The rest of my leave passed surprisingly quickly because I had something to occupy my time. I spent most of those five days studying Fuinjutsu and making myself a new mask and a new poncho, as my last ones had been torn to shreds in the fight against Yugito. The day of my departure came sooner than expected, and before I knew it, I was standing near the village gate, waiting for Hiruzen and his escort, my new attire complete.
Not long after my arrival, I spotted the rest of the team, including Hiruzen himself. Yugito was with them, but something seemed off about her chakra. It felt as if chains were wrapped around it, especially tight where Yugito's and Nibi's chakra met. It made sense; how else would you transport a jinchuuriki if not by completely separating them from their bijuu companion? At least no one would have to carry her on their back.
"Good morning, Hokage-sama, Jiraiya-sama." I greeted the old man and the sage as they approached, and they responded in kind. There was also an ANBU with silver hair present, but he didn't seem to acknowledge my existence. "I guess that's Kakashi," I thought as I looked over our group.
"No Uchiha brat to save your skin this time, kid?" Yugito said, a wide grin on her face.
"No cat to help you survive my first attack?" I retorted. It appeared there were no hard feelings between us.
"Uhh, don't remind me. I almost feel naked without her," she groaned, clearly uncomfortable without her infernal feline companion.
"Can't you just get that seal off of me?" she asked, glancing toward Jiraiya.
"No can do. You're the kid's problem now, and we don't want any trouble. That seal stays until we hand you back to Kumo." he answered, his tone harsher than I expected. Yugito just flipped him off, clearly unimpressed by his response.
"This is gonna be a long trip…" I mumbled as we stepped outside the gate. At least I will have some time to try and contact the moody cat now.
"Hey, Yugito… how does it work? Are you actually friends with the cat?" I asked as we leaped through the treetops, rapidly skipping from one branch to the next.
"Well, she's moody more often than not, but… I'd say we get along pretty well." she replied, a small smile on her face.
"That actually sounds just like a house cat, not a fearsome chakra entity," I said, unsure of what to think. The differences from the timeline I was familiar with began to compound.
"Going forward, my future knowledge seems useful only as an outline of events." I thought as I tried to plan further.
"The personalities of the bijuu seem to differ too. Kurama was rather pleasant instead of outright hostile, and Matatabi is moody instead of polite…" I genuinely had no idea what to make of it all.
"At least some things seem fundamentally different; it would be boring if everything were the same as I remember." I concluded, glancing back at Yugito as she continued speaking.
"Well, the Eight-Tails is all serious and hard-headed. As far as I'm concerned, I got stuck with the better one." She expressed her preference quite clearly.
"I like cats too, you know…" I mentioned. They were my favorite animal after all.
"Finally, someone with good taste." She replied with a wild grin on her face.
After spending nearly the entire morning and early afternoon running, we finally arrived at our meeting place, Yugakure.
This hidden village in the Land of Hot Water would serve as a neutral party for the negotiations. Honestly, it suited me quite well. These days, the village felt more like a tourist destination than a ninja settlement. While they still had a sizable force, they made the smart choice to stay out of the war.
From the general demeanor of the forces present, it was clear that they would have been quickly eliminated by Kumo if they had tried to get involved.
The first meeting went reasonably well, or at least it could have been worse.
The Raikage looked either angry or constipated whenever he glanced my way, and I knew it would be a terrible idea to try to figure out which one it was. I had already disrupted his plans enough.
If I further provoked him, he might actually try to kill me.
Overall, the negotiations were dull, a political game played between the villages, as if the lives lost didn't matter at all.
At least I was able to explore the village with Yugito. She seemed utterly bored whenever the word "negotiations" came up.
In summary, the four days spent here were not great, but they weren't terrible either.
The only truly interesting event was when Jiraiya got beaten up by a crowd of women who caught him peeping on them. I hope he never finds out it was me who revealed his location.
Playing the innocent eight-year-old was entertaining, if only for a short time, and Yugito found it indescribably funny for some reason.
If only Jiraiya's books were worth reading, I might have had something to do. Unfortunately, they were just low-grade smut.
Although reading terrible sex scenes was still more enjoyable than listening to the two Kage bicker about war reparations and surrender conditions, I couldn't help but feel frustrated.
