9

Notes:

Hiiiiii. I swear I just updated this fic, and then I looked and it's been like 5 months! Oops. Time just kind of gets away from me sometimes. I do still plan on finishing this fic. I just finished my other long fic so I'm focusing on making more progress on my other WIPs before posting new ones. Got a couple in the works besides this one. I'm not gonna make promises about when I'll get this done but it is on my to-do list.

Anyway I dropped the rating from M to T because there really isn't all that much violence, and updated some tags. When I first started writing it I was planning more fight scenes and action but then the relationship stuff between all the characters kind of just became front and center. Sometimes the flow just does what it wants! I really appreciate all the patience and encouragement you've all given me and I hope you continue to enjoy this AU :)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

"Explain it to me again."

Kushina groaned and buried her head in her hands. She was getting tired of giving the same explanation over and over, but she didn't really have much of a choice. "Which part?" she grumbled.

"All of it," Minato replied with a frown. "We need to go over every detail with a fine tooth comb." 

She shot her husband a sharp look. "Is that not what we've been doing?" 

Minato's frown deepened. "You know we can't be too thorough here. Naruto's life, the fate of the world, it all depends on staying one step ahead of our enemies. We can't afford to miss any details." 

"You know," Kushina reminded her husband for the umpteenth time, "you could ask Kurama directly." 

"No," he replied immediately. "We've talked about this. It's too risky to let Kurama take control." 

"We talked about it more than a year ago," she argued. "Haven't we established by now that Kurama won't hurt Naruto?" Defending the Kyuubi was still a strange concept, but she was confident that Kurama would not harm Naruto. He'd earned her trust completely at this point. 

Minato sighed, "Maybe not purposefully, but right now Kurama can only take control if Naruto is under extreme emotional distress." He obviously didn't need to say why that wasn't ideal for any of them. 

"Well," she argued, "we could loosen the seal. That should make it easier for Kurama to–"

"Absolutely not," Minato interrupted immediately. It wasn't like him to jump in like that, without even hearing her out. That only reinforced how pissed he was at her. "Besides the fact that we don't know what kind of impact the Kyuubi's chakra will have on Naruto's developing body long term, I'm not comfortable loosening the seal." 

Kushina placed her hands on her hips. "Naruto developed just fine in the other timeline," she retorted. "Besides, Kurama would probably know better than us. He's been sealed in Naruto twice now, and watched him grow both times. He must know what his chakra will do, if anything." 

"Kushina," her husband sighed, "you seriously can't expect me to take the Kyuubi's word on that. This is our son's life we're talking about!" 

Once again, it was odd coming to the fox's defense, but it felt like the right thing to do. She'd doubted Kurama too, but he'd proven her fears to be unfounded over and over. The masked man's identity was the last tidbit of information that she'd questioned from the fox. Since confirming the truth about Obito, she couldn't come up with a reason to continue to mistrust him. After everything Kurama had done for their son, and for them too, the least she could do was stand up for him.

"I'm asking you to take my word!" she retorted. "You said before that you trusted me about Kurama. You said that I would be the one that would know him best."

"I did," Minato agreed, "and now I'm wondering if I made the wrong call." 

That stung, but she probably deserved it. She had been lying to him, after all. Logically, she understood why her husband was skeptical, and why he was upset. However, that didn't necessarily translate to her agreeing with him, or appreciating his wariness. "You know I would never put Naruto in danger," she replied sharply. "If I didn't have complete trust in Kurama, I would never suggest this." 

Minato still wasn't convinced. In fact, he seemed to be doubling down on his distrust. "I want to believe you, I really do. But I just don't know if I can. How do I know that there's nothing else that you're keeping from me? Or that there's nothing else that Kurama is keeping from you?" he reasoned. "You've lied to me twice now about things the fox has told you. What else am I supposed to think?" 

"Gee, I don't know," Kushina growled sarcastically, "maybe that I would never do anything that would endanger our son. You know that. No matter what Kurama says or does, you know I would always put Naruto's safety first."

