Narumi; Alternate Reality.
"This is where you will be staying for now," Sai spoke as he opened the door to the VIP room after a few minutes of walking side by side in silence. Narumi was led into the empty room - a room she was familiar with since she would sometimes spend time in this very place to be closer to her mother when the latter would work late into the night during the first year of accepting the Hokage position. Narumi would go to sleep being tucked in by Sakura before she left for her duties; and then in the morning, she would fin Sakura sleeping next to her on the single bed.
Thinking about Sakura pained Narumi's heart as she looked around the room. It looked exactly the same with three windows along the curved wall looking out towards the village – a village that looked much more futuristic than the Konoha she knew. She then wondered how long it had been since the war ended. Narumi then nodded her head while Sai asked Narumi if he really did know him and his family. Narumi turned around, her eyes passing the single bed in the corner of the room and the wooden table and chair next to it, before she laid eyes on Sai once again.
Narumi began by saying that she knows him since he was one of Sakura's friends, "and you drew a few pictures of mama and papa together during missions from memory." Sai then asked in a confused tone why Sakura would want paintings. Narumi had a sad smile on her face while clasping her hands low together and said, "mama wanted more pictures of papa for me. And since she did not take a lot of pictures with him, she wanted you… or the Sai-san I know… to paint a few pictures."
"I take it that I… or rather my alternate…" Sai clarified, "painted those pictures from memory?"
Narumi nodded her head before saying, "those were some of the first pictures mama showed me of Papa. There were a few other pictures too like the one for the memorial alter at home, but those paintings are the first time I saw Papa's face," Narumi then turned towards the windows in the room while pushing aside the memory of Sakura carrying her in one arm while pointing at a painting that hung just above the memorial alter in their home. Taking a good look outside the window, Narumi wanted to change the subject… it was just upsetting to her to be in a place where her father existed but, at the same time, he wanted her father. 'Even Mama's married someone else,' Narumi thought while saying, "Konoha looks so different."
"A lot of changes took place after the war ended," Sai said as Narumi walked towards one of the three large windows that looked out towards the lights of the village. She watched the flat panel screens in the distance flashing with advertisements before turning back towards Sai who asked "how… how long has it been since the war ended for you?"
"It's been about fifteen years," Narumi said before she unclasped her hands and motioned towards the window behind her, "I was born nine months… give or take… after Mama killed the Uchiha."
Narumi noticed that Sai flinched for a second after saying "Uchiha" before he nodded his head and said, "you should get some sleep. I'm sure the Hokage would begin looking into how we can help you find a way home tomorrow." Sai then formed a small smile before saying that someone would be coming to take her blood for testing tomorrow as well.
"How… how long has it been since the war here?" Narumi asked after saying that she understood and wondered if Tsunade would be the one drawing blood. The questions she really wanted to ask were, 'how long has papa been married? Is he happy? How old are his children? How about mama? Who did she marry? Does she have kids? Is she happy? Is she alive?' However, Narumi figured that the answers would just begin breaking her heart. Any other mental questions stopped when Sai said that the war ended over twenty-five years ago.
'So, this is the future of an alternate reality?' Narumi thought to herself while saying in surprise, "oh!"
"I am certain there will be many questions for you tomorrow from myself, Shikamaru, and the Hokage," Sai then added, "but for now, you should rest."
"Ummm…" Naruto hummed just as Sai was about to turn for the door knob. At hearing her, Sai turned and asked if there was anything she needed. "Well, I am kind of…" It was then that Narumi's stomach growled causing her to flinch in embarrassment as she continued to say, "hungry."
"I will bring some food for you," Sai said nodding his head with a slight chuckle, "I take it Sakura has you on a healthier diet than ramen?"
Narumi smiled slightly before saying she still prefers chashu ramen but also likes eating sushi and anything that was barbequed, "maybe some ramen from Ichiraku's? I mean there is an Ichiraku's here, right?"
"There is," Sai nodded his head with a tilt of the head and a small smile, "I'll get some ramen for you. But I am afraid I will not be able to join you."
