Overtwisted

Minato watched as his daughter frowned at the little calendar on the wall, bemused by the intensity of her stare. After over ten minutes with no change in the situation, he asked, “Is there something wrong with the calendar, Hikari?”

The redhead didn’t reply immediately, lips pursed as she kept staring at the calendar. “Not the calendar,” she replied after a minute. “Just a particular date.”

“A date?” the man repeated, getting up from his seat to stand next to her. “What about it?”

“Remember the Hyuuga heiress, Hinata? That’s her birthday, December 27.” Hikari jabbed at a square on the calendar with a finger as she spoke, her frown not fading in the slightest. “It’s not her birthday that I’m worried about, but what happened that day.”

“At the cost of repeating your words again, what happened?” Minato asked, amused by his daughter’s scowl. He could admit that he was a little concerned, but since Hikari wasn’t running around in a panic, he assumed that it wasn’t serious or had an easy solution.

“The treaty between Konoha and Kumo was signed that day but Kumo did a turn-around and kidnapped Hinata. Hiashi-san gave chase and killed the Kumo nin. As expected, Kumo denied all allegations and demanded that Konoha compensate them according to the treaty.”

Now Minato was interested, looking at the redhead with a matching frown. “I’m assuming it wasn’t good.”

“Nope, it wasn’t.”

Hikari proceeded to tell her father what she knew about the treaty and how Konoha had resolved that incident. The blond winced at yet another demonstration of Konoha’s callous treatment of its citizens but couldn’t quite see why the girl was concerned and he asked as much.

“Well, I suppose it didn’t really affect Konoha in the long run,” she said hesitantly, twisting her fingers in frustration. “I know we decided not to bother with Konoha for a while, but could we change just this? I don’t want Neji to grow up without his father.”

Minato’s expression softened; he vaguely remembered the Hyuuga teen from the war. Neji had been the first one amongst Hikari’s friends to die and he knew that it had hit her hard. “Of course,” he replied, ruffling her hair gently and earning a brilliant smile.

“What are we doing this time?”

Obito walked into the room at that moment, holding Naruto in one arm. The toddler was fast asleep, drooling on the Uchiha’s shoulder, but the teen didn’t seem to mind. Kakashi was right behind him, carrying a basket of laundry. His expression showed curiosity, unlike the Uchiha’s bored one.

“Meddling in Konoha again,” Minato replied in a cheery voice, grinning when he got two deadpan stares in return. “It’s the Kumo treaty.”

The Uchiha hummed in acknowledgement and walked out of the room again, grabbing the laundry from Kakashi as he went. He already knew what the two Namikaze were talking about and didn’t think he needed to be there for any plan they concocted.

Kakashi remained behind, brow furrowed in thought. It had taken a seat on the backburner since he had been focused on Naruto, but he vaguely recalled that Konoha had been in talks with Kumo around the time he had ‘left’.

“Are we expecting a betrayal?”

“Of course we are. Shinobi villages always try to one-up one another,” Hikari scoffed, throwing herself face first onto the couch. “Can we plan something simple though? I really want as little to do as possible with Konoha until we are ready.”

Minato and Kakashi exchanged amused glances; the redhead was the one who had been most against leaving the village behind for a while but once she had embraced the freedom their choice offered, she was the first to demand that they relax and do whatever they wanted.

“Leave this one to me,” the blond man said slowly, the gears turning in his head. There was already the start of a plan in his mind and he might require Hikari’s assistance for a small part, but it was something he could on his own.

Besides, it was always fun to watch A rage whenever things didn’t go according to his wishes.

Minato sat perched upon the roof of a house with a clear view of the Hyuuga Compound, specifically the quarters which had been assigned to the Kumo Head Shinobi. The foreign nin’s chakra was bubbling, a mix of anticipation and adrenaline that was not customary of a resting person.

‘To let their guard down so easily, I wonder when Konoha started to trust people too much,’ the Namikaze thought with a grimace. If it had been him, he would have provided separate accommodations for the Kumo nin, given the village’s penchant for stealing bloodlines.

