Naruto would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous. It was his first time being invited to a friend's house, and he wasn't sure about what he should do. He made sure to learn about etiquette.

He prepared gifts and dressed well but didn't know how to behave. Naruto took off his shoes by the door as they reached the main house and put them neatly aside.

"We are here, mother," Itachi said from the door.

Mikoto came wearing an apron and holding a wooden spoon in her hand. Naruto gave a deep bow." Pardon the intrusion. My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I am Itachi's friend."

"Oh my goodness, such a well-behaved child. It's so nice to meet you, Naruto-kun. You can call me Mikoto oba-chan, just like Shisui here." She said, pulling Naruto into a hug.

Naruto didn't expect that, so he went stiff for a moment since he didn't know what to do. He was blushing and so confused. Itachi decided to save him.

"Naruto brought these gifts," Itachi said.

Mikoto finally let go of Naruto and looked at the flowers and the box. "These are so beautiful. There was no need Naruto-kun." She said as she told Shisui to put the flowers in the vase in the kitchen.

"No. Please, they aren't anything special. I made some dangos in the boxes for dessert. I put a few boxes of my tea mixes as well. There are instructions about how to make them and their properties." Naruto said, blushing even more.

"That is so wonderful. So you are the friend whom Itachi always praises about their cooking." Mikoto said, taking the box from Itachi.

Itachi decided to save Naruto from more attention. "Is Sasuke in his room?" he asked.

"No, he went with your father. They should be back soon. How about you guys go to the other room, and I will bring you some drinks and snacks? Dinner should be ready soon," Mikoto said, going to the kitchen.

Itachi showed Naruto the way to the living room, and they sat down. Itachi was trying to stop his chuckle.

"Hey, it isn't funny. I just don't know how to act in front of your family." Naruto said.

Shisui came with a tray of snacks and drinks." Well, you have to admit how funny it is that you have no problem going on missions with ANBU, but the moment you meet my mother, you become a stuttering mess." Itachi chuckled.

"Yeah, do you remember the time when he decided to convince the council that they should provide children in the orphanage with more job opportunities? He wasn't budging on anything. He even managed to convince all the shinobi clan heads. It was inspiring." Shisui said, Picking a glass of juice and some snacks.

"Well, it would be even better if they agreed with my original plan. But I guess letting the children above 12 take some of the jobs classified as D-ranks is not that bad." Naruto said, Taking slow sips of his drinks.

"You really like helping with the orphanage, don't you," Itachi said, Trying to stop Shisui from eating all the snacks.

"Well, I guess so. I mean, I am an orphan, after all. I actually didn't think much of it before coming to the outside world. Everyone in the base is the same as me. So I never gave much thought to having a family."

"I think I used to be curious about what it meant to have a family or how it feels, but the matter of fact is that I can't do anything about it. I also realized that I have you guys and my other friends, and that is enough for me." Naruto said.

Suddenly he was pulled into a hug by both other boys. He let himself relax and enjoy their company. They finally let go. Naruto also remembered something.

"Itachi. I just remembered. I finally got the ink I told you about." Naruto said, putting a sealing brush, ink, and paper on the table." This is the design. It should fit on your wrist. I calculated it and think it should last for at least three months."

"Then I will have to reapply it, or you can do it yourself since it is within your level. I will also leave the design and instruction with you." Naruto said and took Itachi's offered hand.

It took him 20 minutes to apply it to both wrists, but it was perfect. His clone was also doing the same for Shisui. He checked both their seals and activated them. They were working.

Itachi then took a few kunais and handed some to Shisui as they both tried the new seals. It was a storage seal meant for small objects. When activated, it could seal the item in the user's hand or unseal it into their hand.

Naruto wanted to give them weight and resistance seal in the future, but those tended to wear out faster, and they weren't at a level to reapply it themselves.

When it came to seals on the skin, there were two kinds. Ink and tattoos. Tattooed seals were permanent and hard to remove, but they also had a major flaw. The user had to be an adult.

If a seal were tattooed on a child, the growth of the body would affect it. It could become useless or deadly, depending on the seal. However, inked seals were different.

They might need reapplication but were more stable to the body's changes. There were also permanent ink seals like the ones holding a Bijuu. Those seals usually used the tailed beast's chakra as a constant energy source to keep the seal active and stable.

Naruto needed to reapply his own gravity and resistance seal every two months, which wasn't hard. "Kids, the dinner is ready," Mikoto called from the kitchen.

They got up and helped her set the table as Fugaku and Sasuke changed for dinner. After a short introduction, they all sat at the table.

Fugaku was at the head of the table with Mikoto to her left and Itachi to his right. Sasuke was sitting next to Mikoto after some complaints about not sitting next to his Aniki.

Naruto sat in between Itachi and Shisui at their insistence. Dinner was a quiet affair. Some general questions were asked, but nothing too heavy for a formal dinner.

