Authors Note: Thanks very much for the feedback so far! It's great seeing what you guys think. I only hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the last. Hopefully the next one should come out over the next couple of days.


Dragging myself into the Academy turned out to be a massive ordeal the next day as my body desperately protested against what I'd put it through. After we'd parted ways (when I'd been able to move again) I'd agreed to meet with Lee every other day to work on our taijutsu together. There was no way I'd be able to keep up with Lee's manic training regiment, but working with him was sure to have a big impact. Sasuke, whose skills I'd seen first hand in class, had been completely outmatched by Lee when they met in the Chunin exams. Once Gai started training him as part of team Gai it'd be even better, I wonder if I could get some of those leg weights?

Distracted by my planning as I walked to my desk, I didn't notice someone standing in front of me until I'd already bumped into them.

"Sorry," I said reflexively, before looking up and seeing none other than Mizuki standing in front of me. He looked pretty mad, his jaw clenched and his eyes sparking, but then a moment later the anger was gone, hidden as he painted that placid expression on his face that he wore to fool everyone. Was it just because I already knew he was a traitor that it seemed so obvious?

"It's no problem at all Naruto," he said pleasantly, his eyes flicking up and down me. I internally bristled but I didn't let it show on my face. I just looked up at him innocently until he moved on past me.

The lesson was actually quite interesting, as it went through the geography of the Fire Country, something I obviously wasn't familiar with. It wasn't anything that I couldn't catch up on later though and so I let my thoughts drift away.

I had already decided to approach Mizuki after the lesson today. It was a bit soon, as from his perspective we barely knew each other, but I was gambling on a couple of things that'd swing it in my favour. Firstly, I was pretty sure Mizuki hated me, which meant he was more likely to jump at a chance to screw me over. Second, I was a little kid, and no one expects anything devious from a kid.

My planning was interrupted again by a giggling from in front of me. Sakura was staring at Sasuke and twirling her pink hair in her hand. Sasuke actually deigned to turn around today, which was a bit of an occasion in itself, even if it was only to shoot her a look of pure disdain. She didn't seem to realise though, flushing and muttering something to herself.

I sighed mentally. I'd definitely have to do something about that once we were on a team together. If not for Sasuke's sake then for mine.

I wonder if that's her natural hair colour? I wondered idly, Maybe I'll ask her, is there anyone else in this village who has pink hair? Is her mum's hair pink as well? Wait, does she have a mum either? The only person who I remember mentioning their mother is Shikamaru, and that was just to say he was scared of her.

I glanced over to where Shikamaru seemed to be in a perpetual state of half-dozing. A couple of weeks ago I'd decided to watch him for a whole lesson and I don't think he'd moved even an inch from his starting position. In a way I was impressed.

The rest of the lesson passed without incident and I seized the opportunity to lag a bit behind the others as they filed out. Once the classroom had cleared out I ran up to the front,

"Hey Mizuki-sensei, do you mind if I ask you something?"

He had looked a bit unhappy about being cornered by me, but I guess he couldn't blow his cover over something so small because he quickly covered it up with a smile and replied,

"Sure thing Naruto-kun, I'm always happy to help. What's the matter?"

I didn't really like the way he emphasised the 'kun'. No doubt he thought himself the master of sarcasm, outwitting a 10-year old. Suppressing the urge to roll my eyes I instead adopted a more sombre demeanour,

"Well, the thing is sensei, I'm a little worried about the graduation exam." I bit down on my lower lip, trying my best to look worried. "I was wondering if I could talk to you about it?"

"The graduation exam?" Mizuki asked curiously, "But that's 2 years away for you, and they change the requirement year to year, what do you have to be worried about?"

I'd expected that, "I know it's just, I so badly want to be a ninja, and not just any ninja! I want to become the Hokage! The best ninja in the village! But I find it so hard to do the ninjutsu we do in class, I'm just worried I might not be able to get it in time," I figured this was as good a time as any to hang my head sadly, "Do you think there's anything you could do to help me out? Like a way to do jutsu better? Last week we tried the bunshin jutsu and I couldn't figure it out at all."

