76 They’re Back

Hiruzen took a long, long puff from his pipe.

"…and when he succeeds or fails at a check, a window appears here." Shikamaru said, pointing to the diagram that he had brought with him, showing the windows and bars that Daisuke saw in his every day life. "And Charisma failures, I presume, were the most consistent notification he'd get. Incredibly troublesome, if you ask me."

"Thank you, Shikamaru," Hiruzen said, letting out a puff of smoke. "How would you use this in the event that Shimoda attempts to attack the village directly?"

"I'd say we don't need to worry about where we hit him," Shikamaru answered, steepeling his fingers in thought. "If we do enough damage to him, we'd stop him, even if we only hit his pinky. His body treats all damage as equal, with only passing consideration for 'crippled' limbs."

"Shikaku, do you have anything to add?" Hiruzen asked before sticking his pipe in his mouth.

"Daisuke is always perfectly aware of how close he is to dying," Shikaku said, pointing to the bar in the lower left-hand side of the screen. "So, we should keep an eye out for behavioral changes as this bar slowly depletes. If he changes tactics suddenly, either for more or less aggression, it could be a clue that we're close to finishing him."

"He's more likely to go for more aggression, either in a desperate bid to finish off his enemy or to go out fighting." Hiruzen picked up the diagram and looked at it more closely. "Daisuke rarely backs down from a fight."

"I think the severity of an injury is tied to how much it takes out of his health bar," Shikamaru suggested. "I heard than an explosion nearly blew him to pieces but a trident through the heart was just a few holes in his chest. So maybe it didn't take out that much and Daisuke continued on because he had blood pills to fall back on?"

"It's likely," Shikaku agreed. "There's also the possibility that food and drink refill both the health and chakra bars. He was in the sewers. It's disgusting, but if he really needed too, all he had to do was open his mouth and swallow."

Shikamaru's face shifted from boredom to disgust.

Hiruzen also felt disgusted, but didn't show it. "Shikaku, in your opinion, what is the likelihood of Daisuke attacking the village?"

"Not." Shikaku shook his head. "He purposefully didn't kill anyone in the ANBU contingent; even though he may have been tempted to eliminate you. But I do think simply waiting for him to cool off and come back to try talking at least to be a little optimistic."

Hiruzen grunted. "Thank you, Shikaku. Shikamaru. Do either of you have anything else to say?"

"Just one," Shikamaru said, letting out a breath. "If Daisuke comes back or someone manages to catch him, please try to remember that he saved everyone's lives and we still owe him."

"I haven't forgotten that," Hiruzen replied neutrally. "Both of you are dismissed."

The father and son stood up and left, closing the door behind him.

Hiruzen also stood up, and moved to the window.

The attempt to at least get inside Daisuke's head was futile. He knew that, but he also had to know where he had gone wrong. There was obviously the fiasco with Orochimaru. But if Daisuke was telling the truth and he had gone to each village in turn to learn what had happened, then Daisuke undoubtedly worked out how much pain Danzo had caused.

The herbs in his pipe were strong. Which was good, he needed that.

Calling Daisuke a child was necessary, though it had irreparably destroyed any possibility of reconciliation between the two of them. But Hiruzen had to get him to stop talking. If what Daisuke claimed was true, he knew about the Uchiha massacre. With Uchiha Sasuke right there, and all the other clan heirs, having him decide to speak of the Massacre and Itachi's role within the Akatsuki would have shaken Konoha to the core.

It might not have survived to make it through the decade. The inner conflict that ensued would have painted a bright red target on Konoha for the other villages to attack.

Of course, with the Orochimaru revelation out in the open, trust in him had been broken considerably. He needed someone to act as replacement, and soon. Jiraiya should be getting the missive he sent out to return to the village. Ideally, he'd take up the mantle, though Hiruzen doubted he would.

Tsunade wouldn't be a bad choice either, if she could give up drinking, gambling and find her nerve while she was at it.

While he was fantasizing, the Fourth and Kushina would return from the graves to give Naruto an actual family while allowing him to retire.

He let out a puff of smoke and looked down out the window. He could see Konohamaru, his grandson, playing Ninja with his two friends, throwing cardboard shuriken at each other with smiles and laughter.

