Here's the second chapter of Future or Fantasy, I know readers of my Pokémon story are hoping for an update to that but I got the idea for this chapter and had to get it done.

With that said I'll be starting the next chapter of Champion of Champions and get it out as soon as I can.

Now on to the story.

Chapter 2

Starting Over

Sunlight poked through a gap in the curtains and shone right on to Naruto's closed eyes as his alarm clock rang out in the silence. Frowning as he started to awaken, he found that he'd fallen asleep while working again. Naruto was sat cross-legged on his bed leaning against the headboard, pieces of paper and scrolls strewn around him covered in notes about what he could remember about the future as best he could remember it.

The blonde stretched, grunting as his joints popped, loosening his muscles after spending the night in one uncomfortable position. Facing him on the opposite wall was the Konohagakure symbol poster that had been above his bed, although it was turned over with a timeline scrawled on to it. Granted, it wasn't the most ingenious hiding place for something so important but it was the only place he had that he could do it because he wouldn't be able to remember all the details he was writing down. Various sections of the timeline were highlighted to signify where he could try and change the future such as helping or warning the Third Hokage against Orochimaru, preventing Asuma's death and stopping Pein before he had a chance to destroy the village.

There were other sections of the timeline with question marks around them, some because he couldn't remember the detail of what happened properly like his battle with Orochimaru at Tenchi Bridge, others were to question whether he should really change anything, such as Sasuke getting the Curse Mark. It was true that the Curse Mark caused a lot of problems due to how it twisted Sasuke's mind, though Naruto had doubts about the extent of the twisting, it also gave Sasuke a level of strength that got them out of a few dangerous situations. Sasuke leaving the village was another section question marked as to whether to change it or not, Naruto knew he'd promised Sakura to bring Sasuke back but he had some wiggle room with that because he didn't specify when he would bring Sasuke back.

Shutting off the alarm clock Naruto packed the papers and scrolls away, flipped the poster around to hide the timeline and went to shower. It had been a couple of weeks since he'd come too in the clearing during the bell test and was fairly convinced he'd travelled in time but Kurama wasn't, reasoning that a jutsu like that would've been too complicated for them to have full memories of what would happen and wouldn't have been possible in the first place. To prepare for the future whether it was what they remembered or something else entirely Naruto had started to take his training even more seriously, he'd taken to waking up at four or five in the morning to train for a couple of hours before getting ready for the day. He'd even managed to get Kakashi to start teaching them Tree-Walking under the guise of helping with chakra control, Sakura once again got it first time with Naruto seeming to get a hang of it a couple of days later as he kept pace with Sasuke. Truthfully Naruto had completed the exercise not long after Sakura but remembering Sasuke's superiority complex he held back so he didn't send the Uchiha off to the dark side sooner. The only tough part of their training sessions was pretending to be learning the team formations again and fighting his reflex to get into position with practiced ease. If he had to go through manji formation one more time he'd go become a missing-nin.

As he stood in the shower Naruto took the time to fix his mind into the way it was when he got his Hitai-ate from Iruka-Sensei, behaving like an idiot again was grating on his nerves but it had to be done Kakashi-Sensei was suspicious enough already after how he'd changed during the bell test. Turning the water off and quickly drying himself Naruto changed into a pair of baggy grey shorts and a black vest, strapping weights on his legs and forearms before leaving his apartment to go on a jog around the outskirts of the village.

The light jog gave Naruto time to let his mind wander, the thought that came to him first was the dream he'd been having constantly since the bell test. It was what he remembered about the future, being the Hokage and married with two children but Hinata and Sakura kept swapping places as his wife whenever he blinked, Boruto looked the same but Himawari would change between the pale eyes and dark lavender hair of her mother to the green eyes and soft pink hair of Sakura. Shaking his head Naruto put the dreams down to his childhood crush on Sakura but deep down he knew the real reason, even though he'd given his heart to Hinata a small part still longed for Sakura and the nature of a few of the dreams made Naruto feel like he'd cheated on Hinata.

The thought of his children made Naruto slow his pace, he could knew in his heart he would see them again but would they be the same as he remembered? As he started to feel depressed Naruto's optimism pushed it back, filling him with the belief that everything would be just the way it had been, possibly better. His pubescent mind conjured up an image of how things could be better involving both Hinata and Sakura, Naruto closed his eyes and slapped his cheeks to rid himself of that thought and to cover the redness of his cheeks. Due to having his eyes shut he didn't see a tree root and tripped over it but is fall was halted by someone grabbing the back of his vest before he hit the ground. Opening his eyes he was greeted by a pair of legs encased in green spandex and orange legwarmers, it was Might Guy, Naruto had seen him a few times during the last couple of weeks and introduced himself to Guy and Lee just in case he slipped up and called them by name before he was supposed to know it.

"I see the fires of your youth are too strong for your feet to keep up, five hundred laps around the village should put an end to that. Come Naruto, let us begin." Naruto rolled his eyes before looking up at the person holding him by his collar. A thought came to Naruto's mind as he realised he had a golden opportunity in front of him.

"Hi, Guy-Sensei. I was thinking about how to train later, do you have any ideas?" He asked, getting his balance as Guy released his vest.

"Shouldn't you be asking Kakashi for help instead of another Jonin?"

