Crystal Requiem: The Pendulum of Time
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After defeating Orochimaru and the Akatsuki at a great personal cost, Naruto turns 18 and he unexpectedly receives a Legacy: a second chance. Tossed back to his 6 year old self's timeline, what would the Kyuubi vessel change with new allies? NaruHina
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Fandom: Naruto
Main Relationship Focus: Uzumaki Naruto/Hyuuga Hinata
Genres: Action/Adventure, Friendship, Romance, Drama & Suspense
Rating: M; for violence, sex and language
Length: Epic
Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me except for the plot and a few original characters;.
Dedicated to: D-Chan3
A/N: A time travel fic! I've always wanted to do something like that, it was either Harry Potter or Naruto and since time-travelling in the Harry Potter verse is way too overdone, I decided to do it the Naruto way! Dattebayo!
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I: This Time Round
Naruto drove Kage Tenshi, his black and silver katana into the Leader's chest and twisted, spraying blood onto his rage-contorted face. Blood red cat-like eyes with golden slits for pupils burned with an anger comparable to the fires found in the deepest pits of Hell.
"Fuck you and I hope you like Hell because you're going to be there for quite a long time." Naruto narrowed his eyes and channeled his Youkai chakra into the blade, causing it to glow a demonic crimson.
"AAAARRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!" The infamous Leader of the Akatsuki screamed in pain as the searing hot blade burned his wound and added poison. Naruto held on and then the once-powerful man went completely still. Decapitating the corpse cleanly with a swift arc, Naruto closed his eyes and dropped onto his knees. Then the tears started, as the pearly liquid coursed down his cheeks and he whispered.
"Finally, I've completed avenging for everyone single one of you. You can all rest in peace now." Out of the generation that Naruto was in, only the Jinchuuriki survived. In fact, most of the people he knew were either taken out during a mission or assassinated by various members of the Akatsuki. Then the scent of his own blood hit his sensitive nose and he looked down, there was a gaping chest wound exactly where his Chidori scar was. Seeing his scar again reminded him of his deceased best friend.
Heh, teme, I guess I'll be seeing you in the afterlife…
Slowly those pure blue eyes started closing on their own accord as exhaustion washed over him, Naruto smiled softly as his vision dimmed out slowly but just before he completely surrendered to the tempting darkness, the young shinobi heard a pleasant tinkling melody that reminded him of crystals…
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Naruto's eyes fluttered opened as sunlight poured into the window and the blonde sat up and rubbed his eyes tiredly. Then his eyes flew opened, where were his calluses? Naruto stared at his hand and found them three times too small.
What the fuck?
The blonde scrambled to his feet and ran to the mirror, and then he realized that he was back into his old apartment. Oh Kami-sama, was he in a Genjutsu? Concentration in dispelling the Genjutsu, Naruto realized that he could not gather the amount of chakra he wanted perfectly.
What's going on?
When he reached the mirror, Naruto stared at his reflection. To be more accurate, his six-year old reflection and the small blonde screamed.
"HOLY SHIT!!!"
Birds scattered in the far distance at the unexpected verbal explosion as Naruto peered with a suspicious eye into the mirror while tugging and pulling at his face. Then the blonde sighed and looked at his ceiling before speaking.
"What on earth? You send me back in time after I spent so much time killing off that Snake Bastard and the Akatsuki? You really must hate me…" The Jinchuuriki pouted and then another thought occurred to him.
"This also means that I have a second go at things…" With widening blue eyes, Naruto dressed as quickly as he possibly could and ran out of his apartment with a speed that would put the best Jounins to shame.
"Sarutobi-jiji!" Naruto burst out after slamming the mahogany door open. The Sandaime Hokage widened his eyes as his arms were suddenly full of a blonde.
"Naruto, what's the problem?"
"I haven't seen you in ages!!!" Sarutobi frowned and raised an eyebrow.
"You just saw me yesterday, what exactly are you talking about? Naruto inwardly widened his eyes and then hastily tried to cover his slip. Damn it, if I get anymore careless, then my time traveling will be known… and I can't freaking have that happening!
"Haha, jiji, you know me, one hour could seem like a day…" The Hokage peered at him suspiciously but at the last moment, the old shinobi seemed to accept the excuse. Naruto released the breath that he had unconsciously held as he gave the other man a blinding smile.
Thank Kami-sama, at least old man is still safe, which means I can prevent that Snake Bastard from pushing him into sacrificing his life…
As the Hokage started talking about his duties around the village, Naruto smiled sadly. The Sandaime should be enjoying his retirement but here he was, in the Hokage office, worrying about the safety of the village and its people.
"And so we should all be united and – Naruto, are you okay?" Sarutobi frowned as the little blonde child did not start chattering his butt off. And that smile on his face was extremely out of place, it was filled with melancholic longing and sorrow, as if the child had experienced some unspeakable trauma and loss. In all, that smile was extremely adult-like and that pure cerulean gaze signaled someone much older than the little youngster appears to be.
"Hmmh? Yeah, I am okay, just tired." Naruto waved off the Hokage's concern with an amused but sorrowful look. Sarutobi was really worried now.
