There haven't been any new stories posted to this Author in several years. I am the original owner of this account and as such, I am rather sorry.
I'm sure there isn't a proper excuse for not posting, but, in my defense, I actually have been rather busy. See, I enlisted in the US Army. Majorly time consuming, time I'm rather proud to have had consumed. Still in the Army, attending university as an English/French major with a minor in Military Science.
And Naruto ended! omg, I literally cried. It was as the official ending of my childhood. I hate that Kishimoto made me like Sasuke. Stupid man.
This story has so many wrong plot points, beware.
Itachi's sort of alive, as is Haku (though he's not in this story). Also, Himawari has been traded in for Neji. I was in training, no internet access, couldn't remember her name so she turned into a rambunctious he namesaken as Neji, srry.
And I killed off Team Hawk, also very srry as I actually like them now...
And here we go,
Curious felt the air. Strange tidings flit across the grass and around the singular memorial stone, blowing particles of dust away. While larger crowds gathered near the stone almost daily to lay the freshest of flowers, or face valued coins, or notes, or other tokens, today only a small trio stood. All males, a blond and two blackets, the blond looked briefly at the older of the two blackards as he gently dropped a white lily by the stone on top of the pile.
"I am sorry we haven't figured out a way to send you back yet," stated the blond sorrowfully. "I'm sorry you had to live the life you did."
"Don't apologize for something that isn't your fault," said the elder carefully as he straightened his forearm bracers.
"Then I don't feel guilty about saying, your eyes still freak me out."
"Dually noted." The younger of the two blackets rolled his eyes, stretching his right arm up and over his shoulder. The blond's eyes widened as he remembered something and he fumbled in a pocket before tugging out a highly decorative scroll. Almost as soon as he had it out in the open, a blond blur snatched it and a black blur tackled the blond blur to reveal a much smaller, female version of the younger black haired man. The ensuing fight over the scroll was brief as the blond man ripped it away from the two children. His bright, violet eyes widened in startled terror as the pretentious scroll unravelled in his hand, falling on the recently placed lily. Everything went white.
A comparatively bare stone stood proudly in the alcove, three bento resting on its foundation. The three bento went flying as the three men landed roughly in a white flash. Appearing to be on fire, the blond shook himself like a wild animal, now crimson eyes flitted around his surroundings. He only seemed to dim when the younger blacket laid a hand on his shoulder. The elder had a red and white porcelain mask in place, his permanently blood red eyes glowing through the slit fixture.
"Why…were you carrying a time scroll in, of all things,…your pocket?" queried the younger monotonously, his one visible eye leaking red. The flames receded from the blond and he seemed to wither away, violet eyes bright but distant.
"Hinata found it in her family library. I thought you might've figured out if it could help Itachi," muttered the blond before he sank down to be seated on his rear, red and black cloak fanning out behind him.
"And now we are stuck?" questioned Itachi curiously. The younger shook his head.
"Sarada may not understand where we've gone, but she should understand well enough to take Sakura to the scroll or vice versa."
"Three from behind. One from your right, Naruto," said Itachi matter-or-factly, standing underminingly. The blond nodded wearily, yawning,
"Kuchiyose no jutsu." A dog sized toad appeared and with a motion towards his right, the toad vanished. "Sasuke, if you would?" The younger blacket squatted next to his brother in all but blood, and stood the both of them upright, watching in amusement as a few throwing knives were disintegrated by an invisible shield.
"Kusowari!" yelled an obnoxious child's voice before a blond boy fell from a tree not ten feet behind the foreign group. "No one takes my lunch!"
"Hn." A black haired boy with a pinkette clinging to his arm jumped down from the same tree though both seemed more wary of the strangers. A silver haired man strolled from the darkness of the forest, the toad hopping after him.
"Rokudaime-sama," he greeted, eye crinkled with a slight nod of his head. Naruto chuckled, his grip on his friend unaltered.
"Shidaime, Rokudaime-san." The crinkled eye shot open wide, evident fear in the dilated pupil. The small blond boy looked at his sensei worriedly.
"Kakashi-sensei, what are you talking about? Who are they? Why is an Anbu guy here?"
"Dattebayo," greeted Naruto congenially, releasing his friend and straightening himself. He stood taller than them all.
