Date: Mar 12, 2020
AYYYYY. Ya boy back from the dead! Sorry for the long delay in uploads everyone. I had big plans for this chapter, but it sort of fell flat because I kept going back and forth on the fight scenes and what I wanted to do with Naruto, which had been moved onto the next scene. There are like 5k words that I kept writing, cutting out, then rewriting because I didn't like the way the scene played out or for whatever reason. So there's a Google Doc with 5k words of just clipped scenes that had been intended for this chapter or the next.

Review cornerrrr! I'm finally acknowledging the people who review my storyyyy!

strongmonkeypawn: Thanks for the words of encouragement and understanding! There'll be a few filler chapters here and there to develop the characters and interpersonal connections, but the next chapter'll be a pretty major plot point.

strongnuggets: ;)
Motherfucker reviewed me with a smile. You getting a wink back.

Fadli546: You don't already love the story, boss?

Guest: "Pretty sure i just got diabetes"
Oh yea. I wrote chapter 7 so sweet, pretty sure my blood is just pure maple syrup at this point.

Chrolloz: Poor Naruto. But let's be honest, having five pretty girls cooing over you and playing with your cheeks isn't the worst thing that could happen to you. You know he enjoyed it.

BlackDragonShinigami: Some pretty high praise to call it one of the best fillers. Big thanks! Miko and Kagura will be coming back, but for the most part, they keep their distance to let Naruto live his second life, as free of as many manipulations that had determined his previous one.

Darth56: I think I will "keep it up." But I don't have anything planned, so updates? SPORADIC.

Seros109: Brah, my GP is not gonna be happy with my ass. Pretty sure I gave myself diabetus with how sweet the chapter was. I have a few that I want in the harem, won't say who since spoilers, but not every girl will have a romantic relationship with him. For the most part, the girls that interact with him right now are at best platonic and at worst, neutral. The Ice Queens got to play with his cheeks and whiskers because he's cute, not for any other reason.

Vince Basile Jr: (Potential spoiler so read this review after you read the chapter) I think you'll realize through this chapter that Naruto physically develops a lot more quickly than he's supposed to, so he'll be at the age of his death in a few short years, around the time he starts the Academy. I don't know about Tsunade being in the harem though. She 's just too old for the pairing to work if you want them to be in romantic and understanding relationship

Time Parad0x: Okay, Izumi introduced herself as Itachi because that is what her mask is. While wearing the ANBU mask, one's identity is stripped away, leaving only the name of the animal as the operative's identifier. In this case, it's Itachi (Weasel).

Neko isn't a proper sensor. True sensors are much closer to Karin, who is a special case given her bloodline, than they are to Neko. Neko's ability to sense stems from the idea that chakra could be used to expand a person's field of perception, using their chakra to feel the environment, which comes at the cost of either using a hand seal or great concentration.

Yea, Danzō the asshole isn't a sensor.

I won't be doing mental gymnastics to match Naruto with every fucking kunoichi out there. One, this isn't a Pokémon playthrough, collecting as many girls as possible. Two, there are a couple of girls that Naruto could be paired with if I decide to let them participate in the Chūnin Exams and play with their age a little bit. Already fucked with Yūgao's age, so that isn't impossible in this fanfic. I like the idea of Temari being in the harem, not gonna lie. MIGHT happen.

tadkins: I was giggling the whole time I was writing Chapter 7. Like, this was too cute. There will be more cute moments!

Inzaneamaru: Naruto still a war veteran, so yea. He won't be all fun and games. Just wait till next chapter. He won't be in the Academy yet, but he'll still clap some cheeks.

TheMostCasualObserver: Same! I love redo fics and the potential they have, even if the trope is a bit overdone.

For everyone who gave me a short review saying that you loved Chapter 7, thank you. It really means a lot to me, a real confidence booster, to know that there are people who love my story and look forward to the next chapter update.

On with the story: Read, React, Review!

Chapter 8: Power Struggles

Izumi Uchiha was faced with a problem, one that she couldn't quite solve. And it all revolved around a certain blond haired boy.

Naruto Uzumaki's birthday was coming up.

And she didn't know what to get him.

Naruto is soon to be eight years old, marking an important step in the lives of most youngsters in the Elemental Nations as that is the time that most would be attending the Academy as the future generation of shinobi and kunoichi. While Naruto and the rest of his peers wouldn't be attending the Academy for another four years, it was still a milestone she wanted to celebrate with him and the rest of her - their - family.

"Izumi-chan? Are you there?"

Blinking in surprise and internally berating herself for her lack of external awareness, she looked at her purple haired friend in askance.

"You've been staring off into space for a few minutes."

"It's nothing." She waved off her friend's concern. "I'm just thinking about Naruto's upcoming birthday and what I want to get him."

"His birthday?" Yūgao asked. "Well, don't hold out on me. What are you going to get him?"

"I don't know."

The two are wandering about the market district, visiting vendor after vendor, store after store, looking for something to get their favorite blond.

"Have you thought about what you're going to get him?" Izumi turned the question around on Yūgao, smiling at the way her friend sputtered and blushed in embarrassment.

"I… uh… I don't know either."

"You don't know what you're getting your best male friend for his birthday? That's not like you, Yū-chan." Izumi smirked at her friend, purposefully using Naruto's nickname for her to drive the point home.

"It's hard! I mean, what does Naruto even want?!"

"Jutsus," Izumi deadpanned. "That's all Naruto seems to care about. That, and training."

Outside of their training sessions together, Naruto doesn't seem to do much else. When their morning sessions end, she would often lose track of him as he went about his business, seeing neither hide nor hair of him until the evening, when they would eat dinner with the rest of the family. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that he spends that time training within the forests or in the training grounds, given how scuffed and dirty his clothes are when he comes home.

