Summary: Dying and getting thrown into another world can be really liberating, especially if it's the world of Naruto. Just imagine the possibilities, with the future knowledge you would have to boot, they are truly endless. Or so you thought. A story in which our OC has to fix the Naruto timeline but ends up becoming a little too preoccupied trying to survive one of the deadliest destinies in the Naruto world.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Warning: Rated T for violence, language, and suggestive adult themes.

Chapter 2

(3rd Person POV)

A blonde kunoichi walked purposefully towards the end of the cavernous hall. Her strides were long and graceful making almost no noise. Just how she was trained.

The large double doors opened up to her and the two masked shinobi on guard stepped aside. She had important news to report to her master and the ninja that flanked the doors had strict orders to let her in at once if and when she came.

The medic nin entered the large office and after the textbook check of her surroundings, her gaze settled on the man behind the desk. The room itself was spartanly decorated. It made it clear to whoever went in that the man meant business and business only.

Approaching the desk, the kunoichi went to her knees. "Danzo-sama, I came to report on the new batch that arrived earlier this week." She bowed her head to the leader of the Foundation.

Danzo, knowing the potential importance of this information, gestured with his hands. On cue, five blurs moved from the shadows and exited the room, closing the door behind them. Lifting his other hand in a half-ram seal, he activated the privacy seals on the room.

"Report, Shiro," Danzo said stoically. There was never time for pleasantries in his business.

"Hai," Shiro replied automatically. Whenever Danzo asked something of his operatives, there should be no other answer. "One of the subjects tested positive for one of the traits we are looking for."

Shiro produced the papers with the results and overall data on the subject in question and stacked them atop the desk.

"I see," Danzo glanced down at the papers. His eyes widening slightly at the information displayed to him. "Good work, operative." Danzo complimented her. Those were rare coming from him, but this was a special piece of information she just delivered him.

"Dismissed." He said flatly. There was no need for him to stress the necessity of discretion with this info. Shiro wouldn't divulge it even if she could.

Bowing her head once more and quickly exiting the room, Shiro went back to the medic ward to continue exercising her duties. She had no idea for what purpose Danzo needed that intelligence, but she didn't need to know. Shiro did her duty and that was that. No questions asked.

Back in his office, Danzo ran over the ramifications of this new development in his head. With this new piece on the board, Danzo could finally act on what would be one of his most daring moves so far. With this, Root would become the de facto power in the village, and the dynamics between him and Sarutobi would decisively shift to his favor.

Calling for his Anbu to come back into the room, Danzo already knew what he had to do.

"Boar, prepare your squad for immediate deployment." He addressed the leader of the group. "We will depart as soon as possible."

"Do you plan on coming with us, Danzo-sama?" Boar inquired. It was rare these days for the leader of Root to leave on a mission.

"Yes," responded Danzo standing up and rearranging his robes. "We are paying someone a visit."

(Back to 1st Person POV)

Step 1 of conditioning was really uninventive, apparently. After dumping cold water on us and throwing us around for a bit we were carried to an outdoor courtyard of sorts where we spent the last hours before sunrise shivering and huddling for warmth with one another. When the sun finally came up and we were allowed back inside, most of us were hacking and coughing our lungs out. It wasn't wintering yet, but fall was well on its way and Konoha at night could get pretty chilly.

No rest for the wicked, or the sick in this case, either. Our masked escort took us to a large chamber where we met with other Anbu and their charges. I suspect that all the newbies were being herded there but I couldn't tell for sure. I was too preoccupied with the collective beating the Root members gave us to count the number of children in the room.

There was no taunting at this point. No hurling insults or jests at us, it was purely physical. 'That's a different way to approach it,' I wondered. I would have thought they would come after the mind first. Weird.

They beat us around for a good hour and a half by my count. Forgive me if I'm wrong though, it's not as if they were announcing how long we had until they were done. Still, it didn't end soon enough. All it could be heard were groans and cries of the children. Mine included. I might have been older mentally, but I still felt pain and my little body wasn't exactly accustomed to this kind of trauma.

Again, silently, we were led by the same Anbu that brought us there back to our rooms. No words were uttered by him. He simply dropped us off and left.

Looking around the room a few minutes later I let myself think about my roommates.

