Three men stood staring at a girl in a dimly lit room. The men were large and strong with calluses and scars speaking of a history of violence. They stared at the unaware girl reading the peculiar book.

"What time was it?" asked one Man among them.

"7:42", came a voice from the skies answering his question. The girl did not hear the booming voice and continued reading her book.

"Ah come on man, turn the volume down. No need to burst our ears."

Said the blond man of the group.

"Calm down Inoichi, it's not sound, it's the illusion of one." Responded the largest man of the group.

"Sorry, that was instinctive." Responds Inoichi. He continues when she noticed the change in what the girl was doing. "What is she trying to do?"

"That is the question is it not? It seems as though she is trying to activate some—ninjitsu. She does this every 5 minutes or so. What a drag—Panda, could you show us the chakra overview?" Answers the final man of the group. Immediately the scenery changes. The uneasy girl reading a book and occasionally looking up framed by the setting sun and explosions in the distance was replaced with a cacophony of colours.

"I don't want to see the background chakra. Just focus on the girl please." Continued the unusually attentive man. The scenery changes again, and the area not surrounding the girl returns to the original scene. And the girl vanishes.

"Fascinating."

"Fascinating? She just vanished. Just like that. Don't you think it might just be Panda misremembering it?" Asked the blonde man.

"Could be, I won't discount it. Not misremembering, It could be that Panda's memory was edited or his observation was blocked but not misremembering. The Sharingan's ability to remember has never failed. I am wondering if she had some Jutsu or Jutsu equivalent protecting her from the Sharingan. How about it Panda, anything to add? And this time write it down, if you think being present and maintaining the Genjutsu will be too much."

A scroll appears in midair with the face of a frowning panda which then morphs into one with the panda shaking his head.

"I don't understand how he can do that but not be with us. Any Idea Shikaku?" Asked the large man.

"Hmm… No. Never bothered learning too much Genjutsu. But if I had to guess it would be the strain of keeping up two perspectives. But I don't want to get into it."

Just as he finishes speaking the girl stands up.

"What is she up to now?"

She was walking around the room searching for something. She was looking behind bookshelves, curtains on the desk and everywhere she could look.

"We didn't leave anything important here did we?" Asked the large man with a bit of worry sweeping into his voice.

"No all she should find is what we deem important for guests to see. It's the waiting room for A-rank clients. Also, Choza, remind me once we are done here to ask for new desks for my room. Compared to my desk and chair these guys are sitting in heaven."

Choza laughs out loud as he responds. "Hah, you wish. Everyone knows that you won't get any work done if you are given a comfier desk."

"Man, what a drag. Can't even get a soft desk, why do I bother working?"

All that gains the military commander is a slight shove from his friends.

"Hey look she has finished picking up what she wanted and it's ink and brush. Did she not see the one that was placed right in front of her?"

"She did." Shikaku lets out a contemplative sigh. "I think I am done here. Let's move forward. I want to see how she leaves."

The scenery around them speeds up. Going faster and faster then it slows down. The girl that had fallen asleep at some point immediately woke up.

"What? Did she get some invisible message?" Asks Inoichi.

She walks towards the door, opens it and sees a leaf ninja.

"Ah, I Forget that there is no sound." Inoichi who was more accustomed to seeing, hearing and sometimes tasting memories answers his own question.

An unhappy panda appears in mid-air with eyes bursting with tears.

"Woah calm down kid. Your reconstruction is perfect. It's just an old man forgetting his surroundings." Inoichi lets out an awkward laugh.

She finished talking with the leaf ninja that had bought her some news closes the door and sits back down on her chair. Her mood switches again. And this time there was nothing else causing it, she stretches her hands and the next moment she was gone without a trace.

"So she did get an invisible message?" Asks Inoichi. No one answers his question but Shikaku speaks up.

"Panda, I want a side-by-side comparison of the fourth's flying thunder god technique" There is a pang of sadness that permeated the room at the mention of the fourth, Shikaku gives it a second but continues. "Once in chakra view and once in regular."

