From A Time No Longer

by ploytoid

What if? Those appear a lot in life. Well what if Naruto was sent back in time during his fight with Kaguya? what if he was given a second chance that the Gods and Goddess themselves didn't even know about? Yup, just Like Naruto throw a wrench into the plans of the divines, and fortunately for him, they can't do anything about it, they can only try to learn how it happened.

4. Team Placement

HELLLLLLOOOOO, AND WELCOME TO THE NEXT chapter of the story. Thanks to everyone for all the support. For everyone who made a comment on Menma, please tell me who you think it is. It drove my beta crazy trying to guess and I want to see who you all think it is.

Speaking of Beta, OI

Silver: didn't we handle this in ch. 4 of A Pagans View?

Well, it's time for Round Two. Say the disclaimer and fight like a man

Silver: oh that's it. Ploytoid does not own Naruto. Now bring it on BITCH

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Kami growled as she once again went over the timeline that was now destroyed. But no matter how many times she read it, she couldn't find out where it went wrong. This wasn't good. The sky around her darkened for a moment as the purple-faced Death entity entered her domain. "Report"

"About as we expected. The Heavenly Host's of the other worlds have had mixed reactions. Dimensions 2, 3, 4, and 6 are not happy but have yielded to our arguments. Dimension 5 is indifferent, and the messenger of Dimension 7 has yet to report back." the Shinigami reported. Kami nodded with a frown, multiple thoughts in her head.

"As well as we could hope for. Though that still doesn't explain how the mortal realm made a seal for this," Kami responded.

"Who said it was a seal? Maybe some cults started to practice magic and made a spell?" Shin asked. The goddess thought on that for a moment before she shook her head.

"Unless someone was able to travel from dimensions 5 or 6, then it is unlikely. The first four don't use magic, us as well. They have their own type of energy; none of it is strong enough to do this. Besides, according to Kurama, a seal was the cause of this. And until we find further evidence to disprove it then…" she said letting her sentence trail. "You are needed back near the Martial Gate. Too many souls are trying to escape. You'll have to handle the post till Azael gets back"

Shin groaned but nodded as they faded from view. Near them was Kurama, sitting in a patch of grass and watching them, wondering. "Kami-sama, if I may, you have been fretting over this 'Gate' since this all happened. What is it exactly?" Kami looked over to him and frowned again. She shrugged and walked over to him after a moment of thought.

"That is a complicated question to answer. What do you know of the Three Realms?" She asked.

"I know that there are three: the Heavenly Domain, the house of Heaven, and the realm of your control. There is Maki, the realm of the Shinigami and where the dead goes to be judged. Then there is the Martial Plane, where all things mortal lives." He answered. Kami nodded.

"That is true but do you know what separates them? I didn't think so. It's not knowledge that would exist on there. To help explain, think of the three of them as three bubbles in a triangle. Between the three are lines separating them. Those are called Gates" Kami explained, drawing a diagram in the grass. "The gates prevent the three worlds from interacting with each other. Now what you need to know, is that time only exists in the Martial Plane. There is no concept of time in the other two. With me?"

Kurama nodded with a frown, "Okay. Now when Naruto was sent in time, thus destroying the other timeline, there was an exodus of souls from the Martial Plane to Maki. that alone is a huge stress for the gate. But with the timeline resetting itself there are now souls in the martial plane that also exist in Maki. Because of this, the departure of souls is now trying to go back through the gate to rejoin its living counterpart."

Kurama suddenly had a sense of what was going on, "And because the gate is only one way, they could very much go back to the living plane. That's why you guard them. With the Shinigami protecting you have a deterrent because no one wants to be lunch food."

Kami nodded, "Yes but that isn't the problem. Though the Gate wasn't supposed to be under that much stress it wouldn't break. It's strong like that. However, if the timeline were to go through another reset then the Gate would break. Unfroutanetley the gates are linked. If one breaks they all breaks. And if there is nothing to stop the three worlds from interacting…"

The fox widened its eyes finally understanding. "You need to send someone to the Martial plane."

