I do not own these series, nor do I make any money off of this.

"talking"

'thinking'

Chapter 67: Reborn Hope

Naruto just stared at the infant standing before him, pointing a gun at him. He looked at the weapon in confusion as if this was his first time seeing a gun. Then his mind went back to Sanzo who had explained that his weapon was called a gun. He hasn't really understood how the weapon worked, but he knew what it did. He also knew that he'd be able to dodge the bullet.

"Are you going to get off of him or not?" The infant asked.

Naruto was so surprised that the infant spoke that he didn't see the boy with silver hair running towards him. The kid pushed Naruto off of the boy that he had landed on. "Are you alright Tenth?"

"I-I'm fine," the brown haired boy said, as the silver haired boy looked him over.

"Good," the silver haired boy said. He glared at Naruto who was brushing dirt off his pants. "Who the hell are you?"

"My name is Naruto," Naruto said. "And you can put the gun away along with those bombs behind your back." The two boys looked at each other as the infant simply put his gun away. The silver haired boy hesitated before putting away the bombs. "Thank you. Now then, if you excuse me I have to find someone."

"Who are you looking for?" The boy with brown hair asked.

"Just a friend of mine," Naruto said. "Don't worry. I have a way to find him."

"Hahaha! Lambo is here!" An infant in a cow costume came running towards Naruto only to trip. "Gotta stay calm." He got up only for blood to drip from his nose. He let out a cry before pulling out a bazooka from his hair. Lambo then started to crawl into the bazooka. Seeing what Lambo was about to do, Naruto lunged towards it.

"Wait! Don't!" The brunet yelled. But it was too late. Naruto pulled Lambo away from the weapon, only for it to fall and hit the ground. A blast from the bazooka hit Naruto and Lambo, smoke covering their bodies. When it cleared, Lambo was fine but there was a seven-year-old Naruto standing near him. "Ah! Reborn! What do we do?"

"This isn't good Ciaossu," Reborn said. "Tsuna, we should take him home."

"Ok!" Tsuna nodded. He went to pick Naruto up, but Naruto slapped his hand away.

"I can walk on my own," Naruto said. "Besides, who said I'd go anywhere with you guys?" He crossed his arms.

"Hey!" The silver haired boy yelled. "How dare you hit the Tenth?"

"The tenth what?" Naruto asked. 'Please tell me this isn't a future version of Konoha.'

The boy grinned. "The…"

"Tsuna!" a boy with short black hair called with a wave as he walked up to them. "What are you guys up to?" He looked around until he spotted Naruto. "Oh? Who is this kid?"

"Yamamoto," Tsuna said. "This is… well…"

"My name is Naruto," Naruto said. "And I'm not a kid. I'm seventeen."

"Sure you are," Yamamoto laughed, ruffling Naruto's hair. Naruto pouted. If there was anything he hated it was being treated as a kid. An idea popped in his head and he raised his hands to perform a Henge. But the jutsu failed. He tried a few more times only to groan. It seems that whatever the bazooka did to him couldn't be hidden with jutsu. In fact, Naruto felt like he had back in Maoh's world. He still felt Kurama's presence but it was as if the fox was miles away. He glanced at those around him and he decided that maybe he should go with them. Tsuna seemed to be their leader and Naruto could tell that the boy was a good one.

"Alright," Naruto said. "I'll go with you." Tsuna simply nodded before Reborn began to lead the way. Yamamoto waved goodbye as he needed to help his father with something. No one cared that they were leaving Lambo behind.

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Sasuke looked up at the cave's entrance. He was so tired from the last few days, but he still managed a sigh of relief. "Finally." He gripped his bag as tightly as he could as the green light surrounded him. He didn't move as he was transported to the next world. Opening his eyes. He found himself in what looked like a classroom. Part of him wondered if he was cursed to always end up in a school. He tried to activate his sharingan, but his lack of chakra only caused pain to hit his head. "Great, another headache."

"So it seems," a voice said. Sasuke's eyes moved towards a boy standing in the doorway of the classroom. "You know, school is over and you need to leave."

"Trust me," Sasuke said. "I would if I could."

"Then I guess I have to make you," the boy said, taking a step towards Sasuke.

"Oh?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "You'd kick out an injured person."

"Rules are there for a reason," the boy said.

