Fanfiction Shinpi (a Naruto fanfiction)

SUMMARY: While training for the upcoming Chūnin Selection Exam, something very strange happens to young Minato Namikaze, Kushina Uzumaki and Hiashi Hyūga. They become enveloped in a fiery-colored mist that comes from Kushina when Hiashi accidentally strikes her with a Gentle Fist dead center in the seal that contains the Nine-Tailed Fox. Now, they suddenly find themselves in a Konoha that is both familiar and yet unfamiliar at the same time. Just what in the world is going on?

 

CHAPTER ONE: TEAM JIRAIYA

Two years after they had graduated from the Ninja Academy and became Genin, their sensei had finally decided to recommend them from the Chūnin Selection Exam. Whether it was because of the Second Shinobi World War or not, Jiraiya had never made it clear to his three-man-team.

Well, two boys and one girl, technically.

There was the fiery-haired, fiery-spirited Kushina Uzumaki, the calm and kindhearted Minato Namikaze and the powerful clan heir Hiashi Hyūga. A team of fine Genin who Jiraiya finally felt like they were ready to take on the Chūnin Exams, which they were very excited and grateful for.

After Jiraiya had given them their applications for the exam, the three Genin had gone to the training ground to train and prepare. Which training ground, special? The third one, of course.

It was located inside of Konoha with a view of the mountains. The training ground itself had a large, deep river one side and a forest surrounding the other three sides. There was a glade in the center where there were three stumps lined side-by-side and the KIA Memorial nearby.

"Alright, what should we work on," Kushina asked when they arrived at the training ground.

"Well, given that the exam is tomorrow, we don't exactly have time to learn a new jutsu in time," Hiashi pointed out. "Though we could start on one, it would not be perfected in time."

"How about we spar, then," Minato suggested, and Kushina grinned.

"I like the sound of that," she said, cracking her knuckles. "So...who wants to go first?"

"Hiashi does," Minato said quickly, nudging his teammate forward.

"Hey, wait, don't throw me out to the wolves, Minato," Hiashi protested, looking at his friend with a hurt expression. Minato gave him an apologetic smile, and then Kushina charged.

"Uryaa," Kushina cried out as she threw a fist forward, aiming to connect with Hiashi's face.

"Whoa," Hiashi exclaimed, leaning back, narrowly avoiding being punched square in the face.

"Oh, come on, don't tell me your scared," Kushina taunted Hiashi playfully, not really meaning it.

"I'm not scared, I just wasn't ready yet," Hiashi retorted, before moving forward to strike her with a Gentle Fist to the shoulder. Kushina turned, avoiding the strike, before gutter-punching Hiashi.

"Got'ya, ya'know," Kushina declared victoriously as Hiashi stumbled back from her.

"Ugh...okay...I'm going to get you this time," Hiashi groaned as he struck Kushina right below her chest with a purposefully-weakened Gentle Fist, merely trying to knock his friend's breath out.

"Gah," Kushina gasped, falling to one knee, and Hiashi stood over her as she tried to regain her breath. After a few moments, Kushina took a breath and shot up, upper-cutting Hiashi.

"Ahh," Hiashi cried out as Kushina's fist connected with his chin and he fell down.

"You almost had me there, ya'know," Kushina said, reaching down to help Hiashi back up.

"Yeah..." Hiashi agreed as he accepted Kushina's hand up and he got back up to his feet.

"Are you done," Kushina asked Hiashi. "Or do you want more?"

"No, I'm not done," Hiashi replied with determination as he stepped back from Kushina.

"Could, 'cause I can go all day, ya'know," Kushina exclaimed with a laugh.

Yep, you sure do have a lot of stamina, Minato agreed silently as he waited patiently for his turn.

Hiashi rushed forward again, and Kushina brought her foot up to kick him right in the chest, which sent the Hyūga heir stumbling backwards. He fell down, but managed to catch himself.

"Ow..." Hiashi groaned as he recovered from the attack, pushing himself back into a standing position. Then, he rushed forward again and delivered knife-hand Genetle Fist strike Kushina, hitting her right in the stomach before she could even have the chance to block the attack.

"Uh," Kushina exclaimed in surprise, stumbling backwards from her friend. What was weird was that all of the sudden, the Uzumaki-girl seemed to be dazed, her eyes almost fogging over.

"Oh no, Kushina, are you okay," Hiashi said, stepping towards his friend.

"Hey, Hiashi, look at that," Minato said, pointing to a strange reddish-orange mist that suddenly began to appear. As it began to envelop her, misty tendrils reached out towards the two boys.

"That's not supposed to happen," Hiashi remarked. "What's going on. Kushina? Kushina!"

Unfortunately, Kushina did not respond. As the mist fully enveloped her, and began to envelop her friends as well, they began to feel really sleepy and their eyelids started to droop. Then, one-by-one, each of them fell unconscious. Kushina first, since the reddish-orange mist had come from her, then Hiashi since he had been the closest to Kushina, and then finally Minato.

Fortunately, the fiery-mist enveloping them cushioned their fall, so they didn't sustain any injuries when they collapsed to the ground, unconscious or maybe just asleep. It was hard to tell. As the three Genin lay there, the mist enveloped them even more, becoming a foggy-veil.

Or even a foggy-cocoon made from the chakra of the Nine-Tailed Fox sealed within Kushina.





When they woke up, the three Genin didn't notice anything amiss. However, they did feel a little disoriented from...whatever had happened to them. Hiashi and Minato thought that maybe that had been the Nine-Tails' chakra, but it was different than before. Usually it would bubble up around Kushina like a fiery-cloak, her nails would become claws, her teeth would become sharp and her eyes would change from their regular greyish-purple to blood-red with slittled-pupils.

