Mt Myōboku:
"Don't. You. Dare." Tobirama seethed as he stood drenched in mud. It was brown. So he hoped it was mud. But judging from the flies...it was mud. Nothing else but MUD!
Naruto sucked in cheeks and bit down lightly as she felt the bubbly feeling rise from her pits and mumbled out slowly and carefully. "Do what? I have no idea..." a large 'splat' was heard with Naruto losing her control and bursted out in laughter as a large slob of green gunk fell on top of Tobirama and ignored the burning glare he was giving her. "BAHAHAHA HAHAHA! You look like a hedgehog that went through the sewers!" feeling the ground quake slightly as a large Gamakichi and Gamatatsu landed either side of her and hugged her tightly. They were they size of their father now.
"NARUTO!" they both cheered as Gamakichi said. "We've missed you!" both releasing the suffocating blonde as the soiled Hokage smirked at her karma. Gamakichi whacking Naruto's head and scolded her. "Do you know how worried we were?! You are so damn lucky that Gamamaru-Ojiji-sama found you in time!"
Naruto rubbed her head as she ignored her two main summon as she helped the Nidaime out of the 'mud' and looked to Gamatatsu. "Can you clean him up, Gamatatsu?" wrinkling her nose as the stench flowed on through and pointed out. "Toss the clothes and get something clean. I'll have at least 5 Kilos of candy waiting for you the next time we meet." Linking pinkies with the large yellow toad and explained to the dark orange toad. "I'll apologise to everyone later. Okay? I have more important matters to think about right now and I really don't need the added pressure, Gamakichi." Patting his arm and walked off.
Gamakichi sighed heavily and said to his brother. "She really has grown up from that clumsy orange knucklehead ever since the Perv passed. I guess we should just be thankful that she's still Naruto even with all the pressure on her shoulders."
Gamatatsu chuckled and replied. "Brother, you're forgetting that Naruto has us. She's not dumb enough to do everything by herself. She's our familiar after all." Facing the intrigued Hokage and bowed. "Come with me, Mister. I got to get you clean or Naruto won't give me candy."
"Is Naruto...important to you?" the Nidaime questioned as he sluggishly followed the two large toads through the beautiful Mountain.
The brothers looked scandalous as Gamakichi pointed out. "Naruto may be a bit slow, but we all care for her as if she is one of our own. She's like a cute little fox you want to protect, but you can't because the cute little fox is extremely stubborn and doesn't like to follow the rules."
"Yet she is a shinobi. Why doesn't she follow the rules set? It could lead to immense danger and cause casualties." Tobirama pushed further. He wanted to figure out how Naruto's brain worked. She was...odd.
Gamakichi continued to explain as his brother was content with just listening for now. "She does what's right. Even against the orders of her superiors. Once she sets her mind on something, she sees it through to the very end. If she wants to save a precious person and go against the village, she will save that precious person and bring them home. Naruto wants nothing more than to protect everyone and she already knows how, but the thing is, is that she's too stubborn to say it aloud."
Gamatatsu added in his two cents. "She's a villain's worst nightmare. She will never give up till she dies and that's why Ojiji-sama likes so much about Naruto. She's the light in our world. Without her, who knows what will happen." He said knowingly and cryptically that left Tobirama in though.
He wondered who exactly Naruto Uzumaki is. He knew from her chakra that she was only half an Uzumaki and half of something else. That something else might be the key to figuring the blonde out. At least that's what he hoped.
With Naruto:
Gamamaru looked down at the sharp-blue-eyed blonde girl before him and parted his old lips. "All but Young Naruto; please leave the room."
Ma and Pa looked to each other and nodded as they left the building and closed the heavy doors. It must be very important if the Great Elder Toad wanted to speak privately to the blonde.
The two were in complete silence just staring at one another before Naruto broke out in tears and ran up to the old toad and held onto him tightly as he soothed her back calmly. "Everything will be alright, Young Naruto." Gamamaru eased out as the blonde cried harder into his large wrinkled belly.
"How is everything going to be alright, Gama-Jiji?!" Naruto cried heavily as she peeked up at him as he smoked on his pipe. "I'm not in my time! I know nobody here! My precious people aren't here! Jiji is younger than me and Baa-chan and Ero-Sennin are just babies! Everything hurts!" pointing to her head and heart. "My friends could be dying in the war and what am I doing?! Relaxing with Kurama in a village that's not mine! Why am I here and not helping to end the war?! Why Gama-Jiji?! WHY?!" she pleaded with him.
