Chapter 1: Madara's dilemma

He had been defeated. His world grew darker and warmer. 'Hell. I'm in hell.' he thought to himself. Suddenly, in a flash of light, the very fabric of time and space warped around him, twisting reality in an inexplicable way. The world seemed to implode and reappear as his chest tightened and his centre of gravity shifted. THUD!

?: "Whoa, hey, are you okay...?"

'What... is this?' Madara spun, his instincts kicking in and attempting to break this 'genjutsu'. He quickly assessed his surroundings, his eyes snapping onto the blonde haired boy as he rose to his feet. Upon seeing this idiot's face, his jaw clenched and the nerves in his hand tightened. Madara was about to pierce through his chest with his bare hand.

Madara: "Who are you?" He proclaimed with a deep voice, waiting to confirm his suspicions.

Naruto: "I'm Narut-"

*SHNK*

A gruelling scream escaped the blonde boy's lips, his usual trademark grin replaced by an expression of pure fear. A pair of soulless crimson eyes stared back at him, as if he were the devil himself. Madara was strong. He was a victor, and this meant Naruto would be weak, and vanquished. 'Consider it payback for the 4th great ninja war.' He thought to himself. He came to a realisation that this was no genjutsu, and he must of travelled into the past one way or another looking like a child. The boy fell to his knees as Madara retracted back his arm, shaking off the blood covered on his hand.

"AHHHHHHHH!" A couple civilians shouted, petrified at the scene which they had just witnessed. Madara's lips twisted into a cold, calculating smile as he looked around. His hands looked rather small, hinting that he was around 12 years old. Madara's gaze grew colder as he stepped closer, a foot planting into the boy's back, pushing the air out of his lungs as well as digging him into the floor. Naruto laid unconscious on the verge of death as footsteps running echoed around the area. A group of nearby shinobi were alerted and start rushing to the scene. 'Troublesome.' he sighed. With ease, he dashed his way past bystanders and scaled over rooftops clearing his tracks. Madara would never lose again, and this new chance at life he gained would be the reminder of his promise.

Approaching the outskirts of the village, he arrives at a river, the cool, reflective water flowing gently, the moonlight dancing upon the surface. The soft, rhythmic sound of the river as it winds through the village creates a sense of uncomfortable tranquillity. Leaning forward, Madara gazed into a pair of crimson eternal mangekyo sharingan glaring at him. To his surprise, it seemed he kept his eyes although his rinnegan were gone, perhaps from the absence of Hashirama's cells. Anyway, he had a chance at life once again, and he would make his feared but forgotten name remembered. To his surprise, he heard footsteps approaching from behind.

?: "The trail leads here, he's gone this way!"

?: "Found him!"

Aiko, the most quick-witted of the group, was the first to react. She raised her kunai, ready to attack. "Who are you?" she demanded, though her voice wavered with fear.

Madara's eyes narrowed as his lips curled into a sinister smile. "I'm someone you should never have crossed paths with."

Kenji, the most cautious of the group spoke with uncertainty. "Stay alert. We don't know what we're dealing with here." Emerging from the shadows, Madara's face reflected in the night sky causing the group to recoil.

Aiko: "He's just a kid?" She blurted.

Kenji: "You saw what he did earlier. Don't lower your guard," He paused before glaring. "Come with us nicely and you won't have to get hurt."

This caused a minor chuckle from Madara, into a slight laugh, into maniacal laughter. A flurry of shurikens headed his way, hoping to catch him off guard. But before any of the projectiles could even reach him, Madara's eyes flickered and suddenly, he was gone—vanished in a blur of speed. "Pathetic." His voice was a whisper in the wind, a moment later his fist came crashing down into Kenji's chest shattering a few ribs and sending him hurling into a nearby tree. The force of the collision caused the tree to splinter sporadically, and Kenji's body crumpled to the ground, unconscious and broken.

Haruto and Aiko froze, terror flooding their minds. Their comrade was down—and they hadn't even seen it happen.

"Kenji!" Aiko screamed in horror, her eyes wide with panic. Madara slowly turned to face them, his expression unreadable.

"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!" Haruto yelled in rage, pained over the loss of his friend. Madara tilted his head slightly, sizing him up, his smile slow and cruel. You call that a jutsu? He brushed off his shoulders...

Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!

A gigantic fireball expanded in front of them, setting a couple trees ablaze and leaving them unable to dodge. They quickly dove into the river to extinguish the fire, as Madara appears standing over them.

*THNK* In a heartbeat, Haruto is gone with a single kunai to the head. Aiko's fear is palpable as she stands back up on the riverbank, tripping and falling to her knees. "Beg me for your life and I might spare you."

Aiko: "Go to hell you sadistic bastard!" She cried.

Madara: "Already been there." He chuckled.

-MEANWHILE-

Naruto Uzumaki lay in the hospital bed, his chest bandaged and his face pale from the blood loss. His usual boisterous energy was dimmed by the pain he was currently feeling. The hospital room was quiet, besides the steady beeping of the heart monitor and the soft shuffle of footsteps as visitors soon arrived.

?: "Naruto! Naruto!" A voice was heard, barely coherent enough for Naruto to understand. His chest had been in excruciating pain, he only managed to cling to life due to the Kyuubi's desperate efforts in order to stay alive. "Naruto, can you hear me?"

A pair of weak eyelids fluttered open. "I-Iruka sensei is that you?" He mumbled, barely clinging onto life. His skin was pale due to blood loss causing his sensei to worry even further. Standing behind Iruka was a pink haired girl, seemingly around his age.

Sakura: "Naruto... you idiot... you really scared us." She spoke with uncertainty in her voice. He gave her a weak grin, though his body ached with every movement.

Naruto: "S-Sakura-chan, it's not that bad! I'm fine. Just a little scratch, that's all." He joked, however it was clear by his pale and discoloured appearance that he was not fooling anyone.

Iruka: "I'm sorry to ask, but, what happened?"

Naruto sighed, his head slowly sinking back into the pillow as he tried to gather his thoughts. He visibly winced when moving his arms to adjust his position, the sharp pain in his chest a constant reminder of the brutal encounter. He really didn't want to recall the events but did so anyway uncomfortably.

Naruto: "A boy around my age or maybe a little older pierced his hand through my chest, and... everything went blank."

The other two looked in shock as they were unsure what to say. What child would be that monstrous, let alone strong enough to do that?

Naruto: "I'm fine-" he repeated, though his voice was quieter this time. Before he could finish, Iruka gently placed a hand on his shoulder, making him stop. "Naruto... it's okay to admit that you're hurt. You've been through a lot. You don't always have to act tough." This caused him to burst into a crying mess. He could feel the warmth of his teacher's hand, the concern in his voice, and it reminded him that, despite how many times he tried to push through on his own, he wasn't alone.

Sakura: "Naruto, you're lucky you're alive. If that wound had been any deeper—" Her speech got interrupted as she also followed suit in crying.

Iruka: "...Do you remember what he looked like?" He spoke softly.

Naruto: "He had dark hair and eyes, but his face... I can't remember."

After a moment of silence, Iruka continued.

Iruka: "I'll check up on you throughout the week, make sure to get some rest, okay?"

Naruto let out a half smile, which pained him slightly but he ignored it. 'Thank you Iruka.'