A God's Chessboard

II. Let the Angel Fight

Disclaimer: All characters, laws of the universe, and original plot lines belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

By the time I turned five, I had become the village's scapegoat and Naruto's substitute as the demon brat.

I have to admit this is somewhat impressive, for the villagers to blame all their worries and troubles to a five year old, who ordinarily wouldn't even be learning her katakanas. I, in turn, greeted them with borderline wariness as they once again sent my groceries flying or ransacking my apartment. The Yondaime was too busy to visit me as he began raising Konoha's economy to alarming heights, so I settled on putting security seals of every inch of the apartment he rented for me. There were advantages to being the apprentice of Mito Uzumaki in one life, after all.

I decided to desert the Academy for more...flavorful pursuits. I had absolutely no interest in protecting a village that loathed me to a degree I didn't know existed. Kami only knew how Naruto managed it. Kushina Uzumaki was the unknown jinchūriki of the Kyuubi, so that didn't count.

Which led me to my current situation. Naruto Namikaze was celebrated as a Golden Boy, so to speak. The civilian representative on the Council when I was two practically announced that I was the jinchūriki to the entire village, but had enough sense not to include Naruto's name to invoke the Yondaime's wrath. And so, as the darling son of the Hokage and a terrifying Red-Hot Habanero, the ground he walked on was practically kissed upon. You could see it in their eyes. And he ate it up.

While I was partially glad that I was the one taking Naruto's place as the demon brat, I had long learned that opposites attract. So Naruto Uzumaki, with his sunny grin and optimistic ideals and the rest of Konoha, who, as far as I was concerned, were long-time hypocrites and assholes in their own right, blended in as well as white and black. The irony was incredibly amusing.

The thing with living too many lives was this: you either devote your entire self into playing a god's game or completely shut down from making any relationships. You can guess which one I picked. And with the village down my throat like a bloodthirsty hyena, I was so not looking forward to seeing this generation's Rookie Nine.

Then again, who said I had to?

Rule #1

I pause as I lift my fountain pen from the paper. English had become a godsend when enemy ninja happened to bypass security and look through files. A pity they didn't know what was coming for them.

Don't get involved. Stay in the sidelines as much as possible. Do not screw up the timeline (although, the timeline was already fucked up when the Yondaime and Kushina Uzumaki lived.)

Rule #2

Do not get close to anyone. Remember, they will disappear when you die. It will-

"Chiyoko-san! It is time for our YOUTHFUL morning run!"

I freeze. Maito Gai had to be applauded for his perseverance, if nothing else. After running into him after doing Reborn-style training from Katekyo Hitman! around the entire village, he had taken me under his wing, for "youth precedes all" and, quite frankly, he didn't give a shit about what the other villagers thought of me. While the latter flattered me, it didn't mean I could keep up with fifty laps at high speed in my five year old body.

"Oh, and Chiyoko-chan?" He calls out, suddenly sounding gleeful. "Don't mute your chakra signature! It's practically impossible for someone as youthful as you!"

My head hit the table with a dull thunk. For all his acting, Gai picked up on things way too quickly.

"Coming, Gai," I drone out, desperately trying to find my sweatpants. "Give me two minutes. I need to change."

Two hours later, I collapsed on my pillow after taking a long shower as Gai did two hundred push ups with a lone finger on the carpet.

How Team Gai managed to survive, I have no idea.

The first time I met Naruto Uzumaki, I sent him home with five broken ribs and two black eyes.

Before any of you are going to scream at me, I will clarify with a wonderous, five year old sentence: he started it.

Technically, he started it with teasing Gai, and then my status in the village, and by then my irritation couldn't take much more after that.

"Oi! I'm Naruto Namikaze, future Hokage!" He announces to me as I jog past the Academy wearing weights, courtesy of my green spandex friend.

"Good for you." I flip a page of Icha Icha Paradise. Jiraiya, all things considered, could actually make a good novel if you skipped the crappy porn parts.

"Well? Aren't you going to say anything?" Naruto tilts his head.

"No comment."

"But-but!" Naruto splutter. "Aren't you going to go on and on about how youthful that is and how wonderful my dream is?"

"Are you insulting Gai-san?" I snap my book closed, veering sharply to the right. Naruto followed me, panting. Looks like Gai's training paid off in the long run, then.

