Chapter1

The moment he woke up again he wished he hadn't. He was back, in the past and to all his past – future? – problems. It all looked the same, all the buildings, the weather and the people. Especially the people. Those are the things he hated the most. Even now he could see it was all going to be the same. When he died, he thought it was all over but he guesses he was wrong. He had suffered so much, seen so much death and pain both his and other's. He never wanted to do it again. Of all the rotten luck that he could have, he just had to be reborn in the past.

Naruto glared at the people in the orphanage. They looked at him in confusion and a healthy amount of amusement. After all, who wouldn't find it funny that a one year old baby was trying to glare at them? Even though they found it hilarious they still didn't approach him. The blonde sighed. He was still the village pariah. He still had the Kyuubi sealed within him and it was going to make his life miserable again. He felt tears gather in his eyes and wiped them away furiously. 'Stupid bodily reactions!' he thought, cursing that he was a baby again, physically and emotionally. It has been some months since he regained his memories, and it was torture. He was so embarrassed with the way his body reacted. He vowed he would relearn to control his body again as soon as possible, if only to escape nappy changes.

The first time the Third Hokage came to see him he was three years old. He came with a soft smile on his gentle face, a bit younger than Naruto remembered but still old. Oh how he hated this man. The one who never really gave him a chance. Sarutobi Hiruzen always said he cared, that he was doing all he could, but he never did. He could have done more to make him safer, happier. He could have told him more, made him understand why all those things were happening to him. But he didn't. He left him in the dark to suffer alone all the while smiling at him. Naruto got so angry that he couldn't control it. He screamed and burst into tears of rage, wailing his lungs out. At that moment he knew he was being childish but he didn't care. He never wanted to see Sarutobi again in his life. The look on the old man's face was funny though. It made his day better.

As the years went by and Sarutobi's visits became less and less, the start of the academy came closer. So far he has seen Kiba, Hinata and Sasuke. Sasuke looked happier than he ever was, Hinata was still stalking on him after the incident in the forest and Kiba looked stupid as always. He didn't want to go to the academy a second time. The first was enough.

Which is why he was now seating at the back of a classroom full of squabbling children. He felt like banging his head repeatedly into the desk. He almost sighed in relief when Kisan-sensei entered the room and urged the kids to shut up. She took up the roll call. As soon as she noticed his name she paused. Her eyes met his and Naruto could clearly see the hate and fear in them. She immediately looked back down and continued to the next name and the rest of the class. It was a slow day and he couldn't wait to go back to the orphanage, where he was left alone for the most part. Seven hours later, the bell finally went off for the last time. He quickly gathered his things and left the building, but before he could leave the gates someone called him.

"Hey, fish cake!" He was about to pretend he didn't hear anything but something hard hit him on the head. He turned around to see a group of boys in his year approaching him. He was silent as they continued to jeer at him. The leader he supposed looked down on him. "So, I heard you're the demon boy." "I wonder who told you, your mommy?" Naruto retorted with a blank face. In his past life, he would have spouted something about not being a demon and that he would be a Kage someday. Not anymore. The kid glared, a tinge of red appearing on his face. "No! My dad did." Naruto smirked. "How is that any different, daddy's boy."

The boy suddenly punched him in the face. Naruto gasped as he felt his nose break. He heard them laugh around him as he tried to shake off the stars from his vision. He felt his anger spike and in a spur of the moment decision he tackled the other boy whose name he didn't care to learn. He felt good as he punched him once, twice, thrice before he was pulled off him by his friends. Then they ganged up on him. He felt a lot of pain as fists and kicks rained down on him repeatedly. As his vision started to go in and out, he heard a muffled voice scream something. Everything stopped and he heard some footfalls retreating. Someone touched him after a while and he tensed. The hand didn't move. "Are you okay, child?" A gentle voice reached him.

