Shisui whistled happily as he practically skipped through the village. Oh how he had missed his home! Iwa was nice and all, but it didn't help that he spent the entire time living under festered paranoia, his Mangekyo enhanced memory taking account of every ninja he had run into during the Third Shinobi War. He was just lucky that he was too young during the war for anyone to recognize him now.

Anyhow, he was just happy to be back home. He had missed his family, the little Uzumaki included. Speaking of the blond, she was all too excited to see him after her graduation. Shisui in all honesty was just glad he was able to make it on time. They had spent the next two days staying up late and catching up on what they had missed in the time they had been apart. Shisui was beyond proud to see Naruto had greatly improved in chakra control, and had even learned the famously difficult Kage Bunshin. Her chakra coils really were out of this world.

Today the adorable genin had somehow got roped into teaching the Hokage's grandson something, but it was for the best. Shisui had some personal business to attend to anyways.

He was soon taking a seat in his favorite stool at his favorite bar, ordering his usual drink of whiskey neat. With his eyes closed, he felt his chakra slowly seep out of his body and across the room, taking a note of every presence. A smirk appeared on his features as someone sat besides him, "I heard you were back."

Shisui opened his eyes to see the unemotional eyes of Hatake Kakashi, his mask hiding the handsome features that Shisui knew to be beneath, "It seems you heard correct."

Kakashi nodded, "Asuma will be glad to see you."

Shisui snorted as he took a swig, "No, he won't."

Kakashi eye-smiled, "No, he won't. But Kurenai will."

"What is it that you want Hatake?" Shisui asked, giving up on the pretense, "You're not one for small talk, especially with me."

Kakashi grimaced. It was true, there was no love lost between the two jonin. Hatake had disliked the arrogant Uchiha since youth, his battle prowess and relation to Kakashi's useless teammate was all that the mask wearing jonin needed to hate him. At least that was what he told himself. Truth was, he hated how quickly young Shisui won the respect of his mentor, Minato Namikaze. Shisui was just as young as Kakashi was when he graduated, however while Hatake spent years training before seeing battle, Shisui graduated in the thick of the Third Shinobi War, bloodying his hands at a frighteningly young age. His use of the sharingan was unparalleled even amongst the veteran Uchiha, and was an absolute natural at infiltration, his tiny lithe body easily missed by most adults.

As if that weren't enough, he was also one of the only people in the world privy to the Fourth Hokage's biggest secret. While that would, in theory, bring two people closer together, it only served to alienate them. Kakashi thought Shisui to be untrustworthy, being too young to understand the full gravity and magnitude of the secret. Shisui thought Kakashi to be an arrogant know-it-all who wasted Obito's final gift. Needless to say, the two weren't exactly friends.

"I'm going to be the sensei of Team 7, consisting of Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha, and Naruto Uzumaki," Kakashi admitted sheepishly.

Shisui felt his eyes widen in surprise, "Why are you telling me this?"

Hatake nervously scratched the back of his head, "Look Uchiha, I know we're not exactly the best of friends, but I felt as if you have to know. Sasuke is your cousin, and Naruto… well Naruto is as much my responsibility as she is yours."

Shisui felt his grip tighten on his glass, "So that's what this is about. You felt as if her mothers student should be privy to her whereabouts. That's funny, considering that no one ever thought to keep me in the loop before."

Kakashi winced once more. This was why he hated talking to the Uchiha prodigy. Not only was he quite annoying for a genius, but it just wasn't worth the guilt that crept up his throat each time Shisui ruthlessly cut him with the truth, "Shisui, besides the Hokage and myself, you are the only one in the village that knows of Naruto's true parentage. And frankly, you spent more time with Kushina than the two of us combined. When it comes to teaching Naruto, you might be the best one to ask; you have a first hand account on how to deal with a jinchuriki."

"Then let me give you a little piece of advice, Hatake," Shisui spoke slowly as he rose from his seat, "Naruto is going to be even more powerful than her father, don't you dare mistake her for the idiot I'm sure her file states her to be. If you even try to get away with teaching her as little as possible, I'll hunt you down myself. And don't make any mistake, the only reason I'm giving you the curtesy of a warning is because we are fellow peers, so don't make me regret it."

