Chapter 5: The Apple

"Oh my, Itachi-san, you're so much like your father!" Cooing as she fanned herself with their signature clan marking, Madame Ruka batted her eyelashes. Hair well losing the battle to grayness, she was the mother of one of his distanced cousins in hopes he would someday become her son-in-law.

Ignoring the remark as he finished delivering the paperwork his mother requested to for his father to his aunt's shop next door to Madame Ruka's favorite bench, he was lost in his thoughts.

"That's an apple that hasn't fallen far from the tree, dear!" Gently nudging her blushing daughter, Itachi only nodded to them in respectful acknowledgement as he left.

Stuck on the now and how to fix it, the phrase was bothering Itachi for longer than it should. Now on his way to picking up Naruto from her apartment to go to the park, it was something his parents would have never allowed before.

Of course he knew what was being insinuated, of what his parents expected with their pushing of the two being in close proximity so much. With only a week left until the massacre once more, it was only an excuse to be with her in borderline private to discuss. Eyes and ears everywhere, it felt like every time she was close to sharing her new solution was interrupted.

His parents believed that Naruto could be controlled with romantic love. Not a mother's love, his mother being too uncomfortable to take the place where her dead best friend resided, and the concern that Naruto would lose interest in staying Sasuke's rival was somehow evident to them when the blonde became too playful and prideful during their games.

It took almost awhile for him to realize it yet when he had, he turned to Naruto to ask for her permission in another quick moment they had together.

"What'd ya need my permission for?" She asked, confused with a look of horror.

"To report this to the Third Hokage. I am unsure on how this will effect the results, on if Danzo will find it necessary to speed up the Massacre or not," he explained.

It was almost odd to ask a 8 year old permission. But in seconds with understanding, the Seventh Hokage underneath had revealed herself.

While Naruto hadn't noticed how the memories affected her, Itachi had. They weren't hers but they were. Years of leading a village weighed down, of fighting further and harder than Itachi could have to the age of 52 and somewhere beyond, the Uzumaki was walking with the weight of the world on her shoulders as well. Starting over to fight her battles and to save those she already almost couldn't before, he was only sharing the weight from her - him being a blimp in the master plot of Obito Uchiha and Zetsu, standing on guard between them and Sasuke from reaching them too soon. It hadn't taken him long to consider himself the blonde's protector, her young form almost falling from the tree marking the start of his silent duty.

'Until she and Sasuke-kun can regain their strengths, I'll protect them from the Akatsuki and Danzo.'

He didn't want to repeat last time and feeling hopeless, he enjoyed the relief of turning to Naruto to ensure nothing would be destroyed from their small changes. Purposely and subtly avoiding those that may pick up on the further stress he was feeling, guilt ate at him. In his new plan, he was going to expose the Uchiha Clan to Sasuke and protect him from witnessing the deaths. He already lived through one death from his brother, therefore his illness alone would defeat him this time, taking his last breath against Obito.

Though his question on if she had received new memories were left with her being nervous and lying terribly to his face, he knew that it was her protecting him and continued on with their tasks.

When he was alone with the Third Hokage during the next report, he relayed his parents new intentions with the jinchuuriki. Giving his thoughts and then on the Leader's demand, his own feelings towards her, Hurizen was almost left speechless at the compliment.

"I believe the future of Konoha depends on her. I refuse to allow anything to happen to her as well."

It had been a week and a half after the dinner his mother had and though the Third had heard through gossip on their friendship before demanding this report, the warm smile that followed made the Uchiha heir feel as though he was gaining true family approval. Conversation steered toward the blonde girl and how she needed someone like him made the future clan killer silently mourn the time he will be soon missing from her and the change that would be forced upon Sasuke.

