We continue!

Disclaimer: This story has multiple mentions of trauma, death, and blood. So if it's not your cup of tea, please use discretion.

As a clarification, I do not own Naruto in any shape or form. However, I do own the plot so :D

'Thoughts...'

"A physical speech..."

"Kurama talking..."

"Past memory..."

Enjoy!

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..."Well then, let's go back home, shall we?" He smiled, placing the teen on his shoulders and they jumped to the covers of the trees.

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"Minato, explain to me again why you're carrying your own shadow clone?" A wise and elder man stared holes into team Minato, their extra baggage toying with his patience. The team sweatdropped, leaving Obito near hysteria, clinging to his sides once again.

"As I said before Hokage-same, this is no clone of mine. This is a man who identified as a spy of the leaf, Kinuki Totsuka. He said he was on a long term infiltration mission in Kusagakure." Minato paused, glancing at the thoughtful elder. "He saved my team from a group of Iwa chunnin during our mission. He had-"

"He was cloaked by this huge golden chakra thing!" Obito felt it his duty to interrupt the two men, exaggerating every word with erratic hand movements every now and then. " It almost looked like he had fox ears made of chakra and his eyes became weird slits like a cat. Do you think he was a cat, Rin? I think it was more of a kangar-"

"Obito, enough!" Rin scolded, glaring daggers into the boy, silencing him instantly. 

" So this boy- whom I have never seen in my life, mind you- saved your team by becoming a kangaroo. Wonderful, let the team left with the final war mission become lunatics, they said. It'll be fine, they said." The Hokage sighed, putting a hand on his head. "Take him to Inoichi. Let him deal with it."

"Sir, with all due respect, this man must be loyal in some way if he sacrificed himself for some mere chunnin. No offense team." Minato admitted. " Nor did I sense any indication of violence in his chakra the entire time. In fact, it felt, happy? Are you sure he is no shinobi of the leaf?"

"He might be under a very good hedge, he did look like he had really good chakra control," Kakashi suggested, toying with his haitai that now hid his eye. Deep down, Kakashi felt attached to the man, he did save their lives after all. Without him, they would've most certainly died. The man might even be willing to teach him that godly golden chakra thing they saw. But, if he turned out to be a spy, he would surely be met with death; no mercy would be given during a time of war.

Sarutobi glanced at the unnaturally red long hair, weighing the probability of hair as saturated as an Uzumaki's being the true hair color of the young teen. It was very unlikely. With the Uzumaki clan being wiped to smithereens, it was very probable that he was under a well-executed hedge. The elder man caved." Test that theory, would you Minato?"

Minato laid the redhead across the floor, muttering a small 'ok' at his superior. He crossed his fingers, pulsing his strong chakra and allowing it to resonate around the room. 

" Kai." Nothing happened. "Kai" The blond repeated, once more.

Eventually, the male fell to the floor next to the teen, laughing in spite of his exhaustion.

"Definitely not a hedge Hokage-same. But he has thousands of seals all over his body, it's absolutely remarkable. I wonder if he is a fellow seal master. I have to wreak his brain when he awakens." Minato began spacing out, his genius overcrowding his common functions.

The Hokage sighed once again, taking a long drag of his pipe before signaling to his ANBU, who immediately took the whiskered teen towards what they assumed to be the Torture and Interrogation Department.

"But Hokage-Sama Kinuki did nothing wrong! Why is he going to be tortured?" Rin ran towards the desk, slamming her hands against the piles of paper.

"Not torture, Rin. Interrogation." The elder flicked a kunai towards the younger hands, separating her from the important documents. "Now, all of you. Out of this office at once."

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    Kinuki awoke to the distant drip of water echoing in a cold, dreary room. He could smell mold and moss in every crack and corner of the room. The soft creak of a door signified the entrance of a person, his light steps indicating a seasoned shinobi.

    A light sting on his check snapped the redhead into the world, his hands struggling against the tight rope that was wrapped around his body. He reached for familiar chakra, only to push away as he felt the man's true presence. 

He looked up at the man in front of him, his long dull hair bringing tears to his eyes. However, the man before him portrayed no emotion but a tired and depressing aura.

"Are you alright?" Kinuki asked the interrogator before him. The dull haired man smiled lightly at Kinuki, a false mask easily slipping onto his face.

"Yes. Thank you for asking." The man impulsively fidgeted his feet against the hard stone floor. "My name is Yamanaka Inoichi and I, by orders of the third Hokage, have been tasked with asking you a couple of questions. It is imperative that you answer with all honesty. I heard you aren't a bad person, so I want to get this over with as quickly as possible."

