• CHAPTER TWO •

Yaruka woke whilst his back had been pressed against a soft surface, though widely uncomfortable and far too large to be recognised as a bus seat. A lumped texture poked at the back of his head, a gentle hum of a breeze kissing the rim of his ear, and he had soon questioned if he had ventured too far within his dream. An ache stung to his forehead, a dizziness within his mind, as he attempted a forced wake up call, to ensure his placement in a cramped bus, reeking of only sweat and disappointment. He had grown confident in time that his sleep had definitely consumed him, as well as the illness of his current condition, forcing a trait of deep sleep onto his lightly treading mind. A buzz of unfamiliar insects chirped within his ability, a radar inspecting his surroundings without a visual detection, his supposed zen dream becoming only a reality he could appreciate, with both his eyes shut.

Footsteps approached him, one set heavy and slow, whilst the other raced with an energetic stride, perhaps performing circles around the slower of the two. This is simply a dream, Yaruka reminded himself, they will walk over me, as they have done during this method of relaxation. No bothersome interruptions had dared to creep its way into a crack of happiness ever before in dreams, especially during the hours of excessive manga reading, anime watching, or a forceful amount of food as inspired by Naruto. An instruction to his name, as suggested by a therapist enforced by his mother, had been a mode of meditation, a relaxation to have forgotten the ache of the outside desires, designed to encourage him to embrace sociability. He hadn't.

"Hey, Pervy Sage! There's a dead guy over there," a roughened voice shrieked from a distance, which had been identified as the lively character. The child's strides bounded forward, and with a curiosity stroking him, Yaruka neighboured his eyebrows, the crease a thick line, as he reprocessed the words that have entered the cave of his ear. Pervy Sage? Roughened Voice? A release of air escaped his nose, a gruff breath to his figure, as a senseless confusion washed over him. His chest rose, heaving to the cleanliness of the outside environment, clear to be a separation of the bus his physical self perched upon. Pervy Sage. Lively strides. Roughened voice.

Yaruka swelled at the excitement of his dream, though the grass intertwining with his fingers had left a drop of morning dew that shivered up his senses as realistically as he could believe. Usually, the characters would pay him no mind, and simply acknowledge him as a glimpse in the space, until he wished to be seen. He attempted to shrink into the atmosphere, only to be a mindset within his own conscious. Though, footsteps quickened toward his location, a hurried pace to their steps.

Oh No.

His eyes jolted to face the blueness of the vast sky, clear from any sign of distaste, as if greeting him with a warm smile. His frustration only increased, a dance of confusion becoming the rhythmic of his focus. A startled squeak emitted from one of the two figures.

"Ew, it opened its eyes."

"Naruto!" An older voice scolded, his identity an instant reveal, especially from the gifted nickname from the younger. "Hey, you alright, kid?" The white haired sage crouched over the body, the blond child hovering by his side. Concern hadn't rested on either their faces, instead, it had been replaced with a mild curiosity, the child only stood blinking with widened blue eyes.

"Who are you calling kid?" Yaruka scoffed, pushing himself from the earth by his elbows, until hoisting himself to his feet became a timeless effort. He admired the figures before him, his rudeness being a mere disguise of confusion, as he stood almost at level to Naruto himself. Previously, his height had fluctuated to which he desired but then, he could only stretch to a limit. Naruto had burst into a fit of laughter by then, a loud echo bellowing from his lungs.

"What are you wearing?" He sputtered between gasps. "Your clothes look like they've been worn by Choji!"

"He doesn't know who that is, idiot." The sage, Jiraiya, muttered with a scoff. Yes I do.

Yaruka had prepared to bark, though curiosity swelled his mind, and he forced a glance downward to his own body. The boy had been right; his clothes hung from his frame, the once tight shirt now loose over his thin shoulders, and his jeans had the effort of forcing their way down to his hips. His shoes had even been kicked off, his toes and feet now multiple sizes smaller. He sputtered to himself, a rapid dizziness adding to his confusion. He felt around his neck, his fingers coming in contact with his knotted black hair, falling by his shoulders, and tied in a messy ponytail as it had commonly been assumed to during his youth.

If his suspicions were able go be proven correct, a possibility that he stood in his thirteen year old self's body, hung widely in his mind.

