Disclaimer: I own nothing connecting to the Naruto Franchise
One More Time
Chapter 1: Change
The blood soaked the groundwas producing a peculiar squelching noise with every movement that was made on the lonely battlefield. Naruto and Shikamaru could only sense themselves in the desolate war-torn land. Naruto's long blonde hair was covering her face and her hands were shaking. Shikamaru hand worked diligently using her blood for the seal and now the blonde was left in the center feeling the drain on her body.
Shikamaru was shaking from chakra exhaustion and weakened as well. He was bleeding but still pushed to finish his task as his Hokage was unable to move much. The two of them had barely spoken a word to one another since he had begun the task assigned him.
Naruto felt weak from the blood loss and ached from the pain scorching through her heart and body. Her hallow gaze stared down at Sasuke's body torn to pieces several feet away. The teme had jumped in the way to save Naruto, the blonde had expected to die instantly from Mandara's final attack. Realizing that Sasuke had done what he could to fix things really made her determined to follow through with their plan now.
"Naruto, we don't have to do this. You could live, this is a risk where you might die." Shikamaru was gripping the kunai tightly trying not to look at the bloodied and bruised woman before him. Bile rose in his throat as the blonde stood shakily turning toward him clutching her stomach.
Her intestines were threatening to spill out past the deep slices on her gut. The same spot where Mandara had struck out as he died. His body lay across the field, it was his failed attempt to stop Naruto's plans once they had been discovered.
"What else do you want us to do? There's nothing left Shika, everyone's dead and I'm dying." Shikamaru stiffened looking at his hokage in worry. Naruto was pale shaking and bleeding heavily. With a jolt he realized it had been hours since the take down of Mandara. Naruto was still bleeding and that had never happened before.
"You noticed right Shika, he struck me to lock down kurama's healing properties. Fuzzy is working hard to remove the effects but he says he won't stop it in time. So, I told him to stop." Naruto was held tightly by Shikamaru who grumbled out a shaky 'troublesome blonde'.
"We have to try Shika, Kurama wants me to live oddly enough. Say's he's rather cozy and refuses to give up his shelter." Naruto rolled her eyes and lifted Shikamaru's arm clutching the hand holding a kunai engraved in seals. Naruto lowered her body back to her knees before Shikamaru and ran through hand seals. The Nara felt queasy seeing her bulging intestines threatening to spill past the ribbons of skin holding them back. The dark haired man looked down to the blonde who was smiling but tears were running down her face, she was trying to keep positive for them both. The blood seal began to buzz and glow once Naruto slammed her hands to the ground.
"Do it!" Naruto yelled and Shikamaru was crying now his body was in pain, but his heart hurt worse. He was standing shakily and could feel his own blood soaking into the back of his shirt mingling with the center of the seal. Finally, the glowing seal seeped into the skin of the blonde, almost as if drawing away from the earth back to the source. Shikamaru pushed his own power into the seals etched into the kunai Naruto had given him.
"In case this all goes to shit. Naruto, I love you even if you are a fucking troublesome blonde." He looked into the surprised blue eyes of the woman he had fallen for and prayed this would work. He looked his hokage the woman he had stood by and sworn loyalty to and stabbed the now glowing kunai into her chest.
"Fucking dumbass" Naruto groused out glaring at the man who was standing before her a guilty smile on his face. Blood poured out of Naruto and power surged as the seal of the kyuubi weakened due to the rapidly dying woman. The seal around them was blazing like bloody flames still sinking into the skin of Naruto. Just when it seemed that the bijuu would break free power poured out of Naruto like her blood and light engulfed the duo standing in the eye of it.
Both of them felt like the flames of blood were eating them alive. Shikamaru and Naruto were clutching each other tethering themselves and begging this would work. Shikamaru would go crazy if it didn't and Naruto would be dead, so she was hoping to survive.
Like a passing of moments, the pair refocused in a classroom and both took everything in silence. Shikamaru felt wrong, like his body had shifted and melted down. His brown eyes scanned the room desperately and matched with the familiar cerulean blue of Naruto. She looked like she did in her youth.