"Tch. Who put the dobe in charge?" snarked the black haired boy arrogantly. Sasuke stared down at the boy in annoyance before looking to Itachi.
"If you'd have just killed me too."
"No, Little Brother. Eventually, the message got through." The boy's black eyes flit to the Anbu and he seemed to falter. "You haven't fought me yet."
"I'm not strong enough yet; you'd just kill me. One day though! I'll take our family's revenge for what you did!" A flash of midnight blue chakra and Sasuke had the boy by the collar, suspended in the air.
"You know nothing. He is my brother, and though I know he needs to leave this place, it will not be by your hand." He dropped the boy, flexing the single hand he had used, wrinkling his nose distastefully.
"You both are using too much chakra," stated Itachi. "I know Sakura-chan has told you both to stop using it unless threatened." The pinkette stared at the Anbu in confusion. Naruto slowly squatted to her level.
"Give it a few more years and there won't be a child alive who doesn't want to grow up to be you." Sasuke helped his friend back up.
"Must you be everyone's obnoxious brother?" Naruto shrugged off the arm, violet eyes sparkling mischievously. "What?" Itachi sighed.
"Boruto-kun is free in Konoha with both his father and sensei gone." Kakashi paled drastically, looking at Naruto in abject horror.
"You reproduced?" The blond grinned.
"A couple times! And Hina's pregnant again, too! Any who, hopefully my most loyal advisor will be able to stop my son." Sasuke snorted.
"He's going to kill you when we get back, and that's if there's anything left of you after Sakura's done with you." The blond blanched.
"Nah. Shika wouldn't kill me; he's too lazy. Temari, I wouldn't put it past though. Ne, ne, Kakashi, you worry too much. You were only Hokage for a few months while Granny was in a coma and Danzo-baka was trying to take over. You're still alive, too! You run the Academy and help the teme, here, when he needs an extra body for team building!"
"Need to work on more team building," muttered Sasuke dryly. "I caught Sarada trying to beat the tar out of Boruto for offering to buy her ramen."
"Meh. We seriously need to see Gramps," stated the Shidaime blandly. "As much as I love to confuse the little me, the Anbu in the tree line would rather we go than stay." The three vanished.
"Kakashi-sensei," began Sakura worriedly. "How come older Naruto had violet eyes?"
"There's war on the horizon, brats," said Kakashi bluntly. "Training's over. Let's go to Ichiraku's."
Saratobi stared at the three stressingly familiar strangers that stood in front of his desk. Naruto grinned at the elderly man.
"Dattebayo, Old Man," he finally greeted, eyes bright.
"You and Sasuke finally get along then?" Unexpectedly though the question was, it was Sasuke that nodded.
"Shodaime-sama explained to me what a shinobi is. Itachi protecting Naruto from myself also made me rethink my previous decisions." The Third stared at the roughly cloaked, roguishly masked Uchiha.
"You became an apprentice of my pupil," stated Saratobi coldly and Sasuke hissed. Naruto jumped between the two.
"Forced subjugation with a side effect of indirect tutelage."
"And you just forgave the S-class missing nin, Itachi?" Sasuke soured, visible eye narrowing. Itachi hesitantly removed his mask to reveal his unmarked, paler than life face complete with black sclera and Tsukiyomi irises.
"I was misinformed and was told the truth too late," snapped the now irate man, eye molten red, flashing a variety of designs. Naruto shook his head.
"You know he doesn't know the truth, Sasuke," softly said the blond. "He didn't issue the order. He said Itachi was too young. He wanted him to become the next Hokage." Itachi's eyes flicked back to the Third.
"Danzo wanted a spy in the Akatsuki and a Shaningan. You knew about how reclusive the Uchiha became. I couldn't kill my little brother and I took the mission scroll from your desk before you could read it." Sasuke tossed a dingy, stained, and slightly tattered scroll to the old man who caught it deftly despite his age. Gingerly unravelling it before studiously reading, his face twisting in morose horror. He had barely finished the fifth line when he set the scroll on top of a pile of paperwork. He rested his head on steepled fingers, looking sideways at the Konoha crest on the scroll.
"Naruto, what number are you?"
"Seven, Gramps."
"Five and six?"
