Chapter 1 - Prologue: A Desperate Gambit
"Time travel, trauma, and the power of family. The past is never truly gone."
Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction. "Naruto" and all related characters, settings, and concepts are the property of Masashi Kishimoto and respective companies. This story is written by a fan, for fans, with no financial gain.
Summary: Sent back to the day Shukaku was sealed, Temari must be the sister Gaara deserves. Armed with future knowledge, she'll reshape Suna, her every choice rippling through time. Time travelers forge new bonds, finding romance based on mental age (don't worry, it's not gross!). Can Temari's love and intellect forge a brighter future and conquer a rewritten destiny?
The Fourth Shinobi World War was over. Kaguya had been defeated, but at a terrible cost. The God Tree had already drained most of the world's chakra through the Infinite Tsukuyomi. The shinobi world lay in ruins, its people traumatized and its future uncertain.
But amidst the despair, Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke saw a glimmer of hope. The God Tree contained a vast reservoir of chakra. With Naruto's deep bond with the nine bijū, bolstered by his Six Paths Chakra, and Sasuke's newly awakened Rinne Sharingan, they believed they could perform a miracle never before attempted.
They would send a chosen few back in time, to prevent this apocalypse from ever occurring.
Heated debates erupted among the survivors. Their numbers were so few, the jutsu theoretical at best. Who could they trust with such a monumental task?
Naruto, ever the optimist, proposed sending one representative from each major village. Someone who could leverage their future knowledge to shift the tides of destiny, while growing strong enough to make a difference from a young age.
The current Kage were quickly ruled out. Even if sent back to their time in power, a Kage operated under intense scrutiny. Enacting the necessary changes would draw too much attention.
But Naruto had a plan. He knew in his heart that if the jinchūriki could know love, could unite with their bijū before Akatsuki made their move, the enemy would stand no chance.
So it had to be those closest to the jinchūriki. Individuals who could nurture their potential and unite them against the looming threats.
Kurotsuchi was Iwa's clear choice. Her Lava Release mirrored Rōshi's, and her connection to Ōnoki positioned her to influence events. As one of Iwa's strongest, armed with future intel, she could rapidly ascend to jōnin and shape Iwa's politics. Convincing Ōnoki to embrace the jinchūriki and reject Akatsuki would be critical.
In Kiri, grizzled veteran Ao stepped forward. He had fought alongside Mei Terumī to end Yagura's bloody reign once before. Knowing now that Yagura was a victim of genjutsu, Ao believed he could accelerate the rebellion for a more stable Kiri and secure Utakata's safety. Yagura's fate seemed tragic but inevitable. However, armed with foreknowledge of the Sanbi's reemergence, Ao could misdirect Akatsuki and Orochimaru with false intel, buying time to secure a new, protected host.
For Kumo, Samui was the natural pick. Already linked to both Killer B and Nii Yugito, and a jōnin prodigy in her own right, Samui could pass off her future knowledge as raw genius. No matter how far back she landed, Samui had the skills to steer Kumo true.
Konoha mourned that Nara Shikamaru, their first choice, had been lost, his mind unrecovered from Infinite Tsukuyomi's grasp. A tragic, all too common occurrence.
But Hyūga Hinata would not be dissuaded. As a clan heiress, she held more autonomy and political sway than most. She alone could give Uzumaki Naruto the love and support to master Kurama's yin chakra from a young age. And if timed right, a single byakugan-enhanced stroll could expose the Uchiha coup, hopefully without allowing the culprits to escape. Root's treachery could be dragged into the light, with the clan and Uchiha Itachi still standing strong in Konoha.
Sasuke noted Itachi's illness, his battered psyche. But Hinata was confident. With early intervention and her medical know-how, she could considerably extend Itachi's life. His unique abilities could reveal to him the truth of their future past. The hope of a whole Uchiha clan would surely reignite his will to live.
Concerns over unintended ripples were muttered, but then attention turned to Suna.
