First written fic… reviews would help me bunches.

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, Sakura would've been killed by Sasuke or Sasori, Gaara would live in Konoha, and Haku would have survived.

Gaara POV

Gaara collapsed onto his knees, finally out of energy. He looked around, taking in the scent of blood and flesh as well as the sight of a battered up field riddled with the bodies of dead Kunoichi and Shinobi. Off to the right he saw Temari, her body badly beaten, throat slashed, fingers missing, and stained with blood that probably wasn't even hers. Her fan was broken in half by Madara, who now lay in the middle of the battlefield, an enormous hole in his torso where Naruto's Rasen-Shuriken had pierced.

Gaara crawled over to where Madara was, cautious as a skittish cat. After making sure he was truly dead, Gaara inspected his wound. Upon closer examination, Gaara discovered it wasn't the pierce from the Jutsu itself that killed him. In fact, Naruto had somehow managed to tweak the Rasen-Shuriken enough to shut off chakra flow completely, for all of Madara's chakra was gone.

Shortly after the Rasen-Shuriken hit Madara, Naruto was thrown into the distance with the force of his Jutsu. A few others, such as Sakura, Kankuro, Haku, and Samui couldn't withstand the shockwave and were disintegrated. Hinata was kidnapped by the Akatsuki for interrogation and torture, and came back with nails embedded in each joint in both her hands*, dozens of cuts throughout her body, and was missing a leg. 'Tobi' told the Shinobi Allied Forces that that was what would happen if they tried to resist. Soon after the horrid installment, Neji, Lee, Tenten, Kakashi, Mei, Onoki, and Ino all tried to attack simultaneously, but were instantly sucked into a strange vortex. The Aburame, Nara, Yamanaka, Akimichi, and Hyuga clans were all annihilated completely for reasons unknown. Currently, no Uchiha clansmen were still living.

"It's terrible, isn't it?"

The voice behind Gaara made him jump, until he realized its origin.

"I don't think that this was a war. I'm pretty sure this was a murder instead," Naruto added, sobbing lightly. Gaara could sense a shaky vibe from the normally rambunctious nineteen-year-old.

"I didn't expect so many to die," Gaara replied, a sad tone in his voice.

"Nobody did. I'm sorry about Temari and Kankuro, by the way. I couldn't save either one of them."

"No one could've. I don't blame anyone."

"I've never felt so helpless in my life. I feel as if there's a seven ton weight on my chest and there's no way to lift it."

"Hm. Tell me about it. I'm the Kazekage, yet I let the entirety of my people die before me, including the only two family members I had left."

"Actually, Gaara, there would've been three."

Gaara's head immediately spun around to face Naruto, surprised at the remark. "Three…? What're you talking about? I only have Temari and Kankuro."

Naruto sighed. "I hoped I wouldn't have to be the one to tell you. Temari was pregnant. You would've had a niece."

Gaara's eyes widened. How would Naruto know such startling information? Unless… "Who would've been her father?"

"That'd be me," Naruto scratched the back of his head while grinning sheepishly, though sadness was still detectable in his eyes. "Who'd have thought, right? That's what I'd say. Look closely at her stomach, just to prove I'm not spewing nonsense."

Naruto pointed over to Temari, and Gaara realized that there was a bulge protruding from her torso.

"Why didn't she tell me?"

"Two reasons. One: she thought you'd hurt me or something. Two: there was no way she was about to let her brothers fight without her."

Suddenly, it all made sense. The way Temari refused to wear her normal outfit and go for a looser black kimono, her constant mood swings, and her sudden cravings for the oddest of foods. How could he have missed these small but powerful hints?

"Gaara."

Gaara looked at his long-term friend, his eyes slightly watered at the thought of a baby that never got to be born.

"How badly do you want to go back? Back, as in back in time."

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because I can make it happen."

Naruto pulled out two scrolls from a hidden pocket in his flak jacket. One was a dark crimson hue, and had a small gold charm at the end of a bright red string tied across the middle of it. The other was a deep cobalt shade, a slightly different gold charm at the end of a sky blue string. Naruto took his hitai-ate off, letting his waist-length blonde hair spill out onto his shoulders and back. Carefully opening both scrolls and laying them across from one another, Naruto placed his hitai-ate in the location where the two scrolls met. He held his hand out to Gaara.

"I need your hitai-ate if this is going to work."

"What do you mean by 'this'? I don't recall agreeing to anything, Naruto. Tell me and I'll think about it."

