Disclaimer: All respective characters and settings belong to their respective franchises.

Minutes Earlier…

After finishing their meals, the gang were now relaxing near the edge of the cliffside. Naruto was standing above his father's head, gaze transfixed on the sprawling village, a pensive look on his face. Shikamaru was hunched down from across his right, lined perfectly atop Hiruzen's, next to him Chōji above Tobirama's, leaving Bokomon and Piyomon at Hashirama's.

"Makes you wonder, doesn't it?"

Naruto panned a glance at Shikamaru. "What?"

"If days like this will last," the Nara heir answered, scratching his nose.

A rueful hum escaped from Chōji. "Hey, hey, don't say it like that, Shika. You might just end up jinxing it."

Shikamaru dipped his head. "I like to believe luck has less to do with what people get to decide." He then fully turned to his rotund friend. "I hope none of you guys have forgotten that after we graduate, it'll be our job to keep all of this," he pointed down at said village, "from ever ending up as a landfill. I'm just thinking ahead."

"Well, I'm more of "for the moment" kind of guy," Naruto said from his spot as he dipped to sit down, crossing his legs. "I don't see the point in looking to the future too much."

"And why is that?" Shikamaru asked the blonde in a knowing tone, lolling his head back, already guessing what came next.

Sure enough, Naruto thumbed at his own chest, a bright smile ready to split his face in two. "Because I already know what my future will be. Hokage!"

"Right," Shikamaru said with a roll of his eyes, while Chōji just chuckled. "Do you have any idea just how many times we've had to hear that from you already?"

"You expect me to keep count?" Naruto intoned.

"249 since I first heard you say it."

Both Naruto and Chōji stared at Shikamaru, blinking twice in concert. "What? It's to keep my memory sharp."

Naruto fidgeted uncomfortably, bringing a reproachful hand up. "Please, don't. I think there are far better avenues to spend your precious time on, and I'll try to cut back on the Hokage talk. I say this as a dear friend."

Instead of arguing, Shikamaru just shrugged his shoulders. "Fine."

"Hey, Naru-chan," Piyomon called from where she was seated next to Bokomon, busily sketching the layout of the village from his vantage. "Why do you want to be this…this "Ho…kage" thing so much?"

"Yes, Naruto, why do you want to be Hokage so much?" Shikamaru asked lazily, a bit of sass seeping into his tone.

Naruto cast a glower at the other boy before answering, "Well…" Just as he was about to draw on his usual spiel, he cast a passive glance at the expanse of the village, the bright sun casting it in a vivid glow. "To…uh, be acknowledged?" he said, the words coming out more on their own from reflex.

"What kind of reason is that?" Bokomon asked from his place, not needing to look up from his work. "You want to be a politician for people to notice you? To know who you are? You can't be serious." Having studied up on the system of government of the Hidden Villages, each country was under a monarchical rule of a feudal lord, the Daimyō, with the Hokage serving more of an administrative role. It bore something of a resemblance to the Folder Archipelago's way of governance, which was a Shogunate.

"Well, no, I mean, yeah," the blonde sputtered, thrown off by how blunt Bokomon was. "What I'm trying to say is, that becoming Hokage would mean that I'm acknowledged as the strongest shinobi in Konoha. When I'm Hokage, I'll be able to protect the village. By doing that, people would…come to…love…"

As his words died down, something about his reason now felt…odd. He'd been saying it for as long as he could remember that it was effectively an ingrained reflex. What could be different now?

Shikamaru shook his head, as Bokomon started to speak up again.

"Naruto, being a politician isn't intrinsically about gaining approval or attention. Unless it happens to be election season," he drily trailed off, muttering. "On that note, people in government aren't supposed to be worshiped or admired. That carries its own set of problems. Being Hokage is about being a civil servant. Working at a desk, attending meetings, pushing papers, and making sure that every aspect of what keeps the village going is operating like a well oiled machine. Like the economy, trade, infrastructure, borders, etc." Bokomon raised his pencil. "You make it sound like you just want to be a celebrity."

Swiveling his head in Naruto's direction, he continued. "Moreover, you don't go out of your way picking or ending fights to settle disputes. What's actually expected of you would be to practice diplomacy, negotiations and making deals, with violence being the very last thing you should ever want or exact. Granted, I'm not dismissing the possibility of becoming embroiled in conflict, considering the nature and structure of your society, but overall, what you should really be striving for is fostering better relations with neighboring and foreign countries."

Shikamaru nodded in approval at the man's tangent, proving his hunch right that he was to be part of the Academy's new faculty. There was just one part of it that gave him pause. "Your society"?

Naruto fumbled. "W-W-Well I…I'm gonna have to learn how to do all that stuff anyway. I…I mean…"

Really?

Yes, really.

Color me skeptical.

As if you're one to talk.

Kurama found himself sighing. Sensei makes a good point. With what's actually expected of the office, it makes your so-called dream sound like a juvenile fantasy.

No, it doesn't. I'm going to be Hokage to-

To what? Make people bow down as you walk by? To be waited on hand and foot? To have your pick of the finest and most gorgeous women? To have statues built in your honor? To bask in the power and prestige of your authority?

He chuckled before adding, "I know. To get back at everyone who ever wronged you."

