Hey guys! It's been a little over two months since I last uploaded something. I feel accomplished. That's a short amount of time for me. Yay! Plus, now you get to read more stuff! Yay!

Okay, this is actually going to be multi-chaptered, so, don't hate me for uploading chapters slowly because that's just what I do.

Now onto the serious stuff. This...is a weird story. And it can get kinda confusing. Let's see if I can explain this. So basically all of the characters that we know and love in the Naruto world are dead. You can make up your own death stories for each person or just assume that their world exploded and that was the end of them all; I don't care. All that matters is that there's no more Naruto world. Got it? Good. Okay, so now that that's covered, all of those characters have been reborn in our world. This story follows Naruto, who can't remember anyone or anything from the ninja world.

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, and if you're still here, enjoy the story.

Oh, I dont own anyone, except for the OCs that pop up randomly because, let's face it, Naruto isn't just surrounded by all of his ninja friends in this world.

Prologue

Naruto doesn't know who Sakura is. He doesn't know who Kiba, Ino, Shikamaru, or Hinata are either. He doesn't know a Gaara, a Temari, a Kankuro. He's never had a teacher called Iruka or a sensei named Kakashi. He's never met a Neji, Lee, or a Tenten. He's never felt threatened by the name Itachi, Deidara, Sasori or Hidan, He can't tell you what an Akatsuki, a Konoha, or a Suna are. The only drunk gambler he knows is the man down the hall and the only pervy sage he can think of is himself. He's never felt a burning hatred for the name Orochimaru or Kabuto or Madara. He can't even remember his supposed best friend: a boy with duck-butt hair and red eyes who went by the name of Sasuke.

Naruto can't remember what he's never known.

But he's had dreams. Dreams of a gray-haired man by the name of Mizuki telling him to steal something and him actually doing it. Dreams of sitting at a place known as Ichiraku's with the brunette man who only laughs as he orders his fifth bowl of ramen. Dreams of a Sakura, whose pink hair defies natural color and whose punch is deadly. Dreams of a Kiba, a Shikamaru, a Neji, and a Choji who would lay their very lives down for him. Dreams of a Gaara whose red hair is the color of blood and who knows nothing of love. He has dreams of leaving a village with a man who likes porn and frogs, though not necessarily together. He has dreams of kissing a raven-haired boy and getting pummeled for it later by a bunch of rabid girls.

He has nightmares too. Nightmares of having people chase him with sharp weapons and biting insults. Nightmares of a beloved Iruka-sensei nearly dying because he made a mistake. Nightmares where he'd watch Haku – who he swears is a girl – die for the assassin Zabuza. Nightmares where Gaara, that other demon boy, is trying to kill Sakura, where he almost kills Lee. He has nightmares where his teammates hold off the enemy, ready to fight until their very last breath. He has nightmares of losing that Sasuke boy, and when he wakes up his heart aches and his pillow is wet. But the ones that hurt the most are the ones where he wakes up in the hospital and he realizes that he's failed to bring Sasuke back.

Naruto doesn't know why these dreams hurt so much. He's never known any of those people or places. He doesn't know why he has the urge to buy instant ramen by the hundreds and make at least three a day; he doesn't even like ramen. He doesn't know why he's attracted to anything orange; he'd never wear it. He doesn't know why he has a strange obsession with foxes or why he's got a poster of one that he named Kyuubi. He doesn't know why he avoids most adults like the plague; nobody's abused him. He doesn't know why he pulls pranks; they're not funny and he doesn't need the attention. Naruto isn't sure why he's attracted to some things and avoids others but he figures it's all just part of what makes him Naruto.