Then again, Kumo would probably never have tried such a double-cross if Minato had been in power.

Sighing, Minato tugged his hood over his black hair, having taken on the same appearance he had used when he and Obito had visited Konoha weeks ago. Maintaining too many aliases was troublesome and he didn’t particularly care what moniker and reputation he was stuck with courtesy of Konoha.

With the faintest flicker of chakra, Minato used his Hiraishin to appear just outside of Hyuuga Hinata’s room. He had placed the seal on the door that morning, when he had arrived to scout and collect information. It wouldn’t have been noticed by any of the Hyuuga, thanks to a modification his daughter had designed during the war. In any case, he removed the seal; it wasn’t going to be of any use once his job was done.

Opening the door just enough to slip inside, Minato studied the room, taking in possible routes the Kumo nin could use. There weren’t many, unless he used a Shunshin, which was unlikely since the chakra usage would alert the Hyuuga, so the foreign nin was probably planning to do everything without jutsu for the first phase of his plan.

‘Not that he is going to get the chance,’ Minato thought with a devious smirk. He pressed his palm on the floor next to the sleeping Hyuuga Heiress’ bed, placing a barrier seal that would spring up around the bed if activated. The activation conditions were simple: ill intent or chakra thrown at Hinata would be enough to trigger the seal.

The next seal Minato placed was designed to react only to the Kumo nin. Should the man enter the room to take Hinata, the seal would activate, trapping him inside a barrier while also paralyzing him. Minato considered adding a Genjutsu that would hide the trapped man from Hinata’s sight, should the girl wake up in the middle of the night, but decided against it. She could raise the alarm if it did happen and she was young enough to put the incident out of her mind in a few days.

Analyzing his work one last time to ensure that there were no errors, Minato nodded to himself and got to his feet. His last course of action was to place a letter on the desk.

All he had to do now was wait.

If dawn came without the Kumo Head Shinobi going through with his plan, the seals and letter in Hinata’s room would disappear, leaving no trace that Minato had ever been there.

But that was unlikely to happen, so he simply wondered how Konoha would respond to Kumo’s betrayal.

With his traps set, Minato vanished from the room, reappearing atop the roof he had been on earlier. “What should I do now?” he mused to himself, taking in the peaceful village. He no longer felt the burning rage at the villagers, but it wasn’t extinguished. There were other better targets for his fury than the ignorant civilians.

Humming to himself, the Namikaze stretched his senses throughout the village, in a bid to find something interesting until his trap was sprung.

“Oh?”

He perked up, finding a familiar chakra signature awake despite the late hour.

“Might as well pay a visit.”

Shikaku spun the cup of sake in his hand, watching the liquid swirl around with a blank expression. He was stressed beyond his limits, overworked in a way that he hadn’t been since the Third Shinobi War.

First, their Jinchuuriki disappeared without a trace. Gone, vanished off the face of the earth.

Second, one of their best shinobi, Hatake Kakashi, was assumed to be KIA. He never returned from his last mission and his body was missing, trail gone cold at his last known location.

Third, two unknown, powerful people had attacked Konoha, causing a surprisingly low amount of damage considering the intensity of their assault and literally zero casualties.

Fourth, the treaty with Kumo was littered with loopholes.

Shikaku had been nursing a headache for days, cycling through guilt, regret, rage and helplessness. There were so many things he could have done and yet had not, resulting in an epic failure.

“Hindsight is always 20/20, huh?”

“I didn’t expect that phrase from a Nara.”

Shikaku tensed, wondering when the newcomer had arrived and why he hadn’t sensed him. He slowly raised his gaze, narrowed eyes focusing on the man who was leaning against a tree, green eyes gleaming with amusement.

‘He appears to be one of the two from that day,’ the Nara thought, understanding why the other was classified as dangerous. The stranger had literally no presence, yet radiated an aura of power that set him on high alert.

A dangerous and contradictory combination.

“I suppose you’re not here to burn down another part of the village?” Shikaku asked drily, raising his cup of sake to the other man in a mock toast. “If the Nara Compound is your target this time, I hope you’d at least do me the courtesy of letting me know why.”