Naruto face-palmed. He knew this was going to be difficult, but not this difficult. "Remember when I asked you how badly you wanted to go back?" Gaara nodded slowly. "Well, what I meant was that I can perform a Jutsu that takes us backwards in time. However, only two people can go at a time. We can keep our memories, our chakra control, our Jutsu, and our intelligence. If we do this, we can re-shape our pasts. We can prevent any of this from happening." Naruto paused to look at Temari. "And we can make sure lives are spared."

Gaara studied Temari's body for a moment, sighed, and produced his hitai-ate from his gourd. He handed it to Naruto, who eagerly took it.

"Wait, how does this work exactly? Why does this certain Jutsu require hitai-ate?"

Naruto continued his work, placing Gaara's hitai-ate below his own. "Well, this Jutsu needs confirmation of who is returning. It needs a personal object of someone's. Quite frankly, the most personal thing a ninja can have is his hitai-ate. So naturally, that's what I chose."

Gaara sat back slightly, taking in all the information he just received.

After performing a few swift hand seals, Naruto pulled his hair back with a small headband, showing the Rinnegan in his left eye. He placed both of his hands on his red hitai-ate and motioned for Gaara to do the same. Gaara nervously complied with the motion.

"Time Style: Time Transfer Jutsu," Naruto whispered.

Both scrolls engulfed the headbands in the folds of slick yellow parchment. They shot up, much like Tenten's Rising Twin Dragons, started revolving around the Kage and Chunin, and continuously picked up speed. Gaara only had time to blink before he was engulfed in a blinding white light. However, before he was enclosed in the warmth, he could make out one last thing from Naruto's mouth.

"See you soon."

Naruto POV

Naruto shot up like a rocket, sweating like he was back in Suna dressed in winter clothes. After a moment of harsh breathing and a severely rapid heartbeat, the small blonde's memories began to flood in. Gaara, Temari, Sasuke, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Kakashi. One by one, their smiling faces poured into his brain. He remembered the war, Temari's death, Rasen-Shuriken, Minato and Kushina. The memories of all his Jutsu, odd discoveries, and nifty tricks followed. Most importantly, he remembered Gaara and him going to the past.

"Gaara!"

Naruto threw the blankets off his body and ran toward the nearest mirror in sight. He was back in his six-year-old form. Much to his surprise, however, his hair had stayed the way it was: knee-length, stick-straight, and covered his left eye. Naruto pushed the hair in his face back and attempted to activate the Rinnegan he acquired from the Uzumaki clan blood in his veins. He breathed a sigh of relief when the Rinnegan came into plain view. He de-activated it and stepped back, further examining his appearance.

"I really have to lose the orange," he said, groaning.

Naruto pulled the oddly colored shirt off, leaving him in white shorts and a mesh undercoat. After a few hours of working diligently, Naruto examined his needlework with no small amount of pride. It was now black, with a collar like Genin Ino's and a zipper like Genin Sakura's. He had also taken the short sleeves off and raised the bottom hem, making it look even more like Ino's Genin shirt. Sure, a shirt was a trivial thing compared to what Naruto had accomplished, but it still made him proud of himself.

"Maybe I should do the rest while I'm at it," Naruto spoke to no one but himself.

Throwing his newly sewn shirt on, Naruto placed his hair in a neat low ponytail and headed out the door. Every now and again, he'd throw a cheeky smirk at villagers that gave him the stink-eye. After a rather interesting walk, Naruto arrived at where he needed to go: A small but useful fabric market. Naruto walked up to the nearest clerk, who happened to be Mikoto Uchiha.

"Hey. I'm going to need to buy a few things," Naruto said, a warm smile directed toward his mother's best friend.

"I'm sorry, but I can't sell to a demon," Mikoto replied, a stern glare on her flawless features. Naruto merely continued to smile.

"Do you remember Kushina Uzumaki, Mikoto? The Kushina that died to save her son during the nine-tails' attack; The Kushina that was your best friend?"

Mikoto's eyes widened visibly. Who was this child? "How do you know these things? Moreover, how do you know who I am?"

"Simple, Mikoto. I'm Kushina's son, Naruto. Y'know, the one who Kushina died protecting? I don't think she'd appreciate the way you treat me, now would she?" Naruto raised one of his eyebrows, clearly amused with Mikoto's shocked expression.

"I'm not sure if I should believe you. If you give me a good reason, I'll believe it. Oh, no pun intended."

Naruto looked around and stepped forward a half-step. He pointed at his eyes. "Look at my eyes and tell me they don't ring a few bells."

