Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Naruto Shippuden. All characters in this story, excluding those that are created by me, are the intellectual property of Masashi Kishimoto. Please show support by reading or watching the original source material.

~Naruto: The Second Coming - Chapter One~

"Naruto Uzumaki"

"Protect your sister, Naruto," a voice echoed in the darkness. "You are the Child of Prophecy...I know it."

Naruto sat up in his bed, a panting mess with sweat soaking his sheets and clothing. He looked at his clock and discovered that it was five o'clock in the morning, an entire hour before he usually woke up. Nevertheless, he had become accustomed to nightmares such as these, and rose from his bed with the full knowledge that sleep would continue to evade him should he chose to stubbornly stay.

The death of his father and his mother...it still haunted him, even after being given two years to come to terms with what had happened. On a day that was supposed to be filled with such joy, all he felt was immense sorrow. That night his sister was brought into this world, only for his parents to be taken away immediately after.

"Naruto?" a gentle, feminine voice softly called out from the other side of his bedroom door.

Already composed, Naruto turned toward his door and answered, "Yes?"

As quietly as one could, the door was opened to reveal a beautiful woman with raven-colored hair and onyx eyes. She wore a simple, dark-colored blouse underneath a lightly-shaded yellow apron. She looked down at the child before her and smiled sadly, the way she always did when she thought he wasn't looking.

"Having trouble sleeping again?" the woman, her name Mikoto, asked after leaning forward to get to his level.

"Yes."

Mikoto's expression grew a bit pensive as she looked at the boy she had taken in two years ago. Kushina, Naruto's birth mother, had always said that her son was mature for his age but mentioned that it came at a cost. He wasn't playful, friendly, or any way sociable. Seemingly stern at all times, it was tough to crack through his proverbial shell and see the young child underneath.

Despite herself, Mikoto smiled to lift the mood, "Your brother and sister haven't woken up yet, and Izumi has gone on a trip with Fugaku. I was wondering if a strong boy would help me run some errands. Hmm, I wonder if there is anyone in this house like that?"

She stroked her chin a bit and smirked as Naruto looked at her with a tilt of his head. Even Naruto was susceptible to clever paternal coercion.

"I can help you, Lady Mikoto," Naruto offered respectfully with a nod of the head.

As he went into his closet to get dressed, Mikoto faltered a bit. Two years, and he still spoke with her in such a formal way. She had never outright told him that he could refer to her as mother, but she'd be lying if she didn't relish such an idea. An eldest son...it was something she had always dreamed of having ever since Sasuke was born. Izumi was a great elder sister to Sasuke, but Mikoto wanted there to be a brotherly figure for her youngest to learn from and admire.

"I am ready," Naruto announced quietly after walking back into view.

Mikoto smiled when she saw him, internally gushing over how much of a 'cutie wootie' he was. He was dressed in the clothes she had purchased for him, making him look like an actual member of the clan. A short sleeved t-shirt with a high collar and a pair of short with shinobi sandals. Only his blonde hair made him stand out from other Uchiha children.

"Look at my handsome little man," she smiled with her hands on her hips. "How did you get so handsome?"

Naruto blinked and shrugged his shoulders, "My mother said that I got my looks from my father."

Mikoto hummed, "Well, she was certainly correct. As you get older, I'll have to fight the girls off of you with a stick," she said before chuckling to herself.

Soon after, the duo walked through the kitchen to the exit, with Mikoto making sure to grab her handbag on the way. Naruto honestly had no clue where they were going, but it didn't matter. This woman was his host, and had taken him in when he had nobody else. He owed her more than a few favors.

As they walked the streets, many people who were starting their days stopped and bowed at the two, or more specifically, Naruto. All non-shinobi in the village treated him with complete respect, always bowing and using the 'sama' honorific when addressing him. He was, the son of the Fourth Hokage, after all…the very man who saved the village from destruction.

Mikoto frowned at the treatment, wishing that everyone would merely treat Naruto like an ordinary boy. This had never been an issue for the Third Hokage's son, Asuma Sarutobi, who for the most part wasn't given any special status due to his parentage. No...Naruto was different. He was the son of the village's most celebrated, most revered hero.

The two went to various stores and markets, buying several household supplies that they had been running low on. Naruto just stood at Mikoto's side and watched as she navigated through the village like an expert, apparently having gone through this routine many times before. It made him wonder…

"Lady Mikoto?" he asked, speaking up for the first time in a while.

She looked down at his incredibly quickly, as if excited he had spoken at all, "Yes, Naruto?"

"Do you miss being a shinobi?"

