"—And then, the way Kakashi slipped on the puddle and landed head-first in the bucket of paint was hilarious, he was soooo angry..."
Rin chuckled as Obito retold the latest exploits of Team Seven, the both of them finding more humor in the fact that their third teammate had a rather pronounced pout on his face—even through his usual face-mask. Minato followed his team of Chūnin with a smile as the small group made their way over to the training grounds for a good after-mission training session.
"That's not exactly how it went, dobe," Kakashi cut in irritably, glaring at Obito. "At least I landed in white paint, a whole bucket of red fell on you—and then you were doused with white." He gestured pointedly at Obito's clothes, which were splattered with red, white, and a whole mess of what the two colors mixed into. Pink.
The Uchiha only laughed, smirking at his teammate. "I think we all had fun, Bakashi. Care to remind me exactly how I was doused with white paint?"
A small smile slowly grew on Kakashi's face, ebbing away at the hard-fought look of reserve and irritation, and Obito's own grin widened in response.
It had been about a week after his conversation with the Kyūbi, longer since the small disagreement with his teammates, and Obito had proceeded to go about his business as if nothing changed. His team was more or less back to normal as it stood; Minato was present most of the time, now, which significantly lifted the spirits of all three of the Chūnin. Rin had gone back to being her usual positive, happy, and supportive self with radiant smiles. Kakashi, surprisingly, no longer seemed suspicious and wasn't as guarded—in fact, the boy seemed almost friendly, now. He was still a bit of an ass at times, but it was significantly easier for Obito to pry reluctant but true smiles from the young Hatake, and it soothed his guilty conscience somewhat.
Still smiling, Obito inconspicuously glanced to the side at a specific presence he had been feeling for a while. It had begun following them shortly after reporting to the Hokage, and while it felt of no malicious intent and seemed relatively benign, that only served to further alert Obito. The presence—no, presences—were undoubtedly human, and the complete and utter lack of intent—absence of traceable emotion—was unnerving. And it meant one thing.
Root.
His eyes narrowed at the slight rustle of leaves from one of the Root members. Clearly, Danzō hadn't sent out his best if they were making mistakes such as that. Surely the man knew that, to spy on their team(Namikaze Minato was present, for crying out loud) he would need to send those of higher skill? After all, not only was the man considered one of the best Jōnin of Konoha, but he also had sensing abilities that even specialists marveled at. What was the old warhawk playing at...?
Cautiously, Obito slid his gaze from the front to his sensei—and had to withhold the automatic flinch that resulted when his onyx eyes met piercing azure. Analyzing, measuring, calculating... It was the look Minato had while battling.
And it was aimed at him.
The Uchiha sighed loudly, inwardly cursing his inattentiveness. Of course Minato would've detected their shadows... And noticed that Obito realized it as well. Sometimes, he found it easy to relax around his team and forget that one was a child prodigy, while the other was a genius that had experienced all of the more severe aspects of their career. If Obito wanted to hide something, he would be hard-pressed to do so in the presence of the man.
"Obito?" The time traveler slowed his pace to fall into step with the blonde, whose gaze was now rooted to the path ahead of them. He spoke in a low, quiet tone, out of earshot of the other two members of Team seven who were chatting several paces ahead. "Did you feel something odd?"
'I wouldn't be an S-Ranked Shinobi if I didn't,' Obito thought sarcastically. He glanced to his teammates, who had apparently not detected anything different. "Er, kind of," he began, scratching his arm. "It's strange, but... I feel like we're being... followed...?" He looked at Minato, whose face belied none of what he was thinking. Inwardly hoping that he was convincing, Obito continued. "At first I thought it was just a squirrel or a wild animal because the presence was small, but... More came. And they keep following us."
"What else?"
Obito's brow furrowed as a thought occurred to him. Did Minato even know about Root? About Danzō's perverse yearning for the Hokage's seat? And if not, how could he alert his sensei to the threat? "Uh... Well, I don't feel any intent or anything. No emotion." So subtle. The blonde's countenance noticeably darkened. It was sufficient evidence, Obito figured, that Minato knew about Danzō's little pet project. "... That was another reason why I thought they were animals."
Minato's flickered to the trees and he made a curt nod before muttering, "I'll be right back," and disappearing in a blur. Obito halted his steps momentarily, looking between the spot where his blonde sensei was standing mere second ago and his teammates that were steadily moving further away.
While Obito wasn't a natural sensor, he had picked up techniques to aid him in that regard over the years of hiding in the shadows and covering his tracks. He steadied his chakra, focusing on the familiar, dangerous, and yet warm and comforting signature of his sensei. It neared one of the emotionless chakra signatures, a powerful one—most likely the leader. A small flare of killing intent. A sudden surge of fear...
