Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.
We have got a lot to go through in a short period of time.
Naruto closed her eyes and rubbed the sides of her throbbing head before looking at her subordinates and allies. Haku stood right beside her, arms wrapped around the sleeping Lambo while Team Ten sat right in front of her. On either sides of the room was Kyoko and Haru. Both girls looked at her with troubled eyes.
Well all of them looked at her with concerned eyes and she couldn't even blame them. It was something big for her to call them out during the school day, forcing Haru and Haku to skip their respective classes. I have never done this before but this whole situation that is happening right now isn't easy. She rubbed the back of her neck, exhaled and then locked eyes with everyone.
"Oi Naruto, can you tell us why you called us out here?" Ino demanded. Light blue eyes flashed with irritation and the whiskered teen pressed her lips into a thin line. You think I want to call everyone here? There is very little time to confirm everything. They had only seven days starting from today. Seven days for her to gather evidence and hand it to Iemitsu. "And who is that brown-haired girl? She doesn't look like she goes to school here!"
She couldn't tell the man anything without any evidence. Without any evidence, the man would find it hard to believe that Xanxus could have hurt his father to stage the whole thing. I can't even tell Sawada because he won't think things like I do. She grimaced. There was also the fact he would definitely get distracted and worry over the possibility of an old man getting hurt.
I mean I can understand why he would do it if he has a grudge or if he wants power. She pressed her lips into a thin line and darted her eyes at Haku and then landed her eyes on the toddler napping in his arms. If it was not for the fact Hibari and Lambo had gotten involved then she would turn a blind eye to everything. If it was not for the deal she made with Iemitsu then she could just watch everything.
"Naruto, did something happen to Tsuna-san?" A concerned voice asked. Naruto jerked her head away from Lambo and focused her attention on Haru. The brown-haired teen had a small frown decorating her lips and her brown eyes locked onto her like she was begging for her to tell them of what was happening with the boys.
I have to tell them everything. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. What would be the point of having subordinates if she did not tell them the facts that affected them? Haru claimed to have a crush on Tsuna while for Kyoko, the brown-haired boy was her friend. It was even worse for the golden-browned hair girl because her brother was also involved.
The whiskered teen exhaled and picked up the soda that Haku brought for her on his way here. Should she word it delicately for them? That was what would be expected of her but gentleness had never been her thing. Why bother to be something that I'm not? Naruto sighed and forced herself to relax her shoulders.
"The only thing that happened to Sawada is that he met the Varia last night."
The words hung in the air as everyone jerked their heads at her. Their eyes widened to the point that she actually feared their eyes coming out of their sockets. Naruto couldn't blame them. It was kind of a huge news to be dropped in such a casual way but there was no other way to put it out there. Besides they knew that she had this kind of habit.
Naruto inhaled and fixated her attention on Kyoko. The golden-eyed girl took a deep breath and looked down at her hands before looking back at her. She wants to ask me something, doesn't she? That had to be the reason for her wobbly lip and the reason for the waver in her eyes. She exhaled and waved her hand at the golden-eyed girl. If she had something to say then she should say it.
"Are Tsuna-kun and Ryohei going to be fine?" Kyoko asked. The younger girl looked down at her trembling arms before swirling her head back at her. "What is going to happen now? What happened last night? Oniichan has been quiet since last night and Oniichan isn't known for being quiet."
I think I might have broken him with the massacre. She rubbed the back of her neck and looked up at the ceiling. It had been a gruesome sight. A sight that could make any sane person want to vomit but this was something Ryohei must understand if he continued on this path. Naruto exhaled and looked at the frowning girl.
Are they going to be fine? That should be the first question that she should answer before informing Kyoko of the possible cause of her brother becoming mute. But should she claim that they were going to win? That was the outcome she wanted but could they win? That was something she could not predict. If this was a book then the answer would be a definite yes.
But this was real life and real life was unpredictable.