Small, cute with large blue eyes that reflected the sky and short silky golden hair that spiked up around her boyishly. Shikamaru recalled how most of the village thought Naruto a boy before her return from her training trip with Jiraiya. It had felt so long ago that the Nara forgot for a moment how Naruto truly hid behind a well-constructed mask.
Shikamaru saw Naruto shoot back a bright teary smile at him and she turned away swiftly before anyone could notice the strange look pass between the pair. When Naruto turned back to the front and both of them took in everyone around them before settling down and awaiting the bell.
Something had happened to Naruto and it was concerning enough for immediate notice. Iruka had only nervously watched the normally exuberant girl seemed to dim. Like a wilting sunflower that had been in the shade far too long. The Jinchuriki had never been a studious child in fact the young girl had been nothing but the class clown for years, so it was peculiar to see her jerk and fumble about herself in silence when she thought no one could see.
Iruka might have passed it off as Naruto being in a mood but he noticed Shikamaru jerk awake and flounder as well. The pair caught each other's eye and a silent conversation seemed to flow between them till they settled down and looked back to the front of the classroom. They were both so focused on looking at every person at every detail and they bore this emotion that Iruka could not read but, it worried him for a moment.
He hesitated to hold them back to ask what was wrong but once class was dismissed the pair were the first one's gone before he could blink.
Naruto had gripped Shikamaru's hand firmly earning a few confused glances from their classmates as the duo zipped out the room and into the woods surrounding the academy. Shikamaru was nearly choking on his happiness that Naruto was still alive and didn't care about being shoved into his younger body at the time. Once the pair found a clearing the dark-haired boy roughly tugged the blonde into his arms and they both burst into silent tears. Each mumbling about making it and looking one another in the eye touching chubby cheeks and small hands. They had done it!
Naruto finally reared back and punched Shikamaru in the gut. He coughed and doubled over in pain.
"Shit! I forgot how strong your right hook was as a kid." The Nara groaned and Naruto pouted tapping her foot before the downed boy.
"That was for dropping the bomb that you loved me last minute asshole. I almost lost concentration and who knows where we would have ended up." Naruto grumbled and looked around the forest and crouched down to Shikamaru who had settled to sit on the floor recovering from the gut punch.
"So, how far back do you think we went. We gotta at least be near the Uchiha coupe either just before or after because Iruka sensei was there." Shikamaru sighed after speaking but looked up to the short haired blonde who looked to be concentrating on something other than his words.
"It's before, I can sense the anbu that usually follow me around. Well, they are near but not within a five-meter distance. We lost them in our scramble out of the academy, but they will find us eventually." Naruto sighed heavily before huffing softly. "They always do find me in the end." The blonde was pouting almost sensing something to her right. "There was a specific Uchiha assigned to me. I can sense him, not long after he died was when Itachi became the self-sacrificing idiot and annihilated the clan to 'save' the teme." Naruto rolled her eyes and Shikamaru nodded.
"Your sensor abilities seem to be fine. I have a feeling other than our knowledge we came back with our abilities but most likely no control. The tomes said your chakra should still retain itself even after the shift in time." The blonde frowned and crossed her fingers in a familiar movement.
A puff of smoke and about fifty Naruto's popped up. "Fuck. I was aiming for only five, but my control isn't as bad as the first time around." The clones dispersed and Naruto grouched as Shikamaru sighed. "So, we are about eight years old, with memory and some access to our old abilities but no control. You, with how vast your chakra is you should avoid most of your more potent skills. Vast chakra doesn't mean your coils can't be burned off from using a technique over and over without the control."
"That means we gotta do chakra control all over again." The Nara groaned and fell back to lie flat on the floor. Naruto took this chance to sit next to him and smirked leaning in close. Shikamaru blushed brightly and stiffened looking into the bright blue eyes of Naruto.
"Wanna give my anbu tail a heart attack?" The boy frowned and shook his head against the idea. "Too bad, besides it will be the quickest way to get us to the Hokage to figure this shit out. You still want to include Jiji in the situation?" Shikamaru contemplated the options and huffed.
