NOTICE: I have been rewriting this story, because honestly it was a hot mess that needed to be fixed. I've changed ages and some other important details, but if you have already read the story I suggest re-reading.

Ironies of Life

By: HanaMaki

Prologue: Ticking Tocks

Time doesn't heal anything... It just teaches us how to live with the pain.

Time...

Everything has a start and finish.

A beginning and an end.

His end...

Her end...

Their end...

Yet, they weren't alone. For pain was always a bitter companion.

The eerie howl, which escaped their lips, could never reflect the sheer, excruciating pain they were suffering.

It was all those bastards fault.

Those damned Uchiha.

The peptual bane of his existence. They had been the catalyst of their end.

The founder, the puppet, the martyr, and the avenger. Every single one had played their part in this Armageddon. Their fated script complete.

'It won't end like this. I won't allow it!'

The Bijuu were said to be creatures of unknown power and abilities. He knew that the only chance they had to defeat their enemy was to beat them at their own game. It was time to vanquish the ones who believed themselves gods.

He called his brothers and sisters out from the darkness which surrounded them; drowning them in the never ending depth. Together they would survive, just as they had from the beginning when Father had first created them. Their time had not yet come.

"Lend me your strength. Help me undo this!" A deep, masculine voice pleaded out from the emptiness as he started to weave his power.

Just as he feared that they were all too far gone, he heard an answering cry.

"This is crazy! Father has warned us against using that!" The voice responded in shock.

"We have no choice left! Do you believe Father would have wanted us to do nothing when the world he created started to destroy itself!?"

Silence met his words. They could all hear the desperation.

"No, I think not. Will you help me prevent this end?"

For what other choice did they have?

"Yes..."

The orchestrator of the end watched as the final piece of his plan began to fall into place.

The remaining obstacle had finally been dealt with. Her end would be the beginning of his success. All he had to do was wait as the Bijuu were extracted from within the seal placed on her.

Such a foolish girl.

Did she truly believe that she could withstand containing that much chakra? Uzumaki or not, no human could sustain the sheer amount of chakra from holding all nine Bijuu.

He watched her pale whiskered face contort in pain from inside the cave he captured her in.

It was ironic really.

She was born in a cave filled of misery and death, and she would die in one as well.

A twisted laugh escaped him.

It sounded deranged even to himself. Time certainly changed people.

However, just as he began to rejoice in his victory, an explosion of volatile chakra rocked the cavern. The earth trembled tempestuously, unable to withstand the pressure.

He forced his own chakra to keep him standing. What was going on?

He searched for the source. Its focal point.

It was her.

It was coming from within the young woman he had defeated. What was she doing?

He raced toward her. Something was going wrong.

So terribly wrong...

She was doing something to prevent him, them, from having the final piece. He would stop her before she could. It would not end like this. Failure was no an option. He would win above all else!

"We need more chakra!", a gruff voice exclaimed heatedly, his words riling up his companions. It was not often they heard such words, considering who they were. The irony of it all.

Growls rose in reply. "There is no more to give!"

"The seal will not work without more chakra!" Another added with an agitated silvery tone.

Suddenly a flare of chakra neared them. "Wait! Do you feel that?"

"There's another powerful chakra source coming closer!" A slim ray of hope had appeared.

With no hesitation, the one which had been leading them, began to pull at that necessary life force towards the seal.

"We'll take it from them! They have the remaining amount, even if it's just barely enough!"

The closer he approached the weaker he felt, but he would not allow that woman to win. He would stop her.

With each step he took, he could feel his chakra being drained. Yet, this would not dissuade him from reaching the stubborn woman.

Just as he was an arm's length away, the chakra from within him was completely gone. His multi-colored eyes widen in shocked horror as he fell to his knees.

There was nothing left inside.

The gentle, reassuring hum of life from within him had been taken. What had she done?

Raven locks fell limply against his ashen face as his eyesight dimmed.

His strength, his vitalness... It had left him.

No longer able to remain upright, he fell heavily to the ground.

The plan... Had it failed? Was there something they hadn't accounted for?

His ancestor will be furious when he finds out about this. Yet, as he closed his eyes, the blonde figure lying across from him slowly opened hers. They weren't their usual ocean blue.

No, these were bled crimson.

Angry, furious crimson orbs staring down at him in bloodlust and pure satisfaction.

Those eyes knew he had lost and they had won.

They were the last he ever saw before a bright, blinding light enveloped them and he knew no more.

