Man! You guys are great reviewers! I love long reviews with opinions like the ones I'm getting! It's really an awesome feeling when you guys write like; Oh! How could Sasuke do this! I hope he does this! I wonder if he'll do this! He should do this! I hate him for this!
It's just like... Cha! Awesome! Thankyou so much, please keep them up, they're the reason this chapter is up so quickly.
Speaking of which; I wrote and editted late tonight, so I might've missed a few mistake, I'm sorry if I had... I hope they don't ruin the story. This chapter is mostly a scene from the anime... Just revised! Ha!
Well on to the story!
Timeless
by ferriswheel95
"Stupid Sasuke! Stupid time travelling jutsu! Stupid, stupid Naruto!" said boy hissed as he kicked the high wooden fence that was tinted yellowish before turning to lean on it, his head tilted up and gazing through the eyeholes of his mask to the clear blue sky that was trademark of the leaf.
"Stupid mask…" He muttered lastly. He didn't like the feeling of having to be hidden in his own village. Sighing he dropped his head until he heard a pair of footsteps approaching, he looked up to see if the forthcoming villagers were someone he knew. His hopes were both answered and not so much at the same time. Teal eyes watched him as she passed, her four blonde pigtails sat tightly both high on her head and two down lower, her large black weapon was strapped securely to her back and Naruto knew that when it unfolded it would be a large fan.
Her partner walked next to her, clad in all black and with purple makeup markings on his face, but seemed disinterested in Naruto (who admittedly, probably look a little silly attired in all orange and a fox shaped Anbu mask). He ran a hand roughly back and forth through his blonde spikes, it was odd being taller than Temari and her brother but at the same time it hinted just what part of their past Sasuke and himself were transported to.
Temari eventually tore her gaze away from Naruto's with a short huff and her nose tilted high. Naruto gave a small smile behind his mask and watched the two retreating backs for a few moments before he looked up again to the sky, thinking. If his memory was accurate, then that meant the two of them were either about to bump into his old team or were just walking away from them. Though, Gaara wasn't with them, so in that case it meant they were about to meet for the very first time… That or the two were just out for something to eat or – something…
Ugh! So frustrating! I hate all this past crap! Naruto groaned and grabbed his hair tightly with his hands, his head suddenly hurting. He took his time to compose himself before standing straight. He slipped his jacket off, left in his dark shirt, before tying the jacket around his waist. He didn't want to resemble his old self too closely.
"Time to start protecting…" He grunted before vanishing in a cloud of smoke.
"I feel as though you should be watched, Sasuke-kun" Kakashi grinned, one hand in his pocket, the other attentively holding his old orange book. Sasuke glared at his former sensei but chose to remain quiet. Iruka had brought him here, to the Hokage's office, after the Uchiha had refused to answer any of his questions as well.
Of course Kakashi would have had to be here, he said he had just finished nominating Team 7 for the Chunin exams, Sasuke's mind winced at the memories. The Chunin exams was when it all started, it was where he was marked, it was where he found out about Naruto and the Kyuubi. It was a time where he actually felt threatened by Rock Lee and when he (hilariously enough now) prided in Sakura's abilities of chakra control and Genjutsu. He scoffed at the thought.
"Memories, Sasuke?" Kakashi smiled again, catching Sasuke's scoff. Sasuke just rolled his eyes and the other chuckled.
"Even more silent with age, Iruka said you and Naruto were bickering, still doing that too I guess" the man continued to talk, finally closing his book and putting it away, now interested. Sasuke shook his head.
"Naruto is an idiot, we shouldn't let him loose in the village, he'll ruin everything" Sasuke snapped finally, resting one hand on his hip and the other on the hilt of his katana. Kakashi hummed before stuffing his hands in his pockets.
"You're probably right, should we find him? I would like to catch up with him… Somehow I even wish Sakura was here, would be nice to see how the three of you matured" He smiled fondly, feeling open with this cool and dejected Sasuke. Still, he had a feeling Sasuke was cool and crestfallen for all the wrong reasons. Sasuke turned his head at the pinkette's name, wondering where she could've been at the time of the battle; it was odd for Naruto not to have his usual possie cheering him on from the sidelines of every fight.
