Chapter Text
“Ow.”
“...Get off of me.”
“Oh sorry.”
.
.
.
“Iruka, what did you do?”
“Ha?” Umino Iruka shuffled to his feet while dusting dirt from his person. “I didn't do anything!”
Upon taking in their surroundings the genin met ANBU Hound's masked glare with more understanding. “I mean, making the village look all weird is a sick prank but that would take a lot of effort and time. Wasn't me.”
“...What were you working on before I caught you?”
“More like tackled me but oh, uh you know.. Stuff.”
Hound crossed his arms.
“Ugh, fine. I was making a prank for Asuma-niisan. He was being a huge jerk earlier so I made a seal that can change appearances. It was going to change all his hair to bright pink since he's careful in keeping his soaps away from me for some weird reason. Paranoid much?”
“I personally think Asuma-san has a perfectly good reason.”
“Ba! Hey- what, why are there three new heads on the Hokage monument!” The brunette pointed at the mountain with seven faces carved into it. “Could there have been 3 more Hokages after lord fourth? No- that's not possible right?”
Hound scopes the area again like he did when he first woke up here in the middle of a slightly unfamiliar training ground. Finding nothing abnormal, he turns to study the mountain Iruka was pointing to. “No, it's not. Iruka-chan stay on guard, we might be under a genjutsu.”
“A genjutsu? …Doesn't that mean you could be an enemy in disguise?” Iruka shuffles away from Hound slightly.
The ANBU is mildly impressed by Iruka's insight and caution. Side effects from training under Morino Ibiki no doubt.
Or the genin could be the enemy in disguise.
Hound didn't think so since not just anyone would know Iruka calls the Hokage's son ‘niisan’ but it's good to be 100% certain. “Yes, that's possible but I'm not. What if you're the enemy in disguise?”
“Hey! I asked first!” Iruka glares, crossing his arms in defense. They stare at each other for a few seconds before Iruka sighs, dropping his hands to his hips. “Ok, since we're both suspicious, how about we ask something super personal that not even an enemy shinobi would know.”
Hound smirks behind his mask, checkmate. “What did Anko-san make you wear for your first infiltration mission?”
As predicted, Iruka turns a brilliant red. “AW COME ON! I thought we agreed to never bring that up!”
“Ma, you said super personal. That leaves much to be desired. Answer the question, shinobi-chan.”
“UGH, I hate you. Some elite shinobi you are.” The brunette grumbles, back turned so he didn't have to look at the ANBU.
Hound hears his answer between hushed lips a foot away thanks to his enhanced hearing. Could he let it side? Maybe. Was he? No. “You must be an enemy shinobi if you're avoiding the answer. If I kill you will that break this genjutsu?”
If anyone asked Hound if he was a petty person prior to meeting Iruka he'd say no. Something about the genin brought his previously forgotten personality out, something the shinobi couldn't place. And that was terrifying.
Iruka squeaks, “I wore a wedding dress you, you jerkface!” He would never live this down if someone heard his shout. Iruka cursed his teammate for what seems like the hundredth time; He's so going to prank Anko again when they return to normal Konoha.
Much to his embarrassment, Iruka could practically see the masked shinobi preen in pride. Two can play this game, “What was the first prank you fell for?”
Itachi and Anko were so wrong, ANBU could be extremely expressive. He could feel Hound's heated glare from here.
“Ma, ma, ma, technically me knowing that secret about you proves I'm not an enemy, right?”
“Nope!” Iruka smirks as he takes a step back, arms resting at the back of his head. “You could stab me in the back, I have to make sure!”
Hound withholds saying he already turned his back to him and he's currently stab free. “Sinkhole.”
Iruka chuckles, “Yeah, easiest trick in the book and it wasn't even for you, you were stuck until I disabled my seal.”
The ANBU shakes his head, “Now that we know we're who we say we are, let's figure out where exactly ‘here’ is.”
Just as the words leave his mouth; Hound has Iruka to his back, left arm ready to grab the genin if needed and the other tightly gripping a kunai. Stance hostile, clearly indicating to not come any closer.
“What a blast from the past, say you kids lost on the path of life?”
Iruka peers from behind Hound at the tall old man with a face mask covering half his face. He could see wrinkles framing his exhausted black pupiless eyes, a vertical scar going down his left eye and very pale sickly skin. “Who are you?” Hound finally speaks, causing Iruka to release a breath he didn't realize he was holding.
The elderly man holds his gloved hands up in surrender, “Ma, I thought I lost the mysterious thing years ago, can't stay anonymous with my face carved into a mountain.” He comments easily, pointedly avoiding the answer Hound notes.