"I would but Kakashi-Sensei is more focused on Sasuke than me and Sakura. That's why I thought I'd ask you for some tips on how to get stronger."

"Ah, the passion for improvement. I see that I am a better teacher then my eternal rival." Guy grinned and a twinkle of light shone from his teeth. "You may be one of Kakashi's students but I will aid you in your endeavor to become stronger, both I and my protégé Rock Lee shall make you all that you can be with the POWER OF YOUTH!" Naruto winced at the sudden escalation in volume but smiled.

"Thanks Guy-Sensei. When should I find you to start training?"

"Why wait? We shall begin right the moment, keep pace and follow me to the training ground." With that said Guy took off at top speed, leaving a trailing dust cloud and a dumbfounded Naruto in his wake.

"What did I just get myself into?" Naruto muttered, dragging a hand down his face before running after Guy glad that he already knew where the Jonin liked to train with his team.

Arriving at the training ground a few minutes later Naruto saw Lee standing in front of a tree trunk practicing his round kicks while Guy was stood at the side watching, occasionally giving out pieces of advice.

"Ah Naruto, you've arrived. Allow me to introduce my prized student, Rock Lee. You met only briefly before." Guy said putting a hand on Lee's shoulder once the Genin had turned around.

"I am pleased to meet you Naruto, I am Konohagakure's beautiful green beast Rock Lee." Lee held out a thumbs up and smiled, a twinkle shining off his teeth.

"Hey Lee, can I ask a question?"

"Why of course Naruto, I will do my very best to answer it and if I cannot then I will do five hundred kicks, if I cannot do that then…"

"Alright Lee, there's no need for that. I just want to know how you and Guy-Sensei get your teeth to do that twinkle thing." Lee looked to Guy before turning back to Naruto.

"I'm sorry Naruto, that is a closely guarded secret of Guy-Sensei's, I can't answer your question so I will now do 500 kicks and…" Naruto tuned Lee's voice as he looked at Guy, hoping for an answer.

"Naruto, if you truly wish to train with myself and Lee of a morning then I have something to give you." Guy reached into his flak jacket, Naruto already knew what was coming as Guy pulled out a green jumpsuit. "This gorgeous suit is specially made so it breathes, is durable and always fits perfectly. It is also guaranteed to increase the results of your training by 50%." Naruto took the jumpsuit and hung it on a nearby branch, remembering that Jiraiya had burnt his previous one to ashes during their training journey.

"Thank you Guy-Sensei, I'll wear it next time. So where do I start?"

"Well, first I need to see what you're capable of." Guy dropped into a fighting stance. "Don't hold back, come at me with everything you've got." Naruto nodded and widened his stance, bringing his guard up and took a second to think, he couldn't go at Guy with the Frog Kata as he'd know it wasn't something a new Genin would be able to do. That just left the academy taught taijutsu, he knew that he wouldn't be able to touch Guy but he might be able to catch him by surprise. Naruto smirked and charged in, stopping just short of the Jonin and rolling to the side, producing three clones as he did. The clones jumped at Guy and were dispelled easily with a single punch, out of the resulting smoke came Naruto. Guy just grabbed his ankle and held him upside down.

"Really Naruto, being a student of Kakashi's I expected more from you. Has by rival really been so sloppy and not bothered to train you at all?" Naruto just grinned as a volley of kunai came from the surrounding trees, slamming the heel of his other foot into Guy's wrist allowing Naruto's ankle to be released so he could backflip out of the way.

"Leaf Hurricane!" Guy shouted, jumping into his signature spin kick knocking the kunai away either with his kick or the resulting wind of his spin. A horde of Naruto's clones leapt from the tree branches and charged at Guy with a battle cry. The Jonin responded in kind and set about dispelling the clones with ease, once they were all gone Guy turned to see Naruto stood opposite him waiting. "Come now Naruto, let me feel the power of your Youth." Guy ran at Naruto with the blonde meeting him halfway, they exchanged blows with none of Naruto's getting close to passing Guy's guard while the Jinchūriki deflected as many of Guy's punches as he could.

Let me help you brat. Kurama said, getting bored of the display Naruto was putting on.

No, if your chakra's felt then that's the end for both of us. He replied and as he did Guy landed a punch to Naruto's gut following it up with a round elbow to the side of the head sending Naruto sprawling.

He looked up just in time to see to see Guy and rolled away to avoid a drop heel, scrambling to his feet to block the follow up round kick which sent him skidding across the ground while staying on his feet. Seeing Guy run in for another punch, Naruto turned his back on the Jonin and felt the breeze from the punch as it passed by his ear. Sliding a leg back, Naruto used chakra to stick to the ground as he grabbed Guy's outstretched arm and moved the rest of his chakra to muscles and threw Guy over his shoulder. The Jonin jumped with the throw, spinning in the air and pulling his arm out of Naruto's grasp while lashing out with another round kick catching Naruto in the side of the head.

Naruto flew through the air and landed in a heap on the ground, he lay still for a few seconds before starting to push himself up but his arms failed him and he dropped to the ground. Guy relaxed his stance and started walking towards Naruto when he dispelled in a large puff of smoke.

"A Shadow Clone?!" Guy exclaimed as the real Naruto jumped from his hiding place in a nearby tree and came down with an axe kick.

