It had been about a week since the alien Minato landed in Konohagakure after Kakashi found him all bruised and beaten in the middle of the woods. Kakashi was more than just curious about the man- He had even considered ditching his duties to spy on him.

Why wouldn't he behave that way? This man was his sensei. He was his teacher, the last of his team to meet their demise after the tragic fate of being placed on a team with Kakashi. In his darkest moments, Minato was always there to look out for him. Obito's death? He was there. Rin's death? He was there. He always was there until one day...he wasn't anymore.

The mixed emotions that got to him when he first laid his eyes on the blonde man- bloodied and battered on the small grass clearing, was something he doesn't think he'll ever be able to describe through words.

There was pain. It felt like a cruel reminder of what he has lost in his life. There was anger- because how dare someone disrespect his sensei like that? By impersonating him? There was hope, when he thought of the possibility that this man could be alive. That he'd be there again with Kakashi, despite all that he had lost. Maybe it was a sign that Kushina, Rin and Obito could come back too. Then there was despair, when he realised all of this could just be in his head. That he'd never live to see their faces ever again.

But when he found out this Minato wasn't the Minato he knew, he didn't know how to feel about it at all. This man wasn't dead. He wasn't an impersonator either. (Or was he?) He's definitely alive, and Kakashi knew he wasn't a ghost. But this Minato was a stranger- Which was odd, because when their eyes met, they both stared at each other as if they knew one another. It was as if they knew they could find comfort in each other.

Hiruzen, though seemingly convinced that Minato was who he said he was, still told Kakashi to keep his guard up. As comforting as it was to see the presumably dead fourth Hokage in front of him, alive and pumping (even with chakra levels that made him seem like he was near death), this man was still an unknown to the village. There was no guarantee that he was an enemy infiltrator that was somehow able to replicate Minato completely- to the point where the only difference was his abilities and chakra capacity.

Kakashi wanted to be the one spying on Minato to make sure he wasn't doing anything suspicious, but he knew there were many others who were suitable for that role as well. While Minato resumed with his daily mundane activities, there would be at least one Anbu spying on him. With that settled, Kakashi was tasked with an important job that was probably most suitable for him- watching over Naruto.

If this Minato was really an enemy infiltrator, his choice of a disguise could only mean one thing. They wanted Naruto, the nine tails jinchuuriki. The closest they'd be able to get to him would be to pose as his dead father. Still, the fourth Hokage was a man feared throughout nations. To pose as him might be the dumbest idea someone could have, so why..?

"Not to worry, Kakashi. We'll have Inoichi in soon," Hiruzen had assured Kakashi. The third Hokage felt bad having to doubt him like that, but he hoped that they could come to an understanding that this was necessary for the safety of their village. Yet, when he lands his eyes on Minato, he sees no sign of the tiredness in a shinobi's eyes. There was stress to some extent, but those were not the eyes of a war veteran who slaughtered hundreds for the sake of his village. He seemed almost innocent to some extent, oblivious to the horrors of the shinobi world.

Which he was.

It was summer in Konoha, and the temperatures, Minato could feel, were about the same as the summer weather in Japan, but considerably cooler. He guessed it was probably due to how they didn't have vehicles running emitting all sorts of greenhouse gases. Everyone here seemed to travel by foot completely, even if their destination was kilometres away. But the most noticeable difference was the lack of air conditioning. The only thing cooling the room down were the wind chakra infused seals on the walls.

Minato wished he knew how to make those back in Japan. The electricity bills would've lessened considerably.

When he thinks of Japan, his mind automatically wanders to Naruto. He's never travelled across universes- he doubt anyone has. He doesn't know how these things work, and he needed to figure it out. Does the time in another universe freeze there during a disruption? He hoped that it does. He couldn't bear imagining his poor son overwhelmed in grief at his funeral where his body wasn't even there. Losing the last parental figure he had in life. All alone.

Maybe Kakashi is taking care of him like an older brother- Minato hopes he is. Kakashi graduated not too long ago, and is apparently working under a local company now. He might not have the money to support Naruto alone, but Minato had plenty saved up for emergencies like this. He was more concerned about their mental health. They must not be in a good place right now.

His mind wanders yet again. With nothing to do, his only activity was to read about this foreign world and think. He reads about the cruelty of this world, and the constant bloodshed that is currently being taught even to children. It was unnerving to him. How could they make children his own son's age go out, fighting for their lives like that? It made no sense to him- this world made no sense to him.

In a world like that, he begun to understand why Hiruzen had to bring some psychology specialised guy to check his true intentions. Thankfully they didn't do anything like an illusion of torture (he wonders if that has happened here before), they were just asking him questions with a living lie detector from the Yamanaka clan. A shiver runs down his spine at the thought of an actual infiltrator sneaking in like him and murdering everyone in cold blood.

Perhaps this is what happens when you're gifted with magic voodoo shit. Minato was glad they didn't have that back in Japan. Maybe they had their nuclear weapons and stuff, but... it didn't make the situation as bad as the ones here. He doesn't want to think about what he'll see each time he passes by the hospital, and prays that it's the books that are exaggerating on the violence around.

A door slides open, breaking his train of thoughts. His eyes widen slightly when it's Kakashi who walks in and not Hiruzen. He hasn't seen him since he was discharged from the hospital. Has something important happened? Could someone have assasinated Hiruzen and now they're pointing fingers at him for being the murderer? What kind of torture would he have to go through? They were probably-

"Minato-sense-" Kakashi hides his flinch. "..Minato-san.... You look absolutely horrified. Are you alright?" Kakashi snaps him out of his trance, and he chuckles awkwardly. He's been thinking too much. Too many books. Too different of a world for anything to make sense.

"Sorry about that. You're looking for me?" Minato arranged all the books and seals on his table neatly before standing up to greet him with a nod. Kakashi briefly eyes the seals on the table, but pays no mind to them.

"You wanna go out for a walk?"

It was an abrupt question, leaving Minato standing there for a while, confused. A...walk? His mind wakes up to the new reality, and he remembers that he hasn't gone outside at all ever since he stepped foot into this house. It wasn't that he didn't want to, he was told he shouldn't and he knew why he shouldn't. But if Kakashi's asking, then that means...

"Of course."

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Not much going on this chapter but i promise I'll add a but more spice soon 😞