Chapter 2 - The Kaguya Fool

Commissioned by [TCJ] on Patreon

Disclaimer - I don’t own or claim to own any Intellectual Property that might appear in this story. I only own the Original Characters. Enjoy!

Konoha

–Minato Namikaze (Yondaime Hokage)–

“Thank you, Kakashi-kun,” He smiled gratefully at his student (wincing at the reminder of him being the only one alive) as Kakashi-kun took the scroll and got out of the office, heading to Kushina.

The thought of Kushina brought a smile to his face, wiping away the gloom from the office, as he began working on the mountain of paperwork on his table. Seriously, it had been over 8 months since he became the Hokage, and in that time, he could honestly say that the only thing he had done was paperwork.

Over and over and over again, just reading and stamping papers. He hadn’t even had time to do all the cool research he thought he would get to do once he got access to the personal notes of the Previous Hokage.

Nidaime-sama was a genius in most aspects, but when it came to esoteric Fuinjtusu? Well, let’s just say that his mere existence provided enough evidence for the theory of Senju and Uzumaki originating from the same ancestors, because how else would you explain the man’s sheer genius and creativity when it came to Fuinjutsu?

Sure, some things, like the Impure World Reincarnation, were better left untouched, as it was never a good idea to disturb the rest of those in the Pure World, but from the perspective of a Hokage besieged from all sides, he could see the appeal in using it.

A ruthless part of his mind, something he kept locked up, whispered about the advantages of using enemy shinobi against their own villages, further breaking down enemy morale, as they found themselves cutting down their dead comrades again and again, as the Summons only regenerated endlessly.

With a shuddering breath, he got his head away from those horrible ideas as he, for the nth time, thanked the Sage for Kushina, because if it were not for her and her calming presence, he would not have been in the right mindset to be a Jounin Sensei, even, let alone the Hokage.

It was hard to look at himself in the mirror and not imagine the butcher who slaughtered hundreds who were bound and unable to defend themselves. 

“Minato” and just like that, the self-doubts evaporated away as Kushina’s cheerful voice rang throughout the Hokage Tower as she took her sweet time coming to his office, as she usually did.

He shook his head, as Kakashi came back into his office, through the window, the scroll still in his hands. Somehow, despite half his face hidden behind that mask, Kakashi managed to radiate that perfect combination of deadpan and exasperation through his body language.

He caught the scroll as Kakashi saluted him and turned to leave, only to stiffen as glowing chains wrapped around his body, lifting him clean off the floor.

“Where do you think you are going, Kakashi-kun?” Kakashi stayed limp in her grip, resigned to his fate as Kushina came into his office, her chains dropping Kakashi into the seat right next to her as she sat down and immediately began eating one of the apples placed on his desk.

He smiled at her, thinking of—

His smile dimmed immediately, his neck snapping to the side, towards the Hokage Rock as he felt something in his sensory range, a mark placed on someone he had a long-overdue chat with.

Not wanting to worry anyone because the Kaguya Fool was not a foe he could take lightly, he slowly stood up, still smiling, but Kushina? She picked up on his hidden emotions, she always did as she stood up with him, Kakashi being picked up for the ride as well, “What is it, Minato? What happened?”

“Nothing,” He tried to wave off her concern, “I just need to check on something. I’ll be right back,”

Immediately, he had to duck, and move out of the way of her chains as she tried to wrap them around his body, her expression grave. He smiled apologetically at her, kunai in his hand, “Just…wait for me, okay?”

With that, he flashed away, his heart dipping a bit as he saw her betrayed depression. His expressions smoothed away as he appeared right on top of the Kaguya Fool, Rasengan in hand, as he all but smashed it into his head, only for his hand to go right through the mirage.

He hastily dispelled the Rasengan before it could impact the floor and carve a hole in the Sandaime’s forehead.

Flashing once more, he reappeared right on top of the Shodaime-sama, looking at the village, as he saw him sitting on top of the head, whistling as he looked at the village. His Village.