He couldn't be who he thought he was. He just couldn't, but his scent and chakra signature didn't lie. That would mean- “HAAAA!? YOU'RE THE ROKUDAIME???”
Iruka couldn't believe his eyes, so Konoha did have more Hokages. But how? The Sandaime never expressed stepping down anytime soon or having a successor in training. Not to mention there was never an announcement! Did he and Hound miss three kage inaugurations somehow? No, that's impossible. He saw the monument this morning, there were only 4 Hokages carved. There wouldn't be time to carve another, much less three.
“What's going on!?” Iruka shouts in frustration, Hound is staying quiet and the genin is so so confused. Maybe he'd hunt down lord 3rd and grill him for answers.
The strange old man huffs in suspicious amusement, “I might know what's going on. But we can't talk here, follow me.” The Rokudaime says as he turns and walks off. Expecting them to follow like lost lamb.
Hound didn't appreciate this but he knew if they wanted answers he was their best bet. He'd just have to keep an eye on him, older version of himself or not. He wonders if Iruka had come to the same conclusion that they might be in the future but when he takes in the teens befuddlement he's certain he hasn't. “Come on.” He says as he slips his kunai away and follows the older man.
“Eh!? We're actually following him? But what if it's a trap?”
Hound turns back at Iruka with a head tilt, the brunette was still rooted in place. Big brown eyes wide with worry. “Then… I'll protect you.” He didn't know what possessed him to say that but Hound was determined to not let it happen again.
Iruka frowns, and Hound panics. Clearly that was the wrong thing to say, he's probably displeased by being perceived as a damsel in distress. Hound shouldn't have said that, maybe if he apologizes Iruka would be more inclined to follow his lead?
“... Ok, I'll protect you too. You watch my back and I watch yours!” Something warm stirs in Hound's stomach, nevermind that Iruka probably couldn't back up his words. Not against an adult version of himself anyway. Hound really couldn't bring himself to care strangely enough, maybe he was sick?
They walk together as they catch up to the self proclaimed Rokudaime who had stopped aways from them. The on duty ANBU wasn't sure if he'd overheard their conversation but he wouldn't dismiss it just yet. Not with the way he looked at them in melancholy.
Did Iruka die in the future? Just like everyone else? Hound banished those thoughts as fast as they came. He couldn't afford to be distracted, not when Iruka was depending on him to keep the old man from potentially killing them both. He'd have to treat this like a mission if he was to keep these.. unwanted thoughts away.
They trek quietly and quickly through the village that looked familiar and unfamiliar simultaneously. It was odd how new everything looked despite the things that looked familiar just yesterday were eroded by time.
After a while, it turns out the strange silver haired man was leading them to the Hokage tower. There was some comfort in seeing that it was the only structure that looked about the same.
The Rokudaime leads them in and up to the Hokage's office, he doesn't waste time knocking and instead slams the door open. “Naruto-”
“Kakashi-sensei!” A blonde man with whisker like markings on his face cries out in despair. “Do you want your position back? If I knew I’d be swamped with paperwork I wouldn’t have accepted!” The current Hokage pleads seated at his desk with mountains of said papers dwarfing him.
“Ma, no take backsies! I’m enjoying my retirement!” The Rokudaime sings strolling into the office unannounced.
“Aw mannnnn!” The blonde pouts like a child who was denied candy before breakfast.
A woman, with purple-hair standing beside the Hokage’s desk, snorts, “Yeah, Kakashi-san is enjoying doing his retirement.”
Hound gets the confirmation that the Rokudaime is his adult self, strange how the blonde Hokage that looks suspiciously like Minato calls him ‘sensei’. He watches all the adults in the apparent Hokage’s office like a hawk, the office looked different than it did when Lord 3rd was kage.
“That too.” His adult self’s clothed smile was sickeningly in love that Hound paused. He was having many revelations and questions, did he somehow find happiness? How? He thought surely he’d die young fulfilling his duty to the village, but to live this long and find love?
The current Hokage shudders, “EW, Stop! I don’t need to hear that about my dad! What’s wrong with you! And we have kids here!” So his adult version was married to this Hokage's father? He saw the wedding ring on his older version's left hand. Hound didn't know how to feel about that.
At the reminder of children, all the adults turn to said kids. Iruka shrinks under their gazes slightly. Hound thoughtlessly shifts closer to the genin beside him.
“Is that-” The Hokage stares in awe and confusion.
The woman groans, “Konoha is not surviving genin Iruka round two.”
