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Naruto, Sasuka, and Kurama time reset to first episode of Naruto

Context: Naruto (Seventh Hokage) and Sasuke (Shadow Hokage) have awakened in their 12-year-old bodies. Kurama is awake and amused. They retain all memories and techniques, but their chakra reserves are tiny, and their physical stats are pathetic.

The Roof: Introductions

The wind howled across the terrace of the Academy. Kakashi Hatake leaned against the railing, his single visible eye drooping with boredom. Three genin sat on the steps before him.

To his left, the pink-haired girl, Sakura, was vibrating with nervous energy. To his right, the Uchiha survivor, Sasuke, sat with his chin resting on his interlaced fingers, staring at Kakashi with an intensity that felt… oddly judgmental.

And in the middle, Naruto Uzumaki was adjusting his headband. He wasn’t fidgeting. He was just fixing it.

“Alright,” Kakashi drawled. “Why don’t you introduce yourselves? Likes, dislikes, dreams for the future, hobbies… things like that.”

“Hey, Sensei,” Naruto spoke up. His voice was the squeaky, high-pitched timbre of a prepubescent boy, but his cadence was calm. Too calm. “Why don’t you go first? To show us how it’s done.”

Kakashi blinked. Usually, the blond one was shouting by now. “Me? I’m Kakashi Hatake. Things I like and dislike… I don’t feel like telling you that. My dreams for the future… never really thought about it. As for my hobbies… I have lots of hobbies.”

Sakura twitched. “That was totally useless! All we learned was his name!”

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a glance. A micro-expression passed between them—a shared sigh of two men who had dealt with this specific man’s nonsense for thirty years.

“I’ll go,” Naruto said. He leaned back, hands behind his head. “I’m Naruto Uzumaki. I like instant ramen, but I prefer the ramen Iruka-sensei buys me at Ichiraku. I dislike… paperwork. And waiting three minutes for the water to boil.”

He paused, his blue eyes shifting to the Hokage Rock in the distance.

“My dream… is to be a Hokage who protects the village, so the next generation doesn’t have to grow up too fast.”

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. ‘Protect the village’ is standard, but ‘grow up too fast’? That’s a heavy line for a brat.

“And my hobby is… gardening,” Naruto finished with a grin. (Kurama snorted in his mind: “You mean watering that sad little plant on your balcony? You killed it last week, Naruto.”)

“Okay…” Kakashi turned his gaze. “You next, Pinky.”

Sakura blushed. “I’m Sakura Haruno! What I like… I mean, the person I like is…” She glanced at Sasuke and squealed. “My hobby is…” Another glance. Another squeal. “My dream for the future is…” Squeal.

“And what do you dislike?” Kakashi asked.

“Naruto!” she shouted instantly.

Naruto didn’t even flinch. He just nodded sagely, as if accepting a diplomatic report. “Fair enough.”

“Last one,” Kakashi pointed.

Sasuke didn’t shift his posture. He looked at Kakashi, then at Naruto, then at the empty air where, in another timeline, his brother would have been standing.

“My name is Sasuke Uchiha. There are many things I dislike, and I don’t particularly like anything. My dream…”

The air grew cold. Sakura held her breath, expecting the ‘kill a certain man’ speech.

“…is to restore my clan,” Sasuke said, his voice devoid of the usual teenage angst, replaced by a weary determination. “And to insure that the mistakes of the past are buried so the future can actually exist. Also, I want to overhaul the Konoha Police Force’s systemic bias.”

Silence.

A bird chirped in the distance.

Kakashi stared. “Okay. That was… specific.”

“Good,” Kakashi clapped his hands, shaking off the weird feeling that he was being interviewed by his bosses. “Tomorrow, we start our first mission. Survival training. Meet at Training Ground Three at 5:00 AM. And bring your ninja gear.”

He started to walk away, then paused for dramatic effect. “Oh, and don’t eat breakfast. You’ll throw up.”

As Kakashi vanished in a swirl of leaves, Naruto stood up and stretched.

“So,” Naruto said to Sasuke. “Ichiraku?”

“Hn,” Sasuke agreed, standing up. “We need calories. His threat is empty.”

“Wait!” Sakura panicked. “He said don’t eat! And Sasuke-kun, you’re going to eat with Naruto?”

Sasuke looked at Sakura. For the first time, he really looked at her—not as an annoyance, but as the woman who would one day raise his daughter.

“Sakura,” Sasuke said. “Eat breakfast. If you faint from low blood sugar, you’re a liability. Meet us at 5:00 AM.”

He walked away, hands in his pockets. Naruto gave Sakura a thumbs up. “Trust him, Sakura-chan. He’s grumpy, but he’s right.”

The Bell Test: 5:00 AM

The sun hadn’t even risen. The morning mist clung to the three wooden posts.

Sasuke and Naruto were leaning against the center post. They looked remarkably awake. Naruto was even chewing on a toothpick. Sakura was yawning, looking between the two boys who seemed to be having a silent conversation.

“He’s late,” Kurama grumbled. “He’s at the Memorial Stone. Again.”

I know, Naruto thought back. Let him have his moment. We’ll have plenty of time to yell at Obito later.

Three hours passed.

Sakura was sitting on the ground, furious. “HE’S SO LATE!”

“Here he comes,” Sasuke murmured, eyes still closed.

Poof.

Kakashi appeared, smiling with his eye closed. “Yo. Good morning. Sorry I’m late, a black cat crossed my path so I had to take the long way—”

“Liar!” Sakura shrieked.

Kakashi ignored her and set an alarm clock on the stump. He held up two silver bells.

“Here’s the deal. You have until noon to take these bells from me. If you don’t, no lunch. And… I’ll tie you to those posts and eat my bento in front of you.”

Naruto’s stomach didn’t growl. He was full of miso pork ramen. Sasuke was full of rice balls. They were fine.

“Wait, there are only two bells!” Sakura pointed out.

“Correct. One of you will definitely fail and be sent back to the Academy. This is a pass-fail test. Come at me with the intent to kill, or you’ll never get them.”

Kakashi pulled out his orange book—Icha Icha Paradise.

“Begin!”

Sakura immediately leaped into the bushes to hide. Standard procedure.

Naruto and Sasuke did not move. They stood side-by-side in the clearing, staring at Kakashi.

Kakashi looked up from his smut. “You two are a little weird, aren’t you? Usually, people hide.”

“Efficiency,” Sasuke said.

“Hey, Kakashi-sensei,” Naruto grinned, cracking his knuckles. “Put the book away. It’s rude.”

Kakashi chuckled. “I don’t need two hands to deal with—”

SWISH.

A shuriken flew past Kakashi’s ear, severing a single lock of silver hair. It hadn’t come from Sasuke. It had come from Naruto.

Kakashi’s eye widened. He threw that curve-shot without a wind-up?

Sasuke was already moving. He didn’t use a flashy fireball. He simply dropped low, sweeping at Kakashi’s legs with a speed that shouldn’t be possible for a twelve-year-old. It wasn’t raw speed—it was perfect timing. He moved exactly when Kakashi shifted his weight.

Kakashi jumped, but Naruto was already in the air behind him.

‘Shadow Clone?’ No, no hand signs, Kakashi realized.

Naruto swung a kick. Kakashi blocked with his forearm, but the impact was heavier than expected. Naruto used the recoil to flip backward, landing next to Sasuke.

“He’s reading our rhythm,” Sasuke noted quietly. “But his body is lagging. He’s rusty.”

“He’s been reading porn instead of training,” Naruto quipped. “Let’s use Formation B.”

“Formation B?” Kakashi asked, actually pocketing the book now. “You guys have formations?”

“Sakura!” Naruto yelled toward the bushes. “Stop hiding! We need a localized distraction at 3 o’clock! Throw everything you have!”

Sakura, surprised to be called on, hesitated, then jumped out. “Chaaaa!” She threw a barrage of kunai.

Kakashi deflected them easily with a kunai of his own. “Sloppy.”

But the kunai were just the screen.

Naruto and Sasuke rushed in.

Kakashi prepared for taijutsu. He saw Naruto wind up for a punch and prepared to dodge the clumsy strike.

But Naruto didn’t punch. He feinted, dropping to the ground and sliding between Kakashi’s legs.

‘The Thousand Years of Death?!’ Kakashi panic-thought. ‘Is he trying to kancho me?!’

Kakashi instinctively jumped back to protect his dignity.

Which was exactly what Sasuke wanted.

Sasuke was waiting in the air, right where Kakashi dodged to. Sasuke’s fingers brushed the bells.

‘Fast!’ Kakashi flared his chakra, using the Body Flicker technique to vanish and reappear twenty feet away near the river. He was actually sweating slightly.

“Close,” Kakashi muttered. “Too close.”

He looked at the two boys. They weren’t panting. They were smiling.

“You put the book away, Sensei,” Naruto pointed out.

Kakashi sighed. “Okay. I’ll admit, you’re not normal genin. But…”

Kakashi flashed through hand signs. Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu.

A massive ball of flame erupted toward them.

“Sakura, get down!” Sasuke ordered.

Instead of dodging, Naruto stepped forward. He slammed his hands together. He didn’t have the chakra for a Rasengan or a Wall, but he had something else.

Earth Style: Mud Wall.

A small, pathetic, knee-high wall of mud rose up. It was tiny.

“That won’t stop it!” Sakura screamed.

Naruto grabbed Sasuke and threw him. Sasuke kicked off the tiny mud wall, using it as a launchpad to vault over the fireball.

It was a suicidal move. Sasuke was now in the air, above the fire, directly exposed to Kakashi.

Kakashi prepared to grab Sasuke’s ankle.

But Sasuke smirked. He formed a seal. Transformation Jutsu.

Sasuke turned into a giant shuriken.

‘Demon Wind Shuriken? No, he doesn’t have one,’ Kakashi analyzed.

From the smoke of the fireball, the real Sasuke burst out from the ground below.

‘A clone?! When did he—’

Kakashi realized too late. The “Sasuke” he threw off the mud wall was Naruto transformed. The real Sasuke had burrowed underground using the distraction of the fire.

Sasuke’s hand grabbed the bells.

Grab.

Kakashi, forced to use his Jonin speed for real, snatched Sasuke’s wrist.

“Gotcha,” Kakashi smiled.

“Did you?” Sasuke asked.

Kakashi looked down. Sasuke wasn’t holding the bells. He was holding Kakashi’s weapon pouch.

“Naruto!” Sasuke yelled.

Kakashi looked up. The “Naruto” (who was the giant shuriken) had transformed back into Naruto, mid-air, falling directly onto Kakashi’s head.

Kakashi had no choice. He let go of Sasuke to block Naruto.

Poof.

Naruto turned into smoke. A Shadow Clone.

‘Where is the real one?!’

“Hey Sensei!”

Kakashi turned around. The real Naruto was sitting on the log three feet away, eating the lunch bento.

“This is pretty good,” Naruto said with a full mouth. “Hey Sakura, want some?”

The alarm clock rang. Rrrrring!

Kakashi stood there. Sasuke was dusting dirt off his shorts. Naruto was eating the objective.

“Time’s up,” Kakashi said, his voice dangerous. “You failed to get the bells.”

“We got your weapon pouch though,” Sasuke tossed the pouch to Kakashi. “If that was a kunai, you’d be bleeding.”

“And I ate your lunch,” Naruto added. “So you can’t eat in front of us.”

Kakashi stared at them. The sky rumbled.

“You ignored my instructions,” Kakashi said, his visible eye curving into a dark glare. “I said if you didn’t get the bells, no lunch. I said the losers would be tied to the posts.”

“Technically,” Naruto swallowed. “You said if we don’t get the bells, no lunch. You didn’t say we couldn’t eat it if we failed.”

“And,” Sasuke stepped in, walking over to stand next to Naruto. “You pitted us against each other. Two bells. Three genin. You wanted us to fight over them. You wanted us to abandon Sakura.”

Sakura, who had done very little but throw kunai, looked down. “I… I didn’t do anything.”

“You created the opening,” Sasuke said firmly. “Without your distraction, I couldn’t have gone underground.”

Naruto offered the bento box to Sakura. “Here, Sakura-chan. Eat the rest. Sensei is on a diet.”

Kakashi watched them. Naruto feeding Sakura. Sasuke standing guard. They had completely disregarded his authority, mocked his test, and eaten his lunch.

But they hadn’t abandoned each other.

For a moment, Kakashi saw ghosts. He saw a boy with goggles and a boy with a mask.