"I don't know but I know you have to have faith in your brother and the others," Naruto answered. The golden-brown haired girl nodded her head and bit her bottom lips while Ino looked at her like she was insane for saying those words. You want me to lie and say that they are going to be fine? Sorry but I won't give false hopes. That had never been her style.
It was cruel if you asked her and not the cruelty that she liked. It is the kind of cruelty that a doctor would give to a family to the patient when they say that a patient is going to survive an operation. She would word a sentence that could give them false hopes but she could claim to be telling the truth. But saying that they were going to win was a lie.
"Starting from tonight onwards, Sawafa and the other guardians will start battling the members of the Varia," the blonde declared. Her eyes hardened as it landed on Kyoko and Haru. Both girls looked to the sleeping toddler on Haku's arms before looking back at her. Is Lambo involved with this fighting too? She nodded.
Haru grinded her teeth together. "Tsuna-san and the others are more than capable of fighting but Lambo-kun is only a kid! He only started training under you a couple of months ago and even then it isn't everyday! You have to stop the fight of Lambo-kun!"
Team Ten blinked and swirled their heads to the toddler in Haku's arms before looking at her. You can't expect that kid to fight! That was what Ino's eyes were yelling at her while Choji looked at Lambo with concerned eyes. Only Shikamaru inspected her with blank eyes as if he was trying to figure out her thought process.
My younger self will realize and will use the 10-year Bazooka to save his ass. Adult Lambo's words echoed in her ears and Naruto folded her legs across each other. Was she willing to make a gamble on the 10-year Bazooka? It was unpredictable. There was no way of knowing that it would be a Lambo who had been guided by her.
But Xanxus would not accept her taking Lambo's place, not when this would be an easy win for Levi. I know I would never accept it because it will make my whole claim easier. She locked eyes on the sleeping toddler. She could always stop the fight between Lambo and Levi but that would mean she had no faith in the future. That she had no faith in the toddler while Iemitsu had faith in his potential.
"Shikamaru, do you understand the concept of Parallel Universes?" Naruto asked the Nara heir. The black-haired teen blinked and knitted his eyebrows, telling her that the boy had never heard of the concept. I will get him a book and maybe he could tell me the odds. Math was her thing but this felt more like a complicated physics matter.
Ino darted her eyes between them, looking absolutely baffled at what the hell she was talking about. I guess she can't figure out the connection between the question and Lambo. Not that it made her an idiot. Even though they had never been friends and were at worst, had an intense dislike for one another…she would never call Ino dumb. There was a reason for the girl for having the highest grades overall in the Academy.
She just was not making things clear.
"Naruto, what does Parallel Universes have to do with the toddler?" Ino asked. She flickered her eyes to the sleeping toddler before landing onto her. Naruto pressed her lips into a thin line and looked at Haru. Brown eyes flashed with confusion and hope as if the concept might give them a huge clue about what to do with Lambo.
I guess no matter how much I train Lambo and her, Haru will always see Lambo as a child. She was not going to scold the girl about her behavior. At this point, Naruto just wanted to close her eyes and take a long nap on the rooftop. A snort escaped her lips. Was this why Hibari wanted to sleep so much? Because dealing with this many people was exhausting if you asked her.
"Parallel Universes are different versions of realities," Naruto answered. The blonde gestured for Haku to hand Lambo to her and her subordinate complied with her wishes. Cradling the child close to her chest, she dug her hand through Lambo's hair and peered down at his afro hair. She needed to find that Bazooka. "For example: Iruka let me pass the exam and I will be a shinobi of Konoha instead of being here."
Kyoko and Haru blinked at this piece of information, mouth opening to ask her a question no doubt and the blonde shook her head. There was no need for them to ask about her past. Konoha was now a distant memory. A memory that she planned to burn into a crisp. Right now was the time for her to focus on Shikamaru, Ino and Choji.
"We understand that now but what does that have to do with Lambo?" Choji asked. His black eyes darted down to the little guy in her arms, eyes filled with so much confusion and worry.
