Glimpses of the Future/ Konoha's New Step Forward

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other crossovers I may put into this work of fiction.

Reviewer's Corner (From Ch. 2):

: Yeah, I'm not that great at foreshadowing.

Please Read and Review

(A/N: This is mainly a transitional chapter; basically Naruto growing up. The story will hopefully, get going next chapter and on.

While the flash forward is happening, I'll show the time in Konoha. The reaction to the news and other stuff I can think of that needs to be said. May be a bit confusing, but I hope it'll sort itself out.)

Start

The day after the homecoming, Kushina was sitting in a rocking chair, watching her precious baby boy sleep. She thought about her previous life, as a wife, as a lover, as a newly initiated ninja to a foreign land. "Oh Minato, the future looks so grim. This is how life must be. You had a job to do and I have mine."

She looked at Naruto and kissed him on the forehead, "What kind of man will you be?"

Flash forward no Jutsu (2 years later)…

At the age of two, he made his first word, which was unsurprisingly, "Mommy." He eventually started learning how to walk and run at an exponentially fast rate. At the age of four, he had started running around palace, giving joy to all the palace's inhabitants.

"He's a ball of energy, and I love him like the kid I never wanted." Kaito joked around, while Mari looked down. "When I first saw him, I had thoughts in my mind, but I eventually warmed up with him and discarded the thoughts."

Naruto, garbed in a white t-shirt and shorts, went up to her mother, the red-haired princess of Whirlpool country, and gave her a big kiss on the cheek. "Mommy." She picked him up and kissed him as well, also on the cheek.

Normal time (Konoha) …

It was the day after Hiruzen had received the Kushina's 'letter of resignation' from Danzo. He was mulling over the previous days events in detail.

Flashback no Jutsu (The previous day)…

"Deny it all you like, Hiruzen, but it's clear what you must do." Hiruzen simply pocketed the gear and left the proceedings, saddened by the events.

Later that day, he announced the findings to villagers in Konoha. Everyone was shocked, even the remaining members of the Uchiha clan, including Uchiha Keisuke, and the normally stoic Aburame Clan.

He was bombarded with questions, but he had stated, "Everyone, please listen! I am only going by what Danzo has given me." He then started to explain the treacherous events that were believed to have happened the night before.

Everyone murmured amongst themselves. The unanimous decision voiced out were to simply do nothing, as they had an idea of how power the Whirlpool Nation was, but also knew very little about their former allies. Everyone else, including the more 'intelligent' remaining clans was either neutral or had nothing to say.

Normal time (again)…

The Professor, once known as the God of Shinobi, grumbled to himself, "Maybe that wasn't a good choice."

As he continued his paperwork, he was startled by a knock on the door. "Come in," not looking up at the sound. "Old Man Hokage, I wanted to talk to you about something."

He looked up and staring him in the face was the blooming flower, Eiji Kamiya, otherwise known as Gin. He was considered a rising genius within the shinobi ranks, nearing Nara Shikaku's intelligence. "Ah, Gin, what can I do for you?"

The black haired man fidgeted with his vest before speaking, " Uchiha Keisuke spoke to me before talking to you about. I have a good idea about what's going on." The Third Hokage asked, "Oh, do you? That puts me in a bit more comfortable spot."

He scratched his head, "Do you believe Kushina killed Minato?" Hiruzen simply said, "All we can believe is what we see in front of us. It is clearly Kushina's headband, it's been checked by the research department to make sure it hasn't been tampered with."

"I see. This is one confusing mess we have in our hands, isn't it?" Hiruzen simply chuckled, "You have no idea."

The two exchanged theories, but there was nothing conclusive. They didn't want to condemn the poor woman than what was already done. It was decided that Hiruzen would simply let life run its course. He had no idea what lie in the roots of the tree known as Konoha.

Root HQ – Undisclosed…

Danzo Shimura, a member of the council of Konoha, a man to be feared, paced around a nearly empty underground laboratory. A man in a black suit, known as an ANBU, approached him. However, something was special about this ANBU. He was of the ANBU Ne, a special sect of the ANBU organization made by Danzo himself.

