Hello everyone,
I'm sorry this chapter took so long to finish. I've literally written it anew three times, but each time I wasn't really happy with the way the story went. Now I can finally say that I'm happy with how this chapter turned out! Enjoy the read!

Chapter 5

~ The first ray of hope ~

Another two weeks went by fast, making it a month since his arrival and Akio had settled down well. After they'd met, he and Kushina became good friends immediately and even though it saddened him that his mother didn't know who he really was, spending time together like they did now was already more that he'd ever hoped for.

The bond he now had with his father was growing just as strong as the one he shared with the red head, if not stronger. He often spent the hours after diner with the blond, going through any subject they thought of at the moment and talking deep into the night. It was usually in those quiet moments, that he realized how much he'd missed growing up without a father. Of course he'd always had Iruka-sensei and later on pervy sage to talk to, but those moments had been different somehow; talking with Minato, especially about their daily things, felt more personal.

One of the things he loved almost as much as the time he spent with his parents was the time he spent training with team Minato. Although he hadn't exactly made any progress with Kakashi, both Rin and Obito had become a big part of his daily life. His wariness towards the Uchiha hadn't completely disappeared, but he'd learned to keep the Obito from now, and the person he'd known in his original timeline, separate. As soon as he'd done that, it turned out that he really liked the eager teen that had almost nothing in common with the Uchiha he'd grown up with and although he would never admit it out loud, Obito reminded him a lot of his younger self.

However, seeing the way team Minato acted made him realize that he'd lost a bigger part of himself then he'd thought. Especially Obito and Rin still had the innocence of the ganin he remembered so well. It didn't mean that they weren't skilled, not at all; in the multiple missions they'd had he'd often relied on their teamwork knowing they would be able to finish the job. No, the innocence he recognized had nothing to do with them not taking the life of a shinobi seriously, but more with the way they laughed after another successful mission had been cleared. It was the laugh of someone who thought it was always going to stay that way. Of course as chunin they both knew things would change, but the changes they were thinking off were of them becoming jounin, maybe getting a team of their own and hanging out with their old sensei and each other once in a while. It included nothing like the death of a close teammate and friend.

He knew that the war had changed him, there was no denying that. Yet he'd never realized how much, until he saw the joy and life in his younger teammates eyes. Things that he was sure, were not visible in his own. Yes he laughed with them, but lingering in the back of his mind was always the sorrow of knowing that at one point in time he'd laughed like that with his old team. The thought of not being able to do that again made it feel like the little joy he sometimes felt would soon choke him in silent guilt and regret. There were times that those feelings became too much and it was in those times that he often went to the place that almost felt like a second home now; anbu headquarters. It was among those silent fighters where he could lose his frustrations and focus on the difficult missions instead. Doing those missions didn't give him the satisfaction it would have done before the fourth shinobi war had started, but it did give him a sense of purpose and eased, if only a bit, the restlessness he felt inside.

The truth was that besides training and some missions with team Minato he wasn't doing anything. Until Kakashi became jounin there were no differences he could make, nothing he could change. Just like back in the war, he was useless.

"Please, no!"

Useless, a good for nothing. He was just wasting his time idly standing by waiting for something to happen. How many more days would go by without him being able to do something? To finally start what he'd come for?

"I didn't do anything, please let me go!"

Green eyes flashed down at the figure tied in front of him, the repulsion in them clearly visible behind the painted fox mask. "Let you go? Now why would I do that?"

It had been three days since he'd received the mission to catch a traitor on the run somewhere in the land of grass before the man'd be able to cross to the land of stone. The first day they'd wasted their whole day searching, wet and miserable, as rain had started to come down as soon as they'd left. The second day they'd been able to pick up a trace of the man by pure luck, only to be ambushed by the anbu of Iwa who'd been sent to prevent their mission. They'd evaded them and had shaken them off easily enough, but the manoeuvre had made them lose track of their target again. It hadn't been until the start of the evening on the third day that they'd found the trail anew and had finally been able to catch up to him. The single enemy anbu that had stayed behind to protect their target had been dealt with quietly, but now they still had to return the man to the hidden leaf village and it was already becoming dark.

"What are your orders, captain?"

He let out a heavy sigh and turned to his team, knowing they'd respect any choice he made, "we can make it back to the village by nightfall tomorrow if we leave right away," but then again he'd never been one to decide everything on his own, "is there anyone who isn't up to that?"

Just as he thought, everybody shook their head; ready to do what was necessary to finish the mission. With a gesture of his head he motioned Kuma, one of his subordinates, to take the traitor and signed the rest of his team to get ready. "Be on guard at all times, those anbu of the hidden stone can't be far behind."

As the receding traces of light flickered in his eyes he ignored the whimpering cries of their target as Kuma threw him over his shoulder and leapt up, more than ready to be home again.

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Akio let out a deep sigh as he stripped himself of his anbu clothes and placed them on the bed. Slowly he grabbed the standard outfit that every jounin had in his possession before putting it on and letting out another sigh. The mission had taken longer than they'd expected and he and his team had only returned after the sun had come up again. With multiple team members injured and one unconscious it had taken them a long time to get away from the Iwa anbu and into the safety of their own borders. Because of that, the mission had taken quite a toll on him, even more so with Kurama still resting; his wounds were healing slower than ever.