What?! No! None like that! I'm going to be the best Hokage ever. Better than dad, better than Jii-chan. I'll surpass them all, prove the villagers wrong, and then they'll have to-

To what~?

I…

…Well, go on. The villagers will have to, what?

He bit his lip, disguising his agitation by bouncing his left leg.

To…

Love him, admire him, accept him. For some reason, he found it awkward to admit, even privately to Kurama.

You're an idiot.

Oh, what, did I say-wait, do our conversations count as thinking or saying?

Thinking.

Did I think something stupid again?

Look to your right.

Naruto did so, glancing at Shikamaru and the others.

Uh, what am I supposed to be looking at?

Again, you're an idiot.

Can you at least give me a hint?!

"H-Huh?" Naruto was abruptly snapped out of his stupor, shaking his head at the sound of his name being called. "Uh…what?"

As always, Shikamaru couldn't help but sigh at the blonde's attention span. "I said, if you do want to become Hokage, it's gonna take more than just mindlessly boasting about it. For years and years on end. You gotta put in the work, too. You have been studying, right?"

"Yeah!" Naruto answered in a pointed tone. "Of course I'm putting in the work. If I'm still conscious, I study-"

"Wait, "still conscious"?" Shikamaru interrupted him. "What do you mean by that?"

The blonde shrugged and answered, "After a hard day of training, duh. I don't stop until I'm told to, and I get so exhausted I sometimes black out."

"A-Are you for real?" Shikamaru needled in disbelief. "How much do you train?"

"All day."

"All da-" Shikamaru sputtered. "Once or twice a week?"

"Five days a week, actually." The Nara Heir picked at an ear with his pinky to see if he had heard right. "I get to rest on weekends."

"A…Are you serious?!"

"Uh, yeah, because it's the truth."

"Naruto, the only way any of that could be true is if you're deliberately trying to kill yourself," Shikamaru explained, recalling how beat up the blonde was. "Not even adults would work themselves to the edge like that. Not unless they happen to be insane, desperate or really stupid. You'll be lucky enough to even stand, much less use your limbs with minimum maneuverability. Human muscles and joints aren't supposed to take an excessive amount of stress all at once. That's what sets and rest periods are for."

"Yeah, it can get really bad when everything cramps up," Naruto admitted, scratching the back of his head, before bringing the same hand up to flex his fingers. "But like I said, after enough sleep, I'm good. I only have weekends off so that I don't overdo it."

"Don't overd-" Shikamaru shook his head with a click of the tongue and a sigh, deciding to go back on topic. "Okay, that's all well and good, but training or not, there's also the matter of you having to build practical experience, establish connections, advance in your career, and earn recognition. They won't let just anyone take up the hat, and if you honestly think you can do it the way you are now, I've got a bridge to sell you in Wave Country."

Naruto shot a glaring pout at him. "All of which I'm still going to do. Except for the bridge part."

"Can you name the Hidden Villages allied with Konoha, then?"

The blonde froze. "Uh…Sunagakure, Amegakure, Takigakure…" Naruto enumerated gingerly, counting off with his fingers, "Kirigakure…?..."

"Sunagakure, Amegakure, Takigakure, Kusagakure, and Otogakure," Shikamaru corrected him smoothly. "Kirigakure is not our ally, if it even needs to be said."

"Hey, three out of five isn't so bad, right?" Naruto said rosily.

"I'm gonna have so much fun with my new game. And not having to spend a single cent will make it all the sweeter," Shikamaru drawled in assurance, reminding Naruto of their deal.

The blonde frowned, then pointed a finger at the other boy. "Not if I get my hands on it first, Pineapple Head! Right out of your pocket!"

Ignoring the banter, Chōji turned to Bokomon with a grateful smile. "The food was great. My compliments to you."

"Thanks, but it's really nothing," Bokomon said in modesty, scratching the back of his head. "Ever since I got back, I've been putting Naruto through a strict diet and training program. Ramen's okay every now and then, but having balanced home cooked meals is better."

"I'm also under a special diet of my clan's design," Chōji went on, patting his stomach in satisfaction. "Most of our early training consists of bulking up as much as possible."

"Isn't that unhealthy?" Bokomon mused, rubbing his chin in fascination, with his other hand reflexively jotting down the info into his book.

Chōji smiled in a knowing manner, as if having had this talk before. "Normally, yes, but we Akimichi have been bred and trained for generations that we actually need the calories to help fuel our clan jutsu, which burn through a surplus of our chakra. For that, our family recipes have been perfected in meeting such a demand while keeping our health in mind."

"Ah, I see," Bokomon nodded, already knowing of the boy's unique clan trait from Kakashi's talk with Naruto, simply needing confirmation. "So, if I'm getting this right, your clan remedies the drawbacks by converting the accumulated calories in your body into extra chakra, proportional to the cost needed."

"Yes, and no," Chōji added. "But I'm already skirting into Hiden (Secret Tradition) territory. Sorry, sir."

"I'd be surprised if you did spill it all out in the open," Bokomon said, flashing him a wink and a thumbs up. "Good on you, kid." Chōji returned the gesture with his perpetual smile and a nod of his own, beaming from the praise.

