Helping the Hatake
It´s been one and a half weeks in this time now.
Naruto and his clones had been working hard during that time, earning himself money as well as a reputation.
There had not yet been a confrontation between himself and other clans, mostly because Naruto chose to lay low a little longer. He was still thinking of how exactly to approach the clans, separately or even as a whole, but had not yet come up with a good solution.
He sighed and ran a hand through his locks, allowing himself a moment of rest.
The sun was beginning to set as Naruto looked into the distance, admiring how the colors faded from blue to orange with some pinkish tints, making the sky look like a beautifully painted canvas. His legs were dangling from the edge as he took in the fresh air – it felt so amazing, yet again. He learned to appreciate this after having lost it, so each and every time he took a breath, Naruto felt relief wash over him once again. Relief at the fact that the situation right now looked hopeful, if nothing else.
“Sometimes I wish I was a cloud. Life would be less troublesome that way.”
Naruto couldn´t help the huff of air that escaped him at the memory.
It was a fond memory.
Shikamaru and he had been sitting on his father´s stone head on the Hokage mountain, watching the clouds as they flew over their heads. It was during the time right after Naruto had come back from his travels with Jiraiya, before everything started to get worse. Shikamaru had been laying there, eyes closed and deep breaths coming from his nose.
Naruto thought that he had been asleep with how still he was, so he made sure not to disturb him too much, and instead just took a moment to himself to appreciate the sunrise that day.
He had been startled when Shikamaru spoke up, saying that he wished to be a cloud. During that time, Naruto had laughed, nudged him in the side and called him lazy for trying to avoid his duties by being a cloud, and Shikamaru had retaliated, saying that the blonde was simply too motivated for things. They had a friendly banter that ended with both of them laughing and laying down beside each other on the grass, enjoying the morning before it was time for mission.
Now however, Naruto could understand. Being a cloud certainly had its perks. One wouldn´t have to fight against a literal goddess and a plant creature hell-bent on bringing said goddess back to life. One wouldn´t have to lose all their friends in the process either.
He would have simply been floating until his time was over.
Naruto distantly wondered when exactly he had started thinking like that.
The blonde let his gaze wander around, taking in everything around him, before it stopped at the mask in his hands, making a smile appear on his lips. Everything was going as it should. Kitsune was starting to form a reputation and anyone had yet to figure out who he was. Soon it would come to a confrontation and then Naruto would be another step further. After that, he would talk with the clan heads – hopefully – stop Izuna from being killed and convince Madara and Hashirama that they should build the village earlier. Maybe this time around, they could even include some minor clans as well, who had suffered from the aftermath of the war and had no support to rely on.
The only problem was Zetsu.
A surge of fury started to rise deep inside of him, but he pushed it down with a frown and leaned back onto the palms of his hands.
Technically, Zetsu should not be a problem. He had not yet started to gather the Bijuu and Madara was still free from his influence. The Rinnegan that he needed didn´t exist yet and overall, Zetsu was keeping low. Naruto hadn´t even sensed a speck of his chakra ever since his arrival back in time, even with sage mode.
( Granted, it was a little harder to find him using Sage mode when the vital chakra of Hashirama almost drowned him in the feeling of wood. Even without sharpening his sensing abilities more, wherever he went, Naruto could feel Hashirama so strongly that he almost got a physical headache. It felt like someone way trying to suffocate him with woods and leafs and life, but in a good way.
If he were being honest, Naruto almost felt drunk each time he felt the chakra, simply because it was so giving. Were he not used to the vital chakra of Kurama already, that could make mokuton around him sprout and lit up his entire being, he would definitely end up disoriented and giddy. )
The only problem was that he still did not have the moon seal.
The sun seal that Hagoromo had given him was still buzzing warmly, etched onto the palm of his right hand, but the moon seal had vanished the same day that his other half had. Naruto had tried recreating it in various ways, but there had been no attempt at it being successful. He knew what the seal was supposed to feel like, because even if he had the sun half, it was still a seal Hagoromo had given them, but one could not simply recreate Ashura´s or Indra´s chakra, much less that of the sage of six paths.
However Naruto didn´t want to risk using the incomplete seal and just fine tuning it. Zetsu had escaped from being sealed once, it would be foolish to think he wouldn´t be able to do so again if the sealing wasn´t done properly.
The only thing Naruto could think of doing to even come close was extract some of Indra´s chakra and experiment with it.
The Problem?
Madara was the only incarnation currently alive. And probably the closes thing he could get to Indra´s chakra.
