A/N: As I sit here writing this, I'm still putting the finishing touches on the purpose of this fic.

See, as you'll know if you've been reading Walking Backwards on a Tightrope, I've been considering doing a set of stories centered on a lot of the major Naruto fanfiction clichés. The idea is to take the clichés and give them my own original twists. Walking Backwards is a time-travel story where many characters travel back, completely separate from each other and with no knowledge of the others' movements. They find themselves back and with others who are acting oddly.

The sequel I intend to write to that, which I think I'll call Luck of the Draw, is going to use the next-generation cliché, though I still haven't decided on the original twist I'm going to give it (aside from the obvious – some will have time-travelling parents).

That's my problem here. As you've guessed by whatever summary I've put up, this is a FemNarutoxSasuke cliché-twister. I've been sort of binge-reading that pairing and, disappointed with the lack of really good works of it, I decided to try my own hand.

But what twist to use…? Of course, you already know (or can guess) what I've decided, since it's probably in my summary. But I haven't written the summary yet.

So what do I do? I considered making Sasuke female as well – THAT'd be a twist – but I'm not comfortable enough yet with homosexual writing to make it my main pairing. There may be a side pairing of it somewhere in here. Dunno. Anyway, that won't work.

Hmm. It has to be something original. Preferably something obvious, like Walking Backwards was (I'm still surprised so few have done that before me). Something anyone could think of, only no one bothers to.

…

I considered making Sakura a boy for a while – decided the idea was stupid.

…

Using this as an opportunity to break the weak-Kunoichi precedent Kishimoto sets would be good, 'cept that's been done in Konoha no Sentou Arashi, and since that is, I believe, the most-reviewed story of this pairing, copying it does not constitute chliche-twisting.

Hmm…

I dabbled for a bit in the idea of making Naruto start out as one of the popular girls in her class, but then I realized that I honestly had no idea how one would write that. Or why.

…

I considered the idea of making Naruto be a timid, almost Hinata-esque character (my explanation is the difference in her balance of estrogen to testosterone – essentially, girls act naturally different from boys), before deciding that (a) it's not Naruto anymore and no one would like it, and (b) She probably wouldn't wind up on Tean Seven anymore and…

…I swear, whatever it is, I just brushed it. I want her on Team Seven, anyway. I think… it has something to do with Kakashi…

I… Nope. Thought I had it – Kakashi adopts her. (A) that's been done, I saw it, though not with fem!Naruto, and (B) Naruto wouldn't be Dead Last and therefore wouldn't be on Team Seven.

Dammit.

So… Kakashi. I still maintain that he's the key.

All right, let's think. I can do nothing either to raise Naruto's academics or to lower Sasuke's.

I've got it. Kakashi isn't the key. Naruto being a girl is just a small change – a rerolling of chance, if you will. So lets reroll ALL the chances. Everything that happened because of an odd chance in the canon may not have happened now. Team Seven won't have gotten the Wave mission. Some of the class might randomly be of different genders.

What if Madara was too late to save Obito? What if Jiraiya had brought the Ame orphans to Konoha? On the other side, what if Yagura, left to his own devices, advanced the Mist, and Naruto's team find themselves wartime Genin?

Cause and effect and the butterfly's wings. The possibilities are endless. And that, my dear readers, is my twist.

Let us call this Left to Chance.

Left to Chance

Prologue: Priori

Jiraiya looked down on the three hungry children. Damn this war, he thought bitterly. Too many such youths wandered Ame's lands now or lay dead in the towns and countryside, too weak to continue the never-ending struggles of life.

"Please?" asked the orange-haired boy in the lead quietly. "May we have some food?"

"Should I kill them?" Orochimaru's voice from Jiraiya's right was not cruel – only softly cool and calculated.

"How can you even ask that?" Tsunade exploded from the newly-dubbed Toad Sannin's other side as the youths backed away in alarm, looking at Orochimaru with wide eyes.

"I've seen many of these war orphans in this land," said the new Snake Sannin flatly. "And killing these would be a mercy, not a cruelty – it would save them from a slow death of starvation."

Privately, Jiraiya agreed with his rival – but the fierce glare on Tsunade's face made him think better of saying so.

Still there were much greater mercies. Perhaps he should…

He blinked. He thought he'd seen something odd in a crack in one of the children's long, deep red hair.

"Hey, kid," he said to that one, "What's your name?"

The child stepped back in surprise. He was probably blinking, but Jiraiya couldn't see under the mop of Uzumaki-red hair.

And that was precisely the problem.

"N-Nagato, sir," he said quetly, looking down timidly.

