Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction. All recognizable characters in this work belong to esteemed writer Masashi Kishimoto. I don't own Naruto.
Few hours later a busty blonde woman can be seen lookin over the medical records, simultaneously checking vitals of a blond haired kid in private ward of Konohagakure hospital. Her face was set in a deep scowl and was itching to tear someone limb by limb."
Senju-sama," a voice broke her out of her murderous thoughts."please tone down your your KI. And why am I in hospital?"the kid who shouldn't be conscious atleast for few more hours judging by the strength of anesthetics asked dryly. "And why am I tied to the bed," as if registering something his eyes widened in horror and demanded loudly "who took off my mask? And why does my face feel different?"Tsunade glared at the boy who glared back defiantly.
"Look here stupid brat, you were bought here by your father when you passed out in his office. As a medic I started diagnosis and found many untreated and undertreated wounds. Your mask was a hindrance and I called Orochimaru to remote the seal on your mask." She lied not knowing how he'd react to his mother removing it. Orochimaru said that there was a very strong possibility that Naruto might be hated his parents and didn't want to risk it. "As for your face, I removed the entire skin and was preparing to regrow your skin by stimulating the growth of living cells by yin chakra. I'm gonna use smaller version of this seal" she said tapping rhombic symbol on her head "to perform it."
"I may not be a medic, Senju-sama but I can see it'll be really costly. And FYI I don't have a family. I think Hokage-sama bought me here and as far I know only person who can remove the seal is him and Uzumaki-sama. It's a complicated seal. Not that I'm insulting Orochimaru-sama's intellect but Sandaime-sama said that I was better in Fuinjutsu than him. Said I'm three levels less than Grandmaster in Fuinjutsu with Uzumaki-sama and Hokage-sama holding the title. Next time please don't lie. I'm not gonna throw a tantrum because things didn't go as I like."he said icily.
Tsunade winced inwardly at the icy tone. Her teammate was right in saying that the brat might hate his parents. At first she was ready to kill both of them for neglecting the child to this extent. She ordered Inoichi to check their minds only to find nothing to indicate his presence in their lives. They didn't abuse or mistreat him just they didn't do anything. It's surprising for Tsunade but it led both Minato and Kushina to get even more depressed.
"So what's the cost for the surgery Senju-sama? I have been saving some money for this. It may not be enough but I'll pay you back later."
"No need for that brat. Your par-sorry Minato and Kushina said that they'll take care of expenses for your treatment. I'll try my best to reduce scarring all over your body and try to make your face normal as much as I can. Don't think of it as charity" She said when he started to protest. "If you wish work out something with them if for more than an year you'll be permanently scarred this way. "
"I bought a toddler with me, Senju-sama. Where is he?"
"Didn't see any child bought here, Naruto-kun." She replied. Naruto nodded and closed his eyes.
"Might be with Hokage-sama or Uzumaki-sama. Please tell them to keep the kid safe." Tsunade nodded and left the room.
"So,"Kushina said fidgeting slightly carefully rocking the baby ,"what did he say Tsunade-nee?"
"I didn't ask how he got those scars Kushina. He didn't want any of your money. Most likely he is indifferent to you guys. No outright hatred." Looking at the baby on Kushina's shoulders, "So this is the brat he asked me to keep safe."
"Ah, Souma-kun. Naruto bought him back from Rainfall country. He's the son of late Mizukage." Kushina sighed. "I thought Naruto might want to see the kid, so I bought him here."
"After the surgery I'll try to ask Naruto how he got those scars. If he wishes to tell me he would if not we just have to respect his decision. I gave him other dose of Morphine to knock him out. Till his surgery don't disturb him. Afterwards you can try to speak with him if he wishes to do so."
"How much time will the surgery take Tsuna-nee? Will Naru-kun be alright? I know we've not been the parents to him but please truly if he hates us or not. We will harden our hearts before we approach him.
"I really can't help you there Kushina. He's blank even without mask but I can tell that he doesn't consider you his parents and was very individual kid. Has to be if he's living alone. Most of the scars are at least four years old and the recent past are not much of a problem. They're healed partially by someone who just knew the basics. He must be take rest for at least for a week."
