Hi there! I felt inspired to write so… I just did.

This chapter ended up having a little of everything: adventure, angst, fluff and even comedy (warning: some may not find it funny!).

Here it goes!

Surprises

驚き (Odoroki)

Kakashi was really getting tired of being confused.

After finding out that fake-Sasuke had tried to gather information on Uzumaki Kushina, the white haired Jōnin had continued following the impostor through the village's streets, wondering what his next move could possibly be.

Uchiha Itachi, Namikaze Minato, Uzumaki Kushina… what could he want with those people?

Kakashi was called a genius, but even he couldn't find a logical reason for someone to control/possess Sasuke's body and then find out information about a rouge ninja, a dead Hokage and his wife. There was no connection between those three, so what could the impostor possibly want?

Fake-Sasuke's face had been twisted with frustration as he walked down the streets, so Kakashi could only assume that his plan wasn't working. When Naruto had jumped in front of the impostor, yelling and challenging him to a fight, the Jōnin rolled his eyes but waited, hidden on a nearby roof, to see what fake-Sasuke would do.

Actually, he had acted pretty much like the real Uchiha Sasuke he knew. Taunting Naruto's fighting skills (which Kakashi mentally reminded himself to give him a better training session) and swiftly defeating the boisterous blond. Everything was going normally until fake-Sasuke heard Naruto's name and turned around to observe his overpowered opponent. Unfortunately, Kakashi couldn't see his lips so he didn't know what the raven had said right after that, but when Naruto ran off he could hear the impostor calling for him to come back.

Even more surprising, fake-Sasuke had punched another shinobi for insulting Naruto and yelled at the entire crowd to never make fun of him again, before running after the blond. The raven seemed genuinely concerned about Naruto, his onyx eyes wide with confusion and his face twisted with regret.

Once more, Kakashi followed the impostor. After all that, there wasn't anything that could surprise and confuse him anymore.

Sasuke ran after Naruto as fast as he could, but his Dad had already disappeared from his sight.

"I can't believe it… that kid… is he really Tou-chan?" Sasuke thought, still jumping from roof to roof. "He sure looks a lot like him, but… Tou-chan is strong, cool and very popular. He's a hero! Everyone says so! That boy was weak and dumb. How can he be my Dad?"

Sasuke just couldn't combine the two Narutos, his legendary father and the knucklehead boy he had just beaten up. The Uzumaki Naruto he had known his entire life was of a silly but kind man, who was stronger than he looked and revered everywhere he went as hero and a savior.

Ever since Sasuke had found out his Dad was a ninja, he came to idolize him, wanting to be as strong and amazing as he was so they could fight together when Sasuke was old enough. However, there was a part of him, a dark side of his heart, which resented and envied Naruto's strength.

The adoption didn't make anything easier. Knowing that Naruto wasn't his birth father just made him doubt himself even more and wonder if he could ever be like him. Sasuke had always been good at school and he knew that he was talented, still he looked at his Dad and he felt so far behind.

It didn't matter how many times Naruto had told him how weak he had been as a child, Sasuke never truly believed him. Just like when he had tried to tell him in the Queen's Palace.

"It's not all about power, Sasuke. Being strong and famous is not the same thing as being acknowledged. When I was younger, I was really weak… and dumb."

"Yeah, right…" Sasuke mumbled sarcastically.

"I'm serious. The thing is, I never quit" Naruto continued. "I kept trying until…"

"Tou-chan, stop it! I know you're just saying that so I'll feel better, but I'm not!" Sasuke interrupted. "You were always strong, everybody says so! Nobody even notices me when you're around. I'm like a shadow! I'm not powerful or amazing like you… I'm just your weak adopted son!"

Now, after what Sasuke had witnessed, he realized his Dad was probably telling him the truth, even though he still couldn't believe it. It was too much to take! In his previous life he had been a genius and popular ninja and his future father had been his screw-up teammate? That was beyond insane! Sasuke had imagined like a million possibilities about his first life, but none came close to this.

How could that loser turn into the hero his father was? And why in the world would he ever adopt Sasuke when he seemed to hate him so much?

