Tangents and Parallels

A redhead was perched on a high branch, her figure hidden from sight by the dense foliage. She blew a strand of hair out of her eyes, squinting at the setting sun.

“Hey, Kurama, has my body stabilized now?”

“More or less. You will not experience anymore ‘time glitches’ as you have framed it,” the Bijuu rumbled, closing his eyes. He was exhausted; keeping his container together in one piece had taken a lot of chakra, especially since her body had been undergoing changes to adapt to the new world they had found themselves in.

During the battle with Kaguya, two space-time jutsu colliding with a huge mass of chakra had ripped a hole in the fabric of dimensions, sending the girl hurtling out of her world and into a new one.

But as if that had not been enough, she had kept phasing in and out, briefly landing in random points of time before being whisked off elsewhere. One moment she was shoving a certain dark-haired boy out of the way of falling boulders and she was healing an orange-haired man on the verge of death the next.

‘Where else have I been?’ the girl, Hikari, mused, twirling a kunai around her finger. She had not bothered to keep track of everywhere she had warped into, since she could be in a barren wasteland for a couple of days before being tossed into the middle of a war. ‘There was the Third war, then dropping in on Madara and Zetsu.’

That had been the most enjoyable one.

She had goaded Zetsu into spilling all of his true plans right in front of the Uchiha. It had been fun to watch the wizened Uchiha’s face go slack then darken with fury when it sunk in that the creature had been deceiving him right from the start.

After that, it had been pretty easy. Madara had helped her trap Zetsu in a pocket dimension but the Gedo Mazo had to stay in place since he had already given his Rinnegan to Nagato and it couldn’t just be tossed into a storage seal. Neither of them had a way to destroy it either.

She had remained with Madara until the man’s death, seeing a lonely old man who had realized that his dreams had been only lies. He had been the one to teach her about her current world, the first and most startling fact being that she was an anomaly.

Why?

Because she could use chakra.

In the current dimension, only men could use chakra; women’s chakra networks never developed enough to allow them to use it. As a result, women picked up kenjutsu and other weapons if they wanted to fight or they went into research or Fuuinjutsu.

Madara had warned her to be careful, since she was the first female ever to be capable of using chakra after Otsutsuki Kaguya. He had understood that the girl had things she wanted to do and simply asking her to not use chakra would be an insult to her.

Surprisingly, Hikari had gotten along fine with Madara once he had stopped moping and instead dived into making sure that his supposed savior would survive in the new world she found herself in. He had filled her in on the world’s history while also telling her stories of his past.

His only request had been to be buried in the old Uchiha grounds where his brothers had been laid to rest, if she could find it.

‘I did find it, even if it took a few more glitches before I was stable enough to actually go looking for it,’ Hikari groused internally, disgruntled. Madara had theorized that her glitches were actually the world rejecting her presence while also trying to make her fit in, proved by the changes in her appearance.

In any case, there really wasn’t much for her to do, with Zetsu gone.

Obito was alive, so was Rin. She could actually feel the two of them somewhere in Konoha, as well as Kakashi who was lurking around the Hokage Tower. Her parents were also alive and well, although a whole lot confused for certain reasons.

The next biggest surprise Hikari had gotten was when she had stumbled into the Hyuuga incident with Kumo, which had played out differently. Since Minato was still the Hokage, Kumo had not done the ‘play nice and betray them later’ routine and had flat out resorted to kidnapping.

Only they had not just taken Hinata but Neji as well.

Neji, who did not have the cursed seal.

It had thrown her for a loop but fortunately the Kumo nin had also been so surprised by her sudden appearance that they had tensed and frozen in place.

Which had turned out in her favor.

A few quick jabs and some paralyzing seals later, the Kumo nin had been subdued and restrained. Hinata and Neji had been fine, only drugged to stay asleep. Hikari had lurked around until the completely identical Hyuuga twins had arrived on the scene for their respective children.

Apparently, since only males could use chakra, Hiashi had argued that placing the cursed seal on their clansmen was pointless because it would lower the standing of the Hyuuga. Women didn’t need the seal since they couldn’t awaken the Byakugan.

Technicalities, but hey, it had worked.

So no more cursed seal!

Learning that tidbit had put Hikari in a good mood for a long time, since it meant happier Hinata and Neji.

The Uchiha also weren’t planning a coup, content with their status in the village, which was equal to every other shinobi clan in Konoha.

“For all that this world is different from my original one and kind of a dystopia, it’s a lot better,” Hikari mused out loud, stretching her arms above her head.

“Does the credit for that not belong to you? Your actions during your…glitches, affected history in many ways.”

Matatabi purred in delight when the girl ran a hand over her flaming body, scratching her ears gently. Even if she was a chakra beast, she enjoyed being pampered. Being stuck in Kumo had done no good for her and she was more than willing to follow the human who had freed her.