Now, Naruto was not used to anyone being nice to him so he was understandably confused. He looked up carefully. The sun glared into his irises and he hissed in pain. A shadow fell upon him and he could look up again. There was a large piece of clothing being held up by someone. "Who are you?" The person gently lowered the cloth and he could see again. What his eyes met was the most beautiful sight he's ever seen. A button nose and rosy lips adorned that pale face, long eyelashes shadowing bright emerald eyes that seemed to glow and long slightly wavy hair framed that face. The only way he knew it was a he was because there was no impressive bust in his face. Then again, some women are that flat…

He felt like a fool as he stared at the man's face. 'Kami, how can someone have such a beautiful smile?' he thought. The smile faltered a bit. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? God, that was a stupid question." The man said. He reached out to his face and used a cloth Naruto didn't notice to wipe the blood off his eyebrow. The man smiled again. "It's okay. I'm going to fix you up soon. You just come with me, okay?" For some reason Naruto couldn't fathom, he just nodded. The smile became brighter and Naruto felt like he just saved a universe…or destroyed his old one.

The man helped him up to his feet. He then wrapped the cloak around himself again. "Seriously, are you okay? You look really beat up." "Um, yeah. I'm good. I'm used to it." Naruto replied, voice a little higher than it should be. They walked in silence for twenty minutes until they reached a small cottage at the outskirts of the village. Naruto raised his eyebrow. The building was not that tiny, but it was covered in vines and foliage. They got inside and it was a totally different experience. The painting was a calm peach with cream and brown color themes. It was really calm, opposite to the wildness outside.

He was told to sit on the coffee table and the man disappeared into a room behind him. This was when Naruto's mind came back into a functioning state. He has just willingly moved from the safety of the village center to a stranger's house, a stranger who could be an assassin getting his weapons ready. As these thought raced through his mind his body became more and more tense. The man came back, but this time he was without his cloak so he could see the jeans he was wearing along with the loose red shirt. He kneeled in front of Naruto and opened the first aid kit he came with.

"Okay, so there is a lot of bruising on your face and body. I've got a cream that can fix that in no time and you need a first aid for that cut on your eyebrow." He said, walking Naruto through what he was about to do. For some reason it made Naruto feel calmer. "Who are you?" he asked again. The man replied without looking up, busy preparing the items he would use. "I'm Hari Slytherin. Try not to move too much. It would sting." He, Hari, said before he looked up and moved to dab the spirit on his eyebrow. Naruto hissed at the pain in his eyebrow and his lip thereafter. A cool cream was applied to his face and his shirt was lifted to apply the cream to the bruises there. All the while Naruto was watching Hari's face, concentrated on his task. Why was he doing this?

"Well, I don't really like seeing you being treated like this." Naruto's eyes widened. 'I said that out loud?' "I've only seen you once, about two years ago. It wasn't a great scene but I never got the chance to help you since the ANBU came. Then I heard all the comments people made of you. To tell you the truth I was really disappointed in this village. But anyway, I never saw you again, until today. I couldn't help it, I had to do something. You obviously do not have anyone to look after you." "So what, this is a pity party?" Hari snorted at the angry comment, applying a band aid to Naruto's eyebrow. He looked into Naruto's eyes and the boy had to hold his breath. "I guess you could say that. I just can't watch them do this to you Naruto-kun. You're a child, you deserve to be happy. The world is a terrible place, you have to enjoy the good in it before you're swallowed up by the bad." Hari sighed, turning his face away. "I want…I want to take care of you, I need someone to take care of. I want it to be you." He whispered, voice shaky. He turned back to Naruto and his eyes weren't a bright green anymore but a soft purple. He kneeled before Naruto again. "I have seen how the villagers treat you. It's not fair. You are just a child. I know what it feels like to be beaten down all the time. I don't want that for you." Naruto's eyes widened as Hari said all this. Then they narrowed in suspicion again. "You think I'm stupid, don't you. The lonely orphan who would do anything for recognition. Not anymore. I will not be tricked." Hari's face was painted with shock then sadness washed over him. "Oh, child. I would never deceive you in such a way." "No!" A flash of hurt crossed the youthful features at Naruto's exclamation. "Leave me the hell alone." He whispered and sprinted out of the house. "Naruto!" was screamed but he did not look back.

He slammed his apartment door open and closed it the same way, sliding to the floor with his hands pulling at his hair. In his mind he could still see Hari's face, or whatever his name could be. The sadness and desperation in his eyes. 'No! It's a lie. He wants to use me, that's all!' He screamed in his head. 'What should I do?'

