The Leaf's Naruto

by Morta's Priest

There's something to be said for keeping the past as it was - makes it predictable, malleable. Naruto never bought those arguments. He's always been the one to power through adversity rather than wait it out, so why would now be any different? He'll do what has to be done, even if he steps on a few butterflies along the way.

21. Reversal

Chapter 21 - Reversal

Naruto sank to the ground without a sound, his eyes rolling upwards.

"What the hell, Kakashi-sensei?!" Sakura squawked instantly, rushing to the blond's side in an instant, measuring his pulse. She bit her lip for a moment as she felt his jugular, then let out a relieved breath. "I think he's stable, though his heartbeat's kind of sluggish. What was that for?" She glared up at Kakashi. "He was fine."

Sasuke's eyes lingered on Naruto's unconscious form, then sought out Kakashi as well. For a brief moment he had the irrational urge to yell at his sensei, and he paused at that foreign thought, trying to trace it back to its origins. Kakashi's expression was blank, though there was a certain tiredness in his eyes which made Sasuke hesitate on saying something. He recognized that expression - his father had always seemed most terrifying when he looked like that, a combination of disappointed and impatient.

"I'd like to know as well," Sasuke said at last, calmly, his face betraying none of his displeasure though his dark eyes were narrowed. "Well, Sensei?"

Kakashi seemed unperturbed, staring down at the Genin he had just rendered unconscious. "Sasuke, Sakura - we have to get ready to move. If we linger, we may run into other unpleasantness besides this Missing-Nin, and I can't protect two whole teams of Genin at once, not against any significant force." He gestured westwards with a quick nod. "We're meeting up with Team 8 and my clone, and we should meet our ANBU backup within a day or two. All the other clones running around should have dispelled - but just in case they didn't, make sure you identify anyone you come across, at least in these woods. Be careful."

As Kakashi leaned down to Muneyoshi's side, taking in his pale face that betrayed not even a sliver of consciousness, Sasuke spoke up again - much to his own astonishment. "Don't avoid the question!" he barked, crossing his arms; his posture more than made his impatience more than clear. "Explanation. Now."

"I did not expect this behaviour from you," Kakashi said slowly as he hid his Sharingan eye from view. His posture shifted and Sasuke hesitated in response, quite suddenly aware of how drained he was, and how powerful his sensei could be - if the man intended to knock him out as well, he would succeed. He refused to stumble, though. Kakashi shook his head, and the moment of danger abated. "Please don't order around your superiors, Sasuke. It's unprofessional."

Sasuke could not have stopped his snort even if he wanted to. "Superior?" He spat on the ground. "You didn't twitch a finger until the very end, and then you knocked him unconscious - why are you someone I should obey? I'd sooner listen to the Dead Last."

His sensei winced, and Sasuke felt a thrill of immense satisfaction at eliciting a visible reaction - a vindictive streak in him demanded that he continue. He considered his anger for a moment, trying to trace his thoughts back again - somewhere along the line, speaking up for Naruto had become something he did automatically. It made no sense. Despite the many secrets that the Dead Last kept, and the plainly ludicrous level of underachievement that he had displayed in the academy, Sasuke found himself quite unwilling to dismiss the idiot.

Why?

Intellectually, Sasuke was aware that trusting Naruto was a stupid choice - he was flaky, annoying, and clearly involved in more than a few questionable activities, and he was host to a monstrous demon to boot. Yet, beside all that, there was something else, underneath that facade. Looking underneath the underneath was what shinobi were meant to do - and Naruto's cheerful demeanour hid far more than most people had even guessed, that was clear.

Something clicked, as he considered that false image, which had cracked in recent times. The facts he knew about Naruto painted him as a skilled and merciless liar, far more powerful than anyone else his age, save for similar geniuses. He was someone for whom killing was old hat at the age of eleven, who could brood with the best of them when he thought nobody was looking - and who was probably the loneliest member of this screwed-up team.

Naruto was a lot like Itachi.

Why the hell was he sticking up for someone who reminded him of Itachi?

"Sasuke?"

"I meant what I said," Sasuke said as he glanced aside. Sakura was another odd one, but far easier to understand. More talented than he had expected - she had taken out two people, compared to his one, and had been rather terrifying while doing it - but just a really promising kunoichi, rather than a prodigy. Still, he could see a little of what Naruto probably did, even if her constant fawning was completely annoying.

As he expected, Sakura nodded, looking fiercely at Kakashi. She would side with him, Sasuke knew - if not for Naruto's sake yet, perhaps, at least because of him. He could use the backup. He met Kakashi's gaze again, unafraid. "We all know that Naruto is different. Sakura and I have discussed the matter before." He briefly glanced to the pink-haired girl again. "We figure that he is, or used to be, in ANBU - it's happened before at his age, if not sooner."

Itachi.

"With the revelation of the Nine-Tails within him, I can understand why he was elected for such training as well. His enormous chakra reserves are probably due to the Kyūbi's presence, and of course someone like him would be interested in seals. Who would want a living weapon to remain a normal academy student?" He cocked his head to the side, studying his sensei's expression. "Isn't that right?"

"R-right!" Sakura exclaimed, avoiding Kakashi's sceptical glance. "I agree with Sasuke!"

"Of course you do," Sasuke murmured, sighing. He looked down to the unconscious forms of both Muneyoshi and Naruto, then took in the sheer devastation around him. There was not a single tree left intact in an astoundingly large region, with smoke and ash rising into the sky at that very moment. The forest had gained a new clearing today. This kind of power, without a whiff of the horrible chakra that had permeated the air when he healed Shino, this was only a part of his strength. Incredible.

Sasuke shrugged. "The fox is new - but I had gathered the rest of these facts before we even left. Naruto is open with us, he will answer direct questions directly for the most part. I assume he was placed on my team to keep an eye on me - but none of that changes my impression that Naruto of all people cares for this team. More than any of us do, I think. He's strange like that."

"Regardless, this is for his own good," Kakashi said shortly. "There are certain lines that nobody can cross, and -"

"I won't accept any excuses, Kakashi-sensei!" Sasuke snapped, and he raised an eyebrow. "Technically, Naruto is still the team leader for this mission until we're back in Konoha to turn in our reports to the Hokage." He smirked. "Since you handed off your role, you don't have the authority to dismiss the team like this. The Team Leader outranks everyone during a mission, regardless of whether they are Genin or Jōnin. Since the Dead-Last is out of commission, and I have not seen him formally return command or appoint a successor, majority vote will have to do." He raised an eyebrow. "Want to bet which one of us would win that?"

Kakashi let out a long-suffering sigh. "I see that all my Genin are conspiring against me. I knew I should not have passed a group this year..." He shook his head. "Even if I knew everything that was going on with Naruto, I couldn't tell you - some things are secrets of the village." He reached down to Muneyoshi's side. "I will prepare these two for travel. Since you are so adamant about your teammate, go ahead and take him along. I will take the Missing-Nin."

