Warm...that was the first word that had processed through Midna's head. Wherever she was, it was warm, comfortable, and she didn't want to move from it. Birds were chirping somewhere above her head, but they weren't necessarily annoying. Actually, it was rather nice. Wherever she was, it was really nice...nice enough for her to just want to stay put and go back to sleep. As she lay there however, sleep seemed to be getting further and further out of her reach. Finally giving up on going back to sleep, she slowly began lifting her head away from the warm bed before she felt a presence above her head. She looked up before a light touch suddenly pressed against her lips. Her eyes quickly widened as they finally focused; a scarred, whiskered face appearing in front of her.

Na...Na...Na-Na-Naru...

Her eyes seemed to widen further and further as her nose brushed up against his, their lips still interlocked, before her face went completely crimson.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

WHAM!

Naruto was a man who was quick to react. But only when he was awake. A second ago, he was in a deep sleep...and now?

...now he was upside-down inside of a hole in the floor of his own house.

.

..

...

The blonde took a deep breath before exhaling slowly. "Goooooooooooood morniiiiiiiiiiiing Narutooooooooo..." He grumbled as he tried pulling himself out of the hole. Popping his head out of the whole, he shook the dirt out of his blonde locks before sighing. "I knew I was going to regret that last night..." He slowly stood up before hopping back up to Midna, who was staring off into space with wide eyes and an intense blush on her face, clutching a hand to her chest. "You okay?" She tensed before snapping her gaze back to him, her face still red.

"Y-Y-YES! F-F-FINE!" She squeaked, Naruto quirking an eyebrow at her.

"All right then." He shook his head before a loud growling sound came from in front of him, Midna snapping her face away as a grin split Naruto's face. "You hungry?" She tensed before meekly nodding, the blonde smiling brightly before hopping down back to the ground floor. "Gimme just a few minutes!" She peered down to the ground floor, blinking a few times as Naruto had disappeared a mere moment after he touched the ground.

She looked around the house, now able to get a clearer view of it in the morning's light. Golden light streamed in through the windows, several plants practically glowing from the healthy beams as they rested in small pots of differing shapes and sizes. A few flowers dotted the house, resting in small pots that had been given fresh mulch. A few wooden boxes were placed around the house, two bookshelves by the door and a few carpets lying along the floor. She flinched at the hole in the ground before waving her hand towards it, the floor quickly repairing itself to the way it was before Naruto landed in it. She turned back to a few of the bookshelves before noticing the ladder that Naruto and Ino had come out of the night before. She floated over to it before slowly descending down the drak hole, flicking her hand to the side and letting a small orange flame appear in her hand. She looked around the newly lit room, her eyes widening ever so slightly in surprise. The sides of the rooms had large storage areas, which had been packed tightly with trinkets and scrolls of all sorts.

"I...never took him for the hoarding type..." She mused to herself as she looked around. Two small scrolls caught her eye, the Twili walking over to them and picking them up. One was a pale cream color and the other was a faded black color. Strange symbols were painted onto a white portion of the scrolls, though she had no idea as to what they were supposed to mean. Light and Dark? She couldn't tell what either symbol meant, but it didn't matter, because the inside of the scrolls had similar symbols as the ones on the front of each scroll. Rolling them back up, she continued to look around the basement. A small satchel with knives and blank papers inside was the next thing she found that caught her attention, and opening it up, she also found a long, thin wire inside. Several small orbs were also inside, though they seemed to be almost taped together with small patches of paper. Poking one, she squeaked loudly as the smoke bomb exploded. Coughing, she waved her hand back and forth before a light giggling caught her attention. She quickly spun around only to find it was only herself in the basement, but poking her head out from the ladder, she saw Naruto was smiling in front of a small pan that was in his fireplace. He noticed her sticking her head out of the basement before his giggling increased.

