Just a warning, there is some mention of death/wanting to die in this chapter here. Mostly because this is a pile of angst and I'm seemingly incapable of writing anything that isn't at least a bit angsty.

On another note, the chapters for this probably won't come out too fast because I'm working on a couple of other projects at the same time as this. (Mostly because I've found that if I only focus on one thing then I last a few chapters and then I die out. Which is not what I want to do.) In case of curiosity, these projects are Tear Us Apart and a fantasy/adventure m/m original fic. But I do have a fair bit planned and I'm excited and I hope you enjoy!

Overturn
Chapter 1: The Dead Man and the Disgrace

The word to release the scribbled seals left his lips like a softly spoken prayer. Now there was no more evidence of him trying to fight back. That was all over now. And soon, everything else would be over too.

The door now opened without a fight, leaving nothing between him and the horrors of the world. Fully intact building would have once made up the streets before him as he stepped out of the ruins of the Haruno household. If he dared to close his eyes then he would've almost seen them but he didn't. Not now. Now, as he left the broken remains of her home, he watched the village, incapable of discerning what had once been shops and homes and what had been busy streets.

But the biggest difference was the way the air sat around him, still and lifeless. There wasn't the slightest breeze left to hide the singed scent of long-burnt wood.

"Hope you don't mind me leaving so soon, Sakura-chan," he murmured to the closed door, his voice thick with disuse.

He didn't linger there, his eyes set on the steep mountain overlooking this once-been village. Gaping holes replaced the faces of the village's guardians, no longer watching over the people. Perhaps he would be allowed to see the village in all of its glory as his last sight. Not how it appeared in his blurry, imperfect memories but how he was certain it had once looked, built on the dreams of the generations before his.

(Things hadn't always been easier back then but at least there'd been hope.)

Their ghosts followed him as he walked through the remains, searching for the entrance to the path that would lead him to the top of the mountain. A flash of pink hair rounding the corner. Dark, emotionless eyes watching him from the shadows. A signed book lying on the ground, filled with explicit tales. And a challenge to keep on moving forward. They stayed by his side during this last march, as if they'd never left.

The path was almost falling apart once he managed to find it, the destruction loosening the ground under his feet. Being able to use chakra to keep himself steady as he travelled up it felt like a frivolity but one he could afford. After all, that man was likely already on his way.

He moved slowly and precisely as he sat down on the edge of the Hokage Monument, facing his village. This would be his penance, the last of many. By doing this, he would ensure no one would be left to see this place so broken and defenseless, the Will of Fire burnt out of it. But he'd always known he would give his life for Konoha.

Seeing this place as Konoha, burnt and ruined as it was, was insulting to the village as it had once been. It didn't matter that he could stare out and visualize where the Academy had once stood with the Hokage's Office watching over the village or where his own apartment had been. The Uchiha compound had been over to his left at one time. Except now the area was overtaken by the thick, twisting forests that were characteristic to the area.

Time ticked by, marked only by his half-hearted attention on the sun moving through the sky. In those hours, he mentally reconstructed Konoha over and over, trying to remember where everything had been. Things shifted around each time, even with the visual in front of him.

Someone's chakra eventually popped up in the distance, dark and heavy but not quite what he'd been expecting. There was too much of a dissonance within the chakra for it to be that man. But he hadn't thought the owner of this chakra signature was alive. If there was anyone else alive in this place though, it didn't come as a surprise that it would be him.

Footsteps could be heard from behind him almost another hour later, marking the man's arrival.

"You're a disgrace."

"And you're a dead man. Doesn't make much of a difference here, does it?" he replied to what should have been thin air. But no, all signs pointed towards the existence of this once-dead man being in this once-alive village.

The new arrival snorted and he could almost see the roll of his eyes. "Dead men are still dead. Can't do shit all when you're dead. Disgraces though? They just gave up too soon."

Something hot and bright flared up in his chest at those words, only to fade away after a few short moments. He'd told himself the same thing a million times over, after all, and all of his attempts to correct his mistakes had failed. Konoha wouldn't be destroyed if he hadn't tried to fix things. Having it said out loud didn't change that.

And then he remembered who of all people was telling him this.

His gaze dropped to the mountainside, spotting the seemingly neverending holes while his long, greasy hair fell into his eyes. The laughter was sudden, each of his chuckles harsher and more unforgiving than the last. Even moments after it faded away, the rough sounds hung awkwardly in the silence between them. There was too much irony that the man behind him just would never be able to see.

"You really think I gave up too early? Then tell me how you want me to fight back against that bastard. Tell me how I can tear his rotten body apart until there's nothing left but there's nothing left but the pile of shit he truly is," he demanded.

"There's nothing you can do, Uzumaki," came the easily spoken reply.

The red-hot fire flared up again but this time it didn't disappear. It was what made him turn around at last, his face twisted into a snarl. Dirt dug deep underneath his fingernails as his hands clenched on the ground and the look in his eyes could only be described as feral. But the other man only stared back, his skin sagging around the scars deeply entrenched into the right half of his face. There was no sign Obito had noticed his action, except for a raised eyebrow that spoke for itself. And loudly at that.

(It had been a long time since someone looked so unimpressed with him. He found he hadn't missed it in the least.)

"At least, not right now. Or the way you are right now, for that matter," Obito grumbled, "But my options are between a disgrace, a dead man, and a murderous psychopath. I have the feeling you'd be a better choice for not screwing shit up."

