Announcement:
Presenting Academy Days part 8, sub-arc 2: Uzumaki Truths; conclusions (8/8), also this marks as the foundations for the Uchiha arc~
Happy Reading!
Thinking
"Bijuu speaking"
Something Else
*Japanese (non-usual)
Arata [新た]
English Meaning(s) for 新た
Fresh; novel
新("Shin") new
た("Ta") it was
《Arc 2: Academy days: Uzumaki Truths》
–Part 8–
Chapter 14: It was a new start
"Nejiiiiiiiii~!"
Shikamaru smirked in fond amusement as he watched Naru tackle the stoic Hyūga. Said Hyūga only grunted, making no move to detach the esteemed fiancé of the Hyūga princess.
"Come now, Naru-kun, you're making Neji-kun uncomfortable," a soft voice called out with a laughter filled tone
Shikamaru curiously observed the Hyūga matriarch. The woman was leaning against her husband, a warm smile on her lips as one hand held the small hand of the young heiress, another cradled the showing pregnant stomach. Unlike the previous timeline, Shikamaru wasn't able to interact with Hinata's mother, only knowing that the woman didn't survive long after her second childbirth.
"Hikari-bachan*!" Naruto cried out excitedly
Hyūga Hikari (1) was a woman that carried Hinata's dark blue-violet hair slightly past her waist, long side bangs framing her face. Her complexion was paler than an average Hyūga, dark visible circles were obvious underneath her pale pupil-less eyes that, just like Hinata, were more pale lavender than white.
This woman was basically Hinata in the future.
Hikari brightly smiled at the little blonde that bounced to wrap her arms around the woman's leg-the only limb that the child could easily reach, "hello to you too, Naru-kun"
"Shika's here too, bachan! And Suke and Ita-nii and Shi-nii will come here too!" the blonde excitedly babbled, leaning happily towards the pale hand that ruffled blonde locks.
"Yes, Naru-kun, I can easily see Shika-kun" the woman laughed
Seeing his cue, Shikamaru approached with a quick bow to the woman, "Ohayo, Hikari-baasama" he greeted softly
The woman smiled, "hello to you too, Shika-kun"
"Hiashi," Shikamaru heard his father's gruff voice calling out to the clan head who looked up from his silent observation of his family
"Shikaku," the man greeted calmly with a nod, "to my office?"
Shikamaru watched his father follow the man, but another set of excited squeals grabbed Shikamaru's attention. The dark haired boy focused on the three new arrivals, the trio Uchiha with the youngest already happily talking with Naruto and a shy Hinata, Neji quietly stood behind with a small pout on his face, Hizashi-Neji's father-stood behind his son with an amused smile on his lips.
"Go and play with your friends, Shika-chan," his mother instructed with a click of her tongue
Shikamaru huffed, muttering "troublesome" underneath his breath before lazily trudging towards the little group that had settled in the Hyūga main household's courtyard
"Happy birthday, Hinata!" the young Sasuke audibly greeted to the princess as he drew near, extending a small package towards the shy child who accepted the gift
"I'm pretty sure Hina-chan would like my gift better than yours, Suke!" the blonde challengingly exclaimed, sticking her tongue out
"Nuh-uh," the youngest Uchiha exclaimed, "my gift is better! Kaa-chan picked it out and she's a girl!"
Shikamaru appeared beside his best friend, tugging her arm, just as she opened her mouth to shout back, his own drawled voice interrupting an obvious disaster "Naru, I'm pretty sure Hinata-san would like both gifts. Don't fight"
The blonde sulked before Hinata shyly called out her attention for a game, easily dragging both Sasuke and Neji, the four ran off, a smiling Hizashi following behind. Feeling a gaze on him, he curiously looked up to meet the equal curious gazes of Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui-two pairs of geniuses in their own rights.
"You're not playing with them?" Shisui teasingly asked
Shikamaru rolled his eyes, now used to the teasing of the eldest Uchiha that came over every now and then to accompany Sasuke to their household, "why don't you play, I'm pretty sure you're childish enough" he shot back
Itachi smirked, "he got you there, cousin," he softly told Shisui who only laughed with a click of his tongue
"But I'm not the midget here, 'tachi" the eldest shot back with a smirk of his own
Shikamaru only scowled, before he paused to see the weariness behind the two physically older boys (He was mentally 17! Or was it 18 now?). Huffing, the physically younger boy turned away from the two, deciding to give them a break, "come on, I have to make sure my idiotic friend doesn't break anything"
He could feel the surprise of the two, knowing that it usually takes more before Shikamaru is satisfied from their friendly bickering. But of course, the time traveler says nothing, raher, he delved into his thoughts, trying to wonder what made the two so weary in their young ages and if it was concerned with the Uchiha Massacre that was in the near future.