"Tsunade and Kakashi. She was hit by falling debris when Konoha was first attacked and Kakashi became the wartime Hokage. I usurped command from Danzo when he attempted assassination on Kakashi."
"War on the horizon, then," murmured the Third absently.
"Not for a while," assured Naruto. "Us Twelve are grown by then and war was foreseeable by that point. One of Orochimaru's many minions decided it would be a good idea to bring a lot of dead rogue's back to life. Itachi's Tsukiyomi and Haku's Hyonojutsu were the cause of their new seemingly eternal unlife."
"So my student remains the bane of my existence," muttered the old man tiredly.
"Actually, Orochimaru is probably the only reason Konoha was able to be rebuilt. It was he that got Sasuke to talk to the Shodaime," shrugged Naruto. Saratobi had a pained expression as he looked at Itachi's blank features.
"You must understand how very sorry I am," he said. "I should have foreseen such things occurring." Itachi replaced his mask. "So, who is this Haku, Naruto? Someone you meet later in life?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow, snorting.
"You take pride in thinking you raised him, but you don't even know his first friend." Naruto pouted.
"That's mean. I never told about Haku because I didn't want him to leave too." Saratobi's brow crinkled. "That C-rank you reclassed to A in the Waves. Zabuza's apprentice, Haku, and I became friends. Kakashi accidently killed him when Haku jumped in front of chidori. Supposedly, he was the last keikeigenkai user."
"He must have been a good friend for you to have kept secret from me," mused the Third, scratching his white beard thoughtfully.
"He taught me my nindo, Old Man."
"It would be unfortunate to be stuck at the age of fourteen," soured Sasuke.
"Are we good, Gramps. I may work in this godforsaken office, but that doesn't mean I like it," groused Naruto. Saratobi chuckled.
"Just one more question."
"Shoot."
"Why are your eyes violet?"
"Kurama and I came to an agreement. He wanted freedom and someone threated to destroy everything ever created. Now he can come and go, relatively speaking, as he pleases and I have his chakra to defend myself and those I care for. Kura's red; I'm blue. Boom! Violet eyes. Can we go?"
"Yes, Naruto. Who am I to deny a fellow Hokage his rights?" Naruto grinned wryly and the three vanished. "So dramatic."
The little blond genin trailed after his teammates and sensei, hands behind his head. He flinched as a rock his him in the back and he froze, tensed, awaiting a second, but none came. Instead, a dark shadow covered him. He looked up, wide eyed, at the older Sasuke who stood, a sharp rock in hand; blood trickled to the ground as he crushed the offending object. Kakashi turned around as silence took over the busy street. The Shikage dusted the blond boy off while Itachi stood by, crimson eyes flashing.
"Who threw it?" queried Sasuke, his rough baritone carrying. He flicked his hand, blood hitting a few disgruntled civilians.
"It's just a rock, Uchiha-san," said the boy evenly, blue eyes dull as he straightened his hite-ate. Sasuke glowered.
"Who. Threw. The rock?"
"Brother, at the corner." Itachi hadn't moved, but Sasuke was suddenly in the aforementioned civilian's personal space.
"I should kill you for assaulting a shinobi." The civilian cowered. Blue light flashed and the following scream wrent the air as an arm hit the ground wetly. "This is better though." The civilian clutched his shoulder as he stumbled backwards. Sasuke vanished and reappeared next to the blond boy. "Naruto Uzumaki is off limits. He is a shinobi and he will have your respect. I will have justice despite the lack of your police force. There will be order." The gathering crowds could only stare at the mysterious Uchiha. Naruto stood at his full height, easily towering over any Yamanaka.
"You've made your point, Brother. I want food." Sasuke barked a laugh.
"Let's go then." He vanished, reappearing with an arm slung over the blond's shoulder. "Come on, Tachi, food time." The masked Anbu shook his head in disdain but followed regardless.
"Kakashi, bring your team. No ramen today, Mini-me!" yelled Naruto as he laughed at something his friend had said. The silvered sensei shrugged and followed after, leaving his genin to trail behind, a much brighter blond nearly hopping beside his sensei light-heartedly.
The bar-b-que was in after lunch lull when the small group arrived and Naruto dove into a corner booth. The rest sat milder manneredly; the genin still unsure on the entire situation.
