'I have strange team mates' Sakura decided as Konoha's gate loom in the distance as she and her team return from their c-rank turned A-rank mission. She can't wait to soak herself in a good warm bath after a long mission. Not that it could be considered a 'proper' mission, not in her book at least. Who would make friends with missing ninjas anyways? (While the lowly mercenaries were massacred without care, what's up with that?)

...Naruto. Sakura thinks that her blonde team mate lacks common sense or just plain naïve or simply too innocent or he is that stupid. He's an orphan so maybe it's because no one taught him these things but then Sasuke is different, he had a family that raised and educate him before their clan's unfortunate tragedy so...WHY?!

She asked that very same question to her crush but all he said was,

"Naruto thinks they're okay," Sasuke shrugged. That...doesn't explain anything. When she asked about the mercenaries all he said was,

"They're canon fodders," Sasuke deadpan. What does that even mean?!

Sakura feels like pulling her hair out in frustration but did her best to remain calm. Sasuke might be watching. (Cue blushes)

So Sakura decided that her team mates are just that weird and cease overthinking about it. She might short-circuit her brain otherwise.

---

SAA HQ

"SHIKAAAAA" Naruto hugged his best friend in a tight grip, nuzzling his neck.

"Ugh," Shikamaru groaned and muttered troublesome under his breath as he put down his brush and shuffle his paperwork a bit before he adjusted his body so he could return the embrace. Naruto can be touch-starved sometimes so he made sure to welcome the gesture whenever possible. Not that he hardly enjoy it.

Sasuke who followed closely behind Naruto strayed to the nearby wall and leaned there, feigning indifference, but inwardly fuming. Naruto never sought comfort from him. His face morphed into a scowl.

Shikamaru felt sweat rolled down his back.

So troublesome, was it his fault that Naruto likes to hug him instead of the Uchiha? Sasuke always permeated dark emotions most of the time, the emo. So Naruto, the sunshine that he is, naturally evades them. There would be no comfort where that goes. Since Naruto can sense negative emotions, he would hardly go to Sasuke for a hug.

Naruto would hug Sasuke when the guy needs it, but not when Naruto needs it. Such is the case now.

"Welcome back, Naruto. How was your mission?" Shikamaru probed.

Naruto grinned.

"It was awesome! It went according to our plan!" Naruto gushed excitedly. Shikamaru smirked in satisfaction.

Good. Now they have two new members of the SAA, and a step towards an alliance with the village hidden in the mist.

Flashback no jutsu

AT AN UNKNOWN TIME AND PLACE

The room was eerily silent, and he could feel if not sense someone else in the room with him. He felt a sense of foreboding in his belly, chills pricking his spine. His unseen adversary is not to be messed with, he could tell. In all his life, he never felt like prey, always the predator. So, this is what fear taste like.

"Hey, Zabuza" his unknown visitor spoke for the first time, the tone playful. One could hear the smile in it.

"Who are you?" Zabuza refused to be intimidated. He's not a coward, but he's not an idiot either. So he remained cautious and spread out his senses to pinpoint his 'guest's' location. His hand inched towards his sword, Kubikiribocho.

"I am here to offer you a deal," his visitor continued, ignoring his question. "A deal?" Zabuza was suspicious. He is a well-known missing ninja, plenty knows him and his prowess and hired him for his skills, the recent one being from a wealthy merchant, Gato. He had yet to accept the contract, wanting to inform his adopted son Haku first, before moving forward. He was given only 3 days to respond, today being the last. But Zabuza did not believe that his visitor would need him for anything that the visitor himself would be capable of. Does his guest wanted to hire him as bait? As distraction?

Regardless, Zabuza is at least glad that Haku is out picking herbs and not present for this encounter. Things here might turn bloody. And he may not come out on top. That's how overwhelming his visitor's presence is.

"I know about the rebellion in the Mist," the voice becomes clearer and Zabuza receives the impression that his visitor is moving closer towards him. Irritatingly, Zabuza still could not sense where his guest is. The room looks empty except for him yet the presence was there, perpetuating everywhere in the room all at once. He could not tell where in the room his guest is. How did he remain invisible to the eye yet present? Is it genjutsu? Zabuza's mind whirled.

"How?" Zabuza growled.

"I have a spy there," the word 'obviously' unspoken. A vein bulged on Zabuza's forehead. His temper rising. He took a discreet deep breath to calm himself.

"Do not be worried, I have spies everywhere across the elemental countries, not only Mist. How did you think I found you so easily?" his guest purred.

Zabuza felt cold sweat running down his back. That...is actually more threatening. Just who is this guy? A missing ninja like himself, or a part of a shinobi village? If it's the latter, they would have gone for his neck instead but there was no way a missing ninja would have a wide spy network like his. Is it a bluff then? Zabuza's eyes narrowed.

"And? What do you want?" Zabuza decided on the wait and see approach. He would hear what he has to say first.

"I want to recruit you," he stated bluntly.

"I figured, but for what? What does someone like you need me for?" Zabuza growled lowly.

"Don't you want to win?" he asked instead. A second vein bulged on Zabuza's forehead. This guy is really testing his temper and patience. And he never answered his questions!