An illusory image of the deceased fourth Hokage's visage appears in front of them standing heroically in front of them and the next moment he is gone. Then the same happens but this time shows the chakra within the Hokage and how it temporarily and almost imperceptibly spikes before each jump.

Comparing that to the girl's miraculous feat, Shikaku had two conclusions.

"The girl is a void. A chakra void. She has no chakra in her body. Not even the gates that were long theorized to be fundamental to life but at this point, I don't know if what we are looking at is a girl even. But why even appear as one and why…" He trails off from there. His friends understanding of his idiosyncrasies, just like he understood theirs, lets him. Shikaku had never been forthcoming with his words before he had reached a conclusion he was satisfied with.

"No, I am focusing on the wrong piece here. No, what's important is her face. Her relief. Relief that she is finally able to leave. Furthermore, she wasn't expecting it. I can also say with certainty that she knows where her—Jutsu—will lead her." He says that and closes his eyes. "I am ready to leave. Good Job panda. Kai."

His proclamation was followed by two other 'Kai'. Ending the simulation Genjutsu.

Choza usually loved the sound of sizzling pork. Even if it was prepared with almost no care, pork had just the right amount of natural goodness that he loved every time. But not when it was the fifth day of eating only fried pork and chicken. And this time he wasn't doing it out of fancy or even to bulk up for his clan's special Jutsu.

The nine tail's roar and aura of malice had done something to the farms near where the fight went down. Farm animals with no defence against its aura. The aura had done irreparable damage to the livestock. Some refused to eat any food, Some refused to stand still and died of exhaustion, and Some died of exposure.

Meat prices were at the lowest they had been in forever. They didn't have enough storage seals to store it all. Of the three people who could draw a storage seal, The fourth Hokage had sacrificed himself, Lady Kushina was recovering from her—everything and Sanin Jiraya was still on his way here. And if Shikaku had to be believed, absolutely will not be here till this meeting was done and the result made public.

Shikaku said it was due to the Sanin not wanting to be Hokage but Choza chose to believe in an alternate explanation that it was to deter other nations from attacking the leaf at the lowest it had been since its conception by—doing something. He wasn't clear on what.

"What I wouldn't do for some vegetables." said someone at the table. Choza looked around and it had come from a dour-looking Tsume Inuzuka. The comment gained her sour looks from around the table, prominent looks being shot from the third Hokage's remaining teammates Homura Mitokado, the Hyuga patriarch whose name he forgot and the ever-serious Fugaku.

"Lady Tsume, We are going to be facing embargos on trade soon. We need to save as much food for the winter from neighbouring regions as we can, therefore we start with the animals we weren't able to save." Lord Danzo explains as he walks into the room. The frown on Tsume's face that had become visible when someone had called her Lady Tsume had only grown as the words continues. Sometimes he thought that no one truly liked the Root. Even the Third radiated unease when he was seen with Danzo in public.

The heavily bandaged elder walked into the most important meeting of clan heads and important figures in recent Leaf history nodded to everyone and asked.

"Are we waiting for someone? Where's Hokage Hiruzen?"

"I have not put the hat back on yet Danzo. Only Hiruzen for now."

Danzo frowns as he responds. "We all know how this is going to end. Why not just skip forwards? It will be a simultaneous display of begging and bickering. Where no one who the majority wants to be Hokage will want to be one and one who wants to be the Hokage? No one would want them to be the Hokage. As I just said we all know who is going to be the next Hokage. Why not just skip to it, we have more than enough matters to discuss beyond it."

"And which group are you in Danzo?" Asks a peeved Fugaku.

"Which group of what?" Danzo asks.

"Which group of people are you in? Do you want to be a Hokage or Do you not?" Fugaku expands on his question.

"Ah, that would be telling will it not, Kid?" Danzo smirks as he responds.

The 'kid' comment was not just irritating to Fugaku but to more than half the table. Because almost all of the clan heads were from the 'Kid's' generation, as was in tradition. Choza wasn't ticked off, he knew how these games went with the elders. He had a batch of his own to contend with back in his clan.

Before Fugaku could respond the third butts in with practised and resigned calm.

