A/N This chapter is officially unofficially named "Retrospection" - you will see why.
At first glance the Senju compounds did not look special, but once one took a closer look it became obvious that something about this abandoned district did not quite fit.
The streets were too clean, the paint on the buildings unblemished, and most doors looked like they had been freshly painted.
There was a strange sense of nostalgia in the air, and an aura of faded life shrouded the empty streets like a smothering blanket.
In the darkness of the night, it almost seemed like the inhabitants had simply laid down for a good night's sleep; resting their eyes and waiting for a dawn they would never come to see.
It was eerie.
A sudden burst of coldness fell over him, and Naruto shuddered involuntarily.
He glanced at Tobirama.
The ghost was standing statue-still, his figure shimmering in the moon's bright light, and for a moment he seemed to be just as detached and waned as a distant memory; a last remnant of glorious days fighting against the gnawing teeth of time.
'Jiji?' Naruto asked tentatively. He unexpectedly felt the desperate urge to make sure that his only remaining family was still there. 'Where should we go now?'
Tobirama shook himself out of his reverie when he felt the child's hesitant, mental presence reaching out to him. 'Follow me,' he replied simply and stepped on the path he had walked countless times a lifetime ago.
He did not need to turn around to know that the children were following him. He could feel their chakra spike in wonderment and curiosity.
Tobirama absently wondered how long it had been since an Uchiha had entered Senju territory. Even after the founding of Konohagakure, it had been an unspoken agreement to keep out of the other clan's compound unless being explicitly invited.
These instances had been rare. In fact, the only Uchiha who had passed their gates on a frequent basis had been young Shisui's ancestor Kagami.
They might have belonged to the same village, but the lingering disquiet their clans had felt around each other had remained for a fairly long time.
Tobirama saw the familiar courtyard appear in front of them and stopped. "This is where I used to live. Be careful, the door is sealed against intruders. You need to active the arrays in a specific order or you will receive a very… unpleasant greeting. I strongly suggest you follow my instructions to the letter."
'Unpleasant?' The child repeated curiously in his mind. 'What would happen if I did it wrong?'
Tobirama paused, remembering the rather vicious defense mechanism he had developed. 'Let me phrase it like this, child: I have never been known for being kind to my enemies. Is that answer enough for you, or do I need to get detailed?'
The boy's chakra spiked nervously. 'No, that's alright! I'll just do what you say. Please be extra thorough, okay?'
Tobirama smirked slightly at the quick answer. It was nice to know he had not lost his touch yet. 'Certainly,' he agreed easily, 'I will make sure to give you a thorough lecture on the mechanisms behind it once we are less pressed for time. It is rare for you to express an interest in the theoretical aspects of my teachings. '
He was fully aware that this was not what the child had meant when he had asked him for being extra thorough, but his deliberate misinterpretation of Naruto's words would hopefully teach the boy to be more careful with his wording.
Not only actions had consequences; seemingly innocuous words had them as well – and they were about to enter a playing field where words were going to be the key weapon.
He placed a hand on the child's shoulder. "Now listen carefully."
Shisui had always thought that he knew Naruto. He had been part of the unit that had secretly guarded him until he had entered the academy, although he had entered Team Ke much later than the rest of his teammates and had spent a far shorter time around him.
Shisui had seen Naruto grow from the distance and his heart had gone out to the lonely boy who had wanted nothing more but to find a friend.
Naruto's attempts, however, had always been foiled by outside interference. It was not exactly like the other kids had been told to stay away from him, but somehow the orphanage's matrons had always been on hand to stir him away from the others when he tried to join.
If he wanted to go and play with the other kids at the swing, he had been handed wooden blocks instead and been sent off to the corner to play quietly.
When he tried to join in on a game of ninja, someone had intervened and redirected him to the empty sandbox instead.
At one point the kid simply stopped trying.
Naruto had not grown up alone, but he had been isolated.
Seeing him move out of the orphanage just before entering the academy had both relieved and worried him and his unit.
It had relieved them because he had finally managed to leave the orphanage's cold care, and it had worried them because he would be living alone at the tender age of four years and eleven months.
But they had been ANBU, they could only watch and guard him from the shadows – and their protection had been necessary in the beginning.
Tempers had been running high, and not many people had been keen on having the Nine-Tails' jailor among their midst.
But after a while things had calmed down and Konoha's general consensus had become: If you pretend it does not exist, it doesn't.
A faulty logic, but a welcome one.
So Team Ke's workload had lessened, and they had continued watching as the lonely child developed a particularly brash attitude that had practically screamed "Please notice me."
It had broken Shisui's heart because they had been there. They had noticed him, but they had been incapable of helping him because they were nothing more than silent, invisible guards.
ANBU were not supposed to be more than a dangerous whisper in the night. A cold and hidden blade unsheathed only at their Kage's demand.
They could not move on their own.
Then Naruto had entered the academy, and Team Ke had been reassigned.
That had not stopped them from regularly checking in on him, though.
At first the reports about Naruto's performance had not been flattering. He had been called loud, brash and idiotic. 'He will never become a shinobi' one of his teachers had even written below one report.
Shisui had been depressed for days when he had secretly read that report.
But suddenly things had changed.
Shisui still did not know what had triggered it, but Naruto had abruptly decided to apply himself. His brash attitude had subsided, and he had seemed so much more at peace with himself and his surroundings.
