Chapter 8

Naruto grunted in pain as he fell to his knees on the ground, clutching at his arms. It was always a pain fighting anyone with a sword, and it was even worse when fighting those who were under control of the genjutsu.

They had believed destruction of the Gedo Mazo would stop Tobi's plan once and for all, but it seemed that the man had some sort of backup plan. He had pulled the bijuu out of the crumbling statue and had sealed them within obelisk-type structures scattered among the Elemental Nations.

Then he had cast the genjutsu he had talked about at the Kage Summit long ago, but obviously he could not complete his plan without the Kyuubi. The moon turned a reddish color in the sky, but otherwise did not change.

It was then that they started getting reports of people fighting like they were possessed... because they literally were. They felt no pain and would continue fighting until they were beheaded, sealed away, or there was nothing of them left. They had no emotions stopping them, and they didn't have to follow the normal rules of those still aware because they didn't need sleep or have typical human needs.

They weren't entirely zombies either, because they could still talk, though it was as if they were in a dream, talking to people who weren't really there about typical day to day things even though they were in the middle of combat. Tobi had them in a genjutsu, nothing more.

They had yet to break anyone out of it either, through chakra disruption or any other means. It didn't take long to discover that those with weak minds and wills would fall under the sway of the red moon easily, and even the strongest will could succumb if they were feeling enough sadness or despair. It was for that reason they lost nearly one third of their forces within the first month of the moon turning red.

There were likely still a lot of sad and despairing people in Kiri in the aftermath of the civil war there, because they had gotten word that the village was in another kind of civil war and was being destroyed from within. Mei, the Mizukage had gone back to try to find out what was going on. She took some of her original forces back with her to quell whatever it might have been.

Naruto didn't have high hopes that the situation would be resolved, considering the way things were going since the genjutsu started. Iwa and Suna had been the first two villages to fall, and they did almost simultaneously. In the following months they lost Kumo and Taki villages, and Ame just fell last week. Tobi's hive-minded forces were still growing, and stamping out the villages one by one. With Kiri likely being another loss, Konoha was the only village of the Great Five left. The blond knew, deep down, that Konoha wouldn't last long alone.

"Naruto, let me see your arm."

The blond let out a grunt as his arm was pulled away from his body and other hand that was clutching it. The bleeding had stopped, but the arm itself still hurt like crazy. He turned his head to give Sakura a pained smile. She had apparently come over to him while he was thinking about their situation.

"Thanks, Sakura-chan."

"Baka." Her voice was light as her hands began to glow green, probably checking to see how bad the damage to his arm was.

"How is everyone?"

She sighed, but her attention never wavered from his arm. "We got off lucky this time. We only lost three people."

Naruto let his head hang as he sighed. Only three people was still three too many.

"Naruto, I'm going to put you into a forced sleep. You're the only one who hasn't slept enough, and we need to move back to Konoha. You should be fresh when you arrive."

He nodded, "Do it."

Sakura's glowing hand moved up and two of her fingers rested on his temple for a second before his eyes began to droop.

"Sweet dreams," he heard her mumble before he lost consciousness. Sadly, he didn't think he'd have any dreams at all. He usually only got nightmares.

Naruto was woken from his slumber by a loud knocking on the door to his apartment. He had rented the place after making enough money from his missions over the last two months that he had been in the past. Things had been moving at a decent pace, though the war still hadn't happened yet.

Trying to wake himself up as he scrambled for the door, there was yet another knock. He tried to shout that he was coming, but his mouth wasn't working properly yet and all that came out was a strangled noise before he coughed.

The blond opened the door to see a member of the Hokage's ANBU forces standing there. A woman, from her stature and build, with shoulder-length auburn hair. Her mask looked like it was supposed to resemble some sort of bird, but his mind was still in sleep-mode so he didn't even bother trying to identify it. He had managed to recognize quite a few ANBU in the time he had been back, but this wasn't one that he could claim to remember.