"Nagato," said Jiraiya, nodding. "Do me a favor – let me see your eyes."

Nagato stepped back in alarm. "W-why?"

"Hey, I'm not going to hurt you," said Jirayia quietly, squatting on the ground in front of the boy. "You have some kind of unusual eye, then?"

The boy nodded slowly. "Yeah…"

"Can I see it?" Jiraiya asked. He had to be sure.

"Why?" the orange haired boy said, coming to his friend's flank. "What are you going to do to him?"

Jiraiya blinked. "Nothing," he said honestly. Then his eyes widened. "Oh… did someone… hurt you because of those eyes?"

Nagato said nothing.

Then he split his hair.

And Jiraiya found himself staring into the unmistakable ringed gray of the legendary dōjutsu – Rinnegan.

He heard Orochimaru give a sharp intake of breath behind him and Tsunade's whispered "Kami above…"

Jiraiya blinked himself and nodded at Nagato, smiling. "Yes, we've got food, thanks for showing me that eye."

"Would you have given it to us if he hadn't?" the girl asked quietly. She'd been silent up to then.

Jiraiya looked at her. Then his shoulders grew slack. He must have sounded like he was bribing them with food.

"Yes," he said honestly. "I would."

They had dinner with the children that night. Then Jiraiya had a whispered conference with his teammates.

"Look, we'd almost certainly know if something was off," he told Tsunade. "And we can handle 'em anyway."

"You're outvoted, Tsunade," said Orochimaru softly.

Tsunade clenched her fists. "Anything happens to get us killed, you're both dead," she promised grimly.

Orochimaru chuckled. "That is obvious, my dear."

"Dead again."

They returned to the children who'd been finishing their food.

"We've decided on something," said Jiraiya, whom the children seemed to have taken a liking to. "Look, in Konoha, our village, we take care of our kids – even orphans. And we respect abilities like those eyes," here he nodded at Nagato, who looked surprised. "Those who bear that kind of power from our village's greatest clans and make us strong."

"So we want to offer to take you three back to our village," said Tsunade quietly. "Jiraiya thinks you'd make great Ninja.

The three looked at each other. Then the orange-haired Yahiko said, "We… don't like you Ninja."

Tsunade looked surprised, but Jiraiya nodded. "We've caused all of this damage to Ame and you hate us for it," he said simply.

"We don't hate you," said the girl, Konan, quickly.

"Not anymore," Nagato added in an undertone that only Jiraiya's training allowed him to hear.

"But we're not sure we want to go to one of the villages that caused all this," said Yahiko. Jiraiya didn't have to ask what he meant.

"Look, kids," he said, meeting each one's eyes in turn (except Nagato's – he just looked at the boy's hair). "I know exactly what you mean," he told them quietly. "I want to end this cycle of hatred myself – this cycle which causes war after bloody war. But I don't know how. No one does. Not yet. But I'll be damned before I let that keep me from trying to help you three. Let me help you. Let Konoha help you. And one day, maybe we can confront that hatred together."

There was silence. Then, softly, Nagato murmured, "Well, I'm in."

"So am I," Konan agreed.

After a moment, "Me too," said Yahiko with a sigh.

And in a few weeks Konoha had three more students in its Academy.

Obito's world was very dark. He could see nothing. He might have one eye left, but it really wasn't much use trapped under a rock like that.

The pain had stopped a long while ago, and all that was left was a cold numbness, spreading through his body as he was crushed slowly into meal.

He had no concept of time anymore. All was just waiting – waiting to die.

He heard scuffling around him, and then a deep voice said quietly. "Uchiha Obito. Come, I could use your assistance, and it seems you could use mine.

"You're too late," Obito said, and he knew it was true – just moments ago, he'd felt something – or some things – give in his torso under the stone's weight, and every second it was getting harder and harder to think…

"I doubt it," said the man, and Obito felt the rock over him move slightly.

Obito didn't complain about the sudden jostling of the load over his broken bones, because that jostling had driven a couple of his ribs into his insides.

"Obito?" the young Uchiha heard the old man's voice over him. "Obito? Damn it! No!"

And that was the last thing he heard.

Minato closed his eyes and sighed in relief. It was over. He smiled as he heard the squawling baby in Biwako's arms.

"It's a girl," the Hokage's wife said cheerfully.

Minato smiled, looking over at her. The child had inherited his blond hair, unfortunately, but its face was Kushina's at least.

His wife smiled weakly on the operation table. "All right," she said, smiling. "So, Minato? Shall we stick to our plan?"

"Yes," he smiled back. "Her name will be Naruto."

