Title: Coming Back
Summary: Twelve years after becoming a Genin, he finally became Hokage. He had everything: a good life, wonderful friends and a gorgeous Sasuke. However, an encounter with a strange Jutsu happened and had the both of them crashing back into time, twelve years earlier.
Chapter Seven: Waking Up
Note:
1. Yaoi. SasuNaru
Neji searched around, looking for sealing tags on the tree branches while being careful of possible traps on the ground.
He stopped for a moment when he noticed a pair of footprints on the branch on one of the trees. That tree was a few feet away from where Neji was standing, but it was directly straight ahead. Neji leapt on the branch without inactivating his byakugan. While on that branch, Neji searched through the other trees.
If the culprit was standing here, what was he doing here? The footprints on the branch were a little deeply engraved, it seemed that the person has been waiting on this spot for a long moment of time.
But what was he looking at?
Without really intending to, Neji looked below to where he was standing a few minutes ago and he almost lost his balance in his surprise. His byakugan showed him what was hidden beneath the soft ground of the forest.
On the ground, there were two large stars drawn using a very strong chakra. The after effects of it were still attached on the freshly covered earth that was why it was very visible to the byakugan.
Being a member of a family who often times practiced divinations, Neji was taught that the symbol of the twin stars was an essential representation of foretelling.
However, these stars were not aligned.
"Yes, lay them down here."
"Hai! Haruno-sama." Neji's jounins dutifully followed Sakura's every instruction, something which made Sakura feel very grateful. She noticed how the jounins seemed to listen very intently on her order, even if it was, really, very simple. What training did Neji give these shinobis? Maybe she could drill some of it to nurses she's training at the hospital.
She watched as the shinobis gently laid the unconscious Naruto and Sasuke side by side. "Thank you for your assistance. I shall take over from here."
"Hai." And with that, they left, leaving behind not even a puff of smoke. The transportation technique which the Rokudaime created was amazing. It eliminated the possibility of being traced immediately as soon as the technique was executed. It also helped a lot during Naruto's old reconnaissance missions. His clones had to disappear as quietly as possible, and Naruto knew that the 'pop' his clones did after disappearing just wouldn't do. As years passed, the Rokudaime taught it to the jounins whom he thought worthy.
Sakura, for the countless time today, let out a sigh. She felt so helpless again. She couldn't save her two best friends. Now they are beyond her control of saving them. She didn't even know what happened. It was very troubling because nobody could ever take out the Rokudaime … and the ANBU captain at the same time.
Before they went back here, Sakura had gotten Sasuke's ANBU mask which she had found near the scene. Sakura released her tight grip on it and deposited it on a table near Naruto's closet. With steady hands, Sakura carefully removed Naruto's hokage coat and folded it neatly beside Sasuke's mask. She also did the same for Sasuke, removing his ANBU vest first, then his small shuriken bag and the gloves he wore, leaving only their everyday shirts and their black pants.
She has to find out what happened but she didn't want to leave the two of them now.
Right. Sakura started pacing beside the bed, while never losing her stare at the unconscious forms of Naruto and Sasuke.
Even if the two of them were taken down, why did the attackers lure them into the depth of the forest. Why didn't they just come out? If they were that powerful enough to capture the hokage and an ANBU captain, surely just a few jounins would prove no challenge to them.
"Naruto-nisan!" A younger boy burst in the room, "Sasuke-san too! What happened?!"
The boy was about to grab Naruto's arm to wake him up, when Sakura quickly grabbed his hand, "Konohamaru! How the hell did you get in?!"
"Who did this?!" Konohamaru tried to snatch his arm away from Sakura, but her grip was strong that he stopped struggling all together.
"You're not supposed to be here!" Sakura released his arm when he stopped struggling. Konohamaru's temper almost matched Naruto's.
"One of the Neji-san's jounins reported back to me as soon as you have comeback." Sakura watched the defeated look in Konohamaru. "I was really worried, Sakura-neesan."