"You sure you're okay? I mean, you could be running a fever…" Then the Hokage's hand shot out to feel Naruto's forehead when the little guy smiled before dunking just in time. Sarutobi blinked, that was fast…
"Maaa, old man, I'm okay. I'll see you later, okay?" With that, the blonde became a blur once the little boy hopped out of the window. Sarutobi frowned as he replayed what happened in that recent encounter with the young Jinchuuriki. The child did not seem to be himself today; in fact, it felt as though the demon vessel literally matured overnight and that was as close as the mind-boggling truth as he could get.
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"Okay, let's see whether my Shinrigan still works or not." Having holed himself up in a secluded Jounin training ground, the eighteen year old started to explore what he could actually do in his miniature self's body. Closing his eyes and concentrating, Naruto opened his blue gaze to reveal startlingly beautiful silver swirls in them. His vision was filled with objects that had a soft, shimmering gold outline and that signaled pure, complete truth. Shinrigan was also known as the Eye of Truth, and ran in the Kazuma Clan. Naruto awakened his bloodline limit when he was sixteen and it had saved his life from time to time.
"Itai!" A burning pain seared through his irises and Naruto went onto his knees from the pain. Naruto sighed, even though he could activate his bloodline limit, he couldn't use it for long and in that case, the rest of his advanced Jutsus will be unusable too, until his chakra control and capacity increases. Sighing, Naruto pouted but then he realized that he had to carefully plan his altering. Back in his apartment, Naruto cooked himself three packets of instant ramen while sieving through his memories as he wrote them down in his notebook.
8 AK
June 22: Uchiha Massacre (Unpreventable but will go there)
12 AK
October 15: Academy Graduation
October 15: The Theft of the Forbidden Scrolls
13AK
March April: Tazuna Mission (Prevent Haku and Zabuza from getting killed)
July 1: Chuunin Exams Starts
July 3: Orochimaru's attack, Sasuke obtains the Cursed Seal (MUST PREVENT)
August 6: Hataye's Death, killed by Baki (MUST PREVENT)
August 11: Orochimaru and Old Man's battle (MUST PREVENT)
August 27: Itachi and Kisame arrive at Konoha (Unpreventable)
Awakened Abilities
Shinrigan
Must Do-s:
Contact with Kyuubi
Increase Chakra control
Get closer to Sasuke
Get Father's Inheritance
Start training
Meet
Gaara
Pass Jounin Exams by next year
Satisfied temporarily with his makeshift list, Naruto closed his notebook and started meditating. The blonde's mind was a swirl of black and red and Naruto found himself standing in front of a cage.
"Hey, Kyuubi." Demonically glowing crimson eyes snapped opened to look at the person who woke up him and immense waves of killing intent rolled off the legendarily powerful Nine-tailed Fox Demon.
"Stop the whole killing intent thing, it's getting old already." Surprised, the Kyuubi peered out of the shadows to reveal a beautiful golden and red gigantic fox that moved with precision, elegance and radiated raw power.
"What do you mean getting old already? As far as I am concerned, this is the first time that we've actually met." Naruto chuckled, and the fox was intrigued by this interestingly mature six year old mental apparition of his jailer.
"I hail from the future; I was supposed to be death after finishing off a bunch of maniacal wannabes who wanted to take over the world by sucking out the Demons of each of their Jinchuuriki." The Demon nodded, to him, time travelling was not unheard of.
"You know, you could turn into your human form, the conditions in that cage are up to you to decide." Now, the fox was really intrigued and he heeded the little blonde's advice. The menacing crimson orbs turned a soft golden that glittered knowingly and the large demonic form morphed into a slender, lithe body belonging to a graceful young adult. Finally the humanoid was complete with face that had an extreme handsomeness bordering on loveliness and his canines elongated noticeably to give the gorgeous man a dangerous edge. All together, the man was a sight to behold.
"Amazing, so was I on good terms with you in the other timeline?" To his surprise, Naruto shook his head. Kyuubi cocked his head to a side; perhaps his other manifestation was unaware of the potential of this little blonde gaki.
"Nah, he and I had an agreement not to talk to each other unless absolutely necessary but he was a good teacher. He realized that he was going to be locked in me forever, so he might as well impart his knowledge to me, so that I can be great, well, that was according to him." Kyuubi nodded, understanding his other manifestation's reasoning.
"So what do you want from me? It must be important if you're desperate enough to initiate premature contact with me." Naruto nodded, not doubting the demon's intelligence for a second
"I need to merge our chakras together." Kyuubi widened his eyes and frowned.
"Has time travelling messed up your head? Merge our chakras together? Both of us will die if we fail to complete the ritual." Naruto nodded but he replied in a chillingly, foreboding voice that gave away his true mental age.
"So will we if we don't do the ritual because of the disruptions that our chakras cause as they clash for dominance will ultimately kill me, and killing you in the process of me dying. So what do you say?" Hardened cerulean orbs trained unflinchingly on the demonic being's golden ones and finally, after a tension filled moment, the fox answered.
"Alright, I'll agree to do it. But I'll take care of the ritual." The blonde nodded, it was not like he knew how to do that particular ritual anyways.
"Prepare yourself for the pain." Then Naruto woke up from his meditative trance and then the blinding pain began, the seal began glowing and burning painfully. The boy clenched and gritted his teeth against the pain and to prevent himself against screaming outright from the mind-numbing pain. A reddish glow then outlined his body as beads of sweat rolled down the blonde's forehead.
