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Chapter Text

Once Kushina was close enough to reach out and touch one of the bijuu’s legs, she skidded to a stop. Even though she knew it was incredibly unlikely that Kurama was purposefully ignoring her, she couldn’t help the flash of irritation she felt as she failed again to get the fox’s attention. 

Frustrated, she glared up the bijuu and shouted at the top of her lungs, “Hey, you mangy, flea-ridden fox! Can you hear me or not?” 

That got the bijuu’s attention. The Kyuubi whipped around, roaring with enough force to make Kushina dig her heels into the earth to keep herself from being blown backwards. The bijuu now had a gaping maw filled with fully formed teeth, along with bony plating on his skull and spine. He towered over her, oozing fury in every speck of chakra. Then, a single red, slitted eye fixed onto her. 

Kurama stopped mid-roar, narrowing his eye and baring his teeth. “Tomato Head,” he grumbled, “you are late.” 

“Fuck you, you stupid, petty, jerk!” Even as she snapped at the bijuu, she wanted to cry with relief. “Is Naruto ok? Are you ok? What happened, how are you free? How did–” 

“Your endless prattling never ceases to irritate me,” the fox scoffed, sounding more exasperated than angry. “The brat and I are fine,” he answered, with surprising gentleness. “As for the rest of what I assume will be an endless stream of questions, that is far more complicated.” 

The bijuu gestured with a massive claw, using a few tails to wave away the haze in the air. Kushina could now see the battlefield around her more clearly, including the other occupants. There were dozens of lifeless, shredded bodies scattered around the battlefield. Based on the presence of ANBU-style masks, Kushina could assume that those were all that remained of Danzo’s agents. She was surprised to see Danzo himself amongst the wreckage, his face unbandaged as he desperately slashed a kunai at his opponent. Obito stayed out of the elder’s range, or let attacks phase right through him. Even from this distance, Kushina could see how much his injury was catching up with him. She forced down the stab of guilt she felt at contributing, because she knew she’d done what she needed to in order to protect her family and her home. 

She wasn’t quite sure what was going on, but she did know that for whatever reason, the Kyuubi was not under the Sharingan’s influence. Maybe it was a coincidence, and Kurama had escaped while Obito had his hands full with Lord Danzo, but her gut told her otherwise. The fact that Kurama wasn’t actively trying to squash him spoke volumes. So, even though she didn’t quite know what was going on, she at least knew that Kurama was not being controlled, and that was a huge relief. 

Kushina realized too late that no one else knew what she did. She saw her husband on the other side of the wreckage, looking determined and holding one of his three-pronged kunai. He thought he needed to free the Kyuubi, which meant he was aiming for the person he thought was controlling the bijuu. Even though he was too far to hear her, she still called out for him to wait. 

“Minato, don’t!” 

By some miracle, her husband heard her plea. He heard it over Kurama’s low growls and over the crunching of debris below their feet. Not only did he hear it, in the miniscule moment that he flashed across the battlefield he was able to make the decision to trust Kushina and listen. At the very last moment, Minato adjusted his aim to avoid hitting his former student. He only caught the edge of the orange mask, slicing a large divot nearly down to the skin. 

Per usual, Minato’s timing had been perfect. Obito was not intangible when the hit landed, and judging by Minato’s remaining momentum it would have been a devastating blow. If Kushina had called out even half a second later, or Minato had attacked half a second sooner, Obito would have been gutted. Maybe he’d survive it, with his exceptional healing skills, but based on the way he visibly flinched and shuffled backwards, Kushina wasn’t entirely certain. He was already injured, and looking a little short of breath, so he seemed to share a similar concern about how close to death he’d just been. 

For a few moments after the aborted attack, both master and student stared at each other silently. Minato didn’t lower his weapon, but there were a few cracks in his otherwise stern expression. He understood how close he’d come to seriously wounding or even killing one of his own students. That realization would be hard enough for him, but even worse he couldn’t yet say if he’d made the right call to hold back. None of them could. Kushina wanted to believe that Obito had turned toward their side, but she didn’t have any proof. She only had the feeling she was going off of, and the fact that the Kyuubi was not being controlled. 

Well, might as well go straight to the source to find out. “Kurama,” Kushina called up to the fox, “what happened?” 

At first, Kurama didn’t seem to want to answer. His formation was not complete, though it was a near thing, so his presence wasn’t any less imposing. He bared his teeth, as if considering what response to give. Eventually, he rumbled, “I showed the Uchiha brat the truth about where his actions would lead. For once, he made an intelligent decision and chose to release the seal keeping my chakra separate from Naruto’s, then retrieved the key and unlocked it completely.” It sounded like it pained the fox to admit he’d had help. 

Conversely, Kushina felt some combination of giddiness and relief. Obito let them go. He had the Kyuubi in his clutches and chose to free him. She had a feeling there was more to the story than Kurama was currently letting on, but she could pester him for details later. The fox certainly wasn’t thrilled about Obito’s presence, but he was making a point not to attack him so that spoke volumes about his current comfort level with the situation. 

Finally, Minato lowered his weapon, still wary but far more hopeful than a few minutes ago. At the same time, the rest of their group seemed to decide that Kurama was not going to crush them and arrived to back them up. Kakashi froze almost comically, glancing wildly between his sensei and his teammate, looking about two seconds from throwing himself in between them. He must have heard Kurama’s explanation, because the fox’s voice was certainly not quiet nor subtle, but he was still understandably conflicted about how to react. They all were. 

“Obito, you–” Kakashi started, stumbling uncharacteristically over his words. “I guess it’s not surprising that it took you so long to find your way back. You’ve never been good at being on time for anything.” 

Kushina nearly facepalmed in response, and even Minato looked disapproving about the teasing remark. The only one who seemed to find the joke amusing was Kurama, who snorted loudly, muttering something about “hilarious irony”. 

“I–,” Obito started to say, his voice painfully numb. “This isn’t how it was supposed to be. I wouldn’t–I only wanted to fix things–” He reached up and clutched at the edges of his orange mask with both hands, like he couldn’t decide whether or not to yank it off his face. “I didn’t know. I didn’t want–” His grip tightened and he started to hunch in on himself.

Minato instinctively reached out to comfort his student. “Obito–” 

Immediately, Obito leapt back, his posture defensive. Even from behind the mask, Kushina could feel the weight of Obito’s glare on Minato’s face. “Don’t touch me,” he snapped, low and dangerous. Almost his “Madara” voice, but not quite. 

“Ok,” Minato replied softly, as if speaking to a cornered animal. “I don’t want to fight. I never wanted to fight.” 

Obito didn’t respond, instead glancing warily at the group surrounding him. The Hokage, the Uchiha Clan Head, one of the Sannin, a newly made jinchuuriki, and Kushina herself. Plus, Kurama was still looming over them, teeth bared and tails lashing. Yeah ok, this was probably a little intimidating. 

And yet, Obito didn’t leave. He could have warped away in an instant, but he didn’t. 

“Obito,” Minato started again, “I want to help you. Kurama showed you where your story ended in his world, but it doesn’t have to be like that here. The fact that you let Naruto go tells me that you understand and don’t want to follow that same path, so let me help you find your way off of it. Please.” 

“You want to help me?” Obito scoffed, his voice icy. “You mean, like you helped Rin? Or like you helped Kakashi through his grief? Or like you helped me after Kannabi Bridge? Oh wait, you didn’t do any of those things.” His fists clenched at his side. “Rin needed you when she had a bijuu forcibly sealed inside her. Kakashi needed you , not an ANBU mask. And I needed you when I was broken and alone in that cave, but I sure as hell don’t need you now. I don’t want your help or your pity or your false promises.”

Kushina felt her chest tighten as she realized how much she’d been misinterpreting the situation thus far. She’d seen Kurama’s memories, and how Obito turned completely back to the older Naruto’s side in the end. He’d fully flipped his allegiances, even giving up his own life in the process. And so maybe Kushina assumed the same thing would happen now–besides the giving his life part, of course. She thought letting Kurama go and helping Naruto meant the same thing it did in the other timeline, and that’s where she was wrong. 

The masked teenager in front of her was not the same man from Kurama’s memories. That was a good thing, considering all the horrors they’d stopped him from unleashing on the world, but it also made him functionally a different person. He didn’t have the same experiences and life lessons as his older self, or the same circumstances that brought him back to the light. The timeline had changed too much for him to ever walk the same path as his other self, for better and maybe for worse too. That made his actions unpredictable. Yes, he’d chosen to help them today, but now she understood that didn’t mean his mind was changed completely. It didn’t mean he’d suddenly go back to the silly, carefree kid he used to be. It didn’t mean he’d run back to them with open arms. 

Knowing the apocalyptic path the world could take because of his actions didn’t erase all of the anger, hatred, and grief he was feeling. Obito had always been a stubborn kid, and slow to change his mind about anything, so it really wasn’t surprising that he wasn’t going to just slip back into his old life with his team like everything was right with the world. Foolishly, Kushina had imagined it happening that way, and now she felt like an idiot for letting her mind wander. 

Obito had not solemnly accepted his fate, nor had his view of the world changed. He’d learned that the foundations of his plans and desires were built on lies, and that the path he was walking would not lead him to the destination he’d hoped. That was all well and good, especially for preventing the end of the world, but it did not fundamentally change the thoughts and feelings that led to this path in the first place. 

In other words, their alliance today may have only been temporary. 

Minato understood, and seemed to be weighing his options. His brow furrowed and Kushina could practically see his mind churning with possibilities. She knew her husband would still try to reach his student, if he could, but it would be a dangerous gamble to dismiss him as no longer a threat. They didn’t know Obito’s current motivations, or what his goals were now that he knew the Infinite Tsukuyomi wasn’t what he’d thought. Letting him go free could put Naruto, the village, and maybe even the world right back in danger, but moving prematurely to detain him would ruin any hope of rebuilding trust between them. 

Unfortunately, Kakashi was not as adept at reading people, so he hadn’t quite caught up to the rest of them. “It’ll be ok,” he told his wayward teammate. “You’re here now, that’s all that matters.” Kakashi started to take a step forward, as if to reach out. “You’re home.” 

Minato stopped him with a hand on his shoulder and a shake of his head. He didn’t stop to acknowledge Kakashi’s questioning hum, instead staring ahead at Obito with a pleading expression. “Please, Obito. Turn yourself in and we can work together to fix things. I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you needed me, but I want to be there for you now.” 

Obito ignored everything Minato said, only bitterly repeating, “Home.” His arms hung listlessly at his side. “What a funny word to use for such a rotten place.” 

Kakashi’s expression broke completely as he began to understand what the rest of them had already realized. “Don’t be stupid,” he chastised, though his tone was unapologetically desperate. “Don’t–” his voice caught on the word. In a much quieter voice, he pleaded, “Please don’t leave me again.” 

