Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of it's affiliates. In fact I am opposed to the institution of shonen slavery. It is appalling that these kids are forced to fight monstrosities so that others can make books and shows out of their suffering for the amusement of the masses. Anime abolitionists unite!
"Speaking"
'Thinking'
Jutsu/other techniques
Future Vision
A/N: I've wanted to do one of these 'characters watch their shows/movies' for a while. I love the idea of characters seeing how they change. It is also nice to use it to prevent bad things from happening, at least in this story (don't worry Asuma and Neji, I'm coming to save you!). I was going to put It off for a few months but a certain event made me reconsider. One of my favorite authors, Owlgirl16, was forced to take down 3 of her stories, all part of the same series of stories, 'Reading Naruto Shiipuden...'. Now I already ranted about It In my other story so I won't go Into detail about my displeasure but suffice It to say that this story Is the equivalent of me giving the finger to the admins. But don't worry, that's not the main reason that's just a bonus, extra motivation. This takes place after Shikamaru checkmates Temari then forfeits In the first chunin exam. Don't worry about my other story, I only plan on working on this when I'm stuck and can't figure out what to write in 'More than Human'.
Chunin Exam stadium
"I can't believe that lazy ass. He went through all that work and he just gives up. He had her cornered, not enough chakra my ass. He was just too damn lazy to continue. And you know he probably had a plan for if he ran out of chakra, he just didn't wanna put In the effort. He got everybody worked up too, he made me cheer for him. When I get my hands on him I'll..."
Choji Akamichi sat in the stands watching his friend and teammate Shikamaru Nara as he exited the battlefield below. All the while his other teammate Ino Yamanaka continued her furious tirade on her teammate's lack of ambition, using some choice words in the process.
"I don't know why you're so surprised Pig, it was basically a given that Shikamaru was gonna find some way to lose", said Ino's best frenemy Sakura Haruno. "I bet the only reason he entered the exams was because you forced him too. You should be surprised that he put In the effort to last this long."
"Shut up Forehead nobody asked you!", Ino yelled at Sakura. The most frustrating part was that Ino knew she was right. Though she wouldn't tell HER that.
"Speaking of surprises, I still can't believe that Naruto actually beat Neji", Ino said, partly to change the subject of the conversation.
"You know, a few months ago I would've agreed with you. But ever since we've been a team he's managed to surprise me", Sakura said.
"Come on Forehead, you don't expect me to believe that. You used to always say how annoying he is.", Ino said.
"Don't get me wrong, he can be obnoxious sometimes but he's gotten better. He's not stupid, he just didn't have any social skills, he didn't know how to talk to people.", Sakura said. "But he's started to grow on me. And though they won't admit it, he and Sasuke-kun are friends."
"Wait, how did THAT happen?", Ino exclaimed.
"It started because Naruto trains harder than anyone I've ever seen."
"Really? He was always goofing off in class."
"Well apparently he did most of his training in his free time. Anyway, when Sasuke-kun saw how hard Naruto was training he decided to step up his own and before we all knew it they were rivals. Since then Sasuke-kun's been a little more open and Naruto's been a little more mature."
"I was wondering why you three were so relaxed around each other during the preliminaries."
"Yeah, Kakashi-sensei practically drilled teamwork into our heads. It was hard for me and Sasuke-kun but Naruto took to It like a duck to water. He's always making these crazy plans that end up working, It's incredible."
"You don't say. You know I never noticed this but Naruto's kinda cute. And that blood oath he took to avenge Hinata was pretty romantic."
"You have a weird idea of romance Pig."
"I'm just saying that now I get why she's into him." Ino then got a devious look in her eye. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
Sakura had a similarly devious look. "You know it."
"We should totally get them together!", they both squealed delightedly.
"Alright, first we gotta find some common interests. What are their hobbies?", Sakura asked.
"Well, I know Hinata likes flower pressing", Ino said
"That's good since Naruto likes gardening.", Choji said, having listened to the conversation.
"Really?", Sakura asked in disbelief. "I never thought Naruto would like something so...calm."
"Wait how do you know this anyway?", Ino asked.
"We used to hang out, remember?", he said.
"Oh yeah, I forgot you and Shikamaru used to hang out with Naruto and Kiba.", Sakura said.
"Why'd you guys stop hanging out anyway?", Ino asked.
"Well, you know how me and Shikamaru are best friends?", Choji asked.
"Duh. You two have been inseperable for years.", Ino stated.
"That's how Kiba and Naruto used to be. They were like two peas in a pod. They were the ones in charge whenever we ditched class to have fun. They'd plan pranks and Shikamaru and I would get us out of trouble. Those were good times."
