Lengthened summary: Alternate Universe, centred around school. A portal was opened, and the world reset. The Naruto gang find themselves in modern Japan, facing the troubles of school life, with no recollection of their past lives. But evil still lurks in the darkness, and the group must remember their past shinobi-selves to save humanity...

I'll say this right off the bat: NO, I did not get inspiration for this fanfiction from the 2nd ending of Naruto: Shippuuden. This idea has been stuck in my head since manga chapter 310, and that's a LONG way back. That was when Naruto was still in Filler Mode, before Shippuuden was even thought of... okay, it was thought of, but it was before the 2nd ending wasn't thought of.

I'd also like to point out that the first chapter is not really what the story is about. This is indeed an alternate universe fanfiction, but because of my stupid imagination, there has to be a reason their in our era, hence this chapter. Even though this isn't really connected to the plot, it's important later... when ever later is. I repeat: this is not what the real plot is about. (I felt the need to underline this fact, just to make sure everyone understands this)

The funny o thing symbolizes a change in time or scene, sentences in italics are thoughts, I'm Canadian, so my spelling is like that on purpose... what else to warn you about... Oh, my mother is always telling me that to learn something, teach it to someone else. So, once we get into the 'real' plot, I will be using Japanese name titles, refering to Japanese culture, etcetera. And don't bother correcting me unless you have very strong proof. I don't want to hear, "'Cause I saw it in an anime/manga."

And... that's about it. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Sure, I don't own Naruto or the characters it contains, but I definatly own my own made up characters, my plot, my ideas, my cat, and so on. So saying I own nothing is untrue and not nice.

Chapter One:

Encounters

Things were just going too fast for Naruto to keep up with. Right now he was fighting Sasuke even though he wasn't Sasuke, Itachi lay dead on the floor, Sakura was dying in the corner and Kakashi had been obliterated into a million little pieces. It all started when they received word of Sasuke's whereabouts in the Bear country…

OoOoO

"Where is he, where is he?!" Naruto exclaimed, still as hyper as ever at the age of seventeen. "Tell me, tell me! I'll drag his sorry butt back here by dawn tomorrow!"

"Calm down, would you?" Sakura said in an annoyed tone, although 'Inner Sakura' was just as eager to get the information. "Knowing something a few minutes later isn't going to change anything."

"She's right Naruto," the silver-haired jounin said, asking himself why he bothered. "I don't have confirmation yet, but reports say he was sighted in the northern part of the Bear Country about 3 and a half days ago. We have to receive orders before we do anything though, got it?"

Naruto hung his head. "Understood sir."

Three years. It had been three years since Naruto had last seen his ex-team mate. And even then, it had been extremely close to the time Orochimaru would take his body, (1) so what was so wrong with being excited to hear news of the Uchiha? Although she wasn't showing it, Naruto could tell Sakura was just as excited as him, maybe even more. As a minute passed without anyone saying anything, the three of them went their separate ways without even a simple 'goodbye'. For Sakura, it was straight to Ino's to pick the other girl up before heading to Tsunade's to receive her daily training. For Kakashi, he went to the Memorial Stone of Konoha to drown his thoughts in Obito's name engraved on the stone. For Naruto, he went straight to the Ichiraku Ramen to fill his stomach with ramen.

"Good afternoon Naruto-kun," Ayame greeted him cheerfully, lighting a smile of his face. "The usual?"

Naruto nodded as he sat down. "Say, where's the old man?" he asked, noticing Ayame's father wasn't around.

The women's eyes were cast downwards. "He… he past away last night," she said slowly, not looking the boy in front of her in the eye. "You're welcome to come to his funeral this evening though."

"Oh… okay then. I'll be sure to be there," Naruto promised with his infamous fox-grin. "So, how about that ramen?"

Ayame smiled again and put the bowl in front of him. "Happy eating!"

OoOoO

Ino and Sakura were in the hospital's emergency room, observing a heart-transplant. Ino was white in the face while Sakura wasn't really paying attention. Memories of the Uchiha boy were flooding into her head, all the times they had shared and everything he had done for her. When the operation was over, the two of them waited in Tsunade's office to await further instruction, but Sakura's silence was beginning to worry Ino.