Kinuki smiled sympathetically at Inochi. "Then ask away, I have nothing to hide."

"Who are you?"

"Would you mind opening the door for Hokage-Sama first? I don't think the old man still has the skills to hear through a high ranking barrier and a steel door."

Inoichi raised an eyebrow at the boy, his back inching towards the door but his eyes never leaving the redheads. He reached towards the handle, opening the door slightly as he felt for another body through the small opening. To his surprise and dismay, his hand did truly reach for the silk garments that only a man Hokage status would wear.

The blond spun around, bowing towards his leader while he could clearly feel the grin of the teen behind him radiating like the sun.  

"The world shunned the Phoenix, its eyes baring the marks of a true Shinobi. Fire shines brightly within the rose, the legacy of the Phoneix passed on century by century. This marks the life of a Hokage." It took the elder a man to release his code, but when he did, his eyes became saucers, his eyebrows lifting above his hairline.

" ANBU, return to headquarters. Inochi, I want that barrier tripled, quadrupled even." The room began to scatter in disarray, all the while, Kinuki sat unaffected, smiling at the old man. The scholar glanced dully at the teen, knowing what was to come.

When peace settled once again in the filthy room, Kinuki looked up towards the old man he once called Jiji, his heart warmed at the thought of once again having a grandfather.

"Speak boy. Only those who are Kage are to use that code. Any other to use it are punished by death, you understand that don't you?" The redhead nodded. "Now, who are you and what is your purpose here in Konoha. Speak the truth alone or we shall use force."

The redhead lowered his head at his leader, emitting only respect at the man. As a child, Kinuki trusted him with his life, his Jiji was one of the only reason he was alive to this day. And yet, he knew that the elder before him was not his grandfather. This was a man who truly valued his job, a fresh off the press veteran. He was only acquainted with an elder leader who deeply indulged in its village's peace, living the rest of his years with very little power over the council. But deep down, he could still see the will of fire in his pupil, tormenting genin with D ranks and caring for the village as though all its citizens were family.

"My Lord, I speak to you the truth and only the truth. I rest my words upon my coffin and with it, I shall reveal the only things I have come to know. My true name is Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, age 18 or technically negative 3 years old." Kinuki paused for a second, taking a breath before continuing. "In my time, I was a former ANBU commander but formally the eighth Hokage of Konohagakure, Son of Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze. I have mastery over infiltration and seals and I come twenty-one years from the future due to the absolute demolition of the world."

The Hokage blinked at the redhead before him. "Boy, do you take me as a fool?"

"No, sir."

The Elder sighed for what must have been the hundredth time this evening. "Let's say I believe you. What do you have to prove that you are telling the truth in any way shape or form."

The former blond thought for a long minute, contemplating what he had left to lose.

"Well, I mean, you got Inoichi right there. Maybe we could put his powers to good use, don't you think?"

The young adult addressed looked at his leader, moving towards Kinuki when he finally got the nod 'ok.' He placed a hand upon the redhead's forehead, his baby hairs tickling his hand as he entered the teen's mindscape. Pure agony overcame the mind reader. The world he saw was no world at all. Everything was lost, grim and blood covered every inch of the world and the sun was nowhere in sight. It was as though the whole world fell under the rule of a devil and little did he know, he was right.

Inoichi pressed forward in the males' most recent memories and his former lies became infinite truths; devastating, horrifying truths. His journey ended as he watched a fight between former childhood rivals, tears flowing freely down both of the boy's faces as they faced off to death.

"Sasuke my entire life I have raced after you." The whiskered teen yelled while uppercutting the Uchiha in the gut. "And I only began to question that recently. Why did I thrive off of beating you after all these years when you were off having sex with a snake?"

The Uchiha spluttered throwing a fist the others face. "I did not you ass!"

"After all these years, I have come to realize that you were the only person that I could ever call my brother. Even though you nearly killed me hundred of times, shunned me, called me an idiot, I knew deep down that you were the kind of family that I always wanted. But you were stuck up on your blood brother, the man you thought massacred your family with no other intentions but to test his limits on his vulnerable family. Only after you killed the only blood family you had left, did I start to doubt our friendship. Sasuke, you are nothing but a naive fool, and that's saying something coming from me. All my life I was called the number one knucklehead of Konoha while you were hailed a prodigy long after you betrayed the village. Well, let me tell you something!" The boy threw a punch at the ground, breaking the ground into crumbles of land.

