Rewriting History: The Past, Present, And Future
It wasn't fair, the clouds were pure, unblemished. I think they should be red, like the landscape they danced above. Everyone was gone, all around me it looked like something out of a horror movie. They were all dead, broken twisted bodies littered the ground around me and as far as I could see, the once dense forest that thrived on this land was gone. Nothing but a battleground was left, craters decorated the barren expanse that was once the border of Hi no Kuni now covered in blood and mangled limbs missing their owners. No one was left alive, except me, but I could feel my life slipping away as the seconds ticked by. Even if I were to live why would I want to? Everyone was dead, all the Elemental Nations were extinct they all died fighting in the war against the Juubi and Madara.
I painfully turned my head to my right, where my life-long rival, brother, enemy and comrade laid beside me looking for once peaceful in his eternal sleep. Beside Sasuke laid my other teammate Sakura, she was by his side, dead from chakra exhaustion trying to heal the wounded. Kakashi, Gai, Neji, Hinata, Tenten, Lee, Shino, Kiba, Choji, Shikamaru, Ino, Iruka, Kurenai, and all the rest were scattered among the debris.
I felt something wet on my face and looked above expecting to see the dark clouds that should accompany it but the sky was as clear as ever. I then realized I was crying, the one thing I haven't done in the past six years. It might be normal for others to break down if they were in the same position, but I was Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze, the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, hero of the leaf, Nanadaime Hokage, and leader of the first division of the front-line forces in the Elemental Allegiance against Madara. His life had been hell from ever since he could remember and had not once cried or complained about it.
'Kurama, you still there?' He spoke in his mind.
'Yeah kit, I'm still here.' A gruff voice replied a tiny hint of sadness laced in.
Naruto let a small smile grace his lips, "Good, good." He quietly whispered as he closed his eyes.
'Hey, Kit don't die on me yet.' Kurama said with worry in his voice. He could feel the fox shifting in his mind trying to push the majority of chakra out through his body to stop him from dying from chakra overload.
"Kurama stop. It won't work I will die anyway. Besides, why would I want to live when everyone else is dead? I have nothing else, they all moved on, please. Let me join them." Naruto responded to the fox in his head, his tears flowing freely down his face. Kurama gazed down on his kit, the one who had been cursed from the beginning of his life, forced to carry a burden so the ones around him could continue to live. He was a hero, but treated like the demon sealed inside of him, yet he kept smiling and laughing. He had worn a mask of ignorance, been abused and hated by everyone around him save for the few who actually saw him for him. He had encountered enemies many times stronger than himself and defeated each and every one of them with luck and his pure stubborn will to live.
He was the boy who fought and befriended the strongest of the Biju something that no one else had ever been able to do since the Sage of Six Paths. Naruto was his Kit.
He taught a demon how to care and survived an 8 year war against the strongest and most evil man in the world. But not without a price, his friends, family, comrades and army all sacrificed themselves so he could get close to the enemy and end the war. Sadly it was all for nothing, the enemy was stronger than originally thought and had captured them. The Juubi slowly drained them of their chakra while the forces wasted their lives for naught. Magically Naruto had come up with a plan, one that would have been impossible and they should have died, but of course this is Naruto and with his Kami given luck they survived and sealed the Juubi. Of course they need a medium to seal it within though. This is where our protagonist lay dying from the intake of juubi's chakra.
'Kit…' Kurama paused, 'There might be a way for you to fix this all. It might sound impossible but with as much chakra you have it might work.'
Naruto entered his mindscape and looked up at the fox in front of him. "What do you mean, 'a way to fix this all'?" He asked with a frown marring his face.
"... Time travel. I know it sounds stupid but trust me it's not. The Sage created a space/time ninjutsu that would allow us to go back certain periods in time, such as you can only go back to a time you still existed else you would be erased. But, unfortunately to do so we would have to conserve our chakra for a certain amount of time and combine them to have enough power to go back." The fox said all emotions unseen on his face.
