo thing."
"What Kumo thing?"
"I was captured by them. And tortured," Obito said with a shrug. "And that pisses him off even more, since I never gave away any of our secrets or jutsu. Minato-sensei even made sure I got an award for it."
"Ehhhh?"
"That guy's been breathing down my neck ever since then. He doesn't think a loser like me could really be a war hero."
"Wait, but when did this happen? You were tortured?"
Obito looked pleased by Naruto's horror, despite the situation they were in.
"Yeah, see?" He hopped to his feet and pulled up his shirt to show a large, nasty-looking pattern of burn scars that covered most of his right side. "It happened after Orochimaru brought me to the future. Luckily, I wasn't able to regain consciousness that whole time, so they gave up on me. By the time I woke up, this nice old lady had already healed me up most of the way. Not that anyone else knows that. Most people think Minato-sensei rescued me. I even got some vacation time and extra pay." He grinned.
"Wow." That was the only response Naruto could think of. "Well, what are we supposed to do now?"
"The same thing we were thinking before. Just lay low until I can take you back. Don't worry about the chief. Nobody else cares what I do, as long as I'm not doing anything to embarrass the clan."
Naruto wasn't very reassured. Jiraiya would wake up in the morning, and he would be gone. Again.
But maybe there was hope. His body wasn't left behind this time, so it might take longer before anyone knew something was wrong. By then, they could already be on their way back.
Obito walked over to a closet door and opened it. He pulled out a blanket and tossed it at Naruto.
"For now, I'm getting some sleep. The sooner the better," he said. "You can use that chair if you want, but I do have a spare futon in here. Don't eat my food." And then he turned off the light and left into another room.
Naruto didn't move from the chair. He pulled the blanket over himself and stared into the darkness. He wasn't sure he would be able to sleep.
It was silent, save for a ticking clock on the wall. It gave a tempo to the realization gradually settling over him.
What would happen in his timeline if he went missing again? He didn't even want to consider the possibility of being gone longer than a few hours.
But that wasn't the only thing keeping Naruto awake. He knew this wasn't the time to be getting distracted. But another thought had already intruded on his concerns for the future.
Somewhere, in this very village—his parents were alive. Maybe even together right now, snugly wrapped in each other's arms. Happy.
He didn't even know them. But he couldn't help wondering what it would be like to find them. To curl up and fall asleep between them like a small child.
Even if that was impossible.
################################################
Naruto woke when the sun emerged from the corner of a building across the street and beamed into his eyelids. His chin was resting on the back of the chair, face turned to the window. He opened his eyes a crack, then squeezed them closed against the light.
He turned and unfolded himself from the chair, untangling himself from the blanket in the process. His back and legs were stiff from sitting curled up in a ball for too long. It was amazing he'd slept at all.
He went over to knock on the door to Obito's room. "Oi, wake up! We need to go!"
"Ugh... okay," came the muffled response.
Naruto turned back to the window, rubbing his eyes. A dream came trickling back into his mind. Unfortunately, it was nothing that could help him figure out what to do next. Just a memory of meeting his father.
Of all the unbelievable things that had happened, that one seemed the least real. It had only lasted a minute, and they only got to exchange a few words. They were both in a world and a body they didn't belong in. His dad saved him from Orochimaru's control without removing the influence completely. He had respected the choice Naruto made to bargain for Obito and Kabuto's return.
What would he say about it now?
Naruto looked out at the bustling, living Uchiha district, then beyond at the Monument that only had three faces. He had to get home as soon as possible. But maybe later, after he explained everything to Jiraiya...
"Hey, Obito—" Naruto was about to yell after him again when Obito emerged sleepy-eyed from his room. "Finally. Are you ready? Let's get going!"
"Yeah, yeah, I got it." Obito yawned. He was dressed in street wear, casual pants and a T-shirt rather than his usual crested jacket and metal-plated gloves. The ever-present goggles dangled from his neck. He went into the kitchen area and started rooting around inside of a drawer.
"What are you doing?"
"I need to make up some excuse in case anybody comes by," Obito said, pulling a note pad and pen out of the drawer. He started jotting a note on the paper. "We don't have a mission today, but it could be bad if people start looking for me."
He tore off the note and placed it on the counter near the front door. Then, as if struck with a sudden thought, he tore off another blank sheet and waved it in front of Naruto.