Sapphire eyes drifted up to meet amaranthine, his eyes weary and sepulchral, lacking in it's usual vim and vigor.
He opened his mouth and struggled to speak. His words were almost inaudible. "… A dream?"
The man in front of him, the Sage of Six Paths, nodded his head. " An illusion. I need not reiterate my statement. You understand."
Naruto didn't let his gaze drift. Images of the past—the past that apparently never existed—flitted innocently through his mind.
"… Since when?" Naruto's voice faltered and she struggled to hold the emotions that were swirling in fulmination. "Since when was I… Were we…?"
"The moment you treated fight with a goddamned fucking goddess as a joke and used a childish prank against her instead of using the opening provided by my other spiritual son to damage her."
The light in his eyes died. "… I see… That's…"
"Asura was a fool it's true but never childish and arrogant against one he knew to be superior enemy. He fought ruthlessly in battle against person who dared to harm his family. I thought I saw him completely in you Naruto but... One mistake and now the entire world pays for it."
"H-how can it be p-possible?... Y-your Sen chakra would've negated h-her i-illusion... Don't tell that she caught me in illusion by me looking into her eyes." He looked both angry and sad at the same time.
"She has her Byakugan activated stupid brat. She could easily see past an illusion.' He said coldly. "Without alerting Sasuke and yourself, not that she required to do so as Sasuke was shocked and you were cocky, she cast Limbo and used it for shut down both of your chakra systems temporarily enough to put you both in Tsukyomi. Bought you back with your team. The rest is history."
Naruto fell on his knees unable to stand on hearing the words. One, fucking one moment of his idiotic self simply destroyed the world.
"We do not have time," Hagoromo's voice grew severe. "I must be brief. Do you understand why you have been awoken, Child of Prophecy?"
'Why I was..?' Naruto gasped, hope dawning on his features. "If I'm alive, does that mean-"
"No." He cut his off quickly, and his face fell. "But now is not the time to lament the dead. No human on this planet is alive, save for you."
The full emotional weight of being the only person on earth was almost enough to kill him right there. Just minutes prior, he was happily sitting win a peaceful world overlooking his son's Chunin exams. Don't know what happened he just saw blood and here he is in hell on earth
"Why was I awoken?" Naruto snapped. "I… I failed. Each person, everyone… They were my dream, my life. My world."
He tightened his fists and blood seeped through his fingers. "… And now, you tell me that everyone is dead. My dream is dead. My world is dead. My life…" Naruto let out an acrimonious laugh escape his lips before sending a glare at the Sage. "Why the fuck am I the one who still lives? If everyone is dead, then what is the point!? Some Child of fucking-Prophecy I turned out to be!"
He was tired, oh, so tired. What did he want of him? To gloat? To rub it in his face that he was the reason why the world was destroyed? He grit his teeth and seethed.
Hagoromo seemed to look at him with an almost disparaging look—a mixture of slight sympathy and heavy disappointment—though his face was mostly taciturn. Naruto felt his rage come out in seething breaths.
No one. There was no one with him now. None of her friends, no one from her slapped-together family, not even Kurama—
Kurama.
He didn't even have Kurama. No, not "even," simply put, he didn't have Kurama. Not anymore. The damned fox that, even if he didn't know him for the entirety of it, he was with him for the entirety of his life. In some twisted manner, he had become her closest friend, both literally and figuratively. It wasn't until the war that they had truly begun to understand each other, to truly form a bond, and he didn't know whether or not he actually considered him a friend.
But still, he was gone. He failed to stop the Juubi from awakening, failed to save Kurama.
He failed him. Just as he had failed everyone else.
His head hung low and she felt the stinging sensation in her eyes, the unbidden tears pooling. He failed Kurama. He failed Tsunade-baachan. Kakashi-sensei. Sakura-chan. Sasuke. B-occhan. Gaara. Everyone.
"You have a chance, a chance to change everything."
At this, Naruto's head snapped back up and he looked at the Sennin, confusion marring his features. He dared not allow her hopes to rise. "… What do you mean?"
"If you cooperate, you can go back in time."