"So, you are saying that by using all the Juubi chakra that is currently killing me I would be able to go back to any point in time in my life and I could stop the war?" Naruto said, frown still present on his face. Kurama just nodded, a small smile appeared on Naruto's face. "So, when do we start?"
Kurama just looked down in surprise at his kit then smirked. "Alright first…"
2 Hours later
"Okay kit, that's good you don't have much time left." Kurama said after inspecting the complex seal spread across the ground around them. "Now, go to the center of the seal and perform each of the hand signs I tell you carefully, if you make a mistake then there is no going back. Got it?" He got a silent nod of the head in response. "Alright, dragon, ox, rabbit, reverse tiger, monkey, horse, bird, ox, tiger, rat, reverse tiger, dragon and fox." Naruto did all the hand signs in quick perfection before waiting for the next step. "Now focus all your chakra into your left hand and slam it into the circle in the center. Think about the time where you want to go back to, it needs to be an exact date and time or it won't work. Understand kit? Depending on how far you go back I might still be sleeping if the jutsu doesn't use all my chakra. Good luck, Naruto." The fox looked down at his container for what he expected to be the last time. Naruto had tears still running down his face, he looked upon the fox with his ocean blue eyes glazed in tears.
"Kurama, don't say it like I won't see you again. I will make this work, and this time I will stop this war and save everyone. I promise, and I never go back on a promise!" Naruto declared tears flowing faster as he built up more chakra.
"I know kit, I know." Kurama relied as Naruto slammed his hand onto the seal, a lone tear escaped his crimson eye as their surroundings erupted into a blinding white then faded to black.
Naruto felt like every single molecule in his body was being set on fire, healed and set ablaze again. He struggled to not scream out in agony and settled for pain filled whimpers. When the pain subsided he realised he was no longer on the battlefield slowly dying, but instead felt a hard, lumpy mattress underneath him. He slowly opened his eyes only to quickly shut them due to the blinding light shining in his face. When his eyes finally adjusted he gazed around the room, beside him was a simple bed stand with a clock that read 12:00 pm and a couple empty instant ramen containers. On the wall across the room, above a damaged coffee table in a small kitchen was a calendar that read the date October 10th, 1991. So, he was in the past in his own apartment, currently he was four years old today. Then it hit him like one of Tsunade's punches, he couldn't believe it actually worked, he was in the past! Once he calmed down he inspected himself for any wounds.
The only differences he noticed were that he had almost no baby fat left on him and was in better shape than someone at least twice his age. The seal on his stomach was still there but weaker this time around. His hair was longer and was a mirror image of his father's, his canines were elongated as if he was in one-tail mode, his eyes had also changed and that was the most surprising. Instead of cerulean blue, they were both blood red with six rings surrounding the center and nine tomoe in each. He had the Rin'sharingan, the eyes of the Juubi. His chakra levels were back to that of his four year old self's, but he still needed to hide his appearance. So, after ten minutes of trying to relearn the Henge no Jutsu he cast an illusion over himself. But, because it's Naruto this is a solid illusion and impossible to break.
After an hour of sorting himself out and trying to get used to being in his four year old self's body he tried to meditate. Key word 'tried' he couldn't enter his mindscape, he wanted to see if Kurama was still there or if the Juubi was completely gone or not. He then thought if he should tell Jiji or not, he would need help and it would be hard getting back into shape without people being suspicious. But, there was the problem of Jiji not believing him and locking him up in a mental ward. He decided to take the chance as the positives outweighed the negatives.
Naruto made his way to the bathroom, got a cold shower and dressed in navy blue cargo shorts and a white tee-shirt with a red swirl on the front two sizes too big. He then made his way out of his apartment towards the Hokage tower, on the way there he saw people decorating and planning for the festival later that day, the one day he stays inside guarded by ANBU or with the Hokage. He didn't want to think about what happened last year. As he walked through the village people glared and whispered about him, avoiding him. Of course he didn't let it bother him and ignored him, but deep down he felt a pang of sadness being treated like a demon once again. After he defeated Nagato he was treated like a hero and was welcomed by the villagers, but now that hasn't happened yet and people still hated him.