"Remember how Lambo could switch with his future self?" She answered with a sigh. Haru and Kyoko blinked at this piece of information and this earned a raised eyebrow from the blonde. Had they not notice the fact that the boy switched at times? Well, it didn't matter if you asked her. "Well when he switches with his future self, he goes to one of the possible futures that he will have. So there is a future that is linked to our present."
Shikamaru's eyes widened.
"You planned to tell him to switch during the match, don't you?" Shikamaru asked. The blonde nodded and this earned a sigh of relief from Haru. She finds it more acceptable if he is older…well that is reassuring. She darted her eyes back to her childhood classmate and the male frowned. "But it is risky, isn't it? What if he switches to a future where he is an ordinary civilian?"
"That is why I wanted you to calculate the chances of that happening," Naruto admitted. "If the chances are so slim that it is null then we are going with that plan."
Ino frowned. "But isn't the chances slim already? I mean you are a part of his life so you guys are already connected to each other so there is very little chance that he will switch with a future where neither of you have met."
Well when you put it in that way then yes I guess the chances are slim. Naruto exhaled and looked down at the sleeping toddler. But what if there was a future where she died before she could train him? The Akatsuki was still out there. That group was looking for people like her to take away the beast inside her stomach.
There was a huge possibility that they could kill everyone in Konoha and then find her here. We have no idea of how they know who are the jinchuuriki or how they track them down. Her hand crept up to her stomach and Naruto shook her head. She would think about it after the whole Varia thing was done. Once the whole thing was done, she would focus on her own survival.
I need to start thinking of having a second-in-command because when this organization really kicks off then I will need as much help as I could get. Naruto sighed and darted her eyes to Haku before shaking her head. This was not the time for her to focus on organizing everything. That could happen in another time when they had all the time in the world.
"Is today going to be my brother's match?" Kyoko asked softly. Naruto blinked and swirled her head. Did she change the topic on purpose? Judging from the way those golden eyes looked at her with knowing and worried eyes, she had to guess that the answer was yes and no. She relaxed her shoulders. The girl probably changed the topic because she figured out her mind was not on them and also because she was worried for her brother.
She sighed and rubbed the back of her neck as her blue eyes locked onto Kyoko. Those golden eyes pleaded for her to answer and Naruto knew what the girl wanted to do. She loves her brother after all. She is working for me because she wants to protect him. The moment she tells the girl of the matches, she would go and cheer her brother on. That was the only thing Kyoko could do.
"I don't know if today is your brother's match or even Lambo's match," the whiskered girl admitted. The golden-browned hair girl blinked and swirled her head at her. Confusion shone through her eyes as the girl continued to stare at her. She sighed. "They will only announce the match tonight."
Will Hibari be able to reach his match on time? He hasn't sent me a message at all and we can't have him forfeiting his match. Naruto took a deep breath and pulled her phone out of her pocket. Should she send him a message? He needed to know the matches were going to start from this week but his trainer would know anyway. There was no way that Reborn wouldn't inform the instructor by now.
She pressed the phone against her mouth and ignored the suspicious eyes of Ino. I shouldn't contact him while he is training just because I want to use the matches as an excuse to contact him. Naruto shook her head and slipped her phone back into her pockets. Even if she called him to tell him the news, she doubt that he could stay long talking to her.
Besides it was not the same as watching the clouds with him and having lunch with him.
"I want to see the matches," Kyoko said, standing straight. Naruto tore her eyes away from the phone and locked eyes with the golden-brown haired girl. Her eyes was filled with so much determination that she could practically see fire in her eyes. "I will hide from them if you think that I will affect the matches."
Naruto looked at her subordinate and then looked down at her phone. What would she do if tonight was Hibari's match? She poked her tongue against her cheeks and looked up at the ceiling. She would want to see the match no matter what. Knowing that they were fighting against a couple of assassins and not being able to see it would make anyone concern.