There was also the feeling of failure that hung over his head like the blade of a kunai, poised to fall on him and pierce through his skull. For he felt like he had failed Daisuke. His own intentions were good, Hiruzen thought; try to slow down his growth to a natural level, discipline him to control his insatiable lust for power – no, not power. Progress. Control his endless appetite for progress to prepare him for a more laid-back lifestyle as he adjusted to his new understanding.

Therein lied the rub. He had wanted to limit Daisuke to a natural growth.

Daisuke was not natural.

If he had instructed Daisuke to make as many new jutsu as he could, to ascend in power as fast and as completely as possible, in the presence of his sensei, his team and himself, then they could've guided him through whatever horrific revelations he had in his time wherever he was as he built himself to social competence, things would have gone differently.

Hiruzen saw now that he should've embraced how absurd Daisuke was just as a concept instead of trying to force a natural growth when he clearly wasn't built for it. Without the tantalizing reward of social understanding and prowess, it would've been easier to teach him discipline and restraint. Without the despair inducing blindness he was suffering acting to counter and resist every move to correct his insane behavior, they could've made actual progress.

He inhaled the smoke through his pipe, feeling the wave of calm course through his body as the strong herbs took effect.

At the very least, it could've meant that if there was a confrontation about his old mistakes, it could've been in private, though it only came about because Daisuke felt the need to tell Naruto about his parentage as well as the Kyuubi.

Perhaps if Daisuke had trusted him, they could've talked about telling Naruto. He hadn't wanted to tell Naruto until he was sixteen, but Daisuke, obviously felt differently. Perhaps if Hiruzen hadn't been so desperately holding on to the idea that natural was good for Daisuke, Daisuke might've trusted him and then they could've actually talked.

At the very least, the heinous crimes that Danzo had committed didn't come out because he was responsible for them as well, for not executing him when he had the Uchiha slaughtered. Hiruzen had some small hope that Daisuke didn't know about them; but that was foolish. If Daisuke wanted to know something, there wasn't anything in the world that could stop him.

The absolute worst part about all of this was that he had lost yet another candidate for a replacement Hokage, even if he'd have had to wait for a few years.

So instead of going directly to Konoha, Kushina asked if we could make a couple stops first. At first, I thought she was talking about getting some new clothes but that turned out to not be the case. Here, at the outskirts of the Konoha, was a mask hall, with twenty-seven Oni-Masks mounted against the back.

Was I kind of nervous about taking my two resurrect Kunoichi friends to the outskirts of the village that likely wanted me dead? Yes. Yes, I was. But with the appropriate safety measures, like the Sanctuary jutsu I currently had running, we couldn't be detected so long as we remained in the bubble.

The bubble did not stop Konoha's security seal from going off at my presence. No, I had to make a special jutsu for that one. I didn't use it before because it had a constant drain on my chakra and I couldn't afford to go dry lest I be without my defenses.

But I had infinite chakra now, so who cares?

She grabbed one that looked exactly like the Shinigami and nodded to me. "Now, if we could return to your vault?"

That was fast.

"Alright," I said, grabbing their arms.

Global Repositioning System.

"So, are you going to tell me why you wanted to make a pit stop there instead of rushing directly to the front gates?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. "Or are you giving us a surprise?"

"We're getting my husband back," Kushina finally explained with a resolute expression. "And I don't care if I have to go back to the pure world to do it."

"Kushina, I'll do whatever it takes to make sure you survive this," Rin replied with a concerned frown. "Just please tell me you aren't going to switch places with him in the Shinigami's stomach."

I like Rin. She's smart.

"No, no," Kushina said, giving Rin a small hug around her shoulders. "I'm not switching places with him."

"Okay, good," Rin said with a smile.

"But there is a really good chance that I'll bleed out and die on the floor," Kushina admitted, not even faltering in her step. "But Shimoda-sama could just bring me back."

And now she's calling me Sama. That's…a new one.

"I have some concerns," I began, looking up the ruins that reminded me so strongly of the office buildings from my old world, sans any glass windows. "Number one, Shinigami outright told me that I was going to have to pay to Minato's soul. I don't think he'd appreciate me just taking advantage of a loophole."

