Mission to Kumo

"Sasuke!"

He fell back, horror twisting his heart as a familiar figure shoved him away, darting in front of the oncoming Chidori.

"Sasuke, no! Move!"

The raven-haired General glanced back a heartbeat before the attack struck, a smirk playing on the man's lips even as Sharingan eyes met cerulean. And then blue-white lightning seemed to explode in front of them, engulfing the Uchiha as Madara's hand thrust clean through Sasuke's chest. Streaks of lightning spread outward like snakes, wrapping around arms and legs and twisting them to awkward angles.

Through it all, he stayed frozen to the ground, breath frozen in his lungs as the lightning died and a broken body tilted backwards. He barely managed to pull enough brain cells together to catch the deadweight before the General hit the ground.

"S-Sasuke?"

His eyes drifted to the gaping bloody hole in the Uchiha's chest, seeing the damning injury and smelling the sickening scent of burnt flesh but not comprehending. This was Sasuke, his teammate, his rival, his best friend, his brother, and this was not supposed to happen.

"D-Don't you- dare," Shocked blue eyes flickered back up to meet dull onyx, the light inside them fading fast even as the Uchiha's gaze clung desperately to his. "Don't you dare..." Sasuke rasped again, crimson spilling from his mouth and staining his lips. "Let him win. Naruto."

And then he was gone, black eyes becoming sightless as the last spark of life spluttered and died, his entire body turning slack.

He couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't hear anything as he strained his ears in vain to catch the telltale breaths from the prone figure he was crouching over save for the harsh raucous laughter of the man standing only steps away from them.

"He's gone now too, Naruto-kun. Another one you led to his death. Another one you killed. When will you learn your lesson? It is futile to stand against me. This one's last of your pawns too, is he not? Or do you have another one to sacri-"

In the next moment, all he could hear was screaming and he barely registered that the agonized sounds splitting the air were coming from his own throat as he hurtled at the mocking figure with a vengeance, insanity threatening to conquer his mind. Yet still, still he could hear the sound of mad laughter, cutting into him with terrifying accuracy because Madara was right, it was his fault, his fault again, and once more he had lost another of his precious people, lost the last of whom he had sworn to protect-

With a choked-off cry, Haruki shot up in his bed, momentarily disoriented and drenched in sweat as he gasped for breath. One shaky hand reached up to cover his eyes, mentally pushing the most recent of his former life's memories back.

Sasuke had been the last of his friends to go, loyal and unwavering to the very end. That Sasuke was gone now, the one with whom he could banter with and spar with and be Naruto with, not Hokage, but there was another Sasuke he could still save, one that he now had a chance of giving a better life to.

Breathing finally steadying, Haruki lowered his hand, dropping it back into his lap as he glanced at the plastic clock he had bought yesterday. 5:10AM stared back at him and the redhead could only sigh as he tossed back the blankets and got out of bed. Three hours of sleep was actually pretty good in his book so he wasn't complaining.

A quick shower and a cup of ramen later and Haruki was on his way out the door, whisker markings hidden behind a henge and his new weapons concealed on his body. He had gone on a shopping spree yesterday and had even managed to find a lightweight katana, one with an indigo hilt and a blade of tamahagane so strong that a hint shimmering blue flashed across the blade when wielded properly. The katana could channel elemental chakra, which was perfect for Haruki because most of his attacks with his old katana consisted of combining chakra with the sword. Haruki had bought it at Tenten's family store, and while he hadn't seen the future Weapons Mistress, he had shaken hands with her father. The man had recommended this katana after listening to Haruki's detailed description of his former blade.

Locking his apartment door behind him, Haruki turned in the direction of the village's front gates, only to stop and blink in mild surprise when he caught sight of familiar blue eyes staring inquisitively back up at him.

"Good morning," Haruki greeted his younger counterpart after a short, contemplative moment. While he was now living next door to the twelve-year-old, he hadn't expected to have to interact with him until after he got back from Kumo. "I believe I'm your new neighbour, Kazama Haruki. Nice to meet you."

This seemed to snap the boy out of whatever fascinated trance he had been in. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" The blond chirped brightly, but there was an undercurrent of uncertainty that Haruki easily detected, recognizing it from his own childhood whenever he had to force aside the fear of being rejected and hated so he could introduce himself. "You're living next to me now?"

Haruki offered a faint half-smile to the Genin. "Yes. I just got back from a long-term mission."

Naruto frowned, eyes narrowing in suspicion. "So you had to get a new apartment?"

"It was an eight-year-long mission," Haruki clarified, suppressing another smile at the awed expression that spread across the blond's face. Had he really been this open when he was a child? "Having to keep up the rent on my old place would've been a waste of money so I had to find a different place to live in now that I'm back."

"You must be really good for the old man to give you such a long mission!" Naruto exclaimed, eyes lighting up with excitement. "And you're living next to me!" The blond fell silent for a moment as he eyed Haruki's ninja garb. "Are you going on another mission already?"

Haruki nodded, slipping his hands into the Jounin vest he was currently wearing. An ANBU had dropped off both the vest and a brand-new hitai-ate last night. "Yes, but it's a top-secret mission and I'll be back in five days so don't tell anyone, okay?"

If there was one thing Haruki knew his current self and his younger self would always share, it was the adamant refusal to break their word. When Naruto nodded seriously, Haruki knew the younger boy would take the information to his grave.

With a satisfied nod, Haruki checked the sky, noting the rising sun before turning back to Naruto. "I still have some time before I have to leave. Have you had breakfast yet? We could go get some ramen or something."

As expected, Naruto immediately brightened at the mention of ramen, but deflated again almost immediately. "I can't. I have to meet my new team at six for our test to become Genin and our sensei told us not to eat anything."

Haruki considered this thoughtfully. Really, looking back, Kakashi could've at least let them eat, especially when the man was going to be late. "Who is your sensei?"

"Hatake Kakashi." Naruto made a face. "He's kinda weird."

Haruki found himself grinning a little at this. "Ah, I've heard of him. He's famous for being late to everything by at least two hours. You must have met him yesterday. Was he late?"

Naruto's eyes widened as he nodded vigorously. "Yeah, he was over three hours late!"

Haruki sweatdropped. He had forgotten how long it took for Kakashi to pick them up the first time around, but even for the Copy-nin, over three hours seemed a bit excessive. "Then I don't think you have anything to worry about. I guarantee he won't meet up with you and your team for at least a few hours. A little breakfast now wouldn't hurt either. You'll have digested it all by the time he arrives anyway."

Still, Naruto hesitated, shifting indecisively from foot to foot. "But Sasuke-teme and Sakura-chan won't have anything to eat."

Haruki smiled again in approval. "How about this then? We still have some time before six so we can swing by Ichiraku's, pick up some ramen, and then you can take some back to your teammates. My treat, since you're keeping a secret for me."

The blond's eyes lit up again, obviously pleased by this suggestion. "'Kay! Thanks, Kazama-san!"

Haruki quirked an eyebrow as they began their trek to the ramen stand. "Haruki is fine. Kazama-san makes me feel old." 'Although,' He thought reflectively. 'I feel old either way.'

"Haruki-san then," Naruto peered almost shyly up at him. "You're being really nice."

