A love in time 1

Summary: Naruto, for as long as she could remember, has always dreamed about a boy with white hair. They were dreams but it always felt so real to her and so did the friendship they shared. Utterly confused, Naruto swore it was just a dream until the impossible kept happening.

XXXX

Tobirama sighed. Hashirama had gotten into another fight with their father and it left a sour taste in his mouth. Currently, he was wandering through the forest in unclaimed land. It wasn't a good idea for him to going out in the evening but he was confident in his skills at his young age, just shy of his eighth winter. Taking a deep breath, he took in the scent of his damp surroundings and the ever-present smell of pine. Tobirama ventured further into the forest, stretching his senses out and felt nobody nearby yet his gut churned when he could hear sobbing. They were soft but he could definitely hear somebody crying...a child? Tobirama frowned, he couldn't feel anybody and followed the sound silently, "A new technique?" He muttered as pulled out his sword. Taking caution to stick the shadows, Tobirama followed the crying till it got louder and came across a small river. His eyes easily picked up the golden head that contrasted against the grey of the stones. He approached slowly, seeing the child folded in on itself as the crying was muffled in their small arms. Quickly analysing the child, Tobirama ruled out they didn't belong to the Yamanaka clan. Their hair was a different shade of blonde, more golden than anything else. He couldn't even sense their chakra and quickly came up with two conclusions, one more believable than the other. Believable: it was an undocumented kekkei genkai or unbelievable: a ghost. Tobirama wanted to snort at his conclusion but he didn't want to give away his position when he was so close. Either way, this child could still be an enemy. A trap.

Tobirama was curious. If the child was trained, they would've noticed him by now. He hadn't completed his stealth training but he was far along in it. He held his sword towards the child and cleared his throat, "Who are you?" He said sternly, clearly startling the child. The child also startled him as Tobirama's eyes widened at seeing the clearest blues eyes he had ever seen. They stared at him with fear as their cheeks were puffy and red, he guessed the child was no older than five, at the most. "You're a girl." He deadpanned, taking in her soft features and her long golden hair that was hidden in her lap. He cringed when she sniffed, taking the flowing slime into her nose.

"M-make it fast, please…"

Tobirama was confused when she seemed more than prepared to take his attack, despite the fear in her eyes. "Excuse me?" he saw her blink rapidly as she wiped her eyes.

"You're h-here to kill me, r-right?" She said slowly, "I don't k-know where Ji-chama is o-or the nice Weasel nii-chama. You're f-finally going to kill me, right?"

Tobirama gripped his katana tighter. Seeing the hopeless look in her eyes made his gut drop. Normally this wouldn't affect him but his brother's words about sending children off to die, struck a chord within him. "It is -chan, not chama." He corrected, putting away his sword with a sigh. He knew what he was doing was not right but also cutting down a child didn't sit well with him. He saw her cheeks flush a further red, "Who are you? What are you doing here?" He quickly fired off, "Who's going to kill you?" He added, curious as to why she was being hunted. She definitely didn't look or act like an Uchiha and last he checked, there were no Senju that matched her description. They were the two prominent clans that each side hunted down.

The blonde shied away, "Ji-chama said I shouldn't talk to strangers. Said they hurt little girls."

"It's -chan," Tobirama corrected again and folded his arms, staring down at the uncomfortable girl.

The blonde ignored him, "You're not here to kill me then?" She asked curiously and saw the white-haired boy just staring at her. She took that as his answer. "Then, I guess it should be okay. I'll let Ji-chama know when he finds me. I'm Naruto–"

Tobirama held up his hand, cutting her off. He knew this was a stupid idea but he said, "Don't tell me your last name. It's safer this way." Her confusion left him curious by her reaction.

"O-okay then. Ano, I wanted to go to the festival but Ji-chama said no but I snuck away and then I was being chased by really mean people. I t-think they cut me here," She gestured to her back but winced, "It really h-hurts. I hope Ji-chama and Inu-chama find me. I'm hungry." She sniffed.

Tobirama frowned, moving behind the blonde and gasped. There was a huge gash on her back and looked quite deep. "What the hell." He hissed and went to touch her back but found that his hand went through her body and paled, "Ghost."

