It was over. War was over. But instead of relief, fatigue was overwhelming him. It was over and only he was left. The last standing man, hobbling over an ocean made of the corpse of his friends, his mentors. He was alone. Letting go of a shaking breath, he passed a hand in his blond hair, his eyes fighting against the tears, his body refusing to give in to the pain. It was over. But starring at the blasted face of Hinata crushed under the limbless Neiji and at Sakura and Kiba and Tamara and Kakashi or all the others whose identifies were impossible to discern, he knew he would have to listen to Sasuke's last, dying, wish. The simple though t of doing it was already breaking his shattered heart and give in to the tears that streamed down his unrecognisable face. It was a bad for a good but for Ince, Naruto wanted to be selfish and die here, with everyone. His hand wavered above the kunai at his belt for a few moments, sweet death tempting him... but before he could do anything, he moved his arm away. Later, he told himself, soon. And with the promise the pain tearing his heart apart would soon be over, he pronounced those three words that used to be Uchiha's secret. And just as Sasuke had described during their sleepless nights together, the world around him started spinning uncontrollably, the corpses fading away and he stayed the same, impassible and broken, watching the reddish grey colours that were now painting the world transform in a peaceful blur of green and blue. The world stopped spinning, stopped blurring, and if it hadn't been for the years of war, he would have lost all of his composure. For so long the blue of the sky and the green of the earth had disappeared for blood and rain... Coming back only served as a reminded of what he had lost, of what he could have had. The urge to lay down and rest surprised his senses as much as the idea of finding a bird nest in the trees surrounding him. Those were the thoughts of a child, of a fool. There where was to much to do, to many to kill, to simply be enjoying the weather and... And war was over. Peace existed here. Now, nothing was a fight to obtain. Grinding his teeth, he tried to remember where he was, calling to memories that had been of no use at war. Coming back in a full world, Naruto recognised nothing. Trying to dry the tears that had been falling since he came back, he went walking, wincing as the ridicule amount of plants would brush against his bad arm and listening to all sounds, the habit of looking for traps and enemies fresh in his mind. And after a while, precisely three hours and forty seven minutres, he reached the end of the forest to land on the edge of the cliff. And just under, a village. He searched in his lost memories a village under a cliff because this was easy, this was important. But to no avail. All he could remember was Ino hanging by the force of her hand at the very edge, begging to be saved as he fought against the ones that ambushed them. The screams and begging of Ino still rand in his eyes, still haunted him. This was why he never wanted to remember. Rubbing furiously his wet (once bright blue now dull) eyes, he slowly started climbing his way down the cliff, the wall known by heart. This used to be a path they used to access the old base camp. He clenched his teeth harder as he reached the ground because it was too difficult to stop the memories from pouring in, so difficult to be away je was the last one to know. He hated that. Maybe hated for causing all of that. His feet lead him silently around the village, having arrived at the back of it, to the gates, his eyes seeing the way the two guards were watching him warily. He wasn't surprised. His own body was un unknown to him but he knew how hideous he must be, how horrifying he was. A monster, even without the nine tail in him anymore. Obviously, the moment he tried to step foot in the town, hr was stopped. Not an ambush, he desperately tried to tell himself as the two stood up, hand on kunai.

"Your papers, stranger."

"I have none."

Because they had been burnt along with Terumi and because even if he had them, it would have been easier to say that than that he from the future. His hand tried to push forward, to grab Terumi out of the fire eating her alive, before he stopped himself. Terumi was dead.

"Name, then. And village affiliation."

They were ready to fight him, to refuse him the access to the village... to Kona. No, Kohana. Konoha. This was Konoha. He was sure of it. Or not. But this wasn't the issue. They asked for a name he couldn't give because Uzumaki Naruto was a twelve years old at the academy. In war, he use to bore no name. He simply was a warrior, a blade used to kill, a shield used to protect. He was no one. He could use any name.

"Hitoko but I have no family name. Never got to grow with a family. And I'm a traveler so no village affiliation either."

"Civilian or shinobi?"

Ah, wasn't this a tricky question? He fought in the fourth shinobi war, used chakra until a year ago, could throw rasengans at any enemies. But a year ago, Sakura warned him that he - and many others- were close to chakra depletion. That if he continued using it, he would die. But she told him, one night, that this wasn't the complete truth, that Sasuke had told her about the time returning technique, and that she wanted him to keep enough chakra to use it and not die. But right now, right this moment, he was a civilian.

"Civilian."

"We will bring you to the hokage, he will decide what to do of you."