Konohamaru was the assistant of the Rokudaime.
When he was appointed, a lot of the elders from the higher council had their negative opinions of this. They claimed that even if he was the grandson of the Sandaime, he was still too young to be the assistant of the village ruler. But Naruto, being the blunt and stubborn boy that he was, told everyone to drop the whole issue and stated that it was nothing personal.
Naruto had told Sakura that he sincerely trusted Konohamaru. Besides, the boy was not the Sandaime's grandson for nothing. Konohamaru was actually very knowledgeable in the Fire Country's history, the past and the current leaders of each village and the know-how's of the politics of being Hokage. The boy has seen it all, ever since he was eight years old.
"Konohamaru, I need you to find Tsunade-sama."
The young man looked up at Sakura, with hopeful eyes.
She knew that Konohamaru wouldn't let one of his precious teachers die. Sakura told him that Tsunade might be the only one who could bring them back. Sakura watched as Konohamaru gave a last glance to the two unconscious on the bed. Then he walked away, "I'll be back, Sakura-neesan."
"Are you sure?"
The sun hasn't even set before one of the jounins has alerted Tsunade of the terrible news. "Yes, Tsunade-sama."
It left her gripping her window sill so hard that she almost cracked the polished wood with her bare hands. The jounin left shortly after she had sent him away. Her thoughts still filled with uncertainty.
She walked away from her window and sat down. She was eating a light snack before she was interrupted, now her appetite was completely gone. The chopsticks were held correctly in her fingers as she continued to stare at nothing in particular on her table.
Was Konoha under attack? What did they want from the Hokage this time? Why wasn't Naruto killed and what have they done to him?
"Tsunade."
She didn't look up from her fingers (whose knuckles have turned pale from gripping her chopsticks too tight) for she already knew who it was. "I know you've heard that."
"You do understand that in the absence of the Rokudaime, it's your role now to take over for him." Jiraiya got off from his perch by the window and sat on one of Tsunade's dining chairs. "You also have to appoint the Hyuuga as temporary captain of the ANBU."
"They are not dead." Tsunade got up and slammed a fist on her table, effectively cracking it.
The old man wasn't affect with this display of strength and anger, "I'm not saying that they are. But somebody has to take over." He paused and added more quietly. "I am worried over the boys too, but until they are not able to get up, you have to keep order."
On the day Naruto became the Hokage, it was one of the happiest days in her life. Because she knew that she was part of Naruto's life and she was one of those people who helped him become worthy to protect the hidden village of Konoha. So, it was as if her dream was fulfilled too. It was also the day Nawaki and Dan's dream came true.
"Tsunade-sama!"
Tsunade and Jiraiya looked up at the sudden entrance of hokage's assistant.
Konohamaru tried to catch his breath, as he stood by the door frame.
This was it. Tsunade has officially taken over because of a written rule and because of her desire to immediately find out who did such thing to Sasuke and Naruto.
She was rapidly walking down the old corridor that she knew for so long, with Konohamaru and Jiraiya tagging along behind her. On the way to the hokage room, Tsunade was giving out strict orders to the guards. Since Neji was Sasuke's sub captain, Tsunade had sent for the person next to Neji and firmly ordered to alert every district shinobi guard to send for additional defense on every possible entry to the Konoha village.
"Is Kakashi back from his mission yet?" Tsunade asked as she immediately scanned the recent reports which were made, trying to re-familiarize herself with the current status of the defense of the village.
"Not yet, Tsunade-sama." Konohamaru, answered promptly. He had changed so much, from the noisy, naruto-like brat, to one of the most skilled jounins in the village. He was currently in-charge of the post-missions evaluations. Though he much preferred to be on the field doing the missions themselves, he chose to stay behind for this year. He said that it was because he was under training with the Rokudaime himself and being his assistance was kind of cool.
