Naruto was asleep in Indra's bed, having grown tired after throwing shuriken for a few hours, he went to bed at a relatively early time, giving Haru and Indra some time to plan their investigation into ROOT.
"The best idea is to send a clone after Danzo, and follow him to his base. I doubt any of his forces could detect me anyway".
Indra hummed. "You wouldn't be able to use the camouflage Jutsu though, odds are he has some branch Hyuga in his forces, and it's not a bet I'd be willing to make".
Haru suddenly lit up, having thought of a solution. "I can just sense Danzo until he passes out of range! Once he does, we'll know that's where ROOT is because the seals will stop me from feeling his chakra!"
Indra eyed Haru for a moment, before gritting out, "Well why didn't we think of that earlier then?"
Haru laughed and scratched the back of his head, "Ah Naruto must have tired us out, he's certainly energetic huh?"
Indra grunted in affirmation. "I swear he's more mentally taxing than fighting in the war".
Haru chuckled at that, going to the cupboard and pulling out a container of sake, and two saucers.
"We deserve some drinks, given the day we've had," he said, pouring out the sake into the saucers before passing one to Indra at the table.
Indra grabbed his and quickly downed it in one go. "I never thought I'd take to drinking sake at the end of a long day like Tsunade, but here I am, you've infected me with your whims again".
Haru quickly downed his too, before pouring another two for them both. "Well, we certainly shouldn't make a habit of it, but I can get rid of the alcohol in both of us in a second, if need be, so we can afford to relax a little".
An hour later, the two brothers were swaying back and forth on their seats, red in the face and trying not to fall over. "Huh, what'd you say ya bastard? I'm stronger than you, I can use multiple Kekkei-Genkai and can fly, you just have weird eyes!"
Indra indignantly glared at Haru, squinting at him, struggling to put him into focus. "I have Enton you idiot, that's more useful than your Yoton or whatever".
Haru slammed his hands down on the table, "Oh so you can control your fancy flames good job, but your eyes still bleed if you use them too much!"
This carried on for a while until they fell asleep cradling their sake saucers, and mumbling curses under their breath.
They both woke up with a start, realizing with an embarrassed hue to their faces that they'd slept at the table.
Roaring laughter from Haru's mindscape reminded him that Kurama still loved to make fun of him at any given time.
'Go to sleep stupid fox'
'It's not my fault, you asked me not to filter the alcohol you moron' said Kurama, chuckling at Haru's situation.
Indra could tell Haru was having an argument with Kurama by the irritated expressions he was making, and poured some water for them both, before passing a glass to Haru, who drank it immediately. Luckily neither of them had hangovers, and Naruto was yet to wake up, so they weren't going to be embarrassed by a three-year-old finding them passed out on a table.
Standing at the kitchen sink, Haru made a shadow clone, which he then sent out of the apartment, prompting it to sense for Danzo, and dispel once it ascertained the information on ROOT's hideout.
Indra knew what he needed to do today, as did Haru. Internal problems were something they had to deal with before even considering dealing with issues outside of Konoha, as they had discussed earlier. As such, while Haru's shadow clone was off tracking Danzo, the brothers would be giving Naruto some more training, and ingratiating themselves within Konoha. They needed connections. Shikaku was someone who immediately came to mind for both men. Even if he figured out their situation, they knew he could be trusted, and he would listen to their thoughts about Danzo either way. The Hokage had no intention of calling a meeting and announcing them, he would merely mention that two new Jonin had joined the village in a council meeting and that would be it. The fact that they were Uzumaki and they had adopted the Jinchuuriki would be conveniently left out. Apparently, that council meeting was today, not that either of them cared. Ideally, they would be able to catch the Ino-Shika-Cho trio at the same time, perhaps running into them at an Akamichi restaurant would be a good idea. They were unsure if Inoichi will have mentioned them at this point, given his gag order, however, that was only pertaining to the time travel. Telling his two best friends, one of which was the Jonin Commander about two new Jonin is a rather harmless act. Then again, Shikaku may already know of them, due to his status as their superior. Ah well, whether he comes to them or they go to him, they'll be meeting him soon anyway. As these thoughts flowed through their heads, as they went about their morning, Naruto walked out from Indra's room, rubbing his eyes while still wearing his pajamas. "Good morning, Indra-niisan, Haru-niisan." He said in a tired voice, indicating how tired he was. Haru was in the bathroom washing his face, so Indra walked up to the little one and ruffled his hair. "Good morning Otouto, how about you get dressed and then come eat some breakfast? I'll put something on now."
