Reborn in the Mist

Minato looked up from his cluttered desk to see his predecessor, the Third Hokage, finally walk in. The old legend seemed more comfortable in retirement each time Minato laid eyes on him, and today was no different. He wore casual attire and sandals, making Minato smile as he thought all that was missing was a sunhat, and the retired Kage would be ready for a day in the park. Nevertheless, the man's pipe was never far away; though Minato couldn't see it, the lingering scent of tobacco gave it away.

"Minato-kun!" Hiruzen greeted with a bright, wrinkled smile, clearly in a good mood. "You don't look well. Those knots on your forehead will give you wrinkles if you aren't careful."

Minato gave a polite laugh and attempted to smooth his furrowed brow, despite having smiled the whole time. "It's the matter I wanted to discuss, Sandaime-sama. I need your insight."

Hiruzen's cheer vanished prematurely as he sat in front of Minato's desk, cocking his head to the side. "The Mizukage? You met with him, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"What's your impression, then?" Hiruzen asked.

Minato hadn't intended to discuss his personal thoughts on the Mizukage, focusing instead on the concerns their meeting had brought to light. Still, he indulged Hiruzen and answered thoughtfully, "Yagura Karatachi is... young and quite strong. He's capable of controlling the Tailed Beast within him and wise enough to understand the nuances of culture and history between our nations. He's passionate about his subordinates and more than willing to risk much for their sake. I believe that passion is a significant part of his motivation to ally with us, aside from the obvious."

Hiruzen raised a brow. "He sounds like a Kage should. Has Kirigakure chosen a new path, then? What is this obvious motivation you speak of? Is it what worries you?"

Minato nodded and leaned forward, fingers interlocked. "My meeting was nothing like we expected. Instead of a formal discussion, Genma summoned me into the middle of a battle between the Mizukage's Tailed Beast form and a masked... a masked Uchiha."

"What? An Uchiha?" Hiruzen's eyes widened as if he were sifting through files in his mind. Minato had done the same earlier—searching every document related to rogue Uchiha or flight risks. While there were a few flight risks, very few Uchiha dared to dishonour their clan or village by becoming criminals.

Eventually, Hiruzen's sharp eyes snapped to Minato's. He had reached the same conclusion Minato had, though his lip trembled as he spoke. Minato voiced it first: "The only unaccounted Uchiha are those lost to the war—the ones buried in empty caskets."

Hiruzen took a deep breath. "Before that, what did this Uchiha want with the Mizukage? How old did he look?"

"He claimed to be Uchiha Madara reborn, but the Mizukage didn't believe him. Even in his Tailed Beast form, Yagura couldn't land a solid blow, yet he was drained of chakra and nearly subdued by Wood Release."

"Lord Hashirama's technique? How... you don't think it's possible that...?" The question was left unsaid, but Minato knew. The Mizukage's accusation wasn't unfounded; not too long ago, the Sandaime's prized student and Minato's rival for the seat of Fourth Hokage was implicated in genetic crimes so grave they were better left unspoken.

"I thought it best to ask you. You requested full authority to handle investigations into that matter. Do you think it's possible? Could he have succeeded?"

"But with an Uchiha child?"

Minato leaned back in his chair and sighed. "There's that possibility. Or it could be one of the Uchiha we lost in the war. What if... what if he took them?" Despite Orochimaru's numerous crimes, accusing his sensei's teammate of yet another atrocity—an assault on a Kage—left a sour taste in Minato's mouth.

Hiruzen's face grew even graver. He shook his head but said, "I will look into it. From what we recovered at the destroyed bases, those children showed no exceptional skill. Many were ill from the grafting of Lord Hashirama's cells; others were... mutated." The Third Hokage shut his eyes briefly, haunted by the memories of that night. When he opened them, they were filled with determination. "I'll uncover what more Orochimaru has done. However, I doubt he's involved here."

"Yes, me too," Minato said, surprising Hiruzen. He explained, "The masked Uchiha had an accomplice—a plant-like man who could create numerous clones of himself. Besides, this seems too far removed from Orochimaru's aims. The masked Uchiha would destroy the very world Orochimaru wants to conquer through mastering every jutsu. And then there's his Sharingan ability. It was unlike any I've seen—some form of Space-Time Ninjutsu that rendered him invincible. It's why I'm inclined to believe he may indeed be Uchiha Madara."

Hiruzen nodded slowly. "My memory of his legend is foggy at best, but his power rivalled Lord Hashirama's. He envied the First Hokage deeply; Lord Second made sure we learned that after Madara's betrayal. It's not far-fetched to think he might return after discovering a way to harness Wood Release or other abilities of the First Hokage. But how much power does he wield, and what does he plan to do with it?"

"He retreated soon after I arrived. I assume fighting both the Mizukage and me was beyond him for now." Minato let out a sigh. "That said, I don't believe the Mizukage has revealed everything he knows about this incident. He seemed... well-informed—enough to make assumptions and stubborn declarations. Either way, for now, the Mizukage and Konoha share common enemies: the masked Uchiha and Amegakure."

"You've heard from Jiraiya?" Hiruzen leaned forward, almost out of his seat.

Minato nodded. "They captured one of the Akatsuki, Jiraiya-sensei's student, a woman named Konan. I've requested a Yamanaka reader for her interrogation."

Hiruzen hummed, scratching his chin. "And the Rinnegan?"

"I don't know all the details. The returning agent wasn't well-informed, but the Rinnegan's power was overwhelming. They had no choice but to retreat. What's clear is that the Rinnegan, Amegakure, and its forces are against us and the Mizukage. Yagura saved us from quite a nasty surprise."

"Indeed... What are your plans now? Did you reach an agreement with the Mizukage?"

Minato nodded. "A joint investigative force for both the masked Uchiha and Amegakure. However, I think we should wait for Jiraiya's return before committing fully to action against Amegakure."

"Yes, that would be wise, and—"

An ANBU-nin flickered into existence between the two Hokage, already kneeling and bowed. "Hokage-sama! Lady Kushina is—"

Minato was already out of his seat, shouting, "What happened?!"

The ANBU-nin, Dog, looked up at Minato and declared, "She's in labour!"

The Third and Fourth Hokage shared a look—one of restrained joy and the other of panic and confusion. "But she... she isn't even due yet."

"Go to her now, Minato-kun," Hiruzen said with a fading smile. "She will need you there."

Minato nodded, managing a smile despite the tail-end of a grim conversation. "I'm going to be a father!"