Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. It is owned by Masashi Kishimoto (hope the spelling is correct and I don't know his last name)

Answers to Reviews:

animelove22: Thanks. And sorry about that, I will correct it from here on

davycrockett100: Thanks

Wolvmbm: Thanks. As for what happens to ROOT, it will be explored soon

Sunrisehime: Thanks. Of course, it is not harem

god of all: Thanks

mashiro chi1: Sorry about that. Yeah, that's what I meant

PhazonLordKaito: Thanks

Jasmine: I will look into it.

SASUKE HATER: If that is the case, this is not the place for you. I am sorry

Black flame of Destruction: Please forgive my Japanese. I am not even Japanese, but trying my best to correctly use it. Please bear with me till then.

Fhane: I am sorry. But, I use the English dub and English sub for my base. And, in both, it is named as Flying Raijin, so, please bear with it. Oh, and the hokage guard platoon's technique name is Flying Raijin Formation.

Jasmine: I will think about it. Itachi will be back and the third will live. What's the use of coming back to the past if you don't change anything? So, stuff will change

"Blah" – Normal speech

'Blah' – Thoughts

"Blah"- Kurama and other tailed beasts talking

'Blah' – Kurama and other tailed beasts' thoughts

Shadow Clone Jutsu- Jutsus

Okay guys, without further delay, here is the story

FLASHBACK:

All the while he was thinking about the fight, he failed to notice Kakashi charging up his Lightening Cutter or Tenzo making hand-seal for his wood release. Danzo was taken by surprise when a tendrils of wood latched on to him, binding him to the place. But, before he could recover, a lightening chakra infused jab, ran through his heart, killing him immediately. Danzo, died there that night, at the hands of four exceptionally skilled shinobis of the leaf.

After the four jonins disposed of his body, they left to inform the hokage that their mission was a success. The next day, news of the assassination of the leaders of the Uchiha clan spread like wild fire and Itachi Uchiha was officially labelled as an S-rank missing ninja.

Hokage's Office (The Next Day):

Sarutobi Hiruzen was waiting. It was rare for someone like him to wait for others, especially for children. The said boys were instrumental in plotting Danzo's death, yet they were irresponsible. Naruto and Shikamaru were summoned almost an hour ago, yet, they had not arrived. This frustrated the third hokage to no ends.

Finally, after waiting for an hour and a half, the two boys arrived as if nothing had happened. Seeing them so laid back, the third hokage's temper shot up and he started leaking a small amount of killer intent at the two time-travellers hoping to intimidate them. The two boys, even after sensing the killer intent acted as if nothing had happened and sat on the chairs in front of the hokage's table.

The hokage, realizing that his intimidation tactic against the boys had failed, sent the ANBU's in the room out and sealed the room. He then said, "The coup has been foiled. Itachi has started on his long term mission. Danzo is dead".

Both, Shikamaru and Naruto, nodded and sighed in relief. They didn't doubt that whether their plan would succeed or not. Instead, it was the anticipation that had got the two boys riled up.

The third hokage asked, "What next, Shikamaru? Naruto?"

Shikamaru, after thinking for a while, answered, "Nothing of importance happened from here on. The next major thing was the Chunnin exams, which is about three and a half years away. Anything from you, Naruto?"

Naruto thought for a while and said, "Well, there's Mizuki's betrayal and Wave mission. I can handle both of them".

Shikamaru then turned towards the hokage and said, "How is the memory seal search coming, lord third?"

The hokage answered, "We will surely find it in a month".

Shikamaru then asked, "What about ROOT? There are many capable shinobi's there".

The third hokage answered, "They will be put to rehabilitation and after about three years, will be inducted to normal shinobi service".

Shikamaru nodded and said, "Then, all that is left is academy".

Naruto, visibly slumped at this. The third hokage chuckled at Naruto's antics.

Shikamaru, noticing the mood of Naruto, said, "Relax Naruto. This time, you will have friends by your side".

Naruto looked towards Shikamaru and nodded. He then said, "Thanks Shikamaru. That means a lot to me".

Shikamaru nodded, then turned towards the hokage and said, "Is there anything else to discuss, lord third?"

The third hokage replied, "No that is all. You may go now".

The two boys got up, nodded at the hokage and left the office as soon as he undid the seals. As soon as the boys left, the god of shinobi took out an orange coloured book from the drawer in his desk and started giggling perversely as he read it.

With Naruto and Shikamaru:

Both the boys had just exited the hokage's office. Danzo was finally dead and he wouldn't be able to mess up anything ever again. Sai would not lose his emotions this time and Sasuke wouldn't be hell bent on killing Danzo. Suddenly, both boys' thoughts raced at one person, Sasuke. They looked at each other, nodded and went to look for Sasuke together.

It took them over an hour to find him. They had looked for him everywhere, even dragging Chouji along with them on the way, until it hit them that they hadn't looked for him at one place, the pier where they had first met. They finally did find him at the place, sitting on the edge of the pier with a very depressed look and a couple of tear drops falling from his eyes.