"I understand, Sai-san," Narumi said before Sai turned around to open the door before closing it behind him once he stepped out of the room.
Once the door closed shut following Sai's promise to return as soon as possible, Narumi's mind went back to the look of confusion - a look that became one of worry - on Sakura's face when she rushed into Narumi's room back in their own reality. Narumi felt a pain in her chest at the thought of her mother being worried about her. And then her mind went back to the stinging sensation on the right side of her neck. She wondered what that was about but supposed she would have to ask Sakura - her Sakura - about it later.
'Or maybe Tsunade-baachan can take a look.'
Narumi stared at the closed door and then at the bed; it was slightly different than the one she was used to – the sheets were green instead of red. The frame was metal instead of being made of redwood. She walked towards the bed and then sat down slowly before placing her hands on her knees. 'What did I do?' she thought to herself before raising her head to look out the window and at the stars in the sky, 'Mama…'
She then turned her head away from the window and lay down on the bed. Once her head hit the pillow, Narumi felt tears gathering in her eyes. 'Mama…' She placed her left arm over her closed eyes as tears streamed down the sides of her face. She was alone… alone among people she didn't know or were close to even though she knew their faces. All she could do now was wait for her food, and then she would try to get some sleep.
She turned her palm facing up and then channelled some chakra. A seal glowed for a few seconds before fading away. Narumi knew the seal contained a special present to be used in the even of any emergency. And while it can't help her get back home, the object within the seal could help in this world that was largely unknown to her. She then closed her eyes and thought, 'Mama.'
The Konoha Medical Center.
"Report," a female voice whispered while staring at the examination of three bodies – still breathing but their movements restrained via the seals on their bodies - by groups of personnel in medical gowns. A few steps behind the female, a porcelain masked figure was on his knee with his head bowed low, his hand rolled into a fist and pressed hard against his armoured chest.
The viewing room where they were located was silent. Only the smell of antiseptic hung in the air. It would be a few seconds after the woman spoke that the masked figured gave his answer.
"Ma'am," the muffled voice spoke, "there was an incident at the Hokage tower."
The female figure's shoulders tensed before she looked over her left shoulder. Her dark grey brown hair was cut to her shoulders and bopped when she turned around to face the masked figure.
"Well?" the woman said as she moved her arms behind her back until her hands clasped each other, "what happened? Did the idiot do something he wasn't supposed to do? After all his regaling of peace between nations, what is about to betray Konoha?"
"A girl appeared several minutes ago on the roof of the Hokage Tower," the masked figure said to the woman's surprise, "a girl claiming to be the daughter of Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura from another world." The female figure's eyebrows went up to her forehead in surprise before asking if this was a joke. The masked figure responded by saying, "no, ma'am. The Hokage believes her. He even put her up at the Hokage tower and he will have Tsunade-sama run a blood test tomorrow."
The surprise on the woman's face stayed for a few seconds before she pressed her lips together and frowned at this development. "Ummm," the figure shook her head and then turned around to look through the large window at the three bodies which were now being injected with a white goo from hoses attached to the wall on the left and right sides of the examination room, "another world? A daughter of the Kyuubi Jinchuriki and the second slug princess?"
"Yes."
The woman wondered if the concept of there being a traveller from another world was even possible. And if it was, then this child of the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki and the Godaime's protégé would be a potentially powerful offspring. After all, she ran tests on both Boruto and his sister after they were born and they had the potential to be powerful shinobi. And now, here was an opportunity to study the DNA of an offspring between two of the most powerful people on the planet.
"I want the girls' blood test results…" the woman said as she looked over her shoulder with a cold stare, "notify our contacts in the Medical Center to bring me the data as soon as the results are available."
"Yes, Ma'am."
"Then I will decide on the next course of action."
The woman then turned her attention to the bodies on the other side of the one-way window. The masked figure nodded his head and then vanished just before one of the bodies started to shake. The woman formed a smile on her face as she whispered, "wake up… come on… wake up and show me the future."