The man chuckled, tilting his head to the side as he watched the false casualness the Nara tried to project. “Don’t worry your poor head. I’m not here for that tonight. I think I’ve had my fill of being an arsonist.”

“Oh? You have something to do in Konoha?”

“I’ve already finished what I came here for,” the man shrugged, aware that he had the Nara’s full attention by the way the latter’s stare sharpened. “But leaving that aside for the moment, I have a question for you.”

“Do ask.”

Shikaku took a sip of his sake, eyes not leaving the stranger. There had been no threatening movements as of yet but the admission that the other’s task was complete made him uneasy. He wanted to extend the conversation as long as possible, to get as much information as he could.

“Since when was Konoha so naïve?”

Pausing at the strangeness of that question, Shikaku raised a thin eyebrow, setting down his cup. “Pardon?”

“You heard me. Kumo’s greed for bloodlines is well known, yet you have housed one of them in the Hyuuga Compound. And don’t tell me that Hiashi offered; you know better than to allow it.”

It was a valid question and something Shikaku had asked himself over and over again ever since the Sandaime had accepted the Hyuuga Clan Head’s offer. The loopholes in the treaty had already been irritating the Nara and that development had only exacerbated his frustration.

But first…

“How do you know that?”

The other man gave him a look, lips quirked up in a smirk. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Shikaku resisted the urge to glare at the man and inwardly grumbled about snarky people who loved to play mind games as much as he did. “Will you at least tell me your name? I can’t keep calling you ‘irritating stranger’ in my head.”

“Call me whatever you want. I don’t particularly care.”

“You sure? I’m not in the mood to be nice so I’ll stick you with something bland like Kuro,” Shikaku threatened the man half-heartedly, inwardly grumbling at the aura of amusement radiating from the other. “Or even Midori.”

“Really? The color of my hair or my eyes? Lazy Nara.”

“…you’re Kuro and that’s final.”

The newly dubbed Kuro snorted, shoulders shaking with laughter. “I stand by what I said; you’re the epitome of laziness,” he chuckled, mirth-filled green eyes shining in the moonlight. “Names aside, I’m curious as to why you’re not attacking me or at least alerting someone.”

“What can I do? You can apparently come and go like the wind. We wouldn’t be having this conversation if I did either.”

It was true. Kuro could vanish as soundlessly as he had come if Shikaku did as much as move a finger and that would be useless for the latter. When the other only hummed in response, the Nara ventured cautiously, “You said you’ve finished whatever you came for.”

“I did.”

“Then why are you still here?”

Kuro’s gaze turned faintly vacant at that, like he was focusing on something Shikaku couldn’t see. “I’m waiting.”

“…waiting?”

“Yes.”

Shikaku stared at him expectantly, wanting an elaboration. When nothing was forthcoming, he sighed and picked up his sake cup, downing the remaining contents in one gulp. This was not what he had signed up for when he had decided to pull an all-nighter.

It was peaceful though, and he decided that it was fine to remain like that if it meant that Kuro wasn’t running around and causing havoc in Konoha.

The Nara always got his answers in the end.

Minato stared at his old friend, feeling a tinge of disappointment when the Nara didn’t show any sign of recognition. He hadn’t even changed his facial features, only the color and style of his hair and eye color. Otherwise he looked the same as he always did.

‘I suppose one wouldn’t really be on the lookout for a dead person,’ he thought bitterly. It wasn’t for his sake but for his children. From what Hikari had inadvertently let slip, none of Kushina’s and his old friends had kept an eye on his daughter -son, in this dimension- and if they had, it had been only simple observation since Kakashi -both of them- had admitted that he had been the only protection detail the children had ever had.

Minato wasn’t an unreasonable man; he understood that the Sandaime had been trying to protect the children from his and Kushina’s many enemies. But there was a line between protection and ignorance and it had long since been crossed.

‘Even if they couldn’t interact with Naruto openly, they could have watched over him and made sure that he was safe.’