The redhead suppressed the faint stirring of anger welling up inside him. While he knew the blond was simply him as a child, it felt worse this time around seeing the loneliness in someone who, technically, was another person. His younger counterpart very much reminded him of Yousuke at the moment...

And thinking of Yousuke, Haruki would have to find a way to adopt him again, but that would have to wait, no matter how much he disliked the idea. Leaving a six-year-old alone in his apartment was hardly ideal. He would work on it when he came back.

"Can't I be nice to a new friend?" Haruki smiled gently down at the boy, who ducked his head and flushed red with embarrassment but seemed equally pleased at the same time. The redhead decided at that very moment that this Naruto, who had already suffered twelve years as the Konoha's pariah, would never know that pain and loneliness again, not while he was here. When he came back from Kumo, if he noticed so much as a glare from any of the villagers, he or she would be getting a taste (only a taste as he didn't think Sarutobi would be very pleased with him if he did any real damage to any of them, no matter how much they would deserve it) as to why enemy-nin had all been ordered to flee-on-sight if they ever laid eyes on him before he had even turned eighteen.

By the time they had reached the ramen stand, Naruto had opened up and had gone through all the reasons for disliking Sasuke-teme (he's a jerk and an arrogant bastard and he has the personality of a rock) as well as all the reasons for liking Sakura-chan (she's pretty and cute and she has cool hair!). Haruki only chuckled, absently surprised at the sound since he couldn't remember the last time he had openly shown amusement. Or shown amusement at all, for that matter.

"What would you like?" Haruki eyed his wallet, wondering if he had promised 'my treat' a bit too soon but Naruto showed a commendable amount of restraint when he only listed three types of ramen.

"Could I have a Miso Ramen, a Tonkatsu Ramen for Sasuke, and a Toriniku Ramen for Sakura-chan? Please?"

Haruki smiled and nodded, glancing up when Teuchi (and oh, the man was a sight for sore eyes. Both Teuchi and Ayame had died when Konoha had been burned to the ground, but up until the very last moment, both father and daughter had carried on working, determined to give the Konoha citizens some semblance of normalcy amidst the depression of war) stepped out of the back of the shop, already smiling a greeting at the short blond.

"Good morning Naruto! You're up early!"

Naruto grinned brightly at the owner of the ramen stand. "Morning Teuchi-san! I have training with my Genin team this morning but I came by to pick up breakfast first!"

Realization dawned on Teuchi's face. "That's right; you've been assigned to a Genin team. Well, a young ninja can't go hungry! What would you like?"

While Naruto rattled off his orders, Haruki caught the older man's gaze as Teuchi gave him an assessing look. He could recall that both Teuchi and Ayame had been very protective of him, especially when he was younger, so the redhead figured he should probably put the man at ease.

"Kazama Haruki," Haruki offered once Naruto finished talking. "Naruto-kun's next-door neighbour."

Teuchi squinted at him. "I haven't seen you around before."

Naruto cut in before Haruki could reply. "Haruki-san's been away for a long time. He just got back yesterday and he's treating me to ramen as a... welcoming present?"

Naruto blinked almost owlishly as he seemed to realize that welcoming presents were usually given to the person moving in, and Haruki chuckled again, not noticing the way Teuchi relaxed at the unexpectedly warm sound, nor the way Naruto stilled at it, a look of wonder lighting his eyes as if unable to believe that anyone could laugh like that in his presence.

"Yes," Haruki shrugged taking out a few bills to cover the ramen fee. "I just moved in and met Naruto-kun this morning. Since neither of us have had breakfast yet (a lie, and Haruki reflexively crossed his fingers behind his wallet), I thought we'd swing by for ramen. Please add another Miso Ramen to the order."

Teuchi smiled again, waving a careless hand in the air as he started on the ramen. "Half-price on everything today. Consider it a welcome home present from me, Haruki-san."

Haruki blinked and then nodded his thanks, placing the correct amount of money on the counter before taking the seat next to Naruto to wait.

"Haruki-san?"

The redhead glanced down at his younger counterpart, raising an eyebrow in question. The blond squirmed in his seat, seemingly torn between two decisions before finally blurting out, "Could you show me a jutsu?"

Haruki blinked at the request, taking in the puppy-like eagerness that was blatant on the blond's face before nodding. As if he could refuse the blond anything with a face like that. Besides, the boy reminded him far too much of his own Genin team eight years ago. Those three had learned how to play him for a sucker way too quickly, not that he had tried particularly hard to stop them.

Staring out at the quiet town, Haruki considered his jutsus before raising his hands and going through the proper seals, "Fuuton: Go-Dankaitsu Hoshi no Mori."

The blue swirl of wind chakra rushed around the street outside the stand, a gentle breeze compared to the maelstrom of wind Haruki was used to whipping up. Lances formed in the air at five equal points, surrounding one area before shooting forward. With a flick of his wrist, Haruki quickly dispelled it. Even holding back, a sizeable hole would've formed in the ground and he had no wish to do manual labour for the Sandaime anytime soon.

Turning back to Naruto, Haruki blinked at the awestruck expression on the blond's face. "That was so cool!" Naruto gushed, nearly bouncing in his seat. "You're really strong!"

Haruki found himself rubbing the back of his head in his habitual movement when embarrassed. It wasn't as if the jutsu had been any higher than a B-rank, and Naruto would one day be able to do it as well seeing as he had been the one to create it. It wasn't even all that impressive, but he supposed, to a Genin, it really was something to see.

"You'll be that strong one day too," Haruki answered firmly, and watched in satisfaction as Naruto beamed up at him, obviously hearing the sincerity in the redhead's voice. It wasn't as if he was lying either, and the blond seemed to realize this as he sat a little taller.

"Your ramen," Teuchi cut in, placing four steaming bowls in front of them. As Naruto quickly dug into his bowl, the ramen stand owner glanced at Haruki again, his gaze softer this time but also slightly puzzled.

"You seem somewhat familiar," The man finally voiced, and Haruki forced himself not to tense up. "But I could swear I've never met you before."

Haruki shrugged and said nothing, plucking a napkin from the counter and handing it to his younger counterpart as the blond inhaled his ramen before picking up two more bowls and waiting for Naruto to finish.

Teuchi shook his head, offering a warm smile. "Nevermind. Any friend of Naruto's is a friend of mine. Come back anytime. We're open the entire day."

Haruki nodded silently, gaze sliding to Naruto as the boy finished up, shouted his thanks, and picked up the remaining bowl, Sasuke's, with careful hands as he slid off his seat and joined Haruki as he ducked out of the shop. Teuchi waved them out with a smile, one which Naruto answered with a grin of his own before the two set out towards the bridge. Haruki barely remembered to let Naruto lead, as he wasn't supposed to know where they were going.

Soon, black and pink caught their attention and Naruto quickly shouted out a greeting. Sasuke only cast the blond a disinterested look before glancing at Haruki, black eyes assessing, and Haruki felt his heart twist painfully in his chest. He quickly turned his gaze to the last Genin of Team 7, watching as she scowled in Naruto's direction but directed a curious look at him. Again, the wide green eyes sent a rush of memories through his mind, some good, some bad, and all of them painful. He finally settled for keeping his eyes on his blond companion. Somehow, that hurt less.

"Hey Sakura-chan, Sasuke-teme! I brought you food!"

