A/N:

"Naruto"- Conversations

'Naruto'- Thoughts

"Naruto"- Tailed beast conversation/ Jutsu

'Naruto'- Tailed beast thoughts

Naruto- Flashback

His eyes barely opened to the blurry image of a woman in hospital grubs with her blond hair tied in a ponytail, trying to bring him back to life using her medical ninjutsu. But his body felt like it was stung by lightning. But medical ninjutsu shouldn't hurt. It was supposed to do the exact opposite of that. He could see the green glow emitting from her hands but still, he couldn't let go of feeling it had. And before he could come to a solution he felt it again. Only this time, the feeling was much stronger. It felt like he was tased in the neck. He sat upright on his bed, trying to regain his breathing. He felt like the wind was knocked out of him for a second there. He took a few deep breathes and slowly started to bring it down to normal before he lied back on his bed. His vision started to get clearer and soon he was able to see clearly.

"Whe...Where... am I?"

He barely managed to get those words out before passing out in exhaustion. His world went dark again, only this time, he wasn't dying.

He woke up from his sleep a few hours later to be greeted by the image of three people around on his bed. A blonde woman in her mid-twenties with brown eyes on his left, a white-haired man around the same age in standard Jonin uniform and a rather small old man in what appeared to be Hokage robes. It took a few seconds for him the process that completely before realizing that the blond woman was none other than Tsunade and the old man was Hiruzen Sarutobi, the third Hokage. He didn't recognize the third person though.

His brain went haywire the next second. His head hurt with all the questions that started to pop up in his mind. ' Why is the third Hokage still alive? And why does Tsunade look a little different? And is that Kakashi sensei without his mask? Why am I in the hospital? Is this some kind of genjutsu? Why can't I move my body? Dammit.' And none of these thoughts helped him in any way.

"How are you feeling?" Tsunade asked with a medical clipboard in her hands.

"Granny. Where am I? How is the old man still alive?" he barely managed to ask her. He felt like he was completely drained off his chakra. He never felt this weak before. But he wasn't worried about that right now. He was in a situation he'd never imagine even in his wildest dreams. He knew Tsunade could help him with that. She was someone he could trust his life without a second thought. But her response was something he should've seen coming.

"Who the hell are you calling Granny you fool. I'm gonna rip you apart for that." Tsunade yelled loud enough for the entire floor to hear. She was about to hit Naruto with the clipboard before Sarutobi decided to stop her.

"Tsunade. Enough. He's a patient of yours. Do well to remember that." he warned her. Tsunade tch'd in response and began her inspection, rather begrudgingly.

"Alright. Just say yes or no to the following questions." she spoke with narrowed eyes towards her blond patient. "Can you hear properly?" She got an approving nod in response. She just ticked in a box in her clipboard. The same thing repeated for the next few questions she enquired about his basic functions such as eyesight, breathing etc.

"He looks fine. He just needs time to recover from his injuries. I'd say a few weeks at the most." She told the Hokage." Now that my job here is done, I'm leaving him to you Sakumo. He's all yours now." she said, turning towards the silver-haired man. The now identified Sakumo nodded his head with a small smile.

The air in the room began to turn heavy the moment Tsunade left. Naruto noticed the tense looks on Hiruzen's and the white-haired man's faces. He didn't know why but he didn't have a good feeling about what was about to happen. If their plan succeeded, they should've ended up somewhere around the time of the fourth great ninja war. His thought process was cut off when he heard Hiruzen cleared his throat, possibly to gain his attention.

"We have a few questions for you. But I can understand if you want to rest for a while before we get on that." Hiruzen said the last part a bit reluctantly though his concern sounded genuine.

Naruto found this as a chance to get some answers. "I would like to rest for a while. I don't think I have much energy in me right now." he said weakly facing the wall. And that wasn't a lie either. He really did feel like that.

"It's alright. We'll be back to see you tomorrow morning then. I wish you a speedy recovery. I'll leave one of ANBU guards and Sakumo outside your room. In case you need any help." Naruto knew that was a lie. They were placed to keep an eye on him. Soon, the Hokage and Sakumo proceeded to walk out of the room.