"Hey Sakura," the blonde asked, startling her friend. "Something on your mind?"

Sakura had been thinking long and hard whether or not to tell Ino about Sasuke, but in the end she had decided not to worry her anymore than she had to. The other girl had only pursued the medic-nin's way so that she and Sakura wouldn't stray too far away from each other. She knew Ino wasn't one for blood and guts, so there wasn't any need to worry her anymore than she needed to.

"Nope," she said simply. "Everything's fine. I'm just… a little tired, that's all."

"Well, you may be better at this than I am, but even I know you can't work properly in a medical emergency if you're the slightest bit tired," Ino said sternly but making Sakura smile anyway. "Maybe you should tell Tsunade-shishou (2) that you need a break for a day?"

Sakura thought it over. Going home would surely give her enough time to decide what she wanted to do about Sasuke, but she didn't want to leave Ino here on her own.

"Would you stop thinking about Ino?" she fought with herself. "She's not a baby; she can take care of herself."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," she said out loud, forcing the words out. "I'll tell her when she comes in."

Ino nodded and at that moment, Tsunade walked into the room, her eyes shining. She nodded briefly to the girls before seating herself at her desk and rummaging through the papers that lay scattered on top. Sakura got up guiltily. If Tsunade was looking through the papers on her desk, that meant she wasn't in the best mood to deal with. After a quick glance at Ino for reassurance, she walked up to the Hokage and stood there, waiting for a signal that would enable her to speak.

"You've come to ask for the rest of the day off, haven't you?"

The question made her jump. "Err… yes, how did you know?"

The older women looked up at her for a couple seconds before going back to her paper. "Well, I'm giving you the rest of the day off anyway so you can prepare for the mission I'm about to give you."

Ino took that as a signal to leave and soon was out of earshot. Sakura suddenly felt alone. What was this mission that was so urgent that not even Ino could know about? She turned back to her master, now eager to get the mission.

"As I'm sure you're aware, Uchiha Sasuke has been spotted in the northern Bear country," Tsunade continued as soon as the door closed behind the blonde girl. "Your mission is to bring him back here as quickly as possible." She looked at Sakura sternly. "He is a rouge ninja of the Hidden Village in the Leaves. He is no longer your team mate, understood?"

Sakura let out a little sigh. "Understood."

"Good." Suddenly, the old woman was cheery. Talk about mood swings. "Go and tell Naruto and Kakashi for this. I'm sure their just as eager to get that Uchiha brat as you seem. You can leave tomorrow morning."

The pink haired kunoichi blushed slightly before bowing and taking her leave. Finally, she was going to see Sasuke. Tsunade had made it clear not to treat him as her team mate, but that was going to be harder than it seemed. At least she didn't have to kill him. She didn't know if she had the guts to do that anyway. Her feet took her straight to Naruto's and before she knew it, she was standing at his door. She let herself grin. As soon as she knocked on his door, it would all begin…

OoOoO

It took about two days to get into the Country of the Bear, and another day to get to the northern end of it. The information had said that he had been spotted in the northern Bear country, but the Bear country's northern side was a pretty big area. Sasuke could be anywhere in the endless woods. For all they knew he could be watching them right now as they trudged along. They had stopped to say hi in the Hidden Star village, but only for the night. The longer their expedition took, the more and more Kakashi suspected it was all a trap. After the fifth day wandering around, Naruto started to complain.

"Where the heck is he?!" he shouted into the sky, forcing a few birds to flee their nests. "If feels like we've been going around in circles for days now and there's still no trace of him!"

Sakura would have said something if only she didn't feel the same. She was starting to think maybe the information was wrong when a blur ran past the trees and landed a couple metres in front of the group. Naruto was the first to speak.

"…Sasuke?"

