Run. That is the word that echoes through Naruto's head.
Ten years, Naruto thinks, clenching his fist, ten years of absolute war. Konoha fell, as did the rest of the shinobi villages and everything in between.
Naruto and a handful of survivors are left, probably, after all, Naruto has not encountered human life, or life in general, in perhaps a year.
It is hard to get food to survive.
Maybe the small amount of people left have already perished. Naruto cannot count the amount of times he has managed to scrape through with nothing but the Kyuubi, no human should possibly be able to live through the food shortages.
Kit. Ah, there's also that. Kurama is still alive, alive but severely weakened, the last clash with Madara had drained the demon, Kit, the Kyuubi No Youko repeats, I cannot go on living like this.
Those are the words Naruto has feared since a long time ago.
You cannot continue living like this, Kurama says. Naruto agrees rightly and answers, 'I cannot.'
Because you will go insane. Kurama continues, Naruto nods, even though the fox cannot see him, 'I will.'
Because you need to interact with someone who isn't a giant demon fox.
'Yes I do need to interact with people who aren't giant demon foxes.' Naruto replies curtly. The Kyuubi No Kitsune lets out a giant bellow of a laugh, as loud as his deteriorating form will allow, but the sound rattles Naruto's brain nonetheless.
Naruto flips a lock of his hair over his shoulder, it had grown long and wild and red as the Kyuubi's chakra tainted it, long, because in the past ten years, he could not leave any trace of him around, fearing Madara would make a clone out of it, 'Your point is?'
I may have a way.
This catches Naruto's attention, 'You're only telling me this now because?'
Because only now have I accumulated enough chakra to do it.
'It?' Naruto says in an interested fashion. The Kyuubi chuckles, Yes, it. I can reverse time with minor consequences.
Naruto inhales sharply and asks, 'And what are these consequences?' because he isn't that knuckleheaded, reckless idiot he was ten years ago, war does wonders on a person.
Well, for one, you'll disappear by the end, no matter what you do. The Kyuubi states in an almost dry tone.
'Won't I die even if I don't try out this 'way''?
You aren't so stupid now. The Kyuubi speaks with an almost incredulous tone. Naruto chuckles, 'No one goes into a war and leaves without being changed a little bit.'
So, you'll either disappear via paradox pains, which is when our timeline happens again, because two of the same people can't exist, or you'll vanish because our timeline no longer exists, when you meddle too much and our experiences never happen, the person you are doesn't exist anymore.
'So it's basically die or die.'
Naruto feels the fox nodding in confirmation before he sighs and shrugs, because he knows the fox will feel it, "Let's do this."
Naruto sends out a loud curse as he's sent tumbling through a-a… something, and he almost lets out a quiet noise of surprise, because his past three years were spent whispering to others because if they spoke any louder, they feared that Madara might hear them, and when those people died, Naruto only mind-talked to Kurama.
It's really not strange that his voice comes out rasping and like sandpaper.
Naruto looks around, only to see that it's night, probably late.
Naruto can see light shining from above the treetops when he realises that he's in a forest. Naruto's breath catches, because he's in Konoha's forest.
The redhead lies on the grassy ground, just taking in the sounds of life.
"Holy–there's someone there!" A voice comes out, startled.
"Crap! Look at the bleeding, we need to get him to an outpost, or the village, somewhere with a decent medic-nin!" Another voice calls.
Naruto then realises why exactly his body hurts so much, it's because the damn fox tore up his body as well as send him back to the past.
Naruto is being carried away, the grip on him is gentle but firm. A few minutes later, the person carrying him is panting but they arrive at a very bright place.
"Medic!" The person carrying him hollers, screaming so loud that Naruto's ears hurt and ring. Naruto is being put on a bed, he lets out a small groan as the bed bumps.
Another person, probably the medic, yells out a curse then bellows, "He's still conscious! I need you, you and you to help me!"
Naruto's body hurts to the point where he can't even manage out a small, "Shh." But still manages to hiss out in pain as he gets jostled around before a needle is injected into Naruto's arm.
"You need to calm down. You're bleeding a lot, you need to relax for the anaesthetic to work." The medic says as steadily as he can.
Naruto lets out a quiet murmur and wonders why Kurama isn't healing him before passing out.
When Naruto wakes up, he is clean. There is no more blood, or dirt or anything else on him, because he is in a hospital gown.
Naruto does not have enough strength to raise himself off the bed so he continues to lie there, groaning, until the heart-rate monitor beeps and a medic comes in.
"You're awake. That was quick." The medic says blankly. Naruto shrugs and the medic continues speaking, "You've been unconscious for almost four days," And Naruto sends the man a look that says, 'Are you kidding me? Quick?', but the medic ignores it, "My name is Hiroto, I'll be looking after you for your stay. You were severely cut all over your body, and you have a very bad case of malnutrition, you had burns and bruises, they'll all heal, but you broke your leg, that seems mostly healed, your chest," Hiroto inhales deeply, "the scarring there…"
The medic trails off but Naruto understands. The scar from Sasuke, when he put his hand through his chest with a Chidori.
