Disclaimer
The Drunken Tree was one of the most popular bars in Konoha. It was owned by a retired veteran of the Second Shinobi War and only leaf nins ranked chuunin and above were allowed inside. The interior was cozy and dim lighted. There were few windows and all seats were oriented to face the door, making it impossible to sneak inside unnoticed. It was a place where even the most paranoid shinobi felt safe.
Beside the mission room, it was also the best gossip spot in Konoha.
That evening like usual, chuunins and jounins were quietly drinking in small groups exchanging the latest news when Konoha's self-proclaimed king of gossips, Shiranui Genma, busted inside.
"You guys will never believe what happened today!" he exclaimed.
"You finally made out with Kurenai?" asked Kotetsu before receiving a jab from Asuma.
"Tsunade-sama is back in Konoha?" said a hopeful genjutsu mistress.
"The Tsuchikage kicked the bucket at last?" guessed Izumo.
"Aliendel doesn't own Naruto and all rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto?" slurped a very drunk Anko.
"…."
"Anko-san I think you should slow down on the liquor," said Iruka with a concerned look towards the snake mistress.
"None of you are even close," quickly stated a happy Genma, before Anko could utter another nonsensical guess. "Hatake Kakashi was seen today… with an unknown Uchiha and the Yondaime ghost!" At the looks of disbelief from his comrades, he raised his hands in surrender and added, "Hey I know what I saw and I'm not the only one, there were hundreds of witnesses!"
That seemed to convince the crowd who began to press him with questions…
By morning there wouldn't be anyone in the hidden village that wouldn't be aware of Haru and Sasuke presence.
Two Shadows in the Spotlight
Passing shinobi petrified by shock, whispers of disbelief by administrative chuunins and tensed ANBU guards who would have intercepted them if not for his presence; Hatake Kakashi was amused to see the reactions of the people who worked in a place where the extraordinary was the normalcy. But it was to be expected; for all their powerful jutsus and magic like tricks, most shinobi seemed to greatly fear anything that had to do with the supernatural. And as they were not yet aware of the connection between Haru and Minato, for them it was like seeing the Yondaime ghost walking among the livings.
However, the reaction of the people in the tower was nothing compared to the uproar that awaited them once they began walking in the village. Once they saw the blond man, merchants dropped the boxes they were carrying, shinobi lost their footing and fell from the rooftops, passersby stopped dead in their tracts with their jaw hanging and many women fainted from shock. Shouts of 'The Yondaime is back!', 'Our hero has returned!' and 'This is impossible, I must be dreaming!' filled the streets.
As one who had been fooled before, Kakashi could understand their surprise but now that he looked at the blond man with a calm and analytical mind, he could also see the differences between the two Namikaze. While the same color as his older brother, Haru's hair was longer, and brighter. His skin was also tanner than Minato's and his facial features more masculine. On each of his cheeks there were three whiskers like scars exactly the same as Naruto. It seemed his sensei had not been able to find another solution to the Kyuubi after all.
More than the differences and similarities that he shared with the Yondaime, it was Haru attitude and posture that really intrigued the Copy nin. The blond walked with absolute confidence, ignoring the reactions he caused with an ease that must have come from years of being the center of attention. His blue eyes held hints of sadness, nostalgia and wonder. He looked at the village like it was a fragile treasure that he was afraid of losing.
Turning his gaze to the other nin, Kakashi concluded that he was definitely related to the current head of the Uchiha clan. The spiky raven hair, the black onyx eyes and the arrogance that sometimes showed on his face screamed Fugaku. If not a brother then he had to be a cousin of the man. Like Haru, Karasu –he didn't know his name yet- was completely ignoring the villagers. His attention solely focused on the blond. He was walking a few steps behind the Yondaime's little brother and his attitude was one of respect and protectiveness. Almost like an ANBU would act towards his Hokage.
If Haru was the light than the Uchiha with his black hair and cold demeanor was the darkness. Both men were the opposite of one another but instead of clashing, they seemed to balance each other out, like a perfect harmony. Watching them walk together was like watching a dance. Their movements were perfectly coordinated and they seemed to be an extension of the other. Even their breathing was in sync. They both oozed power; Haru warm and intense like the sun and Karasu cold and sharp like the edge of a sword.
They were a mystery and Kakashi would have been content to just observe the two in silence as he led them to their new apartment if it was not for Haru having enough of him staring.
Sigh "Hatake-san, if it can satisfy your curiosity then ask your questions. Having someone scrutinize me like you're doing is quite unnerving." The blond man said while giving the Copy nin an annoyed glare.
"Maa, does this mean you'll answer them?" replied Kakashi. His tone and body language were screaming 'I don't care'. If Haru and Sasuke didn't know their former sensei as well as they did, they could have believed that the Hatake really wasn't interested in their answers.
"Maybe… it's worth a try no?" The young Namikaze knew he had to be careful while giving information to the silver haired jounin. Even if he didn't show it often, the man had a level of intelligence and deduction skills only second to Nara Shikaku and his son Shikamaru.
Kakashi shrugged. He hadn't planned on interrogating the two shinobi yet, but if Haru gave him permission then he certainly wouldn't pass on the opportunity. Now, to start slowly and on a safe subject…
"So Uchiha-san, what's your first name?"
Apparently he had made the wrong choice for a safe subject because the raven haired man simply sent him a dead glare before looking away and continuing to ignore the jounin. Kakashi frowned confused. Sure Karasu and he hadn't had the best start possible and most Uchiha in general were assholes but at least the man could have given him his first name!
"Don't worry, he's always like that. His name is Sasuke," said Haru while trying to repress a chuckle. He knew that his best friend was sulking because it had taken 15 minutes before the Copy nin had finally asked for his name. His ANBU bodyguard would probably never admit it, but he had deep respect and affection for his former sensei.
"I see…" replied the Hatake. He was beginning to worry for the future teamwork of Squad 3 if that was the attitude to be expected from the Uchiha.
Since the raven haired jounin clearly had no interest in talking to him, he would stick to interrogating his sensei little brother. "Why do you hate the Yondaime?" he asked in a disinterested voice.
He was expecting a dead glare or yells about the Kyuubi but Haru surprised him by looking in his direction with wide cerulean blue eyes like he was the dumbest person on Earth and demanding in an indignant tone, "What makes you think I hate him? He's my Hero!"
"The Sandaime gave me a letter written by sensei six years ago. It said that you had every right to hate Minato." Stated Kakashi in a plain voice. These two nins really didn't react like he expected them to. He had a feeling it would just be surprise after surprise with Haru and Sasuke.
The blond frowned at his response and the Hatake thought he heard him mumbled something like 'that idiot even prepared… should never have told him' but before he could ask the other to speak louder Haru fixed his eyes on him again and he said seriously "Let's make one thing clear, I never have and never will hate Namikaze Minato. I don't resent him for my messed up childhood or for sealing the beast inside me. I'm only mad at him for dying when he didn't have to."
"Didn't have to?"
Kakashi sharp senses didn't miss the sudden tension in the Uchiha's shoulders or the low curse that escaped Haru's lips after he had singled out this fact. It seemed that bit of information had been an unintentional slip.