Finally he made it to the tower and went to the front desk, the receptionist was one who knew of his problem and didn't blame him. She realized this after she once tried to kick him out and the Hokage threatened to send her to Ibiki. She paused in her typing and looked down at the sunny blonde walking to the desk.
She smiled warmly at him, "Hello Naruto, are you here to see the Hokage?" He nodded and smiled back silently. "You are awfully quiet today Naruto, did something happen?" She asked worriedly.
"No, nothing's wrong Hiro-chan. It's just that today is my birthday, and with the festival starting soon I wanted to get here early." He replied looking down to the floor frowning.
Hiroko saw his expression and checked the schedule on her desk, "Well, you're in luck Naruto the Hokage is free right now I'll tell him you're coming up, okay?" He looked up and nodded a bright smile on his face. He turned and started running to the office. "Oh, and Naruto," Hiroko called after him, he paused and turned his head back. "Happy birthday Naru-kun." He looked surprised for a moment before his smile brightened and threatened to spill across his face. He continued running to the Hokage's office. He paused to knock, purely out of habit but realised that this Naruto wasn't respectful and was only four. He burst through the doors and yelled, "Hey, Jiji guess what today is!" The Hokage braced for impact before a blonde blur crashed into him almost knocking him out of his chair. He chuckled and fondly looked down at the small blonde in his lap blinding him with a smile that could rival the sun.
"Naruto, what did I say about knocking? You don't need to yell so loud either, you might make some of my ANBU go deaf." He scorned with a pout on his face. Naruto looked down embarrassed and had a cute pout on his face. "But, don't worry as long as you remember that then you can come around any time alright?" He said letting a small smile replace the pout.
"Sorry Jiji, I was just really happy. Hiro-chan told me happy birthday." Naruto said looking up at the Hokage with the adorable pout fading from his lips.
"Ah, yes I almost forgot." The Sarutobi said before he reached under his desk and pulled out a brightly colored wrapped package. "Here you go Naruto, happy birthday." He handed the present to the surprised blonde in his lap. He carefully took the present and looked up at the aging Hokage with watery eyes. "Go on, open it."
He pulled back the wrapping paper in an excited frenzy before going still. Inside was a pair of green goggles, the ones he had in his previous life time. He took the out of the box and inspected them, after a minute he put them around his head pushing his bangs out of his face. Suddenly he jumped up and wrapped his chubby little arms around his Jiji's neck. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He quietly whispered into the Hokage's shoulder letting tears of joy run down his face.
Hiruzen looked down at the crying blonde and smiled knowing this was the first time he had gotten a birthday present. Naruto sat up straight and wiped his tears he internally debated how he was gonna tell the Hokage of his situation. Then, he felt the chakra of one of the ANBU shift and remembered they were still in the room. He reached his head over to the Hokage's and quietly whispered just so he could hear him. "Jiji, I have something very important to tell you and I don't want anyone to hear me so could you make your ANBU please leave the room and put up a protective barrier." In a serious tone.
The Hokage had a shocked look on his face, but he trusted the blonde. After all he could tell by the chakra signature this was in fact the real blonde. He raised his hand and dismissed his ANBU and did some hand signs before the room glowed a faint purple and going back to normal. Naruto hopped off the Hokage's lap and stood in front of him with a blank face and rigid posture, one that did not fit the blonde but one of an ANBU. His normally sky blue eyes were lifeless, ones of a war veteran someone who has seen too much in their life-time. "Who are you. You are certainly not Naruto even though you have somehow replicated him down to the finest detail and even the chakra, now who are you?" The Hokage asked in an ice cold voice betraying no emotion.