"G-g-g-ghost!" Naruto screamed before crying out in pain due to her back. "W-where? Don't let them eat me." She trembled with wide watery eyes.

"You! You're the ghost." Tobirama pointed out, showing the blonde by touching her and let his hand fall through her body. She wasn't transparent yet he couldn't touch her either.

"I'm not a ghost." Naruto protested as she struggled to stand. She was shaky on her feet and touched her back. Seeing the blood on her hands, she winced, "Ghosts don't bleed. Who are you anyway, hedgehog?" She accused, "Maybe you're the ghost since you can't touch me."

"Hedgehog?" Tobirama narrowed his eyes, "I'm Tobi," He said since his name was widely known in the area. He was curious when she dismissed him and tried to check her wound. Frankly, Tobirama was sure that ghosts didn't bleed and the girl was getting more pale by the second. "You should sit down and stop moving or you'll bleed out and become a real ghost." He said, making her panic and follow through with his words. He knelt beside her and tried touching her again. Failing to touch her shoulder but he could feel her chakra when his hand passed through. It was warm. He wasn't exactly sure what was happening. Dead people didn't have chakra.

"Am I going to die, Tobi-chama?" Naruto asked nervously, feeling her body getting colder.

"It's -chan." He corrected for the third time, "Also–"

"Tobi! There you are!" Hashirama burst into the area and landed in the spot Naruto was sitting at. Not being able to see or hear her when she screamed in fright.

Tobirama's eyes widened when he saw Naruto clutch her chest in shock. The warmth of her chakra gone from his hand. When he opened his mouth he saw a relief overcome on her face as her body started to fade.

"Ji-chama, you found me," Naruto said softly, disappearing from the riverbank.

"Tobi!" Hashirama waved a hand in Tobirama's face. "Is everything okay?"

Tobirama shook out of his stupor, "Yes, Anii-chan. Has father calmed down?" He stood, decided to hold back the experience he just had.

XXXX

Hiruzen looked over the young girl in the hospital bed, connected to lines and oxygen. Fury burned deep within him as he touched her hand gently, "Find them. Hunt them down. I want every last one of them. Send them to Ibiki. I want them broken. Inu, Weasel, Neko, Kinoe, hunt them as freely as you'd like. You have my permission." he ordered quietly, yet the weight of his demand was enough to fill the room as the ANBU disappeared. He squeezed Naruto's hand gently and whispered with tears glistening in his eyes, "I'm so sorry Naruto." He gasped lightly when her eyes fluttered opened and found their way to his. "Get some sleep, Naruto." He urged gently but she shook her head.

"S-sorry," She whispered.

Hiruzen saw her fall back asleep with a tear escaping his eye, "No, I'm the one who's sorry." He swore he would never let this happen to her ever again. The village had gone too far this time and he had enough. From now on, Hiruzen promised to train Naruto and if anyone on his council had a problem then they would have to take it up with him – he would reject any negativity and make sure his little blonde knew how to protect herself.

The next day:

Hiruzen wasn't surprised to see Naruto already sitting up in bed looking unharmed. If it wasn't for the bandages that peaked around her neck then he would've believed nothing happened to her but something had. "Naru-chan," He called out and caught her infectious grin, "How are you, dear?" He asked as he sat down next to her.

"A little sore but I'm okay," She nodded and grabbed his hand excitedly, "Ne ne ne, Ji-chama, I had the weirdest dream. Wanna hear it?"

Hiruzen chuckled and nodded his head, "Of course." He helped her to sit comfortably, feeling his heartache every time she tried to hide that she was in pain. "So, what happened?"

Naruto's eyes light up, "I met this really weird boy, Ji-chama! He was like Weasel-niichama but had like really white hair – like a hedgehog!" She exclaimed, "He kept saying I was a ghost but I'm pretty sure that he was the ghost. He had red eyes like Weasel-niichama but not as freaky and these weird red marks on his face like Kiba-baka. He was kinda mean but he stayed with me till you found me and he was gone."

Hiruzen felt his memory itch at him, "Did this boy tell you his name?"

"Un!" She nodded her head, "Tobi-chama! He's really weird but I know he's nice. He helped me."

