A/N: Here is chapter 2. I'm going to try and make my chapters at least 2500 words each time, but I will aim for higher in the future. This is where the time-travel stuff starts to come into play, but s*** will really hit the fan next chapter. I'm also taking a little creative freedom with the timeline here, so please forgive that. Otherwise, I will try and stay as faithful to the canon timeline as possible (before my characters completely change it, of course).

PLEASE review! If you've got this story on alert, PLEASE let me know what you think. You guys have no idea how much it means to me, and it brings me no greater joy than to see what people think of my writing, good or bad. Reviews are my biggest motivation, so if you want the next chapter out soon, you know what to do. Thanks!

Chapter 2: Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc

Naruto awoke to orange and red hues dotted with splotches of wispy white. A few blinks and groans later, he realized that he was looking at the sky, and promptly sat up. As the memories of the recent past flooded his consciousness, he jumped up in a panic and looked around for—

There! Sasuke lay in the dirt, face up and definitely unconscious. Naruto rushed over to him, and quickly saw that he was alive and breathing. He pulled out the pre-made seals that he had prepared for just such an occasion, designed to surpress his chakra and kekkei genkai so that he could be returned to Konoha safely. After applying the seals and binding his limbs, Naruto checked the rest of his surroundings. On the ledge where he knew the rest of his team were watching, he saw a hand hanging limply off the ledge. Naruto dashed up to his friends, and saw that they, too, were all unconscious.

"Kakashi-sensei! Sakura! Sai-teme! Hinata-chan! Wake up!"

Kakashi and Sai were the first to stir, and Kakashi looked up to his student with surprise. "Naruto? Wait—what happened?"

Before, Naruto could answer, Sakura and Hinata began to wake up as well, so Naruto opted to wait before delivering the good news. Once he had their attention, he smiled as he said, "It's over; Sasuke's alive but unconscious, and I've placed the seals on him. He won't be a threat anymore. We can bring him home."

Sakura looked down solemnly, but smiled. "Thank you, Naruto," she whispered. Her thoughts raced. Will Sasuke ever go back to being the kind teammate I once knew? Does he deserve to die anyway?

"Meet me down there when you can, everyone," he replied.

Standing over Sasuke's body, Naruto couldn't help but reminisce of what could have been. "I'm sorry, Sasuke," he whispered. "I'm sorry that I couldn't stop you before like I did just now. It would have saved everyone so much pain…" he looked up, his eyes staring towards the past. "It's almost cruel, in a way, Sasuke. It happened in the same place, almost the same way, only several years later and with the opposite outcome." He looked down again, closing his eyes from the painful memories. "I failed to be there for you, but I promise, from now on…I'll save you from the darkness. I won't lose you like I almost lost myself. They don't understand why I care so much, but I hope that, in time, they will. I almost became what you are now, and you almost became what I am. If I can't save you, then I'll know that I couldn't have been saved myself. I can't live with that."

A voice called from behind him. "Perhaps now, we do understand, at least a little, Naruto." The blond turned around to see his team, his friends, standing behind him. Kakashi continued to speak. "We'll do all we can for him. In the mean time, we need to get him back to Konoha, and it's a decent trek from the Valley of the End to the village."

Naruto carried Sasuke on their way back. He felt nostalgia creeping through him. For a moment, he could forget all that had happened in the past few years and pretend that Team 7 was together again, and that he was just carrying an injured Sasuke back home.

But it only lasted a moment. Sasuke stirred, and Kakashi signaled for the team to stop. Naruto set his ex-teammate down as he came to his senses.

"Na…Naruto? Wha—we're alive?"

"That's right, teme. I've sealed your chakra and Sharingan, so don't even bother trying anything. We're taking you home."

"Home? You think you're doing me a favor? I'm going to destroy Konoha! That village has enjoyed peace by betraying the Uchiha clan and destroying my brother! You are all guilty! I'm going to burn you all t—"

*WHAM*

"You done, teme? As satisfying as it feels, I'd rather not punch you in the face all day."

Sasuke looked back up to the blond, confusion and anger in his eyes. "No, I'm not done! I won't be done until I've razed Konoha to the ground! I won't be done until I've avenged the Uchih—"

"YOUR REVENGE IS POINTLESS, SASUKE!"

The last Uchiha stared at Naruto in shock as he continued. "Have you ever stopped and thought about what your clan died for? What your brother died for? Your clan was plotting a coup against Konoha. I hate the fact that they were killed, and I would done everything I could have to stop it, but it happened. Your brother sacrificed himself so that the rest of Konoha wouldn't suffer destruction. He died for the sake of peace! He died so that YOU could live! So that YOU would become Konoha's newest hero! He wanted you to protect Konoha, not destroy it! He wanted you to redeem the Uchiha clan, to rebuild it! Not soil its name for all eternity! He entrusted his Will of Fire to YOU, Sasuke! You don't have the right to spit on all of his sacrifices!" His voiced was lowered to a whisper. "I know exactly what you felt. I saw all that I held dear destroyed, the people that I loved killed in front of my eyes while I was helpless. I wanted revenge so badly, I wanted to destroy the cause of my pain."