Minato at least replied, "I do know that." Despite the admission, his expression remained closed off. "But that doesn't mean you could never make a mistake, or misjudge the situation." 

Kushina's eyes narrowed. "Is that what you think happened here? That I 'misjudged' something?" 

"Frankly, yes," he replied without missing a beat. "Your decision to keep the information you learned from Kurama to yourself was poor judgment." Before waiting for a response, Minato turned to the other occupants in the room, who had been silent thus far. "Back me up on this," he requested.

Jiraiya was thoughtful, processing the information Kushina had relayed, and watching their argument impassively. Conversely, Tsunade looked seconds away from cursing them out, judging by the bulging vein in her neck. She seemed to be holding back for Naruto's sake, since he had finally calmed down after dragging out nearly all of his toys to show them off to their newest visitor. He was settled on his favorite blanket in the middle of the room with Kakashi, drowsily playing with a handful of toys and fighting to stay awake. He liked being the center of attention, and hated taking naps when they had company. The only reason Kushina didn't try to lull him to sleep completely was so Kurama could keep listening. Plus, they were all being so loud he would probably wake up again anyway. Regardless, she'd have to put him down for a nap soon no matter where the conversation went, or else he would end up cranky and tired later. Kurama might object to being left out of the conversation, but dealing with a grouchy fox demon was somehow less troublesome than dealing with a cranky toddler. 

Tsunade snorted in response. "Don't drag us into your lovers' spat." 

"I'm serious," Minato insisted. "You're here because we value your opinion, and we need all the help we can get." 

Tsunade scoffed, looking unimpressed. "Look, I'm extremely curious about why that damn fox asked for me by name," she admitted. "That's the only reason I'm here. As much as I would have loved to never set foot in this village again, that information is far too interesting to ignore. So," she scowled at them, "leave me out of this, until you work out whatever shit is going on between the two of you. You're the Hokage, for fuck's sake, quit whining like a little brat!" 

There were a few moments of stunned silence after the outburst, where everyone in the room held their breath in anticipation of what would come next. Then, Naruto started giggling and chipperly parroted, "Fuck's sake!" When all eyes widened in surprise, he squealed happily, clearly enjoying the reaction. "Fuck's sake! Fuck's sake!" 

Just like that, the tension in the room seemed to halve. Tsunade murmured a quiet, "Oops", and then Jiraiya was laughing, loudly and from his belly. It didn't erase the previous conversation, or undo all of the strong emotions, but it was just the distraction they needed. 

Minato looked a little horrified at their son's new vocabulary, no doubt picturing all of the times he already had to apologize for the words Naruto happily repeated from Kurama. Kushina thought it was hilarious, hearing his squeaky little voice curse like that, but not everyone agreed. It was apparently "uncouth" for him to know those words at all. There were some people in the village that held the opinion that the Hokage's son should be held to a higher standard than other kids his age. Neither of them had any intention of forcing their son into that kind of role, of course, but sometimes the pressure was hard to ignore. 

Eventually, Naruto's giggles and smiles were too infectious for anyone to resist. Minato smiled, and visibly relaxed. Even Kakashi was failing to hold back a few huffs of laughter. Kushina knew she was smiling too, but it was for a different reason. Kurama had shown her the other Naruto's ability to connect with others, and to bring out the best in everyone. She'd been worried that the change in the timeline might keep him from becoming the same kind young man, but he was already proving them wrong. Even now, at this young age, he seemed to always laugh or smile at just the right time. 

Swallowing her pride, and forcing down her temper, Kushina turned to her husband. With some of the anger and tension dissipated, she murmured, "Minato, I'm sorry. I know that doesn't fix things, but I really am sorry that I lied, and that I hurt you." She turned to Kakashi and added, "You too, Kakashi. I know my word doesn't mean much right now, but I promise I won't keep secrets like that again." 