Obito didn’t acknowledge him at all, other than a barely noticeable shake of his head. Minato flashed forward in an instant, but Obito was already intangible so he phased right through his student and had to make a sudden, sharp turn to stop his forward momentum. Obito must have been intangible for a while, or maybe the response was involuntary because Minato didn’t seem even close to touching him this time. Either way, it left him an opening to swirl away into his Sharingan dimension before even Minato and his legendary speed could adjust his course to intercept him. 

Just like that, Obito was gone again, and they didn’t have time to consider what to do about his disappearance because they still had a scheming Councilman to deal with.

—--------------------------------

The plan was for Danzo to be put on trial for his actions, but Kurama had other ideas. He waited until Minato sealed the eye Danzo stole from Kakashi, then ripped him to shreds with his teeth and claws. It was violent and bloody, but none of them felt the slightest hint of remorse, and Kurama looked far too pleased with himself. 

Afterward, when Fugaku retrieved Obito’s other eye from the remnants of Danzo’s corpse, he made the surprising decision to ask Kakashi what he wanted to do with it.

Initially, Kakashi was hesitant to take the eye back, though he seemed equally hesitant to part with it. He admitted to feeling like a thief, with Obito alive and well out in the world, and he also held out hope that he’d be able to return the eye to its rightful owner someday. 

However, his attitude quickly changed when a handwritten note appeared out of nowhere that read, Don’t lose it this time, Bakashi. 

No one commented on how Kakashi kept the note, and seemed to always have it on his person from then on. 

—--------------------------------

“Sensei you can’t do this!” Kakashi was so angry that bijuu chakra was leaking out of him, causing Minato’s ANBU to shift uneasily in the shadows.

Minato, of course, was unconcerned about the potential for a jinchuuriki-flavored tantrum in his office. “This isn’t something I’m doing because I want to, Kakashi. Whether we like it or not, Obito has committed some serious crimes. I can’t overlook that just because he’s my student.” His expression hardened. “I won’t overlook that.” 

Kushina understood in a way that Kakashi probably never could. Minato was still cleaning up Danzo’s mess and finding out increasingly terrible details about what the man had been up to. Or, more accurately, what the Sandaime knew he was up to. He’d previously trusted and respected his predecessor, but the reality of what Sarutobi had allowed to happen under his watch shook Minato more than he’d ever admit to anyone else. He’d gone out of his way to air Danzo’s dirty laundry and denounce his predecessor’s decision to keep protecting the man. 

Minato was too honest to turn around and do the same thing for his own student that the Sandaime had done for his “friend”. And Kushina respected him for that, she really did! But she also understood Kakashi’s anger and frustration. They were the closest thing to family that Obito had left (the Uchiha did not count, considering they’d never accepted him before and now they’d completely disowned him). None of them wanted to see any harm come to him, even in the face of his terrible actions. 

It was an argument she’d nearly had with Minato, actually. She refused to accept the idea of execution or permanent disfigurement for Obito. She’d gotten so lost in her yelling and ranting, while Minato just silently observed her fit of rage with the tiniest smile on his face, that it hadn’t occurred to her until at least 10 minutes in that her husband hadn’t actually disagreed with her. He couldn’t let Obito go without any consequences, but he was at least unwilling to entertain the worst options. 

Kakashi continued to pace back and forth in front of Minato’s desk. He didn’t seem to notice how the flow of bijuu chakra was growing, or how his nails were sharpening into claws sharp enough to tear the Bingo Book he was still angrily waving around. He also still had a bandage covering his recently re-transplanted Sharingan, which made him look even more wild and ragged than he already was. “We should at least take into consideration that he decided to help us, and that he could have taken Naruto but he didn’t. Plus, he was functionally a long term prisoner of war, you can’t forget that either. Who knows what kind of physical or mental torture he may have gone through! He was manipulated, we know he was. And if he hadn’t pushed me out of the way of the boulder, I never would have been around to finish destroying Kannabi Bridge, which was a huge part of winning the war. Also–” 

“Ah! Kakashi, the floor!” Minato wailed, watching as the Sanbi’s chakra burned through the bottom of Kakashi’s shoes, then left a line of smoldering footprints on the wood below. 

Realizing he was teetering on the edge of losing control of his new tenant’s power, Kakashi flushed and reeled in both his emotions and the Sanbi’s chakra. “...sorry.” He paused, his eyes glazing over in a way that Kushina understood to mean that he was listening to Isobu. “No, it wasn’t your fault, I just got a little carried away.” 

Unlike nearly everyone else in the room, Naruto was delighted by the appearance of bijuu chakra. From his mother’s arms, he giggled and pointed excitedly, babbling something nonsensical about Kurama. He was too young to understand exactly what the bijuu were, but he did recognize a presence similar to the Kyuubi’s. 

Kushina shushed him gently, still relieved to see that he was acting relatively normal after Danzo’s kidnapping attempt. As Tsunade predicted, he had been very hungry and cranky once he recovered, but since then he’d been quickly returning to his usual cheerful self. Naruto was a resilient little thing, even at his young age. 

It also helped that Kurama dragged him into their shared mindscape at even the tiniest hint of a nightmare from his host. The Kyuubi was ridiculously overprotective these days and Kushina wasn’t upset about it at all. It was kind of funny how little any of them were concerned about the seal being unlocked now.  

Once Kakashi had calmed down, Minato smiled reassuringly at his remaining student. “Kakashi, have I ever given you the impression that I would willingly turn my back on the people I care about?” 

“...no,” Kakashi admitted. 

“Then trust me. More than anything, I want to help Obito. I want him to come back to us, and I want him to be safe,” Minato said genuinely. “But I still have to think about all the people he hurt, and the people he could continue to hurt if things don’t go the way we hope. He needs to face the consequences of his actions, but I won’t allow any serious harm to come to him. I promise.” 

Kakashi seemed placated, at least for now, by Minato’s assurances. He knew Minato was being truthful, and that his sensei had a good track record for getting his way. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to emphasize the point. 

Kushina added, “I can’t promise I won’t smack him around a little for all the trouble he’s caused us, but I’ll raise hell if anyone else tries to lay a finger on him. I may not be a jinchuuriki anymore but I can still cause some serious mayhem when I want to.” She grinned deviously. 

The combined reassurances did the trick, and Kakashi finally relaxed. “I want to look for him,” he requested, unsurprisingly. 

“And I will let you,” Minato promised. “You’re one of our best trackers, and maybe one of the only people Obito might listen to. But I can’t sign off on you leaving until things are stable in the village and we make sure Kiri isn’t going to try to target you for Isobu. Don’t argue with me,” he added sharply before Kakashi could protest. “We don’t have any leads right now, anyway. I have to focus on rebuilding and protecting the village, but as soon as I have resources to spare we’ll start looking for him. Sound fair to you?” 

Kakashi nodded, only slightly hesitant. “Yeah, ok.” 

Kushina shared a look with her husband behind Kakashi’s back. It would be far too easy for this to turn into an unhealthy obsession for Kakashi. They needed to tread carefully and keep a close eye on his behavior and well-being. 

And in the meantime, maybe Kurama would have an idea of where to start their search. Afterall, his knowledge of the future had proved invaluable many times. 

—--------------------------------

“Why would I know where that whelp has run off to?” 

“I just thought that maybe something you knew from your original time might be helpful,” Kushina reasoned. 

Kurama snorted at her in response. “We have deviated extensively from the events of my timeline, Tomato Head. From here on out I likely have no greater knowledge of the future than anyone else.” He laid his massive head on his paws, regarding her with obvious amusement. “You Uzumaki and your tendency toward unpredictability and chaos has made everything I know obsolete.” 

Kushina narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “You’re not just saying that because you don’t want us to find him, right?” 

There was a slight delay in the fox’s response as he was distracted by Naruto trying to climb on his snout. He gently shook his jinchuuriki off, which was an equally fun game for Naruto. The downside of conversing in her son’s mindscape; he was always there to interrupt important conversations with his immediate need for attention and playtime. 

Once Naruto was no longer poking and prodding at the Kyuubi’s face, he replied, “On the contrary, I want you to locate him as soon as possible. We don’t know what the Uchiha whelp is doing, or if he could be undoing our efforts to prevent catastrophe.” His tails flicked irritably at the thought.  

“I don’t think we have to worry about him going back to trying to make the Infinite Tsukuyomi happen,” Kushina reasoned. “He seemed pretty shaken by whatever you showed him,” the fox still frustratingly refused to share the details, “and we’ve made it pretty much impossible for him to follow through, anyway. The Akatsuki won’t be under his thumb, the bijuu will be near impossible to collect, and Kakashi dropped that freaky statue somewhere in the middle of the ocean. We even took care of Black Zetsu! There’s nothing left of the original plan for him to continue.” 

Kurama scoffed, “There is a human phrase I believe will serve me well here: when you make assumptions, you make an–” 

“Yeah, yeah.” Kushina waved the fox off, interrupting him before he could inadvertently teach Naruto another fun new catchphrase. “I get where you’re coming from, I just can’t see it happening.” More accurately, she just couldn’t bring herself to believe it. She’d barely been able to accept Obito’s role in destroying the other timeline, even after seeing the man he grew up to be. Now that she’d seen a glimpse of the boy she and Minato loved, and that he still had some capacity for good, it would be near impossible to accept him as some kind of unredeemable villain. It was shortsighted and foolish, she knew, but she couldn’t help it. 

The fox seemed to understand, and surprisingly he didn’t mock her for it. He looked almost sympathetic, but still leaning more toward pity. “I hope you are right, Tomato Head, for all of our sakes.” 

“Me too,” Kushina agreed. 

—--------------------------------

The first anniversary of Obito’s second failed assault on the village arrived with no fanfare, but also no shortage of heavy emotions. Even if the devastation hadn’t been nearly as bad as Kurama’s rampage, plenty of damage had still been done. Lives had been lost, homes and businesses destroyed. 

There was a small ceremony where Minato said a few comforting, encouraging words to the village about hope and the Will of Fire. He put on a brave face in public, but at home he was uncharacteristically solemn. He’d been like this for a while after the initial incident with Obito and Danzo, and his melancholy returned in full force with the reminder of what they’d been through last year. 

Not only had it been an incredibly stressful time for both their family and the village, Minato had really taken Obito’s harsh words to heart. Kushina tried to soothe her husband, to remind him that Obito was lost and angry, and lashing out at the world at large. She didn’t think she was doing a very good job of comforting him, and his mood only improved when he got to spend time with Naruto. Otherwise he’d been unusually distractible and forlorn over the past few weeks. He wasn’t sleeping much, and sometimes she had to use Naruto to guilt him into eating. She’d never seen him like this, and it scared her.

