Idk why but a ton of people keep complaining about how often Minato is mentioning his son 😭 like y'all that's his child??? That has spent several years without him??? That he just saw get physically attacked??? Like omg chill I'm sorry alright ✋ gawdamn

Larger paragraphs chopped up 1/17/23 for easier reading

Third person pov

He's not allowed to interfere. He knows this, but nonetheless, he can't detach himself.

It eats at him slowly the longer he watches. Like a slow fire burning through an already dying forest. Unless a real attempt is made on the blonde jinchuriki's life, he isn't clear to step in and stop the abuse. He's forced to watch instead. Wait, and almost hope they make a wrong move, just so he has an excuse to go for their throats.

He's daydreamed about it. Memorized every face that's dared to glare and every soul who'd dare spit an insult. Thinks of everything he could do to get back at them. It's unhealthy and crude of him, he knows. It's the only thing that helps him cope nonetheless.

Rage simmers in the pit of his stomach, and he reaches up to adjust his Hound mask just so he has something to do with his hands. This is the only way he's allowed to be around Naruto. Outside of that, the Third Hokage has banned all interaction.

It makes Kakashi want to scream. To rip his hair out and destroy everything in his path. That's his sensei's legacy down there. And if Kakashi could just take care of him-- reach out and help him, he could make Naruto's life so much better. Let him be the kid he's supposed to be. Not some... some outcast everything thinks it's okay to attack.

Yet, Hiruzen bans it. There's a small, logical part of Kakashi that can almost see why. If anyone found out the Yondaime had a son hosting a tailed beast, the threats on Naruto's life would be too severe to combat forever.

They would eventually get to him, and Kakashi would certainly lose what little he had left to cling to. Minato-sensei had been such a key player in the war. Though villages were well aware Konoha had the nine tails, they had no idea in who or where it was being held. For all they knew, it could be sealed in a teapot, or sword.

As if Naruto wouldn't have been in enough danger before the whole Kyuubi thing. People would be out for his blood. It was why Kushina had kept her pregnancy so private to begin with.

Naruto is brilliant in many ways. A mixture of his parents in appearance and personality; a perfect blend if you ask him. He's nearly a mirror image of Kakashi's late sensei, with eyes that reflect the sea and the sky, and hair so bright its blinding.

You can still see Kushina there too, in the way the boy grins sometimes, and in his untamed laugh. He's loud and boisterous, with mischief in his eyes and a pranking streak that effects nearly half the village with his severity. Its times like those when Naruto is the brightest, and when Kakashi finally feels like he can breathe.

It's when he sees the six year old hiding his hurt behind guarded eyes, just like Minato used to during the hardest of times, that he drowns.

Naruto is smarter than anyone gives him credit for. He's not the best at his schoolwork, but he's clever and fast. He'd evaded his ANBU guards more than once. Kakashi can still recall the many times he struggled to catch up with the blonde boy. It's even more impressive when you consider his chakra reserves.

Kyuubi aside, Naruto is an Uzumaki. The clan had previously been known for not just their seals, but for their massive chakra reserves that made them adept at performing terrifyingly strong jutsu's in quick succession of one another. Naruto had clearly inherited his mother's chakra capacity. Even at six years old, he had an absolute tank of untapped energy sitting beneath the surface.

His ability to escape them despite this told Kakashi that he'd certainly grow up to do great things just like his mother and father. He'd be a powerhouse. If only the civilians could see his potential-- see that he meant no harm.

Kakashi squirms as he observes the scene before him. He burns, and begs anyone to do anything. Naruto is so tiny, and so scared. Kakashi feels ill, but he can't look away. If Naruto is going to suffer, Kakashi is too.

The blonde boy doesn't know that they're in this together. The copy-ninja would switch places with him in a heartbeat if he could, but things don't work like that, and that makes him... well, mad. To put things very simply.

Kakashi knows what it's like to be young and have everyone glowering at you over something you can't control. To hear whispered insults and not quite understand why they're being thrown. He went through the same thing when his father came back from that mission. Experienced the same glares and the same murmurs that followed Naruto day after day.

Kakashi's heart stutters. He feels something catch in his lungs as Naruto is kicked out of the food stall, skidding on the dirt road so hard it skins his hands and tears at his shorts. Kakashi can barely stand to watch him scramble away, so confused and frustrated as to why he's treated so differently than everyone else.