"So what happened?", Sakura asked.
"Kiba's mom was always putting pressure on him cuz he's clan heir. That's one of the reasons he liked goofing off with Naruto. But his mom was always coming down on him since he wasn't taking his training seriously and his grades were bad. He couldn't yell at her so he took it out on the only person he could."
"Dang. And knowing Naruto he would probably get mad and say something right back.", Sakura said with a wince.
"Yeah and before long they would be fighting. Eventually both of them just stopped hanging out. With me and Shikamaru too since they might've run into each other."
"That's terrible.", Ino said sadly.
"Yeah but it's all good now. Ever since the preliminaries they've been hanging out again."
"I haven't seen them hanging out lately.", Ino said.
"Well they haven't really had lots of chances since Naruto kept disappearing for training the past month, but they still found some time to catch up. I talked to Kiba and he said that it was like they both got all their anger and frustration out during the match and they realized how stupid they were acting. You know, Kiba may be hot headed and reckless sometimes but he's a good guy who's loyal to his friends."
"Huh that's interesting. Kiba's looking good too, now that he took off that jacket of his.", Ino said with a small smile.
"Geez Pig, are you trying to hit on every guy here? And what about Sasuke-kun?", Sakura asked.
"Hey I'm just broadening my horizons. You're just upset that you don't have any guys that are into you Forehead.", Ino said. "Oh wait, I guess there's Lee."
"Oh no!", Sakura exclaimed.
"What's the matter?", Ino asked.
"I just realized that I haven't been to see Lee once this entire month."
"Crap you're right.", Ino said. "Well he's a nice guy I'm sure he won't be mad."
"That's exactly the point. I wasn't very nice to him when we first met yet when those Oto ninjas attacked me in the Forest of Death he jumped to my defense without a second thought. Even when the odds were against him he kept going. And I couldn't even be bothered to visit him when he almost died."
Both girls were quiet for what felt like a long time but was really just a few minutes.
"Hey Sakura I just realized, we've never hung out with Hinata.", Ino said in a sad voice. "I mean, the only reason I know she likes flower pressing is because she came to my family's shop a couple times. Other than that I don't think I ever even had a full conversation with her."
"And none of us hung out with Shino either."
"It didn't seem to really bother him too much", Ino said in a small, feeble voice.
"I used to think it didn't bother Naruto either. But since I've been around him more I've noticed that a lot of the time his smile seems fake. Especially when someone insults him or Is mean to him, like he's trying to mask his feelings. I know Shino's part of the Aburame clan, but I think he also likes to hide his emotions so nobody can see how hurt he is. He was avoided almost as much as Naruto."
"And I hated the fact that I was put onto this team when it first happened.", Ino said. She then turned to her teammate, "Choji I'm really sorry that I was mean to you all the time."
"It's ok Ino. The important thing is we're friends now.", Choji said.
"I don't even know what Naruto or Sasuke do in their spare time.", Sakura said.
"I feel terrible. We were so shallow and competitive chasing after Sasuke that we didn't even care to know our classmates.", Ino said, dejected.
"Do you think it's too late? ", Sakura asked.
"Nah, it's never too late", Choji assured them.
"Well where do we begin?", Ino asked.
"Start small. Maybe invite everybody to train and go from there", Choji suggested.
Both girls were happy and excited by Choji's advice and were about to start discussing ways to break the ice with their fellow shinobi when they heard a low humming noise.
"Hey, do you guys hear that?", Choji asked.
"Yeah, but where's it coming from?", Sakura replied.
"It's like it's coming from all around us.", Ino said. "Is It just me or Is It getting louder?"
The humming was slowly getting louder and sharper. When they looked around however, most people around them seemed to not notice it. The only ones who seemed to hear it were their fellow genin and their senseis. Meanwhile, the noise grew louder and louder until it felt like their eardrums would rupture, and when it hit it's crescendo there was a bright light that blinded all who witnessed it and when it was over several people in the stadium were gone without a trace.
Konohagakure-18 years previously
It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Children were playing and laughing as their parents watched on with smiles on their faces. The markets were bustling as people went to and fro, getting the things they need and stopping to have a chat with friends. Not everyone was enjoying this beautiful day though.
"Oh crap, I'm gonna be late again.", a young boy panted as he ran through the streets. He was running so fast that his blue jacket with a red and white fan on the back was dancing wildly behind him in the wind and his orange goggles were wrapped firmly around his eyes and were messing up his black hair.
"Hey slow down!"
"Dang Kids!"
"You almost broke my neck you little punk!"
"My cabbages!"
The boy ignored the various noises of protest at his wild run, merely yelling a quick "Sorry" over his shoulder as he continued on.