She is going to be worried sick if she can't see it for her eyes because I know that is how I feel if I can't see Kyoya fight. The blonde tucked a strand of her blond hair against her ear and looked at Kyoko. But Ryohei might get distracted if he saw his sister there. Unlike Hibari, Ryohei followed his emotions most of the time while Hibari followed his instincts and mind.
"Kyoko should go and she shouldn't hide, Naruto-sama," Haku said. His tone was soft and his brown eyes inspected her carefully as if he knew what was going through her mind. But how can I be certain if it is a good idea? She knew emotionally that Kyoko should be there but her emotions shouldn't rule her decisions. "Ryohei will have more reason to win if he sees her there because he will see the purpose of winning this fight."
If there is one person that Ryohei loves more than anything in the world, it is his sister. She exhaled and looked down at her phone. If Ryohei saw his sister then maybe he would have more reasons to win this match. Haku had the strange belief that people got stronger when they had someone to protect and maybe she should put the belief to the test.
"You can go but if Ryohei asks why you are there then you tell him everything," Naruto said quietly. Her words hung in the air and golden eyes widened with happiness. Before the blonde could even blink or move away, the golden-brown haired girl wrapped her arms around her. Naruto stiffened at the hug and awkwardly patted the girl's back.
Haru puffed her cheeks. "Then I can go too! I want to see Tsuna-san's match too!"
"Okay," Naruto said with a reluctant sigh. She flung her head when Haru went in to hug her. Why am I getting so many hugs? It isn't like I did something incredible. A snort came from in front of her and Naruto peered her head up. Blue eyes narrowed at the amused glint coming from Shikamaru and Choji's eyes while Ino just gawked at them.
Haku just offered her a smile before gently pulling the girls away from her. I can finally breath now. She relaxed her shoulders and the blue-eyed girl locked eyes with Team Ten. Now that they finished discussing of the girls plans for the night, it was now time for them to talk about the most important thing right now.
"Okay now that we are done with the hugs, it is time for us to talk about the most important plan," she declared, clearing her throat. The whiskered girl rubbed the back of her neck and locked eyes with the members of Team Ten. "Team Ten, I have got your address of your target and you will be going in the early hours of the morning to get the information that I want."
All three members of Team Ten bobbed their heads at her and Naruto pulled out the piece of paper from her skirt pocket. This was the address of the hotel that her clone managed to see the Varia entered before flying back home. We are going to find that proof. She exhaled and tossed the note to Shikamaru.
They had to find the proof to win Sawada's inheritance war.
"Naruto! Haku! What bring you guys here?"
Yamamoto wiped the sweat off from his forehead and fixated his eyes on the two teens standing before him. His brown eyes inspected Naruto and Haku, looking for any clues of what brought them. The blankness of her eyes told him that she was definitely not here to talk fun with him. Not that he expected the whiskered teen to talk to him about fun especially with the Varia.
Naruto sighed and took a seat on the floor. Her eyes regarded him with a blankness that made him frown. What was going through that head of hers? Was she thinking of how to explain things? Most likely. He would admit that the girl was getting slightly better at wording things. But she could have been a little bit gentler when talking to us about our reality. The black-haired teen frowned.
"I'm going to help you with your training," Naruto answered. Yamamoto blinked at those words. Help? Was she planning to teach him on a different way of using the sword? Because he was not going to listen to her. He trusted his father and had absolute faith in the Shigure Soen Ryu. Nothing she could tell him was going to change his mind.
He put down the wooden sword and darted his eyes to Haku. Wait. If the blonde was going to be the one training him then Naruto would never bring Haku. She could have brought him to heal me but judging from the way Haku is looking at Naruto…I have a feeling this isn't the case. The black-haired teen sighed and locked eyes with the blonde.
"And how do you plan to help me?" He finally asked. It was better for him to ask because while he might not be dumb…he could not completely figure out what went through her mind. It is really difficult when she smiles like that. That small smile playing on her lips was not the kind that brought warmth in his stomach, but a smile that brought a shiver across his shoulders.
