Author's Note: Thank you for taking time to read this fanfic, I mainly did it to take my thoughts and put it on paper while hopefully being able to share the experience. I'm apologize for taking so long to post another chapter, as I've been balancing three jobs. Luckily, I'm able to get a couple of paragraphs in whenever I get my morning coffee. If you like the premise, feel free to adopt and alter it. You know what they say, "If you want to read a story that hasn't yet been written, then you must be the one to write it. Without further ado, I present to you:
Chapter 2
'Often times, one's arrogance can be their downfall. The ancients termed it as "Hubris" and "Ego". Despite traveling back in time, and being entrusted with the chakra of the legendary Sage of Six Paths I never foresaw the the predicament I'm currently in.'
"Naru-chan, go faster!" A seven-year old Ino could be heard yelling in the distance of Naruto's monologue as she was being carried on his back. She wanted to train with Naruto, but on the first lap around Konoha had tripped and had twisted her ankle. Ino had the brilliant idea for Naruto to carry her to intensify his training.
"I'm a Toad Sage... the Kyuubi Jinchurikki...the vanguard of the Great Shinobi Alliance..." Naruto began mumbling to himself. "I planned to be the greatest ninja this world has ever seen. Yet here I am... babysitting..."
"I'm not a baby!" Ino could still be angrily heard in the background of his mind. 'Still, it might be good to train her some. Inoichi sure is taking his time.'
"Naru-chan, I'm hungry" Ino whined. It was just about time for breakfast. Naruto dropped her off at the young Yamanaka's house, bracing himself for the scolding he would receive later from her mother. At least this time there would be a reason besides being a demon child. He headed back to his apartment to eat before continuing his training.
With the Yamanakas, a small discussion has gathered around the table as they ate breakfast. "So you went training with Naruto this morning?" Inoichi asked biting into his omelette. Ino nodded and smiled "Naru-chan did several laps around the village." 'While carrying her on his back, how strong is this kid' Inoichi wondered. "Daddy...?" Ino asked getting the older blonde's attention as he took another bite of his food "What's a Jinchurikki?" Inoichi seemed to spit out his food and a plate falling to the floor and breaking could be heard from the kitchen. "W-where did you hear that sweetie?" Inoichi stuttered, recomposing himself. "Naru-chan said something about how he is one." The older blondes face got serious 'so he knows,huh? I'm going to have to bring this up to Hokage-sama.' Ino was genuinely curious, if not concerned. 'I don't want to lie to my daughter about her friend, but...' he let out a deep sigh. "I am not at liberty to say, sweetheart, but I will try to get to the bottom of it." "Thanks, Daddy!" Ino said hugging her father.
Before Inoichi went to the T.I. Division to begin his daily work routine, he stopped by the Hokage's office to give a sit-rep. "So Naruto-kun is aware of his misgivings" Hurizen stated prompting Inoichi to ask permission to officially tail him. "Inoichi, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Although it might lead to that. Has he been acting differently as of late?" The blonde shook his head "no different than he normally is, but to begin with he never really acted normal. He's too sharp for his age." Hurizen wondered if he inherited some genius from his father, but even Minato wasn't as informed and as self-assured as his successor at this age. 'Luckily seeing him through the crystal ball has given me a better understanding of that facade he is putting on.' The old Sarutobi put down his pipe before grabbing Inoichi's attention. "Bring him in after you stop by T.I. And let them know you won't be available today." Inoichi nodded in agreement, "Hai, Hokage-sama." Hurizen has an uneasy feeling and needed to know exactly how much the boy knows.
Around noon, Naruto could be found stuffing his face with ramen from Ichiraku's. Halfway through his fifth bowl, he stopped and wondered what's going to happen to the Uchiha clan. 'I don't think I'm ready to face Itachi in this small body without giving out a ton of information' he deadpanned. Visibly frustrated, Ayame asked if something is wrong. "It's nothing Ayame-nee-chan!" He said while laughing and rubbing the back of his head. "Well keep up the good work, you look sturdier already" she commented to a wary smile. After avoiding the explanation, he continued his train of thought. 'Hmm maybe I can show them where Anbu 'ne' (Root) is located... nah, I can't guarantee Jiji will do something serious about Danzo, and I'm way too early to be facing him alone...' he slurped the broth from the bowl and continued onto the next. 'Wait a minute, if I stop Danzo, then the Uchiha's coup will continue as planned, and that'll host a ton of other problems.'