"Please Danzo, Fugaku calm down and take a seat. We have a reason for traditions and laws no matter how pointless and unused they may be. And unlike you, I don't believe that this meeting will be useless Danzo. I believe someone will relieve me of duty."

No one meets the Hokage's eyes as he said it. He lets out a sigh and continues.

"With that said I am starting this meeting about who should be chosen as the fifth Hokage of the Village hidden in the leaf. By the authority entrusted upon me by the village, and as its protector, I ask you to speak when spoken to and uphold the pillars upon which the village was built. Let us begin."

"First, is anyone against me leading this meeting, If there is anyone please speak up."

No one does.

"Second, Do you disagree that the village needs a new leader? If anyone disagrees please speak up."

No one does.

"Third, Do you disagree with the central mission of this meeting? That is to choose our next leader. If anyone disagrees please speak up."

And as expected no one does.

"Fourth, from the gathering of clan heads and heads of military branches that are gathered here, does anyone feel like someone is missing or wants to put forward a nominee? Please raise your hands."

The first question that was asked for something more than setting the mood causes three hands to be raised. Lord Hyuga, Tsume and—Shikaku. Choza was surprised. Though he probably should not be considering how serious this meeting was.

"I see, Lord Hirataka Hyuga. Please go first."

The old man, older than the Hokage and somehow still alive and the clan leader of the Noble Hyuga clan raises his voice.

"I wish for my son Hiashi to be part of this gathering, Lord Hokage."

"I am not the Hokage, But I will allow it. I believe he is standing outside?" Asks the Hokage.

He receives a nod from Hiashi.

"However I will have to ask that you step out if you are bringing in your son. I cannot have the votes be swung in your favour, Lord Hyuga."

The old patriarch seems to have been expecting this so he nods and stands up.

"These old bones have already seen two of these. I do not wish to see another. I will send him in as I step out." He bows as he walks out.

"Thank you. Next Tsume, who do you want to put forward?"

The tattoo-covered face of the Inazuma clan matriarch slits opens in a grin."Lady Tsunade. Why isn't she here? We all know why Lord Jiraya isn't and None of us will let that snake bastard get near the village. But why isn't the Senju princess here, if she is just late, shouldn't we wait for her?"

Another long sigh came from the Hokage, a sigh that looked like it added years onto him. "I was told she would rather die than lead the village. No, she will not be coming either. The last of her clan no matter how distant perished in the Fox attack. I do not wish to ask her to take on this burden at this time."

And thus ended the last of the Senju blood, well except for Tsunade. He had known Tsunade personally and he knew that she would not have come back today. Maybe in the future but not after an old wound had just opened again.

"Finally, Shikaku. Who do you have to bring up?"

"Why isn't Lady Kushina here? She deserves to be here as much as any other person."

The room collectively cringes at that. He had been working on disaster relief and coordinating their response so he hadn't heard. He might have if for the rest of the time he wasn't obsessing over that girl. Something, something more than the mysterious prophecy had unsettled him.

"She hasn't woken up. She lost consciousness after Minato's sacrifice. She is alive and well but she is not awake yet. We will have to continue without her."

"Why not wait?" Hiashi was the one who asked the question. He walked in with all the arrogance of a clan leader from the stories.

"Because we need a Hokage and we need one right now. Our spies have been reporting troubling news from Sand and Mist. Stone and Cloud has gone silent. Almost all of our first-level of spies were captured delaying news. Civilians and traders coming out from there speak of celebrations and preparation for war."

The mood around the table nosedives again.

"I wanted to eventually get to it, but it's not all bad news. We didn't spend all our time as the Hagemonial power without preparing for a temporary fall or disaster. We have contingencies and plans prepared by our best and brightest going into effect now. Some of you will know the breadth of what I am talking about even more than me. The only point of failure we currently have is the lack of a strong leader."

The Hokage knew the right words to inspire the world-weary gathering of Shinobi. Choza wondered if all of this wasn't just a gigantic waste of time.

"Any questions?"

None came. So Hiruzen finally started the closest thing to democratic elections the village had ever known.

"First, who all wants to be selected for the position?"

