I do not own Naruto or Naruto Shippuden in any way, shape, or form.

Naruto stared at Izumi from across the shogi board. They had been playing for most of that morning, and Naruto had far more wins than losses, something unusual for their meetings. His brow furrowed when he caught the fear that flickered through her eyes. It was something he had rarely, if ever, seen in her charcoal beauties.

"Izumi?" he asked, making an opening move.

She absently moved a piece, not even bothering to glance at the board. "Hn?"

Now Naruto knew something was wrong. Izumi, for as long as he could remember, was cold towards most people. To the blond Namikaze, however, there were only two circumstances that she had given him the cold shoulder. Once when he had accidentally taken the last of her pocky, and the other time was one he'd rather forget.

"What's wrong?"

Izumi shook her head. "Nothing, Naruto-kun."

"Alright," he said. They continued to play, but Naruto paid far more attention to her than the game. He even made several mistakes that would normally cost the game, but she still fell into the most obvious traps he laid. An idea flickered in his mind.

"Izumi? Would you mind if I have the last of your pocky?"

Naruto flinched, expecting a fireball to come flying at him. He even expected a shower of kunai for asking a sacrilegious question such as that. Instead, he just got handed the box of pocky by her leg.

Something is seriously wrong here, he thought. Leaning across the board, Naruto poked his dark-haired companion on her forehead much like she had done to her younger brother. It gained the wanted result of her gasping and rubbing her forehead, glaring at him.

"What, Naruto-kun?" she growled. "Why'd you do that?"

He frowned and waved the box of pocky. "You have me the last stick of pocky. You have never, and I mean never, have given anyone the last stick. What's going on?"

"Nothing," she said, avoiding his gaze.

Naruto sighed and stood, stretching to his full six foot height. The porch of the Namikaze household looked over the small training field in the backyard, and it was a frequent place for the two to meet. The years had been kind to Naruto, but he knew that the Uchiha were in some unfortunately hard times.

He turned and held out a hand to her. She took it as he led her through the house to his father's old study, which he had subsequently taken over. The young Uchiha heir had only been in the study once before, and she was still amazed. Seals, diagrams, and other interesting features covered the walls and large wooden desk.

"What are we doing here?" she asked softly.

Naruto placed a hand on a seal and channeled chakra into the array, making the room impervious to any eavesdroppers. He leaned against the desk as the exhaustion took hold, something he was still dealing with even years later. When he was steady, he met Izumi's piercing gaze.

"Tell me what's going on."

Izumi huffed and crossed her arms. "I told you, there's nothing -"

"Bullshit," he said bluntly. "You're crossing your arms, a sure sign of defensiveness. You're afraid of what's going on. I saw the look in your eyes. Izumi, I can't help if you don't tell me what's wrong."

She glared at him. "You can't help."

"Why?"

"It's nothing."

Naruto sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. For all the love he held for the young woman in front of him, she was certainly one of the more stubborn people in his life when she wanted to be. His mind raced through the possibilities of what could be wrong.

"Does it have to deal with the clan?" he eventually muttered.

Izumi's eyes widened slightly as she took a step back. When she looked at Naruto's downcast eyes, they saw right through any facade she placed. It was that gaze that she both loved and hated. Before it, anything was laid bare before his person.

"H-How did you know?"

"I didn't," he said with a shrug. "There's only so many things that can get my Black Rose riled up."

She remembered the nickname well. It was something that he had given her when she made Anbu Captain. In the area around Suna, there was a black flower that made some of the most potent poisons. It's deadliness was said to be equal only to its beauty.

"There's nothing you can do to help," she whispered, holding her arms. "I have to do this alone."

Naruto walked to her and took her in a firm hug, propping his chin on her head. She flinched at the contact, but quickly molded into the embrace. Izumi nuzzled her face into his chest, inhaling his scent of antiseptic, ramen, and earth. It was something that calmed her, that was a constant in her life no matter what. Whether they fought, cried, or lay under the stars, it was something she knew in her heart she never wanted to leave.