Neither of them responded immediately, but both of them seemed a little calmer. They didn't look happy, or particularly forgiving, but at least some of the sting of betrayal seemed to have lessened. She didn't know if it was right or wrong, keeping the information Kurama told her to herself. Honesty might be the best policy, but they were shinobi. Keeping secrets was part of their job. She'd kept worse secrets, for the sake of the village, or the sake of her family. Still, she'd promised her husband that she wasn't keeping anything else from him. She'd lied to his face. Minato was very forgiving, probably more than he should be, but he had a right to be hurt about her lying to him. And Kakashi–well, that poor boy already had trust issues, so this wouldn't do him any favors. 

Finally, Minato sighed. "I know. I can understand your reasoning, even if I don't agree. But," he added, "I'm going to need a little time to process." There was a subtle softening of his expression. Then, he added, "We're ok." It was a whispered promise, likely almost inaudible to anyone else. 

She didn't realize how much she needed to hear those two words. While she wasn't expecting their entire marriage to dissolve after one argument, she couldn't help the worry that had settled into her heart. They had the occasional spats and disagreements, as any couple did, but it had been a long time since they'd argued like this. Kushina knew her own temper could be explosive, but her husband was comparatively very level-headed. He was rarely flustered by their disagreements, and she didn't think she could ever recall him actually raising his voice in anger. For them, this was about as bad of an argument as it got. 

Minato's expression shifted again, back into his sensei expression. No, his Hokage expression. He was approaching this problem as a leader, not as a teacher. 

"We need a plan," he announced. 

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at his student. "Oh? What kind of plan?" 

"To capture Obito," he responded, forcing down the obvious sadness. "He's a danger not only to Naruto, and the village, but to the entire world. It is my duty as Hokage to stop him. It's all of our duties, since we are the only ones that know the kind of ruin he will bring to this world." 

Nodding in approval, Jiraiya asked, "And how are we trying to capture him; dead, or alive?" 

Minato's jaw tensed. "Obito is my student, and my responsibility. I will do everything I can to help him see reason. But in the end," he steeled his expression, "I have an obligation to my family, my village, and to the world itself, not just an obligation to my student. I'll do what needs to be done." 

Kakashi looked pained at the declaration, but he didn't argue. None of them did. Kushina knew her husband would honor his word, and that he would truly try to bring Obito back into the light. She also knew that they couldn't weigh one person's life over the rest of the world's. If it came down to it, Minato was right. Obito needed to be stopped. The amount of death and destruction he could, and would bring upon the world was unfathomable. No one else knew what he was capable of. No one else knew what awaited them in the future. As much as she didn't want to consider it, she knew that there was a chance that they couldn't save Obito. 

"I also need to think about what information he might have," Minato added. "We don't have all the information about what Obito was up to between releasing the Kyuubi and starting another war. We know that in this timeline we've prevented or at least delayed the formation of the group that will eventually target the jinchuuriki, but is that enough to stop the war?" He sighed heavily. "Capturing Obito alive is probably ideal for a number of reasons." 

"Fair enough," Jiraiya replied. He was looking at his own student with a contemplative expression, as if he were trying to picture himself having to make the same decision. "I think we need to spring a trap, then. You know the kid best, what do you think would work best to lure him in?" 

Minato frowned at the question. "You know…I'm not sure if I really know him at all," he admitted. "If you'd asked me a few years ago, before our team was fractured, it would have been an easy question, and an easy capture. Now, I'm not so sure." He shook his head. "The young man that fought me, the night Kurama was set loose on the village, was very different from the boy I knew. He was a stranger." 

"Yeah," Kakashi agreed, "I don't think he'll be distracted by little old ladies that need help crossing the street anymore." The response was clearly meant to lighten the mood, but it just came out sounding bitter. 

"I mean," Tsunade added dryly, "there is an obvious answer." She gestured toward the babbling toddler in the center of the room. "The runt is the perfect bait." 