"Must be nice, getting to eat whatever you want at any time," Naruto mused with a sigh, cradling his head in one hand, gaze still fixed down at the village.

"Not really," Chōji replied, shaking his head. "Even I have off days to offset any ill effects. That's when I only need to eat normal portions."

"What do you mean by, "normal portions"?" Naruto asked him, pursing his lips and cocking a brow at the rotund boy.

Chōji smiled toothily, easily guessing what the blonde was expecting him to answer with. "Normal, as in three squares, of course."

Naruto bit back a snort of laughter. "Yeah, right."

Shikamaru, despite being exasperated by all the noise, couldn't fight back a smile from drawing itself across his lips as he gazed longingly at the blue sky, letting his thoughts wander like always.

All four were startled out of their reverie by the muffled bang of an explosion in the distance, a cloud of smoke soon emerging from in-between the houses.

Naruto, Chōji and Shikamaru all scrambled to their feet, looking ahead at the scene. The blonde's eyes perked up immediately, as did Bokomon and Piyomon, when they recognized where it took place. "That's by our apartment building…"

"Is the village under attack?" Chōji asked aloud.

"Looks like it," Shikamaru warned. "First priority is to report to the nearest shelter. We can come back for the stuff later. Come on!"

"You go," Naruto directed at them, flanked by Bokomon and Piyomon. "We're gonna check it out."

"Okay," Shikamaru began, raising a finger and pointing it at his friend. "I'm gonna have to stop you right there and tell you right now how that is an unbelievably bad idea. For one; and I can't assert this enough, we are Academy students, technically civilians. Not fully fledged Genin. You know what that means?"

"Yeah, yeah, we're just kids, scrubs, I get that," Naruto spat back briskly. "But that's where we live, and-"

"And what?" Shikamaru scoffed. "Whatever or whoever it is, let the authorities handle it. We'd just get in the way, or worse."

"Shika's right, Naruto," Chōji backed the other boy. "We'll just get hurt."

Naruto shook his head, not having any of it. "How can you even say that, Chōji?"

"But we will," Chōji insisted, his smiling face replaced by urgency.

"We're supposed to be graduating this year, we might as well be Genin already," Naruto countered at them, brandishing a fist. "None of us would have any right to wear the headband if we stop for even a second to worry about getting hurt." He brought his hand up to point a thumb at himself. "I'm going. Me, Bokomon, and Piyomon."

Shikamaru and Chōji stared at him, before sharing a look. "Who's Bokomon?" the former asked.

Naruto recoiled, realizing what he just said as the scholar to his right was once again resisting the urge to slap his own forehead. "Uh, sorry. I meant to say, my uncle, I mean, not that "Bokomon" is his actual name and all, which it isn't, and-" he deflated with a sigh after cutting a glance at a very unamused Bokomon gesturing a hand across his neck, signaling for him to stop while he was ahead. The blonde's shoulders fell before murmuring with a concise intonation, "It's just a nickname."

Shikamaru, brow arched steadily, cast a dry look upon him. "Okay, I'll bite. Spill it."

"Spill what?" Naruto responded tersely, trying and failing to look the other boy in the eye.

"That's how we're gonna play, huh?" Shikamaru griped, brow scrunching. He fell on one knee and clasped his hands together in a seal. Even with this action, Naruto was caught off guard by the boy's shadow stretching towards him like tendrils, tethering to his own.

"H-Hey!" The blonde blurted out in surprise, nearly losing his balance when he took a reflexive step back, only to be stemmed down by the jutsu. Shikamaru forced down a grunt, the action causing him to tighten his hold as he was jerked forward, feet skidding along the ground.

"What the-?"

The young Uzumaki quickly recalled that this was what the Nara Clan specialized in. "L-Let go!"

Shikamaru's jaw became set, before replying with, "Not until you come out with the truth."

"What truth?!" Naruto snapped crossly, wrenching himself back, and paused when he saw the other boy wince when he did.

Shikamaru was struggling to keep his focus in maintaining his Kagemane no Jutsu (Shadow Imitation Technique), nearly forced out of it when Naruto retracted his body, dragged along by another inch.

What the hell?!

Shikamaru could hardly believe the strain he was in. Sucking in his lips, a vein started to show on the Nara heir's forehead as a full minute passed, his chakra dwindling for every creeping second.

Chōji stood in awe and shock at what he was witnessing, both at Shikamaru's impulsive act and Naruto actually resisting the Nara Clan's signature jutsu. He and Shikamaru had done a fair bit of practice together after learning their clan's respective techniques, and only when he was enlarging his body with the Baika no Jutsu (Multi-Size Technique) could he easily break free, yet, Naruto didn't even look like he was trying after his initial surprise waned.

The young Nara had shown promise after being taught over a year ago to prepare him for Genin. Where most of his clansmen at his age could only reach a minute at best, he doubled that time on the very first day alone, which, in retrospect, was measly against a target that could simply overwhelm the user with raw strength.

He could feel it. At any point, Naruto could just as easily pull away from the bind like he was plucking a weed out of loose soil. Sure enough, the annoyed Uzumaki did just that as he lifted one leg, knee bent, causing Shikamaru no small amount of pain as he fell on his side, forced to move in concert instead of the other way around.