One of the bodies, which was still secure on the table, stopped moving just as the other two began convulsing. In the meantime, the medical personnel were turning the tables – and the bodies as a result - to an upright position. The other two were screaming in pain just as the first one opened his eyes with a blank expression on his face. The woman behind the window grinned at the Sharingan looking back at her before her eyes shifted towards the other two.
'The future of a strong Konoha lies right here,' the woman thought as two more pairs of sharingan were staring back at her. She then turned around and walked out of the room, and into the brightly lit hallway. She closed the door behind her before turning left and then moving towards another door at the end of the hallway. 'Konoha failed my grandfather…,' she thought upon pressing numbers into a numerical keypad before there was a 'click' and the door unlocked itself.
Opening the door, she entered another hallway where there were thick panes of one-way glass on either side – beyond the glass were alcoves full of sleeping bodies, 'he wanted peace. And even though we have peace now, it is only fleeting. True peace lies with the subjugation or destruction of the other villages. The subjugation of all future threats sure to rise once the next two or three generations die off.' She walked past the sleeping figures towards another door. She then bit her thumb and placed the bleeding digit on the middle of the door.
A seal glowed for an instant before the door opened by itself. The woman strode into the observation room and stopped at the large window that looked down at several people in white lab coats using the computers and other medical equipment – they were working on blood and other fluids from the nine figures who were seated on nine chairs situated in the middle of nine similar seals. Even the seals around the walls of the room were dimly glowing since they were constantly hiding the chakra of the nine figures in the large examination room from the outside world.
'The war left remains of Bijuu chakra all over the place,' the woman thought to herself as her eyes focused on the nine, 'it took time to cultivate the chakra but we did it.' A smile formed once again on her lips when she recalled the other test subjects in this underground laboratory, 'DNA and chakra samples from the wounded were used to replicate Clan Techniques and other Jutsu to create the perfect army. One that, when ready, would answer to me.' And only her. She was going to do what her grandfather could never do… she would gain control of the village and save it from itself.
Her eyes were now affixed on a dark brown haired young man who was looking up at her with a snarl on his face. She didn't look away; instead their eyes were locked. The young man closed his eyes before opening them to reveal red slits staring back at her.
'Yes,' the woman thought as her grin widened to show off her bright white teeth, 'the perfect weapons under the nose of the idiot Hokage and his traitor ally. And it is all thanks to the secret seals of the Uzumaki clan… the ones my father spent the better part of ten years retrieving after the war in order to hide away this operation .'
It was just a matter of time before she made her move. Root had lost its original leader and back-up weapon – the latter being the one now known as Sumire and Nue – but all was not lost. New plans were already set to go from the moment Nue was defeated. In fact, plans to launch a coup began ever since the fourth war ended. But it had to be one that was completely unexpected.
However, with the arrival of this new variable – the coming of the girl from another reality - it was best to take a wait and see. The woman thought to herself, 'perhaps the girl could be of some use.'
Naruto
Naruto stood at the topmost step leading to the front door of his house. His mind was occupied the entire time he spent walking home; he could only think about Narumi and how she was a daughter he could have had if things had gone very differently. In fact, there was a part of him that wanted to go to Sakura and Sasuke and tell them about what happened. Now, even as he silently stared at the door with the welcome light brightening the front door, Naruto still had the urge to head back to the Hokage Tower and bring Narumi back to stay with him and his family temporarily. But there was a part of him that kept on yelling that he still needed to be careful - this part of him was the one that agreed with Shikamaru and Sai. Naruto knew that Narumi's presence needed to be a secret, at least for now. But still, she was his daughter.
'She's not a White Zetsu construct… I would know since no one knows the story of my nightmare,' Naruto thought as he opened the door and stepped into the dimly lit foyer – the rest of the house was partially dark by now. He could sense that Himawari and Boruto's chakra's were calm and steady; it was an indication that the two of them were asleep. As he put his sandals away and put on the house slippers, Naruto could hear the 'clink' of utensils being put away in the kitchen. 'Hinata's still awake and probably finishing up the dishes,' Naruto thought as he walked towards the warm orange light shining down on the hallways wooden floor coming from the living room. 'Hinata… I told her everything about… well… everything.' Naruto then gently spoke; he said that he was home once he had turned left and walked through the entryway towards the main living room. As he walked down the tiled floor, he caught a glance of the entryway into the kitchen to his right side where an apron wearing Hinata was wiping a plate dry with a piece of cloth before looking up at Naruto.
