Author's Note - Hey guys! I'm back with chapter 12! And guys, it is so hard trying to not write Naruto 2.0 as an OP character! I'm trying my best, but if you guys have ideas, please, send them my way! Again, this chapter has Canon and 2.0 clashing but I'm doing this for the plot. You won't get why I did it until later but that's ok! Trust me though, while the chapter may appear fillerish, it's not! Ok, that should be it! On to the story!
Chapter 12: Wake Up, Shikadai
Shikadai
"Maybe we shouldn't have contacted everyone…" Takashi grumbled from Shikadai's side as the adults continued to have a major freak-out. Motoko was still in his arms, snoozing against his chest with her thumb in her mouth.
"On the bright side, it's out now. Sorry about that, Sarada." His twin said to the Uchiha girl who nodded back.
"It's alright." She spoke softer now, looking back at her parents as her mother tried talking to her father. He remained stoic, ignoring his wife's demands of 'Are you actually gay, Sasuke?! Were you just using me?! Answer me, dammit!'
"Is it really that big of a deal?" Mitsuki asked, knocking his head to the side in confusion. Aw, Shikadai had forgotten that Mitsuki was, well, asexual and didn't understand the importance of producing an heir.
"It is when you have to revive a dead clan." Inojin drawled sarcastically before he was slapped on the back of the head by Shikamira.
"Hey!"
"Bastard, this is not the time for you to be an asshole." Mira scolded. He glared back.
"Tch, Bitch."
"And that is why I'm the Shika in Ino-Shika-Cho." Taka grumbled before standing, popping his back. "Well, I don't know about you guys but I'm going to find a tree to nap under." He started to walk away when Chocho's hand shot out to snatch the back of his collar.
"Hey, you can't just leave. Lord Seventh said we need an adult with us at all times." Chocho reminded him. Taka's eyes narrowed in confusion.
"You're actually listening to authority?" He sounded surprised while Chocho looked offended.
"Of course, I am! What do you think I am? I am a lady of respect and beauty!" She insisted, making Inojin, Shikadai and Taka sweat-drop.
"Right…"
"Shut up!"
"Hey, I just remembered something!" Boruto exclaimed before pointing at Taka. "What the hell do you mean, Konohamaru-Sensei is your sensei?!" Oh yeah, Shikadai had actually forgotten about that fact.
"Troublesome…" Taka groaned before reclining back on the couch. "Dad was insistent that Ino-Shika-Cho be led by a Sarutobi. Mirai was trying to pass her Jonin Exam before we graduated but she failed the last section. So, we got stuck with Konohamaru-Sensei. He's not bad, I'll give him that but he's like Mom but worse. Way to bubbly for six am missions."
"Aw man, your Mirai didn't make it too?" Shikadai's god sister asked as she leaned on the back of the sofa. "Hope you guys don't mind the company. The old farts are arguing again."
"Mirai! You're here!" Benihime cheered before jumping her. "Can we get ice cream?!"
"Only if your mom and dad say yes." Mirai compromised, flicking the redhead's nose before turning back to the kids.
"Yeah, sorry, Mirai. You've got another exam in three months." Mira stated as she made mini braids in Himawari's hair.
"Well, I'll get it this time!" Mirai insisted before she asked. "So, who's your sensei?"
"Lee-Sensei." Mira answered with a groan. "Sorry Metal, but your Dad's a real drag. The amount of times we've had to race back to Konoha on our hands…"
"But Eternal Rival!" Metal sputtered. "You are too proficient in the Strong Fist to not have learned it from Father!"
"That's because I did learn from your dad." Taka said. "Mom and I were running one day and your dad insisted that my speed was too youthful to not know the Strong Fist. I train with you guys all the time back at home. I just wished you'd stop waking me up to do challenges, man. Nap time is my time. We've been over this."
"How can my other self handle having Metal's dad as a sensei if she's hurt?" Sarada asked, pushing her lenses up.
"Actually, Sarada's the reason we have Lee-Sensei as our sensei. I'm going to go off on a limb and say that your Lee-Sensei was also told that he could never fight again after his first Chunin Exams." When Mira got the nods, she continued. "Sarada had to go through a strict rehab to get to where she is now. Lee-Sensei made it his mission to get her back on her feet and he helped plan her rehab. Lee-Sensei's also redesigned a taijutsu style for her so that it's less stress on her back. Not to mention Sarada has a bad habit of not stopping before she hurts herself so Lee-Sensei watches out for that."
"That- makes a lot of sense." Shikadai noted before glancing over at the adults. The Lady Hokage had her hands up in exasperation as Commander Nara was shaking his head in disbelief at the other adults in the room. She pointed at Sasuke.
"Seriously, people! He is one man! He's not that important!" The Lady Hokage insisted before stating. "Besides, my gay-dar isn't going off so your Sasuke's straight! There, happy?!"
"How is that reliable?" Aunt Karui asked.
"I will have you know that I am the reason Kotestu and Izumo got together after the war!" Lady Hokage stated before her husband drawled.
"Naruto likes to play matchmaker."
"And I am damn good at it too!" The woman agreed, making her husband sweat-drop and mutter 'troublesome'.
"Don't ask." The twins groaned as the kids, and Mirai, turned to them. Ok, time to change the subject then.
"So, you mentioned a Kenji?" Shikadai asked Mira, getting a shock look from her before she nodded.
"Yeah, Kenji's our third teammate. He's Aunt Hinata and Uncle Kiba's kid together. He's a bit of a hot-head but he's our hot-head." Mira stated as Boruto gaped at her, his eyes flicking between his mom, her former teammate, and back.
"How did that happen?" Boruto asked. This caused a strange reaction from the twins, who glanced at each other before Mira said,
"I'm not sure if we can tell you. The story's really long and we don't even know all of the details."
"Let's just say that the Hyuga elders were assholes and leave it at that." Taka stated firmly. Tell us something we don't know.
"Does he have the byakugan?" Hima asked Mira, who nodded.
"Yep and he has a puppy whose name is Hyorinmaru. Now, that dog is an absolute cinnamon roll that needs to be protected at all cost!"
"That's because you like cuddling with fuzzy thing when you're on-" Taka started only for Mira to gain a deadly glow.
"Not. One. Word."
"…Got it."
"Mira, Taka, Dai?" Motoko asked softly, making the twins and Shikadai look to her.
"Yes, Momo?" Mira asked. "Is something wrong?"
"Why is Lord Hokage's arm still hurt?" Shikadai watched as Motoko pointed to Lord Seventh's arms, which were crossed in front of his chest in a 'No way!' Because of his movements, the man's bandaged right hand was visible.
"Ruto, why didn't Kurama fix it?" Motoko asked Boruto, making him narrow his eyes dramatically before scratching his head, laughing with closed eyes.
"Oh! It's just a fake arm, Motoko! Kurama can't heal something that isn't real!"
…
Beni and Motoko were blink in confusion as the twins were whipping their heads around, comparing their mother with Lord Seventh. Then, Motoko nodded before looking back up at Shikadai.