The urge to lash out at Kakashi was back, and Sasuke took a deep breath to calm himself - if he had the chakra to power it, he knew his Sharingan would have been transfixed on his sensei. Slowly his eyes moved down to Naruto, who looked far too peaceful for someone as active as he was. For someone as dangerous as he was.

Again, he questioned his spirited defence. He clenched his fists as he stared darkly at Kakashi from under his bangs. Whatever the truth was - ANBU, demon-host, whatever else - Naruto was not his brother, not in the most important ways. Itachi had murdered mercilessly, killing his heart to measure his potential. He had manipulated people, including Sasuke himself, to suit his own ends - and most likely, he had not yet seen just how far that went. He was a genius, far beyond any of his age, more skilled than should be possible. Itachi was the shade that hovered over his shoulder, the image that he both loathed and feared.

Naruto had killed - the boy had admitted as much, practically ordering him to get it over with now by taking out someone he did not know personally, rather than start off with Itachi. Certainly the creature in Naruto's gut had murdered plenty. He had also manipulated and used people; that was unmistakable, since not even Kakashi could get a bead on him, and it seemed like he was keeping everyone guessing, up to the Hokage himself. He was a genius - he had to be, in some respect, to maintain his precarious hold on those around him, or to gain the strength he had. Either that, or a work ethic that would make anyone collapse just thinking about it - a kind of genius in itself.

So what was the difference, in truth? With all those similarities to the spectre of his brother, to that murderer who had destroyed his clan, why did he feel the need to stick up for someone who exemplified traits that he loathed? Why had he taken the orders to spy on him straight to Kakashi, rather than even consider the offer he had been given? Though the reward was precisely what he wanted - Sharingan secrets, the key to defeating Itachi - he had instead taken his ticket directly to the authorities. He had dismissed that offer out of hand when he realized what the price was for such a boon. A price that he would have easily paid mere months ago. Why?

Why for the Dead Last, the perpetual annoyance?

Why for Naruto?

A memory surfaced unbidden. He remembered lying in a hospital bed, shortly after he was attacked, when Naruto had entered. The supposed Genin had entered across the roof, standing upside-down, confidently taking in his teammate's pitiful state without comment. Sasuke had expected the boy to make fun of him, maybe to tell him that he was weak, like Itachi would have. He had been prepared for it - it was natural.

"Alone, I think you could become the next Kakashi. You could beat your enemies with the Sharingan and powerful jutsu that you copied. A worthwhile goal."

He'd been dead serious.

But together – you, me, Sakura – I think we could go beyond that. Be something better. I've already said Sakura could be the next Tsunade, and if I'm not too arrogant here, I'm getting lessons from Jiraiya soon in sealing, I'd like to be the next Toad Sage."

Ridiculously ambitious.

There are three, however, in any team. Think about that, would you? I'd even help you with that ambition of yours."

Fully aware of what made Sasuke tick.

Naruto's conviction was undeniable - when he spoke of what would be, he spoke with an authority that should seem overblown, arrogant. Naruto had told him with that voice that he could reach the heights of Kakashi on his own, and seemed entirely convinced that it was a plausible scenario. Then he had done the same with the team, declaring them to be the next Sannin, if they worked at it. From most people, he would have taken it as a stupid joke, a delusion.

That was the difference, Sasuke realized. Itachi had told him to gain the same eyes as him, and then find him, to take his revenge - to be alone. Naruto seemed like he was actively striving to get away from such loneliness, to gather a team. It was not a surprise, given how his youth had to have been coloured by what he carried. The two of them, Itachi and Naruto, were two sides of the same coin.

"We'll storm the ranks so quickly that nobody will even believe it!"

"Yes, we will," Sasuke murmured, looking back to Kakashi, who seemed concerned at his long silence. "So - you refuse to explain your actions? You wouldn't mind if I woke him up, then." Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "I was taught the appropriate procedure. This was an Uchiha technique you copied, after all."

"Sasuke-"

"Why are you so hesitant about telling us why you incapacitated the team leader right in front of us?" Sasuke demanded. "I've asked you more than once, now - I refuse to be coddled like a child," he snapped. "We've all killed - we're old enough to kill, old enough to die, but too young to know why? Screw that. I'm waking him up."

The air turned to stone in that instant, and Sasuke froze, eyes wide. He tried to move, but his body would not listen to him, and his thoughts went hazy, and he knew what this was. Bloody rage, murderous instincts brought to the front, a palpable feeling of despair in the air - the feeling of never being safe again. Killing Intent. His body refused to obey, even as he recognized what was happening - and that he had felt it before, far worse than this. Naruto. The demon's power.

"I am your superior," Kakashi said slowly, dangerously. "Though I appreciate your zeal in protecting your teammates, evading the rules merely for your own curiosity is despicable behaviour. Appealing to the team leader or majority vote - it means nothing without my authorization. I am your sensei, and you will remember that. Understood?"

Sasuke grimaced, setting a shaky step backwards as he slowly regained control of his limbs under that impossible pressure. Sakura was beside him somewhere, and he could practically sense her fear - she had never been exposed to this.

Quite suddenly, the Killing Intent vanished, and Kakashi looked bored as ever. He turned away, but his rigid stance betrayed his focus. "If you're so sure you want to know, I'll tell you - though you won't like the answer. The truth is... Naruto committed treason."

Sakura beat Sasuke to the punch. "W-What?" She clambered to her feet, staring. "What was - that?"

The Jōnin sighed, catching Sasuke's gaze with a narrowed eye. "I followed Naruto's clone squads with some of my own, to keep an eye out. A small battalion of his Shadow Clones moved across Konoha's border into Ame, right around the same time that Muneyoshi intercepted you here. They were moving in formation, clearly on a mission of some sort. Needless to say, smuggling Shinobi across borders is not allowed."

"But - it's clones," Sakura said carefully, nervously rubbing her hands together as she shivered, slowly recovering from the sudden shock. "He - can't control them after he makes them, can he?"

"Most likely they were sent to get Kurenai-sensei," Sasuke said warily. "They must have traced Muneyoshi across the border, and followed the trail. Probably didn't even know it was the border - it's in the middle of the forest, after all."

Kakashi looked unimpressed. "My clone kept watch from afar, tracking their chakra for as long as I could, though I could not afford to break the law myself. Approximately ten minutes ago, a woman from Ame left Kurenai across the border. She was a shinobi, I am certain." He looked away. "What must I conclude from this? Naruto's clones travel into a foreign nation, and an Ame shinobi returns a captured shinobi to our side. You have learned enough history to know what it implies. I could not stand idly by."

"You're thinking Naruto betrayed Konoha to a bunch of foreigners?" Sasuke snorted. "He wants to be Hokage. He's serious about it, too. You think he would do something like that?"

