Naruto Future Lost

[Meinos Kaen]

Alright! To celebrate our new home, here's a new story for you! Well, not new new, since Future Lost is an old project of mine, but it's an updated and better version! I have plans for this. Big plans. And I must thank the Shinobi Combat thread for giving me ideas. Now, first part of the prologue... Enjoy!

Prologue​

“Alright, class. Settle down.” His words went over their heads like they had never been pronounced. The man sighed, since this was a common occurrence, with every single first year class he taught. He cleared his throat and raised his voice a little. “Class, don’t make me give you detention on the first day.” That made the trick. The man smiled and rubbed the scar on the top of his nose before taking the last few steps to his desk.

“So, it’s your first day of school. It’s tradition that I narrate a story. A story that can answer many of the questions that you have about our village.” The man said, settling down on the desk the classroom’s register, and fixating his eyes on the rows of children in front of him. “Why everyone but a few adults are forbidden of going out of the village. Why there were many parts of the village that are crumbling, about to fall apart as you grew up. A few still are. Why there’s that big hole in the mountain that destroyed three of the four faces carved there.”

Saying this, the man moved his hand so that their gaze shifted to the window. Indeed, there was a mountain were once four great faces had been carved of four great men, but now the first two and part of the third one had been wiped out. It was like an angry ogre had decided to eat part of the mountain. “Open your scrolls and we will begin.”

All the children obeyed, some whispering to each other as they opened their identical scrolls, all with the same title: ‘History of Konoha’.

-FutureLost-​

The village of Konohagakure originated in a time where shinobi still lived in clans, waging war with each other over territory and influence. In the fire country, two clans were the most prominent and powerful: the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan.

These two clans were in conflict for a long time, but in the end they reached a peaceful agreement: unite their clans and many of the other ones in the Fire Country in a single military organization, the first hidden village in the history of the Elemental Countries. This truce found its only enemy in Uchiha Madara, leader of the Uchiha Clan. He eventually decided to challenge Hashirama Senju, leader of the Senju Clan, for the leadership of Konoha. He found himself alone in his endeavor, since no Uchiha would back him up, accusing him of wanting to reignite the flames of war.

Madara was defeated. Years down the road, the second Hokage Tobirama Senju, Hashirama’s younger brother, offered the Uchiha clan a position as the Konoha Police Force. A symbol of trust on the surface, but it really was a way to control the Uchiha clan and keep them out of Konoha’s governing. Many of the clan members realized this, but too late. The Senju had become the predominant clan in the village even if their Kekkei Genkai was disappearing and the Uchiha, so easy to follow in their legendary leader’s footsteps, were discriminated and secluded.[…]

The ultimate demise of the once proud Konohagakure came eight years after the attack of the Kyuubi and the death of the Yondaime, during the second reign of the Sandaime. The Uchiha clan had never forgotten the offense of years before, and the fact that many began to suspect that behind the demon’s attack there was the Uchiha clan didn’t help. Their bloodline was the only one left able to control the Bijuu, with the Senju now extinct.

The leader of the clan, Uchiha Fugaku, became the ring-leader of the planned coup d’état that would shake the village foundation. He used his talented son, Uchiha Itachi, as a spy, using his position in the ANBU and the high spheres of the village at the young age of 13 to gather information. Uchiha Itachi was though a pacifist, and unknown to his clan he became a double agent for the village. The Sandaime, Sarutobi Hizuren, tried to negotiate with the clan but time was running short, and his advisors overrun him. Itachi, the most talented and powerful of the Uchiha, was ordered to wipe out his entire clan. His reaction and consequent course of action is comprehensible…

-FutureLost-​

“Why…” They say that men are allowed to cry in few occasion only. In most people’s opinion, it’s just a joke, bull. Everyone has different feelings and reasons for crying. This was one of them for Uchiha Itachi. A lot of pressure have been applied on the thirteen years old. First his clan’s plan for a coup d’état, then the village asking him to be a double-agent. And then they had given him the order to kill his whole clan because the Hokage couldn’t start a negotiate with the elders. The event that had just transpired was the proverbial last drop.

His cousin who he loved like an older brother, Uchiha Shisui, had discovered something about him. Maybe just a small detail of his life as a double-agent, but enough to want to meet him in an isolated place and start to question him. Itachi decided to take a gamble. He knew that Shisui had influence on the elders. He was his last hope. He told him everything. Shisui didn’t disappoint him. Maybe it wasn’t exactly moral, but Shisui had agreed to try and use his ultimate genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami, on the elders, to brainwash them into wanting peace.

The plans had been foiled by one Danzo Shimura. That left Itachi crying over the corpse of his cousin, holding his last remaining eye which he quickly sealed away in a scroll, lest he went crazy staring at i.

He slammed his fists on the ground, shouting at the lifeless body of his cousin. He hiccuped and then saw his hands, dirty with the older man’s blood. He had seen blood on his hands, but never the blood of a loved one, of family, of someone so close. He shivered and went to the nearby stream to clean himself. He splashed his hands and face with water and then he noticed something. “What…” He had seen something different in him, in his eyes. His Sharingan was different. It was like the three tomoes had enlarged and taken a triangular shape. “This…”

“Congratulations, young one. You have awakened the final stage of the Sharingan.” Itachi’s head snapped up and he turned around in a flash, a kunai ready. A stranger had just appeared, dressed in large black and red robes, with a few pieces of armor, the shoulder pieces were the most prominent. His face was covered with an orange swirling mask. “It is something that few in our clan have achieved.”

“… Our clan?” Itachi wasn’t an ANBU captain for nothing. He had analyzed the stranger’s words as they came out of its mouth. “You’re an Uchiha?”

“A most prominent one, even if my own kin has betrayed and shunned me decades ago. The only thing that now associates me with you and the others are the eyes we share.” The masked stranger replied, a gust of wind moving his long black hair. Itachi immediately connected the dots, as unbelievable as what he had just guessed sounded.

“Uchiha Madara.” He whispered, but loud enough for the man to hear his words. The elder Uchiha nodded in approval.

“You really are the prodigy of your generation. I find pride in finding my blood so strong in one so young.” Madara continued, but Itachi didn’t relax at all. The elder man observed his surroundings. “You’re shaken. I take it you didn’t wish for his death?”

“I don’t wish for anyone’s death.” Itachi said, his hand squeezing around his kunai.

“And yet your clan plans to stage a coup that will tear Konoha in half, and the council asked you to wipe out your entire clan to avoid that, going as far as murdering the last hope to a peaceful solution for it. Either the blood of an entire clan, or the blood of part of the village. A though choice, child. Either way, lots of blood to have on your hands.” Madara said, earning more squeezing from Itachi’s part.

“… I already have the blood of an Uchiha on my hands. A loved one. What will one more matter? My soul is damned.” Itachi said, his teeth gritting. He had tried to share his burden with Shisui, and had only gotten him killed in the process. His death was on his hands.

“Do not be foolish, young one. What has happened to your eyes should be enlightening enough.” That was the first thing that surprised Itachi of all the words the Uchiha elder had said. “The Magenkyou Sharingan. It is not something that can be obtained by training or with time. You have to meet a certain condition.” Itachi for maybe the first time in his life was drawing a blank. “What emotion is wrecking your being right now, young one?”

“What emotion… The activation of the Magenkyou Sharingan requires an emotion?” Madara emitted a muffled laugh.

“I’ll give you a hint. I obtained mine when my brother offered me his life and his eyes.” Itachi didn’t understand what the man said with ‘offered his eyes’, but he had enough hints to understand the rest.

“It’s… It’s guilt.” Itachi stated, lowering his kunai. “The emotion that triggers the Magenkyou is guilt. Or pain. A strongly negative emotion.”

“Exactly… Heh. You know, ninjas barely feel guilty about killing someone. Otherwise, they would be unable to do their job. But you? You’re different. I wonder…” Madara paused for a few instants, weighting his thoughts. “What would happen to you if you slaughtered your whole clan? How much guilt would you bear?”