But not this time. Instead, the fiery-chakra of the Nine-Tails had appeared as a strange mist.

"Kushina are you alright," Minato asked as the three Genin sat up.

"Yeah, I think so, thanks." Kushina replied.

"Doesn't look like we were out for too long," Hiashi pointed out as he glanced around.

"It looks like it's almost noon, though," Minato said, nodding up towards the sun.

"Mm-hmm," Kushina agreed, before getting up to her feet and then helping her friends up.

"Do you think that was probably enough training for now," Minato asked his friends.

"I think so," Hiashi agreed. "We don't want anything less like that happening."

"Alright, then let's go back into the village and...get some ramen, how about it," Kushina asked. If there was anything she loved most in the entire world, it was ramen, and salt ramen especially.

"I wouldn't mind a bowl or two," Minato replied, and Hiashi nodded in agreement.





As the team headed back into town, again they didn't notice anything amiss. Kushina was hungry for ramen, and her focus was on finding the nearest ramen shop. As they walked around Konoha, they came across a curious little shop that they didn't recognize. However, a wonderful smell was emenating from within. The sign on the front of the shop read "Ichiraku Ramen."

"Well, here we go," Kushina exclaimed, grinning as she went inside, her teammates following her in. Inside the ramen shop, apparently named Ichiraku Ramen, there was a bar that customers could sit at to eat, and behind that the small cooking area could see. Sitting on one of the stools was a boy dressed in all orange with hair similar to Minato and was currently eating some ramen.

"Oh, hello, welcome to ichiraku, Ramen" a brown-haired girl wearing a white robe, a dark-blue apron and a white bandana. There was an older man in the back making ramen who the Genin guessed was the girl's father or grandfather. On the other hand, he kinda looked familiar.

"Thanks," Kushina said. "Hey, do you guys have any salt ramen?"

"Salt ramen," the girl asked, seeming intrigued, while her father or grandfather stopped.

"It's been a long time since someone came here and ordered salt ramen," the man said as he turned around to face the three Genin. He had a puzzled expression, with a hint of sadness.

"Huh, what'ya talking about, Old Man," the orange-clad boy asked, looking up from his bowl of miso pork ramen. Then he turned and noticed the three Genin sitting next to him. "Oh, hi!"

"Hey, so you like ramen, huh," Kushina asked the boy, noticing the stack of bowls next to him.

"You bet I do, believe it," the boy exclaimed excitedly. "It's the best food in the world, ya'know!"

"Naruto here is one of our best customers," the old man said. "He comes in here every day."

"That's impressive," Minato remarked. "So, is this place pretty good, then?"

"You bet," the boy, apparently named Naruto, replied. "Wait, you guys have never been here?"

"No, we just noticed the shop today," Kushina replied. "I've never even seen it before, ya'know."

"Huh, well, guess it's your lucky day, then," Naruto told her. "Ayame and Teuchi make the best ramen in the whole entire world, believe it!"

"Alright, then, that's great news," Kushina said, before turning back to face Ayame and Teuchi. "So, can I get four bowls of salt ramen?"

"I'd like two bowls of miso ramen with beef, thank you," Minato told them.

"I would like the same," Hiashi replied. And with that, Ayame and Teuchi got to work.

"It's crazy we've never noticed this place before," Kushina remarked. "Has it always been here?"

"As long as I can remember," Naruto replied, before taking another bite of ramen.

"Huh, well, Konoha's a big place," Kushina remarked. "I've only been living here for four years."

"Four years," Naruto asked, surprised, and Kushina nodded. "Where'd you live before that."

"Uzushio," Kushina replied plainly, and Naruto frowned, clearly confused.

"Uzushio...never heard of that place before," Naruto remarked. "Where is it?"

"It's off the eastern coast of the Land of Fire," Hiashi explained. "It's an ally village of Konoha and it's where Kushina is from. Not just her, but the entire Uzumaki clan as well."

"What...there's an Uzumaki clan," Naruto exclaimed, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Yeah, what about it," Kushina asked Naruto.

"Uh...nothing...sorry," Naruto replied, and went back to eating his ramen.

What a strange kid, Kushina thought to herself. Though, he's kinda familiar....probably nothing.

A few minutes later, the bowls of ramen that the three Genin had ordered were ready and they began eating. The ramen was absolutely delicious, and Kushina felt terrible for having never noticed the place before. She apologized to Ayame and Teuchi for the oversight, but they assured her that it was completely fine. Hiashi noticed that they seemed to be hiding something.

When each of them had said their names, the father-and-daughter duo seemed confused with a hint of sadness, as if they recognized their names but not exactly in a happy way. However, the Hyūga heir decided to ignore it for now. He figured that he could just look into it later.

Eventually they finished their meals, Hiashi paying the bill for all three of them, and they left.

"Ah, that really hit the spot," Kushina exclaimed as they left the ramen.

"Yeah, that ramen was really good," Minato remarked.

"Hey, Hiashi, what's on your mind," Kushina asked, noticing the Hyūga's expression.

"Huh? Oh, I was just thinking...something really strange is going on," Hiashi replied.

"Strange, how," Minato inquired.

"Several things," Hiashi offered. "First of all, that ramen shop, none of us have ever noticed it before. Minato and I have lived here our whole lives and have never once seen the place."

"Very true," Minato agreed. "However, Konoha is a big village. It's hard to notice everything."

"Right, however, our lovely teammate here absolutely loves ramen," Hiashi said, making Kushina blush. "You would think that a place as good as Ichiraku Ramen would already be on her radar."

"Yeah, good point," Kushina agreed. "What else is up, Hiashi?"