"Found the smoke bombs?" Her pissed off glare gave him his answer. "I did the same thing. Heheh, I'm just glad that you didn't find the flash bombs. THOSE things would have actually hurt." He laughed as he flipped two eggs onto a ceramic plate. "Here, I've got some breakfast for ya." He held out a plate that had two eggs, some toasted bread and a small orange fruit that had been sliced in half. She slowly walked over to him before taking the plate, Naruto beaming brightly as he pointed over to a small table. "I'll be with ya in just a second." He spun around before beginning to cook more breakfast, this time for himself. Midna brought the plate over to the table before sitting down in the strange wooden chair. If she leaned too far back, it would rock onto a shorter leg of the chair, so she had to lean forward in her seat to stay balanced. It was so weird...nothing like the nice chairs back in the palace. And the utensils she was given were rather plain, nothing designed onto them or anything. She looked back up towards the window, the sun slowly rising higher into the sky, light still streaming into the window. Her eyes widened slightly as a clear blue color filled the sky, white, fluffy clouds dotting the sky in the distance.

"Sorry there isn't much to breakfast...for some reason most of the village isn't up yet." Naruto said as he sat down next to Midna, having caught her staring out the window. "Usually everyone's up by this time, but I guess nobody wants to get up before Kakashi and Rusl?" He shrugged as he started munching on the cuccoo eggs. "But hey, I'm not complaining. It's been awhile since I last had an actual meal, not just rations and stuff." Naruto grinned at the warm, delicious taste of his over-easy eggs. Midna finally picked up the fork she was given, but stopped, watching Naruto cut the egg open with his fork before dipping the toasted bread into the runny yolk. Muching on the bread, Naruto's grin widened before he snapped his eyes open. "OPH PHRIT!" His outburst caused Midna to flinch before he suddenly sat up, the toast still in his mouth. "Ah phergot teh git phum mirk!" He quickly disappeared out the door, Midna left to blink at the now open door before slowly beginning to eat her breakfast.

This wasn't fancy...there weren't seven to eight servents who had everything she could possibly want at her beck and call. There were no fluffy pancakes with any berries on them...nothing that she truly loved eating...

WHOOSH!

Naruto slid back into the house holding a large glass bottle with white liquid inside of it. He quickly grabbed two cups from a nearby cupboard before filling them up and handing one to Midna, most of the toasted bread that he was eating before he left now gone.

"Sorry 'bout that, forgot to grab some milk. Nishishishi, can't have breakfast without some!" He giggled as he sat down and continued eating, Midna's lips curving into a small smile.

"Hmph...Dork. I'm a princess and you give me such simple foods." Naruto quirked an eyebrow towards her as she shook her head. "I guess I'll have to make do." Naruto smirked as he swiped the plate from her just as she tried to stab the egg with her fork.

"You don't have to eat it if you wanna be like that."

"H-HEY!" She shouted, glaring at him. "Wh-what do you think you're doing?" Naruto watched her in silence for a moment before the most devilish grin Midna ever saw crossed his face. She almost flinched before Naruto held the plate above his head, slowly tilting it towards himself as he opened his mouth.

"If you're not going to eat it, then I will. Can't let good food go to waste after all." He said sticking out his tongue, ready to catch the egg that was about to fall off the plate.

WHAM!

"Like HELL you're going to eat my food!" Midna roared, holding the plate in her hand as Naruto once more found his face in the floor, Midna's foot still on his head. "This is MY food and it's going in MY STOMACH! NOT YOURS!" She roared as she started eating the breakfast with gusto, a gleam appearing in Naruto's eyes. He quickly disappeared, Midna almost losing her balance before a piece of toast disappeared from her plate.

"Thank you, princess, for the toast. Nishishishi!" He giggled as Midna's eyes widened.

"You...! YOU LITTLE SHIT! GIVE IT BACK!"

Rusl smiled as he passed by Naruto's house, hearing the noise from outside of the tree-turned home.

"IT'S MY FOOD AND NOT YOURS! GIVE IT BACK YOU JACK-ASS!"

"IF YOU WANT IT SO BADLY THEN STOP LETTING ME TAKE IT FROM YOU! MWAHAHAHAHAAA!"

"I guess he really hasn't changed all that much..." Kakashi smirked behind his mask as he tapped the sheath of a shortsword onto his shoulder.

"In some ways he has, but in many others, he hasn't." Rusl chuckled as the two began their recently established -Daily Perimiter Check-.