"Baka!" Sakura immediately snapped, swatting at the blond. "You're late, and we're not supposed to eat!"

Naruto pouted and rubbed his head. "But Kakashi-sensei's going to be late anyway and a small breakfast won't hurt! Besides, Haruki-san says it's okay!"

Haruki almost sweatdropped when three pairs of eyes turned on him. Technically, he hadn't said it was okay, per se, but he supposed he had implied it, which meant he now had to take responsibility for his words. With an inward sigh, Haruki nodded cautiously. "Training with nothing in your stomach is dangerous for you. A small meal wouldn't hurt and your sensei will be late anyway. You'll have digested everything by the time he gets here."

"See?" Naruto thrust the ramen bowl he had been holding in Sasuke's direction, taking the boy off-guard and somehow managing to dump the bowl into the Uchiha's hands. "Eat it, before it gets cold!"

Sasuke barely spared the blond a glance before directing his cool gaze at Haruki. "Who are you?" He asked bluntly, his words falling just short of rude.

Haruki, now more than used to Sasuke's personality, replied without being offended while Naruto scowled at the raven-haired boy, "Kazama Haruki, Naruto-kun's next-door neighbour. I met up with him this morning and thought some breakfast would help keep your strength up today."

Sasuke said nothing more but, after a moment of consideration and a quick scan of Haruki's Jounin vest, dug into his breakfast, nodding curtly at both him and Naruto.

Haruki turned his gaze on the pink-haired kunoichi next and offered the Toriniku Ramen for the girl. Sakura blushed, ducking her head shyly as she glanced at Sasuke before replying uncertainly, "I'm on a diet..."

Haruki tilted his head contemplatively. He had forgotten that the Sakura at this age was much more, well, girl than kunoichi. "It won't hurt," He assured after a moment, searching for the right words to convince her. Sakura liked books and facts so Haruki would use that. "You need a well-rounded diet to get a good figure and that includes carbohydrates. As a kunoichi, you'll burn off anything you don't need when you train later. Not eating or only eating certain foods is bad for your body in the long run."

Sakura's cheeks darkened as she glanced hesitantly at him. "You sure?"

Haruki allowed a small smile to curve his lips as he extended the bowl again. "I'm sure."

Mere seconds later, Haruki had Sakura eating her breakfast as well and he turned to the blond still standing at his side, now eyeing his teammates' ramen enviously. The redhead smothered his amusement and extended his own bowl instead. "I can pick up my own breakfast later, Naruto-kun. Growing boys need food."

Naruto only hesitated for a brief moment before flashing a grateful smile up at him and accepting the bowl, digging in with little fanfare.

Haruki nodded in satisfaction before glancing up at the sky. "I should get going. Things to do. A bit of advice though: do a bit of a warm-up after you finish eating. It'll help digestion," He directed another smile in Sakura's direction who promptly blushed. "And it'll loosen your muscles when you're running around later. And later, during your test and even after that, try not to think too individually. You're a team now, and your teammates are what will make you strong." Haruki carefully kept his gaze focused on all three of them, not singling anyone out. Sasuke would get defensive otherwise. "It's a testament to your own strength if you can see the strengths in other people and learn to work with them. Letting your teammates down because of pride or arrogance means you are just as weak as those who don't have enough physical strength. Weaker, because you have no excuse."

All three nodded, even Sasuke who seemed surprisingly at ease in Haruki's presence, reminding the redhead of his Sasuke, the one who had been happy with himself and content with the people around him. They looked somewhat puzzled at his last hint and Sasuke frowned a little at the mention of pride being a weakness but none of them questioned him further. Haruki hoped it would be enough to get the Uchiha thinking. He knew how the adult Sasuke thought, knew what buttons to push to encourage the part of Sasuke that would one day grow up to be a great man but he could only start the ball rolling now and give a hand to the boy now and then. The rest would be up to the future ANBU General.

Naruto paused from his eating, voicing a question that bordered on insecurity. "I'll see you later?"

Haruki smiled at the blond's tact as he nodded, reaching out absently to ruffle his younger counterpart's bright hair as he stared down into inquisitive blue eyes. "Of course. Good luck on your test, duckling."

Naruto blinked, obviously startled, though it was a toss-up as to who was more so; the blond or Haruki. "'Duckling'?"

The redhead found himself rubbing the back of his head again, repressing the embarrassment threatening to show on his face. "Ah, you reminded me of my old Genin team for a moment. Short and small and, well... My apologies."

Naruto seemed to consider this for a moment, pouting most likely at the 'short and small' part before flashing an almost pleased grin up at Haruki. "It's okay! I don't mind!"

Haruki raised his eyebrows but said nothing more, nodding a farewell to the blond before doing the same to the other two. Without another word, the redhead quickly hurried away. He had planned to start out earlier, but he hadn't taken lingering with the rest of Team 7 to give them health advice into account. No matter; five days was plenty to get to Kumo and back if he kept moving.

x.X.x

"Yo!"

All three Team 7 soon-to-be Genin members turned various expressions of murder on the silver-haired Jounin in front of them. "YOU'RE LATE!" Both Naruto and Sakura accused, while even Sasuke glared daggers at the masked nin.

Kakashi just eye-smiled at them. "Sorry, sorry, I got lost on the road of life-"

"Liar!" Naruto and Sakura chimed again in unison, scowling fiercely at the Jounin.

Kakashi shrugged carelessly, eyes flickering briefly to the nearby trashcan and noting the three bowls of ramen. "Maa, ready for your test?"

x.X.x

Naruto pouted as he eyed the lunch box in each of his teammates' hands. He wriggled from his position, struggling with the ropes holding him to the tree stump. His stomach suddenly growled, breaking the silence and the blond promptly scowled, ducking his head as both his teammates glanced at him.

He jerked a little when a bento box appeared in his line of sight and, following the hand that held it, Naruto blinked in confusion as he found himself staring into onyx. Sasuke only frowned a little, extending some tempura in the blond's direction.

"Eat," Sasuke snapped gruffly. "You got us breakfast earlier. I'm just paying you back."

Naruto gaped before grinning widely and accepting the food. He almost choked on it when another bento was thrust into his face, a red-faced Sakura scowling at him.

"Just this once!" The kunoichi snapped, offering one of the rice balls from her lunch. "And it isn't as if you bought us breakfast, but like Haruki-san said, you'll be useless if you don't eat something!"

Naruto grinned again, features bright. "Thanks Sakura-chan, Sasuke-teme!"

Sasuke just rolled his eyes. "Hn. Just hurry up dobe, before sensei gets back."

Naruto quickly swallowed the rice ball, smiling contentedly for a moment before his eyes widened, watching as a strong wind rolled in and the sky darkened. Kakashi appeared, staring forebodingly at them as the ground shook.

"YOU THREE!" He barked, looming over them. "Sasuke, Sakura, I told you not to feed him! What have you got to say for yourselves?"

Sasuke only glared right back, chin tilted up defiantly as he unconsciously shifted to place Naruto further behind him. Beside him, Sakura had flushed and her eyes were wide with alarm but her shoulders squared as if preparing for battle and her gaze never wavered from the Copy-nin. Behind both of them, Naruto scowled at Kakashi, blue eyes narrowed. This was his team, damn it! They had gone to bat for him. He couldn't let them take the fall.