"Tobi?" He asked with her nodding in confirmation. "I see, well it's good that he took care of you but if you see him again, make sure not to ask too many questions. Some people get upset when you ask too many questions."

"Sure, Ji-chama, I can do that."

"Good good," Hiruzen patted her head gently, "But there's something I wanted to discuss with you, Naru-chan." He said seriously as she sat straighter, "It's about your training. I'm giving you a tutor. After what happened last night, I want for you to be able to protect yourself and keep yourself safe."

Naruto scrunched up her nose, "I don't need a tutor."

Hiruzen saw the distrust in her eyes, "He's an excellent shinobi, Naru-chan, and I personally chose him to teach you. Just give it a try or do you want your Oji-chan to cry and have a heart attack the next time you get hurt?" He made sure to clutch at his heart as he put on fake tears. Making Naruto wail about not wanting to hurt him and agreeing easily enough.

"I'll do it, Ji-chama! Don't die~" Naruto sobbed as she flung herself into the Hokage. A trail of snot hanging from her nose as she looked up at him pleadingly. "I'll do it!"

"Ah I suddenly feel better," Hiruzen laughed when she threw her pillow at him. He didn't bother to dodge and let it smack his face. "Come, let's get you discharged and meeting your tutor. I believe the two of you will get along." He grabbed her clothes from the bedside table and shuffled her into the bathroom. Taking a deep breath, Hiruzen recalled a distant memory as he heard Naruto humming in the shower.

"Aww come on, sensei. You're the most sought after man in all of the Fire Country," Hiruzen spoke lightly towards the Nidaime Hokage as they walked through the bustling streets of Konoha. "There's plenty of women around and you'd have to be blind to not see them wanting you." Hiruzen huffed at being ignored as the man stared straight ahead. "Sensei, is there a woman I don't know about? Are you secretly married and have children somewhere?"

Tobirama paused, looking down at his curious student. He gave a short chuckle and ruffled his hair, "Don't worry so much, Saru. I'm not interested in settling down and having children. Anii-chan has already done that and I've got my hands filled with you."

Hiruzen sighed, "You'd tell me if there was someone, right? As your student, it's my duty to protect your family, too." He saw the soft look in his sensei's eyes and swallowed, "Oh heavens, it's an enemy, isn't it?"

Tobirama scoffed, "Don't be ridiculous." He sighed before placing a hand on Saru's shoulder. Saying seriously, "Let it go, Saru. The woman I want is someone I can't have."

"B-but surely if you two love each other enough you can be together!" He protested, chasing after his departing sensei.

"If only that were the case," Tobirama replied, heading into his office and towards his bookshelf. His hand easily found a worn down book and pulled it out. "Hiruzen, have you ever connected with somebody that you couldn't touch?"

Hiruzen was going to give a witty remark, however, refraining when he saw the sadness in his sensei's eyes and the way he addressed him, "I can't say I have." He stepped forward when Tobirama handed him the book, opened on a specific page. Grabbing the book gently, Hiruzen looked over the sketch that was spread over two pages. He turned the book portrait and held in a gasp as he eyed a young beauty. She looked to be in her teenage years and her smile was alluring. "Who is she, sensei?" He wondered what the colour of her hair was, especially her eyes. His sensei had drawn her amazingly that he thought the girl would jump out of the book.

Tobirama took back the book and slid it back into place. "A silly ghost."

The Sandaime Hokage snapped open his eyes with a slight frown. He remembered they never spoke about about his sensei's love life ever again nor did he ever pick up his sensei's diary. "What is fate playing at?" He mumbled to himself just as the door to the bathroom opened. He gazed over to Naruto, seeing her in a plain green t-shirt and black pants. "Here, let me dry your hair and then we can get going," He gestured her over and sat her in his lap. "Can you tell me more about Tobi? What did he look like?"

"But I've told you, Ji-chama," Naruto replied.

"Humour me,"

Naruto shrugged as the towel-covered her hair, "Hmm well he was a kid but he was holding a sword." She shuddered at the memory of his cold eyes, "It was scary but I know he's a good person cause he helped me. His hair kinda looks like a hedgehog and it's white. I thought he was an old man at first until I really saw him," she giggled to herself as Hiruzen ran his fingers through her hair. "He had these really pretty red eyes. Not like those Uchiha snobs, they were better." She turned in his lap and touched Hiruzen's cheeks and chin, "And had red marks here."