At the thought of breakfast, Naruto's eyes gleamed, "Hai niisan!" He nigh on shouted, as he dashed into the bedroom to get dressed.
Indra chuckled internally at his enthusiasm as he went to prepare their breakfast.
Having finished their food, Haru and Indra quickly went into their bedrooms to put on their flak jackets, before taking Naruto out to throw some more kunai, something he'd been asking them to do all breakfast. They didn't especially mind, he was too young for anything else, after all, the kid was only three, and even dealing with chakra would be too strenuous right now. They agreed to wait until next year for that. They weren't going to be unrealistic and act like it could wait longer than that. With the threats they would face, even with their strength, having Naruto be as strong as possible would do no harm. That was not to say they would allow him to graduate early by any means. He would be graduating with their class come hell or high water. Even if he had to hide his skills, they would train him to become formidable even at twelve years old. But that was a while away yet, so for now, they would satiate him with kunai, and perhaps have Indra teach him some history during breaks, as Haru would be useless when it came to that. They had the benefit of having spoken to the previous Hokage however via Edo-Tensei, so Indra knew a lot of the specifics that others wouldn't unless they had been there.
So, it came to be that at midday, while Naruto was huffing and puffing after throwing his practice Kunai and Shuriken with Indra's direction, that he was being told about the Shodai Hokage, and how strong the man was. Haru had spent the day so far meditating on the training field while using his sensory skills to gain some insight into a Konoha he wasn't used to. The Uchiha clan all felt similar in certain ways. The abundance of Yin chakra was the most inherent trait shared, but Haru could feel the stronger ones in a far more potent fashion. He felt Itachi, who should be around nine at this point, and was surprised by just how strong the boy was even at that age. It certainly explained the hype around the boy when he was younger. Another one he could sense shocked him greatly. Someone with the Mangekyo could be felt clearly. He knew how to distinguish between the chakra of the normal Sharingan and the evolved version, but he didn't know anyone who could possess it at this point. Then, his mind snapped to a name Itachi had mentioned once, Shisui Uchiha. The Mangekyo that had once been inadvertently possessed by Haru. Indra had mentioned that name once when they were preparing to go back, that Shisui was Itachi's best friend. He'd have to ask him about it later. It was during his meditating that he sensed the unmistakable chakra of a Nara approaching their training field. 'Took you long enough' he thought to himself, wondering when the genius commander of Jonin would show himself.
Indra smirked inwardly when he sensed the Nara approaching. He was nowhere near as good at sensing as Haru was, but he was good enough to detect those within the vicinity of him. He knew Haru would intercept him, so he kept telling Naruto about the Shodai Hokage.
Haru got to his feet and made his way over to the approaching Jonin, who noticed Haru and walked up to him in kind.
"Greetings, may I help you Nara-sama?" asked Haru politely, smiling innocently.
The Nara head smirked and responded. "No need to call me that Uzumaki-san, Shikaku is fine, though I'm surprised you know who I am."
"Then feel free to call me Haru, Shikaku-san. Anyway, it's the responsibility of a Jonin to know their commander Shikaku-san."
Shikaku supposed he was correct. "That's certainly true Haru-san, I'm certainly glad that I don't have to go to the effort of introducing myself to you. On that note, would the three of you care to come to dinner tonight? My wife wants to meet the new Jonin, and she won't stop asking me until I drag you round."
Haru laughed at that, having missed the dry sense of humor that accompanied the Naras.
"I'll have to ask Shikaku-san, but I'm sure my brothers would be delighted to have dinner with your family, as would I. Would you mind if I asked them now?"
"Not at all Haru-san."
With that, Haru walked over to the other two, and following a short discussion, Haru quickly made his way back and nodded to Shikaku.
"We're fine with it Shikaku-san, what time suits you?"
"Say Six o'clock? I assume you know where the Nara compound is?"
"Ah yes, I've already mapped out the village Shikaku-san, I'll be seeing you tonight then."
Giving a casual wave, Shikaku turned around and left the field, leaving a comment of "See you later Haru-san." As he ambled back to his duties.
Not wanting to introduce Naruto just yet to the wallet-straining activity that was Ichiraku Ramen, Haru brought dango for them to eat at lunch, and when the evening came, they prepared to go to the Nara compound. Naruto had to change his clothes given that he'd been exercising all day in his old ones, but after that, they set out to have dinner with the smartest man and toddler in Konoha.