Hound likes this civilian, he assumed she was a civilian due to her size, shinobi needed to be fit for battle after all. Distantly, Hound feels validated knowing that Iruka is still remembered for his pranks even so far into the future. He just hopes Iruka himself doesn't get some sort of twisted pride or ego from that revelation.
He's snapped out of his thoughts when his adult self, who was two paces in front of them, lifts his arm to present them to the room occupants. “Naruto, Anko-san, meet Iruka-chan and mini-me. It seems they somehow got transported from the past.”
The elite ANBU inwardly panics, why would the adult version of him out his identity just like that!? If it was only the current Hokage then that was understandable but having Iruka and the civilian, no Anko, know was a needless risk.
He hears Iruka mutter ‘mini-me’ in confusion, the genin watches warily as Anko gasps and Naruto’s eyebrows disappear in his hairline.
“Wait.. We’re in the future!?” Iruka shouts when the information finally sinks in.
Hound mentally sighs, "That’s the only reasonable explanation right now.”
“.....Holy shit.”
“Ma, language, Iruka-chan.” Adult Hound says, Iruka couldn't help but stare in between adult Hound and Hound.
Hound was this old guy in the future? He was in disbelief, really. Kakashi, he recalls them calling him. Iruka always assumed Hound was ugly under the ANBU mask. But seeing his adult self, well maybe there was some truth to that assumption after all. He turns to Hound, hand cupping his mouth as he whispers rather loudly. “Hound-san, you're an old and wrinkly fart in the future. You should start skincare.”
Hound makes an embarrassed dying sound as his adult version wilts a little, muttering ‘You like this old and wrinkly face...’ under his breath.
Naruto the Hokage, brushes his hand through his hair. “Did I just hear Iruka curse? And that’s kid Kakashi-sensei? He was ANBU at that age?”
Anko laughs, “Yeah I’m a little shocked my hunch was right and Naru, you were a lot like Iruka when he was younger now that I think about it.”
Adult Kakashi perks up, “You had a hunch?” The seemingly retired kunoichi laughs, “Yeah because you let me rope you into so many things back then and when we saw you outside of ANBU you were pinning bad. Asuma-san constantly complained about the stalking.”
Naruto sighs, “Ok, that’s enough. I don’t want to hear about Kakashi-sensei being a pervert. Anko, can you tell Shikamaru to contact Ibiki-san, Tsunade-baachan and my dad? Have them come to my office immediately, it’s urgent.”
Anko nods and walks out, but not before ruffling the miniature version of Iruka’s hair on the way out. Once she’s beyond earshot Iruka turns to Hound again. “That’s Anko!?” He practically shouts.
The Rokudaime laughs, “Ma, don’t judge her, Iruka-chan. We’re at peace.”
The Nanadaime nods in agreement, “She went through a lot of stuff, I think stuffing her face with dango is a good reward.”
Iruka pauses and then nods, “I guess that makes sense, Anko-chan deserves whatever she wants.”
The adults hum in agreement.
“Now,” Kakashi says, glancing down at Hound. “Mini-me, take off the mask. We’ll get you new clothes later so you won’t be walking around in outdated ANBU gear.”
Hound hesitates, they already know his identity but his adult self wasn’t the Hokage. At least currently, he still had to digest that he had become the Rokuaime for some unknown reason.
As if reading his thoughts, old man Kakashi looks to the current Hokage. “Ma, Naruto. Don’t you agree? Having a kid ANBU walking around with a retired codename would raise suspicion. Furthermore, we don’t know how long they’ll be stuck here.”
The blond thinks a moment before nodding, “Yeah, it would be easier to just pass you both as civilians for now. It’s ok kid Kakashi-kun, Iruka-chan won’t tell anyone, right?” The Hokage looks expectantly at said genin, making Iruka panic slightly like a deer in headlights. “Uh, yeah of course! It would be bad if people knew who he was outside of ANBU...”
Hound curses his future self as he complies, he’s thankful for his habit of keeping his face mask on under his ANBU mask. The Hokage growls, making kid Kakashi stand straighter. “Kakashi-sensei! You wore that stupid mask as a kid too!?”
His older self snorts despite his own confusion. He pointedly ignores Iruka’s stare and just focuses on keeping his eyes trained forward. “Eh, sensitive nose.” Kakashi doesn’t correct his future self’s half lie.
“Naruto? What’s going on?” A new voice joins them as the Hokage’s door opens revealing a man slightly shorter than Kakashi’s future self; he looked strikingly similar to Iruka. Nose scar, warm brown eyes, and soft looking brown locks in a half up half down hairdo.