Mikoto pursed her lips in thought. That part of her life hadn't crossed her mind in quite some time. After giving birth to her eldest daughter, Izumi, five-years-ago, she had decided to retire from her shinobi career in favor of supporting her infant child. And now that she was essentially raising two, two-year-old children, along with Naruto and Izumi as well, ninjutsu and genjutsu had become a distant memory.

"I suppose I miss the excitement," she confessed with a small smile. "However, I've now come to realize that there are things more important than being a shinobi."

Naruto was caught in a rare moment of confusion, "Like what?"

They both stopped in the middle of the street, and Mikoto kneeled in front of him with a smile. She then proceeded to tap him on the nose with her pointer finger.

"Well...you, silly," she explained with a chuckle. "You, Izumi, your brother and your sister are all precious to me. I love you with all my heart."

Naruto's brows raised, "Sasuke...is my brother?" he asked. He was always confused when she made it seem as if they were actually related.

Mikoto smiled, "Of course his is. Do you see the way Sasuke's eyes light up whenever he sees you? You are his favorite person in the whole world...his big brother. I think that is what he would want you to be for him. Don't you think?"

"I'm Sasuke's...big brother?"

Mikoto nodded with a smile. Perhaps he was finally beginning to understand? Looking at his innocent face, for once not stuck in a look of seriousness, she decided to say something she had wanted to say for quite a while. She just hoped that if Kushina were somewhere watching, she would approve of what was about to be said; however, knowing her old friend, she knew that she would.

"Yes, Sasuke is your little brother...which would also make me your mother."

Naruto looked up at her and blinked several times. She assumed that for Naruto, this was pretty much the same as an ordinary person tripping forward in surprise. As she waited anxiously for him to respond, she hoped to god that she hadn't crossed any boundaries. Naruto was old enough to remember his mother, and the last thing Mikoto wanted was him thinking she was trying to replace Kushina.

"Okay, I understand now," Naruto said after having composed himself. "Thank you for taking me out with you this morning...mother."

Everything froze, and the world seemed to light-up around her. After all of this time, she felt that she had finally broken through. She had finally made it clear to Naruto just how she felt about him as a part of her life. He wasn't a guest at her house...he was family. She embraced him and cried into his shoulder. Naruto was confused but remained still until she finished.

He owed her as much, after all...and he would probably never be finished repaying her.

"Father, what are we doing here?" Izumi asked calmly as she and her father stood at the edge of a dock.

Fugaku, a stern man and the patriarch of the Uchiha family, stood with his arms crossed and his eyes closed. Quite unlike his wife, he was never one for small talk or touching moments. As the leader of his clan, it was his duty to manage things, and that required a level head and even mind.

"Show me," was all he said.

Izumi was smart enough to figure out what he was requesting, and nodded before weaving through several hand signs. Once she reached the end, she placed her hands in the tiger seal, and filled her chest to capacity with fire chakra. Once it reached the limit, she expelled the chakra out of her mouth in the form of a flame, a continuous torrent of fire that covered a significant portion of the lake before dissipating after being extinguished.

Other than a widening of the eye, nothing much changed in Fugaku's demeanor as he watched his daughter's impressive display. Displays of utter genius were something he had come to regularly expect from her, after all.

"You are capable of this, and yet you lost your place at the top of the class?" it wasn't a criticism...nor was there any anger behind his words...just curiosity.

Izumi turned to face him, her expression calm, not offended by his words in the slightest, "Naruto-kun was transferred to my class recently, father."

Upon hearing the news, Fugaku's shoulders sagged in a bit of relief. At least it was Naruto, a ward of the Uchiha clan, who stood atop the Academy rankings. His worst fear was that some nobody would surpass his daughter for the top spot. He hated having to be so superficial, but such things mattered now that the clan's standing in the village had taken a steep decline.

"That boy is an era-defining talent...I cannot fault you for being behind him," Fugaku said, in his own attempt at reassurance. "He is not a fair comparison for anyone your age."

Izumi noted a hint of pride in her father's voice, and it made her happy. Out of all the members of their family, her father had been the least close with Naruto. Therefore, to hear that he was at least proud of the strength of his adopted charge brought Izumi great relief. She would be sure to inform mother later.

"Nevertheless, I don't want you to be content standing behind him," Fugaku continued as he and his daughter left the dock. "Attempt to surpass him, or at the very least reach him. You represent the Uchiha at the utmost level."

Izumi tilted her head, "But Naruto is a member of our clan. He represents the Uchiha as well."