Mikoto gasped. Naruto did act like Kushina from time to time, but she never noticed that he had her eyes. Everything else Naruto had resembled Minato, however: The hair pigmentation, the facial shape, the skin color. Suddenly, it all made sense. Mikoto was merely told that Naruto was the spawn of a demon, no more, no less. She was never told he was a Jinchuuriki before. She was definitely not told that he was Kushina and Minato's son.

"I-I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. Just sell me half a yard of white, black, and red fabric and a small vial of black dye."

Mikoto nodded, gathering the boy's desired items. When Naruto produced a wallet to pay for her services, Mikoto stopped him.

"There's no need to pay. It's the least I can do to apologize for the way I've treated you. The next time you stop by here, it'll all be free, courtesy of Kushina and me," Mikoto smiled brightly, her perfectly-aligned teeth glimmering in the sun.

Naruto retained the smile on his face and started off toward his apartment. After yet another odd walk, the blonde settled down and began to work. By six in the evening, Naruto had made himself quite the outfit. Along with the black shirt, he had created two arm warmers that matched Ino's with the exception of purple being replaced with black, a pair of loose black pants that were bound by wrappings at the bottom, and a white cloth that reached his knees attached to the middle of the upper hem of his pants. The cloth had the Uzumaki clan symbol neatly sewn into the lower middle. He had also turned his blue shoes into black ones to keep his black-and-white look. In place of the mesh undercoat, he had taken the excess white fabric and bound his torso.

"Well, that problem's taken care of. What to do about Gaara…. I can't just wander out the village gates and head for Suna. Or can I?" Naruto said quietly.

After a moment's pondering, Naruto had the perfect idea. "I'll head for Suna in a transformation Jutsu. I'll have to make the person I turn into less known as not to arouse suspicion."

Naruto's thoughts about Jutsu turned to his missions as a Genin, which turned into the Zabuza and Haku mission, which made his mind turn to Inari, which in turn made him think of Tsunami. "Perfect! I'll do a Henge of Tsunami. I don't think anyone would recognize me."

He formed a single hand seal and disappeared in a cloud of white smoke. He was replaced with Inari's caretaker, Tsunami. He grinned as he studied his Jutsu, perfect in every way. Ten minutes passed, and in that time he had packed everything he could possibly need-which wasn't much. He had merely packed the leftover fabric-including the red fabric he planned to use for his hitai-ate-and a few other clothes.

Naruto stepped toward the window and opened it. He figured that it would be odd to see a strange woman come out of his apartment, so he decided to leave the ninja way: Through the window. He leapt swiftly through the small window, landing gingerly on his feet.

"Should I have written a note for old man Hokage?" Naruto thought hard at this. He came to a conclusion that it was best for the Hokage to think he had died. The villagers would be celebrating instead of worrying about his whereabouts. He pulled the black cloak he had made from the leftover fabric over his head to further conceal his identity, and ran as fast as he could to the front gates of Konoha. He could sense a presence behind him, so he turned around, ready to fight if necessary. However, standing in front of him was a young girl with dark purple hair that almost looked black. She had fair skin and the eyes of a Hyuga.

"Um…what are y-you doing?" Hinata asked.

Naruto was on cuteness overload at her small voice. "I can't live here anymore. The villagers don't treat me very nicely."

Hinata's face brightened up. "Could I come with you? My father doesn't think I'm talented enough for training. I've always wanted to see the world, too!"

Naruto chuckled slightly. "Well, you can't come with me just yet. If you really want to, I could come back when you're older. You never know what kinds of things you'll encounter on your journeys. In the meantime, you should brush up on your skills."

Hinata nodded eagerly. "What's your name, anyway?"

Naruto looked away slightly. "Well, I'm in a transformation Jutsu. The person I am right now is named Tsunami. The person I am is Naruto."

Hinata's eyes widened at the name. "See? I'm not that bad of a person, am I? The stories of me being some kind of demon are lies to make you stay away from me."

"Why would I need to stay away from you?"

"You'll find out when I come back for you," Naruto said, winking at Hinata.

Hinata blushed and laughed whole-heartedly.

"I have to go now. I need to travel to Suna."

"O-okay. Bye N-Naruto-kun," Hinata said, waving to her newly found friend.

Naruto walked away, happy to hear Hinata's affectionate honorific on his name once more.