And to no one's surprise, only a single hand rose up. Fugaku, the Uchiha patriarch, the self-appointed rival of the dead fourth Hokage and probably one of the most skilled members of his generation had his hand upraised.

"We only have a single participant. So before we move into voting let me ask some of you. First, Danzo my old friend do you not want to come forward."

"I know where my destiny is Hiruzen. Finish this time waster of a ritual and let's get on with concrete plans."

Hiruzen merely nods as he continues.

"Aburame, Akimichi, Hyuga. Does none of the three great clans want to put forward themselves?"

"I know my hive. I know what I am good at. The Aburame do not wish to run for the role of Hokage" replied Shibi Aburame.

"The Hyuga asks for no claims to the seat. Not this time." Replied the Hyuga clan leader. Choza had half-expected him to say otherwise.

"We Akimichi follow the example of Hyuga and Aburame and desire no part in the selection," Choza responded almost automatically.

"Now that the great clans have refused. I have one more person to ask. Shikaku, I've always thought that intelligence was the most important aspect of a leader. You who are blessed with it, do you not want to be our leader?"

"You flatter me Lord Hiruzen. But I know enough to know I am not what the village needs. But even more, I know my vices. I will have to refuse."

Hiruzen smiles as he responds to all of them. "It was a long shot anyway. So moving on to the selection. Fugaku Uchiha, do you want to give a few words?"

Without prompting he speaks as if to get it out of the way as soon as he could.

"Once again the great clans gather for a meeting to appoint a protector. Once again the Uchiha asks to be given our due consideration. Will the members of this council show us the will of fire? Have we bled enough for the leaf? Will it be like the last four times?"

That was a bit too much in Choza's opinion. He thought understood how the Uchiha felt being passed on again and again for the role of Hokage. Surely there were legitimate reasons for not appointing an Uchiha Hokage?

"Fugaku. Do not bring past elections into this. The Uchiha are the backbone of the Village. We have always considered the clan in great esteem. You will win or lose on your own merit." Danzo was the one who spoke up. Fugaku did not respond. His face was a rictus of anger and resignation.

"Everyone in favour of Fugaku as the next Hokage raise your hands."

No one had raised their hands. No one met Fugaku's eyes. His Eyes that were sure to be in that red hue documenting it all.

Shikaku met his eyes. While Shikaku was their team leader, and in a higher military position, when it came to clan matters the Aburame led and the Nara and Yamanaka followed. He hated Shikaku at that moment for placing that burden upon him.

Choza knew that it could never be, Not after when everyone who went to fight the fox saw those swirling eyes. Not when the traitor was clearly an Uchiha, a fugitive from the clan or not. Not when half the village will still riot if an Uchiha was made a Hokage.

The silence went on for some time and just as the Hokage was about to end the incredibly awkward situation, someone spoke up.

"Wouldn't it be better done on paper?"

It was a raspy voice that spoke those words. Not a voice that belonged with any of them.

"That's only common sense is it not?"

The door to the room bursts open and walks in Kushina leaning on Mikoto Uchiha's shoulder. How had she gotten all the way here without anyone notifying them?

Hiruzen was at a loss for words. "Kushina you are awake. How—why? How did no one tell me?"

"Put me down. Put me down please Mikoto. Too tired to stand up."

"You shouldn't have chained up all those Shinobi outside. They just wanted to let them know we were coming in." Spoke up Mikoto.

"And let them ruin the surprise? No way. I wanted the bastards to wallow in self-pity and misery a bit more." replied Kushina.

"Keep talking like that I will drop you." Said the scandalized Mikoto.

"I love the floor. I can use a good lie down," replied Kushina. And that's exactly what Mikoto did. She dropped Kushina on the floor, gently because she wasn't a monster.

Hiruzen had gained enough of his wits to start asking questions again. "What are you doing here Kushina? You are in no state to move around."

"What else? I am here to join the race to be the Hokage. And I want it done properly on paper, anonymously. Not this awkward 'put up your hands up if you agree' system."

"You—You can't do that. That's not the tradition. We have a system in place."

