Omake 9: Mirai Arc (2)

Sarutobi Hiruzen once thought that, after going through so many disasters, bizarre events and wars, he had seen everything life could have surprised him with.

So, when the ANBU cell he had dispatched to keep an eye on Naruko had reported to him of the current reason of concern, he thought once more about retiring. Maybe it was an exaggeration, but he was getting too old to handle this sort of disastrous matters and… the boy was indeed who he said he was. Danzou Shimura, except younger and… devoid of much scarring.

It was a surprise, really, but considering his age he thought the younger counterpart of his rival just didn't get to that point where he got crippled. Maybe. His assumption was dashed away when Both him and Naruko were brought to his office. He could tell from his eyes that this Danzou was not the same as the one he had to constantly bicker with when it comes to deadly decisions.

There was the same bitterness, the same upset at dealing with war, but this one was more tame- more controlled. Even more mature to a degree. So, it came to a surprise that those eyes were owned by a child around Naruko's age. And then there was… this.

"Oh, you sure grew old just well, Hiruzen-kun."

The praise was tense due to the peculiar topic. He snorted. "And you look like a brat."

A brief pout appeared on his face, but any rebuttal was interrupted by Iruka, the teacher who had escorted the two in the office.

"Hokage-sama..."

A sigh left the old man's lips. "Fine, fine. Now, I wish to make it clear that some interactions will not be good enough to determine if you are indeed Danzou Shimura."

"Whaa? Jiji, he just said his name was that, why wouldn't that be the case?" Naruko interrupted, her tone mixing an interesting amount of annoyance and protectiveness.

"That's because it's possible that my older counterpart is there too so I could be seen as a potential spy trying to use some cheap reasoning to infiltrate the village," Lil' Danzou replied calmly, causing the blonde to look at him in surprise. "I mean, do you really think that my other self wouldn't be around if my childhood friend was Hokage?"

The Uzumaki was further shocked and slammed her hands on the desk, sending a few papers flying much to the Third Hokage's chagrin. "C-CHILDHOOD FRIEND?!"

"N-Naruko!" Iruka piped in angrily, his teacher-like senses acting on the girl's disrespect.

"It's alright, Iruka-kun," Hiruzen remarked kindly, providing a tired but grandfatherly look at the blonde. "Now, Naruko-chan, Danzou Shimura is indeed my first friend from during my childhood, however this detail isn't that unknown to experienced spies and-"

"You once told me that you gifted your mother a mud cake when you were three," Danzou interjected, causing the old man to pause and… groan.

"I don't think you should-"

"Then there was the time you mentioned how you tried to bring a dog back home during a family trip when you were two and your parents couldn't get you to stop you despite the fact it was a wolf-"

"I-It's enough, I don't need that sort of blackmail used that way… brat."

"Oldie," The boy replied smugly, causing the Hokage to chuckle and shake his head while the other spectators of that bizarre exchange were just shocked. Both the teacher-student duo and the ANBU unit within the office.

The God of Shinobi could see why this could be perceived as odd by many, especially since it felt so odd for a boy and an old man to speak with each other as if they were the decades-long friends. Yet, one of these quickly recovered and quipped at the topic.

"So, do you two really know each other? Danzou-kun, can you give me more blackmail to use on the blackmail?"

The boy shrugged, and the Hokage was immensely distressed by this. He already had to handle the 'Sexy Jutsu' that the blonde could use to get him stunned for a short amount of time, he just didn't need to get his dirty laundry from back his childhood to come haunting him down through the cheeky girl.

"Hiruzen," A new voice called from the main door of the office. Dread surged from within the Hokage's chest as the elder turned to see a familiar figure standing there.

"I should have known that you wouldn't have missed the chance to be here for this occasion."

Old and crippled, Danzou Shimura, the leader of 'former' ROOT and the Darkness of the Shinobi stepped forth in the room with little care and formality despite the situation. His single-eyed gaze peered around, stopping by his face, then Naruko's and finally to… his younger self.

The two engaged in what felt like an intense standoff and that's where it hit Hiruzen that the boy that he hadn't been fully convinced of being the real deal was actually him. Something flashed from Danzou's only visible eye. Recognition? Yes. Realization? Yes. Fear? For some reason the old man tensed for a brief moment while staring at his younger self. And then he actually took a step back, as if something slammed onto his face.

"That's… An interesting hassle you're dealing with, but I suppose I'll leave you to it… For now."

The Old Shimura just left, sparing not even an excuse for his early departure and leaving behind many questions on why he was leaving in a hurry. Hiruzen was tempted to stop him and ask, but he could tell that the man was in a 'flight mindset' right now. It was possible that the sight of his younger self had triggered some unwanted memories and forced him to leave rather than try his own issues from the past and hope to get something out of this direct meeting.

Meanwhile Little Danzou smiled, the others ignoring the curious red flash coming from one of his eyes. The boy had 'learned enough' of the situation and knew what to do next.