Every instinct in the copy-cat nin screams at him to jump into the fray. To pick Naruto up and never put him down again. If Kushina were her, she wouldn't stand for this. She'd tear them into pieces at her own expense if she had to.

And Minato-sensei-- well, he'd tower over them all with his presence alone. They'd defend him no matter what. But all Kakashi can do is sit there. And watch. And wait. He doesn't want to stand for this anymore. He wants to save him. He wants to—

Someone beats him to the punch. Kakashi all but stops breathing.

A ghost darts from the crowd, stealing Kakashi's remaining breath a little more with every stride. He leans forward, unbelieving of what he's seeing. Familiar arms come around Naruto, bringing him up and holding him with a close tenderness that makes Kakashi's heart weep with relief for the small boy.

A smell he could never forget hits his nose, and Kakashi is tenser than he's ever been in his life. He watches as Naruto's savior turns, and suddenly the yellow hair is no longer a trick of his mind, or a coincidence. A pair of blue eyes sharp with exhaustion and anger shoot a venomous glare, and a face that still danced through Kakashi's nightmares snarled.

He can't believe when he sees, really. It's exactly what he sometimes dreams about at night, even if it wasn't possible. Except it was, and it was happening, and that was undoubtedly Minato-sensei.

A scent isn't something that can be copied exactly. Kakashi's nose has always been sharp. It gives him the ability to identify people before he's even seen them, and detect those even when they're hiding their chakra. The Fourth Hokage had always smelt like paper and ink and a spritz of lemon air freshener that Kushina used so often it had embedded itself into their hair and clothes.

The issue is that Minato Namikaze is dead. Nobody should have this smell, and certainly no one should be picking up Naruto.

Kakashi's ANBU instincts kick in before anything else. He's bursting from his post before his emotions get the chance to overwhelm him, eyes set on Naruto. One arm wraps firm around the young boy. At the same time, his hand comes around the copy's neck and gives it a firm chop.

He won't admit to anyone who asks just how hard he's breathing after the fact, or how he stumbles back as the eerie image of his dead sensei crumbles. He expects the illusion to fade, but it doesn't, and the other members of his squad emerge from their hiding places with shock evident in the way they hesitate to pick up the slouched body.

He takes a deep breath. He doesn't know how the imposter is so good at this, or how he knew to go for Naruto in this form. Kakashi forces himself not to feel. He focuses on Naruto instead, who looks startled by the entire thing.

The boy stares down at the blonde intruder with wide eyes, his little hands gripping Kakashi's flak jacket. The silver-haired shinobi gives a nod to his two companions, who hike the fake Minato up further before vanishing to dump him with Ibiki at the T&I building. Kakashi shifts Naruto in his grasp, leaping out of sight with incredible speed. Naruto tenses as he does, but he doesn't complain.

Kakashi tries to convince himself he imagined the smell. That it was his brain tricking him into thinking it was there. Deep down, he knows better— and that scares him.

It's unreal, finally getting to hold Naruto. He hasn't had the chance to since the boy was a mere infant. He's bigger now, but still impossibly small at the same time. He doesn't fight Hound or ask a barrage of questions. For once, he's uncharacteristically silent.

A quick glance at his face tells Kakashi the kid's deep in thought. Kakashi wonders if he'll somehow manage to work things out. A part of him hopes he will. Maybe then Kakashi can take him in.

He'll quit ANBU if that's what it takes. Anything to get Naruto the life he deserves. Kakashi knows he's far from the best candidate for that sort of thing, but he likes to think he's better than no one at all.

~~

Naruto recognizes the man carrying him, if only vaguely.

His chakra is a familiar thrum that makes him think that maybe it's okay to hold onto him for a moment and let himself be carried. He's not entirely sure what just happened or how he should feel about it. A stranger that looked suspiciously familiar had saved him from what would've definitely devolved into a beating, and then scooped him up and called him his son.

Naruto would've been inclined to call him a batshit crazy old man if not for the fact that they did indeed look nearly identical. The same hair, the same eyes, and the same skin tone. Their faces were kinda the same too. Not exact, but if Naruto had a dad, then he had a mom too, so it made sense that he'd look like both of them.

