Α

The sun was cresting the Hokage monument, casting down both the first lights and first shadows on Konoha. The two elements of the village, the civilian and shinobi, took to their respective aspects and began the daily business and life of a hidden village. In the Hokage's office, overlooking it all, Itachi had already begun his day. He sat at his desk, fingers steepled.

"Kakashi was lucky not to get caught," Jiraiya said, lounging against a wall with his arms crossed. The day was young, a few days past the preliminary rounds of the exams, and the Toad Sage had come to report his own findings. Kakashi's discovery of the conspiracy of minor villages was the biggest break, and the most dangerous.

"I trust Kakashi not to be so careless," Itachi intoned, a small grin on his face. Jiraiya was one of the few people who knew the full capabilities of the sharingan possessed by some of the top shinobi of the Hidden Leaf. "Besides, we both know he's hardly touchable."

Jiraiya grumbled something about jealousy of such a talent. The usefulness in his spying alone, to say nothing of the potential for his 'research'... Kakashi was squandering it. The sage sighed.

"More importantly is the fact that this new Hidden Void Village has made a deal with Hidden Waterfall," Itachi continued, folding his hands flat onto the desk. The thought was anathema; it was too soon for this.

"Waterfall has always envied the larger villages. Their status as a minor power is a sore spot, particularly given their Jinchuuriki," Jiraiya replied, nodding sagely. He noticed Itachi's discomfort, and tended to share it.

"Only Hidden Rain has ever matched the power of a larger village—barely, at that—and they lacked a Tailed Beast. I've heard curious things from that country, but Waterfall? No, they did a damn good job hiding their plans. No Kage declarations, no large movements."

That was the general course of things, and it very rarely worked. The declaration of a Kage was more than just a power grab, it said 'My leader is strong enough to match that of another village'. 'My leader can destroy armies'. It also usually went hand in hand with an agreement with a daimyo, one of the political leaders of the various countries.

Jiraiya let out another sigh, "I'm beginning to think I need to step things up; my network is missing a lot."

"Ours as well. We knew nothing of Void until they showed up at our doorstep, but they're already plotting against us."

Thoughts passed between the two men without the necessity of speech. Itachi broke the silence.

"Danzo."

"Or Orochimaru," Jiraiya countered. The pair paused, and Itachi stood. The fact that both had chosen their greatest foes was not lost on the pair.

"I need to speak with the team from Hidden Sand. I suspect Karura will be happy to help."

"Are you certain they couldn't be in on it as well?" Jiraiya said with a raised eyebrow. Itachi just smiled.

"The Kazekage has been more than forthcoming; the treaty to restrict work regions and of mutual assistance has been exceptionally successful."

"The Wind Daimyo was ready to undercut them and give the work to Konoha."

"And doing so would have been disastrous to Hidden Sand. Konoha abides and thrives, and we have a powerful ally and trading partner as a result."

"Still couldn't have pleased the council."

To that, Itachi smiled wide and headed for the door.

"After Danzo, I suspect the council realized there is only one person who leads the Hidden Leaf."

Β

"It seems my husband was more prescient than I expected," Karura said, looking out over the balcony of the quarters she and her children had been assigned during their stay in the village. Karura had eyes that looked like she hadn't slept, dark rings around them. However, Itachi knew the truth behind those markings; her status as the Jinchuuriki of the One-Tailed Shukaku was no secret. Despite the standard flak jacket of a Sunagakure jounin and a simple beige scarf, the large gourd on her back contained the deceptively dangerous sand that had given her the title of Karura of the Sand Waterfall.

"I take it he had suspicions?" Itachi said, in the full regalia of the hokage. He'd arrived to find her alone; her two eldest were assisting the youngest in training for the finals. He'd explained the situation, at least as much of it as could be revealed. The wife of the kazekage understood the intricacies and shadowy politics well enough to know she wasn't getting the whole story, and that was fine. That was life as a shinobi.

"More than that, he had offers," she said. That caught Itachi's attention. She looked back at him and chuckled at his bemused expression.

"Sorry," she said playfully, "Rasa was going to advise you, but I told him to wait till you asked."

"Well," Itachi said, smirk on his face, "Glad I did, then. Who approached you?"

"Two men, ones I think you may be familiar with. The man you replaced, and an old snake."

Itachi stopped. Ah, well there was the rub. He had expected one or the other; both had grudges, of sorts, against the village. Orochimaru's had died, in some ways, with Hiruzen; the snake was undeniably evil, but his motives and goals were very specific. Danzo, on the the other hand, was more unique. Itachi knew Danzo had his own love of the village, even if it was a dark, shadowy thing. That they'd be attempting to subvert the village was a strange, alien thing to Itachi. That they'd be working together was stranger still.

"Ah, surprising? I thought so too. The pair came in cloaks. Cloaks that bore the emblem of red clouds."

"Akatsuki."

"You've also heard of them, then," Karura noted, turning back to look outside. She watched the village, its bustle and life, and she smiled; her home was similar these days, a bustling and growing metropolis, despite its location.

"They've been involved in much, or so we're led to believe. The turmoil in the Land of Rain, for example." Itachi's mind turned to the disappearances, and what it meant. If Orochimaru and Danzo had joined with Akatsuki, the disappearances of Uchiha were grave indeed.

"We refused. The bond between our villages has been profitable for both of us." Karura's grip on the rail tightened slightly, as if she was remembering something. Itachi noticed, wondering if it was a show for him or honest emotion.

"And peaceful."

That caught the kazekage's wife's attention. Beyond a doubt, her body language showed true emotion. The ideals of the hokage were well known; Konoha had always been the most idealistic of places, the Senju being consummate visionaries. That their successors, barring one, had carried on that vision was far from surprising. Still, that he spoke of peace was a strange thing for the leader of one of the finest military powers in the world.

"The Third War never ended, it just sort of... halted. Konoha and Suna were strong, but the lesser villages were key as well. Now they conspire, and I fear what that could mean," Itachi intoned, speaking from the heart. Karura did not need to look at him, simply considering his words before speaking.

"My children are training right now. My youngest managed to defeat my daughter, and has earned a spot in the finals, but... they are young, and still do not truly understand the life that is ahead of them. They aren't ready, none of these children are." She turned again, expression turning suddenly hard. Itachi saw a bit of himself in that face, as well as old friends.