"The way that boy Naruto reacted when I mentioned the Uzumaki clan," Hiashi continued. "The fact that he was surprised, and unfamiliar with Uzushio, doesn't make sense. All of us are taught about Uzushio and the Uzumaki clan in the Academy because of our alliance with Konoha."

"The name 'Uzumaki' seemed to be familiar to him, though," Kushina pointed out.

"That it did," Hiashi agreed. "However, speaking of names, do you remember how Teuchi and Ayame reacted when we said our names?"

"They seemed to recognize us," Minato recalled. "Not only that, but they seemed sad as well."

"Why would that be, ya'know," Kushina asked, her verbal tic slipping out akwardly.

"Unfortunately, I don't know," Hiashi replied. "All I know is that something strange is going on."

"Well, let's go talk to the Hokage, then," Kushina suggested. "He should know, right?"

"It's our best option," Minato said, shrugging. "Hiashi, what do you think?"

"Well, the Hokage isn't 'the Professor' for nothing," Hiashi agreed, and with that the three Genin turned and started walking in the direction of the Hokage Residence, hoping to get answers.

 

CHAPTER TWO: THE HOKAGE

As Team Jiraiya walked through Konoha, they noticed some people giving them weird looks, but for the most part they ignored them. Hiashi and Kushina were both used to it, the former being a Hyūga and Kushina being an outsider. There were some villagers who were jealous of the power that the Hyūga clan held in Konoha, while there were other villagers who held prejucide against them because of their unique eyes. Meanwhile, Kushina was from the village of Uzushio, which had somewhat of a different culture than Konoha, making her stand out even more as an 'other.'

Minato, however, found it confusing when he thought that maybe there were some dirty looks or even shocked looks cast his way. But like his two teammates, he ignored them as they headed to the Hokage's Office. It was located in the Administration Wing of the Ninja Academy, which was located next to the Hokage Residence at the base of the mountain that overlooked the village...

...Mount Hokage, which served as the most significant cultural icon of the village and as a grand monument to its leaders, the Hokage. Carved into the towering mountain were three faces, each for one of the Hokage, who were each in their own time the most powerful ninja in Konoha.

First, there was the First Hokage, a man by the name of Hashirama Senju. He had helped to establish Konoha along with his friend Madara Uchiha and his brother Tobirama. Hashirama had become the First because of his charismatic leaderships, as well as his unique Wood-style jutsu.

Next, there was the Second Hokge, who as it so turned out was Tobirama Senju. He was known for creating many powerful ninjutsu and even establishing the Ninja Academy, which then had been known simply as the Ninja Training Institute. Sadly, he only served as Hokage for one year.

And then, there was the Third Hokage, a man who was a student of the Second Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. He was the longest reigning Hokage so far, and not only was he incredibly skilled, but he was also incredible intelligent, earning him the monikers of "the Professor" and "the Supreme Shinobi." He was also a very kind man who saw the entire village as his family.

Anyways, as they walked through the streets towards the Academy, the noticed the Ino-Shika-Chō Squad walking towards them from the other direction. They were dressed differently than usual, and Chōza's hair seemed more brown, but it was still clearly them. However, what was weird...was that Inoichi looked like he was a girl. Seriously, given the...assets...on "his" chest.

"Hey, guys, what's up," Minato called to them, giving a friendly wave.

"Uh..." "Chōza" started to say, but he trailed off as he and his teammates stopped and stared at Team Jiraiya, seeming perplexed. Team Jiraiya stopped as well, confused why they were staring.

"Is something the matter," Hiashi asked the trio.

"I think something is the matter, ya'know," Kushina exclaimed, before pointing at "Inoichi" a little excitedly. "Inoichi, why do you suddenly look like a girl?"

"Huh? What, I...I'm not..." "Inoichi" started in a girly voice, but "Shikaku" stopped her. "What?"

"Nothing, let's just keep going," the Nara advised his teammates, before looking to Team Jiraiya, who seemed to be incredibly confused. "The day's a drag, like usual. We'll see you around."

"See ya," Minato said as Ino-Shika-Chō continued past them. "Well, that was strange..."

"Yeah," Kushina agreed. "What was with Chōza's hair? And...what the heck is up with Inoichi?"

"I don't know," Minato admitted. "The looked just like them...but...they were different."

"Minato, don't forget that there are other Yamanaka, Akimichi and Nara," Hiashi reminded him.

"Right, good point," Minato agreed, and Team Jiraiya carried on towards the Hokage's Office.






Several minutes later, the three Genin arrived at the Ninja Academy and went inside. It looked a little different from what they were used to, but they hadn't really payed any attention to how the place looked for a couple of years. Once a student graduated from the Academy, only the Administrative Wing was important anymore, the Academic Wing not even crossing their mind.

Team Jiraiya made their way up to the top floor of the Administrative Wing, where the Hokage Office was located. As they made their way though the Academy, they noticed the odd looks again from anyone who they passed by. But since most people who were in the building were either in class or busy with some work, there wasn't too much of it like back out in the village.

When they found the Hokage Office, Minato was about to knock politely on the door, however Kushina decided to just go ahead and barge in. Anyone else would've scolded or reprimanded the fiery-haired Genin for such an action, however her teammates sighed, used to things like this. Before anyone got the wrong idea, they were not annoyed by her at all, not in the least.

In fact, Minato and Hiashi both really liked Kushina, Hiashi more so as Minato was interested in a certain shy blue-haired Hyūga who had been part of their class back at the Academy, Hitomi.

"Hey, Old Man, we gotta talk to you about something," Kushina decalred as she went inside.

"Wait, Kushina," Hiashi called to her as she followed her into the office. Minato sighed again and quietly followed his two teammates. The office seemed to be pretty much the same as how it had been the last time they were in here. There was a couple of bookshelves, some portraits of important people in the village on one wall, the Land of Fire flag behind the desk of the Hokage, and on said desk was a good-sized pile of paperwork that tended to exhaust the Sandaime.