As the exhausted teen put on his flak vest, knowing he'd had another day of training to look forward to, the sound of footsteps reached his ears. With a soft curse he jumped up and shoved the anbu clothes in his closet just as someone knocked on his door and opened it.

"Akio, we have a new mission."

The teen closed his eyes in defeat before opening them again and walking toward the blond, his limbs feelings slow and heavy. "I'm coming."

As he stopped before his father, Minato gave him a worried look. "You seem tired, is everything alright?"

Akio nodded and ran a quick hand through his hair to hide the yawn he felt coming up. "Yeah." If it had just been training he would've been able to deal with it, but a mission took all hope of rest away. Lowering his arm again he let out a sigh once more. 'Well, I'll just have to manage somehow.'

Minato looked him over once more, opened his mouth to say something, then apparently deciding against it closed it again and turned away. "We're going on a mission, Kushina! It might take awhile before we're back!" the blond yelled in the direction of the kitchen. A loud "All right, be careful you two!" was called back and his father shook his head silently, a big smile plastered on his face, before making his way to the door; the raven haired teen following him in silence.

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As the two reached the village gates Akio stopped and looked around in surprise. "Where are the others?"

Minato, who'd been a few steps in front of the teen, halted as well and turned back to answer his question. "They won't be coming with us on this mission."

Akio gazed at his companion in surprise. In the time he'd lived here, he'd only had a single mission with the blond alone and that had included his anbu guard. However after a week of night missions as the new anbu captain, the third hokage had finally ordered his guard to step down and now even when he expanded his senses outwards, he could feel that there was no one following them. It would be the first mission where he would be truly alone with his father. The thought, no matter how exhausted he felt, made him happy, but at the same time he couldn't help but be curious as to why the others were left out of this mission. He was aware that Kakashi had his jounin exam in four days; him not being here meant that there was a chance of them being gone longer than that, but that didn't account for the other two not coming along.

Minato read the confusion on the teen's face and gave him a reassuring smile. "I know that we normally go out with the whole team," he started, "but this mission needs a certain delicacy and both lord third and I agreed that it was too dangerous to bring along anyone below jounin level. As for why you're here; lord third advised me to take you with me as you have some experience in missions like these."

Akio eyed the blonde warily. "Where are we going exactly?"

"To Sunagakure. The fire daimyo has finally decided that it's better to end this war sooner than later and lord third has been permitted to send out the request of a peace treaty. If we can get the sand to sign this treaty, the land of fire will no longer be at war with the land of wind. If really fortunate, we might even gain an ally against the land of earth."

Green eyes widened. 'The sand, that meant… Gaara!' In a single instant all his doubts about the mission disappeared and his tiredness made way for new energy, the heaviness in his body momentarily forgotten in the rising tide that was hope. If he could help Gaara now, Shukaku wouldn't be able to influence him so easily and then his red haired friend wouldn't have to suffer so much either. He could spare Gaara… everything.

"You seem excited, Akio. Surely this is not your first time to Suna?"

The teen shook his head, a melancholic smile plastered on his face. "No, but it's been a few years since I've been there. I'm just wondering how much has changed, that's all."

Minato gave him a smile in return. "I don't think it has changed for the past five years, but we'll find out soon enough." Nodding to the two jounin who were standing guard, the blond walked through the village gates before raising his speed and jumping into the trees. "Let's go!"

Akio followed him with newfound determination. It would take them about three days to reach the hidden sand village, hopefully enough time to think of a way to save Gaara. Sadly there wasn't much he knew that could be of help to him, he didn't even know if his friend had been born yet. However, a better chance than this wasn't likely to come any time soon and he wasn't about to waste the opportunity. He would find a way, for sure.

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Akio let out a soft groan as he sank against the base of the three, the physical strain of the past few days more than sensible. They'd had a few breaks here and there, but never long enough to deflect the effects of not having slept for three days and now it finally seemed to catch up to him. His whole body felt sore and strained, not to mention that his normally high chakra levels were pitifully low.

Resting his head back against the rough bark he absent-mindedly watched the flames of their campfire flickering back and forth, leaving trails of burning embers in its wake. Minato was sitting across from him, his hands busily running over the new three-pronged kunai he'd been working on. They'd hardly spoken a word to each other since they'd left the village and the raven haired teen felt slightly guilty for his silence. He knew the blond was worried about him, his father didn't have to say it out loud for him to recognize the signs. He just...didn't know what to say.

A sigh escaped him and his eyes fluttered closed as an old memory brought him back to the first time he'd met his father. Back then he hadn't known what to say at first either, too shocked at finding out that he was actually the son of the famous fourth hokage. And when the knowledge had finally settled, the first thing he'd done had been hitting the man in his guts. The corners of his mouth lifted up in a faint smile at the image, but a new thought made them fall back down again. Would Minato feel as betrayed as he had when the blond found out the truth?

Opening his eyes, his gaze immediately fell on the blond and lingered there. What would his father say if he knew that his own son was sitting right in front of him? What would he do if the teen told him the blond would never get to see him grow up? That both him and his wife would die, before they'd even got to spend a single day with their son, because they'd sacrifice their lives so he could live?

The thoughts made his insides ache and on the ground his fingers tore deep grooves into the earth; scarring it, just as the knowledge of never being able to tell his father created wounds of his own. Every decision in favor of changing his past, meant another step away from the life he had right now. At the time of his birth, Minato had made the choice to save the village at the cost of his own life, but… what if he couldn't do the same?