"We're a team!" Naruto glared fiercely as their sensei's gaze turned on him. "Don't just single them out! Besides, I'm the one who ate the food!"

"Shut up dobe," Sasuke tossed a dark look over his shoulder at the blond. "I offered when you were already hungry. It's not just your fault."

Sakura scrambled closer to her two teammates, elbowing the tied-up Genin roughly. "Yeah, I chose to feed you too! Stop trying to act tough! It makes you look stupid!"

All three turned back to their sensei as Kakashi came even closer, visible eye unreadable. "If that's how you three feel, then I have no choice but to... PASS YOU!"

A stunned silence fell over the three Genin as their surroundings returned tomorrow and Kakashi eye-smiled at them again, crouching down to their level.

"You three are the first team I've ever passed," He told them cheerfully. "You stuck up for one another instead of just listening to me." His eye turned somber, studying them with careful consideration. "The purpose of the Bells was to try and turn you against one another. To see if you would put yourselves above the team. And it worked for a time which is to be expected, but in what you just did you showed me the beginnings of teamwork, the beginnings of caring about the team's strength not just your own. You have to remember: in the world of ninjas, those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum."

All three Genin were quiet for a moment, taking this in as Haruki's last piece of advice came back to them. They glanced at each other; how had the redhead known?

"Well," Kakashi continued in a lighter tone, rising and stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Team 7 will start missions tomorrow. Meet at the bridge at six!"

With a poof, the Copy-nin disappeared and, unbeknownst to the newly-formed Team 7, reappeared in a tree nearby, observing them with a steady eye.

Below, Sasuke rose to his feet, dusting himself off as Sakura quickly packed up the lunches and placed them by the stump. Kakashi would probably come back for them later. Both of them turned to stare at the blond of their team before Sasuke finally heaved a sigh and took out a kunai, cutting the ropes with quick efficiency.

"Oi dobe," Sasuke voiced, idly twirling his kunai as Naruto landed on his feet and stretched out his limbs. "Who is your neighbour? How did he know Kakashi-sensei's test would be based on teamwork?"

Naruto shrugged sheepishly as even Sakura focused on him with curious attentiveness. "I dunno. He just moved in next to me. He just returned from an eight-year-long mission and needed a new place to live. And he knew Kakashi-sensei was going to be late, which was why he offered to buy us breakfast."

"Just like that?" Sakura questioned, looking puzzled. "I mean, he doesn't really know us, does he? And he's a Jounin. Why would he bother with a bunch of Genin?"

Naruto shrugged again, one hand reaching up to rub the back of his head. "I don't know teme, but-"

"Dobe, stop." Sasuke suddenly ordered, and Naruto instinctively froze as even Sakura was blinking at him with a startled expression on her face. Sasuke studied the smaller boy with careful consideration before murmuring, "He did the exact same thing."

"Er... did what?" Naruto glanced nervously between his two teammates. "Can I put my arm down now?"

Sakura quickly nodded but didn't look away as Naruto dropped his arm back to his side. "Naruto," She said in a hushed voice. "Are you sure you don't know him? Haruki-san rubbed his head like that too."

Naruto tilted his head in confusion. "Lots of people do that, don't they? I mean I'm sure I'm not the only one."

Sasuke and Sakura actually exchanged a look before turning back to the blond. "Yeah," Sasuke agreed carefully. "But the way he does it just gives off the same..." He trailed off, eyes flickering away as he seemed to realize he was taking far too much interest in something unrelated to his training.

Sakura quickly picked up the train of thought from her crush though. "It gives off the same feel," She tried to explain. "I mean, when Haruki-san did it earlier, the action seemed really familiar to me but I didn't make the connection until I saw you do it now. You always rub your head like that."

Naruto frowned but dropped any suspicions easily enough. "Well I've never met him before but I think he's nice. And I don't think he was faking any of it either. And he's super strong too! I got him to show me a jutsu when we were getting ramen and he made the wind do super cool stuff. So I think is good to take his advice. I mean, even Sasuke-teme listened to him without pretending not to."

Sasuke twitched before tucking his kunai away and turning in the direction of his home. "Hn, whatever. I'm leaving. Do us all a favour dobe, and don't get tied to anymore tree stumps."

And just like that, everything went back to normal as Sakura rushed after the raven-haired Genin asking for a date with a rising blush in her face, and Naruto scowled after them and went on his own way, deciding to head to Iruka's apartment first to tell the man the good news.

Still hidden in the shadows of the nearby tree, Kakashi ran an absent hand through his hair. Interesting; someone in Konoha knew of his tardiness and more importantly, his tests, someone who had been away from Konoha for the past eight years ad with a wind affinity no less. Last time he checked, he hadn't been a sensei eight years ago. He paused to consider this. Surely the Sandaime would be willing to tell him something about this Haruki. He checked the sun's position and, deeming himself a sufficient three hours late for reporting back to the Hokage, disappeared in a puff of smoke.

x.X.x

"Late, Kakashi. I don't even know why I bother anymore."

Kakashi eye-smiled at the Hokage before whipping out his newest Icha Icha Paradise book. Around him, several of the other Jounin twitched and Kurenai looked ready to deck him. The Hokage just sighed and waved a dismissive hand in the air.

"Alright, now that we're finally all here, tell me whether you passed your teams or not. Team 1!"

"Pass."

"Team 2."

"Pass."

"Team 3."

"Fail."

"Team 4."

"Pass."

"Team 5."

"Fail."

"Team 6."

"Fail."

"Team 7."

"Pass."

Silence. Dead silence met this announcement as all the present Jounin turned to stare dubiously at the Copy-nin. Kakashi glanced up from his book, eye scanning the room lazily and a faint smirk became visible behind his mask.

The Hokage only shook his head, a small smile curving his lips as he marked the answer down. He hadn't expected anything less, seeing as Haruki had given no indication that his younger counterpart would fail, but it was still shocking for Kakashi to actually pass a team.

"Team 8."

"Pass."

"Team 9."

"Fail."

"And Team 10."

"Pass."

Sarutobi nodded his approval. The new batch of Genin seemed to show promise. "Very well, missions for your Genin teams will start tomorrow. Dismissed."

The Jounins piled out of the office, some shooting curious glances at Kakashi as the Copy-nin made no move to leave.

"Kakashi," Sarutobi started, some idea of what the man wanted already forming in his mind. "Can I help you with something?"

Kakashi straightened, tucking his book away as he made sure the office door was shut before turning to the Hokage. "Maa, I came across something interesting today."

"Oh?"

"Yes, a man named Haruki. I only got his first name. My students were talking about him. A Jounin apparently with a wind affinity recently returning from an eight-year-long mission who knows how my tests work And last I checked only Asumawas the only Jonin outside of ANBU with a wind affinity in Konoha."

Sarutobi forced down the urge to show his amusement, carefully keeping his face neutral as he studied the curiosity flashing in Kakashi's visible eye. "You must mean Kazama Haruki." Sarutobi offered, watching the faint frown pass over the Jounin's brow. "He just returned yesterday from an infiltration mission. He's good at what he does. Getting information on you wouldn't be too hard for him. Though I have not had the time to properly asses his how his abilities have changed in his absence it is not uncommon for Jonin to be proficient in elements outside their affinity, in fact it's a requirement as you know."