There were all sorts of dishes on the table, and Naruto enjoyed the taste of a home-cooked meal. Soon the dishes were brought back to the kitchen, and dessert was served.

Fugaku was sipping on tea while chewing on a dango." These dangos are good." he said.

"I agree. Naruto-kun cooked them. He also brought the tea." Mikoto said.

"Did he now? The tea blend tastes fine. May I ask what it is?" He asked curiously.

"It is one of my blends. It contains licorice and green tea, and other plants. It's good for a boost of metabolism and energy. It is good for the end of the day or when you are tired as it can help the body relax."

"I also made some other blends for better sleep, curing headaches. There are also a few medical blends." Naruto said.

"Are you interested in medical plants?" Fugaku asked as Mikoto purred him more tea.

"I mostly have an interest toward old medicinal arts. I am learning about poisons and antidotes and needle acupuncture. I people are becoming too dependent on chakra for healing."

"I hope that one day more people are encouraged to learn and expand these arts," Naruto said. Itachi and Shisui were wolving down dangos one after another. While Itachi at least put a graceful act while doing so, Shisui had no reservations.

"Very interesting. Are you interested in other fields as well?" Fugaku asked. He picked a few more sticks of dangos since there wouldn't be any more left soon, by the looks of things.

"Well, I think I am on my way to becoming a well-rounded shinobi. I can perform basic iryojutsu. I am proficient in taijutsu,ninjutsu and kenjutsu. I am also working as a seal master in the sealing division. Itachi and Shisui are also helping me with genjutsu, but I'm afraid I don't have the talent for it." Naruto said. Naruto noticed that Mikoto shared the same love for sweets and was competing with the two boys over how many she could eat.

"That is truly impressive. If I may ask, why are you not a Jonin yet? With your skillset, you are suitable for the rank." He asked.

"Well, the truth is that I am only 7, and I can't pass the physical portion of the exam until a few years. I can boost my body with chakra to keep up in missions, but without it, I wouldn't be able to do so. I believe I should be able to pass the exam in three years." Naruto said as Shisui gave him a pat on the back. Naruto, in turn, gave his dango to him, which earned him another pat.

The topic soon changed to more mundane things. Sasuke excused himself to sleep while Mikoto went back to the kitchen to clean up.

Naruto enjoyed the talk, but it was getting late, so he said his goodbyes. Fugaku assured him that he was welcome anytime he wanted and sent Shisui to accompany him to the gates.

"Well, you did very well, otouto. It is not every day that I see uncle Fugaku this talkative. I think he likes you." Shisui said.

"I enjoyed tonight as well. Goodbye, Shisui-nii," Naruto said as he handed Shisui a box of mochi he was hiding. Shisui brightened up and pulled him into a hug before letting him go.

That night Naruto slept peacefully after a long time.


Naruto had special plans for today. It took him a while to set everything, but it was time. He woke up early and did his usual training. He then went to a training ground to see Shino.

"Good morning Shino-san. It is good to see you." Naruto said.

"Yes, Naruto-san, it is good to see you as well. May I ask why you wanted to see me today?" he asked.

"I will tell you everything, but first, I need you to promise that this will remain a secret even from your family. At least for the time being." Naruto said.

Shino knew that Naruto was serious, so he took a few moments to think about it before agreeing. "I'll tell you everything on the way then," Naruto said as they walked to the meeting place.

Naruto explained everything to Shino, who was shocked and skeptical at first but understood everything after some explaining. They went to an abounded training ground where Naruto whistled, and a masked figure jumped out of the trees.

"Shino, this is Torune. He is your elder brother. He was adopted by your father before being taken. Torune, you may take off your mask now." Naruto said.

Torune removed his mask. "I will leave you two alone to talk. My clones will guard the area and warn you if someone is coming." Naruto said and left them alone.

He has been thinking about this for a while now. Naruto wanted to make a better world and a safe place for his friends. So it was only fair to give this chance to Shino.

At first, he wasn't sure how Torune would feel or act, so he didn't know if it was a good idea. But in the end, he decided to pull Torune aside and ask him directly.

He asked him if he remembered his time before the ROOT, which he said he did. He then asked if he wanted to meet Shino. At first, Torune was confused and against it.

Naruto talked to him and told him that he could arrange a secret meeting. It took a while, but he finally convinced him. Fuu and Torune weren't subjected to the same conditioning as many other agents.

They chose to remain in the ROOT on their own. For Torune, it was to save his little brother, take his place, and save him from Danzo. He was taken when they were both in the jungle.

He noticed someone following them, and when he found Danzo and asked him what he wanted, he convinced Danzo to take him. The Aburame clan couldn't find a trace of him.

For Fuu, it was also a similar case. His father was the younger brother of Inoichi, who died during the third war when he was a baby. Inoichi raised him since his mother died during childbirth.

When Danzo wanted to steal a child from the Yamanaka clan, he volunteered without telling anyone to save others. Poor Inoichi thought he was kidnapped by some enemy or lost in the jungle.