'So I'm already being watched huh? This is not good. I need to talk to Kurama about this.' And with that thought, he closed his eyes and entered his mind space. He was standing in the all too familiar sewer with its giant inhabitant sleeping with its head on the legs.

"Oi, Kurama. What happened back there?" he immediately questioned his longtime companion. The fox just opened one eye to look at Naruto before closing it back.

"You screwed up is what happened." he grunted with closed eyes.

"What do you mean I screwed up?" Naruto shot back.

"Exactly what I said brat." the fox growled with a hint of irritation.

"Hey. Just give me a straight answer. ok?" Naruto almost yelled in frustration. He couldn't understand what was going on around and now, the only one he thought could shed some light was trying to avoid him? It was all just adding up to his pent-up rage.

"You want straight answers? Here it is then. We ended up somewhere we shouldn't have. We possibly travelled further into the past than we intended to, thanks to you. We are not 3 years back in the past. This is not the time of fourth great ninja war. If my guess is right, I'd say we are around 30 years in the past."

That shook the blond to his core. His eyes widened when he heard what most probably happened. He couldn't believe what he heard. He didn't want to. He wanted to scream back at the tailed beast in front of him for cracking jokes at a time like this but he knew it wasn't a joke. The irritation in the beast's heavy voice made sure of it.

"How?" he questioned, with disbelief written all over his face.

Kurama hesitated to tell him for a second but realised he had to. If they were to make things right, being blunt was the only way. "When your wife died, your emotions hit the peak. The seal that holds me inside you drew out my chakra without you even realising it. The seal was designed in a such a way so that it draws on my power whenever you are feeling strong emotions."

Naruto recalled the events when he manifested Kurama's chakra for the first time.' The time when I thought Sasuke died while fighting Haku.' Then the second time.' When I faced Orochimaru in the forest of death.' And then the next. ' When I was thrown into the trench by pervy sage.' And all the incidents when drew the tailed beasts chakra. Every instance had one thing in common. He was overflowing with strong emotions. Be that sadness, fear of death or hatred.

"The time travel seal absorbed the chakra that was pulled out from me. And you know how that seal works right? The amount needs to perfect for us to end up in the right place." Kurama finished.

Naruto's disbelief slowly started to fade away. Everything started to make sense now. And he now understood why Kurama said it was his fault. He let the emotions get in the way. He opened his mouth trying to say something but nothing came out. All the worries he had a few minutes ago vanished. Only one thought raced his mind now. He failed. Again. He lost his wife in the process of trying to save the world and now, he messed up their only chance. He stared blankly at his reflection below him.

"So I did mess up." he whispered. 'And I lost my chance of saving the world. The chance to keep the promise I made to Hinata.' he thought. He remembered how she smiled, even on the verge of her death. A soft and satisfied smile with a trail of blood oozing from her mouth down her chin. The pain he felt when he remembered that made him fall to his knees. He let out the tears he kept holding back all this time.

"All of this... It's my fault. Mine. Mine. Mine." he cried, repeatedly punching his reflection in the water below.

Kurama felt a pang of guilt while looking at his former jailor. He regretted blaming Naruto for the screw-up. He mentally kicked himself for pinning on the fault on the Jhinchuriki.

"Naruto, this is not your fault. The boon that saved your life so many times in the past turned into a bane this time. We just ran out of luck. That's it. No ones to blame here."

"No! I messed up. If I kept my emotions in control, this wouldn't have happened." The tears that he shed didn't seem to have a limit at this point.

"Are you even listening to me? Your wife was killed right in front of you. No man could've controlled his emotions when something like that happens. And If you could've controlled your emotions, then you're no man." Kurama roared. He had enough of the blond's self-berating tirade and wanted to put a stop to it. And he achieved it. Naruto stopped punching and looked up to face the giant fox with an anguished look in eyes.

"Listen to me Naruto. I've been watching you for 20 years, right from the moment you were born. I know how much you suffered and how you felt about it. I know every struggle you faced and how you overcame them. And I also know that this is just another struggle that you'll have to overcome. So stop whining about the past and focus on the future. You did promise your wife that you'll make this problem go away, remember?"

Naruto listened to every word Kurama said carefully. He kept quiet for a few seconds before slowly turning around. "Promises mean nothing when people are dead Kurama. They just become empty words. A former shell of themselves. Just like me." and with that, the blond walked away before disappearing.