Hikari chuckled sheepishly, knowing that the cat was right. While she had not meant to, she had inadvertently stopped Zetsu’s plans and the creature itself, which had rid the world of one insidious manipulator.

But there were many others.

One of whom she was spying on right now.

“Hikari-san!”

“Welcome back, Chomei,” Hikari smiled, holding still as the insect-like Bijuu settled on top of her head. The Nibi and the Nanabi weren’t the only Bijuu with her; somehow Hikari had ended up collecting all of them.

This world also had Jinchuuriki but they were a little different; the seals bound the human and Bijuu together, allowing the human to use the power of the Bijuu, if they could control it. The Bijuu weren’t sealed inside the human, like it had been in Hikari’s dimension. She suspected it was because of Uzumaki Mito, who had been the first Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi.

As a woman with an under-developed chakra network, Mito would not have been able to suppress the Kyuubi. So she had bound the Bijuu to herself. It was essentially like a control seal, something that had infuriated Hikari when Madara had told her about it.

Back to the matter at hand, whenever Hikari had found herself in the vicinity of a Bijuu, she had set out to free them if the Bijuu themselves wanted it, uncaring of whatever chaos had followed in her wake.

Chomei had been the first Bijuu she had released; Taki didn’t have the resources nor the need for a Bijuu, so it had been simple. And Chomei hadn’t been bound to anyone at the time.

Gyuuki was currently plastered to her back, snoozing. While he had found partnership in Killer Bee, he had yearned for freedom and had jumped at the chance when Hikari had offered it. With him came Matatabi, the cat not liking the stifling atmosphere in Kumo.

“Got anything to report, Chomei?”

“The old pirate has begun to move,” the Nanabi said, wings buzzing a little and revealing the restlessness she tried to hide. She liked the red-haired human and didn’t want her to be upset. “Kokuo and Saiken are following him right now.”

Hikari hummed. “I see.”

Han had been more than happy to release Kokuo once he had learnt about the Bijuu’s origins while Roshi had to have sense beaten into him. In the end, he had let Son Goku go, albeit reluctantly.

Saiken had been easy to free as Utakata, while he had reached an understanding with Saiken, did not want to be under Kiri’s control. With their connection severed, Utakata held no responsibility towards the village that had made him suffer and he had disappeared with his apprentice.

Isobu had been just as simple, since the turtle hadn’t been bound to anyone.

“Does that mean I can kill somebody now?”

Shukaku’s high-pitched voice sounded eager and was filled with no little amount of bloodlust, making the girl roll her eyes. Her encounter with the Ichibi had been the strangest.

He had been going on a rampage within Suna as usual when Hikari had fallen on his head and had been intrigued when she hadn’t even flinched at his threats, instead whacking him when he had kept roaring.

“I should have sealed you back inside that kettle,” Hikari complained, smiling to show the huffy raccoon that she was only kidding. Shukaku hadn’t been bound to Gaara at that time; the little redhead hadn’t even been born then, Karura being only six months pregnant.

Sometimes, Hikari wondered how she had kept appearing at points in time that were just perfect for her goals.

Perhaps it was driven by her will?

“No way! I don’t want to be bound to a weak human!”

“Does that mean you wouldn’t mind a strong human?”

The derisive voice of the Kyuubi -of the current world, not Hikari’s Kurama- spoke in a mocking manner, sneering at the bristling Ichibi. He was perched across Hikari’s shoulders, his tails twisting around her long crimson braid.

Hikari had snatched Kurama from Kushina a few months before the woman had given birth to her child; the fox had been curious at the hint of his power he could feel within the girl who had released him, even if he had only gotten a glimpse of her before Hikari had vanished.

It had been a huge shock when the Bijuu had turned up one by one when she had had one of her longer stable spells. Hikari had not realized the enormity of the impact she had had on them, to make them so willing to search for her across continents.

Even when she had glitched into yet another time and place, they had found her.

“If you two are going to quarrel, take it elsewhere,” Hikari sighed in exasperation. Kurama and Shukaku found every opportunity to yell at each other, something that had gotten old quickly. The two Bijuu growled at each other then turned away, harrumphing.

“Seriously, you two…anyway, Chomei, could you elaborate?”

“He is going to attack those two boys.”

Hikari blinked. “You sure? Right under the Yondaime’s nose?”

Like with the Kumo incident, the Uchiha clan had never suffered the distrust of the village and there was no reason for them to plan a coup. Fugaku and Mikoto’s friendship with Minato and Kushina had kept the Uchiha elders happy and they had miraculously kept their mouths shut.

So Danzo had had no choice but to shelve his plans, since Minato wasn’t like the Sandaime and couldn’t be manipulated or hoodwinked.