Of course Minato’s Hokage duties never suffered, but that didn’t exactly help with his continued gloominess. He wore his mask well in public, but in private he was still taking the altercation with Obito very hard. She knew every moment replayed in Minato’s mind on repeat, and no manner of assurances seemed to help. 

But Minato wasn’t the only one struggling. 

Kakashi was spending an increasing amount of time at the Memorial Stone over the past few weeks, often showing up late or not at all for dinner. Most nights he snuck in via the window of his room to avoid talking to either her or Minato, knowing they were concerned about his brooding and would try to make him talk about his feelings. 

And so, it wasn’t a surprise that Kakashi was absent from Minato’s big speech. He didn’t want to be reminded of the day they failed to talk Obito down. Of course that, and Naruto’s kidnapping, were the events he found particularly unpleasant, not his near death at Danzo’s hand. He remained obnoxiously unconcerned about nearly dying, though he acknowledged the event just enough to thank Isobu for saving his life. Kushina caught him eating some vile fermented fish concoction as a present to the bijuu, because apparently the Sanbi was curious about what it tasted like. 

Following his encouraging speech and forced smiles, Minato turned away from the gathered crowd on ground level below them and let Kushina see the wariness in his expression. She’d been the one keeping Naruto occupied so he didn’t interrupt the somber occasion, so she finally gave him permission to run forward and pester his father for attention. Minato managed a small smile and scooped Naruto up, finding the contact soothing just as Kushina hoped he would. 

“It was a good speech,” Kushina commented, stepping forward to supportively squeeze her husband’s hand. “Very inspiring. Nice and short.” 

Minato hummed in response. “I didn’t think anyone would want to sit through something drawn out. I also–” He sighed. “I know the village is still scared and angry that we haven’t found Obito yet. I want to believe that he won’t be a continued threat, I really do but–”

She squeezed his hand again. “I know. Me too.” Just because he’d done something good the last time they saw him didn’t mean he wasn’t working against them at this very moment. The longer they went without finding him, the more she started to worry that Kurama was right about her making assumptions. Even if he did truly abandon the plan for the Infinite Tsukuyomi, he could be working on a completely different world ending plan. The Council and the Clan Heads certainly feared he was. 

As if reading her mind, Minato continued, “It’s been harder than usual, keeping the Council appeased lately. The date is too much of a reminder of what happened, I think.” 

“They’re still giving you shit about Obito’s Bingo Book entry?” It wasn’t a surprise at all, but she’d hoped, for her husband’s sake, that the displeasure would have lessened with time. 

Minato nodded, unconsciously tugging Naruto a little closer as if to ward off some of the unpleasantness of the conversation. “That’s an understatement. I got some of them on board by convincing them that we can’t hold him accountable for his actions if he’s killed for the bounty on his head, but most of them don’t care. They just want him dead, and they know I won’t allow execution if we manage to get him put on trial.” 

It was a fine line for Minato, still trying to give Obito a chance for redemption while also not ignoring the harm he’d caused. The choice was certainly not popular, with most of the populace calling for blood. Truthfully, if it had been someone else, someone they didn’t have a connection to, Kushina would have agreed wholeheartedly. Considering the scale of his crimes, stipulating “live capture only” as a requirement for obtaining the bounty on his head was unprecedented. It was also a requirement that the other villages had no interest in pursuing. 

Although, Kiri was offering significantly more money for Obito’s live capture, but certainly not out of consideration for Minato’s feelings. They just wanted to dole out their own justice for all the bloodshed and chaos he’d put into motion. And if the rumors were to be believed, Kiri’s particular brand of justice was especially unpleasant for the accused. 

“I know it’s selfish,” Minato said quietly, “but I still want to believe we can reach him. But if we can’t, if he shows any sign that he’s still a threat–” He didn’t finish the sentence, but he didn’t have to. 

Kushina understood. There wouldn’t be another chance for Obito, there couldn’t be. For the sake of the world, for the future Kurama had given them, they would have to end the threat. It would break Minato’s heart to kill his student, and it might drive Kakashi away from him forever, but he would take on those burdens if he had to. Kushina would too, but it was a last resort for both of them. Minato was an optimist, and Kushina was extraordinarily stubborn, so neither of them were even close to ready to give up. And neither was Kakashi.  

Speaking of Kakashi…

“Have you talked to Kakashi at all today?” she asked. She’d only caught a glimpse of him this morning, slipping out the door before she could offer even the briefest greeting.

“No,” Minato admitted. “But I can guess where he is.”

Obito’s empty grave was gone, and his name on the Memorial Stone had been scratched out, but Kakashi still kept up the same silent vigil as always. “Most likely,” she agreed. 

“Could you check on him for me? Please?” Minato asked. 

“Of course.” She gently extracted Naruto from her husband’s grip. Snapping Kakashi out of his funk would require backup. 

Minato relaxed a bit, nodding gratefully. “Thanks. Just don’t tell him that I sent you, ok? You know how he gets when we fuss over him.” 

Kushina snorted, “You think he’d be used to it by now.” 

“Used to it, sure, but I doubt he’ll ever accept it,” Minato reasoned. 

That was probably true. “I know today is hard on you too, so don’t think you’re getting out of mandatory snuggle time tonight.” 

Her husband laughed, the first genuine laugh she’d heard in at least a week. “Wouldn’t dream of it.” They shared a quick kiss, and Naruto said a very lengthy goodbye to his father and all his visible ANBU guards, then they were off to deal with a moody teenager.

She carried Naruto for a while, until he fussed and demanded to walk on his own. It made their progress slower, but more exercise for Naruto now meant easier bedtime later tonight so she didn’t fight it. On the way, she and Naruto received plenty of polite greetings and acknowledgement. Naruto loved the attention, but Kushina still struggled to separate the village that either adored or feared her and Minato too much to so much as look at Naruto funny, and the villagers in the other timeline that would have been fine seeing Naruto neglected and alone. Sometimes, she still wondered how many of the people that stopped to smile and wish her son well would have spat “demon” or “monster” instead had the timeline progressed like it was supposed to. 

They eventually made it to the Memorial Stone with only a few stops and distractions. As expected, Kakashi was standing in front of the stone, equally as still and silent. He was alone, as he tended to be, because his presence wasn’t exactly welcoming to other mourners. He’d been rather unapproachable his whole life, on top of dealing with his father’s legacy, and now he was a jinchuuriki along with one of Obito’s most vocal defenders. It was fortunate that Kakashi ended up with a small but solid group of friends and didn’t care about anyone else’s opinions because he wasn’t exactly popular nowadays. 

The first thing Kushina noticed was Kakashi’s general demeanor. Hunched and miserable, as expected. The second thing she noticed was that he was clutching a bouquet of purple flowers in his hands, his grip white knuckled and his hands shaking slightly. He must have brought them to lay in front of the stone, or perhaps on Rin or his father’s graves.

Thanks to the very sexist flower arranging classes that only the girls had to do during the Academy, Kushina had a general understanding of flower language and identification. There was a lot she’d forgotten over the years but she felt confident that her identification was accurate, and mostly confident that her interpretation was correct too. 

Purple hyacinths: deep sorrow and regret, a desire for forgiveness. 

Her heart ached to know that Kakashi was still blaming himself for anything that happened, but she wasn’t surprised. The teen’s guilt complex was a mile wide. 

Thanks to Naruto, she didn’t have to announce her presence at all. He rushed forward and squealed with delight, “Hi! Hi Kashi!” 

Kakashi glanced up from the stone, his gaze naturally softening when it landed on Naruto. He still looked weary and worn, but Naruto’s presence definitely went a long way to snap him out of his funk. He readily accepted Naruto’s plea to be picked up, scooping up the toddler with one arm, still holding the bouquet with his other hand. 

“Minato sent me to check on you,” Kushina commented, not bothering with the secrecy her husband requested. It wasn’t like Kakashi wouldn’t figure it out anyway. 

“Of course he did,” Kakashi sighed. Naruto wiggled in his arms, his stubby little fingers grasping the nearest flower curiously. Kakashi let him, only intervening when Naruto tried to take a bite out of it. 

Not one for subtly, Kushina outright asked, “How’re you holding up?” 

As expected, Kakashi replied, “Fine.” 

“And now that you’ve given me the generic, unhelpful answer, how about the truth?” Kushina said sternly. She stared at Kakashi expectantly, her eyes narrowed. 

Kakashi’s shoulders hunched, and he seemed to debate continuing his obvious lie. “...not great,” he admitted softly. His gaze dropped to the stone, specifically to the spot where Obito’s name had been crudely scratched out. 

Slowly, so Kakashi had time to reject the action, Kushina approached with an outstretched hand. Kakashi didn’t move away, so she gently placed a supportive hand on his shoulder and squeezed. She didn’t say anything, letting Naruto fill the silence with some idle chatter and babbling instead. 

Eventually, Naruto started to get fussy, and it was the perfect excuse to convince Kakashi that it was time to go home. He hesitated, but Naruto’s pouts and insistence that it was time for all of them to eat dinner won out over his desire to keep brooding. He gave Kushina a look that told her he knew she’d brought Naruto along to casually manipulate him, but he didn’t fight it. He couldn’t. Like nearly everyone else that Naruto met, he had Kakashi wrapped around his little finger. 

As they turned to leave, Kushina realized that Kakashi was still holding onto the flowers. She nodded toward the purple blooms in his hand. “Do you need to lay those out before we go?” 

Kakashi’s visible brow furrowed, and he stared silently at the bouquet. Naruto started fussing again, but now Kakashi’s attention was too stuck on the flowers to notice. 

Kushina cleared her throat loudly to get his attention. “I know that no matter how many times we say it we’re not getting through that thick skull of yours, but it wasn’t your fault. There hasn’t been a single moment that’s been your fault.” 

There was no response from the stoic teen. His gaze did flicker up to Kushina, but he remained silent. 

Trying for a different angle, Kushina chuckled awkwardly, “It’s a little on the nose, don’t you think?” 

This finally seemed to get some kind of reaction from Kakashi. He blinked at her a few times. “Huh?” 

She gestured toward the bouquet. “Purple hyacinths. You may as well scream from the rooftops that you’re feeling guilty and seeking forgiveness. But let me remind you again that you have nothing you need to be forgiven for.” 

Kakashi’s eye widened a bit and he looked back down at the bouquet, his grip tightening again. “I didn’t know that was the meaning.” 

“Uh huh,” Kushina replied, unconvinced. “I’m sure it was just a coincidence that you happened to buy them.” 