"This is Hina-chan's favourite place!"
"Team eight eats here," scowled Sakura, crossing her arms. Naruto munched on an appetizer he had somehow acquired.
"So? I can out eat Choji if that's what you're worried about," he assured good naturedly. The pinkette stared in shock.
"Sakura and Ino are rivals right now," commented Sasuke. Itachi readjusted his arm guards.
"It's hard to imagine Sakura and Ino not talking. I know Ino and Sai like sparring with her on Thursday mornings." Sasuke shrugged.
"Sarada gets along well enough with the Yamanaka girl." Naruto snorted. "Your one to talk. Boruto and Neji, the Uzumaki's have single handedly terrorized an entire village."
"Neji's just young. He has a great namesake to live up to, after all! I mean, you're going to have your hands full too; Sakura's having twins, right?" Sakura and the black haired boy blushed furiously. Sasuke crossed his arm to hold his opposite shoulder proudly.
"She's already decided on Itachi and Shisui, great Uchihas." Naruto frowned.
"I thought about naming the baby Haku but figured it could get awkward with actual Haku residing with us…" The entire table darkened. Kakashi's expression went blank.
"He died," stated the blond boy sullenly. Naruto nodded before expressing his recall.
"He, along with several others were brought back to life with the intention of destroying Leaf. He and Itachi were the only two able to defeat the jutsu…Well, there were two others but they were sort of still alive. Haku's awesome though. I have him helping out Kakashi in the Academy." As the House special arrived, the Anbu removed his mask, sliding it to the top of his head. Sasuke shoved a bowl towards him and began eating, giving the blond boy a strange look as the boy finished his second bowl.
"You're dead," whispered the black haired boy, eyes angry. Before he could continue, Sasuke interrupted,
"He is possibly the greatest brother and you want him dead. It won't make you fell accomplished. The only time you will ever feel any worse is when you shove a chidori through a stupid blond who never knows when to give up." Naruto lightly punched him in the shoulder.
"I gave you one task and you accomplished it, albeit not in the way I wanted, but Naruto was the counter measure. It needed to happen," said Itachi solemnly.
"Only because you let me kill you," snapped Sasuke. "I've looked at your stats. You ranked side-by-side with Jiraiya. The only two shinobi that outranked you while you lived were the traitor and Naruto." Naruto coughed.
"You will never agree. What's done is done. Kakashi, you will still teach the basic chidori to the scheming kid. He will cause you suffering, but it's the only way he knows." The entire table stared at him in confundment. "What? Look, I am Hokage. I do actually converse with the Anbu instructors, the dark side of the Academy. I deal with Yamato on an almost daily basis. If anyone knows Kakashi, it's either Yamato or Sai, and both see 'Sempai-sama' as some sort of ultimate Anbu Black Op member." Kakashi paled drastically.
"He could talk?" The question was almost too quiet to be heard.
"I still say he's creepier than Sai," stated Sasuke blandly as he finished his bowl.
"Coming from the man who founded Team Hawk," commented Itachi.
"I also killed Hawk. Uzumaki just wanted my pants." Naruto guffawed while the blond sat straighter, food intake halting.
"She wanted more than just your pants, Hebi-san," chuckled Naruto.
"Uzumaki?" asked the blond boy.
"There are no more," stated Kakashi.
"Karin Uzumaki, the ban of Orochimaru's existence," gleefully giggled the Shikage. "Also a full blooded Uzumaki who's age is still undetermined."
"I have a cousin?" asked the blond excitedly.
"She's not a nice person, gaki. She has no loyalty to her foundings. Not a friendly." The boy wilted a bit. "You're surrounded by Uzumaki, dattebayo. Your hite-ate has the whirlpool crest out of remembrance to a loyal clan." Blue eyes widened exponentially.
"Really?"
"Why is your eye covered?" snapped the black haired boy, glaring at his elder spitefully. Sasuke frowned.
