Just a short little chapter, easing back into it hopefully

Chapter 8

"Neji! Neji! No hang in there."

"Can we have a medic here now!"

"Why? Why would you do something like that for me ?"

"Because you called me a genius."

"No! Neji!"

Naruto wakes up on his bed, sweating hard and hyperventilating.

He presses his hand on his forehead 'What is happening why am I seeing those memories again and again?'

'Those dreams again huh ?' asked Kurama

'Yeah but the worst part is that they don't feel like dreams it's like I am forced to live the worst parts of my life over and over again.' Naruto said in a low voice

'Naruto you need to get out of this house, you have been isolated for 2 weeks and every time you slept you are having the dreams of your past life over and over again look at your face you look like you are dead inside go out have some fresh air spend time with your friends you need it.'

'I know I know, I just don't feel like going out right now.' Naruto said still rubbing his temple.

He got off his bed and into the washroom. He discarded his sweaty t shirt and washed his face. He noticed again that he was much taller and way more muscular now compared to what he remembered earlier maybe because this time he trained 100 times harder than he did in the previous timeline.

His mind was not distracted much by this though, in the back of his mind he was still stuck on the masked man he had met 2 weeks ago.

He tried to convince himself that it was obito but he knew better, he could sense it there was something about that man that gave him a mysterious vibe that he could not shake off ever since .

To make matters worse he has been having these past life dreams ever since he met him.

His tap was running but he was still staring at the mirror lost in thoughts 'Who the fuck are you?'

He went into the kitchen, drank a glass of water before dropping down on his couch.

*knock on the door*

Naruto reluctantly stands back up and opens the door to find Hinata standing on the other end with a flustered look and hands behind her back.

HINATA'S POV

An hour ago

"You don't need to accompany me you know." Neji neesan said walking besides me as we both sauntered through the early morning bliss on the streets of Konoha.

Shopkeepers are preparing for another day, mothers are either struggling to wake their kids or struggling to get them ready for schools, nothing beats the serenity of an early morning.

But my mind was not going to be placated by this, it was stuck on something else or rather someone else.

"I just wanted an early morning walk." I replied with a smile

"It's that or you want to ask Hokage sama about Naruto."

'What? How did he know? Why is my face turning red again!'

"Umm no it's not like- "thankfully neesan interrupted me with a laugh.

"We are here, at least let Hokage sama brief me about the mission before asking about your boyfriend."

"Hes not my-"again he interrupts me with a laugh, I kind of hate him.

We enter the Hokage office, Hokage sama is talking to a window, that is a little weird.

And I have to talk back my words immediately when Jiraiya sama enter the room.

"Oh Neji, Hinata look how you've grown."

The two kids bow.

Tsunade speaks up "Oh good thing Hinata came with you, Hinata I need you to get Naruto right now."

And just like that the temperature of my body shot up inducing a smile out of the three people present.

But I don't care I have a big issue to deal with.

I ask for pardon and found myself back on the streets.

Is this my lucky day or unlucky day I can't decide.

On one hand I get to talk to Naruto kun today, on the other hand ….. Oh god what do I say, I have never been to his home… are we that close as friends that I can just drop? Or should I just go as an informant…. But wouldn't that seem too formal?

*knock on the door*

"Oh hey Hinata whats up, what is with this stiff pose btw?" Naruto said opening the door

Hinata got more flustered and few seconds of her adjusting her pose followed.

"Umm Naruto Kun, Hokage sama asked me to get you." She said

Naruto sighs and drops his head "I told her I'll contact when I'm ready."

He turns around but Hinata says " Umm actually Jiraiya Sama was there."

That stopped Naruto "Finally that pervert is back. Wait let me change my t-shirt."

"Huh you want to walk together?" Hinata says growing redder.

"Huh I thought so, Are you going somewhere else?"

"No its okay."

As Naruto went in to change Hinata reworked on her hairs.

And then the two walked back to the Hokage mansion on what could be described as a mostly silent and awkward walk with a couple of weather remarks.

Naruto opens the door to the Hokage office and finds his sensei and her enamor having a chat while gulping a cup of sake.

"You guys literally are the worst people to look up to, its freaking 7 in the morning." He sighed.

"Well brat looks like you are grumpier today, don't worry its just 1 cup to celebrate you finally outing yourself as Minato's heir and I've heard you are now a novice with Hiraishin as well." Jiraiya said gulping down the cup and walking towards him.

"Yeah yeah, but my chakra control is so far behind dad's I have 100 times more trouble doing 1 teleportation."

