His head ached, while his vision spun. The Uzukage had an idea as to what was going on though. 43 year old Naruto Namikaze blinked roughly, hoping to clear his aching head a bit. It had been years since he was so disoriented. He made a mental note to never mention this to anyone. The last thing he needed was for his lover to start hounding him again.
When his hearing steadied, he could hear someone calling his name. It was different than usual, though. Instead of the soft spoken tone of his assistant, or the gentle tone of his lover, this voice still had disgust drenched deep inside. His vision grayed for a minute, and he forces his eyes closed to assess the threat level.
He could sense the chakra of several people, 10 others specifically, and most of them should have been dead.
He blinked again, mind racing to understand what he was seeing. This couldn't be real. This had to be a hallucination due to exhaustion. Or maybe, his latest seal exploded, and he was now among the dead.
But no, that wasn't right either. Nightmare, his mind questioned, or a genjutsu. Naruto flared his chakra a bit, testing the illusion. If this was a genjutsu, he knew who was behind it. If not... he tried not to think about it.
Iruka- sensei was long dead, he thought, yet the man was in front of him, questioning something loudly. His hands went to his arms, wanting a weapon in case the people turned on him again. He froze when he felt cloth over his arms. He hadn't worn anything with sleeves in years, not since he had perfected the skin seals that could be used to house weapons and other equipment.
Shaking fingers, the only thing he couldn't steady, carefully yanked the sleeve over his left arm, tearing the bright orange fabric that he hadn't even thought about in years. His skin was scar free, pale, and there were no hints of his seals.
The calm teacher he had been so attached to as a child had abandoned him like most of the god forsaken town had. Dread was starting to rise in his stomach as he turned his head.
This had to be an illusion. There was no way this was real. "Very funny Dai, I know you want to impress Haruhi, but this is going too far. Daishiro, you're grounded when I break this." He said calmly. He was a kage, and he would be damned if he was going to let anyone rattle him again. "Did Bolt put you up to it?" He questioned, waiting for his fourth born son to let the illusion drop. Boruto was the only one who could turn his usually quiet and calm brother into a raging mess. Being seven years older, Daishiro should have known better than to let his brother goad him on.
It didn't matter that Daishiro Namikaze had more chakra than most people, his son was extremely talented with all forms of genjutsu. It had been a huge surprise when he had come home from the academy in his first year, happily talking for an hour about his new favorite thing in the world. While Naruto was never very good with the control that genjutsu required, his son was able to do understand it as easily as breathing. He had been very careful not to let his own failures dictate what happened with his children.
Besides, it was good practice for what had come later. When his third set of twins had announced what they wanted to specialize in, it had only been because of Dai that he hadn't panicked. Now, Yuma could craft some of the best weapons in Uzu, and Yuki was feared as a poison mistress outside of their town.
They, like all graduating ninja in Uzu, had announced their specialties a week before they left the academy at 12. Now, he couldn't imagine the fifteen year old twins doing anything else, even if Yuma had another job that was even more important. He hadn't been pleased to find out that his then 12 year old Yuma was pregnant with her teammates child. If Toshihiro hadn't sacrificed his life to save Yuma's, he probably would have killed the kid instead.
He couldn't imagine life any other way now, though he did often wish that Yuma hadn't had Tsukimura so young. Then, his granddaughter would look at him with shining purple eyes,
Speaking of, he knew that and he would melt.
He flared his chakra once more, silently telling his son to give up. He really didn't want to hurt Dai, but he wouldn't have a choice if this didn't end soon.
Then again, he was Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki, the Yomdaime of Uzu, also called the Shokage of New Uzu. He was the sage of Destruction, a sealing master, and the creator if over six hundred useful jutsus. He was the reason people would never even think of attacking Whirlpool. He could survive this easily.
And maybe, he would be able to learn more about his son.
"Where am i?" He questioned, turning his attention back to the fake Iruka's, before pausing. This wasn't an illusion. Even if it was, he would have been able to sense it. His mind told him that the chakra signature in front of him was Iruka, and his nose confirmed it. He had a sinking feeling that he hoped was wrong. "No, when am I?"