Naruto stared with wide unblinking eyes at her closest friend. The usually jovial Uchiha was uncharacteristically solemn, his lips stretched into a pained grimace as he recounted a slightly altered version of a story that he was all too familiar with, "The fox was just too powerful to be killed, and the only thing that could hold the sheer magnitude of a nine-tailed demon is a human. However, it would have been impossible to seal the Kyuubi in a person with fully developed chakra coils, so the person had to be—"

"A newborn," Naruto interrupted, "A fresh, newborn baby. And I was the only one born in the village on that night."

Shisui nodded slowly, "You are the jinchuriki of the nine-tailed fox, the container of the strongest demon in existence."

Naruto accidentally let a few tears slide down her cheeks, "I am a demon."

Shisui shook his head rapidly, taking Naruto's small delicate hands in his own, "No Naruto, no. You are not a demon, merely its container. You are still the same foul-mouthed little girl who enjoys playing pranks."

"But the villagers were right to hate me this entire time," Naruto choked out, "I am holding the same demon who killed all of their loved ones. They were right to hate me."

Shisui furiously shook his head, tightening his grip on Naruto's hands and looking deeply, pleadingly into her wide blue eyes, "Do not say that, never say that. You are holding the demon, that is true, but as its jailer. You holding back the fox is the only reason we are still alive. You are our hero. You are my hero."

Naruto wiped away a few tears, "You think I'm your hero?"

Shisui nodded once, "I know you are my hero. Remember, I was there that fateful night. I faced the fox myself, there was absolutely nothing I could do against the sheer magnitude of his prowess. By sealing the fox into you, the Hokage sacrificed his own life, all for Konoha's future. He did not have a choice."

Naruto let a small grin climb onto her features, "Well then, I guess I'll just have to work doubly as hard to show the villagers that I am more than just a container, huh?"

Shisui let out a laugh. Yeah, Naruto was going to be alright, "I guess so kid, I guess so."

"Don't call me a kid," Naruto pouted, her adorable features scrunched up in mock annoyance.

"I call em like I see em," Shisui responded with a chuckle. This was how he wanted to remember Naruto, he thought, all adorable and cute. For certainly the Hokage was going to kill him when he found out what Shisui had done.

"That was idiotic of you," Itachi stated monotonously as the two elder Uchiha's watched Naruto and Sasuke spar in their favorite training field.

Shisui scoffed, "If the third Hokage had it his way, Naruto would never know of the burden she carried until she was at the very least, 15. At that point it would probably be too late. She needs to know of the power she carries so that she could be cautious about using it in the future."

"It was still as S-ranked secret," Itachi spoke slowly, attempting to take control of his temper, "The Hokage can see this as an act of treason. You should have spoken to him first."

"The Hokage would have just banned me from saying anything and then it really would be an act of treason," Shisui remarked, his eyes never straying from where his two favorite newly minced genin were exchanging blows.

"Then perhaps you should have just not said anything."

Shisui quickly turned to his eldest friend, his eyes flashing the Mangekyo in warning, "Are you actually suggesting," he spoke slowly, threateningly, "That I should have just sat idly by as Naruto went on missions outside of Konoha, knowing nothing of the terrible power she wields and the consequence of tapping into it?"

"That's not what I'm saying Shisui."

"Then what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that you acted recklessly, and that your own life and future as a ninja is in jeopardy because of it."

"That's only if the Hokage finds out."

Itachi eyed his friend wearily, "Please tell me that you don't actually think that the Hokage won't find out about this?"

Shisui shrugged, "For a man who is commonly referred to as the Professor, he still hasn't found out that his most powerful weapon and pseudo-granddaughter is living with a jonin five years her elder, and most likely successor to the hat. It's been two years since I have moved in, and old man Sarutobi still has no idea."

Itachi sighed, "It's still risky Shisui. You should have let someone else tell her, someone who could probably relate to her more or help her with this information."

Shisui resisted the urge to groan. Most of the time, he forgot that Itachi was a year his junior in terms of actual age, and several years his junior in terms of shinobi experience. Yet in moments like this, it showed. Itachi wouldn't have been old enough, and especially not close enough to the deceased fourth Hokage to know the secret behind Naruto's true parentage. In fact Itachi had never even met the Hokage, nor his beautiful wife. Shisui was different. Shisui had fought alongside Minato Namikaze during the battle of Iwa, he assassinated multiple targets as Obito Uchiha took care of the distractions, he had punched Hatake Kakashi across the face for misusing his sharingan. Most importantly, he was personally taught by Kushina Uzumaki; Konoha's seal mistress, Naruto's mother, and the last jinchuriki. The elder Uchiha was privy to secrets that were so hidden they didn't even warrant a rank. If there was anyone in the world who could teach Naruto about her heritage, barring Jiraiya, it was Shisui. Not like he could tell Itachi that, though.