Hound is one of the shadows that hangs around Naruto's house at night, and maybe in other places too. Naruto can feel him sometimes, and catch glimpses of him from the corner of his eye. He has other shadows too, but none of them leave toys like Hound does, or tuck him in when they think he's asleep. If Naruto has any friends at all out there, he thinks Hound is probably one of them.

He doesn't talk to him like Jiji does, but Naruto can tell he cares. Even if he doesn't really show himself. That's okay. Naruto wishes, aches, yearns for some sort of familial connection, but that doesn't mean he'll complain about what he's already gotten. It's better than nothing at all. He knows this all too well, and he doesn't want to risk driving Hound away.

Kakashi goes to give his report with Naruto in tow whilst the fake Minato is teleported off to be wrung for information. The look on Ibiki's face was comical enough to send Anko into a fit of raunchy laughter that got her kicked out of the room. Medics were called when they all realized that fake-Minato wasn't in the best shape. Not because they wanted to help him, but because they didn't want him to croak before they could find out who sent him.

It was odd that he should come in with such low chakra and so blatantly. Was it an attempt to plant a spy? If it was, it was a ludicrous attempt. Surely whoever sent this man knew that.

The Yondaime had died six years ago. This man was certainly a carbon copy of him, but he surely would've visibly aged after that amount of time. Even if only a little. Grown out his hair a little, or cut it short. Put on some clothes other than the ones he'd been wearing when he died.

"It's uncanny, honestly." Inoichi observes the man through a shield of one way glass. They'd laid him out on one of their metal tables and stuck an IV in him. He was severely dehydrated, but he didn't seem particularly injured. The chakra exhaustion was so serious it was a shock he'd been conscious when Hound had first knocked him out. "His chakra... it feels the same. It's just like I remember it."

"I've never seen anything like it. I'm not sure so it's an illusion, either." Ibiki's tone was gruff. Inoichi's gaze snapped to him, surprise displayed starkly on his face. The head interrogator dragged a kunai pouch off the table in front of them and tossed it to the Yamanaka. "Open that. We can't question him until the Hokage arrives, but I'm starting to think this is more than an shitty attempt at an infiltration."

Inoichi swallowed at the implication Ibiki's words carried. The man the ANBU had brought in looked abnormally like the Yondaime Hokage. There wasn't a single detail they'd missed, and no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't seem to detect or lift whatever transformation this man was under.

Assuming he... was under one. Ibiki seemed pretty sure there wasn't one present, but what did that mean for them? Was he indicating that this was somehow the... actual Fourth Hokage?

Inoichi opened the weapon's pouch and peered inside. He felt the color drain from his face as soon as he spotted them. A pair of very, very familiar three pronged kunai stared back at him. Inoichi quite suddenly wasn't sure what he should believe anymore.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Minato comes to, he knows immediately that he isn't alone in whatever room he's been hoisted off to.

He feels stronger now, and not like he's going to puke his guts out the moment tries to sit up. The pounding in his head has shrunk itself into a dull thrum. The blonde man took in a deep breath.

Unlike before, it felt like his lungs were finally able to get enough air, whereas before he felt almost like he was being constricted. The expanding of his chest and stomach only serves to wake him up even more. He forced his eyes open, squinting just briefly at the fluorescent lights overhead.

His mind began to pick up speed, his thoughts pouring in like water through a dam break. He was definitely on a metal table of sorts. The last thing he could recall was scooping Naruto up. Someone had jumped down from the trees and knocked him out soon after.

He wanted to be mad, but he understood. If Naruto was already that old, then Minato had been gone for at least five years, maybe more. Him being detained made sense.

He'd left Naruto alone for all that time. Who had been taking care of him in his stead? Did he know about his parents at all? Was Kakashi okay? Was Naruto?

The villagers had been so full of disgust and bubbling hatred that oozed over and out into the open. So blatantly cruel to someone who quite clearly had no idea what was wrong. Naruto was a mere child, undeserving of that type of attention. He needed to be cherished and loved.

Minato wondered if there was anyone to make sure Naruto ate his vegetables, and brushed his teeth. Someone to tuck him in at night and hold him when he had nightmares. To give him over the top birthday parties and spoil him! All the things he had Kushina had stayed up talking about for hours and hours on end. Had Naruto gotten that? Minato felt numb.