"Where do you think baka? Honestly, do you even have a brain?" Sakura huffed at him, her long pink hair swayed behind her back. Ino's green eyes widened at her friend/enemy/rival. "Now sit down before Iruka-sensei decides to kick you out again."
He took a moment to look at his classmates. He had forgotten how much he hated most of them. Though, he would admit that as children they were adorable. Sakura was just as entitled as she always had been. Sasuke, the betrayer, was watching with curiosity, but wasn't going to step in. Ino, Choji, Hinata, and Koga all seemed to know better. This wasn't the idiot they were used to dealing with.
He couldn't help the softening in his eyes when he saw dependable, steady Shino and brutally honest Shikamaru. Out of everyone there, these were the only two he knew he would hesitate to hurt. They were people he trusted, and he knew that the older versions only had his best interests at heart. They were the only people out of the entire country of Konoha that had stood by him.
He saw Iruka Illusion's face harden, as if he was waiting for someone. "Who are Daishiro, Haruhi, and Bolt?" The sort of there man asked. If he didn't know better, Naruto would have said he was stalling for time.
Naruto rolled his eyes and snorted. It didn't matter that the thought that this was an illusion was fading more with every second. He couldn't help it, as a child, he had been inclined to listen to the voice of the teacher, but after having not one, but five genin teams of his own over the years, the voice didn't affect him in the slightest. Still, everyone knew his family, and even Konoha knew that the monsters family was untouchable. "Two of my sons who are going to be grounded forever, and one of my genin who is going to be going on D missions by herself for the next month." He waited for a moment, before realizing that yes, he had been working more, and the two boys probably just wanted his attention.
Naruto rolled his eyes again. He would remind them of how much he adored them, and indulge in their insanity for a few moments. "Daishiro is my genjutsu specialist, my sixth born child, and fourth son. He can manipulate chakra like no one I've ever seen before. He is a bit more sneaky than I remember ever being, twice as determined, and nowhere near as stubborn as I am. He goes with the flow more often than not, yet he can rage like no other. Usually, he's one of my more level headed children, until his little brother steps in of course. Boruto is my youngest son, and to my horror, takes mostly after me. He's louder outside the house, over thinks things to the point of obsession. He's my prankster, and has gone a long way to being more powerful than I could ever dream of. For some reason, Bolt decided to be a trap specialist. Not what I expected, I admit, but he knows mechanics like no one else. He's my sunshine, and Dai is my sanity. "
At the lack of sound, he frowned. Had they really not known how much he adored them? They were his babies, even though they were growing up too fast. He wondered if his punishments on Daishiro as a member of his fourth genin team had affected his son. He had been hesitant taking on his son, but he had hoped it would help them get closer. And it had, for a little while.
Up until he had taken on a fifth team. As a kage, he knew that having a team wasn't exactly safe, but the team had lost their sensei on their first C class mission gone wrong. They had started rebelling and closing off. As someone who had lost everything, he could relate, and taken the team under his wing. He hadn't regretted the decision to take them on even once. Even if they were... a little less sane than his other teams had been.
Takashi had become a leader to the other two, and had been the one carrying their sensei's body after being killed. For a medic, the boy was extremely volatile. Genichiro had been a taijutsu specialist, but had taken on a second specialty, bukijutsu. He was scary with his sickles. Haruhi had taken on the roll of a genjutsu specialist, and had bonded with Daishiro as a mentor more than anyone else. He was so proud to see his teams and kids getting along.
"And how many children do you have exactly?" Fake Sakura asked, turning his attention from his mind to the situation he was stuck in.
Naruto didn't bother hiding a smirk. Those who didn't know about his family always had the most amusing reactions. "In order? I've got five sons, Akira, Kunimitsu, Keima, Daishiro, and Boruto. My daughters are Kagami, Kaiori, Masumi, Yuma, Yuki, Hisano, Harumi, Hikari, Kairi, Reika, and Takama. All together, that's five sons and eleven daughters. I also have three grandsons, a granddaughter, another grandchild on the way, two daughters in law, and a son in law. That's not counting my genin, as I've had 5 teams under my guidance. Oh, and Uzu. Technically, everyone there is my family as well."