Naruto smiles brightly as the man enters, “Dad!”
The children stare at the newcomer, this was the current Hokage’s father? By extension adult Kakashi's significant other? But he looked just like Iruka, older but not necessarily a bad thing. “Ma, Iruka. Glad you could join us.” Kakashi’s future self somehow makes his way over to the Iruka-lookalike without the active ANBU’s notice.
Genin Iruka squawks, “Y-your me!?”
Kid Kakashi is not going to dive into that realization. Nope, no sir, there's no way he marries that block-headed prankster when he's an adult. He's going to file this away and never think about it again.
Adult Umino goddamn Iruka stares at them for a second before glaring at the Hokage and adult kakashi. “What did you two do?” Hands on his hips.
“Daddddd! It was Kakashi-sensei that brought them to me! I’m innocent, dattebayo!”
Adult Iruka turns his glare solely on adult Kakashi. “What. Did. You. Do.”
Teen Kakashi and Iruka watch in part bewilderment and astonishment as the silver haired adult is thoroughly chastised. “I just found them at training ground 17; I didn’t do anything, Anata!”
“I have a hard time believing that.”
“Ma, tell him!” He turns to the kids for help, they glance at each other and then to adult Iruka who is still glaring at adult Kakashi.
“Mmm, well we were at that training ground.” Adult Kakashi looks at kid Iruka like he hung the stars, Hound didn’t like that.
“Ma, he jumped out of nowhere, blackmailed us to follow him with the gist that he has the answers to our questions and led us here. We still haven’t gotten our explanation. We just want to go home.”
His Iruka stares at him with surprise, Kakashi isn’t worried. Iruka loves pranks.
Adult Kakashi’s eyes widened in alarm, “That-that’s not how it went!” Adult Iruka turns murderous before it morphs to something akin to worry as he kneels in front of the kids. “Is this true?”
Iruka, the clever little prankster that he was, sniffs. “Yeah, he said no one would believe us if we looked for help somewhere else.”
The hokage looks at his version of Kakashi in pity, the children were trying to make him kick the bucket early.
Adult Iruka takes a breath before giving them a brilliant smile, Kakashi was mesmerized. “Well, I'm sure he meant well. He's not good with his words.” Kid Iruka snorts.
“Now that you're here we can figure out what's going on and how to fix it.” He pats their shoulders before standing up, ignoring adult Kakashi's pouting, he makes his way beside the hokage.
“Do you have a plan, Naruto?” The Nanadaime hesitantly nods, “Er, yeah I called for Ibiki-san and Tsunade-baachan. They, along with Shikamaru, should be here soon.”
Adult Iruka hums in acknowledgment. “Shikamaru-san flagged me down in the mission room. Thankfully Kurenai stopped me to chat otherwise I’d already be at the academy by now. You should give Shikamaru-san more leave, he looked exhausted. Actually, the whole department needs a holiday, Hinata-san told me you’ve been staying here late more often. That’s not healthy Naruto.”
“Aw man, even my own wife is a snitch.” Adult Iruka gives the hokage a disapproving look before glancing at the children.
“Naruto, how about I take the kids to get necessities and have them settle in while you talk to the others. Kakashi can fill me in later.” The adults stare at adult iruka as if he grew a second head. “Settle in?” Naruto asks.
Adult iruka frowns, “Yes, that’s what I said. Me and Kakashi will be housing them until they can return to their proper timeline. Hinata-san already has enough on her plate and who better to watch over a prankster than a retired one?”
“Great point.” Naruto says as adult Kakashi wilts again. “Ma, can’t Anko take them? She’s dealt with genin you before.” Adult Iruka rolls his eyes, “Yes but she doesn’t deserve a repeat and adding you as a child is just torture.”
The Rokudaime sighs in defeat while his partner claps his hands together in glee. “Now that that’s settled I’ll be taking them." The adult brunette makes his away towards the exit. When he reaches the children he places his left hand on kid Iruka’s back while his right hand hovers just behind kid Kakashi’s back. Just inches away from making contact, Kakashi is astonished by this but doesn’t comment. "Follow me, boys.” The adult version of konoha’s infamous prankster says as he ushers them out of the hokage's office.
Kakashi wants to stay and listen to what the adults make of their situation but he couldn’t just leave Iruka alone like that. This version of Iruka said the Rokudaime was going to debrief him so maybe he could listen in on their conversation when the latter returns.
He’ll play along as kid Kakashi for now. Jonin Kakashi will just have to come to play later.