And until he could get close enough to Madara to extract enough of his chakra to be able to even experiment with the seal, that would take a while. It would also take some explaining, because Naruto was one-hundred-percent sure the man wouldn´t just let him take some of his chakra without a reason. Hell, he wasn´t even sure if Madara would cooperate even when given an explanation.
Naruto wouldn´t even think about the possibility that Madara´s chakra wouldn´t help with the recreation of the moon seal.
There just had to be a way.
Naruto was ripped out of his musing when he left his senses tingle.
Normally, he had his sensing active at all times. It was dangerous to remain unaware during his time in this era and it´s not like it taxed him too much. Not only that, but with sensing abilities that reached further than even the entire land of fire were a good way to ensure he would never be caught by surprise. Put that with his ability to suppress his chakra to almost nothing, so that only a skilled sage would be able to take not of his presence, it was a child´s play for him to remain undetected if he wanted to.
Naturally, with his sensing being active the entire time, he could feel everything going on around him. He was lucky it didn´t cause him too much of a sensory overload so long as he muted the presence of those people with exceptionally bright and vital chakra.
But back to what he sensed, Naruto could feel a group of people down at the foot of the mountain. If the white and fizzling chakra was anything to go by, then it was probably a group of Hatake. They weren´t doing anything that warranted suspicion, safe for the fact that whatever they were doing was in this area.
The Hatake resided further west, near the Inuzuka. Them being so far out from their usual comfort zone had to have a purpose. And if anything Naruto was curious and noisy.
“Curiosity killed the cat.”
Shikamaru told him that once when they had been on a mission. Naruto had been curious about the special looking walls in the ruins they were investigating, and in his looking around he set off a trap. It had been Shikamaru´s quick thinking that saved them and their team from only suffering a few bruises, cuts and strains.
Naruto had grinned at him that day, with all teeth flashing and his whiskers scrunching up, and held up the scroll they had been supposed to retrieve. It had been hidden in the walls.
“Satisfaction brought it back,” had been the blonde´s response, and the Nara only huffed in exasperation before nursing to the cut on Naruto´s side, despite him telling Shikamaru that he would heal on his own.
So, with his curiosity brimming in him, Naruto soundlessly jumped down the mountain, landing and launching himself off stray branches, before he arrived where the group was assembled.
It was a group of four, consisting of three men and one woman. They were all wearing the armor usual for this time, but instead of red or blue metals, theirs were greyish-blue with the Hatake clan symbol drawn onto the shoulder plates.
The person who looked to be the leader, was crouched in the middle with the three others surrounding him. They were staring at the spot on the floor, a summon right next to the person. He had silver hair similar to that of Kakashi – Naruto pushed down the oncoming feelings of grief. Kakashi´s death had been hard, but he´d died even earlier than Sasuke. He already had the time to at least mourn a little for his sensei and he couldn´t start doing so now – and the bangs were held back by a black forehead protector. It was long, tied down into a low ponytail. There was a big scar on his chin, stretching vertically up to the bridge of his nose, like someone had tried to cut his face in half starting from the chin.
The summon next to him was a wolf with dark brown fur and shining black eyes. He was tensely sitting next to his summoner, a low growl coming from his throat.
Closest to the leader of the group stood the woman. Her hair was raven black, cut short right to her shoulder and held back by the same forehead protector the man next to her wore. A big sword was resting in her hand, the blade branded with the Hatake symbol. It was chipped in some places, but in relative good condition still. The woman herself had brown light green eyes that held intelligence behind them. Her gaze was sharp as she observed the area, careful to watch out for any ambush that might surprise them.
Hair in similar fashion to the woman next to him and build a lot smaller than the crouching man was a young boy, with the same silver hair. He looked to be around his late teens, with a build more for speed than strength. A naginata was strapped to his back, which clinkered slightly against his armor as he shifted from one leg to another. His chakra was buzzing in nervousness, but it burned brighter and whiter than those of the others. This boy seemed to be one of the few Hatake that could wield the famous Hatake´s white chakra, a blood line passed down to only a few among the clan. It was the same white chakra Hatake Sakumo was famous for.
The last man was standing a little separate from the group. His long brown hair was tied up in a top knot. There was a nasty bruise sprouting on his right cheekbone that looked rather recent, but other than that there was no visible injury. He had dull blue eyes which were fixated on the spot on the ground that was being inspected by the crouched man and the summon, impatiently waiting for the results of whatever they were searching for.
Naruto tilted his head to the side and put on his mask, just in case. Each and every one of their signatures were distressed. Something was going on, that was throwing these people in a frenzy, worse than just a simply mission.
“And?” The man with the top knot asked, frowning at the lack of answer.
