Hisato all but leaped out of the window when the nurse told him that he was going to be discharged. Despite being more mature now, the time-traveller is still an Uzumaki and sitting for long periods of time did nothing good for the man. He was practically vibrating when the nurse came in to tell him that he was good to go.

Another problem with being by himself with nothing to do is that it left him alone with his thoughts- which isn't a good thing seeing as he literally killed himself a little more than a month ago. Luckily, Hisato had Kurama to keep him from falling into the hold of depression, not letting the man think about the past or the future.

"We're playing it by ear right now," Kurama would advise. "The timeline is already changing, and any plan we make right now is doomed to fail or make things worse. Nothing big is supposed to happen until the Chunin exams, so don't make plans that could change too much. Then we won't have any reliable knowledge of the future. Uno."

Hisato switched the color to green and Kurama won. The demon fox is literally the only one with luck that rivals Hisato's, making him a challenging (and frustrating) opponent when it comes to games.

Hisato put his hands behind his head as he walked to his apartment. It was pretty early in the morning, so Konoha was pretty quiet, only a few vendors setting up shop and the occasional shinobi hopping from roof to roof. Hisato, of course, also felt his personal Anbu follower trailing behind him. The brunette let out a sigh. That test with the Yamanaka ruined all of the progress he had made since travelling to the past.

The kyuubi container winced at the thought. The amount of stress that he was put under forced his body to seize and even go into a short coma. Between Inoichi putting pressure on his mind, Hisato trying to fight off the effects of the jutsu, and Kurama trying to push back without being detected, it was his body's only natural reaction.

Hisato let his arms rest at his sides, swinging as they normally would when walking at an average pace. The man felt the uncomfortable brush of fabric against his neck as he walked. He was still unused to having his hitai-ate around his neck- only having it there for the sake of covering the long scar that Hisato inflicted upon himself. The brunette was also trying to get used to the weight of the Jonin flak jacket that he wore, giving away his rank. It wasn't necessarily the weight of the jacket that bugged Hisato, but the weighted seals he painted within it. It was Kurama's idea, and while Arata grumbled about it now, he could see the long term use.

Finally, after a decently long walk, Hisato arrived at his apartment complex. I should probably check on Naruto first and explain my disappearance. The blue-eyed man thought to himself, knowing good and well what Naruto was probably thinking.

The brunette made his way up to the top floor and knocked on Naruto's door. "Hey, it's Hisato from a week ago," Arata called after his knock went unanswered. He wanted thirty more seconds before concluding that the boy was training.

Hisato let out a small sigh and unlocked the door to his own apartment and closed the door. It's been roughly a month (give or take a week) since he has arrived in the past, and despite nothing major happening yet, it has already taken a toll on Hisato's physical and mental health. The man must admit, there are times where he forgets what has happened to him in the past and just has fun in this present, however, knowing that he is here in the past to save the future that is his past leaves him feeling guilty for the small amounts of fun he has.

"Let's have some fun, shall we?"

The brunette grunted and shook his head before he could enter the memory. There's no time for self pity.

Hisato glanced around his gloomy apartment, the only lighting coming from the rising sun. He doesn't want to be here. Alone. Arata felt the small flicker of his Anbu watchers' chakra, reminding him that he is never alone. He'll never have a moment to himself as long as they remain suspicious. But, he will also always be by himself (if you exclude Kurama), only further alienated by suspicions of Hisato's intentions.

Revealing his Anbu tattoo was a mistake, even if unintentional. By stupidly removing his shirt, all of Hisato's progress was erased plus some. Not only did Tora distance himself, but Kakashi did too. Hisato was now viewed with an air of suspicion and caution. All of it caused by his stupid tattoo.

Hisato let out a sigh (which he noticed that he does quite often now) and stretched out his shoulders- hearing the satisfying pop as his joints stretched. Pleased with his stretch, the brunette decided to stop moping and go out in search of Naruto. Hisato glanced outside at the rising sun. It's probably around 6:45 based on how high the sun is, and if Kakashi decided to be "early", Naruto has probably already started training. The Hokage has yet to assign the newly minted Jonin a mission and quite frankly, Hisato is bored.

Mind made up, Hisato exited his home and locked the door. He then made his way to training ground 13 where, if he remembered correctly, Naruto would be.

The Jonin leaped from building to building with the precision and grace only a ninja would have. He felt Tora's chakra spike a bit as the man picked up the speed- probably thinking that he was trying to run away. Hisato let out a small sigh and slowed his pace so Tora could catch up. It was actually becoming quite frustrating for the brunette. In his past life, he was a people person, but this kind of attention is unnerving.

Arata finally stopped in front of training ground 13 and was shocked by the sight in front of him. This... this didn't happen last time. The adult blinked once, then twice but the sight was still there- sunset and all.

Team 7 was clothed in the hideous (but admittedly effective) jumpsuits that Gai and Lee always adorned. Even Sasuke. Especially Sasuke.

"Kai," Hisato mumbled, making the appropriate hand sign to disrupt this Genjutsu. The brunette's stomach clenched when it didn't work.

The team was doing pushups, and if Naruto's counting was anything to go by (which it probably wasn't), they were about to hit 500. The man honestly wouldn't be surprised if Naruto lost count several times and the team did more than 500.

Gai was pacing among the Genin, making sure they didn't stop the torture he was putting them through. "Yes, my rivals' students. You are filled to the brim with youth," Gai exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Youth," Sasuke shouted in reply, earning two, unified groans.

"You know, the more this goes on, the less I find you attractive," Sakura grumbled between her gasps for air. Her arms and core were burning, and she decided that it was Sasuke's fault. The more he said 'youth' the more inspired Gai-sensei became. It didn't help that the insane man tasked the most distracted among them to count.

"476, 477...478," Naruto gasped out, then pausing for a second before continuing his count. "475, 476, 477..."

Tora landed beside Hisato and took in the sight before him. The man noticed that the Jonin's eyes were wide and his chakra was constantly fluctuating as if trying to break a Genjutsu. Suddenly, Hisato turned towards the Anbu and asked him a question that shook him to the core.

"Where does the sunset even come from?"

{August 13, 2020}

Should I speed up the plot?

Sorry for the short chapter.