Disclaimer: If you think Naruto belongs to me, you're sadly mistaken.

Alla Breve


I need you to understand. There are places between time, where even the smallest flea could become mightier than god. Where all things are possible, and at the same time – well, there is no time there, get it? But, things are possible and impossible there. Because, in the places in between time… there… those are the only places where you can meet time. Meet time?

A word of advice.

Don't.


Prologue : The Hellish Clock


Naruto lay in a field of flowers, attempting to get a rest from his training. He turned his deep blue eyes upward. No good, he decided, it's too sunny to sleep. He sat up slowly, brushing some stray pieces of grass from his unruly blonde hair. He had been training from sunup to sundown for two days now. Not that he was tired. He was sure that he wasn't tired. But still, he just wanted to sleep, and this place looked so peaceful.

Naruto looked around. Yes, this clearing in the forest was peaceful. A slow breeze meandered through the trees, softly brushing the grass - if only more of his days were like this. He hadn't realized just how good it could feel, just relaxing. No training, no worrying about a crazed Zabuza that could appear out of nowhere and kill him…

The mission to protect Tazuna had become much more complicated that Tazuna had originally claimed. He recalled that day, when, at the lake where Zabuza had ambushed his team. It had been one of the most frightening days of his life, but also the most thrilling. It had been exciting to fight against someone whom you knew was much better than you. It had also felt good, working together with Sasuke. Naruto frowned. That bastard had better not be hitting on Sakura. What was he thinking, leaving then alone like that! He should get going-

You're going to catch

a cold if you keep sitting

like that.

Naruto jumped. Not that he had been startled. After all, he was a ninja! He turned around. He could see nobody. Not good. Only another ninja would've been able to deflect his senses (at least, he hoped he could detect everyone but ninjas). His eyes darted from bush to tree. Where could this person be hiding?

And then she appeared.

He knew her, though he had never met her before. An ethereal beauty, so unworldly that Naruto instinctively knew – without doubt – that he should be afraid of her. Her eyes, a colour that defied description, seemed to pierce through the very fabric of his soul. Judging him.

A deep growl rose somewhere from inside him. Danger! He felt it – he was being weighed by some eerie scale, and he knew not where he stood.

Then she shifted. She didn't smile, didn't frown – but he understood that he had passed some test.

Hello. I see that you've changed Timeless one.

"Benzaiten?" Naruto whispered, dazedly.

You don't remember me. But,

in time, as always,

you will.

Then, as suddenly her appearance, she vanished.

Feeling oddly surreal, Naruto stumbled over to where she had stood –

Once, in a time, long away,

And saw what she had left behind. It was innocent-looking, unless viewed by experienced eyes. Naruto's eyes were not experienced, but he knew what he was holding – he should never have picked it up, it would kill kill killkillkillkill – and he knew, he knew…

The Broken Clockface.

There is a story. My story, you understand. You see, long ago – oh, so very long ago – there was a ninja. He wanted power. Power to stop evil, to do good. But he forgot (why did he forget?) that there were worse evils than those that could be stopped with time.


Fix it.

He had to fix it.

He sat in the old man's house (Tazuna, his mind supplied the name). Couldn't risk the weather damaging the clock. Memories that were his, yet couldn't possibly be, told him, with great urgency, that he had to repair the clockface. It was vitally important – why?

Time, you fool! You've broken time!

He ignored the voice in his head. Naruto's fingers worked deftly, smoothing over cracks with chakra, turning and twisting dials. He snapped pieces into place. Twisting and turning – wasn't that all he ever did?

Scaredy-cat, that was what he had called Sasuke. Yet he had never been so frightened in his life. Death, he could deal with. But this…

A loud smash startled him. Immediately, he was angry. If the clock had been damaged...

Who was responsible?

When two thugs burst into the room, Naruto killed them without thought. And even as Inari's frightened face peered anxiously at him, Naruto continued to work on the clock. He absently wiped off the blood from his hands onto his jacket. Couldn't slip up now.

He spared no thought to his team. That the thugs' appearance was significant did not escape him. Still, his hands worked feverishly. Some things were more important than others.

Don't slip up now.

And why, he wondered, were there tolling bells in the distance?

He wanted immortality, understand? Opened a box. Little music box, nothing big. Thought that if he did so, he'd never die.

He was wrong, y'know. He died a thousand times, but never stayed dead. Just like me.

Have you heard this story before?


It didn't take him very long. Naruto had done it a hundred thousand times before, after all. And there it sat, the clock – that hellish clock – so beguilingly innocent. A small, circular thing it was, face pristinely white, hands so dark that Naruto felt as though he was looking at the face of eternity itself.

Eternity? Not so long, boy.

All he had to do now… He held the clock tenderly, and slowly began to wind it. He grunted – it took all of his strength to turn the key.

If it were so easy to turn back the wheel, then the wheel would never be turned at all.

–click –

The winding was complete. And in front of Naruto's suddenly calm eyes, the clock started.

–tick –

And in that first second of eternity, Naruto remembered.

I had to beat him – he hurt too many people. But how? Once you find a path to immortality, no one else can use it. Listen, I did what I thought was best. Don't you fucking dare to judge me. He was too strong, I couldn't beat him. Too knowledgeable, too powerful, too much everything. What I needed, I thought, what I needed was…

Time.


AN: A few words of caution: time travel. Hopefully, with a twist, because Naruto sure as hell isn't going wait around scheming. He's got plans, and by god, he'll carry them out.

As always, read and review.