The Yondaime forced himself to turn his head, his eyes just managing to adjust. His gaze immediately landed on the stiff form of Hiruzen Sarutobi. The man looked nothing like Minato remembered. It appeared as though he'd aged several decades since Minato'd last seen him, with deep lines of exhaustion wrinkling his cheeks and a furrow in his brows that looked like it was permanent.

He wore a set of robes Minato hadn't seen him in since the very day he'd succeeded the older man, his large hat sitting in his lap as he contemplated him. An ANBU with rather familiar hair stood at attention by his side, as well as Inoichi Yamanaka. He too looked older. It only confirmed to Minato that something had happened. Somehow, he had traveled through time.

Minato's gaze lingered on who was quite clearly Kakashi. He was taller than before, and a bit broader in the shoulders. Minato couldn't help but feel a bit of panic begin to creep up his spine. Five, six years. Had he truly been gone that long? That wasn't possible. He'd have understood it if maybe he ended up in a coma some how.

But no. They all thought he was dead. Minato had thought so too. He could still feel the excruciating pain that came from being impaled, and the cold sensation that followed. The inability to move that overtook him, and the terror he couldn't help but feel as he and Kushina struggled to keep the Kyuubi at bay with everything they had.

"Where's Naruto?" He breathed in lieu of anything else to say. The Hound ANBU flinched nearly imperceptibly at the question, confirming his identity in the Yondaime's eyes. Minato's adam's apple bobbled as he pushed himself up slightly. "Hiruzen-"

"Minato." The man's voice made his mouth clamp shut. He forced himself into an upright position. The IV in his arm slipped out, but he didn't care enough to pay it much mind. Hiruzen inspected him contemplatively. "It's not possible to mimic chakra signatures exactly. It's been experimented with over the years, yes, but no one has ever reported to have succeeded."

The Third seemed impossibly tired. To keep Danzo from the title, he'd clearly had to take his title back. Minato's mind flashed back to the night of the attack. Hiruzen's wife, Biwako, had been lost that day too. The memory was enough to make him close his eyes for a moment just to try and breathe even.

Inoichi remained silent, his hands clasped together in front of him. Minato could feel himself being dissected. Normally the prying eyes would've made him uncomfortable and weary, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He understood.

He tried to catalogue all the information he'd gathered so far. It was easier to think now. The haze had thinned enough for him to fight through it. He'd woken up five to six years in the future. He hadn't seemed to have aged during that time, and his injuries were gone.

Was he real? It was an odd question to consider, but there was no real explanation for any of this. He felt like a person. He sure didn't think he was an intruder. He was just... himself.

Was Naruto okay? Being a young Jinchuriki implied he had ANBU guards. Kushina had when the were younger and in the academy. One of them must've zeroed in on him and knocked him out when he decided to pick Naruto up. Possibly Kakashi, even.

Minato sure wasn't going to blame him. Even so, he still felt his hands curl into fists, his throat tightening when he thought back to the expression on his son's face. He'd been so afraid, but he hadn't been surprised. Why hadn't he been surprised? No child should be used to treatment like that. It made him dizzy with rage.

"No," Minato answered finally, trying to calm himself. He raised his eyes to meet Hiruzen's, "it's not."

The silence following his words was almost deafening with its gravity. His claim wasn't to be taken lightly, and if they decided he was lying, he knew he'd be killed. Inoichi inhaled sharply, and Hiruzen observed him with quiet contemplation.

Minato didn't break eye-contact. He couldn't stay here. He had to get out and find Naruto. He was glad the village was okay, and that Hiruzen was doing well. That mattered little at the moment, because his son needed him. Kakashi, too.

Minato had been good friends with Sakumo, and he'd watched over Kakashi from the time he was a young boy. He'd taken care of him when he was sick or injured, and made sure he had food to eat and clothes that fit. He'd been through a lot losing both of his teammates and his father, and Minato knew losing himself and Kushina had to have been hard on him.

Minato couldn't help but feel relieved just to look at him. To see him and know that he was still alive and breathing too, and that he hadn't done anything reckless. Knowing that Naruto had at least had someone while he was away lifted something dark and heavy off of his chest.

