Disclaimer for the entire story: I do not own Naruto. Obviously.

xXx

Chapter 1: And so we meet again

Asura was fading in and out of consciousness, unable to make sense of the jumbled mess his surroundings had turned into.

Why, Indra, why? Why are you doing this? Please, stop this, just stop. Let's go back to how things were, back to when we were children. Why are you looking at me like this? Stop looking at me with those red – red, red, red – eyes of yours. You never looked at me like this.

A flash of red, an ear-splitting roar, and yet all Asura could feel was the comforting warmth around him as gentle fingers touched his cheek. Asura instinctively wanted to latch onto that warmth, envelop himself in it and never let it go. But all too soon, it left him again, always left him.

Don't you remember, Indra? Don't you remember what our father taught us? This wasn't how he wanted us to use Ninshu, how he wanted us to use our powers. We were meant to create, never to destroy. Please, Indra, stop this.

His body was strangely heavy, but nevertheless, he felt himself being moved again, being carried to a different place, passed from one person to another, each chakra signature unique yet they all blended together in Asura's mind. He still found it difficult to focus. Maybe this was an illusion, devised by Indra to end him?

I don't want to do this, Indra. Please, don't force me to do this. I don't want to fight. Why do you? You've always been my superior, we both know this. You don't need proof of this. I was never your equal, but that never mattered. Why does it matter now?

Asura was unsure how much time passed in that strange state of mind he was in. A jumble of voices reached his ears, always different ones in the beginning, but after a while, he could distinguish between them. So few held that warmth he was missing, so many were full of fear and hatred.

Please, Indra, stop looking at me like this. Please, brother, come back to me, let go of all that hatred, just come back. How am I supposed to fulfil father's will without you? How can I even go on living without you, without losing myself to that same hatred that possesses you?

What happened to you, brother?

xXx

In total, it took Asura about half a year to understand the situation he found himself in. In retrospect, maybe it should have been obvious considering how easily he was being moved by other people, how he seemed to have little to no control over his body, how his mind was easily distracted. Indra would probably call him an idiot if he ever found out.

Then again, Asura felt it was entirely natural that he didn't immediately jump to the conclusion that he'd been reincarnated. Not much was known about the afterlife – and added to that, he hadn't even realised that he'd, well, died.

As guilty as he felt for the thought, Asura could only hope that he'd at least taken Indra with him to his grave. Even though he still didn't wish harm to befall his older brother, Indra was his responsibility. He didn't even want to imagine his children fighting against their scarily powerful uncle.

Though it was incredibly frustrating, Asura knew that it would be quite some time before he could find out how their last fight had ended. As it was, he wasn't capable of forming a single word with his untrained voice cords, he couldn't even stand upright on his wobbly knees. Instead, he was completely dependent on the mercy of the adults around him, which, as he quickly realised, was only reluctantly extended to him.

Asura felt sick whenever those fearful, hateful eyes of the people who were supposed to take care of him turned on him, reluctance, exasperation and disgust marring their faces. It was obvious to him that he was an orphan – however that had come to be – but that didn't explain the neglectful treatment he was subjected to.

Well, he had probably been a pretty difficult child those first few months that were full of confusion, pain, loss, nightmares and ever more pain. It wouldn't surprise him if he'd cried for hours on end, probably keeping his poor caretakers awake for several unpleasantly long nights, giving them quite a few grey hairs in the process.

Still, even if he was a difficult child, the treatment he received was … peculiar. And rather hurtful. Asura had always been a person who thrived in the company of other people, grew to be his best with their support, strove to reach his limits for their sake. To protect those precious to him, he had attained heights he never would have imagined … had been able to match his brother, who'd always seemed like an unreachable goal to him.

Thankfully, there was one person who treated him with kindness. Otherwise, Asura might have gone mad those first few months he'd been so unsure of what was happening to him. It was an elderly fellow, always greeting him with a smile on his face, warm touches and soft words giving Asura the emotional support he dearly craved.

If only he came by more often. But wherever he had been reborn, it immediately became apparent that his lifeline was a rather important person in the society he now lived in. The way people deferred to him was indication enough, but the massive, dazzlingly bright chakra he possessed sealed the deal for Asura.

As such, he was grateful that the man spared as much time as he did to spend with him. Still, he couldn't help but miss his company the second he was left alone again in that dark place with the many fearful glares. Asura tried to blink the tears away, sniffling slightly, but he knew by now that crying didn't result in the gentle attention he wished for.

Instead, he tried to distract himself by finally investigating the weight in his belly. Now that he was more aware of his situation, he'd quickly realised that even though he had little control over his body, it didn't actually feel as heavy as he'd originally thought. No, that strange impression originated from a disturbance in his chakra and considering how sensitive he'd always been to such things, it was no surprise that it bothered him so much.

