Chapter 2: Recollections

"Scars have the strange power to remind us that our past is real."

― Cormac McCarthy, All the Pretty Horses


Naruto (Future Konoha)

Patience is definitely not his forte.

And he resists the urge to knock against the door once more with greater force shaking at it's hinges, to not tap his foot impatiently waiting for someone to freaking greet him already. It's not like they can act as if they're not home when he saw them just step inside, when the glow of yellow lights is faintly visible behind their shut blinds and curtains.

"What's it going to take to convince one of you to come back out?!" He calls out.

Silence greets him in return.

'Ugh, at this rate they're just pretending not to here me!'

"Naruto, stay calm. We don't know how strong they are." Hinata advises from above.

Well, there's a multitude of other ways he can get their attention he knows, shadow clones tapping at all their windows or maybe simply yelling at the top his lungs...

"Alright then, I'm sure your neighbors will love having me wake them up via one of my classic paint pranks or better yet, my newly perfected sensual voice I use for my sexy jutsu!" He bellows.

He lifts up his hands, ready to put the first idea into action when abruptly the door swings open, the women from before regarding him carefully. Veins pulse at the side of her head and he stumbles backwards.

'That's the byakugan!'

"You...You have a chakra signature that's just like my husband's." She mutters, pearl orbs narrowing.

Naruto swallows, he hadn't completely thought ahead on how to handle this actual conversation happening.

And mostly he thought it was going to be the man who looked like him that would answer.

She deactivates her byakugan, looking at his attire twice over with a mix of what can only be a smile and a frown. "And you're wearing his favorite old clothes too; are you a fan of his? It's quite late now though to be asking for an autograph."

"Err, well no. I don't need his autograph if it's me." Naruto retorts, biting his tongue at his rudeness.

This isn't the way he'll win over getting them to listen to him and Hinata.

Confusion settles across her features, said husband stepping forward at all the commotion gently putting the woman behind him out of potential harm's way. Up close now his heartbeat doubles in pounding, same whiskers as his own, same pointy blond hair and sky blue eyes...

"Oi, that's no way to talk to your elders kid, especially not to my wife!" This older version of himself remarks, eyes scrutinizing him.

What he thinks is Hinata's older self gently grabs at his arm, features softening.

"Ah, Dear it's okay. I think he just trailed you home as a fan of yours. You're so popular now since you did that interview with Konoha This Week!" She chuckles.

His glare deflates, turning to curiosity.

He's injured, that much he can tell from the bandages peeking out from under his jacket. The familiarity of his chakra is unnerving and calming at once, this boy if anything, isn't someone trying to go after his wife and kids.

'But why is it so like my own?' He considers.

"I can handle this Hinata, you should go back in and get some sleep before Himawari wakes up again." He reasons.

Cobalt orbs twist back to him, mirroring his own uncertainties over this situation.

"Anyways, you really do look like me; at least a 12 year old me. What do you and your friend up above want?"

Naruto straightens, throat tight. He knew Hinata was watching from the shadows this whole time.

"Look I know it's late, but we used a scroll and I just wanted to go back to my fight with Sasuke in the Valley, not here if this is really a future Konoha though now we're stuck..." He trails off at the clear puzzlement he's getting from his explanation.

"...Is that from my autobiography or an interview with the other Kage? I don't recall ever going into that much detail." His counterpart muses offhandedly.

Naruto pauses, torn between a rising excitement that he truly may be Hokage one day and a worry they're about to slam the door in his face for sounding like a crazed fan.

"Wait, I have a book on my life?!" He sputters in disbelief.

Hinata leaps down beside him and her older form abruptly turns back around sensing her presence, gasping lightly. Shock ripples across her face regarding the two of them before speaking again.

"Wait, they both look like our younger selves Dear. Who are you two?" She breathes out.

Hinata holds up the burnt scroll, trying not to squirm under their intense gazes.

"The past; your pasts." She whispers.


Jiraiya (Past)

"Do another run of all the camera feeds of the hospital; I'm running late for a meeting." He orders officer Fujimura, the man quickly nodding turning back to the security system rewinding through all the tapes.

He clenches his teeth together, knowing the inevitable is waiting down the hall of Tsunade putting him through the ringer along with all of her advisors.