"Good afternoon, Lord Hokage, I apologize about bursting in like this," Hiashi told Hiruzen, who had looked up from his paperwork and...just like most people from before...stared at the three.

"Hold on, I know I call you 'Old Man' a lot...but you really look old now," Kushina noticed, and it was true. The Hokage seemed to be at least twenty or maybe thirty-years-older than usual.

"Lord Third, is something the matter," Minato asked the Hokage. "Why are you staring like that?"

"Um...my apologies, that was unprofessional, you just startled me," Hiruzen said. "That's all."

"Cool, cool," Kushina said. "So, anyways, we've got some questions for you, Hokage!"

"Oh, and what are those, Kushina," Hiruzen said, saying the Genin's name with a hint of sadness in his voice that did not go unnoticed by the ever-perceptive Hyūga, nor did Minato not notice it.

It's just like with Teuchi and Ayame, the two boys thought simultaneously. But why?

"Well, you see, some pretty weird stuff's been happening today," Kushina began to explain.

"What weird things specifically," Hiruzen inquired, recomposing himself. "When did they begin?"

"We were training at the Third Training Ground a little earlier this morning for the upcoming Chūnin Exams tomorrow," Minato spoke up, walking forward to join his teammates. "Hiashi and Kushina were sparring when Hiashi suddenly hit Kushina in the stomach, right where the Nine-Tails' seal is. Then some weird fiery-colored mist came out and enveloped all three of us."

"Oh my, that is very peculiar," Hiruzen remarked. "Has anything like this happened before?"

"Usually I go crazy when the Nine-Tails chakra comes out, ya'know," Kushina informed Hiruzen.

"Anyways, we were all rendered unconscious, and awoke a little while later," Hiashi said. "There wasn't anything else strange at first, until we went looking for something to eat since we were all getting hungry. Then we came across a ramen shop in town that none of us have ever seen."

"Oh, and is that so," Hiruzen asked, and the three Genin nodded.

"Hiashi and I have both lived here our entire lives and have never seen it," Minato pointed out.

"Yes, however, if I'm not mistaken...you two didn't usually eat ramen as much as you do now before Kushina came to the village, am I correct," Hiruzen asked the boys, and the both nodded.

"Lord Hokage, it's in downtown Konoha," Hiashi protested. "My home is in downtown Konoha."

And it was true. The Hyūga Compound was situated in downtown Konoha. As they were the most influential and powerful clan in the village, it was important for them to be right in the middle of the action. And so to Hiashi, the existence of Ichiraku Ramen was most perplexing.

"Of course," Hiruzen agreed. "However, your point is...?"

"Well, I thought that I would have noticed it by now," Hiashi admitted.

"That's understandable," Hiruzen replied. "However, given my point earlier, maybe neither you or Minato had a reason to notice the place beforehand. Was there anything else you noticed?"

"Oh, yeah, we saw the Ino-Shika-Chō Squad," Kushina recalled. "Or at least, they kinda looked like them, but they were different, ya'know. They were dressed different...Shikaku and Chōza looked a bit different...and then Inoichi looked like a girl, ya'know!"

"I see, that is most interesting," Hiruzen remarked thoughtfully.

"Hiashi pointed out that they could just be other members of those clans," Minato said.

"And I suppose that they could be," Hiruzen agreed, which puzzled Team Jiraiya. Wouldn't he know for sure? There was just too many weird things happening. Just what was going on?

"One final thing," Hiashi added. "Lord Hokage, you do...please forgive me...seem to be...aged."

"I thought as much," the elderly shinobi sighed, as if giving into something.

"What do you mean, Lord Third," Minato inquired. "Do you know something that we don;t?"

"Well, I have two theories," the Hokage said. "Both having to do with the Nine-Tails' chakra."

"So the Nine-Tails is causing all this weirdness," Kushina asked. "Stupid fox..."

"My Gentle Fist contributed," Hiashi reminded Kushina, who shrugged.

"Anyways, what do you think is happening, Lord Hokage," Minato asked the Third Hokage.

"Well, my first thought is that all three of you are under a genjutsu of some sort," Hiruzen replied after a moment. "Or even a dream, but an illusion nonetheless, one showing the three of you...or perhaps just one of you strange events that don't make sense. However, my other theory is—"

"Oh, yeah, I almost forgot," Kushina suddenly exclaimed. "Those people at Ichiraku Ramen!"

"Right, that boy, Naruto," Hiashi agreed. "And the two people ran the place, Teuchi and Ayame."

"Teuchi and Ayame seemed to recognize our names," Minato explained. "But they seemed sad."

"Not to mention that Naruto was familiar with the name 'Uzumaki' when Kushina said her clan name, however he did not seem to know that Uzushio or the Uzumaki clan existed. We're all taught about both at the Academy, so how would he not know about Uzushio or the Uzumaki?"

"He also looked a lot like Minato, now that I think about it," Kushina recalled.

"I don't remember having any relatives named Naruto," Minato admitted. "As far as I know, it's just me, my sister Minami and our parents. I don't know about any other family members."

"Let us also not forget that there were many people along the way who were giving us very strange looks," Hiashi reminded his teammates, who nodded in agreement with the Hyūga.

"Well, I do believe that that confirms it," Hiruzen finally decided. "But...how is it possible?"

"How is what possible, Lord Hokage," Hiashi asked, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Did any of you happen to look up at the Hokage Monument," Hiruzen asked the three Genin.

They all shook their heads, and Hiruzen gave a sigh, though it was not clear if it was of relief.

"What reason would we have to look up at the monument," Kushina asked curiously.

"Yes, we were pretty dead-set on coming here to talk to you," Minato agreed.

