Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Now to clarify, this is how you should read the text 

"Talking"

'Thinking.'

"flash-back"

Episode (everything in bold is from the episode)

--

Silently, Sarutobi Hiruzen observes the people he has called into the specially prepared interrogation room. Comfortable chairs have been added to the otherwise sterile white room.

His own two students, Jiraiya and Tsunade stand a bit further away and as far away from each other as possible. That isn't a big surprise, especially taking into account the twitching Tsunade's face is doing, and Jiraiya's black eye. Namikaze Minato stands next to Jiraiya. He laughs silently at his sensei.

He sighs and looks towards the blond hidden in the shadows. If only Yamanaka Inoichi, the current head of the Intelligence Division, had confirmed the blond to be a spy... It would have been so much easier. But the clan leader has confirmed the younger blond's story and insisted on performing this jutsu. Nara Shikaku and Akimichi Chouza stand with their teammate.

Hiruzen clears his throat and immediately gains everyone's attention. "I'm sure you're all wondering why you're here. Have a seat and I'll explain." 

Curious looks are exchanged as they comply. It’s strange to see them all look up to him like this, from their couches as if they are all seated in a small movie theater. 

"A few hours ago, an unknown shinobi appears in my office with the help of a seal. He is unconscious and badly hurt. The seal disappears immediately afterward. Inoichi takes him into custody. What he sees in the boy's mind, is later confirmed by the boy himself. Inoichi strongly recommended performing a special clan jutsu of his which will allow multiple people to view the boy's memories at the same time." He pauses briefly, giving the shinobi present time to think about what he just is.

"Who is he?" asks Shikaku bluntly, frown marring his face. "It's clear he's not a spy or there would be more people from the Intelligence Division present to record the memories and there would have been no need for us to be here. Let alone for this setup."

Hiruzen nods, having expected the Nara clan head to catch on quickly. "Quite right. He is a Konoha shinobi and we find out he won't be born for a few years yet." 

A stunned silence fills the room.

"Hokage-sama, are you suggesting time travel?" asks Minato cautiously.

"That is the only explanation." Hiruzen speaks softly. "From what both Inoichi and the teenager explained, he somehow ended up here by accident at the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War."

"Fourth?" Questions Minato softly, a horrified look on his face which is mirrored by the others in the room.

Hiruzen nods. He knows it is hard to grasp. Even for him, the last few hours have been mind-blowing as well.  They are, after all, still fighting in a war… But if whatever information they learn from this can give his village, his people, an advantage in this war, or in the years to come…? He can’t risk not knowing. 

"Inoichi assured me that taking the time to watch these memories now would be more than worth it. That is why I wanted you all here. We are few in this room, and maybe later on I'll ask others to join us but for now, this will have to do. Others will lead Konoha while we are busy here."

"I have a question: are we going to watch the kid's whole life? And where is he anyway?" asks Tsunade, irritated. 

He understands her irritation though. She’d probably rather be working in the hospital. People are dying all the time – they are at war, damn it!

"Inoichi, if you would?" He gestures to the Yamanaka clan head, who is standing next to their time-traveling visitor, having (strangely? Maybe? Maybe not?) attached himself to the teenager.

"Of course, Hokage-sama." The man steps forward, before gesturing behind him. "Naruto-kun, if you'd please step forward."

A blond teenager steps out of the shadows. He wears standard shinobi clothes they have given him, as his own outfit has been completely ruined upon arrival. Bright blue eyes study the others in the room almost eagerly, emotions changing so fast it is impossible to name them. He has three thin scars on each cheek, reminding them of whiskers. His Konoha hitai-ate is proudly displayed on his forehead. On the back of his hands are standard chakra-suppressing seals, making sure he can’t use any jutsu. Better safe than sorry. Until he has seen those memories, Hiruzen will be cautious. He can have them taken off at any time.

“Naruto-kun?” Minato asks, sharing a look with his sensei.

"The jutsu I will perform lets me project a person’s memories on a flat surface, like a wall. It won't show his whole life but shows important memories of his life. This happens chronologically. The oldest memories first. I control the jutsu so it can be stopped and resumed at any time. Almost like a movie."

"Important memories? Meaning you don't choose them?" As always, Shikaku is the one who caught the implication.

Inoichi shakes his head. "No, only memories that Naruto-kun considers to be milestones in his life."

"Any more questions?" Asks the Hokage.

"Not at the moment." Jiraiya grins, rubbing his hands together eagerly. "Let's get this show started!"

Inoichi gestures Naruto to move toward him. The blond teenager sits down in the chair just in front of the Yamanaka. Inoichi waits until everyone looks comfortable, turns out the light and paints a simple seal on the back of Naruto's neck. The 4 matching seals have already been painted on the wall. The rectangular space between the seals will work as a space for the images of the memories to be projected on.

He quickly goes through the required hand seals and activates the jutsu.

Small legs become visible, clad in blue ninja sandals and orange pants. It is a child, blond with goggles on his head, in a black t-shirt, and with a can of paint in his hand. The kid, not older than 12 years old, is laughing brightly. Two shinobi are chasing him around the village, clearly annoyed.

"Is that you? What did you do, brat?" asks Jiraiya.

"Yes, that's me. And I'm sure you'll be shown what I did." Grins Naruto.

"Why did you do such a thing?" one of them yells in anger at the child. "You're really going to get it this time!"

They chase the child around the village, passing below the Hokage monument. Someone has painted doodles on the faces of the four Hokages in different colors. Every Hokage has a bloody nose, and some scars and feminine eyelashes got added as well.

Jiraiya laughs loudly, nearly falling out of his chair in mirth.

The Sandaime immediately hits him on his head, making his student fall to the ground.

"I don't care, dattebayo!" yells the blond child. "You know your problem? You can't do the things I do! Only I can do this! I'm better than all of you! Believe it!"

Random shinobi can be heard screaming as the scene shifts to show the Hokage in his office. "There's a problem sir!"

"Hokage-sama."

“These aren’t the kid’s memories?” Shikaku mutters softly as he frowns at the images shown on the wall.

Sarutobi Hiruzen regards the shinobi who entered his office with a tired look.

"What is it?" His hand stills in the middle of writing a kanji. "Did Naruto do something again?"

"From that reaction, I'm assuming this happened before?" asks Minato amuses.

Naruto only laughs brightly at his (future-) father. Amused, he wonders what the man will do when he realizes that is his face up on the Hokage mountain. Still, it feels so good to interact with him. He has been raised as an orphan after all.

Without being too bothered, THe Hokage continues writing. The two shinobi in his office look frantic.

"Yes, he climbed onto the Hokage Mountain and …"

"And he vandalized and sprayed graffiti all over them!" the second shinobi interrupts.

Almost bored, as if it is a daily occurrence, the Hokage calmly blows out the smoke from his pipe.

Outside, the chase is still on. Two shinobi are still running after the blond kid named Naruto.

"Wait!"

After they pass an alley with wooden panels, a piece of cloth, painted to look just like the paneling, is removed to show a grinning blond.

With his hand rubbing the back of his head, the kid laughs, clearly thinking he has lost them.

"Idiots." mutters Hiruzen. He makes a mental note to look into his shinobi’s training regimen outside of war times.

"Why would I?" Naruto answers the shinobis' earlier demand from the memory as if they are still there.

An angry chunin, with his brown hair in a ponytail and a horizontal scar across his nose, appears behind him. "HEY, NARUTO!"

Not expecting that, the blond jumps high in the air, screaming. Somehow he turns around in mid-air and falls on his behind.

"How did you suddenly get here, Iruka-sensei?" 

The chunin points a finger at him and frowns. "The question is: what are you doing here when you should be in class?"

The next scene shifts to show the Ninja Academy, with Iruka lecturing a tied-up Naruto in the classroom.

"You managed to outrun chunin ninja from our village while in the Academy?" asks Shikaku, grinning. "Not bad."

"Thanks." Naruto smiles back at the man.

"Now listen Naruto, you failed the last graduation test and the one before that. This is no time to be goofing off, you fool!"

"You failed two times already?" asks a skeptical Tsunade. 

"Shut up, baa-chan." Naruto mutters, not happy to have to relive this and be held accountable for it. He’s just bad at school stuff, alright. 

"What did you call me?" A murderous glint appears in her eyes as she raises a fist. 

"Tsunade-sama, please don't." Inoichi reprimands the Sannin.

Naruto looks gratefully at the older blond.

"He needs to be conscious for the jutsu to work." 

"Hey!" Naruto protests loudly, having his hopes of having found an alley here, dashed ruthlessly.

Inoichi shoots him a grin.

Iruka's eye twitches. Angry, he turns towards the other students.

"We will have a retest on the Henge no jutsu (Transformation technique)! Even those who already passed will take it!"

Immediately all the students groan.

First is a girl in a red dress with green eyes and long pink hair.

"Haruno Sakura." She presents herself. "Here I go… Henge." And with a sudden cloud of smoke, she transforms into a copy of Iruka.

"Good." Their teacher praises her with a smile.

She cheers as she canceled the jutsu. "Did you see that, Sasuke-kun?"

“Great, a fangirl." mutters Tsunade, with a disgusted look on her face.

"Next, Uchiha Sasuke."

The boy behind her in the line stoically comes forth. He wears white shorts and a blue shirt with the Uchiha clan symbol on the back. He also manages a successful transformation.

Iruka nods.

"Next, Uzumaki Naruto."

"Uzumaki? I thought Kushina is the last…" Minato mutters, shooting a look at the teenager sitting not too far from him. Is she the boy's mother? But why would he carry her name then? Why not his father's name?

In the background, kids are complaining to the blond clad in an orange jumpsuit. "This is all your fault!"

"Troublesome..."

"Like I care." mutters the blond.

Blue chakra spins around Naruto as he performs the jutsu and, with the trademark cloud of smoke, the kid transforms into a foxy, blond, and a very naked teenage girl who blows a kiss at the poor teacher. Iruka's mouth drops open and he is momentarily stunned, until what he sees registers. Then he flies backward from the force of his nosebleed.

Jiraiya has the same reaction as Iruka, only with a perverted grin on his face.

"What the hell is that?!" screams Tsunade in a rage.

"It's brilliant!" Jiraiya yells out once he gets back up.

Minato sighs as Tsunade almost sends his teacher through a wall for that remark. He turns towards his Hokage.

The man tilts his head in such a way that he can still see the screen, however, people can't see his face… Minato sweat-drops and the others in the room chuckle but only Naruto laughs outright.

"How is it? I call it Oiroke no Jutsu (Sexy jutsu)!"

Laughing loudly, Naruto doesn't notice his teacher's quick recovery. The man uses what has been known for generations as the Big-head-Jutsu and screams at the blond. "You fool! Stop making up such idiotic techniques!"

"Quite right." mutters Tsunade.

The scene shifts toward the Hokage monument. Naruto is cursing while trying to scrub off the paint.

"I won't let you go home until you clean that all up!" Iruka yells toward the child. He has his arms crossed and observes his student from the top of one of the Hokages' heads.

"I don't care." Naruto yells back, just as angry. "There's nobody home anyway!"

”What about your parents?" asks Minato.

The blond looks at him. "I'm an orphan."

Minato frowns. What did that mean? Did Kushina die? Is she even his mother? He still doesn't have a clue about who the father is, though he can hope… He and Kushina are dating at the moment and are planning on moving in together… On the other hand, if Kushina did die, as awful as that theory might be, what happened to the Kyuubi?

Brooding, the child continues scrubbing. Iruka looks at him for a while longer before he tries again.

"Naruto …"

The blond looks up, an annoyed look on his face. "What is it this time?"

"What I meant is… if you clean up this whole mess, I'll buy you ramen tonight." Stars appear in the boy's eyes.

"Yes! I'll finish it in no time, dattebayo!" Naruto exclaims enthusiastically.

Minato chuckles. That could have been Kushina's reaction! She too loves ramen with a passion.

Later that night Naruto and Iruka are eating ramen at Ichiraku's.

"Naruto, why did you vandalize the monument?" asks Iruka curious. "Don't you know who the Hokage are?"

"Of course I do." Naruto says with his mouth full of ramen. He drinks his bowl empty before continuing.

"Basically, those that receive the Hokage name are the strongest ninja in the village, right? Among them is the Fourth Hokage, who saved the village from the nine-tailed demon fox. "

"Then why did you do that?"

"Because I'll become a Hokage myself, and then I'm going to surpass all the previous Hokage!" Naruto finishes that sentence by pointing his chopsticks at his teacher."

"Nice dream, kid." Minato smiles at Naruto, who grins back happily. 

"A fool's dream." Tsunade scoffs.

"I don't want to hear that from you!" Naruto bursts out laughing.

Tsunade frowns. She isn't sure she liked this kid. What does he mean by that anyway?

"And then! And then, I'll make the village recognize my strength! By the way, sensei, I have a favor to ask… "

"What, you want seconds?"

"No… Can I borrow your leaf head protector?" Naruto begs him with an innocent smile.

"Oh, this?" Iruka points at his headband. "No, no, this is for after you graduate. This is a symbol that you've come of age. Maybe you'll get one tomorrow."

"Stingy." the blond pouts.

"Nice try." the Sandaime smiles.

Iruka laughs. "So that's why you removed your goggles." 

"Seconds!" the kid screams in vengeance.

"Huh?!

Minato smiles, amused by the exchange. It does seem like Naruto is close to his teacher. 

"Not to be a spoil-sport, but why are we seeing this? I mean, you can't tell me this is an important moment in your live." Shikaku mutters.

"It's not like I get to choose which memories you see. The really important parts will be shown later, I guess…" Naruto pouts a little.

The next day sees them back in the classroom.

"Now for the graduation exam, you will do the bunshin no jutsu. When you are called, come to the next room." Iruka says with a name list in his hands.

Naruto is anxiously waiting for his turn. 'Damn, why that one? That's my worst skill…'

When it is finally his turn, his bunshin looks as if it is dying…

"Fail!"

"No offense kid, but that's the third time you failed the academy's graduation exam. You sure know how to be stubborn, but are you sure you're the best person to have traveled back in time to help us change the future?" asks Shikaku skeptically.

"I didn't travel back in time on purpose. It is an accident!" Naruto cries indignantly. "But does that mean you officially believe me now?"

The Hokage nods. "I believed you since the beginning of these memories. Inoichi's jutsu, while not used a whole lot, does not allow fake memories to be shown with this kind of clarity. We would have noticed the difference by now."

Naruto smiles at that, feeling relieved. 

Disappointed, Naruto falls down.

"Iruka-sensei…" speaks the white-haired chunin next to the teacher. "This is the third time, and he did technically create a clone… we can let him pass." 

Naruto looks hopeful at that.
"No way, Mizuki-sensei. Everyone else makes three clones but Naruto only created one and it is a useless one. I can't let him pass." Iruka remains firm in his choice.

“Honestly, I can sort of see where he is coming from. Though the fact you can outrun chuunin should be taken into account as well. Did you do better on the other tests?” Minato reluctantly speaks up.

“What other tests?”

The adults in the room blink at the teenager. 

“... the academy graduation test right now, is a written test, with a taijutsu test, a genjutsu, and a ninjutsu test that follows. Are you telling me they only tested your ninjutsu skills?”

“I mean… yeah?”

The adults share a troubled look. Hiruzen can’t help but wonder why that changed because it looks very inefficient to him. Hmmm… 

Next, they see Naruto sitting on a swing just outside the Academy. In front of the building, graduated students are celebrating with their parents. Miserable and lonely, he watches them.

"Great job! That's my son!" 

"Now you're a man!"

"I'm so proud of you! I'm going to make your favorite dinner." 

And then, the whispers start as the adults look toward Naruto.

"Hey, that kid…"

"Yeah, that's the kid and he's the only one who failed." 

"Well, that's good.”

"What?" Hizuren frowns. Konoha's citizens are glad an orphan boy doesn't become a shinobi? Why?

"We can't have him becoming a shinobi. Since, he is…"

"Hey, we can't talk about that!"

They all frown. What is going on?

Refusing to listen any more, Naruto quickly leaves.

In the village, Mizuki-sensei catches up with the blond. "Naruto…"

"Mizuki-sensei?"

"Iruka-sensei is a serious person." the chunin explains. "His parents are killed when he is young and he's had to do everything himself."

"But why does he pick on me?" pouts Naruto.

Mizuki smiles. "He probably sees himself in you. He's probably thinking he wants you to become strong in a real way. Try to understand Iruka's feelings, since you also have no parents."

Naruto looks down at his hands, a sad look in his eyes. "… but I wish I had graduated." 

"Well then," grins Mizuki. "I'll tell you a secret…"

"What is he doing?" asks Jiraiya silently.

The scene changes again.

Naruto is shown sneaking around in the Hokage tower, in the dead of night. 

"What are you doing here at this hour?" asks the third Hokage bluntly as he catches Naruto in the act.

The blond makes a noise of surprise and cries in reflex: "Sexy no jutsu!" 

"Wha-?"

Overwhelmed by the pretty lady before him, the Hokage passes out in a puddle of blood.

Jiraiya once again falls off his chair laughing. "Sensei, y-you…"

This time it is Hiruzen who hits him on the head.

Naruto continues on and is seen searching through scrolls. He finds the right one and leaves without anyone noticing. He quickly goes to a hidden clearing in the forest and opens the scroll.

"Let's see… the first skill is… kage bunshin? (shadow clone) What the hell? Why does it start with one I'm bad at?"

"Are you going to try and learn a jutsu from that scroll? Kage bunshin is a dangerous technique." says Minato worried.

"The only scroll that has that jutsu in it is the forbidden scroll. Why would you take it?" asks Hiruzen.

"It's explained later on." mutters Naruto. He isn't looking forward to the next part. What would they think of him? He knows some of them know that his mother is the previous jinchuuriki, but still …

Later, Iruka finds Naruto in his clearing. The boy is panting hard and has the scroll on his back.

"I found you!" yells an irritated Iruka.

"Oh, I found the nose bleeder!" Naruto screams enthusiastically.

"Idiot, I found you!" screams Iruka in response. It is only then the chunin takes the time to study his student.

"You're such a comedy dude." grins Jiraiya. 

"Oh, yeah, I am the best prankster!" Naruto beams at the man, only a small sliver of pain entering his heart as he interacts with his old teacher.

"Hehehe, you found me." grins a sheepish Naruto. "I've only learned one skill."

"You managed it? But that jutsu requires a huge amount of chakra?" Minato asks stunned.

"I always had big chakra reserves. It's because of that, and my almost non-existent chakra control, that I can't do an ordinary bunshin." Naruto shrugs.

"Naruto, you're all beaten up. What are you doing?"

"Never mind that! I'm going to try an incredible jutsu. If I do it, let me graduate!"

"Why would he graduate you for that?" asks Chouza with a frown, speaking up for the first time. He doesn't like where this is going.

Iruka blinks. 'So you are practicing here? Enough to damage your body…' The boy is covered in bruises but still, he makes the hand signs for his jutsu.

"Naruto?"

"Hn?" the kid looks up, eyes screwed up in concentration.

"Where did you get that scroll on your back?"

"Oh this? Mizuki-sensei told me about it. And about this place too." Worried, Iruka frowns.

"He says that if I show you this skill, I'll definitely graduate!"

"Mizuki?"

"It seems we have a traitor." Observes the Hokage grimly.

Hearing something, Iruka quickly pushes Naruto out of the way, taking the hit of different kunai being launched at the child himself.

"Nice job finding him." smiles Mizuki, who suddenly appears.

Pulling loose a kunai, Iruka glares at his friend. "I see, so that's what’s going on…" 

"Naruto, give me the scroll." the white-haired man screams with a grin.

"What's going on here?" asks Naruto. He looks so confused you can almost see a question mark appear above his head.

"Come on, kid, it's not that hard to connect the facts." Reprimands Shikaku. 

"Hey!"

"Naruto, don't give him the scroll even if you die!" orders Iruka. The man is bleeding from various wounds. 

"That is a dangerous scroll that has forbidden ninjutsu sealed within it. Mizuki used you in order to get his hands on it!"

Shaking, Naruto stands up.

"Naruto, there is no point in you having it. I'll tell you the truth." the traitor taunts the child.

"The truth?" Naruto asks, more confused than ever. 

"No, don't!" screams Iruka desperately.

"Twelve years ago… You know about the demon fox being sealed away, right?" Mizuki continues to taunt him. "Since that incident, a new rule was created for the village."

"Sealed away? The Kyuubi has been sealed again?" asks Minato.

Naruto nods sombrely. Minato sighs, finally understanding. He closes his eyes and mutters: "Jinchuuriki…"

Naruto eyes his father with wide eyes. He didn’t think he would have figured it out so soon, even with his mother having been the jinjuuriki before him. 

The others in the room nod in understanding but don't give any other reaction. Naruto isn’t sure what to make of it.

"… A rule?" asks Naruto.

"But Naruto, this rule is never meant to be told to you." the traitor continues talking.

"Not to me? What is this rule? Why?" asks Naruto, frantic. 

“That is strange. Why wouldn’t you of all people have been told?” Shikaku mutters softly. 

Yet, Naruto hears him, and can’t help but agree. He has been wondering about that for years. 

Mizuki chuckles.

"What kind of rule is it?" Naruto asks again with wide blue eyes.

"The rule is that nobody is allowed to talk about the fact that you are the demon fox." Mizuki sneers at him.

"He's not the fox, only its jailor."Minato says with a strong voice.

Naruto sighs relieved and smiles at the man. Minato, seeing the beautiful smile on the boy's face, smiles back.

"Huh? What do you mean?" screams Naruto again, his voice slightly breaking. 

"STOP IT!" yells Iruka.

"It means that you are the Kyuubi that killed Iruka's parents and destroyed the village! You are sealed up by the Hokage you admire and…"

"Oh, shut it, you idiot." Minato really doesn't like the white-haired man.

"Stop it!" Iruka tries again.

"You have been lied to by everyone!" Mizuki continues as if Iruka isn't there. "Don't you find it odd how everyone hated you?"

"Why did they tell the whole village?! The identity of the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki has always been one of Konoha's most guarded secrets!" Minato yells in anger. "Which idiot decided to reveal it to the village after what sounds like a massive attack from the fox?!"

Naruto shrugs. "Apparently, the Yondaime Hokage wished for the village to view me as a hero."

"Really, who the hell is that naïve?!" 

Naruto can't help but laugh with that. Oh, the irony…  

Tears gather in Naruto's eyes.

"Iruka is the same! He actually hates you!"

"Naruto!" calls Iruka worried about the young boy's reaction. He closes his eyes and heard again what the third Hokage have said to him earlier that day.

"He's never known a parent's love and is hated by all the villagers because of that incident."

"Nobody will ever accept you." Mizuki yells as he surges forward.

"So to get attention… he causes a lot of trouble. He's seeking acknowledgment of his existence in any possible way."

"That scroll is used to seal you up." Mizuki has almost reached the blond.

"He acts tough but he is truly suffering."

Blood flies across the screen. Iruka is seen covering Naruto with his body as the great Wind shuriken Mizuki has thrown is sticking out of his back. Blood drip s from the man's mouth onto Naruto's whiskered cheeks. Tears gather once more in the boy's eyes.

"Why?"

"M-my parents, after they died, there is nobody to compliment me or acknowledge me. I was so sad… I would always act like an idiot to get people's attention." Iruka tried to explain. “Since I wasn't able to get attention by doing well in school. I acted like an idiot to get people to notice me because it was better than nothing. So I kept acting like an idiot."

"They sure know how to monologue..." Shikaku mutters. "This is taking too long. Why would the traitor wait for Iruka to finish? Not that I'm complaining in this case, but does this sort of thing happen often?"

Naruto rubs his hand against his chin, thinking. "Usually it's only the bad guys." he grins. "But they get so arrogant that most of the time you know the details of their plans before they finish speaking, so I'm not complaining."

"It is so painful." Iruka is crying now "Yeah, Naruto, you must have been in a lot of pain too. I'm sorry, Naruto, if I have done a better job, you won't have have to feel like this."

Naruto hesitates for a second and then, clearly overwhelmed, the boy runs away.

The scene changes and Naruto is running through the trees now. 

He runs as far away from his teachers as his feet can carry him. Iruka gains on him, having chased him through the trees. 

"Naruto!" Iruka runs beside the boy. "Hurry! Pass me the scroll. Mizuki is after it!"

Mid-jump Naruto changes directions and tackles his teacher. 

They watch the screen in tense silence.

The man flies back as Naruto lands and clutches the scroll in his arms.

"What?" Iruka gapes at the child. "Why? Naruto… How did you know I wasn't Iruka?" And with that Mizuki stops the transformation jutsu and Iruka disappears.

"Hehehe." laughs Naruto. A sudden cloud of smoke appears to reveal Iruka. "Because I'm Iruka."

"Nice." Cheers Jiraiya.

"I see." Sneers the white-haired man.

Unknown to both men, Naruto is hiding behind a tree a bit further away. Clutching the real scroll, he can hear their conversation.

"Hehehe, you'd transform into what killed your parents to protect him?" 

"I won't hand that scroll over to an idiot like you!" Iruka yells back. 

"You're the idiot." mocks Mizuki. 

"Naruto and I are the same." The man almost whispers as he looks down.

"The same?"

Hearing this, Naruto frowns.

"If you use the skills in that scroll, you can do whatever you want. There's no way that demon fox won't try to use that power, unlike what you're assuming." Mizuki laughs.

"Yeah…" Iruka agrees with a soft smile.

Minato frowns again.

"Oh, can you just move on already?! Stop talking and do something!" If it wasn't so troublesome, Shikaku would have shouted.

Naruto flinches hearing this.

'Damn it, I knew it… see, even Iruka-sensei… Deep down … doesn't acknowledge me.'

Minato reaches for the kid and places his hand on his shoulder. The younger blond smiles thankfully at him. Jiraiya notices the two smiling blonds’ and tilts his head as he sees the similarities between them.

"The demon fox would do that…" Iruka interrupts Naruto's depressing thoughts, "but Naruto is different. He is …I acknowledge him as one of my excellent students. He may not be the hardest worker…"

Naruto hugs the scroll to himself and tries to hide his face in it.

"And he's clumsy so nobody accepts him. He already knows what it is to feel pain in your heart. He isn't the demon fox anymore…"

Again a brief flash of Naruto's hunched form is shown. "He is a member of the hidden leaf village."

The tears the boy has tried to contain since the beginning of the day, finally fall. "He's Uzumaki Naruto!"

They all smile at that.

Naruto is shaking, trying to calm down, to regain control of his emotions and not makes any noise.

Mizuki grimaces. "Ok, whatever…" he takes his second great wind shuriken from his back. 

Weak from blood loss, Iruka can only watch from his seat against a tree.

"Iruka, I said I would take care of you later, but I changed my mind. Hurry up and die!" Mizuki throws the weapon. 

Iruka smiles but doesn't move. He doesn't need to.

Unexpectedly, Naruto appears and head-buts the attacking shinobi.

"Finally something happened." mutters Shikaku bored.

"Would you shut up about that?!" cries the youngest blond in the room.

"Naruto?!"

"You shouldn’t have done that…" mutters Mizuki, slowly getting up. 

"Don't touch Iruka-sensei. I'll kill you!” With the scroll resting on the ground but still in his hand, Naruto glares.

"You tell him kid!" yells Chouza enthusiastically.  

"You idiot! Why did you come out? Run away!" Iruka yells.

"Shut up! Punks like you I finish in one shot!" Mizuku readies himself to attack again.

"Try it, trash! I'll return the pain a thousand times over!" The boy forms a hand seal. Mizuki only laughs mockingly. 

"Then do it, demon fox!"

"Kage bunshin no jutsu!" 

However, both chunin gasp in shock at what followed next. 

Tha people watching the memories react the same way. None of them had expected this…

Hundreds of Naruto appear. The whole clearing is filled with them!

"Wow, nice work kid!" Jiraiya gives him a thumbs up. 

Naruto grins, especially when he sees his father gaping.  

"Wha-? What's going on?" Mizuki cries, wide-eyed.

"What's wrong?" mocks Naruto. "Come at me! Weren't you going to kill me in one shot?"

Stunned, Iruka only watches. 'Naruto, you…'

"Well then, I'll start things off!" And with that, all the clones start attacking the traitor. 

Iruka smiles as only one Naruto remained next to Mizuki's beaten form.

"Serves him right." Minato beams at the screen.

"Hehe, I went a little too far…" Naruto rubs the back of his head sheepishly.

Iruka smiles. "Naruto, come over here. There's something I want to give you. Close your eyes."

Naruto does as told. Impatient as ever, he doesn't stay still for long. "Sensei, now?"

"Ok, you can open your eyes."

His eyes fly open and Iruka sits before him. He is smiling and holding Naruto's goggles in his hand. His headband is missing.

"Congratulations on graduating! Let's celebrate; I'll buy you a bowl of ramen. Overjoyed, Naruto tackles Iruka in a hug, laughing happily.

"Well, that is nice." smiles Shikaku as the images disappear. "Is that it?"

"It's the first of many to come." grins Inoichi. 

“How many, exactly?” The Nara moans.

Minato puts his hand on Naruto's shoulder again. "Congratulations."

Blushing, Naruto feels himself smile so widely his face almost split in two.

TBC

Chapter Text

They immediately continue with the next memory.

Naruto is seen peeking out of a classroom door. Turning back to the other two children, he asks "Why is our team 7 Sensei so damn late?"

"Ah, I suppose this is the day teams are assigned?" the Third Hokage asks. Naruto only nods.

The pink-haired girl from before answers him, irritated. "Naruto, just sit down or something."

"All the other teams left with their Sensei and Iruka-Sensei also left..."

"Your Sensei is really late then if the academy teacher left…" states Chouza who is munching on some snacks.

'Where did those come from?' wonders Naruto.

"Hey Naruto, what are you doing?" screeches the girl.

Naruto snickers as he arranges his prank. The chalk eraser is carefully placed in the slight opening of the door.

"Children." The Hokage sighs while shaking his head. 

Proving his maturity, Naruto blows him a raspberry.  

"That's what you get for being late!" screams the blond.

The pink-haired girl sighs again. "I'm not involved."

"Like a Jounin is going to fall for such a stupid booby trap." mutters the brooding Uchiha boy.

Just then a white-haired man comes in and the eraser falls on his head.

"Haha! Who is the idiot who fell for that prank?" laughs Jiraiya.

Once the chalk cloud has disappeared the man's face is revealed. Well, only one grey eye is visible. His left eye is covered with his hitai-ate and he wears a mask to cover the rest of his face.

"Is that Kakashi?" asks Minato, shocked, but smiling all the same. "He sure grew up!"

"Yeah, the older he gets, the less you see of his face!" laughs Jiraiya still. 

"Idiot." mutters Tsunade again.

Naruto can sense a trend forming. Is his godfather really that relaxed/fun-going all the time?

Naruto burst out laughing. "Hahahaha! You fell for it! You fell for it!" 

The pink-haired girl fidgets nervously.

"I tried to stop Naruto, Sensei, but..."

The Uchiha only stares at the man as if he can't believe this is to be his teacher. The Jounin doesn't let this all bother him.

"Hmm. How can I say this? My first impression... I don't like you guys."

"Honest." comments Tsunade.

"Harsh is more like it. Though that’s Kakashi." Minato smiles awkwardly. “Though I have never known him to be late to anything. I wonder if anything happened?”

"If they can't handle the truth, they don't have a chance at surviving in this world." Tsunade reasons.

"Yes, but it seems those are peaceful times – it's different during wartime. I'm sure they can relax a bit." says Hiruzen.

Three pairs of shoulders drop slightly, dejectedly. "Meet me on the roof."

The scene shifts to show all four on a rooftop.

"Well, let's begin with introducing yourselves." begins their Sensei. 

"What do you want to know, Sensei?" asks the girl.

"How about your likes, dislikes, dreams for the future, and things like that." Kakashi explains.

"Hey, why don't you introduce yourself to us first?" asks Naruto skeptically. 

"Yeah, you kinda look suspicious..." says the girl again. 

"You can say that again." mutters Jiraiya.

"Oh me?" asks the man looking completely bored. "Well, my name is Hatake Kakashi. I have no desire to tell you my likes and dislikes. Dreams for the future... Hmm. And I have a lot of hobbies."

"Really Kakashi?" sighs Minato. "This is supposed to be your new team."

The girl, sweat drops. "So all he told us is his name?"

"Now it's your turn. You start, blondie."

With a big grin, Naruto starts. "Me! Me! My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like cup ramen. What I like even more is the ramen at Ichiraku Ramen! What I dislike is waiting three minutes for cup ramen to cook. My dream…"

"Is ramen all you care about?" asks Shikaku skeptically.

"Well, it's delicious!" exclaims Naruto. "Besides, the only people who cared for me at that time always treated me to ramen."

"All of them? Then you have free food all the time." Chouza smiles enthusiastically.

"Well, I have only Iruka-Sensei and the old man Hokage, and both are always very busy… But old man Ichiraku and his daughter Ayame are brilliant! They frequently give me free servings – I'm their best customer." Naruto finishes proudly.

There is an awkward silence as they realize those are the only people in the whole village who treated the Jinchuuriki kindly.

Kakashi sweat-drops as he studies the blond.

"My dream is to surpass the Hokage and then have all the people of this village acknowledge my existence."

"Haha, that's my dream as well! Being Hokage, that is." says Minato. 

The blonds smile at each other.

Kakashi just stares at him.

"My hobbies… pranks I guess…"

"Ha, you guess? That prank with the monument is brilliant!" comments Jiraiya. 

Tsunade hit him on the head. "Would you stop interrupting every five seconds?!"

"Why would you hit me for that?! Minato interrupts just as much!"

"Leave me out of this, Sensei." smiles Minato with his hands up in the universal motion of surrender.

Tsunade only snorts.

The Jounin rubs his hair. "Next."

The black-haired Uchiha speaks up. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are tons of things I dislike but I don't really like anything. And… I don't want to use the word 'dream' but… I have an ambition. The resurrection of my clan and to kill a certain man."

"Emo-kid." mutters Jiraiya while he inches away from the blonde healer. Tsunade only frowns at the memory.

"I wonder what happened." questions the Hokage. "'Resurrection of his clan', meaning something happened to the Uchiha clan?"

Seeing the man's questioning look, Naruto decides to answer. "I'm not sure it'll be mentioned but I'll tell you what Sasuke later told me. Apparently, he came home one day from the academy to find his whole clan massacred. He is just in time to see his older brother kill both his parents. Sasuke is the only survivor."

"Damn…" mutters Shikaku, whose mind is racing.

The pink-haired girl blushes at the boy, while Naruto looks uncomfortable. Kakashi frowns.

"Ok. And lastly, the girl."

"I'm Haruno Sakura. The thing I like is…" glance at Sasuke "Well, the person I like is…" another look at the brooding boy " Umm… Should I say my dream for the future?" and again. "OH MY!" Squeal!

"Brilliant, a fangirl." says Tsunade sarcastically.

"The only, and I did say only , good thing about this war is the lack of fangirls. All the girls in the Academy know what they signed up for." says Inoichi with a frown.

"I don't recognize her name. Civilian raised?" Hiruzen muses.

"Probably." Minat agrees.

Kakashi, sweat drops again. "The thing I dislike is Naruto."

"Hey, he's not a thing, girl!" exclaims Minato angrily. "He's a human being!"

Naruto nods in thanks.

"My hobby is…" and again she looks at Sasuke.

"Ok, that's enough of that. We will start our mission tomorrow.” Kakashi says with a wave of his hand.

"Yay! What kind of mission?" asks Naruto energetically.

"First we are going to do something with just the four of us." Kakashi stares at them stoically. 

"What? What?" 

"Survival training."

"That sounds like a bell test." smiles Minato.

"Well, they are team 7 – it's tradition." smiles the Hokage. 

The scene shifts.

The next image shows a close-up of Kakashi, glaring.

"All three of you should quit being ninja."

"Wow, nice opening." mutters Chouza.

The three Genin are standing on a training field. Naruto is tied to a post as Sasuke sits and Sakura stands on either side of him. Kakashi stands before them.

"Quit as a ninja?! What does that mean?!" screams an angry Naruto. Sasuke glares at the older man and Sakura had a lost look on her face.

"Ok, ok, we can't get the bells, but… why do we have to quit!?"

"None of you got bells? That's unusual…" mutters Hiruzen.

Naruto doesn't react, though his cheeks did turn pink in embarrassment. They chuckle.

"Because all of you are just punks who don't deserve to be ninjas."

Suddenly Sasuke charges the man, and the other two exclaim in surprise at his actions.

"Too rash." mutters Shikaku.

In a move too quick to follow through a Genin's memories, Kakashi has the boy pinned on the ground by sitting on his back and only restraining one arm.

"That's why you're a punk."

"No, don't step on Sasuke-kun!" screams Sakura enraged.

"Are you guys underestimating ninjas? Huh? Why do you think you are divided into teams and are doing this training?"

"Oh, they got Kakashi angry." smiles Jiraiya.

"Anyone would be angry at such childish behavior." mutters Tsunade. 

Again, Naruto doesn't comment.

The girl hesitates. "Huh? What do you mean?" 

Behind her, Naruto looks just as clueless.

"Basically, you guys are not understanding the answer to this test." 

"Answer?"

"Yes, the answer that helps you pass this test."

"So, When are you going to tell us?" asks Sakura hopefully.

"You have some guts, girl." laughs Jiraiya. "Demanding such things from an angry Jounin. Ha!"

"Geez…" mutters the Jounin, still seated on Sasuke's back. Irritated, Naruto started yelling again.

"Ahh! Damn it! What's the answer already?"

"You are a bit of a hothead, aren't you?" asks Minato.

"I've always had a bit of a temper but it got better as I grew older." shrugs Naruto, clearly not too concerned.

"It's teamwork." Kakashi answers with a murderous look in his eyes. All three Genin looks shocked at this.

"Ha! The look on your faces!" smiles Jiraiya.

"The three of you working together may have gotten the bells." Sakura immediately became upset.

"What do you mean by teamwork? There are only two bells! Even if we work together and get the bells, one of us would still fail. What teamwork? That just makes us fight each other."

"Smart, but not smart enough. Kakashi will have fun training these kids. If they pass …" notes Shikaku.

Kakashi just stares at her with a blank look in his eyes.

"Of course! This test is purposely set up to make you fight amongst yourselves." 

"Huh?!"

"The purpose is to see whether you can forget about your own interests and successfully work together under these designed circumstances. Yet you guys… Sakura, instead of Naruto who is right next to you, you are only thinking about Sasuke, who is far away. Naruto, you are just running around by yourself. Sasuke, you just assumed the others would get in your way and tried to do everything yourself. The duties are done by the team. Of course, superior individual ability is important to a ninja but what's more important is 'teamwork'."

"Wow, Kakashi sure changes." smiles Minato, relieved.

"Yeah, he's such an arrogant little bastard right now. The brat grew up nice." smiles Jiraiya.

"He's the best!" grins Naruto "It would be nice if he could be here to see all this." He turns to look at the third Hokage. "He played an important role in the future and not just because he's my Sensei."

"No worries dear boy, I was already thinking of summoning more people to view these memories." Naruto's grin could have split his face.

"I can't wait to meet midget-Kakashi!"

"Individual play that disrupts the team can put your comrades in danger," stated Kakashi as he reaches into his weapon pouch, "and even get killed. For example…" He pulls a kunai out and holds it to Sasuke's neck. "Sakura, kill Naruto or Sasuke dies!"

The girl looks shocked and unsure while Naruto looks around uneasily. "What?!"

Slowly, Kakashi releases the kid and stands up. "You see? If a hostage is taken, you will have to make tough choices and then die. You will be risking your lives in these duties."

Naruto just frowns. His Sensei had told him about the mission that had killed his teammate and gave him his famous Sharingan eye. Is he referring to that here?

Kakashi turns around and walks towards the memorial stone.

"Look at this; numerous names are carved on this stone. These are ninjas who are recognized as heroes of the village."

"Hey, I've decided to get my name on that stone too! Hero! Hero! That's what I'll become!" screams Naruto enthusiastically.

"Idiot." mutters Tsunade.

Jiraiya only laughs in agreement. Even Shikaku, Inoichi, and Chouza snicker at Naruto's childish behavior.

"Stop it!" pouts Naruto.

"You really have no idea what that is?" asks Minato.

"I do now. A lot of my friends are on there now; so I visit them and I'm sure that, in my time, my name will have been added as well."

That sobers them up quickly. Most of them haven't realized yet what it meant to have Naruto here. The boy is completely alone. Even if he knows some people here, they don't know him. He will do everything he can to give them a better future, even if that means sacrificing everything he ever knows. Because by changing the future he gives up all those bonds…

Minato places a comforting hand on Naruto's shoulder and as Naruto grabs Minato's hand in support, the two blonds smile at each other. 

Just because he doesn’t know these people, not really, and because he is in an entirely different time, all alone, doesn’t mean that new bonds can’t be created.

"But they aren't just normal heroes... They are all heroes who died while on duty."

And immediately Naruto's large grin vanishes and the boy looks troubled. His teammates also look uneasy.

"This is a memorial. My best friend's name is also carved here…"

"What? I didn't know Kakashi has a best friend. Who? Who died?" asks Minato intently.

Naruto hesitates. "I suppose it won't matter to tell you. I'm sure the memories will cover it but not for a while so… Kakashi told me the story, it's the most important part that needs to be changed anyway. If we change this one event, the whole future will be different..."

"You're rambling. Just tell me." 

"Uchiha Obito."

"What?" Minato's face becomes white in his shock.

"It happened on a mission gone wrong towards the end of the war." 

It’s silent for a moment.

"Maybe we should listen to that story later on." suggests Hiruzen. They nod in agreement, some with a troubled look on their face. Naruto looks at his father. 

"We'll change it."

The iron determination on Naruto's face makes Minato smile thinly and the older one nods. 

The memories continue.

"You guys … I'll give you guys one more chance. But after lunch, I'll make it even tougher to get the bells. Those who still wish to challenge me can eat lunch, but don't give Naruto any."

"Huh?"

"It's punishment for trying to eat by yourself. If anyone gives him any food, they will fail immediately. I make the rules here! Got it?"

And with that, the Jounin disappears.

"Heh! I don't need any food! I'm fine!" screams Naruto, still tied to the post and swinging his legs about.

Naruto's stomach is growling as the other two are eating. Sasuke glanced at him from the corner of his eye.

"Here." The boy extends his lunch box toward the blond.