What do you know, your plan might actually work. Kurama muttered, distracting Naruto as Guy acted on reflex attacking with a high side kick, catching Naruto under the chin. Naruto reversed course, slammed into the tree he'd just leapt from and fell to the ground hitting every branch on the way down. Landing with a thud, Naruto blacked out. When he opened his eyes he was staring up at the pipes that surrounded Kurama's cage, sitting up he glared at the Fox.

"That was your fault."

I know. Kurama chuckled as he sent a sliver of chakra to deal with the concussion before it fully took hold. Now get out of here so I can keep repeating that image without seeing your pitiful pouting face. Kurama then ejected Naruto from his mindscape.

Opening his eyes again Naruto saw the concerned faces of Guy and Lee, slowly getting to his feet with Guy's help Naruto sagged and leant against the tree.

"I'm okay, just give me a minute for the ringing in my ears stops." Naruto said.

"That was an impressive Shadow Clone you made Naruto. How was it able to withstand my attacks for so long?" Guy asked.

"I used most of my chakra on it. I thought that if I used more chakra on a single clone then it would last longer than my clones normally do, I'm actually surprised it lasted that long against you."

"And what about the other clones you made?" Lee added.

"They were made from the chakra I had left, I didn't know if they would've lasted long enough for me to make the stronger one. They probably would've died from a graze."

"I thought they looked a little flimsy." Guy said, "I am disappointed in you though Naruto."

"That's why I asked for your help Guy-Sensei…" Naruto started until Guy held up a hand.

"I'm not talking about your fighting ability, I told you to come at me with everything you had but you held something back. The way you moved showed that you were trying to disguise your actual fighting style and that you are more skilled then you want people to believe. If I saw this then I have no doubt that my rival Kakashi saw it too, why hide your true skill Naruto?"

Naruto fought the urge to slap himself in the face, he should've known that Guy would call him out on his taijutsu ability. Ignoring Kurama's cackling laughter, he sighed and answered Guy's question.

"Like I said earlier, Kakashi-Sensei is more focused on Sasuke then me and Sakura so I've been doing my own training, I've been fighting longer then every other Genin in my class. Every time someone had a problem it was blamed on me and the other kids would just start hitting me for no reason, eventually I decided that I wasn't going to take it and started fighting back. Truthfully I'm not a martial artist like you and Lee, I'm a brawler. If I need to I'll take a few hits so that I can do what I need to do. I thought you'd only help me train if I used taijutsu and that's why I tried to disguise how I normally fight. I'm sorry Guy-Sensei."

Guy studied Naruto for a moment before nodding.

"I accept your apology Naruto and while I don't like the fact you tried to deceive me, I will help you get stronger. I sense the power of youth is strong in you and I want to see just how brightly it will shine." Guy slapped a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Come Naruto, let us begin."

The next two hours had Naruto running laps, repeating offensive and defensive combos, sparring with Lee and basic exercises such as sit ups, to increase his strength and flexibility, but to the insane number that Lee and Guy set for themselves. After finishing a hundred press ups out of a set of 800, Naruto collapsed panting heavily as he told Guy that he needed to go and get ready for the day as he was meeting his team at eight. Lending a little of Kurama's chakra Naruto slowly pushed himself up and staggered towards his apartment, taking the jumpsuit with him. He had promised to wear it for the next training session and he never went back on his word, that was his ninja way after all.

Thanks to Kurama accelerating his healing Naruto was walking properly again by the time he was halfway home, letting Naruto review what he had just learnt when something occurred to him.

"Hey, Kurama I've got a question for you." He thought to the Bijuu.

What is it?

"How are we able to talk?"

You think what you want to say and I hear it, simple as that. Now let me get some sleep.

"I don't mean like that, I mean it was at the end of the mission to the Wave that I started to hear you. If we've travelled back in time…

Which we haven't. Kurama interrupted. I keep telling you that's impossible.

Anyway, IF we have shouldn't the seal still be fully closed?

.

Did you hear me?

I heard you.

So, what's the answer?

Just let me think…All the emotion you felt from whatever we went through might've been enough to crack the seal or the seal was already weakening and it's just a coincidence.

Hmm, I guess that could be it but something just doesn't feel right.

You don't have to tell me that brat, now let me sleep. Naruto cut the connection between himself and Kurama, stopping in the middle of the street and looking over his shoulder. There was a feeling, like an itch that told him someone was watching him, he could see the shopkeepers opening their stores, a few civilians making their way to their various jobs and some people going home after a late night. They all glared at him but over the years that was something that Naruto could ignore, like background noise, this feeling though was something different. It wasn't the usual hateful gaze he'd feel, this felt more like an inspection, like someone was studying him. Scanning the street and rooftops around him Naruto couldn't find anything but he was sure there was someone out there watching him.

What have you stopped for brat?

Nothing, I might be going paranoid from hiding all this stuff.

You're a ninja, there's no such thing as paranoid.

You've got that right. Naruto chuckled and carried on walking.

He arrived at his apartment and stopped, laying on his mat was a scroll with a note tied around it. Looking up and down the hallway he didn't see anyone and he couldn't feel anyone watching him now either. Slowly bending down he checked the scroll for wires or seals that might trigger a trap, finding nothing he picked the scroll up and went into his apartment. Sitting at the table Naruto slowly unwrapped the note and opened it.