"Why?" she said with a raised eyebrow.

"Because I have a deep understanding of Humans. If someone took the time to make this jutsu, they would make dam sure whatever else they had planned goes off without a hitch. What I'm saying is that Naruto might not have been the only one to be sent back" Kurama growled.

Kami blinked and frowned for the hundredth time. "Hmm, your words might hold merit fox." in the next moment she was gone, literally blinking out of existence. Kurama blinked as well but he didn't disappear. He growled again but laid his head down and waited.

(With Naruto, Team Selection)

Our favorite blonde genin groaned as he slumped into his seat. After his date, Asui had run home,e and he had decided to train. The training ended up going later into the night than he thought, and he had woken up earlier in the morning to do an errand that he thought was important. He groaned again and looked at the clock.

Iruka walked in not long after and quickly called role. "Okay class listen up. From now you are no longer academy students. From now on you are genin of Konohagakure. You are soldiers. In a few minutes, I will be calling out the teams. These are the instructions of the Third Hokage. Congratulations." He said and began to call team names.

Naruto sat on his seat, eager. Being a genin three years early meant a whole new world for Naruto. He glimpsed over to Asui and saw she had a smile and look of determination. "And now Team Nine, this year's top team, Rookie of the Year, Naruto Uzumaki, Asui Naruke, and Kaiser Inuzuka. You're jonin sensei will be Might Guy" He exclaimed making Naruto widened his eyes. Guy would give them hell but he would train them properly.

Suddenly the door burst open as the green-clad ninja jumped into the room and landed in his Nice Guy Pose. "YOSH! I Team Nine, I am your jonin sensei, the Beautiful Green Beast of Konoha Might Guy, Please head to the roof. I SHALL MEET YOU THERE," he exclaimed and jumped out of the room, causing the class to sweatdropped.

"He's OUR sensei?!" Kaiser yelled. Iruka grinned and nodded, making the dog user groan. Asui nodded as she stood up.

"No point in making a scene. Our sensei is waiting for us dog breath." She went to say something to Naruto but he was already out the door. She shook her head and quickly followed.

Guy sat against the railing of the roof, waiting for his students. 'Why me?'

Flashback, yesterday evening after the graduation exam

All the jonin sensei's had been gathered, the ready to get the dossier on their teams. "All right listen up. We had a total of 36 students pass so that we will have 12 genin teams this year. This is the results of the exams."

The aged Hokage pointed to a sheet pinned to the wall, letting the soon to be teachers look at the results. To say they were surprised was an understatement. "Hokage-sama! Are you sure this right? Uzumaki is what? 8 or 9? How did he manage a perfect score?" a random jonin asked.

Sarutobi grinned. "Because he's been busting his ass off. He knows he's the youngest graduate since Itachi Uchiha and is looking to prove himself. Guy, you performed the Taijutsu Portion. How did young Naruto do?"

Guy snapped to attention, "His flames of youth shine brightly, Hokage-sama. Our spar was short but he is extremely skilled. I would dare say he's the strongest genin with his taijutsu. I held back during all of my fights, to get a feel for their skill level. Naruto-Kun was the only one to not only get past my defense but also caught me off guard and forced my instincts to react to his attack." he reported, causing more disbelief.

"That being said, is there one who will teach Naruto? Being the rookie of the year means he will be paired with the top kunoichi and the lowest scoring genin." He asked, No one raised their hands at first but he saw one raise near the back.

"I'll train the brat Hokage-sama," Anko said, making everyone turn to look at her. "I'll whip him and whoever his teammates are into shape." This caused some muttering but no one said anything about that.

Hiruzen sighed, "Anko, I can't allow you to teach a team. You are only a tokubestu jonin." Anko gritted her teeth but held back at the look the older ninja shot her. "Is there anyone else?"

After a few more moments another hand went into the air. "I'll do it Hokage-sama" a lazy voice drawled. All eyes went to Kakashi Hatake. As soon as he said it Guy's hand went into the air.