Closing his eyes, Asura retreated into his mindscape, pleased to find himself in a lush forest, teeming with life. He'd always loved to be outside, to feel one with nature, no matter the landscape, but he was truly at home amongst the trees.

Laying a hand on the bark of a tree, Asura concentrated and tried to pinpoint the location of the disturbance. Navigating consciously through his mind was a strange experience, but his rather unique attunement with both his surroundings and his emotions apparently facilitated it quite a bit, if the stories from his family and his students were to be believed.

Slowly, Asura moved towards the darker parts of the forest, frowning as he steadily approached the disturbance in his chakra. It felt … familiar. Unnervingly familiar. Yet somehow, Asura was unable to match the impression he received with his memory. It almost felt like his senses were somewhat dulled, only allowing a distorted vision of something, someone he should know, yet despite his best efforts he couldn't identify it, couldn't sharpen the image.

A menacing growl resounded through the air as Asura approached the darkest part of the forest, entering a clearing that strangely enough seemed to swallow all light instead of sparkling in the sun as Asura would have preferred. "So the jailor visits the prisoner," a low voice grumbled. Asura squinted, wishing his eyes would adjust to the darkness already, or that he could at least find a proper light source already. "I didn't expect you so soon, brat," the voice added.

Then, a set of red eyes snapped open, slit pupils glaring at him from behind bars. His breath caught in Asura's chest as the foreign chakra presence grew even more oppressive, profound hatred mixed with disgust directed towards him even as disbelief filled his mind.

"Kurama?" he asked breathlessly, walking towards the red eyes with a few quick strides. The hatred was dimmed by surprise, confusion, then wariness as finally, finally, a thin sunray broke through the black clouds and illuminated the clearing.

Asura almost wished it hadn't. Because someone had put a gigantic cave, a far too small prison into his mind, and had the guts to lock up his sibling. His body froze as disbelief and rage warred for dominance, only barely managing to restrain himself to clenching his fists. "Who did this to you?" he finally growled, tears springing into his mind as he recalled the fox's emotions. Why did it have to be Indra's legacy that survived? When had Kurama succumbed to such mindless hatred that he would even threaten someone he'd perceived to be a child?

"Asura?" Kurama asked slowly, each syllable drawn out as he looked at him with wide eyes, anything menacing gone from his expression. "How …"

"Reincarnation, I suspect," Asura answered before Kurama could even finish his question while he visually inspected the cage, his eyes soon drawn to the conspicuous seal locking the cage. "I take it it's been a while since I died?"

"Centuries," Kurama replied quietly, though his ears perked up as Asura stepped even closer, "many, many centuries." There was sadness in his voice, desperation, but also painfully contained hope as if the fox didn't quite allow himself to believe that Asura was, in fact, here with him, that this wasn't a trick his jailors had devised.

"I see," Asura whispered, his concern about Kurama's state dominating the shock at that revelation. His family and friends, everyone he'd known was gone – but Asura hadn't really expected any different, anyways. It was probably better that a considerate amount of time had passed. At least then, he wouldn't run into as many painful reminders of the people he'd left behind.

It would have to be enough that at least his younger siblings still existed in the world, even if they didn't seem to be doing terribly well, if Kurama was any indication. Slender fingers rose above his head, grasping the thin paper slip, decorated with elaborate black squiggles, and, with a single fluid motion, he tore the seal off of the cage.

At least, that had been his plan. However, a hand grasped his wrist mid-motion, halting his effort to free his brother. "What are you doing in my son's mind?" A foot to the chest sent Asura sprawling, surprised by the sudden assault in his own mind. "I won't allow you to unleash destruction upon Konoha!"

His opponent glared at him with bright blue eyes, his red and white cloak billowing from his sudden movements even as he poised an odd-looking knife to attack. Still, he didn't move from his position in front of the cage, Kurama growling frustratedly behind him.

He was protecting the seal, Asura realised. This was the man who'd sealed Kurama in the first place – his father. Asura felt sick as he recalled the man's fierce, protective words, felt the fear mingled with anger as he tried to scare off the perceived intruder with posturing alone.

However, Asura easily noticed that the blond man wouldn't actually be able to put up much of a fight. His chakra was faint, so faint he hadn't even realised it was there before then. He'd almost completely exhausted himself simply by stopping Asura's action.

"I presume you are the one who put Kurama in here," he said as he rose from the ground, silently impressed how even his voice came out. Asura was … confused. Conflicted. The blond man, his father, didn't seem like a bad person – and yet, he had hurt someone Asura cared a great deal about. His only connection to his past.

