Chapter 3

Disclaimer: If I did, there would be less fillers. And Naruto's growth in strength would be more noticeable.


"We will sort this out, Tsunade." She placed her head in her hands, emotionally drained. He turned to leave.

"When this is all over, how about we go and get a drink? You'll probably need it." The old blonde waved him off wearily. He left. His unspoken message hanging in the air.

Everything will be okay.

"I really do hope so, Jiraiya."

/future/present/past/

Kakashi quietly entered the room and took in the suroundings.

The future Naruto lay unmoving on a standard hospital bed; his limbs and chakra tightly restrained. Any and all weapons removed. They had taken every precaution used on a captured rogue. There was just no telling what would happen when the blonde man woke up. Nothing could be taken for granted.

So far the man hadn't shown any signs of waking soon, though his vitals were perfectly fine. The same could be said for the other two. None of the Narutos had even twitched. Was it an aftereffect of the jutsu?

The masked nin restlessly pondered the blonde. What could make Uzumaki Naruto, self-proclaimed Rokudaime, turn rogue? Although he was the one nin who really had any reason to turn his back on Konoha. Fate had hardly been kind to the boy before, so who was to say it would be any kinder in the future? Kakashi sighed wearily. All of the answers lay within the sleeping nin. Until he woke up, they could only guess as to what the future held.

He looked down at the slumbering man.

Naruto...what happened to you?

/future/present/past/

Sakura paced the hall in front of the past Naruto's door. Ino was inside keeping an eye on him. She just couldn't stay in the room with the boy just laying there so silently. Naruto wasn't ment to be so still. Naruto wasn't ment to defect either. She choked back a sob at the thought.

How could this happen?! You swore you were going to be the Hokage, Naruto. You promised that we would bring Sasuke back together! Why would you leave?

"Sakura?" She turned to see the owner of the voice.

"O-Oh, Iruka-sensei. What is it?" The man looked just the way she felt. Tired. Worried. Confused. And hurt. The man had practically been family to Naruto. There was no way he wasn't effected.

"It's my shift. Are you okay?" Sakura smiled weakly. Even in a situation like this the man was always worrying about his former students.

"I-..not really." Iruka mirrored her weary smile.

"Niether am I. It's just so much to take in isn't it?" He looked away. "No one ever thought Naruto would leave Konoha. He always believed in his dreams and kept moving forward no matter the obstacles. I..I still can't believe it." His voice wavered. "I guess I should relieve you and Ino now." He turned and entered the room. Ino came out afterwards. She gave Sakura a comforting look.

"Sakura, shall we go?" Sakura hurridly wiped her eyes.

"Y-Yes. I could use a nap." They left the tower together. Ino tried to lighten the mood a little.

"Looking at the kid now, he is actually pretty cute isn't he?" Sakura gave a watery laugh.

"Yeah he is. I never really paid much attention to him back then. It was always.."Sasuke. She lowered her gaze as her guilt washed over her again. If only she could go back and do it over. Things could have been so much better for all of them. Maybe Naruto wouldn't have-She was snapped out of her thoughts by a firm backhand.

Slap!

Sakura clutched her cheek in shock.

"I-Ino?"Said girl growled at her.

"Snap out of it Sakura! Throwing a pity party isn't going to make things better!" Her voice softened."What would Naruto-our Naruto think if he could see you like this?"

Sakura hung her head.

"We don't know what happened, but maybe we can change it for the better! This could be a chance to do things right! So don't fall in on yourself. Okay?" Sakura smiled at Ino appolegeticaly. She was right. She couldn't just collapse when Naruto needed her.

"Okay."

"Good! And when that guy wakes up, we can pound the information out of him!" Ino punched her fist in the air. Sakura laughed.

"Yeah!"

She had to stay strong.

For Naruto. For everyone.

/future/present/past/

At a house in a thick forest outside of Konoha...

BAM! BAM! BAM!

"Fujioka! Open up!" Jiraiya shouted as he slammed his fist against the door. He had sped all the way here to fetch the source of this catastrophe in the making. The three Narutos could wake up at anytime, and they needed to know how to send the other two back without messing up the framework of time.

"I'm coming! Hold your horses!" Came a frantic voice. Hollow clicks rattled against the door as numerous locks and seals were undone. The man really was paranoid.