"No you were right Naru, say nothing to him for now, he trusts Danzo too much to fully believe our word and that shadow bastard will just screw things up. Or worse try to kidnap us should he find out the truth, besides the third screwed up our lives enough the first time. I'm not giving him another chance to do it again in a new way. Just use scenario fourteen and know we will need to figure out how to prevent all that Uchiha drama. Luckily for you I have a plan for when your dumbass eventually gets me dragged in there for your stupidity." The blonde smiled brightly and Shikamaru shrugged trying to will away his blush. "Naruto, I just realized…we're gonna have to go through puberty again." Both of the time travelers shared a moment of internal suffering before sighing heavily.
"Why are we trying to save the Uchiha again?" Shikamaru asked somewhat exasperated and his blonde counterpart narrowed her eyes.
"You know why, but if I must remind you Shika, our struggle against Mandara and Obito was due to not having any one our side who understood the Sharingan. We were at a disadvantage to those that fell under his weird fucking eyes and Sasuke being on their side didn't help matters. Prevent the Uchiha annihilation and we can higher our sides power level early on." Naruto had shuffled over during her explanation and eyed the tree sidelines as if keeping track of the sights she could only see.
"Besides you lazy asshat, not all of the Uchiha's deserved to die off like they did, it was fucked up and you know it. It will give us the open opportunity to sabotage that shadow hokage bastard and screw him over instead of Itachi." Shikamaru sighed and accepted his fate of being dragged into this mess with his troublesome hokage.
"Now, prepare to have a terrible reputation for being friends with the number one knuckleheaded ninja." The blonde whispered conspiratorially tugging her friend to his feet. Naruto gave a subtle wrist flick that Shikamaru recognized as the handsign of others around their position. He immediately fell into conversation making it seem like kids who snuck away to have a chat about skills.
"Well Naruto if you want to train and practice like you said I would suggest making a friend with one of the more athletic in our class. I'm smart but I don't have a lot of experience and it looks like you need someone with more energy to help. Maybe that Uchiha kid, I hear he's pretty skilled in learning the academy style, that is if he even talks to you." Shikamaru was offering the easiest out for why they had scrambled out of the school. "I will still help you with studying as I'm pretty sure reading was a bit hard to learn living alone." Naruto beamed and hugged the stoic boy who sighed heavily.
"You're the best Shika! Now I just have to convince someone who's willing to help me with taijutsu." Both of the time travelers did their best to ignore the flare of chakra from Naruto's anbu tail.
"I don't know how helpful they will be, they all seem wary of those not part of their clan. I'm not because my clan strives on befriending those that can do the talking for us, saves energy." Shikamaru said and Naruto beamed at his chubby face. At eight Shikamaru was a plush cute arrogant brat who the blonde was going to enjoy teasing.
"I've got to head home Uzumaki, but I'm going to see you lunch time tomorrow." At the blondes nod Shikamaru trudged off the way they came and Naruto was plucked up by one of her favorite anbu. Inu, as she later learned who was, Kakashi sensei.
"Ne, Inu san you guy's took a lot longer to find me this time, am I getting better at hiding yet?" Naruto beamed up at the masked man who gave a singular nod and hugged the little girl to himself.
The eight year old was brought to her apartment hidden behind the quiet and almost ghostly Okiya. Many of the geshia's that worked in the pleasure house lived in the same building as Naruto did. Naruto ran their errands during the day time for a bit of side money as the young girl's orphan stipend was stretched thin.
Despite her being the fox's container the people in the slums and working women in the pleasure house didn't look unkindly on the girl. No that was more of the higher sections of the leaf village, people who looked down on the lower rungs of society.
They treated the blonde with the same hostility as they did some of the thugs that worked the gambling houses or the sisters of the geisha houses. Anbu Inu gently handled the little girl as he set her down and Naruto waved him away.
Naruto remembered he was sent out often on missions between Anbu Crow's death and Anbu Ravens massacre. As soon as Kakashi was gone Naruto bolted to do her expected duties. She could not be made to deviate from her daily rituals or else the team watching her would think something was wrong.
The blonde zipped through her tasks of cleaning laundry left out and picking up essentials for the sisters in her building before she was free to return home. Naruto tucked herself away into the bathroom and looked at herself.
