Backslide-Blackkat

Chapter 3

Once, Naruto would have hesitated to call himself Kurama—might never have even dreamed that he would. But now, knowing what the fox gave up for him to live, understanding the Kyuubi just a little bit more from their too-brief friendship and Kurama's sacrifice, Naruto wears the name with pride. It's more or less his by right now, so he doesn't truly even think of it as lying.

He's never been good at lying—even his undercover missions tended to involve more half-truths than anything—so he and Sasuke worked out a story with enough semi-truths to let him pass. Uzushio is gone, all of its records destroyed and its remaining shinobi scattered to the winds. One more Uzumaki is nothing in the scheme of things, and with this unexpected invitation into Konoha, if he plays his cards right...

The first stage of the task is done. Akatsuki has been removed from power, Tobi's cat's-paws made powerless. Zetsu is dead, as are the others beside Konan and Nagato, now in hiding, and there are few, if any, other missing-nin at their level. After being told of the future, Nagato was even willing to give up the Rinnegan eyes Madara had implanted, and which are now finally destroyed. It's taken almost a whole year and a great many failed plans, but it's done.

It had been a vague thought, somewhere in the middle of all that, to return to Konoha at some point, maybe petition to be allowed to see his young "relative", but the Hokage's invitation simplifies everything.

He'll be a Konoha shinobi again, though he'd never thought it could happen after his Konoha was razed by Madara. It will even be a whole Konoha, and something in his chest both aches and eases at the thought.

Sasuke will be there—a child, perhaps, but there. So will his counterpart in this timeline, and Sakura, and the rest of the Konoha Twelve. They'll be alive.

Incredible. Astounding. Unbelievable, even. But Kurama does believe it, can't do anything else, because his former teacher is waiting for him in front of the gates, hands in his pockets and slouching indolently. One dark grey eye is fixed on him, careful but more at ease than the days previously, and Kurama summons up a smile for the man.

"Big," is what he says, leaping from the trees and walking up to join him.

"The biggest hidden village," Kakashi returns, pride clear in his voice. "The Land of Fire might not be the largest, but Konoha's won every war for a reason." He turns and heads through the great gates, sparing a wave for the chuunin manning it—Kotetsu and Izumo, as ever, and Kurama gives them both a genuine smile, relieved beyond measure to see them both whole.

(Izumo had died at that gate, the last time Madara invaded. They'd managed to evacuate, to get out in time, but Kotetsu had never been the same afterwards. When he too died, making a final stand to give several families time to escape a compromised refugee camp, Kurama had been almost relieved. One shouldn't have had to live without the other.)

Kotetsu looks at him curiously for a moment, even as Izumo calls unhappily, "Kakashi-san, you—"

"Maa, I'm taking him directly to the Hokage," Kakashi promises. "Uzumaki-san is here on his invitation."

"Just Kurama," Kurama puts in, dipping his head to the two chuunin. "I'm younger than you, Hatake-san."

"Just Kakashi, then" Kakashi retorts. In half a moment he's on the nearest roof, looking down at Kurama expectantly. "This way's faster, Kurama-kun. Follow like a good boy."

Kurama rolls his eyes, returns Izumo's longsuffering smile, and follows his former teacher up onto the rooftops. The Copy-Nin barely waits for him to find his footing before he heads for the Hokage Tower. It's deliberate for Kurama to slow his pace slightly, looking around the village he's thought of as gone for years now.