"You haven't even noticed, have you?" The boy furrowed his brow in irritation, seeming to attempt to identify what he could possibly have missed. Sasuke sighed and thumbed the hem of his cloak before tugging it off with his right hand to reveal a void where his left arm should have been. Naruto winced. "Even the kindest of people, if tortured in such and such a manner, can become maniacal, vengeful beings. Ultimately, I was half crushed under a boulder. Despite my own misgivings, Kakashi-san and Naruto retrieved me. Sakura, of course, knew my eyes were the most valuable, but not even she, in all her medical prowess, can fix what's no longer there, so she healed my leg. Naruto, being the idiot he is, donated his left eye. It was my eyes or my arm and Sakura chose right by saving my sight." Kakashi's eye narrowed.
"But you have it covered," growled the black haired boy while Sakura beamed at the praise of her older self.
"I will show you later; I wouldn't reveal it in so public a place."
"And he's not missing an eye." Naruto pointed at his own chest questioningly .
"It grew back. Kurama didn't want a blind vessel." Kakashi frowned.
"You're allied with the Fox." Itachi hid a smile behind a hand as Naruto leaned forward.
"I am allied with all nine bijuu. I have both fought them and fought them and fought beside them. They are loyal to me, and I to them. The Godaime Kazekage and I have been best friends since my Chunin Exams. He's the vessel for Shukaku."
"A bit foolhardy to risk the village," stated the black haired boy and the blond boy wilted.
"The Uzumaki Clan has housed the Kyuubi for many generations. They have only ever had issues when Uchiha play God," growled Sasuke. "I have seen what can happen when a jinjuuriki is left to his own devices and shunned and threatened from a young age. I've also seen how proud and conceited they can become if worshipped. Do not assume anything about such people." He paused. "Actually, Gaara should be arriving soon, with Kunkarou and Temari, pre-liaison."
"Sasuke, you've hated Gaara since he almost killed you," laughed Naruto.
"I may loathe him, but I know a good leader when I see one."
"I expect nothing less from my head of Reconnaissance," glibbed the Hokage proudly and Sasuke shook his head disdainfully. Itachi smiled.
"Obito survived," said Kakashi blankly, having not listened. Naruto choked on the piece of meat he had been eating and set his chopsticks down.
"He stopped being the Uchiha you knew long ago, Kashi," murmured Naruto. "He saw you kill Rin, Kashi, and he was weak by that point already." Kakashi was stone faced. "He killed a lot of people, yourself included. Orochimaru redeemed himself in that he sacrificed another chance at life so that you and those recently deceased might live longer."
"Obito didn't understand. I could explain," iterated the retired Anbu.
"He went mad under those rocks. Nothing you did say or could say will ever change him," expressed Naruto calmly. "It was Obito's generation that plotted the coup d'état against Konoha, and it was Obito himself that obliterated the village. It was left a crater of unidentifiable rubble." Sakura gasped and an inaudible 'no' escaped the blond boy. "You guys bring up a lot of depressing points. Kashi, you become close friends with Gai and Kurenai. You love your job and that you can make sure everyone gets a fair shot," Naruto looked at the blond genin pointedly. "You lose your Shaningan, but you hate using it anyway. You didn't let Shika throw his life away raising his godson." Naruto motioned the blond boy and Sakura. "Team before the mission and this is your team now, eventually with Yamato and Sai." Naruto dug threw his pockets and pulled out the needed cash, laying it on the table and shoving Sasuke off the bench.
"Where could you possibly want to go?" asked Sasuke, righting himself.
"Even when Kashi's stressed, he's never been this twitchy except for when he could decide whether or not to give our names for the Exams. Mini-me didn't go for ramen which means the genin are late."
"For what?" asked Sasuke in confusion. The kage grabbed his friend by his shoulders.
"Konohamaru, Sasuke. Gaara only stopped Kunkarou because you stepped between me and his brother and he didn't understand." The two vanished and Itachi sighed, replacing his mask.
He didn't remember Asuma's nephew being so small. The kid was lucky to only have a broken arm and Naruto handed the child off to Sasuke, turning to the still life puppeteer. Naruto knew he was exuding too much chakra, could feel the killing intent but he pushed it back. This was a kid, not some rogue nin.
"Gaara, please come here," intoned the Shikage pointedly and the puppeteer flinched along with his sister at the sudden burst of foreign chakra. The red head that appeared between Naruto and Kunkarou scrutinized the blond with a sort of maniacal interest, head tilted off to one side.
"It seems hardly fair for you to know me, but I not you," queried the Sand nin. "And so informal." Naruto gave a genuine smile, the whiskers on his cheeks sharpening.