So instead, Shisui Uchiha just sighed, "Well I don't see any volunteers lining up to help the girl, so it looks like I'll have to do it instead."

"It was still reckless."

"Itachi… In Iwa, during the war, I met the other jinchuriki. No matter what happens, I do not want Naruto to end up like them. So if I have to commit treason so that Naruto will end up happy, then so be it."

"So?"

Naruto barely dodged a punch coming straight for her as she quirked an eyebrow at her emo friend, "So what?"

"So how do you feel now that your precious Shisui-kun is back?" Sasuke mocked in a high pitched voice as he attempted a high kick.

Naruto blocked the appendage with her forearms as a blush crawled up her cheeks, "First off, I don't sound like that!"

Sasuke snorted as Naruto continued, "And second of all, it's a complete headache! I had forgotten over the course of the last year how much of a pain living with a Uchiha was, and now I have to deal with three of them over all the time! Plus, Shisui still wins the award for most irritating Uchiha."

"You know, the girls in our class would kill to be surrounded by the three of us at all times," Sasuke remarked.

"Well, the girls in our class are absolute idiots."

Sasuke chuckled lowly as he extended a leg, causing Naruto to trip and fall, before placing a kunai to her throat, "I win again, Dobe."

"DAMMIT!"

Naruto resisted the urge to slam her head onto the table in irritation. She had been having a great morning, Shisui crept out in the middle of the night for some reason or another, so Naruto had been able to have a relatively peaceful breakfast. She had hummed happily all the way to the academy, excited to receive her team placements. Nothing could ruin her mood!

Of course, then she was placed in a team with Sasuke Uchiha. SLAM! She hit her head on the table again in frustration. Not only was she forced to live with one bastard Uchiha, now she had to deal with another one on her team?! Seriously she couldn't just catch a break.

To make matters worse, Sakura Haruno, fan girl extraordinaire was also assigned to their team. The pink haired banshee had spent the last three hours trying to talk to Sasuke, who was steadfastly ignoring her with astonishing ease. Really, Naruto envied the boy, she wished she had the ability to block off all the screeching.

As if all that weren't enough, their sensei was seriously late. As in even Iruka left a few hours prior when he realized just who exactly was going to pick the three genin up. All in all, Naruto was angry. It was only natural that the first response to come to mind was to set up a prank…

Kakashi watched his newest ducklings through scrunched up eyes. Sakura Haruno fit the fangirl profile perfectly, if the loving looks she was shooting the uninterested Uchiha were to be believed. Sasuke on the other hand acted like every typical genius Uchiha. He was bored, arrogant, and bordering on completely antisocial. That was going to take some work.

Then there was Naruto Uzumaki, the dead last of her class and jinchuriki of the nine-tailed. She had her mothers personality with none of her fathers affinity for academics. She was going to be a tough one. On paper, there was no one more perfect than Kakashi to train her, after all, he himself was trained by the girls father. But in reality, Naruto was nothing like her father, her looks notwithstanding. She was completely her mothers daughter, and it was that realization that prompted Kakashi to seek out the assistance of Shisui Uchiha. He should have realized the younger man would be wildly unhelpful. Not that Kakashi could blame him. He hadn't been exactly pleasant to the genius Uchiha in the past.

They had quite a complicated and checkered past. While they were both professional, never allowing personal feelings to come between them on a mission, it was a different case when they were past the safety of their village walls. Shisui barely tolerated Kakashi's presence at best, while Kakashi wanted absolutely nothing to do with the man who reminded him so much of his deceased teammate. Kakashi knew it wasn't Shisui's fault that he was the only other excitable Uchiha, but his bitter feelings didn't really understand logic.

Naruto sweatdropped, "White-haired-cyclops literally told us nothing but his name."

"If you know my name little Naru-chan, then perhaps you should use it," Kakashi advised, amusement coloring his words.

Sasuke looked between the two, "You've met before?"

Naruto nodded in response, "Yeah he's friends with Mini-jiji and Creepy Green Freak."

Sasuke nodded as though that cleared everything up. Huh, it seemed as though the Uchiha and Uzumaki were closer than they portrayed themselves to be.