"We both were raised in times of war, but our children will be the ones fighting to finish a war that began before they were even born. Neither of us can stop it, I think we both always knew that. But we can give them time." Itachi let a small smile cross his face. Karura returned it.

"Hidden Sand remains an ally to the Hidden Leaf for as long as you fight for peace. How can we help?"

Itachi smiled. "They have a jinchuuriki present, but she seems young."

Karura's expression turned sassy in a moment. Deep inside, the Shukaku began to laugh.

"We'll be ready," she said, the rings around her eyes darkening for the briefest of moments.

Γ

Sasuke fell back into the sparse scrub on the top of the plateau, panting heavily. His mouth felt dry and hot, a side effect of his prodigious use of the Uchiha's signature Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique. Sasuke's affinity was lightning, but the Uchiha seemed genetically capable of releasing the destructive potential of Fire Release techniques. He'd tried several times to catch Kakashi with one without much success. For his part, Kakashi was actually somewhat tired; an elite shinobi he was, but Sasuke's persistance was admirable. For a genin.

But he was still a genin.

Crouching down next to the young Uchiha, Kakashi extended a canteen to him. Sasuke snatched it up quickly, but managed to control himself enough to take slow, small drinks rather than big gulps. Kakashi was impressed. The little things often did.

"You're very talented, Sasuke," he began, smiling down at the boy, "I am a very talented ninja. They call me an elite jounin. I am above a normal jounin by some degree. And you are above a genin in the same way. You should be proud of your skills. I am."

And with that, Hatake fell back onto his rear. He folded his legs in front of him and leaned back to rest. Sasuke continued to sip between pants, and then managed to push himself up somewhat. He forced his heart rate back down, and tried to force his chakra back up. That would take some time, likely the rest of the day or more.

"You're wondering about your chakra," Kakashi intoned, catching Sasuke off guard.

"What, you a mind reader or something?"

"No, just perceptive. I've known a lot of Uchiha in my day, too."

Sasuke made a small pout, which just made Kakashi grin.

"My my, so full of vinegar. It's simple, though. Chakra is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets. The more we stretch out your chakra pathway system, the more flow. Not only will you have more chakra, which is already very impressive for a genin, but with this training it will be even more."

He paused and then smiled wide.

"Which is really good because its time for you to learn some ninjutsu."

That got Sasuke to perk up. Fighting soreness and exhaustion, he pushed himself up and crossed his legs, mimicking the elder shinobi. Kakashi noted this as well, another small act that impressed him. Sasuke still was clutching at the canteen and taking slow, easy sips, but his eyes were wide and ready. One thing you could always count on about kids: they always loved ninjutsu.

"Before we begin, though. I want you to describe the basic elements to me, in your words, and what you think their strengths are."

Sasuke stared for a moment, but it was too tiring to sigh.

"Fire: Powerful, but difficult to control. Good at mid-range and over wide areas. Strong against wind, feeding on it, but weak against water that douses it. Lightning: Capable of penetration and shocking a target, but requires the user's direction. Can be combined with water and break through earth, but weak to wind," he began, running through them in his mind. The first two were his natures, of course those were the ones that first he'd describe. The rest were more by what he'd seen and heard. "Wind: Powerful at range and with cutting power, but indiscriminate. Weak to fire that feeds on it, but effective against lightning. Water: Impressive physical force but harder to generate without a natural source. Otherwise, very versatile in attack and defense. Earth: Great defensive power, but difficult to use offensively."

Kakashi listened intently, noting quickly about which traits Sasuke was speaking; power, it was always power, and the ability to attack. He wasn't surprised. Sasuke was ambitious and young, of course that's what he had on his mind.

"You're not wrong," Kakashi began, earning a smug grin from Sasuke. That grin faded fast, though, as Kakashi continued, "But you're not right either."

"The hell does that mean?"

Kakashi smiled.

"You think clearly, but narrowly. Nothing you said was wrong, but you thought exactly in the way I'd expect most shinobi to think about the elements. You know Jinkourai already. That Lightning Release technique should have keyed you into things already. I've seen the reports, I know you know how to use it, and use it well. Wire, and to augment your taijutsu."

He stood, and formed a seal Sasuke was more than familiar with. In a puff of smoke, a second Kakashi appeared. The pair stared each other down for a moment, and then began to form seals. One slammed a palm into the ground, having finished its seals before the other. Beneath its opposite, a sudden wall of spears and glaives formed, immaculately carved with reliefs of dogs, rings hanging off the blades.

The other Kakashi clapped its hands as the spears began to rise and leaped up into the air, water condensing from the air and clapping into a ball before exploding outwards into a disk, pulverizing the spears through their hafts. Another set of seals from the original Kakashi flew, and the water redirected into a swirling mass of dog-headed serpents. The opposite formed two seals, a fury of wind forming around them, breaking apart the snakes as they smashed against it. The wind-covered Kakashi rotated in the air and thrust out his hand, the winds turning themselves into waves of destruction that rained down upon the original.

The original flickered away leaving a trail of flames behind that the wind hit and fed on. The original Kakashi clapped its hands, and a sudden horde of half-flame clones leaped up from the fire to meet the opposite Kakashi on his way down, each trailing flames that connected them to the raging inferno. A kunai with a tag attached cut down through them, hit the ground, and caused it to break apart, swallowing the flames. The clones reeled back and then faded as their source was defeated. Landing, the two Kakashis stared eachother down, and then bowed.

And both burst into smoke.

"There are far more ways to utilize the elements than you may realize," Kakashi said from behind Sasuke. Sasuke nearly did a flip as he scrambled away. Kakashi was behind him, lounging while propped up on one arm, that damned erotic novel in his hand. Stupid perverted teacher.

"You're creative. I will teach you something," Kakashi keened, snapping the book shut as he did and standing, "It was my first original technique. It requires a talent at both nature and shape manipulation, and I think learning it may form the basis for far more techniques. It just takes a clever mind. Use your sharingan, and watch closely."

Sasuke did as instructed, tomoe on a field of red appearing in his eyes. Kakashi waited a brief moment for Sasuke to be ready, and then began. Nine seals. Monkey into dragon, dragon into rat, rat into bird, bird into ox, ox into snake, snake into dog, dog into tiger, tiger back to monkey. He finished the last sign and lowered his arm to his side, chakra gathering into a howling storm of white-blue light. The sound of plovers filled the air and crackling electrical energy bled from his hand as the blade formed.