"What?" Zabuza hisses, he is pissed already. He'd swung his sword blind if he has to!

"My offer is not as simple as giving you one-time mission pay. It is something that will benefit us both. A win-win, you could say," he started. Zabuza's expression turned confused, his angry glare not abating.

"You see, it will be a long-term commitment and alliance. If you and your apprentice join my organization, I will ensure your victory in your rebellion against the current Mizukage, but you will continue to assist me and mine after as I will do the same for you thereafter.

Zabuza froze in his track of mind. The stranger knew about Haku. He let out a string of curses under his breath until the full implication of his visitor's offer registered in his mind. His eyes widen in surprise.

"How about it, Zabuza?" one could hear the smile in that.

Zabuza grinned, his sharp teeth showing. (yes, he is not wearing bandages over his face at the moment)

"I am listening," Zabuza felt a small bud of hope in his chest, surprisingly. His visitor implied that he has an army at his beck and call, this organization that he speaks of and Zabuza is basically being recruited as a part of the organization along with Haku. If he and Haku join him, he and his organization would assist in the rebellion and promises victory. Zabuza has no ambition in becoming a Kage, Terumi Mei can take that seat and as Zabuza remains a member of the organization, it will cement an alliance between them, better an ally than a foe. In return, Zabuza and Haku will be assisting the organization in whatever it does in the long run.

"Tell me, what is your organizations' goal?" Zabuza asked.

The stranger smiled, "Peace".

End flashback

In the end, Zabuza demanded to know his future leader's identity, Shikamaru reckoned that their invisible presence made him twitchy but they waited until Haku returned before they revealed themselves.

Zabuza was pissed. Oh he thought we were playing a joke on him considering we appeared as twelve years old genin. The swordsman was also pissed because he was blindsided to be confronted by three, until Naruto's killing intent plus that of the Kyuubi settled on Zabuza's person like a tsunami.

Zabuza was speechless then. Haku remained frozen where he was in anxiety and borderline panic attack even though he did not receive the main brunt of the force.

Shikamaru and Sasuke made sure to impress Zabuza that, no, they are not mere children and that Naruto could level mountains if he wanted to, never mind a hidden village. A tailed-beast bomb would have done the trick and that the elemental nations should be grateful that they are focused on bringing peace and not destruction considering how easy the latter would be to achieve.

Zabuza was convinced that they could bring victory as promised in return for Zabuza and Haku's loyalty. Sasuke made sure to give the shovel talk, threatening death upon treason. For make no mistake, they could have easily ended Zabuza and Haku's life without them realizing as proven by Sasuke's genjutsu to conceal their appearance from sight. They would not have seen the killing blow coming. Shikamaru could have easily secure them with his shadows and strangled them to death while Naruto could just as easily teleport and beheaded them where they stood.

After that, they made Zabuza and Haku accept the contract to be employed by Gato with the intended outcome of Gato and his men's death while his entire fortune (and that is a lot, like in billions) would be split in half (more than enough to fund the rebellion), one half to Zabuza and the other half for the SAA. Gato's business empire was also taken over by the SAA for their future use and funding minus the drug and slave trafficking that Gato involved in.

Between now and the chuunin exams, they would be steadily sending in SAA agents into Mist and Zabuza would send a message when it was time for the rebellion to make their move and take down the current Mizukage.

Speaking of...

"What are you going to do about Yagura? I know you wouldn't want to kill him. There's also Isobu. It will be a battle between two human sacrifices and there's no telling what kind of damage that will bring," Shikamaru dreaded.

"I am going to talk to him!" Naruto said happily. Sasuke snorted.

"Naruto..." Shikamaru sighed in exasperation.

"Shika," Naruto turned serious, with a low voice he said, "I am not going to hurt my family, and that's what they are, my siblings by circumstance."

Shikamaru stare deeply into Naruto's blue eyes, there was stubbornness, determination and also...sadness. Shikamaru closed his eyes briefly, his heart ache a bit and squeezed Naruto before letting him go. It hurts him when Naruto hurts. Sasuke watched them solemnly, a frown on his pale face.

"You are still going to have to beat some sense into him, Yagura is under Madara's pocket," Shikamaru reasoned.

"No, he is under a strong genjutsu," Naruto gestured his head towards Sasuke and said, "Sasuke can break it, countering it with his own Mangekyo Sharingan. Yagura will be confused, and I will restrain him then dragged him into our Jinchuuriki's shared mind space to talk to him without interruption. I will also have Utakata and Saiken to watch our backs. (Yes, Utakata and Saiken is already in the fold of SAA due to Naruto's ingenuity)

Shikamaru sighed but nodded.

"I wish I could go with you," he whispered. Naruto smiled up at him. (Yes, Naruto is still the shortest among his peers at this age)

"I know Shika, but we need you here in Konoha and manage the SAA," Naruto reminded him.

"I won't leave his side," Sasuke reassured. Shikamaru nodded at Sasuke.

"Oh!" Naruto perked up, which effectively gained Shikamaru and Sasuke's attention.

"Ehehe," Naruto smiled sheepishly while scratching his head, "Kakashi-sensei just finished his debriefing with the Hokage," Naruto started. One of his spy clones must have dispersed to inform him.