"You held a direct conversation with the Shinigami?" Rin asked, her eyes wide in surprise.

"Yes, but that's not the important part," I replied, bringing the discussion back on topic. "The important part is that Shinigami said there'd be a price to Minato's soul. If you want to use whatever loophole he provided you, that's fine, but I can't be a part of it or he might start reaping all of Konoha or something to repay the insult."

"That's fine," Kushina replied. "Again, you can just bring me back if I die."

"I won't let you die," Rin snapped, narrowing her eyes.

"Thank you, Rin." Kushina smiled down at the Chunin. "I have faith in you."

"Okay, so," I clapped and rubbed my hands together. "If you're going to be doing some kind of human self-sacrifice, I am going to need the details and we're going to need to head down to the Jutsu test chamber. So, lets head down the stairs and you can start filling me in."

"The mask allows me to possess the Shinigami," Kushina started to speak as we moved from the dining area of the vault to the door that lead to my Jutsu testing chamber. "While I am wearing the mask, I can use the Shinigami's blade to slice open his stomach and undo the Reaper Death seal. However, when I slice his stomach open, I also slice my own."

"Aw, now I wish I could do it for you," I said with a frown. "Slicing open my stomach is nothing to me."

"I don't doubt that," Rin replied hesitantly. "Are you going to tell us why you went missing nin?"

"Nah." I shook my head. "I honestly think it's better for the two of you not to know. I mean, you'll probably find out anyway once you get inside because you're ninja and good at that, but I'd like to leave you guys out of my baggage if possible."

Rin furrowed her brow and grunted in frustration, yet said nothing else.

The jutsu testing area was a target range, a bomb disposal site and medical lab all in one. To the left was the range, with targets painted onto the most durable wall in the entire vault. Directly ahead was a large, orb-capsule with a steel-looking door to the inside. That's where I tested my suicide and bomb techniques with clones. To the right was the medical lab, which was just a gurney, some counters and a microscope and x-ray machine and a cat scanner all in one mounted to the ceiling.

No claustrophobic triggers for patients just because they need a CAT Scan.

I used chakra-strings to open the Bomb chamber. "Inside there."

We filed into the capsule and I slapped a seal right on the inside just beside the door. "Alright, I'll be able to keep an eye on what's happening from outside with this seal. Kushina? Part your kimono."

"What? Why?" Kushina asked, eyes bugging out of her sockets.

"I need to show you where to cut to minimize bleeding," I replied with an extended index finger. "I'll be drawing a line."

"Oh," Kushina blinked owlishly. "I appreciate the thought, but the cut has to be according to the jutsu."

Then I started blinking owlishly. "Well, that sucks."

Kushina just nodded in agreement.

"Alright," I said, stepping outside the pod. "The only thing I can say here is try to stay calm and that, as a trained medical practitioner, I recommend we find another way to free your husband's soul that doesn't involve making you a human sacrifice."

"No." Kushina's expression got dark. "My husband is not spending another second inside the death god's stomach."

"Alright." I shrugged, then looked at the Chunin. "Rin? Do your best. Don't try to remove the mask unless Shinigami has left the building. Do you understand?"

Rin nodded. "I do."

With that, I closed the door, then locked into my seal on the wall and felt my vision get transposed. I was looking through the seal like I was looking through another set of eyes.

Kushina put on the mask. I wonder if she feels guilty about Minato spending so much time in Shinigami's gullet? That, or she just wants this done as quickly as possible. We could've found some bandit to…well, nah. That would take time and Kushina doesn't want to wait.

Then, the spectral form of the Shinigami appeared, erupting like a chakra construct around Kushina's body. After a moment of getting used too it, Kushina made Shinigami grab the shoto from his mouth. Then Shinigami chuckled. "I see Shimoda found the way around my reticence."

His voice was a mix of his own and Kushina's, mixed together in a disturbing stereo effect that made Rin's hairs stand up on end, mine too.

Then the Shinigami sliced his stomach open and out came a soul and a half from the stomach. Kushina's stomach erupted in a fountain of blood.

"I'm surprised that he started using mortals to fulfill his purposes so quickly," Shinigami mused. "Oh, is that all? I suppose that's all. Good day, Uzumaki-san. This won't be the last time we see each other."