"That's nice and all, but does he realize you can't actually take that? What does he want you to do? Eat it without using your hands? Just stuff your face in it?" asks Tsunade skeptically.

Naruto snorted with laughter. "Knowing Sasuke that wouldn't surprise me."

Sakura immediately panics. "Hey, Sasuke-kun, Sensei said…"

"Don't worry, I don't sense him near here."

"Arrogant kid. Kakashi is a Jounin. Just because you can't sense him doesn't mean he's not around." voices Shikaku with a frown.

“And while the man seems very critical about this whole thing, Naruto can’t really blame him. Seeing his team and himself like this, so young and awkward, he feels like cringing half the time at what he sees.

"After lunch, we'll work together and get the bells." Sasuke continues saying.

"I might just start to like this, kid." says Jiraiya thoughtfully.

 "Without food, he'll just be in the way and that will only hurt us." 

"Then again, maybe not. Such a jerk." mutters the toad sage.

"I know, right!" Naruto nods enthusiastically.

"You really shouldn't call your team-mate that." Minato remarks with a small smile.

"Sasuke is like a brother to me. Still is, even after all he's done. But there is no changing it; he’s an arrogant bastard." States Naruto seriously.

There’s a moment of silence before Sakura copies Sasuke. Touched, Naruto gives a small, but genuine smile.

"Thanks."

A big cloud of smoke explodes before them, the three exclaiming in shock. "What's this?"

Kakashi emerged from it, an angry look in his visible eye. "YOU GUYS…!"

"Busted." grins Shikaku.

He’s slightly bowed so his head is at about the same height as Naruto's "Pass." the man finishes in a sweet tone.

Minato grins at Naruto. "I'm late again, but congratulations!"

Naruto smiles happily. He knew he would never get enough of this.

Stunned, the three look at their Jounin-Sensei, while Kakashi smiles his famous eye-smile. "Pass? But why?" asks Sakura, confused.

"Oh, look at them, all confused." Cooes Jiraiya.

"You guys are the first. Everyone else would just do whatever I told them. They are all just morons. A ninja must see underneath, the underneath. Those who break the rules and codes of the ninja world are trash… but you know what?" Kakashi smiles softly at them. "Those who don't take care of their comrades are worse than trash."

"I'm proud of you Kakashi." mutters Minato. Jiraiya clasps the man's shoulder and they share a look.

Naruto looks impressed at his Sensei while Sakura is cheering and Sasuke has a small but pleased smile on his face.

"That ends the training. All of you pass! Ok! Starting tomorrow Team 7 will begin its duties!" says Kakashi with a thumbs up.

"Yay! I did it! I did it! Ninja!" cheers Naruto until he notices the others leave without him. "God damn it! I knew this would happen! Untie me!"

The scene faded out with his team leaving Naruto tied to the stump.

"Again, mean people!" pouts Jiraiya. 

"It is a bit uncalled for." Minato agrees.

"Even a Genin should be able to get out of that." comments Tsunade. 

"Oh, I had no trouble freeing myself. I was just a bit disappointed." Naruto shrugs, trying to look casual.

A new scene appears.

Team 7 is standing on a big, unfinished bridge. Kakashi is fighting another ninja, while Sakura is guarding an old man. Naruto is standing a bit further, having just appeared in a cloud of smoke. There is also a strange dome, made of sheets of some sort of materials, and Sasuke is inside of it, looking as if he is struggling. 

"Now that I'm here everything will be fine! The main character of a story usually shows up in these types of situations and instantly kicks the enemy's ass!"

"I have no idea what is going on, but are you seriously that much of an idiot?" asks Shikaku incredibly.

"Umm… Maybe I should clarify that a bit?" Naruto rubs the back of his neck with a grimace because seeing the scene like this, without any context, makes him simply look stupid.

"That would be appreciated." mutters Hiruzen.

"This is our first mission outside the village. It started as a C-rank but only because old man Tazuna can't afford a more expensive one. The man that Kakashi-Sensei is fighting is Momochi Zabuza, one of the legendary swordsmen of Kiri. And Sasuke, who’s fighting inside that dome- thingy is fighting his apprentice, who has the Hyoton bloodline. It gives Haku control over ice."

"Haku? You knew him." Minato asks, tilting his head in question.

"Briefly. " mutters Naruto as he remembered the boy's death.

The scene continues. The man now identified as Zabuza launches shuriken at the blond while the masked boy throws senbon. Naruto prepares himself, but the senbon blocks the shuriken.

"Haku, what is this?" asks Zabuza with a glare visible on his face even with his bandages covering at least half of it.

The masked boy bows lightly. "Zabuza-sama, these kids… Please let me fight them my way."

The man looks down. "So you don't want me to interfere, Haku. You're soft as always…"

Inside the dome, Sasuke looks panicked as he tries to find a way out of his situation. Small cuts adore his body. He gets the shock of a lifetime when Naruto suddenly appears before him. The blond holds a hand by his mouth as if telling a secret.

"Hey! I came to save you!"

The Uchiha explodes. "You total moron! If you're a shinobi then use your head! Why did you come inside the mirrors!? Damn it! I don't care anymore! You're an idiot!"

"Ha! Way to make an Uchiha lose his cool." Roars Jiraiya with laughter.

This time Naruto doesn't laugh. He still remembers what happened next as if it happened yesterday. This memory has helped him through some tougher times concerning Sasuke.

"He does have a point. If he's having so much trouble from the inside, it would be more helpful to have someone on the outside." Reasons Shikaku.

"What did you say? I come to save you and this is what I get?!"

"You really are too much kid!" laughs Jiraiya again.

Seeing it coming, he dodges Tsunade's sudden attack. He hops away to find a chair further away from her.

The masked boy emerges from within one of the mirrors, and with a speed they can't follow, he travels from one mirror to another.

"What's going on?" asks Naruto.

Sasuke doesn't answer, he is busy going through hand seals. "Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu."

A huge fireball is launched at the mirrors, but they aren't melting. 

"It doesn't do anything." exclaims Naruto.

"They are in trouble." Concluded Shikaku. "If an Uchiha with a fire affinity can't melt those mirrors… Even as a Genin, Uchiha are known as little pyromaniacs. " 

"You can't melt this ice with that level of fire." Haku discloses.

"Damn." Sasuke curses.

The masked boy fingers a senbon. Suddenly his image is in every mirror and senbons’ are thrown from all directions. Both boys get hit by them.

Where's the real one?" Sasuke mutters as he looks around wildly.

"Trying to follow with your eyes is impossible. You'll never be able to catch me." 

"Bah! Kage Bushin no jutsu!" Naruto yells in frustration.

"No, don't…" protests Sasuke.

One kage bunshin appears for every mirror, but even that’s useless. Haku travels between them and destroys the bunshin with his senbon before the clones can land a hit.

"He's fast." comments Minato. He thinks about the jutsu he’s working on that would have the same effect, but on a larger scale. It’s almost finished…

"This jutsu uses the mirror's reflection to transport me. From my point of view, you seem to be moving in slow motion."

Naruto crashes to the ground.

"Damn it! I can't die here… I have a dream to fulfill." mutters Naruto.

The masked boy falls silent for a while, letting the two Genin catch their breath.

"Becoming a true shinobi is difficult for me… If possible, I don't want to have to kill you. Nor want you to kill me. But if you come at me, I can destroy my kind heart with e blade and become a true shinobi. This bridge is the place where we fight to connect to our dreams. Me, for my dream, and you for your dreams. Please, don't hate me. I want to protect someone precious to me. To work for that person. To fight for that person. That makes that person's dream come true. That is my dream. For that, I can become a shinobi. I can kill you."

"Wow, you aren't kidding about the monologuing." Whistles Shikaku. 

Naruto grins evilly. "Oh, you have seen nothing yet."

"Damn, hey Sasuke, all we're doing is running around!"

"Be quiet and get up! I can't watch over you too! We are going to be hit, just try to avoid a serious wound. There must be a limit to his chakra. He is already slowly- here it comes!"

"He does seem concerned about you…" says Tsunade. 

Another volley comes and leaves the boys panting on the ground. 

"KYYAAAA!"

"Is that Sakura? What is Kakashi doing?" mutters Sasuke as he slowly gets up. 

"You move well." Compliments Haku. "But this time I'll stop you."

The next barrage comes, but this time Sasuke reacts. He dove towards Naruto, grabbed his team-mate, and dove to the side, getting them both out of harm's way. As he glares at Haku, his eyes became visible.

"He awakened his Sharingan." States Shikaku. "Nice."

"He just saved Naruto." nods Jiraiya. "I knew he'd be okay."

"No you didn’t." mutters Tsunade. "But I'm glad he's thinking about his teammates."

Naruto still lies on the ground, quietly observing his teammate. Haku prepares another attack and, with a surge of speed, he leaves his mirror. Seeing where he’s headed spurs Sasuke into action.

Naruto sees the masked boy heading towards him and closes his eyes. He has senbon sticking from everywhere on his body and it hurts too much to move.

When nothing happens, he opens his blue eyes hesitantly – he sees the masked boy laying on the ground a bit further, with Sasuke standing before him.

"Geez," mutters the Uchiha, "all you ever do is get in the way…" 

"Sasuke, you…" Naruto smiles until he sees the state his teammate is in. Senbons are sticking from everywhere in his body including several stuck in his neck. The boy coughs and spits blood onto the ground.

"What's with that face, moron?" 

"Why?" Naruto asks incredulously.

"Pfft," smiles Sasuke painfully, "I hated you..."

"Then why? Why save me? I never asked for your help!"

"I don't know..." Sasuke mutters, having trouble staying conscious. "My body just moved on its own. Idiot."

Naruto grits his teeth but catches his friend as he falls. Almost tenderly, he holds Sasuke close.

"Is he dying?" asks Tsunade casually.

"Shut up." says Naruto, eyes focused on the scene before him.

"That man, my brother… I told myself I won't die until I’ve killed him." mutters the hurt boy. "Don't die too…" and with that, he stops breathing. Tears fill Naruto's eyes as he holds the body close.

"He landed a blow on me and without flinching died to protect you. To protect a precious person, knowing it is a trap, he is still able to jump in. He is a shinobi that deserves respect. Is this your first death of a friend? This is the way of the shinobi." Haku gets back in his mirrors.

"That really isn't the time to antagonize your opponent." Chouza utters softly.

"No it is. Some people would simply break down at a time like this, but others…" Shikaku trails off.

"Shut up…"

Carefully, Naruto lays Sasuke's body on the ground. As red and malicious chakra explodes around him, he still cradles his friend. His nails grow longer, as do his canines. His whisker marks grow thicker and his pupils becomes red and slit.

"Is that Kyuubi's chakra?" asks Minato, staring intently at the screen. 

"Yeah, that's the first time I tapped into it, even though I didn’t mean to."

Haku watches in astonishment as the cuts on his body heal while he watches. Crouching on all fours like an animal, Naruto charges his enemy.

With a roar, filled with chakra and killing intent, Naruto blocks the senbon thrown at him. 

Naruto continues to evade Haku's attacks until he manages to grab the boy. The look on his face reveals he is more animal than human. at that moment. Wild. With all his might, Naruto punches the other in the face, breaking the mask and propelling him backward through one of his mirrors. Once one mirror breaks, the others immediately follow and shatter. Again Naruto charges the boy, only to halt when he sees his face, once the broken mask has completely fallen off. Kyuubi's chakra immediately disappears.

"Don't stop moron! Keep up your assault!" scolds Tsunade. 

Naruto doesn't react.

"I'm just glad you aren't using Kyuubi's chakra anymore. You don't seem much in control." Minato states with a sigh of relief. "Powerful, yes, but you don't seem like yourself."

Naruto shifts guiltily at that, not able to hide his reaction.

"You're from that time…"  Naruto whispers shocked.

An image of a feminine boy in a pink yukata passed quickly, like a memory.

"Why did you stop?" asks Haku. "I killed your precious friend, yet you can't kill me?"

"'Your precious friend'. Is there something you want to tell us, Naruto?" Jiraiya wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.

Immediately Naruto splutters in denial. "N-No way-y. I-it's n-not like that at all!"

The others laugh, but Naruto can’t bring himself to find it funny at all. "He's like a brother to me." 

He fights against his tears as he finally realizes he would never see Sasuke, or anyone else, again.

With a backward look at Sasuke's still body, Naruto punches the boy in the face. 

"What happened to your intensity? You can't kill me like this…" his enemy asks, seemingly completely genuine. 

Naruto grimaces. The feminine smiling boy is shown again, almost transparently.

"Do you have an important person? I want to help my important person, to help his dreams come true… That is my dream."

The boy rubs his face. "There are people who make this mistake – not killing their enemy because of pity… Letting them leave with just their lives; not having a dream, not being needed by anyone, the pain of simply living."

"What are you saying?" asks Naruto wearily.

"Zabuza-sama has no need for a weak shinobi. You have taken my reason for existing."

"Why?" Naruto doesn't understand. "Why for a guy like that? He's a bad guy who takes money from a criminal! Is that eyebrowless freak the only important person to you?!"

Haku only smiles softly.

"I feel another monologue coming." mutters Shikaku sarcastically.

"Bingo, we have a winner! Give the man a prize." cheers Naruto, trying to lift the heavy mood a bit.

A few people snort.

"I had people dear to me, a long time ago. My parents… I was born in a small village in the country of Mist. I was happy there, my parents were very kind people, but… when I grew up and began to learn the ways of the world… Something happened… My father killed my mother and then tried to kill me."

"What?"

"The country of Mist had endless civil wars and those with 'advanced blood' came to be hated.

"Advanced blood?"

"Bloodlines with special abilities such as mine. Because of these abilities, clans with such special bloodlines are used as weapons in countless battles. As a result, clans are blamed for bringing misfortune and war to the country. After the wars these clans have to hide the truth about their own blood, for those whose secret is discovered, only death awaits." Haku glances at Sasuke. 

"That young man must also have experienced much hardship. Those with special abilities are often feared."

And Naruto remembers what Sasuke had mentioned once: "The resurrection of my clan and… to kill a certain man."

"My mother is from one of these bloodlines. My father discovered this… When I realized what I had done, I killed him, my own father. At that time I thought of myself as… No, I had no choice but to think that and I realized the most painful thing…"

"Most painful thing?" asks Naruto, almost scared to hear more. 

"That in this world, I am a person who is unwanted."

"That's depressing." States Jiraiya seriously.

"It's sad." Corrects Naruto. "It should never have happened, but people fear what they can't understand." His hand gently rests on his stomach. Gently, he reaches out to Kurama inside the seal and the fox gently touches Naruto's chakra with his own. Basking in the feelings of friendship and partnership, Naruto doesn't notice the looks that are exchanged around him.

'It's the same as me…' Naruto realizes with a jolt.

"You said you wanted to become the best ninja in your village and have everyone acknowledge you. Now, if someone who acknowledged you from the bottom of their heart appears, won't that someone become the most important person to you?"

An image of Iruka briefly appears.

"Zabuza-sama took me in, knowing I was a person with an advanced bloodline. This blood that everyone hated, he desired it! I was so happy." Haku cries softly. "Naruto-kun, please kill me."

"Nice way to change the subject." comments the Hokage with a frown.

"What?"

"Please hurry and kill me." Haku asks again. "Why are you hesitating?"

"I don't understand! Is being strong the only reason for you to be alive.! Something other than fighting… You can have been acknowledged for something else…"

"The day I met you in the forest, I thought you were like me… You should be able to understand. I'm sorry that you'll have to stain your hands."

"Is this the only way?" asks Naruto desperately.

"That's quite dramatic." says Jiraiya. "Is that kid not thinking clearly?" 

"Which kid?" asks Minato, confused.

"Both of them!"

"Yes." Is all Minato can answer. 

Naruto visibly collects himself as he grabs a kunai. 

"Please, fulfill your own dreams."

Naruto looks back at his fallen teammate. 

"He…Sasuke also had a dream." Naruto tightened his hold on the weapon. "If we'd met under different circumstances, we might have become friends."

"Thank you." breathes Haku as Naruto dashes forward. Just as Naruto moves to strike, Haku grabs his hand. 

"A trap?" asks Shikaku.

"Huh?"

"Sorry, Naruto-kun I can't die yet!" With a single hand, he forms hand seals and used a mirror to disappear.

Naruto looks around but doesn't see much because of the leftover mist. He runs a bit forward until he sees what happens.

He sees Kakashi, with his hand and arm going through Haku's body, reaching for Zabuza, who stands just behind Haku.

"So the child died after all." Inoichi observes sadly.

Sakura and Tazuna look on in the background. In horror, he sees Haku's blood on all three of them. Almost in a daze, he notices Haku gripping Kakashi's arm. Kakashi grabs Haku and jumps back as Zabuza uses his huge sword to try and cut them both in two.

"Naruto, stay where you are." Kakashi orders sternly.

With a gentle movement, Kakashi closes Haku's eyes. The boy is dead. Only when Kakashi looks up and glares at the swordsman did his Sharingan eye become visible.

"Sharingan? But how is that possible? Kakashi isn't an Uchiha…" Minato asks confused.

"It happened during the same mission which killed Obito." Naruto explains. "Sensei told me he lost his eye and as Obito lay dying he asked their other team-mate Rin to transplant it. Obito had awakened his Sharingan earlier that day and he called it his present to Kakashi for becoming a Jounin."

Minato grits his teeth. Why hadn't he prevented all that? Where had he been?

"This is my fight." States the man.

Suddenly, Sakura notices her blond teammate.

"Naruto! You're alright!" She sounds relieved, but it’s short-lived as she notices Sasuke's absence.

"Naruto, where is Sasuke-kun?!" 

Unable to answer, Naruto looks away.

Meanwhile Zabuza charges their Sensei. "Kakashi! This is no time for sightseeing!"

Kakashi counters by planting his foot in the man's stomach. At the same time, Sakura and Tazuna run by Naruto on their way to Sasuke. Naruto doesn't look back but he can hear Sakura start crying. It hurts, seeing Sasuke die and hearing Sakura cry like that. It’s a hurt he has never felt before. His hand grabs his jumpsuit at the side his heart is, fighting tears himself, all the while watching the fight before them.

While his Sensei may have been struggling before, and the blood on his uniform proved that now the man is beating the crap out of his opponent. They come to a stop when Kakashi almost effortlessly manages to grab Zabuza's neck from behind.

"Seems like your student improved, Minato. He's powerful." observes Chouza.

"Thank you. But I'm not sure how much of that is because of me…"

"You can't beat me in your current state. You haven't noticed-" With his other hand Kakashi grabs a kunai and goes to stab Zabuza with it. "This is goodbye, demon!"

With a mighty swing of his sword, Zabuza moves to evade the attack. However, it isn't completely successful as Kakashi still stabs him in his right arm.

Taking some distance, Kakashi observes his opponent.

"Now both your arms are useless. You can't even perform a seal."

"Ooh, you're getting your ass kicked. How disappointing." interrupts a small man in a business suit and sunglasses as he appears on the bridge. Behind him stands an army of thugs.

"Gatou, why are you here? And what's with all these men?!" grumbles Zabuza.

"The plan has changed. Well, actually I planned to do this from the beginning. Zabuza, I'm going to have you killed here!"

"What an interesting development." murmurs Tsunade. "Unexpected, and yet not at the same time. Lowlives like that are everywhere."

"What?"

"I never planned on paying you any money! Hiring a normal ninja from the village is expensive and they may betray me… So I get you missing-nin who are easy to take care of afterwards. I have the ninja battle each other and once they're weakened I kill them off with numbers. It doesn't cost me anything! Good plan don't you think?" the man laughs proudly. "The only problem in the plan is you, Zabuza. The demon of the hidden Mist? What a joke, if you ask me you're just a cute little baby demon."

"Again with the monologue. Is no one going to take advantage of that?" asks Shikaku.

"You really have to let this go – your hair will have turned grey before we're even halfway through my memories at this rate." smiles Naruto.

"Argh." Shikaku grimaces.

The thugs behind Gatou roar in agreement. "We can easily kill you now!"

"Overconfident bunch of idiots." comments Tsunade.

"Kakashi, I'm sorry, this fight is over. Now that I have no reason to go after Tazuna, I have no reason to fight you."

"Ah, you're right." Confirmed the Konoha Jounin.

"Huh?" Naruto has a bit of trouble following the quick change of situation.

"Oh, yeah," smirks Gatou as he approaches Haku's body. "I owe this one… you squeezed my arm till it broke." And with that, he kicks the dead boy's face. 

"Heh, he's dead.”

"What are you doing?! You bastard!" screams Naruto enraged.

"Shut up kid, Haku’s already dead." Zabuza says indifferently.

"Don't you feel anything at all? aren't you two always together?!" Naruto yells in protest. 

"As I am used by Gatou, I used Haku. That's all it is. I've already said it; in the world of shinobi there are only those who use and those who are used. We shinobi are simply tools… What I wanted is his blood, not him. I have no regrets.”

"Hey, do you really mean that?" asks Naruto incredibly.

"Stop Naruto," orders Kakashi as he places a hand on his student's shoulder. "We are not fighting him anymore, plus-" But Naruto steps away from his sensei.

"SHUT UP! He's still my enemy!" screams the boy. Neither Jounin react.

"Who's this annoying kid?" asks Gatou, but he’s ignored. 

"He…" Naruto points at Haku. "He really loved you!"

Again, memory Haku appears as Naruto remembered what he had said.

"Do you have a precious person?"

"He loved you so much!"

"When a person has something precious to protect,… that is when they can become truly strong."

"Do you really feel nothing?!" screams Naruto again with tears in his eyes. 

"It’s not required for me to become a shinobi."

"Do you really, really not feel anything for him?" 

Zabuza, with his back towards the Genin, doesn't react.

"If I become as strong as you… Will I really become like you? He threw away his life for you, without his own dream… to die as a tool. That's just too sad."

Naruto continues, even if he has stopped screaming. By now but the tears are streaming down his face. 

"Kid…"

Sniffling Naruto looks up, surprised to see Zabuza has turned towards him. The man is crying.

"Wow, you got a veteran missing-nin from Kirigakure to admit he still has emotions. Impressive." says Inoichi.

"Thanks! I'm good with this kind of stuff!"

They all eye the cheerful blond warily. What is that supposed to mean?

"You don't need to say more." 

There’s a moment of silence as Zabuza collects himself.

"Kid, it pained him to have to fight you…Haku only fought not only for me, but he also fought for you guys too. He is too kind." A tearing sound is heard as Zabuza rips the bandages from his face with his teeth.

"Huh?" asks Naruto, not understanding what the man’s saying.

"I'm glad I got to face you guys in the end. Yeah, kid, you may be right… a shinobi’s still human. We may not be able to become emotionless tools. I've lost. Kid, let me borrow your kunai."

"Huh? Oh…" Naruto throws him one. Zabuza catches it in his mouth and takes off toward Gatou.

The man panics seeing this and flees to the back of his group of mercenaries. "That's enough, kill them!"

The crowd roars again.

"Sure thing, one badly injured ninja against these numbers? You think you can win?"

Without slowing down Zabuza effortlessly tears through them. He manages to deliver a heavy blow to Gatou before three thugs stab him in the back with various weapons.

"Told you, they're overconfident." interjects Tsunade.

"Yes Hime, we heard you the first time." grins Jiraiya. He quickly dodges a spare chair she throws at him.

"You and I together are going to hell." mutters the ninja around the kunai.

And with one swift move, Zabuza beheads Gatou. After that, he only needs to glare to scare the rest of the thugs, before he falls down.

"Don't look away." orders Kakashi quietly to Naruto. "This is the end of a man who lived a difficult life."

"Yeah."

Suddenly they are interrupted. "Naruto!" 

"Sakura-chan?”

Both Naruto and Kakashi look back. "He's alright! Sasuke-kun is alive!"

The Uchiha raises a hand in greeting, still seated on the ground. Once again Naruto's eyes fills with tears.

"You were a little crybaby when you were a kid, huh?" Stated Tsunade. Embarrassed, Naruto rubs his head.

He quickly looks back at Haku and smiles.

Kakashi sighs with relief. "I've been worried. Sasuke is also alright. That's great." And with that, the scene fades.

"So that is your first mission outside the village? Please tell me that they calm down after this?" asks Minato warily.

"Oh, no worries," Says Naruto with a sheepish smile. "After this, all my missions are rated as they should be."

"What does that mean?!"

TBC.

Chapter Text

"Now," the Third Hokage starts, as he looks around consideringly, making eye contact with his shinobi, "let's see, I think we mentioned bringing Kakashi in on this. Naruto, should anyone else be summoned?"

"Uhm, maybe the others on his team? Some of their actions in the coming years shaped the future as I knew it, so I think they should be here." Naruto rubs at his head, thinking it over. Obito and Rin do deserve to be here. Because let’s be honest, without Obito, he probably would not have been here. or have needed to be here. 

Though chances are Zetsu and Madara would have snared another Uchiha for their purpose, so… Who knows? 

The Sandaime frowns. "They are still very young… I'm not sure it's a good idea to expose them to this. You did speak about another Great Shinobi War…"

"You do realize they're already fighting in one of those wars, don't you old man?" asks Naruto incredulously. "At least let Obito come – he really needs to see this. He's crucial in changing the future and I think he won't understand or believe what we'll tell him for that matter, if he doesn't see these memories. There is a reason I didn't protest when Inoichi proposed to have my memories projected. A lot of stuff I've seen… Well, let's just say the phrase 'you have to see it to believe it' is appropriate here." Naruto shrugs at the end there. He probably could explain this in more detail, but for some reason, he wants them to find out the same way he did. Why else would they bother watching his memories, if he can just tell them? They’d probably never believe him.

So, yeah…

"Fine, I'll have Uchiha Obito summoned. Anyone else?"

Naruto briefly thinks it over. Knowing what’s coming next...

"Maybe Hiashi and Hizashi Hyuuga?" Both their children were - are - good friends of his and with the chunin exams coming up in his memories timeline… but following that reasoning... "And maybe Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha."

The Hokage frowns. "I don't mind the Hyuuga's being here, but why the Uchiha's?" 

"Why not? Did they do something wrong?" Naruto asks with a raised eyebrow and an unhappy look on his face. He hadn’t thought the Uchiha’s bad reputation went back that long. 

"No, but the Uchiha clan doesn't have the best reputation…"

"You're talking about the fight between Uchiha Madara and the Shodaime Hokage?" He asks again, because from what he understands, that is when it all started. Since the founding of the village, that is. Before that, well, … WIth the clan wars…

Anyway.

The Hokage only nods.

"I don't see how that's relevant. Why would the whole clan be judged for something an ancestor did?" There is an uncomfortable silence. "Besides," Naruto shrugs, "they're Sasuke's parents, so…"

"Very well." sighs the old man.

"Maybe Kushina should be here as well." suggests Minato.

The Hokage nods. "Indeed, this does concern the next Kyuubi jinchuuriki." 

While Naruto's heart speeds up at the mention of his mother, this poses a problem. "Euhm, I'm not sure that is a good idea…?"

They all turn towards him.

"Why not?" asks Minato with narrowed eyes. "Do you have a problem with her?"

Naruto only shakes his head. "I'm not that much of a hypocrite. I know better than most how Jinchuriki are treated." Briefly, he thinks about his childhood, about Gaara and Killer Bee… "What I meant is I have no idea what will happen when I finally meet her."

"What do you mean by that brat?" inquires Tsunade impatiently.

"Well, I might have traveled through time, but I'm still a jinchuuriki." His hand rests on his stomach. "The Kyuubi is still sealed inside of me. I have no idea what would happen if two versions of Kyuubi come in contact."

This statement brings a stunned silence. Clearly, no one has thought about this until now.

And how is Naruto the one thinking ahead here??

"Well, we do have two seal masters in the room." Shikaku mentions idly, clearly saying this isn't his problem to figure out.

"Can't you just ask the Kyuubi?" asks Inoichi, the blond. 

"Ask it? You talk to the demon?" asks Jiraiya, stunned.

Naruto nods. "It took a while to get him to stop threatening to eat me, but we got there. And to answer your question, Inoichi, I tried to go to his cage within my mind to talk to him, but something is off. It feels… Harder than it should be, to go to him and speak to him. I can only vaguely feel his presence at the moment. I think… he might be sleeping? But something feels different, about the seal? ”

The youngest blond raises his hands again, showing the seals to everyone. "Hmm, those seals might be just what we need to prevent problems between the two demons." Reasoned Jiraiya out loud.

"Meaning?" urges Tsunade.

"Well, if both his own and Kyuubi's chakra are inaccessible to Naruto, there is a big chance Kushina's Kyuubi won't be able to sense it. Best case scenario, nothing happens." Jiraiya shrugs, looking very relaxed about it all, but even now, in the younger version, Naruto knows the man well enough to see how tense he actually is.

"Best case scenario?" prompts Naruto frowning, wanting to know exactly what he can expect. because he is not ready to be separated from Kurama. Not at all. He has lost everyone he has ever known, in a sense, except Kurama. He won’t let the old grump go. 

And if he recalls, his mother never actually wanted him, so… Doesn’t seem like much of an issue there.

"How sure are you that this might work, sensei?" asks Minato as well. 

Jiraiya shrugs, a sheepish look on his face.

"That's helpful." says Naruto sarcastically, though he does understand, somewhat, that no one can actually know what will happen. Time travel isn’t something that happens every day, afterall.

"It's not like anything like this ever happened before! How am I supposed to know?!" Jiraiya voices Naruto’s thoughts, sounding very put out.

The old Hokage pinches the bridge of his nose in irritation. "Say we try this, if it doesn't work, what are the possible outcomes?"

"I've thought about this. When I first arrived here, I had a conversation with my… tenant. This was before I gained consciousness and before you put the seals on." claims Naruto nodding towards the Hokage. He isn’t sure how to best name Kurama in all this, given how people here still think badly of him. And he can’t blame them, even if there hasn’t been an actual attack in this time. Kurama had worked very hard to not be seen as likable. And again, he can’t blame the fox for that. Locked up for three generations. That is bound to turn even Naruto’s mood sour.

"Kyuubi only briefly had time to explain that the future as I know it no longer exists. Because I somehow traveled back, that future will never be. At least not completely. Because I'm already here, my counterpart will never be born." He takes a shuddering breath.  "Kyuubi explained that there can't be two Naruto's running around. Another child might or might not be born that day. Same with Kyuubi. There can't be two of him… My best bet is that they will fight and one will absorb the other."

"Sounds logical." comments Shikaku as the Hokage nods. 

Jiraiya and Minato are the only two who seemed disturbed by how easy that explanation has been for the blonde. To talk about yourself like that…

"Then, should we organize for you to meet Kushina in a secure location?" Chouza suggests. 

"If you have one that’s easily accessible and preferably not in the village, that would be ideal. I hope the battle will be mostly fought in our minds. How strong is Kushina's seal? Can her Kyuubi try to take over her body ?" Naruto asks as he runs the possibilities through his mind.

"Under normal circumstances, both her seal and her special chakra should prevent that." Reassures Minato.

"There is such a place, not too far from the village. You'll agree to go through with this then?" asks the Hokage.

Naruto nods. "However, I have two conditions. One, these seals come off, at least during this meeting. I can't access my mind's landscape with them on and I want to be able to defend myself should Kushina's Kyuubi manage to possess her. Second, is Kushina prepared to lose her Kyuubi? Because I won't let Kurama go."

"She'll be overjoyed, to be honest." states Minato, who knows her best. "But why don't you want the same? I imagine most jinchuuriki would be glad to be rid of their demons…"

"I'm not like most people." grins Naruto, though while he does feel the need to speak up for Kurama, he knows it is too soon still. They wouldn’t understand. "Besides, I spent too long trying to befriend the stubborn bastard to give him up now!"

"Weirdo." mutters Jiraiya.

"Well then, I can agree on those conditions.” the Sandaime says, a final tone to his voice. “Minato, go get Kushina, Kakashi, Obito and Rin. We'll start with them if they're important for the future. Bring them to the special training ground behind the Hokage Monument. After that is dealt with, I'll summon the Hyuuga and Uchiha as agreed before. I don't believe they need to be present for this…"

"Hai." And the older blond leaves the room to go get them.

"Hokage-sama, excuse me, but since two san-nin are already present, why not include Orochimaru-sama?" Shikaku inquires.

"Our young friend here agreed to share his memories with the condition that certain people wouldn't be allowed to even know about it. Orochimaru is the first one he mentioned."

"And with good reason." Inoichi mutters, having already gone through Naruto’s memories once.

"What do you mean?" asks Jiraiya. "Orochimaru’s a creep, yes, but…"

"I've already seen those memories, Jiraiya-sama. Trust me, at least, to say it won't be a good idea to include your teammate in this." Retorts Inoichi.

"Shall we go then?" Shikaku asks, getting up from his seat.

They nod and leave the room.

-x-x-x-

The hidden training ground is huge! 

Naruto looks around in awe. You can let all the tailed beasts loose in here, to play or fight and still have room left. Actually, he should probably set something like that up, even if it is in their shared mind space.

They are inside an underground, empty cave, in the mountain with the Hokage Monument. "Naruto-kun, come here." the elderly Hokage waves him over, an amused smile on his face.

Obediently, the blond goes to him. Hiruzen makes a small cut in his finger and smeared the blood over both seals on his wrists. Before their eyes, the seals dissolve.

Naruto cheers. “Thanks, Jiji!”

The man looks taken aback before his smile widens.

"They can only be deactivated by me, you see." He chuckles, before shooting the younger man a wink. 

Naruto nods and smiles delightedly. Immediately his and Kurama's chakra starts freely flowing again. It gives him a warm feeling. Without thinking twice, he goes to the fox.

"Kurama!"

"Brat." Greets the fox with a tired huff. Did Naruto wake him? Oops… "It's good to see you again."

"Don't you get sappy on me now." Naruto quips with a teasing smile as he steps inside the cage. Seeing Kyuubi laying down, he goes to the demon’s neck and snuggles in his fur.

"What are you doing?" Kurama growls, though he doesn’t move to dislodge Naruto, which makes him smile in the bright orange fur.

Ignoring the question, Naruto asks his own. "Are you able to see what's been happening?"

The fox snorts. "I've always known what happened around you, even before you knew about me. Now isn't any different."

"What do you think will happen?" asks Naruto, worriedly biting his lower lip.

"I am centuries old, but I never encountered something like this." muses Kurama. "My best bet is a new Chakra tug-of-war."

"We'll both pull our hardest then." Naruto confidently pumps his fist in the air.

"It won't be that easy. As you know your father only sealed my yang chakra inside you, the yin part was sealed inside himself before he died. That version of me is twice as strong as me and very angry."

"I dealt with your anger once, and I'll do it again." smiles Naruto reassuringly.

"Get your mother to restrain my counterpart with her chains. We should be able to handle the rest."

Naruto nods happily.

"Kit, once I absorb the other Kyuubi, there’s a chance my anger overwhelms me again…" Kurama frowns unhappily, actually looking worried for once.

"Don't worry, I'll knock some sense into you!" Naruto laughs, trying to reassure his friend.

"I'll be stronger than ever." warns the fox.

Naruto only smiles, not worried at all. "Yeah, you'll be, like, Kyuubi 1 point 5!" 

"Brat." smiles the Kyuubi.

Both of them look up as they feel the other Kyuubi's chakra approaching, more malicious than ever before. 

"I should go." He says, suddenly serious.

"Yes, she's arriving." Kurama agrees.

Naruto untangles himself from Kurama and walks outside the cage.

"Kit, be prepared to go into full-tailed beast mode. I doubt the other me will play in this mindscape."

Naruto nods. "Ok, see you later!" and with a grin the blond leaves.

As he leaves Kurama and lifts his head, he sees barely any time has passed.

"Wow! This place is huge!" screams a child at the entrance of the training ground.

Turning his gaze, he sees Minato, with his three students and a red-haired woman he immediately recognizes as his mother.

He smiles brightly at the newcomers as they approach. Kushina eyes him with a frown, her hand on her seal.

"He really doesn't like you!" states the redhead. 

"Haha, no I suppose he doesn't." Naruto can only agree, remembering how Kurama used to be.

"Kushina, team Minato, I trust you have been briefed about the situation?" asks Hiruzen. 

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

"Good, now Kushi-"

Something shifts. It isn’t very noticeable, despite where and from who it is coming, but Naruto immediately recognizes it.

"Get away from her!" screams Naruto, interrupting the Sandaime as red chakra starts to leak from her body. 

everyone moves away from them quickly.

"He's really angry, ‘dattebane." grimaces Kushina, hands clutching over her seal as if that would help keep it contained..

"Hokage-sama, get the others to a safe distance." orders Naruto.

Seeing that the blond has more experience in these matters, they all obey and move back even more. They can still see and hear what’s happening but they aren't in the immediate line of fire. further away would be even better (like, they really should leave), but they are all shinobi here, and Naruto guesses they don’t trust him completely yet, so he won’t ask for more than this. 

"Kushina, listen to me. You need to try and restrain your Kyuubi with your chakra chains! I won't be able to do this alone! You need to help me with this." He yells at his future/past? mother.

She looks at him, but he only sees Kyuubi looking back. 

"Shit." he curses before he jumps back. By now Kushina has completely transformed into her initial Jinchuriki form. He sees the raw chakra quickly take the form of a fox, with only one tail for now. However, a second tail’s already forming. 

Naruto dodges a large chakra claw that sped toward him, almost effortlessly. Kushina immediately follows. Without thinking twice, Naruto summons Kyuubi's chakra. He’s immediately covered in yellow, flame-like chakra. One giant claw appears and pins Kushina to the ground, giving their spectators a good look at him.

The chakra completely covers him, making him feel Kurama much better than before (almost like someone leaning on his back and leaning over his shoulder to whisper in his ear when necessary), but it also changes his outfit, somehow? He still has no idea how that works, exactly?  

Naruto now wears a long open cloak. Black lines and spirals cover his body. He looks quite impressive.

Another Naruto, blue in color and slightly transparent, appears out of the boys' back and watches over the original's shoulder, before it shoots towards Kushina and grabs onto the red chakra while still staying connected.

"What is that?" asks Tsunade, stunned.

No one can answer her – they are all mesmerized by the scene before them. The blue Naruto starts pulling and a slightly lighter red chakra separated itself from the transformed Kushina, who begins struggling in earnest. 

This feels a lot like that time in his mindscape when his mom’s chakra imprint came to help him. Another yellow chakra claw joined the first as a third tail starts to form.

"Kushina! I really could use some help here!" he yells out, trying to remind her of what is happening.

The ground begins shaking as she rips one of his claws apart. The third tail forms but a bigger problem is popping up. She is starting to lose herself in the rage, in the chakra, and getting overwhelmed by her Kyuubi. She snarls at him and Naruto can see the skin of her face peeling away and revealing an angry red and black energy that signals the entering of the second stage transformation.

He needs to finish this quickly. This form of tailed beast transformation can use the Tailed Beast Ball, which allows them to fire a concentrated blast of dense, heavy black and white chakra, causing massive devastation.

Kurama's soul appears as his own blue one has before, from his back. He feels more than sees the giant nine-tailed fox appear behind him and help drag the other Kyuubi's soul out of Kushina. Most of the other Kyuubi's soul is loose, his torso and four tails are, thanks to Kurama's help, already halfway between the two jinchuuriki. He can hear exclamations of shock and awe from the spectators.

"KUSHINA!" he yells desperately as the transformation completes and the Kyuubi's soul wraps his red tails around his opponents with a snarl.

She clearly hears him as golden chains shoot out of her transformed body and shackles not only herself but also the Kyuubi's soul, so it can’t struggle anymore. 

Naruto grins. With a mighty pull, the Kyuubi's soul comes free. He and Kurama pull the younger Kyuubi’s soul towards Naruto's body and he winces as he feels the dark red chakra enter his system.

He closes his eyes tightly and mentally opens Kurama's seal to help him absorb his younger self. It seemed to take forever but it’s over in a few seconds. As he opens his eyes he sees Kushina laying on the floor, unconscious with Minato, his team, and Tsunade around her. Jiraiya stands before him.

"Talk about a makeover." grins the man, eying him cautiously. "That’s an impressive demonstration, kid."

Naruto looks down at his hands. His form has changed slightly, he still looks the same, but instead of yellow, he’s now a bright red.

As he feels Kurama settle down in a deep sleep, he grins at his godfather. He feels a bit weak but he’s convinced he will be alright.

Shikaku joins them as the others go to see if Kushina’s alright. "Kurama, you call it?"

"Yes, that's his name!" He beams, glad someone picked up on that.

The man snorts. 

Naruto grins as he turns back to normal, giving Kurama back his chakra. He feels his knees give out and would have fallen if the other two hadn't caught him.

"Woah, easy kid." mutters Shikaku. 

Jiraiya agrees. "Let's get you to Tsunade." 

Together they help Naruto to the medic. 

"How is she?" asks Naruto when they approach the others. 

"She's just unconscious. She'll be fine with some rest." Answers the oldest blonde in the room. 

Minato nods his agreement, still inspecting Kushina's old seal. "She'll be fine."

"Good." sighs Naruto relieved.

Tsunade shoots him a determined look. "And now it's your turn." 

Naruto gulps.

TBC.

Chapter Text

They gather again the next day in the original room. After Tsunade checks Naruto (the blond has refused to let anyone near his seal), they agree to call it a day. Tsunade insists both Jinchuriki (although Kushina isn't one anymore, technically) spent the night in the hospital. 

Now, the next day, they’re ready to continue watching the memories.

The Hokage has ordered couches to be brought into the room as he suspects they will be in there for quite a while. Naruto got introduced to both the Hyuuga twins and the Uchiha couple. 

The three males in the new group look stoic, but that’s no surprise for him – he knows their sons/nephews after all.

Mikoto, Sasuke's mother, looks a bit unsure about the situation. Ignoring the men completely after politely greeting them; Naruto turns towards her.

"Uchiha-san, how’s Itachi doing? Did you bring him?" he can’t help but ask, curious.

Startled, the woman frowns at him. "He's fine. I left him at the compound with my cousin."

"Oh, pity." pouts Naruto. He would have liked to see a little Itachi. Maybe the boy is still a bit young to view these memories but he has as much a right to see them as anyone else here.

"Let's get started." Announces Hiruzen.

They all take a seat on the couches and Inoichi activates his jutsu.

The scene opens in what is clearly a forest. They can see huge tree roots with a small Naruto laying on the ground. He lays on his back with his feet in the air.

"Is that area 44?" asks Minato. "What are you doing there?"

"Yep, the Forest of Death!" grins Naruto. "We’re in there for the second part of the Chunin exams."

