The Windmill Turns Both Ways

Vision

Everyone waited for Fukasaku to continue. He cleared his throat and began.

"The Great Sage said the vision involved Naruto-chan at a younger age, but he insisted it was an event that hadn't happened yet. No one could understand what it meant. So we looked in the Great Sage's crystal ball, which uses Natural Energy to trace chakra patterns. I decided to go to Konoha when I saw that Naruto's chakra signature was appearing in two very different places. I've been trying to reverse-summon myself to this one's location all along, but it was very difficult." Fukasaku looked at Naruto. "It's similar, but something in your chakra signature has changed to the point where you are almost not recognized by the Summoning Contract anymore."

"What?" Naruto sat up straighter in alarm. "I thought that was just a temporary thing. Was it that bad?" He glanced at Sakura.

"We did notice there was something interfering with his normal chakra signature," Sakura said. "But Tsunade-sama said it was most likely outside interference, not a change in the nature of the chakra itself. That doesn't seem possible."

"Have you scanned his blood here? One of the reasons blood is used in the Summoning Contract is it carries a much more accurate sampling. It makes the contract much harder to fool."

"We did it at home, but..." Sakura's eyes widened in realization. "We didn't stay around to see what the result was. Did you tell Tsunade-sama about this?"

"Yes. She gave the assistants at the lab an earful when she found out the sample was still in the queue. She will tell us the results when they come out, but there is certainly something wrong. The contract doesn't lie."

"But I'm me," Naruto said nervously. "Even if there is something weird going on... I'm not some kind of imposter."

"You're not the same either, though, because you can't be," the Wind Daimyo said unexpectedly. He leaned forward in his chair, smirking. "It's only logical, after all. The same person can't exist in the same way in more than one place at the same time. Even if you shinobi know how to make copies of yourselves. Otherwise, you would be nothing but a copy either, unable to act independently. There would be no meaning in even considering you as a separate being."

Everyone was silent for a while. Naruto could feel a brain-twisty headache coming on.

"That could be," Fukasaku said finally. "Whatever the case, I want to bring Naruto-chan to Mount Myoboku to see the Great Toad Sage. Maybe the two of them together can figure out what the vision means. Or maybe the Sage will see something more clearly with Naruto-chan present."

Gaara crossed his arms. "You seem to think it means danger. Why? What did he see?"

"It was... a little vague, going by his description. I pressed him for details, but he said it was difficult to see because it's not a set path. It could change at any moment, depending on what everyone involved does. But yes, I believe it means danger. He saw this Naruto-chan in a dark space, laying on the ground in terrible pain. It's not clear where this was—he said it felt like 'inside', but that could mean anything from a room here to an Akatsuki hideout deep underground. In any case, our efforts to keep Naruto away from the enemy may fail. That is why I had to let you know about it, Kazekage."

"But what are we doing wrong?" Temari frowned. "When is this choice supposed to be made?"

"Why worry about what some old geezer toad saw?" Naruto said. He was not interested in being subjected to even more bodyguarding.

Yamaguchi delicately wiped his mouth with a handkerchief. "We promised to keep Naruto-kun safe. If we cannot do it, it will reflect badly on us in the eyes of the entire Allied Shinobi Force. Maybe we've been thinking about this the wrong way. No doubt the enemy expects him to be sheltered among shinobi, so all of the great Hidden Villages are bound to be targeted. Instead, what if I brought him back to the Wind Capital with me?"