As a child, he had always wanted a big family, but he never even thought about having as many as he had.
He chuckled at the looks of disbelief. They couldn't believe someone had willingly stayed around him for that long
Hell, he knew they were probably horrified that he had been allowed to reproduce I'm the first place.
"Congratulations. " Shikamaru said calmly. At the looks from his classmates, he rolled his eyes. "Troublesome. Clearly, he became a kage. Honestly, I don't know how anyone is surprised. He's one of the most determined people I know. Of course he would have become a kage."
That's when he heard it, the screaming, terrified of one of the children. He bolted up, rushing to the door. No one hurt his children and got away with it. Everyone knew better than to even think about attacking his family. Not that most of them couldn't protect themselves, but because he would let himself drown in a cool rage until they died beneath his hands.
The door opened before he could, revealing the terrified faces of Boruto and Takama. Daisuke had his hands out, trying to hold back the strangers with his genjutsu, while Akira viciously held their attackers as far away from his younger siblings as he could. Naruto felt his vision go red as he recognized that Konoha's ANBU were trying to capture his children.
His hands sped through signs, stepping in front of his children with Dai the furthest back in case the fake Iruka tried to attack. "Storm Release: Frozen Corpse!" He didn't miss, but he had been careful not to kill them. No, this was just a misunderstanding. If it wasn't, he would burn the town to ash himself.
The ANBU froze, entire bodies going numb. He did this in stages. The first was to just restrain his enemies. The second was for torture, as the frostbite would quickly take over. Even if they got away, which they wouldn't, they would lose several limbs. The third attacked the inner organs, freezing the heart, lungs, and blood causing death.
"Why, pray tell, are you trying to hurt my children?" He asked coolly, unfreezing the three ANBU enough that they could talk.
He could feel the looks on his back, going between Bolt and himself. They looked similar, almost identical actually. Akira had his blue eyes, but had the blood red hair of his father, and was more willowy than Naruto was.
Daishiro was a blonde, but it was a paler color than his. His eyes were a strange ivy green, and his hands were trying to help his oldest brother keep the others back.
His littlest girl, Takama, looked more like her own father with intelligent, yet terrified, brown-black eyes and deep brown hair. His own features were obvious in them, but none as much as his Boruto.
Bolt had his sunny blonde hair, mischievous blue eyes. He was shorter than most of the kids his age, like Naruto, but his loud, bright personality made up for it. Boruto had declared that he would live up to his name, and had become fast, almost as fast as he was. The mini-blonde had more than just his looks though, he had his more studious side when he needed to, and worked hard to gain every bit of strength he had.
"Dad?" Akira asked incredulously. He spared his oldest a glance. That was when it clicked in his head. His son was taller than him, and not only by an inch or so, like he had been after his last growth spurt. No, Akira was at least a foot and a half, maybe two feet, taller. His baby girl was almost as tall as himself. Realization made him flush. He wasn't just stuck I'm a nightmare or an illusion as an adult, but he looked like he had back then. He didn't want to, but he knew that each of his ribs would be showing should he take his shirt off. He was extremely delicate at this point. Daishiro and Bolt weren't able to stop their snickering. They were used to seeing him as the respectable Kage that he had become.
They never knew about thus part of his life.
"What are you wearing?" Bolt asked, laughing so hard the words were almost silent.
Naruto grimaced. "Yes, I'm actually wearing an orange jumpsuit. Yes, I am aware it looks. Yes I look like an idiot in kill me orange." He answered, before spinning around, eyes firmly on his fourth son. "What did you do?" If it wasn't an illusion by Dai, then it had to be Bolt's fault.
Dai raised both hands and took a step back. "It wasn't me, mini dad." He told the irate blonde, laughter clear in his voice. "I'm powerful, but I felt you flexing your chakra. I couldn't hold up am illusion through that."
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Sure it wasn't." The gesture, instead of terrifying his son made him break into laughter.
"You look just like Bolt when he's pouting, daddy." His baby girl told him, tilting her head in confusion. "Why do you look like Bolt?" Clearly, the six year old couldn't understand time travel. To be fair, he didn't really understand what was going on either.