But no matter how much he trains or how dirty he gets, he always seems… unsatisfied. She couldn't help but frown at that. Naruto is as friendly and easy going as they come, yet he seemed so driven, so motivated to train.

The question is: what is he training for?

If he is truly training to become stronger, why was he holding back so much during their spars? His taijutsu style, while strange and seems ungainly to the naked eye, is actually quite versatile. Yet, there so many strikes that seem to just… miss?

With her Sharingan active, there were just so many punches and kicks that just veered off course, almost like he intended for them to hit yet they don't. She didn't even have to move out of the way for most of them since they clearly missed by a wide enough margin that his fist wouldn't even graze her nose.

So why use these attacks in the first place if they weren't going to hit?

"Really?" That was news for Yūgao. "He doesn't seem like the type to focus solely on training. Are you sure?"

"If he doesn't have to rest, I wouldn't doubt that he'd never stop training." Izumi sighed. "What am I going to do with him? He seems so obsessed with it. Not even Maito Gai is this passionate about training!"

"Have you talked to him about it?" Yūgao didn't want to show it, but she was concerned. The last time there was someone so obsessed with something within Konoha, he ended up becoming a nukenin whose infamy is only surpassed by Madara Uchiha.

"I've tried to, but he always avoids the topic." She hated admitting it to anyone, herself included, but her student is a mystery. "I don't know what to do with him, Yū-chan. What would I even do about it even if he told me?"

"Send him to Inoichi? Get him some counseling. Who knows what having no one in his life during his early years could have done to his psyche."

Her heart went out to their favorite blond at the mention of her apprentice's condition and his upbringing. Just imagining her little sister in place of Naruto, ostracized and cut off from any sort of family, made her stomach clench in sorrow and her heart burn with rage. No child should ever be treated like that.

"He wouldn't like it one bit."

"I know he wouldn't, but it would be in his best interests." The two stepped into the a shinobi supply store, one they've frequented before, looking around the shop in search of something that would make a fitting present for Naruto's upcoming birthday.

"I don't know, Yūgao, but I'll talk to him first. Then we'll see where we go from there."

"Izumi-san! Yūgao-san! Welcome to Shining Steel!"

The two girls smiled and waved at the shop owner, a retired shinobi of about middle age. His graying black hair is neatly trimmed in a buzz cut. Sometime during his shinobi career, he'd lost his right eye, proudly bearing the scar that cut from his eyebrow and down to his cheek. A black eyepatch hides the destroyed eye for the sake of his more squeamish customers. Wearing the jōnin uniform, missing the vest and forehead protector that would denote him as an active shinobi, the man cut an impressive and imposing figure with his broad frame, square jaw, and imposing features. His remaining eye held a bright gleam of intelligence, something one might not expect from such an imposing, almost muscle-bound figure.

"Good morning, Hiroto-san," the two girls responded.

"What can I do for you today?" Straight to the point, as always.

"Yūgao and I are looking for presents for Naruto. His birthday is coming up."

"Ah. What do you have in mind?" Hiroto gestures to the display of weapons in front of him and along the walls. "Weapons?"

"No. He's set for now. No armour sets yet. He's still growing."

Hiroto nodded in understanding. From the brief glimpses he's had of the boy over the years, Naruto had somehow grown up so quickly that the only way he'd managed to recognize him is through the shock of bright yellow hair.

"Well, perhaps he might like something that doesn't have to do with the life of a shinobi. Does he have any interest in jewellry?"

Right off the bat, Izumi wanted to say "no." Naruto has shown practically no open interest in anything other than training, eating ramen and more training. However, a short memory stayed her tongue.

"Oh? Have you thought of something, Izumi-chan?" Yūgao could recognize that look of thoughtfulness anywhere.

"Yea… maybe." Izumi murmured.

"So which is it?" Yūgao couldn't help but tease her, enjoying the normally self-assured girl's uncertainty when it comes to Naruto.

"Sometimes, for the briefest moments, I would catch a glimpse of Naruto doing this." She mimed the action she'd seen him perform on a few rare occasions. "He would reach for something around his chest, just in front of his solar plexus, only to put his hand back down, like he'd just realized what he was doing."

"Hmm. A necklace perhaps?" Hiroto supplied. "Some of my friends have done that before. The most likely reason for it is that they're reaching for an object, something of great personal value or great comfort, only to realize that it's no longer there."

"A necklace?" Izumi pondered the idea. Though she agreed with his assessment of what it could be given her understanding of human psychology, she couldn't help but shoot it down. "But I've never seen him with a necklace before, not even when he first moved in with us."

Yūgao nodded in agreement. She'd never seen Naruto have any sort of jewellery before and she's been watching over him since he was but a babe.

"Then I don't know. Perhaps it's simply a habit." Izumi would have agreed and let the subject lie, but a thought, an idea, made her speak up.

"Do you have any necklaces on hand?"

With a nod, Hiroto reached down beneath the counter and pulled out a series of lacquered wood boxes. Laying out a total of seven boxes across the counter, he started with the first one, a shiny, dark mahogany.

"This one was commissioned a long time ago, but the young man who had commissioned it never returned from a mission gone wrong." The two girls nodded along grimly as Hiroto slid the box's top off, revealing a small, but triangular metal prism, adorned with the symbol of the Senju Clan.

"May I?" Izumi asked, reaching out for the necklace.

With Hiroto's approval, she gently takes the simple necklace from the box's velvet lining. In spite of its simple appearance, the pendant and its black leather cord is incredibly eye catching. Carefully rotating the pendant, showing off the intricate metal that weaved in and out of the prism's surface to Yūgao.

"Wow! Did you make this, Hiroto-san?"

