Chapter 4: Unconscious Thought

Naruto opens his eyes, slowly taking in the black world that he was in. He started freaking out; waking up in a strange place could do it.

"Wha-where the heck am I?"

"You are in the deep thought of your memories." A voice spoke out, behind him. Naruto whirled around and saw a man standing there. He was wearing a large black robe, with a large clock around his neck and and a green staff in his left hand. His eyes looked like they were stabbed; blood red, with the black pupil. His hair was neon green that seemed to almost have a mind of its own.

"What the- Who are you? And how the heck did I get here?"

The man smiled. "I am, how would you say, like a tour guide of your past, present, and future memories. I know what has happened in your past, what is happening now, and even what will happen in your future. And you've always been in this "limbo" world; you've just never have woken up your internal spirit during such time of rest."

"Such rest? What do you mean by that?"

The man nodded his head, and closed his eyes. "It would be best if I was to show you what is currently happening." Before Naruto could speak, the man's staff illuminated in a bright green color. Naruto shielded his eyes from the light.

"No Naruto! Watch out!" came another voice. Naruto turned around to see what looked like to be a rounded screen. It was projecting the moment when Naruto was injured during his mission

"Huh?"

"I can only be able to show you the past up to the present. I have yet to be able to simply project a certain time period in your life. The further I go back, the easier."

"Oh, I see."

"This moment… do you remember this?"

Naruto looked up to see him crumpled on the ground, blood lying everywhere, and Kiba at his side cleaning him with small towels. "Damn it Naruto, wake up!!!" He nodded his head. "Yes, I do remember this, but very little of it. I do remember all the way up until I get hit by that anti's jutsu."

"Hmm, I see. Well then, lets move on then." He tapped his staff into the ground once more and it illuminated a different scene. "Now, how about this?" The scene was broadcasting when Hinata came to visit Naruto, when he was in the hospital bed. She was walking over to his bed, tears rolling down her face.

Naruto frowned "I don't remember this from any of my thoughts."

"That's because you as a human don't remember the event, but your mind still records everything that happened, even if you are unconscious. It is amazing how powerful the mind is." Naruto watched the scene, noting everything that happened; Kiba storming inside, Kakashi giving the current predicament, and Hinata crying at his bed side. "He has a dead even 50/50 chance of surviving this operation." Just as the image slowly fading out, he saw Hinata hold his hand in hers. Naruto looked at the faded image, as if it was a t.v. that was just turned off. "Hinata…"

"Hmm, your lady friend sure feels passionate towards you. I can feel that she feels weak; as if there was a page missing from her book. The time that you have been out, she has always visited you at the hospital; coincidence that Kakashi was here on one of her visits… anyway, shall we continue to our next memory?"

Naruto stood in silence; his mind was racing all of this information in at one time. He sighed, and opened his eyes. "Yes, continue."

Once more, the man tapped his staff which illuminated another scene. This scene was more recent to him. The scene portrayed the surgery room before Naruto went under in his surgery. Kakashi was standing next to the doctor, and Hisashi was circling his body; Byakugan activated.

"This memory was very recent in your present time. You probably recognize the man in the long tan robe; none of than Hisashi."

"But why is he performing the operation. He doesn't respect me like everyone else does, and he abused Hinata in the past by rejecting giving her training."

"Yes, that was true. But things change over a short period of time. The Hisashi you see now is much different that the Hisashi that you knew in the past."

"…still, why?"

"He believes that it is his way of saving the village from the beast appearing, if you did die. He is also known for master work of internal surgery, like your case."

"Oh… he has changed."

"Also, he want to make sure that Hinata doesn't experience the pain that he felt when someone close who had died or was lost. Basically, he is thinking of Hinata as well as you."

"Wow, this definitely sounds like a new Hisashi. But when did he lose someone that was close to him? Hinata hasn't told me anything about it."

The man snickered. "Looks like you have a long ways with your lady friend. Because Hinata is the heiress of the throne, she has to be protected; Neji is the soul protector, given the mark of his duties at 3 years old. Anyway, when Hinata was 3, she was kidnapped by a ninja from the Falling Rock village. Thankfully, Hisashi finished off the ninja before he could escape."

"I still don't get how he loses someone here?"

"I'm still talking. When the lord of that village heard of the death, he demanded that the man responsible had to be executed. It was going to be Hisashi, but his brother took the charge instead; he was Hisashi's protector, like Neji to Hinata. That's why Hisashi was harsh at Hinata for a while, because he was in the state of the loss of his brother."

Naruto watched as the memory faded away, seeing the operation light going over head. He slowly turned around to the man, still in curiosity.

"I am sad to say, that is all that I have to show you. I can only show you the past and the present. The future is not be shown, but only to be talked."

"So tell me, do I survive the operation or not?"

The man closed his eyes and smiled. "Naruto, I am sorry to say but I can't tell you your future."

"But you said that the future can be talked about!"

"I did, but the future can change though; through ones actions can change ones future. You yourself are going to have to figure out your future, not me. Like I said, I'm just your tour guide for your memories."

"…I see."

"However, I can tell you one piece of your future… if you are willing to know."

Naruto gasped. "Really? Can you tell me?"

The man smiled. He tapped his staff, but this time a blue-violet light illuminated. Naruto looked confused. Usually there was a green light, but it was different. "Don't worry dear Naruto; I will tell you, but not the entire thing." Suddenly, everything was starting to fade around him.

Naruto started to worry. "We'll, what is it!?"

The man grinned, and he started to fade out as well. "Let's just say that your wife will be waiting for you."

Then… nothing.