Chapter Text
For all Minato's talk of Naruto adjusting to having one arm, he didn't actually seem to be struggling with the recent loss of his limb.
Maybe it's because Kakashi was there and so ready to do just about anything Naruto required, quick to grab things for him, to open doors, to slide out chairs, to hand him things. That's what Minato assumes at first, watching with mild astonishment as the two easily move around one another. They meld like two streams of water, a continuous, smooth flow.
But then... well, Minato likes to think himself fairly observant. When Kakashi isn't helping him, Minato can't help but notice that Naruto really doesn't seem to have any trouble anyway. For someone who just lost their reportedly dominant hand, he eats with practiced ease, moves with unhindered balance, and overall? If you told Minato that Naruto had lost that arm years ago, he'd believe it.
It's a testament to Naruto's skill and adaptability, one the young man doesn't even seem to realize he's displaying. Minato knew they both had to be strong to have survived so long in the world they'd described, in the one that a mere glimpse of had made Inoichi sick. Minato just... didn't know what that meant yet.
According to Lord Third, it was his job to find out. They already held some amount of trust in them due to the time traveling pair's identities alone, but that didn't mean it wasn't important to know how strong they were as well.
It was, in part, a duty. Seeing where they were and what they could do was going to tell them a lot. That, and knowing how tight a hold Naruto had on the unsealed Kyuubi was crucial. The fact that its seal was simply gone was unsettling, a tingling awareness that it could burst free at any time and lay waste if it so pleased.
Another part of Minato, a more academic side, a more adventurous, is just plain curious. This is his son and the future version of one of his students. Kakashi grew up and became a sensei to Minato's child, and fuck, he wants to know what came of that.
"I'm guessing you two don't need much in terms of a tour of the village." Minato mused, more to himself than anything. "You're up to meeting with my team, aren't you? I think it's pretty important we explain as soon as possible. Especially to Kakashi. Er, the younger one, I mean."
Naruto immediately burst into a round of snickering at the reminder of the younger version of his teacher, lips curling in a mischievous way reminiscent of Kushina.
To his credit, Kakashi didn't look all that phased by Naruto's clear amusement. He just hummed in a manner near absent-minded, reaching up to ruffle at yellow hair. Naruto elbowed him weakly, not looking like he meant it in the slightest. Kakashi just slid a hand across his shoulders and dragged him closer.
And Minato knew... he understood that things were different between them. They had been the last two people on Earth for a time. When there had been nothing else, there had at least been them, and that's all they'd had to latch onto. And maybe, in that desolate setting, it would make sense. It would look natural.
Here, though? There is something brief that flashes through Kakashi's lone eye. It is damn near animalistic in its fervor, dedication swimming through in a lightning-fast glint. It strikes quick, but the boom it leaves behind shakes through his frame. Visible in the slight tense of his shoulders, in the arm that pulls Naruto as close as Kakashi can bring him, in the way he scans their surroundings, as though daring anything to so much as try and approach and take.
It wasn't normal. Other people were going to look at them and they weren't going to know what Minato knew, what Hiruzen and Inoichi did. They looked... intimate, the way they huddled, Naruto's cheeks rosy and his grin piercing. Kakashi's body turned inwards towards him, as though seeking to draw ever nearer.
But then, what did Minato care if they looked that way to others? Maybe there'd be some judgement or questions, but he supposes that would've been true either way. What, with Naruto being another version of him and Kakashi being... well, Kakashi. Right down to the gravity defying silver hair and obscuring mask.
And even so... well, it's not really Minato's business, is it? If they need something or grow upset at any stares they may or may not get, they'll come to him if they're comfortable doing so. And if not, they seem capable enough on their own.
It was just strange, that's all. But not as strange as them being time travelers to begin with was, right? Minato was sure they just needed time to get used to the change in environment. They'd sink back into some semblance of normality eventually.
And if they didn't, well, it's not like Minato could do anything to change the fact. He may not have seen the multitude of horrors that they had, but he'd witnessed war, had found himself steeped in it for some time now. Sometimes, trauma wasn't something you could recover from. Sometimes it scarred too deep not to leave a mark.
"I'm so down, believe it! Man, I can't wait to see Little Kakashi again." Naruto grinned excitedly, arm wrapping around Kakashi's middle to give him a squeeze. "The look on his face is going to be awesome, believe it! Do you think he'll take a photo with me if I ask?"