'Maybe you should give him a chance.' Naruto perked up, eyes frantically searching the room. "Who's there?" 'It's me kid.' Naruto stared down at his stomach where the demon seal was. "Kurama?" 'Yeah. I don't have much time, the seal is too strong. Do you know what a bearer is?' Naruto shook his head. 'A bearer is a male human who can bear children. They are very rare and were sought after in the old days. They have become extinct as of late." "Why are you telling me this all of a sudden." 'The guy you met there, he is a bearer. He's probably the last. They always had this aura around them.' Naruto was surprised but still listened as Kurama continued. 'Bearers are extraordinary. They are always gentle and caring. They can sometimes be extremely naïve but it's their nature.' "Why didn't he mention that?" 'Would you have believed him?' Naruto conceded. 'Either way, he seems to genuinely care about you. I don't remember this happening around this time. Take a chance kid. You never know what might happen.' Naruto slowly let go of his hair and sighed. 'I'm sorry. I don't think I'm ready for this.' He said. Kurama understood and said so. Soon his presence faded from Naruto's mind. The blonde sighed again.

~Scene Change~

The child's departure disappointed Hari greatly. He had hoped that Naruto would accept him. He laughed bitterly. He was a total stranger who had just claimed to a neglected, probably abused child that he wanted to take care of him. Of course he ran away. 'He was right to do so.' Was his morose thought, getting up to do a few chores around the house.

Some days later he decided to go to the forest surrounding the training grounds to collect some herbs for a potion he had in mind. Kneeling in the shrubs he started pulling out roots and leaves and putting them in separate conjured bags. For a while there was silence as he worked, trying hard to concentrate solely on his task.

The snapping of a twig made him freeze, head snapping up to look for the source of the sound. He saw nothing around him, but he still stood up to look closer at the foliage around him. Only the forest sounds greeted his senses. Hari squinted his eyes. "Hello. Is anyone there?" Nothing. Feeling insecure he picked up his bags and left. He sighed in relief as he exited the forest, only to be greeted by an odd sight. A child around ten years of age was standing there staring at him with a blank expression but sharp eyes. He had been training, Hari noticed, when the raven had interrupted him with his entrance.

The boy was a bit on the thin side, but not as bad as Naruto. He had shoulder length black hair that matched his eye color, skin that was a couple of shades darker than his but still pale and wore the standard chuunin attire. Hari raised an eyebrow. "You're a chuunin." The boy answered with his own eyebrow raising. "You're supposed to be in the academy." The child still did not answer him. They continued to stare at each other for a few seconds until the boy finally seemed to get tired of the attention. "Weren't you leaving?"

Hari smiled and sat down on the soft grass. "Not anymore. Tell me how such a young child got to be so achieved." He said. The boy scowled. "I am not inclined to tell you anything." "Your name then? I'm Hari." "Itachi, and goodbye." Itachi turned, ready to leave, but Hari stopped him. "I want to understand. You're so young and have a bright future ahead of you. Why did you have to cut it short?" Itachi could hear the sadness in Hari's voice, and it surprised him. He replied "Sometimes it is not our choice to make." He made to leave again but Hari said "I'm inviting you to dinner, at seven. Your body is too small for that of a typical ten year old, you obviously don't eat well." "I eat well enough." "Not to me, you aren't. I won't stop asking until you accept my invitation."

The boy stared at Hari, trying to figure out what his motive was. The hope in his eyes compelled him to agree. "Fine." He was rewarded with a bright smile. The man got up to write his address on a piece of paper. "I'll see you at seven then." He said and bounced off into the village. Itachi stared blankly after him. 'What an odd man.' He thought. In his short career as a shinobi Itachi had met all sorts of people but he doesn't think he has met someone like Hari. The man was tiny at 5'1", the tiniest adult he had ever seen possibly, which is why he thought it ironic that he said Itachi was small for his age. He was also pretty, that's for sure. Itachi shook his head. He can't believe he accepted the dinner invite so easily. Now he had to show up. Accepting his fate, the boy continued with his training.

