Try, Try Again

Sparring ended up being a lot harder than Naruko remembered. She was panting after two matches, drenched in sweat and dreaming about at least seven giant bowls of ramen. Thankfully, Sakura and Sasuke looked about as done in as she felt. They had so much work to do before they were ready for any sort of confrontation with Kabuto that didn’t end with them all dead or captured.

Sasuke and Sakura were finishing up their last match and Naruko was sprawled over the grass as the sun reached its peak in the sky. The morning was nice and not too hot but now, as the day grew older, the heat was becoming scorching quickly. She usually loved the heat but right now, covered in sweat and dog tired, she just wanted cool air and food.

“So, ramen?” She calls over to her teammates when the sound of trading blows finally dies out and all she can hear is them panting.

Sakura groans, “Ramen? Already?”

“Hey, do you know how long it’s been since I’ve eaten at Ichiraku? I’ve been deprived! Starved!” she lets her voice go a little whiney, a little high and juts her out bottom lip out plaintively. She is not above pouting to get some ramen from Ichiraku in her. It’s been years since she’s been able to enjoy the beauty of a big bowl of Ichiraku ramen. Or, you know, five.

Sakura sighs out in defeat and Naruko knows she’s won. Sasuke doesn’t usually argue too much over food so long as it isn’t sweet and doesn’t involve soybeans, “Fine. Ramen it is I guess.”

Naruko lets out a whoop of excitement, springing up from the ground and feeling more energetic at  the prospect of good ramen, “You’re the best Sakura-chan! Let’s go! I’m starving!”

“You’re always starving, Ko-chan,” Sakura laughs. Naruko grins at the old nickname, feeling a new warmth blooming in her chest. It takes her a moment to realize that warmth is happiness. When was the last time she felt genuinely happy? She can’t even remember.

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The village streets are a little more crowded now as they wind their way toward Ichiraku and more than a few people glare as she passes by and catches numerous rude comments thrown her way. If she didn’t love this village and its people so much, she’s pretty sure she would have become a villain. Who talks to a child like this? It’s not like she can’t hear them calling her a monster under their breath, talking about how they wished she died instead of the Yondaime. She wonders how many of them realize he was her father and if she died everyone else would have too. Where did they think Kurama went that night?

Sakura and Sasuke seem to notice the hostility directed her way and move in closer. She can practically smell the protectiveness radiating off them as they glare down everyone they pass. She’s glad to have them with her, even if the looks and the gossip don’t bother her like they used to. It’s easier knowing she has these two by her side. She wouldn’t want anyone else watching her back.

Ichiraku is empty when they arrive which she’s thankful for. They claim seats at the counter and Naruko can feel her mouth watering already as she breathes in the scent of ramen around her. Her stomach grumbles loudly and she blushes at Sakura’s giggle and Sasuke’s snort of amusement. She can’t help it she has a nine-tailed fox living inside of her who always seems to be hungry.

“Naru-chan! Back again? And you brought friends with you!” Teuchi’s grin is wide and genuine as he takes in the three children sitting at the counter.

“You know me! I’m always in the mood for ramen!” Naruko grins broadly at the man. Teuchi and his daughter Ayame were always kind to her. They didn’t see a monster, they simply saw a hungry child with a love for ramen just like them.

“You want the usual then?” Teuchi asks.

Naruko nods excitedly, “Definitely! I’m starving today!”

Teuchi laughs, “I’ll have Ayame prepare extra then. What about you two?”

“We’ll have the same as Naruko. She obviously knows what’s good with how often she’s here,” Sakura smiles widely at the old man. She knew Teuchi and Ayame were fond of Naruko when they were older but she never realized they were two of the only people to show the blonde kindness when she was young. Sakura decided she liked Teuchi and his daughter even more now.

Naruko waited impatiently for her food, eager to dig into the steaming bowl of heaven she knew was coming. Sakura chuckles softly beside her, recognizing the impatience in her friend and the excitement oozing off of her. She didn’t realize how much she missed this side of Naruko. 

Teuchi and Ayame appear with three steaming bowls after a few more minutes and Naruko practically jumps out of her seat with excitement. Ayame giggles at the blonde’s eagerness and sets the first bowl down in front of her, “Enjoy, Naru-chan! There’s plenty more whenever you’ve finished this!”

“Itadakimasu~!” When Naruko takes her first bite she almost purrs with happiness. Before she knows it the first bowl is gone and another is being placed in front of her. 

Beside her, Sakura and Sasuke eat at a more acceptable pace and by the time she’s polishing off her fourth bowl they’re both finishing their first. She leans back in her seat happily, patting her full tummy and debating a nice, long nap somewhere in the sun. She hasn’t been this satisfied in ages.

“Arigato Teuchi-san!” she singsongs as she places her money on the counter with a wave and follows her teammates out of the small shop. Teuchi grins and waves and tells her he’ll see her again soon.

“I could use a nap,” Naruko yawns, stretching like a cat in the sun as they turn back toward the Uchiha compound. The sun is sinking a little lower now, growing closer to evening. It’s not as hot now either but that could also be because she isn’t dead tired and sweating after two intense sparring matches. Now the sun just feels soft and warm on her skin, lulling her further toward a much needed nap.

“I need a nap after watching you eat like that. I forgot how much you could put away, Ko-chan!” Sakura laughs and shakes her head, “How the hell do you stay so small when you eat that much?”

“Perks of having a nine-tailed fox inside me,” Naruko says with a wink, folding her arms behind her head and tilting her head to the sun. 

“I never thought I would be jealous you had Kurama sealed inside you until now,” Sakura says with a laugh.