Long minutes of silence passed as the blond mentally struggled with the idea of explaining his slip or not. It was hard but Kakashi managed to refrain from pressing for answers. He would respect Haru privacy, for now.
Finally Minato-sensei little brother seemed to reach a decision and turned his head to look at the Uchiha. The two had a brief conversation in silent language, but the hand signs were too fast and different from the ones used by the ANBU for the silver haired man to be able to follow it. Sasuke nodded once and Haru fixed his attention on him again.
"I'm a seal master even better than the Yondaime was."
Forgetting his decision to not press the two shinobi for answers, Kakashi opened his mouth to ask another question. However, he had only spoken a few words when the blond raised his hand in the way a superior demanded silence on the field. The Copy nin was not known for obeying orders unless they came from the Hokage, Shikaku-sama or the ANBU commander but at the moment Haru exuded so much authority that he could only comply with the command. Kakashi fell silent.
"Thanks, like I said I'm a seal master and I could have performed the Shiki Fuin instead of the Yondaime but aniki didn't let me. His life was so much more important than mine but he chose to sacrifice it, so yeah I'm mad at him for that." His voice was calm and posed. When he spoke again, Kakashi could have sworn it was the Yondaime standing there and talking to a subordinate. "I know I'm the one who told you to ask your questions and you probably have hundreds of them but please stop for now. I'm also aware that you are a fellow jounin so there are high chances that we will be working together in the future. For the sake of teamwork, it's best if comrades know each other well. As such, if you happen to know one or more guards on duty during the council meeting in two days, you can ask them about us. That way we won't have to repeat ourselves."
Kakashi was too used to ANBU and the double life it required to not understand the hidden meaning behind Haru words. I know we're going to be on the same squad. I'm willing to let the team know about us. Some things are highly classified and can't be said in the streets. If you want to know them make sure your squad is in the shadows during the meeting.
The Copy nin had already planned for Inu to be present in two days but now with the two shinobi permission he wouldn't have to pretend that he didn't know anything. But even if he would be aware of their life story, he knew next to nothing about their powers. Only that both of them were kage level, that the Uchiha was extremely fast and that he wielded a katana. Fortunately, there was an easy way to correct that situation.
"Maa, you're right I'll probably know one of the guards. I'll stop asking questions for now. It's not wise to upset a shinobi when you don't know his strength," shrugged Kakashi. He then gave the two other jounins his famous eye smile and added jovially, "Perhaps we could spar sometimes soon? Tomorrow at 6 AM I have to take care of two pets that a friend of mine left me for a while but I should be free another day so maybe then? In case you're not aware of it there's way more than 56 trainings fields in Konoha that we could use."
It was Haru and Sasuke turn to translate the silver haired jounin words to what they truly were. Squad meeting tomorrow at 6 AM, training area 56. Be prepared, I want to know your fighting strength. Both of them nodded once to show they understood.
The rest of the way to the apartment was spent in a comfortable silence. Haru returned to gaze at the village with longing, Sasuke continued to assume his protective stance behind the blond and Kakashi started to observe the two others again only this time less blatantly.
It took the three shinobi another 10 minutes at a civilian walking pace to reach the building where the Namikaze and Uchiha new home was. When he saw the place, Kakashi couldn't help but realize that the Sandaime was really serious about making Haru an active member of the village.
The building was one of the oldest in Konoha, built by the Shodaime himself and one of the few to have miraculously survived the Kyuubi attack six years ago. It was also one of the tallest, only second to the Hokage tower. From the top –and the two shinobi apartment occupied all of the top floor- one could see the gates, the tower, the mountain, the market place and most of the major clan compounds. In short it was probably the best strategic point in the village and as such there was always an ANBU on village duty stationed on the rooftop. Beside the hidden Hokage mansion –that Kakashi knew because his sensei had been the leader of the village- Haru and Sasuke new home was probably the best place a shinobi could hope to live in Konoha.
In his quality of historical site and strategic point, the building was owned by the Hokage himself and no one had had the right to live inside for the last 50 years. That the Namikaze and the Uchiha were allowed to showed that the Sandaime trusted them a lot.
Kakashi thought that by placing them in a place where they could see most of the village, the old man was hoping the two shinobi would feel that they belonged in Konoha. His theory was proven correct when they got inside the apartment.
On the rare times that the Hokage himself gave a place to live to one of his shinobi, an ANBU squad was often tasked with buying all the furniture and necessities that a home needed. That way, the home was already functional when the new tenant took possession of it.
This time however the place was completely bare safe for a small table with a note and money on it.
Dear Haru and Sasuke,
I thought you would like to decorate your new house yourselves. There should be enough money in the pile to buy whatever you need. I'm sure that Kakashi will be pleased to show you where the best shops are.
Once again welcome home you two,
Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Kakashi was not fooled; the Sandaime's true goal for letting the two shinobi buy their own furniture was to force them to interact with the villagers. By the Uchiha annoyed frown and the Namikaze low curses it seemed he was not the only one to see through the old Hokage's plan. Oh well, time to get this leaf mission started.
The Copy nin leaned back on the door frame and said in a lazy voice, "So, time to go shopping?"
The two dead glares he received would have sent shivers of fear down his spine if the situation was not so amusing. As it was, it took all of his ANBU training and natural control not to burst out laughing.
If irritating the two others was always this much fun then Kakashi may have found a new hobby.
Hope from the Shadows – Two Shadows in the Spotlight
The day had been stressful for the two time-travelers.
First they had woken up in their room on the last basement floor of the ANBU headquarters to find two jounin equipment sets, which none of them had ever truly worn.
Then they had gone to meet the old Hokage in his office, a place that always brought mixed feelings to the blond man as good and bad memories overlapped with each other. There their former sensei had decided to show up early, nearly giving them a heart attack.
As if it wasn't enough, they had just snapped out of their shocked state to see the extreme reaction of the villagers. Haru was used to be the center of attention and so was Sasuke by extension but it was still unsettling to be the target of so many stares.
Affected by the insinuation that he hated his father, the young Namikaze had made a mistake by letting slip to Kakashi that he was a seal master. Now he would be forced to reveal that fact to the Council when they would have preferred to keep it hidden. Of course, he had been more careful from there on but the damage was done.
Then they had arrived at their new home to find out that they had to go back into the market to buy their furniture. No need to say that the two time-travelers had been really annoyed at the Sandaime. Strangely enough, the more irritated they were from the merchants reactions the more the Copy nin seemed to have fun.
Both of them already knew it but it was still disturbing to be confronted with the proof that your sensei was an asshole.
Fortunately, the day was finally over and both nins were now sitting at their newly acquired table in the middle of their new home filled with boxes. They hadn't started to unpack their things yet as Haru wanted to painted privacy and safeguard seals on the walls. Both shinobi were relaxing with a nice cup of instant ramen, or six in the blond case.