"You're never alone," Naruto muttered. "I will always be here to support you, to heal your wounds, to be the light in your life. Please tell me, I can't stand it when you're closed off to me like this."

Izumi bit her lip in a desperate attempt to not say anything, but the words came on their own. "The Uchiha are planning a coup d'etat."

That was unexpected, Naruto thought grimly. He maintained a calm exterior, just holding Izumi closer. Slowly, Izumi relaxed to his soothing ministrations. Naruto was silent for many minutes, trying to process how to respond to the shocking information.

"Is that how bad it is for the clan?" he asked softly.

Izumi nodded in his chest. When she spoke, her voice was barely a whisper. "We were pushed to the district by the Nidaime, the Sandaime allowed the village to distance itself from us, but the Yondaime tried to get us together once more. With him gone, everything is bad again. The village hates us, Naruto-kun. With the rumors that an Uchiha was responsible for the Kyūbi, how can we hope for it to be different?"

"I might know a way, but I need to talk to the Hokage first," Naruto said. "It's been on my mind for a while, but now I think is the right time."

He slowly drew back, looking into her warm black eyes. His heart swelled with love for the young woman in front of him. She was his constant companion throughout the years. Even when he proved to be unable to grow his chakra coils with the help of the Kyūbi, she remained at his side as a friend and confidant.

"I'll make this right, I promise," he whispered, placing his lips gently against hers. He felt her stiffen for a split second before relaxing into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck to draw him closer.

Naruto knew there was no choice now. He had to fix the situation with the Uchiha clan, one way or another.

=Break=

Hiruzen Sarutobi was a man widely respected in the Elemental Nations both as a leader and teacher. In his sixty years of life, he had mastered each non-clan technique in Konoha, became the Sandaime Hokage, and taught the team that would become legends in their own right. He was the second man to earn the title of Kami no Shinobi, marking him as one of the most powerful men alive.

However, even he was becoming short-tempered with the amount of papers that required his signature and approval coming across his desk. When his teacher, the Nidaime Hokage, had first named him his successor, the young Hiruzen was entrenched in a war with barely any time in Konoha. Now, he almost, almost, wished for that to be the case now.

"Sensei, you were one cruel bastard," he muttered, signing yet another document.

A soft knock drew his attention. He placed his brush aside and straightened his robes in a meager effort to appear more refined than his disheveled appearance would. "Come in."

Naruto walked through the door, his eyes clouded with a mixture of cold anger and a touch of fear. Hiruzen was immediately interested. Such things rarely made their way to his eyes even to the experienced gaze of the Hokage.

"What can I do for you today, my boy?" he asked in a more casual fashion.

The teenage clan head sat down heavily in the chair opposite the Hokage and withdrew a bottle of sake from his blue jacket along with two saucers. "I have brought something to help with our little discussion that we have to have."

"And what would this discussion be in your mind, Naruto-kun?" he asked warily, taking the saucer of alcohol and downing it.

Naruto sipped his sake and sighed, allowing the sharp bite of the drink to fade and warm his stomach. He placed the bottle on the desk and steepled his fingers. His eyes closed for a moment before opening to meet the gaze of the Hokage.

"I am wondering who you are choosing for your successor?"

Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. "That is what you wanted to discuss? Why? Planning on having me assassinated?"

Naruto scoffed at the bad joke. "Please, there's no way you'd be assassinated. Even if you're an old fossil, you still have more power in your pinky than most people in Konoha. No, I wanted to put forth a recommendation backed by the Namikaze-Uzumaki clan."

"Surely this would be better brought up in a council meeting?" Hiruzen asked.

"Not when the tensions between my candidate's clan and the village is bad enough the clan feels the need to rebel," Naruto countered.

Hiruzen's eyes widened slightly. "Oh? Do you know this for sure?"

"I have my ways," he said. "I'd like to put forth Izumi Uchiha as a candidate for Godaime Hokage."

