The next morning, I stood in an alley, ready to contribute my first part of the master plan. The sun was hidden by clouds and a sense of foreboding sounded in my head.
"Kuchiyose no jutsu," I murmured, watching a cloud of smoke rise up from the ground. It parted to reveal a large black fox, a single jagged white stripe down his flank. His yellow eyes shone with power and wisdom, a rare combination. "Ryuu, I need you to find a young woman by the name of Uchiha Tori."
"Hai, Naruto-sama," he barked, ready to move.
"Ryuu, be careful. The villagers are wary of foxes ever since Kyuu's rampage."
"I'm always careful. What should I do once I find the girl?"
"Lead her to Kakashi's apartment. Kakashi and Hina-chan will be there. Also, try to not talk to Tori. She likes foxes but I'm not sure she'd be able to take in a talking fox without fainting."
"Hai," the fox said, nodding respectfully before running over the rooftops towards the Uchiha compound.
Turning away, I activated my demon eyes and searched for Sasuke's chakra signature. He may have been training late last time, but something could change, I thought to myself. I knew that I didn't want Sasuke coming home, especially in the midst of it.
Found him! I let the chakra recede from my eyes, the color reverting back to blue. Sasuke was in the woods near Konoha, throwing shuriken and kunai at an unsuspecting tree. Watching him miss, I almost laughed, watching the future destroyer of the world, unable to hit a stationary target. I ran to his position, staying hidden in the trees. I hid my chakra signature and Sasuke didn't seem to notice me. When he winced, grabbing a kunai incorrectly, I stifled a laugh and put on my idiot mask, just like Madara.
"Heeeeyyyy, Sasuke!" I yelled, making him jump. I laughed as I jumped out of the bushes. Watching Sasuke laugh after recovering, I was reminded of the differences between the two Uchiha Sasukes I knew. This Sasuke had a sense of humor, the other would have tightened his grip on his kunai.
"Hey Naruto. What are you doing? I thought you and Hinata were going out to ramen."
"We were going to but then her father showed up and took her home. Something about practicing her taijutsu, I think," I said, grateful to my clone's accuracy on my behavior. Then again, we were technically the same person…
"Oh, all right. What are you doing out here?"
"Kakashi's busy, so I was going to do some training. I was on my way to the field Kakashi and I use when I heard you, so I stopped by. Can I join?" I grinned my idiot's grin. It worked like a charm; Sasuke rolled his eyes and gestured next to him.
"As long as you don't hit me," he smirked teasingly. There was no bitterness or anger in his smirk, it was innocence.
"Same to you, I've been practicing," I said, letting my eyes drift into determination as I withdrew a handful of shuriken. Sasuke mirrored my expression and we began to torture the tree.
We spent the entire day training. I showed Sasuke some of the chakra exercises I had learned from Kakashi in the original timeline, such as tree walking. He seemed a little frustrated when he fell the first few times, but seemed to cheer up when I truthfully told him it took me a lot of tries. When the sun had finally set, he was exhausted while I hadn't broken a sweat all day.
"Hey Sasuke, want to go get some ramen? My treat," I coaxed, trying to buy Itachi time.
"Yeah, sure. I'm already late, Okaasan's already going to yell at me," Sasuke shrugged. I couldn't help but scream No she's not to myself. Keeping the façade, I led the way to Ichiraku Ramen.
Once out food was finished, I thanked Teuchi and Ayame and paid, pocketing Gama-chan as we left.
"Hey Sasuke, do you mind if I walk home with you? I haven't seen Itachi-kun in forever!" I said, changing the timeline again.
"You don't think Kakashi-san will mind?"
"Nah, he's busy talking to Danzo."
"The guy in charge of ANBU?"
"And another part of it called ROOT. He wants me to join up."
"But you're seven years old! How could you join that early?" Sasuke asked, shocked.
"Well, your brother was a genin at eight. Isn't he an ANBU captain already? And he's like, thirteen," I defended awkwardly. Sasuke backed down at mention of his brother. He knew Itachi was a prodigy and, even if he was the best brother ever, Sasuke would always be in his shadow.