"I can't believe that Jiji forced us to go shopping like this! He even had us accompanied by Kakashi so we couldn't go into the shops under a henge. And did you see how that bastard made fun of us! It was like we were back in our genin days when he would torture us while he read that stupid perverted book. I swear if it was not for Sarutobi threatening us, then I would be on my way out of Konoha right this instant. He's just trying to give me his position so he can dump his Paperwork on me! But it won't work I'll-"
"He's right," simply stated the Uchiha, stopping his Hokage.
"What?" said the confused blond. Sasuke usually endured his rambling episodes in silence, letting him vent until he ran out of things to complain about. That he interrupted him meant that he was serious.
"The old Sarutobi is right. We needed to come back to Konoha. You need the village. No you ARE the village. From the moment the Fourth sealed Kurama inside you, your fate and Konoha's fate became one. You've been in mission mode all the time while we were away. Only since we came back have you started to return a little to your old self, from before everything went to hell."
His previous complaining mood completely forgotten Haru thought over Sasuke words. His friend was dead serious and he owned it to him to be equally solemn. "I'll admit that I only feel completely whole when I'm in Konoha. It's the only place I'll ever call home and I would gladly sacrifice my heart, body and soul to keep it safe. However, you and I both know that making sure that the Juubi is never revived takes precedence over the village safety. There can be a world without Konoha but there can't be a Konoha without a world. Danzô, Orochimaru, and Pein are not as important to stop as is Madara."
"We tried to track him down and kill him once but we failed. You almost died for nothing; we need to change our approach." As usual Sasuke went straight to the point and did not sugar coat his words.
"True…" said the young Namikaze with a wince. "He will probably lay low for a while so we can take this time to prepare for his return. It doesn't have to be in Konoha thought." Seeing as his friend was about to protest he added, "This is not my Konoha, I do not exist here and people I had a bond with don't even know who I am, most of them are freaking six years old kids! I'm trying to create a better future for them but that doesn't mean that I have a part in it."
In a rare moment of self-doubt, the Rokudaime Hokage looked at his best friend, his brother with guilt in his eyes. "Sorry for dragging you into this. I know that facing the Uchiha Clan is going to be painful and-"
"Don't apologize, never apologize to me" interrupted an irritated Sasuke. "I chose to follow you. If Konoha is your home then you are mine. I failed to see the resentment that my Clan had towards the village and it led to its extermination. I failed to realize my brother's true nature and the reason behind his acts. It led him to a life of guilt and loneliness that he absolutely did not deserve. I failed team 7 and because of that even once reunited we could never truly be the same. I failed everything that I held dear but I refuse to fail you outoto. I'll stand by your side and protect you even if your steps lead you to the deepest level of Hell!"
His friend outburst left Haru speechless, since when did Sasuke use such an emotional tone? Since when did he speak so many words outside of reports and mission plans? The Uchiha however, was not finished yet.
"You're right in saying that you can't be Uzumaki Naruto in this timeline but that doesn't mean that you have no place in the new future. You can be Namikaze Haru the Yondaime's little brother. You can create new bonds and protect everyone as your new self. You are different from the little six years old Naruto the same way that I am from little Sasuke. Meeting the Uchiha Clan will be painful but I'll manage because they are not my family. Mine was killed by my older brother when I was eight. The current Fugaku, Mikoto and Itachi belong to little Sasuke. In this timeline I'm nothing more than a relative of theirs and your faithful servant. That doesn't mean that I can't create a new relationship with them, that I can't try and prevent the Massacre so Itachi and my younger self can have a better future. I know it's hard but you can do it too."
Long minutes of silence passed as the raven haired man words sunk into his blond haired friend's head. Finally Haru gave Sasuke a sheepish smile and said, "Since when do you steal my role and give life changing lessons?"
"Since you stole my role of an emotional bastard who refuses every offered hand," replied his friend with a smirk.
Haru gave the Uchiha another smile, one of gratitude this time. Then he became serious again and Sasuke straightened on his chair. It was now his Rokudaime sitting across him.
"If we're going to stay in Konoha then we have to do this right. We need a plan or at least an idea of what to do. Let's go back to what we've accomplished so far. What was the initial plan?" the blond Hokage asked his ANBU commander. This was how he worked; thinking aloud and having his subordinates describe the situation while he analyzed it.
"The mission was to go back thirty years in the past just before the Kyuubi attack. You would use the Shiki Fuin to seal Kurama inside your baby counterpart and I would fight Madara along with the Yondaime hopefully killing him. The results should have been Madara's death as well as the survival of Namikaze Minato. However, a miscalculation in the time travel seal forced us to reveal ourselves early and tell the whole story to a select few. The Yondaime refused to let his son sacrifice himself in his place which led to the same results as the one in our timeline; The fourth Hokage is dead and Madara is alive. The mission was a failure," reported Sasuke in an emotionless voice.
"Right, that failure was my fault," said the Namikaze with a sight. "I should have known that the seal stole half the travel time from the users. Instead of arriving in our 30 years old bodies, we came back as our 15 years selves. What happened next?"
"With the Yondaime dead, the Sandaime wished for you to take your father place as the village leader. However you refused and judged that stopping Madara and the Akatsuki took priority so we left the village as ANBU. The plan was to track down and eliminate the members of the organization in hopes that it would make their leader come out. We successfully managed to kill Sasori, Kisame, Hidan and Kakuzu. We never found Orochimaru and we failed to destroy Madara and Zetsu. We agreed to leave Konan and Nagato alone for now. To this day, Itachi and Deidara have not joined the Akatsuki yet. In the battle against my ancestor you were severely injured and Kakashi found us and brought us back to the village. While not a complete one this mission is still a failure." The report was once again stated in a professional tone with no emotion.
"Which leads us to our current situation, the Akatsuki took a major blow and the hidden villages know that someone is targeting the bijuus so the jinchuurikis are going to be heavily guarded. We managed to buy some time so we can afford to lay low in Konoha for while. We still need to locate Madara though," concluded the Rokudaime.
"Danzô…" whispered the Uchiha.
The blond Hokage immediately tensed, this was a dangerous subject with Sasuke. "I believe I told you that you are not to go after the man, it would shake Konoha at the core." He said sternly,
"I know, as much as I would like to wring that bastard neck, you ordered me to leave him alone and I fully intend to obey you," reassured his raven haired friend. "I meant to say that Danzô might be our connection to Madara. We don't know if they are in direct contact but the old war hawk has a relation with Orochimaru who in turn is connected to my ancestor."
"So you say we keep close watch on the man in hopes that it leads us to that damn Uchiha," replied Haru pensively. "It's worth a shot, we don't have any other clues but we have to be careful, that man is not to be underestimated."
Sasuke nodded and added, "We've been away from Konoha for too long, we know everything about the current politics between the Elemental Nations but next to nothing about the internal affairs of our own village."
"We need information," agreed the young Hokage. "But since this concerns Danzô, we can't involve the Sandaime. Jiji is useless when it comes to his old friend. For now let's not make a move and just play our jounin and ANBU part. Once we have a better idea of what's going on in the village we'll talk about this again. Madara stays our priority but maybe we will be able to do something about ROOT, the Uchiha Clan and our shaky alliance with Suna."
"As well as helping your younger self," quietly stated Sasuke.