After running for several more minutes, during which he had left the village proper and entered into a wooded area, he came within sight of a clearing with three logs In the middle of It. With a triumphant shout he dropped into a slide until he came to a stop next to the middle log.
"Safe!", he shouted as he jumped to his feet. He then leaned nonchalantly on the log. "First one here too. No one will even know I forgot."
"Except for us dobe."
The boy gave a resigned sigh and turned around to see a silver haired boy with a mask covering his lower face, a brown haired girl with purple markings on her cheeks, and a blond haired blue eyed man with a stern expression.
"Obito, would you care to tell me why you are late again?", the man asked in a stern voice. Yet despite his expression there was an amused twinkle in his eyes and a slight upturn to his lips, which eased some of the tension In the boy's shoulders.
"Well it's like this Minato-sensei. I was walking along the road when I saw this cat whose owner was stuck in a tree, so of course I had to help them out.", Obito said with a cheeky smile.
The man, Minato, dropped his serious countenance and smiled. "Well I'll give you points for originality. But still, you should learn to be more responsible with your time."
"Yeah, and because you're always late it cuts into my training time.", the silver-head said.
"Shut it Kakashi. This IS training.", Obito said
"How?"
"I'm working on my cardio and you're getting a good lesson in patience. After all a ninja needs to learn to bide his time."
Kakashi got a tick mark at that and was about to give an annoyed reply, when he was interrupted by the girl.
"Will you two please do me a favor and shut up.", she said, annoyed.
"Tch, whatever."
"Of course Rin, I'll do anything you say.", Obito gushed with hearts In his eyes.
"Now that that's over with, can you three come over here please?", Minato said.
The three students immediately obeyed and were soon gathered in front of him.
"Alright well first off Kakashi, Obito actually brings up a good point.", Minato said.
"You've gotta be kidding me."
"Wait, really?"
"Yes, patience is a very important skill for a shinobi.", Minato stated. "As shinobi, times we must rely on stealth and an important part of stealth is patience and knowing when to act and when to stay put. And sometimes people are held up by unforseen events and so you will have to wait."
"Haha, you got told Kakashi.", Obito taunted.
"And Obito you really need to have better discipline.", Minato stated.
"What?!"
"You were saying dobe."
"I like you Obito but you need to learn responsibility. And show some decorum. Shinobi are supposed to be professional and show that we take our missions seriously. We cannot afford to act undignified.", Minato said.
"MINATO-KUN!"
Suddenly Minato was tackled from behind by a red blur. When he was able to get his bearings he looked at the person who was hanging onto his back and saw a beautiful woman with red hair and violet eyes.
"Kushina-chan, what are you doing here?", Minato asked.
"What? Can't a girl pop in to see her boyfriend?", Kushina said. She then started to get tears In her eyes. "D-do you not l-like me anymore?"
"Oh Kushina-chan, how could you even think such a thing. Your mere presence banishes the dreariness and desolation from this wretched day, leaving only golden light In It's place.", Minato said in a dramatic voice, while holding Kushina's right hand in both of his.
"Minato-kun, how sweet your honeyed words feel to me.", Kushina said in an equally dramatic voice, while looking away and placing her left hand on her forehead. "Yet how can I know that your words are true? Would you scale the highest peak and declare your love to the heavens?"
Minato pulled her into his embrace. "Not only would I shout my love to the heavens, I would carve it into the very sky."
"Oh Minato-kun!"
"Kushina-chan!"
Then they started to make exaggerated kissing noises until they both burst out laughing.
"I wasn't sure you'd go with it at first.", Kushina said with a smile. "What tipped you off? The tears?"
"That and the stutter, which I might add was adorable.", Minato said with a sweet smile. His statement caused Kushina to blush.
"Oh stop.", she said with a smile before pulling him into a passionate kiss.
"I am mystified as to how two of the best ninjas In the village can be so crazy.", Kakashi deadpanned
Rin however was looking at the two with tears in her eyes. "I think it's so beautiful how in love they are."
"You know they were just kidding around, right?", Kakashi said.
"Yeah, and they are so in sync with each other that they know what the other is thinking and what they want without even talking. They get each other perfectly, even the other's humor.", Rin exclaimed.
Kakashi looked at the three of them like they were crazy and he was the only sane one.
The two lovebirds were broken out of their make our session by someone clearing their throat.
"So sensei, what was that about professionalism?", Obito said snickering.
"Well we're jonin, those rules don't apply to us.", Minato stated.
"What, that's so not fair.", Obito said.
"Hey, it may not be fair but it works for us.", Minato said.
"Oooh Minato-kun, I love it when you're a little mean.", Kushina purred. She then pinched Minato's behind causing him to jump slightly.