Hiruzen nodded, gesturing for her to turn around so he could do her hair, "And what was he wearing?"

Naruto tapped her chin in thought, "Dunno, but it looked really weird. I think he likes the colour blue."

"What makes you say that?" He asked carefully, tying her hair into two pigtails.

"He was wearing a lot of blue." Naruto leapt off the bed and pointed to her forehead, "And he was wearing a weird helmet or was it a headband?" She asked herself more than anything before shaking her head, "Well, it was weird."

Hiruzen chuckled and held his hand out for her to hold, "He must've been a weird child." Leading them both towards his office. The Sandaime knew that he would have to research into what was happening and why it was happening. He didn't feel comfortable going through his predecessor's personal diaries but this was an abnormality that could affect Naruto in either a good or bad way. From what he knew, his sensei never married or had any children and rebuffed all attempts from the council to have an heir. He glanced down at the bubbly child, "Naruto couldn't possibly be the reason why. I must see that picture again to confirm my suspicions. Perhaps sensei had a few theories and if that woman I saw is truly indeed Naruto when she's older, then I must find a reason for it. It may be more than just a dream."

Naruto nodded vigorously, "Right! Right! I thought he was gonna whack my head off but turns out he can't touch me so he's the ghost!"

Hiruzen listened as she ranted. Filing away anything he deemed important. Once she got into her fear of ghosts, he stopped his filing and just listened to her talk. There was a childish fear in her voice and Hiruzen had to guess that ghosts would be her ultimate fear from how she paled considerably talking about them. Entering his office, he grinned when he spotted her tutor waiting for them, "Ahh Itachi-kun, thank you so much for waiting. Naru-chan, I want you to met Itachi-kun. He will be your tutor until further notice." He saw Naruto sigh in relief.

"Thank heavens it's not an old creep," She muttered to herself, not knowing the others could hear her clearly. Naruto let go of Hiruzen and bound up the young ninja and pointed to herself, "Pleased to meet you. I'm Naruto Uzumaki and future Hokage, dattebayo!"

Itachi felt his lip twitch, "Hello, Naruto. My name is Itachi Uc–" He saw the Hokage make a slicing gesture by his neck, "–and I'm a chunin. I'll be your tutor. You may call me Itachi-sensei."

"Itachi-sensei," Naruto tried to name on her lips and grinned, "It suits you," she laughed lightly and tugged on his hand, "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go kick some butt!" Excited to start training, Naruto started dragging Itachi out of the office.

Hiruzen tilted his head as Itachi looked back at him pleadingly for help. He just grinned and shooed him off as they disappeared down the hall. Closing his office door, Hiruzen became serious and stalked his way over to the bookshelf. His eyes scanned the shelf before they picked up on the old leather-bound diary and pulled it out. Taking a deep sigh, he opened the diary and flicked through the pages until he found the page he needed and felt his fingers tremble. "How did I not notice this sooner?" He muttered, his eyes scanned over the young woman he gazed upon decades ago. There was no doubt about it. This young woman was Naruto Uzumaki. Baring the same whisker birthmarks to the wide grin and bright-looking eyes. This was his little Uzumaki as a young teen.

Feeling restless, Hiruzen sat down at his desk. "Better to start at the beginning." Flicking the page to the beginning and started to read.

I was restless from all the paperwork. Perhaps it was silly to take a walk so late at night without an escort. Perhaps it was for the best. I met her again. She had grown more beautiful. I had asked her age and she got mad at me. I hadn't seen her in for a while and that was the first thing I sought to ask her. Of course, she would be mad but she told me. Naruto was now eighteen and looked more radiant than ever. Perhaps it was the best I didn't have the guards follow me. Talking to air would have them suspicious and call for my head.