Coughing Naruto turns and tries to get up. "Uuh… ouch. Where's Sakura-chan and that bastard Sasuke?"

"Sasuke? That's our youngest son, right?" asks Mikoto quietly. 

"Yep. He's only a few months older than me." grins Naruto. 

Suddenly a giant shadow covers the boy. "Wha…?"

As Naruto looks up, they can see a giant snake approaching him.

"Watch out!" screams Obito.

"He can't hear you, moron." Reprimands little-Kakashi. 

"Shut up, bastard! No one asked you!"

"Please you two…" sighs Rin, too used to this to really bother.

"Stop it." Interrupts Minato sternly, not taking his eyes off the screen.

Naruto watches them curiously, startled to see his own team reflected in the way they act. or how his own team had once been. 

"It's huge!" exclaims the young Genin.

Snake and ninja look each other in the eyes for a few seconds and then the creature lunges. Its tail wraps around the blond before he can react and in one bite, the snake swallows him.

They wince.

“Yikes.” Jiraiya mutters with a grimace.

"Let me out! Damn you! Barf me out!" Naruto yells from inside the snake.

Obito and Jiraiya burst out laughing.

"That really isn't funny…" mutters Naruto while sulking.

"Take this! Kage bushin no jutsu!"

The snake suddenly expands like a balloon until it literally burst. Thousands of Narutos come falling out.

"Brilliant! Go kiddo!" cheers Kushina with a grin. Minato, seated next to her, smiles amused, and puts a hand on her arm to keep her seated.

"Smart move." Compliments Shikaku.

"You certainly think on your feet." Agrees Tsunade with one eyebrow raised. Naruto grins.

"I'm going to be Hokage one day. I can't be turned to shit in a place like this." mutters Naruto. "Time to find Sakura-chan and Sasuke."

The scene shifts. They are in another part of the forest. Sasuke’s crouches on a branch, Sakura not too far from them. Both are battered and bruised and Sasuke is panting.

"So that is Sasuke…" mutters Fugaku. 

Both Uchihas are drinking in the appearance of their son.

Opposite them is a fallen snake, stabbed with shuriken to a tree. To the shock of both genin, a body emerges from the right behind the head of the animal.

"Eeew!" exclaims Obito. "That is so gross."

The other adults frown at the scene. They knew only one shinobi who used snakes in his jutsu…

"You guys shouldn't relax for even a moment. Prey should always be trying their best to run away… in the presence of a predator that is."

A smirking face is shown. Black hair, an abnormally long tongue, but without any specified characteristics. With his suddenly snake-like body, the ninja travels over a branch, trying to reach the other two, only to be halted by a barrage of weapons.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke, I forgot the code word!"

All three look up at the newcomer. Naruto smirks down at his teammate.

"Hehe, looks like you successfully defeated that giant snake, Naruto-kun." smiles the young ninja pleasantly.

All three genin look uneasy.

Sasuke stands up with a determined look on his face. "I will give you the scroll. Take it and leave us."

"What!? Sasuke, what the hell are you talking about?! Why would you give the scroll to the enemy?!"

"Wow, you sure know how to scream." Kakashi rubs a finger in his ear.

The ninja smiles. "I see... very smart. The only way to escape a predator is to give it a different meal."

"Take it!" and with that Sasuke tosses the scroll towards the other.

"Good logic." says Fugaku, looking proud.

"Indeed. Placing his team above the mission. I like it!" Beams Jiraiya.

Kakashi scowls harshly but doesn't say anything as everyone in the room seemed to agree.

Naruto however intercepted the scroll and landed beside his team-mate. "You bastard! What are you doing!? Do you understand the situation?!" And while getting up, Naruto punched him in the face.

"Naruto, what are you…" mutters Sakura

"I forgot the code word, so I can't test it but… You're Sasuke's fake, aren't you?" 

"What?" asks Sakura.

"You total moron! I'm the real Sasuke." Sasuke yells at his teammate, a strange emotion in his voice.

"Liar…. There's no way such a stupid coward like you is the Sasuke I know! I don't know how strong this guy is; but what guarantee is there that he'll let us go if we give him that scroll? You're the one too freaked out to understand the situation!" Naruto yells back, just as frustrated.

"Valid point." Kakashi says grimly.

Both his teammates look at him with wide eyes.

"Hehehe, Naruto-kun, you are correct." The ninja with the disturbing tongue smiles. The man/woman pulls his shirt back to expose their left wrist. A strange symbol is tattooed on their skin. They bite their thumb and smear the blood across the symbol.

"A summoning seal!" exclaims Minato. 

"Is it really him?" mutters Jiraiya.

"Since I can just kill you and take the scroll…"

"SHUT UP!" screams Naruto as he charges the ninja. 

"No! Run away, Naruto!" screams Sasuke. 

"Summoning jutsu." A snake, at least thrice as big as the last one, appears beneath the ninja. It bats Naruto away like he;s nothing and he flies through branches until he hits the trunk of a tree, hard.

"Naruto!" scream both his teammates, scared.

Naruto coughs up blood and falls down. Seeing they are high up, it’s a long way down…

They all frown at the scene, worried despite the blond now sitting safely next to them.

"Hehe, go ahead and eat him." orders the enemy to the snake.

Just before the snake can catch him in its mouth, Naruto punches it, slamming the beast down on a lower branch. 

"EAT THIS!"

A brief flash of Naruto's face is shown. His whisker marks are thicker and his eyes are slanted and red.

"Kyuubi." Breathes Kushina. 

Minato frowns unhappily.

With an unnamed wind jutsu the blond’s once again blown away and he lands harshly against another tree. The unknown ninja smirks and has his snake summon charge Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun, now it's your turn! What will you do?!" The enemy croons.

"Sasuke-kun!"

However, before the attack hit, Naruto managed to stop the snake. With two kunai buried in its jaws, he looks at Sasuke.

"Hey, you alright, scaredy-cat?" The terrified look slowly disappears from Sasuke's face.

Naruto, however, is lifted up by a long tongue. "Damn it! Let me go!"

"Hehe, so the nine-tails brat is still alive. When your emotions are heightened, the power of the nine tails overflows… Very interesting." The enemy shinobi says, despite his tongue holding Naruto up.

"How does he know that?" frowns Rin. "He's not a Konoha shinobi."

No one answers her.

He makes some hand seals and kanji appear at his fingertips. With his abnormally long tongue, he lifted Naruto's jumpsuit to uncover his stomach. 

"Oh my, the seal is visible. Five part seal!"

And with that, he thrust his hand hard into Naruto's stomach.

"Sasuke-kun, Naruto is…!" he vaguely heard Sakura scream before everything turned black.

"Oh come on, this can't be where it ends!" screams Obito in frustration 

"Naruto," Jiraiya starts seriously before taking a deep breath. "Is that Orochimaru?"

Seeing the serious looks on everyone's faces, Naruto nods.

"Orochimaru doesn't look like that. Did he wear a henge?" asks Hiruzen sadly.

“It’s part of a jutsu of his. I’m sure it’ll be discussed in later memories. States Naruto somberly. 

“Well, let’s start a new memory.” Suggests Hiashi.

TBC.

Chapter Text

The scene opens in a room that can only be the reception desk of the Konoha hospital. "Umm, where's the room that Sasuke's in?" Naruto asks the lady at reception. 

"Sasuke-san is not allowed any visitors." replies the lady.

"Sasuke's in the hospital? What happened?" asks a worried Mikoto.

"Orochimaru gave him a hickey." explains Naruto with a straight face, struggling to suppress laughter. 

"What?" asks Hiruzen with a disturbed look on his face.

"This is a few days after the last memory." Naruto explains. "We managed to pass the second exam and after that there are preliminary rounds. I only learned about this afterward, but after I fell unconscious, Sasuke apparently decided to fight. However, Orochimaru placed a cursed seal on him by biting his neck. He won his fight in the preliminaries but he had to be hospitalized afterward. I don't remember him staying there long though so he’s okay." he ends with a shrug.

"What?! Hey, hey! What's up with that?!" screams Naruto surprised.

"You're so loud." complains Shikaku.

"Weird, your son says the same." Naruto grins. Shikaku blinks in shock. His son?

"I'm sorry, those are the rules."

The scene shifts to show Kakashi coming out of a corridor. 

"Why, nee-chan, tell me why?" asks Naruto.

"Naruto," Kakashi reprimands with a bored look on his face, "this is a hospital. Keep it down."

"Ah, there you are, Kakashi-kun." smiles Rin. Besides her, Obito grumbles.

With a big smile, Naruto approaches his teacher. "Say, say! I've got a favor to ask!"

"You don't need to say it." comments Kakashi. "Well, I thought it would come to this, so… I searched for someone to watch your training."

Naruto grimaces before Kakashi finishes speaking.

Minato frowns.

"Why?!" Naruto yells, pointing an angry finger at his sensei. "I want you to train me, Kakashi-sensei!

"I have some matters to take care of. I don't have time to trouble myself with you." Kakashi still has that same bored expression on his face.

Naruto crosses his arms and frowns. He’s clearly thinking. Suddenly his eyes open and once again he points his finger at Kakashi.

"Ah! You're going to train Sasuke, aren't you?!"

"Well… don't say that. I found a sensei who's more reliable than I am!"

"Really Kakashi, you shouldn't play favorites with your students. You're responsible for all of them so you should treat them all the same." Minato frowns at the younger boy.

"And if you provided someone for Naruto, what did you do for Sakura?" questions Tsunade with a frown.

"It's not like I know what my future self is thinking. Leave me alone." mutters Kakashi with a bored look.

The scene shows Naruto's back as he talked to Kakashi. Naruto hesitates.

"Well, who is it?"

A body, dressed in black, appears behind them, showing only a hand and part of a leg. 

"It's me!" exclaims the newcomer, clearly a man.

Naruto turns around and then exclaims in shock, again pointing his finger, this time at the newcomer.

"Aaaah! You!"

“You can be so dramatic.” sighs Shikaku which causes Naruto to beam.

An average-looking guy is shown wearing a black bandana with his headband on and black sunglasses.

"The Closet Pervert!"

"The what now?" asks Minato, perplexed. 

Kushina burst out laughing. "Nice nickname!" 

The others look amused.

“Hey, I can’t help it that almost every sensei I have ever had is a pervert!” Naruto raises his arms in surrender, a grin on his face. 

The man adjusted his glasses with a frown. "Such insolence!"

As Naruto continues pointing, question marks appear behind Kakashi.

"Ebisu-sensei is a closet perv?" His sensei asks, a curious air about him.

"Why is this guy my training teacher? For a start, he's weaker than me!" Again the question marks appear around Kakashi.

"What did you say?" the man hisses through grit teeth.

"But you see, a long time ago, with my Harem no Jutsu, this guy…" Naruto starts explaining.

Ebisu visibly tenses. The scene turns black and white to indicate a memory in a memory.

“Oh this should be good!” Jiraiya grins while rubbing his hands. 

“Would you behave yourself?” frowns Tsunade with a sigh.

“I’m sorry Tsunade-sama, but I don’t think sensei can change his behavior now. He’s too old for that.” says Minato with a serious look on his face.

“Oi, brat.” Jiraiya tries to hit his former student but the blond dodges and Tsunade grabs her teammates' collar. Jiraiya pales as he’s dragged next to his teammate.

Naruto, without his headband, is shown. "Henge."

And a large cloud of smoke revealed a whole lot of beautiful, naked girls. They all have whisker marks like Naruto, and the watchers can assume they are all blonde.

"Ebisu-sama." All the girls moaned before they all tried to hug Ebisu, who was clearly stunned. The man flies back with a giant nosebleed and lands a bit further on the ground, twitching.

"That’s brilliant!" shouts Jiraiya in glee.

The other men twitch in their seats, trying to hide their blushes, while the women are glaring at them.

Tsunade hits her teammate so hard on the head, she leaves a Jiriaya-shaped crater in the floor. Wisely, he stayed there, and no one commented; the other men inch away from her.

The scene turns normal again and shows a scared Ebisu back in the hospital. “B-By any chance…?”

He quickly jumps forward and puts a hand on Naruto's mouth. 

"Harem no Jutsu?" asks Kakashi, curious.

"Ha, you pervert Kakashi!" laughs Obito.

"He really is!" comments Naruto. "He always walks around with porn books in his hands!" 

"Shut up!" says a slightly blushing Kakashi.

"U-Uh it's nothing…" stammered Ebisu. He grips Naruto in a headlock and whispers to the kid. 

"I'll treat you to and buy you whatever you want later! Just be quiet about that!"

“He’s bribing his student?” asks Rin, shocked.

“Who doesn’t?” chimes Jiraiya, Tsunade, Hiruzen and Minato in chorus.

“It’s the only way to get you brats to do anything these days. Sensei did it all the time.” remarks Jiraiya nonchalantly.

The third Hokage only laughs cheerfully.

"You better." mutters Naruto with a scowl, trying to get his face away from Ebisu's. 

"Wow." Kakashi comments as he slumps a bit. "I didn't know you were acquainted." 

Having released the kid, Ebisu pats a scowling Naruto on the head. "Well, they're unsavory ties, but…"

"But why this guy?" complains Naruto again. "I definitely don't want him to."

"Same here." Ebisu becomes annoyed. "If it weren't for Kakashi's favor, who'd teach you for the fun of it?!"

"Now that's uncalled for." states Kushina with a scowl. "Does he also see you as Kyuubi?"

"At that point yes, but he got better over the years." adds Naruto calmly, as if such a reaction is normal.

Kushina doesn't look happy with his answer.

"Then don't." pouts Naruto as he crossed his arms again.

“Exactly, 'ttebane!”

"Now, now, both of you," tries Kakashi to calm them down. "Don't say that.

He kneels by his student. "Naruto, Ebisu-sensei is a private tutor who teaches the elite – a special jonin. He's better at teaching than I am."

Still, Naruto doesn't look convinced. "Well, Naruto, of the three kids in squad seven that I taught, you're the worst at the basic skills. Get taught with care this time around."

"How the heck am I inferior to Sakura and Sasuke?!" asks Naruto angrily while pointing at himself.

"Of course, our son is the best." is Fugaku proudly.

They all ignored him. He twitched lightly and his wife put a hand on his arm with an awkward smile.

Kakashi sighs. "Naruto, it's a fact that you don't have the fundamentals down. No matter what you do, basic skills are important. If you really want to become strong, just be quiet and listen to what I say."

“Doesn’t that imply you’ll teach him and not leave him with someone else?” asks Minato. “How should I know?” asks Kakashi. “I barely recognize myself as it is…”

Naruto's frowning face is shown.

"Now then Ebisu-sensei, I'm leaving him with you." 

"Yes, yes."

And with that Kakashi walks away.

"I still think it isn't right…" Minato mutters.

“Would you stop repeating yourself, Minato?” drawls Shikaku in a bored tone. “How troublesome.”

“You’re one to talk.” pipes up Naruto in defense of his father. “Whose been complaining about all the monologues all the time?”

“It’s not my fault all you future people do is monologue.”

“Because let me tell you, if you think this is bad, you’ll be bald by the time we’re halfway through these memories.”

“Nice. Something to look forward to.” cheers Obito.

The scene shifts.

Ebisu and Naruto are walking at the hot springs. Naruto has his hands behind his head as he complains.

"We've come quite a long way. But this is the hot spring town, right? It doesn't look like we've come here to leisurely soak in a hot spring…"

The man stops walking and yells at Naruto, who continues. "Hey! Naruto! That's the women's bath! I will not allow indecent behavior!"

“Oh come on,” whined Jiraiya. “It’s a completely natural reaction for a growing boy to try and research the fairer sex.”

“Ero-sennin, I’m not like you!” protested Naruto. “W-what did you call me?!” spluttered Jiraiya.

The others burst out laughing.

“E-ero-senin?” laughs Minato softly. “How fitting.” “Oi!”

Naruto turns around.

"Huh? I'm not you…It's not that I’m trying to peep, dattebayo!" he replies with an annoyed expression on his face. "Thinking of something like that in the first place makes you a Closet Perv."

He walks back to his sensei. "What's with that look?"

"N-nothing. More importantly, why have we come to a place like this?! Will soaking in a hot spring do anything for training?"

The man adjusted his glasses again with a smirk.

"No! The training will be here in this hot spring area. " 

"Huh?" Naruto tilts his head confused.

They walk to a part where there isn't a fence, just next to a waterfall. "Okay, this is the place." claps Ebisu.

"It's a bath, sure enough." exclaims Naruto surprised.

"What are you saying?" asks Ebisu with his hands at his sides. "I did say this is training, didn't I? Training!"

"We're going to train here?" asks Naruto skeptically. "What the heck are we going to do?" Ebisu chuckled as he once again adjusted his glasses.

"Walk on this hot water!" 

"What?!"

“Water walking? Isn’t that a bit late, seeing you already entered the chuunin exams?” asks

Kushina.

For a split second, Naruto looks surprised, then he looks at the man through slatted eyes. Ebisu looks taken aback. 

"What is it?"

"Walk on hot water?" asks Naruto disbelievingly. "Can you really do that?" 

With a quick use of Iruka's big head jutsu, the man screams indignant.  "Of course!"

He coughs and continues talking with a smirk. "I heard from Kakashi-sensei you already did tree climbing training without using your hands, right? It's an application of that."

"Hmm… What do you mean? Besides, I don't really remember stuff from long ago."

“It can’t have been that long.” claims Shikaku. “It doesn't look like you’re much older than at your graduation.”

Naruto huffs but doesn't say anything.

“Admit it, squirt, you’re short.” pokes Obito with a grin.

“I don’t want to hear that from you!” yells Naruto. He calms down a bit. “Besides, with what the villagers sold me as food, I’m lucky I’m as tall as I am.”

Silence.

“How about you come and eat dinner at my place tonight with Minato and I?” asks Kushina.

“Yes!” screams Naruto enthusiastically. “Well, that is… Is it really okay? I don't want to intrude…”

He looks at Minato for the last part. No matter how much he longed to eat with his parents – maybe his mom would even cook – he doesn't want to make things awkward. It would be a while yet before the two find out he is their son…

Ebisu explains: "In tree climbing, all you do is accumulate only the necessary amount of chakra in one necessary location and maintain that amount of chakra all the while. Trees are fixed objects, so you only need to be attached to them."

Naruto's frowning face is shown.

"In other words, it's training for building up a fixed amount of chakra. To float on the surface of water, you have to discharge on a constant basis an appropriate amount of chakra from your feet to the water and balance that to the extent that you can float your own body."

"Huh?"

“Kami, it’s clear you don’t understand any of that, why does he keep going?!” exclaims Rin angrily. “All he’s doing is confusing you!”

"This chakra control is more difficult than maintaining and is a control training for discharge and usage of fixed amounts of chakra for jutsu and alike."

"Hmmm, I really don't get it!"

"Well, maybe it would be better to show you in your case." The man forms a seal. His feet are shown.

"First, you build up chakra in your feet." His feet start to glow in a blue color. "Then, while constantly discharging a fixed amount, you balance it with your body weight."

And just like that he stepped onto the water. After a few steps, he turns around. "And … well, this is how it goes."

A stunned Naruto watches him from the side.

"Oh! Okay! I'm going to try!" The blond boy exclaims enthusiastically.

He makes the same hand seal. "First, build up chakra in your feet." And just like his sensei before him, the blue glow also appears around his feet. "Then, discharge a fixed amount, right?"

He puts one foot on the water and immediately falls in.

Jiraiya, Kushina and Obito burst out laughing. The others tried to hide their amusement. 

“Oh come on, it’s my first time trying.”

“Hm.” Snorts Fugaku.

“Oh, and by the way, Sasuke can't have been much better. We started and finished the tree climbing exercise together after all.” Smirkes Naruto.

The man blanches.

"I knew it." sighs the man.

"Hot-hot-hot-hot!" screams the blond.

"I forgot to mention it," Ebisu smirks. "but this water is very hot. If you do nothing but fail you will become a boiled octopus!"

"Damn it!" Naruto curses as he climbs out of the water. "I'll do it no matter what!"

He tries again, only to fall in again... and again, and again. Ebisu watches him with a frown. 

“What’s that you’re saying?” grins Jiraiya happily.

“Leave me alone.” pouts Naruto.

Until… "Oh!"

Naruto manages to balance himself, his feet in the water until his ankles.

“Much better, ‘ttebane!” grins Kushina.

"I'm starting to get it!"

'To think he would get the hang of the chakra control this quickly… I never thought you would grow this much.' Thought Ebisu. 'It appears I have the wrong idea about you… You are not just a demon fox, you are a splendid Hidden Leaf Village Ninja!'

“Finally he realizes!” yells Kushina.

"Aaah!" screams Naruto as he pointed again looking shocked.

This however, breaks his concentration and he falls into the water again. 

"HOT!" Ebisu looks in the direction Naruto has pointed in. 

"Hm? That is…"

A man with white long hair and a scroll tied on his back is seen sitting before the wooden fence of the onsen. He’s giggling perversely.

“Jiraiya…” Tsunade says with a sickeningly sweet smile. “Is that you?”

“I didn't know you recognized me from behind, Tsunade.” Leers Jiraiya. With one hit, she creates a matching Jiraiya-print on the back wall. 

“Definitely sensei.” sighs Minato focused on the memories.

“Oi!

Ebisu smiles as he readjusts his glasses.

"Humph! I don't know who you are or where you're from, but I will not allow indecency!" And just like that, he charged at the man.

The man turns around. "Man…"

His face is revealed. He’s an elderly man with a different headband on his forehead and red lines running down his face, starting under his eyes, and with a simple hand seal, he’s suddenly seated on a big orange frog.

“Not bad looking, for an old man.” Snickers Kushina. “Oi!” exclaims both Jiraiya and Minato.

"T-that is.." Ebisu recognizes the man.

The frog's huge tongue comes towards him, wraps around him, lifts him in the air then slams him down on the ground. Ebisu is immediately unconscious and the frog pulls his tongue back.

“Nice entrance!” cheers Obito.

Minato hits his hand on his forehead in exasperation.

"Don't make such a ruckus." Moanes the man. "Jeez, it wouldn't do to be found out."

Naruto can only watch with big eyes what’s happening… 'The closet perv lost? W-what's with that shameless perv?' The screen zooms in on the man's smirking face.

"Hehehe."

With a sigh, Naruto gets out of the water and approaches his teacher. "Hey, perv, are you awake?"

He gets no reaction. He makes a seal he once remembered Kakashi making. "Leaf village secret finger jutsu: one thousand years of death!"

Jiraiya, Kushina and Obito burst out laughing again. The others look taken aback.

“Where, in Kami’s name, did you learn that idiotic technique?” asks a face-palming Minato. 

“Kakashi-sensei.” Naruto grins.

“Kakashi? What happened to you to change you like that?!” asks Minato unbelievably. 

Kakashi blushed. “How do I know…?”

Naruto frowns. He thought they had told the newcomers everything, but maybe they’ve only been told about his memories and not about the stuff he has told the others after they started watching. He would need to make sure they are caught up before his more recent memories of the Fourth Shinobi War are shown…

Still no reaction.

"He's totally knocked out… He's weak, sure enough."

His hands clench into fists. "What's with that big frog? What the heck are you?!"

"Thank you for asking!" grins the man as he starts to do a weird dance on top of the frog. "Know me as the Mountain Toad spirit sage, who acquires immortality. Also commonly called the Toad Mountain Sage."

"M-mountain sage?"

"Exactly." And with a puff of smoke, the toad disappears.

"Hey, ero-sennin, what're you going to do about this? He’s supposed to watch my training. You did that to him."

"He interfered with my research." Stated the man. 

“You dare to call that research?” Tsunade ground out. Jiraiya wisely doesn't answer that.

"Research?"

The man searched for something in his clothes. "I'm a writer. I'm writing a novel. This is it!" And out came a familiar orange book. Make Out Paradise. 

“Oho, so I keep writing. Good to know.”

Naruto blinks. Kakashi appears on a black screen with the same book in his hand, giggling as he reads with a blush on his face. That's when he remembers.

“What kind of book is that?” asks Kushina with a frown.

“I think it’s labeled as porn with a plot.” mummers Naruto thinking out loud. Before anyone else can react, Obito bursts out laughing. “Kakashi is a pervert!”

"Oh, that’s…!"

The man grins in delight. "You know this?" he chuckled. "I've gotten quite famous." 

"That's not much of a novel! And anyway, what research are you talking about?"

Through the steam, feminine hands reach for a wooden bucket with hot water. Not much can be seen; only part of her legs as she’s kneeling to reach it. The hands halt and Naruto can hear screaming. More women can be seen inside the onsen.

“Nice view!” cheers Jiraiya.

This time its Kushina who hits him. She’s seated closer to him since he moved away from Tsunade.

"You're just peeking in the girl's bath!"

"Yikes!" and with that, all the women leave running. 

"No!"

Shocked, Jiraiya sees them all leave. "Baka, baka, baka! My peeping has been found out." 

"You pervert!"

"Fool!" The man screams as he shakes his fist before Naruto. "I'm not just a pervert! I get inspired by peeking and can write better pieces."

Naruto keeps a deadpan look on his face. "Liar. No excuses." Then he gets angry. "More importantly, what're you going to do about my training?"

"You mean the walking on water technique you are doing earlier?" asks the man.

"You know it? Then take responsibility and continue my training!" And again with the pointing finger.

The man snorts, "I don't care about such things." He walks past Naruto. 

“Hey, hey wait ero-sennin! Join my training, hey!”

The man turns back with an angry look on his face. "Shut up! I hate people who don't know how to talk properly!"

Naruto flinches back.

“It’s not like I can help it…” mutters Naruto. 

“What do you mean?” asks Minato.

Naruto flinches. He didn’t mean for that to be heard.

“Well, it’s not like anyone bothered teaching me. Iruka-sensei taught me to read after he found out why I failed the Academy graduation exam for the first time.” 

“They didn't teach you at the orphanage?” asks Minato, scowling.

“Oh, please.” huffs Naruto, ignoring the angry faces of everyone around him. “I'm the Kyuubi brat. They threw me out of the orphanage when I was four. Sandaime gave me my apartment after that.”

"And I don't like men." continues the man.

"Oh, umm, umm, that book is really exciting, cool, and interesting." Naruto lies cheerfully.

"The purchase or viewing of that novel is prohibited for those 18 years or younger. You liar!"

"The reviews that I've heard are great!" continues Naruto.

“Nice try.” Shikaku grins lazily.

"It's useless to flatter me. I'm a sage!" scowls the man. "I'm not the type of fool who can be coaxed by a fledgling like you."

He jumps onto the railing and makes a hand sign. A harsh wind appears out of nowhere.

"Hey now, wait!"

"Farewell kid!" screams the man as he uses the wind to escape on the rooftops. 

Naruto grins in delight. 

"Wow, he's cool even though he's a pervert."

“Haha! Glad you noticed, kid!” laughs Jiraiya.

“He’s an idiot, even though he’s a pervert.” Corrected Tsunade. Hiruzen laughs at his students' antics.

And with that, he runs after the man, leaving Ebisu on the ground.

In the next scene, a village is shown. Naruto can be heard before you can see him. "Heeey, ero-sennin!"

He comes running out of the street and looks around. 

"Where'd he go?" he continues running upon not seeing any trace of Jiraiya.

A bar is shown, a woman screams and he can hear someone getting slapped. Naruto stops at the commotion.

"What are you doing, you old pervert?!"

He sees an angry woman walk out of the building, the sage just behind her. “Typical.”

“What is this, bash Jiraiya day?” whines the man.

“It’s always a bash Jiraiya day. What makes you think today’s special?” The blond raises an eyebrow.

"No, no, I'm sorry miss… but what lovely breasts…"

The woman stops, turns around and… "Pervert!" slapped him again.

Tsunade nods in agreement.

Jiraiya watches her walk away, with handprints on both cheeks. She snorts in a very un-lady-like manner.

"This grown-up is disgraceful." mutters Naruto with a deadpan face. "Maybe there’s nothing special about him after all… but there's nobody else."

“I’m really starting to like you, brat.” grins Tsunade. 

“I hate you.” Sulks Jiraiya.

No one bothered asking him who he is talking to. 

Slowly Naruto walks closer.

"Good grief." mutters the pervert. "As usual the women in this village are strong-minded. However, that's what makes them so good!"

Naruto interrupts him. “'As usual'? Meaning you've been here before?" 

The man turns around. "You."

"And you did nothing but peeping, right?" continues the blond, not caring that the man’s looking around frantically. "You pervy sage!"

"Shh! Don't say 'pervert', in such a loud voice!"

"Shut up!" screams Naruto. "I bet that one shot on the closet pervert is a fluke! Anyway, I'll have you take responsibility for ruining my training! Whoa…"

The man lifts him with one hand. "Jeez, you're a noisy brat."

And just like that he throws a screaming Naruto in a big ceramic vase and puts the lid on with a big rock on it. Just in case…

“Really sensei?” asks Minato wearily.

“They are brilliant together.” laughs Obito with tears in his eyes.

"Be quiet inside here for a while." orders the man as he walks away laughing.

The next scene shows the sage calmly smoking in the forest.

"I want to have a romantic encounter with a stacked girl." pouts the man.

He looks up at the sky. Staring at the clouds, which seemingly transform to resemble naked women, he starts drooling.

“Really?” Minato face-palms again .

Hiruzen giggles. They all watch him with a raised eyebrow, except Naruto who smiles knowingly. He discovered the secret stash of books in the old Hokage’s desk as a kid and he has always teased the man about it.

He’s greatly surprised when, out of nowhere, shuriken are thrown his way. He jumps behind a fallen tree.

"How dare you do that to me earlier!" screams Naruto as he appears in the clearing. However, the man is gone. In his place is a statue of a raccoon-like animal. 

"Kawarimi no jutsu? Sure enough, he's not an ordinary old man."

The blond grins and leaps away.

Once the coast is clear, the statue disappears in a cloud of smoke, revealing Jiraiya.

The man coughs. "Hm, that punk… It's a million years too soon for that kid to take me on." 

A pissed-off Naruto appears on the other side of the fallen tree. "Not really."

Jiraiya screams in surprise.

Minato bursts out laughing. “You got bested by a genin, sensei!” 

Tsunade is quick to join the laughter as Jiraiya pouts.

They are shown sitting next to each other.

"It seems you have a bit of talent." notes the older man. 

"Then you'll watch my training?"

"Give and take. I'm not averse to listening to your favor as long as you listen to mine." He stands up. 

"So what is it?"

"Listen up…" the man stands before him and starts gesturing with his hands, almost tracing a woman’s curves. 

"Nice ripe fruit that looks like this, like this, and this. I'll watch your training if you bring me that."

Tsunade hits him again. “Don’t go teaching kids these things, you idiot!!”

Naruto got up as well. "You really will, right?"

"This toad mountain sage doesn't lie." Jiaraiya reassures him.

"Okay, wait here!"

And the blond runs off.

Naruto chuckles, recalling what happens next as Jiraiya grins in anticipation.

The scene goes black for a bit and then shows Jiraiya sitting by some ladies in front of a shop.

"You're so funny." laughs one of the girls. 

"No-no, this is the solemn truth." Charms Jiraiya. 

"Yeah, and then what happened?"

"Oi! Ero-sennin!" screams Naruto, interrupting their conversation.

Jiraiya looks shocked as the girls continue laughing. 

"You fool, who's a pervy sage?!" The Sannin yells at him.

The scene changes again and Naruto appears on screen.

"I brought the promised item."

He holds a wig-covered watermelon in his hands, strangely enough with all the curves Jiraiya has asked for.

They all burst out laughing. Except Jiraiya of course. The man grimaces.

"Nice ripe fruit."

Jiraiya's eye is shown up close, twitching dangerously. With big movements, he pulls a big knife out of nowhere … "Baka, baka, baka, baka! That's not IT!"

And cuts the melon into little pieces. 

"Looks good." smiles Naruto delighted.

"Don't hesitate. Help yourself.” gestures Jiraiya, in a friendly way.

“It seems you’re warming up to him, Jiraiya.” smiles the Hokage happily.

"Thanks!"

With a glance, Jiraiya sees the girls have left. "No, where did the ladies go?!"

"Well, I got my fill." sighs Naruto as he rubs his full belly. In the meantime, Jiraiya’s pouting.

"Good grief. I've wasted time…" The man stands up and slowly walks away. 

"Hold it! Where are you going?! What about my training?!"

"I don't care!" screams Jiraiya wildly waving his arms around. "My precious research has been ruined thanks to you!"

Naruto points at the man with a scowl. "Research, my butt! I can't be standing around here either. I'm going to train hard, become stronger than anybody, pass the chunin exam, and then I'll exceed the Hokage!"

Jiraiya studies the kid for a second before he looks away.

"Humph, I don't care about such things. Here all you do is get in my way. Jeez, what a repugnant brat!"

Jiraiya holds up his hands and twirls his fingers. "Stacked girls like the ones from earlier are indispensable for my great writing enterprises."

“Oh, would you just give it up?” sighs Tsunade irritated.

"I see… So I should bring some stacked girls, right?" asks Naruto with big, innocent eyes. "Okay."

He cracks his knuckles and makes a hand seal.

A second later a beautiful blond girl stands where Naruto had been. She’s naked, with only some smoke covering her more intimate parts.

Jiraiya's face goes from annoyed, to stunned, to eyes bulging out of his head. Naruto looks up at the Sage through his eyelashes and smiles. A pink sparkling haze falls over the sage.

This time Minato sighs. “Oh, kami-sama…”

"W-wow!"

"If you gaze at me like that… I feel embarrassed." says the girl shyly. 

Slowly Jiraiya inches closer, arms stretched as if to grab her.

"Oh!"

And then he bursts into flames! She smiles cutely at him. "What a … What a cute girl!"

The flames disappear and he gives her two thumbs up. 

"I like you! You pass!" She facepalms and Naruto's voice can be heard saying: ‘Idiot!’

Jiraiya studies her from every angle. "You're really my type of girl. What's that technique called?"

"It's called Oiroke no Jutsu."

"Oooh, what an idea. You're a genius!"

'I get the feeling all adults are really affected by this technique.' Naruto thinks with a sweat drop.

With big eyes, a bright smile, and sparkles floating around her, she looks at him hopefully. "Then you'll watch my training?"

"Sure! However, I have a condition."

The girl becomes unsure, looking up at him with big puppy eyes and a finger to her lips. 

"A condition…? What is it?"

Jiraiya finally begins drooling. He turns around, crouched a bit, and with a bloody nose as he pokes his fingers together in a very Hinata-like action. Slowly, he turns his face.

"A-Always be… in that form when you're in front of me!"

“You really have no shame, do you Jiraiya-sama?” growls Shikaku with a scowl. 

“Hey!” Protests the man.

“You do realize you’re drooling over a twelve-year-old boy, right?” sneers Shikaku. “It’s disturbing, you pedophile.”

“No-no-no-no-no-no-no!” denies Jiraiya rapidly. “I’m admiring his – no, her! – adult form!” 

“You’re only making it worse, sensei.”

“Well, not to say it’s okay, but we do become legal adults when we graduate from the Academy. If we’re old enough to kill, we’re old enough for other things as well.” adds Obito with a blush.

Shikaku groans. “While true, that’s even more disturbing. And your sensei is supposed to teach you what is and isn’t appropriate for your age.”

An angry expression appears on the girl's face, before Naruto transforms back. 

"Hey! Sure enough, you're just a pervert! You pervy sage!"

Jiraiya looks indignant. "No! I'm not just a pervert!"

He starts laughing, his nose still running blood. "Kakakakakaka! I'm a super pervert!" 

Naruto starts shaking. "Damn it… He admitted it."

“You act like you are proud of that fact. I still think it’s a disease.” mutters Tsunade.

The screen turns black again. They both are seen sitting by a river, in exactly the same position.

"Well, brushing off the stuff until now as a joke, I'll watch your training." 

Naruto looks at the man skeptically. 

"You mean it, right?"

"A sage doesn't go back on his word. Okay, kid. Do the training that you were doing before one more time."

"Okay."

Naruto stands up, walks to the river, doing the same as before, and takes a few hesitant steps on the water's surface. Jiraiya smiles as he watches Naruto try to keep his balance. Naruto takes a few more steps and falls into the water. Jiraiya frowns and then starts laughing.

“I hope you’re serious with this, sensei. After how future-Kakashi treated him, he really needs a decent teacher.” comments Minato.

Naruto cursed as he got out of the water. 

"Totally worthless." Jiraiys sighs, trying to taunt the kid.

"Shut up!" Naruto yells back. 

Bright orange clothes and blue sandals are thrown on the ground. "It's pointless to wear clothes." Naruto grumbles as he tries again.

"Hey, build up your chakra one more time." nudges Jiraiya to the blond, only wearing green boxers.

"One more time?" 

"Just do it, quick."

Naruto does as told. Jiraiya stares intensely at the boy's stomach. "You! You're pretty sexy when you're naked."

“What is that you said before, mister pedophile?” Kushina speaks through gritted teeth.

Jiraiya shrinks in his chair.

Naruto is startled. "Jeez, I'm concentrating, so don't interfere!" 

"Oh, sorry, sorry. Continue."

"You're messing with my focus."

Once again Naruto focuses his chakra. This time Jiraiya can see the Kyuubi's seal appear. The man stands up and knelt before the boy.

'I see, so this is the seal keeping the Kyuubi locked away. Two tetragram seals making a double Tetragram seal… Is this an eight-signed seal Formula? Kyuubi's chakra is leaking from between the Tetragram seals and is fixed so that it can return to this kid's chakra. Yondaime…' Jiraiya thinks with a fond smile. 'It's to protect this kid, huh?'

Then other symbols appear around the first seal. 'But after that, it stops with a five-pronged seal.' Gently, he pats Naruto's stomach. 

'Putting an odd-numbered seal over an even-numbered seal. This kid's chakra and that of the Kyuubi are discreetly intermingled and are not stable. No wonder he is not able to build up chakra very well. '

“It’s impressive he manages to mold any chakra at all with that seal.” comments Kushina. Minato nods in agreement.

Naruto starts laughing. "That tickles, old man." 

"Oh, sorry, sorry."

He stands up. 'Perhaps someone else did it. The formula is rough. Well, it's probably Orochimaru.'

He cracks his knuckles. He draws his right hand behind his back, symbols appearing at his fingertips.

"Kid, give me a hurrah." 

"What?" Naruto eyes him with a blank look on his face.

"Just hurrah? Come on, hurrah!" Jiraiya shows him with one arm. 

Unsure, Naruto lifts his arms in the air.

'Jeez, he's demanding…' the blond thinks annoyed. 

"Five-pronged seal: release."

And with that Jiraiya slams his hand onto Naruto's stomach. Naruto’s thrown backward, with a shocked look on his face. The extra seal disappears, Kyuubi's seal fades back into his skin.

Naruto coughs, hand on his stomach. "What’re you doing?" 

"Well, I just pushed the pressure points for relaxing. Just try walking on the water once more…" suggests the man pointing towards the water.

"Sheesh." mutters Naruto, arms still wrapped around his pained stomach. He tries again. "What?" 

Naruto grimaces. Damn, he’d really been gullible back then.

He stands on the water, with seemingly no difficulty at all. He tries standing on only one leg, then jumps to the other. He laughs delightedly. "I don't know why, but it's going well!"

“So it wasn’t working because of that seal?” asks Rin.

“Yes. Still, he did manage to learn that exercise quickly, seal or no seal.” smiles Minato, both at his student and at the blond, who beams proudly.

He jumps around in victory. Jiraiya smiles at his antics. 'I guess it's about time to teach him how to control the Kyuubi's chakra.'

"Okay kid, come on out." Naruto looks back. "I'll teach you an ace technique." 

Nothing can motivate Naruto quicker than that.

"What? What ace technique? A deadly technique?" He comes running over the water.

"There is something you need to understand before I teach you techniques." By now the sun’s going down. They are seated, both facing the other.

“Oh, great,” mutters Shikaku sarcastically, “more monologues.”

"You probably haven't noticed, but you possess two types of chakra." 

"Huh? Two types?"

"Until now, have you ever felt a special chakra?"

"Special? Hmm…" Naruto crosses his arms as he thinks about it. "Come to think of it…"

A flashback shows Naruto's first time using the Kyuubi's chakra, on the bridge in Wave country. 

"Come to think of it, I get the feeling there are times when chakra spun up and an awesome power came out. But I don't really remember those moments…"

"I see." The Sannin nods as he studies the blond.

"But I do remember sensing it’s different from the chakra I always build up. If I liken it to colors, while mine’s always blue, it feels like it’s red or something."

"I see." says Jiraiya with a peaceful smile on his face. They both look up at the sky.

"Okay, that's it for today's training." Jiraiya says as he claps his hands. 

"What?! Already?" whines Naruto as he put his jacket back on. "What happened to the ace technique? I can still train!"

"With training, a watched pot never boils." adds Jiraiya wisely. "Ah, as long as we're here, let's have a bath… not just fall in."

The next scene opens with a bath in a hot spring out in the forest. Their clothes are hung over branches.

Only Naruto's head is seen above the water. 

"Warms me up." smiles the blond contently.

Next to him sits Jiraiya, drinking some sake he has brought. 

"A drink after training is the best."

"Say, say, Ero-sennin. What kind of technique is that ace technique?" 

"You'll find out tomorrow."

Naruto makes a noise of protest. Jiraiya's toad appears out of the water and sprays water. "We'll turn into boiled frogs if we stay in here too long." informs Jiraiya.

And then both of them start laughing happily.

“Ah, some student-teacher bonding time.” smiles Minato.

“Yeah, as long as the teacher keeps his hands to himself.” grins Kushina. 

“Oh come on.” Whines Jiraiya.

“Ero-sennin never touched me like that.” adds Naruto as he takes pity on his teacher.

The new scene opens at a waterfall. Three girls in bathing suits are playing in the water at the bottom.

From behind the bushes, Jiraiya's face appears, clearly leering at the girls. He giggles to himself.

"Nice, nice."

Behind him, Naruto has his arms crossed and he glares at the man. "Hey…"

Jiraiya ignores him. "This is paradise!"

"Hey, I’m here." waves Naruto annoyed.

Still no reaction. Jiraiya continues giggling until hands are put before his eyes, blocking his view.

A female Naruto whispers over his shoulder. "Isn't it time for you to turn this way already? If you join my training, I'll give you lots of 'service'. P-l-e-a-s-e."

“W-WHAT?!” splutters Minato.

