Omake from last chapter
"So what part of me did she inherit-ttebane!" Kushina demanded, thoroughly put out.
Minato chuckled, oh, definitely that adorable pout. Then he saw the outrage on her face, and paled. "A-Ah, I wish she could've gotten your red hair, but I love how she has your fiery personality."
"Really? I don't see it." He merely smiled at that. Kushina glared at him, before giving an exaggerated sigh. "I guess even the Uzumaki genes were no match for the Namikaze genes, huh." She huffed, and crossed her arms. Minato thought carefully. Then his face lit up.
"She does have your verbal tic—"
"That's the one thing I didn't want to pass down-ttebane!"
YEAR 46, second day into the past
Her words had left them in silence.
Then, Hiruzen sighed. "Is that your answer, Naruto?"
She nodded firmly, daring him to try to say no.
"Very, well." Minato's eyes widened, as Kushina whipped her head back to gape at the man's reply.
"Hokage-sama!"
The Sarutobi paid the shocked voices of his two shinobi little mind, instead keeping his eyes trained on the girl standing in front of him, whose hands were again now on his desk. She was leaning in and there was so much hope in her eyes, as the sharp look of defiance melted away to deep desperation.
"Two years. I'll give you two years," he said finally, his gaze locked onto eyes made a night blue from the shadows of the porcelain mask. There was determination and passion he hadn't seen in what felt like years.
"I mean no disrespect, Hokage-sama, but surely you can't expect her to master fuuinjutsu, then find her own remedy to this within a short span of two years?" Surprisingly it was the usually collected Minato who spoke up and not Kushina, who—though toned down since entering adulthood—was usually the more easily riled of the two.
The Hokage closed his eyes as he addressed the blond. "Look at her carefully, Minato, Kushina. Does it look like we can change her mind?"
Doing as instructed, Minato resisted the temptation to react to the determination he saw in the little girl's firm posture and her tight, balled fists. God, his hands fell by his sides slowly as a memory of his girlfriend back in their academy days reemerged from the depths of his mind. It's like looking at a younger Kushina.
He remembered the peek of a spiral symbol through thick, crimson tresses on a trembling back. He remembered the instant those red tresses moved along with her as she turned to glare firmly at him… no, at them, then him. He remembered the Kushina in front of him back then and saw the woman next to him now. Kushina, who never backed down from a fight.
There were just a few things Namikaze Minato could not stand about his girlfriend. Her pigheaded stubbornness was one of them.
And, of course, there were many, endless things Namikaze Minato loved about his girlfriend. Her pigheaded stubbornness had always been one of them.
He turned to the woman, who was sighing exasperatedly, and smiled. "I guess it's up to us to make sure she finds her way back home, Kushina."
Both Uzumakis looked up at him, one grinning and the other scowling even more.
Naruto turned back to the Sandaime, a deeply fond smile at her lips. "I like how you're the same nice old 'kage."
Hiruzen blinked. So he was still Hokage even so far into the future, after she was born? Hadn't Minato taken the hat? He did not want to still be doing endless paperwork in the future, dear heavens…
"Well, now that that's settled," Naruto began, clapping her hands together, "I'm gonna go check out the streets! See yall later!"
"Ah, Naruto, we still have things—" Minato began, but was too late as the girl was already out the door and cackling down the hall. "—to do." He finished off lamely.
Kushina tugged at her red hair, and shrieked, "That cheeky little brat!" She glared at the man behind her, "Hokage-sama, why are you laughing?!"
Naruto was strolling down the streets with a skip in her steps, not minding the people's gazes. It felt good to not be glared at by all the civilians for once! Her eyes took in the many differences. The clothes look completely different for starters. Though she didn't have much knowledge on fashion and the like, even Naruto could tell that these clothes are what Sakura and Ino would call old-fashioned. She liked them, though. There were quite some bright colors, and not as formfitting as the outfits from her time.
She then noticed something was very wrong.
"Where the hell's Ichiraku?!" Many flinched at the shrill cry of her voice, but she paid them no mind as she hastily walked through the street.
Not here, not there, not anywhere!
A thought dawned on her. Was she too early? Was Ichiraku not open yet? 18 years is a long time… what if it opened after she was born? Would she have to wait 'til she found a way home? Her face paled drastically at the thought. No, no, no! She can't wait that long!