"Well someone's been a little naughty. How about we..."
"For the love of god, can we please get started before I'm scarred for life!", Obito yelled.
Both of the adults looked a little sheepish at that statement and Minato opened his mouth to speak when he was interrupted by a low humming noise.
"What's that sound?", Rin asked as her hand inched to her kunai pouch.
"I don't know but I want everybody to be on guard.", Minato answered. He then pulled out two kunai, one regular one and another one with three prongs. "Everyone form up."
The five of them got into a circle with their weapons out and backs to each other, while their bodies were tense in anticipation of what might come.
All the while the noise grew steadily louder and sharper, until it felt like nails were being pounded into their skulls. When the noise peaked and they felt they could take no more, they were enveloped by a blinding white light and when it disappeared they were gone without a trace.
?
In a room far, far, away (but not too long ago since it was still happening), 31 people, and a pig, suddenly appeared in a flash of light. Though their landing was...hmm, let's say far from graceful.
"Who's on my leg?"
"Would someone please stop stepping on my hair."
"Neji, what self-respecting guy cares that much about their hair?"
"Kakashi I swear to god, that better not be your hand on my ass."
"Kakashi, you better hope that's not your hand on my girlfriend's ass."
"Don't worry Nai-chan, It's my hand."
"What the hell Anko?"
"Sorry, It's just so squeezable."
"Jiraiya, if you don't get your hands off my boobs you're gonna lose them."
"Sorry Tsunade, it just happened like that."
"You didn't even land anywhere near me."
"Yosh, this is a most youthful excercise. Let's see who can get out of this pile first."
"Yes Gai-sensei, I will not fail."
"Alright I'm sick of this."
"Temari, what are you gonna..."
Suddenly everybody was flung out of the pile by a gust of wind. Luckily they all managed to land on their feet.
"Phew, that's much better.", the blond girl named Temari said with obvious relief.
"Well now that that's over with does anybody know where we are?", the big-breasted blond named Tsunade asked.
As everyone started looking around in confusion, both at where they were and who they were with, one Kakashi Hatake took a moment to observe his surroundings.
He saw his three cute genin; Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura.
His friend and "Eternal Rival" Gai was here, along with his genin; his protege Lee, that hyuga kid Neji, and that girl with the weapon fetish...Tenten, he believed her name was.
'I don't know whether to pity or envy the guy that gets her into bed...maybe a little of both', he thought with a perverted giggle.
He noticed his good friend Asuma Sarutobi, as well as the neo Ino-shika-cho trio; Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji.
Not too far from him was the beautiful Kurenai Yuuhi with her special tracking team; the stoic Shino, the crazy Kiba, and the shy hyuga heiress Hinata, who was stealing glances at his student Naruto.
'I hope I have a camera on the day he realizes her feelings for him.', he thought amused.
He noted, with surprise, the presence of the siblings from Suna and their sensei; he believed their names were Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari. And their sensei's name was...Baloo? No Baki, yes that was it.
He also noticed that the head of the T&I (Torture and Interrogation) division Ibiki Morino was there. He noted how cool and calm the scarred man was, considering the situation. It was a far cry from the actions of the person next to him; his colleague Anko Mitarashi. He saw that she was practically twitching with energy and was trying to keep an eye on every inch of the room...well he noticed after he stopped looking at her chest.
He waa shocked to see the 3rd Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, there. Despite his age he was still a formidable shinobi and would've been hard to catch off guard.
He was even more surprised to see the Third's students in attendance; Jiraiya and Tsunade of the Sannin, along with Tsunade's apprentice Shizune. He was glad to see them though. Jiraiya was one of the few people who appreciated the beauty of the female figure. And Tsunade...well Tsunade was a perfect example of the beauty of the female figure. She had two good examples too. Shizune was quite a looker as well. Though he found It odd that she was holding a pig.
But when he turned to look at the final group of people, he stopped in his tracks.
'I-it can't be. This must be a dream, there's no way this is real.', he thought.
Yet despite his disbelief he started inching his way closer to the group until he was within speaking distance.
"M-minato sensei?"
Minato turned when he heard his name and his eyes widened when they fell on Kakashi.
"Kakashi, quick question. Do you happen to have an older brother?", he asked the silver haired boy near him.
"No, I'm an only child. Why do you ask?", young Kakashi said, before he turned to see what his sensei was looking at. When he saw what appeared to be an older version of he gave a startled yelp and jumped a foot In the air (which Obito would recall later amid gales of laughter) before he reflexively threw the kunai that he had in his hand at his doppelganger, who easily caught it between his fingers. This immediately put everyone in the room on edge, as they all took position in case a fight broke out. Luckily, before the situation could escalate further there was a flash of light and a note appeared, which Hiruzen grabbed. He looked at the paper curiously before speaking.