When his Sharingan saw someone dressed in orange, Sasuke stopped and hide behind a chimney. A few seconds later he recognized Naruto, all dirty and bruised. The raven wanted to go to him and apologize, but he knew no one would accept and apology for having been defeated. It was humiliating.

Besides, what was Sasuke supposed to say?

I'm sorry I beat you up and, by the way, I'm your future son that was your teammate but I was regressed by my brother so you adopted me.

Yeah… Not only Naruto wouldn't believe him, but he would also think Sasuke was completely nuts. Maybe he just needed time to calm down and then Sasuke could tell him and grandma Kushina the truth.

Meanwhile, all the raven could do was wait and watch his future father from afar.

Naruto went to a small fountain in the street to wash his hair, face and hands. Around him, a group of small kids was watching him, asking why he looked like that and covering their noses because of his garbage stench.

"Mimi! Akio! Come here!" a woman called.

"Chiharu, come here this instant!" a man called.

Soon, all the kids' parents or relatives had made them leave Naruto's side. Confused, Sasuke leaned closer, trying to hear them.

"How many times have I told you? Don't go near that boy."

"I don't want you or your sister to talk to that kid."

"I've told you not to speak to him. Why did you disobey me?"

"If he ever comes near you, I want you to run home. You hear me?"

Sasuke's eyes widened with dismay. Why were those parents forbidding his kids from talking or even be near his Dad? He didn't do anything to them! He was just washing his face, yet they were acting like he was some kind of terrible monster that could attack them without warning.

Naruto finished washing his hands, obviously trying to ignore them. While Sasuke felt shocked and revolted, Naruto just frowned and continued what he was doing.

"You! Brat!" a huge man yelled, approaching the blond.

"What do you want?" Naruto asked with defiance.

"We want you to go away now" the man said, glaring at the boy.

"Says who?" Naruto yelled back. "This is a public fountain!"

"We don't want you here" the man continued, backed up by the other parents behind him. "Get out of here or we'll make you leave!"

Sasuke was stunned with the man's angry voice. He was dead serious. He would make Naruto leave by force if he had to. There was so much hate in his eyes.

No. It wasn't just that man. Every grown up was glaring at Naruto with angry and resentful eyes. They all hated him.

"Why are they doing this? Why do they hate him so much?" Sasuke thought, trying with all his might not to go down there and beat every one of them into a bloody pulp, which he thought that was what Tou-chan was about to do.

Naruto, however, simply glared at them, his fists clenched and trembling. "Fine! I'll go! Have your stupid fountain! Drink until you drown for all I care!"

"Why you little demon!" the man said, ready to attack Naruto.

In a blink of an eye, Naruto jumped to the roofs and ran off again. As much as Sasuke wanted to make a barbecue out of those horrible people with his Katon, he decided to follow his father, determined not to lose him from his sight.

Instead of going home, like Sasuke was expecting, Naruto jumped from the roof to the trees on the outskirts of the village until he stopped right by the river.

Again, Sasuke chose to hide in a nearby tree, allowing him to see Naruto perfectly. The blond was panting and winced a little bit because of his injuries, however, the swelling and the bruise on his cheek looked a lot better thanks to his quick healing.

Suddenly, he started screaming, letting out all his frustration, shame and sorrow. Then, he started kicking and punching every rock and tree that got in his way.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" he yelled as he punched a rock, which shattered into pieces. "Why? Why did I have to lose? Why do I always have to lose?"

Sasuke stood still, though his throat was painfully tightened.

"It's not fair! I trained so hard!" Naruto went on. "Why can't I win? Just once… I wanted to beat Sasuke! Why nothing I do it's ever enough? Why… why…?"

Naruto fell on his knees, his hands pressed against the ground. His whole body shaking as his tears ran down his face. "It's not… fair. What the hell is wrong with me? I'm always losing, no matter… no matter what I do… I'm always… alone…"

Hidden by the foliage, Sasuke felt hot tears running down his own cheeks. His heart was aching, shattered by his own guilt for hurting the person who he loved the most, appalled by the knowledge of what his Dad had gone through. None of Sasuke's problems even came close to what Naruto had suffered.

His Tou-chan had not only been lonely, he had been despised and that was a kind of pain Sasuke would never understand.

