Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.


Raiden stood a bit nervously - he didn't know why he was nervous, really, except then he thought it out and yeah, he had good reason. In a few minutes he'd have to explain what happened to the Mizukage - which just so happened to be Zabuza, who, though the man didn't know it, had had a huge impact on Raiden's morals in the past future - he as Naruto had admired him. Aside from that, in a purely objective standpoint, if Zabuza decided he (Raiden) was too much of a risk, Raiden didn't know if he'd be able to survive an attack, even with Isobu now inhabiting his body.

Thankfully he'd have Honoka with him as his official minder - she reminded him a lot of Naruto, actually; she had the same optimism, something that Raiden had, unfortunately, mostly abandoned out of necessity. There were only so many disappointments one could take - disappointments meaning crushing revelations - before cracking, so he'd learned to compartmentalize and think logically. Which he really needed to do now, because the Mizukage was now apparently ready to see him.

"Mizukage-sama," he greeted respectfully, bowing slightly. "As previously reported, sealing of the three-tails was successful. Except it didn't really have much of an effect on my chakra coils; they're still leaking. I need to go back home and recover properly before I'm fit enough to recover any of your rogue swordsmen."

Zabuza did not look happy. "How long will it take you to recover fully?"

"It's hard to know," Raiden replied, furrowing his brow. He really wasn't sure - when he'd wrecked the chakra network in his arm the first couple times he'd used the rasenshuriken it had taken him about a week to heal with Tsunade's help. But it wasn't just his arm that was injured now, it was his whole body. "A month or two, maybe?"

There was a long lull in the conversation - more of an interrogation, really - and it was hard to glean any sort of reaction from Zabuza's narrowed eyes - the bandages over his lower face didn't help, either. "One of the missing swords will be in my hands three months from now. If not we will hunt you down and kill you, regardless of the consequences."

"Yes, Mizukage-sama." That was a relief.

"Further negotiations and business can be discussed at the time when you deliver the first sword. Uzumaki Raiden, you are dismissed. Honoka, stay."

Raiden shot her a reassuring smile before closing the door behind him and leaned against the opposite wall to wait, noting a minute later that the Mizukage's office seemed to be completely soundproof. It was only a few minutes later that she exited, looking a bit pale but she managed a shaky smile in his direction.

"You okay?" He asked, concerned. She nodded.

"Fine. I'll be going with you, though - Mizukage-sama assigned it as a long-term mission." Raiden doubted that was all it was - something like missing her friends for a few months wouldn't upset a kunoichi of Honoka's caliber so much. Nonetheless, he replied happily.

"Great! You'll get to meet a few more of Uzumaki - one in Ame, a couple in Konoha. I've got friends in both. And I'm sure they'd like to meet you too - always room for family."

Her smile grew - stronger, more steady - and he counted it a win. "That sounds nice."

"We'll have to go to Ame first - that's where I'm officially living - and inform Nagato of the situation - he's actually the leader there, and he's Uzumaki too. After that it's Konoha, to actually get healed. And then - well. Who knows where those swords are?"

"Sounds like an adventure."

Raiden smiled feebly as Nagato glared at him. "Your network is still unstable and you were using chakra just to go fast? You could have died, idiot! No one cares if we have to wait a couple more weeks to see you, we'd rather see you alive than a corpse!"

"Well I'm not dead, though, am I?" He pointed out. "And I brought a cousin."

Said cousin was, currently, attempting not to smile at Nagato's outburst. "Hi! I'm Honoka. Nice to meet you."

Nagato's anger cooled and he greeted her back warmly. "No need for formal introductions - we're all family here. I'm Nagato, thank you for bringing this idiot back."

"Sorry about Raiden using his chakra, I just - "

"It's not your fault," Nagato said, staring him down again. "You can't see his chakra, you didn't know. Raiden tends to overdo things sometimes."

"I do not!" He protested, then actually thought about it. He'd worn himself out training to the point of exhaustion more than he could count, and had injured himself stupidly multiple times doing the same things, and had made some rather self-sacrificing decisions during his time as Naruto, the least of which was letting Sasuke nearly kill him. More than once. Nagato… was actually right. And it seemed the habit had followed him into this life as well. "Well. Maybe."

And then he was stumbling forward, having been practically body-slammed from behind.