"Naruto Uzumaki, jinjuuriki of Konoha and friend of Kurama, otherwise known as Kyuubi," he greeted, taking a step closer, noting the quickening of heartbeats between Gaara's siblings. Naruto took another step, ignoring the sand flittering at his feet. "I am sorry the man you thought cared about your well-being attempted assassination." The sand quickened and Gaara narrowed his eyes, not noticing Temari's gasp of realization. "However, it does not excuse your rather homicidal tendencies." Another step, but the sand never had a chance to touch the blurred blond before aforementioned blond had attached himself to a wide eyed, frozen redhead, arms tight around the boy's shoulders, forcing the much younger jinjuuriki's face into his own chest.
"This isn't-This isn't a proper choke hold," murmured Gaara conspiratorially. "You have to add chakra for this to work." Naruto tightened his hold.
"I don't have to do anything."
"Why won't my sand work?" The blond's heart broke for the shattering boy and he set his chin on the head of red hair.
"Shukaku fears me and what I am. I am the Kyuubi and he is me. Just relax, Kid. He won't tell or make you do anything while I'm around. You can control Him with practice." The child wilted, collapsing against the blond and the latter gave a squeeze of assurance, but not relinquishing his hold. He looked at Kunkarou admonishingly. "You just broke the Hokage's grandson's arm, by the way. Are you so insecure that you have to abuse children to feel proud?"
"I didn't mean to-!"
"Yes, you did. You would've done worse."
"I would-!"
"Have killed him," finished Sasuke evenly, Konohamaru in his arm, the broken appendage in a make shift sling. Naruto sighed, hoping he was fixing and not ruining.
"I believe Gaara will be staying at the Uchiha Compound for a few days. There are four of us there currently. No one there has any vendetta against him. The two of you need to sort out your priorities and figure out right from wrong." The two shared worried looks; Temari taking a tentative step forward.
"Look, Gaara's our brother. We've never hurt him. We're just here for the Exams and a possible alliance." Naruto straightened fantastically, seeming to hide the fellow jinjuuriki in his folds of his cloak.
"Alliance through assassination?" Temari's eyes widened exponentially. Konohamaru struggled in Sasuke's grip. "Last I checked, a Leaf informant found the Sand Sandaime dead by the hands of a rogue, Orochimaru. Even with your half-witted alliance with Sound, Konoha holds more power within these walls than out. Do you honestly believe the home of the Senju would so easily be overrun?" Temari seemed on the verge of passing out.
"If you attack Konoha," stated Sasuke coldly. "I will single-handedly raze Sand until it sparkles of polished rock." Itachi suddenly appeared next to the one eyed Uchiha.
"The two of you move quickly when you want to. Oh. Did Naruto find Gaara?" Sasuke nodded.
"Sand's attempting an invasion with the help of Sound." Itachi raised a sceptical eyebrow from beneath his mask.
"Most Anbu are in border during the Exams. Sound wants the One Tail, right?" The question was geared to Naruto, but Temari blanched.
"Why would Sound want Gaara?" Itachi tsked from behind his efficient mask.
"There are groups wanted ultimate control; they have to go in order," explained the deceased Uchiha. Temari covered her mouth in shock and wind rippled around her. Naruto nodded and Sasuke vanished with Konohamaru.
"This is only temporary. The Exams are quickly approaching. I want to properly train Gaara; I doubt anyone has actually taught him anything." The blond turned to leave, Gaara so close to his side he had to focus on not tripping.
"Wait!" yelled Kunkarou.
"Yes?" asked the blond neutrally.
"What were your exams like?"
"Two assassinations, a kidnapping, tens of deceased, 164 candidates, only one passed."
"You?" Naruto barked a laugh.
"No. The Council would never pass a jinjuuriki. The kid that passed was the only one to not fight in the finals saying he'd die. Council said he was the most intelligent, and I'd have to agree with them." The siblings seemed frozen as the blond finished. Naruto shrugged, wrapped an arm around the redheads, and vanished alongside Itachi.