Kakashi let out a long, defeated sigh. The menacing aura vanished.

“You pass.”

The three of them blinked (or pretended to).

“Pass?” Sakura asked.

“Those who break the rules are scum,” Kakashi recited, looking at the Memorial Stone. “But those who abandon their friends are worse than scum.”

He gave them a closed-eye smile.

“Team 7 starts its first mission tomorrow. Now, Naruto… buy me lunch. You ate mine.”

Naruto grinned, a look of genuine nostalgia in his eyes. “Sure thing, Kakashi-sensei. But you’re paying for the ramen.”

“He’s still soft,” Kurama laughed. “You could have taken the bells if you used a Tailed Beast Bomb.”

Yeah, Naruto thought, walking down the path with his team. But where’s the fun in that?

The revelation doesn’t happen in a safe room. It happens when the act becomes impossible to maintain—during the Konoha Crush.

The Buildup: A Month of “Anomalies”

For Kakashi Hatake, teaching Team 7 was like watching a magic trick where you can see the wires, but the trick still works.

The Wave Mission: Haku didn’t die. Naruto whispered something to Zabuza that made the Demon of the Mist freeze, cry, and surrender. Kakashi heard the words “Fourth Mizukage” and “Genjutsu.”

The Chunin Exams: In the Forest of Death, Orochimaru didn’t bite Sasuke. Sasuke had anticipated the ambush. He had rigged the area with paper bombs and wires in a formation that ANBU captains used.

Sakura’s Growth: Sakura wasn’t just learning; she was being molded. Sasuke wasn’t ignoring her; he was drilling her on chakra control with the strictness of a drill sergeant. Naruto wasn’t flirting; he was teaching her medical ninjutsu theory that he shouldn’t know.

By the time the finals of the Chunin Exams arrived, Kakashi and Sakura were terrified. Not of the enemies, but of the two boys standing in front of them.

The Incident: The Crumbling of the Leaf

Location: The Forest Outside Konoha. Time: During the Invasion. Gaara has fully transformed into Shukaku.

The forest was being torn apart. Sand bullets the size of houses were decimating the trees.

Kakashi was injured. He had exhausted himself fighting Kabuto and the Sound Ninja to get to his students. He leaned against a tree, panting, watching the impossible unfold.

Sakura was paralyzed with fear, clutching a kunai. “Kakashi-sensei… what are they doing?”

In the clearing, a twelve-year-old Naruto and Sasuke were fighting a Tailed Beast.

But they weren’t fighting like Genin. They weren’t panicking. They weren’t shouting about friendship.

“Sasuke, Sector 4!” Naruto barked. His voice had dropped the high-pitched whine. It was a command. “He’s charging a Wind Bullet. Cut the airflow.”

“On it,” Sasuke replied, his voice equally cold.

Sasuke leaped. He didn’t use a simple fireball. He channeled lightning into his sword (which he shouldn’t have known how to do) and sliced through the air pressure of the Shukaku’s blast.

Chidori Sharp Spear. A technique he wouldn’t invent for three more years.

“Kurama, now!” Naruto yelled.

Kurama? Kakashi froze. He knows the Fox’s name?

Naruto didn’t summon Gamabunta. He didn’t have the blood contract yet in this timeline. Instead, Naruto bit his thumb and slammed his hand on the ground, but he didn’t summon a toad.

He summoned Golden Chains.

The Adamantine Sealing Chains. The specialized jutsu of the Uzumaki clan—Kushina’s jutsu.

The gold chains erupted from Naruto’s small back, wrapping around the massive Shukaku, pinning the One-Tail to the ground. The beast roared, struggling against the suppression that felt suspiciously like the First Hokage’s wood style.

“Seal him!” Naruto ordered.

Sasuke landed on the beast’s head. He placed a hand on Gaara’s sleeping form. A complex formula of cursed markings spread from Sasuke’s palm—a suppression seal that suppressed the Bijuu’s chakra instantly.

The sand crumbled. The monster fell.

Silence returned to the forest.

Naruto and Sasuke stood atop the defeated Shukaku. They weren’t celebrating. They were scanning the perimeter.

“Secure,” Sasuke said. “Danzo’s Root agents are watching from the East ridge. We should leave.”

“Agreed,” Naruto said. He turned around—and froze.

Down in the clearing, Kakashi and Sakura were staring at them.

Sakura was trembling. Kakashi had pulled up his headband, his Sharingan spinning wildly, analyzing every movement they had just made.

The “Genin Act” was dead. It lay in pieces next to the defeated Tailed Beast.

The Confrontation

Naruto and Sasuke jumped down. They landed in front of their team.

Usually, Naruto would scratch his head and laugh. Usually, Sasuke would scoff. Today, they just stood there.

“Sensei,” Naruto started, raising a hand.

“Don’t,” Kakashi said. His voice was sharp, devoid of his usual laziness. He didn’t draw a weapon, but his posture was ready for combat. “Don’t give me the ‘I trained in secret’ speech. Don’t tell me you found a scroll.”

Kakashi pointed at Naruto. “You used the Adamantine Chains. Only Kushina-san could use those. You called the Nine-Tails ‘Kurama’.”

He pointed at Sasuke. “You used Shape Manipulation on your Chidori that takes decades to master. You used a suppression seal that belongs to the ANBU Black Ops.”

Kakashi took a deep breath.

“And both of you… you fight like you’ve died before.”

Sakura stepped forward, tears in her eyes. “Who are you?” she whispered. “You look like Naruto and Sasuke-kun… but you’re not them. The Naruto I know can’t organize a tactical retreat. The Sasuke I know…” She looked at the Uchiha. “He looks at me with annoyance, not… pity. Not like a father looking at a child.”

Sasuke flinched. That hit home.

The forest was silent. The leaves rustled in the wind.

Naruto looked at Sasuke. Sasuke closed his eyes and sighed.

“I told you the chains were too much,” Sasuke muttered.

“We were fighting a Tailed Beast, Teme!” Naruto snapped back, his voice sounding a bit more like his old self. “What did you want me to do? Throw a kunai at it?”

“We could have used the Susanoo ribcage.”

“And blind yourself at twelve? Idiot.”

They argued like an old married couple. The tension in their bickering was so familiar, yet the terminology was terrifying.

“Oh, just tell them,” a deep, demonic voice rumbled.

It didn’t come from Naruto’s mouth. It came from the air itself. Red chakra leaked from Naruto’s stomach, forming a small, spectral fox head on his shoulder.

Sakura shrieked. Kakashi stiffened.

“Kurama, shut up,” Naruto sighed. He rubbed his temples.

Naruto looked at Kakashi. The blue eyes of the prankster were gone. In their place were the eyes of the Seventh Hokage—eyes that had seen the end of the world and the birth of a new one.

“Kakashi-sensei,” Naruto said softly. “Sakura-chan.”

He sat down on a tree root, looking exhausted.

“We aren’t imposters. I am Naruto Uzumaki. He is Sasuke Uchiha.”

“But,” Sasuke added, sitting next to him. “We aren’t the ones from this time.”

“We’re from about twenty years in the future,” Naruto said. “In our timeline… we won. We saved the world. I became the Seventh Hokage.”

Sakura’s jaw dropped. “H-Hokage? You?”

“And Sasuke,” Naruto pointed a thumb at his friend. “He became the Shadow Hokage. My right hand.”

Kakashi lowered his guard, but his mind was reeling. “Time travel? That’s theoretical. It’s impossible.”

“So are aliens who eat planets, but we fought those too,” Sasuke deadpanned.

Naruto looked at Kakashi with a sad smile.

“We came back because… well, we woke up here. But since we are here, we decided to fix things. We wanted to save the Third (who just died in the village), but we were too far away. We wanted to save you the trouble of raising us.”

Naruto stood up and walked over to Kakashi. He looked up at his teacher—who was now so young, younger than Naruto was in his original timeline.

“We didn’t want to tell you because we didn’t want to burden you,” Naruto said. “But… yeah. The act is over.”

Kakashi looked at his students. He looked at the impossible strength they possessed. And then, he looked at the bond between them—a bond that was completely broken in the present, but clearly mended in the future.

Kakashi pulled his headband down, covering his Sharingan. He let out a long, long sigh.

“So,” Kakashi muttered. “My cute little students are actually two god-level shinobi who are technically older than me.”

“Mentally? Yes,” Sasuke said.

“Great,” Kakashi slumped. “Does this mean I can stop paying for ramen?”

“No,” Naruto grinned. “Kage salary hasn’t kicked in yet. You’re still paying.”

Sakura looked between them, her brain finally catching up. She pointed a shaking finger at Sasuke.

“Wait… if you’re from the future… and you’re friends again…” She blushed furiously. “Does that mean… in the future… do I… do we…?”

Sasuke looked at Sakura. He thought of Sarada. He gave her a rare, genuine, albeit small, smile.

“Yes, Sakura.”

Sakura fainted.

Naruto laughed. “Well,” Kurama grumbled from his shoulder. “Now that the cat is out of the bag… can we go kill Danzo? I’ve been waiting for months.”

Kakashi stared at the talking chakra fox.

“I need a drink,” Kakashi said. “Team 7, mission aborted. We’re going to get barbecue. And you two are going to explain everything. Starting with Kaguya.”

The Barbecue of Truth

The village outside was in chaos. Smoke rose from the arena, ANBU were rushing across rooftops, and the mournful toll of the bells announced the death of the Third Hokage.

But inside the private booth of the barbecue restaurant, the silence was heavy for a different reason.

Kakashi Hatake sat against the wall. He hadn’t touched his chopsticks. He was staring at the small, red-furred fox currently stealing a piece of raw beef from the plate with a chakra claw.

Across from him sat two twelve-year-old boys who ate with the efficiency of soldiers on a ten-minute break. Beside them, Sakura sat stiffly, her eyes darting between her teammates as if they might explode.

“Sake,” Kakashi said to the terrified waiter who peeked in. “Leave the bottle. Actually, bring two.”

“Yes, sir.”

The door slid shut. The meat sizzled on the grill.

“So,” Kakashi began, pouring a cup and downing it in one go. “Let me get the timeline straight. You two died of old age—or something similar—woke up in your Academy bodies, decided to play dumb for six months, and just now decided to drop the act because fighting a Tailed Beast was ‘annoying’?”

“Basically,” Naruto said, flipping a slice of beef. “Though ‘old age’ is generous. We were dealing with… complications involving dimensions.”

“Dimensions,” Kakashi repeated. “Right. Of course.”

Sasuke placed a piece of well-done meat in Sakura’s bowl. She jumped.

“Eat,” Sasuke commanded gently. “You’re in shock. You need protein.”

Sakura stared at the meat. “Um… Sasuke-kun? In the future… do I… do I become strong? Or am I just… watching you two?”

Sasuke stopped chewing. He looked at Naruto. Naruto nodded, giving him the floor.

“Sakura,” Sasuke said, his voice unusually soft. “In the future, you surpass Lady Tsunade. You become the greatest medical ninja in the world. You punch a goddess so hard she breaks a horn. You saved both of our lives more times than I can count.”

Sakura’s eyes watered. “Really?”

” really,” Naruto grinned. “You’re scary, Sakura-chan. Even Kurama is afraid of you.”

“I am not afraid,” the mini-Kurama on the table grumbled, swallowing the beef. “I just respect her right hook. It creates shockwaves.”

Kakashi massaged his temples. “Okay. Great. Sakura becomes a monster. I’m proud. Now back to the important part. You mentioned ‘Madara’. You mentioned ‘Kaguya’. And you mentioned…” He hesitated. “…Obito.”

The air in the booth grew cold.

Naruto put his chopsticks down. This was the hard part.

“Kakashi-sensei,” Naruto said, dropping the honorifics slightly to speak man-to-man. “The masked man who attacked the village twelve years ago… the one who extracted Kurama from my mother… was Obito Uchiha.”

Kakashi didn’t move. His visible eye didn’t blink. “Obito died. I saw it. I… I killed Rin to protect the village, and he died before that.”

“He survived,” Sasuke said flatly. “He was saved by Madara. He’s been manipulating the Akatsuki from the shadows. He thinks he’s creating a world of peace, but he’s just a pawn for Black Zetsu.”

Kakashi gripped his sake cup so hard it cracked. Decades of guilt, of standing at the Memorial Stone, of washing his hands to get the blood off… all for a ghost who was alive and destroying the world?

“He’s alive?” Kakashi whispered. “And he’s… evil?”

“He’s broken,” Naruto corrected. “But we can fix him. We did it last time. We’ll do it faster this time.”

