Minato let out a long, heavy sigh that seemed to carry the weight of his missing Hokage haori. He walked slowly towards the fire, his spiky blonde hair glowing orange in the flickering light.
Bending down, he picked up a wooden stick with a piece of fried fish still attached to it. He sat on the grass and took a large bite, chewing thoughtfully.
The campfire fell into a strange, dead silence. Sasuke, Neji, and Ino all froze, their eyes wide as they watched the Hokage eat the fish unconcerned about anything happening around him.
Minato blinked, looking up from his meal with a tilt of his head. "Is something the matter?" he asked, his voice sounding genuinely puzzled.
Sasuke felt a small, sharp smile appear at his lips. He raised an arm, resting it behind his messy black hair in a relaxed pose.
'Even with all this mess, he is exactly the same...'
"You really are unpredictable." Sasuke said, his voice losing some of its cold edge.
The tension broke, and one by one, the rest of the group sat back down around the crackling flames. For a few moments, the only sound was the snapping of wood and the distant rustle of the grass.
They talked of small things—the cold air of Kusagakure and the strange path that had brought them somewhere they had no clue about.
Suddenly, Minato's playful expression vanished. He looked into the heart of the fire, his face becoming grim and serious. "What are we supposed to do next?" he asked. "We cannot stay in these shadows forever."
Ino, who had just taken a bite of her own fish, suddenly let out a sharp gasp. Her face turned a light shade of blue, and she began to cough violently.
"Ino! What is it?" Neji asked, his eyes narrowing in concern as he leaned toward her.
Minato jumped up, looking hurriedly around the dark camp. "Water! Does anyone have a bottle? Where is the water?"
Sasuke grunted and moved his hand towards her, ready to hit her back hard to clear her throat.
He stopped mid-air just as Ino spat the food out onto the dirt. She threw the wooden stick into the tall grass with a frustrated growl.
"That... that horrible fish!" Ino cried, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
"Are you alright?" Neji asked, his voice stiff but worried.
Ino waved a hand dismissively, still catching her breath. "I'm fine, I'm fine! But that was the most tasteless thing I have ever put in my mouth!"
Sasuke rolled his eyes, his brow twitching in irritation. "Quiet down. You'll wake the whole forest."
Minato sighed in relief and quickly reached into his pack. He held out a bright red apple with both hands, offering it to her with a kind smile. "Here, Ino. Have this. It might help change the taste."
Neji crossed his arms over his dark kimono, looking at the spot where the fish had landed. "I understand it was likely uncooked, but there was no need to throw it away. We shouldn't waste supplies."
"It wasn't just the cooking, Neji-san!" Ino snapped, rubbing her forehead. "There was something wrong with the fish itself. It was too thin... almost like it wasn't real food at all."
She backed off, her eyes glazed as if she was trying to catch a disappearing thought. While Minato, Sasuke, and Neji began to discuss the lack of local wildlife, Ino suddenly snapped her fingers.
"I remembered where we left!" she exclaimed, looking at the three men. "We should head back to the village. We need to know exactly which year we are in. If we don't know the time, we can't find Hikaru."
"No." Minato said immediately, shaking his head. "Entering Konoha without a plan is too dangerous for us right now."
"I agree with Minato" Neji added, his voice cold and practical. "Our chakra signatures are too unique. We would be hunted before we reached the gates."
Sasuke placed a hand on his forehead, letting out a long, tired sigh. "Is Kakashi not enough trouble for one lifetime? Now we have to look for another person to battle against?"
Ino threw her hands up in frustration. "I didn't mean it like that! I meant we need information, not a fight!"
Minato sighed again as he noticed all three of them were staring at each other with rising tempers. He stood up and held out his hands to quiet them. "Let's not do this. Please, for now... let's just try to forget the arguments."
Sasuke watched Ino grumble about the fish, and a mischievous light entered his black eyes.
"Maybe the fish isn't tasteless, Ino." he said, his voice smooth and teasing. "Maybe you've just forgotten what real food tastes like."
Ino's eyes flashed with annoyance. "Oh, shut up, Sasuke-kun! I'd like to see you eat that sand-flavored piece of—"
The playful argument was suddenly cut short by a sharp, rhythmic sound.
AHEM.
Neji cleared his throat loudly. He sat perfectly straight, his eyes fixed in a cold, unblinking stare directed right at Minato. The blonde man felt the weight of that gaze and instantly looked like a student caught playing a prank.
Minato's shoulders slumped, and a troubled, worried expression clouded his face. "I... I'm not going back." he said, his voice filled with a hint of desperation. "No matter what happens, I will not go back to the village."
Neji didn't break his stare for a long moment. Finally, he looked away, focusing on the small piece of fish left on his own stick. "We all had to fight against Kakashi..." Neji said, his voice flat and clinical. "All because you didn't trust us to handle things on our own."
Minato's eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to explain, his hands moving nervously. "Neji, it wasn't like that! I just—"
"Don't." Sasuke interrupted, his voice firm but not unkind. He looked at Neji, then at Minato.
"Don't doubt our friendship after all these years we've spent together. We're past that."
Ino softened her expression, looking at Yondaime Hokage's stressed face. "Yeah, Neji-san, don't be so harsh on him. He's clearly going through enough."
Sasuke let out a small chuckle and leaned back. "Besides, Neji... you have it all wrong. Minato didn't refuse to listen because he didn't trust us."