Then Shinigami faded and Kushina fell to the floor, the mask coming off of her face.

Global Repositioning System.

I was inside in an instant. Kushina was bleeding out on the floor. With medical jutsu making my hands glow, I got to work.

Blood Transfusion.

Medical Sealant.

Blood Scrub.

The ability to fill a patient back up with their own blood was a life-safer. Literally. After that, it was just sealing the wounds and then cleaning out the blood from her stomach, intestines and throat.

Kushina's breathing stabilized and the color returned to her skin. She slowly sat up and looked beyond me. "We did it."

I looked at the soul of Namikaze Minato and stood up. "Eh, I'd say you did it. Now, I'm going to move you so that you aren't caught up in the jutsu as I give Minato a body."

Chakra strings picked up Kushina and Rin followed along underneath her to steady and reassure her. I stretched forth my hand. I already had the soul, in its full state, so all I had to do was give it a shell.

Male body, taller than me, blonde hair, white under wrappings and Kimono. He gasped and started breathing again, his chest rising and falling with each deep breath, his eyes wide and looking around the bomb chamber, trying to figure out where he was.

Namikaze Minato has rejoined the living. About time, too.

"Minato!" Kushina stood up and ran to him, an overjoyed look on her face, tears falling from her eyes and onto the floor, left behind from her speedy flight to her husband. "You're alive! You're alive!"

The other soul in the room, a deep orange color, I immediately collected in a tube I created. On a white tag, I wrote 'For Naruto' and stuck it along the side, then used GRS too deposit it in my office, beside my desk. Naruto needed the whole Kyuubi eventually, not just half.

"Yes, I'm alive," Minato said, sounding calm and returning her embrace.

That calm wasn't fake, but he was trying really hard to maintain the calm while he analyzed every portion of the Chamber, taking special note of the door out.

"Minato-sensei!" Rin also sounded happy, running forward and past me.

Minato did a double take as he saw Rin approaching. He brought his fingers together. "Kai!"

Rin stopped, and took a breath. "It really is me, Hokage-sama. I got brought back too."

"You did," Minato breathed out, sinking to one knee as Kushina stood back, placing his hand on her shoulder. Then they hugged. "It really is you. You're alive. How?"

"Shimoda-sama." Rin let go of her sensei, turning around and pointing to me. "He brought all three of us back from the dead."

"Hey," I said with a wave. "You've been dead for twelve years. So, you're welcome."

"Twelve years." That nearly broke through his sense of calm. Nearly. He's good at staying calm. "Who are you?"

"Shimoda Daisuke," I replied with a small smile. "Other than that, no one of consequence."

"I must know," Minato pressed, letting out a breath.

"Get used to disappointment." Why did that exchange make me as happy as it did? Because that exchange made me really happy. I mean, really happy.

Minato simply frowned. "Very well. What were you planning to do with us?"

"Well, I was going to deposit you at Konoha." I began. Then I pointed at Kushina. "But your wife decided we needed to make a few stops, first. That wound up with you being able to leave the Shinigami's stomach and be brought back as well, so now Naruto has both of his parents."

"You know Naruto?" Minato asked, suddenly very eager.

"He was my only friend for years," I answered honestly. "I owed him a debt. With the resurrection of his parents, I'd say that debt is paid."

"Why did you resurrect Rin?" Minato asked. "I mean, I'm happy to have her back, but assuredly you had a reason."

"Kakashi was his jounin sensei," Kushina supplied immediately. "He brought her back for him."

"Kakashi was a jounin sensei?" Minato's mind was boggled. "What about Obito?"

"Obito never died." I clasped my hands behind my back to avoid fidgeting in front of them.

"What do you mean, he never died?" Minato asked sharply.

"Exactly that. I don't know where, exactly, he is, but he never died during that rockslide, or I would've brought him back too."

"Then where is he?" Minato asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine," I replied with a shrug. I wasn't going to tell them that Obito was likely a member of a group of S-class missing nin dedicated to rounding up the Tailed beasts for some reason. "Now, are you guys hungry? I can whip something up really quick if you want to eat something before you head back to Konoha."

"No, we need to head back to Konoha," Minato said authoritatively. "Right away."