“I didn’t–” Kakashi immediately cut himself off. He went silent again, staring at the flowers with a complex, unreadable expression. The only thing he said, after nearly a full minute of awkward silence broken only by Naruto’s continued nagging, was, “Oh.” 

His expression changed again, flickering through understanding and then a little bit of hope, before he clamped down on his emotions and returned to his typical stoicism. Gently, he laid the flowers in front of the Memorial Stone, then turned to offer a half-hearted apology to Naruto for making him wait. Then, he began walking home without another word or backwards glance.

Kushina frowned, not immediately making a move to follow them. She wanted to ask follow up questions about whatever emotional conundrum Kakashi had just worked through, but she didn’t get the chance. Kakashi paused and turned back toward Kushina with his eyebrow raised expectantly. 

Still securely held by Kakashi’s arm, Naruto waved wildly and called, “Hurry, mama! ‘M hungry!” 

“Hear that? You wouldn’t want your darling son to go hungry, would you?” Kakashi drawled lazily.

Kushina huffed irritably and jogged to catch up to them so she could smack the back of Kakashi’s head in retaliation. She put the flowers out of her mind, too relieved by the normalcy of the teasing response to think anymore about whatever she’d just witnessed. 

—--------------------------------

“He still hasn’t tried to make contact with Konan or Nagato,” Jiraiya assured them. “They haven’t heard a peep from him.” 

Minato frowned, deep in thought. “Are you sure you can trust them to be truthful?” 

“As sure as I can be,” the Toad Sage replied. “Nagato destroyed the Rinnegan at our request, and nothing about their actions or the information they’ve been sharing leads me to believe that they’re withholding anything important. Plus,” he grinned, “I am an excellent judge of character!” 

Minato shook his head in exasperation at his mentor’s declaration, but he seemed convinced. He trusted his sensei’s intuition. 

It was probably good news, since Obito hadn’t exactly had a positive influence on the Akatsuki in the other timeline, but it was also incredibly frustrating because after nearly two years they still didn’t have a single lead. “Where the hell did he go?” Kushina wondered, trying to recall anything from Kurama’s memories that would give them a clue about where to look. 

Jiraiya shrugged. “Who knows? The kid can quite literally go anywhere in the world at any moment. Kind of makes him hard to track. But if anyone can find him, it is I, the Great Jiraiya! My spy network is second to none.” 

“Do we know all of his aliases?” Minato asked. “He might switch them up, since he knows about our knowledge of Kurama’s timeline, but it’s still worth checking.”

“I can at least say that I haven’t picked up on any rumors about someone going around claiming to be Madara Uchiha,” Jiraiya assured them. “I’ve looked into a lot of ‘Tobis’ too, but none of them were our guy.” 

“Every potential lead Kakashi looked into was a dead end too,” Minato sighed warily. “He’s getting increasingly frustrated and pestering me about letting him leave the Land of Fire.” 

Jiraiya hummed thoughtfully. “You don’t think it’s safe yet?” 

“Will it ever be?” Minato retorted bitterly. “Even without the Akatsuki, jinchuuriki are always a target. Plus, I’m not fully convinced that I’ve smoothed things over with Kiri, and not knowing Obito’s current motivations makes me nervous. I want to believe that he’s fully given up on stealing bijuu, but that’s a dangerous assumption to make.”

Rubbing his chin in thought, Jiraiya countered, “To be fair, not much can threaten your remaining student these days. He was already a damn good shinobi before, and now he’s a perfect jinchuuriki with a Mangekyou Sharingan. I watched one of his training sessions with Fugaku and the brat is an absolute menace now that he has near unlimited bijuu chakra at his disposal. Better hope no more of your students decide to try to end the world, it’d be a real pain in the ass to stop him.” 

Minato glared at his sensei. “Don’t even joke about that.” 

Jiraiya laughed at Minato’s ire. “Sorry, sorry! How’s the brat doing, by the way?” 

Kushina was the one that responded, “He’s as single-minded and stubborn as expected. Thinks he can fix everything all on his own and spends far too much time at the Memorial Stone. I haven’t seen him like this since Rin died. It’s not quite as bad, but it’s definitely the worst he’s been in a long while.” 

“I’ve actually been thinking about what to do to help him out of this dark hole he’s digging for himself,” Minato admitted. “I want to assign him a genin team.” 

Kushina couldn’t help but laugh, more at the thought of how irritated Kakashi would be with the idea than at the actual idea itself. “Oh, I bet he’ll have a few objections.”

“Probably,” Minato agreed, “but it’ll be good for him.” 

She nodded in agreement. Things wouldn’t go the same way as Kurama’s timeline, but Kushina liked to think that having a genin team would be just as beneficial here and now as it was for the other Kakashi in the future. If nothing else, it would certainly keep him occupied. “Did you have anyone in mind?” 

“I do,” Minato responded. “Fugaku actually asked if I’d consider Kakashi as a jounin sensei for Itachi once he graduates. He’s not even bothering to hide how worried he is about what happened in the other timeline, which really isn’t like him.” That was an understatement; usually it was near impossible to get the stoic Clan Head to open up about what he was thinking or feeling. “He felt Kakashi would be the best person to understand the kind of pressure that gets put on prodigies and help Itachi through it. Plus, he didn’t say it but I think he also just wants someone who knows about Kurama’s timeline keeping an eye out for any signs that the other future could still happen,” he explained. “And once the idea was in my head I couldn’t help but keep thinking about it.”  

“Hard to believe my student’s student is about to have students of his own!” Jiraiya commented. His mood soured a bit as he added, “Wait, that doesn’t mean I’m getting old, does it?” 

Minato was left reassuring his sensei that yes, the Toad Sage was still in fact as suave and charismatic as ever. Once he’d calmed down a bit, they resumed their previous conversation. 

Kushina continued, “Who else were you thinking of putting on his team?” 

“I haven’t decided yet,” Minato admitted. “Maybe one of the former ROOT kids. Some of them are a bit older than a typical rookie genin, and far above their skill level, but most of them have no clue how to actually work with a team. Well, a team that they’re not expected to stab in the back at a moment’s notice.” He grimaced. 

Poor Kakashi had no idea what he was in for. Kushina chuckled, “Well, I’m sure they can’t possibly be worse than your three little terrors.” She didn’t even mean it as a “one of your students became a world-ending terrorist” sort of thing, but Minato still took it that way. 

He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Yeah, those three certainly taught me a thing or two about how far my patience can stretch. But I wouldn’t have traded them for anything.” 

Kushina took her husband’s hand and squeezed it. “I know.” 

There were a few beats of heavy silence, and Minato’s usual calm, steadfast demeanor started to crumble. For just a couple of brief moments, he slipped out of his role as the village’s unflappable Hokage and into uncharacteristic grief and uncertainty. “Be honest with me, Kushina.” His voice was soft, and terribly vulnerable. “Did I fail them?” 

“No,” Kushina replied immediately. “You did your best, and you gave all of them your whole heart. No one’s perfect, not even a pretty boy genius like you, but no one would ever believe you didn’t try your damndest to do right by those kids.” 

“I’m just worried my best wasn’t enough,” Minato admitted. “It’s bad enough that I wasn’t able to protect my team, but on top of that my inadequacies also led to the destruction of an entire reality. If I had pushed the Sandaime to go back for Obito’s body–if I had been faster getting to Rin–” 

This time, she squeezed Minato’s hand significantly harder. “Stop that. We both know things were far too complicated to place the blame on any one person. Except my least favorite late Councilman, he can take the blame for anything and everything.” 

As she’d hoped, Minato laughed at her attempt to lighten the mood, but there was still far more pain in his expression than she ever wanted to see.  

“You haven’t failed them,” Kushina repeated. “I know Rin’s death will never stop hurting, we can’t do anything to change that. But two of your students are still here, and they need you. We saw how Kakashi ended up in Kurama’s time, and we don’t want him to become distant and alone like that. And Obito isn’t lost to us yet either. He has a chance that his other self never did.” 

Minato smiled warmly at her, full of appreciation and love. “You’re right. Thank you for reminding me, I think I needed to hear that.” 

Kushina kissed her husband’s cheek. “Any time.”

—--------------------------------

As expected, Kakashi was less than thrilled about being assigned a genin team. He whined, scowled, and offered all manner of compromises to Minato to get himself out of being a jounin sensei. But unfortunately for Kakashi, it was an order from the Hokage. Minato just smiled placatingly through the tantrums then handed over the same bells he’d used to test his own genin team. Kakashi took them and snapped that there was no way his team would pass, only to trudge home the evening of their first meeting with a look of resignation because they had indeed passed his test. 

After that, despite his continued insistence that he didn’t want a genin team, no one could deny that he was gradually warming up to them. Although his teaching methods could be a bit…questionable at times, his relationship with his new team steadily improved, as did his overall mood. He was less irritable and moody, and even reduced how often he pestered Minato about the whole Obito situation. 

Given Kakashi’s improved mental state, it was a surprise when one night, in what must be the strangest game of telephone in the universe, Kushina heard from Naruto, who heard from Kurama, who heard from Isobu that Kakashi and his bijuu were fighting. 

Kushina thought the news was hilarious, because apparently Isobu straight up refused to lend his chakra during a demonstration to Kakashi’s genin and made Kakashi look like an absolute fool (according to Kurama, at least). Minato, however, was a little more guarded about the news. Not that he said it outloud, because he was trying–he really was trying–to undo his previous biases and perceptions of the bijuu. He’d come a long way over the past few years, but he was the Hokage, which meant he had to consider the worst case scenario of his notoriously prickly, anti-social student having a spat with an all-powerful chakra construct who remained bound only by his own free will. 

So no, he didn’t say it, but Kushina heard it in the way his tone lilted upward as he said, “I see” in response to the news. She saw it in the way he glanced more frequently at Kakashi than usual, probably debating with himself how he should approach the matter, if at all. 

Kushina decided to take pity on her husband and deal with the problem herself. “So,” she said one night after roping Kakashi into helping with the dishes after dinner, “I hear you and Isobu are having a little disagreement.” Purposefully, she made sure both Minato and Naruto were out of the house. Minato was still at his office, and Naruto was having a sleepover with Sasuke. Kakashi was more likely to open up if there were less potential wandering eyes and ears. 

Kakashi was drying the dishes after Kushina washed them. He accepted the latest plate, sighing as he rubbed it dry with a hand towel. “Something like that,” he responded bitterly. 

“Wanna talk about it? I know a thing or two about disagreeing with your bijuu tenant,” she joked. It went unsaid, but her and Kurama’s disagreements were far more bitter and violent. Well, hopefully. She doubted Kakashi and Isobu were treating each other the same way she and Kurama used to since their relationship was more of a partnership and less of an unwilling imprisonment, but it’s not like she knew for sure. 