Itachi began to tremble, as images upon images began to fill his mind.

“Maybe you could even unlock a new, more powerful Sharingan, who knows. Its evolution is a mystery to me as well.” Madara continued, chuckling darkly.

“… Never again.” Itachi let his kunai clatter to the floor as images of taking his mother’s and brother’s lives fluttered in his mind. He didn’t want to do that. He didn’t want them to look at him with hate in their eyes. “I will never soil my hands with Uchiha blood.”

“Ohh… So, you’re going to help your clan?” Itachi just walked past the elder Uchiha, stopping a couple meters behind him.

“No. I love my village, and I will never act in a harmful way against its people, but I will neither submit to the elders’ wishes and soil my hands with the blood of my own relatives.” He spared one last glance at Shisui’s body before turning around again. Madara laughed.

“Uchiha Itachi chooses exile, then? A selfish choice... Or maybe the most normal one.” Madara continued, amusement clear in his voice. “You said that you would never spill Uchiha blood again. Does that include me?”

“Do you intend to do harm to the clan or the village?” Itachi said, slowly turning around, his Magenkyou flashing to life again. He had no idea why the supposed dead patriarch of the Uchiha clan was in Konoha again, after all.

“The truth? I was here to rekindle the flames of war in Konoha.” Madara stroked his chin right under his mask, which hid his vicious smile. “But the Konoha Elders and the Uchiha Clan have been working to it better that I could have ever had! No need to sully my hands!” A boisterous laugh which sent Itachi’s blood boiling.

“Reignite the flames of war? For what reason?” Itachi asked, to which Madara replied with another, more subdued, round of laughter.

“Itachi-kun, at the moment the most pressing matter to you should be running away. When they find Shisui’s body and identify its killer there will be quite the uproar, right?” Itachi tensed and then disappeared in a cloud of smoke, knowing that Madara was right. There was going to be quite the uproar, and the Uchiha prodigy couldn’t bear to be there to see it.

-FutureLost-​

He fled, he escaped, he chose voluntary exile. The choices were fighting against his village or erasing his whole clan. The proverbial rock and hard place. What possessed the Hokage’s counsellors to ask this of a thirteen year old pacifist, we will never know, but we do know what happened right after.

The coup d’état failed and what started a few days later was an all out war, with its battlefield being the village. The village was torn apart in every sense of the word. The ninja population split in two factions, those who still supported the Hokage and those who chose to help the Uchiha; the village itself was ravaged and destroyed, the most evident damage being the destruction of vast part of ‘Mount Hokage’. The fights lasted ten days. After that, both factions understood that a battle of attrition was useless, since there wasn’t a Konoha to reign over anymore.

The Uchiha left for the east part of the Fire Country, the Hokage faction for the west part, leaving a torn apart Konoha with thousands of civilian casualties to the survivors and the few ninjas who chose to protect instead of fighting, remaining true to Konoha’s true spirit. Leaving them to savage and rebuild.

“Outside of the village, the Uchiha and the Senju are still fighting, only their battlefield has extended to the whole Fire Country. Do you understand, now? And do you understand why now ninja training is obligatory for every child?” The man said, looking around, finding the usual cluster of reactions: some scared children, some surprised ones, some angry ones, and of course the ones with questions. “Yes?”

“Iruka-sensei…” A brow-haired girl said, raising her hand timidly. “I wanted to ask… I saw someone, an older boy… With lots of twins. Is that a ninja technique? Will we learn it?”

“Ah.” Iruka was a bit taken aback from the question, but a smile immediately came to his lips as he understood just who the girl was referring to and to what technique. The event that led to the meeting of the two factors was a dear one to him.

“Naruto, you can’t just go and learn one of the techniques written in that scroll! They’re forbidden of a reason!”

“Then what’s the use in having this scroll?! It’s one of the few things that those damn village-breaking bastards have left us that can be used in some way!” Iruka was stunned from the blond child’s sudden outburst, but more so by the fire, the determination he saw in his eyes. “The village needs as many strong ninjas as possible, right?! I will be the strongest of the strong! I will do everything and take any risk! I will never let another tragedy like that of four years ago happen again! Never again!”

“Yes, that is a ninja technique that sadly only the person who you saw multiplied all over the place can use to its full potential, and no, you will not be learning that at the academy.” The girl pouted and sat down. He shook his head and stifled a laugh. ‘You amuse me even when you’re not around, hn, Naruto?’

-FutureLost-​

“Hmm…” ‘Here’s the spot.’ He picked one of the nails he was holding in his mouth and held it win one hand on the wood board he was holding with the other hand. “Alright. Hammer it down.”

“Aye, aye, boss.” One of his ‘twins’ held up the hammer over his head and then began to land clean, precise blows on the nail till it was safely put. The original grinned and grabbed the nails left in his mouth with one of his hands, using the back of that same hand to wipe his forehead from the sweat that had escaped his bandanna.

“Another building successfully repaired for the one-man-work-force!” He said with a grin, putting his utensils back into the pockets hanging by the back of his belt, before dispelling his clone in a cloud of smoke. He then began to look at his handiwork, the whole building they had finished repairing. He liked to look at everything from different points of view, including sticking horizontally to a wall. “And just in time for lunch! Yay ramen!”

“Is that everything you think about when you’re not being a workaholic?” He rolled his eyes, expecting those words sooner or later. He had seen her arriving a few minutes before, after all. He crouched down against the wall and somersaulted, flipping in air a few times before landing just beside his ‘offender’, who was now staring at him from above, a teasing smile adorning her features. “Honestly, you…”

“Awww, but Ten-chan. Work makes one hungry, and ramen eaten after a day of hard work is the best tasting ramen in the world!” He said, getting back up with a grin plastered on his face. The girl rolled her chocolate eyes and then brought to the front the bento she was hiding behind her back.

“Since we’re going to eat ramen this evening as well, for lunch you’re going to enjoy my bento, and that’s final!” She basically shoved the wrapped box in his hands, which he accepted unsteadily.

“Nee, Ten-chan. You worry too much. As usual…” She bonked him playfully on the head with one hand.

“Since you don’t worry at all, I have to do double the work.” She then grabbed him by his left arm and started dragging him towards the nearby park, which had a few vacant benches. They found one in the shade of a tree. Naruto immediately set the bento down in his lap, unwrapped the box and clapped his hands a couple of times before grabbing his chopsticks and digging in with a loud ‘Itadakimasu’.

TenTen grimaced at how piggish his manners were, being careful to not let flying rice get into her hair, but at the same time she couldn’t fight back a light chuckle at how eager he seemed to eat her cooking. “You must be really hungry, can’t be my cooking.”

“Ahh, don’t say that, Ten-chan. Your cooking is just fine, but you should maybe stop bringing me bento so often, you know.” That made her confused and a bit upset, before he turned grinning to her. “People could think you have a crush on me.”

“Y-You idiot! What are you saying?!” Naruto blanked as the girl blushed and suddenly materialized a kunai out of thin hair, which then whizzed just beside his head. He knew that the girl would never hit him, having a perfect aim, but it still was scary as hell when she did that. “Geez, and here I thought you didn’t like having me around…”

“Ten-chan, that will never ever happen, and you know it. You’re my best friend.” Good thing TenTen was giving Naruto her back, otherwise he would have seen her gagging face as clear as day at the mention of those last two words. “So, how are things going at the forge?”

“Pretty good, I must say.” She breathed in and out silently, to calm down, thankful for the change of subject. She turned back to him with a bright smile. “We’ve finally managed to make a stamp for something other than kunai and shuriken. We will be able to mass produce tantos from now on!”

“Eheheh… I bet you’re the one who gave the finishing touch, hn?” Naruto said, flashing her a grin. “Meet TenTen. Weapon-master kunoichi and forger extraordinaire.” TenTen smiled while the blush was reduced to a little flush because of his praise.

