This is one of those chapters where a lot happens and I keep wondering if I missed something... But I've been through it a few times and edited some stuff to make more sense timeline-wise, so... I guess I'll just leave it as is? And come back later if I have forgotten something. (I hope I haven't.) Because a lot happens in here, guys. So much.

Thanks so much for all the continued feedback! :D It really makes my day to get a message and see that it's a review for the story and reading what you guys think of how things are going. So thank you!

As a general note, I will be leaving the country for the next few weeks, so I'm not sure what my schedule's going to be like. I probably won't be able to post anything during that time, so if the story goes without an update during that time, that's why.

Enjoy!

Chapter 7

It had been a week. Kakashi wasn't on his guard anymore. Hadn't been for a few days, taking a mission that would have him out of the village.

Naruto suspected Kakashi had requested the mission because usually shinobi didn't know what kind of missions they'd get in advance. And Kakashi had known that he wouldn't be in the village when he'd told Naruto he would be off the guard.

He didn't like it, but they'd already had that argument. So Naruto had shoved his Hiraishin markers into Kakashi's bag and said nothing more.

But Naruto kind of – really – wished Kakashi were here. Because he had an invite to Sasuke's house and absolutely no idea what to do for it.

It wasn't like Naruto had anyone he could ask for advice. Iruka didn't know who he was. Ero-sennin wasn't in the village. And the old man was busy and Naruto didn't feel like telling him he'd been invited over by Uchiha Sasuke.

Naruto would have complained to Kakashi and begged for advice, but Kakashi wasn't here. If Sakura were…

That wasn't an option either. Naruto didn't know what she did at this age, but her parents were civilians. They wouldn't let him within five feet of her.

And it wasn't like Sakura would even want to talk to him at this age. She hadn't once in the Academy until Naruto made himself really obnoxious and she got older.

But Sakura's knowledge sure would be helpful. She would probably know more than Kakashi. Since Kakashi was amazing but Naruto could admit that his sensei was rather bad at the smaller things in life. Like being on time. Or knowledgeable on what to do when invited to dinner with a stuffy clan.

Still, Kakashi would have a better idea than Naruto did. He was an Adult.

Should Naruto dress up? He had…shirts. And pants. And no money to get anything else.

Was he supposed to bring food? But he couldn't really cook, and he didn't fancy setting his apartment on fire and having to move. Yeah, he missed his old apartment but this one was fine, too. And missing dinner because he set his kitchen on fire would suck.

Especially since Sasuke had seemed just a bit shifty when telling Naruto yesterday that he was coming over for dinner the next day.

Naruto wasn't sure why, but maybe Sasuke had done something he wasn't supposed to? It wasn't too far out of the realm of possibility.

Although Sasuke was less inclined to go rogue now than he had been before. Which was a good thing. Naruto didn't want to go chasing after him again.

It would suck.

Eyeing his closet, Naruto changed his current shirt out for something fresher. After another moment's thought, he did the same with his pants. Then he turned and considered his apartment.

There was nothing he could bring them from here. Although Naruto didn't know if he was supposed to bring them something anyway.

Hell, even Shikamaru would be nice to talk to now. Especially since Shikamaru was actually in a clan.

Glancing at the clock, Naruto realized he had far too much time to kill. And absolutely nothing to do. It was awful.

Maybe he could walk around Konoha? And try not to shake out of his skin with nerves.

It was a sensation he was entirely unfamiliar with and hated. It wasn't like he'd ever been invited over to a friend's house before. Especially for dinner.

Nerves about a fight were different compared to these kinds of nerves. And Naruto knew which ones he preferred.

Okay, he could do this. Naruto had dealt with worse.

Even if this was entirely new ground. And Naruto didn't know how going to dinner with Sasuke's family ranked against fighting to kill against another shinobi.

Knowing his luck, the dinner thing would top the fighting.

"Oh, hey, Sasuke! How're things? Cool? Yeah, I'm awesome! Really looking forward to meeting your parents!" Naruto locked his door, pocketed the key, and then proceeded to almost slam into Sasuke when he turned too fast.

For his part, Sasuke looked only mildly concerned. "Are you really okay?"

"Uh, yeah!" Naruto hoped his smile didn't look too manic. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Do you not want to come?" Sasuke asked after a small pause, looking hesitant.

"What? No!" Naruto grabbed Sasuke's wrist, proceeding to drag him down the hall so they could get moving. "I'm looking forward to this! You invited me so you can't back out!"

"I'm not backing out." Now Sasuke sounded indignant.

"Good." Naruto slowed his pace once they reached the street, letting go of Sasuke's wrist to put his hands in his pockets. He deliberately slumped, trying to affect a casual posture.

It wasn't his normal casual posture, but then he didn't feel casual enough to go for it. But it wasn't like Sasuke knew him well enough at this point to call him out on it.

"Are you nervous?" Sasuke asked once they were closer to the Uchiha district.

Naruto's answering laugh was a bit too high-pitched. Which was totally selling the "not nervous" demeanor. "Nervous? Nooo." Sasuke's unconvinced look had him adding, "Maybe? Kind of. Just a bit." He lifted a hand, showing a small distance between his fingers.

Satisfied with the answer, Sasuke nodded. "It's okay," he said. "I mean, I don't get it, but that's fine."

Oh, Sasuke. Bluntly honest as always. Even at five. It was rather cute. Naruto promptly mentally slapped himself because "cute" and Sasuke didn't fit in the same thought.