She was speaking, telling me about her journey around the world and her missions. As always, she embellished her tales but it was intriguing. I've never had the chance to explore leisurely, so hearing her talk about the world was refreshing - although I have heard it time and time again from her...it never got old. I'm still not entirely sure who this 'Ero-sennin' is, but from my guess he is her Master. She asks me what I've been up to and she laughs when I reply with paperwork. Naruto doesn't move away when I go to touch her. We both see my hand pass through her but I can feel her chakra flowing through me. It's as warm as ever and I feel calm. I ask her how she's feeling. Her small smile is as bitter as my own.

She asks me to stay and I do. We talk till the sun rises. Talk about our lives and anything that comes to mind. I see her body start to fade and she looks sad, apologising for keeping me up all night. I tell her that I was fine, as long as she had a good rest. I can tell that she wants to say more but her body fades before she gathers the courage. Before I know it, she has woken up and I am all alone in the forest. Although, I've been up all night I feel energised and make my way back to the village. It was good to see her again. She was still around. That was good. Perhaps I will see her tonight.

Hiruzen let out a shuddering breath after reading the first entry. It felt wrong invading on his sensei's private thoughts but even Hiruzen could feel the longing in the writing. "There has to be more." He placed the diary down and scanned the bookshelf for other similar diaries. "If they're not here, then they must be in the Senju estate." Tucking the book into his robes, Hiruzen made his way to the estate and decided to get to the bottom of what was happening or at least, get enough information to prevent Naruto from getting hurt or blurting something out to the young Tobirama Senju.

XXXX

Naruto looked around with worry. She didn't recognise this part of Konoha and she swore she went to bed. The last thing she wanted was to get told off by Ji-chama after her kindly gave her a tutor. Naruto actually liked him, he was quiet but he taught her better than any of the Academy teachers. She even let Itachi know. "Maybe if I go this way," She pointed in a random direction, gulping when it appeared to be the darkest part of the forest. "Stop being a chicken, Naruto," She scolded herself and took a hesitant step forward.

"What are you doing?"

"AAHHH!" Naruto screamed, leaping up into the air before falling on her ass. Her heart was jumping in her chest as she spied the unamused boy from the night before, "You!" Naruto pointed at him heatedly, "Don't scare me like that!" She wiped the tears from her eyes before he could see them but she was truly frightened.

"I've been standing here for five minutes. You're the one who didn't notice me." Tobirama folded his arms, ignoring the tears in her eyes. "What are you doing?" He asked again.

Naruto stood up and dusted her clothes, "I'm trying to get home. I don't want Ji-chama getting upset again but I don't know where I am."

"It's -chan," He corrected once more and leapt down from the rock he was sitting on. "If you went that way you would've ran into a family of bears and they would've clawed you to death. Ah, but you're already dead since you're a ghost."

"I'm not a ghost." Naruto growled, "Ghosts don't bleed."

Tobirama didn't look convinced as he approached her, "Well you don't look injured."

"I was yesterday," Naruto explained and pulled up a part of her shirt to show her back. There was just a nasty red mark that was still healing, "Ji-chama said it'll be fully healed in another day but I still have to be careful."

"Nobody can heal a deep wound in just a day." Tobirama scoffed, not believing her words.

Naruto pouted, "But I've always healed fast. Ji-chama says it's a special gift that only I have."

"A kekkei genkai?"

"Huh? A what?"

"Are you an idiot? A bloodline." Tobirama explained, "Some clans have a bloodline that makes them stand out from other clans."

Naruto looked away sadly, "I wouldn't know. I don't have parents. Ji-chama said they died the day I was born protecting the village from a monster."

Tobirama felt out of place and murmured, "I apologise. I did not mean to be crude."

"You didn't know," Naruto shrugged her shoulders before her curiosity got the better of her, "What is that?" She pointed to his forehead.

Tobirama arched a brow, knowing what she was talking about, "It's called a happuri. I find it much more effective to wear."

Naruto hummed, "And what's that?"

"Shinobi armour," Tobirama replied, curious on how this girl didn't know the simple shinobi attire. "Are you not a shinobi yourself? These are simple garments that all shinobi wear."

Naruto scrunched up her nose, "The shinobi I know don't wear those things."

Tobirama filed that away, sitting down by the river they had first met at, "What are you wearing? I have not seen such clothing before."

