บท 2206: 17
Notes:
The final chapter is here! We get a little time skip and a happily ever after <3 Thank you all for your support and for sticking with this story. This was my first story for this fandom so it's a bit surreal to be done. I just kind of stared at my document for a while and didn't know what to do with myself. I hope you find the ending satisfying.
Per multiple readers' request, I will write an alternate ending at some point where Obito doesn't die. I don't know if I'll just add a chapter or make a part 2 just yet. I'm leaning toward just adding a chapter so I don't have to come up with more series names and stuff, but lmk if you have a preference in terms of notifications!
For a little clarification on ages, since I've been purposefully kind of vague about how old exactly everyone is (yes I'm taking liberties don't @ me):
-Kakashi: late teens
-Itachi: preteen/tween
-Baby Team 7: pre academy
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
~A few years later~
They were only about an hour or so out from Konoha at their current pace, and Kushina was ready for a very long nap. She wished she could say the same about her very energetic son, but he was still bouncing around, making his ANBU and jounin guards frantically herd him back and forth between them to prevent him from wandering too far. In fact, it was his fault they were traveling at a slower pace, because he'd been too wound up to stay still on one of their backs any longer. The kid needed to run around and burn some energy, and they were finally close enough to Konoha (and safety) to let him.
If Kushina wasn't enjoying the show so much, she would have intervened to spare the poor ANBU and jounin some embarrassment. Unfortunately for Minato's best agents, watching them fail to contain the bundle of chaotic energy that was one of their village's jinchuuriki was just too much fun.
The trip to Suna had been productive, and successful. She would even say it was fun, once some of the initial tension melted away. It hadn't been completely stress free, of course. Considering she had been there to see to the Ichibi jinchuuriki's seal, and had brought one of Konoha's own jinchuuriki with her, it was bound to be at least a little bit stressful. She probably should have left Naruto at home, but Kurama had shown her how important the little redhead boy from Suna would become to her son in the future, so she just couldn't help introducing them now.
Yes, it caused Minato a major headache, sending both his wife and son (who was also the jinchuuriki of the most powerful bijuu in existence) to a foreign city, but it was worth it. Kurama had assured her that the Ichibi had not been tormenting his jinchuuriki in this timeline like he had in the fox's own, but the seal was still a mess. It made both bijuu and jinchuuriki prone to fits of madness, as it did not keep their consciousnesses properly separated. Anyone would have gone insane, constantly trying to untangle the mess of thoughts and emotions that had become caught between the two.
Once Kushina had fixed the seal, and felt confident that neither the Ichibi nor the Kazekage's son were going to go on a manic rampage, she let Naruto work his magic on the kid. Within five minutes, Naruto had dragged the other jinchuuriki out of his shell and made a new friend. Naruto already made his mother promise to help him write letters to his new friend Gaara on a regular basis. She did, however, have to convince her son that once per week was plenty, and that multiple letters per day would be a bit excessive.
"Catch me, catch me!" Naruto demanded as he practically threw himself at the nearest shinobi he could find. He hadn't jumped from a very tall height, but everyone outside of Kushina and Minato's inner circle had a tendency to treat Naruto like glass. Whether it was a fear of the bijuu contained within him, or a fear of being the one to let the Hokage's kid get hurt, she didn't know.
While Kushina trusted Minato's hand-picked shinobi for this mission with Naruto's well-being, she really needed Naruto to be more cautious. They'd had multiple conversations about "stranger danger" and Naruto just didn't seem to grasp the concept that not everyone wanted to be his friend, or that some people were not safe to try to befriend at all. At least Kurama would warn him if someone really wanted to hurt him, and could protect him from potential threats. But she'd rather not have him get into those situations in the first place.
The unsuspecting ANBU Naruto had chosen, who Kushina only knew as "Sparrow", looked around wildly as they caught the boy in midair. Naruto was generally charming and well-liked, but his energy and enthusiasm were often a bit too much for shinobi in mission-mode.
Kushina took pity on them, gesturing for them to shoo Naruto toward her. "Naruto, you need to let the nice shinobi do their job."
Even with a mask on, Sparrow clearly looked grateful for the intervention. Naruto was pouting, but he returned to his mother's side once they set him down. He whined, "But I'm bored! We've been walking forever !"
"If you would let someone carry you we'd be home by now. Then you could play with your toys," Kushina reasoned.
Unfortunately, children of Naruto's age were not known for being particularly reasonable. "But that's still so far away!"
"Not for a super strong shinobi like your mom!" she grinned. "I'm not as fast as your dad, but I bet I could get us there before sundown." Kushina gestured for Naruto to come closer, as if she was letting him in on an important secret. "In fact, I bet I could get us there before any of them," she whispered, gesturing toward their guards with a nod of her head.
Naruto's eyes lit up with mischief. "You really think so?"
"Oh yeah, definitely." Kushina probably wasn't actually faster, considering Minato had trained all of them before trusting them to guard his wife and son. However, she knew that they could definitely hear her talking, and should easily understand her plan. They didn't actually have to lose their guard, their guard just had to stay out of sight.
Naruto took the bait, practically scrambling up onto his mother's back. He settled in, gripping tightly like she'd shown him so he wouldn't fall off. Kushina turned to wink at the closest ANBU. She certainly wasn't going to make it easy for them, even if she knew she wouldn't win.
"You ready?" she asked, making sure Naruto was secure and comfortable.
The boy didn't answer immediately, seeming lost in thought. Kushina suspected his bijuu was talking to him. She was proven right when Naruto told her, "Kurama says he's gonna help!"