"True," Sasuke said. "They're there to be broken."

"Your logic is messed up." The boy shook his head. "Shall I lend a hand to get you out of here?"

"You're quite stubborn, aren't you? So be it." Sasuke raised a hand.

"Right. My name is Hibari Kyoya." He grabbed Sasuke's hand and hosted him up, having him lean on his shoulder. Then he pulled Sasuke's arms around his neck. "Remember that if I go down, so will you."

"Noted." Sasuke felt his feet scrape against the floor as Hibari dragged him outside of the classroom. No one got in their way and it was clear that Hibari was the last student here. Once they were outside, Hibari dropped Sasuke down near a tree. "Thanks."

"You still need to get off of school property."

"Not gonna drag me out there?" He motioned past the school gate."

"It isn't my job to help such a weak being."

"Yet you brought me out here."

"You were in the way. It will be easier to clean up now."

"I see." Sasuke brought his bag closer to himself.

"What's in there?"

"A way to find someone." Sasuke pulled out Dumbledore's map and searched for Naruto's name. "He's here." Sasuke frowned. "Who is Tsunayoshi?"

"You're Sawada's friend? Should have known." Hibari bent down. "Then I guess I'll be nice and bring you to him."

"What?" Hibari slammed a tonfa into Sasuke's stomach, knocking the already weakened man out. Hibari lifted Sasuke up more easily, making sure to grab Sasuke's pack. "Now then…"

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Naruto sat on Tsuna's bed eating the snack his mother brought up. Naruto was surprised that Tsuna's mother so easily accepted Naruto into her home. Reborn had called Naruto a tutor and Tsuna's mother just asked Naruto if he was hungry. His grumbling stomach gave her his answer. "So," Naruto took another bite of a cookie. "How long am I stuck like this?"

"The last time it happened, I was stuck as a five-year-old for a little over five minutes," Hayato said.

Naruto glanced at the clock. "I've been here for nearly ten minutes."

"The effect is different depending on the person," Reborn said. "The longest we know of is a week."

"A week?" Naruto yelled. "I can't be stuck like this for a week!"

"It may be over sooner than that," Tsuna said.

"Yeah," Hayato said. "Besides, it isn't so bad. At least you can stay here until it wears off."

Naruto glared at Hayato. "It doesn't matter. I shouldn't even be here. I have to go find Sasuke."

"Who's Sasuke?" Tsuna asked.

"He's my…" Naruto began. He closed his mouth as the words faded from his mind. He didn't know what Sasuke was to him. Sure, he claimed that Sasuke was his best friend, but was he? As far as he knew, Sasuke hated him. Naruto stared down at his plate. "He's a friend."

Tsuna and Hayato looked at each other while Reborn just sat back thinking. The three of them could tell that Naruto was sad, but none of them knew what to say. "Maybe we can help you find him," Tsuna said.

Naruto shook his head. "No, I don't need your help." He grabbed his bad and opened it. Looking through its content, he pulled out a piece of parchment. "I can just use this." He unrolled it. "I…"

The large window to Naruto's right slammed open. Hibari grinned. "Sawada! I have a gift for you." He dropped Sasuke onto the floor as he stepped into the room.

"Sasuke!" Naruto moved to his side, avoiding Hibari. Naruto looked Sasuke over. He had a few wounds, but nothing serious. "He's ok."

"I found him in your classroom," Hibari said. He was still looking at Tsuna. "You should let your friends know that fighting at school is forbidden."

"He's not…" Tsuna began.

"Mind your manners!" Hayato said. "You shouldn't speak that way to Tenth."

"Oh?" Hibari took out his tonfas. "And what are you gonna do about it?"

"Please don't fight in my room," Tsuna said, but neither Hibari nor Hayato heard him.

"Maybe I should just kill you," Hayato said, pulling out a few sticks of dynamite.

"As if you could kill me," Hibari said. "I'll bite you."

"Oh shut up!" Naruto yelled. Hibari and Hayato froze. "If you two really want to fight, take it outside."

"Who's the brat?" Hibari asked.

"My name is Naruto," Naruto said. He stood up and walked up to Hibari, glaring at him. "I'm thankful that you safely brought Sasuke to me, but I won't allow you to destroy this place." He pointed towards the window. "Leave."

Hibari smiled. "Courageous, aren't you." He squatted down. "Make me leave."

