The next morning, Kakashi wakes up and steps out of his room. He sees Kushina and Minato cuddled together on a thick futon on the floor. Not wanting to disturb them, he starts making breakfast. As he works, two shadow clones appear behind him with soft puffs of smoke, then vanish.
The clones disappeared, slipping quietly through the morning shadows of the village; one of them went straight for the Hokage's tower to meet Tsunade in her office, the other rushing after Sakura so that she wouldn't leave for her morning shift at the hospital. Meanwhile, Kakashi stayed focused on the kitchen counter, slicing ingredients for the morning meal as the clones carried out the big revelation at the same time as both medical-nin.
'Hope Tsunade appreciates it when my clone doesn't just pop up inside her office.'
Kakashi thought this with a hint of amusement as he finished slicing the ingredients.
Kakashi tossed fresh vegetables into a bowl, his mind perfectly linked to the two clones currently closing in on their targets.
At the Hokage Tower, the first shadow clone materialized outside one of the office windows, giving a polite, firm knock before sliding it open. Tsunade looked up from her tea at his sudden arrival.
"Lady Tsunade," the clone said, his tone serious but calm. "I have something incredibly important to show you. It's too sensitive to discuss here, even with the ANBU around. Please come to my house as soon as possible."
At the same time, the second clone dropped from the roof and landed smoothly right in front of Sakura as she was stepping out of her front gate. Sakura stopped walking and blinked in surprise at the same time as her medical coat fluttered.
"Sakura," the clone said, cutting off her question before she could speak. "Don't go to the hospital yet. I need you to head straight to my house. Something major has happened, and I need you there right away."
After completing both of their tasks, the clones dissipated in a puff of smoke.
Getting back the memories, Kakashi finished the simple veggie rice bowl breakfast, stirring the pot one last time before loading portions into bowls for himself, Minato, Kushina, Naruto, Karin, Sasuke, Tsunade, and Sakura for when she got there.
He created three more clones because he didn't feel like doing it himself; he sent them off to wake everyone. The clones gave the original an unimpressed look and went to complete the task.
A few minutes later, everyone was seated at the table, bowls of veggie rice in front of them. Minato looked to the two extra seats and prepared bowls and spoons, about to ask who they were for when the two it was for arrived.
Tsunade barged in, Sakura following behind her. When Tsunade caught sight of the two who should be very dead, she froze in place, Sakura freezing in place as well when she saw Minato's face, the same face in the academy textbooks, the same one on the Hokage monument.
"Kakashi, explain, please."
Tsunade sighed in defeat. She had thought nothing else Kakashi could do would ever surprise her again, but she was certain his hands were all over this. Who else but the man who had shocked her time and time again could pull off something this impossible? And yet, there the man sat, calmly sipping at his soup as if none of this had anything to do with him. From this day forward, Tsunade resolved to live by a single new motto: if something strange happened, she was just going to blame it on Kakashi.
Kakashi sighed, scarfing down the hot soup in less than a second, setting the bowl down and gesturing to the two seats he had prepared for Tsunade and Sakura.
"Please sit; I'll explain, and you can eat if you'd like. If not, I'm sure Kushina or Naruto would like your bowl."
Tsunade and Sakura took their seats, though neither of them could take their eyes off the resurrected couple sitting right across from them. Kakashi leaned back slightly, looking between the two as the quiet weight of the room settled.
"So," Kakashi began, his tone casual. "Which one do you prefer? The quick illusion to show you the memories directly, or the long explanation?"
"The illusion," Tsunade answered right away, having zero interest in a long-winded story when she could see the truth for herself.
Sakura nodded in agreement. Her mind raced as she stared across the table, but she remembered her hospital shift was coming up. If she took the quick memory transfer and ate here, she could still get to work on time.
Kakashi nodded, his dark eyes bleeding into the Sharingan; both of them were hit with the memories at the same time.
The imagery rushed through their minds, starting with the revival of Orochimaru, followed by the negotiations where the Sannin was convinced and threatened into helping with the upcoming conflict with the Akatsuki that'd likely escalate into the Fourth Ninja World War. Orochimaru eventually agreed, as Kakashi had played off his ambitions and had already placed a Flying Raijin mark on his soul. The vision then shifted to Kakashi appearing in one of Orochimaru's bases, standing inside a room with an intricate sealing matrix on the floor. They watched as Orochimaru summoned the Shinigami to free Minato, Kakashi catching the soul before stuffing it into a pale white creature, leading to Minato waking up as a reanimation before Kakashi fully revived him. Finally, the illusion shifted to Kushina, whom Kakashi revived, showing her waking up and seeing Minato.
Blinking awake from the illusion, Tsunade rolled up the sleeve on her right arm and pressed two fingers to the sealing formula on her wrist. A large bottle of premium sake appeared in a sharp poof of smoke. Flicking the cork off with her thumb, she threw her head back and chugged the entire bottle in one long breath before slamming the empty clay container heavily onto the table.
She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, a wild grin breaking across her face as she looked over at Kakashi. "Ah, to hell with it. I was going to tell you later, but based on the progress of that gift you gave me, I should be ready to start Katsuyu's training within a month. I'll be heading to Shikkotsu Forest in the meantime; it's time I get better as well."
Tsunade smiled like a fox, her eyes locking onto his. "From this day forward, Kakashi, you're the Hokage."
*Ding
- Chapter End -
Hehehehe~