"Right, we have to do something about little Naru-chan…. I'll think about it." Haru replied before picking up the empty cups of ramen and standing up to throw them away, clearly signaling that the heavy talk was over for the night.
"We should get to sleep, you know how much of a slave driver Kakashi can be, even more so when he's in his ANBU persona." Haru said in a lighter tone.
Sasuke just raised an eyebrow in response. As if you can't take anything that he will throw at you.
"I do have insane stamina but you don't," chuckled the relieved blond. His friend was back to his silent language. While a talkative Sasuke was a nice change, he was much more used to the quiet and broody one.
Hope from the Shadows – Two Shadows in the Spotlight
While he had told Haru and Sasuke to meet him at 6 AM, Squad 3's captain had told Neko and Usagi to be present at 5:30 AM. For the second time in as many days he had been early for a meeting, greatly surprising his friends.
As a great believer in teamwork, Inu believed that the fewer secrets there were between comrades the best they worked together. As such, he had told his two subordinates about Kitsune identity, his and Karasu true ranks and how they were only pretending to be under his command as well as his impressions of the two shinobi from the day before. He had also ordered them to refrain from asking any personal questions until after the council meeting the next day where they would stand guard.
So far both were reacting like Inu expected them to. Neko was outraged that Kitsune was of higher rank than his taicho and he still held a small grudge towards Karasu about the episode in the forest. As for Usagi, he could barely contain his curiosity but his captain was not worried; as much as he loved gossip, his teammate knew when to keep his mouth shut.
They were now stretching their muscles to prepare for the strenuous training program that Inu had planned. It was then that Karasu and Kitsune arrived; wordlessly they nodded in greetings and set to do their own exercises.
They were ANBU, no matter the circumstances when training or doing missions they were silent and efficient. There would be time for talking later.
When he judged that all members of his squad were ready, Inu gave them the exercise's instructions as well as training weights.
Without a sound Neko, Usagi, Karasu and Kitsune began running behind their squad leader.
The exercise was fairly simple considering their level. It was mostly focused on stamina and stealth. All they had to do was run laps around the village while masking their presence from the other leaf nins even the ANBU on guard duty. Each time that one of them was discovered, the whole squad had to stop and quickly do a hundred pushups before starting to run again.
Having been in the war with the man and on the same squad for the last six years, it took Usagi only 3 laps before realizing his friend true intentions.
By the fifth lap Karasu and Kitsune, who were used to their former sensei's training, methods had a very good idea of the silver haired ANBU goal.
Being a six months rookie and still having a lot to learn about his captain, it took Neko 15 laps and 5 pushups sessions before beginning to suspect his commander's motives.
After 25 laps, all of them were cursing Inu in their heads. The man intended to make them run until they literally dropped in exhaustion!
Neko was the first one to fall. Not wanting to appear weak, the teen had ignored his body warnings and gone on, barely completing his thirtieth lap before passing out from exhaustion. Usagi was the second. The man strengths were more axed towards strategy, poisons, ranged attacks and speed than stamina so it's with no feelings of shame that the senbon user stopped after his 35th lap. He gave his still conscious comrades an encouraging nod and promptly went to throw up his breakfast behind a nearby bush.
Even by shinobi standards, Inu, Karasu and Kitsune were considered monsters. By the time the three completed their fitieth lap, Usagi and the newly awake Neko were looking at their superiors in amazement. It took another thirty laps before both Inu and Karasu reached their limits. The silver haired man motioned for Kitsune to continue running while the Uchiha and he dropped on the ground of training area 56, their legs unable to take another step.
An hour later, even the composed Inu couldn't keep his jaw from hanging at the sight of the blond. The man speed's had not diminished and he was only slightly out of breath! When he passed by them again, Squad 3's captain told him to stop, it was useless to continue; the Yondaime's little brother was clearly a stamina monster worse than Gai.
After a break it was time for the one on one spar. Since Neko had had the longest resting time and Kitsune was the one in the best fighting shape, Inu had them face each other first.
The battle was short, spectacular and completely one-sided; Neko never stood a chance.
Kitsune made the first move by creating an hundred shadow clones and hurling them at his opponent. Neko defended by using his mokuton ability and destroying every copy of the older ANBU. But said man had used the commotion to disappear.
Even with his excellent sensing abilities the young black ops member couldn't find his opponent. Karasu had to point the sky for him to realize that Kitsune was currently floating about a hundred meters in the air. As soon as the teen was aware of his location the blond haired man threw what seemed to be an endless wave of kunai, shuriken and senbon. In a few seconds every inch of the ground had a lethal weapon embed in it.
Somehow, Neko had managed to avoid being any serious hit –which Inu believe was more due to Kitsune not wanting to not hurt his comrade than to the teen's skills- but his clothes were finished and he now had many bleeding cuts. Before the youngest member of the squad had the time to take any action, like creating a wood shield or using kawamiri no jutsu to get away, the Kitsune up in the air disappeared in a cloud of white smoke, smoke that an instant later covered the entire battleground. Most of the weapons transformed into clones of the blond ANBU and Neko just had the time to blink before several kunai were aiming at his neck.
"Winner Kitsune," announced Inu putting a stop to the fight. "Well done, the best mastery of shadow clones I've ever seen," he added impressed. And impressed he was. The fight had barely lasted a minute at most and Kitsune had only used shadow clones and some sort of flying technique to beat an ANBU member. Young and inexperienced as he was, Neko was still a member of HIS squad and was by no means weak. The quick and efficient tactic that his sensei little brother had used proved that the man had probably seen more than his fair share of battle.
"Thanks" replied one of the Kitsune before dispelling his copies.
"We'll go over the fight after Usagi and Karasu battle," stated Inu before motioning for the senbon user and the Uchiha to start.
This time the battle lasted longer and while clearly superior, Karasu did not completely overwhelmed his opponent. That did not mean that the fight was not as spectacular as the first.
The fighters did not leap immediately into action, both taking their time to assess their rival. After a while Usagi made the first move by throwing a bunch of senbons at Karasu who just reflected them with his katana.
What came after was a blur.
Karasu used his insane speed to attack the older ANBU and all the spectators could see were strikes of blue light. Inu had to uncover his sharingan to follow the battle and that's how he understood that the Uchiha was using the same technique as the current Raikage to augment his speed.
Fortunately, Usagi had sparred numerous times against the Yondaime so he was used to fight at such a level of speed. He was also quite good against kenjutsu masters since Hayate was on the same squad as him. All these facts meant that he was somehow able to hold his own against Karasu.
The battle went on for a while with the haired ANBU on the offensive and his opponent on the defensive. Usagi received the most damage, mostly cuts from the katana or burns from the electric stream that enveloped it, but he still managed to hurt Karasu with a few well placed senbons.
It was when the older man was beginning to wear down that the Uchiha used a burst of chakra to increase his speed even more and landed a powerful kick in his opponent chest, sending him to the ground. Before anyone could blink he was sitting on Usagi with his sword on his throat.