Her stomach rumbled loudly, and she looked down at it in surprise. Urgh, she just ate this morning, and Minato had cooked so much for her, how was she still so hungry? She hasn't felt any better from yesterday, either, though that may be because she was kept up practically all night with nightmares of the Nine-Tails... Naruto then scavenged the area, looking for a good replacement.
To her disappointment, she was surrounded by udon stands. Udon! That bland, blasphemous, imitation of—
She stopped at a fruit's vendor. That was one shiny looking apple. Normally she was not one for such healthy snacks, and was about to turn away until a reprimanding voice yelled from the back of her mind.
Naruto, you should really start eating more vegetables and fruits! Reprimanding, but warm. Memories of pink hair and berry perfume. Or maybe it was her shampoo, Naruto could never really tell, just that Sakura had always smelled nice. After they got to know each other, ever since their first C-rank mission they grew close. If she had a sister it would probably have been a relationship like the one she had with Sakura. Although they clashed at times, they were comfortable enough with each other to know that their differences would never set them apart. They would have the other's back no matter what. Her heart ached, because who knew how long it would be before she got to see her teammate and dear friend again?
Shaking her head away from her thoughts, she turned to the shopkeeper, who was reading a newspaper. "Hey, ol' man, how much are you selling these apples for?"
The shopkeeper looked up, and was about to grumble at her for calling him old until he saw her mask. Blinking, he put the newspaper down. "Why, hello there. You one of those fancy ninja?"
When she nodded, chest puffed, his brows rose into his hairline in surprise. "But you're so short!" He chuckled, and before she could shriek in indignation he held up the apple she had been eyeing. "One hundred ryo!"
Naruto's hand went to her pocket, to get her Gama-chan—wait, where is it?! She patted down her jacket pockets, her butt pockets, her front pockets, then paled. Shit, it's still at home! Eighteen years into the future, home.
Her shoulders drooped, and she sighed. "Sorry, ol' man, I'll come back again next time."
He frowned, eyebrow raised. "Have you forgotten your wallet?" Her shoulders sagged even further, and he huffed, shaking his head. "Gotta eat up to grow bigger, kiddo." He looked around carefully, before bending down and lowering his voice. "Here, I'll give it to ya for free, just this once."
Under her mask, Naruto gaped. "Huh, no way!"
He shoved the fruit into her unmoving hands, and grinned. "You gotta eat healthy. Now take it, before I change my mind!"
She stood there in a daze, before snapping out of it to thank the man profusely. When he finally shooed her away, her head was high up in the clouds. She skipped until she was out of the crowded shopping district. The villagers were treating her like a fellow, normal human being. There were no hateful glares, no hatred threatening to devour her like it had to them here, in this Konoha. She bit into her apple. So this was what it's like, to be a normal child out in Konoha. Her good mood slowly shriveled up, slowly getting taken over by her less than positive thoughts. This was what it was like when you weren't the Jinchuuriki of the Monster Fox.
She held up the apple she was biting into with one hand, and shoved the other in her pocket, until she felt a sharp prick at her finger. "Hm?"
She took it out, and realized it was a folded up picture. She stared at it, down at the three faces, all wearing different expressions, below one eye-smiling man. A sad grin stretched her face as she rubbed at the photo dearly. "I wonder how you got there."
She walked with her eyes stuck on the image of her team, and was about to turn the corner.
A blur suddenly jumped out and crashed into her. "Oof!"
She groaned as she propped her upper body off the floor, eyes scrunched at the pain attacking the back of her head. "Fucking hell, that hurt!"
Naruto stood up and looked around her, trying to find the culprit, before she realized where she was. It was the same place she found Konohamaru sneaking up on her with those camouflage blankets and boxes. Shaking her head, she looked down at the boy who had knocked her down.
"You okay down there?" She poked at his ribs with her sandaled foot. She guessed it was her fault for not looking where she was going, but the boy was running!
"Urk…"
"Hm?" She squinted at him.
He had quite some shiny hair.
She reached down to turn him around, and did a double take at the bushy brows that came into view. The little boy was wearing a dusty orange scarf, and a black muscle tank top. None of his clothing was made of spandex, and there was not a speck of green in sight.
His hair reached down to his chin, but if one were to cut it into a certain bowl cut hairstyle…
It wouldn't be that farfetched to assume the boy in front of him was him, would it? I mean, his hair! His eyes! His nose! His brows!