That was the only warning she got before both she and Naruto were surrounded by a cloak of the Kyuubi's red hot chakra. Kurama's influence didn't hurt, nor was it particularly unfamiliar. Honestly, it wasn't even surprising. Kurama was a competitive little shit, just like her and Naruto.
Kushina laughed, enjoying the startled yells from the unsuspecting shinobi around her. "Oh, you tricky old fox! How about the three of us show them how it's done?"
Naruto cheered, "Let's go, let's go!"
With a wicked grin, Kushina pushed off from the ground with so much force that she left a large divot in the earth. She barely caught the sounds of protest from her guards as the world started to blur around her. With the amount of chakra she was using to propel herself, even a shunshin wasn't enough to catch her. It would have taken the hiraishin itself to be a match for the speed boost provided by the Kyuubi's near infinite chakra supply.
Naruto shrieked with glee, urging his mother to run faster. Kurama's chakra not only gave them a good boost, it also helped keep Naruto stuck safely to Kushina's back. She had a good grip on his legs, of course, but she was going fast enough that he could have easily been blown off if there wasn't chakra helping to keep him safely in place.
At their current speed, it took no time at all to reach their destination. She didn't slow down until the village's gates were in sight, skidding to a stop so she gracefully slid through the gates and back into the village. The startled chunin guards cried out in surprise at her sudden appearance, shrinking back under the oppressive aura of the Kyuubi's chakra.
Kushina offered them a sarcastic salute, just as Kurama's chakra began to fade. Naruto let out a disappointed whine, realizing the game was over. Kushina reached up to pat her son's leg placatingly.
"I know it was fun, but running around with Kurama's chakra wouldn't be safe in the village," she reasoned.
"Awww, we'd be careful!" His face wasn't visible from this angle, but Kushina knew he was pouting.
Even though Kushina had been making an effort to change the village's views on the jinchuuriki and the bijuu in general, change didn't come overnight. The Kyuubi's chakra may be more familiar to the village's general populace than it once was, but that didn't erase decades of fear and ignorance. It also didn't erase the fact that Naruto was a child with terrible impulse control and had one of the greatest powers in the world at his fingertips. Accidents were bound to happen–and had happened. Nothing serious, fortunately, but Kushina wasn't willing to tempt fate. They'd just barely finished cleaning up from the last bijuu disaster and really didn't need another one. So, letting Naruto run wild around the village with the Kyuubi's chakra in full swing was a terrible idea.
After a few minutes, their exasperated ANBU and jounin guards filtered into the village behind them. "You did your jobs," Kushina grinned, "you got the Hokage's wife and son back to the village in one piece." She waved over her shoulder. "I'll go report back to Minato, the rest of you do whatever else you need to do."
Most likely, they'd be writing up their own reports on how uncooperative Kushina and Naruto had been. That was fine, Minato knew to expect it by now. He'd get that cute, frustrated wrinkle on his forehead that he always got when he was lecturing her about making the lives of his ANBU difficult. Kushina couldn't help but chuckle as she thought about her husband's adorably irritated expression.
"What's funny, mama?" Naruto asked.
Kushina tilted her head so she could see Naruto out of the corner of her eye, still on her back. "Oh, I'm just thinking about your dad's face when he finds out we ditched them."
Naruto's giggles answered her own. "He does make a funny face," the boy agreed.
Their light laughter continued all the way to Hokage Tower. She was immediately waved in, and greeted cheerfully by Minato's staff. She made her way up the stairs, still carrying Naruto, until she found herself outside the doors of the Hokage's office. She set Naruto down once he started wiggling, then pushed the doors open.
"We're back!" Kushina called out.
Naruto didn't waste any time, barrelling through the door to his father's office before they could even get a response. Of course, no one stopped them, and the ANBU stationed in front of the door even held it open for them so the enthusiastic jinchuuriki wasn't slowed down.
Minato was behind his desk, leaning his chin forward onto his clasped hands and regarding the room's other occupant with unconcealed amusement. Kakashi was in front of the Hokage's desk, in his jounin gear rather than an ANBU mask, shooting Minato an impressive glare. They must have been arguing about something, but both of them paused when the door to the office opened. Both of them seemed to soften as Naruto propelled himself toward them on his stubby little legs.
He stopped at Kakashi first, hugging the older boy tightly around his leg, which was as high as he could reach. Kakashi patted his head a few times, looking fond and gentle in a way that made Kushina want to burst into a happy, blubbering mess.
Once Naruto decided he was finished with his first greeting, he turned toward his father with a bright grin. Kushina smiled as she watched her husband's face light up, moving around his desk so he could catch Naruto in his arms. Naruto was already talking a mile a minute, telling his father all about his new friend and what he'd seen in Suna.
"Dad, dad, guess what?" the boy asked, gripping the hem of his father's cloak with comical seriousness.
"What?" Minato responded warmly.
"I made a friend! His name is Gaara and he's like me!" Naruto explained chipperly. "I met his bijuu too. His name's Shukaku and he's kind of rude and grumpy but he's also really cute and chunky. He's not as nice as Isobu, but he's really funny when he's mad. But Kurama's still the coolest!" He placed a hand over his abdomen to punctuate the statement. "Oh and Gaara's brother and sister were pretty nice too, but oh! None of them had ever had ramen before, can you believe it? I told them they should come here and eat some of old man Teuchi's ramen and they said it sounds like fun! And then we played in the sand, and made sand castles, and I got some sand in my pants which was gross and scratchy, but then Gaara made a huge fort! It was like–" He gestured wildly with his little hands.
Minato nodded along to their son's rambling, interjecting only to offer the occasional "oh wow" or "that sounds like fun".
