EXAMS ARE TORTURE AND THAT IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY ON THE TOPIC.

Hey though everyone!
Hope you've had a nice time since I've been gone!

I have given in and sold my soul to the Naruto fandom, RIP me... This is a genuine mess but it's late and I have more exams and really... Just bleh. I may rewrite or continue this if you want me to.

Sorry it's been so long but I had exams and trip and I've actually been working on an original book so I've got that working for me.

But I came back!

I actually am also thinking of writing a Free! multi chapter story, so we'll see how that goes! But I've also just started watching Violet Evergarden and that's an amazing series so *shrugs*

Anyway, on with the story!

PS: More sap at the bottom.

Making Your Future

A small, bedraggled group of children made their way down a dark alley. They appeared of a young age and should presumably have been at home at such a late hour, not dallying around dangerous parts of the village but in this instance there was definitely a valid reason as to their position in the village. First of all, these children were ninjas. Despite their youthful appearance they each carried enough weapons to incapacitate any enemy coming their way. Any dark alley was no challenge for these specialists. The next reason for their strange location was slightly more confusing. The second reason was that they were from the future.

To further understand the story you should probably gain a small understanding of the people in this group themselves. They all proudly bore a Hitai-ate around some part of their body, making them all identifiable as ninjas of the leaf, a village famed for its teamwork and strength in their offensive force. Their group name, given to them by their superiors were the 'Konoha 12' (with an additional member of Sai) and they were the upcoming generation of ninja, well known for their strength, determination and devotion.

But they were stuck in the past.

Which was rather a bother.

Also, they apparently had to wait for five hours before they could return to their own time.

Which was rather a bother.

"This is such a bother." Shikamaru said with his usual tone-less drawl. The ninja dragged himself across the ground with an air that every step took a tremendous effort. His friend Choji, snacking on a packet of crisps nodded his affirmation to the statement. The other young adults seemed to share their 'enthusiasm,' none of them had been particularly eager to travel into the past.

Except for one.

Anyone with a basic understanding of these people would immediately realise that one of them, known as Naruto Uzumaki would be the only one who could possibly be happy about the situation at hand. And they would be right, the unpredictable child was eagerly running a few feet in front of the others, showing an interest in absolutely everything.

"Hey, Sasuke-Teme, we destroyed one of these walls while we were training once, but now it's here again! How cool is that!"

"I can't quite take it in." Sasuke retorted with a sarcastic tone.

"And these bricks look waaay newer and less battered, huh Sakura-Chan?"

"Shut up baka, you're giving me a headache."

"Aww, you're so harsh Sakura-Chan. Hold on, can you hear that?"

The rest of the group, startled by the change in topic didn't hear anything for a moment. But then they heard something so faint, so delicate, so...

Broken.

It called them like moths to a flame, it was only when they got closer did they realise what it was. And then they felt sick enough to run far far away, far enough that they would never have to hear that sound again.

It was the sound of a crying child. But quiet, as though they were crying silently... As though they couldn't stop.

But they forged forwards, trying to find the source of it.

When they finally found it they wished that they'd turned around when they'd had the chance. The child hadn't been lost or just upset... It was much more than that.

Littering the dark alley were shattered bottles, dislodged bricks, obviously torn or shaken loose by whoever had been there, and in the centre of it all was a child curling around a kunai lodged in his stomach.

"Oh Kami." Sakura said, hands flying up to her mouth, sickened by the sight in front of her. Tears began to pool in her eyes as she felt the information sink in. This wasn't a casual attack by drunks, that kunai was definitely belonging to a ninja. They had targeted this child and attacked him viciously. Tears lay all over his body, seeping wounds that bled mercilessly, enough blood to form a sickening puddle around him. The child had gouges, like those of a dog attack and his breathing was disjointed and shallow.

His breathing...

He was still alive somehow.