"Winner Karasu," once again stated Inu. "Amazing swordsmanship" he congratulated emotionlessly. Inside his brain was working really fast, analyzing the two battles. The new members of his squad were strong, incredibly strong, and he knew that what they had displayed wasn't even half of their power.
The Uchiha further surprised him by holding out his hand to help Usagi up; a gesture that no one would expect from one of his Clan.
Once everyone had recuperated a little, Inu announced the last exercise for the day; a team battle. If the silver haired captain thought that by teaming up with Neko and Usagi against Karasu and Kitsune he had a chance to push the two to their limits then he was greatly mistaken. Separated they were amazing but together they were simply unbeatable.
The battle couldn't even be called one, it was a massacre.
As soon as the signal was given, both time-travelers made as much shadows clones as possible, which was A LOT. Then every Karasu henged into Kitsune and all of them engaged their three opponents. As soon as one of them was looking at a clone, the Uchiha used kawamiri to exchange it with himself and trap his victim into a genjutsu with the use of his sharingan.
All in all the battle lasted an incredibly short time and left the three defeated shinobi with a feeling of growing respect towards the other two.
Once they were all freed from the illusions and sitting on the ground resting, Inu gave his comments on the battles.
"I can tell you two are easily S-class shinobi that have nothing to envy to the five kages in terms of power. I also know that you didn't show your full strength just now but if we're going to be teammates, even if you guys are only pretending to, I need you two to be honest with me. What can you really do?" he asked deadly serious.
Kitsune nodded before removing his mask and narrowing his blue eyes at his former sensei. "I agree and I'll show you what I can do in a moment but before I want to correct you about something. We are not just pretending to be your teammates. We'll go on assignments with Squad 3 and we'll received orders from you like normal subordinates. Only should there be an emergency or a lead on our current mission will we move independently and use our real ranks. You guys understand that our ranks and real abilities are secrets that cannot be revealed right?"
Seeing the three nods, the blond continued, all trace of seriousness forgotten. "So now you want to see our real abilities huh? Just make sure you're sitting comfortably, it would be bad if you all fell from shock," he said with a mischievous grin.
And how right he was…
A Tsukiyomi, an Amaterasu, a rasengan, a very confused Gamabunta as well as many powerful katon and fuuton techniques later all three original members of Squad 3 were very glad to be sitting on the ground. They might have very well fallen from shock like the blond had said seeing how surprised they were.
"So any questions?" asked a very amused Kitsune.
It took a while for the three shinobi to overcome their shock but once they did, they had in fact many questions.
"What about this flying technique of yours?" questioned Neko.
"Oh that," shrugged the blond. "I call it air walking. It necessitate an insane amount of chakra and perfect control over it. I can only cover short distances and even then, it is at a really slow pace. It's only really useful if I want to go straight up and surprised my opponent. "
"You can use the Yondaime's rasengan, what about his famous Hiraishin?" this time the question came from Usagi.
"I can perform it, but it does not really suit my fighting style. I mostly use it for as an escape option, but I don't want my abilities as a seal master to be well known, so for now I'm banning it from my arsenal."
Inu and Usagi who had seen firsthand how devastating the Hiraishin could be had trouble believing their ears. Kitsune simply dismissed as useless a technique that had brought the end of the Third Shinobi War!
"What's the strange sharingan you used?" asked a still shocked Inu to the Uchiha.
"Mangekyo, it's a Clan secret but if you ever developed it come to me and I'll tell you," replied Karasu, speaking to his former sensei for the first time since their meeting in the forest.
"Is that really all you guys can do?" said a joking Usagi but by the small hint of guilt in Kitsune eyes it obvious to Inu that they were still hiding something.
However before he could speak the blond raised his hand and the silver haired ANBU complied once again to the order of silence.
"That's not our full strength but it is best if you don't know the rest. For now, what we told you is enough to complete most S ranked missions effectively. Should there be no other choice, I'll tell you but not until then. Is that clear?" At the authority in his voice they were reminded of the Kitsune true rank and all three found themselves replying with "Yes sir!"
That seemed to mark to end of the questions and, having nothing more to say for now; Inu dismissed his squad with the order to meet in an hour at the fake ANBU headquarters.
As he walked in the direction of the memorial stone to give a report to Minato-sensei about his little brother, the young war veteran was haunted by a question that he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer. 'What kind of human was strong enough to put Karasu and Kitsune in the horrible state he had found them in?'
Hope from the Shadows – Two Shadows in the Spotlight
When he arrived at the designated meeting place two hours late, Inu was not surprised to see that Karasu and Kitsune were waiting patiently, not irritated with him at all. In the short while he had known them, he had come to expect the unexpected from the two, especially from the blond.
As it was past diner time and he was certain that none of them had eaten yet, Inu led his squad members towards the small dining hall located inside the building for the ANBU to use.
It was not until all of them were sited and unmasked that Kitsune broke the silence and asked, "So why have been asked to come here? I thought training was over for the day and I know that we won't have missions for a week to let Sasuke and I get used to the team dynamics."
"To help you two clean your rooms of course!" exclaimed Genma. Now that the serious atmosphere of the training session was gone, the man was back to his happy and outgoing self.
"Clean? Rooms?"
"Well yeah, since you've been out of the village for six years I'm sure that your rooms are covered with more than one layer of dust. Now that you guys are part of the team we'll help you out whenever you need it even if that means doing chores," explained the senbon user with a smile.
"Genma, I don't think it was the cleaning part that had Kitsune confused. Didn't you know that every ANBU operative had a room assigned to him in this building?" Kakashi asked the two time-travelers.
Before answering the blond looked at the Uchiha who just shook his head. Seeing has his partner also had no idea of what their former sensei was talking about he asked, "Like Shiranui-san said we haven't been in the village for six years, we're not really familiar with the way ANBU works now." The truth was that Tsunade had made quite a few changes to the organization during her reign but he wasn't about to tell them that.
"Hum..." replied Kakashi. There was something suspicious about the two shinobi lack of knowledge about an organization they were a part of. He was certain that no change had been made for at least a decade so they should be aware of the way things worked. Deciding not to question them but just add it to the list of things that were strange about the two newly returned shinobi, Kakashi asked Tenzo to explain. It would be a great way to see if the teen had remembered his lesson.
"Yes taicho!" the youngest member of the squad said before reciting the manual almost words for words. "ANBU stands for Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai. It was created under the Shodaime to help guard the village during the First Shinobi War. Under the Niidaime, the organization became more active, taking the most dangerous and difficult missions and becoming the elites amongst the shinobi. During that time, entering the ANBU meant forever living in the shadows and giving up his own identity, being known only by a codename. The only way to quit the organization was death. A short while after his rise to power, the Sandaime changed that policy. Now ANBU members have to live a double life. They all must take normal missions, be seen regularly in public and have a place to live in the village. They also are allowed to quit and return to being simple leaf shinobi. To make it easier on the members, the Sandaime built the fake ANBU headquarters where each operative is assigned a room that he can use when he is not supposed to be in the village or simply is in no shape to return home without raising questions. The two headquarters are like a symbol of the double life the members must live. The fake one location is almost public knowledge and nothing extremely important happens inside, like their lives as regular shinobi. The true one is shrouded in secrecy and all classified matters takes place there, like their lives as operatives. An ANBU is under direct command of the Hokage and must obey his orders without question. The same goes for any orders from a superior in the organization. ANBU operatives are divided into squad of-"
"Geez Kitten that's enough, thanks for the history lesson," interrupted Genma who never really liked long lectures.