Unintentionally, he stretched his arm in Naruto's direction. He wanted to go to him and promise that everything was gonna be okay. He wanted to hug him tightly and tell him how cool he was going to be in the future; how everybody loved him and… that they were going to be a family.

"Daddy, don't cry. Please don't cry" Sasuke thought, as his own tears fell freely, feeling his father's pain like his own. "You're not alone. You're not going to be alone. You'll have lots of friends and everybody will see how amazing you really are. So just… don't be so sad. I don't wanna see you sad anymore."

After sobbing for a while, Naruto got up, clean his tears with the back of his hand and walked towards the river. He took of his jacket and pants and washed them on the river, and then he put them on a rock to dry while he grabbed some kunai and shuriken from his pouch.

"It's no use crying" he said, the sadness from his eyes replaced by his resolve. "I'm gonna try harder and harder. I'll get stronger in no time and then I can show them I'm not a loser."

As Naruto trained with his weapons, Sasuke could only stare at him with tears still brimming in his dark eyes. If it had been him, Sasuke didn't know if he would ever get over his despair and just keep trying. Giving up and hide from the pain was so much easier, but…

"Crap! It missed!" Naruto yelled. "Okay then. I'll try again until I got it!"

"Tou-chan never gives up" the raven child though, a tiny smile on his lips. "He's strong! If those guys don't see it, that's their loss."

Naruto was missing most his targets because he couldn't keep himself calm and concentrated. Besides his stomach was rumbling. He needed food. Now.

"Hey, Naruto!" a familiar voice called from the woods.

Sasuke shrunk against the tree and watched attentively as a young man with a pony-tail and a scar across his nose approached his exhausted father.

"Iruka-sensei! What you doing here?" the blond asked.

"I could hear you from miles" the sensei said. "I came to see what you were up to."

"I'm training, sensei!" Naruto yelled, clearly offended. "I spent the whole afternoon training here."

"You did, huh?" Iruka frowned has he looked at the scattered kunai. "Weren't you supposed to hit the trees with those kunai?"

"Ah… Some did…"

"Honestly" Iruka sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you, Naruto? You need to be focused on the targets. If don't concentrate, you'll never hit them."

Naruto rolled his eyes and nodded. On the other hand, Sasuke muffled a chuckle with his hand. Now he knew where Tou-chan got all his advices from.

"Anyway… I came to ask you if you wanted to go to Ichiraku with me. That is… if your training is over."

Naruto's eyes shone like stars. "Are you kidding me? It's over! Let's go eat sensei!"

"Alright, but you better get dressed first" Iruka pointed to Naruto's green boxers.

"Ah, sure!" the excited blond said, getting dressed as fast as he could.

Sasuke followed them from a safe distance, using the crowd to hide him. When they got to the small restaurant, the raven felt jealous. He had heard about Ichiraku all his life and how great the ramen was. Now that he was so close he could smell it, he couldn't even eat it! And man, he was starving! Besides, it probably hadn't been a good idea to use his Sharingan all day. His head and his eyes were starting to hurt… a lot!

Being careful not to be seen, Sasuke found a hiding place near Ichiraku's walls. He could hear Naruto and Iruka-sensei even if he couldn't see them. Though he was a bit confused…

It was night already. Shouldn't Naruto head home to have dinner with his mom? Why didn't he even warn her that he was going to eat with Iruka-sensei? Wouldn't she be worried?

"Ah! Ichiraku ramen is the best! Ojii-chan, another bowl! Iruka-sensei is paying tonight!"

"Right up" Teuchi said, getting another bowl ready.

"Hey! Just because I'm paying doesn't mean you can eat until you burst" Iruka yelled.

"Ah! Ah! Right! Sorry, sensei! But free ramen tastes even better!" Naruto said with a mischievous grin.

When Naruto's second bowl arrived, Iruka's eyes stared at his former student with a bit of sadness.

"Ne, Naruto?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you alright?" the sensei asked carefully. "I… I heard about your fight against Sasuke today."

Both Naruto and Sasuke stiffened.

"I'm fine, sensei" Naruto said, without looking away from his bowl. "I lost, but I'll beat him someday. You'll see."

