Chapter Text
Shisui absently traced the Hiraishin seal embedded on the tree trunk with his fingers, watching Hikari as she ran a chakra-coated hand through her hair, the dyed black strands returning to their normal crimson.
Above him was Itachi, perched on one of the lower branches of the tree as he watched the girl with curious eyes.
“Hikari, you became furious when the Sandaime named us Team Kage,” the younger Uchiha said, leaning forward a little as he almost swung off the branch. “You weren’t obvious, but we could tell.”
“Yeah, I don’t think anyone but Kakashi-senpai noticed,” Shisui chimed in with his own observations.
Hikari snorted and turned to face her friends, combing her fingers through her hair before pulling it into a ponytail. “Team Kage,” she said, enunciating each syllable of the second word. “Ring any bells yet?”
Shisui and Itachi blinked.
After a few moments, they almost exclaimed in unison, “Is he considering us for Hokage?!”
“Yep. I know that Kashi-nii already refused it, so the old man’s trying to push it on us. We’re a bit too young at the moment, but that doesn’t mean he can’t nominate us or something.”
It wasn’t hard for them to understand why Hiruzen had them in his sights; all three of them were well-known and liked, or at least respected, among the shinobi, while also being powerful for their age.
There was no doubt they would grow up to be absolute powerhouses.
That was already a few boxes ticked off on the list of requirements to become a Kage.
Itachi sniffed, a look of disdain on his face, the perfect picture of an imperious Uchiha, which caused Hikari to snicker.
“I will refuse as well. For his sake, I hope he doesn’t bring it up in the near future.”
The two laughed at the clear animosity in their friend’s voice. None of them held fond feelings for Sarutobi Hiruzen, their past memories now tainted with bitterness because of his inaction.
There was only so much one could be forgiven for.
“I would refuse too,” Shisui admitted. “Becoming Hokage is an honor, but as I am now and knowing what I know, there are far more important things to me. What about you, Hikari-chan?”
Waving a dismissive hand, the girl replied, “Being Hokage once was more than enough for me. I would probably burn down most of the village the day of my appointment. Plus, to me, that position is nothing more than a shackle.”
It would chain her to Konoha, a place that did not feel safe to her anymore.
If not for her precious people, Hikari would have vanished long ago.
The faint rustling of leaves was the only sound in the dark forest.
Not even the chirping of birds or calls of forest animals were heard, adding to the already dark and gloomy atmosphere.
“This place is rather eerie,” Shisui remarked, snapping a branch that was obstructing the path with his hands. The crack of the wood breaking echoed ominously in the still forest air, something that would send shivers down any normal person’s spine.
But not the trio currently traipsing through the forest.
“You’ve seen worse places,” came the distracted response from the redhead leading the group. Hikari’s attention was focused in front of them, blue eyes narrowed as she surveyed the trees. There was nothing distinctive about them; the wild was untouched by humans.
“It’s clear that no one has ever come this way before,” Itachi said as he followed along, tugging his cloak off when it got caught on a branch one too many times. “But if you’re right, Hikari, and the Sanbi is somewhere around here, I’m surprised that Kiri hasn’t noticed yet.”
“Something has changed or was already different before I came here,” Hikari said with a frown. “I don’t recall much of the timeline, but Isobu should have been sealed inside Yagura by now.”
A week ago, the trio had made their way towards Kirigakure; information regarding the village had become scarce, apart from the fact that there was a lot of infighting. There was not much Hikari had done over the past few years regarding that messy situation, apart from rescuing innocents and sending them off to safe places.
For all that Hikari cared, hunting down the elusive Zetsu and preventing the destruction of the world was higher on her list of priorities.
‘If it weren’t for the fact that I sensed Isobu, we wouldn’t be here at all,’ she thought as she pushed her way through the dense foliage.
They had found Yagura alive and well in Kirigakure.
And…
Obviously not a Jinchuuriki.
That meant that Isobu was free, which was a good thing in her books.
But that would likely not be the case for long, as too many of the shinobi nations were looking to have more Bijuu under their control. The Sanbi might be powerful but there were ways to subdue him.