The same went for his daughter and while he yearned to go rip his old friends a new one, he held back. Minato didn’t want to reveal himself just yet. They could stew in their guilt for however long it took for his family to decide to return to Konoha.

Continuing down that line of thought, Minato was most disappointed in Shikaku and Fugaku. Those two had been his closest friends and had many ways to help his child, but they never did anything. Did they really think that their interference would attract the attention of the other villages?

Minato scoffed inwardly, ‘The villagers are so immersed in their hate that they don’t see the glaring resemblance and the other villages have it the other way around. They hate me so much that they would kill anyone with a passing similarity.’

Did the Sandaime really believe that there were no spies in Konoha?

The Namikaze had sensed at least three foreign chakra signatures in the village, all of them above Genin-level. A quick surveillance had revealed that they weren’t defectors and that meant they were spies.

Honestly, it was pure dumb luck that the other Shinobi villages, especially Iwa and Kumo, hadn’t learnt of Naruto’s existence.

He sighed, letting go of his resentment and agitation. It wouldn’t do to let loose, when he was only in Konoha to observe.

Speaking of observation…

‘The Kumo nin has started moving,’ Minato noted, sensing the man’s chakra signature sneaking around the Hyuuga Compound. He was being very cautious, taking care not to run into any patrols. Even so, he probably wouldn’t be caught; none of the Hyuuga had their Byakugan active, apparently as a sign of trust.

Fools.

In the few minutes it took for Minato to nitpick all of the holes in Konoha’s security, the Kumo Head Shinobi had reached Hinata’s room.

Minato was vibrating on the spot with anticipation, aware that Shikaku was staring at him weirdly, but he didn’t care. He was looking forward to what was going to happen next.

Like clockwork, the next few events progressed: the Kumo nin entered the room, chakra tinted with malice sharpening and focused on the little Hyuuga. His next step was his last, for the barrier and trap seals activated at that very second. A blue barrier enveloped Hinata’s bed, while a purple one sprung around the startled Kumo nin.

The man couldn’t even curse, chakra markings crawling up his body as the paralyzing component was triggered and he fell to the floor with a low thud.

‘Just like planned!’ Minato cheered. Kumo no longer had a leg to stand on against Konoha and the Hyuuga wouldn’t have to sacrifice one of their own.

A dark grin split his face as he imagined how the Raikage would react and mentally made a note to pop into Kumo to witness it.

“Kuro?”

Shikaku’s wary voice pulled him out of his thoughts and Minato blinked, grin widening at the disturbed expression on the Nara’s face.

“It’s always nice when things go according to plan, no?”

The Nara’s confusion only deepened, brow furrowing as he eyed the gleeful man opposite him. “I suppose? What are you talking about?”

“You’ll know soon. A little warning: don’t tolerate backstabbers.”

With that cryptic piece of advice, Minato disappeared from the Nara Compound and Konoha entirely, leaving behind a bewildered Shikaku and a village that was soon to descend into chaos.

Hiashi felt uneasy, having a foreigner in his home. But he had been the one to offer and to go back on his word at the last minute would do him and his clan no favors. He reassured himself with the fact that it was for just one night.

Deciding to check on his family one last time before retiring for the night, he activated his Byakugan and did a sweep of the house. The direction he chose had him check his wife first, spotting his brother on patrol next, his sleeping nephew third and his daughter last. However, what he saw in Hinata’s room made him rush to his feet, heart skipping a beat in panic.

There was someone who should not be there in her room, chakra erratic and body pressed to the floor. It was only when he was dashing to Hinata’s room from his study that Hiashi realized two things: one, the intruder was the Kumo nin and two, he wasn’t moving.

All signs pointed to life but the man didn’t seem to be moving at all, except for breathing. Brow furrowed, Hiashi picked up his pace and was sliding open the door to his daughter’s room in seconds, staring in bewilderment at the sight that greeted him.

Hinata was fast asleep, tucked into her futon and a blue barrier surrounding her. The Kumo Head Shinobi laid on the floor, appearing to be paralyzed and trapped within a purple barrier. Cautiously, Hiashi stepped around the second barrier, making his way to his daughter.