The boy suddenly shot up, nearly smacking his head into her face. "I am so very sorry!" He looked at her form frantically, searching. "I hope you are not hurt!"
"Uh, yeah sure, I'm fine-ttebayo." She leaned back, shoving his cheek away from her—too close! Too close! "A-Are you?"
"No, I am as fit as a fiddle, not to worry!"
Naruto nodded, inching away from the boy that looked all to eager to show her just how fit he was. "Great, er, you seemed like you were in a hurry so don't mind me—"
"Oh, no, I was merely training!"
She awkwardly stood there as he began talking about his morning rituals.
Three minutes and forty-eight seconds later the boy was still heatedly talking about his laps around the district—Naruto was amazed, because it wasn't the entire village—and it was then that she noticed a bright red fire a few distances away… wait, no…
The boy had also noticed something behind her, just as she was starting to realize that that was not a blazing fire but a very angry—"Shit!"
"Well, look who is coming this way," he was starting to hold a hint of his future self's blinding grin, "Oi, Kaka—"
"Sorry, Gai, I gotta run, seeyounexttimebye!"
When he blinked and turned to look behind him, the masked blonde had already gone around the corner. A flash of a spiky blonde ponytail, and Gai was left gawking after her.
"How did that girl know my name?"
"Maybe because you told her?" A silver haired boy said as he kept his nose in his book and brushed past the gaping Gai,
"Did I?" Gai rubbed his chin and furrowed his thick brows in thought.
"This is why you'll never graduate."
The black haired boy then grinned smugly, "Actually, my friend, I already have!" He pulled up his shiny fringe and showed off the hitai-ate proudly.
Gai's friend looked up, and blinked in surprise. "Oh." The black-haired boy's grin sparkled at the boy's surprise. "Perhaps your Academy graduation was a mistake."
"Why do you have to be so hip!?"
"I swear I will throttle that girl!" They both turned at the sudden voice.
Kakashi jumped when he recognized it, and pried the other boy's finger's off his shoulders. "Kushina-san?" Taking in her fuming face, he questioned warily, "What's wrong?"
Kushina's head whipped around, and grinned when she realized who it was. "Oh, Kakashi! Who's that with you?"
"The name is Maito Gai, Ma'am." the boy beamed, a small blush dusting his cheeks. She was a beauty!
"How polite!" She smiled warmly as she reached them, "My name's Kushina, nice to meet you, Gai. Now Gai, Kakashi, have you two seen a girl this short—"They doubted the girl's height was truly five inches away from the floor as her hand suggested but stayed silent, "—with a fox mask?"
"I believe the girl you are looking for went that way," He pointed towards the direction the blonde had just left for.
"Thanks!" She said as she darted off, her long red hair trailing after her.
"Stop gawking at my sensei's girlfriend, you perv."
"I am no lech!"
Kushina had managed to catch her, and dragged Naruto all the way to the training grounds. Minato had already been there, sitting on one of the wooden posts. When he saw the girl being pulled in by the ear he chuckled, and got off to walk towards them. "Thanks for getting her, Kushina." He ruffled the blonde hair. "Now we're here because we want to see what you can do." At this, Naruto's eyes shined through her mask. She was getting to show of her skills in front of the Yondaime!
"Gotcha-ttebayo! Ooh, what should I start with first..."
"Well, you could just tell us, what you have." Minato said, wondering what she's got in her arsenal. The grin on her face wasn't looking too good...
"Well, the Oiroke no Jutsu is the first technique I've ever been able to master, and the Transformation and the Substitution Jutsu. I can't make an ordinary clone, but that's okay 'cause I've got the Kage-Bunshin!" Naruto grinned.
Minato decided to forget about the first jutsu she mentioned. Thank god he didn't tell her to demonstrate her techniques... "The shadow clone?"
She nodded, but continued on, "Yeah, and then I learned the Toad Summoning Technique, and then the Rasengan! Which is your technique, isn't it?" By the end of her sentence, the redhead and blond's eyes were as round as saucers.
Minato could only stare dumbly. "You're thirteen…?"
"Yeah!"
"And you learned the Rasengan?"
"Yeah!"
"H-How long did it take you?"
"Uh," Naruto looked up at the clouds, "A little over two weeks—Minato-sama?"
"I-I'm fine…" The way the man crumpled on the grass face down told her that he was not fine.
Kushina simply cackled loudly by his side, patting—slapping—his back.
