Chapter Seven

The boy was a jinchuriki.

Minato swallowed thickly as he dodged another swipe of the blond boy's claws, his heart racing in his chest as he gazed into those familiar crimson eyes.

Familiar because he'd seen then before, the times lessening as the years went by and their owner gained more control over her emotions and her inner demon.

The Kyuubi's eyes.

Since landing in this time and meeting his student's team, there had been several things nagging at him, setting off red flags that he'd ignored in his haste to make sure his team was okay.

Things like the way the blonde, Naruto, had kept as far from him as possible, sending him furtive glances from the corner of his eye.

Things like adult Kakashi's seeming indifference to everything that had happened, and his obvious dislike for his younger counterpart.

Things like the Uchiha kid keeping himself between him and the blonde, as if protecting them from each other.

Like the way Jiraiya had protested him and his team being sent with adult Kakashi.

Like the blonde's striking resemblance to him with the exception of the whiskers marring his cheeks.

It had all tripped his instincts and yet he'd ignored it all, until now.

Now it was literally staring him in the face.

A child, bearing his face and Kushina's curse.

Their child.

Worse, as the boy attacked, he could feel the faint whispers of his own chakra near his navel, no doubt where his seal was.

Oh Kami…

How could he have done something like that?

To his own son?

Without thinking, he used his hiraishin to get behind the boy and he-

He hugged him.

It was all he could do.

He hugged him with all the love he felt building in him for the strong, terrified child in front of him, burying his face in the soft blonde hair as the boy froze.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." He whispered, his voice breaking, and he felt the teen shudder, a low animalistic whine leaving his throat.

In front of them, Kushina stepped forward, her own eyes tinted the same crimson as she came to the same conclusion, Naruto's team mates tense and watching as she joined the two blonde's.

"Y-you're our son?"

Hesitantly, Naruto nodded, staring at her in wonder, and so much pain she felt her heart ache for him.

"I sealed Kurama in you." Minato rasped and again the younger male nodded, something dark flashing in his eyes, before he spoke, his voice still bearing the Kyuubi's growling undertone.

"Kurama attacked the village the night I was born. You sealed him in me to save everyone."

"Leaving you alone." The Yondaime replied.

He shook his head. "Mostly. Sensei was in the ANBU at the time, but he helped me when he was in the village. Gave me fresh food and clean clothes. Left books so I could learn to read and write." His voice softened back into its normal tenor and his father gave a low sob, arms tightening briefly before he pulled away with a watery chuckle when Kushina dove in to take his spot. Rin and Obito smiled, seeing the paternal fire they'd come to associate with their sensei burning as he gazed at his son. Team seven grinned, happy their youngest was meeting his parents for the first time, even if they'd never pictured it like this.

Meanwhile, no one noticed as younger Kakashi slipped from the room.

Well…almost no one…

*/*

Sakumo felt his eyes narrow as the younger version of his pup left the room, conflicted as he decided whether to follow the teen or not.

Since arriving in the past, teenage Kakashi had done everything he could to avoid him, and even when faced with him the boy refused to look him the eye. Instead the boy insisted on looking past him or over his shoulder, his dark eyes haunted the rare few times their eyes had met. At first, he hadn't known why, hadn't know what had happened to them.

Then there had been his adult son's outburst.

"I have no idea? I am you, you pathetic child! I came home, just as you did. Watched him thrust his blade into his gut, just as you did! I watched hi bleed out in the study."

He'd committed suicide…and Kakashi had found him in the act.

Had watched him die.

How do you apologize for putting your child- your children through that?

He didn't know.

A familiar hand drew his attention from the doorway the pup had left through and he turned to find Jiraiya watching him with compassion and anger in his eyes.

"Go talk to him." He mouthed. "He missed you. Probably more than he or his adult self would ever admit."

Resolve strengthening, he nodded and followed the path the teen had taken only minutes before. He already knew where to find him, after all there was only one place in the compound that had always given the younger Hatake comfort.

Moving through the familiar halls, he smiled as he reached the door he was looking for and found the teen's chakra there.

He knocked one, paused, then knocked thrice, another pause, then two more knocks, a secret code only they knew.

He heard a soft sniffle, then door opened, and he found himself staring into wet, red-rimmed eyes.