"Kushina? Rin? You sure you don't want anything?" I asked the two.

"No, he's right," Kushina replied. "We need to move."

"I'm fine, but thank you for offering," Rin rejected diplomatically.

"Alright, hold on to your heads," I said, appearing between the three of them and snagging them with chakra-strings. "We're heading back to Konoha. Just one tip, before we go."

"What's that?" Minato asked.

"Don't mention me if you can help it. The Third and I have some bad blood between us."

"Why is tha-"

Global Repositioning System.

"Hokage-sama," Bear, an ANBU operative, burst into the Hokage's office. "You need to come quickly!"

"What is it?" Hiruzen asked, standing up from his desk.

"A trio of Konoha Shinobi were apprehended at the front gates per their own request," Bear replied. "And I was told it was a double S-class secret."

Not to be discussed outside of T&I, Hiruzen thought with a frown. "Alright, lead the way, Bear. Quickly."

With that, the two Nin took off, running across the rooftops as quickly as their chakra could propel them. T&I actually had several entrances, none of them around the Academy that the Hokage had his office built atop, for obvious reasons. The public entrance was an office building built next to the customs office. The entrance they were going for was a sewer grate situated in the center of four alleys that had been strategically blocked off to keep the civilians from entering that area.

Bear lifted the manhole cover and Hiruzen slipped down the tunnel quickly. After the manhole was closed behind them, Bear caught back up, and led the way. After several turns and a brief worry that a Fish-man would burst out of the water a grab him, they came to the door. Bear quickly went through the secret knock and the sliding eye-hole opened. "When's blood our only recourse?"

"When the enemy is conspiring to attack our gates," Bear said breathlessly. "I brought the Hokage."

The door flung open and Ocelot bowed to greet them. "Hokage-sama. It's good that you arrived so quickly."

"What is going on?" Hiruzen asked gruffly as he walked inside.

Before either of them could answer, Ibiki strode out of a door at the opposite end of the hall, chasing an ANBU while shouting directions. "And tell Analysis that if they don't have my blood work done before the Hokage arrives, I'll flay them alive! Oh, Hokage-sama!"

Ibiki bowed in greeting. "We have a situation."

"How desperate is it?" Hiruzen asked, a little annoyed that he hadn't been filled in properly now that he arrived.

"I don't know what to make of it," Ibiki answered in disbelief. He stood up straight and schooled his emotions. "It's the Fourth, Hokage-sama. The Fourth, Uzumaki Kushina and Nohara Rin. They've come back from the dead."

Hiruzen's heart stopped for just a moment and his eyes went wide. "Come again?"

"Minato, Kushina and Rin," Ibiki repeated. "Three Shinobi that were dead arrived at our gates nearly an hour ago."

"Have you confirmed their identity?" Hiruzen asked.

"We brought Inoichi in to look through their minds," Ibiki said. "He confirmed their identity, and we're still waiting on the blood work."

"Did they say how they've come back?" Hiruzen asked with a deep, deep frown.

Ibiki just looked directly into the Hokage's eyes.

Hiruzen suppressed his groan as a migraine started to develop. "Daisuke?"

Ibiki nodded.

"Well, now he can reverse death itself," Hiruzen said flatly, walking through the doorway. Ibiki followed after. "Just throw that onto the pile. Where are they being kept?"

"Cells one, two, and three," Ibiki answered. "One holds Namikaze-sama, if you were hoping to speak to him first."

They turned a corner and came across Inoichi, who was looking through the two-way mirrors where each Shinobi sat at a table and desk.

Hiruzen felt his eyes start to pop out of his skull. There they were, Minato, Kushina, Rin. Three dead Shinobi now returned to life, sitting at tables they were handcuffed too. Wasn't I, earlier today, just thinking about how nice it would be if they came back? Now here they are.

"Hokage-sama," Inoichi finally realized that Hiruzen had arrived and bowed deeply. "I looked in each of their minds and they are who they say they are. There's no seals on their minds or anything making them think they're Namikaze, Uzumaki or Nohara."

"Until we get their bloodwork back, we can only take that as seventy-five percent assurance," Ibiki pointed out with a frown. "If it comes back positive, what do we do, Hokage-sama?"