"Down please." Motoko demanded him gently. Her face was serious for a four-year-old as Motoko marched over to the adults, who, yes, were still having a freak-out session. Weaving in and out of the adults, Motoko found her mother's dress. Lady Hokage had been standing off to the side, chatting happily with Aunt Hinata as they watched the speculate before them. Motoko grabbed a fist full of dress and tugged, getting the woman's attention.
"Well, hello, Motoko!" Lady Hokage chirped before she knelt before her youngest and brushed her hair out of her eyes. Motoko raised her arms to the mother, causing the woman to blink.
"Oh, what's this? You actually want to be held by someone who isn't Daddy?" Lady Hokage teased with a smile before she turned back to Aunt Hinata, cradling Motoko against her chest.
"Hinata, did you meet my youngest? Motoko's best friends with your youngest back at home!" Lady Hokage questioned, getting a nod and a smile from the Hyuga woman. Aunt Hinata was about to reply back when Motoko interrupted.
"Mommy, Aunt Hinata, Kurama's being very mean to Lord Hokage." How is it that a little girl who barely spoke could silence a room so quickly?! Just, How?! Lady Hokage raised an eyebrow at her baby as the rest of the adults looked in their direction.
"Oh? And how is Kurama being very mean?" Lady Hokage asked, playing along with her daughter's demand. Motoko looked over to Lord Seventh and pointed.
"His arm is hurt and Kurama's being a big meanie because he didn't fix it. Tell Kurama to fix Lord Hokage, Mommy. It's very mean."
"Hinata, hold my baby." Lady Hokage pushed Motoko into Aunt Hinata's arms before heading over to her male self. She stood before him and crossed her arms, tapping her foot. Sighing, Lord Hokage rolled up his right sleeve before presenting the arm to her. She paused though, as she reached for it.
"Go ahead. It doesn't hurt." Lord Seventh promised, getting a nod from his counterpart. She turned the limb over before stating,
"Amazing, it's like an actual arm and you can use chakra with it!" She looked up at Lord Seventh's. "Granny's work?"
"Yep. She used Hashirama's cells to make it."
"Why do you need it in the first place?" Ah, there was the magic question.
"I'm guessing we have different version of the Fourth Shinobi World War?"
"It seems so." Lady Hokage agreed. "How did you lose it?"
"We defeated Kaguya and then I had to crush Sasuke's, I Need to Control the World, delusions. Sasuke was being an ass, again." Lord Seventh's closed-eyes smile meant that he missed how the woman before him froze, her commander looking up from his cigarette in shock.
"Shut up, Dobe."
"I think we need to have a talk." Lady Hokage said, causing everyone to look at her as she collapsed into an open chair. "Kaguya Otsutsuki, you fought her?"
"Are you saying you didn't?" Lord Sixth demanded as the commander moved to stand behind his wife, rubbing her shoulders gently.
"No, we didn't." She confessed, before bowing her head at her counterpart. "The fact that you faced her and won… dear gods, we were lucky to have stopped Black Zetsu when we did. Kisame had switched sides shortly after Itachi died and when he found out who the new Mizukage was. That when he broke the genjutsu that Obito had placed over him. He had overheard Zetsu praying to Kaguya, saying that she would live again. Gyuki was able to tell us the story of Kaguya and how her sons sealed her away. I sent ahead the story to Shikaku, Granny, and A with some messenger frogs. We faked Kisame's death and Killer B and I entered the war." Her declaration silenced the room before a small voice asked.
"Storytime?"
"Yes, Motoko. Storytime."
It was amazing how quickly the room returned back to normal. Then again, Shikadai was pretty sure everyone wanted and needed a distraction. At the beginning, a lot of the war was the same for both world's but it was once they started getting into the details that Shikadai realized that there were some differences in the war, even at the beginning.
"So, you never met Mom?" Lord Hokage asked his female counterpart, which caused her to shake her head, her head down as Commander Nara drew her close.
"No, I never did…" She was depressed. "I only meet Dad when he was reanimated and that didn't last long."
"Only?" Lord Hokage asked her. "You didn't meet him when you fought Pain? He didn't put a little bit of his chakra in the seal in case you let out Kurama?"
"No." She shook her head. "Pervy-Sage and Granny believed that Dad was rushing when he sealed Kurama into me. Mom had already passed away. Kurama didn't kill her but one of the Zetsu's did. Had to make sure she wouldn't be the jinchuriki again."
"How did you first gain control of Kurama?" Lord Seventh asked softly after a few moments. "Mom had to help me. Dad was able to seal some of her soul away with me so that I could have help controlling Kurama when the time came."
"Man, I wish I could show it to you guys. That would make a lot more sense then me trying to retell it." The Lady Hokage pouted, gaining some of her smile back. An idea struck Shikadai.
"Maybe we could have Aunt Ino mind-link with you and then we can project it on the screen?" Shikadai suggested. Everyone's heads snapped over to look at him. Lady Hokage pondered his suggestion before nodding happily.
"Yep, that could work! Let's do it, Ino!"
The screen light itself before dimming, revealing a dark sewer. Step, step, step. Shikadai watched as a younger version of the Lady Hokage walked slowly in the low water. She wore a black and orange short yukata with black leggings underneath, her blonde hair pulled back into a fishtail braid as her bangs framed her determined blue eyes. She walked until she faced a cage.
"Well, well, if it isn't Naruto?" A growling, low voice echoed against the walls as a piercing red eye escaped the shadows. Then orange fur revealed itself and there it was, the Kyuubi in all of its glory.
"Where's your guard dog, girl? It's odd to see you without him in your shadows." The Kyuubi drawled sarcastically.
"Shut up." She didn't sound upset. No, she was determined not to let him push her buttons. Miraculously, she floated to where the paper seal covered the lock and ripped it off.
"What are you doing, Naruto? Is this a trick?"
"It's not a trick. You and I, were partners. We've always been. It's time for us to actually work together for once." Lady Hokage said as she pushed her left sleeve up, her fingers flaming with blue chakra. Shikadai didn't even have time to blush when the young woman opened her dress, revealing her chest binds and the black seal on her stomach. She slammed the chakra into her abdomen, unlocking the seal on her stomach. He watched as her seal blacken and the lock on the cage opened.
"Rawh!" The Kyuubi roared as he pushed her away. Lady Hokage crossed her arms in front of her face, wincing as she flew through the air before she caught herself.
"You foolish girl, you think that you can control me, control my power!" The beast laughed as it formed a Tailed Beast Ball before swallowing it whole. It roared at her as it gained power. She didn't flinch as the wind galled through the sewer, her eyes now revealing that she was in sage mode. She sprinted at the Kyuubi, a clone behind her forming a gigantic rasengan in her hand before she launched the attack at the beast.
"Rasengan!" The ball of chakra was blocked by the beast's tails and for a second, it looked like she was being crushed by the Kyuubi's paw. Poof, the clone under the paw vanished as blue chakra chains wrapped themselves around the Kyuubi's torso.
"Gah rah!" The girl yelled as she grabbed ahold of her owe chains and used the chains to throw the beast. As it slammed into the wall, the Kyuubi was pinned back by her chains as she threw another attack at him.