"It—took—me—three—years…" He wheezed between the slaps.
Kushina stood up, cocking her head to the side. "Well, show it, Naruto." The girl nodded.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" A shadow clone appeared, and Kushina and Minato watched, mesmerized as they saw a full, blue orb of chakra form in Naruto's hand.
Until it shifted sharply, deformed, and Naruto began to rapidly lose control of it. The ball of chakra let out a pitiful sizzle as it dissipated, leaving both the original and the clone to stare at the now empty hand in wide-eyed disbelief.
Why?! Her most favorite, most badass technique. Her pride! She must have done something wrong without realizing it, or maybe it was because her chakra was in a bit of a funk from yesterdayーshe hasn't been feeling quite the same, after allーbut how could it not work?! She was almost too scared to try again, but she had to, because it couldn't just... She has to be able to do it!
No one spoke but the birds and the two Narutos before Minato spoke up, figuring they had tried enough.
"So, it still needs a little work?" Minato looked pointedly at blonde girl.
"No, I swear I got it down!" Naruto whipped her head up, eyes growing larger. He and Kushina feared it would pop out of the girl's skull at this rate. "I had used it just mere weeks ago, against—Uh..." Both did not question how the girl had suddenly shut her mouth, and shared a look.
"I see you used a shadow clone," Minato said eventually, hoping to ease the tense air around the younger blonde. "To mold the chakra into a ball?"
"Mhm," She hummed in confirmation as she snapped out of her reverie with a few blinks. "That part in learning the technique took me the longest to overcome, until I realized I could use a clone."
"Wouldn't that use up quite a bit of chakra, though?" Kushina furrowed her brows. A couple of uses of both the Kage-Bunshin andーif she were to master itーthe Rasengan would leave even her, with her large chakra reserves, worn out.
Naruto smirked, and brought her hands together in the ram seal.
"Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Minato and Kushina's jaws fell at the sheer number of clones surrounding them, from the ground up to the trees. They then looked at the original, who seemed at least a little tired. "I see the time travel seal isn't the only kinjutsu you've picked up from the Forbidden Scroll," Minato commented wryly.
Naruto, along with the rest of her thousand clones, smiled sheepishly, before furrowing her brows. Her breath came out in shallow pants, as she wiped the sweat rolling down the side of her face. "It's weird, though… I could usually do this technique and more without breaking a sweat…"
"Perhaps the seal has taken a lot more out of you than we first assumed." Kushina suggested, arms crossed as she cocked her head thoughtfully to the side. "It is an unfinished jutsu we know next to nothing about, after all."
Minato nodded in agreement, about to continue after her, when there was a sudden pop.
The pop was soon followed by many more, and smoke filled the air around them. Kushina coughed as she tried to see through it. When the smoke finally cleared, she found only one Naruto slumped on the ground, breathing more harshly than she had before. "Hey, what happened?!"
The red-haired woman immediately crouched down by her side, trying to get her attention, but the girl didn't respond. Kushina looked helplessly up at Minato, whose eyes were already on the both of them, brows knitting closely together in worry.
Naruto was too busy trying to think through the sudden airiness she felt in her mind to be able to focus on the two in front of her. The haziness was as thick as the smoke around them, and the empty feeling that Naruto had felt back when she first woke up in this world was slithering its way back. Her stomach felt oddly and uncomfortably warm, in stark contrast to her suddenly cold, numb fingers.
Finally, the empty feeling slowly started to ease away, and was replaced by a headache as Naruto looked up. She blinked in surprise at the two pairs of eyes looking directly at her. "Uh." At her sudden attention, Minato raised a brow.
"Naruto, is there something we should know about?" He stepped closer to bend down towards the blonde, trying to literally snap the vacancy out of her unusually dull blue eyes.
At the snap of his fingers, Naruto jumped. The feeling in her hands was finally coming back, and she blushed at how close the man had gotten to her face. "H-huh?"
Kushina furrowed her brows in concern. "We haven't heard from you or the Hokage if there were any side-effects affecting you from the seal." She said to the confused girl. "Well? Are there?"
Naruto blinked, looking down at her hands and feet. "Uh, not really?" They stared at her, doubt clear in their gaze. "Really! I mean, it's like when I woke up yesterday in that old hag's apartment—which should be mine, by the way—I felt like I had been trampled all over and all the energy had been sucked out of me… but other than that?" She scratched her cheek. "Now I just feel kinda woozy."