Prodding the blue barrier with his chakra produced no reaction and though Hiashi was worried, since his Byakugan couldn’t see either barrier, he reached for Hinata. The barrier rippled and he tensed, worried if he had set something off. But it only disappeared, the seal markings surrounding the futon fading away.

Hiashi immediately picked up his daughter and backed out of the room, eyes trained on the conscious but unmoving Kumo nin. The expression of panic and fury frozen on the man’s face was enough to give away what he had been planning and the Hyuuga Clan Head glared, angered that Kumo had intended to stab them in the back all along.

He quickly checked over his daughter, relieved when he found that she was unharmed. Flaring his chakra to alert the nearby patrol, which was coincidentally being led by his brother, Hiashi studied Hinata’s room for hints to explain the full situation.

“Nii-san!”

Hizashi appeared next to him, a faint crease between his eyes the only sign of concern. He stopped a short distance away, a few members of the Hyuuga behind him. Hiashi cleared his throat, gesturing for his twin to take his daughter.

“Take Hinata to Hitomi,” he told his confused brother in a grim tone. His gaze slid towards the frozen Kumo nin, a dark glint in them in the pale eyes, “And inform Hokage-sama that Kumo has betrayed us.”

A single look into his niece’s room gave Hizashi all the information he needed and he murmured his understanding, moving to do as he was told. Kumogakure’s slight against them, in spite of the newly signed treaty, was a great offence.

“Who else was here?” Hiashi murmured to himself as activity picked up around him, some of his clan going to check the quarters that had been assigned to the Kumo Head Shinobi, while others spread the news. No one was allowed to enter the scene of the crime yet, with little to no information on what the purple barrier did.

A study of the room led the Hyuuga Clan Head to spot the letter on the edge of the desk, placed in a way that it seemed obtrusive. Whoever had left it there had clearly meant for it to be noticed.

When basic checks revealed no traps, Hiashi picked it up. There was no name on it and opening the flap spilled two folded sheets of paper. He unfolded the first one and started to read.

Hyuuga Hiashi,

If you are reading this, then the Kumo Head Shinobi has attempted to kidnap your daughter. Currently, he should be trapped inside a purple barrier, with seal markings on his body. It is a paralyzing seal; the barrier will keep it active indefinitely. If he is moved, the effect will last for three hours.

The seals are tied to only the Kumo nin’s chakra, so it will be harmless to anyone else. Feel free to study them but I doubt you’ll get anywhere.

This is not a setup on my part, considering that I have nothing to gain from damaging the relations between Konoha and Kumo. I will tell you what I know: Kumo intended to capture Hyuuga Hinata for her Byakugan. If the kidnapping failed and the Kumo Head Shinobi was killed, what do you think would happen?

Read your treaty again if you still don’t realize the consequences.

Kumo has been playing you like a fiddle and you fools haven’t even noticed. If there hadn’t been a child’s life hanging in the balance, I wouldn’t have bothered to interfere.

There were little bits of derision in the letter, seemingly directed at Konoha as a whole. But despite the contempt in the words, Hiashi couldn’t help but feel gratitude. If what this person was saying was the truth, then his clan had just avoided a disaster.

Checking with his Byakugan told him that the Hokage and a few ANBU teams were on the way, so Hiashi quickly scanned the second paper.

For Hyuuga Hiashi’s eyes only.

The paper is tied to your chakra alone and it will appear blank if someone else glances at it.

Below is a storage seal containing some things that may interest you.

Do with it what you will.

The four short sentences explained nothing and before Hiashi could check the storage seal, the Hokage arrived at the gates of the Hyuuga Compound. He slipped the second sheet of paper into his robe and walked out of Hinata’s room, assigning two of his clansmen lingering outside to keep an eye on the captive while he went to greet the Hokage.

Hiashi could analyze the second letter later.

Hiruzen listened with a mounting headache as Ibiki reported on the interrogation of the Kumo Head Shinobi, after he was found intruding upon the Hyuuga Heiress’ quarters. Perhaps if he had listened to his Council a little more and pressed Kumo into addressing their treaty’s drawbacks, the situation might not have happened.