"Stop!" Chōji stepped up between them, arms spread out. "Stop, both of you. Naruto, I'm sorry for how Shika acted," he then turned to his best friend, who was struggling back to his feet, "and Shika, what the hell were you trying to do?"

Shikamaru dusted himself off, slightly out of breath. Guess whatever crazy training he did worked. "Yeah, that was stupid. Sorry."

Naruto released a sigh, letting all of it slide. "Okay, I'm gonna go with my uncle and Piyomon to check out what's going down at my apartment. You guys run to a shelter if you want."

"Nah, we're coming with you," Shikamaru relented, placing a hand on his hip.

"We are?" Chōji asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Shikamaru shrugged nonchalantly. "Letting you have all the fun wouldn't feel right. On one condition."

Naruto would have readily objected, until he remembered that he wanted them to come with him in the first place. "What?"

"Ever since your "uncle" came along, it's bothered me," Shikamaru began, his eyes falling on the diminutive man, who was staring at him with an unreadable and even expression. "Just something about him, I can't explain it. Like," he shook his head, "like he isn't who he says he is."

Naruto dipped his head, his face pensive. "I can't tell you, since it's classified." He hoped that would get the boy to stop, as Kakashi had told him that those without clearance sticking their noses where they shouldn't would be booked a trip to T and I, which was the last thing he wanted to happen based on Anko's tales from their regular meetups.

Chōji seemed aware of this as well, casting a worrying glance at Shikamaru, who didn't flinch. "Why?"

"Wha-why? I can't tell you. That's the point!" Naruto reiterated hotly.

"You think I care?" Shikamaru shrugged. "Why is it so classified?"

"It just is, smart guy. And what do you mean you don't care? The Department isn't gonna give a shit even if we're students. They're gonna nail our asses. Maybe even literally!"

Shikamaru, coming to grips on just how screwed they'd really be, swallowed down any hesitation that threatened to creep in. Son of the Jōnin Commander or not, he wasn't going to get off easy. "Could it have something to do with you being the son of the Fourth Hokage?"

"Yea-Wa-Wa-Wa-Wa-Wai-Wait, wait, wait!" Naruto nodded his head left to right in a blur. "Son of the who the what now?!"

Shikamaru and Chōji could only stare at his reaction. It was…unexpected, to say the least. Naruto, who everyone within earshot of him knew that he was obsessed with the office, would have likely been flattered or boast about aiming to surpass the man. Evidently, this shift in demeanor tickled their curiosity.

"Are you?" the Nara heir asked, as if he hadn't already made the guess.

"No!" Naruto exclaimed emphatically, hands balled into fists as he swung down his arms for emphasis, cheeks so flushed his tanned complexion did nothing to hide it. "W-W-Where did you even get that ridiculous idea?!"

"Just said that out of random," Shikamaru shrugged, rubbing the back of his head, the admission earning him a heated scowl from the blonde. He then placed his chin between his thumb and index finger with the same hand in thought. "But you know…"

"What?" Naruto asked a little too defensively, leaning back with his head turned to the side, keeping his gaze on Shikamaru from the corner of his eye, trickles of sweat beginning to trail down his forehead.

Scrutinizing the blonde, Shikamaru's mind harkened back to the odd illustration in their history books and the man's portrait in the Hokage's office. "I mean, the blonde hair, blue eyes can't be that much of a coincidence…"

Naruto, to his credit, genuinely rolled his eyes. "Oh please, Ino could be my sister if that was the case."

All three boys couldn't help but shudder from that thought.

The kid's got good intuition. Just like… "Give it up," Bokomon said in surrender.

Naruto turned to the scholar in shock. "Eh?"

Eyes closed, Bokomon opened them to meet the clan heir's gaze. "You're right. Mostly. It may seem that way, but it goes deeper than that."

"Bokomo-!" The scholar raised a hand up to dissuade Naruto from intervening, stepping forward.

"Legally speaking, I am Naruto's guardian, which should tell you that we're not really blood related…" Bokomon started his confession in a calm and even tone. Naruto could only fidget nervously from this turn of events, leaving Piyomon to direct her attention out into the village again.

"Uh, Naru-Chan, Boko-Chan…"

"...with that said," Bokomon continued. "I've come to see him as my own since I knew his parents, and that I owe it to them from a debt I incurred years ago."

Naruto inwardly perked up. Wait, what? He's… Bokomon was trying to salvage what he could of the charade. Yes, he couldn't have done it better himself; and to his chagrin he really couldn't, but he wasn't going to complain.

"The three of us were friends, and when we fought in the war, had it not been for Naruto's father, I would have been a goner. It was Naruto's mother who tended to my wounds as I was at death's door. For that, I can't ever pay them back. After the war, I had to undertake a mission that involved hunting down nukenin from Konoha that deserted."

"Let me guess, we're not talking about just any run-of-the-mill deserters. These guys committed war crimes, didn't they?" Shikamaru interposed.

Bokomon nodded.

Chōji perked up. "Then, that was…"

The scholar paused for dramatic effect. "After I returned, and heard of the tragedy behind their deaths during the Kyūbi Incident, I knew what I needed to do."

Naruto played along, his demeanor becoming pensive once more, a morose quality to his gaze.

Chōji seemed to be buying it, looking torn, while Shikamaru was the very picture of impassiveness.

