After putting Naruto to bed, (this time in Haru's room, as Naruto had insisted, he alternated rooms daily) the two 'Uzumaki' sat down on the living room sofa, while Indra pretended to not hear Haru screaming into the armrest. Compartmentalizing was something they both knew how to do, born out of necessity. Indra had known how to for years, back when he was still Sasuke, and he was living alone in a compound that used to house his family. Haru had learned it when his comrades started falling around him, and he needed a way to postpone his grief. It was of the same token that Haru ignored the way Indra clenched his fists a few times, letting his self-control slip a little. Compartmentalizing was necessary when they would run into people that they had seen die, and it was also important so people didn't see them having reactions they had no right to have. In their home, however, surrounded by privacy seals, they could allow themselves to grieve when they couldn't have earlier. It was in this manner that they prevented themselves from having breakdowns in unfavorable situations.
It was after they had collected themselves that Haru announced, "My clone popped, I know where Danzo's hideout is."
Well, Haru certainly knew how to make Indra feel better.
"You know I want to go, correct?" Asked Indra, already knowing the answer.
Haru scoffed at that, "Of course, I know, and I'm fine with it. There's a meeting with the council tomorrow anyway, I heard it when my shadow clone was about. I'll ask the old man tomorrow if he minds me representing the Uzumaki at the meetings, and we can alternate. That means you can go investigate the base while Danzo is at the meeting. I'll get Kakashi to babysit Naruto while we're away."
Indra would have been surprised by Haru's skill at planning had he not spent the last year cooped up with him. Truly, he was unrecognizable compared to how he was at the start of the war.
Indra nodded his assent at the plan, and they washed up before heading off to bed.
It was the next morning when their plan began. Haru had woken up early to wrangle Kakashi into taking care of Naruto until later, to which he agreed hastily after the option of burning his books was thrown in the mix.
Indra meanwhile was told the location of the ROOT base by Haru, and immediately set out to scout it personally after saying goodbye to Naruto.
It was then, a few hours before the council meeting, that Haru intruded upon the Hokage via shadow clone, his original making breakfast for Naruto and Kakashi. After needing little convincing, given the unique circumstances behind both Haru and Indra, that Hiruzen agreed to the proposal, and made arrangements for Haru and Indra to represent the Uzumaki at council meetings. While he had not initially planned for Naruto's new guardianship to be announced, he supposed the presence of an Uzumaki at the meeting would render the plan moot. He knew there would be nothing any complaints could do to dissuade it, however, so he resigned himself to the headache that would inevitably be caused by a time-traveling Uzumaki in a council meeting.
Indra was good at stealth. While that statement may be a slight understatement, considering that any decent shinobi was 'good' at stealth, his sensei being one of the strongest shinobi in the Elemental Nations certainly gave him a skewed perception when it came to what he classified as good. This was only made worse by his tutelage under the Snake Sannin, who had rather (understandably) high standards. This meant that he considered ROOT agents to be subpar at stealth, and the shadow clone he had left at an obscure training ground would be enough to fool the ANBU operatives that had been placed on him for appearances' sake. This was also why it was very easy for him to slip into the ROOT base and seal many of Danzo's important documents into his sleeves, not bothering to replace them, knowing that while Danzo may be a rat bastard, he was skilled enough to know when something had been replaced. It wasn't as if he would leave a trail behind either. He very easily cast a genjutsu that would break long before Danzo came back, meaning that any agents that saw him simply thought he was another operative. Even after the genjutsu broke, they would be none the wiser, a testament to his skill. Unfortunately, he would have to wait to free those being trained, but it wasn't something he could fix right now, even with his power.
As he was done with his business in the base, he thought that it would have been highly amusing to see Danzo utterly lost as to how he had lost many important documents implicating him in all sorts of treachery, and none of his agents would be any the wiser.