"How did you do it?" he asked softly, fully aware that the blond would hear his question.

The blond looked up in surprise. "How did I do what?"

Shaking his head slowly, Akio let out a quiet breath. "Nevermind." Nothing good would come from asking such a question, not if he couldn't ask for the truth.

Minato watched him for a moment, his eyes roaming around the teen's body, before putting away the kunai and leaning his forearms on his knees. "What's wrong, Akio?" Not waiting for the teen's answer, the blond continued: "You've been distracted for the past week; you're barely there when we're training and the last two missions you didn't even consult with the rest of the team before jumping in. I get that you're the one making decisions when it comes to missions in anbu, but I thought you realized that we did things differently?"

His heart skipping a beat, the teen shot straight up and stared at his father in shock. "You knew?"

The blond gave him a hurtful look in return. "Of course I knew. Lord third might have given you a great alibi for those missions, but did you really think I wouldn't know that an anbu was living under my own roof?"

Akio took a shaky breath, his face becoming even paler than before. "What about Kushina?"

At that Minato let out a nervous laugh. "Do you think either of us would still be alive if she knew?" he asked jokingly.

The teen chuckled faintly and sat back against the tree. "I guess not," he answered before quickly sitting up straight again. "Wait, if you knew… why didn't you stop me?"

The question caused his companion to let out a soft sigh. "If we were family or if you'd put my team in danger I might have, but as it stands you are neither that nor have you ever jeopardized my students. As a fellow jounin and an anbu operative you are more than responsible enough for your own deeds and as such I have neither right nor reason to stop you from doing what you want to do in your own time."

Akio clenched his teeth. Oh how he wished he could tell the blonde everything; that he had every right to put him in his place, because he...

"Minato… I-" His voice was full of emotion, betraying exactly how much he wanted to confess everything, but no sooner had he started or his father interrupted him.

"Let's continue this talk tomorrow, we still have a long way to go and you already look exhausted. I'll cover the watch tonight, so make sure you get a good night sleep."

Too tired to contradict the blonds words, Akio just rested his head back against the tree and closed his eyes. He didn't yet know what he would tell the blond tomorrow, if he would tell anything at all, but the thought of being able to spend more time with his father comforted him more than he realized. Sure to regret it later he ignored the consequences for now and let the idea of staying with his family sink in his mind, wrapping it around himself like a cloak of safety. It made a warmth, stronger than anything he'd ever felt before, settle in his chest and made the faint smile that covered his features as he slowly drifted to sleep last just a while longer.

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"We can do this. We can protect our village, and keep our friends save. The children too." Naruto blinked up at Shikamaru, his heartbeat racing in his ears. He needed to convince the Nara and help Kakashi as soon as possible, that was the only outcome he'd allow.

"But why? Why your way?"

"Because…What I'm protecting.. is the most important thing, for the future of our village."

Shikamaru cocked his head a little, confusing clearly visible in his dark eyes . "What's that? What are you saying?"

"All of the children, back in the village, they need a future they can believe in, to take pride in our way of life. Yes our ninja protect the code of our village and they'll always be willing to give their lives to keep people safe from harm." He closed his eyes for a second and balled his hands to fists before opening his eyes again and throwing his head forward. "But listen, there's more than that!"

Blue eyes pierced in Shikamaru's, the corners blinking with unshed tears. "Is sacrificing friends the way of the village?! Is that really who we wanna be?! Are you okay with that?! Winning like that may save our village, but it will corrupt it too! It will only cause suffering. Don't you see…"

The blond closed his eyes again, his tears clearly visible now and shook his head in sadness. "The village I love just doesn't do things that way." Faintly he wiped the wetness from his eyes and slowly took a step closer to the nara; "I want to…,"

each added step breaching the distance between them, "protect it…,"

just as he hoped his voice would breach their difference in thinking. "no matter what."

Suddenly he jumped forward and grabbed the front of Shikamaru's cape. "We have to protect the leaf village I love. That's the only future that matters! That's the future the children need!"

Shaking his friend once Naruto finally shoved Shikamaru away, making the nara stumble back before looking up at the blond in shock. He didn't know if it was because he'd never seen his genius friend look so stunned, or because his guts told him to, but he knew he'd said the right things. Closing their distance once more he gently laid a hand on the brunette's shoulder in passing, confident that this time Shikamaru wouldn't try to stop him.

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A soft sigh escaped him as he opened his eyes, greeted with the sight of broad green leaved branches weaving in a cloudless blue sky. The morning sun was just barely getting through the thick greenery, giving him a chance to get used to the light of day. Throwing a quick look at their now cold campfire he realized the blond was still sitting where he'd been last night, making it seem like the man had never moved. The thought made him smile inwardly.

The serene atmosphere only added to his already calm mind and for the first time in years he actually felt well rested after sleeping at night. The war had never let him sleep longer than two or three hours a day, if at all and after the jump back in time, his sleep had been flooded with either nightmares or real memories. At this point he still didn't know which one was worse.

Letting out a stifled yawn, Akio slowly got to his feet and quietly stretched his arms out over his head; making the muscles in his back stretch out before easing again. The dream he'd had today had also been a memory, but one that wasn't surrounded by failure and bloodshed. It had been from a time before the war, back when he'd wanted to save Kakashi from giving himself up for the village and Shikamaru had tried to stop him. That day he'd finally understood what had been most important to him and it was something he carried with him still.