"Everyone in favour of anonymous voting, one tested against tampering by the lovely old Hiruzen raise your hands. This also means a rematch between me and the old pal Fugaku by the way."

Tsume was the first to raise her hand. Followed by the Aburame patriarch, followed by Choza and soon everyone joined in. everyone except for Fugaku, Danzo and Hiyashi.

"My husband died a few days ago, sacrificing himself, placing a huge responsibility on my boy all so that the leaf remained strong. I am not letting you miserable old coots ruin it all. And if that means I have to put on that ugly hat or see my best friend's way too serious husband wear it then so be it." Said Kushina. It was said between deep breath ins in a raspy voice but those were the most optimistic words Choza had heard the whole week.

"Half of us are the same age Kushina." Said Shibi Aburame.

"Said the oldest of them all," replied Kushina.

The room chuckled for the first time that evening. Fugaku and Hiyashi raised their hands and Eventually, Danzo followed.

The election was intensely scrutinized. In any other world, the candidates themselves being in charge of catching malpractices would have been inconceivable. But here, Kushina's seals made sure that no deception was executed by the voters and Fugaku's eyes looked out for any Genjutsu deceptions. All while the professor, Ninja's world's greatest living legend stood behind them looking over everyone for some sign of deception.

The surveillance and care weren't there to discourage cheating. No one here was going to do that, Choza knew. No, it was there to ensure privacy, that no one would cheat the system and learn who voted for who. He could agree with the necessity of that.

The voting went without a hitch. And it was time to hear the results.

"Kushina: 7, Fugaku: 4 and someone wrote 'Please end this already, we have so much to do. Also Kushina.'" Hiruzen looked happy as he gave the results. The only surprise was that Fugaku had that many votes. Choza looked at Fugaku and instead of the anger he expected, the patriarch's face was neutral.

"This is a first but I will allow it. Congratulations to the fifth Hokage Kushina Uzumaki." He turns towards the now Hokage and continues. "Lady Hokage, We will have a ceremony later. But do you have anything to tell us now?"

"Yeah, got my first order."

The Fifth Hokage managed to stand up from the floor with great effort. Truly the leaf had a bright future ahead. Choza chuckled to himself. With great panting breaths, she gives her first order as the Hokage.

"I deliberate on what my first order would be as the fifth Hokage of the village hidden in the leaf would be. Obviously, this is a vaunted position that my husband previously occupied." Her voice doesn't break nor does the smile on her face drop for even a bit, that more than anything else assured Choza how right this decision was. She continued "We will be surrounded by some really nasty people soon. We will have to fight and work harder than we have in the past few years. So here is my first order. No more of an announcement, or is it a proclamation? Does it really matter?"

There were some chuckles. She took a long breath. Some silliness was to be expected from her.

"My first something or another is this: I resign and give my position to Uchiha Fugaku. Thank you."

Dead silence. All chuckles ended abruptly. Smiles froze, More than one person checked their ears.

"He is a bit too serious and thinks smiling will kill him. He has terrible taste in food which gets worse when guests visit and can't hold a baby if his life depended on it but hey, He has great taste in women. He is also intensely talented and he cares for family and friends. He is not as good-looking as my Minato but isn't too bad to look at. And it is time that we had an Uchi—"

"You can't do this. I won't allow this farce." Shouted Danzo as he stood up marching towards Kushina. A weakened and concerned-looking Kushina.

Katana's raised. Kunai came out. Insectes hummed. Shadows danced. Space distorted. Chakra burned. In a second the room was turned against the head of Root.

"Danzo sit down." Said the third as he pointed his staff at Hiruzen. Danzo looked around and relaxed marginally.

"Don't think for a second I will lie down and take this nonsense. I was fine with the perversion of our traditions because I saw the spirit of the traditions being followed. Not this insanity." Replied Danzo.

The third turned to Kushina, Or was that still Lady Hokage? "Kushina, you are making this difficult. You won, this is no way for a Hokage to conduct herself. We have rules and traditions for a reason. We are in—" He doesn't get to finish his sentence before two separate people cut him off.

"It's entirely within the rules." Said Kushina.