"Hey, heard you were back! Konan, he's back!"

"Hello, Yahiko," he grunted, still feeling Yahiko's overenthusiastic greeting. His friend had put an arm around his shoulders and was leaning half his weight on him and grinning madly. "Hi Konan."

"Nice to have you back, Raiden. Yahiko, get off him please."

"But Raiden doesn't mind!" Raiden gave him a sideways look and Yahiko backed up quickly. "Just kidding!"

Honoka, at that point, had failed completely in her attempt to stifle laughter and all attention turned towards to her. Raiden took over introductions.

"Konan, Yahiko, this is Uzumaki Honoka. Honoka, these two are Yahiko and Konan, the two lieutenants, so to speak, of Ame. Even though one of them doesn't seem like he's capable of responsibility."

Yahiko took revenge in the form of a headlock, which Raiden managed to get out of quickly. As much as he liked the reunion part, he did need to inform them what was going to happen next - what he'd signed himself up for in order to stay alive. So -

"As much fun as this is, I have some news," he announced. Nagato nodded and led them to another room with chairs and couches, where they all sat down.

"First things first: Mist got me and I made an agreement with them. They allowed me to have the three-tails and I have to now gather the swords missing from their seven swords."

Predictably, Nagato sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Yahiko frowned, and Konan's forehead creased - she always was the best at controlling her emotions and thinking rationally.

"I was able to seal the three-tails, with Honoka's help," he continued, "but my chakra coils are still leaking. I'm able to use chakra, but only small amounts, and it's kind of painful. And my control is shot. So I'm going to head back to Konoha for healing. Tsunade's there, and she's the best healer there is - and she's healed me from similar circumstances… before, so I know I'll be fully recovered soon."

He hoped they'd be able to get what he meant by 'before' but figured it didn't matter overly much. "How about it?"

"What is Uzumaki-san's role in all this?" Konan asked. "I doubt the Mizukage would give her leave to meet distant cousins."

Raiden laughed. "She's actually more or less here to babysit me for the Mizukage. Make sure I keep up my end of the bargain. Meeting relatives is just a plus."

"That's about right," Honoka volunteered. "There's a bit more, but that's the main part."

"There's a merchant caravan heading to Konoha in a few days - the mission request was put in today," Yahiko interjected, leaning forward. "The both of you could stay here for a couple days before traveling there. It would take care of travel, and we're sending a team with them already - couldn't hurt to have extra backup."

Raiden was quietly wondering if the team was their backup, or if they were the backup for the team. It didn't matter though, Yahiko's input had answered the question of traveling to Konoha - he wouldn't have minded walking, but it was slow. Going with the caravan would provide conversation and would be a bit faster, not to mention probably safer.

The next two days went fast; the first day was spent saying hellos and getting caught up with friends in the Ame forces. The second was spent showing Honoka around the city and familiarizing himself with the changes that had occurred. It seemed busier than before, and though the skies were gray and rain was pouring down it seemed more cleansing than miserable. And of course, both evenings were spent with the Konan, Nagato, and Yahiko.

The third day dawned clear, to Raiden's surprise and he was rather grateful because it would - hopefully - make the bridge out of the village less slick. Less chance of slipping, especially for the merchant caravan. Which was good, because broken wagons would not help in getting to Konoha more quickly. He gave brief hugs to the three of them - Honoka did so as well - and then they set off to meet their new team.

They stopped on a balcony above where the bridge exited the city, looking down. The assigned team was already there - a man and a woman, both clad in the current ninja uniform - gray-blue tunic and trousers, paired with sandals and a scarf. They probably had cloaks in their packs - it never stayed dry in Amegakure for long, even if Nagato wasn't using his rain jutsu.

There was a boy, too, shifting from foot to foot in either nervousness or impatience, possibly both. He was maybe eleven or twelve with hair the same color as Shin. Perhaps a relative? His facial features were indistinct at the distance they were at.

"We should probably go down," he said mildly, then grinned. "Or we could hop on when the caravans pass, see how long it takes them to notice?"

Honoka laughed. "That's mean," she said. "Let's not traumatize the kid."

"Spoilsport," he retorted, still smiling, and dropped over the railing, landing a few feet behind the three shinobi. Honoka landed softly just behind him. They all turned, a bit tense, and Raiden left his hands out at his sides so they could see they were empty. They relaxed after a moment - though the kid's expression was a bit odd.