While Minato was occupied with their happily babbling son, Kakashi slid up beside her. "Welcome back," he greeted warmly. After a brief pause, he added, "And Isobu says, welcome home, not-Tomato Head."
Kushina rolled her eyes at the nickname. She knew Isobu didn't mean anything by it, but she still hated that she couldn't get the bijuu to just call her by her name. She had a feeling that Kakashi encouraged him to use the ridiculous nickname instead. Actually, based on how Kakashi's visible eye was shining with mirth, she knew it for a fact.
She only held off from giving him a good noogie because she didn't want to make a scene in the Hokage's office and leave a mess for Minato's ANBU to clean up. She'd tortured them enough for one day. "Yeah, yeah, I missed you too. And I missed not finding sand in very uncomfortable places."
Kakashi made a face at her. "I really did not need to know that."
Kushina nudged him affectionately with her elbow. She knew that Kakashi was not the most touchy-feely person, but liked some reassurance after one of them had been gone for a while. As expected, he relaxed minutely at the contact.
"So, what about you?" she asked. "It looked like you and Minato were talking about something pretty important before I got here."
Kakashi sighed and leveled a glance at Minato. "As a matter of fact, it would be very helpful if you could speak to your husband about how unreasonable he's being."
"Oh, my husband , huh? Not even 'the Hokage' or 'sensei'? He must've really pissed you off," Kushina snickered. She turned toward the man in question, raising an eyebrow. "What did you do?"
"Why do you assume I did something?" Minato whined, prompting a few giggles from Naruto at his petulant tone.
"Uh oh, dad's in trouble!" Naruto giggled.
"My own family turned against me!" Minato wailed dramatically. "What have I done to deserve such a fate?" He swung Naruto around playfully as he spoke, resulting in even more delighted laughter from the boy.
Kushina's heart warmed at the scene. Even Kakashi couldn't completely hide his amusement and happiness. Sometimes, in moments like this, it hit her how close she'd been to losing all this. To losing them. Seeing her family's laughter, it was hard to believe only a few years ago this future seemed impossible. Though she tried not to dwell on it, she often found herself wondering where they'd be if Kurama hadn't changed their fates.
Well, she knew where she and Minato would be. And she knew what the fox's reality had looked like for Naruto, and Kakashi too. And for Mikoto's family and her clan. Yeah, she liked this much better.
Crossing his arms over his chest, Kakashi asked, "Well, are you going to tell her? Or should I?"
Minato paused the game he was playing with Naruto, looking at Kakashi with obvious exasperation. "Honestly, Kakashi, it's not that big of a deal. You make it sound like I'm sending you on some dangerous, impossible S-class mission or something."
"You might as well be," he grumbled under his breath.
Turning to Kushina, the Hokage explained, "I'm assigning Kakashi a genin team. That's all."
"You dramatic little brat." Kushina smacked Kakashi lightly on the shoulder. "I thought you'd come to terms with the fact that you were going to be a jounin instructor."
"Yes, to Naruto. In the distant future. Not right now, and not–" he shook his head, then glared at Minato again. "Tell her who you've put on my team."
Minato sighed. "It was a personal favor, and honestly one that I think is a good idea. I wouldn't have okayed it if I didn't think it was."
"A personal favor?" Kakashi scoffed. "The man hates me. Why would he ever trust me with–" He gestured vaguely.
"He doesn't hate you," Mintao insisted. "He wouldn't keep training you if he did."
"He's only training me because Kushina and Mikoto bullied him into it," Kakashi insisted. "I still don't believe that he asked you for this."
"Well, he did," Minato replied succinctly. "It's pretty much the only thing Fugaku asked for since he agreed to keep working with you on using the Mangekyou, so how was I supposed to say no?"
"Easily! What am I supposed to do with that kid? You should have just let him graduate early," Kakashi whined.
Minato shook his head. "No early graduations, no exceptions. You know how hard I worked to raise the minimum graduation age," he reminded Kakashi. "How would it look if I signed off on an exception to my own rule?"
Ah, she understood now. Kushina interjected, "What's the big deal? Mikoto says Itachi is a model student, he won't give you any trouble."
"That's not the point," Kakashi sighed. "What the hell am I supposed to teach him? I'm not even that much older than he is."
Minato shrugged. "I was basically your age when I got assigned my first genin," he reminded his student.
Kakashi crossed his arms. "That's different. I was six."
"And how lucky you are that you won't have to deal with trying to convince your student that he does in fact still need nap time," Minato teased.
"That didn't happen!"
"Maybe he still needs nap time," Kushina snickered. "He sounds kind of grumpy."
Minato laughed at his student's indignation, and Naruto chuckled along too. He was probably too young to fully understand what they were talking about, and he was definitely getting drowsy, but he liked the general mood. All of the excitement and adrenaline had worn off and now he was clearly fighting to stay awake. His eyes were drooping and his head kept leaning against his father's shoulder, before he'd pull it back stubbornly. Naruto hated missing out on anything, even if he didn't really know what was going on.
"I just think it makes no sense," Kakashi insisted, resolutely ignoring the jokes being made at his expense. "In the other timeline, wasn't Itachi ANBU around this age? He was at least a chunin."
Kushina assumed that Minato must have dismissed his ANBU before he and Kakashi started the conversation, likely in preparation for a question like this. She grimaced a little at Kakashi's statement. "I don't think we should be aiming to imitate anything from the other timeline."
Kakashi looked a little guilty, but insisted, "I'm just trying to explain how unqualified I am for this. I don't know anything about training genin, let alone one that could realistically already be field ready."