"It seems to be a letter explaining the situation.", he said., "It says for me to read it out loud."
And with a quick clearing of his throat he began.
"Good day to you all.
Now you're probably wondering right about now where you are and what you're doing here. You probably also have questions as to why there are two Kakashis (as if one wasn't bad enough, am I right). Well how about I answer that last one first. To Minato, Kushina, Obito, Rin, and Kakashi (the young one), every other person in this room is from 18 years in the future. So the taller silver haired guy is future Kakashi. Now, I'm sure that's a lot to process so I'll let you guys talk amongst yourselves as you get acquainted. When you're ready to continue let me know."
Everyone in the room was silent when the 3rd finished. The knowledge that the great 4th Hokage, his team, and his wife (though not many were aware of that fact) were among them slowly settled on the room.
Minato slowly turned his head to look at the older Kakashi. The older Kakashi grew uncomfortable under his gaze, since he didn't know what was going on behind his blank face. Suddenly, a smile broke out on Minato's face before he quickly walked over and pulled old Kakashi into a, manly, hug. It caught Kakashi off guard but he quickly got over that and returned the hug.
Minato began talking as soon as the hug ended.
"Wow, look at you Kakashi, you're about as tall as me now. How've you been? What have you been up to? I bet you're a jonin already.", he said rapidly.
Kakashi nervously rubbed the back of his neck due to nerves. "I've been good sensei. I actually made jonin years ago. I have my own genin team now."
"Really? Well I'm sure you make a good sensei Kakashi.", Minato said proudly. "Where are your genin? Are they here?"
"I saw them earlier. I thought they would have come over here already.", old Kakashi said.
"Aww, did you miss us sensei?", Sakura said as she appeared behind him, along with Naruto and Sasuke.
"Ah there you 3 are. Minato-sensei this is my team; Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke.", old Kakashi said.
"Hello"
"Yo"
"Hn"
"Talkative bunch aren't they?", Kushina said sarcastically.
"Ah man. I can't believe they actually gave you a team 'Kashi.", Obito said with a groan.
"I told you to stop calling me that.", young Kakashi said irritably. "And why wouldn't they make me a sensei?"
"Would it kill you to show some humility for once?", Obito said.
"Kakashi has a point Obito.", Rin said. "He's the best out of the 3 of us. He's a prodigy and the Hokage would want him to pass on what he knows. That's why Minato-sensei was given a team."
"Even Rin agrees with me.", young Kakashi said triumphantly. "Not that I'd even want a team. I don't know how they convinced me to look after some rookies that would slow me down." He then noticed that his future self's students were staring at him. "What are you 3 looking at?"
Naruto turned to older Kakashi. "Kakashi-sensei, are you sure that this kid is you?"
"What's that supposed to mean?", young Kakashi asked.
"Yeah I'm a little lost too.", Rin said.
"I can't imagine Kakashi being anything other than a smug bastard.", Obito said.
"Obito be nice.", Minato chastised. "Still, could you 3 clear this up for us please? Can you tell us what kind of sensei Kakashi is?"
"Well, he's always late.", Naruto said. "Like, really late!"
"Yeah, he usually keeps us waiting for 2 hours", Sakura agreed.
And he always uses some lame excuse, like 'A black cat crossed my path' ", Sasuke said.
"Or 'I had to help an old lady cross the street' ", Sakura said.
"Or his favorite 'I got lost on the road of life' ", Naruto said.
"He's lazy too.", Sasuke said. "He flaunts it and uses it to get us to do his chores for him, then calls it training. And I'm not talking about D-ranks, he does it outside of missions."
"He's always taking us out to eat then skipping out on the check.", Naruto said.
"He likes to mess with people by reading a book and pretending not to hear them.", Sakura said. "And when he finally does look up he always says the same thing..."
"Hm, did you say something?", all three of them said at once.
"It's freaking annoying!", Naruto said.
"He's a pervert.", Sasuke said bluntly.
"Yeah. He's always reading porn everywhere we go. And I mean everywhere.", Naruto said. "In the Hokage's office, in front of clients, in restaurants and stores, during training, when we're just walking down the street. It's embarassing."
"He has a sadistic sense of humor, especially during training.", Sakura said.
"And he's a pedophile.", Naruto exclaimed. "He stuck his fingers in my butt."
Obito could no longer keep it together after that and he began rolling on the ground laughing so hard he could barely breathe. Meanwhile, the rest of his team looked horrified.
"Nooooooooooooo.", Rin wailed. "Kakashi-kun, what has become of you? How could the boy I love become corrupted?"