Kurama just stared at the place where Naruto disappeared. He couldn't get the image of Naruto with his shoulders slumped, head low and completely hopeless walking away from him. Seeing the most optimistic person he'd ever known broken to such extent caused something he never felt before. Fear. Not for his life, but for the future. He was afraid of what the future holds for the blond. He just hoped that somehow, someone would change Naruto and return him to normal self.

"Third Hokage, I request a private audience with just you, me and Naruto. Everyone else leaves. Even your most trusted ANBU."

"I'm sorry but if you think we would leave our Hokage with you two alone, then you're wrong. We may not know your identities but you two clearly are no ordinary Shinobi. How do you expect we can agree to something like that."

"I can understand your reasoning. But we bear no ill intentions towards the Hokage or this village."

"But how can we trust-"

"That's enough Sakumo. You talk like I'm a little child. I'm the Hokage for a reason you know." Sarutobi cut off his trusted subordinate with a small chuckle.

"Stop boasting old man." Tsunade said irritated by her sensei's lack of seriousness in the issue.

"That's not what I meant Lord Hokage." Sakumo said in an apologetic tone with a bow.

"Relax Sakumo. Let's hear out the young man first." With that, Sarutobi faced Sasuke and gave a small nod, a gesture indicating him to continue.

Sasuke woke up nearly a couple of hours ago from his slumber. Like Naruto, he too was shocked to see Hiruzen still alive. He didn't understand what had transpired for him to end up in a situation like this. When Tsunade asked how he had two arms now where he had only one arm when he was found, he just said he always had two arms and they must've made a mistake. He chose to lie than to explain the truth and look even more suspicious.

When the necessary inspections completed, he requested to talk with Naruto but his request was immediately denied. When he demanded the reason, he was told that Naruto denied talking to them and even showed signs of hostility forcing them to place him in the Torture and Interrogation cell. He expected Naruto to behave differently but to show hostility against the very people he loved, he didn't believe it. He just concluded that it was a made-up reason to get answers out of Naruto. He knew that though Konoha wasn't as militaristic as other villages, they wouldn't mind taking drastic measures for its safety.

Right now, his pile of problems just kept increasing. First, his friend seemed broken. Second, he was in a terrible condition with bandages all over his bodies in an unforeseen situation. And now, his heart broken friend is in prison and possibly being tortured. He saw only one way to solve this problem. And that ended up with him making a request which was currently being denied.

"As I said before, I need to talk to you alone third Hokage. And I want Naruto to be present too. No one else." he pressed the last part so that his intentions were properly conveyed.

Sarutobi closed his eyes and started to think. That was a good sign for Sasuke. The request wasn't flat out rejected. When Sarutobi opened his eyes, Sasuke could see a hint of curiosity in them.

"Alright. I agree." the Hokage said shocking both Tsunade and Sakumo. They both began to protest but were silenced by his raised hand.

"I'm not done yet. I agree but there are a few conditions."

"What are these conditions of yours?" Sasuke questioned narrowed eyes. Something told him he wouldn't like them.

"First, our meeting will take place in T&I cell where your partner is currently being held. Two, your chakra will be sealed off before our talk starts. Those are the only terms on which I'll grant you your request." The way Sarutobi said those words spoke volumes about his prowess at being a Hokage. He carried a wave of authority and assurance at the same time.

Sasuke took a moment to think this through. He has only one chance and he needs to play this right.

"I decline. I can't let you seal off our chakras." he finally answered.

"So you do intend to attack sensei during that. I knew you couldn't be trusted the moment I saw you." Tsunade didn't hold back her thoughts this time. He looked suspicious to her in more than one ways. And he wasn't a pushover in any way. She doubted if she could take on him and hope to win.

"You couldn't be any more wrong Senju. As I said before, I hold no ill intentions towards the Hokage or the village. I don't intend to display any hostility either." he said with a smirk. He was getting under nerves and made the men think deeper about his words. 'Looks my plan is working.' he thought.

"If so, then why do object to your chakra being sealed off? You don't need chakra to talk." Sakumo questioned. His tone was more curious and less demanding than before.