"What are you talking about," he tried again.

"Time's only another dimension, dumbass."

Another dimension? He'd never thought of time as being anything other than linear. Linear and unchangeable. And Obito shouldn't be talking about time now because even if time wasn't linear, there was nothing they could do about it. Except. Except he could remember the way Obito could jump from one dimension to the next with only a three second interval.

Then the meaning of those words finally processed, making him splutter. He opened his mouth to make a nasty retort because it was impossible that Obito was coming here now with offers of possible redemption. Not when he'd finally put all hopes of that behind him. Not when he was finally going to join everyone waiting for him on the other side.

But those dark eyes glared at him and Obito continued on as if he wasn't about to say a word. "The damn thing will only work the once, either on me or someone else. And I don't even know what'll happen. The entire universe could burst at the seams once you get there but I figure it's worth a shot. Anything would be better than this."

"And why can't you-"

"We went over this, Uzumaki. Dead man. And I can't send anyone far enough back to change the things I'd really care about changing."

He opened his mouth again to protest, to declare he'd already done more than enough for this worthless world. Chances were it wouldn't work anyways because it sounded impossible. The only thing he wanted at this point was to join his loved ones. He wanted to go to the place they'd been dragged to, kicking and screaming, while he did nothing more than watch and swear his revenge. But then all of his attempt to do just that had ended in disaster; there was no fight in him anymore. Even if it were somehow possible, trying to fix things from beginning was too much.

But his moment of contemplation was what gave Obito the advantage.

The downtrodden Uchiha reached out for him, much more agile than he would have ever guessed. He tried to twist his body out of reach but he faltered at the awkward angle he'd been holding himself in. His weight swung to the side and a hand clipped the side of his shoulder. And Obito kept on pushing forward even while he couldn't sort himself out.

He tried to scramble backwards, shooting out a hand to support his weight as it shifted again. Except he'd expected something to be there when there clearly wasn't. His body jolted at the realization but once again it wasn't enough. He tumbled over the edge, no handholds or footholds left. No, his body screamed at him but he'd already started to fall, the world rushing past him for one second and then two-

Reality twisted around him.

It started around the edges of his perception at first as he hung there, suspended in mid-air. Then the twisting got closer and closer until he was no longer aware of his head and with that, his senses disappeared. He couldn't see, he couldn't smell, he couldn't taste the dead air on his tongue. All that was left was his awareness of the rest of his body but even that was quickly disappeared until his ankles were the only part of him that still existed. Before long, that disappeared as well.

He came back into existence once he hit the ground with a low thud, his eyes squeezed shut. Everything was trembling as he sat there with his hands grasping at the ground beneath him. It was a faint wind that finally encouraged him to open his eyes, urged on by what had been impossible a few moments before. He hadn't felt the slightest breeze since that man had destroyed everything and now he felt it against his cheeks and rustling his hair.

Being able to feel the wind again had been the third thing on the list.

This had to be the afterlife.

But as he slowly eased his eyes open, the sight before him came as a surprise. Never had he thought it would be nighttime here or anything other than day. Or raining for that matter, as a lone raindrop splattered onto his cheek.

He looked around cautiously as he tried to place his surroundings. If it wasn't for the faint breeze or the rain then he would have sworn he was still alive because he physically felt the same as he had before. His breath caught as he glanced towards the edge of a cliff, his thoughts derailing. Faint light could be seen from where he laid, light that could've only been created by another person.

Or a lot of people.

Exhaustion forgotten, he hauled himself over to the edge and peered over a thriving village. None of the buildings were in disrepair and a few people were quickly rushing through the streets to get out of the rain before it really picked up. Even the Hokage's Office seemed well-lit despite the late hour. He was atop the Hokage Monument. But this time the village really was a place he could call Konoha. And home.

This wasn't what he'd expected the afterlife to be like but that was alright, it was almost better. Better because nobody was beside him to see the tears starting to leak from the corners of his eyes. Everything was going to be alright now. The only thing left to do was find Sakura and then maybe even Sasuke amongst the village-full of people below. He'd apologize for taking so long.

As soon as it was morning.

For now, he was content with sitting atop the Monument and basking in the beautiful sight of his village restored.

Obito stared at his own outreached hand, half of his body perched over the edge of the Monument. His chest heaved as the adrenaline slowly started to seep out of his system. There was no need for it now he'd completed his goal. He just hadn't expected to come so close to failing.

The cold started to settle in. He didn't have much time left.

Collapsing onto his back was a relief but that didn't ease the strain of breathing through his chakra exhaustion. He'd known exactly what he was doing when he decided to do this and the consequences were more of a relief at this point. Kakashi and Rin wouldn't welcome him in that place but he'd been a slave to Madara's wishes for far too long. With death came freedom from the stresses of this life.

He stared up at the clear, motionless sky above him. But had he really made the right choice after all? What if Uzumaki screwed things up even more? The boy-turned-man had always been rash when it came to his important people.

His breathing faltered.

His heart skipped a beat.

No, he'd made the right decision. He'd been troubled by morals for longer than he could remember. Plus he couldn't take the risk of being drawn in by Madara's rhetoric once again. Uzumaki could tell right from wrong. And he'd never trust that madman's word, no matter how tempting.

With his last breath, he allowed himself a bit of pride at his last and biggest accomplishment.

He sent Uzumaki Naruto back into time.