Fifteen or so minutes passed, and Naruto was getting frustrated. "Fine." He took out a special kunai he had stolen from the Namikaze-Uzumaki compound before his trip. He threw it with all his strength, and it landed right at the Konoha gates. In a flash of yellow, Naruto was taken to the location of the kunai he'd thrown. Picking it up, he twirled it around a little and stuffed it in his backpack.

"I love being lazy."

As he stepped into the outside world and watched the trees and vegetation turn to sand, he released his Jutsu and couldn't help wondering what Gaara was up to.

Temari POV

"It's your turn, I did it yesterday," Kankuro protested with both his hands up.

Temari put her hands on her hips. "No, that was me!"

"I swear I did it yesterday!"

"That was me!"

"No it wasn't!"

"Yes it was!"

The two were so wrapped up in their quarrel about taking Gaara his food that they didn't notice him walk into the kitchen and take his dinner himself. He even had enough time to eat it in the kitchen, slightly amused by his siblings' banter.

"Why should I have to do it?" Temari demanded.

"Because the woman must always bring the food to the man. That's what dad says," Kankuro stated matter-of-factly.

Behind them, they heard small giggles. Both turned around to see Gaara chewing on a dango, laughing between bites. They were both scared beyond belief.

"Kankuro, if you're going to place an argument, at least make it intelligent," he said, smiling slightly to show his brother and sister he meant no harm.

"W-what? That was intelligent! I learned it from dad!"

"Just because that old man says it, doesn't make it intelligent. Think about it."

With these words, Gaara walked off, plateful of dango in hand. Temari and Kankuro watched in awe as their usually quiet and sort of scary little brother walked back up the stairs, a smirk on his face.

"What…was….that?" Temari said, still awestruck.

"Don't ask me!"

Gaara POV

Operation Freak out my Siblings has been completed. Now commencing Operation Make Kankuro wet Himself, Gaara thought, a devious grin on his face. Earlier that day, Gaara had made a point to steal some of Temari's old clothing and re-stitch them, making a rather ghastly pink and purple dress. He'd woven the leftover fabric into long, thick strings.

Gaara strutted downstairs, still amused by the looks on his brother and sister's faces. They were too busy staring at him to notice he held a small purple bag in his hand. When he reached the secondary staircase that lead to the first floor, he ominously slowed his pace and walked down the stairs, humming all the way.

When he was sure they were no longer watching him, he pulled two small wooden push-pins from his pocket and unlaced the bag he held. The two scrap-strings were taken out of the bag and placed on the wall, fastened with the two push-pins he made. He unlaced the bag further to reveal the pink and purple dress that would seal Kankuro's fate. Gaara tied the small ends of the cloth strings to the pink sleeves of the dress. Admiring his work ethic, he strolled back up the stairs, taking a banana from the counter and peeling it on the way back. After he finished, Gaara placed the peel just at the top of the staircase while eating the banana.

"Perfect," Gaara whispered. "I think Operation Make Kankuro wet Himself will go nicely, and just as planned."

The short redhead knocked on the side walls of the staircase. "Kankuro-niichan, could you come help me with Academy work?"

Hesitantly, Kankuro walked to the stairway ever so slowly. Gaara had never asked him for help, nor has he ever called him 'niichan', so naturally Kankuro was startled.

Five minutes passed, and Gaara was growing impatient. "Niichan, hurry up! I—ah! There's a rogue ninja in my room, help!" Gaara did his best imitation of a helpless child under attack by a spider.

Kankuro instantly hurried his pace, not bothering to remember the fact that his little brother could easily fend off the ninja by himself.

"Gaara, wha—!" The puppet master had no time to react before he slipped on a banana peel rather clumsily and cascaded down the stairs only to be lodged in a strange and uncomfortable piece of cloth that seemed to be hanging between the walls.

"What…happened?" Kankuro looked down to see himself in a dress that belonged on a Barbie doll instead of a person. He started fuming. "Gaara…"

Temari rushed over to the stairs to see what the racket was about. She took one look at her brother and literally keeled over laughing. "Kankuro…aha! You...you look like a…doll!" she said between laughs.

Gaara peeked around the corner, happy at the sight of his blushing brother and his hysterical sister. He couldn't help but chuckle slightly.

"Kankuro-niichan, if I were in danger, would I call for help so pathetically? And how would someone my age know a rogue ninja when I saw one?" Gaara tried to conceal the fact that he was technically twenty. "Though I do appreciate the genuine concern."

Kankuro continued to blush profusely, thoroughly embarrassed, while Temari was still engulfed in her fits of hysterical laughing. To Gaara, it was contagious.