"I adopted Naruto, but only as his uncle, since I know I can't ever replace his parents." Bokomon let out a breath. "I decided to retire from active duty and opted to become an instructor at the Academy to stay close to him, and as a way for me to give back. I…" He rubbed at his arm as a show of anxiety to help drive the performance. "But, I don't think I could ever bring back the kind of childhood he should have had."

A stab of sympathy ran through Chōji's heart, feeling ashamed of ever having been suspicious of the man, coming to the poignant realization of the baggage that came with being a veteran.

"Naru-Chan…" Piyomon tugged at the hem of Naruto's shirt, but the boy wordlessly and subtly dismissed her, not being the time.

Shikamaru was only quiet throughout the tangent, expression unwavering. When he sensed that the man was done, Naruto expected another question or more needling. Instead, the heir had only one word to say.

"Okay."

Naruto blinked. "That's it?"

"Yeah."

"Really?!"

"Just one thing."

Naruto and Bokomon exchanged looks, as if needing permission from the other to speak. It was the former who did. "What?"

Shikamaru pointed a finger ahead, and Naruto thought that it was directed at him, until said finger was raised heavenward. Looking up, Naruto and Bokomon blinked in concert at dark clouds having formed overhead.

"Rain?" Naruto wondered. Perhaps it was going to snow to go with the cold spell?

"Look down at the village," Shikamaru told him.

The duo did so.

"WHAT THE WHAT?!"

Their jaws hanging agape, Naruto's right eye twitched as he took stock of his surroundings. "What the hell happened?!"

What was once the sparkling and serene village of Konohagakure now looked like something out of a Post Apocalyptic movie Naruto once caught at a local diner (before some of the patrons took notice of him and shooed him away). The once scattered clouds now cluttered together tightly, totally obscuring the sky and casting them in a gloomy ambience. The treeline, from the bark to the leaves, looked graying and petrified when Shikamaru ran to one and checked, exploring a hand over the gravelly bark. The village below looked worn and ravaged by time, as if they had jumped forward a century. Multicolored stars seemed to dot the scenery all around them.

"Could this be a Genjutsu?" Chōji pondered in distress, taking a few steps back, head whipping about.

"Could be," Shikamaru remarked more calmly. Bringing a hand up, he made the seal for Kai (Illusion Technique Dissipation), proceeding to disrupt his own chakra flow to break out of the illusion. Looking around after doing so, it proved ineffective.

"Bokomon, what the heck is happening?" Naruto hissed frantically to the scholar, who was just as perturbed.

"I don't believe it," Bokomon started in an equally low tone, both of them having stepped away a good distance from the other two and stopping next to Piyomon, who was curiously ogling the dreary backdrop they were now in by Tobirama's head. He gulped down a lump before saying in conclusion, "An AR Field."

"A what?" Naruto snapped his head fully towards him from watching his other friends, who were busy investigating, breaking out into a sweat at their situation.

"To think that-"

"I hear something," Piyomon cut the scholar off, said in a louder tone, enabling Shikamaru and Chōji to catch wind of her words, drawing them near.

"What? What did you hear, Piyomon?" Naruto asked his avian friend.

"Over there." The other four pinned their sights to where the avian pointed, which seemed to be at an area further ahead from where Naruto's apartment was.

"I don't see anything," Naruto said, narrowing his eyes with a hand poised over his brow, until an odd rush of mist sprang up from the area. "Whoa, what's that?"

"A battle," Shikamaru deduced, listening carefully as the dead silence allowed for him to make out the sounds of clashing. "This is bad." Could they have been sent to another dimension by a jutsu? "Let's go check it out."

"You sure, Shika?" Chōji asked warily.

"For all we know, one of our own could be fighting the guy responsible for this," Shikamaru speculated, taking into consideration that they may even be dealing with an invasion. He went deep into thought, sweeping his sights at the now decrepit village devoid of most of its citizens save for them. Why just us? Could there be others? Something wasn't right, as far as everything else was already so wrong, he had a good feeling that there was more to this under the surface. "So yeah, I'm sure. If this is some kind of space time ninjutsu, we have a better chance of getting out of here by making tracks and scouring for clues. Namely…" He pointed to where the alleged battle was taking place, and no sooner than he did, a noise, louder than the last, reached their ears as a building crumbled to make way for…

"What the-! The hell is that?!" Naruto spluttered with a start, pointing at where the doomed foundation was replaced by a massive white plateau, enclosed by a thick cloud that seemed to break up and scatter with the wind. Shikamaru's gaze narrowed when he realized what it was.

"Ice?" The unforeseen cold spell. Either a trickle-down effect or a prep to help facilitate Hyōton (Ice Release) techniques. A very rare Seishitsu Henka (Nature Transformation) that his father had him study on after the corruption in the curriculum had been unveiled. "Okay, either we're being invaded by shinobi from Snow Country; which would be a diplomatic disaster no matter which way this is going to go down, or some rando with a Kekkei Genkai (Bloodline Limit)."

"A carrot cake pie?" Naruto wrongly echoed with a scratch of his head, earning dry stares from both Shikamaru and Chōji.

"Let's just go," Shikamaru said in an irritated tone.