“But it’s a different story if Danzo gets that power,” Hikari mused, casting out her senses and searching for the vile signature that belonged to Danzo. “Might as well jump in. Anyone coming with me?”

“You’re stupid if you think we’re not following you,” Son Goku rumbled, opening one eye and fixing a flat gaze on the teenager. Hikari laughed and nodded, Kurama and Matatabi hopping off of her when she slid off the branch and landed on the grass.

“Okay then, let’s go!”

Two dark-haired males stood back to back, sweat pouring down their faces as they gasped for breath. They had their weapons out, bodies tense as they watched the masked nin surrounding them.

Shisui’s grip around his tanzo tightened as some of the Root shinobi stepped to the side, letting their leader walk in.

“Danzo,” he growled, giving up all pretence of politeness. The attack on him and Itachi had come out of nowhere and was completely unwarranted, which was more than enough for Shisui to despise the conniving old man. “What do you want?”

“I want a lot of things,” Danzo replied, a smug look on his face as he regarded the two Uchiha. “You don’t need to know them.”

With a signal from their leader, the Root nin shot forwards. Jutsu and weapons flew in all directions, Itachi and Shisui being forced to stay on the defensive as they were outnumbered and exhausted.

Itachi deflected a kunai with his tanto, then flipped backwards to avoid a barrage of kunai while simultaneously spitting a fireball at the man who charged at him. He couldn’t use stronger jutsu, being low on chakra. He needed to conserve as much chakra as possible.

“Itachi!”

The seventeen-year-old ducked a sword as he registered Shisui’s warning and slashed his attacker’s stomach, jumping away from the resulting spray of blood and towards the centre of the clearing he and Shisui had been forced into.

Speaking of Shisui, the older Uchiha was locked in close combat with Danzo himself, the old man obviously aiming for his eyes and making it clear what he was after. Shisui grabbed the man’s wrist when Danzo yet again targeted his face, using a jolt of lightning to paralyze the limb.

In response, Danzo lashed out with a wind blade, forcing the twenty-year-old to back away. He ended up pressed against Itachi again, blood streaming down from a cut on his cheek where the wind blade had caught him.

“He wants my eyes,” Shisui whispered to Itachi, his best friend stiffening in understanding. Danzo had somehow learned about his Mangekyou’s abilities and wanted it. With his declining authority, Kotoamatsukami would be the perfect tool to control everyone and regain his power.

There was no way Shisui would let it happen.

“We need to find a way to get out of this barrier,” Itachi murmured, Sharingan spinning as he studied the remaining Root nin. There were at least another twenty of them, not to mention the barrier that had been set up to trap the Uchiha inside.

If they could hold out for long enough, someone would notice the barrier and come investigate. It wasn’t a guarantee, but it was all they had.

As if reading their minds, Danzo motioned for one of his men, who raised his arms. A swarm of insects burst out of his sleeves, speeding towards the Uchiha who resorted to Katon jutsu to burn the kikaichu. An Aburame’s kikaichu were to be never taken lightly, since they had a variety of abilities and no one could predict what they could do.

“You should give up,” Danzo remarked, one arm hanging limply at his side but he looked unconcerned about his injury. “All it takes is one bite and it is over.”

“We’re not going down that easily!”

Suddenly, steam filled the clearing, hot enough to make the air muggy and humid. It was also dense, capable of obstructing sight. It was followed by yelps from the Root nin, making Shisui and Itachi tense in wariness and confusion.

“Was it really okay to step in?”

“We were told to protect those humans, so it is fine.”

Two unknown voices sounded, one a little on the squeaky side and filled with worry, the other calm and placid.

The steam dissipated, revealing that apart from Danzo and the two flanking him, the Root nin were trapped in huge, indestructible bubbles. Nothing seemed to work on them, be it from inside or outside.

Shisui startled as a horse-like creature with five tails dropped down in front of him, another creature that resembled a slug on its back. Itachi steadied him, pulling him back with a frown on his face.

The slug turned towards them, asking, “Are you okay?”

“Kind of…?” Shisui replied when it looked like the creature was waiting for an answer, noting that it had six appendages.

What the heck?

“Good. Hikari-san would be upset if the two of you were gravely injured.”

Their voices gave them away as the unknown ones from earlier and they turned towards Danzo when the man took a step forward. He had an expression of curiosity, mixed with something that looked like greed.

“The Gobi and the Rokubi,” Danzo murmured, fascinated. He had heard reports that all of the Bijuu had vanished, even Konoha’s Kyuubi. Imagine his surprise and delight at encountering two of them. “Yet more assets.”

The Gobi made a sour face and sniffed. “We belong to no one but ourselves.”

“That’s right, and if you lay even a finger on them, I’m afraid that I’ll have to rip you apart. Or actually, I would do it just because of the way you’re looking at them; it’s disturbing and disgusting.”