His eyes narrowed. It would take too long if they played this back-and-forth banter, and she wanted to hear everything. If it turned out to be a false pretense, he didn't want to waste time, he was too weary and broken. "… Back up. Let's just… start over for a second. Pretend I just got out of my daze, and I was unable to speak. Talk to me, tell me what you were going to tell me. Everything."
Hagoromo gave an assessing gaze before nodding curtly. "Very well," he breathed. "… You can go back into the past, Child of Prophecy. I have decided that you will be my heir, my inheritor, to my powers all of them. As such, you will be able to perform the deed yourself, and will have the ability and knowledge to change what you must."
Silence pervaded and Naruto sighed, realizing that he would need to ask specific questions if he wanted more answers. "… How does this time travel-thing work? When in the past am I going to end up? Why am I alive when everyone else is… gone? How exactly am I going to be your successor? And what is the catch?"
"Time travel is not a simple endeavor. You will need years of preparation, how many, I do not know. The technique is a one-time use, and requires three factors: chakra, blood, and a strong mind. In regards to being my successor… You will have all my powers along with my eyes. I really don't want to trust you after what has happened but I don't have a choice. Only you were alive and I can't wake Sasuke before he died. I am putting my trust in you so that don't just don't let it be misplaced
You had my chakra, and you did indeed manage to utilize it, though not in the manner you had envisioned within your dreams. I could give you all of my chakra at this very moment, but your current physical state is lacking, and your body would most likely collapse in on itself due to the sudden influx. My interference is the reason for your own thoughts. Remember the times you know something you're sure to know but didn't happen that way but before digging deeper you got headache? It is me who tried to wake you up. Finally lost my temper and well forcibly woke you up so don't know what last thing you saw. You too were dying so took a risk of waking you up by plunging a sharp knife into your heart simultaneously sending you my chakra." He replied callously. "Healed you though. You're not useful to me dead. Sasuke would've died immediately if I did that, but you there's a chance of surviving."
Naruto's mouth formed into a thin line as she reflected on his death. A sudden thought occurred to him. "Oh, that reminds me. How old am I? I was 34 when I died in the genjutsu, seventeen years after we supposedly won the war…" Naruto looked down at his borderline emaciated frame and cringed.
"It has been two years."
"I see," he intoned. "You didn't answer two of my questions, by the way. What is the catch, and if Kaguya was a problem before, why isn't she now?"
"There is no catch."
Naruto raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Pardon?"
"I repeat, there is no catch. Contrary to popular belief, the concept of time travel and altering the past is not a forbidden or morally unjust action. There is no exchange to take place for you to change the past. The only consequences are those that you create through your decisions."
"So, no sacrifice needs to be made? I don't need to give an arm, an eye, part of my soul, no immense task?"
"No. As I said, whatever consequence you are wrought is determined by your actions. Should someone die before their time, their death will be weighted on your shoulders due to your meddling, but no other supernatural extremities shall occur."
Naruto pondered the information he was given. Somehow, the knowledge of there being no boundaries and limits to changing time did little to comfort him… It made her even more hesitant. "… What about Kaguya?"
Hagoromo closed his eyes and settled into a meditative position whilst in the air. "… She is asleep."
"What?"
"She has been asleep for approximately sixteen days. She sleeps to maintain the Infinite Tsukiyomi, and awakens at the end of each month. We do not have much time, we must send you into the past before she awakens."
Naruto crossed his arms. "You said that it takes years of preparation for the time travel jutsu. Besides, if I'm going back into the past, I want to be prepared."
Hagoromo opened a single amaranthine eye and stared at Naruto.
"What? I want to make certain that I'm going to be fine when I'm in the past. I am going to learn as much as I can now while there are no wars, political battles, and stingy shinobi guarding their shit. Besides, there has to be some way to avoid detection from the big-bad-bitch when she wakes up."
Naruto could swear that he saw the corner of the Sennin's lip twitch upwards, slightly.
"I see," he nodded. "There is indeed a way to avoid detection. But it requires utilizing sage chakra, which you are not physically ready for."
Naruto nodded. "Alright, then. Training trip. We go to Suna first, then Iwa, Kumo, Mizu, and then Konoha. There are some techniques I want, some history scrolls to brush up on, and the like."
The Sennin shook his head. "I'm afraid I cannot leave here, child."