"I'm home," he said in a gentle voice once again so as not to wake Boruto and Himawari. Hinata smiled – oh how he loved that smile – just before he thought to himself, 'the nightmare was so real to me at the time and… and I didn't want to tell Hinata since… well… since she didn't need to think that my mind was still on Sakura-chan.'
"Welcome home, dear," Hinata smiled as she put away the last plate before reaching behind her back to take off the apron. Once she put the apron way, she walked towards Naruto. He could see the sparkle in the eyes of his wife; a sparkle that existed even after many years of marriage. Naruto stepped to one side and put his arm around her shoulders before the two of them walked out of the kitchen and towards the living room. As they passed the dining table and chairs, Hinata said "Boruto said you had to leave quickly, is everything alright?"
'An alternate version of myself had a daughter with Sakura-chan and she is in one of the VIP rooms,' Naruto thought to himself as he sat down on the couch with his wife. As the both of them leaned back, Hinata placed her head on his shoulder. Taking in a deeper breath, Naruto whispered, "I think things are going to be okay. Something… or rather someone popped up unexpectedly. I had to deal with this person and… well… she's resting now."
"Someone from a long-term mission?" Hinata asked as she looked up towards his face.
"Yea, but… yeah, I mean I can't really say anything else…" Naruto whispered as her rubbed her arm with his hand.
Hinata smiled before saying, "I understand. Thanks for doing your best, Naruto-kun."
The two of them sat for some time on the couch before Hinata yawned. Naruto, who was wondering how Hinata, Sasuke, and Sakura would take the news, then wondered how Boruto, Himawari, and Sarada would feel about having a sister from another world. Of course, he knew that telling his family and close friends about Narumi's origins were a big no-no, at least for now. But he couldn't help wondering. When Hinata yawned, he broke out of his own thoughts of Hinata welcoming Narumi to their home and rubbed her arm with his one arm still wrapped around her shoulder.
"Let's get some sleep?" Naruto asked gently. Hinata yawned once again before a smile formed on her face. Lifting her head off his shoulder, she then turned towards him and smiled. As the both of them stood up off the couch and then moved to turn off the lights in the room, Naruto reminded himself that he needed to set aside some time to train Boruto. He also mentally reminded himself of the need to send a message to Tsunade so that she would meet him tomorrow morning.
'I'll do all that after I wake up tomorrow,' Naruto thought to himself.
Kakashi, thirty minutes away from the main gate.
It lasted for only a few seconds as Team Seven neared the main gate into Konoha after the mission to the Land of Waves. It seemed only hours ago that there was a sudden feeling of light-headedness as Kakashi stumbled forwards before he fell to the dirt covered ground. He could only helplessly watch as his three Genin stumbled in all directions before falling to the ground as well before he felt his eyes being forced shut. And then there was darkness.
And then, just like a quick nap, Kakashi snapped his eyes open and found himself lying on his side. He didn't feel light headed any longer as he got up on one knee while his Genin too groaned while stirring before snapping their eyes open and then sitting up.
"What... what happened?" Sakura asked while she looked around. At the same time, Naruto and Sasuke looked up with a confused expression on their faces. "Naruto? Sasuke-kun?"
"How long were we out?" Sasuke asked rubbing his head as he ignored Sakura's question.
"Yea," Naruto agreed with Sasuke's question while he rubbed the back of his head, "it's dark now."
It was something that Kakashi was just beginning to mentally ask himself. It was only a few seconds ago that they were walking under the hot sun and now it was night with a bright glow emanating the direction of Konoha in the distance. His eyes narrowed as he got up to his feet while the Genin were loudly wondering what was going on when their eyes were fixed onto the light reflecting onto the clouds above in the distance..