"Oh god, I trained an Orochimaru-Jiraiya hybrid.", Minato said in horror.
"Minato, what the hell did you teach him?", Kushina yelled furiously.
Young Kakashi was stark white and his eyes were wide open. He turned to his older self. "You...I mean me...whoever you are please tell me it isn't true!". However, when he laid eyes on his future self he saw that he had his face buried in a book called 'Icha Icha Paradise', and when he heard his younger self he looked up and asked, "Hm, did you say something?"
Young Kakashi was quiet in silent horror before he grabbed his head saying, "Oh god, it's true!", which caused Obito to laugh harder and start pounding the ground. Everyone else in the room had heard the description of Kakashi-sensei, and their reactions were varied and, well, hilarious.
The genin in the room couldn't believe that future Kakashi was made a sensei (though a certain white-eyed boy and bun-haired girl were not quite as shocked as the rest of them).
The other jonin in the room, as well as the Sandaime, had their faces in their hands in resigned shame. Well...not all of them were resigned. "Kakashi, my eternal rival, it is most un-youthful to train your students in such a manner. You should not subject them to your cool and hip attitude, lest they copy you.", Gai yelled.
Jiraiya had a smile on his face and was giving old Kakashi a thumbs up. Tsunade was cracking her knuckles, and the only thing that seemed to be stopping her from unleashing her rage was Shizune's efforts to calm her down, and Indecision as to whether she should attack Kakashi or Jiraiya.
Minato then looked straight at his future student. "Kakashi, what do you have to say for yourself?"
"Wait a minute.", Sakura said. "I know this all sounds bad, but that's because it's taken out of context."
"I may have overreacted about the whole pedophile thing.", Naruto said. "But I'm still a little mad at Kakashi-sensei about it, especially because we had just met the day before."
"Would you say you're still sore about it Naruto?", old Kakashi asked with a smile.
"I hate you sometimes sensei."
Sakura couldn't help but giggle, and even Naruto smiled good-naturedly after a while.
"As I was saying", Sakura said, "despite all his faults he is a good teacher. In fact, in the first test he gave us he taught us a very important lesson."
"Let me guess, he gave you the bell test.", Minato said In a knowing voice.
"How'd you know that?", Sasuke asked.
"It's a bit of a tradition.", Minato said. "I gave it to my own students. It's supposed to encourage teamwork."
"Yeah, that's essentially what he taught us but it's more than that.", Sakura explained. "He taught us something that has become an essential part of our nindo. It's the core of everything he teaches us, it's the very core of our team."
"What is it?", Minato asked.
"Those who break the rules are trash", Naruto suddenly said, "but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash."
At that statement both young Kakashi and Obito turned to each other.
'Wait a minute, that's what Obito is always saying', young Kakashi thought in bewilderment.
'Why would Kakashi adopt my code when he's always putting down my beliefs?', Obito thought. 'What changed? '
All the while Minato looked on with a smile. Obito and young Kakashi looked like they were trying to speak but couldn't find the words. Luckily, Minato seemed to understand.
"I think that no more words are needed for now. We should move on to other things.", Minato stated. Everybody seemed to agree.
"Wait, I just thought of something.", Naruto said. He then pointed at both Kakashis. "We need to figure out what to call you guys so we don't get confused."
"Oh right.", Minato said. "How about the older one be called Kakashi-sensei at all times?"
"It's a little long but alright.", Kakashi-sensei said.
"Great.", Minato said. "Hey note guy, we're ready to continue."
There was another flash of light and a second letter appeared, which Minato caught.
"It's good that we've got that cleared up. Now first off: Where are you? Well...that's a little hard to explain. You are in a realm outside of time and space. Huh, I guess it wasn't that hard to explain. As to why I brought you here. You're all here to partake in something extraordinary. Something magnificent. Something CRAZY! The thing is, I'm not gonna tell you what it is. The reason is because I'm gonna give you a choice. You can choose to stay and see the surprise, or you can choose to go back home. It will be decided by popular vote, meaning that whatever choice gets the most votes will be the one I Implement. Everyone gets one vote: no exceptions. The choice Is yours."
Everyone took a moment to let the Information sink In. As If there had been a signal, most of the people in the room started to group together in the middle of the room In order to discuss their options. Both Gaara and Naruto hung back a bit, though for different reasons. Gaara simply didn't care about what was going on, but Naruto was thinking deeply about what he just heard.