Immediately, both parents protested loudly. "Absolutely not," Kushina snapped, and she swore she felt the sliver of Kurama's chakra within her burning in agreement. She would not put her son in such obvious danger. 

Fortunately, she didn't seem to be the only one who disagreed with the idea. Even Kakashi seemed to have unconsciously pulled the toddler a bit closer to him, and Minato had a very rarely seen, dangerous expression on his face. 

"No," he said succinctly, shutting down any further arguments. 

Tsunade held her hands up placatingly. "Hey, I was just giving a suggestion, I'm not gonna kidnap the kid and do it myself or anything!" She scoffed. "You're all too close to the situation, so I'm just offering an outsider's perspective. Your brat, thanks to the mysterious time-traveling fox sealed inside of him, is the obvious answer for bait, whether or not you want to admit it. If he wasn't your son, you would at least consider it." 

Diplomatically, Minato replied, "Your suggestion is noted, Lady Tsunade, and will be taken into consideration." 

The Sannin rolled her eyes. "Spoken like a true politician." She snorted in amusement. "This is why I could never wear the hat. All of these bullshit half-truths and ass-kissing aren't my style."

"The problem isn't luring him in," Minato added thoughtfully, shutting down any further discussion about involving Naruto,"it's keeping him from phasing away. When we fought, I managed to surprise him and land a hit, as well as placing my Hiraishin marker on him. But I wouldn't call it a simple task. If it came down to it, I do believe I could best him, but I don't know if I can stop him from slipping away. And if he realizes that we're trying to catch him, his ability makes it too easy for him to disappear for good. Now is our best chance to stop him, while he's still young and inexperienced…" He trailed off, and Kushina recognized the expression as her husband's "problem solving" face. 

"Oh-oh!" Jiraiya grinned, "Looks like my brilliant student is formulating a plan." 

"The start of one, at least," he agreed. "The way I see it, our biggest obstacle is the ability of Obito's Sharingan. If we can counteract that ability, it will be much harder for him to escape." 

Kushina understood the idea immediately. "You want to disable Obito's Sharingan?" 

"Yes," Minato replied. "Between the three of us," he gestured between the two of them and Jiraiya, "I think we can come up with a working seal to do just that. And we do have the potential to test it." He looked at Kakashi apologetically. "If you're up for it, Kakashi." 

Kakashi straightened up. "I want to help. If you need me to use Obi–" he cut himself off, " his Sharingan, then I can do that." 

"You need to be careful," Kushina told him. "I saw in Kurama's memories that your older self nearly killed himself using the advanced form of the Sharingan. You can't overdo it," she said sharply. 

With a fake smile, Kakashi asked, "When have I ever overdone anything?" 

Kushina glared at the teenager, who continued to smile airily at her. She huffed, then turned back toward her husband. "My only concern," she added, "is messing with such a high level doujutsu in the first place. I don't want to make a seal that's permanently blinding or, y'know, explode-y." She grimaced at the thought, and saw Kakashi do the same. "The Uchiha are so secretive about the Sharingan as it is, let alone their extra super-secret advanced form that we're not even supposed to know about. That's a lot of unknowns." Not that she'd ever say a seal was impossible; she was an Uzumaki, after all! She was practically born creating seals. She just wanted to be a little bit cautious since the doujutsu in question was currently situated in her sort-of pseudo younger brother's skull. 

"I thought about that," Minato agreed. "I could pull some research from the archives, but since it's clan related I'd have to get permission from the Uchiha clan head to view it. Fugaku will want to know why I'm interested." He sighed, and started rubbing at his temples. "The last thing I need right now is to create more tension with the Uchiha. It feels like I've finally started smoothing everything over, and this is going to just raise a bunch of questions that I can't answer." 

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Well, why not?" 

Minato frowned up at her in confusion. "What do you mean, 'why not?'" 

She shrugged. "Aren't you close with the clan head's wife?" Tsunade asked Kushina, gesturing toward her for emphasis. "That would imply a certain level of trust, yeah? Let 'em in on the secret, then." 