There was simply too much he didn't know about the time he was in. "Kurama?" the blond man asked, cocking his head in confusion, but his guard didn't drop an inch. Asura couldn't say that he was thrilled about the fact that his father in this life had obviously been an accomplished warrior.

Before Asura could become outraged about the fact that the man didn't even know the name of the being he'd locked up, the aforementioned fox cut into the conversation. "Don't blame him, Asura," Kurama growled, putting his head onto his paws. The gazes of both men snapped to the fluffy predator in surprise.

"As much as I despise the Yondaime for sealing me, he did what he had to do. A lot has changed since you last walked these lands, Asura," he elaborated tiredly as he closed his eyes. Asura's throat turned dry as he heard the defeated tone in his voice. Ignoring the wary blue eyes following his every move, Asura made his way back towards the cage, crouching next to his brother's gigantic head, just outside the cage.

"The nine Bijuu are seen as demons now, and we have earned that reputation," Kurama continued, uninterrupted. "Humans have always tried to harness our powers. During the last few generations, they've taken to imprisoning us within human sacrifices, hoping to turn them into weapons that will elevate their villages to previously unknown glory."

That … didn't really sound very good, either. Asura frowned at Kurama's dispassionate explanation. "That's not what I did! Naruto is not a sacrifice!" the blond man shouted in response to the fox's words, a strange expression on his face. "And I don't appreciate you messing with his mind even further!" He sent an accusing glare into Asura's direction.

"Denial doesn't suit you, Yondaime," the fox sniped sarcastically, lazily opening one red eye. "Though I suppose I should give you credit for choosing your son instead of picking a random stranger you didn't give a damn about."

The blond man's mouth was drawn into a displeased line, but he didn't respond to Kurama's poisonous words. Asura scrutinized him from the corner of his eyes, head only halfway turned away from his brother.

It was guilt that was keeping the man quiet, he quickly realised. As much as Asura wanted to blame him for his sibling's predicament, it seemed he had been forced to do this by circumstance – by events Asura would be sure to grill his brother about later. But for now …

Asura rose from his crouch, holding out his hand towards the blond man with a somewhat reluctant smile. "My name is Ōtsutsuki Asura," he introduced himself. "Forgive me for my hostility, but I happen to care greatly for my family. Kurama and I share the same father, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo."

"Um …" the blond man replied eloquently, his expression flabbergasted as he relaxed his battle stance for the first time since he'd appeared.

"He means the Sage of the Six Paths," Kurama helpfully added, earning himself a bemused glance from his brother.

"The what now?"

"It's what humans call Hagoromo these days," the fox explained nonchalantly. If his space weren't so limited right now, Asura suspected he would have shrugged.

"Right. I see," Asura replied dubiously. It felt somewhat strange to consider that his father had passed so far into legend that nobody even knew his name anymore. He wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to think about that – he only hoped Indra and himself hadn't earned themselves any strange titles through the passage of time.

The confusion on the blond man's face hadn't really diminished even slightly, but now, something close to awe was mixed into his expression. "Um," he started again, putting his weapon back into his pouch as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. "I'm Namikaze Minato, Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure," he finally brought out, shaking Asura's still outstretched hand.

The title didn't mean anything to Asura, but he could always find out more about that later. "A pleasure, I'm sure," he said cheerfully, his smile growing a bit more genuine. It didn't cost him anything to be friendly, for now, and in his experience, a warm welcome went a long way to endearing himself to other people.

Namikaze Minato dropped his hand back to his side, reciprocating the smile only briefly as a frown made its way back onto his face. "You still haven't explained what you're doing in my son's mind," he finally said fiercely, eyeing him somewhat suspiciously.

Asura couldn't quite suppress the flinch at the accusation, his mind racing as he considered the best way to break the news to the man. "Well …" he stuttered, wringing his hands awkwardly as he dropped his gaze. It wasn't difficult for a father to imagine just how well this would go. If he'd found out that one of his children was actually an adult who'd lived an entire life centuries ago, he sure wouldn't have been thrilled. "I … um …" He rubbed the back of his head, unconsciously mirroring his father's action earlier.

"Asura is your son, technically," Kurama growled lazily, his eyes once again closed. "Ever heard of reincarnation, Yondaime?"

As his father's face lost all its colour, his eyes growing wide, Asura silently cursed Kurama for his blunt words. The truth would hurt in any way that it was delivered, but it would have helped if the fox didn't continuously antagonize the man. His smile frozen on his lips, Asura awkwardly tugged on one of his braids, looking anywhere but at Minato.