Well, she had to pull over the crate in her bathroom first to even look in the mirror. She forgot how small she had been. Small with baby fat clinging to her face like she remembered. Her prominent whisker scars and blue eyes dominated her round face. She touched her short choppy hair and internally sighed keeping mind to just let it grow out again. Then grimaced remembering why she had kept it short in the first place. The sisters warned her of men who would try to hurt her if they knew she was a girl and opted to wait out hair growing till she was strong enough to protect herself.
Mentally she frowned looking down at her orange jumpsuit and needed to make a mental note to have Shikamaru get her more conspicuous clothes. She would have to rely on him often as during this time frame the shop keepers and most of the villagers hated her guts. Plus she was the most watched over kid in the village right now, there was no way she could just suddenly develop skills until they were taught in class. She would not be the class clown this time, but she could not outshine anyone else in class either.
This time it would be different, but Naruto vowed to fly under the radar. Having been a hokage for a few select months she already knew she was doomed to be part of team seven. Aside from Kakashi sensei letting it slip in her past that he demanded Naruto as a student, there were conditions the third had. The council had originally not wanted the blonde to be a regular ninja, they had wanted her passed off to Danzo but Hiruzen put his foot down and Kakashi threated near treason.
The leaf was fragile after the fourth, her father had died. They could not afford to lose Kakashi, be it to treason or to death but they didn't want her to live a good life either. The great compromise, if Kakashi wanted to become her teacher in the future he had conditions to follow. One, he was not allowed to interact with her until she became a genin hopeful. Two he had to take on the next Uchiha in her class as Kakashi had trained Itachi well. Third, finally and lastly, he was not allowed to contact her outside of a mission perimeters.
Naruto was isolated from one of the few people in her life that could do something and it made the man apathetic in the end. Not this time. Other than that, up until Naruto was thirteen Jiraiya and Tsunade had been told she did not survive the attack of the nine tailed fox. The village had not wanted to give up their villages weapon either and knew Jiraiya and Tsunade would have snuck the girl away if they knew what the village put her through.
The council, Danzo mainly feared her being taken from the village out of his control and claws. Her early years as a toddler she recalled his emotionless root shinobi following her waiting for a chance to take her. Though with her creating trouble and causing so many pranks she became to well known and vivdly remembered. It was now impossible for her to be kidnapped. That was why he encouraged for the container to become a shinobi. Danzo had too much power and Naruto was going to do her best to make him lose some of that.
Naruto lumbered out of her bathroom and eyed her small room. Unzipping her jacket, the blonde set to work. She could sense the Uchiha anbu hovering outside of her window as she cleaned her space. Naruto had long ago learned to clean up after herself, living alone did that for you.
Crow always snuck into her window to help the girl cook, despite her age most of her anbu guard hovered over the girl to help out. Most of them assigned to her detail had been glose to her parents and they knew who's daughter she was. Naruto had another metal crate in the kitchen and used that to begin the cooking process after she cleaned her hands. Crow had arrived like usual and Naruto did her best not to overwhelm herself with emotions. It was thanks to him, and Kakashi's anbu team that she had lived to even become a genin.
Though no one knew she was a girl, in fact only the Hokage and Shikamaru knew that little tidbit currently. It was hilarious when Kakashi sensei found out the truth.
The man was scandalized when he realized he had used a thousand years of death on a thirteen year old girl. Though the last to find out the information of her gender had been Sasuke, right before his death.
People called him a prodigy sure, but he was not that smart in all honesty. Crow set her groceries down and helped her prepare her dinner. Naruto thanked the man once her food was prepared and settled down at her small table. Her silent guard settled at her side waiting for Naruto to begin her talking.
She chewed her food contemplating her course of action and directly watching Crow. Naruto had an idea on how to help the Uchiha but did not know how to broach the topic. She'd have to talk to Shika about it, but the blonde knew she did not have much time.
Naruto relished in the light attention from her glorified babysitter and rattled off some nonsense making plan in her mind for the future.
~OMT~
Shikamaru had slipped into his old home. His chest ached, he was back to a time where his father was still alive, and his mother was there to nag him.