"Kurama isn't exactly thrilled with the number of people that already know," Kushina replied. "He didn't like when I told Kakashi." She grimaced. "And he really doesn't like the Uchiha Clan. I can already imagine what he'll say, and it won't be nice." 

"So what?" Tsunade pushed. "For all his bluster, the fox sure is going out of his way to help the people he supposedly hates. I mean, from what you've told us he's now prevented the entire clan from being annihilated, and didn't he also save both heirs when Naruto was almost kidnapped?" She shrugged. "If the fox was that opposed to involving the Uchiha, then he should've kept his snout out of their business in the first place. I don't think he's got a leg to stand on in this theoretical argument." 

Kushina wondered if Kurama was regretting asking for Lady Tsunade by name. She swore she could feel a flicker of irritation that wasn't her own, but maybe she was just projecting. 

"My most voluptuous teammate makes an excellent point," Jiraiya agreed, ignoring the seething glare said teammate shot in his direction. "Whether the fox likes it or not, he's already involved the Uchiha Clan by changing their fate. I believe that we could manage without them, but the risks are undeniably higher, and the timetable is likely much longer. If we want to be as efficient and safe as possible, it makes sense to bring them in." 

Slowly, Minato started nodding in agreement. "I think you're right. Kurama might not like it, but it's our best option. Not only for ensuring that we make the seal correctly, but also for preventing more upset with the Uchiha." He started rubbing at his temples again. "I can't get so caught up in this 'saving the world' business that I forget about making sure the village doesn't implode on itself. We have our own struggles at home, too." 

"Well, then I would say the fox is outvoted. Sorry, furball," Jiraiya said chipperly, shooting a grin in Naruto's direction. The toddler just babbled happily in response. 

"Let me talk to him first, before we do anything," Kushina insisted. She knew that Kurama wasn't the only one outvoted here. "We promised we wouldn't tell anyone else, so I should at least run the idea by him first." 

She didn't realize her mistake, until she caught the brief flash of hurt on her husband's face. After their argument about Kushina keeping secrets, it must be hard for him to hear her fighting so hard to keep Kurama's. It wasn't her intention to prioritize one of them over the other. Maybe she was overcompensating because of how cruel she'd been to the fox, or maybe it was some kind of lasting jinchuuriki instinct. She didn't have a name for it, or a reason, it just felt like no one else was on Kurama's side, so she should be. She hadn't taken into consideration how that would look to her husband. 

"We made promises to him," Kushina reminded her husband. Regardless of their own opinions and arguments, they both knew they couldn't afford to go back on those promises. "I know I technically broke it first, when I told Kakashi, but it wasn't on purpose that time." 

Minato sighed in defeat. "You're right. We made promises to Kurama, and he made promises to us in return." 

Jiraiya interjected, "Look, Minato, I appreciate your integrity and all that, but this is one of those times when you might need to just do what needs to be done." 

Minato shook his head. "No, Kushina is right. I may still have some doubts about Kurama, but he has been holding up his side of our bargain. I gave my word that I would do the same." He nodded toward Kushina. "Talk to him, but let him know that we may need to go forward with the plan either way. I think if you explain that it's the best chance for stopping Obito, and consequently saving Naruto and the world, then I'm sure he'll understand." 

—------------------------------

"No."

"But Kurama–"

"No." 

The conversation was going exactly like she'd expected. "They've already decided, y'know. I'm just telling you as a courtesy." 

The great fox grunted in response. "I know, I heard the conversation."

"Then why are you being so difficult?" Kushina crossed her arms, giving the fox the same look she gave Naruto when he was being bratty for no reason. 

"You know why. You know my feelings on that cursed clan," the fox snarled. 

"I know, I know. But you really don't have a choice, neither of us do!" she insisted. "And, well, I happen to agree." 