"No." Naruto shrug. "I mean, he's a little on a strange side, but-"

I glare at him, fully aware that I was breaking Rule #2. Perhaps it was a rather poor choice of me to be glaring at the Hokage's son, but Gai, like it or not, was still the first person to approach me without taking advantage of the fact that I was the Kyuubi jinchūriki.

"So what if he wears green spandex and overuses the word youth? He's still my friend. I protect my friends. Or is that not what your father's nindo is?" I knew I was being rather harsh to the main character, but when your mother was a drunkard and your sister diagnosed with leukemia, you get used to defending your family. A lot.

"Of course my father has his nindo! He's the Yondaime Hokage of Konoha! And you're just the demon brat of-"

I will say that I have never been more shocked in my entire life. To think that Naruto would say something like that to someone who took his place in said position was just so unbelievable that I swung around to see if his mouth was actually moving.

And I saw red.

When I came to, sticky blood was on the ground. I winced as I saw the broken ribs and the black eye. Must have given him quite a beating.

As I piggy-backed him home, careful to take the unknown streets of the village, I pondered on what made me lose control. I hadn't done that in a while, or at least in seven lives. The last time...I shuddered as I remembered the pile of dead bodies gathered together in a bloodied valley. Mito-sensei had particularly praised me for that one. Honestly, Namikaze was lucky he didn't die.

I drop him on the doorstep of the Hokage Manor. Ringing the doorbell, I disappear in a swirl of leaves just as I hear Kushina opening the door.

By the time I get home, I have a new neighbor.

Please pause to absorb the significance of that statement. As the Kyuubi jinchuuriki of Konoha, the apartment is completely mine and mine alone. It's a bit insulting that people would automatically assume that I would spread ill fortune to them by being in so much as the same building as them.

So, really, can you honestly blame me when I stare at a very, very familiar face?

"Good morning, Idachi-san." Sai greets me with politeness and his creepiest trademark smile yet. "I hope we can be familiar acquaintances in the future."

"Hold it. What are you doing here?" I demanded rudely. Kami, I was screwing up the timeline by just being here.

Sai hesitated for a flicker of a second before plowing on. "I do not understand, Idachi-san. I have been informed that I will move to the apartment room next to you due to unfortunate events."

"You got orphaned this young?" I wailed. "Goddamnit, aren't you supposed to meet Danzo and Shin already?"

Sai's eyes widen imperceptibly before blanking in the blink of an eye. "I do not know what you are talking about, Idachi-san."

"Of course you don't," I muttered as I rummaged through the refrigerator for lunch. "Now, tell me, what was our esteemed Yondaime's expression like when Danzo proposed to mold Naruto into a weapon?"

"...I believe he told Danzo-sama to get lost or be hanged by his intestines on the Hokage monument."

I sniggered. "That's the spirit, Sai-chan! By the way, don't I close any information about this, okay? It's all part of being my friend!"

Sai immediately bowed. "Of course, Idachi-san."

"Now that I have received confirmation on you accepting orders of becoming my friend on Danzo's behalf, let's eat teriyaki!"

Sai, I found out quickly, was probably the best listener I found in ages. It helped that I bought him art supplies with my already minuscule allowance (the manager conveniently 'forgot' to give me the regulated monthly due) and taught him watercolor, an painting aspect severely underplayed in this world.

But Kami, he couldn't do chores on his life.

"Sai! How many times have I to tell you not to mix the red and the white together in the laundry?!"

"My apologies, Idachi-san. I have...forgotten. Again."

"Damn right you did. And for God's sake, why are you back to calling me Idachi-san?"

"It is only proper to call young ladies by their-"

"Say that again and I'll kick your ass six ways to Sunday. Put the manners book down."

But, overall, life was going pretty damn well. I was training with Gai in the mornings, Sai ate meals with me at my apartment, the villagers could all burn to hell and I wouldn't lift a finger—the daily life of the five year old Chiyoko Idachi.

So, in hindsight, I really should've seen karma coming.

It was a Thursday when Kushina Uzumaki decided to visit me.

I'm pretty sure it started when one of the many fights broke out in front of my door. This itself isn't actually a rarity—as long as the protection seals are on, the worst that can happen is damage on the front door and a new layer of graffiti.

Drunkards, it seems, happen to ignore all rules of 'abuse the monster from a distance' and take it to close proximity. It's funny how that no matter which life I'm in, alcohol has always been invented.

"Whore! Open up or we'll burn down the door!" I can hear two pairs of shuffling feet as one of them roar. I snort inwardly. I'd like to see them try. If they do, they'll be automatically dumped in the Sado river.