Instead of taking it as a humorous attempt at breaking the ice, Kakashi immediately went on the defensive. “The seal is fine, Isobu isn’t going to break out,” he practically growled.  

Kushina just rolled her eyes at the defensiveness. “Jeez, I didn’t say he was. I’m just trying to mediate, not accuse either of you of anything.” 

Kakashi looked a little ashamed by his outburst. “Sorry. Word’s gotten around that Isobu and I are…at odds,” he said carefully, “and now people keep looking at me like I’m some kind of ticking time bomb. They keep acting like he’s going to burst out of the seal at any moment and go on a rampage. I know he won’t. He’s being stubborn and refuses to mind his own business, ” this is said very pointedly, “but I do trust him.” 

Kushina nodded in understanding, feeling a pang of sympathy for the pair of them. In general, the attitude toward the bijuu and their respective jinchuuriki had greatly improved since the incident with the Sanbi and the Rokubi a few years ago, but it wasn’t like all old biases and fears had disappeared. It was hard to tell with Kakashi, because he wasn’t exactly approachable to begin with, but a lot of the remaining wariness toward Naruto had lessened after the aforementioned incident. There were too many witnesses to deny the non-violent behavior of the three bijuu that night to pretend it never happened. 

The Rokubi left peacefully once his free will was returned to him, never once striking out at the shinobi that threatened him. The Sanbi voluntarily allowed himself to be sealed to save the life of a human he’d never met. The Kyuubi never left his seal even though he could have at any moment, and he only attacked those that harmed his jinchuuriki–he only attacked traitors to their village. 

Some of the younger generation, who had no memory of the Kyuubi’s rampage or the threat of an enemy jinchuuriki during the war, even liked the bijuu and wanted to see more of them. What kid didn’t love a story about a big, friendly monster? They didn’t understand their parents’ wariness or the way they still instinctively frowned at the word jinchuuriki . 

Naruto coming home from the playground in tears because some kid treated him poorly due to his jinchuuriki status wasn’t exactly a shock. But finding out the reason for her son’s anguish was that the other kid liked the big turtle more than the big fox was far less expected. 

The truth about the bijuu was that they weren’t mindless, destructive monsters, but they weren’t saints either. They were all individuals, with their own personalities, goals, and motivations. Isobu was gentle and passive, Kurama was proud and temperamental. They could be cruel, and they could be kind. For as much as Kurama liked to claim the bijuu were superior to humans, they really weren’t so different. 

“I trust him too,” Kushina finally replied, realizing she’d spaced out a bit. “And I trust you, despite the fact that you’re still a little twerp.” She bumped Kakashi affectionately with her hip. 

There was another flash of shame in Kakashi’s expression, but the reason was unclear. He didn’t elaborate on it either. “We’ll be ok,” was all he said in response. “We just…disagree about how to handle a certain situation. I get where he’s coming from, but he also needs to realize that–” Kakashi flushed a little, embarrassed at the small outburst. The statement seemed to continue internally as Kakashi took on the familiar dazed expression that indicated he was speaking with the Sanbi.  

Kushina didn’t interrupt, even though she was immensely curious about what had caused their spat in the first place. She just focused on scrubbing the rest of the dishes, biting her tongue to keep herself from asking Kakashi to share. If he wanted her to know, he would have explained himself outright. Pushing Kakashi to open up or answer questions always backfired, so her best hope was to be silent and supportive, even though she hated being kept in the dark. 

There was also a decent chance Kurama would tell her what happened, if he knew. Even though the fuzzy bastard denied it, the fox loved to gossip. 

—--------------------------------

The rift between Kakashi and Isobu mended with time, much to Minato’s relief, though Kakashi never shared what had caused the argument in the first place. Whatever it was, it didn’t seem to leave a lasting impact on Kakashi’s mental state or his relationship with the Sanbi.  

Well, except for one teeny concern: Kakashi was sneaking out at night. A lot. Sometimes for just an hour or two, but occasionally for nearly a full 24 hours on a day off. He never acknowledged his outings to anyone else in the house or told them when he was planning on leaving or where he was going. A lesser shinobi might not even notice that Kakashi was gone at all. But of course, she and Minato were anything but “lesser”. 

At first, they thought it was just Kakashi being his usual private self and not wanting to discuss his personal life. Or maybe that he was trying to be considerate of their differing schedules and not disturb anyone who was sleeping. However, after a while they realized that the measures he was taking to avoid any mention of his outings was far too deliberate. He redirected subtle probing and sometimes left a shadow clone in his place to make it seem like he’d never left. 

It was actually a bit comical that Kakashi thought he was being subtle about his frequent disappearances. It was hard to tell if he genuinely didn’t realize Minato and Kushina knew he was sneaking out, or if he was just trying to play it cool because neither of them brought it up. Either way, it was clear he didn’t know how busted he really was. 

Between their hardened battle instincts, and the borderline paranoid number of seals they had warding the house, every single one of Kakashi’s late night disappearances was noted. They didn’t confront him, fearing that it would make him shut down since he was still very averse to opening up about what was going on in his head. It wasn’t like they were worried about Kakashi doing anything that would affect the village’s safety, but they were potentially concerned about his well-being. 

Initially, Kushina feared that he might be pulling away, stewing in his ever present grief and self-loathing. Except, day-to-day he actually seemed relatively at ease. He played with Naruto and readily showed a goofy, carefree side of himself that he normally kept hidden away. He trained his genin team and took a genuine interest in their growth and development. He even attended most family dinners without complaint, and rarely wore his mask when he was at home (physically and metaphorically). 

It was Kakashi’s uncharacteristically light attitude that made Kushina start to think outside the box about what was going on with Minato’s student. She waited until a night when she knew he’d be out training with Fugaku to bring up her idea. 

“Minato,” she said thoughtfully as she and her husband finished cleaning up after dinner, “do you think Kakashi…?” 

Minato tilted his head in the same way that Naruto did when he was confused about something. “What about him?” He paused in his efforts to clean off the splatters of sauce that Naruto had left on the table, setting down the wet dish rag and wiping his hands on the hideous pink apron he was wearing (a gag gift for his birthday last year). 

“I was just wondering,” she continued, “have you ever seen Kakashi show interest in anyone? You know, romantically?” 

“Do you think he would ever willingly talk about something like that with me?” Minato actually chuckled at the thought. 

Fair enough, Kakashi wasn’t exactly apt to share his thoughts or feelings. “But have you noticed anything? Or at least suspected something?” Absent-mindedly, Kushina waved around a soapy spoon as they spoke. 

“Have you?” he countered, gently taking the spoon so he could finish cleaning it. 

Kushina laughed and stared at her husband a little condescendingly. “Yes! Why do you think I’m bringing it up?” She put her hands on her hips. “We both know he’s been sneaking out at night and that he doesn’t always sleep here.” 

Minato was unimpressed by the evidence. “He’s a private person and sometimes he gets overwhelmed by being here. Some of us can be kind of a lot,” he added teasingly, rinsing the spoon in the sink. 

Kushina smacked her husband’s arm with a towel in retaliation. “If by ‘kind of a lot’ you mean charming, beautiful, and an all around joy to be around, then sure. Seriously though,” she continued, “it’s not like before when he would slip out to take some time for himself, y’know? Back then he would always look kind of panicky or depressed but now he’s…” 

“He’s what?” 

“I don’t know, content! Happy, even!” she exclaimed, throwing both arms up for emphasis. A few soap bubbles inadvertently got thrown with the movement. “He’s smiling more, spending more time with his friends, and even playing with Naruto more. It’s subtle, because he’s still a little twerp about showing his emotions, but I know you haven’t missed it.” 

“I’ve noticed,” Minato responded. “And I’ve been glad to see it. But don’t you think you’re jumping to conclusions by assuming he has a love interest?” 

“Well, why do you think he’s been so happy, then?” 

Minato chuckled, “You mean, besides the fact that we saved the world?” 

Kushina waved him off. “Old news! Besides, he was so gloomy about Obito not coming back so I doubt that’s it.” 

“Well, you know what they say; time heals all wounds. Maybe it just took this long for it to sink in,” Minato reasoned. “Plus, he’s been enjoying working with his genin team and even said he might nominate them for this year’s Chunin Exams. Although, he’s taking far too much joy in messing with them and making them take D-rank after D-rank.” He sighed, undoubtedly remembering when Fugaku stormed into the Hokage’s office to complain about Kakashi’s “conduct” as a jounin instructor. “Didn’t I say giving him a genin team would be good for him? This is just the result of my brilliant planning!” 

Kushina rolled her eyes at her husband’s ridiculous boasting. “No way, this is something different. I know it is.” 

“Maybe.” Minato shrugged. “But I still think your theory is way off. Kakashi has never shown even the slightest interest in dating or relationships, and he’s way too focused on his shinobi career to let something so personal hold his attention. He’s even said some pretty nasty stuff about relationships in the past,” Minato admitted with a grimace. “He didn’t exactly celebrate when I asked you to marry me. He was more concerned about how it would affect my chances of becoming Hokage.” 

That certainly sounded like their favorite emotionally stunted little twerp. “First of all, since when did you ask me ? As I recall, you were too chickenshit to pop the question so I had to do it for you. And second, you know he’s come a long way since then! I’m sure he doesn’t feel that way anymore.” 

Minato laughed, but didn’t comment on his wife’s version of events. He was just trying to get a rise out of her more than anything. “You’re right, he has come a long way. But I still think you’re grasping at straws here. There’s plenty of other logical explanations.” 

“Well, I think you’re just in denial,” Kushina countered teasingly. “Or maybe you’re just afraid of feeling like an old man because your youngest student is grown up enough to be sneaking out for a late night, clandestine, romantic rendezvous.”  

“A clandestine–” Minato snorted wildly, completely undignified. “Kushina, be serious.” 

“I am serious,” she insisted. “Serious enough to make it a bet.” 

Minato laughed again, but his eyes lit up at the suggestion of a challenge. “Really? And what are the terms of this bet?” 

Grinning, Kushina replied, “Loser has to do the ‘I was wrong’ dance.” 

“Hm.” Minato considered the offer. “So if I’m right, and Kakashi is sneaking out for any reason other than a secret romance, then you’ll do the ‘I was wrong’ dance?” 

“I won’t be wrong,” Kushina insisted, “but yes.” 

Apparently confident in his stance, Minato nodded in agreement. “Alright. Loser has to do the ‘I was wrong’ dance…in front of my main ANBU guard,” he added deviously. 

Oh, so this was how he wanted to play, huh? “In front of your ANBU and in front of Naruto.” 