"I think he'd sooner crotch shot you, Naruto, but by all means. Feel free to proceed at your own risk. I'll even take it for you-- I'm sure you recall that I've dabbled in photography." Kakashi's hummed words made Naruto groan dramatically, though he was expertly ignored. Kakashi turned to Minato instead. "Lead the way, Sensei. Good luck getting Naruto to stay off the training field for more than five minutes."
Sensei didn't sound as strange rolling off his tongue as it had the night before, more lax now than anything. Minato relaxed ever so slightly, even if the closed eye smile he got from the older version of his student was still unsettling.
"Hey, wait a second! What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto complained. "I can like, totally control myself. I have tons of self-restraint. And besides, I'm not even hurt anymore!"
The way he waved his stump for emphasis was most definitely not confidence-inspiring.
"All I hear are excuses." Kakashi sounded disinterested, but his gaze on Naruto's face was rapt, like he was trying to absorb every facial expression he made into his memory.
"What, so you're going to stay off the field? Don't be a hypocrite, Sensei. You're going to take one look at your past self and want to go terrorize him." Naruto poked him in the ribs with vengeance. Kakashi didn't so much as flinch. "Don't even get me started on Obito, believe it. I know you still haven't forgiven him for the whole... well. Point is, I can see why you might want to haze the guy."
Naruto made a face. Minato flashed back to his question about whether or not he was alive, and his cryptic message to keep him away from caves, or whatever it was he'd said. They were really, really going to need to go over all that sometime soon. The more they offhandedly mentioned, the more concerned Minato became.
Obito was clearly a key component. Or maybe he was just one of the nearest ones. Whatever happened with him had to be happening soon if Naruto had wanted to check he was still around upon waking up, right? Fuck, Minato had a feeling his future was going to be chock full of nothing but headaches going forward.
"Maa, maybe eventually. I think a nap is in order, first. I'll set up in a nice tree, get lost on the path of life a little. Shame I don't have any reading material." By the lilt in Kakashi's words, they probably had some deeper meaning. Especially if the scandalized look on Naruto's face was anything to go off of.
"Sensei--" Naruto's voice sounded utterly flat, his blue eyes narrowing.
"Not your sensei anymore." Kakashi reached up and poked the blonde's nose, which scrunched. Minato smothered a smile and swallowed a sigh, shaking his head. Naruto reared back, seeming offended as he swatted the masked man's hand away from his face with a smack.
"Man, why do I even try?" Naruto grumbled before pausing, his expression growing bright all of a sudden. Kakashi's visible eye crinkled, telling of his own smile. "Hey! Do you think tiny Kakashi will let me poke his nose? Or do you think he'll try to bite my finger off before I get the chance?"
Minato had a feeling it was going to be a long, long day.
Obito's just going to come out and say it, plain and simple. He's... a little upset.
He's not like angry or anything. Just disgruntled, or some big, complicated word along those lines. Discombobulated? Is that a real word? Bakashi would probably tell him it wasn't, but what the hell did he know, anyway? Aside from the entirety of Konoha's Shinobi rule book, cover to cover.
Maybe annoyed is a better word to go with. That seems like a pretty solid description of what he's feeling right now, if he does say so himself. Honestly, the whole thing is throwing around some pretty mixed signals. And in his defense, he thinks that's totally justified. He's got no fucking clue what's going on, and he doubts either of his teammates are any better off.
When he'd brought his sensei back to the front gates of the village to help with the intruder, he'd thought he was going to witness like... a really badass fight or something. A single attacker so strong they were calling for the Yellow Flash to help deal with it? It was bound to be good! Or rather, it was supposed to be good.
Instead, Obito finds out that they've now got a second Bakashi. As in, there are two now. Like one wasn't enough!
He's affronted. His worst enemy just multiplied, and what's he got to show for it? Bakashi (the one he knows, not the ugly tall one who looked like he'd just slogged through a pit of pure ash and such) had totally laid into him after Minato-sensei went off to deal with the intruder, asking a million questions that Obito had no answers to.
Did he know where the other Kakashi had come from? No, obviously not. He'd just been passing by! Did he know why there was a second Pakkun? Also no, he barely knows who the hell Pakkun is, because Bakashi never brings the thing out. Why had the other him hugged Minato's doppelganger like that? Obito was even more in the dark about that one than he was the other questions, so it was moot to even ask.
So, he's annoyed. Annoyed he's going to have to deal with two Bakashis, annoyed he has no idea what's going on, annoyed that he's been made to be annoyed. The younger Bakashi is already condescending enough, so Obito can't imagine how bad this bigger version is going to be.