And Naruto, now Hitoko, knew the two of them were stubborn, stubborn but the kindest. Frowning, he looked at them as they watched him, and for the second time since he came back, a memory emerged. Kotestu and Izumo. They died without knowing the world was burning outside, curled together in bed, enjoying their last moment of peace. Remembering was bad. So, so bad as blood appeared on their faces, as their jaws unhinged, as their skulls cracked open. Desperate and on the verge of another breakdown, he shut his eyes, counted to five, and opened them again. Kotestu was back sitting and Izumo was watching him, bored. Screaming mentally to simply stop himself from remembering, he followed Izumo, passing by the several stands and the Parc and the shops and the buildings and... And he had to stop himself to see himself from looking at everything because nothing was burning, no one was dying. It was over. War was over. Pushing himself to think without thinking, see without seeing, listen without listening, he arrived to the hokage's office quicker than not. It was good, not thinking, not seeing, not listening. Better. Because instead of his broken face, was standing the strong shinobi god, Hiruzen Sarutobi. He was not dead. Not yet. Not now.

"How long have you been traveling, my boy? You smell worse than the Inuzuka's old dogs and wear more mud to the face than there is in the world. Even your hair are covered of it."

How could he not see the blood? The injuries? The tears? Was Hiruzen simply... ignoring them? Because he was a potential enemy?

"I remember nothing, hokage-sama. My feet lead me to Konohagakure and all I will be asking is to be fed."

A lie but a minuscule one compared to others. It was true, however, that he was famished. He needed good other than ration bars, otherwise he would be falling dead before he had time to accomplish anything. Hiruzen seemed to have well understood that as he ordered to full meal that arrived almost in the minute. The moment he saw him nod, he jumped on the soup, grabbing the bowl with his good hand (but three fingers broken beyond healing) and drank in in two large sips, his throat burning with the forgotten taste, begging for more, and he snatched the meat and threw it in his mouth with the vegetables, everything falling on his blond beard as he chewed loudly, barely taking in the heaven taste and smell. His hand reached out for more, his stomach begging, but his plate was empty. His hand hovered, lost, above it before it was replaced with another plate with food and he didn't wait a heartbeat to start again eating. When he finished, he wanted more, and the fantom memory of ramen came back to his mind for a moment.

"How long?"

"Th-three weeks, hokage-sama."

The little ration bars left had to be given to the remaining children but no, he couldn't think, or see, or listen.

"Would you wish for another plate?"

Yes

"No, thank you."

He nodded but his eyes were stuck on him, watching him. In a moment of madness, he panicked into thinking that he was seeing the Naruto in him but it was impossible. How could he see something he did not?

"You... aren't a traveler, are you? What are you hiding, shinobi?"

He should have known Hiruzen would have felt the little chakra remaining inside of his. Should have known to not fool the god of shinobi.

"I will need one thing before talking, Hokage-sama." Sometimes, it was so hard not to call him jiji, to not jump in his arms, to not cry.

"I'll see if I can indulge in them." The second half of his sentence remained unsaid: 'or we will send you to T '. He leant forward, elbows on desk and fingers entwined, his wrinkled eyes more suspicious than ever.

"ANBU Inu, Hatake Kakashi."

Kakashi, who was a powerful shinobi, who already served under two hokage, stepped out of the shadow. Naruto looked briefly at him before looking back at Hiruzen because it so much easier to look at a fade he could barely remember than at one who's death was fresh on his mind. Kakashi had stayed until the very last moment by his side, refusing to leave his two last students. His death hadn't honoured the man he was.

"Now speak and explain how you know the identity of one of my ANBU."

He took a breath and let his lips curl in a broken smile at the idea that soon, he would join everyone. So, so, soon.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto and I come from the future."

That afternoon, he told everything to the two men that were watching him flabbergasted. It was impossible not to believe him, with all the details and what he should have never known, about the village and the nine tail. Impossible not to listen or to cry, either. In the end, Naruto started describing the death of everyone (Ino, Shikamaru, Choki, Kiba, Hinata, Shino, Temari, Gaara, Kankuro and all the others, all the others), to describe all the lost battles and important dates. Because they had to know to avoid it. They had to be terrified of this eventual future to do everything to avoid it. They had to know everything because he wouldn't be there too help them, guide them. The pain was too big to continue pretending being alive, the memories too harsh not to haunt him forever. In the end, when the sun was hanging low in the sky (that had turned a beautiful navy colour), he shared the Uchiha's secret, taught them the three words that would turn time back, because if they failed, if they didn't win this mad war, they would have a last trick up their trick, an escape. Looking at their ruin face (don't think, don't see, don't listen) he knew they would remember each words that were said in that office that day, that they wouldn't brush it off like a nightmare. He could trust them to change the future he could not save. And in grand finale, he plunged on the side, grabbed a kunai in Kakashi's weapon pouch before he could ever move, and plunged in his heart, falling on the ground in a massive thump, his stomach full and his mind at peace. Finally, it was over. War was over. And he would join everyone again.