So she told him of the coup, Hiruzen thought. He was silent for many moments, his mind turning over the possibilities. On one hand, this would be a perfect opportunity. Izumi, unlike her clansmen, was loved within the village by both shinobi and civilians. She could easily placate the Uchiha clan until further steps could be taken. On the other hand, many of the council members despised the Uchiha clan and would do anything to see that she never took the hat.

"Why do you wish to put her up for recommendation?" he asked cautiously.

Naruto gave a small smile, taking another sip of his sake. "You already know. I can see the wheels turning in your head. She is loved by most and can pacify the Uchiha until further measures can be taken."

Hiruzen nodded. "My thoughts exactly. Very well, consider her the candidate."

"I'm sorry, come again?"

"I said you may consider her the candidate," Hiruzen said. Naruto was surprised and awed at the power and authority radiating off the man. This was what a Hokage felt like when they were in their element. "She is the perfect person to take this from me. She is calm, collected, and she can put aside her personal feelings for the good of Konoha. Her power is growing, and I have no doubt that she will become worthy of this hat shortly. Now, I shall announce it by the end of the week. Do me a favor and notify her."

Naruto stood, flashing a wide smile. "That's no problem."

=Break=

Naruto made his way to the academy, a stupid grin splitting his face. He was nearly jumping at the idea of telling Izumi she was going to be the Godaime Hokage. First, though, he had to find his troublemaker of a sister.

Nearing the academy, he heard a small explosion followed by a cloud of pink powder. He picked up his pace and ran around the corner to find Natsumi's class scattered across the ground covered in pink powder that he had no doubt would stain their clothing.

"NATSUMI!" the chūnin instructor, Iruka Umino if he wasn't mistaken, shouted.

Naruto chuckled at the sight, but he covered it up as Iruka looked at him. The man seemed nervous and angry in equal measure at the sight of the Yondaime's son.

"Oh, hello Naruto-sama. You're here early. Class still is in session for another half hour."

The blond smiled and nodded. "Yeah, but I figured I'd take Natsumi off your hands a little early. We have some clan business to attend to tonight, and she needs to be prepared. I hope that's not a problem?"

Naruto could see the man jumping up and down in joy in his mind, but Iruka schooled his features well. "That's no problem, though I'm not sure where she is. As you can see, she's probably hiding."

"Natsumi," Naruto called in a singsong voice. "If you don't come out, I'll make you practice taijutsu with Gai again."

Suddenly, Natsumi appeared in front of him in all her extravagant glory. Her blazing red hair was pulled back into a single ponytail, though two bangs framed her face. Her orange jacket and pants, complete with blue highlights, made it a wonder she was so good at stealth. She looked up at Naruto with a cute pout that almost made him smile.

"That's not nice, nii-san," she whimpered.

"Then don't pull such dumb pranks again," Naruto chided. Iruka sighed, then he gawked as Naruto continued. "You went with powder, but you should have gone with paint. I mean, come on, powder washes off, but paint stays."

Iruka shuddered at the memory of the young blond in his class when he was in the academy. Naruto was bright, he knew, and the only thing that held him back from being in the same level as Izumi Uchiha was his chakra coils. The teacher was the unfortunate victim in several pranks, but the accomplice in far more.

"Besides, Izumi," Naruto chuckled. "You still have to beat the prank master himself."

She looked at him curiously, striking a thinking pose. "You?"

Naruto shook his head and began to walk away. "Nope. That title belongs to Iruka-kun. Have a pleasant day, Prankster-sama."

The academy students looked at their teacher who was sweating bullets. "WHAT?"

Hey yall! Fresh from the thinking oven, chapter two! I wanted this chapter to be more on how Naruto and Izumi's relationship starts, to be noticeable to the greater Konoha population and how Naruto solves the Uchiha coup. I thought the Massacre was not a very good plot point, even in the original, because so many other options could have been taken. Hence why Naruto swoops in and saves the day! Thanks, please feel free to review to tell me what you think.