Minato ruminated carefully on her words. "Woozy," he repeated, and the frown on his face grew at her nod.
"Yeah, I'm not really sure how to describe it," she clenched and unclenched her hands, testing them. "I hadn't felt it 'til just now, after using my chakra, but it feels like I'm not really here, y'know?"
"You're here yet you're not? What do you mean?" Kushina was the one to inquire this time, digging for more out of the blonde.
"Yeah, like… like… Argh!" Naruto gripped her hair almost at her scalp, tugging harshly in frustration. "I dunno!"
Minato stopped her there, lest she rips her hair out of its roots completely. "Maa, maa… we'll just have to watch over you carefully. It seems like it happens when you use a lot of chakra, so you can't go too far with your ninjutsu."
She was about to cry out in objection, but stopped short at his glare.
"And if you feel anything out of the ordinary, anything at all, you tell us, understood?" He put pressure in his command, daring her to object. Naruto reluctantly gave a small nod, looking put out in having to do so.
"It's as Kushina said, we're dealing with a seal we know almost nothing about. We have to be cautious," He finally softened his features, looking almost apologetic.
"I know…" Naruto sighed. Well this was going to be rather hard, because this would mean she couldn't fight Naruto style: charge head on, and finish with a bang. "Well, now all I've got left to show is the summoning jutsu!"
Just as she was about to bring her thumb to her teeth, Minato grabbed her wrist. "Now what did I just tell you?" He reprimanded with a sigh.
"We don't even know if you're still contracted to the seal, Naruto." Kushina set her hands to her hips, face set in an exasperated scowl. "What if you end up some place far away with no means of getting back?"
Naruto stared at her pointedly.
"Here you at least have people to turn to!" She angrily huffed, resisting the urge to bop the girl on the head.
Naruto wanted to cry out in despair. "Then what am I supposed to do?!" What did that leave her? Next to nothing! Nothing but a bunch of C-ranked earth and wind jutsus that she's never used, the shadow clone… No Rasengan, no Multiple shadow clones, no summoning technique. She was back to square one!
This made her realize just how limited her abilities and arsenal of jutsu were, and it left the Uzumaki absolutely miserable. She said as much.
"Now, now, it's only until we know what's going on with you and resolve it." Minato cringed at the hopeful gleam in her eyes. "Probably." She deflated.
Kushina grinned, raising her sleeves. "Well, that just means we have to train you. Hard." Minato gulped. "Let's see your taijutsu, Naruto."
"I'll just stand by and watch you two. Over there." He pointed far off into the trees.
Naruto, ignoring her gut feeling telling her to run, got into fighting position. "Bring it!"
"What the hell Kushina-nee!" Naruto squawked, barely managing to dodge said woman's hair attack. "Does that even count in a Taijutsu match?!"
"Of course it does!" The woman shouted back gleefully. "It's still a part of my body!" Naruto was just about to retort when red hair once again lifted and sharpened into nine, long spikes, ready to come down on her. She cursed. They looked a lot like a certain monster's tails, the blonde thought as she desperately ran for cover behind a tree.
Naruto heard the sharp thuds against thick layers of tree bark, and blanched as she turned to see the red hair embedded deeply into the tree that blocked the attack for her.
Well, at least the girl was great at taijutsu, Minato thought as he watched from a far distance. Otherwise she would have been pummeled into the ground quite a while ago. He could guess that with her astounding stamina and quick feet she would be quite a formidable opponent even for his student Kakashi. The two Uzumakis had been going at it for a while, after all, though it was more of a cat-and-mouse chase than a taijutsu match. It did make him wonder who trained her. She also had a style that was hard to predict, unconventional in the good way, from what he got to see before Kushina gotten a little serious. It was as if Naruto had gotten bits and pieces of various fighting styles and made a form out of them all on her own. Which was of course common... common for ninjas older and more experienced than a girl of her age and rank.
He was not too far off the mark, as that is exactly what Naruto's form of taijutsu is. A mix-n-match of what she saw from other people's examples. Only she, unlike most—or anyone, for that matter—had multiple shadow clones to train with, and had the most amazing luck. Whether one saw it as a terrible or fortunate type of amazing was up to them.