“Stop flattering me about my knowledge of weapons, or my lips will break in half because of all the smiling.” TenTen said, stretching her arms over her head. Now she was the one who needed to change the subject, both because he was embarrassing her but at the same time even if he complimented her it wasn’t with that reason in mind. Naruto was just that nice of a guy. “I guess it’s one of the few good things that this situations has brought us.”

“… Yeah.” Naruto’s face became serious at that, and he bit slowly into a rice ball, observing the children playing with their various toys. A couple more were putting a broken swing back into shape, and other yet were practicing with wooden kunai on a nearby tree. “Forcing everyone left in the village to learn both ninja skills and a set of normal ones.”

“Incredible, huh? We’re teens and we could already run our own activities.” TenTen said, observing a bench that Naruto himself had built.

“In a normal village. In a normal country. Here? We’ve been going through eight years of hell because of those selfish…” Naruto bit back a curse, his mood taking a turn for the worse. It couldn’t be helped, it always happened every time he thought of the coup and the war. “Sorry, but-”

“I know, I know. You get angry every time you think about it.” TenTen knew that Naruto was angry at the people who had left Konoha in that state, and would always be for as long as they kept on hurting its citizens. And Naruto didn’t just blame the Uchiha, he blamed the Senju as well, mainly because they had been the ones to start the war that destroyed the village he lived in. They attacked first, deliberately endangering the civilians.

“And to think I wanted to become Hokage.” Naruto said, laughing bitterly right after. TenTen grabbed his shoulder, squeezing it in what she hoped was a comforting gesture. It must have been hard losing his dream, the people he looked up to and one of the few who treated him as a human being all in once.

“You still think…” TenTen tried to say, but Naruto turned to her sending the sharpest stare his eyes could muster.

“What else can I think?! He ordered to attack the Uchiha compound without even evacuating the village first! There have been thousands of deaths! An Hokage is supposed to protect the village! The village is the people that live in it, not a mountain or a name or reputation! I don’t know his reasons, but that was his decision!” Naruto barked out in a loud enough voice for a couple of birds to leave the tree they were under. That seemed to make the blonde notice just how high his tone had been in those last few seconds, and to who he was directing them. He turned his head away, ashamed. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay. As you said, though, the Hokage is supposed to protect the people of the village, and the Sandaime has never done anything but that.” TenTen replied, used to Naruto’s sudden outbursts. “I’m sure he’s had a reason for ordering the attack.”

“... What could warrant that?” Naruto shook his head, trying to clear his head from those kind of thoughts. He then scarfed down the rest of his lunch and hopped back to his feet. “Well, gotta go now. Thanks for the lunch, Ten-chan.”

“Ehm, Naruto…” Naruto stopped walking before even beginning to do so. He turned to face TenTen, who was again a bit flushed. “You know what day is tomorrow, right?”

“Uh? Well, yes. It would be strange if I didn’t, right?” Naruto said, ever the jester.

“You know, I kind of… Made you a present, so…” TenTen looked for a few seconds at her hands in her lap before getting back on her feet, tense. “What about I give it to you over dinner, tomorrow? My place?”

“… Eh?” His reaction led to TenTen flushing even more. Confused, he scratched the back of his head. “Sure, I’ll be there at seven?”

“… Thanks.” TenTen smiled and then walked away a smile now plastered on her face. Naruto watched her go, his right hand still on the back of his head.

“… Her place?” Naruto’s mind began to fill with weird images. He shook them off right away. “Ten-chan just wants me to give up ramen, I guess.” ‘Like I could ever do that…’

-FutureLost-​

After the ‘battle of Konoha’, the Senju faction left for the west part of the Fire Country, heading for a secret part of what were once the Senju clan’s grounds. The Konoha shelters carved inside mount Hokage had been shaped after the set of tunnels and caves dug out in the inside of a mountain. Easy to defend, easy to place sentinels on to spot incoming enemy parties. Because of its position and its efficiency as a stronghold, the Uchiha had never tried going for the Senju headquarters. Not at the time of warring clans, nor in eight years since Konoha’s Civil War extended to the whole fire country, and they weren’t going to try anytime soon.

“Are you absolutely sure about this, Hiashi?” One of the common ‘caves’ had a particular importance. It had been covered with a dome of unbreakable glass like every other one, but this one had double the number of sentinels. It was the War-Time Council chamber, where the leaders of the Senju faction met.

“Absolutely sure, Hokage-sama.” The War-Time Council was made of the heads of the various clans that made up the Senju faction. Among these there was the Hyuuga clan, which was maybe the most important component of the faction. People possessing the Shodaime’s bloodline limit were no longer existent but going against the Uchiha, a clan where almost every member possessed the Sharingan, fabled as the strongest bloodline limit existent without another large group of limit possessors was a chimera. That’s where the Hyuuga came in, being loyal to the Hokage and possessor of another strong bloodline limit, the Byakugan. Its head was Hyuuga Hiashi. “We’ve been provided photographic proof. The forbidden scroll wasn’t lost during the attack and survived the collapse of Hokage tower.”

“It is a priority that we retrieve it before the Uchiha know of its existence, then.” The head of the Nara clan and the Senju’s master strategist, Shikaku, offered his opinion on the matter. “The scroll contains many techniques that were they to fall into the Uchiha’s hands-”

“That’s not the only reason the scroll’s retrieval is a priority, though. Right, Sarutobi?” The Hokage didn’t reply to Danzo’s words. His mind was elsewhere as he kept his eyes fixed on other photographs that had been taken to him. Images of a blonde teenager with whiskers-like birthmarks on his cheeks. A teenager who was all over the place. At the same time.

“The young Uzumaki is using the Kage Bunshin.” Choza, head of the Akimichi clan was observing one of the photographs that the Hokage had already seen. “He has access to the scroll.”

“Sarutobi, in that scroll there’s the technique that sealed the Kyuubi in his body and the way to break it, right?” Danzo continued, urging an intervention from the Hokage.

“What arrangements are we to make?” The Hokage said, his tired voice the only thing betraying his age.

“The man just wanted to join our cause, Hokage-sama… With a few privileges. He’s awaiting for a message via traveller bird to initiate the recovery of the scroll. We would extract him a few kilometers away from the village.” Hiashi continued, his voice as cool and stoic as one man could muster.

“… I don’t want any unnecessary casualties. Fast, stealthy.” The Hokage said, slowly getting up from his chair and grabbing a hold of his walking cane. He still needed help by one of his two attendants to leave the room. “Solve this matter with the most haste.”

-FutureLost-​

After the Hokage left, the other members of the council quickly followed suit. Shikaku and Choza left together. Best friends, member of a trio that was once famous in Konoha. A trio that broke up when the village broke down.

“Have you seen his face?” Choza said, ever the sensitive man. The Hokage had started showing his age ever since the battle of Konoha. He had gotten more and more tired and weak with each passing day, the responsibilities of his choices and the war bearing down on his shoulders. “It was like he regained his strength for one moment, and then ended up twice as tired as before.”

“He has always thought of that child as his responsibility, and we all know the choices he’s made over the years to protect him.” Shikaku replied. The two walked through the tunnels, lighted only by never-ending flames. “But he will never be able to talk to him again, and even if he could... Did he ever tell you about their last meeting?”

“… Yes.” Choza shook his head while opening the door to his private room. He collapsed onto his bed, feeling suddenly tired. That battle had taken a lot from them, and a lot more was going to be taken away. “… Why did the Uchiha have to be such nutcases, Shikaku?” Shikaku chose silence, seeing that Choza still hadn’t finished his talking. “We would still be Ino-Shika-Cho trio, my wife would have never died and our boys, they wouldn’t have… Jesus, I hardly recognize my boy anymore.”

