DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR ANY OTHER ANIME THAT MAY BE MENTION AS THE STORY PROGRESSES. THANK YOU. *bow*
Chapter 1- We Are…
It was morning within Konoha and Minato had yet to even begin his duties when a familiar masked ANBU had appeared through the window: Inu. Minato sighed as he mentally stopped himself from telling the young shinobi to use the door the next time. He had been telling Inu that so many times but it seemed like it fell on to deaf ears.
"Inu, what can I do for you this morning?" Minato asked as he pushed the papers that was in front of him away and turned to his ANBU.
"Hokage-sama, Kushina-sama had alerted me when she went to check on Naruto-kun and found him not in his room this morning after you left the mansion." He reported calmly but Minato had stood up as fast as Inu could have blinked.
"WHAT?! My son is missing?! Look for him! Gather the others! Jounins and Chuunins! Find my son!" he commanded as Inu instantly jumped back out the window and Minato himself flashed home.
As he entered the door, he saw Kushina pacing in the living room.
"Kushina, how long after I left did you went to check on Naruto?" he asked her as she had turned her head to her husband.
"A minute after you left, Minato. I prepared his milk and went up to wake him but he wasn't there when I opened his bedroom door." Kushina told him worriedly and Minato held his wife.
"Don't worry. We will find him." Minato promised.
They both paced for nearly half an hour before Inu came with Ibiki and Yamato (masked of course).
"Hokage-sama, we found the Honorable Son. But we didn't take him as his position was a bit… tied down." Ibiki tried to explain but was having a hard time as he had seen the boy himself and in what position he was in.
"What? Take us to him!" Kushina nearly yelled and they wasted no time and followed the three shinobis to where their son was said to be.
When they arrived, it had indeed shocked the couple as to see their five year old baby boy wrapped between the Uchiha heirs: a ten year old Itachi who was currently on his way to become a jounin and a six year old Sasuke. What was more strange was that near on the tree above their son's head, a Hyuuga and an unknown child that looked alarmingly like Maito Gai were leaning on the tree on opposite sides and up on the tree was the Nara heir, all of them sleeping soundly.
Minato and Kushina shared a look. They didn't even know that their son was friends with the Uchiha boys, let alone the Hyuuga and the Nara.
But before they could wake their son up, Uchiha Fugaku and his wife, Mikoto, Nara Shikaku and his wife, Yoshino, and Hyuuga Hizashi came behind them.
"Our sons were missing and an ANBU had informed us that our boys were all here." Fugaku explained when Minato raised a brow.
Mikoto and Yoshino gasped in surprise when they saw where their children were. Fugaku, Shikaku, and Hizashi were just as surprised as the women were. Before them all was the Yondaime's son, sleeping soundly in the middle of the Uchiha heirs. The blond child was snuggled close to the younger Uchiha while the Gai look alike, the Hyuuga child, and the Nara heir were nearby the three and it looked like they were placed there specifically in a protective position for the blond.
Minato turned to everyone and signaled that he was going to wake them up.
He slowly reached to touch his son only to be surprised when all other five had instantly woken up and trapped the Hokage in a shadow binding (care of the Nara child), the elder Uchiha child was up and in front of the younger Uchiha who was holding the sleeping blond and Hyuuga had his Byakugan out. The Gai look alike was in a defensive position right by the elder Uchiha heir as well.
The adults were so stunned that it took a while for any one of them to even move. However, Nara Shikamaru was able to gather himself first and released his bindings as he jumped down from the tree and stepped in to the blond boy's other side. The other three weren't really focusing on the people around them now, they all had turned to the stirring blond. They all had instantly noticed that they were all small again and that Naruto looked no older than five years old.
Itachi, Neji, and Shikamaru raised their brows while Lee shrugged.
"Naruto? Wake up, Naruto." Itachi said as Sasuke shook Naruto lightly.
The blond in his arms stirred and snuggled closer to the Uchiha who tried not to blush while the rest of his comrades snickered at the action.
"Dobe, time to wake up." Sasuke spoke and Naruto instantly frowned even if he had his eyes closed still.