"Shit… this…fucking…hurts…" Naruto gritted out as he longed to scream.
"Just a little while longer, be strong, Kit." Naruto nodded weakly and clenched his fists, squeezed his eyes shut. As quickly as it began, the pain stopped and the blonde six year old collapsed onto his futon from plain exhaustion. Then Kyuubi's voice rang out in his head.
"Go and take a look at yourself in the mirror."The tired blonde crawled to the mirror and when he saw his own reflection, Naruto gasped. His golden locks were now streaked with the same dark auburn that Kyuubi had, the whisker-like marks on his cheeks were now thinner, longer black pronounced strokes that had precision, and then he took a look at his hands and legs, the nails were as hard and sharp as diamond. All together, Naruto looked ferally cool. Kyuubi chuckled darkly in his head as he said.
"Well, you're half Youkai now but it's a mystery why your eyes did not turn." It was now Naruto's turn to chuckle and he explained.
"I have the Shinrigan, so I think the bloodline limit did not permit that particular change because it might affect the ability." Satisfied with the explanation, the Kyuubi yawned and said.
"Well, that damned ritual took quite a lot me, so I am going to take a nap. And go tell the Old Man that you are going to take that Jounin examination that you had in your mind, you'll pass without as much as lifting a finger."
"Not now, the Jounin examination isn't until half a year later…"
"Very well, that's fine with me too because that gives you more time to finish some evil schemes I saw in your mind after the merge." Naruto snickered and nodded, the Kyuubi's presence in his mind was gone.
"Now it's time to put on the heat."
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"Ne, nee-chan, where are we going?" A beautiful boy with hair the colour of flames and sparkling eyes of amber bounced happily as he faced another beautiful child with long hair of pure snow and eyes of quicksilver. The snow child turned her frost-like eyes onto her twin and answered.
"Akihiko, we're going back to Konoha." Her twin, younger than her by twelve minutes, nodded and then asked another question.
"Yukiko-nee, why?"
"Because we're going home." Akihiko nodded fervently, believing his twin completely. Yukiko smiled softly at her spirited brother who beamed back brightly. The six-year old flame-haired boy was the only light burning in the icy, monotonous life that Yukiko had known since her birth. As long as the girl could remember, it was only the two of them together and she had sacrificed her childhood in order to allow her brother to keep his. Akihiko meant bright prince and he was indeed hers.
The pair arrived at the Great Gates of Konoha, which was a majestic and intimidating sight. It was said that the Shodaime had summoned forth the wooden icons from the ground and that the Gates had a thickness of a house and the hardness of a diamond. It was rumored that it took several taijutsu masters to open and close the Gates daily.
"Stop!" Yukiko turned her icy gaze onto the ANBU who had a wolf-mask on. The ANBU felt a shiver go down his spine when the little girl stared at him with those eerie silver orbs. That girl could not be older than six and yet she had that gaze that could bring down ANBUs with a glance.
"Hello, ANBU-san!" A cheerful little boy smiled jovially and the icy girl inclined her head regally. The ANBU found himself gulping, the pair was obviously twins but the degree of difference was frightening.
"Please state your business and show your ID." Then those quicksilver orbs turned completely icy. The girl got out a letter and said with a manner that did not match her apparent age.
"I have a letter that I have to hand directly to the Sandaime and as for our ID; I think this would be sufficient." The little child loosened her black kimono's sash and pulled down the left sleeve to reveal a shoulder. On that shoulder was the customary ANBU tattoo. Then everything clicked: hair of snow, eyes of metal and accompanied by a flame. The ANBU bowed deeply with respect as he greeted with a voice filled with awe and fear.
"Gomennasai, Yukiko-sama. Please pass."
"Thank you and just a little word of caution, my brother and I did not enter Konoha at all. Is that clear?" The ANBU gulped and nodded as he felt the almost overwhelming killing intent roll off the little body in enormous waves.
"Ha… hai." With another impassive nod, the girl refastened her attire before grabbing her brother's hand carefully and led him into Konohagakure. The ANBU member shivered as the pair left his vicinity.
Kirihara Yukiko, the youngest ever person to become an ANBU member, beating Uchiha Itachi's previous record by seven years when she was officially initiated into the ANBU circle at the mere age of six. Rumor as it that the child was thoroughly merciless and ruthlessly swift with her now famed double Wakizashis, the Kage no Youkai Taichi.
The Shadow Demons.
What a fitting name for the pair of deadly blades which were so fast that it was said to be lucky for an opponent to see their shadows before they struck. The ANBU shivered again and sought to clear his mind as he tried to focus on his gate-guarding duty.
Yukiko frowned at the fact that she was forced to give up that piece of her identity, while she was walking to the Hokage's office. The girl stopped suddenly, bewildering her twin.
"Nee-chan…"
"Aki, please keep quiet." At that request, the little boy kept his mouth shut, knowing better than to disobey his sister. Closing her eyes, Yukiko spoke up wryly.
"You can come out now." A rustle of leaves confirmed a presence and a tall young adult made his presence known as he jumped off a tree branch. Silver-haired and one-eyed, Yukiko knew who was in front of her immediately.