"You look better."

He felt better. "It's been a while since I slept through the night." The teen tried to ignore the pity visible in those blue eyes as they followed him on his way to a small stream, but he still felt a pull in his stomach as he kneeled down to drink. Cupping water in his hands and bringing it closer, he took a few swigs before throwing the rest in his face and running a cool hand through his hair. Early morning or not, the temperature was already on a steady rise and as they crossed the borders of the land of wind the days would only become warmer.

He couldn't help the smile that crept on his face. In just two days he would be able to change the past of one of his best friends. Unlike before the Gaara of this timeline wouldn't have to suffer all those years alone, he would make sure of that; and in doing that there would be a bigger chance to talk to the one tail, although… He shook his head to get rid of the thought, the possibility of having another tailed beast on his side too unreliable for now. Gaara he could help, the tanuki however, was another matter altogether.

Rising to his feet again he was about to turn around when it dawned on him that something felt off. Scanning the surrounding area he didn't notice anything amiss, but not even the sight of a squirrel calmy searching for nuts in the undergrowth made the feeling in his gut fade. Instead, it only grew stronger until every sense of his body said the exact same thing: someone was watching them, someone dangerous.

A flicker of movement reached the corner of his eyes as Minato joined his side, the three pronged kunai clearly finished and steadily laying in the blonds hand; ready for use. Their gazes met for a moment and Akio shook his head slowly at his father's raised eyebrow. No, he didn't recognize the chakra of their hidden visitor, but it wouldn't take long to find out who it was. Taking a step forward the teen motioned his companion to get ready before focusing his green eyes back on where he knew their watcher to be. "Who are you?"

Slightly bending through his knees he didn't miss the ripples of growing chakra washing over them, unfamiliar and yet not entirely foreign. Recognition struck him just mere seconds before he was greeted with the sight of a painted mask, one he remembered very well. 'Haku?' Straightening himself he almost took a step forward before it dawned on him that it couldn't possibly be the talented boy he'd fought in the land of waves. 'Right, he's probably just a baby about now.' Pushing the thought to the back of his mind he focused again on the figure in front of them. Equal to the young ice user, the man in front of him wore his hair mostly up; the two locks of hair that were loose, bound by a metal cuff. However, looking closer he realized that while Haku's hair had been black, this man's was clearly a darker brown.

"-doing in the land of fire?"

Akio slightly shook his head to try and regain his concentration, having missed the first part of the blonds questions. It was clear they were dealing with one of the hunter nin from the land of water, famous for their tracking skills. Meeting him here could only mean one thing: a missing nin had escaped from the hidden mist and entered another land; just as Zabuza had done back then.

'Zabuza…'

Given that the missing nin had been younger than Kakashi when they'd fought, did that mean it had not happened yet? Was the hidden mist still continuing with their disgusting ways? Unbeknownst to a lot of shinobi, the final test of Kirigakure's academy included killing a fellow student, someone you'd trained and learned with. A friend.

"When I was your age, my hands were already soaked in blood."

A shudder went through him and he closed his eyes at the memory. Zabuza, not even a student at the time had not killed one, but over a hundred academy students, earning himself the name: demon of the hidden mist. He was a cold blooded murderer and yet… he'd loved Haku, just as much as the boy had loved him.

If only he could've helped them.

"Certainly. Farewell then."

Suddenly the teens eyes flew open and he took a step forward as the hunter nin turned around, ready to go. "Wait!" He couldn't help them back then, but maybe he could help them now. If he could change how the hidden mist treated their shinobi, then neither Zabuza nor Haku would have to become missin nin.

"I want you to bring a message to the mizukage," he declared without hesitation.

Akio was aware that both Minato and the hidden mist shinobi were probably thinking him crazy, but if there was any chance of changing both Zabuza's and Haku's fate, then he needed to at least try.

"And why would I do that?" a soft female voice answered him.

He ignored his own bewilderment at not realizing the hunter nin was a woman until now and tried to think of a good argument. For this to work he needed the mizukage to be interested in what he had to say or his chance would entirely disappear. However, there wasn't a lot he knew about the hidden mist except for the information that Zabuza and Kakashi had given him a long time ago. He could try using that knowledge, but would it be enough to spark the curiosity of a headstrong kage?

'Well, only one way to find out.'

Akio took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. "Because I know what the final exam of the academy entails."

The hunter-nin shrugged while lifting her hands. "Everybody knows what happens at the final exams, it's common knowledge."

The teen narrowed his eyes to slits. "So it's common knowledge that a graduation student must kill another student to pass?"

The woman immediately stiffened and tsked softly as Minato turned to her with narrowed eyes. "Is that true?"

With a brisk shake of her head, the hunter-nin let out another annoyed sound before focusing her gaze on the Yellow Flash. "That is of no concern to shinobi of the leaf, and as for you…', she turned to him with her hand outstretched, "I will bring the mizukage your message, but only as soon as my mission is finished."

Akio stared at her hand for a moment, wondering if it was better to put it on paper, but in the end there was only one thing he wanted the mizukage to know and it didn't require a whole scroll to write it down. So he just shook his head and met her gaze again. "Tell him that if he continues down this path he will not only lose an entire graduation class, but two of the most highly skilled ninja the hidden mist has ever known."