"No Hokage-sama, let me do it," Guy said in an unusually serious voice. Seeing the confused look he explained. "With all due respect sir, after the incident in the Forest of Death, he will need to be watched. With the Eight Gates, not only will I be able to hold him off, but I can also ensure the safety of my team in case the seal starts to fail."

"Be that as it may, It has also been proven that a Sharingan can trap the mind of a bijuu. Should the seal start to fail I can subdue him faster." Kakashi said. Hiruzen frowned as he thought this through. Then a light bulb went off in his head.

"Here's what we will do…"

Flashback end

Guy looked over and saw Kakashi reading an orange book. In the end, the Hokage had decided team ten will have two jonin leaders until the seal could be checked out by Jiraiya. He shook his head as Naruto came from the roof access, followed by Asui and Kaiser. "Good, you're all here. First, lest go into some proper introductions. Kakashi?"

The silver-haired jonin snapped his book shut and looked at the team in front of him. "Meh, I am Kakashi Hatake. My likes are my own, and I have very few dislikes. My dreams for the future are a mystery and my goals for now equally so" he said with an eye smile.

"Damn you Kakashi! Give them a proper introduction, like this. I am Might Guy. Current taijutsu expert I like taijutsu, all-out training, and defending the leaf. I dislike those who think unproven genius can beat hard work and those who would commit evil with disregard for human life. My dream is to teach the passion of Taijutsu throughout the leaf and to find someone to who I can pass all of my teachings too. My goals for right now are to turn you into fine shinobi who will protect your home. That's a proper introduction Kakashi. Now for you all. First you" he said point at the Inuzuka.

"My name is Kaiser Inuzuka, and this is my partner Kyouamaru. I like to look after the ninken my clan have and training with Kyouamaru. I dislike those who hate dogs and fleas. My dream is to be a strong pillar for my clan and to become the assistant at the clinic where my cousin, Hana works. My goals are the same" Kaiser said with a smile. Guy flashed a smile as he pointed to Asui.

"My name is Asui Naruke. My likes are kenjutsu and gardening. I dislike perverts and men who think women can't be strong because of their gender. My dream is to prove my strength to my cousin Yugao and become the Kenjutsu mistress. My goal is to become strong in the Kenjutsu my grandfather used." She said with a determined smile. Guy nodded and pointed to Naruto.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I like instant ramen and training. I dislike perverts and those who can't tell the difference between a kunai and a sealing scroll. I also dislike those who steal all the credit from the hardworking people who deserve it. My dream is to be the greatest Hokage and to make my family proud. My goal is to finish my taijutsu style."

"All excellent dreams and goals. Now onto official business. You must be wondering why Kakashi is here. The Hokage deemed it necessary. You are about to learn an SS-ranked secret. If you repeat this information to ANYONE, then you could be executed for talking about village secrets. Do you understand?" Guy asked. All three genin nodded. "Naruto, the Hokage informed me that you already knew, but has also said that your two teammates deserve to know as well.'

Naruto nodded, inwardly thinking to himself about the game the Third Hokage was playing. Guy went on a short story about the Kyuubi attack. "It's important to remember that Bijuu is masses of charka given sentience. In other words, they can't be killed. They would just disperse into charka and reform somewhere else. So the Fourth Hokage, in his wisdom, did the next best thing and sealed away the Kyuubi into the only one available. Our very own Naruto here."

Guy looked over at Asui and Kaiser expectantly. To his surprise, they nodded. "Umm, no offense Guy-sensei. But we already knew. Naruto explained to us this morning before we arrived at the academy that we would be put on his team. He knew that top males and females were put on the same team as the dead last to help improve them. And given that, he explained to us about his status as a jinchuuriki." this caught both of the jonin off guard as they both blinked and looked at Naruto, who grinned sheepishly.

"Well, it's my secret to tell, and there shouldn't be any secrets between teammates that aren't personal, especially if I accidentally use his chakra during a mission. Saves me and you the trouble of making up a lie. I also explained to them the law." he said. Kaiser made a fist and jumped up.