"Touching," said an old voice, hoarse and deep, from the doorway. Minato whirled. Biwako and the other medic who had been present lay on the stone ground, either unconscious or dead, and his daughter was in a stranger's arms.

But not a particularly unknown stranger, he realized as he studied the aged man's face and long hair – and the Sharingan in his eyes. "Uchiha Madara," he breathed, stunned.

"Yes," said the ancient man flatly. "I would have sent my successor, but I had the misfortune of arriving a little too late to save the boy. You are fortunate – Obito would have lived longer than I."

"Obito?" Minato asked, his breath catching – the first death among his team of students still hurt now, years later.

"The boy would have served well," muttered Madara furiously. "But he had to go and get himself killed. Now, I have business with the Kyūbi." His grip tightened on the kunai at Naruto's neck. "Step away from the Jinchuuriki."

Minato was in agony, but he knew what he had to do. The Will of Fire dictated it, after all.

He looked down at Kushina in apology and rushed Madara. The man let him take the child and vanish in Hiraishin.

Minato reappeared in a safehouse of his nearer to the village. He quickly deposited Naruto in the crib inside and kissed her forehead, hoping to calm her – she was crying quite loudly. "Shh, Naruto," he murmured, soothingly. "It'll be all right."

And then he left for the last battle of his life.

Nagato slammed his fist down on the Hokage's desk. "This is absurd," he growled, Rinnegan eyes wide and furious. "I am the only family the girl has left in all the world, to our knowledge. Jiraiya-sensei is her blasted godfather, for Kami's sake. How can you ask us to remove ourselves from her?"

The Sandaime looked grim. All four of them did – Kakashi stood alone in a corner, stoic and cold as ever; Nagato wondered if the man had shed a tear since his teammate, Obito, had died, but he was certain that Kakashi was likely as grieved as Jiraiya – who had actually broken down upon hearing the news (for only a short while, of course, for he was a Sannin) – and far more than himself. Naruto might be a distant blood-relative to the girl and her mother, but there was no bond quite like that of student and pupil – at least not in Konoha, where the Will of Fire was the creed by which Shinobi lived.

"You know I don't like it any more than you do, Nagato-san," said the old man quietly. "The girl is the daughter of Namikaze Minato. She is a target – a more obvious one than is at first obvious, even."

Nagato grimaced. "Jiraiya-sensei, Kakashi-kun and I can protect her," he muttered mutinously.

The newly reinstated Hokage shook his head tiredly. "I don't doubt it," he said quietly. "Unfortunately, Danzō is quite right when he says that it is safest of all to simply stop her from being a target."

"So we sever all clear connections between the girl and her parents," said Jiraiya dully. "The three of us associate with her only as much as necessary, so as not to arouse suspicion."

"And because she could be targeted by your enemies as well," said the old Hokage grimly. "If word got out that Jiraiya of the Sannin, Nagato of the Rinnegan, or Kakashi the Copycat had taken a small infant under their wing, I'm certain that many would love to see the child dead."

Nagato clenched his fists. "They will hate her, you know," he whispered furiously. "Minato-sama wanted her to be recognized as a hero for containing the Kyūbi. But after tonight?" he laughed mirthlessly. "She will be lucky if there is not lynching attempt within the first three months of her life."

The Hokage looked down in sorrow. "I know," he murmured. "To that end, I've already passed an act declaring harsh punishments for anyone who speaks of the Kyūbi's containment where anyone who does not already know might hear. Perhaps the children, at least, will learn to accept her."

"Hatred is not rational, Hokage-sama!" Nagato shouted, standing. "The children of this village don't need to know why their parents look upon their peer with disgust to be tainted by it! The hatred for the Jinchūriki is old and corrosive and with that over Naruto's head lynching is the last thing we should be worrying about. I'm more worried about suicide!"

"Do you think I am not aware of that?" the Hokage said, his famed steel self-control finally bending under the strain as he stood, glaring into the Jōnin's Rinnegan. "Do you think I don't know what horrors the girl will go through? Do you think I don't realize how attractive suicide may well come to look to her?" He breathed heavily, trying to calm down. "I will do all I can for her," said the Sandaime softly. "I will ensure that she is given all that is entitled to any orphan in this village, and I will make sure that through everything, she has one friend at least – myself. But you must understand, Nagato-san." He closed his eyes before opening them and looking tiredly at each of them in turn. "Naruto is her parents' daughter. With that blood, I know that she will eventually overcome every obstacle in the way of happiness – as long as she is allowed to do so. And so I will give her that opportunity at any cost, even if it means more hurdles for her to jump, in the end. She will not die. Even if I have to put her under lock and key to keep her alive, I will not let Minato-san and Kushina-san's daughter die. I'm asking you three to trust me."