Kakashi nodded slowly but added bluntly, "I've never heard of him."

Sarutobi shrugged nonchalantly. "You were ANBU eight years ago, Kakashi. And I didn't exactly announce his mission to the village. He's a quiet man. You might have missed him."

Kakashi nodded again. "Do you know where he is now?"

"Around," Sarutobi voiced vaguely. "I've given him some vacation time. He deserves it. Planning to interrogate him yourself?"

Kakashi had the decency to look sheepish. "Just curious, Hokage-sama. My kids seem quite taken with him. Besides, if he's a fellow Jounin, I'd like to get to know him. Er, what does he look like?"

Sarutobi chuckled. "Look for red hair. You can't miss him." 'Once he returns, of course.' He added mentally.

Kakashi nodded his thanks, sketching a quick salute before disappearing in a swirl of leaves. Sarutobi stared disapprovingly at the pile of foliage now in his office. Really, couldn't they just use the door? It was there for a reason.

x.X.x

A figure slipped unseen over the wall surrounding the shrine, passing by the lax guards placed at the entrance. Red hair tucked neatly away, the black-clad nin quickly sped into the interior of the shrine, pausing only long enough to deactivate the simple seals placed around the small building housing the body of Hyuuga Hizashi.

For someone as hated as the Hyuuga Clan Head's brother, the man really did get quite a resting place. Haruki supposed this had more to do with the fact that they simply wanted to flaunt the fact that they had Hizashi's body while ignoring the fact that they had failed to get their hands on Hyuuga Hiashi. Either way, while the shrine was simple enough, the place was also built quite elegantly, trees planted on either side of the shrine with statues lined up on either side of the path. The red paint coloring the roof was well-maintained as well, and the grass surrounding the shrine was well-kept.

No torches were lit inside the shrine which made Haruki's work that much easier. Reaching the dust-covered coffin in which Hizashi had been laid out, Haruki noted the somewhat complex seal on the lid.

He frowned. This was not the seal he had come across in his former life. That seal had just been placed on the coffin for keeping the corpse from decomposing. A simple enough seal. This one...

Haruki leaned in closer, studying the symbols that made up the seal. When he had retrieved Hizashi's body with Neji in the other timeline, he had been nineteen, seven years from now in this current timeline. Why would the seal on a dead body be different between the two times?

His eyes suddenly focused on the centre of the seal, a swirl of symbols that defined suspended life. Suspended life? The only reason that would be here...

With a mental curse, Haruki silently pulled out a piece of paper, ink, and a brush. He really, really hoped this wasn't what he thought it was. He had worked with Life Suspension Seals before, having come across them when going through Sasori's heart container. He knew how to counter it.

A few minutes later, he slapped the counter seal on top of the coffin. A brief flash of chakra lit the coffin lid before the ink on both seals disappeared. Quietly, Haruki lifted the lid of the coffin, putting it aside carefully before taking a deep breath and looking inside.

He stared. It was official; someone up there seriously hated him.

Impassively, he watched the gentle rise and fall of Hyuuga Hizashi's chest as his mind raced at this new turn of events. The man had clearly been dead when he and Neji had gone to fetch the body. Clearly. Which meant Kumo or someone else had killed the man sometime before Haruki had turned nineteen. He leaned closer and noted the familiar thin scar marring the man's throat, a calculated cut for murdering prisoners. Obviously, they had planned on killing him, someone had figured out what the Hyuuga's curse seal would do once the man was dead, someone else had then managed to save him, and then had Hizashi preserved until they could figure out how to break the curse seal.

Naruto scoffed. He had figured that out by the time he had turned sixteen. Apparently, one had a lot of free time on their hands when infiltrating enemy countries. He had spent an entire year in Iwa and had managed to figure out both the Caged Bird Seal and Orochimaru's curse seal. Not bad for a fifteen-year-old.

But right now, none of those thoughts helped.

On one hand, if he didn't take Hyuuga Hizashi's body back, he would have a guilty conscience for not getting the poor man out while he was still alive, the Hyuuga Clan would be up in arms if they ever found out, Neji would probably want his head on a silver platter if the same thing happened, and he would have no proof of his 'spying' in Kumo for the Council, but (and it was one hell of a but) nothing unexpected would happen in this timeline if he stuck to his plan and retrieved a dead Hyuuga Hizashi and not a live one.

On the other hand, if he did take Hyuuga Hizashi's body back, he would be guilt-free (and Kami knew how much guilt he already had on his shoulders; he didn't need any more), the Hyuuga Clan would be indebted to him for forever and a day, Neji would have his father back, and he would have sufficient proof for the Council, but (and there was a shitload of buts this time) the Hyuuga Clan would never keep quiet about something like this, he had no idea how the Sandaime wanted to play this, Konohagakure would probably regain an age-old enemy out of Kumo before the week was out, another war would start, his purpose for coming back would become null and void, and the timeline would be completely fucked up.

It would be unbelievable what the difference between a dead man and a live one could make if it wasn't currently staring him in the face. Literally.

Kami, he wasn't even being paid for this.

Haruki grimaced, closing his eyes briefly and pinching the bridge of his nose as he debated on his next action. Given his two choices, the logical one would be the first. There was a whole lot less that could go wrong. His mind said option one; too bad his heart said option two.

He breathed deeply, staring down at the comatose Hyuuga again. Neji had once told him a little about his father during one of the rare lulls in the war, when it had just been the two of them holed up in one of the shabby tents set up on the battlefield. Neji had told him how his father had been quite bitter with the main house because of the Caged Bird Seal. But he had later learned from Hiashi that, while he had been angry about this, his father had also taken Hiashi's place during the Hyuuga Affair of his own free will, having forcefully stopped Hiashi from refusing his decision. To Naruto, Hyuuga Hizashi seemed like a good man, and Naruto knew all about how angry one could get over having a seal put on one's self without consent.

Haruki sighed and straightened, quickly drawing up another Life Suspension Seal and unsealing the body clone he had brought along to replace Hizashi. In the end, he was just stalling for time. He had known, from the moment he had realized that the man was still alive, that he would not be leaving without his former - future? - second-in-command's father. Besides, he doubted the Kumo shinobi came regularly to check up on someone the rest of the world thought was dead. With a little chakra manipulation, the body clone was now an exact replica of Hyuuga Hizashi, down to the scar running across his throat, with the exception of the no breathing part.

Gently, Haruki lifted Hizashi from the coffin with minimal difficulty, making sure the simple kimono he was wearing didn't catch on anything and carefully placing the man on the ground against a nearby pillar. While the seal had kept the man alive without food or water, seals like that also didn't work forever and the seal's recipient's health would decline over time. Hizashi was already too thin.

From there, the redhead quickly replaced Hizashi with the body clone, shutting the coffin again and activating the new Life Suspension Seal. The body inside the coffin would still be unanimated since it had never been alive in the first place, but the seal would look like it was working at the very least.

Clearing up any evidence of his presence from the shrine and brushing away the few fingerprints he had imprinted on the coffin, Haruki scanned the room one last time before scooping up the Hyuuga Clan Head's brother and slipping out of the shrine. Again, leaving the shrine was just as easy as getting in, even with an extra burden. Stopping once he reached the mountain pass that would eventually lead him back to Konoha, Haruki paused to consider his options. He couldn't seal the man into a scroll and he really didn't want to use his space-time ninjutsu with a physically fragile man in tow.