Late Autumn winds blew across the city of Konoha. It was late in the evening and dark clouds blanketed the sky for miles around. Thunder boomed and lightning streaked across the air to warn the inhabitants of the village of the incoming rain. The handful of people still outdoors hurried for the cover of their homes.

'It's a shame I sent my shinobi on such an important mission with this kind of weather, but time is of essence.' The Sandaime Hokage thought wearily as he watched the rapidly changing weather. It had seemed so nice earlier.

Stoned faces stared back at him from where he sat in his chair in his office, their gaze's unflinching. His sadden brown eyes focused on his late teacher's eternal face.

'Are you upset to known that the peace you strived for has yet to last?'

Another flash of lightning crossed and illuminated the dull, grey sky.

Maybe it was a trick of the light or perhaps his own feelings, but their faces seemed almost... sorrowful. As if they knew the oncoming battles to be waged.

The lives to be lost and ruined.

The never ending cycle of hatred and anger continuing to run its destructive course.

A heavy, resigned sigh escaped the middle aged man.

To live to see another war was not something he wished on anyone, much less to be in charge during such turbulent times. Knowing that he could lead those under his command to their deaths in pointless battles was such a burdening weight on his soul.

The success of this mission was vital, but he knew deep down that this war, which was brewing over the horizon for some time now, would not be stopped. Postponed and slowed down perhaps, but it would come. Sooner than he'd have ever hoped or wished for.

'I wish you the best of luck, Sakumo. For all our sakes'...'

Their orders had been clear.

Dispose of the Suna contingent heading toward the aid of Iwa. Leave no witnesses and frame Iwa to stop any possible chances of an allegiance between the two villages.

Yet, they hadn't been prepared for the number of enemy shinobi they were to face.

The intel had been grossly incorrect.

They had been expecting a small force, easy to ambush, but instead were met by a team from Iwa and two from Suna. All four-men squads with a Jonin each, who cornered them at the border of Fire Country and Wind, mere miles away from the northern borders of Earth.

Sakumo Hatake cursed as he fended off his attackers, he could see that his companions, another Jonin and two Chunins', were having a difficult time keeping their opponents back.

It was only a matter of time before they were overwhelmed and killed. However, before he could help them, he noticed the lone Iwa shinobi racing off towards the direction of his village.

He would alert his village of this attack, who would send for back up and their mission would fail. War would be declared, once Iwa and Suna learned that Konoha had been the one behind the attack on their ninja.

'Damn it!'

There was no possible way for his entire team to make it back to Konoha and still complete the mission. Either he chased after the Iwa shinobi and killed as many as he could, using his team-mates to buy him time or save his men and fail the mission.

A heavy sense of dread swelled in his chest as he spared a fleeting glance at the three men.

So young the three of them.

The oldest being 23 and the youngest 19. He himself was only 26 years of age. Old for a ninja, but he had no desire to face death just yet. He had a little boy to get back to, just as he knew that his comrades had family expecting them to return as well.

He couldn't sacrifice the lives of such young men. He couldn't leave them to their deaths.

It would be such a wasteful, and regretful thing to do. Contempt for his indecision rose, and a harsh smile danced on his lips ruefully.

His decision made, Sakumo hurried toward his comrades. Putting more and more distance between him and that Iwa shinobi, when suddenly, a deafening boom resounded in the northern direction of which they had been fighting in. The direction in which that Iwa shinobi had run off to.

Then all hell broke loose.

Swirling masses of light and fire rocketed through the forest and sky. Massive storm clouds formed in the once blue sky above them in the blink of an eye. Tempest winds and crackling lightning rumbled the earth.

The atmosphere was filled with potent charge of chakra of numerous colors; Gold, red, yellow, green, blue, purple, and orange. Each producing blasts of intense flames, scorching the shinobi of Iwa and Suna, leaving their charred remains behind.

Sakumo felt his hands tremble and his saber shook in his grasp. What the hell was going on?

Everything was happening too quickly. He couldn't keep up, and was barely dodging the onslaught of attacks.

He vaguely registered hearing the horrified and agony filled screams, over the deafening clashes of thunder and sonic chakra blasts. The cries of the shinobi behind him, who were once mocking him of his impending failure, as he hurried to his team-mates.

Sakumo spotted overhead eight orbs of varied colors race across the torrent sky in different directions. Where they were going was anyone's guess.

Just as soon as it started, it ended. The flaring, rampant chakra was gone leaving a disaster zone behind in its wake.