Mizuki hummed, "Why are you asking me Naruto, I would have thought you'd be more comfortable with one of the other teachers here?"

I frowned, I assumed he'd jump at the chance to set me up with the forbidden scroll. Maybe he just didn't want to look suspicious himself?

Be careful how you respond here. I felt a bead of sweat trickle down my back, You need him to tell you about that scroll, but you can't come across too strong otherwise you may spook him.

I replied carefully, mumbling my words to give the impression of an embarrassed 10-year old, "I'm embarrassed to ask one of the other teachers. All the other kids in the class don't seem to have any problems. Shikamaru can already cast that shadow thing! I'm the only one who's struggling so much…." I let my voice die out.

Come on, take the bait, I thought intently, I need that scroll, and I need to be able to come out of stealing it by blaming you.

Mizuki looked at me thoughtfully for a moment, then he shook his head.

"I'm sorry Naruto, but I think the best thing for you now is to focus on practicing. You have plenty of time until the exam, I'm sure if you try your best until then you'll be able to pass." He nodded to me and turned to walk outside. I stared dumbfounded after him,

Fuck, what did I do wrong?


I'd thought for sure that Mizuki would tell me about the scroll straight away, or at the very least hint about its existence. I didn't think he'd turn me down outright! Was it too early? Did I spook him by approaching him first? I gritted my teeth in frustration as I thought it round and round. I also had a slight feeling of doubt creeping up inside me. If the events of this timeline differed from the series then was Mizuki even a traitor in this world? If he wasn't, could I be sure of anything else? It was strange in a way, that in my old world where I hadn't known what was going to happen it hadn't bothered me at all, but since coming here the thought of not knowing the future scared me.

This world is a lot more dangerous than the one I left behind. And I'm a lot more pivotal than I was before. My right hand drifted over the seal on my stomach. I hadn't given the Kyubi too much thought since I'd arrived. I remembered that Naruto had eventually made friends with it but I had no idea what he had said or done to win its trust. When I had first started doing my chakra control exercises I had focussed on the feeling of the chakra, seeing if I could separate the red from the blue, but as far as I could tell the chakra was all my own. Of course, I was 2 years younger than Naruto had been at the start of the series, so it was possible that the Kyubi couldn't manifest as much now as it could in the future.

I shook my head vigorously, Focus. Mizuki was the immediate problem here.

Ok, let's go through what I know. I know that there is a scroll somewhere in the Hokage's possession which contains instructions for the Kage Bunshin jutsu - which I need. I know in the original series Mizuki told Naruto about it to try and frame him for stealing it, and that Naruto must have been able to get it without too much difficulty. I tried to approach Mizuki 2 years before he approached Naruto originally, and got shut down.

I snatched a pencil from the desk, jamming it in my mouth as I began to chew. In my old life it had helped me think.

The only bit of information I'm missing is where exactly this scroll is. I could ask someone else, but I don't know how forbidden this scroll is. Is it something that I could have found out on my own? The first episode made it a pretty big deal that Naruto had stolen the scroll, but he was forgiven when it turned out Mizuki had set him up.

The cogs were spinning in my head.

In the anime, Naruto didn't know Mizuki was a traitor. It was only by luck that Iruka found him and found out what had happened. If I can just get the scroll, I can blame Mizuki myself, and if he's still a traitor I should be able to get away with that. Either he'll panic and reveal himself, or he must have something incriminating hidden away somewhere that would be turned up in an investigation. Come to think of it, they have mind reading jutsu in this world, so if there was enough suspicion on him that should give it away instantly. In that case, the only real thing I need to do is get the location of the scroll, then afterwards I can blame it on Mizuki no matter what happens.

I bit down on the pencil harder. If it was just about getting the scroll I might be able to do that even without Mizuki. However, pushing for this now definitely carried a lot more risk. If I was willing to wait there was a chance he'd approach me again himself, or another opportunity to prod him might present itself. Was it worth running the risk now to get one jutsu?