His eyes were wide - the shape was very similar to Shin's, along with his nose and cheekbones - a cousin or a younger brother?

"Don't worry kid," he said. "It'll be fun."

The kid shook his head. "I'm not - are you him?"

What? Raiden glanced over at Honoka, who looked as baffled as he felt, then over at the two ninja of the assigned team, who looked vaguely guilty - though it could have been embarrassment.

"Who?" He said, still utterly clueless.

The kid spoke in a hushed tone, eyes sparkling with awe. "Raiden Uzumaki."

"Well, that is my name," he replied, taken off guard by the turn the conversation had taken. Honoka was openly snickering behind him, and he tried to shift some of the attention away by introducing her. "And this is my cousin Honoka Uzumaki from Kirigakure no Sato."

The boy and the two ninja greeted her politely and offered up their own names - he was Kyo, the man was Akio, the woman Jun - but the boy (he was Shin's nephew, apparently) just kept watching him quietly, even after the caravan had shown and they'd departed. And by the end of the day the hero-worship stare was beginning to wear on him.

Simple respect he appreciated. Admiration was okay. Hero-worship was just plain uncomfortable. Especially when he didn't know what it was from. So when they made camp that night he sat next to the kid as they ate.

"So, what's with the staring?" he asked bluntly. If the kid was embarrassed it was his own fault. Being watched like that always put him on edge.

The kid nearly dropped his dinner. "Uzumaki-san!" He adjusted his grip on his bowl and looked up at him, cheeks coloring. "Um. The staring… well, I heard stories about you. How you fought, in the war against Hanzou."

That was what the kid was so excited about? "Listen, Kyo, it's not that big a deal, I only helped. Konan and Yahiko and Nagato were the ones who really beat Hanzou."

"Well I already knew that, but you were cool."

"And where did you hear that?" Honoka said, butting in. "I don't think Raiden's ever been cool in his entire life."

Insults, now - it was official. They were officially true family members.

"I have too been cool!" The words were out before he'd thought it through and he winced. Why couldn't it have been something even slightly more mature sounding? He'd come a long way since twelve years old, there should be something to show for it. He scrabbled for an example, mind going blank. "I, ah… I switched with Konan! When Hanzou was holding her hostage! That was pretty cool."

"You did?"

"He totally did! That was one of the stories Akio and Jun told me!" Raiden sighed, but Kyo kept going. "They say that he showed up right as Hanzou was about to kill her and switched a clone with her - and then the clone blew up right in Hanzou's face!" Kyo lowered his voice and glanced around dramatically. "They say that if you see a ghost with its face melted off, it's Hanzou, come to seek his revenge against the man who killed him."

Raiden stiffened. "G-ghost?" He repeated. The fire was beginning to die down and the flickering flames cast eerie shadows on Kyo's face. They flickered on the underbrush ringing the clearing, too, moving in his peripheral vision, putting him on edge.

Kyo leaned forward further. "Akio swore he saw Hanzou's ghost just two nights ago," he whispered hoarsely. "He was saying something about a red-haired man."

Raiden was hyperaware, all his attention focused on the boy in front of him. "And Akio never lies."

"BOO!"

Raiden jumped, spilling what was left of his rations on the forest floor and turned, brandishing a kunai, eyes wide. Except then he realized he was pointing it at a Honoka completely overcome with hysterical laughter, Kyo not far behind.

"A-Akio might not lie, but I sure do!" Kyo choked out, and bent double, practically wheezing as he laughed.

"Very funny guys!" He said loudly. "Oh yeah, that's right, give your hero a heart attack!"

He stuck his kunai back in his pouch, hands still shaky from adrenaline. "You owe me a dinner," he grumbled. They just kept laughing - thankfully Jun and Akio were keeping an eye on the merchants, who were out of earshot at the moment. It took a few moments before they calmed down, and Kyo explained a bit.

"It wasn't the kid's fault, not really," Honoka said, still grinning. "I told him to tell a ghost story. "He set it up pretty good, though, thanks for that."

Kyo did look pretty proud of himself. Raiden sighed and sat back down, unsealing another ration packet and tearing it open. It looked entirely unappetizing but he ate it anyway.