"And?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.

"Well, he was disappointed that he still could not evaluate our real strength properly, since, you know, Sasuke and I did not do much fighting in our mission," Naruto grinned mischievously. Trolling Kakashi is their favorite past time now. In their c-rank turned A-rank mission to Wave, they did not encounter the demon brothers as Zabuza sent them back early to Mist to help with the rebellion. When they encountered Zabuza, Kakashi took the fight so Naruto and Sasuke only worked together as they did in the original timeline so not much exposure of their true capabilities was seen.

At the bridge, Zabuza simply drop a statement that he no longer target the bridge builder Tazuna since he found out that Gato did not plan on paying him anyway so decided to team up with us instead for a little bit of revenge against Gato. The rest is history.

Shikamaru chuckled but then his mood plummeted. When he thinks about Kakashi, he inadvertently thinks about Obito, thus consequently, Madara. Thoughts of the 4th Shinobi War invaded his mind and he could not help but feel resentment and bitterness well up in his chest. He really admired Naruto for his continued optimism despite everything.

"Naruto..." Shikamaru started. Naruto, who already sense his negative emotions looked up at him intently, wanting to know what bothered his friend so much, though he could guess.

"I asked you this before, but...what are you going to do about Obito and Madara?" he asked.

Naruto blinked, looked away and bit his lip. Sasuke straightened his posture and gave his full attention to them. He also wanted to know.

"I honestly don't know..." Naruto said quietly. "But what I do know is that...I want to give them the opportunity to make the right choice," here Naruto turn towards Sasuke for he knew Sasuke understand what he meant more than anyone. Sasuke looked solemn but he nodded.

Shikamaru understood but still feels bitter. His lips pursed in a thin line. It's not easy to forgive knowing what the two Uchihas were responsible for many tragedies in their lives. Personally, Shikamaru feels it would have been better to just kill them and avoid the war altogether. But he knows that Naruto does not like that. His Hokage wants to save as many people as he could, and that includes the two Uchihas never mind that they were the cause of Naruto's own personal grief in losing his parents and everyone they cared about in the future.

"Death seems too merciful after everything" Naruto said darkly, the air turns heavy so suddenly that Shikamaru almost stumbled in surprise.

Okay...maybe he spoke too soon. Then Naruto smiled as if nothing happened and spoke "I want them to atone, do good. I believe if I could just talk to them, maybe...just maybe they would change, make the right choice, Obito is proven redeemable from our future past though he has a lot to atone for, I want to try and reach out for him again."

Shikamaru nodded, watching Naruto closely and warily, "and Madara?"

"I have an idea about him...so how about this?" Naruto looked up at him seriously. Shikamaru swallowed his dry throat, trepidation in his gut. He has to remember that his Hokage is a dangerous person when he wants to be. That sudden drop in temperature caught him off guard. Sasuke is looking pale on the side, his dark eyes wide.

"You are worried about the 4th Shinobi War, right?" Naruto determined. Shikamaru nodded slowly.

"A compromise then; I will eliminate the biggest source. You will get the pleasure of killing Kabuto during the chuunin exams so the dead will not rise (Naruto feels pity for Kabuto but the guy was already mentally ill despite his many skills and potential. They grey-haired ninja suffer identity crisis and his allegiances always change due to his years as a spy. And in the end, he was never really cured as evidence by Kabuto's support in raising the dead for Orochimaru in the last war. There was too much Orochimaru in him even after all the body modifications he made to himself. In a way, he was never his true self anymore, not since his inception in Root. It will be mercy killing him than let him and others suffer because of Kabuto's actions), Sasuke can toy with Orochimaru and in return you will leave Obito and Madara to me. If they are also a lost cause, I will eliminate them too. Just...give me that window of opportunity," Naruto asserted.

Sasuke and Shikamaru sweat drop but agreed.

Naruto cheered and promptly made a blood clone.

"Hunt down Zetsu, obliterate each and every one of them, then locate and destroy the Gedo Mazo," Naruto ordered.

"Got it, boss!" the clone salutes and teleports away.

---

"..." Shikamaru stared while Sasuke face-palmed.

"Just like that, huh?" Shikamaru slowly smiled, chuckled then finally burst out laughing.

Naruto tilted his head as he look at his best friend, his blue eyes innocent as he blinks. He smiled too, simply glad that Shikamaru feels better.

Sasuke is the one that kept muttering troublesome under his breath all the while.

INSIDE NARUTO'S MINDSCAPE

Kurama yawned as he opened one eye lazily, stretching his limbs then finally rested his head on his paws.

"Did they forget that Madara is already dead at this time? As long as Madara is not resurrected, they only ever need to worry about Pain and Obito who are still hell-bent on the Moon-Eye Plan," Kurama wondered to himself.

"Oh, and Orochimaru," Kurama grins viciously. He can't wait to tear the snake bastard into unidentified mess.

Kurama went back to sleep, dreaming of foxes eating snakes.

AT AN UNKNOWN LOCATION

Orochimaru suddenly shuddered as chills prick at his spine.

"...Kukuku, how interesting."