Five minutes of death and destruction had just ended as if nothing had ever been wrong. A sudden downpour of lead rain fell in heavy tears, as if despairing over the lost of so much life. Both human and plant life.

The sudden silence was suffocating.

A once forest filled and lively clearing was a burning, ashen battle ground. Blood and smoking, charred corpses littered the ground. Melted weapons scattered everywhere. Isolated flames still flickering dimly all around as the heavenly water steadily extinguished them.

What could have been capable of such an annihilation of life?

'Well at least, I don't have to chase down that Iwa shinobi.' Sakumo morbidly mused as he spotted the half burnt form of the messenger who hadn't been lucky enough to completely escape the radius of the malevolent chakra.

A terrified shriek from behind him, alerted the White Fang of Konoha that not all the enemy had been dealt with.

"You bastards what have you done?!" A ninja from Suna cried out accusingly.

A confused scowl formed on the silver haired man's masked face as he closed in on them.

"Us? We should be asking you! What has done this?"

Seeing that the legendary, Sakumo Hatake, was approaching them, the three remaining enemy shinobi quickly raised kunai's to the shocked Konoha ninja's unguarded throats, holding them captive.

"We'll be the one's asking the questions here, White Fang!" The same Suna shinobi retorted, tightening his hold on his alarmed prisoner.

Sakumo narrowed his steel eyes at them, different scenarios running through his prodigal mind on how to get his comrades to safety.

However, before he could implement any of them, the sky darkened once again and turned a bloody red. Drawing their collective gaze's upward, more of that chakra had returned, yet it wasn't as potent as before.

Streaks of orange and crimson came from the direction of Fire Country. The rain had stopped.

The world seemed to pause. Waiting for whatever was to happen next.

What appeared in the minute after, no one expected in a thousand years.

A fearsome, fiery furred beast towered over them. Nine tails swishing dauntingly behind it.

It resembled a fox.

A demonic fox with its jaws snarling at them. Gazing down at them as if belittling them, taunting them.

Never had any of them felt more mortal than they did standing before such an immortal creature.

The mighty beast had immense red and orange energy dangerously flowing from its body, incinerating all in its path. The earth trembled as it moved, closing the distance between them. One tail came crashing down on the ground forming a crater, obliterating everything that had once stood there into rubble.

Sakumo held his blade up as a means of safety as meager as it was. He swallowed nervously as he tried to think up an escape plan. His usually perceptive and analytical mind seemed to shut down as the beast narrowed his dark crimson's eyes thoughtfully at him.

'The Kyuubi? Why is it looking at me? What the hell is going on?!'

Never had anything looked at him with such a scathing intensity. The burning orbs were full of pure, animalistic malice, promising pain and death. It was only through sheer will that kept him from averting his gaze.

Blood-lust and power emanated from the formidable beast in great, sickening waves. Fear threatened to overpower him just as it had the Suna shinobi who had slacked their holds on their captives.

The three freed Leaf ninja escaped to their leader's side. He was the strongest among them. He was their last line of defense. Should he fall, so would they.

Sakumo stood straight, his posture shifting defensively in front of his men and consequently the Suna shinobi cowering a few mere feet away.

No one dared to say a word. Seconds ticked by, and Sakumo noticed the change in the chakra radiating from the Nine-Tailed Fox. It was diminishing, losing its blazing form.

'Is its' chakra draining?'

As if hearing his thoughts, the beast flickered his gaze back to him before turning around and disappearing in a vortex of chakra floating in mid-air above them.

Three gigantic arms made of red chakra sprouted from the churning vortex and enclosed around the fleeing Suna shinobi's figures, ignoring the petrified forms of the Konoha shinobi.

Sakumo and his team gawked in morbid, terrified fascination as the transparent arms crushed the life out of the three ninja. Their screams would forever echo within them.

Those same arms threw down the mangled bodies unto the scorched earth before returning to the swirling mass. Dust and dirt rose up from where their corpses impacted the ground.

Sakumo glanced briefly at the bodies before quickly averting his gaze. They had died in the most brutal way. Their bodies had been compacted until they had suffocated on their own blood. He could make out the tell-tell signs of crimson escaping from their external orifices.

"Ha-Hatake-san, wh-what's going on?" One of Chunin stuttered in fear, as he cowered behind him.

"I wish I knew." The Sakumo's words sounded strained as he tried to focus on a plan of action.