"Wind Style: Rasen Shuriken!" The attack hit the beast square on. Then she grabbed ahold of the tail closest to her and pulled. She didn't pull back fur or shin. No, she was grabbing ahold of chakra and she was absorbing it.
"Tch, son of a bitch!" She hissed as the Kyuubi fought back.
Then the Kyuubi smirked and the blue chakra slowly turned red. The red chakra started to sallow her.
Then the voices started.
"Look, if it isn't the demon whore!" People were pointing at a little blonde girl walking the streets alone, no more than five years old in washed-out shorts and a dirty, large white shirt.
"Do us all a favor and starve, demon brat!" The orphanage matron tossed a whiskered two-year old out into the snow. The child was ill properly dressed in the same white shirt as from the other scene and nothing else. No pants, no shoes, no jacket, nothing. The girl shivered as the doors slammed shut, her blue-eyes wedeling up with tears.
"Oh, she'll never be a kunoichi! She's already a demon!" She was at the academy now, listening as the sensei reassured this as he introduced her to a faceless class, all of who laughed at her. She blinked back tears, forcing a fake smile.
"I'm surprised that the Third let her live. Maybe we should do us all a favor and kill it!" The villagers hissed as she carried her groceries close to her chest, her head bowed.
"There's the bitch, get it!" She was running, weaving in and out of the alleys as a mob tried to get her. She escaped but Shikadai couldn't help but notice that it was shadows holding the mobs back.
"The villagers hate you! You'll never be the Hokage!" Shikadai looked over as Sakura Uchiha flinched. That was her younger self, now the Lady Hokage's teammate, yelling at her with pure vitriol after the Lady Hokage's younger self declared that she would be Hokage.
"Die, you fucking bitch!" A chunin was standing over her in a forest. She was clutching a large scroll in her arms before a younger Iruka-Sensei shielded her.
"Stay away from my son, you whore!" A civilian wife dragged her son off of the swing, the blonde girl only swinging beside him. She didn't even say hello to the boy.
"No one will ever love you, demon. You'll never be a wife and you'll never be a mother. That clan and Hiruzen can't protect you forever. You are nothing but the demon girl. Don't forget it." It was an old council woman, her hair decorated with a bejeweled pin as she glared down at the younger Lady Hokage. She had her forehead protector again, but she was wearing an elegant kimono. A kimono that had the Nara clan's symbol on the obi. A promised bride's kimono.
She was flinching and shaking now and slowly, the Kyuubi was draining her chakra instead. Her right eye was now black and red instead of white and blue. She knelt, her grip loosening as she hunched her shoulders.
"Just give it up, Naruto." The Kyuubi purred as she started to shake. "This hatred is too great, even for you to overcome! Embrace it."
"No, stop it, you're all wrong." She whispered, closing her eyes to shut out the pain. Then the image changed.
"Troublesome Girl." She turned around, her eyes wide as she watched the scene before her. It was herself and a younger version of the Jonin Commander. They both looked Shikadai's age and they had their chunin vests on. They were walking through the Nara forest, but it looks like she had been running away and he had stopped her, his hand gripping her wrist tightly.
"Let me go, Shikamaru!" She was crying. "You know what I am now! I've mooched off of you guys for too long and I've hurt your clan because I've been here! Granny will find me a new place and you won't have to live with a demon anymore!"
She was pulled into him, so that she stared him dead in the eyes. His eyes were fierce but kind as he spoke slowly.
"You, Are. Not. A. Demon. You've never been a demon so stop calling yourself one! I've know about the Kyuubi for years, Naruto, and it hasn't changed anything. You're just its jailer. I'm not leaving you and I'm not letting you leave me. We're in this together, remember?" He brushed the tears that fell from her eyes. She stared at him, as if it was the first time she ever saw him, before launching herself at him, hugging the life out of him. In their hug, the Commander shifted so that could whisper something into her ear. Her teary eyes shot open in disbelief before they softened and she buried herself back into the hug.
The image shifted back to sewer, when the Lady Hokage's eyes shot open and she roared.
"AWH!" The red chakra receded back to blue as it rushed towards the Kyuubi.
"You're wrong!" She roared. "This hatred that you have, it's yours but I'm going to show to you that you can overcome it! You're not alone anymore! Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
An army of blonde girls appeared, some releasing chains themselves to trip the Kyuubi as other jumped above the fallen beast, rasengans forming in their hands.
"Rasengan Barrage!" The orbs landed on the Kyuubi but he got away, damaged but still standing. The original Lady Hokage rushed forwarded, a Rasen Shuriken in her hand. She got close and threw it, the attack whistling as the Kyuubi took it head on.
The remaining clones started to pull on the chains, grabbing the Kyuubi's chakra as the original absorbed it.
She was glowing, her hair loosened from its braid in a red and gold flame as her beautiful figure shined in what looked like a skintight jumpsuit of gold and orange flames.
"How dare you, Naruto?!" The Kyuubi screamed, forming another Tail Beast Ball. Before he could toss it, she closed her seal. The cage closed itself on the Kyuubi.
"I'm sorry, Nine-Tails." She walked closer to the cage, even though he was clawing at her.
"I'll be back and then we'll talk. But I promise you, I'm not going to let those bastards get you. I'm going to be the one to protect you, Nine-tails!" She turned away from the beast, so she didn't see how it's red eyes softened slightly.
With that, the image shifted and the Lady Hokage was standing in a white, pink and gold walled room with Killer B and Captain Yamato. She was still cloaked in the Kyuubi chakra as she faced the two men. She flashed them a peace sign.
"I did it!" She cheered before her head snapped over to Killer B. "B, duck!" She leaped over the male jinchuriki's shoulder, snatching the bandaged blade off his back. She slammed the blade to the ground before placing her hand on the bandages. Chains appeared, keeping the wiggling blade in place as Kisame Hoshigaki was spat out of the blade's mouth. The shark man was shirtless as he held his hands above his head.
"Wait!" He shouted as the three were prepared to attack him. "I have information that you could use!"
"Oh! Is that so?! Sorry, bro! That's not going to fly, yo!" B rapped as Yamato rolled his eyes.
"And why should we trust someone we killed already?" Naruto asked, snapping her fans open as their chain appeared, the weapon becoming glided with her chakra.
"I broke the genjutsu used on me?" Kisame supplied before he rolled his eyes. "Look, I know you're good at sealing and shit so I'll even let your tree-hugger trap me and you can repress my chakra." The blue man offered.
"I am not-"
"Ok, Captain Yamato, capture him." The not-yet Lady Hokage ordered, causing her superior to stop his squabbling. Doing the signs, the captain slammed his hands to the ground.
"Wood Release: Four-Pillar Prison Technique." A wooden prison trapped the missing nin. The Lady Hokage walked up, placing her hand on the wood, adding a chakra repressing seal to it.
"Fuck! Is this how civilians feel?! How pathetic!" Kisame complained before dodging as one of the Lady Hokage's spinning fans slid through the gaps of the cell, nearly clipping the man before boomeranging back into her hand.
"Start talking."
"Wow, someone needs to get laid- Kidding! Kidding! Ok, Samehada, give the pretty lady the scroll." With that, the chained sword started coughing before it spat up a scroll.