"Tou-san," He son whimpered, sounding so much younger than his thirteen years and his arms were around the pup before he was even consciously aware he was moving.

"Oh, Kashi," He murmured, feeling the tiny form before him tremble as years of pain left the owner in the form of deep, gasping sobs.

In all the years he'd been a father, he'd never heard his son cry like that, and his heart ached that he was the reason behind it. That he had been the person to hurt the boy so much.

After all, before being dragged forward in time, hadn't he been preparing to do he exact thing that the elder version of his son had snarled at the younger. He'd been waiting for Kashi to come home, hoping to spend one last night with the boy, who had been avoiding him for nearly a week.

"Don't leave me again." The child in his arms pled, and he felt his grip on him tighten. "I'm sorry. Please, don't leave again."

A spark of the protective will that had died on his failed mission returned with a vengeance and he let out a rumbling coo to calm the pup.

"I won't. Sh, everything's okay, kiddo. I'm not going anywhere."

Slowly his pup calmed, sobs quieting to soft sniffles as his breathing evened out and he smiled slightly as he looked down to find the younger sleeping.

Perhaps in his own time, he'd lost his reason for living, but in this one, he could feel his will returning. After all, now he had not one, but two broken pups to look after and he had a feeling that getting through to older one would be a lot harder than getting through to this one.

He ran his fingers through his younger son's hair, warmth spreading through him as the kid curled closer to him.

Yes, it would all be worth it.

He just had to find his eldest.

*/*

The man was watching him again.

A single empty eye gazed down at the memorial stone, their owner keeping his posture deceptively relaxed as they felt the burning gaze boring into them.

For years, he'd been aware of the being stalking him, yet he'd only once caught a glimpse of them, and yet…he knew they meant him no harm.

It was a naïve concept, especially for a shinobi as paranoid as himself, but if there was one thing he'd learned it was to trust his instincts. The same instincts that told him that while his stalker was dangerous, he wouldn't harm him.

Even if they hadn't, he knew he wouldn't have been able to gather the will to fear him anyway, not when remembered the night he'd caught a glimpse of him.

It had been shortly after the mission that had cost his father his reputation. Some of the older ANBU had been infuriated with his father, blaming him for the war and they'd made sure he knew that they blamed him as well. They'd beaten him and then they'd-

Well, it had been an experience he'd never forget.

The man had appeared only moments after his attackers had left his naked, broken form in the alley near the Uchiha district, and the man had healed him, had taken him to the river and cleaned him before dressing him and leaving him in the training grounds of his own compound. He doubted that the man had even noticed that he'd awakened during the healing, if only briefly, and had caught a glimpse of his wild dark mane and that angrily spinning sharingan.

He'd never dared to speak of him.

Of the incident.

Yet since then, he'd become attuned to his presence, to the fluctuating chakra that broadcasted his emotions, including the protective fury permeating the air now.

He'd wondered what about him had drawn such a being's interest, but also couldn't bring himself to care.

He couldn't bring himself to care about much of anything outside of training his genin, nowadays.

And even that would soon be taken from him.

After all, he knew without a doubt that Sasuke and Naruto had passed the exams, and Sakura would be joining the medic corps after they'd settle the ghosts of his pasts.

So where did that leave him?

After all, even his ghosts had no need of him beyond keeping his younger self from repeating his mistakes. Once they assimilated to this new time, he doubted they'd even wish to see him, not after the way he'd treated their Kakashi.

Perhaps, he'd disappear?

Slip back into the ANBU and go back to taking back to back missions as he had all those years ago. Go back to working and hoping that maybe one day he'd moved just a bit too slow and-

A tiny smile quirked his lips at the thought, before he sighed.

But first, he needed to return to his team.

His gaze found the names of each of the ghost waiting back at the compound for him.

Hatake Sakumo.

Namikaze Minato.

Uzumaki Kushina.

Uchiha Obito.

Nohara Rin.

He idly pictured his own joining them.

Hatake Kakashi.

Unbidden, a bark of laughter left him.

One day, he promised, turning away from the stone to wander back to the compound that was just as much a ghost of his past as the people inside of it.

One day.

Behind him, he felt his stalker's fury flare, then that burning chakra vanished from his senses.

He smiled.

TBC…

A/N: So…I'm back?