The Uchiha turned to face them, Sharingan activated. He was almost as tall as Kakashi was, but noticeable thinner. His face was paler than anyone remembered, and his mouth was drawn in a fine line. His clothes matched Orochimaru's and a sword was sheathed on his right side. Long raven hair reached his shoulders, tied together in a pony-tail. Everything about him seemed to remind Sakura horribly of the snake. He smirked before turning around and running down the path, leaving what was left of Team Seven in shock.

"A-after him!" Kakashi shouted, breaking the silence.

And after him they went. They followed through the trees, hopping from one branch to another in hopes of getting a closer range. But Sasuke only ran faster, making sure to keep a good ten metres away from them.

"He's leading us somewhere," Kakashi realized only a moment too late.

The forest area suddenly fell away into nothing as a large cliff towered above them. Sasuke was already in front of the face of it, looking at the wall of rock suspiciously. Kakashi drew a kunai, motioning for Sakura and Naruto to do the same.

"Uchiha Sasuke," he started, not getting his attention. "By order of the fifth Hokage of the Hidden Village in the Leaves, you are hereby ordered to return to Konoha at once with us."

"And why should I?"

His voice was unrecognizable through his snake accent, but it was defiantly Sasuke who had spoken. He didn't turn around, nor did he make any attempt to show he knew the people behind him. He ran his fingers down the rock, slightly amused. Sakura lost it right then and there.

"Sasuke-kun, you must come with us!" she shouted, fighting a losing battle to hide her tears. "For all we know Orochimaru could be hidden behind a tree just waiting to take your body right here and now! Please Sas-"

Naruto put his hand up to her mouth, silencing the girl. The way he looked, how he spoke, and his ignorance all matched the one person he hated the most: Orochimaru. That only led to one conclusion.

"You're not Sasuke, are you…?"

Turning around and deactivating the Sharingan, the man in front of them revealed his eyes to the resemblance of a snake; yellow with a little slit as the pupil.

"Correct."

Sakura burst out in tears and fell into a crumpled pile on the ground. Kakashi froze up but Naruto's anger only grew.

"So you actually did it," he seethed. "You actually fooled him into giving you his body so Itachi would die…"

"Oh no, Naruto-kun, I would never fool Sasuke-kun like that," Sasuke/Orochimaru said, his eyes glinting. "He was well aware of the consequences in his actions. That just goes to show you how truly badly he wanted Itachi-kun dead."

Now Naruto was fuming. "Sasuke was desperate, that's a fact, but he had enough common sense to know a stupid idea when he saw one. I bet you're just going to do whatever you want now, having whatever you've done be blamed on Sasuke!"

"That's not true," the snake said, smirking. "I promised Sasuke-kun just before I started the transfer that Itachi-kun would be dead within the first five years of the transfer."

"Liar!" Sakura shouted, finally regained a bit of herself. "You'd never keep a promise even if your life depended on it!"

Orochimaru/Sasuke chuckled. "Then what am doing right now you silly girl?"

He pressed a hidden button on the rock wall and a boulder began to move, opening a way inside a hidden cave. The inside was lit by torch light, and a lone figure stood at the centre. He seemed shorter than that which stood outside, but the minute Kakashi could see the red clouds designed on his cloak, his identity became clear.

"Uchiha Itachi…" Kakashi muttered, snapping out of his daze.

The next few moments went by in a flash. Sasuke/Orochimaru drew his sword and lunged at Itachi without hesitation. There were a few quick flashes of the sword and Naruto knew this had to end. With Sakura and Kakashi on his heels, he ran into the cave, immediately swallowed up by momentary darkness. The sound of metal clashing with metal echoed throughout the cave, making it impossible to detect where anyone was.

"Naruto…" Sakura whispered in his ear, letting him know where she was. "You're going to kill Sasuke-kun, aren't you…?"

Naruto wasn't sure if she could see him nod or not, but he couldn't waste anymore time. His eyes had become use to the torch light and he could see moving shapes just up ahead. One of them didn't look like Orochimaru/Sasuke or Itachi. He felt as if his stomach had dropped out of his body.

"Sakura-chan… where's Kakashi-sensei?"