Naruto paused and looked up at him, eyes questioning why.
"My presence is dwindling. Kaguya's presence is engulfing mine, rendering my own existence moot. It is only while I stay by the husk of the Ten-Tails that I am able to maintain a visible form at all."
"… Is that why you can't send me back yourself?" Naruto questioned.
"I don't have blood and body you idiot. Otherwise I'd have gone back the moment I created this seal three months ago without relying on your dumbass self." He shouted.
"Only three months ago?" Naruto asked calmly. "Are you sure it'll work?"
The sage looked coldly for few moments and looked resigned. "I am not completely sure but what other options have we got?" Looking straight into only living person's eyes he continued "I tried everything and looked over for smallest mistakes. We can't do anything against Kaguya now, so for fucks sake don't try to engage her and try to kill her. Even in her sleep she'd kill you. Please for once listen to your superiors Naruto and for once in your life don't act rashly."
"Only you can complete this task, Child of Prophecy. You have seven years to gather what you must, no more, no less. You will return to me in seven year's time, and we will then perform the time travel technique to send you back through time."
"I am not the Child of Prophecy, Sennin-sama." Naruto said mournfully. "If I am I'd have saved my friends. My actions destroyed this world..."
"It is exact reason why you're the Child of Prophecy, Naruto. If you didn't know what my old sensei, yes Gamamaru-sama was my sensei, he was the one who told me the prophecy after I left the Tailed Beasts. A mischievous blue eyed boy will unite all the tailed beasts and by his actions the world will be led to everlasting peace or destruction. After all it's by your actions the world was destroyed. So everything you do from now onwards please be serious."
Naruto nodded at his words and steeled his heart. "Ok Hogoromo-sama I'll travel around the world gaining as much knowledge as possible. Please take care of whatever 'preparations and stuff?"
"Yes."
"How do I avoid Kaguya?"
Hagoromo contemplated the question for a minute before stepping forward. He tapped Naruto's forehead with a single finger and stepped back.
"… What was that?" Naruto reached up to touch her forehead. He felt no different.
"I transferred a small portion of my chakra to you. You will learn to channel it, to make it your own, and to utilize it to conceal your presence from Kaguya. She will not be able to detect you."
Naruto nodded, weariness written in his eyes and posture. "Alright. Thanks, Hogoromo-sama. I guess... I guess I'll be back in seven years."
Naruto was jerked out of his sleep when he felt someone really small touched his face. Blinking blearily he saw a small face with pink pupiless eyes and small tufts of light-green hair.
"Na-nii!" The brat exclaimed giggling cheekily.
"Souma-kun." He said tenderly smiling at the kid. Seeing that they're not alone in the room, he picked up the kid and sat on the bed. "Senju-sama, Uzumaki-sama and Hokage-sama."
"Ok brat, your surgery was successful." Tsunade said taking a mirror and showed him his face.
Naruto gingerly touched the mirror. It has been three years since he saw his face without those marks. He looked exactly like his nine year old self in his dimension without those whisker marks and it reminded him that he's not the old Naruto.
"Thank you Senju-sama. Thanks for paying the hospital bills Hokage-sama. I promise to pay every ryo spent on this operation as soon as possible." He bowed down to hide his tears. "And thank you for looking after Souma-kun."
Discreetly wiping out his tears, Naruto sat straight looking at his parents hardening his eyes. Minato and Kushina flinched at his eyes
"Naruto-kun we're your parents, your safety and happiness will always be our top concern so please don't think that we don't care. The money we spent for your surgery is nothing" said Minato, who was now standing just alongside his wife, a hand on her shoulder and a sad smile directed towards. This was definitely not going well, thought Minato, after all it looked like Naruto did have some resent towards them
After hearing those words Naruto lowered his head a little bit, his hair shadowing his eyes and some quite yet powerful words escaping his mouth
"You aren't..."
"What?" asked a confused Kushina with a frown, feeling like something really bad was a bout to happen
Oh how right she was
"You aren't my parents" said Naruto, this time looking directly at both Minato and Kushina, his voice and eyes turning neutral and emotion-less. "At least legally not since I was seven.'