Once more, the child wondered if there was more to that little story that had wiped out 99% of the Uchiha's existence in his future.
The child was not blind. During their random walks in the village, he could see the almost distrustful looks shot towards any of their occasional accompanying Uchiha, or even any publicly walking Uchiha. Shikamaru could also see his own father's growing bags under his eyes, along with the almost tense atmosphere around the Uchiha compound on the rare days that he accompanies Naruto in the compound these past few months.
It was only later that night, when the formal party was in full swing, did Shikamaru's heart clench out of fear. Fear for both Naruto and the little Sasuke that he slowly grew fond of, thanks to the blonde's efforts.
His dark brown eyes, in their usual lazy half-lidded state, were focused on the elder that had accompanied the Uchiha clan head and the clan matriarch, Fugaku and Mikoto. The parents of Sasuke were familiar faces to Shikamaru on the rare days that he and Naru were allowed to eat dinner with the esteemed family. But the elder with a visible burnt scar running along the right side of his face was new.
It was also threatening.
The elder's dark eyes kept crawling towards the excited blonde that sat between the blonde's supposed fiancé and the youngest Uchiha heir. Shikamaru had easily seen the tensed shoulders and hidden scowls of Itachi and Shisui when the elder had appeared behind the frowning parents of Sasuke and Itachi.
The elder had not removed his eyes from his best friend since the blonde had been seen to the public eyes. Moreso, Shikamaru despised the almost hungry look the elder's eyes held.
He's seen those eyes from that man. It was a look hungering for power.
Naruto, bless her sixth sense of intuition, did every mean to avoid the elder, something that the other kids had easily sensed from their distressed friend. Hinata, Neji, and even Sasuke helped the blonde avoid the elder by constantly surrounding her in any means possible.
They had managed to avoid a confrontation eight times since the elder had appeared.
"Is something wrong, Shika?"
Said boy snapped out of his thoughts to look up to a frowning Shisui that still kept his eyes on the elder that hovered near the blonde and her friends.
"Is something supposed to be wrong?" the Nara heir shrugged
Shisui snapped his dark eyes to the younger boy, a frown on his face, "you can fool the others but not me, Shika," the young prepubescent teen said softly, his glare softening, "I know you sense something wrong with Uchiha Setsuna (2)"
Shikamaru hummed, "is that the elder's name?"
"Hn," Shisui nodded, a worried frown on his face, "he was an active Uchiha during the Nidaime (3), often vocal about his doubts at the Nidaime's position as Hokage, he was very loud in his thoughts that the Uchiha deserved more"
"So why is he interested in Naru, then?" he accidentally asked out loud in a soft tone
"It's because of what Naruto-kun holds," another soft voice answered, making Shikamaru jump, glaring at the amused face of Itachi, "Shisui, Shikamaru-kun"
"Is it safe to talk about this in the open?" Shisui asked with a frown
"I'm sure Shikamaru-kun knows of Naruto's lineage and power for a time now," the heir replied with a small smug-ish smirk
Shikamaru scowled, "and if I don't?"
"Case and point, little Nara," the ten year old shot back with a smile
"If that's the case," Shisui interrupted with a roll of his eyes, "you have to take Naru away from the village"
"Oh?" Shikamaru muttered, eyes snapping to his friend who was happily digging in her dinner, "why do you say that?"
"It's…" the heir replied, a thoughtful frown on his face, "not safe for her here"
Shikamaru tensed
"Come now," Shisui scoffed, "do you seriously think that we wouldn't notice? You're not the only genius here, Shika"
Said genius only scowled 'yeah but I'm the only time traveller here'
"In any case," Itachi interrupted with a cough to hide his laughter, "you have to convince Hokage-sama to take Naruto-kun away. He's their target, their plan A"
Shikamaru frowned at the two physically older boys, before his eyes widened. Seeing his reaction, the two males looked at each other before nodding towards the boy, Shisui vocalizing his thoughts, "it is, Shikamaru-kun, and so far, Itachi and I have been looking for a way to stop it"
"So far, I've been following along Chichi-ue's orders," Itachi added, sighing heavily, shoulders drooping in weariness, "although, it seems that not even Chichi-ue wants to harm Naruto-kun, as much as possible, it could be out of respect for his friend"
Who's friend? Fugaku?
But the hunched shoulders of the older Uchihas made Shikamaru hesitate to ask.