I had been reluctant to converse with them from the very beginning. Considering what I knew all of us would have to go through during the next few years I didn't want to end up bonding with them. Very Sasuske-esque of my part, I know. But this was fucking Root. Odds were, most of us wouldn't even survive.

During the first week, there wasn't a lot of time to get to know each other and I was still debating whether I should try and befriend them or not anyways. We exchanged names and formalities and what not, but not much else.

After what had just happened though, I felt really bad for them. Not even one day into our conditioning and from the five of us, three of them were already breaking down. The oldest in the group was the worst too. Kaza was his name. Or, at least, the one they gave him. I think because he was one of the oldest of the new arrivals, he received an extra rough treatment in the beating chamber. His face was a mess of blood, saliva, and snot. As soon as our escort dropped us off in our room he went to his bad, curled up in a ball, and stayed unresponsive to my attempts to calm him.

The other two that were breaking were the raging types. They shouted, beat their pillows as if they were one of the Anbu that castigated us, and became violent if I tried to talk to them.

I knew that if these three were that easily broken, they wouldn't make it far here.

The only other one besides me maintaining control was the last occupant of the room. He was probably a couple of years older than me, had midnight hair and refined features. If I didn't know better, I would say he was an Uchiha. The only give away were his green eyes.

Despite my initial efforts, I couldn't keep myself from liking that kid, Yomu. He just had the kind of personality that drew people to him, even at that young age.

His whole lighthearted and chirpy demeanor did not waver in the slightest after our first taste of how Root would be, which surprised me a lot. At first, I thought he was just another one of the kids that were enthused with the idea of being a ninja and how cool it would be. I soon grew to learn though that Yomu was just the kind of person that tried to look at things through the most positive lense possible. His behavior was a refreshing break from everyone else's vibe, especially following that night.

I hated that he had ended up here though. He was too Naruto-like to be a member of Root.

"Hey Kai!" The boy addressed me as cheerful as if we had just been to the playground and not back from being beaten into a pulp. "Check this out." He said before backflipping from atop his bed.

"Ughhh," I groaned, still recovering from the kick to the stomach I took while trying to help one of the raging kids. "You're going to have to do that again, Yomu," I replied finally turning my head over to where he landed on the ground.

"Ah, you're no fun." Yomu nagged going back to his bed, probably to backflipping again. Where he took all of that energy out of despite what happened I had no idea.

I gave up calming the boy and started making for my bed. I was so small that the bed came up to my neck, and I with how sore I was the climb turned out harder than I anticipated. Our beds were simple metal frames stuck to the wall with a slim mattress on its top. The space beneath them was occupied by our trunks and whatever other possession we had. I soon admitted defeat and decided to use my brains instead, bringing out the trunk and using it as a step stool.

My bed was the furthermost from the door. The room was a simple rectangle with two-bed frames on each side and one on the back wall. Nothing adorned the walls and a single lamp hung from the ceiling.

"I hope they let us out soon." Yomu pointed to the curled-up ball of Kaza. "He really needs help, you know."

"I think we all need help at this point," I answered a little sarcastically. "I doubt though, I think this was just the start…"

I decided then that I had to tell them what I knew about Root. I would divulge any of my future knowledge, of course, but I could at least explain what Root was like and the treatment we could expect. They had the right to know. And if one of them snitched me out or something like that I could say that I had been listening in on conversations of the older members or something like that. I feel like that would only add up to my shinobi material points with Danzo.

Motioning Yomu over, I resolved to tell him first. The others were in no condition to hear about the hell we would go through. They might roll over and die considering how they were right then.

"I have to tell you something, Yomu," I confessed as he sat beside me on my bed. "It's important that you keep this between us for now, okay? I'll tell the others later."

"Sure! I won't tell anyone."

"Okay then," I started, trying to think how to go about this. "Well, I kno-" My voice hitched on that last word and for some reason, I just couldn't keep going.

I harrumphed loudly and started over.

"I know abo-" Again my voice faltered and I just couldn't get another word in.

'Is this the cursed seal's doing?' I wondered remembering that now I couldn't speak a word about some aspects of what Danzo and Root do. 'No, this is different. The cursed seal should completely paralyze me and I can move just fine'

I couldn't shake the feeling that something different was at play here. I remember the explanation about how the seal work from Sai in the show, and this is not it.