Gaara walked back up the stairs and up the next flight, leaving his comical siblings behind.

The Jinchuuriki closed his bedroom door behind him, locking it as to ensure no intruders would be able to get in. He sat on his bed and let out a weary sigh as he remembered that he can't sleep because he's a Jinchuuriki again. Sleeping would open Shukaku's gates enough so he could take complete and utter control over his helpless body.

It was then that Gaara noticed the date.

"Yashamaru…" Gaara whispered. Today was the day that Yashamaru, Gaara's uncle, betrayed him. Or at least, that's what he'd thought. As it turns out, Yashamaru really did care for his nephew. Finding the truth of his uncle during the war between ninja and the Akatsuki, Gaara found his undying hate for his father rising at an alarming pace. Because of him, Gaara had to live a life consisting of spilt blood and anguish. But what could he do? He couldn't change the past…until now.

"I suppose it's worth a shot, now isn't it?"

The redhead left his bed and climbed out his window, using the cracks in the slab on the house as stepping stones to get him onto the roof. He sat in the same spot he did when Yashamaru snuck up on him with the intent to kill.

Sure enough, about twenty minutes after arrival on the roof, Gaara heard footsteps. Before, he couldn't hear anything because he was inexperienced at Shinobi arts. However, after refining his skills for nearly fifteen years, footsteps were easily detectable and traceable.

Slowly, Yashamaru began to step toward Gaara unsteadily.

Easy…wait a moment…just a little further…now. Gaara stood up, much to Yashamaru's surprise.

"Of all people to try and kill me, you're the one I least expected, uncle. Tell me, how long have you been planning this?"

Yashamaru, intrigued by the small boy's intelligence, responded at least a minute later. "Orders of the Kazekage."

"Surely it wasn't voluntary? You had no choice, right?" Gaara retained his monotone voice.

"I had a choice. It would be my honor to be the one to kill you."

When Gaara said nothing, Yashamaru continued. "Ever since you were born, I've wanted to kill you. You're the one who killed my dear sister, Karura. And for that, I hate you. She must've hated you as well, for she didn't name you out of love, she named you out of hatred of what you'd become."

Gaara held up his undersized hand, signaling to Yashamaru to stop there. When he turned around, Yashamaru couldn't contain a gasp. Gaara had a warm smile plastered on his face.

"One must always speak the truth, don't you know that? I can see right through it."

Yashamaru took a step back. "It's not a lie! I want to kill you!"

Gaara's grin just got wider. "Silly uncle Yashamaru. You didn't have any choice. You don't really want to kill me. This is all a test to see if I will break down and lose control. You don't want to disgrace my mother, yet you act on my father's orders to quite possible turn me into an emotional wreck. It's not going to happen."
Gaara took a step forward. "You love me, and you know it. Indeed, there was a time when I didn't know what love was, but thanks to a friend, I've figured it out," Gaara said, referring to Naruto's speech about how the people around him saved him from himself. "Thanks to him, I've learned to love Temari and Kankuro. And even you, Yashamaru."

Yashamaru fell to his knees. When did Gaara learn so much about the Kazekage's plans? Needless to say, this bugged him to no end. Gaara knelt beside him, smile still on his face.

"Deliver this message to my father: It is not the demon within that guides the flow, it is the spirit and will of another's soul that gives control."

After a while, Yashamaru nodded and leapt into the night, headed for the Kage tower.

Naruto…I hope your choice was the correct one.

Naruto POV Insert 2-Day Timeskip Here

Naruto had been traveling on foot to his best friend's village for two days now. He had wound up stripping off his shirt and arm warmers, leaving him in bindings and shorts. Still, the heat was almost too much for him. If it wasn't for Gaara, Temari, and Sasuke, he would've never thought of such a thing as traveling through a desert in winter-styled clothing.

The blonde felt his backpack again to see if it was melting because of the heat. Still solid…for now, he thought. Soon after leaving his village, Naruto traveled back, packing more than he did beforehand. He had added three canteens of water, a few Jutsu scrolls, and he'd even managed to steal the Scroll of Seals from the Kage tower. It'd get him into a lot of trouble, but it would be worth it. After all, it would make the fight between him and Pein much easier. The scroll was currently hanging on his back, just like Jiraiya wore his scroll.

I wonder what Gaara's chakra type is. I guess I'll have to ask him once I get out of this stupid desert. Much to Naruto's pleasure, he could see Suna's gates up ahead.

Judging by the distance, I'd take a gander that I'll be up there in about five minutes.