"Besides, it doesn't matter. As soon as I get stronger Kyouamaru and I are gonna kick his ass. Demon or not" He said. His upbeat attitude got Guy excited.

"Well thought my thoughtful students. In that regard, all you need to know is that Kakashi is going to help you train and he has a weapon he can use if Naruto's seal starts to act up. Officially he is not part of the team, I make all the shots. Understood? Okay. Then head to training ground 13. We will meet you there." Guy exclaimed and was gone in a whirl of waves.

Kakashi gave an eye smile, "You know, I might actually have hope for this team." He said and disappeared as well. Kaiser gawked at them and Naruto grinned.

"Come on you two, let's not keep our sensei's waiting. I know where it is" Naruto said and shot across the rooftops. Kaiser and Asui blinked before they started to follow. Five minutes later they reached a big clearing near the right side of the village.

Guy held a stopwatch out, "Five minutes my youthful team. Not a bad start but it can be better. Now it is time for the Genin Squad Test." he exclaimed.

"But Sensei, we already did the genin exam," Kaiser responded. Guy shook his head and gave them a thumbs up.

"Correct. You have already taken the exam, but this is the real test. It was implemented by the Yondaime Hokage. The Jonin leader of the team is to test his genin squad, to make sure they are ready for the brutal reality of being a shinobi" He said, his face becoming serious as he spoke, which to Naruto was unusual. "Being a shinobi is not fun and games, nor is it your chance to prove you're a hero. We kill, we serve, and in most cases, act as a tool for our Kage. That was the mindset we learned from the last war. We can't hesitate when we are in the field. If I give you the order to kill then you must be able to follow it through. So we test you, to see if you have the resolve to become an asset to the village."

"Being a shinobi is a harsh life. Though we are not at war, we must always be prepared if war breaks out. Take this lesson to heart. When you are given a mission, your job is to finish it. But your reputation is not worth your life, We aren't tools, we're human beings. Your health and the health of your team is more important than any mission. They say those who break the rules are trash and that's true. But those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash. That is the lesson taught to me by my former teammate." Kakashi said.

"Agreed, my eternal rival. Konoha is famous for its renowned teamwork. So I'll ask you a simple question, should the time come, can you sacrifice your life for the safety of the village?" Guy said, and to Naruto's surprise, he started to leak a little bit of killing intent.

Naruto glanced over to his two teammates and observed them. Kaiser and Kyouamaru were shaking a bit, and Asui was pale and started to sweat. Naruto frowned and stood forward, and held his fist out. "I didn't know my parents, but according to Jiji they gave their life for Konoha, you better believe I'll do the same," he said with determination, unfazed.

"I-I won't back down. My Cousin is expecting great things from me, I can't let her down" Asui said, still shaking. Seeing the only girl in the area speak up, Kaiser forced a feral grin on his face.

"So what? I have a clan to serve, I can't pussy out now" He said.

Guy kept the pressure up for a few moments longer. It dropped and he smiled again. "Congratulations. From this moment onwards, we are Team Nine. Now let's spread our Flames of Youth with some light training today and tomorrow we will do some missions and more training."

Kakashi gave a lazy wave, "Have fun with that Guy. I am going to report to the Hokage now" He said and disappeared in a swirl of leaves. "All right, first things first, a five-mile run from here to the south gate and back" Asui and Kaiser went wide-eyed while Naruto rolled his, expecting this. "Then after that some light exercises."

"Five miles, but that's one way. That's ten miles altogether!" Kaiser exclaimed. Guy gave him his signature nice guy pose.

"Indeed! Follow me, and I'll set the pace" he said and took off jogging. Naruto grinned and took off after him.

"I think they mean to kill us Kaiser or to train us into super soldiers," Asui commented before she took off as well. Kaiser gawked before Kyouamru barked and jumped on his head.

"Hey! Who said you get a free ride?" BARK "Fair point, but still" WOOF "Ugh fine, let's catch up. If this is his definition of light then I don't want to see his punishment."

