Heaven Can Wait - Naruto Fanfic - Obligatory Kishimoto owns Naruto

Premise - A ninja's life was taken too quick by a Shinigami and now that ninja is allowed to return to the living, but in a different time.

A certain Shinigami was having a very bad 'day', in fact the Shinigami was having a bad thousand years. Ever since Black Zetsu, spawn of Kaguya, had started influencing human affairs people were dying who weren't scheduled to die, and people were coming alive who had no business returning to the living world. There were those damned Nagato and Obito, resurrecting people with the Rinnegan, and even worse Tobirama Senju, Orochimaru the Sannin, and Kabuto Yakushi using that damned Edo Tensai to kill one person and use their body as medium for the dead's Spirits of all kinds of people. Yes, to say the Shinigami was flustered was rather an understatement. Of course for a Death God time was irrelevant, so everything kind of happens all at once for him, and that's how our story came to occur.

Naruto was thrown backwards, the chakra of Kurama pulled from his body and sucked into the cavernous statue of the 10 tails. Even as Gaara caught the blond on a pile of sand and sought the healing master Tsunadae, the heartbeat of the child of prophecy was weakening. The Shinigami sighed. The last few human days had been hectic for him with the widespread death caused by the 10 Tails, Obito, and Madara. He watched this moment from behind the invisible curtain separating human existence and the afterlife. He knew the boy was a goner, it was well known that Jinchuriki did not survive extraction of demons, not a single one in history had ever survived, child of prophecy or not, this boy was a goner in the eyes of the Shinigami.

Gaara's sand raced with Sakura and Naruto's body toward the location of the 4th Hokage, Minato. Without chakra the medical treatment Sakura could give Naruto was limited. His heart slowed to a stop. At that moment the Shinigami acted, the boy was dead and would find his place in the afterlife. As the Shinigami took hold of the boys spirit leaving the physical body behind they stepped from the realm of the living into that place between life and the hereafter. Naruto saw vaguely the form of the death god, but as he began to follow him another hand reached out and took Naruto's other spiritual arm.

"Not so fast Shigekumi!" An old man held Naruto's arm preventing the Shinigami from taking the boy any further.

"Hagoromo! How dare you interfere with my work! The boy was dead so therefore he belongs to the other side!" Shigekumi boomed at the old man.

"Old friend, how long have you known me? You know I can not interfere with the dead, only those who are my descendants through my sons. This boy is Ashura's vessel and as such he must not die right now." Hagoromo spoke as if his authority was enough to release Naruto from the Shinigami.

Naruto blinked and looked between the Shinigami and Hagoromo, uncertain as to what was going on. Of course being Naruto he wouldn't keep quiet. "Tell me what the heck is going on! One minute I'm fighting Madara and Kurama's with me and now I'm standing with two old men in Kami knows where! I have to get back and stop that damned Madara! I promised to save everyone! Let me go both of you!" Naruto unbelievably broke the grasp of both the Shinigami and Hagoromo. "If you don't tell me what's going on I'm going to go crazy!" The boy continued to yell at the two beings.

"Now look what you did Hagoromo! He's put himself in Limbo because of you!" The Shinigami said.

"It wasn't my fault, it was yours, you took him before his time was up. The girl was going to keep him alive! And I was supposed to give him my power!" Hagoromo grew angry. "Now you're going to have to fix this!"

The Shinigami looked at old man Hagoromo and sighed. "I cannot put him back in his body once the connection is broken. And as you can see I am no longer holding his hand." As if to point this fact out the Shinigami held up both hands.

"Are you telling me I was supposed to live and you goofed!? You... You... " Naruto couldn't find words to express his feelings for some time. "I was supposed to save them... wasn't I old man?" Naruto looked at Hagoromo.

"Yes, you and Ashura's heir would have defeated Madara and the 10 tails, and more. But now that will not happen. And human suffering going to increase." Hagoromo stared at the Shinigami with eyes of fire. "There must be something you can do!?"

The Shinigami thought for a moment. "There is one possibility, but I cannot guarantee the results."

"What? What is it? I'll do it if it means I can save them!" Naruto blurted out.

"I can place you in your own living body, but not in your own time. It has rarely been done, and it isn't always successful. You won't remember what has happened in your future life when you wake up in the new time. And if it fails you will be stuck in Limbo forever." The Shinigami warned the boy.

"I'll do it if there's a chance for me to help them! What do I have to do?" Naruto said with conviction.

"Take my hand, my connection with your living selves through time will begin to pull you. Do not let go of my hand for any reason, if you do your spirit will be lost forever." The Shinigami held out his hand to Naruto who took it.

"Will I see the old man again?" Naruto nodded to Hagoromo.

"If you prove yourself an heir to Ashura again, I will find you Naruto." Hagoromo responded.

Naruto's vision began to fade, and the arm of the hand holding the Shinigami began to feel extremely heavy, but he held on. The world faded to an inky blackness and Naruto felt as if his whole body was being pulled in a thousand directions and it was, as each moment of his life attempted to connect to his spirit.

"Good Luck Naruto" The Shinigami said as he allowed Naruto's spirit to slip back through the veil to the living world. "Maybe this time you'll have better luck. Now I need a vacation, this has been one hell of a thousand year shift!" The Shinigami pulled aside another veil to a separate dimension and clocked out as another figure stepped in to take over.

"Shit, what kind of screw up is this Shigekumi!" The replacement Shinigami grumbled.