Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

            “You have to make a decision, Naruto.” Shikamaru, one of Naruto’s best friends, said frowning. “What Sasuke is doing isn’t right.”

            “I know.” Naruto said, his chest tight. He wanted to cry, but he knew it wasn’t going to help the situation. Naruto was such an idiot for actually believing that he’d saved his brother in all but blood from the path of darkness. Sasuke had been checking in every now and then while he travelled the Fire Country. The last Naruto had heard from him, he said he’d heard rumors about the Ōtsutsuki clan showing up and that was it. Naruto was worried that he’d been captured, or worse, killed. So, he sent a team of ANBU to Sasuke’s last known location. They never came back, so he sent Sai to check it out. Turns out, Sasuke had killed the ANBU members that he sent for Sasuke. Also, according to Sai, Sasuke has defected from the village and is now moving on his own. Naruto wanted to go after Sasuke himself, but he knew that wasn’t going to happen. Suddenly, his office door bursted open and Sakura stood there, looking out of breath.

            “I-Is it true? Sasuke killed those ANBU members? Please,” She half-sobbed. “Please tell me that’s not true, Naruto.”

            “I’m so sorry, Sakura-chan.” Naruto said grimacing. “I wish I could say it was all just rumors. But Sai recovered the bodies, and they were all killed by Chidori. Only two people know that jutsu and Kakashi has been in this village the whole time.” She nodded, looking faint.

            “Sakura, don’t do anything stupid.” Shikamaru said narrowing his eyes at her. She shook her head.

            “I’m not going to go after him. Not again.” She said sounding hurt. The feeling in Naruto’s chest tightened. “I don’t want to go through that again. I’ll figure out something to tell Sarada.”

            “You should take a break from work.” Naruto suggested. “I know you need a distraction from this, but you shouldn’t force yourself to work like this.”

            “Thanks, but you should take your own advice.” She snapped at him. Naruto flinched. She sighed. “I’m sorry, Naruto. I know you can’t. Just, will you tell me what your decision is before you make an official announcement? I want to prepare myself, so that I can comfort Sarada.”

            “It’s the least I can do.” Naruto said nodding. She smiled.

            “Thank you, Naruto. And I know this is tough for you too, so if you need to talk later, let me know.” She said gently.

            “Thanks, Sakura-chan.” Naruto said smiling at her.

            “Anytime, Hokage-sama.” She said winking at him before leaving his office. Naruto shook his head. Ever since he’d become Hokage, his friends always called him Hokage-sama with a hint of teasing on the rare occasions they got together to hang out. Of course, they called him that respectfully as well, but usually when the situation is serious. Naruto leaned back in his chair and heaved a big sigh.

            “Well, at least she’s not angry with you.” Shikamaru said after a few minutes of silence. Naruto snorted.

            “Honestly, it’d make me feel better if she was.” He said shaking his head. “That way I’d at least know if she wasn’t okay.”

            “That’s true.” Shikamaru said sighing. “Now then, what are you going to do about Sasuke?”

            “We’ll have to declare him a rogue ninja.” Naruto said frowning. “I don’t know what he’s up to, but I get the feeling that whatever it is, it’s bad news for Konoha.”

            “Yeah, he wasn’t too happy about hearing why his brother was exiled from the village, was he?” Shikamaru mused. “I’ll get on it.”

            “Also, let the other villages know that if they do come across Sasuke, he’s dangerous and to run if possible.” Naruto said grimly.

            “Of course.” Shikamaru said nodding. “Oh, and Naruto?”

            “Yeah?” Naruto asked him.

            “Don’t beat yourself up over this. It’s not your fault.” Shikamaru told him sternly. Naruto nodded, with a smile. “Good. I’ll keep you posted.” Soon, Naruto was left to himself.

            ‘I don’t like where this is going, Kit.’ Kurama had told him.

            “I don’t either,” Naruto said sighing. “What is he thinking?”

            “Wouldn’t you like to know?” Sasuke’s voice came from the window, snapping Naruto out of his thoughts. Naruto quickly jumped out of his chair, narrowly escaping Sasuke’s blade. The chair didn’t survive, and Naruto’s secretary was going to be upset about it.

            “Sasuke, why are you doing this?” Naruto asked glaring at him from across the room.

            “I’m here to take what’s rightfully mine,” Sasuke said coolly as he glared at him. Naruto felt the coldness that once consumed his friend all those years ago. It’s returned, and Naruto could feel the hate rolling off Sasuke.

            “Sasuke… if you’re after the hat, then you’re going about it the wrong way.” Naruto said warily. “Sakura is worried sick about you. You should stop this.”

            “Worried? About me?” He said scoffing. Naruto noticed something else about Sasuke. There was a faint glow around his eyes, it was purple. It was the shade of purple he associated with Sasuke’s Amaterasu. But Naruto was pretty sure this had nothing to do with Amaterasu.

            “Sasuke, where have you been?” Naruto asked deciding to take a different approach.

            “I’ve been to a lot of places, Naruto,” Sasuke said his name with such hate. The purple was starting to get stronger. Whatever it was, it was controlling Sasuke. How was Naruto going to deal with that? ‘We just need to punch some sense into him, don’t we?’ Kurama asked with a snort.

            “Normally, I’d agree with you, Kurama.” Naruto said feeling uneasy. “But I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

            “What are you plotting over there?” Sasuke asked narrowing his eyes. Both the Mangekyō and Rinnegan were both activated. If Sasuke used any powerful jutsu right now, the whole village would be destroyed.

            “Nothing, Sasuke,” Naruto said frowning. “You’ve obviously ran into something and whatever it was is affecting your actions.”

            “If that’s what you want to believe,” Sasuke said rolling his eyes. “I will tell you that I’ve been busy the last couple of days. I’ve made a few friends and they’d like to play.” Just as he said this about twenty shinobi joined them inside the office. How had he not noticed them!? Naruto frantically thought as he pulled from Kurama’s chakra and braced himself. They also had the faint purple glow in their eyes. Is it a jutsu? Naruto’s ANBU guards came out of hiding and stood between him and the enemies.

            “Lord Seventh, what are your orders?” One of them asked urgently.

            “Evacuate everyone,” Naruto said calming his beating heart as he worked on trying to stay calm. He needed to be calm in order to think straight.

            “Sir!” A few of them said in surprise.

            “Don’t disobey your Hokage,” Sasuke said tantalizingly.

            “This is going to get messy, and I don’t want anyone to get hurt.” Naruto stated.

            “Understood,” the first one said nodding.

            “That goes for all of you,” Naruto said when they didn’t move. They gaped at Naruto but did as he said.

            “Are you sure that’s a good idea, Hokage-sama?” Sasuke asked when the guards left.

            “It’s for their safety.” Naruto said firmly. “Are you ready Kurama?”

            ‘I’ve been ready!’ Kurama yelled at him. ‘You’re slow brat!’

            “Get him!” Sasuke ordered.

            That’s how the ending of the world started. Due to Kurama’s and Naruto’s chakra, the center of the village got destroyed. Sasuke and his small, but powerful, army did not hold back. Naruto had never witnessed such a horrific fight, and he was in it! A lot of lives were lost as Sasuke unleashed his Amaterasu. It was brighter than usual, and that worried Naruto. He was doing his best to keep Sasuke and his men from harming the citizens, but it was hard. From what Naruto was told throughout the exhaustive battle, the people that survived were evacuated and headed for Suna. Konoha had fallen that day, due to the destruction. Naruto couldn’t understand why Sasuke had gone to such great lengths. He also wanted to know what was affecting his friend. For a whole two weeks, Sasuke held off his attacks and Naruto joined the rest of the remaining survivors in Suna. Naruto wasn’t sure why Sasuke held off his attacks, but he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

            “Naruto, what’s going on!?” Sakura asked once she found him. He was all battered and bruised from the fight.

            “I’m not sure yet,” Naruto said as she healed him. “Are Hinata and the kids safe?”

            “Yes, they’re with Hiashi-sama and Hana-san.” She assured him.

            “Sakura-chan… there’s something off about Sasuke,” Naruto stated, feeling relieved that his family was safe. She rolled her eyes. “His eyes had a faint purple glow.”

            “Purple?” Sakura asked surprised.

            “Yeah, and so did those other guys.” Naruto said sighing. “I’m wondering if he stumbled upon something to do with the Ōtsutsuki Clan and they did something to him.”

            “So, you’re saying he’s not in control of his actions,” Shikamaru said joining them.

            “Correct,” Naruto said nodding. Sakura finished healing him. “Thank you, Sakura-chan.”

            “You need to talk to the citizens,” Shikamaru told him.

            “I know,” Naruto said nodding. “Take me to them, please.” During the two weeks, Naruto confided his findings to Gaara, and the two Kage worked with Shikamaru, Temari, and Kankuro on trying to come up with a plan to at least put a stop to Sasuke and his men until they figured it out. Unfortunately, their moment of peace didn’t last as Sasuke and his men showed up in Suna. Naruto and Gaara reached out to the rest of the Kage, warning them of what was going on. More lives were lost that day, and Suna fell. All that remained of Suna and Konoha were the Shinobi and very few civilians. They found a cavernous mountain to hide in after three weeks of constant running. At that point, Naruto felt it was useless to fight Sasuke and his men with the way they were. Gaara agreed and suggested they played the waiting game. Eventually, Sasuke and his men were going to tire out. Hopefully.

            Everyone grew impatient and anxious, and a few even took their own lives. It tore at Naruto’s heart to witness it. The rest survived long enough to get to Iwa, where Kurotsuchi did her best to accommodate so many people. She demanded what happened after she received the letter, and Naruto didn’t hesitate to inform her of what’s been going on. She wasn’t happy about it, but she was confident that with the people and resources they had, they could put an end to Sasuke and his men’s reign of terror. They constructed a plan to stop Sasuke and started preparations. Iwa was going to be the Sasuke’s downfall, Kurotsuchi was sure of it. In the meantime, Naruto had been hearing rumors that Sasuke captured Orochimaru. “That can’t be good,” Shikamaru commented when Naruto told him.

            “You don’t think… you don’t think he’s after the Reanimation Jutsu, do you?” Naruto asked feeling sick.

            “It’s a possibility,” Shikamaru said sighing. “If that happens, we’re in big trouble. We don’t have enough resources to deal with that.”

            “I hope the Raikage and Mizukage will lend us their help.” Naruto said sighing. “I know I don’t have anything to worry about when it comes to that. I just hope it’s enough.”

            “You sent out a letter to them, right?” Shikamaru asked him.

            “I did,” Naruto said nodding. “They haven’t responded, and it’s been almost a week.” A month goes by before they hear anything about Sasuke again. He shows up in Iwa and boasts how the Mizukage and Raikage were both dead. Their villages, gone. Sasuke was growing more manic as time went on, Naruto noticed. A huge fight broke out and their plan was working until Sasuke surprised them with… you guessed it, an army of the undead. Naruto’s worst fears were happening. He lost his family and watched as several of his friends die one by one. Naruto felt like he was going mad with all the grief and helplessness he felt. Naruto knew that deep down, Sasuke didn’t want his family to die. But unfortunately, Sarada and Sakura were both killed by a few of the undead. It was tragic. Kurotsuchi and Gaara dying kicked Naruto into hyperdrive. He needed to escape, or he’d be next. He grabbed the person closest to him and ran. That person happened to be Kakashi.

            “Naruto, I need you to calm down.” Kakashi said sometime later after they’d found a place to hide temporarily. Naruto didn’t know what to do with himself. Kakashi took him by surprise and hugged him. “I said, you need to stay calm.”

            “I-I can’t,” Naruto said before all the sobs he’d been holding in just came out. Kakashi took it like a champ, and once Naruto had calmed down, the two moved on. Six years of running later, Naruto and Kakashi are the only remaining survivors. Over three quarters of the people they had for the big plan were massacred in cold blood. Those who were left had found Naruto and Kakashi. Eventually, they too were caught and interrogated by Sasuke. Naruto assumed Sasuke was after him, but he wasn’t sure why. If this really was tied to the Ōtsutsuki Clan, then were they after the remaining chakra of the tailed beasts?

            ‘It’s safe to say so,’ Kurama had told him. ‘Unfortunately, to escape being caught my siblings have taken refuge in your body.’

            ‘I know,’ Naruto said feeling exhausted. His chakra was all over the place. ‘But if it’ll keep them safe, I don’t mind.’

            “What’s going on in that head of yours?” Kakashi asked pulling Naruto out of his thoughts. Kakashi was badly injured, and Naruto did try to heal him, but his chakra was too crazy for him to actually do anything. The two were currently hiding in one of the many man-made caves that was carved into the earth by a few beast balls.

            “I don’t understand how this could’ve happened.” Naruto said miserably as he managed to get Kakashi’s side to stop bleeding with the first aid he’d learned from Sakura. Kakashi grunted. “I know he isn’t himself, but I don’t know how to undo it.”

            “We may never know how this came to be, but it doesn’t do any good to dwell on it, Naruto.” He told him, wincing as he tried to sit up properly. Naruto wordlessly helped him. “Hey, you couldn’t have seen any of this coming. So, don’t blame yourself for this.” Naruto gave him a hollow smile.

            “Yes, I could never have seen this coming. But that doesn’t make me feel any better, Sensei...” Naruto said sighing as he ran a hand through his hair. It had grown longer in the years he’d spent on the run from Sasuke and his men. It was like nothing affected them. It didn’t seem to matter if they didn’t eat or sleep, they never got tired. Naruto had witnessed all his precious people being killed by them. “He killed my family, and there wasn’t anything I could do to protect them. What kind of Hokage am I if I can’t even protect my family?”

            “You’re doing your best and that’s all anyone could ask for.” Kakashi said patting his shoulder.

            “I should’ve stayed with them.” Naruto whispered.

            “If you had done that, both of us would be dead by now.” Kakashi said sighing. “And I’m sure Kurama-san wouldn’t be happy if you let yourself be killed.”

            “No. It wouldn’t be fair to him or his siblings.” Naruto said feeling even worse than before. Kakashi grimaced.

            “I didn’t mean to make you feel worse.” He mumbled. Naruto snorted.

            “It’s good to know you still suck at comforting people, Sensei.” Naruto said with a chuckle.

            “Well, that’s never really been my thing. I always let others deal with it.” Kakashi said shrugging. “So, what’s the plan now?”

            “I don’t really have one.” Naruto said looking up at the cave ceiling.

            ‘I have one.’ Kurama spoke up. ‘Well, all of us have one.’

            “Kurama and the others have one, apparently.” Naruto informed Kakashi.

            “Go ahead and get the details. I’ll stand guard.” Kakashi said forcing himself to get up and failing.

            “Sensei, I can create clones.” Naruto said giving him a deadpanned expression. “Just sit down before you start bleeding again.” Kakashi grumbled and did as he was told as Naruto created two clones to keep an eye on the cave entrance. Luckily, he didn’t have trouble creating the clones. Naruto entered his mindscape that was now shared between him, Kurama, and the other tailed-beast siblings. It was a bit cramped, but everyone had enough room to move around.

            “So, what’s the plan?” Naruto asked curiously as he seated himself in front of them.

            “The old man taught us a seal that we’re only supposed to use as a last resort.” Kurama explained to him.

            “Okay, what does it do?” Naruto asked frowning. He wasn’t going to get upset at them for not telling him sooner.

            “It transfers your mind back in time to a younger version of yourself and depending on some calculations, you can pinpoint any time you think is necessary.” Kokuou explained.

            “So, you’re saying with the right calculations I could go back as far as I want?” Naruto asked surprised.

            “Yes, but as long as you don’t choose a time before you were born. If you do that, you’ll die.” Gyuuki said grimly.

            “Yeah, we wouldn’t want that.” Naruto said sighing.

            “We can give you the seal, but you’ll have to figure out what point in time you need to be in.” Matatabi said, curling her tails around her feet.

            “Will you all be able to come with me? And Kakashi Sensei, too?”

            “We might be able to come with you, but depending on what time you go to, your body won’t be able to handle all our chakra. Your body is barely dealing with it now.” Isobu explained.

            “And your sensei won’t be able to go with you.” Shukaku answered. “It can only take one person’s mind back.”

            “Oh...” Naruto said frowning.

            “Think about it, okay?” Son Goku told him. Naruto was surprised by how gentle he was being with him. Normally, he was much more boisterous and very prideful.

            “I will.” Naruto said nodding. He came out of his mindscape to find Kakashi was starting to nod off. “Get some sleep, Sensei.”

            “I will, if you will.” Kakashi said yawning. “What was their plan?”

            “They know a seal that will take my mind back in time to a younger version of myself. But you won’t be able to come with me.” Naruto said sadly.

            “Honestly, I’d just be dragging you down.” Kakashi told him very seriously.

            “No.” Naruto said shaking his head. “I wouldn’t have gotten this far without you, Sensei. I can’t... I can’t do this by myself.” Tears started to form in the blond’s eyes, and he couldn’t stop them from falling.

            “You won’t be by yourself.” Kakashi said reaching up and rubbing the tears away with his thumb. “You’ll have Kurama with you.”

            “Yeah, but... I need you, too, Sensei.” Naruto whispered.

            “If you do end up going back in time, I’ll still be there. I won’t be the same as I am now, but you can count on past me to be there for you.” Kakashi said confidently. Naruto sniffled and nodded.

            “Yeah, you’re right about that.” Naruto said with a smile.

            “Good. Now, have you figured out what time you want to go back to?” Kakashi asked him.

            “Um, I was thinking about going back to when I was three. It’s before Sasuke’s family gets massacred.” Naruto said thoughtfully. “Maybe, if I’m able to stop it from happening, then this won’t happen again. Matatabi said we had to do the calculations to get there.”

            “That’s okay, I’ll help you.” Kakashi said encouragingly. Naruto nodded. Soon, the two were working on a massive seal in the cave. Luckily, the cave floor was big enough and that Naruto had plenty of Sealing Ink with him. They did the calculations and Naruto filled in the empty spots in the seal with the correct information. He took in a deep breath and let it out once they were finished.

            “Sensei, thank you for everything.” Naruto told him, looking away from their hard work.

            “What can I say? I don’t want to disappoint Minato Sensei when I see him again.” Kakashi said sounding sheepish. Naruto hugged him. He didn’t usually because he knew the silver-haired ninja was leery of physical contact. But this was the last time Naruto would be able to see this Kakashi. Kakashi hesitantly returned the hug. “Everyone would be proud of you right now.”

            “Would they?” Naruto asked, his face buried into his sensei’s shoulder. “I feel like I’m running away.”

            “But you’re not. You’re going back so this doesn’t happen. You haven’t given up on us and they’ll know that.” Kakashi said sternly. “You’re still the Hokage of Konoha.”

            “I don’t feel like one.” Naruto admitted as he pulled out of the hug.

            “Maybe not right now. But this is part of being a Hokage. It’s not meant to be easy.” Kakashi told him.

            “I know. I just wish it didn’t have to come to this.” Naruto said with a grimace.

            “We all wish that. Now, get going.” Kakashi said pushing him towards the seal. “I think Sasuke may have found us.”

            “But-“

            “No buts. Now get going or we’ll lose our chance at reversing all this.” Kakashi said scowling at him. Naruto technically couldn’t see his sensei scowling at him, but by his tone of voice, he could tell. It was funny. When he’d first met the man, he had no idea what he was thinking unless he outright said it. But now, Naruto could tell what he was thinking so easily.

            “Okay. The next time we meet, I hope it won’t be like this.” Naruto told him. Kakashi just patted him on the back. Naruto approached the seal and took in a deep breath. He let it out slowly before bending down to ground level. He pulled out a kunai and sliced his palm. His hand hovered over the seal for a few seconds before he rested it on the seal. The seal glowed blue and soon, Naruto was being whipped away into darkness.

Chapter Text

            When Naruto came to, he was very confused. He was lying in the middle of a forest, but it felt familiar to him. So, that meant he was at least in Konoha. He couldn’t remember why he’d be in a forest and not in his apartment. The old man gave him the apartment the moment he turned three. Naruto sat up from where he was laying and looked around. Oh. He thought as he noticed a shabby tree fort, lined with leaves not far from him. There was a small campfire just to his left. The fire had gone out and there were several small pots and pans scattered around him. That’s right. He took refuge in the forest after some kids started attacking him as soon as he’d left the apartment. Naruto noticed his ANBU guards. There were two of them and one felt very familiar. It was Kakashi. Naruto couldn’t help but start crying. He left his sensei to die to those monsters! How could he do such a thing? ‘Kit, calm down!’ Kurama told him sternly. Naruto sniffled as he got his emotions in check. ‘It seems you don’t have to find that Toad Sage to release me.’

            “That’s good...” Naruto whispered. He didn’t feel like he was able to speak yet.

            ‘And don’t respond to me out loud. Your guards will think something’s up.’ Kurama admonished him.

            ‘Sorry...’ Naruto mumbled in his mind. Naruto hugged his knees to his chest.

            ‘I’m assuming you hit your mark.’ Kurama stated after a few minutes of silence. Naruto was still in shock. Naruto forced himself to get up and go find the nearest water stream. It wasn’t too far off, and he looked down at his reflection.

            ‘Yeah, I look like a three-year-old.’ Naruto told him. ‘Who should I contact first?’

            ‘Right now, you should focus on gathering information.’ Kurama said, sounding a bit irritated.

            ‘Sorry, I’m not thinking clearly.’ Naruto apologized.

            ‘Don’t be sorry. You just went through six years of trauma added on top of what you went through before that. I don’t expect you to be able to think clearly after that.’ Kurama said sympathetically. ‘Listen, Kit. We’re on our own right now. So, you have to watch your back. Do you understand me?’

            ‘Yeah, I’ll try my best Kurama.’ Naruto said feeling determined. He had a mission, and his goal was to prevent everything that he just left. And it was up to him to succeed.

            ‘Good. Now let’s check out the village.’ Kurama told him hesitantly. ‘Just take baby steps, okay? If it gets to be too much, leave as soon as you can.’

            ‘Okay.’ Naruto thought hoping that wouldn’t be the case, but he knew it would be. His traumatized brain will make it worse than it actually is. Naruto was fully aware of his guards watching him. Normally, they didn’t pay too much attention to him, but he’s thrown them off already. He’d have to be more careful from now on. It would be better if they weren’t there, but that won’t happen until after he’s made a genin. Naruto took in a deep breath and let it out before making his way into the village. He made sure none of those asshole kids were around when he emerged from the forest. He wondered whatever happened to those kids. He hadn’t seen any of them since the day he was put on Team 7. Oh well. It wasn’t his problem to worry about. He heard children laughing and immediately hid himself. He had to force himself not to hide his presence all together, because that would definitely set off his guards. He knew that once Kakashi was curious about something, he wouldn’t leave it alone until he figured it out. Naruto wanted to reach out to him now, though. He missed him and his precious people. He missed Hinata, Boruto, and Himawari, too. But if he thought too much about them, he’d end up being an emotional mess.

            He couldn’t risk that right now. He needed to figure out what the time was and what day it was. The kids passed on and Naruto allowed himself to relax a little. He came out of his hiding spot and continued his way into the main part of the village. He stopped by his apartment to check the calendar. It’s 9 am on a Tuesday. And judging from the year, Naruto had five years to make sure Itachi doesn’t get caught up in Danzo’s plan and to stop the Uchiha from planning a coup de tat against Konoha. That was going to require a lot of hard work that Naruto wasn’t sure he’d be able to pull off on his own. But he’d have to. It was the only way. Naruto checked to make sure it was safe before leaving his apartment. His apartment was trashed and if Naruto remembered correctly, it was those asshole kids who did it. They blitzed him the moment he came out the door and pushed their way into the apartment. For the next thirty minutes, Naruto was being held by two kids as the others trashed his apartment. At the time, Naruto had been really upset about it. But that was a distant memory to Naruto. He couldn’t remember exactly how many days it had been since then or whether he should still be upset about it or not. Oh well. He spent a few good minutes in his apartment, just trying to wrap his mind around the situation he was in. It was so crazy, but it was happening. Naruto was going to leave his apartment again, but his emotions took control of him, and he just bawled his eyes out. Despite having Kurama, he felt so lonely, and it’s been years since he’s felt like this. When he calmed himself down, he got himself back on task.

            Naruto moved on from his apartment and entered the village with great caution. He didn’t need those kids finding him right away and it was bad enough the adults were glaring at him. Naruto sucked in some air as fear started to take over his body. No, he couldn’t do this right now. He needed to overcome it so that he could move on. He let out a shaky breath and took in another deep breath. He closed his eyes and managed to center himself again. But only barely. Naruto rushed off, still making sure those asshole kids weren’t anywhere nearby. He should gather information from the ninja around here. That would be less suspicious than if he had gone straight to the Uchiha compound. Naruto made it seem like he was lost when he stumbled across two gossiping chuunin. “Did you hear? Danzo-sama got really upset during the last meeting with Hokage-sama and the Council.” One had said in a hushed voice.

            “No, what happened?” The other asked surprised.

            “Apparently, he was proposing to move the Uchiha even further outside of the village. But Hokage-sama told him that wasn’t a good idea.” The first one said, eagerly. “And the Council agreed with him!”

            “Oh, Danzo-sama must be pissed.” The second one snickered. Naruto hurried off before they noticed him. So, Danzo was trying to move the Uchiha further away. That would only cause a bigger rift between the clan and the rest of the village. Naruto frowned. It’s a good thing the old man shut him down. That would’ve made Naruto’s job that much harder. Naruto spent the rest of the morning and up until the late afternoon gathering information. His guards had switched out already and Naruto was now making his way back to his make-shift home in the forest. He was hungry and that meant he had to fish for his food. He should’ve thought to do it earlier when he had more sunlight, but he was focused on gathering information. By the time the sun had set, and it was well on its way to nighttime, Naruto managed to catch two fish and cook them. He wondered what Kakashi had said to his new guards before he left. Oh well. Naruto did his best to make it seem like he hadn’t changed; at least visibly. He ate his dinner and contemplated on whether he should try to sleep or not. He knew his dreams were going to be plagued by nightmares, but he supposed it was better to get some sleep, rather than no sleep.

            With that, Naruto crawled into his makeshift bed and tried to sleep. Sleep evaded him for several hours and then he was fighting his eye lids, to which he lost the fight. The nightmares hit him hard and fast. He kept reliving his family being killed over and over again. And just when Naruto thought it was going to end, his nightmares switched over to his precious friends being killed over and over again. Naruto woke several times during the night, and when he fell asleep again, his nightmares continued. Naruto woke to the sun shining in his face. He managed to get an hour’s worth of sleep and he was feeling it. Not getting enough sleep was taking a toll on his three-year-old body already. That wasn’t good. Naruto thought as he took a bath in the river and then turned around to do some fishing for his breakfast while his clothes (which he managed to get most of the gunk out of them) hung to dry. After his breakfast, his clothes were dry enough to put back on. He heard someone approaching him and he froze. “Naruto-kun? Is that you?” It was the old man. Naruto relaxed some.

            “Jiji...” Naruto greeted him with a smile. He wasn’t expecting to meet him so soon.          

            “What are you doing out here all by yourself?” The old man asked him.

            “Some kids have been giving me trouble.” Naruto admitted. “They trashed my apartment, Jiji.”

            “I see.” The old man said thoughtfully. “I’ll have to speak with them. So, you’ve been staying out here?”

            “Yes. I like it out here.” Naruto said smiling.

            “I’ve heard you’ve been walking around the village and stopping every once in a while, to look around.” Jiji said, sounding concerned.

            “I’m just trying to avoid those kids.” Naruto said shrugging.

            “Okay. I was just checking to make sure you were okay.” Jiji said smiling at him. “Oh, and here’s your weekly allowance.”

            “Thank you, Jiji!” Naruto said as brightly as he could.

            “You’re welcome.” Jiji said chuckling. He patted Naruto gently on the head before giving him the money. He was going to save up his money for better gear while the rest went to food and whatever essentials he needed. “Instead of staying out here, why don’t you stay with Shikaku Nara-sama and his family? Shikaku-sama said he wouldn’t mind taking you in if you’re up to it?” This had never happened before. Naruto thought surprised. He scrunched up his nose, as he would’ve done at the age of three.

            “Who’s that?” Naruto asked, tilting his head to the side.

            “Oh, I guess you wouldn’t know him yet.” Jiji said smiling. “He’s the Jōnin Commander and he has a son who is around your age. They’re a very trustworthy family.”

            “They won’t... they won’t get mad if I play with him?” Naruto asked worriedly. He was always worried about that at a young age. Several kids would play with him without knowing that their parents didn’t want anything to do with him. And then the next day, the kids wouldn’t want anything to do with him either. It had hurt him a lot and that’s what made him so distrustful of adults and kids alike. If not for that, Naruto felt like he’d been friends with Shikamaru a lot sooner than before. So, Jiji couldn’t blame him for asking.

            “No.” Jiji said surprised. Guilt passed through his eyes before he smiled. “Of course, not. Shikaku-sama, his wife Yoshino-san, and his son Shikamaru-kun are very nice people.”

            “I hope so.” Naruto mumbled.

            “If you have any problems, you can always come to me.” Jiji told him.

            “But you’re always busy...” Naruto pointed out.

            “Okay, how about this. I’ll come visit once a week to check on things. And if you want, we can have a private chat and you can tell me if anything happens.”  Jiji suggested. This whole thing could be a problem later on down the road, but it would be nice to have a place to sleep and have food to eat without having to worry about those kids or anyone else trying to make his life harder. Also, it might help him meet Sasuke sooner too. Naruto still wasn’t sure what happened to Sasuke. Naruto hoped that by stopping the Uchiha Massacre, it might stop the outcome from happening all together. If not, at least he saved Itachi-san the grief.

            “Okay.” Naruto said after much deliberation. He wasn’t sure how to interact with Shikamaru at this age, but he was going to try. He was sure that even though Shikamaru was smart at this age, there still weren’t a lot of things he knew. He had to keep that in mind. Naruto also had to keep in mind that HE shouldn’t know the things he does know; especially as a three-year-old.

Chapter Text

            Naruto wasn’t sure what he was going to do once he got to the Jōnin Commander’s home. What did he do that made a change this drastic already? Was it because he accidentally set off Kakashi and the other ANBU guard yesterday? Whatever the reason, Naruto wasn’t really sure where to go from here. ‘We’ll have to be careful.’ Kurama told him.

            ‘How are you holding up, Kurama? I forgot to ask.’ Naruto asked him.

            ‘I’m not the one with a traumatized brain.’ Kurama said snorting.

            ‘Good point.’ Naruto said mentally chuckling.

            “We’re here.” Jiji said pulling Naruto out of his thoughts. Naruto looked around at the familiar Nara Estate. He’d spent a lot of time there before he became Hokage. It was when Boruto was still a toddler. He enjoyed playing with Shikadai out in the back garden. The two kids would play ‘chase the shadow’ whenever Shikamaru happened to have that day off. He thought maybe Shikamaru told him that his dad used to do that for him, Ino, and Chōji when they were that age. Naruto followed the old man up the walk way and tried waiting impatiently like he would’ve done at that age as Jiji rang the doorbell. Naruto wasn’t sure he could handle this. He thought as he heard footsteps approaching the door. What if he has a mental break down in the middle of the entrance just because he saw Shikaku-san and his family?

            ‘Calm down, Kit. You’re going to hyperventilate.’ Kurama told him. Naruto could feel small tendrils of chakra, which Naruto thought maybe was Kurama’s tails, envelope his mind and it was comforting. Naruto calmed down almost immediately. He was still anxious about seeing the Nara’s alive and well. There wasn’t anything Naruto could’ve done to save any of his people. It made him feel powerless. ‘Stop thinking about that for right now. Wait until you’re alone.’ Naruto got himself together just as Yoshino-san opened the door.

            “Oh, Hokage-sama. It’s good to see you. Come in!” She said smiling at him. “And this must be Naruto-kun.” She smiled down at Naruto, which threw Naruto off. He knew it shouldn’t because she’d always been nice to him. But he supposed that was good for three-year-old Naruto since no one was ever really nice to three-year-old Naruto. They treated him like a monster; like he didn’t belong there. He always wondered what would’ve happened if he just up and left the village after deciding he didn’t want to be treated like a monster by them anymore. ‘Don’t do that, Kit. You’ll only make our job harder.’ Kurama said, and Naruto could hear the scowl in his voice.

            ‘Don’t worry, Kurama. I won’t.’ Naruto said mentally chuckling.

            “My name is Yoshino.” She said when Naruto didn’t reply to her.

            “Hi.” Naruto said smiling shyly at her. She moved over and let Jiji and Naruto into the house.

            “Shikaku and Shikamaru are out in the back garden. They’ve been playing shogi all morning.” Yoshino-san said shaking her head. They entered the back garden and both pineapple heads were sitting under a large tree playing shogi. “Shikaku, Hokage-sama and Naruto-kun are here.”

            “Oh,” Shikaku-san said in surprise. “I’m sorry Shikamaru. We’ll have to continue this game later.”

            “Fine...” Shikamaru grumbled. Naruto had to keep himself from smiling. That was such a Shikamaru thing to do. He always hated being interrupted during a game of Shogi.

            “Is this a bad time, Shikaku?” Jiji asked him amused.

            “No. I just wasn’t expecting you so soon.” Shikaku-san said smiling sheepishly. It was strange to see the man like that to Naruto. Every time he had to talk to Shikaku-san, it was usually because the situation was dire. So, the Jōnin Commander always had a serious look on his face. Naruto had a feeling he’d be seeing the more relaxed version of Shikaku-san more often this time around. He was glad because he felt bad that he only got to see Shikaku-san when it was during a terrible time. Naruto immediately felt Shikamaru’s gaze and it seemed the pineapple head was curious about him. “Shikamaru, from today on, Naruto-kun will be staying with us.” Shikamaru didn’t say anything for a few minutes. Naruto looked down at the ground. Maybe he was too hopeful in believing that he and Shikamaru could be friends a lot sooner than before.

            “Do you know how to play Shogi?” Shikamaru said surprising everyone. Naruto looked at him and shook his head. “Dad, can we teach him?”

            “Of course.” Shikaku-san said chuckling. “But you need to remember, not everyone enjoys Shogi as much as you do.” Shikamaru nodded. Naruto smiled. He was glad that Shikamaru was willing to give him a chance. He needed to figure how he was going to approach the Uchiha, but he supposed it was fine to leave it for tomorrow. Naruto had a feeling he wasn’t going to be able to make plans with Kurama the rest of the day. Shikamaru had found someone new to figure out and wouldn’t rest until he succeeded.

            “I’ll go prepare your room.” Yoshino-san said smiling before going back into the house. Naruto was struggling not to just start crying as Shikamaru grabbed his hand and led him over to the shogi board. Shikaku-san and Jiji stepped away to have a private conversation. Naruto listened intently as Shikamaru told him the names of all the pieces. Naruto already knew the names, though. His Shikamaru had already taught him how to play shogi. Naruto was crap at it, but apparently, he was a better player than any of the other jōnin he roped into playing him. Naruto suddenly heard a bunch of yelling. He frowned and rushed to the front where the shouting was more distinct. The garden wall stopped him from going any further, but there was a small crack that Naruto could see through. Shikamaru followed after him.

            “We know that monster is in there!” The voice was from a kid. It’s those kids!

            “Yeah, make him come out!” Another kid yelled. The rest of the group shouted out their agreement.

            “What’s going on out here?” Shikaku-san said as he stepped outside.

            “We want that monster!” The first kid yelled. Shikamaru grabbed Naruto’s shoulder and squeezed it. Naruto looked at him in surprise.

            “Let my dad take care of those kids.” Shikamaru told him and Naruto actually cried this time. “Come on.” Shikamaru led him back to the shogi board. He awkwardly patted Naruto’s back and Naruto wanted to laugh. It was such a Shikamaru thing to do. Naruto finally calmed himself down and wiped his tears away with his shirt. “You’re not a monster, Naruto. Those kids are just being jerks.”

            “T-Thanks...” Naruto said sniffling. Yoshino-san came back out into the garden looking worried.

            “Naruto-kun, are you okay?” She asked bending down to his level. Naruto nodded. She hesitated a little before hugging him. Naruto froze in surprise. He wasn’t used to being hugged by a mother figure. He had plenty of hugs from Tsunade Baa-chan, but that was different. She was more like a grandmother, which he never told her because he was afraid for his life. She was very touchy about her age. Shikaku-san and Jiji came back after a few more minutes; both had frowns on their faces.

            “Naruto-kun, were those the kids that have been giving you trouble?” Jiji asked him.

            “Yeah.” Naruto said nodding.

            “I’ll get in touch with their parents then.” Jiji said thoughtfully.

            “Lunch is about ready. Hokage-sama, will you be joining us?” Yoshino-san asked him.

            “Oh, you know I’d love to, Yoshino-san. But I have to get back to work.” Jiji said chuckling. “The paperwork doesn’t do itself no matter how many times I will it to.”

            “Don’t be a stranger and come visit Naruto-kun as often as you can.” Yoshino-san said smiling at him.

            “Of course. Naruto-kun, remember what I told you earlier, okay?” Jiji said to Naruto.

            “Okay.” Naruto said, and he watched Jiji leave the Nara Estate.

            “Boys, go get cleaned up.” Yoshino-san said turning to Naruto and Shikamaru.

            “Okay, Mom.” Shikamaru told her. He looked at Naruto and said, “Follow me.” Naruto nodded and followed him as he led Naruto back into the house. “How long have those kids been giving you problems?” Naruto was a bit surprised by the question. How long had it been?

            “A few months or so....” Naruto answered not entirely sure. One day they just showed up and started giving him trouble and he couldn’t really remember a time when they didn’t. They didn’t stop, even throughout his years spent in the academy. They weren’t as terrible to him during those years, but they still gave him trouble. “They just showed up and started to randomly do all kinds of mean things.”

            “And you didn’t say anything sooner?” Shikamaru asked him, his eyes wide.

            “Well, I don’t really have anyone to tell.” Naruto said feeling awkward. He hadn’t admitted any of this stuff to his friends before. Well, they never really asked, and it never came up, so Naruto supposed that was the reason. “And I don’t want to bother Jiji because I know how busy he is.”

            “Well, that’s stupid.” Shikamaru said frowning.

            “How do you mean?” Naruto asked him.

            “It’s stupid that old man Hokage hasn’t tried harder to make sure you’re okay.” Shikamaru said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I mean, you’re my age and you were living on your own. Where did you go when those kids wouldn’t leave you alone?”

            “Well, they pretty much chased me out of my apartment... So, I’ve been hiding out in the forest.” Naruto answered shrugging. He was happy that Shikamaru thought so much of him already after only having just met.

            “You must’ve been pretty lonely.” Shikamaru said softly after a few minutes of silence. They had just reached the bathroom and started washing their hands and faces.

            “I’m used it to it.” Naruto said shrugging. He wasn’t ready to admit that he was lonely out loud. He didn’t want to burden his friend who is only a few months older than him. Shikamaru just frowned in thought and there was silence between the two of them as they made their way back to kitchen. Yoshino-san had lunch set out on the table and Shikaku-san was sitting there looking at some documents, the file sitting on the table not too far away.

            “No work at the table.” Yoshino-san said scowling at him.

            “Sorry, sorry.” Shikaku-san said smiling sheepishly as he put the documents in the folder and storing it into what seemed to be a simple storage seal. “Is everything okay, boys?” Shikaku-san seemed to have noticed the somber atmosphere between Naruto and Shikamaru.

            “Yeah.” Shikamaru answered as he took a seat at the table. Naruto sat down next to him. “Did you know Naruto has been sleeping in the forest up ‘til now?”

            “Oh my.” Yoshino-san said in surprise. “What did you do for food?”

            “Jiji taught me how to fish one time.” Naruto answered her with a smile. “I like fishing and camping out in the forest.”

            “You didn’t have any trouble with any wild animals?” Shikaku-san asked curiously.

            “No. But I think the shadows have something to do with that.” Naruto answered absentmindedly as he looked at the food in front of him. He’d been eating nothing but fish for the past few months in this timeline and he hadn’t eaten anything at all in the old timeline, so the food in front of him looked amazing. He didn’t mis the surprised look that Shikaku-san and Yoshino-san shared. “Ittadakimasu!” Naruto took a bite of the food and nearly melted at how good it tasted. Home cooked meals definitely tasted better. Naruto couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a home cooked meal by Hinata. The thought nearly made him lose his appetite. He’ll have to deal with the emotions he’s been trying to keep a lid on all day later tonight. Hopefully, he won’t wake anyone up.

Chapter Text

            Over the next few weeks, Naruto finds himself distancing himself from the Nara family. He didn’t feel like he belonged there, and, in a sense, he felt like a burden to them. Ever since he arrived, kids and adults alike have been coming to the house and harassing them. He came here to fix the future, but it seems by coming back, he’s made things worse for everyone around him. Shikamaru, poor kid, was trying his hardest to include Naruto into everything he did. And Naruto appreciated it, he really did. This was one of the reasons why Naruto liked Shikamaru so much. Shikamaru, once he found out, always did his best to cheer you up and make sure you felt like you belonged. Even though Shikamaru put so much effort into involving Naruto in everything, Naruto still felt like he didn’t belong there. And he didn’t; he really didn’t. He was a time traveler and he didn’t belong here. Naruto had his chance to go out and gather more information one day when Shikamaru had to do some training with Chōji and Ino over with Ino’s dad. Shikaku-san had to work, and Yoshino-san was busy consoling another clan member, who seemed to be upset over something. So, Naruto took the chance to sneak out for a few hours since he knew she’d be busy.

            He didn’t feel his usual amount of shadows, but there was one; Kakashi. Naruto knew he was probably making the copycat ninja more curious by sneaking out like this, but he had to. He’ll have to be vigilant, too, and watch out for any villagers who decide to mess with him. Ugh, moving around at this age now is harder than he remembered. Yeah, he went through some shit when he was this age, but it seemed worse this time around. ‘Be careful, Kit. There’s some brats coming your way.’ Kurama warned him.

            ‘Thanks, Kurama.’ Naruto told him appreciatively. If he wasn’t so young, he’d jump to the rooftops to avoid them. So, instead, Naruto ducked into an alleyway, hoping they didn’t notice him. The kids stopped in front of the alleyway, looking around confusedly. “Where did he go?” One of them asked frowning.

            “I don’t know. I saw him coming this way.” Another kid said, grimacing as the others glared at him.

            “Whatever, let’s go.” A third one said sighing. Soon, the kids moved on and Naruto waited a good ten minutes before leaving the alleyway. He didn’t see them in sight and sighed in relief. Naruto decided to go to his old apartment. He was going to scavenge it and see if he can find anything useful. He didn’t think so, but it didn’t hurt to check. Also, he could pass by where Sasuke likes to spend time when Itachi is busy with school or his ANBU work. Sasuke was there and it looked like he was watching clouds. Naruto thought about going over and introducing himself, but he could feel the presence of Itachi coming towards Sasuke. So, Naruto moved on. Naruto had an idea of how protective Itachi was of his little brother and he wasn’t sure how he viewed Naruto at this time. Naruto didn’t want Itachi to think of him as a monster, but if he felt that way, then there wasn’t anything he could do about that right now.

            Itachi actually came from the direction Naruto was going in and nodded at Naruto. Naruto looked at him surprised before giving him a sheepish smile. He continued walking though because he was pretty sure that meant that Naruto shouldn’t go anywhere near Sasuke. It hurt that Itachi, the most devoted guy to Konoha and Sasuke, didn’t want Naruto anywhere near his family. Naruto thought if he could bond a little with Itachi, then Itachi won’t want to kill off his clan. Or at the very least, go to Jiji about it before blindly following Danzo’s orders. Just as Naruto passed Itachi, though, he felt someone put a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at the elder Uchiha in surprise. “C-Can I help you?” Naruto asked, feeling nervous. He wasn’t expecting this at all.

            “I thought you were staying with Shikaku-sama and his family.” Itachi told him bluntly.

            “Yeah, I am. But, uh, who are you?” Naruto asked him, frowning. He didn’t want the elder Uchiha to know that he already knew who he was.

            “I am Itachi Uchiha and that boy you were looking at just now is my brother, Sasuke.” Itachi introduced. Naruto knew that this wasn’t supposed to be a pleasant chat. Itachi was definitely acting cold towards him.

            “Oh. Nice to meet you, I guess.” Naruto said awkwardly. “I-I have to go. Could you please let go of me?”

            “Yes, of course.” Itachi said letting go of Naruto’s shoulder. “You should stop by the Uchiha compound sometime.”

            “Eh?” Naruto said surprised. Was he hearing him, right?

            “I think you and Sasuke will get along.” Itachi said with a warm smile on his face. Naruto only saw that smile when Itachi was referring to Sasuke. And that happened one time.

            “Are you sure...?” Naruto asked frowning again. “Everyone thinks I’m a monster for some reason...”

            “I’m very sure.” Itachi said resolutely.

            “Okay...” Naruto said, the feeling of hurt he had earlier melting away. Itachi was so kind. Why had Naruto never noticed that before? It was probably because Itachi had spent a lot of time chasing after him and nearly killed him a few times. “Oh, um, my name is Naruto Uzumaki.”

            “It’s nice to meet you, Naruto-kun. I’ll ask my mother to set up a date and time with Yoshino-san.” Itachi said thoughtfully. He seemed relieved that I agreed to go. “I’m hoping during that time my father is working.” Naruto hoped so, too. Fugaku Uchiha didn’t like Naruto at all. Naruto only had a few run-ins with the man when he was this age and they never ended well for Naruto. He could only imagine how much worse it would be now. “You should hear something within the next couple of days.”

            “Okay.” Naruto said nodding.

            “I must go to my brother now.” Itachi said, looking over at Sasuke. Sasuke was now staring at the two of them.

            “Right. Talk to you later, I suppose.” Naruto said giving him a hesitant smile.

            “Yes.” Itachi said before walking over to Sasuke. Naruto hadn’t realized how mature Itachi was at this age. Naruto thought he was almost 8 by now. So, that meant he was in school right now. Naruto knew for a fact that he was going to graduate as a top genin and go onto being in the ANBU when Naruto and Sasuke finally started at the academy. Naruto thought as he continued walking to his apartment. Naruto hoped he was able to avoid the Uchiha Massacre. At his apartment, he noticed that the door was barely hanging on its hinges. Naruto rolled his eyes and went inside. As he suspected, the whole place was a mess. Everything was broken, and the smell of rotten food filled his nose. Naruto grimaced and made his way to his bedroom. It strongly smelled of pee and dried vomit for some reason. The pee he could understand, because he was pretty sure the kids peed on his stuff. He just didn’t know where the vomit came from. Naruto went into his closet and didn’t find anything useful whatsoever. He could’ve sworn he had some books in here when he moved here at first. Did he throw them out? Or did those kids take and destroy them? Either option could’ve happened.

            Frustrated, Naruto sighed. Well, coming here wasn’t a complete waste. He decided as he left the apartment. He didn’t look back at it either. He at least got to meet Itachi and plans to meet Sasuke were going to be made. That helped Naruto a lot. Now it won’t be so weird if Naruto went to the Uchiha compound. The only thing Naruto was worried about was the reactions of the other Uchiha there. They were blamed for Kurama attacking the village by Danzo and were pretty much exiled from the village because of Danzo. Well, an Uchiha did attack the village, but that Uchiha is supposedly dead right now. Naruto wished there was some way to save Obito from himself this early on, but he knew that was impossible. He just wanted to do right by Kakashi. Speaking of Kakashi, he’d been paying more attention to Naruto since Naruto’s encounter with Itachi. Kakashi was definitely curious about Naruto and possibly Itachi? Naruto was curious about Itachi, too. He didn’t know Itachi before the massacre that well, but to Naruto, Itachi was acting a little out of character. He didn’t know if that was how Itachi had always been or if it was new behavior, but it made Naruto feel unsettled for some reason.

            Naruto made it back to the Nara estate without incident. He found Yoshino-san looking around in the living room. “Yoshino-san, what are you looking for?” Naruto asked her curiously. She turned around in surprised and then heaved a sigh of relief.

            “Where have you been, Naruto-kun? I’ve been searching for you everywhere!” She said scowling at him.

            “O-Oh... I’m sorry, Yoshino-san.” Naruto said feeling guilty for worrying the woman. “I just went out for a walk around the village, I promise.”

            “Let me know next time, okay?” She said, smiling.

            “Okay, I will.” Naruto said nodding.

            “Good. It’s about lunch time, do you want to eat now?” She asked him.

            “Yes!” Naruto said brightly. He hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast, which is normal. But Naruto didn’t eat as much as he wanted because he was trying to be respectful of Shikamaru, Shikaku-san, and Yoshino-san. She chuckled.

            “Go wash up then. I’ll have it ready in thirty minutes.” She told him.

            “Okay!” Naruto said before finding the bathroom. He still felt like a burden, but he couldn’t say no to food.

            ‘I’m surprised those Uchiha bastards didn’t think of that.’ Kurama said snorting.

            ‘Don’t even say that, Kurama.’ Naruto said with a shudder. ‘Besides, I wouldn’t have surrendered myself even if they dangled food in front of me.’

            ‘You keep telling yourself that, Kit.’ Kurama said, rolling his eyes. Naruto pouted.

            ‘I’m not that bad.’ Naruto said with a sigh. ‘I can imagine that happening to Chōji though.’ Kurama snorted but didn’t say anything. Naruto went to his room to wait for lunch. He didn’t have much to do here, not that he had much to do when he was out in the forest or at his apartment. But it felt different since he’s in someone else’s house. This house will never feel truly like his home, Naruto thought. At least for as long as he still felt like a burden and that he didn’t belong here.

            Later that night, Shikaku-san and Shikamaru had come home an hour ago and Yoshino-san was just finishing up dinner. Shikaku-san was asking Shikamaru about his training, to which Shikamaru acted as if it was so troublesome. But to Naruto’s trained eye, he could tell Shikamaru enjoyed it a lot. “What did you do today, Naruto-kun?” Shikaku-san asked him.

            “Mm, not much. I went for a walk though,” Naruto said shrugging.

            “You didn’t have any trouble, did you?” Shikamaru asked him worriedly.

            “No. I avoided those kids.” Naruto answered, feeling happy that Shikamaru cared for his well-being. “I met someone today though.”

            “Oh, what’s their name?” Shikaku-san asked curiously.

            “He said his name is Itachi Uchiha. He invited me over to his home.” Naruto told them, deciding it would be better to bring it up himself. “He said his brother, Sasuke, and I would get a long well.” Naruto rambled on when neither of the Naras said anything. “Can I?”

            “Let me talk to Mikoto-san first, Naruto-kun.” Yoshino-san said smiling. “I’m sure we can arrange something.”

            “Okay!” Naruto said excitedly. He was ready to get things started. Plus, he was getting bored with nothing to do. He was the kind of person who preferred taking action over waiting, but he knew he couldn’t do that. Not with how delicate the situation was. So, he was starting to feel antsy and that wasn’t a good thing. Maybe now that he can meet Sasuke, he’ll be able to focus all his energy on bonding with him, Itachi, and the rest of the Rookie 9. He, of course, still had bad feelings about what Sasuke had done, but he wasn’t going to hold that over this Sasuke’s head. Naruto just hoped that once he does get close to Sasuke, that Sasuke won’t betray him a third time. He didn’t know what he’d do if that happened again.

Chapter Text

            Several days go by and Naruto is on his way to the Uchiha compound. Yoshino-san got with Itachi’s mom and made arrangements for Naruto to visit them. Itachi was waiting for him at the entrance. There were two guards at either side of the entrance and Itachi was waiting a little way away from the entrance. “Naruto-kun, it’s good to see you made it without any trouble.” Itachi said with a half-smile.

            “Yes.” Naruto said, feeling nervous.

            “My father is at work right now, so you don’t have to worry about him.” Itachi assured him.

            “How did you know I was worried about him?” Naruto asked him surprised.

            “Because I’ve witnessed how he speaks about you and he mentioned a time when he ran into you.” Itachi explained as he led Naruto into the compound.

            “Oh.” Naruto mumbled. He honestly didn’t remember what happened between him and Sasuke’s dad. He just knew Fugaku Uchiha didn’t like him and treated him awfully. “That’s good...”

            “Did I bring up bad memories?” Itachi asked, surprising Naruto.

            “Uh, not really...” Naruto said, not really sure how he should act around Itachi. He was sure his actual three-year-old self wouldn’t know how to act around him either.

            “I’m glad. Come this way.” Itachi said leading him to a specific home. Naruto noticed a lot of Uchiha members walking around and heard kids running and laughing. It was really different and something Naruto wasn’t used to seeing in this area. Hopefully, Naruto will be able to preserve all this and in return put a stop to the future he’d left.

            “Itachi-san?” Naruto said thoughtfully.

            “Yes, Naruto-kun?” Itachi said looking at him.

            “Why do you think your brother and I will get along?” Naruto asked him. “I’ve never had anyone to... play with or talk to... so, how am I supposed to know if I’m doing and saying the right thing?”

            “Hm...” Itachi said thoughtfully. “I’m not really sure myself. I only know that Sasuke is very curious about who you are. Especially after we met the other day.”

            “Oh.” Naruto said not expecting that. Naruto, at this point in time, hadn’t met Sasuke yet. He didn’t start actually talking to Sasuke until after the Uchiha were massacred. He’d only seen Sasuke from afar and couldn’t work up the courage to talk to him. Naruto was afraid Sasuke would be like the other kids. They’d play with him one day and have a lot of fun, but then the next day, they’d treat him like crap and do their best to avoid him. Also, now that Naruto had a chance to change the future, he still wasn’t exactly sure how to act around Sasuke. Not after what Sasuke had done to him. Yes, that was a different version of Sasuke, but he was still Sasuke.

            “I’m home!” Itachi called out as the two of them entered the home.

            “Welcome back! Is Naruto-kun with you?” A woman asked as she peeked around the corner. She must be Mikoto-san, Naruto thought as he took his shoes off.

            “Yes,” Naruto answered her with a hesitant smile.

            “Welcome, Naruto-kun.” She said with a big smile. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Itachi’s and Sasuke’s mom, Mikoto.”

            “It’s nice to meet you, Mikoto-san.” Naruto greeted her shyly. He knew Mikoto-san and his mom were best friends. So, he hoped he would be able to hear some stories about his mom from Mikoto-san.

            “Have you had lunch yet?” She asked him. Naruto shook his head. “Good, it’s almost ready! Sasuke is waiting in the kitchen if you’ll join us.”

            “Okay!” Naruto said eagerly. She chuckled and led the way into the kitchen. Sasuke was sitting at the table and it looked like he was drawing on some paper with crayons. “Hi, I’m Naruto.” Naruto greeted him. Sasuke looked up at him surprised.