“… War brings out many things out of people. Most of them aren’t positive.” Shikaku went for Choza’s cabinet. He knew where he kept the strong stuff, and he needed it as much as his friend at the moment. “And I fear we haven’t seen the worst of it yet.”

-FutureLost-​

“Naruto-niichan!”

“Be down in a moment!” His little project just needed the finishing touch. The long part had been the clock, since that was the only thing that he couldn’t work on himself. The rest of the structure, he had built over the last two years whenever he had free time from work or training and now it was finally finished. Each hammer blow brought him closer to completion, to perfection, and filled him with pride. The last one echoed a bit longer than the others.

“Yeeeeees!” Hearing his shout of satisfaction, the clone inside the clock tower activated the hydraulic pump, and soon the air was filled with a ‘Tic-Tac’. The original Naruto dispelled his clones and threw his arms in the air. “I’m the best! I’m the be… Woah!” Too bad it was mid-day, and the loud sounds signaling the passing of the hour threw him off balance and off the tower. He shielded his body with chakra, but he still landed unceremoniously on his back, raising a lot of dust. The orange-haired girl who was waiting for him on the ground winced at his loud impacting of the ground.

“… You okay, niichan?” The girl said after the dust cleared, kneeling down beside him and poking him with her right index finger.

“My spine’s hurting, but I will get better. Ouch.” He slowly got back into a sitting position, rubbing the sore spot. “So, what did you want, Moegi-chan? And isn’t the clock just awesome?!”

“Yes, it is.” Moegi smiled, chuckling at her older brother figure’s antics. That was when Naruto noticed that she was holding something behind her back. “Well, I just wanted to say… Happy birthday!” Naruto blinked as something was basically shoved into his face. It was a small plant, with a lot of bright red leaves. Naruto gently took it in his own hands, afraid to let it drop and break it. “It’s an amarilla! They’re almost impossible to grow, you know!”

“And yet you managed, Moegi-chan.” He got up back on his feet, feeling proud of the little girl in front of him. He had a hobby of gardening, but the girl was studying to become a botanist.

“Eheheh… It was my graduation work at the academy.” To graduate from the academy, every person had to pass both the ninja test, demonstrating that he could take care of him/herself in that aspect, and present a successful assignment regarding the career choice. Naruto had built a new building for the academy in a week, giving the facility a new gym. “I modified it so that you have to water it just once a day, and so that there are no side effects.”

“Side effects? To what, Moegi-chan?” That made Naruto blink. The girl grinned.


“The amarilla is a drug, niichan. Like a soldier pill, only more powerful, with nasty side-effects, and it’s very very rare.” That made Naruto pale at the new information, earning a chuckle from the young girl. “But as I said, I modified it! You just have to eat a leaf or inhale the dust ground out of one. The effect lasts ten minutes. Isn’t it lovely?! We’ve making further testing to make it easier to cultivate too!”

“... Yeah.” Naruto smiled, recovering quick enough. He rubbed the girl’s head with one of his hands, pride swelling up in his chest. ‘You’re growing up to be something great too.’ “It’s great, Moegi-chan.”

“I knew you’d like it!” Moegi threw herself at Naruto and latched her arms around his neck, planting a big wet kiss on his left cheek. “Gotta go, now. Bye, niichan!” She waltzed away, a big grin on her face as she waved back at him. Naruto got back on his feet and sighed, remembering the first days after the attack. A young girl who could do nothing but cry and despair.

And who could blame here? Four years old. She had seen her parents skewered by falling debris, her older sister barely surviving a wild Katon attack. It had taken the older girl one year just to get out of the coma. According to Iruka-sensei, she was the youngest case of PTSD he had ever seen.

“… And now she experiments on addictive substances with a smile on her face.” Once you chose a career in the academy, you got assigned along with your fellow apprentices to an adult mentor. Naruto wondered if Moegi had been started upon the extremist path of a botanist by her mentor or she found the road on her own. Either way, he was grateful. Ever since she started the academy, he had seen her smile in situations that were other than when he was with him or her sister. Focusing on her work had let her put bad memories behind her.

“Moegi-chan seems to have a knack for experimenting with those kinds of plants.” Naruto blinked, recognizing the voice. He turned around and basically hugged air with one arm because the man moved out of the way just in time. “Sorry, I’m carrying something.”

“Eheheh, you’ve gotten really good, Iruka-sensei.” Naruto grinned and turned in the right direction. He found Iruka, carrying something with him. A large package in colored wrappings. Naruto’s grin increased two-fold. “Don’t tell me. It’s for me.”

“Hey, it’s not every day that a kid makes it to sixteen years old, right, Naruto?” The ex-chunin said, handing the package to Naruto, who understood the need of the move out of the way thing. It was really heavy. He carefully and slowly opened his arms wide, managing to awkwardly hug his father figure while holding both a drug plant and a heavy package, one in each hand. “So, I see you’ve finished the clock tower.”

“Yep! Ain’t she a beaut?” Naruto butchered some kind of accent, much to the older man’s chagrin. The two began to walk in the direction of Naruto’s apartment. “How have you been doing, Iruka-sensei?”

“Nice. The new students seem very eager. One seemed to be pretty impressed by your ‘twins’.” That earned a snicker from Naruto. He always took pride in showing off his Kage Bunshin. “I guess this situation changed at least your life for the better, huh?”

“Well, they don’t look at me like I’m a hell-spawn anymore. I just became another citizen.” Naruto commented with a shrug of his shoulders.

“When you have so many dead ones to bury and a village to rebuild, you tend to think twice about everyone else around you, especially if this kid becomes the most productive working force in the village, tasked with probably the most important task: rebuilding and building anew.” They reached Naruto’s apartment complex and started climbing the stairs.

“Well, you changed a lot as well, Iruka-sensei.” Naruto interjected, deciding to spread a bit of the praise. “You and all the other ninjas trained so much.”

“Yeah... I wouldn’t be surprised to be a notch above most of the Jounin who were here back in the day.” Naruto knew that it wasn’t an exaggeration. After the departure or death of most of the Leaf’s shinobi force, a good 80 percent of it, the ninjas who decided to stay behind had a lot to do especially since everyone who stayed was either Genin or Chunin rank. They began to train like mad to increase their own skills and re-organized the academy to make everyone both a good civilian and a good ninja. Iruka spearheaded the last ‘transformation’.

The academy teacher’s appearance had changed, too. He packed a lot more muscles than before and another scar now donned his face, going from right under his left ear to the underside of his jaw.

“Heh, if we ever feel the need to create some kind of seat like the Hokage one, you’ll probably be the first choice candidate!” Naruto said with a grin as they walked up the last set of stairs. Iruka chuckled.

“Maybe. If the pools are going to be open to everyone, you’re probably going to have more chances than me.” Naruto blinked at that comment, turning to Iruka with a confused look on his face.

“What are you talking about?” Iruka answered by pointing behind his head, at his door. Naruto followed the finger to stare at a pile of wrapped packages and letters in front of his door, cue to his mouth to open in surprise. Iruka laughed out loud at his face.

“Naruto, one doesn’t rebuild an entire city without getting some credit for it from the people who live in it.” He put an arm around the stunned youngster’s shoulders, who was still staring incredulous at the pile of presents in front of his door. “You’ve proven yourself enough, Naruto. Konoha has always been like a big family, and you’ve become one of the most important members. You’ve given them their house back. Did you really think that wasn’t going to matter to them?”

“… I guess so…” Naruto stared at the presents in front of his door for a few more seconds before a small, genuine smile came to his lips.

-FutureLost-​

“Maybe it’s a bit too fancy? I mean, it’s not usually my style…” TenTen kept on observing herself in the mirror, checking her dress, her hair, her face. She had spent hours preparing the dinner she and Naruto were going to eat and cleaning and choosing a dress, and she still was unsure about her choice. “I mean, what if I weird him out or something? He’s not really used to me looking-” A playful pattern of knocks on her front door. She froze and then adjusted her clothes and hair one last time. “... Showtime, girl.”