“Hey, Hikari-chan?”
“Hmm?”
“If we do find the Sanbi, what are you planning to do?”
Hikari paused and looked over her shoulder at Shisui, then shrugged. “Isobu is the most peaceful of the lot, so I’ll be happy if I can convince him to move to a safer place.”
She turned back and continued walking as she spoke, “The Bijuu deserve that much.”
The Bijuu, be it in her old dimension or the current one, were hunted down for their power and treated as little more than tools, which pained Hikari. There were many times that she cursed Madara, Hashirama and Mito for their roles in imprisoning the Bijuu, and hated that Hashirama had used them as bargaining chips.
If the Shodai Hokage had taken the time to understand the chakra creatures, he would have seen what Hikari had.
The gradual thinning of the greenery around her brought Hikari out of her thoughts and she focused on the present.
“Is this it?”
Shisui peered over the redhead’s shoulder at the lake in the distance, the water glittering under the light of the moon. Everything was still, almost looking like the perfect spot for a picnic. “It doesn’t look like the home of a Bijuu.”
Hikari snorted, “If Isobu wanted to be found, then yeah, it would be more conspicuous. I don’t want to bother him either, but it is too risky to be so close to Kiri. Even if the timeline has changed, with whatever is happening in Kiri, Zetsu is still on the loose and it definitely will try to gather all the Bijuu.”
“So even if Kiri doesn’t come after the Sanbi, which I do think they will attempt, Zetsu will,” Itachi completed the thought, stepping out of the shrubbery to stand next to the Uzumaki. “This definitely is the place, Hikari?”
The Uchiha had a point.
It looked and felt far too peaceful to be the abode, however temporary, of a powerful Bijuu. If not for the fact that there were little to no wildlife in the vicinity, Hikari might have been fooled as well. And of course, she had been exposed to Bijuu chakra far too many times in her life to not recognize it when she felt it.
“Surprising, isn’t it?” Hikari replied with a wry smile, moving closer to the lake. “But Isobu has always been one of the quieter Bijuu and more than content to stay away from the nonsense of human conflict.”
Shisui hummed as he rocked back on his heels, dark eyes trained on the glinting water. “There’s a lot about Bijuu we don’t know, huh. It’s really sad, now that I think about it.”
A nod of agreement from Itachi, his eyes also focused on the lake. “So the Sanbi is in that lake?”
“From what I can sense, yeah. Shisui, Itachi, get back. I don’t want either of you caught in the cross-fire when Isobu emerges.”
The two Uchiha looked at each other, communicating silently for a few seconds before doing as asked and retreating to the tree line. They also put up a barrier around themselves, deciding that it was better to be safe than sorry.
When she was satisfied that the boys were out of range and well-protected, Hikari stepped onto the surface of the lake and sent a wave of chakra through the water, targeting the depths. It wasn’t a sure-fire way of calling out Isobu, but it was the most peaceful of her options.
‘Well, as peaceful as another Bijuu’s chakra could be,’ she mused as the water began to churn under her feet, gradually becoming saturated with Isobu’s chakra, in response to the small amount of Kurama’s chakra Hikari had let out. ‘I was betting on the possibility of Isobu being curious as to how Kurama’s here or if someone managed to steal his chakra.’
It didn’t take long before the Sanbi broke the surface, peering down at the human girl with his sibling’s chakra.
“Who are you, human with a Bijuu’s chakra?”
Isobu stared at the redhaired girl, curious as to how she had Kurama’s chakra.
The Kyuubi despised humans the most out of all the Bijuu, keeping to himself and lashing out at any who came near with a fury that crushed everything in the vicinity. But the young human in front of him -jinchuuriki, there was no refuting it- was radiating his chakra so strongly and in a calm manner that was so unlike the usual rage.
Isobu’s curiosity was piqued.
“The name’s Hikari,” the girl grinned up at the Sanbi, confirming his suspicions that she had called him out. “Nice to meet you, Sanbi-san!”
The two Uchiha watched in bemusement as the hulking form of the Sanbi sat in front of their friend, her form appearing tiny in comparison.