As much as he wanted to relish this moment, he had work to do. Part one of Naruto's long and drawn-out plan from their past was to get his father on their side. As dumb as people thought the blonde was, she was accurate in their need of someone else on their side.
They had thought they would be thrown back in their original forms but Shikamaru brought up the fact it would most likely be their consciousness or soul thrown into their younger forms. Naruto's seals didn't allow for a physical body to move but much more like Ino's skills and moved their mental capabilities backward. Then again, his blonde hokage had true skill and was able to drag back their power to rest on their fingertips while she was at it.
The number one unpredictable knuckleheaded ninja indeed.
"Shika is that you?" A soft voice called out from deeper in the house and he shoved his wild emotions down harshly.
"Yeah mom, I'm back." He worked on taking off his shoes and frowned at how small his feet looked. He was so tiny, he felt very off to say the least.
He looked up to see his mother smiling warmly at him asking about his day.
Responding in kind walking toward her and taking in her appearance. Shikamaru hadn't seen his mother since she died in the attack done by Obito on their village. She had been brave trying hard to save the women and children of their clan and even held back the Uchiha for a moment. Naruto had wailed upon seeing her body, his mother had been a surrogate mother to the girl on her return from her training trip with Jiraiya.
Shikamaru and Naruto had discovered her decapitated corpse lying in the center of the ruined village. His grief was like a blaze and Naruto's was like an artic winter chilling you to death. The two of them learned it was Obito's doing from his clansmen and their fury was not paid until they watched the light leave Obito Uchiha's eyes. Shikamaru had strangled him with his shadows while Naruto had dug into his chest ripping out the man's still beating heart body looking wild and foxlike. They made it slow and painful Naruto had made a seal just for him. Extending his life to feel every cut, slice and stab they made unto him.
Kakashi had been horrified but Naruto had spat on the man's corpse in that moment. It had nearly spurned a catastrophic fight between the two but in the end the copy nin understood. Besides, this was the same man who killed Yamato and Gai so there was little fight for his former teammate left in him by the end.
It was soon after that though that Sasuke killed Sakura and Kakashi in his own bout of grief went after the Uchiha dying by his hand as well.
That fight led to their last one where they had decided to follow through with their plan. Naruto held off Madara and Sasuke while Shikamaru readied the supplies for the seal. Then for some reason Sasuke switched sides and Shikamaru figured the idiot finally got sense knocked into him by Naruto.
Sasuke took the blow meant to kill Naruto and injured Mandara by taking a hit to the gut herself. Naruto protected Shikamaru when Madara came after him bleeding with glowing fingers and a slicing blade. Naruto had taken the hits and stabbed a single kunai into his throat and ripped his head clean off.
Everything after that was just hours of Shikamaru desperately working to finish the seal on the order of his hokage. Shaking himself from his thoughts the boy refocused on his mother. His living and breathing mother, who he would do anything to ensure she and his father lived long this time.
His mother was a soothing balm moving about the kitchen and when his father came through the door soon after Shikamaru holding files his breath caught.
It had been years since he had seen his father. There had been nothing of him and Inoichi after the bijuu dama destroyed their hideout location. Nothing to bury except for the painful memories. Before he knew what, he was doing Shikamaru was clinging to his father's waist hugging him as tight as his eight year old body would allow.
Shikaku looked down to his son with a bit of concern, he hugged the boy with his free arm. Yoshino looked to them oddly as Shikamaru had declared hugs babyish at the age of four. They were usually hard pressed to get him to show any affection other than the tender looks he sent their way.
The older Nara pondered if something happened at school and tugged his son away to the privacy of his office. Shikamaru collected himself and settled into the soft cushion in front of his father's desk.
Oddly it had been Naruto who insisted on Shikaku being one of the few they told of their…predicament. He had argued that it should be Jiraiya or Tsunade or even the Hokage but the blonde had made many points. One both Jiraiya and Tsunade had nearly deserted the leaf until they were into their teens. Second the third would be hard pressed to believe them and would without a doubt have pulled his council and the shinobi council in for a meeting about the subject.
Word would spread fast as it had when news of Naruto's jinchuriki status had been pass about. Finally, Naruto trusted Shikaku as she trusted Shikamaru. The man was her father's best friend and had been horrified to find out she had been hidden away in the slums of the village.