Sasuke paused, a smirk pulling at his lips. "He didn't listen because he was too excited to see Kakashi."
Minato, who had just taken a large gulp of water to calm his nerves, suddenly froze. The water went down the wrong way, and he began to cough violently, his face turning red.
Neji rolled his eyes towards the dark trees, letting out a long sigh. 'Not again...' he thought, shaking his head at the lack of discipline.
"Minato! Are you alright?" Ino asked, moving forward to help.
Sasuke didn't miss a beat. While casually holding his own water bottle in one hand, he raised his other hand and delivered a massive, rough slap to Minato's back.
WHACK!
The sound echoed through the forest. The force was so great that Minato instantly forgot about the water in his lungs.
"Ow! Ow-w-w!" Minato yelped, his body jerking forward. He reached around, desperately trying to pat the spot where Sasuke had hit him. "Sasuke! That... that really hurt!"
Seeing the legendary, fearsome Yellow Flash yelping and rubbing his back like a startled cat was too much for the group.
Ino burst into a bright laugh, and even Neji's lips curled upward into a rare, genuine smile.
The tension of the timeline and the dangerous threat of Hikaru seemed to fade away, replaced by the warm, loud laughter of friends around a dying fire.
The laughter around the campfire was still echoing through the trees when two shadows stretched long across the grass. The snapping of twigs signaled their return.
"I told you to get your cold, slimy hands off me! Stay back!"
Kawaki's voice ripped through the peaceful atmosphere. He was practically stomping towards the fire, his face twisted with irritation.
Behind him, Orochimaru moved through the darkness, his light-colored robes flowing like mist. He was letting out a soft chuckle that seemed to vibrate in the back of his throat.
"Now, now, Kawaki-kun," Orochimaru hissed, his yellow eyes filled with amusement.
"There is no need for such a loud display. You should learn to appreciate the beauty of a quiet conversation."
"Quiet?! You were whispering in my ear like a freak!" Kawaki shout, stepping into the light of the fire.
The group of four looked up. Neji let out a long, pained sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Ino stood up, resting her hands on her hips, her light purple jacket catching the firelight.
"You two took long enough." Ino said, her blue eyes darting between the angry man and the smiling Sannin. "What on earth were you doing out there?"
Kawaki pointed a shaking finger back at the trees. "Ask this creep! I'm lucky I still have all my skin!"
Neji's eyebrow twitched in irritation. 'Does he have to scream everything?' he thought, his eyes tracking the chaotic energy Kawaki brought with him. "Lower your voice. You lack even the most basic etiquette."
Kawaki ignored him and marched over to Sasuke. "Hey, Uchiha! How do you handle this guy? How have you lived this long without killing him in his sleep?"
Orochimaru leaned forward, his purple earring swaying. "Oh, Sasuke-kun and I have a very deep... 'understanding'. Don't we, Sasuke-kun?"
Sasuke didn't answer. He calmly took a cloth and wiped the last traces of fish from his mouth. His expression was a mask of stone. "Sit down. Both of you."
Orochimaru moved to sit, intentionally placing a pale hand on Kawaki's shoulder as he passed. Kawaki jumped away as if he had been burned by a hot iron.
"Don't touch me, yaro!" Kawaki grumbled, baring his teeth. "I told you to keep your distance!"
"Enough!" Sasuke said. The word was quiet, but it had the weight of a falling mountain. "Stop the talking. We have work to do."
The bickering died down into a tense silence. Minato, who had stayed quiet during the chaos, was looking up at the vast, dark sky.
The stars were bright above Kusagakure, looking exactly as they did in their own time—yet completely different.
"It's clear now." Sasuke said suddenly, breaking the heavy silence. His voice was low and serious. Everyone turned to look at him. "We are in a time where our younger selves are alive. Right now. In this world."
He turned his head slowly to look at Minato. The two men locked eyes for a long moment.
Ino gasped, her eyes widening. "Wait... how can you be so sure, Sasuke-kun?"
"I agree with Ino." Neji added, his voice analytical. "Evidence is required before we make such a massive assumption. What did you find?"
Kawaki didn't seem to care; he had already picked up a fish stick and was busy chewing on a piece of meat, his jaw working as he watched the others.
Sasuke looked at Minato and gave a sharp, single nod. Minato nodded back, his friendly smile completely gone, replaced by the face of a leader.
"Think back to four days ago." Minato said, looking at Neji and Ino. "Do you remember our stay in the resthouse in Tetsu no Kuni?"
Neji nodded slowly. "I remember. We were recovering our chakra after the jump."
"While you and the others were resting."
Minato continued, his blue eyes narrowing as he leaned toward the fire, "Sasuke and I snuck out. We had to verify the state of t his world before we brought the rest of you into a trap."
Sasuke leaned forward, the shadows of his messy hair covering his eyes. "And what we saw... confirmed everything."
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⚡ NEXT CHAPTER ⚡
A quiet morning…
a single mistake…
The moment everything began to fall apart.
But what if…
that moment wasn't as simple as it seemed?
From another set of eyes—
the truth begins to shift.
👉 Chapter 15: The Other Side of the Crest: Breathing the Same Cold Air
SNEAK PEEK LINES💬
"Whatever they're doing at the Grand Pavilion, it's going to bring a cold wind with it.... "
"But the Genjutsu..."
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—With love, one forehead poke away from collapse,
Sakura Shinomiya 💫
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