"I see." Tsunade finally reached the hokage room and entered it with a strange, sad feeling in her heart. She hoped that she'd never ever set foot here again as a hokage while Naruto was currently the Rokudaime. "Jiraiya, I need you to go to the sand and inform the Kazekage of this. Just in case we need reinforcements, I can't risk the village being vulnerable now."
"Are you sure can handle this by yourself now?" Jiraiya wasted no time and went out the nearest window. "We could just send for the hawk instead."
"Jiraiya, I still haven't lost my hokage knowledge. I will be fine, but I am really hoping that Gaara gets informed of this by someone, personally, at once. Our hokage is unconscious now, we need our ally in case we get attacked."
Jiraiya summoned a large frog and before going, "I'll be back immediately, I want to check up on those boys' conditions too."
Tsunade went back to Konohamaru, "Konohamaru, send for the hawk to summon Neji, he should be back from his investigation. Inform him to proceed to Rokudaime's house. Afterwards, go back to Sakura and all of you wait for me there."
She would just read recent reports. One must always be aware of the surroundings before engaging in a battle.
"We cannot start with 'why'." After Tsunade-sama had arrived, Neji, Sakura and Konohamaru were quickly gathered so that they could have a discussion. "What are the facts that we have now?"
Even if she was no longer the Hokage, she still spoke in that voice that commanded respect. Neji noted this as he observed them. Sakura started sharing what she knew, "First, the attack used was certainly very new to both of them. If it weren't then the two would've been able to do something to counter it."
At the back of his mind, Neji could feel a clock ticking, alarming him that the longer they stay here talking, time was steadily running out. They needed to find out soon what the hell was happening. Neji did not hesitate. "Tsunade-sama, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I have found something." Neji, who was always serious and quiet, spoke up. He glanced at the three other persons in the room with him before he began. "Let's get to the point. As insane as this may sound, I speculate that Naruto and Sasuke have been taken to another time."
Neji looked back at the three of them. Hyuugas, never joked. That was why, when it was Neji who said something so ridiculous, everybody else was dumbfounded. It was so ridiculous it was hard to believe even if it came from him. They may not believe him, but Neji expected that. That was why he was ready for his explanations.
"While I was investigating the scene of the attack this morning, I noticed engravings on the ground." Neji described the shape of the trap that he found in the forest. He explained that Naruto and Sasuke were found right in the middle of it. "Stars were often used as guides in divinations. Since everything else was believed to be connected in the universe, the stars served as the guide to tell if the future would be favorable or not. Now, based on the stars next positions, other things in harmony could be associated with it."
Neji paused to see if they have reactions. Before continuing.
"Basically, I think that the power of divination was intricately combined with one or more complex jutsus. It entrapped their consciousness and then captured them."
"So… you think they might have been sent to…." Sakura paused. Neji knew she wasn't sure if she was believing what she was saying. "…the future?"
The Hyuuga shook his head, "That's what I thought at first."
"You see, I checked again the scene and felt that something was very off. The stars were supposed to be aligned in order to do foretelling." Neji remembered in his mind how the chakra on the forest clearing glowed under the sight of his Byakugan. "But the angle of stars was off. Now, I am thinking of the complete opposite."
"That they were sent back in time." Tsunade had voiced out his theory, with an eyebrow raised, expressing a clear suspicion. "Before we could start with this, Hyuuga, you still need to verify if your guess is correct."
"With all due respect, it's not a guess, Tsunade-sama. But I understand how important it is to find a clue to support my theory."
After his investigation, Neji had tried asking himself the same questions. This theory was, in reality, so far out. Even Neji couldn't believe it himself. But based on what he was able to find a while ago, combined with his knowledge in divination, it was the only explanation he had that made sense.
"I'm not trying to say that what you've just shared was useless." Tsunade had told him quietly, "I just… can't accept that it is true because there hasn't been any form of technique invented yet to travel through time."
The godaime started pacing around the hall, just outside of Naruto and Sasuke's room. "Besides, there could still be other possible reasons why Sasuke and Naruto got into this state."