Rin's running theory is time travel right now. She's smart enough that she's usually right, so Obito's pretty confident throwing his bet in on that too. It sort of helped explain the mysterious stranger that looked so much like their teacher. Not a relative from this time, but perhaps from a not-so-distant future?
Ugh. Obito doesn't know. He rarely knows anything ever, as Bakashi has become so fond of pointing out. It's not that Obito is stupid! He's just a little clumsy is all, and absent-minded, and he's prone to losing track of time and his own thoughts. It doesn't mean he's weak, or incompetent.
"You're late." Bakashi's tone is irritated, but no surprise there. That seems to be his default setting. That and unbearably stuck up. "What was it this time? An old woman needed help crossing the road?"
He sounded so patronizing that Obito genuinely contemplated trying to sock him in the face. With his luck, he'd slip and Bakashi would get one in on him instead. No need to embarrass himself in front of Rin, he guessed. Man, his life sucked.
"There was a cat stuck in a tree." Obito snapped back, scowling. He had the scratches on his forearms to prove it, too. "And besides, Minato-sensei isn't even here yet!"
It was true. Minato-sensei wasn't often late to their meetings, but when he was he usually had pretty good reason. Honestly, Obito was surprised they were meeting today at all. When he'd been told it was still on he'd half wanted to say it was a prank, because Minato-sensei really seemed like he'd be having his hands full.
"No fighting, you two!" Rin scolded, though her attention wasn't on them. She lit up with excitement, cheeks flushing. "And look! There they are now."
Obito scowled at the blush on her face. Her crush on Bakashi had made her extra curious about his much taller double, which was further proof that Obito's life totally sucked balls. He spun around on his heel, scowl deepening when he saw that their sensei was indeed not alone.
Annoyed as he was, Obito couldn't deny that he was also curious. Could you blame him? It wasn't every day an older version of your rival popped out of nowhere and went batshit on the gate guards, or whatever had happened the other day. Obito still wasn't sure, but he was okay with not being sure on that front since nobody else was either.
The other Bakashi was taller than their sensei was, with that same stupid hair and mask. The headband over the eye was new, but count on Bakashi to get himself maimed, right? He wore a long sleeve shirt, no ninja vest in sight, and simple ninja pants that most men around the village tended to wear. His sandals were also shinobi grade, dark blue just like Sensei's. Probably a borrowed pair.
It annoyed Obito even more to see that his teammate had actually... you know. Grown. That was one thing he'd always had over Bakashi. Height. Now that was apparently gone! Ugh. Obito hoped he grew up to be at least a little taller than him.
He was exactly what Obito had expected. Back ramrod straight, severe glint in his eye, and frown visible even beneath his mask. He stood with perfect posture, moving with the fluid rigidness of a schooled shinobi. He was a carbon copy of his younger self, and all speculation about why he'd hugged Minato-sensei's double flew out the window, place taken by a scowl and a confirmation that yeah, he clearly hadn't changed a bit as he aged.
Assuming this was time travel, but again. Rin was usually right.
The bigger Kakashi was uncanny. The shapes of their faces were almost identical, one simply sharper than the other, but following the same general curves. The same eyes, too. Eye? Eyes and eye? Obito's just as lost as you are on that one, but he can say one thing for certain.
This Kakashi... looks like a complete and total dick.
He walked up like he had a stick stuck up his ass so far it was forcing him to stand straight. He made for an odd sight next to Minato-sensei's doppelganger, who was snickering wildly into his hand. He hovered close to his companion: closer than Obito thought Bakashi would've normally allowed someone, but he digressed.
Minato-sensei himself looked exasperated, eyeing Bakashi and the other guy (Naruto, didn't Rin say?) with trepidation and amusement. Obito swallowed through the mounting tension in the air, glancing at his own teammates. Rin was starry-eyed, because Obito really couldn't win, and Bakashi himself...
Well. He was studying this bigger version of himself with critical eyes, arms crossed tight across his chest. At first glance he looked almost calm, but there was a certain glint there that spoke of his stressed out this entire thing was making him. Worse, Obito couldn't even blame him for it. If he were faced with an older version of himself, he's honestly not sure what he'd do.
Minato-sensei grinned sheepishly and gave a wave as they approached. Naruto's snickering only seemed to increase for some reason, especially when the older Bakashi shot him a sharp look. His face was starting to go red, and he had to bodily turn away and close his eyes for a moment, seemingly to keep from bursting out into full blown laughter.