"Chidori," Kakashi intoned, holding his arm up as he did. Sasuke watched, memorizing ever bit of it. "This is the nine-seal version, the first one I ever made. The extra seals help shape and stabilize it, which is why I'm showing it to you as a base point. Eventually, I've no doubt you'll find your own way to reduce it down to smaller signs. My enhanced version is down to three, but requires far greater control and chakra."

And then, he let it go. The chirping of birds faded away, echoing into the distance before the silence of the plateau returned.

"We'll begin practicing that when you're ready. More importantly, though, is what you learn from it. Think about the other things this can be used for, think about the implications it brings to other elements. When you fight, I want you to have something to surprise me with."

Sasuke paused for the briefest of moments, and then grinned. A surprise, huh? His mind was already planning for it.

Δ

It was mid-day, and the training field Shikamaru and Naruto been using for the past several days once again found itself in use. The wind was soft and the temperature was just right. All things considered, Shikamaru would have loved to spend the day simply lazing about in the sun. As it was, though, this was a close second.

The training between Shikamaru and his sensei was far less physical than the training Sasuke was undergoing, as Shikamaru's mind was being tested as much as his body. He had spent the last several days picking Naruto's brain between small sparring matches or exercises, and Naruto simply let him; whatever Shikamaru could think to ask, Naruto would discuss, in his manner at least. Shikamaru could then puzzle out what Naruto really meant after the fact.

Shikamaru was still unsure if Naruto was doing that on purpose or not, but had reached a point of not caring some time ago. Worrying about that was too troublesome when compared to the actual work of putting together the useful bits Naruto was teaching him.

The talked about tactics some, and Naruto showed he was no slouch, though his analogies left something to be desired. They talked about techniques, though many were simply principles he was trying to help with; the Nara clan signature techniques were not something Naruto could replicate, but he understood the principles behind them, the power of imagination that fueled them through Yin Release.

They talked about seals at length, and that gave Shikamaru only more thoughts on how to integrate fuuinjutsu into his plans. That he could seal not only objects, but techniques themselves into a sufficiently advanced seal was quite the revelation. That it required very precise control to pull off was a small problem, as many techniques would be beyond even Hinata and her precision.

There was one subject, though, that he'd shied away from. He wasn't sure if Naruto would be willing to share the secrets of that; a technique that hadn't been made by, but had been truly and most expertly utilized by his father. The Yellow Flash of Konoha had earned his name for good reason. Naruto himself was very rapidly making it a key aspect of his own repertoire. Still, Shikamaru was a genin...

He supposed it couldn't hurt to ask.

"So," Shikamaru began, as he had many lines of questions. Naruto was lounging across from him, while Shikamaru had propped himself up against a tree. The jounin perked up as he always seemed to do, eager grin on his face; he really did love this.

"So... the Flying Thunder God Technique. It's fuuinjutsu too, right?"

Shikamaru was not prepared for Naruto's reaction. His face lit up, as if he'd been just dying for this question to arrive.

"Of course!" he shouted, nodding vigorously. With a quick flick of the wrist Naruto flung one of those tri-bladed kunai down into the ground in front of Shikamaru. The young Nara realized two things at that moment. One, Naruto was drawing the kunai directly from a seal written on a band around his wrist, which was clever. Two, the formula imprinted on the hilt was insanely complex. Shikamaru couldn't even begin to understand the intricacies of its construction; it was a whole different level.

"It's really not that complex," Naruto continued, through Shikamaru suspected they had very different ideas about what was and was not complex, "A technique formula is worked out, and keyed to your frequency of chakra. By activating the technique, the seal acts as a homing point, and moves your body to it, not unlike a summoning technique."

"But... I mean, how? That doesn't really make sense, how is that fuuinjutsu?"

"It's not."

That caught Shikamaru off guard; for something so keyed into inscriptions.

"I mean, it seems to sort of be like it, I get, yeah... and that was my problem too, when figuring it out. Really, though, it's a manipulation of time and space. In a lot of ways, the mark is simply the guide as you fling yourself through to another dimension." Naruto plucked the kunai up and began to twirl it on a finger, wide grin on his whiskered face.

"And sealing is different. You're literally transmuting the subject of a seal into chakra and sealing that into the ink and paper," Shikamaru said, the reality of it all dawning on him. Naruto's grin only grew.

"Clever as always. Hell yeah! Really, the use of the formula is the easiest method. It's a shortcut, allowing yourself to be drawn to the point. Eventually, you can control the area around the point too, and choose to be there. That's where things get interesting; you can dodge and maneuver, really catch bad guys off guard!"

The information filtered through Shikamaru's mind, more questions. He quickly began to narrow them down. One thing, in particular stood out.

"You said the formula is a shortcut, right? A shortcut to what?"

Naruto's faced scrunched up slightly; clearly it wasn't his favorite topic.

"Eh, math," he lamented, and Shikamaru could only sigh, "You have to be able to plot the calculations in four dimensions. And not just normal four dimensions, you get into really weird space-time calculations, and it's just a real pain. You have to figure out the manifold into a coordinate system and all. Like, eventually you can cheat, that's the manipulation of space around a formula, because that point is a constant."

Naruto paused, as if realizing something very quickly.

"Oh, yeah! Constant! The formula never goes away. You can place it on anything you touch, and it'll always be there. Theoretically, you could warp to anywhere as a result, though it's often not that simple."

That just made more questions, but Shikamaru was already trying to process all of this. He pressed on, brain starting to hurt.

"Ok, wait a tic, calculate in four dimensions, I get that, and a formula is the shortcut, but restricts you to placed points. So, your shadow clones, you could have each one calculate part of the formula, right?"

"Well, yeah, in THEORY," Naruto dismissed, face twisting into a sort of painful expression, "But it's not that simple! Trying to assemble the calculation hurts! All that info at once... and it's slow, too! Plus, it's still really really complex! Not even the Second Hokage could do it with speed, it's why he made the formula! My dad, too!"

Silence took over after that, as Shikamaru narrowed down things. He had more questions, but there was one, more than anything, that took over. Ideas began to flow; he couldn't begin to understand all of this, but damn if he wasn't going to try to turn it into something...

"Ok, so..." he said, pausing to gather his thoughts, "What if you just used yourself as the constant? Like, a marked item on yourself, and then focused on the manipulation of that single mark?"