"Ha!" The burly man nodded. "I have quite the eye for detail." The two girls took a moment to deadpan at the man, clearly not impressed by the joke. "Hmm. Tough crowd."

"What do you think, Izumi-chan? I kind of like it, but it's not really Naruto." Yūgao gave the necklace another once over.

"Mm. The simple shape would work for Naruto, just not the intricate weave." Setting the necklace back into its case and closing it. "Let's see a few more before we decide anything."

So, the trio continued their perusal through Shining Steel's seven best necklaces. The rest of the necklaces were either far too personal or complex for Naruto, who they thought wouldn't be one for all the intricate detail on some of them. That was, until they reached the last one.

"This one," Hiroto began as he opened the seventh and final case, "was designed to mimic the Shodai's famous necklace, worn by Tsunade Senju." As soon as the box was opened, both girls could see the resemblance between the necklace in front of them and the famed gem of the Shodai Hokage. "Like the original, this is also made of a special type of crystal from Yama no Kuni (Land of Mountains) that reacts to chakra, though it holds no special abilities like that of the Shodai's crystal gem." To demonstrate, Hiroto trickles a small amount of chakra into the gem, making it luminesce a faint blue light.

"Whoa. That's gorgeous!"

Izumi nodded in agreement with her friend. The gem seemed to be radiating with an inner light, a subtle, but noticeable blue-green light that seemed to ebb and flow.

"That's beautiful, but what would happen if Naruto wore it?"

"What do you mean, Izumi-san?" Hiroto asked, confused by her question.

"Naruto's chakra isn't blue, it's a bright yellow orange, so what would happen if the crystal was in the presence of his chakra?"

Hiroto actually didn't know the answer to that one. Most people's chakra, if it ever became visible or were observed through the Byakugan, were some shade of blue. So far, he's only witnessed the crystal react to the average chakra color.

"I don't know."

Izumi was definitely interested in solving that mystery, but she will have to leave it for another day. She was here on a mission and she'll be damned if she doesn't have a necklace in mind for Naruto before she leaves.

"What do you think Yū-chan?"

The purplette responded to her by adopting a thoughtful look and opening up the first jewellery box.

"What if we combined the first and the last one?"

The idea had some merit, but it has some problems, as Hiroto immediately pointed out to them. Encasing the gem within a metallic prism would only hinder the light it could cast, while finding a gem and working it so you could fit an entire triangular prism in it would take far too long.

"Hmm. So fitting the gem inside a prism would be easier than both making a new gem prism and fitting a prism inside a gem?" When Hiroto nodded, she asked for a pen and paper. "What if we do this?"

The next few hours were completely dedicated to hashing out the details on Izumi's design for the necklace while Yūgao pitched in, giving thoughts and ideas here and there.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The week had passed by quickly, but not quickly enough for Izumi. She had just returned from Shining Steel, her present to Naruto wrapped and hidden within the pockets of her clothes. A loose-fitting blue battle kimono, trimmed in white, reached the middle of her shins. Black ANBU pants and long sleeve shirt hid her pale skin from the sun's glare. Her hair, held in its signature low ponytail, reached the middle of her back, fluffing out past the small scrunchie that held her hair together. As she aged, some of her wardrobe had changed, dropping the tomboyish shirt and shorts for more conservative, loose fitting clothes. She wasn't against showing skin, really. She just liked the style more.

"And they're a lot more comfortable," she mused, stretching to stretch out the kinks in her back. "Puberty is such a hassle."

She couldn't wait for the changes to stop. Having to deal with constant tenderness, cramps and overall discomfort everyday is getting to be annoying.

"Do boys have to go through this when they hit puberty?" She was kind of curious.

"Tadaima (I'm home)!" She called out as she entered the home, smiling as Satsuki poked her head out from the corridor.

"Nee-chan!"

"Little Moon." No matter how old she got, Satsuki will always be her little moon.

Satsuki had grown admirably since Naruto had joined their little family. She was far more willing to eat her vegetables and anything else their mother wanted her to eat. Of course, this was only caused by her need to compete with Naruto in the height department.

Much like her older sister, Satsuki had opted for a more tomboyish look, with red-trimmed white shorts and a blue shirt bearing the Uchiha gunbai on its breast. Her hair, however, is kept in a long, flowing mane of raven hair, reaching the middle of her back. A silver crescent moon hair clip kept the locks from covering her eyes.

Hmm. The back of her head kind of looks like a certain bird's derriere...

"Che." There it is, that habitual sound. "You don't have to keep calling me that, you know. I'm not a little kid anymore."

"You'll always be my Little Moon." Izumi bent down and kissed her sister on the head. "Where is Okā-sama?"

"She's by the koi pond, looking over reports from the clan," Satsuki answered as she walked hand-in-hand with her older sister, somewhat embarrassed by the kiss. "Did you get his present?"

"Mmhmm," Izumi hummed happily. "It's very pretty."

"Can I see?" Ever the curious child, Satsuki pulled on her sister's sleeve with her free hand.

"Hmm." Izumi then looked around, hoping that the birthday boy wouldn't come looking for her. "Okay." Leaning down, she quickly took out the necklace and showed it to her sister. "What do you think?"

"It's… a necklace." For the most part, her little sister didn't look impressed. "For a boy." Kami, her little sister is a snarky little twerp.

"Well, it's my present for him." She punctuated it by flicking her sister's nose.

"Ow!"

"At least it's not a bunch of jutsu scrolls," Izumi mocked.

"Hm! All he cares about is jutsus, so I got Otō-sama to write down a few jutsus for him. What about it?"

"A present has to have a personal touch, 'Tsuki-chan," chided the older girl, turning away from her sister and walking towards the back of the house. "I could give Naruto jutsus whenever he is training with me, so I wanted to give him something meaningful for his birthday."