"It's just…" Naruto looked up, ignoring the side glances that the other Uchiha were shooting their way. "I've never been to a friend's place before." Not like he'd had friends before. At least not ones who'd invited him over. His usual friends tended to glomp him, fight by his side, or try to punch his lights out. Sometimes all at once.

"There's a first time for everything," Sasuke said, blinking slowly. He wasn't looking at Naruto, eyes on the entrance to the Uchiha district. His expression was stoic, like he was trying not to reveal something. "And, um…" He shoved his hands in his pockets, turning his head slightly to the side as he continued speaking. "I don't really have friends over either."

Naruto blinked. "What – really?"

"Hn." Sasuke shrugged curtly, not saying anything else.

Naruto let it go, considering what he knew of Sasuke's childhood in light of this new information. The aftermath of the massacre made more sense now given that Sasuke hadn't had any friends before…

As much as Naruto loved Sasuke, he had to admit that Sasuke wasn't the most approachable of guys. Even as a kid. There was something about him that just screamed "I'm better and more awesome and you can't compare." What kid wanted to deal with that?

Naruto, apparently. Regardless of how old he was and whether he'd time traveled or not.

"Come on." Sasuke's voice was a surprise, as was how Sasuke grabbed hold of his arm to pull him forward faster. "It's not much further. Big brother's going to be there, too."

"Oh, that's nice," Naruto managed, skipping slightly so he wouldn't trip over his feet. He caught his balance and picked up the pace so Sasuke wasn't doing all the work.

Sasuke hummed in acknowledgement, apparently not noticing the sarcasm. Which was totally surprising given who Itachi was.

Naruto swallowed quietly once they stopped outside a house. There were way too many eyes on them for his taste. And he didn't mean the ANBU guard who hadn't interfered.

He'd forgotten just how creepy the Uchiha could be. The military police had always kind of steered clear of him when they were around, but the few encounters he'd had were memorable. To the point where Naruto had done his damn best to stay clear of them.

Considering the Uchiha didn't like him much, that meant encounters were kept to a minimum.

Knowing what he did now of the Uchiha's treatment by the village, it put everything in a whole new light. The Uchiha were still kinda weird, but Naruto wasn't freaked out by them anymore.

Why would he be when he knew what they were capable of?

"Freaked out" had been upgraded to "respected as all hell." Along with a generous side helping of "what the fuck are their eyes."

Madara was just a bit much, okay.

Itachi was waiting outside, leaning back against the wall besides the door. He inclined his head in Naruto's direction in a friendly greeting.

"Big brother!" Sasuke sounded a bit sheepish. "Is Father there?"

Itachi tilted his head, raising an eyebrow. "He is."

"And Mom?"

"She's also home."

"Okay." Sasuke shot Naruto a glance, set his jaw, and then bid Naruto to come in.

Perplexed, Naruto followed Sasuke into the house, taking his sandals off and setting them beside Sasuke's. They looked strange, so much smaller than what Naruto was used to.

He looked away, only to stop short when he saw a pretty, dark-haired woman with eyes like Sasuke's standing there. She was staring at him like he was a ghost.

Which, okay, Naruto knew he looked a lot like his dad, but that was more when he got older. And other people had blond hair and blue eyes, too. Just maybe a little bit of a different shade of blond.

"Sasuke," Sasuke's mom said after a moment, sounding forcibly cheery, "is this your friend?"

Naruto wanted to make a good impression. He wanted to be nice and polite. Unfortunately, his go-to mechanism when nervous was exuberance.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto blurted out, mentally wincing at how loud his voice was. He managed to dial it down as he said, "Thanks for having me over. I'm really looking forward to it, ya know!"

Something flickered over Sasuke's mom's face, but it was gone as quickly as it had come. "Of course. It's our pleasure. Sasuke, why don't you show Naruto around? Dinner's almost ready."

"Okay, Mom." Sasuke sounded a tad too relieved to be normal.

Still rather confused and with nerves swimming in his stomach, Naruto followed after Sasuke, leaving Itachi and Sasuke's mom in the entranceway. He wasn't exactly used to going to friends' houses, but surely that wasn't normal?

She should've known his name at least, right?

And Sasuke was acting weird. Weirder.

"Sasuke…" Naruto made sure to keep his voice quiet. "Are you okay?"

Sasuke's nod was sharp. "Yeah." A second later he said, "C'mon. I want to show you my room. Mom'll let us know when dinner's ready."

A bit of amusement mixed in with the confusion now, and Naruto had to admit he wasn't as nervous anymore. Especially since Sasuke seemed to be as nervous as him.

Once dinner was on the table, it became instantly clear that if Sasuke's dad had expected anyone, it hadn't been Uzumaki Naruto. That kneejerk response had been swiftly hidden but Naruto had caught it all the same.

Sasuke's mom – now identified as Mikoto – seemed to be doing her best to ignore any and all awkwardness by handing out food and asking Naruto questions. She no longer looked at him like he was a ghost, instead smiling at him with far too much fondness and just a tinge of old grief.

She'd probably lost someone during the Kyuubi attack, but that didn't explain the fondness. Maybe it had been one of his parents?

On the other hand, there seemed to be no love lost when it came to Fugaku. Naruto could probably stand up right now and proclaim to be a jounin of Konohagakure at the small age of five and the man would still side-eye him like he'd insulted his family.

To be fair, Naruto probably had, but then Naruto insulted most families. Not intentionally, but anyway.