The merchants were coming back over - he heard their feet scuff on the ground - and he stuck the remainder of his ration packet in his pocket. Jun and Akio were back, too, with a question.

"We're doing four hours watch, one switch," Jun explained. "I'm Akio's first with Kyo and Raiden, I'm on the second with Uzumaki-san."

Raiden was a bit surprised that he and Honoka had been included but he was an Ame resident and Honoka had come under his authority and Jun was the captain of the mission, giving her technical authority over Raiden until they reached Konoha. So he shrugged and stood and stretched, his back popping satisfyingly.

"Sounds good to me."

Jun lead Honoka towards the tent - it would fit the two of them easily enough, but Raiden decided that once it was time to rest he'd rather sleep somewhere else - Akio was quite a bit bigger than Jun and even though the he was actually slightly smaller than Honoka there was still Kyo. So, no thanks, he'd rather sleep outside. First, though, was to actually get through his turn on watch.

"We should be most on guard the next few nights, at least until we reach the border," he commented. "Unless I'm mistaken, Kusa isn't the most friendly with us and is openly hostile against Konoha because of the last war. If there's any chance we'll be attacked by a skilled enemy it will be in the next couple days."

"Yeah," Akio agreed. "I'll tell Kyo to stay alert."

Conversation ended then; it was difficult to listen for intruders if you were busy listening to your teammates. He kind of wanted to try Sage Mode, but it probably wasn't the best idea until his chakra coils were fixed. So he kept watch the old-fashioned way, by keeping his eyes and ears open. And in the four hours on watch, the only thing to note was that it started raining.

Jun and Honoka exchanged places with Akio and Kyo and Raiden went to find himself a place to sleep. There weren't really any trees around so he unsealed his self-made tent: some staves and connectors, along with a couple of tarps. It took only a few minutes to set up and take down, which was nice, and though it wasn't suitable for temperature extremes it got the job done. Especially since he'd never gotten sick from being outside.

He woke up the next morning to more freezing rain, which wasn't surprising. Most rainstorms in Ame lasted a few days. He'd would be surprised if it continued into Hi no Kuni, though - there was a mountain range just before the official border between the two countries. It was much drier on the other side of the border, though not nearly as bad as Kaze no Kuni.

Breakfast was rations again, though the merchants were kind enough to gift them some fresh fruits to eat as well, which made it more enjoyable than it otherwise would have been. He thanked them profusely, eliciting a few laughs in the process; life was more fun when there were smiles going around.

Kyo walked up, covering a yawn, and Raiden smiled himself. He was a good kid; maybe he should introduce him to Naruto? Kyo could be a good role model for Naruto to look up to - as well as a friend, since the village still seemed to have an allergy to Naruto's presence.

"Ready for another day of walking?" Raiden asked. "Or maybe trudging, if the roads turn into mud. With all this rain I'm surprised they haven't already."

"As long as the wagon wheels don't get stuck I'm fine with a little mud," Honoka said, butting in. "Get ready to move, Jun says we're leaving in ten."

They went over the campsite once more, just making sure everything was clear and they hadn't left anything behind. And then they were off, stationed individually around the line of wagons. The next week was rather uneventful, the only thing of note being the border crossing, but even that went without any trouble.

The climate started changing once they crossed the border, Hi no Kuni being much lower in elevation and a lot flatter, though there still weren't many trees yet. But the rain stopped the next day, and Raiden took great pleasure in flicking the water off his cloak.

It was a good day. The sun was shining, he wasn't aching anywhere, he had a new companion (who really just spent most of the day sleeping, but that was neither here nor there) and he had friends and family. He was outside on a beautiful day and nobody was trying to kill him. He was suddenly struck with an eagerness to get going, because he wanted to see Naruto - how odd was that, wanting to see his former self, though they really weren't the same anymore - and Satoshi and Tsunade and Shisui—

Shisui. He'd managed to put it out of his mind, but in the original timeline the Massacre had happened around the time he'd been away - and he'd been away for a couple months, everything considered. That was plenty of time for everything to have happened and he just hoped that the clan hadn't been decimated again. His good humor turned to anxiety and he forced himself to think logically.