            “I’m Sasuke! Want to join me?” Sasuke asked him, his eyes wide with excitement. Naruto smiled.

            “Sure!” Naruto said sitting down next to him. Sasuke handed him a piece of paper and sat the crayon box in between them. “What are you drawing?”

            “My family!” Sasuke said happily. He showed Naruto what he’d drawn so far. “This is Mother, Father, and Nii-san!” It wasn’t anything too impressive. It was kind of like the pictures Himawari had drawn him when she was this age. Naruto nearly teared up at that, but he managed to keep it under control for now. “What are you going to draw?”

            “Hm... I’m not sure yet...” Naruto said thoughtfully. Naruto looked at the blank paper in front of him and figured the best way was to just start doodling. Naruto picked a random color and started drawing. He eventually found himself drawing his clan’s symbol. He was thinking of his parents and Hinata and the kids. He missed his family, but he couldn’t bring himself to try and draw them. It sucked, because he’s lost his family twice now.

            “Are you okay, Naruto-kun?” Mikoto-san asked him in concern. Naruto realized he was crying and rubbed the tears away with his shirt.

            “Y-Yeah,” Naruto said feeling slightly embarrassed. He hadn’t meant to get so emotional over a drawing. She smiled.

            “You know, Naruto-kun, your mom was my best friend.” Mikoto-san said as she sat the food on the tables.

            “She was?” Naruto asked, curiously.

            “Yes. I had just had Sasuke when she was about to give birth you.” Mikoto-san said with a warm smile. “She was so nervous, but she was happy.”

            “What kind of person was she?” Naruto asked her.

            “Hm... she was definitely full of life. She was loud, had a big heart, and enjoyed pranking your father.” Mikoto-san said chuckling. “She had a wild personality, but she was always kind.”

            “She liked to prank others?” Naruto asked her surprised.

            “Yes,” Mikoto-san said letting out a giggle. “She used to prank her classmates and would tell me all about it afterwards. She was so proud of herself too.”

            “Thank you for telling me about her.” Naruto said gratefully.

            “You’re welcome, Naruto-kun.” She said smiling. “Sasuke, put that stuff away. It’s time to eat.”

            “Yes, Mother.” Sasuke said before scooping up the crayons and paper. Naruto folded up his drawing and put it in his pocket. Sasuke took the stuff into the other room.

            “Ne, Mikoto-san?” Naruto asked her.

            “Yes, Naruto-kun?” She said looking at him.

            “What is my mom’s name?” Naruto asked her. He wondered if she would actually tell him.

            “Her name was Kushina Uzumaki.” Mikoto-san said with a big smile. “She was amazing.”

            “She sounds amazing.” Naruto said sadly. Mikoto-san ruffled his hair, surprising him.

            “If you ever want to know more about her, you can always ask me, Naruto-kun.” She said, warmly.

            “Thank you, Mikoto-san.” Naruto said sniffling.

            “You’re very welcome.” She said wiping the tears that managed to escape with her thumb. Sasuke came back with Itachi and the two sat down at the table.

            “Are you okay, Naruto-kun?” Itachi asked me.

            “Yes,” Naruto said smiling. Itachi nodded and Sasuke began telling Naruto about how awesome his brother is. Naruto almost forgot how obsessive Sasuke was with Itachi and vice versa. It was a nice change for once. Sasuke actually looked happy and Naruto hadn’t seen him this happy since the day Sarada was born. Of course, his happiness was a bit contained but Naruto knew. After lunch, Sasuke practically dragged Naruto out to the back yard where they played ninja and made up attacks. Naruto forgot how fun it was to make up attacks and pretend to be taken down by them as a kid. With his knowledge of the real ninja world, Naruto wasn’t going to spoil it for Sasuke. So, you can very well believe Naruto did his best to act as childish as he could, and he enjoyed every moment of it. Around four o’clock, it was time for Naruto to go back to the Nara Estate.

            “You can come back any time, Naruto-kun.” Mikoto-san said as he was getting his sandals on.

            “Okay!” Naruto said happily. Itachi and Sasuke escorted him out of the front gates. The adult members of the Uchiha would glare at him sometimes and Itachi surprisingly shielded him away from them. It was nice, Naruto thought. He really hoped he was able to save the Uchiha from their terrible fate.

            “You should come back soon, so we can draw some more!” Sasuke said energetically.

            “Okay! I’ll talk with Yoshino-san about it and maybe we can invite Shikamaru!” Naruto said grinning. He knew for a fact the pineapple head wouldn’t want to play ninja at all, but he knew Shikamaru would try his best to get along with Sasuke.

            “Sounds like fun.” Itachi said chuckling. “Be safe going home.”

            “I will!” Naruto said beaming at him. Then Naruto waved at them before taking off. As he walked back through the village, he was being glared at by all the villagers he had passed so far. He had so much fun playing with Sasuke, that he momentarily forgot about this. How stupid of him. Naruto berated himself.

            You’re not stupid, Kit. Kurama said, dismissively. It’s okay to enjoy yourself, don’t forget that.

            Okay... Naruto replied as he ducked into an alleyway. Kakashi was following him again and it was comforting to know that he was there. Naruto nearly ran into the kids he’d been avoiding since he arrived in this timeline. He needed to be more vigilant. Luckily for him, those kids weren’t paying any attention either as they passed by the alleyway, talking loudly about some other poor kid they found to terrorize. Naruto took off again once he was clear of them and made it to the Nara Estate without any incidents.

            “Naruto-kun, welcome back!” Yoshino-san said as he got into the entrance.

            “I’m back.” Naruto said shyly. He still didn’t feel like this house would ever be his home.

            “How did it go at Sasuke-kun’s?” She asked him.

            “Great! Sasuke and I played ninja in the backyard!” Naruto said excitedly.

            “It’s good that you found someone to play that game with you. I’m afraid Shikamaru would flat out refuse to play if you asked him.” Yoshino-san said chuckling. Naruto had no doubt in that.

            “Is it okay for Shikamaru to join us the next time I go over there?” Naruto asked her curiously.

            “Of course. I’ll have to talk to Mikoto-san about it, but I’m sure she won’t mind.” Yoshino-san said thoughtfully. “Anyway, dinner is almost ready. Shikaku should be coming home soon and Shikamaru just got back from Chōji-kun’s. Go get washed up.”

            “Yes ma’am!” Naruto said before going straight to the bathroom.

Chapter Text

            Naruto was slowly meeting the rest of the Rookie 9 and he even got to meet Lee, Neji, and Tenten. They were about to start at the academy and that meant it wasn’t going to be long before Naruto was going to start the academy. Time seems to have gone by so quickly and Naruto hadn’t been able to do much. Kakashi was very relentless and kept an eye on him at all times. Naruto also noticed that it was only Kakashi who was keeping an eye on him and none of the others. So, that told Naruto that the old man called off the others from keeping an eye on him. Occasionally, though, there’s be a ‘shadow’ and Naruto figured that must’ve been someone from ROOT that was following him. Now that he was six, Naruto trained in secret during those rare moments he had to himself. He trained by doing katas and kunai/shuriken throwing. Sometimes when Naruto would go and visit with Sasuke, Itachi would offer to teach him how to throw kunai and shuriken. That made Sasuke a bit jealous (as he’s obsessed with Itachi) and so, Itachi would teach him too. Naruto hasn’t gotten to where he was, but if he did get back to where he was ability wise, that would raise a lot of questions.

            Sasuke ended up challenging Naruto a lot when they worked on kunai throwing, and Naruto enjoyed it. He’d missed the days when he used to challenge Sasuke to everything. Of course, Naruto had more of an advantage over Sasuke now, but that didn’t stop Sasuke from being a freaking genius. Naruto still managed to lose to Sasuke a few times, but it didn’t upset him as much as it would have if Naruto really was six. Naruto also met Sasuke’s and Itachi’s cousin, Shisui. Shisui was clumsy sometimes and a bit of a goofball, and that really threw Naruto off. He had no idea that there were a select few Uchiha who didn’t act, well, like an Uchiha. Shisui was wary of Naruto at first, but it seems Itachi managed to convince him that Naruto wasn’t all that bad. Because the last time Naruto had gone over, Shisui was there and he joked with and teased Naruto the whole time. Naruto felt like he could truly trust Shisui. He also learned that Itachi’s crows were actually Shisui’s crows and that Shisui was the one who had amazing genjutsu. Itachi was still really freaking good at genjutsu, but he wasn’t at the level he was in the old timeline. Somehow, Itachi got Shisui’s eyes and Naruto had a feeling a certain asshole had something to do with it.

            Naruto still had to figure out what he was going to do about said asshole, but for right now, he needed to worry about Kakashi. Kakashi wasn’t even bothering hiding himself completely and Naruto knew Kakashi wanted him to see him. Naruto was going to confront him, but he needed to figure out how he was going to do that without giving himself away. Kakashi was super smart and Naruto didn’t want to insult his intelligence, but he couldn’t let Kakashi know the truth; especially not about Obito. It would crush him, and Naruto didn’t want to see his friend go through that again. Naruto knew it was going to happen anyway, but he didn’t want to be the one to bare bad news. Although, it would be better than Obito telling him during a fight. Naruto was currently taking a walk around the village. He’d gotten used to the glares again and didn’t bother giving anyone the time of day. Those kids came after him several times, but Naruto kicked their asses the last time they jumped him. They don’t mess with him much anymore. “Naruto!” Naruto turned and saw Ino and Chouji running up to him.

            “Where’s Shikamaru?” Naruto asked curiously.

            “He went looking for you.” Ino said sighing. “Anyway, my dad is treating us to barbecue, do you want to come with us?”

            “Sure!” Naruto said beaming at her.

            “Great! Let’s go!” Chouji grabbed Naruto by the hand and the three went looking for Shikamaru.

            “We found him!” Ino said as soon as they found Shikamaru.

            “Where have you been?” Shikamaru asked curiously.

            “Oh, I was just going for a walk.” Naruto said shrugging. “I don’t have much else to do.”

            “You can always hang out with us.” Ino said shaking her head.

            “I never thought about that.” Naruto said smiling sheepishly. “I’m used to being on my own.”

            “You’re not on your own anymore!” Chouji said putting an arm around Naruto’s neck and pulling Naruto towards himself.

            “Yeah, don’t you forget it!” Ino said grinning at him.

            “I’ll try.” Naruto said honestly. Even when he was Hokage, he’d sometimes go off on his own, momentarily forgetting his friends and family, and then when he’d go home, he’d be surprised to be greeted by Hinata and the kids. It wasn’t like he did it on purpose or that he didn’t care about his friends and family. He was just still getting used to it. Up until he and Hinata started dating, he’d always been alone. So, no one could blame him for acting the way he did. Naruto also didn’t like to bother his friends on his days off in case they were doing something important. He knew he could be really annoying as a kid and whomever was stuck with him for the day always got annoyed with him. Going by that logic, Naruto didn’t want to annoy his friends on their days off too. He spent most of his days off all by himself. He never left his apartment either and he was always so bored. There were times he’d go out and do some training, but he never sought after his friends on those days. Usually, they’d surprise him with a visit or invitation to do whatever they had planned.

            The four of them met up with Inoichi-san at the barbecue restaurant. “Hey, kids.” He greeted them. He smiled at Naruto. “It’s good to see you Naruto-kun.”

            “It’s good to see you, too, Inoichi-san.” Naruto said with shy smile. He still felt awkward around the adults. He wasn’t sure why because he knew the adults he could trust, and Inoichi-san was definitely one of them. It could be due to the fact that he’d been betrayed by Sasuke twice and he didn’t easily trust others as much as he used to. These people, they had his friends’ and comrades’ faces, but they were different from the ones he knew. Maybe that’s why he couldn’t easily trust them. Well, he also wasn’t that close to Inoichi-san, Chouza-san, or Shikaku-san. That probably played a part in it, too.

            “Come on!” Chouji said eagerly and herding Naruto, Ino, and Shikamaru into the restaurant. Inoichi-san chuckled and followed them in. They sat down near the window and immediately, a waitress came to their table and handed them menus.

            “Naruto-kun, I heard some kids have been giving you some trouble.” Inoichi-san said after they’d ordered and got their food.

            “They won’t be anymore.” Naruto said with smirk.

            “Yes, I heard about you beating them up.” Inoichi-san said chuckling. “That’s very impressive.”

            “I told Mikoto-san about it and she said I was just like my mom!” Naruto said excitedly as he kicked his feet back and forth. Inoichi-san looked at him surprised.

            “She’s been telling you about your mom?” Inoichi-san asked, his eyes wide.

            “Yeah,” Naruto said with a warm smile.

            “I’m happy for you, Naruto-kun.” Inoichi-san said with a smile. “She’s the perfect person to be telling you about her.”

            “I’m just glad those jerks aren’t messing with you anymore.” Ino said scowling. “They’re so mean!”

            “Yeah, it was cool how you kicked their butts.” Chouji said through a mouthful of food.

            “I’m happy those kids aren’t bothering you anymore, Naruto-kun. But you can’t solve everything with violence.” Inoichi-san told him.

            “I know that Inoichi-san.” Naruto said giving him a look. It was weird that Inoichi-san was telling him all this. He was so used to adult just letting him do whatever he wanted. Naruto didn’t resort to violence unless it was absolutely necessary. “I’ve tried talking to those jerks before and it never worked. So, this time I was just done with trying to be nice to them.”

            “I see.” Inoichi-san said with a chuckle. “Well, I’m glad you know that, Naruto-kun.” They moved on to a different topic and Naruto enjoyed himself. He wished he had more experiences like this as a kid. He felt like things would’ve gone differently if he had them.

            “Thank you for lunch, Inoichi-san.” Naruto said beaming at him.

            “You’re welcome, Naruto-kun. You’re always welcome to come by the shop.” Inoichi-san said warmly. Naruto wanted to cry, he was so happy. He never had so many people tell him he was welcome in their homes as a kid. He was glad that he had a second chance. It was just unfair that he was the only one who was able to experience it. On their way home, Shikamaru and Naruto ran into Sasuke and Itachi.

            “Going home?” Itachi asked them.

            “Yes.” Naruto said nodding. “We just had lunch with Ino, Chōji, and Inoichi-san.” Sasuke pouted.

            “I want to have lunch with you guys.” Sasuke said crossing his arms.

            “I’ll ask the next time we have lunch.” Naruto said grinning at him. Sasuke beamed at him. Naruto realized that Sasuke didn’t have any friends outside of his family and that to Naruto was sad. So, he wanted to make sure Sasuke made as many friends as possible.

            “Thank you, Naruto-kun.” Itachi said smiling at him. “Sasuke doesn’t get out much except for when he follows me.” Sasuke blushed but didn’t deny any of it.

             “I just want to make my friends happy.” Naruto said shrugging. And it was true. He wanted all his friends to be happy. If he could put a stop to Danzo as soon as possible, that would be great. He was going to need help though, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask anyone. Kakashi was the obvious choice, but Naruto really didn’t want to upset his friend with the horrible truth.

            ‘Kit, you need to take care of that bastard before you start the academy.’ Kurama told him.

            ‘I know, Kurama. I’m just worried for Kakashi’s mental health, is all.’ Naruto told him.

            ‘I’d worry more about your own before worrying about his.’ Kurama said snorting.

            ‘You have a point,’ Naruto conceded. ‘But’

            ‘But nothing. You don’t have to tell him the whole truth just yet.’ Kurama growled. ‘Just tell him enough so that he’ll help you.’

            ‘Okay, I’ll try my best.’ Naruto said, knowing it wasn’t going to be easy. Naruto had an idea of how he was going to approach Kakashi, but he needed it to be under the right circumstance. It wasn’t until a few weeks later that Naruto had found the right moment. Kakashi was following him down in the crowd of the busy village and some kids decided to take a swing at Naruto. Naruto dodged them, taunted them, and then took off towards Kakashi. The kids naturally followed him with a mob-like mentality and just when they think they’ve cornered Naruto, Naruto jumps behind a surprised Kakashi and uses him to hide from the kids. Kakashi shooed the kids off and then looked down at Naruto when Naruto continued to use the jōnin as a shield. “Oh, sorry mister.” Naruto put on the saddest look he could muster before starting to walk away.

            “Wait.” Kakashi said, stopping Naruto. “May I speak with you, Naruto-kun?” Naruto shrugged, feigning shock, and let the copycat ninja lead him to a more secluded area. Naruto wasn’t sure how he was going to get Kakashi to believe him, but he wasn’t about to give up. This was important, and Naruto only hoped he didn’t mess this up.

Chapter Text

            “Who are you, Mister? You seem to know me.” Naruto said as he followed Kakashi to a more secluded area.

            “My name is Kakashi Hatake. I was a student of...” He trailed off, but Naruto knew what he was going to say.

            “Of who?” Naruto asked him curiously.

            “No one.” Kakashi said shaking his head. “I’m a friend of your mom though.”

            “Really?” Naruto asked narrowing his eyes at him suspiciously.

            “Really.” Kakashi said chuckling. “I’ve been observing you for a while, Naruto-kun. And I have a few questions I want to ask you.”

            “What do you want to know?” Naruto asked him as they came to a complete stop in an alleyway just off to the side. The bustle of the villagers was muffled, and it was darker compared to being out in the open. If Naruto didn’t already trust Kakashi, he would’ve been suspicious.

            “How old are you?” He asked, narrowing his eyes at me. The question caught Naruto off guard a bit.

            “E-excuse me? Are you okay, Kakashi-san? I’m clearly six.” Naruto said playing it off.

            “I know you’re lying.” Kakashi said not looking impressed.

            “How would you know? I’ve just met you.” Naruto challenged him. This was so something his six-year-old self would do.

            “You’re not fooling me, Naruto-kun.” Kakashi said sighing. “So, tell me. How old are you really?”

            “Isn’t it rude to ask people their age?” Naruto grumbled, crossing his arms. Kakashi just lifted an eyebrow. “I mean, would you like it if I asked you how old you are?”

            “Stop messing around and answer my question.” Kakashi said very seriously. Way to ruin the fun, Kakashi!

            “Alright, if you really must know.” Naruto said sighing. “You always have to ruin my fun, don’t you?”

            “I’m waiting.” Kakashi said probably scowling at Naruto now.

            “I’m twenty-six.” Naruto said shrugging. “Wait... twenty-nine.” Naruto grimaced at the thought of almost being thirty now.

            “And when did you arrive?” He asked, making Naruto think the man actually came to the conclusion that Naruto had time travelled. It was just a question of how Kakashi came to that conclusion. Naruto didn’t think he was acting too strange compared to how he was before. Maybe Kakashi had been watching him a lot longer than Naruto had realized.

            “Three years ago...” Naruto answered, wondering what the copy-cat ninja’s next move was going to be.

            “Why did you come back?” Kakashi asked, surprising Naruto yet again.

            “Um... I can’t tell you too much at the moment, but I want to prevent a war caused by a really crazy super powerful bastard and I put emphasis on the word ‘crazy’.” Naruto answered nonchalantly. Kakashi gaped at him for maybe a few minutes. “Look, I know this is kind of overwhelming, but I don’t want to talk about this where shadows can overhear us. You know what I mean?” Kakashi nodded and picked Naruto up, causing him to squawk in surprise.

            “We can talk in my apartment.” Kakashi said before taking Naruto to his apartment. If it weren’t for the serious circumstance that was going on, Naruto would’ve pointed out to Kakashi how this must to look to onlookers. At least Naruto didn’t have to convince him. But he needed to figure out what he was going to tell Kakashi and what he was going to keep quiet about for the time being.

            ‘You probably shouldn’t go into too much detail about the war or say too much about Madara Uchiha yet.’ Kurama told him. ‘We don’t want to change stuff too much at such a quick pace.’

            ‘Okay.’ Naruto responded. Once inside, Kakashi put Naruto down and activated what Naruto assumed was privacy seals.

            “Tell me what this is about.” Kakashi said frowning.

            “Like I said, I can’t tell you too much at the moment.” Naruto said awkwardly. “But I can tell you that there’s one person that’s currently in the way of preventing the war.”

            “Who is it?” Kakashi asked him seriously. Naruto was happy that Kakashi was trusting him.

            “Danzo.” Naruto said scowling. “The bastard has been slowly pushing the Uchiha into rebelling against the village and he plans on having them massacred ‘for the greater good of the village’.”

            “So, what can we do to prevent that?” Kakashi asked him.

            “I don’t know what you know about him and his experiments, but from what I know, he’s been after the Sharingan and has been stealing them from the Uchiha who’ve decided to join ROOT.” Naruto said frowning. “That to me explains why Fugaku Uchiha is so protective of his family. He doesn’t know about it, but he probably has his suspicions.”

            “Okay, so we need to stop him from going after their Sharingan.” Kakashi said thoughtfully. “I’m not really welcome because of my eye. I’m assuming you know how I got it.”

            “Yeah,” Naruto said grimacing. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, Kakashi.”

            “Thanks.” Kakashi said eye smiling at him. “But you don’t have to feel bad for me.”

            “I don’t feel bad for you.” Naruto said scowling at him. Kakashi looked at him surprised. “You’re one of my friends and I don’t want to see you suffer on your own. I know, technically, this is the ‘first time’ we’ve met, but I do care about you.”

            “I’m trying to take you seriously, but it’s hard when a six-year-old is scowling at me.” Kakashi said sheepishly. Naruto gave him a deadpanned expression.

            “As if I could help that.” Naruto said rolling his eyes.

            “Seriously, though, thank you.” Kakashi said sincerely. “So, what do you think would be the best option of stopping Danzo?”

            “Exposing his experiments and documents to Jiji; including ROOT.” Naruto said smirking. “And we’ll need to take care of that arm of his. From what I know, he’s able to reverse his death for as many Sharigan he has on that arm.”

            “Well, that’s going to be difficult.” Kakashi said, thoughtfully. “But it’s possible.”

            “Yes, we’re going to have to keep an eye on that bastard.” Naruto said sighing.

            “One other question.” Kakashi said looking at him. “Is Itachi-kun a time traveler too?”

            “Not that I’m aware of.” Naruto said, surprised for the second time that day. “Is he not acting like his usual self?”

            “He does when he’s with Sasuke or his family.” Kakashi said shaking his head. “But when he’s with you or someone else, he’s completely different.”

            “Oh, well, wouldn’t that be normal?” Naruto asked confused.

            “Not with Itachi-kun.” Kakashi said, frowning. “He’s usually indifferent towards everyone including some of his family members. But he spends more time being kind to the other villagers.”

            “Maybe he’s realized that continuing to cut himself off from the rest of the village is part of the reason why there’s such a gape between the Uchiha and the rest of the village.” Naruto said shrugging.

            “Maybe...” Kakashi said sighing. “I’ll focus more on Danzo for now. What happened to him in your old timeline?”

            “He was killed just before the war began from what I know.” Naruto said frowning as he remembered the conversation that he and Sasuke had about that subject.

            “I can see that you’re keeping information from me, but I’m assuming there’s a good reason for that.” Kakashi said raising an eyebrow at Naruto.

            “Yes.” Naruto said nodding. “I don’t want to mess things up, so I want to take this slowly.”

            “I understand that.” Kakashi said nodding. “Was moving in with the Naras a part of your plan?”

            “No, I’m just as surprised about it as you probably were.” Naruto said chuckling. “It makes things a little harder, but at the same time, I’m really enjoying it.”

            “That’s good. I’m assuming in the original timeline, this doesn’t happen?” Kakashi asked him.

            “Nope. I spend the rest of my childhood being called names and getting glared at by everyone.” Naruto said shrugging. “At least until the Chuunin Exams. I still get glared at, but not as often.”

            “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you earlier.” Kakashi said grimacing.

            “I don’t blame you, Kakashi.” Naruto said smiling sadly. “You were still grieving and wanted to keep yourself busy. And I finally understand that now.”

            “Thanks.” Kakashi said before hesitantly reaching over and ruffling Naruto’s hair. Naruto pouted.

            “I’m not a kid...” He grumbled. Kakashi snorted.

            “You look like one and act like one.” Kakashi said giving him a deadpanned look. Naruto just stuck his tongue out at him.

            “Itachi and Sasuke are expecting me.” Naruto said grinning. “We’re supposedly going to be camping this weekend.”

            “While you do that, I’m going to watch Danzo as closely as I can.” Kakashi said nodding.

            “Good luck and be careful!” Naruto told him.

            “Don’t worry, I will.” Kakashi said smiling. He deactivated the privacy seals and Naruto quickly hugged him before running out of the apartment. Naruto met up with Itachi and Sasuke at a store in the village. They seemed to be finished getting the supplies they’d need for camping out in the woods.

            “Naruto, what took you so long?” Sasuke asked scowling at him.

            “Sorry, I got held up by some jerks.” Naruto said rolling his eyes.

            “Are you okay, Naruto-kun?” Itachi asked him.

            “Yeah. They ran away the moment I started fighting back.” Naruto said shaking his head. He had to remember he was technically a twenty-nine-year-old beating up eight- and nine-year-olds. It was really embarrassing if he thought of that way, but no one but Kakashi knew this bit of information.

            “Cowards.” Sasuke said rolling his eyes. “Can we go now, Nii-san?”

            “Yes.” Itachi said chuckling. “We have everything we need for this weekend.”

            “Let’s go!” Naruto said excitedly. He was honestly very excited. He’d never went on camping trips with his friends. Sure, they’d been camping, but that was because of missions. This trip was going to be purely leisure-time and Naruto got to spend it with Sasuke and Itachi. Naruto had slowly let his guard down around Sasuke over the last three years and he and Naruto were best friends now. Naruto still had nightmares, but they weren’t as frequent as they were when he first arrived in this timeline. Yoshino-san and Shikaku-san upgraded Naruto’s futon to a bed and took him to find stuff for his room and make it more personalized. They let him pick out his own clothes and it made Naruto happy. Their home was starting to feel like his home. There were times where Naruto still felt like he was outside looking in and that he didn’t belong there, but that only happened after he had the nightmares. He would start getting lost in his own thoughts and despair over the loss of his loved ones. Those were the times when he’d lock himself up in his room and only come out for food when Yoshino-san or Shikamaru managed to coax him out of there. It was very much like when he was younger. He’d put on a mask that showed he was happy and smiling all the time. But then when he finally went home, he’d take the mask off and wallow in despair over the unfairness that was his life.

            Naruto hadn’t done that at all when he and Hinata started dating. It was then that he realized that he truly wasn’t alone; that he had friends who cared about him. But coming back in time, seems to have reset that feeling in him and Naruto was back to struggling to stay afloat. Only this time, it wasn’t as bad because he had Shikamaru, Yoshino-san, and Shikaku-san to help him. And they’d never understand just how much Naruto is grateful to them. Naruto was okay with that though, because he didn’t want to burden them any more than he already has. He was just glad that things seemed to be going a bit better for him this time around. Naruto also felt relieved that Kakashi at least had a gist of what was going on now. But the conversation they had about Itachi did make Naruto wonder. Was Itachi a time traveler too? And if so, how was that possible? Itachi was dead and the only way he’d have a chance of time traveling is if he was under the reanimation jutsu. But who would have used it on him and allowed him to time travel?

Chapter Text

            “Naruto, how come you’re better at fishing than I am?” Sasuke asked pouting. They’d been at it for the last hour and Naruto has been the only one to catch any fish.

            “Jiji taught me how to fish and I just took to it.” Naruto said shrugging. He couldn’t exactly tell Sasuke that he’d had years of experience. “Do you want some help?”

            “No, I can do it.” Sasuke said stubbornly. Naruto rolled his eyes.

            “Okay.” Naruto said smiling. He’d already caught three fish. Itachi was setting up the campfire and sent them to catch fish for their meals for this weekend.

            “How is the fishing coming along?” Itachi asked as he approached them.

            “Good.” Naruto answered as Sasuke was too focused on attaching bait to his hook.

            “It’s not good.” Sasuke said scowling when he finally got his bait situated. “I haven’t caught a single fish!”

            “You have to be patient, Sasuke.” Itachi said chuckling. Naruto thought it was kind of ironic that Sasuke, who had seemed to be the most patient between him, Naruto, and Sakura, was actually really impatient as a small kid. “The fish can sense your frustration.”

            “Yeah, right. You’re just making that up.” Sasuke said narrowing his eyes at Itachi. Just as he said this, Naruto felt a tug on his line and he pulled. A fish came out and Naruto quickly caught it in his net.

            “You see? Patience.” Itachi said chuckling at the glare Sasuke was giving Naruto. Naruto grimaced. He hated seeing Sasuke glare at him. It didn’t exactly bring good memories. Naruto shook it off; he could think about that later. “If you think this is too frustrating, then you can help me set up the sleeping bags.”

            “Okay.” Sasuke said getting up and setting his homemade fishing rod off to the side.

            “Do you think you can handle this, Naruto-kun?” Itachi asked him.

            “Yes, Itachi-san.” Naruto said nodding. Itachi nodded to him before going back to the camp area with Sasuke following after him. Same old, same old. Naruto thought chuckling. Sasuke idolized Itachi, so Naruto could kind of understand why Sasuke wanted to get revenge. But going down the road of revenge wasn’t good for anyone. Naruto hoped this would work. If it didn’t, then he didn’t have any more hope for the world left. ‘Don’t be so dramatic,’ Kurama muttered, rolling his eyes.

            ‘I can’t help it, I’m exhausted.’ Naruto said pouting at his friend.

            ‘I know this isn’t easy. But if you give up, then there really is no hope for this world.’ Kurama said sighing.

            ‘I know,’ Naruto muttered. ‘I’m trying, I swear.’

            ‘I know you are.’ Kurama said before going quiet.

            “Naruto-kun, are you feeling tired?” Itachi asked him. “You spaced out.”

            “O-Oh, yeah. I do feel a little bit tired.” Naruto admitted. “But I’m okay.”

            “It’s okay if you take a rest. Sasuke and I have the tent and sleeping bags set up.” Itachi offered. “We can take over getting dinner and I’ll wake you once dinner is ready.”

            “Are you sure?” Naruto asked him.

            “Of course.” Itachi said nodding.

            “Okay, thank you, Itachi-san.” Naruto said with a smile. Naruto went to the tent and climbed into a sleeping bag. He was tired, but he was worried that he was going to have a nightmare during this camping trip. He didn’t want to worry Sasuke and Itachi with his nightmares. But he had a feeling that it was unavoidable. What felt like several hours later, Sasuke was waking him up, and he felt very energized compared to earlier.

            “Dinner is ready!” Sasuke said energetically. “Nii-san and I caught a lot of fish while you were sleeping!”

            “That’s good.” Naruto said stretching a bit as he followed Sasuke to the campfire. Itachi-san was plating the food and setting the plates down on a blanket that was laid out a few feet from the campfire.

            “How was your nap, Naruto-kun?” Itachi-san asked him.

            “Good. I feel well rested now.” Naruto answered.

            “That’s good.” Itachi-san said as he gestured towards the plates. “Grab a plate.”

            “Thank you, Itachi-san.” Naruto said before sitting on the blanket and grabbing a plate. It was safe to say that he didn’t have a nightmare during his nap. Sasuke stared at Naruto as he ate. “What?”

            “It’s nothing.” Sasuke said quickly before taking a bite of his fish. Did something happen while Naruto was sleeping? Naruto shrugged and continued eating his food. He wondered if he should continue asking Sasuke about it and maybe he’d tell him.

Kakashi’s P.O.V

            Kakashi was still in shock over the things Naruto had told him. He didn’t think Naruto was an actual time traveler. In fact, he was hoping Naruto would’ve just continued to think Kakashi was being really weird and ask if he was okay or something. But no, Naruto just crushed that and told him some very alarming information. Danzo was going to have the Uchiha Clan massacred and it was going to lead to war. Kakashi wondered what happened to Naruto for him to have to resort to time traveling. Were they losing the war and it got really bad? Or was it something else? Naruto was vague about who killed Danzo and how he’d found the information, but Kakashi assumed it had to do with the things Naruto couldn’t tell him just yet. But it was frustrating not to have all the information from the beginning. Kakashi, of course, understood the importance of not changing a lot of events. But that didn’t make it any less frustrating. Right now, he was heading to the Hokage tower to meet with Hokage-sama. Apparently, he was being assigned a new mission. Kakashi hadn’t been on a mission in a while, but that was because he was trying to figure out what had been bothering him about Naruto.

            Kakashi knocked on Hokage-sama’s door and the door was opened by Shikaku-sama. Kakashi was a bit surprised, and soon he was standing in front of Hokage-sama’s desk. “You wanted to see me, Hokage-sama?”  Kakashi greeted him.

            “Good afternoon, Kakashi.” Hokage-sama said, nodding to him. “Shikaku has told me that he’s noticed a few villagers hanging around his home a couple times a week. He thinks they have bad intentions towards Naruto-kun.”

            “Sir?”

            “I want you to stand guard over their home, Kakashi.” Hokage-sama said frowning. “I don’t doubt for a moment that those villagers will try to harm Naruto-kun if the opportunity rises.”

            “I understand, sir.” Kakashi said nodding. Kakashi didn’t doubt that either. If he couldn’t do much about Danzo, then he could at least keep the villagers off Naruto’s back.

            “Good.” Hokage-sama said sounding satisfied. “Also, I noticed you’ve been keeping an eye on him a lot lately.”

            “Ah, yes. I wanted to make sure he was doing okay.” Kakashi lied. He couldn’t tell him the real reason why he kept a close eye on Naruto. At least, not right now. Once he knew more, he’d come to a better decision.

            “I’m sure Minato-kun and Kushina-chan would be proud of you.” Hokage-sama said smiling at him.

            “Yes,” Kakashi said tensely. He felt like he didn’t deserve them being proud of him. Kakashi took too long to start keeping an eye on Naruto-kun. He grieved over his dead team for so long that he lost track of Naruto-kun. The only reason he was ordered to watch Naruto-kun recently was because Hokage-sama was trying to force him to take a break from the constant missions he put himself through. Doing missions until he dropped was the only way he knew how to cope with loss, but he’s starting to realize that Naruto-kun had lost everything important to him to come back. Naruto-kun needs him more now than ever and Kakashi was going to do his best to be there for Naruto-kun. Kakashi hoped that through helping Naruto-kun, he’ll be able to move on from his loss and start to fondly remember his sensei and teammates without the pain looming over him. Kakashi was dismissed and he immediately made his way over to Shikaku-sama’s home. Yoshino-san greeted him with a smile.

            “Hello Kakashi-san, are you here to keep an eye on our home?” She asked him as she let him inside.

            “Yes, Hokage-sama told me the situation.” Kakashi answered her. She offered him a cup of tea and politely accepted it. “Where is Naruto-kun?”

            “Oh, he’s camping with Itachi-kun and Sasuke-kun.” She said smiling. “I’m glad Naruto-kun is getting out more. Up until more recently, he only hung around the house and played with Shikamaru. He didn’t seem comfortable with staying here and I was worried if it was us. But then Shikamaru told me he was having nightmares and that Naruto-kun had shared that he wasn’t used to being around people who cared if he was there or not.” Kakashi grimaced. “Yes, Shikaku and I felt the same way. I can’t believe it took me that long to realize that Naruto-kun is used to being on his own and coming and going whenever he felt like it. He never had anyone to tell him when to come home, to eat dinner with, to share a home with. I forgot that and got onto him without thinking.”

            “Don’t be hard on yourself, Yoshino-san.” Kakashi told her. “It’s natural to forget that because he’s very good at putting on a smile even when he’s hurting.”

            “I’ve realized that.” Yoshino-san said chuckling. “So, I always make sure to ask him how he’s feeling as many times as I feel I need to so that he realizes that I do care about him. He’s been playing with some other kids though lately and it makes me happy to see him enjoying himself. There were a few that gave him trouble because of what their parents said, but I think they decided on their own that Naruto-kun isn’t as bad as their parents said he is.”

            “It’s good that he’s making friends.” Kakashi said eye-smiling. He was glad that Naruto-kun was able to change things with his friends this time around. He wasn’t sure how it went before Naruto-kun came back, but he assumed it went differently.

            “Yes, I’m relieved. He seems to be acting like a normal kid his age.” Yoshino-san said looking relieved. “He does have his moments where he’ll lock himself up in his room, though. I think that only happens when he’s had the nightmares.”

            “Did Shikamaru-kun find out what his nightmares are about?” Kakashi asked curiously.

            “No, I’m afraid Naruto-kun has kept that to himself.” Yoshino-san said frowning. “He doesn’t like to talk about his nightmares when he’s asked about them. He goes quiet very quickly when they’re brought up.”

            “Hm...” Kakashi said thoughtfully. He was going to eventually ask Naruto-kun about his nightmares.

            “I’m sure he’ll open up about them in time.” Yoshino-san said smiling. “I have faith in my son and his friends.” With that, Kakashi checked out the house and perched himself on top of the roof. He immediately noticed the villagers who were hanging around the house. And they were behaving very suspiciously. Kakashi readied himself in case he needed to take action. The villagers eventually left and Kakashi relaxed, but not too much. He needed to keep Naruto-kun and Shikaku-sama’s family safe. Unfortunately for the villagers, Naruto-kun isn’t here right now.

Chapter Text

            At the end of the camping trip, Naruto was glad to be going back to the Nara Estate. He didn’t know how much longer he could deal with Sasuke glaring at him every time Itachi praised him. He was glad to be doing something to stop the Uchiha massacre from happening but being around Sasuke made him uncomfortable. He knew that was a small price to pay to save a lot of peoples’ lives, but it didn’t make it any easier. “Naruto-kun, we should do this again.” Itachi-san said as we walked back into the village.

            “Yes, I had a great time.” Naruto said beaming at him.

            “Nii-san, can Naruto come over for lunch again?” Sasuke begged.

            “Of course, but we need to talk to mother and Yoshino-san to arrange a good time.” Itachi-san told him.

            “Okay! Let’s go, Nii-san!” Sasuke grabbed Itachi-san’s hand and started pulling him towards their home. Itachi-san waved to Naruto before the two brothers headed home. Naruto smiled and went back to the Nara Estate. He spotted some villagers standing across the street of the estate and frowned. He did his best to ignore them as he walked past them and spotted Kakashi from the roof. Naruto didn’t acknowledge him though. He was pretty sure Kakashi was there to keep an eye on those villagers. Naruto quickly made his way through the gate and walked through the front door, calling out that he was back.

            “Welcome back, Naruto-kun.” Yoshino-san told him as he entered the living room. “How was your trip?”

            “It was good. We caught a lot of fish.” Naruto said smiling. “I think Sasuke wants me to go over to his house for lunch again.”

            “I’ll talk to Mikoto-san then.” Yoshino-san said smiling. Shikamaru walked into the living room, yawning. “Good morning, sleepy head. Naruto-kun has returned from his camping trip.”

            “Morning,” Shikamaru muttered, rubbing his eyes. He let out a yawn as he sat down on the couch.

            “Breakfast is almost ready. You two go get washed up.” She ordered. Naruto and Shikamaru made their way into the bathroom.

            “You seem like you had a good time.” Shikamaru commented.

            “It was fun.” Naruto said smiling. “You should come next time.”

            “I don’t think so,” Shikamaru said grimacing. “Too bothersome.”

            “Your loss.” Naruto said shrugging. They cleaned up and made their way back to the kitchen. It was several weeks later when Kakashi found Naruto and he seemed to be very tense. Kakashi had told him that they needed to talk. So, they went to Kakashi’s apartment to talk. “What’s wrong?”

            “Everything Danzo has been doing up until now has been exposed.” He said frowning. “Hokage-sama is looking through everything, and as you can imagine, he’s not pleased.”

            “You didn’t do this?” Naruto asked him surprised.

            “No.” Kakashi said shaking his head. “No one has figured out who did it. Whoever did it, left no evidence behind.”

            “Well, I’m glad that bastard has been taken care of.” Naruto said frowning. “But I’m concerned about who exposed him.”

            “Are you sure Itachi-kun isn’t a time traveler?” Kakashi asked him.

            “Yes, as far as I know he isn’t.” Naruto said shrugging. “There was only me when I came back. I’m assuming Danzo is blaming the Uchiha as always.”

            “Yes, unfortunately.” Kakashi said with a grimace. “Fugaku-sama isn’t very happy about it.”

            “It’s so frustrating that he always blames them.” Naruto said scowling. “They’re a part of this village as much as any other person in this village. Their ancestor found this village along with the Senju.”

            “I’m surprised you know about that.” Kakashi said, impressed.

            “I’ve learned a lot of things in the war, Kakashi.” Naruto said frowning. “But learning about how much the Uchiha were resented for something they had nothing to do with, just really opened my eyes. In a way, their situation is similar to mine.” Kakashi’s eyes softened.

            “Yes,” Kakashi said in a pained voice. Naruto grimaced.

            “Sorry, so I’m assuming there’s going to be a meeting of some kind later?” Naruto asked changing the subject. He didn’t want to keep dredging up bad memories for Kakashi.

            “Yes, I’m on duty for it. If I find anything out, I’ll let you know.” Kakashi said sounding relieved at the subject change.

            “Thank you,” Naruto said smiling. Kakashi nodded. “I should get back. I’m sure Yoshino-san will want Shikamaru and I to stay close to the house. I think Shikaku-san has told her about what’s going on.”

            “Be careful, Naruto-kun.” Kakashi told me. “The ROOT base has been invaded and a lot of people were arrested, but a lot of them escaped. They might come after you for some reason. I think Danzo had been keeping tabs on you as well.”

            “I wouldn’t put it past him.” Naruto said shaking his head. “I’ll be careful, thanks.” Naruto headed back to the Nara Estate and Yoshino-san seemed to be very relieved to see him there. “Sorry for worrying you, Yoshino-san.” Naruto felt guilty. This woman has done nothing but be kind to him since he’d started living here. And Naruto had been disappearing on her quite a bit to go for ‘walks’. He was sure she didn’t believe him half the time when he used that excuse, but she never said anything. As far as he knew, she hasn’t said anything to Shikaku-san, either.

            “It’s okay, Naruto-kun.” She said smiling. “Things are just a bit crazy outside right now. Please stay home at least until tomorrow, okay?”

            “Yes, ma’am.” Naruto said nodding. Unfortunately, Naruto couldn’t keep his word to Yoshino-san because Naruto had another surprise of the day and this time it came from Itachi-san. The only difference between this time and last time was Itachi-san told Yoshino-san that he needed to talk to me about Sasuke. He came up with some lie that Sasuke was mad at Naruto for some reason and that Itachi-san wanted to clear it up. Naruto knew it was a lie, because Sasuke wasn’t cross with him the last time they’d spoken to each other. And if he was, Sasuke would’ve came here himself to confront Naruto.

            “Just be careful out there,” Yoshino-san said worriedly.

            “Don’t worry, I’ll return Naruto-kun safely.” Itachi-san promised. He looked at Naruto and Naruto nodded. He followed Itachi-san all the way to his old apartment. Apparently, it’d been cleaned out, so there wasn’t any furniture except for what was in the kitchen and the bathroom. “Naruto-kun, there’s something very important I need to talk to you about.” Itachi-san put up some privacy seals and Naruto watched him in surprise. He hadn’t known Itachi-san knew these kinds of seals already. Hm…

            “What did you want to talk about?” Naruto asked him. “I thought Sasuke was fine the last time we spoke.”

            “He is, I lied to Yoshino-san. I’ll apologize to her later.” Itachi-san said frowning. “I’m about to tell you something very strange. So, please be patient with me.” Naruto nodded, wondering what this was about. “I’m from the future and the future I left was very bleak. I noticed that Kakashi-san had been talking to you a lot today. I’m sure you’re aware that the village is in a frenzy right now.”

            “T-Time traveler?” Naruto stuttered out. “Kakashi was right?”

            “Excuse me?” Itachi-san asked confused. Naruto mentally shook himself.

            “Sorry, okay. I’m a time traveler too.” Naruto told him. “Kakashi and I were the only ones left alive, so I came back.” Itachi-san just looked speechless, before he started chuckling.

            “I should’ve known you would find a way to come back.” He said smiling. “You already know the situation then.”

            “Yes, but how did you break away from Sasuke’s control long enough to come back?” Naruto asked curiously.

            “Exactly the way I did it before against Kabuto.” Itachi-san answered. “During my time in the Akatsuki, I came across an unfinished seal that was capable of time travel. I planned on using it as a last resort before I died, but I didn’t need it. When I was brought back the second time around, I realized something very awful happened and decided to use the seal.”

            “Kurama and the others gave me the seal I used to come back.” Naruto said, biting his lower lip. Naruto decided to ask about what had been bothering him about the camping trip. “Did I have a nightmare while we were camping last time?”

            “Why do you ask?” Itachi-san asked him.

            “Because Sasuke looked at me weirdly when he woke me up for dinner. but he didn’t say anything.” Naruto said frowning.

            “You don’t remember?” Itachi-san asked.

            “No, as far as I’m aware I didn’t dream at all.” Naruto said shrugging.

            “You did have a nightmare. It was a pretty violent one from what I gathered.” Itachi-san admitted. “I used a little genjutsu on you to help, I hope you aren’t too upset with me.”

            “No, I’m not. Thank you.” Naruto said smiling. “I’m sure it must have scared Sasuke.”

            “It did, but he’s fine,” Itachi-san said chuckling.

            “Is it okay to assume you were the one who exposed Danzo?” Naruto asked.

            “Yes, I got word that he was going to move forward with going after Shisui.” Itachi-san said with a frown. “I wasn’t going to let him die again.”

            “I understand.” Naruto said sympathetically. “I was going to take things slowly because I didn’t want to mess something up. But this is fine.”

            “I’m assuming you have told Kakashi-san about what’s going on.” Itachi-san said, thoughtfully.

            “No, well, not all of it. Just bits and pieces.” Naruto said shrugging. “Like I said, I want to take things slowly in case there’s a screw up somewhere. I want to help out your clan the best I can, while trying to prevent the war from happening.”

            “Then we’re on the same page.” Itachi-san said chuckling.

            “I also want to help the other Jinchuuriki…” Naruto said frowning. “But that’s going to require outside assistance at this point.”

            “Maybe I can help.” Itachi-san said thoughtfully. “I’m going to join the ANBU just as I did before. I can use missions outside of the village as a way to get into contact with the other Jinchuuriki if you know where they are located.”

            “There is a way I can communicate with them, but that requires both the cooperation of the Jinchuuriki and the Bijuu.” Naruto said frowning. “I’m going to eventually meet Gaara, so I won’t have any issues with getting into contact with him. But it’s the rest of them I’m worried about.”

            “How are you able to communicate with them?” Itachi-san asked curiously.

            “Jinchuuriki have shared mindscapes with their Bijuu and are able to communicate with each other.” Naruto explained. “During the war, I met the Sage of the Six Paths and he planted a small amount of chakra from each Bijuu inside of me so that they can communicate with each other through me. Now, I don’t know if that connection will work since I’ve gone back in time, but it’s something I want to test out.”

            “That’s fascinating.” Itachi-san said looking at him with what Naruto thought was amazement. “How did you meet the Sage of the Six Paths?”

            “Well, I’m not entirely sure.” Naruto said scratching the back of his head. “At that point, Obito had extracted Kurama, and I was dying. Sometime during my unconsciousness, the other half of Kurama was implanted in me and I was able to free the other Bijuu. And somewhere in that mess I met him, and he told me all about the Bijuu.”

            “Amazing.” Itachi-san said shaking his head. “When are you going to test the connection?”

            “Well, Kurama is technically still recovering from the time traveling.” Naruto said grimacing. “So, it’ll have to be after he’s all rested up.”

            “Can you take others into your shared mindscape?” Itachi-san asked.

            “I’m not entirely sure. The only person who was able to see Kurama while I was in there was Sasuke and that’s because he was using his Sharingan.” Naruto said with a grimace. “Kurama isn’t a big fan of Uchihas.”

            “I can hardly blame him.” Itachi-san said frowning.

            “I’m sure someone like Inoichi-san or Ino could use their mind jutsu to see him.” Naruto said shrugging. “But again, Kurama isn’t big on people invading his personal space.” Naruto heard Kurama snort in the back of his mind. “Unfortunately for him, I ignore that rule.” Itachi-san chuckled.

            “Alright, you need to get back to Yoshino-san.” Itachi-san said smiling. “She’s probably very worried.”

            “Yeah,” Naruto said with a grimace. “I feel kind of bad for causing her so much stress.”

            “Don’t feel bad.” Itachi-san told him. “It’s the job of a parent to worry about their kids. Even though you’re not her child, you are her responsibility, and she seems to genuinely care about you.”

            “Yeah,” Naruto said smiling. “I’m not used to having a parental figure in my life, so it’s hard to adjust to.”

            “I can’t imagine that it’s been easy.” Itachi-san said as he released the privacy seals.

            “No, but that’s okay.” Naruto said shrugging. Soon, Naruto was back at the Nara Estate and waving to Itachi-san as he left. Shikaku-san was still at the meeting it seems. Things started to calm down a bit over the next few weeks as the remaining ROOT members were rounded up and being questioned. Kakashi told Naruto about what had occurred in the meeting and it was basically Hiashi Hyuuga being prejudice against Fugaku-san. Jiji apparently stopped it there and it was decided that every law that involved the Uchiha being estranged from the village was abolished and the issue of the fallen Uchiha from Kurama’s attack not being on the memorial stone was fixed. The names were to be added the moment Fugaku-san was able to provide the list of names. Naruto was glad that they were taking a step in the right direction. Hopefully, this will start the rest of the Uchiha clan unifying with the rest of the village. He just wondered how the old man’s advisors are taking this. They used to listen to Danzo’s ideas more than Jiji’s.

Chapter Text

            It was finally time for Naruto to begin at the academy. He was happy about it because he was tired of sitting around and not being able to truly train like he’s been wanting to. Now that he’s started at the academy, it wouldn’t be weird if someone were to find him training. Naruto missed his abilities and he missed speaking with Shukaku and the other tailed beasts. ‘I don’t,’ Kurama grumbled in his head that morning. It was the first day of school and Yoshino-san had been rushing Shikamaru and Naruto around this morning to get them ready.

            ‘But they’re your family,’ Naruto thought, inwardly pouting. ‘You’re supposed to love your family.’

            ‘Yeah, yeah,’ The fox grumbled, not looking at Naruto. From what Naruto could tell, the fox was blushing and inwardly grinned in satisfaction. Finally, Yoshino-san was walking Shikamaru and Naruto to the academy. Sasuke and Itachi-san joined them on the way. Sasuke animatedly told Shikamaru and Naruto about how he was going to be the best in their class. Shikamaru ignored him mostly, but Naruto wasn’t allowed that luxury. Naruto had learned that if he did anything to seem like he was ignoring Sasuke, he’d get glared at. Naruto definitely didn’t want to be glared at by Sasuke. And he knows that sounds ridiculous but being glared at like that brought up unwanted memories. It wasn’t long before Itachi-san told Sasuke to take it easy that Sasuke finally stopped. Sasuke, Naruto, and Shikamaru joined the rest of the class out in the middle of the school yard. Naruto seriously didn’t think he’d have to go through listening to the old man talk again. That was his least favorite thing from last time, but Naruto wanted to do better. He did his best to pay attention to what Jiji was saying as he gave his speech. There was only one problem with this. He couldn’t stop himself from looking around at the parents of the students standing near the back of the assembly. He frowned as he noticed several of them glaring at him. Shikamaru surprised him by grabbing his wrist.

            “Just ignore those jerks.” He muttered quietly. Naruto smiled and nodded. He was such an idiot for not noticing how Shikamaru and Chōji had been there for him from the beginning. Instead, he focused on trying to get the attention of others when he already had someone who noticed him. Kakashi was nearby, Naruto could feel it. That was comforting to him. He needed to figure out what needed to be worked on next. He knew Itachi-san was probably already working on his family and Naruto wanted to help with that. The only problem was, there wasn’t much he could do to help. Right now, it was really all on the members of the Uchiha Clan to decide to reintegrate themselves back into the village. It was up to them to get past their anger and hurt after how they were treated because of that Danzo bastard. Naruto was sure Itachi-san understood that and that was probably why Itachi-san insisted on joining the ANBU amongst other things. Naruto would also like to get to know Shisui-san better. He seemed like a good person who was trustworthy and loyal. Finally, Jiji’s speech was over, and the students were being led into the school. Naruto knew exactly which class he was going to be in, so he didn’t fret over where he needed to go. Being back inside this school brought back a lot of memories that made Naruto feel nostalgic. He knew now wasn’t really the time to be nostalgic, but he couldn’t help it.

            Naruto found out that as he grew older, the more sentimental he became. He kind of saw why some of friends always rolled their eyes when he started talking about something that happened a long time ago. But he couldn’t help it. He supposed he got that from his father, from the stories Kakashi had told him. He and his classmates entered their classroom and Iruka Sensei was in there waiting for them. Iruka Sensei spotted Naruto and grimaced. Naruto frowned and sat down with Sasuke. Chōji and Shikamaru were sitting with Ino. Surprisingly, Sakura sat down next to him and not Sasuke. She smiled at him. “Hi, Naruto.”

“Hi, Sakura-chan.” Naruto said smiling at her. “I’m glad we all got the same class.”

“Me too.” She said enthusiastically. “I was worried we wouldn’t be in the same class.”

            “Really?”  Naruto asked her surprised. She nodded.

            “I don’t know anyone besides you, Sasuke-kun, Ino, Shikamaru, Chōji, Kiba, Hinata, and Shino.” She said frowning. “I don’t know what I’d do if I were put in a different class from the rest of you.”

            “Ah,” Naruto said understandingly. “We’d still be friends.” She smiled.

            “I’m glad.” She said before turning her attention to Iruka Sensei. He’d cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. He stood up and went around his desk, holding a clipboard with paper on it.

            “Good morning, class. My name is Iruka Umino, and I’ll be your homeroom teacher.” Iruka Sensei said smiling at everyone. Naruto knew that smile wasn’t meant for him. “You can call me Iruka Sensei. I’m going to take roll call. So, when I call your name, please say you’re here.” He read names off the list and when he got to Naruto’s name, he hesitated a bit. “N-Naruto Uzumaki?”