They each held one of Naruto's hands as they walked down the street, repelling any who glared at him with controlled bursts of killing intent, while Naruto was blissfully ignorant of the odd civilian cowering in fear or running away as he babbled about all the cool throwing practice he'd done earlier, and what a cool shinobi he was going to be one day. By the time they'd arrived at the front of Shikaku's house, having been led in by the guards at the entrance of the compound, they were convinced they'd terrified half the civilian populace of Konoha. Knocking on the door, the three of them waited as they heard someone make their way to the door.
Shikaku Nara was a smart man, which was why when he heard about two new Jonin who just so happened to be Uzumaki from Inoichi, he knew there was more to it. He also knew Inoichi couldn't tell him, and he was fine with that. His friend had never outright said there was more to it, but Shikaku knew his friend well enough to know that Inoichi was hardly trying to hide the fact that he knew more than he let on. So that was why he found himself making his way to a training field that wasn't used particularly often, where he knew the Uzumaki and their new charge were currently located. The first thing he saw was a young child he tried to adopt a few years ago being given a history lesson if his ears didn't deceive him. It was about the Shodai Hokage of all people, and it seemed to be a very in-depth story, not one found in the history books. Then again, he supposed the Uzumaki would have their own stories of the man, with Mito-sama being married to him. Then he eyed the man who was walking towards him. Shikaku could certainly see why Naruto had been given to them. Aside from them being family, the power this man radiated was fearsome, and it was clear he was masking it. He looked absolutely assured of himself, and the instinct all seasoned shinobi knew how to use told him that he should be very glad they were on the same side. If the man's brother was the same, then Shikaku understood a little as to why Uzushio was targeted by three hidden villages simultaneously. Their conversation was amicable, and the man reminded him in parts of Kushina, their underlying energy feeling somewhat similar. That being said, that was most likely a shared trait for the Uzumaki. After he had invited them for dinner, and they accepted, he felt quite happy about how things had gone. His concerns now were about whether Shikamaru would get along with Naruto, who he imagined would be just as boisterous as his mother was. Hopefully, he would serve to motivate Shikamaru, who had unfortunately inherited his father's laziness, and amplified it multiple times.
Opening the door, Yoshino Nara saw the two new Jonin and their adorable little charge in between them. Yoshino's heart ached at the thought of Naruto, and their declined petition to adopt him, and she was sure many of the other clans who tried to adopt the boy felt the same. Seeing him sandwiched by his relatives, members of the boy's scattered clan, well that certainly soothed the pain that sprung up whenever she thought of the orphan. "Please come in, dinner's almost ready, and my son has finally deigned himself to wake up from his nap," Yoshino said politely, despite the thinly veiled annoyance at her son's behavior. The two men said nothing of it however as they followed the mother, wry smiles twitching at their faces, knowing that Shikamaru would retain his laziness later in life, to his mother's exasperation. At the mention of a son, Naruto tensed, and having realized this, both Haru and Indra quickly leaned down before they entered. "You don't need to worry Otouto," said Haru, "Everyone here is nice we promise." Indra chimed in, "Everyone here is going to love you, just like we do alright?"
That seemed to be enough to calm Naruto down, who didn't verbally respond, but instead gave a beaming smile to both of them, before they straightened up and led him inside, following Yoshino. The interior was very modest, as expected of the Nara clan, with light furnishings and a traditional style to the house, which made the house seem as if it was from the warring states period, were it not for the light fittings. Sitting down at the dinner table, the guests noted a young and sleepy boy making his way into the room, having been pestered by his mother, followed by his father, who seemed rather eager, contrary to his typical moods. Haru and Indra could venture a guess as to what fueled him tonight, given that they had been subjected to the sight of a curious Shikamaru many times, they knew they would need to be rather cautious with how they spoke tonight, lest Shikaku figures them both out. They didn't especially mind the prospect of him finding out, they would just rather not have to unless it became necessary; the man was trustworthy after all.
As a fatigued Shikamaru took his place at the table, his gaze flicked to the guests. "I'm Shikamaru Nara, nice to meet you."
Naruto, no doubt seeking the chance to make a friend, spurred on by his brothers, introduced himself first. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki 'ttebayo, future Hokage!"
Shikamaru seemed rather stunned by the proclamation before his gaze became sharp, and the adults in the room knew that Naruto had caught his interest. Meanwhile, the elder Uzumaki introduced themselves. "I'm Haru Uzumaki, nice to meet you Shikamaru-kun." "I am Indra Uzumaki, little Nara."