There was nothing he possibly could have done that he hadn't already, and knowing what he knew about Danzo and sharing his suspicions with the Hokage had to have changed the events from what they were in his timeline. He just wasn't sure how much they'd changed, and the changes had affected the Massacre at all. Nothing really to do but hope.

Honoka picked up on his anxiety when they stopped that night.

"What's wrong, Raiden?" She asked. "I could feel your agitation all the way from the other end of the wagon line. Your chakra kept going prickly."

"Just worried about a friend, is all," he said, purposefully being vague. He could see that it was frustrating her but there wasn't much else he could tell her without betraying village secrets - there were some things even shared blood couldn't excuse. And this qualified.

He wasn't sure whether or not to resign himself to the worst but he decided not to; it was better to just wait and see what had happened while he was gone so he wouldn't get ahead of himself. That didn't do anyone any good, least of all the Uchiha. And it was something he would have to accept, something he thought he had accepted - even though by some miracle he'd been granted the opportunity to change things, it just wasn't possible that he would save everyone. He couldn't stop old age. He couldn't stop disease. He couldn't stop natural disasters. He couldn't stop death, not when it was a natural part of life.

His grim mood lasted the rest of the journey regardless; just because he knew logically that he couldn't save everyone didn't mean he agreed with the sentiment emotionally. And it didn't mean he wouldn't regret any losses and grieve when they died.

And unfortunately for the others, the rest of the journey amounted to about three full weeks with him in a terrible mood, and his moods had always been infectious. Once they'd entered the forest his mood improved slightly - he'd missed the massive trees he remembered from his childhood. And then they'd reached the village's gates. There was a more in-depth screening process than the one he'd undergone on his first journey to the village as Raiden, which he couldn't decide was bad or neutral. It could just have been because of the traveling circumstances - he was traveling with a merchant caravan this time, and there was a ninja traveling with them from a village not part of an alliance with Konoha - but it also could have been because of internal unrest.

Whatever the reason, he tried not to dwell on it because there was nothing much he could do. From the gate they were escorted by a team of Konoha ninja, three of them. They all wore the navy uniform, including the dull green vest, so they all had to be at least chunin. He was willing to bet that at least one of them was a jonin, however; Honoka was a complete unknown to them and even if they were in an alliance with Ame alliances didn't guarantee safety, especially with one so new. The Konoha nin escorted them to where the merchants were supposed to end up, and then he and the others - Akio, Kyo, Jun, and Honoka - were escorted to the Hokage's office.

A basic mission report ensued, and the Ame ninja were led to the housing quarters of visiting ninja - Raiden hadn't realized those had existed before, but in hindsight he realized that was kind of a dumb thing to do. Especially when events like the chunin exams came along - as host village, they weren't going to make the leaders and high-ranked officials of other nations sleep outside in tents. It was a pride thing, a way to show culture and status. He shifted impatiently for the report to be concluded because he still had to explain his own situation to the Hokage, as well as ask about the Uchiha.

Finally, it seemed, the report was concluded and the Konoha team that had escorted led the Akio and Kyo and Jun to where they would be staying. Honoka and Raiden remained in the Hokage's office.

The old man got up and walked to the window where he stood, taking out his pipe and lighting it. He took a breath and then exhaled slowly. "I swear every time I turn around there is another one of you Uzumaki."

Honoka let out a short laugh at this. Raiden had failed to inform her of his... unique relationship with the Hokage.

"I can explain that. But first... Shisui?" He used his friend's name to make sure he didn't leak any sensitive information, but the Hokage would know what he meant. He couldn't keep the hope out of his voice; the old man hadn't seemed weighed down or grieving so he thought that maybe, just maybe...

"There was an incident, but you will be glad to know all the relevant parties are, for the most part, safe."

Raiden beamed. It felt like the best news he had ever received. Honoka looked at him sideways, most likely glad he'd come out of his funk. He could get the whole story out of Shisui later, or the Hokage would tell him.

"But please, introduce me to this lovely young lady with you," the Hokage said kindly, though not without some reproach in his voice. "It doesn't do to completely forget manners."

Raiden pretend-scowled. At least most of it was pretend; sometimes the old man made him feel like a little kid again, and not in the good way.

"This is Honoka Uzumaki, of Kirigakure. They managed to get wind of me and, well, here I am."