Haru found himself sitting down in a chair that he never envisaged himself sitting in. The Uzumaki clan seat was something he could use to measure the attitude and temperament in the village at any point in time. It would also allow him to converse with the clan heads, which he was thoroughly looking forward to. The only blights of course were the civilian representatives, who were only useful as rather off-putting scenery, and the elders, who consistently seemed as if they had rather large poles up their arses. Say nothing of Danzo. Haru would rather sit down in the center of Iwa and announce who his father was than attempt to talk to the man, despite knowing that he would probably have to in this meeting. As people started filtering in, Haru recognized looks of apprehension, and a look of understanding from both Inoichi and Shikaku, though likely for different reasons. When Danzo walked in, Haru caught a flash of worry in the man's eyes before it went away, his emotions carefully concealed as usual. Though Haru doubted Danzo would be especially pleased that one of the Uzumaki he's been keeping an eye on was here. No doubt he had made plans to attempt to convert them to his side, not that they would ever work. Even if they hadn't traveled in time, Uzumaki are far too stubborn to agree to join an organization like ROOT.
As the last person entered the room, the council was called to order. Hiruzen cleared his throat and then began. "First, I would like to welcome Haru Uzumaki to the council. As many of you have no doubt heard, Haru-kun and his brother have recently arrived in Konoha, and after being vetted thoroughly, and verified by Inoichi-san, they have been given clearance to represent the Uzumaki clan at council meetings. They have also been given guardianship of the orphan Naruto Uzumaki."
At that, all members of the shinobi council could see the civilian contingent fidgeting, with a few of them wearing masks of concealed rage. They knew better than to speak up in front of the Hokage however, with the law in place that would be asking for a death sentence. The clan heads however were perfectly content with this. If the two were trusted by both the Hokage and Inoichi, then there was no room for complaint. The requests for adoption that were denied were done to prevent the balance of power from tipping, along with the fact that they weren't his family. While they were cynical reasons, and many had disagreed with them, they knew no such rules applied here. They were the boy's family, and as such were entitled to guardianship. Nothing could change that fact. Haru meanwhile could see the gears turning in Danzo's head. No doubt the plan Haru thought Danzo may use was being completed in the man's head. He would have to look out for now, but there was no way he would fall to that man's schemes.
Hiruzen continued. "We are also revoking the law forbidding certain individuals from interacting with Naruto Uzumaki. The other law, however, which I need not explain, will remain in place." Again, the uncomfortable shifting of the civilian council betrayed their feelings. The aforementioned law holding them in place.
Knowing it was time to introduce himself, he stood up and waved to the inhabitants of the room. "Yo, I'm Haru Uzumaki, nice to meet you guys. If any of you have a sealing problem head straight to me, and I'll sort you out!"
At that, many of the clan heads exchanged wry smiles, along with a few deadpan glances from the more formal members, all of whom remembered the redheaded lady who acted just like that. Formality was apparently a lost art for the Uzumaki at times. Though he seemed to be respectful to individuals, from what Shikaku knew.
Following that, each clan head introduced themselves, with an acknowledging nod each time from Haru.
After that, the meeting was a standard affair, though Haru found himself wishing he could have a nap, or go to Ichiraku's, with how boring he found it. Once the meeting was adjourned, he found himself being greeted by a few of the clan heads. The surprising one was Fugaku Uchiha, who informed Haru that his wife would like to meet both himself and Indra at some point, which Haru of course had no problem with. Fugaku had said that it was to promote healthy relations between the two clans, but Haru could see through it and knew that Mikoto wanted to see Naruto, now that the law had been lifted. Based on what he knew of the man, Fugaku seemed like someone who loved his clan deeply but was hesitant to show it externally, which Indra had indicated to him previously. It would be good to ingratiate himself with the man, which combined with Danzo being dealt with at some point soon, should hopefully prevent any coup ideas from forming. The worst case would be having to deal with the few that still wished for a coup, but that was something Haru didn't especially want to do, and he was sure Indra wouldn't like the prospect either.
The other clan heads that greeted him aside from Fugaku were coincidentally, the parents of the friends Haru had made back in the academy and as a Genin. The Konoha 12, as they were known, brought up many different emotions for Haru, sorrow being one, and joy being another. They were his closest allies aside from Gaara and had always been supportive of him once they got to know him better. When they died, it was as if they'd taken a piece of Haru with them, each loss ripping into him, tearing him apart. He was incredibly grateful to have Indra with him, as a reminder of what he'd lost, and what he had to do.
Speaking with the clan heads, he could glean a similar desire to meet Naruto that Fugaku bore on his wife's behalf. It seemed as if many of the Yondaime's friends wished to finally meet his son, now that the law had been revoked. Of course, this was under the guise of clan relation meetings, but Haru could see through it, as he was sure the clan heads expected him to. Bidding them farewell, Haru left the meeting and chose to indulge himself.