“I’m not serious.” Naruto quickly informs the yellow flash. “It’s just, Ero-sennin lacks some motivation…” 

“Like that makes it okay! You are what, eleven years old?!” Minato throws Jiraiya a disgusted look, which makes the man straighten up, looking uncomfortable.

"So you finally came out… I was waiting for you!"

Naruto jumps back as Jiraiya turns around with a pervy look on his face, and dispels the henge. "What?"

The man twitches in irritation. "Are you making fun of me?"

"Right back at you." comments Naruto lazily with his hands behind his head.

"Oww, darn it." Moans Jiraiya as he sees the girls leave. "Okay, I'll teach you a technique." 

"Do you really mean that?" asks Naruto skeptically.

In the next scene, they are standing next to the river. Well, Jiraiya’s standing, Naruto lays on the ground exhausted.

"Now, at last, I'll teach you the technique."

Naruto jumps up and cheers. 

"Oh, I've been waiting." 

"First I'll show you. Watch carefully." Jiraiya bites his thumb, smeared some blood on the palm of his hand and quickly goes through the hand seals.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

“The summoning jutsu? Isn’t that a bit advanced for a genin.” asks Chouza.

“It should be okay. With the Kyuubi’s chakra at his disposal, he can handle such jutsu.” replies Jiraiya seriously.

He slams his hand on the ground. Naruto barely has time to see the symbols appear on the ground before a toad bigger than a human appears.

"Oh, so cool!"

The orange toad extends his tongue, handing Naruto a large scroll.

"Open that scroll." grins Jiraiya. "It's a contract with the summoning toads that I've taken over from generations. Sign your name in your own blood and stamp the fingerprints of one hand in blood under that. "

Naruto does as he is told.

“Welcome to the club.” smiles Minato happily. He really likes that kid. Naruto smiles proudly.

"Then build up chakra in the place you want to summon and set down the hand you contracted. The signs are boar-dog-bird-monkey-sheep."

Naruto bites the thumb of his right hand, and wrote his name. Then he briefly touches his fingers to that same thumb and makes a print of his fingertips under his name. 

"Okay, this is fine, right?"

"It's easier for you to release red chakra right now. So give it a try."

"I already am." nods Naruto with a serious look on his face. He goes through the seals and slammed his hand on the ground.

"Ninja art: Summoning jutsu!"

The same symbols he saw earlier briefly appear until there is a small puff of smoke. A little orange tadpole appears.

Briefly, there is silence. Then they start chuckling, if not outright laughing.

Minato only chuckles. “It is a good first try for someone your age.” 

Jiraiya on the other hand is rolling on the floor in laughter.

Naruto sweat drops. Jiraiya's toad croaks, looking down at the little floundering tadpole. Jiraiya twitches irritated. 'A tadpole…? This kid has no talent, after all.'

TBC.

Chapter Text

“I wonder what we’ll see next.” muses Minato.

“I can’t wait!” cheers Kushina. “I really like this!”

The scene opens showing an exhausted Naruto laying on the ground. Jiraiya standing above him.

"Get up. The training ends today. If you don't want to die then figure it out yourself." orders Jiraiya as he leans closer to the blond.

"Huh."

The man pokes him on his forehead protector. It doesn't look very hard but he still sent Naruto flying backwards right over the edge of a huge cliff.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

“WHAT THE HELL!?!” Kushina screams, shocked.

The others stare at the screen for a second before they turn towards Jiraiya.

With a yellow flash, Minato’s behind his sensei and in one swift move throws his teacher out of his seat, face first on the floor and ground his face harshly into the ground with his foot.

“What’s your excuse this time sensei? I thought you’d have learned by now what you can and can’t do to your students in the guise of training.” mutters the blond through gritted teeth.

“No, no, Minato, let me show you how to do that.” grins Tsunade evilly.

With a smile rivaling hers, Minato steps back. Tsunade takes his place, bringing her foot down, and smashes Jiraiya’s head through the floor.

“Tsunade, please try not to damage my tower.” pleads Hiruzen.

Jiraiya scrambles up. “Your tower?!” he cries indignantly. “What about my head?”

“You deserved that.”

They all nod in agreement.

Jiraiya looks down into the ravine. 'Now, let's see if the power given to you is really meant for you or not.'

Screaming loudly, Naruto continues his descent. Huge spikes covered the walls and in his panic he tried to grab onto one. Despite the chakra covering both his hands and feet, he slips off before he can get a grip.

“Kami-sama.” mutters Kushina horrified and Minato pulls her close.

'At this rate, I'll seriously die!' panics the blond.

Then, the screen goes black for a second. Next, Naruto’s standing in what looks like a dark sewer. Taking a step forward through the water that reaches his ankles, he suddenly stilled.

“Where are you?” asks Kakashi, frowning.

“My mindscape.” Naruto answered his future sensei

“That’s what your mind looks like? How depressing.” comments Obito prompting Rin to elbow him in the ribs. “Ow!”

'Ooh, this feeling.' He places his hand on the wall to steady himself. 'It's that chakra …’

He continues walking until he arrives at a big iron gate. A small paper is stuck to it with the kanji for ‘seal’ on it.

“Huge... What's this?”

Suddenly something moves within the cage before four giant claws are thrust through the bars, trying to reach him. Naruto managed to jump back just in time.

“Whoaaa! ”

“I want to eat you, but this damn seal …” snarls a voice from behind the gate.

“He’s huge!” yells Obito.

“Indeed.” Jiraiya mutters.

They all stare at the screen. With the exception of Kushina and Naruto, none of them have ever seen the Kyuubi. Until now the demon has always been sealed. They’ve seen a glimpse of him during Naruto and Kushina’s first meeting and they had felt his chakra, but seeing the creature like this…

Naruto only smiles at the screen and pokes his seal.

“Y-you’re … Kyuubi! ” stammers Naruto, shocked. ‘I get it, that red chakra, it’s his chakra.’

“For you to come here... what do you want?” the demon growls.

He still can’t make out the creature completely, he only sees huge eyes and a snarling mouth full of teeth. Still Naruto scowls at the demon.

“Hey, stupid fox! I’m letting you stay in my body, so instead of rent, lend me your chakra!”

“You’ve got guts!” Kushina cheers.

“Unbelievable.” mutters Minato. He shakes his head.

For a moment there is silence.

“Gwahahahaha! If you die, I die too, huh? To threaten me like this, what guts.” laughs the Kyuubi.

Glowing red chakra surges forward, wrapping around him and suddenly he’s falling again.

“So he actually did as you ask of him?” Shukaku raises an eyebrow in disbelief.

“You know what, I hadn’t realized before, but that is weird.” Naruto mutters, placing his hand on his seal and sending some chakra Kurama’s way inside the seal to poke him.

THe fox ignores him, continuing his nap.

With a determined look in his eyes, he bites his thumb, flashed through the hand seals and held out his hand.

“Summoning jutsu!”

And then he bounces. A huge toad having appeared under him. The creature easily reaches each side of the ravine and grabs hold to stop their descent. He has a big scar over his left eye, a pipe in his mouth and is wearing a jacket, of all things.

“You summoned Gamabunta?” Jiraiya asks in disbelief.

“Not bad for a first summon.” grins Minato with a feint voice and Naruto grins back.

“I’m just glad you survived that, no thanks to you.” Kushina glares at the toad sage who tries to hide behind his couch.

“Awesome!” cheers Obito.

“Whoa! Huge!” Naruto exclaims as he recovers. He crawls to the back of the creature and sighs in relief. 

‘No tail!' Then he starts cheering. “I did it! Summoning no jutsu, a complete success!”

Above him Jiraiya frowns. ‘It looks like he was able to pull out the Kyuubi’s chakra himself this time. Though it’s not stable yet. He used too much, of all the possibilities he summoned ‘him’. That's Gamabunta … I can’t even control that one.’

“YAY!” cheers Naruto from what can be considered the nose of the giant toad.

“You lil’ punk! Whatcha doin 'on my head?! Shut up, you idiot! I finally get some fresh air and what the hell is this?!”

“It must be quite a surprise to be summoned in those circumstances.” observes Mikoto with a small smile.

Unsure, Naruto scratched the back of his neck. “No … well … Ummm, I summoned you. I thought you could help.

“You?” asks the toad disbelievingly. 

“YES!”

“Gahahaha! You shouldn’t lie, punk! There’s no way a lil’ shrimp like you can summon me!” the toad laughs mockingly.

Naruto scowls. “You piece of shit toad!” he screams. “How dare you say such things?! I’m the one who summoned you, so I’m your master! Got that, stupid toad?!”

Gamabunta narrows his eyes.

“What the … Who the hell do you think you’re talking to, hey?! Some little kid is saying he’s master of boss-toad Gamabunta-sama?!! You want your head ripped off?!! HEY!!” He shakes his head, trying to dislodge the kid.

“Whoa, I’m sorry boss-toad.”

“Well, calm down, then I’ll make you my underling. Be thankful.” 

Naruto sits up again. “Y-yes, boss toad!”

“Gyahahaha.” laughs Jiraiya as he walks away. “It’s switched around. Well, I guess I’ll disappear now. It’ll be a hassle if the toad sees me. Back to work now.”

Gamabuntas’ tongue wraps around Naruto and the giant toad jumps up out of the ravine. Naruto screams somewhat hysterically until the boss lands. Gamabunta catches  a glimpse of the summoning contract, which lays open on the ground a bit further away.

‘So what the kid is saying is true. Damn you, Jiraiya... but what an impressive kid. Nobody has ridden on my head since the fourth.’

The scene turns black.

A sleepy Naruto sits up in his bed. ‘Finally the main event of the exams. I’m so nervous I can barely sleep.’ He frowns, clearly worried. ‘First up, against him …’

A brief flash shows a pale, black haired, frowning boy with white pupil-less eyes and a forehead protector on his forehead.

Naruto flinches as he sees Neji’s face. Minato sees and raises an eyebrow at the boy. What a strange reaction… Does Naruto not like that boy?

Naruto, not noticing his father looking at him, looks down at his hands. He can still clearly remember when he last saw his friend. For him, it has been recent, and nothing would ever make him forget the proud Hyuuga sacrificing his life for him and dying in Naruto’s arms.

Angrily, he forces the tears out of his eyes. He hasn't had time to properly grieve for the loss of his friend. The battle intensified after that, and somewhere during that he had been sent back in time.

Another flash and adult Kakashi is shown. “The opening points, frankly speaking, even my Sharingan can’t see.”

Another flash. A boy, strongly resembling Maito Guy is shown next.

Kakashi blanched. “Dear god, there’s two of them.”

“The leaf’s strongest taijutsu style, most likely the strongest leaf genin, is on my team. That’s … Hyuuga Neji.”

“Huuyga Neji? My son?” asks Hiashi. 

Naruto shakes his head. “No, your brother’s.”

Hizashi studies the boy more intensely now, clearly not minding the others in the room watching him do so.

The first boy is shown again, only half his face, but with his bloodline proudly on display. Naruto walks through the village. 

“Hahahaha! I can summon toads now, it’ll be fine. Haha.” His nervous smile slides off his face. Another flash shows a brief glimpse of an emotionless red-haired boy with black circles around his eyes and the kanji for love tattooed just above his left eye.

“Who is that?” asks Rin.

“Subaku no Gaara. He’s a genin from Sand.” Naruto says, without explaining more than that. Gaara looks almost unrecognizable like this. HIs friend had changed so much after the chuunin exams, and seeing him like this, makes Naruto suddenly ache as the loss of everyone he has ever known hits him again. 

“He doesn’t look very nice.”

“He had some issues back then, now I consider him one of dear friends.” smiles Naruto happily.

She looks at him as if he has lost his mind. He can't blame her – Gaara really looked unbalanced when he had first met him.

‘All those scary eyes…’

He makes a detour to the training grounds, only to see someone’s already there. 

“Hinata, you’re alright now?”

Surprised and shy, the girl, clearly also a Hyuuga, hides behind one of the training posts when she spots jim. She didn’t wear her headband.

“That’s your daughter.” claims Naruto pointedly. 

Hiashi frowns at the screen.

“Is she really that shy? She’s trying to hide behind that log, while still trying to talk to you.” laughs Obito.

Now, Naruto frowns.

“Well,” continues Naruto, “I just came to check this practice field, since this is the place I became a genin.”

“O-oh … Why?”

“She even sounds timid.” laughs Obito. “Is she a shinobi?”

“Yes, she is.” Naruto narrows his eyes towards the boy. 

“Really?”

Fugaku smiles. He never liked the Hyuuga clan and if this is one of their heirs, he or one of his sons would walk right over her. 

Hiashi’s frown deepened. His thoughts are going in the same direction.

Naruto narrowes his eyes on all of them. Let them wait, his memories would show them how tough Hinata is.

“Nothing! Who cares.” Naruto frowns, feeling a bit defensive.  

“Oh, oh yes … Sorry.” she mutters, backing down from the subject

“Seriously?” Obito asks with a frown.

“Would you stop it?! Hinata is my friend and a great shinobi!”

“Sure, sure.” laughs Obito again, this time in disbelief. He is still fornwing. 

Naruto sighs. “Hinata, Neji’s a relative of yours, right?” 

“Y-Yeah.”

“He’s strong, right?”

“Y-yeah.” Repeats the girl. “B-but you might be able to beat him, Naruto-kun, b-because-” 

“Hahaha! Yeah!! I’m really strong!”

Dead silence follows.

“Oh … umm... when you cheered for me, I felt I have become stronger. After the prelims ended, I started liking myself a little more. To other people it may not seem like I changed but I felt like I was able to change. It’s thanks to you, Naruto-kun.” she admits, making a nervous gesture with her fingers.

“Do you really think that?” 

“Huh?”

“I may appear strong to you but … that’s because I act all tough because I’m so frustrated from always failing.” He looks down.

“That’s not true … Even when you always fail, in my eyes, you’re a proud failure! When I look at you I get an intense feeling in my heart.”

“Oh,” Cooes Kushina, “Someone has a crush.”

Naruto blushes but doesn't react. True, Hinata has confessed her feelings for him during Pain’s attack on the village but she also avoided him afterwards and then with the Fourth shinobi war, he didn't have the time to talk to her about it. With everything that has happened since he has graduated, he hasn't really thought about dating. Sure he had a big crush on Sakura when he was younger, but other than that… Though, seeing he’s in the past now, it doesn't matter anymore. Hinata isn’t even born yet. None of the people he might have ever considered becoming that close to have been born yet.

Seeing his first reaction, Kushina laughs in delight.

“Because you’re not perfect.”

Naruto’s eyes are wide open as he continues listening. “Because you fail, you have the strength to get back up and I believe that’s what true strength is. I-I think you’re an incredibly strong person, Naruto-kun.”

“Thanks, Hinata. Earlier I was feeling strangely depressed but now I feel great!” exclaims Naruto with his hand in the air. “You know, about you, I–”

“Huh?” She blushed.

“I thought you were a plain looking dark weirdo.”

Kushina hits him over the head. “You don’t talk to a lady like that!”

“But a person like you, I really like!” He turns around and walks away. “Well, I’m off to the exam. You better come watch me kick that Neji guy’s ass! Later.”

The next scene shows a chunin and seven younger kids standing behind him in an open area.

“Shikaku, look. The one with the pineapple hair next to me, you see him?” asks Naruto excitedly. 

“Yeah, what of it?”

“That’s your kid!”

The man sits straighter in his chair and studies his son.

Neji and the red-haired boy from before are there as well, together with Shino and Gaara’s siblings. The man turns towards them.

“Alright, guys. This is the final test. The area is different but the rules are the same as in the prelims; there are none. You fight until one of you dies or acknowledges defeat. However, if I determine that the fight is over I’ll step in and stop it, you got that?”

Seven determined faces look back at him.

“Now, the first fight – Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Neji. Those two stay here while the rest of you go to the waiting room.”

The two boys stand before each other as the others leave quickly.

“Finally some action.” cheers Obito.

Neji smirked at Naruto’s determined face. “Looks like you have something to say.”

Naruto raises his right hand, forms a fist and holds it out towards the boy. “I told you before, you’re definitely going down.”

Neji activated his Byakugan. “Now, the first fight. Begin!”

Neji gets into a loose juuken stand. “Hehe, that’s what makes it worthwhile. It will be fun to watch you fall apart when you discover reality. ”

“Stop all the blabbering! Let’s fight! ” is Naruto’s answer to that.

Both boys glare at each other. Suddenly Naruto starts with a familiar hand sign. “Kage Bushin no jutsu!”

And then there are five Naruto’s instead of one. 

Neji sneers. “In the end there’s only one true body.” 

“Stop acting tough!”

“If you’re gonna come, then come.” Taunted Neji.

“Stop disrespecting me!” shout the five Naruto’s at the same time. They charge Neji.

In the few seconds that follow, it becomes clear that Neji’s far superior in taijutsu than Naruto, who gets his ass kicked. All his clones are gone.

“He has a good mastery of the Juuken.” says Hizashi proudly.

“Become Hokage? It’s impossible with that.” mocks Neji. “I can figure it out with these eyes. Talent is decided at your birth. So you can say everything is decided when a person is born.”

“Why the hell do you always automatically decide things like that?! ” screams Naruto. 

“Then are you saying anyone can become Hokage through hard work? Only a handful of

shinobi are chosen as Hokage. Look closer at reality. Those that become Hokage are born into that destiny. You don't become it by trying. It is decided by destiny. People must live within their own unchangeable flow. Only one … the only destiny that every person shares is death. ” Neji says.

Hizashi frowns worriedly at his son. “Where did he get that?” 

Even Hiashi looks a bit disturbed.

Naruto raised his eyebrows at the other.

“So what?! I’m not good at giving up! ” The blond screams as he creates more clones. 

“I’m not stupid. I already see through your attack pattern. ”

“Bah, I told you to stop automatically deciding things! ” And again the clones rush forward.

“You already tried that.” mutters Obito.

Again Neji quickly deals with his replicas.

“Fearing having your points pressed, one body is doing the least amount of attacking. The more you attack, the clearer it becomes. You’re the real one. ” says Neji, Byakugan activated and pressing the pressure point on Naruto’s heart.

Naruto spits out blood.

“That's why I told you it is useless. ”

“Hehe, that's why I told you to stop automatically deciding things. ” And he disappears in a cloud of smoke.

“No way! ” exclaims Neji as two more Narutos charged him.

“Yes, go Naruto!! ” can clearly be heard from a shouting genin in the crowd. 

“I’m coming at you with everything I've got! ”

However, just before Naruto can land a hit, a sphere of pure chakra appears around the Hyuuga as he spisn around. Both Narutos are thrown back.

“You thought you have won? ”

Hiashi frowns at the screen. How has the boy learned to do that?!

“My son is clearly a genius.” States Hizashi proudly.

“So it seems.” Agrees Hiashi with a frown, not sure if he likes this. That is a main clan technique, after all. This boy shouldn’t know about it.

“What’s so special about that technique?” asks Rin, curious.

“Kaiten is a technique reserved for the heir of the Hyuuga main family. He is very talented to master it on his own.” Hizashi smiles proudly.

Hiashi only frowns, clearly not happy.

“It’s over. You’re within the field of my Hakke. ”

“In the field of your what now?” asks Obito confused.

“Have you ever seen a Hyuuga fight before, Obito?” asks Minato gently. The boy shook his head.

“It’s a special technique that allows us to target all the pressure points in a human body at fast speed.” Explained Hiashi. “That way our opponents can’t access their chakra. Few actually master the technique.”

“Gentle Fist Style, 64 hands of Hakke. ”

The assault is over almost as soon as it begins. Neji hits him multiple times, too fast for him to follow, and Naruto is thrown back from the force of it. Naruto groans as he tries to get up.

“I hit 64 points on your body, you can no longer stand. Is it painful? Stay on your knees before a power you cannot change and realize your worthlessness. Having your dream come true through hard work is an illusion. ”

“What happened to him?” Hizashi asks with a pained look on his face. “Please don’t tell me he is always like that? This bitter…”

“He explains.” is all Naruto says.

“ D-damn it. ” Naruto curses softly, face first in the earth. Two flashes appear briefly, first of a boy resembling Maito Gai, then of Hinata, both bloodied but still ready to fight, determined.

“What? ” mutteres Neji surprised as Naruto slowly stands up. 

“I told you, I’m not good at giving up. ” Naruto says with a pained grin.

“This guy is impossible... ” mutters Neji. 

Naruto pants.

“Quit already. Continuing won't change anything. I have no grudge against you. ”

“Really? You’ll have to try harder to convince us of that.” is Kakashi sarcastically.

“Why … Why are you this strong? Why, with those eyes that can see everything, did you mentally attack Hinata who is trying so hard? ” Naruto asks, panting for breath. It is clear the blond is in pain.

“That’s none of your business. ” Sneers the raven.

“Insulting Hinata, automatically deciding she’s a loser! Main family, branch family … I don’t know what the hell happened but pieces of shit like you who call other people losers I will never forgive!! ”

“Fine, if you’re gonna go that far, I’ll tell you … the Hyuuga’s destiny of hatred. ”

“Oh, I can see where this is going.” mutters Shikaku.

“You sure are complaining a lot.” says Naruto. “Does it bother you that much?”

“It’s troublesome. I have hoped these memories would be more important for Konoha’s future. No offence but we’re in the middle of a war. We are supposed to watch these memories to prevent the next. A final round in Chuunin exams just doesn’t seem important right now. Not if you know people are dying out there and we are watching this. As I is, no offence to you, but...”

“Well, something tells me you’ll be very happy very soon.” mutters Naruto. He can see where the man is coming from. Shikaku is ANBU commander, one of the main leaders in Konoha’s army.

“If I stop complaining about it, will the monologues stop?” “No chance.” laughs Naruto.

“The Hyuuga main has a special ninjutsu that’s been passed down. It’s a cursed seal jutsu. ”

“Cursed seal? ”

“The curse of the mark represents a bird in a cage. It is the symbol of being tied down to an inescapable destiny. ”

He takes off his headband and Naruto watches with wide open eyes. On Neji’s forehead is a bright green cross like seal.

“That mark is …”

“Since the day I became four year old, I have had this horrible seal carved into my forehead through that jutsu. That day a grand ceremony was taking place in the Leaf village; a shinobi leader from the cloud country, which had been in conflict with the leaf for many years, had arrived to sign an alliance treaty. But at this ceremony which everyone attended from jounin to genin, one clan was missing – that is the Hyuuga clan – because that was the important day that the Hyuuga heir turned three. Hinata-sama’s third birthday. ” Neji sneers. “ My father, Hyuuga Hizashi and Hinata-sama’s father Hyuuga Hiashi are twins. But Hiashi-sama was born first in this world, a member of the main family and my father, second son became a member of the branch family. When the Hyuuga first daughter grew and became three, I became ‘the bird in the cage’ through this curse, as a Hyuuga branch family member.  they sealed me away.”

“ Why is that necessary? Why do you need that weird mark? To distinguish the main and branch families? ” asks Naruto, confused.

“ This mark on my head is not a simple decoration. ” Neji explains with disdain. “This curse seal is the absolute fear of death given to the branch families by the main family. With a secret hand seal, the branch member’s mind can be easily destroyed whenever  the main clan wishes it. Death is just as easy of course. ”

“That is disturbing.” Kushina frowns.

“This curse will only disappear after death, sealing up the abilities of the Byakugan along with it. The Hyuuga house is a clan that holds great advanced blood. Those that go after those secrets are incalculable so, with this jutsu, the branch family is allowed to live only to protect the main family. No disobedience is allowed. It’s an effective system created to protect the advanced blood of the Hyuuga. ” Neji briefly closes his eyes, face briefly showing pain. “ ...then that incident occurred and my father was killed by the main family. ” Snarled the boy.

“What!?!” exclaim both Hyuuga brothers. They eye each other worriedly.

“Huh? ”

“One night not long after I got sealed, Hinata-sama was taken by someone. Hiashi-sama quickly took care of it and killed them but it was dark and the perpetrator was wearing a mask. Who do you think it was? He was … one of the cloud country shinobi who had just signed the alliance treaty. It became clear he was after the Hyuuga secrets from the beginning, but cloud country, with one of their shinibi killed in their failed plan, made demands from Kpnoha for breaking the alliance. It almost came to a war but, with Konoha wanting to avoid a war, they made a back-door deal with Cloud. ”

“A deal? ” asks Naruto, trying to process everything Neji told him.

“The cloud wanted the Hyuuga main family’s advanced blood and the Byakugan. They demanded the corpse of Hiashi-sama and Konoha agreed to their wishes and war was safely avoided, thanks to my dad who was killed by the main family to replace Hyuuga Hiashi’s corpse. To escape this horrible curse, there’s no method but death. ”

Seeing the Hyuuga twins eyeing each other, Naruto speaks up.

“Neji later told me his uncle came to talk to him after the match. Hiashi told him he is going to agree, but that you, Hizashi, volunteered to take his place. He never told your son, because he wanted to punish himself for agreeing with you.” He looks the younger twin in the eyes.

“You know a lot.” says the man.

Naruto smiles softly. “Neji is one of my best friends.”

He thought back to the brave Hyuuga. No one bothered to correct his tense, not even Naruto when he realizes what he said. and they have no reason to correct him either. Neji hasn’t been killed yet after all… 

The whole arena has fallen silent.

“They were twins, their strength was virtually the same. Born first, born second … Destiny is decided just by that. And this fight … . Your destiny is decided the moment I became your opponent. ”

“ We won’t know until it’s over. ” 

“ Hn. ”

“Oh my god!” exclaims Obito trying to lighten the mood. “He speaks Uchiha!”

His clan head groans at him while Mikoto hides a smile behind her hand. The others chuckle half-heartedly.

Neji reties his headband.

“I don’t know how much it hurt that your dad was killed a long time ago, but thinking destiny is all decided because of that is a huge mistake! ” screams Naruto.

“You’re hopeless.” sighs Neji.

He appears before Naruto and hits him in the chest, sending the boy tumbling back. 

“Examiner, it’s over. ” He says before turns away. “Damn loser. ”

“D-Don’t you turn away … I won’t run. ” Naruto coughs “ I won't go back on my word. ” 

Neji smirked. “ I’ve heard that before. ”

“There’s no way I’ll lose … to a coward who’s always whining about destiny. ” Naruto is breathing hard as he wipes the blood from his chin.

“An ignorant brat like you shouldn’t be lecturing … People are born burdened with a destiny they cannot oppose. You can never understand what it’s like to be burdened with a symbol you can never rid yourself of!! ”

Naruto sneers. “ Yeah, I can. And … So what? Stop acting cool. You’re not the only one that’s special. Hinata too … She’s suffered just as much as you. A member of the main family, but not acknowledged, trying her best to change herself – thinking that as she is coughing blood as she is fighting you! You’re the same. The branch family is supposed to protect the main family, yet doing that to Hinata … in truth, you are trying your hardest to disobey your so-called destiny! ”

“And that, right there, is the beginning of the therapy jutsu.” says Obito wisely. 

“The what?” asks Kakashi stunned.

“The therapy jutsu! It’s a way of telling your opponents they're wrong during a fight and convincing them of it so they change their ways!” says the Uchiha proudly.

“Like that’ll work.” Scoffs the white-haired boy.

“Well, Naruto did say they became best friends after this.” He smiles as the other grumbles.

Neji frowns but quickly wipes the expression of his face. “Heh, your 64 chakra points are closed. You won’t be able to use chakra for a while. How can you fight? In the end, you and Hinata-sama share the same destiny. ”

“Shut up! Stop using that Byakugan to decide and act like you know everyone’s destiny! ”

“Then prove to me that what you are saying is correct. ’

“Yeah, I’m definitely going to defeat you and prove that! ”

“Enough talk, examiner, I'm going to go at him to kill. If you want to stop it then go ahead. ”

The man huffs, but doesn’t move to interfere.

Naruto makes a ram seal and tries to force his chakra through his body.

“It’s useless. Your points have been sealed.” Smirkes Neji. “ Can I ask you something? Why do you fight against destiny so much? ”

“ Because I was called a loser. ”

Bright red chakra with flashes of red explode from the blond, so potent it is actually visible. All the cuts and bruises he had gained during the fight can be seen healing.

“Wow, that’s impressive.” says Kushina with wide eyes. 

“Have you never used Kurama’s chakra?” Naruto frowns.

“It is tied up too well. Yesterday was the first time. I tried to avoid him as much as possible.” She shakes her head, watching the screen with wide eyes.

Neji stares dumbstruck. “That’s impossible! ” 

In the audience, people look on in shock.

The chakra thrashes around Naruto, almost in the form of tails until he manages to reign it in. They restart the fight. Naruto throws shuriken but Neji catches them effortlessly and throws them back, Naruto dodging them just as easily.

“You got faster.” States Shikaku.

“Yeah, it’s one of the benefits of using Kyuubi’s chakra.” Explaines Naruto.

In the seal he can feel Kurama shifting about. While still sleeping, the fox can somehow feel they are talking about him.

The blond charges again. “I don’t know about this Hyuuga destiny of hatred or whatever, but if it’s too much for you then you don’t have to do anything any more. When I become Hokage, I’ll change the Hyuuga! ”

They clash. Neji ’ s kaiten comes in contact with Kyuubi’s volatile chakra and explodes. Both are thrown back, each body landing in a small crater.

Neji is the first to climb out of the earth. He coughs. 

“Loser, this is reality. ” The Hyuuga pants.

A fist bursts out of the earth at his feet. Naruto follows it and punchess Neji in his chin, before he can react. The Hyuuga flies upwards before he lands on his back. The blond pants as blood dripped from his fingers. The other Naruto, still in the crater, disappears in a cloud of smoke, revealing the tunnel dug underneath.

“Nice tactic.” Shukaku complimentes, looking impressed.

“ Ugh, my body … To use Kage Bunshin in that situation. Your main ninjutsu, huh? I got careless. ” Neji mutters from his place on the ground.

 I-I failed the Academy graduation exam 3 times. That’s because unluckily for me, there was this one jutsu I just couldn’t do. The bunshin jutsu is my worst technique. Destiny can’t be changed, blah, blah. Stop whining about stupid crap like that. After all, unlike me you’re not a loser. ” Naruto sneers while trying to regain his breath.

“Winner, Uzumaki Naruto! ”

“Congratulations.” says Minato. 

In the background, Kushina and Obito cheers for him as the others smile.

Naruto grins and enjoys the moment. He knows they won't be smiling for long, given what is coming.

Chapter Text

"Shall we continue? We still have a while before lunch." asks Inoichi. The Hokage nods his ascent.

The next memory starts. Kakashi's face, or at least one eye, is shown in close-up. 

The image zooms out, showing Kakashi in the stands looking down at the arena. Beside him stands another jounin, dressed in green spandex, with a kid who could have been his double.

The child is using a crutch.

"Dear lord, he still lives. What is he wearing?" asks Kakashi exasperated. 

"You know him?" asks Kushina.

"Somewhat. I've seen him running around the village sometimes…" Kakashi looks away.

Naruto grins. He has a good idea why his young sensei is reluctant to say more. Something tells him that Gai has already started their dramatic rivalry here in the past.

On Kakashi's other side sit a bunch of genin, Sakura included.

"What did you mean that you weren’t late for nothing?" she asks, confused.

"You were late for your students' chuunin exam?" asks Minato indignantly. 

Kakashi looks uncomfortable.

"No, he did better than that." grins Naruto. It is payback time! That would teach Kakashi to be late and miss Naruto's fight in the exams. "He made Sasuke so late he almost got disqualified and he missed my fight entirely."

Minato frowns disapprovingly and Obito laughs, "That'll teach you to complain about me!"

Kakashi huffs, but doesn't say anything. He still can’t believe he will change that much in the future. What happened to him? Could it really be that Obito's death would have affected him that much? He hates the idiot…

"Hn? You want to know?" Kakashi smiles at his genin. 

"Look, we don't have time for this!" Naruto yells angrily.

"What's wrong? You look anxious." Minato notices.

"This is Sasuke's fight in the exam. His opponent was very dangerous and not very stable, mentally. I was worried. And no one would listen to me!"

"You need to have more faith in your team-mates." Minato scolds him lightly.

"Keep watching and tell me later if you still think I was wrong to worry." Naruto mutters as he crosses his arms.

“Be quiet and watch him. You’ll be surprised.” Kakashi says, fully confident in Sasuke’s skills.

In the arena, Sasuke jumps back and lands on the wall. His opponent is hiding inside a big dome of sand. The Uchiha grips his left wrist with his right hand and before long, lightning springs from his hand, the sound deafening everything else in the memory. 

"No way. Is that...?" asks Gai, frowning at Kakashi.

The man only eye-smiles. "The reason I trained Sasuke is because he has the same affinity as me."

Fugaku frowns. Generally Uchiha have a fire affinity. Obito voices these thoughts out loud.

"Sasuke's second nature is fire, lightning is first." Naruto explains, and Fugaku looks pleased to hear that.

Lightning surges from Sasuke's hand, damaging the wall. He charges his opponent.

"Impressive. The training required for that isn't usually taught to new genin." Minato compliments.

Both Uchiha’s look at the screen in pride.

"I see, so, that’s why you only trained his taijutsu and had him greatly increase his speed." Gai mutters.

"Yup." smiles Kakashi proudly.

"Incredible! You can clearly see the chakra in his hand … What’s going on?" asks Sakura, stupefied. "What is that technique? And this sound …"

"A simple stab …" mutters Gai. 

"Huh?"

"But this is the leaf's number one technician copy ninja Kakashi’s sole original technique. It’s a technique made especially for assassination. The speed of the stab and the great amount of chakra that creates … because the chakra’s concentrated in the hand and with the speed of the user you hear … it produces a special sound like a thousand birds running towards you. Thus that technique is called Chidori." Gai explains the technique to them.

"So, I did it!" beams Kakashi slightly stunned. "It works! I made it work!" 

"Congratulations, Kakashi." smiles Minato proudly.

Below in the arena, Sasuke thrusts his arm into the ball of sand and smirks.

"No way!" A Suna genin with paint on his face exclaims loudly. "Gaara's absolute defense has been…"

Shikaku frowns. That kid had been far away from Naruto. How had the blond heard that?

His team-mate and sensei gape at the scene. Both Kages are shown. The Kazekage looks on with wide eyes, the underside of his face hidden.

"That is Kakashi's …" mutters Hiruzen as he takes a puff of his pipe.

"Chidori," continues Gai, "or as it's also known, the Raikiri." 

"Raikiri?" asks Sakura.

"The Raikiri is the name it earned when Kakashi cut a bolt of lightning with that technique."

Some genin looks impressed, others skeptical.

"Really?" asks Rin with stars in her eyes. 

"No way!" exclaims Obito.

They turn to Naruto but he just shrugs and says: "I never found out."

"Its true name is Chidori and it is known for its stabbing speed that pushes the limits of the human body and the huge amount of chakra that is focused in one arm. That arm then becomes the blade of a sword that can cut through anything." Gai continues his explanation.

Then there’s a voice from inside the arena.

"What's … this warm stuff?... Mother … What did …" It comes from inside the dome of sand and sounds slightly hysterical. "Whaaaa! Blood! My … my blood!"

"Aw, did you get a booboo little baby?" mocks Obito. 

"This is bad." corrects Shikaku studying the screen intently. They turn to look at him, but he ignores them.

Naruto wonders if the man has figured out what exactly is going on. 

The sand dome closes itself again, and, too late, Sasuke tries to remove his arm sticking into the sand. Desperately the young genin used another Chidori to free his arm. He jumps back as a huge, monstrous arm appears out of the sand and chases him.

" What is that? " asks Gai. 

Even Kakashi looks disturbed next to him.

"Good question." comments Tsunade.

"Can it be…?" asks Jiraiya, frowning.

"I hope not," answers Shikaku, "but I'm afraid it is."

"What? What are you talking about?" asks Obito loudly.

"A Jinchuriki." Minato explains in a soft voice. "It is well known that the Hidden Sand are in possession of the One-tailed demon Shukaku. It seems they sealed him again."

“You knew? In the memory, I mean?” Minato asks Naruto with a frown. “You figured out he is a jinjuuriki?”

Naruto nods.

“Well, that explains why you were this worried before.” Kushina mutters as she pats Naruto on the back? 

The sand cracks and then seemingly melts away, revealing a redhead with a gourd on his back. He’s clutching his left shoulder, blood dripping through his fingers.

Feathers suddenly descends all around the arena and the scene goes black.

"A genjutsu?" asks Shikaku grimly.

No one answers him, they are all staring intently at the screen. 

Naruto is seen lying on the ground with Sakura kneeling next to him. She places her hand on his shoulder.

"Kai!"

Groggily Naruto sits up and rubs his eyes. "Huh? What happened, Sakura-chan?" 

"I'll tell you later. Get down!"

"Huh?"

She pushes him down again and reaches for the body lying behind him. She tries to break the genjutsu on the boy. She narrows her eyes and becomes annoyed. "Shikamaru, you … faker …" She mutters through gritted teeth. 

A little pug with a Konoha headband bites the boy's ankle.

Shikamaru yelps in pain.

"He’s faking it." laughs Chouza. "Yes, Shikaku, that’s definitely your son!"

Shikaku makes a noise in protest, but doesn’t speak up.

"You were able to break the genjutsu too! Why are you playing possum?!" screams Sakura angrily.

"Bah, I didn't want to be attacked. I refuse. This is way too troublesome…" mutters the pineapple haired boy. He pokes the dog who bites his hand in retaliation. "Ouch!"

"Lazy boy." mutters Tsunade. "A real Nara."

Naruto blinks, looking around in confusion. "What's going on here?"

"Naruto, behind you!" Sakura suddenly screams.

He turns around to see an enemy ninja rushing towards him. Another blur runs past him and slams the enemy against the wall behind him, holding him there with his foot on his chest. .

"Fast, just not fast enough." Gai smirks a bit before kicking the man through the wall.

"An attack on Konoha?" asks Sarutobi, sitting up suddenly and staring intently at the screen.

Naruto nods. "An invasion. Both Sand and Sound turned on us and used the chunin exams to attack Konoha."

"Sound?"

"I heard it was a new village, with Orochimaru as the leader." 

"He really betrays the village then…" mutters Shikaku. 

"What!? No way!" Jiraiya exclaims.

Hiruzen and Tsunade frown.

"It's the only logical conclusion." states Shikaku soberly. "We see him attack Genin from our village during the chuunin exams, when Konoha is hosting them even. A Sannin attacking genin isn’t something you can explain otherwise. And now we hear he's the leader of an invading village? It's the only conclusion."

"But why?" asks the third Hokage pained.

There is a moment of silence, until…

"I heard he was a candidate for fourth Hokage. But you chose someone else for the job. Later, it’s discovered that he’s illegally experimenting on dozens of children inside the village. He’s declared a missing nin after that." Naruto says, not sure how much this explains anything or not, but he feels he should at least try. 

"When is this? When will this happen?" Jiriaya asks urgently. 

"I don't know. This all happened before I was born." Naruto apologizes. 

His old sensei grumbles to himself.

After a few moments of silence, Inoichi starts the memories again.

"Gai-sensei." mutters Sakura. Kakashi appears before them.

"Now, I'll restate your mission! Once you’ve heard it, escape through that hole; chase after Sasuke, join up with him and stop him. Then take him away to a safe location." their sensei instructs.

"What happened to Sasuke?" asks Naruto confused. He is clearly missing some information. 

"Yes, I'd like to know too." adds Mikoto anxiously.

"I'll explain as we go!" Sakura grabs him and jumps through the hole in the wall. 

"Here we go!" The small dog follows them.

Shikamaru complains. "Urgh … Why me?" Yet still he jumps after them. 

"Will they be alright by themselves?" asks Gai.

Kakashi watches his students disappear. "Pakkun’s with them. They should be fine, as long as they don’t get in too deep."

The three genin are jumping through the trees.

"We're on an A-class mission now. The village is under attack from both Sand and Sound. Hokage-sama is trapped in a barrier with Orochimaru while your sensei is fighting off sound ninja. Sasuke left to chase after that genin he was fighting in the exam. Apparently the boy is a big part of their plans, so he went after them." Pakkun explains as they run.

"Always nice to know what's going on." Obito nods to himself.

"I gotcha! So that's what's been going on! That Sasuke, he's anxious too!" exclaims Naruto.

"So?" Shikamaru calls out annoyed. "Why am I assigned like this? This is such a chore!"

"It can’t be helped." Explains Sakura. "It is Kakashi-sensei’s orders after all.

"This way!" Pakkun abruptly turns right. "Hey, guys! Pick up the pace!" 

"Huh? What is it?" Sakura calls back.

Pakkun looks at the girl. "From behind, two squats with eight, no … one more, nine men chasing us!"

"Already!? Man, you gotta be kidding me?" Shikamaru calls out.

"That's bad luck." comments Hizashi stoically.

"Doesn’t look as if they’ve got a fix on our true position yet, but they’re closing in on us quickly while on the lookout for any surprise attacks." the dog calls out in answer.

"Geez! Shit, they’re probably all beyond chuunin level … If they catch up with us, we'll be annihilated!" the Nara heir complains again.

Naruto curses. "Shit! Well, if that’s the case then shall we ambush them?"

"Ambush …" mutters Sakura. "We’d certainly have a great advantage if we were to ambush them, even if they’re twice our number, as long as we can surprise them …"

"It’s no use." states Pakkun. "They’re subordinates of Orochimaru, a former Konoha shinobi, you know …"

"Rookies. Kakashi unleashed new, freshly graduated genin in a warzone." says Tsunade, disapprovingly.

"I'm afraid, given the situation, it’s probably the only choice he has." comments Hiruzen somberly.

"Geez … I thought we might have been able to pull it off, but I guess not then." Shikamaru complains.

"Huh? Why? That has nothing to do with it, does it?" Sakura asks. 

“What do you mean?" asks Naruto, puzzled.

The raven haired boy sighs in irritation. "You guys just don't get it. Ok, listen up! Sure, an ambush is a basic tactic that’s very favorable to the user but there are two conditions that must be met."

He holds up two fingers.

"The first is that those fleeing must move without making noise and discover the enemy first. The second is to locate and quickly conceal themselves in a place and position where you can take them off guard and ensure you cause maximum damage.Only when both these conditions are met without doubt, will the ambush become effective.” 

Sakura and Naruto listen carefully to what the Nara heir says.

“Well, the first isn’t too hard to clear as long as we have Pakkuns’ nose. Even with the first condition, it may seem at first as if we would be able to secure the best position to surprise them since this is our home and we’re quite familiar with the geography, but this plan won’t work against subordinates of a shinobi who is from Konoha!”