“Whoever placed those seals is no slouch, Hokage-sama,” Morino Ibiki remarked, expression grudgingly impressed. Konoha didn’t have any Fuuinjutsu experts except Jiraiya of the Sannin, but there were a few who dabbled in the art. None of them were able to decipher even a fraction of the seal, the design so very complicated and intricate. “Our people could hammer at it all day and understand nothing.”

“I see…thank you, Ibiki. Keep the prisoner in one of the secure cells and make sure his chakra is cut off. We don’t want any suicide attempts before we can turn this to our advantage.”

“Understood.”

The old Sarutobi sighed as the Advisors and Council started arguing about how they should deal with Kumo’s betrayal, each idea more outrageous than the previous. He wasn’t too concerned with that line of discussion, taking comfort in the fact that having proof of the other village’s treachery was enough to push Kumo into a corner.

No, he was more interested in who had known about Kumo’s plot and had actively prevented its fulfilment.

“Enough!” Hiruzen thundered when the suggestions crossed the line and bordered on starting a new war, something that he would never condone. “Discussions on what we should demand as compensation for this treachery can be held at a later time, when we have cooler heads. What I want to know is of this mysterious stranger who had protected Hyuuga Hinata and laid a trap for the Kumo Head Shinobi.”

Silence reigned in the room, no one having answers for the question posed and looking uncertainly at each other.

All except one.

“…I think I may know who. But not why.”

Everyone turned towards the speaker, Shikaku having an expression of contemplation on his scarred face.

“What do you mean, Shikaku?”

“I had an unexpected visitor earlier tonight, Hokage-sama,” the Nara said slowly, still partly lost in thought. “It was the green-eyed man from that day.”

Danzo leaned forward, expression pinched as he demanded, “And why were we not made aware of this?”

“And risk him pulling a vanishing act before I could get any information from him?” Shikaku shot back flatly, unimpressed with the Advisor.  “He didn’t come right out and say that that he did it, but he implied as much. Something about successful plans and to not tolerate backstabbers.”

The Nara nodded when realization dawned in the others’ eyes, “The trap to capture, not kill, the Kumo nin, and Kumo’s betrayal. It all fits.”

“Did he really not say anything about his motives?” Hiruzen queried, bewildered. Why would someone who had dropped into Konoha out of nowhere, burnt some buildings and professed hatred towards the village, now do something to benefit it?

“None,” Shikaku shrugged. “The letter Hiashi found says that he interfered because of Hinata. For an innocent child, and that we shouldn’t really expect anything else from him.”

“So we still don’t know anything about him.”

None of their investigations had turned up anything on the mysterious duo, not a single scrap of information. ‘At this rate, I will have to involve Jiraiya and his spy network,’ the Sandaime thought wearily, gaze falling on the sketches of the seals found in Hinata’s room, that were lying on his table. ‘At the very least, he’ll be interested in these seals.’

A loud boom, though slightly muffled, woke Minato and he opened his eyes in confusion, before registering the accompanying chakra signatures. He groaned into his pillow, mourning his lost sleep. He had stayed in Konoha for hours, watching to make sure that the Kumo nin didn’t escape before T&I could get their claws in him.

He trusted his Fuuinjutsu, but it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious.

“Might as well get up,” Minato muttered to himself as another boom was heard, throwing the blanket to the side while simultaneously swinging his legs off the bed. Yawning as he made his way to the bathroom, he wondered why his students were sparring so early in the morning. It wasn’t even past 7 A.M.

Once he was cleaned up, he dragged himself into the living room as he stifled yet another yawn. Hikari, who was curled up on the couch with a scroll, looked up as he entered, smiling widely. “Good morning, Dad,” she greeted happily, making room for the man next to her. “I thought you’d sleep a little longer.”

“I wanted to,” Minato mumbled as he plopped down, an arm over his eyes. “But the noise woke me up.”

The girl blinked, as if only then noticing the noise from outside. “Oh. I guess I tuned them out.”

