019:Meeting Team Minato

I followed the path and arrived at a clearing in the woods. There, I saw Kushina-san talking with a beautiful blond man. Not handsome, only beautiful. He looked androgynous but... Oh, he looked over at me.

"Kushina, we have a guest," said the blond man.

"Ehhh… Sora-kun! Good to see you here!" said Kushina.

"Kushina-san? What are you doing here?" I asked, looking between the blond man and Kushina.

"Namikaze Minato, a pleasure," said Minato with a smile.

Kushina didn't react to my question; her face turned red like a tomato as she looked from Minato-san to me.

"I-I-I was…" she stuttered.

"She brought some bentos for me and my team, who, by the way, should be here soon," said Minato in a calm demeanor.

"Y-yeah, that," said Kushina, her face returning to its normal color.

Then she looked at me and widened her eyes.

"And you, what are you doing in the middle of the forest outside of the Uchiha compound?" she asked, realizing how odd the situation was.

"I-" I thought about my answer. "I got lost, Kushina-san," I said.

"Oh really…?" Kushina continued, noticing my behavior.

"Okay, okay, the kids are back. You should continue while having lunch," said Minato, nodding slightly at me.

'I'll help this guy when I have the chance,' I promised myself.

Kushina looked at me one last time, then subtly motioned towards the woods.

"Kakashi, you should come out and say hi," Minato said to no one in particular, and then a white-haired ninja kid appeared next to me.

The kid looked at me with dead fish eyes and nodded. I nodded back.

'The silent type, I guess.'

"Where are Rin and Obito?" asked Minato.

"They were taking too long, so I took a detour. They should be here in a few minutes," answered Kakashi.

Minato sighed a little, knowing too well that scolding him would be useless.

Then, in a flash of inspiration, I remembered that Kakashi was in the cemetery, along with…

'Maybe…'

"Kakashi-san, may I ask what your last name is?" I asked.

Kakashi looked at me, then at Minato for confirmation, and then back at me.

"Hatake Kakashi," said Kakashi.

I unconsciously widened my eyes.

'Hatake, Sakumo Hatake! The legendary ninja! But he should be…' I looked at a shadow in the woods and saw Sakumo-san shushing me. I still remembered the feeling of his aura when he defended me; better not screw up.

"Sora-kun…" said Kushina, with worry in her eyes.

The atmosphere cooled down significantly; it seemed I had made a mistake. When I tried to speak, we heard a loud voice.

"COME ON, RIN! TEACHER, WE ARE BACK!" said a kid wearing goggles, running straight at us with a girl running beside him. I saw his back and noticed he was a clansman. The girl had purple marks on her face.

'An Inuzuka? But I can't see her ninken. Better not ask this time,' I thought, remaining silent.

"SENSEI, WHY IS THE VIOLENT GIRL HERE?" the goggled kid said without thinking.

'My, my, it seems that I will lose a clansman today. Well, serves him right for talking like that to a woman,' I mused as Kushina-san's hair started to float.

'Super Saiyan Kushina-san, nice,' I thought while hinting to Kakashi about an unchecked basket. He got the message.

"VIOLENT GIRL, WHO DO YOU THINK YOU'RE TALKING TO? COME HERE, LITTLE KID, I'LL WHOOP YOUR ASS TODAY," said Kushina, while Kakashi and I attacked the defenseless basket.

'Ohhh, melon seeds, nice,' I thought while offering some sandwiches to an amused Rin. Looking at her, it seemed their interaction was pretty normal. She politely accepted, and we started having lunch with Kakashi while Minato tried to defuse the situation.

"I'M NOT A KID! I'M AN UCHIHA!" said the kid.

'Violet or blue? What color will his ass turn after the beating?' I mused.

"SO WHAT? BEING AN UCHIHA IS NO EXCUSE FOR ACTING LIKE AN IMPOLITE BRAT. LOOK AT SORA HERE," they both looked at me, catching me off guard.

"Are you also a Uchiha?" asked the goggled kid curiously. It seemed he had a short attention span.

"Sora Uchiha," I replied.

"Obito Uchiha," answered the goggled kid with a wide grin.

"Okay, we can all have lunch. Kakashi, Sora, and Rin already started; let's dig in," said Minato, taking advantage of the situation to distract Kushina. She looked at Minato's face for a few seconds and then sighed.

'Yup, they are a couple. That's the classic henpecked husband look,' I thought.

And so, we started eating.

"Sora Uchiha, I think I remember that name," said Obito, talking while eating.

"Obito, eat or talk; you can't do both," said Rin in a defeated way.

'They also look like an old married couple,' I thought.

"Hahaha… okay, Rin," said Obito with a foolish smile.

'Nope, a simp through and through.'

"I'm the patriarch's son," I said, having nothing to hide.

"NOW I REMEMBER! The patriarch's twins! Is it true that you can't use chakra?" said Obito, not noticing my discomfort.