"I guess…"
We walked in silence until we reached the gates of the Uchiha compound, left ajar. Sasuke walked in, genuinely confused. I feigned confusion as I caught up with Sasuke, stopping at the street.
The ground was bathed in blood, dyed scarlet from the bodies strewn across the pavement. I rushed to a number of bodies, knowing I wouldn't be able to save anyone but still needing to check. Planning was one thing, seeing Sasuke's relatives and friends slain in the street was another. Recognizing some of his friends, Sasuke fell to his knees and threw up. I looked up in a panic, unable to do anything.
"I- I can't do anything. They're all- Your family! We need to- to check," I stammered, jogging to Sasuke's side. He stood, his eyes wide with grief, and nodded shakily. I pulled him in the direction of his house, wishing we were going anywhere else.
A massacre. That is what everyone called it. To Sasuke, it was the loss of nearly everyone in his life he had cared about. Stumbling to Sasuke's parents, lying dead in the living room, I watched as Itachi spoke to Sasuke more harshly than either of us had heard him. Itachi glanced once in my direction before leaving, Sasuke unable to move, I unable to endanger the future.
After the Uchiha Massacre, Itachi was declared a missing-nin and was put into the Bingo Book as an S-ranking ninja. Sasuke moved out of the Uchiha compound, into the apartment I shared with Kakashi. I myself stayed longer than I probably should have, chasing the fan girls away from my grieving friend.
A week after the massacre, I told Sasuke that he should get strong to protect, not to avenge.
~Flashback~
Sitting at the table for breakfast, Kakashi's eyes darted between Sasuke and I. Sasuke stabbed at his pancakes angrily, my eggs untouched. The tension grew in the silence, Kakashi and I communicating with our eyes. Sasuke's features grew darker, brooding, too much like the Sasuke I had known for over ten years of my former life.
"Sasuke… We need to train," I said, breaking the silence. The tension remained and Kakashi began to clear the dishes. Sasuke nodded angrily, his eyes focusing determinedly on the checkered table cloth. "I'm not training to kill your brother," I said quietly. Sasuke's head whipped up, his dark eyes incredulous and angry, hiding a deeper sadness.
"How can you say that? You saw what he did! He- he killed everyone I knew!"
"He didn't kill me, he didn't kill you. I'm not saying Itachi doesn't need to be punished for everything he did, he does. I'm saying I won't train to avenge. What happens once you kill him? What happens if someone else kills him? Then what?"
"Then- then I'll-"
"Sasuke, you don't know what you'll do. I know you too well. I also know that, no matter what I say, you will eventually face Itachi by yourself. But right now, we're seven! We can't take on an S-ranking missing-nin. Your clan had some of the strongest ninja in the Leaf and he defeated all of them!"
"Then what are you saying?" Sasuke yelled, frustrated. I calmed myself before answering in a steady voice.
"I'm saying we need to train to prevent this from happening again, to anyone. I'm sorry, Sasuke, but your family is gone. My parents died the day I was born. No offense Kakashi, but you aren't my father."
"None taken," he smirked behind his mask.
"I'm saying we need to train to protect, not to avenge. If all we do is kill, we're no better than Itachi. So instead of getting stronger to kill Itachi, I'm going to train to protect Hina-chan, you, Kakashi, and the rest of Konoha. That's my nindo!"
I walked out of the door without a glance backwards. I was in the hall when Sasuke caught up to me and put a hand on my shoulder. I paused, not looking back until I heard his voice.
"Can I come?" He asked quietly, swallowing his pride. I smiled and grabbed his wrist, pulling him out the front door.
"We're going to the forest! Tell Iruka-sensei we're taking a personal day!" I yelled to Kakashi, remembering that we had Academy today. Kakashi sighed and picked up a cup of coffee, somehow drinking it without removing his mask.
"Don't forget to-"
"I know, I know!" I shouted back. Sasuke, who had by now taken his wrist back, looked confused at me before I shook my head. "I'll tell you later. It's not important just yet," I said, thinking of Uchiha Tori hiding away in the abandoned Namikaze estate.