"'Meaningful?'"

"Like that hair clip that he got you for your birthday." Izumi smiled and pointed at the moon crescent in her sister's hair. Ever since she's received it, her little sister has worn it practically every day.

"It's just a hair clip."

"Then why do you wear it every day?" She didn't have to look to know her little sister was embarrassed.

"Hmm." Her little sister gave a dismissive, slightly embarrassed Uchiha hum. "Is that why you polish that pair of tessen he got you everyday? Because it's meaningful?"

This time, it was her turn to be embarrassed. Like Satsuki had stated, she had spent practically every day looking over the gift Naruto had given her for her fifteenth birthday four months ago.

To say his gift is beautiful would be crass and a disservice to the magnificence of the weapons he'd given her.

Each tessen was slightly bigger than recommended for someone of her stature, meaning they were intended for her when she finished developing. The frame of the fan is made of a jet-black metal so dark it appeared to absorb any light cast on it. The handle, wrapped in dark red cloth, made for the perfect grip. The rivet used to hold the fan blades together is a Sharingan pattern she's never seen before: a red backdrop held a shuriken with three curving blades. Each rivet held together the fan, which consisted of six metal ribs, each ending in a blade, reminiscent of a spearhead.

Along the outermost metal ribs, her name うちはイズミ(Uchiha Izumi) is etched into the black metal in brilliant red and encased in glass within the metal of both fans. When unfurled, the special waterproof fabric that makes up the leaves of the fan unveil a tapestry of detail so complex and intricate, she had been tempted to use the Sharingan to learn every detail.

A black sakura tree stood at the center of the tapestry, amidst a blood red background. Upon closer inspection, she had been shocked to see the finer details of the sakura tree. Every "leaf" is actually a crow perched upon the branches of the cherry tree. Every falling leaf, a minute feather. A perfect snapshot of the world frozen in time.

Without a doubt, it is the most beautiful set of tessen she had ever seen in her life, perfectly suited for and representative of her, if a little strange given the rivet's design. She thought they were perfect before she turned them over.

On the back of the left fan, 家族 (kazoku) is etched down the length of blackened metal.

Family.

On the back of the right fan, 無我 (muga) is etched down the length of blackened metal.

Self-sacrifice.

For the first time since she'd lost her friend, Tenma Izumo to that masked nin, she cried. In her tears, she nearly dropped the beautiful pair of fans, nearly ruining the most perfect present she had ever received.

"Izumi?" She looked up through tear-stained eyes. "Are you alright? Do… do you not like them?"

Her student. Oh her silly little student.

"No," she'd said as she swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Oh." The disappointment had been so apparent on his face that it was heartbreaking to see.

"I love them," she had whispered.

She gave him no time to think about her response, pulling him into a hug. Well, more like, she pulled herself into his arms for a hug. Somehow, somewhen, her student had grown taller than her.

Guess he isn't so little anymore.

"Thank you," she tearfully whispered, "for the gift and for being an amazing student."

Just remembering that evening those four months ago made her cheeks blush in embarrassment. She had never shown such a degree of emotion to anyone, not even her parents.

Her mother wouldn't stop teasing her about it either!

Even her father - her father! - had complimented the gift in private after lecturing her about such an open display of emotions.

"Yes, Satsuki-chan." She smiled down at her sister, feeling no need to hide the blush on her cheeks. "Naruto's gift is very meaningful."

"Izumi-chan," Mikoto Uchiha called out to her daughter, looking up from the few reports she had on hand as they passed through the door frame to the backyard. "Did you get his present?"

"Hai, kā-chan." Pulling out the jewellery box, she showed off the small mahogany box that held her present for Naruto. "It's right here."

"Oh. Jewellery? Are you sure that's a good present for him?" Mikoto wasn't disapproving of the gift, only curious.

"I… I don't know." That caught her mother's attention like nothing else.

"You… don't know?" If Mikoto remembered correctly, that's the first time that she'd ever heard her daughter admit to not knowing something. "You weren't sure, yet you still got it for him?" Izumi nodded.

"It was just a hunch." Her mother wasn't satisfied with such a cryptic answer, nodding her head for Izumi to elaborate. "Sometimes, he'd reach up and grab for something around his neck, like he's looking for a necklace."

"A… necklace?" Even her mother seemed confused by the prospect. "I've never seen Naruto wearing any kind of necklace, not since he's moved in with us."

"And neither has Yūgao seen him with anything of the sort."

"I see." Mikoto rolled up the scroll in her hand. "And our birthday boy is still out training?" Unlike her youngest daughter, she is willing to wait the next few hours to see the necklace her eldest had decided was worthy of the resident blond.

"You know how he is, kā-chan." Izumi sits down beside her mother, obviously annoyed by her student's nearly one-track mind. "He's driven." She frowned. "Almost too driven."

"I know," her mother stated. "There are days where I wonder if we haven't been too late. If we had acted sooner, would he be like this?" Mikoto kept an eye on her youngest, who had wandered across the pond to practice her shurikenjutsu. "You know about his condition, don't you?"

"Of course. The village doesn't exactly make it a secret." And for that, she couldn't help but be angry at the Sandaime. "It's difficult being what he is. It's no life for a child, let alone an orphan. But you suspect that he's so driven to train because he wishes to prove himself? But who would he be proving himself to?"

"To us." Mikoto turned to face Izumi, patiently smiling. "He doesn't want to be seen as a burden. You might not know it, but Naruto and his clones have been helping around the house more often than not, even on days when he's dead on his feet after training from sun up to sun down."

Izumi smiled. Clearly, Naruto is rather thoughtful, though she had already known that from the pair of tessen he'd gotten her.