I've always disliked politics, even in my previous life, and it seems that part of me has carried over.
Honestly, there was nothing the Raikage could gain from this. It was all just political posturing, a cock measuring contest, if you will.
He would need to significantly reduce his demands if he wanted to get Yugito back.
As the projected second-to-last day of the negotiations came and went, Yugito and I spent our time exploring the local tourist attractions, as usual.
"Do you want me to unseal the cat?" I asked, knowing my time with her was limited, and this was the best opportunity for a real conversation with Nibi.
"If you can actually do it, I would appreciate it." She replied calmly. It seemed we had developed some kind of friendship, or perhaps rivalry?
"It depends on the seal they used. If it's not some special secret seal, I should be able to undo it," I shrugged.
Unless it was something complicated like the Eight Trigrams Seal, I was confident I could dismantle it fairly quickly.
She then lifted her shirt, revealing the seal on her stomach. It was in the form of a tattoo, a cat's paw to be exact.
The Iron Armour Seal commonly used in Kumo was now clearly visible. Surrounding the tattoo were two overlapping seals arranged in a triangular formation, creating a hexagon around the original sealing formula.
Hmmm, two triangular seals completely separating the Biju chakra from your own," I mumbled quietly while I used my chakra to draw another formula around the hexagon.
The triangular separation seal was notoriously unstable when used to separate large amounts of chakra, but having two overlapping ones eliminated that weakness.
However, it could still easily be destroyed by an external force, especially if a prime number was used as the base for the interfering seal.
"Just one larger triangular seal should easily collapse the seal separating you from Nibi..." I continued my quiet monologue as I finished the sealing formula and infused chakra into it.
Gradually, everything except the Iron Armour Seal collapsed, allowing a small stream of Biju chakra to flow and reestablishing the connection. I slowly pulled my hand away from her stomach, but not before installing a failsafe, just in case.
"The cat says thanks," Yugito said, looking much more comfortable than before.
"No problem," I replied, raising my fist toward her. She smiled and bumped her fist against mine.
The moment our fists met, I acted, transmitting Kurama's words directly into Nibi's ears, effectively delivering the message, all in a single second with Yugito none the wiser.
"Wanna go mess with Jiraiya some more?" I asked with a mischievous look on my face.
"I'm listening..." she replied with a feral smirk.
Needless to say, Jiraiya was unable to do any 'research' for the rest of our stay.
After five full days of political maneuvering and threats from both sides, the agreement was finally signed, and peace officially began. The conflict, now referred to as the 'One Month War,' would become a part of history.
The only silver lining of the war was its brevity. Fortunately, it did not escalate into another 'Great Ninja War.'
For now, the innocence of young ninja hopefuls was preserved.
The Raikage still appeared either constipated or angry, I still couldn't quite tell which. At least Yugito seemed much happier after I unsealed Nibi. Small victories, I guess.
"It was nice meeting you, Raikage-sama." Hiruzen said as both groups prepared to depart.
"Hmpf, just keep your end of the deal." The Raikage replied in a gruff voice.
"And you, brat, watch your back." He added, casting a glance in my direction.
"I will, who knows what you do to little kids..." I said, trying to sound as innocent as possible.
Jiraiya burst out laughing. At least someone found my not-so-subtle joke funny.
The Raikage now looked furious, he clearly didn't expect a comeback.
"Looks like he was indeed constipated before. This look is completely different..." I thought, ignoring his pointed glare.
"And you should watch your mouth, too." He added, his tone laced with a clear threat. But before he could dig himself deeper, Yugito intervened.
"Let it go, Ay-sama. He's just a kid." She said, and if I didn't know myself, I would have believed her. The Raikage glanced between us, sighed, and turned away.
"Let's just go. I can't stand our current company for much longer," he growled as he began to walk away.
Yugito didn't remain motionless for long; she quickly reached out to me with her fist, holding it in front of me.
"Next time, I'll blow you away in no time!" She declared with fire in her eyes.
"You wish." I replied, bumping my fist against hers.
The moment our hands made contact, I quickly disabled the failsafe I had planted earlier. However, just as we were about to lose contact, I heard a voice.
"Thanks for the message, kid. Tell Kurama that Matatabi says hi." It sounded like crackling fire but was oddly gentle in its own way.