Naruto stared, and he stared, and he stared.

Then he smiled.

"Shikamaru, you're a genius!"

Ε

Tired yet happy, Hinata sat beneath her mother's tree in the center of the Hyuuga manner, thoughts divided. The day had been long, the past few days in general had been, and had given her few moments to stop to gather herself. Now that she had time she was moved to rest and think.

On one hand, the young girl found her mind filled with thoughts of the coming fight, of everything that her father had been teaching her. That led to the issue second on her mind, though; her father, and the fact he'd been teaching her at all. The past few days had been curious indeed, a sudden shift he made no comment on. Hinata had figured out what it couldn't be, though. To her great surprise, there was one fact she simply could not escape: It had absolutely nothing to do with her victory.

She didn't earn his approval. This was a fact that made her feel simply and joyously relieved. What a strange thing to feel so relieved about, was what she thought at first, but the truth was she didn't want to earn his admiration or attention. He loved her, in his way, but always at a distance. Her desire to be acknowledged, though, did not drive her. Her desire to be better drove her. And now, Naruto-sensei drove her. Her eyes opened, wind softly blowing and lifting her dark hair. She purged her mind for a moment, and focused on her surroundings.

The courtyard was sizable, simple in its construction with the tree and other such elements dominating. The Hyuuga were simple people, ancient people. They traced their lineage far back, beyond the origins of the villages, beyond the ninja in some telling. The walls of the courtyard were simple, decorated in old styles, sparse but with bits of color. That was her mother's touch. They were sturdy walls, often soundproof as a conceit of privacy in a home where nothing could be hidden from sight.

Naruto-sensei.

It returned quickly. Quite honestly, at times, she worried that she was obsessing over him. He had saved her, quite literally, once. Perhaps more; his memories, she was noting, were spotty when he was young, and that was a fact she sorely wished was not the case. Yet despite a lack of memory, his kindness was saving her again. Her father's sudden shift was one thing, but Naruto had cheered her always, worried about her always. She was young, foolish, and obsessed.

She thought she loved him, in as much as any teenager knew what love was. She was just a student, just a young girl who was being foolish, and silly. But she was happy, so that was alright. She shifted slightly in her stance, unable to keep a smile off her face. Whatever was behind her father's recent change, whatever impossibility there was in her affections for her teacher, whatever the future was bringing, she was happy.

"Lady Hinata," a voice said, breaking the silence of the courtyard. Her eyes snapped to the sight, a vestigial reaction to some of her clan who chose so heavily to rely upon the birthright of the Hyuuga. Instead, she turned and found a familiar face, stoically framed by the strange hitae-ite with its dangling ringed leather tassels. He wore a beige coat, not unlike her own, and her eyes where just like hers.

"Neji-niisan," she said with respect, smile softening slightly but remaining nevertheless. The Branch Hyuuga's expression remained carved from granite. Neji studied the young Hyuuga heiress quietly, the wisdom behind his white eyes in perpetual conflict with a slow burning anger; one that, as of late, had found little fuel and was but smoldering.

"I am your servant, Lady Hinata, not your brother," he intoned simply. She simply smiled, and stood, bowing slightly as she did. She shook her head.

"You are my family, Neji-niisan, before everything."

He was silent, but his face shifted ever so slightly to a softer expression.

"We have our roles to play, Lady Hinata, we cannot change that."

"We can play the roles however we wish, though," she replied, then bowed and turned, "You will always be my family, no matter what happens. Goodnight, Neji-niisan."

"Goodnight," was all he said in reply. She walked out, heading into the manor proper and towards her room. She had a long day tomorrow. Neji watched her go, waited a moment, and then took her place beneath the tree. He sat in a less pristine and meditative fashion, though his mind was no less contemplative. He sat, and he thought. The world had stopped making sense.

His father was in charge of the new police force for the entire village. His cousin had not only defeated her opponent, but had inadvertantly slain him in the process. Now, she was his first opponent, her father was directly tutoring her... and he suddenly felt less sure of destiny, or his place in it.

Ζ

The meeting with the kazekage's wife had gone well, and then faded into a stream of other small preparations and everyday business that Itachi handled as quickly as he could. There wasn't much of a need; though busy, he had no pressing matters to attend to and speed did nothing but earn him a night with nothing to do, itself only a small consolation. It was unlikely their foes would make a movement tomorrow, so he found himself stuck with time yet no way to act.

The young hokage had considered going to meet with his Aimi, perhaps to finish the date that Kakashi had stolen him from a few nights ago, but opted instead to simply head back to the family home. He would check on Aimi tomorrow, and after the danger was ended, perhaps have Shikaku or Kakashi take over for a few days. His lover deserved some attention.

The trip had been uneventful. He'd walked the streets at evening, greeting the villagers, civilian and shinobi alike. Their smiles made one grow on his face, as well, each one reinforcing the promise to keep the village safe. He wondered... had Madara Uchiha become the First Hokage, would he too have felt like this, or would the elder Uchiha still have become just as despotic and evil? Itachi felt, at times, like he knew the man. He had immersed himself in the scrolls of the hokage, stories written by his predecessors' own hands. He'd even begun his own work, along with additions to the Scroll of Seals. His own successors would understand the fullness of the Uchiha clan's visual prowess, now that one of the clan's own had put that knowledge to text.

He took the path towards the Uchiha compound, though the name was mostly vestigial; following the purge, the old property had been shaken up somewhat, and though it remained heavily populated by the clan, plenty of others called it home. There were several other large compounds, though there was some irony that the Senju clan, that had once been so populous in the village, had now dispersed into the population at large. There were a few still around, but unlike the Uchiha or the Hyuuga with their stricter rules on marriage and name-taking, they simply hadn't clung on as tight.

Itachi didn't think Hashirama would have cared all that much, though. The village was his clan, the Will of Fire was his bloodline. The hokage passed a female member of the branch Hyuuga, perhaps in her early twenties or late very teens. He greeted her, though his mind passed back through time. Youko would have been about that age. Relaxed, composed, and sometimes even lazy, Youko had been a balancing element of the team. He wondered what she would think of all this.