~Scene Change~

Hari couldn't help but stare at the sight on his front door. "I thought about it and…you know." Hari thought he was going into shock. Standing there was Naruto Uzumaki on his door steps, looking sheepish with his eyes averted from him. The raven approached the boy slowly and touched his cheek. He felt tears welling up in his eyes. It really was him. "Oh, Kami." He hugged the boy tightly, feeling joy filling him to the brim. "I'm so glad to see you, Naruto-kun." The blonde hugged back awkwardly. "Yeah." Hari pulled back to really look at him, then tore his eyes away to usher Naruto into the house. They sat in the kitchen, with Hari just gazing at him so much that Naruto felt uncomfortable. "Um…" he started. Hari seemed to snap out of his daze. "Oh, I'm sorry I just… I'll get you something to drink. Apple or orange?" "Orange." A minute later Hari gave Naruto his drink. Before he could say anything else Naruto interrupted. "I know about your status. You're a bearer, right." Hari's stared at him in complete shock. "How…how did you know?" "The Sandaime gave me my mother's journal some time this year. I read all of it. She mentioned bearers and the kind of aura they have around them. Though she has never met one her ancestors did. The Uzumaki have always been sensitive to chakra. I guess it helped identifying you" He lied easily. "I see." Hari responded, seeming to sense the lie but not calling Naruto out on it. "Will you be staying for dinner?" The blonde nodded, making Hari brighten up. "That's good. Let me just prepare then."

As he worked Hari couldn't contain his happiness and he hummed to a soft tune. He couldn't believe Naruto actually thought about it and wanted to give it a chance. He had a lot to prepare for. A room for Naruto, he'd have to remember to cook for two at every meal, he'll probably also have to buy some toys for him and childproof the house. He was so excited. He doesn't know why the blonde lied about how he acquired his knowledge but his secrets are his to keep. Even if someone mysteriously found out he was a bearer the tradition of emperors taking them as baby-makers had fallen out of use centuries ago. So did not have to worry much about some stranger taking advantage of him to produce strong heirs.

As for Naruto, he was enjoying the feeling of home the house radiated. He's never had a family before, which was one of the reasons he came here in the first place. He thought he didn't care about a family anymore, that dream had died a long time ago, but it seemed to not be the case. He still wanted a mother or a father or siblings. He still wanted to know what a mother's touch felt like, what a father's encouragement felt like, how it feels to fight with a younger brother and be punished for it by your parents. Here he had a chance to at least experience half of it. But he was still afraid. He looked on as Hari glided across the room, focused on his task. Hari was just a civilian and Naruto was a jinchiruki. That alone would put his life at risk because of people who wanted the demon inside him or wanted to kill him for one reason or the other.

Hari's voice broke his thought. "Someone is coming for a visit. Itachi is his name. Are you okay with that?" Naruto nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, it's cool. Wait, you mean Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke's brother?" "So that's his surname." Hari muttered. Naruto stared at him incredulously. It seems Kurama wasn't kidding. Hari was naïve. "If inviting strangers into your house is a habit of yours, it's a bad one." The raven grinned. "It made me find you, so I'm not complaining." He rolled his eyes just as the bell rang. Hari checked his watch. "It's seven, it must be Itachi. Be nice to him, okay?" Hari urged as he went to open the door. Seconds later a dark haired boy sat next to Naruto. He was rigid, Naruto notices, back straight with shoulders squared and head held high. "Good evening." He greeted. Naruto nodded and looked away. He met Hari's eyes, the man gestured for him to say more with a stern stare. He sighed. "Hey, I'm Uzumaki Naruto." "Uchiha Itachi." Itachi replied tersely.

Hari clapped merrily. "Now that we are all introduced, why don't we go to the dining room to eat? I'll bring up the meal, so you just get settled." He said guiding them to a low round table. The boys sat down on the cushions laid down for them to seat. Soon bowls of delicious smelling food were laid out on the table. Naruto's mouth watered at the sight of all the food in front of him, especially the home-cooked ramen noodles and broth. "You're drooling." Naruto glared at the smirking Itachi. "Shut up, bastard." He hissed under his breath so Hari didn't hear. Said man sat down in his own seat. "Dig in!"