-FutureLost-​

‘It’s the first time Ten-chan asks me to come over to her apartment for dinner.’ Naruto was standing in front of TenTen’s door, with a bouquet of flowers in his hands, dressed pretty nicely compared to his usual choice of attire. His best pair or pants and his best tee. He really didn’t understand what Iruka had gotten all so fussed about when he had told him about the invitation and the dinner. First, he had basically kicked him in the shower, then he had told him to pick his best clothes and then he had only let him go on his own when he had acquired some flowers. As he was mulling about what the flowers were for, since it was his birthday, the door opened. “Ah, Ten-chan! Finally d… De…”

“Hi, Naruto.” Naruto’s brain had gone into shutdown, because the newly received data just didn’t seem to compute with the one he had previously stored. He couldn’t recognize the girl in front of him as TenTen. TenTen was a tomboy who worked in a forge. TenTen wore mostly jeans and ragged t-shirts to avoid getting anything worth dirty while she worked or trained. TenTen was his best friend who always threw pointy things at him whenever he made a dumb joke.

TenTen didn’t wear make-up or jewellery. TenTen didn’t wear chinese-styled red dresses with gold trims open on one side so to leave in sight one of her legs and seemed to fit maybe a bit too tight on her chest. TenTen’s lips never were that red. TenTen, in two words wasn’t drop dead gorgeous. “Ah… Those…”

“… Eh? A-Ah!” TenTen noticed the flowers. That broke him out of his paralysis. He blushed profusely and instinctively handed them to her. The girl gently took them from his hands with a smile, then moved to the side.

“Please, come in.” She said. Naruto slowly, very slowly walked inside the apartment, the girl closing the door behind him, while in her head a little reproduction of herself did a victory dance. ‘Yes! Yes! Yes! He was paralyzed! Stunned! And the roses… He’s not that dense, then?!’ God bless father figures.

-FutureLost-​

“Eight o’clock…” Iruka glanced in the direction of his office’s clock, and his mind immediately travelled to Naruto. When he had heard from the boy about TenTen’s invite for dinner, he had almost had an hearth attack. The girl had finally chosen to take some action before another one of Naruto’s ever growing crowd of fans did. Of course, Naruto was still completely oblivious to everything, and was going to go to her house in the same clothes he had worn all day, maybe without even having a shower. Not that he could blame him. His generation’s children hadn’t exactly grown up properly, and Naruto was also an orphan. Who was he supposed to learn about those kind of things from? He would have liked to, of course, but-The teacher’s eyes widened. “Oh, no! I didn’t give him protection!”

“Iruka, please. If the girl really knows Naruto, she will have that covered. Also, don’t you think that’s a bit too forward thinking for a first date?” The silver-haired man standing on the other side of the room said, chuckling at Iruka’s expenses. He settled down the last of the files they’ve been adjourning into their rightful places and turned to the brown-haired teacher, who was sighing in exasperation. “Honestly, you’re going to pop one, sooner or later.”


“Geez, Mizuki, always the one to calm me down, right?” Iruka plopped down in his chair again, earning yet another laugh from his colleague.

“Always.” Mizuki closed the locker in which they stored the files in and then applied a sealing technique. “How are the latest reports?”

“The reconstruction is over. Naruto has worked so hard in the last four years that he did three times the work we had done in the previous four. It also allowed most of the others who had been assigned to that work to be relocated elsewhere. Now, we don’t know what we will do with all the empty space.” Iruka said, grinning in a very Narutoish way. “I almost thank Kami for the day he decided to learn the technique from the scroll.”

“Better not tell him that, Iruka.” Mizuki moved slowly his head in the direction of the heavily protected closet where they had stuffed the forbidden scroll after Naruto’s escapade. “… The things we could do with the techniques written on that scroll.”

“But they were forbidden for a reason. Only the Hokage knew all the risks and implications of every technique on that scroll.” Iruka said, stuffing some leftover papers inside the drawer of his desk. “I don’t think we will ever use a technique other than the Kage Bunshin from that scroll, Mizuki. It was the first on it because it was the least dangerous.”

“And I guess that’s why you took it upon yourself to experiment each technique and make a renewed version of the scroll with explanations of every quirk and drawback, right?” Iruka went deadly stiff, almost dropping the pen he was holding because of it. Mizuki just offered him an approving smile. “I don’t question your reasons, because I know them. Naruto was right, the scroll’s knowledge could help us in many way, and I find it commendable that you’re doing it alone at your own risk.”

“… Not a word to anyone, Mizuki. Not until the time is right.” Mizuki nodded and went back to stuffing folders inside a closet.

“You finished your work, right?” Iruka nodded.

“Just last week. It took four years but I finally analyzed every technique in the scroll… Except for the last one, of course.” Mizuki nodded, knowing what Iruka was referring to. The technique that ended the Kyuubi’s rampage. The brown haired man suddenly snorted in laughter. “We could say that the old version of the scroll is now obsolete.”

“Then, you wouldn’t mind if I took it, right?” Iruka went stiff again.

 

[infin1x]

The concept behind this is really interesting. There are a few parts were you could improve on how you introduce the changes from canon to the audience but overall an enjoyable read.

 

[Meinos Kaen]

The concept behind this is really interesting. There are a few parts were you could improve on how you introduce the changes from canon to the audience but overall an enjoyable read.

Glad to see you again! Which parts, if I may? Just to know where I have to modify.

 

[zeebee1]

Why would people side with the Uchiha if no one respected the? And what Senju are left to fight. Tsunade's the only one left and she doesn't even bear the name. Just call them the Loyalists. That being said, is the capital still standing? Konoha exists to stop the other nations from taking the territories in Fire Country. With things as they are there should only be a couple of places free of foreign influences.

 

[Nasuren]

Why would people side with the Uchiha if no one respected the? And what Senju are left to fight. Tsunade's the only one left and she doesn't even bear the name. Just call them the Loyalists. That being said, is the capital still standing? Konoha exists to stop the other nations from taking the territories in Fire Country. With things as they are there should only be a couple of places free of foreign influences.

I highly doubt that the capital fell. If it had odds are the village remnants would have been looted and butchered instead of nearly driven to the brink. Most likely the other villages except Kumo are watching but not daring to try anything too stupid. Invading would only invite both sides to team up and drive them out before returning to kill each other.

The capital is most likely still standing. Considering that the feudal lords are the biggest spenders when it comes to missions, I highly doubt that either side would allow him to come to harm. Not to mention what would happen if one of the factions actually gained his support...

 

[Druid]

Nice to see this story picked up again. I'm curious to see how this goes.

 

[Darksnider05]

Why would Shinobi refer to ptsd as ptsd and I have to say it comes across as a buzz word. Someone said Jesus kinda out of place.

Ptsd probably shouldn't get thrown around unless you have direct experience with it and have a really good idea on what causes it.

Seeing a single person die yeah not so much. Long term combat with very little down time is where your going to find your bad cases of it.

 

[Meinos Kaen]

Why would Shinobi refer to ptsd as ptsd and I have to say it comes across as a buzz word. Someone said Jesus kinda out of place.

Ptsd probably shouldn't get thrown around unless you have direct experience with it and have a really good idea on what causes it.

Seeing a single person die yeah not so much. Long term combat with very little down time is where your going to find your bad cases of it.

I did my thesis on PTSD. It's not something that's exclusive to soldiers. They just have many more chances of contracting it.

 

[Shirotsume]

I think he's saying more that you may want a more generic word for it- it sounds like it's breaking their immersion by hearing a phrase created in our world- the chances of them using the exact same phrase is pretty low.

Skirmish shock, perhaps? Something ninja-y. I'll suggest something better when I have the chance to actually read the story, you generally put out some good stuffs.