"What do you have to report?" The Ne knelt down and delivered his report, "Sir, it seems that all traces of Uzumaki Kushina, as well as Namikaze Minato have completely vanished. No matter how hard we have searched, we are unable to find them."

Danzo cursed mentally, "Thatcraftybitch!" He asked another question, "Never mind that, we'll somehow circumvent it. Have you found out where she was moved?"

The Ne shook his head. As Danzo was about to curse himself again, his agent said. "We did find something from our allies in Water Country though. Apparently, a large caravan was sighted on its way to a ship heading towards the Matriarch of Whirlpool."

"Whirlpool,eh?It'satreasuretroveofknowledgeandwonders.I'vetriedusingUzumakiKushinatogettothequeendom,butnosuchluck.Obstaclesofallkindsguardingherfrommypath,includingthedamnableFourthHokagehimself."

As he mentally calmed down, "That is interesting, indeed."

He plotted to himself as he called him away. "This may be more to my liking than I thought."

With Keisuke…

He kept spearheading the effort to rebuild Konoha, however, he was feeling something in his heart. "Kushina,whydidyoukillMinato?Weren'tyoulovedones?Wasn'tyourlovesupposedtolastforeverandever?" He thought about the state of things and thought about his life.

"I might have to be the new head of the Uchiha clan. I might be the one raising Itachi and Sasuke. Huh, Mikoto as well." He never realized how the death of one person could affect the lives of others to such a degree. He sighed, "I have a lot of stuff to do."

With Gin…

Once he got home, he sighed loudly. "Damn, with everything going on now, it's nice to get back home and see a familiar face." He entered the door and saw his girlfriend, Aya. The red-haired woman kissed him on the cheek, "How has it been, stranger?"

He sighed as he kissed her, "You wouldn't believe my life." She smiled, "Try me."

Back with Naruto (Two year later again)…

Now, at the age of four, Naruto had still not yet learned anything, except how to speed up and speak eloquently. As children his age were barely able to speak coherent sentences, he was able to advance at a much higher level, all thanks to Kiharu Atsuro, the renowned 'genius' trainer.

Graduating from the academy at an early age, he was acknowledged as a master strategist. Although he was not as fast as others, he could make up for it with his intellect and strength.

Atsuro gave Naruto daily lessons, which could last anywhere from 10 minutes to three hours. At first, it was about the speech, but within the first few days, he started lecturing about different subjects.

While Naruto didn't get everything right away, he knew that it might be useful within days to come. He bowed to his teacher, "Thank you, Atsuro-sensei." He simply brushed it off, "No need to thank me, I'm just doing my job, " He bowed politely and left.

Aside from the 'genius' lessons, Naruto also received many lessons from Kaito, especially fighting lessons.

Kaito advised Naruto on what to do when facing against an opponent large than him, while kicking him. "In a battle, one must think on his toes. It's okay to dodge while you're training, but in a battle, your opponent will eventually be able to take advantage of it. So, I'm going to teach you a few moves to guard against that chance." He pointed to his shoulders, arms, and legs. "Use them in conjunction to block hard strikes." He then pointed to his fists, "Redirection is the key to victory." He finally delivered a large kick, "All enemies have a weak point in their attack pattern. If you can figure out that pattern, you'll be able to win!"

He kicked Naruto as he blocked, but the boy was still knocked back. "However, all of this information is useless unless you're much stronger. We'll start conditioning your body tomorrow!" The boy nodded as they continued the light practice.

Konoha (The same time)…

Sarutobi Hiruzen was once again, working at the desk, as he sighed. It had been over four years since the Kyuubi no Yoko had attacked Konoha. The village was slowly starting to get back on its feet.

