Umm.. What?
Half a year later. (Naruto is 15 turning 16. Kakashi is 27 and Shisui is 18)
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Naruto jolted up with a start. She had been sleeping well as of late and hadn’t been expecting another dream with the rikudo sennin. Slowly as to not wake up Kakashi, she made her way out of the bed and out of the room, into the study where her fuinjutsu brush set laid.
It had been a present from Itachi for her last birthday and quite frankly, it was her favourite present of the year- mainly because it was her own set. Kakashi had given her Minato’s and Kushina’s sets which were tied with Itachi’s present.
Hastily she drew the seal he had shown her in her dream and once it was finished she looked to it nervously. For quite a long time she had wanted to give Sasuke his memories back in order to actively search other dimensions for Obito however now that she looked at the seal which would allow her to do so she felt conflicted.
This Sasuke, whilst nowhere near as powerful as her Sasuke, was happy. He had his brother, he had another clan member. He had the undivided trust of the people. He was even dating someone- that had been a very big wakeup call for her.
The moment she had seen Sasuke holding Kurotsuchi’s hand the only thoughts in her head had been on how they were going to avoid Onoki’s wrath. The girl was two years older than them but had a very child-like attitude sometimes which Naruto assumed made it easier for her and Sasuke to click the way they did.
Leaning back in her chair she turned around when she heard a squawk and saw a crow.
Itachi.
Opening the balcony door she let the Uchiha in and watched as he leaned against the bookshelf and she leaned against her desk. Neither of them said anything and it was Naruto who broke the silence, “What’s bought you here so late at night?” she asked as he usually was at home with Sasuke at this time.
His eyes gave nothing away however his reply was almost immediate, “I was on duty approximately an hour ago and began to just fly around when I saw your light on and became worried. Why are you awake so late at night, hime?”
At the question her gaze flickered to the seal array beside her before she looked back to him, hoping he hadn’t seen however this Itachi wasn’t blind.
He quirked a perfectly sculpted brow at her and she sighed, “I… had a dream about the rikudou sennin and this seal. If I use it properly, it would give Sasuke all his memories and powers back from when I was sent back here from, but…”
“But you do not wish to use it as my little brother has more now than he ever had under your rule.”
She bit her lip and nodded her head. Her eyes were downcast so she didn’t notice him moving to her till his hands were on her shoulders, his eyes fixed on her cerulean ones. “I may not have lived to see it all through, however I am sure with the paths my brother had taken, the life he lived was the life he chose and his happiness was his own. It may not be the same happiness he has now, however the two Sasuke’s are different people. The first had defected and tried to kill you, this one is your brother in arms from the start.”
He stopped there and allowed his words to resonate within her. Itachi had always been the wisest person she knew, second being Kakashi, however Itachi didn’t hold bias towards her- only to his brother.
Releasing her shoulders he took a step back, “Ultimately, the choice will be yours, however I am certain my brother will hold no animosity towards you, no matter what decision you make.”
Naruto looked up quickly, “But what about his feelings for Kurotsuchi? They’ve been together for a year nearly and I don’t want him coming back to ruin it.”
His eyes softened as he leaned once again against the bookshelf, “Will this seal remove the memories he has made here?” she shook her head, no, and he continued, “Then there should be no reason why my foolish little brother would not still feel the same for Onoki’s granddaughter.” Naruto nodded slowly. “Go back to sleep, Rokudaime-sama.” She blanched at the use of her previous title and just as she did so, he transformed once again and left.
Sighing, she locked the seal away and headed back to bed, praying a solution would arise in her dreams.
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Naruto wasn’t very sure what she was looking at, but from what she could make out of it, it made her want to puke.
“It could use a bit of improving here or there but I think I got it right for the most part, right Naruto?” asked a very happy Sakura, however Naruto wasn’t sure why the pinkette was so happy. The seal she had just presented the Uzumaki looked horrendous.
Slowly Naruto looked up from the seal, face blank, and asked, “Sakura… where did you learn about this seal?”
The grin on her teammates face never dimmed as she reached into her pouch for a book which Naruto didn’t care enough to read the title of. Reaching over she took the book and flicked through it. Upon finding out what she needed to know, she burnt it with the Amerterasu.