Sasuke's mouth was agape as he remained totally silent, taking in Naruto's every word.

"I was given the chance to kill the man that had destroyed my life. The man that had killed the people that I loved. I could have done it, and I would have been a hero for it. But I chose not to. Why?"

Sasuke was asking that same question in his mind.

"Because killing him wouldn't have solved anything. Killing him wouldn't have brought my friends and loved ones back. Killing him wouldn't have reversed the damage that had been done. Killing him would have only caused others pain, causing them to seek revenge. I chose to understand him, to try and get him to see the error of his ways, so that one day he would save someone in need instead of taking their life. So that one day, he too would chose not to further the cycle of hatred, but to end it.

"He believed in me. He said that in me, he could see a different future. So he decided to break the cycle of hatred by his own choice. He sacrificed himself to revive everyone that he had killed. I got my friends and loved ones back. I had built a new friendship and alliance with my former enemies. I was a hero, but I didn't care about that. I became what you could have been, Sasuke. What you still can be, if you try. Because deep down, Sasuke, I know that you're still there. There's still hope for you, because if that man who destroyed Konoha, destroyed my friends, destroyed the people I loved, could change and break the cycle of hatred, then so can you."

No one said anything for a long time. Sasuke's mouth eventually closed, and he looked down pensively. Naruto decided that it was enough for now, and turned to his sensei. Kakashi nodded. "We should make camp here, and continue on in the morning."

At dawn, Team Kakashi cleaned up camp, and Naruto placed Sasuke in the previous position, piggy-back style, to carry him back to Konoha. Just before they set out, Naruto heard his friend speak. "Naruto…I'm sorry."

Naruto turned his head to the side slightly, and nodded. "Yeah. And I forgive you. I'll always be there for you. But the rest is up to you."

With that, they headed for Konoha in silence.

Upon reaching the gate, the team walked up to the gate guards, whom they didn't recognize. Kakashi, as team leader, spoke for them. "Team 7 reporting back, mission success."

The guards looked at him in confusion before checking their lists. "You're not Team 7. Who are you?" the guard questioned in a not-so-friendly tone.

"We are Team 7. I'm Hatake Kakashi, and this is—" before he could finish, the guard interrupted.

"Hatake? The only Hatake your age is dead." He signaled something to the rest of the guards, and several ANBU and chuunin surrounded the team.

"What's going on here?" Kakashi asked.

The guard answered, "you all have Konoha hitai-ate's, but you are more than suspicious. We'll be escorting you to the Hokage immediately. He'll know if you're really Konoha shinobi."

Kakashi was very confused, which he wasn't very often. What the…? How do they not know who I am? Or who Naruto is? Naruto's the Leaf's second greatest hero, how could they possibly not recognize him?

Deciding that arguing would only exasperate the situation further, Kakashi ordered his team to follow their instructions. As they headed towards the Hokage Tower, Kakashi couldn't help but notice that everything seemed very, very…off. Everything looks new, and yet old at the same time. There are no signs of the damage from Pain's invasion. And then he looked at the Hokage Monument, where he noticed that only three heads were present. Kakashi, having encountered many odd things throughout his shinobi career, went by an old adage: when one has eliminated all possibilities, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the answer. There are no signs of destruction in the cliffside, meaning that the other two faces weren't removed. They were never built. Oh SH—

"May I ask you gentlemen who is the current Hokage?" Kakashi asked, hoping for an answer despite the situation.

The guard looked at him even more suspiciously than before, if it was possible. "The Sandaime Hokage will destroy you if you try anything in his office, and he'll have a squad of ANBU to back him up. I suggest you explain yourselves fully before you surrender peacefully, spies."

At that, everyon'se but Sasuke's eyes widened as realization dawned on them. They looked up, saw the lack of two faces in the mountain, the same signs that Kakashi had noticed, and the lack of recognition that they were getting from the civilians. Realization dawned on all of their faces, and Kakashi nodded to them, as if to confirm their suspicions. The guard noticed this, and drew his tanto before placing it at Kakashi's throat. The silver-haired jounin was in no mood for threats, however. "I assure you, we are not spies. Hinata-san behind me has the Byakugan, as you can clearly see, and it would be more than inconvenient for us to cause a fight with the most powerful shinobi in this village with dead weight loading us down," he said as his head jerked towards Sasuke. The black-haired teen shot a glare at Kakashi, protest evident in his face, while Naruto snickered. The guard considered this, and lowered his tanto.

They reached the Hokage's office shortly after, and entered.

00000

He was getting old, Hiruzen decided. Were it not for the troubling rumors he'd heard about his student, Orochimaru, he would have picked him as his successor by now. He hated this blasted war, and wished it would end so he could enjoy a quiet retirement. Knowing his luck, his successor would die right after he was appointed, forcing Hiruzen back to work until he died of old age.