Besides two Nara's were a force to be reckoned with and Naruto could fully trust their plans to form easier with him on their side.
Shikamaru had been silent for too long but when he looked up to his father there was already a calculative gaze aimed at him.
"Dad…" He didn't know how to start for a moment and his small voice was filled with so much emotion. "Something really bad is going to happen." The childlike voice sound odd as if he carried the weight of the world on his small shoulders. Shikaku eyed his young son who seemed to have aged in several hours while away from their home. Not in appearance but in his mind, his gaze or soul.
"Tell me what's wrong Shikamaru." Shikaku kept a steady gaze on his son.
"It's going to be one hell of a story." The young boy spoke shocking his father for a moment at the crass word escaping the eight year old.
"We traveled back in time, My hokage and I came back to save everyone." Shikaku kept his expression stoic and listened to his son explain. An eight year old who spoke about things to come, who spoke with a hardened gaze of a shinobi. One who has killed already and the jonin commander could not help but believe every word the boy spoke.
Especially when he spoke of his future hokage the jinchuriki and daughter of the fourth. That was another shock, Naruto was a girl, not a boy but the older man understood the apprehension and reason for hiding away the girls gender.
Once Shikamaru caught up to coming aware in the classroom just hours ago Shikaku let out a heavy breath.
"Well shit." Shikakmaru gave a small nod and Shikaku set about making a list of major events to come.
"Bring Naruto to the house in the next week. Have her phrase it to the hokage as studying with you." Shikamaru was nodding and making small notations for his father to add to his sheet.
"I'm going to find books and stuff for Naruto and I to disguise our peculiar knowledge and learned abilities. We are going to look like two prodigies on the outside but we are trying to keep things low key. The only major event we will change in the next few years is the Uchia massacre. She's already got a plan but it will heavily involve you once she get's the necessary information. I'm going to be working internally to make our new cover story rock solid."
Shikaku gave a shallow nod almost apologetic to his son and Naruto for having to live one life so harsh that they had to come back to fix it all.
"Alright Shika, let's get to work." With a firm nod they hid away their paper and set out to joing the Nara matriarch for dinner.
~OMT~
Naruto sat before the hokage quietly clutching a book and excitedly recalling how she was learning all sorts of things from the younger Nara.
The blonde had been told her part and aimed to play it to perfection. She needed to meet with the elder Nara in a place where she would not be so heavily watched over. Thank goodness for her reoutation as a troublemaker and prankster.
She had snuck around the village with ease as the anbu trailing her didn't take her sneaking off as anything suspicious anymore. She collected evidence for Shikaku to take back to the hokage and ensured there was no trace of her left behind.
Her chakra control was not perfect but even as young as she was her shadow clones had no match. It was the first few days of her return and after the initial disorientation Naruto aimed her focus intently on her tasks. Her anbu followed a clone around who was intently 'training' and 'studying' from books the Nara shoved into her chubby hands every chance he got.
Under her bed were tons of books with notated pen markings for notes and markings for the blonde to make it appear she was learning them in that moment. She was sure Jiji had heard about her studious behavior from her anbu's reports by now. Even if it was just a few days in this was a change in behavior for the blonde.
Though she was young right now and it would be seen as possibly a discovered love of studious behavior like her father. In her many years of grown she had lost some of her mother's bluster and took on her father's desire for knowledge before the shift in time.
It was how they found and finished the tomes in the rubbles of Uzumaki archives. The only tome that spoke of time travel. Which reminded the blonde that she would have to destroy it later on and possibly the last kunai her father gave Kakashi sensei.
She did not want to risk the other side to be desperate enough to find the same path she and Shikamaru did to the past. The blonde was dressed in mostly black attire now, dark lining of burnt orange tapered off the edges of her outfit.
She thanked Shikamaru internally for having charged into her home with the attire in hands and forcing her to wear it holding a bag of several similar outfits. The boy was already tearing away her bright jumpsuits and she cheekily teased the Nara.
Now she played up the part of her day claiming she made a good friend in the Nara who was bound and determined to help her. Naruto was smart to play innocent in the telling of her stories and was proud to have trained under the spymaster jiraiya.