"All right, here we are." Naruto smiled as he walked around the sacred ground of the forest meadow. "Feels like it's been a while since we were last here..." He grinned as he rubbed a finger underneath his nose.

"Hmm..." The small imp looked around the moss-covered ruins, her single eye glancing over them with a doubtful gaze. The legendary Master Sword was resting here in these ruins for thousands of years, but...

"Something wrong Midna?" Naruto asked, noticing her glancing around the room. "You look like something's bugging ya." The imp floated over to the doorway that lead to the Master Sword's pedestal. She put a hand to the stone and lightly wiped her hand over it.

"There was a legend in the history of my people..." She began, wiping her fingers together. "It had said that the Master Sword, The Blade of Evil's Bane, was kept at the doorway to the Sacred Realm, where the goddesses lived." She turned to Naruto, staring at the sword hilt that was secured to his back. "After they created the world, they returned to the sacred realm..."

"And at the place where they left, three golden triangles appeared...The Triforce, right?" Naruto crossed his arms, nodding. "I remember that legend from one of the books I have at home. I never really paid much attention to it until recently though, since I started seeing the three triangles in designs all across Hyrule." He glanced down to his hand, knowing of the birthmark that was underneath his glove. "I think it was supposed to be some sort of super powerful, wish granting thing..." He shook his head. "But the book said it disappeared along with the goddesses."

"It didn't."

Naruto turned to Midna, quirking an eyebrow.

"It was supposed to have been at the gateway between this world and the Sacred Realm, but it instead had it's powers abused, and one of the golden triangles was stolen."

"Fearing the Triforce would be made whole and abused once more, the goddesses took the other two pieces and hid them across the land." A voice suddenly spoke, startling the and Midna spun around to see Link leaning against one of the stone walls, smiling.

"Oh! Link!" Naruto grinned as he ran over to the swordsman. The two exchanged greetings as Link turned his attention back to the shocked Twili.

"The goddesses decided to leave one piece in the hands of the Royal Family of Hyrule..." His increased focus on the Twili made Midna gasp as she quickly snapped her eye down to her hand.

"Zelda..."

"The other was to emerge from the one known as the Hero of the Gods." Naruto smiled at his fellow blonde, nodding his head. The swordsmen in green clothing he had seen before his fight with Link. They were all heroes whom the gods had chosen. He then noticed Link's gaze turn to him. "This time however, the one the gods chose to be their hero wasn't even from this world." Naruto's eyes widened as he looked back down at his hand, Midna also turning her attention towards the orange-wearing blonde.

"Naruto..."

Link turned to the whiskered blonde, standing upright.

"Naruto...when you came to this world, you did not simply come over here, as your father did." Naruto looked back up at Link, furrowing his eyebrows. "A branching path was created, which is where we're at now."

"What do you mean?" Naruto questioned. Link walked a little ways away to a wall with a smooth, flat surface. He withdrew the sword on his back and pointed it at the wall, one glowing line forming across it before splitting into two. "When the goddesses brought you here, there should have only been one path." He pointed to the top path, the straight line, as he sheathed his sword. "This is the world I was a part of, the one where your father had accidentally come to." He then pointed to the bottom line. "This is where we're at now, on the second path."

"Soo...what's the difference?" Naruto tilted his head in confusion.

"If you were not called here, I would be the one in your shoes, fighting Zant." Link began to explain, pointing to the top line. "This was my path, where I fight Zant and journey to save Hyrule. Compared to the experiences and trials you have overcome, it is very similar..." Naruto turned his attention from the line back to Link. "But there was a dark force...that wasn't originally here. Because of it, the gods were forced to create a rift..." Link's eyes narrowed.

"A what?" The Hylian turned to Naruto as the whiskered blonde folded his arms and tilted his head again.

"The gods made a change to the world...and by doing so caused a lot of problems to start happening. Things that shouldn't be here started appearing throughout Hyrule. Strange items, strange energies...things that were not originally part of Hyrule." Naruto's eyes widened in realization.

"Chakra...and those ninja tools like the smoke and flash bombs..." Link nodded.

"Even people who were originally part of your world were pulled over to this one, even though it should only have been you."

