Happy Birthday, Naruto.

Third person pov

Minato observed Naruto with keen eyes. Eyes that stared out at the village wistfully, in a distant sort of way that implied the young blonde teen wasn't completely there. Minato couldn't get over their striking similarities. Their hair was the same shade. Yellow as fresh straw, and spiky as ever. Their eyes were the same shade of blue, looking much lighter and more vibrant in the light. Their head shape wasn't quite the same, but the set of their mouths, their brows, and the line of their jaws matched almost perfectly. It was uncanny how much they looked alike. Minato hadn't ever really known his father... could this be a nephew? A cousin? Maybe even a brother?

"Are you okay, Naruto?" Minato spoke up, jolting Naruto from his daze. It was concerning to think someone this young had a demon sealed in them. That being said, Kushina had been burdened with hers before she even had the chance to become a ninja. The thought made him frown. Naruto clearly wasn't a bad kid. In fact, Minato was quickly growing fond of him. Maybe it was how hard he was trying to stay optimistic in a bad situation, or maybe it was their uncanny matching appearance. Either way, Minato had a feeling he was going to become rather protective of Naruto in the days to come.

"Huh? What? Y-Yeah, I'm great!" Naruto sputtered, eyes wide. Minato found himself smiling a bit. That was another one of this kid's flattering qualities. His inability to lie. He came off as such a solid and honest person, Minato had a hard time disbelieving any of what he said. Even if he was a bit suspicious of the presumed demon in his stomach being 'good.' "I just... the village is really pretty. Believe it."

"Wow, he totally believed you. You look like you're about to cry." Kurama snorted, examining his claws. They were looking sharp today. He really wanted to destroy something. Maybe Naruto could find the parents of all the enemies he'd faced, and he could go to town making sure none of those little shitheads were ever born. 

'Maybe that's because I really am about to cry, dunce.' Naruto snarked back mentally, his grip on the railing tightening slightly as he thought about Kakashi-sensei. What would he say, were he here right now? Probably nothing. He'd just be reading his Icha Icha, as he always did. Maybe make some sarcastic comments here and there. Snort at Naruto's enthusiasm, ruffle his hair like he always did. A...Ask him what he wanted to eat, a-and-

"You know, one we test you to see what rank you are, we can place you on a team." Minato glanced at him. Naruto blinked out of his train of thought, sucking his tears back in with sheer willpower alone. Minato still looked concerned, but didn't push. Instead he gave a kind smile and didn't press. Naruto was glad. "If you're above a genin, you can be on mine. If you want."

Naruto's mind went straight to Kakashi. The hazy image of the younger version of his sensei helping to carry him. His heart clenched. Could he handle that? He had a cover to maintain. Trying to keep it all a secret would be futile, but even he knew coming right out and trying to explain that he was a time traveler and that-- Hey! The nine-tailed demon fox was now good and wanted to save the world!-- wasn't going to work.

"What's this? Are there actual brain cells in here?" Kurama asked with mock astonishment. "What a breakthrough. Truly, Naruto, I never thought I'd see the day. Look how far you've come. Zero to one, in just nineteen years. What a leap."

'Shut up.' Naruto hissed inwardly, painting a smile on his face outwardly. Kakashi's team was where it had all started. Obito was where it had all began. Well, aside from the whole Pein thing and the Akatsuki, but they honestly wouldn't have been so bad if not for Madara's heavy influence within their ranks. He gave a chirpy reply, "Yeah, I'd love to be on your team! I'm definitely above genin rank. I'm not sure where, but..."

"I'd love to have you join too, Naruto. I'm excited to see what you can do." Minato gave a lopsided smile, analyzing Naruto's grin. Where had he seen that smile before?

"You've only ever had three ranks in your life. Dumbass, Genin, and Hokage. Which is it going to be?" Kurama asked, ruffling his tails. They needed grooming. They were getting rather knotted, but it always hurt his back to try and reach back there. Was he getting old? He wasn't really alive, so he wasn't sure age was relevant to him. He could remember being young, and being small, but he'd gathered enough chakra to be big now. Did aging really matter if you couldn't die?

"Shut up, Kurama." Naruto mumbled. Minato's eyebrows shot up, and the teen jumped slightly. Right. It wasn't just him and Kakashi anymore. Minato was here. Standing like, two feet away. How great! The man looked reasonably taken aback, but also curious. At least there was no visible repulsions. Naruto would take the blessings as they came.

"Dumbass it is." Kurama decided. Naruto didn't try to object.

"Sorry! Not you, just--- Kurama's being a... pill." Naruto said carefully. He had to be careful how he talked about the fox, seeing as they were already on edge about his existence. If he were to tell them what sort of animal he was in the form of, they'd surely riot. Two chakra foxes in one village? They'd either scream and run in terror or use him as a war weapon. Maybe both. Neither would surprise Naruto, and he honestly wouldn't blame them. He was decent on the battlefield. 

"Oh, a pill. Is that what you'd all me?" Kurama asked, voice strained as he twisted to try and reach a particular tangle that was beginning to pull at his skin. 

"He's talking to you? Right now?" Minato looked surprised by the prospect. They began walking down to the village. Naruto was going to be staying in a very small, one-room apartment. An envelope with some funds would be there so Naruto could purchase some clothing, food, and other necessities for his time here. Not much, but enough to get him started. The mere thought of any sort of fresh meal made his stomach rumble. 

"No shit. What else would I be doing? Singing?" Kurama scoffed. Naruto resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It would look too much like he was doing it to Minato.