You've seen what will come to pass, be better prepared.

Tell no-one.

A seal appeared underneath the writing and ignited the paper, turning the note to ash in less than a second. Naruto just sat and stared at the small pile of ash in front of him, someone else knew, someone who might be able to tell him what the hell was happening. Turning to the scroll Naruto picked it up and unrolled it, in front of him was a guide to few basic Fūton jutsu, the familiar excitement of learning a new jutsu flooded through his system as a grin formed on his face. He was itching to start training with this scroll be a glance of the clock told him he needed to go and meet up with the team, even though it would be another couple of hours before Kakashi showed up.

Rolling the scroll back up Naruto hid it in the jumpsuit he'd gotten from Guy-Sensei knowing that no-one would want to look in it before going to get showered, once he'd cleaned the grime of training away he ate a quick breakfast and putting his weights back on jogged to the bridge which acted as Team7's meeting place.

He arrived there first and decided to work on his chakra control more so started to walk up and down the ornate gate of the bridge while he waited. Sakura was next to arrive and chose to sit on the railing of the bridge watching Naruto, occasionally pointing out where his control wasn't strong enough or too strong. A few minutes later Sasuke sauntered onto the bridge and Sakura forgot that Naruto existed, immediately hovering around Sasuke while he watched the blonde training. Picking his pace up a little Sasuke jogged up to the pillar opposite Naruto's and copied him leaving Sakura to simply stand on the bridge and watch them.

"Hey Sakura, have you been working on that punch from the bell test?" Naruto asked.

"Huh? Oh, kind of. Kakashi-Sensei told me not to do it but I've been thinking about it." The rosette said.

"Why'd he tell you not to do it?"

"Probably for the same reason he told you not to use that move that blew up."

"Yeah, but that hasn't stopped me so it shouldn't stop you." Naruto flipped off the pillar turning in the air to land facing Sakura. "We're ninja now, we need to know as much as we can to complete our missions and come back alive. I've got somewhere I train when we're not together as a team, if you want to come train with me meet me at Ichiraku's after training today."

"Wait, you want to do more training after what Kakashi-Sensei puts us through?"

"It's the only way to get stronger, pushing ourselves past our limits." Naruto smiled and leant closer to Sakura. "If you want Sasuke to take you seriously then you need to prove you're different to the other girls and not drool over him like you do." Sakura flushed red and swung at Naruto's head, the blonde skipped back letting her fist pass in front of his face and turn a section of the bridge's rail into splinters. "Telling her about that punch now might've been a mistake." He muttered as he jumped away from another punch which put a hole through the bridge's walkway. "Yep, definitely a mistake." A third punch came at him causing him to roll out of the way and slide into a fighting stance with a grin. At least I've got Sakura's doing some training now.

Two hours later Kakashi turned up to find Sasuke standing upside down on the gate, Naruto attempting to climb the gate with just his hands and Sakura using part of the broken rail as a crutch while she caught her breath.

"Have my cute little Genin been training by themselves? I'm so proud of you." He said, drawing attention to himself.

"Well, we needed to do something while we waited for you to turn up." Naruto replied as he continued to try climbing the pillar. Kakashi closed his visible eye, scratched his cheek and chuckled nervously.

"You see an old man needed help repairing his gate and…"

"Never mind, let's just get going." Naruto said releasing his hold on the column and dusting himself off. Sasuke dropped from his position and Sakura straightened up, letting her makeshift crutch fall.

"In that case, time for our first mission of the day, come on Team 7." With that Kakashi turned around and lead his team towards their mission.

The day progressed as they usually did, Team 7 went from mission to mission and after their last mission on the way to Hokage tower Naruto realised what day it was. It was the day they would get the mission to the Land of Waves.

Damn, I need more time to prepare. He thought, I've got no idea how I'm going to stop Zabuza and Haku from dying.

Calm down brat, we'll think of something. For though just now watch where you're going. Kurama said.

"What?" Naruto replied just before tripping over a box. "Whoa!" He shouted out loud as he started to fall, he felt something grab his collar and pull him back to his feet. Turning around the blonde chuckled seeing Guy. "Thanks again Guy-Sensei."

"I see your youth is still burning too brightly for your feet to keep up Naruto."

"I'm working on it Guy-Sensei, I'm working on it."

"You two know each other?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, I met Guy-Sensei while I was training a couple of weeks ago. He's started helping me get stronger."

"Is that so?" Kakashi said, glancing at Guy over the top of his book as he snapped it shut. "Why would you be helping one of my cute little Genin Guy? You have your own team to train."

"Well, since you ask, Naruto asked for my help to become stronger as you seem to be more focused on the young Uchiha and leaving the remainder of your team to their own devices." Guy replied as Naruto winced from the blank gaze Kakashi levelled at him.

"That's not entirely true, I've been teaching them chakra control exercises something that Naruto needs due to the size of his reserves."

"Er…Kakashi-Sensei." Sakura said meekly, "You only started doing them to stop Naruto from bothering you about it. Everything else has been team formations and some sparring. You…you do tend to give Sasuke more attention than me and Naruto." Silence fell between the group as Kakashi glanced at Sasuke who was looking down the street.

"Sasuke, do you have anything to add?"