Nagato met the man's tired old eyes for a moment before looking away. "The day she finds out the truth," he said softly, "I want to know. So that I can apologize."

"Same here," said Jiraiya quietly.

"And here," said Kakashi, breaking his own silent vigil.

The Sandaime fell back into his chair. "I will be the one who is most guilty," he murmured, "But I can live with being hated by her as long as she is alive to hate me." He looked up at them. "This is going to be one of the most painful missions any of you has ever done," he said. "But it is this – until Naruto befriends you on her own, you must not be her friends. Cordial, yes – I would not ask you to feign the same hatred she will suffer from everyone else. But never her friends. Do you understand?"

They all did. Nagato closed his eyes. Is this the world as it is? he wondered. Can man never be free from hatred?

No.

Jiraiya had dreamed for decades of a world of peace. He had shared that dream with both Nagato and Minato.

Minato was dead, but Nagato lived on. And he would fight and die to protect this village from hatred, both internal and external, even if from this day on, the village would for him be no more than a home for one little orphan girl.

If only he knew how. If only any of them did.

For a moment, he had a crazed urge to kill any who cast their loathing upon Naruto – to defend her from that pain. But he crushed it. Jiraiya was quite right about his philosophy of the Cycle of Hatred, and Nagato, in trying to defend one child, would only perpetuate it.

It would also look bad on his karma. And his Ninja profile.

Hinata's were wide with fear. Her nose was filled with the scent of the man's sweat as he carried her, bound and gagged, through the forest. He ears could hear nothing but his heavy breathing.

What is happening? she wondered in terror, her child's mind woefully unprepared for the horror of being so suddenly ripped away from her family. Where is this?

The man was Kumo's Head Ninja – a rank only used in Kumo's militaristic system. She knew little about him – she had thought he was here to form a peace treaty with Konoha. It seemed now as though that was not quite accurate.

Suddenly the man stopped short. Hinata twisted in his arms, trying to see in front of them.

There was a man there, with long, dark red hair covering one eye. The other was grey and filled with concentric rings. He wore a Konoha Jōnin's flak jacket over a mesh shirt, and basic leggings which matched his hair.

She recognized him as one of the Hyūga clan's most hated people – the one commonly called Rikudō no Nagato – Nagato of the Six Paths.

The man cocked his head to one side. "If this is Kumo's idea of a peace offering," he said sardonically, "then your village must be even more dysfunctional than I could have believed."

The man carrying Hinata glared at him. "You can't stop me," he growled. "Kumo will have the Byakugan."

Nagato rolled his visible Rinnegan eye. "Kumo should probably sort out its priorities," he said quietly. "Understand this: Konoha is stronger than you. The Hyūga are powerful here, and if you stole their Dōjutsu, they would be very much displeased. There would be war. And you would lose." Nagato's visible eye narrowed. "Save this for after you've convinced the Mist to ally with you – they actually would gain more by getting a chunk out of the Land of Lightning than out of the Land of Fire, wouldn't they?"

The Head Ninja's eyes widened. Then he glared again. "I will not surrender to you, Konoha dog!" he spat. Then there was a kunai in his hand. "Move and the girl dies," he said flatly, holding in to Hinata's neck.

Hinata's eyes widened and she flailed instinctively, looking beseechingly at Nagato. The redheaded Jōnin bit his lip. "You won't escape," he said flatly. "You know that. I've already stalled you long enough that you'll never get to Kumo now."

The Head Ninja spat at him. "You seem awfully sure of that," he said furiously. "I am Head Ninja of Kumogakure – your village's puny Ninja will never catch up. Make a move and the girl dies." So saying, the Ninja began to skirt around Nagato, watching him.

Nagato sighed. "Rikudō no Jutsu: Tendō." Technique of the Six Paths: Deva Path.

Hinata felt herself quite suddenly flying through the air. She landed softly in Nagato's arms.

"Hey!" shouted the Kumo Ninja, leaping at Nagato. The Rinnegan bearer did not hesitate for an instant. He spun with a speed Hinata could only dream of and knocked the Head Ninja out of the air with a roundhouse kick.

In an instant, Nagato leapt, grasping the Head Ninja of Kumo by the throat even as he flew through the air. In another instant, he was standing on a branch of a nearby tree. "Rikudō no Jutsu: Tendō," said the Rinnegan bearer again, and now the Head Ninja was floating in the air a few feet away from them. He tried to move, but could not escape that position without something to push off of. Instead, he reached for a shuriken.