Fugaku shook his head, "You are wrong. He is a ward of this clan. Only someone of our blood can be called our kin," he explained. "We can care for him as if he is one of our own, but he will always be an outsider in some ways. He may represent us as you say, but only to an extent. You are of my blood, and I wish for you to stand at the top."

"If Naruto is not one of us, then how does he have the-"

Fugaku turned to her sharply, sternly interrupting her words, "That piece of information is not to be spoken aloud," he explained. "The Hokage forbade it until he deems it to be public knowledge, and I agree with his decision. For now, make no mention of Naruto's eyes. Understood?"

"Yes, father."

The father-daughter duo then walked through the streets of Konoha in relative silence. Neither were considerably talkative, and were actually more content to just observe and listen to others before speaking. Only when among the entirety of their family did they chose to open up a bit more, but they never became chatty. Naruto was similar to them in that regard.

"Father."

"Yes?"

"I like spending time with Naruto. I don't see him as an outsider."

Fugaku merely gave her a momentary side glance before switching his attention back forward. Izumi knew that if he disapproved of what she had said, he would have made it known, so she took his silence as acceptance. He may view Naruto as a mere guest in their house, but she didn't...and apparently, he was okay with her feeling that way.

"You are to remain friends to that boy only, do you understand?" he then said, ending the unspoken communication with a verbal statement.

Izumi honestly had no clue what he meant, "What could we be other than friends, father?"

Fugaku's shoulders sagged as he realized what he had gotten himself into. Not in the mood to explain the concept of puberty and romantic relationships at the moment (and to be honest, he probably never would be), he decided not to expand upon what he had said.

"You will understand when you are older. But for now, just do as I say. I'll ask again, do you understand?"

Izumi nodded, knowing that there was no other alternative when given a command from her father. Nevertheless, a part of her was still curious about what he meant, but she decided to simply forget about it. Her father deemed it unnecessary to tell her, so she would just do as he said. Still, she wasn't finished speaking.

"What do you think of Naruto, father? Do you resent him?" she asked.

Her father looked down at her sternly, "What has gotten into you today, child?" he asked, apparently not a fan of being asked so many questions.

"I am merely curious, father."

Fugaku fixed his stern gaze on his daughter for a few moments longer before sighing, "Naruto living with us makes your mother happy," he explained.

Izumi opened her mouth to speak again, but a look from her father told her that he would be receiving no more questions today. Deciding that she had been pushing her luck as it was, she closed her mouth and remained silent as they made their trek back home.

(That Evening)

Naruto and Izumi had just returned from the Academy. For the most part, they hadn't spoken to each other all day, which wasn't unusual. Naruto was probably even less talkative than her father, and with her being who she was, there wasn't much conversation to be had. Still, she relished this time together with him. He was her best friend, her most precious person.

As she reached for the sliding doors of their home, she looked at Naruto with a knowing smile, "Are you ready?" she asked.

Naruto simply nodded, and the two entered through the sliding door and into the mudroom (a small room or entryway where footwear and outerwear can be removed before entering a house). As soon as they removed their sandals, they heard the padding of tiny feet on the wooden floors and knew they were about to be bombarded.

"Big brother!" two babyish voices shouted at once, and Naruto sighed as he realized he was the victim of the day.

The first little blur slammed into his legs, and he looked down to see Sasuke gazing up at him with a mixture of love and excitement. Then, the second one attacked. Somehow, his little sister, Mito, became airborne, and latched onto his face like an annoying little tick. His little sister then began tugging on his hair as if it were a toy.

Izumi merely watched in amusement as Naruto was showered with all the love and affection that was humanly possible. Despite it all, he remained stone-faced, which only made the scene even more hilarious. He was like a statue with two little children climbing all over him. It was...amusing, to say the least.

"Izumi, get them off."

Izumi hummed, "I don't know, Naruto, I don't think that's what they'd want. Right?"

Mito looked at Izumi with a toothy grin, "Not what we want! Not what we want!" she chanted before planting a wet kiss on her elder brother's cheek.

Sasuke remained standing on the floor, near Naruto's legs, and looked back toward Izumi. He frowned at her and wrapped his little arms around Naruto's leg possessively. Izumi could only sigh in amusement. Sasuke had always been incredibly possessive of his 'big brother' Naruto.

It was actually very odd. Despite Sasuke being Izumi's biological sister, Naruto seemed to be his favorite elder sibling. The opposite was true as well, with Mito favoring Izumi a bit more. Izumi herself couldn't complain though, as she knew that the two children were merely attached to sibling figures that were the same gender as them.

Mito then looked toward Izumi and leaped from Naruto's face toward her. She was caught deftly in her elder sister's arms, and she buried her little face in his sister's chest. Naruto seemed to be relieved to have been removed of the little pest, but was forced to look down when he felt a tugging on his pants. He then saw Sasuke extending his hands, evidently desiring to be held.

