Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, I'd be rich and wouldn't be stuck writing fanfiction as an outlet for my writer's urge.

I do own anything else you don't recognise, the creativity and the ideas.

Summary: A war-weary Naruto is one of the very last survivors from the Forth Shinobi War. There are no more villages, no more ninja, no more life left after the last battle. When Kurama gives him a jutsu that can help him travel back in time to save everything, he takes it. But there are a few mysterious people who start to help him, and Kurama's past surfaces. Naruto gains a new set of allies as his enemies band together, intent on destroying everything he holds dear. Time travel fic.

Author's note: This is my first attempt at writing a fanfiction. Please do not criticize too harshly. I took a lot of inspiration from cywsaphyre's fanfic: The Lives Worth Saving. It's a really good fic and I think it describes what a war veteran would behave like when back in the past. It always annoyed me when so many fanfics have Naruto revert straight back to playing pranks and being hyperactive and cheerful. I think that after being in a war, Naruto shouldn't be able to change his mentality back to what it was before the war.

Note: The Uzumaki Clan history in this fanfic belongs to TwiceMarked. Read This Time As A Namikaze.

"Join me!" – speech

"No! You killed my father!" – Celestial speech/thoughts/jutsu

"Yeah, and it was FUN!" – Demon/summon

"Sweatdrop" – Demon/summon thought

The Celestial Way

by MidoriRai

Chapter 1

Arrival

Weary cerulean eyes swept over the field. Naruto stood in the middle of the crater that used to be Konoha. He had finally defeated the last of his enemies, but at a great price. Konoha was razed to the ground, Suna was a blood-stained field littered with corpses, Iwa was reduced to a pile of bloody rubble, Kumo was flooded over and destroyed, Kiri was a ghostly smokey ruin; all the civilians, Konoha or otherwise had either fled or were killed and the shinobi –

Here he choked out a sob. Everyone was gone. Everyone. Kakashi-sensei, Tsunade-baachan, Ero-sennin, Iruka-sensei, the Konohamaru Corps, the Konoha Twelve, Ayame-neechan, Kirabi, Yugito, Gaara, Mei, A, Onoki … Everyone, everyone from all the villages was dead. The Konoha shinobi, his shinobi hadn't backed down an inch, not even when death had looked them right in the eye. They had fought tooth and nail for Konoha, for the villages even when it was clear they were losing. And so they were killed. And it hurt so badly. He felt an immense guilt and self-loathing at surviving. He was Hokage! He should protect them, not they him!

"Kit." A familiar rumble at the back of his mind reminded him that there was still one more person he cared for left.

"There's no-one left, Kurama. Not even from the other countries." Naruto stared at the moon, so serene, even when the world was bathed in blood. "I suppose it is time to honor our agreement."

Kurama rumbled a hoarse chuckle. "You would let me go?"

Dark indigo eyes scoured the land once again. "I did give you my word." A dark shadow passed over Naruto's face. "And I always keep my promises."

"I know kit, I know." The kitsune replied. "You are more honorable than most humans."

"I am not most people." Naruto sighed sadly. "Tell me how to set you free."

"Are you sure?" Kurama asked "If you free me, you will die."

Naruto didn't answer for a while. He stared at the distance, thinking. After a few minutes of silence, he looked up. "There is no-one left for me here. By the time anything is rebuilt, I would be long gone. The shinobi way is no more. The least I can do is give you your freedom."

The nine-tails was silent. At last, he spoke. "I had sworn never to use this jutsu, because the consequences could be extreme, and, well, I wasn't exactly coherent enough to do it. It is a last resort justu. But now, there is nothing left for me too. Even if you did grant me freedom, there is nothing but wasteland."

A ghost of a smile flitted over Naruto's face. "Still looking out for yourself?"

Kurama chucked. "Impudent kit." The expression faded and Kurama was once more serious. "Just follow my hand seals and do NOT mess up."

Naruto nodded and started following the hand seals that Kurama said. Horse, monkey, serpent, ram, bird, monkey, hare, tiger, ox, dog, dragon, rat… after ten or so minutes, Naruto finally finished the last hand seal and pushed all his remaining chakra into the technique. Kurama added his own massive stores, and the world started to spin…

~insanity of lightning~

He was drifting. It was so peaceful here, quiet, serene. He could stay here forever. It was blissful oblation. Nothing mattered. He had no duties, no obligations, no responsibilities. Was this death? Surprisingly, he didn't care. All that mattered was peace. He simply drifted and drift-

…"-WAKE UP YOU STUPID PUNY EXCUSE FOR AN INTELLIGENT LIFE FORM!"