Naruto reached across the table and placed his hand on Kakashi’s trembling fist.

“You don’t have to carry that weight alone anymore, Sensei. We’re here. We know everything he’s going to do. We know where he sleeps. We know his jutsu.”

Kakashi looked up. He saw the Seventh Hokage in Naruto’s eyes. He saw a leader who had forgiven the unforgivable.

Kakashi exhaled—a long, shuddering breath. He poured another cup of sake.

“You two are really technically older than me, aren’t you?”

” by about twenty years,” Naruto laughed.

“Good,” Kakashi said, regaining a sliver of his composure. “Then you can lead the mission. I’m retiring. I’ll just read my book.”

“Not yet,” Sasuke interjected. “We need you to become the Sixth Hokage. Tsunade will take over for now, but you’re next in line.”

Kakashi choked on his drink. “Me? Hokage? Absolutely not.”

“It’s already on the paperwork,” Sasuke lied smoothly. “Destiny and all that.”

“So,” Sakura asked, her voice trembling but stronger now. “What do we do now? The Third is dead. Orochimaru got away.”

Sasuke’s eyes narrowed. The playful atmosphere vanished. The Shadow Hokage emerged.

“First,” Sasuke said, dipping a piece of meat in sauce. “We secure the village. Danzo Shimura is going to try to seize power in the vacuum left by the Third. He has an arm full of stolen Sharingan.”

Sakura dropped her chopsticks. “Sharingan? You mean…”

“My clan’s eyes,” Sasuke said, his voice ice-cold. “Tonight, Root headquarters burns. Danzo dies. I will take back what belongs to my family.”

“Second,” Naruto added, “We need to find Tsunade-baachan immediately. Not just to be Hokage, but to heal Lee. And… we need to grab Jiraiya before he runs off to peep on women.”

“And third,” Sasuke looked at Kakashi. “We need to kill a piece of black slime that lives in the ground. It’s the physical manifestation of Kaguya’s will. If we kill Black Zetsu, the Fourth Great Ninja War never happens. Madara never gets resurrected properly. Kaguya never returns.”

Kakashi stared at them. The scale of what they were proposing was insanity. Political assassination, tracking legendary Sannin, and killing a god’s will.

But then he looked at the confident smirk on Naruto’s face. He looked at the calm, deadly focus in Sasuke’s eyes. He looked at the determination growing in Sakura.

For the first time since Rin died, Kakashi didn’t feel like a man drowning in the past. He felt like he was looking at the future.

“Alright,” Kakashi said, putting the sake cup down. He pulled up his mask.

“Team 7,” Kakashi said. “Mission accepted. But first…”

He pointed at the grill.

“Naruto, you’re burning the beef.”

Naruto yelped and scrambled to rescue the meat. “You idiot!” Kurama yelled. “That was the prime cut!”

“Shut up, you overgrown rug!”

“Don’t talk to the Bijuu like that!” Sakura scolded.

“Hn,” Sasuke smirked, sipping his tea.

Kakashi watched them bicker. He smiled—a real eye-smile.

Obito… Rin… Minato-sensei, Kakashi thought. I don’t know what kind of miracle this is. But I promise you… I won’t mess it up this time.

“Cheque please!” Naruto shouted. “Kakashi-sensei is paying!”

“Wait, I thought you said Kage salary—”

“I lied,” Sasuke said. “We’re broke.”

“Some things never change,” Kakashi sighed, reaching for his wallet.

Naruto, Sasuka, and Kurama time reset to save Uchiha clan

Context: The timeline has reset to the year Naruto and Sasuke enter the Academy (approx. age 6-7). The Uchiha Massacre is looming on the horizon—roughly one year away. Tensions between the village and the clan are at a breaking point. Shisui Uchiha is still alive, but Danzo is already sharpening his knife.

Naruto is the hated Jinchuriki. Sasuke is the innocent second son. But inside, they are the Seventh Hokage and the Shadow Hokage.

Here is the beginning of their race against time.

Act 1: The Morning of Ghosts

Naruto’s Apartment

The smell of spoiled milk woke him up.

Naruto Uzumaki opened his eyes. He wasn’t in the Hokage’s office. He wasn’t in his warm bed next to Hinata. He was on a lumpy mattress with a spring digging into his back.

He sat up, looking at his hands. They were tiny. Callus-free.

“Kurama?” he whispered, his voice squeaking.

“I’m here,” the fox grumbled inside his mind. “And I hate this apartment. It smells like despair and instant noodles.”

Naruto looked around. The calendar on the wall marked the date: April 4th. Academy Entrance Ceremony.

Naruto felt a lump in his throat. This was the era where the villagers threw masks at him. Where he couldn’t buy food. Where he was utterly alone.

But then, he clenched his small fist. ‘Not this time,’ he thought. ‘I know who I am. And I know what’s coming.’

The Uchiha Compound

Sasuke Uchiha woke up to the sound of sliding doors.

“Sasuke? Breakfast is ready.”

The voice paralyzed him. It was gentle, melodic, and impossible. It was his mother, Mikoto.

Sasuke lay there for a full minute, mastering his breathing. If he went out there crying, they would suspect something. He was the Shadow Hokage. He had to be stoic.

He walked into the kitchen. There was Fugaku, reading the newspaper. There was Mikoto, flipping eggs.

And there was Itachi.

Itachi looked tired. He was thirteen, an ANBU captain, caught between the coup and the village. He looked up and smiled—a genuine, brotherly smile that Sasuke hadn’t seen in decades.

“Morning, Sasuke,” Itachi said. “Ready for your first day?”

Sasuke sat down. He picked up his chopsticks. His hand trembled, just once.

“Yeah,” Sasuke said, his voice steady but cold. “I’m ready.”

He looked at his father’s back. I will not let you die this time, Sasuke vowed. Even if I have to burn the village leadership to the ground.

Act 2: The Glare

Konoha Academy Entrance

The courtyard was packed with parents and children. The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was giving his “Will of Fire” speech on the podium.

Naruto stood in the back, alone. The other parents formed a subconscious circle around him, leaving a five-foot gap of isolation. He ignored them. He was scanning the crowd.

Where is he?

He spotted the Uchiha crest.

Sasuke was standing next to his mother. He looked bored, bordering on hostile. He wasn’t listening to the Hokage; he was scanning the crowd too.

Their eyes met.

In the original timeline, this was the moment they formed a rivalry based on jealousy and annoyance. In this timeline, the air between them crackled with Intent.

Naruto nodded, a microscopic tilt of the head. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, a silent confirmation.

He remembers.

As the ceremony ended and the kids were herded into classrooms, Sasuke broke away from the group. He didn’t go to class. He walked toward the back of the Academy, near the riverbank.

Naruto followed, hands in his pockets, whistling a tune that sounded suspiciously like a funeral march.

Act 3: The Riverbank Strategy

They stood by the river. The water rushed over the stones—the same river where they would one day fight their final battle. Now, they were just two children standing in the grass.

“You look ridiculous in those goggles,” Sasuke said. It was the first thing he said.

“And you look like a brooding duck,” Naruto retorted, grinning. “Good to see you, Teme.”

“Hn. Dobe.”

The insults were comfortable. They were a handshake.

Sasuke dropped the act. His shoulders slumped, the weight of the situation crashing down on him. “How much time do we have?”

“If my memory serves,” Naruto said, his face turning serious, “Shisui dies in six months. The massacre happens six months after that. We have one year.”

“One year to stop a civil war,” Sasuke kicked a stone into the water. “My father is already planning the coup. The meetings are happening in secret. Danzo has already begun isolating us.”

“We can’t fight them,” Naruto said. “We’re six. Our chakra reserves are barely developed. If we try to assassinate Danzo now, his Root ANBU will kill us before we weave a sign.”

“Speak for yourself,” Sasuke muttered. “I can probably take a chunin. But you’re right. We need a different leverage.”

Sasuke looked at Naruto. “What’s the plan, Mr. Seventh Hokage? Talk no Jutsu on my father?”

“No,” Naruto shook his head. “Fugaku is stubborn. He won’t listen to a Jinchuriki brat. But… there is someone who can stop the coup. Someone Fugaku listens to.”

“Shisui,” Sasuke said.

“Exactly. Shisui Uchiha.” Naruto pointed at the Uchiha district. “In the original timeline, Shisui tried to use Kotoamatsukami on your father to stop the coup. But Danzo stole his eye before he could, forcing Shisui to commit suicide.”

Sasuke’s eyes turned into pinwheels—not the Sharingan, just pure rage. “Danzo…”

“If we save Shisui,” Naruto continued, “Itachi doesn’t snap. If Itachi doesn’t snap, the massacre doesn’t happen. Shisui is the linchpin.”

“How do we save him?” Sasuke asked. “Shisui is an elite Jonin. Danzo ambushed him with an entire squad and Izanagi.”

Naruto grinned. It was a fox-like grin.

“We don’t need to fight Danzo. We just need to ruin his ambush. We know where and when it happens. We just need to be the unpredictable element.”

Naruto tapped his temple.

“We need to train. Fast. I need to get my stamina up so I can use at least a hundred Shadow Clones. You need to unlock your Sharingan… again.”

“I can force it open tonight,” Sasuke said. “The emotional trauma of seeing my ‘dead’ parents should be enough to trigger a one-tomoe.”

“Good. Meet me here every day after the Academy. We play the part of dumb students during the day. At night… we prepare for war.”

Sasuke turned to leave, then stopped. He looked back at Naruto, who was standing alone by the river.

“Naruto.”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t eat cup ramen every night. You’ll stunt your growth again.”

Naruto laughed. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll eat a vegetable.”

Sasuke smirked, a genuine, small smile. “See you tomorrow, Loser.”

The Twist: The Watcher

As the two boys departed, a figure watched from the shadows of the tree line.

Itachi Uchiha stood on a branch, hidden by a genjutsu. He had followed Sasuke to ensure he was safe on his first day.

Itachi frowned.

He had expected Sasuke to play, or maybe get into a fight. Instead, he saw his little brother meet with the village pariah, the Nine-Tails boy. They stood like soldiers. They spoke with a gravity that children shouldn’t possess.

And for a split second, when Sasuke turned, Itachi swore he saw a flash of something in his brother’s eyes. Not innocence. But the weary, cold look of a killer.

What are you two plotting? Itachi thought, his suspicion aroused.

Current Status:

Time until Shisui’s Death: 6 Months.

Naruto: Physical Stats (Low), Mental Stats (God), Kurama (Cooperative but weak).

Sasuke: Physical Stats (Low), Mental Stats (God), Sharingan (Locked, but unlockable).

Threat: Itachi is suspicious of their maturity.

Act 4: The Masquerade

Two Weeks Later - The Academy

“Naruto Uzumaki! Pay attention!”

Iruka-sensei’s chalk hit Naruto squarely on the forehead. The class erupted in laughter. Kiba Inuzuka was barking with amusement, and Shikamaru Nara was asleep, head on the desk.

Naruto rubbed his forehead, feigning a pout. “Ouch, Iruka-sensei! That was a critical hit!”

Internally, Naruto sighed. ‘I dodged light-speed attacks from Madara Uchiha. How did I let a piece of chalk hit me? Oh right. I have to be the idiot.’

He glanced across the room. Sasuke was resting his chin on his hands, staring out the window, effectively ignoring the lecture on basic chakra theory. To anyone else, he looked like an arrogant prodigy. To Naruto, he looked like a man trying not to scream from boredom.

‘Hold on, Teme,’ Naruto projected his thought. ‘Only four more hours until we can leave.’

The Bell Rang.

As the students flooded out, Iruka held Naruto back.

“Naruto,” Iruka said, his voice stern but not unkind—he wasn’t the brother figure yet, just a tired teacher dealing with a prankster. “You painted the Hokage faces yesterday. Again. Why do you do this?”

Naruto looked at Iruka. He remembered the tears Iruka shed for him. He remembered Iruka at his wedding.

Naruto grinned, scratching the back of his head. “Because I’m gonna be Hokage one day! And I gotta make sure the stone faces are ready for mine!”

Iruka sighed, massaging his temples. “Just… go home. And wash the paint off your hands.”

Act 5: The Radar and the Lock

Training Ground 44 (Perimeter)

They met in the dense foliage bordering the Forest of Death. It was the only place where the ambient chakra of the forest was chaotic enough to mask their small signatures.

“Coast clear?” Sasuke asked, leaning against a tree.