"You were loved by all your friends, all your family but you still choose to be a complete asshole. Itachi sacrificed his entire life, his entire identity, for the village, while you gave up everything for the sake of power. Tell me which is more honorable! Huh, Sasuke tell me!" Naruto spits out, tears during his eyes, his body trembling. The fight froze, both boys panted on opposite sides of the flat ground, tension filling up the doubt.

"But even though you are nothing but a foolish prick, you are still my brother." The redhead stared passionately at the Raven, using what little balance he had left to limp towards the other.

"Kill me, Naruto." Sasuke cried, freezing his brother in his place. "If I am to die, I am to die by the hands of my brother. The number one most unexpectable ninja, the enigma of the leaf and most importantly, my best friend. You piece of shit better do it face before I change my mind."

The former blond hesitated for a second before smiling sincerely at his brother. With a slow but robust chakra filled kick, Naruto managed to launch a mangled and bloody Sasuke across the deserted wasteland. It was clearly a fatal blow, as the Raven showed no intention of ever standing up ever again. The minuscule flinch of his hand was the only indication of life in the male's pale corpse. The younger slowly limped towards the Uchiha, his long red hair waving widely behind him as he gripped Sasuke's cold, bloody hand. His torn clothes barely clinging to him as he bent down to move the hair out of the other's eyes.

"Naruto," the Raven muttered hoarsely, a single tear made its way down his cheek and onto the rigid rock under him, never releasing the whiskered teen's eyes for a moment. "I'm sorry dobe."

It was only when Naruto's cries of agony subsided slightly, that Inoichi became aware of himself once again. He was thrust into the real world, panting heavily as he made his way to the ground.

"Oops." He could hear Kinuki giggle. "Did you see too much?"

"Quiet boy," The Hokage shunned the younger. "Are you alright Inoichi-San?"

"Hokage-sama," Inoichi gasped. "He speaks nothing but the truth. I have seen our world end with my own two eyes. He was the only one left."

The elder pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering to himself. "Fine, release the boy, will you Inoichi-San."

As the words were said, the veteran shinobi fell to the ground, freezing in his place. The elder raised an eyebrow.

"Fine, I'll do it myself." He muttered, digging out a Kunai from one of his many pockets. "A future Kage, you say. Remarkable, you must have been the youngest of all Kages to ever exist."

"Actually, my friend Garaa holds that spot. He became Kage of Suna at the tender age of 15. After he got his resident extracted too. Man, he was so cool." Naruto laughed, waving his hands freely as they were released from his constraints. "Thanks, old man."

"We must have been pretty close for you to call me old man." The elder shook his head. "Have your parents taught you nothing?"

"Actually, no. I was an orphan all my life. You were the closest thing I had to a Jiji, old man."

"At any rate." Sarutobi cut the younger off. " You must understand that I am not the man you once knew. To me, you are practically a stranger, no offense but I don't exactly trust you, child. In addition, all information you have on the future, along with your former status, must be withheld. You do know the problems with tampering with fate, don't you?"

"Understandable," Kinuki smirked, his determination passionately reaching the other. "I'll just have to convince you to trust me bit by bit."

The elder mirrored the teen's expression, feeling the will of fire deep within the boy. "I like that attitude, now come along now. We shall talk more of this in my office, do grab Inoichi-San as you exit."

"Yes, sir" Kinuki mocked a salute, flinging the Yamanaka over his shoulder as they shun-shined to the elders office.

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    Hours passed and Kinuki was finally allowed to leave the life-draining office after a much-needed talk, not without proper supervision of course, but he was able to leave nonetheless. A few tears were shed, a few arguments held but they were finally able to come to an agreement. 

    Former Eighth Hokage of Konohagakure, Naruto Uzumaki, was now known as Kinuki Totsuka, an ANBU who answered only to his Kage -an agreement made after he raised some much-needed eyes at the council- and a citizen of the leaf once more. Kinuki left with his old Konoha Hitai-ate on his forehead and a blank ANBU mask in his seal. He was given lodging one block from the Hokage's tower and one block from the ANBU headquarters, all in all, a decent location.

    After entering the slightly furnaced apartment for the first time, he placed a quick seal on his door and all but sprinted to his favorite restaurant of them all; Inchiraku Ramen. All the adrenaline from his previous fight a few days ago never left the blond, leaving him as the only hyperactive ball of light in the dark and silent streets. Needless to say, the restaurant was closed, which would be obvious if the redhead hadn't neglected to check the time. And with one glance at the three current heads that look upon Konoha, he knew that the fourth Kages head was not an option. Instead, he decided to visit his old training ground, Ground 7. 