He had no idea how his marker was shifted to a mud clone, but seeing that the man was silent and peaceful for now, he decided to humor him. After all, a fight between them would not be in Konoha’s best interest right now, not when they were this close to his home. To Kushina.

“So,” he began, standing right next to the one person whom he could not touch, not with all his speed, “What brings you here?”

He was silent for a moment, before chuckling, “I happened to find one of these,” A rather familiar kunai was flung towards him, as he snatched it out of the air. “Thought I’d return the property to its rightful owner. Be a good Samaritan and all.”

He clenched the kunai tightly but exhaled and asked, “I ask again, why are you here?”

The man had the audacity to stretch and yawn, as the Kaguya replied, “I don’t know. I have always heard grand stories of Konoha being some sort of utopia, compared to all the other villages, and have also heard that you are a very good Hokage, so I thought, why not accomplish two goals at the same time and go sightseeing?”

He actually had to take a moment to process that sentence as he took in the appearance of the Kaguya, the one shinobi who had bested him in what he was best at, speed.

“You came here for that? Waltzed into Konoha despite having a bounty on your head, all for what? As a tourist?” 

The Kaguya chuckled, leaning back onto the stone, locking eyes with him and something about them just made him shiver. They were not the eyes of a sane person, even if the definition of sane was stretched in their line of work.

“I just wanted to see if the reports of a butcher somehow bringing about some peace was true or not.” 

Minato’s brows furrowed at the lack of vitriol in that sentence. Last they clashed on the battlefield, it was during the battle of Iwa, and the Kaguya had been very passionate and devastated when he saw the loss of life, leading to their battle, the specifics of which are still buried under S-class secrets.

The Kaguya was clearly not normal, not by any means. He exhibited strengths that went beyond standard Kekkei Genkai and was somehow unaffected by the bloodlust that their entire clan inherited, almost as a hereditary perk.

To meet someone entirely on the opposite end of the violence and bloodlust spectrum was jarring at first. 

His mind, dissecting each and every detail of this conversation, worked in overdrive. 

The Kaguya was relaxed and completely open to any attack right now, but he knew from past experience that he had some sort of precognition, allowing him to predict any attack, and the strength of chakra and body to react to that attack.

The Kaguya, with his bone exoskeleton, could just cut through his Rasengan, as if it was a balloon instead of a spiraling death jutsu. His bones, the ones that shone black, absorbing all light around it, could just cut through chakra, with the same ease as it cut through flesh and bone.

He was also very clearly mad and not right in the head, because the eyes and the tired, exhausted grin on his face as he bared his neck at him was telling him something that made him relax and drop all thoughts of attacking the Kaguya.

Something he seemed to notice as well, as the Kaguya somehow managed to look both disappointed and relieved as he straightened up and looked at the village once more.

“So, you came here to die, huh?” He asked, sitting down next to a tired individual, a regrettable outcome for someone who could have shone brightly, whittled down to suicide by their ruthless world.

The Kaguya shrugged, “Well, it was as good a day as any to die. Plus, look at the view,”

Yes, the view, it was great. The orange skyline, the sunset, with trees, vast plains, the river, and Konoha in his view. He was right. 

Mianto wouldn’t mind dying in a place with such a great view, if only he didn’t have his anchors, in this world. If he didn’t have his goals, his sensei, Kushina, and the Will of Fire within him? 

It was scary to think so, but he could think of a possible timeline where he would have sported the same tired, defeated expression as the Kaguya and came to someone who could kill him.

And just like that, his decision was made.

“I am not going to kill you.”

“I figured that. So…prison?”

“Most likely.”

“....Hope the food’s okay.”

He surprised himself with the laugh that bubbled out of his throat, for the attempt at humor might have been terrible, but it did come from an individual who seemed to have given up completely.

He had a hunch that he would not regret his decision today.

“Peter Parker.”

He looked at the Kagyua in surprise as he uttered some foreign words.

“My name is Peter Parker.”

What a strange name.