All heads turned towards the girl with crimson hair who was walking out of the trees. A blue flaming cat and a turtle were in her arms, an orange fox and a brown ox-like creature on her shoulders. There was even a large insect perched on her head, a sand-coloured raccoon and a red monkey following her.

The creatures’ most distinctive feature was that all of them had a varying number of tails.

Danzo’s eye widened as he watched the girl walk over to the two Uchiha, standing in front of them as the animals, no, the Bijuu, took up positions around the three humans, clearly protecting them.

“Who are you? And how did you capture the Bijuu?”

“I’m Hikari, and I didn’t capture them,” the girl replied, sending a fond smile at the nine chakra beasts. “It’s more like they captured me.”

“The Bijuu are meant to be weapons,” Danzo shot back, having regained his composure when he realized that the beasts weren’t doing anything. “They merely exist to be used by humans.”

A red eyebrow twitched and the girl raised a hand, palm up. Chakra collected in her hand, forming a tight blue ball of dense and powerful chakra. Everyone stared at her, stunned at her ability to use chakra.

“How?!” Danzo yelled, frazzled at the unexpected deviations from his plans. “Women cannot use chakra!”

“This one can,” Hikari shot back, adding wind chakra into the ball. It transformed, looking like a shuriken that she launched up into the air. A few feet away from the top of the barrier, it expanded, spinning and cutting through the barrier like it was flimsy paper.

“Even if you destroyed the barrier, you cannot do anything,” Danzo said after a moment, already turning over ideas in his head. Even if this girl could somehow use chakra, there was no way she was proficient in ninjutsu. As long as he could get Kotoamatsukami, she and the Bijuu were all in the palm of his hand.

“That’s what you think,” Hikari smirked, holding up a tri-pronged kunai. “Recognize this?”

“No!”

In an attempt to stop the girl, Danzo shot forwards, sending wind jutsu at her. But they were batted away by a stronger wind jutsu, sending him crashing backwards into a tree.

By the time, he had regained his bearings, it was too late.

When Minato had felt a tug from one of his Hiraishin kunai and decided to investigate it since the chakra felt unknown, he had not expected this.

He stared blankly at the unknown girl who resembled his wife far too much, the redhead looking delighted upon seeing him. “You came! And you brought your students too!”

“Ahhh, you!”

Obito pointed a finger at the girl, jaw dropping in shock. He remembered that face and those blue eyes clearly; she was the girl who had saved him years ago, preventing him from being crushed by boulders.

“The Crimson Spirit!”

The girl made a face, bewildered. “The what?”

“There are rumours of a female with vibrant red hair and blue eyes who appears during times of great need, providing aid before vanishing,” Itachi supplied the explanation, staring at the girl with recognition on his features. “Shisui and I have encountered her many times.”

“Huh…those kids were you two?” the redhead mused, leaning in to study the two Uchiha more closely. “I didn’t realize. Anyway, don’t you have something to tell your Hokage?”

“Oh, right!”

While Itachi and Shisui were giving a summary of the situation to the four newcomers, Danzo tried to slip away, which didn’t go unnoticed.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Shukaku screeched maniacally, burying the Shimura in a mountain of sand, leaving only his head free. “Can I crush him?”

“No. No crushing,” Hikari said sternly. She picked up the pouting raccoon, patting him on the head. “If you stop being so bloodthirsty, I’ll spar with you later.”

“…fine. You better keep your promise.”

“Of course I will.”

The redhead smiled then tilted her head to the side, as if listening to something. Red chakra oozed out of her seconds later, separating from the girl and materializing into an orange fox.

The fox yawned and stretched, nine tails waving lazily in the air. “Fresh air is always good.”

The other orange fox eyed the newcomer curiously. “So you are the me of that world? You feel different.”

“It is probably because the kit has fragments of everyone’s chakra and they have fused into our own chakra.”

“Likely.”

Minato resisted the urge to gape at the sight of two Kyuubi, like his students were doing. His brain had already come to a screeching halt upon seeing all nine Bijuu in one spot, free and untethered, so the two foxes weren’t helping.

“Who are you?”

The redhead smiled, a little nostalgic and wistful. “My name is Hikari. As for my last name, I have no idea which one to use, so let’s put a pin in that.”

She turned and walked towards the restrained Danzo, who was giving her a dark scowl. Hikari stopped in front of him and raised a hand, grabbing the piece of cloth that covered part of his face. “Your main concern right now is him.”

With that, she ripped away the cloth, revealing a Sharingan eye.

Shisui and Obito hissed like injured cats while Itachi’s expression darkened at the sight of the dojutsu. The Uchiha guarded their eyes carefully and here was Danzo with a Sharingan that was obviously stolen.