"Kai, are you okay?" Yomu said worriedly. I had been thinking silently for a while now.

"Oh, yeah don't worry about it. I just forgot what I had to say." I woke from my contemplation and rubbed my cheeks sheepishly.

"Fine… but you're telling me once you remember." He sulked a little at my lack of a juicy secret and hopped out of my bed. "I'm going to try to get some rest now."

"You should do the same," Yomu advised, giving me a pointed look. "We might need it."

Yomu might be cheerful and come out as somewhat naïve, but if you looked past that, into the depth of his eyes, you could see the intelligence and cunning he had. He knew that if what happened earlier was a testament to what Root had in store for us, we needed to be ready for anything.

Waiting a few minutes after Yomu's breath became that of someone asleep, and making sure the others weren't paying attention, I tested the theory I had come up with.

"The Th-"

That was all that came out of my mouth as a whisper.

I had planned to say 'The Third Hokage is supposed to die when the invasion of Konoha happens by Suna and Oto.' But I couldn't. I just couldn't. I tried talking about several different things that I knew would happen and all that came out of my throat were groans as I was soon cut off. 'Fuck...'

"FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCKKKK," I yelled into my pillow. That I could say alright.

Desperation hit me in the face harder then the masked Anbu did earlier that day.

I couldn't talk about my knowledge. Everything I had planned for once I left this place was useless. I couldn't enlist the help of anyone if I couldn't tell them what I know. I needed proof for that, and how could I prove anything if I couldn't exemplify it by predicting something. I couldn't even say that I had future knowledge, because even then I was cut off.

'Okay Haru, calm down. That just means you will have to change things yourself.' Talking in the third person to myself really calmed me down sometimes. 'It will be harder, yes, way harder, but not impossible. You can do it, YES YOU CAN'

I suck at self-motivation. Truly. But that's all I had, and all I was going to get. So, after the short pick-me-up session as spent the rest of that day trying to figure out the limits and restrictions of what I could and couldn't say. Everything thing I tried whispering (I didn't want to risk someone overhearing if I actually managed to say it out loud) about the future was a bust. So, I tried talking about the past, like Obito meeting Madara on the cave, or how the same Madara didn't die at the Valley of the end.

It was to no avail though. Anything that wasn't common knowledge I tried and failed. The most that I got were simple things like how Rin died, or whose were Naruto's real parents. That was good and all, but not really that useful. Especially considering that I needed to keep (most) of the timeline intact if I wanted my knowledge to be worth something. Who knew what kind of ripples telling the village or even just Naruto who his parents were. Not that I would have the opportunity to do that any time soon.

I even tried to write it down or signal with my hands, but it was as if some kind of force just wouldn't let me.

After a whole day of that, I conceded and tagged the idea of telling anyone what I knew as a bust. 'So much for all this knowledge,' I thought, thoroughly annoyed at this point

Our routine for those next two weeks was tortuous at best. We were fed poorly and allowed to grow thin and meager. The showers were restricted to us and the smell in our room grew worst by the day. At least every two hours, when we were not freezing outside during the late night and early morning, or receiving our daily dose of whoop ass, senior members would go by our rooms screeching kunais on metal to keep us awake. Also, methodically, rats and bugs were tossed on top of us during the few moments we could sleep. To top it off, all medical attention was held off and to no one's surprise, a few children didn't make it. TWO WEEKS IN.

The children that were once excited with the opportunity to become shinobi and kunoichi finally came to terms with what that really meant in Root. The once cheerful and boisterous demeanor of the four boys I shared my room with was nowhere to be found not even three days into those hellish two weeks. By the end, we were as silent as our escorts.

I had to say, my scrawny little 3yo body was surprisingly sturdy and resilient. Oh sure, I was half-dead like all other children when the two weeks ended. Itching and smelly, sick, exhausted, and sore like a whore, but still there. I made sure to stand defiantly whenever we were lined up at that same chamber to take our beatings.

I had to keep reminding myself every day during that time of a particular line in one of my favorite books in my past life. "Almost dead yesterday, maybe dead tomorrow, but alive, gloriously alive, today," I whispered to myself whenever my lips weren't cracked to the point I could barely speak.