"I also received reports from other jounin teams that they have found traces of sealingtechniques." Konohamaru had said.
"I have found out that too, Tsunade-sama."
"But I bet you haven't found out how many barriers were used to capture Naruto." Was that even possible? From what Neji knew, additional barriers were often seen as unnecessary.
"There were several?!" the Hyuuga asked, surprised.
Tsunaded showed the report she was holding and held it up for the other three with her. "There were more than eight hundred and fifty barriers, Neji. There's not even a high ranking shinobi I know who could set up a fifty strong barriers in one day."
"That is impossible!" Neji knew it was. Setting up strong barriers to contain chakra could've taken at least seven hours to prepare. In order to set up their previous trap, it must have been taken more than a year then… which didn't make any sense, because they should've been able to detect something like that.
"We are not dealing with amateurs here. It's the Rokudaime and the ANBU captain that they have taken down." Tsunade had returned back to the chair and sat down. "Neji, how sure are you of your theory?"
"It's the only explanation I have."
Tsunade gave out a sigh and turned to Sakura with a determined look. "Sakura, where are they?"
Naruto had the strangest dream. He felt like he was being pulled out from his body and then plunged into bottomless water. He panicked at the thought that he might lose consciousness and drown, even if he wasn't even sure that he was really submerged.
He fought to stay awake, to wake up from what he thought was his nightmare. He thought of clenching his hands just to gain feeling and consciousness. He also tried to force his eyes open and to scream as loud as he could. He was previously holding on to something, but he was forcibly pulled away from it.
Naruto could feel that he was getting deeper into this abyss. There was only one way he could save himself. Naruto tried to seek within him, trying to forcibly call out the inner power which was living in him. He searched for that familiar red chakra, that burning feeling of raw power.
But before he could continue, he felt a strong force that pulled him out of the water. It really felt familiar. He could remember this feeling. This was what he felt before when he used rasengan for the first time. Somebody else's chakra.
Hah. The old hag was reviving him.
With a sharp breath, Naruto left the darkness. He was looking forward to finding out what happened to him this time.
He heard a sharp gasp followed by a woman's voice. "He's awake!" But it wasn't familiar for him. Naruto tried to shut out more sounds. The noises and the light were making his head ache. It didn't help if he covered his ears, the slight movements made his body sting in pain.
"Naruto?"
It was difficult trying to remember who that voice belonged to. It seemed like it was just right there, but he couldn't remember.
The more he thought hard, the more his head hurt. And why was his throat so sore? He tried to speak but all came out was a groan. God, his throat hurt so much. It felt like he had been screaming his lungs out that he must have had torn them.
"Naruto, can you hear me? He's awake!"
"No, not yet… he's probably too tired."
"But Tsunade-sama…"
"Let them rest, healing takes a lot of energy from the patient too, you know that. They will be fine now, don't worry."
There was a long pause and sound of uncertainty. Naruto was about to succumb to sleep again when Tsunade spoke again.
"Fine, if you don't believe me."
Naruto couldn't open his eyes, even if he heard the whole conversation. So Tsunade-no-bachan was right there. Then that would mean that he was still in Konoha and that he was safe. Shortly, he felt a gentle hand on his forehead then later a gentle pulse of chakra entered his mind. Even if Naruto didn't willingly do it, he felt his body answered back with a pulse of his own chakra.
He heard the woman gasp and immediately withdrew her hand.
"See? The chakra is there now. They should wake up soon."
Upon the release of that small amount of chakra, the newly gained energy that Naruto had previously, quickly disappeared. That was the last he heard and he let his mind close again. He was so exhausted.
He was being encaged. There were barriers around him, hundreds of them, sealing him effectively inside. No matter how fast he tried to break them down, another one would spawn up to prevent his chakra from escaping out.
There were three of his attackers, whom he just underestimated. They saw his clones before he realized that he was standing directly on top of their trap. He just had to increase his chakra to break out of here. He could feel it weakening already.