Haruki scowled. This seriously put a wrench in his plans. He had been planning on flashing back to the Konoha gates to cut down travel time, getting him back to the village in the promised five days, but now, with a little over a day to get back...

Kurama, you awake?'

Silence, and then a low grumbling growl reverberated in his mind as the fox yawned. 'What do you want, Kit?'

'I need a lift back to Konoha. Got an unexpected passenger.'

Haruki felt the Kyuubi stir in his mindscape. 'Isn't that human supposed to be dead?'

The redhead sighed gloomily. 'I feel like an ass for thinking this but things would be so much simpler if he was.'

The demon fox snorted and then a bright flash of red glowed briefly beside Haruki and a horsed sized Kurama appeared beside him, stretching languidly as he waved his nine tails behind him. 'Hop on, Kit,'The Kyuubi turned one intelligent purple eye on Haruki. 'I'll get you home on time.'

Naruto smiled gratefully before clambering on, settling Hizashi in front of him to make sure the man didn't fall off along the way. Riding Kurama was a lot like flying during a storm after all.

x.X.x

Kakashi found himself with a slight tick over one eye when his Genin team managed to find Tora in record-breaking time. Again. And the record they had broken was their own. From three days ago.

He had no idea what had happened to his team. What had happened to the fangirl and the avenger and the dead-last? Ever since the Genin test, the three seemed to have clicked and Kakashi couldn't be happier that his students were now working well together, better than he could have ever hoped for, but changes like the ones he had observed didn't happen without a reason. While Naruto and Sasuke still argued and Sakura was still violent-prone towards the hyperactive blond, all three seemed content enough to put aside their differences, or at least work with their differences enough to complete all the D-rank missions Kakashi had thrown at them. Whatever the mysterious Haruki had told them before he had arrived the day of the Genin test seemed to have stuck with them and even Sasuke, the so-called avenger and loner of the group, seemed to have put serious consideration in what they had heard.

But it wasn't even the fact that some other Jounin had managed to inspire them to work together and not Kakashi that irked the Copy-nin so much, it was the fact that he couldn't find the man.

He was an ex-ANBU captain for Kami's sake! How hard could it be to find one red-haired Jounin in his own village? And worst of all, he had even gone back to the Sandaime to ask for the redhead's whereabouts, only to be told that what Haruki did in his own time was his business and Sarutobi was not going to drag the man back to work just because Kakashi was dying of equal parts curiosity and paranoia. For the rest of his life, Kakashi would swear blind that his Hokage had been silently laughing at him the entire time.

With a hidden grimace as Naruto bounced up to him, Tora in his somewhat scratched hands and Sakura and Sasuke coming up behind him, Kakashi sighed and nodded. "Alright, good job. Naruto, let Sakura and Sasuke take the cat back to the Daimyo's wife." Before any of them could ask why, the Copy-nin quickly doled out a half-lie, "You returned the cat last time. I want Sakura and Sasuke to do it this time. Make sure to be polite, no matter what happens, understand?"

Sakura nodded quickly enough, happy to spend more time with Sasuke, and took Tora from Naruto, but Sasuke shot him a searching look before glancing at Naruto, eyes speculative even as he turned away. That was another difference. Whatever Haruki had said, Sasuke now seemed to study his two teammates more seriously, and, on several occasions, had already made use of Naruto's Kage Bunshins (the Uchiha had half-suggested, half-ordered Naruto to send his Bunshins to scope out the terrain when Kakashi had set up an obstacle course for them, and then had Naruto disperse them and relate back to the team what traps the Copy-nin had managed to set up) and had also gotten Sakura, with her knowledge of theory and facts, to teach Naruto whenever the blond couldn't quite understand something Kakashi was teaching them. Sometimes, even Sasuke would listen in, his face carefully blank and turned away but a telltale glint of concentration in his eyes nonetheless.

The Uchiha prodigy was cataloguing his team's strengths and weaknesses and utilizing them accordingly! Kakashi knew Chuunin and even Jounin who couldn't do what Sasuke was learning to do.

And it wasn't just Sasuke either. Sakura and Naruto had also changed a little. Sakura, though still obviously crushing on Sasuke, seemed better able to concentrate now that the Uchiha was not completely ignoring the pink-haired kunoichi. She was now eating more too, even though the file Kakashi had received from the hokage had mentioned that the girl was on a diet that leaned towards unhealthy. In addition to that, the regular, civil interactions she had with Naruto when Sasuke asked her to explain something to the blond seemed to gain her some toleration towards Naruto as well.

Naruto on the other hand was still just as cheerful, but the confidence that had seemed somewhat forced when Kakashi had first met him on the roof now appeared more genuine. It showed in the way the blond walked through the streets as the civilians threw him dirty looks and whispered behind his back. Sakura and Sasuke had both picked up on this and would always make sure that the blond walked between them, though Kakashi wasn't sure if this was done unconsciously or not. In turn, Naruto held his head a little higher, and his grins were a little more real, the sunny smiles sometimes causing a slight pain in his chest for reasons he wasn't sure of, though that was slowly fading and being replaced by fondness for his bright-haired student. Naruto was also surprisingly gracious when he couldn't do something that his teammates could, as he had seen during the few obstacle courses he had set up one day. Even Sasuke would try something himself and only turned to Naruto or Sakura when he had frustrated himself in trying to do something he obviously couldn't without help. Naruto instinctively trusted his teammates to take care of themselves in the areas they were good at and backed them up when they couldn't.

Kakashi could actually see the beginnings of what could be an amazing team a decade from now. They were still rough around the edges though, still mere children, and far from skilled enough to pull off any real missions outside of the village no matter how well they worked together, not to mention that they still fought a little too much, though Kakashi couldn't actually see that ever going away.

But he could see it. If he squinted and looked hard enough, maybe turn his head a little to the left and tilted it at just the right angle under the mid-afternoon sun, he could make out what they could eventually become. While Sakura was the voice of reason on Naruto's left and Sasuke the shadow guard on the blond Jinchuuriki's right, Naruto would be their centre, bright and shining, and suddenly, in the rare fascinating times Kakashi could see all this, Naruto's dream of becoming Hokage didn't seem all that impossible anymore.

Of course, then Naruto would do something stupid, Sakura would slap him upside the head, and Sasuke would roll his eyes and heave a put-upon sigh at having been stuck on Team 7, and then Kakashi would blink and wonder if he had gone temporarily insane.

But all this, all these changes, in less than a week! Kakashi's curiosity had kept his Genin team out for training for more than the allotted half a day, but none of them seemed to really mind and Kakashi had managed to learn more about his team this way. It was seriously throwing a wrench in his lifestyle. He wasn't even late by more than an hour anymore, sometimes even less, and, while he usually had his book out in front of him, more often than not, he was observing his team instead.