By the way the hunter-nin cocked her head she was clearly wondering how much of this new information bore truth, but Akio wasn't going to do anything to vanquish her doubts. As one of the special tasked anbu she would know how important it was to her kage to retrieve any knowledge concerning the hidden mist. The fact that he knew about the final exam, meant that somewhere there was a leak and the mizukage would want to know where; therefore she had no choice but to deliver it, not if she valued her place right now.

Having said what he wanted, the teen gave a nod to Minato and turned, ready to be on his way again. He would find out in time if the mizukage was interested in meeting with him, but for now Gaara was the only important thing on his mind; after all he still needed to finish the seal.

"What's your name?"

The question made him turn his head slightly with a wistful smile. "It's Akio. Akio Furakawa."

It wasn't of course, but he could hardly give her his true name with his father standing beside him, although he was sure that it would rouse the Mizukage unlike anything else. Knowing that the Yellow Flash had a son would've been valuable information, especially during the third shinobi world war.

Minato said a quick goodbye to the hunter-nin before turning away as well and jumping up into the trees. The teen was about to follow when a last thought slipped into his mind.

"Zabuza Momochi," he whispered softly, yet loud enough to know that she would hear him, "please, help him if you can."

After that he quickly jumped up and followed the blonde into the trees, putting in a burst of speed to bridge the created distance between them. Maybe he'd made a mistake by asking her that and attracting attention to Zabuza, but… Akio shook his head, willing himself to focus on the upcoming days. Two more days and they would reach the sand; at this point he shouldn't let his mind wander to things that were out of his control. Which brought him to a problem he'd been mulling over since the start of the mission: the seal.

The eight trigrams seal his father had used was certainly an option, but if possible he wanted the one tail to have no influence on Gaara whatsoever; at least not until the red haired was ready for it. However, as the four symbol seal was designed now, it would be close to impossible to place one completely on top of the other without leaving any gaps. The fourth hokage had been widely known for his sealing knowledge and yet... not even his father had been able to make the two four symbol seals overlap each other fully.

He ran a distracted hand through his hair, entirely absorbed into his own thoughts. The eight trigrams seal would always leave a risk of exposure and while he was sure that Gaara could overcome it, he didn't want his friend to go through the same things as he had. He wanted the red haired to have a normal life, or at least as normal as a jinchuriki's life could be.

"Want to tell me what all that was about?"

Akio let out an inaudible sigh before looking at the owner of the voice with a faint smile. The blond had lowered his speed to drop back to his side and was now staring at him with a raised eyebrow. "Any chance you'll lose your curiosity?"

"None."

Sighing audibly this time he raised his shoulders in a shrug and shook his head. "There's honestly not a lot to tell. I found out about their final test a few years ago when I ran into one of their missing nin. I've been trying to find a way to the mizukage ever since, but it never seemed like the right time."

"And now it was?" By the way Minato's eyebrows pinched together he knew that the blond found his story hard to believe, but there was enough to think about already and right now his father's doubts were being flooded by more pressing matters.

He needed to create a seal stronger and yet more stable than the eight trigrams seal, but… how?

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Akio slumped on his back with a frustrated groan, the burning of his muscles long forgotten. After having traveled the entire day they'd finally reached the border of the land of wind mere seconds before sundown. Their camp was situated right in the last line of trees before sand engulfed everything as far as they looked and it was right on that boundary were the teen had planted himself on the ground to write out his ideas. At least… he would have if he'd had any.

Blinking up at the now dark sky, the raven haired teen found himself wondering if it was even possible to create something that would have both the strength and the stability to seal a tailed beast entirely. No matter how much he'd thought about it, the end result was always the same; the one tails would always hold some influence over Gaara.

Sighing softly he ran a quick hand through his hair before jumping up and walking toward their campsite. They couldn't risk a fire this close to the border, but the moon cast just enough light for him to see a pair of blue eyes settling on him. He knew that what happened this morning was still weighing on the blonds mind and there was no doubt that Minato was considering asking him about it, again.

Sitting down beside his father, the teen let out another sigh before closing his eyes and leaning back on his hands.

"You do that a lot lately."

"What?" he opened his eyes and turned his head to the man beside him.

"Sigh," the blond answered before continuing with a question, "something on your mind?"

He chuckled faintly. "You can say that again."

Minato turned to him and while one half of his face was hidden by shadows, the other half made it clear how worried the blond actually was. "You know that you can always confide in me, right?"

Akio nodded once, knowing fully well that he could say anything to his father without being judged for it, but… "This is different."

"Has it something to do with your past?" He nodded again and beside him, the blond let out a soft sound in confirmation. "I figured it was something like that. You've always been keen to talk to me about anything, yet when it comes to your time before joining us, a word hardly has been said."

Akio sat up, ready to say something in return, when a gentle shake of the blonds head made him stop. "I don't blame you, Akio. What you told me that first day we met is enough reason for anyone to want to stay silent. I just want you to know that I'm here for you should you decide otherwise."

Not knowing what to say to that, the teen just lowered himself on his back and glanced at the man he'd always wanted to get to know better. The fourth hokage had been an important person to him even before he'd known about his heritage, but it hadn't been until he'd actually met his father that he'd wanted to find out everything he could about the blond. Now, not only did he have the chance to do all of that, there was an opportunity for his father to get to know him back as well… yet here he was, wasting it.

"It was my dream to be the hokage someday," he admitted softly. Surprise was apparent in Minato's one visible eye, nevertheless he gave the raven haired teen a warm smile and that gave him enough courage to go on. "At first it was just a reaction to how everyone treated me, but as I grew older I truly started to appreciate what it meant to bear the title of kage."