You need to be stronger, a soft voice whispered at the back of my mind, you're not Naruto, there's no guarantee you'll survive all those situations the same way he did. You know what's coming, you need to be prepared for it.

I exhaled explosively. That was the crux of it, I was scared of what was to come, and the only way I could deal with that fear was by becoming as strong as possible. Waiting wasn't an option, especially if it was going to be a 2-year wait. Despite the progress I'd made over the past few weeks, from what I'd seen of Sasuke he was still far ahead of me. And that was before even throwing in the Sharingan.

And I'm not going to let you leave Sasuke. I won't let you go through what happened in the anime. Naruto may have failed to stop Sasuke leaving, but with what I knew it was my responsibility to ensure that didn't happen this time. Yes it had worked out in the end, but how many needless deaths could have been avoided? I liked Sasuke, I didn't want him to suffer when I could help him avoid it, and in a way I admired him. I had to admit I don't know what I'd look like on the other side if my family had been murdered by my brother, then replayed in front of my eyes forcibly for hours on end.

The worst case scenario if this didn't work out was that I derailed events to the extent that I didn't get put on Kakashi's team, or ended up with a different team. Not exactly life-threatening, but it could definitely put me in a tricky position to start changing things going forward.

I flicked the pencil out of my mouth, feeling no small sense of satisfaction as it landed perfectly in the cup.

The risk is worth it.


I smiled to myself as I moved through the forest. We weren't supposed to meet today but Lee was predictably in the same spot as last time

"391…392...393", each word was accompanied by a thudding noise.

What's he up to today?

I strode into the clearing, hand held up in greeting,

"Yo! Lee how's it goin-" I ducked to narrowly avoid a wood splinter that came rocketing towards me.

Lee turned from the tree trunk he had been facing, his face glistening with sweat. When he saw me he broke out into a huge smile.

"Naruto! Were you as unable to resist the allure of training as I was? You're of course welcome to join me again tonight!"

I tried not to stare at the tree trunk, which looked like somebody had taken a drill to it.

Maybe I should have asked someone else. Sakura would have been a good choice...or Ino.

Resigning myself mentally I replied,

"Actually Lee, I was kind of hoping you'd help me out with something tonight."

I'd barely got the words out before Lee jumped in enthusiastically,

"Of course Naruto! I'd be happy to help you with your training!" He started welling up a bit as he thrust his arms in the air, "Thank you for choosing me!"

I chuckled, "Thanks Lee, I knew I could count on you." He looked like he was about to shout something again so I quickly moved on, "I'm not sure how long this'll take, but hopefully it should be good training for both of us."

I shifted position slightly, bringing my hands together in a seal position.

"Lee...I want you to hit me as hard as you can."


I definitely should have asked someone else to help, I thought ruefully. The various aches and pains around my body had merged into a constant dull ache, but at least this time I was still able to move.

I jumped from rooftop to rooftop, trying to move as stealthily as I could. It probably wasn't necessary, especially if my plan worked how I expected it to, but the thrill of learning to be an actual ninja still hadn't worn off. The feeling of moving so fast through the night air was exhilarating, and with the amount of chakra in my legs I felt like a superhero everytime I pushed off.

Of course, with my chakra control still coming along I had a few kinks to work out.

There goes another tile, I thought guiltily as I channeled too much chakra down to my foot again, exploding the tile underneath me as I pushed off. Hopefully there was some sort of equivalent of home insurance in this world, Unless it's the shopkeeper's house...then I hope his damn roof caves in.

It didn't take me long to arrive at my destination. I dropped quietly down onto the balcony, my heart thudding in my chest as I stepped lightly over to the door.

You've committed to this, don't get nervous now. I swallowed my fear as I reached out and knocked firmly on the door. Almost immediately there was a flurry of movement from the apartment beyond and I tensed, readying myself for an attack. Long moments went by before the door cracked open and I was standing face-to-face with Mizuki.

"Good evening, it's rather late, how many I help you?" He asked, looking suitably confused.

I grinned underneath my mask. Stage 1 complete.

"You are Mizuki, correct?" I asked, stepping forward. He didn't back away but his eyes did narrow slightly.