Before the frighten man could respond, two crimson eyes flashed fiercely at them from within the mass of chakra, pinning their shaking forms with its heated gaze.

"Save her. Protect her." A deep, gravelly voice reverberated around them, shocking even further the disturbed ninja.

Then the flashing orbs vanished and the red chakra began to float down in a twisting line toward what once was a cave. Now only partial rock walls remained in its place.

"Stay here." Sakumo commanded sharply at his petrified team over his shoulder as he chased after the fleeting chakra.

"Wait Hatake-san!"

His yells fell on deaf ears as the silver haired man disappeared from their view behind one of the bigger cavern walls that still remained intact.

The three man looked at one another. Silently prompting one another to go after their leader. Yet, none had the courage and ultimately cowered together in a defensive formation waiting for his eventual return.

Hiruzen Sarutobi watched the rather interesting light show illuminate the formerly dreary sky.

'I've never seen such lights appear before. I wonder what's the caused.'

As he mused over this conundrum, a frantic blond haired teen charged in through his window. He rapidly began to inhale a large gasp of air before hurriedly speaking breathlessly.

"Hokage-sama! Kushina! She collapsed and red chakra started to leak out of her in huge waves. She's currently in the hospital out of danger, but sir..."

At the teen's sudden hesitance, Sarutobi grew worried and impatiently cried out as he stood from his chair, "What is it? Speak Minato!"

Gulping nervously and with a nod, the young man, Minato Namikaze, continued, "At first, I feared the seal had weakened, but when I checked it. The seal never appeared. Sir, the Nine-Tails is no longer within Uzumaki Kushina. I have no idea where it is."

The Sandaime's previously tan face, whitened considerably at the news. One of the Bijuu, and not just any Bijuu, the most powerful of them all was no longer in its cage with nothing keeping back its rage and hatred.

'God help us all...'

What laid behind that rock wall was bizarre.

A grown man with a heavily scarred face on his right side rested unmoving on the cavern ground and definitely dead. His eyes had been gorged out. It was a very unpleasant and gruesome sight.

Sakumo turned his focus instead toward the figure laying across from the disfigured man.

A child.

A tiny, battered blonde haired little girl laid prone on the dirty ground. Her clothing splattered in blood, scorch marks, and shredded into tatters. She couldn't be any older than his own boy back home, who had a few mere months ago turned five.

His keen eyes gazed sadly at the child, silently taking in her abused form. Infinite sorrow resonated in his dark orbs as he gazed at her.

She looked so beatened. It sickened him. Even more so than the guy lying across from them.

Judging by the position of where this cave once stood, he surmised that she must have been kept captive by Iwa shinobi, whom he knew had been camping in this spot before they had arrived.

He watched in avid interest as the last trickles of red, violent chakra were sucked into her by an unknown force. A black, flashing seal appeared over her stomach once the final remaining strands were contained.

The realization of what this implied disturbed him greatly.

She was a jinchuuriki. This small being was the holder of the Nine-Tailed Fox. He wouldn't have believed it, if it weren't for the fact that he had witness with his own eyes the Bijuu's sudden appearance.

'However this explains that detonation of chakra. What I don't understand is how the Kyuubi got here. I know for a fact that the Uzumaki girl was the container.'

Something had been overlooked, though what it was, he was not sure. He focused on what he had learned, but there was still something missing. Then it struck him with a sinking heart at the implication.

He thought back to when he noticed the red chakra coming from the direction of Fire Country. Of Konoha...

A theory began to develop as he looked at this situation from as many angles as possible. Only one conclusion was definite.

This girl had been used to summon the Bijuu from within its original container. It was successful, but not as how Iwa would have wished, judging by the utter disaster he had just been witness to.

He reluctantly conceded that this made the most sense. Yet now, he faced another painful dilemma, but one he knew he could not escape.

His gaze fell downward once again, filled with pity for her.

He took in the long blonde strands which framed her face and sprawled out on the ground, making her appear like a tiny fallen angel. She was certainly cute, especially with her little whiskered cheeks, which he concluded must have come from containing the Fox Bijuu.

'I'll have to take her with me back to Konoha. The Hokage will be raving mad once he learns about this.'

Sakumo bent down and gathered the young girl in his arms. Her weight was barely noticeable he absentmindedly noted as he carried her over gently to his awaiting squad.

'Those poor chumps must be scared shitless at this point after witnessing such an absolute massacre.'

