Naruto wasn't naive anymore. He knew that he couldn't save everyone. He knew that for the sake of peace, sacrifices should be made. He went through a war and the death of his allies, but he learned his lesson.
Sometimes he wished he could be as naive as he was when he was younger. Thinking that he could save everyone and that all he needed to do was talk to his enemies, and they would become friends.
He wanted to make his godfather's dream of peace a reality, and he wanted the peace to include everyone. But peace was a fragile thing. To have peace, everyone must give up their selfish desires and try to coexist.
However, it is in human nature to be selfish. Whether it was because people refused to acknowledge others' sacrifices or just trying to achieve their desires, most people didn't like the idea of making sacrifices.
You could ask them to forgive, but they would never forget. This would cause a conflict within them. They would think about revenge whenever they were reminded of this choice.
This state of conflict would often cause turmoil within them. And with time, it would fill them like a balloon ready to pop. This was not a solution for lasting peace.
What they needed was not peace but coexistence. Everyone is good at something. They needed to create harmony based on this mutual need. People needed to consider what they would gain from this state and decide on keeping the balance.
While there would still be individuals who would act on their negative emotions, as long as most people were fond of coexistence, they could either pacify them or by cutting ties with that individual or trying to stop them, they would minimalize the effect of that person's activities on the community.
The difference between coexistence and peace was not only their names. Peace would imply a lack of conflicts but in the latter lies balance. There would still be those who would oppose the majority, but since they lacked enough power, they could be dealt with.
Another major difference was that peace was a goal, a shared dream. However, in coexistence, you could have many groups with different objectives. They just needed to have an acceptance between them, and using their needs was one of the best ways to create it.
Naruto knew that he had to find a way for this to happen. Last time a great war against Madara was the solution, but he wasn't planning on letting him get revived.
He wasn't letting any of the tailed beasts get captured as well. They didn't deserve what happened to them. His options for plans were getting more limited the more he thought about it.
It was a normal day of his root training when he got called to Danzo's office. He had no idea what he wanted, but he had to keep his perfect soldier facade.
It wasn't his birthday so that it couldn't be the formal visit with the Sandaime. he also couldn't sense anyone else in the office. He was sure he also didn't make abnormal progress in his training to cause questioning.
He followed the agent sent to fetch him and entered after the agent opened the door for him. he went in front of Danzo, sitting at his desk, and kneeled, fixing his gaze on the ground.
Danzo simply stared at him for a while before ordering him to get up. "You are here for the new order from the Hokage. he wants you to socialize with people outside the base to have a normal childhood. You are a weapon for this village, not a mere worthless civilian. Since it is not time to defy Hokage's orders yet, we are making this into a mission."
"I refuse to waste time by letting you join the academy. However, from tomorrow, you will spend the weekends in the village. An agent will follow you for the first time in case you need assistance."
"You are to go around the village, put up the persona we worked on, and try to befriend the clan heirs. Your story is that you are an orphan in my care, and because of some chakra problems, you need special training and are not a part of the academy."
"You are being trained personally under me and will join the ranks when ready. You are not allowed to show skills beyond a low genin level. This mission falls under code 032. you can learn the rest of the parameters from this file." he handed Naruto a thick file and dismissed him for the rest of the day to familiarize himself with the mission.
Naruto went back to his room. He read through the files carefully. Inside was information about each of the clan heirs and their usual whereabouts.
His mission was to spend time with them and gain their trust so that they would support him in the future as clan heads. Of course, he already knew them more than anyone would think, but he had to pretend for the sake of the mission. It was creepy how Danzo had his agents keep an eye on them from an early age.
Naruto had to plan his moves carefully. While he had been in the village several times to learn socializing and had many lessons from Danzo personally, he couldn't make it look too easy.
Also, he couldn't really act like a 6-year-old when he was never taught how. The root always expected him to act maturely, and he was never disappointed. While he was taught about his persona, he couldn't really be too good at it when he rarely used it.
He was planning on taking a persona similar to sai but without the nicknames or creepy smile. Another problem was also related to the Uchiha. since he was to befriend all clan heirs, he had to also befriend Itachi, which could be a real challenge.
While he knew Itachi was a good guy, he was already a Jonin. If his memory served correctly, he was joining ANBU soon. He was also 11, which made it harder to connect.
He had to make it look natural. He couldn't let him get suspicious. Itachi was really perspective and hard to deceive. Naruto had to find a genuine way to connect with him.