... Wait, what?
Root... and Fear?
Before Obito could truly consider the clear contradiction, Minato reappeared before him and continued walking as though nothing had transpired, as if he had never detected the Root ANBU and hadn't suddenly switched over from kindly teacher to trained killer. With a shake of his head, Obito began walking with haste, aiming to catch up to his team.
He had been worried about Danzō before, but after what he witnessed... Was it so strange that he honestly wondered if his interference was at all necessary? If Minato was already privy to this much without the position of Hokage... If he was so sharp and decisive, then he would probably have a handle on the situation, preventing Danzō from forcing the massacre. He may even be able to calm the dissent between the Uchiha clan and the village, patching up the old and battered relations that all but a few had given up on.
Something noticeably red caught the Uchiha's eye, and he felt a wave of nervousness wash over him. In Minato's hand was a Hiraishin kunai, a viscous red liquid clinging to its sharpened tip—it wasn't too much, perhaps a handful of drops.
Obito lifted a finger and gestured to it, gaining the blonde's attention. "... Er, sensei..."
Minato's eyes traveled along Obito's own, and he quickly flicked the blood away with ease before sheathing his kunai. Mumbling too quietly for the Uchiha to hear, he walked over to the two waiting members of their team—apparently, they had finally noticed that their cell was missing a sensei and teammate.
Obito stared.
He knew that Minato hadn't killed anyone, but he quite obviously threatened Root... Apparently enough to draw blood(however minimal) and make them feel fear. Clear, unequivocal, almost palpable fear.
The raven sighed, closing his eyes as he shook off the feelings of intimidation and inferiority. He wasn't afraid of the blood, no, he was one who had practically bathed in the blood of many—once-friend, enemy, or neutrality. But ever since coming back into the past, Obito found himself privy to reminder upon reminder of his previous sensei's daunting presence. He couldn't help but feel thankful that he was on the man's good side, silently wondering how the hell he had been successful in second-handedly killing the man on the night of the Kyūbi attack.
"Obito?"
Blinking, the raven returned his focus to the outer world as opposed to his thoughts. His team had stopped and turned around, looking curiously at him and no doubt wondering where his mind had wandered this time.
Obito shook his head, jogging over to the rest of his team. "Ah, sorry about that. I was just thinking about some things." Just as he approached, he briefly made eye contact with Minato—and froze.
The look the blonde had was... Well, it was different from everything Obito had seen from the man, whether it was the love and kindness of a sensei or the raw, angry determination of an enemy. His face was blank, and Obito couldn't read him. At all.
Somehow, that was much more intimidating than if the man had been glaring.
It was over just as soon as their eyes had met, however, and Minato smiled warmly.
Obito just stood where he was, eyes a fraction wider than normal as he tried to find any cues, any hints of what he had seen. He didn't notice the concerned looks of Kakashi and Rin, neither of them looking at Minato, who was still smiling. For some reason, it gave Obito the urge to shiver involuntarily.
"We're burning daylight, guys," as though being snapped out of a spell, all three Chūnin stiffened and turned to Minato, who glanced over in the direction of the training grounds. "If we want to get in some good training, we should pick up the pace."
Kakashi started in alarm, quite obviously uncomfortable with the idea of his training being shirked because of lost time. He immediately turned on his heel and headed in the direction of the training grounds—his movements stiff and lacking in the usual fluidity, no doubt trying to withhold the urge to run. Obito smiled slightly as he began walking, watching as the rest of his team followed after Kakashi. Minato laughed before glancing over at Obito with a smile, and the time traveler suddenly realized what it was that made the smile so unnerving to him.
His eyes were closed—crinkled shut, though his smile wasn't wide enough for that to be natural.
Shaking his head, Obito quickened his pace to keep up with his teammates. A single thought weighed heavily on his mind, causing a sense of twisting confusion and nervousness to settle deep within him.
'... What was that all about?'
Minato's azure eyes were riveted to the small digital clock in the corner of the room with utmost concentration. It was placed on a homely little birch cabinet and looked rather innocent—though the blonde's intense gaze focused solely on the time-teller was almost condemning.
He managed to remain calm, however. He was anxious and worried, as his sensei didn't usually have a penchant for being late after he specified a time, but he was kept relatively at ease thanks to the even more nervous and steadily fuming atmosphere surrounding his wife.
"... Do you think something happened on the way here, 'ttebane?"
Minato closed his eyes, momentarily sparing the digital clock his steely gaze. "I'm sure Jiraiya-sensei is fine. It's not like he hasn't been late before, and with his occupation he is hard-pressed to travel across multiple countries to arrive on time..." He frowned. "... Even though I heard from Hokage-sama that he had arrived in Konoha yesterday."