Naruto jerked awake. He looked around and was met with completely unfamiliar surroundings. He was surrounded by mist, a silvery swirling substance that seemed to move into patterns and shapes everywhere. The ground looked like some sort of black void, yet it seemed solid. It was a bit eerie, but at the same time peaceful and tranquil, as if nothing bad could ever happen there. Naruto knew no place in the Elemental countries looked like this. He wondered where he was or if he messed up the jutsu, cursing his stupidity in not even asking Kurama what the jutsu did.

"That was rather dense of you kit, although, I do appreciate the trust you have in me," Kurama rumbled.

"Just tell me where we are," the blond grumbled. In truth, he was rather ashamed of himself. He had thought the war had cured him of all this impulsive trust. Not that Kurama didn't deserve it. It was just; this kind of thinking could have killed him or his shinobi in the war. It had, too. Naruto's eyes darkened to dark, stormy indigo as he remembered his fallen comrades. Too many people had been killed because of impulsiveness and his blind trust. The war had taught that lesson hard.

"Truthfully, I am surprised my jutsu worked."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at that admission. It was rare that the proud, demonic fox admitted weakness or uncertainty. "Oh?"

"Insolent kit." The nine-tails thought for a moment. "How to explain… This jutsu brings us to Limbo. Limbo is a place where time, space and fate mix. Here, almost anything is possible. We needed an immense amount of chakra to get here. If we go through the Gates of Time, we could go back in time to whenever you want and change everything. That is, if you do want to do this. You could, of course, choose to be reborn or go to the afterlife."

Naruto was stunned. He had a chance to change everything, to save his friends, his family and Konoha. It would be painfully hard, seeing his friends walking about and knowing they weren't his friends, the people who he grew to love, who he could depend on, but that was a small price to pay if they could be safe, happy and alive. Naruto nodded, mind made up.

"Tell me how to get to the Gate of Time."

Kurama hesitated. "Well, that's kind of the problem."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "How so? I didn't know there was a problem."

"... there is. The Gate of Time is always in a fixed location. The trouble is, I was never taught to navigate in Limbo."

"So, you're basically saying that you did this jutsu with no idea how to achieve your goal once you got here?" Naruto snickered, sky blue eyes dancing with suppressed laughter.

The demonic fox growled at the Jinchuuriki who was trying, and failing, to hide his mirth.

"Shut up kit!" he snarled, baring his teeth. It only made him laugh harder.

Before Kurama could say anything else, a brilliant flash of light lit up the space in front of Naruto. He shielded his eyes as the glare intensified but also shifting into his fighting stance instinctively. When the light faded and he opened his eyes again, he saw a Being seemingly made of light. He had two glowing fox tails behind him and ears on the top of his head. The figure floated in midair, radiating power and peace. Suddenly, his eyes opened. The deep mesmerizing silver looking at Naruto intensely. "Welcome Uzumaki Naruto, Rokudaime Hokage of Konohagakure. May the moon watch over you upon your path."

Kurama choked. "S-sal'm-m-manis'to-sensei?!"

The Being blinked twice, then chuckled, his laughter rebounding around them. "Ohayo, Kurama-kun. Long time no see. Next time you go to the mortal plane, please be more careful. It makes me look really incompetent and stupid as your sensei if you keep getting caught up in these matters." He looked at Naruto a bit more closely and blinked. "So you really did take a kit! Good thing too! Mimi-chan was bugging me to make you nicer. We had this ongoing bet on when you'd take a kit. I knew you couldn't resist, you big softie!" The Being crowed in triumph.

Naruto felt Kurama's embarrassment and indignation. He was shocked. Who was this being, reducing the great Kyuubi no Kitsune into a stuttering furball? Who was this being, whom Kurama called sensei? Who was this being, who simply radiated power? And calling the Kyuubi a SOFTIE?! That guy had to have a death wish. Then the details established themselves. Kurama has a sensei! Kurama-kun! Mortal plane? A bet on when Kyuubi would take a kit, spoken of so callously!? And Kurama, fearsome Kyuubi no Kitsune, regarding him as his kit?! He'd thought it was just a nickname! That was just inconceivable. He must have heard wrong. How the hell did the being hear Kurama anyway! He was still in his seal! What alternate universe did he land into? Naruto wasn't sure if he was hallucinating or not.

