Yellow Shadows

YELLOW SHADOWS 06 - Suspicions

"That's really him, isn't it?" Yamato asks, voice a whisper over his cup of tea. The steam warms colour back onto his face. The blanket draped over his shoulders probably helps, too, and Naruto wiggles under it as he flops down beside him.

The camp, now in the ruined city where Minato saved Naruto's life that first day, is the busiest it's ever been. Only Shibi is on patrol and yet the camp is high on alert. Little Kakashi darts in and out like a bolt of lightning, dogs nipping at his heels. He's almost as elusive as Kakashi-sensei, who Naruto can sense brewing at the edge of their refuge. He's still avoiding Minato and his past-self. Naruto can't be sure if they're ever going to have a conversation. At this rate, Kakashi-sensei's going to ignore his way through this timeline, but then Naruto supposes the same could be said for Minato and him.

"Have you talked to him yet?" Yamato presses. It's not hard to figure out who he means. Naruto's only been thinking about it non-stop for two days.

He shrugs. They've not talked about anything that could matter. He knows he should just take what he can get - but it's hard. "Haven't really had the chance."

Somehow, the next slurp of tea sounds sympathetic. They sit quietly for a moment, watching Minato at the other end of the camp. He stands alone, the fox mask replaced by a pensive expression. About his hand he twirls a thunder kunai, deep in thought. Nothing in particular appears to have caught his attention and yet his gaze is fixed somewhere beyond the camp. There's not much to see amongst the dark and the rubble. Minato is a beacon in comparison, a yellow shadow in the silhouette of Rōran above.

Maybe he's thinking about home - or this future of which he's caught a glimpse.

"Now seems like a good time," Yamato says. He sets the tea aside for a small paper bag. Naruto recognises it as Kakashi-sensei's breakfast from the previous morning. Yamato seems oblivious to this fact. "You don't want to regret anything, do you?"

Naruto slumps his head into his hand. "I just - dunno what to say to him. I can't exactly tell him I'm - you know."

His son.

"Well, I never met the Fourth Hokage in our time," Yamato says through a mouthful of food. "But I hear he's a genius. I don't think you're giving him enough credit if you think he hasn't figured something out."

That's even worse . If Minato knows they're related, then why hasn't he said anything? Unless that's not what Yamato means. Parentage isn't the only secret Naruto's keeping tight-lipped about, after all. He swallows hard, dropping his gaze from Minato - the Fourth, the one who will put the Nine-Tails inside him. The less said about that, the better. He clenches his hands, glad to have the Nine-Tails' chakra back under control. He doesn't want Minato to know about that.

"Sensei says he's as thick as bricks."

Yamato laughs, choking on it. "Senpai held the Fourth Hokage in high regard, I promise you. He just has his way of showing it. But you shouldn't worry about what Kakashi-senpai thinks. Talk to him yourself; this might be..."

He trails off, attention drawn upwards. Naruto lifts his head, immediately pulling together chakra to face the threat - only to notice Minato approaching across the camp. Oh no . Minato smiles in response to their stares, waving around the thunder kunai in an almost shy sort of way. He realises he's still holding the blade in the same moment that Naruto remembers he mislaid one.