"Wait wait wait, hold on." Midna cut in, glaring at Link. "If that's the case, and you're saying that this is Naruto's path, then how do you even exist here? Only Naruto should be the one in this timeline." Link turned to her.

"Because I was here...before Naruto." He looked at the Pedestal of Time, where the Master Sword had originally rested. "This place was once known as the Temple of Time, where the Triforce had been sealed away. The Master Sword has acted as a sort of key to the Sacred Realm, and quite honestly, it's the entire reason this world still exists. This is where Naruto first entered this world before Faron brought him to Ordona, so that he could be raised into a swordsman as all the goddesses' heroes are." Naruto turned his attention to the pedestal as well. "It was also where I had been taught swordsmanship myself..." Link said quietly, closing his eyes. "When The Fourth Hokage teleported to this world, it was on accident. He had no intention of harming anyone, and he certainly had not tried coming to this world on purpose. However, because of that, he had unintentionally opened up a path to Hyrule." He turned to Naruto. "You may not remember it at present, but there was a powerful enemy from your world who could move through different dimensions. And they came here."

Naruto's eyes widened, the thought of a man with an orange, spiral mask coming to the front of his mind.

"No way..." He said quietly. Link shook his head.

"A monster...if you will. One whose powers shook the very heavens themselves. Someone who was even thought to be a god."

Naruto furrowed his brow. Wait...was Obito ever considered a god? That didn't sound right...but then again...his memories weren't exactly the most reliable things he could count on at the moment...

"How that monster found the link between your world and mine, I do not know...but it did...or at least...a part of it did..." Naruto looked back up at Link. "That piece...that...shadow...is here, in this world. And it is the reason why you are here as well."

"Why I'm here?"

Link sat down, motioning Naruto to follow suit. The blonde crossed his legs before focusing on the man in front of him.

"Naruto...have you ever noticed that every now and again, your birthmark will glow?" The blonde glanced down to his left hand for a moment before nodding.

"Yeah...like with those Chillfos..." Naruto said, recalling the advice he had been given before.

"Why would you randomly receive advice...or suddenly feel like you knew an attack that you had never done before?" He smiled gently as Naruto glanced away, a puzzled look on his face.

"Umm...they were...attacks I had learned...from my world...?" He answered hesitantly. Link shook his head.

"Naruto...you were a ninja in your world...not a swordsman..." The blonde struggled with an answer, but couldn't find one. "Those were techniques and tokens of knowledge that had been obtained...in my life." Naruto faced him, waiting for the hero to continue. "Naruto...I was also raised by Rusl." The blonde's eyes suddenly widened in shock. "I was also a ranch-hand, one who worked for a man named Fado." He glanced towards the forest overlooking the sacred grotto. "There were four children who looked up to me, and while it was partly because I was the oldest in the village, it was mostly because I was a swordsman trained by Rusl."

"So Konohamaru...and the others..." Link shook his head.

"I told you, there were people from your world that were brought over here...right?" Naruto slowly nodded, noticing Link's breathing was starting to become erratic. "But they weren't brought here without a reason. They were brought here, to fill the places of lives that had been lost..." Naruto's eyes furrowed further than before. "T-the children who I grew up with...aren't here anymore..." Link closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to calm his breathing. "They are in a horrible place...and they cannot return to this world."

"...why?" Midna asked quietly. Link turned to her, his body seeming to become aged, fragile. A small testament to the regret he carried in his soul.

"Their souls are trapped...in the Temple of Time."

"Trapped in the temple?" Naruto asked, leaning forward.

"Naruto...I consider this timeline to be yours, because I am dead." He stared at Naruto. "In my timeline, the golden wolf you have met several times was the shade of a long-dead hero who could not save Hyrule from destruction. His spirit stayed in this world because of the regret he had from not being able to keep Hyrule safe. I am the same."

"Wait...but..." Naruto crossed his arms again, a completely baffled expression on his face. "If that's the case...then why isn't he here too? And how come I only saw Pervy Sage and my dad whenever I met that wolf?"