            “Here, Iruka Sensei.” Naruto answered as normally as possible. He really missed Iruka Sensei, but he didn’t miss the struggle to show Iruka Sensei that Naruto was not the monster everyone claimed him to be. Iruka Sensei nodded and moved on. Once roll call was finished, he sat his clipboard down on the desk and explained to them how their classes were going to work. Iruka Sensei may be their homeroom teacher, but he’s also in charge of teaching them the history of Konoha and the basics of jutsu and chakra. Another instructor was to teach them mathematics, another to teach them strategies, and another to work on their physical training and using weapons. Naruto wasn’t good at anything but the physical training, so that was going to suck. He was sure if he’d just asked, Shikamaru might help him to the best of his abilities. Naruto fully intended on asking Shikamaru for help, but he didn’t want to bother his friend too much. So, he was going to do his best to do what he can on his own and then go to Shikamaru if he really needed the help. Iruka Sensei then started talking about how Konoha was founded. Luckily for Naruto he already knew all of this. Of course, he didn’t really retain the knowledge until he was in the middle of a war against Madara Uchiha. But he learned it. Iruka Sensei would be disappointed to know that the only way Naruto learned it was through warfare.

            Iruka Sensei did a small pop quiz to test their knowledge on the subject. Naruto panicked slightly, not expecting it. But his panic soon left him as he realized he could easily answer these questions. The only problem was he had to be careful how he worded his sentences. He didn’t want to come off as a super genius because he’s not. And he also didn’t want to pretend to be dumb. ‘Just answer the damn questions.’ Kurama grunted.

‘Okay, okay,’ Naruto thought, mentally rolling his eyes. Naruto answered the questions and made sure to take his time with the questions. Iruka Sensei collected the quizzes and when he came across Naruto’s, he looked at him shocked. Was it that hard to believe that he’d know some of these things already?

‘A little bit,’ Kurama answered him snorting.

‘Rude,’ Naruto thought inwardly scowling. ‘I’ve gotten better.’

‘He doesn’t know that.’ Kurama said grinning.

‘Yeah, but he also doesn’t know how dumb I am sometimes.’ Naruto pointed out.

‘You just called yourself dumb,’ Kurama said snickering.

‘So, what if I do?’ Naruto thought feeling slightly embarrassed and a bit irritated. He wasn’t wrong though. He knew he wasn’t that smart, and he knew how annoying it was deal with an idiot like him. It was a bit of a sore subject for him. He hated that he couldn’t proudly say he did good when he was in the academy every time one of the kids asked him about how he was in school. He also hated the fact that Boruto used that against him during arguments.

‘Look, I’m sorry.’ Kurama said softly. ‘You can turn that around.’

‘I know, that’s the plan.’ Naruto thought inwardly sighing. Naruto tuned back into what was going on around in time to listen to Iruka Sensei as he started talking. He started his lesson by going over the questions on the quiz. Naruto did his best to participate in class, surprising Iruka Sensei more. Naruto had to admit that it was kind of fun. Iruka Sensei didn’t grimace at Naruto throughout the rest of class, and it was nice. Maybe it will be easier this time around. After Iruka Sensei’s class, the next sensei came in. He introduced himself as Mori Sensei and that he looked forward to teaching this class. Naruto didn’t believe that for a second. He saw how the chuunin scowled and glared at him when he thought no one was looking. Mori Sensei was teaching them mathematics and Naruto struggled hardcore. Sasuke, Sakura, and Shikamaru did their best to help him. And close to the end of the class, Mori Sensei snorted when Naruto asked him a question related to their classwork.

            “This brat is so dumb.” He had muttered it, but it was loud enough for the whole class to hear. The kids, other than the Rookie 9, laughed and giggled. Naruto heard one of them call him a monster and he sighed. “And now he thinks he can disrespect me and not have any consequences for it.” Mori Sensei was now glaring at him. But all Naruto did was sigh! Why did this man feel the need to belittle him?

            “But sensei, Naruto didn’t do anything wrong!” Sakura said frowning.

            “Yes, he did. You just heard him.” Mori Sensei said dismissively.

            “No, he didn’t,” Shikamaru said frustrated. “Naruto hasn’t done or said anything to you.” Naruto was surprised to see his friend scowling at the teacher.

            “Yeah, leave him alone!” Sasuke said full on glaring at the man.

“You were the one being disrespectful towards him! You called him dumb for asking a question!” Chōji shouted, surprising everyone this time.

            “We’ll tell our parents that you’re being mean to him for no reason!” Ino threatened. Mori Sensei froze, frowning.

            “There’s no need for that. Now, everyone sit down!” Mori Sensei said scowling at the whole class. Naruto had a bad feeling about later, but he left it alone as the class finally came to an end. At the end of the day, Iruka Sensei had pulled him, Shikamaru, Ino, Chōji, Sasuke, and Sakura to the side. Apparently, the Mori Sensei complained to Iruka Sensei about what happened during class. No doubt he bent the truth and Iruka Sensei believed it. Naruto thought darkly.

            “Will you explain to me what happened in mathematics this morning?” Iruka Sensei asked calmly. It surprised Naruto because he was expecting the chuunin to be yelling at them.

            “Naruto asked Mori Sensei a question, that’s all.” Shikamaru answered. “And then Mori Sensei called him dumb and made the rest of the class laugh.”

            “Naruto sighed and Mori Sensei said he was being disrespectful!” Ino said scowling.

            “Yeah, Naruto didn’t do anything wrong!” Sakura said desperately wanting Iruka Sensei to believe her.

            “He said you threatened him.” Iruka Sensei said raising an eyebrow.

            “No, I told him we’d tell our parents that he called Naruto dumb just because he asked a question!” Ino said exasperatedly. “That’s not exactly threatening, Iruka Sensei.”

            “Yeah, it wasn’t right how Mori Sensei was treating Naruto.” Chōji said frowning. “Naruto hasn’t done anything wrong.”

            “You believe us, don’t you Iruka Sensei?” Sasuke asked him, frowning.

            “I-“ Iruka Sensei hesitated when he looked at Naruto. Naruto frowned.

            “It’s okay,” Naruto said sighing. He felt hurt, but he did his best not to show it. “I’ll go clean erasers.”

            “No way!” Ino said scowling at him. “You haven’t done anything wrong!” She sounded frustrated.

            “I’ll talk with Mori Sensei once more.” Iruka Sensei said decisively. “You kids go home.”

            “Okay, see you tomorrow Iruka Sensei.” Shikamaru said before grabbing Naruto’s wrist and leading him out the door.

            “Why did you say that?” Sasuke had asked him as they all walked home. “Iruka Sensei should’ve believed us!” Naruto just shrugged. He was just tired of fighting with people over this stuff.

            “I bet my mom has dinner almost ready.” Shikamaru said changing the subject. Naruto was grateful. He didn’t want to talk about what happened with Mori Sensei anymore. Fortunately for him, the others respected that and after waving goodbye to them all, Shikamaru and Naruto headed back to the Nara Estate.

Chapter Text

Itachi’s P.O.V

            Itachi was happy that Danzo was taken care of. His clan was given a chance to be a part of the village and to show the rest of the village how useful they are. His first step was to walk around the village and speak to the other villagers, of course. But he was going to bring Shisui with him today. He thought about bringing a different clan member every day, but he wasn’t sure how well that would go with the others. For now, he was just going to start with Shisui. Shisui was apprehensive about it, but since it was Itachi asking, he agreed. Even though Itachi was in the ANBU now, his official first day didn’t start until tomorrow. So, he decided to use today as a steppingstone for his clan to reacclimate themselves with the rest of the village. As the cousins walked around the village, Itachi made sure to say hello to everyone he was familiar with and said a few hellos to the ones he wasn’t. He seemed to have surprised a lot of people by doing so, but he didn’t think it was that surprising. He may be quiet most of the time, but he can be sociable when he’s willing to be. Right now, Naruto-kun and Sasuke were in school. Itachi wondered how it was going. Probably not good, considering the teachers there. Itachi didn’t like some of the teachers there, especially Mizuki Sensei. Mizuki Sensei was a bit creepy in his opinion. He was part of the reason why Itachi hurried to graduate.

            If that man decided to lay a finger on Naruto-kun or his brother, he was going to have something more terrifying to worry about than a “demon brat”. That was something Itachi never understood about the villagers here. Why treat someone, who is keeping the thing that attacked this village detained, so horribly? What if Naruto-kun had decided to be the monster they so liked to call him? What if Naruto-kun had decided he had enough and left this village? What would they do then? He knew what they’d do. Hokage-sama would’ve sent a team of ANBU after Naruto-kun. But Itachi knew better than to believe they’d capture him. Itachi knew exactly how elusive the blond could be if he really wanted to. Itachi had spent months tracking him down after all. Getting to know Naruto-kun better has been something Itachi has come to enjoy during his second life. He could see why so many people were drawn to him. In a way, it was a lot like being around the Fourth Hokage. Naruto-kun’s story was inspirational to hear, if not a bit sad. But there was a lesson in his story. That lesson was about how to achieve your goals by not giving up and to keep going forward, no matter what.

            Itachi knew Naruto-kun planned to do things differently this time around. But he was very hesitant and doubtful of his abilities. Itachi understands that this was the result of Naruto’s childhood. He was probably berated by a lot of people. Itachi did acknowledge that the blond wasn’t the brightest when it came to book smarts. He also didn’t feel the need to point it out. He had a feeling that the blond experienced that enough as is. Naruto also lost everything he strived to work towards in the other timeline. Sasuke destroyed it in a mere few hours from what Naruto has told him. It was strange though. Naruto mentioned the purple glow around Sasuke’s eyes at the time and how he believed Sasuke wasn’t in control of his actions. Itachi wondered what that was about. Naruto thought it had to do with the Ōtsutsuki clan. Itachi thought the blond might’ve been onto something. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a way for him to investigate that theory at the moment. Itachi was sure that the library in the village might have some information, but it probably only covered the legend and nothing more. “What are you thinking so hard about?” Shisui asked, bringing Itachi out of his thoughts.

            “I was just thinking about Naruto-kun and his hardships so far.” Itachi answered him. He wasn’t lying, really.

            “Oh, the nine-tailed kid.” He muttered. “He and Sasuke are pretty close, huh?”

            “Yes, Sasuke has claimed Naruto-kun as his friend and rival.” Itachi said chuckling.

            “It’s hard to remember that the kid lost his parents on the day of the attack too,” Shisui said grimacing.

            “Yes,” Itachi said in agreement. He always caught himself forgetting that Naruto had lost his family the day the Kyuubi attacked the village as well. “He was just born, too.”

            “I can’t imagine how he feels about his birthday.” Shisui said grimacing again.

            “I never thought to ask.” Itachi said, a bit surprised. He always imagined that Naruto-kun spent his birthday with his friends, but after talking to him more, Itachi realized that Naruto-kun didn’t like to be a bother to his friends. That possibly stinted from his original childhood. Everyone in the village always treated him as a nuisance and even after he made friends, they still treated him like he was just going to automatically screw everything up by being there. With that in mind, Itachi imagined that Naruto-kun spent his birthdays by himself, feeling lonely and unloved. That was something Itachi wanted to change, but he was going to need Kakashi Senpai’s help and possibly Sasuke.

            “I bet things will be different now that he lives with Shikaku-sama and his family.” Shisui said thoughtfully. “I’m sure Shikaku-sama’s wife wouldn’t let him be miserable on his birthday.”

            “No, Yoshino-san wouldn’t.” Itachi said chuckling. He could see her surprising him with a cake and a gift. He was very lucky for things to have turned out this way this time around. It was just sad that Naruto-kun had to lose literally everyone he ever cared about for it to come to this.

            “I was thinking of moving out,” Shisui said almost casually. Itachi could see he was anticipating his reaction. “I’m starting to feel smothered by having my family up my ass all the time.”

            “I’m happy for you.” Itachi said smiling at him. Shisui just stared at him in surprise. “I would’ve done the same if my father wasn’t the head of the clan.”

            “Really?” Shisui asked, scrutinizingly. “I’m pretty sure Sasuke would do his absolute damnedest to stop you.”

            “You’re not wrong.” Itachi said chuckling. “He would’ve probably found a creative way to follow me.”

            “No, I know he would’ve.” Shisui said shaking his head. “But you really wouldn’t mind if I moved out?”

            “Not at all.” Itachi said, nodding. “It’s good to take a change of scenery every once in a while.”

            “Man, your father isn’t going to be happy about it.” Shisui said grimacing. “I know my father would be sad to see me go, but he’d at least understand.”

            “I think I can convince my father that it would do our clan some good, if we had someone living outside of the compound.” Itachi said thoughtfully. “You could be the middleman between the clan and the rest of the village, if you look at it that way.”

            “Yeah,” Shisui said sighing. “I would hate that, but in a way, I feel like it would be my duty as an Uchiha.”

            “You do what you feel is right,” Itachi told him. “I’ll take care of my father.”

            “Thanks, cousin.” Shisui said smiling at him.

            “Anytime,” Itachi said chuckling. They stopped at a dango shop for lunch and eventually returned to the Uchiha compound by the time Sasuke got home from school.

            “Nii-chan!” Sasuke greeted him happily when he entered his home. Sasuke was sitting at the kitchen table working on some homework.

            “How was your first day of school?” Itachi asked him.

            “Mori Sensei was a jerk to Naruto!” Sasuke said scowling.

            “How so?” Itachi asked curiously. Mother placed a plate of snacks on the table for Sasuke before disappearing into the other room.

            “We were sitting in mathematics class and Naruto asked Mori Sensei a question near the end of class. Mori Sensei called him dumb and then some kid called him a monster! Naruto sighed and then Mori Sensei said Naruto was being disrespectful!” Sasuke said angrily. “We stood up to Mori Sensei for saying those things to Naruto. Later, Iruka Sensei pulled us aside and asked us about it. He didn’t believe us! What’s worse is Naruto accepted the fact that Iruka Sensei didn’t believe him and offered to clean erasers!”

            “Sasuke, while I agree that Mori Sensei was in the wrong, you must remember that Naruto-kun isn’t used to adults believing him. He’s used to everyone calling him a liar and a nuisance. He’s used to being called a monster and being glared at and whispered about everywhere he goes in this village.” Itachi explained. “You need to remember not to be angry at Naruto-kun for how he reacts to these kinds of situations. He’s dealing with it the only way he knows how. So, you must be patient with hm, okay?”

            “Okay,” Sasuke said a bit surprised. “I had no idea Naruto went through all that, though.”

            “He’s very good at covering it up.” Itachi said shaking his head. “I’ve only known him a short time, but I can tell he doesn’t like to worry others with things like that.”

            “It’s really sad,” Mother said walking back into the kitchen. “Kushina-chan would be very upset to learn how her son has been treated.”

            “Who’s that again?” Sasuke asked frowning.

            “Kushina-chan is Naruto-kun’s mom.” Mother said smiling. “She was my best friend. She’d had Naruto-kun not even a week after I had you.” Sasuke made a face. Itachi chuckled. Later on that evening, Father was sitting in his study looking at some scrolls. Itachi figured now was a better time to talk to Father about Shisui moving out of the compound.

            “Father,” Itachi greeted him.

            “Itachi-kun, what can I do for you?” Father asked him. He looked tired from the day, but he seemed to perk up when Itachi spoke up to him.

            “It’s about Shisui,” Itachi stated. “He wants to move out of the compound and get a place of his own.” His father looked surprised before his face contorted with anger.

            “What?” He asked angrily. “That’s-“

            “Father,” Itachi said cutting him. “Think about this as an opportunity for our clan to reintegrate with the rest of the village. Hokage-sama abolished the laws made against us due to the lies spread by Danzo-sama.” His father calmed down and looked thoughtful. He was listening. “By Shisui moving out and spending more time with the other villagers, the villagers will begin to see that everything they were told was lies. They’ll want to get to know our clan members better. And Shisui said he’d be willing to be the middleman for our clan if he needed to be.”

            “I see.” Father said thoughtfully. “When is he going to talk to me about this matter?”

            “I believe he said he’d talk to you tomorrow.” Itachi said feeling relieved.

            “Very well, I’ll give him my good graces.” Father said nodding.

            “Thank you, Father.” Itachi said bowing to him.

            “It’s late, you should get to bed.” Father said softly.

            “Yes, Father. Good night.” Itachi said before leaving the study. The next day, Itachi spends his first day as an ANBU member being trained by Raidou-san and Genma-san. According to Genma-san, he was supposed to be trained by Kakashi Senpai, but Kakashi Senpai was busy guarding Shikaku-sama’s home. Itachi did notice that some villagers hung around the Nara Estate a lot when Naruto was home. After Itachi’s first day of training, Genma-san and Raidou-san invited him out to the bar. Itachi got a water while his trainers got beer. Gai-san, Kurenai-san, and Asuma-san joined them.

            “It’s too bad Kakashi couldn’t join us.” Raidou-san said sometime later. At this point, Itachi’s ‘seniors’ were all drunk and he found it amusing. Kurenai-san and Asuma-san were making googly eyes at each other while Genma-san, Raidou-san, and Gai-san were having a three-way yelling match up to this point.

            “He’s on a mission,” Asuma-san said, a few of his words slurred.

            “To do what?” Itachi asked curiously.

            “He’s guarding Shikaku-sama’s home!” Gai-san answered with gusto. “Very admirable, my rival!”

            “It seems some villagers have been hanging around Shikaku-sama’s home.” Genma-san said frowning. “Hokage-sama is worried someone is going to go after Naruto-kun.”

            “With good reason too.” Kurenai-san said shaking her head, drunkenly. “That poor kid. Have you heard what happened to his apartment?”

            “Yeah, some kids trashed it good.” Raidou-san said sighing. “And up until Shikaku-sama took him in, he had been living out in the woods.” They talked more about Naruto-kun for a while before they decided to go home. Itachi’s plan was starting to come together. He hoped that the days going forward will be easier for Naruto-kun and that school will become easier.

Chapter Text

Shikamaru’s P.O.V

            Naruto was in a bad mood the rest of the day and it pained Shikamaru to watch. Shikamaru could tell his friend was hurting, but Naruto never talked about it; not once. Shikamaru, much like the rest of his friends, was surprised when Naruto automatically gave up fighting Iruka Sensei about everything Mori Sensei did. He supposed it had to do with a lot of the adults in the village never believing him or calling him a liar. It wasn’t right how Naruto was being treated and Shikamaru wanted to change that. He just wasn’t sure how to do that just yet. On the way home from school, Naruto didn’t speak at all, which was strange. Naruto was usually talking his ear off. At home, Mom seemed to have noticed Naruto’s mood and asked him how school went. Naruto didn’t answer her question, but instead said that he was feeling tired. Mom let him go lay down. And when Naruto was out of sight, she turned towards Shikamaru and asked what happened. What a drag. “Everything was going okay, until Mori Sensei came into the classroom.” Shikamaru started. “He was teaching us mathematics and Naruto was struggling. So, a few of us tried to help him. Near the end of class, Naruto asked Mori Sensei a question related to our classwork and Mori Sensei called him dumb. And then when Naruto sighed, Mori Sensei proceeded to accuse Naruto of being disrespectful.”

            “That isn’t right,” Mom said frowning.

            “Ino told Mori Sensei that we’d tell our parents about his behavior if he didn’t leave Naruto alone. So, Mori Sensei dropped the subject, and the rest of class went without incident.” Shikamaru said sighing. “And then at the end of the day, Iruka Sensei pulled us all over to the side and asked about the incident. Apparently, Mori Sensei complained to him about it.”

            “Is this teacher a man or a child?” Mom asked, scowling.

            “We told Iruka Sensei exactly what happened, but it seemed like he didn’t believe anything we said.” Shikamaru said shaking his head. “Naruto was upset about it, and instead of trying to prove that Mori Sensei was in the wrong, he said he’d start cleaning erasers.”

            “Oh, poor boy.” Mom said sympathetically.

            “In the end, Iruka Sensei said he’d talk to Mori Sensei again. But I don’t think Mori Sensei will ever admit that he was wrong.” Shikamaru said sighing. “Naruto has been bummed about it since then.”

            “I see,” Mom said thoughtfully. He wondered if she was going to have a word with Mori Sensei. “I hope the other kids don’t get upset with Naruto for how he’s handling the situation.” Shikamaru looked at her surprised. “What? You don’t think I don’t know about the possible struggles Naruto-kun goes through?” She shook her head. “I’m more perceptive than that.”

            “The only one I’m worried about is Sasuke.” Shikamaru said frowning. “He’s really quick to anger when it comes to stuff like that.”

            “Yes, I might have a word with Itachi-kun the next time I see him.” Mom said thoughtfully. “In the meantime, all we can do is to be there for Naruto-kun when he’s ready to talk about it.”

            “That’s just it.” Shikamaru said sighing. “I don’t think he will talk about it. I’ve been waiting since we left school for him to talk to me about it. But he hasn’t said a word.”

            “Then maybe you should take the initiative and ask him about it.” Mom suggested. Shikamaru wasn’t that kind of person. It made him cringe just thinking about it, but he was worried about Naruto. He decided that he would try his best to be there for Naruto. And if the best way to do it was to ask Naruto about it, then he’d do it.

            “Okay, I’ll do it.” Shikamaru said nodding.

            “Good boy.” Mom said smiling at him. “I’m going to get started on dinner.”

            “Naruto and I have homework, so I’m going to check on him.” Shikamaru said, feeling determined.

            “Let’s give him some time. He probably just needs some time to get himself together.” Mom said chuckling. Shikamaru nodded. He got his schoolwork out and sat at the kitchen table. Naruto surprised the two of them and came to the kitchen on his own, without either of them prompting him to. He didn’t look like he’d been crying, but Shikamaru could tell he was still a bit upset about today. “Naruto-kun, dinner is almost ready.”

            “Okay, I’ll go wash up then.” Naruto said, before turning around and going towards the bathroom. He didn’t sound like he was crying either. It was like Naruto had put on a mask the moment he left his room. That thought gave Shikamaru a funny jolt of realization. The only times he’d seen Naruto cry was when he had nightmares, or he was happy. But Shikamaru hadn’t witnessed Naruto cry outside of that; he always had a smile on his face. Always. It made Shikamaru just wonder how much pain and anguish Naruto was hiding behind that smile of his.

            “Mom…” Shikamaru said thoughtfully.

            “Yes?” She asked him curiously.

            “We need to keep a better eye on him.” Shikamaru said decisively.

            “I agree.” Mom said chuckling. “That kid has a better poker face than your father when he’s lying.” Scary… Shikamaru thought, grimacing. He knew exactly what she meant. When Naruto came back, Shikamaru tried engaging him in conversation.

            “Do you need any help with homework?” Shikamaru asked him as he sat down at the table.

            “Mm, I want to try it on my own and if I’m struggling too much, I’ll ask.” Naruto said thoughtfully. Shikamaru was proud that his friend wasn’t going to just rely on him to get homework done.

            “That’s very mature of you, Naruto-kun.” Mom praised him, causing Naruto to blush. Shikamaru could tell that Naruto wasn’t used to being praised, which was a bit sad.

            “T-Thanks, Yoshino-san.” Naruto said shyly. Shikamaru decided to talk to Naruto about what happened today before they went to bed. He knew it was better to treat it like a bandage. He wasn’t sure how he knew that, but that’s how he felt. Naruto ate dinner surprisingly well. Did he not eat at lunch? Shikamaru wasn’t sure and he was kicking himself. Chōji and Ino had distracted him a lot during lunch. After dinner, Mom told them to finish their homework before they could go off and do what they want. Shikamaru kept an eye on Naruto in case he needed help. But Shikamaru didn’t have to help him at all. Naruto struggled a little, but he got through it. Shikamaru mentally prepared himself as he followed Naruto into his room. “What’s up?” Naruto asked curiously.

            “Um, I wanted to ask you about what happened with Mori Sensei today.” Shikamaru said, inwardly grimacing. “I know you’re probably used to being treated like that. But you should still talk about it.” Naruto looked at him surprised. That made Shikamaru feel relieved. He thought for sure Naruto would be angry about it, or something.

            “A-ah,” Naruto said, chuckling. That was an odd response. Shikamaru noted. “I’ve never really had any one to talk to about this kind of stuff with. So, I tend not to talk about it.” Shikamaru didn’t expect Naruto to be upfront about it, but Naruto was a very upfront kind of person. So, he shouldn’t be so surprised. From there, Naruto started talking about it and it seemed like by the end of it, Naruto felt relieved. Shikamaru was glad, but he never expected to hear some of the crap Naruto has been going through. And it’s appalling that the adults in this village would treat a child this way. In some parts, Naruto seemed a bit embarrassed to admit all the horrible things he’s been put through. And that didn’t seem right. Did he really think Shikamaru would make fun of him? Shikamaru reminded himself that before coming here, Naruto didn’t have any friends. So, he probably didn’t even know. Shikamaru vowed to himself, that he was going to do his absolute best to be there for Naruto.

            “Have you told anyone else about this?” Shikamaru asked curiously. He knew the answer would be no, but he wanted a confirmation from the source.

            “No,” Naruto said shaking his head. “I haven’t felt comfortable enough with anyone else to tell them.” And once again, Naruto had surprised Shikamaru. Even Sasuke doesn’t know about this. Well, to be fair, Shikamaru didn’t think Sasuke would’ve actually let Naruto talk about it. Shikamaru has pegged Sasuke as the kind of person to interrupt someone when he hears something he doesn’t like. And then he’ll go off into a tangent about how he dislikes said thing instead of actually listening. And Shikamaru feels that Naruto felt the same way.

            “Well, I’m glad you feel comfortable around me to tell me.” Shikamaru said, trying to keep the blush off his face. Admitting this type of stuff was really embarrassing for him. He wasn’t that kind of person and apparently, Naruto could tell. Naruto beamed at him.

            “Thanks for being there for me.” Naruto said, before letting out a yawn. It reminded Shikamaru that it was getting late and that they had school in the morning.

            “We should get to bed, before Mom comes up here.” Shikamaru said grimacing. “She’s scary when she’s angry.”

            “I can see that.” Naruto said nodding. “Good night, Shikamaru. And thanks.”

            “You’re welcome.” Shikamaru said, smiling. He left Naruto’s room feeling like he accomplished something big. He let out a yawn of his own before heading into his room. The next day, Naruto was in a much better mood. Shikamaru was nervous about what Iruka Sensei might have to say when they arrived at school. But for now, Shikamaru was just going to enjoy his friend being in a good mood. Naruto talked his ear off on their way to school. Chōji and Ino had joined them along the way, and they seemed to notice the shift in Naruto’s mood. They seemed a bit relieved by it and joined in on the conversation so that Naruto wasn’t just carrying it by himself. Shikamaru felt a bit bad about that, but he wasn’t much of a talker. He wanted to change that a bit when it comes to Naruto. He always seemed to have something interesting to say, but Shikamaru wasn’t sure if it was because Naruto was desperate to keep the conversation going so that there wasn’t an awkward silence. Or if it was just because Naruto had that much to say.

            Shikamaru’s worry from earlier came back as soon as they entered the classroom. Iruka Sensei pulled Naruto off to the side, looking very serious. Shikamaru couldn’t tell what was being said, but from Naruto’s reaction it wasn’t bad. In fact, Shikamaru was almost certain Iruka Sensei apologized to Naruto about yesterday. Hopefully, that meant Mori Sensei was being punished for talking to Naruto like that. There were some whispers from the other kids, but Naruto ignored them. “What did Iruka Sensei say?” Sasuke asked as soon as Naruto sat down.

            “He said that Mori Sensei told him the truth finally, and then he apologized to me.” Naruto said shrugging.

            “Is Mori Sensei being punished?” Ino asked curiously.

            “I don’t know.” Naruto said pulling out his stuff.

            “I hope so.” Sakura said frowning. “It’s not right.”

            “I’m just glad Iruka Sensei believed me.” Naruto admitted.

            “Yeah, but only after he talked to Mori Sensei.” Sasuke grumbled.

            “I don’t mind.” Naruto said, looking a bit uncomfortable. Sasuke about said something, but Shikamaru cut him off.

            “How did you guys feel about yesterday’s homework?” Shikamaru asked, changing the subject. It worked, but Sasuke was sulking. Naruto noticed it too, unfortunately. But he sent Shikamaru a thankful look before turning to the front as Iruka Sensei got everyone’s attention.

Chapter Text

            Today’s goal was to test out the connection between him and the other tailed-beasts. Naruto wasn’t a hundred percent sure it would work, but it was worth the try. It was a Saturday, and Shikamaru had clan training. So, Naruto used this opportunity to go to his secret spot in the forest. It wasn’t where he’d previously had his little ‘hut’ set up, but it was where he’d made Pervy Sage’s grave marker. It was a bit morbid, but he didn’t mind so much. Not after what he’d already been through. It felt strangely empty to him as he sat under the exact tree. But it was peaceful, with the birds calling to each other and the small animals scurrying atop the tree branches. It was a nice day out today, Naruto thought. The sun was out and there were a few clouds drifting across the blue sky. A warm, gentle breeze blew through the leaves of the trees. The sound of the leaves shaking in the trees was calming. It was a perfect environment for meditating. Naruto crossed his legs, closed his eyes, and started meditating. Inside his mindscape, he found Kurama lazing about in the grass. “Are you ready, Kurama?” Naruto asked him excitedly.

            “I don’t know how well this will work, but I’ll give it a shot.” Kurama said sighing. “I’m going to be pissed if we manage to contact that damn raccoon.” Naruto chuckled.

            “Kurama, even if it is Shukaku, I’ll be happy about it because it worked!” Naruto said grinning. He just rolled his eyes at Naruto. The two concentrated together and Naruto heard a familiar roaring. “Shukaku!” Naruto snickered as Kurama cursed.

            “What the-!?” Shukaku-san disgruntled voice exclaimed the moment he ended up in Naruto’s mindscape. “How the hell? And who is this brat!?”

            “Shukaku-san, calm down.” Naruto said smiling.

            “WHO DARES SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT!?” Shukaku-san roars and Kurama hits him upside the head with one of his tails.

            “Quit yelling, you’re being so damn annoying.” Kurama grumbled. “Damn brat.”

            “Kurama!?” Shukaku-san asked surprised. “What’s going on?”

            “I’ve only summoned a portion of your chakra to here.” Kurama explained. “We need to talk.”

            “I don’t want to talk to you, or that human!” Shukaku-san said, turning his nose up at them.

            “Listen you brat!” Kurama growled. “You’re starting to get on my nerves! If not for that idiot, I wouldn’t be calling you here!”

            “Hey,” Naruto said pouting slightly. Naruto wasn’t seriously upset about it. He knew Kurama’s pride kept him from calling him Kit. “If it’s any consolation to you, Shukaku-san,”

            “Sama!” Shukaku-sama corrected him.

            “Ah, sorry.” Naruto said smiling. “Shukaku-sama, I would like to speak to you about something very serious and urgent.”

            “What’s so urgent?” Shukaku-sama asked him.

            “It’s about the future.” Naruto started to explain. Shukaku-sama looked at him baffled. “Everything I’m about to tell you is the absolute truth.” Naruto held out his fist. “You have my word.”

            “And if I don’t believe you?” Shukaku-sama asked, frowning.

            “And if you don’t believe me, then I’ll leave you alone about for now.” Naruto said with a grin. “That just means when the Chuunin Exams happen, we’ll meet again.”

            “Ugh, fine.” Shukaku-sama grumbled. “Tell me what you need to tell me then.” Naruto went into explaining about the war and how Madara Uchiha was brought back later on. When Naruto mentioned the part where Shukaku-sama and the rest of his siblings were forced to stay inside Naruto’s body to stay hidden, he seemed to be more interested in what Naruto had to say. “So, you’ve come back to prevent all that?”

            “Yes, and one of the steps to achieve that is to fix Gaara’s seal.” Naruto said nodding.

            “And you, a brat, are going to fix it are you?” Shukaku-sama asked snorting.

            “Yes,” Naruto said with conviction. “I’ve been studying sealing techniques for some time now and I’m confident in my abilities to fix Gaara’s seal.”

            “Alright, I’ll comply.” Shukaku-sama said seriously. “It’s the sand brat you’re going to have to worry about.”

            “Oh, I have plan for Gaara.” Naruto said smiling. “It’s not going to be easy, but it should work. All I need from you is to stop trying to break free every chance you get and let the guy get some sleep.”

            “Hmph,” Shukaku-sama said before begrudgingly agreeing to do as Naruto asked. And then, he made some excuse to leave. Naruto bid him farewell and soon it was just him and Kurama again.

            “I’d say that was successful.” Naruto said beaming at his companion. Kurama snorted.

            “Says you,” he grumbled. “I’m done with trying to connect others for the day.”

            “That’s fine,” Naruto said nodding. “I want to take things one step at a time. For now, let’s focus on Gaara and Shukaku-sama.” Naruto heard something from outside of his mindscape and focused back on the real world. He opened his eyes and scanned the area. Itachi-san was standing opposite of him. “Oh,” Naruto said surprised.

            “Sorry for surprising you.” Itachi-san apologized.

            “It’s okay.” Naruto said smiling. He stretched a bit and stood up.

            “Were you speaking to Kurama-sama?” Itachi-san asked curiously.

            “Yes,” Naruto said nodding. “We were getting into contact with another tailed-beast.”

            “Did you succeed?” Itachi-san asked a bit eagerly.

            “We did,” Naruto said grinning. “It looks like the next step is going to happen a bit sooner than I was planning.”

            “That’s good. I’m assuming it’s to do with Gaara-san.” Itachi-san said thoughtfully.

            “Yes, and I can’t wait.” Naruto said snickering.

“Sasuke is looking for you. He seemed to be upset that you weren’t home.” Itachi-san said amused.

            “Ah,” Naruto said grimacing. “I’m so used to being by myself on my days off, that I forgot…” Naruto didn’t want to admit that he forgot about his friends. That made it seem like he didn’t care about them at all, but he couldn’t help it.

            “I understand,” Itachi-san said chuckling. “I won’t tell him about this place though. It seems important.”

            “It is…” Naruto said looking at the place where Pervy Sage’s headstones would’ve been. “But if things go to plan, this place will be nothing but a memory.” Eventually, Naruto went with Itachi-san to go find Sasuke. Sasuke was at one of the training grounds and he looked upset about something. Naruto decided to use Kakashi’s famous greeting for when he was late. “Yo!”

            “Where have you been?” Sasuke asked grabbing his arm and scowling at him. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere!”

            “Sorry, I fell asleep while training.” Naruto said smiling sheepishly. He was meditating, but that could be categorized under ‘training’ right? Kurama snorted, before going quiet.

            “Dummy…” Sasuke mumbled. “Come on! Kiba and Sakura are waiting for us!”

            “What are we doing?” Naruto asked curiously. Itachi-san waved at them before taking off.

            “You’ll see!” Sasuke said excitedly as he dragged Naruto to wherever they were going. They ended up at training ground 7. It was mostly unused by a lot of people because it was one of the furthest away from the village. Once there, Naruto was surprised to find Kiba and Sakura setting up a picnic.

            “Naruto!” Sakura greeted him with a smile. “I’m glad you could join us! Mom helped me make a picnic for everyone. But I didn’t realize that everyone had clan training today.”

            “I knew Shikamaru, Ino, and Chōji were doing that today, but I didn’t realize the others were as well.” Naruto said surprised. “Why aren’t you and Akamaru training?”

            “I managed to make my mom angry.” Kiba admitted, grimacing. “She’s a pain to deal with when she’s mad at you.”

            “That’s what Shikamaru says when Yoshino-san is angry with him.” Naruto said snickering. Sakura giggled. Kiba just scowled at the two of them.

No One’s P.O.V

            Iruka was grading some papers over the weekend and was pleasantly surprised at how well Naruto-kun was doing. He’d heard the stories before he even knew Naruto-kun was going to be in class. Iruka was nervous about having Naruto-kun in his class, naturally. He contained the monster that killed his parents and many others after all. Iruka knew it wasn’t Naruto’s fault, but it was hard to see past the fox sometimes. At least, it was at first. On the first day, he wasn’t sure who to believe about the whole incident with Mori-san. Iruka had heard rumors that Mori-san liked to tell tall tales sometimes, but he’d also been told that Naruto-kun lied for attention. But then he saw the look of defeat on Naruto-kun’s face the moment Iruka had pulled him and his friends aside. He admitted defeat so quickly, it made Iruka realize something. It made him realize that Naruto is just a child, whose life had been unfair the moment he was born. Naruto was just like him, parentless. Naruto-kun lost his parents to that fox as well. Iruka painfully realized that night when he was trying to sleep.

            Lately, though, Iruka has noticed how hard Naruto-kun works on all his assignments. At first, Iruka thought that maybe Naruto-kun was just copying from Shikamaru-kun’s or Sasuke-kun’s homework. That thought was dashed the moment he started grading more and more of Naruto-kun’s homework. He could tell it was in Naruto-kun’s own words and it matched his speech pattern as well. Iruka then came to the conclusion that Naruto-kun must’ve not had anyone to properly teach him how to read and write before he started to stay with the Naras. So, he was amazed by how well Naruto-kun was writing and comprehending the work presented to him. He was starting to feel proud of his student. The other day, Naruto-kun brought up seals during one of their breaks. He said after learning about his mom from Sasuke-kun’s mother, he was interested in the Uzumaki clan. So, Iruka obliged and told him all the information he knew about the Uzumaki clan. It wasn’t much, but that led Iruka to doing some research himself. He found a lot of amazing things that he hoped he could share with Naruto-kun. Learning more about the Uzumaki clan has made him want to learn more about Naruto-kun.

            During one of his meetings with Hokage-sama, he mentioned to him about Naruto-kun’s interest in seals. “He wanted to learn that?” Hokage-sama asked him surprised.

            “Yes,” Iruka said smiling. “I was just as surprised.”

            “But how…” Hokage-sama asked frowning.

            “As I understand it, Sasuke-kun’s mother has been telling him about his own mother.” Iruka explained.

            “Ah,” Hokage-sama said in realization. “I suppose it was a matter of time before he took interest into his own clan.”

            “Yes, of course, I’ll do my best to teach him the basics of seals.” Iruka stated with determination.

            “I have no doubts that you will.” Hokage-sama said chuckling. “If he does well with it, he’s going to grow up to be a very powerful young man.”

            “Yes,” Iruka said smiling. “I’m sure Lord Fourth would be ecstatic to hear his son is following in his footsteps.”

            “No doubt about that.” Hokage-sama said smiling up at Lord Fourth’s portrait. “He’d be celebrating for as long as Kushina-chan could stand it.” After his meeting with Hokage-sama, Iruka went home to do more research on the Uzumaki clan. He was determined to do his best to work with Naruto-kun, so that Naruto-kun would graduate with flying colors.

Chapter Text

            Graduation was coming up in a few weeks and Naruto was worried about how he was going to pull off explaining how he knows the shadow clone jutsu. He did, for shits and giggles, try making a normal clone. He even had Kurama pull back some of his chakra and Naruto still wasn’t able to make a perfect clone. It was a bit embarrassing, but it is what it is. After expressing his concerns to Kakashi and waiting for Kakashi to stop laughing, Kakashi suggested that he could bring it up to Iruka Sensei and work out a way to where they could ‘teach’ Naruto the jutsu. Naruto thought that was brilliant, but of course, Kakashi wasn’t a genius for no reason. Naruto agreed to the idea, but he knew that it was ultimately up to the old man whether he could ‘learn’ the jutsu or not. While Kakashi worked on that, Naruto thought about how he was going to deal with the bell test. He knew, one way or another, that he was going to be made a genin. He needed to figure out how he was going to motivate Sakura and Sasuke to get the bells from Kakashi. What Kakashi doesn’t know is that Naruto already knows what’s going to happen with that. He might suspect it, but he doesn’t know for sure. And Naruto planned to keep it that way. He was also going to use this chance to get the jump on Kakashi before he has the chance to mess with them. This was going to require a bit of time and a lot of glitter. But first, Sasuke and Sakura.

            Now, he knew they probably wouldn’t have issues with teamwork. That wasn’t going to be the issue this time around. No, this time around it was going to be Sasuke’s cockiness and Sakura’s lack of self-confidence. Sakura was smart and Naruto knew she knew exactly what she needed to do but had no idea of how to go about it. So, he was going to spend more time with her and help boost her self-confidence. He’d already been working on it since they were younger, so it shouldn’t be too hard or take too long. Sasuke on the other hand won’t be so easy to deal with. For one, Naruto is still hesitant around him after everything with the old Sasuke. And two, since his clan wasn’t murdered, he still has his spunk and cocky attitude. Now, Sasuke had always been a cocky bastard, but this time it was going to be sevenfold. Naruto needed to figure out a way to get Sasuke to listen to him, without ruining it by accidently turning it into a competition. That was going to be hard, because Naruto knows that was what Kakashi was going to aim for. Sasuke was going to take some time. Naruto has been trying to get Sasuke to take it down a notch on several occasions. But it always seemed to upset Sasuke and cause him to glare at Naruto. Naruto still isn’t comfortable around Sasuke when he glares at him. He hates it, but that’s just how it is.

            “What are you thinking so hard about?” Itachi-san asked, causing Naruto to jump. He had been sitting at the park on one of the swing sets that were unoccupied.

            “O-Oh,” Naruto said, breathing a sigh of relief.

            “Sorry for startling you.” Itachi-san said with a chuckle.

            “I’m thinking about Sasuke.” Naruto finally answered. “You see, Kakashi is going to make us do a bell test after we’re assigned to him. So, I’m trying to figure out how I can get Sasuke to cooperate.”

            “That is going to be difficult,” Itachi-san admitted. “He’s very… overconfident about a lot of things.”

            “That’s one way to put it,” Naruto said shaking his head. “That’s what I’m worried about. I know he’ll take it seriously. But Kakashi is going to aim to cause us to fight amongst each other.”

            “Yes, Kakashi Senpai likes to cause some chaos and watch it unfold.” Itachi-san said amused.

            “No kidding.” Naruto said sighing. “It’s more fun when it’s not happening to you.”

            “What are we talking about?” Kakashi asked, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.

            “Nothing of importance.” Itachi-san answered him.

            “Oh really?” Kakashi asked looking between the two of them. “Nothing important at all?”

            “Nope.” Naruto said with a straight face. “What’s the news?”

            “Iruka has agreed and so has Hokage-sama. His only request is that I’m there to watch over everything.” Kakashi told him.

            “I figured he’d say that.” Naruto said shaking his head. “It’s going to be hard to pretend like I haven’t used the jutsu several times a week.”

            “When have you been using it?” Kakashi asked surprised.

            “When I was checking out the ROOT base.” Naruto said nonchalantly. “I can’t move around as freely as I could before since I’ve been staying with the Nara’s. So, I have to be in several places at once, less Shikamaru figures me out.”

            “He’s very smart for his age.” Kakashi said chuckling.

            “He only lacks motivation.” Naruto said snickering. “I’m sure Asuma Sensei was pulling his hair out after the first week.”

            “He’s going to be under Asuma, is he?” Kakashi asked amused.

            “Yep.” Naruto said grinning. “Asuma Sensei is going to have his work cut out for him.” So is Kurenai Sensei and Kakashi. But Naruto wasn’t going to tell the jonin that in case he tries to run away. Naruto couldn’t have Kakashi running away, not after putting all this effort into paying him back. No. Naruto would have to be careful to not give himself away. Naruto also loved how Itachi-san was going along with it. “When are we going to start this?”

            “Tomorrow, I believe.” Kakashi said thoughtfully. “I think Iruka is going to talk to you about tomorrow morning.”

            “Good.” Naruto said thoughtfully.

            “How are things going with Gaara-san?” Itachi-san asked Naruto.

            “For now, I’m just waiting until the Chuunin Exams. But Shukaku-sama has reported that things are going a tad bit better than before.” Naruto said smiling. “Unfortunately, there isn’t much I can do about his father or the way he’s being treated by his village.”

            “Yes, that’s very unfortunate.” Itachi-san said grimly.

            “Gaara-san…” Kakashi said thoughtfully. “You mean the Kazekage’s son?”

            “Yeah,” Naruto said nodding. “I’m trying to help him out. It’ll be more beneficial for everyone later on.”

            “And why exactly are the Chuunin Exams so important?” Kakashi asked curiously.

            “That will have to wait until after graduation.” Naruto said thoughtfully. “There’s something else that happens before the Chuunin Exams that might be helpful later on as well.”

            “Do you have any idea of what that is?” Kakashi asked Itachi-san.

            “Not a clue.” Itachi-san said chuckling. “By this point in the old timeline, I’ve already left the village.” Kakashi narrowed his eyes at Naruto, causing him to laugh.

            “Trust me, I’ll tell you more about it when the time comes.” Naruto said grinning. Kakashi didn’t seem to be happy about it, but he agreed. The next day at school, Naruto is approached by Iruka Sensei.

            “Naruto-kun, I’ve been told that you’ve been struggling with the clone jutsu.” Iruka Sensei said thoughtfully.

            “Yeah, it’s because I have a lot of chakra.” Naruto said pouting a bit. “I’m not good at chakra control, Iruka Sensei.”

            “That’s why Hokage-sama has given me permission to teach you a version of the clone jutsu that is suited for your large amount of chakra.” Iruka Sensei said chuckling. “I’ll give you more information about it after school, okay?”

            “Okay,” Naruto said nodding. “Thanks for helping me, Iruka Sensei.” Naruto wanted him to know how much he appreciated Iruka Sensei, because he didn’t think he conveyed it enough in the old timeline. Iruka Sensei looked at him surprised, but he gave Naruto a warm smile.

            “You’re very welcome, Naruto-kun.” He said, before going up to the front of the room. Naruto was pretty sure the chuunin almost teared up. He took his seat, feeling like he’s done something good.

            “Everything okay?” Shikamaru asked him.

            “Yeah,” Naruto said smiling. “Iruka Sensei said he found something to help me with graduation.”

            “That’s good.” Shikamaru said nodding. “I know you’re not good at using the clone jutsu.”

            “You don’t have to rub in my face…” Naruto said pouting. Shikamaru blinked at him in surprise, causing Naruto to snicker. “I’m joking.”

            “Dude, you know I’d never make fun you.” Shikamaru said sighing. “Don’t joke around like that.”

            “I know you wouldn’t.” Naruto said smiling. “I think it’s okay to joke about it every once in a while.”

            “Naruto!” Sakura called, running up to him.

            “What’s wrong, Sakura-chan?” Naruto asked her curiously.

            “It’s Sasuke-kun! Someone is being mean to him!” She said, urgently. “Please come quick!” Naruto got up and followed her to where Sasuke was. Upon approaching Sasuke, he noticed that Sasuke was on the ground with some scrapes and bruises on him. He was glaring up at someone who looked to be a genin, but the genin was a year older than them. The genin was smirking down at Sasuke, pissing Sasuke off more.

            “Hey, leave him alone!” Naruto bellowed as Sakura and him approached the two of them.

            “Go away, demon brat!” The genin sneered at him. “This doesn’t concern you.”

            “I said, leave Sasuke alone.” Naruto said more calmly, glaring at the genin. He passed Sasuke and stood in front of him. “Either get out of here or face the embarrassment of being beaten by a student.”

            “What are you going to do about it?” The genin scoffed. “You don’t know anything.”

            “I don’t have to know anything to beat you.” Naruto said confidently. Before it could escalate, Iruka Sensei found them.

            “What’s going on over here?” Iruka Sensei asked scowling at everyone.

            “Iruka Sensei, this guy was being mean to Sasuke-kun!” Sakura said frowning. “And Naruto was defending him.”

            “I see,” Iruka Sensei said, looking at the genin. “Ah, I remember you. You were a troublemaker in class.” The genin stuck his tongue out at Iruka Sensei before running off. Iruka Sensei shook his head. “I’ll be having a word with his jonin sensei.” He turned to Sasuke. “Are you okay, Sasuke-kun?”

            “Yes, Iruka Sensei.” Sasuke said standing up. He looked angry, but Naruto knew it was at Sasuke himself. He was probably made that he couldn’t defend himself. Or get the chance to. Now, Sasuke was going to be in a bad mood all day. Naruto just hoped that there wouldn’t be any more trouble from that genin later. The four of them returned to the classroom, and Iruka Sensei started class.

Chapter Text

After school, Naruto told Shikamaru that he’d be home later. “Okay, see you later.” Shikamaru told him, before leaving. Naruto met up with Iruka Sensei, who was still looking over some papers from class that day.

            “Iruka Sensei?” Naruto said getting his attention.

            “Oh, I almost forgot.” Iruka Sensei said apologetically. “Let me just put this away.”

            “What are you going to teach me?” Naruto asked curiously.

            “I’ll explain everything to you once Kakashi-san shows up.” Iruka Sensei said chuckling when Naruto gave him a pout. “I’m assuming you’ve met Kakashi-san.”

            “Yeah, and he’s going to take forever to get here.” Naruto whined. What? He had to sell it that he’d never learned the shadow clone jutsu before.

            “I don’t think so.” Iruka Sensei said amused. “Hokage-sama did give him a stern look when we set up the time.” Clearly, Iruka Sensei doesn’t know Kakashi that well. Naruto couldn’t tell him that, though.

            “We’ll see,” Naruto said instead. “Have you found any more information on my clan?” He figured he might as well strike up a conversation while they waited for the silver-haired jonin to show up.

            “I found some, but it hasn’t been easy.” Iruka Sensei said apologetically. “There isn’t a whole lot of information about your clan here.”

            “Why is that Iruka Sensei?” Naruto asked him. “Isn’t it due to my clan, that we have the knowledge to make seals?”

            “Yes, you’re right about that.” Iruka Sensei said looking at him proudly. “I’m glad you’re interested in your family, Naruto. The reason why there isn’t a whole lot of information about your clan is because they were very secretive of their culture and techniques.”

            “Were they worried someone would hurt them?” Naruto asked him.

            “Yes. They were afraid other villages might attack theirs and steal their livelihood.” Iruka Sensei said thoughtfully.

            “Livelihood?” Naruto asked, tilting his head to the side.

            “Livelihood is all the hard work someone puts into their culture.” Iruka Sensei explained. “For example, say Teuchi-san spent his whole life perfecting his ramen and someone decided they were going to kill Teuchi-san for his recipes and his shop. Teuchi-san’s journey to perfect his ramen is his livelihood.”

            “Oh, I see…” Naruto said nodding. Someone kind of did do that though… Naruto thought mentally grimacing. “So, that’s what happened to my mom’s village…”

            “Yes, unfortunately.” Iruka Sensei said grimly.

            “Why the long faces?” Kakashi asked, causing Iruka Sensei to jump.

            “Kakashi-san, please don’t do that.” Iruka Sensei said grabbing his chest.

            “Do what?” Kakashi asked looking at him curiously. Naruto snickered.

            “Kakashi-san is here, so tell me what you’re going to teach me!” Naruto said grinning.

            “Ah,” Kakashi said before pulling out a very familiar scroll. Naruto, of course, wasn’t going to say that out loud. Iruka Sensei would’ve freaked out if he found out that Naruto already knew what that scroll is.

            “What’s that?” Naruto asked curiously.

            “This,” Kakashi said slowly opening it. “Is a scroll of forbidden jutsu. Now, the jutsu we’re teaching you is going to be similar to the clone jutsu. But it comes at higher cost.”

            “Higher cost?” Naruto asked.

            “Yes. It takes up a lot of chakra to maintain these types of clones.” Iruka Sensei explained. “With your Uzumaki blood and the fox, you have a lot of chakra as we discussed earlier today. So, after consulting with Hokage-sama, he’s agreed to allow you to learn this jutsu.”

            “Cool! What’s it called?” Naruto asked eagerly.

            “It’s called the Shadow Clone Jutsu,” Kakashi answered. “You only need to use one hand sign, so that part will be easy.”

            “I’m more worried about you maintaining the clones.” Iruka Sensei said worriedly.

            “Let’s just let him try it first.” Kakashi said eye-smiling at him. “Naruto are you ready?”

            “Yeah!” Naruto said, excitedly. He remembered when he was learning it the first time. It took him an hour to get it down. So, he had to at least make it last that long. He struggled to remember what he did wrong the first time, but after a few minutes it started coming to him. He produced his first clone, and it turned out like how his normal clone jutsu turns out. He did that a few times, and Iruka Sensei suggested a break. “No way, Iruka Sensei! I have to learn this, or I won’t graduate! I’m not even tired!” Iruka Sensei nodded after a few minutes of contemplation. After an hour of making the same mistakes over and over again, Naruto decided it was time to do it correctly. He made a single clone, which was far harder than it needed to be. Naruto celebrated as Iruka Sensei looked at him surprised.

            “After an hour…” Iruka Sensei said sounding amazed.

            “See? You didn’t have to worry so much.” Kakashi pointed out from his corner of the room. He mainly spent the whole time reading his porn. Naruto had to suppress the urge to smack the book out of his hands the moment Kakashi brought the orange book out. “Well, my job here is done.” He rolled up the scroll and put it away. “I’ll be reporting back to Hokage-sama now.”

            “Thanks for the help.” Iruka Sensei said smiling at him. Kakashi nodded before taking off out the window.

            “There’s a door right there!” Naruto said exasperatedly.

            “That’s just how Kakashi-san has always been.” Iruka Sensei said chuckling. “Let’s celebrate by getting some ramen.”

            “Okay!” Naruto said doing a fist pump. He couldn’t say no to Ichiraku’s. It just wasn’t possible. On the day of graduation, Naruto woke up feeling determined. Things were going to start to get bad within the next couple of years. So, he needed to be on his toes. He also got into touch with Shukaku-sama last night before going to sleep. It seems Gaara is doing much better. He’s getting more sleep and is eating more. He’s still lonely, but Shukaku-sama seems to be trying to talk to Gaara and cheer him up. Naruto knew Shukaku-sama would deny that if he brought it up. Naruto’s next move with Gaara is to try reaching out to him, to let him know he’s not alone. He thought about writing him a letter, but he wasn’t sure Gaara would actually get it. Unless he asked Shisui-san if he could use one of his crows to send the letter. Naruto knew that Shisui-san could control who the crow goes to. It was an idea. But first thing’s first, he needed to get ready for graduation.

            “Naruto, hurry up!” Shikamaru called through the door.

            “Coming!” Naruto called out as he put his shirt on. He rushed out the door and followed Shikamaru down for breakfast.

            “Are you guys feeling nervous?” Yoshino-san asked as she handed them their food.

            “No way! I’m so going to graduate!” Naruto said enthusiastically. She smiled.

            “What about you, Shikamaru?” She asked him.

            “Such a drag…” Shikamaru said sighing. She shook her head.

            “With that attitude, there’s no hope for you.” She said before going back into the kitchen. Naruto snickered as Shikamaru scowled in her direction.

            “So, did you learn that jutsu Iruka Sensei told you about?” Shikamaru asked him.

            “Yes! It’s so cool!” Naruto said grinning. He didn’t want to go into too much detail about the jutsu. He had a feeling that the old man didn’t want anyone to find out he had learned a forbidden jutsu. Yoshino-san said she’d walk with them to the academy after breakfast. Naruto remembered that a lot of parents came to see their kids graduate and it made his heart swell with happiness. He was also happy to find Itachi-san, Shisui-san, and Mikoto-san at the academy when they arrived as well. Yoshino-san wished Naruto and Shikamaru good luck before joining the three Uchiha.