"Hey, watch this! The old grannies and uncles love this one." Obito crumpled the paper into a ball and then hid it in between his hands. He rubbed his hands together dramatically, then opened them to show that the paper had disappeared. "Tadaa!"
"Ok, you use your jutsu to cheat at magic tricks. Can we go now?" Naruto was nearly bouncing with impatience.
"You don't get it, do you? Using it as much as possible is the best way I know to train. Besides, this means it's definitely working again." Obito sat down on a bar stool in front of the counter and pulled on his sandals. Then he hopped up and held out his hand with a grin.
############################################
The world stopped spinning, and Naruto blinked. They were inside the kamui dimension once again.
"Obito? Naruto?" Kabuto poked his head out of his tent and then came out to meet them, looking confused. "What happened? You never came back yesterday."
"And why are we here? Hurry up and take me back to my world!"
"We got stuck. And it doesn't work like that, Naruto. I can't jump directly from one to the other—I gotta go through this dimension first."
Kabuto bent to pick up the piece of wadded paper from the floor (or was it the ground?). "I'm glad when you send me stuff, but you keep tossing in trash without picking up after yourself."
"No I don't!" Obito started to protest, but then he shook his head. "Sorry, Kabuto. I think I ran out of energy and couldn't get back to Naruto's world, so we both ended up in mine. I'm sending him back now."
Kabuto's face scrunched as he looked up at them through his overlarge glasses. "If that's the case, aren't you in danger of getting stuck again if you go back there?"
"Nah. Anything that's wiped me out once, I can usually do a second time with no problem. I'm kind of not sure if I remember the right place, though."
"Just get me to my dimension, that'll be good enough." Naruto's knee was bobbing with nervous energy. He wouldn't be able to relax until he found Jiraiya and cleared this whole thing up.
"Alright. Be back soon!" Obito gave Kabuto a mock salute.
He put his hand on Naruto's shoulder. But for the second time, nothing happened.
The three boys stared at one another in silence for a minute. Nothing changed.
"This is a dumb joke, right?" Naruto said. He was not full of suppressed nerves anymore. He stood still, body like a lead weight.
Obito and Kabuto looked just as disbelieving. Naruto could tell by looking at Obito's expression that it wasn't a joke.
"You—you just need some more time to rest, right?" Naruto pressed, turning to stare from one to the other with a hopeful half-smile.
Obito's eyes went wide with realization. He raised a trembling hand to point at Naruto.
"It's because you're here."
"Yeah, I am. And I'd like to not be."
"No, I mean you're here. Which means that tag Orochimaru gave you is here, too. Which means there's no anchor."
"What are you talking about?" Tried as he might to stay calm, Naruto couldn't ignore the fear sinking into his heart. This could not be happening again. The situation back home was complicated enough.
"Obito is right," Kabuto said, hitting his fist to his palm. "That tag is the only thing linking your dimension to the outside. Orochimaru-sama gave it to you so that he could find you again. We figured out we could use it the same way, but now that your body and spirit are both here... it might be impossible to find that dimension again."
"What? WHAT?"
"Obito can still reach the future time. Why don't we ask Orochimaru-sama for help? He might know something," Kabuto suggested.
"NO," the other two shouted in unison.
"Our problems would only get worse if we brought that guy into this," Naruto added, crossing his arms. "It's bad enough dealing with the one in my timeline. The future one is ten times worse."
"We don't know what it's like there now, except what you found out after we left," Obito said. "Kabuto, you said my older self is gone. Is there anyone else who might know about dimensional jutsu?"
"Your older self is gone?" Naruto interrupted.
"Even if he was still there, it's not like we could ask him. We'd be better off with Orochimaru," Obito said with a scowl.
"What about future Kakashi-sensei?"
"He didn't really know anything last time. I doubt he does now."
"Then, maybe... Minato-sensei?" Kabuto said.
A pause.
"He might have an idea if we explain everything," Obito said slowly. "But I don't... I wanted to keep my power a secret 'til after I made sure Rin won't get captured. If too many things change, I won't know what's coming."
"Look, I can't hide inside this kamui dimension forever like Kabuto!" Naruto's voice strained with desperation. "And I have people I want to save, too. I need to get back home!"
As if emphasizing his humanity, Naruto's stomach suddenly growled.