He hadn't eaten ramen in quite a while, and he missed it quite a lot. He knew Indra would find him once he was done infiltrating ROOT, which would be soon, since Danzo would no doubt slink back to his base now that the meeting was over. Walking towards Ichiraku, he noted some the curious gazes the civilians regarded him with, not that he was surprised. It was obvious he would attract attention, given the color of his hair, a red that hadn't been seen since Kushina Uzumaki was walking the same streets. No doubt, news of the status of the clan head had made its way around, as whispered 'Uzumaki-sama' echoed around him. He wondered how the civilians would react to the adoption of the blonde Jinchuuriki. It didn't matter to him what they thought. In a shinobi village, civilians' opinions on shinobi matters weren't relevant, given they lacked any expertise in the field. The civilian council was effectively window-dressing concerning shinobi issues, so any sway they may have over the civilian sector would simply see Naruto overcharged for goods in certain shops. Something he could mitigate as long as he was there with him. Hopefully, making Naruto clan heir would change things anyway. It would seem fairly suicidal to a villager to intentionally overcharge a clan heir, though he would imagine some stubborn people would try, only to be escorted to the Hokage via ANBU.
When he arrived at the stand, he shook the thoughts from his mind and ducked under the flap. A cry of "Welcome!" which sounded like home to Haru was heard, as he sat down at one of the stools. Teuchi turned around to face the man, and Haru knew that he was a little stunned judging by the reaction on the man's face, which was immediately schooled. Teuchi was no shinobi, but catering to them for years had taught him when to pry and when not to, given some of the topics discussed in the shop. "One miso ramen please." Said Haru pleasantly, making sure to put the swirling emotions to the side, which he could deal with later. Teuchi smiled, "Coming right up!"
With that, he went off to make Haru the ramen he so craved. He wasn't going to have too much, as he made sure to school his appetite. He understood the value of good nutrition, given that he'd lived the past year on rations. As he waited, a little girl he previously knew as Ayame-neechan looked from behind the counter at Haru. She looked to be seven, and he imagined she'd turn eight soon. Then, she decided to announce the elephant in the room. "Dad, he looks like Kushina-san." Haru had to stifle a laugh as Teuchi twitched, before handing the ramen over to him. Before Teuchi had a chance to scold his daughter for being tactless, Haru laughed outwardly. "You mean Kushina Uzumaki correct?" Asked Haru, as the other two turned to him. Teuchi gave a soft smile and nodded. "Yes, she was one of my best customers."
Haru cracked a grin at that, as he slurped down his ramen. Boy, he'd missed it. "That's not surprising, us Uzumaki are known for loving ramen."
At Teuchi's startled look, partially confirming a suspicion the man had no doubt had, along with Ayame's twinkling eyes, Haru continued. "I'm Haru Uzumaki, nice to meet you both. Myself and my brother have just arrived in Konoha, and I had to try the ramen while I had the chance."
Teuchi smiled at that and gestured to himself and his daughter. "I'm Teuchi, and my daughter here is Ayame. It's good to see another Uzumaki, and it seems my income is going to skyrocket." He joked, leaving Haru to bark out a laugh. He had really missed these two.
As Haru finished his ramen in record time, he posed a question. "My brother and I just adopted an Uzumaki we found out was at the orphanage, and I was wondering if I could bring him here soon. He hasn't tried ramen yet, but I'm sure Naruto will love it."
Recognition of the name passed through Teuchi's eyes, and the man in question seemed to glow as he answered. "I'd be delighted to make him some ramen."
At that, Haru stood up and waved over his head as he left. "I'll drop by soon then Teuchi-san, Ayame-chan."
"Goodbye, Haru-kun/Goodbye Haru-san"
As Haru left, he immediately jumped onto a roof, where he felt Indra land next to him.
Indra stared at Haru. "Ramen, really? You couldn't wait?"
"It's fine, the meeting ended, and I don't have ANBU on me anymore, so I felt like celebrating," Haru said, walking along the roof back to the apartment, Indra next to him.
"Don't lie, you just wanted ramen." Groaned Indra, who had been dragged along to Ichiraku's too many times as a Genin.
Haru puffed up in offense, "Yeah, and what's so wrong with that? It's an Uzumaki's responsibility to love ramen! Since you're one now, you have to love it too!"