Gamamaru placed his pipe down and touched her forehead with a webbed finger as he said calmly. "The world is a strange place, Young Naruto. An idol out of place shall be returned in due time." Waving a large hand over his glass ball and showed Naruto what was happening in her time.
Naruto gasped as a hand was brought to her mouth. "They're...all...frozen. Stopped...moving."
"You and the Kyūbi have activated a very powerful time-seal. Tell me, can you read this for me?" waving his hand over the glass ball again to show the blonde some ancient ruins and watched her face carefully as her eyes squinted before they glowed bright in wisdom. He smiled. "It seems you have inherited a gift from your ancestors, Young Naruto." She could read seals just like a picture book like all of the old clan leaders of the Uzumaki clan. The first since the destruction of Uzushiogakure. If only they spotted this sooner, Naruto could've learnt more about her people.
"I don't understand." Naruto whispered as she held her head in confusion. "This doesn't make sense. How come it says I shall go home when heart allows it?!" pointing to the ruins and cried up to the toad. "I want to go home! All of me want to go home! Why aren't I with my nakama to help them end the war?! I don't understand, Gama-Jiji! Why are they frozen?!"
"They are frozen because you are here, Young Naruto." The toad replied and he bobbed the blonde's head to knock some sense into her before she had a panic attack. It worked. Considering she was sitting before his large crystal ball with a serious gaze. He was talking to the Child of Prophecy. "These words were carved by the creator of all things Ninjutsu. The Rikudō Sennin. This seal was created to protect the birth place of the nine Bijū as I assume they Kyūbi had told you this already."
As if on cue, Kurama puffed into existence next to Naruto in the same size as Gamamaru with 5 flowing tails behind him as he carefully curled himself around his Jinchuriki. "I think it is best that I explain what this seal does. I went through some of my oldest memories and this here..." flicking a tail towards the ancient curves. "...is a time seal that sends the activator back in time with all the chakra they have on them, but making sure to leave enough in the host to live. Frankly speaking, only Naruto's chakra brought us this far back. None of mine was used as a safety precaution the Sage placed on the seal." Another tail pointing towards the centre that held the symbol of the Uzumaki clan. "This was to insure nobody went all the way back to the beginning of time and ruined everything that has already come to play. Normally this seal would've sent an average person back 2-3 years, but since your chakra reserves are on par with the Yonbi, you've managed to throw yourself to the beginning of the Hidden Villages. These here..." a third tail coming into play and pointed to the several small circles with kanji in them as Naruto concentrated fully on Kurama's voice as her gaze never left the seal. "This will wipe the memory of all you have met in this timeline so it doesn't screw up the future. They will never know you exist but one." A fourth tail touching the vine patterns etched into the Uzumaki emblem. "This here allows the activator to allow one of the many to retain their memories as the activator returns to their timeline when the time-limit is up. The only thing is, is that I don't know the time limit. Only the activator will know when it's time to leave." Retracting his tails and licked his Jinchuriki's frowning face.
Naruto looked up to him with understanding swimming through her oceanic viewfinder and said. "So me; only I will know when we go back." Getting a nod from the ancient relics and returned her view to the glass orb as she pulled her knees to her chest and held onto them tightly. "But then why are the toads here?" The summoning contract as unfurled from across the room and looked to it in confusion as she stood up and left Kurama's comfort to check it out.
"Enter Sage-mode, Young Naruto and you will soon find out." Gamamaru said and watched carefully with the Kyūbi as blonde Jinchuriki did as she was told and decided to address the Kyūbi. "You have come a long way since the Sage's time, Kyūbi."
"Tch. Your words mean nothing to me, toad." Kurama muttered as he rested his head on his front paws and watched Naruto out of the corner of his eye. His chakra was slowly coming back and looked to his tails. He was almost back to his full power of nine tails. He knew when Naruto said 'I shall go home when heart allows it' that when the time came to leave, it would hurt Naruto. He would be there for her though; he would be her pillar and help her win the war back home. He could tell Naruto was distracted and spoke to the old toad. "This was supposed to happen, wasn't it? For her to come back in time. What is she supposed to be here for?"