"No, it makes sense for you to spend your time on me over those two." Sasuke said in his usual disinterested monotone. "They're both weak, it'd be a waste of your energy to try and train them." Sakura's shoulders slumped at Sasuke's words while Naruto ground his teeth and clenched his fists so hard that his fingernails cut into the palms of his hands. He could feel his anger rising but suppressed it, I need Sasuke alive, I need him alive, I need him alive. Naruto thought to himself over and over again. To stop Kaguya I need him alive, don't kill him. Beat Kaguya together, then I can kill him. Yeah, that sounds like a plan…I could break a bone or two though, they'd heal. A feral smirk crossed his lips for a brief moment before he suppressed it.

"It seems like my Genin are all in agreement." Kakashi sighed as he put his book in his pouch. "I guess I'll have to get better as a Sensei. Naruto, I think you should continue to train with Guy and that Sakura should join you. As long as you don't mind Guy, fitness training is more your speed then mine."

"What!" Naruto and Sakura shouted at the same time. He's palming us off just like the Chunin exams with Ebisu. Naruto thought, gritting his teeth. It was one thing for him to go and ask for help on his own but Kakashi doing it was just a slap in the face.

"Yosh! I accept your challenge Kakashi. I'll have you Genin in top condition in no time at all." Guy shouted as he punched a fist to the sky. Kakashi groaned, and not for the first time wondered why he was friends with Guy, scratching his cheek he turned to his Genin.

"Sakura, you may have the best chakra control but that's partly down to your small chakra reserves, in terms of strength, speed and endurance however you have the least on the team. Your intelligence is a great asset and training with Guy of a morning is sure to help you improve. I know you've been wanting to perfect the punch you used during the bell test, I'll start helping you with that during our training sessions. Naruto, I know that you've been working on the Rasengan even though I've told you not tooI've asked Lord Hokage to call someone back to the village to help you with that he'll be a better teacher for you then I will in regards to the Rasengan. There's your chakra control too, you need to work on that a lot more, it'll never be as accurate as Sakura's but even though you have reserves much larger than mine you waste too much on even the simplest jutsu. Finally Sasuke you're the fastest member of the team and just below Naruto as the strongest physically, you could do with a little more endurance but your own training will deal with that in time and I think you could do with increasing your chakra reserves so before we meet up in the mornings I want you to push yourself to your limits and arrive at our meeting place without touching the ground. That includes the ground inside your home." Kakashi waited to let that sink in before continuing. "I want you to start after we come back from our next mission, which will be a C-Rank. I want to see what you're made of on something a little harder than the usual D-Rank. For now, let's go and turn in our completed missions and pick up our next one." Not waiting for an answer this time Kakashi turned and started walking towards Hokage Tower, Sasuke was the first to follow him with Sakura being next, leaving Naruto stood with Guy.

"Well done Naruto." Guy said slapping the blonde on the back causing him to stumble forward.

"What did I do?" Naruto asked in reply.

"Didn't you see it?" Naruto shook his head. "You reignited Kakashi's flames of youth, it's been a long time since I last saw that fire in his eyes." Guy started to walk away and called over his shoulder, "When you return from your mission meet up with Sakura and bring her to the training area we were in this morning. Goodbye Naruto."

"I will Guy-Sensei, bye." Naruto shouted after the Jonin before running to catch up with his Team.

Team 7 arrived at Hokage Tower and stood in front of the Third Hokage. Naruto had avoided coming to see him up until now, he knew it would be painful seeing Hiruzen again. He mightn't be related to the old man but Naruto couldn't help thinking of him as a grandfather, he was always there when Naruto needed to talk or simply need to be around someone who didn't glare or ignore him. Amongst his happiest memories where sitting with the old man at Ichiraku and simply standing together on top of Hokage Monument watching the sunset.

Naruto could feel tears starting to well up in his eyes, his throat felt dry, his palms were sweaty and he could feel his heart beating a mile a minute. Keep it together Naruto, keep it together. He thought. You knew it would be hard seeing the old man but don't focus on that, you have to act like a kid again. A memory flashed through Naruto's mind making him grin.

"Hey, old man. Oiroke no Jutsu." Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke and was replaced with a female version of himself covered with strategically placed clouds. There was a moment where Kakashi sighed, Sasuke grunted in disinterest and Sakura growled before the Third Hokage's nose started to bleed.

"NA-RU-TO!" Sakura yelled as she drove a fist into the top of the blonde's head, breaking the jutsu and returning Naruto to his usual appearance. "You idiot!" Naruto was knocked onto the floor and sat there rubbing his head while wearing a stupid grin and chuckling to himself.

"I see you're the same as ever Naruto." Hiruzen Sarutobi said, dabbing the blood from under his nose. A small smile crossed the old man's face as he looked at the blonde. "I assume you've finished the missions for today Kakashi."

"We have Lord Hokage, and I would like to request a C-rank mission." Kakashi replied, Hiruzen raised an eyebrow.

"A C-rank, are you sure your team's ready for that Kakashi?"

"I believe so, I want to see what my team is capable of when they are pushed a little. A low level C-rank should be enough for me to properly evaluate their skills." Hiruzen leant back in his chair and cast an appraising eye over the Genin in front of him while he smoked his pipe. Academy records had Sasuke down as a highly skilled individual although extremely arrogant and egotistical, Sakura had the highest test scores but her practical skills were slightly below average and Naruto's records had him placed as quite possibly the worst Genin the village had ever produced but he'd managed to learn an A-rank Kinjutsu and beaten a Chunin in a matter of hours. This team was one to watch Hiruzen knew that much.