"So, is this a trick or are you just being a di-"
"No trick, Killer Bee. That scroll has one of Zetsu's plans on it." That got the three shinobis' surprise.
"Zetsu, your spy plant thingy?"
"That's the one!"
"And how is he important?" Lady Hokage demanded slowly.
"Well, apparently he has mommy issues. Read the scroll, it'll give you a better idea of what he's planning." Kisame stated as she unraveled the scroll, pouring over the words with B and Yamato reading over her shoulders.
"The Otsutsuki?!" Yamato cried.
"Yo, I thought they were dead, bro!" Bee exclaimed, pointing at Kisame, getting a shrug from the man.
"Most of them are, including the big mama, Kaguya. Zetsu thinks that if he can get all of the tailed beasts he can resurrect her somehow. To hell if I know. I just wanted to get the hell out of there after I broke free from Tobi/Madara/whatever-the-fuck-his-name is control. By the way, he wants to destroy us all and I'm fairly certain that he thinks that the pipsqueak is the only one who can defeat him. So, little Mei is the Mizukage, huh?" Kisame laughed before he sat, crossing his legs.
"Naruto, Gyuki says that this is bad, really bad, yo!" Bee exclaimed. "He's talking now, by the way!" B straightened before his Tail-Beast lowered his voice. "Naruto, Yamato."
"Gyuki." The Lady Hokage nodded back. "What's up?"
The group watched as the tail-beast explained the sealing of Kaguya to the two leaf shinobis. Captain Yamato started to get paler and paler as the Lady Hokage started to wrap her arms around her stomach, as if shielding the Kyuubi away from all who dare want him.
"So that's why the Akatsuki were after the jinchurikis. It wasn't world peace, it was-"
"To bring back the Mother of Chakra. Shit!" The Lady Hokage cursed before she pulled more scrolls out of her pooch.
"Naruto, what are you doing?" Yamato asked as Killer Bee shook his head, returning back to normal.
"Shikaku and Granny need to know about this as soon as possible! And the Raikage too!" She rushed as she wrote coded messages in a fury. "And Shikamaru!"
"Your boyfriend?" B asked. "Why him?" She looked up as if to correct him but stopped herself, answering.
"Shikamaru's smart! A genius! If his dad can't think of a plan, he will! Summoning Jutsu!" She bit her thumb before summoning four messenger toads. She tucked the three of the scrolls into three of the toads, who saluted her before rushing off in speeds that shouldn't be possible. Then, she crossed her fingers.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" A clone of her with the cloak of chakra appeared before nodding to her and sealing itself into the scroll. That scroll was given to the last toad, who left even faster than the other three.
"Come on, everyone! We have a war to fight! Kisame, we'll leave you on this island. Stay out of sight. I'll find you when this is all over. Let's go!"
The screen shifted to Naruto running with Killer Bee, Captain Yamato and Guy-Sensei running behind her.
"Naruto, as much as I enjoy this youthful run, what's happened?!" Guy-Sensei asked as they sprinted through the mountain valley.
"The reanimation of everyone, Kabuto's helped the Akatsuki by drawing us thin. Sending out kage level shinobis left and right to drain everyone and what not. The Akatsuki doesn't want anyone to be able to protect Bee and I when they attack us. They're after our Tailed-Beasts because they want to combined all of the Tailed-Beasts in order to revive Kaguya, the Mother of Chakra!" She explained as she ran faster, her worry evident.
"Really?! How?!"
"By sealing their chakra together, giving her back the chakra that her sons spread amongst nine chakra beings!" Naruto explained before a deep voice called out to her.
"Naruto, message received."
"What's the plan, Shikaku?" Shikadai gasped. This was the first time he ever heard his grandfather's voice.
"The Raikage and Hokage have been informed of this change in events. They want you both to stay out of the battle. But you aren't going to listen to that, are you?" Grandpa Shikaku said through her mind. Shikadai could almost picture him.
"Nope! Too many people need our help!" She chirped back, cracking a smile.
"Well, my son thinks that you should send out as many clones as possible. The battalions are having trouble figuring out who are friends and foes. Shikamaru can sense the differences between them but no one else can."
"You got it! Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" A plethora of clones surrounded the running group before all of the clones leaped away in different directions.
"Commander Nara, where is Konoha's Youthful Beast most needed?!" Guy-Sensei asked.
"Kakashi's branch, in the Land of Lightning."
"Yosh! I'm off to aid my Eternal Rival!" The group blinked as the Green Beast disappeared down the valley.
"Yamato, make sure he actually goes the right way." Shikaku ordered, making Yamato sigh in defeat.
"Guy! You're going the wrong way!" And with the screen turned black.
"Woah, head rush." Lady Hokage complained grabbing her head and rubbing it. The hand that rested against the sealed wall had fallen to join the head massage. "Man, Ino, how to do you do that every day?"
"Practice!" Aunt Ino joked before stating. "Man, that was wild. Your memories are so clear! Like we were watching a movie!"
"Really?" Lady Hokage laughed before she nudged her husband. "Brings back memories?"
"Yeah, though I would have been very happy if we didn't have to go to war." Her husband drawled.
"So, Kisame stopped Kaguya's resurrection?" Lord Sixth sweat-dropped in disbelief.
"Um, yeah, I guess so…" Lady Hokage hummed. "If he hadn't switched sides, who knows what could have happened."
"Oh, we have a feeling." Dad said sarcastically, cracking his neck. "Naruto, I think we've found the someone luckier than you. Yourself."
Hours passed as the adults continued to compare their experiences in the war. Then, the women decided to make everyone lunch. Thus, the kids decided to do some training, with Mirai as their babysitter.
"Do we have to?" Shikadai groaned, shutting his eyes when Mira had suggested the idea. He was still holding Motoko, who was like a personal heat warmer, perfect from napping. Ouch!
"Duh, we have to be prepared! We have alien ass to kick!" Mira asserted, pulling his ear. "And you need to increase your chakra reserves!"
"You're not going to stab me, are you?"
"I make no promises." Great… What a drag…
"Ok, Dai, I want you to connect shadows with me." Mira insisted once the kids got outside. Mirai was off to the side, supervising them and watching the little girls. Taka grumbled but decided to take the remaining members of Ino-Shika-Cho with him to see what he had to work with. Team Boruto looked to be doing a taijutsu battle royal.
"You sure?" Dai asked, his arms raised to make the hand-sign.
"Yep, let it rip!" Ok then. His shadow extended and grabbed her.
"Shadow Possession Jutsu complete." Dai confirmed before straightening. Mira straighten too before laughing,
"Oi, Taka, Dai has a better grip than you!"
"Shut up, Sis! Get back to me was you can seal something that isn't a kunai!"
"Ignore him, he's on his man-period again." Mira joked before saying. "Yeah, your grip is strong, Dai. You're probably a prodigy here, right?"
"Troublesome, yeah. Or at least, Grandma says so." Dai said, moving one hand out and she mirrored him.
"No, this is great!" If she wasn't stuck, she would probably be bouncing with excitement. "Now we can go into the shadows!"
"Eh?" Shikadai asked but before he could react, Mira's shadow had taken over his completely and they sunk down into the shadows.