Shikaku smirked slightly at the two's varying introductions, wondering how the two brothers seemed to be so different in their attitudes. Their gaits seemed to be different too, while both were purposeful and elegant, as befitted experienced shinobi, Indra was rather minimal in his movements, in a manner that reminded him of the Uchiha and Hyuga. Haru meanwhile, was far more dramatic in his movements, often embellishing simple things.
As Yoshino came in bearing food and dinner began, everyone found that Shikamaru and Naruto got along like a house on fire. Naruto's eccentricities fascinated Shikamaru, and Naruto was enthused by how smart the Nara heir was. It was the icing on the cake when Shikamaru asked Naruto if he could teach him Shogi, rightfully assuming Naruto didn't know how to play the game. Yoshino was of course delighted that Shikamaru had made a friend outside of Choji and Ino, who he interacted with as was per inter-clan relations. Shikaku meanwhile, laughed internally at the thought that Shikamaru was just as interested in Naruto as Shikaku had been in Minato, the enigma that rivaled his intellect.
Conversation with Shikaku was difficult, noted the Uzumaki brothers. The man was excellent at disguising probing questions, employing the art of conversation; it was no surprise the man was Jonin Commander and were Haru and Indra less experienced, they no doubt would have given plenty away. Haru's tact however was down to it being drilled into him by an Edo-Tensei Tobirama, who had often had to do the same for his brother, and as such Haru learned how to converse with anyone without giving away information he didn't want to. As the dinner wore on, and Shikamaru and Naruto went off to play shogi, the sake was poured, and the conversation moved onto matters that weren't suitable for three-year-old children. The first matter of which was an odd invitation. "Would either of you be interested in becoming Jonin-Sensei?" Asked Shikaku, whilst pouring some sake for them.
Indra raised an eyebrow at this, unsure why Shikaku would ask this of two new Jonin. Haru on the other hand did not wonder about the question. "Yeah, sure at some point I would love to, you know mentor the next generation of the Sannin and stuff like that, but it would need to be a team that I was sure of. I wouldn't want to be given a team the Hokage thought would fail, and just needed a Jonin to fill in the position." Shikaku's gaze flicked to Indra, and with a sigh, after finishing his sake, and holding the saucer out for some more, he replied. "Unless it's Naruto, no. I don't have the time for impatient and inexperienced brats that I'd have to coddle. Give me an ANBU team I could whip into shape and that would be different."
Shikaku laughed at that, as he poured some more for Indra, who was surprisingly thirsty for sake despite his rather conservative attitude. Yoshino too laughed into her saucer at that. "You sure you wouldn't mind teaching Shikamaru Indra-san? He could use some of that mentality."
Indra's lips quirked at that, and Haru snickered before draining his saucer. "Ask me when he's made Genin Yoshino-san, at least I wouldn't have to deal with three idiotic kids, only two."
Yoshino smiled at that, recognizing the compliment in the words. Shikaku was interested in one of these two teaching his son, hence the question. If these two were as skilled as he imagined, Shikamaru would not lack for much when being educated by either one.
"Would you two mind teaching me a little about sealing? Not too much of course, and I understand keeping clan techniques to yourselves, but it would be useful as Jonin Commander to know some silencing seals, along with anything else I could find helpful." Asked Shikaku, taking his chance on a question he'd had on his mind for a while. Haru smiled at him, and Shikaku knew he'd get a good answer. "Actually, I'm the only one who's good at sealing, Indra knows hardly Fuuinjutsu, he's a pretty shitty Uzumaki." Haru sniggered, earning a punch on the shoulder courtesy of Indra. "I'd be happy to teach you some you'd find useful Shikaku-san, I can also make you some gravity seals for when Shikamaru starts physical training in a few years if you want." Shikaku sent a grateful look. "I'd like that thank you Haru-san, would you mind coming around once a week? I'll let you know when I'm free later this week."
As Haru nodded the affirmative, Shikaku knew he'd found good allies in these two. He still had lingering questions about them, and their ability to dodge his conversational inquiries impressed him. When he asked about the Uzumaki clan, their time outside of Konoha, or anything too personal, he found himself skillfully evaded; though he wasn't offended, if the Hokage trusted them, he did too, although he was still going to attempt to satiate his curiosity when given the chance.
As the Uzumaki contingent left the Nara house, Naruto was hard to separate from Shikamaru, and the boy in question was surprisingly sad to see him go, only to be left happy when Shikaku promised he could see Naruto again soon.
Making their way back to the apartment, both Indra and Haru felt the presence of ROOT agents and internally sighed. They could start making plans about dealing with that organization tomorrow.