"Tell me what it looks like, then," Kakashi said firmly. "From my experience, this reeks of a deal with the enemy, and that is treason without the Hokage's authorization, or at least the council's approval. Naruto likely offered something in exchange for Kurenai's life - a favour, perhaps. Since a foreign nation could certainly retrieve a lot of information from a fresh Jōnin, not yet trained in resistance to torture or similar techniques, he must have offered something very enticing."

"Like what?"

Kakashi looked exhausted, then, his shoulders slumping slightly. "Ibiki-san will find out, I'm sure." He looked at Naruto, troubled. "Keeping secrets as a shinobi is practically mandatory; that's why the Hokage has been lenient on figuring out where and from whom Naruto has been learning his tricks. Stolen scrolls can be dealt with, and even Tailed Beasts to an extent. But treason - even a Jinchūriki will stand trial for that."

"A trial?" Sasuke's mouth snapped closed as he hissed in anger. "Itachi killed my entire clan and got away with it for years, and now you're practically shoving Naruto in jail over something like this? Just after he effectively single-handedly won against a Missing-Nin Jōnin?" He clenched his fists, which still trembled. "Against this Muneyoshi not even that Raikiri of yours could work, if not for Naruto softening him up, crippling his ability. He was literally the only one who had a way to beat him. He probably saved our lives."

Kakashi stared, and Sakura looked uncomfortable at the heated discussion.

"I can't believe you don't see it. We all know that Naruto would easily pass a Chūnin exam as it is," Sasuke said. "I am above average - but he is more so. Do you think he needs this team to advance? Needs any of us? With what he carries, he could influence the Hokage or the Council members to advance him, as he fully intends to advance quickly - a battlefield promotion, if you wish. He has the skill, and he knows the right people. Yet - here he is. Why? Because he just loves to chase cats and tend farms, or escort poor farmers past some bandits in a proper C-rank?"

"He said he wants to make us better - as a team!" Sakura spoke up, suddenly. "He wanted the whole group to get better - that's what he said. Like the Sannin!"

"Yes. He is here not because of himself - he doesn't need C-rank missions - but because of us." He frowned. "As for the trial - anything the village might try to level against him can't go too far, since they can't risk the Kyūbi getting out, or Naruto turning away from the village. That's likely how he's never gotten into trouble for all the other things he's been doing, either." He paused. "And yet, I have never heard of him doing things against the village, besides stupid pranks. If there is one thing that is a constant - it is Naruto's love for Konoha and its people. He's not afraid to talk about that, is he? So no - I don't believe he is a traitor, based on some flimsy circumstantial observations with clones. Not for a moment."

Kakashi shook his head. "That is not for you to determine, Sasuke. You know nothing."

"Perhaps not," Sasuke agreed. "But I know enough. Don't think I'm stupid, sensei. Naruto is the Kyūbi's container, and I know what that implies." He smiled slightly, a viper approaching its prey. "It's not a coincidence that it's him, is it? That Naruto carries the beast? No, there is a connection with the one who sealed it, written in blood."

"Sasuke!" Kakashi hissed, his eye widening. "Not here."

Sasuke snorted as he shook his head. "So, I am right. That is yet another reason why any trial would be a sham. It would be an excuse to muzzle someone who the most powerful people in Konoha know they can't stop in any other way. Supposed treason would be the perfect excuse to do something like that - and I know who would be responsible for carrying out the sentence." He balled his fists, recalling that little black scroll he had been handed, those orders to betray his teammate. "You have already sent a message to Konoha, I'm sure. It's too late to stop this at the root."

Kakashi masterfully avoided reacting - but that told Sasuke all he needed to know.

"Sasuke...?" Sakura asked, eyes wide. "You were talking about a connection in blood... Are you saying-"

He nodded sharply as he turned away, certain she would connect the dots; she was clever enough. "I will do it your way, sensei. Naruto can be revived once we are back in civilized parts. Then - then I will talk to him, by myself. If I can figure all this out, then I have no doubt he has. We will see what can be done, then." He glanced warningly at Kakashi. "You will leave him be. You've done enough."

Kakashi just sighed tiredly.

Sasuke moved to Naruto's side, still puzzled over the reasons for his anger. Why don't I hate you? He frowned as he began readying his unconscious teammate for transport. What is it that you share with Itachi, which transcends all your differences?

Why do I believe you?

---

"Hn. Stupid brat. You should have seen that coming." Kurama grumbled.

"Who says that I didn't?" Naruto sighed as he opened his eyes, staring up at the huge towering gates of his seal, dominating the dank sewer-like form that his mind seemed to prefer. He took in the shadowed eyes of the Nine-Tailed Fox, looming from the darkness, and shrugged. Water lapped around his ankles, but he kept himself sitting firmly on top of it with a slight application of chakra. "Granted, the details are a bit different from what I expected, but this whole trip has been a bit of a diversion from the usual anyway."

The dimly lit nature of the seal had never really done much for him - but Naruto had to admit that with the water lapping at his skin, the silence allowed him to think far more easily than most places, and to avoid the panic that would consume him on the outside. The darkness and desolation were peaceful in their own way, he supposed. Kurama, of course, made a habit of deliberately breaking through that placidity - but never quite succeeded.

Naruto had expected Kakashi's action, if he was completely honest. Not right now, perhaps, but somewhere along the road home. Perhaps when the ANBU met up with the group, so that he could easily be transported to the Hokage without a fuss - to the inevitable trial that awaited, a sham though it might be. The uncomfortable realization had come the moment that his clones in Ame had popped - but there was no sense in crying over spilt milk.

"The rules are plenty clear, and when it comes to things like this, they are doubly so. Kakashi did what he had to do," Naruto said softly. "I can't fault him for that."

The fox sniffed. "You showed your hand, boy. How long before they find that you are cheating, playing with cards that you haven't yet drawn?"

Naruto shrugged lightly.

Kurama snarled. "Do not ignore me!"

"I'm not - I'm just thinking," Naruto said honestly, looking up between the bars. "You saw everything that happened, didn't you? The fight against Muneyoshi, the clones protecting Team 8, that peculiar meeting with Nagato?" He cocked his head to the side. "You can't read my mind, precisely, but I know you can at least get some idea of what I'm doing, since the other you told me as much. If you know what happened, then why do you berate me for it?"

"You showed your hand." Kurama snarled.

"Yes. Sasuke and Sakura know enough to establish an opinion of me, I suspect, after this whole mess. They might not know the truth that I shared with you, but they know enough about my skills and my personality to work with. Kakashi, too." He sighed. "This moment was inevitable. I was very lucky to get away with my actions in Suna, and I nearly died when Hidan caught up with me, so it's a small miracle that nobody found out about my excursions until now. I can't be resentful over the fact that they captured the Queen, when I was fully responsible for putting the chess pieces on the board in the first place."