He knew he had to see for himself, he wouldn't be able to believe his mind until he had. He took a deep breath, hands starting in a seal. He pretended not to notice Iruka getting between him and his once teammates.
"Storm Release: Mirror Shard!" He brought only a single shard forward, and lifted it to his face. His eyes went cold.
He ran a frustrated hand through his hair, unable to keep himself calm. This was bad. Really bad. His children never knew much about Konoha, if only because he couldn't bear to tell them. As far as they were aware, he had left because it was time for him to move on. But that wasn't true.
He could still remember the cold, numbness that seemed to drown him when he got the news that he had been banished by the sixth. He couldn't believe his old sensei had called him a dangerous beast that needed to be put down. Kakashi had forced him to face the reality that Naruto wasn't worth enough to keep around.
He pasted a fake smile on his face, unsure if that was the right way to cover up his horror at being back. His oldest two saw through it, he could tell by the frown on Akira's face, and the sudden soberness on Daishiro's.
"He looks like me, baby girl." He told her softly, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Now, come on. We need to talk to the Hokage."
"Who are they?" Iruka asked bravely, making Akira tilt his head.
"Why are the traitors talking to you?" His oldest asked, anger starting up.
Naruto bit back a sigh. "Its... complicated Kira." He told the red head. "And Iruka, I would like you to meet Akira, my oldest, the red head, Daishiro, my pale blonde son, Boruto, the mini me, and my little hime, Takama."
"I don't believe you, dobe." Sasuke spoke up. "I don't believe anyone would be stupid enough to let you knock them up. Hell, I doubt anyone would even let you touch-"
Akira was behind Iruka and had a knife pressed up against Sasuke's pale throat. But, it wasn't his oldest who spoke, but Daishiro. "No one speaks to the Uzukage like that. More importantly, no one speaks to our papa like that. I don't know who you think you are, but I promise, we can destroy you without effort. I can shred your mind with a few words."
"Enough you two." Naruto said, rubbing his forehead, "He's no older than Bolt. It wouldn't be a fair fight."
Bolt surprised him by stepping in front of his father. "Maybe not, but I'm not stupid enough to insult a kage, or someone who just took down several of our towns best warriors."
Naruto huffed a laugh. "Yes you would," he said fondly messing up his sons hair, ignoring the fact that he had to reach up to do so.
A thought made him pause for a moment."This is graduation, right?" He couldn't help but ask, "Have I graduated yet? I don't think I've even stepped foot in here since the assignment day."
Iruka cleared his throat. "No, you haven't."
Bolt looked thrilled. "You mean I graduated before dad?" He asked happily. Dai smacked him in the back of the head.
"Be nice. You and I both know that he could have passed the stupid test years ago!" Dai muttered, "He told us he failed because his teachers..."
Naruto cursed himself. Who has told them that? He certainly hadn't. "Boys." He said lowly, "Be quiet for a minute." He didn't want them to know about his past, nor did he want Konoha to know just how much he had been stifled as a child. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to remember what the three jutsu he needed to know where. Uzu and Konoha had completely different tests.
An idea sparked in his mind, as a slow smirk played on his face. "Let's see, Iruka. It was something like this." He changed his appearance with a simple hand seal, choosing to copy his adult form instead. The smoke cleared, and 42 year old Naruto stood where 12 year old Naruto was. "Then this." He made three clones of his adult self with his old favorite jutsu.
Then, he substituted himself and his children for a couple of leaves he knew had fallen already. When the smoke cleared in the classroom, Naruto would never see the simple sign Boruto had left for them. "Dad passes!" was left where he had been.
Luckily for Naruto, his children had been able to read the plan in his eyes. They knew how to read his eyes and his chakra. When they reappeared outside of a familiar building, he felt his heart fall.
This was real, and as he allowed his illusion to fall, he knew that he was going to be forced to tell some truths that would hurt his children, and those who had once been his family. But, if it would keep his family safe, he would burn down his one time home.
His youngest grabbed onto his hand, and peeked up at him through her lashes. He gave her a soft smile. For her, and his other children, he would gladly suffer.