Naruto picked up his wooden sword and twirled it around her finger before tossing it back to him. Yamamoto blinked and caught the sword. Why did she do that? And why was she glancing at Haku before looking back at him. Oh. She was trying to tell him that Haku was the one who was going to help him. But wait…wasn't the older boy a medic?
He couldn't possibly know how to use a sword, could he?
"Haku, do you know how to use a sword?" Yamamoto finally asked. His brown eyes flickered between the two of them, eyebrows knitted together into a single line. If he had known Haku could use a sword then he could have asked him for some tips. But then again, how was he supposed to know? He had never even seen the teen fight before.
But he is quick…he took out Ken with just some senbons. The black-haired teen quirked his lips into a smile. It would be kind of fun to try and fight Haku but that gleam in Naruto's eyes told him that he wouldn't want to fight Haku. It was rare for the blonde to be amused and that gleam in her eyes reminded him of Reborn.
He tore his eyes away from Naruto and blinked when Haku pulled out a scroll from his sleeve. It was an old-fashioned scroll; the kind of scroll used in dramas. Brown eyes widened when the boy opened the scroll to reveal a circle with some characters. What was he going to do? And why was his hand glowing yellow now? Yamamoto gawked as a large broadsword that looked a lot like a butcher knife came out of the scroll.
"This is Kubikiribocho," Haku answered. He picked up the sword and looked at it with a sadness that told Yamamoto volumes of how precious the sword was to him. I think it is even more precious than the sword that Dad has on display in the living room. The older teen swung the sword and the black-haired gulped when the tip of the sword touched his throat. "I don't have much talent when it comes to kenjutsu but I know enough to give you a battle."
No talent? You were so quick! Yamamoto gulped and looked down at the large blade before flicking his eyes to Naruto. She did realize that he was a beginner right? But then again she wouldn't have brought Haku if she didn't know it. I thought I will have more time to perfect the forms. He already mastered the techniques that his father had given him but Naruto must not think it was enough.
She is going through a lot of trouble for us. His brown eyes inspected the blonde sitting on the ground. Black circles decorated her eyes and there was a paleness on her skin. Her whole body seemed to be sweating too. Yamamoto frowned. She must have spent the whole night thinking about how to help them win their matches.
He quirked his lips into a smile.
"Y'know Naruto I owe you big time when I win against Squalo," Yamamoto declared. Blue eyes glinted with faint amusement as if she found his words to be amusing and maybe she did find his words funny. Unlike him, the blonde was always serious. She was not the type to simply believe in something because she did.
As Naruto would like to remind them, she was not naïve and made it a point with the ridiculous high price. So for him to simply go out and say that he was going to win against an experienced fighter was funny for her. But I have complete faith in them. He knew Naruto. He knew her enough to know that she would never do this if she didn't believe it would help him win.
"You are going to be paying me a huge amount of money if you win against Squalo," Naruto declared. The blonde stood up from the ground and smoothed her school skirt. Blue eyes locked onto him, looking at him with a seriousness that made him pause. "I am relying on you and all the other guardians to win your matches because I can't get involved."
Yamamoto looked at her and see the trembles in her shoulders. Are you okay, Naruto? The words were on the tip of his tongue but he knew that Naruto would tell him to focus on his match. There was also the fact that he wasn't Hibari. The blonde was more open around him and maybe she needed him now.
So he could only do the second best thing for her.
"Everything is going to be fine, Naruto."
The whiskered teen sighed.
"If you want to reassure me, make sure you can last a minute against Haku."
A/N: So Yamamoto is going to be fighting Haku for the next couple of days.
Question 1: Do you think it is right for Naruto not to contact Hibari even though she misses him?
Question 2: What is Ino suspicious about? Do you think she will confront her suspicions to Naruto?
Question 3: Do you think Yamamoto is right not to ask Naruto about her mental state at this time?
Please do tell me of your thoughts on this chapter.