Naruto waves off the question, "A little childhood problem."
Hiroto sends Naruto an unimpressed look but doesn't continue along those lines, pulling out a notebook, "We'd like you to answer a few questions, protocol and all."
Naruto nods, as he understands.
"What is your name?" Hiroto asks, not beating around the bush. Naruto tips his head slightly, "…Uzumaki, Kenji."
Hiroto's eyebrow raises.
"Which village are you affiliated with?"
Naruto sucks in a breath, because he knows he can't say Konoha so instead he replies with the obvious answer, "Uzushio, in Whirlpool."
Hiroto pauses for a second before writing it down.
"Are you a threat to Konoha?"
"No."
Hiroto blinks because the answer Nar-Kenji gives is quick and serious and completely true.
"What were you doing on Konoha territory?"
"That's a funny story," Kenji comments dryly, "You see, I was travelling when I heard that I had a living relative in Konoha, but I also had one in Kusa, you know? Grass? And one in Ame. So I was sort of stuck between which to go to, so I left where I was staying, which was in Ishi, and I was making my way here, when I got attacked randomly and the next thing I know people are screaming and carrying me around and telling to calm down so I can be drugged and then I woke up and I was here and you came in and told me that I woke up quickly and you gave me a brief report on my injuries and began question—"
"Yes, I know the rest, I was there." Hiroto says with a small tinge of sarcasm. Kenji gives a sheepish grin, "Sorry."
Hiroto just smiles tiredly, "You should get more rest." And leaves.
Kenji watches as the door closes, restricting the urge to scream at the man to just not leave, because Kenji is lonely and if he continues to be lonely, Kenji is sure to go insane.
Kenji twitches once, twice before he slowly pulls himself up and off the bed because he can't stand lying around for any longer.
Kenji slowly pulls off all the medical equipment and leaps out of the window quickly, know that when the heart-rate monitor gives out the continuous beep, Hiroto is sure to come rushing in.
Kenji realises that he still hasn't eaten any food and that's he's most definitely hungry. He snags a dry pair of jeans and a shirt from a hanging clothesline and leaves his hospital gown there instead.
Kenji decided that he is feeling restless and decides, why not go for a jog?
Ten minutes later, Kenji is wondering just who the hell would take a jog when they have a bad case of malnutrition.
Twenty minutes later Kenji is about to collapse from the exercise without the necessary nutrients and carbohydrates and he is asking himself how people on diets managed to put themselves through such torture.
Five minutes after that, Kenji finds himself half-dead on his feet in front of the hospital. As he stumbles through the doors, he places a weak hand against the receptionist's desk and lets out a quiet sigh of relief, "Ohmygod, please, can I go back to my room?"
Kanji's voice is once again coarse and scratchy, but the receptionist realises who he is, with wide eyes, she answers him, "Hiroto-sensei sent out a few shinobi to find you, room 830, there's going to be a meal waiting for you."
Kenji manages to stumble to his set room with his heavy-as-lead legs and he crumples on the bed, half his body still hanging off the mattress.
Hiroto finds him like that and gives Kanji a stern talking to, then leaves the room to call off the hired shinobi and to get Kenji food.
Kenji gladly digs in while Hiroto watches with an amused look on his face before he finally asks, "How long were you out on enemy land?"
Kenji freezes for a second, wipes off some food from his mouth and looks Hiroto straight in the eye, "Three years, there was literally no human you could trust other than yourself."
Hiroto can't help but shiver as Kenji continues eating his food.
Hiroto was alive during the Third Shinobi War, and even though Konoha was on the winning side, life was still hard. To be in enemy land for three years, Hiroto thinks, is something that Hiroto will never be able to relate to, so instead, he changes his question, "How much food was there?"
Kenji pauses for a second and replies in a careful, neutral tone, "Almost none. I don't think I've had a decent meal that's not a ration bar in over a month."
"Who was your enemy?" Hiroto asks in an almost inaudible voice. Kenji clenches his fist, "One so great that even three years after he died, the place had yet to regrow vegetation and animals weren't around."
Kenji suddenly doubled over, Hiroto rushing to his side, "Are you ok? Did you eat too much? Too quickly?"
Kenji lets out a small whine, before holding up a hand to calm the medic, "Fine. It's just… surprising, to eat food."
Hiroto shakes his head and almost laughs, "You'll be discharged from the hospital tomorrow, don't eat too much, your body will still be adjusting."
Kenji nods and keeps his mouth shut.
Hiroto screams out from pure frustration when he finds Kenji's room empty again. Hiroto rages and stalks out of the room, deciding that he really shouldn't search after the infuriating man who had decided to break out of the hospital the day he was to be discharged!
People like that, Hiroto says to himself, deserve to rot in hell because they don't realise the pain they make others go through.
People like that, the medic continues, also are incredibly irritating.
With that thought in mind, Hiroto begins to tend to other patients who aren't so irritating.