"Very well, we have a few missions you can choose from." Hiruzen looked at the scroll in front of him. "There's a mission to chase away some bandits, protecting a farmer's livestock from poachers or an escort mission to the Nami no Kuni."

"We'll take the escort mission, it might do the team some good to see what life outside the village is like. Going to Nami no Kuni will be perfect and easy enough for the three of them to deal with." Kakashi said.

That's what you think Kakashi-Sensei. Naruto thought as his mind wandered to what he'd need for the mission. The sound of a door opening snapped him back to the present, looking over his shoulder he saw Tazuna leaning against the doorframe, rope ties around his head and a bottle in his hand. A red blush crossed his face showing he'd been at the bottle for a while, either that or he really couldn't hold his liquor.

"This is what I get? A bunch of snot-nosed kids straight off their mother's teats." Tazuna took a swig from his bottle. "I thought I was getting real ninja for guards, the blonde shrimp won't last three seconds in the world outside this village."

"Better a shrimp then a drunken old geezer, just how many of us can you see?" Naruto retorted. "I thought we had a client not a drunk who's been sleeping in the gutter for a week." Tazuna just glared at Naruto before letting out a bark of laughter.

"You're alright kid, you're still a shrimp though."

"And you're still a drunk."

"My name is Kakashi Hatake, a Jonin. If anything comes up during the mission that is beyond the capabilities of these three I will handle, there is no need to worry about your safety." Kakashi said, stepping in front of Naruto so the insults would stop. Tazuna looked Kakashi up and down before grunting.

"If you had some muscle on you, I might believe that." Tazuna turned and started walking away. "We leave first thing in the morning." He called over his shoulder.

"I think that's our business concluded Kakashi. Brief Sakura and Sasuke on the mission and what they will need to take, I wish to speak with Naruto privately for a few moments. I'll make sure he's aware of what to expect and what's expected of him." Hiruzen said, still puffing on his pipe.

"As you wish Lord Hokage." Kakashi replied, steering Sakura and Sasuke out of the room. As they left Naruto saw the looks of curiosity on their faces and simply smiled at them waving as they left his sight. Hiruzen turned to the people around him.

"Leaves us, I will call you once I am ready for you to return." The room quickly emptied until it was only Naruto and Hiruzen left. The strict business-like face the Hokage wore faded and was replaced with a kind smile. "How have you been doing Naruto?"

"Fine, I'm still coming for your hat." The blonde replied, this didn't happen in his vision/past, whatever it was that happened to him.

"Kakashi tells me you've been showing some unusual traits, you've been pushing for chakra control exercises, training with Might Guy and his protégé of a morning and that doesn't include the things you did during the bell test. Using the Rasengan, fighting in a manner that you've never shown before, planning an effective strategy and teaching Sakura how to channel her chakra into a punch." Hiruzen took a long inhale from his pipe before slowly exhaling the smoke. "Where did you learn those things?"

"I read about them in a book at the library and I was just lashing out at Kakashi-Sensei, he'd know the Academy style so I thought I'd try and catch him off guard."

"And your strategy?"

"After I failed the first time, I just figured we'd have more chance working together then apart. Convincing Sasuke was a pain but we passed the test." Hiruzen leant back in his chair, Naruto's reasoning was sound but reading and strategizing were not things he was known for.

"The Rasengan and the technique behind that punch are in the library's Jutsu Archive, to which you do not have access, so how did you manage to read about them." Naruto could feel a bead of sweat roll down his back as his mind raced to an answer.

"I've snuck into ANBU headquarters and swapped some of their soldier pills for wasabi, I can get into a library. I found your sake stashes, didn't I? Is there really a need to have so many hidden around the village?" Hiruzen chuckled.

"If you knew one of my former students then you'd understand. I suppose you're right though, some of the ANBU are still hesitant to take soldier pills." Hiruzen inhaled from his pipe again, he knew Naruto well enough to see he wasn't being completely truthful but his explanations were convincing. "Very well Naruto, but in future if you wish to gain access to the library again, please go through the front door."

"Sure thing old man." Naruto grinned while thinking he needed to be more careful in future. Hiruzen quickly briefed Naruto on the purpose of the mission and the sort of things he'd need to take with him before dismissing the blonde. He was just returning his attention to the scrolls in front of him when he noticed Naruto's eyes lock on to the photograph of the Fourth Hokage. It wasn't unusual for Naruto to look at the picture, the Fourth Hokage was a hero to Naruto but what caught Hiruzen's attention was how Naruto was looking at the picture. Normally there was a look of awe and respect, this time however there was something else in Naruto's gaze something that looked a lot like familial pride.

Hiruzen's eyes narrowed as he remembered Kakashi's report of the bell test, Naruto had created a team of shadow clones that looked like the team's parents with the Fourth Hokage taking Naruto's place. When he'd heard about it Hiruzen had put it down to Naruto idolizing Minato but this look in the blonde's eyes made him think maybe there was more to it then there seemed. Did Naruto somehow know his parentage? There were only a small number of people who knew and they were under orders not to speak of it unless given permission to.