He had been the best of the best at spywork and the man had been nothing but amazing at what he did. Had Naruto not been such a ball of dangerous power and little control she would have been put on more undercover missions.
She mentioned her future study session and first real visit to a friends house and the aged face of the third hokage was warm and gentle with Naruto. Happy the girl had made a friend who was eagerly helping her out, it was a blessing as Hiruzen was beginning to worry about her academics.
With the smile the blonde knew she was safe behind her white lies and let her Jiji lead her off for their regular ramen lunch date.
Yeah the old man had screwed up but he truly tried his best for Naruto and he honestly gave a damn about the girl.
~OMT~
Naruto settled into Shikaku's office Shikamaru at her side already reverting back to when he was running through battle plans for her. The blonde had handed over the incriminating documents and knew several of the Uchiha would have to be punished but it would also implement Danzo and bring to light his child abduction. The blonde knew that would lead the third to root as it was not the first time Danzo had used such a method.
Shikaku would first bring Shibi into the fold of plans as the man knew of Danzo but had no proof to implicate him in anything. He had come to Shikaku after his adopted son had been taken but at the time neither could do anything. Thus they both would confront the Hokage in a meeting and then be he would be the envoy as Naruto's surrogate to talk down the Uchiha.
Shikaku would use the evidence as proof and would shame the Uchiha name should they dare continue with this plan. Then he would show them the true mastermind and plot behind their supposed plan brought from their Uchiha elders.
Fugaku would be able to read the writing on the wall, prideful as the man was he was no fool. He would know this was all set up by Danzo and to not just save face but also save his clan the man would do the right thing.
If he didn't comply then loyal Uchiha and the uncorrupted youth would be taken and hidden while anbu took out the rebels. Though that would be kept quiet and Shikaku even had a good source to implicate how and where he got the information. It would all have 'fallen' into his lap from a recent recon mission he had been out on.
Currently hidden in the safety of his office the two 'youths' were figuring out what skills they could still accomplish safely.
Naruto had discovered her link to the toads were still intact and Pa had been summoned to the girls hand. He too retained his knowledge and was surprised to be brought back to consciousness at his summoners will. All the toads had made an agreement to keep the older toad sage in the dark about the current situation.
The toads understood the importance of keeping quiet and found a way to separate Jiraiya from the toad contract for a few days claiming they had found another worthy summoner. Jiraiya had obviously let the toads leave with the contract and it was the perfect excuse for Naruto to have been able to write her name in the toad contract.
Good thing they did as her signature had not been removed even after she had traversed time.
It was still so early but much had been done and much still needed to be done. Naruto had tugged away the paper with sensitive information made by both Nara men a few days prior and handed it off to Pa.
They were all in agreement, it would be safer far from anyone's clutches and when needed Pa would come with it personally. The blonde place a seal onto the scroll and waved off Pa who disappeared in a puff of smoke.
It had one been a few day's and the blonde felt drained. Shikaku eyed the small short haired girl who dressed in oversized clothes and kept a boyish demeanor. She carried herself well and always stuck to her act or persona but was still terribly honest to a fault.
He eyed his son who gave her reverence and looked to her in near devortion and respect. Something clicked and Shikaku withheld a snicker before clearing his throat.
"It will be handled Uzumaki san, and I have to say I'm hopeful I live this time to see the type of hokage you become." Naruto smiled bright and her gaze was determined.
"You will, believe it." Her bright smile brightened her youthful face and Shikaku could not help but believe it.
~OMT~
Once again Naruto was settled into the classroom she awoke in. Shikamaru had settled next to her and Choji was next to Naruto chatting with the blonde while Shikamaru 'slept'. The duo knew today was the day Shikaku would implement the first of their plans, and due to their young and vulnerable bodies the pair had to be far and definitely in the view of Naruto's anbu guard.
The blonde was telling Choji about a book Shikamaru had given talking about more chakra control exercises and offered to learn them alongside both boys. Shikamaru gave a grunt in agreement and Choji followed his friends lead.