“I see that we have much to deal with,” Minato spoke, voice hard. His blue eyes were like chips of ice and his expression had gone steely. He had never liked the old war hawk and had only briefly tolerated him and the other Advisors out of respect for the Sandaime. Once the three had started trying to control him, Minato had immediately dismissed them.

He didn’t care for their antiquated views and self-importance.

A scroll tossed at his face jolted him out of his thoughts and Minato grabbed it, raising an eyebrow at the nonchalant girl.

“What is this?”

“Everything I’ve managed to compile on Root. You might find it useful. I would offer to help with the clean-up but I don’t think you’d be comfortable with a stranger.”

Minato had to agree with that; even if Hikari had saved Shisui and Itachi and had exposed Danzo’s machinations, she was still an unknown. But for that very reason, he needed to keep tabs on her, at least until he knew her origins.

“That is true. How can we get in contact with you?”

He didn’t want to cage her, not when she had the protection of all the Bijuu and according to the two younger Uchiha, could use chakra. And as a sensor, Minato could feel the powerful chakra flowing within the girl’s body, far greater than anyone he had ever encountered, male or female.

Hikari blinked then smiled knowingly. She dug into the pouch strapped around her thigh and pulled out a tri-pronged kunai similar to Minato’s, but slightly smaller and sleeker. “Use this.”

“You can use the Hiraishin?” Rin squeaked, eyes wide. The Hiraishin was a space-time jutsu that had been invented by Senju Tobirama and then improved by Minato. For the girl to know the seal formula…

“I think I’ve given you tons of hints about my identity,” Hikari mused ruefully, motioning for the miniaturized Bijuu to come to her. “Call for me whenever you want.”

With that closing statement, she vanished, taking the Bijuu with her.

“We’ll see her again, right?” Shisui said after a long silence, expression slack with awe. He looked a little too besotted with a girl he hardly knew, making Itachi sigh and smack his head.

“I doubt Hikari-san would like you drooling over her, Shisui.”

“B-But she’s super strong! And pretty!”

“Shisui.”

Kushina was vibrating on the spot with excitement, on the verge of grabbing the kunai from Minato and calling for the girl herself. She would have, if she could use the chakra for it.

“Come on, Dad! Do it already!”

At her side, Naruto whined, pouting and crossing his arms over his chest. He too wanted to meet the girl, after he had accidentally overheard his parents talking about her.

Minato sighed in resignation but smiled slightly; he couldn’t hold his wife and son’s excitement against them, not when he was the same.

After all the chaos had died down and the mess with Danzo had been mostly cleared up, he had had time to think about the mysterious girl who had barged into his life like a whirlwind. Her appearance, the familiarity in her chakra, her expression when looking at him and her knowledge of the Hiraishin, they all pointed to one thing.

“Okay, okay, I’m doing it,” Minato chuckled when Kushina looked like she was going to launch herself at him. Sending a pulse of chakra into the kunai Hikari had given him over a week ago, he nodded and the family of three waited.

“…I was not expecting this particular combination.”

The Uzumaki-Namikaze family whirled around to face the window; Hikari was perched on the sill, hair loose and fluttering in the night breeze. The moon was at her back, illuminating her frame in an almost ethereal manner.

“If it’s you three, I suppose you’ve figured out my identity?”

“Kind of,” Minato admitted when it became clear that Kushina and Naruto were too stunned to utter a word. “We don’t know exactly who you are, but we believe that you are related to Kushina and myself, at the very least.”

Hikari chuckled, inclining her head towards the blond man. “And you’d be right in a way. What else do you know?”

“That you’re not from here…not from this world.”

That little tidbit had been obtained from what the Kyuubi had let slip during their first encounter and the assumption was supported by the fact that Minato and the other five had definitely seen two nine-tailed foxes.

“Correct,” Hikari clapped, blue eyes gleaming in the faint light of the moon. She had expected a confrontation, but she had thought she would be facing Minato and perhaps his students, not his family. But it was what it was, so she didn’t worry about it.

“Awesome!” Naruto cheered happily, having recovered from his shock. It was so cool to meet a dimension traveller and even cooler that she was related to him! Not to mention that she could use chakra! “I can’t believe I’m related to the legendary Crimson Spirit!”

“There’s that term again. How did that even come about?”

Hikari looked utterly bewildered, not knowing what exactly she had done to become so renowned. She had only been popping up in random places, over the span of about fifteen years.

“Women can’t use chakra, right? But you clearly can and you just appear somewhere, help out a bunch of people and then disappear,” Kushina explained, inching towards the other redhead with an eager expression on her face. “Because of that, everyone believed that you were a spirit. Some small villages have even named you as their goddess.”

“They what?!”

The family of three started laughing at the gobsmacked expression on the girl’s face, even more entertained when she squawked in embarrassment and tumbled off the window sill.