Hadn't he laughed at the (smaller) Bakashi the other day, too? Rin had said so, anyway. Apparently he'd just gone on and on, and they'd all sort of thought he was crazy or something. Obito's sorry he missed it. Either way, at least one of them is intriguing. Anyone willing to laugh at Bakashi has a gold star in his book.
"Sorry we're late, you guys. Naruto can really pack it away." Minato greeted. Naruto was definitely the one armed guy, right? Well, obviously, since the other was Bakashi. "Anyway, I'm sure you're--"
"Is it time travel?" Rin blurted out. She smacked her hand over her mouth a mere moment later, cheeks flushing red with embarrassment.
The not big Bakashi (wow, that was going to start getting really confusing, really fast) was frowning hard enough that you could see it creasing his mask, which was comical in the sense that the older one was doing the same thing. His gaze on his older self was so intense that Obito wouldn't be surprised if he was trying to shoot lasers from his eyes.
There was silence for a moment, aside from Naruto's muffled snickering. He had tears pricking the corners of his eyes, his hand clamped so hard over his face it was a wonder he could breathe at all. Minato-sensei looked... exhausted, actually. He shot big Bakashi a withering look as the man peered down at his younger self.
Obito's not sure what he expected. He sort of thought Big Bakashi might actually snap and reprimand Rin for her tactless question, since that totally seemed like something he'd do. What he doesn't see coming from a mile away, however, is for the tension to suddenly snap as though it were never there. Just... all of a sudden.
All at once, Older Bakashi sags as though he was never wound tight in the first place. His shoulders slouch, his hands jam into his pockets, and his sharp eye grows lazy. He cocks his head slightly, considering them with a new, more relaxed air.
The change gives Obito and his teammates whiplash enough that they pause in place. Obito holds his breath. Next to bigger Bakashi, Naruto bursts out laughing. It's a genuinely gleeful sound that doesn't fit at all into the thickness that had previously been in the air.
"Maa, are we from the future? Rather subjective questioning. It's not as though that future exists anymore. It'll be different going forward. Can you come from something that doesn't exist?" Big Bakashi's tone is light and almost airy, genial. Reaching out an arm, he snags Naruto around the shoulders and drags him into his side. "What do you think, Naruto? Are we anomalous constructs? Originating from somewhere that we can never return?"
What the fuck?
"I don't know Sensei, but if there's anyone I'd want to be an anomalous construct with, it's you." Naruto wrapped his arm around him right back, eyes shining and bright, just like Minato-sensei's. "I can't believe you did that! That was so mean! You were all serious, and they were all like 'whoa, this guy's totally going to be a dick', and then you were like--"
There was absolutely no way this was happening. Obito must've tripped and hit his head at some point. He was seeing things. Was this a coma? Is he in a coma right now? People see things when they're in those sometimes, right? Can live entire lives?
Naruto goes on, continuing to ramble on and on and on and then on some more. And big Bakashi just nods and looks at him like he is the only thing on the planet. That's literally the only way Obito can describe it. He just leans into him, and Obito almost flushes at the way they press together like glue. That was definitely closer than Bakashi would normally let anyone.
Speaking of Bakashi, a glance at him (the smaller one) showed that he wasn't doing so well. In fact, if Obito didn't know any better, he looked like he might faint. And Rin was on the exact same track.
"What the fuck?" Obito voices aloud, for lack of anything else to say. Minato-sensei makes a strangled noise in the back of his throat.
"This is not how I wanted to go about this." Their teacher mutters more to himself than anything else. Big Bakashi waves a distracted hand his direction when he's shot a glare, more absentminded than anything Bakashi would usually regard their sensei with. "Yes, they're from the future. To put it simply, you're looking at my future son and the future version of...well, you, Kakashi. Kakashi Hatake and Naruto Uzumaki."
Naruto cuts himself out of his excitable ramble without missing a beat, jolting forward slightly. He drags Big Bakashi with him as he does. Obito flinches as the man peers down at him with his lone eye, lazy with an undertone of something that speaks to danger. He swallows thickly, ignoring the uncomfortable shiver that rattles around in his ribcage.
"Believe it!" Naruto agrees, beaming. "Kakashi-sensei and I aren't really allowed to tell you how we got here, or why, or like, any of that stuff! But we were totally cleared! We're staying with my dad now!"