After thirty seconds, he couldn't take in any longer. He took Minato's old kunai and threw it as far as possible and Hiraishin-d to it multiple times, falling on his haunches more times than he'd like to tell. Needless to say, his rump was quite sore by the time he arrived at the gates.

I really have to work on that Jutsu, Naruto thought, slightly aggravated.

He looked up at the Suna gates, wondering what came next. It wasn't as if he could simply stroll in there with a backpack, a giant scroll, and suspicious clothing on. No, he'd have to be stealthier than that. Somehow, he'd have to use a transformation Jutsu to disguise himself. After a moment's thinking, Naruto had the perfect plan: sneak into Suna disguised as Temari to meet up with Gaara. He mentally face-palmed for not thinking this through too well. He formed the hand seal for the Jutsu, and instantly transformed into his future secret girlfriend, Temari.

It was always easier to transform into the younger Temari than the older because the younger didn't have the giant fan on her back all the time. She wouldn't obtain the weapon until after her Genin graduation.

I'll have to try out a weapon like that sometime. It may be of use to me later on.

'Temari' started off into Suna, trying to act as nonchalant as possible. There were some whispers about the fact that she had walked in through the gates without her team, but nothing too extreme.

Naruto remembered where Gaara lived, since he's been to Suna on numerous occasions for missions and such, so he easily recognized his home when he finally came across it.

Then arose another problem: how to get Gaara's attention without drawing attention to himself? He punched the wall, slightly cracking it. He really didn't think a lot of this through.

Suddenly, he remembered when Gaara's team and Naruto's team met together for a mission. Naruto had thrown a rock at him as a 'greeting'. Maybe something like that would work.

Naruto, being almost as lazy as Shikamaru, decided he would try out his newly discovered bloodline. He held his hand out in the direction of a small rock, focusing all his chakra to his hand. "Bansho Ten'in." With these words, the rock flew into Naruto's hand. He tossed it from his left hand to his right, whistling.

"I'm starting to like my Rinnegan here," he said quietly.

When he was nineteen, a mysterious bloodline crept up on him during his sleep. He ran to the mirror to see only his right eye had been affected by the bloodline. It was quite odd, with its purple tint and black circular lines, but somehow it made him feel more powerful. While he could not de-activate his right Rinnegan, he could switch the left Rinnegan on and off as if it were a light switch in his head. He only activated the left when it was absolutely and utterly needed.

He threw the pebble up to a window that said 'Gaara's Bedroom' all over it (A/N: Not really xD). With a single ting, the window was opened slowly to reveal a rather short redhead with pale green eyes and fair skin.

"Temari?" Gaara asked, totally confused.

"No, no, it's me, Naruto!" 'Temari' said from below.

Gaara's face lit up. "Naruto! I was wondering how long it would take you to get here. How many timed did you have to use Hiraishin, hm?"

"Once or twice…"

"…"

"Or maybe four or five."

"…"

"Six or seven?"

"…"

"Alright! I used Hiraishin seventeen times. Happy now?"

"Very. C'mon up here, I'm not going to bite. Plus, I've got a few things for you."

"Hey, I do too! Here, catch," Naruto replied, tossing Gaara one of Minato's kunai.

Gaara dropped the kunai on the floor just before Naruto was transported to it.

"That's a huge waste of chakra, Naruto."

"Yeah, yeah, I understand that. It's just so much fun, though!"

Naruto released his Jutsu, returning to his original form. Gaara studied him quite thoroughly, from his black shoes to the blonde hair that could be considered a solar flare.

"How is it that I'm taller than you at this point?" Gaara asked.

Naruto walked up to Gaara to compare heights. He seemed about three inches shorter than him. Naruto felt like crying.

Gaara merely laughed.

Naruto backed into a corner, sobbing. "I'm back to being the blonde midget, aren't I?"

"Yup."

Naruto promptly fell over, obviously unsatisfied with the answer he received. One word continued to run through his mind:

Dwarf.

And thus ends the first chapter. Hope y'all enjoyed that first chapter…it took me about an hour, so I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't ^^"

*Yes, that's a Higurashi no Naku Koro ni reference.

Always willing for suggestions on what to happen next, though I'll probably be updating very quickly.

For later plans in the story, Temari's weapon will NOT be a fan. I'm going to make her a water user to balance Naruto and Gaara out. Her weapon could either be a flute like Tayuya's or Senbon Needles like Kin. I'm still debating here…

Ciao! ~NaruIno367