Sasuke wasn't surprised to find the old Compound spotless. He found humour in the clone slaving away at the front entrance, the large chain piled off to the side. However, the roguish Uchiha was surprised to find his brother in an apron and Gaara sitting at the kitchen table, cautiously eating a fried egg while Naruto laughed at Itachi's perfectionistic tendencies. Gaara wore a set of Itachi's old clothing with the Sunagakure hite-ate tied around his left bicep snuggly.
"He's agree to let me train him," crooned Naruto proudly and Gaara shrank a bit at the attention.
"You can be rather persuasive," stated Sasuke, a slight smirk on his face. Naruto blustered a bit.
The next few days proceeded without any major issues presenting themselves. The black haired boy had stayed a single night before returning to his apartment; it was too soon for him to truly stay at home. Sasuke had wandered into town for groceries only once. Saratobi had visited, thanking them for saving his young grandson.
"I don't really want to go," said Gaara solemnly, now donned in a dark crimson t-shirt and black cargo pants, as he sat at the table for breakfast.
"But you've done so well!" whined Naruto as he marked up a scroll. "Your siblings miss you."
"They fear me. You think I'll be some great leader."
"You will," stated Sasuke. "The Chunin Exams will secure you that position. You should do it if even just to test yourself. You don't have to kill people to do that, and you'd maybe make some allies."
"And your siblings don't fear you. They fear Shukaku," said Naruto. "Temari cares for you a lot. Plus, you'll get to meet little me! We won't be here long, Gaara-kun. I'm not your guardian but a very close friend." Gaara slumped, but his eyes were brighter than usual with flecks of gold glinting in the light.
"Plus, you can protect your siblings from Sound when they turn," said Itachi. The redhead nodded diligently. The Exams were closer than ever.
Sakura stuck close to Yamato, the successor of Danzo fully garbed in the uniform of an Anbu Black Operative, his hood pulled so far it almost overshadowed his mask. Sakura's white coat flapped slightly in the breeze, her name card clacking against the thin armoured plates of her dress shirt. Her hite-ate was tied to her calf, out of the way of her stethoscope and other movements. As much as she wanted to reminisce the village she grew up in, it just wasn't the same. Having seen the backing of this colourful village, the coming war felt opaque. She didn't like the whispers of evil jinjuuriki and rogue Uchiha. Her new Konoha was far from perfect, but at least it wasn't so dreadfully fake. Yamato leapt rather catlike onto the Hokage's window sill and Sakura followed suit, her heels soundless as chakra silenced their clacking. Saratobi took pride in being startled rarely. However, an Anbu spec op staring at him in plain sight was enough to startle anyone. He calmed, seeing the pinkette delicately stepping up, on, and over the ledge, in heels a bit too tall for an old man's liking. The blue diamond situated in the middle of her forehead made him curious.
"I am looking for three stupid shinobi: two Uchiha and a blond Uzumaki." Her voice was huskier now, but he assumed she did a lot of yelling if he had guessed her mentor correctly.
"Naruto, Sasuke, and a deceased Itachi? You are Sakura Haruno?" He pushed a pile of paperwork to the side to better look at the woman, stopping at her bulging belly. "Would you like a seat?" She shook her head.
"I am Sakura Uchiha, and it's male twins, if you were wondering. Where is my husband and his soon to be fully dead acquaintances?" Saratobi gulped at the glint in her eyes. This was no little Uchiha-chasing fan girl.
"The Shikage has been helping a young Sand shinobi utilize his full chakra. Today is the start of the Chunin Exams so I'm sure he's somewhere near the Academy keeping watch." He glanced a questioning look at the Anbu. Sakura gave a reassuring smile.
"This is Cat. He is the Head of Rot and he runs the Anbu side of the Academy. Though Naruto certainly doesn't need one, Cat is also his main guard." Cat stared blankly at the Sandaime.
"The Head of Root doesn't wear a mask," he pointed out and Sakura wrinkled her nose.
"Danzo wears an unassuming mask, but a mask nonetheless," she stated, eyes cold in remembrance.
"He is a good friend of mine," retorted the old man sharply. Sakura didn't rise to the bait.
"If he is your idea of a good friend, it's no wonder Naruto was always being attacked by civilians. My apologizes for wasting your time, Saratobi-san." The pinkette nodded to Cat and the two left through the proper door, ignoring the chaos she caused by her lack of blond hair and trailing Anbu. She cast a smile towards Konohamaru, frowning at the sling and cast. Kneeling, she offered a hand.