The being, apparently called Sal'manis'to, turned towards Naruto. "It is quite an honor to finally meet Rama-kun's kit." Sal'manis'to snickered, ignoring Kurama's spluttering. Naruto wasn't sure if that was a response to being called Rama-kun or having Naruto being called his kit. "It seems Rama-kun favored you enough to send you here, despite your rather ... ah... uneducated state. So seeing as Rama-kun trusts you and Mimi-chan likes you, I suppose you can get a second chance." Here, Sal'manis'to paused, shuddered and mumbled the last part almost inaudibly. "And Kira and Niko too, they are scary when mad... I swear, devils the lot of them..."

"So anyway," he coughed. "Take your second chance seriously, don't get killed, get Kurama to rectify your ignorance and I'll see you when you die!" With a wave of his arm, Sal'manis'to sent a whirlwind of light swirling around them. Naruto felt lighter and lighter, the silver mist and black void swirling into one, gradually growing brighter. Just as the light was about to engulf them, Naruto heard Sal'manis'to shout one last thing. "I like you kid. Tell you what, I'll give you a few gifts! Rama-kun really needs to lighten up and accept his duties! Now, land on your feet!"

Naruto wanted to ask what gifts, but the wind was too much. He had one last thought before blacking out again. "That guy is insane!"

~insanity of lightning~

..."Kit, kit, WAKE UP KIT! STOP THIS STUPID FAINTING HABIT OF YOURS AND WAKE UP BEFORE I TAKE YOUR THRICE DAMNED LIFE AND EAT YOU AS A MIDDAY SNACK!"

Naruto woke with a groan. His head was pounding. Feeling bile well up in his throat, he shot up and vomited into the bushes beside him. Naruto closed his eyes in an attempt to stave off nausea, ignoring Kurama's sniggering. Tentatively opening his eyes, Naruto realised the enormity of his situation. He was back in the past. This time, he could save so many people, prevent Sasuke from turning to Orochimaru, but most importantly, his village would not fall. He would defend them with his life and soul but first- "Kurama, what the hell was that person and what was he talking about?"

The demon fox looked sheepish. "That's kind of related to my history."

Naruto glared at him."You dragged me into this mess. I deserve to know."

With a sigh, Kurama gave him an appraising glance. "Kit, that information is highly dangerous to the human mind. It will change your views on the world forever, no kidding. Hell, it will probably shatter all your foundations and rules! And that is dangerous to your flea sized human brain because it can't process every foundation being false. You might suffer a mental breakdown even if I'm here to help you adjust to the information; and the only way to cure that is time, which we don't have, or to wipe your mind of all this Otherworld info. So I ask, do you still want to hear it? To commit yourself to us as you did with Konoha, knowing the dangers yet still persisting?"

Naruto looked at the fox, shocked. He'd never seen the fox sound this serious, not in the war, not when they were facing Madara together, not even when Kurama himself was facing obliteration. Whatever his history was, whatever impact it may have, it had to be important... But still, he never committed to a promise without knowing the benefits and costs. Not anymore. Not when so many people had relied on him to lead them, not when so many people had depended on him to save them, not when rash decisions would have, and did send so many people to their deaths.

He vividly remembered the day he had heard Wave and Inari were being held hostage. He had rushed blindly in to try to save them. Kakashi, Sakura, Sai and Lee had come after him to protect him. He'd run straight into a trap. In the end, he'd made it out of there alive, but Sai had paid for the time it took for them to escape with his life and blood. Inari ended up comatose from the injuries sustained from torture because of Naruto's refusal to surrender intel on Konoha's strategies. And Lee was almost crippled for life. Only Tsunade, Sakura and Hina - no - her immense medical knowledge had saved him. That day he'd carved their names onto the memorial stone and had vowed never again would he endanger his friends like that. Never again. So now, Naruto looked at Kurama determinedly. "Kurama, I cannot deny I wish to know. But what repercussions will this have on Konoha?"

The nine-tails smiled softly. "Sometimes, I wish you cared a little more for yourself and not your Konoha. But provided you don't have a mental breakdown, it will not affect Konoha's protection. In fact, Konoha might be safer. This I swear on my word as a demon."

Naruto nodded, assured. Swearing on a demon's word when they were a demon meant that if the demon broke it, their souls would forced to spend the rest of eternity wandering the world, immortal, intangible, unseen, alone. It was a fate so horrible, no demon would ever condemn themselves to. If Kurama had sworn on his demonic word, he would not break it. But still... to make a decision based on so little information went completely against his nature and instincts. Yet Kurama had said Konoha might well be safer; and he was very curious. Saying yes could give him more information about his situation, and knowledge was power. Plus, Kurama had said something about allies... Making up his mind, Naruto's reply changed the course of multiple lives, his most of all and set on track events that would shake the universes to the core.

