AN: This applies for the rest of the story. I do not own Naruto in any way, shape, or form.


Drip. Drip. Drip.

Naruto opened his eyes and sat up. He felt weak, far too weak. The orange-clad ninja took in his surroundings, only to find that he was surrounded by white. No matter where the blonde looked, white encompassed his vision. He narrowed his eyes, shielding them from the bright source until he could adjust to it. Where was he? Last time he remembered, he had been fighting someone. The man he was fighting had an orange mask that obscured his face, that is until Naruto had obliterated it with a well-placed Rasengan. The technique did no damage to the man, giving him was able to thrust his chakra-laced hand through Naruto's chest, effectively defeating him. Naruto couldn't believe he lost to an Uchiha.

"Madara!" Naruto yelled, piecing together the clues of his demise, lifting his torso off of the floor as he did so. The action did not come without a consequence, as pain ravaged Naruto's entire body, as if somebody was stabbing him with a thousand white-hot knives at every point on his being. The ninja tried to scream, but realized the process in taking oxygen only increased the pain ten-fold. It wasn't long before the immense pain subsided, replaced by a deep numbness, and Naruto was able to breath the sweet oxygen surrounding him.

"Hey, stupid. I just spent an hour making that, so don't destroy it all willy-nilly."

A great bolt of lightning struck the spot in front of Naruto, missing him by a few feet. Startled, the teenager jumped back and peered into the smoky abyss left by the strike. The pain accompanied by his last movements didn't reach him this time around. What he saw surprised him, and he fell onto his rear. The Shinigami itself had appeared in his mindscape. The tall, lanky figure strode towards him, it's long robes dragging like silk behind him. As it reached its destination, it leaned toward Naruto and closed the distance between the ninja's face and its own. Naruto closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable.

"Yo." it said, twisting its face into a smile. Naruto deadpanned.

"Hahaha!" Naruto stared at the figure as it chuckled, "The whole 'I'm going to suck out your soul' approach gets them every time."

Naruto stood up and inched towards the death god, weary of its presence.

"I suppose you're wondering why I'm here, correct?" Naruto nodded. "Well, to put it bluntly, you died."

A tick mark appeared on Naruto's forehead.

"However, I still require your assistance. The one called Uchiha Madara, I require his life to be terminated. You are to complete this goal sometime within your lifespan." it said lazily.

"...and how exactly am I supposed to do that? You said it yourself, I'm dead." Naruto replied, crossing his arms.

The Shinigami chuckled once more before it spoke, "Do you mortals forget that I control both life and death? I can give souls as well as take them."

"Then why do you need me to kill Madara? Why can't you just work your awesome god powers and kill him?"

"I can not take lives, only souls. And to do that, one must be dead."

"Some god you are..." Naruto muttered, earning a glare from the Shinigami, "...okay, so when can I get started? I know all of his tricks now, so it can't be too hard to kill the bastard."

"I'm sending you back to a time where you can change a couple of things, I have no doubt that you will make the right decisions this time around. Oh, and enjoy your new gift."

"...what do you mean a new gi-" Naruto was cut off as he was sucked into a vortex of blackness, the echoes of his yells died out not soon after.

"Let's hope you succeed, kiddo."


Beep. Beep. Beep.

Uzumaki Naruto woke with a start, opening his eyes only to shield them from the fluorescent white light that flooded the room he was in. The sound of beeping and the IV implanted in his arm led the blonde to the conclusion that he was currently in a hospital, one of his least favorite places. The memories of his conversation with the Shinigami still lingered in his mind. He groaned as he ran a hand through his hair, only to find that it had become shorter sometime between the last time he was awake.

'They must have cut it when I was admitted' Naruto thought, right before a rather loud yell broke the quite atmosphere.

"Hokage-sama! He's awake!"


Author's Notes: Forgive me fans, for this chapter was really short. As the story continues, the chapters will get bigger and bigger until they reach a length of around 5 pages in OpenOffice (woo free programs!) so be sure to be on the lookout for that. Also, please review, rate, and add this to your story alerts/favorites. You have no idea how awesome it feels when somebody does this, and it keeps me motivated to right more.

Until next time!

~Winduwaku