Eventually Fugaku asked the question that hadn't come up before, setting his bowl down as he did. "How did you meet Sasuke, Naruto?"

Rather than answer with a full mouth, Naruto swallowed, eyes flicking to Itachi. "It was an accident, really. I didn't know anyone else was there, and then I saw Itachi's cool trick with the kunai! I had to ask about it—"

"You were hiding in the bushes," Sasuke interrupted.

"Okay, I asked about it after I left the bushes," Naruto amended. "And then Sasuke offered to teach me how to use them." He grinned widely. "I'm gonna be in the Academy next year!"

Fugaku nodded, his face looking less severe than it had before. "As will Sasuke."

"Do you want to be a shinobi?" Mikoto asked.

"Yeah!" Naruto set his chopsticks down so he wouldn't start twirling them around. "I want to be that cool. Like the shinobi around the village. They're all really strong. And the Uchiha Military Police protects people!"

Fugaku's eyes narrowed slightly. "Do you want to join the Uchiha Military Police?"

"I'm not an Uchiha, am I?" Naruto pointed out. "But I want to be that strong. So, yeah, I want to be a shinobi."

"Is it not still 'cool'?" Itachi asked, referring to one of Naruto's earlier comments. He sounded amused, though.

Naruto shrugged, picking his chopsticks up. "Well, yeah! But I don't think the old man would've let me sign up if I just said that, ya know."

Sasuke snorted, then promptly took another mouthful of food.

Mikoto's smile dampened, eyes softening. "I have no doubt you'll be a fine shinobi, Naruto."

The words were genuine – so genuine that they took Naruto by surprise. No one other than Iruka had ever told him that before. Kakashi had told him he would surpass his father, but that had been after Naruto had gone on that training trip and beaten up some bad guys. Iruka had believed in him from the beginning.

And now here was Uchiha Mikoto, a woman he had never met before, telling him he would be great.

Naruto blinked rapidly, trying not to cry. The tears came easier than they had before, and he reached up to rub at his eyes. "Thanks," he managed, giving her a watery smile.

"Hm." Fugaku's grunt sounded so much like an older Sasuke that Naruto almost looked around for his friend before catching himself.

So apparently the grunt was genetic. It had just skipped over Itachi.

With that thought, the conversation turned to matters unrelated to Naruto's future goals. Naruto focused more on Sasuke, but he was still able to pick up the considering looks Fugaku gave him, along with the palpable air of nostalgic sadness/fondness around Mikoto.

But dinner passed peacefully enough, and soon Naruto was wondering about the etiquette of leaving versus staying.

Mikoto settled the matter when she asked, "Is anyone expecting you back?"

Naruto startled slightly, blinking up at her. "Ah, no. I have my own place."

Mikoto's smile seemed to stiffen. "Oh?"

"Yeah." Naruto offered a casual shrug, not really wanting to get into the orphanage thing again.

"What about your parents?" Mikoto's question was careful.

Now Naruto was more amused than anything. It was nice of her to pretend he was a normal kid. "I don't have any."

There was definite pain flashing across Mikoto's face now. "I'm sorry."

"It's all right." Naruto gave her a sunny grin. "It's not too bad, living by myself. I can cook now, ya know!"

The pained expression shifted to mild alarm. "That is admirable, Naruto. Is there a reason you're not living at the orphanage?"

Talking to Itachi and Sasuke was one thing. Sasuke's mom? Yeah, no.

At the actual age of five, Naruto would've brushed it off and laughed about it, proclaiming something about being awesome. Naruto could do the same now, but he wasn't really five. And he didn't want to be that same person.

So he shrugged, looking off to the side.

"They didn't want him anymore," Sasuke said, having listened in.

Naruto's shoulders unconsciously drew in at the words, which stung more than expected. He dropped his chin, eyes on the wooden floorboards.

"I see." Mikoto's voice was soft. "Well…you must be very responsible, Naruto. Not many children your age would be able to live on their own."

Naruto glanced up, relieved to see a non-pitying expression on her face. "Heh heh, yeah. Guess I'm just that awesome, ya know."

His verbal tic had Mikoto's eyes tighten, her lips twitching down. It was the same reaction she'd had all through dinner.

And Naruto had used it when introducing himself.

Shit, his mom had probably been friends with Mikoto, hadn't she?

It had been so long since Naruto had been given the chance to meet that chakra impression of her that all but the most important things had been forgotten. He remembered her face and smile. Her red hair and how warm her hug was. Her parting words to him. The main parts of the story she had told him.

But all the rest? Naruto had forgotten.

When Naruto looked again, Mikoto's expression had changed to a resolute one. "It's getting late. You can spend the night if you would like to, Naruto. I'm sure Sasuke wouldn't mind."

"Really?" Sasuke burst out, eyes wide. A second later he composed himself. "I mean, no, I don't. You're welcome to," he told Naruto.

"Um, yeah?" Naruto looked between the two. "Okay? You don't mind?" He hadn't expected this.

"It's late," Mikoto repeated. "You shouldn't have to walk back alone."

Naruto wouldn't be alone technically, but he wasn't supposed to know about his ANBU guard.

If he stayed he wouldn't be able to sneak out for training. But if he left that would be rude, wouldn't it? And didn't normal five-year-olds accept invitations like this?

"Thank you," Naruto said eventually. He put his hands together, inclining his head. He wasn't going to go so far as to prostrate himself, but this would be fine.

From the extreme nerves of this morning to the unexpected surprise of being invited to spend the night, Naruto's day sure had turned around.