“Clear,” Kurama’s voice echoed in Naruto’s mind, which he relayed. “Kurama says no ANBU within a mile. But he senses a weird chakra signature near the Uchiha compound. It’s cold.”

“Danzo,” Sasuke spat the name out. “He’s watching Shisui.”

“We have to hurry,” Naruto said. He held up his hands. “I’ve been working on expanding my coils. My body is still too small for the Rasenshuriken, but I can do the Shadow Clone Jutsu now. Not the Multi-version yet. Just five.”

“Five is enough for intel,” Sasuke noted. “I’ve managed to unlock the one-tomoe Sharingan last night.”

“How?” Naruto asked. “You didn’t have any trauma.”

“I meditated,” Sasuke said darkly. “I forced myself to remember the night Itachi killed everyone. Every detail. The blood. The screams. It was… unpleasant. But it worked.”

Naruto winced. That was the most “Sasuke” way to solve a problem.

“Okay,” Naruto clapped his hands. “Today’s goal: Shisui Uchiha. We need to make contact without blowing our cover. We need to know if he trusts Danzo yet.”

“He does,” Sasuke corrected. “Shisui is naive. He thinks the village leadership is pure. We need to shatter that illusion.”

Suddenly, a rustle in the bushes.

Sasuke and Naruto froze. They didn’t look at each other. They instantly slipped back into character.

“I bet I can skip a rock further than you!” Naruto shouted, picking up a stone.

“You’re dreaming, loser,” Sasuke scoffed. “Watch this.”

A figure stepped out from the trees. It wasn’t Itachi. It was a boy with short, curly black hair and a kind, open face. He wore the standard Uchiha high-collar shirt and a tanto on his back.

Shisui Uchiha. The Body Flicker.

“Well, well,” Shisui smiled, his eyes crinkling. “Sasuke? And… Naruto, right?”

Sasuke dropped his stone. He stared at the cousin who was supposed to die in a few months. The grief hit him like a physical blow, but he shoved it down.

“Shisui-nii,” Sasuke said, bowing slightly.

“What are you two doing so far out?” Shisui asked, walking closer. “This is near the danger zone. There are giant centipedes in there.”

“We’re training!” Naruto declared, puffing out his chest. “Sasuke said Uchiha are the best, and I said I’m gonna be better!”

Shisui laughed. It was a warm sound. “A healthy rivalry. I like it. But maybe you should train somewhere safer.”

He looked at Sasuke. “Itachi has been looking for you. He’s worried you’re hanging out with… bad influences.”

Shisui’s eyes flicked to Naruto. There was no malice, only curiosity. The village hated Naruto, but Shisui was different.

“Naruto isn’t a bad influence,” Sasuke said firmly. “He’s my… rival.”

Shisui raised an eyebrow. Sasuke defending someone? That was new.

“Tell you what,” Shisui said, crouching down to their eye level. “Show me what you’ve got. If you can impress me, I won’t tell Itachi you were out here.”

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a microscopic glance. ‘Opportunity.’

“Okay!” Naruto yelled. “Prepare to be amazed!”

Naruto charged. He didn’t use a Rasengan. He didn’t use a clone. He threw a clumsy punch.

Shisui caught it easily. “Good energy, but—”

Twist.

Naruto didn’t pull back. He used the momentum to swing his legs up, aiming a kick at Shisui’s chin. It was a taijutsu move from the Kumite of the Toad Sages—simplified, but the mechanics were perfect.

Shisui’s eyes widened. He tilted his head back, dodging by a millimeter.

‘That form…’ Shisui thought.

Before Shisui could recover, Sasuke was there. He wasn’t using the Sharingan, but he threw three shuriken. They collided mid-air, changing trajectory to curve around Shisui’s guard—the Uchiha Shurikenjutsu.

Shisui drew his tanto, deflecting the shuriken with a clink-clink-clink.

He jumped back, landing on a branch. He wasn’t smiling anymore. He was looking at them with the eyes of a Jonin.

“That wasn’t Academy style,” Shisui said softly. “Naruto, that kick… that was advanced taijutsu. And Sasuke… that ricochet is something Itachi only mastered last year.”

The air grew tense. They had shown too much.

“We practice a lot!” Naruto said, sweating.

Shisui stared at them for a long moment. Then, he deactivated his combat stance and smiled again. But this time, the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

“You two are talented,” Shisui said. “Very talented. Maybe… too talented to be playing with rocks.”

He vanished. Body Flicker.

He reappeared behind them, whispering in Sasuke’s ear.

“Keep getting stronger, Sasuke. The clan… might need that strength soon.”

Then he was gone.

Act 6: The Intercept

That Night - Uchiha Compound

Sasuke sat on his porch, looking at the moon.

“He knows,” Sasuke whispered.

“He suspects,” a voice answered from the shadows. Naruto dropped down from the roof. He had snuck past the barriers—a feat only possible because he knew where the weak points in the barrier seal were (since he was the one who designed the updated security system twenty years in the future).

“Shisui isn’t stupid,” Sasuke said. “He saw our coordination. We moved like a team.”

“That’s good,” Naruto said, sitting next to him. “If he thinks we’re prodigies, he might trust us with the truth.”

“Or he might think we’re spies.”

“Sasuke.” Naruto looked at him. “We have to accelerate the plan. We can’t wait six months. Danzo is moving.”

“What do you mean?”

“Kurama sensed it,” Naruto pointed to his stomach. “Root agents are moving towards the Naka Shrine. Tonight.”

Sasuke stood up. “The tablet?”

“No,” Naruto stood up too. “They’re meeting Itachi.”

Sasuke froze.

“Itachi is meeting Danzo tonight?”

“It’s likely the first recruitment pitch,” Naruto said grimly. “Danzo is going to poison his mind. Tell him the coup is inevitable. Tell him the only way to save you is to kill everyone else.”

Sasuke grabbed his kunai pouch. “We have to stop it.”

“We can’t stop the meeting,” Naruto warned. “If we interrupt, they kill us. We need to listen. We need to know exactly what Danzo is offering.”

“Eavesdropping on a Root leader and an ANBU captain?” Sasuke scoffed. “Suicide.”

“Usually, yes,” Naruto grinned. “But I have something they don’t.”

Naruto formed a cross seal. “Shadow Clone Jutsu.”

One clone appeared. But this clone looked different. It was smaller, transformed into a stray cat.

“Transformation?” Sasuke raised an eyebrow. “Standard.”

“Not just transformation,” Naruto corrected. “I’m suppressing its chakra to civilian levels. Kurama is holding the rest back. To Danzo, this is just a cat.”

“And if they kill the cat?”

“Then I get the memory of them killing a cat,” Naruto shrugged. “But we might hear something useful first.”

Sasuke looked at the ‘cat’. He looked at Naruto.

“Fine,” Sasuke said. “Send it in.”

The cat-Naruto nodded and sprinted into the darkness towards the Naka Shrine.

The clock was ticking. The manipulation of Itachi Uchiha was about to begin.

Act 7: The Cat in the Shrine

Location: Naka Shrine, Uchiha Compound. Time: Midnight.

The rain had started to fall—a cold, miserable drizzle that slicked the roof tiles of the Naka Shrine.

A small, orange tabby cat (Naruto’s clone) skittered across the wet shingles. It moved with unnatural grace, its paws making zero sound. Inside the cat’s mind, Naruto was screaming at himself to keep his chakra suppressed.

‘Hold it in. Don’t leak a drop. Just be a cat. You want fish. You hate water. You are a cat.’

He reached the edge of the roof and peered down into the open veranda.

Two figures stood in the shadows.

One was Itachi Uchiha. He was wearing his ANBU grey vest, his posture rigid, his face a mask of exhaustion.

The other was an old man with a bandaged right eye and a cane. Danzo Shimura.

Naruto-Cat flattened its ears. He crept closer, hiding behind a gargoyle, straining his enhanced feline ears to hear over the rain.

“…The discontent is growing, Itachi,” Danzo’s voice was like grinding stones. “Your father played his hand at the council meeting today. He demanded autonomy over the Police Force budget. It’s a precursor to a demand for leadership.”

“My father is proud,” Itachi replied, his voice tight. “But he is not irrational. He can be reasoned with.”

“Can he?” Danzo stepped closer, the cane tapping softly on the wood. “Shisui believes he can use Kotoamatsukami to change Fugaku’s mind. A noble idea. But naive.”

‘He knows about Shisui’s plan,’ Naruto thought. ‘He’s already countered it.’

“If Shisui uses his eye,” Danzo continued, “The clan will panic. They will think their leader has been compromised by the village. Chaos will ensue. And in that chaos… the other nations will strike.”

“I will not let that happen,” Itachi said.

“You have no choice!” Danzo snapped. The sudden aggression made Naruto-Cat flinch. “The Uchiha coup is inevitable. And when it happens, the Leaf will be forced to retaliate. We will wipe out the Uchiha. All of them. The men, the women… the children.”

Itachi went still.

“Including Sasuke,” Danzo whispered.

The name hung in the air like a guillotine blade.

“But…” Danzo softened his tone, the master manipulator at work. “There is another way. A way to save the village and the Uchiha name. And most importantly… your brother.”

“How?” Itachi asked, his voice breaking.

“Eliminate the threat yourself. Before the coup starts. If you do this… I can ensure Sasuke is spared. He will grow up in the village, unaware of the darkness. He will be safe.”

Itachi looked down at his hands. He was trembling.

Naruto-Cat felt a surge of rage so potent he almost lost the transformation. ‘You monster. You’re making him choose between his family and his brother.’

Suddenly, Danzo’s head snapped up. He looked directly at the roof.

“We are not alone.”

Two Root ANBU flickered into existence from the shadows of the garden. They drew their tantos.

Itachi’s Sharingan flared to life. “An intruder?”

Naruto-Cat froze. ‘Crap. Crap. Crap.’

A Root agent threw a kunai. It was fast—Jonin level speed.

Naruto couldn’t dodge. If he dodged, he’d reveal he was a ninja. If he took the hit, he’d poof.

Thunk.

The kunai missed the cat by an inch, embedding itself in the wood.

Itachi had deflected it with a shuriken.

“It’s just a cat, Danzo,” Itachi said coldly, lowering his hand. “Don’t let your paranoia consume you.”

The orange tabby meowed pitifully, puffed up its tail, and scrambled away across the roof, slipping on the wet tiles for dramatic effect.

Danzo narrowed his eye. He watched the cat disappear.

“Perhaps,” Danzo muttered. “But animals have ears too. Finish the mission, Itachi. You have until the full moon.”

Act 8: The Emergency Council

Naruto’s Apartment (Roof)

Poof.

The clone dispelled. The memories slammed into the real Naruto.

Naruto gasped, clutching his head. The sensory overload of rain, fear, and Danzo’s voice made him dizzy.

“What?” Sasuke demanded. He was pacing back and forth. “What did you hear?”

Naruto looked up. His blue eyes were storm-dark.

“It’s worse than we thought. He gave Itachi the ultimatum. ‘Kill the clan to save Sasuke’.”

Sasuke stopped pacing. He didn’t scream. He didn’t cry. He went deadly still—the stillness of a predator.

“And Shisui?” Sasuke asked.

“Danzo mentioned him. He knows Shisui is going to use Kotoamatsukami. He called it ‘naive’. He’s not going to let Shisui meet your father.”

Naruto stood up. “The full moon is in three days. But Danzo won’t wait that long. He needs Shisui’s eye before the coup starts.”

“He’ll attack tomorrow,” Sasuke deduced. “Shisui has a patrol mission near the cliff edge tomorrow afternoon. It’s the perfect ambush spot.”

Sasuke looked at his hands. They were small. Weak.

“We can’t fight Danzo, Naruto. Even if we use Kurama’s chakra, our bodies will break after one attack. We’re six years old. We can’t use Susanoo. We can’t use Sage Mode.”

“We don’t need to overpower him,” Naruto said. He walked to the edge of the roof, looking at the Hokage faces. “We just need to change the playing field.”

Naruto turned around. “I have a plan. It’s risky. It involves your brother.”

“Itachi?”

“No,” Naruto shook his head. “We can’t trust Itachi right now. He’s too unstable. I mean the other brother. The one you haven’t met yet.”

Sasuke frowned. “What are you talking about?”

Naruto grinned. “We’re going to bring a guest to the ambush. Someone Danzo can’t kill. Someone who, if he sees Danzo attacking an Uchiha, will start a war that Danzo can’t afford.”

“Who?”

“The Hyuga.”