Naruto looked down at her clothes, "It's a sleep shirt." She pointed to the toad on the front and said, "Ji-chama gave it to me for my birthday. Ahh that's right, I went to sleep and woke up here. Such a strange thing." Naruto laughed and stretched her arms before laying back and looking up to the stars. "Oh well, no need to think too hard. Itachi-sensei says my instincts are a lot better than my thinking."

"I believe your sensei was insulting you." Tobirama picked up a stone and threw it in the river. He glanced over at her and saw how carefree she was, "What does your instincts tell you about now?"

"That even though you look mean that you're a nice person," Naruto tapped her nose knowingly, "Ne, Tobi-chama, that boy that was here before, he was your brother right?"

Tobirama nodded slowly.

"What's it like?" She asked curiously, "Ah, you don't have to answer if you want."

He assumed she was talking about family and shrugged his shoulders, "They're a handful. Sometimes there's fights but at the end of the day, no matter what is said, we have each other's backs."

"That must be nice," Naruto said wistfully.

"Naruto," He laid down next to her and watched the stars, "Perhaps this is too forward but you were prepared to die by my hand when we first met. May I ask, what happened to you?"

"It was my birthday the day of the festival," She started after a few minutes of silence, "The festival celebrates the defeat of the monster. A lot of the villagers think that I'm the monster and they get mad at me. Ji-chama says that I'm not and I believe him." Naruto touched her cheek, feeling the wiry whiskers beneath her touch, "I didn't listen and then I was being attacked by the villagers. One of the shinobi got me in the back and I went to hide in the forest. That's when I met you."

Tobirama was stunned. Angry. "How is that possible?" He sat up and stared heatedly at the confused girl as she sat up too. "The people in your village take it out on you just because you were born on that day. How unsightly. How can a group of adults be so stupid to believe a child is a monster?! You should leave." He stated firmly, "My clan can take you in and–" He reached out to touch her but his hand fell through her body. He felt his mind hiccup.

Naruto offered a smile and hovered her hand over his, "Thanks, Tobi-chama, but I still love my village."

"Why?" He bit out. Wondering what stupid idea was binding her to her evil village.

"Because I have my Ji-chama there and all my nii-chama and nee-chama that looks after me. We may not be related like your family but I care about them and if I leave, I know that they'll be sad. As long as I have them I believe that I can be strong and just you watch, one of these days I'll win them over and be the leader of the village."

Tobirama was stunned by her resilience. She was younger than him, from what he gathered, yet she already had a strong will. "You're an idiot,"

Naruto's face dropped, "Ehh why? I thought what I said was cool and it was the truth!"

"It was more idiotic than cool," Tobirama stood, "Follow me." He said and walked off. He still found it odd talking to a ghost, though she claimed otherwise, but it was refreshing talking to Naruto. They didn't talk about war or missions. It was different. He looked back to see her following him with a pout on her face and smirked. He led her through the forest till they entered a hidden cave and out into a small flower field that was illuminated by the moon. He heard Naruto gasp as he walked over to the lake. The only way for somebody to find this place was through the secret entrance or by climbing up the mountain. Otherwise, this was his hidden place.

"Waah this is amazing, Tobi-chama," Naruto whispered and walked through Tobi, not caring that he shivered or barked at her not to do that. It was like she stepped into a fairy tale wonderland. "How did you find this place?" She asked, turning to face him as he had his arms folded.

"I was being hunted by an enemy clan." He said plainly and saw her wince, "I stayed here for five days to heal and come here often to train. Have you started your training?" He asked since his clan started shinobi training as soon as they could walk.

Naruto nodded, "Well the basics since I'm not allowed to do anything heavy. Itachi-sensei says I need to learn chakra control early since I've got too much. He said I can start learning tree climbing tomorrow, whatever that means."

"It when you apply chakra to your feet and start climbing," He demonstrated and saw the awe in her eyes. "You have to start running in the beginning but once you master tree climbing then you will be able to stick to any surface with ease." He walked back down with her clapping at his display.

"You must be really strong then, Tobi-chama,"

"It's -chan," He pointed out again, "And that is nothing, just the basics."

"Tobi-chama," Naruto said cheekily and saw his brow twitch.