They all ignored the looks and whispering coming from kids in the classroom. The blonde was normally either ignored or picked on but Shikamaru was known to be a bully basher and it made many of the kids hesitate. Well aside from that Naruto was a force unto themselves.
To mess with the blonde or anyone the blonde cared about meant you would become the next target of a bout of pranks. Most of them had recently become horribly creative and it kept the other kids from daring to mess with the blonde like they had in the past.
Sakura had growled as Naruto ignored her for the second day since school began. Normally the boy was in her space chatting with her asking her on dates giving her attention call her pretty. Sure she wanted Sasuke to do that for her but she still enjoyed the attention coming from the blonde as well.
Ever since he returned Naruto had changed and pretty much avoided her and it was pissing her off.
Sasuke Narrowed his eyes as his self proclaimed 'rival' ignored him in favor of hanging with the lazy ass and lard ass. Sasuke scoffed and ignored the small nagging at the back of his head telling him that he missed the competitive little freak.
Iruka watched as Naruto seemed to settle in and settle down and there was a burst of undeserved pride he had doe the blonde. Iruka was going to use this as an excuse to maybe get to know the Uzumaki a bit more, the kid really was just like him in his youth. In that moment he knew he could no longer hold the fact that the kid housed the nine tailed beast against them.
~OMT~
Shikaku stood silently with Shibi at his side as the hokage read over the files of evidence. The third gave a heavy sigh before settling back into his seat.
"Does Danzo know you uncovered his plot yet." Hiruzen eyes Shikaku who shook his head and the aged hokage nodded stiffly.
"This will ruin him but it's better as leverage, I can force him out of power in public for now. I will allow you to handle the Uchiha as you see fit Shikaku. I trust you on this, I will face Danzo take the evidence, so the fool does not destroy it. He does not get any more chances from me." With a single nod Shikaku set off to face a more difficult opponent.
It was time to piss off an Uchiha.
~OMT~
Naruto allowed her anbu to trail her as she 'accidently' crossed paths with a training Gai. She could practically feel Kakashi's upset as she ran toward the green clad man and gushed about his skills.
It didn't take much convincing on her part to ask for a few 'pointers' and Naruto was practically force fed information on developing her own taijutsu. Naruto may have been young but how Shikamaru made her seem as if she were a sponge soaking up information easily.
So, none of her anbu were surprised at her later on planning out her own self imposed taijutsu training. Or going through a training regiment that seemed terrifying for an eight year old. Though Naruto had no adult to tell her no and tummy tenant who despite being quiet and as Naruto knew was 'taking a well deserved nap' she was still healed rapidly.
The blonde kept all her abilities under wraps though and only made it seem as if she were slowly developing everything. No need for her anbu to tell Jiji and he try to stop her.
So, mornings she would train in taijutsu and after school she would train in chakra control with Shikamaru and Choji. At home under anbu watch she would study and read over skills she wished to develop.
The Nara matriarch had met Naruto once and after seeing how thin the blonde was ensured her son always took an extra lunch for the Uzumaki. She also somehow wrangled the eight year old to their house for breakfast or dinners when she could.
Naruto was surprisingly stubborn on dinners as the Uzumaki hated to miss dinners with her masked Uchiha guard. Being hokage in her past life was a blessing as she had learned Shisui and Itachi both doted on the girl despite her having never had a true conversation with them.
Naruto was fed information from Shikamaru or Shikaku about the affairs of the village. Though despite being told it was all handled, it wasn't till the date of the Uchiha massacre passed and Danzo's public stepping down from the council did Naruto ease down a bit.
Though it was when root was dismantled, and more crimes poured out like a waterfall many of it tying to missing clan shinobi and the plot to force the Uchiha to betray the village. Danzo was ruined at that point and the public outrage pushed the hokage to force the man into a public execution.
The missing shinobi were returned to their clans and many more of these messed up operatives were taken into the shinobi force. Mainly anbu or T&I.
In the first few weeks of her return Naruto had accomplished one goal. Now she just had to stay low and graduate the academy a second time. Possibly deal with Mizuki sensei at some point between then and now.
The blonde let out a deep sigh and prepared for the next several years of training.
Damn was this going to be a fucking chore.
Thank you for reading!