Sakura’s indignant yells could be heard all over the street they were walking down but Naruto really couldn’t care. “What the hell was that for Naruto?!”
She levelled Sakura with another blank stare before burning the seal she had been given as well. “That book was a load of rubbish and this seal is as pathetic as the one originally placed on Gaara. Whoever wrote that book should be burnt at the stake for blasphemous acts against fuinjutsu.”
Sasuke grinned at her whereas Sakura continued to look incredulous. “That doesn’t mean you burn the book! I need to return it to the library.”
Naruto nodded to herself before replying, “You know what, Sakura. Take one of my clones with you to the library and the two of you can deal with it together. I’d do it personally however Shisui just got back to the village and I need to be there for the debriefing of his missions.” She gave her two teammates a half-hearted salute before hiraishining to the office where Shisui and Itachi stood side by side.
“See anything interesting during your mission anata?” she asked as she gave him a kiss of the cheek before taking a seat on Kakashi’s desk.
“As I was explaining to Kakashi, I saw nothing out of the norm. Everyone and everything was the way it usually is. I even spoke to quite a few locals, they haven’t seen or heard anything suspicious.”
She quirked a brow at that, “Buuuut….”
“But they did happen to let it slip that the village will be going through some sort of election soon over who should be the next ruler of Ame. There had apparently been some sort of civil conflict about that. Nagato is one of the candidates however no one who knows is stating who the second person is.”
Her hands clenched into fists, she would have thought it was Obito if it wasn’t for the fact she couldn’t sense him anywhere. It had been nearly one and a half years since he had gone into hiding and not once had he come out of whatever dimension he was in.
Just as she thought she had an idea of who it could possibly be, a purple and black void appeared in the room and a few seconds later, out came Sasuke. He gave everyone a nod in greeting before talking, “I’ve gone to eighteen different dimension this last week making it a total of thirty-one dimensions I have scoured, and I’m still unable to find either of them.”
Naruto grit her teeth before easing her shoulders, “Everything here is the same as you left. No one seems to have noticed your clone is a clone and Kurotsuchi is due here as per usual within two days. Shisui just got back from Ame and debriefed us of his mission. Do you have any idea on who Ame would elect for their leader outside of Nagato?”
Sasuke chuckled before replying, “Nagato is ensuring he wins the election. It will be him and Pein.” His thoughts drifted to the other part of Naruto’s statement and a small smile found its way to his face.
Naruto quirked a brow, a wily smile on her face knowing exactly what sasuke’s smile was for however chose not to comment on it. She was happy that his feelings for the dark haired Iwa kunoichi hadn’t changed despite his old memories being returned to him.
A small chuckle escaped her as well once Sasuke’s words registered in her brain, “Wait. Nagato is using Yahiko’s body with his own mind to be used against him in an election?” it was an absurd idea but it sort of made sense. Pain offered a different sort of peace in comparison to the peace Nagato could offer and this way he left it to the people to decide which version of peace they want.
Kakashi and Shisui’s reactions had been to plant their palms firmly on their foreheads. Shaking her head she leaned back slightly, craning her neck to the side, “And on a completely different note. Yagura started training Mei and is going to make her the next mizukage. In my time she was made mizukage due to Yagura being killed so this should be entertaining. Also, I’ll be going with Roshi, Han, Utakata and Gaara all at once with Killer B to turtleback Island to train them properly.”
Naruto wasn’t sure why but all men in the room stiffened, “When?” they all asked simultaneously but she decided not to ask why.
“Tomorrow some time. They’ll all inform me when they’re ready and we’ll teleport there with the hiraishin. I’m not sure how long we’ll be. There’s a few of them in comparison to when I went. When I went it was just me and I only took a couple days if less. It might be harder for Roshi and Han since they’re a lot older and have a lot more crap on their plates.”
She shrugged her shoulders, it didn’t really matter to her when she got back as long as she wasn’t gone for more than a month. She still planned on searching for Zetsu whilst on the Island and this way it would give her a chance to be on sea and look for him.