He had to find a reason. He had to be truthful but at the same time keep secrets. He would be the most challenging on his list but also the most valuable.
Itachi was always loyal to the village. If Naruto wanted his plans to succeed, he would be a valuable asset. He wasn't sure if he would ever tell Itachi of his plans, but he would be a centerpiece.
Finally, tomorrow came, and it was the first day of his mission. An agent was following him as he made his way through the village. He was to make his first contact with an heir on that day.
It was then up to him how he would meet the others. He decided that Shikamaru would be his best option. He was mature and easygoing. Naruto knew that the genius would know something was up with him, and he would get curious, but he also knew he wasn't the one to push him for answers. Instead, he would rather solve the mystery himself.
Naruto tried to look natural as he walked through the village to the places mentioned as his hangout spots in the file. He looked around the town and saw familiar faces in the crowd.
Naruto knew he should keep his distance, even though he wanted to embrace the long-dead comrades. In the end, after checking some of the spots without any luck, he decided to buy some mochi as a light snack and make his way to the outer parts of the village in the forest.
Of course, he already knew where Shikamaru was from the beginning. He was in the training ground near the Nara forest. But Naruto was an asshole and wanted to waste time, so he made the agent follow him in the shadows for hours before he finally made his way there.
Naruto noted that the agent didn't follow him when he got close, because nobody dared threaten a Nara, and a ROOT agent near their lands was definitely a threat. But it was ok and better news for Naruto.
Naruto saw Shikamaru and Choji from a distance. They were sitting on the ground in front of a shogi board. Choji was slowly eating his chips, looking frustrated, while Shikamaru seemed half asleep.
Naruto decided to observe for a little longer before making himself known. He hid in a tree listening to his friends. It didn't take long for Shikamaru to win.
"Oh, sorry, Shika. You're too good at this game. I can never beat you." Choji said.
"Troublesome, It's ok you are improving. I don't expect you to win. Let's have another match." Shikamaru said with a lazy smile.
"No, no more. I think you beat me enough time today plus,..." Naruto decided to use the moment to make himself known.
"Do you mind if I play against you?" Naruto said as he slowly came out of the tree.
"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" Shikamaru asked in a defensive tone.
"Forgive me. My name is Naruto. I was training in a training ground nearby since it's rarely used. I was done today, so I decided to explore a bit when I saw you guys playing shogi. I didn't want to distract you, so I decided to wait for you guys to finish before making myself known." Naruto said.
Shikamaru looked at him skeptically for a few seconds before his curiosity got better of him. "Are you any good at shogi?"
Naruto wanted to smile but knew he couldn't break the persona. "I would like to think that, however, without testing my skills against a variety of opponents, that would be a hard question to answer."
Choji moved to the side to make room for Naruto as Shikamaru set up the board. "I'm Choji, and this is Shikamaru. Where are you from? I've never seen you around the village." Choji asked innocently.
"I'm from Konoha, but I had chakra problems from birth. That's why I couldn't be around others in the past. Master Shimura took me in and trained me while keeping me away from others. I was trained extensively and had to undergo regular procedures to stabilize my chakra."
"I was stable enough to spend time with others from about a year ago, but master decided to wait and make sure. We couldn't risk it. But everything is fine now, and I would be done with the treatment in a few years and don't have to worry about it." Naruto said monotonously.
"What is the problem with your chakra?" Shikamaru asked as he finished setting up the board.
"Apparently, my body produces too much chakra, and the chakra is a lot denser than normal. I will have chakra fluctuations if my reserves are full and my tenketsu points aren't trained and balanced. It can affect people around me if they don't have a developed chakra system." Naruto said as he moved his first piece.
Shikamaru and Choji looked at him with sad eyes, but they decided not to pursue the topic further. After a while, they just fell into an easy atmosphere. They would ask Naruto about his training and life; in return, they told him about their own life.
Of course, Naruto wasn't allowed to tell them anything related to ROOT, but he could answer most of their questions. Of course, there was an awkward question about what his favorite food was, and since Naruto had not tasted ramen in his lifetime yet, he had to go with apples.
Technically, it wasn't food, but he wasn't given real food in ROOT. They had explicitly balanced meals, but it was just that—a bunch of separately cooked or raw ingredients to get the most out of their nutrients.
Naruto never thought he would wish for a simple soup but wasn't given any options. Speaking of which, Naruto remembered his bag of mochi and offered some to Shikamaru and Choji. They each took one and ate them in silence.