Konoha - Real World

Jōnin on call were milling about the scene where the earlier skirmish had taken place, corralling the odd civilian from intruding. Shikaku was busy barking out orders, directing a number of his men to scour the streets and neighborhoods, with Inoichi questioning any immediate witnesses that managed to catch so much as a passing glimpse of the scuffle. Choza; who Inoichi elected to bring along, was standing next to the Hokage near the entryway of the apartment, inspecting the ice and frost gouging a long furrow that climbed up the stairwell.

"A Hyōton user," Chōza mused, running a hand along a pillar of ice that dented the railing. "I'm not one to jump to conclusions Hokage-sama, but we could be looking at the possibility of shinobi from Snow Country, or at least someone who knows ice release techniques. And, judging from the extent of the damage, they could be at around Jōnin level."

Sarutobi nodded his head gravely, though he and the man knew that it could have only been a Digimon. With Chōza having been inducted by Inoichi into their circle a week earlier, the four of them were keeping up pretenses, but this attack and in the nature that it had been done was not without some substance. Diplomatic ties with Snow Country had gone cold ever since the previous Daimyō had passed away, leaving his younger brother to succeed. Coupled with the disappearance of Kazahana Sōsetsu's only daughter and heir, the political climate there had become fraught with turmoil from the previous regime's loyalists, giving rise to rebellion. Hiruzen had his own reservations on the matter, but in their last summit, Dotō claimed that tensions were dying down as the people were reconciling themselves with his brother's passing, given how popular he was. They had also cracked down on the insurgence, but this only seemed to drive them underground.

"Could this be an attempt by the rebels to seize their hands on our Jinchūriki?" Chōza theorized, dusting his hands from the cold. "Seems a bit much, and I don't think stepping on our toes could spell anything good between our countries."

"Let's worry about politics after the investigation," Hiruzen decreed, to which Chōza could only nod. His eyes shifted to the side, sensing a new and familiar presence from between an alleyway across the apartment building, not bothering to hide. To the others in the immediate vicinity who took notice of her, she was just a curious kunoichi perhaps looking to aid in the investigation, but to the village leader and his former students, she held all the answers they could ever need and then some.

Konoha - AR World

"Snow Punch!" Hyougamon swung a fist at an advancing Guy, forcing the man to double back from a large blast of cold energy heading his way, but he was only a second late as the attack clipped him on the shoulder, knocking him down.

Hyougamon glared at the half frozen man in anticipation, before Guy was shrouded by a cloud of smoke, replaced by a dusty and old mannequin, the new kimono it wore in the human world now a tattered rag unfit for even the most derelict street rat, the shoulder area frosted over.

Hyougamon ground his teeth at these antics. None of his attacks had so much as connected ever since this fight started, and some that seemingly did would be little more than glancing blows, the two being the slippery quarry they were. Just as he was about to assume that he had struck true, either of the duo would evade or be replaced by a rock, a chair, and even a tall lamp. This is driving me crazy! I'm just wasting energy…

He blocked a high kick courtesy of the white haired asshole and countered with a hook from his other arm. It's a good thing this guy doesn't hit as hard as the other- The man spun downward, never losing momentum to dodge his large fist and rounded a lower kick to his knee, too fast for him to react. What the he-?! Smoke enveloped his assailant briefly, before revealing it to be the green bastard.

"Y-You-!" Hyougamon choked in shock and anger.

Guy grinned from his crouched position as the ice ogre couldn't stop from lurching forward, before jumping up to rifle a foot to the giant's descending chin in a vicious kick, sending the creature flying, his own ascent leaving a deep impression on the icy floor.

He's just a bigger target to us, Kakashi thought as he smoothly tagged in with Guy, getting into position behind Hyougamon in midair. And the bigger they are…

Kakashi wound his arms around Hyougamon's waist, which, considering the Digimon's height and frame, wasn't wide enough that he couldn't latch on with a firm grip. If only he could do something about the smell, as his mask was doing nothing to block the putrid stench of body odor that was akin to rotten fish. "Hayabusa Otoshi (Peregrine Falcon Drop)!"

Boosting his strength with enough of his replenished chakra, they sailed past the glacier, the length of the fall intending to maximize the damage as he let go at the last second, allowing the monster to gouge the ground deeply up to his midriff.

Kakashi placed some distance from the site with a flip, joined by Guy. His hands keenly weaved through the seals of Rabbit - Boar - Rat - Horse - Tiger.

"Jiwari no Jutsu (Ground Splitting Technique)!"

Slamming both palms on the ground, the ground beneath their feet rumbled before violently bursting apart, with Kakashi pouring in some additional chakra to apply sections of earth to cocoon the trapped giant for good measure.

But it would prove ineffectual as Hyougamon launched himself from the ground with an ice pillar that rapidly shot out before he could be enclosed, sending him high into the air. After a backflip, he took a deep breath to focus with his arm wound back. "Snow Punch!" He grinned as a sharp glint curled in his eye before punching the air, releasing a barrage of ice spikes heading straight for the duo.

"Of course he can shape his attacks," Kakashi grumbled before he and Guy leapt up into the air in pursuit, weaving and dodging the rain of icicles. Before they did, both he and Guy opened the Second Gate to give themselves a boost, with the Taijutsu Master throttling ahead at breakneck speed. He dug a fist into Hyougamon's stomach, indenting it deeply and causing bile to spew from the giant's mouth.

