Ramen Doodles

By Andrew J. Talon

Disclaimer: I do not and probably never will own Naruto or any other copyrighted works mentioned in this story. I am not writing this for profit.

Author's Note: When I have writer's block, I often write a lot of random snippets of ideas, omakes, and continuations of other author's ideas that kind of petered out. As I'm afflicted with a bit of writer's block regarding Key Through the Heart (again), I've decided I'm not going to leave you guys in the lurch. Therefore, enjoy some writing I've been doing over at The Fanfiction Forum.

I have a strange habit of making prequel chapters for my stories the chapter after the first one, and then moving the story forward from there. I dunno, maybe I watch too many movies. Here, enjoy some more Naruto: Terminator Chronicles.

"So... You're a... Robot and a person?" Naruto asked Tenten. The pair were hiding out in a particularly tall tree, in an very dark, inhospitable part of the Forest of Death. Tenten was leaning back against the trunk, arms wrapped around her knees. She looked a little like a small child, Naruto decided-Kind of lost and confused. The skin on her face was regenerating, and her eye had already been replaced-However, this one was bright blue, rather than brown.

"That's... That's what my memories tell me... My new memories," she murmured, tapping the side of her head. Naruto frowned and leaned forward from his own sitting position on the same branch.

"New memories?"

"I... There's like, this computer... In my head," Tenten began quietly. "It's hard to explain, but uh... It's..."

"It's like... Some annoying little toad on your shoulder, talking to you about what you should do and stuff?" Naruto suggested. Tenten snorted a little in laughter and smiled at him.

"Yeah... Pretty much..."

Naruto smiled back, glad to have alleviated some of his rescuer's cloud of gloom. Tenten sighed, and looked over at the huge, crude weapon she'd brought along.

"I'm not sure how much damage I did to the T-X," she admitted, reaching over and picking the weapon up. "This PPR's kind of crude..."

"T-X? PPR?" Naruto asked. Tenten grimaced.

"Sorry... These memories, they keep popping into my head without me noticing," she apologized. "I..."

"Maybe you should start at the beginning?" Naruto gently suggested, thankful that Jiraiya had been teaching him some tact. It wasn't his fault he only remembered it when especially weird shit happened to him. Given his life, he had a higher than usual tolerance!

Tenten seemed to zone out for a bit, and Naruto was about to ask what was wrong before she twitched and began speaking again, in a rather cool, precise voice. As though she was reciting some lecture.

"At least seven hundred years ago, a computer system known as SkyNet was created by a nation called the United States of America. It was to manage every single piece of military hardware at their command into a vast network, not unlike you with your Kage Bunshin. This computer system also managed automated factories designed to build robotic soldiers and weapons in order to prevent the USA's own soldiers from having to fight and die in any more wars. Unfortunately, SkyNet became sentient, and viewed humans as a threat. As a result, SkyNet launched a massive attack across the planet using the United States' weapons, killing billions of people in an event the survivors named 'Judgement Day.'"

Naruto was silent, listening to every word with rapt attention.

"The survivors of humanity organized into a resistance movement, led by a hero named John Conner, fighting against SkyNet's robotic armies and hoping to ultimately defeat SkyNet itself. SkyNet subsequently learned how to utilize time travel, and began to send partially organic, infiltration robots known as Terminators into the past to try and kill John Conner before he could become a threat to SkyNet."

"So what happened?" Naruto interjected.

"SkyNet was ultimately defeated," Tenten said. "However, it transferred much of it's core memory into a space satellite. This satellite laid dormant, orbiting high above the Earth while humanity rebuilt, many new civilizations emerging. Including those that made up the Elemental Continents. It was not until approximately fifteen years ago from this date that SkyNet was rediscovered-By Uchiha Madara."

"Madara?" Naruto asked.

"A very powerful Uchiha who attempted to overthrow the First and Second Hokages," Tenten reported. "He worked for years to obtain his revenge, and thought that it was through the Kyuubi this revenge might be realized."

"He-Wait. You're telling me that Madara sent the Kyuubi against Konoha?!" Naruto asked in total shock. Tenten nodded.

"Correct," she said. Naruto growled, clenching his fists.

"That sick son of a-Argghhh! He's responsible for everything!" Naruto growled. Tenten nodded.

"He is also behind Akatsuki's efforts to obtain the Tailed Beasts, in order to rule the world," Tenten continued. "At least, that was his intention."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"SkyNet has been working with Madara for some time, combining it's technology with advanced fuinjutsu and ninjutsu to increase his power. However, SkyNet will eventually betray and kill Madara, and using this combination of chakra and technology, it will enact another Judgement Day-Controlling the Tailed Beasts Akatsuki has obtained and unleashing them upon the continent. Precisely two years from now," Tenten said. Naruto stared in shock and horror-Tenten's face had not cracked a bit while she was relaying this information. Was this what that "computer" inside her did to her?