"Obito! Don't be insensitive," said Rin. I smiled at their interaction and answered.

"Nope, I can't. Thank you, Rin-san, for thinking about me, but it's alright. It's no secret that I can't use it, plain and simple. So, I can't be a ninja." The ambiance cooled down a little; I could feel some pity from all of them.

"Just so you know, I'm still the heir of a powerful clan with access to money, power, and wealth. So, while I understand your reactions, it's not that big of a deal for me," I said with a smile to defuse the situation.

'I also have reiryoku, but I can't reveal that, not to them. They are strangers, and the only person I know is Kushina-san.'

Everyone looked a little embarrassed at being caught, and Minato, again, changed the atmosphere.

"Okay, I think we should continue to train. Sora-kun, it was a pleasure to meet you, and you can stay and watch us train until your mom comes to pick you up," said Minato.

'Mom? OH SHIT, I FORGOT. I'LL BE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE,' I realized, knowing that screaming at the cemetery would not be well received.

'Grounded for eternity, it seems. I'm 22, soon to be 23 years old, and I'm getting grounded once again. Oh well, nothing I can do about it,' I thought, resigning myself to my fate.

"Sora-kun, while they train, we can take a little nap on the side," said Kushina, her eyes kindly urging me.

We went to the side, and Kushina offered her lap as a pillow. I accepted, listening to the ninja sparring nearby.

"Sora-kun, we should go there," said Kushina.

"There?... OH, there!" I said.

"But I don't know how to do it, Kushina-san," I continued. This was the first time I was inviting someone alive to my inner world.

"Just close your eyes and take a deep breath," said Kushina.

So, I did, and we found ourselves in my inner world.

---

**Inner World**

I was now seated in a café with Kushina. She was at most an acquaintance, so it didn't feel right to meet in a more private place in my mind. Senbonzakura was okay, but she wasn't. Kushina-san looked curiously at her surroundings, and then I waved my hand, making two cups of black tea appear on the table.

"You have good control of your mind, Sora-kun."

"Thank you, Kushina-san. What did you want to talk about?" I asked. I knew her questions, but being polite wouldn't hurt.

"What exactly is your friend?" Kushina asked with a serious demeanor. She wanted answers from our last meeting.

"I'm worried about you, Sora-kun. When I tried to talk to Mikoto…"

'FUCK, I FORGOT. I'M SCREWED.'

"I couldn't."

'EHHhh?' Noticing my confusion, she continued.

"I tried to tell her about how her child has a samurai inside him, similar to a Jinchuriki, which is the name society gives people like me. I tried writing it, talking, drawing, secret codes, mimics, whatever,I couldn't do it. Whenever my mind thought of revealing something about him, something stopped me," she said, looking at my confusion.

"I am an Uzumaki, you know? One of the last of my clan and a grandmaster in sealing jutsu. Imagine my surprise when I realized that I was sealed

 without my knowing," said Kushina. I finally understood what she was implying.

'Sen-san is a GOAT. I didn't think about it, and he resolved it just like that. How many times did he save my ass before?' I pondered while smiling.

"This is no laughing matter. A being, which I don't know, settled inside my best friend's son without anyone's knowledge and could seal me without my knowing. He could kill you and then myself if he wanted. But he didn't. And worse, when I researched what seal he applied to me, I found almost nothing. I only found something in the oldest records of my clan about a powerful sealing art, lost in time, and how the seal is similar to those records. Whatever that samurai is, he is old and powerful, and you should be careful. If not for me, do it for Mikoto. I-I don't want to lose my friend," said a melancholic Kushina, making me realize her worries. Senbonzakura was a friend, a mentor, and someone I knew from my past life.

"I-I understand, Kushina-san. I can assure you he is not dangerous and means well," I said, remembering how he was now protecting the old man.

Kushina sighed, knowing full well that her warning wasn't fully heeded.

I tried to change the subject.

"Kushina-san, how is your little fox?"

"My what?"

"Your fox. I remember the last time I saw it behind bars. You said you were a Jinchuriki, right?"

"It... It is alright, I guess," Kushina answered, slightly confused. What else could she say? That stinky fox remained inside her as always.

"Why is he behind bars?" I asked, curious about the answer. I could tell from last time that he was dangerous and angry, but could you blame the guy?

"Because he is dangerous, and if he gets out, he will kill us all," said Kushina matter-of-factly.

"I know, but why don't you change his living environment? I mean, I too would be angry and murderous if I were trapped 24/7 with no one to talk to or a place to rest."

"I-I've never tried," said Kushina.

"Why not? You can change it, just like this," I said, snapping my fingers, and we were now in a mountain full of snow.

"I-I could try, I think," Kushina pondered, more to herself than to me. It seems that this was new territory for her.

A/N: One more chap in the village and then we explore outside.