The image made Shikamaru frown, no ten year old should be weighed down by the problems of a clan. His eyes flew over to the thirteen year old that was also weighed down by the burden, 'none of these two deserves this burden,' he sadly thought
"Don't," Shisui's voice brought him out of his thoughts once more, at Shikamaru's arched brow, the prepubescent teen continued, "don't say we don't deserve this. We're doing this for the future of Konoha, for Sasuke, Naruto, and you
Shikamaru openly gaped at the teen who sadly smiled down at him, ruffling his hair, much to his annoyance, "we're only telling you so you'll keep Naruto protected, and in turn, Itachi and I will protect you and Sasuke"
"You should go to the rest of the kids," Itachi softly said, "lest the adults gets suspicious"
"You're a kid too," Shikamaru weakly argued, sighing at the stubborn amused smiles that stayed at the physically older boys, "please stay safe, Naru actually likes you both"
Shisui scoffed, "I'm pretty sure Naru-chan likes Itachi more, isn't that right, pretty man?" he teased the younger Uchiha
Shikamaru swore that the image of a red-faced Itachi was forever etched in his mind, something he doesn't need the sharingan to do.
"I'm pretty sure Nara's are known to love their sleep"
Shikaku rolled his eyes at the sarcastic drawl that escaped the Hyūga clan leader's lips as soon as they entered the cozy office. The Nara grunted before sinking into the only available couch within the office, not bothering to glare at the man. "I'm sure you're enjoying my misery," he replied instead with a lazy stare to the man who only smirked
"Whether another's misery is seen to be my amusement or not isn't much of your concern, now is it?" Hiashi simply stated, gracefully sitting in his own chair behind the impossibly clean office table
Shikaku stared at the furniture with an eye twitch, his disbelief evident in his face, "that is a farce, right there," he commented. The snort that came from the usual stoic man was covered up by his blank face once more.
"I assure you," the pale man drawled, "that my office table is always this clean, unlike the animalistic pile I can assume your office seems to be"
Shikaku simply rolled his eyes, "is this why you called me here, to mock my table and work ethics?"
Hiashi shook his head, "as much as I enjoy doing so," Shikaku blatantly ignored the amused smile on the other man's face, "I invited you to my study for more important reasons. Moreso, some red-eyed clan reasons"
Shikaku grunted, "I can't say anything, Hiashi, you know that"
The man only nodded, "you can't say anything, but I did not ask you to come here to talk but to simply listen to me"
The Nara arched his brow as he sat up from his sunken position, seeing that he had his attention, Hiashi nodded before tossing the other man a small brown envelope that Shikaku easily caught. Easily opening the small stationary, parchments of papers were withdrawn from the paper.
"This is," Shikaku muttered, his eyes growing wide at every sentence he read, before his sharp brown eyes lifted to meet the pale eyes of his friend, "how did you get these?"
"I have my own sources, Nara" Hiashi shook his head, "and my curiosity was too great to be quenched by your next time"
Shikaku ignored the sarcastic jab, instead, he frowned at the last sentence he read, eyes narrowing dangerously, a snarl escaped his lips, "is this why you invited Fugaku in your daughter's party?"
Hiashi ignored the glare, choosing the calmly sip the small glass of water on his desk, the pale-eyed man regarded his companion with a calm and firm gaze, "I believe that Fugaku, himself, is completely unaware of this progressing," Shikaku frowned, "no, I believe you know what to do with the information I have given you
"But why her?" was the hushed question, mind whirling a thousand steps before landing on the most possible scenario. Meeting the pupil-less gaze of his comrade, Shikaku had to exhale a shuddering breath, "is that not a myth?"
"All myths come from similar possibilities, Shikaku," Hiashi softly responded, "even my clan has such powerful myths, but their clans' myth is pretty much as possible as it is impossible; and most desperate will do anything to acquire such power"
The scarred-face man rubbed a tired hand on his face, mind racing of the possible actions before landing on the most probable, "I don't like this," he admitted, "she's too young"
"Better her and the village's safety than the alternative," Hiashi responded in a blank tone, "trust me when I say that even I had grown fond of that blonde hair, blue-eyed rascal"
Shikaku, despite of the situation, snorted with a smile on his lips, "it's her superpower"
Hiashi arched a brow, "we are shinobi, Shikaku, we don't have superpowers"
"If it isn't," Shikaku smiled playfully, "then what do you call her knack of drawing people in?"
Hiashi hummed, "her intelligence?"
Shikaku couldn't stop himself, he bursted into loud laughter.
Naruto grinned at her friend, "come on, Suke! Hina-chan promised cake!"