Suddenly, a familiar chakra signature appeared in the middle of the living room, leaving a small flurry of leaves in the owner's wake. Kushina let out a groan in relief and exasperations as Minato turned sharply to his sensei, mentor, and friend.
"Yo," Jiraiya called out casually, a wide, toothy grin plastered on his face. "Haven't seen either of you in a while, and then I suddenly get a summons from one of my toads. I was all the way in Iwa, you know, and I had to hurry back when I heard what happened." His faux cheer wavered at the grim looks on Minato's and Kushina's faces.
"Jiraiya-sensei," Minato nodded politely, motioning the man over as Kushina situated herself on the couch. "Please check Kushina's seal. We've been waiting long enough for you to arrive."
The Gama-sennin grimaced lightly as he walked over. "It's so serious that I'm let off scott-free, even after leaving leaves in my wake, huh?" He broke out into a grin as he placed emphasis in his words, though the desired effect of laughter was not achieved. His tasteless pun earned him a light glare from Kushina, and he held his hands up in surrender, somewhat put-off by his failed attempt at lightening the atmosphere. "Geez, I know, I know. Channel some chakra into the seal, it's time I see just how out of control things are for myself..."
It only took him five minutes, and after he had scanned Kushina's seal—every stroke, detail, layer, everything—he leaned back with a sigh, shaking his head.
"I know what I read in your letters, Minato, but the seal is untouched—nothing is abnormal." Minato frowned, not paying any mind to his sensei's continuation of, "you're a genius and at my level of Fūinjutsu. I don't think you needed to contact me to confirm what you already knew, gaki."
It was frustrating. Everything pointed towards normalcy and balance, except for the most obvious fact of the Kyūbi being unshackled in her seal. It was impossible, Minato wanted to say, for the beast to be free without there being any outward changes to the seal itself. However, Jiraiya all but confirmed it; the thrum of chakra was average, balancing out the minute stream of the beast's chakra with Kushina's, just as it had before. It was akin to having a complex, solved equation, while also having the answer—which didn't match. Didn't align.
Minato knew that he did have a bit of an advantage in the matters of the mind(he wouldn't quite call himself a through-and-through genius, though he was certainly above average), but he also was a genius of hard work. That was how he had gotten so far, reached so high, and yet this situation...
Well, how could he begin to work when he didn't even know where to begin?
"... Um, I think I should probably mention something..." The two men in the room turned to Kushina, who had a thoughtful frown on her face. "... The frequency of my fainting spells had started dwindling as soon as they started, but never completely disappeared. I mean, I stopped literally fainting, 'ttebane, and I just had light to mild dizziness most of the time."
Minato nodded, but wondered where the redhead was going with this topic.
"See, they, well... Ever since Obito did something, I felt better than ever."
Both Jiraiya and Minato stiffened, the latter a bit quicker and with more force. "... Kushina," he began quietly, keeping his thoughts and questions tightly reigned in. "... Why didn't you tell me this? You had said that your fainting spells stopped completely after visiting the Kyūbi the first time... I thought that the slowly receding frequency was you healing."
Kushina let out a light huff, crossing her arms as she sat up on the couch. "And they did, dattebane! I just said that I stopped literally fainting after talking to the fox. I still had dizziness—which I know you knew—but after Obito did something, even that stopped." She gave a small shrug. "I didn't think it was all too important, I was just glad that Obito helped me."
Minato's jaw clenched tightly. Obito. Why was so much happening around that boy, lately? Not to mention, Minato no longer knew how to act around the boy. Obito could be as cunning, sharp, and dangerous as a Jōnin on equal footing as Minato—this is what made the blonde automatically close up, carefully reign in his emotions in a near automatic response. On the other hand, Obito still showed his intuitiveness through the way he could tell that something was off as soon as Minato switched to his battle-hardened state, but he would also have a look of hurt and confusion on his face. Like that of a boy his age, of the boy he was. This constant ebb and flow wasn't something the blonde was unaccustomed to, per se—he had been on the battlefield during war time, he knew how to adapt on a moment's notice. No, what threw him off was the fact that this constant feeling of urgency, this strange nervousness and stress like a tightly coiled snake, was caused by his thirteen-year-old student.
"The kid is suspicious," Jiraiya commented quietly, causing Minato to jerk out of his thoughts immediately. "Did you notice anything else, Kushina? Maybe we should have the boy visit the—"
"Do not pursue the issue," Minato snapped lowly before flinching back in surprise at his own curtness. Both Jiraiya and Kushina had similar reactions, and Minato shook his head to shake off the tightly wound stress slowly building. "I apologize for that, but I am serious: don't. I agree that it is suspicious, but I... I trust Obito, and my team and I already have his word that everything will be made clear eventually." He leveled a heavy gaze at his sensei. "We trust him."