"Uzumaki-sama, Hokage-sama requests your presence at your earliest convenience."

Naruto covered his mouth, hiding a yawn before he nodded and gestured back into his apartment. "Alright. Tell him I'll be there as soon as I get dressed and grab something to drink."

"Hai." The moment the word left the ANBU's mouth, she vanished in a shunshin.

As Naruto closed his door and returned to his room, he tried wrapping his head around being called 'Uzumaki-sama', as anyone giving him that kind of respect was still new. He didn't try to dissuade it, but he didn't encourage it either. Even during his time in the future as the leader of the army, most people still just called him 'Naruto', because it was what he preferred. Most people he had fought beside and bled with on the battlefield, or they knew him as he grew up, or they had just simply earned the right. He wasn't one to bother with titles.

Here, however, he was a bit of an outsider. Even after two months there were some who were skeptical of his claims of working exclusively for Sarutobi, but his new 'public' mission record didn't lie. With already four successful S-Ranked and sixteen A-Ranked missions under his belt, no one doubted his ability to get the job done. They just weren't comfortable with his random appearance.

He didn't blame them, of course. Sarutobi's old teammates didn't trust him one bit either, until the two of them agreed that it would be best if those two knew Naruto was from the future. At first the blond was skeptical about letting anyone else know, but then he remembered that Shimura Danzo already knew, and if he didn't trust anyone in Konoha, Danzo was always high on the list.

However the Danzo in the present had not fully become the Danzo that he heard the warnings about in the future yet. Most of that reason was probably because the man was still the current ANBU Commander and ROOT hadn't been formed yet – at least to the best of his knowledge. Once the two advisers, Homura and Koharu, learned of Naruto's status, they inquired about telling the Sannin who he really was. Originally they felt that the Densetsu no Sannin were both trustworthy and skilled enough to be brought in the loop. Opinion quickly changed, however, when Naruto told Hiruzen a few more things about Orochimaru. As a result, the Hokage felt it would be best if any explanations were taken care of after they confronted his troublesome student, and not before.

Naruto looked into his refrigerator and grabbed some juice, quickly chugging it down as he mentally prepared himself for whatever the Hokage could want. It probably had something to do with the new arrivals in Konoha, as had been the reason for most of his other summons over the last couple weeks.

As the blond left his apartment, he cast a glance over towards the southern wall, where some new buildings could barely be made out. He had been named as a sort of envoy for new arrivals into Konoha, as his mission to Water Country had been a smashing success beyond everyone's expectations.

The Kaguya clan had been the first to arrive, as he knew they would be. It had only taken a week for the first members of the clan to arrive, and the Hokage had immediately started moving them into some of the newly renovated areas of Konoha. Much to everyone's surprise, however, other clans started streaming in faster than anyone expected. Since Naruto actually went and met with various clans, the news spread like wildfire.

The Kaguya and Yuki clans had come, as well as the Terumi clan, which completely flabbergasted Naruto because he hadn't even talked with them. Apparently their clan had close ties with the Yuki, because both of them arrived at right around the same time. In total so far, eight clans arrived in Konoha that used to call Kiri their home. While it might seem like a lot, Naruto knew that those clans membership numbers, even when all added together, were still smaller than the total number of members in the entire Uchiha clan.

Still, several impressive bloodlines decided to call Konoha home now, and as a result he had achieved nearly worship status with those who knew of his mission. Namely the Hokage, his advisers, and many members of ANBU.

Now his long term mission assignment was to find ways to keep the new arrivals happy and assist them in getting settled. So far the Kaguya clan was ecstatic since he had already kept his promise to them. Tsunade was more than happy to take a look at their bloodline to find out what the problem was, because she saw it as her newest challenge to overcome. Even a young Shizune seemed excited at the prospect.

