Hiruzen
"Hmmmmmm," hummed Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage of Konoha, as he continued staring at the images coming through his chakra powered crystal ball. He had his pipe between his lips while taking a deep breath; he was simply amazed at what he just learned. It was a while ago that he retrieved the crystal ball from its hiding place. He wanted to check-in on the various rookie teams carrying out missions, especially Team Seven. He really wanted to focus on both Naruto and Sasuke, since this was their first-Class C mission. Deciding to look in on Team Seven first, he pushed his chakra into the ball, which then activated. And by the time the crystal ball was activated, Hiruzen was able to watch the battle on the bridge.
He had seen Sasuke attacked by Haku followed by Naruto's reaction to the Uchiha's supposed death. Hiruzen had to admit he was concerned about Naruto accessing the power of the Kyuubi in anger before releasing a sigh of relief when the boy regained control over his emotions. It would be several minutes later that the battle was over with Haku, the ice user, and Zabuza dead as were Gato and his goons. Hiruzen thought Team Seven had a successful, and eventful, mission and was about to switch his focus to another Rookie team on the crystal ball when the view on the ball switched to showing two people falling out of, what appeared to be, a tear in the sky high above the clouds.
Surprised at what he was being shown, Hiruzen could only watch helplessly as the two people were tumbling out of the tear and falling uncontrollably down towards the bridge and certain death. It would be a few seconds later the two people held onto each other as they fell through the air. They were falling so fast that he couldn't get a good look at the two of them, all he could see was blonde hair on one person and pink hair on the other. His eyes opened wide once Hiruzen had an idea of their identities – no matter how impossible it seemed. But it was only when the both of them gently landed on the bridge did he confirm the two of them were an older Naruto and Sakura.
He was curious about the momentary yellow glow which surrounded Naruto for a few seconds, but that was one question which could be answered later. The moment Hiruzen confirmed the two were an older Naruto and Sakura, he activated the privacy seals around his office. Hiruzen watched with bated breath everything that happened from the moment the two teens lost consciousness to the moment Tsunade and Shizune reached Tazuna's home and to the point when Ino realized the truth about Naruto.
'Ino-chan is smart,' Hiruzen thought while staring at the surprised look on the Yamanaka's face, 'she put two and two together. Of course, meeting with the older Naruto helped I suppose.' Hiruzen smoked his pipe while thinking, 'Inoichi, and all the others who have known Minato and Kushina personally would be able to recognize them in Naruto. They have been unable to do anything only because the council and I ordered them not to interfere.' Hiruzen sighed while watching young Shikamaru approached Ino before she could excitedly blurt out the truth about Naruto and then took her to the side.
'Young Shikamaru knows the truth,' Hiruzen thought to himself, 'and if he is from the future… or rather, if his spirit was sent back to the past by the Sage of Six Paths… then that would mean the older Sakura knows of Naruto's burden too.' He could see that Shikamaru and older Sakura were protective of Naruto, as was Tsunade. He could only infer that the three of them, and perhaps more, know the truth about Naruto, 'and they still protect him… they still care for him.' Hiruzen would ask the three of them once they return to Konoha. Yes, that is what he would do.
Hiruzen leaned back on his chair. He had listened to Tsunade explain what happened in the future and he listened to Sakura's initial plan; and he agreed with the both of them. He also agreed with Shikamaru and his idea to wipe out the memories of this moment from the younger versions of Ino, Choji, Sakura and Sasuke. Hiruzen closed his eyes as he recalled Tsunade telling Asuma that he would die during the Chuunin exam. And Hiruzen felt a sting on his chest when he once again recalled hearing that Asuma had died in the future… despite understanding that they were shinobi and, as such, were in danger of dying during missions. Still, Hiruzen still felt upset at the news his son had died in a different timeline.
Sighing, Hiruzen would not wait to hear from Tsunade. He did agree with his former student; that changing the future too early would mean they lose control of what would happen. 'We will speak when Tsunade arrives,' Hiruzen thought before he shifted his gaze towards the top drawer on his left side, 'perhaps it's time to finally make my selection for the next Hokage.' He pulled out the drawer and then reached in to grab one of two scrolls which were already prepared for the very moment when he would announce his retirement and announce his successor.
While, in ordinary situations, Hiruzen would talk to his successor about taking over, this time was different. He could see in Tsunade's eye that she wanted to be the Hokage. Hiruzen felt good about what he was about to do… he always felt either Jiraiya or Tsunade would be up to the challenge of being Hokage. And given that Tsunade had already been the Hokage. Hiruzen felt confident as he unfurled the scroll and signed his name. He folded the scroll once again before taking a piece of paper with the Hokage's letter head and proceeded to pen a note to the Daimyo.