Another victim of a pointless war. Itachi sighed, passing into the Uchiha section before long. Youko had died far too young, like so many had. It had affected the young Uchiha, though it had affected his old teammate more. Naruto had lost much in that war, more than Itachi could imagine. The hokage had no idea what it would be like to lose your entire family, and while both had lost many comrades, only Naruto had lost his first love, as much as teenagers know of love. Just enough to hurt, it seemed.

Itachi spent more time in the Uchiha compound than not; the hokage's residence felt alien to him. He spent very little time there, instead preferring the same home as the rest of his living family. His mother had greeted him respectfully and lovingly, but Itachi was well aware of her conflicted feelings. Her eldest son had slain her husband. He did not demand anything of her; it would be wrong to even try.

The hokage entered the old family home. He set the hat aside as he entered, moving directly to the small shrine. He lit a stick of incense and went through the proper rites of respect for the spirit of the dead. His father's picture stare back at him through the gulf of time.

"Will you be staying for dinner?"

Itachi let a small smile cross his face as he heard his mother's question. Small steps.

"Yes. The night."

"Sasuke will be home soon."

She made a retreat soon after, off to the kitchen to make good on the implied offer. Itachi sighed. Strained was too weak a word for that relationship. He stood returned to the door, standing and looking into the streets of the district. They were busy, even now as evening rolled around. That did bring a smile to his face; even here, where he'd been pushed to take the lives of dozens of the Uchiha leadership, not the least of which was his own father, the village was thriving. He would not let anything change that.

"You keep that worried look on your face and your hair is going to turn gray," a new voice joked. Itachi had no need to look to see who it was. Shisui appeared beside him, his title of Shisui of the Body Flicker never more fitting than that moment. He was good, so fast it was nearly impossible to see.

"Wouldn't you like that," the hokage replied with a smile, "Your younger friend goes gray before you."

"Well, it's not like it'll matter, all the girls want me already. Maybe I should go gray, it'll give you a fighting chance."

Itachi laughed. A short laugh, but it was good. Very little had made him laugh as of late. Happy, sure. Proud? Sasuke was doing that daily. But an honest laugh was something his old friend was very good at providing.

"It's good to see you, Shisui."

"You look troubled. More than usual," Shisui replied, scratching his forehead with his thumb. Itachi sighed through his smile.

"That obvious, huh?"

"No, don't worry, your stoic cover is nice and sound," Shisui said with mirth, "I'm your friend, Itachi. I know when you've got something bothering you. I haven't seen you like this since..."

Shisui let it trail off. Ah, yes. That time. Shisui had been there, Shisui had helped him. Shisui had nearly lost not only his eyes, but his life in the process. Had Itachi not come back, something drawing him back... Shisui would be dead, Danzo would have his eyes, and with it the unspeakable power of Kotoamatsukami.

"I still fear to think of what Danzo could have done with them," Shisui said quietly. Itachi knew what he meant.

"He wasn't totally wrong, though," Itachi replied sadly, "Simply rewriting their minds that one time was unlikely to solve the problem. It took blood, but it also took reconciliation. I hadn't realized what that would be at the time."

"You got the hat though. It's a very nice hat."

Itachi chuckled. Shisui reminded him so much of Naruto sometimes.

"So, Danzo is back, then?"

That caught Itachi off guard. He turned to look at his old friend, but knew he shouldn't be surprised.

"Yes," he replied simply, "Be ready."

"Always am. That said, we've got company."

Itachi looked at what Shisui was talking about. Shisui had jerked his head back out the sliding door. Sasuke, looking a bit tired and ragged but proud, made his way towards the house. The younger Uchiha saw his brother and Shisui some distance off, and both could make out the subtle frown at the latter. Shisui sighed.

"Guess I shouldn't be surprised about that reaction." Shisui shrugged.

"He'll come around."

"Maybe," Shisui replied. Moments later, Sasuke walked up, said simple greetings, and then pushed past his brother's friend. Itachi sighed, but Shisui shook his head, as if to wave off any impending words.

"Don't worry about it. You're right. He'll learn as he gets older."

The hokage relaxed. Shisui analyzed him for a moment before speaking.

"How's your vision, Itachi?"

The hokage did not turn to look this time. He continue to stare out over the village, watching as business continued as usual. He would do whatever it took to protect it. And to protect Sasuke.

"It'll be enough."

Η

Jiraiya, member of the Legendary Sannin, the great Toad Sage, world-renowned author, once considered a candidate for the Hokage's hat, was pursuing that most noble of callings; one that had, in between his constant attempts to keep track of his old comrade Orochimaru and managing the spy-network that fed Konoha information, been his greatest and most truest joy. Peeping on women, preferably naked ones.

It was a sublime joy, incomparable to nearly any other. He was camouflaged behind some foliage, staring into the women's section of a local hot spring. It was an old favorite of his, one he'd found ample use of for his 'research' into the female form... For his books, of course. It was a public service these women were doing, really. Yes, a great and noble deed, even if they had no idea.

"Your know, ero-jiji, I really would have thought you'd have had better things to do."

The white haired sage nearly leaped out of his skin. He toppled over, nearly falling through the bush as he did. The voice startled him, but he easily placed it.

"Dammit, don't call me that. That's no way to refer to your godfather!"

"And no godfather of mine should be peeping on women, you pervert!"

Jiraiya puffed himself up with righteous indignation.

"Now look here, kid," he began; it was unlikely the man would ever stop calling Naruto kid, regardless of how old he got. Naruto had gotten used to that, but he still scowled.

"You need to slow down, and learn to appreciate the finer things in life."

Naruto simply stared at him, and then a wicked grin began to cross his face. Jiraiya instantly regretted his words as he saw the old prankster in Naruto's soul begin to awaken. The world seemed to slow as Naruto made a familiar hand seal and, in a burst of smoke, used that old technique to transform into a buxom and scantily clad woman. A compartmentalized section of his brain noticed that he'd improved the technique.

However, the more pressing concern was what Naruto was doing.

"Eeek, a pervert!" 'she' shouted, drawing the sudden attention of a horde of very anger women, several of which where kunoichi. This was not the best thing as they converged upon the sound of her shriek. Naruto watched as the group began to chase his father's old teacher, the white-haired man shouting curses back at him. He laughed and laughed.

Ah yes, enjoy the simple things.

And with a sudden poof, the shadow clone disappeared.

