A Flicker In Time

Chapter 4

When he hesitantly slid his eyes open again once the light disappeared, the first thing he noticed was his future self, a few years older than when they had seen him.

Obito groaned. "Kakashi again?"

Minato lightly ruffled Obito's hair in response. "It makes sense that we're tied to him since he's the only one that's the left in the future. Besides, we'll make sure that this time around, all of us will get to live in the future, right Obito?"

"I guess."

Obito didn't get to say anything else because they were instantly alerted when future Kakashi began to move. Sliding the Anbu mask into its rightful place, future Kakashi leapt down from his vantage point in the trees, landing deftly on his feet. With a hand arched over his shoulder to grasp the handle of his sword that was still sheathed in the holster, future Kakashi slowly turned in a full circle. His eye surveyed his surroundings, ears perked up at the slightest noise.

There was nothing but the sound of rustling leaves.

Three minutes later, future Kakashi abruptly spun on his heels and darted off into the forest. Team Minato was quick to follow, not before Minato spotted a shadow streak across the clearing.

Looks like they weren't the only ones after him. Future Kakashi had cause to be wary.

They chased after him for ten minutes before the entrance of a cave appeared. Or rather future Kakashi yanked one of the branches downward, forcing the makeshift door to slide open. Glancing one more time over his shoulder, future Kakashi traversed into the cave.

Minato noted that the shadow was able to slip into the cave in the tiny space right before the entrance closed again, basking them in complete darkness. Future Kakashi didn't bother to ignite a source of light. The only indication that he was even there at all was the sound of his footsteps, so faint that even a seasoned shinobi like Minato had a hard time picking up on it.

He couldn't pick up on his chakra either.

Minato felt a hand wrap around his wrist.

"Sensei, I'll follow him with my nose," Kakashi whispered softly. Minato nodded, before coming to the realization that his student couldn't see him at all. Groping blindly in the dark, Minato found Obito, tugging on him lightly to guide him as Kakashi was guiding him. It was a slow and cumbersome process, but it was worth it when they didn't ram into any walls.

Oh wait, they could pass through objects, couldn't they? But that would potentially lead them to somewhere that they didn't want to be, like stuck underground.

Thinking about the mechanics of his ghostly, but not phantom self made Minato's head hurt.

Light. Kakashi's hand fell back to his side when they spotted a bit of light. Kakashi ran after his future counterpart, who had just disappeared into the ground. Minato and Obito were quick to follow, reaching the hole that future Kakashi had descended. Kakashi and Obito jumped down at the same time, with Minato taking up the rear.

Minato was thoroughly sickened at the sight. There was a long row of containers, about twenty of them, with a seemingly lifeless body floating in the blue-green liquid. Numerous tubes were attached to the bodies, connecting to the pipes that went underground.