Gamamaru rubbed his chin for a while before answering the nine tailed fox. "Yes. I had visions of a mischievous blue-eyed girl that would fall back in history. She would also be pushed forward to her people. For this reason, I have no clue. She is already strong in mind, body and soul. She could stay here for days, week, months and quite possibly decades till the time comes for her to leave and returns to her original age." He shook his head sagely. "The time for her to return is always changing. Undetermined."
Kurama smirked into his paws. 'I see now. That sly old sage. You even fooled me for a while. If you were still living, Naruto would've beaten you into the ground.' Watching as Naruto gasped.
"Ehh you serious?" Naruto whispered in awe as her yellow toad eyes roamed over her name. "So you guys will always be with me for as long as I live, not matter where I go?" looking to the Great Elder toad for confirmation.
Gamamaru smoked his pipe and nodded at the relieved blonde. She wasn't alone. She never has been. Never will be.
Naruto gave Kurama a look as he tsked and shrunk down to a large dog with one tail and left the building. Naruto looking up at the Elder Toad with a dark aura surrounding her with a light smile.
Gamamaru had never felt so afraid in his entire life. He forgot a tiny detail about the contract and sage-mode. He blamed it on his old age.
Only one word left Naruto's cold smiling lips. "Explain."
Tobirama:
The Nidaime walked out of the changing rooms refreshed and cleaned. Wearing a dark-blue toga with a lighter shade of blue trimmings and a pale yellow waist sash, sandals with his forehead helmet in place as the toads burned his ruined casual clothes. They were getting old anyway. He was trying to find the two summon that seemed like the blonde's familiars and asked them more about the optimistic blonde when suddenly her fox landed beside him and both grunted their greetings to one another.
"You smell like you've been through the sewers, water-boy." Kurama smirked as he knew the Nidaime was trying to keep his composure wrapped up under his stoic face. Even if the water-boy did wash him-self thoroughly, Kurama's sense of smell was superior.
"You still smell." A teasing voice wafted as the two males directed their challenging gazes over to the blonde who was in new material. Now wearing black jeans that hugged her curves and a red blouse that brought more colour to her hair and eyes...and her developing breasts with sandals as her hair flowed freely down her back.
Kurama could smell the blood. Seemed his Jinchuriki went roughhousing with a few toads.
Tobirama on the other had cleared his dry throat and wondered if he was getting sick. His throat had been dry many times in the past two days. "Are you sure you're 16, Naruto? You act like a child then like an adult." He had never seen the clothes Naruto wore before in all his life.
"And you must be 50 with that hair of yours and your suspicious..." waving her hands about. "Aura." Naruto finished and giggled when Tobirama didn't budge, but knew from reading Sasuke that he was annoyed, and nodded to Kurama who left them alone and returned to his seal to sleep. He needed to regain his chakra and Naruto knew being outside of the seal was taxing on him right now, but it didn't stop him from being by her side. "How old are you anyway? It's not fair that you know how old I am and not me for you." A mischievous grin appeared on her face.
Unknowingly making Tobirama nervous as he shifted his leg slightly and folded is arms. "27."
"Ah you're younger than Kakashi-sensei." Naruto smiled and gestured for the Nidaime to follow her. "Then I guess Hashirama must be in his mid-30's." shrugging her shoulders. This time period was weird. Knowing from the toads that it was normal in this time to have kids at a young age. A very young age. She didn't mind. If they loved each other, then it was okay in her mind. But in her Konoha, age didn't matter for shinobi. Shinobi didn't have time.
Naruto took Tobirama to a memorial stone and showed him the names on there. There were only two. The only two summoner for the toads of Mt Myōboku. "These are the names of my Dad and Godfather. Minato Namikaze and Jiraiya." Pointing to each name respectively.
"Like the infant from the orphanage? You named him after your Godfather." Tobirama pointed out. "Why?"
Naruto chuckled as she shrugged her shoulders. "Dunno. For some reason, I believe that baby Jiraiya will make a difference in the world and become a splendid person when he's older. I guess that's why I gave him this name from that story, Jiraiya the Gallant."