Kurama's giant eye flitted over to her. It narrowed dangerously. "Of course you do. I've seen your love of those vile, red-eyed vermin." 

"First of all, you have red eyes too, you hypocritical fleabag!" Kushina scoffed at the tantrum the bijuu was throwing. "And second, that's my best friend and her family you're talking about, so watch it with the insults." 

The Kyuubi growled at her. It was one of those rare times where Naruto was not in the mindscape to act as a buffer for them. Kushina had figured out that both she and Naruto didn't need to be asleep for her to enter the mindscape her son shared with the Kyuubi, but it made it easier. Either way, the connection would be open but Naruto would be absent if he wasn't asleep, and sometimes he didn't come to the mindscape at all during the night. It was unclear if Kurama wanted a break from the toddler, or if it was just a random chance. There was still so much Kushina didn't understand about the connection she and her son shared with the bijuu. 

Even though she and Kurama got along much better nowadays, she still tried not to be here without her son unless she had to. This was one of those necessary instances, because Kushina needed to have a conversation with the fox and Naruto was in one of his no-nap moods. 

"It's not just about my personal feelings," Kushina insisted. "We need help from someone that understands the Sharingan." 

Kurama growled again. "I don't know why you're here bothering me if you're just going to do what you want anyway."

"I'm trying to be considerate." 

"How fortuitous for me," the fox scoffed. 

"Oh come on, you grumpy old fox," Kushina chastised, "you have to see that we're right. Obito already controlled you once, didn't he? Don't you want us to make sure that can't happen again?" 

"Hmph." As stubborn and unyielding as the fox was, he did seem to look ever so pleased about Kushina's insistence at including him. 

"So…?" 

Kurama stared at her with his slitted, unblinking eyes. Then, he sighed in defeat. "Fine. Do what you must." 

Kushina grinned. "Great! Glad we could come to an agreement. Just in time too." 

Kurama bristled at her. "I see that you didn't just invite your friend here for a social visit." 

"Not quite," Kushina agreed. Taking a nap before having her friend over for a visit felt odd, but it was the only way she could talk to the fox, and she didn't want to give Kurama (or herself) too much time to talk themselves out of going along with the plan. 

"Were you that convinced you could sway me?" 

Admittedly, no. The Kyuubi's stubbornness rivaled only her own. If he really didn't want to do something, she doubted she could convince him otherwise. She'd just been hopeful that the fox would see reason. Minato was understandably anxious to enact their plan, and hadn't wanted to wait any longer. 

Shrugging, Kushina replied, "I just had a feeling. You can be a real dick sometimes, but you're not stupid. I knew that you would realize this was our best option." 

Despite the insults, there was no fire behind her words. She and Kurama casually tossed insults back and forth at each other all the time, so he didn't react much beyond an irritated flash of teeth. 

"With every passing day, I regret not killing you, Tomato head," Kurama grumbled with little venom behind the words. 

"Yeah, yeah, you're a big tough bijuu that hates humanity. Heard it all before." Kushina rolled her eyes and waved him off. 

Kurama growled and turned his back on her, indicating exactly what he thought of the conversation. He settled away from her with a very clear view of his rump and tails. "Is that all, or are you going to annoy me further?" the fox called over his shoulder. 

"The latter." Kushina crossed her arms and plastered on her best shit-eating grin. "You know, you're actually a really big softie. Who would've guessed?" She couldn't resist the jab. Kurama was just such a fun target nowadays. 

The fox's hackles went up, but he didn't turn around. "I am not." 

"You are!" she teased. "It's really sweet. Maybe next you'll let me dress you up with little bows on your tails. I bet it would make you look less threatening and more trustworthy." 

Kurama whirled on her, practically spitting fire. "GET OUT!" he roared, forcefully shoving his consciousness against hers to throw her out of the mindscape. 