            “Naruto, Shikamaru!” Ino called, waving to them. “Everyone is already inside the classroom, come on!” Naruto and Shikamaru shared a look before following her. Inside the classroom, Sakura greeted them at the door and dragged Naruto to where she and Sasuke were sitting.

            “I’m a little nervous,” Sakura admitted.

            “You’ll definitely graduate.” Naruto said smiling. “You’re the best one at chakra control.”

            “You think so?” She asked surprised.

            “I know so.” Naruto said nodding. “Iruka Sensei talks about it all the time.”

            “He’s not wrong.” Sasuke added. “You’ll definitely pass.”

            “Thanks,” Sakura said looking more confident. It wasn’t long before the class was notified that the testing was starting and that each of them would be called out by name. When it came to Naruto’s turn, he walked into the testing room feeling confident. He was almost surprised to see Mizuki Sensei in there. With how things had been going, he’d almost forgotten the lunatic existed. Lucky for him, he didn’t have any issues with the chuunin this time.

            “Alright, show us your clone jutsu.” Iruka Sensei said to him. Mizuki Sensei was watching him closely.

            “Shadow Clone Jutsu!” Naruto said making the hand sign. Soon, the room was filled with twenty clones. “Oops, I overdid it.” Naruto smiled sheepishly as both chuunin gaped wordlessly at him. “Uh… Iruka Sensei, Mizuki Sensei? Do I pass?”

            “Y-Yes, congratulations Naruto!” Iruka Sensei said proudly as he presented him a headband. It wasn’t the same as receiving Iruka Sensei’s headband, but it still meant a great deal to him. He’d take good care of this headband just as he did with Iruka Sensei’s headband. Naruto re-entered the classroom with his headband on his forehead.

            “No way! How did you graduate!?” A few of the kids who gave him issues complained. Naruto just rolled his eyes and joined Sasuke and Sakura.

            “Congratulations, Naruto-kun!” Sakura said beaming at him.

            “Thanks!” Naruto said grinning.

            “I want to see this jutsu Iruka Sensei taught you.” Sasuke said, slightly pouting.

            “Sure, but maybe after we’re free to go.” Naruto said smiling.

            “Okay!” Sasuke said excitedly. As soon as the testing was done, Iruka Sensei entered the room and told everyone who passed that they were to return back to the classroom at noon tomorrow for team assignments. After that, everyone was released for the rest of the day. Naruto went outside to find the parents swarming the kids who passed and congratulating them. He followed Shikamaru over to Yoshino-san. She was still standing with Itachi-san, Shisui-san, and Mikoto-san.

            “Congratulations, you two!” Yoshino-san exclaimed, hugging the two of them. It caught Naruto off-guard, causing him to tense up a bit. She started to let go of him, before pausing when Naruto started relaxing. Despite living with the Nara’s for nine years, Naruto was still not used to being hugged by Yoshino-san. Usually, he can tell when she’s going to do it, so he can mentally prepare himself for it. But she still managed to catch him off-guard. When she let them go, Naruto relaxed completely, and she suggested taking everyone out to lunch. Mikoto-san agreed, and Itachi-san and Shisui-san joined them. Chōji, Ino, and Sakura joined them as well after Chōji asked if he could come along. To Chōji’s delight, they went out for barbecue. Naruto was just glad that he got through this hurdle. He knows it’s not the toughest hurdle, but at least for a little bit he didn’t have to worry too much.

Chapter Text

            It’s the day everyone is being placed into their teams. Naruto already knew how this was going to go, but he was still excited for it. This marked a new chapter in his life, even if he was in the past. This is where making changes was going to be crucial. Changes had already been made, but the bigger changes were going to dictate how the future was going to go. Naruto got dressed for the day. He decided to wear his new clothes. It was like his orange and blue jumpsuit. Only the main color was black, and the orange is muted. It was different, but Naruto liked it. When he entered the dining room, the three Nara’s were eating breakfast. “Good morning, Naruto-kun.” Yoshino-san greeted him.

            “Good morning.” He said joining them at the table.

            “Are you excited for team assignments?” Shikaku-san asked him.

            “I am, but I think Sasuke is more excited than I am.” Naruto said shaking his head.

            “I’d tell him not to get too excited.” Shikaku-san said chuckling.

            “Why’s that?” Shikamaru asked curiously.

            “D-Rank missions aren’t going to be very exciting.” Shikaku-san said amused as Shikamaru made a face.

            “They’re basically chores other people don’t want to do.” Shikamaru muttered. “What a drag.” Naruto understood the goal of D-Rank missions now. The goal was to make connections with the villagers. However, he didn’t think doing chores for the villagers would make them hate him any less.

            “Shikamaru, be grateful!” Yoshino-san said scowling at him. “How else will you be able to afford new weapons if you’re going to complain the whole time?”

            “Fine,” Shikamaru said before getting up. “I’m heading out!”

            “Get back here!” Yoshino-san yelled as Shikamaru ran out of the dining room. She sighed when the front door opened and closed. It was reminiscent of Boruto doing that many times when he was upset with Naruto. Shikaku-san chuckled.

            “Shikamaru will figure it out.” He said smiling.

            “I blame you!” She huffed before going out of the room. Naruto did not envy Shikamaru right now.

            “You better catch up, Naruto-kun.” Shikaku-san said grimacing. Naruto nodded. He did not want to be there when Yoshino-san got upset. He finished up his food and announced that he’d be back later. Naruto decided to go for a walk until it was time for him to head to the academy. He also remembered that he had to get his picture taken for his ID. He also now understood why the old man demanded that he retook his picture the last time. He shuddered at the thought of Boruto trying that. He wondered why he thought that was cool. He certainly didn’t think it was now.

            “Naruto!” Naruto turned to see Sakura and Sasuke catching up to him. Sasuke was wearing the exact same outfit as the Sasuke in the old timeline. And the same for Sakura as well, only she had her hair pulled back into a ponytail.

            “Hey guys.” Naruto greeted them.

            “Where are you headed off to?” Sasuke asked him curiously.

            “I’m just going for a walk.” Naruto said shrugging. “We have some time before we have to go to the academy.”

            “That sounds boring.” Sasuke muttered. “Do you want to spar?”

            “Going for walks isn’t boring.” Sakura said frowning. “It’s nice to take a relaxing walk every once in a while.” Naruto had to agree. During his time as Hokage, he enjoyed getting out of his office and taking long walks around the village. It helped remind him what he fought for in the war against Madara and Obito. Since his arrival in the past, he’s been taking walks around the village whenever his thoughts start to get too dark. Seeing the village now reminds him of why he came back in time. Usually, it keeps his dark thoughts at bay. If it doesn’t work, then he finds a quiet place to meditate.

            “I’m up for a spar.” Naruto finally answered. Sakura just sighed. “Do you want to join us, Sakura-chan?”

            “Sure,” she said thoughtfully. “Do you mind if we asked the others to join us?”

            “That’s fine,” Sasuke said shrugging. ‘Oi, Kit. The brat said he needs your help!’ Kurama called out to him.

            “Can I meet you guys at the training grounds? I just remembered that there’s something I need to do first.” Naruto said, hoping neither of them would ask about it.

            “Sure. We’ll meet up at training ground seven.” Sakura answered before Sasuke could say anything.

            “Thirty minutes should be plenty of time.” Naruto said feeling relieved.

            “Okay, see you in thirty!” Sakura said before grabbing Sasuke’s hand and dragging him off. Naruto snickered at the surprised look on Sasuke’s face. He decided to go to the former gravesite of Pervy Sage to communicate with Shukaku-sama.

            “What do you need help with Shukaku-sama?” Naruto asked the moment he entered his mindescape.

            “This brat is drowning in loneliness.” He said sighing. “There’s only so much I can do.”

            “Bad news for Gaara, but good news for me.” Naruto said grinning.

            “What did you have in mind?” Shukaku-sama asked curiously.

            “I was thinking of writing Gaara a letter. And I was going to ask Itachi-san’s cousin to deliver them via his crows so that only Gaara will see them.” Naruto explained. “I don’t think his father would let him read the letter if I sent it the normal way.”

            “You’re not wrong.” Shukaku-sama said shaking his head. “That’s a good idea. I think I’ll let it be a surprise for the brat.”

            “Do you think Shisui-san will do it?” Kurama asks after Shukaku-sama leaves.

            “I’m going to ask Itachi-san to help.” Naruto said thoughtfully. “I think I’ll ask Shisui-san first though. I don’t see why he wouldn’t say yes.”

            “You should get going.” Kurama told him.

            “Oh yeah,” Naruto said smiling sheepishly. “I’ll have to talk to Shisui-san later then.” Naruto exited his meditative state and headed over to training ground seven. He found the rest of the Rookie 9, Neji, Lee, and Tenten hanging out. He was a bit surprised to see Neji, Lee, and Tenten here as well, though. He hadn’t seen them in a while, and he knew it was because they were busy with missions. But seeing them brought up memories he’d sealed away to deal with another time. Unfortunately, these memories weren’t exactly good memories. Keep it together, he told himself as his memories were trying to overtake his brain. Neji dying was a frequent nightmare he had any time he catches a glimpse of Neji, or if Hinata talks about him a lot.

            Despite all this, Naruto still wanted to help Neji get over the bitterness he feels towards Hinata and the main branch. He wasn’t sure about how to do it other than kicking his ass again. Kurama snorted at him. ‘What? The guy is stubborn!’ Naruto told him, internally pouting. “Naruto, you’re late!” Ino said scowling at him when she noticed him. It also helped him keep the memories at bay.

            “Sorry,” Naruto said smiling sheepishly. “I lost track of time.” They started training, and several spars broke out. Sasuke challenged Naruto and he agreed to it, but Naruto just wished Sasuke would focus his time and energy on someone else. Naruto liked having Sasuke as his friend, naturally. He just thought it would be best for Sasuke to connect with their other friends more. Naruto has realized how attached Sasuke gets once he dubs you has his precious person. At first, Naruto thought it was really sweet of him, but he could see that Sasuke was starting get a bit obsessive. Kind of like how Sasuke is about Itachi-san. Naruto did not envy anyone who dared cross Sasuke’s precious people. He was also a bit worried for Sasuke’s mental health. This had to have come from something that happened to Sasuke when he was younger. Something that he probably buried deep and has forgotten. It certainly didn’t help that Sasuke was only exposed to his family up until Naruto arrived in this timeline. Plus, the lack of attention from Fugaku-san.

            Naruto wondered why his Sasuke was the way he was plenty of times. He also wondered how serious Sasuke was about becoming the Hokage. If only he wanted the hat for the right reasons. Naruto would’ve gladly given Sasuke the hat so that he could spend more time with his family. That wasn’t exactly an option now, Naruto thought glumly. He missed his family, and he wished he’d spent more time with them. Not that he hadn’t tried. Boruto seemed to think Naruto didn’t try hard enough. It hurt Naruto to know that his son didn’t believe Naruto cared for his family. Knowing that he could’ve done more to spend time with his family made him feel like a crappy father to his kids. ‘You literally had no one to teach you how to be a father.’ Kurama said exasperatedly. ‘You did everything you could to be there for your family.’ Naruto internally smiled.

            ‘Thanks, Kurama.’ He appreciated his friend. Naruto didn’t neglect his family on purpose. He just didn’t realize how much paperwork there was going to be once he got the hat. It almost felt like Kakashi didn’t do any paperwork at all, but Naruto knew he did. Maybe he should’ve ignored Shikamaru’s quip about using the clones to do the work… It doesn’t make a difference now, though.

            “Naruto, it’s time.” Shikamaru said bringing him out of his thoughts.

            “Okay.” Naruto followed everyone to the academy where Iruka Sensei was waiting for them inside the classroom. Everyone was chatting excitedly as they took their seat. Iruka Sensei got everyone’s attention and gave a speech about them moving on to do greater things. And then he started listing off the teams and their Jonin sensei. When it came to team 7, Naruto paid more attention to Iruka Sensei.

            “Team 7! Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha! Your Jonin sensei is Kakashi Hatake!” Iruka Sensei moved on to team 8.

            “Isn’t this great, Naruto!?” Sakura whispered to him excitedly. “We get to be on the same team!”

            “Shh!” Sasuke shushed her. “I’m trying to listen.”

            “Sorry,” Sakura said smiling sheepishly. Naruto chuckled and waited patiently for Iruka Sensei to finish reading the list. Afterwards, Iruka Sensei told everyone that their jonin sensei would meet them here. Naruto knew for a fact that Kakashi was going to be late, and he was feeling hungry.

            “Want to get something to eat?” He asked Sakura and Sasuke. They just gaped at him.

            “What about our sensei?” Sasuke asked wide-eyed.

            “Don’t worry, we won’t be gone for long.” Naruto said smiling. “Besides, I have a feeling our sensei will come later than we think.”

            “Okay,” Sakura said as her stomach grumbled. She blushed. “What should we get?”

            “We can go to that dango place,” Sasuke suggested. That surprised Naruto a bit. He forgot Sasuke had a sweet tooth.

            “But that’s on the other side of the village.” Sakura said frowning.

            “It’ll be okay, Sakura-chan.” Naruto said shaking his head. “Come on! I’ll race you!”

            “You’re on!” Sakura and Sasuke said standing up. Naruto felt the eyes of their classmates on them as they raced out of the room.

Chapter Text

            Naruto enjoyed eating dango with Sasuke and Sakura. He made sure to keep an eye on the time, so that they would still be there when Kakashi finally showed up. “This was a good idea,” Sakura said as they head back to the academy. “We can have lunch after we talk to our sensei, right?”

            “Yeah,” Naruto said nodding. “What about you Sasuke?”

            “Hm, that should be fine.” He said thoughtfully. “I don’t think my mom would mind.”

            “Are you doing something with your mom later?” Sakura asked him curiously.

            “I promised I’d help her with laundry.” Sasuke said sighing.

            “Ah, if you can’t come, then that’s okay.” Naruto said shrugging. “We can have lunch together another time.”

            “Yeah,” Sakura said nodding. Sasuke frowned but nodded. They entered through the window of the classroom, and just as they sat down, Kakashi opened the door.

            “Yo,” he said poking his head into the classroom. Naruto almost wished he’d put the eraser in the door like he did before. He thought it’d be funny to see his reaction, knowing Naruto’s situation.

            “You’re late, sensei.” Sakura said exasperatedly.

            “I’m pretty sure I just spotted you three at the dango shop not too long ago.” Kakashi said, raising an eyebrow. Sakura blushed.

            “If you saw us, then you should’ve just joined us.” Naruto said shaking his head. Kakashi looked at him in surprise, before letting out a chuckle.

            “First impression? I like you guys.” He said smiling. Of course, there’s no way to be able to see it through his mask. Maybe it was all the years he spent getting to know Kakashi, but Naruto could just tell. “Let’s talk on the roof.” Kakashi disappeared before either of them could get a word out. On the roof, Kakashi waited for them to get settled before speaking. “Let’s get introductions out of the way. Pinkie, you first.”

            “But Sensei, I don’t know what I should say. Can you give us an example?” Sakura asked, a bit shyly.

            “Hm…” Kakashi said thoughtfully. “Okay, state your name, likes, dislikes, goals for the future…”

            “You should start off first, since you’re the sensei!” Naruto said grinning at him. Kakashi gave him a deadpanned expression before sighing.

            “Very well.” He said, readjusting himself, so that he was standing up straight. “I’m Kakashi Hatake, I don’t have many likes or dislikes, and as for any goals for the future, I have none.”

            “We just learned his name…” Sasuke grumbled. Naruto inwardly chuckled. Same old, Kakashi.

            “I’m Sakura Haruno, I like hanging out with my friends, I dislike when Ino calls me names, and my goals for the future… my only goal for the future is to become a medic ninja like Lady Tsunade!” She said beaming. That threw Naruto off. He hadn’t mentioned anything about medical ninjutsu to her at all. She must’ve found it on her own.

            “What made you want to become a medic ninja?” Kakashi asked her curiously.

            “Iruka Sensei mentioned how I was really good at chakra control, so I decided to look into what I could do with that skill. I came across medical ninjutsu and remembered what Iruka Sensei told us about the three Sanin.” Sakura answered eagerly. “I admire Lady Tsunade’s strength.”

            “I see,” Kakashi said thoughtfully. “She’d be the best person to teach you but getting her back to the village isn’t going to be easy.” Naruto agreed with that. He wanted her to return to the village, not to become the Hokage immediately or anything. But just having her here gave him peace of mind. “For now, once you get more experience, I’ll see about asking the head doctor to give you the basic training.”

            “Really?” Sakura asked wide-eyed. “Thank you so much, Kakashi Sensei!”

            “You’re welcome,” Kakashi said shaking his head. “Moving on with introductions, you’re next.” He pointed to Sasuke who rolled his eyes.

            “I’m Sasuke Uchiha, I like tomatoes and my brother, I dislike jerks, and my goal is to become stronger than my brother.” Sasuke said, determined. Naruto wondered what Sasuke wanted to do, since Itachi-san didn’t kill his clan. Would he work in the police force with his family? Or did he want to do something else? Right now, Naruto could tell that Sasuke didn’t have a clear goal of what he wanted to do yet. Naruto decided that he wanted to do something different this time around, but if he said it out loud now, it would be weird to Sasuke and Sakura. So, he was going to keep that to himself for now.

            “Your turn, blondie.” Kakashi said eying him.

            “I’m Naruto Uzumaki, I like ramen and my precious people, I dislike anyone who threatens my precious people, and my goal for the future… I don’t have anything in particular that I would like to do just yet.” Naruto said thoughtfully. “I would like to learn more about my clan though.”

            “Your clan?” Sakura asked surprised.

            “Yep. The Uzumaki clan.” Naruto said smiling.

            “That’s surprising.” Kakashi said chuckling. “I wasn’t aware you knew of your clan.”

            “I asked Iruka Sensei if he’d teach me the basics of seals.” Naruto said eagerly. “He taught me a lot about the process!” Naruto wasn’t going to tell Kakashi that he was already well-versed in sealing techniques. “Iruka Sensei also helped me learn more about my clan and the village they stayed in.”

            “That village is Uzushiogakure right?” Sakura asked, curiously.

            “Right.” Kakashi said nodding. “It’s in ruins now because of war, but the Uzumaki clan kept their sealing techniques and secrets well-hidden. No one has been able to find them.” Naruto did though. But Kakashi didn’t need to know that. “I’m assuming you plan to visit the village at some point, Naruto.”

            “Yes, I would like to do that.” Naruto said nodding. “I want to know what kind of lives they led.”

            “Hm… I’m sure we can work something out with Hokage-sama.” Kakashi said thoughtfully.

            “Thanks, Kakashi Sensei!” Naruto said beaming at him.

            “Now that we know who everyone is, tomorrow morning we’re going to do a survival exercise.” Kakashi informed them.

            “But we’ve done plenty of those in school.” Sakura said confused.

            “Yes, but mine is a bit different.” Kakashi said chuckling at her. Naruto knew what was coming. “Meet up at training ground three tomorrow at 5am. And don’t eat breakfast, you’ll throw up. Bye!” And then Kakashi was gone before any of them could say anything. Kakashi was testing them already, Naruto thought. He planned on eating breakfast anyway, but he was worried about Sasuke and Sakura. He wondered if he shouldn’t bring extras for them tomorrow. He was sure Yoshino-san wouldn’t mind if he asked.

            “What the hell?” Sasuke muttered, shaking his head.

            “Do you really think we’re going to throw up?” Sakura asked worriedly.

            “No way, we’re a team. We got this.” Naruto said encouragingly. He really wanted to put emphasis on teamwork. “He’s definitely going to try and get us to fight each other a bunch tomorrow.”

            “And we can’t let that happen.” Sasuke said thoughtfully. “Do you have any ideas of what we’re going to do tomorrow?”

            “Not a clue.” Naruto said shaking his head. “But tonight, I’m going to set up some precautions.”

            “Precautions?” Sakura asked as Naruto smirked.

            “He won’t know what hit him.” Naruto said chuckling. “Just trust me, okay?”

            “I trust you.” Sasuke said, smiling at him.

            “Me too!” Sakura said grinning. “So, lunch?”

            “I’m going to check with my mom first.” Sasuke said, standing up.

            “Okay, we’ll come with you!” Naruto said, and the three headed to the Uchiha compound. Sasuke gets permission, and soon the three head to Ichiraku’s for ramen. Naruto was happy because he loved eating there. It was Sakura’s suggestion, surprisingly. Naruto did his best not to immediately suggest it every time someone asked, because he knew that not everyone liked ramen as much as he did. Shikamaru ended up joining them, telling them how things had gone with his first meeting with Asuma Sensei. Naruto hoped he was able to save Asuma Sensei from being killed again. Shikamaru took Asuma Sensei’s death hard and even started smoking because of it. Naruto wanted to avoid that. He knew he couldn’t save everyone, but it was a hard truth to accept. For now, Naruto was going to enjoy his time spent with his friends, while trying to think of ways to prevent things. Shikamaru and Naruto walked home after lunch. “Your mom might still be upset with you when we get home.”

            “I almost forgot.” Shikamaru said grimacing. “Troublesome…” Naruto smiled.

            “I’m sure if you did more things around the house for her, she wouldn’t be as upset with you.” Naruto told him.

            “You think so?” Shikamaru asked curiously.

            “It’s worth a try.” Naruto said shrugging. “She does a lot for us.”

            “Yeah,” Shikamaru said sighing. “I guess I shouldn’t be taking it all for granted.” He looked at Naruto, frowning.

            “What’s wrong?” Naruto asked him curiously.

            “I keep complaining about my parents in front of you, and I feel shitty every time I do.” Shikamaru said sighing. “It’s not fair for you to hear all that.” Naruto blinked at him in surprise.

            “Thanks,” he said getting over his surprise. “I promise I don’t mind if you complain about your parents a little. Your family has done a lot for me, and I’m very grateful for it. I doubt there’s anything I can do to repay that.”

            “You don’t even have to do that.” Shikamaru said shaking his head. “We like having you around. And we want to help you, no matter what.” Naruto felt his eyes starting to get watery.

            “Thanks, Shikamaru.” Naruto said catching his friend off-guard by hugging him suddenly.

            “O-Oi,” Shikamaru said in shock.

            “Sorry, can’t help it.” Naruto said not letting go of him just yet. “I’m an emotional guy.”

            “Troublesome…” He muttered, but there were no traces of irritation in his voice. Naruto smiled and finally let his pineapple-headed friend go. They get home and Yoshino-san immediately goes off on Shikamaru for that morning. Shikamaru promises to do more work around the house to appease her and it seemed to work. Naruto was excited for tonight because he was going to set up the necessary things that he needed to get Kakashi good. He did manage to save enough money to buy a whole lot of glitter for this. So, later that evening, just before dinner he bought the glitter and set to work. Kakashi wasn’t going to have a clue what hit him tomorrow morning.

Chapter Text

            Before Naruto went to bed, he asked Yoshino-san if she didn’t mind making extra food so that he could take it to Sasuke and Sakura. She thought he was being sweet and agreed to it. Of course, he would share his food with his teammates any time. But this time, it was for the purpose of passing Kakashi’s bell test. Even though Kakashi knew some of Naruto’s situation, Naruto had a feeling he was still going to be taking this bell test very seriously. And Naruto respected him for that. Naruto got up before his alarm even went off and got ready for the day. He quietly snuck past Shikamaru’s room, where he heard soft snores coming from behind the door. The genius was obviously still sleeping, and Naruto was pretty sure he had to meet up with Asuma Sensei at seven. He wondered if Yoshino-san was going to have to kick him out of bed again. Naruto quietly snickered about that. This happened quite a few times during his stay here. It surprised him at first, but now it was just entertaining. Yoshino-san had made up the bento boxes last night, so Naruto just had to grab them out of the fridge. He decided he’d eat his breakfast with Sasuke and Sakura, so he grabbed the bento boxes and left, making sure to lock up behind him. Naruto had always relied on himself to get up every day, so he had no problems getting up. He will admit that there were a few times where he overslept. Yoshino-san complimented Naruto about it one morning after yelling at Shikamaru for not getting up in time for breakfast. It caught Naruto off guard, as all compliments did.

            He was never good at taking compliments. But he supposed it was due to all the insults he’d taken over the years. Those were a lot easier to handle than compliments or any form of affection really. Naruto had gotten over most of it during his marriage with Hinata. He’d gotten used to all the affectionate touches and moments with her. Those were different from normal affection being received from a friend or parent figure. He knew that. So, Yoshino-san, Shikaku-san, and Mikoto-san paying him compliments and giving hugs or gently ruffling his hair like he was their own kid was harder to get used to. It made him feel bad every time they’d catch him off guard, causing him to tense up, and then they’d falter. Usually, that’s when Naruto would force himself to relax, so that they didn’t feel too bad about it. He hated being the cause of everyone’s worries and making them feel bad. That was something he’d never get over. That was ingrained into his brain since he was three. At this point, it was a part of his personality. He never shared this with anyone though. He never shared any of it with anyone, not even Hinata. He kept it all hidden, mostly so that he wouldn’t burden anyone with it. Everyone has their own burdens to deal with, he didn’t want to add his too. This was part of the reason why he planned on moving out of the Naras home eventually.

            Naruto made it to the Uchiha Compound to find Sasuke already outside. “Naruto?” Sasuke asked, frowning. “What are you doing here?”

            “I figured we could walk to the meet up spot together.” Naruto said shrugging.

            “Oh,” Sasuke said as they started walking. “Are we picking up Sakura?”

            “Yeah,” Naruto said nodding.

            “What are those in your hands?” Sasuke asked seeing the bento boxes.

            “Our breakfast, if you haven’t eaten anything yet.” Naruto answered, beaming at him.

            “But Kakashi Sensei said not to eat breakfast.” Sasuke said confused.

            “How are we supposed to focus on our survival exercise if we’re hungry?” Naruto asked rolling his eyes. “He just said that to put strain on us from the beginning.”

            “Oh,” Sasuke said surprised. “I didn’t think of that.”

            “I brought one for Sakura too.” Naruto said, smiling.

            “Naruto,” Sasuke said frowning.

            “What’s up?” Naruto asked him curiously.

            “Do you hate me?” He asked suddenly.

            “Of course, not!” Naruto said surprised. “Why would you think that?”

            “It was yesterday, when we were deciding to get lunch after meeting Kakashi Sensei.” Sasuke said, still frowning. “I got the feeling that you didn’t want me around. Even before that though, I felt that way.” Naruto was cursing himself.

            “I give you my word, that I do like you, Sasuke.” Naruto told him seriously. “You’ve done nothing wrong, so you don’t have to feel that way if you do.”

            “Okay,” Sasuke said nodding. “I believe you.” Naruto internally sighed in relief. This Sasuke, so far, hasn’t done anything that would make Naruto absolutely hate him. It’s literally just him trying to work his way through getting over what the other Sasuke did, and it’s not something that can be easily done. Everyone Naruto ever cared about died because of what happened to his Sasuke. It was frustrating not being able to find out what happened to him. Naruto couldn’t bring himself to fully blame Sasuke for everything that happened, but it was hard to ignore the hurt and anger that came from it. Naruto was also upset with himself for not being able to hide these feelings from this Sasuke. This Sasuke hasn’t done anything wrong, and Naruto needed to work on not being an awful friend. It was just unfortunate that Naruto couldn’t explain to this Sasuke why he was having these complicated feelings.

            “Naruto, Sasuke, good morning!” Sakura greeted them the moment they stopped in front of her home.

            “Good morning, Sakura-chan!” Naruto greeted her. “I brought breakfast!”

            “But Sensei said,” Sakura said gaping at him.

            “I know what he said, but it’s better for us to have full stomachs. Come on!” Naruto said shaking his head. “We can eat together at training ground three.” She nodded, and it wasn’t long before the three of them were eating their breakfast on the training ground. Naruto caught a glimpse of the memorial stone that had all the names of the dead who fought for this village. As he recalled, since Danzo’s exposure, the Uchiha who were killed by that man were also added to the stone. He was happy for the Uchiha as they got the justice they deserved. He hoped this would alleviate any possible plans of a coup d’état from happening. Naruto knew it wasn’t that simple, but he also knew that Itachi-san was doing his best to help his family.

            “What do you think the survival exercise is going to be?” Sakura asked curiously.

            “I’m sure he’s definitely going to check our teamwork.” Sasuke said thoughtfully. “That one is pretty obvious.”

            “We have great teamwork,” Naruto said before finishing the last of his breakfast. “But I’m sure Kakashi Sensei has some more tricks up his sleeves.”

            “But don’t you have a few of your own?” Sakura asked curiously. Naruto chuckled.

            “Of course, but I can’t go into detail of what those are.” Naruto said grinning. “It’s just in case he’s watching us and listening to everything we’re saying.” Naruto knew for a fact the silver-haired ninja was watching them and he wanted him to know it.

            “Would he do that?” Sakura asked frowning.

            “Why wouldn’t he?” Sasuke asked her. “He’s testing us remember?”

            “You have a point.” Sakura conceded. “What should we do now?”

            “We could spar until he decides to show himself.” Naruto said shrugging. He was enjoying every second of this. He knew Kakashi was going to give him hell when he finally did come out of hiding, but Naruto had hell waiting for him. This man had no idea what he was getting himself into today, and Naruto made sure of it. The three genin started sparring and training, getting their muscles warmed up for the day. Around seven, Naruto wondered vaguely if Shikamaru got up on time or if Yoshino-san kicked him out of the bed. It was probably thirty minutes later, when Kakashi finally showed up. The three genin had stopped sparring about an hour ago and left the training ground to get some water. They returned closer to seven-thirty, feeling refreshed. Kakashi just gave them deadpanned expressions. “What? You could’ve started at any time.” Naruto told the jonin. Sakura and Sasuke looked at him wide-eyed. Naruto was the only one who sassed Kakashi since they’d met.

            The other two seemed to be too scared to, but Naruto knew that with time they’d be doing the same thing. He also knew that Kakashi didn’t want a team who would blindly follow his orders. Kakashi wanted a team who thought for themselves and knew how to make crucial decisions during missions. But most of all, Kakashi wanted to protect his team, so that they didn’t get killed like his teammates. Naruto understood that feeling a little bit, although his circumstance was different than Kakashi’s. Naruto wanted to do Kakashi proud, that’s why he was taking this bell test seriously, even if it doesn’t seem like it. Naruto cared a lot about Kakashi and his teammates, and he was going to make sure they knew that. “Alright, let’s get this started.” Kakashi said shaking his head. The three of them listened intently as he explained the bell test. “The goal is to get these bells from me.” He showed them the bells. Naruto let the familiar ring of the bells wash over him. He missed this. He was going to do his absolute best to enjoy everything, while he’s doing his best to avoid the horrible future he came from. “You have until noon to get the bells, and if you fail, one of you will be tied to one of those posts while the other two eats these two delicious lunches.” It wasn’t going to have the effect he wanted, and Kakashi knew that. Naruto was surprised he still went with it though.

            “But Kakashi Sensei, there’s only two bells.” Sakura said frowning.

            “Precisely, the one who doesn’t get a bell goes back to the academy.” Kakashi said very seriously. Sakura looked at him in surprise, while Sasuke glared at him.

            “You can’t do that,” Sasuke said, angrily.

            “Of course, I can.” Kakashi said nonchalantly. He seemed to be pleased with himself. “I’m the sensei after all. Every team that was assigned to me so far has all failed this test.” Sakura and Sasuke gulped. Naruto wasn’t worried though. Plus, he wasn’t as naïve as he used to be. He did believe that Kakashi had failed the previous teams, that he knew for a fact Kakashi wasn’t lying about. But Kakashi wasn’t going to get him with the rest of the bullshit, not again. “You won’t be able to get these bells unless you come at me with the intent to kill.” Then he said in a lighter tone, “I’ll count down from three and when I say start, we’ll begin.” The three readied themselves. “Good. Three, two, one, and start!” The three went into hiding and Naruto spotted Kakashi bringing out that damn orange book. It wasn’t that Naruto hated the book or the fact that his sensei read porn out in public. It was just infuriating that he was taking them all lightly. To be fair, there wasn’t much to expect from a genin who just came out of the academy. But Kakashi knows that Sakura and Sasuke weren’t your typical students-turned-genin. They had been working hard for years, getting in their training. Even Sakura, who was born to two civilians, worked her ass off to get where she is now. That’s what made Naruto angry.

            He wasn’t going to let Kakashi get away with that. “Naruto?” Sakura whispered, getting his attention. He was pleased to find that she and Sasuke followed him. “What’s the plan?”

            “To knock that stupid book out of his hands.” Naruto said glaring at the man.

            “How?” Sasuke asked exasperatedly.

            “I’ll distract him with clones, you two go for the bells.” Naruto said after a few minutes of thought. He couldn’t exactly ruin the end of this book, but he could ruin the next one. But Naruto wanted to save that one for later.

            “But there’s only two of them…” Sakura said frowning.

            “Kakashi Sensei is testing our teamwork,” Sasuke told her. “Besides, we won’t be able to get them if we take him on by ourselves. That’s suicide.”

            “You’re right.” Sakura said blushing. “Okay, I’m ready when you two are.”

            “Alright, let’s go.” Naruto said smirking in their sensei’s direction. Sakura and Sasuke headed off in different directions to get into position while Naruto exposed himself to Kakashi.

            “Hm…” Kakashi said, looking over his book as Naruto stood in front of him. “Do you plan on taking me on by yourself?”

            “You’ll just have to see for yourself,” Naruto said holding up his favorite hand sign. He summoned twenty clones, surrounding Kakashi. “I’m going to make you regret bringing that book out.”

            “I look forward to that.” Kakashi said not looking away from his book. Naruto charged him, his clones moving the same time as him. Kakashi easily dodged most of the attacks and blocked several punches and kicks aimed at him. Naruto’s goal wasn’t to take Kakashi down, it was just to distract him enough for Sakura and Sasuke to get the bells. He was great at distractions. Sasuke and Sakura closed in on Kakashi, but unfortunately for them, he knew they were coming and dodged their attempt. Naruto’s clones were all taken out, and then the three disappeared into the trees behind Kakashi Sensei. Naruto’s next plan was to make Kakashi come after them and then attempt to go for the bells again in the same fashion as before, but with some help. He told the other two the plan and they agreed. For now, they were going to hide, and Naruto did warn them of where his traps were. About thirty minutes of nothing happening, Kakashi finally followed them into the trees. He put his book away, for now. Naruto smirked and made a noise to make Kakashi follow him. Kakashi did as Naruto expected causing Naruto to internally snicker.

            Naruto led Kakashi to the first trap. He set it up so that if he triggered one, then the rest would follow. Kakashi tripped the wire, and all hell broke loose. At first glance, the traps appear to be like your typical swinging logs and kunai being flung at you traps. But underneath the wire, there was a second wire the triggered the true trap. A fair few glitter bombs exploded over Kakashi’s head, and it didn’t take long for jonin to be covered in orange and yellow glitter. Sasuke and Sakura took advantage of his surprise and grabbed the bells. “Ha!” Naruto said triumphantly as Sakura and Sasuke dangled the bells in front of Kakashi Sensei. “How was that Kakashi Sensei?”

            “I think the glitter was excessive, but good job.” Kakashi answered after getting over his shock. “You all understood the instructions well, you pass.”

            “Yay!” Sakura cheered as Sasuke gave a fist pump. Naruto smirked as Kakashi tried to shake off the glitter.

            “Good luck, Sensei.” Naruto told him. “You’re going to be seeing glitter for months.”

            “That’s what I was worried about,” Kakashi said sighing. “You’re all dismissed. We’ll meet up at the little bridge that’s not far from here tomorrow at seven. We’ll get our first D-Rank mission then.”

            “Okay! See you tomorrow, Kakashi Sensei!” Sakura said before the three of them took off. Naruto was pretty sure Kakashi had a meeting with the old man after this, he thought snickering.

Chapter Text

            Naruto never thought he’d ever miss D-Rank missions. He didn’t realize how relaxing they were compared to the higher ranked missions. Of course, he never thought that way when he was 12. When he was 12, he just wanted to do as many missions as possible and get stronger, so that he could prove to the village that he wasn’t a nuisance. But now that he’s lived through one life-time and he has another chance, he really appreciates D-Rank missions. It was still a bit annoying because of the glares and snide comments from some of the clients. But Naruto could deal with that. He wasn’t sure Sakura and Sasuke could though. He thought, as he watched them glare at the client every time said client made snide remarks about Naruto. “Everything okay over here?” Kakashi asked, approaching them.

            “The client won’t shut up about Naruto.” Sasuke grumbled. “It’s pissing me off.”

            “Me too.” Sakura said scowling.

            “Maa~ Maa~ calm down you two.” Kakashi said eye-smiling at them. “I understand how you feel, I do. But if we stop to complain every time the client says something, we’ll never get done with our mission.”

            “Okay,” Sakura and Sasuke said, sighing. They looked over at Naruto and frowned. They were currently pulling weeds in someone’s yard. The client was watching them like a hawk from their window. Any time Naruto got up to move to a new spot, the client would be full on glaring at him. The client also pulled Kakashi aside every five minutes to express their concerns about Naruto, he supposed.

            “What?” He asked, looking up when he felt their gazes.

            “Aren’t you bothered by how the client is treating you?” Sakura asked him.

            “Not really.” Naruto said shrugging. “I’m pretty much used to it. So, I just ignore it and go on with my day.”

            “I hate the villagers…” Sasuke said scowling. “They’re so unfair and mean.”

            “It’ll get better.” Naruto told him, optimistically.

            “How do you know?” Sasuke shot at him.

            “Because I’m going to make it better.” Naruto said nonchalantly as he finished up pulling the weeds in his area. “I’m done here.”

            “Good job.” Kakashi said smiling at him. “You two should follow in Naruto’s shoes.”

            “Yes, sensei…” The two said still frowning. Naruto helped them finish and soon the three of them were reporting back to the old man. This was the last mission of the day, so they were free to do whatever afterwards. Naruto planned on visiting Shisui-san before heading home. He had to ask the old man for his address, but he found it okay. Shisui-san was surprised to see him when he opened the door.

            “Naruto-kun, what brings you here?” Shisui-san asked, letting him in.

            “I wanted to ask you a favor.” Naruto said, smiling sheepishly.

            “Sure,” Shisui-san said nodding.

            “Well, I have a friend who lives in the Sand village. I want to write him letters, but I’m afraid his father won’t let him read them.” Naruto said, wondering if he should divulge who he’s talking about.

            “I’m assuming you mean the Kazekage’s son.” Shisui-san said thoughtfully. Naruto supposed it didn’t take a genius to figure out who Naruto was talking about. “Yeah, his father definitely wouldn’t let him read your letters. I’m assuming you’re asking me to send them for you.”

            “If you want to.” Naruto said, suddenly feeling embarrassed. “I understand if you don’t want to…”

            “I don’t mind at all.” Shisui-san said chuckling. “You’re pretty impressive trying to reach out to someone who’s in a similar situation as you.”

            “I just don’t want him to feel lonely…” Naruto stated. “Thank you, Shisui-san.”

            “You’re welcome, Naruto-kun.” Shisui-san said smiling. “Just drop by when you’ve got the letter written.”

            “I will!” Naruto said beaming at him. “Thanks again!” Soon, Naruto was on his way home when he heard a commotion going on in the backroads. Naruto frowned and followed the commotion to a surprising scene. The genin that was causing Sasuke trouble from before was back. This time though, the genin had Sasuke pinned down with kunai and was in the process of trying to stab Sasuke. Naruto felt his body move on its own, and the next thing he knew, a kunai was lodged into his abdomen, and he was face-to-face with the genin. “Leave Sasuke alone.” He was glaring at the genin, and he could feel Kurama’s chakra pulsating through his chakra network.

            “G-Get back, you d-demon!” The genin said, jumping back. He had grabbed another kunai and was shakily pointing it at Naruto.

            “Did you hear what I said!? I said leave Sasuke alone!” Naruto growled at him.

            “O-Okay, I-I will!” The genin cried peeing himself. And then the genin took off, letting out a cry of terror. Naruto felt Kurama’s chakra draining out of his chakra network, and he started to feel tired. He hadn’t felt like this in a while. It probably doesn’t help that there’s a kunai in his abdomen. He was starting to feel dizzy from the blood loss.

            “Naruto, are you okay?” Sasuke asked, sounding scared. Naruto turned to face him, and he gave him a smile.

            “I’ll be okay, I promise.” Naruto said faintly. “Are you okay?” Naruto bent down and unpinned Sasuke from the ground. “That jerk was going to stab you.”

            “I’m fine, but you look like you’re about to keel over.” Sasuke said rolling his eyes.

            “Hey,” Naruto said noticing Sasuke’s eyes. “Your Sharingan activated.”

            “I didn’t even notice.” Sasuke said, surprised.

            “Naruto?” The alarmed voice belonged to Kakashi.

            “Oh, hey.” Naruto got out before his vision went black. When he woke up, he was in the hospital and Sasuke and Sakura were waiting there for him. “Hey,” He greeted them, his voice sounding scratchy.

            “Naruto you dummy!” Sakura said scowling at him. “Don’t do that ever again! I was worried!”

            “Sorry,” Naruto apologized. “But if I didn’t move, Sasuke would be in my place.”

            “Thanks for that…” Sasuke muttered, looking down at the floor.

            “No problem.” Naruto said smiling at him. “Are you sure you’re okay, Sasuke?”

            “Yes, why do you keep asking me that?” Sasuke asked sounding frustrated. Naruto hoped this incident didn’t lead to something terrible happening in the future.

            “You just witnessed your friend getting stabbed,” Kakashi joined in from the door frame of the room. “He’s worried about your mental state.”

            “Kakashi Sensei,” Sakura said sounding surprised.

            “I-I’m fine,” Sasuke said, frowning.

            “You look like you haven’t been sleeping well.” Sakura said worriedly.

            “It’s okay to talk about stuff like that.” Naruto told him. “But if you don’t want to talk about it right now, that’s okay too.”

            “I don’t want to talk about it,” Sasuke said shaking his head.

            “Okay,” Sakura said still looking worried. They decided to leave it at that for now.

            “The doctor said you’re free to go when you wake up,” Kakashi announced. “It seems you heal fairly quickly.” Naruto knew it was because of Kurama. He was sure when he was dealing with that idiot genin, that’s when the healing process had started. “Also, Hokage-sama would like a word with you this evening.”

            “I had a feeling you might say that.” Naruto said grimacing. Sasuke stayed quiet throughout the conversation. Naruto was sure he noticed Kurama’s chakra slipping through. Was he afraid of Naruto now? He hoped not. But if he was, maybe that would better. It would give Sasuke a reason to try and get closer to their other friends. ‘Don’t say that Kit,’ Kurama told him. ‘You and I both know you’ll find a way to ruin that. You can’t keep yourself away from that brat because you care too much.’ Kurama was right. Naruto cared deeply about his friends, and Sasuke was no exception. This Sasuke deserved a chance. He hasn’t done anything wrong, Naruto reminded himself. ‘You should worry more about what that old man has to say to you,’ Kurama told him. ‘You can think about this stuff later.’ Naruto mentally nodded. He was sure that genin said something to his jonin sensei, who in return complained to the old man.

            “Did you do something you weren’t supposed to do?” Kakashi asked him.

            “No, at least not on purpose.” Naruto said sighing.

            “What do you mean?” Sakura asked curiously.

            “Um,” Naruto wasn’t sure if he should tell Sakura and Sasuke about Kurama. He was worried about that, but he knew if he cleared things up with them about it, things would be easier. “I don’t want to tell you about right now, but I will tell you about it later.” Kakashi gave him a surprised look for a moment, before going back to looking nonchalant. He never told Sakura and Sasuke about Kurama when he was twelve in his old timeline. He didn’t tell any of his friends. He was afraid of how they would’ve reacted. They found out eventually, but not from him. He had worried for nothing; they didn’t hate him like the rest of the village did. But he wasn’t so sure that it would be the same now. ‘You should have more faith in your friends,’ Kurama said before going quiet. It wasn’t long before Naruto was standing in front of the old man in his office.

            “Naruto, it’s good to see you up and around.” The old man said smiling. “Your team was worried.”

            “If I didn’t stop that jerk, Sasuke would’ve been the one in the hospital instead of me.” Naruto said scowling. “That jerk had him pinned down with kunai, old man.”

            “Yes, I’ve spoken to that young man and his jonin sensei.” The old man said, frowning. “The young man is being properly punished, but he told me something interesting.” Naruto didn’t say anything, instead he opted for looking confused. “He said that when you jumped out in front of him, your eyes were red. Do you recall something like that?”

            “No,” Naruto said shaking his head. “But I did feel slightly dizzy after the jerk took off.” Naruto figured he might as well be a little truthful. “I figured it was just because I was losing blood.”

            “I see,” The old man said, smiling. “Then it’s nothing to worry about.”

            “If you say so, old man.” Naruto said wondering why the old man wasn’t going to talk about it anymore. Did he think that he didn’t have anything to worry about just because Naruto didn’t remember anything? Naruto mentally frowned. The old man was making another mistake. Instead of talking to him about it, the old man would rather keep him oblivious. He hated that, but Naruto wasn’t going call him out on it.

            “That’s all I wanted to speak to you about.” The old man said in a dismissive way. It made Naruto feel like the old man didn’t care about him. To Naruto, it sounded like the old man only cared about Kurama and the village. Was this how Boruto felt? Naruto thought as he left the office. Naruto didn’t like that feeling. He understood that the old man had a duty to protect the village, but he spent so much time trying to seem like he actually cared about Naruto. But then when there’s a slight chance that something could put the village in possible danger, he acts like Naruto is a nuisance. Naruto thought about that a lot on his way home. Memories of all the times the old man had similar conversations with him like that one played through his mind over and over. He vaguely heard Yoshino-san and Shikamaru asking him questions about what happened with that jerk, but he didn’t give them any answers. Instead, he just went to his room. He wasn’t in the mood for conversation. Naruto didn’t sleep well that night.

Chapter Text

Kakashi’s P.O.V

            Kakashi noticed Naruto’s gloom the moment he turned the corner of a building to go meet his team the next day. Naruto kept a straight face, though. Kakashi commended him for that, but he could feel the gloom rolling off him. He wondered what Hokage-sama said to Naruto for him to be so gloomy. Sasuke, he noticed, had also been acting a bit strange towards Naruto. Kakashi knew from the chakra surging from Naruto yesterday that the fox’s chakra leaked through. Sasuke must’ve noticed it, especially since his Sharingan activated. Kakashi hoped that this didn’t change Sasuke’s view of Naruto. That was probably what Hokage-sama wanted to speak to Naruto about, but if it was something that really caused concern for Hokage-sama, Naruto probably wouldn’t be walking out and about like he is. So, it’s something else that’s bothering the blonde. Kakashi was also surprised that Naruto seemed to have decided to tell Sasuke and Sakura about the fox. He supposed it was better for his teammates to learn the information from Naruto himself, than someone else. He didn’t know much about what happened in Naruto’s previous timeline, since he’s been pretty cautious about what he’s willing to share. But Kakashi hoped that despite all the hardships so far, that it was better than the previous one for him. Kakashi hoped that his team would be able to make it past this milestone.

            For now, Kakashi was going to keep an eye on Naruto and Sasuke for a bit. He also wanted to ask Naruto about what his plans are now that they’re a team. He knew the end goal was to stop a war, but Kakashi felt like there was more that Naruto wasn’t telling him. He trusted Naruto, but it was hard to move forward when he didn’t have a clear goal to work towards in this situation. Team Seven finished up their missions for the day and they had just been dismissed from Hokage-sama. “Sakura-chan, Sasuke, can I speak to you two privately?” Naruto asked, speaking for the first time since they left the last client’s home. He had been in thought the whole walk to Hokage-sama’s office and even during their report, he’d not been paying any attention. Kakashi could tell Naruto was being serious right now. The only reason why he could be so serious right now is if he was planning on telling his teammates about the nine-tailed fox. Kakashi waved to the three as Sasuke and Sakura followed Naruto to wherever he planned on talking to them. Kakashi decided to follow them at a distance. He wanted to make sure Naruto would be okay. The subject wasn’t easy to talk about, so Kakashi wanted to be there for Naruto just in case.

            “What did you want to talk about?” Sakura asked curiously as she looked around at their surroundings. Naruto had taken them to his old apartment. It looked more worn down than the last time Kakashi had seen it. He was glad that Naruto wasn’t living in it anymore.

            “It’s about why some of the villagers treat me the way they do.” Naruto said frowning. Sasuke looked at him for the first time all day. “Do you remember Iruka Sensei explaining to you about the day the village was attacked?”

            “Yeah, it was awful.” Sakura said nodding.

            “And do you remember what he said about how it ended?” Naruto asked her.

            “Of course, the fourth Hokage sealed the fox away.” She said, nodding.

            “Right.” Naruto said, before taking in a deep breath and letting it out. “So, the reason why the villagers treat me the way they do and the names they call me, is because of this.” Naruto lifted his shirt high enough to show the seal on his stomach. Kakashi was impressed that he was willing to go that far. Sakura gasped and Sasuke just gaped at him. Naruto let his shirt fall back into place. “The fourth Hokage sealed the fox inside me.” Kakashi wondered if he planned on telling the two that the Fourth was also his father. Or if he was just going to let them put two and two together. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” Naruto sounded nervous as the two stayed silent for a few minutes.

            “So, that’s what I saw yesterday…” Sasuke muttered.

            “Yes.” Naruto said nodding, seeming to be relieved. “I’m sorry you had to see me like that. Normally, I can keep it under control. But seeing what that jerk was doing to you made me very angry.” Sasuke seemed to relax for the first time that day. If Sasuke saw it, then that explained why he was being so cautious towards Naruto all day.

            “That’s stupid,” Sakura said angrily. “The villagers are treating you like that because of something you didn’t do?”

            “Yeah,” Naruto said surprised by her anger no doubt. “I really don’t care that they do that though.”

            “It’s still wrong.” Sasuke said frowning. “Can’t Hokage-sama do anything about it?”

            “I doubt it.” Naruto said sighing. “It’s been going on for so long, anything he might say or do now probably won’t stop them from doing it.” That was Naruto’s way of saying that the damage was already done. Kakashi agreed, but it was sad that Naruto knew that from the beginning. Kakashi imagined that in his previous timeline, things were pretty similar in that aspect, and it forced him to grow up quickly. Naruto also probably didn’t trust a whole lot of adults either. Kakashi didn’t blame him though. They didn’t give him a reason to openly trust them. Kakashi was glad that he didn’t have to worry about Sasuke and Sakura treating Naruto differently. Kakashi decided that his presence wasn’t needed here, he knew Naruto could handle it from here. He stopped by the bar to see how his fellow jonin sensei were doing. Asuma and Kurenai were sitting at their usual table, but Genma was there as well. It had been a week since they’d started.

            “Kakashi, care to join us?” Genma asked him. “These two were just about to tell me how their first week has gone.”

            “Oh, well that sounds interesting.” Kakashi said sitting at the table. “So, how are the Ino-Shika-Cho trio doing?”

            “Don’t even get me started,” Asuma said sighing. “Chōji and Ino are pretty good with motivation, but when it comes to Shikamaru, it’s like pulling teeth.”

            “Ah, I see he’s got the famous Nara way of thinking.” Kakashi teased.

            “Well, mine are motivated, but they complain a lot.” Kurenai said scowling. “Well, not Hinata. She doesn’t complain, but she acts like I’m going to yell at her over small mistakes.”

            “The pressure of being the oldest child in a well-known clan,” Kakashi said nodding. “I’m sure Itachi-kun could attest to that.”

            “Yes, but I’m afraid the poor girl isn’t cut out for it.” Kurenai said sighing. “It’s not that she isn’t trying, but she’s struggling.”

            “It’s just the first week, you should give her a chance.” Genma said shaking his head.

            “And that Kiba is a piece of work.” Kurenai continued. “Talks more to his dog than to his teammates. And Shino likes to piss him off, but I can’t tell if it’s on purpose or not.”

            “What about your three, Kakashi?” Asuma asked him curiously.

            “Well, they’re certainly a handful.” Kakashi said thoughtfully. “Their teamwork isn’t the best, but it has potential. All three of them are taking training seriously. So, I suppose that’s good.”

            “Good?” Kurenai sputtered. “That’s amazing compared to my three!”

            “I agree.” Asuma said scowling.

            “Sasuke has a big ego, but he’s getting better at containing it.” Kakashi said thinking about their individual flaws. “Sakura is smart, but she’s struggling to keep up with the other two. And as for Naruto… I think he forgets that he’s apart of a team sometimes. Not in a bad way, really. I think he just forgets that he has friends.”

            “Ah, before moving in with Shikaku-sama, the loneliness must’ve been suffocating.” Genma said empathetically.

            “Yes,” Kakashi said inwardly grimacing. He knew that feeling all too well. “He’s also grown so used to the insults he gets, that it doesn’t seem to phase him anymore. I think that’s great and all, but Sasuke and Sakura are struggling to realize that Naruto is used to it, and it doesn’t bother him anymore.”

            “That could be a problem later on,” Asuma said thoughtfully.

            “Yes, and today… today Naruto just told his teammates about the fox.” Kakashi said, still in disbelief about it. “I can’t imagine how hard that must’ve been for him.”

            “He told them?” Kurenai asked surprised.

            “That’s very brave of him, for sure.” Genma said shaking his head. “How did they take it?”

            “Better than expected.” Kakashi said, trying to keep the smile off his face. “There was an incident the yesterday with another genin attacking Sasuke and Naruto defending him.”

            “I heard about that, how are those two?” Asuma asked him.

            “Well, Naruto got stabbed and that caused Sasuke’s Sharingan to activate.” Kakashi said, frowning. “And from what I’ve gathered, some of the fox’s chakra showed up around Naruto during that interaction with the other genin. I believe Sasuke saw it and it spooked him.”

            “I don’t envy him for that.” Genma said grimacing. “That must’ve been terrifying to see.”

            “We’re just lucky Naruto is on our side,” Kurenai muttered, grimacing. “I don’t want to think about what would’ve happened if he wasn’t.”

            “Minato Sensei would’ve been disappointed with everyone.” Kakashi said in agreement.

            “I’m surprised you’re talking about him so openly.” Genma said surprised.

            “He reminds me a lot of him.” Kakashi mused. “Do you know what he told me on the day we met? He said he’d like to visit Uzushiogakure one day.”

            “He knows about his clan?” Kurenai asked surprised.