It took a few minutes to complete the handwritten note and for the ink to dry. All he had written was that Tsunade would be the best choice for Hokage and that he would be making the announcement of his retirement at the beginning of the second stage of the Chuunin Exams. Hiruzen smiled to himself, 'Tsunade and the older Sakura should have returned to Konoha by then.' Once the letter was dry, Hiruzen tied it to the scroll… but not before sealing the scroll and the message. He then got off his chair, and then walked around the table before summoning Enma, the Monkey King.
"Saru," the armoured Monkey spoke in a gruff tone while standing over Hiruzen as he looked around with narrowed eyes. He then snorted before looking down towards the Hokage, "you are not in a great battle, I do not see any injuries on you. Why have you summoned me."
"I have a mission for you, Enma," Hiruzen said as he handed the Summon both the scroll and the message tied together. Enma looked at the object in his large hands before looking at Hiruzen with a look of confusion, "a classified mission to the Daimyo." Before Enma could say anything Hiruzen continued, "in the message I have introduced you and have requested that you would be acting as messenger on my behalf."
"I am not a messenger service, Saru," Emna growled.
Hiruzen nodded his head, "I know." He recalled what Tsunade, Naruto, and Sakura have already hinted about his ANBU… that it could be compromised. "Ordinarily I would send my ANBU, but I have reason to believe it may be compromised."
Hiruzen saw Enma widen his eyes in surprise before the latter said, "Saru, if you are in danger…"
"I am not worried about assassination, Enma," Hiruzen said while, in the back of his mind, he recalled what happened many years ago when Kakashi was asked to help in Danzo's plan to assassinate him. He already threatened Danzo with death, indirectly, if he ever tried anything so foolish again. And Danzo hadn't tried. 'But he dug in his Root spies into my ANBU… into my domain. I will speak to Tsunade about this as well when she returns. But in the meantime…'
Hiruzen sat on the edge of his desk and spoke, "I am concerned more about information getting into the wrong hands." HE then pointed at the objects in Enma's hand, "and the information in that scroll and message is priceless. Only the Daimyo can open them, understand?"
Enma nodded his head.
Hiruzen then said, "thank you, old friend. Now go."
Emna placed the scroll and the message in a pouch before he vanished in a puff of smoke. Looking back at the crystal ball, Hiruzen could feel his heart racing. The future was coming… and they – the village – needed to be prepared.
Shikamaru
Once they were some distance away, he stopped pulling Ino and turned towards her with his hands slipped into his pockets. Glancing over her shoulder, he caught sight of the confused expression on Naruto's face as he stared at him. Shikamaru watched as the young Naruto turned when Shizune said something – they were out of earshot by now so one could hear what was being said. Shikamaru could only guess at the young Naruto's thought, but the latter was distracted at the sight of the Older Naruto and Sakura walking towards them with Tsunade on Sakura's left side.
His eyes shifted towards Sasuke looking at them, he couldn't be sure from this distance if the Uchiha had his Sharingan activated or not. And that was another reason for having the excitable Ino facing away from Sasuke, Shikamaru didn't want the latter using his Sharingan to read her lips. And from where he was standing, Shikamaru could see if Sasuke was looking their way, and if he was then Shikamaru could just shut up.
"You know…" Ino said as she stared at Shikamaru with eyes wide open, "you know… you know that Naruto looks just like the Yondaime. You know that…"
"Ino," Shikamaru said calmly, "I need you to keep it down."
Ino excitedly replied while waving her arms, "Shika, this… this is like… by gods this is news. Naruto is the son of the Yondaime… he is… wow… I mean I've seen pictures of my dad, your dad, and Choji's dad hanging out with the Yondaime. But I didn't see how Naruto looked like the Yondaime until I saw the older version of Naruto."
Shikamaru closed his eyes and shook his head, "troublesome."
"Naruto told everyone he's an orphan and that he doesn't know his parents….." Shikamaru watched as Ino dragged out the word "Parents" before turning back at Naruto in surprise. She then spun back to Shikamaru with eyes wide open and said, "he doesn't know?" Shikamaru pressed hi lips together as Ino came to the realization on her own that Naruto Truely didn't know the identity of his parents. He listened silently as Ino demanded to know why Naruto wasn't told, that it was cruel not to tell him, and that he need to know. At the last statement, Shikamaru reached out and gently grabbed Ino's left upper arm and said, "he can't know, Ino. It's dangerous knowledge, and…"
"Yo!"
Shikamaru was focused on Ino and forgot to watch the Older Naruto running toward them while waving his hand. He glanced behind the older Naruto where the younger version was looking at his older self rushing towards them. Shikamaru watched at the younger Naruto then turn and look up at Tsunade while Sasuke and Sakura were speaking to the older Sakura. He saw Kakashi, Tsunade, Shizune, and Asuma speaking to one another before returning his focus to the older Naruto who was stepping up to standing next to Ino. Shikamaru wanted to snort in laughter when he noticed Ino blushing after she looked up at Naruto and then immediately looked away while tucking a strand of her hair behind her right ear.