"How they treated you?"

Akio closed his eyes and opened them again after letting out a soft sigh. "I was an orphan. My parents… they both gave their lives to protect the village shortly after I was born. Because of that the people around me always looked down on me and treated me differently."

Silence fell as his words echoed in his ears and it wasn't until Minato fully turned toward him and their eyes met, that the realisation of what he'd said truly hit him. After his talk with lord third he'd promised himself he wouldn't mention his past unless truly necessary. Only now did he understand how much of a burden that promise had been, endlessly weighing on his mind until there was nothing left but the thought to keep everyone away from him. The promise had been broken, but while breaking his word normally left a bitter taste in his mouth, this time it had lifted the weight from his shoulders, if only for a moment.

"I'm sorry."

Minato's apology washed over him like a breath of fresh air and he broke their gaze while cushioning his hands behind his head. "It's okay. I've never let it define who I am and I'm not about to start now. My parents were heroes and while I wish that they would've been able to raise me," he paused and met his father's eyes again, "I couldn't be more proud to be called their son."

The smile the blond gave him in return made his insides clench with guilty joy. Even though he'd meant every word of what he'd said, part of him couldn't stop thinking whether his father would still treat him the same were he to find out the truth.

Battling the urge to avert his head in shame, Akio willed himself to sit up instead while lowering his eyes to the ground. He tried to think of something to say, but the silence that had fallen had settled in his mind like an impenetrable barrier. Part of him felt a compulsion to continue their talk from last night, but he wasn't sure how to breach the subject. He did regret not telling Minato about his anbu life, but what really made him feel bad about it was the disappointed he'd seen in those blue eyes and the fact that there was a voice whispering in his head that even though this was probably the first time he'd let the blond down, it would most definitely not be the last.

Akio shifted from position, trying to quell the restlessness he felt as the prospect entered his mind, but deep inside he knew: moving places wasn't going to make those feelings disappear and he would probably bear them until the end of his mission. An end he hoped would be brought on by completion instead of the failure constantly abiding his thoughts, leaving him anxious and in doubt.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Minato watched the exchange in the younger man's expression with a thoughtful mind. It was clear that the teen was trying to keep his composure, but the cause as to what had triggered the boys anxiety left him completely in the dark. The pride he'd seen only moments ago had entirely disappeared and not for the first time was he reminded of Akio's age.

Afraid that the teen would pull away again if he asked what was wrong, the blond decided to act like he hadn't noticed anything and made a visible show of stretching his arms above his head while stifling a fake yawn. Discreetly glancing sideways he watched as tension slowly started to fade from the teens rigged form and formerly distant green eyes turned clear again. Inwardly he was happy that the call he'd made seemed to be the right one, but to all appearances the temptation of sleep was pulling him under and this time, as he yawned widely, there was no need for acting. Not at all surprised at his tiredness after having spend their whole day traveling, Minato focused his sleepy gaze on his companion while trying to suppress another yawn. "Any chance that you could take the first shift tonight?"

The raven haired gave him an apologetic smile in return. "Yeah of course. It's my fault you didn't get any sleep last night after all."

The blond shot him a reassuring smile in return and reached out to ruffle through the teens dark locks. "If it makes you feel better you can always forget to wake me up for my shift," he said bemusedly before pulling back with a wink and lowering himself on his side. With one arm folded under his head and his back safely turned toward the younger man, Minato let out a contented sigh. Just last night he'd been wondering if Akio would ever really let him in and now it seemed like the first step had finally been taken. Closing his eyes he said a soft goodnight, just barely hearing the goodnight muttered in return, and let the tendrils of sleep drag him down.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He didn't know what woke him first; Akio's panicked voice loudly shouting his name or the familiar metallic tang of blood. Within one movement he leaped up from the ground, only to immediately duck back down again as his instincts warned him for the kunai passing mere millimeters above his head. Trying to get his bearings Minato let his eyes wander across their campsite, wondering what in kami's name was going on. At one point while he was sleeping clouds must have gathered in the sky, blocking both the moon and her valuable light; while leaving his surroundings completely and utterly dark. Sounds of a struggle came from his left, but a soft rustling right in front of him made him realize that he was about to have problems of his own. Wanting to know what kind of situation he was dealing with, the blond silently crouched and placed his index finger on the ground while sending his chakra outwards. 'One, two….' Straightening he narrowed his eyes in thought as the seriousness of their position fully dawned on him. There were eight in total: four of them a short distance away from their camp; evidently acting as backup, and while he was only facing a single opponent Akio was facing three of them, all of them at least jounin level.

As a vague shadow stalked closer and closer to him, Minato readied himself by grabbing multiple shuriken out of his pouch with his left hand and sliding a hidden kunai out of his sleeve into his right. "Who are you?" he asked, his voice clearly ringing over the sounds of battle. "Why are you attacking us?"

The answer he received was a whistling sound he recognized all to well. Lifting his right hand, Minato easily deflected the few shuriken coming his way and quickly followed up by throwing his own. Not waiting for his opponents reaction he swiftly jumped after them, using the cover they gave him to close the distance between him and his foe. Sparks fluttered to life and faded again as a shadow efficiently averted the ninja tools only to disappear again before the blond could fully make contact. Minato stopped his pursued, aware that chasing ghosts would lead him nowhere and closed his eyes habitually. As a shinobi he'd often trained with a blindfold, knowing that relying on his eyes too much could bring him to a dangerous disadvantage.