Hiruzen swallowed heavily, intaking a shaky breath that he did his best to hide. This Minato's chakra was exact. Kakashi had confirmed that his scent was the same as well, as though he'd never left. He hadn't aged a day in the past six years. He still made the same expressions, too. You could tell exactly what he was thinking if you knew him well enough.

The kunai he'd had in his possession were proven to be authentic by the resident weapons specialist. It was like sitting down to look at a ghost. Hiruzen almost wanted to reach out and confirm whether or not Minato was tangible. He had seen a number of odd things in his lifetime-- not all of them plausible.

This... This was something else. To vanish for six years only to awaken unchanged. It didn't make any sort of logical sense.

"...Can you prove you're who you look to be?" Hiruzen asked quietly, not daring to hope. Minato leaned back.

"Can I see Naruto if I do?" Minato questioned. Hiruzen couldn't help but smile just a little.

"Of course, Minato." Hiruzen promised. And that was enough for him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Inoichi retreated out of Minato's mind after only two minutes of being there, stumbling back like he'd just been set on fire, his eyes wide.

Minato jolted up with concern etched deep in his expression, his shoulders tense as Inoichi sputtered out that yes, this was undoubtedly their Fourth Hokage. Hiruzen had collapsed back into his seat with wide eyes and no small amount of shock. No remains had ever been found for the blonde kage. His bloodied coat and the last eyewitness accounts of those few who'd been present were all they'd had to go off of.

They'd ultimately deduced that Minato Namikaze had perished during the Kyuubi's rampage on the village. That he'd died a hero, sealing the nine tailed demon away before it could do anymore harm. That was the reputation he'd left in his wake.

Minato pushed himself to his feet, his gaze lifting to Kakashi almost immediately. The young man was still frozen in place. Disbelief cycled through him like murky water through an outdoor fountain.

He could remember the numerous sleepless nights in which he'd mourned for his sensei. The pain of having to sort through his belongings because he was listed as the man's next of kin. Watching Naruto begin to grow up without his father, and having to witness just how similar he was to his deceased parents.

It all flooded through him at once. His teacher was actually alive. Minato Namikaze had somehow survived the Kyuubi attack, and though it had been nearly six years since then, he'd made his way home.

He was looking at Kakashi with fond, apologetic eyes. Like he was saying sorry for being gone so long. And he truly was. He could almost see the hurt spilling out of Kakashi-- leaking out of his pores. He had been through far too much in his lifetime, Minato decided.

Tragedy after tragedy had worn Kakashi down and chipped away at what small semblance of stability he was still able to cling to. Minato knew this. He had always known this. But he was back now, and he was going to take care of him just like he did before, and Naruto as well. His son wasn't going to have to bear those glares and hateful whispers anymore. Not if Minato had anything to say about it.

"Kakashi?" Minato tried when the young man didn't move. He took a small step forward, placing a hand on Hiruzen's shoulder as he went. The Third Hokage grasped his forearm gently, giving it a squeeze as he unceremoniously wiped at his eyes. Inoichi had to step out of the room for a moment, still worked up from being inside Minato's mind and seeing the confirmation they'd all hoped for, but hadn't thought would come. Minato would have to remember to thank him for it later.

"Sensei?" Kakashi wheezed out. The blonde man reached up, unhooking his student's ANBU mask and tugging it away. He looked so much older now. At twenty years old, he'd sprouted into a strong, honorable young man.

Minato felt like he'd missed so much. He'd missed Kakashi sprouting into adulthood, and Naruto's first milestones and birthdays. What other experiences had Minato been robbed of? What highs and lows?

"Look at you. You're almost taller than I am!" Minato laughed, unable to stop his eyes from watering with emotion at the sight of his not-so-little-anymore student.  "I'm sorry I was gone for so long, Kakashi. It... I-I seems like I've missed out on a lot."

Kakashi's tears spilled over unbidden as the blonde man captured him in a firm hug. It was the type of embrace Kakashi used to grumpily pull away from when he was younger. He melted into it now, his arms coming up and returning it just as he'd always wished he had when his sensei was still alive.

Kakashi didn't say a word. He didn't have to. Instead, he buried his face in his sensei's shoulder and let himself weep.