Jiraiya held the gaze for but a few moments before nodding, smiling slightly. "Sorry, that didn't come out right. I wasn't trying to condemn the kid or anything, but at this point, what other leads do we have?" He shook his head forlornly. "I just found it strange."
Minato leaned against the armrest of the couch and sighed, carding a hand through his unruly hair. "... We all do."
"... Uh, there's another thing, Jiraiya-sensei." Kushina glanced at Minato momentarily and he nodded, knowing the topic she was attempting to broach at the moment. The red-head turned back to Jiraiya, who arched a single white eyebrow in response. "I want to try visiting the Kyūbi again."
Jiraiya almost tripped, and his eyes widened immensely. "What!?" He turned his shocked gaze to Minato, silently asking with his eyes if this was a joke or a prank; if she was being serious. The blonde gave a grim nod in response.
The trio stayed in silence for an unknown amount of time; Kushina looking between the Sannin and her crossed hands, waiting for his response. Jiraiya clearly lost in his thoughts, either wondering why she was willing to risk this or how to pull off the endeavor without ending up with a dead body—or a few.
Finally he blinked, having come back to the world of the living, and coughed into his callused hand to gain the red-head's attention. "... Kushina-chan, as your husband's teacher, I reserve the right to tell you this." He breathed in deeply. "If what Minato stated in the missive is true, then that is possibly the most idiotic idea in the history of ideas."
Instead of growing incensed or irrationally angry, Kushina simply pinned the Gama-sennin with a hard stare. "I noticed nothing wrong with the seal. Minato didn't notice anything wrong with the seal. Heck, even you said that there is nothing wrong!"
Jiraiya frowned, crossing his arms. "Yes, but I trust Minato. If the seal appeared normal, even after you saw that the Kyūbi was apparently loose, then there is clearly something that we are missing—and we don't want to take that chance."
Kushina merely scoffed at his explanation, tossing her hair over her shoulder in a flourish. "Look, Ero-oyaji, Konoha's top three Fūinjutsu masters are here and can handle it. Stop being a damn sissy and say yes already, 'ttebane!"
The Sannin looked like he was about to protest, but Minato stepped in, silencing the man. "Jiraiya-sensei, the two of us have already talked this over. We would appreciate your aid, but if you do not wish to help, then we are capable of handling this on our own."
Appalled at Minato's words, the Gama-sennin merely gaped. Then, he collected himself and nodded defeatedly, realizing that he had very little say in the matter. While a dark cloud hovered around the Gama-sennin, both Minato and Kushina looked—and felt—like a tremendous weight had been lifted off of their shoulders, and let out small sighs of relief.
"Thanks, sensei. Now..." Minato sat next to Kushina on the couch, urging Jiraiya to sit on her other side. "I've thought of a few ways for Kushina to talk with the fox, the most dangerous of them all—but arguably, the most convenient—would be with the help of a Yamanaka. We could enter he mind directly and converse with the beast there, but..."
"But not only would all of us be leaving our minds bare and susceptible for whatever the beasts subjects us to, but it would be even easier for the Kyūbi to break out of the seal," Kushina picked up where Minato trailed off. "It's annoying, but the seal is stronger than my mind at keeping the fox at bay. The aid of a Yamanaka is supposed to help with that, but... Well, there is only so much a human, mind-specialist or not, can do against a chakra beast, dattebane."
Minato nodded at his wife, turning back to Jiraiya who was listening with rapt attention. "As for entering through the seal... Though we are less likely to have our minds devoured or utterly destroyed by the unrestrained beast, we also chance having our own consciences sucked into the seal if the Kyūbi lashes out and forces it into instability. The seal itself, while a masterpiece, was meant to contain and filter Bijū chakra—compared to the beast's, our signatures are so insignificant that we chance being swept up in its rage and being locked in the seal with it." Minato sighed. "Basically, both methods have their pros and cons, and it's a matter of picking our poison."
Jiraiya frowned thoughtfully, humming as he weighed the options. Kushina snorted.
"He's gonna make us wait even longer, 'ttebane."
The white-haired sage turned to her looking utterly scandalized. "What? I had a good reason for not coming here immediately!" He made a gesture of exaggerated mock-hurt. "My student and his wife have such little faith in me. I am deeply wounded." He abruptly stiffened at the way the red-head's eyes narrowed, clearly being a bad sign for him.
"By the way..." Kushina pinned the Sannin with a cold glare, and the man shifted uncomfortably at her abrasive tone. "What exactly took you so long to get here? You came back to Konoha yesterday."