"Teme, your too loud. Let me sleep. Don't want to face paperwork right now. Let Neji and Shika do it; their smarter and won't get bored doing it." Naruto reasoned out even when he was half asleep.
"Usuratonkatchi, you really have to wake up now. And I mean now!" Sasuke warned him and Naruto huffed before he slowly opened his eyes.
When he was able to focus his vision, he saw that he was facing Sasuke's chest. He screamed as he pushed back before screaming again when he saw his friends all had shrunk. He had stood on his feet and had his back on the adults who were watching the blond to see what he was going to do.
"What the hell happened to you guys?! You freakin' shrunk!" Naruto yelled which made his friends raised a brow.
"Dobe, if you haven't noticed, you shrunk too." Sasuke pointed out.
Naruto looked down on himself and yelled again.
"What happened to me?!" he yelled as he turned to Shikamaru and Neji who were trying to figure out what had happened as well.
"Uhm Naruto-san… us shrinking should be the least of your problems right now." Lee pointed out which confused Naruto.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Naruto asked which made the rest sighed and shake their heads.
"Ruto, look behind you." Shikamaru pointed out and Naruto did as he was asked.
He saw a few familiar faces: Ibiki, the Inu and Tenzo masks, Yugao's mask (which he remembered had broken when she had died), Nara Shikaku, and Hyuuga Hizashi. However, the faces that shocked Naruto the most was the worried looks he had seen on the Yondaime Hokage's face and the Red Hot Blooded Habanero, his father and mother from what Jiraiya and Tsunade were able to tell him.
Naruto eyes widen before he screamed and fainted and fell into Itachi's arms.
"Trust Naruto react the way he did." Shikamaru commented as he turned to the Uchiha heirs and Neji.
"Neji, Itachi-san, Sasuke, are we in some time of genjutsu?" Shikamaru asked, no longer caring of the adults who were stunned by the questions and more shocked when Sasuke's eyes showed the Mangekyō Sharingan while Itachi's eyes showed the Tsukiyomi. Neji's Byakugan was out and all three scanned the surrounding area before shaking their heads and cancelling their Kekkai genkais.
Shikamaru sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose before looking at his comrades.
"So it means this is all real and that these people are real as well." Shikamaru said and the rest seemed to be able to accept it right away. Neji moved to stand next to Shikamaru and faced the adults.
"We know you have questions and we would answer them all. However, this is neither the place for such a conversation. May I suggest that we return to the Hokage's office and we can begin the interrogation?" he suggested and the adults looked at each other.
They're children were acting very strange for some odd reason. But they all had to admit that the Hyuuga child's suggestion was a smart one.
"Everyone, proceed to the council room and ANBU, make sure that the room is secure for the conversation." Minato commanded and the shinobis bowed and vanished.
"May I carry my child, Uchiha Itachi?" asked Kushina who still seemed worried.
"My apologies, Lady Kushina. However, if Naruto wakes up in your arms, he will only prove to be difficult. It is best for me to carry him for now." Itachi said as he bowed.
He had remembered the Yondaime and his wife when he was younger.
The red head sighed and nodded. She knew that the child was right and resigned herself to stay close to her baby boy.
Itachi placed Naruto on his back with the help of Sasuke and Lee to make sure that Naruto was secured and for safety measure, Neji added a sticking jutsu and Shikamaru shadow bound Naruto to Itachi so he wouldn't fall off as they made their way to the Hokage Tower. Sasuke was Naruto's side the whole time, making sure his dobe was alright.
Ten minutes later, all were gathered in the council room and Shikaku sealed the room with a jutsu so no one would be able to get inside and Minato placed silencing seals to make sure no word gets out from the room. The shinobis all found places to stand/sit down on to listen.
"Please begin your questions now." Neji said and the adults looked at each other.
Minato took a few moments before he turned serious.
"Kindly introduce yourselves, name and age please. Judging from the vests you're wearing, you all have ranks. And the way you responded earlier meant that you are not mere children." Minato started which surprised the other adults but turned to the children who stood straighter, except for Sasuke who was sitting on the floor with the blond's head resting on his lap.
"I shall begin then. I am Nara Shikamaru, the General of the Tactical Operations of Konoha and one of the Rookie Twelve. I am twenty-four years old." Shikamaru said as he bowed respectfully at the Yondaime.