While he was proud of his accomplishment, another part of him was worried. As he jumped from rooftop to rooftop, he couldn't help but wonder, 'Have I already changed too much to predict what will happen in the future?'

"Ah, Naruto, thank you for coming on such short notice. I apologize for waking you, I know you were busy until late last night."

While Naruto normally would have tossed a joke about what he was doing late last night, there were another two people in the room that he didn't know, nipping that idea in the bud. One of them was an older, probably middle-aged man with a rather severe look to him. His hair was a brownish-red and was left hanging free to about shoulder level. The man gave Naruto a brief nod, to which the blond returned, before he turned back to look at the other person with him.

She was a younger girl, perhaps in her mid to late teens. Her hair was the same color as the man, meaning it was likely that they were related. Like her apparent relative, she also nodded at Naruto, but gave him a rather bright smile as well. She was gorgeous, and Naruto found himself trying not to blush.

Hearing the Sandaime's voice caused Naruto to focus on the older man once again, "Naruto-kun, this is Kozo of the Terumi Clan, along with his daughter, Mei. They are the latest arrival, and perhaps among the most powerful of all the clans that have arrived from Kiri. I need you to go around and gather the builders again. The rest of their clan will be arriving throughout the month, so we need to be prepared."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Thank you. I have to talk to you about some other things as well, so please remain here for a moment. Kozo-san, is there anything else you will be needing?"

The other man shook his head and bent forward in a polite bow. "All of our immediate needs have been seen to. You have been most gracious. You have our entire clan's gratitude, Hokage-sama."

"Very well. If anything else arises, either visit me or Naruto-kun there, he is acting as the main coordinator for the clans that are arriving from Kiri."

"I see. Thank you." As Kozo turned to walk towards the door, he offered Naruto another nod. Mei walked in the shadow of her relative, so he didn't see or hear anything further from her. The blond closed his eyes and let his head lean forward slightly as he listened to their footsteps. It wasn't until the door to the Hokage's office opened and closed again that he opened his eyes and looked up at the Hokage once more.

"Was there something about the Terumi clan, Naruto-kun? You looked shocked when you heard their clan name."

"I never visited their clan, first of all, because of what I knew from the future. I already knew as soon as the Kaguya clan agreed to come that the future would change, but now with the Terumi clan..." Naruto began to explain, before his voice trailed off.

"But why would the Terumi clan make things so different?"

The blond let out a sigh, "The girl who was here, Terumi Mei. She became the Godaime Mizukage, though I don't know when. If I had to guess, it was probably sometime shortly after I became a teenager in my time, because it wasn't until then that we realized the Yondaime Mizukage was dead and the Sanbi was roaming free."

Sarutobi rubbed his chin as he leaned back in his chair. "So the Yondaime Mizukage remains in power for a while, then?"

"I guess so. I'm trying to put it together myself," Naruto shrugged. "I know that Yagura is nothing more than a puppet for Tobi, and if the Nidaime Mizukage passed away at the end of the second war, that means Tobi is technically the Sandaime right now, though he won't be in the public eye for very long. My theory is that he has begun controlling Yagura before he steps down, and either he did it himself or he forced Yagura to incite the current civil war. Now, however, Tobi attempts to remain in the shadows while Yagura becomes more visible. In the next few years he will likely fake his death and have Yagura take up the Yondaime spot."

The blond turned his gaze to look outside before he continued, "Mei probably kills Yagura at some point, ending the civil war and becoming the Godaime Mizukage. As to how she defeats one of my kind... well... she has two bloodlines, and an affinity for three elements."

"Yes, Kozo mentioned that. Normally the Terumi clan only has one bloodline, but somehow Mei ended up with a third affinity and has two bloodline limits. She's only a novice with their abilities, from what he says. I'm not surprised, as someone with a newer bloodline would have to create their own new techniques anyway." Sarutobi spoke quietly, but his eyes betrayed his excitement of having someone in the village having a strong affinity for three elements.