"I could check with my Byakugan, though," Hiashi offered, however Hiruzen shook his head.

"I do not believe that that would be wise," the Hokage advised the three twelve-years-old.

"And, why not," Kushina inquired, giving Hiruzen a suspicious look.

"I am not sure how to put this in a different way," the Hokage began. "However...it would seem that the three of you were somehow...brought to the future. By the Nine-Tailed Fox, no less."

"WHAT," Kushina gasped in shock, while her teammates stared blankly the Third Hokage.

 

CHAPTER THREE: A STRANGE SITUATION

Team Jiraiya stared at the Third Hokage for what felt like hours, but was only a few minutes at most, before Hiashi finally broke the silence, having recovered from the shock, but just a little.

"Can...can it...actually do something like that," Hiashi managed to ask, dumbfounded.

"It is possible," Hiruzen replied. "Nobody has ever researched the Nine-Tails' full capabilities."

"Hold on, so...we're...in the future," Minato spoke up. "By...how many years?"

"Hmm, I would say by about twenty-five-years, given that the three of you appear to be about twelve," Hiruzen suggested. "Give or take a year or two, I guess."

"Twenty-five...wow...I'm not sure what to say," Minato admitted.

"So, how many crazy Hyūgamaki babies do Hiashi and I have to deal with in the future," Kushina asked as she stepped close to Hiashi, who blushed from both her words and her closeness. He was used to standing near her, but the mention of them having children together made it a little overwhelming for the Hyūga clan heir. "And don't tell me any of them have that stupid seal!"

"Y-you know I'd never let that happen," Hiashi quickly told Kushina in defense.

"I know, but...because you're heir and all," Kushina reminded him, pouting a little and giving her crush puppy-dog eyes. "The elders might try and pull a fast one on us. I have the right to worry!"

When are those two just going to start dating already, Minato thought, trying not to laugh. But he was quickly reminded of the several times those two had nagged him about asking Hitomi out, meaning that he had no room to complain about the pace of Hiashi and Kushina's relationship.

The gears started to turn in Minato's head, and thoughts came to him like wildfire. That boy at the ramen shop, Naruto, he was his son wasn't he? And then the Ino-Shika-Chō trio, they were the children of the Ino-Shika-Chō trio from their time, weren't they? However, he pushed the thoughts aside for now. If this was the future, and that was true, he wanted it to be a surprise.

"Guys, I don't think we should learn too much about the future too quickly," Minato spoke up.

"Why not," Kushina asked Minato. "Is there something that you're afraid of knowing, Minato?"

"No, it's not that," Minato replied. "I just feel like it would be better to learn things slowly."

"It's like culture shock," Hiashi surmised, and Minato nodded.

"Right...like when I moved here from Uzushio," Kushina recalled. "It was pretty overwhelming at first, and I wasn't comfortable. But then I made great friends like you guys, Hitomi and Mikoto."

"We'll figure things out," Minato promised his eager-to-learn teammate. "Don't worry about it."

"Out of curiosity, was it the day before the Chūnin Exams," Hiruzen asked the three Genin.

"Yeah, yeah it was," Kushina exclaimed. "Jiraiya-sensei gave us our applications and everything!"

"Speaking of sensei, how is he doing," Minato asked, momentarily forgetting his earlier point.

"He is fine," Hiruzen assured the boy. "Anyways, tomorrow this year's Chūnin Exams will begin."

"Could we participate in them," Hiashi asked the Hokage. "We've been looking forward to this."

"Yes, you three may, however...you will need new applications," Hiruzen informed them.

"How come," Kushina protested. "We've already got the ones from sensei, ya'know!"

"Yes, however, you will need those when you return to your own time," Hiruzen reminded her.

"Good point," Kushina sighed. "Well, anyways, we're gonna rock the Chūnin Exams, ya'know!"

Hiruzen smiled at the three Genin and took out three Chūnin Selection Exam applications, new ones of course with this year's date and time for the exams. Then, he handed one to each of them, which they accepted gratefully. This year's exams would certainly be very interesting.

"Hang on, I just realized something, where are we all going to stay," Minato said after a moment.

"I believe that the Hyūga Compound might be safe," Hiashi suggested. "There are enough Hyūga for at least me to blend in, I assume that my future-self would be willing to help the three of us."

"Of course, and I will write a message for you three to take to Hiashi...well, future-Hiashi, that is...confirming to him about the situation in case he has any doubts," Hiruzen said as he took out a pen and a piece of paper from his desk and began writing a message for the Hyūga Clan Head.

"Hey, Old Man, should we...I don't know...use different names," Kushina asked curiously.

"That would be a good idea," Minato agreed. "It would draw less attention or even suspicion."

"But, that boy at the ramen shop...Naruto...he knows your name, Kushina," Hiashi pointed out.

"Right, he does," Kushina recalled, and then she smirked at Hiashi, who was the reason that the boy they met at Ichiraku Ramen knew her name. "'Cause somebody said it out loud, ya'know!"

"My apologies," Hiashi said. "Anyways, I suppose that we should go by other names."

"That would be a good idea," Hiruzen agreed. "Do you have any preferences regarding that?"

"I will still have to use the name Hyūga," Hiashi said, which was obvious given his eyes and the fact that they were going to be staying at the Hyūga Compound. "But as for my given name..."

"How about 'Enjō,'" Kushina suggested. "Ya'know, 'ablaze; flaming,' fits the Hyūga trend, right?"

"That it does," Hiashi agreed with a nod. "I will go by the name of 'Enjō Hyūga,' Lord Hokage."

"That is a good choice," Hiruzen agreed. "Especially as it is not too close to your real name."

"Darn, I guess that rules out 'Arashi Kazama,'" Minato said with a sigh, though he smiled anways.