"Aw man, this can't get any worse," he moaned, holding his stomach.
"Don't say that," Obito said darkly. "Okay. Might as well go back and have breakfast while we figure this out."
In less than a minute, they were back in Obito's apartment again. But their continued debate over what their next move should be failed to progress very far.
Until they could figure out a way back, Naruto had to borrow some of Obito's clothes, or else continue to run around in the onsen yukata. This did not help matters. Even the most exuberant of the Uchiha had little to offer that wasn't a gloomy shade of blue or black.
Obito didn't have a large variety of food either, but Naruto was perfectly content with cup ramen. The fact that he slurped it slowly rather than inhaling it was the truest sign of his distress.
"Maybe I can find out something from Minato-sensei without telling him everything," Obito said, picking halfheartedly at an orange.
"How? I don't even get why Kabuto suggested him."
"Because he uses a space-time jutsu, remember? You saw it when old-guy-Kakashi found one of his kunai. He can jump between different points, so long as he has a seal to mark the landing spot. That's what gave me the idea to try to find you. It's not the same thing, but he might be able to think of something we can't."
Naruto chewed the last bite of noodles quietly. Sure enough, his dad was amazing. So much that he felt like a distant idea rather than a real person, even though they sort of already met.
He understood why Obito didn't want to tell Minato everything. It was the same reason he kept avoiding certain topics with Jiraiya. It was probably worse for him, knowing what Obito was like in the future.
There was a sharp knock on the door. Naruto choked on the ramen broth he was gulping down, and Obito shot up to his feet.
"Oi, are you there? Minato-sensei wants to talk to you." A young, bored-sounding voice came from outside.
"It's Kakashi!" Obito hissed.
Naruto ducked down behind the counter, then stood up to throw his paper ramen cup into the trash, then ran to the edge of the living room, then halted.
"What do I do?" he whispered harshly, waving his hands.
The question unfroze Obito. He strode over to Naruto and grabbed him by the arm. The space around him started to wrinkle.
But then the lock to Obito's front door clicked, and it swung open.
Obito dropped Naruto's arm immediately and turned to the door. Naruto looked up and saw the miniature version of his sensei standing there.
Kakashi's half-lidded gaze moved from Obito to Naruto. Both of his eyes were a dark gray, and his left eye didn't have a scar. The masked face and unimpressed stare were the same as ever, though.
"So you are here. Why don't you answer for once? I'm a shinobi, not a messenger." Kakashi tilted his head and sighed. "If you didn't hear me, I said Minato-sensei wants to talk to you. By the way—he means you and this kid." He pointed at Naruto.
"What? Him?"
"Me?" Naruto echoed. He glanced at Obito. "Uhh... you mean right now? Now's not a good time. I, uh—there is somewhere I need to be. You'll have to go on without me." He edged toward the open door. He had no idea where else he would go, but that didn't matter.
"Wait."
Kakashi held a hand out in front of Naruto, forcing him to either stop walking or risk a fight. So he stopped and stared at the other boy, calculating how far he might be able to run if he knocked Kakashi's arm aside. It was strange, standing roughly the same height as his future sensei.
"You're not an Uchiha. Who are you?"
"Who are you? Do you hide your face because people keep wanting to punch it?"
Kakashi narrowed his eyes dangerously. It didn't look particularly intimidating coming from someone his own age. This version of Kakashi was just a skinny kid, after all, and he didn't even have the Sharingan. Naruto figured he could take him.
He was mistaken.
##############################################
Naruto wheezed as he was dropped on the ground unceremoniously like a sack of rice. The ropes tied around his midsection made it difficult to move, and his arms were pinned down to his sides.
"I brought them, Minato-sensei," Kakashi said, with just a touch of the deadpan tone he would eventually perfect. "This one didn't want to cooperate. I'd say he's definitely suspicious."
They were at one of the many tree-sheltered spaces along the Naka River, not far from the Academy training fields. Minato turned from the peaceful view and walked toward them.
Obito wasn't tied up, but he looked scruffy and was holding a busted lip. The fight had been short, but intense. Somehow, Kakashi had gotten out of it unscathed. Obito had been yelling at him the whole way.
"You've gone too far this time, you asshole! I don't think Minato-sensei wanted you to literally drag us all the way here."
