"I'm counting on you..." Naruto shouted as Sasuke walked without hesitation through the barrier towards the spatial twist that he summoned. The closer he got the more it pulled his entire being in and within seconds, he disappeared.

Gritting his teeth in pain, Naruto struggled to control the enormous amount of chakra that was being released through his palm. He was kneeling on the floor, his palm still flat against it, visible chakra tendrils snaking through the elaborate seals that covered almost every inch of the room. It had been specially fortified for their experiments.

He could feel the seal drawing in more and more of his chakra as it sought to possess enough power to send its delivery to the time and space specified. With a low grunt, Naruto could feel his fifth tail snapped out of the base of his spine and whipped about in agony. Dust fluttered as the room tried to contain the pressure of the chakra build up. Finally, the glow of the seal lit up with a sudden flare of white that blinded Naruto. The suction of power was cut off abruptly.

Sitting back, Naruto waited for his chakra coil to find its balance again. He guessed that before long he would know which of the following theory was right. Would time travel create an alternate timeline or would it realign the existing one with the new one that Sasuke would do his best to create? He prayed for the latter even though he knew it would destroy all his memories of the past. But then, not much of the past was worth remembering and the current reality was not one in which he wanted to live in.

He would have no regrets about forgetting how it felt to have to kill Gaara, to hold Sakura as the curse seal receded from her body, leaving her a painful, gasping wreck. He had no wish to forever hold in his mind the sight of Kakashi's body with his Sharingan torn out. No wish to see Ino's torn, abused corpse found in the Akatsuki's dungeons. No wish to see Jiraiya in Tsunade's arms, colorless as his hair. Too dead to take advantage of his close proximity to his teammate. Naruto almost chuckled at that thought.

His chakra level having settled down, Naruto dragged himself out of the basement. He headed for the only other room in the hideaway in which he and Sasuke spent the most time and effort on. Pushing the door open, he walked towards the bed and sat down on the old, creaky chair beside it. He picked up the soft, lifeless hand and held it gently. Her face and hands were swollen slightly with water retention. She had been lying there for a long time.

A well of regrets rose.

"Sakura-chan, I've succeeded in sending Sasuke back but I have no idea if it will change anything for us. If it didn't, well, at least somewhere in another dimension, we have a chance to be happy together." He fell into silence as he gazed at her. The shadows in the room deepened as the sunset.

"Sakura-chan, I don't want to live like this anymore." He wanted to say more, but he could not, not even to this lifeless visage of the girl he loved. If the world for him remained the same tomorrow, he would head for the Akatsuki's lair with Sakura and detonate himself there. At least they would die together.

::

Sasuke's eye flew open at the feeling of cool air hitting his face. Years of training and experience on the field has instilled in his ability to snap from sleep to wakefulness instantly. Immediately, he recognized his room from his adolescent years, he reached for the clock by his bed. The electronic clock displayed the time to be five twenty-eight in the morning.

He slowly pulled the covers off his body and walked to his closet to pick out his usual attire when he was this age. In his mind, he paged through the various plans that Naruto and he had concocted together to change the past. A small smile was shown on his lips, he had to admit it, he could hardly contain the happiness that threatened to manifest in a series of 'thank you kami'. He had already forgotten the excruciating pain he had been through, having his physical body burnt away in the spatial twist, in order to let his consciousness gravitate to the Sasuke who lived fifteen years ago.

Dressing, he couldn't help but ponder the future events. War changed people. Naruto had become a cynic. Well, a dark comical cynic. Sasuke would probably remember the days even after he fixed everything but it was his motivation to never have a future like that. Team seven deserved more than a cruel deathly fate that was written out for them.

Steadily down the steps, Sasuke made it out of the apartment building to turn a corner into the village streets. The morning sun began to appear and little by little other people started to join him in the streets. He took the time to look around to actually see the people around him. As he recalled he had never taken the time to get to know anyone around him. For example, he didn't know there was a dango shop right next to his apartment or the fact that Lee and Gai were seen doing their daily workout session through the village.

What to change? Sasuke mused to himself as he walked towards the meeting spot of team seven. It would have been better if he could return earlier. There would be more time to make a connection with Naruto and change the general perception of himself as a selfish human being he was. Even making time to share with the women he loved, Sakura.

However, the further back he traveled, the accuracy of when he will arrive will be compromised. They both agreed that the day they were put into their genin team would be early enough for him to start changing events. But a sudden shift in his attitude may incur suspicions in his fellow peers and teachers. Deep in thought, he hardly noticed when Sakura joined him.

"Good morning, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura tilted her head so slightly as she smiled at him.

Sasuke breathing hitched in an instant at the sound of her voice.