"How do you think I felt when Lord Third assigned you to me?" Minato laughed lightly. "I'm pretty sure we had almost the same conversation."
"So is this just revenge?" Kakashi asked, shooting Minato another impressive glare.
Minato laughed again. "No, no, you have it all wrong. It's not a punishment, Kakashi." He smiled warmly at his student, successfully relieving some of his ire. "You know, Fugaku stopped pushing for Itachi to graduate early after he found out about, er, that ." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, not needing to elaborate. "And then we set up that program for gifted academy students here, so they wouldn't feel like they were being held back. The feedback was really positive, from both the students and the supervising shinobi," he said proudly.
"Anyway," Minato continued, "knowing what we know about the other timeline, I think it's impossible to not worry. We all know how bad things can go," he said with a sad smile. "Regardless of what we changed, there's still a lot of pressure on prodigies, as we both know. Fugaku thought it would be helpful to have someone who understood that pressure be in charge of Itachi, and I happen to agree."
"But–" Kakashi shifted around awkwardly, sounding more defeated than irritated at this point. "I don't know how–I might mess him up."
"You'll make mistakes," Minato said solemnly. "I know I did."
Kakashi looked personally offended at the statement. "You were a great sensei."
"I appreciate that," Minato chuckled, "but that doesn't change the fact that I made mistakes." His eyes started to look a bit distant as he recalled specific memories. Kushina almost went over to comfort him, but Naruto seemed to sense the change in mood, even as he started to doze off, and nuzzled affectionately into his father's side. Minato's expression warmed, and the far-off look disappeared.
Defiance was replaced by obvious insecurity now, and Kakashi seemed off-balance. "From what I know about Kurama's time, I don't think I was a very good teacher."
Kushina countered, "And Kurama was a jerk with anger issues. Minato and I were–" she glanced at the now snoozing Naruto, changing her word choice at the last moment just in case, "...not around. Our timeline is different. We're different. Don't hold yourself accountable for the actions of someone who lived a very different life." She smiled. "Besides, you couldn't have been that bad, if your student's actions resulted in the preservation of an entire reality."
For a few moments, Kakashi was lost in thought. Then, he sighed. "Fine, but I'm giving them the bell test. I'm sending them back if they fail." He held his hand out expectantly.
Minato grinned triumphantly, then opened his desk drawer. He fished out the items in question, then tossed them to his student. They jingled softly as Kakashi caught them in his hand, quickly pocketing them.
"You'll do great," Minato promised.
Seriously, Kakashi told him, "I won't let you down, sensei."
"I know," Minato responded warmly.
Something pained crossed Kakashi's expression. "Well, no one could be worse than our team was." He couldn't hide his fondness, nor how his gaze flitted over to the photo of Team Minato on the Hokage's desk.
"I don't know," Kushina laughed lightly, "I saw visions of your little hellions in the other timeline. I think Naruto and Sasuke could give you and Obito a run for your money." She grinned wickedly. "I guess you can consider this a warm up for when you have to teach them."
Kakashi glanced over at Naruto, who was fully asleep against his father's shoulder. He looked thoughtful, as if he remembered something suddenly. "Oh, speaking of the future of Team 7, I think I found the third one. The pink-haired girl."
"You did?" Kushina was thrilled to hear the news. Minato had insisted on respecting the girl's privacy and not tracking her family down, but that didn't mean they couldn't keep an eye out for her. She wanted Naruto to meet her, since she'd been so important to him in the other timeline.
"Mhm. Saw her at the park the other day, playing with Ino Yamanaka."
"I'll have to take Naruto to meet her." Kushina no longer worried about Naruto's ability to make friends with anyone he'd known in the other timeline. He'd proven that forming friendships was never an issue for him.
"Just don't scare her off," Kakashi chastised. "You and the kid can be a lot."
"We are not!"
"You are," Kakashi insisted. "Especially when Kurama decides he wants to let Naruto use his chakra to show off."
Kushina waved him off. "Oh please, don't pretend like Isobu never helps you win Gai's challenges."
"It's an automatic response, neither of us can help it." Kakashi shrugged. "How was I supposed to know that being the Sanbi jinchuuriki would allow me to hold my breath underwater for hours?"
"It would have been nice if you found that out beforehand," Minato sighed. "Gai definitely took a few years off my life when he burst into my office, panicking because he lost you at the bottom of a lake."
Kakashi waved a hand flippantly. "Gai is always over dramatic about things, you know that."
"You'd been down there for 30 minutes at that point," Minato reminded him. "It was reasonable to assume that you might be in a little bit of trouble."
Kushina stood back and watched the exchange continue with a smile on her face. Kakashi, relaxed and bickering with Minato like he was an overbearing older brother. Naruto, dozing peacefully in his father's arms. Yeah, life had turned out pretty good for them, in the end. And it was all thanks to a grumpy old fox, and the boy who befriended him.
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Kurama watched through his host's eyes as streamers and banners were hung up around the family's small home. The brat's excitement was so strong that it reached Kurama in the mindscape. It was difficult to remain stoic and unaffected when his bratty little host was basically oozing happiness and anticipation from every pore.
It didn't help that every adult in the kid's life was insistent on spoiling him. Kurama understood why this particular birthday celebration was special, but he also knew they were all going a bit overboard.
This was going to be Naruto's first real birthday celebration with his friends. When he was very young, and Kurama's mishap in the village was still fresh in the tiny minds of the villagers, it had been a precaution to keep the celebration quaint. Keeping Naruto out of the spotlight on and around his birthday was for his own safety. It was easy enough to distract him, since he'd been too young to understand the concept of a birthday party anyway. Plus, there was always that tasteless celebration of the Kyuubi's "defeat" on Naruto's actual birthday. Naruto liked the games and the commotion, even though he still didn't quite understand what they were celebrating.