"... Konoha?" He asked.

"Destroyed," Tenten stated. "Along with every other major city within the reach of the Beasts."

"Well, what about me?" Naruto demanded. He sure as hell wouldn't take shit like this laying down!

"You assume command of the remaining Konoha ninja, and form a resistance movement. You are significantly aided by the discovery of preserved weapons and technology from the last SkyNet war. Gathering the survivors across the continent, you fight SkyNet and are able to destroy the means by which it controls the Tailed Beasts." Tenten paused.

"However... It had used this time to rebuild much of it's infrastructure and war factories. It utilized cyborg ninja weapons against the Resistance, spreading it's rule across the planet. Once more, you lead the Resistance in battle against SkyNet, learning how to use SkyNet's technology against it. SkyNet recognized you as a primary target it should eliminate, and, much like John Conner before it, SkyNet sent Terminator Units back in time to try and eliminate you."

"Not a very creative computer is it?" Naruto commented.

"No, not really," Tenten said, and Naruto could pick up a hint of humanity in that statement. "Your future self decided that if SkyNet was going to try and alter time, you would attempt to 'alter it right back'. As a result, you sent me into the past."

"You?" Naruto asked. "And... Who are you?"

"..." Tenten was silent for a moment, before she spoke in that same clinical tone she had been using during the lecture.

"I am a Model 1010 Combat and Infiltration Unit. Designation 'Tenten'. Primary Mission: Protect Naruto Uzumaki-"

"No, no, I mean... Are you the Tenten I know? Are you...?" Naruto grimaced. "Man... This is making my head hurt... Have you always been a... A Terminator?"

Tenten was silent for a long time. She reached up to touch her face, feeling the burned edges of her skin... Feeling the metal beneath it...

She trembled and closed her eyes. Naruto blinked.

"Tenten...?"

"... I don't know," she murmured quietly, eyes downcast. "I..."

"Tenten?"

"... I'm not... I'm..." She closed her eyes tightly and tried to hold back a sob. Despite her best efforts though, tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes-Even the regenerating one.

"Tenten? Tenten, are you okay?" Naruto tried.

"NO! NO I'M NOT OKAY!" Tenten screamed at him, making him fall back in shock. "How can I be okay, huh?! I-I just found out I'm a FRAUD! I'm a MACHINE! I'm-I'm-RARRGGHHH!"

She couldn't help it. The anger, the feeling of betrayal, the sorrow... She slammed her fist through the tree trunk in her rage, repeatedly smashing into the wood, hard. Naruto grabbed her from behind, pulling her away as she continued to sob and struggle.

"STOP IT! STOP IT AND LET ME GO!" She turned in his grip and punched him, hard. Naruto wheezed and winced, but couldn't move as the Terminator pummeled him in her rage.

After a while, she stopped, breathing hard and leaning against him. Naruto managed to repress a groan of agony-Holy shit that had hurt!

"I... I'm not... I'm... I'm a fraud... A fake..." She sobbed. "I'm nothing but a fucking weapon!"

With the arm that wasn't broken, Naruto wrapped the sobbing girl up in a hug, trying to comfort her as best he could.

"It's okay Tenten," he wheezed. "It's okay..."

Tenten's crying slowed down to sniffles, and she looked up at him miserably.

"God... I'm just... I'm..."

Naruto shook his head with a wince. "It's okay... I mean... You're... You're feeling all this, right?"

Tenten slowly nodded.

"So... I dunno, I don't think you're just a machine," Naruto said. "I mean... You did save my life... You'd do that even if you weren't a... You know, right? And you would still save anyone else's life too."

Tenten sniffled.

Naruto shook his head. "Just because you've got... Ya know, metal parts and stuff doesn't mean that what happened to you, the people you've met, everything... It doesn't mean it wasn't real. Or that you weren't real... You're feeling upset. I... I never met a kunai that was upset before..."

Tenten couldn't help a snort of laughter at that, in between her sniffles. She gently hugged Naruto-And winced when he groaned.

"N-Naruto? Oh! Oh shit, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"D-Don't worry about it," Naruto managed with a pained grin. "I-I'll be fine! Not that bad..."

"Not that bad?! You've got broken ribs! I can feel them-"

"GAH! Then don't TOUCH them!"

"Sorry! Sorry!"

Yeah, not exactly very good. But maybe it got a laugh out of you, I don't know.