Indra rolled his eyes, "That's not how it works and you know it. We already know that Naruto is going to love it, but don't drag me into it too. It'll be enough of a hassle with Naruto wanting to go there every day."
Haru pouted at that, "Just make sure to eat enough that it's still believable you're an Uzumaki. Your personality makes it hard enough to believe as it is."
Before Indra had a chance to bark out a comeback, Haru continued. "Anyway, enough of that. How did the infiltration go?"
Choosing to be the bigger man, Indra shelved the killing intent he was planning on aiming toward Haru and answered.
"It went perfectly of course. Danzo will know someone's got his files, but he'll have no idea how. If he figures out it's us, that's fine too. If he tries to kill us, we can just capture an agent and deliver proof about ROOT. He wouldn't go after Naruto either, not when he values him as a living weapon."
Haru nodded at that. The Hokage had got rid of the ANBU watch he'd had to place on them since they were now officially clan members of the village, so Danzo would be hesitant to place ROOT on them, no doubt having heard of the Uzumaki sensory skills. If he had even an inkling that one of them possessed Mind's Eye of Kagura, he'd keep his troops well away from them, since a complaint about emotionless ANBU following them around would spur the Hokage into action. It was enough of a gamble by the man to have had them under watch previously, but he must have assumed that the chance they weren't true Uzumaki was enough of a reason to make said gamble. Of course, neither of them actually had the famed Uzumaki sensory skill, but Haru had the best sensory skill in the major villages, making that skill somewhat moot for him. Sensing emotions came naturally to him due to his personal situation too.
"So now the only thing left to do is give those files to the Hokage, and you can swoop in for the finishing blow when he confronts Danzo." Added Haru, already knowing Indra's desire to make sure the man couldn't complete his designs on the Uchiha clan. Haru may despise the man for all he had done, but he didn't have a personal score to settle, like Indra.
Indra smirked as they neared the apartment. "I'm looking forward to it if I'm honest. I'll send a shadow clone to deliver the files once we're back in the apartment. I'll tell the Hokage to wait until tomorrow, so we can both be there."
Haru guffawed at that. "You really can't wait for it huh? Well, I can't blame you. To be honest, I want to see the guy gone too, and there's no way I'm letting the old man put it off. No way we give that guy a chance to escape from T&I."
Indra grunted in affirmation, as they prepared to relieve Kakashi of his babysitting duties.
Opening the door, they were greeted with the sight of a tired Kakashi indulging Naruto in a game of ninja, as they clashed with wooden kunai. It seemed to the two brothers, that he'd rather be out on an S Rank mission than pretending to be on one, but they could tell that he was enjoying spending time with the kid. Kakashi was only seventeen, and the losses he'd suffered were far more recent than when they first met him. Thusly, it was easier to read the man, and certainly, he seemed much happier spending time with the toddler than doing anything else.
Turning towards the sound of the door, Naruto jumped for joy as he ran towards his big brothers.
"Haru-niichan! Indra-niichan! I've missed you!" He yelled, as his little legs carried him toward them.
In a way, Naruto was rather well-developed for his age, they both thought, as he hugged their legs. His speech was very good for his age, but Indra realized just how much longer it took Haru to reach his potential when he wasn't being taught properly. He was naturally smart in ways fundamentally different from others, and he was well-spoken despite his age. With the training, they're planning on giving Naruto, by the time he's twelve he could well have the strength of a Jonin if handled correctly.
Haru and Indra both ruffled the boy's hair as they walked in.
"Hey Kakashi, did you have a nice time with Naruto?" Haru asked with a lilt to his voice which Kakashi recognized as teasing.
Kakashi however, was ready for the interaction. "Yes, I did thank you Haru, I also told Naruto about some cool Jutsu, and it seems he's very eager to learn them now."
Haru and Indra's hearts sank at that, knowing the enthusiasm of Naruto was not to be trifled with. The comment seemed to remind Naruto of what he'd been told earlier. "I wanna breathe fire! I also wanna teleport!"
Haru and Indra looked dryly at Kakashi as Naruto rambled.
"Really Kakashi? Gokyakuu no Jutsu? Shunshin? He's not an Uchiha, and he's certainly not the kind of kid you want to teach the Shunshin to." Asked Indra dryly, clearly not amused by the man.