“You’ve got to admit, we didn’t know better,” Kushina remarked, holding out a hand to help Hikari up. “Why’d you come to this dimension anyway?”

“It’s a long story; short version is, a war happened, everything was destroyed, everyone was killed and I ended up here by accident.”

Silence.

Naruto was the first to move, the twelve-year-old wrapping his arms around the older girl’s waist. “I’m sorry.”

Hikari’s heart melted and she returned the hug. “Thank you, Naruto.”

After a few moments, the kid withdrew a little but kept his arms where they were, asking, “How exactly are you related to us? You really look a lot like Mom. You got the cool red hair too.”

There was a hint of envy in the boy’s voice, making Minato let out a noise of indignation while Kushina grinned in approval. Hikari had a laugh startled out of her and she replied, “I used to look like you, actually. The red hair happened when I came to this world. You’re right, though; red hair is very cool.”

“Hey!” Minato huffed in mock outrage, glaring at his triumphant wife and son. “My hair is nice too!”

“But I miss my sunshine hair, as everyone called it, so a point to you, Dad.”

One could almost hear a pin drop.

Blue eyes widened and Hikari’s mouth snapped shut with a click when she realized what she had said. But the damage was done.

“‘Dad’?” Minato echoed, stepping closer. “So I really am your father?”

Sighing, Hikari nodded. “Technically, you’re his counterpart. But, yes. Don’t worry, I’ll be more careful so that I don’t slip up-”

“No.”

“Huh?”

Kushina stepped forward, as did Minato, and when the girl didn’t flinch or move, they wrapped their arms around her in a hug just like Naruto was still doing. “We considered that possibility,” Kushina confessed softly, running a hand down her daughter’s back in a soothing manner. “That you were ours. Regardless, you will have a home with us.”

“I…”

“We will never be a replacement for your family and we don’t want to be,” Minato continued, meeting blue eyes that resembled his own. “We welcome you, Hikari, if you want a home here, with us.”

Hikari was stunned. When she had arrived in this world and had found out that she was an anomaly, she had expected to be shunned at best or hunted like a lab rat at worst.

Certainly not this.

It was an opportunity though, a chance that she would never have hoped for.

But at the same time, she didn’t want to burden them. Even if Konoha didn’t do anything to her, the other villages would definitely pursue her, especially when they found that the Bijuu were with her.

Hikari didn’t want to make Minato deal with that.

“Won’t you stay? I’ve always wanted a sibling!”

Naruto’s voice cut into her thoughts and she blinked, looking down at her counterpart. It was strange but not surprising. If she had been in his position, she would have stuck like glue to a possible sibling too.

“Why?”

“Because older brothers and sisters are supposed to help their siblings, right? Sasuke has Itachi-nii and Shisui-nii and they always teach him amazing stuff! And you can use chakra, even though you’re a girl!”

Hikari snorted, amusement washing away the trepidation. “So you just want me for my abilities, huh? I’m hurt, Naruto.”

Naruto floundered, eyes widening and he backtracked. “That’s not it! I-”

A hand ruffling his hair cut him off and he looked up to see Hikari smiling at him. “I know what you mean…little brother.”

“Yay!”

The blond cheered and did a little happy dance, releasing the redhead in his delight. Hikari didn’t have a moment to breathe though, as Kushina glomped her with a gleeful squeal.

“I have the most amazing daughter!”

Hikari struggled helplessly in the woman’s embrace, sending a pleading look at Minato, but the man only laughed.

The traitor!

Well.

Looked like she had a family now.

The clamour in the Jounin Standby station was the first thing that caught their attention.

Shisui and Itachi glanced at each other, neither one having any idea what could have stirred up the Jounin. They stepped inside after a few moments; standing around wouldn’t give them any answers.

Spotting a crowd on the far end of the room, the two Uchiha wondered what that was all about.

“Shisui-kun, Itachi-kun.”

A familiar feminine voice greeted them and the two turned around to see Rin and Obito behind them, the woman smiling at them while their cousin grinned.

“Hey, brats; Fugaku-sama finally let you leave the compound?”

“Yes,” Itachi simply answered, not bothered at being called a brat. He had gotten used to it over the years and knew full well that nothing would stop Obito from calling him and Shisui that.

Ignoring the other unnecessary part, his observation was valid.

After the Uchiha clan head had heard about Danzo’s attack on them, he had literally banned them from stepping outside the compound until the old war hawk had been convicted. Their ban had started two weeks ago and they had been allowed to leave only that morning.

“They’re not the only ones who’d gained freedom.”

Kakashi’s dry remark made the group blink in confusion; none of them had noticed the Hatake slip into the Jounin station.

After a second, Obito brightened in realization. “Sensei finally stopped hovering?”