"'Arashi Kazama,'" Kushina asked, trying not to laugh. "'Windstorm,' really, Minato?"

"I don't know, it just sounds really cool," Minato replied, giving a shrug. "Will that work?"

"I suppose it will," Hiruzen said, and Kushina rolled her eyes at Minato. "And now for Kushina..."

"I'm gonna go with a name that is totally not like me at all, ya'know," Kushina decided with a grin. "I don't know what you think about this one, Lord Third, but how 'bout 'Kurogami Daichi?'"

"'Great Black Spirit' or even 'Wise Black Spirit,'" Hiashi translated. "That is pretty interesting."

"Thanks, I don't know where I got it from," Kushina admitted. "It just popped into my head."

"That is fine," Hiruzen assured the young Uzumaki. "And that name will work quite alright."

"Alright, ya'know," Kushina exclaimed, punching the air excitedly. Hiruzen smiled as he added the cover names for Team Jiraiya in the message so that the elder Hiashi would know what to refer to the three twelve-year-old Genin by. Once he was finished, Hiashi stepped forward.

"Here you go, Hiashi," Hiruzen said, handing the message to him. "Or, 'Enjō,' I suppose."

"Of course, Lord Hokage," Hiashi...or now rather 'Enjō'...replied as he accepted the message.

"So, do we gotta by these names all the time now," Kushina...or now rather 'Kurogami'...asked the Hokage. "Or can we go by our regular names when it's just us three alone or with you."

"I do believe that it would be safe if while you were here you only went by the new names," the Third Hokage replied. "In that way, we can assure that the least suspicion as possible is raised."

"What about other people who recognize us," Minato...or now rather 'Arashi'...asked.

"Then they will hopefully chalk it up to coincidence when you tell them your 'names.'"

"That makes sense, Lord Hokage," Hiashi...or now rather 'Enjō'...replied. "Thank you."

"Of couse," Hiruzen said. "Now, you three should probably go ahead to the Hyūga Compound."

The Genin squad bowed respectfully, before leaving the office. As the did so, Hiruzen sighed and picked up his pipe from his desk, lighting it with Fire-style. He turned towards the window in his office that faced east and blew a puff of smoke, silently praying to the Goddess of the Sun, Lady Amaterasu, that this incredibly strange situation did not blow up in his face or ruin anything.










Upon leaving the Ninja Academy, Kushina decided to glance up at Mount Hokage, like Hiruzen had kinda-sorta suggested earlier. The mountain was enormous, and towered above the village.

Not only did it serve as the village's western border, but also it served as the largest and most significant cultural icon of Konoha. Carved into the mountain were...to Kushina's surprise...four faces. Back in the time from which Team Jiraiya had come, there had only been three faces. But now, apparently, there was one more. And she gasped when she realized whose face it was.

"Minato," Kushina exclaimed, as she stared at the great stone face of the Fourth Hokage.

"Huh, what," Minato asked Kushina, and then looked up at the mountain, and was shocked to see his own face, though much older by twelve or so years, carved into the side of the mountain.

"Well, it would appear that you become the Fourth Hokage," Hiashi told his friend.

"Yeah, but...then why is Lord Third still the Hokage," Kushina pointed out suspiciously.

"I...I don't really want to think about it," Minato said, shivering at the thought of what it could possibly mean. His face face being up there on the Hokage Monument...but the Third still being the Hokage. If he had retired, wouldn't there be a Fifth Hokage. Unless...no, he didn't want to think about that. He was still young, and the future still so very far away for the young shinobi.

"Alright, come on, let's get going," Hiashi suggested, and the trio continued on their way.








The Hyūga Compound was a several minute walk from the Ninja Academy, so it wasn't too long until Team Jiraiya arrived. Given that the Hyūga clan were the most powerful and influential clan in Konoha, it made sense for them to be right in the middle of the action, being downtown. The complex was unguarded, but who would ever dare mess with the mighty and powerful Hyūga?

Hiashi led his teammates through the halls of the Hyūga Compound to where he presumed that the office of the Hyūga clan leader would be. Fortunately, they did not get any weird looks from Hyūga whom they happened to pass by. The Hyūga were much too reserved and polite to do so.

Besides, one of their own was among the three Genin, so they had no reason to question them.

Eventually, they made it to the office, and instead of knocking Hiashi went head and opened the door. It was his office, after all, but also he was ready to just get things over with. Minato and Kushina were surprised by the this action from the Hyūga heir, but they understood his reasons.

They found the elder Hiashi at his desk, working on some paperwork for something. He too was a busy man, just like the Hokage. The clan leader looked up from his work when the office door suddenly opened and inside stepped younger versions of himself and his teammates. Hiashi was certainly surprised, however unlike others who were, the Hyūga remained calm and collected.

"Good afternoon," he greeted the trio. "What brings the three of you here?"

The elder Hiashi emphasized the word "here" as if he already knew what was going on. And if that was indeed the case, it was because members of the Hyūga clan were very intelligent.

"Lord Hiashi," the younger Hiashi said as he stepped forward and Minato closed the door behind Team Jiraiya. Kushina and Minato then went to stand on either side of their friend, as if silently defending him from the elder Hiashi or something. "I have a message for you from the Hokage."

"I see," the elder Hiashi said as the younger Hiashi handed him the message. The clan leader accepted the message, and opened it. He read it over and then placed it down on the desk.

"I hope there's not a problem, Hiashi," Minato told the clan leader. "We didn't mean to—"

"No, it is fine, Minato," Hiashi cut him off, briefly raising a hand to silence him. "Even though this is somewhat surprising and all, I understand. I will have rooms prepared for the three of you."

"Hey, out of curiosity," Kushina asked the clan leader. "Did this...happen before, Hiashi?"