"I refuse." Said Fugaku.

"—Huh?" Replied the now confused audience.

"I mean, Minato asked me to read it. it's written in 'A Treatise on Organization of Modern Ninja Villages' that the Hokage of a Village can appoint their Successor if the Hokage feels that they are currently not capable—"

"Obviously, not you Kush—Lady Hokage. What's up with you refusing, Fugaku?" Asks the Third Hokage.

"I refuse to be the next Hokage. If an Uchiha ever becomes a Hokage then it will be by his own merit. Not someone else's pity."

"It is not pity. I genuinely think you would be a terrific Hokage. Half the reason behind the general public not liking an Uchiha Hokage can be averted by us disclosing that the bastard was a traitor."

"Tha—that's not it. That's not the only reason why the general public will be against a… you know what? It doesn't matter. I refuse to be a Hokage."

"You can't refuse to be a Hokage. That's not how that works."

"That's how it has always worked," interjected Inoichi. "Ask the two Sanin."

"But that's not how…" Someone else spoke up.

The dreary Hokage selection had become a cacophony of people talking over each other. Even Shikaku joined in, screaming some obscure fact about Hokage selections. The usual moderator and person who should have been keeping the gathering in check, The Third Hokage, was arguing with Danzo about something or another. Choza had enough. He takes a deep breath, executes his clan's ninjutsu and embiggens his lungs.

"ENOUGH"

Suddenly the bickering stops. His chakra-empowered shout reminded everyone of their respective academy teacher's favourite technique.

"Kushina is the Hokage. Fugaku refused. Are we done here?" Continued the usually laid-back man.

"Mission closed. Let's give applause to Hokage Kushina. And eat our food."

Choza was intensely grateful to Inoichi for starting the applause. Soon the whole room joins in. No one complained except for the astonished-looking Kushina. All she did was mumble something under her breath. And thus the fifth Hokage of the Leaf was determined.

Soon, The news will spread. Contingencies years in the making will be executed. Plans of men playing the great game of nations had to be changed. For some, it meant changing plans years in the making. For some, it was a slight adjustment to something they saw as inconsequential. And for others it didn't matter, it never did. Fate had broken when a scared girl spoke about what she saw.

But for now, the military leaders of a nation shared an incredibly awkward meal of cold pork and terrible beer. Fried and without sauce or anything else to eat with it. The meat was simultaneously slimy and stringy. Maybe because the meat was from a pig not meant to be slaughtered or it might be because that's all they had been eating for the past week.

"Lady Hokage, the first petition, please draw one of those preservation seals in a warehouse or two. I will jam a kunai up my nose if I have to continue eating only pork." Said Tsume.

"I was thinking of adapting this as a torture technique." Said Inoichi.

"I've found that sometimes only giving one kind of stimulation yields better results than denying it altogether," added Danzo.

"Why didn't you ever tell me that our food was terrible when you visited Lady Hokage." Asked Mikoto, who was still in the room.

"That's rude is it not?" Replied the new Hokage who was the only one enjoying the pork. She hadn't eaten anything in days and her complexion was getting better with every bite. The Uzumaki gene no doubt.

"I think it is worse implying that in front of the whole ruling council." Said the often silent Shibi Aburame.

"I guess it is. Sorry, Mikoto." Said the Hokage.

"That's fine." Replied Mikoto.

"We have so much to decide." Said Danzo, missing or not caring about the mood.

"Sure. Danzo. Let's do it. Tell me what's the first thing we have to discuss?"

The heavily bandaged old man was happy to oblige. His tone, returning from the frustrated and confused state it was in since Kushina entered the room.

"The girl. The prophet. What do we know about her."

The mention of the girl broke the dreamy-awkward mood of the room.

"Also, Lade Mikoto, leave. This is no matter for a retired Jonin." continued Danzo.

Kushina who had perked up with intense interest and—something else took over the conversation.

"No, Mikoto will stay. Hokage's orders. I too am interested in knowing about this last-hour prophet." Her eyes land on Shikaku. Soon every eye in the room did.