“Where’s Naruto?”

“Outside, cheering on Kakashi-nii and Obito-nii. He was up at 6 or something, and proceeded to drag me out of bed for a snack,” Hikari informed her father drily, making him chuckle.

“Better you than me. Is it safe for him to be outside though? With how much chakra those two are throwing around?”

“I have a Kage Bunshin watching him and Naruto knows better than to run out recklessly when jutsu are being used,” the redhead replied, setting her scroll to the side and getting up with a stretch. “I’m going to make breakfast. Want anything in particular?”

Minato followed his daughter into the kitchen, feeling a little more awake. “I’ll help,” he said absently, taking in the contents of the cabinets. “And anything’s fine, though it doesn’t seem like we have much stuff left. We’ll have to go grocery shopping soon.”

“I wouldn’t worry, since we’re leaving this location tomorrow. We can get more stuff in the next village we go to.”

“That’s a good idea.”

The duo settled into a rhythm, dancing around each other easily as they maneuvered around the kitchen preparing breakfast. Hikari broke the silence, chopping some carrots as she asked, “How did it go?”

Minato knew what she was asking about and he grinned. “All according to plan. Hinata was perfectly fine and probably unaware of what could have happened. It was Hiashi who found the trapped Kumo nin and raised the alarm.”

Hikari’s shoulders slumped in relief. She had the utmost faith in her father and trusted him when he had told her that he would handle the situation, but it was relieving to hear that things were fine. She went in for a hug, wrapping her arms around Minato’s waist tightly.

“Thanks, Dad. Really.”

“You’re welcome, Hikari,” Minato chuckled, returning the hug. “I also visited Shikaku. He named me Kuro.”

“What?” The redhead drew back a little, squinting up at the man in confusion. “‘Kuro’”?

“After the appearance I took during my ‘visits’ to Konoha.” The blond snorted, shaking his head. “An unimaginative name, since he named me after my hair.”

Hikari started laughing, hopping back with a grin. “I see where Shikamaru got it from,” she commented, returning to the breakfast preparations. “All Nara are probably lazy unless they’re insanely curious about something. We don’t have to worry about anyone on our tail, right?”

“I didn’t reveal anything about us. Apart from piquing his curiosity with a few comments about Konoha.”

“Think Shikaku-san will figure it out?”

“Without having any information and the chance to interact with us? Unlikely,” Minato replied, pulling out a carton of milk and pouring the contents into a few mugs. He could sense his students’ spar winding down and knew that they’d be in for breakfast soon. “Even Shikaku would be hard-pressed to theorize that he had actually been talking with someone who was supposed to be dead.”

“True. Well, we don’t have anything to do with or in Konoha for a while anyway. Not like we’re going to run into him anytime again anytime soon.”

Humming in agreement, Minato tilted his head to the side. He was studying his students’ chakra reserves with his sensory skills, frowning in thought. “Is it just me or does Kakashi feel…rather weak?”

Hikari snorted in response and eyed her father with an amused side-glance. “Compared to us, almost everyone will feel weak. And you’re remembering Kakashi-nii from the war. Kashi-nii is still seventeen here; he’ll grow. Anyone else will stare at you weirdly for that comment though.”

“Huh? Why?”

“I keep forgetting that you really don’t know everyone’s life before the war,” the girl remarked, giggling at the raised eyebrow Minato shot her. “Kashi-nii is known as the Copy-nin, right? He learnt over a thousand jutsu with his Sharingan to earn that title.”

“Impressive. But he doesn’t have the chakra reserves to use them efficiently.”

“Yeah. Naruto has the same amount chakra as Kashi-nii and Naruto’s reserves will only grow larger.”

“Hmm…think we can get him to catch up to us?”

Hikari paused, turning her stare upon her grinning father. Rolling around the man’s words in her head, she slowly processed it, a devious smirk curling her mouth.

“Oh, definitely.”

In the grounds outside the little house, Kakashi shivered, cold tendrils of terror creeping down his spine.

‘Why do I feel like I should make a run for it?’