"Huh?!!!"
"Dad? Dad?!"
The blond boy stood frozen in shock.
The young man in front of him looked far younger than the father he remembered. But the familiar face, the features—he recognized them instantly!
Still, as the Fourth Hokage, his dad should've been back in the village, busy with official duties. So why was he here, in this strange place? And why did he look so much younger?
Naruto's mind buzzed, struggling to piece things together.
"What... What did you just call me?" Minato asked, startled.
The unexpected title caught him completely off guard.
Kushina wasn't even pregnant yet. So how could he possibly have a son this big?
But the more he looked at the blond boy in front of him, the more he noticed the resemblance. The same bright blue eyes. The unruly yellow hair. The warmth that felt so familiar.
Minato's thoughts spun. The rumors about the dragon vein resurfaced in his mind—its unique power to warp time and space.
Could it be?
"You… What's your name? Who are your parents?" he asked, voice tense with anticipation.
Naruto tilted his head, looking concerned. "Dad, are you okay?"
"I'm Naruto. Your name is Namikaze Minato, and Mom's name is Uzumaki Kushina. Are you running a fever or something?"
Naruto stepped forward, confused and a little worried. How could his dad forget him after just a few days?
Minato's eyes widened. The boy's words confirmed it.
There was no doubt now.
"...Naruto," he said softly. "If I'm right, you must have traveled here from the future through the dragon vein."
His voice carried a mix of wonder, pride, and affection. His gaze lingered on the boy—his son, all grown up.
Maybe once this mission ends, I should really consider settling down with Kushina, he thought.
"Huh?" Naruto blinked. "So… I've gone back in time?"
"No wonder you look so young!"
He looked around, his brain catching up. "And this must be the Loulan of the past!"
Minato nodded. "Yes."
He reached into a sealing scroll and pulled out a medical kit.
"Let me take care of that wound first. When Kakashi gets back, we'll let him heal it properly."
"Eh? Mr. Kakashi's here too?" Naruto's face lit up with excitement.
Minato smiled. "Yes. He's on a mission at the moment. While we wait, why don't you tell me everything that happened?"
"Okay!"
---
Elsewhere, in the dim corridors of an underground base beneath Loulan…
Kakashi moved cautiously through the narrow passage, eyes sharp, body low. With each careful step, he affixed detonating tags to the load-bearing walls.
This was the mission Minato-sensei had assigned him: destroy the underground weapon factory hidden beneath Loulan.
They had infiltrated the city two days ago. On the surface, Loulan appeared prosperous—celebrations and festivities happening in the streets, cheerful faces waving from the balconies.
But it was all a façade.
The "people" dancing in the distance were nothing but puppets, animated by the dragon vein's chakra. There wasn't a single living soul walking above ground.
The real citizens of Loulan were all captured—forced underground, bound to machines, and made to produce weapons nonstop.
And at the center of it all was the culprit: An Lushan.
Suddenly, Kakashi paused. His instincts flared.
Lying ahead, half-concealed in rubble, was a figure wearing a Konoha flak jacket.
Kakashi's eyes narrowed. He darted forward and rolled the man over.
It was... Yamato!
Without hesitation, Kakashi picked up the unconscious Jonin and leapt away to a safer location.
He formed a quick seal, focusing chakra into his right hand. A small spark of electricity crackled to life and leapt onto Yamato's chest.
Zzzzt!
"Aaaaagh!"
Yamato sprang up with a loud yelp, steam pouring from his mouth. He jumped to his feet, white smoke trailing from his hair, and instinctively drew a kunai.
"Stay back!"
Kakashi held up both hands. "It's me. Kakashi."
Yamato narrowed his eyes, still in a defensive stance.
"Nice try, kid. Pretending to be Kakashi-senpai? You've got guts. But you're not fooling me."
His face twisted into a terrifying expression. "Let me teach you a lesson… on behalf of your parents!"
"Chidori."
The sharp chirping of birds filled the air as blue lightning flared in Kakashi's hand.
Yamato's jaw dropped.
"You… You're really Kakashi-senpai?!"
He stared at him in disbelief. This boy looked exactly like the younger version of Kakashi from years ago!
"Authentic and certified," Kakashi said, deactivating his Chidori. He casually explained the situation to Yamato—about the time travel, the mission, and Loulan's condition.
Yamato listened with wide eyes. "So… Naruto and I were chasing a missing-nin from the Sand Village named Baizu, and we ended up here through the dragon vein?"
"That's what I figured," Kakashi said. "You were sent by the Fourth Hokage?"
"Right," Yamato nodded. "Also… Naruto is actually—"
"Yeah, I know," Kakashi interrupted, waving him off. "He's Minato-sensei's son."
Yamato froze. "Wait. What?"
That didn't make sense.
According to the timeline, Minato was appointed Fourth Hokage after Naruto's birth. But Kakashi just said he received this mission under the Third Hokage's orders.
So how could he already know about Naruto's parentage?
Something wasn't adding up.
Yamato's eyes narrowed. But before he could ask anything, Kakashi smacked a heavy stack of exploding tags into his hands.
"Alright, since I saved you and you're my junior, the glorious duty of blowing up this base now belongs to you."
"…Huh?!"
"Oh, and don't get any ideas," Kakashi added with a smirk. "Just because I look younger doesn't mean I won't remember everything when we get back to the future."
Yamato's shoulders slumped.
There went his plan of getting back at his senpai for all the torment he suffered in his youth.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
With a poof, Kakashi summoned a clone beside him.
"This guy will stay with you. If anything goes wrong, it'll disperse, and I'll come right back."
He placed a Flying Thunder God mark on Yamato's shoulder for good measure.
"I'm going to check out another area. Maybe I can find something about the dragon vein's secrets."
And with a flash, he vanished.
---
Back above ground, Naruto was animatedly retelling the entire chain of events to Minato—how he and Yamato ended up here, their pursuit of Baizu, and the strange shift in time.
Minato listened attentively, his heart swelling with pride.
His son had grown into a fine ninja.
"Alright," Minato said once Naruto had finished. "Rest here for now. We'll regroup when Kakashi returns."
Naruto nodded. "Got it, Dad."
He couldn't stop smiling.
Even if just for a short time, he got to meet his father again.
In the past.
And perhaps… even change a little of the future.
---
To Be Continued...