He sighed as he dismissed a messenger who had delivered disturbing news of Iwa's recent, massive advance. Hopefully Minato, someone he had been seriously considering as the best candidate for Yondaime Hokage, would be able to salvage the situation. If he did, his position as Yondaime Hokage was assured.

A knock sounded from the door. "Come in," he called.

Imagine his surprise when an older teen entered, looking like he could have been Minato's younger brother, along with a man Hiruzen could only describe as an older looking Kakashi or Sakumo's brother.

All of which, Hiruzen knew, was completely impossible, and purely a coincidence.

They all held Konoha hitai-ate, and yet Hiruzen recognized none of them. One of the girls definitely had the Byakugan, and yet no seal on her forehead, marking her as a member of the Main Branch of the Hyuuga Clan.

Apparently, they were just as surprised as he was, and their eyes widened a fraction. The blond, in particular, looked both surprised and happy to see him. "Who are you all? You carry the Leaf's symbol, and yet I know none of you. Explain yourselves, now."

Kakashi spoke up first, as per usual. "Hokage-sama, my name is Hatake Kakashi. I know this may seem absolutely crazy, and I wouldn't blame you if you thought I was insane for saying this, but I believe the reason you don't recognize any of us is because you don't really know us…yet."

"Yet? I'm a busy man with a war effort to run, and I don't have time for cryptic answers."

"I haven't been able to confirm my theory, but since we were heading for Konoha and it should be peacetime, I believe there is no other explanation. I think we have somehow traveled to the past, Hokage-sama. If that's true, then we're from the future."

Hiruzen looked at Kakashi with a completely blank face. I'm getting too old for this."'From the future,' you say? You expect me to believe that? I've seen many things in my career, but spies claiming to be Konoha shinobi from the future is a new one. I applaud you for that."

"We can prove it," Kakashi replied.

"How?"

Kakashi seemed pensive for a moment. "What is the date?"

"Date? March 3rd, 206. Why?"

"March 3rd, 20—" Kakashi's eye widened in shock. "March 3rd!" Kakashi's companions looked at Naruto in confusion.

"What's wrong, Kakashi-sensei?" asked Naruto.

Kakashi turned to the Hokage, panic laced in his expression and voice. "You just sent Team Minato on a mission to destroy Kanabi Bridge, while you sent Minato to personally halt Iwa's advance of over 100 enemy nin. Uchiha Obito, Tatsushiro Rin, and Hatake Kakashi are going to infiltrate Iwa territory."

Hiruzen stiffened at once. He was not a stupid or ignorant man, and knew that it was simply not possible for a spy to have such detailed knowledge of the mission when it had only been given the day before. The other pieces began falling into place; the man in front of him carried an uncanny resemblance to the young Kakashi and Sakumo, and the Hyuuga girl couldn't possibly be someone from outside of Konoha. The mask was also something that he had only ever seen Kakashi do. "It seems that you may be telling the truth after all. But if you're really from the future, then who am I going to pick as my successor?"

Kakashi's look remained serious. "You will pick Namikaze Minato as your successor following his total victory over the 50 remaining Iwa shinobi using his legendary Flying Thunder God Technique."

The Hokage sighed. There was no refuting it now. "Very well. But I want you to start from the beginning and explain everything, now."

The jounin would have none of that. "There's no time. If we move now, we might be able to save them."

"Save who?"

The silver-haired man looked down with his single eye closed. Hiruzen's own experience told him that the man before him was recalling some painful memories. "My teammate, Uchiha Obito, saved my life at the cost of his own. I intend to return the favor."

Sarutobi sighed once again as he looked at the floor, lost in thought. "Then go. I can't afford to send anyone else, we're shorthanded enough as it is."

Kakashi nodded, and turned towards his team. "Sakura, Hinata, Sai; stay here and keep an eye on Sasuke. Naruto and I will deal with this. It's time for a family visit, I believe. Right, Naruto?"

The blond looked at his sensei in surprise before smiling, anticipation in his face blatant. "Good," the jounin continued. "I'll show you the way when we get there. We'll move out at once. You ready to move?"

With a nod, they were on their way. I won't let my mistakes cost you, Obito. I'm going to protect you and Rin this time, I promise.

A/N: In case you were wondering, "Post Hoc, Ergo Proper Hoc" means "After, therefore because of." Essentially, it's a fallacy that if B happened after A, then A caused B. I thought it was a nice play on the idea that Kakashi's mistakes would lead him to a new opportunity to fix them in the past.

And no, 206 was not a typo. I know they keep track of the years, and seeing as Naruto's technology isn't incredibly modern, I wanted it to seem not too futuristic. This way I can establish a firm date. Once again, PLEASE REVIEW! It means a lot to me, I can't emphasize that enough.