"The things I want to tell and ask the Hokage are highly confidential. I can't afford to someone else eavesdrop on us." he stated impassively and left the remaining occupants of the room speechless. 'How are those two related anyway?' they thought.

"Make some sense, will you? What you said is totally unrelated to Sakumo's question." Tsunade almost yelled. She was losing her patience with every word that left Sasuke's mouth.

"Naruto is an expert in seals. He'll place a privacy seal around the room our meeting takes place." he explained, still as impassive as ever. He found out that keeping a straight face can help you around cautious people. And Hiruzen was just that.

"If privacy is the only thing you're concerned, we can do that for you. Konoha has its fair share of seal experts." It was Hiruzen who spoke this time.

Sasuke, who saw this coming, smirked again. It was going exactly as he planned. It was now time to play his final card. "It's funny how you people expect me to trust you guys when you don't trust me one bit. Trust is a two-way street. Is it not?"

"Of course we don't trust you. You're an enemy ninja who infiltrated our village undetected. It's only because you both were on the verge of death that we found you before anything happened. How can we trust you if everything about your presence in this village sounds shady!" Tsunade burst out. She had enough of those clever words and the smug smile. She knew he was trying to play them and get what he wanted with his words. And she wouldn't just stand there and let that happened.

"If I really was your enemy and destroying the village was my aim, then you should know by now that you can't hope to stop us both. If your reputation is anything to go by, then you already should have a good analysis of our strengths." he replied facing Tsunade and Sakumo, irritated by her interference.

"Isn't that the reason why you're agreeing to talk to us instead of interrogating by force, Hokage?" Sasuke continued, only this time, he stared right into Hiruzen's eyes. His intense glare would've been enough to knock out any normal Shinobi. But Hiruzen wasn't any normal Shinobi. He was the Third Hokage of the Konoha, a student of both the First and Second Hokages, touted as the second 'God of Shinobi'. He stood his ground firmly.

Tsunade wanted to laugh at the possibility of a whole village being wiped out just two Shinobi. As far she knew, there were only two Shinobi in the history who could achieve something like that. One was Hashirama Senju, her grandfather and Madara Uchiha, both of them who were long dead. But the grim look on her sensei's face made her wonder about it.

After a long silence, Hiruzen let out a deep sigh from his mouth. "Fine. I'll agree to your terms. But his chakra will be sealed off the next moment he places the privacy seal. I will personally make sure to that. And yours even before. If you won't agree to this, then consider your request denied." Hiruzen's more than serious tone made sure that there was no room for any further negotiations.

"I agree." Sasuke replied instantly without any hesitation. He found no problem with this arrangement. He was getting what he wanted, though it would be a little inconvenient with his chakra network shut down.

"Rest for a while. I'll send Sakumo to escort you to our meeting place once all the necessary arrangements are made. If that is all, I'll take my leave now."

"Ok." came the short reply.

Hiruzen just nodded back, acknowledging the response. He motioned for Tsunade and Sakumo to follow him as he turned around to leave the room. They followed him promptly without a word, courtesy of the stern look on his face. When he opened the door halfway, he stopped in his tracks and glanced back towards the bed where Sasuke was sitting upright.

"One more thing. I don't care how strong and capable you both are. The moment I decide that you are a threat to this village, I'll kill you both. Even at the cost of my own life. Do well to remember that."

That warning didn't sound like a bluff to Sasuke. He knew the Hokage had every intention to do what he said. He just nodded conveying he got the message.

Sakumo was a little shocked to hear that. He had never seen the Hokage so serious. Not even on the battlefield in the second great ninja war. He just wondered how strong Sasuke was to push their Hokage to the limit.

Tsunade was proud of her sensei. ' Looks like the old man still got it in him. No wonder grandfather passed the will of fire to him.' She thought. But she remembered how grim the old Sarutobi's face was back then. She too wondered how powerful the newcomers were. But she had faith her sensei could deal with them.

Stern Onyx eyes pierced into sombre blue ones. Sasuke was staring into Naruto's eyes as if trying to find something that is lost in the deepest trenches of an ocean. But was he successful in finding it? No. Not even remotely close. The deeper he searched, the darker it kept getting. The faintest glimmer of hope the blond had in the limbo was now gone. He didn't know the reason but Naruto started to look more and more like him when he ended up as the lone survivor of the Uchiha massacre. Gloomy, subdued, down-cast, dispirited, lifeless. He could go on but found no use in it. Just like his previous attempts to engage the blond in a conversation.