Oh, he knew that it had to do with Kurama, he was just the only one in the village that thought the celebration was for the Kyuubi. His parents didn't have the heart to tell him, but Kurama knew he'd have to learn soon. It would be worse if he started the academy and had to hear it from one of the other brats.
Now that Naruto was older, he also was able to understand that the other kids were getting a party and he wasn't. That realization had been a particularly nasty tantrum. He had a small celebration the past few years, with his family, the Uchiha they were all so fond of, and occasionally the Toad Sage, but it was always subdued. This year, the runt's parents had apparently decided that it was safe enough to throw the kid a real party. Kurama could sense the extra security stationed around the home, so he knew Minato and Kushina hadn't completely lost their minds.
Kurama, being a creature of hatred and malice, had been indispensable for sniffing out anyone with ill intentions toward his jinchuuriki. He'd noticed that the general hostility was much less this year, even at the annual festival, and that had been enough of a push for the brat's parents to allow a full celebration. The hatred was still out there, but it was muted compared to his original timeline. The villagers had "Madara" to blame instead of Naruto, and that lessened the intensity significantly. And even when it was present in full force, Naruto was too well protected for anyone to harm him.
Thus, the brat was getting a proper birthday party. With a start, Kurama realized this would be the first one he'd ever experienced with his jinchuuriki. No one ever threw Naruto a party in their previous life. That sobering thought was enough to banish any lingering irritation at the festivities. If anyone deserved to enjoy the celebration, it was Kurama's jinchuuriki.
"Move that one up a little, Kakashi," Kushina called out from across the room.
Kakashi did as he was bid, adjusting the giant, sparkly "Happy Birthday" banner over the door frame. "Better?"
Naruto practically squealed with delight. "It's so pretty! I can't wait for all my friends to see it!"
"I guess that's as much of a positive affirmation as we could possibly get," Kakashi mused, chuckling to himself. He dropped down from the step stool, looking up to admire his work. "I think that was the last one."
Naruto glanced around excitedly, which allowed Kurama to see the well-decorated state of the family's living room. It was certainly festive, Kurama could admit.
"I've got all the snacks ready and Minato will bring the cake when he comes home," Kushina commented, mentally checking off each task to be completed.
"What about the ramen?" Naruto asked, sounding extremely concerned that they would forget his favorite meal.
"Relax, kiddo," Kushina ruffled her son's hair affectionately, "your Auntie Mikoto is bringing the ramen with her." Her expression turned the slightest bit stern. "But remember that we're not eating until all your friends get here."
Naruto pouted. "But I'm hungry now, mama!"
"We'll get you some snacks," she promised. "Now, go get changed before your guests arrive."
Naruto whined about having to wear the "uncomfortable" new clothes that his mother had procured for him, but he complied. By the time he had put on the outfit Kushina set out for him (and had Kakashi fix it when it was put on backwards), the first guests were arriving. A knock on the door brought a bright, toothy smile to Naruto's face. He scrambled down the hall to answer it, stumbling as his socks slid on the hardwood floor.
"I'll get it, I'll get it!" Naruto yelled as he grabbed at the doorknob. He yanked the door open, grinning up at the first arrivals. "Sasuke! Auntie Mikoto! You're here!" His grin widened. "And you have the ramen!"
"Hello, Naruto. Happy birthday," Mikoto greeted warmly. One arm was occupied holding bags of food, while the hand on the opposite side was holding her youngest son's. Behind her, a pair of clones carried even more bags and boxes.
Sasuke, who surprised Kurama with his shyness in this timeline, murmured a quiet but genuine "happy birthday", but only let go of his mother's hand once they'd stepped through the doorway. Naruto immediately took her place, grabbing his friend's hand with his own so he could drag him further into the decorated home.
"Slow down, Naruto! I haven't even taken my shoes off yet!" Sasuke scowled, looking more like his older self.
Mikoto laughed at the boys' antics and directed her clones toward the kitchen. Kushina called out a greeting, ushering them in. Kurama heard her taking the bags from her friend's clones, before they poofed as they dismissed themselves. Mikoto was still holding one bag, but she paused so she could kneel down and use her free hand to help Sasuke remove his shoes. Then she nudged him forward toward a very enthusiastic Naruto.
"Go have fun," Mikoto encouraged.
Naruto didn't waste anymore time, pulling Sasuke along with him. "Look at what mom and Kashi did!" He pointed out each and every banner, streamer, and decoration.
"Wow." Sasuke sounded and looked genuinely impressed. He looked thoughtful, then added, "It's even more sparkly than the one my big brother and Shisui got me last year!"
"I know, isn't it cool?" Naruto bragged.
Sasuke nodded in agreement, and then Kurama did his best to tune out the rest of their mindless chatter. Something about "cool ninja stuff" and playground politics that Kurama couldn't care less about.
A while later, while Naruto and Sasuke were distracted with some trivial game, there was another knock on the door. Kurama heard Kushina answer it this time, ushering their next guest inside. Naruto jumped to his feet when he realized who it was, trying to get Sasuke to do the same.
"Come on, come on!" He pulled Sasuke up, ignoring his friend's protests.
"What? Why?" Sasuke frowned with uncertainty.
Naruto was grinning like a fool. "Come meet my new friend! I saw her at the park and Kurama said I should talk to her. She's really nice, but kind of scary sometimes. But in a cool way!"