What was she doing? She needed to help, but as she took a step forward she found herself being blocked, she looked up to find Naruto simultaneously pushing her back and stepping towards the child himself. What was he doing? She was the medic-nin, or at least the closest they had to one on-hand, the child needed her so why wasn't he letting her through! She opened her mouth to protest but found herself caught by someone else, she turned around and found her arm caught by Neji who... Somehow looked shaken, an emotion she'd never seen on him.

"Neji, let go I need-"

"Look at him Sakura. Really look. Naruto knows what need to be done here, though I wish it wasn't so."

She looked back. The child seemed like an average citizen, small, pale complexion, though that could be due to the blood loss. She frowned, confused until she noticed his hair. She had previously assumed it to be brown but that was just the dirt... It was blonde. Bright blonde. There was only one child in Konoha and now what Neji had said made sense.

Naruto...

She didn't realise she'd said it out loud until the child struggled up, moving away from them with shaky steps, trying to fix himself into a defensive stance. It broke her heart to see her best friend so hurt. This was Naruto, the number one unpredictable ninja, the person who never stopped trying, who could befriend everyone. He couldn't look so...

Broken...

She noticed her other friends reactions. Some of them had apparently not figured it out until she said so and the horrific truth was just sinking in. Hinata had tears running down her face and was shaking her head, not wanting it to be so. She could only imagine her pain, she loved Naruto and had always admired his strength. If this revelation was shocking for her, it must've been a punch in the gut for the poor girl. Sasuke looked straight ahead but she, one of the people who knew him the best, after Naruto could see the stiffness in his body. Ten-Ten seemed in shock, not truly understanding, not wanting it to be real. Choji and Shikamaru, who she knew were pretty close friends of Naruto looked similar to how she felt. Choji, in a rare manner wasn't snacking, just looking in with a expression that betrayed some sort of horrific understanding. Shikamaru looked... Guilty. As though he had been the one to organise this attack, as though he had been the one to stab the younger version of one of his best friends. Lee was crying, just as silently as Naruto had a while ago. Sai's face betrayed nothing but she knew that he was just as shook up as her. Throughout her friends all of them seemed to have varied expressions of anger, guilt or sadness.

Naruto seemed impassive and he leaned down beside his younger self. The child, even more tense backed up until he reached the wall. Even from where she stood she could hear his petrified, fast-paced breathing. She felt her already broken heart shatter even more. He was way too young to look like that. Like there was no goodness, that everything and everyone would hurt him. Because... Naruto must have had a happy childhood right? He didn't have to look over his shoulder for the next attacker his whole life right?

Remembering Naruto she turned back to his older counterpart who looked directly at his younger self with eyes of pity and understanding. He quickly reached forward, enveloping the child in a hug. For a moment the kid tried to wriggle away, fearing that he was being attacked but when he was shown no true sign of aggression he relaxed, enjoying the embrace, despite the confusion evident on his face. Naruto merely clung on to the child being mindful of his injuries, giving him the comfort that he had been denied for him his whole life.

It was almost beautiful.

But why did her heart feel like breaking?

She knew the truth and it hurt. Naruto, the dead-last, the idiot had always been the last person she thought about. Whenever she'd chat about her day to her parents he'd be the last person she'd mention, and even then only to criticise him in any way possible. He was always respectful and comforting to her, never turning away or hurting her like all the others did. And how did she repay him… She scorned him, ridiculed him, treated him like a servant. Gods, she'd moaned about her parents in front of him, an orphan. Even when she accepted him as a team-mate she had treated him as a third wheel, never accepting his offers to hang out together. And whenever they did go out, as a team that is, she had never truly focused on him and he'd typically be third wheeled by the unrequited couple. Had she ever even listened to him? No, she hadn't. And didn't that just make it worse.

She bit back a sob. This wasn't the time to be crying. She was always the first person to cry and this… This wasn't the time. She stepped forward, ignoring the protests of her friends. Her hands glowed with a subtle green and she gently placed them on the lower wounds, especially those around the ankles.

"Does this happen often for you? Are you… Alone?"

The words felt like ash on her tongue and she hated every moment.