"Strong, thoughtful, knows how to help around the house, and has the stamina to train all day? You'd better stake your claim first, before any other young ladies take notice, Izumi-chan."

"K-Kā-chan!"

"At least you've already got a head start. A sensei and her student; how scandalous!"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Rather than having a big party, Naruto's eighth birthday is a quiet affair. Mikoto had cooked a large dinner, far more than she would normally cook for the family of five. Tofu, miso soup, tempura, and, for the special occasion, ramen. Izumi and Satsuki were eager to show the blond their gifts. Even Shisui had dropped by, wishing Naruto a happy birthday before taking off for his ANBU assignments.

To the surprise of literally no one in the household, Naruto and Shisui had gotten along swimmingly well when they'd first met not two years ago when Shisui had visited his uncle's family. Alongside Izumi, Shisui taught Naruto survival techniques and tracking methods. The two males had gotten along so swimmingly that the rest of the family had joked that they were brothers, something they'd taken to heart as Naruto had started calling Shisui "nii-san."

And now, the family had sat down for dinner, yet everyone had noticed that Naruto wasn't as lively as usual. His bright blue eyes a little dull, his smile a little forced. It wasn't too obvious, yet still noticeable to the family that has grown to know him so well.

Even Satsuki knew something was off, yet she couldn't quite tell what it was.

Once dinner was finished, with Naruto somehow putting away the spread of food that Mikoto had made for his birthday, it was time for the presents. Satsuki was the first to present her gifts to the birthday boy.

"Happy birthday."

Scrolls in hand and uncharacteristically timid, she'd handed them to Naruto without preamble.

"Thanks, 'Tsuki-chan." Naruto gratefully took the scrolls in hand, briefly skimming through the names of the jutsus written on the side. "Let's learn them together, ne?"

"Yea..."

Smiling at the cute, yet painfully awkward interactions between her sister and her student, Izumi gently poked her sister's cheek.

"You two can train together tomorrow if you want." Izumi took the lacquered box from within the folds of her kimono. "This is a gift from me and Yūgao-chan. Happy birthday, Naruto-kun."

Watching Naruto hold the box that held his gift, Izumi couldn't help but feel anxious. What would he think of her gift? Was it too girly? Too personal? Would he think she's been spying on him?

"Wow." Any doubts of whether or not he liked it were squashed as Naruto carefully removed the necklace from the box's velvet lining. "It's beautiful, sensei."

Naruto's necklace is a simple silver pendant, a triangular prism, hanging from a leather cord. On one end of the triangular prism, it bears a silver loop for the leather cord to string through. On the other end, the Uzumaki swirl is etched into the surface of the metal.

"Twist the bottom of the prism, Naruto."

With a careful twist and a quiet click, the bottom popped away from the rest of the metallic pendant. Encased within a lattice of metal which sliding along the edges of the prism is a small teal crystal.

"It's a chakra crystal."

Before Izumi could further explain it, Naruto had already channeled his chakra into the gem. Instead of reacting with the light blue it had displayed when exposed to Izumi's chakra, the crystal bathed the room in a warm yellow light upon contact with Naruto's chakra.

From afar, it would appear as if Naruto held the very sun within his hands.

"Whoa!"

"Sugoi!"

"It's beautiful."

"Hm."

Smiling widely, Naruto twists the bottom of the prism back into place with a soft click. Like before, he began pouring chakra into the pendant, letting the reactive crystal's light shine through the glass kanji along the faces of the prism.

The glass-lined kanji along the faces of the prism glowed with an ethereal light, dancing like the flickering flames of a campfire.

Cut into the three rectangular faces of the prism are three sets of kanji. His given name, ナルト (Naruto), is etched along one side while his clan name, うずまき (Uzumaki), is etched on an adjacent face. On the final surface, 気力 (kiryoku) completes the etchings upon the silver pendant.

Inner strength.

"Here, let me."

She didn't know why she offered, but she doesn't regret it. With gentle hands and seamless movements, she removed the necklace from his hands. Threading the black leather cord through dexterous fingers, she held out the necklace.

Naruto took it as he cue, slowly leaning down and forwards as Izumi slid the leather cord around his neck. Because of the height difference that had developed between the two, when Naruto leaned down, their faces had come dangerously close together.

Izumi could feel his warm breath ghosting across her lips. She could feel the heat of his face against her fair skin despite the distance between them.

And just like that, he pulled away, leaving her skin exposed to the cool air once more.

"How do I look sensei?"

With his foxy smirk, electric blue eyes and the softly glowing pendant, she could only answer in earnest.

"Dashing."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

That was a month ago.

"It should not be a woman who leads the Uchiha clan!"

Izumi bit back a sigh of annoyance. Ever since her mother had taken up the position of clan head, there have been many who have opposed her representation of their clan, all of whom her mother has defeated in combat.

For many of the Uchiha Clan, women were mothers and caretakers first, kunoichi second. This has always been the way within the clan, long before the founding of the village, long before Madara Uchiha was clan head. Once an Uchiha woman is married, she resigns from the active shinobi force and becomes a full-time homemaker.

A housewife.

It was a fate Izumi didn't look forward to, though she doubted there was any one, male or otherwise, who could force her to do anything of the sort. She hates needless death and violence, yes, but as long as there is conflict, she will always be the first to take up arms to protect her home and the people she loves.

The clan member who had openly voiced his dissent against her mother's position as clan head is Ryuk, a brown-haired, narrow-jawed idiot who is the stereotypical representation of her clan: stubborn, prideful, and overly-reliant upon his Sharingan.

A jōnin in strength and skill, most of which wasn't his own, he is definitely strong, but his ego far outstrips the strength he holds. Still, Mikoto is still out of practice given the years she's spent out of the force taking care of her daughter. And in the life of a ninja, one mistake, one lucky hit, is all it takes to determine a battle.