It was too late. Nagato had been forming hand seals at a rapid pace and had finished the combination before the Kumo Ninja had even reached his weapon.

"Genjutsu Shibari," said Nagato – Genjutsu Binding. The Kumo Ninja froze, and Nagato struck him with a precise amount of force with an uppercut on the side of his lower jaw.

The man was instantly unconscious.

Nagato dropped him to the ground and wasted no more time in unbinding Hinata. As soon as she was free, Hinata found herself embracing her savior, hugging him tightly through the flak jacket, and sobbing quietly. "Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," said Nagato, grinning at her and holding her as he leapt down to the ground. He leaned down and she slowly let go, standing up on her own power. He picked up the Kumo Ninja and, pulling rope out of his kunai holster, bound him. Then he looked up at the trees. "You're free to come down, Hiashi-san," he called.

Hinata's father was suddenly there, and he rushed forward. "Hinata-kun," he said, quietly – almost a gasp – as he rushed forward.

Hinata accepted her father's embrace happily.

"I'll take this scum to Sandaime-sama," said Nagato conversationally. "Hiashi-san, your daughter should get some rest."

Hiashi nodded, standing and looking at the redhead. "Nagato-san…" he murmured – it was the first time, he'd ever attached any suffix to the man's name. "I am… sorry we have been so at odds."

Nagato shrugged. "The Hyūga Clan has generations of proud history and a Byakugan to defend it," he said. "I'm an orphan who got brought into the village from Ame, who happens to have the Rinnegan – more powerful than the Byakugan. It's quite understandable that your clan resents me. I bear you no ill will – for that or anything else."

Hinata's father studied the man who had saved his daughter. "You are an honorable man, Nagato-san," he said.

"Thank you," said Nagato, bowing slightly. "I am glad to say the same of you. But I must be going." He chuckled and gestured at the man on his shoulder. "Need to make a trip to the dump. Hinata-chan," he looked at the girl, who was looking up at him, eyes wide with gratitude and adoration. "You are young," he said quietly. "But you already know what helplessness feels like. I have known children who experienced such things to lose themselves to shame and to feel that they are weak for the rest of their lives."

The man's words echoed in Hinata's mind – some such thoughts had crossed her mind. "It is incorrect to think so," said Nagato flatly. "You are a Hyūga, Hinata – one of the greatest clan's in Konoha. More importantly, you are, from what I have seen and heard, a kind and compassionate young girl – such warmth is often lacking in the Hyūga courts." Nagato laughed. "Or maybe that's just when I'm there."

Hinata expected her father to snarl at the Rinnegan bearer for the insult, but he only smiled sadly.

"But you see, Hinata," Nagato continued, coming toward her and kneeling so their eyes were level, "you have all of the potential to be great. Do so." He nodded at the man on his shoulder. "Otherwise, men like this will hound you forever." He stood. "Hiashi-san, I hope you'll watch her," he said quietly. "Make sure her confidence stays up."

Hiashi nodded. "Thank you, Nagato-san," he said. "I would never have considered that – I may owe you my daughter's happiness." He glared furiously at the unconscious form Nagato held. "All the more reason for me to hate that scum."

Nagati shrugged and the body shifted. "I don't believe in hatred," he said, "but I do understand it, and there are few better reasons to hate than for one's own kin. Goodbye, Hiashi-san."

"Goodbye, Nagato-san," said Hiashi. And the redhead was gone.

The Sandaime looked down grimly. "Very well, Itachi," he said quietly. "I will see to it that Sasuke is protected. What do you plan to do?"

"I will become a nukenin," said Itachi quietly. "Sasuke will train himself hard to destroy me. One day, I will allow him to do so. Then Konoha will have one more Ninja of incredible power, willing to help preserve the peace – he will not want such an atrocity to befall any other family."

"And we must, therefore make certain he never learns that the council pushed for this mission," said the Sandaime, leaning back. The night was dark outside, in more ways than one. Hiruzen knew that Danzō was important and necessary for the village's strength, but all the same…

…He had never hated the man more than he did on this night. This night was a tragedy, and the Sandaime felt soiled for his own part in it, however small.

In the end, the mission to massacre the Uchiha had never passed through him. Danzō had authorized it with a forged signature. But Hiruzen would not press charges or even make mention of it – the only reason Danzō had had to do this was because Hiruzen would not otherwise have permitted the Council to do what they lawfully had the right to perform.