The dance was incredibly embarrassing already, and it would be a guaranteed laugh for anyone that had to witness it, but doing it in front of Naruto added a whole other layer of humiliation. Naruto would find the dance silly and delightful, which meant he would ask to see it again. And again. Over and over. Probably in front of other people. And sure, they could deny him, but would they? Most likely not, since they were both a bit of a pushover when it came to their son’s happiness. 

There was only the slightest hint of hesitation before Minato held out his hand to shake on it and seal their deal. Kushina was happy to do the same, because she wouldn’t be the one doing the dance anyway. She knew she was right, and Minato was going to regret betting against her. 

—--------------------------------

As it turned out, the resolution of their bet occurred within weeks of making it. 

One unassuming night, in Naruto’s mindscape, Kurama once again turned their world upside down. “Tomato Head,” he rumbled, “there is some important information I think you should know about the Hatake brat.” 

Kushina listened, and wondered if it was possible to ground a jounin jinchuuriki for the rest of his life. 

She shared what she learned with her husband, and then she and Minato wasted no time cornering Kakashi. It was very dramatic, the way they did it, and Kushina was honestly proud of them for it.

They not only suppressed their chakra, but also used a clever array of seals to hide virtually all traces of their presence, including their scents. Then, they waited in Kakashi’s room with the lights off, until he reappeared in a very familiar looking swirl in the wee hours of the morning. The moment he dropped into his bedroom, Kushina flicked on the lights. Instinctively, Kakashi threw a kunai in their direction, but of course Minato caught it with ease. 

For a few tense, awkward moments, Kakashi stared at them in obvious shock. His face was pale, because he knew he’d been caught red-handed, but he was too smart to bother with an obviously fake excuse. 

Leaning against the far wall, Kushina crossed her arms and glared at her husband’s brat of a student. “You know, I heard a really interesting rumor from Kurama about where you’ve been spending your time.” 

Kakashi froze, considering how likely he was to get away with lying. Ultimately, in the face of Minato’s disappointment and Kushina’s ire, he knew denial was useless. He relented and sighed, “Isobu, did you tell Kurama?” There was a pause as he listened to his bijuu’s response. “It was definitely implied,” he grumbled at whatever reply the Sanbi gave him. Then, once he was done scolding an all powerful chakra beast for gossiping, he stared up at Minato and Kushina defiantly.

Defiantly! Who knew Kakashi was capable of defying them at all? 

Boldly (or maybe stupidly), Kakashi retorted, “So what?” 

Leave it to Kakashi to wait until he was basically out of his teenage years to actually act like a teenager. “So what?” Kushina parroted, loud and sarcastic. “You’ve been having secret, illicit meetings with a known terrorist for over a year and you didn’t say a word!”  

Minato placed his hand on her back, getting her attention so he could mouth, “gently”. Because of course Minato didn’t want to yell at Kakashi for lying to them, or for being stupid and reckless. 

Kakashi made a face at Kushina’s description, but remained largely unconcerned. In fact, he very casually closed his Sharingan eye and started removing his shinobi gear like he was ready to relax after a long mission. “He’s been on his best behavior. No bijuu stealing or scheming or anything diabolical like that, I promise.” 

In his best “I’m not mad I’m just disappointed” voice Minato sighed, “Kakashi.” 

The tone was enough to have Kakashi relenting like a scolded pup. He visibly flinched and lowered his gaze. “I’m sorry. I know I should have said something, but I didn’t want to make you choose between being Hokage and being our sensei. I understand that eventually Obito will have to face the consequences of his actions, and he understands too. Just not yet. He’s–he’s doing so much better now, Sensei, but if you drag him back here and lock him up it will just undo all the progress he’s made. If you saw what he was like before, you’d understand. He was just so lost, and angry. I can’t stand to see him like that again.” 

They hadn’t heard a peep from Obito since the day he disappeared, and Jiraiya reported that the rebranded (but still not necessarily friendly) Akatsuki was not in contact with him. None of them were thrilled about not knowing Obito’s whereabouts, but Kakashi had been convinced that his former teammate was not up to anything nefarious. They’d taken it as a sign of his steadily improving mental state, but apparently it was actually due to firsthand observations. 

Still, it was hard to criticize Kakashi for his actions when he was being so uncharacteristically genuine. Dammit, parenting was hard! 

Fortunately, Minato was good at remaining objective and level-headed in these sorts of situations. “How about you start from the beginning,” he suggested kindly. 

Kakashi nodded. “The connection with our eyes, it isn’t one way. I started to realize that I could see what Obito was seeing. And sometimes, increasingly, he was…around. Wanting to reach out, I think, but too afraid to do it. Not that he would ever admit it,” Kakashi added grumpily. “After that it was pretty simple to use context clues to narrow down his location and track him whenever I wanted to. ” 

Kushina doubted it was truly that simple for the average shinobi, but Kakashi was a genius tracker just like his father. For him, it was probably child’s play. 

“At the time, Fugaku was helping me work on transporting objects into Kamui,” Kakashi continued, “so I decided to apply the same principles to transporting myself. Thanks to Isobu, I have plenty of chakra to warp myself in and out of Kamui as often as I need to. It got a lot harder for Obito to avoid me after I figured all that out. He was so mad the first time I surprised him there.” The brat sounded genuinely gleeful about the memory. 

“We’ll come back to how incredibly dangerous it was to experiment with a technique like that on your own,” Minato commented dryly. 

Kakashi shrugged in response, unconcerned. “Anyway, I think it’s pretty self-explanatory after that. It did take a while for him to stop trying to run or fight, but eventually he gave up on being a complete idiot and we started talking. Then it kind of just became a habit.” 

Despite the nonchalance of Kakashi’s explanation, his face looked slightly flushed. Kushina couldn’t help but wonder…

“Started ‘talking’, huh?” She pressed. 

Kakashi repeated, “Yes, talking .” The flush worsened. 

Oh. Oh. Got him. Minato was going to have to do the “I was wrong” dance. Hah! As innocently as she could manage, Kushina replied, “I’m glad you’re talking to each other. It’s nice when you’re able to talk to someone you really care about. Bet you’ve been spending a lot of time talking , huh?” 

Kakashi looked confused. “Yeah…?” He glanced at Minato, who shook his head to indicate that he had no idea what his wife was up to. 

“Just one quick question, you know, about the talking ,” Kushina snickered. “You’re being safe, right? It’s important to be safe when you’re talking to someone.” 

Minato took a few moments to process, and then she watched as things clicked into place for him. He glanced at Kakashi thoughtfully, then back to Kushina. His expression morphed into defeat, and then acceptance, until he was wearing his “you were right and I was wrong” face. And then, there was a brief flash of horror as he too realized he was going to have to do the dreaded “I was wrong” dance. 

Conversely, Kakashi had not yet caught on. “I’m not going to tell him village secrets or anything,” he insisted sharply. 

Still snickering, Kushina shook her head. “That’s not what I meant. I mean being safe . You know. When you’re talking to someone that you really, really care about.” 

Kakashi looked even more confused. “He won’t hurt me. He doesn’t want to fight anymore. I mean,” he added with a hint of fond exasperation, “he’s still as easy to rile up as ever so sometimes our spars get a little carried away but it’s nothing I can’t handle.” 

“Carried away, huh?” Kushina was having way too much fun playing on Kakashi’s social incompetence, but the brat deserved it for lying to them. 

“You’re being weird,” Kakashi accused. 

Ever the voice of reason, Minato sighed, “Kushina, I think we should just tell him we know.” 

Kakashi looked between them, frustrated about being out of the loop. “Know what? What are you talking about?” 

“Fine, fine,” Kushina relented. She pinched Kakashi’s cheek teasingly, unsurprised when he batted her hand away. “But should we tell him about the birds and the bees first? I don’t think we’ve ever given him The Talk before.” 

“What do you–” Kakashi’s visible eye widened comically and his entire face went completely red. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he lied, hilariously unconvincing. 

“No need to be embarrassed!” Kushina teased. “You’re young and feeling all sorts of feelings! You’ve got hormones and all that stuff. It’s natural.” 

As expected, Kakashi tried to escape the conversation. He was just preparing to use his Sharingan to warp away when Minato abused his characteristic speed to rush forward and swing an arm around his student’s shoulders. He smiled innocently at Kakashi, ushering the teenager forward so he was front and center for the discussion. His arm tightened when Kakashi tried to slip away. 

Oh, she loved when her husband was on the same page as her. This was the perfect punishment/important learning opportunity for their unofficial (and unwilling) second child. 

“Please, just kill me instead. Or give me over to T&I. It would be less painful than this,” Kakashi whined dramatically. 

“Not a chance,” Kushina said chipperly. “Now, let’s start with a quick anatomy lesson…” 

After they were done, Kakashi refused to look either of them in the eye for an entire week.

Chapter Text

The “I was wrong” dance was just as embarrassing and silly as Kushina remembered. To Minato’s credit, he did put his heart into it. Or rather, his back, because there was a lot of ass shaking. But certainly not in a sexy way, because it was accompanied by frantic arm waving, a few cha-chas, some ballerina twirls, and of course, the can-can to wrap it all up. 

Minato’s ANBU were delighted, willingly breaking their usual stoic silence to laugh and jeer at their Hokage making an absolute fool of himself. Even Kakashi showed up to watch the spectacle, pretending he had no idea what the whole event was about and gleefully baring his Sharingan to record the action forever. 

And, as expected, Naruto loved the dance and did, in fact, ask to see it again later that day. And the next day. And the next day after that. Later, Kushina would find out Kurama was also enjoying seeing Minato make a fool of himself and further encouraged Naruto to demand to see the dance over and over again. 

—--------------------------------

The day finally came when Kakashi offered to bring Kushina to see Obito. Just Kushina, a request which Minato was noticeably sour about, but still agreed to. He hid his hurt admirably, but Kushina knew him far too well not to see it. He desperately wanted to reconnect with his wayward student, but Obito didn’t seem to be ready to face him. He understood the reasoning, of course. Minato was the Hokage, not just Team 7’s sensei. 

It also went unsaid, but Kushina had always felt more of a kinship with Obito than her husband’s other students. She adored them all, as did Minato, but she related far more to the loudmouth outcast on the team than the soft-spoken medic or the once-in-a-generation genius. She liked to think that Obito felt the same.

And she very resolutely did not think about the fact that he’d tried to kill her without an ounce of hesitation–had killed her, in fact. 

Instead, she just plastered on a shit-eating grin as Kakashi laid down a set of very excessive rules about what she was and wasn’t allowed to say or do. It was kind of sweet, how worried he was about Obito, but it was also extremely annoying. It felt like every rule Kakashi gave her was a roundabout way of saying, “just don’t be yourself.” 