"Kitten?" asked Haru still analyzing everything the teen said. In his timeline the fact that a shinobi was part of the black ops was public knowledge. Only his actual codename was a secret.
"That's right I haven't given you guys a nickname yet!"
"Sempai I don't think that's really necessary," said Tenzô trying to stop his teammate.
"No, no, it's a squad 3 tradition, there's no escaping it," happily chipped the senbon user.
"So you give every member of the squad a nickname? Even Hatake-san?" questioned a grinning Haru.
The bodyguard of the late Yondaime returned his grin and said, "Yup! Since he was so small and cute when he-"
"Genma…" warned Kakashi but the man ignored him.
"joined the ranks, we called him puppy-chan. He always hated that nickname."
At the sight of his former sensei face, Haru couldn't help but laugh. Trying to repress an amused smirk himself, Sasuke looked at his friend with fond eyes; it was the first time he heard the man laugh in many years.
"So now I have to give you guys one," said the senbon user. "Hum… let's see since you're Minato little brother and you're blond like him I'll call you Blondie junior."
"Junior? You gave the Yondaime a nickname?" asked a dumbfounded Haru.
"Of course! The man gave me the usagi mask. Usagi! As in the cute little fluffy and HARMLESS animal! I had to take my revenge so I nicknamed him Blondaime. Since you're not Hokage I can't call you that so I'll settle for Blondie," a heated Genma explained.
"I see… "replied Haru. He was really glad that the man didn't know he had been hokage in the future. Blondie was an hundred times better than Blondaime.
"Alright now that Blondie is named I have to find one for you Uchiha-san. What about-"
"Don't even try" warned Sasuke, his killing intent rising.
"Freaky eyes?" Genma proposed, once again ignoring his teammate warning.
"No"
"Speedy, because you're really fast?"
"No"
"Birdy?, Darky?, Ken-kun?"
"No, no and NO!"
"What about…."
Tuning out the friendly banter –at least on the senbon user part, the Uchiha might snap if the other didn't stop soon- Haru couldn't repress a soft smile. He could really get used to this. Maybe he could do like Sasuke had said; create new bonds and live a new life as Namikaze Haru.
Hope from the Shadow – Two Shadows in the Spotlight
With his chair turned backward, his arms crossed on its back and his head resting on them, Nara Shikaku fitted perfectly the image of the man wanting to be anywhere but in this council room. Already used to his laziness and apparent lack of respect for conveniences, none of his fellow council members paid him any attention. His attitude made them more relaxed in his presence and many showed him their true emotions or said things they wouldn't have had they remembered how sharp he was. It was funny considering that no matter the circumstances his enemies never dropped their guards around him. Probably a result of the numerous deadly plans he had conceived during the Third Shinobi War.
Like usual, Shikaku was using his notorious laziness to observe the others present in the room. Unsurprisingly, for the introduction of Minato little brother all of the people holding a seat on the Council were in attendance. That comprised of the seven heads of Konoha most prominent clans, the commander of the ANBU, the chiefs of the various departments like the hospital or the T&I, two civilians representatives, Danzô, the jounin leader –which was himself-, the Hokage two advisors as well as the Sandaime who was also the head of the Sarutobi clan. There was also an ANBU squad standing guard in the shadows and by their chakra signature, Shikaku guessed that it was probably Inu's team.
The Council had two regular meetings every month as well as the occasional ones summoned by the Hokage. But shinobi were busy people; when not away on missions, they were training, filing reports or doing any other duties assigned to them. As such, for everyone to be present was extremely rare. It probably hadn't happened since the Kyuubi attack six years ago.
For now, all of the council members were speechless and looking in astonishment at the two jounins standing in the center of the room. Well, all the council members except for the Hokage who like Shikaku was observing the others, Inoichi who was imitating his peers expression -but being his childhood friend, the Nara could discern the admiration, respect and sorrow in the look he directed towards the Namikaze and the Uchiha- as well as Danzô who had an unreadable expression like usual.
Seeing as the Hokage seemed to have no intention to start the meeting, Shikaku sighed and resigned himself to the role of spoke person. When the village leader could not or didn't want to –like it seems to be the case right now- preside over the meetings than the responsibility fell to the jounins or ANBU commanders. Unfortunately for the Nara the man leading the ANBU was a very silent one who almost never spoke unless there was no other choice. If he wanted to get this meeting underway, then Shikaku would have to take matters into his hands.
"You now stand before Konoha Council, state your name and rank shinobi," demanded Shikaku while being perfectly aware that all members already knew who they were. Oh well, as much as he hated it tradition was tradition.
"ANBU operative Kitsune, jounin. Name Namikaze Haru sir."
"ANBU operative Karasu, jounin. Name Uchiha Sasuke sir."
"The Hokage has already informed the Council of the situation. However, considering how unusual this situation is, many councilors have questions so this meeting was called at their demand. You will answer all the question truthfully, is that clear shinobi?"
"Yes sir," replied the two young adults still standing at attention in the center of the room. Observing them, Shikaku had to repress a smile of approval. When usually confronted with a summon from the Konoha Council even the most seasoned ANBU felt nervous and intimidated. Of course they hid their feelings well but not well enough for his sharp eyes. These two however, were completely at ease and if the man trusted his observational skills –which he did- he would say that they almost looked bored.
"The councilors may now ask their questions," concluded the Nara Clan head.
Probably wanting to show the Council that he was in a position of authority, Danzô was quick to ask the first question.
"My sources told me that when Karasu first made contact with Inu's squad, he introduced himself as an ANBU captain, he also clearly stated that Kistune was his superior. Despise that, you now stand before us as simple operatives. Explain." The old war Hawk ordered.
Shikaku had to suppress the urge to roll his eyes. That was totally like the old man to be picky about hierarchy details while what all of the others wanted to know was the relationship between Haru and the Yondaime.
"Due to the failure of our mission we both lost our ranks as ANBU captains," explained the Yondaime little brother in a neutral tone, no trace of bitterness at being demoted discernable in his voice.
"And what exactly was the nature of this mission that you failed?" pressed Danzô.
"That is classified," simply replied the blond ANBU.
It was clear to Shikaku that the ROOT commander wanted to pursue the matter but the Sandaime had every right to assign missions to his ANBU members without informing the Council about it and the war hawk was not crazy enough to oppose the Hokage in public.
"We have proof that you really are the Yondaime little brother however, we do not understand how your existence could remain unknown until now," questioned one of the civilian representative.