Naruto sighed before reaching down and taking the little boy in his arms. Sasuke smiled up at him lovingly, and Naruto remembered what Mikoto had told him earlier in the day. Sasuke indeed considered him to be his elder brother?

Sasuke then looked toward Izumi and Mito and scowled, "Girls are annoying, big brother," he said in a pouty voice.

Naruto followed his brother's gaze and could barely make out Izumi telling Mito some kind of story, with the latter of the two laughing like an evil little goblin. God, she was a weird kid...

"That may be so, but it will one day be your job to protect those two, Sasuke," Naruto said, earning a look of confusion from his brother. "It is your duty as a man."

"D-Duty?"

Naruto frowned, realizing Sasuke wasn't at the point at which he could understand such things. This was one of the reasons he didn't like infant children. They were no more intelligent than dogs.

"You will understand someday," Naruto explained.

"Okay, big brother! I'll be smart and strong like you!"

Naruto felt something tugging at his chest, and quickly realized that it was affection. No matter how much he concealed his emotions, it was undeniable that he cared for Sasuke...to the very same extent that he cared for his Mito. There was no denying it now...Lady Mikoto was right.

"Lady Mikoto will have prepared dinner for us by now," Naruto explained before hoisting Sasuke up and placing him on his shoulders, causing the child to giggle with glee.

"Let's go, little brother," he then said, causing Sasuke's eyes to widen in surprise.

His mouth opened and closed several times before muttering in awe, "Big brother just said..."

Izumi was unable to hear the rest, however, as Naruto carried Sasuke out of the mudroom and toward the kitchen where she had little doubt a meal would be waiting. After he they left she looked at where they had been standing with a small smile on her face. That was the first time Naruto had ever addressed Sasuke as a sibling. It was certainly a moment to remember.

"Big sis," Mito said, poking Izumi's cheek with her finger. "I'm hungry."

Izumi sighed, "You're always hungry, Mito," she responded.

"Feed me!"

She sighed once more. Mito really was a strange little girl, "Mother will feed you. I'll take you to her now."

"Yay!"

A night like all others.

Naruto stood in his room, alone, as sleep evaded him for yet another evening. The house was quiet, so he knew that everyone was fast asleep. He made sure not to make any movements that would perhaps wake anyone up, and just stared at himself in the mirror.

His mother had been right all those years ago when she said he had inherited his looks from his father. The spiky mop of blonde hair, the cerulean eyes, and the angular face made him nearly a copy of the Fourth Hokage. Only the strange, whisker-like birthmarks on his cheeks made him appear any different.

He then, however, closed his eyes, only to open them once more to see a striking change. No longer were they like his father's baby blues...for they were now blood red, with two tomoe surrounding the pupils. They were the Sharingan, the legendary dojutsu of the Uchiha clan.

"The eyes that reflect the heart..." he mumbled to himself.

If one were to ask how he awakened such eyes without any Uchiha blood running through his veins, he'd be unable to answer. Not even Lord Fugaku, the very head of the clan, had any idea why he had awakened the precious dojutsu. Nevertheless, he decided to take him in after making the discovery, not wanting the Sharingan to exist outside of the clan's control if he could help it. Kakashi Hatake already possessed one of their eyes, so they did not need another such person.

'Father, mother,' he thought to himself, thinking back on the day they had died. He had been there, he had seen their bloodied bodies struggling so very much to stay alive as they cradled his infant sister.

"Protect your sister, Naruto," was all his father managed to say before passing. "You are the Child of Prophecy...I know it."

To what prophecy was he referring? Naruto had spent quite some time trying to figure it all out, but he was no closer to understanding now than he had been two years ago. It had become so evasive that he ended up forgoing his goal to discover the truth.

Suddenly, a felt a knocking on his door. He quickly deactivated his Sharingan and quietly walked over to see who it was. To his immense surprise, it wasn't Lady Mikoto or Izumi…

"Lord Fugaku?"

"Get dressed, boy."

The man was fully clothed himself, looking as if he were prepared for duty. After giving his charge some time to get dressed, he gestured for Naruto to follow him before walking away. Not one to disobey, Naruto did as told and followed with confusion as he and his legal guardian exited the house into the darkened streets of Konoha.

They were empty, minus the occasional person out purchasing items after hours, so they made it to their destination without any real setbacks. To Naruto's surprise, they entered a training ground, one adjacent to a river. The moon reflected off of it to create a beautiful scene.

"Activate your eyes, boy."