Inoichi walked into the ramen stand and sat next to Naruto. '"Naruto-kun..." he said while trying to slip in a bowl of ramen before heading back to the Academy. '... I mean, I might be able to take on Fugaku and Mikoto myself and saving Itachi the and Sasuke-teme the pain, but they're both Joun—...' "Naruto-KUN" Inoichi said a bit louder, startling the young blonde. "Y-Yamanaka-san?" He responded with the older blonde letting out a chuckle. "How's it going? I heard Ino went to train with you this morning." "Yeah, if you call falling right at the gate training" Naruto mumbled to himself to the ire of the older blonde who paused midway through slurping noodles. "I thought as a clan member she would have been trained more by now" Naruto nodded. The comment irritated Inoichi, but the kid had a point. "It's been difficult for me to find time nowadays. Maybe once I retire" he mentioned. "I can train her or bring her up to speed at least" the young Uzumaki offered. "And what type of speed does a seven-year old have" Inoichi grinned mischievously rubbing Naruto's head. "Ma, I lose you all the time when you're tailing me, that kind of speed" Naruto let slip, pausing in caution after realizing what he just said. 'So he knows it's me. Granted, this kids an oddball, but if it'll help Ino...' "I'd appreciate it, she can be a handful at times" he said with a jovial smile before getting serious as his head bubbled and it got eerily closer to Naruto's "...but I swear to Kami if you do anything indecent to my daughter..." "N-not a chance" Naruto tried fighting back the glare while Ayame and Teuchi laughed in the background. Inoichi then mentioned for Naruto to meet at the Hokage's office when he's done prior to finishing his bowl and leaving.
Naruto entered the Hokage's office nonchalantly "Hey Jiji!" He exclaimed to the to the smile of the old Sarutobi. 'I wonder where's this is going to go. I might have to pretend I don't know stuff, but Inoichi seems to already be on to me. I mean, he trusts a seven-year old to another seven year old. Who does that?!' "Naruto, I know you have been training for a little over a year now, how do you feel? Where would you rank yourself if given the opportunity to be a shinobi?" The seven-year old took a considerate, concentrated look that the Hokage caught. "I—" he hesitated "I think I'm just at a Genin level, considering my chakra control and physical strength" he admitted modestly. That doesn't include technique or knowledge, which Naruto wants to avoid explaining. His chakra control isn't the best, but that's because he has a large reserve, and his physical strength is no match without chakra enhancement.
The Hokage nodded his head. "Just at a Genin, you say" He observed. Any child your age would be ecstatic to consider themself such or hesitate outright until told otherwise. However, it seems you see yourself above that." Naruto choked up 'so much for the 'fake it til you make plan.'' "Naruto-kun, it's come to my attention that you know something about your... situation as an orphan. Can I ask how you found out about it?" 'That's pretty vague' Naruto thought 'he could be phishing for information.' "Hokage Ji-san.." he started politely "Can I ask that you put up the privacy seals and remove the Anbu from the room?" Both Inoichi and Hurizen were colored surprised. It may have given them a hint of his capabilities with the large amount of knowledge of the politics of Konoha and its shinobi, but he'd rather showed that he's formidable through academics rather than technique.
Even more curious the professor did just that, doing otherwise might shut his surrogate grandson off from him. He gave a reassuring nod to Naruto. "What exactly do you want to know?" Naruto stated hoping to give as little to them as possible. A bit uneasy that he isn't able to get Naruto to spill everything, Hurizen decided to ask directly. "Do you know of the Kyuubi?" He asked, also trying to prevent letting out too much information. "The nine-tailed fox that attacked the village seven years ago on my birthday. His name is Kurama and he is a good friend of mine." "That thing has a name?!" Inoichi let out unable to hold his tongue. Despite expecting that reaction, Naruto still winced a little from a phantom pain. Inoichi noticed and corrected himself "I'm sorry, Naruto. Please continue." Naruto did so after a slight pause "In his defense, he says he was placed under a powerful Genjutsu by a sharigan user..." Hurizen's brow perked up at this revelation. "... he says normally, he would consider humans below him and tried to avoid them whenever possible to not 'waste' his time." Hurizen took out his tobacco and began to pack it into his pipe. 'Hmm that's similar to Hashirama's and Madara's fight, it's concerning. The Uchiha have been rather closed off from the public recently, and they weren't near the village during the attack.'
The Professor lit his pipe and took a drag. "Has... Kurama said anything about the man who sealed him or where he was before the attack" Saying he knows of who his parents are would put the Hokage into alert mode for Naruto's safety from his father's enemies. While he doesn't see Naruto as normal, he doesn't appear to be Jounin level yet. "I asked, he doesn't like talking about either. He said his creator, the Sage of Six Paths, didn't wish for him to be sealed and holds a grudge on those who did it." The two grown shinobi were once again shocked that the tailed beast was a link to the Legendary Sage.