"No, that's … you're not … I …" the blond man stuttered, breathing far too quickly. "You're not Naruto. Naruto's a baby, he's not some long-dead legend who calls the demon fox his brother." The words downright rushed out of his mouth. "Naruto's an innocent child. He's the best of Kushina and me. He'll be an awesome shinobi and he'll surpass us both, he'll have an unhealthy obsession with ramen but his friends will make sure he eats other stuff, too, and then, he'll find a girl he'll fall in love with, and …" At some point, his voice trailed off as his shoulders started shaking.

"You're not my son." The words shouldn't have hurt as much as they did. Asura had already lived a full life, already had a loving father and precious siblings, had his own family, his own children. There was no need for him to want the acceptance of this man, this father, when he could remember all that.

But some part of him, as strange as it sounded, was Naruto, was the six-month-old baby who had experienced so little love over the course of his short life. Some part of him had wondered what had happened to his parents, why he was all alone, why only one sole person seemed to care for him in the entire world.

Asura had always been a sociable person, and all the bonds he remembered didn't exist anymore. His family, his friends, his father were long gone from this world. The people he lived with now only regarded him with disgust, and now … Now, the only person aside from his mother who should have accepted him without prejudice had cast him aside.

"I understand," he whispered, blinking against the tears springing up in his eyes. Because he did. How could he not? Every word Minato had said was the truth, even if he had been rambling.

"Asura …" He barely perceived his brother's worried voice.

"No, I understand, I really do," Asura repeated, turning his eyes towards the sky as a single raindrop hit his cheek, the sun dimmed by the now grey clouds. "If our positions were reversed, I'd say the same. I'm not … I'm not your son." He almost choked on the words. "I shouldn't … I shouldn't even be here. I died a long time ago. I'm dead." Dead, dead, dead. Indra had killed him. "I shouldn't be here."

His right hand clenched around his left elbow as he tried to stop his shaking. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he managed between hitched sobs as the raindrops grew ever more frequent. What was he even doing here? He shouldn't remember his previous life. Nobody else did. So why was he here, all alone in the world, bringing nothing but pain to those around him? Why didn't he just stay dead?

Asura didn't know how long he stood there, trying to stop the tears that just continued flowing, his embarrassment losing the fight against the overwhelming loneliness that had threatened to throw him into despair more than once during the last few months. Indra would call him a crybaby again if he could see him now.

"No, I'm the one who should apologize." Asura froze at the words whispered into his ear as warm arms encircled him, pressing his wet face into a vaguely familiar shoulder. "You may not be what I expected of my son, but that doesn't change the fact that you are. I'm sorry for what I said. That was … unnecessarily cruel."

Minato felt so safe. Finally, Asura's stiff posture relaxed as he buried his face into his new father's shoulder, the arms around him tightening a fraction. "I can already tell that you're a wonderful, warm-hearted, brave person who I'm proud to call my son," Minato murmured into his ear. "You're my legacy. I know that you're the one I can entrust my dream to."

"Your dream?" Asura asked quietly, his voice muffled by his father's shoulder.

"Ah, my dream," the blond man replied, ruffling Asura brown hair. "To bring peace to this war-torn, bitter shinobi world."

"Indra, Asura, come here." Their father grasped their hands as sat down on either side of him, his voice tired as he laid on the bed he would spend his last hours in. "I entrust this world to you."

"Asura," he turned towards the younger brother. "I have seen the relationships you built, the love you carried into the world. Continue to keep your heart and mind open and I know that you will fulfil my dream in my stead. I know you can bring peace to the despairing people of these lands."

"Indra," the older brother's expression was blank. "You have become strong, very powerful. Asura will need that strength on the path he is to walk. Support your brother and your mind will one day come to rest, as well."

A tiny, sad smile lit up the often grim, red eyes. "I will, father. I'll always stand by Asura's side."

That tiny, sad smile had come to haunt Asura just as much as Indra's promise, a promise he'd betrayed only a few days later without much explanation. But no matter how heart-broken he'd been by Indra's choice, Asura could never forget his father's last words to him.

As he had tasked him with, Asura would always strive to unite people, to help them understand each other, to create harmony out of discord. "That's a good dream," he whispered, fingers clenching around his father's white cloak. "I'll do my best to fulfil it."

xXx

A/N: For all those familiar with my other works: I did mention that I started watching Naruto, didn't I? And got side-tracked from writing my other stories? Well, I hope you nevertheless enjoyed the result. Let me assure you that ASL reset is not discontinued, but updates are slowing down a bit to indulge my fits of inspiration. Sorry about that.

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the story. Leave many reviews before you move onto the next one! While I am planning to continue this story, anyways, encouragement is the best incentive I can get!

Next chapter coming soon: "I love you, Onii-chan"