Haru nodded as if he was expecting this particular question before telling them the covert story that his father and Hiruzen had come up with. "Like you all probably know, Namikaze Minato came from an ordinary family from one of the nearby civilian villages. When he decided to become a shinobi at age 8, my older brother cut all ties with his family in an attempt to protect them because my parents didn't have the security that living inside Konoha gives. As such, he was not informed when I was born two years later. Because they were afraid that I would seek him out and for my own protection my parents didn't tell me that I had an older brother either. Unfortunately, when I was five years old there was raid on the village and my parents were killed. Some children and I were kidnapped and one of my parents' closest friends, the only one who knew the truth about Minato, contacted him and asked for his help in saving me. My brother, who was already strong at 15, had no trouble rescuing me and the other children. However, with my parents dead, my strong resemblance to him and his own reputation quickly rising, it was too dangerous for Minato to bring me back to the village. So he brought me to the Hokage and asked for me to live in Konoha. However, because I was a weak and untrained five years old child, Sadaime-sama and Jiraiya-sama decided that I would be a burden and a liability to Minato. At that time, even the inside of the village was not safe. I was then put under the care of a few select ANBU members and naturally grew up to become one."
"That doesn't explain why your existence wasn't revealed once the Third Shinobi War ended and the village regained its stability," remarked Hyuuga Hiashi.
"My brother was named Hokage almost immediately after the end of the war. He then became a prime target of any enemies seeking to destroy Konoha. Just coming out of a war, I can't say that the village was entirely stable either; our forces were spread thin and the administrative system was in chaos. As much as I hate to admit it, at that time my existence was still a liability to my brother," explained the young Namikaze in calm and confident voice that reminded them of the late Yondaime.
Before any could ask why he didn't come up once the chaos left by the war was gone, the ANBU continued with his tale. "Once my brother knew that his wife was expecting, he decided that he wanted to have all of his family around him. He made plans to present me to her and his student once the baby was born but as you all know, the Kyuubi came, bringing chaos once more. I would have revealed my presence then, as well taking care of my nephew but for the safety of the village, it was impossible"
"What do you mean?" this time the question came from Shikaku himself.
The owner of the kitsune mask looked towards his Hokage as if seeking his approval for something. Once the old man nodded he took a deep breath before fixing his eyes on the Nara head and answering his question. "You all know that Minato sealed the Kyuubi inside Naruto because with his Uzumaki lineage he was the one with the best chance of surviving the sealing and keeping the bijuu at bay. However, what you do not know, is that he couldn't seal the entirety of its chakra inside his young infant, it was simply too much. Unfortunately, there were no other surviving Uzumaki who could have shared the burden. As I was trained by Jiraiya-sama and am a seal master myself, I was the second best choice to receive the other half of the bijuu."
"You don't mean that yo…you're… a monster too!" shuttered a frightened civilian representative.
Haru narrowed his eyes in anger but answered the question nevertheless. "I am not a monster but I indeed am a jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi."
At that statement chaos erupted in the room, everyone began speaking and yelling at the same time. Even the usually emotionless Danzô appeared shaken by the news. The only ones that seemed to take it well were the Hokage who already knew the truth and strangely Inoichi who didn't seem as surprised as he should've had.
Shouts of monster, execution, village safety and threat could be heard.
"Silence!" shouted an irritated Sandaime. "We are all grown men and the leaders of this village; I won't allow you to lose your calm and panic like academy children!"
Shocked by the outburst from their usually gentle and soft spoken Hokage, the Council members fell silent and order once again reigned in the room. Despise his still shocked state, Shikaku couldn't help but remarked that even at an advanced age, the 'God of Shinobi' was still able to command fearful respect with his aura.
"Before you ask me why I didn't tell you about it, I want you all to remember what happened when I told you about Naruto status. In case you have forgotten, in a matter of hours following the meeting the whole village knew that the blonde baby had the Kyuubi sealed inside him. Most of the civilians and some of my shinobi then proceed to treat him like a demon. While I made sure that no attack was directed towards him the majority of this village still ignore his existence. Because it was the first time that a bijuu had been sealed into two different persons, my student and I decided that it was safer to not have both jinchuuriki in the same place. While Naruto lived in Konoha, I sent Haru away on many missions. Now what do you think would have happened if our enemies knew that we had a jinchuuriki walking around outside of the village walls? After what happened with Naruto I simply could not trust you with the information about Haru," explained an angry Hiruzen in a tone leaving no place for discussion.
Unfortunately for him, one of the civilian representatives was not able to read the atmosphere and understand that it was better to just shut up. "What about now? Aren't they both going to live in the village? If it's dangerous maybe we should kill one of them."
The killing intent emitted by the Sandaime reached a frightening level and Shikaku was certain that the stupid man had just signed his own death warrant. However, before the Sarutobi Clan head could speak the words that would put an end to the fool's life, Haru calm and collected voice rose drawing the all of the room occupants' attention to him.
"I am not a monster and neither is Naruto. We are simply the containers of the Kyuubi, like a scroll is simply the container for whatever is sealed inside. Now that we are clear on that fact," he sternly said while looking directly into the civilian representative eyes, "I can understand your fear of one of us losing control and setting the bijuu free as it happened to many jinchuuriki in the past. However, what you must understand is that the Yondaime was an incredible seal master and nothing short of an extraordinary strong emotional shock could risk the destruction of Naruto seal. As for me I have complete control of the Kyuubi part inside me the same way as Bee from Kumogakure. In short, there is more chances for Jiraiya-sama to stop being a pervert or Hatake Kakashi-san to abandon his mask then for Naruto or me to let the bijuu loose," concluded the young Namikaze while trying to calm the tension with some humor.
Had he not been under the same spell of awe and wonder that Haru had seemed to have put on all of them –Hokage included- Shikaku would have probably realized how strange it was that the words the Sandaime had said in vain during six years where finally sinking into the civilian heads after just one speech by the blond man. As it was however, he was completely entranced by the confidence and authority that Haru exuded. He was extremely charismatic, making people wanting to follow him in a way that only Minato had been able to.
Following the blond speech, the silence went on for long minutes while the two young jounins continued to stand at attention waiting for questions that did not come.
Having somewhat regained his senses, Shikaku was about to dismiss Haru and Sasuke when Fugaku spoke for the first time since the start of the meeting.
"Namikaze-san, we have proof that you are indeed the younger brother of the late Yondaime and you told us why your existence was only known to a few in the village but we still have no explanation for your companion" he told the blond in a respectful tone showing that he had accepted him as one of his equals, one of the important people in the village. He then turned to Sasuke and asked in is usual cold and somewhat disdainful voice; "how come there is a KAGE level Uchiha that I have no knowledge about?"
"I was not born in the village and I had almost no contact with another Uchiha." Was all the information that the raven haired jounin offered to Fugaku. His tone was devoid of any emotion and his eyes were resolutely fixed on the Hokage, obviously avoiding the Clan head.
Despite his desire to appear impassible, Haru couldn't repress a wince of sympathy for his friend. He knew that the more emotional he got, the more the Uchiha tried to hid it by being a jerk; cold and indifferent to anyone but himself. It seemed that seeing his father alive was harder than he had thought. But as much as the blond wanted to help Sasuke, they were currently being interrogated by the Council and now was not his place to speak. He wasn't usually one to respect conventions and formalities but years as the hokage had taught him that there were times where it was better to do so. Now was one of those dreaded times.