So, exactly fourteen days after our first beating, our treatment did a total three-sixty and we were treated like human beings again. In fact, we were being treated a little too well.

The Iryo ninjas were especially kind and attentive to us. Not only when it came to our health, but they were almost mothering us. Not only that, we were being allowed to sleep in and we were receiving half as much ration as we did in the first week. The kids were thoroughly okay with this and grasped at this new treatment like a lifeline.

It finally clicked for me three days after our treatment changed. 'These sly, sly bastards.'

How naïve of me to think that that was all physical punishment. No, they were breaking us mentally just as much. I realized, a little too late for my taste to be honest, that they were playing some kind of long-term 'good-cop,bad-cop' routine with us.

I mean, it explained everything. The first week we arrived here we were treated normally. They were letting us stew in our own expectations of what we would be doing here. They knew we were impressionable children and that the whole Anbu Black Ops vibe of the place and the people had an attractive quality to us.

So, after we finished building our expectations to the max it was time to absolutely drive that into the dirt. Leave no remnant of those naïve expectations of the shinobi world. It was a statement.

"Here, this is the reality of things. This is how the world works!" They seemed to be implanting that in our brains.

Sure, almost all the children had been through hardships or had seen their family die and their village burn, but this was different. This was a hands-on experience of what happens if you are easily trusting and eager with other people. Rather effective. I doubt any of us will ever forget the first lesson Root ever taught us.

Then, after our mental fortitude was at an all-time low, they coddled us. That was their way of showing that the same hand that punishes can also caress us. That we were their own now, we would be treated harshly but, in the end, would be taken care of. To try and show that there was nowhere else for us but Root.

It's worth pointing out that while the members that beat us would all wear blank masks, the medics and canteen workers that took care of us after the two weeks were done had their faces displayed. What a way to mess with our psyche. It was easier for us to become attached to the face-showing Root members than to resent unknown Anbu behind blank masks.

And so, for six months, the almost always bi-weekly cycle of 'good-cop, bad-cop' repeated itself.

Now, I'm no specialist on child development, but the way they build us up to break us down repeatedly was relentlessly brutal. It's no wonder Root members end up mindless drones.

Anyways, back to the six-month hell we lived.

Sometimes a cycle was interrupted abruptly before a full two weeks just to throw us off our game. The punishments and the level of coddling, if it could be called that by the end, varied and changed too.

After about three cycles, the punishments and conditioning techniques were less about weakening us and more about strengthening us. Food wasn't held off since they wanted us to grow faster and stronger, and instead of throwing us wet and cold out into the night we would be constantly pushed to our limits during our training, which at that point consisted on building strength, conditioning, and flexibility. The beatings were still administered but were more targeted and less chaotic. As if to get us used to be battered and bruised and still keep going. Mock torture sessions that were not so mocked were also one of their methods.

I still remember the first time I was dragged out of my room with a bag over my head, held up by my two elbows connected behind my back. I was thrown into my favorite chair model in the world and spent the next three days in what can only be called Anko's and Ibiki's wet dream. All sorts of techniques were displayed on me. Shocking, beating, cutting, waterboarding. They truly believed in a hands-on approach to learning at Root. Especially since the ones conducting the torture were at times the other children.

With supervision, of course. Safety first was one of their mottos. Well, supervision or not, inexperienced interrogators inevitably led to a few untimely deaths. Nothing unusual there though.

While the punishments were becoming more, dare I say, useful, our rewards, safe weeks we called them, became much more just that, safety, than actual coddling. Not even two cycles into the six months our safe weeks turned to normal treatment by the staff. Eventually, indifference was the most we got but since it was such a reprieve from our punishment weeks, we couldn't help but cherish them.

During those six months, I also got to see Danzo again after my first day with the Foundation. He would come and check on our progress at least once a month and made sure to appear as regal as a man walking with a cane and with half his face covered in bandages could. Danzo was met with such obedience by all of Root that he met on his path that the new children couldn't help but feel adoration and devotion to that man. As if he was an idol. We didn't dare approach him lest we burn like Icarus.