"I'm guessing you had something to do with us ending up in the wrong place. Or should I say wrong time?" He decided to be blunt this time. Things weren't going as planned and the last thing he wanted was being ignored by the only person he could trust.

"Yeah." came the reply, barely above a whisper.

"Guessed it. So how do you plan on getting us out of this mess?"

"No idea. I don't think I even can. I'll just screw up more instead." His look never shifting from the bright shining spot on the steel table in front of him.

"That won't cut it dobe. You got me into this. Now get me out. We have a world to save."

Naruto let out a humourless laugh before returning to stare at the spot. " That is precisely why I can't help you. You'd be better off on your own trying to save this world. I'll just get in your way."

'So he's blaming himself for us ending up in a different timeline than what we wanted. Seems like he knows something about how it happened.' he thought. "So you won't help me then. Some friend you are." He hoped those words were enough to rile him up. But he was proved wrong. Naruto didn't even spare a glance towards him.

The Hokage was right outside the door, his hand on the handle, his foot ready to step inside the moment he was ready. But he was hesitant of his decision. This is only the second time that he ever doubted his judgement. The first time was when he made his first decision as the Hokage.

"Are you sure it's wise, Lord Hokage?" Sakumo asked who stood behind Hiruzen.

"I'm not sure Sakumo. But I'm guessing you too noticed his choice of words like I did. He kept saying 'the village' and 'the Hokage' instead of 'your village' and 'your Hokage'. Didn't you?" Sarutobi questioned back.

"Indeed." the white-haired Jonin replied.

"If he belonged to the any of other hidden villages, he wouldn't have that choice of words. That made me curious about him."

"But he could be have been trained for this mission especially. And if our assumptions are true, he is capable of destroying the village along with the blond-haired fellow."

"We found them in a near death situation Sakumo. It's a miracle that they stayed alive. If they were trained for this purpose, we wouldn't have found them like that. And I'll be blunt about it. They're stronger than I was in my prime."

That shook Sakumo to the core. The very thought of not one but two Shinobi who are stronger than the most powerful Kage of all was a radical one. He never would've imagined something like this even in his wildest dreams.

"And if two people of such calibre ended up in such state, Imagine how strong one must be to make them like that. I sense something big is going on out there Sakumo. Something ominous. And this is the only way we can hope to protect our village should someone like him or her target us." With that Hiruzen opened the door and entered the room leaving a mentally gaping Sakumo Hatake to himself.

Before Sasuke could lash out the ignoring Naruto, the door flung open revealing Hiruzen. Even Naruto glanced towards the Hokage before returning his attention back to the now fading spot.

"Alright. Place the privacy seal." Hiruzen ordered.

"Naruto." Sasuke called out. As if it was his cue, Naruto went through a set hand of hand signs. When he was done, the walls of the room glowed a dull orange before returning back to normal.

"Now I'm gonna seal off your chakra." Hiruzen said he walked towards the Naruto who took his seat. Sasuke's chakra was sealed off in the hospital itself before he was escorted here. Naruto gave no response to let the Hokage finish applying the seal with ease. When he was done, he walked around the table and took a seat on the opposite side of the table facing both Naruto and Sasuke.

"Before you start asking questions, I would like you to hear what we have to say first. I'm sure all your questions will change after that." Sasuke spoke as he saw Hiruzen open his mouth. The monkey summoner just nodded in agreement.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha and this is Naruto Uzumaki. We're both from the future."

Naruto turned to face Sasuke. He didn't understand what Sasuke was trying to achieve here by telling the truth. ' He doesn't think they'll believe it, does he?' he thought.

"The future, you say?" Sarutobi asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes. I know it sounds a little crazy but-"

"A little? Little would be an understatement. I don't have time to talk about fairy tales, young man." Hiruzen shot back, barely restraining his anger. ' Does he take me for an idiot?' he thought.

"I would've said the same thing a year ago. But a lot has changed since then."