"My name is Sakura; I'm a medic nin. May I heal your arm?" The boy eyed her warily.
"Will it hurt?"
"Absolutely not." Hesitantly, he handed his arm to the tall woman. Green light engulfed the appendage, shattering the cast. The light diminished and vanished altogether. The boy bent and waved his arm, eyes as wide as his smile.
"Thanks, Lady!" And he was off like an arrow from a bow.
"Let's go find the meddlers," droned the pinkette, righting herself and continuing on down the hall.
The first exam ended and the hoard of genin exited the Academy, some loud some quiet. Team seven, always loud, was accompanied by the ever quiet Suna siblings and Kakashi wondered at the redheaded male that walked alongside an almost skipping blond boy.
"His name is Gaara." Kakashi started at Naruto's gruff voice. "He's Sand's jinjuuriki. Still a bit manic, but he's under his own control now. I persuaded his siblings to allow him to stay over the Uchiha Compound for the last few days." The silveret sighed.
"You can't just kidnap people, Naruto." Both jumped as a dark being latched onto Kakashi's back.
"Sempai!" screamed the Anbu theatrically, causing a few shinobi to flinch.
"Cat, control yourself," asserted the pinkette woman calmly as her green eyes bored holes through Naruto.
"Sakura! You came for us!" The woman shook her head in disdain and smiled at the two genin teams that halted in front of them. The pinkettes stared at each other. Like a second thought, Sakura punched Naruto and the blond became a twenty feet deep crater in the ground.
"I thought he was Hokage?" asked the younger pinkette worriedly as Naruto climbed out of the hole.
"Aww…Sakura-chan, you actually missed me!" cooed Naruto affectionately. Sakura rolled her eyes.
"Congratulations, Baka. Sarada's Shaningan activated. She thought she'd killed her father and the Hokage," snapped the rather pregnant woman. "But yes, Naru-kun, you know I could never stay mad at you." Naruto ruffled the back of his head.
"Sorry about Sarada. Poor kid. Yamato, get off of Kakashi. He's too old for you to horse play with." The Anbu detached himself from the now bristling Hatake. Sakura looked at the Suna trio.
"You three are so small now! 'Mari, I promise, a few years and we'll be amazing friends. Gaara, understand that the younger me will be seeing a lot of you in years to come. I am so sorry about the paperwork." Naruto blanched in disgust. "Oh, I'm Sakura Uchiha, Director of the Konoha General and Head of Konoha's medic nin units."
"And you had to bring Yamato?" asked Naruto, glaring at the Anbu pointedly. "You know he's creepy." Sakura sniffed indignantly.
"Shikimaru figured out that scroll of yours but was too lazy to do anything. He said to bring either Sai or Yamato, so I chose Yamato or Sai might've died." She spoke darkly and Naruto nodded affirmatively.
"Point taken." He squatted down to the genin's level, smiling softly as he ruffled Gaara's hair. "All of you, don't take things too seriously. Gaara, Naruto, I swear to your both, eventually, it gets better. Sasuke, for the love of all things holy, acknowledge someone. Even if it's Kabuto, as horrendously creepy as he is, just let someone else pay you some heed." The much younger Sasuke stiffened as the Shikage hugged him fiercely only relinquishing his hold once the boy had relaxed. Sakura rubbed at her belly.
"And don't worry so much about the clan. You are not your father." Sasuke and Itachi appeared.
"Thank you for not bringing Sai," said Sasuke, squatting down in front of his younger self next to Naruto. He lifted the wrap over his left eye to show the violet eye that had a multitude of rings circling the iris. The preteen could only stare while Sasuke recovered his eye. "You'll figure it out, Kid. Kashi's a good guy. He gives up a lot of time for you especially. Don't take it for granted." They vanished. The Sand trio slowly moved away; there was neither a smile nor manic expression on Gaara's face and Temari found herself wanting a violent response if only for any reaction at all. Kakashi found himself the unwitting father of three.
The memorial stone was unchanged, surrounded by a variety of flowers and veterans' tokens. Naruto looked down at his cloak and wedding band. Nothing changed, and perhaps it was the better.
Fin