(With Kakashi)

The scarecrow-like shinobi reappeared in the office, as the aged Kage was tirelessly working against his biggest adversary, paperwork. "Yo"

"Good, you're here. I needed a distraction from this blasted paperwork. How did team placements go?" Hiruzen asked, almost teleporting right beside Kakashi, causing the one-eyed man to sweatdrop.

"Good so far. For only being nine, he's certainly wiser than most of his age group" Kakashi reported.

"Oh? How so?"

"Well, he knew that he was the rookie of the year, and this Asui was the top female. He also knew that because Kaiser was the lowest scoring student, they would all three be put on the same team. So before the academy started he told of them as his status of a jinchuuriki." He said, causing the Sandaime to widen his eyes.

"I see, and how did Guys test go?"

"I think Guy put more effort into it than he meant to. Certainly more than was necessary, which was all the better. Naruto was unaffected and managed to encourage his teammates. So they passed."

Sarutobi sighed as he went over to his window overlooking the village. "The youngest genin to graduate since Itachi Uchiha. Heh," he said with a smirk. Kakashi felt his eyes wander to a picture sitting on the desk, of a blonde-haired man with blue eyes.

"Do you think he would be proud of Naruto?" Kakashi asked

"Of that, I have no doubt. But I also feel Minato would be angry at me, for allowing Naruto to graduate early, for killing his childhood off. If not for that damned council" Hiruzen said, a scowl on his face. It turned into a sigh as he turned to stare at the picture as well. "It's weird you know. I went and talked to him the other day. I saw something, it was only for the briefest moment, but I know I saw it."

"Saw what, sir?"

"Naruto was telling me about a dream he had. He was in a war, surrounded by ninja of every nation, fighting against a common enemy together. For a brief moment, I didn't see a child in front of me. No, I saw the eyes of a battle-hardened shinobi, the one who has seen too much battle and death. They didn't belong to Naruto. But as quick as I saw them, they were gone." Sarutobi sighed again and took his seat. "Hell, he even knows who his father was by simply guessing. And he understands why Minato did it. Add that with the outburst of Biju's charka, and well… I worry maybe the seal is getting weak. It's almost like Naruto is a completely new person"

Kakashi nodded as he understood the worry. "Well, only Jiriaya-sama can tell. With my Sharingan, I can keep the beast subdue until he can check the seal, should the need arise. The only thing we can do is keep an eye on him" the old Hokage nodded as he took out his pipe and packed it.

"Agreed. Now can you go fetch Itachi for me. There is suppose to be another Uchiha clan gathering tonight and I need to correspond with him." Kakashi nodded as he jumped out of the window. Taking a puff he turned to the paperwork on his desk, which looked about three times as big as he remembered it being. "One day I will learn the secret of how you keep growing my old enemy.

"Talking to yourself ASarutobi? I knew you would go senile one day" A voice called to him. Hiruzen turned to the wall and saw Danzo appear. "Regardless we might have a problem."

"Problems already? Root has only been active for a day, what could be the problem?" He asked. Danzo pulled out a beige folder and handed it to him.

"One of my operatives was attacked. He was stationed to watch the Kyuubi jinchuuriki, should his date have sideways intention. He was killed and that message was left. You are aware of my juinjutsu, yes? Well, this mysterious attacker was able to take it off. A quick glance at the timeline means he had 45 minutes alone with my operative before he was found. There was no telling how much information was told." Danzo said, causing Hiruzen to frown.

"I suppose the matter is being fully investigated? Then act as you see fit. If someone else is watching Naruto then I want them found and interrogated. Do what you have to. Does this name mean anything to you? This note was left for you after all." He asked.

"No. I have never used that code name for anything. This is a completely unknown factor, something I do not like." the war-hawk said simply. The third Hokage nodded.

"Then keep an eye out for him, and let me keep watch of Naruto. Whoever it is, does not like your ROOT at all. Dismissed." Danzo nodded and shimmered away.