Which brought him back to the fact that he still couldn't find the man responsible. Kakashi had even dropped by Naruto's apartment building at odd times, though only in passing since waiting for the man outside his apartment was borderline creepy, even for him, and the Copy-nin had drawn the line at outright stalking. But since the Sandaime wasn't inclined to help him and his fellow Jounins were worse than useless since none of them seemed to know Kazama Haruki, Kakashi was now stooping down to drill his blond student. Surely Naruto, who lived next to the man, could give him a hand. (In some part of his mind that Kakashi was adept at ignoring since he had more than his fair share of odd quirks, a voice was cheerfully informing him that his so-called curiosity was quickly becoming an unhealthy obsession and that perhaps he should head over to the hospital for a mental check-up. Like everything else that voice told him, Kakashi ignored it.)

"Naruto," Kakashi started casually. "Do you know where Kazama-san is?" He wasn't sure how old the red-haired Jounin was but Sarutobi talked about Haruki the same way he talked to Kakashi so the Copy-nin assumed they were at least around the same age.

"Somewhere around, I guess. Haruki-san is kinda quiet so he probably likes spending some time alone." Blue eyes blinked innocently up at him throughout the blond's answer. Kakashi was instantly suspicious. For one, he had seen the Hokage himself fold like wet paper when Naruto batted those eyes at him, and for another, Naruto had said almost the exact same thing the Hokage had told him on more than one occasion.

"Really," Kakashi crossed his arms. He supposed it wasn't really fair to seem intimidating but it wasn't as if it actually worked. All three of his Genins seemed immune to his posturing after that first day.

But Naruto only grinned up at him, an excited gleam entering his eyes as he almost bounced on the spot. "Really! You can even stop by our apartment building tonight! You'll probably see him then. I can introduce you!"

Kakashi blinked. This was not what he had been expecting. Naruto was actually giving him a time when the redhead would actually be present. Maybe he should've asked the blond earlier?

"Well okay then," Kakashi quickly eye-smiled at his student and whipped out his book to hide his sudden confusion. He was sure he was missing something here. "I'll swing by at around eight okay?"

Naruto nodded before waving goodbye and bouncing off in the direction of his favorite ramen stand. Kakashi sighed and almost slapped himself with his book. Seriously, he felt like he was completely out of the loop here.

But he wanted to meet this Kazama Haruki. He wanted to know what kind of man could influence a bunch of kids so much with only a few choice words.

x.X.x

'Thanks for the lift, Kurama. I can take it from here.'

The demon fox nodded distractedly, eyeing the village they could just see beyond a thick crop of trees. 'I don't see it,' The Kyuubi finally decided. 'I have no idea what you see in that village. Humans. Emotional lot, all of you.'

And with that said, the fox disappeared with a swish of his tails, reappearing in Haruki's mindscape and promptly settling down for another nap. Haruki huffed in amusement but paid the fox no mind. A demon just didn't see things the same way humans did.

Adjusting his grip on Hyuuga Hizashi, Haruki quickly summoned a small yellow fox without using seals. "Go to Sarutobi-sama." He ordered. "Tell him that I've finished but some complications have risen and I need a private audience. Tell him to use the seal once his office is cleared."

The fox dipped her head in acknowledgement before loping off in the direction of the village. Mere minutes later, Haruki felt a faint tug in his mind and he stepped without hesitation to the Sandaime's location, tightening his hold on Hizashi. A shorter distance was better when he travelled with an unconscious person in tow.

Appearing in the office, Haruki looked up to find a frozen Sarutobi staring at the man Haruki was carrying with deceiving placidity. Several seconds ticked by and the redhead waited patiently for the Sandaime to pull himself together.

"Oh dear," Sarutobi finally managed faintly.

Haruki snorted, glancing around and walking over to the couch in the side office to put Hizashi down. "Yeah, understatement old man."

Sarutobi sighed, walking over to stand beside him. "This really is Hyuuga Hizashi?"

"Yup," Haruki pulled off the bandana that had kept his hair out of sight. "Startled the hell out of me too. In my time, Neji and I went to get him and he was very much dead, but I was nineteen at the time. The seal from that time was different too. It was just a Body Stasis Seal. The seal I came across yesterday was a Life Suspension Seal."

"And you managed to break it?" A note of amazement rang in the older Hokage's voice.

Haruki smirked just a little, a thrum of pride warming his heart. "I'm a Fuuinjutsu Master, old man. I'm better than Raiya."

Sarutobi smiled warmly up at him, noticeable pride glowing on the old man's features and Haruki found himself smiling back just a little. This man's opinion had always been important to him, even after he had died.

"So what should we do now?" Haruki cleared his throat a little, stepping away. He wasn't too used to private emotional moments and too much time actually part of one made him uncomfortable.

Sarutobi hmm'ed thoughtfully, tactfully ignoring the slightly embarrassed shift in Haruki's expression. "Well, the Hyuuga Clan will have to be notified. You replaced Hizashi-san with the clone?"

Haruki inclined his head, arms crossed in front of him. "I did, and I replaced the Life Suspension Seal as well. So long as no one opens the coffin and examines it too closely, the switch should go by unnoticed. At least until one of those Kumo-nins get it into their heads that they might know how to get rid of the Caged Bird Seal without killing the man and the Raikage lets them."

Sarutobi shot him a speculative glance. "Do you?"

Haruki smiled thinly. "I can get rid of any seal, old man."

The Sandaime's eyes widened. "Even Orochimaru's curse seal?"

Haruki's face darkened. "Especially Orochimaru's curse seal. That foul excuse of chakra needs eliminated at ever turn."

Sarutobi stared for a moment longer before shaking his head fondly. "You've grown up well, Haruki-kun."

Haruki shrugged. "Circumstances, old man. Circumstances and necessity."

The Hokage only nodded this time filing away all the information he could, understanding without asking. "Well, we won't be able to keep this a secret for very long. Kumo only asked for Hiashi-san's body though and then eventually settled for Hizashi-san's body. There were no terms for a prisoner. We could use that to our advantage."

"War, old man," Haruki reminded, running a hand over tired eyes. "We don't want war."

Sarutobi nodded in agreement, eyes briefly showing concern at the desolation in the redhead's voice. "Of course not. We would need some legitimate way to place Hizashi-san back in Konoha without alerting them to the fact that Konoha managed to send someone into Kumo for his body."

Haruki absently unsealed his Jounin vest from a scroll and tugged it on, eyes distant as his mind recalled all those strategy sessions he and Shikamaru had sat through, suggesting tactic after tactic, building on them, perfecting them. An idea formed in his mind and Haruki looked back at Sarutobi who, to his credit, had stayed patiently silent as Haruki took a trip down memory lane.

"Ah," Haruki rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry. I have an idea. What if we say that the Life Suspension Seal had been weakened with time? The coffin was covered in dust so it's obvious no one's poked around there for a while. We could say that Hizashi-san managed to escape because the Seal's hold on him slipped enough for him to get out. I could go back to Kumo and blow the shrine sky high. I'll leave some evidence of a faded Life Suspension Seal lying in the wreckage before making my way back to Konoha. We could say Hizashi-san blew up the place. I mean a disoriented man waking up inside a box is hardly ideal for anyone. He would try to get himself out and he could claim temporary selective memory loss. The mountains in Kaminari no Kuni are distinctive and he would've realized where he was and, not remembering much of anything, immediately set out for home. That could place him in Konoha without us ever having to lift a finger. Konoha finds out, the shit hits the fan, and Kumo has no room for deniability this time around. You said so yourself: a prisoner was not the deal we made with Kumo. We get Hizashi-san back, Kumo can't declare war on us, and we'll have total control of the entire situation. This will also solve the problem between me and the Council. In my time, it took a while to find out where Hizashi-san's body was hidden. Eight years in Kumo is sufficient time to find out, and long enough for a less-than-average seal's power to decline enough for someone to break through."