“Kakashi,” Kushina finally sighed after they got past rule 27. “I don’t think Obito will spontaneously combust if I bring up that one mission to Hot Water when you were eleven–which I wasn’t there for, by the way! I didn’t even remember that you went on that mission, let alone enough details to hold a conversation about it!” 

“I’m just trying to be thorough,” Kakashi replied. “I don’t want this to feel like an interrogation.”

Again, very sweet intentions, but very annoying. “Then maybe you should leave me with more topics of conversation than the weather in Kiri!” 

It was a joke, but Kakashi nodded very seriously and added, “Rule 28: don’t talk about Kiri. It’s still a sore spot.” 

“Kakashi!” 

“I just want this to go well, and sometimes you can be a bit…” He trailed off, eyeing Kushina a bit warily, like she was going to punch him in retaliation. 

“I can be a bit what, Kakashi?” 

“...judgemental.” 

Kushina crossed her arms. “Excuse you, I am an extremely open-minded and accepting person! Who was the first person to start treating the bijuu like intelligent beings instead of mindless monsters, huh?” 

“Naruto, in the other timeline.” 

She smacked Kakashi’s arm. “I meant in this timeline!” 

Kakashi rubbed at the sore spot on his arm. “You are an open-minded and accepting person, but you also have no filter and a lot of strong opinions. I just–” he sighed in defeat. “Please just promise me one thing: no judgement. That’s it. If you ignore everything else I said, just don’t ignore that. Please.” 

“Fine. No judgment,” Kushina agreed, even though she still thought Kakashi was being overly dramatic about this whole affair. 

After a few moments of contemplation, Kakashi seemed to decide that he could trust Kushina to be on her best behavior. He reached out to grab her arm, then pulled up his hitai-ate to reveal his Sharingan in order to transport them. As reality bent around them, Kushina couldn’t help but think about how jealous her husband would be about getting to experience Kakashi and Obito’s interdimensional jutsu first hand. Minato was such a jutsu nerd and had been not-so-subtly dropping hints about wanting to see how Kamui worked. Kakashi refused to take anyone else into the dimension before now. 

Thankfully, the trip went smoother than her first time experiencing Minato’s Hiraishin. She had a strong stomach, but that jutsu was really rough in Minato’s early days of exploration and she’d almost vomited all over her then-boyfriend the first time she experienced it. 

Knowing that Kushina would be curious about their surroundings, Kakashi waited for her to take everything in before continuing to their destination. It was pretty desolate, although there were some signs of activity strewn about. Mostly garbage and what appeared to be spare weapons or training equipment. There were some random objects too, like large chunks of stone and dead branches. Kushina raised an eyebrow at the mess–not judgemental, just curious, totally just curious–but Kakashi just shrugged in response. 

“I end up sending a lot of random objects here during training. Obito always says he’ll clean up but he never does unless I nag him about it.” 

That tracked. Obito was never the tidiest person to begin with. It was honestly kind of nice to see some remnants of childish behavior like this. The meticulous villain that spent two decades plotting the end of the world wouldn’t have ever allowed such sloppy behavior, right? 

Deciding that Kushina had spent enough time gawking, Kakashi warped them out of Kamui and dropped them in the middle of a lush green forest. Kushina blinked a few times, trying to make sure the sight in front of them was real. 

Kakashi had brought her to a tiny, lopsided wooden house. Actually, calling it a house was generous; it was a cabin. No, it was a shack. Kushina turned toward Kakashi, looking for some sign that this was a prank, but his expression was serious. He looked at her pointedly and said, “Remember: no judgement.” Then, he started walking toward the structure without waiting for a response. 

Kushina followed silently behind him, biting her lip hard enough to taste blood as Kakashi reached for the slab of wood that must be passing for a door. This couldn’t possibly be their destination, right? It was a halfway point, or a neutral meeting location. Right? Right?! 

Apparently, this was their destination. Kakashi called out a greeting and motioned for Kushina to follow him inside. 

No judgement, she reminded herself as she stepped onto the very squeaky floorboards. No judgement, she repeated as the inside of the structure came into view. She hadn’t known what to expect, but a rundown little shack in the woods certainly would not have been on her list. Well, it was at least better than an evil lair. 

…maybe. The floor was really lumpy and it looked like the entire structure was kind of tilted. No, it definitely was, because a pile of round-ish objects had collected in one corner of the room. Everything looked crudely thrown together and–ow, a giant splinter broke off into her foot just from taking a few shuffling steps forward in her socks.  

Kushina hovered in the doorway, gawking at their surroundings as Kakashi continued into the house (shack) with clear familiarity. He approached a very uncomfortable looking couch, where the former leader of the terrorist group that ended an entire reality was sitting with a book in his hand and a fluffy silver cat in his lap. Even though he was definitely aware of their entrance, Obito didn’t stand up until his singular eye landed on Kushina, and then he jumped to his feet so fast the cat’s tail fluffed up from surprise as it was displaced. 

Kakashi murmured something that Kushina didn’t catch, and Obito nodded distractedly in response. He looked different from how she remembered, both from this life and from Kurama’s. Pale and kind of gangly, with long, unruly hair. A dark circle under his remaining eye, almost like a bruise. Instead of the dark cloak he’d worn during their last meeting or the Akatsuki robes from the future he was sporting loose sweatpants, a shirt with a faded cartoon character that she was fairly certain came from her and Minato’s closet, and a pair of mismatched socks. And thankfully, there was no orange mask in sight. 

Even more notably, and mercifully, the fury and hatred that she’d once seen twist his features was nowhere to be found. Without it, his scars seemed less sharp, though of course they were impossible to miss since they took up half his face and body. Yes, she’d seen him without his mask when he’d taunted her and Kakashi, but she could honestly say it was like looking at a different person now. The way he held himself was different from the menacing presence that had demanded to know their source of information. 

While it was undoubtedly a relief not to see the same anger and cruelty directed at her, she wasn’t convinced this was much better. Obito looked…small. The way he held himself screamed of uncertainty. His shoulders were hunched and his hands twitched anxiously at his side. He was nervous, which was understandable. Their last few meetings had been rather hostile, after all. 

Kushina smiled as widely as she could manage and tried to break the ice. “It’s about time you invited me over! I thought Kakashi was gonna keep you hidden away forever.” 

Obito opened his mouth to reply, but no words came out. He ended up closing his mouth with an audible clack, then glanced away from Kushina with only a noncommittal grunt in response. 

Well, this certainly could be going better. Fortunately, she was great at filling uncomfortable silences. “So…this is, uh, quite the unique place you’ve found,” Kushina commented awkwardly. She was trying very hard to adhere to Kakashi’s “no judgement” rule, but the entire house looked like some kid’s hastily glued together art project. And not one that would be getting a good grade. 

If Obito was offended by the comment, he didn’t show it. He just shrugged and replied dully, “I made it using Moukuton.” 

Ah. Well, that certainly explained a lot. But he spoke! So that was progress. “Oh. Good job with that, then. It’s very…quaint?” 

Kakashi shot her a very purposeful “what the hell are you doing?” kind of look, which Kushina responded to with a grimace that she hoped relayed, “I have no fucking clue.” What did one say to the reformed terrorist that used to be like family to you but also kind of tried to kill you and your husband and did kill you and your husband in an alternate reality? 

Obito didn’t respond, and didn’t look her in the eye. He just kind of awkwardly fiddled with the hem of his shirt. “I can–um, tea. I’ll make tea.” He shuffled about halfway across the room before he suddenly grimaced and mumbled, “...I don’t actually have any tea.” 

“Not a problem,” Kushina replied, her voice far too high pitched. “How about some water?” 

Still not looking at her, Obito replied, “...I don’t have any glasses either. I don’t–I don’t need food or water so–” He shrugged again. 

Gods above, the man that almost ended their reality didn’t own a single drinking glass and lived in a rickety log shack in the wilderness. “Ok. That’s–that’s ok. We can…go out? You got that fancy eyeball, dontcha? Just zip us off somewhere where we can grab a quick bite.” 

“A-ah, well I–” Obito rubbed at the back of his neck nervously, glancing over at Kakashi as if to save him. “I’m not really dressed for that sort of thing and um, I can’t–well I can’t leave Bakashi alone or he might get mad and piss on my couch.” 

Kushina raised an eyebrow at Kakashi because, what the hell? 

Kakashi rolled his visible eye so hard his head practically moved with it. He jabbed a finger toward the fluffy silver cat now perched on the back of the couch. 

“Is–did you name your cat Bakashi?” Kushina asked, dumbstruck. 

“I tried to get him to change it,” the original Kakashi grumbled. The cat meowed in response, as if he knew he was the subject of conversation. 

Throughout this terribly awkward, stilted exchange, Obito still refused to look at her. “Yeah, well, he’s a prickly little bastard so–” He made some kind of vague gesture between Kakashi and the cat. 

This was too much. Ignoring Kakashi’s pleading expression, Kushina finally let loose every thought she promised she’d keep to herself. “Ok, no. I can’t do this.” She turned to face Obito directly, even though the young man still ardently avoided eye contact with her. “This isn’t a house, it’s a depression hovel. For fuck’s sake you don’t even have running water, do you?” 

“...I don’t know anything about plumbing,” Obito admitted. 

“And it shows! Look at this!” She gestured toward a pile–no, a mountain–of dirty clothes in one corner. “And this!” She pointed at a mess of empty alcohol bottles strewn between the floor and the lone table in the middle of the room (which had five uneven legs keeping it upright and was definitely slanted). “And this!” She used both hands to gesture toward the rat’s nest that was living on Obito’s head. “If you’re going to have long hair, you need to take care of it! I’m talking about brushing, conditioner, and using an actual blow dryer, not just letting it air dry all the time.” 

Obito didn’t respond, glancing nervously between Kushina and Kakashi. Who was this timid little waif that didn’t even bother to defend himself? The Obito she knew would be snapping and screaming excuses for every single one of her complaints. 

But that’s the problem, isn’t it? You don’t really know him anymore.

Keeping a lid on that depressing thought, Kushina decided, “You’re coming home with me and I’m going to do something about that mess on your head. I’m going to give you some garbage bags and cleaning supplies and you’re going to clean this place up. And bring your laundry with you, I’ll help you with it this one time, but from now on you’re either gonna transport yourself somewhere with a laundromat or you’re gonna do shit the old fashion way with that nice river out back. I don’t care what you do, but you will do it and then you will build an equally hideous dresser for your equally hideous house and put your clothes away like the godsdamn adult you are. Got it?” 

Kakashi was the one that protested, “You can’t bring him back to Konoha, especially not to your house. Minato-sensei–” 

“Don’t worry about Minato,” Kushina interjected. “You know how busy he’s been preparing for the upcoming Chunin Exams in Kumo. That little political nightmare has been keeping him in his office from dawn to dusk. And besides,” she grinned deviously, “that pushover pretty boy can’t stay mad at me to save his life. What’s he gonna do if he finds out? Give me a stern talking to?” 