"Yeah! Unfortunately, I can hear everything he says, whether I want to or not." Naruto glared down at his stomach. Minato followed his gaze, interest sparking further. He was quite the seals master. They were a passion of his, and if Naruto had a chakra being in him, and if it were as big as Inoichi claimed it to be, he had to have one gnarly seal on him. Minato would kill to take a look at it.

"Wow, I had no idea. My fiance actually has something sealed in her too." Minato wasn't sure why he'd just told that to a stranger. Sure, practically the whole village knew, as did their enemies after her time out on the front lines, but still. He almost flushed embarrassment. "She can actually block it out most of the time. It's sealed pretty tight. If she's feeling too emotional, the demon can slip out a little easier."

The use of the word 'it' and 'demon' made Naruto almost flinch. That was the same Kurama they were talking about. Well, not the same outlook on humankind and existence in general, but same chakra being. Minus Naruto's signature therapy no jutsu, but that was currently besides the point. It sort of stung to hear his closest friend talked about like that.

"I'm flattered, really, but in all honesty? The me of the past really was a hellion. One who didn't have enough dignity to deserve a pronoun." Kurama finally got the knot out of his tail. Success.

"Sounds interesting! I had no idea there were other people around here like me." It was a lie, but it wasn't. It's why it slipped out easier than his blatant fibs. Minato gave a radiant smile that made his heart ache a little. Again, he thought of Kakashi. He needed to get his shit together as soon as possible so he didn't have a total mental break when he saw the younger version of his familial figure.

"Maybe I can introduce you sometime." Minato offered, twitching slightly. Why was he being this nice? I mean, he was a nice person. That wasn't it. It was more... open. Yes, that's the word he as looking for. He was being far too open with someone he'd just met! Naruto had done essentially nothing to gain his trust, unless you were counting all the times he had to choke Minato out and didn't. All he'd done is smile and try his best to keep himself together and stay strong before the Hokage. It was admirable, but it wasn't like they were friends. Not really. Minato just... felt like he knew Naruto, somehow. It had to be their matching appearances.

"That'd be... That'd be really cool, Minato-san." Naruto glanced down. The thought of seeing his mother again warmed him. Not all that long ago, when Kurama had still been 100% a dickhole instead of just 50% of one, his mother had appeared and saved him from releasing the enraged fox out into the world to reign down mass destruction. It was the first, and last, time he'd ever seen his mother. Since then, he could never forget her face. He was glad it was ingrained in his brain. It was a warm memory he thought back to when he needed to feel safe.

Minato seemed to sense he was having a moment and offered a friendly pat on the shoulder before moving past to open the apartment. It was dinky, and tinier than the one he'd had growing up, but the sight of it still made him smile. He hadn't had a space that was just his own for a while. Months of tents erected by tired soldiers that were taken down the next day to be moved plagued his mind, and the metallic stain of blood still seemed to linger in his nostrils from all the medical posts stationed around the sporadic camps they were forced to set up.

Naruto tried to remind himself that this was different. Yes, Konoha was at war. But this was one they were going to win. The fourth... the fourth brought too much death and destruction with it. It wasn't a war. There was no battle. Only a long, drawn out slaughter. 

"Alright, cool it on the angst before you hyperventilate or some shit. You can cry later when there's no one here to question it." Kurama gazed at Minato through Naruto's eyes for a moment before shaking his large, furry head and lying it down on his folded arms. Naruto took in a quiet, deep breath through his nose.

"My address should be in the money envelope, along with Inoichi's. For if you need anything, I mean." Minato said as they entered. The older man looked around happily. "I used to live in one of these when I was fresh out of the academy. Pretty crazy how time flies. It's only temporary, though, so don't worry! Just go out tonight and get what you need, and I'll be here to pick you up in the morning. Seven sound good?"

"Believe it." Naruto confirmed, finding it harder to smile as the seconds ticked on. He just felt weighted down and oddly alone. He knew he shouldn't be complaining. He was getting a chance to change things, and to see his father. He was living the dream! Hundreds would jump at the chance to save the future. He just couldn't stop thinking about what he'd lost. It was... It was hard, trying to latch onto all the things he knew he could gain. But he needed to soon, to fuel himself. He had to be reaching for something. Unless, what was the point?

"Angst. I said to tone it down." Kurama reminded. Minato patted Naruto on the shoulder again if he brushed past him and towards the door.

"Well, you know where to find me if you need me. I'll leave you to it if you don't have anymore questions or requests." Minato gave him a look, searching him for any sign he should stay. Naruto's cheerful expression came naturally, though he didn't feel nearly as happy as the look suggested. 

"I'm good! Thanks so much, Minato-san. I think I'll buy some stuff then get some rest. Big day tomorrow, right?" Naruto asked, his smile weakening. Minato took that as his cue to go. He knew what someone who needed to alone time looked like, and Naruto was definitely one of them.

"You've got it, Naruto. Remember, seven." Minato gave one last friendly smile before stepping out of the apartment, softly closing the door behind him. Naruto heard the lock latch into place, and just stood there for a moment, staring. The tension fell away from him, leaving him exhausted. The sudden realization that, holy fucking shit, he'd just talked to his father, sunk in. Kakashi was dead, and he was here in the past. Alone, excluding Kurama, who sort of counted but also didn't.

"I can respect that." Kurama acknowledged. "Also, you can cry now."

So Naruto did. Kurama didn't make fun of him for it. In his own, demonic way, he mourned the previous future. Because even with all its downs and horrifying lows, it had still managed to have its ups. And now that they were here, those were all gone. And once he and Naruto were gone, no one would know those events ever happened. Not a single soul.

Kurama thought that he understood why Naruto might feel so lonely, for once.