Ito didn't know who he was? He was the Hokage; all of the shinobi should know who he was.

Unless you're not in Konoha.

Naruto looked at Ito, still standing in the doorway. The man had a hitai-ate with the leaf symbol. Until he got out of the hospital, that would be as close to confirmation as he could get. As soon as Ito left, he could sneak out and see if the village was familiar. He had collapsed at the top of the Hokage Mountain, surely no enemy shinobi had been able to kidnap him while he was unconscious. And if they had, why would they put him in a hospital? This had to be Konoha, but why didn't Ito know who he was.

Naruto looked at Ito again and realized the man was still waiting for his name. He thought about lying, just in case, but he was well known in too many places for a false name to last more than a day. "Naruto." Ito didn't acknowledge him again, he just turned and left.

Finally alone, Naruto swung his legs over the side of the hospital bed. Grabbing the IV stand, he made his way over to the window. The view from the window looked like Konoha. The stores were in the same location, and the front gate bore the leaf symbol. Comforted with the familiar view, Naruto started to plan his escape.

You forgot something, Kit.

What? The village looked the same as it had…the fire! Looking back out the window, Naruto saw no traces of there being a natural disaster. In fact, now that he looked closer, the ground was higher than it had been when he collapsed. It looked more like it had before Pein's attack. What was going on?

What do you think this is?

I agree that this is certainly Konoha, but not the Konoha we know.

This can't be a genjutsu. Our merged chakra immediately gets us out of any illusion.

Find a calendar.

Why?

I can only conclude that we are at some point in the past.

How is that even possible?

I don't know. This is definitely Konoha, just not the Konoha we were last in.

Was time travel really possible? Naruto groaned. If it had happened to him, clearly it was possible. At least he hadn't been wearing his hitai-ate when he collapsed. Now he wouldn't have to find a way to explain how an unregistered shinobi bore a Konoha hitai-ate. What time period was he in anyway? As much as he wanted to get out of the hospital, he would probably get the most answers if he was patient. Stupid Kakashi, why'd he have to harp on the importance of patience? Barging in and demanding an answer was so much more fun.

oOoOo

Maybe she did prefer Kakashi's quietness to Obito's loudness. With the exception of when he was asleep, Obito had been talking nonstop about the Chuunin Exams.

"And I'll be the same rank as Kakashi, so I won't have to suffer another mission with him in charge."

"You only become a chuunin if you pass the exam. Knowing you, you'll fail." Obito rolled his eyes at Kakashi.

In an attempt to shut up Obito, Rin spoke up. "Kakashi, I know you were a special case, but doesn't the chuunin exam call for a three man cell to participate?"

Kakashi looked back at her. "A three man cell is advantageous, but the rule is that every genin on the team must agree to take the exam. Since you and Obito are the only genin you will be allowed to take the exam."

"But we'll be at a disadvantage."

"Who cares? I bet I could pass the entire exam without any help!" Obito sped ahead, as if trying to prove his point by being the fastest. Rin shook her head. Obito really was a lost cause.

Two more hours until they would meet up with Minato at Ichiraku's. The ramen stand had opened up a few months ago, and had quickly become their favorite place. After every mission they went there to unwind. At least Obito listened when Minato told him to stop talking. Most of the time.

oOoOo

No longer having to focus on remaining close to anyone, Kakashi allowed himself to think about the man they had found yesterday. He had looked so much like his sensei. Maybe they were related. Minato didn't seem to know who the man was, but there had been instances where long lost relatives met each other under unusual circumstances. Oh, great. Now he was starting to sound like Obito.

The idiot was still going on about becoming a chuunin. Like he had what it took to be a chuunin. Obito would probably fail the first test.

Kakashi was relieved to see the tree line thinning, and the gate of Konoha coming into focus. Hopefully, Minato knew more about the man's condition than they had known yesterday. Kakashi would die before he let it known, but he was curious as to who the stranger was.