It should have been threatening. The Kyuubi was snarling at her, his malicious chakra oozing out of every pore. His fur stood on end and his teeth were bared menacingly. It should have been terrifying. But somehow, it wasn't. Kushina looked upon the demon fox, the scourge that plagued her every nightmare as a teenager and young adult, but she was no longer angry or afraid. Instead of a monster, all she could see was one of Naruto's temper tantrums. The fox was throwing his weight around when he didn't get his way, but it was all bluff and bluster. 

Perhaps she shouldn't antagonize the demon that lived in her son's subconscious, but she knew he was no longer a threat to them. At some point, she'd stopped seeing the Kyuubi as a monster, and started seeing him as a cranky, reluctant acquaintance. One that was very fun to tease. 

With Kurama shouting empty threats behind her, Kushina waved jovially at the Kyuubi before allowing herself to be ejected from the mindscape. She woke from her slumber with a smile on her lips. They'd truly come a long way, her and Kurama. The old fox was a grouch, but she'd found herself growing almost…fond. And, despite Kurama's instances otherwise, she thought he was growing fond of her as well. In his own way. Maybe. 

Stretching her arms above her head, Kushina let her senses return. She glanced over at the clock and realized she didn't have long before their guests arrived. She'd timed her little chat with Kurama perfectly. It was time to go report the outcome. 

With a yawn, Kushina forced herself out of bed. She grimaced, realizing that she'd probably doomed herself to a poor night's sleep, napping so late in the day. Oh well, it had been necessary, since it was the only way to talk to Kurama. She probably could have talked to him the previous night, but she really hadn't wanted to give either of them time to think too much about their plan. That would have made it too easy to back out at the last minute. 

Despite the positive outcome of the conversation with Kurama, she was strangely nervous and she didn't feel like she had a good reason why. Kushina had convinced their group of allies to bring both of the clan heads up to speed on their time-traveling fox friend. She'd argued that it would be easier to deal with both of them, rather than just dealing with Fugaku. The man's stubbornness could surpass even Kurama's on a good day, and it was common knowledge that his wife helped keep him in check. Of course, no one pretended that Kushina didn't have her own selfish motivations too. She desperately wanted to confide in her best friend. She trusted Mikoto with her life, and knew she could trust her with this secret. It was almost a relief to be able to finally tell her what was going on, but the anxiety still settled heavily in her gut. It was just a lot to take in, and she didn't know how either of them would receive the information. 

Well, an abridged version of the information. They'd all agreed that they would definitely avoid the subject of what happened to the Uchiha Clan in the other timeline. Kushina had only shared that particular tidbit with the others because she'd promised not to keep any more secrets. They'd all been appropriately horrified about the information. She tried very hard not to think about the outcome of her last secret-keeping, and convinced herself that it was for the best. How the hell was she supposed to bring up the massacre anyway? She couldn't just tell her best friend that her son murdered her in an alternate timeline! 

Still a bit groggy, Kushina stumbled out of the bedroom. She found Naruto toddling around in the living room, playing with a stuffed frog that Master Jiraiya had given him. Kakashi was leaning against the wall and supervising him, but it was obvious that his attention was divided. His shoulders were slumped and his visible eye was glazed over, as if he was reliving memories and conversations instead of seeing what was in front of him. Minato was pacing anxiously in the kitchen, fussing over their still simmering dinner. Both of them looked up expectantly when Kushina entered the room. 

She smiled reassuringly. "Kurama's on board," she announced. "He was reluctant, but he agreed." 

Both of them nodded, but the tension didn't seem to abate. Kushina understood. They were taking a huge risk, bringing in two more outsiders. Even if Kushina trusted her friend, she knew it wasn't going to be simple. On the surface, they were two families with a long history, enjoying a meal together. In reality, the situation was complicated. Even ignoring the fact that they were about to try to convince two people that the demon who attacked their village had time traveled through time to save the world, it was likely to get a little messy. 