“Well, considering she’s never cowed by Kurama-sama, Hikari-chan’s not going to start doing it now,” Shisui remarked with a wry smile, leaning against the tree behind him. “But I don’t know what it says about us that we don’t react to a presence of a Bijuu.”
Itachi’s only response was a chuckle.
They watched as Hikari conversed with the Sanbi, her arms waving wildly in the air and a huge grin on her face. Isobu peered down at her, as if confused by the human who wasn’t shaking in fear at his presence.
‘Hikari does cause that look a lot,’ Itachi mused as he recalled multiple adults in the past who were thrown off by the kid who didn’t bother to align with expectations. ‘Her charm extends beyond just humans, I suppose.’
Rustle.
A flicker at the corner of his vision told him that Shisui had noticed what he had as well.
With nary a sliver of hesitation, the two disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Moments later, muted cries of pain shattered the otherwise frozen air of the forest, followed by shouts of surprise and curses.
“Wow, if Mikoto-sama heard me say even one of those words, she’ll be making me wash my mouth with soap for ages,” Shisui commented with a raised eyebrow, twirling a kunai around his finger. He stared up at the group of shinobi tangled in the wire trap they had set up around the perimeter of the lake.
“Only if you say it in front of the kids,” Itachi responded serenely, tugging on a wire when one of the shinobi tried to throw a kunai at them. The weapon was dropped with a cry of pain, the hand that had been holding it falling limp as the wires cut through flesh and muscle. “I suppose you’re here for the Sanbi then?”
Neither Uchiha was surprised when the shinobi stilled then resumed struggling, charged with a greater desperation than before.
“Yep, that answers that,” Shisui sighed, casting a closer look at the group. There were no identifying marks on them, but considering the fact that they had made it through the forest with ease and in near silence, it was obvious enough where they were from. “Kiri, huh? Looks like we got here just in time.”
“The Sanbi belongs to Kiri,” one of the shinobi finally growled, blood trickling down his cheek. “Konoha has no business here!”
Neither boy was surprised at being outed as Konoha nin.
Their distinctive Uchiha traits were easily recognized across the Elemental Nations, after all.
In any case, the outburst didn’t garner the Kiri nin any response.
Shisui and Itachi were instead focused on gathering what information they could from the group.
Large sealing scrolls on the backs of a few, multiple pouches probably containing a variety of weapons and what looked like dozens of explosives; the team had come very prepared.
For all possibilities but one.
‘They didn’t account for someone else getting here first,’ Itachi thought, slightly grim but also vindicated in Hikari’s choice to hurry. ‘Although I’m not certain they would have succeeded in their endeavor, we made it by a hair’s breadth.’
In the worst-case scenario, the trio would have encountered the Kiri nin in the middle of their attempt to capture the Sanbi.
The group in front of him, while decently powerful, did not possess the reserves required to seal the Bijuu quickly and would have realistically taken a few days, if they were lucky enough to trap the Bijuu.
And only if Hikari didn’t go ballistic.
She would have definitely sensed the Sanbi’s chakra leaking and ripped through the country with little care for consequences.
“Hey, Itachi? Which faction do you think these guys are from?”
“I don’t know enough to make a guess,” was the younger Uchiha’s response and Shisui shrugged, unbothered. It really wasn’t a big concern anyway, apart from deciding their next course of action.
There were only two options.
Manipulate their memories to make them think the Sanbi had moved to a different location.
Or kill them.
“There’s enough malice in them for me to say that they’re likely to be from the extremist faction,” Hikari said as she popped out from the trees behind them, a miniature Sanbi cradled in her arms like a cat. “Either way, they’re not leaving here alive.”
Shisui whistled, slightly impressed by the nonchalant way the girl had declared the Kiri nin’s sentence. “You’re ruthless, Hikari-chan,” he remarked with a wry smile. “But I suppose I understand why.”
“Slit their throats and burn the bodies?” Itachi queried as he drew his tanto.
The three looked at each other then turned in unison towards the strung-up Kiri nin, who felt shivers make their way down their spines at the cold looks in their eyes.
