If Promises Could Be Kept

Thirteen

I am really sorry for updating so late. I've had Thirteen, Fourteen, and Fifteen done for a while and they've been posted on FFN/AO3 for months. I don't read a lot on Wattpad, so I tend to forget about it. I will try to remind myself when Sixteen is finished to update all three websites.

"I never paint dreams or nightmares. I paint my own reality." - Frida Kahlo

Thirteen

"You know, for some reason I feel like this didn't happen last time."

"Honestly? You're probably right."

For two men discussing time-travel, Sakumo and Jiraiya were being downright phlegmatic about it. After the Hokage dismissed them, Jiraiya had suggested grabbing Kakashi and stopping by the Yamanaka Clan's compound to pay Inochi a visit. Translation: we might as well get this over with now before you can take off in the other direction.

Now, though, they needed to figure out the best way to drop a bomb like time-travel on a man like Inochi Yamanaka, who was a loyal ninja to the Hokage. Not that Sakumo wasn't, but Kakashi felt strongly about not letting Sarutobi in on the secret just yet and he trusted his son's judgement. Anyone would agree that Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't the best with conflicting situations, and the future knowledge couldn't be leaked or found by Danzō, who probably had spies crawling around the Hokage Tower.

Luckily, Sakumo was pretty good friends with the Yamanaka Clan Head, and hopefully that would convince Inochi to keep a lid on things for now. Not to mention that Sakumo was pretty certain of his suicide in Kakashi's future, so things had already been changed. Kakashi didn't know anything about Sora, but he had a feeling that it happened a lot differently the first time, and that could completely change the outcome of the future. Even if the Hokage were to know, the memories wouldn't be nearly as useful as they would sound.

"Do you think Kakashi's back from training?" Sakumo asked as they approached the Hatake compound.

Jiraiya scratched his chin in thought. "Probably. Although Minato told me something about looking for Kakashi yesterday. Not sure why."

Swiping his blood on the lock of the front door, Sakumo didn't comment as he entered the front room of the compound. The first few days after his mission were somewhat fuzzy, but he did recall Minato being with Kakashi when he returned. It might have something to do with that.

The inside of the Hatake compound wasn't anything fancy considering Sakumo remembered his parents well enough to know that they didn't appreciate frivolous things, especially gaudy frivolous things. (Not that he found curtains gaudy, frivolous things, but that goes to show how much he agreed with his parents. Kaiya practically had a conniption at the lack of what she called "basic human conveniences" such as comfortable chairs, curtains, and wooden doors. She hated shoji doors.)

As soon as Sakumo entered the front room, he called, "Kakashi? Are you home?"

He received a halfhearted "yes" from most likely the living room, and walked in to see Kakashi and Minato sitting on the sofa covered head-to-toe in mud and leaves. If the sofa wasn't leather, then it would've been utterly ruined, not that it wasn't replaceable. He was more concerned with the bruises standing out on his son's pale skin and the exhaustion lining his face, though there was also a barely-noticeable amount of content.

"Hey Sakumo," Minato greeted as soon as Sakumo entered the living room. "I saw Kakashi training earlier and thought I'd help him out." For a brief moment, something akin to suspicion flitted across the new Jounin's features, but it was gone quickly and replaced with some concern. "He definitely needs some help with chakra control."