The Hokage let out an exasperated sigh."Look, your chakra is sealed off. So you're not a threat to the village right now. Unless you tell the truth, you won't be seeing sunlight ever again. I'll make sure of that." he said and started to get up and leave.

"Hokage, if you won't listen to us, the village will burn to the ground." Sasuke said with a slightly raised voice. That stopped the Hokage in his tracks.

"Is that a threat?" Sarutobi asked turning on his heel with narrowed eyes.

"Not in the slightest. But it's the truth. Not now. And definitely not by our hands. But it will burn. We are the proof of that. We come from an age where there is a different description to the word strength. An age where people came from other worlds and destroyed nations with a single blow."

Sarutobi looked into the eyes of Sasuke to find a hint of deceit. But he found none. But he wasn't convinced in the slightest that what Sasuke was saying is true. He found no reason to believe it.

"How did you think that I'd even consider believing what you say is true?"

"Honestly, I didn't. I knew you wouldn't believe me. But I have no other way to convince you either." Sasuke confessed.

Hiruzen closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "What if there is a way to convince me?" he asked.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the question. The Hokage took that his cue to explain himself. "The Yamanaka clan members have a jutsu called the Psycho mind transmission technique where the caster can access your memories. He along with me will enter your Psyche and go through your memories. If I find what you are saying is true, then I'll believe you."

"Unless you can enter our minds and access our memories alone, I wouldn't advise that. Those memories will only induce horror and panic. The only reason I'm willing even you to access our memories because we have no other choice."

"That's not possible. It's a Yamanaka clan's secret technique. I'm unable to perform even if I wanted to."

"Then I refuse." Sasuke stated flatly.

"I don't understand one thing. What is your problem if someone other than me knows the truth?" Sarutobi questioned. He was genuinely curious now.

"Because no one can stand knowing that everything they hold dear will perish one day. No one can bear the pain of seeing their loved ones die right in front of their eyes. It leaves you scarred and those scars burn until you die." Naruto spoke for the first time. His eyes were shining brightly, the reflection caused by the tears that were on the verge of falling.

Sasuke looked at him with empathy while Sarutobi looked at with pity. The Hokage could understand the pain behind those words. He understood something horrible must've happened to him in the past.

"If what you both are saying is true, then I thank you for your concern of the people. But as the Hokage, I have to make sure of the village's safety and welfare. Unless you both prove yourselves that you're not a threat and what you say is true, I'm sorry but I can't help you or trust you."

'I'm gonna regret doing this.' Sasuke thought as he sighed. "Forgive me for what I'm about to do, third Hokage." he said. He closed his right eye and opened it a second a later revealing his Choku tomoe Mangekyou Sharingan. "Tsukuyomi."

And before Hiruzen could react, the world around him started to change into an inverted grey scale style. He was no more present in the Interrogation cell but an open space with blood red background.

"What is happening?" drawled the Hokage, looking around in awe and trepidation.

"You're now in the world of Tsukuyomi. It's a genjutsu where the caster can alter the perception of time. You wanted to see my memories. This is the only that I can show them to you."

Hiruzen recognized it was Sasuke's voice. But he heard it all over the place and not from one point.' A genjutsu? But how? His chakra was sealed off.' he thought. Before he could think any further, the world around him started to change once again. With that, Sarutobi's journey into Sasuke's memories started.

It started with Chunin exams, followed by the sound and Akatsuki's invasion, his fight with Naruto at the valley of end for the first time, his training under Orochimaru and then killing him, his fight with Itachi, how he learned the truth about Uchiha massacre, how he attacked the five kage summit, how he killed Danzo, gaining the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, his fight against Kabuto with reanimated Itachi, his meeting with the Reanimated Hokages, him fighting the ten tails, Obito and Madara alongside Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi, his meeting with the Sage of Six Paths, facing Kaguya and sealing her away, fighting Naruto at the valley of the end again, losing his arm and finally becoming friends with Naruto, how he found the Scroll left by Hagoromo, Kagunshiki Otsutsuki's attack on the village and how they literally ended in the past.

Hiruzen didn't just watch these memories. He felt them. He experienced them. He could feel and understand the emotions that Sasuke felt in these memories. He could hear Sasuke's thoughts. He didn't understand how this was possible but somehow, it was.