Fortunately for the raven haired time traveler, while his Rokudaime couldn't help him, the Sandaime was not in the same situation.
"Most of you probably remember Fugaku older sister Uchiha Yumiko who went missing in the early years of the Third Shinobi War. We all thought that she had died and that her body had been destroyed during one of the battle but it seemed that she was instead kidnapped by and independent organization. This organization was annihilated by Haru twelve years ago but all details concerning the mission and the organization itself are classified and I will not reveal them to you. To make it short, Yumiko along with many others shinobi from all the Elemental Nations were kidnapped and forced to give birth to children who would then be experimented upon and raised as mindless weapon. Sasuke was one of those kids and we have reasons to believe that he is Yumiko son as well as another Uchiha that we could not identify. When Haru destroyed the organization, Sasuke decided to betray them and help Namikaze-san who in return spared him and brought him to me. Minato and I judged that even gone, it was preferable if the organization existence wasn't made public so we hid Sasuke and appointed him as Haru partner. Now like I just said everything concerning these events is extremely classified so I ask all of you to let the matter of ANBU member Karasu go," explained Sarutobi while subtly reminding the Council that Sasuke was one of his ANBU and therefore was under his direct commands and he could take any decision about him without informing them.
"The Uchiha Clan keep the record of its members all we need to do is a DNA test and we'll know who his parents were," interjected Fugaku, unwilling to simply let go.
The Sandaime sighed annoyed by the stubborn man but answered, "We tried when Haru brought him but because of the experiments done on him his DNA was slightly modified. We could only confirm that he was indeed a pureblood Uchiha but nothing about parenthood."
The older Sharingan user was about to press further but a warning glance from Hokage silenced him.
"What about his loyalties? If I understood correctly he was once a member of an enemy organization." This time it came from Ibiki. Shikaku knew that the scarred shinobi had no intention to go against his leader but as the head of T&I he couldn't NOT ask this question.
"I'm certain that Sasuke is not a threat for the simple reason that he will never betray Haru who in turn will always be loyal to Konoha," began the Sandaime but seeing as it did little to convince the Council, he added in a defeated tone "if it can reassure you, know that Yamanaka-san has looked through his mind and is sure of his loyalties."
All heads turned to Inoichi who simply nodded, confirming his Hokage words. The tension seemed to leave the room after that; if the former interrogator judged someone trustworthy than in the eyes of the whole village he was, no questions asked.
"I'm sure that all of you still have many questions for these two jounins but as they will be present in the village from now on, I believe you will have the opportunity to speak with them at a later date. Namikaze Haru, Uchiha Sasuke you two are dismissed."
"Yes Hokage-sama." The two shinobi said before bowing and turning towards the door.
"Wait!" exclaimed Shikaku surprising the whole room, himself included.
The Nara Clan head was by no mean an impulsive person, he though each of his actions at least thrice over before executing them, but this time the shout had come out before he could stop himself. He was simply too intrigued by the two jounins. As a close friend of Minato he had once visited the Yondaime hometown and he knew that there were many holes in the young blond tale. The same could be said about the Uchiha, he was the captain during the mission were Yumiko had gone missing and while it was true that they hadn't been able to find her body, he was certain that it was because it had been disintegrated in an explosion. Yet even with those suspicious facts, there was no denying their bloodline; you would have to be blind and deaf to not acknowledge the fact that Haru and Minato were related. Moreover, both the Hokage AND Inoichi trusted the two shinobi. No, it was more than that; it was respect and admiration. They looked at them the same way they had looked at the Yondaime, a superior and a war hero. In short they were a puzzle and God knew that Naras loved puzzles, especially complicated ones.
"I know that you're still getting settled in the village, but if it's not too much trouble I'd like to have you two over for diner sometime soon. Since we will probably working together in the future this would be an excellent occasion to get to know each other," proposed the Nara in attempt to learn about the two jounins.
Said shinobi looked at each other before the blond turned to him and said in a hesitant tone, "We're simply two lowly jounins Nara-sama, it would be a waste of our commander time if we-"
"Nonsense!" interrupted the old Hokage. "This is actually an excellent idea, I think that each Clan should invite them over. It would allow them to create bonds in the village since they never had any interaction with the other shinobi or the villagers."
"Please, don't bother, we wouldn't want to impose," tried Haru.
"The Hyuuga Clan would actually be honored to have you has guests for diner," calmly stated Hiashi.
"That's right pups, ya need to come visit us soon," added Tsume.
"You should come. Why? Because getting to know allies and potential teammates can only be a benefit in the long run," explained Shibi.
"You know that you're both always welcome in my house," said Inoichi with a fond smile.
"Minato was a friend of the family and you're an Uchiha, it's obvious that we need to get better acquainted." This time the invitation was from Fugaku.
"And we all know that food taste better when you have someone to share it with," concluded Chouza.
"Well that settles it. Of course you'll have to come to the Sarutobi compound too," said the Sandaime with the smile of the cat that ate the canary.
Haru glared hard at the sly old man. He knew that like the unnecessary shopping session this was a ploy to get him known better in the village; merely the first step in his stupid plan to make him his successor. Unfortunately, with the Council present he could not yell at his surrogate grandfather so he had no choice but to accept the invitations. He shared a glance with Sasuke and bowed deeply before the people sited in the room.
"It would be an honor to get acquainted with the Clans heads and their family," he then turned to the Hokage careful to mask his irritation. "May we be excused now?"
The man simply nodded, that damned smile still in place.
Bowing one last time Sasuke and Haru left the room, both thinking that things –to quote a dear friend of theirs- had become quite troublesome.
Hope from the Shadows – Two Shadows in the Spotlight
Author's note
Hey everyone! It's been a long time; I kind of had a bad case of writer block when it came to the Council scene.
A few people have been asking questions so I think I need to explain a few things:
-I know it doesn't respect canon but in this fic Tobi is Madara. Obito died at the Kannagi bridge, stayed dead and will not be revived. (I really don't wanna write the angst that it would create with Kakashi.)
-In terms of power, in a fair fight Madara (think the guy that dropped two meteors on the Shinobi Alliance) and Naruto (Haru) would be the strongest shinobi in the world. Their strength is about equal with Sasuke not far behind. (But well, since when did shinobi fight fair?)
-The Uchiha massacre hasn't happened yet. From what I've understood, in canon Sasuke was eight when it happened so they still have two years to prevent it.
-We will see the chibis soon but they WON'T play a central part in this fic.
-I'll explain Minato's fight with Madara and the Kyuubi in a later chapter but know that Sasuke and Haru weren't part of the battle.
I hope that helps clarify a few things.
About this chapter I just want to say two things.
I know that Sasuke and Haru back stories are a little bit shaky but what's important for the fic is that they've been accepted into the village.
The spars were my first attempt at a fight scene and I'm not really happy with it so if you have any advices they would be extremely welcome.
I'm glad you guys like the disclaimers, they're so much fun to write.
And that's the end of this long AN. Once again thanks a lot for all the favorites, follows and reviews.
Until next time! ^-^
P.S. The next chapter is a flashback one.