Victory or defeat.

Life or death.

"Che. And you think your dumb ass could do better?"

Although she remained outwardly stoic, she was inwardly delighted when Naruto came to her mother's defense.

"Stay out of this, brat! You have no say in the proceedings of a clan you're not a part of."

"On the contrary, Naruto has every right to speak his mind within these meetings." Mikoto declared. "Adopted into my family, Naruto is as much an Uchiha as he is an Uzumaki."

She wouldn't admit it out loud, but she enjoyed the way Ryuk fumed. Seeing idiots getting put into their place is always enjoyable. Out of the corner of her eye, she could tell that the rest of her family was thinking the same thing.

"Regardless, his input is neither required nor wanted."

"I don't care if you want to hear my opinion or not, idiot! You openly insult Mikoto-oba-chan and expect me to tear you a new one?!"

"Like you could hold your own against a jōnin. Adopted into the clan head's family or not, you're still an orphan,weak and unwanted by your parents."

Izumi and the rest of her family were more than ready to weave a thousand genjutsus on the cocky bastard and cook him like rotisserie chicken when Naruto spoke up.

"You sure got a lotta balls for limp dick coward who would mock the dead." Never before had she ever seen Naruto like this. His blue eyes, which had been so warm and playful before, are now cold and dangerous, like two shards of ice. "Why don't we take this to a training ground and see if you have the bite to back up all that bark-ttebayo?"

"Hm. I have no need to fight a child."

Poof!

"Buwk buwk buwk!"

A gold feathered chicken wearing a facsimile of Ryuk's brown mop took Naruto's place. Even many of the clan seemed amused by the blond's antics, though their Uchiha pride kept them from bursting into raucous laughter.

Even her father was amused, though it was nearly unnoticeable behind the mask of stoicism.

Her sister had failed to stifle a giggle and was currently hiding her smile behind her hand. Then again, her shoulders were shaking and the corners of her eyes were crinkled in obvious levity so hiding her smile wasn't exactly the most effective method of masking her amusement.

"Naruto."

"Buwk?" The Naruto-bird hopped onto her lap, neatly tucking his legs into her lap.

Cute.

"This would be a good opportunity to test your abilities against someone else." Izumi turned to her mother. "Okā-sama. May Naruto represent you in combat until such a time that you wish to fight once more?"

From the corner of her eye, she could see Naruto-bird attempting to persuade her mother with the Puppy Dog Eyes Jutsu, which is shockingly effective given his bright blue eyes. Even if he has that disgusting mop of brown on his head.

"I will allow it." She raised a hand, stopping many dissenting voices in their tracks. "However, I will personally fight you, Ryuk-san if there are still dissenters among you. However, I still wish to see the fruits of Naruto's training with my daughter. Should Naruto-kun win, then you will face me again once you have fully recovered to quell any further grievances you may have against me. Should you win, Ryuk-san, then I will step down as the head of the Uchiha Clan."

"Hm. So be it. My pride will demand nothing less than a crushing victory against someone who has so openly mocked me." Ryuk glared at blond-turned-bird, as if wishing the blond would combust into flames.

"Buwk!" Naruto-bird hopped out of her lap and ran to her mother, using his wings to hug the Uchiha matriarch, ecstatic with the faith she has shown in him.

"I know you can do it, Naruto-kun."

Having received the encouragement he needed from her mother, she watched as Naruto approached her father. Empty black met with hopeful blue, as man and chicken stared one another down. The stalemate was only broken when Fugaku nodded his head at her student. Naruto, in turn, bowed to her father.

It would have been funny if it hadn't been so monumental: her father had just entrusted the responsibility of protecting his family to Naruto!

In chicken form.

She would have snorted, but the idea of getting lectured by her father about being so unladylike was unappealing so she kept her amusement to herself.

"Good luck, Naru-kun."

Her apprentice had taken his place in Satsuki's arms, which is, quite possibly, the cutest thing she had ever seen. It would have been the cutest, no contest, were it not for the disgusting brown mess on the bird's head. Her student is supposed to be a blond, not a brunette.

"I'm not carrying you."

"Buwk!"

"Piggyback."

"Buwk…"

"Now."

Poof!

"You're so mean, 'Tsuki-chan."

This time, Izumi was forced to hide her giggle behind her hand as the incredibly tall eight year old bent his knee and carried her little sister on his back to the training ground. With his Henge (Transformation) dispelled, the mop of brown replaced by his spiky, brilliant shock of woven sunlight.

All is right with the world once more.

"Hm. No self-respecting male would ever bow down to the whims of a woman."

"And no self-respecting male would diss the gender that gave birth to him!"

Apparently, that statement alone earned Naruto quite a few brownie points with many of the Uchiha women present.

"They are the weaker sex! The weak shall bow to the strong!"

"And Tsunade Senju will finger flick you across Hi no Kuni. You wanna say that to her face-ttebayo?!"

Uchiha or not, everyone knew of the last Senju's proclivity for solving her problems with violence. This, along with her inhuman strength, even by shinobi standards, made her a person you never wanted to cross. Even Ryuk seems to know that judging by the way his back stiffened and his skin blanched.

"Exactly. Now shut up until we get to the training ground."

Taking the lull in conversation between the combatants as her cue to talk to her student, Izumi walked alongside him and her sister.

"Hey, sensei!"

"You had better not hold back, Naruto-kun."

"Sensei?" She could see the apprehension in his eyes. Those damned blue eyes. Always so expressive.

"I know you've been holding back in your training. So unless you want me to beat it out of you in our next training session, you had better stop holding back." She gave a faint, overly sweet smile, one that practically every woman knew from the moment of birth. "If you hold back, your ramen intake goes from sporadic to zero. Understood?"