The dark haired boy only scowled, "but I don't like sweets!"
The blonde only rolled her eyes, before she beamed as she caught sight of the older Uchiha who was smiling as he followed behind Sasuke. She didn't know why Shika wanted for her to drag the Uchiha trio to eat cake at Hina-chan's room instead. She guessed it might be the scary old man that made her stomach churn whenever he looks her way.
Honestly, she could also hear the voice-she had figured out to be Kurama by now-urging her to get away from the man with his growls. She might not like Kurama anymore, but it doesn't mean she doesn't trust his instinct for scary people.
"Hi Ita-nii!" she squealed happily, jumping to embrace the older boy who easily caught her with a laugh
She could feel Suke's glare but she was just too happy to be hugged by the pretty man.
"Excited as always, Naruto-kun," the older Uchiha said with a smile, and Naruto was glad that the darkness in his eyes disappeared for a bit
Oh no, she wasn't blind. She could see pretty man's eyes and Shisui-nii's tired eyes since a few weeks ago when they came over to Shika's house. It was the same eyes that Shika used to have before he went on his adventure on his birthday, and if Naru can lessen that darkness, she'll do it.
"Mhm, Ita-nii!" she cheered, "didya know, didya know, didya know? Hina-chan and I are engaged!"
The older boy smiled, tapping her in the forehead with two fingers before placing her down beside Sasuke. Naruto immediately held her friend's hand, making the scowl on his face to go away, replaced by a bright smile, "I do, Naruto-kun" Itachi chuckled
"Do you even understand what it means to be engaged, usuratonkachi?" Sasuke asked curiously
"Nope!" Naruto beamed
"I don't think you're supposed to be happy about that" Sasuke deadpanned
"Come on, come onnn" the blonde whined, tugging Sasuke's arm, "let's go~!"
Naruto readily dragged the younger Uchiha towards Hina-chan's room. She eyed the older brother who easily followed in a slower pace, but her lips tugged on a frown when she couldn't spot Shisui-nii anywhere.
She really liked Shisui-nii, unlike Sasuke. Shisui-nii always tries to teach her stuff, even how to throw pointy objects! Although she wanted pointy objects to go boom, Ita-nii made Shisui-nii say no. Ita-nii is really a pretty pretty man, but Ita-nii really likes Sasuke more than her, not that Sasuke knows. Suke's very uh, clingy (yeah, that's it) to Ita-nii, as much as Ita-nii was to Suke.
"Glad you could make it, Naru," Shika's lazy greeting made the blonde smile brightly
'It's okay if Suke is clingy to Ita-nii,' she reassured herself, 'I can be clingy to Shika instead!'
"Where's Shisui, weasel-san?" Shika teasingly asked Ita-nii who simply rolled his eyes
Sometimes, whenever Shika, Ita-nii, and Shisui-nii talk, it feels like a bunch of adults are talking.
"He had to talk to Chichi-ue, little Nara" Ita-nii replied easily, whilst easily grabbing Suke who was about to jump off the chair he climbed, placing the younger brother down beside Naruto who was looking up in awe. Itachi turned to his younger brother, "play easily, Sasuke, Haha-ue will not be amused if you injure yourself from a tea party"
Sasuke turned red like his favorite food (who likes tomatoes but hates sweets?! yuck!), "it's not a tea party, nii-san!" he whined, "it's a very important political meeting!"
Hina-chan giggled, "Naru-kun," she softly called, "c-can you a-a-ask N-Neji-nii-s-sama to h-h-hurry up w-w-w-with th-the su-surprise?"
"Surprise?" Sasuke asked curiously, even Ita-nii looked up curiously from the shogi match between him and Shika
"It's a surprise," Naruto laughed before winking at Hina-chan who turned red, "and sure, Hina-hime," she ignored the squawk of surprise from the younger girl, "imma be right back"
"Naru," Shika's calm call made the blonde pause to look up to meet a lazy stare form her best friend, "you know the drill"
Naru rolled her eyes but grinned back, "gotcha, Shika, be back in a flash"
She ran out too quickly, failing to see the jerk of surprise from Ita-nii and the curious gaze of Shika to the other heir's reaction.
Naruto hummed as she walked down the quiet hallway back to the courtyard. Slipping into the buzzing courtyard was easy, but a pout slid to her face as she tried to look for the older Hyūga cousin. The blonde was hoping to surprise the older boy, it had been her goal ever since he declared that no one besides his father could ever surprise attack him.
Ha. Naruto loves a challenge, and that was a blatant challenge from the older boy.