'Maybe I should take a detour and head to the emergency room's nursing station.' He ponders for a moment.

Perhaps that pretty nurse with the nice curves, Emiko was her name he thinks or Kayo with the huge bust and curly auburn hair will be on day shift together to help him recover from the wounds and injuries he's about to obtain! If anything, they'll at least make for good research subjects in getting his next Paradise series going.

Last bits of moonlight follow him like a shadow, sky a warm violet-pink of the approaching sunrise.

9 hours now Naruto has been missing.

And with each passing second, the alarm and panic grows worse.

Konoha is without their jinchuriki, nobody can account for his location.

The news was like a swift punch to his gut, they hadn't even started out on their training trip...

His first thought is the Akatsuki. That he is too late in stopping plans to kidnap him for the Nine Tails, burning his room to leave no trace. However, his spy network and leads have given him no updates as of yet after he sent out the alert. Nobody has reported seeing him or been aware that Konoha has been breached by one of their members.

The second idea is Naruto left of his own accord, worse than the first option in a way since he hasn't fully healed.

And why would he leave, hadn't he been so excited for them to head out?

What could've happened in the time he left his room around 7:30 pm? The only clue is Hinata Hyuga, Hiashi's oldest daughter approaching and entering Naruto's room shortly before the time of the fire.

But as he was told by her fellow team members Kiba and Shino, she's been nowhere to be found since then either...

Two missing genin.

That's a window of less than an hour from his departure, meaning whoever took him or them both and caused his room to go up in flames was nearby.

Probably waiting until he left.

He clicks his tongue as he finally approaches the conference room, the loud hiss of voices quieting as he pokes his head in.

"Well, looks like the party is in full swing!"

Tsunade meets his gaze first, amber orbs sharp despite being up longer than he has. He notes the hip flask hidden on the side of her green haori out of view of the elders and smirks.

Makes sense, he would need a drink too if he had to be trapped in this stuffy meeting room for this many hours now with the duo.

"I hope you have more positive news than what we've been discussing here?" Koharu asks to begin things off, lips set in what seems like a perpetual frown from all the times he's seen her.

Homura nods his agreement, onyx eyes hardening on Jiraiya as if he could freeze him or set him ablaze for supposedly being so casual about this all.

"This was a bad idea from the start! The very thoughtof letting our jinchuriki leave the village is far too risky. We let him go on all those missions, even let him become a shinobi and it got into his mind that he can travel around freely now. This Akatsuki or some other rogue shinobi group could've taken him miles away from here by now and we have no clue where to start or even look!" He gripes.

Jiraiya holds up his hands in peace, the volatility of the pair making the room uncomfortably warmer and stickier tenfold. It doesn't surprise him they would be immediately demanding for answers they know he doesn't have yet.

"Look, can I have 5 minutes alone with the actual Hokage?" He interrupts before he can get any further push back or questioning on what they should do next, gesturing towards Tsunade's slack posture. He doubts she's been able to barely get a word in since this all unfortunately started.

Homura scowls, posture straightening. "Whatever you have to say, you can say it front of all of us!"

Jiraiya shakes his head, adamant on this by matching their glares. "All I'm asking is for a good 5, maybe 10 minutes max to discuss my findings with Lord Fifth here. You guys have been yelling at me, the messenger here when I'm the one doing all the investigating while you sit here drinking tea and complaining."

The room quiets then, Koharu and Homura flustered and irritated at the weight of his remark.

Koharu scoffs after a moment, sitting up adjusting her weight onto her cane. "Fine, we could use a good stretch of our legs and break. We'll be back in exactly 10 minutes."

Jiraiya waves them off, ensuring the pair aren't trying to listen by the door as he hears the pattering of their footsteps disappear around the corner.

He grins cheekily then that they're finally alone, plopping down beside Tsunade and she snorts with a light roll of her eyes, scooting away just slightly.

"I honestly hope you have some actual good news to share with me and not just to flirt. You know how those two are, this reflects badly on me as a Hokage. They already didn't want me for the job, I was their very last option and I can't blame them; I rushed away from Konoha wanting to escape my past as soon as I got the chance." She groans softly.