"Y-Yes, ma'am!"

"Too easy!"

"We're here. Will the combatants take their places?" A brown haired woman - Akiko, if Izumi remembered correctly - calmly stated.

Naruto allowed his arms to slacken, slightly dropping Satsuki, who performed a back handspring to her feet.

"You'd better win, baka."

"Mah mah. You worry too much. No wonder you're still so short."

"Che!" Her sister swiped at the blond jokester, who danced away, just out of her reach.

"Alright!" Naruto yelled out in exuberance. "Let's get this show on the road and beat this little piggy into the ground so I can get some victory ramen." The happy-go-lucky smile on his face turned savage as he stared down his victim. "Since sensei said I can't hold back, you'd better bring your A-game."

Ryuk scoffed. Trained by Izumi, one of the clan's best or not, there was no way this brat was going to beat him.

"Are both combatants ready?" Met with two confident nods, the battle commenced. "Hajime!"

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu! (Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!)"

Spitting out an impressive fireball, the jōnin expected one of two things to happen: the calling of a jutsu or the blond boy jumping out of the way from the jutsu's path. Instead, nothing happened.

Boom!

From his perspective, it was as if the fireball had erased the boy's very existence, kicking up a cloud of dust and debris that blocked everything from view.

"Impressive, Ryuk-kun."

The voice that drifted from the cloud of debris wasn't the confident, but child-like sound of the boy who had disappeared behind the fireball. It is seductive, holding a purring quality that made the skin of those who heard it tingle with pleasure.

"But Mikoto-oba-chan's fireballs are a lot hotter," the voice continued.

Everyone openly stared at the person who emerged from the settling cloud of debris. Gone was the spiky shock of sunkissed blond. Gone was the Uchiha style clothing. Gone was the tall boy who had taunted the jōnin.

In his place stood a girl. At approximately one hundred sixty-three centimeters (sixty four inches), the beautiful blond is the height of sex appeal. Her long, untamed blonde hair is tied up into a high ponytail with two locks of hair reaching down to her jaw, framing her heart-shaped face. Bright blue eyes, half-lidded and teasing, looked at the jōnin like a lioness would her prey. The rugged whiskers are now three faint sets of lines on her cheeks, adding a touch of cuteness to her already attractive face.

Garbed in black, form-fitting ANBU pants that end at her calves and a grey long-sleeved shirt, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, neither article of clothing could hide her mile-long legs and curving hips nor the ample bust straining against her top. Her sheathed wakizashi rested across the small of her back, just above her flaring hips. Metal-plated fingerless gloves and black, heeled shinobi sandals completed the look of a competent kunoichi.

Appealing, yet geared for battle.

"W-What is that abomination?" Ryuk was still stunned by the appearance of the sensual blonde.

"Oh, don't be like that, Ryuk-kun." With a seductively cute pout, the blonde flicked her ponytail. "You said that women were the weaker gender. Well, wouldn't it be poetic justice for a girl to beat you?"

"Hm. Male or female, you will not be able to defeat me!"

"Is that so?" Her smile turned teasing, almost cocky. "Well, let me show you a real fireball."

Snake. Ram. Monkey. Boar. Horse. Tiger.

Everyone could feel the minute hairs on their skin stand at attention as they felt the blonde kunoichi build up her chakra. Ryuk's chakra build up had been a quick shift of the life energy that flows through his body, like the currents of a river. This female Naruto's chakra moulding felt like the shifting of entire oceans.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu! (Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!)"

When the blonde exhaled, releasing the moulded chakra, there was a moment - a single instant - when the world stood still, acknowledging an entity whose power comes from the very world itself.

A shockwave spawned as she breathed out, blasting away the cloud of black dust and dirt left over from Ryuk's detonated fireball. Licking tongues white flickered to life, only to expand in the weak atmospheric pressure. What was once a tiny flame ballooned into a sphere of roiling, coiling flames, pushing forward and searing all that stands in its path.

"What the hell?!"

Everyone in the audience could feel the heat of the rolling flames, some of them even wincing as the heat touched their pale skin. Izumi was far too busy staring at her blonde student, now suddenly a female, with an unreadable expression to react to the heat of the blinding blaze. Her Sharingan recorded every movement, every twitch. She's going to need it.

Jumping to the side and out of the fireball's path, he was nearly blindsided by a roundhouse kick aimed straight for his head. His experience as a jōnin and the Sharingan's notice of the dark spot in the corner of his vision, contrasted against the blinding chakra of the fireball, were the only things that allowed him to bring up his guard. Even so, he'd nearly wished that he didn't bring up his forearms to block as he could feel and hear his bones creaking in protest against the incomprehensible force behind the kick.

Boom!

Bathed in the light of the detonated fireball, Ryuk could see the devious smirk on his opponent's face, her hair fluttering in the wake of the jutsu.

"Let's really see how weak I am, shall we?"

Foot planted in the ground through chakra, she forced her leg to keep applying pressure against the jōnin's forearms until he was forced to give, releasing his chakra hold on the ground and rolling with the motion of the kick. Coming out of the roll, Ryuk drew two kunai, knowing better than to trade direct blows against the blonde, whose blows feel like getting hit by a rampaging bijū.

"Come on, Ryuk-kun! Show me how weak I am!"

While Naruto was busy taunting and trading strikes against the blonde, Izumi was busy analyzing her student's attacks.

"Nee-chan? Isn't that-"

"Mine and kā-sama's taijutsu style? Yes. Yes it is."

Those who heard the exchange or had seen Mikoto in action couldn't help but confirm it for themselves. Every move is precise, elegant, deadly dance of gleaming blades and minute misdirection, a complete departure from what Izumi had seen of Naruto's straightforward taijutsu style.