"Okay pinky, you're up first," Kakashi said with a fake eye smile.

"My name is Sakura Haruno. Well, what I like, or should I say person I like is…" Sakura stammered with a squeal as she looked at Sasuke, "What I hate is Naruto and other girls who think they can date Sasuke."

"Right back at you pinkette," Naruto groaned, "And for the millionth time, I AM NOT INTERESTED IN THE TEME!"

Sakura huffed incredulously as she continued, "And my dream for the future is…"

With the squeal that came out of her as she looked at Sasuke with hearts in her eyes, it didn't take a genius to know what the young girl was thinking. Kami he hated dealing with fan girls. Instead of spending more time on the hopeless girl, Kakashi turned to the object of her affections, "Okay brooding Uchiha is up next."

Sasuke shot him a look so malicious that Kakashi swore he had to have picked it up from his bitter elder cousin, "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I like tomatoes and my family, I hate fan girls, and my dream for the future is to join the ANBU and protect what's precious to me."

Well. Kakashi certainly didn't see that response coming. Although he supposed that Sasuke probably wanted to follow in the footsteps of his two idols. "Alright blondie, your turn."

Naruto also shot him a look that was ridiculously similar to the one Sasuke himself gave him. Interesting. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I like ramen and my precious people, I hate the fucking Uchiha's and every other bastard who thinks it's appropriate to break into my house in the middle of the night. Oh, and I hate fangirls. My dream for the future is to become the first female Hokage and beat that bastard flirt to the hat!"

While Kakashi had no hopes of figuring out what prompted half of those responses, it seemed as though Sasuke did not have the same trouble, for the moment Naruto was done with her declaration he practically kneeled over in laughter. Sakura however just watched the girl in abject horror, "Naruto, a young lady shouldn't speak with such foul language!"

"Oh bite me pinky," Naruto snarled.

Kakashi just placed a sympathetic hand on the horrified genins shoulder, "Oh Sakura, you may as well get used to the language now. It won't get any better."

Shisui took another gulp of his drink as he slammed his head onto the table.

Itachi smirked a little in bemusement, "Remind me again, Shisui, why you have such a big problem with this?"

Shisui groaned as he forcibly picked his head off the cool table, "Our adorable little ducklings are stuck with Hatake Kakashi as a sensei. Literally the worst person imaginable."

"What are you talking about, Kakashi might be a pervert, but he's awesome!" Anko remarked as she slid into the booth besides Itachi.

Kurenai slid in besides Shisui as she softly remarked, "Kakashi is odd, certainly, but he's a good man and a powerful ninja. I'm sure your cousin will be fine under his tutelage."

Shisui shot a glare at the two women before a deep chuckling interrupted him. Pulling a chair to the table, Asuma took his seat, "Oh you adorable, beautiful young women. Truly I forget just how youthful you both are."

"What do you mean by that, Asuma?" Anko questioned, taking a large swig out of the bottle in her hands.

"What I mean is that Shisui and Kakashi have been at each other's throats since the Third Shinobi War. Hell, it would take another war to make things right between them," Asuma kindly explained.

"But wouldn't Kakashi make a great sensei for Sasuke? He has the sharingan after all," Kurenai asked timidly, shrinking back a bit as she noticed that Shisui's glare seemed to intensify.

"Oh no, do not get Shisui started on Kakashi's sharingan," Asuma quickly warned, but it was too late.

"He's an idiot, plain and simple. I don't care that cousin Obito gave him the eye, but does he have to misuse it in such a way? I mean seriously, what kind of idiot uses it to mindlessly copy jutsu?! Do you know how much strain it can have on the human brain to memorize all of that, especially considering that his body in incapable of even using like 70% of them!? And if that weren't bad enough, he is entirely self-reliant on it! He would seriously be screwed in a fight if someone impaired that eye, really he's giving a bad name to sharingan wielders everywhere."

Asuma shot Kurenai a look, "See what you started?"

Itachi just sighed, "Shisui, I have been teammates with Kakashi for years in the ANBU. He's not that bad."

Shisui snorted, "I'll believe it when I see it."

Wanting to switch the topic, and realizing quite correctly that none of them had even the tiniest sliver of hope in understanding what was sure to be a ridiculously complicated relationship, Anko shot a look at Kurenai and Asuma, "So I heard the two of you were given genin teams. How'd the brats do?"