Gaara had always been powerful. It was his father Rasa who had erred, twisting Gaara into a weapon he couldn't control. But none held enough sway with Rasa to challenge this path, not even his own children.
Until Temari stepped forward, determined. She denounced Rasa as an unfit father, but not an unjust leader. If she could prove Gaara's strength as a reliable weapon, Rasa would not resort to cruel attempts on his life to test him. A big sister with no fear or resentment in her heart would give Shukaku no cause to lash out. She could guide Gaara to compassion and greatness from a tender age. Not just Gaara, but Rasa and all of Suna would flourish. Temari's future wisdom would propel her to jōnin, becoming Gaara's caretaker. A position Suna would praise. Baki would retake his Council seat. And Temari would have the ear of both the Kazekage as his eldest and the woman who tamed the village's ultimate weapon.
As silence fell, the assembled shinobi met each other's eyes, expressions flickering from grim resolve to fragile hope. This was their plan. It had to work.
The alternative was too terrible to imagine.
As the chosen few stepped forward, dissent rippled through the gathered shinobi. Voices rose in protest, arguing about the butterfly effect, that the mere attempt would irrevocably alter history. Some insisted that with victory achieved, however pyrrhic, they should focus on rebuilding from the ashes.
But Uzumaki Naruto would not be swayed. He spoke not just for himself, but for the bijū within him. His impassioned words rang out, declaring that no matter how much their actions changed the fabric of reality, no matter if they were reborn as different people, they could not allow the sacrifices made in this war to be in vain. The price paid had been too high.
As silence fell, Uchiha Sasuke addressed the crowd, his tone somber. He forced them to confront a harsh truth: their intervention would reshape the lives of their loved ones. Memories of cherished times would be overwritten, bonds with friends who might never come to exist in the new timeline would be lost. His gaze settled on Hyūga Hinata as he softly reminded her that she would be forever altered in Naruto's eyes, no longer able to pursue the love she'd held so long with the age gap between them.
Hinata met Sasuke's look unflinchingly, even as a single tear traced down her cheek. Her voice was steady as she declared that to love was to sacrifice. If taking on the role of Naruto's elder sister and dearest friend was necessary, she would find a new love later in life.
Debate turned to the question of how far to turn back the clock. Sasuke's uncertainty was palpable. For Ao especially, with his long life, the potential target window for the untested space-time jutsu was daunting.
It was then that Orochimaru stepped forward, his presence sending a ripple of unease through the gathered shinobi. He explained that if they truly intended to reshape the past, only he, Akasuna no Sasori, and Jiraiya possessed the breadth of knowledge needed to enact meaningful change. And with Jiraiya gone, Orochimaru was all they had left.
The snake sannin gathered the would-be time travelers close, imparting secrets of the shinobi world's underbelly, of political machinations few were privy to. He bestowed upon them jutsu that could prove invaluable, such as the method to forcibly release Edo Tensei. To Hinata, he divulged an additional secret. If she bore one of his curse marks, he would always know if her words rang true, and even at the heights of his malice towards Konoha, he could be compelled to listen, if one was clever. With an enigmatic wink, Orochimaru melted back into the crowd.
The stage was set. The chosen few stood beneath the God Tree, its titanic form looming over them. Naruto placed his hand upon its trunk, his Six Paths chakra flaring to life, bathing the night in radiant light. He extended his other hand to Sasuke, who clasped it firmly. The Uchiha's Rinne Sharingan pulsed with power as he tore open five rifts in the fabric of space and time. Pathways to their past selves, to unknown points in their own histories.
Hinata surged forward, capturing Naruto's lips in a searing kiss, pouring every ounce of her love and devotion into that final embrace. Then, steeling herself, she turned and leaped into the yawning portal, vanishing from this plane of existence.
As humanity's last, best hope disappeared before his eyes, Naruto felt hot tears streak down his face.
And then, all of creation shuddered, reality itself warping as the most monumental jutsu ever conceived rewrote the threads of time.
In an instant, there was nothing.