"You bitch! What the hell are you doing?!" I can suddenly sense two chakra signatures, one of them none other than Namikaze. My chair clatters to the floor. No matter how much I detest him, he doesn't deserve to be clobbered by civilians. That would be too pathetic.

I swung the door open to enter him, when a flash of red catches my eye. There really is no sight like a mad Kushina defending her son against drunkards. I push them in just as one of the drunkards throw a bottle at my head, narrowly missing.

"K-kaa-san, are you OK?" Namikaze clings on Kushina's shirt. I frown at him. A shinobi must never show weakness, I hear Mito-sensei lecture in a long, forgotten memory. Such a thing can kill you if you aren't doing it purposely.

"Why are you here?" I decide to abandon subtlety in favor for pure bluntness.

"Do they always do that?" Kushina jerks her thumb to the door, where the men are still hollering threats. I purse my lips at the roundabout answer.

"Once a week. Usually. Twice if I'm unfortunate."

"What kind of assholes paint graffiti on a five year old's door?" Kushina looks horrified and enraged at the same time.

"The types that fill the village," I say dryly. "Do you want tea?"

Naruto immediately brightens. "Yes please!" he cheers.

When I return from the village, they have seated themselves on the couch. The men still have not left, so it's with great annoyance that I pour the hot water into the cracked cups. Namikaze looks around my apartment with undisguised disgust and curiosity. Almost all of the furniture is broken or stained in some way, while the floors practically screech with mice.

"I assume you know we're here about the...scuffle last week." Kushina drives straight home.

"I guessed as much. So, are you here because you want to sue me, lecture me about the hypocritical ideals of Konoha, or give me a piece of your mind?"

Namikaze shifts a little at my tact as Kushina frowns in disapproval at my tone. Frankly, I couldn't care less. There's a voice in my head shrieking for blood while another is asking why I've been so out of control. And I honestly don't know. But all of that pent up anger is building up like a dam about to burst, and I sure as hell am going to blame it on the Hokage's family.

"None. But an apology to Naruto would suffice."

"But he's already healed," I pointed out. Kushina frowns some more.

"Doesn't excuse the fact you attacked him."

"True, it doesn't," I acknowledge. "But I don't attack because I want to. Did it not occur to you that I might have a reason for doing what I did?"

Kushina glances sharply to Naruto. "You didn't tell me any of that," she rebukes gently.

"I didn't say anything!" he protests. "I told you she attacked me out of rage!"

"No, I attacked you because you insulted me, you insulted my friend, and, most importantly, you reminded me of the thing I most hate in my entire life."

"And what that might be?" The Hokage's wife presses.

"The village full of wusses and assholes, like I said. Konohagakure," I give her my most chilling smile. "Is that not right?"

Naruto stands up suddenly. "That's not Konoha!" he declares. "Konoha is nice and funny and wonderful! You have no right to say-"

"You say that because that's the side of this village that you see," I say quietly. "And I have no doubt they are these things to you. But, let's think for a second." I tilt my head, my voice growing louder by the second. "Does your village try to ransack your apartment every week? Does your village try to drown a five year old fourteen times out of her whole life? Does your village throw rocks at your head, screaming to get out of their shops and being forced to look through dumpsters because no one helps you?"

I am screaming now in an uncontrollable, terrifying rage. "No, of course not! Because you're the Hokage's son, you brat! If you really want to spread those peace ideals to the rest of the entire village, try to say that to the women who are raped, the kids who are abused, the business tycoons who divorce their wives and get every penny! Because I am every one of those people! The people who are forced to grovel in the mud and fight their way to the top! So until you can safely say that, DON'T FUCK WITH ME!"

In that single, undescribable moment, I understand something. This is not my Naruto Uzumaki. This is not my Kushina, or my Minato. None of these characters are mine. It might be sad, but this is not my Konoha, the one I cherished, the one I cheered on as the Shinobi Alliances was founded. This is Konohagakure, my monster village.

Naruto, I realize with a start, is shaking now. I have unintentionally released tendrils of suffocating chakra, so much so that the damaged cups have broken to pieces. Kushina is watching me with pitiful eyes that I just want to crush her.

"I had no idea it got this bad," she says honestly.

"Yeah, well, tell that to yourself," I snarl. "What a fucking waste of a guardian." I am gratified to see her wince. I plow on. "Did you really think I wouldn't have noticed? Supposedly, I'm part of your clan—the one that apparently doesn't care at all for its family members. From now on, I will be registered as Chiyoko. No Idachi. I don't want a family that forces itself to like me."