Astonishment raced over his masked face at the sudden thought. It dawned on him that he and his team still lived despite all the odds. His mission had ended up being successful thanks to the girl and the Nine-tails appearance.

A small amused smirk tugged at his lips at the thought.

'Well that's one for the record books.'

"Hatake-san!" His comrades raced toward him once he appeared from behind the wall.

They instantly halted in their steps once they spotted the girl in his arms.

Seeing their dumbfounded expressions, Sakumo sighed before explaining what he discovered.

A stun silenced followed his words.

"So she contains that big, horrible beast that was standing before us earlier? The same one who killed those Suna shinobi?" One of the Chuunin, the most vocal of the two, asked weakly, just to confirm.

"Yes, as of right now. She stands between us and that demon." Sakumo stated as he leveled a severe look at the three.

His fellow Jonin, a curly, raven haired Uchiha by the name of Taiga, flickered his gaze at the unconscious child before turning back to his leader. "What would happen if that seal on her breaks?"

A sigh escaped Sakumo before he answered, "The beast would escape, but that's the least of our worries."

Taiga rose a skeptical brow at his leader. "How come? How can you be so sure?"

The silver haired Hatake leaned back a little in thought as he turned his gaze up to the dark sky where the swirling vortex of chakra had been floating. "Remember, right before the thing disappeared, it spoke to us."

The Uchiha nodded as he recalled the event. "Oh yeah. It said... Save her. Protect her. I guess it was speaking about the child."

"I think there is something special about her and that fearsome creature realized it."

While the two Jonin seemed at ease with this revelation, the youngest of the Chunin began to speak rabidly, "But what if it's all a trick?! What if that's actually the demon in disguise?! Waiting to attack us once we lower our guard!"

Sakumo glared sharply at the frantic young man. "I saw with my own eyes the beast's chakra being drained into that seal. There is no possible way to fake that. Besides, does this girl look like a threat right now?"

The three looked at the slumbering, bruised child in his arms. She was rather a pathetic sight.

"N-No, sir." The teen responded calmer than before.

"Besides, if the Nine-Tails wished to kill us, it could have easily done it before it got sealed. Just like it did to those Suna shinobi." Sakumo pointed out as he gestured towards the crushed forms of the ninja.

Taiga's eyes widen slowly as the realization sunk it. "That's right. So why didn't it?"

Sakumo nodded grimly at the question that had been plaguing him. "That my comrade is the million ryo question. Why didn't it indeed..."

'It wants something from us, but what?' As he silently pondered this, he unconsciously shifted the girl closer to him, an action that Taiga's perceptive eyes did not miss.

The wind began to pick up again, heavy and damp. It broke the Jonin of his turbulent thoughts. His dark eyes scanned the decimated field before him. They still had a mission to complete.

"Alright, we have to make this look like Iwa betrayed Suna. So we'll dispose of all the Iwa shinobi and only leave a headband to point in their direction. Understood?" Sakumo reminded the trio as he took off his vest and laid it on the ground, placing the petite blonde on it.

"Yes, sir!"

"Good. Two of you start digging a big enough hole to dump all the bodies in." At his orders, the pair of Chuunin headed off to start on the excavating, while Taiga began to drag the charred bodies of the Iwa shinobi closer to where the hole was to be dug.

Sakumo left the Chunin's to their jobs as he went back towards where he found the girl. He grabbed the disfigured man by his legs and hauled him over to where the pile of corpses had been started.

Leaving him next to the rest of the bodies, Sakumo searched him, looking for any clue as to what they had done to the young girl. However, that endeavor proved fruitless, and the Jonin instead went to help the digging Chunin.

The faster this job was completed, the faster he could get the girl to the village. Her wounds weren't life-threatening, but he wanted her seal to get checked out. There were too many mysteries surrounding her and this mission for his liking.

A orange furred creature watched in smug satisfaction as the Konoha shinobi dumped the body of that bastard Uchiha, alongside the charred corpses of the Iwa shinobi, before his body was burned into a crisp with a Fire Jutsu.

Life was certainly filled with ironies.

That same Uchiha, who loathed Iwa shinobi with his entire being was being buried and burned with those same weaklings he hated with a jutsu that belonged to his clan. Quite fitting in his opinion.

The new seal was very advantageous. He was glad to have to been able to alter it enough for his benefit, plus retrieve his present form from within the red head Uzumaki. Now he was able to easily manipulate his chakra from within the seal, so he can see the outside world without having to rely on his container being conscious.