"H-hibari-san," Tsuna squeaked as he moved in between the two. "There's really no need for that. Thank you for bringing Sasuke-san here."

Hibari raised an eyebrow before smirking. "I see." He stepped back and sat down on Tsuna's bed. "Well, I've had a long day. That one wasn't easy to carry."

"T-thank you Hibari-san," Tsuna said.

"Hm," Hibari smiled. "Aren't you going to offer me a drink?"

"Y-yes!" Tsuna said. "Right away." Tsuna quickly left the room.

Hibari turned back to Naruto. "So, Brat, I haven't seen you around Sawada before."

Naruto growled. "My name is Naruto and I'm not a brat!"

"Oh really?" Hibari stood up and leaned over Naruto. "Then how old are you? Four?"

"I'm seventeen!" Naruto yelled. He knew that he looked younger than he was not only due to the bazooka, but also because he didn't eat a lot when he was young.

"Seventeen?" Hibari looked Naruto up and down. "I don't think so."

"Leave him alone," Hayato said. "The Tenth wouldn't like it."

Hibari grinned and once more pulled out his tonfas. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Guys, please stop," Tsuna said. He had a tray of drinks in his hands.

Hibari grabbed a cup. "You're lucky he doesn't like violence." He then took a sip before relaxing on Tsuna's bed. Hayato was about to explode, but Tsuna stepped in the way and held out the drink tray. Hayato took one before sitting down with a frown on his face. Reborn happily took a cup, not saying a word. Naruto also took one, saying thanks. Tsuna put the tray on his desk next to Reborn, taking the last cup. Silence filled the room. You could taste the awkwardness in the air.

Sasuke broke the silence with a groan. Naruto instantly put down his drink and lift Sasuke up more so that he was in a near sitting position. "Sasuke, are you alright?"

"Dobe?" Sasuke asked, his voice coming out a bit raspy.

"Hold on," Naruto said. He grabbed his drink and brought it to Sasuke's lips. "Here." He helped Sasuke drink some of it. "Better?"

Sasuke nodded. "You look different."

"Yeah," Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. "I was hit with some type of magic or something that turned me back into a seven-year-old."

"Seven?" Sasuke asked. His eyes roamed over Naruto's body. "Hn."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto huffed.

"I forgot how small you were," Sasuke said smirking.

Naruto glared. "Teme!" He raised a hand, but froze. He lowered his fist. "You're lucky you're wounded."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted. Naruto pouted.

"So," Tsuna said, finally breaking them out of their little world. "Um… Naruto, what will you do? You can't go home like that."

Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other. Naruto's hand once more found the back of his neck. "About that. We aren't from around here. Getting home won't be easy."

"Oh?" Tsuna asked. "Then where are you from?"

"We're from a village to the east," Sasuke said. He wasn't sure if he trusted these people yet. He glanced at Hibari. Sasuke was still a bit pissed at the boy for attacking him.

"I see," Tsuna said. "Then where are you staying?"

"Not sure yet," Naruto said.

"I bet my mom wouldn't mind you staying here," Tsuna said.

"Tenth, you shouldn't be so nice to strangers," Hayato said.

"I agree Sawada," Hibari said. "If you don't really know them, I can escort them out."

"I think it would be fun," Reborn said. All eyes turned to him. He was smiling, an action that caused Tsuna to flinch. "They won't cause us any problems."

Hibari and Hayato looked at Tsuna before opening their mouths at the same time. "They can stay with me." They glared at each other.

"I thought you didn't want to have anything to do with them," Hibari said.

"Well, if Tenth sees them as friends, then they are fine with me," Hayato said. "Besides, I have plenty of room."

"Sure you do," Hibari said.

"You don't have to worry about us," Sasuke said. He lightly pushed Naruto backwards as he stood up. "We aren't staying here." He grabbed his bed then looked at Naruto. "Are you coming?"

"Where are we going?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke bit his lip. "Anywhere but here." He leaned down, his mouth close to Naruto's ear. "We aren't safe here."

Naruto had to admit that Sasuke wasn't wrong. These people were part of the reason he was stuck in his seven-year-old body. He glanced at Tsuna. But that kid didn't seem to be a bad person. Hibari and Hayato were a bit weird and Reborn was just strange. Out of the four of them, Reborn was the one to look out for. Naruto could feel a strange power coming from him. But that power seemed to extend over Tsuna. In fact, it was as if Reborn gave Tsuna power that Tsuna in turn gave to Hibari and Hayato. "Ok." He stood up.