"Because his soul found peace." Link said before pointing to his left hand. "It found peace because I learned all of his hidden skills. Techniques that I have already passed on to you." Naruto's eyes suddenly widened as he looked back down at his own left hand. "The spin attack was my technique, but the Helm Splitter, Ending Blow...those were skills taught to me by the Hero's Shade. Because his skills have been passed on, his soul departed for the afterlife." He closed his eyes again. "And in his place...I remain." He opened his eyes, fixing his gaze on the whiskered blonde in front of him. "The wolf you keep running into...is me."

"You?" Naruto questioned. Link slowly nodded.

"I...was not able to protect Hyrule..." He started. "I confronted the shadow, of course...not long after I defeated the King of Evil."

"The King of Evil?" Naruto quirked his head again, still trying to follow along.

"You will confront him one day as well..." Link shook his head. "But for now...there is no point explaining that to you..." Naruto frowned, as did Midna.

"If you know we're going to fight him, then you might as well tell us what you know about him." She grumbled, glaring at him. Link seemed to give her a kinder smile than before.

"Quick to demanding an answer, as always. You never were one to just let information pass you by, weren't you, Midna?" He chuckled, the imp twitching in irritation.

"W-WHO ARE YOU TO ACT LIKE YOU KNOW ME!?" Link smiled knowingly to her before shaking his head.

"In any case, the shadow I confronted..." His smile faded. "Was too much for me..." He held a hand to his chest, Naruto suddenly feeling a small pulse from in front of him. Slowly looking down, Naruto noticed Link's tunic seemed darker by the area he was clutching his chest at. The whiskered blonde slowly held a hand to his ow chest, an image flashing across his mind.

It was of Link, with a dark shadow piercing through his chest.

"I could not defeat the darkness..." Link said quietly, closing his eyes. "And so, with the help of the goddesses, I made it to this sacred grotto...and with my last breath...sent the world back in time."

"Which is what created the branching path..." Naruto said quietly. Link nodded.

"I created that branching path not only because I had lost to the monster..." the Hero's hand clenched his chest tighter. "But because it had also taken the lives of many friends I held dear..." A small tear began forming at the corner of his eye. "I sent the world back in time, but it was too late...the monster did not only destroy their bodies, but also tampered with their souls." He shook his head again. "Even sending the world back in time did not bring them back...which is why people from your world were forcibly pulled over here."

"Link..." Naruto quietly began, suddenly watching Midna carefully. "If that's true...then...where was..." Midna noticed the whiskered blonde was looking at her. Link smiled thankfully as he wiped a tear from his eye.

"There were a few souls that escaped the wrath of that monster long enough for me to turn back time...Princess Zelda was one, because her soul is meant to reincarnate whenever The King of Evil returns to this world, as is mine." He turned back to Naruto. "But the residents of Kakariko...where the children were...they did not make it." He shook his head. "The shaman and his son, and the children from my village...all of their souls were entrapped by that monster. It had made it's way to Ordon, killed most of my friends and neighbors...except for Bo and Rusl, who had been able to hold out just long enough..." Link slowly turned to the imp. "And a good friend of mine, who had accompanied me the entire trip..." Midna noticed both blonde's were now watching her. "...was safe in her own world."

"I see..." Naruto looked down, his eyes suddenly becoming somber. So that was how he knew her. "Then the reason I'm here...in this world..."

"Is to pick up where I left off..." Link finished for him. "I could not defeat that shadow...even with the help of the gods." Link closed his eyes. "I am not fast enough, strong enough, nor do I possess the skill needed to seal the monster away..." His gaze returned to Naruto. "But you...Naruto...are a different story."

"..."

"I don't know why you were chosen to take my place..." Link began. "Was it because the Fourth Hokage, who had caused the incident, was dead? Was it because you were his son? Or was it another reason?" The blonde Hero shook his head. "I don't know for certain. But I do know that you are the one who can do it." He smiled. "I had told you before, that you were capable of carrying out the legacy of the Hero of Time, and I still believe it. Even more so now than before." Naruto slowly nodded before standing up. "The mirror piece you're looking for has been hidden deep inside the Temple of Time. It won't be easy getting there..." Naruto smirked at the swordsman now standing in front of him. "But just like every other hero the goddesses have chosen, I highly doubt a simple warning will stop you."