“Yeah. I thought it would have taken Kushina-nee scolding him to let her go, but Minato-sensei said that she was free to go wherever she wanted, starting this morning.”

“Who are you talking about?” Shisui asked, curious. The only ones the Yondaime was overprotective of were his wife and son, and Kushina clearly wasn’t the one being mentioned.

“Sensei’s new daughter.”

Itachi raised an eyebrow. “Hokage-sama adopted someone?”

Rin shook her head, her smile a little bemused. Even though she had heard the news right from the source, it still sounded unbelievable. “No, she’s his daughter from another world.”

It was Shisui’s turn to raise his eyebrow. “Right. Pull the other one.”

“See? That’s exactly why I told Dad that trying to keep my origins secret is pointless. No one would believe it anyway.”

A familiar redhead stood on the group’s right, hands thrown up in frustration. She looked so ready to beat someone up, probably one of the Jounin, considering the direction she had come from and how they were staring at her.

“No Bijuu today?” was what came out of Shisui’s mouth, his brain having shut down at the sight of the girl he might have a tiny crush on.

And no, Itachi, liking someone because they were strong wasn’t a bad thing!

Fortunately, the girl only looked amused. “No,” she replied, blue eyes twinkling with laughter. “They’re not very fond of humans. I’m Namikaze Hikari, nice to meet you.”

Shisui shook the redhead’s hand, grinning widely. Not only was she strong, she was also a fun person. “Uchiha Shisui,” he introduced himself, although he had a feeling that she already knew. “And this is Uchiha Itachi.”

“I-”

“Oi, get back here, woman!”

A thin crimson eyebrow twitched at the yelled words and Hikari closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and praying for patience. She turned around, coming face to face with the Jounin who had been cursing and throwing slurs her way since the moment she had stepped into the room.

“What?”

Rin had to admit that she was impressed by the way the redhead stared down the furious man without a hint of fear. Then she recalled that Hikari was friends with Bijuu and that a human was probably nothing to her.

“I want to know how you deceived Hokage-sama,” the man, Benjiro if Rin remembered right, scowled at the unimpressed teenager, attempting to intimidate her with his height and bulk. “Women are useless in the field and you should stick to playing with your books.”

Hikari rolled her eyes and looked at Itachi, who had a restraining hand around Shisui’s arm. “Are all shinobi like this? Because I’ve met quite a few and apart from Dad and you guys, they all look down on women.”

“Unfortunately,” Itachi replied with a grimace. Because of their ability to use chakra, most men tried to intimidate and push women around, believing in their supposed superiority. “Please ignore him, Hikari-san.”

“You dare to ignore me!” Benjiro yelled when Hikari didn’t pay any attention to him, swinging his fist at her.

The hit never connected.

Slender fingers curled around his wrist, grip tightening to the point of pain and the man gasped as Hikari slowly twisted the limb in her grasp. Cold blue eyes bored into the Jounin’s muddy brown, sending shivers down his spine and also of those around him.

Her aura was terrifying.

“I wonder what would happen to you if I told Dad about this,” Hikari commented, tone almost conversational if it weren’t for the steel in her voice. “Your words are an insult to kunoichi like Mom and Rin-san, and many others.”

Benjiro sneered. “Need Daddy to protect you, huh?”

“Not really. How about we take this outside? I’ll even give you the first attack.”

“I don’t need it,” he said boastfully, as if he had already forgotten how easily Hikari had caught his fist. “How about we make a bet? When I win…”

He trailed off but his intention was clear in the way he looked the redhead up and down, licking his lips and leering at her.

Obito, Kakashi and Shisui snarled, moving to teach the man a lesson but Hikari raised her arm, blocking their path. She smirked, a devious glint in her eyes, “And when I win, you will grovel on the ground in front of every kunoichi in Konoha, active or retired, and praise them to heaven and back.”

Benjiro glared but agreed, far too confident in his win. “Let’s go.”

The two headed out to the training grounds behind the Jounin station, what seemed like the entire force following after them curiously. Whispers and mumbling were rampant among the Jounin, most of them betting on the result of the duel.

“What set him off anyway? Benjiro may be stupid but he’s too proud to pick fights with girls,” Shisui said as he and his friends circled around the crowd and found empty spots under the trees. He was looking forward to the duel; it sure was going to be fun.

“Sensei made Hikari a Jounin and put her on our team,” Kakashi explained, leaning against a tree. “The news spread and most of the low-ranked Jounin got jealous.”

Kakashi was referring to Team Ro, consisting of himself, Obito, Rin, Shisui and Itachi, with Tenzo, Hayate and Yugao being occasional members when their skillset was required. They were technically an ANBU team, but they worked so well together that they were assigned missions as regular Jounin as well.

They were well-known and many wanted to work with them or become a part of their team, but they weren’t skilled enough to make the cut.