(With Naruto, Five hours later)

Naruto sighed as he stretched. Guy had been a slave driver, as he remembered, and drove the team into the ground with his 'light' drills. But Naruto for one was excited. Kakashi didn't teach him much in the old timeline so this means he could become much stronger this time around, First stop was getting food, then to the Hokages office for the key to his parent's house.

His thoughts were cut short as two people ran past him, nearly knocking him to the ground. He scowled and went to say some words when something caught his eye. They had a red and white fan on their back, Uchiha clan.

'Oh shit! The massacre! That's tonight. End of Sasuke's first year. Shit' Naruto thought to himself as he ran towards the compound. He still had time. From what Obito told him, Itachi started at midnight. Which was in four hours. He came to stop and tried to think. 'The Uchiha clan has some woods they train in, not off-limits. Let's try that.'

He started to run again. He knew where the woods were, having seen many Uchiha train there before. He jumped into the trees and ran quicker. He jumped inside the woods and started to look around. His ears perked as he heard the sounds of kunai hitting wood. He jumped up higher and hid as he approached the training field.

Sasuke Uchiha grunted as he threw another shuriken, just like his brother taught him. It hit slightly off the bullseye. He heard clapping from behind him and he jumped. He turned around and saw a blonde-haired boy, near his age. "Not bad, are you a first-year in the academy?"

"Of course, my future is as a Konoha Shinobi. And one day, I'll be the Hokage!" the young Uchiha said with a wide grin, causing Naruto to blink.

'Oh yeah, before the massacre he wanted to be the Hokage, just like I did. That's how our rivalry started, to see who would be the best Hokage.' Naruto thought with a smirk and brought his hand up, showing off his headband. "Get in line, cause I'm gonna be the next Hokage"

Sasuke gasped as he saw, "You're a genin! But you look as old as I do" Naruto grinned sheepishly.

"Hehe. I was able to join the academy early, and graduate early." Naruto said, causing another gasp. Sasuke went into a taijutsu stance almost instantly.

"Fight me then, so I can show you the might of the Uchiha clan and that I will be the next Uchiha." and without warning, he started to run off towards Naruto.

Naruto grinned as he recognized the Interceptor stance, but it was sloppy. Naruto ducked and dodged all the punches and rotated on his heel, pushing his palm into the back of the young boy, sending him forward with his own momentum. Sasuke stumbled a bit but fixed his stance quickly and charged forward again.

To Naruto, Sasuke was going in slow motion. He ducked under a jab and sent a palm thrust outwards. It connected with the Uchiha's chest, forcing him to a knee to catch his breath. Naruto smiled to himself as Sasuke got back up.

This continued for an hour as Naruto just dodged all the strikes, his muscle memory still good enough to remember his style. As they hit the hour mark Sasuke was sweating profusely. "H-h-how are you so strong. Only Itachi-nee is this stong," he muttered to himself as he fell forward.

Naruto caught the boy as he fell and smiled. 'Now, let's go grab my key. If I bring Sasuke to the Uchiha compound they would try to charge me with assault.' Naruto thought as he reinforced his legs with chakra and started to make his way to the Hokage's tower, being careful to mind his step so as to avoid the attention of the other ninja. He frowned as he saw many of the patrolling shinobi running about.

He sighed and started to run to his apartment. He couldn't get close to the Hokage's Tower without being spotted, and he didn't feel like giving the Council a reason to execute him today. Keeping an eye out once again he landed on the roof. So far so good. He laid the sleeping Uchiha on his futon and made a clone to watch him.

"Keep an eye on him, if he wakes up make another clone and dispel. I need to talk to Jiji about getting the keys to Dad's house." He told the clone. His copy nodded and Naruto went to the roofs again.

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And that's the chapter. I hope ye enjoyed it. I don't think I will be uploading another chapter to this story until after new years, so Happy Holidays to you all.

Now be honest how many saw Guy being squad leader? Beta didn't see at all. Twas a nice surprise for him.

Thanks for reading.

Ja ne,

Ploytoid out