"W-what? What are you saying sochi?" questioned Kushina, who could not believe her son's words. Minato too was left speechless by not only what he said but by the tone in which he had said it
"I said that you are not my parents" Naruto said in matter of fact tone. "Remember the day October 10th three years ago?"
Minato remembered that day very well. How couldn't he? It is the birthday of his three children and one of the most important day for his family.
"Why is that day so important, so- Naruto-kun?" Kushina asked softly. "I mean it's your birthday but why that particular day?"
He smiled at them wryly. "On that day Uzumaki-sama, you declared Menma as the head of Namikaze clan and Mito as Uzumaki clan head. Remember it?" Minato and Kushina nodded not understanding where it is going.
"I am the eldest born son Hokage-sama. It is my birth right to be the clan head. Don't think I'm saying this of jealousy or anything but don't you know when the eldest born is stripped of this right?"
Minato's face paled rapidly and gripped the sides of the bed tightly. Kushina dropped on the chair her face revealing the turmoil.
"I guess you understand." He smiled softly "But lemme spell it for you. According to the Clan Law, the eldest can be stripped of his birth right when he's proved to be traitor, weaker than his siblings or if he's thrown out of the clan. I never was a traitor, there are no sanctioned fight to prove Menma or Mito is stronger than me, hmm...they might be stronger who knows but it's moot point now. So you guys threw me out of your family on that day itself Hokage-sama. It's not my preference to be called just Naruto, Uzumaki-sama. I cannot legally call myself that name. Sorry but it ain't my fault ya know."
Letting his words sink in, Naruto continued stroking the toddler's cheek gently "So now how much do I owe you guys?"
Minato looked downtrodden at his words but refused to give up. "Even legally if you aren't our family but Naruto-kun you're our flesh and blood. We beg your forgiveness. Naruto-kun" He said tears falling freely "but give us one chance to make it up for our neglect."
Naruto's eyes turned soft for a moment but hardened immediately
"I already forgave the people who I conducted funeral in my mind, Hokage-sama. I don't remember being a family to yours and I don't even think you as my parents. My dream of being accepted into your family died on that day. I buried the name Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto on that day. The person he is, the dreams he has and everything concerning him." He said his voice getting colder and colder with each word. "Please don't dig up those skeletons. I made peace with them and buried them. The boy before me was a jealous, angry, doubtful but love-hungered child. I don't want to be any of those especially from you."
"P-please Sochi, please just for once forgive us. W-we will never let you down again even if it kills us. Please Naru-kun. Just once p-please forgive us." Kushina's begged her eyes turning blood shot and her cheeks swelled.
"Well Kaa-chan, you dug up one skeleton. You called me Sochi , your son. I'll give you your son. Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto and he is asking few questions which he expects answers.
I'm your flesh and blood ain't I so where are you when I turned six dragged into a rundown pub where the customers played nail the Akuma with glass sake bottles all night long and one overly excited Chunin thought it was funny to light me up with a matchstick when I'm covered with sake? And the year before I was carved up with knives on the same day. Or the year after when my mouth is cut ear to ear while they hit me with whatever they could get their hands on and carved me up with kunai, knives etc etc? WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?" he shouted.
Minato and Kushina felt like they're punched in gut. Shame is hitting them hardly and they couldn't reply to his questions. "Ah...no answer then. Well I know that answer. Cutting the cake with your family and celebrating it with snacks and booze. Giving your children presents and generally having fun? AND YOU BLOODY CALL ME YOUR FLESH AND BLOOD." he said calming down.
"Hmm... what's next? Ah where's my food okaa-sama? Where's my chair in the dining table? Since I was four you never cooked for me ya know. I have to cook myself lunch and dinner. Never ate breakfast properly. So where are you then? Lemme guess cooking lots and lots of delicious food for your family while I have to choose between starving or burnt food. Hmm... really good choices right." He said with malice colouring his tone.
"Ah... nearly forgot about you otou-sama. Did you have amnesia of sorts? I think you should have mind checked out. You forgot to key in my chakra in the seals ya know. I mean you must be amnesiac if you forget your first son. Due to that he has his chakra system in his hands nearly burnt out on his very fine birthday when he's six. He spent all that night crying, bleeding from his entire body on that cold night without any protection on the pavement. He's thankful that his chakra network was not fully developed otherwise he would've been crippled for life. Thank log for that."he said keeping his hand under his chin.