Act 9: The Hyuga Gambit

Next Morning - The Academy Playground

The plan was insane. It relied on the political tension between the Uchiha and the Hyuga.

The Uchiha were the Police. The Hyuga were the “Noble” clan. They hated each other. But they hated Danzo’s shadowy operations even more.

“Target sighted,” Sasuke whispered.

Across the playground, a small girl with pale lavender eyes was sitting alone, hesitantly watching the other kids play. Hinata Hyuga.

She was shy, bullied, and currently the heiress of the most powerful clan in Konoha (since the Uchiha were being ostracized).

“You want to use Hinata as bait?” Sasuke hissed. “Naruto, that’s your wife.”

“Not bait,” Naruto corrected. “A witness. If the Byakugan sees Danzo stealing a Sharingan, the secret gets out. Danzo can’t kill the Hyuga Heiress without triggering a civil war with the Hyuga. He’ll have to retreat.”

“And how do you get her to the cliff edge?” Sasuke asked. “She faints if you look at her.”

“Watch and learn, Teme.”

Naruto took a deep breath. He fixed his goggles. He marched across the playground.

Three bullies were currently surrounding Hinata.

“Look at her eyes! creepy!” one kid shouted. “Byakugan monster!”

In the original timeline, Naruto would have rushed in yelling and gotten beaten up. In this timeline, Naruto walked up behind the lead bully and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Hey,” Naruto said.

The bully turned around. “What do you want, demon-fox?”

Naruto didn’t yell. He just projected a tiny, microscopic sliver of Killer Intent—the kind he used on Kaguya.

The bully turned pale. His knees knocked together. He felt like a dragon was breathing down his neck.

“L-leave us alone!” The bully shrieked and ran away. The others followed.

Naruto turned to Hinata. She was trembling, clutching her jacket.

“Hi,” Naruto beamed, the killer aura vanishing instantly. “I’m Naruto. You okay?”

Hinata looked at him. Her face went red. She started to sway.

“D-don’t faint!” Naruto grabbed her shoulders. “Hinata, listen! I need your help. It’s a super secret mission. Life or death. Can you be brave for me?”

Hinata blinked. The boy she admired from afar was asking for her help? The fainting spell paused.

“M-mission?” she squeaked.

“Yeah,” Naruto whispered conspiratorially. “Sasuke and I are going to track a rare beetle near the cliffs. But we need a scout with special eyes. We need the Byakugan.”

Hinata’s eyes widened. “Me?”

“Only you,” Naruto said seriously. “Will you come with us after school? Please?”

Hinata looked at Naruto’s earnest blue eyes. She took a deep breath.

“Y-yes.”

Act 10: The Cliff Edge Ambush

Location: The Naka River Cliffs. Time: Sunset.

Shisui Uchiha stood on the cliff edge, looking at the setting sun. He felt uneasy. The message from the Hokage had asked him to meet here, but the chakra in the air felt wrong.

“You’re early, Shisui.”

Shisui turned. Danzo Shimura walked out of the forest, flanked by five Root ANBU.

“Danzo-sama,” Shisui bowed cautiously. “Where is the Hokage?”

“He isn’t coming,” Danzo said, removing his right arm from his robe. “I am here to take your eyes for the good of the village. Your Kotoamatsukami is too dangerous to be left in Uchiha hands.”

Shisui’s eyes narrowed. “You intend to start the conflict you claim to prevent?”

“I intend to end it.”

Danzo lunged. He was fast. Shisui activated his Mangekyou Sharingan instantly.

Clash.

Shisui deflected Danzo’s strike, but the Root ANBU surrounded him. Sugaru (the Aburame Root member) unleashed poisonous beetles.

Shisui was overwhelmed. He was fighting to disable, not kill, which put him at a disadvantage.

Danzo saw his opening. He reached for Shisui’s right eye.

“It’s mine!”

Rustle.

“Wait!” A squeaky voice shouted from the bushes. “I see it! It’s a shiny beetle!”

Danzo froze. His hand was inches from Shisui’s face.

From the bushes, three children tumbled out. Naruto, Sasuke… and Hinata Hyuga.

Hinata had her Byakugan activated (Naruto had convinced her to practice). She froze.

She saw Danzo. She saw the Root ANBU. She saw Shisui fighting for his life.

“H-Hinata?” Shisui gasped.

Danzo stopped. He looked at the girl. The pale eyes of the Hyuga clan stared back at him.

‘The Hyuga Heiress?’ Danzo’s mind raced. ‘If I kill her, Hiashi Hyuga will burn the village down. If I let her go, she tells her father she saw me attacking Shisui.’

“Uncle Danzo?” Naruto asked loudly, playing the idiot perfectly. “Why are you wrestling with Shisui-nii? Are you training?”

Sasuke stepped forward, placing himself between Danzo and Hinata.

“Shisui-nii,” Sasuke said, his voice trembling with fake fear. “We were just… looking for bugs.”

The Root ANBU looked to Danzo for orders. ‘Eliminate the witnesses?’

Danzo looked at Hinata. He looked at the Uchiha prodigy. He looked at the Jinchuriki.

Killing three clan heirs (and the weapon) in one go? It was too messy. Even for him.

Danzo slowly lowered his hand. He adjusted his robe.

“Training,” Danzo said, his voice dripping with venom. “Yes. We were just testing Shisui’s reflexes.”

He looked at Shisui. The silent threat was clear: ‘Speak and they die.’

“Go home, children,” Danzo hissed. “It is dangerous here.”

He signaled his men. The Root ANBU vanished.

Shisui fell to his knees, panting. He still had both his eyes.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata stood there.

Hinata tugged on Naruto’s sleeve. “N-Naruto-kun… that old man was… scary. His chakra was… dark.”

“I know, Hinata,” Naruto whispered, patting her hand. “You did great. You just saved the world.”

Shisui looked up at the three children. He looked at Sasuke, who wasn’t looking at bugs, but looking at him with a terrifyingly adult expression.

‘They knew,’ Shisui realized. ‘They brought the Hyuga here on purpose.’

Shisui stood up. He walked over to them.

“Sasuke,” Shisui said softly. “Naruto. We need to talk.”

Sasuke nodded. “Yes. We do.”

Status:

Shisui: Alive (Both eyes intact).

Danzo: Retreated (Temporarily checkmated).

Hinata: Confused but helpful.

The Secret: Shisui now realizes Naruto and Sasuke are not normal children.

The game has changed. Shisui is alive, but Danzo will not stop.

Act 11: The Mask Falls

Location: The Cliff Edge (Sunset)

The sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows over the river. The Root agents were gone.

Naruto turned to Hinata. Her legs were shaking, the adrenaline wearing off.

“Hinata,” Naruto said. His voice was no longer the high-pitched squeak of a prankster. It was the calm, baritone cadence of a leader. “Go straight home. Stick to the main roads. Do not stop for anyone.”

He placed a hand on her shoulder. A tiny pulse of Kurama’s chakra—warm and reassuring—flowed into her, calming her nerves instantly.

“Y-yes, Naruto-kun,” she whispered, wide-eyed. She didn’t question the change in his voice. She just ran, clutching her chest, back toward the safety of the Hyuga compound.

Silence descended on the cliff.

Shisui Uchiha stood panting, clutching his chest. He looked at the two boys remaining. He saw the way they stood—backs straight, guard down but awareness maxed out. They looked at him not with awe, but with assessment.

“You’re not children,” Shisui said, his Sharingan spinning slowly. “No Genin—no matter how talented—could coordinate a Hyuga intervention like that. You used her political status as a shield. That was a Jonin-level strategy.”

“It was a Kage-level strategy,” Sasuke corrected.

Sasuke stepped forward. He closed his eyes, then opened them.

He didn’t have his Rinnegan. He didn’t even have his Mangekyou yet in this body. But he projected the Killing Intent of a man who had slaughtered gods.

The air temperature dropped ten degrees. Birds stopped singing. Shisui, one of the strongest Uchiha in history, felt a bead of cold sweat roll down his neck.

“Shisui,” Sasuke said. “We are going to tell you the truth. And you are going to listen. Because if you don’t, the Uchiha clan dies in one year.”

Shisui gripped his tanto. “Who are you?”

“We are the ghosts of a failed future,” a deep, demonic voice rumbled.

Red chakra bubbled out of Naruto’s stomach. It didn’t burn him; it wrapped around him like a cloak. A spectral fox head materialized over Naruto’s shoulder, looking Shisui dead in the eye.

Shisui froze. “The Nine-Tails?!”

“Sit down, Uchiha,” Kurama growled. “We have work to do.”

Act 12: The Future History

They sat in a circle on the grass. The barrier seal Naruto erected around them hummed quietly, blocking sound.

Shisui sat in stunned silence as they laid it out. They didn’t sugarcoat it.

The Suicide: “In our timeline, Danzo took your right eye today,” Sasuke said. “You gave your left eye to Itachi and jumped off this cliff. You thought your death would inspire Itachi to protect the village.”

The Massacre: “It didn’t,” Naruto continued. “It broke him. Danzo forced Itachi to choose: the coup or Sasuke. Itachi chose Sasuke. He slaughtered the entire clan. Everyone. Your mother, your father, the civilians.”

The Aftermath: “Itachi became a rogue ninja. I became an avenger,” Sasuke said, looking at his hands. “I spent ten years in darkness. I tried to destroy Konoha. I tried to kill Naruto.”

Shisui looked at Sasuke. The horror on his face was absolute.

“Itachi… kills everyone?” Shisui whispered. “Because I died?”

“Because you left him alone,” Sasuke said brutally. “You were the only one who could bridge the gap between the Clan and the Village. When you died, the bridge collapsed.”

Shisui put his head in his hands. “I just wanted to stop the fighting. I thought Kotoamatsukami was the only way.”

“Mind control is a temporary fix,” Naruto said. “You were going to use it on Fugaku. But what about the rest of the clan? What about Danzo? As long as Danzo breathes, the Uchiha are threatened.”

Shisui looked up. The despair was replaced by a hardening resolve.

“So,” Shisui said. “You came back.”

“We woke up here,” Naruto shrugged. “But we’re fixing it.”

“What is the plan?” Shisui asked. He looked at Sasuke—really looked at him. He saw the resemblance to the future warrior he would become. “If Danzo wants me dead, I can’t go back to the village. He’ll just send more Root agents.”

“Exactly,” Sasuke grinned. It was a terrifying expression on a seven-year-old face. “To Danzo, you are dead. We need him to believe his plan worked.”

“We’re going to play the ‘Living Ghost’ strategy,” Naruto explained.

Act 13: The Counter-Coup

The Plan:

Fake the Death: Shisui disappears. He leaves a suicide note, just like in the original timeline.

The Trigger: This will cause the Uchiha Clan to panic and accelerate the Coup d’état, just as Danzo wants.

The Trap: When the Clan meets at the Naka Shrine to declare war, and when Danzo prepares his Root agents to slaughter them… Shisui returns.

The Reveal: Shisui reveals himself not to the Hokage, but to the Uchiha Clan first. He reveals that Danzo tried to assassinate him.

“Wait,” Shisui frowned. “If I tell the Clan that Danzo attacked me, they will riot. They will attack the village immediately. That causes the Civil War.”

“Not if you bring the right witness,” Sasuke said.

“Who?”

“Hiruzen Sarutobi. The Third Hokage.”

Naruto leaned forward. “The Third didn’t know about Danzo’s ambush. He’s soft, but he’s not corrupt. If we bring the Third Hokage to the Uchiha meeting, and then you reveal yourself and Danzo’s treachery… Hiruzen will have no choice.”

“He will have to arrest Danzo to prevent the Uchiha from revolting,” Shisui realized. “It forces the Hokage to pick a side. Justice, or Civil War.”

“And Hiruzen always chooses peace,” Naruto noted.

“But we have a problem,” Shisui said. “My eyes. If I go into hiding, Danzo will suspect I’m alive unless he has proof.”

Sasuke reached into his pouch and pulled out a scroll. He unsealed a jar. Inside were two generic Sharingan eyes (taken from a Root agent in the future, kept in a storage seal? No, that’s too complex).

Correction: Naruto bit his thumb.

“Summoning Jutsu.”

A small toad appeared. It coughed up a jar containing generic eyes—standard preservation fluid.

“Don’t ask where I got these,” Naruto said (Jiraiya’s research supplies). “We’ll use a Genjutsu on the cliff. We leave blood. We leave ‘remains’. We make it look like you fell into the river and were crushed.”

“Danzo will look for the body,” Shisui said.