"It wouldn't be any fun if it was easy." He grinned cheekily, putting his hands on his hips and flicking his thumb across his nose. A troubled smile suddenly flickered across Link's face.

"...if at all possible...Naruto...if you find the souls of any of my friends..."

Naruto's smile faded as well before he slowly nodded.

"I'll put them to rest..." Link smiled gratefully to the blonde. "So Link...how do I get to the temple?" The Hylian hero pointed towards the Pedestal of Time before giving Naruto a simple explanation. After stabbing the blade into the pedestal, Naruto found the stone golem that was standing in front of a door was now gone. And the moment the door opened...

"This...this can't be the same place!" Midna exclaimed, looking around the strangely colored temple. "This place...is it really the Temple of Time?"

"Woah...it's...actually a temple..."

"Welcome to the Temple of Time's original state. You two are now traveling in a dimensional pocket of time." Link began explaining, walking them through the temple.

"You're sounding more like a salesman than a hero..." Naruto deadpanned, Link blinking several times before rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"I've had dozens of incarnations...I'm sure one of them was a salesman at one point..."

"Uh-huh...a mask salesman or something..."

"Hey! If I'm given a task, I finish it! Be it from collecting little glowing stars to gathering cuccos, if someone needs help, I help them! Any Hero worth his sword would do the same!"

"Right, right..." Naruto rolled his eyes with a smirk. Midna watched the Hylian Hero as he and Naruto walked through the temple, simply chatting back and forth as they walked to the back of the temple. He actually seemed a lot like Naruto, though maybe not as air-headed...and there was something about him that seemed...familiar...

"Okay, so go ahead and put the Master Sword one more time in the pedestal and the way to the mirror shard will open." Naruto nodded as he spun the sword around one more time before stabbing it into the slit.

"But why do I need to keep putting the Master Sword back into it's pedestal so many times? I keep wondering if it'll get stuck or something..." Link smiled as he gave a good-natured pat on his back.

"Don't think too much on it. There were plenty of puzzles I'd completed that didn't make any sense. You just have to roll with it."

"I know that, but it's still really weird..." Naruto grumbled as a strange, transparent stairway appeared behind the pedestal. "And that's not helping with the weirdness..."

A rapid series of light taps caused Naruto to tense, the blonde spinning around and holding the sword in front of him, only to see Ooccoo and her son run in between his legs and up the stairway. "What the...ACK! O-OOCCOO! W-WAIT!" But it was too late, she was already gone. "Dammit...I hope she doesn't get stuck again..." He groaned as he sheathed his sword.

"Keep an eye on those two...Naruto." The blonde turned to Link. "They'll surely help you in the near future." Despite the quirk of his eyebrow, Naruto nodded before dashing up the stairs.

"Be ready for anything. If we're really going back in time, we need to be prepared for any possible attack or ambush."

"I got it! Why are you telling me this as if I've never gone into a dungeon before!?"

"Shut up! I'm going to say it regardless of whether you know it or not!" She shouted, an embarrassed blush on her face. As the two continued down the long, dark tunnel, Naruto finally noticed a light in the distance.

"Ah! That must be the way out!" Naruto quickly picked up his pace, using light, chakra-filled jumps to speed him across the way. Finally bursting out into the light, Naruto's eyes widened. "Oh...it's a...forest? Did we go back outside?" Naruto glanced around the area as Midna floated up behind him, glancing around at the trees.

"NARUTO!" A voice suddenly called out, Midna immediately phasing back into a shadow before diving into the blonde's. Naruto turned towards the voice, only for his eyes to widen in shock. "You idiot! Where have you been!? We're a team, so we need to show up together!" Sakura glared at the blonde as a raven-haired boy walked up beside her.

"S-sakura..." Naruto blanked at her before turning to the boy walking up to him. "Sasuke..." Naruto's eyes suddenly widened as he realized they were wearing the same outfits from his flashbacks.

"Come on! We're going to be late for the exam! ...and what's up with that outfit?" She asked after a moment. Naruto looked down at himself, noticing that he was shorter, but despite wearing his orange-colored Hero's clothes, there was a blue cloth with a metal plate wrapped around his right arm. "You look better than when you were in that weird jumpsuit, but don't think that a change of clothes will help you in the next exam!" Naruto looked down at his gloved hands for a moment before clenching them tightly.