Sucking in a choppy breath, Hyougamon managed to swing his arm down like a hammer, a direct hit that slammed into Guy's shoulder blade, sending him crashing down into a building. Kakashi, with a Chidori ready, picked up the slack as they were falling.

Hyougamon gyrated away from another electrocution, twisting in midair to swing his meaty arm at the man. Whirling in the opposite direction to let the blow glance past him, Kakashi had drawn out a kunai to nick the ice ogre on the forearm, capitalizing on the momentum.

This is getting fun, Hyougamon thought to himself, the pain failing to register. Too bad it'll be over soon.

Landing on their feet, he smirked when he observed Kakashi stagger.

What? Kakashi's eyes widened as he stumbled to one knee, his vision becoming foggy.

Guy erupted out of the rubble of the now ruined building before pressing a hand on his shoulder to crack his neck, relieving the kinks from the impact. He looked up after dusting himself off to find his rival at a distance, hunched on one knee from across an imposing Hyougamon. He rushed towards him, sensing that something was wrong. "Kakashi!"

Could he have gotten me with poison? Kakashi felt terribly weak, a numbing sensation rapidly washing over him. Wait…could he have…

"What's wrong? Feeling under the weather?" Hyougamon taunted with his widening grin.

"What did you do to him, monster?" Guy demanded after arriving on the scene, his back facing Kakashi as he stood protectively in front of the man.

"A little trick I learned from fighting warm bodied mongoloids for so long," Hyougamon said in a smug manner. "I'm assuming you guys can't stand too much cold, right?"

The only answer Guy could give was his glare deepening as Hyougamon continued. "For someone like me, being in a frozen tundra might as well be a walk in the park on a sunny day, my kind having adapted and thrived in subzero temperatures. You morons, on the other hand," he pointed a clawed finger at them, "haven't."

Kakashi clenched his jaw behind his mask, trying and failing to get back up, losing what remained of his balance and falling forward on the ground. Upon blinking from his position, which was becoming tedious from his muscles atrophying, he took notice of the snow that now peppered their surroundings.

"Body…heat…" he stammered to croak out with a shiver.

As Guy rushed to heave Kakashi's limp body over his shoulders in a bid to retreat, he regarded what was said. "Body heat? Could it be that-?"

"Exactly!" Hyougamon exclaimed triumphantly. "Since the direct approach wasn't working, I decided a change in tactics was in order. What you're feeling right now is a result of me siphoning your body heat. Remember when you punched me, dickhead?"

Guy grit his teeth, already feeling his body becoming sluggish with the added weight.

"And when we did that little dance, fuckface?"

Kakashi flared his chakra to recoup some of his lost heat, but Hyougamon started to march closer, frosting over the ground for every menacing step he took, the Digimon using his cryokinesis faster than the Jōnin could recover. "Through centuries of countless battles, I was able to refine my control over temperature. Think of it like refrigeration, with me acting as the condenser. While intrinsically useless against my fellow cryogenically inclined, it's damn well effective on cocksuckers like you two."

Guy fell on all fours, leaving Kakashi to slide off of him, struggling as he too was pushing what was left of his chakra to try and warm himself, but to no avail as Hyougamon stopped before them, looking down on his prey with smug satisfaction. "Now, I'm not one to gloat, but it sure looks to me that I'm the only one left standing. And soon; which will be right now," he conjured another ice club, bigger than the last he made and riddled with an assortment of thick and sharp spikes, "I'll be the only one left at all."

He lifted the club overhead with both hands, ready to crush them in one fell swoop. "Okay, maybe I do love a little gloating every now and then, but hey, give a guy some credit."

"How about a nice warm campfire instead?"

Hyougamon's eyes widened midswing. Just as the club was a foot away from Guy, who managed to lug his body over Kakashi in a valiant effort to shield the man, a familiar glow of a large fireball ripped through the streets and struck the ogre, the intensity breaking his weapon apart and barreling him back several feet away.

Both Guy and Kakashi, unable to move a muscle, could only hear the frantic pattering of footsteps coming near.

Konoha - Real World

"I see," Hiruzen said, a curled finger on his chin. Anko was standing before him, encircled by Shikaku, Inoichi and Chōza as they congregated in the alley after they cordoned the perimeter and ordered patrols to be on the alert. Whether they were to find anything at all was a matter of insurance in case the perpetrator wasn't alone.

"A post-apocalyptic Konoha in a parallel dimension," Shikaku said with a shaking of the head, his arms folded over his chest. "Just think of the possibilities."

"And the headaches," Inoichi followed, massaging his right temple.

"Right," Shikaku conceded, before shifting his attention back to Anko. "And you're certain our children are still in this Konoha?"

Anko made to answer, hesitating slightly. "They should be, sir. Only those wearing the Digivice -V- can synch into the dimension. At least I hope."

"You hope?" Shikaku needled sternly.

Anko sighed. "It's better to expect the unexpected. Given all the unbelievable crap we've had to deal with today alone, finding them there wouldn't surprise me. To be fair, I'm leading on a hunch here."

Inoichi blinked in comprehension. "Ino!"