Kurenai beamed as she replied, "Well Hinata is an absolute doll, I look forward to helping her get out of her shell. Kiba is a little rough around the edges, but he is strong. Shino can use some help opening up, but he will make a wonderful tactician. Truly the three will make a wonderful tracking squad. They passed with flying colors."

"Wait," Shisui interrupted, "You're a jonin Instructor? Don't you have to be a jonin for that?"

Kurenai blushed, "I forgot you weren't here for that, but yeah, I passed the jonin exams a month ago."

"Congratulations," Shisui said genuinely, his wide grin showing off his boyish dimples, "I'm happy for you. You'd make a wonderful sensei, unlike a certain cyclops I know."

Before Shisui could go on another rant, or worse, actually start flirting with Kurenai, Asuma interjected, "I have the second generation Ino-Shika-Cho. Ino is an absolute fangirl, obsessed with the young Uchiha. Choji wants to do nothing but eat, and Shikamaru is too lazy to do anything but cloud watch. But damn if that kid isn't a bigger genius than his father."

That got everyone's attention, "You think baby Nara is a better tactician than his father?"

Asuma nodded, "Well, not yet. But one day, certainly."

"Good," Itachi nodded, "Shisui could use a talented strategist when he's Hokage."

Anko spat out her drink, "Wait, you really think Shisui's going to be Hokage?"

Kurenai shuffled a bit in her seat, "Um, hate to break it to you Anko, but it's basically confirmed. Shisui Uchiha is going to be the Godaime Hokage."

"So you're…"

Naruto shuffled in place, her eyes not meeting Sasuke's as he stared at her across her kitchen counter, "The jinchuriki of the Kyuubi."

Sasuke sighed deeply, "Naruto you're such an idiot."

The blond lifted her head, unshed tears glistening in her eyes, "Huh?"

"You're an absolute moron if you think I would care about a little thing like this."

Naruto laughed in disbelief, "Little thing?! I carry the worlds strongest demon in my gut!"

Sasuke shrugged, "Yeah, well you're still a Dobe. And only a person even more idiotic than you would believe that a moron like you could be a demon in disguise. I mean seriously, what kind of absolute fool would ever think—"

Sasuke was interrupted as he was tackled off his seat in an over enthusiastic hug, "Uh… Dobe?"

Naruto tightened her grip on the raven-haired boy, "Thank you, Teme."

"And THEN we finally got the bells!" Naruto narrated excitedly as she took another bite of her ramen, "I still have no idea what Sasuke said to Sakura to make her cooperate with us, but it seemed to work."

The bell test. Good to know that Kakashi was just as predictable as ever. "And Sakura didn't mind working with you?"

Naruto shrugged, "Not really. I mean, she was giving me weird looks the entire time, but I think that's just because it seemed as though Sasuke and I were actually getting along."

"And no one has noticed that you and Sasuke are actually friends?" Shisui questioned.

"We're not friends," Naruto remarked, "We are casual acquaintances at best."

"Mhmm," Shisui said playfully, "I think you just don't want to admit that you actually enjoy our company."

Naruto scowled, "As if I could ever enjoy the company of a Uchiha."

"Admit it, you loooove us," Shisui taunted.

"Ew, never!"

Shisui laughed loudly, he had truly missed this. It was good to be home.

Danzo scowled as he was handed a report from his Root agent. The Uchiha brat was back from his year-long mission, and already he was giving Danzo a headache. There was absolutely no one in this entire village that he hated more than Shisui Uchiha, the meddlesome brat having long ago ruined his plans for Konoha by brokering peace between his clan and the council. His most complicated and power-oriented political move in decades, ruined in one fellow swoop.

It would have been perfect, he mused, if the Uchiha coup d'etat and following massacre went according to plan. Danzo would have been much more powerful, the next in line for the Hokage hat, with a sharingan well in his grasp and no Uchiha's to oppose him.

But Danzo made one small miscalculation; he underestimated Shisui's strength. Not having assigned enough Root members to incapacitate him, Shisui was able to kill them all and get away relatively unscathed, with just enough information on Danzo's plans to completely ruin him. Having gone straight to his clan head Fugaku, Shisui had done what no Uchiha thought possible; he brought them peace.

And now thanks to Shisui's efforts, he was to be made the next Hokage. Well Danzo would rather die then to watch Konoha place the hat on Shisui's head.

Shisui Uchiha was not going to be the Godaime. Not if Danzo had any say.