"Look," Chouza teasingly smiles at Shikaku, "this time it's your own kid who is monologuing." 

"Shut up." Grumbles Shikaku.

Naruto glances at his old classmate.

"Because they’re all probably ninjas who have mastered the art of hunting – hunters who will have been taught the geography of this land and practiced mock combat for this battle. Even with that, the ambush will still be advantageous to us but there’s too many undecided factors involved. To begin with, the enemy’s a ninja squad that’s been organized for this plan. Whereas we have … an idiot,"

Naruto scowls.

"a kunoichi with no special ability, " now Sakura scowls.

"a dog," Pakkun is shown

"and me, who doesn’t even want to be here." Shikamaru's face is shown up close. 

"He sure is blunt." comments Rin.

"Brilliant!" Obito laughs, but the others aren't smiling. They are veteran shinobi; they knew

what the only option is in this situation. 

"Keep it down, you two." orders Minato gently.

"Battle tactics, you know! It's how to come up with the best plan after fully grasping the combat ability available in a given situation. And so, after that analysis, there's only one thing we can do now …"

"One thing?" Sakura raises an eyebrow.

"We need to create a diversion that looks as if we're going to ambush them. One of us will have to remain behind and … delay them by faking an ambush."

"In other words, a decoy." Sakura replies seriously.

"That's right. If they’re stalled they won't be able to locate the remaining three. If we do this we'll be able to lose the trackers, but the one who stays behind will probably … die."

Both Sakura and Naruto's shocked faces are shown.

"They didn't see that coming, hmm." Chouza realizes sadly.

"So, who's going to do it? The dog is necessary to chase after Sasuke, in which case …" There is a moment of silence.

"Ok! I understand, I'll-" Naruto starts only to be interrupted by Shikamaru. 

"I guess I'm the only one."

"Shikamaru …" 

"Why you?"

"It's better than being annihilated, isn't it? Besides, if you think about the guy that can fulfill the job of the decoy and be most likely to survive then I'm the one in this bunch that can do it." Shikamaru stops running on top of a branch, making the others stop as well. He looks back at the others over his shoulder.

"Because the Kagemane no Jutsu is originally a jutsu used as a delaying tactic, you know. Well, I'll catch up with you later on so hurry up and go!" He turns his back to them and waves them away.

"Shikamaru, we'll be depending on you!" Naruto yells at him.

"It's very brave of him." Compliments Minato. "It isn't easy staying behind in such a situation, knowing you'll die. Especially for a rookie genin. You have a fine boy there, Shikaku."

"Hm, I just hope he'll make it back." breathes the older man.

"No worries!" Naruto reassures. "I'm not sure exactly what happened, but Shika doesn't get hurt." "That's a relief." sighs Kushina.

They continue on.

After a while Pakkun looks back. "Hmm? The pursuers have stopped moving!"

"He did it!" Naruto grins happily.  “Like, he was successful in stopping them in their tracks!"

"That’s Shikamaru!" Sakura smiles, relieved.

'Alright,' thought Naruto, 'Now all that's left … Hang in there, Sasuke! Shikamaru, you'd better be alive and catch up with us!'

"Sasuke's movements have stopped as well. There's still a little ways to go but …" Pakkun pauses. "But there's someone else besides us chasing Sasuke!"

"What?!" yells Naruto.

"Is it an ally or an enemy?" asks Sakura.

"I don't know. Only …" replies Pakkun. "It's not human." 

"This confirms it, if that is the boy from before, then he is a Jinchuuriki." sighs Minato. 

"Damn it." Jiraiya curses.

"Poor kid." Kushina whispers softly.

The scene shifts again.

Sasuke is shown, almost crashing into a tree branch and trying but failing to get up. As the enemy charged him, Naruto appears out of nowhere and pushes the redhead back. Sakura immediately goes to the fallen Uchiha, giving Naruto a chance to land and observe their enemy.

"You two …" comments Sasuke softly. The left side of his face is covered in strange markings. Sakura looks worried as she sees them.

"What are those things?" Mikoto asks, shocked. 

Even Fugaku frowns as he sees them.

"That is Orochimaru's cursed seal. He gave it to Sasuke while I was unconscious in the Forest of Death. All I know is that it feeds on Sasuke's chakra, and corrupts it…"

"Sa-sakura-chan? … Sakura-chan!"

"What is it?!" screams the girl irritated.

"She really needs to curb those fan-girl tendencies." mutters Tsunade.

"Who … Who the hell is that?!"

Naruto points at the redhead. The enemy before them hardly looks human. The right side of his face is covered in sand, sculpting the face of a monster while the left side of his body  forms a huge claw-like appendage, and a tail. The boy is crouching and snarled like an animal.

"Although his figure has been transformed, he’s the one named Gaara!" Pakkun answers him.

"He attacked Sasuke-kun." cries Sakura, clearly in fan-girl mode.

"Dear lord." sighs Tsunade again. 

"Really?" is Kushina disbelievingly. 

Naruto gulps.

The redhead is shown, free of sand in a hospital room as Naruto remembers their last encounter.

"I came into this world stealing life away from a woman I called my mother. Having this body possessed by the incarnation of sand … to become the strongest shinobi. I am … a born monster."

'So,' thought Naruto, 'that’s it. His monster… '

"Mind you, I'm not a battle type." discloses Pakkun.

"I can tell!" screams Sakura frustrated. "Anyway, we have to somehow lose them and take Sasuke-kun to Kakashi-sensei as soon as possible."

The Uchiha moans in pain.

"Even if you survive … you will face difficulties no matter what." divulges Kakashi. "Especially because you have …"

"A curse seal?" Sasuke asks.

They stand alone on rocky terrain, clearly during training.

Kakashi frowns. "If you give into hatred and depend on the power of the curse seal, that'll be it for your strength growing. In that case, you can never defeat Itachi."

Sasuke glanced at his left shoulder where a seal can be seen.

Shikaku frowns. How are they seeing this? Again, Naruto clearly isn't there to witness it.

He gripped his shoulder, trembling with pain. "Sasuke-kun!" cries Sakura alarmed.

"My poor boy." mutters Mikoto softly.

"He isn't born yet." Fugaku whispers back softly.

She glares at him. "Maybe, but he’s obviously ours!" 

He wisely shuts up, and hoping no one has witnessed that. 

Naruto briefly looks back at his teammates.

"You are the one I failed to kill that time." reflects Gaara in a strange, almost demonic voice as he eyes Naruto .

"I fight for my sake only and I live to love no one but myself. As long as mankind exists for me to kill, my existence will never end." The Sand nin intones.

"You guys! Get away!" Naruto yells in a panic at his teammates as the Suna nin moves, completely ignoring Naruto. 

"Die! Uchiha Sasuke!"

Sakura throws herself before the Uchiha. Gaara strikes her with his claw-like hand and pins her to the tree behind them. Standing above Sasuke, the redhead grips his head with one hand, as if in pain. Taking advantage of the situation, Naruto quickly grabs Sasuke and gently sits him down on another branch.

"Thank you."

Naruto nods at Sasuke's future mother.

"Dammit! What are we supposed to do?!" Naruto whispers to himself through gritted teeth. 

It is a full moon and Gaara sits alone on the roof.

His little hands tremble as he covers his eyes. 'How come …only I am such a monster? What … exactly am I? Yashamaru …'

“He is so small…” Rin whispers sadly.

Suddenly his sand springs forward to shield his back as kunai are thrown at him. "Huh?"

A masked shinobi appears.

“What?” Gaara whispers, clearly scared. “Why? Why me?” he grows angry. 

His sand retaliates, crushing the enemy ninja. Slowly, he approaches the downed body. He reaches for the fabric covering the man’s face. “Who? Why?”

He freezes as Yashamaru becomes recognizable, despite the blood flowing from beneath his headband and from his mouth.

"That bastard." Kushina curses softly, feeling bad for the kid.

"Impressive, Gaara-sama." the man mutters. 

Gaara starts screaming, painfully gripping his head.

"W-why? Why … Why is it … Why you? Why?" sniffles Gaara as he cries. 

He remembers what the man told him about love. "Always, you are always … Only you are my-" 

"It was an order. " coughs the man softly.

Gaara looks up, tears in his eyes.

"An order to assassinate you. By your father, Kazekage-sama." 

Gaara becomes sick. "Father? Why would he want me dead?"

"You were born to be possessed by the sand demon Shukaku. Until today, you've been watched over as an experimental subject. However you are unable to control Shukaku's powers-"

"How about teaching him then, you assholes!" Kushina screams.

“Before long your existence will become too dangerous to the village itself. We simply can't let that happen.”

Gaara smiles a little, looking hopeful. "Then... then you have no choice. It’s because of father…"

"No, you're mistaken." wheezes the man. "Yes, I did receive Kazekage-sama's order, but I could have declined if I wanted to. Gaara-sama deep inside, I must've always resented you for coming into this world and stealing the life from my beloved sister. I tried my best to love you by thinking of you as her memento, but I can’t.”

Gaara’s eyes widen in disbelief. Hoping beyond all hope that what he’s hearing isn’t real. Yashamaru continues, his voice getting hoarse as the air whistles in his lungs.

“She never wished to give birth to you. She was sacrificed for the village and therefore died while cursing at it … Your mother gave you your name, Gaara; a demon that loves only himself. Love only yourself and fight only for your sake. She wished and believed that your existence would be forever … But she didn’t give you your name out of concern or love for you. The name is given to you in the hope of your eternal existence, to let her grudge be carried down, and be known to the world. You were never loved."

“How can he say that?" asks Rin with a little voice, tears in her eyes. "How can anyone say that to a child?"

"Most find it very easy." answers Naruto blankly.

Gaara screams, releasing his sand which causes a huge explosion on the rooftop. Once it dies down, it swirls around him. It carves a symbol just above his left eye, which would later become a permanent scar.

The scene shifts back to the forest.

"What's wrong?" Gaara sneers. "Aren't you going to retreat?"

Blood dripping from her mouth Sakura starts muttering; "Sasuke-kun, Naruto …"

"What are they to you?" Gaara snarls at Naruto.

Determined, Naruto points at the sand genin. "T-they're my comrades! You leave them alone, or else … I'll kick your ass!"

Gaara scowls and the sand claw tightens around Sakura, making her cry out. 

“ Now, what? Aren't you going to kick my ass? Just try it."

"Damn it!" He charges forward, trying to free Sakura, only to be swept aside by Gaara's tail.

Naruto curses.

Sasuke tries to get up again, only to falter as he watches Naruto with an intense gaze. 

Naruto gets up, starts going through the seals and tries to summon Gamabunta. However all he manages to summon is a small toad.

"This should have been funny, but seeing the situation…" grimaces Obito. 

"Still." Sniggers Jiraiya.

"What the?! It's only a kid. Gimme snacks if you wanna ask a favor.” the small toad holds out a hand to him. "Otherwise I won’t play with you!"

"Well, you know what?! I hate you toads altogether!" screams Naruto in frustration. 

"What’s that?! Don’t you dare take amphibians for a fool!" yells the toad.

"Wait, I haven't got the time to play around with you, you lil’ warty-face!"

Gaara moans as the sand creeps over his body and transforms his right side. The claw holding Sakura detaches itself from Gaara and a new appendage is formed.

"He looks scary." Rin bites her lip. “Is this what jinchuuriki look like?”

“Maybe, when they lose control.” Kushina looks at Gaara with a strange look on her face. 

“It is different for every one of us.” Naruto explains.

"She won't be released from the sand unless you beat me. Not only that, it'll get tighter as time passes and eventually kill her."

Naruto gulps.

"Sand shuriken!"

Quickly Naruto grabs the little toad and shields him from harm. 

"You are weak, boy." mutters the toad after the assault.

"Shuddup!" mutters Naruto. 

"But what is he?!" the summon yells back from within his arms. 

Naruto looks back at Gaara. The transformation is almost complete, only his feet are visible under all that sand.

'What sad eyes.' Naruto recognizes that look with a pang. And he can’t help but wonder if he has worn that very same look in the past. 'Very lonely eyes. Him … and a monster, just like me.'

Little Naruto is shown, glaring angrily at a faceless crowd of people.

'I loathed everyone, I couldn’t understand why or why I existed as a hated being.' Naruto reminisces as he thinks back to his own childhood. 

Mizuki’s shown in a flash. "Because you are the nine-tailed demon fox that destroyed the village! All your life you've been fooled by everyone!”

'Since I learned Kyuubi exists, the villagers seem to look at me with eyes colder than ever. It’s so painful, but…'

Iruka’s shown smiling at the blond haired pre-teen.

"Naruto, it’s been a while! Let's go have ramen!" 

"Alright!" laughs Naruto.

Naruto and Sasuke are glaring at each other.

"Hmph! You stupid idiot, train harder if you want to beat me." snarks Sasuke. 

"Shuddup! I won't lose to you!"

Sakura is shown leaning closer to Naruto.

"Hey, Naruto, did Sasuke-kun say anything about me?"

"No, nothing! Instead, don't you want to know how I feel about you?"

Naruto is shown eating ramen in his apartment. Kakashi appears in his window carrying a bowl of fruits and vegetables.

"Hmmm, Naruto, you will die if you keep eating only ramen. You are a ninja, eat more vegetables. Here you go."

Naruto grimaces, ramen still in his mouth. " Aww! I don't like veggies!"

"Look at you!" squealed Kushina. "So cute."

Naruto blushes. No sixteen year-old liked to be cute, damn it! If anything, she should’ve said handsome…

'Now I have people who acknowledge me, that's why I can be unconcerned about being possessed or being treated coldly by the villagers. Because … I’m not alone anymore! I had no idea how happy that would’ve make me, I felt blessed from the bottom of my heart. I am allowed to be here, knowing that I do exist makes me feel relieved. That's why it kills me to think about how it used to be. That pain is not usual, it's pitch black hell!'

The adults look uncomfortable, some with pained looks on their faces.

Naruto’s shown drifting slowly in a sea of darkness.

'If … If I was still alone …'

Naruto is shown standing in front of a mirror, Gaara looking back from where his reflection should be. Frowning, Naruto headbuts the mirror.

'For this reason I can sympathize.'

"To them, I’m only a relic from the past, they want to exterminate me." Sounds Gaara's voice. “Then why do I exist and continue living? I came to a conclusion. I exist to kill all humans other than myself."

‘I don't know what happened, but he's been suffering from loneliness … not knowing what it's like to be wanted. He can only trust himself.’ Naruto thinks as he stares at the transformed genin. 'He continues fighting in that hell, until this very day. I finally have people that acknowledge me. Compared with him, I'm probably a weakling living in a happy, tension-free world. Do I really have a chance against someone like him?'

Sakura moans as the sand grows tighter, almost squishing her to the tree. Naruto shoots her a startled look.

"What's wrong?" taunts Gaara. "Afraid of me? To fight for yourself or to fight for others? Just love yourself! Fight only for yourself! Those are the definitions of the strongest! C'mon, fight me! Show your powers like the time you defeated that Hyuuga! I WILL CRUSH THOSE POWERS!" screams Gaara as his eyes widen to a madman level, his voice taking on a higher pitch as he gestures his arms wide. "Well, come on! I'll kill the girl if you don't fight me."

"Damn you!" Naruto curses before charging. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."

"Futon daitoppa!" 

He gets thrown back, and Naruto struggles to get up. 'He really kicked my ass.' 

Gaara continues his assault. "This is only the beginning!" 

'But, what is it …' thought Naruto. 'Dammit.'

He keeps being hit by new attacks. 'What is this … raging feeling that wells up in me?'

"Ooh, brutal beat down." grimaces Obito.

"For some reason," mutters Naruto to himself as he gets up again. "to him, anyone but him … I don't want to lose even if I die!"

'The look in his eyes has changed.' Gaara thinks before yelling out again. “Hey?! What's wrong? You came chasing me all the way here and this is all you've got?" 

Naruto grabs a kunai and wraps an explosive tag around it. 'I don't know what I can do, but I'm gonna give it my best shot!'

He summons four clones. "Here I go! Brand new advanced taijutsu technique! Uzumaki Naruto: clone body slam!"

The clones rain down on the enemy from above. Three are blocked by a sand claw but the fourth grabbed a fifth Naruto by his belt and threw him towards the sand ninja.

" Again! " Gaara roared as he intercepted the fifth clone.

Naruto created a new clone, which is caught by the claw and he tumbles behind the other.

"Once more! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" He creates a new clone beneath him to slow his descent and he uses the clones back as a springboard.

"Kurae (eat this)! Hidden leaf ancient taijutsu supreme technique! Straight from the teachings of Kakashi-sensei!"

They all inch closer in anticipation. Naruto seeing this just smirks knowing what is about to happen and curious to their reaction.

"1000 years of death!" He yells and stabs the kunai into the tanuki's behind.

"Dear lord." sighs Minato as the others lean back, disappointed.

Obito and Kakashi have fallen out of their seats. Obito’s laughing like crazy and Kakashi is trying to disappear in shame.

Both Gaara and Naruto stare at each other with a deadpan look on their faces. Until Naruto gets thrown back by Gaara's tail.

Naruto smirks. "Boom." And the kunai explodes!

"Wow! That IS awesome!" cheers Obito.

"Go, go, go!" yells Kushina. 

The others look at the screen with wide eyes, approvingly. 

Naruto blushes sheepishly.

Sasuke tries to grab him at the last second to cushion the blond's landing against a tree.

'Those are some fine techniques... and Sasuke, shielding him even though his body’s like that.' Pakkun looks on with worry in his eyes.

"That kid really isn't all that bad, especially for an Uchiha." smiles Jiraiya. 

Fugaku glares at him while Mikoto watches her son and his teammate with pride.

As the smoke disappears, Gaara is shown. He looks like half of him has melted off.

'Aghh, who'd have known he'd go after the weak point hidden by the tail. I wasn’t injured but look what he did to my body …'

"Sasuke …" Naruto mutters in shock as he stares at his teammate.

"Finally decided to go back to your normal self?" the exhausted Uchiha asks softly. "Even after all that, you managed one blow. Shape up will you?! I can't save you this time like I did in Wave country, you dimwit!"

"Shut up, will you?" Naruto glares back half-heartedly.

Minato smiles gently; "You two remind me of my own genin."

"What's that supposed to mean!" two of his three genin ask indignantly, feeling called out. They blink in surprise, before glaring at each other. 

"Like I said." laughs the blond.

"Hey, Naruto. Sakura, you have to save her no matter what." 

Naruto looks shocked at that but Sasuke keeps on talking. 

"I know you can save her. Once you've got her, carry her and run as far, and as fast, as you can. If it's just for a while, I'll be able to hold him in place …"

'If I end up dying, it just means that I am at the end of my limits.' Sasuke thinks to himself grimly.

"You- " starts Naruto stunned.

"Never again." snarls Sasuke angrily. "I already lost everything once before, I don’t ever want to watch those dear to me die before my eyes again!"

"What happened?" asks Mikoto, scared. she fidgets in her seat as worry takes over her mind, her thumb nail picks on the skin of her pointer finger. There have been hints, just little things Sasuke and others have said in these memories, that really worry her. What on earth has happened to her family? 

"It should be explained in future memories, but I can give you a brief run-down. If you don't mind, I'll explain it after this." responds Naruto softly; he was not looking forward to having to deliver that piece of news. "We should continue watching now."

She nods, eager to have her questions answered, and Fugaku gazes at the young blond, a small frown on his face.

'Those dear to me?' Naruto thinks in shock as something clicks inside his brain.

A flash shows Sasuke impaled by senbon during the mission to Wave. Another flash shows Sakura defending an injured Sasuke.

"I get it …" Naruto mutters out loud as he is briefly lost to his memories. 

Another shows Kakashi. "I don't let my comrades die." With that smile of his.

"Yeah, that’s right. Because he’s like me, because he lived feeling the same kind of loneliness and sadness I did, I thought he was strong, because he survived that solitude fighting only for himself." He keeps on muttering. 

Sasuke looks stunned at the blond. "Naruto …"

Naruto ignores his teammate, too focused on his sudden revelation. "But I was wrong, his strength isn’t real. Strength doesn’t come from fighting alone. Real strength is not what you have when fighting only for yourself."

Haku's face is shown. "Do you have someone who is special to you? When you have something special that you want to protect, only then can you become truly strong!"

With an unwavering look in his eyes, Naruto starts to gather chakra. 

"Naruto …" Sasuke looks on with wide eyes.

Blue chakra explodes visibly around the blond.

'What the-? I don't believe the amount of chakra he's gathering. ' Thinks Sasuke as he shields his face. 'Is-is this really … Naruto?'

"I WILL PROTECT THEM NO MATTER WHAT! FULL POWER KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!"

Everyone’s shocked by what they see.

Including the people in the past.

"I heard you all say he could make a lot of them, from the earlier memories, but this is insane." mutters Hiashi.

Obito cheers loudly, fist pumped into the air.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting! Well, are you ready?!"

"What the?" asks Gaara, stunned with eyes wide open as he looks around.

"This … this is incredible." breathes Pakkun in awe. 

"You … this …" manages Sasuke, looking just as stunned as the others.

Naruto only smiles. "Sasuke, take it easy. Just leave the rest to me, Uzumaki Naruto! All right everybody, let’s go!"

What follows next, can only be described as a brutal beat down. Gaara tries to protect himself and tries to attack, but there are too many Naruto’s.

Frustrated, Gaara screams out; "How can I- How can I lose to a guy like you?!" 

A shock wave passed over the others, briefly obscuring the Jinchuriki from view. 

"Wha-what is that?" asks Sasuke with wide eyes.

Pakkun gulps and the little toad looks impressed.

A blond-haired kunoichi is shown, watching on in horror. 'Finally, it came out … his final form.'

Through the trees a huge form becomes clear, towering over the forest. It’s made entirely of sand, with black markings and racoon-like in appearance.

“This is … the monster inside him. Gigantic.” Naruto watches on, fear and determination battling inside of him. 

The Biju raises a claw and Naruto screams in surprise as sand surrounds him immediately, closing in on him.

'Shit, I used up all my chakra with the bunshins earlier so I don’t have any more left!' Naruto realizes in a panic.

"Naruto!" yells Sasuke alarmed. He tries to move, and make his way towards Naruto to help out, but the cursed seal picks that moment to flare up, and Sasuke collapses to the ground. 

Naruto briefly meets his teammate’s eyes, before the sand blocks their line of sight. But it is enough for Naruto to gather his wits again, and with steel in his eyes he wipes some blood from his lips.

"Inu, tori, saru, hitsuji, …" he mutters the name of the hand signs to himself as the outside of the sand cocoon is shown. 

"Shit, my body, it …" Sasuke curses in frustration as he tries to get up again, fear clear in his eyes.

"Sabaku Kyuu dessert coffin!"

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

Another shock wave hits their battlefield, before Gamabunta appears. thetoad towers over the forest just as the bIju does. Naruto’s on top of his head, looking both pleased with himself and ready for whatever comes next.

"Wow, not bad." grins Kushina.

Minato squeezes Naruto’s shoulder. He is very proud of what JIraiya’s next student (and his kouhai in that sense) has managed, but also worried. Because will this be enough? Biju are notoriously hard to fight, and despite everything, Naruto and Sasuke are still just genin. 

"The results of my training finally appear! Now we're talking!" Naruto almost cheers as he says this, feeling proud of himself. 

"You again!?" Gamabunta calls out in confusion, before his tone turns pissed. "What's with you…?"

Suddenly the boss toad notices his opponent. 'That’s … if I remember correctly, Shukaku of the Sand.'

"Gama-oyabun! I’m counting on you!"

"Nope!" denies Gamabunta shutting the request down fast. 

"Huh!? But, like, why?!" Naruto yells in shock falling on his but and hitting the toad in protest. "You promised you'd make me your underling last time! An Oyabun (boss) is someone who’s supposed to help his underling when he's troubled, ain't he?!"

"For sure, I said I'd make you my underling. But deals like that are sealed by drinking Sake together and we haven’t done that yet, so …" the toad grumbles 

"Is he seriously considering drinking sake with a child? That’s so cool!" A grin is forming on Obito’s face as he says this.

"It's really not." Minato shakes his head, guessing where Obito’s thoughts are going, and greatly disapproving. He really needs to have a long talk with his summons about what is and isn't appropriate for children.

Jiraiya just bursts out laughing again. "I really like this kid! Even in a situation as serious as this, he still makes me laugh!"

Naruto grumbles. "I'm glad my distress can entertain you." 

The man only laughs harder at that.

"But- but- but I'm not of legal drinking age yet! I can't drink sake!" Naruto screams in both anger and distress. 

The smaller toad he had summoned earlier jumps on Gamabunta’s head and lands besides Naruto. 

"Now, don't be saying that and listen to the fellow, would ya? I was saved by this one, pops” the little toads says. 

"Huh?! Pops?!" Naruto yells in confusion, looking ready to tear his hair out.

Minato tilts his head. Gamabunta became a father? How nice for him. 

Meanwhile, Shikaku scoffs under his breath. This kid is so lucky his opponent is patient enough to wait for him to be done with his crisis before attacking… In fact, what is up with that anyway? Now would be the perfect time to attack, while Naruto and the toads are distracted. Is he waiting to see if the toads abandon the kid?   

“Why are you here, Gamakichi?" Gamabunta scolds the younger toad. 

"I was bored so I came out to play, but never mind that. That guy tried to bully me around!" the little toad points an accusing finger at the Biju in the background. 

Gamabunta glares at the demon. "Tell you what, kid, I'll recognize you as my underling!"

"Thank you!" exclaims Chouza. "Get on with it! This battle’s taking way too long. The suspense is killing me."

"Huh, huh? You’re father and son?" Naruto asks, head tilted in confusion. 

"That’s right!"

Gamabunta draws his sword. "It’s payback time, you hoodlum!" he leaps forward. "Hold on tight now!"

Naruto yelps in shock. 

The two giants clash and Gamabunta is thrown back.

"Hey, hey, boss! Sakura-chan’s over there so don’t go that side! Lure him to the other side, would ya?" Naruto yells at the summon.

"What about your other teammate?" frowns Minato.

Naruto grimaces. He knew he had been a bit single minded back then. He isn't very proud of it now… looking back. But to be fair, Sasuke had been in the very same direction, so… in the end…

"You’re fun! This is fun! Uzumaki Naruto!" Gaara’s demented voice yells out in glee, as something emerges from the sand on his forehead. Gaara’s real body emerges from within.

"So, that's the jinchuuriki ..." mutters Gamabunta.

"Thank you for keeping me entertained so far. Now I’ll show you the true powers of the sand demon." Says Gaara, as he brings his hands together in a seal.

"That jinchuuriki shows signs of insomnia from being possessed by Shukaku. Take a look at those bags under his eyes." declares Gamabunta.

"Insomnia?"

"Being a jinchuuriki is always risky. Some Biju are less nice to their jinchuuriki than others. Shukaku is known to not even let his jailors have a single night of decent sleep. I understand it’s because of the terror. If they sleep, their personality is eaten away by the Tanuki, bit by bit, until everything that makes them human disappears.” Gamabunto explains as he gets back up. “Because the jinchuuriki suffers from lack of sleep, their personality tends to be unstable. But ya know, while the Jinchuuriki is normally awake, Shukaku’s real powers are suppressed, but if that medium were to fall asleep on his own then …"

"Gamabunta sure knows a lot about this demon." Rin tilts her head in confusion.

“I am sure he picked up on it from either myself, or Minato later on.” Jiraiya shrugs a bit. “Or from the toad elders.”

They look up in time to see Gaara finish his jutsu and fall asleep on top of the demon, still half hanging out of the sand.

"HIYAAHHOO!" screams the demon. "I’M FINALLY OUT! And here's someone I wanna kill right off! Fuuton- "

"We're gonna jump!" yells Gamabunta. 

"RENKUUDAN! " finishes Shukaku.

Gamabunta manages to dodge the first attack and retaliates by spitting out water cannonballs. Gamabunta gets hit and falls down. "That hurt! You pumped so much chakra into that ball you threw at me! Even I can’t take too many hits like that!"

The genin in the room try not to show it, but they stare at the screen in fascination. You don’t often get a chance to see a fight like this after all…

"What are we going to do?!" asks Naruto desperately, as he sees that Gamabunta’s attack barely does any damage.

"For now, rough up that Jinchuuriki kid! Then the jutsu will break!" The toad summon yells back.

"How?!" He yells back desperately. The kid is having trouble just staying put up on the big toad’s head.  

"We'll get close to that stupid raccoon and stop him in his tracks! We’ll do it when his guard is down." Gamabunta replies as he dodges another attack.

"I'm asking you how exactly, are we going to do that!" Naruto screams back in frustration.

Obito giggles a bit, a hysterical tone to his voice.

"I'm just a toad, so I don't have any claws or fangs to stop him, so use a henge to transform me into something that does! I'm not good at transformations, so you’ll be my will and do it for me! I’ll lend you my chakra and it will become a combo henge! You’re probably out of chakra since you summoned me!"

"Huh?! Right! Something with fangs and claws? Ummm … . Ummm …" Naruto holds his face as he tries to think.

"Here we go! "

"Wait!” Naruto screams, before steeling himself as realization hits him in the face. “Ummm …HENGE!"

A huge nine-tailed fox emerged from the smoke. It immediately grabbed and bit itself stuck on the demon.

"Now that's ironic." grimaces Kushina. "Kyuubi's saving the village, woohoo."

“I can see why the Kyuubi would be the first thing you think about though.” Minato reassures Naruto. “Given all the talk about JInchuuriki…”

Naruto grimaces, not sure how to react to that. 

"Okay, do it now!" Gamabunta bellows from within the henge.

In another cloud of smoke Naruto releases the henge and crosses the distance between himself and the Suna Nin and sucker punches Gaara in the face.

He is propelled backwards from the shock of it.

"Shit!" curses Shukaku, "I only just came out!"

Gaara's eyes open and he glares at the blond. Naruto dashes forward again to punch the redhead again as his feet sink into the sand, trapping him there.

"Pops!" Gamakichi cries out in warning from somewhere out of the image and Gamabunta wraps Naruto in his tongue.

But the sand won't be stopped. It crawls up Naruto’s legs as Gamabunta retracts his tongue again, realizing the futility of such a move. Naruto briefly looks back to where he knew his team is and a determined look appears into his eyes.

"You’re going to be killed by me. My existence will continue." yells Gaara, glaring. "It's useless, unless this demon raccoon stops."

'I'm begging you,' Naruto thought towards Kyuubi, “all I need is a little bit. Give me enough so I can protect everyone … Your chakra!'

And once again red chakra explodes around him. 

"Die!" screams Gaara.

Naruto gets fired up. "Here I go!"

He manages to break free from the sand around his legs and moves quickly towards Gaara. But the sand manages to grab him inches away from his target.

Naruto glares furiously at the other kid. "You- bastard!" 

He head-buts Gaara. Blood drips from Naruto's forehead as Shukaku's demon form starts crumbling. 

"You managed to suppress a Biju. Nice work!" Jiraiya compliments with a proud smile.

Minato lets out a relieved sigh as Kushina and Obito cheer. The others look on in amusement, glad the battle is over and Naruto has won.

'Only an ordinary head blow …' muses Gamabunta. 'His fighting style is awkward but for him to have used even more chakra after he has reached his limits is impressive. I’ve never seen a ninja that’s so noisy, but he’s the first kid in a long time that’s been so out of this world.'

Both Gaara and Naruto fall to the ground between large debris of sand.

'It’s a pity I can’t be watching him until the end but I’m about at my limit too.' Gamabunta calls out to his son,"Gamakichi, let’s be heading home!"

"Yeah, pops!"

Both toads disappear in a cloud of smoke. The shock wave this creates, blasts Naruto and Gaara away; both getting thrown into a tree. they land harshly on the ground below, panting as they each try to get up again.

"After all this I feel … so tired... so empty. You too right? I finally reached my limit. We are the same, you and I, let’s make this the end of it!" Naruto speaks up softly. His voice somehow sounds loud in the silence that follows.

They both get up, mirroring each other's movements, before they rush towards each other and it’s Naruto who manages to land a hit. However both boys fall back on the forest floor, only a little amount of open space between them.

Gaara lays on his back unable to move. He only stares at Naruto, a strange look on his face. The blond is laying on his stomach and uses his chin to try and move towards the other.

"You really don't know when to give up, do you?" asks Tsunade as she raises an eyebrow at the blond.

"Nope." Naruto proudly confirms. 

Sighing Tsunade shakes her head and Naruto just snickers at her reaction. 

'What? Why is he dragging himself over here?' Gaara doesn’t understand, but he glares defensively at the approaching blond. "My existence won’t be put out! It won’t!”

'This guy … He wants to destroy, because of what happened in the past. He believes this to be his reason to exist. Destruction… So, what reason do I exist for?' Naruto thinks hard as he drags himself forward. ‘I thought I was like him. No, not quite like him … And yet, we share this pain. The worst pain I know; a world where one’s existence is called unnecessary.'

Gaara looks on with wide eyes, fear visible for the first time. "D-don’t come any closer!"

Naruto looks up, his face bloodied and scratched, with tears shining in his eyes. "Being alone, being incomplete … That feeling, that pain … I understand that."

Fear leaves Gaara’s eyes, but he can’t help but stare slack jawed at the blond. A strange emotion enters his eyes. 

"But, for the people who are precious to me, to be able to- " Naruto cuts himself off, rethinks what he wants to say and starts again. "Those people that are precious to me, if you try hurting them … if you try to kill them, I will stop you." His face and tone radiate determination. 

"What the … What? Until now, for the sake of others, you’ve …" Gaara’s in stunned disbelief; eyebrows raised, eyes widening and jaw slightly open, clearly not understanding the concept of what the Konoha shinobi was telling him.

"Because they saved me from the hell of being alone. They acknowledged my existence… that’s why they are all the most important." Naruto tries to explain. 

Gaara’s look softened a little, as if recalling something. "Love … that’s why this guy is so strong…" 

"See, see, I told you all the Therapy Jutsu works!" cheers Obito suddenly, breaking the tension in the room. 

"Would you shut up about that?" asks Kakashi, eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"Would it be too much to ask, to be able to watch these memories without interruptions for once?!" explodes the Third Hokage. 

He wants, no he needs to know what happened to their village.

They all fall silent, taken aback by the outburst. 

"That's enough, Naruto." Sasuke appears next to him, having run here all the way through the trees, and kneels down next to his teammate. "Sakura’s all right now. He’s run out of chakra so Sakura has been saved from the sand."

"Is that so?" Naruto smiles happily and closes his eyes, immediately falling unconscious. 

Two other Suna shinobi appear next to Gaara, ready to attack.

"That’s enough. Stop it." Gaara warns them before they can attack. 

The two eye him strangely, but while they stay alert they do obey his orders.

Gaara looks up at the sky. 'A maelstrom, is that what you are, Uzumaki Naruto?'

The memory fades.

"Are we allowed to talk now?" asks Obito sheepishly. 

Hiruzen gives him a dirty look.

TBC.

Chapter Text

Recap:  

"Are we allowed to talk now?" asks Obito sheepishly. 

Hiruzen gives him a dirty look.

–

"May I remind you, young chuunin, that our village has just been invaded." the Hokage reprimands . "I for one, would like to know how that ended."

Obito visibly wilts. "I'm sorry, Hokage-sama."

It’s raining. A big crack is seen in the face of the Sandaime Hokage on the Hokage monument. People dressed in black are standing on top of the Hokage tower. A shrine is made for the occasion, with Hiruzen's picture being placed on it. Briefly several jounin are shown standing in rows, before Naruto is brought into focus.

"So, this is where I die." laments the Sandaime quietly.

There’s silence for a moment as they all let the news sink in.

"Can you tell me how it happened?" The man looks at Naruto with a resigned look in his eyes. He knew what he had signed up for when he decided to become a ninja, and later on a Hokage.

"Orochimaru managed to corner you inside a barrier. He used the jutsu Edo Tensei to reanimate the Shodaime and Nidaime Hokage. You had to fight both of them. No one knows exactly what happened, but it was concluded you summoned the Shinigami and sealed away Orochimaru's arms so he couldn't use them anymore." Naruto replies, voice soft as he remembers what happened. 

This had been his first time dealing with real loss. The first of his precious people to have died. 

He still remembers it like it was yesterday, and while the pain is not as harsh as it had been then, it still aches. 

"And so stops him from using his precious jutsu." Hiruzen speaks up, a grimace on his face as he tries to look at the situation objectively. Hearing you died is never easy, but this is still far in his future. Orochimaru clearly got away, yet it’s somewhat good to know he has made an impact on his student, despite dying. 

He still can’t believe Orochimaru changed that much…  To think one of his beloved students actually kills him… 

Naruto nods, the lumb in his throat making it difficult to talk.

"Well, it's good to know at least my death isn't in vain." Hiruzen muses, taking some comfort in that thought. 

"It isn't. It really isn't." Naruto whispers. 

Hiruzen watches the young man with a sad look, but he manages a smile nonetheless. It is heartening to know the younger generation, and at least Naruto, valued him this much. 

Another moment of silence.

"It's still hard to believe Orochimaru would betray the village, let alone kill sensei." Jiraiya isn’t sure how to feel. HIs face and voice are strangely blank as his emotions balance between rage and sadness.

"How did he become a missing nin?" Shikaku asks suddenly, a frown on his face.

"I'm not sure about the timeline, but I do know he was one of the two potential candidates for the title of Yondaime. However, in the end, he didn't get chosen. And a good thing too; it turns out he had been kidnapping civilian children to experiment on them. He's obsessed with the idea of immortality and he tried to infuse hundreds of children with DNA from the first and second Hokage, among others. Though I think he started this all during the war, so maybe he got permission in the beginning? I think it just… grew out of control. "

"Dear lord." Hiruzen covers his face with his hands.

"Is it possible to change that? I mean, the next Hokage hasn't been chosen yet, so maybe…" asks Jiraiya, hopeful.

"I'm not sure." hesitates Naruto, his nose scrunching up in a manner similar to Kushina. "I'm usually all for giving people second chances. Everyone can change…" He remembered Orochimaru joining them in the final fight against Madara. He had only been there because of Sasuke, but still… "But in any case, I wouldn't share this all with him." He gestures toward the screen where his memories can be seen.  

Jiraiya frowns, and exchanges a look with Tsunade and Hiruzen. They will talk about this later. 

There must be a way to save their teammate from himself.

Naruto’s headband is worn loosely around his neck and he has bandages on his face, hiding the wounds he is still wearing from his fight with Gaara. The blond looks to his left with a sad look on his face and a slump to his shoulders, where a young boy is crying. 

Iruka, who stands on the boy's other side, places a hand on Konohamaru's shoulder. Naruto looks on with tears in his own eyes as Iruka kneels down and hugs the boy.

"Who is that boy?" asks Hiruzen softly.

"His name is Konohamaru. He's your grandson." Naruto replies with a hoarse voice.  

"Iruka-sensei?" Naruto asks softly so as to not disturb others. 

Both Iruka and Konohamaru direct their gazes at him. 

"What are humans? Is life just that simple? " He asks.

"When a person dies - doesn't matter if it's the past, present or future – they will lose everything. He died fighting in a mission – death caught him unaware because life is that simple.” Iruka stops, and gathers his thoughts, before continuing.  “It's like a dream, it's all the same even if you haven't reached your goal, but everyone knows that the most important thing is to die for a cause. Family, friends, lovers and all the other villagers: to me those are the most important people. We trust each other, help each other. From the day we're born to the day we die, we start to feel that love is the most important and that kind of relationship takes time and trust to develop. Anyone with this headband on, knows this because it's very important." Iruka trails of, trying to explain death in a shinobi’s life to two children and not sure if he succeeded. 

Nicely said." Minato smiles sadly. He knows all too well how fragile life was; in the profession of a shinobi, you often took more lives than you saved. Especially during wartime.

A brief flash of Kakashi, Sasuke and Sakura is shown, all dressed in their funeral clothes.

"Yeah, I know that as well." Naruto’s eyes harden with a determined look. Next to him, they can see Aburame Shino and Hyuuga Neji. "But death is still painful."

"The Hokage won't think it's painful." comments Kakashi from the row behind Naruto, showing he’s listening to their conversation. "Because we both agree that people should not be hurt for no reason. But, it's no use even if you do understand."

"Right," Naruto tells his teacher, “but not knowing is better than knowing.” 

Iruka smiles proudly. ‘Yes, ignorance can be bliss, that is very true.”

The scene changes.

"Bye, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto cries out as he runs towards his team. 

The man waves at him.

they are all still wearing their funeral clothes, so not much time must have passed. 

'Ninjas of Konoha… Hokage, this Will of Fire you speak of, it will shine no matter where it goes. Even if it's a little fire, it shines brightly.' Naruto’s voice sounds, though he isn’t talking.

He stops running as he reaches his team, and looks around as he studies the village aroudn him. 

'At the same time overlooking this village, protecting it,'

Naruto turns back towards the Hokage monument with a smile. 'and the ninja's once again head towards a new tomorrow.'

The memory turns black.

Hiruzen smiles, contently. While he had felt sorrow seeing his own funeral, he is happy that he has the chance to see the next generation grow. He has always enjoyed watching the younger generations grow into themselves as they slowly take over.

A new memory is shows.

Naruto is walking through the streets of Konoha, yelling at Jiraiya.

"Eh! Why?! Why?! Why?! Why do I have to go on a work trip with a pervert sage?! Why should I go? And what for?"

"You should be grateful that a great shinobi like me wants to take you anywhere!" grunts Jiraiya, a pout on his face as he crosses his arms.

"It's not as much of a privilege as most people would think." Naruto replies with a grumble.

"Dear lord, does he still use Genin to flirt with women?" Minato asks, exasperated as he looks to the ceiling in a silent prayer for patience. 

Naruto nods enthusiastically, a grimace on his face. Don’t get him wrong, he loves JIraiya, and the man’s death had done great damage to him, but this is one of the quicks he is less fond of. 

Though it is amusing that the future Yondaime is also familiar with Jiraiya’s antics. Then again, it isn’t surprising, given that they have both studied under the man’s tutelage

Jiraiya looks down at the blond. "Because it's a paid-for work trip. A mission. We're supposed to find a certain woman. It's also a 'special' trip. We'll stop by the red light district in Hima. You'll learn much more than what Kakashi-sensei has taught you." the lan starts giggling to himself and Naruto grimaces at him. 

"Stop corrupting kids, you idiot!" screams Tsunade before hitting her teammate again, who falls to the ground again. 