"That is true and the fox would only make it worse, well that's why I never insisted you to learn it, you may have ungodly chakra levels but this is a jutsu that requires extreme control." Jiraiya said

"Yeah, I know, I will keep practicing though, you never know might come handy. Anyways why did you drag your pervy ass down here?"

"He has 2 important pieces of information." Tsunade intervened.

"My spy may have a fix on Itachi's whereabouts." Naruto's eyes opened wider on that remark.

"Get me to him." He said.

"No!" Tsunade said firmly.

"You got Sasuke now I am not exposing you to Akatsuki unless urgent." She said.

"But baachan trust me I don't want to fight him, I just want to talk to him, please." Naruto continued.

"Absolutely not, Neji has been dispatched already to confirm his location, if we send out an assault team, you may be on that, anyways I have another mission for you which I think you would prefer." She said

"Yeah, my spies found out who was behind this Kiri insurgency." Jiraiya said as he threw a file at Naruto .

"You mean that masked man?" Naruto asked opening the file.

"No one knows anything about that masked man you keep saying, if you are right he may be the one controlling things from shadows but the kidnapping and the murders were ordered by this man, Takashi Kubo." Jiraiya said.

Naruto tensed hearing his name and put the file back.

"Is he ?" he asked in a low voice.

"Yeah." Jiraiya said.

"What? " asked Tsunade.

After a moment of silence, Naruto spoke up "Kubo is a high profile businessman who thrived under 4th Mizukage's strict regime, ever since the appointment of the 5th he has been hiring more and more mercenaries.

On my last year I was ordered by the Daimyo task force to take him out."

"And you refused?" Tsunade asked knowing where this was going.

"Yeah, I did. I told them I wouldn't kill people on suspicion, I … I did the righteous thing." Naruto stood up and went out leaving the worried Sannins behind.

"He didn't even listen about the mission." Tsunade said.

"Yeah." Jiraiya sighed

"Ill take it to him" A masked face emerges from the window.

"Oh Kakashi, you're back." Tsunade said.

"Yeah, oh and Hokage sama can I accompany them on this mission?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeah that is why I called you, you work well with them and Naruto needs a guiding figure right now."

NARUTO'S POV

'I always thought I will lead a life the way I always dreamed of.

Very early in my life I knew how adversely other people's hatred can break you, after all it was all I knew growing up.

Then I met Sandaime and Iruka sensei who showed me the power of acceptance and love, they saved me from becoming something I could have never come back from and I decided to gain everybody's acceptance with love, to become the Hokage who everybody loved and accepted became my only goal.

It was supposed to work out that way, right?

Then why didn't it?'

'Now I can see clearly, past the cloud of mist which I think I have been shrouded in long before I met Zabuza, yes, I see now, my life has been a completely misguided endeavor.

My mother and father had to give their lives for me, dad sealed Kurama in me hoping that I would be the one to master his power and protect our village and yet all I ever did was let people get hurt and even die protecting me.

Sandaime, Ero sennin, Asuma sensei, Neji and so many others I can't even count.

I was the one supposed to protect them yet all I have ever done is put them against the face of danger.

Sakura chan, Kakashi sensei, Baachan, Hinata, Gaara so many of them almost died number of times protecting me and what did I do?'

'Even when I finally mastered the power entrusted to me, I failed.

Obito was right, I thought it was easy to blurt these words like I will never let my comrades die and live by it but it means nothing if I can't stand by those words.'

'Had old man six path not given me this chance I am sure I would have to watch my entire world crumble in front of my eyes.

I was naive, yes, I thought that everyone deserved a second chance like I got, I thought I could change people just because I did to Nagato.

I could have killed Obito, the man who murdered my parents but I didn't and Madara came back to life.

I could have killed Kabuto so many times but I didn't and thousands paid the price, Even the ten tails couldn't have been formed without Kikaku/Ginkaku.

I could've killed so many people that caused death and destruction later and I foolishly kept sacrificing my own people for second chances.'

'I thought I changed that when I got sent back, that was the reason I joined the assassination unit to get over my hesitations but I changed nothing.

Killing lowly criminals never changed anything for me and yet again someone close to me paid the price.

Kageyami sensei just wanted to have a peaceful retired life, he was a man who had given everything to Land of Iron and he still took me under his wing and taught me kenjutsu.

He had to die a horrible death because I did not have the guts to kill a man yet again.'

'Shodai Hokage Hashirama killed thousands to get to a position to fix his world.

Dad killed thousands of Iwagakure shinobi to end the 3rd war.

Itachi killed his entire clan in cold blood to save millions.

And yet here I am.

But no more.

Not anymore.

I will not condemn the ones I swore to protect any more.

I will kill any soul that as little as threaten my loved ones.'

Naruto got up.