Naruto looks at them skeptically, shinobi paranoia seeping into him for once. But he doesn't hold his breath for long. If they want to know about him, he'll tell them. But kami forbid, if they're his enemies and will use the information against him then he'll kick their asses till they're all black and blue.

"Fine. Here goes nothing," he says, already at ease with the soft look the red haired lady is shooting at him. "I am an orphan. My parents died the day I was born, it was the day the kyuubi attacked Konoha. I don't know who they were but old man Hokage said they died fighting for the village. So I lived alone, well, still do. I became genin at 12, after failing the graduation exams 2 times. I was still with genin my age though because I entered the academy early on. I got to know about my jinchuuriki status on the day I graduated. Was a shock to be honest." He rubs his head, trying to collect his thoughts while the other four occupants of the room can't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the boy.

"The villagers hate me you know? I'm sure you all do too. They've never done anything to me, not much anyway. They're nice folks... er... just not for me. Oh wait, this is sad!" He claps his hands and then grins, "Onto the good stuff! So I got a team then, a sensei too who actually taught me stuff. In the beginning, I despised that arrogant Sasuke though I had no problems with Sakura. But slowly, we started working together, more like, were forced to work together. Sasuke risked his life for me on a mission and that made me realize that he cares but is horrible at showing it."

A soft smile breaks out on his face and clear happiness radiates from him. Sakura and Sasuke don't know what to say, or do or think. So don't do any of that. They sit and wait for Naruto to continue his tale.

"Chunin exams were next but sensei didn't send us in. Turned out, that Orochimaru attacked during the second round of the exams, placing some creepy seal mark on Neji. We didn't know any of that until the Suna-Oto invasion during the finals. No worries though! Old man totally beat that snake guy up. That pervert helped him too. But the Hokage was severely injured. So like I said before I went to find...Tsunade-sama so she could heal the old man. She's a right riot of a woman." He shuddered, remembering something none of the others could hope to imagine.

Kushina speaks up, "Go on." And Minato quirks an eyebrow at her because she seems as if she was enjoying the story. Like she was immersed in his tale.

Naruto nods, "Well then, we trained for the year. Missions and all. Took plenty C-ranks. Sakura and I managed to get Sasuke talking too. Share stuff with us. By that point, we knew it was Itachi that Sasuke wanted to kill so–"

"What the fuck?" Sasuke exclaims.

Sakura looks at him, "Language!" But smiles anyway, knowing that she herself isn't much better in keeping the colorful choice of words out of her vocabulary.

"What the heck?" Sasuke corrects.

Naruto asks in return, "Well, why is it surprising? Itachi killed all the Uchihas. He was behind the clan massacre. Sasuke wanted, still wants, revenge. He's toned it down though–"

No one is listening to him, not anymore. Minato's pursed lips and Kushina's furrowed brows can tell anyone how distressed they are by this piece of knowledge. Sakura isn't faring any better. To think the Uchihas were all murdered by Itachi no less. Even though she'd decided to keep an open mind towards this Naruto's story, she couldn't help but doubt him. Itachi isn't–he would never.

Sasuke, though, is taking it like a blow to his head. Anger simmers underneath his skin and an urge to throw Naruto out of the window makes itself known to him.

"–ey! Hey! Are y'all even listening to me anymore?" Naruto huffs, folding his arms.

Minato coughs, trying but failing to dissipate the tension in the room, "Yeah sorry. Uh... continue."

Naruto unfolds his arms, gripping the desk now, "Okay so we were going to Suna for this year's chunin exams, er... well that's what was happening atleast. On the border of Suna, Itachi and Kisame show up along with this weird mask guy. We fought them ofcourse."

He looks away, towards a bookshelf to his right.

"But, we were losing. Those assholes were too strong and even though sensei held Kisame away, and tried to keep Itachi occupied, he came for me anyway with the mask dude. Last thing I remember before I fell on tall Sakura-san is Itachi pressing a scroll in my hand and the weird guy doing some Jutsu with his eye. Kamu–kamilo something." He sags in his chair, now waiting for them to somehow solve this mystery, this puzzle.

Minato nods, trying to process all the information given to him. He knows he can get to the end of this but it seems as if they're missing a crucial piece, a part of this jigsaw puzzle that can make it a coherent picture.

Sasuke turns to Naruto, forgetting everything else and focuses on a part he has an inkling that is behind this mess. "Naruto, did that mask guy have a sharingan?"

Naruto hums, "Yeah, he definitely did. Though it was different to the one Sasuke–the one I know–has."

Sasuke nods and closes his eyes. Sakura looks in anticipation, not knowing what her friend is upto. Sasuke opens them, eyes morphed into Mangekyou Sharingan, "Did it look like this?"

Naruto grins and claps his hands enthusiastically, "Yes! That's it!"

Sasuke doesn't seem all that happy though, "He meant Kamui. Kamui–" he looks straight at the Hokage, "A space time ninjutsu."

Minato's eyes widen, his brain already turning gears to come to the right conclusions about Naruto, and what happened. Kushina, on the other hand, can't think right. She is just staring at Naruto taking in his features, letting herself remember her own son. Her hand is still placed on his shoulder.

Minato gasps suddenly, looking terrified, awestruck, and disbelieving altogether.

"I know who he is," he says, forcing a calmness to his tone. "He is Naruto. A Naruto from a different dimension and a different time."

Sakura starts laughing, "What–what even?"

Sasuke turns her face towards himself, hand gentle on her chin, "It's true. The scroll had some seals mostly, messed with Kamui somehow."

Sakura stills, then shakes her head nervously, "Wow," she manages to say.

Kushina thinks that she might be the luckiest person in all of the elemental nations. Shinobi parents often have face the death of their children, and it's always a tough truth to swallow. But here she is, months after her own son's demise, sitting in the presence on her son again. She doesn't care if he's not from this world. She doesn't care that he might not consider her his mother. And she believes this inter-dimensional travel story. She can see how it's possible. Seals have always been a pit of unbelievable power, achieving feats that are truly considered impossible.

So before she can talk herself out of it, she bends forward, engulfing Naruto in a hug with all the motherly love she feels. Naruto goes rigid, eyes wide in mild panic. He's never experienced such pure affection before. Kushina sighs, melting into the lean body of her son and doesn't stop the few tears that flow out, "Naruto." She whispers, "Naruto, you're back."

Naruto awkwardly pulls away, and looks at Minato, for no other reason than to avoid Kushina's gaze. He doesn't know how to deal with such blatant love Kushina has shown towards him.

"Eh... not back–um," he doesn't know what to say because looking at Minato isn't any better. There's a single tear going down his face, which he hastily wipes and then smiles at Naruto, almost beams at him as if Naruto was a cause of joy for him.

Looking at Sasuke and Sakura, he asks, "So, this is- this isn't my world? I'm somewhere else? Y'all are actually Sasuke and Sakura? And there is- um was a Naruto too?"

Sakura nods, still digesting this far fetched truth, "Yeah. Yes. Exactly."

Naruto has only one thing to say,

"Well, shit."

Author's Note:

Thank you for reading!!