At least he hadn't messed up?

Sasuke's house was large, but that didn't mean Naruto couldn't hear what was going on downstairs. He wasn't intentionally trying to listen, but his hearing was pretty good even without enhancing it with chakra.

Sasuke was asleep, his breathing a familiar rhythm even now, years after his older self had died. Naruto could almost fall asleep to it if it weren't for the other unfamiliar chakra signatures nearby. And the voices of Sasuke's parents.

They weren't shouting, but they definitely weren't whispering either.

Curled up under his blankets and still wide awake, Naruto found himself an unwitting eavesdropper to a conversation that involved him and Sasuke.

"Sasuke cannot continue his relationship with him." Fugaku's words sounded loud in the stillness of the night.

"He is a child." Mikoto's words were softer but no less firm. "Have you forgotten what he does for us? Who he is?"

"I remember," Fugaku said icily. "I remember exactly what happened five years ago and what it did to us. What do you think the village will think when they see our son associating with the boy?"

"This is our chance to change things. If they see Sasuke being friends with him—"

"They will assume we are manipulating the boy. There is no kindness here for the Uchiha, Mikoto."

There was a long pause before Mikoto spoke again, her voice much quieter than before. Naruto had to channel a small bit of chakra to his ears to catch what she said. "You are asking me to abandon him. A child. A child who has been abandoned by everyone else who should care for him."

Fugaku's voice was thankfully louder. Naruto's ears smarted from the chakra he'd used; he still needed to work on balancing it properly. "He is not your child, Mikoto. He is a ward of the village."

The silence that fell now was longer than before. Naruto almost thought that Mikoto had given up speaking when he caught the whisper, so quiet that he almost missed it. "He would have been Sasuke's friend. They would have grown up together."

"I know." Fugaku's voice was also quiet now, the gentlest it had been since Naruto had met him. "I'm sorry it has to be this way."

Mikoto's response was damning. "It doesn't have to be."

If there was another response, Naruto didn't hear it. He was too busy trying to muffle his ears with his pillow, throat burning and eyes stinging. His chest felt suspiciously tight, and he was having trouble breathing.

Damn it.

He couldn't have nice things, could he?

Being back in his empty, quiet apartment felt sadly normal. Being back in his empty, quiet apartment and knowing he couldn't sneak out to see Kakashi was worse. Because Kakashi still wasn't back. Probably wouldn't be back until tomorrow.

So Naruto was on his own. Even more so than before because he'd kept clear of Sasuke.

There probably would have been questions but Sasuke's parents had been pretty quick in making sure that Sasuke was out of Naruto's way after he left the Uchiha district. So that was that.

Naruto probably wouldn't be able to see Sasuke again until he was in the Academy. And that was a long way off still. What the hell was he supposed to do in the meantime? Just train?

Naruto was no Bushy Brows. Or his sensei.

Training was fun and all but Naruto couldn't do it nonstop without going nuts.

Flopping face down on his bed, Naruto made the executive decision to take a nap first before heading out to do chakra control exercises. He needed to get his control of the kage bunshin back to where it should be.

Exhaling softly, Naruto turned his head to the side so he could breathe, closing his eyes.

There were fuzzy images of him doing jutsu and the jutsu backfiring ridiculously dancing across his mind when there was a tug in his gut. Instinctively, Naruto followed it, finding himself in his mindscape and staring up at Kurama.

"Up now?" Naruto managed, scratching the back of his head. His adult voice was a strangely familiar comfort. "You've been asleep a while, Kurama."

"You try recovering from total chakra exhaustion, Naruto," Kurama grumbled, eyes narrowing.

"Uh, no thanks. It sucks."

Kurama grumbled again, this time a low growl in the back of his throat. It would've intimidated Naruto once upon a time, but Naruto knew Kurama too well.

"I haven't figured anything about the seal yet, ya know," Naruto said, tucking his hands in his pockets. "It's only been a week."

"That's not why I brought you here," Kurama said. "The seal can wait for now. Your body's too young at this point to handle my chakra, purified or not."

Naruto made a face at the reminder of his current physical age. "Don't remind me. I'm stuck relearning the basics. At least Kakashi-sensei's still able to go on missions."

"He's older," Kurama pointed out. Then he groaned, the sound guttural. "Why does this always happen when I talk to you?"

"Because I'm awesome?" Naruto offered, grinning.

Kurama didn't respond, which was a shame. Instead he lifted one of his large paws and curled a claw in Naruto's direction. "Come here."

Naruto didn't hesitate to slip through the bars, coming to stand directly before Kurama.

"As it so happens," Kurama said, "I wasn't only sleeping this last week. My siblings were in touch with me."

Naruto blinked. "What – seriously? Now? I thought you guys didn't talk to each other!"

"Do you remember what I said about being an embodiment of chakra?"

"That you're not limited to time?" It took Naruto another instant to realize what Kurama was getting at. "No way. You're telling me they came back? All of them?"

Kurama's grin was pleased despite the numerous sharp teeth it bared. "Do you want to see them?"

"Oh, can I?" Naruto glanced back at the locked doors. "Even with the seal?"

There was a mixture of softness and embarrassment in Kurama's face. "Seal or not, we're still partners, aren't we?"

The words rang through the air, heavy with everything they promised. Naruto could count on one hand the number of times Kurama had verbally acknowledged him as a partner.

This was…

This current body wasn't as prone to tears, but Naruto had no qualms about grinning widely.