"The only two I ever saw her use regularly were a lava attack, and another one that released a corrosive mist. That's probably all she really ever needed to use, now that I think about it."

Hiruzen nodded, then waved at Naruto. "I don't want to keep them waiting too long, you're dismissed. When you're done we can talk more about this and what it means for the future."

"Yes sir."

Mikoto sighed as she pushed herself to sit up from her futon. After her strange - unintentional - eavesdropping session a few days ago at the hot spring, she just hadn't been able sleep well. She saw his face, and the words kept running through her head over and over again.

"... beautiful girls... both attached... I know better..."

Even though she was twenty years old, part of her wanted to giggle like a schoolgirl. She had never been called beautiful before, at least not anywhere she was able to hear it said. Kushina always claimed she was jealous of her killer figure, but then again Kushina was really the only one that had ever seen her naked or close to it due to their hot springs visits. Other than that, her uniform was typically the only thing she ever wore, even on her dateswith Fugaku.

She let out an unladylike grunt as she moved up to her feet, deciding to go sit outside for a little while and enjoy the night air. Grabbing a robe from a nearby chair, she wrapped it around herself and then slid open the door to her room. Slowly padding down the hallway, she stifled a yawn as she headed towards the porch that was nearest her room.

Why was this bugging her so much? It had been a couple days since she saw him last, perhaps it was because she wanted to ask him if he really meant what he said?

The young woman let out another sigh as she sat on one of the porches, leaning her back against the exterior wall of the house. The crisp night air wasn't what she considered cold at all, but it was still chilly enough to be strangely refreshing.

"Something wrong, little one?"

Mikoto began to crack a smile, but suppressed it and instead shot a mock glare at the man who had just walked around the corner and was heading her way.

"I'm not little anymore, father. We've been over this."

Uchiha Kagami chuckled as he walked over to the bench with his slight limp. "You'll always be my little one."

"Hmp. Fine, just don't tell anyone else." Mikoto obediently moved towards the side of the bench, in order to give her father some room. He sat down slowly, keeping his leg stretched outward. He was injured at the end of the second war, a rock had shattered his kneecap. It had been mostly repaired, and even Tsunade-sama had looked at it, claiming he should be happy that he could even still walk under his own power.

"So, what is bothering you? I noticed you have been rather distracted these past few days."

Mikoto pursed her lips, not sure how much she wanted to explain. She was close with her father, or so she thought, but to talk with a man about it felt slightly embarrassing. At times like this, she wished her mother was still alive.

"I'm... having second thoughts about the upcoming marriage."

"Oh?" Mikoto didn't look at her father, but she could tell from the sound of his voice that he had turned to look at her. "You've been engaged for nearly a year now. This is the first I've heard of any doubts. There is only a month until the wedding."

"I know," Mikoto ground out. "Believe me I know. I think about it every day. It's just that recently, some things have come up that have changed my opinions."

"I see. So you've found someone else then?"

Now Mikoto did turn to stare at her father in shock as he chuckled lightly. "How did you...?"

"How did I know? Well you've been talking about a unique young man who appeared out of nowhere a few months ago quite often. I don't even ask about him and usually I'll get a 'Kushina said Naruto did this today.' or a 'You'll never believe what Naruto can do.' when I ask you how your day was."

"How do you always manage to see right through me?" Mikoto muttered.

Kagami couldn't help but chuckle again. "I would say it's another one of my Sharingan abilities, but we both know that's a lie. The simple answer would be that you're my daughter and I make a point to pay attention to what you say and do.

"I could go on extolling your virtues, but instead I'll settle with saying I'm proud of you and trust your judgment. If you want to call off the wedding because you want to pursue other ventures, do it."

Mikoto's face morphed into shock, "But what about the elder council? I thought they were pressuring for you to find me a husband since I was fifteen? If I called this off..."