This close he can pick up on the faint scent of sake on her breath, the fear clouding her hazel orbs.

Jiraiya leans back, where to start?

"Well, I've looked at two major options so far. The 1st one is that the Akatsuki took him, though considering there's been no mentions of a rogue shinobi entering through Konoha, the cameras not picking up anything of the cloaks I've seen them wear, and not hearing anything from my network I think we can cross this option out...for now." He reviews.

Tsunade let out a sigh, a mild relief before gesturing with her hands for him to continue.

"Option 2 is that Naruto left on his own, doubtful though he could get very far or even out of the village without someone seeing him and the alert going out."

Tsunade silently agrees with a nod.

"So that leaves us with option 3, he or maybe Hinata used a jutsu of some kind that made them untraceable." He finishes.

And as he expects, Tsunade arches a brow; skeptical.

"Is there even a kind of jutsu like that? That sounds exactly like something Orochimaru might make or would want to make with all the research he does." She shudders in questioning, recalling the darkest experiments she's read from his case file.

Jiraiya shrugs, it's still something he's looking into.

"I'm going to need to interview Hiashi Hyuga next considering his daughter is missing too. Every old clan here in Konoha has it's secrets, whether good or bad. Right now he has at least half of the clan scoping the area and nearby forestry, though even with their byakugan they're not picking up on Hinata's chakra signature anywhere." He notes.

"None of this is good news." Tsunade hisses, blonde locks spilling over her face obscuring her upset.

He squeezes at her hand then when a tremble cascades over her body, nails digging into the couch exposing cotton and stitching from her pressure.

"Naruto...he reminds me so much of Nawaki. I came back to Konoha with his influence and now he's gone and disappeared too."

'I'll figure this out; I just need more time.' He tells himself and this dull pounding at the back of his head. Worries rise up in a stream of uncertainties and what-if's, he's never heard of someone being able to mask their chakra so completely, not even the best jounin or elite ANBU.

Though he'll keep these fears locked and buried down, no matter how many times they risk bubbling back up.

He can't give Tsunade anymore empty promises that he won't do risky missions or even endanger himself to find where Naruto has gone, she's had a lifetime's worth of being heartbroken again and again by war and the death of loved ones that the average person wouldn't be able to bear as long as she has.

And now this.

So he pats at her hand gently instead, rising to stand again.

"I'm going to do another sweep of Naruto's room, then I'll get some rest and update you again before noon. You should do the same for yourself or that transformation jutsu of yours is going to break from all the stress!" He decides.

Tsunade's gaze burns at his back, same stare that still makes his heart flutter and his insides twist.

"Before noon, huh? I suppose you'll be using the early morning hours to visit the hot springs?" She guesses after a moment.

Jiraiya huffs, crossing his arms. "Wanna bet on it? I'm ashamed you still think so lowly of me Tsunade after all these years! You believe I can't put off my research for a day?!"

"Yes." She answers back dryly, though a tiny grin etches up her lips.

If this were a real gamble, she would easily win.

Though that thought leaves her hollow, winning for her is never a good sign.

Auburn meets obsidian, understanding passing between them.

Things are going to get worse before they get better in terms of this case.

"What's the news? It's been far longer than 10 minutes now!" Koharu calls out, not bothering to knock as she enters again with Homura closely behind.

Jiraiya fixes on a cheery grin, heading out the door with a pat to their shoulders. "Don't worry, Tsunade is going to update you!"

He doesn't wait for their responses, escaping back into the blissful quiet chill of the hallways. The sky is brighter now, streaks of scarlet mixing into the ribbons of pink and violet.

It feels too early for the morning though, not when nightfall has brought this unsettling confusion.

The news will eventually leak both Naruto and Hinata are gone.

And once more he searches around his hospital bed from top to bottom, trying to find the signs of arson or foul play from an intruder that overpowered them.

Nothing.

Ash and smoky residue cover everything, room scarred a black-gray mourning too it's lost occupant.

'Damn it Naruto, where are you?'


Naruto & Hinata (Future)

"So, explain everything from the beginning, all that you can remember." Naruto's older self starts.

It's easier to sit opposite their counterparts, to take in the scars and features they know as their own and the ones they will gain in a not so far future.