There was black and grays everywhere with flickers of light that created more shadows in the room. Dai brought his hands before him, staring at them. They were now varying shades of gray, which enhanced and empathized the details on his hands. There was a poke to his shoulder and he turned to face Mira. She looked like a black and white photo.
"Well!" Her voice was echoy. "Welcome to the shadows, Dai! This is where you're going to be mediating!"
"Mediating?" Dai questioned as she nodded, bringing her legs up so that they crossed. It was then that Shikadai realized that they had been floating.
"Yep! Before the hag stabbed Dad, this is how he started to increase his chakra reserves. Dad was trying to keep up with Mom when she was away on her training trip. So, he looked through the Nara library and found this mediation method. Just stay here as long as possible. When you feel yourself get low, break the mediation and come back up." Mira pointed upward to the opening that they had slide from. "Every time you do this, you're awakening more yin chakra and increasing your reserves. Well, that's it! I'll leave you to it!"
"Wait, MIRA!" But the girl was already out, waving back from the ground above him.
"Don't worry, I'll stay here to make sure to get you if you don't do it yourself!" The brunette called down from the light.
Well, this is a drag…
Shikadai had nothing else better to do so he decided to get started. He crossed his legs before debating how he should have his hands. Since he was in a pool of shadows, the rat hand sign was probably a good choice. Now situated, Shikadai closed his eyes.
Search deeper…
Keep searching, boy…
He shouldn't be listen to the soft voice. It was intoxicating though, her commands nonnegotiable. He felt his chakra, deep within himself. It was expanding and shifting. Almost as if there had been sand falling from one glasses globe to the other. Expect the once narrow passage way had been replaced with a funnel.
Yes, your father avoided my calls but you won't…
Wake, boy, and embrace the yin that runs through you!
"SHIKADAI! WAKE UP!"
His teal eyes cracked open. It was fuzzy, the person cradling his head above him a brown blur. As his vision cleared, Mira's sapphires blinked back tears. Passed her was everyone, standing around his laying form. Mom and Dad were leaning over them, the worry evident in their eyes. Mira's parents were off to the side, their heads bowed as they spoke softly to Lord Seventh and Sixth.
"Huh, your dad was right, Mira. She is an old hag." Shikadai joked lightly as she helped him sit up.
"You idiot." She grumbled, punching him lightly. "I told you to mediate, not talk to the dead." Before she bowed her head, whispering. "I'm so sorry, Dai."
"Eh, on the bright side, I can keep up now." Shikadai joked before he got an armful of his mother. His father's hand rested itself on his hair, patting it as the man muttered a 'troublesome'.
"Um, so what just happened?" Chocho asked.
"Dai may or may not have awakened his yin chakra and I may or may not have helped him do it…" Mira confessed, scratching the back of her neck. Taka face-palmed.
"Good going, Mira."
"Shut up, Taka!"
The Lord Hokage
They were so- ugh, who can one person be you but a completely different person from you! Naruto's brain hurt. Hell, he's been having a constant headache since the kids arrived. Not that he wasn't happy that they were there! No, Naruto loved it! Takashi had a calming effect of Boruto with a dry wit to knock him down a few. While Benihime had taken one look at Himawari and declared that they would be best friends for life and that Hima was an absolute cinnamon roll! (Beni's words, not his…)
Naruto hadn't spent that much time with Mira (Well, Shikamira, now) or Motoko. But just seeing the girls with the Nara men told Naruto how much they had helped them. Shikadai didn't seem as lonely, with Shikamira teasing him and giving him a challenge. While Motoko had latched onto Shikamaru and refused to see him unhappy.
Speaking of Shikamaru… Fuck, it was awkward now and even though Naruto was a little annoyed that the kids didn't tell him the whole truth at the beginning, he was eternally grateful that they didn't. Even if it was blatantly obvious just how Nara Takashi was. Or how Mira was always smiling. Or how all of the kids looked related. Man, being Hokage was making him lose his edge…
Honestly, he hasn't even talked to Shikamaru since the arrival of their counterparts and it need to be done soon, no matter how much Kiba teased him about actually being Shikamaru's bitch (by the way, fuck off, Kiba!) Yet, the fact that there was another Naruto out there was mindboggling, even if she was a woman. And a very pretty, very smart, happily married woman with four children who didn't seem to have any problems with her being Hokage. Did he mention that her husband was his best friend and advisor?!
This is it, his breaking point. His luck has run out. Goodbye, Hinata. Kisses the kids for him.
You're overreacting again. Kurama said as Naruto watched the kids train. The women had gone to the kitchen to prepare lunch, his counterpart included. That had caused an uproar of 'YOU CAN COOK?!' from everyone. His counterpart huffed, turned to her husband and said, 'Why do people think that I can't cook?' rhetorically. To which her husband, sounding exactly like Naruto's advisor, replied, 'Because you used to live off of ramen before Mom taught you how to cook.'
Meet a female version of yourself, then tell me how you would react. Naruto grumbled to the tailed beast, making Kurama snort.
Come now, Naruto. Think of it this way, she could have been married to the Uchiha. That comment caused a shiver down both of their spines. Holy hell, that would be worse!
Thank God for small miracles. Naruto joked before getting serious. She actually knows about our clan though… All because she was a chunin…
Well, farting in an enemy's will not get you a promotion.
Shut up! I know that! Whatever, I just have a shit ton of questions for her now.
The woman's too much like you. She's honest and will tell you the truth. You just have to ask her. Kurama prompted.
Naruto wanted to pull his counterpart to the side because these questions were killing him. Like, how did they win the war if they didn't fight Kaguya? How do they know about the Otsutsuki? Why is Shikamaru her husband and why were all of her kids so well-behaved?! (Clearly, the last question was the most important.) But his counterpart was in the kitchen and there was no way in hell he was going in there! Never again!
A hand clapped down on his shoulder but Naruto didn't jump. Kakashi had been kind enough to release the tiniest bit of chakra, giving Naruto some warning before the older man approached him. Never more than now had Naruto been so grateful that his sensei never changed, even after retirement. Kakashi (and Iruka, to an extent) was his only father figure left. Moments like these reminded Naruto just how much he needed him.
"How are you doing?" The elder man kept his voice low as his eyes drifted out the window. Naruto shrugged.
"Alright, I guess. It's just- have I done something wrong?" He asked softly, his eyes lowering to where his son was being given instructions on the basic kata of Breakers by Takashi.
"Like what?" Kakashi asked. Naruto knew what Kakashi was doing. He was making Naruto confess out his thoughts and feelings, even though he really didn't want to.
"She has everything all set. She's strong, she knows about the Uzumaki, she's juggling being Hokage and a mother just fine. Her kids don't hate her-"
"Are you jealous?" Kakashi wasn't teasing him, Naruto could tell that by his serious tone.
"How can I not be?" He sighed, feeling more depressed. Kakashi squeezed his shoulder before letting go, crossing his arms.