Making their way into town, Obito led the way to Ichiraku's. As the familiar stand came into view, Minato was already waiting for them.

"How did you know when we would be back?" Obito asked as he, once again, ran ahead.

"Oh, I just calculated your arrival time by the distance you had to cover and the speed you were going at. With an estimated time for rests, I figured you'd be here within the hour." Minato grinned.

"You put one of your marks on this place didn't you? You heard that we had arrived from the front gate and used you Hiraishin no Jutsu." Rin accused. Minato looked guilty. "Sensei, you said that you didn't want to use that jutsu except in battles or emergencies. You said it could lead to becoming lazy."

Minato caught Kakashi's eye. "I had been talking to the Hokage. I didn't want you to have to wait long, so I used it." Translation: I know Obito must be talking nonstop about the chuunin exams and I decided not to prolong your suffering.

"Let's eat!" Obito didn't wait for them. He sat down on a stool and ordered two bowls of pork miso. Minato sat on Obito's left, while Rin sat on Obito's left. Thankful for the empty seat next to his sensei, Kakashi sat down. After ordering Kakashi decided to ask about the man.

"Anything new?"

Minato shook his head. "Rin was right about the chakra exhaustion. The nurse said that it could be another five days before he wakes up."

"That's not surprising. The man should be dead. Do the nurses have any idea what caused him to survive?"

"Not that they told me. Shinobi strong and weak would've died from that level of chakra exhaustion."

Kakashi looked at his sensei closely. His eyebrows were furrowed, like he was thinking a problem through. "You don't think it has anything to do with fuinjustu, do you, Minato-sensei?"

When Minato looked at him, Kakashi could see that he was surprised that Kakashi had guessed his thoughts. "I think it's possible. If it is fuinjustu, there should be a seal on him."

A seal of some kind would be the best outcome. Seal masters like Minato and Jiraiya might even be able to copy the seal and use it. If shinobi were able to exhaust their chakra without dying…that would help win the war.

"Minato-san!" Kakashi looked behind him at the same time Minato did. The woman hurrying toward them was a nurse from the hospital. Panting to catch her breath, the nurse paused before explaining why she was there.

"You said to update you on the man's condition. He woke up." The nurse was still trying to breathe properly.

Minato eyes widened. "You said it would take several days for him to wake up."

The nurse nodded. "It should have. I have no idea how he woke up this quickly. Ito-san is questioning him right now."

"Would it be alright if I talk to him after Ito-san is finished?"

"It should be fine. If the man is tired, you'll have to wait for him to wake up, though."

"I'll be there after I finish lunch."

The nurse nodded and turned to leave. "Thank you, Minato-sensei, for taking the report to the Hokage for me yesterday." Her cheeks had turned pink.

"You're welcome." Minato looked uncomfortable. Kakashi kid a snicker. His sensei had a lot of fan girls.

oOoOo

Minato tried not to rush through his ramen, but he was curious about the man. Hopefully, Ito was still there and he could ask what Ito had already learned from the man. He really wanted to know how the man exhausted his chakra and then lived. He prayed to Kami that the man wasn't sleeping when he got there. If he was, then Minato would stick around the hospital waiting room until he woke up.

"Sensei, can you tell us what you learn about that man? We're all curious too." Rin asked as he finished the last of his ramen.

"I'll tell you what I can, but I probably won't be able to tell you everything." Rin nodded, but looked disappointed.

Minato paid Teuchi and got up. The hospital was a ten minute walk from the ramen stand. Minato was tempted to use his Hiraishin, but Rin was right. He had said he wouldn't use it except in special circumstances. It would tempt him to become lazy if he used it to get everywhere. Besides, it was nice to see some of the villagers he had grown up with. He was familiar with most of the vendors, and waved to them as he passed by.

Minato entered the hospital and went straight to the reception desk. "I brought a man with chakra exhaustion in here yesterday. I was told he was awake and that I would be able to visit with him."