The Hokage was deep in thought. "Theselastfouryears… theyhavebeentroublesome,indeed.StartingfromthedeathofNamikazeMinato,continuingwithalong,laundrylistofdisastersonerightafteranother.Yet,inthisseaofchaos,thereisanuggetofhope." He looks out to the shining sky and the reconstructed village. "Thisvillageisdifferentfrombefore,yet,Ifeelanewhopeslowlyemerging.Anewgenerationofyoungonesreadytotakeupthemantleoffireandlearnthewilloffireandprotecttheirhome." He readjusted his Hokage hat and went back to his paperwork.

A knock came from his door, "The door's open." The door was opened gently and revealed Uchiha Keisuke with a four-year-old boy standing beside him. He was still in the Uchiha clan head robes, a long blue ceremonial robe with the Uchiha crest. The boy was wearing a loose blue gi and white shorts. His hair was spiked to the back. "Ah, Keisuke-kun, pleasure to see you. This must be Sasuke." The two humbly nodded.

Keisuke let go of Sasuke's hand and let him wander around, while he talked with Hiruzen. "Ah, Sarutobi-san, it's been a while. I wanted to talk to you." He took a seat as he talked, "It's about Itachi. I think you should drop him from Anbu." This caused slight surprise with both the Hokage and Sasuke.

Hiruzen cupped his hands together and asked, "Why? In my years and Minato's years as Hokage, Itachi has always been a valuable asset. He does his missions diligently and successfully. He never seems to complain nor does he tire of it." As he finished his lecture, "Or possibly, does it have to do with his psychological state?"

"Sasuke-kun, can you please wait outside?" Sasuke begrudgingly did what he was told. "That boy thinks the world of Itachi. Itachi is his hero. It wouldn't be right for me to suggest what should be done about this in front of him." He sighed before he continued.
"I want him off Anbu."

Hiruzen was able to guess what Keisuke had wanted before he even asked, yet the word still came out of his mouth. "Why?"

He looked around the room before replying, "Lately, Itachi has been rather withdrawn. Well, more withdrawn than usual. He won't talk with anyone besides Sasuke or his friend Shisui. Mikoto and I have tried to get him to speak with us, but it was no use. When I tried to press him for information, he yells, "You're not my father! You can't tell me what to do!" He storms away and continues trying to improve himself." He stops for a moment and continues again, "Mikoto and I think the stress of being an elite is too much for him. It's only a matter of time before he collapses and makes a fatal error. I've seen it during my time."

Sarutobi remembered Keisuke the White Barrier as an Anbu Captain. "Ah yes, you were similar. A genius of another caliber, but I believe you quit before you reached your full potential. As I recall, you were less destructive than Itachi, yet, you had just as much success on your missions." He waved his hands, "Please, Hokage-sama, we're talking about Itachi and what the best course of action should be."

"Yes, excuse my ramblings. Hearing your side of the story, I do believe that barring Itachi from the Anbu is the best decision. Perhaps he will make a larger impact on Konoha that way instead of doing so in secret." Keisuke mused at the idea, but it was not to be. He bowed as he exited and led Sasuke back to the Uchiha compound. "Come, we have much to do."

Sasuke asked his uncle politely, "Is it true that Itachi is going to be finished with his job?" He didn't know what to say, so he simply nodded. "It'll be hard to get used to, but yes. I feel that it's the best choice for him." Sasuke was silent for the rest of the way.

When they got back to the Uchiha Compound, Keisuke told Itachi the news. He surprisingly took it well. He was afraid of saying that he wanted to quit, as Keisuke was a well-known preacher of justice. He thought that his uncle would be disappointed in him so he never said anything. "Every person has their own justice. You must not let another's wave of justice drown your own," is what Keisuke said when Itachi confessed to him.

During the previous years, when Keisuke had become the head, he had made massive reforms within the clan. Instead of an Uchiha-only police force, he had other clans join in as well, since the tradition of Uchiha-only police was rather unfair to the other clans. This stopped the Uchiha clan from getting larger egos'. It took some time for the new members to warm up to the Uchiha members, but eventually, they had a working relationship.

On another day, Sasuke trained under Itachi's supervision. Now that Itachi stopped working as an Anbu, he joined the police force and quickly worked his way up. Although out of the dangerous life, he did more regular missions than any other jounin his own age. Keisuke was a bit worried, but if this made him happy, he wouldn't be able to stop Itachi.