'This may bear some investigation.' The old man thought as Naruto left his sight, resolving to contact Kakashi and Guy requesting they keep an eye on Naruto's behaviour.

As Naruto walked down the street having been given the afternoon off to prepare for the mission, he was making a mental count of how much money he'd earnt from his missions and how much he could spend while still being able to pay rent and food. Once he'd come up with an estimated amount he walked to the closest weapons store, above the door was a sign emblazoned with three kunai pointing outwards with the circular ends overlapping and a whirlpool as a background. Written red under the sign was 'Maelstrom Weapons-Smith' with shuriken acting as the 'o's.

He'd never been in the store before, mainly cause he wasn't an ninja or old enough to own weapons at the time and searching his future memory he couldn't remember the store but that wasn't surprising the only places he could remember were places he'd been on a regular basis and he'd always gotten his weapons from the village armoury. With a shrug Naruto entered the store and started looking around. The store was set out as you'd expect, weapons adorned the walls, swords were grouped together, the same with spears, maces, daggers kunai, and every other type of blade, blank scrolls of varying sizes were piles on tables, spools of ninja wire hung by the main counter and the various type of tags were stacked behind the counter.

"Are you allowed to be in here?" A voice asked, turning in its direction Naruto say it belonged to a boy slightly older then he currently was, a year or two at most. The boy had short messy dark brown hair, wore a pastel blue t-shirt and a pair of black pants, he leant with his back against the counter while twirling a staff between his hands.

"Yeah, I've got a mission tomorrow and I need some supplies." Naruto replied. The boy was about to say something when a deep voice came from whatever rooms were behind the store's counter.

"Arashi, why are you still here? You're meant to be meeting your girlfriend, get out of here."

"She's not my girlfriend and we've got a customer." Arashi called back, his face turning a light red. A low rumbling laugh came from the back of the store and a man appeared, he stood at over six foot with a stocky figure but it was plain to see that it was all muscle. He had some light stubble on his chin and had hair the same as Arashi's but cut much shorter, it was hard to see what the man wore as he had a leather apron on. The man's faces are hard but his hazel eyes had a glint of mischief in them, he reached out and took the staff out of Arashi's hands without looking. "Dad! I nearly beat my record."

"You can beat it another time, now get out of here. Senshi men don't leave women waiting." The man tossed the staff back to Arashi and watched him leave the store. "Sorry about that, I can't resist teasing him." The man grinned before throwing his arms wide. "Welcome to Maelstrom Weapons-Smith, my name is Hyoujin. How can I help you?"

"I need some equipment for a mission, it's a C-rank but I've got a feeling it's going to be harder than it should be." Naruto explained.

"So you want some stuff that can get you out of a pinch if necessary." Hyoujin said, crossing his arms.

"Pretty much."

"Extra kunai and shuriken are a must, smoke bombs, flash-bangs and explosive tags too. Ninja wire can get you out of a pinch and you might need to set some traps." Hyoujin started walking around the store picking items from hooks and shelves as he listed them off. "Some new clothes might be an idea, that jumpsuit definitely draws attention to you. Not every ninja like…mind you all the flashy jutsu you guys do isn't exactly stealthy is it?" Hyoujin let out a short boom of laughter, "If you keep the jumpsuit, I recommend some additional armour you can wear underneath it." The store owner picked up a pair of arm and leg armour. "These should be about your size."

"I…er…I don't have enough money for all this." Naruto said sheepishly.

"It's alright, pay what you can now and I can put the rest on a tab for you to pay off later."

"What if I die on the mission?"

"You've got a lovely outlook on life haven't you?" Hyoujin frowned. "I can claim it from the village, if a ninja dies on a mission and owes money, the business the money is owed to can put in a claim to the village and either they or the person who requested the mission have to pay it as the ninja was working for them. Didn't any other business tell you? I know almost every ninja pays upfront so their village doesn't have to pay for them but it's common knowledge." Hyoujin placed the pile of supplies on the counter on top of an open scroll. "So is there anything else you want? A weapon maybe, or some storage scrolls?"

Naruto looked at the pile on the counter and glanced around the store to see if he'd need anything else, he was about to say no when his eyes landed on a pair of tonfa. They were made from wood and nearly black in colour, the lacquer made them shine brightly and either end was capped in metal. The weapons seemed to call out to him, Naruto didn't like killing, he'd do it if necessary but he preferred not to. The tonfa would fit with his fighting style, increase his range and they could defend against blades.

"Good choice." Hyoujin said, walking over and taking the tonfa down their hooks. "I'm particularly proud of how these turned out."

"You made these?" Naruto asked, Hyoujin nodded and gently caressed the weapons.

"I made all the weapons here, these are the second best tonfa I've ever made."

"Second? Where are the first?"

"In my forge, they're there to inspire me every time I make a new weapon. And when I eventually die they're Arashi's." Hyoujin paused for a minute before holding the tonfa out to Naruto. "Here, try them out." Naruto reached out and took hold of the weapons before stepping back a couple of paces and with some advice from Hyoujin started fighting an imaginary opponent. "Looks like you've found the right weapon." Hyoujin smirked.

"Right weapon? What do you mean?"

"Just a theory I have. I think that there is a right weapon for everyone, a weapon that they have an instinctual understanding of. As soon as they pick it up they know how to use it in a way to benefit them. That's how you looked with them although they might need a little adjustment to be perfect for you."

