A/N: Please keep in mind that this is a fanfiction, and this is my take on how I think events would've turned out if Naruto were to be sent to the past.
Full Summary: The classic "Naruto-gets-sent-to-the-past" fanfiction. Naruto get's sent to the past with the help of Kurama with a small condition. Will Naruto be able to fufil the request from Kurama? Will he be able to stop the war from happening before it happens? Will Naruto be able to change things for the better, or for the worst?
Pairings for vote: I don't know whom I should pair Naruto up with. Romance will not be the main subject, but there will be some of it. Please vote from the following: Shikamaru, Itashi, Kakashi
Any of the tailed beast talking will be highlighted "Bold" to easily differentiate what other's will be able to hear and will not be able to hear.
Prologue:
The war was finally over.
Naruto trudged back into his quarters in the Hokage Tower after a long day of helping with repairs and trying to lift the spirits of the people of his village. The aftermath of Pein's invasion and the final war against Madara had impacted too much of Konoha altogether as a village, and even with Naruto's support, it was obvious the villagers were lost and without hope. After all, Naruto himself had lost some of his shine in those clear blue eyes from all the hardships he was forced to go through. Closing the door behind him as he entered his quarters, he slumped on his bed, burying his face in his hands and resting his elbows on his knees.
"Kurama, where did it all go wrong...?" Naruto asked the demon, his voice muffled by the palms of his own hands.
Kurama chose not to say anything, closing his eyes and turning his back to Naruto.
This wasn't how Naruto expected his time as the Hokage was going to be. He realized his ideals were childish, and were quite literally, just ideals, but that didn't stop him from hoping; That was, until now. Naruto expected his village to live in prosper while he was the Hokage. He expected everyone to be happy, for everyone to live in peace. Naruto didn't expect much when it came to his future, but he thought he at least had a right to be happy, after all he's done for the village. He didn't expect much, Naruto never expected too much... He just wanted to live a happy, peaceful life.
But some of his friends were gone, way out of his reach, the people he had respected were gone, and those he came to really cared for lost their beloved ones... Their homes were destroyed, leaving them homeless in a town that held so much memory... It was just too much for Naruto to see all these people suffer. It was too much for Naruto to handle all the despair and the loss.
It didn't mean Naruto didn't try, though. Every day, he would face the villagers with a smile on his face, trying to make the day at least a little better for the others. Naruto never had time to grieve the loss of his own; he never had time to mourn the loss of his beloved ones. One thing after another, something just kept happening that required his attention or his presence.
The time he had to spend alone was a rare moment nowadays, and he savoured every second of the silence. Using that moment to think back into the past, thinking back to where everything went wrong, wondering if he could've done anything to make things better... But they were just pointless musings. He knew nothing like such could be done.
"Brat..." Kurama finally spoke up after a long moment of hesitation.
"Hmm?" Naruto hummed, slowly tipping himself over, allowing his body to hit the soft mattress of his bed. "What is it Kurama?"
"Did you ever think, about... what it would be like if you could go back in time to change the course of history?" He asked, seemingly caution about how he worded his question.
"Every time." Naruto answered with a small sigh. "I wonder when everything started to fall apart... I wonder what I could've done in the past to avoid everything that happened... I wonder..." Naruto swallowed the big lump in his throat; "I wonder how differently things would've turned out if Sensei was fighting with me by my side..."
When the fox demon said nothing, Naruto asked, "Don't you?"
"Shit..." Kurama cursed as he stirred from his spot, "I was saving this for when I really needed it... But there is a way I can help with that." When Naruto said nothing, he took it as an indication for him to continue. "I could send you back in time."
Naruto chuckled, "I never knew you to be someone for joking."
"Brat, I'm not joking." Kurama growled in irritation.
"..." Naruto said nothing, pondering the implications. "What's the catch?"
Kurama seemed to quiet down at the question. We knew the request would be somewhat selfish... But he couldn't bring himself to ignore his own desire. "Help the other tailed demons... Don't let them die as they did this time around..."
Naruto closed his eyes, sucking in a deep breath. "That's not going to be easy... I'll have to somehow prevent the war altogether..."
"What happened to the big talk, brat?" Although his words were mocking, Naruto could detect a hint of worry from how strained it sounded.
"I said I wondered, I never said I was positive I could do it..." Naruto cracked his eyes open. "If you're willing to cooperate though, it could work."
Kurama huffed although his ears twitched ever so slightly at the thought. "Are you sure? If there is a possibility of things getting better, there's always a possibility of things getting worse..."
"What's life without risks?" Naruto grunted, "Even if there is the slightest possibility of me being able to save more people... I'll take the risk." He hesitated before adding, "And besides... This is the first time you've ever asked me for something... and I feel like I owe it to you, you know... having been trapped inside a body of a 'Brat' you so rudely call."
Kurama said nothing as he closed his eyes. He wasn't going to admit that he had gotten attached to his container, although he was pretty sure Naruto already knew of the development of their relationship.
"When, and how far back could you send me back?" Naruto asked, closing his eyes once more, feeling the exhaustion finally getting to him.
"Just... Go to sleep... You'll know when you wake up."
Naruto simply nodded, trusting his demon companion's word and drifted into slumber.