They even had the Inuzuka and Hyuga searching for weeks, but nobody could find a trace. Inoichi mourned the little kid he thought of as a son. Naruto wasn't close enough to the Yamanaka clan to attempt the reunion for now, but it was on his list.

Naruto went back to the village. He had an important meeting today.


Naruto made a last tie to his trap as he got ready for the chase. During his time with Tora, he created a monster.

Tora wasn't a genin mission anymore. He could make clones, shadow clones, use henge, walk on walls and water, Kawarimi, Shunshin, and even channel elemental chakra.

He could use small fireballs, channel wind and lightning, and shoot water and mud bullets.

After sending a few unlucky teams to the hospital, he was now an ANBU mission. Naruto was so proud. Still, there were some good days when he felt kind, letting genin capture him and then scratching them for fun.

Naruto swore that he could channel chakra to those claws. They were just deadly. Of course, nobody knew that Naruto had taught him all these. Sometimes he would be called to fetch Tora since he was the only person Tora liked.

Of course, they were both a bit sadistic and enjoyed it whenever an injured team would swear that Tora was a demon, only to see him snuggle to Naruto. ANBU even offered him a job to teach them how he caught the cat, but Naruto refused.

Naruto went to their usual starting line. Tora was waiting for him. Naruto counted to 3, and they both ran the course Naruto had set for them. It was a long course full of wire traps and seals. The goal was to trap each other in one of the traps.

They were both having fun when Naruto felt a familiar chakra approaching and stumbled right into one of his own traps. He was now wrapped in wires and couldn't move a single muscle.

He tried to reach for a kunai, but Tora was faster and disarmed him." I yield. It's your win. What were we at again?" Naruto asked.

"Meow," Tora said, sitting in front of Naruto, licking his paw.

"Hah. 32 to 34. I guess you are closing the gap faster than I expected." Naruto said, still trying to free himself.

"Meow," Tora said.

"Yeah, sure, I get you the salmon, but can you please let me go first," Naruto said with a bit of urgency.

"Meow," Tora said with a Cheshire smirk and walked away.

Naruto was ready to yell after him, but Kakashi got to the clearing at that moment.

"What do we have here? It seems like you are in a bit of trouble, Naruto-chan." Kakashi said, kneeling in front of Naruto, who was wiggling on the ground, trying to free himself.

The ropes he used had a seal on them, so if he tried to use chakra, he would only get electrocuted. It was his new seal, and he had wanted to use it on Tora since the last time. When he almost burned Naruto's hair with a fireball.

"Good evening Kakashi-san. Can you please help me out?" Naruto said.

Kakashi thought for a few moments." What will I get in return" he said with a sadistic eye-smile.

"Isn't my gratitude enough?" Naruto said with a pout.

"Nope. I know more than one person who would love to get you wrapped up like that. I can just give you to Shisui. Or maybe Anko. Hmmm, decisions, decisions." Kakashi said.

Naruto shivered. "Please. I'll do anything you want. Just don't let them get me." Naruto said.

"How about a little deal then? How about you make my precious a protective pouch? I want her protected against any harm and be the only one that can open it." Kakashi said, pointing to his Icha Icha book.

Naruto stared at him for a few minutes before agreeing with a sigh. Kakashi freed him, and then they discussed some details. Naruto promised to get it ready by next weekend.

Naruto really didn't want to do it, but there was no way out of it, so he just made a clone to go and think about the basic design for now.


Naruto was called to Danzo's office that night. He waited in a kneeling position for Danzo to finish his paperwork. Although Danzo didn't commit some of his darker crimes in this life, Naruto found it harder and harder to act as the perfect weapon after his discovery a few weeks ago.

About three weeks before going to Uzushio, Naruto found himself a golden opportunity. Danzo never informed Naruto how long he would be gone when he was outside the base, but that evening was different.

The daimyo had decided to visit Konoha for his yearly visit, and all clan heads and elders were attending. It was a day-long event to entertain the daimyo and also talk about serious matters.

Danzo left in the morning to join the Hokage and others for the formal greeting. It was also a weekend day, so Naruto went out to have an alibi. He went for training with Shisui since Itachi would also be busy with clan heir duties.

Before leaving, Naruto made a shadow clone and sent him to Danzo's office. It took him so long to get through all the secret cabinets without triggering anything, but he was a seal master for a reason.

His clone was going through files to find things of interest and mark them for future reading if necessary. But soon, the clone came upon that file. It was a secret file no one in Konoha knew about.

A secret that can change Konoha. It was also so disgusting and sick that it turned Naruto's stomach around. His clone couldn't handle it, so he quickly copied everything and hid them in Naruto's room in a place only he could access.

Then he dispelled himself to inform real Naruto about the discovery. Naruto was in the middle of training with Shisui when he got the memories. He doubled over and threw up in the bushes.

Shisui was so worried, but Naruto reassured him that he just needed some rest and excused himself and returned to base to sleep. He didn't know how he should handle this information.