"We would give them a few days to readjust to live in the villages," Hiruzen said, staring at all three cells in sequence. "Keep them hidden away, though. Only Naruto and Kakashi can know of their resurrection. We'll discuss their future plans and then once those are finalized, we'll announce their safe return."

"Will we also announce that Daisuke was the one who did the returning?" Inoichi asked.

Hiruzen's lips pressed into a fine line. "I'm not sure."

There was very little to stop Minato from giving Daisuke the credit if he were to assume the mantle of Hokage again. But to give Daisuke credit would be to declare him a friend to the village, but missing Nin were not friends to the village. But actions spoke much louder than words and in spite of his childish temper tantrum, he proved himself a friend of Konoha.

…no.

Daisuke proved himself a friend of Naruto and his Sensei. Hiruzen thought, taking his pipe out and stuffing a packet of herbs into it. That Konoha benefits from the Fourth's return is just a happy accident. Unless he's using them as a peace offering?

Hiruzen lit the pipe and inhaled. If it's a peace offering, and I hope it is, then it is a magnificent one.

"Inoichi-san, what else did you find out?" Hiruzen asked.

"Shimoda-Daisuke has a base somewhere," Inoichi reported. "It's underground and fairly expansive. He also wanted to accompany the three into the village, but the Fourth convinced him otherwise."

"Convinced him otherwise." The Hokage shook his head in sarcastic disbelief. "We all know that he made some brand-new stealth jutsu that perfectly fools every anti-stealth counter measure we have after a few seconds of thought and is watching us right now."

Ibiki suddenly looked distinctly uncomfortable and Inoichi took in breath to calm himself.

I mean, he's not wrong…

"They finished," Raven, the ANBU agent that Ibiki was yelling after earlier, returned with the analysis sheet.

Ibiki looked it over, and took a deep, meditative breath. "It's positive. It's them. We can be ninety-nine percent sure of it."

Got to watch out for the one percent, Hiruzen took a puff of his pipe. But this is…excellent news. No, this isn't just excellent, this is extraordinary. This is the best news I've seen in over a decade.

"I will speak to Minato, then," Hiruzen said, striding toward the door to cell one. Just a small breath, and he opened the door.

Minato looked up at him and burst into a wide smile.

"Minato-dono?" Hiruzen said, sounding more like a question than an answer.

"Hiruzen-dono." Minato stood up from his chair and bowed. "It is so good to see you."

"Likewise," Hiruzen replied, returning the bow. "When I heard that you had returned to us, I didn't believe it."

"But has my identity been confirmed?" Minato asked, sitting down as Hiruzen did the same across from him.

"Yes, it is," Hiruzen replied. "We know that you are Namikaze Minato beyond any reasonable doubt."

"Good," Minato sighed. "That's good. I'll be able to see my son soon, then."

"Absolutely," Hiruzen nodded. "Naruto will be overjoyed to meet you and Kushina. He's always been curious about his parents, you know."

"I can't believe he grew up an orphan," Minato said, shaking his head. "Where was Jiraiya-sensei?"

"Jiraiya abdicated his responsibility," Hiruzen replied with a frown.

Minato brought a fist down on the table, his calm expression broke in a father's rage. "Abdicated? Are you serious?"

"Yes, I am." Hiruzen took another puff from his pipe. Minato had every reason to be angry. "He will be returning to Konoha soon, and you may speak to him then."

"Good," Minato's eyes narrowed, and he calmed back down, leaning into his chair. "Good. In that case, Hiruzen-dono, I have a question."

"Ask away."

"Who is Shimoda Daisuke?" Minato asked evenly, folding his fingers in front of him on the table.

Hiruzen took a long, long drag from his pipe. "That is a very, very long story."

"I have nothing but time," Minato replied still calm and fairly cheerful, all things considered.

"I know," Hiruzen said, gesturing at the mirror. Ibiki entered the room. "Ibiki, get all of their handcuffs off after I'm done debriefing each of them personally, prepare to have them moved to one of our safe houses. I want them all to have the best service we can provide them."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Ibiki approached Minato with key in hand, undoing Minato's manacles.

"As for Shimoda," Hiruzen began. "I first met him in an orphanage, when I was dropping Naruto off there…"