The yearning look in his eyes was gone, and Naruto actually gave the impression of someone who knew he belonged.
He watched in fascination as Naruto easily broke through the Senju gate's protections and wondered if this was the reason for the kid's sudden change.
Had Naruto found his family?
It would explain so much about his change in attitude.
To someone like Naruto who had never been part of something, it must have meant the world.
Which reminded him just where the kid had led them to.
He huffed in amusement.
Of course, Naruto would be a part of this clan – and he apparently knew exactly where he was going.
Shisui did not fail to notice that Naruto did not stop even once but lead them with an assured confidence that spoke of the intimate knowledge he had of this place.
It was obvious he had been here before, more than once.
He threw a glance at Itachi, and the knowing glint in his friend's eyes told him that he had reached a similar conclusion.
His suspicion turned into certainty when Naruto marched up a small pathway to a tall building at the center of the area.
Based on the position and size of the residence, Shisui guessed it had to be the main house belonging to the Clan Head's family.
He was suddenly feeling apprehensive. "Ehm, Naruto… Do you really think it's alright to go there?"
The kid turned around and grinned at him, looking completely unbothered and almost…eager. "Don't worry. You are with me, so it's fine."
Well, that was a rather cryptic answer, but at least it confirmed Shisui's theory about Naruto's ancestry.
A Senju, huh?
He smiled wryly and watched as Naruto effortlessly opened the door.
So this was where his jiji had lived. Naruto's eyes moved rapidly over the decorations and furniture, futilely trying to take in everything at once.
He just did not know where to look first! Everything seemed so interesting, and every time his gaze was drawn somewhere, something else caught his attention and he looked at that instead.
It was just so overwhelming!
A hand settled on his shoulder and a calm voice spoke up next to him. "This is the main hall. During our clan's early days, it was utilized as an assembly room for conferences. While my… father was still in charge, this spot also used to serve as a place where he felled judgment over our prisoners."
Naruto shuddered as he eyed the intricate carvings on the wall. To think this would be the last thing people had seen before they had died. 'Your father sounds scary.'
The ghost laughed; it was not happy. "My father was a cold man. Unforgiving and set in his ways. He perceived my brother's dream as a weakness and punished him for it – and yet it was that dream that became Hashirama's driving strength and forged him into the astounding and powerful man he should become known as. "
Naruto remembered the gentle smile Senju Hashirama had worn in his dream. "I am watching over both of you now." He had said. It was hard to believe that someone like him had such a cold father. But then…he was Tobirama-jiji's father, too, and in his unbiased opinion his jiji had turned out awesome enough.
"He. It seems not only our clan likes to grandstand," Shisui's voice cut their conversation short. "Look Itachi, their main hall is almost as lavish as yours!"
Itachi rolled his eyes. "Really, Shisui? This is the first thing you have to say?"
Shisui shrugged and turned towards Naruto. "So, I take it this admittingly impressive hall was not what you wanted to show us?"
Naruto snickered but stopped when he saw the light frown on the ghost's face. "Nope." At least he did not think so. 'Where should I go?' He inquired mentally.
'Step down the corridor to your right and open the third door on the left side. That is where you will find my study.'
Naruto pointed at the corridor the Nidaime had indicated. "This way!"
Itachi had not known what to think when Naruto proposed the idea of involving the daimyo. He had already known that his young friend was more skilled than the rest of his agemates. He had proven himself as quite capable for his age and Itachi had quickly discarded the idea of treating him like his brother, although he still felt an instinctual need to protect him.
It had been a tough decision to continue their investigation after they had encountered the ROOT agent, but they had admittedly been desperate to find anything that could have helped in getting Danzo off their backs.
The more leverage they had against him, the better and Itachi had been confident in his and Shisui's skills.
To be honest, he had not thought that Naruto would be able to contribute much, but Itachi had been proven wrong.
Their teamwork had been excellent, and they had complemented each other in unexpected ways.
Itachi did not know when his fondness for Naruto had turned into affection, but he would never forget the desperate look on Naruto's face when he had clung to them after they had nearly fallen into the death trap.
It had sealed the deal.
They had trusted him with their secret – and it seemed like he was repaying that trust by letting them in on his secret.
He was, admittedly, quite touched.
"This office," he asked as he inspected the portraits lining the wall, "Who did it belong to?"
Itachi had his suspicions, but he still wanted Naruto to confirm it.
"Senju Tobirama," Naruto answered, and he sounded almost fond.
Itachi turned around and saw Naruto and Shisui standing in front of the desk, an opened quartz box in front of them.
He joined them and looked at the small item lying innocently on red brocade.
It was the Senju sigil.
A/N I suppose now you understand the "Retrospection." It was rather important to me that we got to peek into Itachi's and Shisui's minds, too - just to ascertain a general understanding of how they view Naruto.
Another note: The Senju compounds in this story have been build during the Warring States period after the Senju had decided to settle down. I am going with the assumption that Konoha is bigger and the remaining clans and civilians settled around them and the Uchiha. Remember this is an AU.
On an unrelated note: I am curious: Who do you think are the remaining members of Team Ke?
IMPORTANT: I am taking a break in writing now because Germany's new copyright law is threatening the legality of fanfictions and I am spending my freetime trying to make people aware of it.
If that law passes, two things could happen: I would have to entirely stop writing, or I would have to pay a huge sum of money to the license holders for the right to write. (Which I refuse to do.)