He is getting tired of getting hit like this… he rubs at his chin, hoping that will alleviate the pain a bit.  Hopefully, his future self will start behaving himself soon. 

"You really aren't doing much to persuade us that you aren't a pedophile, you know. Who takes a young boy to the red light district? And for what other purpose?" Chouza grins maliciously at the Sannin.  

Jiraiya splutters as he tries to get back on his feet. 

"Disgraceful." Hiashi and Fugaku sneer at the same time. They look at each other in shock as the others start laughing. The two clan heads glare at each other.

"Nope! I don't want to and I want Kakashi-sensei to teach me the Chidori!" pouts Naruto, annoyed.

"And also, this woman we will be looking for, she's very hot!" Jiraiya exclaims with a smirk as he bends down to look Naruto in the eyes. "She wants to meet you."

"Seriously, now you're selling the boy to whores?" asks Kushina incredulously she could feel a tic start in the corner of her eye. Tsunade looks just as annoyed as she cracks her knuckles in preparation. 

"No, no, no, no, no, no!" Jiraiya jumps up from the vouch, face turned ash grey in fear as he hides behind the couch that is strategically the furthest away from both females. 

"You're trying to fool me, you perverted sage! Whatever you say, I DON'T WANT TO!" 

"Heh? She knows a technique even more amazing than the chidori, did you know? But if you're not coming, I'll guess I'll have Sasuke accompany me instead…" Jiraiya shrugs as he turns away, acting as if he couldn’t care less, yet eyeing the boy with a smirk from the corner of his mouth.

"Now you are trying to corrupt both kids? isn’t one child per generation enough?" asks Shikaku with a raised eyebrow and an amused smile on his face..

The blow comes from an unexpected shinobi. 

Mikoto takes him by surprise with her speed. SHikaku has barely finished talking or she is behind him, a violent scowl on her face as she kicks Jiraiya between his legs. "Not my son!"

Jiraiya makes a whimpering sort of noise that has every male in the room grimace in sympathy pain.. Jiraiya sinks to the ground while grabbing his family jewels and moaning in pain.

The boy turns towards the Sannin, his personality completely turning around. He is beaming now, and raising his voice again in his enthusiasm. "All right! Let's go!" 

Minato snorts. “Seems like threatening to teach Sasuke did the trick though.”

JIraiya is still moaning on the ground, and is unable to appreciate how well his plan had worked. IN the future that is, because he sure is rethinking his current way of handling things.

In the back of his mind, he wonders if he will survive to see the end of these memories. At the rate this is going, he is going to get long before the end. 

He manages to somewhat get up and he tries to watch the screen as the pain starts to go away. 

Naruto dashes down the street. "I'm going! I'm going to my house. I'm going to pack up my things! Pervery sage, don't leave without me!"

"Kuku." Jiraiya grimaces in amusement. He is still too achy to really appreciate how cute this kid is acting.  "Really, he's such a cute brat."

"This is just so wrong." Minato shakes his head.

"Okay, this is getting creepy. Sensei never did anything inappropriate to me, or anyone else. So let's stop treating him like he did." Naruto narrows his eyes at all of them. 

It had been fun for a while to tease his teacher, but it is going too far. He owns the man a lot.

The next scene shows Naruto sitting on a bed in a hotel room, alone, going through his things when a knock sounds.

'What, he's been rejected already and is coming back?' scowls the blond. 

More knocking.

"Yes, yes. Shut up already." He mutters as he gets up to answer the door.

He opens it just enough to see a tall raven-haired man on the other side. His collar hides most of the underside of his face but his Sharingan eyes are clearly visible, as is his headband. There is a large scratch running through the Konoha symbol.

"Who is that? He seems young." mutters Mikoto. 

Fugaku narrows his eyes at the man on the screen. 

Something about this man is setting him off. He knows him… But he can’t recall who this can be.  

Minato also wonders who this is? He remembers Naruto telling them earlier that Sasuke is the last if his clan, the rest having been murdered… 

Wait, Fugaku and Mikoto hadn’t been here yet, when Naruto divulged that info. 

"He's a traitor, that's what he is." remarks Shikaku. "Didn't you notice his headband?"

'Sasuke? No it's not him… Who is he? He's got the same Sharingan as Sasuke.' Naruto thinks anxiously.

The door opens further, showing the man clearly, as well as his partner. The other man has blue skin and a huge sword on his back. Both are wearing black cloaks with red clouds on them.

"That man… that's Hoshigaki Kisame. He's one of the Seven swordsmen of the Mist." Hiruzen frowns with worry.

"Is this child really the nine tails brat?" asks Kisame.

'How does he know about the Kyuubi? How did he find out?' Naruto panics, to scared to step back and draw attention to himself. 

"Naruto-kun." the other man continues talking. "We would like you to come with us." 

Naruto gulps.

"Come out of the room." The figure with the Sharingan requests politely.

'This guy isn't normal…' Naruto does as told.

"Itachi-san, it's time we got started. We don't need him running." Kisame speaks up and grabs his sword by the handle. "We should cut off a leg."

'What is going on?' panics Naruto, finally taking a step back in fear.  

"Well?" Kisame asks again, clearly becoming impatient when his partner doesn’t reply. 

The raven looks behind them. "It has been a while, Sasuke."

"Uchiha Itachi." mutters Sasuke, who appears at the end of the corridor. a fierce glare of pure hatred on his face. 

"Itachi? My little Itachi?" Mikoto asks, horrified. "What happened to him?"

Naruto shifts in his seat. "If I remember right, it gets explained. Sort of. Just remember there's more to the story than just what is publically known at the time."

Both Uchiha frown. 

"I think we have the right to know what happens to our clan." Fugaku grits out, anxious for an explanation, yet reluctant to show it. 

"Of course you do, that's why you are here." Naruto tries to soothe their worries. "But there’s also a reason you watch my memories instead of me just telling you everything. One, I don't want to risk forgetting anything important and two, some situations are just so complicated that it's nearly impossible to explain them properly."

The man glares, but Mikoto seems pensive.

"Eh?" Naruto is very confused by what is happening.

"Yare, yare." the blue man starts grinning. "Today’s a special day, don't you think? This is the second time today I've seen another Sharingan."

Sasuke's face is shown up close, his eyes shadowed by his hair and headband. Still his Sharingan eyes are shown spinning madly. "I will… KILL YOU!"

"That escalated quickly." mutters Shikaku.

"Sharingan." comments the blue man. "You seem to be familiar with Itachi. Who is this guy?" Itachi seems almost bored as he answers "He’s my younger brother."

"I heard the entire Uchiha clan was wiped out… by you." Kisame replies again, not bothered at all by the genin before him.

"What?" asks Fugaku, stunned.

"I’ m sorry." Naruto says after a bit of silence, not sure what else to say to that. He is not really looking forward to the Uchiha’s finding out the truth behind their deaths. 

"A whole clan is wiped out? By one of their own?" asks Kakashi with wide eyes. 

"Sasuke was the only survivor." Naruto explains. 

Fugaku clenches his fists. Mikoto quickly places her hand over her mouth to cover her shock.

Kakashi and Rin turn towards their teammate. She grabs his hand. Obito is frozen, staring at the version of Itachi on the screen. Kakashi looks uneasy.

Naruto fidgets in his seat. He had forgotten that the current team 7 hadn’t been here before, when he had told that news. Obito is also hearing what happened to his clan for the first time. Will he assume he died with them? Naruto is pretty sure that Obito’s backstory will be revealed once his memories of the war arrive, which isn’t for a while. Did he maybe say something to his father? 

He can’t remember…

They will need to take a break soon, he is starting to get confused about they have and haven’t seen/spoken about.

Naruto looks on with wide eyes.

The brothers stare at each other. 

Sasuke’s glare deepens even more as he darts talking. "I've been waiting to say this to you… I've lived hating you and I have lived only to kill you." His face is lit by an overcharged Chidori. "I have lived for this!"

"Chidori?" Itachi whispers with an impassive face.

Screaming, Sasuke charges at his brother. 

Calm as ever, Itachi simply grabs the offending arm and redirects the attack towards the wall; where a huge hole appears. Both brothers look each other in the eyes again.

'This is bad.' Mentally frets Naruto. 'I need to do something!' He makes a hand seal and gathers chakra.

Both missing ninja look back.

"I see, his chakra’s filling the entire room." remarks Kisame with a wicked grin. "It's terrifying. This is the chakra of the Kyuubi."

"You’re in the way." Itachi tells his little brother as he tightens his grip on his Sasuke's arm until a loud SNAP can be heard. Sasuke screams in pain and sinks to his knees.

Mikoto moans as she covers her eyes. No mother wants to hear their child's bones breaking; let alone watch their other child being the one who hurts his brother. 

"Sasuke! Dammit!" Naruto shouts in worry as he starts making hand signs.

"Too late." Smirks the blue-skinned ninja. He swings his sword in Naruto's direction and in an instant, all the chakra Naruto just gathered disappears.

"Crap! What's going on!? My chakra…?" Naruto panics.

"My Samehada eats chakra." grins the man. "Now that your jutsu is gone, you shouldn't be any more trouble. First of all… Should I chop off a leg or cut off an arm?"

"That looks bad." mutters Kushina.

They all inch a bit closer. Obviously the blond has made it out alive but they still wanted to know how.

because they have no such reassurances for Sasuke, and the situation is very tense. 

Kisame swings his sword again and Naruto braces himself but in the end he doesn't need to. Just before he can get hit an armored toad is summoned between him and his attacker. The young blond almost sinks to his knees in relief as he hears his sensei behind him.

"Nice timing." applauds Obito, trying to raise the general mood in the room. 

"Thank you." Jiraiya mutters as he doesn't take his eyes from the screen.

"You don't seem to know very much about me. I'm better at getting girls than they are at trying to get to me. Even though it doesn't look like it, it's my… speciality."

"Boasting is unbecoming, Jiraiya. How many times do I have to repeat that?" sighs Hiruzen. 

"It's a lost cause, sensei." comments Tsunade wryly.

Jiraiya makes a weird pose, an unconscious woman draped on one of his shoulders. "I, Jiraiya, am the epitome of manliness! I will fall for no woman's feminine wiles! When you're like me, you'll only have to flash that sexiness to have women fall at your feet!"

"You still do that weird introduction?" asks Minato in disbelief. "Especially during a fight with dangerous missing nin?"

The white haired man wisely doesn't reply.

They all stare at him for a few seconds, not saying anything. 

Naruto becomes annoyed. He points at the man. "Oh yeah? That girl just winked at you and you are scampering after her! And now you're trying to look all cool and classy, you pervy sage!"

Jiraiya yells back, completely ignoring the situation at hand. "Hey! Can't you stop calling me that in front of others?"

"Screw that! It's those guys over there we should be worrying about, pervy sage!" Naruto yells again.

"I stand by my point, you two are hilarious." Obito smiles softly as the general tense mood in the room seems to lift a bit.

Kisame grins. "Heheh, so this is one of the legendary three Sages of Konoha, the great Jiraiya, eh? You like beautiful women, but we weren't thinking that such a method could successfully stall you…"

"You guys know the pervy sage’s real identity?!" Naruto yells in shock. 

"What does that mean? Everyone knows who Jiraiya-sensei is. It never was a secret." wonders Minato. 

Naruto sheepishly rubs his neck. "He just acts like an idiot most of the time, so… I honestly thought he was some undercover agent in the beginning."

"In any case, it seems you have already undone the genjutsu binding the woman." notes Itachi calmly.

Jiraiya scowls before he gently places the woman to rest against the wall. "You guys wanted to draw me away, so you used the Sharingan to cast a genjutsu on the woman, huh? Not a very manly way of doing things."

'Draw him away?' thought Naruto. 'Why would they…' 

"So you really are after Naruto?" Jiraiya scowls at the two missing nin.

"Huh?" Naruto looks stunned.

"No wonder Kakashi knew about us... you are the source of information. To abduct Naruto . Those are the orders given to us by the higher echelons of our organization, Akatsuki."

"Kakashi? They met Kakashi before coming after you?" asks Minato as he worriedly looks at his student. "Is he alright?"

"He had to go to the hospital for a while but he was fine not long after we got back to the village." Naruto tries to answer while evading giving any details. He doesn't want to tell them yet that they were looking for Tsunade and that she healed Kakashi.

The toad who has been protecting Naruto disappears. 

"You won't get Naruto." claims Jiraiya with a determined glare.

"And why not?" Kisame asks arrogantly, still smirking.  

"Because right now, right here, you two will die by my hand." Jiraiya replies.

"Don't do it!" Sasuke gets back up from where he had slumped against the wall. "That guy… is MINE!"

They all look at the young Uchiha, but only Itachi reacts. "I have absolutely no interest in you right now."

Enraged, Sasuke charges his brother, who stops him by punching him in the stomach. Followed by an elbow to the neck, a knee to the chin and again a fist in his stomach. Sasuke coughs up blood from the force.

"Kami-sama." whispers Mikoto with tears in her eyes. 

Fugaku holds her hand in comfort as he too looks on in unease.

Naruto grits his teeth.

Itachi grabs his brother by his throat and pushes him up the wall. They look each other in the eyes and Sasuke starts screaming for seemingly no reason.

Both Uchiha tense and hope their eldest hasn't done what they think he did. If he possesses the Mangekyou Sharingan…

"Itachi!" yells the blue man. "I advise you against using your eyes so many times in a single day."

"ASSHOLE!" Naruto yells, enraged, as he charges forward.

Kisame tries to catch him as he runs past, but they both stop moving abruptly as the walls and floor around them transform.

"Ninpou: Gama Guchi Shibari (toad mouth bind)." Jiraiya calls out, with his hands still on the ground.

Sasuke stops screaming and slowly gets absorbed into the flesh looking wall. 

"Too bad, Itachi, Kisame. You are already inside my stomach." Jiraiya comments.

Itachi leans towards his brother, before he is completely gone. "Why are you so weak? Still not enough… hate."

"Is he encouraging Sasuke's behavior?" Chouza inquires, looking stunned. "Why?"

"Black magic to summon the esophagus of the giant toad from Myouki Mountain rock inn." Jiraiya calls out. 

"Black magic? Seriously?" asks Shikaku with a raised eyebrow.

"Sensei has always been dramatical." Explains Minato with an eye roll and slight shake of his head, as Jiraiya pouts.  

"You're wanted criminals so I hope you enjoy being food to Iwa gama!" 

"Wha-what the heck is going on here?!" exclaims Naruto.

"Naruto, stay still. It's just my jutsu, don't worry." The toad sage tries to reassure him. 

Itachi beacons his partner. "Kisame, come."

The other does as told.

"Don’t think I will just let you leave like that!" Jiraiya presses his hands deeper in the flesh ground.

The flesh on the walls closes in rapidly on the two missing nins as they turn the corner on their way to the window. Once Naruto and Jiraiya have caught up, the two rogue nin are gone. Black flames are seen in the newly created hole. The flesh is still burning. 

The scene goes black and changes.

Rin is still holding Obitos hand as she quietly laments with a downcast look to her teammate."They got away." 

Obito- who would normally be overjoyed to be able to hold his crush’s hand and who hasn’t pointed it out- squeezes her hand in a silent show of comfort. The news of the clan being gone is still too fresh to fully enjoy this closeness. 

Kakashi speaks up thoughtfully. "I'm sure they'll be back."

"What makes you say that?" Rin asks

"We wouldn't have seen this if it wasn't important. Besides, blondie said there's more to that story." Kakashi shrugs, before nodding towards the others in the room. Who are each looking thoughtful as well. 

Each wondering exactly what could have happened with the Uchiha in the future, and what could have driven a child to kill his entire family.  

Both Jiraiya and Naruto are standing in a small clearing in a new memory.

"I can feel the training tension!" yells Naruto excitedly. 

“Oh, will you be training while on this mission? That is nice!” Kushina grins excitedly. 

It is always interesting to see people train. Huh… She has been wondering for a while if she’d be any good at teaching. Minato sure makes have a team look easy, but maybe she should give it a shot as well? 

"Here you go! It's a water balloon." Jiraiya handed it over.

Minato bursts out laughing, before slapping a hand over his mouth.

Jiraiya starts grinning as well.

“WHat? What is so funny about water balloon?” Rin asks confused.

“Nothing, I just have an idea as to what is going on here.” Minato hides his amused grin behind his hand.

He did the same when Jiraiya-sensei had asked to learn his jutsu. 

Naruto frowns at the man. "Huh? What's up with this thing?" 

"Did you pay attention to the jutsu I just did?" Jiraiya asks. 

"Yep.” Naruto nods with vigor. 

Jiraiya asks one more question before he began teaching."What did you see in the jutsu?"

"Hmmm, somehow that chakra was spinning around wildly." Naruto gestures with his arms, mimicking the motion. 

Jiraiya grins. "From a normal point of view, it would seem that way. It spun all right! Watch closely." 

The balloon in his band begins moving, until it bursts. "With the 'tree climbing' type of chakra exercise, your chakra levels must be maintained by focusing your mind and keeping that concentration. With the 'water walking' chakra exercise that I taught you, you release a fixed amount of chakra continuously. And so, with this one, you should use the 'water walking' chakra with a continuous flow and spin it around!"

"It doesn't seem like it, but strangely enough, that makes sense. In a weird way…" comments Kushina as she looks thoughtful. 

Naruto repeats what he heard. "The chakra with a continuous flow?"

Jiraiya elaborated upon hearing his slight confusion."Well, to fully understand the jutsu means to be able to read the 'elements' and predict the outcome. First, use the principle of 'tree climbing' chakra by maintaining a moderate amount in your hands and the principle of 'water walking' chakra by releasing it continuously."

Naruto’s eyes lit up like fireworks during a sumer festival."I get it! Okay, until this water balloon is about to boil, do the spinning water training!" 

"You'll eventually get good at this! All right, let's train until night time!" Jiraiya tells out to motivate the kid. 

"Hell yeah!"

"Are you seriously teaching him that, sensei? Isn't he a bit young?" asks Minato. 

Naruto cries out offended,"HEY!"

"I'm sure I have my reasons." muses Jiraiya.

Obito can’t contain his excitement as he asks, "What is it? Is it some super cool technique?"

Minato explains"It looks like the first step of my original jutsu called Rasengan, but it's really advanced." 

Naruto grins, overjoyed to see a little acknowledgement of how powerful the jutsu is. ‘Wait ‘til he sees what I do with it.’

Jiraiya and Shikaku look at the blond more closely. Naruto does look a lot like Minato… 

Minato only studies Naruto, wondering if the child would be able to handle it.

“Hey, pretty boy, does that mean that now we can all learn your technique? SInce it got explained to us like this?” Kushina grins teasingly at Minato.

Minato flushes, and sputters a bit. “Well, no, I don’t think so. This is only the first step in learning the Rasengan.”

Kushina snickers. 

The scene changes again. The moon is out now and Naruto and JIraiya are walking through the streets of a town.

"Oh well, let's just eat dinner here." Jiraiya says as he directs Naruto towards a specific building. 

"What, isn't this place a pub?" Naruto frowns in distaste. 

Jiraiya snorts as he steps inside. "Dumbass, information’s always found at places like this. Hey!" He blinks and stops talking as he notices a blond woman at a table just left to the bar. "Tsunade!"

"Jiraiya?” the blond woman exclaims with shocked distaste. "Why are you at a place like this?"

'That woman is the person we're looking for? Is she really 50 years old?' Naruto thinks as he studies her with a displeased frown. 

"Finally we found you." sighs Jiraiya relieved. “I have been looking all over for you!”

"So you were looking for me then." sighs Tsunade.

Jiraiya nods. "Yeah, and it seems sensei did let you travel around after the war."

They join Tsunade at the table. She sits with a younger black haired woman, Shizune and a pig, Tonton. Clearly she's been sitting there a while, judging from the drunken flush on her face and the sake cups that are everywhere. 

"Today is a day for reminiscing. You are the second person to visit me that brings back bad memories." the woman grumbles as she grabs a cup filled with sake. 

JIraiya immediately knows whom she’s referring to."Orochimaru? He visited you? Did anything happen?" probes Jiraiya, frowning. 

"He probably came to see you to heal his arms." notes Hiruzen.

Tsunade agrees. "Probably, but if you managed to seal them away, then I'm not sure if I'll be able to help."

She doesn’t say she wouldn’t help even if she could. Orochimaru has killed their sensei, and she is not ready to forgive her teammate from the future just for that. Her ow future self looks rough though, and she can only hope she won’t falter and do the right thing. 

Shizune looks anxiously at her master, who only blankly stares back at the table. "Nothing much, just a little greeting."

Naruto’s munching on some appetizers that are left forgotten on the table.

"Now you, why'd you come to see me?" the drunken woman asks Jiraiya.

"To tell the truth, Konoha has issued a request for you to become the Fifth Hokage." Jiraiya explains with a wry smile. He leans away from her as he says this, almost as if he is bracing himself.

"WHAT!?" shrieks the blond woman. "There’s no way!" 

"Apparently, yes there is." smiles Hiruzen.

Shikaku face-palms.

Naruto chokes on his fish, while both the women look shocked. 

Jiraiya starts to explain. "The third is…"

But Tsunade interrupts him. "It’s Orochimaru's work. I heard, he told me."

"The big snake guy?" Naruto interrupts, not having heard this before. "He's the one that killed Jiji? Who the hell’s this bastard?!"

"He’s one of us, a member of the three legendary sannin." Jiraiya explains as Tsunade gathers herself.

"What the hell?! aren't the legendary sannin from Konoha? Then why?!" the young boy yells out, not understanding what is going on.

“You didn't know?” Hiruzen asks.

Naruto shakes his head. “No, at the time, the village gave no details of how it happened. Probably to keep people from freaking out.” 

"Who is this boy?" asks Tsunade with sneer.

Naruto glares at her as Jiraiya introduces him. "He’s Uzumaki Naruto." 

Tsunade is visibly startled at this.

"So, you have heard of him." Jiraiya smiles softly at her.  

She shrugs. "I might have left the village, but I'm still part of Konoha. Sensei might have been happy to forget about me, but you come around often enough to keep me posted on the important things. Or did you forget you told me about that night? " she glares at him in reply.

They exchange a look.

"Hey!” Naruto interrupts whatever is passing between the two of them with a shout. “How come she gets to be Hokage? Why?"

"Quiet kid!" Jiraiya snaps before turning back towards Tsunade. "So, what’s your answer? Are you willing to accept?" He shoots her a charming smile. 

For Tsunade, the answer is so easy she doesn’t even have to think about it. She bangs her sake cup on the table as she snaps her reply to him. 

"Impossible. I decline." 

TBC.

Chapter Text

"Really just like that? You don't even think about it?" asks Minato, stunned that anyone would refuse the job of Hokage.

"Why would I? Only crazy people want to be Hokage." shrugs Tsunade, completely unbothered by his disbelief. "I left this village for a reason and once this war is over, I'll be gone once more."

"I would say 'yes' immediately." Minato confesses with a hand in his hair. 

"Like I said, crazy people." the elder blonde smirks.

Jiraiya huffs. "I remember in the past you saying the same thing when I asked you out."

Tsunade ignores him, which makes him grimace. 

"HUH!? I thought we came here for an interview. You just wanted her to come back to the village so she can check on Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei's health, right? Yet, you ask her to be our Hokage? And she declined!" NAruto yells out in shock, pointing at Tsunade. 

"You didn't tell him? Why did you bring him then?" asks Hiashi curious. 

Jiraiya shrugs. "No clue? Maybe I anticipated his reaction?"

"Wow, such big words, Jiraiya." Smirks Tsunade.

“Hey!" Jiraiya protests. He is a writer, damnit! He has a very complex vocabulary!

"I can't resist." Tsunade grins sharply. 

"To return to my question," interrupts Hiashi, "if you knew he would react like that, why not tell him somewhere secluded? It doesn’t seem very thought out."

"I agree, who knows who could overhear you there. An enemy of Konoha wouldn't need much more incentive to strike. Especially seeing as Konoha would appear weak during this period without its Hokage." Agrees Shikaku.

Jiraiya shrugs, not sure either. He is pretty sure he has his reasons, but he has no clue what they are. 

Shizune glances worriedly at Tsunade.

"Don't worry so much,” Jiraiya explains to Naruto. “This person right here is the only one who can become the Fifth Hokage. She is even to this day, one of Konoha’s strongest fighters. No one has been able to acquire her techniques. Also Tsunade is the grand-daughter of the first generation Hokage.” Jiraiya smirked knowingly, fondly, as he reclined in his seat. “So, she’s the most appropriate person for the position. If she becomes Hokage, she would have to go back to the village and then she can check up on those two. This is a decision made by the top members of the village. You have absolutely no say in this matter." Explained Jiraiya to the blonde.

Naruto pouts.

"That face! Look at that face! That's just too adorable!" Kushina squeals.

Naruto feels himself flushing harshly.

"Jiraiya, this kid is worse than your previous apprentice. In terms of looks, speech and intelligence." Tsunade gives the kid a sideway glance, before dismissing him.

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Naruto shouts indignant.

Jiraiya smiles indulgently at the kid. "Well, it's tough for anyone to be compared to the Fourth Hokage-"

Minato jumps up, eyes wide and suddenly feeling too jittery to stay seated. "W-wait, does that mean?" He looks hopeful at Naruto. 

The whiskered-face blond only smiles.

Minato tries to calm himself down by breathing deeply. "Do I become the Fourth Hokage? Or did sensei take another apprentice?"

"Well, you are one of the candidates on the list." The Sandaime reveals with a smile. 

Minato startles a bit, not having expected the Hokage to reveal such information. then , he realsies what that means. 

"YES!" he jumps up and pumps his fist in the air.

"- because he really had the talent to become a top-rated ninja. He was smart, reliable and handsome like me too."

"But even the Fourth died quickly." Interrupts Tsunade.

MInato instantly sinks back down in the couch, his euforia shattering as he takes in this news. 

"Well, that put a damper on things." Minato mutters. 

Kushina eyes the screen showing the memories with a serious look. “Well, we sort of could have guessed that. Seeing as the Sandaime was in charge until recently. And a Yondaime has been mentioned before. Died defeating the Kyuubi, right?” she asks Naruto.

the blond can only nod in agreement, a grimace on his face. 

Minato studies Naruto with a frown.

“Well… “ he trails off, not sure what to say to that.

"He gave up his life for the village. Life is different from money. It can't be gambled that easily, whoever puts it at risk so easily is a fool ." Tsunade continues on. 

"That's quite disrespectful." mutters Hiruzen. 

Tsunade shrugs, clearly not bothered.

Naruto grits his teeth.

"My grandfather and the second Hoakge both focused too much on bringing peace to our home, more than anything else; but as a result, they just died in the middle of their dreams, like losers…"

"You've changed a lot, Tsunade. I don't know what you've been thinking all this time, but …" frowns Jiraiya.

"Well, I'm already in my 50s. Age changes people." She replies, completely unbothered.

 Jiraiya glares at her.

"It's the same for Sarutobi. No wonder he died, because he was too old to live in his dreams." 

Naruto starts trembling in rage as he hears this.

"Being Hokage’s a shit job. No one but a fool would do it."

"Just because you don't want to become Hokage, doesn't mean we aren't worth your respect." Scolds Hiruzen with a frown. "There’s no reason to be implying that I and your treasured family members wasted our lives."

Tsunade looks away.

Naruto throws himself forward, not minding the dishes on the table as he tries to reach her in order to punch her. However he’s quickly grabbed by Jiraiya from the back of his jumpsuit.

"WAAA!? Let me go!"

"You do realize we're at a bar?" asks his teacher wryly.

People around the bar are looking at them as they start whispering. Shizune looks worriedly at her master, but only bit her lips.

"I can't forgive anyone that says bad things about our Hokage and the fourth! I don't care even if she is a woman! I'm going to kick her ass!" screams Naruto as he still struggles to get at Tsunade.

"You've certainly got guts, kid." Chouza raised his eyebrows.

"This is a brilliant reaction!" laughs Jiraiya.

Fugaku snorts. "He's suicidal."

"Clueless, naïve and arrogant rather than suicidal, I think." muses Hizashi. His brother nods his agreement.

Naruto grins sheepishly as he rubs the back of his head, closer to his neck. "Confident and refusing to back down from something I believe in." 

Kakashi snorts.

They all watch him for a moment, stunned.

"You've got guts to say such things to me, boy. Let's take this outside." Tsunade gets up. "Tsunade-sama!" protests Shizune.

Naruto growls.

They gather in the darkened street, the sun having long since set. Jiraiya sighs.

"This is going to be over quickly." muses Inoichi.

The blonde haired Sanin cocks an eyebrow, "You think?" asks Tsunade sarcastically.

"I’m one of the legendary Sannin, kid. I don't even have to be serious to fight this little ninja boy."

"SHUT UP!"

"One finger should be enough."

Wordlessly Naruto draws a kunai and throws it at her. He rushes forward to punch her as she dodges his weapons. She ducks under him and flicks him in the face. The force dislodges his headband and throws him back several feet. Grimacing, Naruto rises back to his feet.

Jiraiya whistles impressed. "Impressive as always, hime." 

"Hey kid, I'll ask you one thing before you pass out; why do you get so excited just by hearing the word 'Hokage'?" she asks him. 

"Unlike you, I really want to succeed the 'Hokage' name and I will-" 

She frowns.

Naruto's face is shown, a determined look on his face. A pale blue haired man and a young boy are shown next to him, having the same expression.

"Hey, who are those two?" asks Rin curious.

Tsunade doesn't answer as she stares at her lover and little brother.

"-because it's my dream to become Hokage."

Tsunade looks shocked at the boy, even more so when she sees him attempt to form a Rasengan.

Naruto rushes forward with his unfinished new technique.

"Nice start, how long have you been practicing by that time?" asks Minato. Naruto frowns in thought. "Not sure, I think we’re about a week on the road."

Minato nods, a pleased smile on his face.

"Why would you use a technique in such a battle when you haven't mastered it yet?" asks Kakashi with a raised eyebrow.

Naruto sags and mutters; "It seemed like a good idea at the time…"

"Take this!"

She deflects him by creating a crater in the ground with one finger, making him lose his balance.

"Shit." Curses the young boy.

Shizune rushes forward, her medic instincts taking over. "Are you okay?"

"Jiraiya, was it you? Who's teaching him the Rasengan?" asks Tsunade with a smirk. 

“Who else could it have been?” Shikaku mutters. “Unless it becomes a wildly known technique? As far as we know, Minato is dead, so Jiraiya is the only one who could have taught it…”

Tsunade sends him a glare.

"I'm his master… in principle." Jiraiya mutters, as he eyes the genin with a grimace.

"Hey, no take backs! You wanted him to come along so you could teach him! own up to it!" Kushina scolds.

JIraiya grimaces. 

"The only people that are known to be able to use that technique are you and the late Yondaime. Teaching him something he can’t do, and believing you are his master... it's better if he doesn't think that way so silly kids won't joke about foolish dreams like becoming Hokage." Tsunade sneers at them, an ugly look on her face. 

"It's not a joke!" screams Naruto with his fist raised. "You idiot! IDIOT! All I need is three days, and I can master that technique, just you wait!"

Minato laughs. "That's a bit unrealistic. You'll need at least a year to completely master that jutsu."

Naruto looks away to hide his grin. True, he did need a bit more than three days, but not that much more.

"Hehe. Some words brat. A man's word should never be taken back." Smirks the elder blonde.

"Huh? I won't take back my word. That’s my Nindo!!" Naruto smirked back confidently. 

"Well then, is that so? I'll give you one week. If you can master that jutsu, I’ll acknowledge that you can become the Hokage and I'll even thrown in this necklace." She smirks as she points to the necklace she wear around her neck with a bright blue stone.

"Tsunade-sama, that’s your precious-" Shizune protests but Jiraiya cuts her off.

"Really, you're going to bet your grandfather's necklace? With the way you always lose any gambles you make, I really wouldn't do that." Jiraiya snorts in disbelief.

"Shut up!" Naruto interrupts. "I don't want that kind of ugly necklace."

The people in the room smile in amusement at the kid’s brash attitude. 

"Don't say that Naruto!" scolds Jiraiya, "That’s a very unique and precious ore that belonged to the first Hokage. If you sell it, you can buy three mountains."

"Hmm, well, all right then…" the blond is still looking unhappy, but he agrees to the bet.

Tsunade snorts. “Looks like there is at least one bet I will win. I do wonder why we are shown this though, unless you losing is somehow life changing to you?”

“I wouldn’t write him off just yet, Tsunade-sama.” Kushina grins. “Something tells me this kid is good at doing the impossible.”

Naruto puffs out his chest in pride. It is good to know she has such faith in him, even if she barely knows him. 

"But if you can't master that jutsu in a week, then you lose and all your money will belong to me." She holds up a frog shaped wallet.

“It is kindof nice that she gave you a week, instead of those three days.” Minato smiles at Naruto, but Naruto can see the man doesn’t really believe he can do it.

Naruto doesn’t mind. HIs mom believes in him, and that is all that matters.

 “Though, taking money from a kid, Tsunade?” the Sandaime sighs with resignation. Why is he not more surprised she would do that?

"Ahh, Gama-chan." cries Naruto. "When did she take it?" 

The screen goes black again.

Naruto stands in a room next to Shizune.

"Anyway, where's the old hag? Today's the day of the bet. I wasn’t able to finish my training, but I'll have to come up big when I show her." Narut complains loudly

“A week has passed already?” Tsunade mutters, eyeing the grown-up version of the kid in the room with her. 

Shizune stares at him, before studying him with a frown. After a moment of silence, she turns and dashes for the window. "Naruto-kun, stay here please!"

"Wait, Shizune!" Jiraiya’s standing on the roof outside, leaning against the wall with a miserable look on his face.

They gather on the roof, Naruto joining them as well. 

Jiraiya sits down. "Damn Tsunade, she must have slipped me something. I can't release chakra well and my whole body stings. I can't even hold chopsticks." Moans the man.

Irritated, Naruto yells at this teacher. "And you're the one who always brags about how incredible you are! You lame ass! She got you with a sexy-sexy attack?!"

"He does have a point." mutters Kakashi.

"Shut up! She distracted me, alright!?" Jiraiya yells back, very annoyed. "Even after all these years not practicing medicine, she's still a medical specialist. She's about the only one who can create a tasteless, odorless drug to use against other ninjas, but… even though I’m drunk, to get me like that…" Jiraiya trails off with a sigh. It is unclear if he is unhappy with himself, or with his old teammate. 

Shizune bites her lips in worry.

Jiraiya looks at the younger medic, "Hey, Shizune, what did she talk about with Orochimaru, it's about time you told us." 

"Again with Orochimaru." mutters Mikoto.

Shizune bows her head. "I wanted to believe in Tsunade-sama, that's why I didn't say anything, but… We don't have much time, follow me!"

"Right."

"I'm coming too!" Naruto yells. 

They’re jumping through the trees, Naruto somersaulting as Shizune explains.

"What are you doing?" asks Fugaku with a raised eyebrow. 

Naruto shrugs sheepishly.

"Orochimaru promised Tsunade-sama to bring her brother and Dan back to life if she healed his arms. If that happens, he’ll attack Konoha again!” 

"If we don't stop Orochimaru now… an even more dangerous situation might occur." concludes Jiraiya as he glares at nothing in particular.

The scene changes again.

"Oh come on, stop it with all the flashes and show us what happens already!" Obito whins, his leg bouncing with impatience.

Jiraiya, Shizune and Naruto appear out of a cloud of smoke in between a shocked Tsunade and Kabuto.

"Long time no see, Jiraiya." frowns Orochimaru, who is standing behind Kabuto. 

"Naruto-kun." Kabuto greets the genin with a smile. 

"AAAAHH?! Kabuto-san?" Naruto yells out in surprise.

"Who?" asks Shikaku.

"Kabuto. He’s a genin during the chuunin exams. He’s a Konoha ninja, that's why I didn’t understand why he was there." Explains Naruto. 

Tsunade knocks Jiraiya out of the way as Kabuto moves closer to the group. "Move!" 

"Hey!" protests the man.

Kabuto, wearing a sound headband, takes a kunai and sliced his arm open, stopping Tsunade, who looks with wide, traumatized eyes at all the blood that got splattered on her.

"My body has finally started to move." Smirked the silver-haired, glasses-wearing man. He knocks the female Sannin back, but Shizune manages to catch her.

"Hey! Hey! What is going on? Why’s Kabuto fighting Tsunade?" Naruto calls out in confusion.

"You are so thick, Naruto-kun. That's why you can't compare to Sasuke-kun." Kabuto mocks him.

"Look at his headband carefully. He's Orochimaru's subordinate." Jiraiya explains, trying to be patient with his student.

"That's right. I am a sound village spy." Kabuto brags proudly, a small smirk still plastered across his face. 

"Wha-what are you saying? You’re lying, right Kabuto-san?" Naruto asks almost desperately.

"Naruto-kun, I have concluded something from your data. Unlike Sasuke-kun, you have no talent in becoming a shinobi." the other genin continues mocking him. 

"Now, that is really unnecessary." Obito speaks up. He gets remarks like that from Kakashi all the time and can relate.

Naruto's expression finally changes, going from shocked to angry.

"Even if you make such a scary face, you are nothing more than an out-of-place genin. You are relying on that monster inside you, but with three legendary ninjas in front of my eyes, you are worthless. You are like a small bug right now. If you try something, I'll kill you."

Glaring, Naruto rushes towards him.

"Stop! Guh, my body’s still…" Jiraiya tries to intervene, but his body still hasn’t recovered enough from whatever Tsunade did to him.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu! I can't waste all my chakra on making too many clones. Four clones and attack at once!"

But Kabuto throws them back with no trouble. Shizune catches the real Naruto, while spitting needles at the man, who deflects them with his headband. Kabuto jumps back to Orochimaru, who smirks.

"Shizune, you handle the guy in the glasses. I'll take care of Orochimaru." commands Jiraiya. "But before that, I would like Tsunade to do something about my body."

"The effects will probably last for a few more hours. I myself cannot do anything about it." Shizune replies, as Tsunade is still not responding.

"Hmph, well, I guess there's nothing we can do. We have to do it like this… Tsunade, heal yourself with your healing jutsu." Jiraiya grumbles, trying to get his teammate to react. 

"Then, what about me? What about me?" asks Naruto eagerly. 

"You protect Tsunade and her pig."

"WHAT!? I wanna fight too! I can-" Naruto tries to protest, but Jiraiya cuts him off harshly. 

"No!"

"Please listen to sensei." Pleads Minato. "This isn't a fight you can win, not at that level."

Naruto grimaces, knowing his father’s right. He had tried, and probably saved Tsunade while at it, but he admitted he probably wouldn't have survived if she hadn't saved him afterwards.

Naruto pouts.

"Like the guy in glasses is, they're on a different level. The enemy is like me, one of the three legendary Sannin, plus he killed the Third Hokage. An eye for an eye! Only I can take him. Also the guy in glasses has the same power as Kakashi."

Naruto frowns and makes a hand sign.

"Hey wait! It's useless to use the kage bunshin with those two as your enemy. You'll only be wasting your chakra." Jiraiya calls out, predicting what his student is planning.

"Crap."

For a moment it’s silent as they all observe each other. Then…

"This is going to be good." is Obito gleefully.

Kakashi nods his agreement. It wasn’t often you got to see a fight between Sannin.

"Summoning jutsu!"

Both Jiraiya and the enemy perform the jutsu at the same time. Orochimaru and Kabuto appear on top of a huge snake, while Jiraiya only managed to summon Gamakichi.

"'Sup." Greeted the little toad. 

"Wh-what!?" Jiraiya almost falls over in shock.

"AH!" Naruto cries out, half in shock and half in amusement. Because it is good to know this doesn’t only happen to him!

"Your stupidity still hasn't been cured Jiraiya. So I’ll attack first." Orochimaru smirks at his old teammate. "I don't think there exists anyone less talented than you."

Glaring Naruto tries the jutsu himself, as he tries to help out. Only to summon a small yellow toad; they all facepalm.

Kushina winces in sympathy. "Still having problems with your chakra control, huh? I used to have the same trouble with it."

Naruto grimace in reply. “I’ll get bettr, but… It really sucked in the beginning.”

"What are you doing here, Gamatatsu?" asks Gamakichi. 

"Ah, older brother Gamakichi." the newest toads greets the other one. 

The snake attacks. What follows next is an intense battle between Jiraiya and Orochimaru and Shizune and Kabuto. Naruto doesn't see much of this as he’s swallowed by the snake again and briefly loses consciousness.

He comes to, to see Kabuto kicking Tsunade repeatedly. He stands up and sprints forward just in time to intercept a punch the man throws, which connects on his forehead, shielded by his headband.

Both Tsunade and Kabuto look shocked. Blood runs down his face, making his glare all the more menacing.

"Now I'll put an end to this!" He yells out.

The two around him are silent.

Quickly he tries to form a Rasengan and thrusts it toward Kabuto's face. The man easily dodges the attack. He taps Naruto in the leg with his hand covered in green chakra, making the boy fall down.

He clutches his leg.

"I managed to put a crack in your right femur bone." Sneers Kabuto. "It is impressive that even after all that, you're still moving. But you can't win, since you can't stand."

"Ow." Groans Naruto in pain.

Tsunade frowns, very unhappy with her contributions to the fight. 

"Heh, afraid of me? Do you feel like running away?" The man holds up a card. "Naruto, isn't this picture of you from around the time of the chuunin exams? You're nothing special, Naruto. You should run if you can still move. It is pure luck that you became a genin. With your exceptional spirit it would be fitting for you to become Hokage but for that you cannot be cowardly. Now do you think you can possibly become something like that? If you want to grow up to become a true champion, it'd be best if you ran. Under these circumstances you should just quit. A person should run away when they feel like it."

"That's depressing." mutters Obito.

Rin shushed him, still watching the memory intently.

Naruto Glares at the guy. (Capital G is deserved in this situation)

"No no no, what's with those eyes?” Kabuto jeers “That'll get you killed! If you die here, you'll never attain your dreams or anything else."

Tsunade looks on with wide eyes, still stunned by the trauma the blood has awakened. Kabuto approaches the kid and kicks him in the stomach.

They watch the fight in silence, not wanting to speak up as the older genin seemingly is aiming to humiliate Naruto as much as possible while defeating him.

"For a kid like you; I think the decision is completely simple. So if you can speak so calmly about a dream like that, you cannot run away. Then die." He finished with a smirk.

Naruto coughs. "Yeah right… I'm … not dead yet." Trembling, Naruto staggers back on his feet. "That’s my Nindo."