It was then that Naruto realized Lord Fugaku's Sharingan was activated, shining a dull red in the darkness of the night. A fully matured Sharingan with three tomoe. Naruto then focused the chakra to his eyes and opened them to reveal his very own crimson-red Sharingan.

"Try to kill me."

Naruto's eyes widened, "Pardon, Lord Fugaku?"

The man's expression hardened, "If you are to possess the eyes of the clan, you will know how to use them in battle," he explained. "Now, do as I say. If you do not fight with the intent to kill, you will be wasting my time."

Almost before he could finish, he was forced to tilt his head to avoid being hit by multiple shuriken. He almost smirked at the boy's poise...absolutely no hesitation when given the order to fight.

Seeing his initial attack did not work, Naruto began weaving through hand signs. Fugaku quickly mimicked the signs using his Sharingan, and they both finished simultaneously, announcing their jutsu with perfect synchronization.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Two massive balls of flames, both equal in size were expelled from their mouths. The two jutsu then collided in an inferno inducing clash, canceling each other out with equal force. When the flames dissipated, Naruto was out of sight, but Fugaku's trained senses allowed him to step back before his ankles were grabbed by two hands that burst out of the ground.

"Earth Style? Impressive," he noted aloud before weaving through another set of hand seals.

His chest expanded with hot chakra before he released it all at once, "Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bombs."

This jutsu was superior to the standard 'fireball' and would incinerate the ground itself, forcing Naruto to escape above ground. Not even a second later, Naruto burst out of the ground several feet away from the blast radius and was then forced to duck after Fugaku attempted to take his head off with a brutal kick.

"Now taijutsu," the man remarked, before seemingly doing his very best to beat the boy to a pulp.

Certainly, he wasn't trying his best, but he was still surprised by the boy's prowess. His moves were refined. His blocks and dodges were perfectly timed, and not a single movement was wasted. He was beginning to experience first hand the pure genius of this child. Suddenly, the boy flipped over his head and just barely managed to pierce Fugaku through the back, hitting a vital point and drawing quite a bit of blood.

Despite seemingly mortally wounding his gracious host, Naruto appeared virtually unaffected, even with specks of blood littering his cheeks. He was unsurprised when he heard a voice speak up from behind him.

"So, your eyes can read through my genjutsu?"

Just as it was said, the 'Fugaku' he had just pierced dissipated into the air as if he had never been there in the first place, revealing it to have been an illusion.

"Yes, Lord Fugaku," Naruto answer before sheathing his kunai. He wasn't sure if his host had actually wanted him to answer the question, or if it was rhetorical, so he decided to answer anyway.

The man's posture was relaxed, which told Naruto that the fight was now over. Naruto then bowed graciously and waited for Fugaku-sama to give him further instructions.

"Your eyes are keen, boy," the older man remarked. "Not many in the clan can see through my genjutsu, yet you can."

"Thank you, Lord Fugaku."

"But you still have much to learn," Fugaku continued, not wanting to give the boy a big head. "You and I will continue to meet here every evening after dinner to hone your eyes. Do you understand?"

Naruto nodded in understanding and turned to leave, assuming Fugaku-sama would do so as well; however, when he noticed he was not being followed he turned around to see his new teacher standing exactly where he had been.

"Is there something wrong, Lord Fugaku?" he asked.

The man remained silent for several moments, his eyes closed and his arms crossed. He was indeed a problematic person to maintain a conversation with, similar to Naruto ironically.

"Are you not curious why I brought you out here, boy? Why I've decided to teach you?"

Naruto's head tilted a bit in confusion. He thought that Lord Fugaku had brought him out to train his Sharingan. Was there really something more to it that he wasn't quite understanding? For all of his genius, even Naruto could not read a person's mind.

Fugaku sighed as he realized he would need to explain, "My family has paid you a great debt, boy," he explained. "My wife especially has gone far and beyond the call of duty when it has come to you."

"Of course, Lord Fugaku, and I am-"

"Let me finish," Fugaku interrupted harshly, shutting Naruto up instantly.

The idea had entered his mind later today, after having spoken with his daughter. It was obvious that the rest of his family was incredibly close to Naruto, with even Sasuke referring to him as a sibling. Funny enough, Sasuke's first words were Naruto's name.

"You are to exist to protect them," Fugaku continued. "Even if it means sacrificing your own life, you will protect Izumi and Sasuke. In doing so, you will have repaid the favor this family and the clan have gifted you. Is that acceptable?"

Naruto didn't hesitate, not even for a single moment.

"Of course it is, Lord Fugaku. I will protect them with my life."

~End~