"That's right, although I would have thought an ANBU agent knocking at my door would already know that."

I leaned in close, my muscles wound up like coiled springs, and whispered to him,

"Orochimaru-sama sends his regards."

Mizuki's reaction was instant, if I hadn't already been expecting it his punch might have taken my head off. As it was, I just managed to whip my arm up in time to take the impact. It was likely just a probing blow but it still had enough force behind it to rattle me, despite the extra chakra pumping through my arm.

I gritted my teeth in intense concentration, trying to maintain the appropriate physical tension in my arm whilst also focussing on the chakra that surrounded me, forming the Henge.

Focus….focus...everything falls apart if the jutsu dispels.

Tense moments ticked by, I was glad I had the mask otherwise the scrunching of my face would have given me away for sure. The brow of my forehead felt damp with sweat and chakra was pumping through me with such pressure that I was half afraid he'd somehow hear it.

Several more moments went by, then as nothing happened I felt the pressure lift on my arm as Mizuki lowered his fist and stepped back, pushing the door open and inclining his head.

"My apologies, I had to be sure."

I just nodded, not trusting myself to speak yet, as I stepped in over the threshold and into his apartment. My heart was still pumping painfully in my chest but with it was a huge surge of relief.

Stage 2….complete.

Something I'd noticed when reading through the books on ninjutsu principles is that the authors made a lot of assumptions about the amount of chakra the average person had available to them. For example, the Kage Bunshin jutsu was considered forbidden not because of its utility but because of the amount of chakra it took to produce. A standard Bunshin was basically just a bubble held together by threading chakra all throughout the surface. If someone disrupted the surface tension by popping it, the jutsu dispelled. Since so little chakra was used to create the thin layer and it was so easily dispelled it was generally considered pretty useless amongst ninja. The Henge jutsu was effectively the same principle, except instead of forming the bubble on its own you formed the bubble around yourself. The Henge sat around the user almost like a blanket, but it was dispelled just as easily as the Bunshin jutsu.

There was a key difference between the Henge and the Bunshin jutsu though, with the Bunshin jutsu once it was created the user was effectively cut off from it, other than a very small chakra link that allowed the user to control it independently. The link was fragile though and only thoughts could be transmitted across it. With the Henge jutsu, as the bubble was still in contact with the user it was possible to keep transmitting chakra to it.

The author of the book I'd read on the topic had dismissed it out of hand, stating that the jutsu was impractical in a situation where you'd be under heavy scrutiny. Whilst it may not take much chakra to form the basic Henge bubble, if you wanted to maintain it even when hit you'd have to pump out a disproportionate amount of chakra to both maintain and reinforce the bubble at the point of impact. If you were in a situation where you needed to put that much chakra into a disguise, the author had written, it'd be better to conserve your chakra for combat jutsu, or to have taken in a physical disguise rather than relying on a chakra construct. Chakra outside of the body was surprisingly fragile, which is why ninja had to convert it into other forms for use in fights, rather than just throwing pure chakra at each other.

At first I had been a little surprised to read the author's take on it, since in the anime no one ever seemed to have any real issues with chakra. But in the anime I was only seeing the top tier fighters, the people who were literally on top of the ninja world. I couldn't remember the ratio of Genin to Chunin to Jonin but I wouldn't be surprised if most people never made it past Chunin based on what I'd read.

My plan of transforming myself to approach Mizuki wouldn't have worked if it wasn't for Lee. We'd spent several hours yesterday evening practicing. I would cast a Henge and he would hit me and I'd try and reinforce the jutsu with the right amount of chakra to keep it from dispelling. Too much or too little resulted in the jutsu dispelling, as the Henge would either collapse inwards or explode outwards based on how much I pumped into it.

We'd also tried whilst sparring, but that proved almost impossible. Fighting whilst also concentrating on the Henge, trying to predict where Lee would hit and regulating my chakra output to that spot was too much to think about all at once. Luckily Mizuki hadn't gone that.