Θ

Distantly, in between a bout of taijutsu exercises, the real Naruto suddenly burst into fits of laughter. The young jounin and his student where at the same training field they'd spent the last few days at. On the eve of the final tournament, Naruto had decided to go easy on his young student, focusing on simple exercises rather than the more complex jutsu and tactics they'd been working on. The exercises were light, more a refresher than anything. The jounin's sudden laughter, though, interrupted the spar and earned a strange look from his young companion in the process.

"Sorry, sorry!" Naruto said, still near doubled over as he did. Shikamaru just stared, at an utter loss. It took a moment for his teacher to calm down and straighten up, though small giggles seemed to escape.

"What was that all about?" Shikamaru inquired, seriously doubting the mental acuity of his sensei. Naruto, on the other hand, just smiled.

"It's, uh, a clone thing," the jounin said, pondering how best to explain the scene. How information did his young companion need? "Shadow Clones give me whatever information they learned, right? I had one of my clones off looking up an old friend. He had an... incident at a bath house."

Shikamaru, as usually, had a million thoughts to that. Who was this, what do you mean incident, and why were you looking for him? One, though, jumped out more than the others.

"How many clones do you keep around, anyway?"

Naruto answered without much thought.

"Dozen or two usually."

And with that, Naruto simply inspired a million more thoughts and questions. Shikamaru sighed; that didn't make sense. A Shadow Clone took a massive chunk of chakra with it. Most could barely make one, let alone a dozen. Let alone TWO dozen. Stories of the First Hokage making Wood Clones, whose stability was boosted by the material they were made of, were near legend. Shikamaru knew that Naruto Namikaze had been called Konoha's One-Man Army. He was really beginning to understand why.

"How do you manage so many shadow clones?" he asked, for some reason not expecting a straight answer at all.

The question seemed to catch Naruto's attention. Without much warning, his face got serious. It was an expression that Shikamaru had seen only a few times before, and never in good situations either. Well, that was a thing.

"It's complicated. A long story I'm not sure you're ready for yet," the jounin said simply. He cut off any reply, "Hey, Shikamaru. Go ahead and head home. You've got a big day tomorrow. Get a good rest."

Ah, so that's how it was. Shikamaru realized he was not going to get much more there. His teacher wasn't wrong, either; he needed rest. More pressing concerns required his attention, like dealing with the troublesome business that was the Chuunin Exam finals. The Nara boy shrugged. Naruto smiled, and jumped away. Shikamaru wasn't far behind. Between the bouts with Naruto, and the training he'd done with his father (lazy though it was), he was ready.

He thought.

Ι

Sasuke entered his room and fell forward onto his bed. He hadn't been here much the last few days, and the feel of an actual bed was nearly enough to send him to the Pure Land right then and there. He groaned slightly into the pillow; he couldn't imagine having Kakashi as a sensei for any length of time, it would probably kill him. At least, though, he did seem very eager to teach. So that was something.

Naruto's eclectic education style had its own benefits; Namikaze-sensei seemed happy to share techniques, as well as practical expertise when he wasn't being spastic. It had taken Kakashi's spiel and training on nature manipulation to understand the shape manipulation that Naruto had been trying to teach them with those water balloons and rubber balls. That had proved useful, though, in the development of his first true technique.

The young Uchiha rolled over, staring at the white bandages that were wrapped around his hand. Still needed to work on control... and a name, too. Kakashi had told him a story about how the Chidori had gotten its name, advising Sasuke to wait for something to stick out. He had also told him where Naruto had gotten his habit of naming things from; Naruto's father was the exact same way, with a habit of elaborate and clunky titles. He had, though, been the one to name the Chidori, in a brief moment of poetic brevity. Sasuke wondered what he, or Naruto, would make of Sasuke's own creation.

He'd have to wait and see.

Light from the rapidly setting sun filtered through the window, casting strange shadows on his room. Scrolls littered the floor still, training aides and unsafely stored kunai and shuriken scattered about with them. That the exhausted young genin hadn't tripped over something was a shock. It would be night soon. Food. He needed food. No doubt mother would be cooking already, what with Itachi here and all. Sasuke let a small smile cross his face, realizing he'd simply stalked past not just his brother but the hokage on his way up to his room. He wondered how many others in the village could do the same.

"You should not be so hard on Shisui."

Sasuke's moment was lost when he heard the sound of that aforementioned brother. He turned his head to find Itachi standing in his doorway, a look halfway between reproach and mirth on his face. Sasuke used to think he understood Itachi. The younger Uchiha brother sat up, unable to keep the frown off his face. Itachi sighed.

"He loves the village, and the clan. What he did was to protect those things."

Sasuke looked away, staring out the window. Words caught in his throat. The rational part of his brain knew that Itachi was right, at least partly. What the Uchiha—what their father, really—had intended to do would have torn the village apart. The level of the conspiracy was such that it could have been the end of the Uchiha as a whole. Sasuke's head fell, and Itachi seemed to know what was going through his mind.

"We bear a great burden," he began, closing the distance as he did, nimbly stepping over the scattered contents of the room, "The Uchiha have a great gift, but a great curse as well. We must always be careful to make sure it does not consume us. Love is a powerful thing, it can make us commit great acts as well as terrible ones."

Sasuke turned, staring up at his brother. He felt so small beneath his gaze, regardless of how soft it was. Itachi raised two fingers, and tapped Sasuke's forehead.

"I love you, otouto. I love mother, too, and I love the clan. Now, though, all the people in the village are like family to me, and I can't only be your brother; I can't only be an Uchiha," he said with a smile, "I know it is hard for you, but I know you can endure. You are a shinobi, a great one, and I am very proud of you."

Sasuke simply stared, barely noticing the tears that welled up in his eyes. Itachi tapped him again, and then turned.

"Thank you!" Sasuke shouted, perhaps louder than he intended. He seemed to shrink back as he realized he was still indoors, but Itachi only smiled.

"Do well tomorrow, Sasuke; the village may very well need your strength."

Ω

Gaiden Α

The grass and training dummies were scorched black, smoldering in places as embers sucked in air and clung to life. The trees around the training ground were gouged deep, with slashes that looked like a blade in some places and animal claws in others, on a scale that would make them need to be from animals and blades that were quite large indeed. The smoldering field had been put through its paces, and with the sun now beginning to set, the pair that were using it decide it was time to sit, rest, and then head on home and rest some more; tomorrow was, after all, the big day.