With an easy grin on her face, the blonde easily swept through masses of legs and bodies towards the last place she saw Neji, near Hikari-baachan and Yoshino-nee. A yelp escaped her lips as she found herself knocking into a leg, ungracefully landing on her butt, she groaned as she rubbed her forehead, squinting to look up to the person she bumped into, an apology ready on her lips.
But faded with a gulp as she met with the smile of the scary old man that arrived at the party with Fugaku-jiisan and Mikoto-bachan.
"Sorry there, little guy," the man's voice was smooth, but it made the back of Naru's neck tingle, "didn't see you over there"
"U-uh," Naruto muttered, standing up with shaky legs, refusing to meet the man's stare, "it's okay, I wasn't looking either" she muttered in reply
"Who were you looking for? Maybe I could help you?"
Naruto looked up in surprise, resisting the urge to flinch as she met his spinning red eyes that were like Shisui-nii and Ita-nii's eyes. She opened her mouth to open, a hazy urge to tell him the truth grasped her chest, making her inwardly frown and whine.
But before she could reply, a hand smacked the back of her head. She openly whined, shooting a glare at the grinning Shisui-nii who had a curious Neji clinging to his pants, "Shisui-nii! That hurts!" she whined
Shisui-nii didn't drop his smile even when he met the gaze of the elder whose eyes were black, making Naruto wonder if she was seeing things. The blonde tilted her head slightly when Shisui-nii's smile turned sharper, a different feeling in it rather than the warmth she was used to, "My apologies, Setsuna-sama," his voice was smooth and cold, unlike the usual happy voice he spoke to her with, "I shall take Naruto-sama back to Hinata-sama now"
"Hm, alright, boy," the old man replied with a thoughtful voice, much like Jijii would sometimes talk to her and Shika, "run along then"
Shisui-nii bowed once before grabbing Naruto's hand roughly, making the blonde flinch lightly. The brisk walk back to Hina-chan's room was silent until Shisui paused a few doors away, turning to Naruto, the older boy smiled, and Naruto was relieved to see the warmth back in the smile, but the darkness in his eyes made Naruto fidget
"Are you okay, Naru-chan?" he asked softly, kneeling down to her height
"The old man was following you," Neji spoke softly with a frown on his face, eyebrows furrowed, as he stepped closer, "when I told Shisui-san of such, he immediately dragged me to you," turning his gaze to the older Uchiha, "I gather that we must stay away from the man?"
Shisui sighed but nodded, "yes, that much is true," ash grey eyes met blue ones, "especially you, Naru-chan"
Naruto frowned but she nodded, "hai, Shisui-nii"
Shisui smiled, poking her forehead much alike to how Ita-nii does, "come now, Neji has the little surprise for Itachi and Sasuke-chan"
Naruto grinned as Neji shyly smiled back to the blonde, handing her a paper bag, "Hikari-basama made sure they were identical"
Naruto cheered, "alright!" grabbing the older boy's wrist, she dashed to the room, "let's go give these to Ita-nii and Suke!"
"This is certainly interesting," Hiruzen hummed in amusement as he entered the cozy study of the Hyūga clan head.
The surprised jerks of the two adults in the room gave indication that none of them had felt him approaching, giving the old leader a certain sense of satisfaction of still being in the game of shinobi. Shikaku pulled back from his leaning perch against the glaring match against Hiashi, the stoic man was slightly leaning forward in what Hiruzen would fathom as 'being in the zone', as the youngsters would say.
"Please," the Sarutobi drawled with a teasing smile, "continue to relieve of your sexual aggression, I can always come by once you two are done"
The sense of satisfaction arose as the two mens' faces grew an embarrassed flush against respective pale and tan skins.
"Hokage-sama," Shikaku greeted with an embarrassed voice crack that made the other clan leader snort, "apologies for not sensing your arrival"
Hiruzen hummed with a smile, gracefully sitting on the available couch, "I gather you two were busy," cue the blushing once more, "but Hiashi had told me my presence was much needed"
At once, all teasing and amusement left as Hiashi stoically nodded. Shikaku handed Hiruzen a small brown envelope, easily reading through the parchments inside, Hiruzen hummed in contemplative thought, "this has been easily kept to yourself, Hiashi?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama," the man replied
"In my defense," Shikaku added, "he figured everything out on his own"
Hiruzen smiled at the Nara man, "I do not blame you, Shikaku, Hiashi was worried in his own rights," turning his gaze to the pale-eyed man, Hiruzen dropped his smile, "but as such, I was already aware of their plans, and I have already made the appropriate plans to distinguish their methods"
Hiashi frowned, along with Shikaku. Their exchanges of gazes were obvious, both quickly recognizing that both of them were left in the dark. Hiruzen simply chuckled as he brought out his own scroll, easily handing it to the closest man, Shikaku, he allowed the two men to read. The confusion on their faces dwindling down to a sad understanding.