'It's too bright,' Kakashi thought to himself as he stared at the light reflecting off the clouds. There was too much light in Konoha. It was a strange detail to notice, but Kakashi was aware that the village, even in peace time, should not stand out like it was doing now at night. It was as if the village was a beacon for their enemies; it was contrary to being a Hidden Village.
"Is it just me or is there something not right about that?" Naruto asked as he pointed at the light in the distance.
Kakashi nodded his head just before he moved into a defensive stance and took out a kunai from his hip pouch. He felt chakra signatures all around him before saying, "we're surrounded." And this was very unusual, Team Seven were thirty minutes away from Konoha and they were being surrounded by unknowns. 'Where's the ANBU and the Perimeter Guards? Chakra like this should have already be noticed by them.' As Kakashi looked around, Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto took out their kunai as well with the latter using his Kage Bunshin to create more clones that surrounded the team.
It was just then that Kakashi saw a figure land a few meters away from him – blocking the way towards Konoha - wearing the armour and porcelain mask of Konoha Anbu. The Jonin then saw more Anbu surrounding them accompanied with a few from the Perimeter Guard corp. Kakashi sensed hesitation and surprise from the Anbu and Shinobi surrounding them while Naruto was exclaiming that they were friendly and not enemies.
"Whoever you are," the Anbu in front of him – one with faded brown hair and a rabbit mask – said as he reached back and took out his sword, "did you really think the perimeter guards wouldn't notice your disguises?"
"Disguises?" Kakashi whispered more to himself than anything.
"Ummm, we're Team Seven," Sakura said pointing to herself and then motioning towards the rest of her team. AS protection, there were three of Naruto's clones in front of her acting as a buffer between her and the Shinobi who had taken out their own kunai, "we're not disguises."
Wooof!
Team Seven heard the loud bark before a large white dog landed next to the rabbit masked Anbu. Kakashi thought he recognized the dog snarling at them before his eye shifted towards the male in the scruffy looking coat landing next to the dog. The marks underneath the eyes and the scent of wet dog wafting into his nostrils told Kakashi that this newcomer was a member of the Inuzuka clan. And Kakashi swore the man looked just like Kiba... except a little older.
"Hey! Naruto yelled while pointing a finger at the Kiba-look-alike, "you look like Kiba's dad or something!"
"Ummmm," Sasuke said with his head in the direction of the man alongside the dog, "who are you?"
"Of all the disguises to use," the Kiba-look-alike snarled at Sasuke, "you decide to take on the look of one of the most hated people in Konoha?"
"What?" Kakashi said shaking his head with a look of confusion. And whatever the grey haired Jonin was feeling was nothing to what Sasuke was feeling. Kakashi could feel the boy's rage while Sakura loudly proclaimed that 'Kiba' take back what he said.
Naruto then chimed in, "Sasuke may be an idiot, but he's my friend and..."
"Don't you dare use my friend's voice," Kiba took a few steps forward while he snarled at Naruto – who was taken aback by the reaction - just before he suddenly came to a stop and then turned to Rabbit "wait a minute, how did they get here? They had to pass the guards three kilometres away. Don't tell me that they were asleep on the job."
"I'll talk to them," Rabbit stepped forward until he was next to Kiba while eyes were fixed on Kakashi and the others.
Kakashi then said, "I don't know what's going on here but we're not tricks or disguises." He then took in a deep breath, gathered himself, an then said, "we were on the way home from a mission to the Land of Waves and we just fainted. When we woke up, the sky was dark and we're now surrounded by you."
"The Land of Waves?" the Inuzuka scoffed as Kakashi noticed the large white dog tilted its head sideways before taking a few steps forward while sniffing the air. At the same time, the Inuzuka was saying, "you people must have somehow get into our records and..."
Before Kiba could finish what he was about to say, the large dog was sniffing Kakashi while barking frantically. The dog then moved towards Naruto's clones before looking back to the confused Inuzuka and barked again.