Asuma Sarutobi and Sakura Haruno sat on a felled log, looking happily disheveled. The jounin-sensei was in his usual attire, with his issued flak jacket hanging open and the edges of his Twelve Guardian Ninja sash singed. Sakura, on the other hand, was in what had become her usual attire; she'd traded in the longer dress she wore over her shorts for a shorter blouse and a skirt. It made her look more mature, as did the addition of a mirrored kunai holster and a number of other pouches lining her belt. Her hands and lower arms were wrapped in white cloth with symbols drawn over the surface, matched on her feet and legs. It was a minor shift, but a notable one.

The pair stretched, near mirrors of each other as they put their arms out and then rolled their shoulders. Each reached into a pocket and took out a simple, hand-rolled cigarette and put it into their lips. Asuma reached for a lighter then, but stopped when he noticed his young protégé had instead lit up her own with a snap of her fingers, causing a small jet of flame on the tip. She lit it up and took a long drag, letting out a stream of smoke afterwards.

Asuma grunted, and she turned to find him giving her a stern look. She returned it with just as much verve.

"Don't get all hypocritical on me, Sarutobi-sensei," she fumed, adjusting the smoking tube in her mouth as she did.

"You're barely a teen," he replied, and weakly at that.

"Old enough to kill folks for money, old enough to smoke," she retorted with finality, nodding her head in self-approval. Asuma simply sighed. He was about to speak when she took a sudden massive inhalation, and then blew out a stream of thick, powdery smoke. Her fingers snapped, lighting up the cloud in a massive explosion that nearly threw Asuma back off the log. The pair's clothing flapped in the blast.

Asuma stared for a moment, then shrugged. Sakura simply smiled and held up her finger with a smile, flame puffing at its tip.

"Need a light, sensei?"

Gaiden B

It was raining outside, a steady downpour that obscured the view of the hokage monument. The sun had set, leaving the moon to shine through the downpour. It had been raining for hours now, heavy at times, lighter at others. Now, with the steady stream, it seemed to have settled on a particular tempo. Villagers stood on porches and balconies, enjoying the fresh and clean smell it brought with it. The soothing sound sent several people into a happy, restful sleep, putting off thoughts of the war that had raged for so long yet seemed so far away.

Naruto Namikaze and Itachi Uchiha stood in the hokage's office, drenched from head to toe. They left puddles wherever they stood, though neither were moving; they'd entered quietly, sullen. Naruto shivered. It wasn't the cold, though, it was anger. Emotion, raw and real. It had taken Itachi to control the beast from overtaking him, though the Uchiha almost hadn't wanted to. He had wanted to see Naruto explode into righteous anger. He had wanted justice... no, he had wanted vengence.

Danzo stared at them, fingers steepled. He'd been hokage for some time now, years in fact. Of that time, the two young men he stared at had been rising stars. He wanted Itachi for the ANBU; Root was unlikely, but ANBU he could do. Naruto, on the other hand, had proven rocky at first, yet pairing them, and that Hyuuga girl, had been more than perfect. The boy was an asset, more so than his mother ever had been. He might have inherited some poor choices in beliefs, but that was understandable. Regardless of it all, he was an asset to the Leaf.

The hokage already knew what had happened. The debrief, though, in person. He wanted that, not for himself as much as for them. They had gone over the mission details, most of which are unimportant. The fight, though, or at least the last of them. That was important, and the most important detail of all was coming.

"The enemy managed to deploy a team to our flanks; apparently an informant gave away our position and allowed them to maneuver troops around us," Itachi said, continuing his story; Naruto seemed to stiffen, knowing what was coming. "Youko split off from formation, having spotted them first with her byakugan. Before we realized what was happening, she had engaged the flanking force several times our number, and incapacitated many. However, the volume of enemy attacks inflicted severe damage."

Naruto looked away and grit his teeth. Itachi paused to gather himself. Danzo simply stared, emotionless as he listened. The Namikaze boy's left hand was a white-knuckled grip around a scorched and torn hitae-ite.

"I can only make an assumption based on my knowledge of my teammate's habits and mind, as she did not explain herself. She revealed a number of paper bombs on her person, I suspect to avoid being taken alive and thus have the byakugan captured and extracted prior to her death, or to be used to produce children with the genes," he continued, choking up somewhat on the last bit; the thought was so abhorrent it hurt to think of. Danzo remained still.

"She detonated the bombs, reducing the rest of the flanking force. Her remains were unrecoverable..."

Itachi trailed off, and then glanced down at the headband his teammate and friend was clutching so tight. All that was left of her.

"Her actions allowed us to escape and deliver the necessary intel reports on the enemy's advance."

Itachi finished, and then waited. Silence hung, with only the muffled sound of rain to break it. Finally, Danzo spoke. He settled his hands onto the desk as he did, face softening.

"She was a true shinobi of the leaf," Danzo stated, "And her memory should be honored as such."

Naruto's teeth were grinding. Itachi knew there was a million things he wanted to say; they should have had more backup, they should have been deployed earlier. They should have this, or that. Itachi also knew Naruto knew better; there was nothing wrong with the mission. It was a perfectly normal war-time assignment, one that they had not expected such resistance to. Their legend, though, had caught up to them. Youko had paid the price for that.

"Do not forget this," Danzo said sternly, eyes sweeping between the two, "We are in grave times. For the sake of the village, we all must endure. That is what it means to be shinobi."

The pair stared at their hokage and then, as one, nodded. He was right.

This war, this horrible war? It simply had to be endured. Until they had the power to end it, they simply had to endure.

The unspoken message between them, though, was clear: they would end it. Together.

Gaiden Γ

The hospital smelled of sterile air and blood. Minato looked down into the incubator at his young son. His son. The thought terrified him. He was young, so young to be a father. He wasn't even out of his teens yet but he was still well in excess of the age of many other jounin, several years of experience under his belt. His flak jacket was loose, hair disheveled; he had barely made it back to the village in time for the birth of his son, sent home by the Third Hokage to be with his beloved wife. The pregnancy of a jinchuuriki was a volatile time indeed; that Minato was so necessary to the war effort as to prevent him from spending more time home was a tragedy that Hiruzen could not stomach, yet had to for the sake of the village.

At the last minute, though, he'd ordered him home. Danzo Shimura had not been pleased by this, and had said so, but was not about to openly defy the hokage in a time of war. So now Minato was here, back in the village, several hours past the birth of his son, wondering with dread about the world he had just brought his child into.