The three boys walked towards him, when he noticed them and turned around rubbing the tears off his face. He tried his best to contain his emotions and put up a scowl on his face and finally said, "Go away. I don't want to talk to anyone".

Naruto replied, "No, Sasuke. Right now, you need someone to talk to and we are your friends. Talk to us, put it all out".

Sasuke, maintaining his scowl, said angrily, "How could you know anything about what I have experienced. You never had anyone from the start".

A pang of sadness tore through the blonde boy's heart as soon as Sasuke said that. Shikamaru clenched his hand into a fist and a visible look of anger came upon his face. Chouji flinched at what Sasuke had said. Shikamaru walked forward towards the Uchiha and was about to hit him when Naruto placed his hand on his shoulder and stopped him.

Naruto then said, "You are right Sasuke, I didn't have anyone from the start but I know that as long as my parents were with me, they had showered so much love on me that it would fill my life twice over. It is also because I had no one that I can understand how important bonds are. So, trust me when I say that you need to let all of your emotions out. Come with me, let us talk somewhere else".

With that, he led the three other boys towards the village.

The Hokage Monument (On top of the Fourth's head):

The Uchiha and the Akimichi stood gaping in awe at the scenery that was in front of them as the two time travellers sat there, also soaking in the scenery. The view of the whole village, from the Hokage Monument to the horizon, beyond the gates of Konoha, was visible from the place.

Chouji was the first one to break the silence, he exclaimed, "Wow! Amazing!"

Sasuke just nodded in affirmation of the exclamation.

Shikamaru just smiled at the two boys' awe. He himself had to admit that it was an awe inspiring view. He used to sleep on the head of the hokage's or watch clouds from there in the previous timeline. He also knew that Naruto used to spend some time on the fourth's head and it increased after the Pain's attack and the subsequent meeting with his father. And this time around, he usually came here with Naruto to watch clouds after their training.

Naruto, for his spot, smiled and said, "It is, isn't it? The first time I came here was with jiji. Since then, I have been frequent visitor with Shikamaru".

Both Sasuke and Chouji raised an eyebrow at Naruto mentioning 'jiji'. As far as they knew, Naruto didn't have a family, let alone a grandfather. Shikamaru, of course, knew who this jiji was. So, the two clueless boys asked at the same time, "Jiji?"

Naruto gave a foxy grin and rubbed the back of his head as he said, "Yeah, old man hokage was the first person who was actually nice to me and we have a close bond".

The two boys were surprised by this. Their friend was casually calling the hokage, the god of shinobi, an old man and it seemed as if the hokage really didn't mind. But, above that, one thing stuck out. He had said that the hokage was to first person who was nice to him. They had seen him getting harsh glares from the villagers but didn't know why.

Sasuke then said, "Why are we here?"

Shikamaru answered, "We know what you are thinking. But trust us, revenge isn't good for anyone".

Sasuke's anger skyrocketed as he said, "Revenge isn't good? Itachi killed my father. He turned into a criminal. I looked up to him and he betrayed me. I will kill him for what he did to father. I hate him".

Naruto replied to him this time, "Hatred breeds only more hatred Sasuke. You will be pulled into an endless cycle of hatred and darkness. If you go down the path of an avenger, you will lose everything you hold dear to in your life including your mother".

Sasuke's heart skipped a beat when the fact was mentioned. He clenched his fist and said, "Then what do you expect me to do? I hate him. How can I beat the hatred, huh? It's not as easy as you make it to be".

Naruto said, "Think about it, why did he do it?"

Sasuke looked confused and asked, "What do you mean?"

Naruto answered, "Itachi graduated the academy at the age of 7, awakened his Sharingan at the age of 8, became chunnin at the age of 10, joined ANBU at 11 and became an ANBU captain at the age of 13. He then thinks he need another famous accomplishment and adds maniac killer of the Uchiha clan leaders? I don't think so".

Little by little, realisation dawned on Sasuke and he said as a little color came back to his face, "Then, he must have had another reason. Something no one knows about".

Naruto and Shikamaru smiled and the lazy Nara said, "You get it finally".

Sasuke nodded and said, "Then I will find him and know the truth. But, what if I become overpowered by hatred towards him when we meet?"

Naruto answered, "Then take it all out on me, because I am the only one who can bear your hatred with you".

Sasuke was touched by his words, but replied, "You can't. It is too much even for you. You don't know the hatred I have towards my brother. You didn't have any person to care about as family. You are always smiling. You don't know pain".

Naruto sighed and looked towards Shikamaru, who nodded to him. He then looked back towards Sasuke and said, "Sasuke, you don't know what you are talking about. Do you know how it is to be kicked out of an orphanage on your birthday? Do you know how it is to live all alone? Do you know how it is to be kicked out of shop just because you wanted a mask? Do you know how hard it is to be glared with hatred wherever you go? Do you know how hard it is to be hated by the whole village for something that wasn't even your fault?"