"I guess I've made another friend." I thought as Yugito turned and walked away, quickly rejoining Ay and the rest of their escort.
It was somewhat concerning that I had more friends among Bijuu than I did among humans.
"Small steps, small steps indeed," I mumbled under my breath as our group prepared to leave. I had my own birthday to attend back home.
Being back home felt wonderful, not only because the family reunited to celebrate my eighth birthday and Sakura's seventh, but also because I didn't have to be constantly on guard.
There was no danger of being attacked, no enemies lurking around corners or hidden in the trees.
Overall, the first day back could not have gone better. There were no emergency missions, no wars looming on the horizon, just fun and cake. However, my good luck wouldn't last long.
The very next day, I received a message from Itachi, asking me to meet him at the large cliff near one of the training grounds that overlooked the Naka River.
I had a suspicion about what the meeting would be about, but I still held onto hope. After all, I had managed to change some things already, maybe the fate of the Uchiha clan could be altered as well.
As I arrived at the meeting place, the sun was setting, and an unusually cold evening settled over the village, almost as if the world itself sensed the grim news Itachi was about to deliver. Itachi was already there, sitting on the edge of the cliff, looking down at the river.
"I... I will need your help, Ryuu." he said, his voice heavy with regret and sadness.
"What happened? What do you need help with?" I asked, still clinging to the hope that something had changed, even if just a little.
Itachi finally turned his gaze from the river and fixed his eyes on me, and in that moment, all remnants of hope vanished.
There was blood on his face, streaming from his new eyes. They were still crimson, but now bore the black shape of a three-pointed shuriken. The unmistakable pattern of a Mangekyo Sharingan.
"My friend... Shisui has died, but it's a long story." he said, his voice almost a whisper, trembling on the edge of breaking.
"Take as long as you need," I replied, trying to sound supportive.
"Tell me whatever I need to know to help you." I watched as Itachi deactivated his newly acquired eyes.
"It happened four days ago," he began.
I focused intently on every detail, knowing it could be crucial.
"The Uchiha clan was long unhappy with the village suspecting them of the Kyubi attack. The clan leadership wanted to fight back, to retaliate against the village, but the war shifted their plans." He paused briefly, perhaps unsure how to continue.
"Instead, they decided on a coup. To start a civil war in Konoha for the 'rightful' place of the great clan, the position of Hokage." So far, it all made sense, even though it wasn't much different from the original timeline.
"Hokage-sama was informed by me and Shisui shortly before the war broke out, and we received our orders. You see, Shisui possessed a special ability, a perfect Genjutsu. He was supposed to use it on the clan learedship to stall until proper negotiations could take place." His fists clenched as he reached this part, and palpable rage filled his voice.
"Unfortunately, Shisui was ambushed and killed four days ago, right here on this very cliff. The only thing left of him is his left eye." He finished, his voice barely holding steady throughout the explanation.
There was a brief pause. I didn't dare to speak. The look in Itachi's eyes told me that the tale was far from over.
"I informed Hokage-sama of this development, and the verdict was given by him and the elders." The air around us crackled with his rising haki.
"The perpetrators behind the coup are to be eliminated... by me." The ground around us cracked as he spoke, his haki reaching new heights, chipping at the cliff near us.
I stared into the void of the orange sky above, pondering the possible outcomes.
"I will help in any way you'll allow me to." I said firmly. There was no way I could deny his request for help.
"As long as the innocent are safe, I will assist you in any way I can." The declaration was made, there would be no way back.
I had truly hoped that the Uchiha issue wouldn't arise at all, but it seems I had been naive.
It was practically inevitable that it would happen, especially since they were blamed for the Kyubi attack.
The lack of recognition for Itachi's accomplishments during the war seemed to be the last straw that pushed the coup forward nearly a year earlier than in the original timeline.
Now, all I could do was try to save as many innocent Uchiha as possible.
"Thanks, Ryuu. I'm glad to have you by my side at times like this..." Itachi said, lying down in the grass, his haki finally under control.
"What else are friends for, right?" I replied while trying to come up with a plan.
"How long do we have?" The timeframe felt tight, so I wasn't expecting much.
"A week, maybe two weeks if we're lucky," Itachi responded.
He sounded just as distracted as I was; no doubt his mind was racing, searching for the best course of action for our last joint mission.