"Kakashi," Minato interrupted, "I sent Rin to help the instructors with survival drills again this morning. You should go, too."
"But sensei—"
"Now, please."
Stubborn as Kakashi was, he was smart enough to take a hint. He gave one last disparaging look at Naruto and Obito before leaving.
Naruto wormed his way up into a sitting position during the brief exchange. Obito was standing in front of him again—for all the good it would do in this situation.
"We didn't do anything wrong," Obito said the instant Minato looked back at them. "Kakashi can't take a joke and Chief Fugaku is paranoid."
"That may be true. But you know I have to listen to Fugaku-sama's opinion, whether it's as a clan head or a police officer."
Minato looked at Naruto, studying him silently for a moment. His father wasn't smiling warmly at him, the way Naruto always envisioned. Nor did he look angry or suspicious. The future Yondaime Hokage's face was carefully unreadable. Naruto stared at the ground, a hard knot growing in his chest. His face was turning hot. Excuses popped up in his head one by one, but they were all stupid, so he kept his mouth shut.
This was really bad. Even without saying a thing, Minato would be able to tell he didn't belong here. What could he do if his dad decided he was an enemy?
"Yeah yeah, I get that, you have to get along with him." Obito took a subtle side step, partially blocking Naruto from view. "But we were just out in the District after dark and he happened to come along. If there was evidence for anything, he would have arrested us instead of complaining to you."
"That's what concerns me." Minato sighed. "That's why I want to ask you, before he can find any evidence: is there something we need to talk about?"
Obito's fists clenched. Naruto couldn't see his expression from where he sat, but the long silence that ensued was enough. There was no plan for getting them out of this.
Minato waited patiently for a moment, but neither of them spoke up.
He shifted his gaze from Obito to the fluffy clouds overhead. "I admit, I don't know every recent graduate from the Academy, but I've never seen one with bright blond hair even messier than mine. Your friend is quiet for someone dragged here against his will."
"You don't know the half of it," Naruto muttered under his breath.
"Haha, well," Obito said loudly over him, "I thought it would be good to make more friends outside of my own class. What's wrong with that? I just never mentioned it 'cause we've been so busy."
Minato frowned at the sky and then lowered his head to look at Obito again. Seriousness settled on his shoulders like an invisible cloak. The difference in his posture was barely discernible. But Naruto sensed that the good-natured mood was gone.
"I thought you might be hiding something important, but I didn't expect you to directly lie about it, Obito."
"I'm not—"
"Don't make it worse. The Hiraishin mark on you disappears from time to time—almost on a daily basis now. Unless you travel outside of my range, I don't understand how that's possible. What's more, I don't know how you got it in the first place. Anyone could figure out there's something strange here."
Minato's piercing blue gaze met Naruto's.
"Who are you, really?"
Naruto's mouth was dry. His throat contracted.
I'm your son.
"I... I'm..."
"Okay, fine," Obito said quietly. His hands loosened. "You're right, sensei. I lied. But I'd rather tell the truth than let you think badly of this kid. Truth or lies don't matter to me if I can't keep my promises. I don't know if you'll believe me, though."
Minato gave him a quizzical look. "What you've been through is something no one can blame you for. My only concern is whether or not outside influences have tried taking advantage of the situation."
"I'm not a spy or anything, you've—" Naruto burst out, but Obito held out a hand to quiet him.
"What I've been through isn't exactly what you think. But it'll be a lot quicker just to show you what I'm talking about." Obito turned around and helped pull Naruto to his feet, then worked on getting the ropes untied. It would have been faster to cut them, but neither boy had been wearing any weapons when Kakashi ambushed them.
"Finally," Naruto muttered as the ropes fell away and he could move his arms again. "That's the second time. Why is his reaction always to tie someone up?"
Minato watched them cautiously, but didn't interfere. All he did was walk a few steps closer to them, well within his striking range even without Hiraishin.
"Hey, what are you going to do?" Naruto asked Obito in a half-tone, though he could already guess.
"Sorry for dragging you into this. It'll be easier to talk over there, so maybe we'll figure something out soon. Alright," Obito held out a hand toward Minato. "Come on, sensei. You'll have to trust me for a second, but we're going somewhere no one can overhear us."
"...What do you mean?"
Obito smiled sheepishly. "You're not the only one who can teleport."