 

[Get-lost]

Nice! I hope we see a little ass kicking by the ones left behind, especially Naruto, when the others inevitably descend on the village like vultures to pick over it's carcass. Let em find out that that old toothless animal ain't quite as dead as it looks and it ain't nearly as toothless as they think.

 

[ankokudaishogun]

dunno, the situation makes no sense.
There is no reason for the other villages to not attack.
There is no reason for at least one of the two faction to not stay in the village.
Hell, there is no reason for the village to keep going on. Not as a Hidden Village.
I mean, I can understand the civilian wanting to stay there(and some ninja staying to help them), but they cannot keep on as a Hidden Village: most of their forces have left the place and are now competitors. And the previous competitors are still out there and are proven being more reliable than a village destroyed by a civil war.

Related: why the hell would any of the two faction leave the village? That would be shouting "I care no more and I'm going to do my thing alone". The whole problem of a civil war is two(or more) faction wanting different things for a specific place.
Once one leaves, the other has won by default.

And, really, nobody kidnapping and\or killing Naruto? Or stealing the forbidden scroll? For YEARS?


And at very least Oonoki would totally attack one of the two factions. Suna might, as well, to claim at least part of the Fire Country part of their territory(commercially speaking) and\or to keep Oonoki to do the same.


In short, Fourth Ninja World War. So, yeah, current scenario makes no sense.

 

[zeebee1]

We've seen how the situation unfolds. We know that the only reason that the fourth war didn't happen sooner was because Hizashi sacrificed himself. This is the type of event that you can't just hand wave away and say that no one would invade.

Can't I just once read a story where the coup was attempted and a war was started as Konoha was razed to the ground?

 

[Meinos Kaen]

There's a reason for everything you two just said. You just don't know them yet.

Edit: Although, I guess I have to lampshade such facts in the story, otherwise people are just going to think I forgot about them. Thanks for the reminder, guys.

Edit2: Also, where the hell have I ever stated that they were keeping on being a Hidden Village? I just said that they kept on training as shinobi, but that's for self-defense, not because they take missions.

 

[Meinos Kaen]

Here's the next snippet. Enjoy!


“Damn, the dinner was… I mean…”

“Better than the usual boxed lunch?” Naruto nodded dumbly, not knowing how else to reply with his stomach that full. That earned a chuckle from TenTen who, Naruto noticed, that evening seemed a tad different than the usual. Now they were sitting on her couch after putting away all the dishes, Naruto holding his belly comically and the girl sitting a meter away from him. “I put a lot of effort into it.”

“All for my birthday… Thanks, Ten-chan.” Naruto turned around with his usual grin. “You really are my best friend.”

‘ARGH! Stop saying that!’ “A-Am I, now?” TenTen said, her smile now a bit forced. When Naruto had appeared on her front door dressed up and with flowers in hand, she thought he had finally gotten through that thick head of his. Well, it wasn’t really his fault. Lack of present parental figures, and she hadn’t actually done anything to get her feelings across up to that evening.

“You’ve been the only constant in my life in these last eight years. Iruka-sensei had his work to do, and Moegi had her older sister, so... Heh, hey. Now that I think about it, that’s probably it.” He gave her one of his big, toothy grins. “You’re like a big sister to me.”

“UHK!” It was like a sword had stabbed her gut. The phantom pain was there. She breathed in and out to calm herself down. ‘Baby steps, TenTen. Baby steps.’ Reminding herself that she was going to have to hold his hand through it all, she settled down. “N-Naruto, that’s all you’ve ever thought of me as?”

“Huh? Well... Yes.” Naruto continued, confused. “Hmm, maybe more like a cousin than a big sister. We don’t look exactly alike.”

‘Slightly better.’ At least cousins could legally get married. “That’s it?”

“Ehm, I think you’re too young to be my mother!” He joked, and TenTen resisted the urge to strangle him where he stood. Barely.

-FutureLost-​

“Mizuki, what are you saying?” Iruka said with a low tone of voice. The silver haired man sighed and turned around.

“Iruka, I want to be frank with you. You’ve always been a good friend, and in these past years I’ve appreciated what that means even more.” Mizuki said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “I’m leaving, Iruka. I’m leaving the village.”

“… The Senju? Or the Uchiha?” Iruka said, guessing that Mizuki could have contracted an ‘extraction’ just from one of those factions, being the only one who were active in the fire country in those days. The other countries preferred to leave them to their own struggles and inner fighting. After all, since there wasn’t a true Konohagakure any more, all the missions that they originally took care of were taken upon by the other villages. Leaving a whole country to its inner civil war suited the other hidden villages just fine, alliances be damned.

“The Senju. They want the forbidden scroll back, though. They thought it got destroyed in the battle.” Mizuki continued, as Iruka sighed heavily, staring at his now joined hands.

“Why?” Time for the hard questions, but Mizuki had prepared for them.

“Tsubaki.” Iruka’s eyes widened. “She’s still alive. She’s with the Senju.” Mizuki lowered his head, not daring to look at Iruka. “She’s not the only reason, though… I’m tired, Iruka. Really tired. Tired of having to fear for my life, to be afraid of the future, that sooner or later one of the two factions decides that they would like to come back here and lay waste to everything we have and worked hard to build… Again.” The silver-haired teacher gripped his hands together tightly.

“… I understand your reasons.” Then a small smile came to Iruka’s lips. “And I thank you for waiting till I completed the copy.”

“I learned loyalty, Iruka, by struggling to survive and rebuild, and I learned friendship. I would never do anything to injure you or the rest of the village, and now I have the occasion to see Tsubaki again without having to do anything of the sort.” Mizuki uncrossed his arms and held them perpendicular to his sides. “So, I beg you Iruka, please give me the original version of the forbidden scroll.”

“… Damn, you planned everything to every last detail, hn?” Iruka snorted as he got up from his chair. “You played a lot on pity, knowing that if you just tried to take it I would kick your ass.”

“That is a given, Iruka.” The brown haired man did a sequence of handseals and put his hands on the closet behind his chair, which shone with azure light for the briefest of seconds. He then opened it, picked up a large scroll and threw it at Mizuki, who caught it with a smile. “You don’t practice and learn every technique in this scroll without getting stronger.”

“Yeah.” Iruka re-sealed the cupboard and turned to Mizuki again. He walked up to him and wrapping the man in a hug. “Good luck out there, Mizuki.”

“Good luck to you too, Iruka.”

-FutureLost-​

After a round of laughter, Naruto at least realized that there was something bothering his friend. “Ten-chan, what’s wrong? You’re acting weird.”

“... I’m acting weird, huh?” Dense as a wall of bricks. But it was her fault. Naruto wasn’t one for catching subtle hints. At least when it came to girls. He had never seen him interested in the topic, to tell the truth. What kind of teen grows up without even a crush on his resumé? ‘Alright. Screw subtlety.’ “... Well, just wait till you see this, then.”

“Huh? What did you s-WAH!” Naruto lost his balance and fell on his back on the couch as TenTen pushed him on his back and then proceeded to crawl upon him until they were eye to eye. “T-Ten-chan?”

“S-Shut up.” She let out, swallowing and matching Naruto’s embarrassed flush with one of her own. She stared deep into his eyes. And stared. And stared.

And stared.

‘W-W-What now?! How do I do this?!’ In a hurry to make her claim on Naruto, TenTen had forgot something. About herself. If she wasn’t as virgin in thought about things romantic like Naruto, she was as inexperienced as he was. Yes. Aoyama TenTen, at the age of seventeen, hadn’t even ever kissed a boy and she had no idea how to initiate the contact at that moment.

“... Ten-chan, are you okay?” Naruto was quickly recovering from his embarrassment, even if he could hear the girl’s heart beating through her chest. Thump. Thump. Tap. ‘Wait a minute.’