They make the rest of their trip in companionable silence, simply enjoying each other’s company and the ability to wander without the threat of death hanging over their shoulders. Naruko finds herself taking everything in again, simply soaking up the happiness in the air. She knows, even now, there is darkness lurking in Konoha. Darkness with eyes on his arms and the need for power in his heart. But Danzo is out of her reach still and she must be okay with that until she’s stronger. It’s going to be hard and it will be a long process, but it’ll be worth it, to see his face at the end when death comes for him. To see him realize he’s lost.

There’s someone waiting for them at the entrance to the Uchiha compound. Someone she recognizes almost instantly. It’s been years since she’s seen him but Sarutobi Hiruzen was a huge part of her childhood and one of the few adults to look after her growing up without the same scorn as the rest of the village. Her heart skips happily in her chest and she’s running to him before she even realizes he shouldn’t be here.

“Jii-chan!” Naruko throws her arms around the Sandaime’s waist, squeezing tightly and inhaling his scent. Pipe smoke and trees. It’s her favorite.

“Naru-chan?” he sounds almost uncertain as he pats her back gently, “Is everything alright?”

She pulls back with a wide smile, “Everything is perfect! What are you doing here?”

He hums at this and glances at her teammates behind her, “I was going to ask you the same thing. I wasn’t aware you were all friends?”

Naruko blinks and laughs sheepishly, “Yeah! I didn’t ever tell you? They’re my best friends.”

Hiruzen eyes her strangely, seeming to stare right into her soul looking for a lie. She keeps the smile plastered on her face, trying to appear as innocent as possible. He seems to decide something finally and motions for them to follow him, “I believe we have some things to discuss, hm?”

Naruko sags. He knows. Of course, he knows. He didn’t live long enough to be Hokage not once, but twice, on sheer luck. Hiruzen is smart. Always has been and she was a fool thinking she could trick him.

Naruko glances back and Sakura and Sasuke, a question in her gaze. Sakura just shrugs and Sasuke looks like he doesn’t have any bright ideas either. Well, time to face the music she supposes. She hoped she would have a little longer to adjust and just be a kid before world-changing plans went into place. Oh well. She knew she would have been bored within a week anyway. She’s not used to lazing around doing nothing.

They head to Sasuke’s home and Hiruzen waits until they’re all settled around the same table the three of them planned around that morning before clearing his throat, “I believe there’s something you need to tell me.”

Naruko fidgets and tries for innocence again, “Like what, Jii-chan?”

Hiruzen levels her with a disappointed look, “Naru-chan, you know me better than that. I can tell when you’re hiding something. Out with it. You and these two never interacted before today and suddenly you’re training and going out to eat together. And from what I hear, you’re already tree walking and sparring above a novice Academy student level.”

Damn ANBU reporting everything she does back to him.

“You’re not going to believe me even if I tell you,” she sighs, her tone shifting easily from innocent child to jaded young adult.

Hiruzen blinks slightly at the sudden shift but otherwise doesn’t react, “Try me.”

Naruko glances at the other two for confirmation. Sakura nods hesitantly and Sasuke just waves her on. She sighs and takes a breath, sorting through her thoughts and deciding how much she’s going to tell him, “We are from the future.”

This is obviously not the answer Hiruzen was expecting. He seems to almost freeze before regaining his composure, puffing on his ever-present pipe and clearly gathering his thoughts before speaking, “The future?”

Naruko nods, “About fifteen years to be exact.”

“Probably closer to fourteen. You weren’t quite twenty-three when we died,” Sakura says matter-of-factly. She’s the tactician Naruko remembers from the battlefield now. Brief and to the point. There’s no point keeping up the façade here. And since Naruko knows the ANBU are listening in they won’t have to be careful around them anymore either. Maybe this is a good thing. They’ll be able to move around easier and plan with more freedom.

“And how, exactly, did you accomplish such a thing? I’ve never heard of a jutsu capable of such a feat,” Hiruzen looks like he’s willing to entertain them, still not certain he entirely believes their story.

“We didn’t. It was Kurama,” Naruko tells him.

At this, Hiruzen does look shocked, “Kurama? You mean…”

“The nine-tails,” Sasuke says now, looking like he has a lot more he would like to say on the subject but decides to keep quiet.

“How do you know anything about that? That’s an S-Rank secret.”

Naruko laughs, “Maybe right now, but in the future, everyone knows about Kurama. And the other eight tailed beasts as well.”

Hiruzen seems to lose the color in his face and he pauses with his pipe lifted halfway to his face, “There’s no way you could know of such things unless you were telling the truth, but it still doesn’t make sense.”

“Trust me, we’re still trying to figure it out too. We were dying on a battlefield one moment and the next we were here,” Naruko shrugs.

 “And this is your first day here? In the past?”

They all nod.

Hiruzen sighs and turns sad, regret-filled eyes on Naruko, “Then you know who your parents are? What happened the night you were born?”

Naruko nods, unable to fully meet his gaze. She’s accepted her parents’ sacrifice and she understands it but she still wishes she could have grown up with them and truly known them. She wants more than borrowed time and chakra preserved conversations, “I do.”

Hiruzen places an old, wrinkled hand on hers, “I’m sorry we did not do better by you.”

Naruko gives him a sad smile and does meet his gaze now, “You did what you thought would be best. And it worked out alright in the end. You know how stubborn I am. Proving myself to the village was just a challenge for me and trust me, I was more than up to meeting it.”

Sakura snorts, “I’ll say. How many times did you save the village, again?”

“There was more than once? What kind of future did you three come from?” Hiruzen has gone from the quiet, regretful old man to the sharp, concerned Hokage.

“Not a good one. Which is why Kurama sent us back. We need to fix things so that future never happens,” Naruko says firmly, feeling the fierce shinobi she became writhing inside of her. She refuses to lose.

“Very well. Where do we start?”