"Always, Kurama!" Naruto held out his fist, holding Kurama's gaze as his partner bumped their knuckles together.

The moment they made contact, Naruto's surroundings shifted. Instead of a cage, they were standing in a vast space with no end. It would have been even emptier if it weren't for the other eight bijuu standing in a circle around them.

Shukaku was the first to speak, greeting Naruto a with a bark of laughter. "Hey, brat! You're looking old!"

Because he was definitely a mature adult now, Naruto stuck his tongue out. "Hey, I was fifteen when you saw me last time!" He paused. "Or sixteen? Depends on the time of night…"

Kurama was definitely face-palming behind him.

"Naruto."

Naruto turned at the familiar voice, looking up at the visage of a fierce monkey. "Son Goku."

Son Goku's mouth twitched into the faint resemblance of a grin. "So…you failed, Naruto."

Naruto dropped his head at the accusation. "Yeah."

"You weren't there, Son Goku!" Gyuuki protested. "Naruto tried!"

"No, it's okay." Naruto lifted his head, managing a pained smile, eyes closed. "He's right. I promised I'd free you guys, and I didn't."

"You interrupted me before I could continue," Son Goku said, hands coming down to the ground. His tails lashed out. "You failed, but we're here now. So you have another chance."

"Yeah." Naruto brightened slightly, heart lifting at the non-recrimination in Son Goku's tone. "That's why we came back."

"We, hm?" Son Goku looked up to Kurama. "Kakashi, was it?"

"Yeah," Kurama confirmed. "Naruto's sensei."

"And Hokage," Naruto said, folding his arms. "We're going to fix it. We're going to make sure it doesn't happen again."

"You better not!" Shukaku snapped.

"It won't!" Naruto shot back, jaw set. "That's a promise!"

"That's what we like to hear," Son Goku said, snorting. "Good to hear you haven't lost your spark."

"Hmph." Naruto tilted his head back, lips curling.

He looked between each of the bijuu, noting they were all present. It was a sight he hadn't seen since he was fifteen and facing down Obito.

"Where are the jinchuuriki?" Naruto asked.

"They couldn't come," Matatabi said. "None of us are close enough for that."

"They don't hear us," Saiken said forlornly.

"B's pretty close to it," Gyuuki said proudly.

"Oh, B!" Naruto turned to Gyuuki. "Is he here, too?"

Gyuuki lowered his head, eyes shuttering. "B's human, Naruto. The jutsu only had enough power to take you and Kakashi. But he's fine."

Naruto tried not to deflate, but it was difficult with how tightly his chest seemed to squeeze. "Oh. Well, I guess that's all right." He grinned weakly, rubbing the side of his head. "And…none of the others remember?" He had met all of them, even if it had been after they were dead.

"No," Kokuou confirmed, five tails whirling behind him. "But they are alive, which is more than what could have been said before."

"Speak for yourself," Shukaku groused. "Mine's a shrimp again. A terrified shrimp!"

"Oh!" Naruto pointed at Shukaku. "You're not going to pretend to be Gaara's mother again, are you? Because that screwed him up big time!"

"As screwed up as Shukaku," Kurama muttered.

"Not again!" Shukaku denied, glaring down at Naruto. "That doesn't get me anything!"

Naruto narrowed his eyes at Shukaku. "Good! Because Gaara doesn't deserve that! And you don't either. You could be great partners, ya know!"

"I know, kid." Shukaku actually looked a little shame-faced. "Gaara might be small now, but I know what he'll grow into."

"He won't this time," Kurama warned, sitting on his hind legs. "Not like before. Things are changing, Shukaku."

"I know that!" Shukaku snapped. "But it's still the little twerp, isn't it? He'll be something great."

"Mine is under a genjutsu," Isobu rumbled, one eye blinking slowly. "A Sharingan-induced genjutsu."

Naruto instantly remembered the somber green-haired man who had looked so young despite his age. "The Yondaime Mizukage! So it was this far back already, huh…"

"Obito is older than Kakashi, Naruto," Kurama reminded him. "And he's been in Madara's clutches for years now."

"I know," Naruto said, clenching his hands into fists at his sides. "I know who we're dealing with. I fought him. But…" He sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Damn it. I kind of like him."

Kurama snorted. "Big surprise there."

Naruto just shrugged, tilting his head with a small sheepish grin. Well…he did. Once one got past the whole shtick Madara had done to Obito, the guy was actually kind of cool.

Granted, it had taken a little before it really started to show, but it had been worth the wait. And the pain to knock Obito back to his senses.

"I'll have to talk it over with sensei," Naruto said eventually, looking between each of the bijuu. "See what ideas he has. Right now we're both kinda stuck because our chakra control is shot to hell."

"Your chakra control was always shoddy," Kurama said, snorting.

"It got better!" Naruto protested.

"Yeah, after how long?"

"It'll get better faster this time!"

Gyuuki chortled. "That never gets old."

Kurama's ears laid flat against his skull. "What?" he snarled.

None of the other bijuu looked at all intimidated, which just seemed to piss Kurama off even more.

Naruto had to cover his mouth to hide his grin, although the laughter wasn't so easily stifled. He resorted to coughing to muffle it.

Kurama wasn't fooled. "What are you laughing at, brat?"

"Nothing!" Naruto coughed again, shoulders shaking. One last snicker escaped him before he was able to calm down. "Okay, so…"

He sobered, glad to see that the bijuu were gazing at him seriously. "Since you guys are also here, we'll be including you in our plans. It makes dealing with Akatsuki a lot easier since we won't have to go hunting you down to tell you that they're after you."

