Fanfic / Linewalkers

Linewalkers (FFN Link) by FlamingLeaf is a Naruto Fan Fic in which Naruto Uzumaki befriends the specter of Tobirama Senju, changing the course of his life and the history of the shinobi world forever. The story also has a dedicated Tumblr blog, which contains cut scenes, omakes, and background notes for the story.

Summary:

Once upon a blue moon a soul managed to escape death's cold grip and descended back onto the mortal plane.

Tobirama's duty might not be as done as he thought - but it's pretty hard to change things when you have been reduced to a ghost.

Luckily enough there just happens to be a blond child who seems so similar to his beloved brother.

Tropes:

• Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: Naruto's early graduation allows Kakashi to build a relationship with him sooner, as it signals to the Hokage that Naruto can protect himself should anyone ever figure out his true parentage. However, Kakashi is not his jounin-sensei due to still being needed in ANBU at this point.
• Adaptational Heroism: Tobirama is much more distressed about the Uchiha Clan's coup than he was in the manga, in part because he's grown genuinely fond of Itachi and Shisui, and because he's seeing what's going on in real time instead of learning of it secondhand, after all the events have long happened. Unlike in canon, he even recognizes that the situation is partly his fault. It doesn't help that he now knows one of his students is deliberately stirring up hostilities so he can get some Sharingan eyes for his schemes.
• Adaptational Superpower Change: Naruto's affinity is no longer wind, but instead water and earth of equal strength. It's implied that Hashirama is partly to blame for the change.
• Ascended Extra: As part of the premise, Tobirama. In canon, his only appearances are as a Edo Tensei zombie and in flashbacks. But here, he becomes a ghost, befriends Naruto, and becomes his mentor.
• Berserk Button: Bloodline theft is one of the biggest taboos in the ninja world. Tobirama is naturally furious to learn that his former student Danzo committed this sin twice over, once with Tobirama's own brother, and then with Tobirama's other student Kagami, who also happened to be Danzo's best friend.
• Big Brother Instinct:
  • Kakashi. He once threatened to decapitate a vendor for throwing a rotten tomato at Naruto, and has served as one of his ANBU guards for years despite not officially being a part of the unit charged with protecting him.
  • Itachi, as per canon. To the point that he fully approved of the above Kakashi's actions when he saw them.
  "It's the duty of the older brother to protect the younger one. Any threat towards the younger one's safety should be removed resolutely and without mercy."
• A Child Shall Lead Them: With Tobirama's blessing, Naruto becomes the head of the Senju Clan at a mere six years old.
• Child Prodigy: Once Naruto has a dedicated teacher, he quickly proves to be this, and manages to graduate from the Academy in one year. It helps that said teacher is a former Hokage.
• Child Soldiers: Commented on and much lamented. As much as everyone hates the idea of Naruto graduating from the Academy at age six, the reality is that he isn't a normal child and is going to be facing far more dangers than any other shinobi due to his status as the Kyuubi Jinchuriki.
• Cool and Unusual Punishment: How does Tobirama help Naruto focus on his training? Threatening his ramen. Being Naruto, it works.
• Didn't Think This Through: Tobirama's decision to put the Uchiha in charge of the police force was to prevent the rise of another Madara, as it kept the clan away from the frontlines (and thus severely decreasing any chances of them watching their loved ones die) and made them less liable to falling into the Curse of Hatred, while still giving them an important position so they wouldn't feel their influence was being curtailed. What he failed to take into consideration were the clan's feelings, as the frontlines are where most of the glory is at — by keeping them away from the war efforts, it made it seem as if they weren't trusted and being marginalized by the village.
• Fatal Flaw:
  • Tobirama is ruthlessly pragmatic and operates primarily on logic, which even he recognizes isn't always a good thing, especially when it comes to leading a village. Hashirama's empathy helped balance him out, but after Hashirama died he didn't have anyone else to help him consider the emotional impact of his decisions when he was Hokage.
  • The Uchiha Clan has their passion, which manifests as the Curse of Hatred. When they love, they love so deeply and wholly that they'd be happy and willing to completely and utterly destroy themselves for it. Conversely, should they lose what they love, they go so mad with grief and hatred that they'll do anything to destroy whatever took away the object of their love.
• Grave Robbing: While it's only implied in the manga, here it's explicitly confirmed Danzo stole Hashirama's corpse to harvest its cells for the Mokuton. He also stole the eyes of his friend Kagami so he could try and artificially replicate the Sharingan.
• Hero with Bad Publicity: Poor, poor Naruto. Eventually, it becomes so much that he opts for early graduation just so he can become a respected ninja and stop the harassment.
• I Am Your Opponent: There are many times when Hashirama is seen challenging the Shinigami to protect Tobirama and Naruto from the death god's schemes.
• The Leader: What Tobirama is training Naruto to be, in hopes of making him a future Hokage of Konoha.
• No Social Skills: Even by the low standards of genius shinobi, Kakashi is this. Multiple traumas and a naturally introverted and reticent personality means that, as much as he genuinely adores Naruto, he has no idea how to interact with the kid at all. The best he can do is imitate to the letter whatever advice more socially-abled shinobi give him, which only confuses the target of his brotherly affections. Luckily for Kakashi, Naruto instinctively understands the sentiment behind his actions, so he still appreciates those gestures regardless.
• Oh, Crap!: Naruto, Shisui, and Tobirama after learning Naruto's affinity, which strongly implies he has access to the Mokuton bloodline limit.
• One Degree of Separation: Tobirama is naturally shocked to learn that one of Naruto's teachers (and old ANBU guards), Shisui, is the descendant of his student and friend Kagami. It's this relationship that causes Tobirama to tentatively put his trust in Shisui with Naruto's training.
• Parental Substitute: Tobirama to Naruto, as noted by Hashirama. Eventually, Tobirama names Naruto his heir and successor as the Senju Clan Head, all but adopting Naruto as his son.
• A Pupil of Mine Until He Turned to Evil: Tobirama disowns Danzo after learning of the many atrocities his former student has committed, including undermining the Hokage's authority by creating and continuing ROOT, stealing and experimenting with Hashirama's corpse, and robbing Kagami's grave to steal his eyes and using them in even more unethical experiments. The final nail in the coffin, however, is learning that Danzo is deliberately stirring up hostilities with the Uchiha Clan so he can kill them all and steal their Sharingan eyes. After that, Tobirama refuses to acknowledge Danzo was ever his student at all, as the man had spit on and twisted all his teachings for his own personal gain.
• Spirit Advisor: Tobirama acts as this to Naruto when they aren't training, helping him navigate situations that are too much for a neglected six year old to handle.
• Tastes Like Friendship: Naruto and Itachi's first meeting, where Naruto offered Itachi some dango as an apology for buying the last box, while Itachi gave him some advice for his training.
• Tranquil Fury: Both Itachi and Shisui are enraged when they learn that Danzo has been colluding with Orochimaru to create artificial Sharingan eyes.
• True Companions: Naruto, Itachi, and Shisui, after their adventure in one of Orochimaru's old laboratories.
• Willfully Weak: Naruto pretends his affinity is only water like Tobirama's in order to disguise the fact that he might have the Mokuton bloodline limit, knowing it would make him a target for people both inside and outside the village.