Hurizen coughed "has Kurama influenced you in any way? Is he the reason you began training?" Naruto shook his head. "Kurama and I are a team, he seems as wise as his creator..."
"Ah, kit, you're just too dumb to know common sense if it hit you in the face" Kurama noted.
"Despite being a pain in the ass ball of fur." He paused as he insulted the red beast. Getting a chuckle from the two others in the room from the crude display of compradore "He told me that if I was strong enough, I may be able to become a Sage myself." Naruto finished, trying to fast track the process of meeting the toad sage. This prompted a ton of questions to pop into Hurizen's head 'Why was the Kyuubi created? Moreover, it's an intelligent life form. How is Naruto not influenced by it and does Jaraiya need to look at the seal? How advanced is Naruto?' "This just reinforced my goal to be the strongest Hokage, Jiji" The blonde broke the Professor's concentration. Sarutobi smiled, remembering the enthusiastic child he confronted last year. "A sage is a pretty hopeful dream, especially if you consider yourself JUST a Genin, Naruto" he told him considerately. "Ma, I'm working on it" the Uzumaki retorted. "We'll wait on that discussion until you become an official shinobi and complete the academy" the Hokage said.
Naruto looked bummed, but Inoichi smiled in his place. 'It seems Naruto is more than capable of handling Ino' he noted. Which reminded him "Naruto-Kun, why did you ask that the privacy seals be put up?" The young blonde considered his answer, since Anbu 'ne' isn't officially disbanded until after the Uchiha downfall. "I just want what I tell you to stay with you, and not with someone who considers himself better" he said cryptically. Hurizen understood the hint, but how could a child know of Danzo? "Moreover, Hokage-sama..." Inoichi began "the rules pertaining to the Jinchurikki situation..." The Hokage rubbed his beard "If Naruto wishes for his peers to know, then he may tell them without any repercussion." Inoichi let out a sigh of relief. He looked at Naruto who was confused and noted how his daughter brought up the topic at breakfast. "Sorry about that Yamanaka-san, I'll tell her eventually" Naruto said rubbing the back of his head and laughing nervously.
Later that night, Naruto decided how he might stand a chance against Sasuke's parents. By taking what knowledge he had gained from Horagomo, Jaraiya, and Kurama about the cursed doujutsu and began making a seal to combat it. It will take some time, he'll only have one chance to perfect it, and he would still have to train to get his agility up to speed. 'I should start using gravity seals on my limbs' he thought 'I'll start in a couple of days when I start training Ino-chan.' I smile plastered on his face when he realized how comforting it was to have friends and comrades as a kid instead of always being an outcast. 'Things will definitely be better.'
Another year had passed since Naruto had started training Ino. While she learns quickly and is capable of absorbing any information thrown at her, her practical skills were lacking. Naruto saw that this wasn't because she was incapable, but that she was distracted by the feeling of chakra use. However, now that she was a bit more comfortable with her chakra, her control was equivalent to a fresh Genin.
However, they were only eight years old, and would be starting the Academy in a month. "Another several years before being a shinobi is even possible" Ino sighed as she walked through the village to class. Wherever she went, she was greeted with smiles from the villagers and shop owners. 'I wonder when Naruto will start teaching me jutsu' Ino wondered, deciding to drop the childish name while Naruto was officially training her. 'I've been getting used to walking up trees and on water, but those aren't actual jutsus! I need something useful!' She thought nodding to herself. 'Speaking of Naruto, where is he at? He always leaves the moment we're done with training.'
She continued walking along the eastern side of the village before she noticed a young girl with purple hair peering over a wall like she was tailing someone. The young girl looked to the side to see Ino staring at her from a distance, so she decided to suspend her pursuit of the mystery target. 'Those white eyes, she must be a Hyuuga' Ino noted. When she looked around the corner, she could see how the roads turned to grass and in the distance was a fenced off area that looked like a forest. Ino shrugged 'whatever, it's none of my business'.
Meanwhile in the Forest of Death, Naruto was finishing up his Sharingan Seals. He tried to design one of the seals to be similar to a barrier jutsu that preys on the Sharingan's ability to see chakra. By overloading the seal with a sharp burst might blind them temporarily. The second is if he happens to get in close, he can seal the eyes abilities to utilize chakra. The second one took a lot of research about medical ninjutsu. While he doesn't have the chakra control required to be a medic nin, the knowledge about the human anatomy can be useful. He probably won't be able to be friends with Sasuke after this, but he can't just stand around after seeing the mess it caused afterwards. 'Tonight is the night we start changing the future.'