"Hmm...what would be the fun in telling you that, Kushina,' the elder Hiashi asked, giving his old friend a small smile, though like with Hiruzen, there was a glint of sadness in the man's eyes.

 

CHAPTER FOUR: THE CHūNIN EXAMS

Fortunately, for Team Jiraiya, they had been able to survive the afternoon and the next morning with the Hyūga. Though they did look familiar to the clan, the explanations and the cover names seemed to be working. Or at least, the Hyūga clan did not want to make a big drama out of it.

However, there was one certain boy named Neji...who Hiashi was sure was Hizashi's son...who kept giving them weird looks, and even glaring at the young Hyūga heir...as if he knew. Neji and Hiashi had almost gotten into a fight at one point, if it hadn't been for Kushina's quick thinking.

Anyways, after lunch, the three Genin from the past headed out to the Academy for the Chūmin Selection Exam. They were excited and ready to go, however they were a little wary about the possibility of someone blowing their cover. It wasn't like it was a bad or anything, it was just that they didn't want to cause a commotion just because someone recognize who they really were.

Like it had been yesterday, the walk between the Hyūga Compound and the Academy was only several minutes. They went there along with Neji and his team, the thirteen-year-old Branch House member's teammates being a boy named Rock Lee who kind of reminded them of a boy from their time named Might Duy, as well as a girl named Tenten who looked like Mito Uzumaki.

Well, she didn't look exactly like Mito Uzumaki, and her dark eyes seemed similar, too. However, instead of red hair, Tenten had brown hair. Kushina briefly wondered if maybe she was her and Hiashi's daughter...but the girl neither had lavender or violet eyes like either of them, so it was sadly not the case. But that did bring up the question, would they meet their future children?

That boy from the day before, Naruto, he looked a lot like Minato...so he was probably his son.

As for any others, well, Team Jiraiya would just have to wait and see to find out if they would.

Moving along, once they arrived at the Academy, Team Jiraiya and Team Nine (as Neji's team was apparently none) ascended the stairs up to the second floor, where there was a big group of people outside a door that appeared to be marked 301. However, on closer inspection, the three Genin from the past noticed that the next door over was marked 203, which was very strange.

"Let's just keep going," Minato whispered very quietly to his teammates. "That's genjutsu."

Hiashi and Kushina nodded in agreement, and they calmly kept walking along, their heads down to not betray their thoughts to the others. Kushina was on the verge of laughing, wondering how such a big congregation of Genin...some of whom looked older than them...could get caught up in such a basic genjutsu like that. But no matter, they simply kept walking along up the hallway.





Once they arrived on the third floor, they noticed a young Jōnin with strangely-silver hair nearby reading a book. The young man glanced over at them, but if he recognized them like so many others seemed to, he did nothing to make it clear. Instead, he sighed and went back to his book.

"Alright, you guys ready for this," Kushina asked her teammates.

"Yep, let's get this started," Minato replied, and Hiashi simply nodded in agreement. Kushina then pushed open the doors to Room 301, and Team Jiraiya stepped inside. There were already a good amount of people in the room, and there was a table to hand in their applications. They walked over to the table and handed the two Chūnin manning the table their exam applications.

"Alright, everything looks good," one of the Chūnin said. "Good luck with the exam."

"Thank you very much," Hiashi replied, and Team Jiraiya stepped away from the table. The three Genin from the past looked around the room at the other Genin participants. There seemed to be people from some of the other villagers there, which was surprising since in the past, Konoha was in the middle of the Second Shinobi World War. However, now that was no longer the case.

"Hey, another Uzumaki," Kushina pointed out, gesturing to a red-haired girl she noticed standing off to the side, looking upset and scared. "I'm gonna go talk to her, 'kay? See you guys in a bit."

Before either of the two boys could say anything in response, Kushina walked off. The red-haired girl looked up when she saw Kushina approach, and her eyes widened. She looked shocked, and she had to take off her glasses and rub her eyes as if she were not sure just what she was seeing.

"Hey, how's it going," Kushina asked, smiling at the girl, before holding a hand. "I'm Kushina."

"It's nice to meet you...I...I'm Karin," the red-haired girl replied, shaking Kushina's hand. Kushina noticed that Karin had on a Kusa-headband, which was honestly surprising, because as far as she was aware, all of the Uzumaki lived in Uzushio. "So...um...are you...are you an...Uzumaki?"

"Yep, I sure am," Kushina confirmed. "What about you?"

"Yeah," Karin said with a nod. "Though...I...I thought I was the last of our clan. This is a surprise."

"Well, I hope it's a happy surprise," Kushina said, before giving her fellow Uzumaki a big, warm hug. Karin wasn't really sure how to react at first, however her eyes started to tear up, but after a few moments she hugged Kushina, who then couldn't help but get the feeling that she knew her.

As she held Karin, Kushina began to realizing why the girl looked familiar. This was not her child, that was for certain, because Karin had red eyes. Kushina didn't know anyone who had red eyes, except for two people...her mother Kaya and her little sister Akane. Karin was...well...her niece.

Well, this is a happy surprise, Kushina thought to herself, a tear rolling down her own cheek. She did not know what had happened to her sister after she left Uzushio, but now she knew. Akane had apparently gone to Kusa, where she met someone and had a daughter...Karin Uzumaki.

"Hey, what are you doing to our teammate," a boy's voice asked behind Kushina asked, and her niece's grip seemed to tighten. It was then that Kushina noticed the faint hints of bite marks on the girl's face, neck and arms. Kushina gritted her teeth, recognizing just what this was. "Hey!"

"Please...just go away..." Karin called out from behind her aunt. "Just...please...leave me alone!"