"I don't believe it's just her. I think it has a lot to do with Shikamaru." Naruto looked back at his sensei. "I love Hinata and she is a good wife to you and a great mother to your kids. But you've always shouldered too much, Naruto, and Hinata doesn't want to hurt you by telling you to take a break or let her shouldered some of your burden. The village won't hate you if you go home for dinner or skip to train with your son."
"And them?" Naruto whispered, letting Kakashi's serious words sink in.
"From what I've observed, they've worked to achieve the balance that they have between their work and their family. And clearly, they talk a lot to each other and their kids. I'm grateful that their kids fell into our world." Naruto snapped his head back over to the masked man, who shrugged.
"They got you out of that office. You should talk to her when you have the chance, Naruto. I think you can learn a lot from yourself." Kakashi walked away, and Naruto continued to stare out the window, his daughter smiling as Benihime waved her arms and danced around Mirai. Yeah, maybe I should.
The rest of the men were, honestly, they were lounging around and doing their absolute best not to make it obvious that they were staring at Commander Nara, who had light another cigarette. They were failing miserably at it.
"You know, if you take a picture, it lasts longer." Not Shika drawled, tapping his cigarette against the ashtray as he turned to stare down the men. "If you want answers, ask questions. I reserve the right to not answer them though."
"How good is Washboard in bed?"
Thunk, thunk.
"Next question." Not Shika deadpanned as everyone sweat-dropped at the sight of Sai pinned to the wall with trench knives aimed at some very important bits.
"How do you have those anyway?" Choji was brave enough to ask as Not Shika retrieved his weapons. "Shikamaru gave them to Mirai when she became a chunin."
"Oh, I did too. These knives were my birthday gift from Naruto." He had one to Choji and Shikamaru to inspect. Kakashi stood and leaned over their shoulders as the other Nara explained,
"Before Asuma-Sensei passed away, we had been training on making my taijutsu more offensive. Turns out, I prefer trench knives over kunai. Most shinobi aren't used to them, making it easier to overwhelm an enemy. Asuma-Sensei was going to commission me a set after the mission but…" Not Shika trailed off, his face turning darker.
"They're engraved." Kakashi stated, lifting one into the light. Not Shika nodded.
"Naruto was helping Kurenai-Sensei with the dishes one day when Kurenai-Sensei brought up that I was supposed to get them. So, she decided to go the smith that made her fans and had them made with the same metal and kanji engraving. It makes performing jutsus much easier." He explained, taking back the knife.
"That's very- thoughtful actually." What the hell was that supposed to mean, Kiba?!
"Of course, it is, Naruto never thinks of herself."
"I knew about Kurenai-Sensei being pregnant?" Naruto found himself asking, vividly remembering that day when Shikamaru had dragged him to the hospital to get him out of that funk after Pervy-Sage's death. Not Shika raised an eyebrow before shaking his head with a laugh.
"Right, different world. Well, Asuma-Sensei liked to play matchmaker so Naruto normally spent most of her time with Team 10, especially after our promotion. She was actually the first one to pick up that Kurenai-Sensei could be pregnant. Something about her glowing. Anyway, after the mission, we all pitched in to help Kurenai-Sensei, including Naruto. She dragged Sai with her whenever she did, so that her and Kurenai-Sensei could get Ino to start dating him. You're welcome, by the way."
"Just how much time did you two spend together?" Sasuke asked suspiciously.
"You're going to go into protective-brother-mode with me?" Not Shika snorted. "Huh, guess you aren't that different from Sasuke back at home."
"Answer the question."
"Well, seeing as we were living together at that time, I'd say we spent a lot of time together."
…
"You would've both been fifteen." Shikamaru calculated, jaw dropped as everyone started at Not Shika, absolutely stunned.
"Yep." How is he so calm?!
"How youthful?" Lee nearly asked, unsure how to register the news. Not Shika shrugged.
"I don't know why you guys are so shocked. Naruto and I have known each other since we were eight. If you ask Ino, she'll tell you guys that we've been dating since we were eleven."
"Eleven?" Naruto yelped, his eyes turning to the kitchen where he could see the very curvy and busty (but not too busty) female version of him waving a whisk in the air as she skipped around his laughing wife.
"According to Ino, anyway. Man, you guys are worse than when Naruto has the girls over for their tea/gossip night." Not Shika rolled his eyes at them. "Anymore questions about my love life or do you want to know something else?"
"How long have you guys been married?" Kakashi asked, his eyes narrow as they locked on the wedding band on his left ring finger.
"Eighteen years."
Naruto nearly collapsed back into his chair as he choked on air. His other self had been married since she was sixteen?! Nope, Naruto couldn't even look over at his (and not in that way!) Shikamaru without the need to die in embarrassment. But if Kakashi, Sai, and Sasuke's reactions were anything to go by then-
"Holy shit, man, you've either got balls or you're whipped." Kiba commented, shaking his head. "Eighteen years, dude, we were fighting a war, not getting hitched!"
"We fought a war too." Not Shika confirmed. "We decided to have Dad and Tsunade do a civil service the day before Naruto was sent off to train with Killer Bee. Only Mom, Dad, Tsunade and Kakashi knew. We had an actual big wedding a year after the war. Now that was a party." Fuck, that made her fifteen, instead of sixteen! Not Shika must have noticed that everyone was still dumbfounded because then he commented,
"It's not that uncommon. And it's not like we were the first ones to kids."
"You weren't?" Choji asked, regaining some sense.
"Nope, we were second."
"That doesn't make me feel better. Screw this, I need sake. Where-" Naruto started when two voices interrupted at the same time.
"Third cabinet on the left in the office." Both Shikamaru's locked glances before this world's Shikamaru groaned, putting his head in his hands.
"Naruto, bring the whole stash."
Sake, must find sake. Ah ha, there it is! Holy shit, there were at least eight bottles in the cabinet alone. Scratch that, make that nine bottles. Struggling, Naruto carefully brought the stash back into the living room where Not Shika was still getting asked questions. But as Naruto was passing out the sake, Takashi rushed over to the window, pulling it open.
"Dad! Mira can't get Dai out of the shadows!"
Not Shika and Shikamaru scrambled to the window, sprinting out of it in a hurry to get to the large black circle in the backyard. When Naruto arrived to the scene, the kids were watching as Shikamira pulled tug of war with some shadows over Shikadai.
"Let. Him. Go!" Half of her body was kneeling on the dirt, bent at the waist as her upper body leaned over into the shadows. Shikamira was gripping an unconscious Shikadai underneath his armpits, her arms wrapped around his torso as tendrils of shadows wrapped themselves around his legs, trying to draw the boy back in. Shikamira's own shadow was trying to bat the tendrils away.
"Shikamira, keep pulling. Nara, help me by keeping the circle open! Hurry!" Commander Nara ordered as he knelt to, gripping the edge of the shadows and widening the opening. Dazed, Shikamaru did the same, not believing that he could actually do that.
"No, he's not yours! Let him go, you old hag!" Shikamira growled as she glared into the darkness. Naruto followed her line of sight to find an almost invisible woman, robbed in the shadows with a golden glint in her eyes, like this was all going to plan. Suddenly, she disappeared as the tendrils retracted. Shikamira, unprepared for the action, was flown backwards, taking Shikadai with her. The shadow hole closed up, making the Nara men jump back. That was the scene that everyone else arrived to.