"You have no idea what you have done, do you?" Kurama asked from the darkness. "What stupidity is it, to reveal your power and then let yourself get captured?"

"You know exactly what I did, and you must have an inkling as to why. You're not stupid," Naruto said dryly. His eyes met those of the fox with absolute resolve. "Tobi is out there, already preparing his future war, we both know that. Showing my skills to Sasuke and Sakura was something I did because of the opening that Kakashi left me - I intended to do so when it was convenient, since they of all people should have enough of an idea. Sensei gave me a good excuse to show what I was capable of, at least in part, and that's key. I will need those two. I've already tried this alone - and the result was bad." He shivered. "Sometimes it feels like they are the only thing keeping me sane, you know."

"You're not sane, boy."

Naruto sighed, ignoring the jibe. "The other opportunity that presented itself was completely unplanned as well, but I could not skip it. To prevent what I knew will happen normally, I had to send a message to Nagato - one way or another. The destruction of Konoha by Pain was a key event that I intend to prevent. If Konoha can remain powerful enough to withstand Akatsuki, then we have a chance - especially if we gather the Jinchūriki." He frowned. "There is only one way in which I could make sure that Nagato got the message - and I suspect he got a little more than that. It will be interesting to see what results. But I won't regret it, since it felt right, and it has been a long time since I listened to my gut instincts."

"And now you are captured, and you will not see your plan come to fruition. You will rot in a cell, a tool at the whim of Konoha's underbelly," Kurama said, sniffing. "Pathetic."

Naruto scoffed. "The old man might keep me inside city limits, but he knows that he can't afford to toss me out of the shinobi force, especially with Akatsuki active in the world - and I have a few other aces up my sleeve. Even if he knows that I crossed a border illegally, he'll just have to trust me on my motives, and the fact that I brought Kurenai back. I suppose sacrificing the close connection I had with the Third is another nasty effect of my attitude that I hadn't fully considered - and something I should seek to fix." He sighed. "Still, Nagato died by his own hand last time around, after expending his energy in a drawn-out battle against the two of us. I will not allow that to happen this time, not if I can help it. He was the first to control the Rinnegan to its potential since the Sage of the Six Paths, that means something."

Kurama narrowed his eyes. "The transplants you mentioned, I assume."

"Yes. Nagato is also the person whose path I've walked, without realizing it at the time." He looked away, grimacing. "I have told you of the future, of the long false peace and the onset of the fifth war, one that would certainly destroy what remained of the shinobi villages. It was shortly after the end of the Fourth War, that things started going wrong, though I suspect the seeds were sown during that conflict. I stepped into Nagato's shoes in response, and I am unsure if I have pried them off, even now."

"What did you do?" Kurama asked. "Speak."

Naruto sighed as he took in the surprisingly inquisitive gaze of the Bijū, and smiled. "Not all of it was bad, not at first. I helped Gaara rebuild his village - not much was left of Suna, but the civilians had already evacuated so it was not so different from Konoha after Nagato's assault. I spent time as a personal assistant to the Hokage, Kakashi, while I was recovering from the war." He hesitated. "That was when things went from bad to worse, really. I got more distant from everyone due to what happened in the war, all the people who I failed to save, and it wasn't until recently that I saw just how much it affected me. At that time, Kumo started rearming against its neighbours, with Kiri and Iwa following quickly - even my friendship with Bee was tainted by the animosity." He sighed, staring down at his reflection. "I got angry at him, then - and it was years before we saw each other once again. On the battlefield."

He stood up, pacing in front of the cage. "I felt betrayed - what we worked for in the war, all those deaths, they were squandered over border disputes and trade embargos and supposed 'accidents', and the alliance fell apart, piece by piece. I got angry, even thinking about it hurt - and that led me to do the kinds of missions I wouldn't have considered. Spying at first; innocent enough, I figured. With your assistance, hiding my chakra was easy, and I had plenty of experience in sneaking around from my youth. It made me feel like I was doing something. Assassinations followed quickly, by my own request."

Kurama blinked. "Your request?"

"Yes - I demanded to be put on the front line of the budding war, so that I could stifle it in the bud. Of course, the war was mostly fought in minor skirmishes and assassinations at that time, since most countries had army-killers in their employ after the war ended. Kakashi-sensei was not happy with my decision to become a glorified Hunter-nin, I could tell, but that choice was mine to make. So, I learned to kill - it was not hard, since there was little left in me to protest." He sighed. "I had killed my heart already, years before, I just didn't realize it - or didn't comprehend that it had happened, perhaps."

"The Uchiha." It was not a question, a simple statement.

Naruto nodded miserably, closing his eyes. "Sasuke was the turning point - I realized that afterwards, and it's become ever clearer. He was the lynchpin around which my whole personality turned at that time. I was obsessed with retrieving him, and made him into a symbol for my ideals, the core of what I was." He grimaced. "And then I killed him - and I died, too. Or at least, that part which was invested into the retrieval. Sakura seemed worse off than me - but I think everyone underestimated my pain. Even I did."

He was silent for a time, staring up at the dark ceiling. "You told me once that I returned here, to this time, out of cowardice. I disagreed with you then - but I think you were right after all. Cowardice was at the core of it, and that is not something that my younger self would have been able to stomach. It shows me how much I've diverted from what I was." He rubbed a hand across his belly. "And yet - my motives make me queasy now, just thinking about them. They never did, before." He frowned. "But - I can't really force myself to think on the reason for it. I suppose I'm still a coward, then."

The fox leaned forward, its eyes gleaming. "I told you that there was always a price," he said slowly. "You are a force for order - there must always be a force for chaos in response. That is how things work. It would be easy, wouldn't it, if you were the emotionless machine that you made yourself, the assassin that killed his heart? That being which saw opportunity and took it, fleeing from responsibility when he could, and abandoned his world without a second thought."

"Hey -"

Kurama's eyes flared as he reached forward into the light, staring down at the speck that was his host. "There is a price for your hubris, as there is for all things you change, now that you are here. You decided to alter your life's path, to deviate from your former existence, knowing that it would lead you through a gauntlet of pain. You will suffer for your choice, just as you suffered to become what you were, before. Some part of you will have to bear it - or you will find yourself with a sword at your gut, one of these days. And I will not let you die."

"It's guilt, isn't it," Naruto concluded weakly. "Sadness, loss, fear. It's all returning, isn't it? Everything I've done - everything I've thought... my younger self would be revolted. That's why..." He shuddered. "I didn't just step back in time - I stepped back into my old life."

"You were foolish to believe that the way was easy. The connections you made do not vanish, simply because you choose to ignore them - they last," Kurama agreed. "You were forcing yourself to go through the motions, when you arrived, and it deepened your wounds. You thought of your precious team as a tool - and little else. You moved with purpose, according to a plan of your own devising, but did not realize for a long time that your way was even worse than what you did the last time."