"All I have are speculation. She is not from the elemental nations. Or she is but she is from the future or the past. She might be from a long-lost unfound island, or she might come from the stars or the moon. Or she might not even be a human. But my leading theory is that she might be from a different dimension. Wherever she was from she was not from the elemental nations."

"Dimension?"

"Yes. Fugaku would you like to explain what a dimension is? Your clan knows more about them than any of us."

Fugaku who was still part of the meeting nods.

"Most of you know about the Mangekyou Sharingan?" Nods from around the room "We keep a list of Mangekyou abilities and try to chart out and manipulate how they manifest. A broken dream since they appear to have no rhyme or reason as to how it does, outside of the obvious." he takes a sip of water and continues. "But what it has helped us is to find out the three general types of the Mangekyou Sharingan ability. The first two are irrelevant and not your concern, but the last is dimensions. Little pockets of a world which seem to exist outside our reality. There seems to be a countless number of those since we have never encountered one of those getting repeated."

The third Hokage rubs his beard as he speaks. "I've heard of them. Rare. Even rarer are the ones with life in them, I've heard?"

"Yes. We have only encountered 15 of them with non-plant life in our clan's written history. I must admit, it's an interesting theory Shikaku. Though I must also ask, why this?"

Shikaku nods.

"Her clothes were made of materials I've never encountered before. She wore bracelets with no trace of Chakra in it that did things nothing from our world should. Light refracted from it strangely. I could only think that it was the result of being created in a world where laws are not the same as our own. This made me think of the small pocket worlds Summon clans occupy. Which in turn made me ask if clans of sentient animals existed then why not clans of humans? Why not multiple clans? And they are known for giving out prophecies. So just like that, her being from a different dimension made sense. Though feel free to correct me. I am working from little to contradictory information"

"A pocket dimension of humans. I wonder if they have a more peaceful world." Slips out from Kushina's lips. It was the first time since her entrance that she had shown sadness or longing.

Danzo was the next to speak. "But what does it mean? Is she an ally, can we expect her to help us out if we are ever in trouble again? Will she help other nations? Will she prepare them against us?"

"We did the best we could to show us our best side. I believe no one has the answer to those questions other than her and whatever force is behind her." Answered Inoichi.

"We just hope that the person who can tell the future is on our side? We should have detained her. Put seals on her to restrict movement and create obedience, we would have our answers and an irreplaceable asset If I was told of her existence." Said Danzo who finally aired out his grievances about the mysterious visitor.

"Danzo I occasionally value your paranoia, But I believe the will of fire will triumph over unwarranted aggression." Replied Hiruzen.

"You say that now Hiruzen. Do you know how many of our plans and assets I have to reassess? But what happens when she reveals to our enemies how—"

"Stop. We know how this conversation is going. We can't trust the unaffiliated party neither can nor should we show aggression towards someone who helped us and gave us that essential hour. I wonder how many of us will be sitting here without her forewarning." Said Kushina.

"We have no reason to think that she will ever come to visit us again. Neither do we have a reason to think it was a one-time intervention. However if we ever run into her again, please, tell her. tell her—" her voice broke. She had woken up only an hour ago. For her, the wound of losing her husband was fresher and more intimate than anyone in the room. A single teardrop fell from her eyes, she wiped it away and continued. "Tell her, Thanks."

Then the tide of conversation shifted. More related to details of how the response should be if they ever run into her again, observations of any possible limits and falsehoods, theorizing the mechanic through which she saw the future and who all should know about the mysterious girl.

The conversation then became about discussing responses to enemies. Mobilization of troops. Trade and Economy. Talks continued for hours, some left to start working on their parts, and new members joined. A ceremony was to be held for the new Hokage's coronation and there were a thousand other things to be done.

But finally, they said their goodbyes and disbanded. To catch a few hours of sleep before it all started again. And Kushina walked towards where her boy was kept.

Naruto, The Asura reborn smiled. Not because he could see the shape of the future and predict whether it would be better or worse, nor because of some insidious plan only his baby brain could come up with. No, he smiled because his mommy held him again, and even through the tears in her eyes she smiled at him.