Without a blood confirmation though there is still a wariness in the air between them all, but it's too late in the night now on top of the confusion it would cause.

They may need to ask Sakura to make a home visit in the morning.

"Well Dear, we should find a way to differentiate ourselves first. I think since they're from the past they should be Naruto-A and Hinata-A and us being the future we can be Naruto-B and Hinata-B." His wife suggests.

Naruto-A crosses his arms, trying to figure out what to say first, there's so much running through his mind though he needs to stay focused on describing the main reason behind why they used that scroll.

"Sasuke, I was fighting him in The Valley of The End the other day. He was planning to go to Orochimaru for power and we created a team to go after him and stop the Sound 4. But...I lost to him and when I woke up again Kakashi-sensei had taken me to the hospital." He reviews.

At the memory he clenches his fists, sucking in a breath to continue as he risks a glance Hinata's way.

"I was planning to go on a training trip with Pervy-Sage to get stronger, though I needed to recover from my injuries first. Hinata came to visit me, she brought an old scroll that's been in her clan for like generations I think; scarlet and gold in color."

Hinata-B perks up hearing this, nodding at the detail. "The Scroll of Ages and Seasons."

Hinata-A bites her lip. "I-I didn't even know the name, I knew it was created years ago sometime between the Warring States Period and the First Shinobi World War. The devastating losses in the clan made the elders do extensive research into how to transport a person back and forth between the present, past, and future in order to obtain secrets from rival clans and nations or prevent a death in battle."

Naruto-A shuffles at his feet, knots tangling at his chest like a swarm of bees.

'Because I love you.'

Heat prickles at his neck and face over the memory, pushing himself to go on.

"I had picked going backwards you know, to face Sasuke again with the knowledge of how to turn the fight in my favor, but then Hinata said she loved me and...and I thought of the future briefly, of what it would be like for us together right as the scroll started to burn at our hands." He finishes.

At least her face is stained crimson as well as he turns fully to her, ignoring the thrum and wild churning of his gut. He can't recall ever feeling this way truly around anyone, so flustered and tongue-tied.

Hinata has brought out a side of him he hopes is only for her.

"Was that true what you said back then? I mean, was it a prank that Kiba forced you to do or were you saying it like how I love ramen or-" He's rambling now and maybe his brain is short-circuiting too when Hinata shakes her head before he can think of any other excuse for why she would want him when she could have anyone better.

"I said I love you because I love you Naruto; the person. Only you." She highlights.

Warmth spreads down his body. Hinata this whole time has been looking at him with the same affection and desire he thought he would never have, was never meant to have...

The room quiets again save for the ticking on the wall clock slowly pushing them towards somewhere after 1:00 am.

Naruto-B chuckles, clapping his hands to get back on topic.

"From what we've gathered then, you used the scroll trying to go back in time to our fight with Sasuke and ended up in the future due to becoming distracted."

The pair nods, everyone caught up to speed now.

Naruto-B looks back to Hinata-B, faces equally trying to weigh how to help. The one object they used to get here is singed to the point it's unreadable.

A sharp wail pierces the air before anyone can speak again, Naruto-A and Hinata-A startling as Hinata-B moves hurriedly to stand.

"Don't worry, I'll go get her. I think we kept the spare blankets and pillows in the upstairs closet, right? We can turn the office area into a makeshift bedroom for now." Naruto-B advises, gesturing for Hinata-B to help their younger selves get comfortable.

Naruto nearly follows after his older counterpart, the cry echoing throughout the house.

'A baby?' He considers.

Hinata's older self guides them towards said office before he can inquire further, watching as he slips into the darkness upstairs.

"I know it's a bit cramped. Naruto when he's deep in the reading materials Kakashi-sensei or Lady Tsunade gives him tends to not properly put away the scrolls and books." Hinata-B relates, rolling up a mix of green and blue scrolls situated by the desk.

"It's fine, we're the unexpected guests after all." Hinata-A jests, moving to help.

A grin etches across her future self's lips as they toss away old ramen cups and set aside sippy cups to rattles, dropping her voice an octave lower to speak only to her.