"Worse?"

Kurama snorted. "Had you continued with your feigned life, you would have undoubtedly sparked a war, or tipped off your foe. The result - destruction, death, the demise of all you know." Kurama smirked. "Yet you still found yourself connecting with certain people, seeking them out even as you rationalized away your reasons - and that saved you from the darkest path. Perhaps you feared what has happened to your psyche, and you were waiting, stalling for the inevitable moment of realization. Desiring the destruction of yourself."

There was a long, drawn-out silence.

"I'm not alone in here," Naruto whispered. "Am I?"

The change was subtle, but Naruto felt something change, and Kurama smiled toothily, drawing back into the shadows. His eyes glittered with interest, but no malice.

"Of course you're not alone," spoke a voice. His own voice.

A short figure stood beside him, dressed in an orange-and-blue vest and bright orange pants, a pair of goggles perched on his bright blond hair. The two of them could have been twins - and probably were. The new figure's bright blue eyes met Naruto's with a warmth that startled him.

"You-" he exclaimed. "You are-"

The figure smiled - an innocent, happy smile. One that he could only imagine mimicking when he was utterly free. "Naruto - yes. And I'm no revolted, really - I'm the type that barely notices he's drinking milk that's gone bad, though, so I might not be the best judge." He paused. "Um, have you looked in the mirror, lately? I think you should. It might answer a few of the questions you have."

Naruto blinked. "A mirror? Why?"

The orange-clad version of himself shrugged, and his eyes seemed suddenly old. "It is a good means of reflection, don't you agree? Water will do, I think."

Naruto started, then very slowly moved his gaze downwards, suddenly terrified of what he might find when he looked at his reflection. He paused, catching his copy's eyes again as he got cold feet - and he was startled by their total lack of judgment. I never look like that!

"Go on."

Naruto's gaze met the suddenly perfectly still water, and his reflection wavered into existence, meeting his gaze with a slightly nervous expression, tinged with a hint of irrational fear.

Which very quickly turned to real fear.

The sclera of his eyes were a deep black.

---

"My designation is Shin, Jiraiya-sama. That can be considered - my name."

The Toad Sage grunted in recognition as he gestured him aside, pacing through the sparsely-decorated office that formerly belonged to Danzō, though that man was presently with the Hokage. "Right. Take a seat, will you." He paced slowly, his eyes gliding past the tall cases full of scrolls that flanked the desk before focusing on the two young boys who still stood before him. "You know why I called for you, I assume?"

Shin nodded, slowly. "You wish to interrogate us."

Jiraiya started. "No- that's not exactly..." He sighed. "I suppose that's as accurate as anything. Though I don't think that questions by the new leader of your - organization - count as interrogation, really. I would assume it was common enough with your former superior."

"All questioning of Root agents is classified as interrogation," Shin volunteered immediately. "Except when it is done by Danzō-sama, of course. That is how Root has operated since long before I became a member, and I doubt that the others will wish to change this matter. It would be - unnatural."

Jiraiya nodded slowly, grimacing slightly as he met the two placid faces across from him - their emotions were well-hidden. "It's interesting that you can say this much, really, since I was under the impression that the seal on your tongue limits your options regarding the relaying of secrets." He narrowed his eyes. "You cannot by chance tell me how it works? What it's supposed to do?"

Shin remained silent.

"That is not a surprise. It's keyed to Danzō alone - and I can't remove the damn things, not yet." He frowned as he considered that information. "Still - seals like these have limits - you can't get around that fact." He glanced up speculatively. "I take it that you cannot answer sensitive questions - but that in itself tells quite a bit about the answer. After all, if the seal reacts, it implies that I am approaching the truth."

Shin nodded slightly, glancing to his side. The second boy was a teen with a pallid complexion and dark hair - Shin's sort-of-brother, Sai.

"Very well, then." Jiraiya said, clearing his throat. "I've read the relevant Root reports that were declassified, and a few that weren't. I know that you two were engaged in various training exercises, and that you were personally involved in some of Danzō's affairs - more so than most. Can either of you explain the recent alterations in Danzō's behaviour?"

Silence.

"Again, unsurprising," Jiraiya murmured. "Whatever is responsible would almost definitely be considered a secret. Yet - I can speculate, since the timing is rather curious. Tell me, does it have anything to do with a Genin of this village? A certain Uzumaki Naruto?"

Jiraiya saw the slightest expression of surprise flit across Shin's face before it vanished back under the placid expression - and he remained silent. He was right on the money, then.

"So, Naruto is involved," Jiraiya said tiredly. "Did he ever have contact with Danzō?"

"No."

Jiraiya blinked, then nodded. "It's interesting how you could answer that... but that raises further questions. If they never met, then how is Naruto involved in recent events?" He frowned. "What do you know of current Root activities surrounding Naruto?"

"He is under surveillance while in the village, after his recent introduction of the Suna host to Konoha," Shin said.

"I knew that much - the Hokage has assigned ANBU operatives to the task." Jiraiya frowned. "If it is not Naruto's person that's involved, then maybe his actions? Did he do something that led Danzō to his present course?"

Silence.

"He did, didn't he?" Jiraiya muttered. "Is Root itself involved with Naruto in any way? Did Root operatives train him, or otherwise involve themselves in his development as a shinobi?"

Silence.

"Well..." Jiraiya sighed, shaking his head. "I figured this is how it would go. Danzō's got you muzzled like dogs. Even if you knew the answer - and I'm not sure that you do - you would be incapable of telling me without dying."

He paced across the room, his hands gliding across the scrolls before he found the one he was after. He opened it, revealing a drawing of a simple seal, headed by the title 'Jashin'. He put the scroll in front of Shin. "This was found in Konoha hospital - and it is listed among lost Root assets in declassified files."

"Yes," Shin said quickly. "That scroll was found missing from a small repository near the north wall - a Root operative discovered it after - a mission." He frowned. "The scroll was apparently being smuggled out of the city, but the culprit was never caught."

"Stealing scrolls," Jiraiya murmured. "Any chakra trace?"

"Some - the individual who stole it likely had a proclivity for fire jutsu, it seems - that is all that is currently known."

"Fire. Well, at least it isn't wind..." Jiraiya grimaced. "Assuming that Root acquired the scroll after the theft, how did it make its way into the hospital?"

Shin shrugged. "I don't know, sir. It was reported missing shortly after its retrieval - likely it was taken on the same day. This is only very shortly before the events in which it was put to use. Whoever it was, clearly knew that it would be used in short order - most likely an accomplice of the attacker at the hospital."

"Which implies that Akatsuki has infiltrated Root. I will need immediate access to anything that involves them - and I'll have to see how someone managed it, so that I can stop that gap in security. Though - I suspect that the gap is by design, rather than accident."