"Tell me."

~insanity of lightning~

Later on in life, Naruto would reflect on that decision as the best he'd ever make. Of course, at that moment Naruto wasn't as enthusiastic.

"Tell me exactly why we are in my old apartment." hissed the blond. "What if my younger counterpart comes? That would be way too hard to explain." Then a worse thought struck him. "Unless you sent us back so far that I haven't been born yet!"

Kurama snickered. "Calm down kit. Sal'manisto-sensei doesn't make that sort of mistakes. We're in your apartment because no-one comes here. And don't worry about having a younger counterpart. You replaced him." Naruto looked slightly disturbed at the implications.

"You mean I killed him?"

"No kit. I mean that he simply ceased to exist and you took his place. And that's beside the point. I suspect Sensei gave you a Sklaen Tionoii body. Sensing Naruto's confusion, he growled. "Put up your privacy seals and I'll explain."

Quickly, Naruto drew up the seals and activated them. Then he settled down for a long talk with the fox in his mindscape.

~insanity in lightning~

"First thing you have to know is that your history is all wrong. What you humans have recorded is completely misreported because of the many rumors floating about. It didn't help that so many events were frankly unbelievable. The true history seems to have been lost a long time ago." Naruto blanched. The history everyone learnt was only based on rumors?! Kyuubi smirked at his gobsmacked expression. "In fact, more than just history have been lost. Your jutsus, your handseals, your chakra, your seals - almost everything you know I know a stronger, better version. Not to mention a whole lot of other stuff you've overly simplified. Of course, there are some grains of truth but almost everything you've learnt is weak, false, inaccurate or incomplete."

Naruto's mind whirled as he tried to sort the information he'd been given. Exactly what was true and what was false? He felt as if his whole world had been turned upside-down, and it had only been a few minutes! It was typical of his luck to be caught in the middle of this.

"Now, there isn't anywhere near enough time to explain everything, so I'll just give you a brief summary. When you humans started to evolve and develop intelligence above the standard of a brain-addled gnat, Kami-san asked a Being from each of the nine kingdoms to educate you people and maintain balance. Nine Beings for nine kingdoms. I'll tell you about kingdoms another time."

"As you can guess, I was the demon sent. I was young by our standards and this was a basic mission. I was weak too, a One Tailed."

Naruto gaped. One tailed?! Kurama smirked at his expression. "Yes, one tailed. I'll cover that in my explanation." he said hastily to stop the jinchuuriki from speaking. Naruto fell silent, waiting for it.

"However, a darkling, a Being, was seduced by a Falleen spirit (Falleen are Beings who sacrifice their blood, spirit and soul to gain power) who promised him power and prestige. The two of them captured another Being and the Falleen spirit used an ancient, forbidden ritual to merge all of them together in an attempt to gain triple the amount of power. Another Being tried to stop them but messed up the ritual and was merged with them. They became the Juubi, a Ten-tails. And because the ritual was messed up, the Juubi was insane."

"Now, remember. We were all rookies, on a simple mission. None of us were expert fighters yet. We were as outclassed as you were on your first C-ranked mission, except we had no 'Kakashi-sensei' there to bail us out. So what happened next really wasn't my fault." Kurama paused to stare at the blond. "Don't laugh." he warned. Naruto nodded, curious as to what could embarrass the Bijuu so.

"I got eaten."

The blond jinchuuriki stared at the kitsune in disbelief. "...you got ... eaten..." Kurama tried to ignore the blond. Naruto started shaking with suppressed mirth but it was a futile endeavour. His laughter burst out of him as he processed the thought. "You got EATEN! Imagine what Konoha would have thought!" He choked at that.

"Shut up!" Kurama grumbled. "And don't you dare tell anyone!"

Naruto gasped for air after laughing so hard. "I w-won't-t." he wheezed. "C-cont-tin-nue."

"... I have half a mind NOT to do so after your little laughing session," the nine-tails sniffed in disdain. "But I'll be merciful and continue."

"After I got eaten," Kurama glared at Naruto, daring him to say anything. The jinchuuriki stayed quiet, but every few seconds, a suspicious shaking would rack his body. "I found myself in the Juubi's stomach with its chakra surrounding me. I noticed it was demonic chakra. It was a do or die situation and I was willing to do anything to survive. So I started absorbing the chakra."

"Now, I only survived this because I was a true demon and it's chakra was a mortal demon's chakra. But it was still too much for me to absorb fully. After I hit nine-tails, I stopped and fought my way out of the Juubi. The remaining chakra was absorbed by a few dead demon spirits on earth. We became the Bijuu on earth."