"Well, whatever." Jiraiya yawned, throwing his arms into a scarecrow crucifixion, stretching his legs to stand at his regular level. "I didn't come here to babysit two brats, so let's just get going." He turned his back on the black haired child, a shrug to his shoulders, as he allowed himself to be carried elsewhere. Naruto bounced by his side, an enthusiastic skip to his steps, until he parked Jiraiya on the spot, planting himself in front of the man with his fist outstretched.

"But he should come see the training of the future hokage!" He tilted where he stood, a reassuring grin displaying his teeth. He poked his thumb from his hand, holding it up for Yaruka to view. "Which is me, believe it!"

"Quit it," Jiraiya mumbled, a guarded hand scratching the surface of his the back of his neck, his fingers getting caught around his hair.

"No, I'll come with you." The light in the blond's eyes only increased, staring down the unsteady child in the alien clothing. "But only because I need to wash myself."

"In the river?"

"Yes-" he paused, a realisation kicking in. "Yes, Lord Jiraiya! My home isn't exactly close by, you see." A nervous respect lingered within his trembling voice, a surprise plastering itself to both of the figures eyes, until Jiraiya responded with a mere smirk.

"You know this perv?" Naruto raised a brow, his eyes squinted into an uneasy glare.

"Jiraiya is one of the three legendary ninja," Yaruka mumbled, an embarrassed shrug to his movements, "not to mention the great toad lord. I'd like to do my best in sharing the respect."

"Glad to see someone has recognised my talents." Jiraiya swung a large arm over both boys, guiding the three of them at a poor pace. "Welcome aboard, kid. Our destination isn't so far from here."

And it wasn't.

The two wasted no time ignoring Yaruka's own presence, as the boy ventured to the opposing side of a bush, the same location where Jiraiya had been countlessly displayed spying on a group of underdressed women. He couldn't help but smile, his eyes rolling to the shouts Naruto had released, scolding the old man for multiple reasons he couldn't quite remember. Though, the familiarity of the situation had finally hit his memory: the final round of the chunin exams.

Yaruka's stomach dropped at the reminder of Orochimaru's conflict, the war a priority on the boys list of fears. He contemplated warning the third hokage of his knowledge, though, he couldn't risk the possibility of being an accused henchman or spy of the sannin himself. Within his dreams, no vile event had occurred under his presence, a peace well on his mind. Though, from meeting with his two admired characters, and so much as being touched by them, he began to theorise the possibility it wasn't a dream, or he had been in an incredibly deep sleep.

He peeled off the pale red shirt hanging from his shoulders, stepping from the jeans pooled around his ankles, and gazing hopelessly at his underwear. The once skin tight boxers had now gripped to the definition of his thin hips, a wide blush spreading across the boys face, as his gaze flickered to behind him, ensuring the occupation of the two males on the other side. As the clearing had been proven safe, he removed his underwear from the confinement of his waist, and acquainted them with the rest of his clothing.

His feet greeted the water with a gentle tap, as he slid inwards, halting once it reached his waist. His fingers cupped below the waters edge, bringing his soaking hand to his shoulders, scrubbing the grasses itchiness from his skin, flicking off any dirt that had snuck its way to his chest and back area. He ventured through the corners of his own mind, running his hands down his body, though imagining any possibility of an alternate reality, a way to wake up before a war, perhaps a way to summon Tsunade before she'd even been needed.

He ran his fingers through the thickness of his hair, peering down onto his appearance humming within the reflection, a youthful version of himself who only blinked in response. His eyes fell to be half lidded, the buzz in his mind rising once again, a sway to his motions. A fear ached at his chest, distracting him from the reality he had chosen to ignore, time ticking as helplessly as he was. A doubt bubbled in his mind, large enough to undermine the looming figures behind him, as the sun hung low. Yaruka's mind emptied of the thoughts one by one, the approaching presence of the afternoon sky and the two figures integrating within his doubts.

"Off we go kid, you coming or-"

"Hey!" Yaruka shrieked, ducking to have his chin hover above the water, his hands disguising his genitalia from the two pairs of eyes staring at him. "Weren't you ever taught to not sneak up on people?"

Having a grown man and an admired child, both birthed from the series he adored, staring down at his naked figure had became a disturbing thought to the crook of his mind. As long as they don't remember in future dreams, he sighed to himself, if this is a dream.