She had been tricked into stealing the Forbidden Scroll. Her jounin sensei was an elite; perhaps the best of all jounins back in her Konoha. Her first C-rank was actually an A-rank. Her first Chunin Exam turned from a battle between genin to an all out battle to the death between two shinobi nations. Her best friend that she considered a brother in all but blood left her for power. She was being hunted by a group of S-ranked rogue ninjas. All her experiences had forced her to grow stronger, train better to protect herself and her precious people.
When Kushina finally stopped the spar—though Minato suspected it was more of revenge on the poor girl—he walked up tp them. "You were quite good, Naruto." She beamed up at him, and he vaguely wondered how she could lighten her face so much considering how battered she looks.
"Before I forget, who's Ero-sennin?" At her wide eyes he said, "I remember you saying you 'had to go on a training trip with Ero-sennin' and I was wondering who it was."
Naruto blinked.
"Oh, his name's actually Jiraiya."
Kushina guffawed, as Minato pinched between his eyes. "Jiraiya-sensei, huh…" As much as he respected the man, he couldn't help but be wary of his perverted ways. 'Pervy Sage' indeed...
"Yeah! He talked about you a few times, y'know." The blonde said as she examined the already healing scrape on her knee. "He was really fond of you."
Minato smiled.
"I see."
"Here's my estimation of Naruto's abilities based on her work today." He handed the Sandaime a sheet of paper, and waited as the man skimmed his eyes through it. "She can do such high ranking techniques? Even the Rasengan?" Sarutobi finally said, one brown brow rising as he looked up at the blonde man for confirmation. "That is the technique you recently created, yes? Splendid."
"That is what she told us, yes."
"Oh?"
Minato combed a hand through his blonde locks, thinking. "I'm not doubting her, I believe she is telling the truth when she said she learnt it. When she tried to show it to us this morning, however, it failed. There seems to be something wrong with her chakra control."
Sarutobi furrowed his brows, "Do you think it is from Tobirama's seal?"
"I'm positive." He held up his hand, and wisps of blue chakra appeared above his palms. "The Rasengan is a ball of dense chakra molded and compressed into a tight ball," he demonstrated, and the wisps of chakra grew and spun, spiralling and forming into a bright orb. "And it requires quite a bit of chakra control and not just a lot of chakra, unlike the shadow clone."
The Hokage marvelled at the technique; it sure looked dazzling as it looked deadly. "This is the first time I got to see your technique in person." Though other than Kushina and Jiraiya, perhaps the only people that got to see the technique in action was the user himself and his enemies.
"She said that the last time she had used the jutsu was a month ago at most. That shouldn't be enough time for her chakra control to weaken, even if she had refrained from training."
Sarutobi hummed in thought. "I see. We will have to get that checked then."
"There is one more thing I believe requires attention concerning her safety, Hokage-sama."
"Oh? What is it?"
"Naruto had waved it off as mere dizzy spells, but I doubt it is just that." Minato furrowed his brows, "After performing the Multiple Shadow Clones technique, she had been unresponsive for a few minutes. She had explained feeling drained, but I doubt she had meant only her chakra, from the way she spoke and looked back then." He tried not to think of those dull, empty eyes.
"That is concerning…" Sarutobi rubbed tiredly at the bridge of his nose. "Will you take her to the Hyuuga? I would get their clan head here myself but I already have appointments I have to be at." He had already pushed the meeting he had arranged with Koharu his advisors to let Minato in with his report on Naruto's abilities. Postponing any more would raise questions.
"Of course, Hokage-sama."
"There isn't anything unusual with her chakra core, though it seems quite strained. Perhaps she's been using too much chakra, recently?" Hyuuga Hizashi suggested, his white eyes eyeing her in interest. She was brought to their home through the Hokage's orders, which made him curious. They currently stood in his private stone garden, after Minato had explained that this was to be kept a secret.
He had never seen her before, he was sure. While Konoha wasn't a small village, it wasn't exactly a big one either. It would be easy to spot one with such a unique mask, and he doubted he'd even seen her without it. It would be hard to miss such golden hair, after all. Could she have just come in from outside? An unlikely thought, as it was hard to imagine that Sarutobi would, no matter how soft he was, let a shinobi into their village right after the last war, even if they were as young as this girl looked. Unless...
Was she taken in by Root?