"I am the Jinchuuriki of Kyuubi no Kitsune, Hero of the leaf, Leader of the first division of the front line forces in the Elemental Allegiance, Nanadaime Hokage and Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze, Sandaime Hokage-sama." The blonde said in a monotone voice. He looked the aging Hokage straight in the eyes and his cold cobalt's held no form of lies in them. Hiruzen was shocked at what the child had just told him, he couldn't believe what he just heard, somehow Naruto found out about being the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi and the truth of his parents. Then he says he was the Nanadaime Hokage and fought in a war.
"I am finding this very hard to believe so you should hurry and start explaining before I call my ANBU and send you to Ibiki. Now, start from the beginning." Hiruzen said in the same chilly tone. Naruto stood a little taller and brought his hands out in front of him, the Hokage tensed getting ready for an attack. The blonde made a rat hand sign and whispered "Kai" A genjutsu around the blonde disappeared and showed the Hokage something truly shocking. The scrawny blonde in front of him disappeared and in his place was a muscular, by four year old standards, child with the Yondaime's hair and Sharingan eyes with six rings and nine tomoe in each. He held an aura of power and one of who he said to be, a war leader and Hokage. The current Hokage now had no doubt in his mind that this Naruto was telling the truth.
"I am from the year 2015, in the future a madman that does by the name Madara takes part in using a Kinjustu known as Edo Tensei to resurrect the real Madara, they both then go forth and unseal the Biju from 1 through 7 and combine them using a statue called Gedo Mazo to recreate the Juubi. But to continue from there I must start from my birth."
90 Minutes and a long explanation later…
"And now I am here." Naruto finished. Many emotions were expressed throughout the narration that left the blonde with watery eyes and the old Sarutobi in a mess of tears. Hiruzen of course believed every word with all the detail he gave from his own birth and the events up to when he was four was amazing and every emotion that was expressed through his eyes during his explanation of his life and future was all too real. It was hard hearing about how you were killed by your own student-turned-traitor and about how it could have been prevented. He was interrupted from his thoughts, "What do we do now?"
He wiped his eyes and looked at the war-worn veteran trapped in a four year old's body in front of him. "Hm, well you could continue to live on your own and I could lend you a private training ground to train or, you could live with me and my family. I could arrange the adoption papers and you could be my real grandson, this way you are under my protection, safe from the council, you will have access to all the knowledge you need, political backing, and you would have family." He said in a kind tone and smiled at the blonde. Naruto just looked up at him with surprise before his expression settled into one of happiness, his eyes were once again filled with tears and glowed with warmth.
"I think I will take you up on your offer, Jiji." He tackled the Hokage in a bone-crushing hug. They then went through the tortuous job of filling the paperwork and settled to talk more about Naruto's life and things that happened. When they finished discussing the brighter moments of the future the conversation shifted.
"Naruto, I believe we should let a few others know of your condition." The Hokage in full seriousness.
"Like who, I understand the key players in the future like Jiraiya, Itachi and Kakashi. Plus, we could use Shikaku to help us plan and organize events so we could change things, and maybe Inoichi to let you all see my memories. Knowing as I could possibly forget or overlook important details." Naruto said with a curious look on his face, scratching the back of his head. Something Shikamaru deemed as his 'thinking pose'.
"That was exactly what I was thinking. They could exponentially help us plan and improve for the future. They could also help you train to get back to your past level and maybe even help you improve in some areas. Seeing as you now have the Rin'sharingan, Kakashi and Itachi could help you train in using it. Itachi would also be able to help you with any weapons and be your sparring partner. While Jiraiya would let you resign the toad contract and improve his spy network, he would also help you get experience in the field. Shikaku will be our planner and stratigist and Inoichi, our memory viewer. Although we should also enlist the help of Tenzou, he could help you gain control over your chakra. That is if the Juubi and Kyuubi are still within you." Hiruzen explained to him.
"I agree, we should continue this later it is almost time for the festival and I am hungry." He said with a foxy smile in place of the serious expression that was present on his face moments ago. Hiruzen chuckled at his now official grandson's antics. After Naruto replaced his Henge and the paperwork was filed away they exited the office, leaving a message with Hiroko saying they would be out enjoying the festival and only contact them if it was absolutely important.