Itachi yelled numbers at Sasuke, which signaled which combinations he should do. He did them flawlessly, as Itachi increased the pace. After working hard for a while longer, he said, "Good job Sasuke. We should stop now and take a break for the day." As he was about to leave, he noticed sounds of practicing. He turned back and saw his brother practicing, "Sasuke! What are you doing?"

The boy was sweating considerably, but he did not seem to be tired at all. He hit the dummy with increased force, as it started to strain against the blows. After a few more blows, the dummy exploded. Sasuke quickly calmed down and said, "Alright, let's go." He quickly turned around and walked back to the house. As he passed the former Anbu, Itachi could feel a slight presence. He shook it off as quickly as it came.

"This feeling is familiar. It… terrifies me. I must tell Uncle." He quickly rejoined Sasuke, now out of his trance.

Timeskip (Next four years overall)…

Over the next four years, there were vast changes throughout the world.

Although the death of the Uchiha head, Uchiha Fugaku, shook Konoha, the new head, Uchiha Keisuke took the village by storm. His new tactics of incorporating other clans and new individuals strengthened the bonds of Konoha. All the ninja under in his fighting force respected him greatly. While supervising the training of the new and old recruits, he would also think of new ways to strengthen the village as a member of the council.

As a new member of the council, Eiji Kamiya also worked with Sarutobi Hiruzen o strengthen the village. This greatly infuriated Danzo, as their motives were an intrinsic counter to his own. In his mind, he would abolish the nurturing way of the academy and instead use his own method of training shinobi to rid themselves of their emotions and become the greatest tools. Although abolished, he kept pressuring the old leader to bring it back into light. However, with the two new 'generals', the pressure was coming in less and smaller waves.

"The two youngsters, Uchiha Keisuke and Eiji Kamiya… They have great skill, but they lack true direction. They are only lagging behind Hiruzen as loyal dogs. They could be excellent assets for myself, but that would require too much work." As he mused the idea, one of his Anbu Ne walked up to him. "Ah, you've come back. Is there any new information regarding the Whirlpool."

The informant shook his head and handed a report. "Curses. Ever since our first spy was found within Whirlpool, it's become more hostile than ever. I've heard that other nations have sent spies before, but they were unable to return successfully with any information." He shooed away the informant. "The Whirlpool is an enemy that must be eliminated by any means necessary, but how?" He then vanished into the darkness.

In other areas of the village, the Uchiha clan in particular, things were going well. Sasuke, at eight years old, has become the new model for geniuses in the village. He has surpassed the previous genius, Uchiha Itachi, however, in all of his 'modesty' he has declined the chance for promotion. Instead, he chooses to stay in the academy for a more traditional route.

Having told the new head of the clan of the problem, Keisuke kept an eye on Sasuke. The boy however, had displayed no sense of any dangerous behavior. "I felt it for a brief second Uncle, but it was truly there. Sasuke and I were the only ones at the training ground, and I felt a chill creep down my spine. It felt like an ancient killing intent that rivaled my own." Keisuke considered possibilities, but it was all just a feeling. With his hand on his nephews' shoulder, and said with a smile, "I will do my job as the clan head; nothing more, nothing less. Should such a problem continue, I leave it up to you to handle it however you choose."

At the moment, Sasuke with the same clothes as his younger self four years ago, this time re-outfitted, was training with a new dummy. "These dummies are weak, " He talked to himself as he trained. " A real challenge… When will I receive such a chance?" He cried in ecstasy as he blew a head off another dummy. He went up and picked up the head and crushed it. "Looks like another weak victim." He headed back into the compound.

As he walked in to clean himself, he saw Itachi at the door. He asked in a cheerful voice, "Going out, Itachi-ni?" Itachi saw his brother and replied, "I have to meet someone, I will see you later." He doubled back, "Will you be free tonight?"