Tobirama glanced down at her. "And there are toads here just as in the story." Gaining a light laughter from the blonde but the hard look in her eyes, he knew that the death of her Godfather still hit her hard. "And this Minato Namikaze...you father. You are an Uzumaki-Namikaze."
"Just Uzumaki." Naruto pointed out. "My dad was a great man, even though I don't really know him. He died the night I was born, but I don't mind. He's the man I look up to before I even knew he was my father. His name will be heavy to carry and nobody but Dad can carry Namikaze. It's a name of a hero." She shook her head with a small smile. "What about you? Who's your dad?"
Tobirama raised a brow and wondered what compelled her to get to know him. Didn't she know of his father? His name was known all throughout the Land of Fire, Water, Wave and Sand. Though the look in her eyes said that she had no clue who his father was and answered her smoothly. "His name was Batsuma Senju. A calm and stern man and a little bit belligerent." Stopping as he saw Naruto confused face and used another word for belligerent. "Argumentative..." same reaction and decided to talk to Naruto as he would to his brother. "Hostile and a bit militant." Seeing her eyes twinkle in understanding and moved on. She wasn't a theory person that was for sure. "He believed that raising your children to be the best shinobi they can was the greatest love a parent could show for their child and that if a young child died in battle, they died a true shinobi."
"Well..." Naruto started before she bluntly said. "If I were to ever meet your Dad, I would've beaten him into the ground. Your Dad is stupid."
Tobirama narrowed his red orbs and said as calmly as he could to the blonde. "Excuse me? Could you please explain to me why?"
Naruto laughed. "Isn't it obvious?! The beginning of life is supposed to be free and to be filled with fond memories that make you strive to fight for the future so that the next generation can experience that happiness too. A kid's mind is still growing and innocent. They deserve to be innocent, even for a little while."
Tobirama heard the experience on Naruto's last sentence and didn't question her about it. It wasn't his place to interrogate her. His brother told him last night to go easy on the blonde and without his consent his hand moved and patted her head awkwardly as she looked up to him with large surprised orbs. He said to her. "I must apologise to you about being so harsh about your comment about my father. I remember that everyone has their opinion on raising a child." Remembering his observations from the orphanage yesterday and noticed that Naruto and her clones made sure that none of the children were alone. She wanted them to be happy and hold onto their innocents a little longer. He respected that and moved his hand off her head.
Naruto smiled brightly up and him with a chuckle. Never seeing his eyes widen as he cleared his throat. "You're weird, Tobirama." Naruto said and chortled more when she noticed his lips twitch in annoyance as his folded arms tensed. "But I guess I like weird people like you. Your honest." She scratched her whiskered cheek nervously and looked away with a nervous cough and saw several toads watching her and turned a darker shade of red and squealed before she ran off in embarrassment.
Tobirama's brain froze over along with his body. A woman had never called him weird before and thought that his honesty was harsh. He sighed. "What an odd girl." He muttered and looked to see what made Naruto run off. He had felt their chakra gather around them for a while now but didn't mention anything to the blonde. It was a prime opportunity to figure out the blonde Uzumaki. He sighed again. He didn't know how to get back to Konoha and ran off to find the blonde. It wasn't hard. He would be able to trace her distinct chakra signature in another county.
Tobirama found Naruto easily when she suddenly turned to him with a large grin and grabbed his hand and pulled him into a run. "N-Naruto..." he faltered at the sudden skinship and kept his pace up her with her long legs. Both running through the large flowers that substituted for large pine trees back in Konoha and followed Naruto as she didn't let up her grip on his hand and both weaved around the giant flowers till they emerged at the edge of a mountain. Tobirama didn't even realise they were even running uphill as he was interested in taking in his surroundings. It wouldn't be everyday an outsider would be summoned to Mt Myōboku. Looking out with wide eyes to the view high up in the mountains that showed all of Mt Myōboku. It was magnificent. Straight out of a fairy-tale or a dream. He could feel all of the chakra coming from the Toads electrify his body but more importantly, Naruto's seemed to overpower all of theirs and felt her chakra seep into his pores with Goosebumps appearing over his body. This place was indeed magical.
"It is amazing right." Naruto whispered as she looked over the lands. "I want to find a view like this back home." never knowing that their hands were still entwined.