There was a brilliant flash of light, and a cry of pain. Something hit Naruto over the head, and when he turned to see what it was, he saw Sakura holding a human arm. Her scream echoed throughout the cave, and more than likely throughout the world. She dropped it in a hurry, backing up until her back touched the wall.

The wall?

Naruto did a double-take, looking wildly for the entrance.

"It must have closed," he thought, amazing himself at his calmness. "We have to find a way to get it open again."

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted, seemingly unaware at how loud it was in the cave. "That arm… that's a human arm! And I think… it might be…"

"Kakashi-sensei's arm…" Naruto finished for her. "Just stay calm Sakura-chan. We don't know anything for sure, so just stay calm."

Another flash of light exploded, blood splattering ubiquitously. Sakura screamed again, trying to back herself higher on the wall. For a medical ninja, she seemed to have picked up on Tsunade's hemophobia. The torches began to glow brighter, opening a gruesome scene. Blood was everywhere, and numerous body parts lay to and fro. Sasuke/Orochimaru and Itachi were locked, both had swords drawn and both looked intent. Kakashi was no where in sight.

"He took Sasuke-kun away…" Sakura mumbled. "He took him away for so long, then he goes and kills him, taking his body for his own, then he kills Kakashi-sensei, and that," she started running blindly. "I cannot forgive him for it!"

"Sakura-chan, don't!"

But it was too late. Sakura punched at the ground, opening a crevasse in the earth. Both Itachi and Orochimaru/Sasuke jumped out of the way to avoid falling in. Naruto fell to the ground, unable to stand in this mini earthquake.

Earthquake? In a cave…?

Rocks fell from the ceiling of the cavern, hitting random spots on the ground below. Itachi jumped from boulder to boulder, barely avoiding the plummeting rocks. The snake stood on one place, eyes fixed on Sakura as she pounded at the ground again and again. Naruto saw him mouth the word 'nuisance' before launching himself at her. In a few quick moments, Sakura was on the ground, breathing her last breaths covered in blood.

Naruto was frozen. In a few seconds, his team had been obliterated. Although all activity around him was still taking place, Naruto's world was stationary. All there was were memories of all the times he had fought with Sakura and Sasuke or along side them. Kakashi as well, although he probably didn't spend nearly enough time with him. A cry of pain snapped him back into the real world.

Itachi lay crumbled on the floor, and the sword that had killed him was drawn out of his heart. He lay there, unmoving while Sasuke/Orochimaru towered over him. On a closer inspection, he looked more Sasuke than Orochimaru. Something in the back of Naruto's mind clicked, and he realized that this really was Sasuke. Something he was sure no one had told him flashed across his mind.

"Although Orochimaru-sama will possess his body, a faint flicker of Sasuke-kun's mind will remain. Orochimaru-sama has the ability to let Sasuke-kun's conscious take over, but Sasuke-kun would probably be unaware of it. Only if his will is strong enough will he be able to overcome Orochimaru-sama completely, but there is only a very small window that this can happen from. There are only two times that will present themselves before Sasuke-kun that will let him take his own body back, and only two. One will probably be activated upon Itachi-san's death. Naruto-kun, if you ever have the chance, try and get Sasuke-kun to take back his body, to kill Orochimaru-sama's consciousness within him. He should know what you're talking about… hopefully…"

Where had those words come from? He couldn't trace who was speaking to him, or when it had happened, but what was important now was that he act upon those words.

"S-sasuke?" he said in a weary voice, hardly able to believe he was listening to a voice he didn't even recognize. "Is… is it really you this time?"

Sasuke shot a glare at him but upon seeing who it was, deactivated the Sharingan. As if more proof, the eyes underneath were onyx.

"What are you doing here Naruto?" the Uchiha asked, his voice showing no traces of a snake. "And what… just happened…?"

Naruto took a deep breath, trying not to think of Sasuke as a murderer, but as his long lost friend. He tried to think of Sasuke not as Sakura and Kakashi's killer, but of a desperate comrade who was left confused after his parents' death. He tried so hard to think of Sasuke as his friend, comrade, and even team mate, but the feeling just wouldn't come.