Sasuke's frown deepened. "How can you be scary in a cool way?" he grumbled as Naruto dragged him along. He didn't look particularly enthused about meeting someone else who would monopolize Naruto's attention.
Even in this reality, with his family whole and together, the kid was still fairly antisocial. Apparently some things were a constant in every universe. Kurama actually found it quite amusing.
"Trust me, you'll like her," Naruto promised. He waved wildly at the newest arrival, still dragging Sasuke behind him. "Hi, Sakura, I'm so glad you came!"
A very tiny, timid version of the spitfire Kurama knew from his previous reality stood before them with a shy smile on her face. A similar looking adult, who Kurama assumed was her mother, nudged her forward.
"Hi, Naruto. Happy birthday, thank you for inviting me," she greeted politely.
Originally, Kurama had told himself he wasn't going to push Naruto toward any particular relationships or decisions. He wanted to let the boy live his own life, since the Naruto in his original timeline always had his path decided for him. It also seemed a bit too frivolous for the mighty Kyuubi to involve himself in something as petty and superficial as human relationships. It was really a spur of the moment decision that had led to Kurama encouraging Naruto to talk to the last member of their future team. The girl's distinctive pink hair had caught Naruto's attention at the park, and before Kurama really knew what he was doing, he found himself telling Naruto that he should go meet her.
Of course, Naruto needed no other encouragement, running up to the then-stranger and announcing that he liked her hair color. That prompted a round of giggles from the other girls that Sakura had been playing with, and her face turned bright red. But she'd been genuinely flattered by the compliment, and told Naruto in return that she liked his whiskers. That was all it took for Naruto to decide that they were friends and that Sakura just had to come to his birthday party the following week.
"Thanks!" Naruto chirped happily. "Oh, is that a present for me?" He pointed to the brightly wrapped box in Sakura's hands.
Sakura nodded and held the gift out, but Kushina intercepted her son before he could snatch it away. "Naruto! Don't be rude," she chastised, taking the present so she could place it in the ridiculously high pile with the others. "Why don't you give your new friend a tour of the house?"
If Naruto was embarrassed about being scolded in front of his friends, he didn't show it. He nodded enthusiastically and grabbed Sakura's hand with the one that wasn't already occupied with Sasuke's. "Ok!" He pulled both of them along behind him.
"Naruto, I've already been to your house, I don't need to come on a tour!" Sasuke protested. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the newcomer and held his chin up. " I'm Naruto's best friend, so I've been here tons of times," he bragged.
Kurama rolled his eyes at the childish posturing. Naruto, of course, didn't pick up on the animosity, happily blabbering on about his parents and Kakashi. Sakura looked completely overwhelmed, looking between the two boys with wide eyes.
"Um, ok," she replied eventually. "I'm Sakura, by the way."
Unlike Kurama's original timeline, Sakura didn't seem particularly taken with the Uchiha boy, mostly just confused and anxious about meeting someone new and potentially hostile. Naruto hadn't known Sakura at this age, so Kurama didn't know if she'd been timid like this in his timeline too.
It didn't seem like the Uchiha boy wanted to exchange pleasantries, but he caught sight of his mother in the adjacent room, who must have given him a look , because eventually he murmured, "...I'm Sasuke."
Naruto paused his silly little tour in the kitchen. At first, Kurama thought he was going to swipe some food. Not too long ago he'd been complaining about being hungry, but he seemed to have forgotten after his friends arrived. But Naruto didn't look at the food up on the counters, instead he pointed proudly to a crude, crayon drawing on the refrigerator.
"That's my family! Isn't it great? I made it myself!" He announced proudly.
"It's very nice," Sakura replied politely. "So that's your mom and dad?" She pointed to the red and the yellow scribbles respectively.
"Yup! And that's Kashi," Naruto pointed to the gray scribble. "He's sort of like my older brother, but like way older."
Sakura hummed thoughtfully in response. "Who's that?" She pointed to the orange scribble that had been drawn towering over the rest of them.
Naruto grinned widely. "That's Kurama, of course!"
"Kurama?" Sakura glanced around curiously, as if looking for signs of his presence.
Naruto caught on to what she was doing and shook his head. "No, he's in here!" He pointed to where the seal sat on his abdomen.
Curiously, Sakura leaned down so her face was almost at level with the seal. "Is he make-believe?"
"No!" Naruto looked genuinely offended.
"Sorry!" Sakura responded immediately. "I've just never met someone who lived in a person's belly before." She frowned, deep in thought. "Except for a baby. Is Kurama your baby?"
"No, Kurama's my best friend!" Naruto insisted.
Kurama would never admit how much the admission warmed his centuries old chakra heart. If the Naruto from his timeline could see him now, he'd laugh at how soft the fox had become. But he would undoubtedly be pleased.
Look what you've done to me, brat, Kurama mused silently, happy to be called a human runt's best friend.
Unlike Kurama, who was pleased by the admission, Sasuke was scowling. "I thought I was your best friend?" he whined.
"Well, you're my best friend too!"
The Uchiha boy looked genuinely confused. "You can't have more than one best friend."
Naruto crossed his arms, defiant. "Of course you can!"
Sasuke's expression turned thoughtful. "Really? That's allowed?"
"Yeah! You can have lots of best friends!"
"Ok," Sasuke relented. "Then Itachi is my best friend too."
Naruto shook his head. "No, that doesn't count. He's your brother!"
"So what?" Sasuke scoffed, sounding very much like the petulant child that he was. "If Kurama counts, then so does Itachi."
The jinchuuriki actually thought very hard for a few moments, then nodded once in agreement. "Ok, you can count Itachi."