I glanced around the darkened room as Mizuki closed the door behind me, moving swiftly in front of me. I reached up and removed my mask, his eyes widening as he saw my face, and he dropped to one knee, bowing his head deferentially,

"What does Orochimaru-sama want from me, Kabuto?"

Perfect, he has seen him. I wasn't sure if Kabuto was working for Orochimaru at this stage, if he hadn't recognised me I'd have to hope he'd trust a nameless henchman enough to follow his orders. I hadn't even been sure coming here if Mizuki himself was working for Orochimaru but it seemed a pretty sure bet that if weird things were going down in the village he was somehow tied to it.

I couldn't remember Kabuto well enough to transform into him perfectly, but luckily in the darkened room and with the ANBU outfit covering most of my body it seemed I had done a good enough job.

"I have some new mission parameters for you," I had thought hard about how to approach this, as I had to be careful I didn't appear contrary to whatever mission he had already been given, "It concerns the Scroll of Sealing that is currently in the Hokage's possession."

Mizuki frowned slightly, "The Scroll of Seals?"

Oops. I carried on talking like he hadn't said anything,

"Is it true the Hokage is planning to relocate it?"

"I-I hadn't heard anything about the scroll being relocated. Last I heard it was still secured in the west sealed room in the Hokage's mansion."

I had to swallow a triumphant smile. Jackpot. Mizuki you almost made this too easy.

"We have received information that the Hokage is planning to relocate the scroll to a more secure location, along with several other items. Orochimaru-sama would very much like to receive the scroll before that happens."

Mizuki opened his mouth, looking worried, but then seemingly thought better of it and closed it again.

Is he worried I'll ask him to steal it himself? I guess there was a reason he picked Naruto before.

"I will arrange for the scroll to be taken by an unwitting party," I said, noting how he seemed to relax, "This individual will meet up with you, after which you are to kill him and retrieve the scroll. Once you have cleared Konoha, you will be contacted against with instructions for where to proceed next."

Mizuki nodded his understanding, "I understand, Kabuto. I am glad to be of service to Orochimaru-sama. Where and when will I need to be to retrieve the scroll?"

I slipped a scroll out of my pocket and dropped it down next to him.

"Make sure you memorise the contents of that scroll before you dispose of it. It contains all the information you need."

I reached up to replace my mask. With the training yesterday and the amount I'd exerted to maintain my Henge I was actually getting quite tired. I almost muttered good luck as I turned to go but caught myself at the last second. Some old habits were dangerous.

I launched myself back up into the night, heading straight back to my apartment to sleep and release the jutsu.

I'll have to thank Lee when I next see him. For now though, I think it's time I visited the Hokage.


"I was beginning to think you'd forgotten I existed, Naruto." The Hokage smiled down at me.

He does come across quite grandfatherly, I can see why people trust him, especially Naruto who had no other family or friends.

I shifted a little uncomfortably as I tried my best to hide my unease from the Hokage. I knew it didn't make sense logically, but every time I looked at him I couldn't help thinking of Itachi.

Would he kill me, if he thought it was for the good of the village? I looked back into his murky brown eyes. They were looking at me kindly now, but what else had those eyes seen? I'm sure he must have killed children in his time.

Suddenly aware that the Hokage was waiting for my answer I smiled sheepishly,

"Aah I'm sorry ol-Hokage," Dammit what did Naruto call him? He said jiji in the anime but the subtitles came up as 'old man' which seemed pretty rude. I'd clearly said the wrong thing because he frowned in disappointment,

"Has something happened Naruto? You always used to call me grandfather. Are you feeling upset about something?"

Damn. Stupid subtitle translations. Now he knows something is up, I was just planning on chatting to him for a bit before I get the scroll. Actually...this could be a good opportunity to cement my cover story.

Thinking quickly I replied, "Sorry grandfather, I've just had a lot on my mind recently. One of the other kids told me about the graduation exam and I'm really worried about it. What if I don't pass? Does that mean I can't be a ninja?"