"I'm sure you will, Naruto" Iruka answered, still worried. "It's just… I heard about the… commotion after your fight. It must have been hard for you."

Sasuke moved a bit closer so he could see a bit of his father's face. Naruto was smiling, though it was a fake smile that made Sasuke's heart twinge.

"Oh, well… I'm used to it, Iruka-sensei" Naruto said, trying to dismiss it. "They always made fun of me and cheer Sasuke on. That's the way it is."

The blond put down his empty bowl, still he didn't face Iruka. "Sasuke is… perfect. He's popular and strong and… I'm not on his level. Not even close."

"Maybe you should try to focus more on your teamwork with him. After all, you guys are on the same team now" Iruka said. "I'm sure after a few missions together you're going to become friends."

"Friends? Me and him?" Naruto yelled. "That will never happen. He thinks I'm just a loser. He keeps insulting me and saying that I'm stupid and a lousy ninja."

Sasuke lowered his eyes, feeling his chest heavy.

"You know Sasuke" Iruka said kindly. "Being a genius sometimes gets into his head. But I know he's lonely, even if he doesn't want to admit it to himself."

"But everybody likes him! He's, like, the most popular guy around!"

"He might be popular, but he doesn't let anyone near him. He doesn't have any friends, that's why I think you two could end up being great friends."

"He hates me!" Naruto answered, his blue filled with sadness. "He said I shouldn't be a ninja in the first place because I'm such a loser. He… he'll never want to be my friend."

Sasuke had to bit his lip to stop it from trembling. Had he really said that? Was he such a prick on his first life? Was that why he was always alone? Because he was too mean to have friends even though he was popular.

Worst, was he still like that?

"I'm telling you, Naruto" Iruka went on. "You guys are going to be best friends. Meanwhile, just keep doing your best and don't waver. You still have to become the Hokage, right?"

"Right! I'm gonna be greatest Hokage ever!" the blond boy exclaimed happily.

"That's the spirit."

Shortly after, Naruto thanked his sensei for the ramen and headed home.

"Finally!" Sasuke thought, following his Dad. "Now I can see grandma! Tou-chan is in such big trouble. Grandma is gonna punish him for getting home this late."

When Naruto arrived at his apartment, Sasuke jumped to the nearest roof, hoping to see something from the windows. Fortunately, his Tou-chan didn't close any window, so the raven watched as the blond got to the kitchen to drink a glass of milk and then went to his bedroom, tossing his clothes to the floor, dressing his pajamas and getting into his bed.

Sasuke was confused. Where was grandma? Why didn't she come to greet her son? Could she already be asleep in another bedroom and Naruto didn't want to awake her up?

After his father had fallen asleep, Sasuke left the roof and went to the front door of the apartment. Using a kunai, the raven was barely able to open the lock and entered the silent house.

Walking as silently as he could, though he knew his Dad slept like a log, Sasuke tried to find his grandmother's bedroom. Much to his dismay, he couldn't find it. Not only that, there no traces of his grandma on that apartment. No room, no clothes, no bathroom stuff for ladies… nothing. That was like she…

Then it hit him, painfully like a rock.

"She doesn't live here" Sasuke realized.

Sasuke continued looking but to no avail. He couldn't find anything of hers or even grandpa's. Not even pictures of them.

Carefully, Sasuke entered his father's bedroom. It was mess, with clothes, scrolls and empty food wraps all over the floor. Now Sasuke knew where he had got that trait from.

Naruto was fast asleep in his bed, hugging his pillow and kicking his covers out of the bed. Sasuke looked around the room, hoping to find something about his grandparents like the picture his Dad had on his bedside table, but it wasn't there.

The only picture he found was the same one he had on his house. The Team 7 photo, nothing else. That was his only picture, he didn't have any more.

Could it be… that grandma was already dead too?

Sasuke felt his throat close and tears in his tired eyes as he looked at his father.

"Tou-chan… you're an orphan? You didn't have a family either?" Sasuke thought filled with sadness over his Dad's loneliness. "How could you live like this? How could you be so cheerful when you were so alone?"

As he moved closer to his father's bed, Sasuke caught a glimpse of his reflection on Naruto's full body mirror. It still bothered him how different he was from his usual self. He wanted to be himself again, the person Uzumaki Naruto had raised.