Sasuke looked smug, having won the argument. Then, he turned toward their third companion and relaxed minutely. "If you can have lots of best friends, then I guess it's ok if you're Naruto's friend too."
Based on how timid the girl had been, Kurama expected her to stutter or fumble in response. Perhaps even act grateful for the permission. Instead, she crossed her arms and scowled even more deeply than the Uchiha boy. "Who says I need your permission? I can be friends with whoever I want!"
Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise. "Um–"
Sakura glanced around, as if she was looking for something, or someone. "My mom says girls should be quiet and obedient. But," she jabbed a finger at the Uchiha boy, prodding him hard enough in the chest that he winced and took a step back, "my mom's not here right now. So don't try to tell me what to do."
"Ok." Sasuke nodded wildly. He grimaced, and added, "...sorry."
"Apology accepted," Sakura responded, letting her body language relax. Some of her previous nervousness crept back in, but she was clearly more at ease with the boys than when she'd first arrived.
Naruto tugged on Sasuke's sleeve and whispered, "See? Scary, but cool!"
Sasuke nodded in agreement, and then the ice seemed to thaw between the three of them. Naruto continued taking them around the house and played games with them until the rest of the guests arrived. Kurama recognized the children of some of the other clan heads. Naruto was actually friends with some of them, like the Nara heir, but others were probably just invited out of politeness. Still, Naruto treated all of them like he'd personally invited each and every one of them.
The children ran around outside like ornery fox kits, pouncing on each other and taking turns tracking each other down. The adults (and ever present ANBU guard) watched from the sidelines, making sure none of the kids got too hurt or too dirty. Through it all, Naruto was the center of attention, and clearly loved every minute of it.
By the time his father arrived home with cake (to a rather horrifying cacophony of excited children's shrieks), Naruto had already torn through half of the ridiculous gift pile and eaten two bowls of ramen. The boy's friends and family had spoiled him with new toys, clothes, and ninja tools that he was still a bit too young for. It was no surprise when the children all passed out in a pile on the floor a few hours later. Some of them were taken home by their respective guardians, while others stayed behind for what Kurama learned was called a "slumber party". There were blankets and pillows set out on the floor that the children had made into various fortresses, so they were left undisturbed as the remaining adults cleaned up the aftermath of the party.
As Kurama expected, Naruto appeared in their shared mindscape not long after. He grinned and ran right up to Kurama, already babbling on about what an amazing day he had. Kurama tried his best to suppress a pleased grin, hoping to maintain at least some semblance of his reputation.
Eventually, Naruto paused his story to place his hands on his hips and whine, "Aren't you gonna wish me a happy birthday, Kurama?"
The fox snorted in response. "Your actual birthday was a few days ago, brat. And you'll recall that I did wish you a happy birthday at that time."
"But we're celebrating today!" the box insisted. "That means you gotta say happy birthday today too!"
Kurama rolled his eyes but relented, "Fine, you spoiled little whelp. Happy birthday."
Naruto grinned up at him. "Thanks, Kurama! You're the best!" He leaned against Kurama's side, snuggling into the bijuu's warm fur.
Kurama rested his head on his paws, closing his eyes and enjoying the closeness of his jinchuuriki. They sat in an uncharacteristic, contemplative silence for a few minutes. The fox cracked open one eye, trying to get a read on his host's unusually thoughtful mood.
"What are you thinking about, brat?"
The boy craned his neck to look up at Kurama. "I was just trying to figure out when your birthday is."
Kurama opened his eyes fully so he could focus on his young host. "I was not born. Do you recall the story I told you, about the creation of the nine bijuu?"
Naruto nodded. "I know. But still! It happened on a day, didn't it? So even if you weren't born, you were still not there one day, and then you were!" He grinned up at the fox, so warm and genuine. "Don't you think that deserves a party?"
Only his ridiculous host would concern himself with something as preposterous as a bijuu's birthday. "I have never thought about it," Kurama admitted.
The boy looked shocked at the admission. "What?! Never?!" he gasped. "But birthdays are the best! Don't you wanna have cake? And open presents?"
Kurama laughed openly. "Bijuu do not concern themselves with such things." The very idea was absurd.
"Aw, come on, Kurama! Don't you at least want me to throw a party? It'd be so fun!" Naruto insisted.
"Do as you wish," Kurama huffed in response. "It makes no difference to me."
Naruto pouted at Kurama's lack of enthusiasm, but his cheerful mood remained. "Fine, no party. But I at least want to tell you happy birthday!" He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Or I guess, it wouldn't be a birthday if you weren't born. Maybe happy alive day? Happy not-born day? Hmmmm."
Kurama sighed contently, listening to his idle chatter about birthdays and cake and presents. At some point, Naruto asked, "What would you want for a present, anyway?"
A few short years ago, he would have said freedom . Before he was sealed in Mito, he wasn't sure. He was achingly lonely, he could see that now, but he wouldn't have admitted it long enough to wish for a friend. Now, he had both. Yes, he was still sealed in a jinchuuriki, but he could leave, if he wanted to. The seal was open. Nothing was stopping him from leaving, if he desired.
He doubted he'd ever let himself be sealed in another jinchuuriki after Naruto's time in the world ended, and he had a feeling the boy would make sure Kurama and his siblings had that choice, in the future. Perhaps they'd all be free again. Or, perhaps humanity would forget and enslave them all over again in a few centuries. Kurama didn't know, couldn't know. He didn't even know what his siblings would want, when their respective jinchuuriki died.