"I would have never have done that if I knew-"

"But you didn't. Not a single visit, or even so much as a simple card. At least show me I exist."

The rage from before is gone like a whiff to the candles. I am suddenly tired and dull, like a blade that has forgotten to be sharpened. I swing open the door. "Out of the house."

They follow silently.

"I can't believe this," Minato leafs through the documents, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I can't believe this."

"I told you to look through those files," Kushina says grimly, setting down tea on the Hokage's desk. "Looks like the girl was right all along."

"N-no, it's just-" The Yondaime waves his hands around. "I mean, these are deliberate missed doctor checkups, supposedly misplaced bills, heck, even going so far as suing the child for things she obviously couldn't have done. All because, and I quote, 'she's a monster child.' And they had the nerve to put it on paper."

Sarutobi, in one of the chairs of the Hokage's office, puffs on his pipe warily. "A jinchūriki is not considered useful if she is disloyal to her village," he says lightly. "No matter how much right in it exists."

"Konoha does not kill children." Minato says sharply, before deflating as the retired Kage raises his hands in peace.

"I propose..." The old man leans back on his chair. "...a way to show that not all families are like that in our village."

Kushina grins. "Or an adoption, perhaps?" She glances back at her husband. "I would love to take over the job, but I don't think I made the right impression on her."

"Definitely one of the clans," the Yondaime muses thoughtfully. "Something that would benefit Konoha in the long run, as well."

"Perhaps Inoichi? I heard he has a daughter around her age."

"Nah." Kushina shakes her head in the negative. "She doesn't really seem to be the social type. Plus, Inoichi would call it off in an instant if it jeopardized his relationship with his own daughter."

"Shikaku? The Kurama Clan? Shibi-san? None of those?" Sarutobi presses on.

"Well, maybe the..."

"Sai? You don't have to do this, you know."

"I realize that, Chiyoko-san."

I stare quizzically at the boy on the ground who was carrying a bucket full of water and sponges. The graffiti had been long since applied, but if Sai wanted to do it, then it was fine by me. "OK, then. I'll go grocery shopping while you clean up. Don't force yourself, alright?"

"Yes, Chiyoko-san."

As I head downstairs, my destination in mind is the red light district. It is the place of outlaws and orphans, so most people don't bat an eye when I pass through the crowds. It's also particularly cheap for ingredients and such, so money isn't as much as a problem.

Of course, I never expected Naruto Namikaze to be there either.

I find him huddled in one of the cornered alleyways of the streets, flinching as boys take turns badmouthing him at every opportunity. I frown at their behavior, before taking rocks on the ground and throwing them purposely near one of their heads, chinking on brick walls.

"Oi, bitch!" One of the boys, around twelve years old, openly sneers at me. "Ya got a problem?"

"Well, unfortunately, that the Hokage's son you're bullying. I'd love to pass on through, but you're blocking my way." A lie, but it's a satisfactory one.

The boy nods in acknowledgement of my accent, marking me as one of the red light district's residents. "Ya one of us, then? Go on. We're teaching this brat a lesson."

"Did he do something wrong?" I ask, purposely timid. The boy tilts his head.

"Well, me and Sāto-" here, he gestures towards himself and his companion. "We see this little townie boasting to the high heavens about him changing the world. We ask him, what ya doing here, brat? And he has the nerve to actually say to us that he'll get is out of here. So we say, who the hell put that idea in your head? And he says right back, the demon brat."

I almost slap myself right then and there. I should've known children at this age take words at heart and smacked the foot out of my mouth. It is this line of thinking that inevitably makes me guilty at putting Naruto in this sort of situation, and so I clamp my mouth shut as the words begin to fall out-

"I'll take him."

"'Cuse me?" The boy looks like he's seriously reconsidering his previous choice of letting me go. "Did I hear ya right?"

"Yes, you did," I say tiredly. Kami, I don't want to go through this.

"No, you didn't." He tries to take a intimidating step forward, but fails miserably. I've seen monsters that killed thousands in cold blood and battles that raged on for months, so this does nothing for me. It does do something, however, when he cuffs the blonde boy who squirms and raises his hand to hit him-

And suddenly I am back again in my sister's world, trying to prevent her from getting her killed, and my legs move on its own and crack the boy's spine in rage, growling and steadying myself in a taijutsu stance.