"You'll have to anyway," Son Goku said, sounding faintly disgusted. "Our jinchuuriki won't listen to us."

"Any warnings given would be assumed to be a falsehood for us to gain our freedom," Kokuou added.

Naruto nodded, considering the next steps to take. "So if the easy route's out—"

"I can speak to Fuu," Choumei suggested. "She's young still."

"And Gaara's even younger," Shukaku griped. "He'll listen. Even if he won't understand, the little twerp…" He dissolved into further grumblings.

"So that makes two, but they're still kids," Naruto said, frowning slightly. "Kakashi can get out of the village, but he's on a team. We might need to hold off on reaching out to any of them just yet. When did the Akatsuki start taking them?"

"Not for some years yet," Son Goku said. "There's still time."

"B'll be able to come here in no time," Gyuuki said.

"Yugito will not be much longer either," Matatabi added. "They are, after all, from the same village."

"So that makes four who'll be coming here soon," Naruto mused. "And all from different villages." He couldn't help but grin, pleased. "That'll definitely make things easier."

He clapped his hands together, the sound ringing loudly in the space around them. "All right! I know we can do this!" He pumped a fist in the air.

"Yes, we can," Kurama agreed, holding his paw right over Naruto's fist.

One by one, the other bijuu added their limbs to the mixture, their chakra a reassuring weight that Naruto reveled in.

Like this, it was easy to forget the mess that awaited him in the waking world. Here he was an adult. Here he had the respect of nine powerful bijuu. Here he was able to do something.

Kakashi was going to be stoked when Naruto told him about this.

Kakashi was back in the village, but there was no way Naruto would be able to meet him anytime soon. For one thing, it was daytime. For another, there were too many eyes on him.

…Those two things technically added up to the same reason.

Which still left him with the problem of knowing Kakashi was back safe and alive but not being able to see him.

Naruto had kind of edged his way in the direction of Kakashi's apartment just so he could get a better read on his state. He hadn't seen Kakashi, but it was enough to check that Kakashi was really fine.

Now Naruto had to figure out what to do with the rest of his day. He'd gone to the usual meeting place with Sasuke out of habit, but no one had been there.

Naruto had waited as well, but Sasuke never showed.

It hurt, even though Naruto knew exactly why Sasuke hadn't come.

Now he was hiding out by the playground, hidden from the view of the parents. It was the civilian playground, although there were occasionally shinobi families as well.

Naruto hadn't exactly wanted to do this so quickly, but his luck couldn't get any worse. And it was worth a shot, right?

Still, there was no sign of familiar pink hair. Not yet, anyway.

Of course, Naruto wasn't even sure if Sakura came to this playground. It was an educated guess based on the little he knew of her civilian upbringing (which was just about nothing at all).

That lack of knowledge coupled with how Sakura's parents were civilians was why he hadn't wanted to reach out at this point. It would have been easier to wait until the Academy.

A loud playful shriek erupted from some of the kids playing, coupled with pleas for mercy.

But then…when did Naruto ever go for easy?

Sakura was as important as Sasuke. Even if it didn't work out, he needed to make the effort to reach out.

Because what if? What if Team 7 didn't form? What if Naruto wouldn't be able to have Sakura on his team? Sasuke?

Fuck, that would suck.

And if Kakashi wasn't his sensei?

Naruto wasn't sure how he would deal.

Okay, yeah, he could deal with not having Sakura be annoyed and upset with him every five seconds. But he was different now! She'd be different, too.

Hopefully.

Shivering, Naruto rubbed his head as the ghost memory of Sakura's punches made itself known.

At least he didn't have to run this by Kakashi. Kakashi had made it clear that Naruto needed to do what he thought was best.

Even if Naruto was relatively sure he'd fucked things up with Sasuke. Which hadn't been in the plan at all.

Or maybe he hadn't. It had only been a day. Sasuke might show up tomorrow.

In the meantime, Naruto was going to scout for Sakura. He wouldn't approach her today, but it was good to know where she would be for the future.

He couldn't mess things up worse with Sakura. Maybe.

Ugh, he'd probably just jinxed himself.

Picking up a stick, Naruto began tracing vague pictures in the dirt while paying attention to the kids in the playground. It probably made for a sad sight for his ANBU guards, but it didn't really matter.

It was well after lunch – and Naruto's stomach was making its displeasure known loudly – when he finally saw the pink hair he had been waiting for.

Letting the stick drop, Naruto shifted to crouching on the balls of his feet, watching as Sakura's parents let her go before withdrawing. And then they actually left the playground altogether about ten minutes later.

That was…unusual. As far as Naruto knew, civilian parents didn't usually leave their kids alone. The number of parents lingering around the playground was proof enough of that.

Maybe it was a one-time thing?

Well, Naruto could find out. He wasn't exactly in a hurry.

Several days later, and still no sign of Sasuke, Naruto had to admit that not being able to talk to anyone but Kakashi was slowly driving him nuts. Kakashi was great, but he was only able to see him for a few hours every night. The rest of the time they were sleeping. Although Kakashi had been out on another mission for the last two days, so Naruto didn't even have that.

And Naruto felt kind of pathetic waiting for Sasuke. A bit like a dog waiting for its master to show, who never did. Naruto wasn't a dog, so the analogy was bad, but then it was also kind of accurate and he hated it.

Okay, he was never telling Kakashi this.