Kagami held up a hand, and Mikoto's mouth snapped shut. "The elder council is just that, a council of advisers who are past their prime and have nothing better to do than nag me. They can nag me all they want, but my daughter's happiness comes before theirs. If you don't believe you will be happy with Fugaku, then don't marry him. They will have to be mollified with the fact that you found someone else, and not someone that I chose for you. There is no law that says you have to choose someone from within the clan either." Kagami paused for barely a moment, "Though it may help if they agreed to take the Uchiha name, considering your position."

Mikoto had to lift her hand to wipe the tears that were forming in the corners of her eyes. "Thank you... I'll have to think on this some."

Her father chuckled briefly, shaking his head, "There is no need to thank me for something that should be automatic, but you're welcome all the same."

There were several moments of comfortable silence between them, and Mikoto was enjoying listening to the crickets in their enclosed yard before her father spoke again, interrupting the silence.

"So... how is he?"

"W-Wha... father!"

Kagami barked out a few laughs before looking at his daughter. "What? Considering the path our conversation has taken to get to this point, I can't be curious if he makes you happy?"

Mikoto tried to look at her father, but the blush on her face became so intense that she had to look away. His laughter at her expense wasn't helping either. "There is nothing between myself and Uzumaki-san."

"Oh, so nowhe is Uzumaki-san. I see. Normally when you mention him he is just Naruto when we're talking. Tell me, you don't think about him just because of that mission where he saved you and your team, do you?"

"No!" Mikoto had quickly turned around again, though this time it was with a glare. Kagami nodded at her with a passive expression, then turned his own head to look out over the yard.

"Good. Because if it was I'd tell you to find some other reason to like him."

Mikoto nodded, but didn't reply. The silence stretched on again for over a minute before her father spoke up again.

"So?"

"So... what?"

"So what is it about Naruto that you like, which is different from every other man you've ever been around?'

Mikoto looked down at her hands which were in her lap, and let out a small sigh. Before she could say anything, however, her father spoke again.

"I realize I'm not your mother, and this may be uncomfortable for you, but I know from experience that sometimes you just have to say what you're thinking to someone. From what I know of your friend Kushina, she probably does all the talking while you just listen."

"You're right," Mikoto chuckled, her lips curved into a small smile. "Naruto is just a refreshing change from what I'm used to dealing with. For someone with so much apparent power and authority, he doesn't lord it over others and actually acts his age, which is actually just a few months older than me.

"He's mysterious, but will answer any question I've ever asked him as long as it isn't classified. He's kind, but knows when discipline is needed. Minato respects and trusts him, which is unusual because Minato never gives his respect and trust easily. He gets personal briefings from Hokage-sama. He brought over all these clans from Kiri just through diplomacy alone."

She said something else, but it was mumbled and Kagami didn't hear it. "What was that last thing?"

Mikoto began to wring her hands together before she repeated herself, louder this time, "I said... he called me beautiful."

"Well, you are."

The young woman shook her head, but gave her father a smile. "It's different coming from you. I know you'd call me beautiful even if I was incredibly ugly, because I'm your daughter."

"True."

"I figured," Mikoto giggled for a second. "I heard him say it when he was standing up to Jiraiya-sensei, who was peeking in the female side of the onsen again-"

"He was what? I thought you said he promised never to do it when you were in there! When I tell Hiruzen about-"

"Father!" Mikoto set her hand on her father's, calming him down. "To be fair, both myself and Kushina were hidden behind a large rock and couldn't be seen. When we moved out from behind it, he let out a yell and probably passed out, because we saw him on his back when we went to confront him about it. Kushina gave him a good beating, so I don't think sensei will be peeking on any Konoha baths for a while."

Kagami grunted, causing Mikoto to giggle again. "Good. I still can't believe how he gets away with doing that in the first place. Anyway, what does this have to do with Naruto?"