There was some sort of cruelty in naming children as adults simply to push them out the door and into the grinder of war, Minato Namikaze had long thought, but equally he knew the necessity of it. It was a cruelty that the village had been founded to avoid. That had been Hashirama's dream, after all. The union of Senju and Uchiha had been meant to stop the deaths of children. The First and Second Hokages had lost two brothers to the old wars, and countless other grim sights were etched into their minds, and into the ethos they had built the village upon.

Reality was cruel, though. Fickle and cruel. That this was the third war large enough to be called a world war was proof enough of that. The first war had been during the reign of Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage, and it had been over a number of lingering issues that Hashirama had not been able to resolve. The second war had been fought over the armistice of the first; wars caused wars in this world, not peace as was so often claimed. Minato was saddened by the reality of it all.

Naruto was sleeping. Minato wanted to hold him, but he had yet clean himself from his grueling rush home. He had to nearly fight his way in to even see his wife; Biwako had nearly kicked him out until he threatened to simply use the Flying Thunder God, as Kushina's seal had his formula integrated into the seal that made her a jinchuuriki. Relenting in the face of his persistence and the reality of the baby's arrival, Minato had been allowed to watch the delivery and provide key support in the form of a target for Kushina's pain-induced rage.

So here he was. He wanted to go wash, so he could hold his son, but the boy was sleeping and Minato didn't want to take his eyes off him.

They were young, so young. Minato and Kushina had married out of love and youthful indiscrection; the pair were more than legally adults. With their lives always in danger, the pair had done what so many others did. It just so happened that when Minato and Kushina consummated their love, the result was a young child born into a world of war and strife. Minato felt guilty about that, but it was dwarfed by the joy he felt. Kushina was resting; her seal had held, and as her strength returned, so would that of the momentarily weakened binding.

The third war had been inevitable. Following the peace—if it could even be called that—of the second, the nations had all been devastated. The lesser nations had been the most ruined and broken, but the greater states had suffered too. Dreams of vengeance were birthed in such situations, just as they had in the first war, and in the second. Coldly, more cynically than Minato was used to being, he reasoned that the fourth war would one day be over vengeance too.

He wanted to stop that. He wanted to make a world for his son, one where they could stop such things. He needed to lead, to change things...

Minato's thoughts were interrupted by the sudden arrival of a young shinobi of the Uchiha. Minato knew him, loosely. Shisui was a young ace, a skilled and impressively talented youth, yet Minato regretted the simple fact he had to fight at all. The boy was young, barely out of the academy. Hope for the future. Hope Minato was sad was required.

"Namikaze-san," he said formally, bowing with respect, but through it Minato could read the distress behind those eyes. Minato said nothing, allowing the boy to speak, only nodding to acknowledge his presence. Shisui's words chilled him to the bone. It had been one day. In one day, he'd become a father. In one day, he'd gone from a front-line combatant to the the rear.

"The enemy deployed jinchuuriki to the field, inflicting large casualties on our forces. The Third Hokage is dead. Danzo Shimura has been elected as the Fourth."

Minato took steps backwards until his back was touching the cold glass of the window he'd been looking through. His hand spread against the cool surface, but it was those words that chilled him to the bone.

In one day, everything changed.

Gaiden Ω

Data Notes:

Samurai, Ninja, and Ashigaru

Though the military of the various Elemental Nations and their smaller counterparts is often augmented heavily by shinobi or ninja, the vast majority of their forces consist actually of other troops, largely samurai and ashigaru. The former are a relic of older times, different than those of the strange and singular Land of Iron. The vast majority of samurai are simply very talented but otherwise non-chakra using troops, nobles with obligations to the feudal lords. Ashigaru are non-noble troops, and the term is applied variously to peasant conscripts (in places like the Land of Earth) to semi-professional soldiers (in the Land of Fire) to full-time professional forces (in the Land of Lightning). These troops conduct a large portion of the fighting between nations.

Most samurai have little to no talent in utilizing chakra, though they are still remarkable swordsman. What little talent they do have often comes in the form of very rudimentary body enhancement. Ashigaru, on the other hand, utilize mass numbers. Often spearmen and archers, what they lack in skill they make up for in sheer volume. However, even low-level shinobi are often capable of taking out entire segments of troops.

This has led to a market for chakra-resistant gear, seals, and also specialized tactics and weapons for fighting shinobi. Elite teams of both samurai and ashigaru are known to exist in some nations specializing in fighting ninja, though these are still massively outclassed by anything more than a chuunin.

Author Note:

Been really motivated as of late. Hell, I've got this weird thing going that I've been literally writing three stories at the same time at this point. As in, three windows open, working on all three between bouts of watching a YouTube video.

Regardless, this is chugging along nice and good. Maybe I'll get enough people to earn the fic a TV Tropes page before long. Next chapter starts the Chuunin Exam Finals proper, which will be fun. First match is Hinata vs Neji. Then Ino vs. Shikamaru, and so on. Expect to get a look at how Sakura's fighting style has developed under the tutelage of Asuma, and more of Iron Sand-using Garra. Hell, expect everyone to have a bit of a different style; different sensei's, different world implications.

Oh, also, the story goes completely off the rails as this goes on. So get ready for that. I

I'm mostly making bits up about the Flying Thunder God and all in the expectation that we're unlikely to get much more info. You may see drifts over time in the story as older concepts are refined. There is a benefit to writing now that the main story is over; less likely to get surprised by new information. I generally like to keep things sound to the canon, at least mechanically, after all.

Also, curious about how people feel about the gaiden stories, and whatnot. I try to throw them in, sometimes, just to explore fun ideas for me, or throw in a bit of foreshadowing of things that may become big deals later down the line, but that are generally outside the current narrative. Also, is there any Data Note subjects anyone is actually interested in? I like throwing them togeather and, frankly, they let me worldbuild without taking away from narrative.

Oh yeah, going to be doing the NaruHina month in January. Goal is to hit every single one of the prompts, post on the blog, and then collect them in sets on . Good times. Got half the next chapter for this planned do. We chugg'n now.

Much thanks to my overworked Beta; he's been a massive help, great for bouncing ideas off, and he's got a lot on his plate. I appreciate his help.

Edit: Noticed a few errors, need to fix those.

Beta Note:

Nothing really to say this time. Enjoy.