Heal Bite, Kushina thought bitterly. And it looks like she's been using it a lot, but not willingly.

"Hey, get away from our teammate," another boy's voice said. "Why are you hugging her?"

"Sorry, it's just that I didn't expect to see my n—I mean, my cousin here," Kushina replied, not turning around to face Karin's teammates, who her niece seemed to be afraid of. Were Karin's teammates forcing Karin to let them use her Heal Bite? Or, was it possibly more than that?

"Huh, wait, so you're like her," the first boy asked, sounding surprised.

"Well, well...I did not see this coming," the second boy said. "Kusa will be happy to hear this."

"Yes, I am Uzumaki," Kushina confirmed, her back still turned to them. "However...well..."

And then, Adamantine Chains shot from Kushina's back and wrapped around both of the boys, tightly encircling them. This did not go unnoticed by the rest of the group, who all turned to see what the commotion was about. Hiashi and Minato sighed, running over to their teammate.

"You should probably put them down," Hiashi said to Kushina when he and Minato reached her.

"I guess," Kushina sighed, shrugging as she released the two boys and retracted her chains. She then let go of her niece and turned to face the two Kusa-nin. "And you...you better be nice to her and respect her from now on, you got it? You're lucky that I didn't decide to kill you, ya'know."

"Thank you," Karin said to Kushina, releasing her as Kushina turned back to face her niece.

"No problem," Kushina said with a shrug. "Always happy to help a fellow Uzumaki."

Team Jiraiya walked away, or more like Minato and Hiashi led Kushina away before the girl could decide that she was not going to spare Karin's teammates after all. Their cover had nearly been blown, which could have been a huge problem. However, Kushina assured them it was all okay.

"Out of curiosity," Minato asked his teammate. "Why'd you do it?"

"She's my niece," Kushina whispered to them. "She's Akane's daughter."

"Well, imagine that," Hiashi remarked, and Kushina nodded. However, everyone's attention was turned to the back of the room suddenly when they heard shouting from the boy from yesterday.

"Shut up," the boy shouted at another boy who had on a gray-hooded jacket and a small ninken resting on his head (clearly an Inuzuka). "Sasuke might, but I won't lose to the likes of you!"

"Sorry, Naruto," Team Jiraiya heard a soft voice say. This person was a girl who strikingly looked like Hitomi Hyūga, which was a big surprise. However, given that neither of them seemed to look similar at all, it was clear that they were not siblings. And if Naruto was Minato's son, well, it was kind of clear that he did not end up with Hitomi in the future. "Kiba didn't mean it in that way."

"Well, looks like we've seen Hizashi's son, Kushina's niece and Hitomi's daughter now," Minato whispered to his teammates, who both nodded. "And...my son...since Naruto looks like me."

"He definitely does," Hiashi whispered in agreement. "However, he acts more like Kushina."

"What is that supposed to mean," Kushina demanded quietly, narrowing her eyes.

"I think you and Minato end up together," Hiashi whispered sadly in reply. At that moment, an older boy who looked like their classmate Nonō Yakushi approached Naruto and the others.

"Hey you guys," the Yakushi-boy said to the group of nine twelve-year-olds who had gathered near the back of the room. Twelve, technically, since Team Jiraiya had come pretty close to the group. Though he resembled Nonō, he did not look nice. "You should be more quiet. You guys are Genin just out of the Academy, right? Screaming like school girls...geez...this isn't a picnic."

"Who do you think you are," a boy who was clearly an Uchiha demanded. From behind, he kind of looked like Fugaku, meaning that this was the current heir of the Uchiha clan. Minato sighed, recalling how many times at the Academy Fugaku would randomly ambush him to fight him.

"I'm Kabuto," the Yakushi replied. "But instead of that, look behind you."

The nine Genin who were from the present turned around to see Team Jiraiya, as well as many other Genin who were in the room. And they were all staring at them. Both Naruto as well as the Hitomi-look-alike gasped when they saw Team Jiraiya, however both for different reasons.

"Hey, it's you guys," Naruto exclaimed. "What's up, how are you guys doing?"

"We're fine," Hiashi replied. "You're Naruto, correct?"

"Yeah, it's nice to see you guys again," Naruto said, laughing happily.

"Wait...why...why do you like my father," the Hinata-look-alike asked Hiashi.

"Um...well...a lot us Hyūga look the same, don't we," Hiashi asked a little nervously.

"Just who are you three," Kabuto asked, narrowing his eyes at the team and stepping forward.

"My name is Enjō Hyūga," Hiashi replied. "And these two are my teammates and best friends."

"Hello, I'm Arashi Kazama," Minato greeted.

"And I'm Kurogami Daichi," Kushina added.

"Wait, I thought your name was—" Naruto started, but Hiashi cut him off by shaking his head.

"I don't recognize you guys at all," a pink-haired girl pointed out. "You weren't from our class."

"Because they weren't," the Shikaku-look-alike spoke up. Probably Shikaku's son, in actuality, just as the Hitomi-look-alike was Hitomi's daughter. "These guys were from another class."

"Yeah, yeah...Class 203, right," the boy who must be Chōza's son asked.

"That's correct," Hiashi said. "We were in another class, that is why you don't recognize us."

"But...but only twenty-seven of graduated last December," the pink-haired girl complained.

"Our sensei had us do the exam a semester early," Kushina replied.

"Yeah, we graduated at the end of July," Minato agreed.

"Yeah, that makes sense," the girl who must be Inoichi's daughter agreed.

Hiashi had to smile, unsurprised that the Ino-Shika-Chō team of this generation was helping them. They were just really kind like that. However, he couldn't help but notice that Kabuto looked frustrated, as if Team Jiraiya had taken the attention away from him. But who cared?

Unless...unless Kabuto was up to something...