"You killed them," he said slowly, his voice layered with pain. "You killed Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei. I guess for you, the only good thing about today was killing Itachi."

Sasuke stared at him before looking around the cave. Naruto couldn't read his expression this being Sasuke, but he could almost sense a level of sadness in his eyes.

"I… did all this?" he asked, his voice trembling now. "But the last thing I can remember is being in that room with Orochimaru just before the transfer. He never said anything about… them…"

Sasuke's eyes came to a rest on his brother, a broken body on the ground. To Naruto's surprise, he smiled.

"You're right about one thing," he said, closing his eyes. "I killed him. If Sakura and Kakashi are dead, it doesn't matter. As long as he's dead, nothing else matters."

Naruto knew Sasuke would say something like that, but he thought he would be able to keep his head about it and not explode. As it turned out, he didn't anticipate the strength of his emotions. Before he knew what was happening, he was in front of Sasuke, his hand clenched into a fist. The next moment Sasuke had his back against the wall, wiping the small trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth.

"You still don't get it do you?" Sasuke asked him grimly, glaring at the blonde. "I've tried and tried to explain it, but you still don't get it."

"And I never will," Naruto said through clenched teeth. "I'm pretty sure I don't even want to understand. But if this is the feeling you felt, the need for revenge for those who died, then I think I'm starting to get it."

And with that, Naruto lunged at the other boy, drawing unwanted energy from the Kyuubi. The two boys matched each other move for move, and in a few moments were both back on the ground, panting heavily. Both eyes were red and glaring, just another contest for them. Sasuke suddenly closed his eyes and smirked, catching Naruto off guard.

"You know what?" he asked, eyes still closed. "I don't even think I should bother with you."

"What are you talking about?!" Naruto shouted, his voice echoing throughout the cave.

Sasuke's smirk only depended. "Good bye, Uzumaki Naruto."

Utterly confused, Naruto watched as Sasuke's body went limp and fell into a pile on the ground. A couple seconds passed before he slowly got up again, shaking his head with his hand on his forehead. Naruto's mind burst with knowledge as he finally grasped what had happened: Sasuke had given in. The realization left him paralyzed for a moment, but a moment was all that Orochimaru/Sasuke needed. The world exploded into white, and Naruto was on the ground, his arm crimpled awkwardly beneath him.

The snake grinned. "Now just stay there for awhile while I make a few last minute preparations."

He began making hand seals in rapid succession, appearing to be a blur in Naruto's half state of mind. He could see that he ended in an odd seal that Naruto hadn't ever seen. An odd blue swirl appeared on the wall opposite, and set in motion a vortex, sucking in everything in its direct line of view.

"A… portal…?" Naruto's mind was shutting down and his thoughts were getting hazy.

Just before he blacked out, Naruto saw Sasuke/Orochimaru step through the portal, shouting something at him. He only caught a word of it, but the meaning was clear: 'I'll see you on the other side.' After that he was gone, sucked up into the void that led to who-knows-where. Then there was blackness.

(1) – Setting – I've got this fic so that it is placed 3 years after the manga chapter 310 minus Sai 'cause I think he's weird. If you don't know what happened there since you're not reading the manga, don't worry. This chapter was the only chapter that's ever going to relate to it. All that you've missed that's important is a quick encounter with Sasuke before he disappears again, as said in paragraph 6. If you aren't reading the manga though, hurry up and read it! Sasuke is totally kicking BUTT! I thought he was going to die at least 3 times now, but he didn't! 'Cause he's awesome! (Noticed who my favourite character is yet? Funny how I killed him in this chapter...)

(2) - Tsunade-shishou - I had to check both the manga and the anime to make sure she actually says this, but this is what Sakura (and in turn, Ino) calls Tsunade. Pretty much, it's just another title for martial arts teachers, though many translators recognize the difference and translate it into 'master' to make it easier on non-Japanese speakers.

Eh... I don't like how I began the chapter, but I guess it's fine for the purpose it serves...

And for the sole reason that this chapter is totally unrelated to the actual plot, the second chapter is already up. So, onto the next chapter with you!