"Are you sure you want to leave?" Reborn asked. "He looks like he can barely stand." He motioned to Sasuke.

Naruto's eyes moved over Sasuke's form. The raven was breathing heavily and it was clear that he was standing on will power alone. "Sasuke?"

"I… I'm fine," Sasuke said. He tried to take a step towards the door only to fall forward.

"Sasuke!" Naruto jumped forward, but it was Hibari who caught the other.

"Easy there," Hibari said. He lowered Sasuke to Tsuna's bed. "You shouldn't move so much with those wounds."

"Stay here and rest," Tsuna said. Sasuke's eyes found Naruto's and he nodded. He laid down and closed his eyes. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep. "I'll go let mom know you two are staying over." He left the room.

"I'll stay here too," Hayato said.

"You'll just get in the way," Hibari said. He grabbed Hayato by the collar and dragged him to the window. "Tell Sawada we said goodbye." He jumped out of the window, pulling Hayato out with him. Hayato let out a scream at the action. Naruto looked out the window to see Hibari dragging Hayato down the street, whistling.

"She said it was fine," Tsuna said, coming back into the room. He looked around where did Hayato and Hibari-san go?"

"They left," Reborn said. He jumped down from the desk. "I'm going to bed." He changed so quickly that Naruto would have missed it if he blinked. He then jumped into the air and onto a small hammock.

"Isn't it a bit early to go to sleep?" Naruto asked.

"He always goes to bed early," Tsuna said. "Probably since he is a baby."

"I see," Naruto said. "What about you?"

"I have some homework to do," Tsuna said. Naruto made a face. "Yeah, I'm not the biggest fan of homework either." He grabbed his school bag and took a seat at his desk. Feel free to read any of my books."

Naruto nodded. He looked over Tsuna's bookcase and found some manga. Grabbing the first volume of a manga called One Piece, Naruto moved back to the bed and began to read it.

When dinner was ready, Tsuna's mother brought it up to the room. She was wondering why none of them had come down when she called them. She smiled as she saw Naruto cuddled up to Sasuke with volume eight of One Piece on the edge of the bed. She picked it up and moved it over to the small like Naruto had going. She then turned to Tsuna and shook him awake.

"Mom?" Tsuna asked.

"It seems you fell asleep," Tsuna's mother said. "I made dinner. Are you hungry?" She motioned to the tray she had out down after entering the room.

"Thank you," Tsuna said. He glanced over at Naruto and Sasuke and then looked at Reborn. "I think it would be better to let them sleep."

"Alright," Tsuna's mother said. "I'll put theirs in the fridge. Make sure to help them get it when they wake up." Tsuna nodded. She picked up the tray, handing a bowl and some chopsticks to Tsuna. She knew he'd come down with it when he was down. She then walked back to the kitchen, wrapped up each of the other four bowls and out them away. "I wonder where Lambo is." She then returned to cleaning.

Tsuna finished his dinner and as his mother thought he would, he brought the empty bowl and chopsticks down. He washes them before returning to his room. On the way back, he grabbed a pillow and a blanket from the closet. He made a bed on the floor and grabbed the last part of his homework, filling in the last two answers. After putting it away, Tsuna grabbed volume 38 of Dragon Ball and began to read it. He soon fell back asleep. It had been a long day.

Naruto awoke a few minutes after Tsuna had fallen asleep. He carefully made his way to the bathroom room and once he was done, he went downstairs. Tsuna's mother greatest him and offer to help him heat up some food, but Naruto said he got it. He thanked her for making it before putting it in the microwave. He sat at the table to eat it. Lambo came running into the kitchen, yelling about food. Naruto just told him to be quiet as he heated up Lambo's food. Knowing there wasn't a lot of space left in Tsuna's room, his mother brought Lambo to her own for the night. Naruto thanked her once more before washing both his and Lambo's dishes. He went back to Tsuna's room and got into bed next to Sasuke. Summoning some of Kurama's chakra, Naruto lightly ran a hand over Sasuke's body to help heal him. Reborn watched silently, a smile once more appearing on his face.