"Everyone in Konoha hates me, I'm used to it."

She choked on the lump in her throat.

This wasn't fair, this wasn't right.

"Not everyone, surely. I'm here right now, caring for you aren't I? I don't hate you!"

She tried to inject a tone of enthusiasm but the tone seemed to go directly over the child's head.

"I'm not sure if you're even real. It happens sometimes, hallucinations. It doesn't matter though. I like them. People can't hurt you if they're not even real."

She couldn't handle this-why couldn't she handle this-she was a kunoichi what was her training for-"

"Sakura-Chan, you should leave too."

Naruto, her Naruto (even though both of them were hers in a sense and those blue eyes swollen with hurt were just a little too familiar) was a warm presence pressing into her side, reassuring and grounding. Sasuke had apparently herded out the rest of the group, understanding when the emotions ran too deep.

"I'm not leaving."

She didn't realise how harsh the words sounded until they came out of her mouth and the child in front of her flinched. She winced at her carelessness and said in a gentler tone. "I'm not leaving until you're properly patched up. I'm not a hallucination, I'm here to stay."

She had an image of how this would end. Younger Naruto's eyes would well with tears and he would throw himself into her arms. She would hush and shush and gently caress him as nobody else ever had. He would be okay and both of them would walk away happy.

It wasn't like that. Instead the young child scoffed and turned away from her, an ugly glare on his face.

"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep. Life isn't a playground or a story. There's no such thing as good people and nobody can truly protect you. The best you can do is wise up and figure out how to protect yourself."

The lesson is familiar to one mumbled by a heart-broken battle worn ninja and the comparison makes her heart hurt.

"You shouldn't have to."

She's not sure who she's speaking to.

"It's okay to be weak, weakness is what makes us strong when it counts."

"I'm not weak just because I got beaten-"

"You're not the weak one here. You were never the weak one. The people who did this are. Weakness stems from cruelty, cruelty stems from sadness, it's a never-ending vicious cycle. As long as people are weak, innocent people will get hurt."

She looks Naruto in the eye, unflinching and steady. It doesn't feel like an achievement.

"People like you."

He stutters, she can feel his fear and hesitation.

"I'm not innocent."

"You should be. It's not fair what has happened to you. And what hurts the most is I can't stop it. I can't stick by your side forever. But I can promise you one thing."

"I told you-"

"To not make promises I can't keep but you never said anything about making promises I could."

He's silent.

"I can promise you that some day, in the future, when you're a little wiser, and a lot stronger, you will look around and there will be people who care about you. You may not realise this when that day comes, and even they might not realise how much they care but they do, by the Gods they do. They will do everything to keep you from getting hurt ever again. They may not succeed but they will try. You're going to make a life and live it. You may not know what you want to do, but that's okay. Life isn't for doing, it's for creating. Create someone who's strong, build yourself up. Defend yourself. Keep moving because there is always something around the next corner."

Her tears are catching up to her but she keeps talking.

"Naruto I wish I could protect you but I can't, I'm not strong enough. So I need to ask you to be brave until I am. I need you to be strong."

The child looks at her but now… Now something has changed. His eyes look… Different.

"You-you're not a hallucination are you. This is different. And you healed me. And dreams don't stay around for this long. What…"

Naruto shakes his head, she catches the movement in the corner of her eye. She's questioning if she should leave now so Naruto could say something but-

But his younger self has just stopped shaking. Her hands are on his shoulders, she's worked her way up but she doesn't want to touch his neck, doesn't want to break his boundaries. She moves her arms slowly, so he has plenty of time to jerk away if he wants to.

He doesn't.

Its not that simple of course, one impassioned speech can't wipe away years of abuse, but she hopes that this, this moment, this second.

She hopes that it helps.

The neck heals quickly, it's just bruises and while bile rises in her throat when she thinks of how they got there, it's easy enough to repair the physical damage. She's reluctant to remove her hands, and awkwardly moves them to cup his face. There's tear tracks and she wipes them away with the pad of her thumb.