Frowning, Sasuke pulled his fringe until it covered his forehead like it usually did in his second life. When he looked back at the mirror with his different hairstyle, he felt relieved. Now, he looked a bit more like Uzumaki Sasuke.

"Huhmmm…" Naruto groaned in his sleep. "No…"

Sasuke got near his father and watched as his face twisted, like he was having a nightmare. The raven kneeled and ran his hand over his back and head, trying to make him feel better. If there was anything he could do to help Tou-chan he would do it.

Suddenly, Naruto's arms grabbed him by the neck and pulled him close.

"Wha…? Wait! I can't…" Sasuke whispered, trying to leave. However, Naruto hugged him harder and pushed his head to his chest.

"Don't…" the blond moaned, holding him tightly but tenderly. "Don't go…"

Sasuke stopped struggling and let Naruto hug him. It felt so nice to be with his Daddy again. It felt so right. Just like when Sasuke slipped into his bed after he had a nightmare.

Maybe he could stay there for a little while, just to rest a bit. Then he could go the Compound.

Stretching his arm, Sasuke grabbed the blanket and covered them with it. Then, the raven boy leaned his face against his father's chest. He was so tired and his eyes hurt so much that he decided to close them for a little while.

With his foggy mind and his eyes closed, Sasuke relaxed completely. His Dad's scent was still the same, so he momentarily forgot that he was in a twelve year old body, that he was in the past, that his father was a kid his age. No one of it mattered anymore. Right now, he was six year old Uzumaki Sasuke again.

"Daddy… I missed you" he whispered against Naruto's shirt.

When his father started to stroke his hair like he used to, Sasuke hugged him back and fell asleep.

Just outside Naruto's apartment, Hatake Kakashi's jaw completely dropped.

He had followed fake-Sasuke all day, watching him as he spied on Naruto. Then, he had stayed alert and ready to intervene when the raven broke into his blond student's home and looked around.

When Kakashi thought this couldn't get any weirder, the impostor had lay down next to Naruto and they had fallen asleep in each other's arms like some yaoi hentai that would leave many girls satisfied.

"What the hell is going on in here?" he whispered.

It couldn't be helped. Kakashi made a clone and sent him to the Hokage to report, meanwhile he would stay on that roof all night if he had to, but he wouldn't let the impostor out of his sight.

When the sunlight got his face, Sasuke groaned and buried his face on his Daddy's chest. He felt so warm and cozy that he didn't want to get up just yet. Besides, Tou-chan would wake him up when he had to go to school.

Since the annoying light wasn't going away, Sasuke opened his eyes and stared at an unknown window. Blinking in confusion, the raven boy felt his feet touching his father's, which, by the way, seemed… smaller?

"Wha…?" Sasuke whimpered as he looked up.

His onyx eyes widened in shock as he stared at Naruto's much younger face. He looked like… a kid!

That's when Sasuke remembered everything. His Dad wasn't younger, he had travelled to the past and he currently was his father's teammate who claimed to hate him.

"Crap!" Sasuke thought, trying to move away from Naruto.

Unfortunately, the blond chose that precise moment to awake up as well. So Sasuke only had time to pull himself out of the bed before Naruto opened his eyes and fell right on his ass.

"Ouch!" he groaned in pain, which proved to be even a bigger mistake because Naruto opened his eyes completely and sat at the bed, startled by the noise.

"What?" the blond asked, his eyes still adjusting to the light. "What his going on?"

When Naruto saw someone on his bedroom floor, he had to blink several times until his vision improved. Then, he finally recognized that it was Sasuke.

"Oh… Sasuke, it just you…" he said, yawning. Only a second later, his blue eyes got incredibly wide and he stared at the raven once more. "SASUKE? What the hell are you doing here?"

Okay, that last part kind of looked like yaoi, but it wasn't. At least I didn't intend to (though I have nothing against it, I don't want that for this fic. There are already hundreds of those around and I'm trying something different.)

So… Kakashi was confused, now he's way beyond that! His brain might explode if he doesn't get some consistent answers soon.

Please tell me what you think so far. I appreciate all of your reviews!

See ya later!