Not all of them had equal partnerships with their jinchuuriki, and the humans still had a long way to go in their treatment of both bijuu and jinchuuriki alike. But it was changing. Slowly, but like a stone dropped in a still lake, the ripples were growing. When Kurama had told his siblings to cooperate with their jinchuuriki, it had been for their own good, to protect them from the Akatsuki. He hadn't expected some of them to continue fostering that relationship. He also hadn't expected the fantastical tales that had arisen from the night Obito set Isobu and Saiken on Konoha.
A lot of them revolved around the Uzumaki woman, calling her a "bijuu whisperer", but Isobu's sacrifice had not gone unnoticed. Nor had Saiken's peaceful departure. There had been too many witnesses to successfully stop the rumors from spreading. Some were more fantastical or ridiculous than the truth, but others painted the bijuu in a surprisingly positive light. The fear was still there, of course; humans would always fear what was more powerful or too different from themselves. But, at the very least, some of the humans seemed to finally realize that the bijuu were not mindless killing machines. It was a start.
"Kurama?"
He'd been so lost in thought, he hadn't even answered the boy's question. "I do not know," he admitted. Kurama looked down at the young human he'd willingly tethered himself to and flicked him playfully with a tail. "Actually, I believe I have all I need, at the moment."
Naruto looked at him quizzically. "Huh? Really?"
There were some small things he could ask for, perhaps, but they seemed inconsequential in the wake of what Kurama had achieved. Of what he and Naruto had achieved, together.
…actually, there was one thing he could think of.
"There is someone I lost," Kurama began, "someone very foolish, but also very brave. If I could have one thing, it would be to see him again. Just one more time."
Naruto looked up at him curiously. "What happened to him?"
That was a very complicated question. The easy answer would be to say that he died, but that didn't encompass the enormity of what the other Naruto had sacrificed, or what that sacrifice had prevented.
Kurama settled for, "He is somewhere far away. Somewhere I cannot reach."
"Oh. I'm sorry, that sounds like a sad story." Naruto tangled his fingers in Kurama's fur, trying to be as supportive as he could manage.
The fox hummed thoughtfully, and nudged Naruto gently with his nose. "Some of it is sad, but I believe it has a happy ending."
"Do you want to talk about him?" the boy asked. "Dad says talking about things that make you sad can make you feel better."
Kurama considered the offer, and then the words practically tumbled out, "He was an idiotic, stubborn, reckless fool. An absolute menace with no concept of boundaries or limitations. He listened to no one, and never took 'no' for an answer. And you," the fox huffed, "remind me very much of him."
Some of the words Kurama used were too advanced for Naruto to understand, but he did understand that it wasn't the kindest description. He looked somewhere between offended and insulted at the comparison, and was already opening his mouth for a rebuttal. Kurama stopped him, holding up a massive paw to indicate that he wasn't done yet.
"Yes, he was all of those things. And," Kurama added with a grin, "the bravest person–human, bijuu, or otherwise–that I've ever known. He was also my very best friend."
Naruto's eyes sparkled with interest. "Was he strong too?"
"Very strong."
"Whoa. He sounds pretty cool," Naruto replied, full of wonder. Then, he bit his lip, his expression becoming unsure. "Do you think I can be like that too?"
Once, Kurama might have said no, unsure about how changing history would change the boy in front of him. He still didn't know what kind of person this version of his jinchuuriki would become, and he knew he'd never be the same as the one he'd left behind. Perhaps the boy in this world, who would grow up loved and never knowing isolation or loneliness, wouldn't have the necessary experiences to become his other self. Perhaps he was a product of his environment, and could not exist in this reality.
Kurama almost scoffed at the thought. One thing he'd learned after his time travel journey was that predicting the future was impossible. Another thing he'd learned was that humans, particularly those of the Uzumaki variety, had the propensity to surprise him.
"I think," he told the boy, "you can be whatever you want to be. I may not know what the future holds for either of us, but I will be there with you every step of the way. Do you know why?" Kurama asked, lowering his snout so he could be close to eye level with his jinchuuriki.
Naruto looked at him expectantly. "Why?"
Kurama chuckled warmly, "Because you are my friend, you foolish human."
Notes:
And that's a wrap! It's a little silly and lighthearted, which I think they all deserve after the shit I put them through haha. It won't all be sunshine and rainbows I'm sure, because it is still a ninja world, but mostly everyone gets their happy fix-it.
The last of the random musings!
One of my fav AU concepts is imagining what Sasuke would be like without the massacre. From the flashes we get, he still seems kind of grumpy, but I don't like to picture him still quite so rage-filled since Itachi is the one that really pushed the hatred/revenge thing on him. I hc that he's probably kind of quiet/shy from always being overlooked for Itachi, and probably also kind of bitter about it but still very much wants his family's approval. And without the novelty of being the last Uchiha, he probably wouldn't necessarily have so many people clamoring for his attention, so I don't think he'd be very good at making friends. Luckily, he has Naruto to force him into friendship! And with Naruto so young there really wasn't a good time or reason to introduce Sakura before now, but the trio is finally complete! iirc young Sakura was bullied and also kind of shy at this point but she's still very much in her "boys are gross" phase so she's not willing to take any shit from them.
And idk about making Kakashi be Itachi's jounin instructor, I just thought it was funny. Since I was making him graduate later, it seemed like some good payback for Minato dealing with his own little genius prodigy child.
Notes:
So yeah lmk if you want more. I've written fics but not for this fandom so idk why I feel so nervous about posting but it took a stupid amount of convincing to do. I legit have at least 4 or 5 partially written fic ideas for this fandom that I'm sitting on because my brain decided to hyperfixate on this 15+ year old anime.
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