"Whatever," Sasuke scoffed before glancing around us at the quickly disappearing buildings. "Where are we going?"
"My personal training field. It's trashed, I know, but it's the best place in the village." He looked like he was going to protest, or question me, but I just smiled. "What, is the great Uchiha Sasuke scared of a little training?" I teased. He scoffed and pointed forward.
"Lead the way, dobe."
"Sure thing, teme," I said, both of us falling into our old nicknames for the other. At the gates of the Forest of Death, Sasuke, like so many others, froze. He judged the height of the fence before staring into the warning trees. I jumped over and waited on the other side. "This is training ground Forty-four. It's usually reserved for the most serious Jounin, ANBU, and ROOT. Even then, most don't come here. Are you coming?"
"Why don't they come here?"
"It's name. Training ground forty four is lovably nicknamed the Forest of Death. There are creatures in those woods that could overpower most Chuunin easily."
"And you want me to go in there?" Sasuke coughed, the brave façade melting away.
"Yes. Don't worry I'm a little… volatile. Everything in here knows not to mess with me when I train." I watched as Sasuke's eyes narrowed, probably wondering just how powerful I could be. I sighed mentally, knowing that I'd have to wound his ego to get him inside the fence. "If you're scared, we can always go to an safer-"
"Shut up, dobe," Sasuke said, his eyes catching the hole in the fence that Hina-chan slipped through. He walked to the gap and passed through easily. I realized that, even if he tried, he might not have been able to jump the tall fence. "Well, are we going?"
"Yep. Stay close, everything in here knows me, not you. Just because your near me doesn't mean your inedible," I said, already moving into the trees. My slash marks on the trees had healed, so I followed my memory and my nose to my clearing.
"So where are you-" Sasuke's question was cut short by the sight of the clearing. Itachi and I had done some sparring so the field was in even worse condition than before. "What happened here?"
"I told you I was powerful. I come here so I don't… So Danzo doesn't know how strong I am. I don't want to be his tool. You have to swear that, no matter what you see here, you won't tell anyone except Kakashi. He already knows about this place. A lot of the damage is from training and sparring with him," I explained, blushing. Sasuke was speechless so I made my way to my favorite tree. "Do you remember what I showed you before? Tree walking?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Follow me," I said, running up the trunk of the oak. I sat on my favorite branch, gazing out at Konoha. Sasuke noisily jumped up to meet me, standing beside me on Hinata-chan's branch.
"So what are you-"
"Look at it. The village. From here, you can see everything; the good, the bad, the rich, the poor. All working in balance with each other as they all try to make the best of what they were given. That's what I want to protect. That's why I'm going to be Hokage," I said, determined. Sasuke looked at the village for a moment before looking back at me.
"So when do we start?"
"You're too impatient, Sasuke. You need to sit and enjoy life. Trust me, by the time I'm done with you, you'll be wishing for the chance to relax," I promised. Sasuke smirked, standing.
"I think I can take it," he said, his pride getting the best of him, again.
"No you can't. But, if your so stubborn, we'll start. First, you're going to do two hundred sit ups, one hundred push ups, one hundred laps around this clearing, then one hundred punches and kicks with each arm and leg," I said, pulling out some chakra weights that I had brought for him.
"What?" Sasuke complained, indignant. "What is the point of-"
"The point is that, at this exact moment, I'm wearing over three hundred pounds of weights. Sixty-five on each arm, seventy on each leg, with another fifty on my vest. If I take off the weights, I'm faster than Kakashi. He can't even see me," I said seriously. "Put these on and activate them with your chakra. Don't use too much chakra or you'll kill yourself. Now," I said, jumping down into the field. I didn't soften my impact and a large crater spread around and under me. "Get started," I grinned evilly. Sasuke gulped but started the exercises.
When he finished, he was exhausted. The chakra weights were doing their job, slowing him down, but I could tell his muscles were slowly getting accustomed to them. Since it was still reasonably early, I sat at the largest crater, eyes closed in meditation before I shouted, "Mizu sutairu: Yoku Idaina!"