“Wah!” Naruto almost dropped her off the couch in the hurry he was to get to the window. He put his head outside, and observed as a silhouette continued on its merry way after having jumped off the roof of TenTen’s apartment. “N-Naruto? What’s wrong?”

“… A ninja?” Naruto couldn't recognize the person because his hair was covered, and he narrowed his eyes. There wasn't much reason for anyone from Konoha to be going out at night in traditional shinobi garb, carrying a scroll on his back. “... An infiltrator. They're back at last, hm?”

TenTen pouted, adjusting her dress. A completely wasted chance. And now that Naruto had gotten distracted by something... Although, if he really had seen a ninja, it had to be investigated. “... Naruto, go ahead. I’ll get suited up and be right behind you.”

“On it, Ten-chan.” Naruto nodded and then disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving behind a stray leaf in his place.

-FutureLost-​

Mizuki had gotten out of the village, jumping over the newly repaired wall and headed directly into the surrounding forest. He found the meeting spot quite easily. A clearing with a little lake, barely lit by the moonlight because of the many tree branches hovering above him. ‘I just have to wait, I guess.’

“Mizuki.” He almost had a heart attack and he threw a barrel of shuriken in the direction of the voice, before realizing that if whoever had just talked would have wanted him dead, he would already be. He slowly turned around, taking in the appearance of his ‘extraction team’. A single man, but one he couldn’t possibly not recognize. “You’re late.”

“It took longer than I thought to retrieve the scroll without making anyone the wiser.” Kakashi of the Sharingan… They sent such a legend to retrieve me and the scroll? Mizuki had personally met the man standing in front of him only a couple of times, but he managed to recognize him by the dark silver hair. The jounin had dropped the standard attire for Konoha ninjas of that rank, and the glimpses of white armor he could catch were covered by a black cloak, which had its hood dropped, unveiling his head and a dog mask. Standard Anbu attire.

“May I see it? I need to verify its originality.” Mizuki nodded and handed the scroll to the man, who took it and checked its state before opening it. He checked the first few techniques and the calligraphy. “… It’s the real one.” He closed it and tied it onto his back, under his cloak.

“That’s what I said. It’s the true original forbidden scroll.” Mizuki said, and then he suddenly tensed when he felt Kakashi’s suddenly inquisitive gaze on him, even through the mask. “W-What is it?”

“Do I have to assume that someone has made a copy of the scroll?” Mizuki tried his best to hide his tension and surprise at how easily the jounin had basically read his thoughts, but his silence just made him guilty as charged. He internally cursed. How could have the Jounin understood that only from the word original?! “Where is it kept?”

“W-Why do you want the copy as well? You just said ‘bring the Forbidden scroll’!” Mizuki said, suddenly nervous and not very comfortable with standing near Kakashi. The Jounin had no obligation to answer him, but maybe he could still salvage the deal. It would be a hassle having to get the location of the copy out of him with violent means.

“The retrieval of the scroll was an important mission for two reasons. First, because the techniques contained inside this scroll can be useful to our cause. The Hokage is growing old, and with him his memory and power, sadly.” Kakashi lowered his head in an apologetic gesture as he spoke those words. Just for an instant. “Second, because you’ve proven that the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi has access to the scroll.” Mizuki’s eyes widened. “We cannot take the risk of him reading about the sealing technique and its way to be dispelled.”

“Naruto would never do something like that!” Mizuki exploded, his rage getting the better of him. Naruto doing something like that? Endangering the village? The boy had proven himself a thousand times over in his eyes. He’d rather die than even entertain those kind of thoughts. “Hell, he doesn’t even know about the Kyuubi sealed inside of him!”

“We’re not willing to take any chances, Mizuki. Where is the copy kept?” Kakashi said, a hard voice that foretold nothing good. Mizuki surprisingly managed to keep his cool.

“… I don’t know.” He replied, truthfully. Iruka kept the two scrolls in separate places, and while he had managed to see him training with the techniques and inscribing them in the new scroll, he had never seen where he kept it hidden.

“But you do know who knows, right?” Mizuki didn’t reply. He had already asked much of Iruka, he wasn’t going to betray his trust. “I see. I guess this means that the deal is off.” Mizuki tensed and his right hand twitched as it slowly moved towards his right tight, where his weapon pouch was tied. He had seen Kakashi’s cloak shuffle, signaling that he had grabbed a weapon. “I will have to make you confess the hard way, then.”

-FutureLost-​

Iruka had been the one to have the idea to scan the Hokage tower for anything salvageable. Other than the forbidden scroll, he had found another object that had been in the Hokage’s possession. Thanks to that object he had been able to follow Mizuki as he made his way through the village and met with his Senju contact, and he had been able to witness just how the meeting had gone straight to hell. “… You’ve learned loyalty, Mizuki. You did.” He got up from his seat in a flash. He needed to be there.

-FutureLost-​

“The only reason I accepted this deal was because of a certain person and because I was certain no further harm would come to the village because of you Senju bastards.” Mizuki had extracted a kunai, holding it in front of him. He kept his eyes on him. He had gotten a lot stronger during those eight years. He could take a Jounin. ‘Tsubaki... I’m sorry.’ “I will not let you do anything else! Not after we’ve finally rebuilt!”

“You’re not going to be able to do anything about it, Mizuki.” Before Mizuki could retort, he heard a crack coming from under his feet, and a pair of hands grab around his ankles. Then he got pulled down, embedding his body into the ground to the waist. He managed to avoid getting pulled down completely by using chakra to reject the grip of the two hands on his ankles, but before he could do anything else Kakashi had run to him and grabbed both his arms, holding both of them above his head and behind him. Mizuki winced in pain as Kakashi stretched his arms to their maximum extension and maybe a bit more than that. “Answer me. Who keeps the copy of the scroll?”

“… I will not tell you anything. AAAAAAAAAARGH!” Mizuki cried out in pain as Kakashi popped his arms out of the shoulder-blades, letting them then go.

“In a battle against ninjas, if you can take out your opponent’s arms you cut off two thirds of its battle potential.” Kakashi slowly walked around Mizuki so that he could kneel down in front of him, as the silver haired man kept on twitching and gritting his teeth, not allowing himself another cry of pain. He didn’t get a chance as Kakashi grabbed him by his hair and held his head raised up. With the other hand, he removed his mask, revealing another cloth one that covered up to the bridge of his nose and a blazing Sharingan eye. “I will ask you again. Who keeps the copy of the forbidden scroll?”

Mizuki spat in Kakashi’s face, blaming his own foolishness for ever trusting someone who put waste to their own village with such ease. “Go to hell.”

“… It seems I will need to do this the hard way, th-” Kakashi didn’t get to finish the sentence as several sharp objects pierced through him. The Jounin disappeared in a cloud of smoke. The barrel of Shuriken stabbed a wooden log. Mizuki was relieved that the hand gripping his hair was gone, and he noticed just who had come to his rescue.

“N-Naruto… TenTen.” The blonde didn’t wait for another word and pulled the silver haired man out of the hole by his shoulders while the young girl kept an eye on their surroundings, more weapons at the ready.

“Mizuki-sensei...” Mizuki raised his head to meet the smiling face of Naruto. “Thanks.”

“T-Thanks? For w-!” The silver haired man paled, his eyes going wide. “Naruto, since when have you-”

“Since you said that I would never do something ‘like that’.” Mizuki cursed, lowering his head again in shame just as Naruto finished pulling him out. “Hey, now! Don’t be like that!” The older man raised his face again. Naruto was grinning. “I already knew.”

“... You already knew?!” Mizuki’s inquiry was met with boisterous laughter.

“Mizuki-sensei, maybe as I kid I could have overlooked it, but how the hell was I supposed to miss a seal that appears on my navel every single time I mold chakra?!” Naruto continued laughing, like he was telling a joke. Mizuki’s gaze went to TenTen, but the girl was keeping guard, not reacting in the slightest. “Oh, don’t worry about Ten-chan. She knows too.”