"He's in room 327." Minato didn't ask how the woman knew who he was talking about already. She was probably working yesterday when he brought the man in. Thanking her, Minato went to the stairwell. He was on the second floor when he saw Ito descending.

"Ito-san, I was hoping I'd catch you."

Ito stopped at the second floor platform. "What can I help you with, Minato-san?"

"Can you tell me anything about the man you just finished questioning? I'm heading to his room to speak to him."

"The man's name is Naruto and he claims to have exhausted his chakra putting the fire out yesterday. His reason for the exhaustion is that he isn't that good with water element and couldn't control his chakra."

"Thank you, Ito-san." Minato passed Ito and continued onto the third floor. Naruto, huh? That was a strange name. The door to room 327 was cracked open when Minato arrived, so he pushed it open and walked in without knocking. Naruto was sitting up on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He looked at Minato once the door was fully opened. Immediately, his eyes widened in what appeared to be shock.

"I'm sorry for startling you." Minato apologized. Naruto continued to stare before he jerked out of it.

"Oh, it…it's fine." Naruto stuttered.

"It was my team that found you yesterday. I came here to ask you some questions." Minato took Naruto's silence as an invitation to ask. Sitting in the only chair in the room, Minato looked again at the man. Naruto really did look like him. His blonde hair was the same as his own, and now that Naruto was awake, his eyes were the same shade of blue as well. "How old are you?"

Naruto jumped at the question having probably expected something related to his stay in the hospital. "Nineteen." So Minato had been right about his age. Naruto was only two years his junior. "I haven't seen you around before, are you a Konoha shinobi?"

Again, Naruto waited before answering. "No. My village was Getsu (Hidden Village Under the Moon). I recently left. I didn't agree with the politics." Minato nodded. He didn't know much about Getsu, just that the village usually sent a few representatives to the Chuunin Exams.

"Why come to Konoha?"

Pause. "After I left I met a Konoha shinobi. He kept talking about 'The Will of Fire.' It made me curious."

"Is water your element affinity?"

Pause. "Yes."

"If you aren't that good with water jutsus, why didn't you find help?"

"It wasn't a big fire; I figured I could deal with it. I didn't expect to be drained of my chakra."

"What are you plans now?"

This pause was longer than the others. "I was wondering if I could become a Konoha shinobi. From what I've seen, I really like this village."

It was hard to consider letting a stranger join the ranks of Konoha shinobi, but Naruto certainly didn't appear as an enemy. If Ito reported that Naruto wasn't going to harm them, then maybe the Sandaime would agree to it. "It could be possible." Minato studied Naruto again. "I do have another question. Do you know why you were able to survive after using all of your chakra?"

Pause. "I've always been able to. I think I might have a kekkei genkei that no one told me about." That was possible.

A knock drew both their attention. A nurse was in the doorway, this one older than the previous. "I'm sorry to interrupt your questioning, Minato-san, but Naruto-san needs to rest."

"I'm not tired!" Naruto's outburst shocked Minato. The man had been so reserved until then.

"Even if you don't feel tired, your body is still recovering. Please, try to sleep."

Minato stood from his chair. "I'll stop by soon, Naruto-san. Please, listen to the nurse." Minato left the room. He needed to report this to the Hokage.

oOoOo

Naruto had been trying to figure out what time he was in by going over everything he knew about this Konoha, when the Yondaime walked in. The Yondaime! Not just the village hero and his personal hero, but his dad. He had just had a conversation with his dad! His long dead dad.

At least we know around what time we are in.

It took Naruto a minute to clear his thoughts enough to understand what Kyuubi had said.

Right. The Yondaime is alive, which puts this before my birth. He said he had a team, which probably means Kakashi-sensei's team. And the nurse referred to him as 'Minato-san' not 'Hokage-sama.' Naruto took a second to calculate the time span. We are between twenty-three to twenty-five years in the past. How is this possible?