Sasuke was surprised. Besides training, Itachi never let him into his personal life. "I don't have any plans tonight, why?" Itachi stared at the corner, "My old friend, Eiji Kamiya-san, the owner of a local bar asked about my family. I mentioned you and he asked me to take you to him. He and his girlfriend Aya-san seem to have adopted a girl about your age. She seems strange, but good for you." He smiled, "I see you at school making friends, but other than that, you're not attempting to strengthen the bonds you're making."

Sasuke smirked, "The people there are too boring, I want a challenge. Something I can further dissect and perhaps use to improve myself." He pocketed his hands. "I suppose I'll come along with you." Itachi nodded, and looked at his clothes, "Also, wear something else. You've worn those clothes for the past four years." Sasuke looked at what he was wearing, "I see no problem with them. There are functional and serve my purposes well enough." Itachi shrugged, "Well enough indeed." He left for his important business.

As Sasuke considered the aspect of new clothing, he remembered a present from four years ago. A cloak made of a strange material; never worn or washed. "Itachi has a roundabout way of presenting things."

He searched through his closet until he found the box and tore it open to find out what lay inside. Inside was a long blackish-greenish cloak. He donned the cloak and found that it was almost custom-made for him. He leaves with a sense of accomplishment.

At Whirlpool…

Naruto was training hard with Kaito, under the watchful eye of Kushina. Ever since he injured himself while training, she never trusted her younger brother. "Good work, Naruto," He took a look behind him and uneasily said, "I think we should stop for the day."

Naruto, now at the age of eight, was still roughly the same four years ago. As he grew predictably, he was stronger, but his muscles didn't show for it. As he was disappointed by the lack of muscles, Kushina showed him how strong he actually was.

Besides training with Kaito or learning from Atsuro, he was almost always with his mother. Aside from more private affairs, they did everything together. They wandered the streets of the village, the villagers awed at the two from afar, 'the sun and the fiery sky'. Although the people in the village were curious at how their prince had blond hair, they often disregarded it.

At a council meeting, Kushina and her advisors discussed the future of the village. "Kushina-sama, what is your goal for the future?" An elder, still reasonably suspicious with the ascent of Uzumaki Kushina, as leader of the village.

With her eyes closed the whole time, she opened them and dramatically revealed her plans, "I… intend to create an empire, with its base in Whirlpool." The entire council was shocked, but allowed her to continue. "The land is rife with violence and so far, no one has been able to unite the entire world together. It's my wish to conquer all the villages, and establish my dream empire."

They looked upon her eyes, as they appeared normal, but with a slight haze. "With all due respects, Kushina-sama, I do believe you've gone mad! We cannot tolerate such a bold act of treachery to the name of Whirlpool. We are the Whirlpool, warriors born with a determination to keep foreign objects out of our space. I do believe, spending time in Konoha has given you many new ideas. Dangerous ideas that threaten our peaceful way of life."

She giggled, "I understand what you are saying, and, while I do believe you are correct, I disagree." She smiled and shoved her sword into him. "Minister, this plan will go without fail, and the people in this room will also meet tragic deaths. I have also appointed new members to replace you all." She smiled before saying, "Good day forever, everyone." They were killed in a flash. The murderer reappeared next to Kushina, and knelt in front of her. "Kushina-sama, it is nice to see you again."

"Rise Momochi Zabuza-kun, you have much to prepare for." They both walked away from the scene, as the door was closed, revealing Uzumaki Kaito. "The new order is ready, sister. Shall I inform everyone of the new happenings?" Kushina simply shook her head, "We'll take it one step at a time. Conquest starts within the home. We'll have a large 'festival' to root out all the ones capable of allying with us, and we'll conquer the rest." Kaito and Zabuza smiled, "This'll be fun."

End

At last, I'm done with this chapter of a nightmare. I think… it's gotten to the point where I want to write the exciting stuff, and just skip all the explaining. I've had ideas of a future brewing in my mind for a while, and it's interfering with my capacity to write well (I think). Hopefully it's good for everyone.

Aside from that, I think I may be straying a bit from the challenge, but I will try to readdress some issues and fix it later.