"Yes, sir. Though it will take a little time to gather such materials."

Jiraiya rose, his expression stormy. "So that is the answer. Akatsuki. They are the ones who have been pressuring Shimura Danzō to give up his position, using an attack on Naruto - they must have planned for my takeover of his role. They got to Danzō - and perhaps they are controlling him, in the same way as they controlled the medic Ryosuke. It goes all the way to the top." He paled, then. "And Danzō is with the Hokage - right now. You two - don't move."

Jiraiya turned and left, leaving the scroll before Shin, forgotten.

There was a long silence as the two Root agents remained.

Sai spoke up. "...He is impatient. He is not at all like Danzō-sama."

"We will adapt, nevertheless," Shin replied easily, reaching for the scroll. "Jiraiya-san is more than capable, after all. Even Danzō-sama acknowledged as much, and he does not compliment people easily." He gazed speculatively at the scroll, then at Sai. "I believe that it is time to purge Ryosuke-san from the records. If the connection between him and Root is made, it would expose several more deep-cover spies, which we cannot afford right now. Not while Danzō-sama has not released them from service."

Sai nodded. "You will control the flow of information to Jiraiya-sama until such a time as he is ready to take over all responsibilities. That seems prudent."

"I do as commanded," Shin said with a slight grimace. "You should erase any evidence of illicit research in the hospital - that location is now too exposed, despite its usefulness. Root was never there." Shin nodded to himself. "Hide Danzō -sama's files on Uzumaki-san as well, and recent observations regarding Uchiha-san. Exposure of observations could well destabilize matters, if Jiraiya-sama is as impulsive as he seems."

Sai frowned slightly. "What about-"

"I will send someone to make her disappear," Shin said quickly, and his gaze darkened. "Theft of Root property must be punished - even if her actions saved a person of interest. That scroll should never have been connected to the matter at all." He frowned. "Consider her dead. Go."

"Yes, brother." Sai smiled, if only slightly, as he vanished.

Shin sat down with a slight smile, staring at the scroll. "Well, well - so you are in the village. Interesting."

He never observed the tiny creature in the bookcase, or the whiff of smoke that silently released itself from in between the scrolls.

---

Naruto crawled away on all fours, but his reflection followed him, of course - he stopped a little distance away, staring. "What... what the hell? Those aren't my eyes! What the hell did you do, Kurama?!"

The fox let out a soft chuckle, which rumbled through the cavernous room eerily. His slit eyes watched on with clear amusement. "I told you there would be a price, boy," he said slowly. "The true core of your self is bare to the world, at least in here."

"It's alright," the other Naruto said apologetically, glaring briefly at the fox. "I didn't mean to scare you - but I figured that you had to know, since you were talking like you didn't realize..."

Naruto stood back up, staring at himself in the water, and then back at the bright-eyed version of him that still stood where he had appeared, hands in his pockets. "I don't - I don't understand."

The other shrugged, gesturing to his side as he sat down - a bench seemed to bend itself into being below him - stone arched upwards to meet his movement. Naruto carefully walked back, glancing nervously at his black eyes. He looked like an Edo Tensei zombie - or more aptly, his own darker half from the Waterfall of Truth. Which made a terrifying amount of sense, now that he thought about it.

"Sit."

Naruto obediently sat down on the stone bench, and found it comfortably warm and soft - almost as if it wasn't stone at all. He glanced aside nervously, and studied that other face.

"I'm you," the other Naruto said. "Obviously - nobody else would bother to look like this." He chuckled slightly, then blinked. "Well - sort of. I don't really know if there's been a situation like this, really."

"Sort of...?" Naruto shook his head, trying to focus. "I don't remember making a Shadow Clone."

"That's cause I'm not a clone, and you are aware of that, I think. I'm you; I have your - our memories, but not quite all of them, so I suppose I'm not the same anymore..." The other frowned, narrowing his eyes exaggeratedly. "It's all kind of messy - you, or I, had a lot of stuff in there that was just gross, so I threw it out. But - I got the important bits, I think."

Who are you?

"But, I'm kind of getting ahead of myself. You've been here before, right? This situation - for a different reason though. It was in Kumo, on the island that was a giant turtle, or something like that." The other pondered for a moment, frowning. "Yes - I was there with the Eight-Tails. To beat the big bastard, here." He gestured aside, rolling his eyes.

There was a growl, but thankfully Kurama kept out of it.

"The waterfall," Naruto observed carefully. "That's where I met my darker half - the hatred inside me. But - I... I beat it - I accepted it." He looked down at his reflection, and swallowed. "You're telling me that I'm not really... me, right? I'm - what the hell am I, then? A memory?" He grasped at his chest, suddenly constricted by his vest, by his skin. "That's not possible!"

The other laughed lightly, and grabbed his arm in a vice-like grip. "Come on, don't be a dumbass like I can be. You're me, and I'm you, and that's all there is to it. That's how it worked that other time too, right? It's not like you killed him."

Naruto stared.

"Come - if you weren't all worked up all of a sudden, you probably would have figured this out already." The other him smiled warmly. "I mean - it took me a few days to get over it, so I suppose I can kind of get how you're shocked, but honestly, you're old. Don't you get elderly wisdom with the years or something? Or doesn't that kick in until you go gray?"

"You-" Naruto paused. "Wait..."

"Finally caught on, then." The other nodded. "You didn't read the fine print before going back, I suppose. Not a surprise - I was never too good at reading either. I mean, look at me, taking forever to pass the exams. I sort of failed like five times in total now, with all these memories, so that's kind of embarrassing..."

"You know... You remind me a little of mom," Naruto said wonderingly, then he blinked. "Wait, I remind me of mom? That's... actually kind of awesome."

"Heh, I guess that's a nice compliment to get," the other him said, rubbing the back of his head. "You're kind of a jutsu-flinging badass, so I guess that is more like dad, then! That fits, right?" He grinned widely. "I guess we're a little of both. I think I can feel them in here, sometimes - their chakra's still in the seal, after all. It feels like they're just beyond hearing distance, too."

"Yeah - I've been working on that, actually..." Naruto said, narrowing his eyes. "I really should complete that little project."

"You'll figure it out," the other said confidently. "If I can't trust you - well, I take it that you know who I am by now."

Naruto looked at him, and nodded slowly. "Me - the other me. The one that I was supposed to be, but aren't."

The other shrugged. "Close. You remember how you woke up in bed, sheets all tangled up, right after you finished that technique of the Sage's, the fancy seal array?" The other him winked. "I'm the guy that went to sleep the night before."

Naruto stared, horrified. "Wait - then I took over your body! Crap. I didn't know that there would be anyone I was evicting! I wouldn't have-"

"Can you even take over your own body?" the other Naruto interrupted, ignoring Naruto's protest. "I mean, we're us, right? You're like, me with a lot of other stuff on top, but still me at the centre, right?" He frowned. "I was mad at you for a couple days - especially when you went killing people with my body, but..."