"He was the one who told Jiraiya-sensei to stop peeping, especially because Kushina and myself might be in there. Sensei started to change the subject about how he liked us. Naruto said that we were beautiful, but both attached, so he knew better than to do anything."

"So that's what got all this started?"

Mikoto shook her head. "No, I thought he was interesting the very first time I met him. He was fighting against Minato in a spar, and Minato was testing his new Hiraishin, which no one else can fight against to the best of my knowledge. Only Naruto can right now. I would make a point to watch him from time to time, or ask Minato and Kushina about him. It wasn't until the mission to Kiri and he saved my life that I reallystarted to notice. Ever since then... it's just continued growing.

"Now when I meet him I sometimes get lightheaded, or my heart starts beating a little faster," Mikoto moved her hand and placed it on her chest, over her heart. "It's all new to me, because I've never had this happen with anyone else before. Not even Minato, and we've been friends since our genin days."

"Hmm. What is Kushina's opinion of Naruto?"

Mikoto's face immediately soured. "If Minato isn't around she is all over him. It's easy to see she has some sort of crush on him from the way she acts and talks to him. She won't go too far because she still loves Minato, though. She is apparently satisfied with treating him as a big brother figure, at least."

"Does Naruto respond to her?" Kagami inquired.

"Only a little bit. It's like he said when we overheard him, he knows we are attached and won't go too far. He'll return a hug after saying hello or goodbye, but I've seen him try to avoid holding her hand for too long when she's grabbed it. Sometimes I think Kushina is just testing him. I could ask her. If she is, so far I'd say he's passed with flying colors."

Kagami grinned as he looked at his daughter, "I think it says a lot that you're paying attention that carefully to him."

Mikoto knew there was another blush on her face, but she kept looking down and didn't bother trying to hide it. "Okay, okay! I think I like him. I'm definitely interested. How... how long would it take to break off the marriage to Fugaku?"

"If you're serious... well, since it's such short notice it could be a problem. Especially if Fugaku doesn't agree to it. There will be a lot of hassle, and arguing going on. Unless something... extreme... were to happen."

"Extreme?"

Kagami nodded as he stared at his daughter. "Yes. Something that would likely make Fugaku agree to break the contract. I'm sure there are a few things you can think of that would make him no longer want to be your husband. I know I can think of a few things... but it's not my place to say."

Mikoto nodded and looked up towards the sky. Something extreme... something extreme... just how far was she willing to go? Well, she knew, but in order for it to work she'd have to get to know Naruto very well, very quickly.

"If I may offer one bit of advice?"

Mikoto looked over at her father, and gave him a small nod.

"If you plan to do anything about Naruto, do it quickly. I can already see how much sway he has with Hiruzen and the Hokage's council. Bringing as many new clans here as he did has also given him a huge amount of political capital and goodwill. It won't be long before he starts getting offers to marry from other women, with the promises of alliances and power."

"Naruto isn't like that!" Mikoto let out in a fierce whisper. "After talking to him these past months I know he cares nothing for power, and is perfectly content with what he does."

Kagami smiled, "I agree. From what I've seen of him, he is exactly as you say. However that doesn't stop other women from trying. Or who knows, tomorrow he could encounter a random civilian woman that worked a stall in the nearby grocery market and become completely enamored with her in minutes."

Mikoto couldn't stop the sad smile that appeared on her face. "Thinking about mother?"

"Yes. I never heard the end of it from your grandfather. I had a contract, much like your own."

"I didn't know that."

"I never had a reason to tell you. I've always tried to let you do your own thing, which is what your mother wanted, as she didn't agree with the marriage contracts either. That is why I didn't agree to set you up with one until you actually asked me to. I tried to find the man most suitable, but there honestly wasn't much to pick from."

Mikoto nodded, as they had already had this part of the conversation several times before. "Father, how did you get out of your contract?"

She couldn't help the chill that ran up her spine as her father showed her one of the most devious grins she'd ever seen on his face.

"Are you sure you want to know?"