Naruto nodded. "Right." Then intelligent sky blue eyes peered curiously at him. "You said true demon and mortal demon. What did you mean by that?"

"A true demon is an immortal one who resides in the Celestial plane. A mortal demon is a demon that resides on the mortal plane who is certain to die. Immortal beings, us who reside in the Celestial plane, if we survive long enough we move on. It's not dying. It's ... well ... it's hard to explain. We sort of become a conscious spirit that can't die unless we will it."

"And what of the other Beings? What happened to them?"

The demon shrugged. "They were sucked into physical mortal bodies and reincarnated over and over until some huge event shook the barrier between our worlds and opened a way back."

"What type of event?"

"Events like the murder of a clan of mortals with close bonds to Celestials." The fox eyed Naruto, wondering if he caught the hint. He needn't have worried. Naruto looked at him sharply. "Any clan I know?"

The fox smirked. "You know them alright. The Uzumaki Clan are all Guardians of the Way, friends of the Beings, some of them even the reincarnation of the original nine who came here."

Naruto drew in a breath. "You mean…"

Kyuubi nodded. "Yeah. Your clan. The genocide of the Uzumaki Clan opened a way back to the Celestial Plane."

Naruto's eyes widened. "But what about my mother? Wasn't she a Uzumaki too?"

"She was, but she had me sealed into her. And she was one of the original Nine. Her true name was Kazama Kiranature."

Naruto had a half curious half longing expression on his face. Kurama spoke of her as if he knew her beyond their time as jinchuuriki and bijuu. He desperately wanted to know more about her. "C-could you t-tell me about her?" he stuttered uncertainly.

Kurama smiled softly. "We were good friends even before we came here. It was me being sealed into her that released her memories. It was her, using some of my power, that directed the opening of the Veil back into the Celestial Plane. We knew that there were still two of the nine Beings out there not returned. So we tried to find them. It was what led her to Konoha."

Naruto was wide-eyed at this information about his mother but even underneath this wonder, his diamond sharp mind, trained by the war, was analyzing this data. "Who were the other two?"

Kurama smirked. This would startle the HELL out of his kit. "One was Hatake Sakumo, Hatake Kakashi's father. The other... Namikaze Minato, Yellow Flash, Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato and Kira's mate. Your father."

~insanity of lightning~

Naruto had survived his childhood, kept his sanity while on Team 7 (by ninja standards anyway), fought in the disastrous Chuunin exams, came out of fighting Orochimaru, Madara, Sasuke, Akatsuki, Kabuto, Danzō, Tobi and other S-class nins alive and often victorious, was a diplomat for Konoha during the war, survived said war, became Rokudaime Hokage and was jinchuuriki to Kurama. He'd come across many weird, scary and unbelievable things during his lifetime. He'd taken the news of the true shinobi history and the other existing beings with relative calmness. But finding out his own parents and sensei weren't human topped the cake.

The nine-tailed fox was laughing his head off at his jailer's reaction. "Y-y-you should s-see you f-f-face!"he snickered.

Naruto recovered his wits. "Goddammit you stupid fox! Tell me how!"

The fox was simply laughing too hard to comply. Naruto glared, then kicked at the heaving flanks of the fox-demon. Kurama choked and turned furious red eyes onto his partner. "What the FUCK was that for?!" he growled.

The Rokudaime Hokage snarled back, "Tell me about my parents!"

Kurama smirked. "I think you've had enough revelations for now. Go talk to your Sandaime. You've got a lot to explain."

Naruto frowned. "You haven't explained everything yet," he protested.

"I'll explain later when you go to sleep. It'll take too long for now. Now GO!"

The blonde looked at himself, then deadpanned. "Yes Kurama, I can definitely walk out looking like my father and not cause riots."

The fox bared his teeth in a grin. "You don't know anything about a Sklaen Tionoii body, do you. Basically, you've kept your original body, memories and equipment like your clothes but you can also shift into the body of your counterpart. You have his memories, but they'll be fuzzy seeing as he had a much different mindset and mentality, also as you haven't been taught how to absorb memories. Putting it simply, you merged with your younger self"

The jinchuuriki looked at the demon hopefully. "Does that mean my subspace is still available?"

Kurama nodded. "Yup! It's active alright."

Naruto smirked. "The Elemental Countries won't know what hit them."

~insanity of lightning~

A dark shadow flitted quickly into a shaded alley. Seconds later, a nondescript brown-haired girl walked out. She wandered around the village until she reached the Hokage's tower. Muttering seemingly random words under her breath, she sat down in a chair to wait.