"I get it...this must be my world..." He mumbled to himself. He glanced behind him to see that the tunnel he had come out of was gone; only the smooth side of a large rock remained. Lightly tapping his hand on it, Naruto narrowed his eyes, realizing that there was no turning back now.

"When did you get a sword?" Sakura suddenly asked, Naruto glancing behind him to notice that he still had the Master Sword, though it seemed to be slightly shorter than before. It must have shrunk to accommodate his new size. "What, you think that if you got a big sword, everything would work out or something?" Sakura glared at him as Sasuke snorted in annoyance, turning away.

"I bet you can't even use it properly." Naruto suddenly smirked after him.

"Well, I'm known for surprising people, so who knows? Maybe I'm actually really good at it."

"He's still as big a prick here as he was in Ordon I see..." He thought bitterly.

Sasuke merely hmphed back at him, his hands in his pockets as Sakura hurried after him. Naruto slowly started walking after them before reaching back for his sword. Pulling it free, he found that it was indeed the same weight at this size as before, though his smaller frame didn't seem burdened by it any more than his normal body. "Some of these trials really are weird..." Naruto began to mumble to himself as he began swinging the blade around, just to make sure his body wouldn't be impaired by the change in height. "I wonder if the goddesses do these tests just cuz they think they're funny..." He grumbled as he flipped the sword back into its sheath, quickly running to catch up with Sakura and Sasuke.

"All right maggots, listen up! Each team will get one scroll! Your objective is to reach the tower in the center of the forest in five days time, holding both scrolls!" A rather alluring woman with purple hair held up two scrolls, explaining the rules of the exam. Naruto, however, didn't care. He was instead staring at the two scrolls with wide eyes.

"Those are the scrolls...that I found in the Forest Temple..." He glared at the woman for a moment before glancing around at the numerous 'Shinobi' that had gathered by the fenced off forest. They were all Genin, beginner ninja, and they were all in the middle of taking the Journeyman ninja exams...the Chunin Exams. He could remember bits and peices of this place, mostly the fights inside the tower, and he definitely remembered something really bad showing up halfway through the forest section. What it was, however, still didn't come back to him, as it was all just a vague blur.

"Now, some of you might be thinking, five days!? How will I survive!?" Anko mocked as a well-rounded Chouji began to fret. "Well don't worry your pretty little heads off. There's plenty of plants in there that mother nature has prepared for you to eat...IF you can tell which are poisonous and which are not..." The gleam in her eye was not lost on the large group of would-be ninjas in front of her as she licked her lips. "Now some of you will succeed. Others, with their wandering eyes and lack of attention span..." She snapped her eyes to a blonde swordsman, who continued glancing around the area. "Will be the first to croak..." She suddenly flipped a kunai towards the blonde, whose eyes suddenly flashed yellow before snapping his head back towards the incoming knife. The proctor's eyes widened slightly as the kunai was suddenly sliced cleanly in half, the two halves flying past Naruto as he held out the Master Sword, pulling the shield off his back.

"That wasn't very nice of you...miss..." He said quietly as his blue eyes glared at her. Sakura and Sasuke stared at the blonde in dumbfounded shock as Anko released an evil grin.

"Ooooh, this exam's gonna be fun...don't go dying on me little kiddies!" She shouted, dismissing the teams to get their scrolls.

Before Naruto knew it, he was standing at one of the many entrances to the Forest of Death. A Chunin was standing between them and the door, Naruto staring deep into the forest. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that there were wild and hostile animals in there, though most likely they would be different than the native animals and pests of Hyrule. He DID notice however that there were patches of Hawk Grass inside, which was something that bothered him.

"That's Hawk Grass...but...that should only be native to Hyrule. What is it doing here?" Naruto's brow furrowed as he held a hand to his face. "And my scar is gone too...this temple is really throwing me for a loop..." He glanced behind him to see Sasuke giving him a heated glare, his eyes small and furious. "Uhh...Sasuke?"