When those memories stopped playing, the world around him returned back to inverted grey scale with red backdrop before he came out of the genjutsu. He immediately fell to knees but was caught by Sasuke before he touched the ground. He soon passed out from the mental exhaustion.

"Naruto! Come here and heal him." Sasuke almost ordered the blond. Naruto lazily stood up from his chair and walked over towards where Sasuke and Hiruzen were. His pushed Kurama's chakra into the chakra suppression seal, effectively overloading it and disabling.

Naruto put a hand on the Hokage's forehead before his palm his started to glow a bright green. He moved his palm around the victim's forehead for a while before retracting them. He laid his palms on the Hiruzen's back and recovered his lost chakra.

"He should be fine in a few moments." Naruto said as he finished up healing Hiruzen.

"Your chakra was different from Sakura's. It was brighter than usual." Sasuke said while carrying the Hokage and placing him on his chair.

"When Chakra is blue in colour, it indicates that it is the raw form of chakra. Chakra starts to turn greener as it gets refined." Naruto replied.

"So you mean to say that you're better than Tsunade and Sakura in medical ninjutsu?"

"No. I don't have as much knowledge as they do. But I can perform things I know more effectively."

"And you say you'll be a burden rather than a help. I see you're not that effective with lies." Sasuke took a jab, hoping he could get something out of the blond. But before the blond could react, Hiruzen groaned and started to open his eyes.

"What ... happened?" he groaned while trying to adjust his eyes to the light.

"Sorry I had to do that. But I had no other choice to make you believe us." Sasuke said, rather unapologetically.

It took a while for Hiruzen to regain his composure, but he eventually came back to usual self within no time. He, in fact, felt better than he ever did. That was pretty weird considered he just fell prey to a genjutsu and spend almost 3 days going through someone else's memories. Then it struck him.

"How come no one came inside and release me from the genjutsu?" he asked. His mind started racing through the worst possible scenarios.

"Because you barely spent a second in the genjutsu." Sasuke replied.

"A second?" Hiruzen said with a shocked look.

"Yes. Tsukuyomi is genjutsu where I control everything in there. I can even alter how time works in there. The time you spent going through all those memories in that world is only a second in the real world." Sasuke explained.

"But how? I've never heard of such a complex genjutsu ever before. Where did you learn that?"

"It's my visual prowess." Sasuke said activating his Mangekyou. Sarutobi remembered Sasuke possessing the EMS from the memories.

"I have one last question." The Hokage said. When he received an approving nod, he continued. "What's the proof that those memories were true? You said you can manipulate everything including time in that genjutsu world of yours. It shouldn't be a problem for you to create fake memories either." Sarutobi knew what he saw were indeed real memories. No one could fake emotions that well, no matter how exceptional they were at the art of deception. But he had to ask. The fate of the village rested on his decision. He can't afford not to be a 100% sure about this.

Sasuke sighed. He understood where Hiruzen was coming from and he respected him for that. But he needs to prove that they weren't fake. That really was a tough challenge until something struck him.

"I'm assuming you watched how I reanimated you and the other Hokages, breaking the reaper death seal. Right?" The Hokage just nodded his head." Do you think anyone can fake something that they absolutely have no idea about? I couldn't possibly know your relationship with the previous Hokages in detail, can I?"

Sarutobi caught onto what Sasuke was trying to imply. And needless to say, it was true. Sarutobi could see his reasoning. And now, he had all the evidence he needed to trust the two in front of him. All his lingering doubts now fading away.

"So... what is it then Hokage? I've shown everything you asked for. Do you trust us now?" Sasuke asked. He wasn't pleading but Sarutobi caught onto the desperation within that. Even Naruto who remained silent all this time was staring intently towards him, waiting for his reply.

Hiruzen closed his eyes and started to think. He kept doing that for a good five minutes. He could sense the impatience growing inside the both in front of him. He finally reached his decision and opened his eyes. "I do. I believe what you say is true. You won't be treated as a threat to this village either. As a matter of fact, I'm instating you both as the Shinobi of Konoha from this point onwards."

A/N: That's the second chapter of this story for you. If you have any doubts, leave a review or PM me.