Tobirama glanced down at her and smirked a little before he asked. "Why did you bring me here, Naruto? This seems like a special place to you."
"Dunno. Just felt like it." She shrugged her shoulders. "And the toads like you as well. Otherwise you wouldn't be wearing such nice clothes." Her eyes never leaving the majestic forest of Myōboku before she faced the Nidaime and looked down at her hand as she wondered why it was warm and squealed in embarrassment as she let go and apologised. "S-so s-sorry...umm...s-sorry I f-forgot..." Gaining another awkward pat to her head and smiled a little. "Sorry."
Tobirama didn't say anything and removed his hand from her head and asked. "We should head back to Konoha if your business is done here."
"Ah right!" Naruto beamed. The previous encounter gone from her head as she warned the Nidaime. "Just letting ya know, we might get a bad landing, Dattebayo." Grabbing his shoulder and summoned them back to Konoha before he could open his mouth.
Big mistake.
Naruto's orbs widen in shock as she found herself on top of a broad brunet man. Deep blue clashing with vermillion red with soft small lips touching rough lips that turned into a smirk. Naruto squealed and leapt off the man in shock and held her hands to her lips as the brunet stood up with his smirk still in place with his sharingan never leaving her eyes. "Teme..." Naruto cussed as the Uchiha's smirk deepened.
"Naruto Uzumaki. It's a pleasure to finally introduce myself to you properly." Bowing smugly with an arm across his waist as he still refused to release Naruto's gaze. "I am Madara Uchiha."
Naruto scowled and stomped on his foot and turned her back on him and stormed off. She didn't care for the scandalous gasps from the public (females) and forgot that she landed on top of the Uchiha clan head in the middle of an unknown street. Her anger made her forget that Tobirama was missing as they got to Konoha. She just kissed the bastard that ruined her family's life. He hadn't ruined it yet, but he would. He would forget that she existed when she left and be a bastard still.
Tobirama on the other hand landed at the hot springs and was chased by his screaming fangirls. He inwardly cursed Naruto and hoped she had a bad landing too. Oh how right he was.
Kurama was seething but couldn't get out of the seal because Naruto wouldn't allow him to. The blonde having to remind the fox that Madara hadn't done anything yet and the fact that they could screw up big time if they killed him. Long story short, Naruto grounded Kurama till he calmed down. It would be a long grounding.
The blonde didn't return home as her feet took her back to the orphanage and looked to the skies. It was almost 3 and saw cans of old paint and brushes in a nearby alleyway and smiled mischievously as she grabbed the bright orange paint and returned to the orphanage. Dipping the brush in the paint and drew a large Uzumaki symbol on the front wall for all walking by to see and pressed her chakra into the wet paint. "There. If people are going to forget that I was here then I might as well leave you some protection. As long as there is an Uzumaki in this village that sees this, then you will always be safe and nobody but an Uzumaki can make this symbol go away. Not even painting over it." Grinning widely at her awesome work. It was why nobody could get paint of the Hokage monument except her. For some reason, her chakra made these small, almost invisible curves or vine-like patterns in the paint. She shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe this is the seal reading thingy Gama-Jiji was talking about."
Ditching the paint and walked back to her temporary home with her hands in her pockets. She licked her lips with a sigh. "Just like Sasuke. Those bastards." Shaking her head in amusement. It seemed whenever she kissed an Uchiha, it was always on accident. Seeing the cottage up ahead and sighed in relief. She was starved and exhausted. "I want to see Jiraiya tomorrow." She planned with a grin and entered the key and opened the door when suddenly she was shoved inside with the door slamming shut behind her. Being squashed against the wall by something broad and wet and laughed as she could remember the scent from a mile away. "You still stink even though you're wet. In fact, I think it made it worse."
Tobirama growled as he was soaked to the bone and placed a hand over Naruto's mouth as he could sense his fangirls near and placed a finger to his mouth as she nodded and tried to get her laughter under control. Sensing and listening as his followers rushed passed the house and was surprised Naruto could conceal all of her massive chakra as the Kunoichi ran past. It was a good thing he found Naruto as he was running away...escaping and she hadn't turned on any of the lights. Backing away from the blonde as soon as the coast was clear and sighed. "Just one day would be nice without them." He muttered and took off his forehead helmet as it was irritating his wet scalp.