He had learned of the relatively new group from the founder, Shimura Danzo himself. The man had come to recruit some of his men, and Hizashi suspected he had gone to the other major clans as well. He had been told of their harsh training. Perhaps this little girl was trained like them, to be completely and absolutely loyal to Konohagakure. Unlike some others, he had no opinion on the shadow of the shadow, as the organization was often called in gossip. He neither liked it nor disliked it. Simply knew of its existence. He did not know enough about what exactly Root does. No one did.
All they did know was, once you're in you're never seen or heard of again.
While it may be a bit of a stretch, it wouldn't be strange if that were the case. This girl seemed to have the potential, with such outrageous reserves. Her chakra was also so full of vitality; he could see the strength in the luminosity of it with his eyes.
Which concerned him. There was no sign of injury, of a mission or training gone wrong. What on earth could require so much of that chakra to the point it exhausted her core?
He was about to release the Byakugan and comment on that—until he noticed a flicker of something…purple? It was gone before his eyes could fully spot where it came from, but it did make him look closer, close enough to notice that something was off. He strained his eyes further, and the veins in his temples grew even more pronounced. "From what I could tell, her chakra is being pumped without an issue, however…" His eyes widened, as realization slid in place. However what came after was not comprehension but instead more confusion. What could possibly be the cause behind it? He had never seen or heard of anything like this before.
Minato raised a brow at the man's hesitance. "What is it?"
Hizashi's mouth set in a slight frown. "There is an imbalance between the production of both energies, I can faintly see it in the way her chakra looks and flows. The ratio should be roughly the same, and though a slight difference is common depending on the person and their condition, well… I doubt this could be considered anything close to normal." He released his byakugan, and instantly the blonde's shoulders eased, before tensing again at the new information. "There is too much of her spiritual energy compared to her physical in the chakra flowing through her pathways. While the chakra core is trying to compensate for it I believe it isn't fast enough, which may explain your symptoms."
"Naruto, has your chakra always been like this?" The younger man asked the girl, and she furrowed her brows.
"No, my chakra used to get checked regularly when I was younger, but there was nothing weird about it I think." Minato narrowed his eyes at that. Noticing the change in his gaze, she quickly tried to brush off his concerns. "Ah, no, it's not because my chakra was, uh, special or anything—" Naruto wasn't lying, technically, "—it's just, I've always had a lot of chakra, y'know?"
No, they didn't know how that was connected to the necessity of the checkups, but the blond man decided to file the information away for later. It was obvious that Naruto did not want to say it, whether it was because of Hizashi's presence or another reason he could not be sure. From how she kept shooting glances at himself, however, Minato was leaning more towards the latter. And he had a feeling…
Minato thanked the Hyuuga for his help, and left with Naruto. They were walking down the street towards his house when he finally got out of his thoughts. "Well?" He asked the girl, and clarified when she cocked her head in confusion. "Does this explain the changes you felt since arriving in this timeline? Do you have any other concerns that it didn't answer?"
"Oh…" Naruto scratched her cheek, thinking deeply. "Well, I don't really get it, but I guess? I've been feeling sick since yesterday but I kinda assumed it was because I teleported and all, plus I spent the whole earlier portion of the day cleaning my apartment." At that her face turned a little green, remembering the slimy who-knows-how-old ramen spills she had to mop up.
When she noticed his irritated look, she hastily explained. "I thought it wasn't a big deal 'cause I got a whole lot better when I woke up this morning! I always recover fast, so…"
Minato rubbed at his temple. "Well, this does explain why you could still do the Kage Bunshin," He said, as he considered the information Hizashi gave them. "If you're getting better then it might simply be a temporary thing."
"Awesome." They climbed up the stairs and Naruto waited as Minato got out his keys in front of his door. She rubbed her sandaled foot against the itch behind her other leg as she inspected her nails. They grew too long. She should cut them.
"We really must teach you to report everything, Naruto, because you seem to keep missing out on all the important details," he drawled, and Naruto whipped her head up, almost expecting a completely different man to be in front of her because...
The way Minato had spoken sounded exactly like Kakashi-sensei.
"Well, before that we've got to start on your fuinjutsu training, and Kushina's gone for a short patrol mission so I'll be the one to teach you today."
She rubbed at the back of her neck as she walked in after Minato, who hadn't noticed her odd reaction and went to one of his rooms. Sighing, Naruto trotted towards the kitchen sink to wash her hands. She tried to think of the present and not the future, where she belonged. As great as it was to be living with the future Yondaime, she missed her friends dearly. Realization that she was stuck was starting to sink in, as she was reminded of how everything has changed, and it would be a while before she could go home again.