Kabuto hits him again with such force he lands just before Tsunade. Yet, Naruto gets back up again. 

"Why- why are you…" tries Tsunade.

"Old lady Tsunade." Starts Naruto while he makes hand signs. "Remember the arrangements of that bet? Now you'll have to give me that bad luck amulet of yours. Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

Naruto creates only one clone.

"Naruto, stop it!" Tsunade screams with desperation as Kabuto makes himself ready to attack again.

"Stubborn." mutters Chouza.

Kabuto draws a kunai and darts forward. "For that insolence, I'll give you death!"

"If you die you'll never ACCOMPLISH YOUR DREAMS OR ANYTHING ELSE!" Tsunade cries out. "That's enough Naruto! Get out of the way! RUN!"

"Truly great." mutters the blond.

Blood splashes everywhere. Naruto catches the kunai with his left hand, lets it stab his palm and uses the opportunity to grab Kabuto's hand. He smiles despite the blood on his face. "Until I become Hokage, I refuse to die." he says. 

Kabuto and Tsunade watch him with wide eyes. 

"You won't be able to escape from this one."

Naruto holds out his left hand and with the help of his clone manages to create a perfect Rasengan. He yells and slams the small blue chakra ball into Kabuto's chest. The sound ninja’s violently thrown back until he collides with a boulder but is still conscious.

"Yes!" cheers Jiraiya, Obito and Rin.

"Unbelievable." breathes Minato in shock. "You actually did it." 

Naruto grins proudly, he’d always wanted to hear one of his parents praise him for something he did.

Naruto coughs up blood and falls onto his back. Tsunade is at his side immediately. 

"You took that attack. You-" comments Tsunade to Kabuto, as he scrambles to get back up.

"I collected chakra in my abdomen before I took it and began recovering immediately. I'm the one who saved Orochimaru's life. It's senseless to try and kill me with that technique. My resilience is overwhelming. An ability that allows me to activate all of my cells with which to replace my damaged ones. This technique, it looks like it was Naruto-kun's last gamble."

"Not good enough." smirks Minato knowingly.

Suddenly he spits out blood, starts trembling and falls to his knees.

"W-what?!” Kabuto is stupefied, “My healing ability! With this level of damage… my chakra won't be sufficient." 

Naruto starts coughing. Tsunade places her ear on his chest. She hears his heartbeat. 

"Shit! The muscles of his heart are worn out, his heartbeat has become erratic." she lutters to herself.

There is a sudden tension in the air in the room, as everyone waits with bated breath for Naruto to be healed. They know he will be alright, he survived long enough to grow up and travel through time, but the tension is still there. 

She pumps green chakra into his chest.

Even lying down, struggling to heal himself, Kabuto can't resist bragging. "The chakra in his heart muscles has been sapped. The blood flow to his heart has been cut off. I've cut off any potential for him to recover on his own." 

"Shut up!" Tears gather in Tsunade's eyes as she tries to save Naruto.

The seal appears on his stomach. 

A black space is shown, bars can barely be seen. 'It's dark. So dark. Why is it so dark? My… power… why?' a deep voice can be heard.

"The Kyuubi again huh?" Minato observes softly.

"You came that close to dying?" Kushina’s voice shakes and she grips Naruto’s hand in her own. He squeezes back, before nodding. He gently pats his stomach, where Kurama is currently sleeping to help absorb his other self's chakra.

Bright specks of light started falling in the dark. 

Tsunade is shown again. "Don't die. Don't die. Don't die!" She keeps repeating it over and over again.

Then Naruto's hand gently grabbed her necklace. Tiredly, he barely managed to open one eye. He smiles.

"The bet… I won." 

The scene turns black.

It opens again showing Tsunade's smiling face. 

"The Goadaime Hokage?" exclaims Naruto loudly.

"Really? You stop the fight there? Come on, I wanna know what happens next!" complained Obito.

"I was unconscious!" yells Naruto indignantly. "They fought, kicked ass and Orochimaru and Kabuto ran away! The end."

"Alright, calm down. Both of you." Pleads Minato as Obito looks a bit stunned at Naruto's outburst.

Tsunade, Shizune, Jiraiya and the blond are once again seated in the same booth at the same bar from before.

"So old hag Tsunade is going to become the Godaime Hokage starting today eh?" 

"What are you irritated about, Naruto?" asks Jiraiya.

"Because if you compare her with the Sandaime, she's rough, selfish, loose with money, easily pissed off and stupid." Naruto criticizes with a frown. "Are you sure she can do it? I'm worried."

Tsunade glares nastily at the blond.

As did, the past Tsunade who was watching everything.

Shizune laughs awkwardly. "Tsunade-sama, you wanna order something?" 

"Besides, isn't she a 50-year old hag? She's faking her youth. Someone like the Hokage shouldn't deceive everyone like that." 

Tsunade erupts. "Let's take this outside, brat!"

"Again?" asks Jiraiya with a sigh.

Naruto doesn't look impressed. Jiraiya only sighs. "Sheesh, same as last time."

"You really don't change much either, sensei." remarks Minato fondly.

The man grins.

They stand in the streets again.

"Hmph, I'm Hokage no matter what you say. I don't need to be serious with a brat like you. This is all I need." she raises a finger, again.

"Stop calling me a brat dammit!" Naruto exclaims. "I'll be Hokage someday too!" 

Tsunade smiles softly.

"Come on!" Naruto surges forward. Tsunade unhooks his headband and prepares herself to flick his forehead again. Naruto, seeing what’s coming, closes his eyes tightly, preparing for the blow. Then opens them again in shock as he realizes she’s kissing his forehead. She places a hand on his heart and smiles at him.

"Become a good man."

Naruto smiles. "Roger!"

"Well, that was awesome!" exclaims Obito.

Minato nods his agreement.

"It's a nice place to end for today." the Sandaime speaks up, a gentle smile on his face as he watches Tsunade.

She looks away uneasily. 

"What already?" asks the young Uchiha. "It's not even dinner time yet."

"That might be, young shinobi, but there’s still a war going on. We can't spend all our time in here." Scolds the old man lightly.

Obito blushes and mutters an apology. 

They smile at the boy.

"Naruto, Minato, if you can stay for a little bit." requests the Hokage as the others slowly leave the room. 

Both blonds nod. 

Kushina stretches with a wink towards Minato before she and the others leave the room.

"Now, Naruto, you are allowed in the village. I have your cover story ready and here are your official documents."

Naruto looks at the papers the Hokage handed him. "Namikaze Naruto?"

"Yes, you do look a lot like Minato and you can easily pass as brothers. I hope you don't mind, Minato?" the Sandaime looks amused as he says this, and Naruto eyes him with suspicion. Did Jiji guess at who his father is? Or is this just a coincidence? 

"No, I have no idea who my parents are, so a younger brother is not that impossible." Minato agrees with a smiler. 

He looks towards Naruto. "You can stay at my place. I have a spare room."

"I was hoping you would say that." smiles the Hokage as Naruto beams. 

"Thanks."

Both blonds leave the room and the Hokage tower.

"So what do you want to do? Like Obito said, it's still too early to eat dinner." asks Minato once they are on the streets.

"Actually I-" started Naruto seriously, only to be interrupted. 

"Sensei!"

Minato's team plus Kushina run towards them. 

"Hey there." Minato greets them as if they haven’t just spent hours in each other's company. 

"Hello, Naruto-san." Rin calls. 

"Just Naruto is fine." The time traveler requests.

"Ne, sensei, can we go do some training? Please, please, it's still early. and that last fight has me pumped!" Begs Obito. 

The three students look hopefully at their sensei which causes Kushina to laugh happily.

"Well, actually, I was going to spend some time with Naruto." Minato shoots Naruto a look.

But Naruto smiles softly. "Don't worry about me. Konoha hasn't changed that much and there’s something I need to do."

"Yeah Minato, you go with your kiddies." Kushina shoos him away, not minding the protest from the younger shinobi at being called that. "I'll go with Naruto. We Uzumaki's need to take care of each other."

"Actually I'd rather go alone." pleads Naruto softly.

Kushina grabs his arm. "Nonsense." 

And she drags him away. 

Minato looks after them, concerned.

"So where did you wanna go?" She asks as soon as they turn a corner.

Naruto sighs. Now he begins to understand what his team has to put up with… "I wanted to visit the memorial stone.

Kushina falters a bit and slows down. "Really, why?"

Naruto bites his lip. "I need to say goodbye to someone." 

Kushina nods, unsure as to why but a different question pops into her head instead. "Say, before you get all depressed, are you my kid?" 

Naruto blinks and watches her carefully.

"What makes you think that?" he asks cautiously.

"Well, we share the same name, you have the Kyuubi sealed in you and you act quite like I did when I was younger, 'ttebane." grins the redhead. "Oh and you love ramen about as much as me."

Naruto breaks out into a fox-like grin. "We should have a ramen-eating contest soon." 

She nods. "Of course! But don’t you try and distract me."

"What’s the question again?" asks Naruto cheekily.

"Are you my son?" She looks him in the eyes, serious as he hasn't seen her before. 

He nods. suddenly and for maybe the first time in his life, he has no words.  

She smiles softly.

"Come here, let me take a look at you." She gently takes his face in her hands and studies him. 

He sighs softly and smiles at her.

"You're so handsome." 

Tears gather in his eyes. "Thanks mom."

Kami, to be able to say something so simple… She throws her arms around him and hugs him tightly.

"I'm a mom." She laughs with such emotion he felt his tears fall. He buries his face in her neck and clings to her.

"I'm sorry you had to grow up alone."

He tightens his grip on her and buries his face in her shoulder. 

TBC.

Chapter Text

He has no idea how long they stand there hugging each other before they reluctantly let go. Kushina smiles brightly.

"So… memorial stone's next?" she asks awkwardly. "Why would you want to go there? I mean, there can't be anyone on there you know… they would have died long before your time."

Naruto smiles softly. He wondered why he hadn't inherited any tact and it seems his mother’s responsible for that.

"True, but I need to say goodbye to a dear friend, and while he isn't born yet, this seems like the right way to do it." He turns and walks away.

His mother follows after a moment of hesitation.

They reach the stone in silence. Kushina falters, not sure if he would welcome her presence. Biting her lip, she keeps her distance. but she refuses to let him be alone now. If he is going to grieve, she wants to be there to support him. In any way he will allow. She has already missed most of his life, and if it weren’t for the memories and the time travel, she wouldn’t even know.

She won’t leave him now. 

Naruto doesn't notice as he keeps walking until he stands before the stone. It almost seems empty… THere are a lot more names on there in his own time. 

But then, a lot of names had been added after the war and the Kyuubi incident. Lots happens between now and then. 

He wonders if any of the shinobi who have fallen in the Fourth war will ever be remembered like that. Will Naruto? He disappeared on them after all.

He hopes they add Neji though. He deserves that…

Kami, Neji-

He sinks to his knees, staring blankly at the stone as he remembers… 

Tears gather in his eyes as his memories transport him back to the battlefield.

The juubi has already been summoned by Obito. He launches rasen-shuriken after rasen-shuriken with several Hyuuga around him, offering protection. It happened so suddenly! Exhausted, he had fallen to his knees and Hinata had rushed to shield him from the incoming attacks, prepared to sacrifice herself for him, but Neji had been quicker, using his own body to protect them.

He relived the horror he felt as he saw the older boy impaled. Panic struck him soon after, making him scream for a medic. He supported Neji, who coughed blood onto Naruto's shoulder. Hinata was right next to them. He would never forget the man's last words to him.

"Hinata-sama is … willing to die for you, Naruto. So keep in mind that … your life is not … your own anymore." Neji managed to say. "It also includes … mine now, as well."

"Why?" He remembers saying. "Not in a place like this … You're the Hyuuga's-" 

"The words you said to me once freed me from the shackles of my curse."

"Why would you go this far for me? Sacrificing your life … "

"Because I am called a genius.” Neji looked up toward the heavens as he spoke his next words. “Father, I finally understand the freedom of being able to choose your death … to protect your comrades." The last part had been so soft Naruto had barely been able to hear it.

And with that Hyuuga Neji had died in his arms.

He is called back from his memories by a hand that gently gripped his shoulder. Kushina knelt beside him and silently offered him support.

"Come on." Kushina helps him up. "No more sad faces. Let's go home, I'll make you something to eat."

Naruto nods. He turns towards the stone. He takes a deep breath. 

"Goodbye, Neji." He whispers softly.

Kushina gasps softly but he pays it no mind.

Darkness is setting in as they make their way to Minato's home. Kushina leads him in. "So you live here as well?"

"Yeah." She nods. "We've been living together for a while now." 

He smiles hearing that.

"Say, if I'm your mother, then Minato is your father, right? I mean, the resemblance is striking." She asks.

"Yeah." he confirms her suspicions. 

She grins almost evilly. "I wonder when he'll realize that! He can be so dense sometimes." 

"You won't tell him?" he asks, feeling a grin stretch over his face. 

"Kami-sama, no!" She laughs out loud. "This will be great! And I wanna see his face when he finally realizes!"

Naruto laughs a bit unsure. Because it could be great, and he is all for a good prank, but this could also backfire? 

Just then, Minato comes in. "Tadaima."

"Okaeri." Kushina yells back. 

Minato notices her expression as he enters the room and asks, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing, we're just getting to know each other.” she waves her hands around dismissively. “Minato, why don't you show Naruto the guest room? I'll start dinner."

What followed next is probably one of the best nights of Naruto's life. He has a lot of fun, just being around his parents and watching them interact. Being a part of that… It still feels like a dream, even now.

The next day, they meet up with Minato’s team and gather at the Hokage tower again. Shikaku, Inoichi and Chouza wait for them in the room they had spent the last few days in.

"Hokage-sama and Hyuuga Hiashi can't be present at this time. I'll report anything worth mentioning to them afterwards." Shikaku explains.

They all take their seats just as the Uchiha couple come in. Mikoto is carrying a small boy, barely five years old. Naruto immediately stands up and approaches the woman.

She tries to shield him away but Naruto smiles reassuringly. "Ohayo, Mikoto-san. So this is little Itachi."

She nods carefully. The boy looks up at Naruto, curiosity shining in his black eyes.

"Hi, I'm Naruto. Nice to meet you." He holds his hand and grins at the boy. Confidently Itachi shook his much bigger hand.

"Shall we begin?" asks Inoichi.

They all take their places as he activates the jutsu.

Naruto is shown dressed in his pyjamas and his night cap, standing in hos doorway. "What?! You've got to be kidding!" cries the blond shocked.

Shikamaru is standing before him, grimacing against the noise. He’s wearing a chuunin vest.

"Seems your son makes chuunin, Shikaku." comments Chouza. 

Shikaku smirks proudly.

"You're such a drag so early in the morning."

"Definitely your son." grins Kushina. "Che." He grunts.

Naruto grinds his teeth. 'That jerk!'

"Hey, just wait here! I'll change my clothes immediately!" and Naruto runs back inside to change.

Shikamaru is left standing awkwardly at his door.

"What is happening?" asks Rin, confused.

"Clearly the Nara kid came to get him for a mission." Reasons Kakashi.

They are running through the village, Naruto now dressed in his orange jumpsuit.

"So do you have your eye on any other guys besides me who are excellent?" asks the blond urgently.

Shikamaru smirks. "Yeah." 

They knock at another door.

"Wake up! Hey!" yells Shikamaru in a bored voice.

"You said excellent guys, right?" asks Naruto, a bit confused.

"Technically, you said that." replies Kakashi. "And are you pouting?" he arches an eyebrow. 

"No!" denies Naruto fiercely.

Shikamaru sighs and sits on the ground. "Can't be helped…" He opens a bag of chips.

"Potato chips?" asks Naruto curious.

"They're barbecued meat flavored… You help out too."

"Trying to lure an Akimichi, huh?" comments Shikaku with a grin. 

"Oi!" Chouza calls out, mock-offended.

"Huh?"

Shikamaru starts eating, Naruto soon joins in, until only one chip is left. The Nara shakes it out of the bag and into his hand.

"Here he comes." He warns just as the door opens.

A pissed off Choji opens his door with a loud bang, and snatches the chip before they realize what happened.

"Even if it is just potato chips, I won't let anybody have the last piece, no matter who you are." Choji snaps at them. 

"And that is definitely your son." grins Shikaku at his team-mate. Chouza beamed.

Naruto sweat drops at the scene.

Shikamaru turns towards the stunned blond. "Choji and I have worked as a team for many years, so coordinating with him is easiest for me."

Choji hums as he savors his chip.

"I understand that, but in this kind of situation, one would normally solicit Shino first!" Naruto says, thinking logical for once. 

"Oh shut up." mutters Shikamaru, annoyed.

In the background, Choji looks into the bag, in hopes of finding more food, only to stop as he notices a black blur approaching him fast.

"Fat chance!" Choji cries out and eats the chips just before Akamaru can grab it. The dog is disappointed. Kiba appears behind his partner.

"How the hell did they become shinobi?" asks Kakashi while rolling his eyes.

"I quite like it." grins his sensei softly. "It's nice to see kids act their age."

"Yeah, you're too uptight, Kakashi." Smirks Obito. 

"Hm, did you say something, dead last?"

Obito glares at his teammate. 

"During wartime, future shinobi are treated harshly even in the Academy. They always try to relax a bit more during peace times." Explains Hizashi.

"Still, they look so childish." Kakashi mutters stubbornly. 

"Shino is on a special mission with his father." Explains the dog lover. 

Naruto turns towards Shikamaru, weakly pointing at Kiba.

"Hey, don't tell me…" 

Shikamaru nods in confirmation. "Right, he's in."

"NO way!" Naruto grabs his hair in frustration.

The four shinobi and Akamaru are once again running through the village.

"I see… sounds interesting… It looks like it was worth getting up early and going for a walk, doesn't it?" questions Kiba while running.

"Shikamaru, what about the other guys?" asks Naruto.

Shikamaru frowns. "I'd like to take my time to look for some, but we're pressed for time. If we don't find anybody else by the time we leave the village, it'll be just us."

"They seem to fool around a lot despite being in such a hurry." mutters Kakashi.

They stop at the bottom of stairs, looking up at Neji and Lee, who notices them. Neji supports the boy on crutches on their way down.

Naruto looks softly at his old friends, especially Neji. Kushina briefly squeezed his shoulder without bringing everyone's attention to it.

"I see…" says the Hyuuga.

"It's troublesome, but the more people the better." Shikamaru bades. Lee looks down sadly and Neji notices.

"Lee! You focus on getting better and do what you need to do." Neji tells his teammate.

They look at each other briefly and Lee nods.

They all look a bit uncomfortable as the boy walks away on his crutch. He stops just before the stairs.

"I'll climb these steps alone starting tomorrow!"

"Lee…" the Hyuuga mutters to himself, looking worried.

"Seems the Hyuuga's a bit friendlier now. Good, he really should care more for his comrades." Remarks Obito.

Naruto grit his teeth. Oh, the nerve! It just has to be Obito who has to say that… The man who betrayed his village, started a nation-wide war, mentally nearly broke Kakashi-sensei and most importantly, the man who is responsible for Neji's death! Neji, who died saving Naruto…

Well, the Juubi killed Neji, but Obito was responsible for its summoning…

He clenches his fist, trembling in rage. 

Kushina, who is seated next to him, gently takes one of his hands in hers and strokes it. She smiles gently at him. Naruto takes a deep breath and tries to calm down. 

She turns towards Obito.

"Obito-kun, it's not polite to say such things. Please refrain from insulting or berating dear friends of Naruto's. It's insensitive." She scolds him.

The young Uchiha is not the only one being stunned by the redhead. Is she really trying to teach Obito about tact? Kushina , of all people?

Lee turns back and smiles at them. "I'll be fine. You go!"

The gates of Konoha open. The five boys stand next to each other, ready to start their mission.

"We're at our time limit." Expresses Shikamaru.

A close up from each boy is shown. First Choji, then Kiba, Naruto, Neji and Shikamaru, all with a determined look on their face.

"Well, I've assembled five people. For a start, as this is a rescue operation, we will be in the position of pursuit. In other words, the enemy can easily gain the initiative. Therefore I will decide on a deployment formation that will respond quickly to any assault by the enemy. If you ignore me and move on your own accord, we will all die." He glares.

Kiba gulps. They all listen closely.

"We will go in a single file formation. First of all, the all-important spearhead will be-"

Five shoji pieces are shown on a board with question marks on them. The one at the bottom end turns around and becomes two pieces, one of Kiba and a smaller of Akamaru.

"Kiba, that's you!"

The kid looks shocked but Shikamaru continues. "You and Akamaru go on walks year round and are therefore well versed in the terrain and geography of the Land of Fire. And since your nose is very sensitive, you can track Sasuke with your sense of smell and you can distinguish booby traps that carry the enemy's scent.-"

"Why? What happened to Sasuke?" asks Mikoto worriedly. "Did someone kidnap him?"

Naruto looks down at his knees as he gently rubs his chest where Sasuke's chidori had once pierced him. This moment in his life is still one of his least favorites. It’s the first time he lost someone precious to him…

"Who's Sasuke?" asks Itachi innocently.

"He's your little brother, 'Tachi-kun." smiles at the woman at her first born. 

Naruto is startled, he had forgotten the boy was there. He gnaws at his lip, worried at what the child will see. 

"Mikoto-san, why did you bring Itachi today?" he asks. 

"Oh, I couldn't find a babysitter today. I didn't think anyone would mind." smiles the mother.

"I don't really mind," admitted Naruto guiltily, "He has as much right to know what happened in my past as any of you here, but these next memories might be a bit much for him. I mean, he's still a child."

"My son is already studying at the Academy." attests Fugaku proudly. "He'll lead the Uchiha clan one day."

"Really?" asks Naruto skeptically, reminding them of the memories they have already seen. Especially the mentions of the Uchiha massacre. 

They frown at his tone.

"Well, I suppose whether he'll become clan head or not will depend on your choices."

Fugaku frowns. "What do you mean by that?"

Naruto just shakes his head. The truth behind the massacre will be revealed in time. He really hopes this willhelp convince the Uchiha not to rebel against the village and show the village (or at least the people in this room) that the Uchiha are trustworthy and aren't completely power-hungry.

"Which makes them easy to find. And moreover, you and Akamaru as a pair will be extremely efficient in compensating for the weakness of a single file formation to assault."

The next piece is flipped, showing Shikamaru.

"And… second in line will be me, the squad leader. I can give orders as required in any situation from my position behind Kiba and can give orders to those behind me using only hand signals. And in the middle…"

Another piece is flipped.

"In the number three position is Naruto. The middle position is the best for you, since you’re capable of executing quick moves and are able to respond immediately to anything in front or behind. You're the cornerstone… And you have shadow clones too."

The next piece is flipped.

"And fourth in line is Choji. You don't have speed, but your ability to strike is the best among the squad members. Line leader Kiba, myself and Naruto will launch a surprise attack and I'll use you to launch the deciding blow. In other words, your role is to attack the routed enemy."

The final piece isn't shown.

"Oh come one, after all that, the least you can do is show all the pieces!" yells Obito, frustrated.

"And then, on the tail end will be you, Neji. You’re assigned to the most difficult position of rear lookout. You’ll use your Byakugan to constantly check that there are no loopholes in the ranks."

The last piece is also flipped, showing the complete formation.

"Thank you!" grunted the young Uchiha.

"It's a nice strategy." Complimented Jiraiya, serious for once and completely ignoring the genin. Shikaku nods proudly in thanks for the compliment to his son.

"I want to tell you the most important thing, last. Sasuke and I aren't close friends. In fact, I don't particularly like him. However, he’s also a shinobi belonging to the Village Hidden in the Leaves. He’s a comrade! Therefore I’ll put my life on the line to help him! That’s the way of the Leaf Village. In this case even I can't just sit back and be a sluggard. Because I’m responsible for your lives."

"He left?" asks Itachi. "Why would my little brother leave the village?" 

They all turn towards Naruto. He just looks down again.

Fugaku sits up and grips the front of Naruto's shirt.

"Now listen here, child, I've had enough of your silence! Tell me what’s going on!" the man demands.

Before anyone else can react, Kushina is on him and punches him in the face. 

Startled, he lets go of Naruto, who observes her with wide eyes.

"Don't touch my son." Growls the former jinchuuriki.

"Now, now, let's all calm down." Tries Chouza to calm them all down.

"Nah, let them fight." comments Tsunade. "At least we'll be entertained. These memories are boring me."

"Something tells me you'll be entertained soon enough." discerns Jiraiya with a sinking feeling in his stomach. "These memories are important to the kid. I'm sure that's not without reason."

Kiba huffed. "Wow, you're acting kind of like a chuunin, aren't you?!"

"Okay then, as soon as he's checked our ninja tools, we'll depart." Agrees Neji. 

They each take their tools out and show them.

Naruto frowns, remembering what he has told Sakura.

"Sasuke won't fall victim to that kind of guy's enticement. He's already a really powerful guy, so he won't need to do that kind of thing! I guarantee it!"

'Damn… Why, Sasuke?' 

"Alright, let's go!" orders Shikamaru.

"Wait!" a girl cries from behind them. 

They turn around; Sakura stands at the gate.

"Sakura." mumbles Naruto.

"I heard the whole story from Lady Hokage." pronounces Shikamaru. "I'm sorry, but I can't take you along on this mission. Even you weren't able to convince Sasuke, right?"

"Huh?" Naruto’s shocked to hear that. Clearly he doesn’t know the entire story, and some stuff has been kept from him.

Shikamaru continues. "All that can be done now, is for us to use force to convince him. Sakura, your role in this has ended."

The girl looks down.

"Which means, Sakura, that you and Sasuke-?

She starts crying; the boys look a bit uncomfortable.

"Naruto… this is a … once in a lifetime request. Please bring… please bring Sasuke back. I can't do it! I wasn't able to stop him! At this point, the only person who would be able to stop Sasuke-kun, who would be able to save him, is you, Naruto."

Naruto smiles softly and closes his eyes. "You like Sasuke so much, don't you, Sakura? I understand to my very core how painful it must be for you right now, Sakura."

She looks stunned as tears continue to fall. Naruto smiles as she hugs herself. "Naruto… Thank you!"

He gives her a thumbs up and a big smile. "I'll bring Sasuke back without fail! I promise that, on my life!"

"It's dangerous to promise that." Minato frowns. "Especially if Sasuke left willingly."

Kiba interrupts, "Oi, oi, Naruto, you really think you're gonna be okay saying that kind of stuff?" he smirks.

Naruto points towards himself as he smirks as well.

"Sure! I won't go back on my word! That's my Nindo! All right, let's hurry up and go!”

The scene changes.

They’re standing high in the tree tops.

"Caught them." relays Neji with his Byakugan activated.

"All right, all right! I'll drag Sasuke back without fail!" Naruto yells out as he holds up his clenched fist.

"Naruto, I hate to tell you this, but I'm going to demonstrate my new jutsu right here!" Kiba brags; Akamaru barks from his place in Kiba's sweater.

"Me too." agrees Choji, determined.

"Talk about a lot of testosterone." jokes Rin with a wry smile in an attempt to make things less tense.

Tsunade snorts. 

"Don't be so hasty." Scolds Shikamaru. "As soon as preparations have been made to implement my strategy we'll make direct contact with the target!"

"At least one of you uses his brain." mutters Tsunade.

Four shinobi are shown sitting between the trees. One is sitting on some sort of barrel.

"Looks like they haven't noticed us yet." whispers Shikamaru hidden in some bushes. "Huh, Sasuke isn't there." He turns towards Neji.

"It appears that he’s hidden in that 'coffin'." imparts Neji with his bloodline still activated.

The coffin/barrel is shown. Kanji are written all over the wood, and a huge black rope is wrapped around it. The same rope is part of the four shinobi's outfit as well.

"Is he dead?" asks Shikamaru sharply.

"There seems to be some sort of barrier surrounding it, and it's difficult to see through. However, I doubt they'd kill Sasuke in such a hurry, considering how much they wanted him."

"Yeah, you're right." Agrees the Nara.

The gray haired shinobi with a second head sticking out on the back of his neck got up and attacks them with a kunai. It flies in between Shikamaru and Neji and gets stuck in the tree behind them and only then do they see the explosion tags attacked at the handle. They jump away trying to avoid the coming explosion but still they get caught in the blast, throwing them before the four enemy shinobi.

A brown skinned guy with at least six arms, the two-headed, gray-haired guy, the barrel, a red-haired girl, and a tall, almost bald guy.

"What's this?"

"I poked a bush and out came not even a snake, just two bugs." Answers the grey-haired one.

"Hey, wait a minute! Wait!" Shikamaru tries as he holds his hands out before him. "We didn’t come here to fight. We just came to negotiate!"

The brown skinned one laughs mockingly. "Huh, then what are they?"

He throws his arms up and then before him, almost as if he’s fishing. A nearly invisible wire dragged Kiba, Naruto and Choji yelling in the clearing.

Kiba throws a smoke bomb before he lands, hiding them from view.

"There's no point to that smoke bomb." declares the guy. "You can't run away from me. This string is thinner and stronger than wire that you can clearly see."

He wiggles his fingers around as if to prove a point. "These strings are all over this place."

The strings dance around, causing the smoke to disappear, revealing the five Konoha shinobi. Shikamaru and Neji have gotten up but the other three are still on the ground.

"You’ll be-!" he’s startled. "What's going on? My body…?" 

"Nice job, Shikamaru and Kiba!" cheers Naruto.

"Kagemane no jutsu, success." Agrees Choji.

"Nice." Compliments Minato. "Not bad." Smirks Shikaku.

And indeed Shikamaru's shadow has connected to all of their enemies, freezing them in place.

The tall guy places his hands on the ground. "Doton Kekkai Doroudoumu!"

The earth around his hands shattered and moved in a wave towards the Konoha ninja, completely surrounding them to form a dome.

"Dammit!" curses Shikamaru. They move to examine the dome.

"Dammit! Get us out!" yells Naruto frustrated. "Naruto, move out of the way!" yells Kiba. "TSUUGA!"

He attacks the wall, only to realize he barely managed to scratch it. While they watch, the damage repairs itself.

"What the hell!?" exclaims Obito. "Is that possible?"

His sensei shrugs. "I don't know. I hardly claim to know every jutsu ever invented, Obito." The boy nods.

"Hey." Kiba points at it with a look that says can-you-fucking-believe-this. "I see that." replies Neji with a deadpan tone.

"GET US OUT!" Naruto screams, frustrated. 

"Che, so unprofessional." Kakashi snorted.

Naruto botes back a sharp retort. He is distracted by what is showing on the scene. For some reason, even if he lived through this already and he knows exactly what is going on and what will happen, he still feels nervous. His leg is bouncing and he just wants the memories to keep going. 

Neji ignores him and continues explaining. "This isn't any ordinary clay wall…"

He activates his Byakugan. "This is…" 

"What happened?" asks Shikamaru.

"This isn't good." He looks down at his hand. "Our chakra is being sucked dry."

TBC.

Chapter Text

"Oh boy, oh boy, finally some action!" Obito cheers. 

Shikaku sighs. He can feel the monologues coming.

"Don't worry Shikaku, if your son is half as smart as you are, they will be fine." Chouza comments with a smile as he sees his friend sigh and drawing the wrong conclusion.

"That’s not what I'm worried about." mutters the man under his breath. "Let's see how they handle this." interjects Hizashi, curious.

The scene changes. All the teenagers are standing around each other in the dome, trying to conserve their strength as their chakra is being absorbed.

"Neji," started Shikamaru, "I'm sorry but can you use the rest of the chakra you have to observe the wall behind you and the wall behind Choji?"

"I got it." Answers the Hyuuga. "Kiba, dent the wall behind Choji and Neji again."

"Smart." Admits Shikaku. "I don't get it." Rin frowns.

He only sighs, but doesn't respond.

"I told you they would be fine." Compliments Chouza.

"S-sure." Kiba claps his hands together  before launching his attack. "Huh! I don't fully understand what's going on, but I'll go wild one more time! Tsugaa!"

Kiba lands in a crouch panting after that last attack. 

Neji observes the wall and asks. "Huh? I see, it's over there." he mutters in understanding.

"Neji, mark the spot with a kunai." Shikamaru commands. “Choji, are you ready?”

"Okay, any time." the Akimichi grins.

"All right, let's do this!" Shikamaru grins. Neji throws the kunai.

"I'm depending on you, Choji." "Yeah! Baika no jutsu!"

Choji swells like a balloon. "All right! Let's go!"

He retracts his limbs and starts rolling around. "Human boulder!"

He rolls forward at great speed and crashes into the wall, but still he keeps going until he breaks through.

"Nice!" cheers Kushina.

"Like I said, smart." Shikaku smirks.

Inoichi snorts. "No need to get vain, Shikaku."

"Yes, while it's logical to be proud of your kid, you really can't let it get to your head." Kushina grins, knowing exactly how he feels.

The Nara clan head shrugs. "Be sure to remember you said that, I'll be sure to remind you of it when you start bragging."

She simply continues grinning.

The others quickly follow him out. The dome crumbles behind them. 

"Choji, you're awesome after all." Shikamaru smirks proudly. 

"What does he mean 'after all'?" Rin asks, confused.

Chouza frowns, but understanding shines in his eyes.

"Most people only see us as … Well, as we are. Our children are a bit big boned before they hit puberty." he explains with a sad smile. “It usually even out more after we hit a growth spurt, but we really need the extra calories for our jutsu. It can be dangerous for us to be too skinny. Yet people judge us for how we look. And once assumptions have been made, it isn’t easy to change people’s minds.”

"It's not that." says Naruto with a nostalgic smile. "Sure it played a part, kids can be cruel after all, but Choji is a very kind, polite and caring person. Most people didn't think he would be able to handle the shinobi life." He laughs. "Together with Shikamaru and Kiba, the four of us always got into trouble with Iruka-sensei in the Academy."

Looking over the rumble they see only one enemy left, the balding guy. "Seems like the others went ahead." notes Shikamaru.

Neji confirms it thanks to his bloodline. "Yeah, they're not around anymore." 

"Che, just when we thought we caught up." Shikamaru curses, getting ready to fight.

"No, we can’t waste anymore time.” Choji speaks up. "I will take care of him! You guys go ahead!"

"They're splitting up." Remarks Kakashi.

Minato nods. "It's probably their best bet at this point."

His teammates look at him, uncertain. 

"Choji." mutters Shikamaru with a frown.

"What are you saying?" asks Naruto. "He's not the kind of guy you can handle on your own!"

"I will do it!" declares the chubby boy determined. 

"Choji, you…" starts Naruto again.

Choji grabs a package out of his weapon's pouch. "Shikamaru, take these food pills for everyone."

"That's a lot of pills." Obito arched an eyebrow.  

"Choji, you are not-"

Choji only smiles. "That's right, I have that secret weapon of mine."

"Secret weapon?" asks Kakashi.

Chouza frowns. "I hope he's not speaking about the three coloured pills."

"What are those?" asks Obito, curious.

Minato clasps his hand over the boy's mouth. "Ah, please excuse him, Chouza. Obito knows better than to ask about clan secrets like that."

"It's no problem, Minato. The Three Coloured Pills are secret medicines used by the Akimichi clan. As the name suggests, there are three pills, each with a different color. First is the green Spinach Pill, next is the yellow Curry Pill, and last is the red Chilli Pill. By forcibly converting the body's fat reserves into chakra, each successive pill ingested gives a tremendous power boost. The Chilli Pill is eaten to increase one's power a hundred times. However, the pills have a drawback. Each pill damages the body, poisoning it and since the third pill converts all of one's fat reserves, the user will become dangerously emaciated. It’s that after the third pill, death is imminent."

Obito gulps. The others around them look serious as they realize the danger these pills contained.

Naruto looks down at his hands and remembers waking up in the hospital to hear about all his friends' conditions. He grimaces.

"But that is-"

Shikamaru accepts the bag. Choji steps forward and the scene changes again.

"Don't we get to see the fight?" asks Obito, confused.

"I'm not sure I'd want to see it." mutters Chouza thinking of those pills .

The scene changes again. Only Shikamaru, Kiba and Naruto are left and they have finally caught up to the two remaining enemies.

"Where did Neji go?" Rin asks with a frown.

They are leaping through the trees, and somehow Naruto has gotten hold of the coffin which contained Sasuke.

A greyhaired nin follows them closely. Black markings covered most of his face. "Oh no." curses the ninja as all around him paper tags are causing explosions.

"Great." cheers Naruto as he and Shikamaru stop running to see what has happened. "Akamaru, well done!" Kiba compliments and the pup barks.

Around them several trees are on fire while others fall down. However it seemed their enemy hadn't been hurt.

"Messing with me!" he curses as he charged towards Akamaru as the little dog tripped on a branch just beside another tag.

He launches ninja wires and binds the pup to the branch. The tag lit fire. Kiba hurries towards his friend and manages to arrive seconds before the tag explodes. Naruto and Shikamaru can only see the huge cloud of smoke.

"Kiba!? Akamaru?!" yells Naruto. "Damn it!"

Even as the smoke disappears, they can't find their team-mate, nor can they see the enemy.

"What's happening?" asks Naruto.

"Good question, what the hell is going on?" cursed Jiraiya, who had been quiet for a while.

"It is confusing, all those fragments of memories." Agrees Rin.  

Shikamaru looks up, startled, as a red-haired girl charges at them. "You punks!"

"Oh dear lord, why charge someone and scream at them?! They can hear you coming!" Tsunade rants, frustrated.

"Sometimes I wonder why we call ourselves ninja." Agrees Shikaku.

"Where are Kiba and Akamaru?" asks Naruto.

Tsunade raises an eyebrow at him. "Did you really think she would answer?" Naruto looks down, fighting a blush of embarrassment.

"Another one's come." Shikamaru warns. "We have no choice. I'll take care of this so you take the coffin and go ahead!"

"Shikamaru." Protested Naruto. 

"Get going already!" Seemingly without reason, the girl stops her charge. "W-why are you…?"

A dark shape falls out of the treetops and lands softly on top of the coffin. Shikamaru and Naruto quickly turn around as the new male quickly grabs the coffin and leaps to another branch. He’s dressed as the other enemy shinobi, with grey-white hair and two red dots on his forehead.

“And another one pops out of the woodwork." Hizashi sighs.  

"I'm sorry, Naruto. It's my miscalculation." Shikamaru says through gritted teeth. 

"Kimimaro." The girl greets.

"You’re taking too long, Tayuya." speaks Kimimaro. "And what happened to the other three?”

"Why are you.." asks the girl perplexed. "Your body… it's no longer…" 

"I'm not moving with the flesh anymore. It's mental power." the kid says.

"I'm not moving with the flesh… What the hell is this creep talking about!?" freaked Obito.

"He reminds me a bit of Orochimaru." Jiriaya thinks out loud.

"Man, you cheater of death…" Tayuya mutters at the newcomer. 

"Like I said, he reminds me of Orochimaru." Jiraiya grimaces. 

"I understand a little now, that feeling of being information that has escaped from the prison of the flesh." Kimimaro gently pets the coffin. "The feeling of experiencing a taste of Lord Orochimaru's dream." 

"Orochimaru?!" Naruto snarls, ready to attack.

"This vessel… is an important vessel for the dream. The flesh that Orochimaru truly desires but you are a bit too late." The enemy continues speaking. 

"Vessel?" asks Mikoto disturbed.

"Yeah, it's as creepy as it sounds." nods Naruto. "Apparently Orochimaru has a life ambition to learn all of the world's secrets and seeks immortality so that he has all the time he needs to do so. To gain that immortality he created a jutsu that allows his soul to leave his body and he transfers himself into another human body. We never managed to figure out what happened to the original owner of the body."

She looks at him with wide eyes. "And Sasuke's…?" 

"Next on the list." He completes for her.

Little Itachi frowns as he sits on his mother's lap.

The girl gasps.

"TEME! What nonsense are you babbling?!" 

"Naruto." Shikamaru reprimands sharply.

"Give Sasuke back!" 

"Hey, wait!" Shikamaru yells as Naruto ignores him and charges forward. 

He never reaches the guy as he’s knocked out of the air by Tayuya. Quick reflexes allow Shikamaru to catch him.

The two sound nin talk a bit between themselves, not loud enough to hear and then the newcomer jumps back towards the coffin, picks it up and leaves.

Naruto grits his teeth. "Sasuke… That punk!" 

"Calm down, Naruto."

"How can I calm down?! At this rate Sasuke will get far away again." 

"You’re a bit of a hothead, aren't you?" States Kushina with a smile. 

"Yeah, I wonder where he got it from." Jiraiya whispers sarcastically.

 "What is that!?"

"N-nothing!"

Naruto scratches his head sheepishly. "I'd like to think I've gotten better at that."

Shikamaru looks pensive as he stares at the girl, keeping a tight grip on Naruto so the blond won’t rush off again. She grabs a thin metal rod from inside her clothes.

"Naruto, listen up. Please move according to the plan that I'm going to tell you." 

Naruto nods while he listens carefully.

"Got it?"

Naruto nods. "Yeah."

Shikamaru grabs a kunai. "It's two versus one. We've got the upper hand! It's an opponent we can beat if we team up! Let's go, Naruto!"

"All right!"

"With garbage like you jerks, it doesn't matter how many of you there are!" the girl yells back.

Shikamaru throws his arms in the air. "Don't underestimate our teamwork!" They rush towards her.

"Bring it!"

Shikamaru thrust his kunai towards her face. She manages to protect herself with her metal rod.

"Now, Naruto!"

"I'll blow you away!" He shouts but simply jumps over her and lands a bit further.

Tayuya looks shocked. 

Naruto briefly looks back. "Gotcha, the strategy is a success! Farewell!" He pulls a face and jumps away, running after Sasuke and the last Sound nin.

"Hah! In your face!" cheers Obito pointing at the screen.

"You are an embarrassment." sighs Kakashi with a hand covering his eyes.

He quickly caught up when Kimimaro leaves the forest. "Hold it!"

The man turns around.

"Yo!" snarls Naruto. He crouches until he’s almost on all fours. His whisker marks are more profinds and his eyes are Kyuubi-red. The enemy doesn't seem affected.

"Kyuubi again, huh?" mutters Minato.

Kushina frowns. "I still don't see why you'd make friends with it."

Naruto shrugs. "It's true we didn't start off well but once you get to know him he's really a big, grouchy, fluffy, I-am-so-much-better-than-all-of-you…" Naruto starts enthusiastically and then trails off.

"Yes?" she asks curiously.