"Hatake Kakashi."
"Kirihara Yukiko." The Copy-Cat Nin nodded in greeting.
"Kaka-nii!" The little redheaded boy bounded into the older boy's arms happily, Kakashi chuckled at the flame-haired boy's adorable antics. Too bad his sister was not like him.
"Hello, Akihiko-kun." His lone eye curved and Akihiko giggled.
"What are you doing here, Hatake?" Yukiko asked calmly.
The calm before the storm, thought Kakashi, before he answered.
"I am here to escort both of you to the Hokage's office, under the direct orders of the Sandaime himself." Yukiko stared right into the eye of the Jounin squadron leader, trying to detect the merest hint of a lie but she could not find any. Either he was a damned good liar or he was just telling the truth.
"Fine, let's go." The trio then made their way to the Hokage office and Kakashi tried to make conversation with the famed Ice Queen herself.
"So what have you been doing after you left the ANBU?"
"Missions."
"What missions?"
"Assassinations."
"Really?"
"Yes."
Soon, Kakashi gave up because the girl was even less talkative than he himself was. Rolling his eyes, the shinobi took out an orange novel and started reading.
"Ne, Kaka-nii, what are you reading?" Kakashi looked down into the innocent amber depths of the young boy and was about to start explaining when the ANBU member felt a tremendous amount of killing intent beside him. Kakashi turned to his left and saw the murderous glint in the young girl's eyes and gulped.
"Er…hehe… some grown up things," and just his luck, that statement only made the young boy even more curious as Akihiko tilted his head to one side and asked adorably.
"Eh? What grown up things?"
"Er…that's… er… well… erm… –" Kakashi proceeded to kick himself inwardly as he struggled to get himself out of this mess until Yukiko decided to step in.
"Aki, we're here at the Hokage tower, let's go see the Sandaime-jiji." At the mention of the old man, Aki cheered and clapped joyfully because the Sandaime usually equated to sweets.
"JIJI!!!" Sarutobi whirled around only to find himself once again holding an armful of a bubbly redhead with golden eyes.
"Akihiko?"
"YAY! JIJI REMEMBERS ME!!!" Sarutobi smiled fondly, and Akihiko's presence usually means that Yukiko is here too. Sure enough, the old man saw the young ex-ANBU leaning against the wall, training her eerie gaze on him.
"Ohayo, Hokage-sama." Sarutobi smiled grandfatherly and asked out of concern.
"Yukiko-chan, how have you been?"
"As well as life allows us." Curt and cold, Sarutobi sighed inwardly.
"I have brought you what you wanted." Yukiko flung the letter at the Sandaime who caught it swiftly and when he opened it and took a quick browse, he nodded.
"Excellent and this is the pay for your last six S-Class missions." Sandaime handed the young blonde girl an envelope.
"It's a check for six million ryos." Yukiko nodded curtly and took the envelope. Kakashi bulged at the amount, six million and six S-Class missions? How bloody powerful was Yukiko?!
"You've got a penthouse in the Jounin housing area, I trust you and Akihiko-kun would be comfortable?" Yukiko nodded and said her thanks.
"Akihiko-kun, here, have some candy." The young boy beamed brightly and hugged the old man around his waist before departing with his sister to check out their new housing quarters. Before Yukiko left, she turned to Kakashi and said.
"Thanks for escorting us, and I guess we will be seeing you around soon." Akihiko waved cheerfully before disappearing in the Jutsu that the younger girl performed. Kakashi was stunned, could it be that the Ice Queen was melting?
"Hokage-sama, did I hear it right? Six S-Class missions?" Sarutobi merely nodded sadly.
"Top secret assassinations," Kakashi nodded slowly as he realized that he was quite the fortunate person when compared to the young girl, at least he got to enjoy part of his childhood.
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"WA!!! Nee-chan, this house is REEEAAAALLLLYYY BIG!" Yukiko chuckled as the redheaded boy ran around their new house. To Sarutobi's credit, the house was furnished before they were given the keys. The décor colours consisted of soothing and elegant cream tones that even Yukiko cannot argue with. There were ten bedrooms, a large dojo, a pool and a playroom for her brother. The girl was thinking of converting one of those spacious bedrooms into a study for herself and another into a combined library archive.
"Yes, yes. Aki, calm down. After you're done with running around the house, we are going out get some food okay?" Akihiko nodded and stopped running in favour of getting some food.
"So what do you want to eat?"
"RAMEN!"
Yukiko rolled her eyes but complied nonetheless.
"Alright, but that's it for the week." Akihiko pouted but the girl stood firm, being subjected to her brother's infamous puppy dog eyes have rendered her immune to its charms.
"No, end of discussion. If you eat too much ramen, all the MSG will make you short and do you want to be short when you grow up?" At that explanation, the young boy quickly recoiled and shook his head.
"Okay, once a week is fine!" Yukiko smiled and said.
"Let's go." Both Kiriharas performed the teleportation jutsu and the pair found themselves at the playground where something distasteful was happening: a bunch of young girls around her age was bullying a girl. Akihiko saw it too and pulled his sister's kimono sleeve.
"Nee-chan…" Yukiko looked at her brother and nodded.