"Naruto and I are a family now, he really does help change our clan for the better." She whispers and she giggles at the heat that blooms across her younger self's cheeks.

Inevitably she thinks of the chunin exams, of Naruto's promise to Neji that he would change the practices of the Hyuga clan that have been in effect for hundreds of years.

Hinata-A pauses, words burning on the tip of her tongue to ask of Neji's absence from what she saw and heard of Father and Hanabi earlier in the night...

'Maybe he had just been at the manor self-meditating or training with Kō and the other guards.' She considers, gaze drifting towards the bookshelves aligned with old and new collections from the best historians on Konoha's past, novels on fantasy locations, to modern books for children.

Even with such sound reasoning though, her stomach slushes with darker possibilities. Neji, she's sure would've came along for a family visit unless maybe he is currently on a mission away from the village.

Naruto-A meanwhile has taken to the photos aligning his future self's desk. The old group photo of Team 7 now a murkier yellow-gray from the passage of time. Beside it is an even more faded picture of a couple he doesn't recognize, blond hair and blue eyes like his own holding close a woman with crimson red locks that flow past her waist.

His heart lurches, studying the pair a minute longer.

'Are those my parents?'

Eventually, his gaze roams to the newer set of framed pictures of his and Hinata's wedding day, the birth of their children, old classmates grinning back at him.

He picks up one of him and his apparent son, both throwing up the peace sign for the camera.

Family. Love.

"Oh, I see you're taking a trip down memory lane or really I guess future memory lane." Naruto-B mentions and Naruto-A jolts, nearly slamming the frame down.

"I wasn't meaning to snoop you know! I just-" He stops himself short seeing the wrapped bundle in his arms, violet hair the color of Hinata's peeking out of a pink blanket.

Watery blue eyes glance at him, two whisker marks upon her cheeks just like his own.

"Himawari, our daughter and second child. Loves to fight going back to sleep even after a warm milk bottle and diaper change." He explains at his silent questioning, rocking her until sapphire orbs eventually start close once more.

And all Naruto-A can do is nod; stunned.

"We should all get some sleep, it's been a...interesting/eventful night and tomorrow is going to be a long day." Hinata-B advises once the futons are set up.

'Sleep? How can I sleep knowing all of this?!' He wants to yell, but reluctantly follows his own Hinata into the linens. They smell of lavender and lilies, same sweet sensations that had been upon Hinata back in the hospital.

But just as fast he notes his bandages, the pain of unhealed bruises scattered over his body.

"Where is Sasuke? One of you has to tell me at least that!" He snaps and at Himawari's low whine he quickly slaps a hand over his mouth.

He must've brought him back at some point, persuaded or beaten some sense back into him to return back to Konoha?

Naruto-B gently pats Himawari on her back, shaking his head. "We can discuss it over breakfast, he's not supposed to be back in the village until late in the day tomorrow from what Sakura last told us."

His expression leaves no room for further questions or discussions and Naruto-A bites his tongue hard enough until the metallic tang of blood hits to not pressure him for further details.

"Goodnight." He grumbles instead, burying his sour face into the pillows.

He feels his Hinata's stare just as exhaustion starts to tug at him and meets her small grin with one of his own; at least he wasn't in this situation alone.

'Tomorrow.' He repeats to himself; the promise of more answers.

-x-


And so we continue...slowly! I kind of have what I want to do set in my mind. I really have been wanting to write slice of life NaruHina in their early 20s and I'm writing Boruto and Himawari at their youngest here being about 3 and 1 respectively! Of course this follows canon with twists and there will be more darker/serious moments along the way in dealing with the past conflicts i.e.: Orochimaru and the Akatsuki!

Important: So guys, I'm also trying to make it easy to differentiate between past and future Naruto and Hinata. (I know it's confused people in the past in Yesterday Morning and The Time Strangers so I'm really trying to avoid that pitfall again). I would truly love some feedback via a review or shoot me a PM if this way is too distracting with all the bold lettering, it's fine, or if I should try another way altogether to better tell them apart. I bounced ideas off with my cousin and brother and yeah, I still don't know lol!

Anyways, next chapter more of the old rookie 9 will make an appearance!

Enjoy. Review. Favorite. Follow!