Shikamaru

Naruto sighs and rests his head on his hand, staring at his teacher. The little old woman is going on and on about some Byzantine Empire and he realizes that he can only try so hard to tune her out before it's a lost cause. The boy in front of him – a thirteen-year-old genius – sighs and turns his head to stare out the window. "This is all so troublesome," the boy mutters. That sets off a twinge in Naruto's chest and he responds by throwing his friend's crumpled up homework at the back of the kid's head. The boy turns around and for a second it looks like he's about to tell the blonde off. Naruto's heart clenches as he gazes into those brown orbs and he wills himself not to look away first. But the boy shakes his head, faces front, and mutters, "Troublesome."

Naruto suddenly has the urge to yell, "Damnit, Shikamaru, stop saying that!" It's on the tip of his tongue trying to worm its way out of his mouth and he has to chomp down on his bottom lip to keep it inside. His heart pounds loud in his chest and it feels like he's suffocating. He's dizzy, lightheaded, and his vision is blurring. He thinks he might be crying. His knuckles are white from his grip on the desk and he comes to the conclusion that he's either going to pass out or let the words slip. He isn't sure which is worse.

"Holy shit, Naruto! What the hell are you doing?" Naruto is snapped out of his daze by his friend Zach, who is digging around in his backpack for a tissue. "Shit," the boy is chanting, but Naruto doesn't know why until he feels something drip onto his arm. He looks down, staring at that speck of red until another joins it. Zach shoves a tissue against his mouth and he finally realizes what's happened: he's bitten through his lip. "Shit, Naruto." Zach flings his hand in the air. "Teacher, I need to take him to the bathroom." Then he's up and tugging the blonde out of the classroom. "Shit, Naruto." The blonde looks back to the kid that sits in front of him. Those brown orbs are looking straight at him. 'Don't,' he thinks, and the boy smirks and turns his head.

"Shit." Zach dabs at Naruto's bottom lip with a wet paper towel. The blonde is sitting on the bathroom counter watching every move his friend makes. "Shit, Naruto."

"Shut up, Zach." Naruto's had enough. "I'm not dying. It's just a little blood." But he allows the boy to continue dabbing at his wound.

"What the hell, Naruto?" Zach finally snaps. "You know, I don't say anything about your daydreaming habits or when you skip school because you've had another nightmare. I don't criticize your spending money on orange jackets you never wear or your drawing that stupid fan thing over and over again before you burst into tears. I didn't even open my mouth when you got this ridiculous tattoo." Zach lifts up his shirt to reveal the spiral on his naval. "And I've never questioned why you avoid my parents – and your own parents! – like they're trying to kill you. But shit, Naruto, you're plunging off the edge, man." Zach runs his finger over Naruto's lip which has stopped bleeding.

Naruto pushes the boy's hand away and turns his head to the side. Blonde locks fall into his face. "It's that boy, Zach. I don't even know his name and he's driving me crazy. It's his stupid saying, that stupid, 'This is so troublesome.' It's so familiar to me but he's the only person I know who says it and I don't know him!"

Zach stares at the blonde for a long time. "Maybe-" But the bell cuts him off and Naruto jumps off the counter.

"I need to get my stuff," he mumbles, pushing open the bathroom door and disappearing into the crowd. He is jostled along by the other kids, ignoring them bumping against him or hitting him with their bags. A hand latches onto his arm and jerks him over to the side, next to the lockers and away from everyone.

"This is yours." His green book bag is shoved into his arms as he stares into chocolate brown eyes.

"It wasn't too troublesome for you?" the blonde jokes but his throat tightens and he has the sudden urge to cry.

"No." Those brown eyes are now dark and serious. "Naruto," the boy says, and the teen hates the way his name spills from those lips. "Naruto, I would lay down my life for you." And then the boy is gone, swept away into the crowd. Naruto stands there, confused, and the late bell rings but it sounds so far away to his ears. He sinks to the ground and buries his face in his hands.

And that's the first chapter to my new story! I hope you enjoyed it, and, if you're curious about where this is going and who he'll meet next, then subscribe and find out soon!

Oh, and, leave a review telling me how you feel about the story or how I can improve it. Sorry for any mistakes I made.

Have a good day!