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"Hey, Forehead, did you build that sandcastle with your ginormous forehead?" The pug-like girl sneered and the girls surrounded her laughed shrilly while the pink-haired girl sniffed as tears collected in her eyes.
"Aw… poor Sakura-chan, did I make you cry?" The little girl sitting in the sandy area nodded pitifully but the girls decided to twist the knife in further.
"Well, that's because you deserve it for being so ugly!" This time, tears actually coursed down her cheeks as her green eyes sparkled with ill-concealed hurt. The standing girls closed in and Sakura squeezed her eyes shut, preparing herself for the beating.
"Then I guess the rest of you deserve worse for being even uglier." A cool, crisp voice rang out and the gang turned around to see the most beautiful girl they have ever seen in their lives. Pretty long blonde hair that reminded them of fresh snow, big silver eyes and smooth pale skin. To all of the girls, the stranger looked exactly like a fairytale princess with an elegant white kimono.
"Hello!" The pug-like leader ignored the prior comment and immediately went up to talk to the pretty new girl; Sakura wished that she was more like her.
"You're so pretty, can we be your friends? My name is Satou Asuka, pleased to meet you!" Asuka gave the girl a sweet smile that made Sakura's skin crawl, instead of smiling and agreeing, the pretty girl merely gave the brunette girl a cold look and said.
"No."
"What?" Asuka was stunned, no one ever said no to her!
"Didn't you just hear what I said? I said no." Then the girl walked to Sakura, who could not believe her eyes as the princess came closer. Then the pretty blonde girl helped her up and asked.
"Are you alright?" Unable to speak, Sakura could only nod dumbly. Asuka's face went red with embarrassment and anger as she spluttered.
"You want to be friends with this… this ugly freak… than to be friends with us?" The princess looked like she was considering it and a smug smirk grew on Asuka's face.
"Yes, I would rather be friends with this freak than to be friends with you people because to be honest, all of you are even uglier freaks." All colour drained from the pug-like girl's face and she ran off crying in humiliation. The rest of the gang gave the new girl scared glances before running off.
"Ano… my name is Haruno Sakura and thank you for just now." The pretty girl merely nodded and then a redheaded boy came running over to her. Sakura took a closer look and realized that the pair was twins.
"Sugoi!" Then the cute boy turned his beautiful golden eyes on Sakura, causing the girl to blush slightly.
"Hello, my name is Kirihara Akihiko! Pleased to meet you!" An adorable smile was plastered onto the boy's face and Sakura could feel her heart beating faster. Then the pretty girl introduced herself.
"I'm Kirihara Yukiko."
"I'm Haruno Sakura, thank you again!" Sakura bowed as deeply as her six year old body allowed her and Yukiko waved it off.
"It's nothing besides; I bet those girls deserve it." Akihiko nodded enthusiastically and Sakura smiled shyly.
"Ne, I don't think Sakura-chan's ugly, I think she's really pretty!" This time, Sakura blushed ferociously as the boy tilted his head to his left while staring at Sakura's face. Yukiko chuckled and offered, surprising her brother and herself.
"Do you want to have dinner with us?" Akihiko nodded again, smiling brilliantly. Sakura blushed again and answered coyly.
"Well, I've got to ask Okaa-san first, so can we stop by my house first?" Yukiko nodded and soon, the newly formed trio reached the Haruno residence.
"Okaa-san, I met some new friends today and may I go out with them for dinner? I promise to be back by nine." Haruno Akaya was pleasantly surprised when her young daughter said that she wanted to go out with friends because Sakura never mentioned anything about having any friends. Curious, Akaya nodded but she said.
"Alright, but I want to see those friends first." Sakura nodded and she invited the pair of new friends she made. Akaya gasped when she saw her daughter's new friends. The twins were ethereally beautiful, the girl in the simple white kimono reminded her of pure snow while the boy in the crimson yukata reminded her of fire.
"Ohayo, Haruno-san. I am Kirihara Yukiko, pleased to meet you." The girl bowed politely, looking every bit of a delicate porcelain doll with her pale coloring.
"Ohayo, Haruno-san! My name's Kirihara Akihiko and we're friends of Sakura-chan. Could we please bring her out for dinner tonight?" The boy was adorable and he had already wormed his way into her heart with that brilliant smile. Akaya smiled and nodded to Sakura, who beamed happily.
"I'll see you at nine, okay?" Sakura nodded and Akaya kissed her only daughter on the forehead before returning to the kitchen.
"Alright, I'm ready." The twins nodded and Akihiko laced his hands with Yukiko and Sakura on either side, Yukiko merely accepted without another word while Sakura blushed all the way to the restaurant. Ichiraku Ramen Bar was a pleasant little place with a smattering of people in the restaurant. A pretty teenaged girl with long black hair and warm hazel orbs welcomed the trio into the ramen restaurant.
"Hello, little ones, would you like a table?"
"Yes please." Yukiko's crisp voice surprised her but the waitress did not hesitate in getting the three children a table. Akihiko clapped in glee when the girl handed him the menu, causing the teenaged girl to smile at the adorable antics.
"I'll have a miso ramen." Yukiko quickly decided and the waitress jotted it down.