"A lot was going on, I have no idea where she even was at the time… I have no idea where Naruto was even, so I don't know why I'm even here." The raven grunted, closing his eyes with thought.
"Fate?" Kakashi suggested.
"Hn" Sasuke grunted.
"We've got a few minutes before he gets here, let's mess with these punks, huh?" Kankuro grinned mischievously as he held the small, squirming Konohamaru up by the scarf.
"Let go of me you jerk!" the boy kicked at and reached up to hold the wrist of his attacker, his teeth grit, his eyes squeezed shut tightly in pain and his breathing shallow.
"You're feisty, but not for long…" Kankuro mocked. A young Naruto physically shook, his entire body convulsing with anger. He wanted to attack; he wanted to mess this stranger up! How dare he hurt Konohamaru.
"Put him down!" He yelled, springing into action and running for the offender. He didn't know how yet, but he was going to make this guy let go of his little friend. His sandals clapped as the hit the ground in the rush. Kankuro, not losing his sly grin, tilted his head only slightly too barely acknowledge Naruto's attack. With his free hand, he made small gestures that could hardly even be considered hand signs. Naruto didn't have time to focus on the movement before he was physically pushed by his feet, backwards and ass first into the ground. He growled and Kankuro could only sneer.
"What the – what the hell was that!" Naruto shouted from the ground with eyes wide and confused.
"You're a leaf Genin too? Looks like your village is full of wimps!" The outsider commented, smirk in place. Sakura watched from behind Naruto, hands brought worriedly to her chest and emerald eyes unconfidently trying to evaluate the situation.
They're outsiders from somewhere, she thought as she frowned, but what are they doing here?
"Konohamru!" The boy's teammates chimed with uneasiness, one after the other. Naruto clenched his teeth and jaw and pushed himself from the ground.
"Hey! Cut it out! It hurts!" Konohmaru cried, feeling light headed from the tight hold on his throat but his pleas were ignored and Kankuro only held tighter.
"That's it!" Naruto pointed an accusing finger.
"Drop him now or I tear you apart, you got that fool!" He declared, headstrongness fuelled by his anger and protectiveness for his friends. Before he could put his plan (which was nothing but try and run at him again, hoping for the best), he was suffocated by a surprise chokehold from behind.
"You're the fool!" Sakura hissed in annoyance, her grip tight.
"Making threats isn't going to help Naruto!" She lectured but Naruto was too distracted by his needy gasping for breath. Kankuro watched with amused eyes.
"You're annoying, all of you –" he lifted a fist.
"I don't like runts, or any other scrawny weaklings. So when a wimp like this starts shooting off his mouth –" he turned to them fully this time, any hint of amusement on his features replaced with contempt.
"I just want to break 'em in half" Naruto and Sakura inhaled sharply, the seriousness in the guy's tone sent chills through both spines and a sudden sensation of helplessness fell heavily on the group. Moegi and Udon, Konohamaru's teammates, began to get teary and tremble. Temari broke the frightened silence with an impartial sigh.
"Fine, I'm not involved in any of this, okay?" She said, clearly unfazed by such a vehement threat from her partner. Sakura's brows knitted together and her lips sealed tightly.
What's this guy's problem! This is getting ugly.
"First I'll take care of this little squirt and then I'll waste the other one!" Tears prickled at the corners of Konohamaru's tightly closed eyes, he couldn't see Kankuro's free hand firstly fist and then be pulled back, ready to make his threat authentic, but Naruto could. Without thinking, Naruto roared out and ran for the man again, his full intention to be between that fist and Konohamaru's face. His feet moved quickly one after the other and his heart raced with panic as he watched the fist make its way for Kono's face. Unexpectedly, there was suddenly no need for such self-sacrifice as Konohamaru was dropped with a painful thud. Naruto stopped dead in his tracks and watched Kankuro cradle his now seemingly sore hand against his chest. A small stone fell to the ground and the puppeteer grunted in confusion and stared at it.
"You're a long way from home and you're way out of your league" a cool voice commented from above and suddenly all attention was on the smooth character in the tree. Sasuke tossed another pebble in his hand, his other laid nonchalantly across his knee.
"Sasuke!" Sakura announced enthusiastically, more than ready to welcome the rescue.
"Ugh…" Naruto stared dumbly up at his 'oh-so-awesome' teammate. Kankuro simply sneered while Temari gazed up, an instant infatuation apparent across her blushing features.