Naruto wasted no time to give himself an unhealthy serving of ramen. Hari frowned in disapproval at that and reached out to take the bowl out of Naruto's grasp. "Hey!" He halved what was already in the bowl and gave it back along with a bowl of rice, some vegetables and pork pieces. Naruto pouted but didn't protest much more, but instead stuffed his face with food. As the meal progressed, Hari was the one who did most of the talking, sharing tales of his homeland and some of his travels to captivate his audience. Naruto sniggered at Itachi's resigned look as Hari placed yet another small bowl of food in front of him once he finished his third. It seemed Hari was serious about getting him to eat more. "You're a shinobi, so you need as much nutrition as you can get." Hari had lectured when he told him he had enough.

When Naruto was full he said "Hari-san you talk of these places, but I've never heard of them." "That's because they are not in the Elemental Nation but beyond." Hari said. Naruto's eyes bulged before he could control it. "Really? You've been beyond the Elemental Nations?" "It's where I was born and lived for a better part of my life. Then I was brought here when my parents passed." "How?" Itachi asked. "As far as I know this place is inaccessible by outsiders and no one inside can get out bar the bijuu." Hari nodded "That is true." He frowned. "I don't really remember how I got here, just a bright flash of light and a lot of pain. I guess my parents used their last strength to cast a jutsu on me and it brought me here." Itachi's eyes narrowed at the thought of a jutsu existing to breach the barrier. If someone knew…

"Ne, Hari," Naruto started "How old are you?" Even Itachi perked up at the question. Hari smiled "I'm seventeen." Naruto gaped while Itachi looked unconvinced. "You look younger, like fifteen." The Uchiha said. Naruto nodded in affirmative. Hari cocked his head to the side. "I guess I do. Being who I am, I'm going to be small." Naruto understood but Itachi didn't. "I don't understand." Naruto almost flinched, knowing this may be sensitive to Hari, but was surprised when the teen just smiled. "I'm a bearer. It means I can bear children." The ten year old frowned. "Men can't have children." "Not just regular men Itachi-kun, only bearers. It's a natural phenomenon that in a settlement at least one bearer would exist, but that was in ancient times. No bearers exist anymore except for me and maybe that's because I'm not from here." "So there are bearers outside?" Naruto asked. Hari shrugged "Perhaps, but I'm the only one I know."

The teen checked the time. "It's quite late. Itachi I think they are expecting you at home." The younger raven nodded "Yes, I must be going." He paused. "Are you serious? About being a bearer." He asked. "Yes, I am." "How is it?" Hari's eyes softened. "It's difficult. Sometimes I have to fight with my nature to appear normal, sometimes I can't." he said, eyes straying to Naruto, which Itachi noticed. "I have a soft spot for children, especially since I don't have my own." He placed a cool hand on itachi's cheek. The boy blushed a deep crimson at the way Hari was looking at him. As if he was the most precious thing in the world. Only his mother looked at him like that. "If you need anything Itachi, anything at all, do not hesitate to tell me, okay?" Itachi just nodded. "Good. Now off you trot. Don't forget this, I packed some lunch for you to have tomorrow. Don't forget to eat." Hari said, giving Itachi a bento box and a tight hug goodbye. He waved the boy off and closed the door when he was gone. Naruto still sat on his cushion, not knowing what to do. "Do you want to stay?" Hari asked. Naruto shrugged without looking up. "If you want me to?" "Of course I want you to. Come, you have to take a bath." Naruto was led up the stairs to the bathroom.

Now when Naruto went to take a bath, he expected to be shown the bathroom, but now he had Hari washing him. He tried to protest but in vain. Hari was stubborn as hell, even more so than Naruto himself. It was so embarrassing! But it felt surprisingly good to be taken care of. Once done, he was tucked into the guest room's bed sheets and Hari kissed him on his temple before switching off the lights and with the door left slightly ajar, he left a sleeping Naruto to go to bed himself.

AN: Ok, I went and done it again. Don't hate me. I also know I should be completing my other works, but this plot bunny wriggled in and refused to leave.

So Naruto was reborn back in time. It could be an alternate universe since Hari wasn't there in his old one.

I really hope you enjoy the story as much as I enjoy writing it.

Please don't forget to review.