Jiraiya chuckled nervously, eyes darting to the side. "Er... Heh, I was just doing what I usually do, gathering intel, working as Konoha's spymaster—"
"You stopped off at a bathhouse for your research..." The Gama-sennin gulped as Kushina's hair rose up in menacing, blood-red tendrils. "Didn't you?"
"W-wait!" Jiraiya exclaimed, backpedaling out of his sheer will to live(and protect his family jewels). "Now see here, Kushina-chan—"
Minato cleared his throat loudly, causing the other occupants in the room to turn their attention to him. Kushina pouted while Jiraiya ashamedly scratched the back of his head at his student's raised eyebrow. "... Now, if the two of you are done, there are other things to work on at the moment." He focused a steady gaze on the Gama-sennin. "First of all, Jiraiya-sensei. What is your chosen method?"
"...Er, Hm. Well..." Jiraiya scratched his chin as he thought, his eyes drifting to Minato and Kushina. "If I had to choose, I'd say the seal route. There isn't a very high chance of Sarutobi-sensei allowing Konoha's best Jōnin, her last surviving Uzumaki and Jinchūriki, and likely a powerful Yamanaka to leave the village with me—because let's face it, if things turn sour with the mind-approach, the last thing we want is the beast escaping in Konoha. I admit, however, that my decision is mostly because I have a feeling that's what you guys decided to go for."
The blonde nodded, confirming Jiraiya's assumption. "Well then, that makes things simpler. I suppose we are taking that approach." Minato looked at his wife and sensei, both with countenances as grave as his.
"Sooo..." Kushina began slowly, looking askance at Minato. "How are we gonna do that exactly? I know how to enter my own mind-scape and the seal, but you guys..."
"We'll just be projecting out minds into the seal," Minato stated calmly, glancing to the Gama-sennin as he did so. "Because Jiraiya-sensei and I know the workings of nature chakra, it will be simple to perform the transfer with imprinted chakra as our markers. Just channel chakra to the seal to keep it active and work on entering the seal on your own, we'll follow after you."
Nodding, Kushina focused as Minato and Jiraiya pressed a finger to the intricate swirl, entering meditative trances. All three began channeling their chakra into the seal, feeling the almost immediate response of the construct tugging at the channeled energy—and then, at their minds.
"If this is the end..." Jiraiya began dramatically, earning him one incredulous look from Kushina and a slight eye-twitch from his student. "... I just want you both to know, I still think this is a terrible idea."
When the trio blinked, they were in a dark expanse—no walls, no ceiling, and water flooded all around them, reaching up to their shins.
Kushina shivered, having already been there before, while Minato and Jiraiya scanned the vicinity with keen eyes.
"... Where is it?" Jiraiya spoke quietly, in a measured voice. His eyes darted around as he tried to locate the fox(which was supposed to be rather difficult to miss).
Minato opened his mouth to speak, but quickly clamped his mouth shut and whirled around at the sudden wash of chakra he felt. Kushina and Jiraiya reacted a split second later, and collectively they all tensed as the visage of the great fox came into view. Orange fur, glowing with an almost ethereal golden light imbued with deep crimson, and piercing, red eyes only accentuated by the contrasting black fur on its face reaching up to its ears.
Minato knew for a fact that neither he nor Jiraiya had ever seen the beast first-hand. Jiraiya hadn't even been born when the Shodaime defeated the Kyūbi, and it hadn't been released since then—there there existed very few individuals in the land of the living who had seen the fox.
Yet somehow, the blonde knew that something was wrong, and from the look on the Gama-sennin's face, he thought the same.
The fox slowly walked over to them from the depths of darkness, an almost languid and lazy element to its gait. None of the menacing aura Minato was expecting could be felt; only the raw strength and power the beast was famed for could be detected. It sat down in front of them, its crimson eyes assessing them with a heavy gaze, nine wild tails sweeping in large, hypnotic motions behind its back.
Kushina, perhaps a smidgeon braver(or more foolish), stepped forward with her hands held firmly at her sides and her eyes pinned to the great chakra beast. "... Kyūbi."
For a moment, all was still. The water around them was calm, and there was no sound except the steadily accelerating beat of Minato's heart in his ears and his breathing. It was at this moment that he realized how ridiculous it had been for him to accept his wife's plea, to not refute the suggestion and tell her that this was something that would leave her dead if they weren't careful—something that he was realizing far too late. Beside him, he could tell that his sensei was just as tense as he, ready to spring into action should the Kyūbi do something untoward.
However, something else happened. Suddenly, the beast's eyes crinkled—Minato couldn't tell if it was of mirth, anger, or something else, but he was disinclined to believe the former.