There was only one place she hadn’t checked and if she found the bastard there she was going to flip. Uzushiogakure was not a place where her senjutsu was capable of reaching. If she found the two of them there, she was going to inflict a pain of a thousand deaths upon them.
“You didn’t feel the need to tell us this sooner?” asked Shisui with a brow raised, arms crossed in front of him.
“I did inform you boys. I informed you via paperwork. If it was all complete then you’d already know.” She smirked at him and watched his eyes widened before looking to Kakashi, glaring at the man who simply closed both eyes and chuckled.
Raising his hands in a surrender motion he replied, “I haven’t seen that document anywhere. So either it went missing or someone misplaced it before it could reach me.”
Naruto didn’t think she had ever seen Shisui move so quickly, not even in combat, as he searched the room. When he couldn’t find the document anywhere in the room he left the room and searched where Naruto assumed was the secretary’s desk and the room filled with the hokage’s paperwork.
“Is there anything I need to do, hokage-sama?” asked Itachi and both Naruto and Kakashi turned to him however it was Kakashi who replied.
“Yes, in fact you do. I need you to go home and rest up. You may have been given the clear however Tsunade-sama said you needed to take it easy- which you haven’t been.” Bowing, Itachi bid them farewell and left the room.
Reaching out her senjutsu she tried to read Itachi and found nothing out of the norm. That was what had been concerning her as of late. Everyone went through changes, even if their body had fully grown, their internal organs and chakra system were always working- especially if you were a shinobi.
What was concerning her was the lack of change in Itachi- it could only mean either his organs weren’t working properly or his chakra system wasn’t working the way it should. She made a mental note to bring it up with Tsunade later.
She left the room, stating she was going to out train Konohamaru and his team some stealth lessons in the forest of death.
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Kakashi looked to his eldest student who was leaning against his bookshelf, arms crossed as he flexed his left hand. “You haven’t told her, have you Kakashi?” he asked, his eyes focused on the picture Kakashi kept in his desk. It was of Naruto, head down and focused on her fuinjutsu she was drawing on her arm.
“No.” his voice had taken a hard edge, he had no intention of letting Naruto know.
“This is the same thing that happened last time. No one told Naruto there was going to be a war and they had sent her off to train. The war was to protect her and our survival however she finished training faster than everyone had expected and she came to everyone’s rescue.” He replied in a flat tone.
“Is there a point to this?” he asked as he took out some papers to sign. They had the digital method however some things needed to be paper form.
Most things.
“My point is- no matter how much you shelter her, try to keep her out of things and protect her- she will come and be the one to save our arses. Why not make this easier on all of us and have her there from the start?”
Kakashi wheeled around upon hearing this, eye ablaze as he regarded his student, “Tell her that despite all our efforts to stop Akatsuki, after all her efforts to prevent what happened in your time everything has been pointless? That there will be a war? I don’t doubt her capabilities. I know she can level the nations if she wanted to.”
“Then why not?” his voice held curiosity yet his face remained stoic, a feature all veteran shinobi were capable of.
Kakashi sighed as he leaned back in to his chair, “She… I…” he couldn’t seem to get his words out, stuck in his throat as they also were unable to form in his mind.
Sasuke shook his head, “You don’t know? Or can’t say? Perhaps you can’t bring yourself to say why.” Kakashi looked down at his hands clenched around the desk, both eyes glaring despite one being covered. “You think she’s pregnant.” It was a statement, not a question. A testimony to show how much he knew them, and he knew them very well.
Leaning back he looked back at his student and nodded. “You think she isn’t.” was the kage’s reply.
“Our souls are tied by brotherhood of the rikudou sennins sons. Whilst I’m unable to use senjutsu to the level of Naruto’s prowess- or the prowess of any sage- I am able to sense some things. My rennigan also allows me to see better as well. I know she isn’t pregnant.” Kakashi waited, knowing his student had something to add, “I spoke to Tsunade. What Naruto is going through is a phantom pregnancy.”
Kakashi’s brow rose, “Phantom pregnancy?”