'Troublesome,' Shikamaru thought before looking up at Naruto.
"My Chibi-self was excitedly saying he has a date with Ino," older Naruto said while turning his head towards Ino who was looking at the wooden deck, her face turning redder by the second. Naruto chuckled before turning towards Shikamaru and continued, "Sakura… I mean the older one… our one I mean… she figured that Ino found out something so she asked me to come here and talk to you guys."
"She saw you, and realized the Yondaime was your father," Shikamaru said as Ino nodded her head after looking up at the older Naruto.
"Ooooooooooh," Naruto drawled while rubbing the back of his head nervously.
Shikamaru knew that Ino, at this age and point in her life, was very shallow. He was aware Ino was now interested in Naruto only because he was the Yondaime's son. That was the only reason. Ordinarily, if Ino hadn't publicly told the younger Naruto that the latter would be taking her out on a date, Shikamaru would have told Ino not to say anything. He would have told her that Naruto would be hurt if he ever found out that she was interested in him only because his father was the Yondaime. And he knew Naruto would find out the truth one day. But his thoughts were interrupted when he heard Ino asking Naruto, "it's really true, isn't it."
"Yeah," the older Naruto answered.
"I was telling Ino," Shikamaru jumped in, "that she can't tell your younger self about the Yondaime."
"And I say…"
"Ino-chan," older Naruto said before he looked over at his younger self speaking to Kakashi. He turned back towards Ino and continued to speak, "you can't."
"But…"
"Trust me, I know its unfair," older Naruto gently spoke, "but I also remember how I was at his age. If I knew who my parents were, I would scream their names from the rooftops. You… you do not really know everything about my life during and before the Academy; trust me, I would want people to know the Yondaime was my father."
Shikamaru also silently agreed. He had seen how Naruto was treated by the villagers when they were much younger. As a teenager, he had regret that they weren't closer when they were younger. After it was revealed that the Yondaime was the father to the Hero of Konoha, Shikamaru asked Shikaku why he had not helped Naruto. The answer was that the Sandaime ordered all who knew Minato personally to not reveal the truth to the boy for his own safety. The village hated Naruto. They ignored him. He wasn't beaten or anything… instead he was the village pariah. So of course the younger Naruto would scream the truth of his parentage to all those who shunned him.
"Or I…. I mean the younger me… would blurt out the truth during a mission," Naruto said, his words forcing Shikamaru to refocus on what he was saying while speaking to Ino, "Ino-chan, when I found out about my parents, I was angry. Trust me, hiding something that important…"
"You were very angry," Ino answered.
"I also realized there must have been a reason why they were hidden from me," Naruto continued, "so I asked Kakashi-sensei." Naruto took a breath before saying, "he knew it was likely I would blurt out my parents' identities. He didn't want any spies in the village to get that information… especially spies from Iwagakure and Kumogakure. Kakashi-sensei told me that my parents made many enemies during the war, and most were from Iwa and Kumo."
"You mean the Sandaime was afraid Iwa and Kumo would go to war?" Ino asked.
"No," Naruto shook his head, "Kakashi-sensei told me the Sandaime wasn't worried about another war. He said that the Kage's from Iwa and Kumo wouldn't go to war over one child… but there could be rogue shinobi who would assassinate me if they knew I was my parents' son."
"And the Yondaime killed a lot of enemy shinobi during the Third Great War," Shikamaru said, "makes a lot of enemies."
"That's why you can't tell him, Ino-chan," Naruto said before Ino sighed and nodded her head. It was just about this time that there was another "Yo!" The three of them stared at Asuma, Kakashia, and Tsunade walking towards them with Kakashi waving his hand. Shikamaru had seen Asuma, Kakashi, and Tsunade speaking together so he wondered if there was a sudden change in plans.
Asuma was the first to speak, "we've talked about changing some parts of the plan. Team Ten will be moving out now." Shikamaru nodded his head as Asuma continued, "the bridge should be done in under a week or so. The older Sakura said that Tam Seven remained until the bridge was completed."
"That's right," Naruto nodded.
Tsunade turned towards Naruto and said, "you, Sakura, and I will be moving out with Team Ten. I spoke with Shizune and she agreed to stay behind and care for the injured. She'll begin training the younger Sakura in medical ninjutsu too."
"Having the three of you here, together with your younger selves would cause a lot of gossip in the village," Kakashi said, "so far only Tazuna, Tsunami, and Inari know about the three of you… if more people find out… rather if more people gossip about you, the whispers could get to any spies of Danzo's following us to keep an eye on Sasuke and Naruto."
"Leaving here today would keep the timeline relatively intact," Tsunade said, "but we'll have to change our appearances for the time-being."
"So, the three of you will be using henge?" Shikamaru asked.