Minato flushes a little at the title, looking like he doesn't know how to feel about it. Obito's too caught up on the "Kakashi-sensei" part to even compute. Kakashi? A teacher? Was this happening right now? Like, actually?
"By sensei, the Hokage, and T&I." Big Bakashi hums in elaboration, eyes turning away from Obito and to the younger version of himself once more. He looks him up and down, scratching the back of his neck in an idle, decidedly un-Bakashi-like way. "Was I really that small? No wonder you laughed at him."
"Oh my god." Rin chokes out. Obito's mouth feels bone dry. He can't tell if this turn of events is a good thing or not.
Naruto smacks at his apparently sensei. His apparently sensei smacks back at him, which devolves into them jamming their elbows into one another like children, and then quickly to Naruto trying to climb onto his back like some sort of spider monkey. Big Bakashi just lets it happen, reaching up blindly to feel for the blonde's face. When he finds it, he squeezes one of his cheeks like it's a ball of mochi.
Minato-sensei's smile strains a little. He looks like his eyes are screaming, staring at the pair of time travelers like he's got no idea how to deal with them. Obito is right there with him. It feels like he's having some sort of out of body experience.
It's undeniable that this is, without a shadow of a doubt, Kakashi Hatake. The similarities are too vast to deny it, even with the peculiar change in personality. How had he... How had he become like that? Why was he acting like that? All chilled out, like this all wasn't a big deal?
Naruto was definitely sensei's son, at least. With his blonde hair and ocean blues, and the fact that he had the same boisterous disposition as Kushina-san? Obito didn't have any reservations about his identity. Though, to be fair, he'd obviously never met Naruto before, so there were no preconceived notions of how he should or shouldn't be. Seeing as he wasn't even born yet.
"They'll be joining us for training for some time. The Hokage has tasked me with looking after them, so they're staying in my apartment as well, like Kakashi said." Minato looked like he didn't know how to feel as he said this. "I'll have to ask you not to interrogate them too much. There's not a lot they can say, and there's still a lot we need to work out between us. Just be aware that--"
Bakashi, all of a sudden, looked rather angry. The, er... smaller one. Obito gulped.
"That can't be me." He hissed out, cutting sensei off. Which wasn't something he did. Ever. Naruto and the bigger Kakashi both stopped, turning to look at him as he stepped up and jammed a finger in the direction of his future self. "You aren't me. They have to be lying, Sensei! I don't- I can't possibly turn into this."
Older Bakashi looked down at himself, for some reason. As if looking for something specific. Funnily enough, Naruto did the same, squinting at his version of Kakashi like he was searching for some sort of fault. Rin opened and closed her mouth a few times, clearly flustered and trying to gather herself.
"I'm actually with him on this one." Obito admitted. Tiny Bakashi sent him a venomous look, which he returned tenfold. "What?! I'm agreeing! Just look at him! You're trying to tell me that's you?!"
Older Bakashi was still looking down at himself. Naruto was massaging one of his biceps and shaking his head. Another look at Rin and she looked a little heartbroken, and Obito felt realization dawn on him as to why. His cheeks flared red again. He cleared his throat a bit, glancing down abruptly.
Surely Bakashi wasn't... with Minato-sensei's son. Right? Obito wasn't trying to be homophobic or anything, but you've got to see where he's coming from with this one, right? Maybe they were just close. It's just... well, Obito sure wasn't going around squeezing Minato-sensei's muscles, or trying to climb on top of him!
"Whatever you're thinking right now, you're off the mark." Minato sighed tiredly, drawing their attention away from the peculiar scene. "And he's not technically you, Kakashi. He's just a version of what you could've become. Now that he's actually here, that's probably not going to happen."
"Who knows, with Kakashi-sensei's influence." Naruto butt in. He grinned down at tiny Bakashi, who looked outraged. Naruto gushed immediately. "Oh my god, you're so tiny. I just want to squeeze you forever!"
It wasn't meant to be an insult, Obito knew, but it sure sounded like one. Based on Kakashi's eye twitching, it was taken as one as well.
"Why don't you go ahead and try, Naruto? My younger self could use some real love. I'd know." Older Kakashi goaded, before he pulled out a... camera? He gave Naruto a little nudge but never actually let go of him, hand lingering even as Naruto stumbled forward slightly. "Ruffle his hair a little while you're at it. He loves it when people do that."
Minato put his face in his hands. Obito had a feeling that training was about to get a whole lot more interesting.