"-chan."

"-chama."

"-chan," Tobirama froze and saw Naruto stiffen as they both conveyed to each other to be silent. He could sense a team nearby.

Naruto moved closer to Tobirama and whispered, "Ano, they feel bad, Tobi-chama."

"It's -chan," He hissed as he strained to hear what was going on outside. He could sense a group of at least 6 enemies.

Naruto frowned, "They're angry," She muttered, "One of them is embarrassed."

Tobirama raised a brow, gesturing for her to explain. If his brother couldn't see or hear her then he theorised that the enemies couldn't either.

"Itachi-sensei says is a unique sensory ability. I can sense negative emotions."

Tobirama whispered, "Go out there and see what they're planning."

"Ehhh," Naruto hissed, "I'll get killed for real."

"No, you won't. So far, I'm the only one who's been able to see and hear you. You'll be fine."

"B-but,"

"I'll take full responsibility if anything happens to you," He swore.

Naruto sighed, "Fine but if I die out there imma haunt you forever." She promised harm before retracing her steps outside of the cave. She felt her heartbeat fast as she approached the group and found that they hadn't seen her yet. Even with her heavy nervous breathing. Naruto got closer and listened to their conversation. She frowned as they talked about a mission and got closer, seeing as they didn't take notice of her. She bravely stepped in the middle of their conversation and got a good look at their faces. They looked vaguely familiar but couldn't pinpoint it as she listened to their plan. The leader, the angriest member, spilt out each detail of their plan and when they moved away she headed back into the cave. She saw Tobirama rush to her side immediately.

"What happened?"

"Besides them not seeing me like you said," Naruto started, "They're planning an attack on a caravan. Saying something like: those fucking tree huggers won't last a week once we steal their fucking rations."

Tobirama held up a hand, "Don't use such crude language, Naruto. It's unbefitting of a child."

"You're a child too," Naruto huffed, "Anyways, they said they're gonna attack during handover."

"Did you get a look at them?"

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, dark hair and dark eyes. They wore dark clothes too. Are they some cult or something, it was very creepy." She shivered as she remembered their maniacal laughs.

Tobirama frowned, it was bad news. If what Naruto said was true then the Uchiha clan were planning to attack their next shipment. He had to let his father know as soon as possible. "I have to warn my clan," He said urgently, pausing when he saw her crestfallen face, "What is it?"

Naruto shook her head, "It's nothing. Go and protect your family, Tobi-chama. Ah, I probably won't be here when you come back so don't worry about coming back."

Tobirama nodded and went to leave.

"Ne, Tobi-chama," Naruto called out, making him pause, "Be careful out there. Their chakra was dangerous."

He looked over his shoulder. She looked like someone had punched her and he wasn't sure what to say to her. All he knew was that his clan needed this information. He gave her a nod before rushing back to his clan.

Naruto sighed, looking down at her hand and saw that she was starting to fade away. "I should let Ji-chama know it happened again."

Naruto blinked and found herself back in her room. Groaning, Naruto rolled over and cuddled into her pillow. She could feel the sun on her legs and forced herself out of bed. "Gotta go to Ji-chama," She muttered and tiredly showered, changed, ate a quick meal before taking to the rooftops to the Hokage's office. "Ji-chama~" She called out as she leapt through the window. Not seeing him shuffle to hide the diary he was reading, "It happened again. I met with Tobi-chama~" She yawned as she entered his office and plopped herself down on the couch.

Hiruzen cleared his throat, surprised that it was morning already. He had stayed up all night reading his sensei's journals. "Well, what did you two get up to?" He listened carefully as she tiredly told him her tale.

XXXX

Authors note: Hey everybody!

Okay, I know this dumb bitch is terrible at updating but I wanted to hear your opinions. I have a google doc filled with fanfiction writing and wanted to know if you wanted me to post every chapter I have (even though they're unfinished). There's a range of stories ranging from modern AU to time travel. I even have a couple of TobiramaXFemNaruto pairings in this folder. Tbh some even have the same premise/theme but I've written differently. Please let me know if you'd like for this to happen by either DMing me or by taking the poll.

Thank you so much for reading my childish fantasies and indulging my guilty pleasure.