On the plus side, he had seen Sakura at the playground one other time, and her parents had left her alone again. So this time…

Naruto was definitely not a creep hiding in the bushes. For one thing, there weren't any bushes. For another, he wasn't an old man. He was just an adult in a kid's body. Which…wasn't that bad. And he wasn't doing it for creepy reasons.

If it was that, he would be in the bathhouses. The women wouldn't chase him out because he was tiny and – Naruto cut off that train of thought before he had to slap himself.

It was a very good thing ero-sennin wasn't anywhere around. Naruto was pretty sure he'd be cackling right about now.

Sighing, Naruto picked up the stick that had become his companion since he'd started spending time here. It probably wasn't the same stick, but he could hope.

Scribbling aimlessly in the dirt, Naruto occasionally glanced up at the playground, hoping for a familiar glance of pink hair. Sakura's chakra still wasn't developed, so he couldn't sense her like he could Sasuke. It was aggravating and kind of worrying at the same time.

Biting his lip, Naruto finished his scribble of Kakashi flash-frying a white Zetsu. He spent a moment wishing for a camera so he could take a picture of it for posterity before erasing it. His Kakashi scribble looked more like a scarecrow with hair than his actual sensei, but it was still safer this way.

His next scribble was more along the lines of a toad wielding an oversized sword, but he abandoned it partway through when he saw Sakura arrive. Dropping the stick, Naruto waited anxiously for her parents to leave, hoping, hoping, hoping—

Yes!

Naruto couldn't believe his luck.

It had taken another ten minutes this time, but Sakura was there, off to the side, picking at grass instead of playing with the other kids. Instead of being held back by a hitai-ate, her hair covered her face. Naruto had never seen her with her hair like that before.

It made it difficult to see her face.

Slowly, making sure to hide his presence from the civilian parents milling around, Naruto made his way over to Sakura.

Once he was close enough, Naruto imitated Sakura's posture and ran his fingers through the grass, head tilted as he observed this so-young version of his friend and teammate.

Damn, Sakura was small.

"Hey," Naruto said when it became clear Sakura wouldn't be doing any talking.

Sakura's shoulders hunched inward, a sight Naruto was unused to seeing on his friend.

Maybe he'd been too loud?

"Hey," Naruto tried again, voice softer.

This time there was a response, an equally soft "Hey."

"My name's Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto plucked a blade of grass, rubbing it between his fingers.

Sakura peeked up through her bangs, green eyes achingly familiar. "H-Haruno Sakura."

"Sakura, huh?" Naruto dialed his grin down several notches. "That's a nice name. It's like your hair!"

There was no smile from Sakura like Naruto had aimed for. Instead there were only watering eyes.

Shit, what had he done wrong now?

"Eh?" Naruto started flailing. "Don't cry! What's wrong, Sakura?"

"You don't have to pretend to be nice," Sakura said, with a faint undertone of the steel Naruto was so familiar with. "I know I'm ugly."

"What?" Naruto blurted out, only to wince because he hadn't intended on saying that. He scrambled to recover his dignity. "Who says that? They must be blind!"

"Now you're really being mean." Sakura shrunk away, frowning. She stood up.

Why were women so weird? Sakura wasn't even an adult yet!

Frowning as well, Naruto considered his next move. It was clear that Sakura was five seconds away from leaving him, and that wasn't something he wanted.

Only one thing for it.

Taking a breath, he let himself discard the mask of the five-year-old, standing as well. The only thing ruining it was his too-high voice. "No, Sakura. I'm not. Who told you that you're ugly?"

It did the trick. Sakura paused, turning to eye Naruto strangely. "Everyone," she answered stiffly.

"Everyone, huh?" Naruto let out a small laugh. "Well, I guess I'm not everyone, then. Since I think your name's a great fit for you. You're like a sakura blossom."

There was a faint flush over Sakura's cheeks. "R-really?" Her voice was a whisper. "Y-you don't think my…forehead's too big?"

"Huh?" Naruto blinked, squinting closer at Sakura before he could think the better of it. "Who told you that? You've got a normal forehead!"

His bewilderment had Sakura giggling, rubbing her eyes with a hand. "Y-you think so?"

"Of course!" Naruto insisted, placing his hands on his hips. "Uzumaki Naruto doesn't lie about important things like that!"

Sakura smiled, eyes crinkling shut. "Thank you, Naruto."

"Sure thing!" Naruto grinned back, shooting her a thumbs up and then regretting it when he got flashbacks to another shinobi with bushier eyebrows.

Dropping the thumb, Naruto went to interlink his fingers behind his head, looking up at the blue sky and the bank of clouds in the distance. There would probably be some rain tonight, he noted absently. Then he shook the thought away and refocused on Sakura.

"So what d'you do for fun around here?" Naruto asked.

Sakura glanced back at the playground. "I, uh…usually just stay over here. It's quieter."

Meaning less chance of the kids teasing her for being ugly.

Naruto didn't comment on it, nodding. "Okay! Then we can stay over here and do something cool! Like, uh…" He looked around quickly. "Make flower crowns!" That was something girls liked to do, right? He couldn't exactly practice throwing shuriken with Sakura.

Sakura looked skeptical. "You want to make flower crowns?"

"Yeah!" Naruto crouched to pick up a yellow flower that might have been a dandelion. "Only…you might need to teach me, ha." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"I don't really know how to make them either," Sakura admitted, joining Naruto. "But we can try together?"

It was difficult for Naruto not to cry, but he somehow managed.