“Let him look,” Sasuke said. “By the time he realizes you aren’t down there, it will be too late. The Clan meeting is in three days.”

“Three days,” Shisui stood up. He tied his headband tighter. “Three days of hiding. Three days of letting Itachi suffer, thinking I’m dead.”

“It’s necessary,” Sasuke said. “Itachi needs to see the darkness of the village to understand why we need to change it. But this time… he won’t be alone.”

Shisui looked at the two time-travelers. He bowed. Not to children, but to superiors.

“I’m in. What do you need me to do?”

“Go to the safe house,” Sasuke ordered. “The old cat lady’s place in the abandoned district. No one goes there. Wait for my signal.”

“And you two?”

Naruto cracked his knuckles.

“We have to go to school tomorrow,” Naruto groaned. “I have a math test.”

Sasuke smirked. “And I have to act like a traumatized brother. It shouldn’t be hard.”

Act 14: The Ripple Effect

The Next Morning - The Academy

News of Shisui Uchiha’s “suicide” hit the village like a bomb.

The Uchiha Military Police were in a frenzy. They were tearing the village apart looking for answers. The official story was that Shisui drowned in the Naka River.

In the classroom, the mood was heavy.

Sasuke sat at his desk, staring at the wood. He didn’t have to act. The tension in the air was real.

Itachi had not come home last night. He was currently being interrogated by the Uchiha Elders, who accused him of killing Shisui.

Naruto sat two rows back. He watched Sasuke’s back.

‘Hold on, Sasuke,’ Naruto thought. ‘Just three days.’

Suddenly, the door slid open.

Iruka-sensei walked in, looking nervous. Behind him was a peculiar guest.

“Class,” Iruka said. “We have a… visitor observing the class today.”

An old man with a pipe and a Hokage hat walked in. Hiruzen Sarutobi.

The Third Hokage.

“Don’t mind me,” Hiruzen smiled benevolently. “I’m just checking on the future of the Leaf.”

Naruto’s eyes narrowed. ‘He’s checking on Sasuke. He knows the Uchiha are at the breaking point. He’s worried Sasuke might snap.’

This was it. The opportunity.

Naruto raised his hand. “Lord Hokage! Lord Hokage!”

Hiruzen chuckled. “Yes, Naruto?”

“Is it true that the Police are fighting with the ANBU?” Naruto asked loudly. The whole class gasped. “My neighbor said the Uchiha are mad because someone killed their best ninja!”

Iruka panicked. “Naruto! That’s inappropriate!”

Hiruzen’s smile didn’t waver, but his eyes sharpened.

“Rumors are dangerous, Naruto,” Hiruzen said softly. “The village is at peace.”

“But if they are fighting,” Naruto persisted, looking Hiruzen dead in the eye with a seriousness that made the Hokage pause. “You’d stop it, right? Because you’re the Hokage. You wouldn’t let bad guys hurt the Uchiha, right?”

Hiruzen stared at the blond boy. For a second, he saw Minato.

“I would never let anyone hurt a citizen of this village,” Hiruzen said firmly.

“Good!” Naruto grinned, dropping the act. “Remember that!”

Sasuke didn’t turn around, but he smirked.

‘The trap is set. The Hokage has given his word in front of witnesses. Now we just need to drag him to the shrine.’

Next Stop: The Night of the Meeting.

Act 15: The Hokage’s Visitor

Location: The Hokage Tower, Office of the Third. Time: 8:00 PM.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was tired. The pipe smoke hung heavy in the room. His crystal ball sat on the desk, dark. He had a bad feeling—a knot in his stomach that he hadn’t felt since the Nine-Tails attacked.

Tap. Tap.

He looked at the window. Nothing.

Tap.

He turned his chair. Sitting on the windowsill, casually perched like a bird, was Naruto Uzumaki.

Hiruzen blinked. The window was on the fourth floor. The ANBU guards outside were elite. There were barrier seals on the glass.

“Naruto?” Hiruzen asked, bewildered. “How did you get past the barrier?”

“The formula on the southwest corner is degraded,” Naruto said. His voice was not loud. It was calm. He hopped down into the office, his sandals making a soft thud. “You should have Jiraiya fix it when he gets back.”

Hiruzen put his pipe down. “Naruto… you are acting strange. You should be in bed.”

“And you should be at the Uchiha Compound,” Naruto countered. He walked to the center of the room. He didn’t look like a child. He stood with the posture of a veteran commander.

“The Uchiha are holding a meeting tonight at the Naka Shrine,” Naruto said. “Fugaku is going to declare the Coup d’état in one hour.”

Hiruzen stiffened. “That is an S-Class secret. Who told you that?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Naruto said. He looked at the Third Hokage—the man who had raised him, failed him, and loved him. “What matters is that Danzo Shimura has his Root agents surrounding the compound. He isn’t waiting for the coup to start. He’s waiting for the excuse to kill them all.”

“Danzo wouldn’t—”

“He tried to kill Shisui Uchiha three days ago,” Naruto interrupted sharply. “He stole his eye.”

Hiruzen stood up, his chair scraping back. “Shisui committed suicide.”

“Did he?” Naruto reached into his pocket. He pulled out a scroll—a summoning contract. But not for toads. It was a storage scroll. He tossed it to Hiruzen.

Hiruzen caught it. He opened it. Inside was a piece of fabric—a torn sleeve from a Root ANBU uniform, stained with Aburame beetle venom.

“Proof,” Naruto said. “Shisui is alive. I have him. But if you don’t come with me right now, Old Man, the Uchiha Clan dies tonight. And the Leaf Village breaks.”

Hiruzen looked at the boy. He saw the whisker marks, the blue eyes… but he saw something else. He saw Minato’s sharp intellect. He saw Kushina’s fire.

“Naruto,” Hiruzen whispered. “Who are you really?”

Naruto smiled. It was a sad, weary smile.

“I’m the Seventh Hokage,” Naruto said. “From a future you don’t want to see. Now, grab your staff. We have a war to stop.”

Hiruzen hesitated for a fraction of a second. Then, the God of Shinobi grabbed his combat gear.

“Lead the way.”

Act 16: The Naka Shrine

Location: Under the Naka Shrine. Time: 8:30 PM.

The secret meeting room was packed. Every able-bodied Uchiha man and woman was there. The air was thick with smoke and anger.

Fugaku Uchiha stood at the front, in front of the stone tablet. His arms were crossed.

“The village does not trust us!” Fugaku shouted, his voice echoing off the stone walls. “They moved us to the outskirts. They spy on us. And now… they have killed Shisui!”

A roar of agreement went up from the crowd. “Justice for Shisui! Down with the Council!”

In the back corner, Itachi Uchiha leaned against a pillar. He looked like a ghost. His eyes were hollow. He knew Danzo’s agents were outside. He knew that if his father said the word “War,” he would have to draw his sword and kill everyone in this room.

‘I have no choice,’ Itachi thought, his hand trembling near his hilt. ‘To save Sasuke… I must become a demon.’

Sasuke sat near the front, next to his mother. He looked small. Innocent.

But under the table, Sasuke’s hands were forming seals. Not for a jutsu. For a signal.

Fugaku raised his hand. The room went silent.

“Tonight,” Fugaku announced, “We take back our pride. We will capture the Hokage. We will demand our rights. We launch the coup at dawn!”

“YEAH!”

“Wait!” Itachi stepped forward. The crowd turned to him with sneers.

“Father, please,” Itachi begged, his voice cracking. “This is madness. We cannot win. You will destroy the village!”

“Traitor!” someone shouted. “You’re Danzo’s dog!”

“Silence!” Fugaku barked. He looked at his eldest son with disappointment. “Itachi. If you will not stand with your family… then stand aside.”

Itachi closed his eyes. Tears leaked out. He gripped his kunai. ‘Forgive me, Mother. Forgive me, Father.’

He prepared to strike.

BOOM.

The heavy stone doors of the shrine didn’t open. They exploded.

Act 17: The Intervention

Dust filled the room. The Uchiha drew their weapons instantly. Dozens of Sharingan flared red in the dark.

“Who dares?!” Fugaku roared.

Through the dust, a small figure walked in. An orange jumpsuit. Goggles.

“Evening, everyone!” Naruto shouted, waving casually. “Is this a private party? Because nobody sent me an invite!”

“The Jinchuriki?” An Uchiha spat. “Kill him!”

“Stand down!” a powerful voice commanded.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stepped through the dust behind Naruto. He wore his battle armor. His staff, Enma, was in his hand. His chakra pressure was immense—the heavy, suffocating weight of a Kage.

The Uchiha froze. Even Fugaku took a step back.

“Lord Third,” Fugaku hissed. “You come here… to execute us?”

“I come here to talk,” Hiruzen said, his eyes scanning the room. He saw the weapons. He saw the hate. “Fugaku, put down your sword. Let us discuss this grievances before blood is shed.”

“It is too late for talk!” Fugaku yelled, pointing his blade at the Hokage. “You killed Shisui! You ordered Danzo to silence him!”

Hiruzen looked at Fugaku. “I ordered no such thing.”

“Lies!” The crowd screamed.

“He’s telling the truth,” a new voice spoke.

From behind Hiruzen, a third figure emerged. He wore a cloak, his face hidden by a hood. He walked to the center of the room, standing between the Hokage and the Uchiha Clan.

He pulled down the hood.

The room gasped. Itachi dropped his kunai.

“Shisui?” Itachi whispered, his legs giving out.

Shisui Uchiha stood there. He looked tired, bandaged, but alive. Both eyes were open.

“I am not dead,” Shisui announced, his voice ringing clear. “But I was meant to be.”

He turned to Fugaku.

“The Hokage did not order my death, Uncle. Danzo Shimura did. He attacked me at the cliffs. He tried to steal my eyes to prevent me from stopping this coup.”

Shisui pointed at the door.

“Danzo wants you to revolt. His Root agents are outside right now, surrounding the shrine. If you attack the Hokage… you give Danzo exactly what he wants. The excuse to wipe us out.”

The Uchiha Clan murmured. Confusion replaced the anger.

“Danzo?” Fugaku lowered his sword. “But… surely the Hokage knew?”

Hiruzen stepped forward. “I did not. And if Danzo has attacked a Leaf shinobi… that is treason.”

Hiruzen turned to the door. His face was hard as stone.

“Anbu!” Hiruzen shouted.

A squad of Hokage’s personal ANBU (who had followed him) appeared.

“Secure the perimeter,” Hiruzen ordered. “Arrest any Root agent found near this compound. If they resist… kill them.”

“Yes, Lord Hokage!”

Act 18: The Reunion

The tension in the room broke. The coup was effectively cancelled. The enemy wasn’t the Village; it was Danzo.

Itachi was still on his knees, staring at Shisui.

Shisui walked over and offered a hand. “I’m sorry I made you worry, Itachi.”

Itachi grabbed the hand, pulling himself up, and then pulled Shisui into a desperate hug. The stoic prodigy sobbed into his cousin’s shoulder.

“I thought… I thought I had to kill them,” Itachi choked out.

“I know,” Shisui whispered. “I know what he made you promise.”

Sasuke watched from his seat. He felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Naruto.

“We did it,” Naruto whispered. “History changed.”

Sasuke looked at his father. Fugaku was sheathing his sword, talking rapidly with Hiruzen about joint operations to root out Danzo’s spies.

Sasuke looked at his mother. Mikoto was crying, hugging Itachi and Shisui.

The Shadow Hokage let out a breath he felt he had been holding for twenty years.

“Yeah,” Sasuke said softly. “We did it.”

Act 19: The Fall of the Hawk

Location: Root Headquarters (Underground). Time: 9:00 PM.

Danzo sat in his chair. He was waiting for the signal. The signal that the Uchiha had attacked.

Instead, the door to his sanctuary was blasted off its hinges.

“Danzo Shimura!”

Hiruzen Sarutobi walked in. Behind him were Shisui, Itachi, and Fugaku.

Danzo’s eye widened. ‘Shisui… alive? And with Fugaku?’

He realized instantly. The game was lost.

“Hiruzen,” Danzo said, remaining seated. “You are making a mistake. The Uchiha are a cancer. They must be excised.”

“The only cancer here is you,” Hiruzen said coldly. “Attacking a comrade. Plotting mass murder. Conspiring against the peace.”

Danzo stood up. “I did it for the village! You are too soft, Hiruzen! You cannot do what needs to be done!”

“Maybe,” Hiruzen said. “But that is why I am Hokage. And you are not.”