I had to admit, it was harder than I thought it would be to maintain my sanity. The whole Danzo adoration thing was starting to rub off on me and having to actually play along just made it worse. I hated it. I grasped at anything that I could to disconnect from the present. Namely my past life and what I could, and would do once I got out of that hell hole. So, I spent those six months almost apart from my body, just going with the motions. It's a rather useful ability, especially during the torture and beating sessions.

Six months into our conditioning and our numbers had thinned out to about half of what we started. Twenty-two kids left from the batch of a little over forty. Only six months too. We still had years to go, but I suspected that all the weak had already been weeded out. Next, the strong ones would. To leave only the exceptional. That was the way of Root.

The room seemed more spacious when we lined up on the last day of our initiation period. Fewer bodies I supposed. No smiley, hopeful faces anymore. We were calloused survivors then. Not warriors, not yet. That came next. But damn it if we weren't survivors.

I took that time to scan around the room for a minute. I hoped to see Shin or Sai in our midst. I knew Fū Yamanaka and Torune Aburame were a little older than us, so I didn't expect them to be there, but Sai at least was in my group age. It was to no avail though, he wasn't there. Maybe he got there a little before us or even after. 'Oh well, worth a shot.'

I was looking straight ahead when Danzo came in through one of the side doors. The ever-present two-man guard flanking him. The children seemed to stand up taller as he walked up the mini stage set up for his speech. Their faces a mix of fear, expectation, and yearning. Probably for recognition if I had to guess, all while trying to maintain the expected Root poker face. They were still children after all. And if there is one thing I learned from watching Naruto's childhood is that kids will go to great lengths to get recognition and approval. In this case, they all wanted it from the man that become their idol.

I maintained a stony face though, even as he glanced past me and his eyes met mine. He had something planned for me, the bastard. I just knew it. His gaze stayed with mine a second too long to indicate just passing interest.

I spaced out the first part of his speech being too occupied trying to figure out what Danzo had in store for me. Not that it mattered though, from what I was hearing during the few moments I paid attention it was mainly some good old militaristic propaganda, sprinkled with confidence boosts to the children that would surely be used to bring them back down again in the future and, of course, the egotistical-bastard special: Self-patting on the back on how following his ideas were the best way to ensure the protection of Konoha. It doesn't get more Danzo than that.

Finally, when he got to the interesting parts, I was forced to pay attention.

"As to your future training," continued Danzo, "just how I promised on your first day here, you will be taught in all shinobi arts."

"You will be focusing on Taijutsu and Bukijutsu for now. Depending on your ages, you will be starting on Ninjutsu and Genjutsu as well." Danzo turned to the door as ninjas walked in carrying boxes after boxes of books and scrolls. "For those who don't know it yet, you will be learning how to read and write, and after that, to understand the principles of Fūinjutsu."

I can't even lie, after six months of misery and torment, I was just as excited as the other children to begin our shinobi training. Worst of all, I felt thankful to Danzo for giving me the chance to become a ninja. And that was with me knowing everything I did about him, I could only imagine what was going on inside the head of the others.

"Also, from now on, you will be paired with someone deemed compatible with your skills and your age" Danzo addressed the crowd with a predatory look in his eyes. "You will do everything together. Eat, sleep, train. They will be your partner until your graduation into full Root members."

His double meaning did not go unnoticed for me. 'Yeah, obviously they will only be your partner until you graduate, after all, one of you will have to die to get there.'

God, just imagine that for a kid. They present you to a world of zero emotions and attachments once you get here. After driving that into your brain, they basically hand you a best friend, and like it or not that's what you both became to one another after the many years of doing everything together. They are your only family, the only ones you can depend on emotionally. Then, in order to achieve the only dream they leave in your reach since you were basically a toddler, graduating into Root, you must kill your most precious person. That, or dying unaccomplished.

What an evil fucking genius Danzo is. After all, once you sever your only human connection in the whole world, there is only your dream left. There is only Root. As it should be, in his head.

Fucking maniac.

I promised myself then and there that I would be the one to kill the son of a bitch. Not that I didn't want to before, but just seeing the look on the kids face made my blood boil. Besides, to get my freedom, at least from the cursed seal, I needed him dead. The only thing is that I would be the one doing the deed now.

I had just thought of the perfect pun for when I killed him too.

I smirked internally at that moment. Smirked, not giggled.