"Could I have one too?" Sakura asked meekly and the waitress smiled kindly, jotting down the order too.
"I'll have a beef ramen, pork ramen and miso ramen!" Sakura's eyes widened at the amount of food the small boy order, and so did the waitress but she jot the smiling boy's orders down.
"Ramen is a delicacy that should not be wasted!" Akihiko declared passionately and then the trio heard an amused chuckled. Then they turned around to see a small boy around their age with blonde and red spikes for hair and really blue eyes smiling at them.
"Well said!" Akihiko then giggled and nodded. Yukiko then realized that Sakura was whimpering at the stranger and she asked.
"Sakura, what's wrong?" The girl turned fearful green eyes to face her and answered.
"Okaa-san said that the boy was trouble and that I should not go near him because he's jinxed." Akihiko frowned.
"No, he's not. I can feel it, he's a nice person." The blonde boy widened his eyes in surprise as he registered what Akihiko just said. Yukiko shrugged and added.
"If Akihiko says so, then he is." Akihiko grinned at his sister and Sakura, not wanting to be left out, nodded hesitantly. Yukiko frowned inwardly; this boy was extremely powerful with an aura that cackled with raw chakra and had two different colours. Then the blonde girl's eyes flew open with recognition, the vessel of the Kyuubi no Kitsune! But she sensed no malice so she decided to give the young boy the benefit of the doubt, besides, Akihiko said that he was a nice person and her brother's instincts never lied.
"My name's Uzumaki Naruto, may I sit with you guys?" No one objected and the blonde gave them a soft smile which Akihiko returned with a blinding one of his.
"Oji-san! My usual!" The cook looked surprised when he saw Naruto sitting with a bunch of kids.
"Alright, and kids, the ramen that you ordered today, it's on the house." The cook smiled as Akihiko and Naruto cheered while Sakura smiled coyly. Yukiko and Naruto finished rather quickly and then the icy girl sent Naruto a look that clearly meant business.
"Akihiko, I'll just be out for a while, okay? You stay here with Sakura and keep her safe okay?" Akihiko puffed out his chest as he nodded solemnly.
"Leave it to me to protect Sakura-chan!" Yukiko smiled indulgently, lighting up her already beautiful features even more. Then the demon vessel and the ex-ANBU found a secluded corner in the streets to talk.
"You're the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune." To her surprise, the boy did not deny it; he merely nodded calmly.
"You are unusual too, having such large charka reserves for a six year old." Yukiko smiled coldly and then the Kyuubi vessel returned the smile.
"Hey, Kit, ask her who her enemies are. To train oneself to attain such a level at the mere age of six, there must be some motivation there." Kyuubi's voice rang out expectedly.
"Who are your enemies?" Naruto asked and Yukiko found no reason to not tell him.
"Orochimaru and the Akatsuki." The boy found himself smiling ferally as he trained his startling azure gaze on her eerie quicksilver one.
"What a coincidence." Yukiko smirked as she assessed the boy before her. Intelligence, check. Charisma, check. Raw power, check. Skills, probably not but what they had was time. Molten silver eyes glinted with deviousness as she offered.
"Allies?"
"Excellent catch, Kit."
"Allies." Right now, both the six year olds made a scarily Machiavellian picture with the devious glee dancing in their eyes. And as they shook hands, the pair unknowingly agreed on a partnership that would be legend in the history books.
§
Earlier that day…
Naruto was walking through the streets while wearing a hood and he turned towards the playground area when he saw a familiar figure sitting on the swings. Widening his eyes and pulling down his hood, Naruto ran towards the person and hugged the girl who froze in plain shock.
"An…ano…do… I… I…kn…know… who…you…are? Naruto paused before scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.
"Ah… sorry… I guess I got carried away, I though you were someone I knew." Hinata blushed and replied.
"It's… ok…" Sheesh! Could he be any stupider? He's six for god's sake and he only got to know Hinata from their Academy days which were two years away.
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto and now you know me!" Hinata blushed again. The Hinata from his previous timeline was murdered by Uchiha Itachi in retaliation for killing Hoshigaki Kisame. His fiancée had been with child when she was brutally tortured to death with Itachi's Tsukiyomi and now he had a second chance.
"Hello…Uzumaki-san. My… my name's Hyuuga…Hin…Hinata." Naruto smiled fondly and the girl blushed once more.
"Call me Naruto, Hinata-chan." The Hyuuga heiress widened her lavender Byakugan eyes when she was addressed so familiarly.
"Hai… Naruto-kun…" Hinata felt a warmness in her chest where her heart was situation and for the first time in months, after her mother's death from a terminal disease, the young Hyuuga smiled with sincerity. Naruto returned the smile and offered her his hand.
"So, do you want to go play with me?" Without a moment's hesitation, Hinata placed her dainty hand into his tanned one and nodded.
"Let's…go…" Naruto grinned and the pair walked hand in hand to the small forest clearing where Naruto used to spend his childhood alone. But this time, it seems like that was no longer a reality.
I swear it, that I'll protect you this time without fail…
§
Sakura was confused, the blonde boy, Naruto was supposed to be trouble but he was nothing but nice to her during the dinner that she had shared with Yukiko and Akihiko. The little pink haired girl furrowed her brows as she thought deeply.