            “Yes, it appears he’s asked Iruka about it during his time in the academy.” Kakashi said happy for his genin. “It’s just too bad that there isn’t a whole lot of information on the Uzumaki.”

            “Yeah, poor kid.” Asuma said lighting another cigarette. “His mom should be the one to tell him all about them.”

            “Yeah,” Kakashi said, feeling sad. He made sure to keep the sadness out of his voice though. There wasn’t any need in causing his friends to worry. They changed the subject after that, and when Kakashi had enough of Asuma’s and Kurenai’s drunk flirting, he headed home. He needed to think up a plan of talking to Naruto about what the plan was. Maybe, he should track Itachi-kun down as well. It would do everyone a favor to be all on the same page. While he was making his way home, he noticed Naruto was walking alone. It was pretty dark out, and Kakashi knew for a fact that Yoshino-san was expecting Naruto to be home by now. He wondered what was on the blonde’s mind. “Naruto?”

            “Oh,” Naruto said looking at him surprised. “Hey, Kakashi. Oops, Kakashi Sensei.” Naruto snickered to himself. “The you from my old timeline hated that I kept calling you sensei after we weren’t team 7 anymore. So, I got into the habit of calling him Kakashi, sorry.”

            “It’s fine.” Kakashi said shaking his head. It was hard to remember that Naruto wasn’t the kid he appeared to be sometimes. “What’s on your mind?”

            “I was actually thinking about the next step.” Naruto admitted, smiling sheepishly. “I’ll tell you more, but we need to involve Itachi-san. I’m not sure when his next day off is, though.”

            “I’m sure I can find out.” Kakashi said thoughtfully. “I’ll let you know when I find out.”

            “Okay,” Naruto said nodding. “I should probably hurry home. Yoshino-san is probably worried out of her mind.” Naruto grimaced. “I don’t mean to do it on purpose. Before, I was used to going home pretty late because I didn’t want to face an empty apartment.” Kakashi was surprised Naruto was willing to share that kind of information. “I can’t exactly do that because I’m staying with the Nara’s. I forget sometimes…”

            “I’m sure she’ll be fine once you get home.” Kakashi said, trying to be sympathetic. He wasn’t exactly sure what to say to that. He knew what loneliness felt like, but he didn’t know Naruto’s loneliness. He’d probably spent most of his child/teen life going home to an empty apartment. It was a sad image, and he was glad the Nara’s took him in.

            “I was thinking of moving out on my own, though.” Naruto said surprising Kakashi again.

            “Why would you do that?” Kakashi asked curiously.

            “Well, it would make it easier for me to make plans and stuff. I also don’t want to impose on them anymore than I have.” Naruto admitted. Kakashi knew for a fact the Nara’s didn’t think he was imposing at all. As far as they were concerned, Naruto was family.

            “Have you talked to them about it?” Kakashi asked him.

            “No. I’m just thinking about it is all.” Naruto said sheepishly. “Seeing them like that… is hard.” Naruto muttered the last part. “It reminds me of my family and how I took them for granted. I’m not trying to take everything the Nara’s have done for me for granted, but it’s painful sometimes.” Kakashi had to keep the bile that wanted to come up down. Of course, Naruto had a family he’d lost in that war he was talking about. He probably witnessed them all die. He can’t imagine the nightmares he must be having.

            “And that’s why you feel the need to move out?” Kakashi asked him.

            “Yeah,” Naruto said, sniffling a bit. “I miss them and think about them all the time.” Kakashi wanted to ask him about it more, but he had a feeling Naruto would shut down on him if he tried. Soon, Kakashi and Naruto were standing in front of the Nara Estate. They had walked in silence the whole way. Kakashi hadn’t intended to walk Naruto home, but he felt like he couldn’t just leave him after the last thing Naruto said. Naruto was broken, that much Kakashi could tell. He wondered how Naruto was motivated enough to go back and change everything. If that had been Kakashi, he would’ve given up a long time ago. He supposed that was what made Naruto who he was. Naruto didn’t give up easily, so things must’ve been so terrible that he came back in time. “Sorry for bringing down the mood…”

            “Don’t be.” Kakashi told him. “You’ve suffered a lot. I’m just glad you’re talking about it.” Kakashi knew from experience that not talking about it doesn’t help at all. “I can’t say much since there’s some things I haven’t talked about in a while. But compared to what you seem to have suffered, my suffering is small.”

            “No one’s suffering is small, Kakashi.” Naruto said very seriously, catching the copy-cat ninja off guard. That wasn’t a thing someone could easily do. “I’ll admit that I do know what happened between you and your team,” Kakashi tensed up at that. “But I didn’t want to bring it up, because I didn’t want you to have to relive it all again. Only, I know that it’s going to come to light again eventually, so if you’re up to it,” Naruto shrugged.

            “Only if you do the same.” Kakashi shot back. There was no way he was just going to open up to Naruto without learning more about the things Naruto experienced.

            “Deal,” Naruto said chuckling. “Good night, see you tomorrow.”

            “Good night,” Kakashi said, before he watched Naruto enter the estate. Kakashi had a lot to think about, he thought as he went home.

Chapter Text

            Naruto was relieved to finally tell his teammates about Kurama. They took it a lot better than he expected, and Sasuke was talking to him now. He still felt mixed emotions about the old man, but he didn’t want to think about that right now. Right now, he was working on his letter to Gaara. He wasn’t exactly sure what to write since they technically haven’t met. ‘Just introduce yourself, or something.’ Kurama muttered, rolling his eyes.

            “Yeah, yeah,” Naruto muttered under his breath. He was sitting in his room, looking at a blank sheet of paper. It was his day off, and he didn’t want to bother Sakura or Sasuke. Shikamaru was out on a mission with his team, so it was just Naruto and Yoshino-san in the house at the moment. Naruto started writing, getting some inspiration.

He wrote:

Dear Gaara of the Desert,

My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and I’m 12-years-old. I have a secret, that a lot of people know about and don’t know about all at once. That’s confusing, sorry. I have the nine-tailed fox sealed inside of me. My childhood so far has been a bit lonely, with the villagers giving me the glares and calling me a demon all the time. But I’m not as lonely as I used to be because now, I live with a friend of mine and his wonderful family. I finally got to experience what it’s like to be a part of a family. You see, my parents died the night I was born, so I’ve never had anyone to greet me when I come home before my friend’s family took me in.

I’m writing to you because I’ve heard that you’re feeling lonely. If you’re up for it, I’d like to be your friend. You’ll probably wonder why, so I’ll tell you. The reason why I want to be your friend, even though I don’t know you, is because being alone isn’t fun. It’s sad and depressing and being treated like a monster by the rest of your village makes you angry. You get angry at them for treating you that way, you get angry because you don’t understand why. At least, that was how I used to feel. If you don’t want to feel that way anymore, you can use this crow to send me a response. I know that becoming my friend won’t fix things over-night. But having someone there who understands your pain does make it a little better.

Hopefully your new friend,

Naruto

            Naruto looked back at what he wrote a few times before he deemed that it was perfect. He looked at the time and saw that it was only going on noon. He thought it was later than that for some reason. He stood up, stretched a little, and then went looking for Yoshino-san. She was hanging laundry out in the back. “Yoshino-san, I’m going out for a bit.” He told her.

            “Do you mind picking up a few things on your way back?” She asked him.

            “Not at all.” Naruto said smiling. She gave him a list and some money.

            “Thank you! These will help with dinner later.” She informed him.

            “Then I won’t take too long.” Naruto said with a small grin. Yoshino-san did make wonderful food, and Naruto didn’t want to be the reason why they didn’t have dinner. He should do more to help her out, he thought as he made his way to Shisui-san’s apartment. When he got to the building, he realized that Shisui-san probably wasn’t even home. Kurama snorted at him. Naruto went up to his apartment to check any way. He knocked a few times, and after about five minutes, Shisui-san answered the door. He looked a bit disheveled. “Long night?” Naruto asked, feeling bad.

            “No,” Shisui-san said shaking his head. “Sorry, come in.” He turned around and led Naruto into the living room. “Did you write the letter?”

            “Yeah, is this a bad time?” Naruto asked him.

            “No, this is fine.” Shisui-san said smiling. Naruto handed him the letter. “I’ll make sure to send it as soon as possible. And I’ll leave the crow there in case Gaara-kun wants to respond.”

            “Thank you for doing this, Shisui-san. I really appreciate it.” Naruto told him.

            “It’s not a problem.” Shisui-san said, before looking at him curiously. “Do you happen to know why Sasuke seemed so freaked out the other day?”

            “Not a clue,” Naruto said shaking his head. He wasn’t sure Shisui-san knew about Kurama or not. “He seemed fine yesterday, though.”

            “He’s okay now.” Shisui-san said in agreement. “Also, I wanted to say thanks for watching out for him. I heard what happened with that other genin.”

            “Yeah,” Naruto said scowling. “That guy made me really angry.”

            “I’m sure Itachi would’ve done the same thing.” Shisui-san said shaking his head. “Did you know he was bugging Hokage-sama about the genin who did it, while you were in the hospital?”

            “I had no idea,” Naruto said in shock. “Itachi-san really did that?”

            “Yeah, turns out he was super upset about what happened to Sasuke, obviously, and about the genin stabbing you.” Shisui-san said, smiling. “That Itachi cares a lot about Sasuke and his friends.”

            “Sasuke’s really lucky to have a brother like him.” Naruto said smiling a bit sadly.

            “Didn’t you hear what I just said? Itachi was upset about what happened to you.” Shisui-san said in disbelief. “That means he really cares about you, too.”

            “O-Oh,” Naruto said, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed. Sometimes, he forgot about the people who actually cared about him. Not on purpose, it just happened when he was feeling down. He knew he had friends who cared about him a lot. He just smiled sheepishly when Shisui-san shook his head again. After saying goodbye to Shisui-san, Naruto was heading to nearest shop to get the items on Yoshino-san’s list. He decided to duck into an alleyway to use the transformation jutsu, so that he could get the items in peace. He didn’t feel like dealing with assholes today. He’d gotten so good at the transformation jutsu, that he was able to cover up the marks on his cheeks. Now, no one would be able to recognize him as he chose to look like someone without any distinguishing features. Getting the items took him no time at all, when normally it would take him almost an hour because of the shop keeper. It wasn’t long before he was back at the Nara Estate.

            “Naruto-kun, is that you?” Shikaku-san asked frowning. He had just got home a few minutes before Naruto it seemed.

            “Oh,” Naruto said, smiling sheepishly. He released the jutsu. “I forgot, sorry.”

            “Do you always use the transformation jutsu to do your shopping?” Shikaku-san asked concerned.

            “Most days,” Naruto answered nonchalantly. “It’s easier to just do that.”

            “I suppose the shop keepers make things harder for you.” Shikaku-san said thoughtfully.

            “Not as much as before.” Naruto said shrugging. “We should get this inside. Yoshino-san is expecting them.” Naruto didn’t want to talk about his struggles with Shikaku-san. It made him feel uncomfortable.

            “You’re right.” Shikaku-san said chuckling. “I’m sure that’s for dinner tonight.”

            “Yep.” Naruto answered. Soon, the two were in the kitchen putting stuff away.

            “Shikamaru will be home soon.” Yoshino-san said, joining them. “I’ll get started on dinner.”

            “I’ll help.” Naruto offered.

            “Oh,” she said surprised. “Thank you, Naruto-kun.”

            “I’ll go wash up.” Naruto said, before going to the bathroom. He was sure he gave the two a shock, but since he was going to be moving out of there eventually, he felt like he needed to show his appreciation more. The next day, Naruto is shocked to find out that the old man has Kakashi doing a different mission, so that meant that he, Sasuke, and Sakura were going to working with the other teams until his return. He was slightly worried about Kakashi not making it back in time for the Wave mission, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it if that happened. Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were ordered to meet the old man every day at the same time, so that he could put them with other groups. Sasuke and Sakura weren’t happy about it, but they didn’t argue with it. Naruto was a little excited about it, because it also meant that things were changing, and he hoped they were good changes.

            The old man split the three of them up. It was decided that Naruto was going to work with Ino, Chōji, and Shikamaru today. Sasuke was going to work with Neji, Lee, and Tenten, while Sakura went to work with Hinata, Kiba, and Shino. “Today, your mission is to capture Tora-san.” The old man explained. Naruto nearly groaned out loud. That was the one mission he could go without. He did not miss having to capture and recapture the cat. Naruto was sure the cat despised his owner, and he was convinced that was the reason why Tora keeps running away. Also, Naruto always ended up being the one with a million scratches all over him. That was his least favorite part because it was really painful. The group headed out to get started.

            “Naruto, welcome to team 10.” Asuma Sensei greeted him with a smile.

            “Thanks, Asuma Sensei.” Naruto replied politely.

            “Don’t mess up,” Ino said smirking at him.

            “Ino, be nice.” Chōji said frowning at her.

            “It’s okay, thanks Chōji.” Naruto said, not feeling bothered at all. Shikamaru looked slightly concerned as Asuma Sensei pulled out some earpieces.

            “We’ll use these for communication.” He explained, handing them out. “Our client said she last saw Tora-chan near the eastside of the village.”

            “Once we locate him, we should figure out how we’re going to capture him.” Shikamaru said thoughtfully. Naruto had an idea of how to do that seeing as he’s caught Tora-chan multiple times. But he still hates this mission. They found the cat sitting in a tree near training ground 3. Currently, they’re several feet away trying to figure out a plan of capture.

            “How about we chase Tora-chan into the cat carrier?” Naruto suggested. “One person will hold it open while the rest of us herd him to the carrier.”

            “That’s a great idea,” Asuma Sensei said, smiling. Asuma Sensei was a lot different from Kakashi when it came to teaching. That was to be expected, of course. Asuma Sensei didn’t necessarily hold your hand, but it was similar. Kakashi didn’t just show them something and say figure it out, but he did give them time to figure it out for themselves. And if they couldn’t figure it out, he’d tell them the answer. Naruto actually preferred Kakashi’s method of teaching. They spent a good portion of the day trying to chase Tora-chan into a cat carrier. Ino was complaining the whole time, Shikamaru looked like he was ready to just go home, and Chōji was just snacking on chips as always. Asuma Sensei looked like he was ready to pull his hair out. They were currently near training ground seven and Tora-chan was around there somewhere. Asuma Sensei wanted to regroup for the fifth time today. Naruto was frustrated because everyone was past the point of wanting to cooperate with each other. He tried to stay optimistic to help keep them motivated, but it wasn’t working. Naruto finally spotted Tora-chan crouching near a bush just a little off into the distance. So, he quickly created a few clones (surprising his teammates) and grabbed the cat carrier. Naruto hurried to find a good spot to corner Tora-chan, while his clones chased Tora-chan towards him. He found the best spot he could find at a short notice and signaled to his clones. It took maybe five minutes, but Naruto got Tora-chan into the carrier finally. “Good job, Naruto.” Asuma Sensei praised him. “Let’s get Tora-chan back to the client.” The group headed back to the missions’ office and the old man was sitting there, looking at some paperwork.

            “Good job you four,” The old man said once he spotted them.

            “Actually, Hokage-sama, Naruto did all the work and captured Tora-chan himself.” Shikamaru admitted, causing Ino to glare at him and Chōji and Asuma Sensei to look at him in surprise.

            “Is this true, Asuma?” The old man asked raising an eyebrow.

            “Yes, sir.” Asuma Sensei answered. “From the start, Naruto came up with a plan to capture Tora-chan. And we’ve stuck with it this whole time. Unfortunately, Ino, Chōji, and Shikamaru had lost motivation up until Naruto spotted Tora-chan. He took action and captured Tora-chan all by himself.”

            “While I commend you for bringing back the client’s cat, Naruto, you seem to have missed the whole point of these kinds of missions.” The old man said looking at him. Naruto was filled with rage and hurt inside, and he needed to leave before he went off. Thankfully, Shikamaru stepped in before anything could happen.

            “Hokage-sama, Naruto didn’t do anything wrong. He understands completely what these missions are for.” Shikamaru said frowning. “If anything, Ino, Chōji, and I are the ones who are in the wrong. Naruto spent all day trying to help motivate us to capture this cat. We’re the ones at fault for not putting any effort in our mission.” Again, everyone stared at Shikamaru in surprise, including the old man this time.

            “I see,” The old man said thoughtfully. “Well, if that’s how it was, then I have no reason but to leave it at that.” Naruto wasn’t surprised the old man didn’t apologize to him. Now that Naruto wasn’t as naïve as he was at this age, he could now see how the old man truly felt about him.

            “Sir,” Asuma Sensei said frowning. But before he could go on, the old man had dismissed them for the day. As soon as they were outside of the school, Asuma Sensei turned towards Naruto. “Naruto, I’m so sorry for what Hokage-sama said to you.”

            “It’s okay, Asuma Sensei.” Naruto said a bit of sadness leaking into his voice. “I’m used to it…” Naruto then told Shikamaru he’d be home later and went to his favorite spot to clear his head. Naruto almost forgot that Asuma Sensei is the son of the old man. He wanted to make sure Asuma Sensei didn’t die in this timeline.

Chapter Text

            Naruto didn’t go home until late into the night. He felt guilty for worrying Yoshino-san like this. But he couldn’t stop thinking about how the old man has been treating him lately. It seemed to be a lot worse than it was in the previous timeline. It was starting to get depressing, and it hurt his feelings. ‘You need to talk to someone,’ Kurama told him. ‘I’m no good when it comes to this kind of stuff.’ Naruto chuckled.

            “I know,” Naruto answered him. “I appreciate what you’ve been doing for me.” Naruto was a block away from the Nara Estate when someone had surprised him by ambushing him. He jumped out of the way and four guys probably a few years older than his current age were blocking his way home. “What do you want?” Naruto was starting to get tired of this stuff.

            “Come on boys,” The tallest one said, gripping his hands into fists. Apparently, he’s the leader. They charged at him again, and Naruto dodged out of the way once more.

            “Seriously, what’s your problem?” Naruto asked annoyed. “I haven’t done anything to you.”

            “We don’t have to explain ourselves to a freak like you!” Another one of them said glaring him. They charged at him yet again, and instead of standing there and taking it, Naruto dodged out of the way and headed off to the Nara Estate. He was absolutely done with this shit. He heard them chase after him, so he quickened his pace. When he reached the gates of the house, he heard the four guys curse and take off. Seriously? What the hell?

            “Naruto, are you okay?” Shikamaru asked rushing out of the house. He looked very concerned, and that made Naruto feel guiltier.

            “I’m, I’m fine,” Naruto said just wanting to go to his room. “I just,”

            “Hey,” Shikamaru said finally reaching him. “You’re crying.” Naruto froze in surprise as Shikamaru wiped away his tears. Damn it!

            “I,” Naruto was panicking on the inside. He didn’t know what to do. He felt like his emotions were pulling him everywhere.

            “Come on,” Shikamaru said pulling him inside. Naruto didn’t see Yoshino-san when they entered the house, but he knew she was there. Shikamaru ushered Naruto into his room and Naruto just fell apart. When he calmed down finally, he apologized to Shikamaru. “You don’t have to apologize for crying. Do you want to talk about it?” Naruto nodded. “You’re upset with the way Hokage-sama has been treating you.”

            “Yeah,” Naruto said frowning. “I don’t get it.”

            “Get what?” Shikamaru asked curiously.

            “I don’t get why he treats me that way. Out of all the people in this village who treat me badly, why does he have to do it too? What did I do wrong?” Naruto asked seriously feeling lost. He couldn’t understand it.

            “You haven’t done anything wrong.” Shikamaru said sternly. “Everyone, including Hokage-sama, have no reason to treat you that way. I know the kind of person you are, and the only opinions you should care about are those of your friends.”

            “Thanks,” Naruto said feeling better. He honestly didn’t know what he’d do without Shikamaru. He caught the genius off guard by hugging him. “You’re an amazing friend, Shikamaru.”

            “A-Anytime,” Shikamaru said awkwardly patting Naruto’s back. Naruto let out a chuckle and let him go.

            “So, how upset is Yoshino-san?” Naruto asked deciding to change the subject.

            “Not at all, really.” Shikamaru said shaking his head. “She was just worried someone tried to hurt you on the way home again.” Naruto grimaced. “Look, you don’t have anything to feel guilty about. If anything, you should be grateful she even lets you leave the house.”

            “What do you mean?” Naruto asked curiously.

            “If she had it her way, you’d never leave the house. She’d do anything to protect you.” Shikamaru said shrugging. “My mom seems to have a soft spot for you.” Naruto wasn’t sure how he should feel about that information. “Trust me when I say that’s a good thing.”

            “Oh,” Naruto said surprised. Shikamaru chuckled.

            “Is there anything else you wanted to talk about? I’m sure Mom’s waiting for us to finish so she can tell us to go to bed.” Shikamaru said smiling.

            “There’s one thing,” Naruto said thoughtfully.

            “Okay,” Shikamaru said nodding.

            “So, you know how the fourth Hokage sealed away the nine-tailed fox?” Naruto asked him. Shikamaru nodded. “Well, I’m the baby he sealed the nine-tailed fox in.” Naruto showed him the seal as proof. Shikamaru’s jaw dropped.

            “That’s why the villagers treat you the way they do?” Shikamaru asked sounding angry. Naruto gave a hesitant nod. “That’s not fair! You literally haven’t done anything wrong!” Naruto sighed in relief. He wasn’t sure why he doubted Shikamaru’s friendship after the previous conversation they had. But he was glad to know that Shikamaru was on his side. Kurama scoffed at him. He didn’t have to say anything for Naruto to guess Kurama was calling him an idiot. “Do any of the others know?” Naruto assumed he was referring to the Rookie 9.

            “I told Sasuke and Sakura,” Naruto told him. He wasn’t going to tell Shikamaru how relieved he was to know that they didn’t view him any differently.

            “I’m assuming you don’t want to tell anyone else?” Shikamaru asked him.

            “It’s not that I don’t trust the others. I’m just not… ready for that.” Naruto said frowning.

            “That’s okay,” Shikamaru said patting him on the shoulder. “Take your time. I won’t say anything to anyone then.”

            “Thanks, Shikamaru.” Naruto said with a big smile. There was a knock on the door. “Come in.”

            “Is everything okay in here?” Yoshino-san asked walking in.

            “Yes,” Naruto answered her. “I’ve just had a really long day.”

            “Okay, well let me know if there’s anything I can do.” She said with a smile.

            “I will,” Naruto promised.

            “If you’re done talking, you two should get to bed. I know you have an early start tomorrow.” She stated.

            “Yes, ma’am.” The two said before she nodded and left the room.

            “Good night, Shikamaru.” Naruto told his friend.

            “Good night,” Shikamaru said before leaving. Naruto got himself ready for bed. He knew he wasn’t going get any sleep tonight. But he wasn’t as worried about it, not now that he knew he had a great friend just down the hall. A week goes by before Kakashi returns from his mission. Naruto was glad, but he was worried the opportunity to take the Wave Mission had already passed. He wasn’t sure what the outcome of that would be, but if that was the case, he hoped it was for the best. It was just too bad he didn’t get to see Inari and his grandpa again. Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke met up with Kakashi at their usual meeting spot.

            “How was your mission, Kakashi Sensei?” Sakura asked him.

            “Good,” Kakashi answered. “I’ve heard you three got stuck doing missions with some of the other teams.”

            “Yeah,” Sasuke said scowling. “It was annoying.”

            “I doubt the missions would’ve been any less annoying had Kakashi Sensei not gone on that mission.” Naruto pointed out.

            “I guess so,” Sasuke said sighing.

            “Did something happen while I was gone?” Kakashi asked frowning.

            “Nothing out of the ordinary.” Sakura said shaking her head.

            “That’s a lie,” Sasuke accused her. “Some jerks ambushed Naruto last week!”

            “Oh?” Kakashi said looking at Naruto.

            “I’m telling you I’m fine.” Naruto said sighing. “I dodged them and got home before they could do anything.”

            “That still doesn’t excuse them for coming after you like that.” Sasuke said narrowing his eyes at Naruto.

            “Sasuke’s right,” Sakura said with a scowl. “They seriously need to leave you alone.”

            “I want them to leave me alone just as much as you do,” Naruto said slightly annoyed. It was starting to feel like they were faulting him for not doing anything about it. He knew it wasn’t the case, but they were dangerously close to crossing that line. “But nothing I say or do will make them stop. Not even Oji-san can do anything about it.”

            “Maybe you should make them leave you alone,” Sakura suggested.

            “And how would I do that?” Naruto asked giving her a deadpanned expression.

            “Sakura, you’re not suggesting violence, are you?” Kakashi asked resting a hand on Naruto’s head. “You should know that violence doesn’t solve anything.”

            “I’m not saying Naruto has to attack them or anything,” Sakura said quickly. “I’m just saying if he intimidated them, they might leave him alone.”

            “Sakura, the whole reason why they’re doing it is because they’re afraid of me.” Naruto said wanting to smack his forehead.

            “Oh,” she said smiling sheepishly. “Sorry, I wasn’t being helpful.”

            “It’s okay,” Naruto told her. “I appreciate the thought, though.” Naruto still feels wary every time he enters the mission office. He didn’t tell Sakura and Sasuke what had happened when he was with Shikamaru’s team that day. He wasn’t sure he could handle upsetting them after he told them about Kurama. They were still processing it, he could tell. He always felt like they would forget about it until they spot a villager glaring at him. And then it’s like a slap to the face and they get angry again. Naruto feels they aren’t coping with the information as well as he hoped. But at least they’re not calling him a monster. After their mission for the day, Naruto pulls Kakashi to the side to let him know that he was ready to talk to him and Itachi-san about the next steps.

            “Okay, I’ll track down Itachi and we’ll work something out.” Kakashi told him. “Are you sure that you’re okay? I feel like something else happened while I was away.”

            “I may or may not have had a mental breakdown. But I talked things out with Shikamaru, so I’m fine.” Naruto said shrugging. Kakashi just gaped at him. “I’m willing to admit that my mental state isn’t well, but I am talking to people about it.”

            “By people, you mean Shikamaru?” Kakashi asked amused.

            “Yes, unfortunately for him.” Naruto said shaking his head.

            “If he truly felt that way about it, he would’ve said so already.” Kakashi told him.

            “You have a point,” Naruto said smiling sheepishly. Kakashi shook his head.

            “By the way, I heard some things while I was on my mission. I’ll share them with you and Itachi when we talk.” Kakashi told him, changing the subject.

            “Okay,” Naruto said wondering what it could be. He wondered if it was information on the Akatsuki. Naruto hadn’t given them much thought recently. He wondered how things had changed now that Itachi isn’t in the Akatsuki. He hoped putting a stop to Madara’s plan would be a lot easier this time around, but Naruto wasn’t going to get his hopes up too high.

Chapter Text

            On Itachi-san’s next day off, Naruto meets up with him and Kakashi Sensei at Kakashi Sensei’s apartment. They were going to discuss what to do next. Naruto wanted to make sure they were all on the same page. He’s accepted that his window to do the Wave Mission had already passed, and it seems another team had already taken that mission. He thought maybe it was Lee, Tenten, and Neji who took that mission. They would’ve definitely been more experienced to take on a mission like that than team 7 was the first time around. Naruto felt they could’ve handled it now, but it was too late for that. “Naruto, what are you thinking about?” Kakashi Sensei asked bored from his position on the recliner. Itachi-san hadn’t quite arrived yet.

            “Nothing too serious,” Naruto admitted. “There’s so much that needs to be done, but I know it’s best to take it one step at a time.”

            “That’s good to live by,” Itachi-san said as he entered the apartment. “Sorry for being late. Sasuke was being more of a handful than usual.”

            “I’m not surprised,” Kakashi Sensei said sighing. “He was upset with me earlier today because he wanted to do a C Rank mission, but I told him that our team wasn’t quite ready for that yet.”

            “Really?” Naruto asked in surprise. “I think we’re ready for that. Sasuke and Sakura have improved a lot over the last couple of months.”

            “That’s the thing,” Kakashi Sensei said with a grimace. “I know you guys are ready for it. I just don’t know how things are going to go if we leave the village.”

            “I mean, I’m sure Sasuke would whine a bit about being away from Itachi-san after a few hours, but I think it would be fine,” Naruto said shrugging. Itachi-san chuckled.

            “He’s mellowed out quite a bit with that.” He said looking amused.

            “Really?” Naruto asked doubtfully. “If you say so.”

            “What’s the next step?” Kakashi Sensei asked more seriously.

            “I was thinking about how the Chuunin Exams were coming up,” Naruto started. “That’s next on the list.”

            “What’s going to happen during the exams?” Kakashi Sensei asked sounding a bit worried.

            “Orochimaru is going to kill the fourth Kazekage and blame us for it. He’s then going to help the Sand get their revenge by planning an attack on our village during the third part of the exam,” Naruto explained. “From the letters I’ve been receiving from Gaara, the Kazekage is still alive. I don’t know if there’s a way of preventing that from happening, but if not, we’ll have to prepare for the attack.”

            “What’s his motive for doing such a thing?” Itachi-san asked with a frown.

            “He wants to take the old man out and possibly go after Sasuke.” Naruto said shrugging. “I say possibly regarding Sasuke, because in the old timeline, Sasuke wanted nothing more than to get revenge for what happened to your clan. Orochimaru saw that as an opportunity to mark him with his curse mark. But since your clan wasn’t killed, I don’t know how that’s going to go down.”

            “This curse mark, what is it?” Kakashi Sensei asked curiously.

            “It’s a seal, like Anko-san’s.” Naruto explained. Kakashi Sensei nodded in understanding. “It affected Sasuke differently though. He was able to use the power of the curse mark to his advantage with little to no consequence. Each curse mark gives each user a different ability. It amplifies their chakra, and the strong ones transform into something unhuman.”

            “That sounds terrible,” Kakashi Sensei said narrowing his uncovered eye.

            “It’s one of Orochimaru’s experiments,” Itachi-san added with a tiny scowl.

            “That’s our next step,” Naruto concluded. “Putting a stop to Orochimaru won’t be easy.”

            “It’s possible, though,” Itachi-san said very seriously.

            “Kakashi Sensei, you said you heard something on your last mission out of the village.” Naruto said as if just now remembering that.

            “Oh, right,” Kakashi Sensei said readjusting his position on the recliner. “The Akatsuki are more active than they have been in the past. I ran into Jiraiya-sama, and he shared some things with me about that. They seem to be looking for the Jinchuuriki.”

            “I was wondering when they were going to make their move,” Naruto said thoughtfully.

            “Jiraiya-sama also said he spotted one of them with an orange mask. It had only one eye hole on it.” Kakashi Sensei said tensely. “Apparently, this one is the one calling the shots.” Naruto had to tell him. He couldn’t just let Kakashi Sensei find out like he did in the previous timeline.

            “Kakashi Sensei…” Naruto said frowning.

            “You know who that is, don’t you?” Kakashi Sensei asked him.

            “I do,” Naruto said nodding. Itachi-san was quiet. “There’s something I need to tell you, and you’re not going to like it.”

            “I’m sure I can handle that,” Kakashi Sensei said, and Naruto could hear the curiosity in his voice.

            “It’s about one of your old teammates,” Naruto stated, and he saw his sensei flinch.

            “Maybe I should head off,” Itachi-san said standing up.

            “No, you can stay,” Kakashi Sensei told him. Itachi-san nodded and sat back down. “Tell me, Naruto.”

            “Obito Uchiha did not die that day at Kannabi Bridge,” Naruto said slowly. Kakashi Sensei gave him a blank look. “Madara Uchiha found him after you and your other teammate left. He offered to save Obito’s life, but there was a catch.”

            “There’s always a catch,” Kakashi Sensei said bitterly.

            “Madara saved Obito’s life, but he was practically on the verge of dying himself,” Naruto continued. “He basically kept Obito under his supervision until he was ready to let Obito leave. During that time, he basically brainwashed Obito into believing in his plan. Once he died, Obito left and Zetsu, the one that looks like a plant, told him that you and your other teammate were in trouble. It was when you two headed off those Mist ninjas.” Kakashi Sensei looked pained at the mention of that. “Madara basically set it up so that Obito saw what happened to your other teammate. That’s when his psyche snapped. He decided he was going to get revenge and by doing so, he released Kurama and forced him to attack the village twelve years ago.”

            “What was Madara Uchiha’s plan?” Kakashi Sensei asked after a few minutes of silence.

            “I don’t know if I should say that quite yet,” Naruto said apologetically. “It’s not that I don’t want to tell you. Like I said earlier, we need to do things one step at a time. We need to deal with the immediate danger first, which is Orochimaru.” Kakashi Sensei nodded, still looking upset. Naruto wanted to hug him and tell him that everything was going to be okay. Naruto didn’t, though. He knew that no matter how many times he would say that he didn’t truly know that things were going to be okay. “I will tell you this, though. You got through to Obito in the end, and he lost his life protecting you, Sakura, Sasuke, and I. He understood the full story of what happened, and he cried.”

            “Heh, that’s Obito for you,” Kakashi Sensei said softly. “He was always such a crybaby.” Naruto gave him a small smile.

            “Obito isn’t completely lost.” Naruto told him. “I think if we were given the chance, you’d get through to him again.” Naruto could feel the discomfort rolling off Itachi-san and inwardly snickered. Talking about one’s feelings wasn’t something the elder Uchiha was used to it seemed. It was funny to Naruto, because the Uchiha were the some of the most emotional people he’d ever met. Kakashi Sensei looked more determined suddenly.

            “I would like to speak to him at some point,” Kakashi Sensei said looking at Naruto.

            “I’m okay with that,” Naruto said nodding. He looked over at Itachi-san.

            “I am as well,” Itachi-san said smiling. “My clan is slowly reintegrating with the rest of the village, and I feel comfortable stating that they won’t betray the village in any way.”

            “That’s good,” Naruto said feeling relieved. “I’ve also been making headway with Gaara, and he’s been opening up to me about things. We haven’t actually stated it in writing, but I feel like we’ve become good friends.” Naruto had missed his friendship with Gaara. It was so pure from Gaara’s end, and Naruto was going to cherish that forever. Gaara trusted his siblings to a degree at the time, but Naruto witnessed how Gaara had grown to really rely on Temari and Kankuro. It made Naruto wish he had a sibling. He thought that perhaps he wouldn’t have been so lonely if he had one. Of course, he knew that was never going to happen. But he couldn’t help but think about it during the dark times.

            “At least we won’t have to worry about the One Tail making an appearance during the exams,” Kakashi Sensei said, sounding more like his normal self. It seems he’ll be having some things to think about later.

            “Have you tried contacting any of the others?” Itachi-san asked me.

            “No,” Naruto said shaking his head. “Kurama is annoyed enough with having to talk to Shukaku-sama.”

            “Shukaku-sama?” Kakashi Sensei said looking at Naruto.

            “I tried calling him Shukaku-san, and he got upset with me,” Naruto said shrugging. Kurama gave a snort but didn’t say anything.

            “I’ve also heard news about a revolt in the Mist village,” Itachi-san said suddenly. “It appears that the Mizukage has been under a genjutsu this whole time.”

            “Oh, I almost forgot about that,” Naruto said surprised. “Who’s leading the revolt?”

            “From what I’ve heard, it’s Zabuza Momochi,” Itachi-san said looking at him.

            “Wait, really?” Naruto asked surprised. “Was there a boy with a white mask with him?”

            “I don’t know,” Itachi-san said shaking his head.

            “Do you know these two?” Kakashi Sensei asked Naruto.

            “Well, you see,” Naruto said before going into the story about the Wave Mission. “And since you got sent out on a different mission around that time frame, we didn’t get that mission.”

            “Oh, I see,” Kakashi Sensei said nodding. “Gai was telling me about a mission like that. He said it was supposed to be a C Rank, but it turned out to be more like a B Rank or A Rank because the client didn’t have the money to pay for a higher rank.”

            “That would be it,” Naruto said nodding. “I miss Inari and that old man though. They’re really nice.” They even helped rebuild the village after Nagato destroyed it.

            “Now that the revolt is happening, what does that mean for the Mist?” Kakashi Sensei asked curiously.

            “Their new Mizukage works really hard to make the necessary changes to put an end to the Blood Mist era. A lot of people in the village won’t agree with it, but they don’t have a choice.” Naruto said shaking his head. “She’s a good Mizukage, and she’s really strong.”

            “That’s good to know,” Kakashi Sensei said thoughtfully. “Right, so what are we going to do about Orochimaru?”

            “The best outcome would be capturing him, but he won’t let that easily happen.” Naruto said thoughtfully. “If worse comes to worse, we’ll have to kill him. There’s one other person of interest in this whole thing, and that’s Kabuto Yakushi. He’s Orochimaru’s apprentice, and he’s adept at Medical ninjutsu. It almost rivals Tsunade Baa-chan’s.”

            “He’s almost as slippery as Orochimaru,” Itachi-san said in agreement. “He’s dangerous, and he plays a big part in the start of the war.”

            “Okay,” Kakashi Sensei said nodding. “He’ll be here for the Chūnin exams?”

            “Yes,” Naruto said nodding. “We can keep tabs on him while he’s here. He and Orochimaru go undercover as competitors during the exams.”

            “Okay. I’ll have Pakkun and the others keep an eye out for them.” Kakashi Sensei stated. The three talked a bit more before Naruto went back home. The sun was starting to go down, and he was sure Yoshino-san was wondering where he was. Naruto was glad that he got to tell Kakashi Sensei about what happened to Obito. Naruto just had to keep an eye on the silver-haired man for the next couple of days. Naruto knew the jonin wasn’t going to be sleeping any time soon.

Chapter Text

            Things were more tense around the village as the Chuunin Exams were just around the corner. Naruto had spent most of his time training with Sasuke and Sakura. The three of them had been working their butts off, and Naruto felt this was a way of proving to Kakashi that three of them were ready. Kakashi had also been very absentminded since the day Naruto told him the truth about Obito. Naruto, of course, was keeping an eye on his friend and making sure he was okay. Every time Naruto would ask the silver-haired man, Kakashi would just say he was fine and act embarrassed that Naruto was asking him so often. Naruto realizes that Kakashi probably wasn’t asked that very often growing up. Everyone, probably, just assumed he was okay because of how indifferent he was about things. Naruto has learned that the indifference was how Kakashi coped with trauma, and he knew it wasn’t a good thing. Naruto planned on changing that, but he knew it was something that wasn’t going to be easily done.

            Sasuke has been working with his Sharingan more, and it seems Itachi-san was helping him out. Sasuke had a very good teacher now, and so he didn’t have to struggle to learn how to use his kekkei genkai all on his own now. And Sakura, she’d been hanging out at the hospital, getting in her own kind of training. She was learning medical ninjutsu and it seems she was excelling at it. She was talking about how the doctors she was learning under were impressed with how well she could control her chakra. Naruto hoped that one day, she’d be able to learn more from Tsunade Baa-chan. Naruto had been getting back into working on seals and it captured Kakashi’s curiosity. They practically bonded over it, and it was a nice feeling. Naruto thought. He didn’t have this kind of connection with Kakashi in the old timeline at this age. If anything, it felt like Kakashi only cared about Sasuke to Naruto. Naruto now understands why that was, but it didn’t change how he felt about it. Naruto didn’t have to worry about that this time around, though.

            There was about a week left until the Chuunin Exams now. Teams from all over were arriving in the village, and Naruto felt a little on edge after spotting two teams who seemed to be Sound Ninja. Naruto knew for a fact that two of them were Orochimaru and Kabuto, so that didn’t help. He did notice that once the two arrived, Kakashi spent more time keeping surveillance on them. Naruto was beginning to feel like something ominous was going to happen. He tried his best to push the feeling away. He decided to work on making special seals to deal with Orochimaru to keep his mind off it for a bit. These special seals were made through years of experimenting and unexpected explosions. The seals were meant to be used for basically paralyzing someone until the seal is removed. Naruto hoped these seals would help in stopping Orochimaru and Kabuto from their plans. If those two were captured now, maybe it would help prevent the war from happening. It was just too bad that Naruto couldn’t go back and stop Obito from being crushed by that boulder. He felt like that would’ve saved a lot of trouble for everyone, and it would prolong Madara’s plan.

            Naruto was walking one of the back alleyways of the village, when he heard someone come up from behind him. He dodged out of the way almost immediately and realized it was an ANBU member. What the hell? “Naruto Uzumaki, you’re to come with me,” the person said. Naruto didn’t recognize the voice, but he didn’t need to know the voice to know there was some trouble coming his way.

            “I don’t think I will,” Naruto said frowning. “It would be nice if you actually told me the reason why you’re asking this of me.”

            “It’s under Hokage-sama’s orders,” the person answered. That was all Naruto was going to get. He dodged out of the way again as the ANBU member lunged to capture him.

            “That’s not a very satisfying answer,” Naruto commented before taking off. The ANBU member immediately followed him. Naruto wasn’t happy to hear that the old man wanted him captured. What for? Were they going to lock him up? Naruto didn’t want to find out. He created multiple clones to distract the ANBU member and ordered them all to split up. He heard the ANBU member cursing as he took off with a few of his clones. It had to be those two old hags who put the old man up to this. Those two are so annoying, and Naruto was glad they retired before Kakashi got the hat. They passed away a few years after that due to old age. Those two were also part of the reason why the Uchiha Clan were ostracized from the village. They believed everything that bastard Danzo said. It then occurred to Naruto that they might be doing this because Gaara was going to be arriving soon. Did they think something would happen if the two met? Had they known that Naruto was sending letters back and forth with Gaara? There’s no way. The only people who knew about it were Kakashi, Itachi-san, and Shisui-san. Naruto had lost the ANBU for now, but he needed to find a hiding place. He covered up his presence and decided a good place to hide would be in training ground 44. It was covered in a dense forest, and no one would think to look for him there. He sent off the clones that were with him and used the transformation jutsu to look nondescript before making his way into training ground 44. As soon as he was well hidden, he released the transformation jutsu. He kept his presence hidden though. He wondered how long this was going to go on for.

No One’s P.O.V

            “Hokage-sama, this is madness!” Shikaku said once the third told him what was going on. “Naruto-kun hasn’t done anything to warrant something of this scale. Why are you doing this?”

            “Shikaku,” the third said sighing. “It’s to keep him and the one-tail Jinchuuriki safe.”

            “Hokage-sama, they don’t even know each other. What has made you come to such a conclusion?” Shikaku couldn’t understand why Hokage-sama wanted to lock Naruto up. His reasoning didn’t make any sense. As far as he knew, Naruto didn’t know Gaara of the Desert existed.

            “I was advised,” he stated, puffing on his pipe. “It’s necessary.” Shikaku knew exactly who advised him, and he didn’t trust them. They did advocate for Danzo up until Danzo’s research was found.

            “The only thing you’re going to achieve by doing this is earning Naruto’s mistrust of you and the village.” Shikaku told him. “Naruto is a child, not a weapon. He’s got emotions just like the rest of us. If you lock him up, he won’t trust anyone in this village ever again.”

            “That is a risk I’m willing to take,” Hokage-sama stated as he turned in his chair towards the window.

            “You’re making a mistake,” Shikaku said shaking his head.

            “That may be so, but it’s for the safety of the village,” the third stated stubbornly. Shikaku frowned. He wasn’t going to be able to convince the Hokage to stop this nonsense.

            “You’ll have a hell of a time catching him,” Shikaku stated before making his leave. Shikaku knew for a fact that Naruto wouldn’t let himself get caught. He just hoped he was able to keep it up. In a way, Shikaku hoped Naruto would be able to escape the village and make a run for it. Shikaku had already seen the look of defeat on Naruto’s face more times than he cared to count. He knew that if Naruto was caught, he’d see how devastated the young blond would be. That was something Shikaku hoped he wouldn’t have to see. It wasn’t right how he was being treated. Naruto hasn’t done anything wrong. It wasn’t his fault the Fourth put the fox inside of him.

            “Dad, what’s going on?” Shikamaru asked as he approached him. Ino and Chōji were with him. “There are ANBU everywhere.”

            “Hokage-sama wants to lock Naruto-kun up,” Shikaku told them. He wasn’t going to lie to them.

            “What? Why?” Ino asked surprised. “Naruto hasn’t done anything wrong, has he?”

            “No,” Shikaku said sighing. “He’s done absolutely nothing wrong.”

            “Is it… because of the fox?” Shikamaru asked frowning.

            “I believe so,” Shikaku said surprised that Naruto told him. He assumed the other two didn’t know yet.

            “What are you talking about?” Ino asked frowning.

            “I’d tell you, but Naruto said he wanted to tell you himself.” Shikamaru said looking at the two. Shikaku was surprised yet again. Naruto had planned on telling his friends, but he wasn’t confident enough to tell them yet. That young man was strong just like his parents.

            “We understand,” Chōji said in understanding.

            “Yeah,” Ino said nodding. Shikaku was proud of the three of them.

            “I want to help Naruto,” Shikamaru said frowning.

            “The best we can do is not find him.” Shikaku said thoughtfully. “If we knew where he was, they’d interrogate us until we told them.”

            “That’s true,” Ino said sadly. “I just wish there was more I could do to help him. He’s been helping me.”

            “He has?” Shikaku asked interestedly.

            “Yeah.” She said nodding. “I’ve been talking to him about personal things, and he’s been encouraging to me.” She smiled as she said this.

            “Me too!” Chōji said excitedly. “He’s been so kind to me, it makes me angry that anyone would be so mean to him.”

            “I’d follow him to the ends of the earth if it came down to that,” Shikamaru said in agreement. Shikaku was taken by surprise again. He knew how kind Naruto was, he just didn’t expect it to reach to so many of his friends. Shikaku only wished the rest of the village could see his kindness.

            “Shikaku-sama, what’s going on?” Kakashi asked approaching them. “Why are they after Naruto?”

            “Hokage-sama wants to lock him up!” Ino said scowling. Kakashi stared at her, looking stunned. Or so Shikaku thought. It was hard to tell when the silver-haired jonin wore a mask all the time. “It’s completely unfair, Kakashi Sensei!”

            “There isn’t much we can do about it,” Shikaku said sighing. “I’ve tried talking sense into Hokage-sama, but he’s stubborn. His reason is absolutely ridiculous.”

            “I see,” Kakashi said thoughtfully. Shikaku wondered what Kakashi was thinking and what his next move was going to be. “I’ll see you later.” Then Kakashi was gone almost as quickly as he appeared.

            “You didn’t get to tell him Hokage-sama’s reason,” Ino said with a frown.

            “I don’t think I had to,” Shikaku said chuckling. “That man is very smart. I’m sure he had an idea why, and I just somehow confirmed it for him.”

            “Kakashi Sensei is weird,” Ino said shaking her head.

            “He didn’t used to be so weird,” Shikaku said with a small smile. He used to be much more serious, and he suffered so much. Shikaku could see that he was starting to heal and chalked it up to Naruto being on his team.

            “How did he used to be?” Chōji asked curiously.

            “That’s not something I can talk about,” Shikaku said letting out a small chuckle as the three pouted at him. “Now then, I know this is hard, but you should prepare for the Chuunin Exams. Asuma told me he recommended you three.”

            “It’s hard to focus when our friend is in trouble,” Shikamaru said sighing.

            “He’s strong,” Shikaku reminded him. “I’m sure Hokage-sama will grow tired of wasting his time on trying to capture Naruto eventually. It should die down soon.”

            “I hope so,” Shikamaru said worriedly. Shikaku understood how his son felt. Naruto must be devastated to know that Hokage-sama ordered the ANBU to capture him. Shikaku and his family worried for the blond’s mental health. They had been since the day Hokage-sama brought him to their doorstep.

            “We’ll be there for him when he needs us to be. And he knows that,” Shikaku said patting his son on the back. Shikamaru nodded.

Chapter Text

            A few days go by, and Naruto is still in hiding. He sent out a few clones in disguise to see what was happening in the village. It seems the old man finally called off the ANBU who were chasing after him. It also appears that they think Naruto might have left the village, but they weren’t sure how. If Naruto wanted to leave the village, he would’ve done it a long time ago. He thought rolling his eyes. One of his clones did track Kakashi down to tell him that he was okay and was in a good hiding spot. He told Kakashi Sensei to continue keeping an eye on Orochimaru and Kabuto. Kakashi Sensei wasn’t happy about it, but he agreed to it. One of Naruto’s clones also spotted Tsunade Baa-chan walking around, and it surprised Naruto. What was she doing here so early? She doesn’t want to be here in case the old man forces the hat on her. What’s changed? He wondered. He supposed this was a good opportunity for Sakura. He hoped she would take it and ask Tsunade Baa-chan for training. Naruto also noticed that Gaara and his siblings had arrived safely and were super upset about their father dying. Naruto wanted to speak to Gaara about it, but he wasn’t sure it was such a good idea to come out from hiding. Naruto has had to move several times due to ANBU members patrolling the forest from time to time. He supposed it was for the second part of the exams, but it was probably also because they wanted to cover their bases in finding him.

            One day before the exams, Naruto’s clone informed him that Itachi-san wanted to speak with him. Naruto was to meet him at the Uchiha Clan compound. He wondered why he chose there. If Fugaku-san knew about it, Naruto was sure the Uchiha Clan leader wouldn’t want Naruto there. Naruto understood that the Uchiha Clan had been through a lot, and harboring Naruto would add to their troubles. Naruto didn’t want that for them. They were making progress with reintegrating with the rest of the village. He hoped this was just a secret meeting between him and Itachi-san. When Naruto arrived, he was surprised to find Kakashi Sensei, Sakura, and Sasuke there as well. What was going on? “Naruto!” Sasuke said before hugging him.

            “We’re so glad you’re safe!” Sakura said beaming at him. She looked so relieved too. Naruto hugged his friend back.

            “What’s going on?” Naruto asked confused.

            “Hokage-sama has called off his search for you,” Kakashi Sensei stated.

            “He has also decided that he isn’t going to lock you up,” Itachi-san informed him.

            “Yeah, it’s so wrong of that old man!” Sasuke said scowling as he pulled away from Naruto.

            “What changed his mind?” Naruto asked curiously.

            “Oh, I just had a chat with him, is all.” Kakashi Sensei said shrugging. “He was very persuasive when I brought up your parents.”

            “That surprises me,” Naruto said sighing. “He seemed to want to go against their wishes at all costs.”

            “He tried to blame his advisors,” Itachi-san said sounding disappointed.

            “Oh, I’m sure they had something to do with it.” Naruto said scowling. “Those hags have never liked me.”

            “Naruto, you shouldn’t speak ill of your elders,” Sakura said sighing.

            “You would, too, if you knew them like I do,” Naruto said shaking his head.

            “Now that that’s settled, why don’t we all go out for some ramen?” Kakashi Sensei suggested. Naruto wanted some so badly, but he wasn’t ready to act like nothing happened. “It’ll be okay, I promise.” Kakashi Sensei gently tussled his hair. Naruto trusted his precious people, but he refused to trust the old man and anyone in the ANBU apart from Itachi-san and Shisui-san.

            “Okay,” Naruto said nodding.

            “There’s some bad news,” Kakashi stated. “But we can talk about it after ramen, okay?” Naruto wondered what the bad news was, but he had no choice but to do as Kakashi suggested. Naruto didn’t want to be in a sour mood when eating ramen. Eating at Ichiraku’s was his place to get away from stress, so he agreed.

            “Are you going to come, Nii-san?” Sasuke asked looking at Itachi-san.

            “No, there’s a few things I need to discuss with Father,” Itachi-san said chuckling a bit at Sasuke’s pout. “I’ll see you when you get home later.”

            “Okay,” Sasuke said sighing. Naruto couldn’t help but be tense as they walked through the village. He didn’t trust anyone outside of his precious people. He’d had his trust broken one too many times and he wasn’t sure he would be able to recover from this. Sasuke seemed to notice his tenseness and started up a conversation about Naruto’s favorite ramen. Sakura joined in too. Naruto relaxed, but only a little, as he joined the conversation. After ramen, Naruto felt better, but he was worried about the bad news. They ended up going to training ground 3. It was mid-afternoon and despite it being a nice day, Naruto didn’t really feel like enjoying it.

            “So, what’s the bad news?” Naruto asked frowning.

            “Hokage-sama has told me that you three can’t participate in the Chuunin exams,” Kakashi Sensei said without holding back.

            “What?” Sakura asked surprised. “Why?”

            “It’s because of me, isn’t it?” Naruto asked, fuming. “He’s holding you two back because of me…”

            “No, I refuse to believe it!” Sasuke said scowling at Kakashi.

            “I did try my best to reason with him, but he was being stubborn,” Kakashi Sensei said sighing. “It’s frustrating, I know. But there’s really nothing I can do about it.” Sakura sniffled.

            “We’ve been working so hard,” she said sadly. “This is so messed up!”

            “And don’t even think about apologizing!” Sasuke said turning towards Naruto.

            “Yeah, it’s not your fault, Naruto,” Sakura said smiling. Naruto nodded, but he was still angry about the way the old man was treating him. He was trying to tell Naruto that he was going to be the reason why his team was being held back.

            “Even so, you can still work hard towards training,” Kakashi Sensei said when Naruto didn’t say anything. “Tsunade-sama has taken Sakura on as an apprentice.”

            “Really?” Naruto asked surprised. Sakura blushed. “That’s amazing, congratulations Sakura-chan.” Naruto was happy for her.

            “And Nii-san has been working with me on my Sharingan,” Sasuke said excitedly. “I’m almost as good as him with his kunai trick!”

            “You two have been working hard,” Naruto said with a smile. It was just crummy that the old man was holding them back like this.

            “We can watch the exams, and be there for the others,” Sakura said smiling. “I can’t wait to see how much progress they’ve made in their training.” Naruto wondered what was going to happen now that they weren’t going to participate in the chuunin exams.

            “We know you’ve been working hard, too,” Sasuke said looking at Naruto like he was crazy. “Kakashi Sensei was telling us how you’ve been working like crazy on learning Sealing techniques!”

            “Yeah,” Naruto said sheepishly. “They’re still not that great.”

            “But Kakashi Sensei said your seals are amazing!” Sakura said surprised. “He even showed us one that you made!” She pulled it out of her pocket. “See?” It was a seal that Naruto had created for storing things. It wasn’t perfect, but that was one of the seals he still struggled with. It was supposed to be a simple one, but he always messed up in one spot. He would forget how it was supposed to look sometimes. “It’s not perfect, but it’s amazing for someone your age to do! I learned that this is one of the most advanced ones for your age!”

            “What? Really?” Sasuke asked enviously. “Dude, that’s so cool!”

            “Exactly,” Kakashi Sensei said eye smiling at him. “So, don’t be too hard on yourself.” Naruto smiled and nodded.

            “We’ll just have to train some more and sweep everyone out from under their feet in the next chuunin exams.” Naruto said feeling more confident.