"Oh, shit -"

The other Naruto just looked impatient, now. "Yeah, yeah - I know what shinobi do, I shouldn't have been that horrified in retrospect - don't embarrass us, please. Anyway, you know how I can see our memories, right? Since we're the same person and everything. When that happened with Mizuki-sensei, I decided to find out what was going on, and what happened, so I sort of understand, now. I guess. It's sort of complicated."

"I didn't intend this," Naruto said strongly.

"I know - actually, I think I sort of reached you, out there, when you were doubting yourself. I mean, you couldn't see me when you came here to speak with the fox, but you were starting to act differently, I could tell. Less like the killer badass that I can apparently become, and more like -"

"You," Naruto finished, his mouth suddenly dry. "When I decided to change the way I did things, after Ryosuke..."

The other nodded. "I got stronger again, then - and I could talk to the big beast, here. And then when you healed Shino, you got close enough for me to become visible to you again." He gestured to himself. "We went from being really different to having something in common, and most of that was from your end, so I suppose I should thank you." He smiled broadly. "I guess being back here in this time really got you thinking again, huh? Now that you're... not a complete stranger anymore, you can acknowledge me."

Naruto looked down at his reflection's dark eyes, and blinked. "I never thought it would be like this - I thought that I would just replace, override what was already there, in the past. I mean, I never tested it with people before I went through, but Nin-Animals worked just fine..."

"That probably would have been what happened - if we were similar at all. If I have it right, everything you sent back was over short periods, so how much could they honestly have changed in that time?" The other stuck out his tongue. "You were kind of a mess when you arrived, though, after all the crap that happened - way too different mentally, and way too strong-willed to let me any leeway. All spines and pointy bits, no mushy centre."

Naruto grumbled something under his breath, then sighed. "So, without even knowing it, I locked you in here? I locked you up with the fox, in my seal?"

"Ah - not really." The other gestured to the cage. "He's stuck there, until you unlock the door again. I'm free, and can get around and look outside - it's just that you're not quite me enough to be me, if you're following me." He rubbed the back of his head again. "Now I'm confusing myself..."

"Can I even - be like that again?" Naruto wondered. "Be like you were? Considering all that happened in between now and then..."

"But it didn't happen," the other said with emphasis. "That's how this time thing works, right? Those events never happened - so what you have to do is prevent them, and you can put the guilt behind you, and work on fixing yourself. Do what you feel is right - like you did the last time - and make sure that you don't repeat your mistakes. Save the village, save Sasuke, beat the bad guys. That's what I would do - so that's how you get back to where you want to be. Then we'll be the same. That way, the you that lost his way - won't be anymore. He won't have to be."

"I'll die, then?" Naruto shivered.

"If by die - you mean live," the other replied dubiously. "You're making this more complicated than it needs to be, really. You're already different from yesterday - did that you die? Let's face it, the version of you that arrived here would have probably taken Kakashi-sensei's arm off for what he just did."

Naruto couldn't suppress a shiver as he considered the darkened eyes in his reflection, the realization that he was the darker half of his own being, let loose upon the world. He couldn't remember ever looking at his reflection in here - how long had it been like this? "Then - will you stay? Help me?"

"Of course I will," the other said, rolling his eyes. "What, do you think I have someone else to be?"

"...I really am confusing myself, aren't I?"

"You're telling me?"

"I thought I got enough of this with my smart-ass clones, damn it..."

---

"Danzō?"

"Hiruzen." The bandaged man turned slightly, meeting the old man's gaze. He brushed a hand across his bandaged eye - it ached slightly even under the cover of darkness, a remnant of the technique used to implant it. "Have you come to sentence me, at last?"

The Third looked old, older than even the day before. Danzō acknowledged his own infirmities, though he had prepared himself for such eventualities. Still - he knew that even now, a battle between them could only end one way. It had never been quite a fair fight, after all.

"Danzō, do you think so lowly of me?" Hiruzen stepped forward, remaining in the shadows, even as Danzō gazed out over the village, the sun high in the sky, illuminating his scarred face. "You were stripped of your rank and your role in the village already - that is punishment enough for disobedience, I believe."

"It is not." Danzō looked to the Hokage, narrowing his eye. "Do you remember, Hiruzen, when we shared duties in the first war, when Nidaime-sama decided to elect you as the next Hokage? When you were chosen for that honour? If you had betrayed the trust that was put in you, what should have been your punishment? What should I have done? Be impartial - treason begets only one punishment."

The Third frowned momentarily, a hard glint in his eyes. "Do you wish to die, then?"

"What I wish is not important. It is not my life that I am worried about," Danzō replied morosely, and he paused for a moment. "You are aware that my father and grandfather died in battle as ninja, protecting the interests of this village to their dying breath. Self-sacrifice like that is a ninja's duty, and I share their commitment. If I should die, then I intend to do so for Konoha."

"Words."

Danzo shook his head slowly. "Words, actions, intentions - does it matter? You have grown weak, Hiruzen. You remain a shinobi of great power, of that I am certain, but there were days when you would have done what was necessary. When you would have acted decisively."

Hiruzen sat down in his chair, steepling his hands. "You have abandoned your Root - you have cut yourself off from them, and delivered to me the fruits of your labour. Yet - it was not I that wielded the shears that cut the stem."

Danzo nodded. "You have known of what I did for many years - and yet you never acted. It was a symptom, was it not?"

The Third leaned back in his chair, gazing from under his hat at his old ally. "You know why you were allowed to do what you did, all this time, under my very nose. You were always the one who could do what was necessary, after all, the one who would tread where even demons fear."

"I am well aware."

"I could never reach Tobirama-sensei's example in some ways - if not in power, then in personality. I was never capable of being as impartial as he, as harsh - especially as I gained a family of my own. That is why I allowed you free reign to govern that which I could not." He frowned. "But now, that time is over."

"It is done," Danzō agreed. "You let your emotion guide you - and that is necessary, sometimes. I acknowledge that it is a powerful catalyst, one that has made you arguably our strongest Hokage. Still, it is a double-edged blade. It can lead one to indecision both through love and through hate - or it can bring you to make poor choices. Those lead to conflict, and to war. Neither of us desires another war - and if one comes to our doorstep, then Konoha should end it, quickly. You were always unwilling to face these matters. Unwilling to make choices."

"So you made it for me." Hiruzen narrowed his eyes, sitting up straighter. "But for what purpose? You removed yourself from your position, you made it impossible to reclaim the relative anonymity that you enjoyed. Too many have already heard of your transgressions and the existence of Root, so that I cannot truly cover it up. Now - you are merely an advisor, at best."

"It is all I need," Danzo said carefully. "After all - it is advisors with much experience in warfare and espionage that you will need in the future. Such people will be highly prized in the coming years."