Having finished getting ready for the play date, Naruto was excited to be attending as Itachi's plus one. Clan heads and their heirs were gathering for a fun day together, since so many of the children were in class together. The only exception were the siblings and cousins, like Hana Inuzaka and Neji, but Ino was even bringing Sakura. The knowledge of the Rookie 9 were getting together years before made her giggle, despite the defeat of the upcoming conversation she had been putting on pause with other less pressing topics.

"Hey Kurama?" Watching the large red eyes open and blink away the drowsiness, Naruto sighed heavily in mental preparation before she tilted her head. "Do you know when the other Naruto dies?"

"No, I don't."

"What? Then how old am I in the last memory you got?"

The silence filled the room as his eyes became glassy. When he blinked once more several minutes later and refocused on her, she felt her stomach drop.

"You were 98 years old, attending Itachi Uchiha the second's funeral."

"Wha - his funeral? Why his funeral!?"

"I'm not sure, there was some kind of, what you'd call a freak accident. There's a large gap in your memories after the age 52, this being the last memory before nothing else. But," watching him lower himself to her until his large head was revealed from the shadows. With serious and firm stare, it erased to something she couldn't place.

"There is something in the sky. I shall show you," he muttered as the cage around him blurred.

"Itachi, my only son.. the world will never know of someone as great as you again. Your intellect and achievements have not defined you, but your heart has. The world around us had advanced and evolved thanks to you, and now.. it will have to continue without you." Hands clasped together before her, Naruto's head was bowed low enough that the closed casket was barely in view. The passing memory of the enhanced veins, lit up with a sickening shade of purple was too rancid for a open casket.

When an elderly Sakura quieted, gently resting a hand on the casket beside her, the diamond on her forehead only aged her 25 years younger. Glancing up, only to see Sakura look in her direction - Naruto could feel the Other Naruto's emotions - grief creating a deep sadness felt even in her bones, but the younger Naruto viewing the memory felt her stomach lurch forward when the familiar blowing creamy Hokage robes from beside her stepped forward. Watching the figure approach the coffin and slowly turn, the surprise of seeing Sarada Uchiha stand tall despite only beginning to reach her 70s, the miserable expression was evident. Behind her, the sun had only just reached mid-point in the sky. With several fluffy clouds, behind them was a dark purple zigzagging slit cut right through the sky.

Not being the only one to bitterly glare at it - Naruto could hear the Other Naruto's thoughts.

'If only I had been sent to investigate it.'

'I'm an Uzumaki seal master, it's all my fault. I should've spoken up to go.'

When Sarada's speech had ended, the lines of individuals that had worked alongside and either personally knew or knew of Itachi Uchiha the second rested flowers on his casket, murmuring words to him of things they had wished to tell him. When it was her turn, the Other Naruto stared at her aging appearance in the shiny reflection. Most hair grey with a few thick blonde strands left, her wrinkles weren't bad for a woman almost 100 years old - a jutsu unneeded in her case compared to her old teammate. She had done her duty as a shinobi and Hokage of Konoha, Itachi the second was nowhere near finished.

The feeling of his death being all her fault was suffocating.

The end was coming once more. Only now she was too old to fight, too old to protect her loved ones, though her knowledge was still there - to teach the next generation to truly protect themselves without the gauntlet.

"Sarada.. she became Hokage. She became Hokage!?" Hand over her heart as she quietly recalled how Sarada had declared becoming Hokage one day when she was young, Naruto didn't have the memories of when things began changing. Having seen her own god son's funeral however, the Uzumaki slowly sank into the water, covering her eyes.

Itachi Uchiha the second, a scientist that had continued the research on the Gauntlet to allow further jutsus be copied and released, evolving it into a self defensive item to be used by anyone - had completely demolished the usage of hired Shinobi. After having studied in depth the chakra pathways underneath his mother, he became apprenticed underneath the Seventh Hokage to become a seal master. Taking what was thought the finished product, he was able to reprogram it to add more jutsus based on whatever the owner wanted - self defensive and offensive. Civilians had bought it and the crime rate had sky rocketed until Konoha's Police Force had personalized their own. Those that once relied on their own chakra only did to continue the condition of climbing with their chakra, genuine jutsus only used the by the older generation. Clan secrets were locked up and hidden to be forgotten so they couldn't be sold, the shinobi section of libraries being put into storage as there was no need to truly learn them.