And then, it snorted. Snorted. The Kyūbi.
It snorted.
Minato could only stare dumbly up at the beast as it fell into a fit of barely restrained laughter, though the tenseness remained; it was the same case with Jiraiya, and neither of them could see Kushina's reaction. She went stiff, though, if her raised shoulders were any indication.
"This never gets old," They heard the beast snort out between muffled chuckles.
The blonde Jōnin blinked, exchanging a look with his sensei briefly. "... What?"
As though waving away the question, "sugar for your coffee," the beast waved a hand—claw, whatever—dismissively, shaking its head as if privy to some sort of inside joke. "It's nothing, nothing at all."
"What are you!?" Minato switched his attention to his wife, who had backed up slightly so that he could see her face—she had a look of abstract horror and confusion, something that the blonde could easily relate to. The red-head pointed up at the fox, ignoring the single raised eyebrow the gesture earned her. "You... Something is wrong with you, 'ttebane!"
Curiously, the Kyūbi lowered its head to its claws, tilting in an almost inquisitive gesture. "... Hmm. Are you perhaps blind?" Minato detected sarcasm in that tone. The fox glanced to his constantly swaying tails briefly before turning back to the trio of humans, an eyebrow still raised. "May I recommend a ramen-flavored tea mixture? And old Jinchūriki of mine used to drink it whenever having bouts of insomnia and lack of coherent thought, and it worked like a charm. Well, for the insomnia part, at least. Intelligence was never something he—"
"You can't be the Kyūbi," Kushina nearly growled, stalking closer to the beast—Minato and Jiraiya's attempts to hold her back were met with angry slaps and thinly veiled threats. She turned back to the beast and stared it down—up?—with a snarl. "Your chakra isn't the same, I can feel it now! I didn't notice it before, but something... Something is off! What did you do with the Kyūbi!?"
Rolling its eyes, the fox moved to flick the red-head away.
In a quick motion, Minato grabbed Kushina and pulled her back to a safe distance from the beast before the movement could be completed; the fox didn't seem to care. Minato stepped in front of his wife and sensei, shifting a frigid gaze to the fox. "... I don't know if you are the Kyūbi or not... but I do know is that you aren't the same as the fox Kushina had acquainted herself with. You are clearly not the same as what the Kyūbi is famed to be either—I do not sense an ounce of malicious intent within your chakra. Chakra so famed to be corrosive and cancerous due to intense hatred would be near impossible to mask so proficiently, even by a thousand-year beast." He felt his shoulders tense at the sharpened look within the beast's eyes. "What is going on, exactly?"
For what felt like an eternity, azure and crimson eyes remained locked in a battle of wills—Minato subconsciously heightened his senses with chakra to try and read the beast before him, and noted the nervous fear Kushina was gripped by and the curious yet protective feeling his sensei was giving. The blonde could not read the fox.
Finally, the fox inhaled a deep breath and exhaled, causing a powerful, warm wave of air to rush over the three Shinobi. For a moment, Minato thought its eyes flickered to an orange color. "... I am not the one you need to worry about," the fox began. "I mean you no harm, and should you ever need it, my power is yours to command."
Kushina shivered. "I-I will never use your power, you're just trying to—"
"I'm not forcing you into anything," the Kyūbi said in an almost exasperated tone. "Believe it or not, it is in my interest to see the two of you live." It languidly shifted its gaze to the Gama-sennin, who had remained grimly silent all the while. "... You too."
Jiraiya arched a pale eyebrow. "... And why is that?"
"The future is dark, and... Fate, is keen on dragging everyone to a world of insanity. You three... Especially the Uzumaki and Yon—blondie, hold the key to a future that is bright." The beast grimaced, strangely enough and mumbled, "... A little too much so. I never thought I would abhor the thought of orange so much."
Minato felt a tug on his sleeve and turned to his wife, who was peering at him through the corners of her eyes. She worried her lip as she looked at him, conveying her worry and confusion. He would be lying if he had said he felt differently—at times, he couldn't tell what the fox was thinking, and others, it was painfully obvious and simple to read it. The beast almost seemed... At ease, amicable, and friendly. Most of all, Minato couldn't tell if this was a well-crafted facade or not, but somehow, the fact that Kushina felt similarly to him and Jiraiya had remained silent throughout only solidified that this was not merely a ploy, a game at misdirection. "What exactly do you mean by that? ... How do you know? How are we supposed to trust you?"
"... I've had enough," the fox ground out almost irritably, holding its head in orange claws. Minato felt the urge to furrow his brow at the gesture. "Clearly, I'm not going to get through to any of you right now—not like I expected to, but at least I can tell him I tried—I just have one thing to say." Minato wanted to ask who was "he," and what the fox was aiming for, but was unable to.