"Who are you?" He snapped, grinding his teeth. "There's no way you can be that loser." Sakura slowly nodded her head.

"Y-Yeah...the Naruto we know isn't like this at all." Naruto stared at them for a moment before fully turning to his 'teammates'.

"What's my favorite hobby?" He asked them, crossing his arms. "What do I do to relax? What's my favorite food? Can I cook? Can I clean?" He glared at them. "Can I use a sword?" Sasuke glared at him harsher, walking up and gripping the front of his shirt.

"No, you can't."

"Then prove it." Naruto glared back at him. "Prove I can't cook, prove I can't use a sword." He gripped Sasuke's wrist, forcably tightening it until Sasuke's grip loosened, much to the Uchiha's shocked ire. "Show me that you know more than just the crying little kid that you seem to THINK I am." He flung his hand away, Sasuke instantly gripping his stinging wrist with his other hand. "You've never paid any kind of attention to me before...always thinking that I wasn't worth the time. Now that I can fight though, you're suddenly noticing me, and it's not the way I'm supposed to be?" Naruto snarled at him as several memories of their scuffles began to creep across his mind. "Fuck off! I'm not that crybaby ninja you think I am! I've been training to get stronger, to protect my friends and the people I care about! If I just sit around not doing anything, then I'll be completely useless!" He snapped a finger to the door. "The moment that door opens, we're running full speed towards the tower. No bullshit, no hoping we find another group, just straight towards it." Sakura and Sasuke stared at him in shock.

"Wh-Wha...who made you the leader!?" Naruto glared at the irate Sakura.

"Then tell me, what's YOUR plan? Do you want us to just wander through the forest, hoping we find enough food and water to make it through?" Naruto crossed his arms as he glared at her. "It's a survival mission where everyone who isn't on our team is an enemy, and everyone is going after our scroll. The goal is the tower in the center, and since this is a five day trial, don't you think they would have food and water stored at it?" Sasuke and Sakura's eyes widened. "Not only that, if we end up wandering around for all five days, we'll be tired as fuck, and it'll give everyone else whose already gotten to the tower before us plenty of time to set up traps and an ambush." Sasuke noticed the chunin at the gate's mouth slightly quirked upwards. "Now first thing's first." Naruto tossed Sakura the scroll. "Sakura, you're in charge of the scroll." The pinkette fumbled, trying to catch the scroll, both Sasuke and Sakura staring at him with wide eyes.

"Wh-Why me!?" Naruto smiled."Because Sasuke's an Uchiha. People already want to fight him, and thanks to that stupid proctor, now I'M a target too." He turned to Sasuke. "I know you felt several eyes on you while we were listening to her..." Sasuke's eyes widened. "We're already targets, and so people are going to want to fight us the moment they see us. If they end up getting the upper hand on us and we lose the scroll, that's it. We have no way to get it back. This way it'll be in the hands of someone people won't expect to have it."

"W-wait, even still, why me?" She asked, pointing a finger to herself.

"Because you're wearing PINK." Naruto deadpanned to her. "Of course it's because you're a girl!" He could feel Midna twitch in his shadow, and Sakura was giving him a heated glare. "Did you give off an aura of intimidation like that creepy snake lady? No. They weren't even looking at you. To them, you're not even on their radar, even though you're a ninja." She readied her fist before Naruto began beaming. "Which is exactly what a kunoichi is!" She stopped her imminent assault, blinking repeatedly.

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked, glaring at the blonde. Naruto turned to Sasuke, giving him a confused look himself.

"Umm...she's a kunoichi?" He blanked at their confused faces. "Um...unlike a normal ninja, who tends to either be about stealth or heavy hits, she literally looks like nothing more than a civilian...meaning that when she DOES use a ninja technique, they won't be expecting it?" Naruto stared at their shocked looks with a frazzled look of his own. "Do you guys seriously not know what a Kunoichi is all about?" Their baffled looks made him sigh, but he shook his head before turning to Sakura. "Never mind...anyway, Sakura, do you have any spare scrolls that we can use?"

"Y-Yeah...I think I do..." She slowly nodded.

The grin that split his face sent shivers down their spines.