"Oh, so that's why I get sick!"
"Yeah, annoying, but it's the only way."
"Well, so… am I trapped than?"
"Yeah, ten years of weaving my chakra into yours, when I suck through time you're going to be wrenched along with me, regardless of how fast you can run." Naruto just hummed a forgotten tune and scratched Dumpster behind his left ear- his favourite spot.
"Could you talk all this time?"
"Yeah," Dumpsters leg started scratching the wet shower room floor. "I actually slipped up a few times, but you never seemed to hear me." Naruto stopped and the dog looked crestfallen at the loss, "I'm pretty sure my master put a seal on me that garble anything… I'd say that's probably why." He trailed off and crashed wearily down onto the floor in an old dog heap.
"Ah," Naruto pulled a shirt on; he was wearing civilian clothes a lot more these days. He just could never relax while still in that shinobi uniform, with the weight of hidden armour and the weapons pouch, the snugness of the bandage wraps and that every time you look down you flash to another memory where it was soaked a different colour. Yeah, he just can't relax like before.
This particular mundane shirt was one Pervy-sensei had got him on their travels, it said I've survived the Tenby Valley Hot Springs accompanied with a cartoonish and chubby looking boy soaking in a boiling barrel of soup. The pervert sage had thought it rather funny and also rather suiting for Naruto. He wasn't too keen on it, but he had to admit it was very comfy.
Naruto thought about what Dumpster Dog was telling him, "but I can hear you now because…" he swirled his hands around prompting his friend to fill the gap in information.
"Because it's been confirmed that you have mastered control over the Kyuubi and so…" Dumpster suddenly sighed and looked Naruto in the eye, a confession rushing out of the aging animal. "I didn't really pay much attention and it's been ten years, can you give me a break Naruto?" The dog did looked rather stressed out. "It's just that language was never really a strong skill of mine and it's really draining my chakra."
Naruto fell back on his butt, burying his hands in his hair and trying to think.
"So this countdown thing you mentioned before, how long we've got?"
Dumpster Dog barked four times, obviously more comfortable being just a dog. Not some…some time and space fabric traveling- ah, just- never mind, he'll deal with that later. Quickly, he realised in a shock, in three minutes he will be pulled away through time and disappear without a trace. What would his friends go through? What would they think? Granny Hokage, Kakashi, Sakura, Shikamaru, Sai, Choji, Konaharmaru, Kiba, everyone…Hinata?
Dammit he had to go say goodbye! He had to let them know what was happening! Naruto jerked up to his feet and Dumpster Dog instinctively jolted up onto his four as well.
"What are you doing?" The dog asked, worry lacing his voice.
"I need to let my friends know, I need to say goodbye!" Naruto grabbed the plastic bag of his shower stuff and lunged for the door handle. Dumpster darted between the man and the door, his lips pulled back in anticipation and fear.
"You don't need to do that! Listen, you come with me and do what you've been summoned to take care of and then I send you back to the second after the one you disappeared from, the person waiting in line for your shower room won't notice a thing so your friends aren't going to! Just settle down boy!"
Boy? Boy! What is this? This is insane- that's what this is!
"What if I don't make it back? What if something goes wrong and they have to spend the rest of their lives wondering?" Naruto steamed with dread at the idea.
Dumpster Dog calmed down as he looked at the tight face of the child he grew with. This was just Naruto being Naruto, his friend's lives before his own, even now. Dumpster dropped his head, the boy was just too tackles and selfless, sometimes it scared him.
"Trust me, Naruto, I'll get you home," even if I have to break every bone in my body.
There was a tense stand-off, for about five heartbeats, than Naruto gave a minuscule but convicted nod; alright, I trust you. That was more than Dumpster had ever expected, because he wouldn't trust a brother who had been hiding just about everything for you. But then again, Naruto was just like that… sometimes it scared him.
They sat down with the weight of everything, not even caring about wet tiles and distant chatter of the waiting line.
"How long to go?" It was whispered in that husky voice Naruto was slowly growing into. Dumpster Dog barked three times. Three minutes.
The air was still between them, but slowly started to vibrate as Dumpster concentrated on pooling his chakra and opening a rip in time. Well… It wasn't really time travel, but Naruto was just lumping it in with that, it made his head hurt less because the truth was complex and difficult and full of long words.
"Naruto," Dumpster dog said suddenly, a warning sizzling on his black dog lips. "They're going to expect you to be a bad guy, someone who makes friends with the Kyuubi that they know, I don't think they will be able to phantom me bringing back a good guy. Just…" Dumpster sighed, not sure exactly what he was asking or wanting, just knowing that he was torn between this child; his child of the last ten years and the long seen master. His loyalty had been in limbo for too long and it was taking its toll. "Just be prepared to be attacked when we arrive."
Naruto nodded, his hair covered his eyes in shadow. It hung low, raggedy and free. Free to be and bask bright in its freedom, enough to burn. Burn everything, burn minds, eyes, terrors, nightmares away. Dumpster Dog had realised years ago, since the moment they meet, he idolised this child- this man. Above all else, Dumpster Dog was a dog, and above all else a dog's world was –noticeably- his master.
Dumpster dog needed to make a choice, he realised, as they rushed through the fabric of fabrics of the fabrics. His master, his world, his bone chewing, ear scratching, bird chasing world… or his alpha, his pack leader, his there-since-pup-days, parent, grandparents, historical partner, contracted blood sacrificed leader.
He made the decision as paws touched back to ground. Naruto. Every time.
Every damn time.