Believer

Chapter 6

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..."