On the one hand they could just go home. There was no telling what the mysterious note giver had planned, or if it might be dangerous. On the other hand, if the person had wanted to hurt them they would've done it already. He was able to get all of them here so he had the capability, and he had all of them gathered in one room so he definitely had the opportunity. And Naruto just had a feeling that this person didn't mean them harm, and he figured he had been a good judge of character so far. Plus, he couldn't deny that his sense of adventure was really interested in whatever the surprise was.
He exited his thoughts in time to catch the end of the discussion in the middle of the room.
"It's unanimous then?", Minato was saying.
There were various words of assent from everybody.
"Whoever this is must think we're idiots if they think we'd agree to something that's probably a trap.", Tsunade said.
"Yeah, it's definitely smarter and safer to just go home.", Kushina said. "Though it was nice to meet you all."
"It was nice seeing you too but we should probably get this done quickly. We don't know what you 5 will remember Minato and we wouldn't want to change the timeline too much.", the Sandaime said.
"You're right Hokage-sama.", Minato said. "Alright sir, we are ready to vote."
There was another flash of light and suddenly there was a podium in the middle of the room. There were 2 buttons on top; one said 'Home'"and the other said 'Stay'. Under each there was a counter.
One by one the people in the room went forward and pressed the'Home' button. The counter underneath kept going up until there was only 2 people left: Naruto and Gaara.
Gaara was getting impatient. All the people around him were making him tense and uncomfortable, and he just wanted to get away. So he strode forward quickly, for him at least, and pressed the 'Home' button. Now the only one left was Naruto.
"Come on already dobe, press it so we can go back." Sasuke said.
"I don't know what the point is. Since this is by popular vote the decision' s already been made.", Kankuro said, as he pointed at the counter underneath the 'Home' button, which showed 30 votes. There was a quick flash and a note wrapped around a rock fell on his head.
"Damnit what the hell.", Kankuro yelled in pain and rage. Temari picked up the rock and pulled the note off.
"It says that everybody has to vote."
"Alright kid you heard the girl. Vote so we can get the hell out of here.", Jiraiya said.
Naruto walked over to the podium with everyone's eyes on him, raised his hand, and brought it down on the 'Stay' button. The counter underneath changed to show 1 vote before the podium disappeared Into the ground.
"Hey kid, what are you trying to pull?", Kushina burst out. "We all agreed to go home."
"Are you telling me you guys would miss out on the adventure of a lifetime? Just to go home?", Naruto asked.
"Yes you idiot.", Tsunade yelled.
"Now that's enough everyone.", Minato called out. "Like we said, his vote won't change anything so no harm no foul."
There was another flash of light and an envelope fell into Minato's hands.
"It says 'It's been decided' on the front."
"Don't know why he's making a big deal, we already know the decision.", Asuma said.
"Hey, some people like to add a little showmanship. I applaud him, whoever he is.", Jiraiya said.
"Alright, let's get this over with.", Minato said. He opened the envelope and pulled out the letter.
"I am glad to announce that you all will be staying for the surprise. Thank you."
There was complete silence, which was broken by Naruto jumping into the air and yelling, "All right!"
However, his joy immediately evaporated when he felt 2 very large killing intents being directed at him. He slowlytturned around and jumped back in fear when he saw Kushina and Tsunade standing directly behind him with murderous looks on their faces.
"You goddamn brat.", Tsunade yelled at him. "What the hell did you do?!"
"You little shit. You just had to choose to stay and now look where it's gotten us.", Kushina snarled as she grabbed him by the front of his jacket.
Lady Tsunade, Kushina-san please calm down.", Shizune begged.
"Stay out of this Shizune!", Tsunade snapped.
"What do you have to say for yourself you little punk?", Kushina asked.
"I had a feeling that whoever brought us here doesn't want to hurt us, so I wanted to see what they wanted to show us.", he said back with just as much aggressiveness as Kushina.
"What makes you so sure they're friendly?", Kushina asked.
"I have a gut feeling.", he said back confidently.
"You did this all because of a feeling?", Kushina yelled, getting in his face.
Naruto didn't back down, in fact he got right in her face too and was just as angry. "I'm sure of It and nothing you say will make me change my mind. I stand by my decision and I nevergo back on my word. Besides, I'm not the one who actually decided we stay."
"You've got a point brat.", Tsunade said. She then took a deep breath before yelling, "Alright you son of a bitch. You better get your fucking ass out here before I come find you! DO YOU HEAR ME?!"
"No need to shout Jugs."
Everyone in the room turned in the direction the voice had come from and saw a young man. He was in his early 20s. He was wearing dark blue jeans and a pair of worn, bright red running shoes. He had on a red shirt with a picture of a man in a schoolboy outfit on the front. At the top in big letters it said 'AC/DC', and at the bottom it said 'LIVE AT RIVER PLATE'. He was fairly dark, most would say middle eastern or Indian (he had heard that many times), but was actually hispanic. His hair was reminiscent of the early Beatles, but it was unintentional and it was a little more unruly. And he was wearing a mischievious smile on his face.