Well, well – she mentally commented – local hottie!
"Naruto!" Konohamaru spoke breathlessly as he ran back to his young idol. Kankuro's scorn only intensified as he held his still aching and bleeding hand, which had been struck by the offending pebble that still lay on the ground.
"Oh great, another wimp to tick me off" he snarled, eyes narrow and annoyed. Sasuke paused his tossing of the rock, only to catch it and turn it to dust, crushing it in his palm.
"Get lost" and the fans go wild on the ground.
"Hey punk, get down here –" Sasuke glared at the boy covered in black who continued to speak, "you're the kind of pesky, snot nosed brat I hate the most! All attitude and nothing to back it up!" He grabbed the bandage that hung over his shoulder and pulled at it, heaving the large – whatever it was – from his back.
"What! Are you going to use the Crow, for this!" Temari breathed as her eyes widened. The so called 'Crow' fell with a brash thud at Kankuro's feet and he placed his hand a top of it. A few speedy moments of shocked silence passed between the group before they were interrupted.
"Kankuro… Back off" A heavy voice drawled slowly. Sasuke shivered and his eyes opened wide with a jolt when he realised that the dark voice came from behind him amongst the leaves of the tree he sat in. The Konoha Genin gazed up with surprise as well, while the foreigners looked terrified.
"You're an embarrassment to our village" the red head said, voice continuingly just as dark and calm as he hung upside down from a large branch that forked from the other side of the trunk of the tree that Sasuke sat in.
"Uh… Hey Gaara…" Kankuro suddenly was putty in the presence of this newcomer. Sasuke, trying to stay as aloof and cool as ever, barely glanced over his shoulder to get a look of the Shinobi although he was desperate to see him.
How did he get there? He didn't make a sound… Only Jonin of Kakashi's level are that smooth. Sasuke thought, a stray bead of sweat rolled uncharacteristically nervously down the side of the young Uchiha's face.
"Have you forgotten the reason we came all the way here?" Gaara's eyes moved slickly from staring at Sasuke to down at Kankuro, instantly making the other jump.
"I know! T-They challenged us! They started the whole thing really!" the boy put his hands up defensively, sweating with his sudden nerves.
"See here's what happened –"
"Shut up… Or I'll kill you" was all the threat that was needed for the other's lips to snap shut audibly.
"Uh right! Sorry Gaara, I was totally out of line!" Kankuro apologised, still looking tense.
"I'm sorry for any trouble he caused" Gaara apologised smoothly after turning to Sasuke, who he assumed had reigns over the group. Sasuke said nothing, only thought.
This guy has an evil look in his eye…
And Gaara's own thoughts played in the silence.
This guy stopped Kankuro with a pebble and made it look easy. This guy is someone to keep an eye on. Gaara then began to focus on evaporating to sand in order to join his team on the ground before another strange voice interrupted them.
"Wah! Ahahaha!" A loud, obnoxious laughter erupted from the top of the tree before a body fell from it to behind the fence at the bottom of the tree's trunk. Sasuke jumped to his feet, admittedly shocked by the sudden loudness. Gaara quickly evaporated to join his teammates on the ground, while Naruto, Sakura and the others just stared speechless as a masked, blonde hair teen popped up from behind the fence to sit on it, still laughing and holding his sides.
"I-I'm sorry!" He breathed between giggles.
"B-But, you g-guys! Y-You were seriously way too serious! Ahaha!" Sasuke snarled in his throat and glared at the laughing idiot that was all too familiarly clad in orange pants and orange jacket (and he was obviously such an idiot that he had no right whatsoever to laugh at Sasuke Uchiha). Gaara harboured a similar glare and the two once again shared comparable thoughts.
I can't really say he's an idiot, how long was he in this tree that I didn't notice him. Sasuke thought, reprimanding himself. Finally the laughter died down and Sasuke leapt to join his teammate on the ground as well. If Naruto could, he would wipe his teary eyes from behind his mask, but alas his identity must remain hidden. Through the moments of thick silence, he took his chance to take in his young friends.