Why? Naruto-kun was so nice, he even joked with her and yet the people in the village hate him, why?"
Then Sakura realized something, Naruto-kun was different, that's why the people were mean to him. Just like Asuka and the girls, just because she had a larger forehead than them doesn't mean that she was evil. Naruto-kun was special and so she was not going to hate him like the rest of the people because Sakura knew that Naruto-kun was a good friend that will never ever hurt her. Just like what Akihiko-kun said, Naruto-kun was a nice boy. Then Sakura made the most important decision in her life right there and then.
I am going to be a shinobi because I want to protect the people that I care for, including Naruto-kun…
§
Meet me on top of the Hokage Monument at sunrise.
Y.
Naruto read the note and grinned, he looked forward in sparring with the fellow six year old. Naruto pulled out a classified file he had nicked from the ANBU headquarters.
Kirihara Yukiko
Registration Number: 250510
Age: 6
Status: Living
Ninja Rank: Jounin, ex-ANBU
D.O.B: 31st December 0 AK
Gender: Female
Height: 3ft 6 inches
Weight: 45 pounds
Blood Type: O
Affiliation: Konohagakure
Student of: Sarutobi Ryoichi
Family: Kirihara Akihiko (twin)
Bloodline Limit: Ice
Specialties: All-rounder
Mission Statistics: 11 S-Class, 57 A-Class, 24 B-Class
Mission Record: All successful.
ANBU Ranking: 5th
Chakra
Reading: 3845
Background Information: Kirihara is the daughter of Kirihara Hikari, who died during childbirth. With her younger twin, Yukiko was found on the doorstep of the ANBU headquarters after Orochimaru's failed experimentations, where both twins were taken in and brought up by Sarutobi Ryoichi. Kirihara started shinobi training at the age of 3 and at the age of 4 passed the Chuunin level and was quickly elevated to Jounin at 5 and then during that same year, she was initiated into the ANBU circle and served as a team member on Hatake Kakashi's team. After a year, she quit the ANBU after Sarutobi's death and went for a long mission under the order of the Sandaime.
To be honest, Naruto was impressed with the report but he knew that with power came responsibility and he guessed the responsibility was Akihiko. Parentless at birth, then again and thrown into the hands of danger at the mere age of six, Naruto could empathize with the young Kirihara.
§
Uzumaki Naruto
Registration Number: 549845
Age: 6
Status: Living
Ninja Rank: None
D.O.B: 10th October 0 AK
Gender: Male
Height: 4ft 0 inches
Weight: 53 pounds
Blood Type: B
Affiliation: Konohagakure
Special Condition: Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune
Background Information: Twelve years ago, during the time he was born, the Nine Tailed Demon Fox attacked the village. But with a help of a skilful ninja, the soon to be Hokage Fourth sealed the Kyuubi away into a newborn baby, Naruto. As he grew up, the villagers of Konoha disliked Naruto because they saw him as the container of the Nine-tailed Demon Fox. But the Fourth Hokage, who sealed the Nine-tailed Demon Fox away, wanted to village to see Naruto as a hero, who saved the village from being destroyed. This was also carried on by Hokage Third who always saw Naruto as a hero, rather than the container of the Nine-tailed Demon Fox.
Yukiko gritted her teeth in pain as her left hand was suddenly frozen completely, such was the price to pay to be able to use Ice based jutsus. The Kirihara girl immediately left the document to get some hot water and brought it back into her room. Her mother was the twin sister of Kirihara Hikaru, who better known as Haku's mother. The Kiriharas were once a prestigious family who bloodline limit enabled them to create ice without the presence of water but was wiped out by a jealous clan. Yukiko and Akihiko were the offspring of Hikari and Uchiha Fumio, the deceased older brother of Uchiha Fugaku. Her brother was born with the affinity to use fire while her affinity was ice.
"Fuck."
The blonde's bloodline limit was still unstable at the mere age of six but that did not stop her from using it if it was necessary. Mind-numbing pain course through her veins as she struggled to defrost her hand, if she were to be any other six year old, she would scream at the intensity of the pain but she was Kirihara Yukiko, the famed Arctic Dragon.
Besides, it was late already and she did not want to wake up her sleeping twin. Yukiko sucked in a deep breath and prepared to plunge her hand into the hot water before the door opened, revealing the worried golden orbs of her brother.
"Nee-chan, come here and let me help you thaw the ice." Yukiko nodded feebly, unable to speak due to the immense pain. Akihiko closed his eyes and concentrated his chakra, sending a warm pulse to his hands which covered the ice on his sister's hand. Soon, the ice began to melt and Yukiko slumped onto the floor in relief.
"Thank you," she croaked out and Akihiko smiled softly while shaking his head.
"There was nothing to be thanked for; it's what I do because I am your brother." Then Akihiko touched foreheads with his sister and the pair stayed that way for the rest of the night, drawing familiar comfort from each other.
§
"Hey, Kit. Wake up; it's time for you to go meet the Kirihara girl." Naruto bolted up and got dressed immediately, upon checking his wardrobe, the blonde realized that he had nothing besides orange. Cringing, he promised himself a shopping trip once he was done with the meeting that Yukiko requested.
"Thanks for waking me up."