"Good day to you all. I am THE-DUDE remixed, though you may refer to me simply as THE-DUDE."
"What kind of name is that?", Kiba asked.
"Well I sometimes visit this fanfiction site and I would always leave reviews under the pseudonym 'THE DUDE'. Well one day I started my own profile but the name 'THE DUDE' was already taken, hence why I added the 'remixed' at the end, to show I'm like that dude only better."
"...I have no idea what any of that meant.", Kiba replied.
"Dang, I forgot that this is a different universe.", THE-DUDE said.
Obito then cleared his throat to get his attention. "Okay listen dude..."
"THE-DUDE. You gotta say the full thing. I'll also answer to Mr. DUDE, Sir DUDEness, or El DUDErino if you're not into the whole brevity thing.* "
"Right, well Mr. DUDE could you tell us what's going on. Because last I checked nearly all of us voted to go home. ", Obito said.
"Yeah I'm gonna be honest with you, it didn't matter which one you voted for I was going to keep you here from the start.", THE-DUDE replied.
"Then why the hell did you have us vote in the first place?", Kurenai shouted.
"Well I figured most of you would want to stay, and it would be easier to accept if you thought it was your idea.", TD said. "Oh by the way I've decided it would be easier if you called me TD. But if you wanna refer to me as Sir DUDEness I won't stop you."
"Um...ok I'll take that under advisement.", Minato said. "But, you still lied to us. And for what? So you could mess with us in some messed up game?"
"Don't be fooled Mr. Namikaze.", TD said, suddenly serious. "I am not messing with you, and this Is no game. I said I would reveal to you my surprise, and I am a man of my word. I am going to give you a glimpse of something few ever have the privilege to see."
"What is it?", Naruto said, so low that it wouldn't have been heard if the room wasn't silent in anticipation.
"The future"
"But changing the future seems very dangerous.", Shizune said nervously.
"Yes, the consequences of such a thing could be dire.", the Sandaime said.
"I'm not just doing this for kicks. There are dark days ahead of you. Things have already been set in motion. Some would say it began on the day of the Chunin exam finals, which is an important day isn't it Baki?", Td asked the man, making him squirm uncomfortably.
"Some would say it began in the Forest of Death during the 2nd exam.", he said with a meaningful glance at Team 7. "But this evil was set in motion years ago. A series of events which culminated into the future which I am trying to prevent. You all will be tested on this dangerous road, and not all of you make it out the other side. But I am giving you a chance to take control of your destiny and forge a better world. It is up to if you wish to take it.
Nobody spoke, but they didn't need to. He could see the determination on their faces, the will to change things for the better.
"Alright then."
"So how is this going to work? The Great Toad Sage is able to catch glimpses of the future in his dreams.", Jiraiya said.
"Yes he is able to see a vague idea of the future, but my way is much more accurate. And if we're gonna do this, we're gonna do this in style.", TD said. He snapped his fingers and a bunch of comfortable theater seats rose from the ground and a large screen came from the ceiling onto the wall in front of them.
Everyone started to move to sit down. Once everybody had taken a seat Kakashi-sensei got TD's attention.
"Where are we going to start? What do we have to do?", he asked.
"Oh right sorry, I forgot to explain.", TD said sheepishly. He stomped his foot and another podium rose out of the ground. This one had an indentation shaped like a hand in the center. "First, a person has to put his hand on the podium here, but that's the easy part. Now, you can't look for a specific part of the future given the fact that you don't know what it is to look for. So you have to ask a question. Something you want to know."
"All you have to do is ask a question?", Ino asked.
"Not just any question. A meaningful question.", TD explained. "Something...personal that pertains to you. Something that will help you in both body and mind. It can be a big thing or a small thing, just as long as it's a thing that's important to you. Do you all understand?"
He received many affirmative nods.
"And just so you know, I've locked all your chakra away so none of you try to kill each other or me ok.", he said with a smile. "So, who wants to go first?"
*This is from The Big Lebowski. In case you were thinking of suing me for plagiarism.
Author's Note
Wow, this is the longest thing I've written yet. FYI, if you don't know anything about Naruto then this story isn't for you. I will not be going into in-depth explanations of the backstory unless I have to because it would take too long. Like I said at the beginning this will be updated sporadically. If I don't know what to write in my other story or the mood hits me then I'll probably work on this story. Also, could y'all do me a solid and not report this story? Me love you long time If you do. Well, I am sick of writing for now so I will end this. Stay gold Ponyboy.