"Wha-" His companion screams, and I suddenly shunshin forward and bend his neck as well. Naruto staggers back, obviously not used to this.

But the marketplace is bustling just as before, and no one takes any great notice of the two bodies laying on the floor. They are simply cannon fodder—akasenko that have whores for mothers and greasy men for fathers.

"Next time, don't go into the red light district. Didn't I already tell you that nobody will listen to you until you become Hokage?" I drawl, not even bothering to deny the fact that he will become Hokage.

Naruto nods shakily. He is a five year old boy, I think. Not the one that has killed pregnant women and babies like me. The world shouldn't have this many innocent people. But it does, so I slip my hand comfortingly into his (small and soft, unlike shinobi whose rough calluses are soaked in blood), if only to slightly assure him.

"Let's get you cleaned up. You're drenched in sweat." I wrinkle my nose. Naruto grins, bounces once, and begins blabbing about his day, pointedly ignoring the dead bodies that are farther and farther away from us as we walk towards the my apartment.

I made a friend. Not Naruto Namikaze, because that would imply befriending him for his title. Not Naruto Uzumaki, because I gave up giving the importance for the manga long ago.

Just Naruto. And that, I think wryly, is enough.

"I hear rumors of the Uchiha having a coup d'état."

"...you can't be implying what I think you are implying."

Sarutobi smiles dryly. "Why not? Jiraiya gave me the information weeks ago. While I believe there is a slim to none chance of it, it is very possible in the future."

Kushina groans. "Honestly, I love Mikoto and all, but..." She gestures wildly with her hand. "...Fugaku is an ass on a good day! Who knows what nonsense he'll plant in Chiyoko's head?"

"He's not that bad," Minato mumbles, his voice muffled from the stacks of paperwork. "He's just...stoic. And why, for the love of Kami, are we still on this topic in six in the afternoon? Don't you have anything to do?"

"It will be shown as a sign of trust." Sarutobi replies calmly, and as Kushina glances at him incredulously, he amends, "For a while, anyway. Two years at the very least."

"She'll be turned into a weapon!" Kushina protests hotly.

"Yes, but think of the bigger picture. You know how our government works. They're all very Senju-inclined. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a Uchiha riot in five years or so," the retired Hokage argues back. "We need the police in Konohagakure. It'll be disastrous for our village to appear anything but the strongest of the five."

As Minato nods his head, Kushina whirls around indignantly. "You can't expect to actually go along with this!"

"We'll see. There are other options, you know," he reminds her. "Just something to keep in mind.

It has been two relatively peaceful months since Naruto has came into my apartment when I get my letter.

This is unusually rare unless the villagers decide yet again to stuff my mail a so-called "present", so I stare suspiciously at it until giving up after attempting every jutsu and seal I can think of. Finally, after much deliberation, I open it hesitantly.

The first thing I notice is the Hokage's seal on the bottom, so it should be fairly safe. Until, that is, I actually read it.

Chiyoko Idachi, daughter of Kazumi and Tetsuya Idachi, is formally adopted into the Uchiha Clan, under Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha.

Oh, crap.

Lo and behold, my first second chapter ever! I'm sorry if I somehow butchered Naruto's character, but on a good note, more characters will be introduced into the next chapter.

Questions:

- Why is Naruto so different?

If I butchered his character, I will remind you: he is FIVE, people. Naruto is also the darling son of the Hokage, so of course he's going to be coddled by the villagers. It just means that he's never seen the world as personally as Chiyoko does.

- Why no visits from the Hokage to Chiyoko?

I've come up with one conclusion for this one, and it's this: Minato's dying wish was for Naruto to be seen as a hero. However, since Chiyoko managed to screw the timeline over, he obviously is going to spend more time with his son and the village rather than a child whose parents Kushina barely remembers. The fact that Sarutobi might have felt in debt for the Yondaime in canon, and treating Naruto well is also counted.

- When will Sakura be seen?

I will be having Sakura in chapters before canon starts. I plan for it to be them to be around nine to ten years old, so...about two to three more chapters?

- How often will you be updating?

I find it really irritable if an author leaves a story for more than six months unless it's within a really good reason. So, I will post this on every single story I publish (usually repeating on the second and first chapter). I'll try once a week, preferably updating on weekends, but it might be a little inconsistent. However, if I miss two weeks with no update or warning, flame me all you like. :)

Thanks for reading, and leave a review on your way out! Feel free to ask me anything!