God, I'm pretty sure after a while I actually let a Machiavellian cackle in my mind. I was SO hyped to get my training going and becoming strong enough to kill Danzo and all the other pricks in the Naruto world.

I would find a way too to save both myself and my partner too. That was still years to come though and I had long enough to plan something. Either fake my or his death. Defecting. Anything, I wasn't going to play Danzo's sick game.

That petty little resistance in my mind was of no consequence, apparently. After Danzo dismissed us and we started filing out of the room, I was pulled aside by one of his bodyguards.

"Danzo-sama wants a word with you, kid." The boar masked Anbu put a hand on my shoulder and dragged me out of the line.

Here it comes, then. Apparently, I wouldn't have to wonder long on what that look on Danzo's face meant.

'Shit, shit, shit.'

For all my internal bravado I couldn't help but be terrified when I was the only child left in the room, surrounded by Root members and with no possibility of escaping. 'Huh, have the walls always been this close?' I thought, trying to sound as cheerful and jolly in my own mind. You create your own defensive mechanisms, I guess.

"You are the one named Kai, aren't you," came Danzo's voice from behind me. I shivered instantly. That guy has a creepy quality that is difficult to point out. It's not a straight-out disgusting feeling you get with guys like Orochimaru, no. Danzo is just too quiet and certain of himself for my taste. As if he's in on a joke that you're not, or that he is always watching you from the shadows and knows your nasty little secrets. Which I suppose when you live in a Root base, he probably does.

I only had one thing up my sleeve that he had no way of knowing. Who I really am. Creeper or not, he couldn't have known that.

So, as one must keep one's cards close to one's chest, I had to play with his expectations and had to be the newly semi-mindless genius 3yo. As long as I kept that persona in front of him and of all other Root I would survive.

"Hai, Danzo-sama." I immediately avoided his gaze, bowed my head, and went to my knees. Just as I knew his trusted Anbu did.

"Hmm," He seemed pleased with my subservience. Danzo has a serious inferiority complex with the Third Hokage and likes to play the Big-Dick-Bandido with his drones, I realized. 'Might as well give him what he wants.'

"It was made known to me that you are a youngster with a lot of potential, Kai," I finally looked up at that with a slightly surprised look on my face. I was an impressionable child and my supposed idol had just acknowledged me, after all. Why wouldn't I be happy?

"Yes, your results are impressive for someone your age. Unprecedented, actually." Danzo continued after my little 'lost and recently found puppy' act. "You will be receiving your training directly under me and Root's top-ranking members."

Now that, I wasn't expecting.

Could that have been it? The reason for his look. Is he intending to groom me? But for what, to be his successor? My mind was going a hundred miles a minute processing that.

'I'm sure it's not every day they have a 3yo answer to the intelligence test as I did, and I also proved extraordinary resilient if not skilled during our training and physical torment,' I tried to rationalize this new development as best as I could.

I could only assume that was the reason. Though I knew to always be suspicious of Danzo, no matter the situation. Knew to always look underneath the underneath when it came to the old warhawk.

I wouldn't complain about the special attention though. Say what you will about Danzo, his training methods may be brutal and oppressive, but damn it if they didn't get results. Names like Yamato, Sai, Fū, Torune, and even for a time Kakashi, Kabuto, and Orochimaru had passed through his tutelage. Not a bad track record.

"Thank you, Danzo-sama," I said bowing my head once more. "I won't disappoint you."

"I don't think you will." He assured me. "Gather your things and follow Cat to your new quarters." Danzo said pointing to one of his masked bodyguards.

"Hai, Danzo-sama." I stood at attention and bowed to the waist this time. Like the good war-dog he intended me to become. I still didn't know if I was to replace him or simply to become one of his officers, but I doubted he would want anything less than total devotion.

"Oh," Danzo stopped mid-stride as if an insignificant detail had just popped into his head. "Bring the boy named Yomu with you. He is to be your partner."

My breath was caught at my throat and I winced heavily.

Danzo turned around and made his way out of the room. "We start tomorrow."

A/N: That didn't take two weeks, clearly, but that is there more as the upper limit of my update schedule than anything.

Anyways, I have a part of the story already thought out but feel free to make any suggestions or just let me know if there is anything in particular you would like to see.

Again, please correct me on any grammatical errors.