            “Right!? I can’t wait to see their faces!” Sasuke said grinning.

            “There’s still some time.” Kakashi Sensei said looking up at the sky. “Do you want to work on training right now?”

            “Yes, Kakashi Sensei!” The three of them responded. Naruto went home feeling exhausted that night. Kakashi Sensei escorted him home, and Naruto gave him the seals he’d made for capturing Orochimaru and Kabuto. He explained how they worked and Kakashi looked impressed.

            “Do you think these will hold?” Kakashi Sensei asked him.

            “They should, but I wouldn’t underestimate Orochimaru and Kabuto even with the seals on them.” Naruto said frowning.

            “We’ll be careful,” Kakashi Sensei promised. “I’m sure Yoshino-san will be happy to see you.”

            “Yes, I’m sure she was worried while I was gone,” Naruto said with a smile.

            “She was more angry with Hokage-sama than anything,” he said shaking his head. “You’re lucky to have so many people supporting you.” Naruto really was, and he greatly appreciated them.

            “You have people supporting you, too,” Naruto reminded his friend. “Good night, Sensei. And thanks for walking me home.”

            “Good night, Naruto,” Kakashi Sensei said gently tussling Naruto’s hair. Naruto went inside the Nara residence and announced his arrival.

            “Naruto-kun?” It was Yoshino-san, and it wasn’t long before Naruto was being hugged by her. “I’m so glad you’re safe!” She sounded so relieved. Naruto was happy to be back, and he didn’t realize how much he’d missed staying with the Naras until he’d been staying out in that forest for those couple of days.

            “Welcome home, Naruto-kun,” Shikaku-san greeted as Naruto and Yoshino-san walked into the kitchen. “Dinner was just served.”

            “Thanks,” Naruto said smiling. Shikamaru took Naruto by surprise and hugged him. Shikamaru really was a good friend.

            “Everyone was worried,” Shikamaru informed him as he pulled away.

            “Shikamaru, we can talk about it later,” Yoshino-san admonished him. “When was the last time you ate, Naruto-kun?” Naruto sat down at the table and Shikaku-san had made him a plate.

            “This afternoon. Kakashi Sensei took Sakura, Sasuke, and me to Ichiraku’s.” Naruto said shrugging.

            “Where did you hide?” Shikamaru asked curiously.

            “Training ground 44,” Naruto replied before taking a bite of the food.

            “That’s dangerous,” Shikaku-san said half-terrified and half-impressed.

            “Yes, but they didn’t think to look for me in there,” Naruto said shrugging.

            “I’m impressed by how well you managed to stay hidden,” Shikaku-san said smiling. “You proved me right.”

            “How so?” Naruto asked curiously.

            “I was trying to talk sense into Hokage-sama, and I told him it would be hell for him to find you.” Shikaku-san said chuckling.

            “I’ve never made anything easy for anyone,” Naruto said amused. “I’m definitely not going to let them lock me up if I can help it.” After dinner, Naruto took a nice hot bath before heading off to bed. His plan tomorrow was to meet up with Gaara.

Chapter Text

            When Naruto woke up the next day, he struggled to not just stay in bed all day. He couldn’t stop thinking about why the old man wanted to lock him up. It didn’t make any sense. It was upsetting, but Naruto needed to get out of bed. He had things he needed to do, and he needed to protect his precious people. He couldn’t do any of that by lying in bed all day. With that thought, Naruto hoisted himself out of bed and got ready for the day. He was slightly surprised to see Ino and Chōji when he walked into the kitchen. “Naruto, we’re glad you’re okay.” Chōji said beaming at him. Naruto wanted to cry, but he kept his emotions under control for now.

            “Yeah, we were worried they were going to lock you up,” Ino said shaking her head. “I don’t know what Hokage-sama is thinking.”

            “Enough of that,” Yoshino-san said serving breakfast. “Now, if you two are staying for breakfast, have a seat.”

            “Yes, ma’am!” Ino and Chōji said before sitting down. Naruto smiled. He was glad to have his friends.

            “Naruto, is your team going to be participating in the chuunin exams?” Chōji asked him curiously.

            “No, the old man won’t let us,” Naruto said truthfully.

            “What? Why?” Ino asked frowning.

            “I don’t know,” Naruto said shrugging. “That’s all Kakashi Sensei told us yesterday.”

            “That’s so unfair,” Ino said scowling.

            “It can’t be helped,” Shikaku-san said entering the kitchen. Naruto was surprised he hadn’t left yet. “I’m sorry it ended up that way, Naruto.”

            “I’m used to it,” Naruto said sighing. He really was, and he knew it shouldn’t be something he’s used to. It just always turned out that way for him. “We’re still going to come watch, though.”

            “That’s good,” Yoshino-san said smiling. “It’s good to encourage your friends.”

            “It still doesn’t feel right,” Shikamaru said. “Troublesome…”

            “That just gives us more incentive to get stronger,” Naruto said remembering what he, Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi Sensei discussed yesterday. “We’ll get so strong the old man won’t have a choice but to let us participate.”

            “That’s a good attitude to have,” Shikaku-san said chuckling. “I don’t envy Hokage-sama. It seems he’s crossed the wrong people.”

            “He definitely has,” Ino said nodding. Naruto felt much better after breakfast. He watched Ino, Shikamaru, and Chōji take off before going to meet up with his own team.

            “Good morning,” Sakura greeted him.

            “Good morning,” Naruto said smiling.

            “What are we doing today, Kakashi Sensei?” Sasuke asked curiously.

            “It appears Hokage-sama wants to give us C Rank mission today.” Kakashi Sensei informed them.

            “Even though the chuunin exams starts today?” Naruto asked frowning.

            “Yes, I’ve tried reasoning with him, but he was very adamant.” He said sighing. Naruto knew this was just a ploy to keep him away from Gaara.

            “Excuse us, but we seem to be lost,” a voice said causing the three to look around. Naruto was happy to see that it was Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro. Gaara was the one who spoke up. The three were wearing the same outfits that the versions of them in the old timeline wore at this stage. It was odd, because the bags under Gaara’s eyes had considerably shrunk and it was a tad strange to Naruto. Naruto appreciated sleep more now.

            “We can help. You’re looking for the academy, right?” Naruto asked them. They nodded.

            “I’ll leave that to you, Naruto. The rest of us will meet you in Hokage-sama’s office.” Kakashi Sensei said to him.

            “Okay,” Naruto said nodding. Kakashi Sensei, Sakura, and Sasuke left. Sasuke was looking at the three newcomers with scrutiny. Naruto expected that those two wouldn’t trust Gaara and his siblings for a long time. Naruto just had to work harder to get them to see that the three aren’t bad. “I’m Naruto Uzumaki, by the way.” Naruto introduced himself to the Sand genin.

            “You’re…. You’re the kid who’s been writing our brother?” Kankuro asked gaping at him.

            “Yes,” Naruto said nodding. He hadn’t realized that Kankuro and Temari knew about the letters.

            “Dude, you’re a lifesaver.” Kankuro said relieved.

            “Huh?” Naruto asked confused.

            “Don’t mind him, he’s being an idiot,” Temari said rolling her eyes. “You know our brother. I’m Temari and the idiot is Kankuro.”

            “It’s nice to meet you,” Naruto said smiling. Suddenly, Naruto was being hugged by Gaara, and it threw him off. Gaara had never really been good with contact like that. “Are you okay, Gaara?”

            “I’m fine,” the red head muttered before pulling away from Naruto. He had a blush on his cheeks, and it was adorable. “Thank you for the letters, they were helpful.”

            “I’m glad,” Naruto said feeling great that he could help Gaara. Temari and Kankuro were just staring at Gaara in shock. This further proved Naruto’s statement about the red head not liking contact. Naruto assumed that Gaara wasn’t sure how to convey how he was feeling other than to hug him. Naruto began leading them to the academy.

            “Our father was killed,” Temari stated.

            “I’m sorry to hear that,” Naruto said frowning. “Did they find any leads?”

            “Orochimaru seems to think someone from your village did it.” Kankuro stated. “Our council believed him.”

            “You don’t?” Naruto asked curiously.

            “No,” Temari said frowning. “Your Hokage has been working for years to make peace with our father, there’s no way he’d do that.”

            “That’s true,” Naruto said nodding. “So, who do you think did it?”

            “I don’t trust that Orochimaru guy,” Kankuro said scowling. “He seems like slimy bastard to me.” He is. Naruto thought.

            “He showed up almost immediately after it happened,” Temari said shaking her head.

            “It’s definitely suspicious,” Naruto said as they arrived at the academy.

            “Thank you for showing us the way,” Gaara said looking at Naruto.

            “It’s no problem,” Naruto said smiling.

            “Will you be in the chuunin exams?” Kankuro asked curiously.

            “Unfortunately, that old man won’t let my team participate,” Naruto said with a slight scowl.

            “What?” Gaara asked shocked. Naruto nodded. “Is it because of…”

            “I think it is, but he hasn’t outright said it. Not that he needs to.” Naruto grumbled the last bit.

             “That’s stupid,” Kankuro grumbled.

            “That’s too bad, I was looking forward to being your opponent,” Temari said with a sigh. Naruto was kind of glad Temari wasn’t his opponent. She had a scary temper. He didn’t envy Shikamaru who had to fight her in the finals.

            “Good luck in the chuunin exams,” Naruto told them. “You guys seem strong though, so you probably don’t need it.”

            “You got that right,” Kankuro said confidently.

            “Don’t stroke his ego,” Temari said sighing.

            “Sorry,” Naruto said smiling sheepishly. “I’ve got to get going, see you around.”

            “See you,” Gaara said looking a bit sad. Naruto wished he could talk to Gaara more. Gaara looked like he could use someone who’s in his situation to talk to. Naruto waved to the trio before making his way up the old man’s office. He opened the door, but he didn’t enter.

            “Naruto, what on earth are you doing?” The old man asked looking baffled.

            “I’ll listen from over here, thank you,” Naruto said glaring at the old man. He didn’t even look ashamed or guilty for what he did. The old man sighed.

            “So be it,” he muttered. “Now then, I’ve chosen a C Rank mission for team 7.” He handed Kakashi Sensei a paper. “You’re going to Takumi Village. It seems there’s a shortage of help there and they’ve asked for our help.” Takumi Village is in the Land of Rivers and that’s quite the journey from here. Naruto thought, frowning. What is this old man up to? “You’re to leave as soon as possible, as the journey is quite long.”

            “Yes, sir,” Kakashi Sensei, Sakura, and Sasuke said. Naruto didn’t say a word, he just glared at the old man.

            “You’re dismissed.” The old man said ignoring him. Naruto waited for the rest of team 7 before he started walking.

            “Naruto,” Sakura said looking worried.

            “What?” Naruto asked her curiously.

            “It’s nothing,” she said shaking her head.

            “Okay,” Naruto said wondering what she was thinking.

            “What was Hokage-sama thinking you were gonna do after he tried to lock you up?” Sasuke asked rolling his eyes.

            “Maa~ Maa~,” Kakashi Sensei said placing his hand on Sasuke’s head. “Don’t get so worked up before a mission. Let’s meet up at the entrance in fifteen minutes.”

            “Yes, Sensei,” Sasuke and Sakura said before leaving.

            “Naruto,” Kakashi Sensei said stopping him. “Can we talk?”

            “Yeah,” Naruto said nodding. He followed Kakashi Sensei to his apartment.

            “Hokage-sama is planning something,” Kakashi Sensei stated as soon as the privacy seals were activated.

            “I’ve noticed,” Naruto said sighing. “This is completely new to me, so I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’m more worried about what Orochimaru is up to.”

            “I’ve been keeping tabs on him until now. He hasn’t made any moves yet.” Kakashi Sensei reported.

            “I don’t expect him to do anything until the second task.” Naruto said frowning. “I was talking to Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro. It seems Orochimaru has killed the Kazekage and has blamed our village.”

            “That was quick,” Kakashi Sensei said sighing. “I’ve contacted Itachi and let him know what’s going on before we met with Hokage-sama.”

            “We’re going to need some help,” Naruto said sighing. “There’s no way Itachi can take on that snake by himself.”

            “I think he plans on enlisting Shisui Uchiha for help,” Kakashi Sensei said surprising Naruto. “I don’t think he knows what is going on, but I think it’s a good idea to have Shisui as back up.”

            “I agree with that,” Naruto said nodding. It was good to have Shisui as back up. “Do you know why Tsunade Baa-chan has arrived?”

            “I think it has something to do with Jiraiya-sama.” Kakashi Sensei said thoughtfully. Naruto wished he could stay to meet his godfather, but the old man made that impossible.

            “Do you think the Akatsuki have something to do with the old man’s decision?” Naruto asked curiously.

            “It’s a possibility.” Kakashi Sensei said nodding. Naruto sighed. “Let’s go along with what he says for now and trust in Itachi and Shisui.”

            “Okay,” Naruto said nodding. He did trust Itachi-san and Shisui-san. “Did you give Itachi-san the tags?”

            “I did,” Kakashi Sensei said nodding. “I also explained how they work to him.” Naruto nodded. Soon, Naruto headed back to the Nara’s to grab his gear. He explained to Yoshino-san about his mission, and then he returned to the main entrance of the village. Sasuke and Sakura were there waiting with Kakashi Sensei. “Let’s get going.” The four set out to Takumi Village.

Chapter Text

            The first few hours of their journey were spent in complete silence. Naruto could tell Sasuke was fuming about how the old man had treated him, but Naruto wasn’t going to talk about it right now. Sakura would send a worried look to Naruto every five minutes or so. Naruto thought maybe she thought he was going to break down or something. It was a fair assumption, but Naruto was choosing not to dwell on his feelings right now. He needed to stay focused not only for this mission but also for in case there’s an issue with Orochimaru and Kabuto. Naruto just wished he was able to stay in the village. Then he had an idea. “I have to take a leak,” Naruto announced before taking off into the trees. He could hear Sakura sighing and chuckled. He made a shadow clone and ordered the clone to head back to the village. He wanted to make sure things went smoothly, and he wanted to be informed in case things go bad. His clone nodded to him before taking off. Naruto returned to the others. “Sorry,” Naruto apologized when Sakura sent him an annoyed look.

            “It’s fine,” she said shaking her head.

            “Are you really okay?” Sasuke asked about ten minutes later.

            “Yeah, why?” Naruto asked him.

            “It’s just… that old man has been treating you so unfairly the past couple of weeks.” He said frowning.

            “He’s been treating me unfairly since I was old enough to walk,” Naruto pointed out. “But it’s something I’m used to. I understand that it’s unacceptable behavior, but as far as I’m concerned, he’s just the same as all the other adults in the village who have ridiculed me.”

            “I know,” Sasuke said pouting slightly. “I just wish there was something we could do about it.”

            “If there was, I think I would’ve done it a long time ago,” Naruto said sighing. “But thanks for the sentiment.”

            “I hope he has the day he deserves,” Sakura said with a scowl.

            “I’m sure he will,” Kakashi Sensei said chuckling.

            “I just hate that we can’t even watch the chuunin exams as they happen,” Naruto said pouting slightly. “I would’ve loved to see how much stronger everyone has gotten.”

            “Hey, Naruto,” Sasuke said thoughtfully. “You seemed to know those sand guys. Who are they?”

            “The red head is Gaara of the Desert, he’s the former Kazekage’s son. The other two are his siblings, Kankuro and Temari.” Naruto answered. “I’ve been writing Gaara letters for a while because he’s in the same situation as me. He’s told me a lot about his family.”

            “Really?” Sakura asked surprised. “Which tailed beast is sealed in him?”

            “I don’t think that’s something I should be sharing,” Naruto said with a grimace.

            “Oh, come on! Stop being so mysterious!” Sasuke said scowling at him. Naruto snickered. “What?” Sasuke was getting angry now and Naruto could see it. He didn’t realize how much fun it was to tick Sasuke off.

            “Sorry,” Naruto said with a grin. Then he said more sincerely, “I’m not laughing at you, I promise. But I don’t think it should be me to tell you. Gaara should have the choice to tell you himself. I’ve already spoiled the fact that he has a tailed beast sealed in him.”

            “Okay,” Sasuke said sighing. “If you say so.”

            “What do you think we’ll have to do when we get to Takumi Village?” Sakura asked curiously.

            “They are the village that creates all our ninja gear,” Kakashi Sensei said thoughtfully. “All the Hidden villages import from there. I’m not entirely sure what our actual job is when we get there.”

            “Do you think… do you think the old man left that out on purpose, so he could trick us or something?” Sasuke asked scowling.

            “I don’t think he’d go that far,” Naruto said surprised. “I don’t trust him anymore, but I don’t know that he’d push it that far.”

            “That’s just it,” Sakura said frowning. “We don’t know. We should keep on our toes just in case.”

            “Maa~ Maa~,” Kakashi Sensei said in a pacifying tone. “I think that’s going a bit overboard, don’t you think?”

            “It’s not impossible,” Sasuke said agreeing with Sakura full-heartedly it seemed. Naruto was still on the fence about it. Would the old man stoop that low just to get Naruto?

            “I don’t want to think about it,” Naruto said with a grimace. It was too painful to think about. He didn’t know what to think.

            “What do you want to do for your birthday, Naruto?” Kakashi Sensei asked randomly. Naruto appreciated it, but it threw him for a loop.

            “My birthday?” Naruto asked surprised.

            “Yeah,” Sakura said nodding. She seemed on board with this question. “Have you celebrated your previous birthdays with Shikamaru’s family?”

            “They did for the first couple of years that I’ve lived with them,” Naruto answered.

            “Why did they stop?” Sasuke asked surprised.

            “I asked them to,” Naruto said shrugging. “My birthday is the day my parents died.”

            “Oh, that’s right!” Sakura said gasping. “I’m so sorry, Naruto!”

            “That was insensitive of me, I’m sorry,” Kakashi Sensei apologized. Naruto shook his head.

            “It’s okay,” Naruto said with a smile. “Another part of my reason is because I felt like I was inconveniencing them. But I wouldn’t be opposed to celebrating it again this year.”

            “We totally should!” Sakura said excitedly.

            “If we do plan anything, we should talk to Yoshino-san about it first,” Kakashi Sensei said with a chuckle. Naruto felt way more comfortable about it now. He would’ve even been fine with celebrating it last year, but he just never thought about it. It also made him feel embarrassed with all the gifts they gave him. He didn’t feel like he deserved them, but he realized more recently that he also deserves to be happy. His friends in the old timeline have been freed from their pain, even if it wasn’t ideal. Now, it was Naruto’s turn to free himself from his pain. Making this decision has made him feel a lot better than he had in months. Unfortunately, what the old man did put a damper on this happy feeling. He wasn’t going to let it get to him though. At least, to the best of his ability. He was going to need help in that area, but he knew he had his friends for that. Sakura and Sasuke talked about Naruto’s birthday for the rest of the day. Kakashi Sensei put a stop to the talk when he stated that it was time for them to set up camp. They still had another day or two before they reached Takumi Village.

            “When we get up tomorrow, we’re going to hit the ground running,” Kakashi Sensei stated, causing them all to look at him in surprise. “I’m thinking if we get there faster, we can calculate how long we’re going to be there by completing as many tasks as possible. If we get our mission done quickly, we might be able to make it back home in time for the third part of the exam.” Naruto figured they would’ve made it back in time anyway. The finalists were going to be given a month before the last day of the exams. He wondered why Kakashi Sensei was suddenly so determined to get back so quickly. Naruto could understand the urgency because of Orochimaru and Kabuto, but he was sure Itachi-san and Shisui-san would be able to handle those two.

            “I would like to see it, too,” Sakura said nodding. Sasuke and Naruto shared a look before nodding.

            “Also, if we get the mission finished quickly enough, we can rub in the old man’s face.” Naruto said smirking. “I’m betting he’s expecting us not to be back until after the chuunin exams are over.”

            “We’ll definitely make it back before the third part,” Sasuke said very determined.

            “I like the enthusiasm,” Kakashi Sensei said chuckling. “Let’s get some shut eye. We’re going to need the energy.”

            “Okay!” The three genin said before getting ready for bed. The sun was barely coming up when they got up the next morning. The group ate their breakfast quickly. They cleaned up their small camp setup and got moving again. They arrived at a small village on the way around noon and decided to take a break. They stopped for some lunch at a bar there. The food actually looked really good. Was this one the villages that Pervy Sage liked to hide out in? Naruto couldn’t really remember. He moved around so often, Naruto thought.

            “We’re making good tracks,” Kakashi Sensei said as he observed a map later. After they finished eating, Kakashi Sensei wanted to go over the plan again. “If we keep going like we are, we’ll arrive sometime tonight.”

            “We’ll be tired, so we won’t actually be helpful until tomorrow,” Sakura said frowning.

            “True, but I don’t think they’re expecting us until tomorrow anyway.” Kakashi Sensei said thoughtfully. “I hope they won’t be too upset with us.”

            “I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Naruto said shrugging. “Besides, it wouldn’t be the first time we’ve annoyed a client.”

            “Yes, but I don’t want to make it a habit,” Kakashi Sensei said shaking his head. Just as they cleaned up, a familiar person announced his presence. Pervy Sage appeared at their table, and he was grinning stupidly. Naruto wanted to cry. He wasn’t mentally prepared for this. “Jiraiya-sama, are you doing some research?” Naruto inwardly snorted. Research? Yeah, right.

            “You could say that,” Pervy Sage said wiggling his eyebrows.

            “Who are you?” Sasuke asked him, frowning.

            “I’m,” Pervy Sage started to do his stupid intro thing, but Kakashi Sensei interrupted him.

            “This is Jiraiya-sama, he’s one of the legendary sanin,” Kakashi Sensei explained. Pervy Sage pouted a bit. Naruto assumed he was here doing his ‘research’ and just happened to spot them.

            “Why aren’t you all participating in the chuunin exams?” Pervy Sage asked them.

            “Hokage-sama won’t let us,” Sakura answered.

            “Huh? Why not?” Pervy Sage asked with a frown.

            “We’re convinced it’s because of,” Sasuke said before whispering. “The nine tailed fox.”

            “Ah,” Pervy Sage said looking slightly surprised. “You’re Naruto, right?” Pervy Sage said looking at him.

            “Yes,” Naruto answered. He really, really wanted to cry and call this man stupid for leaving him.

            “You look like a mini-version of your father,” he said with a chuckle.

            “Yes, but from what I’ve been told, I act more like my mom,” Naruto told him. Pervy Sage looked at him surprised again. “The old man sent us on this mission, so we don’t even get to watch the chuunin exams. Do you think you could talk some sense into that old man?”

            “Me?” Pervy Sage said with a chuckle. “That old man is stubborn, I doubt anything I can say will make him see reason.”

            “You should try anyway, please?” Sakura pleaded.

            “And have to put up with that Tsunade? I don’t think so,” Pervy Sage said shaking his head. Naruto didn’t want to deal with this right now.

            “That’s too bad,” Naruto said shrugging. “I guess we won’t get to watch our friends show how awesome they’ve become.”

            “E-Eh?” Pervy Sage said looking at him slightly confused. Naruto could tell what he was thinking. He was wondering if Naruto was giving up that easily. He was in a way. They still planned on getting done with the mission as soon as possible. Pervy Sage was just in their way at this point.

            “Yeah, so if you’re not going to talk to the old man, then it’s fine,” Naruto said shrugging. “We’ve got a mission to complete.”

            “R-Right,” his godfather muttered.

            “Naruto,” Sasuke said frowning.

            “What?” Naruto asked him. “Am I wrong?”

            “No,” Sasuke said shaking his head. Kakashi Sensei chuckled.

            “You’ve got your answer, Jiraiya-sama,” he said eye-smiling at him.

            “Well, don’t let me stand in your way, then.” Pervy Sage said shaking his head. With that, team 7 left the bar and continued to Takumi Village.

Chapter Text

            “Naruto, are you okay?” Sasuke asked him some time later. He and Naruto were walking few feet away from Kakashi Sensei and Sakura.

            “Yeah, I’m fine,” Naruto said wondering why Sasuke kept asking him. “I just want to get back to the village.”

            “That’s not why I’m asking,” Sasuke said shaking his head.

            “What do you mean?” Naruto asked confused.

            “You haven’t talked about how the old man has been treating you.” Sasuke told him. “My mom always says it’s better to talk about it.”

            “I usually do talk about stuff like that,” Naruto told him. “I just know that if I talk about it now, I won’t be focused on this mission.”

            “Who cares about this mission?” Sasuke said scowling. “As far as I can tell, it’s just a throw away mission the old man gave us. He clearly doesn’t care about how he treats you, but I do. You’re my best friend, and your feelings are more important than this mission.” Naruto was surprised. He wasn’t sure why, but maybe he just wasn’t used to Sasuke caring so much about him.

            “Okay,” Naruto said, and Sasuke looked relieved. Naruto wondered if he was hurting Sasuke by not talking about it. He hoped not. “I’m used to the adults in the village treating me terribly, but the old man is different. Before all this happened, I viewed him as if he were my grandfather. But now, I don’t know what to think. I feel betrayed and hurt.” Naruto admitted. The urge to cry was coming back. “There’s a part of me that’s afraid of going back to the village. I’m afraid he’ll try to lock me up again, and I’m afraid that he’ll be able to succeed.”

            “I won’t let that happen,” Sasuke said scowling. Naruto smiled.

            “Thanks, but somehow, I don’t think you alone is going stop him. That old man looks frail, but he’s the Hokage for a reason,” Naruto said chuckling.

            “I bet I could take him,” Sasuke said childishly.

            “Sasuke, you shouldn’t try to fight Hokage-sama,” Kakashi Sensei admonished. “That will only lead to trouble for all of us.”

            “Fine,” Sasuke said sighing. “It’s still not fair, though.”

            “I understand, but we’ll figure something out.” Kakashi Sensei said sounding a tad worried to Naruto. Naruto wondered what he was thinking for the first time in a while.

            “Why was Jiraiya-sama in that bar?” Sakura asked curiously.

            “Have you been thinking about that this whole time?” Sasuke asked her incredulously.

            “N-No,” she said blushing. “It’s just… shouldn’t he be back in the village?”

            “Jiraiya-sama writes books,” Kakashi Sensei explained. “He travels to get inspiration.” He said that so unabashedly that Naruto couldn’t help but give him a deadpanned expression. Inspiration his ass… Naruto had to control himself from going off into a rant about Pervy Sage. Sasuke and Sakura couldn’t know that Naruto knew what the sanin was like.

            “What kind of books?” Sakura asked interestedly. Naruto was wondering how the jonin was going to answer this one.

            “Uh, books a girl your age shouldn’t be reading.” Kakashi Sensei said carefully. Naruto noticed his sensei fiddle with his vest as he said this. Naruto shook his head.

            “Hm,” Sakura said narrowing her eyes at him. Naruto inwardly snickered. “Tsunade-sama always calls him a good for nothing, and I’m starting to think she wasn’t messing around.” She wasn’t, Naruto thought.

            “Well, Tsunade-sama has a good intuition.” Kakashi Sensei said shrugging. Naruto sighed.

            “How is your training coming along, Sakura?” Naruto asked, not wanting to talk about Pervy Sage anymore.

            “It’s good!” Sakura said beaming at him. “Tsunade-sama was impressed at how well I’ve grasped the basics. Then she started teaching me how to put focus my chakra into certain parts of my body.” Naruto mentally grimaced. He wasn’t looking forward to that.

            “Wow, that’s amazing, Sakura,” Naruto said smiling. “I bet it’s been a lot of hard work.”

            “It wasn’t easy to grasp at first. She said it was because my chakra reserves weren’t very big yet,” she said nodding. “So, she’s been teaching me some exercises to help with that.”

            “I’m just surprised she’s willing to stick around the village,” Kakashi Sensei said thoughtfully.

            “Why’s that?” Sasuke asked curiously.

            “Let’s just say, she suffered a lot when she was a lot younger, and it’s scarred her.” Kakashi Sensei said cryptically. Naruto knew a little bit of what happened to Tsunade Baa-chan during the first shinobi war. “She tries to stay away from the village if she can help it.” The sun was starting to go down, so they stopped for another break. They did some fishing for dinner and rested for about forty-five minutes. Sasuke still struggled with fishing and Sakura seemed like she wasn’t that great at it either. Naruto and Kakashi Sensei ended up getting the fish for dinner. It was very late into the night by the time they arrived at Takumi Village. Naruto was surprised there was anyone there to greet them. Two guards were standing outside the village gate. Sasuke and Sakura looked like they were ready to drop. Naruto felt fine, and Kakashi Sensei was a seasoned veteran when it came to trips like theirs.

            “You’re the group from Konoha, aren’t you?” The guard there asked as soon as they came to a stop.

            “We are,” Kakashi Sensei said nodding to the man.

            “Come this way,” the guard said leading them inside. The village looked a bit like Konoha, but it was more industrialized. It made sense with all the ninja gear they produce here. The village was quite big, but not as big as Konoha. Naruto looked around as the guard led them to what he assumed was the office of the guy in charge. It was dark, but Naruto could see the outline of what he thought was a school. There also seemed to be a playground nearby. Naruto wondered what life was like for the people here in this village. It was probably different compared to life in Konoha. Konoha was always teeming with life, whether it be day or night. During the day, everyone was out and about. At nighttime, the village was filled with ninja on duty who patrolled the village to make sure there weren’t any disturbances. Naruto got to witness the Uchiha Police in action a few times. They mainly dealt with the civilians, but they also took care of rowdy shinobi as well. It was still strange to Naruto to see so many of Sasuke’s clan members walking around the village. It was starting to feel almost normal to see them out and about.

            It was just a bit unfair that Naruto couldn’t bring his clan back. He knew that would be impossible, since the demise of his clan happened in the first Shinobi war which was well before he was born. It was strange to think that Kakashi Sensei was a kid when that happened. Naruto couldn’t imagine what it was like growing up with war going on. It must’ve been terrifying times for a lot of people. Naruto’s thoughts were interrupted when the group entered a one floor building. It was part of the industrial part of the village. The village it seemed was split in two by residential and industrial. Naturally, it made sense. “Masami-sama is in here.” The guard explained. “He likes to stay up late to work on blueprints.” The four of them followed the guard into an office. “Masami-sama, the group from Konoha are here.”

            “Good,” Masami-san said looking up from what he was doing. He was a buff dude with long black hair pulled back into a low ponytail. He wore a slightly torn work uniform that was missing sleeves. Naruto thought maybe the man had ripped them off to accommodate his large shoulders. “I’m Masami Hoshi, I’m the leader of this village.”

            “It’s good to meet you Masami-san.” Kakashi Sensei told him. He introduced himself and the rest of team 7. “We were told you needed help, but we weren’t given any specifics.”

            “That was my fault, I apologize,” Masami-san said chuckling. “A few of my guys are out with injuries, so I need a few helping hands with moving some things. We’ll talk more about it tomorrow morning.”

            “That sounds like a good idea,” Kakashi Sensei said eying Sakura. She was barely standing. Naruto had to stop her from falling a few times. She looked so tired. Soon, the four were led to a hotel it looked like. It was nice, Naruto thought as they walked inside. It wasn’t long before they were all escorted to their rooms and heading off to sleep. Just before Naruto could fall asleep though, his clone dispersed, and memories flooded his brain. Orochimaru was attacking the village, and there wasn’t anything Naruto could do about it. He hoped no one would be seriously hurt by the time they got back. The next morning, the group meets up with Masami-san. They ended up having to help move stacks of lumber from one side of the industrial district to the other. A lot of the workers seemed surprised that they were able to move the lumber so effortlessly. Unfortunately, there was a lot of lumber, so they were forced to take multiple trips.

            “Kakashi Sensei,” Naruto said sighing. “This is taking too long.”

            “Can’t Naruto just speed it up with clones?” Sasuke asked in agreement.

            “I’m not opposed to it,” Kakashi Sensei said thoughtfully.

            “Really?” Sakura asked in surprise.

            “We want to get back to the village quickly, don’t we?” He asked, looking at her.

            “Yeah, but we should still do our best to help out Masami-san,” she said frowning.

            “And we will,” Naruto promised her. “Using clones will speed up the process, and we’ll make sure to do things right.”

            “Okay,” she said nodding. Through the power of clones, the group got all the lumber moved to where it needed to go.

            “You guys are impressive,” Masami-san said impressed. “We’re about to take a break for lunch, would you like to join us?”

            “Sure,” Kakashi Sensei said eye smiling at him. Naruto pulled Kakashi Sensei off to the side to let him know about the village being attacked. He frowned but said that there wasn’t much they could do about it. Naruto agreed, but he still felt like he should be there. Masami-san and his workers had a cafeteria set up. The food was really good. Naruto liked visiting this village, mainly just because he was interested in seeing how the gear he uses is made. Naruto never had this opportunity in the old timeline, so he was partly glad that they were given this mission. Naruto heard snippets of conversation around the room as he thought about what was going to happen once they returned to the village. He knew that the Chuunin Exams are probably cancelled due to the attack from Orochimaru. Naruto was worried about the measures the old man would take to keep him from Gaara. Even though the old man will have his hands tied with Orochimaru and Kabuto, Naruto still felt like the old man would still try to have Naruto locked up again. Would he go that far again? ‘Not a chance,’ Kurama told him snorting. ‘You need to stop worrying so much.’ ‘

I’m trying to,’ Naruto responded.

‘That brat has a request.’ Kurama stated. ‘He wants to know when you plan on fixing the seal on Gaara of the Desert.’ Naruto struggled to keep his face neutral as he processed this information.

‘I just need to know what his seal looks like, and I can work on it as soon as I get back to the village,’ Naruto answered him.

‘I’ll get back to you once I’ve talked to them,’ Kurama informed him. Naruto was a bit excited he wasn’t going to lie. He wanted to do anything he could to help out Gaara. Naruto tuned in to what was going on around him and it seemed lunch was over. Everyone was getting up and it was back to work. They end up spending three days in Takumi Village. Masami-san was just the nicest and most charismatic guy. Naruto liked him a lot and was a bit sad to have to say goodbye. Not only was Masami-san really nice, so were the rest of the villagers. They were very welcoming and warm. It made Naruto wish he didn’t have to go back to Konoha. He knew he had to, though. Masami-san sent them back home with a basket of goodies. “Wow, Masami-san is really nice,” Sakura stated as the group head back home.

            “Yeah, I wasn’t expecting him to send us off with some goodies,” Naruto said as they snacked on some cakes that were a local specialty.

            “I wish the villagers at home were that nice,” Sasuke said as they walked.

            “I think the reason they were like that is because they don’t get many visitors.” Kakashi Sensei said thoughtfully. “If I remember correctly, the people who found Takumi Village were ostracized from a previous village they stayed in. They decided to create their own village and Takumi Village was born.”

            “I bet their old village regret ostracizing them now,” Naruto said as he grabbed another cake.

            “I don’t know the name of their old village, but I’m pretty sure it was wiped out by the war,” Kakashi Sensei said shrugging.

            “That’s sad,” Sakura said frowning.

            “Yes, but that was normal in that time. A lot of villages were wiped out during that war.” Kakashi Sensei said sounding a bit distant.

            “Want one, Kakashi Sensei?” Naruto asked offering a cake to the silver-haired jonin. He didn’t want Kakashi Sensei to dwell too much on the past. He does that enough as is.

            “Sure,” Kakashi Sensei said accepting the cake. “Thanks.”

Chapter Text

I just wanted to let everyone know that I made a boo-boo lol Not for the first time, I'm aware.

So, I had this amazing idea on how to explain why Sasuke did the things he did in a way that, to me, makes sense. Unfortunately, I forgot to update the chapters that would be affected by it. So, I've done that now and from the top of my head, the chapters that were changed are the prologue, chapter 17 for sure, and there's a few chapters in between.

I don't want to villainize Sasuke after all the hard work Naruto put into bringing him back. So, I'm hoping the solution I came up with helps with that, and I hope it makes sense to the story. It may not, at least where I'm at currently with the story. I do have some plans regarding the Ōtsutsuki Clan, but I haven't fleshed them out and I won't be introducing them into the story for a little while.

This story is definitely a work in progress, and I've been doing a lot of editing and revising on the fly basically. I just keep forgetting to update the chapters affected by those changes. I'm terrible, I'm sorry :( 

Thank you for the patience and the positive feedback!

Chapter Text

            Team 7 finally arrived back in the village. All of them were in high spirits after leaving Takumi Village. Only Naruto was still a little worried about what the old man was planning now that they’ve returned. ‘Whatever it is, don’t forget we still have a job to do.’ Kurama reminded him. ‘We have to put a stop to those Ōtsutsuki bastards.’ Naruto hadn’t forgotten their whole reason for coming back in the first place. ‘I’m just saying if we have to leave this village in order to do that, then it’s a step we’ll have to take.’ Naruto knew Kurama was right, but he didn’t know what was going to happen if he had to leave the village. He’d have to talk to Kakashi Sensei and Itachi-san about it before making that decision. He didn’t want to do anything too rash, but it was starting to look like he had no choice.

            If Kaguya was never released from the moon, would the rest of her clan still come for her? That was a question that needed an answer to, but it wasn’t an answer that was easy to obtain. If they changed things to where they avoided the war completely, how would that change things in the future? The way Naruto saw it, there was no running from the Ōtsutsuki Clan. The way everyone was now, there was no chance in beating them if they came here. Kaguya was a literal goddess, and she was rightfully angry. Sasuke’s purple-glowing eyes entered his mind, and he suppressed a shudder. Naruto didn’t want it to come to that, not again. If Naruto was going to put a stop to Zetsu and Obito’s plan, then he’d have to leave the village at some point. The only problem was he’d be labeled as a rogue and the village would be coming after him. He wouldn’t be just any rogue, he’d be a rogue with a tailed beast sealed in him.

            ‘Roshi travels around with Son Goku, and his village isn’t going after him,’ Kurama said with a snort.

            ‘Yeah, but he isn’t from Konoha,’ Naruto thought bitterly. ‘He’s not a child in their eyes, and the council from his village don’t try to do what they think is best for the village even at the cost of losing the trust of the Jinchuuriki they have.’

            ‘You have a point,’ Kurama said evenly.

            “We’re here!” Sakura stated, bringing Naruto out of his thoughts. They were standing in front of the gates, and Naruto wanted to turn and run. It was a strange feeling because he’d always seen Konoha as his home.

            “Are you alright?” Kakashi Sensei asked quietly as Sasuke and Sakura entered the village.

            “I was thinking about the reason why I came back here in the first place,” Naruto said quietly. Kakashi Sensei looked like he might be frowning. “If things go sideways, I’ll have to leave.”

            “I understand, but we should wait until we know what’s happened since we’ve been gone,” Kakashi Sensei said sensibly. Naruto nodded and the two of them joined Sasuke and Sakura. When the four of them arrived at the Hokage’s office, they were surprised to find Tsunade Baa-chan sitting there at the desk and not the old man. “Tsunade-sama, did something happen while we were gone?”

            “I’m afraid so,” she said sighing. She didn’t look very happy about sitting at that desk. “Tell me about your mission first, and then I’ll tell you the bad news.” Kakashi Sensei nodded and went into explaining how the mission went. “Well done,” she said with a smile. “Now then, the third is in critical condition.”

            “What happened?” Sakura asked surprised. Naruto was surprised the old man hadn’t died yet. He thought for sure that was what Tsunade Baa-chan was going to say.

            “Orochimaru launched an attack against the village during the second task. Fortunately, no one died, and we were able to contain him.” Tsunade Baa-chan explained. “Itachi and Shisui Uchiha helped us out a lot with that. It’s a miracle that old man is still alive though.”

            “How did he end up that way?” Sasuke asked frowning.

            “He started fighting Orochimaru, and Orochimaru’s assistant snuck into the fight and attacked him while he was busy with Orochimaru.” Tsunade Baa-chan said scowling. “What a coward. Anyway, both were apprehended and are being thoroughly investigated by Ibiki. I’m hoping to hear more of what their plans are by the end of the week. I doubt it’ll be that easy though.” She looked at Naruto. “And you, I’ve heard what those hags have been trying to do. I’ve seen to that they stop their insolence, so you can walk around the village without looking over your shoulder every time you’re out.”

            “You did?” Naruto asked surprised.

            “Yes,” Tsunade Baa-chan said nodding. “They were stubborn, but as I pointed out to them, their stubbornness will only make things harder for themselves. I also may have guilted them a bit into thinking the attack on the old man was partially their fault.”

            “How did you manage that one?” Kakashi Sensei asked amazed.

            “It wasn’t that hard,” she said dismissively. “If that’s all, you’re free to go.”

            “Thank you, Tsunade Baa-chan!” Naruto said grinning. She growled at him.

            “I’m not old!” She roared as she flipped the table over and tossing papers everywhere. Naruto felt himself being picked up by Kakashi Sensei and soon, he was shielding the sun from his eyes.

            “You just had to provoke her,” Kakashi Sensei said as put him and the other two down.

            “It slipped out,” Naruto said shrugging.

            “You almost got us killed,” Sasuke said glaring at him.

            “Tsunade Baa-chan wouldn’t kill us,” Naruto said shaking his head. “She’d just put us to work.”

            “That’s almost worse,” Sakura said sighing. Naruto just shrugged.

            “Team 7, welcome back,” Shikaku-san greeted them as he approached them.

            “Thank you, Shikaku-sama,” Kakashi Sensei told him. “We heard about what happened to Hokage-sama.”

            “Yes, it’s truly terrible,” Shikaku-san said sighing. “We had to send all the contestants home for their safety.”

            “Did you ever find out why Orochimaru attacked our village?” Naruto asked him curiously.

            “We found out he was behind the killing of the Kazekage, and he was using that as a rallying point to get the Sand to join him. Unfortunately, they believed him, and are currently sitting in jail cells.” Shikaku-san explained.

            “They’ll get to go home soon, though, right?” Sakura asked surprised.

            “Yes,” Shikaku-san said nodding. “Tsunade-sama agreed that they were in the wrong and has seen that it was a mistake. She was very merciful, which surprised me.”

            “She probably didn’t want to start a war with the Sand while Hokage-sama is in such a condition.” Kakashi Sensei suggested.

            “Or maybe, she saw that they were mistaken and believed their apologies to be sincere?” Sakura suggested.

            “More like, she knows what kind of person Orochimaru is and knew immediately what he’d done,” Shikaku-san said shaking his head. “Anyway, I’ve got more work to do now that this has happened. Naruto, tell the other two I won’t be home until late and not to wait up for me.”

            “Okay,” Naruto said nodding. He ruffled Naruto’s hair before entering the building. Naruto agreed with Shikaku-san on the whole matter of why Tsunade Baa-chan was so merciful. Plus, he knew how much she hated Orochimaru for what he’d done in the past.

            “I feel like we got lucky now,” Sakura muttered as they all headed home.

            “Yeah, I guess that old man does care,” Sasuke conceded.

            “I don’t feel like we were lucky,” Naruto stated. The two looked at him in surprise. “We should’ve been here to help protect the village. That’s what we’ve been taught to do.”

            “You’re not wrong,” Kakashi Sensei said causing the other two to look at him like he was crazy.

            “But this village has done nothing but cause you pain,” Sasuke said scowling.

            “That’s not completely true,” Naruto told him. “Yes, a lot of people in this village has called me a lot of names and attacked me, but this village is still my home. I have my precious people here, and I would do anything to protect them.” Sasuke and Sakura looked at him surprised once again. “I’ll admit, there are times where I just want to run away. I know that if I do that, then I’d be running away from my problems. I’m not the kind of person to run from my problems, I always face them head on. That’s why when the old man said those things or the other civilians say and do things that upset me, I keep my head held up high. I want to show them that I’m not who they think I am.” Naruto knew he was getting carried away, but that was just how he felt.

            “That was well said,” Kakashi Sensei said eye smiling at him.

            “I’m sorry, Naruto,” Sasuke said frowning. “I didn’t realize that was how you felt.”

            “It’s okay, Sasuke,” Naruto said with a smile. “I didn’t communicate it properly with you.”

            “Naruto,” Naruto heard a familiar voice call to him. It was Gaara. Temari and Kankuro were with him.

            “Gaara, you didn’t get locked up like the rest of them?” Naruto asked surprised.

            “They asked us questions and deemed we had nothing to do with the attack,” Temari said shrugging.

            “I’m glad you guys didn’t get hurt,” Naruto said smiling.

            “Did you just return from your mission?” Gaara asked him.

            “Yeah,” Sasuke said nodding. “It was nice compared to the ones we usually get.”

            “Yeah, we usually end up with cranky clients,” Sakura said sighing.

            “Gaara has something he wants to talk to Naruto about in private,” Temari announced. Sasuke and Sakura shared a look before shrugging.

            “That’s fine,” Kakashi Sensei said nodding. “Naruto, we’ll meet up at our normal time tomorrow.”

            “Okay, see you tomorrow,” Naruto said waving to his team.

            “Is there a private place we can talk?” Gaara asked Naruto. Naruto nodded and showed him his special place. Naruto had an idea of what Gaara wanted to talk about.

            “What did you want to talk about?” Naruto asked him.

            “I want you to fix my seal. There are cracks, and Shukaku-sama can’t see or hear well,” Gaara stated. “That’s why when I was a child, the sand would lash out and kill people. It was out of my control.”

            “I’m glad you asked,” Naruto said smiling. “I just need some time to study your seal.”

            “Thank you so much, Naruto.” Gaara said sounding relieved. “This means a lot.”

            “You’re welcome.” Naruto said hoping he could fix it by the time the Sand ninja were released from jail. Naruto spent a good hour or so looking over Gaara’s seal. It probably would’ve looked strange to someone if they happened to walk by. Naruto thought later that evening as he made his way home. He had to commit the seal to memory, and he told Gaara he’d try to fix it as soon as possible before he had to leave.

Chapter Text

            When Naruto got home, Yoshino-san and Shikamaru were waiting for him. “Welcome back, Naruto-kun,” Yoshino-san greeted him. Naruto had missed this.

            “I’m home,” Naruto responded. “I heard about what happened to the old man.”

            “Yes, it’s sad news.” She said frowning. “Shikaku is going to be working very hard for the next week.”

            “Oh, he said he wouldn’t be home until late.” Naruto told her.

            “I figured as much,” she said chuckling. “When you’ve finished unpacking, take your clothes into the laundry room.”

            “Okay,” Naruto said nodding. Shikamaru followed him into his bedroom. “How far did everyone get before the attack?”

            “We got through the first task, and we were currently in the middle of the second,” Shikamaru said shaking his head. “It was scary because we were scattered in the forest, so we didn’t know if any of our friends got hurt or not. A lot of us had no idea what was happening until Asuma Sensei and the others came to find us.”

            “I wish I could’ve been here to help,” Naruto said frowning.

            “The only one who seemed to get hurt was Hokage-sama,” Shikamaru said shrugging.

            “That’s a miracle,” Naruto said shaking his head. “Do you think he’s going to come back from this?”

            “I hope so, for Asuma Sensei’s sake.” Shikamaru said frowning.

            “And Konohamaru’s,” Naruto added. “Konohamaru would’ve been devastated.”

            “How was your mission?” Shikamaru asked curiously.

            “It was good,” Naruto said smiling. “I liked visiting Takumi Village. Masami-san and the other villagers there were very kind.”

            “I bet it was nice after everything you’ve experienced here,” Shikamaru said shaking his head.

            “It was,” Naruto said nodding. “I almost didn’t want to come back.”

            “I wouldn’t have blamed you, you know?” Shikamaru said seriously.

            “I don’t think anyone would have,” Naruto admitted. “But I feel like I have things I need to do here. Plus, I’d miss you and the others a lot.”

            “We’d miss you, too,” Shikamaru admitted with a light blush on his cheeks.

            “Thanks,” Naruto said grinning. Shikamaru lightly punched his arm before leaving him to his thoughts. He needed to get started on Gaara’s seal as soon as possible. He quickly unpacked his things and put his clothes in the laundry room like Yoshino-san asked him to do. Then he shut himself inside his room until dinner working on the seal. There was a small part of him that worried he’d mess up, but he squashed that worry. He had to be one hundred percent confident in himself or he would make a mistake. It was something he’d learned about himself when he first got into seal making. At dinnertime, no one questioned him about why he’d stayed in his room the rest of the day. Maybe they thought he just needed some time to rest. He felt he was making progress. Once he’d studied it enough, it was rather simple. The hard part was trying to figure out how the person who put the seal on Gaara in the first place had drawn it out and what parts of it meant what. Once he got that figured out, the rest of it was easy. He hadn’t finished yet, but he was hopeful he’d get it finished by tomorrow afternoon.

            When Naruto sees Gaara again, he just finished figuring out how to repair his seal and it was the last day for the Sand genin to be there. Gaara was ecstatic about it, and immediately asked Naruto to do it. Naruto had to find them an area where they wouldn’t be interrupted. When Naruto finished repairing the seal, Gaara fell into Naruto. “Are you okay, Gaara?” Naruto asked, helping him.

            “Y-Yeah,” Gaara said, opening his eyes. “I’m okay, I promise. I can feel a difference.”

            “Everything feels fine? There aren’t any pains or anything?” Naruto asked him.

            “None,” Gaara said beaming at him. “Thank you so much for helping us.”

            “You’re welcome,” Naruto said smiling. Naruto saw Gaara and his siblings off before he was being pulled off to Kakashi Sensei’s apartment for a meeting. There were still a lot of things Naruto needed to do before the war would be avoided. He still needed to find Obito and get word out to the other Jinchuuriki. Naruto was sure the Akatsuki have probably already tracked down some of the Jinchuuriki. He just hoped he wasn’t too late. Plus, those incubator trees needed taken care of and they needed to find that statue that Kaguya is sealed in. That needed to be found and put as many seals as Naruto could think of on it to keep it out of the wrong hands. He figured the Ōtsutsuki Clan would still come after her, but he still had some time to think about how to stop them from releasing her. Not much time, though.

            “So, what’s next?” Kakashi Sensei asked looking at the two of them.

            “Well, if we had gone through the Chuunin Exams like we did in the other timeline, then Sasuke would be leaving,” Naruto said thoughtfully. “Obviously, we don’t have to worry about that now.”

            “The Akatsuki are making their move,” Itachi-san reminded them, frowning. “They’ll start looking for the Jinchuuriki so they can take the tailed beasts.”

            “Speaking of that,” Naruto said sighing. “We need some outside help.”

            “For what exactly?” Kakashi Sensei asked curiously.

            “We need to stop Zetsu as soon as possible,” Naruto stated. “He’s one of our big targets.”

            “Those trees,” Itachi-san said in surprise. “I almost forgot about those.”

            “Trees?” Kakashi Sensei asked, probably frowning.

            “How much do you know about the Sage of the Six Paths?” Naruto asked him. “Because that’s the biggest factor of the whole war.”

            “I thought that was supposed to be a myth,” Kakashi Sensei said in confusion.

            “I wish it was,” Naruto said scowling. “It would’ve made things a whole lot easier if it was.”

            “So, the Sage of the Six Paths was a person,” Kakashi Sensei said thoughtfully. “What does this person have to do with a war?”

            “Do you remember what I told you about what happened to Obito?” Naruto asked him.

            “Madara Uchiha found him,” Kakashi Sensei muttered.

            “Right, I’m going to tell you his plan now,” Naruto told him. Kakashi Sensei nodded. “So, I told you that Madara had manipulated Obito into doing what he wanted. From my understanding, somewhere underneath the Uchiha Compound, there’s a stone tablet that can only be read by a Sharingan user who can use Mangekyō.” Itachi-san seemed kind of impressed. Naruto learned a lot during that war. “Madara, at some point, had found it and as he progressed with his Sharingan, he started reading the stone tablet. On that tablet is a story about the Sage of the Sixth Paths and his mother who is a goddess by the name of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. It’s said that she’s the goddess of chakra and that she’s the reason we’re even able to manipulate it today.”

            “I’m following it so far,” Kakashi Sensei said nodding.

            “Kaguya fell in love with a human and they had two sons together, the Sage of the Six Paths was one of them. She split up her power between the sons when they were older, and then they had families of their own. At some point, the man Kaguya fell for had betrayed her or he was killed by someone, and it made her angry. The only way they could stop her was by sealing her in the moon.” Naruto explained. “Also, on that tablet, is instructions on how to release her.”

            “Madara wants to release Kaguya?” Kakashi Sensei asked blankly.

            “Yes,” Naruto said nodding. “I don’t think he realized what would happen if he succeeded, because Zetsu was also manipulating him.”

            “How do you release her from the moon?” Kakashi Sensei asked curiously.

            “By gathering all the tailed beasts and putting their chakra in this statue,” Itachi-san answered him. “It’s a slow process, and it’s very draining to those who extract the tailed beasts from the Jinchuuriki.”

            “What’s not slow, is how quickly the Akatsuki is at finding the other Jinchuuriki.” Naruto said frowning. “It’s important that we find them all and warn them.”

            “Who’s next on your list?” Kakashi asked him.

            “Anyone at this point,” Naruto said starting to feel a little stressed. There was still some time to get things going, but not much. “Kurama and I are going to work on that later. Have you heard anything about Obito, yet?”

            “I’ve asked Tenzo to keep an ear out for him,” Kakashi Sensei said surprising Naruto. Could they trust Tenzo to not say anything to Tsunade Baa-chan? “Don’t worry, he’s given me his word he won’t say anything. Plus, he doesn’t know everything. He’s been going on missions that take him out of the village quite often lately. He’s heard a few rumors of Obito hiding out near Kannabi Bridge.”

            “Why would he go back there?” Itachi-san asked confused.

            “That’s where the original incubation tree is,” Naruto said frowning. “They must be getting it ready.”

            “And what exactly is an incubation tree?” Kakashi Sensei asked curiously.

            “It’s a tree made up of the First Hokage’s DNA, and it was used to create an army of white Zetsu.” Naruto explained. He went into further details about Zetsu’s true nature and Kakashi Sensei didn’t seem to be happy about it.

            “We’re going to have to do something about that,” he said thoughtfully.

            “Do you remember the day we became team 7?” Naruto asked getting an idea.

            “Yeah,” Kakashi Sensei said sounding curious.

            “I remember talking about trying to make a trip to Uzushiogakure,” Naruto said grinning. “If we can get Tsunade Baa-chan to agree to it, that trip will take at least a couple of weeks.”

            “I did say that, didn’t I?” Kakashi Sensei said chuckling.

            “And if I’m not mistaken, Kannabi Bridge is on the way there?” Naruto asked him.

            “More or less,” Kakashi Sensei said nodding. “Alright, I’ll talk to Tsunade-sama and see if she’ll agree to it.”

            “What about Sasuke and Sakura?” Itachi-san asked frowning.