"Oh? Was I incorrect in assuming you'd be teaching him the Gokyakuu?" Slyly asked Kakashi, knowing Indra's true identity.
A blush made its way onto the man's face, which he batted away quickly, as he made a shadow clone, before handing the files over to it. "That's neither here nor there Kakashi. I can't imagine that his chakra nature will be or include fire for that matter."
Before Kakashi could respond, Haru cut in, having picked Naruto up, with the boy resting his chin on Haru's shoulder. "No Kakashi, we aren't checking his chakra nature, it's most likely wind anyway."
Kakashi deadpanned him. "So, it's wind."
Haru looked sheepish at that, knowing that Naruto wouldn't be able to infer what Kakashi meant at his age.
"Well, I'll be expecting you to teach him some Jutsu anyway Kakashi, after all, Indra and I don't have the selection you do, or will have anyway."
Kakashi waved him off, inferring what the man meant. His Sharingan had made it easy for him to memorize Jutsu, which combined with his talent made his arsenal expand greatly. "I've got a shift now, but I believe I might be seeing you later if those files were any indication." In which he looked to Indra for confirmation.
"It depends if you're on Hokage guard duty or not." Replied Indra, giving Kakashi a side eye, as he left the apartment.
"I'll see what I can do." Was all the teenager said, as he left the apartment.
Haru sat Naruto down on the sofa, as Indra awaited the information from the shadow clone he produced. "Naruto, Indra-niisan will have to go out in a little bit to speak with the Hokage, but if you want, I can tell you some stories about the Hokage?"
Naruto, despite initially looking put out about Indra leaving, instead positively glowed when tempted by the stories about the position he'd chosen to dedicate himself to. "Yes please Haru-niisan!"
Haru chuckled at his enthusiasm and began telling him a story that Tobirama himself had once told him about Hashirama and a koi pond.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had thought that after the council meeting earlier, he wouldn't be seeing any more of the Uzumaki brothers for the day. He was proven very wrong when Indra Uzumaki opened his door, only a short while after the meeting had ended.
Puffing on his pipe, Hiruzen greeted the man. "Indra, what may I do for you?"
As Indra sat down, he passed Hiruzen a collection of files he held in his hand.
"I have delivered proof of Danzo's various wrongdoings, and as such I request he be tried and executed."
To say Hiruzen was shocked would be an understatement, but he was an experienced shinobi, and the Hokage, so he schooled his features and read through the files. What he saw disgusted him. Earlier that year, he had confronted Orochimaru and had lacked the strength to confront him, but now, he had been presented with another example of one of his treasured people committing heinous wrongdoings against the village. He knew too, that there was no room for negotiation in this. All of these reports were signed by his hand, and he wasn't going to take the risk of T&I talking to the man. He would confront the man in this very office, and he would act himself, alongside the ANBU stationed in the room. He should probably ask Kakashi to take over the next guard shift. There were none more reliable than he in situations like this. He knew that Indra would want to be in the room, which he couldn't fault the man for, but this would prove to be a taxing afternoon.
Indra interrupted his thoughts. "Before you take action, you should know that I'm a shadow clone, so I would prefer if you waited until I dispersed before you call Danzo here."
Hiruzen smiled ruefully to himself. The boy certainly knew his thought process. "Very well, please disperse so the real Indra can arrive before I confront Danzo."
Nodding, the shadow clone popped, and Hiruzen was left alone with his thoughts, and the ANBU in the ceiling.
Indra snapped to attention once he received the memories.
Haru noticed the action during his story, and rather than interrupting it, simply nodded to Indra, Naruto not noticing the movement, being too engrossed in what he was listening to. With that, Indra nodded back, before leaving the apartment. He appreciated Haru letting him do this. Haru may hate Danzo for all he's done, but he never held the same kind of hatred for him that Indra did, or does. Haru's dislike came from the harm that Danzo caused the village and his friends, whereas Indra's was born from the suffering Danzo had caused his family, and what he had done to his brother. Indra needed this, so Konoha could move forward. Until Danzo was removed, he would continue to ruin the lives of everyone who lived here, all for the sake of his foolish endeavor.
With that consideration, Indra flashed to the Hokage Tower, eagerly awaiting the end of the man who would cause them so much pain, if he weren't stopped.