Danzo moved to weave a sign. Izanagi?

Flash.

Before Danzo could clasp his hands, a shuriken severed the tendon in his wrist.

It wasn’t thrown by Hiruzen. It wasn’t thrown by Itachi.

It was thrown by a seven-year-old Sasuke, who was standing in the shadows behind the adults.

Danzo gritted his teeth, clutching his arm. He looked at the boy.

Sasuke stared back. His eyes were black onyx—cold, abyssal.

“For the eyes you stole,” Sasuke whispered. “And the brother you broke.”

Danzo was surrounded. Root agents were being neutralized by the combined forces of the Police and the Hokage’s ANBU.

Danzo looked at Hiruzen one last time.

“You will regret this,” Danzo spat. “Without me… the darkness will consume you.”

“Take him away,” Hiruzen ordered. “To the high-security prison. He will stand trial for treason.”

As Danzo was dragged away, screaming about the future of the Leaf, Naruto and Sasuke stood at the back of the room.

“He lives?” Sasuke asked, disappointed.

“For now,” Naruto said. “A trial exposes him to the world. It destroys his ideology. Death is too easy.”

Sasuke huffed. “Fine. But if he tries to escape…”

“Then we handle it,” Naruto promised.

Epilogue: The New Timeline

One Month Later.

The village was different.

The tension was gone. The Uchiha barriers were down. Fugaku and Hiruzen were seen drinking tea together at the tower.

Shisui was appointed as the liaison between the Clan and the Council.

Itachi had taken a leave of absence from ANBU. He was currently teaching Sasuke how to throw shuriken by the river—for real this time.

Naruto sat on the swing set. But he wasn’t alone.

Hinata was pushing the swing. Sasuke was leaning against the tree. Shisui was nearby, waving.

“So,” Naruto said, looking at the peaceful village. “Phase 1 complete. Uchiha Massacre: Averted.”

“Phase 2,” Sasuke said, checking a scroll. “Akatsuki. We have about six years before they start moving seriously. But Obito is still out there. And Black Zetsu.”

“And Orochimaru,” Naruto added. “He’s going to try to invade during the Chunin Exams in five years.”

“We have time,” Sasuke said. He looked at Itachi, who was laughing at something Shisui said. “We have plenty of time.”

Naruto jumped off the swing.

“Hey, Sasuke.”

“What?”

“Since we’re technically unemployed and children… want to go get ramen?”

Sasuke sighed. “You’re paying. I spent my allowance on kunai.”

“You’re the rich clan heir! I’m the orphan!”

“My assets are frozen until I’m 18. Regulations.”

“Liar!”

As they bickered and walked toward Ichiraku, with Hinata giggling behind them, the ghost of the future faded. The tragedy was rewritten.

Kurama first returns to save Minato and Kushina

Act 1: The Fox Wakes Up

October 10th. The outskirts of Konoha.

The world was fire and blood.

The Nine-Tailed Fox roared, its massive claws tearing through the forest. It felt pure, unadulterated rage. It wanted to destroy. It wanted to kill the Fourth Hokage. It wanted…

Wait.

The rage vanished instantly, replaced by a profound sense of disorientation.

“What…?”

Kurama blinked his massive eyes. A second ago, he was fading away into nothingness, watching Naruto use Baryon Mode to save the world from Isshiki Otsutsuki. He had said his goodbyes. He had died.

So why was he staring at a twenty-four-year-old Minato Namikaze?

And why was he stepping on a hut?

“This is…” Kurama looked down at his paws. They were translucent, made of pure chakra. He looked at the barrier surrounding them. “The Adamantine Sealing Chains.”

He looked at the woman holding him down. Kushina Uzumaki. She was dying, blood soaking her white dress, her life force fading after the extraction.

He looked at the man standing before him. Minato Namikaze, panting, blood running down his face. Minato was forming a very specific set of hand seals.

Snake. Boar. Ram. Rabbit…

Kurama recognized it instantly. The Reaper Death Seal.

Minato was about to sacrifice his soul to seal Kurama away.

“STOP!”

The roar wasn’t a beast’s scream. It was a word. Clear, booming, and intelligent.

Minato froze, his hands inches from completing the final seal. He looked up at the giant fox, eyes wide with shock.

“It… spoke?” Minato gasped.

“Put your hands down, Fourth,” Kurama snarled, his voice rumbling like an earthquake. “If you summon the Shinigami, you die. And if you die, the boy is left alone. And if the boy is alone… the world ends.”

Minato hesitated, keeping his guard up. “You’re the Nine-Tails. You just tried to destroy the village. Why should I listen to a monster?”

“Because I’m not the monster you think I am. Not anymore,” Kurama said. He lowered his massive head, bringing it eye-level with the Hokage. “I have memories, Minato. Memories of a future where you die tonight. Where Kushina dies. Where your son grows up eating instant ramen and drinking expired milk, hated by the village you died to save.”

Minato flinched. The specificity of the “instant ramen” detail was weirdly convincing.

“Listen to me,” Kurama commanded. “The masked man—Obito—is gone. I am no longer under his control. I am willing to be sealed. But not like this.”

Kushina coughed, blood spattering the ground. “Minato… I can’t… hold him… much longer.”

“She is dying because I was extracted,” Kurama said, looking at Kushina with a surprising softness. “If you seal me into the boy, she dies. If you seal me into yourself, she dies.”

“Then what do I do?!” Minato yelled, desperation cracking his voice.

“Split me,” Kurama said. “Into three.”

Minato blinked. “Three?”

“The boy—Naruto—is the child of prophecy. He needs the core of my power. But he is a baby; he cannot handle all of it. Give him the Yang half.”

Kurama pointed a claw at Minato.

“Take a third for yourself. It will give you the power to protect him when the masked man returns. And he will return.”

Then, Kurama pointed at Kushina.

“And put the final third back into her. It will stabilize her life force. She is an Uzumaki. With my chakra, she will survive the extraction.”

Minato looked at his wife. She was fading fast. He looked at the baby crying on the altar. He looked at the giant fox who was offering a truce.

“A willing Jinchuriki requires no Reaper Seal,” Minato realized. “I can use the Eight Trigrams style.”

“Do it,” Kurama growled. “Before I change my mind and eat you.”

Minato didn’t waste a second. He flashed through a new set of hand signs.

“Kushina! Hold on!”

Eight Trigrams Sealing Style: Tri-Partition.

A golden light erupted from the clearing. The massive body of the Nine-Tails dissolved into three streams of red and gold chakra.

One stream flowed into Minato’s stomach. One stream flowed back into Kushina’s weakened body. The largest stream swirled into the navel of the crying infant.

The barrier fell. The forest went silent.

Minato fell to his knees, gasping. He felt the heavy, potent chakra of the fox settling in his gut. He looked up.

Kushina was lying on the grass. Her hair was matted, her skin pale… but her chest was rising and falling.

“Minato…” she whispered.

Minato rushed over, scooping her up. “I’m here. You’re alive. We’re all alive.”

He looked at the baby. Naruto had stopped crying. On his stomach, a fresh seal glowed black before fading.

Minato looked at the sky, where the moon shone bright.

“Thank you,” Minato whispered to the chakra inside him.

“Don’t thank me yet,” Kurama’s voice echoed in his head, sounding tired. “Just make sure the brat eats his vegetables. I’m going to sleep for a few years.”

Act 2: The Prodigies Wake Up

Four Years Later.

The Leaf Village was peaceful. Without the death of the Fourth Hokage, the power vacuum never happened. The Uchiha were still under suspicion, but Minato was handling it diplomatically. Danzo was kept on a short leash.

Naruto Uzumaki was four years old. He was a happy, energetic child who lived in a house, not an apartment. He had a mother who taught him how to read and a father who taught him how to throw shuriken.

But today, something was different.

Naruto was sitting in the sandbox at the park. He was building a mountain.

Suddenly, a headache split his skull.

Images. A swing set. A cold glare. A headband. Zabuza. Pain. Jiraiya. The Toad. Sage Mode. War. The Moon. Hinata.

Naruto dropped his plastic shovel. He clutched his head, his blue eyes dilating.

The memories of a 32-year-old Hokage slammed into the brain of a four-year-old. It was overwhelming. He fell back into the sand, gasping.

“Naruto?”

A voice called out.

Naruto looked up. Standing over him was a boy with raven-black hair and a high-collared shirt. Sasuke Uchiha, also four years old.

Sasuke looked pale. He was trembling. He was clutching a kunai so hard his knuckles were white.

Sasuke looked at Naruto. Naruto looked at Sasuke.

In that sandbox, the air changed. The childish innocence evaporated instantly.

“Dobe?” Sasuke whispered.

Naruto’s eyes widened. The headache faded, leaving behind perfect clarity.

“Teme,” Naruto breathed.

They stared at each other. Then, simultaneously, they looked at their tiny hands.

“I’m… small,” Naruto said, his voice high-pitched. “I’m tiny. And I’m in a sandbox.”

“We’re four,” Sasuke deduced, his eyes darting around the park to check for threats. “The memories just hit me. I was walking with Itachi and suddenly I remembered fighting Momoshiki.”

“Momoshiki…” Naruto rubbed his temples. “Right. We died? No, Kurama died. Then I…”

“I didn’t die, you idiot.”

The voice boomed in Naruto’s head.

Naruto froze. Tears welled up in his eyes instantly. “Kurama?”

“I’m here,” Kurama said. “And I’m also in your dad. And your mom. It’s a long story. But welcome back, Seventh.”

Naruto let out a wet laugh, wiping his eyes. “He’s alive. Everyone is alive.”

“Naruto,” Sasuke said sharply. He was looking at the gate of the park.

Walking toward them was a woman with long red hair, holding a bento box.

“Naruto! Sasuke-kun!” Kushina waved. “Snack time!”

Naruto stared at her. In his old life, he had met her only once, as a chakra imprint. Now, she was here. Flesh and blood. Alive.

And behind her, walking with a calm grace, was Itachi Uchiha. He was alive too. He wasn’t a rogue ninja. He was just a big brother picking up Sasuke.

Sasuke’s lower lip trembled. The Shadow Hokage, the man who showed no emotion, looked like he was about to break.

“Mom…” Naruto whispered.

“Nii-san…” Sasuke choked out.

Naruto stood up. He looked at Sasuke.

“Hey, Sasuke.”

“What?”

“We’re in the Golden Route, aren’t we?”

Sasuke looked at Itachi, then back at Naruto. He wiped his face, composing himself. A determined smirk appeared on his face.

“Yeah,” Sasuke said. “And this time, we’re not letting anyone die. Not Neji. Not Jiraiya. Nobody.”

Naruto grinned. He grabbed his plastic shovel like a sword.

“Let’s go save the world, dattebayo.”

But first…

“NARUTO!” Kushina yelled, grabbing him in a hug that cracked his ribs. “Did you wash your hands?!”

Naruto couldn’t breathe. It was the best feeling in the world.

“Yes, Mom!”

Status Update:

Time: 4 Years Post-Attack.

Minato: Alive (Jinchuriki of Yin-Kurama).

Kushina: Alive (Jinchuriki of Partial-Kurama).

Naruto: Alive (Jinchuriki of Yang-Kurama). Memories Restored.

Sasuke: Alive. Memories Restored.

Kurama: Awake in all three hosts. The Mastermind of the timeline.

The strongest Team 7 in history has just awakened in kindergarten.

Act 3: The Hug that Changed History

Location: The Park Sandbox. Time: Late Afternoon.

Sasuke stood there, staring at the older brother he had killed in another life. The brother who had poked his forehead and died smiling.

Itachi was young here—only nine years old. He wasn’t the tired, tormented double-agent yet. He was just a genius boy carrying a school bag.

“Sasuke?” Itachi tilted his head. “Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Sasuke didn’t answer. He couldn’t. The memories of the Tsukuyomi, the hatred, the eyes… they all swirled in his toddler brain.

He dropped his toy kunai. He ran.

He slammed into Itachi’s legs, wrapping his small arms around his brother’s waist, burying his face in the standard-issue ninja mesh shirt.

“Whoa,” Itachi laughed, patting Sasuke’s head. “Did you miss me that much? I was only at the Academy for six hours.”

“Don’t go,” Sasuke mumbled into the shirt. His voice was muffled, hiding the fact that he was fighting back tears. “Don’t go to ANBU. Don’t listen to Danzo.”

Itachi froze. “Danzo? Where did you hear that name, Sasuke?”

Sasuke tightened his grip. “Just… promise me. You and me. Always.”