The Kyūbi leveled a hardened gaze at the trio, unrelenting. "I will say this only once, so listen well. The traveler means well. Be wary of who you trust, and protect your loved ones with more fervor than you have before." Minato stiffened slightly before noticing that the fox's eyes flickered briefly with something raw, angry, and corrosive—it took him a moment to realize that it was utter loathing. Hatred. "... The dead are not as dead as they should be."
"What does that mean?" Jiraiya stepped forward, eyes narrowed. "'Be wary of who you trust'? 'Protect your loved ones with more fervor than before'? 'The dead are not as dead as they should be'? What is it that you know?"
The fox threw its head back and barked out a barely restrained laughter. "Hah! You humans are as skittish and foolish as ever, oh-so-ready to stab the messenger. At least I know you are listening, I suppose." Eyes glinting with amusement, the fox broke out into a wide grin. "I can't answer that question, but I'll answer an earlier one: why do I care about what happens to you three? Well..."
The grin turned malicious as it directed its attention to Minato and Kushina, and the fox whispered in a conspiratory tone. "I want your spawn."
Kushina started at this, Jiraiya stepped in front of the couple, and Minato growled lowly. "What. The hell. Are you Planning?"
The fox broke out into another fit of laughter, and the blonde felt his eyelid twitch—strangely, he felt as though he would've preferred if the Kyūbi was more like the evil, malicious creature it was famed to be instead of this... Sarcastic jokester. "I'm not planning anything, blondie. You're the ones who jumped to the conclusion that I had some evil intent."
"What else could you want a child for? You—" Jiraiya was cut off.
"I'm sleepy."
The Shinobi froze, wondering if they heard correctly. Minato's eye had taken to twitching automatically. "... What?"
"I said,"the fox drawled lazily, making an exaggerated yawn as it settled its head back on its claws. "I'm sleepy. So, take the hint and, well... Leave."
They might've refused to do so, but it seemed they were given no choice—a sudden force of chakra was slammed against each of them, and their eyes shot open in the physical world.
"Gah!" Minato turned sharply to the source of the voice, and watched with faint amusement as his sensei stepped backwards and tripped over the coffee-table—landing directly on his cranium.
"Careful, Kushina likes that table," the blonde commented lightly, earning him a half-hearted glare from the Gama-sennin.
Jiraiya grumbled as he sat up, rubbing the growing lump on his head. "A little concern would be nice, y'know. For the man who practically raised you and taught you everything you know."
"Ugh... That stupid fox..." The two men turned to the red-head, who sat up slowly, a contorted grimace of pain on her face. "That... Really hurt."
Minato nodded. "Well, we were forcibly kicked out of your seal—the strain would be more for you, since the seal itself is on you."
Kushina blinked a few times before pursing her lips, brow furrowing all the while. "... Hmm. Well, despite all of that, I have to say..." Her expression lightened slightly as she turned to the others. "... I think things went rather well, 'ttebane."
Jiraiya's jaw unhinged.
"... Well? You think that was well?" Jiraiya asked incredulously. "If—if that's your opinion of well, I'd hate to see your opinion of bad. The fox threatened your future kids!"
"That's the thing," Minato commented, glancing to his wife. She nodded lightly. "The threat wasn't... I didn't sense anything. I know you didn't either, Jiraiya-sensei; you were even more focused on the fox's movements than I." He pinned the Sannin with a serious look. "Besides, we went over what could have happened. All three of us are out, without a single hair out of place."
"Well, yeah, but even Shinobi like us make mistakes, we shouldn't assume—"
"We're not assuming anything," Kushina quickly cut in, fiddling with her hair slightly. "It's just... The fox, when it said that it 'wanted our spawn'," her mouth twisted slightly at the word, "... It almost sounded fond, in a teasing manner."
Minato nodded. "I didn't feel any real maliciousness, oddly enough. I've felt more unsavory intent from bargaining civilians."
Jiraiya sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "... Kushina-chan, can you leave for a moment? Minato and I need to have a little chat."
Kushina looked at him questioningly before nodding, walking towards the door. She sent one last glance back before slipping past the threshold into the hallway, and Minato stared at his sensei until he heard the click of the red-head's door.
"... Sensei, I understand that you are worried for us, but do you really trust me so little?" Minato frowned. "You really think that we—that I would simply trust the Kyūbi like that? I've been in as many battles as you, sensei, heck, I've probably killed and battled as much as you—so what is the reason behind your—"
"Wait, Minato," Jiraiya interrupted, holding up a hand. Minato paused before closing his mouth, looking expectantly at the Gama-sennin for an explanation. "This... Isn't about that. I know that you and Kushina-chan are perfectly capable of handling yourselves, and I would have to be a blind fool to think otherwise."