"YOSHI! MY TURN! I AM ROCK LEE! KONOHA'S GROUND FORCE CAPTAIN! I HAVE BEEN FLAMING MY YOUTHFULNESS FOR THE LAST TWNETY-FIVE YEARS." Lee said excitedly which the adults looked a bit stunned and turned to Gai who looked very pleased.
"SUCH PASSION, ROCK LEE! MAY YOUR FLAMES OF YOUTH BURN BRIGHTLY!" Gai yelled back which made the adults sigh.
Rock Lee looked as stunned as Hyuuga Neji but it was Lee who was nearly in tears.
"Gai-sensei!"
"Lee!"
"Gai-sensei!"
"Lee!"
"Gai-sensei!"
"Lee!"
Shikamaru turned to Neji who understood and bumped his fist on Lee's head to stop them from another nightmare. The adults were very thankful as it scared them when they all saw a sunset on the background for some reason.
"I am Uchiha Itachi, former S-rank missing nin of the Akatsuki group, and ANBU Captain. I am currently twenty-eight years of age." Itachi said as bowed which stunned the adults.
Former missing nin? And an S-class? And they all wondered what the hell was Akatsuki.
"Hyuuga Neji, Head of the Board of Education for all Five Countries, and Adviser to the Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato. I am the same age as Lee." Neji said as he bowed.
Hizashi was lost for words as his son was head of something that he didn't know what.
"Uchiha Sasuke, former S-rank missing nin, ANBU Captain and personal guard to the Hokage. I am the same age as Shikamaru." Sasuke said seriously as he turned to Shikamaru who had to introduce Naruto since the blond was still out of it.
"And the blond on Sasuke's lap is Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto, Rokudaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, former jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, and the most influencial leader of all Five Countries. And Ruto is twenty-three years old." Shikamaru said which caused Kushina to faint into Minato's arms.
The room was silent until Shikaku spoke.
"From your introductions, it is safe to assume that you are not our children and not of this time, let alone dimension." The man said which made even the adults look at him.
"It seems like it was the only possible theory as to why they seem the way they are. The titles they bear belong to someone else here now and one title itself does not exist here let alone the fact that it involved all five countries. The age itself proves it and I see no thread of prevarication. They all have no reason to lie about who they are. Add the fact that their reflexes were quick when Yondaime tried to wake his son up. They are still our children yet no longer at the same time. The ones before us are not of this dimension to be frank." Shikaku told the others who were in awe, shock, and disbelief.
Shikamaru was very proud that his father (even in this dimension) didn't fail to realize the whole thing before everyone else did. Nara Shikaku was not the General Tactician of Konoha for nothing.
"Alright, let's say that that is the case… How did you come to arrive here?" Hizashi asked this time.
The 'children' sighed.
"Our dimension had just finished fighting the Fourth Great Shinobi War. Konoha had just started to rebuild itself from what was left. We had lost many comrades and allies for the sake of attaining peace throughout the countries. A Chuunin team we knew well had reported that as they made their rounds to secure the Tower, they had found a room three floors beneath the cellar archives and we all went to investigate it. We found a mirror in the bottom room that was lit with torches in all four corners. Naruto touched the surface of the mirror that sprouted an arm that grabbed him. Sasuke grabbed him as we all tried to pull them out. But we got sucked in and when we woke up, you all were surrounding us." Shikamaru said and waited for any comment to arise.
Before anyone could say anything, Naruto stirred and sat up.
"I had the strangest dream, teme. I dreamt that we got turned to kids and that my parents were alive and the rest of yours were too." Naruto said as he laughed but stopped when he saw the awkward looks his friends were giving him, he sighed.
"It wasn't a dream, was it?" They shook their heads and Naruto turned to face the adults who were looking at them.
"What did I miss?" he asked Neji, not saying anything to the adults, let alone his parents.
Mikoto and Kushina were awake once more.
"Shikaku-san pieced and concluded that we are not from this dimension. It's the only theory as to why they are all alive and we're children. Shikamaru explained to the adults how we got here and then you woke up." Neji summarized the whole thing and got a nod from the blond.