"Ugh, wait! I got him!" The blue-eyed girl regained her senses as she gently moved Shikadai off of her. Wait, he wasn't unconscious, he was-
"Mediating?!" Not Shika commented before he gave his daughter a sideways glance. "Shikamira-"
"Ok, I get it, really bad idea!" Shikamira confessed. "But I couldn't teach him anything besides this. And you did this and was fine. Come on, Dai! Wake up!" She was shaking his shoulders now, getting more distraught as the boy refused to wake.
As Shikamaru and Temari moved closer, Naruto and Kakashi were pulled to the side by his female self. She was shaking her head in disbelief. Her husband approached them as she started talking,
"Shikamira's right, that shouldn't have happened. We've brought Motoko down there to mediate and she's been perfectly safe. There's something fishy going on here."
"Like what?" Naruto asked. Not Shika answered this time.
"Shikadai must have been more awaken than we had originally calculated. Something or someone wanted Shikadai to be awaken."
"Your clan's founder?" Kakashi asked, earning a head shake.
"No, while she was there, this isn't her normal strategy. Though perhaps- Lord Seventh, has my copycat ever been under genjutsu for a long period of time?"
"Does Infinite Tsukuyomi count?" Naruto joked, but then they nodded and Not Shika cursed.
"Shit, he was most likely on the edge of being awakened too but you," he pointed at Naruto, "must have stopped the awakening before it was finished." Not Shika concluded. "This is her payback. She forced Shikadai to be awakened as payback."
"Why though?" Kakashi asked. "And how does being trapped in genjutsu cause this 'awakening'?"
"The Nara records said that the few heads that became awakened had to completely bathe themselves in yin chakra. Which translate to using a powerful genjutsu and fighting against it or absorbing it. Or at least, that's what we believe those old scrolls say." Naruto's girl self explained.
"Her normal reasoning was that it was necessary. It was necessary for me to be awakened before I went to war so that we would win. It was necessary for Shikamira to be born already awakened and I wouldn't be surprised if it was so that the kids would come here." Not Shika's declaration raised a few eyebrows.
"Eh? Are you overthinking again?" His wife asked, not believing him.
"No, think about it, Naruto. You said it yourself. Just because the entire clan uses shadows don't mean every Nara could bridge those seals together. Only Shikamira and I could. And what was the result? The kids traveled to a dimension that is a shadow of their dimension. They even have their own shadow counterparts. There's too many coincidences here." Not Shika explained. All of this talk about shadow dimensions was making Naruto's head hurt.
"This is making my head hurt, Shikamaru." Oh, good, Naruto and his counterpart weren't too different. "Are you suggesting that your dead founder awakened your yin so that you would sire an awakened daughter who would end up meeting her shadow self solely to awaken the shadow self's yin? That's sounds-"
"Ludicrous, yes, but Shika Nara told me that she was waiting for me when I met her. I wouldn't be surprised if she planned all of this." Not Shika insisted.
"Great, first it's aliens, now we have to deal with the dead too." Naruto grumbled. "This is getting better and better. Thanks guys."
"Well, since Shikadai is awake, I'm off to go ground our daughter again." Not Shika told his wife before waving Kakashi over. "Kakashi, Benihime tells me that you bought her ramen." Kakashi caught on to what the commander was doing because he continued the conversation, leaving the two Seventh Hokages alone.
"Real subtle, honey." His girl self muttered before turning to him, raising a looped arm to him. "Want to go for a walk?"
Naruto looked back to the chaos that they had turned away from. Shikamira was bowing and apologizing profusely to Shikamaru and Temari. Sakura and Sasuke still weren't talking to each other. Hinata remembered that they had left the food on the stove, which caused the rest of the women to stampede back to the kitchen.
"Yeah, I could use a walk." And looped his fake arm through hers.
"This is would've been the field that Shikamaru and I went to when we wanted to hide from Yoshino." Uzumaki (it was easier just to call his girl self that) confessed when they arrived to an open field in the Nara forest.
"Should we even be here?" Naruto asked her, remembering how Shikamaru warned everyone about how protective the deer were of the forest. She waved him off.
"Oh, we're fine. We're nowhere near the heart of the forest. Besides, the stags like me. Sit down. Let's talk." Uzumaki urged, lowering herself down to the grass. He followed silently, leaning back on his elbows.
"So, how much did you guys get out of Shikamaru while I was in the kitchen?" Uzumaki teased, making him snort.
"You heard us?"
"It was hard not to. Don't worry about it. The girls were grilling me too." She laughed before her features grimed. "I'm sorry for bring my world's drama into your world." But Naruto shook his head.
"Don't be. How could you know that Sarada would be the one there?"
"True, but it doesn't make me any less guilty."
"I'm sorry you never met Mom." Naruto replied back. She tensed and drew her knees to her. "You're a lot like her." She gave him a watery smile.
"Thanks." She wiped her eyes before grumbling, "Stupid hormones, making me cry at everything."
"How do you do it?" Naruto asked, blurting out the question he's been begging to ask her. She looked over at him. "Being Hokage while keeping your family so together and happy."
"You aren't happy?" She questioned, making him shake his head.
"No, I am. It's just, Boruto's always hated the fact that I was Hokage. Hinata never tells me if she's upset and Himawari just like her mother, just slightly more passive aggressive." Naruto didn't understand why he was spilling his guts out to her but it felt good talking to someone who understood you. Even if it was yourself.
"And I'm trying! I'm really trying to stay on task. To be a good Hokage while being a good husband and father. To be home, on time for dinner. But it's always 'Lord Hokage this' and 'Lord Hokage that'. I feel like I have to chose between my family and my dream and I don't know what to do."
Tells us how you really feel. Piss off, Kurama. But Uzumaki nodded, completely understanding what he was talking about. She laid back on the grass next to him, her eyes lifted to the sky.
"I was pregnant with Motoko for the first nine months of my reign as Hokage." She confessed, making Naruto sit up to stare at her. She laughed.
"Yeah, ok, Shikamaru and I celebrated a little too much. Oh, stop blushing. Fine, I'll continue with my point. Anyway, Shikamira, Takashi and Benihime were also upset that I wasn't at home anymore and that there was going to be another baby in the house. They were used to Shikamaru being the Jonin Commander but Mommy not being home, forget it. The first six months were rough. I had councilmen left and right tell me to step down because I was pregnant while my twins decided to go on a pranking spree that made my ANBU cry. All the while, my kids decided to play mute, avoiding me as much as possible. They thought that I had abandon them." She paused, playing with some grass.
"Shikamaru had brought me lunch one day and I had a complete break-down. An awful concoction of stress, hormones, and separation anxiety from my kids. I'll admit, it wasn't one of my finest moments. So, he got Kakashi to fill in for me and picked the kids up from school and Yoshino's. We sat down, talked and cried. The kids aired out their grievances while I really explained to them what being the Hokage entailed. Benihime was a little young, but the twins understood. The end result was making a list of promises, only to be broken under the direst of circumstances."
"What are they? The promises?" Naruto asked, gaining a soft smile from Uzumaki.