"It was nothing and besides; I want to see what the Kirihara girl has to offer us." Naruto shook his head good-naturedly in resignation, even after the agreement between the jailor and the jailed; Kyuubi was still interested in gaining power.
By the time Naruto got up the Hokage Monument, he found Yukiko waiting for him.
"You're late," she pointed out coolly as a form of greeting. Naruto scratched the back of his head with embarrassment as he gave her a placating smile.
"Sorry, I was doing some research the night before so I slept in, but don't' worry, it wouldn't happen again." The icy girl nodded and then teleported both of them into the penthouse. Akihiko greeted Naruto in surprise; the younger twin was having a bowl of cereal and milk for breakfast.
"Ohayo, Naruto-kun!" Naruto nodded dumbly as he took in the luxurious residence the Kirihara twins shared.
"Uzumaki," Yukiko's voice snapped Naruto out of his staring and he smiled sheepishly.
"Right, so where do you want to discuss?"
"My study. Akihiko, do you want to call Sakura up to come here to play with you?" The little boy nodded and went to the phone. Yukiko led Naruto into a spacious room with a large table, a computer and a few metallic drawers that were presumably filled with files.
"So, I need to know the truth behind your wisdom. You are obviously not a six year old." The girl coldly stated as she seated herself right across Naruto, who nodded.
"You too."
"Mine's simple, I was experimented on Orochimaru and due to some muck-up, and I suddenly had the thinking process of a teenager, end of story." Naruto nodded, satisfied for the meantime.
"Kit, you sure you want to tell her the truth?" Kyuubi's worried voice rang out suddenly.
"Why not? She is to be my ally and I guess it's only right to tell her, besides, I will get her to do a blood contract." Kyuubi hummed in agreement and Naruto started.
"I can tell you but I need you to agree to a blood contract." Yukiko narrowed her eyes and then nodded. The boy took out a scroll with complicated seals and Yukiko bit her thumb and three drops of blood dripped onto the seals, making them glow a deep blue. Once it was done, Naruto told his tale.
"I come from the future and I have the knowledge of the future. The future I come from is bloody and almost everyone in Konohagakure was either dead or fled to some other place. I was transported back into my six year old self just before I died after killing the last of my enemies." Yukiko listened with amazement, it sounded ludicrous but she found herself believing every single word of it because it explained the age behind those untainted but tired cobalt eyes.
"So I am determined to set things right this time, since I am given a second chance, I might as well make full use of it." Cold determination entered the gaze, turning it a metallic blue. Naruto held his breath as he waited for the other to decide, and then Yukiko answered him.
"I believe you." Smiling with relief, Naruto started giving Yukiko a rough idea of what his plans might be.
"First things first, I need to start training a selected few in the village and I have a list here." Naruto handed Yukiko a list with terrible writing and she sighed but started reading.
Haruno Sakura
Hyuuga Hinata
Yamanaka Ino
Kirihara Akihiko
Yukiko widened her eyes at the last choice and she hissed with pure anger.
"Why is my brother's name here?" Naruto understood her anger but he explained his choice.
"I know you want Akihiko-kun to stay innocent as long as it could be allowed but this is a cruel world that waits for nobody and the truth is that you will not be able to protect Akihiko-kun forever. He needs to learn whatever it is necessary to survive in these conditions. Wouldn't you be less worried if Akihiko-kun was well-versed in the arts of self-protection?" Yukiko slumped into her chair and whispered but Naruto's excellent hearing had no problems picking up the words.
"I sacrificed my childhood to let him has his, I don't want it to end so soon…"
"All good things must come to an end; Akihiko must be exposed to the world's elements before he can stand up for himself, just like both of us!" Naruto hissed, eyes feral with righteous anger and to his surprise, Yukiko conceded only after a few moments of deliberation.
"You are right; it's time for Akihiko to learn what it means to be a shinobi of the leaf village."
"You've made yourself an admirable ally; I am satisfied with your choice." Naruto smiled inwardly at the fox's comment.
"Uzumaki, I don't' think that's the only thing you wanted to do." Naruto shook his head and continued his plans. The Kyuubi vessel and ex-ANBU member spent two hours in the study going through plans and as Naruto was about to leave, Yukiko spoke up unexpectedly.
"Hey, Uzumaki, move in. It'd be more convenient for us to communicate." Naruto could not believe what he was hearing; someone's extending a hand of friendship to him!
"What are you doing hesitating? Go on and take it, you little idiot!" Kyuubi's voice shook him out of his reverie as he nodded wordlessly. Yukiko's icy silver eyes softened slightly as she regarded with something akin to empathy.
"Bring your things in tomorrow and I'll have a room ready for you by then." When Naruto looked up, there were tears in his eyes as he whispered his thanks. Yukiko nodded understandingly before the blonde boy turned to leave. As Naruto left the Jounin apartments, he smiled with hope.
"This time round, I'll make things right."
§
A/N: Hello people, this chapter is dedicated to D-Chan3 who wanted some Het action!!! Hehe, actually, it's my thirst to get a time-travel fic done that spurred this creation. Well, what are you waiting for? Press that tempting button down there and REVIEW.
Tons of Reviews a Day keeps those damnable author blues away!
Love,
Ryuu.