Sakura never noticed, gathering flowers to begin her first attempt at making a flower crown. It went absolutely horribly, but then Naruto's attempt wasn't any better.

Eventually, several dozen ruined flowers later, they just sat at the base of a tree and tried to whistle using grass blades. Naruto had managed it once, but there was a trick to it that his younger mouth hadn't gotten yet.

"When do you have to go home?" Sakura asked him, looking down at her blade of grass with a small pout.

Naruto shrugged, searching for a larger piece of grass. "Whenever. I live on my own."

Sakura paused, looking at him in disbelief. "Alone? But you're my age!"

"Yeah?" Naruto gave her a squinty-eyed grin. "It's okay, Sakura."

"But don't your parents care?"

"They're dead," Naruto said bluntly, feeling only vaguely bad for the look of horror that crossed Sakura's face. It probably would've been worse if he was younger, but at this point he didn't really care much anymore. "So, no, I don't think so."

"I-I'm sorry." Sakura ducked her head, shoulders inching up. "That must be lonely."

Naruto paused, gaze on a tree just across from them. "A bit," he admitted eventually. "I'm used to it." Or he was getting used to it again.

Sakura said nothing else. When Naruto looked, he could tell she was feeling awkward.

Exhaling through his nose, Naruto tried to change the subject. "What about you, Sakura? When do you need to go?"

"When my parents get back," Sakura said. "They had some errands to run."

"Errands, huh? Are they shinobi?"

Sakura shook her head. "No. They're merchants."

"Neat," Naruto said, meaning it. He hadn't known that before. "D'you want to be a merchant, too?"

Sakura didn't answer immediately, eyes on the ground. "I…I should say yes, shouldn't I?"

Naruto turned his head, watching her curiously. "I guess…that's up to you, isn't it?"

"I don't know," Sakura said slowly. "It's nice. I know how it works. But…it's boring."

Naruto dearly wanted to tell her to join the Academy, but that decision needed to be Sakura's. He opted for a neutral answer. "You can figure it out later."

"Yeah…" Sakura didn't seem satisfied with that, her brow scrunched together. It cleared when she looked at Naruto. "What about you?"

"Oh, that's easy!" Naruto pointed his finger up. "I'm gonna be a shinobi! The best shinobi ever!"

"A…shinobi?" Sakura blinked. "Really?"

"Yeah!" Naruto nodded vigorously. "Shinobi are strong – really strong. People see them all the time." He leaned back, hands on the ground. "I want to be like that."

"That's all?" Sakura peered at him.

Naruto dipped his head in a nod, then paused. He owed Sakura more honesty than that. "Well…" He dropped his voice, quiet enough that the ANBU would need to purposefully eavesdrop to hear him. "I want to protect people. Like my parents…they were shinobi. They protected Konoha. That's why I want to be a shinobi."

"Oh." Sakura's eyes were wide. "That's amazing, Naruto."

"Is it?" Naruto rubbed the underside of his nose with a finger, eyes closed sheepishly. "I think you're the only one I've said that to."

Sakura's exhalation was loud, and she blinked. After a moment, she said, "Thank you."

"Eh? What are you thanking me for?"

"Because!" With that mysterious answer, Sakura stood, looking down at Naruto with a beaming smile.

"You know that's not an answer, right?" Naruto pointed out.

"It is!" Sakura stuck her tongue out.

"Er…no?" Naruto shook his head, jumping to his feet.

"It is when I say it is," Sakura said bluntly.

Naruto was sure it didn't work like that, but there was no arguing with Sakura when she got like this. "Uh…sure it is."

Sensing victory, Sakura beamed, reaching out to take Naruto's hand. "Come on! I just saw my parents."

No, no, no, this wouldn't go well at all.

"W-wait, Sakura!"

Sakura being Sakura, she didn't listen, continuing to drag Naruto in the direction of her parents.

"Mom! Dad!" Sakura called, happiness in every word. "I want you to meet my friend Nar—"

"Let go of him," Sakura's mother interrupted sharply. Her face was hard, eyes steely as she glared at Naruto. She had recognized him instantly.

Sakura stopped dead. "M-Mom?"

Her mother didn't respond, stepping forward and taking Sakura's other hand, pulling her away from Naruto. He let her go, not resisting as Sakura's hand fell lax in shock.

"Don't go near that boy," Sakura's mother told her, eyes never leaving Naruto.

"B-but, Mom—"

"He's dangerous," her father cut in. His eyes were as cold as his wife's.

"He's my friend!" Sakura protested, eyes on Naruto, confusion written all over her face.

"We're leaving, Sakura," her mother snapped. "I don't want to see you near that boy again."

They didn't tell Naruto to stay clear of Sakura, but they didn't need to. Their faces were clear enough.

Silent now, eyes wide and watery, Sakura let her mother lead her away, looking back at Naruto in stunned shock. She seemed to be apologizing, although it was clear she had no idea what was going on.

Naruto didn't move, hands fisted at his sides. His chest hurt, and his vision swam like he was crying. Only there were no tears.

It shouldn't hurt this much, should it? He'd dealt with this before. He was used to this.

So why did it hurt?

When Sakura was no longer in sight, Naruto turned and ran.

He didn't stop running for a long time.

...Okay, I know that was...awful? Unexpected? Um...it gets better?

I realize this is an awful note to leave this off of but I can't say when Chapter 9 will be out. Only that...um...yeah, I don't have an excuse for leaving you guys on this. Sorry.

...Feedback? *ducks*