The blonde raised an eyebrow. "Then what?"
The Sannin crossed his arms. "I saw you tense when the Kyūbi spoke."
"... What?" Minato rolled his eyes with a chuckle. "Yes, I did, and yes, I was scared. We confronted the Kyūbi, Jiraiya-sensei, of course I'm going to be a little more guarded than usual."
Jiraiya shook his head, and a forlorn look crossed his face—it made the blonde feel a faint bit uncomfortable. "You tensed. When the fox mentioned that we should be wary of who we trust and how we have to protect our loved ones."
Minato stiffened, already knowing where the white-haired Sannin was going with this. He took a deep breath and aimed a tense smile at his mentor. "I'm fine, sensei. I don't know what—"
"Minato, something is obviously bothering you." His voice was decidedly morose as he pat the blonde on the shoulder. "... Just... Stop it. You forget that I am one of the people that knows you best, and that I can read you like an open book when it concerns your precious people." Minato's forced smile slid off of his face like oil. "If whatever happened concerning the boy is weighing on your mind that heavily, you should speak to us about it."
The blonde sighed, giving a faint grimace. "... It's that obvious?"
Jiraiya nodded. "It is. To me, at least. I can tell that, out of everyone, the one you're trying the hardest to convince about the boy... It's yourself. And you need to stop."
For a few moments, they simply stared at each other—Minato couldn't help but feel like a young boy again, all those years ago, when he had his first kill.
Suddenly, a heavy hand slammed down on the blonde's back and he choked, not having expected the force. Jiraiya let out a hearty laughter. "Uncertainty and lies don't suit you, my star pupil. I know you'll figure everything out eventually, you wouldn't be my student if you wouldn't."
Normally, Minato might've laughed, smiled, riposted with a comment about how Jiraiya had once denied him the title of "star pupil" because the blonde hadn't shown an interest in strain of literature that his sensei was so enamored by. However... He couldn't bring himself to. He nodded slightly, only managing a pathetic, obviously-strained smile.
Jiraiya turned, then, waving a hand in the air. "I'll see you later, I'm in Konoha so I may as well have a another sample of the more local beauties..." Perverse giggles followed the white-haired Sannin out the door, and Minato managed an exasperated yet fond smile as he sat down on the couch, combing a hand through his unruly hair.
He leaned back, reclining his head with a deep breath.
"Figure everything out, huh?"
Cold-hearted, war-hardened veteran with the blood of thousands on his hands. Kindly Jōnin sensei with the task of raising and nurturing three Genin—now Chūnin—in the harsh world that is the Shinobi world. Everything had been so perfectly separated, balanced, and he had been happy. But that balance was now being challenged, it seemed.
He slowly closed his eyes.
"... I'm definitely trying to, at least."
Obito wiped the sweat from his brow and took a swig from his water-bottle, relishing the cool, clean liquid.
He felt... Good. Content. He could even say happy, and he didn't know why, exactly. Perhaps it was his progress? Though, he wouldn't exactly say his rate of improvement was anything particularly impressive or stellar; in fact, he had progressed at a rather average pace—he just had knowledge and experience. After his team had went their separate ways for the day, he proceeded to the training grounds to do what Shinobi usually did there—train.
His physical strength, while not at full-capacity(he was physically still a child, after all; he wouldn't have his adult strength for a while) was sufficient enough to him to work with. What he did have was speed and chakra control. He would even be inclined to say that he was faster than he had been as an adult, likewise with his chakra control and efficiency. His reserves were only at about three quarters what they were when he was thirty-one, but that wasn't too important with his achieved chakra control.
In fact, Obito felt rather confident that he could easily subdue individuals such as Orochimaru or Danzō at this point should the situation call for it. Of course, this estimation was made with the idea that he'd be using his Kamui... But for that, he needed the Senju cells. It wasn't an option to not use his Mangekyō; he didn't have time to situate his technique repertoire to accommodate a new style of fighting—most of his techniques and strategies were heavily reliant on the Kamui.
The raven pursed his lips as the new issue—well, not so much "new" so much as "pushed to the side"—overtook his thoughts.
In all honesty, he still wasn't quite sure what to do about that. Gain the cells now, and he chanced being caught and labeled a missing-nin... Or ending up as an experimental body. Wait until the moment he got them the first time, and he risked being unable to save Rin—or, dying for good before changing anything, this time around. There was also a high chance that with how much he had changed already, his team wouldn't even be the one to receive the Kannabi Bridge mission. The choice was relatively obvious, but...
How did he approach Orochimaru?