Naruto blinks. Bunny? Kurama would kill him if that is how he chooses to end that sentence, partner or not. Even though his ears are way too long for a fox. Demon? That sounds very offensive. He himself has been called that when he was younger and he told Kurama he isn't a demon fox anymore when they partnered up for the first time.

"Kitsune?" He may have taken a bit too long to finish his sentence but he feels the seal warm up pleasantly nonetheless. He smiles and places his hand over his stomach. 

Kushina tilts her head in confusion.

"I don't like you using that chakra." comments Minato. "It looks like it's more in control of you than you are of it."

"Oh it is!" Naruto grins and tries to wave Minato’s worries away. Or he tries to, as Minato’s frown grows more pronounced at Naruto's nonchalant reply.

"That is not reassuring at all." the man states.

"Now then, how shall I defeat you?" Naruto growls at him.

"You… Those eyes…"

"What does Orochimaru want to do?" snarls Naruto. "Why's he after Sasuke?"

The other closes his eyes. "Orochimaru-sama has already obtained the Immortality jutsu. A long time is necessary to learn every jutsu and obtain everything in the world."

"What does that have to do with Sasuke?" Naruto snarls again.

"Immortal doesn't mean that the flesh is being maintained as it is. Before his body decays, a strong and new flesh will be made into a vessel for his soul." the guy explains.

"That's… are you saying that's Sasuke?!"

Mikoto tightens her grip on Itachi, who scowls at the screen.

The ninja takes a step back, revealing a long white sharp stick sticking out of the palm of his hand. "Yes, that's right."

"Is that a bone?" asks Kakashi with an arched eyebrow. "Some jutsu." 

"A Kekkei genkai, if I understand him correctly." Naruto replies.

Red chakra starts surging around Naruto. "I won't let such a thing happen! Kage bunshin no jutsu!" Thousands of Narutos appear, surrounding them both. 

"Interesting." Kimimaro looks around, completely unphased.

"I will never let you take Sasuke!" Naruto yells again. 

"There's a lot of trash scattered about." the guy says as if commenting on the weather. "But after all, trash is trash. It simply needs to be cleaned up."

"Shut up!"

"Come." A second rod emerges from the palm of his other hand.

All Naruto's clones rush forward, all affected by the Kyuubi's chakra. 

The scene changes again. Naruto and Kimimaro still stand opposite each other, but all Naruto's clones have disappeared. The coffin behind Kimimaro has started smoking.

"Oh," whines Obito again. "When do we get to see a good fight?!"

"You won't have to wait much longer." sighs Naruto resigned. 

Kami, he had hoped he wouldn't have to witness that fight again – he still has nightmares about it – but he knows it had helped shape him into the man he is today. This is what helped him forward on the road to become a good ninja, and once-upon-a-time maybe even to become Hokage. There was no way it wouldn't be shown.

"I've been eagerly waiting." the sound shinobi smirks. “Orochimaru-sama's ambition. The first step…"

The seal keeping the coffin shut disintegrates seconds before the whole coffin explodes, distracting the both of them. Through the slowly clearing smoke a figure is barely visible. The Uchiha symbol is one of the first things Naruto recognizes. Sasuke has his back towards him, but Naruto can easily recognize him. Even if his hair has grown longer. Before his eyes, Sasuke's hair turns back to normal, becoming shorter. 

The boy looks at his hands.

"Sasuke." Naruto stares at his teammate.

Slowly Sasuke starts smiling. Confidently, he places his hands on his lips and laughs.

"Sasuke! What're you doing with these guys!? Come on! We're going home now!" Naruto waves at his friend.

The Uchiha continues laughing loudly.

Naruto looks a bit worried now. "Sasuke? Hey… We're going home… Everyone's worried about you."

Still Sasuke doesn't react.

"So… Sasuke! You can hear my voice, can't you!?" Naruto yells out, desperate for some sort of reaction from his teammate. 

Sasuke takes off.

"What’s he doing?" asks the little Itachi frowning.

"Wait, Sasuke!" Kimimaro appears behind Naruto, ready to slash him with his bone-sword. "It's futile."

Sasuke has reached the trees at the other side of the clearing. 

"Die!" Kimimaro yells out as he attacks Naruto.

However his attack would never hit because he’s kicked away by a blur in green. 

"Who are you?"

Between Naruto and Kimimaro stands another genin, dressed in green spandex.

Obito and Rin cheer loudly.

"Did someone sent for back-up?" asks Minato.

"Maybe, but why did they send rookies on such a mission?" mutters Shikaku softly.

"The rejuvenated Leaf Village's handsome devil, Rock Lee!" The newcomer introduces himself.

"B-bushy brow?" asks Naruto, stunned. "Bushy brow, you! What about your body?!"

"Body? What happened to him?" asks Tsunade.

"He is still recovering from wounds he got during the chuunin exams." Naruto evades a more detailed explanation.

"More importantly, Naruto-kun, go get Sasuke-kun!" Lee ignores Naruto’s worries and urges him on. 

"But… you…" Naruto hesitates.

"Please leave this person to me!"

"Bushy brow! Be careful! He uses his own bones to attack!" Naruto warns , still hesitant if he should do as Lee said and leave.  

The Gai clone muses it over "Bones, huh?"

"He's crazy strong…"

Lee gives him a thumbs-up. "What are you doing? Please go, quickly! Naruto-kun, you promised Sakura-chan right?!"

Naruto remembers his promise.

"I'll bring back Sasuke, no matter what! It's a promise of a lifetime!" 

"This person, I'll beat him!" Lee declares confidently. "I promise!" 

Naruto smiles and nods then turns around and takes off.

“This is getting intense…” Obito mutters.

TBC.

Chapter Text

Naruto is jumping through the trees. Sasuke can be seen not too far ahead. Naruto calls desperately for his teammate to stop. "Sasuke! Why? Why do you run away!? Sasuke!"

But the boy ignores him and continues running.

They leave the forest. Naruto briefly stops as he sees the huge stone tunnel before him. He catches a glimpse of Sasuke and dashes forward.

"Sasuke! You're here, aren't you?! At least answer me!" He walks into the tunnel.

"What's gotten into you!?" He heard someone chuckling.

There’s a light ahead. He speeds up, bolting towards it. "Sasuke!"

He leaves the tunnel. "Sasuke!"

Sasuke jumps onto a giant statue's head. A roaring waterfall stands between them as Naruto stands on top the head of another statue. When the image zooms out it shows they are at the Valley of the End. Sasuke’s standing on top of Uchiha Madara's head, while Naruto stands on Senju Hashirama's head. Between the two giant statues is a waterfall.

"That's not symbolic at all." Tsunade sounds bitter. Remembering the tales of the battle her grandfather had fought with Madara, his own best friend.

"Sasuke!"

Still no reaction… then the boy continues walking. "Are you going to run away from me?!"

That stops the Uchiha abruptly. Slowly Sasuke turns around. Strange flame-like markings covered the left side of his face. His left eye has turned yellow and black as he looks lackadaisically at Naruto.

"Yo… loser." Greeted the boy.

Naruto’s stunned, staring at Sasuke with his mouth open. "It's you this time, huh?" asks Sasuke rhetorically.

Naruto frowns.

"I also told this to Sakura, but … don't mind me anymore." Sasuke places his hands on his hips. "What's with that face?" Sasuke smirked while Naruto still can't believe the changes that have happened in his friend.

He clenched his hand in a fist; tears gathered in his eyes. Sasuke looks taken aback.

"Why did you become like this?!" yells Naruto at the other.

"Whatever happens to me, what does that have to do with you?" asks Sasuke stoically. "I have my own way. No matter who it is, nobody has the right to tell me what to do." Naruto grit his teeth. "I will tell you the truth. I'm done fooling around with you guys of the Leaf. Go home!"

Naruto recoiled in shock. He clearly remembered Choji, Neji, Kiba, Shikamaru and even Lee staying behind just so he can continue on to get to Sasuke.

"Everyone… everyone risked their lives to come after you, you know!" "Good job for them." is Sasuke. He turns around.

Naruto grit his teeth. 

"I want to tell you the most important thing, last. Sasuke and I aren't close friends. In fact, I don't particularly like him. However, he is also a shinobi belonging to the Village Hidden in the Leaves. He is a comrade! Therefore I will put my life on the line to help him! That is the way of the Leaf Village."

He remembered what Shikamaru had said before they left the village. Sasuke started walking.

He quickly looks back as Naruto rushed him from above. "How do you take your comrades from Konoha?!"

They collided and got thrown back. Naruto straddled Sasuke and hit the uncaring boy in the face. Sasuke doesn't react, he just stares at the panting blond. He spit some blood onto Naruto's cheek.

Naruto grabbed his collar, ready to start shaking him.

"Comrades, you say… Did I become stronger staying with those so-called comrades? I'm going to where Orochimaru is."

Naruto's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Orochimaru is the person who killed the Third Hokage and tried to crush Konoha!" Naruto yells. "Do you think he'll give you the power freely? He wants your body as a vessel! You might not be able to come back! You might get killed! You think I'd easily let you go to such a place?!"

Sasuke’s silent for a second, before…

"I don't care. All I care about is that I accomplish my objective! I can't help it if you're going to get in the way."

Naruto brought Sasuke's face closer to his.

"You can't do it! I'll take you back with full force!"

"Kukukukuku." laughs Sasuke. "If I recall…"

Briefly Sasuke and Naruto are shown in a flashback, charging each other on a rooftop, rasengan and chidori at the ready before Kakashi got between them.

"That fight was interrupted."

"Come on already!"

The scene changes, showing the two boys on top of a roof.

"That's the hospital." mutters Tsunade, .

"Before we start, put your headband on. I'll wait." Naruto declares.

"I won't need it."

"I said, put it on." frowns Naruto.

Sasuke glares at him, Sharingan activated as he pointed at his forehead. "You won't even put a scratch on my forehead anyway."

"NO! This is a symbol of our duel as equal Leaf shinobi."

"You're being arrogant! Do you really think we're equal?!" snarled Sasuke. "Yeah, that's what I thought! I never thought of myself as inferior to you! Ever!" 

"Get out of my sight!"

"That… that isn't the fight I wanted. Even now…" 

"Why the hell should I care about you?"

Naruto tenses as Sasuke grabs his collar, got to his feet and lifts the smaller boy in the air. He lets go and quickly punches Naruto in the gut. Naruto spat blood before he’s thrown back. He bounced on the other statue, only to free dive into the water below.

'Ugh, what power. He's not the same as before.' Thought Naruto as he sank in the water. He narrows his eyes, looks up and uses his chakra control to climb on top of the water.

He charges forward and Sasuke jumps off his statue to meet him.

Naruto gets kicked in the face, hard, and more blood starts flowing from his mouth. "Kage Bunshin no jutsu."

One of his clones stabs a kunai into the stone finger and he uses his other clones like a rope to kick Sasuke, who hadn't seen the attack coming, back and land on the statue.

"Did that wake you up?!"

"Yeah, I've been awake all this time." He slowly got back up. "From a dream by my foolish self, who dreamed of a future with comrades drunk with the assurance of peace."

He rushes forwards, whispering into Naruto's ear before he once again punches him in the gut. "That's why I left the village. That's why I desire power!"

Naruto’s thrown into the water. "The future is not where my dream is."

Sasuke's back is turned, an almost transparent memory of a young Sasuke getting a piggy- back from his older brother is shown.

"It's in the past… That's where it'll always be."

Itachi turns back to look at his little brother.

"Why are you still grinning when you twisted your ankle? Or… are you just pretending to get an easy ride?"

"No way!" scowls little Sasuke. "I'm just glad that I'm a ninja academy student starting tomorrow. Now I'm slowly catching up to you, brother."

"Oh my God, he's so cute!" Kushina squealed happily.

"Why are we seeing this?" asks Fugaku. "This isn't one of your memories." Shikaku sighs. "This again."

Naruto grabbed his chin, deep in thought.

‘Kit’ sounded Kurama tiredly from within the seal.

'Welcome back, sleeping beauty.' Naruto gently patted his stomach. 'How are you feeling?'

‘Tired, but still me. I managed to absorb the chakra of the past me. I'll need a while longer to rest, but we'll be fine.’

'I like how you say that: we.' grins the blond.

He can see Kurama grin tiredly from behind the bars of the seal, laying relaxed on the ground.

'Do you know how I've got these memories? I mean, I know they aren't mine, so where did they come from?'

‘Do you remember, during the battle against Obito and the Juubi, you shared my chakra with all the other shinobi on the battlefield?’

'Yeah, what of it?'

‘Your abysmal chakra control is responsible for this. grumbled the fox. Without knowing you shared some of your memories with all those shinobi and you received some of their memories in return.’

Naruto nods in understanding. 'Sure, that makes sense, but how come I didn't notice this? I mean, it's only because we are watching my memories that I realized this.'

Kurama snorts. ‘This coming from the guy who only noticed that he received the memories of Kage Bushins after a few years.’

'Point taken.' Naruto sweat-dropped. 'Still I'm not sure if I gave Sasuke some of your chakra. He only arrived later…'

Kurama shrugs, not bothered at all.

‘Now, get out. I'm going to try and get some more sleep.’ 

'Sure, see you later.'

He looks up again, seeing everyone staring at him. "Um, hello?"

"Finally back, are you? We've been calling you for a while now." comments Kakashi sternly.

"Sorry about that, Kurama wanted a quick word."

"Did he explain the foreign memories?" asks Minato skeptically.

"Yeah, but …." He sighs. "I can't explain it yet. Spoilers and all that. Besides," he continues quickly as he sees them starting protesting, "it won’t make sense now either."

They walk through the village. Sasuke looks up as they pass a big building. "What's wrong?" asks Itachi.

"This is where our father works, right? It's the headquarters of Leaf's police force. I’ve always wondered, why does the police have our house symbol?"

"What… You knew about that?" 

"Of course!"

"Well, to make it simple… It's been said that the guy who made this organization is our ancestor. That's why they put the house emblem as the symbol of this place. Our clan protected the order of this village from long ago. Our emblem is also a mark of our honorable clan." Explains Itachi. 

"The Uchiha clan hasn't decreased but almost all of us are working for the first division of the force and participating in keeping the order of the village. Only ones who can enforce the laws on shinobi crimes are superior shinobi."

Sasuke looks stunned for a second. "Are you gonna join here too?" 

"Hmmm… maybe."

"You should!" Sasuke grins as his brother looks at him. "When I grow up, I'll join the police force too! For tomorrow's entrance ceremony, my dad's gonna come too. It'll be the first step to realizing my dream!"

Mikoto smiles as she sees her two boys interacting. She hugs her oldest closer to her.

Itachi watches the screen, absorbing the scene. Even Fugaku shows some interest in his future family.

"… Yeah." Agreed Itachi softly.

They enter the Uchiha complex. A raven haired man, clearly an Uchiha, is waiting for them at the entrance.

"You're late. What are you doing? I've got something to tell you. We have to hurry back." Neither boy speaks.

The scene changes. 

All three are seated on tatami in a room, the man before his two sons.

"That's my boy." grins the man. "You've gotten this far in half a year since you've become a chuunin."

Fugaku allowed a small smile through. He’s quite proud of his eldest, the boy is a true prodigy.

Itachi doesn't reply. Sasuke looks at his brother.

"For tomorrow's special mission, I've decided to come along." Itachi looks up and Sasuke looks startled.

"What?" asks Mikoto, confused. She easily makes the connection.

"You would miss your youngest son's first day at the Academy?" asks Kushina, truly not understanding.

Fugaku nearly bristles. "I'm sure there’s more to it than that." 

"I hope so." Mikoto scowls slightly.

"Don't worry, mother. I won't let my little brother go alone." Reassured Itachi.

"If this mission is successful," Fugaku ignored his sons' reactions, "your enlistment into ANBU will be official. Do you understand?" He glares lightly at his eldest, Fugaku’s Sharingan is clearly visible.

"What are you doing?" Mikoto asks her husband softly. She doesn't approve of using their bloodline against their sons but doesn't want to cause a scene in public. Wait until they get home…

"Don't worry about it too much. However…" Itachi looks at Sasuke with a barely noticeable smile on his face. Sasuke looks a bit uncomfortable.

"Erm… Dad, tomorrow's-" started Sasuke hesitantly.

"Our mission tomorrow will become a very important event for our clan." Fugaku interrupts with a voice of steel.

Sasuke looks away, all too used to what is going on. He’s the second son, compared to Itachi’s accomplishments, starting the academy is nothing. Sasuke grips the hem of his pants tighter, tensing his shoulders to keep his emotions in check; it wouldn’t do to be upset in front of his father.

Itachi frowns at his father.

"I guess I'll drop tomorrow's mission." Stated Itachi solemnly.

"What, are you insane?!" burst Fugaku. "You know how crucial tomorrow is! What's going on with you?!"

"I'm going to Sasuke's entrance ceremony into the ninja academy."

Naruto smiles softly. Despite everything that happened; that would happen, Itachi would never love anyone more than he loved his little brother.

Sasuke's eyes widened. Fugaku looks stunned. Itachi smiles softly. "The entrance ceremony usually required one's relative to come along. You've received the notice too, father."

The man rose up. "I understand. I'll go to the Academy."

"You don't have to sound like you are being punished, Fugaku." chides Minato disapprovingly. "I would be overjoyed to take my son to the Academy on his first day." 

Kushina frowns at him, had he figured it out already? That wouldn't do…

The scene changes. Kids are standing in rows before the academy as the Hokage gives his speech.

"Everyone, congratulations on entering. From this day forth, please work hard to follow the shinobi way."

Sasuke glances back, looking at his father standing in the crowd of adults, instead of paying attention to the speech. Fugaku’s arms crossed and eyes closed, clearly disinterested in the whole event..

A bit later, a chuunin teacher is talking to Fugaku.

"Well, I still remember the day when Itachi entered. As expected from siblings." Sasuke smiles shyly.

"Thanks for taking good care of the brothers." Fugaku nods.

"No, no it's nothing. There hasn't been a genius… such a quality of student at the academy since… there wasn’t much need for my care." Stammers the man.

Fugaku probes, "Isn't the flattery a bit too much?" 

"No no-" The instructor protests,

Sasuke frowns.

"You should expect this from them, shouldn't you?"

"Become a fine shinobi like your brother." Fugaku advises his youngest. Sasuke waits a moment to reply. "Okay."

"I hope it isn't a habit of yours to say stuff like this. If you keep telling him to become more like his brother, Sasuke can get the idea you don't care for him." Kushina advises her friend. Mikoto nods thoughtfully.

The scene changes again, Sasuke running through the streets on his way home from the academy.

He stops briefly as he enters the compound. A figure is crouching on top of an electricity pole, only to disappear before Sasuke can see him.

"What the… What is this feeling…?"

He takes a step back in shock as he regards the street before him.

"W-what is … this?" Bodies are laying everywhere, blood and shuriken surrounding them. All wore the Uchiha symbol.

"What?" asks Fugaku.

Naruto stayed quiet. The Uchiha massacre has been mentioned before but seeing it isn't the same as being told about it.

Mikoto hugs Itachi closer to her chest but the boy simply turns his head and keeps looking with a mature look in his eyes.

"Damn." mutters Obito.

Rin holds his hand and squeezes it. Most people forgot that Obito is an Uchiha, he certainly doesn't behave like one, but those people are his family as well.

He runs home as fast as he can. "Father! Mother!" 

"Sasuke, don't come in." A voice replies from inside.

Carefully, he slides the door open. His parents lay on the floor, covered in blood. A man stands behind them, half in the shadows in ANBU uniform. "Mother! Father!"

The man steps forward.

"Brother! Brother, father and mother are…! Why?! Who the hell… This…!" A shuriken is thrown in the door behind him, slicing his shoulder on its way. "Foolish little brother." Itachi stands silently with his eyes closed.

"Itachi?" Obito stared at this grown-up cousin in disbelief.

Sasuke looks on in fear as Itachi opens his eyes to reveal his mangekyou sharingan."

"What is that?"

"It's called the Mangekyou Sharingan. It's the final form of our bloodline." Fugaku reluctantly answers. "It can only be awakened in special circumstances."

Mikoto bit her lip in worry. What has Itachi done, been through, to awaken those eyes?

Sasuke falls down. "W-why did you?" 

"It is to measure my capacity."

"To test your capacity? That's all…. That's … the only reason… you killed everyone for that?" "It is essential."

Sasuke flees. Itachi corners him in the street. The little Uchiha is crying. "Yes, you can't be my brother, because…"

"The brother you wanted to spend time with has done this… to ascertain your capacity. I continued acting as the elder brother you desired, and I became your companion to see if that potential lies hidden. You can awaken the same mangekyou sharingan. However there is a requirement, you must kill your closest friend. In order to become like me…

"Brother, did you kill Shisui-san?"

"Thanks to him I was able to obtain this eye." Confirms the elder. "It would be worthless to kill someone like you. My foolish little brother, if you want to, kill me… Curse me! Hate me! And live a long unsightly life. Run away… run away and cling to your pitiful life and some day, when you have the same eyes as me, come before me."

"Well, after seeing that, no wonder that Sasuke kid is so messed up." said Tsunade disapprovingly. "Did sensei not send him to a psychiatrist after that?"

Naruto shrugs, honestly not knowing.

The memory faded away as Naruto resurfaced.

"You're actually serious about this… Damn it." Curses Naruto. 

"Yeah, I'm serious." Agrees Sasuke easily. "I intend to kill you." 

"That is messed up." Obito frowns.

"Do you… no longer consider me as your friend?" asks Naruto through gritted teeth. "Everything we did together as team 7! Is it all just meaningless to you?!"

"No, it’s not meaningless. To me, you have become my closest friend."

"Became your friend?" asks Naruto, confused, as he looks up at his team-mate. "Then why?!"

"That is why… it’s worth killing you."

"What did he say?" snarls Kushina. Minato grabs her hand in hopes of keeping her calm. "He wouldn't…" mutters Mikoto softly.

Naruto stays silent for a bit, trying to absorb what he was told.

"I don't quite get it, but you seem serious about killing me, don't you? Sasuke…"

They run towards each other, Naruto over the water and up the statue, Sasuke vertically down. They exchange blows, Sasuke grabs some weapons from Naruto's weapons pouch and throws them at the blond before he kicks him in the chin, sending Naruto back down towards the water.

Naruto skids along the surface.

"I said this before but even you were waiting very anxiously for this, right? Neither Kakashi nor Sakura are here right now." professes Sasuke, Sharingan blazing. "There won't be anyone stopping us like last time. I'll say it once more. I will kill you."

"Don't you dare!" Warns Kushina furiously.

The Uchiha lets himself fall down, going through hand seals and starting a Chidori attack.

"Bastard, I'll beat you back to your old self!" He creates a clone and forms a rasengan.

"Eat this!" yells Naruto. His clone throws him forward. The attacks meet, causing a huge explosion.

Both are thrown back. Sasuke’s the first to get back up, out of the water, panting. Naruto is floating in the water as they make eye contact and glare at each other. 

'There is no doubt about it. You're serious. Can you kill me calmly? Sasuke?'

"DON'T YOU DARE HURT MY SON LIKE THAT, YOU BASTARD!" roars Kushina, her hair floating like foxtails in her anger, despite no longer being the Jinchurriki.

"HANDS OFF MY SON!" Minato snarls furiously at the same time.

There’s a moment of stunned silence. Kushina turns towards her boyfriend. "Excuse me? Your son?" she asks with narrowed eyes.

Minato blinks innocently. "Well, yeah…"

"Why would he be your son?" she asks as her eye starts twitching but Naruto can recognise the spark of mischief in her face, he inherited it from her after all.

Naruto stares at both his parents in shock as others in the room start snickering, well accustomed to Kushina's temper.

"Well, I thought… It's just, is he … our son?" he hesitates.

"Well, aren't you feeling confident?" She teases with a smile. "So, just because I have the guts to ask Naruto if I am his mother, you just simply assume you'll be his father?"

"Well, umm… Yes?"

"What makes you think we'll even still be together by the time he'll be conceived?" she winks at Minato.

Naruto turns green. He so did not need that image.

"Well, I-"

"Minato, I suggest you shut up now." Tsunade comments with an evil grin.

"Kushina, love, I'm sorry, but-" he ignores Tsunade and turns towards Naruto with curious eyes, who promptly pales at the idea of being involved in this discussion.

"Nope!" She punches Minato on the shoulder, making the blond wince.. "You'll leave my son out of this. Naruto told me who his father is and there’s no need for you to involve yourself in this!"

Minato turns to stone as he hears this, wrongly making assumptions. She turns away, not realizing the insecurities she caused without meaning too and he crumbles in on himself. 

Naruto even sees the outline of a dark and gloomy cloud hanging over Minato’s head.

Then Kushina turns towards Naruto.

"And you," he jumps up in his chair, resisting the urge to salute, "You will not answer anyone who bothers to ask you anything even remotely related to your father, am I clear?!" she winks at him, an amused smile on her face.

"Yes, ma'am!" he grins as well, feeling a bit mischievous. 

"Good, now that this nonsense is over, let us continue watching." She glares at Inoichi, who immediately starts the memory again.

Chapter Text

Naruto cries as he stands back up. The blond comes to a startling realization. 'He seriously plans to kill me…'

Black flame-like markings spread from Sasuke's neck over his face and body.

"Do you know, Naruto, that if both you and your opponent are first class shinobi, you can read inside each other's minds when your fists meet. There’s no need for words."

"Take your own advice then and shut up buddy." Grouches Shikaku, trying to lift the tense atmosphere.

"Hey, at least he's not monologuing." jokes Naruto with a shaken grin. He never realized what his fight with Sasuke looked like from the point of view of an outsider. It looks even worse from here. It isn't one of his favorite memories…

"He might as well have thanks to those memories of his from earlier."

"You're naïve, aren't you, Naruto? Can you read the true mind?! My mind?! Katon: Housenka no jutsu!"

Naruto dodges, only to be once again kicked in the face. The markings are covering Sasuke's whole body now.

Naruto sinks into the water. He remembers seeing Sasuke as a kid.

'Sasuke, I always knew you were a loner. I – In the beginning I was relieved because I thought you were the same as me. Besides, I was glad. In fact I wanted to talk to you straight away.' He resurfaces.

'You can do everything, you also always have everyone…' Sasuke somersaults over him and rushes towards him.

'Because we’re too different, regrettably I decided you would be my rival. I don't want to lose, because I was called a loser. I thought that all the time. Even when we became team 7, I thought the same. Stubbornly, I continued to lie but….'

Sasuke hits him in the face.

"You're distracted." grimaces Minato, concerned. Kushina glares at him.

"What? Am I not allowed to be concerned now?!" the blond asks half indignant. "Even if he isn't my son, I can still care about him."

She huffs and turns back to the screen.

Jiraiya lays a hand on his student's shoulder. "She's just worried about the kid. She'll cool down once this is over."

Naruto winces, knowing what’s coming. " She can hear you." growls Kushina again. Both student and sensei tense.

'I always wanted to be like you. I aspired to be like you. Because of that… I am truly glad. You acknowledged me. Since those are the first words…'

Sasuke grabs his collar and lifts him off his feet, chidori active in his other hand.

'But our fists don't have to meet for me to understand. Since that time, we haven't spoken. We… How are we friends?!'

"It's not meaningless to me, you have… become a close friend."

Sasuke brings Naruto's face closer. The blond grit his teeth as red chakra started to leak from inside him.

'Even if you seriously want to kill me, even if those words from before are serious, I don't understand. Maybe I am your only willing friend…'

His nails grow into claws.

"IT'S TOO LATE, NARUTO!" snarls Sasuke as he thrust his arm forward.

Blood splattered into the water. Blood runs from between his teeth, more blood courses down his right arm steadily, and Sasuke stares impassively at him.

Kushina shoots out of her chair, face white as ivory; her entire body trembling with perturbation.

'I will not give up, Sasuke. I won't let Orochimaru take you.'

Sasuke’s still standing on the water, left arm piercing through Naruto's right shoulder.

"WHAT THE HELL!" roars Kushina as she waved her fists around. She isn't the only one to protest. Only the clan heads managed to stay somewhat calmly in their chairs.

Minato doesn't bother calming her, he stands up and makes his way towards Naruto, navigating through all the other people who have jumped up and crying their outrage. The younger blond might as well have turned into a statue. Deathly pale, and with a tear rolling down his cheek, Naruto stares brokenly at the screen. Almost absent-mindedly he rubs his chest, exactly where the scar is.

Minato sits down next to him and pulls him into a hug. Naruto instantly melts into his father's arms. He closes his eyes, willing the tears away. He tries to calm himself, choosing to instead think of how in the end, team 7 had been reunited; Sasuke had come back. He still was a bit messed up in the end, but he came to help. Really, Sasuke becoming Hokage, how unrealistic seeing all he has done.

The room slowly quiets down. Naruto basks in the embrace a little longer and then lets go.

"Sorry about that." He blushes lightly, completely embarrassed. Minato only smiles softly at him. Naruto looks down as he feels someone tug at his pants. Little Itachi stands next to them.

The boy bows. "I apologize for my little brother."

Naruto smiles softly, not surprised at all by the maturity of the child. He places his hand on the boy's head and gently ruffles his hair.

"Thank you, but it's not your job to apologize for him."

"He's my little brother." affirms Itachi as if that explained everything. "Well, Sasuke is very lucky to have such a good big brother."

"I'll make sure this never happens." vows Itachi, determined.

Naruto resists the urge to coo at him. The boy is adorable. Mikoto comes and picks him up. Naruto can see she’s been crying.

"I apologize." She mutters as she takes Itachi back to their seat.

Kushina, having calmed down, snatches Naruto from Minato and pulls him into the chair next to hers. She pulls him towards her, wanting to reassure herself he’s safe.

Naruto looks around. No one has been unaffected by the scene. Obito’s pale, shaking in his chair while trying to comfort Rin.

Kakashi frowns angrily and talks quietly with Jiraiya, who looks sad and way too understanding of this situation.

Tsunade grips her necklace tightly, staring with big eyes at the frozen screen.

Shikaku mutters furiously with both his team-mates, while Hizashi looks angry and lost in his seat.

Fugaku hugs his wife and son in a rare display of affection. Even the head of the Uchiha clan looks disturbed by what he has seen.

"You prevented me from hitting your heart at the last second, but that’s pointless." Sasuke hisses as the markings retreat. "I've impaled your right lung."

He jerks his arm from within Naruto's flesh with a sadistic smirk on his face.

Kushina's grip on her son tightens.

"You cannot use your right arm now. It’s even difficult to breathe. You can’t make seals or use that jutsu." His bloodied hand grips Naruto's neck and squeezes.

Naruto grabs Sasukes’ arm and squeezes back as Kyuubi's chakra cloak envelops him. Sasuke jumps back and grips his arm, snarling.

Chakra explodes around the blond, briefly forming a snarling nine-tailed fox. It’s the same transformation from on the bridge in the Land of Waves.

Sasuke watches with wide eyes as the wound on Naruto's shoulder heals while he watches. All that can still be seen is the hole in his jumpsuit.

"I've never been so thankful that Kyuubi got sealed inside someone as I am right now." Minato exhales softly.

"Sasuke!" snarls Naruto in a demonic voice. "You won't go to Orochimaru. Even if I have to break the bones in your arms and legs, I will stop you!"

"What the hell… are you?" demands the raven. 

"A friend." Is all that Naruto replies while crying. Sasuke looks stunned.

"That's why I won't give you up to Orochimaru."

His legs push off, sending him flying forwards to land a   hit on Sasuke in the face. Not expecting the force, Sasuke’s thrown back; but he recovers quickly.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu!"

Naruto roars and dispels the fireball with Kyuubi's chakra. Sasuke’s thrown in the water.

Naruto follows and plumeling him from all sides, until one hit propels Sasuke out of the water and buries him into the stone cliff at the water side. Naruto follows immediately and cages Sasuke in with his arms and legs on either side of him. The raven is bleeding.

"Wake up already!" snarls a kyuubified Naruto. "If you're still not sure, I'll break you like a stick and bring you back immobile!"

"Hahaha." laughs Sasuke softly but creepily. "Shut the hell up. What do you know about me? Someone like you without family or siblings…"

"God that guy is creepy." mutters Obito subdued.

Naruto raises a fist to hit him again.

"YOU HAVE NOTHING IN THE FIRST PLACE! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU UNDERSTAND ABOUT ME?! HUH?!" The Uchiha rages.

He kicks Naruto away.

"We suffer because of our bonds! You don't know how it feels to lose them! You…!" Naruto looks down sadly as Sasuke pants for breath after his outburst.

"I don't understand anything about real families or brothers. But when I'm with Iruka-sensei, I wonder… I wonder if that is what it feels like being with a father."

Sasuke frowns.

"When I'm with you… I wonder if it's like being with a brother."

"Why…” Sasuke’s voice is practically begging for an answer, wrapped in confusion. “Why do you go this far for me?"

"For me, it's one of the first bonds I've ever had. That's why, I must stop you!"

For a second Sasuke looks sad, then he looks determined as he puts his headband on. Before his eyes, Naruto sees Sasuke's sharingan gain his third tomoe.

"Come Naruto." He beckons as he holds out his arms as if to invite him closer. "Then I will break that bond!"

"Break them?" repeated Naruto. "Then why… now, your headband?"

"I will acknowledge that you are strong. Because you’re someone who knows the same pain of loneliness as I do. And pain makes a person stronger. Because of that, by severing these bonds, I will gain more strength."

"God, you people talk way too much." Shikaku tries to lighten the mood. It disturbed him to see everyone so quiet. To think they barely shut up before…

Naruto glares.

"From now on, we will fight as equals, but you will not even be able to scratch my forehead. That much has not changed."

"No matter what you say, it's useless Sasuke." argues Naruto.

Sasuke agrees. "The time for talking is over. From now on, we only fight. Come."

Naruto charges, but Sasuke uses his Sharingan to evade him. Determined, Naruto tries again, only to once again be hit in the face. He curses as he falls back in the water. Sasuke grabs his ankle while he hangs suspended in the water.

'I can't … get back up.' He grit his teeth. 'Sasuke has…' The memory turns black.

"hehehehehe." laughs a sinister voice.

A big, demonic eye opens, accompanied by a wide grin.

‘You’re weak, aren't you…?’ asks Kyuubi in delight. ‘Young one, you should be talking to me. The one who sealed me, the Yondaime Hokage, you're both alike…’

Minato frowns. Another hint about the Fourth Hokage… And more of Kyuubi. He isn't too fond of that, even if the demon has saved Naruto.

A blood red substance makes its way out of the cage/seal.

Sasuke’s forced to let go of Naruto's leg as red translucent chakra bubbles from within Naruto, enveloping his form like a cloak. It takes the shape of a demon fox, forcing Naruto onto all fours.

Sasuke gulpes.

Naruto surged towards the raven. Sasuke dodges but Naruto keeps going and turns behind him. The blond tries to grab Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke tries to evade only to get a chakra fist to the face, as if Kyuubi's chakra have a mind of its own.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu!"

Naruto doesn't dodge. He emerged completely unscathed from within the fire.

Naruto makes a grabbing motion with his claw-like hand. A completely stunned Uchiha is hit by a chakra claw. One, twice, thrice… until he hits the cliff-side again, his curse mark activated once again.

Naruto's chakra claw grabs him and pulls him towards himself, only to get hit in the face again and thrown against the rocks.

"Hahahahaha." laughs Sasuke, not looking up from where he has slumped against the rock. "I'm not even hurt. I finally have this power. I don't know what I'll become, but I'm not hurt Naruto."

His hair turns gray, growing longer and his skin darkens as the curse mark disappears into a star shape on the bridge of his nose.

"What the hell is that?!" Jiraiya burst out.

"It's called a cursed seal." Explained Naruto. "Orochimaru gave it to Sasuke while we were in the Forest of Death."

"Sure, but what does it do? And why look like that?"

"You once told me that Orochimaru gave cursed seals to some of his most powerful and unique followers, either to enhance their abilities or to prepare them for becoming potential host bodies.” Naruto lectures, one finger in the air to signify the first point of the lengthy lesson he himself had once received. 

“To apply a cursed seal, Orochimaru bites the recipient, doing so with the aid of his sharp fangs and extendible neck.” A second finger goes up; “The seal then appears on the body of the victim near the puncture wound before causing them to lose consciousness. If the victim survives the application of the seal, they subsequently awaken with its first state activated.” 

A third finger goes up as Naruto starts to roll his wrist a little as though the movement helped the words come out quicker. “Orochimaru has created a wide array of cursed seals, so the appearance and power of the seals vary, with all known variations consisting of three identical marks arranged in a circular pattern." Naruto concludes with a sigh of relief.

"Learned that explanation by heart, did you?" The man grins, while nodding in understanding. Naruto grins sheepishly.

"You are special, but… I'm more special than you. " 

"Special, is that what that is…" mutters Naruto. "Hehe, I'm not ready to lose."

Naruto speeds forwards, once again trying to hit his friend. Their collision creates a big cloud of dust, only to reveal a strange shape protecting the Uchiha. Naruto is thrown back.

The shape turns out to be a huge webbed hand that’s stuck to Sasukes’ back like a wing. Before his eyes a second hand-like wing burst from Sasukes’ back.

"That’s just… disturbing." comments Kakashi.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. He expected a comment like that from Obito but certainly not from his future sensei.

Naruto curses. 'I can't feel my left hand!'

"That power of yours too..." Sasuke adds out of nowhere. "Of course there’s a risk. Do you know? This place is called the Valley of the End, the country border. This’s the perfect setting, isn't it Naruto? Yes, that's right, like I said, the time for talk is over. Well, finally it’s ending, this battle."

Both prepare their jutsu. "Chidori!"

Naruto doesn't speak but forms a rasengan out of Kyuubi's chakra. Both boys advance, their jutsu held out before them.

Their attacks collide, forming a big dome of chakra around them in which their attacks are set loose. Sasuke's hand hits Naruto full in the chest, while the blond manages to scratch Sasuke's headband.

The dome cracks and the explosion that follows is huge. A white light blinded both boys. The scene changes again.

"Is it over?" asks Obito softly.

Naruto sits in a hospital bed, covered from head to toe in bandages. In his hands he holds Sasuke's scratched headband.

"So everyone's safe." comments Naruto. "That's good." 

Shikamaru sits on his bed. "And Sasuke?"

"Yeah… He got away." replies Naruto sadly. They stay silent for a while. Then the door opens and Tsunade and Sakura enter.

The girl looks a bit unsure. "Naruto…"

He looks down. Shikamaru looks a bit uncomfortable.

"I heard that you are severely wounded, but you're fine now." comments Tsunade. 

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan."

She smiles awkwardly. "Why are you apologizing? You look really weird. You're just like a mummy, aren't you?" She steps forward and opens his curtains.

"She's trying to cheer you up." notes Tsunade with a small smile. "It seems she'll be growing up after all."

"I'm sorry… I-"

"Listen, the weather's good today. I opened the curtains-"

"SAKURA-chan!" Naruto cries out almost desperately. "I'll definitely keep my promise! I swear that it’s a lifelong promise!"

"It's alright, Naruto." Sakura is as she looks out the window. 

"Sakura! He's trying to-" Shikamaru tries to help.

"Like I said…" Naruto interrupts them both.

They all look at him. He smiles but it doesn't look as carefree as usual. "I won't go back on my word! Because that's my ninja way!"

Tsunade looks resigned, having seen or at least heard of almost this exact same scenario with her own teammates and knowing what comes of it. Shikamaru smiles slightly and Sakura only looks sad. She looks at all the bandages the blond is covered in, then Sasuke's headband.

Jiraiya frowns sadly, knowing what such a promise can do to you.

"Hehehe." laughs the blond.

"Naruto." She smiles as she makes her way to the door. She stops in the doorway and turns back to look at him. "I'm sorry Naruto. I have to make you wait for a while, but… Next time, we'll do it together!"

Chapter Text

They took a small break. Tsunade has made some tea with the supplies that stood in the corner, Rin handing cups to everyone. Nobody is very talkative. It seemed they all needed some time to process what they had witnessed/ viewed. Naruto used that time to meditate like the toads had taught him, not to gather nature chakra but to calm his mind. Seeing those memories has been very painful. Once almost everyone has finished their drink and is seated once more, Inoichi starts the next memory.

The scene opens. An older, taller looking Naruto stands on a pole looking out into the village. His jumpsuit has changed, still mostly in orange but with black instead of blue. He stretches his arms out.

"Seems we skipped a few years." comments Chouza with a smile.

"This brings back memories! This place hasn't changed at all 'ttebayo! Everyone! Uzumaki Naruto has returned!"

"Returned? Where did you go?" asks Kushina with a frown.

"Ero-sannin took me on a long term training trip." Explains the blond. 

He laughs and looks around. "Everything here is so nostalgic." 

"Nostalgic?" snorted Jiraiya. "You talk like you're ancient."

"No worries," grins Naruto amused. "I won't steal your position. Everyone here knows you're the old one here."

"Brat." Jiraiya tried to look hurt by his comment but was unable to suppress his smile.

He nods to himself. The Hokage monument is shown. "They added Grandma Tsunade's face to the mountain." 

"Naruto? Is that you, Naruto?" calls a feminine voice.

He looks down, only to see his former teammate. She’s standing surrounded by three genin. "When did you get back?"

"Just now." He answers as he jumps down to greet her. "It's been awhile, Sakura-chan." She looks at him closely. "Hold on, you're taller than me, aren't you?"

"You're right!" He measured with his hand.

"It's nice to see you two get along, especially after being apart for so long." smiles Minato at the blond.

"What do you think?" she blushes coyly. "Am I more womanly now?"

He grins and stuck his thumb up. "It's fine. You haven't changed at all!"

She twitches and turns away annoyed. Naruto looks confused while Jiraiya sighs behind him.

Kushina laughs. Oh, she would have a lot of fun watching her son interact with girls, she can tell.

"Naruto-nii-chan!" yells one of the younger boys behind Sakura.

A big cloud of smoke erupted only to reveal a busty, naked brunette. "Oiroke no jutsu!" 

Jiraiya screams in delight, while Sakura looks shocked.

"Dear lord," sighs Fugaku as he massages his temples. "There's two of them.

Naruto grins fondly at the memory, though he massaged his head, knowing what’s going to follow.

Behind the brunette stands two other genin. A boy with glasses, who looks shocked and a girl with pig tailed orange hair, who looks like she sees this every day.

The brunette disappears revealing a short brown-haired genin, wearing a long blue scarf. "How is that? Pretty nice waist, hips and bust, huh?" asks the boy proudly.