"No," Tsunade said, "Any shinobi worth their salt would be able to sense a henge." Tsunade looked at Naruto and a smirk formed, "Sakura would be cutting her hair, colouring it, and her seal would be covered by the headband. And as for you? You would also be cutting your hair short… very short…"
Shikamaru glanced at the terrified look on Naruto's face along with hearing the chuckle from Ino, Asuma, and Kakashi as Tsunade continued, "you'll be colouring it and… well, we'll be using some make-up to hide your facial marks."
"Nooooo!" Naruto exclaimed as he covered his whiskers with one hand and another hand grabbing his hair, "there has to be something else we can do."
"No," Tsunade said, "once we return to Konoha, then the two of you can grow out your hair."
"Ugh!" Naruto exclaimed. Shikamaru chuckled as well. And it would be after Naruto and Sakura returned to Tazuna's house that Team Ten prepared to leave. The new plan involved Naruto, Sakura, and Tsunade leaving once the teens had completed their makeovers. As he ran off with his teammates and sensei, Shikamaru looked back at Tazuna's house before looking back towards Ino and then towards Choji. Taking a deep breath, Shikamaru centered himself. They were fighting for the future now. They were going to do everything to stop the war.
Teen Naruto, four hours later
Naruto ran his hand over his short… very short… black hair with a look of consternation on his face. He liked the way his hair used to me; after all, it looked just like his fathers. And as he looked into the mirror, he stared at the spaces where his facial marks used to be; they were now covered by some of Tsunami's makeup. He was actually surprised the coverup looked so natural, 'well, people wouldn't recognize me I suppose.' Sighing, Naruto turned around when he heard Sakura and Tsunade calling for him. Walking out of the room in a change of clothes; he borrowed some of Tazuna's which were a little loose fitting while his original set were in a backpack slung over his shoulder. Stepping into the hallway, he strode towards the living room where Sakura who had cut her black hair and also wearing a change of clothes were waiting alongside Tsunade.
"Tsunade-baachan, Sakura-chan, you ready?"
"We're waiting for you," Sakura said before she and the others turned towards Kakashi, and the younger Team Seven, "we'll see you in Konoha in a few months."
"And I want to know all the new jutsu's I've learned," young Naruto excitedly exclaimed.
Older Naruto could only smile and nod his head; after all, he knew that Kakashi would be using his Sharingan to wipe their minds of the past day's events. He also felt sorry for his younger self since the latter seemed to be looking forward to his date with Ino. In fact, the younger Naruto had been asking the younger Sakura about what he should do for a date. But now all his planning did not matter since the younger Naruto would not even remember there was a date with Ino.
"And I want to know more about how I beat Itachi," Sasuke said, determination etched on his face, "I want to know everything."
"Yeah, sure," Naruto answered while Sakura averted her eyes from Sasuke. And that was a question that Sasuke would not remember to ask since his memories would be wiped. Oddly enough, the younger Sakura did not ask anything. Although Naruto did notice her glancing at him before she looked away.
"Tsunade-sama," Shizune said, "I'll meet you in Konoha in a few months."
Tsunade nodded her head before saying, "talk to Sarutobi-sensei about putting you on his personal medical staff until I get back. If he asks why I haven't travelled with you, tell him I've gone gambling somewhere and ordered you back to Konoha."
"You really think he'll believe that, Tsunade-sama?" Kakshi asked.
"Most likely not," Tsunade replied, "he'll probably have a team escort you to Yugakure to drag me back to Konoha. But I trust you to convince him that I'll return on my own after my 'gambling' session."
"Yugakure?" Shizune asked. Naruto could see the same look on the others as well. But he knew why Tsunade mentioned the place also known as the Village of Hot Springs. It was tourism season at the Village, which meant there would be a multitude of pretty women in the many hot springs in that village, which in turn meant…
"Ero-sennin," Naruto chuckled before Kakashi and the younger Team Seven looked at him. In the meantime, Tsunade and Sakura chuckled too at Jiraiya's nickname.
"Ero-sennin?" Kakshi asked confused.
This time Shizune also chuckled once she realized who Naruto was talking about. Naruto listened as Tsunade explained, "Jiraiya will be there. It's the start of the tourist season, and given the number of natural hot springs and the many onsen there, it's a natural place for Jiraiya's proclivities."
"Huh?" younger Sakura and Sasuke asked.
"What's proclivities? And why are you meeting a pervert?"
Teen Naruto glanced at Teen Sakura who was staring at him with a look that said, "you were his student." He rolled his eyes before sticking his tongue out at Sakura while Tsunade explained that they would meet with Jiraiya, tell him the truth about their situation, and then return to Konoha while coming up with a plan. After some goodbyes between them, Teen Naruto and the other time-travellers left Tazuna's home and made their way out of the Land of Waves and towards Jiraiya.
TBC