"First, Mommy and Daddy must be home by five o'clock."
"I thought the kids were just mad at you?"
"Oh, the kids were also upset at Shikamaru but like I said, me not being home was the real kicker. The kids missed us, badly. They wanted to spend time with us and wanted to tell us about their day at dinner. So, unless we absolutely have to be there and a clone can't take our place, we had to be home at five o'clock."
"Second, we always have dinner together, unless we absolutely have to be away. Motoko was actually very upset when Takashi first C-Rank made him miss dinner until we explained to her why he had to miss dinner." Uzumaki kept talking and Naruto soaked it all in.
"Third, if a clone can do the paperwork, have a clone do it. Even with the new technology, the level of paperwork was too much for me to handle. So, Shikamaru figured out that if I had a few clones that reviewed the paperwork before it got to me, the really important stuff would go to me while the clones handled the rest. That way, I was on time and I got work done faster. Most of the time, unless I'm in meetings all day, I can watch the girls in the afternoon until the twins get home from their missions."
"Fourth, no one goes to bed angry and you always say I love you to everyone before you leave for a mission. Those are no brainers but you'd be surprise how much that helped the kids."
"Fifth, Saturday is family training day. Being pregnant, I couldn't train with the kids as much as I could before but they still wanted me there, even if it was to just to point out their mistakes. Now, there are more promises but I think you get the gist of it." She finished, looking back at him.
"I wish I had a pen." He sighed, making her reach over to pat him.
"Hey, just because that's what my family does doesn't mean it'll work for you guys. But, I do think talking with your family is a good idea. Especially Boruto and Hinata." He blinked at her mention of his wife.
"Hinata?" She nodded slowly.
"She misses you and is worried that you're losing yourself in your job."
"And she told you this?"
"No, but it was pretty obvious, Me." She chuckled as he blushed, looking away.
"You must think I'm awful."
"I think you're human and a troublesome man whose afraid to be alone again." She grabbed his hand. "Trust me, I know." She smiled at him and he smiled back. A few moments passed, a comfortable silence eclipsing them.
"You defeated Kaguya."
"And I'm guessing you defeated Madara and Zetsu." Naruto replied back, making his counterpart shake her head sadly.
"Guy-Sensei defeated Madara, he was the real hero. Sasuke and I delivered the final blow and I was able to reserve the reanimation while getting all of the Tailed-Beasts out. Shikamaru had to bring Zetsu into the shadows and kill him there. Apparently, Nara shadows makes yin creatures mortal." Her sad eyes told Naruto the real story.
"Guy-Sensei didn't make it?" He asked anyway, needing the confirmation. She nodded.
"Lee was devastated and I've never seen Kakashi more distraught in my life. Kakashi had lost nearly everyone and Guy-Sensei was the only person he had left to share memories with, his best friend. And Lee, god, I was in the office the day Kakashi had founded Guy-Sensei's will. Everything he owed, went to Lee, the son he loved more than anything in the world but never had the strength to tell him in person. Kakashi commissioned a statue of Guy-Sensei to be erected at the Academy, so that he would never be forgotten and so that the students knew what a really shinobi looked like." She finished, her words softer now. "He's still alive?"
"Yes, but his career is over. Nothing Granny or Sakura could do fixed his leg." She gave him a watery smile though.
"I'm glad but let's agree that this talk doesn't leave this field. My Lee would figure out a way to get over here if he knew that there was a chance that Guy-Sensei was still alive." She held out her hand.
"And mine would breakdown at the news." Naruto agreed, shaking her hand firmly. "Is that why you let Takashi spar with Lee and Metal?"
"Oh, you picked up on that?" She blinked at him before giving him a foxy smile. "Yes, actually. It helps Lee, giving him students to train. He's 'Carrying on the youthful legacy of Guy-Sensei!' He had Metal but training your son is different than training students. So, as long as my son is never returned to me in that jumpsuit, Takashi can train with the Lees as much as he wants. That's also why he's Team 7's sensei too."
"Mira's team?"
"Yep!"
"Interesting pick." Naruto hummed before remembering something. "Wait, Shikamaru took down Zetsu?!"
"He had to. Zetsu couldn't 'merge' with him. Shikamaru could explain it better but the gist of the story is that when Zetsu tried to 'merge' with him, Shikamaru's shadows wouldn't let him. Shikamaru was able to dragged Zetsu down into the shadows." She tapped her finger to her chin as she tried to recount the story.
"Where Shikadai was mediating?"
"Yep, that's it. Those shadows, they're strong. Zetsu couldn't use any ninjutsu or genjutsu, not even the wood release that he stole. Zetsu never truly learned how to fight with taijutsu because it used other peoples' bodies and instincts." Uzumaki explained.
"So, that place made Zetsu mortal for probably the first time in his life." Naruto realized, making the woman nodded. "And Shikamaru killed him."
"Shikamaru wasn't going to give up the chance. Besides, Zetsu had stolen Kurama's yin half and I was dying. Shikamaru did what he thought was right and I wouldn't be here if he didn't." She stood, holding her hand out to help him. They rose and started to head back to the Nara compound.
"Who do you think is stronger, you or me?" Naruto asked. He was shocked by how quick her answer was.
"You, definitely."
"Me?"
"Absolutely. I can sense it. And any man who can take down Kaguya is definitely stronger than me." She confessed with no shame.
"But you know so much!" Naruto found himself protesting. She shook her head in disagreement, her blonde braid swinging in the air.
"Exactly. I relay so much on fuinjutsu that it's become expected. And I'm clingy. My enemies know exactly who they should attack if they really want to hurt me. I've lost my edge. I'll get it back though. After I teach you fuinjutsu." She promised with a smile.
They arrived back to the backyard to find everyone having a picnic. Only Uzumaki's family wasn't eating, making her scolded them half-heartedly to 'start eating already, you don't have to wait for me!' As Naruto sat next to his wife, he couldn't help but notice how Uzumaki leaned against her husband as she ate, laughing at her kids' antics. Naruto smiled before listening in to Boruto's cheerfulness over learning the katas for the Breakers.
That night, Naruto went home with his family. He didn't call a family meeting, because the timing wasn't right. When everything had calmed down, then he'll call the meeting. But that night, he turned to Hinata and they talked. They talked about everything that's happened these four days. They talked about the kids and how they need to spend more time with them. Mostly importantly, they talked about each other and Naruto realized just how much he's been hurting his gentle, too-nice-for-her-own-good wife. Hinata, bless her heart, never complained about how much she missed him. Or how she felt like a single parent most days. Or how incredible stupid it was to send a clone for Himawari's birthday. All because she didn't want to cause him extra stress. Hinata loved him so much that she would suffer for him. It broke his heart and made him realize just how lucky he was. Never again, I won't cause you this pain, Hinata. That's a promise!
Author's Note - Man, was this chapter hard to write! But, it's done and I really hope you guys like it! Again, send your ideas! I need inspiration, pretty please with a cherry on top! So, review, favorite and follow (P.S. We're almost to a 100 followers! Woah! Love you guys!) I love you guys so much! The next few chapters are going to have action, promise! See you guys soon!
-V.I. Winthrop