Itachi smiled—a genuine, confused, but loving smile. He poked Sasuke’s forehead.

“Maybe next time, Sasuke.”

Sasuke flinched. That phrase.

“No,” Sasuke looked up, his black eyes fierce. “Now. Promise me now.”

Itachi blinked. He saw an intensity in his little brother that shouldn’t be there.

“Okay,” Itachi whispered. “I promise. I won’t go anywhere.”

From the sandbox, Naruto watched. He wiped a booger from his nose (he was four, after all) and gave Sasuke a thumbs up.

‘Phase 1: Secure the Bro. Complete.’

Act 4: The Tailed Beast Conference Call

Location: The Namikaze Household. Time: Dinner.

The atmosphere was chaotic. Kushina was trying to feed Naruto carrots. Minato was reading a scroll while eating miso soup.

“Open wide, dattebane!” Kushina threatened with a spoon.

“I don’t like carrots!” Naruto whined. This wasn’t acting. Even as the Seventh Hokage, he hated carrots.

“Eat the carrots, Naruto,” Kurama’s voice grumbled in his head. “Or I will reduce your chakra reserves.”

‘Shut up, Kurama. You’re just grumpy because Dad has the other half of you.’

Suddenly, Minato dropped his spoon. He clutched his stomach.

“Minato?” Kushina asked, worried. “Is it the seal?”

“No…” Minato looked up, his eyes wide. “The Nine-Tails… he’s talking to me.”

Kushina blinked. “He’s talking to me too. He says… ‘Turn on the mental link, you stubborn humans.’”

The Connection.

Suddenly, the minds of Minato, Kushina, and Naruto were pulled into a shared mental space—a sewer system, but cleaner, with three cages.

Inside, three Kuramas sat in a circle.

Yang-Kurama (Naruto’s): The veteran. The one who knew everything.

Yin-Kurama (Minato’s): The one who had been asleep for four years.

Mom-Kurama (Kushina’s): The fragment that kept her alive.

And standing in the water were the conscious avatars of Minato, Kushina, and tiny Naruto.

“What is this?” Minato asked, looking around. “A genjutsu?”

“A conference call,” Yang-Kurama said. “We don’t have much time before your dinner gets cold. Listen closely. The toddler explains it best.”

Minato and Kushina looked at their son.

Naruto sighed. He stepped forward. His avatar wasn’t a child. It was the form of the teenage hero of the War.

“Dad. Mom,” Naruto said. “I’m from the future. About twenty-eight years.”

Kushina’s jaw dropped. “My baby… is so handsome!”

“Focus, Kushina!” Minato said, though he was blushing with pride. He looked at Naruto. “Future? Is that why Kurama split himself?”

“Yes,” Naruto said. “In my timeline, you died saving the village from the Nine-Tails. Mom died too. I grew up alone.”

Kushina covered her mouth, tears welling up.

“But you changed that,” Naruto smiled. “You’re alive. Which means we can fix the next big tragedy before it happens.”

Naruto’s expression hardened. He looked exactly like Minato in that moment.

“The Uchiha Clan.”

Act 5: The Truth Bomb

Back in the Real World.

Minato put his chopsticks down. The playfulness was gone. He was the Yellow Flash now.

“The Uchiha,” Minato said softly. “The council has been pressuring me to move them to the outskirts. They suspect the Uchiha controlled the Nine-Tails four years ago. Only a Sharingan can do that.”

“They were right about the Sharingan,” Naruto said, his four-year-old voice sounding eerily serious. “But they were wrong about the person.”

Naruto looked his father in the eye.

“It wasn’t Fugaku. It wasn’t the Police Force.”

“Who was it?” Minato asked. “The Masked Man. Who is he?”

Naruto took a deep breath.

“His name is Obito Uchiha.”

Minato froze. The air left the room.

“Obito?” Minato whispered. “My student? But… he died. Under the rocks.”

“He survived,” Naruto explained. “Madara Uchiha saved him. Brainwashed him. He’s the one who attacked the village. He’s the one who killed you in the other timeline.”

Minato closed his eyes. The grief was visible. He had fought the Masked Man that night. He had marked him. To think that was Obito…

“Does Fugaku know?” Minato asked.

“No,” Naruto shook his head. “Fugaku is innocent. But Danzo is using the suspicion to isolate the clan. If this continues, in four years, the Uchiha will plan a coup. And Danzo will order Itachi to massacre them all.”

Kushina slammed her fist on the table. The table cracked.

“They make Mikoto’s son kill her?!” Kushina roared, her hair floating up in nine strands. “Over my dead body!”

“Exactly,” Naruto grinned. “So, here is the plan.”

Act 6: The Executive Order

The Next Morning - The Hokage’s Office.

Minato Namikaze sat at his desk. He looked tired (he had stayed up all night talking to future-Naruto), but his resolve was iron.

“Send in Fugaku Uchiha,” Minato ordered his assistant.

Fugaku walked in. He looked stiff, defensive. He expected another lecture about the Police Force boundaries.

“Lord Hokage,” Fugaku bowed.

“Fugaku,” Minato said, standing up. “I am dissolving the relocation order.”

Fugaku blinked. “Excuse me?”

“The Uchiha will not be moved to the outskirts,” Minato stated. “In fact, I am dismantling the separation of the Police Force district. You are free to live anywhere in the village.”

Fugaku was stunned. “But… the Council. Danzo. They suspect us of the attack.”

“I know who attacked the village,” Minato lied (partially). “My investigation has concluded. The culprit was a rogue ninja acting alone, unaffiliated with the Uchiha Clan current leadership. You are cleared of all suspicion.”

Minato walked around the desk and extended his hand.

“I need your help, Fugaku. The enemy is still out there. I need the Uchiha Police Force to work with the ANBU, not against them. I want to integrate our defenses.”

Fugaku looked at the Hokage’s hand. For four years, he had felt the village turning against him. He had begun to resent the Leaf.

But now, the Hero of the Leaf was vindicating them.

Fugaku took Minato’s hand. “You have the full support of the Uchiha Clan, Lord Fourth.”

Act 7: The Root of the Problem

Two Days Later - An Unmarked Training Ground.

Danzo Shimura walked with his cane. He was meeting with two Root agents.

“The Hokage is soft,” Danzo muttered. “Reintegrating the Uchiha? Madness. We must accelerate the surveillance.”

“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that, Danzo-sama.”

Danzo turned.

Minato Namikaze leaned against a tree. He wasn’t smiling.

“Hokage,” Danzo narrowed his eye. “You are making a mistake.”

“The mistake was allowing you to operate in the shadows for so long,” Minato said.

Minato pushed off the tree. In a flash of yellow light, he was behind Danzo. A kunai was pressed against the elder’s throat.

“I know about the arm,” Minato whispered.

Danzo froze.

“I know about the Sharingan you’ve stolen,” Minato continued. “I know you’ve been poisoning the village against the Uchiha. And I know you’ve been in contact with Orochimaru.”

This was intel Naruto had given him (courtesy of future knowledge).

“Dissolve Root,” Minato ordered coldly. “Surrender your stolen eyes. Or I will execute you for treason right here.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Danzo hissed. “I am the darkness that protects the light!”

“I am the Yellow Flash,” Minato said. “I don’t need darkness. I am fast enough to protect everything myself.”

Minato pressed the blade closer.

“This is your only warning. Retire, Danzo. Go to a tea house. Play shogi. Because if I see one Root agent near an Uchiha… you’re dead.”

Danzo trembled. He felt the killer intent of the man who single-handedly ended the Third War.

“Fine,” Danzo spat.

The Result

One Week Later - The Park.

Sasuke was swinging on the swing set. Itachi was pushing him.

Naruto ran up, holding a melting popsicle.

“Hey Teme!” Naruto yelled. “My Dad says your Dad is coming over for BBQ tonight!”

Sasuke looked at Naruto. He saw the grin.

“Did it work?” Sasuke whispered when Itachi looked away.

“Yup,” Naruto whispered back. “Danzo is under house arrest. Fugaku is happy. And Mom invited Mikoto-obachan over.”

Sasuke looked at his hands.

The massacre wasn’t just delayed. It was deleted.

“So,” Sasuke said, jumping off the swing. “What do we do now? We’re four. We have huge chakra reserves and nothing to fight.”

Naruto licked his popsicle.

“Well… Kurama says there’s a snake guy named Orochimaru hiding in the Sound Village. Want to go prank him?”

Sasuke smirked. “I hate snakes.”

“Let’s wait until we’re six,” Naruto reasoned. “We need to learn how to write our names first.”

“I already know how to write my name, Dobe.”

“Show off.”

The Barbecue of Dreams

Location: The Namikaze Backyard. Time: Sunset.

The smell of charcoal and marinated beef drifted over the fence, mixing with the scent of blooming flowers. It was a smell Naruto knew well from his future, but here, it smelled different. It smelled like home.

Minato Namikaze wore a pink apron that said “Kiss the Hokage.” He was currently battling a flare-up on the grill with the speed of the Yellow Flash.

“Minato! Don’t burn the short ribs!” Kushina yelled from the table, waving a pair of tongs menacingly. “If you char them, I’ll seal you into a teapot!”

“I’ve got it, I’ve got it!” Minato laughed, teleporting a platter of perfectly seared meat onto the table. “Safe and sound.”

Sitting across from them were the guests of honor.

Fugaku Uchiha, the stern leader of the Police Force, sat in a lawn chair. He looked uncomfortable, not because of the company, but because he was wearing a casual polo shirt instead of his high-collar uniform. He held a cup of sake.

“Your husband is… energetic,” Fugaku noted, watching Minato flash-step to get more sauce.

“He’s a spaz,” Mikoto Uchiha giggled, pouring Fugaku more sake. “But he cooks well. Relax, dear. The village isn’t going to burn down tonight.”

Fugaku sighed, the tension in his shoulders—carried for years of political strife—finally melting away. He took a sip.

“Hn. The meat is good.”

The Kids’ Table

On a smaller bench nearby, the “children” were gathered.

Itachi (age 9) was feeding Shisui (age 11) a piece of beef because Shisui’s hands were full of dango. They were laughing about a prank they pulled on the Anbu guard earlier. They were children. Not soldiers. Not spies. Just boys.

And then, there were the two four-year-olds.

Naruto and Sasuke sat side-by-side, their legs dangling off the bench. They held plates that were too big for their laps.

“So,” Naruto whispered, chewing on a piece of galbi. “Mission Accomplished?”

“Danzo is under house arrest,” Sasuke murmured, cutting his meat with surgical precision. “My father is drinking with yours. My mother is laughing with yours. And Itachi…”

Sasuke looked up. Itachi caught his eye and smiled, a genuine, unburdened smile that reached his eyes. He walked over and poked Sasuke’s forehead.

“Eat up, Sasuke. You need to get big if you want to beat me.”

Sasuke didn’t brush his hand away. He touched his forehead, his eyes softening.

“Yeah,” Sasuke whispered. “Mission accomplished.”

“Hey,” Kurama’s voice grumbled in Naruto’s head. “Tell your dad to put more pepper on the next batch. The Yin-half inside him is complaining it’s too bland.”

‘Tell him yourself, furball,’ Naruto thought back happily. ‘You’re literally inside him.’

“I don’t want to ruin the moment,” Kurama admitted softly. “He’s… happy.”

Naruto looked at Minato. The Fourth Hokage was currently being put in a headlock by Kushina for stealing a piece of meat. They were laughing. They were alive.

Naruto felt a lump in his throat. In his old life, he would have given anything—his arm, his chakra, his title—for five minutes of this. And now, he had a whole lifetime of it.

“Hey, Teme,” Naruto said, wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

“What, Dobe?”

“Pass the sauce.”

Sasuke handed him the bottle. “Don’t cry in the sauce. It’s salty enough.”

“I’m not crying! It’s the smoke!”

“Sure.”

Sasuke took a bite of his food. He looked at his family, then at Naruto’s family. The Uchiha crest and the Uzumaki spiral, side by side, not as enemies, but as friends.

“Naruto,” Sasuke said quietly.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

Naruto grinned, his whisker marks stretching. He held up his cup of apple juice.

“To the future?”

Sasuke smirked—the smirk of a rival, a brother, and a friend. He clinked his plastic cup against Naruto’s.

“To the future.”

As the sun set over Konoha, casting a golden glow over the backyard, the laughter of the two strongest families in history echoed into the night. The tragedies were gone. The wars were cancelled.

And the meat was perfectly cooked.

THE END.