"Is there no other choice, Hokage-sama?" Hiashi asked first, surprising Hiruzen as he had expected the man that had come to view as the blonde's adoptive father to make his thoughts heard first
"As such," Hiruzen spoke, catching both men's attention, "Jiraiya had already planned things out, even before all of these came out to the open. It just made more sense to follow along my student's plans if it can kill two birds with one stone, no?"
"He was angry about the incident three months ago," Shikaku added thoughtfully
Hiruzen nodded, "he was"
Shikaku visibly tensed, before his shoulders dropped defeatedly, "how long?" he asked, voice almost unheard within the small study
Hiruzen sighed, "at best?" he asked rhetorically, "three years. Ideally? Five"
The pitying faces of Hiruzen and Hiashi were sent to the man who visibly flinched. Shikaku laughed hollowly, "that would break the kids' hearts"
"It will not be forever, Shikaku," Hiashi spoke, almost comfortingly, "it's for the best, too"
Hiruzen could only watch as Shikaku nodded, eyes hazy with faraway thoughts. The old man could only hope that their actions for the safety of the children, of the village, would not ruin the bonds the young generations had easily formed.
Shikamaru detachedly watched as Naru ran around their inner garden, chasing after Ino and Chōji in a sudden game of tag. A smile tugged on his lips as the blonde excitedly shouted as she managed to tackle Ino to the ground.
"Aren't you supposed to be playing with them, being a gaki and all?"
"Aren't you supposed to be at the hot springs, spying on girls, being a pervert and all?" he readily retorted, the easy smile on his lips a stark contrast the his words
"Glad to know that you missed me," the sarcastic words made Shikamaru look up with a smirk, the big man's face was blank as his eyes were focused on the trio of kids that were busy playing, "she looks like she's having fun"
"They all are," Shikamaru responded, sitting up from his half-lied position, stretching his arms and groaning out in satisfaction as his joints popped
The white-haired man snorted, "you're like an old man"
Shikamaru only arched a brow, "what are you doing here, Jiraiya?"
"It's Jiraiya-sama to you, gaki," the gama sennin snapped back, "and I'm here to talk to Naruto"
Shikamaru tried to hide the flash of pain, but based on the narrowed gaze of the man, he did a bad job, "oh" the time traveller only muttered
The boy heard the bigger man sigh, jerking in surprise as a hand landed gently on his head. Shikamaru looked up confusedly at the man who wasn't looking his way, "you still have time, kid, I won't take her till her sixth birthday. And you could easily still talk through letters"
Shikamaru frowned, "figures you wouldn't wonder how come I know, despite the fact I'm just a kid," he didn't mean the venom in his words, it just slipped out. But the boy felt powerless in his body. He couldn't protect Naru, not once. Somehow, only her luck managed to pull her out of her troubles each damn time.
"I don't know why you're so hung up about protecting Naruto," Jiraiya stated, hand not moving away from the Nara heir's head, "but you're still a kid, like I told ya. Leave the protection to the adults. You can have your time when you grow up."
Shikamaru stayed silent.
"JIRAIYA-JIJII!"
The loud proclamation of the blonde halted the chase. Shikamaru sighed, a smile on his lips as the man easily caught the blonde barrelling her way towards the big man.
"Hey there kiddo," the man greeted with a loud laughter, "glad to see one of 'em kids happy to see me"
"Shika's a grouch, jijii," Naruto laughed, "he's never glad to see anyone but me"
"Oh?" the man laughed, easily tickling the blonde who squirmed with laughter, making Shikamaru's smile brighten, "why is that, kiddo?"
"'Cuz I'm special!" the blonde cheered, dashing away from the tickling hands, easily running behind Shika who played along by lazily raising his hands to 'protect' the blonde from the tickles
"I'm special too, Naru!" Ino's loud yell made Shikamaru snort, "hey, what's so funny, Shikamaru?! Daddy said I'm his princess! That makes me special too!"
"Sure thing, Ino," Shikamaru shot back with a smirk, "you're special too"
The platinum blonde girl only huffed, turning to Chōji and grabbing his chubby hand, she proceeded to drag him back to the pile of toys in the garden. The indigent yelp of the Akimichi heir went ignored by the Yamanaka heiress.