The Council consisted of four people. Legally, a majority vote always won, and a tie went to the Hokage's side. In this case, the other three members of the Council were united against Hiruzen – all of them wanted the Uchiha annihilated. Hiruzen knew that when the vote inevitably came, he would be overruled – and he knew that he would not be able to maintain his own laws limiting the Hokage's power if it came to that. Danzō knew this – if it had come to a vote, Hiruzen would have simply not allowed the mission. By the stipulations of a Hidden Village, that was technically allowed – all executive, legislative, and judicial power was vested in the Kage initially, unless and until he chose to delegate. Hiruzen delegated his power to the various representative councils of Konoha – the chiefest being the elder council. But he was also, technically, perfectly allowed to dissolve them at any time and act as he saw fit.

That was exactly what he would have done had the vote gone awry in the Uchiha issue. So Danzō had circumvented the issue by forging the mission. This both committed the act Hiruzen and guaranteed him the right to commit, and prevented Hiruzen from gaining a reputational stain of tyranny.

The Sandaime did not like the situation now – how could he? An entire clan had been massacred! – but he recognized that everyone concerned had acted in their idea of the interest of the village and the right. So while he could still blame Danzō's fundamentalism and Fugaku's fanaticism, he could not in good conscience legally pursue anyone.

But he could do this. "Very well," he sighed, extremely unhappy. "Itachi, you are, now and for all of the foreseeable future, a Ninja of Konoha – and I hereby give you the right to move as you see fit. No missions will be passed to you unless there is no other choice. Note that you will be declared a nukenin to the public, however; you should contact me before reentering the village to avoid unnecessary problems. You will also be listed in the Bingo Books of Konoha as an S-Ranked nukenin. Do you understand?"

A solitary tear welled up in Itachi's right eye. Hiruzen had not done quite what he wanted, which was declaring him a nukenin. Instead, he had technically kept his status as a Konoha ninja.

It meant very little legally, but it was a comfort in the midst of darkness to Itachi.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," whispered the former Uchiha heir. "Take care of my little brother."

"I will," said Hiruzen as Itachi left. "I promise."

Itachi was on the walls of Konoha, cloaked in darkness and stealth, before he was accosted by one of his only surviving friends. "Itachi-senpai," Nagato said quietly, alighting silently on the battlements behind him. "You told me to meet you at the compound. I admit that wasn't the reception I expected. What the hell happened?"

Itachi looked at him with the same, well-feigned coldness he had shown Sasuke earlier that night. "I killed them, Nagato-senpai," he said emotionlessly. "I killed them all to test the capacity of my vessel."

They stood facing each other in silence for a moment before both burst into dry, mirthless laughter. "You always did have a flair for the oddly creepy, Itachi-senpai," said Nagato quietly. The suffix was an odd point of their friendship – they had always considered one another to be comrades on the level that ANBU operatives were with one another, despite the fact that Itachi was ANBU and Nagato was not. They both knew it was just because ANBU life didn't appeal to Nagato.

"So it's true?" Nagato asked quietly. "You killed off the Uchiha?"

Itachi noticed he didn't say 'your clan'. Nagato had always been rather tactfully empathic like that. "Yes," he said softly, without inflection. "I did."

"Sasuke's still alive," said Nagato. "I didn't move him because I knew you'd be headed out. Didn't want to get caught in the hospital answering questions."

Itachi nodded. "Thank you," he said, meeting his friend's gray eyes. "We may well never meet again, and will almost certainly not meet as friends."

"Don't bet on it," said Nagato with a small smile. "Jiraiya-sensei, Naruto-chan and I are all heirs to the intent to end the Cycle of Hatred. One day, we'll triumph. You were ordered to kill them, weren't you?"

"Yes," said Itachi, nodding. "The council outnumbered Hokage-sama. Long story."

"I'll get it from him," Nagato agreed. "Anyway, Sasuke will hate you, right? Avenger and all that?"

Itachi nodded, wincing. "That is the aim," he said. "After all, I did use a time-altering Genjutsu to make him watch me kill our family over and over again for seventy-two hours."

"Kami above," whispered Nagato, eyes wide. "I saw that once and it made me hate Konoha. At least until I met Jiraiya-sensei. You sure you didn't go overboard?"

"I certainly did," said Itachi flatly. "That was the idea – he must grow strong, Nagato-senpai."

Nagato chuckled dryly. "For Konoha?"

"For peace," said Itachi.

Nagato closed his eyes. "Itachi, one day Jiraiya-sensei and I will succeed, and then you'll see peace," he said quietly. "This isn't it."

Itachi shook his head. "The Uchiha planned a coup d'état," he said. "That would have been worse."