"If you can't beat me when I'm using oba-chan's style, how do you expect to beat her at full strength?"

The taunting had the desired effect, judging by the scowl that marred the Uchiha's face. Breaking away from the exchange with a high kick, the Uchiha burned through his next hand seals with angered zeal.

"Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu! (Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Technique!)"

Naruto raced through the barrage of fireballs, dancing and dodging around them as she went through her own hand seals.

"Suiton: Mizurappa! (Water Style: Violent Water Wave!)"

Containing the jutsu in her chest rather than forcefully spitting out the technique in its default form of a water bullet, Naruto sprayed the torrent of water towards Ryuk, ending the frontal bombardment of fire. The Uchiha avoided getting swamped, using his Sharingan to predict where Naruto will aim the jutsu, waiting until the blonde could no longer maintain the flood of water to strike.

Pushing forward with kicks to keep his shorter opponent at a disadvantage, if just barely. That plan came to an end when Naruto threw down a smoke bomb, filling the area with a conspicuous red smoke.

"Gahhh!"

Every Uchiha was on high alert as Ryuk screamed and coughed in pain, jumping backwards, out of the cloud in obvious discomfort, his hands rubbing at his eyes, struggling to breathe despite being out of the smoke cloud. Flecks of red dust could be seen all along his clothes and skin, denoting the special properties of the smoke bomb.

"Aww. Do you have something in your eyes, Ryuk-kun?"

"Y-You bitch! What have you done to me?!"

Even as he furiously rubbed his eyes over and over again, Ryuk couldn't focus on the blonde as she slowly strutted out of the smoke cloud, not a single fleck of red on her clothes and skin. Tears poured down his eyes and cheeks, blurring his vision and clouding his judgment through the heat and pain.

"Well, since you asked so nicely, I'll tell you." Naruto pulled out a dark red ball from her utility pouch. "This is a smoke bomb." She paused, letting the suspense hang in the air. "Filled with red chili powder."

"W-What?" Ryuk could hardly focus given the way his eyes, lungs and skin burned from the heat of his own body.

"Mmhmm! Imagine that! A great male Uchiha brought down by a smoke bomb and a cooking ingredient." Naruto disappeared, his voice hanging in the air. "How weak!"

When his instincts screamed at him, Ryuk brought up his arms, blocking a kick from the kunoichi with his forearms. That was the only reprieve he got. Punches, knife hands, and kicks met with his exposed sides, neck and even slipping through the guard of his arms.

"Where's that big talk, Ryuk-kun? I thought you were gonna show me my place? Are you having performance issues?"

By now, Ryuk looked less like a jōnin of Konohagakure and more like the victim of a mugging, bruised and limping as Naruto continued his relentless barrage. Both of his eyes were swollen shut from both the chili powder's irritation and Naruto's punches. His bottom lip is busted and bleeding. Without a doubt, even his sides, neck and arms are bruised and battered by the unforgiving blonde.

On his last legs and struggling to stay conscious against the pain, Ryuk couldn't believe it. He'd lost against an eight year old boy who has yet to reach puberty. An eight year old boy in the body of a girl.

"Gak!"

His labored breathing was cut off as a petite hand wrapped itself around his throat, lifting him off the ground.

"Make no mistake, Ryuk: it doesn't matter if your opponent is a man or a woman, a boy or a girl. Oba-chan, Izumi-chan, and Satsuki-chan are girls, but that doesn't make them any less worthy of the title of shinobi. What I did to you today is a mercy compared to what Izumi-chan would do to you. So, what have you learned today?"

The pressure eased off his neck, sucking in a raspy breath of much needed oxygen.

"M-Man or w-woman, strength can c-come from anyone."

"Good. Now, forfeit the match."

"I… I for-forfeit."

"Victor by forfeit, Naruto Uzumaki!"

Dropping down the asshole, Naruto dispelled his Henge and unsealed a water canteen, slowly pouring the contents on his exposed skin. The clapping of the Uchihas, mostly from the women, filled the air. Even his sensei, who was rather unhappy he'd still held back, was smiling at him.

Izumi clapped along with the rest of her clanswomen. It was nice to know that her student, as idiotic as dense as he could be sometimes with his one-track focus on training, has a good heart. Now, if he would just stop holding back...

AN: Okay, so I had some ideas for this fight, where Naruto would cover his eyes and use Sage Mode to clap some cheeks so he wouldn't be holding back, but then I was like, NAH! POETIC JUSTICE! I had some thoughts on Naruto using Sage-powered ninjutsu since the manga and anime are big fucking cockteases. Like, if Sage Mode lets Naruto make Rasengan the size of a fucking house, what'll happen to Katon? Suiton? I kind of wanted Naruto to flex on Ryuk in this chapter, but then I replaced it with a simple smoke bomb.

Why? Because kid Naruto is fucking broken. This kid, who has chakra pools the size of Kages by the time he was an Academy student, outran Chūnin who were trying to catch him. You'd think that he'd apply his pranking abilities to his combat abilities. Like, replacing paint bombs with smoke bombs filled with chili powder. You Hyūga and Uchiha better watch out!

Hyūga and Uchiha? Use flash grenades. Shika used them against Tayuya, I think. Wanna fuck up someone with special eyes? There you go.

Aburame? Replace paint/water based pellets with a sticky honey/syrup base. There you go. Just fucked up a man's insects.

Inuzuka? Dog whistle. Stink bombs. Smoke bombs laced with a sleeping agent.

UGHHHH. SO MUCH POTENTIAL FOR PRANKSTER NARUTO TO CLAP SOME CHEEKS! BUT NOOOOO!

Anyways, smile and have a nice day!