The Third sighed. "You suspect that a war is coming, then? Tensions have been higher than normal - but I would not go that far."

Danzō snorted derisively. "I have always looked further ahead than you, Hiruzen. You are content to believe that the status quo will be maintained, that the world will remain as you will it. For more than a decade, this has been the case - in part due to my diligence - and Konoha has prospered. But I can see the storm clouds, now, even as the sky is clear. I can smell it in the air, long before it crosses the horizon. There will be another war - worse than any we have seen."

"And you have removed yourself from your position of power," Hiruzen said. "Why? To prove that you are genuine in relaying these supposed portents of doom? To grant control of Root back to me, forcing me to face the existence of those shinobi?"

"No." Danzō smiled thinly. "It is a test. One that you are failing."

"A test? Do not think me one of your subordinates, which you can so easily manipulate." Hiruzen stepped forward, removing his hat and placing it beside him on the table. "What do you hope to test by attracting my attention like this, by forcing my hand? We had an arrangement, one that should have satisfied your curiosity - yet now there is this."

"Yours is a test of your will," Danzō said simply. "To see how far you will go, for Konoha, even if you might have turned soft. You know me well enough that I would not speak of war, if I did not have good reasons to believe that one is coming. You were wilfully unaware of my activities for all these years - and we only discussed matters when they became immediately relevant. This is no different in that respect. You were against my approach when the Uchiha problem raised its ugly head, if you recall. You offered no alternative, though, and in the end I was the one that had to make the decision. That told me enough about how you would rule, should you be faced with another war. You are not as you used to be, Hiruzen."

The Third looked away, and was silent for a long time. "I wonder if Minato would have had the answer, back then. I could not see one, and time ran out before I did." He shook his head tiredly. "Perhaps."

"Regardless, I made the choice that needed to be made. Would it have been a better choice, if it had been made by that man?"

Hiruzen's eyes snapped up, blazing. "You made someone murder his own family, Danzō. A son had to kill his own mother. Even in my darkest days I would never have ordered that boy to do such a thing. It was monstrous!"

"Uchiha Itachi knew what had to be done," Danzō said coldly. "More than you did - or than you do, even now. Itachi understood me better than you do, as well." He stared unflinchingly into Hiruzen's eyes as he stepped towards him, his walking stick tapping on the hardwood floor. "The boy did what was required of him to serve the village, and he did it willingly. Uchiha Itachi would have made a fine Hokage."

The Third shook his head resolutely. "You had his emotions locked away by force, his family destroyed by his own hand. You destroyed him, Danzō. You destroyed a boy that showed such promise, because it was the easy way out."

"I could not have known what lay under the surface, what wounds he already carried. Yet, the decision had to be made - so I made it, and prevented a civil war that would have slain far more. That you do not understand that mentality is to your credit - it means that you can rule with compassion, that you can the one who people look up to." He shrugged. "But your lack of understanding also underscores the necessity of my presence - and you realize this as well, I am certain."

"I don't understand what it is you seek - if you know that danger is coming, then what do you intend to do?" He clasped his hands together leaning forward into the light. "What is it that you want?"

"That is simple," Danzō spoke, and a faint smile curled around the corners of his mouth. "And you already know what it is. You have seen it as I have, I am certain - doubtlessly it has worried you, even as it has delighted me, to have one such as him, again. You asked me to test the members of that team, after all - you cannot blame me for acting on what I found."

"Kakashi's team," Hiruzen said, frowning. "You ensured me of the Uchiha's loyalty."

"Oh, he displays none of his brother's - less convenient traits. Though - I question whether or not it is Konoha that he has sold his loyalty to." Danzo raised an eyebrow. "Uchiha Sasuke is irrelevant for the moment, though. He is important in some respects, but if he were to abandon the village to hunt his brother, I would have him hunted down as easily as any other. The Haruno girl is of even less relevance - she is uncomplicated, straightforward."

"Naruto." Hiruzen leaned forward, his eyes blazing. "What did you do?"

"Yes - the Jinchūriki. The Fourth's legacy." Danzo smirked. "You know that some things are inevitable - but you have avoided facing the decisions that lay ahead regarding his person. He is quickly developing into that which you never had the stomach for."

"I will not let you take Naruto," said Hiruzen sharply. "I will not let you turn him into another Itachi - another tool to be discarded after its use is over." He stood, and age seemed to fall away from him even as he did. "Not him - never him."

Danzo smiled. "Confidence - good. Jiraiya-san is capable of taking over the most relevant parts of my former occupation, especially where it comes to war. He has the experience, even if he has less - desirable traits." He shrugged. "Without such - formal obligations, certain freedoms are open to me."

"What have you done, Danzō?" Hiruzen demanded, an edge of danger in his voice.

"Done? Nothing - not yet. Observed, spied, inspected; Root is far more capable than some would believe, and some Genin have an inflated sense of their own ability, even if the gap between myth and reality is quickly closing." He turned slightly, still smiling. "I have always seen further than you, Hiruzen. I am well aware of who will be the lynchpin of the next war, as you were in the second, and Minato was in the third. Even as you spend your time deliberating over how to handle a prodigy who has eluded your sight for so long, I make preparations."

"You know?" Hiruzen asked, then, his eyes widening. "You know how Naruto became -"

"I know enough." Danzō stepped back to the balcony. "Uzumaki Naruto is to stand trial, for treason. You will soon receive the same message, I suspect."

"Treason? Naruto?" Hiruzen said sharply. "No."

Danzō shrugged lightly. "I wonder if the court will be amenable to handing over such a peculiar Genin to a highly decorated Jōnin with an extensive history in dealing with the most dangerous of Konoha shinobi? Especially one that is no longer constantly occupied by the seedier side of village politics?" He bowed mockingly. "I wish you well, Hiruzen."

He was gone.

Hiruzen raised his hand sharply, and a masked shinobi appeared beside him. "Get me Jiraiya - and send a summons for Shikaku-san."

"Immediately, sir."

The Third smiled thinly as he stepped out into the light. He reached into his robe, and retrieved a small scroll and unrolled it - it had been delivered earlier that day by a Nin-dog meant specifically for him - it was signed by Kakashi.

"So, the inevitable happens. Minato - I hope you're watching."

---

Author's Note: Team 7 returns to Konoha as a conflict breaks out over the team's, and in particularNaruto's future - Jiraiya, the Third and Danzō each have their own intentions, and with a sham trial waiting in the wings, things might get heated. Meanwhile, Naruto's dealing with his inner demons - both literal and figurative - as he considers his options. Even as he awaits judgment, there are people rallying to his cause; some out of honour, some out of gratitude, some out of a misplaced sense of obligation - and some uncertain of the reason why.

Above it all, the Mangekyo Sharingan looks out over the village once more.