Dead silence met him as Haruki finished and the redhead blinked at the almost slack expression on Sarutobi's face. The man looked slightly dumbfounded and seemed to be trying to find the right words. Luckily, another voice cut in before Haruki started worrying about shock.

"I agree with this plan."

The voice came from the couch and both of them started, snapping their heads to stare into distinctive Byakugan eyes. Hizashi's voice had been gravelly with misuse, but still steady as he gazed straight at Haruki.

Haruki froze, immediately wondering how long the man had been awake. He had been stupid; all ninjas were trained to be able to go from unconscious to conscious without any visible signs. He should have made sure.

"Haruki-san, was it?"

Haruki tensed under the Hyuuga's contemplative gaze. "How long have you been awake?" He asked stiffly.

Hizashi slowly shifted into a sitting position. "Long enough to gather that you seem to be at least acquaintances with a version of my son old enough to infiltrate Kumogakure."

An uncomfortable silence settled over the three of them and Haruki idly wondered if he could whack the Hyuuga over the head hard enough to actually give him memory loss. Then again, he doubted the Hokage would be very happy about it.

"I will not pursue this issue any further," Hizashi suddenly interrupted his thoughts. "Nor will I repeat anything I have heard today to anyone else. It is the very least I can do for the man who seems to have saved my life."

Haruki blinked at this unexpected turn, studying Hizashi's face for any sign of deceit before glancing at Sarutobi. The Sandaime was smiling faintly. It seemed neither of them believed the Hyuuga to be lying.

Haruki grunted and shrugged, backing away into the comfort of the shadows before moving into the side kitchen and out of sight of the other two occupants of the office. He had gotten used to staying hidden whenever he could back during the war. The habit would probably never leave him.

"Well then, moving on," Sarutobi finally spoke, ignoring the slight tension in the air mostly caused by the redhead. "Hizashi-san, how do you feel?"

Hizashi shifted a little, testing his limbs as he clenched and unclenched his hands. "Stiff, but that will go away soon enough. May I trouble you for a cup of water, Hokage-sama?"

Sarutobi immediately nodded but Haruki was already moving back into the room, a cup of water in one hand. Wordlessly, he handed it to the Hyuuga before backing away, glancing back into the kitchen as Sarutobi and Hizashi realized that they could hear water beginning to boil.

Hizashi nodded slowly in thanks, studying the redhead half-hidden in shadows with puzzled curiosity. The man didn't give off an unapproachable aura, and when he had woken up halfway back to Konoha on the flying fox, Haruki's hold on him had been careful and protective. Now the man just seemed uneasy, as if he wasn't sure what to do with Hizashi now that Hizashi knew.

And yes, he knew. He had picked up enough to realize this was the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, and last time he had checked, Uzumaki Naruto had been the vessel, and should only be, by all means, eight years older than the last time he had glimpsed the boy. He suspected that the red hair was a henge, though he couldn't detect anything.

Hizashi had also figured out that this man was most likely from the future, or at least a parallel universe, not that he was an expert on the subject. And the casual way he had mentioned his son's name, even in passing, held a certain quality of warm affection and Hizashi had no doubt that the two had been friends.

He could tell that this man was powerful too. A Fuuinjutsu Master, and an excellent strategist if the plan the man had spun on the spot was anything to go by.

Studying the redhead carefully, Hizashi frowned at the exhaustion he could see in the tense line of the man's shoulders, a fatigue that he doubted was from his so-called mission to Kumo. Eyes far too old for such a young man confirmed that. And the way Haruki had mentioned war earlier, the deep disgust and grieving sorrow mixed together to form the word could only have come from a war veteran far too used to blood and death.

But he had also felt the innate kindness in the redhead when the man had carried him home, had seen the absolute trust the Sandaime had in Haruki, and the instinctive attentiveness Haruki possessed when he had guessed what Hizashi had wanted before he had even asked for it.

The kettle suddenly sounded and the redhead was already moving, a flash of crimson fire amongst the shadows. The kettle cut off and the sound of cupboards opening and closing reached their ears. A minute later, Haruki was back, ramen in one hand and a fork in the other. Hizashi's eyebrows rose. The redhead had even caught the fact that there was no way his fingers would have enough dexterity to use chopsticks at the moment.

"Thank you," Hizashi spoke aloud this time, hoping to allay some of the worried anxiety flashing in the man's blue gaze by showing his own sincere gratitude.

The redhead studied him for a moment, blue eyes piercing before the intensity disappeared and a softer look replaced the earlier tension in Haruki's features. "You're welcome." The redhead huffed a little, the slightest hint of embarrassment showing on his face and Hizashi caught a glimpse of the blond boy this man had grown up from.

Sarutobi, watching this exchange, tried not to let his amusement show. Really, first Kakashi, and now Hizashi. Haruki was reeling people in without even being aware of it.

"Alright, back to the plan," Sarutobi drew their attention back to him as he turned to Haruki. "It's an excellent plan. There are a few parts that will have to be smoothed out but overall, since Hizashi-san has agreed, we can work with it."

Haruki nodded once in acknowledgement and Sarutobi turned back to Hizashi. "For now, Hizashi-san will have to stay here. No one comes into my office and the seals on the doors hide any chakra signals anybody give off once I activate them. Is that alright?"

Hizashi nodded as well and Sarutobi turned once more to Haruki. "Good work, Haruki-kun. Go home and get some rest. I'll have one of my ANBU go get you when the Council convenes. You'll want to be present?"

"Yes," Haruki ran a hand through his hair, adjusting his Jounin vest as he got ready to leave. "There is also another matter I want to speak to you about but it can wait until tomorrow, much as I don't like the idea. Right now, I suppose you'll want to move fast."

"Indeed." Sarutobi agreed, already grinning. "And Haruki-kun? You might want to prepare yourself for a visit from Kakashi very soon. He's been running all over the village looking for you since you left five days ago."

Haruki eyed the Hokage dubiously. "Kakashi? Why?"

Sarutobi shrugged. "You seem to have made quite an impact on his Genin team. He wants to meet you but it's been quite entertaining watching him looking for someone who hasn't even been here the entire time. I haven't seen him work so hard in a long time."

Haruki snorted, rolling his eyes. "Great. Not only is he a pervert, Kakashi's turned into a stalker. Just my luck."

With one last shake of his head, the redhead nodded at Hizashi, who had managed to stand, if somewhat unsteadily, and had sketched a respectful bow, the slightest of smiles on his face when he straightened up again. "Thank you again, Haruki-san."

Haruki flashed him the briefest of smiles, something on his face relaxing before he turned to Sarutobi again and sketched his own salute. With a wave, the redhead disappeared and the remaining occupants could just catch the sound of Haruki's foot pushing off from the windowsill of the outer office.

"He's an interesting man," Hizashi commented after a short pause, sitting down again and picking up his ramen.

"Yes," Sarutobi agreed genially. "He has been great once, and there is no doubt in my mind that he will be great again, whether or not he wishes to be so."