Gaara, looking so much angrier then he could ever picture the serene red-head looking in his time but of course right now he still had a vendetta against the world and a sickening blood lust. Then he turned to Sasuke, clipped and perfect of course, these were the days were the Uchiha only aspired for revenge instead of throwing himself into the pits of darkness to exact it. And Sakura, young and beautiful (with her old, long pink hair) as ever but far more timid and unsure of herself and her incredible abilities.
"And just who the hell are you!" A flashy, raspy voice growled with a pointing finger. Naruto followed the finger to gaze at his former self, short and scrawny of course with big, blue eyes of pure optimism. It hurt, to think he was ever so naïve and he wished that these days he still could be. Naruto waved his hand dismissively.
"I'm no one" He grinned from behind the mask. His voice irked Sasuke and the Uchiha couldn't help but glare, having a feeling he had heard it before somewhere… Screeching in his ears.
"How long were you up there exactly!" The young Naruto whined but his question was never answered.
"Hold on! I can tell from your headbands –" Sakura pointed to Gaara's trio, "and from your lack of one –" She pointed to Naruto on the fence.
"That you come from the village Hidden in the Sand and you from who knows where! Of course the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind are allies but no Shinobi can enter another's village without permission! So state your purpose and it better be good!"
Ah Sakura… Always so bossy. Naruto reminisced.
"Really?" Temari turned, "have you guys all been living under a rock or what? You don't know what's going on do you?" Naruto felt the deja-vu crash into him like an angry Sakura's fist. He watched Gaara glanced up to take a peek of him from the corner of his eye, same went with Sasuke and all of a sudden a hot feeling swelled in his stomach and he grinned happily behind the mask.
Now who's worth paying attention to huh! Not Mr. Young-hotshot-Sasuke, that's for sure! Or Mr. I-hate-life-Gaara! He paraded mentally. Temari held up her certified identification card.
"We have permission, of course you're correct, we are hidden sand Genin. Our home is the land of the wind and we're here for the Chunin exams" she explained and then glanced up to the older Naruto who seemed to just be enjoying himself silently watching.
"What?" He frowned when all of a sudden, all eyes were on him. He rolled his own before sighing.
"I uh… Me too! What she said!" He shrugged, not really caring if they believed him or not. Briefly he wondered if Sasuke would be mad at Naruto for interacting with their younger selves. He hadn't meant to! He was content with just watching, but damn it was so hilarious to remember just how seriously everyone took themselves when they were so young.
"The Chunin exams… What's that? I've never heard of any Chunin exams…" His younger self muttered, features dripping with confusion.
"You guys are so clueless" Temari rolled her eyes and absently watched Konohamaru explain to his so called 'chief'.
"Oh why didn't you say so! I am so there!" Naruto's hands balled into fists of excitement and grinned, Gaara could do nothing but jeer at his ignorance and even his older self felt a pinch of embarrassment. He really was so clueless. The sand team turned and started to leave, but Naruto didn't miss another glance that Gaara slipped his way as he moved to depart.
"Hey you!" Sasuke called, making older Naruto shiver with nostalgia. Gaara and the others froze and looked back over their shoulders.
"Identify yourself!" He demanded. Naruto rolled his eyes, always so pushy.
"Who? You mean me?" Temari blushed, her voice high with hope and Naruto rolled his eyes again.
"No, him. The guy with the gourd on his back" Sasuke pointed and if Naruto remembered correctly, this was the beginning of the end of their first encounter with Gaara. So he stood and prepared to leave, balancing himself atop the fence.
"My name is Subaku no Gaara… I'm curious about you too. Who are you?"
"I am Sasuke Uchiha" Naruto once again had to supress the giggles that threatened to erupt, they both looked so intense.
"Hey there! I bet you want to know my name too right!" Naruto, ever being the one for tension breaking, proclaimed with false hopes.
"I couldn't care less…" Gaara growled lowly and the older Naruto scoffed.
"You will…" He grumbled quietly under his breath and to himself, catching Gaara's attention.
"And you, I want to know your name too, what village are you from?" Gaara turned his body towards Naruto on the fence and with a glance he saw a just as interested Sasuke and a deflated Naruto behind him. He felt nervous with all eyes on him.
"You already know…" Was all he muttered dejectedly, finally overcome with reminiscence before leaping and vanishing.
Ohhhh, so aloof Naruto! Ha! R & R Please! Thankyou!