The man of the floor paused and took a deep breath to calm himself, even if it didn´t do much against the raging flares in his chakra. His fists clenched and his fingers dug into the earth, tearing up the grass in anger. “Nothing. Not a sage damned clue, this is a dead end,” he ground out through clenched teeth.
The woman hissed in frustration and brought her hand up to her face, rubbing her eyes as if hoping it would rub the stress and frustration away as well. It didn´t.
The man in the top knot let out a string of rather harsh curses and the boy next to him ducked his head down, lips trembling and hands clenching in order to not have an outburst. His chakra was frizzling even more now, almost drowning Naruto in it.
“For heaven´s sake, we´ve been searching for two days and nothing! Not a single sage damned clue we can work with! This is ridiculous!” The brown haired man snapped first, losing his temper, and the woman snapped immediately after, her patient ripping at her comrade´s complaints. Green eyes pinned blue ones and met in a staring contest as she dared him to speak further.
Her voice was a low and deadly hiss as she spoke. “And what do you suggest we do, Senjuro? Abandon the search? Leave a member of our clan? Get yourself together and control your words.”
Senjuro, apparently that was the man´s name, snarled at her and took a step forward, obviously threatening her. “We´re wasting time with this! Right now when the clan is so vulnerable, we can´t afford to have anyone find out about this, Yona! What will you do should word get out, huh?! Hina was found severely injured in the woods, and she had been supposed to be with him! It was supposed to be a diplomatic mission! For all we know, he´s dead-“
“No! No, he´s not!” It was the first time the boy spoke up, eyes red rimmed and tears threatening to spill. His nails were digging into his palm already, but he didn´t pay the wound any mind. “Lord Shirogane is alive! His summons confirmed it! His name is still in their registry!”
Naruto´s eyes widened in surprise. Lord Shirogane? He hasn´t heard the name before, but the title certainly means something. It seemed that someone from the Hatake clan head´s family was missing, or even assumed dead. Maybe even the clan head himself.
Had this happened in the original timeline as well?
Yona was the next to speak up again, voice tight in anger. “Kozume is right, Senjuro. There is still hope. And do you really plan to abandon kin? Our clan head nonetheless?”
So it was the clan head then. Naruto hissed and scrunched his face up in sympathy. Losing the clan head, especially during this time, was probably one of the worst things that could happen. And going by their efforts to bring him back, it seemed the Hatake clan head had not yet chosen an heir. With their pillar gone and their clan left in a vulnerable state, it was no wonder the clan was distressed.
Before Senjuro could even retort, the man who had been silently sitting on the ground up until then intervened. A chakra pulse, heavy and menacing, caused each and every one of them to pause for a minute, turning their head to him. The man looked up, strands of the silver bangs that were supposed to be held back falling into his face and shadowing his gaze. The wolf next to him was in a stance, bearing his teeth at the other shinobi.
“That is enough. You all behave like children. It is unsightly in such situation,” his deep voice immediately had them entranced when he spoke, before he turned to the brunette. “Senjuro.”
“Yes.” The man straightened and made an effort to look straight at the squad leader, even if his eyes were constantly trying to dart away. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple and fear and respect started to swirl in his chakra, so clear that Naruto wouldn´t have even needed emotional sensing to feel it.
“We do not abandon kin, that rule is absolute. Anyone who can be saved, will be saved, and our honorable clan head is still alive. Are you truly implying that you wish to break that rule?”
“N-no, not by any means. That was not what I wanted to-“
“Then the search will continue.” He completely ignored Senjuro´s flailing and focused on Kozume instead.
“Kozume, you said Lord Shirogane´s summons confirmed his status?” All the boy could muster was a quick nod, but that seemed to be enough of an answer for him. He ran a hand through his hair, pushing the loose strands of hair back into place. With a pat on the head, the wolf summon gave one last bow and disappeared in a puff of smoke, having been dismissed.
“Then that is enough of an answer. We will rest for a short while here before the search continues. Make sure to save your strength.”
The three of them simultaneously bowed their head and with a short “Understood” before settling down in between the trees.
Naruto watched them, blue eyes eerily focused on the team, not yet revealing his position.
If this situation really was what it looked like, then this was the perfect opportunity for him. If he helped the Hatake clan in times of distress, like right now, he would be able to gain a favor and possibly form a connection, maybe even gain a new ally. Going by what he heard, pack and kin are a major concept for them, and going by what he knows from edo Hashirama and edo Tobirama, the clan heads life was extremely precious.
If he helped them now, it would benefit him later.
Naruto smiled under his mask, shifting on the tree branch.
This is the beginning. This is his first appearance in the shinobi world would start.
He would help them. He swore to that.