Shisui and Itachi perked up at the news, excited at the new addition to their team. They also weren’t surprised; the redhead could easily wipe the ground with them, if she was so inclined.

That was when something occurred to Shisui and he started laughing, making the others look at him in askance. He gestured to Benjiro, who was puffed up like a peacock, assured of his victory.

“Poor guy is going to get humiliated.”

Obito got what his cousin was trying to say and started cackling as well. “Oh, Hikari-chan is about to wipe the ground with his face!”

“Do the Jounin know that Hikari-san is Hokage-sama’s daughter?” Itachi asked, amused. Probably not, he thought to himself, his suspicions confirmed when Kakashi shook his head. “They’re in for a shock then.”

“Yep.”

“Shush, they’re starting,” Rin hushed the males, her vicious and bloodthirsty expression making them inch away from her. She may be the most placid member of Team Ro, but she had pride in her abilities and absolutely hated it when men like Benjiro put her down.

Meanwhile, on the training grounds, Benjiro smirked at the redhead. ‘Even if she looks calm, she must be shaking in fear on the inside,’ he thought, hands flickering through the seals for a jutsu. ‘This is an easy win.’

“Witness my strongest jutsu! Katon: Gokakyuu no Jutsu!”

The man spat a large fireball at the girl, who didn’t move.

Hikari stared at the incoming jutsu, resisting the urge to facepalm. ‘Sasuke could do better than this when he was a Genin,’ she thought. The fireball was too small and too slow, but apparently it was good according to the standards of this world, judging by the gasps she heard.

She stepped to the side when the fireball was only a few feet away, let it pass by her harmlessly. Looking at the dumbstruck Benjiro, she called, “You call that a jutsu?!”

“H-How?!”

Deciding to show off a little, Hikari channelled her chakra but didn’t make any handsigns, instead tucking her hands into her pockets.

“Katon: Goenka.”

Hikari took a deep breath and spat out dozens of fireballs, each one the size of the fireball Benjiro had sent her way. They hovered in the air menacingly; one thought from her and they would strike their target without mercy.

Gasps of shock erupted from the gathered shinobi, their jaws dropping to the ground at the casual use of Katon jutsu.

By a girl.

Benjiro stumbled back on trembling legs, falling to the ground. He stared at the hovering fireballs in horror, desperately crawling back. “How can you use chakra?! Are you actually a man?!”

“Nope,” Hikari replied cheerfully, rocking back and forth on her feet. She loved causing chaos. “I’m apparently an anomaly. And this,” she waved at the fireballs, “doesn’t even make into the top twenty of my most powerful jutsu.”

With a flick of her hand, she sent the fireballs at Benjiro, who yelped and covered his head, screaming, “I surrender! I surrender!”

“Aww,” the redhead pouted but made the jutsu disappear. “You’re no fun.”

“Y-You…”

“I won, so you have to uphold your side of the bet, Jounin-san. I’ll even let you off from grovelling to me, so why don’t you start with Rin-san?”

Benjiro growled, his injured pride overpowering his fear of the girl. “I won’t do it!” he yelled, unsteadily getting to his feet. “Who’s going to force me, huh?! No one will care anyway!”

“Not keeping your word is quite dishonourable.”

A new voice entered the conversation and most of the Jounin flinched, spinning around to see the Yondaime leaning against a tree near the members of Team Ro, who looked downright gleeful.

Minato straightened and walked towards the redhead, ruffling her hair with a smile. “Good job traumatizing my Jounin,” he said wryly, but not overly concerned.

Hikari shrugged lightly. “He was asking for it.”

“I know,” the blond agreed as he turned to the cowering Benjiro, his amiable expression becoming dark in a blink of an eye. “I expect much better from my Jounin. Kawasaki Benjiro, you are hereby dismissed from your position as a shinobi of Konoha. You will not be allowed to even become a Genin again, not until you learn to respect everyone.”

Minato held out his hand expectantly, eyes hard and unforgiving.

Benjiro had no choice but to remove his hitai-ate and hand it over, knowing that the Hokage was serious. It was humiliating, especially being dressed down and punished in front of his peers.

Pocketing the hitai-ate, Minato looked at the man, lips pressed in a thin line.

The next second Benjiro was flying through the air, the force of the Namikaze’s punch enough to throw him to the other side of the grounds.

“That was for your disgusting comments and looks toward my daughter. Watch your words and actions,” Minato hissed, the protective fury of a father coating his words. “The same goes for the rest of you.”

The watching shinobi nodded frantically, not wanting to get punched by the Yondaime. Some of them were thankful that they hadn’t openly leered at the redhead, their Hokage’s daughter.

But by the way Minato’s gaze swept over them, it was clear that the man knew the truth.

They were so screwed.