“Naruto may be in the body of a 15 year old but she could technically be counted as a 23 year old. She’s always wanted a family, and now things have settled, mostly, she’s able to have them. Of course her body just wants to be pregnant, yet her better judgement is not allowing herself to be pregnant.”
Kakashi allowed that information to sink in. he knew what a phantom pregnancy was, it was a phenomenon that occurred often enough with kunoichi. What Kakashi found shocking was that Naruto wanted a family so young. Granted, she was mentally a lot older than she looked so it shouldn’t have really come as a surprise to him.
“Is she aware that it’s a phantom pregnancy and not an actual one?” he asked, wondering if she thought so, why she wouldn’t say anything.
“I can’t answer that since I don’t know. Naruto… she kept your relationship hidden from all of us for so many years but she said in the end. She won’t tell me anything personal but I know she would have told you, or Shisui. She’s not accustomed to keeping secrets from you, sensei.” Kakashi nodded and gave his student a smile.
It wasn’t often you would catch Sasuke using any form of honorific if it wasn’t placed to the highest ranking.
He went back to work after that, mulling over the beginning of their conversation. He now knew he had no excuse- no valid one that is-to keep Naruto out of this possible war.
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Naruto was sitting at the dinner table with Shisui that same evening as Kakashi said he had work to attend to at the office. Well that was what he had said, however as soon as they had washed and packed the dishes, preparing a box of food to take to Kakashi in the office the godaime entered their home, clad in his kage robes.
His eyes were firmly on Naruto however he did give a meaningful stare at Shisui. Well, she assumed it was meaningful since the Uchiha bowed and left the room via shunshin.
She sat down as she watched Kakashi pacing, following his movements with crease in her forehead. She allowed him time to gather his words as it wasn’t very often one could find the man like this.
Finally he stopped and placed his hands on the table ledge, bent over slightly as he looked at her. “What I’m about to tell you is very important and I want you to know I have not- we have not kept this from you out of malice but out of concern for your safety.” He paused and Naruto nodded her head in understanding. This wasn’t her lover, this was her hokage. “Myself and the other kage have been gathering information and keeping an eye on the other villages and clans. All of us have come to the conclusion that there will be a revolt from the smaller villages. The one hosting this revolt- as we are calling it- are Kawagakure. There are other villages, Ishi, Uta and Yu.”
Naruto was certain she had a blank face on. Kakashi was acting as if this wasn’t information she didn’t already know. “You realise I have a spy network going across the entirety of the five nations, right? Granted, it’s not a large as ero-sennin’s however it is still big. I’m already aware there are people within the villages planning a coup.”
Kakashi withheld a sigh, “Yes, I know you’re aware of that. What you’re not aware of is they have banded together and plan to unite under one flag in order to- quote unquote- destroy the village who sit on the wallets.”
It was a situation in which Naruto felt like laughing due to the stupidity of it all. The third war had started because of the revolts the smaller villages had planned and now it was happening all over again. The people may say shinobi are stupid however shinobi were not the ones causing them their problems.
“Did the villages give any specific reason as to why they suddenly don’t agree with us? Other than what you’ve just said of course.”
“They stated that we were growing too powerful and that there had been talk from the higher ups stating that they were planning a war so in order to stop us from going to war, they are going to start a war.”
Naruto felt like going over to each of these people and hitting their heads with the blunt end of her kunai. Common sense was apparently not with the common people.
She was very sure there had been no such uprising in her own time and she doubted that she had caused that much change in which the people would despise the changes going on around them.
Her eyes flashed red and she slammed her closed fist onto the table, “I’m going to find that son of bitch and tear him limb by limb.” She spat out, venom lacing her words as she knew exactly what had caused this uprising and it had nothing to do with what Kakashi was saying.
“Huh?” she heard him mutter, clearly he didn’t get Naruto’s way of thinking, which she understood perfectly considering she had a very odd and unique way of thinking.
“Obito and Zetsu.” She spat out through clenched teeth. Her nails began to turn to claws as Kurama’s rage fed her own, her vision tinting red before a set of hands covered her eyes and she took laboured breaths to calm down.
“Care to explain what’s going on Kakashi?”