He was screaming. His whole body was protesting at the amount of energy that he had radiating from him. Just hold on, he thought. The barriers would soon run out and he could get out of here.
That was when he felt a strong surge of chakra directly in front of him. It was fast. A swirling gold chakra coming straight right at him. He wanted to move, but his feet were rooted the ground. He was going to get it.
Until he felt Sasuke's assuring presence. He looked from the corner of his eyes and saw the ANBU captain rushing towards him. As he felt Sasuke's arms embrace him, Naruto saw in Sasuke's eyes a reflection of the glowing symbols in the ground.
He didn't even remember why was he supposed to be there, or why Sasuke was saving him.
"Oi gaki, wake up!"
Naruto opened his eyes, expecting to be in the middle of the forest, surrounded by bright light.
He tried to blink a few times to fix his blurry vision. It was very hard because he even had a difficult time opening his eyes.
It was very quiet. All he could hear was a soft, even breathing. Consciousness started to awake itself on him and Naruto found his face buried on someone else's neck. It smelled really good. It reminded Naruto of his trainings in spring, when the grass smelled new and the air was fresh. Naruto, still half asleep, snuggled closer to the warmth.
The other person he was currently embracing started stirring. This brought Naruto's awareness to awaken. Now why would he have someone beside his bed? Naruto never slept with anyone so closely before. If Naruto wasn't so sleepy, he could've scratched his head. Last night, he must have been drugged and hauled here!
Panic suddenly started rising inside him and Naruto was now fully aware that something is definitely wrong. He thought that disorientation only happened on the first few seconds after you have woken up. But even if he has been awake for more than a few seconds, nothing was still making sense.
Naruto dared to open his eyes and to look up at the person he was embracing.
What the …? He found himself staring into a familiar pair of coal-eyes of some older stranger. Then Naruto was suddenly aware of how his other arm was slung around the chest of this man.
After realizing that they were hugging each other… intimately, Naruto gasped and leapt off the bed as fast as he could and as far possible from the other person. He plastered his back on the wall and stared at the equally terrified man on the bed.
With his heart thudding wildly against his chest, Naruto struggled to make sense out of all these. His bright blue eyes, focused entirely on the other stranger. "Who the fuck are you?!"
The man, who strangely looked very familiar, looked back at him, equally confused.
Until Naruto heard him call his name. "Naruto?"
No. Way. There was no way… this could be true.
"What were.. who are …" He heard himself stutter. Before something clicked in his mind, "Sasuke?!"
Sasuke was woken up with a strong feeling of rage. Someone very important to him was going to get hurt. Before opening his eyes, he tried to tame his emotions fueled by some dream which he could not even remember. His dreams often affected him this way.
On some mornings, Sasuke would wake up incredibly depressed or terrified. Throughout the whole day, that emotion would stick with him. No matter what he did, it still persistently stayed on his mood.
Hmm, this felt strange. There was something warm on his chest. Sasuke forced himself to wake up and open his eyes. He found himself staring into a thick mop of blonde hair which oddly smelled very familiar. Sasuke wasn't fully awake until he was suddenly aware that his arm was also around the other person's … waist? Sasuke shook his head a little, trying to wake himself more just in case this was just a bad dream.
Then the person he was holding started to stir. Sasuke instantly stilled before he found himself staring into the bright blue eyes.
Mother of…
Upon realization, the other person quickly leapt out of the bed, and threw himself against the wall. Sasuke was about to do the same but the other person beat him to it. Panic made itself known inside his head, as Sasuke thought of a reason for this. He tried to recall what happened last night, except that all he could remember was going home after a mission at some ranch.
Sasuke was about to activate his sharingan until the other man exclaimed angrily, "Who the fuck are you?!"
Hold on… blue eyes, whisker scars on his cheeks…
"Naruto?"
Only his hair was longer and his face more… matured.
He watched dumbfounded as the other man breathed hard, "Sasuke?!"
… to be continued.
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