The Hokage had invited a clan head's family into his personal home for dinner. More specifically, the head of the clan currently under suspicion for treason. Even if Minato didn't buy into the council's concerns, it didn't erase them. While the council couldn't technically tell their family who they could and couldn't see on their own time, it was still going to cause a fuss. They all knew it. It was why they'd rarely had formal get-togethers since Naruto's birth, or really even since Minato became Hokage. Kushina refused to stop seeing her best friend, but their time together was definitely not like it used to be. They hadn't let it ruin their friendship, or the friendship their sons were developing, but it did put a strain on their relationship. 

Their family always had an ANBU guard lurking in the shadows, and that made the Uchiha jumpy when she was around. There were also whispers of whether or not the Hokage and his family should be so closely associated with the clan of Madara Uchiha, particularly after the revelation that it had been a rogue Sharingan user that controlled the Kyuubi on Naruto's birthday.

To be fair, similar rumors and skepticism had followed Kushina since she'd become a jinchuuriki, so she didn't really pay any attention. However, she knew it grated on the clan as well. Because instead of seeing a friendship that survived politics and war, the council and others saw potential manipulation and favoritism. Even Minato was more cautious now, trying to remain politely detached from his wife's closest friend and her family, even though it grated on Kushina's nerves. Stupid politics. 

Trying to diffuse the tension, Kushina added, "It smells delicious." 

Her husband smiled. It was strained, but genuine. "Thanks. Hopefully I made enough. It's been a while since we've had both families together, so I'm a bit out of practice with making large meals." 

Kushina didn't miss the complicated expression on Kakashi's face as he was obviously included in the word "family". She wanted to roll her eyes and tease him, but she held off. Things were still a bit weird between them. Kakashi had clearly not forgiven her for keeping the masked man's identity a secret, and he also had not recovered from the revelation of Obito's betrayal. He was subdued, almost despondent at times, and prone to losing focus at random. It hurt to see him becoming distant again, pulling back when Kushina tried to ruffle his hair or hug him, but she knew he needed time to process. She'd hurt him, and Obito had hurt him too. For all his genius, he was still a kid. A kid that had already lost too much and didn't know how to process his emotions. 

The silence stretched on again, and Kushina hated it. Other than Naruto's nonsensical babbles, the house was near silent. She wasn't used to it. Kushina knew she herself was not a quiet person, and normally she made a point to fill their home with chatter and laughter. Minato was naturally more subdued, but he usually let loose at home too. They danced around, and played with Naruto, or sang off-key duets while preparing dinner. Normally, that would make Kakashi complain and toss Naruto's stuffed toys at them, but he would be smiling behind his mask and encouraging Naruto to cause mischief. A few times, he'd even started to completely remove his mask at meal times, letting Naruto's tiny hands run over his bare face. He'd been comfortable, and dare she even say content. 

But not since they'd confronted Obito. Kakashi barely even took off his jounin attire or removed his weapons pouch in the house anymore. He answered questions in single syllables and skulked around avoiding Kushina's eyes. Minato still looked hurt, and lacked his usual energy. He still played with Naruto, but he remained tense the entire time. He was terse and avoided more than the bare minimum of small talk. Kushina knew he was stressed, and definitely still pissed at her. 

Kushina knew this would not be a relaxing dinner party, but she just hoped it wouldn't be a disaster.

Notes:

Poor Kurama, now that he's no longer a bad guy he just gets no respect :') At least Kushina is sticking up for him now! Everyone is mad at her but at least she and Kurama are getting along! I feel like the alternative title to this fic could be "Kurama and the no good, very bad time-travel adventure."

I'm sure the dinner and all the revelations that go along with it won't be uncomfortable at all, right? And that the issue of the Uchiha Massacre won't come up again? Right?? I will take every opportunity to bring up how messed up the whole thing was. It drives me nuts how everyone in canon was just kinda...meh about it. Honestly half this fic is just Kushina judging everyone's shitty canon choices.

Unrelated but apparently there's gonna be some kind of new Minato side story?? idk there was some popularity contest or something and Minato won! I think Itachi was second.