The heavy door swung open to reveal a short, skinny little old man, about in his eighties. He had grey and white hair drawn back in a messy ponytail that reached teh middle of his back. He wore thick spectacles on the bridge of his nose, and a mint green men's kimono. It had singes all over the front. Probably from his stupid experiments.

"I see those shinobi haven't brought back my scroll yet. Where are they, Jiraiya? They were supposed to be here by now." Fujioka grumbled. Jiraiya growled right back.

"That scroll of yours has just created a potetial disaster, Hirou! You need to bring everything that had to do with it and come with me to Konoha, right now!" The scrauny man's eyes widened.

"What?! Right now? But I'm in the middle of-"

"I don't care! Those blasted experiments of yours can wait!" Fujioka flinched at the tone.

"It's that serious? What the heck happened?!"

"I'll tell you on the way! Just get all the scrolls and notes you have on timetravel, so we can go!"

/future/present/past/

In the middle room, Kiba and Lee were watching over the present Naruto. Kiba sat in a chair and repetitavely flexed his hands. Lee did some stretches to try and soothe his nerves. The dogboy couldn't take the silence anymore.

BAM! CRACK!

"Dammit!" Kiba hissed as he rubbed his sore hand. He had slammed his fist into the sidetable next to Naruto's bed in an attempt to relieve his stress.

"Kiba! You shouldn't make so much noise-"Lee chided.

"None of this makes any sense! Naruto couldn't leave Konoha! It's just not possible!" Kiba shouted, ignoring Lee's protests and Akamaru's whimpers. He needed to vent.

As he ranted one of Naruto's fingers twitched, not that it was noticed by the other occupants. One cerulean orb grudgingly fluttered open at all the noise. Naruto opened his mouth and tried to speak.

"..K-Ki-ba?" The noisy pair froze at the slightly hoarse voice.

"Naruto! You're awake!" Kiba cried as he hurried over to the bedside, with Lee at his heels.

"MY YOUTHFUL FRIEND! YOU HAVE FINALLY AWAKENED!!" Naruto winced at the joyful shout.

"Sheesh, and you were telling me to be quiet?" Kiba sneered goodnaturedly at Lee who was practically bouncing.

"What..what happened? How did I get here?" Naruto was happy to see them too but he was confused right now.

"Tsunade wants to know that too. Do you think you can get up?" Kiba asked. Lee jumped up.

"IF HE CANNOT, THEN I SHALL CARRY HIM! COME NARUTO!!" Lee yelled as he plucked Naruto from the bed.

"A-AH! What!? Wait Lee!! I can walk!! Put me down!!" Naruto cried as he was rushed from the room. Kiba called after them.

"Take him to Tsunade! I'll tell the others!"

/future/present/past/

"It really worked?!" The feeble old man shouted clinging onto the back of Jiraiya's toad as they sped towars Konoha."I can't believe that stupid nin actually managed it!" Was it even possible to sound angry and delighted at the same time? Jiraiya snorted as he ran along side.

"It's nothing to be proud of you idiot. That jutsu could screw up the lives of several important people, not including the Kazekage." Fujioka's already magnified eyes widened even further.

"The Kazekage!? Are you trying to tell me that this Naruto is that influencial of a person!?" He said in a mixture of amazement and disbelief.

"He has influenced countless people, and this time warping jutsu of yours could potentially spell disaster for Konoha!" Jiraiya answered."So you had better be able to clean up this mess before that happens, or else you can kiss your scroll vault goodbye." The man paled. All of that information and hard work destroyed! He shuddered.

"O-of course I can! There's no need to be so rash! Honestly!" My precious scrolls! He cried mentally.

Jiraiya smirked dryly.

"You'd better, or I'll see to it personally." Fujioka gulped.

"All right, all right! Just-..don't get any ideas! Okay?" He whimpered pleadingly. Jiraiya didn't feel like reassuring him.

"I'll think about it."

/future/present/past/

Simultaneously in the two remaining rooms...two pairs of ocean blue eyes began to open. They gazed at their surroundings.

One in fear..

The other in cold calculation.

Where am I?


Uh-oh they're awake!

Asuma doesn't die in this fic either. Jiraiya dies in the Future Naruto's time, though.

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