The Hokage arched an eyebrow in surprise,

"For the Academy? My boy you shouldn't be getting worried about that at this stage, you have plenty of time to practice before then." He reached out and ruffled my hair, which actually felt kind of nice, "Iruka told me you'd been acting a bit distant recently, is this the reason why?"

Yeah I figured he'd be thinking that.

"I've just realised that if I want to be Hokage I have to work a lot harder than I have been recently." It was a half-truth, I did need to work harder.

The Hokage smiled sadly and replied, "Well don't be in such a hurry to grow up Naruto. Your childhood is important too, it's what gives your dreams for adulthood. Be sure to cherish it."

I'm sure Sasuke would have liked to have had a childhood too.

I smiled gratefully at the Hokage, "Thank you grandfather."

He nodded, then glancing at the clock he said, "I have to attend to something now Naruto, I trust you can let yourself out?"

I nodded innocently.


A scroll that Orochimaru wants should not have been this easy to get.

I rolled it up tightly, standing up and securing it tightly on my back. In a way reading the Kage Bunshin had been rather anticlimactic, it took me about an hour to get to the stage where I was confident enough to practice without following the scroll's instructions. The jutsu itself was quite straightforward, what made it dangerous was that it was very easy to kill yourself if you didn't have enough chakra for it.

And now - the final stage.

I was pretty sure that I had tripped at least some kind of intruder seal on my way out. It was a little weird how light the security was actually preventing people from stealing stuff from the room but I guess they figured nobody untrustworthy would have been able to get into the Hokage's in the first place?

It was still lazy, but it benefited me so I wasn't complaining. If a bank like this had existed in the old world it would have been robbed blind before they had time to blink.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" A clone poofed into existence next to me, and we shared identical grins before I spoke,

"You know the plan then?"

My clone nodded,"Go to Iruka and show him that we can do the Kage Bunshin jutsu, then tell him Mizuki told us if we mastered it we'd be guaranteed to become a ninja."

"Let's do it then."

My clone did a mock salute then jumped off back towards Konoha. I shook my head, the jutsu was absolutely amazing, but it was kind of bizarre having a conversation with a copy of myself. A copy of myself that followed orders.

"So they got you to do it did they?" a voice laughed above me. I jumped, leaping backwards and crouching down in a taijutsu stance. There was a blur and Mizuki was in front of me, grinning nastily.

He's early! I didn't even see him move, if he came at me like that to attack I wouldn't be able to react.

This wasn't good, I had planned for Mizaki to arrive a bit later once Iruka and the rest of the ANBU were about to jump in. I had only just sent my clone off, I needed to play for time.

"Mizuki-sensei! Does this mean I can become a ninja now?" I tried to edge backwards but he started stalking towards me,

"Why yes Naruto, it does. You've just got to hand over that scroll now and I'll make sure the Hokage himself knows how well you've done."

"O-ok," I slowly reached back to release the strap securing the scroll in place, using the time to think,

I know he's going to try and kill me either way because that's what I told him to do as Kabuto. I just need to buy enough time until Iruka gets here with reinforcements.

I glanced at Mizuki's feet, they were pointed towards me, showing he was obviously standing ready to strike, and with how much faster he was than me he'd probably close the gap before I could do anything.

I need to say something to catch him off-guard. I only need time for one hand seal. For the one jutsu that I know.

"Hey, Mizuki," I said quietly. His manic grin faded a little at my sudden change in tone. I forced my lips into a relaxed smile,

"The Hokage told me you were working for Orochimaru, we've been setting you up."

His eyes widened in shock, and in that split second my hands came crashing together.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Four other clones poofed into existence around me, leaping towards Mizuki and shouting. I launched myself backwards, falling back into a defensive stance and-

There was a sudden, green blur and searing pain erupted from my abdomen. It spread across my front as if I'd been set alight and my body sagged. I tried to gasp but when I opened my mouth I could just hear a wear, choking sound.

Shaking, I slowly looked down towards the kunai Mizuki had buried into me. His mouth twisted in anger, he yanked it out and blood sprayed around, the metal of the blade glinting crimson.

"Monsters like you don't deserve to live," he spat. My vision darkened and I felt myself crash to the floor.