"You said that… You said life is for creating."

Sakura tries to hide how fast her heart is beating.

"Sakura… San?"

She giggles, choking on her tears slightly.

"Sakura is fine Naruto."

"I'm going to build myself up, Sakura-San. If I do… Do you really think that I'll have people who care about me?"

"You'll have something better than that."

Naruto's voice has always inspired seems to inspire himself as well.

"You'll have people you care about. People who invite you places and complain and laugh with you. You'll have people who will protect you in a fight, who will nag you for eating and training. You have people you love."

At some point Naruto slips into present tense. It doesn't matter.

Sakura can't help but smile. Naruto's found his family. He's not a child crying in an alleyway anymore. Now he fights and smiles and inspires.

He inspires her. And he has to grow to do that. While it kills her to leave him, she knows he'll be okay. He'll learn to defend himself, he'll learn to be strong. Until then, he'll have the memory of now to hold onto.

"But… One day, you'll be happy. Until then."

Naruto reaches into his pocket and pulls out his purse, warn and battered from the years he's had it. He tosses it to his younger self and it hits him in the arm. Coins chink inside.

"I-I don't want charity."

"It'll cover you for a few months. They're not giving you your orphan stipend right? I won't need it, I get paid soon."

The younger Naruto is torn, but his fingers unconsciously creep towards the moneys and the lifeline he's been tossed. Her Naruto huffs and just shoves it towards him.

"Take it or it'll be taken away, you'll have to learn that lesson the hard way. Keep it close. Keep it safe or you'll loose it."

She's not sure if that's entirely about the purse.

"She's right though. Be kind. Be strong."

Naruto rises to leave, and Sakura joins him. She always follows him, even subconsciously. Younger Naruto has his own life. It's an awful life but it's his. And it's up to him to create something of it.

"Y-you're leaving?"

They have to.

"I-I didn't even get your name!"

They couldn't give it to him.

"Who are you!"

She pauses. Naruto does to, besides her.

"We're shinobi of Konoha. We're ninja's. We protect each other."

"Can I be one too?! I… I want to help people, like you! I want to protect everyone!"

Sakura looks at him, skin flushed from the healing procedure, tears and scuffs in his clothing.

She smiles. Because Naruto, even back then was broken and messy, but he also had hope. That's why she doesn't worry for him.

She laughs.

"Go be a great ninja Naruto. You need to protect the people who care about you right?"

The boy, who finally grins, a great smile reaching his eyes, turns away, running off. where he's going Sakura has no idea.

It doesn't matter though.

She turns to the boy turned man by her side. Seeing the scars that line his eyes and the strange sort of wisdom held in them.

"I remember an magical lady with pink hair healing me and a strange man giving me money. He looked exactly like me."

She's happy to know that he remembers.

"The purse gets stolen and the pretty ladies work gets ruined. I was kicked about and got bruised everywhere. I crawled, to get shelter in an alleyway before a large man tripped over me. He was so apologetic and took me back to his shop and home. Offered me free bowls of ramen whenever I wanted."

Despite the tears welling anew she's happy. Because he's wincing at the first part and she can feel his pain, but she can also see the strength and 'I want to protect everyone!'

"It wasn't all bad Sakura-Chan. And now I have you after all!"

His smile, always always there softens.

"I'm home."

Sakura's hurt. She's scared because despite knowing that Naruto lives, she knows that his life came at the price of his innocence. She's sad that he has to go through so much in his life and she's sad that he's alone. But she knows that he's kind, and that he's brave and she knows that at least now he has a family who helps him get through it.

Naruto's hurt. But he has the memory of Sakura's healing, and Sasuke hugging him and whispering a soft but fond "Dobe" in his ear when they come back, and the strength and reassurance of every young ninja in Konoha. And he knows that he's not alone.

Thank you so much to all of you for reading. Little things like you taking the time out of your day to read my work and give your feedback, it really means everything. Thank you.

Love you all!