            “Don’t worry, I won’t let them get hurt,” Naruto told him. Naruto had a plan. He was going to use clones to stay with them while Kakashi and him went to check out Obito. They could make a stop somewhere nearby or something. They could use it as an excuse to stay overnight. “I wouldn’t forgive myself if they had gotten hurt during this.” Itachi-san gave him a sympathetic smile. Naruto didn’t come back here to stop the future he left only for his precious people to be hurt in the crossfire.

            “Speaking of Uzushiogakure, have you been there before?” Kakashi asked him.

            “Once,” Naruto answered. “It was a really sad site to see, but I did find all their secrets on sealing techniques.”

            “You did?” Itachi-san asked surprised.

            “Yeah, it wasn’t easy.” Naruto said sighing. “But luckily, at the time I went, it was during a peace time and that village was basically all but forgotten.”

            “But you never forgot,” Kakashi said somberly.

            “Never.” Naruto said nodding. “I don’t think any of the other survivors that I came across forgot either.” Naruto had also found a lot of photos that were half charred from fire. He cried a lot seeing all those faces of people who were killed because of other people’s greed. He kept a few of the photos, but he didn’t put them in picture frames like he did with his family. Those pictures were put in a box and kept in his desk. He always pulled them out when he wanted to remember where his mom came from. She left that village before anything could happen to her, and he was grateful that she met his dad and had him. But he couldn’t help but wonder how sad she must’ve felt when she or if she heard the news about her village being destroyed like that. Naruto’s grandparents had to have lived there, too. He didn’t recognize any of the facial structures of the people in the photos, though.

            The three of them went their separate ways after ironing out a few details. Kakashi was going to talk to Tsunade Baa-chan tomorrow about the trip to Uzushiogakure. Naruto hoped she would go for it. He not only wanted to speak with Obito, but he also wanted to get those sealing techniques so that no one else could touch them. His clan suffered enough at the hands of others, and he didn’t want them to suffer any more.

Chapter Text

            By the morning, it was deemed that the old man pulled through, and he was on his way to recovery. The only problem is, he won’t be able to continue leading the village. He took a lot of internal damage that would keep him from doing too many physical activities. And hopefully put a stop to whatever the old man was planning before their mission in Takumi Village. It’s sad to think that there will be a day that Naruto wouldn’t be able to move like he’s used to anymore. Naruto hoped when that day came, the world would be in such a peace that it wouldn’t need his help anymore. If not, Naruto would’ve been devastated. ‘You’re not even that old,’ Kurama said rolling his eyes. ‘Stop worrying about unnecessary things.’

            “Can’t help it,” Naruto muttered out loud as he got dressed. He was still very tired from the day before, and he was sure Yoshino-san wouldn’t have minded him sleeping in. Naruto just wanted to know if Tsunade Baa-chan would allow them to go to Uzushiogakure. Naruto also wondered how things were going to play out with Pervy Sage now that Team 7 didn’t participate in the Chuunin Exams. Naruto would be sad that he didn’t get to spend much time with him if that was the case. He missed all the little stupid things Pervy Sage did. They annoyed him at the time, but they always cheered him up. Naruto shook his head. He didn’t need to be thinking about those things right now. He’s been torturing himself with the past far too much lately. He needed to let go of the guilt and sadness, so that he could finally move on from it. He wanted to remember those who he lost in the old timeline with fond memories, not sad ones. While he waited to hear back from Kakashi Sensei, he could go looking for Sasuke and Sakura and see what they’re up to. Used to, he didn’t like to bother any of his friends on their days off. He always felt like a nuisance to them, but in the old timeline, Naruto learned that he wasn’t. He learned that they just thought he was always busy on his days off, and they didn’t want to bother him.

            With that in mind, Naruto made his way into the kitchen. “Good morning, Naruto-kun,” Yoshino-san greeted him.

            “Good morning,” Naruto greeted her. “I’m assuming Shikamaru is sleeping still.”

            “Yes,” she said sighing. “I swear he should focus more on training with his team, than spend the whole day sleeping.”

            “Do you want me to get him?” Naruto asked her.

            “No,” she said shaking her head. “I can get him up. You just eat some breakfast.” Naruto gave a nod, and watched as she left the kitchen. Naruto sat down in the little dining room area and saw that food had been served. He was definitely going to have to do something to show his appreciation for everything Shikamaru’s family has done for him. It wasn’t long until Naruto heard a scream and a loud crashing sound. Naruto, far too used to it, just snickered. It was a few minutes later when Shikamaru joined him, a scowl on his face and he was muttering under his breath. Naruto hoped for his friend’s sake that Yoshino-san didn’t hear any of it.

            “Good morning,” Naruto greeted, an amused expression on his face.

            “Ugh,” Shikamaru said before sighing. “What are your plans for today?”

            “Team 7 has the day off, so I was going to find Sasuke and Sakura and see what they’re up to.” Naruto said shrugging.

            “Lucky,” Shikamaru grunted. “We have a mission today, but Asuma Sensei hasn’t told us what it is yet.”

            “I’m surprised,” Naruto said frowning. “I thought he’d be taking some time because of the old man.”

            “From my understanding, he and the third aren’t on the best of terms,” Shikamaru said shrugging.

            “Still, the old man is his dad, right?” Naruto said struggling with that.

            “For some people, just because they’re blood-related, it doesn’t make a difference.” Shikamaru said shrugging. “From my understanding, it’s up to you who you choose to be your family, regardless of whether you’re blood-related or not.”

            “I can see that,” Naruto said, thinking of his precious people. They were his family since he grew up without one. He supposed there were families who didn’t see eye-to-eye with each other. He thought about Boruto and wondered if that was how his son had felt about his family. Naruto would never know now. Thinking of his kids was very painful, so Naruto decided to stop thinking about it for now. “Do you think they’ll hold the Chuunin Exams again any time soon?”

            “Probably not,” Shikamaru said with a grimace. “Not after what just happened. There’s a lot of damage control that needs to be taken care of. I’m sure Tsunade-sama has her hands full with that on top of the other duties of the Hokage.” Definitely, Naruto thought. She’s probably pissed that she has to deal with the aftermath of the Chuunin Exams on top of the infinite amount of paperwork, and on top of the other things going on. Naruto did not envy her or any of the Hokage who were here during wartime. Making those types of decisions seems very hard when having to consider a whole village. Naruto didn’t feel like he should be the one to make decisions like that. He was technically doing that now, but he knows what will happen. Tsunade Baa-chan has no idea what would’ve happened if Naruto hadn’t made the preventative decisions he’s made to change the future.

            “Well, I guess it’s good to know that even if we were allowed to take the Chuunin Exams, we wouldn’t have been able to make it past the second task.” Naruto said shaking his head.

            “It’s still crappy that Hokage-sama wouldn’t let you three sign up for it.” Shikamaru said frowning.

            “It was because of the nine-tailed fox,” Naruto grumbled. “I’m sure it wasn’t solely his decision, but I’m still cross with him over it.”

            “I don’t blame you,” Shikaku-san said joining them at the table. Where was Shikaku-san hiding? Naruto wondered. Was he out in the back yard? That was a possibility. “I did hear that Masami-san from Takumi Village sent a letter to Tsunade-sama outlining how impressed and grateful he was to have your team there.”

            “I liked listening to their stories,” Naruto said thoughtfully. He never really got to experience that here in Konoha. “I think that’s my favorite part of going to other villages for missions.”

            “That’s wonderful,” Yoshino-san said joining them. “Hearing what others have experienced in their lifetime. I bet you learn a lot from that.”

            “I feel like I have,” Naruto said thinking of old man Tazuna and his village. Plus, the countless villages he helped in his old timeline. It was just too bad Naruto didn’t get to meet Tazuna, Inari, and Tsunami-san this time around. He also didn’t get to meet Zabuza and Haku, either. After breakfast, Naruto left the Nara Estate in search of Sakura and Sasuke. Sakura seemed to be hanging out with Hinata and Tenten, so he decided to not bother her. Sasuke was found spending time with Itachi and Shisui, and thus, Naruto was left spending his day off by himself. He definitely could have just asked to join them, but Naruto didn’t want to bother them. He decided to work on getting in contact with the other Jinchuuriki. He went to his special spot since not many people know about it. Plus, he didn’t want to do this kind of thing at the Nara Estate. He didn’t want Yoshino-san walking in on him deep in meditation. She’d have a lot of questions. It was a nice day out, and there weren’t very many clouds out. There was a light breeze as well, which made it more pleasant. The sun was peaking through the leaves of the trees and it made Naruto feel completely relaxed.

            Naruto got into position underneath the tree and started meditating. He breathed in and let it out a few times before joining Kurama in their shared mindscape. Before Kurama was released from the cage, their mindscape looked like a sewer, and everything was tinted green. Now, the entire mindscape is one giant field and there’s a giant fox den where Kurama sleeps. Naruto wished there was a way to release Kurama from him completely, without him dying in the process. He wanted Kurama to be able to experience the outside world again. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea, since there were a lot of power-hungry people in this world, but Naruto still felt it was unfair that Kurama was forced to be sealed inside of him. “Are you ready to do this, brat?” Kurama asked him.

            “Yes,” Naruto said with a nod. “I just hope we’re not too late.” The two focused and decided to reach out to Isobu first. Since Yagura had been released from the genjutsu, Naruto hoped he was still alive and that Isobu was still sealed inside him. It took a bit, but Isobu finally made contact with them.

            “Kurama?” Isobu said looking around at the mindescape in confusion. After seeing how gigantic Isobu is in person, it was still strange to see him inside the mindscape like this. “What’s going on? Who is this human?” He doesn’t remember… Naruto thought sadly. Kurama warned him that this was something that could happen. Naruto just didn’t realize how much it would hurt.

            “My name is Naruto Uzumaki,” Naruto introduced himself. “We wanted to speak to you about something important if you don’t mind.”

            “You have my attention, Naruto Uzumaki,” Isobu said, watching him intently.

            “I need to know, is Yagura still alive?” Naruto asked him.

            “Yes, he was shown mercy and was able to explain what happened,” Isobu informed him.

            “That’s great,” Naruto said smiling. “Kurama and I have been working on contacting you and your other siblings. We wanted to warn you about the Akatsuki coming after you.”

            “The Akatsuki…” Isobu said with a growl. “They’re the reason why Yagura was put under genjutsu.”

            “Yes,” Naruto said sympathetically. “They’re looking for you and your siblings. If they succeed in finding you all and getting Kurama, they’re going to unleash a goddess onto the earth and she’s going to basically end the whole world.” Naruto explained. “A few others and myself have been working on preventing that from happening, but I wanted to warn you and the others.”

            “I understand,” Isobu said nodding. “I will warn Yagura, but I think he already knows to expect the Akatsuki to come after him now that he’s no longer under the genjutsu.”

            “Just be careful, both of you,” Naruto told him. “And thank you for trusting me. I know it’s not easy to trust a human after everything you’ve been through.”

            “Don’t think you know me, child,” Isobu said angrily.

            “But I do,” Naruto said not wanting to anger him. “You showed me once before.”

            “How?” Isobu asked skeptically. Naruto then explained to him how he and Kurama went back in time and about the future they left behind. Isobu sobered up by the end of it. “I see. That is a very grim future. I’ll do my best to convince Yagura to keep fighting, but just know, he may accept his fate if the Akatsuki do come back for him.”

            “I understand,” Naruto said sadly. He knew that Yagura was probably ashamed of what happened, and he would probably feel like he deserved to die for his actions. Isobu nodded.

            “Thank you for informing me,” Isobu told him. “I must get back.”

            “Of course,” Naruto told him. Isobu nodded to both him and Kurama before taking his leave. “Well, that’s two down. Seven more to go.” Kurama sighed.

            “This is going to take more than one day to talk to all of them.” Kurama said resting on the ground in his den.

            “I know,” Naruto said frowning. “Let’s try to talk to one more, and we’ll just take this a day at a time. I hope we’re able to get through to the others in time.” Kurama nodded. The next one they reach out to is Gyuuki. Naruto liked Octopops, and he missed him, too. Gyuuki comes through, and from the look on his face, Naruto had a feeling he didn’t have to do much explaining.

            “Naruto, you made it back okay.” Gyuuki sounded relieved. Naruto wondered why some of them remembered him and others didn’t.

            “I did,” Naruto said smiling.

            “I’ve explained everything to Bee already.” Gyuuki said, surprising Naruto. “There’s been rumors of the Akatsuki making their way towards Kumo, so we’ve been vigilant.”

            “I’m glad to hear it,” Naruto said sounding relieved. “We’ve been trying to reach out to the others.”

            “Bee and I will assist you. Who have you talked to so far?” He asked curiously.

            “We talked to Shukaku and Isobu.” Kurama answered.

            “Then I will work on getting into contact with Matatabi,” Gyuuki said thoughtfully. “I’ll let you know when I’ve talked to her.”

            “Thank you, Gyuuki,” Naruto said gratefully. Gyuuki nodded before taking off. “At least we’ll have help now.”

            “I’m exhausted,” Kurama said sighing.

            “Okay, we can pick this up tomorrow,” Naruto said turning towards his friend. He was just glad they were able to contact Isobu and Gyuuki, and now they have some help. Naruto came out of his mindscape and the first thing he noticed was that he wasn’t alone. He opened his eyes to see Kakashi Sensei standing there, waiting patiently for him.

Chapter Text

            “Yo,” Kakashi greeted as Naruto stood up from his position on the ground.

            “How long have you been standing there?” Naruto asked curiously.

            “I just got here,” Kakashi said with an eye smile. Naruto wasn’t sure he believed that. “And before you ask, I’m okay.”

            “I wasn’t,” Naruto started to say, but Kakashi gave him a look. “Alright, I was. It’s not like I’m hurting you by asking.”

            “No, but I promise I’m okay,” he said shaking his head. “Now, do you want to know what I came here to tell your or not?”

            “Did you talk to Tsunade Baa-chan?” Naruto asked eagerly.

            “Yes,” Kakashi Sensei said nodding. “She was really surprised when I told her your request. She was hard against it at first, concerned for everyone’s safety. But then she thought about it for five minutes and agreed to let us go. The only thing is, she wants Itachi to join us. For extra precaution.”

            “That’s good,” Naruto said thoughtfully. Itachi-san could help keep an eye on Sakura and Sasuke. He didn’t actually think there would be any trouble for them. Aside from potentially fighting Zetsu and Obito, but Sasuke and Sakura weren’t going to be anywhere near Obito and Zetsu.

            “I have a few concerns of my own,” Kakashi said, and Naruto was pretty sure he was frowning. “Even with Itachi being there, it’ll be just us two against Obito. If he’s as strong as you say he is, we might not be enough.”

            “I’ll be honest,” Naruto said grimly. “I don’t know what’s going to happen when we meet up with Obito. Zetsu might be there as well. It’s definitely going to be a risk.” Kakashi nodded. “I’ll use Kurama’s chakra if I have to. I’m hoping Obito will hear us out instead of immediately attacking us.”

            “He used to be pretty hot-headed,” Kakshi said with a chuckle. “I’m sure that hasn’t changed.” Naruto smiled. He used to be pretty hot-headed, too. He’s changed since then, or at least he felt like he has.

            “I’m confident we’ll be able to handle Obito. It’s Zetsu we need to worry about,” Naruto said, frowning now. “He’s the one who’s going to try and stop anything that will prolong Kaguya from being released. He’s also very hard to kill.”

            “If he’s there, it’s going to make our job harder,” Kakashi said sighing.

            “Yep,” Naruto said in agreement. “We’ll need to plan as if he’s going to be there.” Kakashi Sensei nodded.

            “We’re leaving tomorrow morning,” he said in a lighter tone. “It’s going to be a long journey.” Naruto nodded. He was well aware of how long the journey was going to be.

            “Oh, I just talked to the three-tails and eight-tails,” Naruto said smiling. “The eight-tails said he’d help us out.”

            “That’s good,” Kakashi said eye smiling at him.

            “We’re gonna need his help,” Naruto said sighing. “We still have six more to get to.”

            “And so little time to do it,” Kakshi said seeing the problem. “I know you can reach them all in time.” Naruto smiled. It was almost as if his Kakashi had come back with him. “What?”

            “It’s nothing,” Naruto said shaking his head. “I’m going to head home and get packed for tomorrow then.” Kakashi nodded and took off. After talking to him about it, Naruto didn’t feel comfortable with approaching Obito with just him and Kakashi. While Itachi-san was going to be travelling with them, Naruto didn’t feel comfortable with leaving clones with Sasuke and Sakura. It made him feel guilty if anything. He wanted to ask one more person to come with them. He was thinking of asking Shisui-san. Naruto was about halfway to the Nara Estate, when he turned around and went to Shisui-san’s apartment. He realized that Shisui-san was probably in the middle of a mission right now, but it didn’t stop Naruto from knocking. He waited about ten minutes, and there wasn’t a response. Naruto decided to see if Itachi-san was home. He was hoping he could ask him to invite Shisui-san to come with them. That is if Shisui-san wasn’t busy with something else. Plus, he’d have to get permission from Tsunade Baa-chan as well. He found Itachi-san just exiting the Uchiha Compound, and Itachi-san seemed surprised to see him there.

            “Naruto-kun, what can I do for you?” Itachi-san asked him.

            “I was going to ask Shisui-san if he was interested in coming with us tomorrow,” Naruto said smiling sheepishly. “I dropped by his apartment, but it seems he’s out on a mission.”

            “He is,” Itachi-san confirmed. “I can ask him when he gets back.”

            “Thank you,” Naruto said smiling. “Having Shisui-san there makes me feel better about leaving Sasuke and Sakura to track down Obito.”

            “I agree,” Itachi-san said nodding. “I didn’t feel comfortable letting you and Kakshi-san go after Obito by yourselves.” Naruto was glad they were both thinking the same thing. After that, Naruto waved to Itachi-san before heading back to the Nara Estate. He still needed to pack for tomorrow, and he planned on preparing a seal to remove the one over Obito’s heart. He’d actually been working on it for a few weeks now. It was his latest project, and it proved difficult. He felt like he’d been getting closer to figuring it out. Naruto planned on staying up late to work on it. He’ll be tired tomorrow, but it’ll be worth it if he can finish the seal. It was midafternoon by the time Naruto arrived back at the Nara Estate. His morning went by very quickly, but he knew it was because he’d spent it talking to Gyuuki and Isobu. That does take a bit of time. He just didn’t realize that it took so long. Naruto began packing, and decided to tell Yoshino-san, Shikaku-san, and Shikamaru that he’d be leaving over dinner. While he was worried about there being a big fight with Zetsu and possibly Obito, he was excited to talk to Obito and hopefully convince him to come back home. Naruto felt like Kakashi would be even happier if Obito came back.

            Naruto had some time to work on the seal before dinner was ready. He hoped Shisui-san agreed to come with him and the others tomorrow. The idea is to have him with Sasuke and Sakura while he, Itachi-san, and Kakashi dealt with Obito. He didn’t think dealing with Obito would take too long if Zetsu stayed out of it. Zetsu is definitely someone they needed to take care of, though. He was going to be a pain in the ass if he wasn't taken care of. “Naruto, dinner is ready,” Shikamaru said, entering his room. Naruto was surprised. Time goes by so quickly when he's focusing on making seals.

            “Okay,” Naruto said, putting his stuff away.

            “Going somewhere?” Shikamaru asked noticing Naruto’s packed bag.

            “I’ll tell you once we’re sitting at the table,” Naruto said grinning as Shikamaru rolled his eyes. As soon as the two were seated and Shikaku-san and Yoshino-san were seated as well, Naruto told them all about his trip to Uzushio tomorrow.

            “That’s quite a trip,” Shikaku-san said surprised.

            “Tsunade Baa-chan allowed us to go as long as we took Itachi-san with us,” Naruto said shrugging. “I’m looking forward to it.”

            “It’s not going to be easy to see,” Shikaku-san said frowning. “It was destroyed by the first war.”

            “I know,” Naruto said a bit sadly. He still wanted to remember where his mom came from, where his clan came from. He didn’t want to his clan to be forgotten by the world. He was going to make them proud by mastering what he can with the Sealing technique. He also felt that if he was able to study it more, he could create seals to capture the members of the Ōtsutsuki Clan. He didn’t see any way in killing them, especially since they travel through dimensions. So, if they were able to be sealed away, then Naruto wouldn’t have to worry about them releasing Kaguya onto the world. He was surprised they hadn’t just gone after Obito already. Unless they planned on waiting for him to complete the ten tails. Either way, he needed to learn what he could from his clan so that he could put a stop to the Ōtsutsuki Clan.

            “I’m glad you have the opportunity to go,” Yoshino-san said smiling. “I’m sure you’re very eager to learn more about where your mom came from.”

            “Yeah,” Naruto said with a smile. He wanted to collect those photos again and keep them safe. Those were precious memories of his clan, and he wanted to protect them. He was also going to do his best to protect his clan’s secrets. He felt like the Uzumaki’s he did run into had given up on their clan, but Naruto wasn’t going to. After dinner, Naruto volunteered to help clean up the dishes and then he went back to working on the seal. Around three in the morning, Naruto felt like he had completed it. He just needed to test it, and he decided to use clones. His clones weren’t happy about it, and Naruto did apologize to them. They seemed more receptive to helping him test it out after that. What he was testing was whether the seal he made would end up harming Obito if Naruto used it on his heart. The first test was unsuccessful, and Naruto nearly groaned out loud. This was going to take some tweaking. Naruto shouldn’t have expected to get it right the first time. He never got things right the first time. It was going on five-thirty when his test finally succeeded. The clone quietly cheered, and Naruto felt relieved. He was so tired though. He did a few more tests to make sure that wasn’t a fluke, and then he got ready for the day. He may not have gotten any sleep, but he finished the seal and to Naruto, that’s all that mattered.

            After a light breakfast, Naruto met up with his team, Itachi-san, and hopefully Shisui-san at the front entrance of the village. Naruto was happy to see Shisui-san there. It seemed Kakashi Sensei hadn’t arrived yet. Typical Kakashi Sensei. Naruto sighed. “Good morning,” Sakura greeted him.

            “Good morning,” he said smiling.

            “Did you even sleep?” Sasuke asked, scrutinizing him.

            “No,” Naruto said sheepishly. Sasuke sighed.

            “You’re an idiot,” Sasuke grumbled.

            “I’ll be fine,” Naruto said shaking his head. Besides, it wasn’t the first time he’d pull an all-nighter the night before a mission. “Have you heard from Kakashi Sensei yet?”

            “What do you think?” Sakura asked, giving him a deadpanned expression.

            “I’m sure he’ll be here soon,” Itachi-san said chuckling.

            “Yeah,” Shisui-san said in agreement.

            “You clearly don’t know Kakashi Sensei that well,” Sasuke said dryly. Naruto knew Kakashi Sensei was probably visiting his team before coming here. Naruto didn’t want to impose on his time with his team, but he didn’t want to wait three hours.

            “I have an idea where he might be,” Naruto said thoughtfully. “I can go get him.”

            “Please do,” Sasuke and Sakura both said with scowls on their faces. Naruto nodded and headed to the memorial stone. Kakashi Sensei was standing there staring at the memorial stone lost in thought. Naruto hung back, not wanting to disturb him just yet. He didn’t know how long his sensei had been there, but he wanted to give him more time. After about ten minutes, Naruto approached him.

            “Is it time?” Kakashi Sensei asked him, still staring at the memorial stone.

            “Yeah,” Naruto said stopping next to him. “You know, I think my dad would be proud of you.”

            “Why’s that?” Kakashi Sensei asked him curiously.

            “Despite your grief, you’re still able to function day-to-day and you’ve taken on a team of your own. You’ve made progress in moving past your grief, even if it doesn’t feel like it.” Naruto said smiling.

            “Well, I can’t say that I did it all on my own,” Kakashi Sensei said chuckling.

            “That’s just it. You let others in to help you when you probably felt like you wanted to be left alone.” Naruto was beaming at him now. “That’s why I think my dad would be proud of you. I know I am.” Kakashi Sensei looked at him stunned for a minute, before he eye smiled at Naruto.

Chapter Text

            When Naruto and Kakashi returned to the front entrance of the village, Sasuke and Sakura called Kakashi out for being late. Kakashi said his usual line when confronted about his tardiness causing both genin to roll their eyes. Naruto was glad that Shisui-san agreed to come with them. He felt better knowing that Sakura and Sasuke would be safe while he, Kakashi, and Itachi-san dealt with Obito and potentially Zetsu. The group sets off after consulting a map and coming up with the best route possible. They were going to go South for a bit and then go East. They made planned stops at certain villages along the way. Naruto wasn’t sure how long this trip was going to last. Just making the normal trek to Uzushio without making any stops still took a long time by walking. They might be at this for more than two weeks. Eventually, they were going to have to ask someone, probably a local from the fishing village that was closest to their destination, to take them to Uzushio by boat at some point. Naruto wondered if they would be successful in finding someone. He wasn’t sure how the locals felt about Uzushio. They probably thought it was bad luck or something. He hoped that wasn’t the case, though. In the old timeline, it didn’t matter to Naruto if the bridge was out. He just used Kurama’s chakra to get across the ocean. He couldn’t exactly do that now, especially with Sasuke and Sakura there. “Are you nervous?” Sasuke asked as they made their way to their first stop.

            “A little bit,” Naruto answered honestly. He wasn’t going to tell Sasuke that his reason for being so nervous was because of Obito.

            “Don’t forget, we’re here for you,” Sasuke said smiling at him.

            “Thanks,” Naruto said feeling better. Naruto was feeling more relaxed around Sasuke than he had in the beginning of all this. He was finally able to see past what his Sasuke did and see this Sasuke as a friend, rather than someone he had to keep at arms’ length. Their first stop would be Kisaragi Village. It was south of Konoha, and it had a lot of problems with bandits. Naruto was sure they wouldn’t have too many issues with said bandits though, especially with so many strong shinobi in their group. Maybe this was why Tsunade Baa-chan wanted Itachi-san to come with them in the first place. Naruto was going to ask him to join them regardless. He didn’t want to leave Sakura and Sasuke unprotected. The plan was when they arrived in Kisaragi, Kakashi, Naruto, and Itachi were going to go after Obito. It was going to take more than a night to do that, but they hoped to make up for it by claiming they were going to stop in Kisaragi Village to restock supplies for a few days.

            They had a few days before they would arrive in Kisaragi Village, so they had to camp out a bit until then. Naruto didn’t mind though. He liked camping out with his friends. He wished that was something they did more often. It was much easier when they were younger and not genin yet, though. They didn’t have to worry about coordinating days off and worrying about how much time they had to hang out. On their first night of camping out, Kakashi decided it was best to set up camp early. Since it was starting to get colder out, the sun goes down earlier than it did during the summer. Naruto’s birthday would be coming up soon, too. He wondered what everyone had in store for him. He did agree to celebrate it this year after all.

            “I’m not tired,” Sasuke grumbled. Kakashi sighed an exasperated sigh.

            “The sun is going to go down soon. Do you want to fish in the dark?” He asked Sasuke drily.

            “No,” Sasuke said blushing. Naruto grinned as Sakura giggled. Itachi-san and Shisui-san were setting up protection seals around the area they decided to set up their tents. Kakashi looked at the map again while Sasuke and Sakura gathered firewood, and Naruto went fishing for their dinner. He decided to speed up the process by using kunai. He would’ve loved to fish normally, but there really wasn’t a whole lot of daylight left to do that. Naruto spent almost an hour gathering as much fish as he thought the group would eat. He might have gotten too many, but he figured it would all get eaten. He was pretty hungry himself, and he could probably eat three fish all on his own if no was going to eat it. When he returned to their main area, he found that the campfire was going, and the tents were set up. It seemed Naruto was sharing a tent with Sasuke and Kakashi, Sakura had her own tent, and Shisui-san and Itachi-san were going to share a tent. Naruto hoped his bad sleeping habits didn’t annoy them too much. He’d been working on it for the past few years. Even before he came back in time. Ever since he started dating Hinata back in the old timeline, he got very self-conscious of his bad sleeping habits. He thought he may have succeeded, but Hinata never said anything about it. So, Naruto supposed, this was going to be the test. Sasuke would definitely tell him if he ended up all over the place.

            “Naruto, that’s too many,” Sakura said frowning.

            “I didn’t think so,” Naruto said shrugging. “I’m starving.”

            “Clearly,” Kakashi said chuckling. He had put the map away and was now just reading his porn. He wouldn’t be Kakashi if he didn’t have his porn, Naruto reminded himself. They all settled around the fire finally and started cooking their dinner. He got thanks from the two elder Uchiha, resulting Sasuke in doing the same thing. Naruto thought it was funny, but he appreciated it the same. Naruto did end up eating the remaining fish after everyone got their fill.

            “When did you eat last?” Kakashi asked sounding a tad concerned.

            “Breakfast,” Naruto said shrugging. “We didn’t stop for lunch.”

            “That’s true,” Shisui-san said with a grimace. “That’s our bad.”

            “Yes, we’re sorry,” Itachi-san apologized.

            “It’s okay,” Naruto said with a snicker. He knew the three were used to going so long without food because of intense missions. Naruto was used to it as well, but they didn’t need to know that. Naruto was more surprised Sasuke and Sakura didn’t say anything about it. They cleaned up their dinner, and then headed off to bed. Sasuke was the first to fall asleep. Naruto snickered, thinking back to Sasuke’s earlier comment about not being tired. Naruto fell asleep not long after, and he remembered telling Kakashi to get some sleep since the jonin was still up and reading his book before closing his eyes. When Naruto woke up, his body was being restricted by a certain Uchiha. Naruto didn’t think he flopped all over the place this time, so he wasn’t sure how this came to be. Kakashi happened to wake up just as Naruto did. He looked at Naruto and Sasuke and snorted. “I don’t know,” Naruto whispered. He wasn’t sure waking Sasuke up at the moment would be the right thing to do. Kakashi shook his head and left the tent. Rude. How was Naruto supposed to get up and not wake Sasuke? Sasuke hated being woken up, and he would complain about it for a few hours afterwards. Naruto sighed. He thought maybe he could slowly ease himself out of Sasuke’s grasp, but he had no such luck. As soon as Naruto started to pull away, Sasuke’s grip on him tightened. Naruto had no choice. He was going to have to wake up Sasuke. Just as he was about to say something, Sasuke stirred in his sleep. He let go of Naruto and turned to the opposite side. Naruto sighed in relief and quietly made his way out of the tent.

            “Well, that’s no fun,” Kakashi said teasingly. Naruto pouted at him.

            “So, rude,” he grumbled before going to find a good place to pee. Since they weren’t technically in a hurry, Naruto spent some time meditating and talking to Kurama.

            ‘Do we want to try and contact another one of your siblings?’ Naruto asked the fox.

            ‘So early in the morning?’ Kurama grumbled. ‘Not really, but since it’s urgent, I’ll do it.’

            ‘Thank you,’ Naruto said appreciatively. They decided to contact Saiken. Naruto didn’t think he’d ever get the chance to see Utakata in this timeline. He was pretty sure things had changed so much by now that it wouldn’t happen. Saiken came through easier than the others.

            ‘Kurama!’ Saiken said surprised. ‘What’s going on?’

            ‘Saiken, my name is Naruto Uzumaki,’ Naruto introduced himself. ‘We brought you here to warn you.’

            ‘It’s the Akatsuki, isn’t it?’ Saiken asked, sounding grim.

            ‘Yes, they’re on the move,’ Naruto said frowning. ‘We’ve been trying to contact all of you to warn you.’

            ‘Thank you,’ Saiken said bowing to him slightly. ‘I will speak with Utakata about it. How many of us have you spoken to so far?’

            ‘We talked to Shukaku, Gyuuki, and Isobu,’ Kurama answered. ‘Gyuuki is helping us and is currently trying to get a hold of Matatabi.’

            ‘Understood,’ Saiken said nodding. ‘If I can convince Utakata, we will try to help as well. I think Chomei is closer to where we are. We’ll try to contact Chomei and their Jinchuuriki.’

            ‘Thank you,’ Naruto said beaming at Saiken. Saiken nodded once again, before he left. Naruto didn’t get the chance to say anything else because he heard Sakura calling after him.

            “Naruto! Breakfast!” She said sounding frustrated. Naruto got up.

            “Coming!” He called back. If they’re able to find Matatabi and Chomei, that just leaves Son Goku and Kokuou. He made it back to the main camping area and joined everyone for breakfast. Sasuke didn’t say anything to Naruto about last night or this morning, so Naruto assumed that he succeeded in fixing his bad sleeping habits.

            “What were you doing?” Sakura asked exasperatedly.

            “Do you really want to know?” Naruto asked, giving her a deadpanned expression.

            “No!” She said after a few seconds of thinking about it. Her face was red with embarrassment. Kakashi chuckled. They finished up breakfast and cleaned up their tents and took care of the fire. Then they continued their journey to Kisaragi Village. Naruto was going to try and enjoy the journey to Uzushio, because he knew he probably wouldn’t get to do much travelling once he returned to the village. Naruto hasn’t said this to anyone yet, but he wants to be a jonin sensei in this timeline. He never really got the chance to in his old timeline. After the war, Iruka Sensei, Shikamaru, and Kakashi forced him to study, so that one day he could take the hat from Kakashi. Naruto hated the studying part, but he still wanted to be Hokage. It wasn’t until after becoming Hokage and making the genin teams that he realized that he’d missed out on having the experience of having a little genin team of his own. It wasn’t his dream, per se, but it was something he really wanted to do now that he had a second chance. His dream was to protect his precious people, and to bring peace to this world just like Pervy Sage wants to do. Naruto was going to honor his godfather in that sense. He wanted to pass this on to the next generation, but if he succeeded in stopping the war, then he wouldn’t have to pass on this dream to the next generation.

            “Naruto,” Sasuke said catching his attention.

            “What’s up?” Naruto asked him. Sasuke pulled him back away from the group a bit.

            “Did I, um,” Sasuke blushed. “Did I…” Was he trying to talk about this morning? “Did I hug you in my sleep?”

            “You did,” Naruto answered. He figured it would be best to be honest with Sasuke.

            “I-I’m sorry,” he said looking away from Naruto.

            “Don’t be,” Naruto said shaking his head. “It’s fine, really.”

            “Okay,” Sasuke said sounding relieved. “You won’t tell anyone, will you?”

            “No,” Naruto said smiling. “You have my word.”

            “Thank you,” Sasuke said beaming at him. Then he ran up to Itachi-san and jumped on his back. Naruto hadn’t seen Sasuke do this in a while. Was that what Itachi-san meant when he said Sasuke had gotten better about it? Itachi-san didn’t flinch or lose balance. He just grabbed Sasuke’s legs, so Sasuke wouldn’t fall off. Naruto chuckled. He was glad that Itachi-san was able to stop the coup and Danzo. Seeing Sasuke being happy like this made Naruto happy. His friend definitely deserved this happiness, and Naruto hoped to keep it that way.

Chapter Text

            They were still a day away from Kisaragi Village. Naruto thought. He sent a clone to check out the area where Kannabi Bridge once was. He wanted to be sure that Obito was going to be there and that Zetsu wasn’t going to be there to ruin their plans. Sasuke had started to get bored pretty easily, and Naruto didn’t blame him at all. Since they weren’t on a mission, there was no anticipation of what could happen. At least, that was the case for Sasuke, Sakura, and Shisui-san. Naruto did his best to appear less tense than he was. From the way Kakashi Sensei kept giving his shoulder a comforting squeeze, Naruto was failing at it. He really was trying to relax. It was hard for him to do when he didn’t know what was going to happen once they approached Obito. When Naruto had the chance (usually when they stopped to rest or set up camp), he would meditate and force his brain to stop worrying about things. It would work for the duration of his meditation, but then as soon as someone (usually Sakura or Sasuke) would get his attention, his brain would go back to worrying again. Naruto did hear from Gyuuki and Saiken that they were able to reach Matatabi and Chomei. Now, all that was left was Roshi and Han. Naruto wasn’t sure they’d want to talk to him. They were both stubborn and set in their own ways. They were also very confident about their strength and power. Naruto couldn’t disagree with it, but he still wanted to warn them. Naruo also learned that the reason Gyuuki remembered him and not the others was because Naruto had bonded more with Gyuuki than the other tailed beasts.

            It made sense to him. Naruto spent the most time with Octopops and Gyuuki in the old timeline. He would like to meet Octopops this time, but again, he wasn’t sure that was going to happen now with how things have changed. His only concern now, aside from Obito and Zetsu, was Nagato and Konan. He wanted to make things right between them and Pervy Sage. Plus, Nagato was one of the last few remaining Uzumaki. Even if he didn’t have long to live, Naruto wanted to do right by him as well. As if Pervy Sage heard his thoughts, Naruto heard a familiar greeting and looked up to see Pervy Sage approaching them from the direction they were headed. He had a grin on his face, and he seemed to be in a good mood. Naruto vaguely wondered if it had to do with his “research”. “Good to see Team 7 again!” Pervy Sage said once they’d all come to a complete stop.

            “Jiraiya-sama,” Itachi-san said bowing to him. Pervy Sage waved him off.

            “None of that Itachi-kun! We’re comrades, are we not?” Pervy Sage said chuckling. And then he set his eyes on Naruto. “Kid, how was your mission?”

            “Good,” Naruto answered. He did his best not to immediately tackle the old perv to the ground in a hug. “Unfortunately, there was an attack on Konoha while we were away.”

            “I heard,” Pervy Sage said frowning. “That old teammate of mine caused a lot of trouble.”

            “We did manage to capture him,” Shisui-san said proudly.

            “I bet that Ibiki is having a field day,” Pervy Sage said with a chuckle. “What are you up to now? Certainly, you’re not out on another mission?”

            “No,” Kakashi Sensei answered. “Naruto wanted to visit Uzushio. Tsunade-sama gave us permission, but only if we brought Itachi-kun and Shisui-kun with us.” Pervy Sage stared at Naruto in shock.

            “Iruka Sensei told me about where my mom used to live,” Naruto explained. “Ever since, I’ve always wanted to know where she came from.”

            “You do realize it’s been destroyed, don’t you?” Pervy Sage asked gently. Naruto nodded.

            “Iruka Sensei told me,” Naruto said, some sadness leaking into his voice. He hadn’t meant for that to happen, but he supposed it was appropriate for what they were talking about. “That doesn’t mean I don’t want to see it any less.”

            “You definitely have your mom’s stubbornness,” Pervy Sage said with a chuckle. “I won’t get in your way then. Just be careful out there. There’s shinobi who would love to get their hands on the secrets of your clan.”

            “I won’t let them,” Naruto said firmly. He meant it too. He wouldn’t let his clan secrets get into the wrong hands. Pervy Sage hesitantly ruffled Naruto’s hair, probably measuring his reaction.

            “I believe you kid,” Pervy Sage said with a smile. “If you ever need help deciphering seals, just send me a letter and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”

            “Thanks, old man,” Naruto said with a wide smile. This Pervy Sage wasn’t his Pervy Sage, but Naruto loved him just the same. He couldn’t wait to have discussions about seals and about some of his ideas for seals that would probably get him into a lot of trouble without someone there to help him with it. He didn’t get to do that with Pervy Sage in his old timeline, since Naruto didn’t really get into seals until way after he was killed. He hoped he got the chance to in this timeline though. He looked forward to it.

            “Old man!?” Pervy Sage sounding very offended. Naruto just grinned at him. He couldn’t call him Pervy Sage to his face just yet. Technically, Naruto doesn’t know what his “research” consists of yet. “You’re mischievous like her too,” Pervy Sage muttered with a snort. “I’m heading back.”

            “Back?” Kakashi Sensei asked curiously.

            “Home,” Pervy Sage clarified. “I want see the princess in her new fancy hat.” Naruto had to stop himself from snorting. Pervy Sage just really missed her and hasn’t the courage to tell her how he really feels about her. The group waved after him and continued their journey to Kisaragi Village. Naruto was happy that he got to see his godfather again. He hoped to spend more time with him at some point. Even if it wasn’t right now, Naruto would be patient and wait. Kurama snorted at him.

            ‘Hey, I can be patient,’ Naruto muttered to his friend.

            ‘Sure, brat, sure,’ Kurama said before going back to sleep.

            “Naruto, do you have a death wish?” Sasuke asked, giving him a deadpanned expression.

            “No, why?” Naruto asked confused.

            “You just disrespected another Sannin!” Sakura said exasperatedly.

            “Oh,” Naruto said smiling sheepishly. He knew deep down that Tsunade Baa-chan and Pervy Sage didn’t care, and that they loved him. At least, the versions of them in his old timeline did. He was sure, given time, that the versions of them in this timeline would too. “I can’t help it.”

            “Do you even know what self-preservation means?” Shisui-san asked him exasperatedly.

            “Yes,” Naruto said indignantly. “And I do have it, thank you.”

            “I find that hard to believe,” Kakashi Sensei said ruffling Naruto’s hair.

            “Hey,” Naruto pouted.

            “I’m with Kakashi Sensei,” Sasuke said shaking his head.

            “Me too,” Sakura said grinning at him.

            “You guys are so mean to me,” Naruto said crossing his arms. He supposed they were just happy to see him acting like his normal self, so he’d give them that. “What is this? Pick on Naruto day?”

            “Definitely,” Shisui-san said grinning and ruffling Naruto’s hair, too.

            “Rude,” Naruto muttered. They stopped just before the sun started going down again and set up camp. Kakashi Sensei joined him in catching their dinner this time.

            “What’s the plan once we reach Kisaragi?” Kakashi Sensei asked him as they started catching fish.

            “We’ll spend a few days to restock on supplies and take a rest from the travelling.” Naruto said decisively. “We can use that time to go find Obito. I sent a clone to check to make sure Obito will be there. He’s there, but I don’t know for how much longer. He looks like he’s been in a fight.”

            “Kannabi Bridge won’t be more than a day’s worth of travel. If we hit the ground running, we should get there relatively quickly.” Kakashi Sensei said thoughtfully as he killed another fish with his kunai. “Is Zetsu there?”

            “No,” Naruto said shaking his head. “I’m glad though. If Obito tries to fight us the moment he sees us, at least we won’t have to worry about Zetsu on top of that.”

            “Let’s just hope he doesn’t escape us,” Kakashi Sensei said, getting another fish. “If he’s injured, he’ll most likely try to retreat.”

            “If that’s the case, then I’m sure we’ll succeed,” Naruto said beaming. “He’s definitely coming home with us.”

            “How do you know?” Kakashi Sensei asked, sending him a deadpanned expression. Naruto could tell the man was feeling hopeful though.

            “I’m somewhat of an expert at dragging unruly Uchiha’s back to the village,” Naruto said with a grin. Kakashi Sensei shook his head as Kurama snorted. Rude. “I’m serious. I’m going to bring that man back kicking and screaming if I have to.”

            “I appreciate it,” Kakashi Sensei said hugging him with one arm. “But that’s my job.”

            “Okay,” Naruto said with a snicker. He leaned on his sensei before pulling away to get a few more fish of his own. Soon, the two brought back their bounty of fish to their campsite. The fire was already going, and the tents were set up. Naruto had a feeling he’d be sharing a tent with Kakashi Sensei and Sasuke again.

            “I think we’ll stop in Kisaragi Village for a few days,” Kakashi Sensei announced as soon as they all settled to eat their dinner. The sun had gone down, and it was colder at night. Naruto didn’t feel that cold, but he’d always been called a space heater by his teammates in his old timeline. “We can focus on restocking supplies and take a few days to rest.”

            “That sounds good,” Sakura said sounding relieved. This will be the longest journey she and Sasuke will have taken outside of Konoha. So, Naruto wasn’t surprised to see that she and Sasuke were both exhausted from the travelling.

            “While we’re there, we can check out the shops, too,” Shisui-san said excitedly. “I promised a friend of mine that I’d bring them back something.” He explained when Itachi-san gave him a look. Naruto was happy to hear that Shisui-san had made friends outside of his family. He definitely seemed happier since moving out of the Uchiha Compound. He hoped that more Uchiha would follow in his footsteps one day.

            “Nii-chan, I want to bring Mom something back!” Sasuke said just as enthusiastically.

            “Alright,” Itachi-san said chuckling. Sakura looked thoughtful at this. Naruto thought about bringing Shikamaru something back, but he wasn’t sure what it would be. Maybe he’ll have a clone look around in the shops in Kisaragi Village, too. Maybe he could find something shogi related. They finished their dinner, and then Shisui-san got the idea to start telling ghost stories. Naruto wasn’t afraid of ghosts anymore. He’d gotten over it as he grew up in the old timeline, but it didn’t stop him from rolling his eyes at the idea of it.

            “What? You afraid of ghosts?” Shisui-san asked grinning at Naruto.

            “No,” Naruto said stonily. “I think ghost stories are stupid.” He never forgave Yamato Taichou for all the times he purposely scared Naruto during their time together. Unfortunately, Yamato Taichou didn’t survive the attacks from Sasuke’s army on the first day of the attacks. He stayed behind to assist Naruto, even though Naruto had told him he was going to get himself killed. Naruto had never wanted to see his Kakashi so heartbroken again. His Kakashi was very happy after the war, and Naruto had hoped he wouldn’t have to see the man being broken again. Sasuke managed to do that in one afternoon. Naruto knew it wasn’t completely Sasuke’s doing, but that didn’t keep the images of his Kakashi with a broken expression on his face out of Naruto’s head. If Naruto didn’t bring Obito back to Konoha this time, he knew Kakashi Sensei was going to be broken once again. Naruto didn’t want him to suffer any more than he already does.

            Despite Naruto’s complaints, Shisui-san insisted on the ghost stories and Naruto decided he was just going to go to bed. He was tired, too. Maybe not as tired as his teammates, but after seeing Pervy Sage again, Naruto had a feeling his nightmares were going to come back. When he woke up the next morning, Sasuke was using him as a body pillow again. Naruto noticed that Sasuke was shivering a bit this time. Was it because he was cold? Naruto was able to pull away, and pulled Sasuke’s covers up to his neck. Naruto was lucky to not have nightmares last night. He honestly didn’t want to freak Sasuke and Sakura out. Shikamaru was used to them by now, but these two hadn’t witnessed it. Well, except for that one camping trip that Itachi-san, Sasuke, and Naruto had gone on. Naruto rolled up his sleeping bag and changed into some clean clothes. Maybe when they arrived in Kisaragi, they could do some laundry too.

Chapter Text

            The group finally reached Kisaragi Village around lunch time. Naruto managed to convince Sasuke and Sakura to stay there for at least a week. He said he wanted to get some training in too while they were out. They didn’t have a deadline to get back to Konoha from what Naruto was told. So, he didn’t see why they couldn’t work on some training while they were at it. Naruto didn’t think a few days would be enough time to get Obito to listen to him, Kakashi Sensei, and Itachi-san. They found a place for lunch, and then they focused on finding a hotel to check into for the week. The village was fairly large, so that was another reason to spend the week there. Sasuke and Sakura were talking about exploring the entire village, and that would take a few days with training in between. Shisui-san led the way to the shopping district, with Sasuke and Sakura in tow. “Are we going to go now?” Itachi-san asked as the three watched them walk off.

            “I’ll leave behind some clones,” Naruto said before easily making them and having two of them use a henge to look like Kakashi Sensei and Itachi-san. He placed a seal on each of the two clones and activated them. “The seals will mimic your voices.” Naruto explained when Kakashi Sensei raised an eyebrow at him.

            “You can do that?” Itachi-san asked, sounding a bit in awe.

            “Yeah,” Naruto said blushing lightly. He hadn’t really had anyone look at him in awe when it came to his seals besides Sasuke and Sakura. Seeing Itachi-san like this, made him remember that Itachi-san was still very young. Naruto didn’t think anything could be awe-inspiring to the former spy. He thought for sure that Itachi-san had seen it all. “I need you two to add your chakra to these seals.” He handed the papers to each of them.

            “What for?” Kakashi Sensei asked curiously.

            “So, that my clones will have your chakra signatures. The clones might fool Sasuke and Sakura, but I doubt they’ll fool Shisui-san.” Naruto explained, getting over his embarrassment. The two nodded, Itachi-san muttering the word incredible. Naruto really didn’t think he was that great with seals, but he did fix Shukaku’s seal, so that was something. After the two put their chakra into the seals, Naruto placed the seals on the corresponding clones. “There, now we should be fine.”

            “Let’s get going,” Kakashi Sensei said amused. Naruto ordered his clones to gather supplies and to train with the rest of the group before the three of them took off. The three left Kisaragi Village and took off in a run to what remained of Kannabi Bridge. Naruto hoped they would get back to Kisaragi Village in time before Shisui-san noticed. Shisui-san wasn’t dumb, but Naruto didn’t want to have to tell another person about the war he was trying to avoid. It was bad enough Kakashi Sensei knew about it, and the fact that Tenzo knew some bits and pieces made Naruto feel a little uneasy. He trusted that Tenzo wouldn’t say anything about it to anyone, but he wished Kakashi Sensei had spoken to him about it first. If they were able to bring Obito back, then Naruto felt like they wouldn’t have to worry about the war. They’d still have to track down Zetsu, but at that point, he felt like he could trust Tsunade Baa-chan with everything that’s happened. Naruto knew he wouldn’t be able to not tell Pervy Sage about it. So, he wanted to at least get Obito back before he told Tsunade Baa-chan what was going on. She probably won’t be happy about it, but Naruto trusted her decisions more than the old man’s decisions. The three didn’t stop until they got to their destination. They ate ration bars and took small breaks as they needed. Otherwise, they were on the move constantly, and Naruto hoped that Obito wouldn’t be an idiot and actually listen to what they have to say.

            As they got closer to what remains of Kannabi Bridge, the three slowed down and took in their surroundings. Kakashi Sensei searched around for Obito’s chakra signature. He found it and directed the other two to a small cave entrance. They hid their presence as they made their way to the small cave entrance. It went back several miles, but so far, they hadn’t spotted Obito. The cave turned out to be pretty small in size, and they eventually made it to the back of the cave where Obito was lying next to a fire pit. Obito sat up immediately and chucked several kunai their way. The three dodged them easily. “Obito, we’re not here to fight,” Kakashi Sensei told him.

            “Y-You know?” Obito bit out, in utter shock.

            “Well, you’re not wearing your mask,” Naruto pointed out, a smile on his face. Obito blushed, before glaring at the three of them again.

            “What do you want from me?” He asked, his voice sounding forlorn, hurt, and angry.

            “We want to talk,” Naruto said sitting opposite of Obito. Obito flinched and backed up a few feet. “You’re going to want to hear what I have to say.”

            “You’re just a kid,” Obito sneered at him. Kakashi Sensei joined Naruto on the floor, and Itach-san stayed back. “What’s so important?”

            “The world is going to end if you continue your plans,” Naruto told him bluntly. “You’re going to release the goddess of chakra onto our world and she’s going to take back all the chakra she can. Madara was just manipulating you into thinking he could bring peace to this world using that Infinite Tsukuyomi. In reality, you’re just going to destroy the whole world. I doubt that’s what you want.”

            “How do you know?” Obito asked skeptically.

            “I’m from the future,” Naruto said shrugging. “I came back in time to put a stop to your plans. I also know the complete truth of what happened to your other teammate.”

            “You don’t know her,” Obito bit out, glaring at Naruto. “That bastard sitting next to you killed her.”

            “He didn’t, at least not intentionally,” Naruto said shrugging. “I’ll let him explain. He’s the one who wants to talk to you.”

            “You’re really dumb if you think I killed Rin,” Kakashi Sensei said sighing. Obito sputtered and before he could say anything, Kakashi Sensei held up a hand to stop him. “Listen, on that day, we were sent to gather information on those Kiri ninja. Only we got caught,” Kakashi Sensei grimaced. “They captured Rin and sealed the three-tails inside of Rin. They did a shitty job at it, and the moment she would’ve returned to Konoha, the three-tails would’ve escaped and killed everyone in the village.” Obito gaped at him, wordlessly. “I thought there was another way to deal with it,” Kakashi Sensei said looking down. “I was foolish in thinking that, really. I went back for her, and we had to fight our way out. They were relentless,” Kakashi Sensei was definitely frowning now. “She knew about what they did, and before I knew it, she had stopped in front of me while I was using Chidori, and I couldn’t stop. It was too late.”

            “I’m assuming that’s when you showed up, Obito,” Naruto said quietly after a few minutes of silence. He wanted to let the information sink into Obito’s mind before he said anything. “You killed those Kiri ninja, and decided to take revenge on all of Konoha, right?” Obito’s face went pale.

            “The nine-tails,” he muttered.

            “It really put a damper on my birthday, you know,” Naruto said softly. He could feel not only Obito, but Kakashi Sensei and Itachi-san looking at him.

            “I had to wait until Kushina-nee gave birth, that was when the seal was weakened,” Obito said with a grimace. He sounded remorseful, though. “I-I don’t know what do now.”

            “Come home, Obito,” Kakashi Sensei told him. Obito looked at him in surprise.

            “Can I?” Obito asked bitterly.

            “You can,” Naruto said smiling at him. “And before you say anything, I can deal with your little problem.” When Obito looked confused, Naruto pointed to his heart. Obito’s eyes widen.

            “You can?” Obito asked wide-eyed.

            “Of course,” Naruto said cheerfully. “I’ve been working on it for several years now.”

            “W-wait, you said you’re from the future,” Obito muttered. “How?”

            “The tailed beasts were put into a situation where they had to camp out in my body,” Naruto said with a grimace. “So, they suggested traveling back, so here I am.”

            “That wasn’t a result of the war, was it?” Kakashi Sensei asked wide-eyed.

            “No,” Naruto said solemnly. “That was the result of something else that happened some years afterwards. I’ll tell you about it, but later.” Kakashi Sensei nodded. “So, Obito, do you want me to deal with your problem and then you can head on back to Konoha?”

            “Sure,” Obito said after a few minutes of thinking.

            “I’m glad,” Naruto said sounding relieved.

            “Before I go, I want to help you with stopping Zetsu,” Obito told him.

            “I’m glad you said that,” Naruto said happily. “We were gonna need some help with that.” Soon, Naruto pulled out the seal he’d been working on to remove the one Madara had placed on Obito’s heart. “Now, this might sting a bit.”

            “A bit?” Obito asked, giving him a deadpanned expression.

            “I tested it out on some clones, so that I could make sure I didn’t kill you in the process,” Naruto said shaking his head.

            “That makes me feel so much better,” Obito grumbled. Naruto grinned.

            “You’ll be fine, I promise! I don’t go back on my word!” Naruto assured him. Obito snorted but didn’t say anything otherwise. He stripped off the Akatsuki cloak and pulled off his shirt. Naruto placed the seal over Obito’s heart and activated it with his chakra. Obito inhaled, before slowly letting it out. “How do you feel?”