"That's not what I'm saying," said Nagato. "The Avenger's path never leads to peace. It only perpetuates the Cycle of Hatred."

"Not when it targets me," said Itachi quietly. "I am unloved, and so killing me will end my Cycle."

"It won't," said Nagato quietly. "The day you die, Yahiko, Konan and I will begin to hate Sasuke. We won't be able not to."

Itachi looked down. "You can avoid acting on it," he said. "Most others cannot."

Nagato sighed and gave him a wry smile. "We'll never agree on this," he said quietly. "But you've given us here in Konoha a very twisted Avenger, and that's probably good, in the end."

Itachi cocked his head. "Why?"

Nagato laughed dryly. "If we can get him to give up vengeance," he said quietly, "then we can do anything."

Itachi looked at him and smiled ever so slightly. "I can honestly say that I hope you succeed," he said.

"Even if it proves your theories wrong?" Nagato grinned at him.

"Especially then," Itachi confirmed. "Goodbye, Nagato-senpai."

"Itachi-senpai," Nagato took his shoulder. "Survive," he said quietly. "Take care of yourself. I want to be able to contact you one day with a message that says that Sasuke's let go of revenge and that you can come home. Don't die on me."

Itachi embraced him. "My friend," his voice caught ever so slightly. "I will survive, if only for that faintest hope."

"Good," said Nagato, hugging him back, "Goodbye, Itachi-senpai."

"Good bye, Nagato-senpai," murmured Itachi, and he was gone.

"Zetsu," Madara called weakly. Even that was too much for him – he coughed harshly, and blood came forth.

"Madara-sama," the plant-man was beside him in an instant.

"My time's up, Zetsu," said Madara quietly. "There are a few things I must do."

First, Madara used the last of his Chakra to implant a part of himself into Zetsu. The portion took shape as a black half to the man, with no visible mouth and yellow circles for eyes.

"You are Black Zetsu," said Madara quietly. "You are my spirit's instrument from beyond death."

Then Madara removed both of White Zetsu's eyes – a complex process which required that the two halves be temporarily separated – and replaced them with his two Sharingan eyes. "I don't know if you'll unlock the Rinnegan," said Madara honestly. "Those eyes have already done so, in me, though I gave the Rinnegan to that Ame orphan." That was one of Madara's greatest failed plans, though one day perhaps the Rinnegan would be brought back to his side of the war to come. "Your Senju DNA would certainly unlock the Rinnegan otherwise. In this case, I am uncertain."

"Understood, Madara-sensei," said Zetsu. "I am… sorry you could not be healed."

"I have lived a long life," said Madara. "It has been enough. I hope you will continue our goals."

"I will," said Zetsu. "The world will bow."

"And the Uchiha will be restored," breathed Madara. "See to it that Sasuke or Itachi survive. Preferably both. They will produce a good bloodline of Uchiha. And try to assimilate those eyes into your genetic code – that will produce a Rinnegan bloodline."

"Understood, Madara-sama."

"Then goodbye," said Madara hoarsely. "My student; my friend."

He did not die just then. He even lived through the next day. But the morning after that, Zetsu awoke to find his teacher's body cold.

Yagura's eyes met Ōnoki's across the table. He looked over, then, at their third companion – a Konoha nukenin named Orochimaru who had forged his own village – Otogakure.

"I do hope that young fool doesn't take too much longer," muttered Ōnoki. Yagura's eyes snapped onto him. "He has no sense of formality."

"May I remind you, Ōnoki-sama, that this is a meeting to pursue alliance?" said Yagura coldly. "It might be wise to refrain from insults until it is finished – you may be my senior in both age and experience, but I feel that your reputation precedes you as a subpar negotiator." At Ōnoki's wrathful look, he continued, "I meant no offence, Ōnoki-sama. I intend to get all parties concerned the most advantageous position possible. With Iwa as removed from Kiri as it is, I have no interest whatsoever in representing you in any manner but the positive." It was true. Yagura was many things – bloodthirsty, cruel, and a Jinchūriki who controlled his Bijū, not by overcoming its darkness, but by intimidating it into submission – but he was loyal to his allies.

At least, when they were his equals. Orochimaru did not yet qualify as such, in his mind – Oto had yet to prove itself as a village to rival the Five – but Yagura was willing to grant him a chance, at least.

"But Kumo and Oto are closer to Kiri," said Orochimaru, chuckling lightly in his sibilant voice. "And so you intend to compete with us, at the least."