The ANBU on duty stiffened almost imperceptibly as the coded phrases for an urgent message for the Hokage reached their ears. Instantly, an ANBU disguised as the Hokage's secretary escorted the girl into the Sandaime's office.

Hiruzen looked up as soon as the door opened. His sharp eyes scanned over the female who apparently had urgent news. He took in the graceful walk - a sure sign of an experienced ninja, the way she assessed the office for threats and emergency exits reflexively, the way she relaxed slightly as she walked in, the slight start and a fleeting expression of disbelieving joy at seeing him but he drew in a breath at her eyes.

World weary sapphire eyes stared at him, sadness and exhaustion evident within them, too deep to be hidden. They displayed a tiredness Hiruzen had only seen in war veterans. He knew, instantly, that she would not be a threat to him, that he could trust her.

Naruto thought he was prepared for seeing Sarutobi. He thought that he could get through the explanation without breaking down. But seeing the Sandaime behind the table, smoking his pipe, in his Hokage robes and not dead, not in armour, not resurrected to fight on Madara's side brought up childhood memories. Before the wars, before the deaths, where the hardest things he had to suffer through were the glares and passive aggression by the civilians, maybe a drunk or two attempting to kill him on his birthday and the fear of failing the Academy. Naruto's breath hitched as he saw the corner of an Icha Icha Paradise poking out under a stack of paperwork.

"You had some urgent news?"

Hiruzen's voice cut through the Rokudaime's reminiscing. "Hai Hokage-sama," Naruto replied. In a split second, he bit his hand and smeared the blood on a hidden seal on the table, activating it. Privacy barriers slammed into place and oppressive chakra swirled around the office, lifting it into a subspace, slowing the influence of Time. Then he froze in place as the Sandaime pressed a kunai to his jugular.

"Only a Hokage can activate that seal," Sarutobi growled. "Who are you and how do you even know the seal's existence, let alone know how to activate it?'

Naruto calmly replied, "I know of and can activate that seal because I am a Hokage."

Before the Sandaime could process that statement, the brunette girl faded to reveal a blonde man. Hiruzen recoiled instantly.

"M-minato?" He sat back down in his chair roughly as his eyes took in the figure so similar to the Yondaime.

Naruto smiled sadly. "I'm not my otou-sama, no matter how much I wish to be. I'm Naruto."

"I-impossible," the older man denied. "Naruto is 10. You're a grown man!"

"Time travel, ojii-sama. Time travel."The blond turned tired blue eyes to meet the Sandaime's incredulous stare. "The future I was in must not come to pass."

"Prove it." Hiruzen's sharp voice cut into the air. "Prove you are who you say you are, prove you're from the future."

The jinchuuriki grimaced. He knew, intellectually, that the current Hokage wasn't likely to believe him at first, but his pseudo grandfather's disbelief still stung a little. Holding his hand out palm side up, Naruto activated the invisible seal inscribed in his flesh. Instantly, the kanji for "sixth" appeared, marking him as the Rokudaime Hokage.

Naruto's lips quirked up in a tiny smile at the Sandaime's gobsmacked expression. "Is this proof enough for you?" he asked.

"N-naruto?" the Hokage stuttered. He looked at blond man sitting opposite of him with new eyes. The long blond hair with red streaks, faded from many hard days in the harsh sun, the slender, compact build - not as muscular as Minato, probably from Kushina - made for speed, the pale porcelain skin from countless night missions, the ghost of playing on his lips, the bags under eyes and the eyes themselves.

Intense silver-blue-violet orbs, clouded with exhaustion and world-weariness, speaking of years in war. They displayed a desperate hope, a tentative hope lit anew by the sight of him.

Hiruzen's heart broke at seeing his pseudo grandson turned into a weary war veteran when, from his perspective, he'd seen Naruto as a hyperactive, cheerful, mischievous child only days before. Knowing that the future would not bring peace, knowing that the children of Naruto's generation would too know war, knowing that it was so bad that the Hokage in front of him would risk coming back to change the future, hurt.

"Oh Naruto-kun," sighed the Sandaime, putting a wrinkled, ink-stained hand on top of the Rokudaime's. "I believe you."

Hearing this, the blond's already fractured composure crumbled. "I'm sorry," he whispered, a single tear sliding down his face. "I'm sorry I couldn't save them. I'm sorry I couldn't save Konoha. I'm sorry I couldn't end the war and achieve peace. I'm sorry that I couldn't fulfill the prophecy."

"Shhh." The wizened man gently wrapped the jinchuuriki in a hug. "It's okay."