I jumped into the crater Kakashi and I had made sparring and slammed my open palm into the rock. The earth cracked under my palm before a rush of water erupted all around me. I jumped back, out of the crater, and watched as it filled with clear water. I paused, smiling at my handiwork, before turning to Sasuke, whose jaw was nearly on the ground.
"We'll both be doing that exercise every day we can train, increasing the weights every four days whether or not we train. Now I'm going to teach you the next chakra control exercise: water walking!"
When we arrived back at Kakashi's apartment, Sasuke was dripping wet and I was struggling not to laugh, my stomach hurting from holding it in all day. Kyuubi laughed with me, enjoying Sasuke's struggle. When Kakashi saw us, he closed his book and his eyes tiredly.
"Please tell me you didn't use the hot spring," he said, a complaint rising in his tone.
"I don't take entertainment from watching children suffer," I chuckled sarcastically to my perverted sensei. Sasuke looked ready to hit me. I'd be scared if I hadn't been punched through a wall by Hinata-chan, Sakura, Tsunade-obaachan, and a number of angry women whilst training with Ero-Sennin.
"Sasuke, don't hit him. It's not his fault his judge of age is off. He is on level with most advanced jounin. Also, he's still bitter from when I taught him how to water walk." I took over at that point, knowing Kakashi would skew the details.
"Kakashi thought it'd be funny to teach me how to water walk over the hottest hot spring in Konoha. Let's just say I didn't get it right the first time," I grimaced. "And he's bitter about the fact that I can beat his ass and I'm only seven. Isn't that right Kakashi?"
"Shut it, kid," Kakashi, grimaced, remembering our latest spar.
~Flashback~
"Are you ready to give up?" Kakashi asked me, breathing heavily. I only laughed before reminding him of my nindo.
"I don't give up. I don't back down. Remember? That's why Iwa hated me," I laughed, dodging a Chidori. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei, are you getting slow? That missed me by a long shot."
"You're lucky I can't-"
"Touch me? Oh yeah, is it intent to kill time yet? Yes? Good. Chidori Rasengan!" I yelled, focusing my chakra to each of my hands. I multitasked, swirling one chakra ball and electrifying the other as I activated demon eyes. "Hey Kakashi! I'd duck if I were you!" I shouted over the wind originating from my Rasengan. The silver-haired ninja's eyes widened- the Sharingan was used in this battle-, and he tried to Shunshin away. He didn't have enough chakra left to dodge it. Both of my attacks went into his left shoulder.
I gasped for a moment before remembering that I had the most powerful medical ninjutsu in my arsenal, courtesy of Senju Tsunade and Haruno Sakura, the Slug Sannin and Neo Slug Sannin, respectively. My hands glowing with green chakra, flickering red at the edges, I held Kakashi's shoulder, laughing as he woke up dazed.
"Hey Kakashi? You are getting slow, I almost killed you that time," I chuckled under my breath. "Not bad for seven years old."
"Shut up, kid."
~End Flashback~
"What?" Sasuke said, his eyes moving nervously between Kakashi and I. Kakashi took over.
"He may not look it, but Naruto is easily one of the strongest ninja in the village. He's a seal master, an expert in genjutsu, invented his own style of taijutsu, and mastered even more ninjutsu than I have, including medical ninjutsu," he reported, seemingly proud.
"Eheh… Kakashi, I told you not to tell anyone that. There's a reason I don't want Danzo to know everything about me," I chuckled, scratching the back of my head in my usual habit.
"And he doesn't like anyone to know he's Kage level," Kakashi added.
"Kakashi-sensei! It's not my fault I'm this… dangerous."
"I didn't say it's your fault, I'm just saying that you're strong. If you wanted to, you could probably take Itachi."
"Oi!" I yelled. Sasuke turned to me, a mixture of confusion, jealousy, and betrayal in his eyes. He looked at me for a moment longer, studying me, before stalking out of the front door, grumbling to himself. Kakashi stared at Sasuke's retreating back.
"Was it something I said?"