            “I feel… lighter somehow.” Obito muttered, confused. Naruto smiled.

            “Good. Now, when you do return to Konoha, you’ll probably have to explain everything to Tsunade Baa-chan, and I mean everything.” Naruto told him. Obito grimaced.

            “That’s fine, I’m willing to accept my punishment,” Obito said sighing.

            “I’ll send a clone with you,” Naruto said thoughtfully.

            “Does she know you’re from the future?” Obito asked warily.

            “No, but I figured once we’d taken care of Zetsu and the incubation tree that I’d tell her.” Naruto said, causing Kakashi Sensei and Itachi-san to look at him in shock. “There’d be no reason not to tell her at that point. Remember what I said about the situation the tailed beasts were put in?” The two nodded at him. “I need her opinion on something. It has to do with Kaguya.”

            “Before I go back, I’m going to hunt down Zetsu and kill him.” Obito promised. “Also, I’ll deal with the incubation trees.”

            “Trees? There’s already more than one?” Naruto asked surprised.

            “Yes,” Obito grimaced. “Like I said, I’ll take care of them.”

            “Thank you,” Naruto said smiling at him. He created another clone. “What about the statue?”

            “I’ll see to it that it’s destroyed. There’s no need for it now.” Obito said smiling, causing his scar to distort.

            “Did you want help with your injuries?” Naruto asked him, grinning.

            “No,” Obito said rolling his eyes. “I can take care of them, thanks.” Kakashi Sensei didn’t look like he wanted to leave Obito. “Don’t look at me like that Bakashi, I’m not the same kid you know.”

            “I know,” Kakashi Sensei said sounding pained. Obito grimaced.

            “We can talk about it later, okay?” Obito said in a gentle voice. Kakashi Sensei nodded. Soon, Kakashi Sensei, Naruto, and Itachi-san were heading back to Kisaragi Village. They did stop to rest before heading back. It was going to be very dark soon, but the three didn’t want to risk being gone from Shisui-san, Sasuke, and Sakura any longer than necessary.

            “Are you okay, Kakashi Sensei?” Naruto asked the silver-haired Jonin. They were almost halfway back to Kisaragi Village.

            “I will be,” Kakashi Sensei answered him. “Thank you, Naruto.”

            “You’re welcome,” Naruto said beaming at him. They were so close. He hoped Obito was successful in stopping Zetsu, and he hoped Obito made it back home. He wondered how Fugaku Uchiha was going to react to that. When Obito was a kid, he was basically an outcast to the Uchiha clan. Naruto wondered what would happen now that Obito came back from the dead. Fugaku Uchiha would probably be furious with him, but Naruto hoped Tsunade Baa-chan kept what Obito did with Kurama between her and T&I. There wasn’t any need to dredge up bad memories for the village. They’d already suffered through it once. They didn’t need to suffer through it a second time.

Chapter Text

            The three were back in Kisaragi Village, and Naruto was exhausted. He quietly dismissed his clones after the clones let them into their rooms back at the hotel. It was the middle of the night, and Naruto was pretty sure Shisui-san was awake and waiting for them. Naruto checked that Sasuke and Sakura were asleep, which they were thankfully. The three genin were sharing a room, while the other three shared a different room. The next morning, Naruto felt more well-rested after sleeping. Shisui-san kept side eyeing him, Kakashi Sensei and Itachi-san. He definitely knew. He didn’t say anything as the group ate their breakfast. Naruto had checked and was happy to find that his clones did as he asked. They had gathered more supplies while he was gone. Apparently, the genin spent the first two days just exploring the village and looking at all the shops. Naruto also had found something shogi related for Shikamaru. He hoped Shikamaru would like it. After breakfast, the group decided to do some training at one of the many training grounds that Kisaragi Village offered. They weren’t a Hidden village, but they did have places for Shinobi. “Do you mind telling me where you three went yesterday?” Shisui-san asked as they entered one of the large training grounds. Sasuke and Sakura had immediately started their katas.

            “It’s probably best that you wait until after we return to Konoha,” Itachi-san answered him carefully. Shisui-san frowned.

            “You’re not going to tell me, are you?” He asked sighing.

            “We will,” Naruto answered, surprising Shisui-san, Kakashi Sensei, and Itachi-san. “Just not right now.”

            “Alright, I’ll accept that,” Shisui-san said shaking his head. “How did you get your clones to act like them and have the same chakra signatures anyway?”

            “Seals,” Naruto said grinning. Shisui-san shook his head.

            “I should’ve known,” he muttered. The four joined Sasuke and Sakura in doing katas. They started sparring at some point, and then took a break for lunch. After lunch, they started working on individual training. Sakura did her best to remember that they’re not home, and so she couldn’t just destroy the training grounds with her chakra-enhanced punches. That didn’t mean she didn’t accidentally create a few craters here and there. Kakashi Sensei, Itachi-san, and Shisui-san helped fix the training ground after they’d finished training for the day. Naruto was happy that they were able to get through to Obito. That helped them a lot. He just hoped Obito was successful in stopping Zetsu. He wished there was a way he could give Obito back up. His clone could help him, but if his clone dispersed before Obito could get back to Konoha, Naruto wouldn’t know if Obito made it or not. Oh good, more things for Naruto to worry about. They finished up their week in Kisaragi Village, and it seemed everyone was ready to go again. Naruto missed having dinner with the Naras, though. He supposed, after spending all this time with them, they’d become his family. He knew they probably felt the same way.

            ‘Are you planning on moving out still?’ Kurama asked him.

            ‘I don’t want to live there forever,’ Naruto answered feeling amused. ‘Only now, it’s not because it’ll make things easier for us. Now, it’s because once we’ve completely avoided the war and we can focus more on the Ōtsutsuki Clan, I’d like to have a place of my own. I don’t expect them to think I’m going to stay there forever.’

            ‘That pineapple head’s mother might say otherwise,’ Kurama said with a snort.

            ‘Yeah,’ Naruto said smiling warmly. ‘She’s been so kind to me. I’ll definitely have to go out of my way to visit her once we do move out of there.’ The next town they were heading to would be one of the many villages Naruto had been to with Pervy Sage during their travels. Naruto didn’t quite remember much about the village, but that was only because he was more focused on his training rather than exploring. It wasn’t very close to Kisaragi Village, so they had to make sure they were stocked up for the five-day trip. They could’ve made the trip shorter if they took off running to the village, but this was a leisure trip and Naruto wasn’t in too big of a hurry.

            “This is going to take us forever to get there,” Sasuke grumbled as the group started walking.

            “Maa, why are you in such a hurry?” Kakashi Sensei asked him as he walked with his hands in his pockets, going at a slower pace. Probably on purpose. Naruto rolled his eyes.

            “I want to see where Naruto’s clan came from too,” Sasuke huffed as he went around Kakashi Sensei and pushed him to go faster. Naruto thought it was hilarious as Kakashi Sensei went even slower and then pretended to fall back on Sasuke. “Kakashi Sensei, get off! You’re heavy!”

            “Maa~ Sasuke, I’m really tired,” Kakashi Sensei said as he sank further down. Naruto couldn’t stop himself. Luckily, he wasn’t the only one who cracked up laughing. Shisui-san was also laughing and holding his sides. Sakura giggled and Itachi-san looked amused.

            “What are you laughing at!?” Sasuke grumbled, his cheeks going red. Naruto couldn’t stop and his sides started to hurt. Finally, Kakashi Sensei took pity on Sasuke and stood up straighter, so he wasn’t leaning so heavily on Sasuke. Sasuke crossed his arms and walked further ahead of the group. Naruto finally calmed down to where he was just snickering.

            “You need to be more patient, Sasuke,” Itachi-san said catching up to Sasuke very easily. “We’ll get there, but it’s going to take some time.” Sasuke sighed but didn’t say anything else. It was moments like these that Naruto missed. He hoped to have many more of them in the future. Sasuke seemed to be in a bad mood the rest of the day. Was he that upset about them laughing? He didn’t talk to anyone, and he kept walking ahead of the group, despite Itachi-san’s warnings. While they weren’t on a mission, they still had to be careful of bandits and other rogue ninja looking to cash in a bounty. It wasn’t lost to Naruto that Kakshi Sensei was in the bingo book. Of course, genin weren’t supposed to know that, but Naruto wasn’t a normal genin.

            “Do you know what’s bothering Sasuke?” Sakura asked him quietly as they walked.

            “Not a clue,” Naruto said shrugging.

            “Hm,” Sakura said frowning. Sasuke kept to himself up to the next morning. Naruto had become his body pillow again, and Naruto was pretty sure it was because the youngest Uchiha sibling was cold. Naruto figured he’d be used as a body pillow for the rest of the trip. Kakashi Sensei just thought it was hilarious, but Naruto didn’t think it was. He liked Sasuke as nothing more than a friend, maybe even as a brother. He wasn’t sure about where Sasuke’s feelings stood on that matter. Naruto hoped he felt the same, otherwise things were going to be awkward. Sasuke, despite learning he’d used Naruto as a body pillow again, didn’t say a word to anyone this morning. Sakura looked like she wanted to say something to him, but like everyone else, she didn’t want to face his wrath. Naruto figured he’d have to be the one to do it, but he was going to wait until everyone at least had food in their stomach and had enough time to wake up.

            “Are you going to tell us what’s bothering you, or do we need to tickle it out of you?” Shisui-san asked, ruining Naruto’s plan. Sasuke glared at him.

            “Don’t you dare!” Sasuke snarled at him.

            “Whoa, calm down,” Shisui-san said shaking his head.

            “What’s wrong, Sasuke?” Naruto finally asked him. He wanted to speak to Sasuke in private to prevent Sasuke from feeling like he was being backed into a corner, at least. Damn it, Shisui-san! “Why are you in such a hurry?”

            “We’re going to miss your birthday!” Sasuke said after a few seconds of silence. Naruto blinked in surprise. His birthday?

            “That’s what you’re upset about?” Naruto asked, still surprised.

            “We were going to make plans, remember?” Sasuke asked, rolling his eyes.

            “Oh,” Naruto said smiling sheepishly. “Yeah, I remember. Still, it can wait until we get back home.”

            “But it won’t happen on your birthday,” Sasuke said frowning.

            “It’s okay,” Naruto promised. “Really, it’s not that big of a deal to me.”

            “It is to me,” Sasuke said scowling at him. Naruto wasn’t sure why it would be. It was his birthday after all.

            “I’m sure we can still work something out with Yoshino-san and Shikaku-sama when we get back,” Itachi-san said looking amused.

            “Yeah, you don’t have to be so upset about it,” Shisui-san said ruffling Sasuke’s hair.

            “I wanted to go to the festival with you,” Sasuke muttered sounding defeated.

            “Ah,” Naruto said with a grimace. “I don’t think I’d be welcomed there. Anyway, I’d rather spend my birthday at home playing card games with my friends.”

            “That’s stupid,” Sasuke grumbled. “You should be able to go to the festival.”

            “There’s no one stopping him from going,” Sakura said, trying to help Sasuke feel better. Only Naruto didn’t want to go to the festival. Kurama snorted.

            ‘You’re gonna end up going to that festival,’ Kurama said cackling. ‘If not this year, then next year for sure!’

            “The festival will be over by the time we get back,” Kakashi Sensei said sensibly. At least someone was on his side! Sasuke scowled.

            “You do know why that festival is held every year, don’t you?” Itachi-san asked Sasuke. Sasuke looked thoughtful before realization came to his face.

            “Oh, sorry Naruto,” Sasuke said grimacing.

            “It’s okay,” Naruto said smiling. “If it makes you feel better, we can celebrate my birthday while we’re on our trip.”

            “That sounds like fun!” Shisui-san said excitedly. “Any ideas?”

            “Maybe we can find something in the next town we end up in,” Kakashi Sensei suggested. Sasuke nodded, looking reluctant. Sasuke was quiet the rest of the morning. After they cleaned up their mess, they packed up their stuff and started moving again. Sasuke pulled Naruto off to the side a bit.

            “I just want you to have the best birthday ever,” Sasuke explained. He was blushing and avoiding Naruto’s eyes.

            “I appreciate it,” Naruto said smiling warmly at Sasuke. “I’ve never been excited about my birthday, but I’m glad I get to spend it with my precious people.” Sasuke smiled at him. “Besides, I did tell Yoshino-san that I wanted to celebrate my birthday this year. She said she was going to make some plans, but I don’t know anything beyond that.” Sasuke cheered up a bit after that to the relief of the others. Naruto seriously doubted they’d find anything in the next town as far as ideas for celebrating his birthday. From what he remembered, since it wasn’t a ninja village, things were very tense because of the number of bounty hunters who show up there. That’s where Pervy Sage got a lot of his information from, but not all the bounty hunters wanted to talk to a nosy, perverted old man. That resulted in Pervy Sage getting into fights, and usually ended with him being kicked out of whatever establishment he was in. Luckily, Naruto didn’t have to worry about that on this trip. Unless… well, he didn’t want to entertain the idea.

            Sakura and Sasuke had moved to the front of the group and seemed to be talking in quiet voices. They were probably trying to think of ideas for Naruto’s birthday. Naruto was amused. He really had no idea that they’d want to celebrate his birthday so badly. He wasn’t particularly excited about his birthday, and he didn’t think he’d ever be. He was just glad that the celebration of his birthday brought joy to his precious people. Seeing them all smiling and happy like this was a fresh breath of air compared to the future he left behind. Birthdays weren’t a very big thing after so many lost their lives. It was too painful to celebrate a birthday without being able to celebrate it with loved ones. Naruto didn’t think he’d ever get over seeing how happy everyone was right now. Yes, things are still a little tense, but they’re a deal better than they were.

Chapter Text

            To Naruto’s surprise, the group did manage to find something to do for Naruto’s birthday in the next village they were headed to. And would you believe it? There was a festival going on in the next village over. It was to celebrate the Autumn Equinox. “Well, it looks like we get to go to a festival after all,” Shisui-san said as the group read the flyer on the community board. There were going to be food stalls, games, and a firework display later that evening. “It’s in two days.”

            “The village isn’t very far,” Kakashi Sensei said thoughtfully. “What do you guys think?” He was looking at Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto. Sasuke and Sakura looked eager, and Naruto didn’t want to get his hopes up. He couldn’t understand why though. It’s not like that village knows about his Jinchuuriki status. They weren’t going to kick them out the moment they arrived. He was being irrational. He mentally shook himself. He needed to get out of the mindset that everyone was going to automatically hate him. He didn’t have to deal with that anymore after the war in his old timeline. Everyone called him a hero and jumped at the opportunity to meet him. His fame from the war, thankfully, died down, but it was renewed again once he accepted the hat. He supposed coming back in time forced him to remember his hardships, and it was overwhelming him again. It was hard not to be overwhelmed since he had to deal with the glares and horrible names being thrown at him. He just needed to remind himself that it won’t last forever, and he had his precious people on his side.

            “Can we go?” Sasuke asked, looking back at Naruto. “It’s your birthday.”

            “Sure,” Naruto said smiling. He didn’t point out the fact that it wasn’t going to be held on his birthday either. Sasuke and Sakura cheered. The group decided to spend the night in the village, restock their supplies, and then they were heading off to the village where the festival was being held. It took them the full two days to get there. It was about mid-day when they arrived, and it seemed the small village was in full swing. Naruto spotted kids laughing and running through the streets as some adults worked on putting up decorations throughout the village. The entrance had a large, red banner over it with the words ‘Autumn Equinox Festival’ in black kanji. On the sides of the walls, there were posters with advertisements for food stalls and local businesses. Red paper lanterns were being strung up everywhere, and Naruto just knew they were going to look amazing as soon as night fell. The group headed to the nearest inn and checked out two rooms for the night.

            “Are you here for the festival?” The man at the desk asked as he checked them in.

            “Yes,” Kakashi Sensei said chuckling. “The kids were really excited when they learned about it.”

            “It’s going to be our best one yet,” the man said happily. “My nephew and his wife oversee the fireworks this year, and he’s been working hard on them all year. I can’t wait to see all his hard work pay off.”

            “Are there any places you recommend?” Itachi-san asked him curiously.

            “While you wait for the festival to start, there’s a bath house just on the other side of the village. It’s not very big, but they have nice commodities. There’s a rec room for the kids to enjoy.” The man said chuckling. “Kana-san, she’s the owner of the clothing shop here. She’s the one you’ll want to go to if you want to have yukatas for the festival tonight. Also, there will be several food stalls with a variety of foods. There’s going to be some games as well. If you have any more questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

            “Thank you very much,” Kakashi Sensei told him. Then he turned to the rest of the group, and they all headed to their rooms to drop their stuff off.

            “I can’t wait!” Sakura said excitedly. “Can we look at the yukatas, Kakashi Sensei?”

            “Sure, but keep yourselves out of trouble,” Kakashi Sensei said shaking his head. “I don’t want to get an earful from Tsunade-sama when we get back.”

            “She wouldn’t let us travel like this out of the village anymore,” Naruto said shuddering.

            “Don’t worry, Sensei,” Sakura said rolling her eyes. “We’re here to celebrate Naruto’s birthday. The last thing we want to do is ruin it by getting ourselves into trouble.” The group dropped off their belongings and with a few extra protection seals added, they headed to Kana-san’s shop. “Whoa,” Sakura muttered in awe. She was looking around at all the different colored yukatas. Naruto spotted her making a beeline to a Sakura flower themed one. The base color was white with pink Sakura petals for the design, and it had pale pink obi. Sasuke went for a navy-blue one that had gold ginkgo leaves on it and came with a gold obi. Naruto found a white yukata with foxes on it, and it came with an orange obi. Naruto grinned and grabbed it.

            “That’s a bit ironic,” Shisui-san said snorting. Naruto shrugged.

            “And it’s orange,” Kakashi Sensei said giving him a deadpanned expression.

            “I can’t help it if I like orange,” Naruto said shrugging. He definitely could, but he loved this one because of the foxes. “There would’ve been a mob chasing me if I wore this back home.”

            “That’s not funny,” Itachi-san said scowling at him slightly.

            “I wasn’t making a joke,” Naruto said confused.

            “Naruto,” Kakashi Sensei said hesitantly. “Did something like this happen before?”

            “Um… not exactly?” Naruto answered, shrugging. He didn’t want to talk about it. It obviously didn’t happen in this timeline, but in his old timeline… yeah, he didn’t come out of his apartment for a week straight. Kakashi Sensei sighed.

            “We’re talking about this later,” he said sternly.

            “Okay…” Naruto said, slightly pouting. Kakashi Sensei got a boring gray yukata with black swirling designs embroidered on it and it came with a black obi. Shisui-san with for a black yukata with blue crows on it and it came with a blue obi. How fitting. As for Itachi-san, he got a dark purple yukata with white orchids embroidered on it, and it came with a white obi. The group got their purchases wrapped and decided to drop them off in their rooms before going to the bath house to relax. It was a communal bath, so they had to wear bathing suits to get in.

            “This is so exciting!” Sakura said as she relaxed against the wall of the bath. The temperature was just right, Naruto thought. Sasuke looked like he never wanted to leave. Naruto mentally chuckled. He wondered if he was going to end up being a body pillow again. Probably not since they’re sleeping inside. In their room, there were two beds and Naruto was pretty sure he was going to be stuck sharing the bed with Sasuke. Naruto hoped there were extra blankets because Sasuke was a blanket hog.

            “It’s pretty cozy here,” Shisui-san said as he leaned back and sunk into the water a bit more. “It’s a lot less chaotic than Konoha. I wouldn’t mind spending more time here.”

            “You’d miss Konoha,” Itachi-san pointed out.

            “Yeah, you’re right,” Shisui-san said chuckling. Naruto closed his eyes and entered his mindscape. Kurama was lazing about in the field of grass. He looked very relaxed, and Naruto was happy to see it.

            “Kurama, I hate to burst your relaxed bubble, but we still need to get a hold of Son Goku and Kokuou,” Naruto said with a grimace. He really didn’t want to bother his friend.

            “Don’t worry so much,” Kurama said rolling over to where he could sit up properly. “You don’t bother me.” Naruto felt relieved. Kurama just snorted. “Let’s get this over with, then.” The two concentrated and Son Goku came to them first. He seemed pretty upset about it.

            “What is this, Kurama!?” Son Goku growled, glaring at Kurama.

            “Calm down,” Kurama said rolling his eyes. “If you want your Jinchuuriki to live, then you’ll listen to what we have to say.” Son Goku looked down at Naruto when Kurama said “we”.

            “Is this brat your Jinchuuriki, then?” Son Goku asked scrutinizing Naruto. Naruto didn’t get offended though. He knew if he had said anything, it would’ve made Son Goku feel disrespected and less likely to want to listen.

            “I’m Naruto Uzumaki,” Naruto introduced himself. Son Goku huffed.

            “Alright, what do you want to tell me?” Son Goku said crossing his arms.

            “The Akatsuki are after the Jinchuuriki. Well, more specifically, you and your other siblings,” Naruto informed him. Son Goku didn’t respond. “If they successfully get all of you, you’ll be stuffed into a statue and forced to release the ten tails. And if the ten tails is released, a powerful goddess by the name of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki will be released from the moon and will destroy the entire earth as we know it.”

            “And why should I believe you?” Son Goku asked snorting. Naruto held out held out his fist.

            “I’ll share my memories.” Naruto said when Son Goku just stared at him.

            “Fine,” Son Goku grumbled. He connected his fist with Naruto and Naruto showed him everything that happened during the war. He even showed him what Kaguya could do, and what her clan could do. Son Goku pulled away from Naruto, and he looked very displeased. “I’ll warn Roshi, but he doesn’t listen to me.”

            “I know,” Naruto said grimacing.

            “I’ll be persistently annoying, don’t worry,” Son Goku said with a grin. Naruto had a feeling that Son Goku enjoyed annoying his Jinchuuriki.

            “Thank you for listening,” Naruto thanked him. Son Goku nodded and left. “Well, that went better than expected.”

            “Kokuou will be easier to talk to,” Kurama said in agreement.

            “Naruto, don’t fall asleep!” Sakura’s voice brought Naruto out of his mindscape.

            “I didn’t,” Naruto said shaking his head.

            ‘We can work on talking to Kokuou tonight,’ Kurama told him.

            ‘Okay,’ Naruto answered. He was happy that they got through to Son Goku, though. He really hoped that Roshi would listen to him. Eventually, the group got out of the bath and since they had some time, they checked out the rec room. There wasn’t much different from the one back in Konoha, so they didn’t hang out there for too long. The festival was going to be starting in forty minutes, so the group headed back to their rooms at the hotel to get changed into their new yukatas. Naruto decided he didn’t care if he got dirty looks back in Konoha, because he looked freaking cute in the yukata he bought. Kurama snorted at him. What were they going to do? Yell at him? Glare at him? Hit him? He was used to all of that, and he was done caring. He’d already moved past it all before, so he could get past it again. Starting with this yukata. ‘Ne, Kurama? I’ve been thinking about summoning animals…’

            ‘I don’t want to deal with those slimy toads again,’ Kurama said with a scowl.

            ‘I was wondering if there were fox summons,’ Naruto said mentally snickering at his friend and partner.

            ‘Fox summons? Of course, there are, but are you sure you want to do that with how touchy those fools are?’ Kurama asked him. Naruto felt a wide grin split across his face. He couldn’t help it.

            ‘Definitely,’ Naruto said mischievously. ‘Things are getting boring around the village. I want to have fun now that Obito is returning to Konoha.’

            ‘Alright. My only suggestion is if you talk to that mentor of yours about it,’ Kurama said with a mischievous grin of his own.

            ‘Thanks Kurama! You’re the best!’ Naruto said as the group headed out to the festival. Kakashi and the two older Uchiha boys were giving him a wary look.

            ‘And don’t you forget it!’ Kurama said laughing.

Chapter Text

Chapter 37

            The first thing the group did was look at all the food stalls as they were very hungry. There were a lot of stalls that had desserts and some with savory foods, but Naruto found the one he thought was the best. It was a ramen stand! He couldn’t resist himself, and he got a lot of eye rolls from his teammates. He didn’t care though. Ramen was something that he would always enjoy. He did restrain himself and only ate one bowl, because he wanted to check out the other food stalls. He nearly regretted it, because the ramen stand was having a ramen eating contest, and Naruto was very confident that he would win it. Just before he lost his self-control, though, Kakashi Sensei pulled him away. “Aw,” Naruto said pouting.

            “You can eat all the ramen you want back in the village,” Kakashi Sensei said shaking his head.

            “I know, but I like to try ramen in other places if I find it,” Naruto said sighing. “It was really good, too…”

            “I’m sure those people have a shop here, so you can get some before we leave,” Kakashi Sensei said giving him a deadpanned expression. Naruto shrugged. He wasn’t going to get his hopes up. Sometimes, and Naruto learned this from travelling with Pervy Sage, with special events like these, there are specialty foods you can’t get anywhere else. He was definitely going to make his way back here before the end of the night. He wasn’t going to waste his breath trying to explain that to Kakashi Sensei, because he didn’t think the silver-haired jonin would ever get it. Pervy Sage certainly didn’t. Naruto felt like the only people who truly understood that was Teuchi-san and Chōji. The next stall they went to had a bunch of fried foods served on skewers. Definitely not as filling as ramen, Naruto grumbled in his head.

            ‘Will you please stop complaining about insignificant things?’ Kurama grumbled.

            ‘It’s not insignificant to me,’ Naruto said inwardly scowling. Kurama rolled his eyes and went back to sleep. Naruto ate the food without verbally complaining, because at the end of the night it was food. It just wasn’t what Naruto really wanted. They made their way through the food stalls, and Naruto was still hungry. He wasn’t allowed to dwell on it because Sasuke and Sakura had pulled him to one of stalls that had games. The point of the game was to knock over a stack of bottles with a ball. Naruto knew from experience that these were rigged to stay up. He watched as Sakura and Sasuke played a few rounds, not quite knocking them all over.

            “Why don’t you try, kid?” The young guy in charge of the stall asked, grinning down at him.

            “If you insist,” Naruto said shrugging. He paid the fee and picked up the ball.

            “Are you saying you can knock all those over?” Sasuke asked glaring at him.

            “Yes,” Naruto said smirking. “Just watch.” The guy running the game looked a bit nervous. Naruto didn’t cheat per se, but he did add a little bit of chakra to the ball. Well, as little as he could get it with his shit chakra control. Naruto launched the ball at the table with the bottles and thankfully, they did not explode everywhere. The guy just mouthed wordlessly at him. “I’ll take the fox plush.” The plush in question was of a normal red fox with a white belly. The material it was made out of was surprisingly soft, and it was reminiscent of Kurama’s fur.

            “You cheated!” Sakura said when they walked away with Naruto holding the fox firmly in his arms.

            “No, I didn’t,” Naruto said smiling innocently at her. She rolled her eyes. Kakashi Sensei shook his head.

            “You do know those things are rigged to stay upright, don’t you?” Shisui-san asked amused.

            “What!?” Sasuke and Sakura asked wide-eyed.

            “That’s so mean!” Sakura said scowling.

            “That’s how those people make their money,” Kakashi Sensei said shrugging. “That’s how it is at the festival at home, too.” Naruto wouldn’t know, but he assumed all games at festivals were like that. “Besides, even if the guy running the game caught Naruto cheating, he couldn’t say anything, or he’d give away his trick and dig himself a grave.”

            “I suppose,” Sakura said not entirely convinced. The group moved on to another stall with a ring-toss game. Naruto didn’t participate this time because he didn’t really see anything he wanted. Sasuke and Sakura won a prize each. Sasuke surprisingly got a cat plushy, while Sakura ended up with a rabbit plushy. As they made their way around the stalls, Naruto noticed there seemed to be less kids running around than earlier. It was very strange because there were kids everywhere during the day. Where did they all go? Just as he was thinking this, he felt something grab him, making him drop the plush in his hands. He went to yell, but his mouth was quickly covered with a cloth and whatever was on it made him dizzy. He passed out not long after and everything was black. When he came to, he was in a rather large room inside a cage along with other kids in cages. Naruto was confused, but he kept a cool head. He needed to get out of here. The other kids looked like they’d been there a while. They were all sporting cuts and bruises. One of them even had a black eye! A lot of them were whimpering and crying for their parents. How many kids were there? He counted and came up with twenty. Were there others? At least now, he knew where all the kids went. He also noticed that his yukata had gotten damaged. Aw, he wanted to wear that back home. Maybe he could have Yoshino-san take a look at it.

            ‘Focus, brat,’ Kurama told him.

            ‘Oh, right,’ Naruto responded. He looked at the cage he was in. It was small and it had a door with a padlock on it. He needed to break it somehow. He left all his ninja gear in his bag back at the hotel. He didn’t think he’d actually need it, and now he regretted it.

            ‘Try pulsing your chakra into the lock,’ Kurama suggested.

            ‘Will that even work?’ Naruto questioned.

            ‘It will if you send a burst of my chakra into it,’ Kurama said confidently.

            ‘Okay,’ Naruto agreed. He didn’t have any better ideas. He reached around the door and grabbed onto the lock. He channeled Kurama’s chakra into the lock, and it broke open almost instantly. ‘That actually worked!?’ Kurama snorted. Naruto got over his shock quickly and left the cage. He would let the other kids out, but he needed to make sure whoever captured them wasn’t just going to come back and put them back in there.

            “Where are you going?” One of them whimpered out.

            “I’m going to find whoever’s responsible, and kick their ass,” Naruto responded. “Afterwards, I’ll come back and let you out.” When the kid was going to complain, Naruto held up his hand. “Trust me, you’ll be safer in there.” The kid nodded. The other kids watched as Naruto surveyed the room. He had a feeling that whoever grabbed him was probably a civilian, because from Naruto’s understanding, this village has no shinobi in it. The room they were in was barren aside from the cages and occasional debris lying on the floor. They must be inside an old building then. There was a boarded-up window, but there was a crack between the boards letting Naruto know that it was still nighttime. So, he hadn’t been out for too long then. He would’ve asked the other kids what was going on, but he didn’t want to make any more noise. He hid his presence almost entirely as he made his way to the door and checked the doorknob. It was locked. Naruto sighed. He sat down next to the door and decided to use nature chakra to feel out the place. He didn’t draw very much in, because he didn’t want to turn into a toad if he did. That would’ve been hard to explain.

            There wasn’t anyone immediately outside the door. He could use Rasengan to break the door down, but that would cause a lot of noise. ‘You’ve never cared about that before,’ Kurama snorted.

            ‘You’re right. Who am I kidding?’ Naruto asked, mentally shaking his head. He got up and produced a clone. The kids watched in awe as Rasengan came to life in the palm of Naruto’s hand. He dispelled his clone and slammed the Rasengan right into the door, blowing the door off its henges. There wasn’t anyone to greet him, but he could hear several pairs of feet running towards the sound. Naruto made a few more clones and waited. Several men (about ten of them), who Naruto noticed in the village today, came through another door and they looked very unhappy to see Naruto. “I don’t know who you guys are, or what you’re up to, but you kidnapped the wrong kid,” Naruto said glaring at them. Kurama snorted, but Naruto didn’t comment on it. He knew what he said.

            “Get that brat!” One of them yelled. The men all charged at Naruto. It didn’t take long at all for Naruto to knock them all unconscious. After doing some more looking around, he found several lengths of rope and decided to tie up the men in case they decided to cause more trouble. Then Naruto sent out a clone to find Kakashi Sensei and the others to tell them to bring the local authorities back with his clone. Naruto rummaged through the pockets of the men and found the keys to the cages.

            “Thanks so much!” A girl who was about six said hugging him.

            “How long have you all been here?” Naruto asked frowning as he gently patted the girl’s back.

            “A few weeks,” the oldest of them all answered. He was probably a few years younger than Naruto. “They grabbed us and made us fight each other. That’s why we look the way we do.” The boy looked ashamed. “We didn’t want to hurt each other, but they said they wouldn’t let us go home if we didn’t.”

            “Hey, you did what you had to do to survive,” Naruto said with a gentle smile. “I won’t judge you for that. Are there any other kids here?”

            “Just one,” Another boy about five said frowning. “We haven’t seen him in a few days. Those men took him out of the cage you were just in, and he hasn’t come back since.”

            “We just assumed he got to go home, but we don’t know,” a girl about the age of 9 said sighing. “We got a bad feeling that something bad happened to him.”

            “I tied up those guys, so they shouldn’t cause you any problems.” Naruto told them. “The local authorities should be here soon. I found the exit. You can wait there if you want.”

            “Can you show us?” The oldest boy asked.

            “Sure,” Naruto said smiling. He led the kids out of the room and past the unconscious men on the floor. Once they got to the exit, Kakashi Sensei and the others along with the local authorities were waiting for them.

            “Yoko-chan?” One of the male law enforcers muttered shocked. “I thought you’d died!” The man had tears in his eyes as the little girl, known as Yoko-chan, ran to him and hugged him while sobbing.

            “Naruto, you’re okay,” Sasuke said looking relieved.

            “Yeah,” Naruto said nodding.

            “Where are the ones responsible for this?” The guy in charge asked looking at Naruto.

            “They’re tied up in the floor. They’re probably about to wake up,” Naruto said grinning.

            “Thank you so much,” the man who Naruto assumed was Yoko-chan’s father said to him. He had tears in his eyes.

            “Anyone would’ve done it if they could,” Naruto said feeling slightly embarrassed. The man ruffled his hair and then left his daughter with the medical team before joining the other law enforcers in going inside the building.

            “Your yukata got ripped,” Sakura noticed.

            “Yeah,” Naruto said sighing. “Oh well.”

            “Come on,” Kakashi Sensei said chuckling. “We still have time for the fireworks show.”

            “Okay,” the other two said taking off towards the festival.

            “You dropped this,” Itachi-san said handing Naruto the fox plush.

            “Thanks!” Naruto said beaming at him. He hugged the plush to his chest and followed the rest of them back to the festival. On the way to find the best place to see the fireworks, Naruto grabbed another bowl or two of ramen.

            “You’re going to miss the fireworks!” Sakura said scowling at him.

            “I’ll catch up!” Naruto said grinning. She huffed and followed the others. He ate to his heart’s content and about a few minutes into the fireworks going off, he made his way back to the others. They’d found a good spot near the river that ran through there.

            “It’s almost over,” Sasuke grumbled.

            “It is not,” Naruto said shaking his head. He joined Sasuke and Sakura on the grass and just watched the fireworks. They were spectacular, and a little too loud for Naruto’s liking. He was used to loud noises, but his ears were really sensitive for whatever reason.

            ‘Get used to it brat, because once you sign on with fox summons, your other senses are going to get enhanced,’ Kurama informed him. Naruto wasn’t sure he liked that idea, but he knew it would be helpful with detecting enemies.

Chapter Text

Chapter 38

            The morning after the festival, everyone was still a little tired from the night before. Naruto was just happy to move on because he really wanted to get to Uzushio and hurry back to Konoha. He hadn’t heard anything from Obito yet, and it was worrying him. The only thing keeping him from going to look for Obito was the fact that his clone had not dispelled. “What happened with those kids?” Shisui-san asked curiously over breakfast.

            “Oh,” Naruto said, nearly forgetting about it. “Apparently, those guys kidnapped those kids two weeks ago and was making them fight each other.”

            “So, like illegal dog fighting, but children?” Sakura asked sounding disturbed.

            “Yeah,” Naruto said frowning. “Those kids didn’t have much of a choice.”

            “I heard one of the kids saying there was one person missing,” Itachi-san said looking at Naruto curiously.

            “I didn’t have much time to look for the other kid,” Naruto said grimly. “I’m assuming the worst, but they might’ve gotten to go home.”

            “I hope so,” Sasuke said frowning. “Those guys are demented.” As the group were getting ready to head out, they were stopped by the same law enforcer guys from the night before.

            “We wanted to properly thank you for helping us find our kids,” the guy in charge said smiling at them. He handed Naruto a basket. In it were various fruits, miniature fox figurines, and some sweets.

            “I…” Naruto said at a loss for words. “I’m glad I was able to help.” He finally said after a few minutes of trying to figure out the proper response. He still wasn’t used to things like that. He heard snickering behind him but ignored it. They were informed that the reason why there weren’t very many children at the festival the night before was because of the kidnappings. They’d made a curfew for the kids to be inside at a certain time. The guy in charge apologized for not telling them about it sooner and then Naruto got a few head pats from the men. Soon the group was off.

            “Geez,” Shisui-san said shaking his head. “That was some birthday celebration.”

            “You’re telling me,” Naruto said amused.

            “Happy birthday, Naruto,” Sakura said smiling at him. The others echoed the same thing.

            “Thanks,” Naruto said still amused. He still wasn’t going to point out that it technically wasn’t his birthday yet. They ended up stopping by the clothing store they went to yesterday, and the lady there told them she could fix Naruto’s yukata. Naruto was super excited about it. He couldn’t wait to see the chaos that was going to ensue when he got back to Konoha. It will be even better once Naruto is able to sign with the fox summons. He hoped they’d let him and wondered what he’d have to do in order to prove that he was worthy. He knew that all animal summons were protective of their secrets and abilities. Naruto knew the foxes wouldn’t trust him blindly. He might have to think of something, but until then he wasn’t going to worry too much about it. When they finally left the village, the group was headed towards their next destination. It was going to be the longest trip in between villages so far. The next one on the list was the little fishing village that was connected to Uzushio via a bridge before the bridge was completely destroyed. It was going to take them about a week, if not a few days more to get there. They ate the fruit as snacks and saved the desserts for after their dinner. Naruto loved the little fox figurines and couldn’t wait to put them in his room back home. This was genuinely the happiest he’d felt in a really long time, and he hoped it would last. He knew it wouldn’t last forever, but he hoped it would last for a long time.

            “I didn’t realize how long this trip was going to be,” Sasuke said sighing at one point. They were about three days into their trip to the fishing village. Their goal was to rest for a couple of days in the fishing village before asking someone to take them across to Uzushio. There was a village just south of the fishing village where they could restock more supplies if they weren’t able to do so in the fishing village. It was an extra stop on the way back, but it would be necessary.

            “I’m just surprised we haven’t run into any trouble apart from what happened in the last village,” Sakura said shrugging. “Normally, we always find some trouble.”

            “You better not jinx us, Sakura,” Naruto said drily. He really didn’t need any trouble. If their trip could remain as uneventful as it has, then he’d be happy. She just rolled her eyes.

            “I wasn’t aware you were so superstitious,” Itachi-san said amused.

            “You are if you’re in team 7,” Naruto said sighing.

            “What does that mean?” Shisui-san asked confused.

            “The team 7 curse,” Kakashi Sensei added, ominously.

            “That’s some dark humor,” Itachi-san said looking concerned. Kakashi Sensei chuckled.

            “You would too if you knew the history of team 7,” Naruto said shrugging. Sasuke and Sakura looked at him in surprise.

            “It’s not very happy,” Kakashi Sensei said in agreement. “But it’s better to laugh it off now since it’s been years that all that stuff happened.”

            “You have to tell us,” Sasuke said glaring at the two of them.

            “Maybe later,” Kakashi Sensei said after a few minutes. “Anyway, we should stop and make some lunch.” Everyone agreed. Sasuke looked like he was going to be hung up on team 7’s terrible history. Naruto wasn’t looking forward to having to explain how he knew about it. He had said that comment about it without thinking.

            ‘It wouldn’t be the first time,’ Kurama said with a snort. Naruto inwardly pouted at the big fox.

            ‘I didn’t mean to,’ Naruto told the fox with a frown. ‘Anyhow, we need to contact Kokuou.’ Since the night of the festival, they didn’t have the chance to try and contact Kokuou.

            ‘Let’s do it tonight when everyone is sleeping,’ Kurama said decisively.

            ‘Okay,’ Naruto agreed. Naruto still had the fox plush and actually slept with it the last couple of nights. He got teased for it, but it was so damn soft! He didn’t care that he was acting childishly. His physical body was 12 and he was going to act his age. He wanted to enjoy being a kid since he didn’t get to do that the first time around. Naruto had to go to the bathroom, and just as he finished, memories from his clone that was with Obito flooded his mind. Naruto took a second to process them all. Obito, with the help of Naruto’s clone, killed Zetsu and they got rid of all the incubation trees and the statue. They ran into some trouble with the other members of the Akatsuki, but they got out of there unscathed thanks to Obito’s quick thinking. They made it back to the village and Obito had told his clone that he would be fine on his own. Naruto hoped things would go well for Obito, he really did. Naruto was happy that Obito made it back safely. He couldn’t wait to tell Kakashi Sensei! He’d have to wait until tonight probably to tell him though. After a nice lunch, they got back to walking. They had finished off the desserts at lunchtime, and Sakura asked if she could have the basket. He let her have it, but he wanted to know what she was going to use it for. When he asked, she told him it was a secret. He assumed she was going to use it for his birthday somehow, but he decided to let it drop for now. They did end up running into a few bandits as the day went on. They were easily taken care of, but Naruto had a feeling they’d be dealing with them more as they got closer to Uzushio. And he was right of course. After a week, they’d encountered an abundance of bandits and dealt with them swiftly. It was very annoying. Kurama and Naruto did manage to get a hold of Kokuou, and he promised to try and warn Han. With everyone warned, Naruto told Kurama it was probably best to let Gyuuki know that they finally got everyone on the same page. All that was left was to talk to Nagato and Konan. Naruto was kind of hoping to do that with Pervy Sage and disguise it as training like in the old timeline. While they made their way to Amegakure, they could work on the summoning jutsu and have long discussions about seals. Thinking about it really excited Naruto. If Naruto told Pervy Sage everything, it would help him out immensely.

            He hoped they would be able to get through to Nagato and Konan again. Naruto imagined even if the two had tried talking to the rest of the Akatsuki about changing their goals, the other members probably wouldn’t follow them. They’d probably do their own thing, which was probably the best outcome really. If the Akatsuki were abolished after talking to Nagato and Konan, that would be great. Naruto just wasn’t sure how Kisame Hoshigaki was going to take it. He assumed the members of the Akatsuki so far would probably continue their crimes, and eventually they’d all be hunted down by other villages. Even so, it wouldn’t be a problem for Konoha unless another village asked for their help with stopping the remaining Akatsuki members. Now that the Gedo Mazo was destroyed, they didn’t have to worry about the other members continuing to gather the tailed beasts anymore. They still had to deal with the Ōtsutsuki Clan, but Naruto had hoped he had more time to develop the seals he wants to try and seal them away. This was why Naruto wanted to tell Pervy Sage everything. Naruto hoped that he could find more information on containment seals when they go through Uzushio. Hopefully, no one’s come through and destroyed the village even more than it already is. Naruto could do without that, thank you very much! He also wanted to learn more wind type jutsus and hoped Pervy Sage could help him out with those as well.

            The group finally makes it to the fishing village, and they immediately find a place to stay for the next couple of days. “We’re finally here,” Sasuke grumbled. He was slowly losing his patience with the trip.

            “Just think, we get to do this all over again on the way home,” Shisui-san said grinning. Sasuke sighed.

            “Don’t remind me,” he said looking defeated. Naruto snickered. He was happy that his team wanted to come on this trip with him, though. They were very supportive of him, and he appreciated it. They weren’t nearly this supportive in the old timeline when they were this age. To be fair, Sasuke had left the village, and Sakura was working on improving her medical ninjutsu while Naruto was training with Pervy Sage. And Tsunade Baa-chan wondered why it was hard for Naruto to get acclimated into being part of a team. Naruto, for his part, did try his best to work with the teams he was put on. It just wasn’t the same as being on his team with Sakura and Sasuke though. Each team he was put on did things differently and Naruto was never on the same team more than one at a time. It was like he’d forgotten how to walk and was re-learning it, but he kept forgetting how to walk each time. Maybe that was why Kakashi Sensei had started Team Kakashi. However, Team Kakashi changed with Yamato Taichou and Sai, and it was like being on a new team again. Naruto didn’t want to be on a team with them. He wanted to be on HIS team with Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi Sensei. That was something Naruto struggled with on his own and never told anyone about. He was sure it would’ve helped Tsunade Baa-chan figure out a solution, but Naruto didn’t want to seem like he was complaining. She was doing what she could with who she had. Plus, she got mad at him when she thought he was complaining. That resulted in him just keeping his mouth shut whenever he didn’t like something.

            Naruto was more determined now than ever to keep Team 7 together. He wanted their team to last, and not be broken like it was. Things weren’t like that now, though. Naruto was grateful for the second chance in other ways than having the chance to change the future. He was able to change how things with his teammates were and was able to have a better childhood than his previous one. He had someone waiting for him when he got home, and he didn’t feel lonely anymore. He had his precious people who saw him as one of their precious people. To Naruto, in the old timeline, he felt like it was one-sided. They cared about him, of course, but not on the level that Naruto cared about them. ‘No, they had self-preservation unlike you,’ Kurama commented with a snort.

            ‘I have self-preservation,’ Naruto said pouting at the fox.

            ‘You do now, but not then,’ Kurama said rolling his eyes. ‘You always let yourself get hurt whenever there was the potential of one of your friends getting hurt. Most of the time, it was unnecessary.’

            ‘Okay, I’ll give you that,’ Naruto said huffing at his friend. ‘It still doesn’t change how I feel about it though.’

            ‘Whatever you say, brat,’ Kurama said sighing. ‘Don’t you dare die on me.’

            ‘I’m not planning on it,’ Naruto said crossing his arms. ‘At least, until I’m too old to look after myself.’

            ‘Hmph,’ Kurama said before closing his eyes and going back to sleep.

Chapter Text

Chapter 39

            Once they were settled in the village, Kakashi Sensei did some scouting around the village to see who they could talk to about taking the group by boat to Uzushio. While he did that, the rest of them focused on restocking some supplies and did some training. “Naruto, what was that grin about before we went to the festival?” Sasuke asked after they had finished their katas. They were going to start sparring soon.

            “I was just thinking that it was getting a little boring back home,” Naruto said with a smirk. “And I don’t care what anyone thinks about me when it comes to the fox. So, I thought I would shake things up a little.”

            “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Itachi-san asked him, frowning.

            “I don’t care if it isn’t,” Naruto said shrugging. “If they get upset, it’s their problem. There’s nothing against the law about me doing anything with foxes. It’s just an unspoken ‘rule’ that everyone follows. And I don’t see it as it being disrespectful to anyone who died that night. If I was going to be disrespectful, I would’ve caused a lot of property damage or something in the name of foxes or whatever.” Naruto rolled his eyes there. “Anyway, foxes are cute.” As if to prove his point, he pulled out the stuffed fox he got at the festival.

            “You keep that on you?” Sakura asked giggling.

            “Why not?” Naruto asked frowning.

            “It’s nothing,” she said smiling. “I’m glad you like it.”

            “It’s good to see you acting your age,” Shisui-san said chuckling. “I was beginning to worry you were turning into Itachi.”

            “What do you mean by that?” Itachi-san asked confused. The three genin cracked up laughing as Shisui-san just snickered. Naruto put the fox away and the group started sparring. After sparring, they worked on their individual skills. Naruto decided to work on his seals some more. He hadn’t really worked on them since the one he made to remove the seal on Obito’s heart. He was still brainstorming ideas on how to seal away the Ōtsutsuki Clan bastards. By the time Kakashi Sensei had made their way back to them, Naruto hadn’t made any head way. The group took a break for lunch.

            “Did you find anyone who will take us over?” Itachi-san asked curiously. They found a sushi restaurant in the village, and from what the locals were saying, it was the best on this side of Fire Country.

            “I had no trouble finding anyone. It was more of choosing who would take us,” Kakashi Sensei said shaking his head. “They all agreed to help us, but on one condition.”

            “What’s the condition?” Sakura asked curiously.

            “They want us to look at something that appeared over twelve years ago,” Kakashi Sensei said sighing. “Apparently, whatever it is, it’s scared them, and no one has gone near it since it’s appeared.”

            “What is it?” Sasuke asked curiously.

            “They didn’t tell me.” Kakashi Sensei answered. “They said they’d tell me, but we have to agree to help them first.”

            “It can’t be that bad, right?” Shisui-san asked, not really seeing a problem.

            “I don’t mind if it’ll help them out,” Naruto said shrugging. He was all about helping others, after all.

            “I hope it’s something we can help them with,” Sakura said frowning.

            “It’s worth trying though,” Sasuke told her. “We do need help getting to Uzushio.” She nodded.

            “I know,” she said sighing. “I just don’t like them not telling us what it is.”

            “I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Naruto said shrugging. Kakashi Sensei said he’d go back and tell the fishermen that they’d help them out after lunch. The rest of them agreed to go with him. The sooner they could help the fishermen the quicker they could go to Uzushio. The only other thing that would keep them from going was the weather. Naruto knew from experience how much it sucked to be on a boat in the ocean while a bad storm was happening. The group made their way to the docks, and Kakashi Sensei found the men he talked to earlier.

            “So, you’ve agreed to help us?” A man by the name of Dan asked them.

            “Yes, sir,” Kakashi Sensei answered him.

            “You have no idea how happy that makes us,” Dan said looking grateful. “Come this way. I’ll show you what we need help with.” The group followed Dan for a while. They ended up in a part of the village where no villagers were present. It made Naruto a bit uneasy.

            “Does no one come down here?” Itachi-san asked curiously.

            “No,” Dan said frowning. “Not since that thing appeared. We were afraid something bad would happen if anyone messed with it. So, everyone was warned to stay away from it.”

            “How long has this been going on?” Shisui-san asked him.

            “Almost sixteen years now.” Dan said thoughtfully. “This strange man appeared. He was here for three days. He didn’t speak to any of the villagers, and then he just left without saying a word. One of the other guys, Ginzo, checked the place the strange man stayed at and found the thing that’s there.”

            “Was this strange man a shinobi?” Naruto asked curiously.

            “Had to have been,” Dan said shaking his head. “There are no shinobi in this village.” They walked through a completely abandoned residential area. Dan stopped at the last house and turned towards the group. “It’s in there on one of the doors of the bedrooms.” He led them inside and to the door. Naruto noticed there was a seal on the door. It was quite a large one, though. Naruto narrowed his eyes at it as he looked at it closer.

            “What did the man look like?” Naruto asked as he got closer to the seal.

            “He had black hair and these really red-looking eyes with these black designs in them.” Dan said shuddering. “No body liked to look him in the eyes.” Naruto’s mouth went dry.

            “Madara,” Kakashi Sensei said stunned.

            “It’s a good thing no one touched this seal,” Naruto said frowning.

            “Why’s that?” Sakura asked nervously.

            “If anyone were to touch it, it would explode.” Naruto explained.

            “Can you get rid of it?” Dan asked alarmed.

            “With some time,” Naruto said as he studied the complex looking design. Madara was very vicious when it came to his seals. Was he hiding something here? Or was he just doing it for fun? Naruto wouldn’t put it past the crazy bastard if he did it for fun.

            “Who’s Madara?” Sasuke asked frowning.

            “He’s an Uchiha,” Itachi-san explained. “He and Hashirama Senju created Konoha a long time ago. It was thought that he died during a fight with Hashirama Senju, but it appears he survived.”

            “If he survived, why isn’t he in the village anymore?” Sakura asked confused.

            “Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju were friends, but then they had a spat and ended up fighting over it. I doubt he wanted to go back to Konoha after that,” Shisui-san said shaking his head. While this was happening, Naruto had been studying the design of the seal closely. It was similar in some ways to the one that was on Obito’s heart. This was going to take him a few days to figure out how to disarm it.

            “Need some help?” Kakashi Sensei asked him.

            “Yeah,” Naruto said sighing. “This is going to take a few days.”

            “Thank you for helping us,” Dan said looking at the group with a smile. “We want to reclaim this area for our village, but we didn’t want to disturb this place.”

            “We’ll do our best,” Kakashi Sensei told him. Dan nodded.

            “Do you need help finding your way back?” Dan asked him.

            “No,” Itachi-san said shaking his head. “Thank you.” Dan nodded and left them to it.

            “Does the size of a seal matter when it comes to power?” Sakura asked curiously.

            “Yes, but there’s another way to get a lot of power if you’re good at it,” Naruto answered. “There are certain characters of a seal that you could combine together and still get the same exact amount of power.”

            “You have to be careful with those,” Kakashi Sensei said with a warning tone. “If you’re not careful, you could lose your life.”

            “I’ve never done anything like that, though,” Naruto said shrugging. “Knowing my luck, I’d just blow myself up. But anyone who can master the sealing technique and is confident in their skills could totally do that.”

            “Is that what’s happened with this seal?” Shisui-san asked curiously.

            “No,” Naruto said shaking his head. “The problem with this is figuring out how the seal was written in order to disarm it. It’s not a normal even numbered or odd numbered seal. So, you can’t just disarm it that way.”

            “That’s true,” Kakashi Sensei said taking a closer look at it. “How did he make this seal?”

            “That’s what we need to find out.” Naruto said sighing. “That’s why I said this was going to take a few days.” And a few days it did take. Kakashi Sensei and Naruto spent all their time trying to figure out a way to disarm the seal. They stopped to eat and take small breaks, but even during the breaks, they were wracking their brains on how to remove the seal. And then, Naruto remembered a seal he had worked on a long time ago. It was one that could remove seals instantly regardless of what the seal was intended for. He just had to make adjustments for the type of seal he was removing. The only reason why he didn’t think of it when he was considering how to remove Obito’s is because this seal isn’t safe for humans. One evening, Naruto had mentioned this seal to Kakashi Sensei, and he seemed skeptical. So, Naruto showed him what it could do on a kunai with an explosive tag on it. When Naruto placed the seal on it, the explosive tag all but burnt out of existence. It was like Naruto had set fire to the paper the seal was inked on.

            “How?” Kakashi Sensei asked in disbelief. Naruto grinned.

            “One of my creations,” Naruto said snickering. “I forgot about it, I’ll be honest.”

            “You just need to make adjustments for the seal Madara left then?” Kakashi Sensei asked him.

            “Yeah,” Naruto said nodding. With that, the two got to work and by the next morning, Madara’s seal was removed. They checked the bedroom and didn’t find anything out of place. It also didn’t look like Madara had left anything behind, either. “Crazy bastard.” Naruto grumbled.

            “Right,” Kakashi Sensei said shaking his head. “Let’s go find Dan-san and let him know the seal has been taken care of.”

            “Okay,” Naruto said nodding. The two find the fisherman down at the dock and to say everyone there were overjoyed was an understatement. They acted like they’d just won a war or something. Naruto was glad they were happy, but he didn’t think they deserved that much praise. Finally, the group was able to get a ride over to Uzushio, and they were set to go out tomorrow morning. The crew needed some time to prepare.