Naruto initially stiffened at the contact, his instincts screaming at him to get away stab kill the man but he trusted him. Accepting and leaning into the embrace, the war weary Hokage let the soothing presence wash over him.

Feeling calmed and more composed, he pulled away. Ashamed that he'd broken down at such a crucial time the blond looked away. "Sorry," he muttered.

"There's no need to be embarrassed." The Sandaime smiled gently, pleased he'd been able to lift some of Naruto's depression.

Taking a deep breath and squaring his shoulders, Naruto was ready to tell the Sandaime about the war and it's circumstances. Just as he opened his mouth, the demonic fox interrupted.

"Hang on kit! Don't tell too many details about the war. It's still a long time from now and we will be changing events. If we tell him too much, we will lock his mind on one path and your Hokage won't respond properly."

Naruto inclined his head slightly to show he acknowledged Kurama's words. "The Forth Great Shinobi War was the most destructive war ever to happen. It ended with all the villages, major or minor, being destroyed and the end of all ninja and the shinobi way. There are hardly any civilians left either. We won, but ultimately we lost."

The Sandaime recoiled at hearing the result. No price for war had ever been so high, nor was it ever imagined. And no ninja left alive? Inconceivable! "Wh-who were the enemies?" He almost dreaded hearing it. Iwa, maybe? They were certainly bitter enough. Or Kumo, from the failed kidnapping of Hyuuga Hinata. "And who were our allies?"

"It was every village against Akatsuki, an organisation made solely of S ranked criminal missing-nin or higher."

Hiruzen was floored. "A-all the villages?! Both major and minor? A group of only S RANKED NUKE-NIN?! And all the villages allied TOGETHER still couldn't deal with them?! Who were the enemies?!"

Naruto's eyes darkened to a demonic indigo-violet, fury flaring in them. "The main enemies were Akatsuki, the S-ranked missing-nin organisation, Orochimaru, his subordinate Kabuto and his village - Otogakure, Danzō, his ideals combined with Ne, and the Uchiha," he snarled. "Uchiha Tobi, Madara and ... Sasuke."

The Sandaime visibly deflated at the mention of Orochimaru's name. Traitor he might be, but regardless, he was Hiruzen's favourite student once upon a time. Danzō and Ne elicited a furious snarl. Then the full import of the knowledge struck him. "Uchiha Madara is still alive?!" he gaped in horror. "And Sasuke-kun and Kabuto-kun are Konoha nin!"

The time traveler grimaced. "Kabuto is a spy for Orochimaru and Sasuke defected."

The old man's eyes narrowed. If Kabuto and Sasuke were as important to the fall of Konoha and the villages as Naruto implied then he would deal with them before they became such a threat. Spies and traitors were not tolerated in any shinobi village. "Would an elite ANBU squad and Ibiki be enough to deal with Kabuto?"

Eyes gleaming with satisfaction, Naruto nodded. "Hai Hokage-sama. Sasuke," he hesitated. "I think there's a good chance that I can stop Sasuke from defecting." At Sarutobi's raised eyebrow, he added quickly, "Uchiha make horrible enemies, true. But they make truly formidable allies. And right now, he is still a child, traumatised by the slaughter of his clan and the genjutsu Itachi trapped him in. We shouldn't punish a child for the sins of one he is not, and hopefully will never be."

"Very well then." The Sandaime relented. "Prevent Sasuke from defecting." His eyes hardened. "You have until the Konoha Chunin Exams to negate his defection risk. If he is still a danger to Konoha, deal with him in a permanent manner."

Snapping to attention in response to the order, the blond barked out, "Hai Hokage-sama!" Oceanic eyes steeled, belaying the promise he would grimly keep.

"As for Danzō and Ne, there is no immediate action I can take. Danzō has entrenched himself too deeply in Konoha to be easily dealt with."

"Sandaime-sama, if I may, I have proof Ne existed. I know where his current base is, and I know what he has done against you. Quite frankly, he plans to take the Hokage position, by force if necessary. He is too dangerous to let be."

"Is he truly so dangerous?" asked Hiruzen mournfully. He'd been soft on Danzō and given him more leeway than was safe. To hear Naruto proclaim him to be a threat to Konoha, well, it didn't exactly give him the warm and fuzzies.

"Hai Hokage-sama," the Rokudaime nodded. "He's conspired with too many enemies. Akatsuki, Orochimaru, Hanzō to name a few. He also influenced the Uchiha's rebellion and the subsequent massacre."