It made the adults stare in disbelief as the children before them looked like children but were not children at the same time. Add the fact that the blond in the group, they all remembered him as a hyper active and very bubbly and lively boy. The one facing them was calculative, calm, patient, and wise despite his appearance.
"As you may have been informed already, I am Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto, Rokudaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato. I am also very sure that they had told you that I was a former jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox." Naruto reintroduced himself and bowed as respectfully as a Hokage should which made Minato look so proud of him.
Minato thought for a few moments before he spoke up.
"As this information is very dangerous, I hereby deem it an SS-rank secret that if found guilty of giving to enemy or those outside this room, they will be punished and disposed of without hesitation." He said seriously and the ANBU, jounins and chuunins all bowed.
The adults nodded in agreement.
"Yondaime-sama, if you would be so kind, may we search the cellar of this Tower to find a way to be able to return to our own dimension. You have your children and I am sure that you wish for them back. We have our own families and friends to return to and a village that needs our aid." Naruto requested as he bowed once more and his companions bowed as well.
Minato didn't know what to say and merely nodded. He turned to look at his wife who was just as shocked as every one of those in the room. His son was so respectful and very calm that it made Minato wonder what had happened to his childhood that made his son to be the man… or child he was now.
The children stood up and Naruto unsealed the room which shocked the adults and Shikamaru unraveled the jutsu his father in this dimension had built on the door.
"It seems that they forgot to mention another thing about me..." Naruto smirked.
"I am also an accomplished Seal Master, surpassing Jiraiya of the Sannin… and the Yondaime Hokage of our dimension as well." He added as he chuckled at the gaping look of the adults and his parents.
Lee and Neji led the group out with Naruto and the Uchihas next and Shikamaru bringing up the rear. The adults all followed. Though the chuunins didn't need to, they were all too curious and excited to see what would happen next. The way down to the cellar was quiet as they watched how the children walked. They were quiet, stood straight and held their heads up high.
They reached the cellar but the stairway was gone. Naruto frowned a bit before turning to the Uchihas and Neji with a silent command to activate their Kekkai Genkais. However, a moment later they shook their heads. Lee was running his fingers on the wall just in case a before he turned to his Hokage who nodded. The Green Beast of Konoha's Rookie Twelve nodded back and punched the wall which cracked without problem. However, the wall just cracked and no hidden door appeared.
"I want that door found by any means necessary!" Naruto commanded seriously and his companions stood up straight and for some reason, Fugaku, Hizashi, and Shikaku, along with the ANBU, Jounins, and Chuunins did the same thing as well.
"Hai, Rokudaime-sama!" his companions answered and Naruto rubbed his forehead in frustration.
Minato looked even prouder at his son. Despite his child like voice, the command held power that even his shinobis, add the Hyuuga, Uchiha, and Nara Heads responded silently as well.
Kushina, on the other hand, had mixed feelings. She was just as proud yet worried at the same time as it seemed so strange to see her sweet baby boy speak and command like Minato when he was facing serious challenges. She wondered just how her son lived in his own dimension and wondered if he would speak to them when they had the chance.
"As it seems, there is nothing much anyone of us can do right now. Why don't we all head back to our homes to eat and recuperate for the rest of the day. I'm sure that tomorrow, we all might find out more about your situation and answers that your unspoken questions seem to be looking for." Minato said and chuckled when he saw the children turn to him in surprise.
"I am Namikaze Minato, Yondaime of Konoha. I may not be a Nara but I am just as observant, if not more." He explained and got nods from the children.
Naruto turned to his comrades.
"As you may have all deduced by now, we shall have to meet tomorrow after breakfast. Seeing as I am sure that Kushina-sama will most likely hold me down until nine at least, we shall meet back at the Hokage's office by ten o'clock." Naruto informed them.
"Hai, Rokudaime-sama." His companions responded and the adults moved to retrieve their own children.
Naruto's face turned red with embarrassment when Minato bent down to carry his son.
The rest would have laughed if their own adults didn't do nearly the same. Fugaku carried Sasuke while Mikoto, Shikaku, and Hizashi took the hands of their children and led them all back up and out the Tower, towards their separate homes.