As the sun was setting you could find the pair on top of the Hokage monument relaxing on the Yondaime Hokage's spiky bangs overlooking the village. "The view is really something isn't it." Naruto whispered into the chilly breeze blowing leaves off into the horizon. He sat beside his Jiji wrapped underneath the Hokage's robes protected from the harsh October winds.
"Yes, it is. Nothing's really changed since I was just a genin sitting on top of Hashirama-sensei's head." He said looking out at the glowing city below alive with festivities and parades celebrating the defeat of the great Kyuubi no Kitsune. There was a wave of comforting silence between them as the two sat and thought of how much their home has changed over the time they spent there. The quiet was broken when the blonde let out a stifled yawn.
"Let's get you home, we can set you up a room and move your stuff tomorrow. For now, it's been a long day and I am ready to go to bed. Yeah?" Hiruzen said taking the blonde into his arms as one would a child.
"Ya know Jiji, I'm not a baby I can walk by myself." He said in obvious embarrassment.
"Yes, I am aware. But, then again you are now a four year old and my grandson. I am obliged to carry you when you get tired, and you deserve to be carried. It has been a tough day." He said as he Shu'shined to the Sarutobi compounds main house. Hiruzen quietly made his way upstairs to one of the guestrooms and laid the blonde down. Naruto was struggling to keep his eyes open and snuggled deeper into the warmth of the Hokage robes relishing in the moments he could enjoy his child-like actions. "Goodnight, Mago." Hiruzen whispered to Naruto as he tucked him into the thick sheets and left the room. Naruto smiled a truly warm smile as he drifted off into unconsciousness.
Decay, death, blood. The smell was everywhere, it coated everything. He could see his friends faces as they went to protect him, only to die in vein. Madara terrorized them all, killing them off slowly one by one. His friends, his family, his comrades they were all dead. Sasuke jumped in front of him taking an earth spike aimed for his heart. Kakashi died from his own Chidori being reflected back at him. Sakura from chakra depletion, Gai from using all the gates, and Hinata from blood loss. Tenten, Lee, Shino, Kiba, Choji, Shikamaru, Ino, Iruka, Kurenai, all pointless deaths trying to prevent something impossible. The Juubi towered over the corpse-ridden battlefield crushing all that got in it's way, slowly making it's way over to where he stands gathering all the chakra he can to try and aim one last shot at the monster destroying humanity itself. Suddenly he was on the ground looking up at the sky again with all his peers bodies scattered around him. He was dying again and this time there was nothing he could do about it. He had failed, failed to bring Sasuke back, to stop Nagato, Jiraiya's death, the capture of the Biju, the death of the Akatsuki, and he failed to save his friends and stop Madara. He was too weak, now he was going to die and go to hell. He would never see his friends, family, peers, or comrades ever again. He took one last look at the pure white clouds before closing his eyes and succumbing to darkness.
Naruto awoke drenched in cold sweat, panting for the oxygen he desperately gulped in regaining his breath. The suns light hit his face as he tossed back the damp sheets covering him, he searched around the room for any clues to where he was. In the corner of the room sat a plain oak dresser next to a door he guessed was the closet. Next to the bed was a black bedside table with a lamp and clock sitting on it. The time read 6:00 am, then he remembered what happened last night and made his way to the door. When he opened it a wave of delicious aromas hit his sensitive nose. Naruto followed the scent of rice and eggs down to the kitchen.
"Ahh, I see our newest edition has finally awoken. Good morning Naruto, would you like some breakfast? " Hiruzen was seated at a four chair wooden dinner table, in front of him was a large plate of steaming rice and a bowl of freshly cooked eggs. There was a large selection of fruits, a plate was laid out at the opposite end of the table. Naruto slowly made his way to the table and sat across from his new Jiji. He piled his plate full of rice, eggs and an orange and two bananas, giving a quiet "Itadakimasu" before digging in.