"Hey gaki," Jiraiya's call to Naruto made the hyper blonde pause in rushing after her friends. She turned back to the man with a tilted head, portraying her silent question.
"What do you say about going on an adventure with me when you turn six?"
"An adventure?" Shikamaru ignored the pang on his chest when he heard the almost excited yelp of the blonde
"Yup, what do you say, gaki?"
Shikamaru blinked when the blonde stayed silent. His eyebrows furrowed when the blonde shyly looked up to him with a pout on her lips, "would you be with us too, Shika?"
He will blatantly ignore all the calls of him blushing and most especially, the warmth that blossomed in his chest after that simple question of the blonde.
Sighing softly, Shikamaru gestured to the blonde to come closer, and when she did, he smiled softly as he flick her forehead lightly. The smirk on his face from her yelp hid the almost urge to cry, from what, he doesn't have a clue.
"I can't, Naru," he responded gently, "it's your own adventure, and you won't be back for awhile if you do go"
'Not that she had a choice,' a small voice retorted, a voice Shikamaru easily ignored
The blonde bit her lower lip, eyebrows meeting in deep thought as she played with the hem of her orange hoodie, "but I'll come back, right?"
"Of course you will," Jiraiya responded with a huff, "and even stronger than Shikamaru, too"
Said boy only rolled his eyes, making the blonde giggle, "then, I can protect Shikamaru when I come back?"
Once again, he ignored the warmth in his chest and the fluttering feeling in his stomach. Maybe he was getting sick? He should ask Kasuga-nii for some medicine later on.
"You betcha," the sannin responded with a promising grin
Naruto met Shikamaru's eyes again, but this time, there was a fire of determination there, almost alike to the determination he saw in his Naruto, "I'll go, Shika," she said with a grin, "but make sure you're pretty strong too"
Shikamaru smirked, flicking her forehead again, "you got it, Naru," he softly said
"Naruto! Come on! Let's play Ninja!"
Naruto grinned at Shikamaru one more time before turning to Ino who had yelled for her attention, "coming, Ino-chan!" she called out, before dashing towards the duo that awaited another game.
"I'll make sure she writes?" Jiraiya offere
Shikamaru rolled his eyes, "don't bother. She'll do it herself," he trudged towards the three kids, hoping to spend as much time as he could with his favorite blonde before she leaves, missing the warm look the Sannin shot towards his back.
It wasn't the childhood he remembered, neither was it the childhood he planned, but if it kept Naru safe, then he has no qualms.
Shisui sighed, sinking to the grass with a tired groan as soon as he arrived in the fields.
"I'm guessing things aren't getting better in Uchiha land?"
Shisui threw a glare at the sardonically smiling Nara heir, "why are you even here, I'm pretty sure I just invited Itachi to go training today"
"Be nice, Shisui," at the admonishing of the younger Uchiha, Shisui casted a betrayed look at his favorite cousin, "the little Nara's bored at home"
"Not my fault his source of entertainment had already left," Shisui grumbled, earning a kick that made him yelp
"Naru's not just a source of entertainment, you blundering Uchiha," the Nara heir drawled, innocently smiling at the glare aimed his way, "plus I needed some training to be done"
"And why are we your training partners if you have a whole clan at your beck and call?" the eldest among the three grumble
Shikamaru smirked, and almost instinctively, Shisui shot up as he dodged the stretching shadow from the newly turned six year old Nara, "you don't hold back, that's why"
The smirk of the young Nara fell as a yelp escaped his lips along with dodging a shuriken that nearly stabbed his nose. The Uchiha heir smirked, "go stretch, little Nara, then we'll spar"
Shikamaru rolled his eyes but jogged away to start on his stretches, as Shisui watched with a small sad smile on his lips, "Itachi?"
The younger Uchiha looked up, adopting a curious look on his young face, "Hn"
Shisui smiled, haunted eyes looking down to meet his cousin's shocked face, "it's all falling apart, isn't it?"
He watched as his cousin looked away, muttering a short and hesitant "hn"
Despite himself, a short, hollow laugh escaped his lips, ash-colored eyes keeping track of the youngest genius amongst them. He knew things were getting worse, it had been months since he found out his clans' plans.
"He was right," Shisui whispered, seeing his cousin's face at the corner of his eyes, he knew Itachi was listening, "Nii-chan was right, all along, the clan will end up being their own downfall"
Shisui knew that there was a possibility not all of them would get out alive, and as he watched his younger cousin chase after the Nara heir to start a spar, he swore to himself, to his once brother figure, that if one them had to die.
It would be Uchiha Shisui.