In the early morning around 2:00am, Naruto entered the Uchiha compound. He had henged to have black hair and black eyes with a mask on to cover his whiskers. 'Kurama can't take part in this unless the Sharingan seals work, but let's hope it doesn't come down to needing him.' Within the large compound, he only had two targets. He hid in shadows when he could as he approached the house of his former rival.
While he was still in the cover of darkness and as he began hearing the silenced screams of the other Uchiha in the distance, he sat down to meditate. Uchiha were sensitive to unique chakra, but no one would guess the chakra that exists in nature. Focusing on locating the people nearby, he sensed two downstairs and one upstairs, probably asleep. 'That must be Sasuke, he has to know it wasn't his brother that killed his parents. I'll be sure to make enough noise' he thought.
'Once I get close enough and I'll plan to go loud.'
Naruto hopped onto the awning to get access to the upstairs window where Sasuke could be seen sound asleep. Naruto didn't spend anytime staring at the young kid, he didn't need that type of serenity now, insanity later. He exited the room quietly and readied his seal. 'They're Jounin, they should already know I'm here. I have to stay on my toes.' As he turned the corner to head downstairs, two Kunai flew from the first floor. Naruto dodged throwing his own before getting the wild instinct to duck. He did to find Fugaku's kunai in the wall. After a bout of taijutsu having Naruto's punches and roundhouse kick blocked, Fugaku kicked Naruto down the stairs to Mikoto, who readied to finish him off. Naruto cloned himself behind Mikoto, distracting her for a moment as he recovered, bouncing himself of the sidewall and into the center of the room. As the young clone fought the Jounin, lasting a little over five seconds before being dispatched. Fugaku was already downstairs. Both Uchiha were now in front of him with their Sharigan active.
Right as the clone popped, both looked toward Naruto who had the seal out on the floor. "Copy Wheel Barrier: Seal" A sharp burst of highly compressed Chakra released, shaking the walls of establishment, breaking the wood board around them. Naruto witnessed Fugaku and Mikoto's eyes were bleeding, an unexpected reaction. That sharp Chakra must have punctured and destroyed the Tenketsu located in the eyes. Fugaku let out a scream before Naruto has lunged his kunai through the Jounin's chest, killing him. Mikoto has tried to recover, but she couldn't see as her instincts blocked what attacks came in front of her, but she didn't feel the clone in back of her that had stabbed her in the kidney.
As Mikoto fell a cry came from the top of the stairs, "Mommy!" Sasuke yelled. Naruto jumped back as the young Uchiha tried to protect his mom, who was slowly bleeding out. Naruto disregarded the boy, resealing the chakra barrier. He looked at Sasuke with his guard up, trying not to feel any attachment to the scene before him before shushining away.
When Naruto left Mikoto called to her son "Sasuke..." she paused trying to catch her breath "I'm sorry… Please never stop being the caring child that I love..." she pleaded putting her hand on his face. Sasuke couldn't hold back the tears of loss. Itachi finally arrived to a scene he wasn't expecting. His father impaled and his mother in a puddle of blood. He walked up behind Sasuke to see his mother clinging to whatever time she can get. "Itachi... please keep Sasuke safe..." she finished as her breath faded away. "Brother!" Sasuke yelled hugging Itachi. Itachi on the other hand didn't react. He prepared for his parents to die by his hand, and for Sasuke to hate him. "Why did they have to die, brother" Sasuke muffled scream could be heard from Itachi's abdomen. Itachi put his hand on Sasuke's shoulder pushing him away "Be stronger, little brother." Pausing to look at his dead parents "Be better, Sasuke." Itachi turned to leave "one day you'll understand" we're the last words he left with young Uchiha Heir before disappearing into the night. Sasuke felt a deep dread when crying that his Sharigan flickered before he passed out from the emotional exhaustion.
Itachi gave his debrief to the Hokage in an undisclosed location, heavily forested. "So a man claiming to be Madara Uchiha participated in this mission" the third wrinkled his brow. "Hai, Hokage-sama" Itachi kneeled. After a moment of thought, Hurizen turned to the Uchiha prodigy. "You are stripped of your title as Anbu Captain and banished from this village" Hurizen said staring at Itachi for any emotional reaction, which he succeeded in not emitting. "Your goal with the reputation you will have is now to infiltrate "Madara's" group, Akatsuki." Before Itachi accepted he stood up "can I ask for you to take care of Sasuke?" He asked. Hurizen smiled "It's the least I can do for the sacrifice you'll have to endure." Itachi gave a slight bow before leaving the village.