A smile tugged at his lips at the memory of a younger version of himself whacking his sensei on the head with a bamboo stick, perfectly blinded by his own hitai-ate. Back then, sensing his surroundings had come quite naturally and right now he was more than thankful for that. Focusing on his surroundings, the blond took a deep breath before exhaling slowly again; clearing his mind of all thoughts but one. 'Where are you?'

A pained cry in the distance reached his ears and Minato clenched his jaw as he recognized his companions voice. 'Just hold on, Akio.' Willing himself to hurry, the blond forced his worries about the raven haired out of his mind and focused on finding his opponent. The appearance of a chakra nature right behind him drew his attention and in the span of a single breath he leaped backwards, sailing right over his enemy, and dropped to the ground on three limbs while sweeping his right leg outwards. His opponent let out a startled grunt as his legs were swept from beneath him and Minato immediately took hold of the opportunity by grabbing another shuriken from his pouch and throwing it just as his enemy jumped back to his feet. Quickly running through the necessary hand seals he finally finished with the tiger.

"Shuriken shadow clone jutsu!"

Within a single moment the single shuriken he'd thrown had copied into a thousand before subsequently raining down on his opponent like a deadly shower. Not waiting to see if his attack had done any damage, the blond send out his senses right away and started running in the direction where he could feel Akio's presence; not liking one bit how low the teens chakra levels felt.

Worry gnawed at his insides as he cleared the trees and sprinted through the sand. Part of him knew that the raven haired teen was an anbu captain and would be more than capable of dealing with three jounins on his own, but he couldn't help listen to that tiny voice in his mind, warning him that something was terribly wrong.

"That's quite close enough."

The blond slit to a halt, his eyes narrowing as he tried to make out the vague shadows appearing a little distance away from him. By now little pieces of clouds had dissipated, giving him just enough light to see a few meters ahead, but not enough to see who he was dealing with clearly. What unnerved him the most however was how faded his companions chakra felt.

"Give us the scroll."

Blue eyes narrowed even further. There was only one scroll he carried that was possibly significant enough to go through all this trouble, but if they were truly behind the peace treaty documents, how did they come to know about it? There was really only one answer possible and the knowledge brought new worries to mind.

For a moment he let the silence drag on, wondering on how best to proceed. "What have you done to my partner?" he finally asked calmly, the warning in his words clearly audible.

Someone snickered, the sound harsh and misplaced in the normally silent night. "You leaf shinobi are always so proud of your abilities. Belief my surprise when I found this one scribbling in the sand right in the open, not a care in the world." His words were accompanied by the heavy thud of a body falling on the ground followed by a soft groan. "Is this what you teach your students these days in times of war?"

Minato couldn't believe what he was hearing. Akio? Caught of guard? Impossible. There had to be some other explanation as to how they'd defeated him so easily. And yet… A wave of uncertainty washed over him; the teen had been acting strange the last couple of days, not to mention his lack of energy. Was it possible that the raven haired had been even more exhausted then he'd let on? With a brisk shake of his head he banished the thought to the back of his mind. In the end it didn't matter what had happened, at least not right now. He needed to figure out a way to ensure the safety of both Akio and the scroll.

Weighing his options carefully he eventually grabbed one of his own kunai and readied himself for a frontal attack. At that moment a strong wind picked up and before he knew it the whole area was bathed in moonlight. Blinking in surprise at the sudden change of contrast he almost missed the audible gasps coming from right in front of him, but as his gaze fell on the familiar symbols of the hidden stones, he clearly saw two of the three shinobi take a step backwards. Before them, Akio was lying face down in the sand, unmoving.

"T-that blond hair… could it be..?"

"It's him…!"

Their voices rang out over the sand, the fear clearly noticeable in them, but Minato ignored them and instead focused his eyes on the person who hadn't moved a single step. "Where did the village hidden in the stones come to retrieve knowledge about our mission?"

His opponent met his gaze right on and fiercely glared at the blond before lowering his eyes to the raven haired; a grin slowly spreading on the man's face. Minato rushed forward, aware of what the stone ninja was trying to do, but even with his speed the distance had been too big to breach entirely and he grudgingly stopped again as Akio's pained groan filled his ears.

"Move so much as a whisker and he's done for," his foe voiced loudly before turning his head slightly to glare at his comrades. "You two, take that scroll from him!"

The hidden stone ninja was crouched over the teen, one hand buried in the younger man's black hair and pulling Akio's head back in an uncomfortable looking way, while the other held a kunai dangerously close to the teens throat.

"But captain…"

"If he really were the Yellow Flash we would've been dead five minutes ago, now get the damn scroll!"

The blond tightened his grip on the kunai he was holding as the two jounin cautiously crept closer, circling him from both sides; evidently trying to trap him between them. The pace they were going at told him they were reluctant to approach, nevertheless he couldn't overlook them either. They seemed afraid right now, but shinobi of the stone were well known for following orders without hesitation. Should they suddenly decide to stick to their reputation, he was sure that their captain would prevent him from defending himself and he couldn't risk taking out their leader while Akio's life was on the line. Glancing sidelong at the incoming dangers he desperately tried to think of an idea, but no matter what he thought of the end result was always the same; he couldn't protect both the teen and the scroll at the same time.