“That went smoother than I thought it would,” Hikari mused, hours later and back home.
After a quick round of introductions and warnings to maintain the necessary secrecy, the Sanbi had been situated comfortably in the new pond in the backyard.
The only one they needed to be wary of was Tenzo, and it was not because he was a threat, but simply because they didn’t want to trouble him with his allegiance to the Hokage and Konoha.
Conflicting loyalties were hard.
“Only because it’s you,” Itachi chuckled from his seat on the window, his long hair fluttering around his face in the night breeze. “You can charm your way out of anything, Hikari.”
Shisui grinned, poking the redhead in the side, “Kind of want to see you apply that charm on the Uchiha Elders.”
“You mean a death sentence?” Hikari asked dryly, slapping away the offending appendage. “You now have first-hand experience of how ruthless I can be, and you still want to dump them on me?”
The Uchiha heir simply shrugged, a serene smile on his face. “Father would appreciate it.”
Hikari snorted, unfazed by Itachi’s words.
Fugaku most certainly would be happy to not have to deal with his council of Elders; while they were laying relatively low after the fiasco with Danzo, they weren’t entirely harmless.
“Let’s reserve the bloodthirsty options for someone else; Mikoto-san will be upset if I steal her prey.”
Both boys chuckled at the still dry tone of their friend’s voice.
Shisui plopped down on the bed next to Hikari, combing his fingers through her hair. “What’s next on the list? Are we going after the rest of the Bijuu?”
Hikari made a face, “Don’t say it like that! Feels like I’m hunting them down for nefarious reasons!”
“Point taken...in any case, do you have any intel on the rest, past or current?”
“Very little, on both counts.”
“We’re not really expecting most things to stay the same as your dimension, are we, Hikari?” Itachi asked, jumping down from the window and wandering over to the desk in the room, perusing the papers there. “I think we’ve enough evidence that things can change.”
Hikari sighed and nodded in agreement.
The situation in Kiri was becoming extremely unpredictable for one; if the moderate faction didn’t succeed soon or at least gain enough ground against the extremist faction, Hikari would have to step in soon.
She was tired of innocent blood being spilt for the greed and ambition of a few.
“The only other piece of information that I have regarding the Bijuu is regarding the Nanabi, Chomei,” Hikari murmured, smiling in bemusement at the braid Shisui was absentmindedly weaving in her hair. “He’s already sealed in Fuu; but that situation is controlled for now.”
“Not going to poach another kid for your kindergarten?”
“Hey, the kids are going to the Academy now,” Hikari protested with a pout.
“Still too many kids,” Shisui sang, grinning. “And I’m not just referring to the ones in this house.”
“Shisui’s right that you have too many children, trailing after you like ducklings following their mother,” Itachi joined in on the teasing, settling himself down on a chair at the desk. “I’m quite certain half the children in the village do that.”
It really hadn’t been anyone’s intention.
But it just so happened that Hikari and her siblings had befriended the clan heirs, who in turn brought the rest of the kids in their respective clans, who then brought their friends....
Well.
It did mean there were a lot of kids running around, even if temporarily.
Waving a hand in the air as if to brush away the tangent their conversation had gone on, cheeks flushed pink in embarrassment, Hikari muttered, “Back to our original point, the Taki village leader cares a lot for Fuu and she’s living well enough. Besides, I don’t want to bring another Jinchuuriki or a Bijuu here; we already have too many.”
‘She makes a good point,’ Shisui thought with a grimace.
Konoha already had four Bijuu, albeit only two were known publicly.
Which in itself was already a risk.
“Hey, Hikari-chan?”
“Hmm?”
“I hope I’m not dooming us by asking this, but do you have any safehouses or something outside Konoha? Just in case.”
Hikari lowered the book she was reading to meet dark eyes, Shisui watching her from behind his own book.
Itachi and Kakashi also seemed interested in the answer, looking over from the table they were at, a sealing scroll spread out between them.
“What brought this on?”
“Just a random thought.”
The redhead wasn’t convinced by that, raising an eyebrow in question.