"What do you mean they smell like them?" Kiba exclaimed in surprise.
The dog moved through the clones of Naruto before stopping at Sasuke who glared at it. The dog itself was snarling at Sasuke before taking a quick sniff before barking and then rushing away.
"How can they have the same scents as the Team Seven we know?" the scruffy Inuzuka asked with a look of confusion.
"What do you mean the Team Seven you know?" Sasuke growled.
"We are Team Seven!" Naruto exclaimed.
The Inuzuka eyed Kakashi and then turned his focus to Naruto, Sakura, and finally, at Sasuke. He then turned to Rabbit before saying, "the Rokudaime meet us at the hospital." He then turned to the Team Seven standing in front of him and said, "I trust Akamaru without question, and if he says..."
"Akamaru?" Naruto said with narrowed eyes and confusion etched on his face.
"No, that's not Akamaru," Sakura said pointing at the dog, "Akamaru's a puppy."
"Yeah!" Naruto exclaimed before looking up at the Inuzuka, "what, you going to say you're Kiba?"
"I am Kiba!"
"Huh?" Team Seven asked in disbelief. After that initial surprise, it was Naruto who then exclaimed, "you're not Kiba, old man!"
"Who're you calling old man, imposter!" Kiba retorted. Akamaru then barked once again before Kiba frowned at him and said, "Fine, I don't know how but Akamaru says that you're not an imposter." Kiba then turned his head towards Kakashi and said, "still, the four of you will be coming with us to T and I."
"T and I?" Naruto asked, confusion etched on his face while Sakura and Sasuke were stunned. What was going on here? Why were they being treated like spies? Those questions, and many others, were running through their minds.
Team Seven would be even more stunned when Kakashi said, "sure. We surrender... but it doesn't mean we're spies. It's just that I think we could be in an unusual situation. And the best way to clear everything up would be to take us to T and I where they can have our blood tested and compared to our records."
"Huh?" a confused Naruto asked.
Kiba, a suspicious expression plastered on his face as he looked at Kakashi, continued by saying, "yeah. Let's go."
Rokudaime Kakashi.
It would be about fifteen minutes before the police would leave Sakura's house after Kakashi informed them that what happened was a matter for the Shinobi Forces. He told them that their Captain would be notified of the situation and thanked them for their quick response. The leader of the squad was a bit hesitate to leave, but Kakashi explained that whatever happened was classified before reiterating once again that their Captain would be notified of the situation.
"The Hokage will contact the police department."
The leader of the squad then sighed before nodding his head. The team of six then dashed off before jumping onto the roofs of the nearby buildings and continuing their patrol. Kakashi took a deep breath and then sighed. He rubbed the back of his head while reaching into his hip pouch to feel for the scroll – a scroll which was responsible for the disappearance of Narumi and the sudden reappearance of her dead father.
But despite the evidence in front of him, Kakashi still had so many questions and suspicions. Resolving to head towards the _ Department, Kakashi stepped out onto the porch before turning to close the door behind him. Just as he turned, Kakashi felt a strange feeling of warmth go through him before there was a chilling cold running up and down his spine.
Once he was turned around and about to reach for the door, he stared into the living room to see an out of a figure standing in the darkness. The figure – Kakashi could tell had the body of a woman – had her back to him as Kakashi went into battle mode. He stepped back into the house while raising the left side of his forehead protector to reveal his Sharingan. Taking out a kunai as the woman turned around, he turned on the lights in the room with his other hand and then said, "who are you and how..."
There were two gasps in the room.
"Ka... Kakashi? Kakashi... is... is that you?"
No. It was not possible. Kakashi saw her body before she was buried next to her husband. He trembled while taking a step back. The woman, for her part, stepped back as well before looking around at her surroundings and then turning towards Kakashi again.
"Where... where am I? I... I was going back home after seeing the doctor and..."
Kakashi could see. With the activated Sharingan, Kakashi could see some of the woman's chakra being diverted towards the life growing inside her.
'But how? How is she here?'
"Kushina-nee?"
TBC