Closing his eyes with a sigh he lowered his head in defeat. "If I give you the scroll, will you guarantee his safety?"

"If you give us the scroll and ensure our department I will give you my word that no further harm comes to the boy," the captain replied roughly.

Minato raised his head and eyed his opponent for a moment. He wasn't sure if the word of a hidden stone shinobi meant anything during a time of war, but it wasn't like he had another choice either. Letting out a heavy sigh he loosened his fingers around the kunai, making it fall to the ground and nodded once. "Then we have a deal."

"The scroll is in the outermost left chest pocket of my flack jacket," he started while turning his head to the jounin on his left. "grab it and leave."

The stone ninja shared an anxious look with his comrade before swallowing visibly and closing the distance between them. Bringing his hand forward the man quickly opened the blond's pocket and caught the scroll in his hand while flinching as Minato stared him down. He kept watching them as the two jounins nodded to each other and leaped back to the relative safety of their captain where their eyes met each other again and the blond motioned to the raven haired teen with his head. "You have your scroll, now let him go."

The captain sneered at him. "And let you kill us as soon as our backs are turned? I think not."

Blue eyes narrowed. "I gave you my word," he replied coldly.

"Words mean nothing in times of war. You leaf shinobi better get used to that."

The hidden stone shinobi called his companions forward with a single motion of his head, but with the kunai still held in place Minato could only watch in silence as each took one of the teens arms and lifted him up. Having freed one hand the captain held it out and grinned widely as his subordinate placed the scroll in it.

"You're making a mistake," Minato voiced coldly, his blue eyes full of loathing as he stared at the man in front of him. However the hidden stone captain didn't meet his gaze this time and turned to one of his companions instead, whispering in the man's ear. While the blond couldn't hear what was being said, it didn't pass him by how his opponents hand lifted slightly to the side with the motion; finally giving him the opportunity he was waiting for.

Slowly reaching backwards he lifted the flap of his pouch and reached inside, his heart rate slightly increasing as his hand enclosed around one of his kunai. One chance. He had one chance to do this right. The blond closed his eyes while exhaling softly and opened them again with clear resolve, the formally hidden kunai now shallowly piercing the soft flesh underneath the captains chin. Two voices cried out in fear as they realized he'd appeared right behind them and a thud could be heard as the motionless body of his companion fell back to the ground; having been let go by the two startled jounins. Yet from all those sounds it was the soft gasp of sheer surprise that continued to echo in his ears as he pressed down a little harder, a trickle of blood slipping down the captains neck.

"It's impossible...," the jounin whispered with a strained voice, 'it can't be you. The Yellow Flash of the leaf... In the village hidden in the stones we were warned that we must flee the very moment we caught sight of you…" The captain paused to take a shaky breath. "Now I understand why…"

With a final motion Minato ended the shinobi's life, not even blinking as the lifeless body dropped to the ground and the distinct smell of blood once again entered his nose. The captain had made his choice knowing fully well what would happen to him if it proved to be the wrong one, just as every shinobi did. Even so, the loss of a life saddened him all the same.

Pushing those feelings to the back of his mind he finally turned to the two jounin who had been staring at him in shocked silence, their eyes wide with fear. He glanced at each one of them, the now blooded kunai loosely gribbed in his right hand. "Now, I'm going to ask you one more time. Who gave you the information of our mission?"

The jounin on his right shakingly raised his hands in the air in a gesture of calming. "W-we don't know. The Tsuchikage received a letter saying that a scroll of great interest could be found on the borders of the land of wind. There was an exact time and location, but it wasn't signed."

The blond raised an incredulous eyebrow. "You received an anonymous letter in a time of war and didn't think twice about its contents? What if it had been a trap to lure you in?"

The jounin was visibly taken aback at this and turned to his companion for help, but the other man only gave an uncomfortable shrug in return. "We've been camped here for a week now and didn't see anybody suspicious, not until you two came along," he replied lamely.

Minato shook his head in disbelief. He knew that hidden stone ninja often followed their orders without thought, but even so their sudden information reeked of danger. A danger that had not only known the location of the scroll, but also which hidden village would benefit the most from acquiring its knowledge. Letting out a heavy sigh at the implications he stowed away his ninja tool and turned to kneel down at Akio's still lifeless form. Letting his eyes roam over the teens body it was clear that except for a few scratches there were no other injuries; which only puzzled him more about the condition the young man was in. Thinking for a moment he finally looked back at the two jounin who'd silently been trying to back away and ignored the way they stiffened as his voice rang out to them. "What did you give him?"

"E-eh, just a sedative, it should wear of in a few hours…"

The blond let out a sigh of relief and straightened back on his feet, satisfied that the raven haired wasn't in any immediate danger. Unfortunately he still had to deal with the situation with the hidden stone. Frowning slightly he stared down at the dead stone ninja, contemplating what to do next.

'You can't let them live,' a voice in his mind whispered softly and he closed his eyes in resignation as the truth washed over him. Letting them go didn't just mean that the hidden stone would know the contents of the letter bore truth, it also ensured that its owner would know about its failure. Indirectly that person would come to know that Minato now was aware of a traitor in the hidden leaf and that endangered not only him, but the people he loved as well. There was really only one thing he could do.

Taking a deep breath the Yellow Flash of the hidden leaf opened his eyes, exhaled slowly and turned to finish the job.