Hiruzen kept a stoic face as the killer intent rose all around him. The leader moved his eyes from his two old teammates to the barely hidden angered face of his once closest friend and rival.
"Are you angry, Danzō?" he asked simply, sipping his tea calmly
"This is mad, Hokage-sama," Hiruzen ignored the venom of sarcasm implied, "the weapon-"
"Is nothing but a child," the Sarutobi reminded gently, as if chastising a child. The Sandaime watched as the old war hawk bristled, but kept silent. "Jiraiya had already taken Naruto a week ago, and I am only informing my closest advisors for your own knowledge of my predecessors' only child's position."
"Hiruzen," Koharu called out with a frown on her face, not that Hiruzen had seen a smile on her face for years, "is this wise? You had not seek the counsel of your advisors before you made this decision"
"And, praytell, Koharu, what would have been your decision if I had told you of my thoughts six months prior to the event?" Hiruzen asked with a smile
She kept silent. They all did, and it was with a feeling of satisfaction that Hiruzen waved his hand as a quiet instruction of dismissal.
"We are still your advisors, Hiruzen," Homura reminded with a displeased frown
"Yes, you are," Hiruzen agreed, much to his growing ire, "but as my advisors, I only seek your counsel, and as Hokage," he paused to meet each of their gazes equally, "I make the final decision, and this is my final decision.
For a brief silence, Homura and Koharu stayed rooted in their place, but as once, they turned away from Hiruzen and out of his office, leaving only the old man with his once rival. Danzō kept his singular eyes from the shadows of the room, drawled by the setting sun behind Hiruzen's back.
'Fitting,' the old man thought with quiet derision, 'that I would remain within the confines of light and that he would befall in the grasps of shadows'
"I do not understand your plot," Danzō's voice was calm and collected, unlike the feelings of aggression Hiruzen could place within the man's chakra, "but know that this is your worst plan as of yet, old friend."
Hiruzen did not reply; there was no need, as the elder shuffled out of the room, leaving the leader scarce within the silence of his office. An office that was his for far too long. Looking out to the setting sun, Hiruzen's thoughts reach out towards a pair of children, one with bright blonde hair and shimmering blue eyes, another with dark brown, almost black hair, and lazy, intelligent brown eyes.
Hopefully, with them in the picture, the future may be brighter than what he had seen.
Japanese:
Baachan - usually 'Obaachan'/ 'Obaasan'; pertaining to grandma or someone that's a grandmother figure
Bachan - usually 'Obachan' / 'Obasan'; pertaining to an aunt or an older woman
Naruto Stuff
Hyūga Hikari - Hinata and Hanabi's mom; she doesn't have a name in canon, but I took her description from Narutopedia
Uchiha Setsuna - (first old man I found in Narutopedia) was a member of the Uchiha clan during the reign of the Second Hokage. He was also a member of the Konoha Military Police Force. Setsuna was an Uchiha Shinobi who had doubts about the Second Hokage. He planned to reclaim power from the Senju clan
Nidaime - literally meaning: second; pertaining to the second Hokage in this scenario
A/N:
AND FINALLY we are arriving at the most teased arc, the Uchiha Massacre arc! Hopefully, I won't stick with old and usual tactics of how authors regarding the Uchiha arc on time travel fics, at the same time, I'm trying to stick with Canon facts (especially the timeline).
Some pointers: at the end of this chapter, a year had passed from the first part of the chapter. So by the next chapter, Naruto and the gang would be starting at six years old, but take note that it won't stick to that. There would be major jumps within the next few chapters.
Thoughts:
I'm honestly excited to do the next chapters. Hopefully you all enjoy it!
RR if you wish! I would love to hear constructive criticisms, along with your thoughts regarding the story.
Reply/s:
Loralie Gold Dream hopefully you're ready for the next arc, please do take deep breaths, hyperventilating is not a fun thing.
Namikaze18 Older Naru won't make appearances anymore, sad to say! Yoshino is the best mom figure after Kushina and Mikoto
Yuki I'm glad you enjoy the interactions! Thank you for waiting for the next chapter, hopefully you enjoyed this one as well
Next Chapter Preview:
"Dear Shika, Jiraiya-jiji is a big pervert"
"Do you really have to say this? What if Yoshino-san reads it?"
"Suck it, you big perv!"
"Hinata-sama, why are you alone?"
"N-ne-neji-niisan…"
"Itachi-kun?"
"You're...Izumi?"
"Woah, you're a girl too?!"
"Y-yeah, I am!"
"Brat! Come back here!"
"I need you to spy on my son"
"...Hai, Fugaku-sama"