She had to train and master the art of sealing quickly. She had a time limit, and a short one at that. But she had always managed to get herself out of trouble, somehow or another. She will get out of this one. And when she did...
Would she arrive back at her apartment, on the pile of dirty beyond repair shirts, the age she is now? As if nothing happened? Or would she return older, the age she would be once she finds a way back? She would be fifteen, then, in front of a thirteen year old Sakura. Or would the future have gone on without her, and she would return the way she would be by then?
If that were the case then she'd have to train stronger and stronger. She could not afford to waste a moment here.
Minato came in to the room then, bringing her out of her thoughts. "Here are the things I'll have you read!" He said with a wide, shining smile, before promptly dumping the heavy pile of books and scrolls onto the dining table.
Well, it didn't seem like Minato would let her slack around anyways, Naruto thought despairingly.
"I swear that kid would walk straight to her death and not even know it…" He muttered lowly, but loud enough for the older man to hear.
"Indeed…" Hiruzen then unlocked a drawer on his desk, and took out a thin scroll. After releasing the lock on the scroll with a flash of his chakra, he handed it to the blond, letting Minato take it and inspect it. He watched as understanding dawned on those blue eyes, following it as it roamed through the words written in the material.
A handwritten copy of Tobirama's incomplete time travel seal.
"What Hizashi-dono told us, it explains how she managed to go so far back in time. One of the reasons why this is labeled incomplete… is because of the ridiculous amount of chakra it requires to use it to its full advantage, isn't it?" At most, with all of an average jounin's levels, it could take them back four or five years at most, with a body to replace. Then, it would leave the body in a brief, coma-like state. The body needs to replenish the chakra it's lostーif there is any left at all, that isーand get used to the new environment. The natural energy around the time traveler would be different, especially when the amount of years they travel back is higher. It would affect the chakra of the time traveler, though by how much they would need more time to study more about. The man's pupils narrowed as the cogs in his head turned fast with his thoughts. "Naruto isn't even born yet for another five years. So how… even an Uzumaki with all their massive chakra levels wouldn't have—" his eyes unfocused then, as cold understanding filled him. Filled him with a dread that trickled down his spine, limbs, and fingers.
Because there was only one entity that could possibly hold so much chakra.
It was as if something had slid into place. The missing piece to the puzzle. Minato's cobalt blue eyes rose to meet the older man, unsurprised to see them holding the same calm they had earlier. The Professor, they called him, for the wisdom that had guided them out of the Second Shinobi World War.
The tanned hands gripped around the scroll tightly.
Naruto's words from earlier this morning made sense now. The Third became Hokage again, after the Kyuubi was sealed into Naruto. Minato died—been killed—too suddenly for a suitable candidate could be chosen as the next ruler of Konohagakure, and the village resorted to the previous Hokage.
This happened most likely during Naruto's birth, the only time Kushina's seal could have weakened from what he knew. Why else would the Kyuubi not be in Kushina? He would have understood if it was when they were growing old, when there needed to be a new Jinchuuriki.
He had nine months… no, more, probably, knowing himself and Kushina. They would have prepared themselves even before the baby was conceived. They would have been prepared for worst case scenarios. Thus it didn't make sense. He would have made sure they would be ready and able to keep the fox down, so Kushina, the baby, Konohagakure would be safe. What could have possibly gone wrong?
What happened on the day of Naruto's birth?
"A jinchuuriki on top of everything we know of her so far…" The words slipped from the Hokage's mouth, disbelief at the ridiculousness of it all evident in his voice. "She can either be this village's path to its glory, or its doom."
Which is why he had refused to use her knowledge of the future in the first place. Power like that was dangerous.
"What should we do, Hokage-sama?"
...But what if they had no choice?
I hadn't realized just how many follows/favs this story got so I was absolutely floored when I checked. Holy moly, thank you guys!
And thank you thank you thank you, to the people who've reviewed! I love hearing your thoughts on this.
And about the Team Seven picture... let's just say she had kept it in her jacket pocket with her when they went on that Retrieve Sasuke mission and forgot about it ever since.
EDIT: Fixed up the scene where Minato and Kushina evaluates Naruto's skills. I swear I've been through this like ten times how the frick did I miss that? Ugh, thanks so much nocloudypooh for pointing it out!