Yagura regarded him coldly. "Kiri is not weak," he said after a moment, answering Orochimaru's unspoken judgment of his show of preference to Ōnoki's village. "We fight for what we deserve and earn. But we are allies, or will be – I suggest you refrain from disturbing the calm of this atmosphere any further as well. Having so many leaders in one place is dangerous, and so we must endeavor to conclude this meeting as quickly as possible with the most favorable outcome achievable."

Orochimaru nodded, smirking. "As cold as the stories say, Yagura-sama," the Sannin of Serpents said quietly. "You are a dangerous man."

Yagura regarded him. "I know."

When the Raikage, a powerful man called A arrived, the meeting began.

"Now," said Yagura, opening a map of the Five Great Elemental Nations and laying it out on the table between them. "Now," he said calmly. "We are here to discuss alliance – wartime alliance."

"We know," grunted A rudely.

Yagura's eyes snapped onto him. "Yes, you do," he agreed without a moment's loss of composure, though inside he sneered hatefully at the Raikage. That is a man I would rather not ally with, he thought, but in war, we need all of the allies we can take. Konoha is strong, and Sunagakure is a fortress. "Our enemies would be Konoha and Suna," he said quietly. "If victorious, all of the resources in the defeated nations and villages, human and otherwise, will be ours to divide as we see fit. Are any here opposed to an alliance of this kind on principle? We may discuss stipulations after we are agreed that there is a possible solution."

No one objected.

"Very well," said Yagura, allowing himself a small smile. "Then, assuming we can come to an agreement as to the division of resources, we shall declare open war upon the Suna-Konoha alliance in a matter of small time. What human resources does each village desire?"

"I want the Byakugan," said the Raikage immediately.

"The Byakugan should be shared between the three of you," said Yagura flatly. "Or at least two – the Hyūga clan is large enough to sustain such a split, even if the entire Branch Family should fail."

Orochimaru nodded. "Wise," he said. "I agree to this."

"As do I," said Ōnoki after a moment, though he didn't look happy about it.

The Raikage glared around at them. "If I am to share the Byakugan, I want a few other Kekkei Genkai to myself," she said flatly. "I've spent a good long while hunting that eye."

"The Sharingan is mine, said Orochimaru immediately. "That is my primary human desire. Other than that, I am content to a meager share of the rest."

In the end, the four allies came to agreement on where all resources would go, both human and material. With one exception.

"There is one outstanding issue," said Yagura, leaning back in his chair. "The Jinchūriki."

That got all of their attention. "Since I will not be receiving any Kekkei Genkai," Yagura said, "I demand a higher allotment of Bijū than the other members of this alliance."

Orochimaru nodded. "I have no argument," he said. "I do not desire any Jinchūriki for my village – they are too dangerous for such a small settlement, however powerful our Ninja."

Ōnoki agreed. "I've got plenty enough of your lot on my plate already, thanks," he chuckled. "They only have two, right? As far as I'm concerned, you can have one and A-sama can have the other."

This launched another set of debates with Yagura demanding a few more material resources from A in exchange for Kumo getting both a Bijū and several powerful Kekkei Genkai while Kiri got none of the latter. That was, of course, Yagura's fault – it was a common misconception that he hated Kekkei Genkai on principle, but in reality he thought they constituted a terrible threat to authority. Jinchūriki he could deal with – being one himself gave him greater control over them.

In the end, the division of resources was decided and recorded. "There," said Orochimaru. "Now we've settled that, we should disperse – quickly. The longer we are together, the more likely a security leak becomes."

In a few minutes they were gone.

In a few days, they were mobilized.

In a few weeks, Konoha and Suna found themselves at war. The Fourth Shinobi World War had begun.

Naruto was eleven years old.

A/N: There. So, as it is now, Nagato is Itachi's friend still in the village, Neji isn't depressed – his father never died and all that – Zetsu's leading his own Akatsuki-like group, Obito's long since dead, Nagato is a friend of the Hyūga, Hinata will be more confident, and Kumo, Iwa, Kiri, and Oto have declared war on Suna and Konoha. It's not looking good for our favorite villages – they're badly outnumbered, and with only two Jinchūriki up against six, it could get very bad. Still, there are lots of minor villages they can ally with – notably Taki, which does, after all, have Fū and Chōmei.

So Naruto-chan's going to be a wartime Genin. I hope all of our favorite characters survive this!

Please review! I won't be updating too regularly, most likely – this thing has the longest standard chapters of any of my fics, and I'm still working on Walking Backwards on a Tightrope and MageWalker Alpha – but you know, if people want this, then I'll write this! You guys tell me – this, or Walking Backwards? Not that either will be discontinued. I'll just prioritize.

So… yeah. Review. I hope you liked it!