"It's nice to meet you, Hokage-sama," she said, tone slightly informal. It wasn't a big deal, though, the old man had been informal first and the two of them had a mutual interest in poking fun at him. "I, in all honesty, have only been assigned to supervise Raiden, to make sure he fulfills his part of the bargain he offered in order for him to be steward over the three-tails."

"I see," the old man said. "And as for the terms of the deal - what is it that you offered, Raiden?"

"I offered my services to help them regain the swords that they don't have, you know, the ones missing from the seven. And the Mizukage gave me a time limit, I have to give them the first of the swords at the end of three months."

The old man furrowed his brow. "What, then, are you doing here?"

"While I was able to seal the three-tails inside me, with Honoka's assistance, my chakra coils still aren't entirely stable - there's some peripheral leakage. And the only person I know to be capable of healing that is Tsunade."

"Of course," he agreed. "If that's the case, then please, go to the hospital. It's been a month already; no sense in wasting time."

"Thanks, Old Man," he said, smiling - and then exited through the window. The Old Man scowled good-naturedly when Raiden looked back up after landing on the street below and Honoka quickly followed, most likely having been given permission by the old man. Because while they were in Konoha, Raiden was her babysitter.

They set off towards the hospital together and Honoka laughed incredulously. "Why did you never tell me the Hokage was so entertaining?"

"I bring out the best in people," he retorted, not wanting to go into specifics of how exactly his relationship with the Hokage had formed into what it currently was.

"Right..."

"Just wait 'til you see Tsunade," he said mischievously. That would probably be more entertaining to her; with Tsunade there was a definite love-hate relationship. They were family but they made it a game to annoy each other to the point of exasperation. He felt a bit bad for Shizune, though - but hopefully Honoka would be able to commiserate with her.

When they reached the hospital Tsunade was, as usual, running roughshod over the nurses. But she took one glance at him and ordered him into the nearest hospital room, and Raiden couldn't help but notice the relieved faces of the other nurses she'd been talking to. He shot them a wink and saw a couple smother laughs. Honoka rolled her eyes.

"On the bed," Tsunade said briskly.

"Why," he said, in a faux-innocent tone, eyes wide, "I didn't - "

"Quit that," she ordered, sending him a glare, and he closed his mouth with an audible click. There were times when he valued his own life over a couple laughs. Although there was someone laughing; he frowned at Honoka.

So he did what she said and laid down on the bed. Tsunade's hand began to glow and it hovered over his body, assessing every inch of his chakra network. It was a quiet few minutes, and not a little tense - Tsunade's expression when she was working was dead serious. But then she sat back and smiled.

"Your chakra network is running much more smoothly, the volume is a bit lower but your chakra network is more resilient than most and it's close enough to the original volume that you'll be fine once we fix the leakage in the peripheral network. But your control will be shot," she warned.

"I figured as much," he said. "Nothing to do but practice for that."

"Leaks have to be sealed first," Tsunade said severely. "No practicing - of ANY kind - until your chakra system is running completely fine. Not even practicing hand seals."

He sighed. That was boring. He'd have to get someone else to teach Naruto the jutsu he'd promised, then. Or maybe he could show him the tree-climbing and water-walking exercises and have him practice them along with him? That would give him something interesting to do, and would help with any pranks. But he had promised an actual jutsu… and he'd always had trouble with the clone jutsu. He could teach him a water clone - a shadow clone would bring too much attention. And water clones could help with pranking too…

"But what if I'm doing something and then I accidentally make a hand seal?"

Tsunade expression was incredulous. "Under what circumstances would you accidentally make a hand seal?"

"Well…" he couldn't actually imagine a real circumstance in which that could possibly happen. Time to make something up. "What if I dropped my chopstick down the drain? And then I had to pick it up, but my thumb and index finger together were too wide so I had to make the tiger seal to pick it up?"

Tsunade looked like she was trying hard to keep from slapping him upside the head but then Honoka snorted, having failed in stifling laughter and she gave in.

"Ow," he informed them matter-of-factly. Tsunade just sighed and smiled.

"Go on and go home, brat. Naruto's missed you, as have Satoshi and your friend Shisui. I'm sure they'd like to see you." She turned to Honoka and held out her hand to shake. "And it was nice to meet you."

"Honoka. It was nice meeting you as well, Tsunade."


AN: Well, that was fun.