   He walked there on auto-pilot, having gone the route so many times that the feeling never left him. All those times he ran down the streets only to find his sensei nowhere in sight. When he finally reached the training ground, tears flowed freely from his face and onto the grass below him. The night's cold wind gently caressed the redhead, pushing him towards his past genin meeting point, a bright red bridge. He sat on the railing for a while, gazing at the beautiful constellations above him as it calmed his raging emotions. After a while, boredom overtook the former blond and he walked on towards the field, noting the missing memorial stone. 

    It was there that the three naive academy students became team seven, a universally known team that surpassed even the great sannin.  Naruto, who was hailed the most unexpectable ninja in Konoha, Sasuke, the last Uchiha and glory of the council and of course Sakura, the top kunoichi of her academy class and later the best medic in all of the shinobi lands, all represented parts of a whole. 

    They fell apart more than once, sure, but they were always a team. But when Sakura died two years into the war, the glue that held the team together also fell apart. Sasuke disappeared once again, and Naruto indulged himself in his training, not stopping to rest for even a minute. His hard work and dedication earned him the title of Hokage and only after his inauguration did Sasuke come back. 

    But by then, Sasuke became a mere shell of himself, controlled by anger and hatred rather than his pride and strength. 

    Kinuki sighed, breathing in the fresh forest air that he hadn't felt since Konoha's time of peace. Rolling up his sleeve, the redhead revealed a storage seal drawn on his forearm. With a small pulse of chakra, a tanto lanced in gold unsealed and he began to let his thoughts flow in forms of katas. He struck at the sky, swiftly moving around the field as he twirled and spun around. The moon glinted upon the sword, forming soft peaks of light as he moved. 

    It was only after the sun peaked did the redhead realize that he was fighting an actual person. A blond jonin, in fact.

     The teen jumped back, parrying the male's sword with his own. He jumped down, kicking behind the man's knees and pointing the edge of his tanto at the man's neck. 

"Aw, why did you stop." The jonin panted, storing his own sword in its holster located at his thigh. "That was so fun! I haven't been bested by anyone in a while." 

"Uh," the redhead panicked, sprinting towards the bridge once again. "Sorry, bye!"

"What the fuck was that, Naruto."

' "Its called "evasive maneuvering."'

"Uh-huh, running away from the man you have been fighting against for three hours is called ''evasive maneuvering''." 

' Three hours?'  Kinuki screamed at the fox. 'Shit!' 

The blond jonin appeared in a flash of yellow before the redhead, effectively stopping his "evasive maneuvering."

"Nope, I gotta talk to you." The blond before him spoke. "Did you really not realize that we've been fighting all this time? That's some tight reflexes you got there." 

"Er, ya," Kinuki replied awkwardly, his hands itching to form a seal. He pulled them behind his back, fiddling with the calloused pads.  

"Listen, I wanted to say thank you, you know, for saving my team..."

"Sure, no problem."

"...And we wanted to treat you to dinner as a thank you." The future kage fell silent. "Wait, shit let's start over. That was absolutely awful." 

Kinuki giggled slightly, nodding at his father. 

"My name is Minato Namikaze or the famous 'Yellow Flash'. I'm a jonin and sensei of team Minato! You already met my students and they'll be here in about," Minato glanced at the rising sun, paling slightly. "Ten minutes for training, did we really spare for three hours?"

"I guess so." 

"Anyway, I carried you for hours without knowing who you are so I think an introduction is in order." 

"Uh, I'm Kinuki Totsuka." He smiled, making a rainbow with his hands. 

Minato glared at the redhead. 

"Uh, I'm an ANBU who has been on a mission for a good year and a half. I was on my way back when you found me, so yea." He mumbled. "Thank you for taking me home but I have to get back to my apartment now. I haven't had the chance to return home and damn, I'm beat. Sorry for pulling introductions short."  

"Of course, I'm sorry for troubling you."

Kinuki waved at the jonin, forming a small seal with his hands that instantly took him to his apartment in a flash of red. 

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So that was chapter 2! I hope you all enjoy. Its a bit short but it covered a lot of keys points. Also, before everyone goes, but there are so many holes in the story, this is absolute shit bleh well ya, those holes are intentional I swear, they will be covered throughout the book so just wait. I want to thank all you those who gave me feedback, it was heartwarming and gave me the determination to continue. Keep em coming! All in all, the moral of the story, Kinuki is not "Kinky", as much as autocorrect wants me to believe. 

I also want to point out that all those following this book on fanfiction.net have already received the chapter yesterday! So if you want early chapters, go head over to Pixistixs on Fanfiction.net! As always, 

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