"What sort of adjustment?" Intrigue coated Naruto's voice as he continued to fight his imaginary opponent.

"I'm thinking a small blade on the end that rests at your elbow, nothing that will kill unless you aim for the right areas, like the neck." Hyoujin nodded, "Come back after your mission and tell me if you want that blade or not."

"I haven't decided if I want to take these yet."

"Don't lie to me son, I can see it in your eyes. You want them, let me measure you and I can make a harness for you to wear." Hyoujin pulled a tape measure out of the pocket of his apron and quickly took the measurements he needed. "Alright, I've got what I need. You'll have the tonfa harnessed across the small of your back, the draw will be a little tricky for one hand but you'll adjust with some practice. Give me a couple of hours and it'll be ready, do you want me to send Arashi with it or would you prefer to collect it yourself?"

"If you don't mind I'd like to hang around and watch you work, never know when I might need to fix it in the field." Naruto said causing Hyoujin chuckle.

"You think further ahead than most people do. Come stand in the doorway of the forge that way you can watch me and let me know if anyone comes in to the store." Hyoujin took the tonfa off Naruto and sealed them into the scroll with the other things Naruto might need for his mission. With a few test fittings, some demonstrations on how to un-holster the tonfa and a couple of customers the harness was ready, Hyoujin added a small kit with extra leather straps and buckles so Naruto could repair the harness if needed. Wanting to know more about the weapons-smith Naruto asked a few questions while Hyoujin worked, he found out that the man was originally from Kirigakure but fled as soon as the civil war started but not before his wife Sachi was killed in the crossfire. Hyoujin and Arashi travelled to Konoha and claimed asylum a little over a year ago and after the pair went through numerous tests and interrogations they were cleared to live in the village as civilians. After that the conversation switched to other subjects until the harness was finally finished. Hyoujin showed Naruto how to wear it, once the blonde had it on Hyoujin stepped back and smiled.

"So, what do you think?" The weapons-smith asked.

"This is great Hyoujin, how much do I owe you?"

"The holster and repair kit are free and for helping me out by watching the store I can give you a bit of a discount. So how do you want to pay? You can either pay some off now and I can put the rest on a tab or I can put all of it on a tab and you can keep your money for yourself. It's your choice, I'll get paid either way."

"I'll pay some off now and a bit more after my mission." Naruto said, handing the money over.

"There's no need to rush paying, just do it as and when you can. I'll give you a whetstone for the kunai and shuriken too and before I forget there's something you need to know about the tonfa. The first few sets of tonfa I made are from some fallen branches I found and I used the resin to varnish them, turns out the branches were from the trees they use to make chakra paper so you can channel your chakra into them. It should make them more durable and maybe more helpful depending on your elemental affinity." Hyoujin said handing over the repair kit, whetstone and scroll of supplies to Naruto who was still wearing the holster.

"Seriously?!"

"There's no need to shout kid. I'm always serious about weapons, especially one's I've made. Now get going, you've probably got some other stuff to do before your mission tomorrow and you'll need to be well rested too."

"Thanks a lot Hyoujin."

"Don't mention it but if anyone asks where you got your stuff, mention it as much as possible. I am running a business after all, thanks for your business and come back soon."

"I will, don't worry about that." Naruto laughed as he jogged out of the shop, waving as he left and not noticing a dark figure leaping in the opposite direction from a building across the street.

The rest of the afternoon went by in a blur for Naruto as he spread out his purchases and started preparing himself for his mission, he moved the jumpsuit Guy had given him and the scroll he'd found earlier fell on to the floor. Remembering that he wanted to be ready for anything he unraveled the scroll and studied the jutsu in front of him, once he'd memorized the hand signs and how he was meant to mould his chakra Naruto rolled the scroll up and sealed it into the one Hyoujin had used for his purchases. He then put that scroll under the floor beneath his bed, it was best to keep this a secret like the note had said, for now at least until he had more information to go on. Naruto returned to making sure he had all he would need for his mission before jumping out of window and running across rooftops to one place he could train with his shadow clones and not be found out. Training Ground Forty Four, the Forest of Death.

Hours later Naruto staggered into his apartment with a sore body and a full stomach after a visit to Ichiraku Ramen, where Ayame had spent the entire time brushing dirt from his clothes and picking leaves, broken twigs and bits of bark out of his hair. He hadn't mastered the jutsu from the scroll but was satisfied the progress he'd made would be enough to get by with for now. Following a quick shower and changing into his pyjamas Naruto set his alarm clock, falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Fumbling around blindly Naruto failed to his the snooze button on his alarm clock so he pulled a kunai from under his pillow and threw it, impaling it against the wall. With a long yawn Naruto slowly sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, he got ready for the mission making sure to wear his new armour under his jumpsuit and went over his notes about the mission to the Land of Waves one last time before leaving. His number one priority after protecting Tazuna was making sure Haku and Zabuza survived, how he'd accomplish that was still a mystery but he'd think of something. Hiding his notes away and locking his apartment Naruto shouldered his pack, made sure his tonfa holster was secure and made his way to the main gate.

As he walked through the village Naruto has only one thought, 'Time to change the future.'

That's all I've for now.

Until Next Time

Basic Trainer