"I'm right here."

All heads turned in the direction of the voice, finding Inoichi's daughter standing by the head of the alleyway.

Hiruzen, Shikaku and Chōza regarded the young woman warily, sensing that she wasn't in her proper senses. Inoichi stepped forward. "So, they are in the dimension?"

"Not by their own volition," Ino, or rather, AncientIrismon, dressed in a purple coat with a thick scarf around her neck, answered. "Bokomon and Piyomon, being Digimon, were naturally encapsulated into the AR Field."

"AR Field?" Hiruzen echoed inquisitively.

"Augmented Reality Field. It is a simulated space that is considered habitable to us Digimon."

This shocked the group all around. "Habitable?! That dump is supposed to be habitable to you?" Anko crowed, uncaring how out of turn she spoke in the presence of her superiors, one of which was the girl's father.

"It is a possible scenario with a 98.9% probability, borne out of a simulation where Digimon and humans were to ever come to blows. We would adapt accordingly. Yours would not, if at all."

Hiruzen clenched his jaw as a foreboding trepidation poured over them, while Anko's brows crinkled. The Konoha she emerged from might as well have been a ghost town, bereft of human and animal life, left to rot for decades. That was the fate that awaited them if Digimon were to ever cross over and run roughshod in their world. A thought that chilled them to the bone.

"Why?" Anko asked tersely. "Why that scenario in particular?"

"Our worlds are meant to be separate," AncientIrismon answered. "We were never even meant to reincarnate as humans. We Digimon live at a higher plane of existence, with the forms we take but vessels that you can perceive, with our true forms being our core. Perhaps in the planet's infancy, in an age of mystery, we would have thrived here, but that is no longer the case. The fabric of your reality would not be able to sustain beings that do not fall into the "logic" of this plane, for there are a set of rules to every universe that cater to the prerogative of the most prominent and prosperous of its inhabitants." She pointed a finger at the humans, who stood gobsmacked.

"So, you're saying the physical limitations of our world exist for we exist?" Shikaku surmised, cupping his chin.

"In a world where ninjutsu never came to be, almost none of what you're capable of would even be possible, let alone doable," AncientIrismon expanded. "Somewhere down the line, your world diverged from the root, so to speak, and became its own reality. A branch of a great tree. One of countless. This divergence came with the arrival of the Ohtsutsuki Clan, and ever since, many others have branched out. The AR Field acts as a buffer between our worlds in order to maintain the stability of both. The Digivice -V- merely serves as the key to gain access to it."

Inoichi's stomach rocketed to his throat. He collected himself before once again addressing the entity that was steering his daughter's body. "Why were the boys swept up into this AR Field?"

"Per their own connection to their past lives, the system recognized them as such."

"Why are you still here, then?" Inoichi added in a tentative tone.

AncientIrismon smiled at him and spun on her heel with her hands tucked behind her back, fingers steepled. "I simply chose to remain. This girl isn't quite yet ready. You, on the other hand, better hurry."

"Wait a moment," Hiruzen spoke up, sidling next to Inoichi. "AncientIrismon, I must ask this of you. Are you…"

A taut tension grabbed the chill of the air, the Hokage's retinue hanging on his every word.

"... are you an ally to Konoha?"

AncientIrismon regarded the man with a cryptic sidelong glance. "What an inane thing to ask." Seeing them expectant and the conflict behind her father's eyes, she sighed and averted her gaze to look ahead. "I am only an ally in the sense that here is Yamanaka Ino's home, therefore, she is the one you should be directing that question to." She lifted her head to stare up at the blue sky wistfully for a moment. Her hand rose high overhead, letting a fair breeze sift through her fingers before clenching them.

The change was instantaneous as Shikaku was the first to notice. "The temperature…"

Inoichi gaped. "You…"

"Just a little adjustment to how it should really be today," AncientIrismon said, taking off her own warm apparel to hang them over an arm, revealing a purple short sleeve blouse that she wore underneath.

"Are you saying…you changed the weather?" Chōza asked, barely able to suppress his shock.

"Corrected it, actually," AncientIrismon answered with a sharp inhale of air. "Ah! Feels nice, doesn't it?"

Such a command of the elements. Hiruzen was reminded of AncientGreymon's actions when they were within the space of the seal.

"He always did like to show off," AncientIrismon commented with a grin. "Though, I suppose I'm hardly any better." Hiruzen became flustered from his thoughts being read. "Again, you should hurry."

Anko sighed, brandishing her Digivice -V- in preparation. "She's right. Well, hop on board, gang. The S.S. Anko's shoving off."

All the men crowded a little too eagerly around her right after she said it, having been briefed on what they needed to do. A menacing quality suddenly seized the entire gap of the alleyway, with the kunoichi drawing out a kunai and licking the blade with a sadism that Inoichi was well acquainted with. "Do I even need to say it?"

All four retreated from her, their hands tucked gingerly over their lower area. "No, ma'am."

AncientIrismon waved them farewell. "Good luck."

Inoichi threw one last glance at his daughter, as he and the others were pointedly holding onto Anko's shoulder area, right before her form was overtaken from view by a rush of pixels.

Author's Notes: Took a mild vacation during the holidays, and in retrospect, I needed a break.