Naruto moved to get him a towel and said. "Have you ever tried a henge? Wouldn't that work?" seeing his annoyed face and laughed. He never thought of this idea before. "Seriously? Hiru-chan said that you're a smart Guy." Poking his forehead with a sunny grin. "Sometimes you have to go with the simple methods and not over-think on everything."
Tobirama swatted away her hand and said. "You try being chased after those things for years. You should at least feel a bit sympathetic for this Hokage." He smirked as she laughed with his throat getting dry once more. Eyes widening slightly as he realised he was joking with her. He was getting pulled into her pace and didn't realise till now. 'How is this possible? I've only known her for two days and meet her over a week ago when she was half-dead. Urgh. Maybe Aniki can help me.' being shocked out of his thoughts as Naruto placed on hand on his wet chest with her other hand in a half-ram sign.
"I can sympathise, Nidaime-sama." She teased and went through some one handed seals thanks to hearing that Haku could do this and learnt a few things with Ero-Sennin but never bothered with it. Instantly drying the Hokage and took away his stench as a ball of dirty water appeared in her hand and flicked her wrist for it to evaporate into the air. She nodded her head. Her control was getting better considering she didn't suck the moisture out of her guest. Not that she'd tell him. Ever. "And I have been chased by those things for years, I've just pretended to be super-dense and they left me alone. Dattebayo." Prankster through and through. She ignored Kiba, Sasuke, Neji, Kotetsu, Izumo, Gaara and even Ino and Anko and many more when she returned from her trip with Jiraiya. She could never see them as a romantic interest and couldn't figure out why.
The Nidaime sighed. "I'd rather not be super-dense as you have put it, Naruto."
"You mean your pride is too big. I understand. You're a genius with an ego." Naruto nodded at her explanation.
"I do not have an ego!" Tobirama growled and folded his arms as he glared at the meddling blonde. "I really don't understand you, Naruto. You're like Hashirama. You're an idealist, charismatic, kind, jovial and seem to have a deep sense of loyalty like Hashirama. I can't read you." Looking at her intently as she just tilted her head.
"Nobody can read me. That's what makes me Naruto Uzumaki. Yes, people will know me and know my habits down to the last gesture, but my senseis have told me that I'm unpredictable by nature." Rubbing the back of her neck as a habit she hadn't grown out of since she was a kid. "Like you for example; you're composed and probably showed promise as a great shinobi when you were little, but even you have your outburst, very blunt and get annoyed easily. You fold your arms out of habit too. It's what makes you Tobirama Senju." Shrugging her shoulders casually. Tobirama graced Naruto with a rare smile. Not a smirk, but a smile that made Naruto gaze down to the ground in embarrassment. "You're a weirdo too. Dattebayo."
Tobirama patted her head and replied. "So are you, Uzumaki." Removing his hand and said as he left the cottage. "I won't go easy on you during your evaluation and I don't want for you to go easy on me either, Uzumaki." Leaving the cottage and never saw her beet-red face and headed over to the Senju compound and found his aniki in the lounge area waiting for him.
"Ah Tobi-kun. You're home late. How was your day with Naruto-chan?" Hashirama asked with a large smile that put the Nidaime on edge.
Tobirama ignored the new honorific on the Uzumaki's name and replied to his older brother. "She is like you, brother...but she is her own person too." Heading towards his room and tossed over his shoulder. "She won't harm this village, aniki. She's to expression-ate by nature to lie or significantly harm something she loves."
Hashirama released a deep chuckle. "Not even a week and she's in love with this village. Showed Madara right. He said that Naruto-chan wouldn't like it here and leave." Pouting slightly as Tobirama focused his attention on him. "Showed him that Konoha is nothing like Iwa. Hmpf."
"When did you speak to Madara Uchiha about Uzumaki?" Raising a brow in interest.
Hashirama took a sip of his tea and glanced over to his cute little brother out of the corner of his eye with a hidden gleam and replied honestly with him. "It seems Madara has taken an interest in Naruto-chan. I even saw Naruto-chan fall from the sky on top of Madara and they ended up kissing. I've never seen Madara interested in a woman before."
3...
2...
1...
"WHAT?!" Tobirama seethed. For the first time since he lost a brother in the warring periods, he had lost his cool completely.