"What's next, what's next."he singed unnervingly."ah remembering now. Where are you okaa-sama when I injured myself training. Where are you otou-sama when I got struck on something I cannot understand. Where are you when I was wounded myself during training and where are you when I joined the Academy?" He glared at them menacingly. "No answer again. Hmm... lemme guess again. Near your children, teaching them how to access chakra, how to throw a kunai, how build their stamina, chakra control blah blah blah." He made duck beak motions as both of them collapsed bowing on the floor completely. "Tending to their scratches, fussing over their superficial wounds and what not when I bandaged my stab wounds, applied ointment to my burn wounds in my room alone."
"Seems like I haven't buried those deep enough, Hokage-sama. Well nothing I can do about it except to bury them again. Hopefully they won't come back. Phew...it does feel right after taking it out of my system."
Taking a deep breath he finished. "So put yourselves in my shoes and tell me if you can forgive those experiences. You've hurt me too much to consider and pardon if I don't take your word for it. I'll wire you the money along with Souma-kun's babysitting fee. Ja ne Hokage-sama, Ja ne Uzumaki-sama." He said pulling out the wires attached to him and walked to the door taking the baby with him.
"I have lived ten years without your care, support or love... I think I'll manage?"
And with that he left
It has been an year since this happened. Kushina was feeling completely horrible with herself. And how could she not? The conversation she had with her son was still haunting her mind, in fact she actually shed some tears every time she thought about it. And she had ended up coming with one simply conclusion.
He hated her. Her baby boy hated both her and his father. Just that mere thought made her hearth twist painfully. How terrible of a mother could she have been to him to the point of him hating here that much? She had tried. She had tried all day long to think of any moment in which she had actually been with her oldest son, but she came out with nothing. It was something she couldn't understand, every time she tried to remember anything related to Naruto everything became blurry, almost like he hadn't existed before. But that was ridiculous, so Kushina could do nothing but blame herself for driving her son to the point in which he wanted nothing to do with her and Minato
She had been a disaster yesterday. After hearing Naruto's words she had done nothing but to cry on Minato's shoulder. Her husband had tried to act calm by telling her that everything was going to be alright and that they would fix this, but Kushina was not fooled. She could see how Naruto's words had hurt him just as much as it hurt her. But Minato wad right. They were going to fix this. They had to fix this. They owed Naruto that much. She was going to find a way to make amends to him. She just couldn't bare the fact that one of her son hated her, but she knew that it was both her and Minato's fault, so she will do everything in her power to fix her relationship with her son.
She was an Uzumaki after all, and if there was something Uzumaki's cared about the most it was their family. She had already failed as a mother to Naruto. But she wasn't going to fail again. She was his mother, whether he liked or not, and she was going to do her best to repair their relationship. It didn't matter if she ended up hurting herself a lot in the process, she would be there for her son, no matter what
What Kushina didn't know was that her husband was having similar thoughts back in his office. So she wasn't going to be the only one trying her best to make amend to Naruto.
They didn't know sadly that the son who they are to forgive have died three years ago on his birthday and was replaced by other. The boy who cannot forgive them as there's nothing to forgive. They didn't neglect him and he's used to pain and betrayal.
'I'm sorry Tou-sama, I'm sorry Okaa-sama. You don't know I was not your son. It's unfair to him. And I prefer you sad but living to your death. Until Mito and Menma were friends with Kurama and the seal is no longer needed, I cannot love you unless I want you to die.'
"Naruto, stop dreaming and serve the customers." Ayame called him running after the child who's trying to crawl over the fire. "Souma-kun, it's not good to play with fire." She picked up the giggling child.
"Ok nee-chan. What's your order for today, Akimichi-sama?"
Read and Review.
A/N: Few of the reviews said this fanfic is a rip off from Naruto of Chaos. For all those who are complaining I did take Jean's permission to copy few sentences from that story. Thanks for pointing it out.
Please review so that I can make improvements. Flames are accepted and I thank everyone who took time to review for previous chapters.
Yours Sincerely
~SalamanderNatsu