To say Danzō had fallen from grace would be a gross understatement. Sarutobi covered his face with a hand wearily. "Very well. Give me the evidence and I'll deal with him. Permanently if needs be."

Relaxing again, the third Hokage slumped back into his chair. "I'm too old for this," he sighed wearily. "Is there any other bombshells you have to drop or can I go without another heart attack?"

Naruto's mouth curled up in a twisted parody of a smile. "There are so many events that are frankly unbelievable now, yet were common in the Forth Shinobi War. Like resurrection." His chakra flaring in agitation and anger, the Rokudaime bit out, "Orochimaru knew the Edo Tensei technique and he taught Kabuto, his right hand man how to use it. Kabuto not only mastered it, he improved it to the point where he could control limitless people, not matter how near or how far they were. He even found a way to resurrect those Shinigami-sama took!" Naruto's fist clenched involuntarily, eyes smouldering with a vengeful dark rage. "For every enemy we killed, for every ninja that died, there was another one resurrected. We had to fight and kill friends, family, lovers, teachers. The fucking bastard capitalised on our hesitation in demolishing and vaporising those we loved. He loved to employ phycological torment. It was hell."

Hiruzen reeled at the implications of Kabuto's mastery over the technique. No matter if you killed the enemy, they'll always come back. The enemy's side increasing day by day while yours diminishes. And fighting those you loved, to death. He couldn't even begin to imagine how the shinobi must have felt. To even think of fighting his loved ones - Biwako, Asuma, Sasuke (his father) - he shuddered. "I'll erase that cursed technique from memory!" he vowed, conviction in his voice. "I won't let that future come to pass."

The pained wariness in Naruto's eyes as he looked upon him made more sense now. He himself must have been resurrected to fight against the time traveller. "Naruto-kun." The Sandaime locked eyes with the aforementioned man. "I'll aid you however you see fit to prevent that future. I swear it."

Said blond was startled at that proclamation and the level of trust the wizened old man was showing. He'd expected orders, or an interrogation on the future, not for the legendary God of Shinobi to look upon him an equal and swear to help him as he saw fit. "Sandaime-sama!" he protested. "You're the Hokage here! How do you know I won't mess up?"

"Ah but Naruto-kun," Hiruzen said. "I trust you. You are my equal, maybe even my superior." He could, after all, feel some of the massive amount of chakra the blond was leaking into the air. "Rokudaime-sama."

If Naruto was startled before, he was completely stunned now. He'd always imagined that when he became Hokage, his pseudo grandfather would be there, beaming at him in pride. When he actually obtained his dream, both Hiruzen and Tsunade were dead, along with half of Konoha. It tainted the memory with sorrow, leaving bittersweet ashes whenever he thought of it. To hear his ojii-sama say his title with such pride and trust in his voice, it was a long forgotten dream, finally fulfilled. "I won't let Konoha fall," he promised, voice breaking with emotion. "Not this time. Not again."

"I know," the Sandaime said somberly. "You are an excellent Hokage."

Naruto smiled at the praise. "I probably should go now. By the way, what is the date today?"

The wizened Hokage grinned. "I believe you should be heading to the Academy if you wish to maintain your cover of a normal ninja for now."

"Ojii-sama?" asked the blond hesitantly. "Would it be possible for me to pick up some D-ranks in my spare time?" Seeing the old man's raised eyebrows, he hastily explained. "It's just, I need some money."

"Of course," the Hokage replied, surprised. "But wouldn't it be easier if I just lent you some?"

The Rokudaime was already shaking his head. "I'd rather earn it myself. And I have an ulterior motive. If the civilians and ninja see me doing these jobs regularly, over time, they may see that I'm not Kurama in disguise. I've got years of amendments to make up for the countless pranks which have generated me nothing but hatred."

"Besides, don't you have too many D-ranked and C-ranked missions? Giving some to Academy students will get the job done, earn the civilian's gratitude and give the kids some pocket money."

The Sandaime allowed himself a proud smole. "Indeed Naruto-kun. We'll reasoned. You've grown wise indeed."

Said blond returned the smile, inwardly glowing with joy. Suddenly, he noticed the time.

"Shit!" he cursed. "I'm beyond late for Academy! Iruka-sensei is going to kill me!"

That said, he promptly dispelled the privacy seal, shifted into his child form and bolted out the window, leaving an amused old man to chuckle in his wake.

And end! Chapter one is complete! Phew. That's a lot more writing than I intended it to be. Hopefully, all the explanations made sense and weren't too boring. Don't worry, there should be more action in the next chapter. Plus, I haven't finished with the surprises!

Well, until nest time!

Rai out.

~insanity of lightning~