She marched up to Kakashi and looped her arm through his. She was slightly less aggressive with Obito, knowing the situation between them was far more fragile. While she had no qualms about strong-arming him into taking better care of himself, she also knew that they were in a bit of a precarious situation because Obito could quite literally disappear at any moment if he felt uncomfortable. Even if Kakashi could find him again, she’d rather avoid that headache. So instead of grabbing him outright, she offered her own arm to give him the chance to choose for himself. 

It felt like a pivotal moment, one that stretched out for an uncomfortably long time. She was just moments away from losing her patience and snapping at him when Obito finally shuffled over and took her arm. He still wouldn’t look at her, but the action spoke volumes. 

Feeling quite pleased with herself, Kushina asked, “Which one of you would like to do the honors?” 

“It’ll probably be easiest if I do it,” Obito offered. He warped them into Kamui, then dropped them straight into the living room of the Namikaze-Uzumaki household. As soon as he was able, he pulled his arm back. 

“Great! Except you forgot your laundry,” Kushina chided. Before Obito could use the excuse to slip away, she slapped Kakashi on the back and announced, “Kakashi will go get your clothes for you and start the wash. You and I have a date with a hairbrush.” She grabbed Obito’s arm, dragging him toward the dining table and shoving him down into the nearest chair before he could protest. 

Kakashi called after her, “Kushina, maybe we should–” 

“Go get the laundry, Kakashi. We’ll be fine,” she waved him off. 

She couldn’t exactly interpret the look shared between Minato’s remaining students, but she could guess it was some variation of “are we both really ok with this?” Kushina threw an arm over Obito’s shoulders, completely ignoring his obvious flinch. She made a shooing motion with her other hand, pointedly indicating for Kakashi to get a move on. It would be fine, she and Obito wouldn’t kill each other. Probably. If anything, he seemed far too miserable and self-loathing to put up a decent fight right now. 

Eventually, it was Obito who murmured in quiet agreement, “Yeah, we’ll be fine.” He didn’t sound entirely sure about the statement. 

Kakashi still didn’t budge, so Kushina sighed, “We’ll stay right here, in this exact spot, ok? I’ll go grab a brush and start working on this.” She gestured toward the mess of hair that Obito had so clearly been neglecting. 

Without waiting for an answer, Kushina padded down the hall, breathing through gritted teeth and counting backwards in her head to keep her cool. This was so painfully awkward. She took her time retrieving the brush, partially for her own sanity, and partially so she could give the two of them a little time to reassure each other. 

After a few very long minutes of pretending to look for the brush that was already in her hand, Kushina returned to Minato’s students with a grin plastered on her face. They hadn’t run away, which was a good sign, but Kakashi had his arms crossed and was staring at her very pointedly. Conversely, Obito sat with his shoulders hunched and all his attention fixed on the table in front of him. 

“Go on.” Kushina waved the hairbrush at Kakashi. “The laundry won’t clean itself, you know.” 

Kakashi stared at her for an uncomfortably long time, before sighing, “I’ll be right back.” He warped himself back into Kamui, leaving Kushina and Obito alone. The silence was deafening. 

Should she try for some small talk? What exactly did one say to the man that technically murdered you in cold blood? 

Hm, probably nothing about that. Maybe silence would be best, at least for now. 

She ran the brush through the mane of tangles on Obito’s head, wincing in sympathy every time it caught. She was doing her best to be gentle, but it was impossible not to tug a little on the strands every now and then. And really, it wasn’t her fault Obito didn’t seem to own a hairbrush! 

“Sorry,” Kushina apologized softly. 

“It’s fine,” Obito responded with a slight wince. 

The progress was slow, but she was getting through it. One strand at a time. The brush caught again, and Obito let out a little grunt of pain. “Sorry,” she said again. 

Obito repeated, “It’s fine,” but his voice was tight. 

They were both silent as Kushina worked, the atmosphere becoming increasingly awkward. Every time the brush started to catch, it was like another layer of tension started to wind around the two of them. Kushina would mumble out an apology, and Obito would insist that it was fine, though his tone was getting harsher each time. 

Kakashi reappeared with the laundry remarkably fast, eyeing them both critically before deciding it was safe to move to the other room to start the wash. He made a point to peek back into the room frequently. 

The next time the brush caught on a particularly large tangle, Obito bit out, “Are you doing this on purpose?” 

Kushina frowned at the accusation. “What? Of course not.” Under her breath she added, “Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if you actually brushed it once in a while.” 

“I brush it!” Obito hissed back. 

Another snag with the brush, and ok maybe this one was a little deliberate. “Bullshit. Apparently you couldn’t find time to cut it either.” 

“That’s not–I just had other shit to–ow–deal with, alright?” 

Kushina hummed in response, purposefully catching another tangle. “Oh, I’m sure. All that world domination sure took up a lot of time and energy, huh?” She yanked the brush again. 

“Ow! Don’t–seriously, that fucking hurts–don’t say it like that!” Obito tried to lean away, but he ended up just pulling another tangle out of the brush himself. 

Kakashi poked his head into the room, looking concerned. “Kushina, maybe you should–” 

She ignored Kakashi completely, this time yanking the brush hard enough to take a chunk of hair with it. “Gods, please tell me you’ve at least washed it in the last six or seven years.” 

“OW!” Obito tried in vain to swat the brush away. “Of course I’ve washed my hair! Stop making–for fuck’s sake that really, really hurts–such a big deal out of this! You just caught me on a–shit, fucking shit ow, fuck–bad hair day.” 

Kushina burst into hysterical laughter. “Bad hair day? This mess didn’t happen in a day! Now, just let me–” 

“Knock it off, ow–” 

“Quit being such a whiny little–” 

“Fucking ow, you–” 

“--acting like a baby–” 

“Cut it out, you HAG!” 

The word echoed around them as they both immediately went silent.

…did he just call her a hag? A hag? Oh hell no. She slammed the brush down on the table and jabbed a finger at her husband’s brat of a student. “What the fuck did you just call me?” 

Instead of backing down, Obito glared up at her and yelled, “I called you a hag, you hag!” 

If she was still a jinchuuriki, she’d be in at least a two-tailed state by now. “Take it back!” 

“No way!” 

Ignoring Kakashi’s protests from across the room, Kushina lunged forward and yanked Obito into a headlock. “I said take it back, brat!” 

Even though he could have just used his Sharingan to escape, he didn’t. Instead, he flailed his arms and struggled uselessly against the hold. “No! Hag!” 

“Brat!” 

“Hag!” 

“Brat!”

“Hag!” 

“Brat–oh shit.” 

Without any warning, Obito stopped fighting. He went completely limp and burst into gasping, uncontrollable sobs. Kushina loosened her grip, but didn’t let him go completely because she was afraid he’d just crumble to the floor. It was like some kind of switch flipped.

She didn’t mean to hurt him, and she really didn’t think she had. All she meant to do was rile him up a bit, like old times. Obito’s temper was similar to her own, so it wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for them to wind each other up and start snapping at one another. They’d both get a little huffy and loud, but it was never really serious. They both just liked to yell and name-call. 

And ok, maybe there was a little bit of underlying anger underneath the surface, because Obito had tried to kill her and also threatened her family, but she still didn’t think she’d gone far enough to hurt him. She just got tired of seeing the fiery little kid she once knew acting like such a lost, awkward shell of a person and decided to push his buttons a bit. This was certainly not the intended outcome. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” Obito sobbed, not trying at all to help hold up his own weight. 

Kushina had to switch to holding him up completely in her arms. “Hey, hey, it’s ok! I’m not actually that bothered by a little name calling, I was just messing around!” 

Obito shook his head. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” 

Her chest tightened, realizing that Obito probably wasn’t referring to their impromptu screaming match. What was she supposed to say? That it was all ok? It wasn’t. She could accept what happened, and forgive him for it, but it still would never be ok. He’d held a knife to her infant son’s throat. He’d torn Kurama out of her, and forced the fox to submit to his will. He’d helped doom an entire reality, and would have done the same to theirs if Kurama had not changed their fates. It wasn’t ok, and it never would be. 

And still, it was easy to say, “I know you are, and that’s why I forgave you a long time ago, dummy. Minato too.” 

“You can’t just–”

“We did.” She carefully tightened her grip and shifted her arms just slightly to make it a proper hug. “We forgive you and we love you. We always have.” 

Obito cried harder, but he leaned into the embrace. His words were quickly becoming incoherent through his sobs, but the meaning was clear enough. Apologies and promises, ones that were heavy with sincerity. Kushina let him cry, gently rubbing his back and murmuring assurances. Kakashi poked his head in once more, his concern melting into understanding and relief when he took in the scene in front of him. After that, he finally stopped hovering so much. 

Eventually, it seemed like Obito had cried himself out. He was still taking shuddering breaths, but starting to collect himself. Kushina worried for a few moments that he’d panic and bail, but he didn’t try to move an inch. 

“Could you—” His voice was shaky. “Just cut it off. Cut all of it—please. It reminds me too much of—” He didn’t finish his statement, but Kushina understood well enough. 

Whether it reminded him of the monster he’d been on track to become, Madara himself, or his own alternate self that Kurama showed him, she couldn’t say. But it didn’t matter, because the sentiment was clear. Without a word, Kushina retrieved a pair of clippers and sheared away the mess of dark mats. When she was done, the young man in front of her was more recognizable than ever, despite the unfamiliarly short haircut. 

It was like removing all that hair lifted more than just a physical weight off his shoulders. There was more light in his remaining eye, and a small but genuine smile on his face. 

Even though he still may not be ready to actually return, Kushina still smiled and said, “It’s good to have you back, Obito.” Because he was back, in the way that really mattered. Even if he chose to never truly return to the village, he’d still returned to them. 

She didn’t expect a response, but Obito surprised her by murmuring, “I’m glad to be back.” 

—--------------------------------

Kushina was not there the day Obito officially returned to Konoha, but she heard the story from Minato. 

Obito appeared suddenly in the Hokage’s office, without giving anyone prior warning about his plans or intentions (later she would find out that he hadn’t even told Kakashi what he was going to do, and Kakashi was pissed about being left in the dark). Understandably, the Hokage’s ANBU did not react well to the sudden appearance of the person who had unleashed a total of three bijuu in less than a five year period onto their village. 

But Minato, ever the level-headed one, kept everyone calm long enough for Obito to drop to his knees and surrender. He let himself be cuffed, sealed, and blindfolded, not saying a word as he was discreetly transported to the prison cell they had ready for this particular occasion.