Sasuke and Chouji both looked surprised and confused and asked, "What do you mean, Naruto?"

Shikamaru asked them, "Have you noticed the glares he gets and the treatment he gets from the villagers?"

Both boys nodded.

Naruto then continued, "There is a reason behind it. What I am going to tell you is an S-rank secret which can be revealed only by me and the hokage. Death is the punishment for breaking the rule. Got it?"

As soon as both the boys nodded, he continued, "What do you guys know about the Kyuubi attack that happened ten years ago?"

Both the boys were surprised by this and Chouji answered, "Ten years ago, the Kyuubi attacked the village and caused a lot of death and destruction. The fourth hokage gave his life to kill it and save the village".

Sasuke nodded at this. Shikamaru then said, "That is just a fabricated fairy tale to hide the actual truth of what really happened".

The boys were surprised by this. So, Sasuke asked him, "What do you mean Shikamaru? What is the actual truth?"

Naruto answered this time, "Tailed beasts are nothing but chakra. They are huge masses of chakra. They can't be killed, because, after some time, they would reform. The fourth hokage knew this. So, instead of giving his life to kill it, he gave his life to seal it in something or rather, someone"

Realization dawned on the two boys. The cold stares, the harsh whispers, the mistreatment – it all made sense for the boys now. They both said at the same time, "It was you, right?"

Naruto nodded and said, "Whenever the villagers see me, they see the Kyuubi that attacked ten years ago and not the blonde innocent kid. Jiji made the law to prevent the younger generation from knowing the secret so that I could have a normal childhood with friends, but the hate seeps through. Everybody's hatred is focused on me and I shoulder them. I don't blame them for hating me because, they had lost something precious for them that night of the attack. But, I will prove them that I am not the Kyuubi but I am a proud citizen of Konoha. I will protect the village with my life and become the hokage, just like the fourth".

The two boys were moved by what Naruto had said. Sasuke was regretting about what he had said earlier, and now wanted to make amends. So, he asked, "How did you beat the hatred? Why do you still want to prove the village wrong? Why do you wish to protect them? They treated you badly. The fourth hokage made your life a living hell by sealing the fox inside you. Then why do you still idolize him?"

Naruto smiled and answered, "Because, dad believed in me when he sealed the Kyuubi inside me".

Naruto didn't notice his slip-up until he saw that Chouji and Sasuke had their mouth wide open in shock and surprise, and Shikamaru just face-palmed. Chouji then asked, "Do you mean to say that you are the son of the fourth hokage?"

Shikamaru was the one who spoke up next, "Isn't it obvious. Who else other than Yamanaka's had blonde hair? Minato Namikaze, the fourth hokage. There are far too many similarities to miss the connection. It's a wonder the village can't see it. They must be the biggest fools in the world".

Both were in awe of the fact that Naruto was the son of the hero of the leaf's son. But, they had one question to ask, and Sasuke asked it, "Why? Why did your own father lay such a curse on you?"

Naruto with a smile, a genuine one, answered, "Because my father believed in me. So did my mother. They believed in me that one day I would be able to befriend the Kyuubi and work together with him to protect the leaf and defeat a certain person responsible for the Kyuubi incident of ten years ago. Sorry, I can't tell you anything about the incident. Apart from that, my clan has always held the Kyuubi".

This time, all three were confused, and Shikamaru asked, "What do you mean Naruto? You still haven't told us everything".

Naruto answered with a shrug, "Must have had slipped my mind. Yeah, the first hokage's wife was the first jinchuriki of the Kyuubi. Her name was Uzumaki Mito and she is my ancestor. My mother, Kushina Uzumaki was the second and I am the third jinchuriki".

All three of them nodded and accepted the information. Shikamaru then spoke, "Sasuke, we will leave the final decision to you. Make the right choice. Do you want a lonely path of an avenger and fail to protect your mother or choose the path filled with family and friends to find out what really happened that night? It is in the end up to you to decide. Think before you choose".

Sasuke soaked in the words and sat with his mind deep in thoughts. Shikamaru had started watching clouds and Chouji was eating the chips he had brought with him. Surprisingly, even Naruto was sitting silent for once. He was practicing the stillness required for sage mode. Minutes passed before Sasuke finally decided to get up and answer. Everyone turned their attention towards him and it was obvious from the look on their faces that a lot of decisions of theirs were based on his single most important decision.

Sasuke took a deep breath before saying, "I have finally decided. I won't be an avenger. I will walk beside my friends and with my friends. I will find my brother, bring him to justice and find out the truth about what actually happened".

Chouji smiled at this while Naruto and Shikamaru sighed before smiling. Naruto then held out his fist for a fist bump for everyone, "If so, we will all help you achieve your goal Sasuke, dattebayo".

Each one of them nodded and bumped fist with the blonde inspirational jinchuriki and all of them headed home.

Well, that's it folks. Sorry for the updates being late. I am being caught up with studies. But, I will update my story frequently, so don't worry. Finally, Sasuke has changed. Next up will be the academy. Read and Review guys. Bye