“No, really! It just came to mind,” Shisui tried to protest, pouting when Hikari’s expression only grew more suspicious. His friend really had no faith in him.
It truly was something that had just occurred to him!
“Huh...”
“Maa, Shisui-kun is right though,” Kakashi pitched in to their conversation, tone lazy but the light in his visible eye was sharp. “I know that you have Hiraishin markers all over the place, and the kids are tagged. This house is also heavily protected, so much that even the village’s defenses don’t compare. But you do need contingency plans.”
Hikari chuckled.
“What makes you think I don’t?”
Laughing at the bewildered looks tossed her way, she hid back behind her book.
“Give me some credit; I built an entire secret information network behind everyone’s backs in just over two years. Do you really believe I wouldn’t have contingency plans for contingency plans?”
Perhaps in the past, Hikari might not have planned as much.
It wasn’t the first time that she thought her past self had been rather lucky on multiple occasions.
But it was no longer just her, or only highly capable people involved.
There were children and civilians in the mix, even if they were able to fight or protect themselves to a certain extent.
She had too much to lose to get careless anymore.
“Are we going to get access to any?” Kakashi asked, voice turning serious as he looked at the girl. “If there is ever a situation that we aren’t with you but need a quick getaway.”
Both Shisui and Itachi nodded in agreement.
“I’d say we could take off to the clan houses, but in the event that they are compromised as well…”
Blue eyes glinted, pleased.
“All the right points,” Hikari murmured softly as she rose from her seat and beckoned the others up the stairs. Looking over her shoulder to ensure that they were following, she led them to the little room that had been designated as storage space.
Once they were all inside, she closed the door behind them and activated a locking seal by pressing the palm of her hand against the frame.
“Let me guess, this is your secret HQ?” Shisui asked dryly as the walls around them lit up with a dim blue light.
Itachi chuckled, stepping to the side when Hikari crossed the room and reached for a particular wal of shelves. “It would make sense, considering that not many would even think of a messy storage room being used for other purposes.”
“And it’s also locked to random people,” Hikari added as she knelt and tapped the underside of the lowest shelf with a finger. “It really just a simple storage room for people without the key.”
“Spatial manipulation,” Kakashi mused, eyeing the seal that had appeared on the floor next to the shelf Hikari was fiddling with. “Based off the theory behind sealing scrolls? Or actually, the same as them, with just an additional security layer. Impressive.”
“Yep. For security reasons, I won’t be giving any of you the key to this place just yet, but I will add you in to the failsafe measures for emergencies.”
The boys nodded in understanding.
Secrets were best kept secret.
Crying out in triumph when a small box appeared atop the seal on the floor, Hikari opened it to reveal stacks of seals. She picked out a few and sorted them into three sets, giving one set to each of her friends.
“Keep them on you and don’t let anyone know about them,” she ordered, blue eyes serious. “Each of you has access to three different fully stocked safehouses scattered across the Elemental Nations. Ripping the seal will transport you and anyone touching you or by proxy to the location tied to it.”
Itachi examined the seal, marveling at the masterpiece that proved exactly why Hikari was an excellent Seal Master.
To condense a complex purpose into such a tiny seal required great expertise.
“I can’t even begin to tell how you’ve layered this…you’re amazing, Hikari-chan.”
Hikari flushed at the genuine praise, huffing and tugging on her hair to hide her red ears. She focused on closing the box of seals and putting it back.
Kakashi was staring at her when she got to her feet, his visible eye arched and his amusement clear, despite a majority of his face being hidden from view.
The girl’s flush deepened and she scowled.
“What?!”
“Nothing, nothing…”
A dark form slowly emerged out of the shadows of the trees, taking on a humanoid shape as it silently moved through the forest.
It stopped just shy of the lake, the clear water sparkling under the bright moonlight.
Its head tilted a little to the side, as if in confusion.
After a few moments, it turned away and moved around the perimeter of the lake at a leisurely pace, as if looking for something.
Nothing was amiss.
The forest looked like it had been untouched by humans for a long time.
“Curious…”