Jumping from the tired body of her older, other self into her 8 year old once more was a short lived relief.

All the younger Naruto knew from the other's thoughts was that she and the seal masters she had personally trained were summoned as the purple crack formed in the sky over a month. A small team from each (former) shinobi village had been gathered to investigate - and Itachi the second was sent. Brother of the new Hokage - the only other political piece with the knowledge that would've calmed the other Kage's being Naruto.

None of them made it.

Forcing herself out of her mindscape, she robotically rose herself from her bed.

A single week left until the massacre, she had put off finding out her death. She didn't know whether to cry or not, knowing she would only begin watching the last of who she cared about die if any more memories appeared, the purple crack in the sky meaning something terrible coming. When she had left her apartment, she barely remembered locking her own door or going down almost all the flight of sets.

Itachi was patiently waiting at the end of the steps in what she called his spot. Standing at the top numbly, when he sensed her pausing he looked in concern.

Seeing her facial expression, he quietly approached her and asked what was wrong.

"I-I didn't die. I went to your nephew's funeral, when Sarada was the Hokage."

Explaining all that she saw and knew at the funeral, of the crack in the sky, of his nephew being sent to investigate it, his expression was unreadable.

He wasn't surprised when she finally had a new memory, but he had to push down the pride for a moment to comfort her. Knowing his future niece would become the Eighth Hokage and his nephew a great scientist that over thousands had attended his unfortunate funeral, was an example of the massacre doing what would be right for the future of the Uchiha Clan. Yet the realization that the young girl before him had watched her friend's children died before she could, another world ending threat coming to haunt the now elderly Uzumaki, he voiced that the pieces were coming together - on either how they have regained their memories or at least on why they have.

They couldn't do anything about that yet. There was no piece of the past they knew that would save their world, save his future nephew's life just yet. It was the last memory she had, so with the reminder of focus on what they could do now, voicing it calmed the blonde down slowly.

Uncertain of how he could protect Naruto and Sasuke completely from the Akatsuki once again from so far, he knew that Uzumaki and Kurama had a plan. Not too many chances were allowed for them to truly discuss it, this park idea being Itachi's or otherwise he was going to make an attempt to trap her in another tysukomi.

When they arrived, small groups had already formed with the children and adults. Many of the parents had watched in suspicion or surprise, especially when he had joined her in the sand box. The air among the adults quickly became tense until Fugaku's disapproval was evident behind the jinchuuriki's back, Sasuke noticing and picking up on what to unfortunately to do. Greeting them but mostly ignoring the blonde, he quickly returned to his argument with Kiba when Itachi told him he'd join them later.

The stigma that followed the future Hokage did not demolish, the adults that once did not care of her now uncertain at their friendship, Shikaku Nara's eyes did not stray too far from the two.

Left alone mostly alone, Shikamaru and Choji had approached Naruto and they all laid down in the grassy area together, staring at the sky for a while. Cloud watching, a signature Nara activity, he only listened to the three argue on what was shaped as what. Though this Nara had only acknowledged the Uchiha heir's existence with a cautious nod as another child following his parents lead, it was nice to relax and listen.

It didn't take long for Naruto to want to play. Build a sand castle, to practice doing flips jumping off the swings, to race around the jungle gym that park had recently added.

Each time Naruto's back was turned to the group for those long moments, her and Kurama's plan had came spilling forward.

It made him think to earlier, when Madame Ruka said the apple hadn't fallen far from the tree. Able to finally reassure himself while Fugaku had left early for a meeting, Itachi knew that the apple had fallen much further than anyone could've known.

Posted: 03/19/2019

I'm honestly not that pleased with this chapter, but ehhh!