“She-!” Mizuki opened his mouth to say something. He found nothing. “This... Whatever! This is not the time! We can talk about this later!” He stood just as Kakashi’s silhouette emerged from the ground, a few meters in front of TenTen.

“... So, you know about the Kyuubi.” Kakashi stated.

“Yes. I know about Kurama, you Senju bastard.” Kakashi raised an eyebrow. Kurama? What the hell was he talking about? “So you’re here for the forbidden scroll, huh? Well, too bad! You can’t have it!” Naruto punched his left palm, his face morphing into an angry frown. “The only thing you’ll get is your ass kicked.”

“... Just two of you, poorly trained teens against a seasoned war veteran two times over? I can see that math isn’t your forte.” Kakashi deadpanned, earning a blush and a glare from Naruto.

“How do you-I mean, SHUT UP!” Naruto retorted.

“... TenTen, give me a hand with my arms, please.” The girl slowly turned to the silver haired man, and nodded. “ARGH!” Two screams of pain later, Mizuki’s arms were back into place. “... Thanks.”

“Now it’s three on one, Sharingan-san.” ‘How does a member of the Senju possess the Sharingan?’ TenTen mused, knowing that even with Naruto and Mizuki-sensei it wasn’t going to be an easy battle. Also, this was the first time in her whole life she was going to be using her techniques outside of sparring. The thought made her nervous.

“Still doesn’t change anything.” Kakashi deadpanned, taking a single step forward. “And need I to remind you... I only need Mizuki alive.”

“... And need I to remind you...” Mizuki breathed deeply in and out, banishing the left-over pain. Then, he raised his hands and started going through hand-seals. “That we don’t care if you live or die at all!”

 

[ankokudaishogun]

I hope you have a really good motivation for Kakashi not being among those who stayed.

 

[DeathGod666]

Him being loyal to the Hokage?

 

[Nasuren]

I hope you have a really good motivation for Kakashi not being among those who stayed.

The same reason he killed Rin?

 

[ankokudaishogun]

He might have fought along the Hokage faction in the begin, but unless something happened, no way he'd put the sake of any faction over the good of the innocent village people. And Naruto's.
Also, why the hell the normal village people are still there? The main source of income was the ninja work, without ninja their economy would collapse. A lot were dead. The village itself was destroyed. There is no fucking reason for them to stay there, except a minor amount of stubborn hardheads who don't want to leave their homes... but the population cannot be more than 1/10 than originally was.

And the other villages staying away from the Konoha civil war I still think is unlikely at best.
If not for any other reason the Fire Lord wouldn't like having what basically amount to two rogue ninja villages in his country going unchecked.
I'm expecting the Fire Daimyō hiring out to clean up this mess.


in short: interesting idea, but dubious execution. Too many plot holes... unless they aren't plot holes and they are actually something that will be addressed later. Which is still bad because they look like plot holes and not "something that will be addressed later". Having Iruka(or somebody else for him) wonder about these points should help

 

[Nasuren]

Kakashi abandoning a destroyed village and following the leader of said village against the idiots who attempted the coup? What's so out of place about that?

The reasons why other villages are staying out is kinda mute. Nobody stuck their nose in Mizu's turf when it was wrack by civil war, did they? Most likely both sides would drive out any invader before returning to kill each other.

 

[ankokudaishogun]

Kakashi abandoning a destroyed village and following the leader of said village against the idiots who attempted the coup? What's so out of place about that?

Kakashi abandoning the innocent bystanders, that's what.

Nobody stuck their nose in Mizu's turf when it was wrack by civil war, did they?

Actually, we know shit about whatever happened in Mizu. It's therefore quite hard to use it as benchmark.
Also, remember Water Country is quite separated from the rest of the continent, while Fire Country is almost surrounded by enemies and (ex-)allies.

Last, it's NINE FUCKING YEARS since the whole mess started. No way in hell the situation would stay as it was for so long: without Konoha, Fire Country is without a ninja army _AND_ has two bands of rogue nins messing around. Most likely scenario?
Either the Fire Lord founds\hire a new village to be its armed arm, or asks Akatsuki to clean up.

 

[Meinos Kaen]

He might have fought along the Hokage faction in the begin, but unless something happened, no way he'd put the sake of any faction over the good of the innocent village people. And Naruto's.

Also, why the hell the normal village people are still there? The main source of income was the ninja work, without ninja their economy would collapse. A lot were dead. The village itself was destroyed. There is no fucking reason for them to stay there, except a minor amount of stubborn hardheads who don't want to leave their homes... but the population cannot be more than 1/10 than originally was.

Kakashi has his reasons. Like the Hokage had. And obviously I can't reveal everything at the beginning. Shogan, all your questions are legitimate, but you can't expect me to answer all those and expose the whole AU into the prologue of the story. There's a thing called pacing. I can't make the people talk and talk and talk about everything around them all the time and just because they're characters of the story, that doesn't meant that they're as omniscient as the narrator, so the characters introduced may not have all the answers you seek, at the moment, just like you. That's storytelling.

Who the hell would read a story where everything is exposed and explained in the PROLOGUE?

 

[ankokudaishogun]

As I did write, there was in fact the possibility of said "plot holes" not being holes but mysteries. And it was still not good-
Because they don't manage to make the reader(well, myself) think "I wonder the reason for these changes!" but "the hell? based on the knowledge I have from canon and what the author has given me on the differences in his fic, this makes no sense!"
In short, you are drawing the wrong reaction from the audience.

Also, I have a problem with this still being a prologue... a prologue should pitch an idea and\or giving the reader a basic setting. It's the whole point. It's called PROlogue for a reason-
This stopped feeling like a prologue and feeling more like a first chapter pretty much when you moved from the "History of Konoha" class to Naruto.
You presented a number of main characters in detail and had the plot moving(somehow). That's what the "actual" chapters are for.
Unless you are planning for a lot of shit happening in the prologue and then having the story being caused by said shit that you actually need to detail the events in such a detailed manner.

Of course, everything is just my opinion, based on a partial prologue. Do anybody think I'm just overthinking things?

Who the hell would read a story where everything is exposed and explained in the PROLOGUE?

anybody who is actually interested in the development. The whole point would be writing it well. Not easy.

 

[Meinos Kaen]

As I did write, there was in fact the possibility of said "plot holes" not being holes but mysteries. And it was still not good-
Because they don't manage to make the reader(well, myself) think "I wonder the reason for these changes!" but "the hell? based on the knowledge I have from canon and what the author has given me on the differences in his fic, this makes no sense!"
In short, you are drawing the wrong reaction from the audience.

Also, I have a problem with this still being a prologue... a prologue should pitch an idea and\or giving the reader a basic setting. It's the whole point. It's called PROlogue for a reason-
This stopped feeling like a prologue and feeling more like a first chapter pretty much when you moved from the "History of Konoha" class to Naruto.
You presented a number of main characters in detail and had the plot moving(somehow). That's what the "actual" chapters are for.
Unless you are planning for a lot of shit happening in the prologue and then having the story being caused by said shit that you actually need to detail the events in such a detailed manner.

Of course, everything is just my opinion, based on a partial prologue. Do anybody think I'm just overthinking things?

Who the hell would read a story where everything is exposed and explained in the PROLOGUE?

anybody who is actually interested in the development. The whole point would be writing it well. Not easy.

I did say in a above post that it felt like I was writing a long prologue. But still, my point stands even if I put first chapter after the school scene.

I'm not going to spend the whole first chapter explaining how the whole world of this AU is different and why and how. Also, as you said, yeah. You're probably over-thinking things since this isn't even half of the first chapter (formerly prologue, now) you're drawing your conclusion from.

 

[zeebee1]

I'll give you a month.

 

[ankokudaishogun]

I suggest you to keep the part until you move on Naruto as prologue. Gives the right amount of background needed, IMHO.