As he gathered his strength within the cage of his seal, Kurama plotted his next steps. Many things had to be changed. The original plot-line of his time could not be allowed to followed its pre-designed course. Those damned Uchiha had to be stopped above all else.

Yet, how to convince those tree-huggers that his vessel wasn't a threat without revealing that she was from the future. On top of that, he had to get the emotional girl to understand the severity of their situation, since she still didn't know what he and the others had done. There was no room for mistakes.

'No one would ever believe a little girl was from the future, but perhaps they'll believe a Bijuu who can look into the future.'

As the idea wormed itself into his mind, Kurama knew it would be a long-shot, but one that would work in their favor if successful.

'It was a good idea I left those Konoha ninja alive or else this ruse would not be as convincing.'

Then he felt it. That familiar tugging sensation, he had been waiting for. The girl's consciousness had finally returned from itself-induced coma.

The agony, the suffering, it had finally ended. She searched for a way out of the engulfing darkness surrounding her. How long she was there just floating aimlessly, she couldn't remember.

Had she died? Was this never ending, pitch-black, darkness what awaited on the other side of death?

Thinking back on her life, Naruto felt an overwhelming sense of regret. Remorse for all she failed to do.

To become Hokage. 'Kakashi-sensei was Hokage last time I saw him, since Baa-chan fell into a coma.'

To protect her village. 'That one, I failed spectacularly. There's a crater of dirt and rubble where my home once stood.'

To save her friends. 'Most of them were still traitors, gravelly injured, or dead.'

To end the cycle of hatred. 'Sasuke, Obito, and Madara are still alive if I'm actually dead.'

Yet, if she really was dead than that meant the Bijuu, she had sealed within herself as a last resort, had gone with her. They would never regenerate again thanks to the Sealing Jutsu: Shiki Fujin.

Now that she thought about it, maybe she was inside the Shinigami's stomach. It certainly explained the darkness.

Well if it was, at least she managed to stop Madara's Eye of the Moon plan. He needed all nine Bijuu to accomplish it. Now he would never get his hands on them again.

More time passed and the young blond seventeen year old grew bored.

'Death sure is lame. I've got nothing to do. No Ramen, no nothing... Man this sucks.'

An intense ray of light momentarily blinded her before her ocean blue eyes acclimated to it. A single ray broke through the abyss she found her self in. Something beckon her to follow it, trusting her gut had never let her down before, so she did.

The light grew brighter and larger as she moved toward it as if she were immersed in water. With ever movement she made, she felt her self tire. Soon her limbs felt like lead, but she was so close.

She could see that the ray was actually an opening. Her salvation was on the other side. She knew it was.

Gathering the last of her strength, she hauled herself forward. A sensation of falling over came her. Panic and fear welled up within her, as she realized she was in water.

'What the hell?!'

She let loose a scream.

Her form had appeared before his cage. She was still asleep, but with his chakra, Kurama managed to stimulate her to awaken.

A loud, sudden inhale of air alerted him to her arrival.

He could sense how frantic and scared she was as she rose from the floor, her eyes searching for the danger she last knew.

"Calm down, brat."

The familiar deep voice, snapped her from her panic.

"Kurama?"

"Took you long enough to get here kid."

She blinked up at him in a stunned awe. "Wha- What a minute! Wasn't I dead or dying at least?"

"Dead? No. Dying? Yes, probably would be dead, if I and the others hadn't acted quickly enough."

At the mention of the other Bijuu, she realized the seal had gone back to how it was before she merged with Kurama and sealed the other eight inside of her. "Wait, the others? Where are they?"

"In their present containers I assume. This seal only allows for me to remain here."

"But what happened? I remember floating in darkness, and then being surrounded in water."

"That was probably the result of traveling through the time seal. We used your soul as a medium."

Naruto's cerulean orbs widen in surprise at the sudden information.

"What time seal? My soul?"

Kurama nodded sagely as he sat down closer to the metal bars of his cage.

"Yes, the Jikan Hanten Fuin, Time Reversal Seal. Allows for the resetting of time at the cost of immense, godly amounts of chakra. A human container with a soul is used to allow them to go back to a time of their desire."

Glancing briefly at the stunned girl, the Kyuubi waited for the information to sink in before continuing, "Since I and the other Bijuu used the chakra sealed within you, the medium, you, went back in time to fix everything. Taking with you our future selves, all nine Bijuu."

"My brothers and sisters have joined with their present forms. They still retain their knowledge of the future, however."

Oceanic eye's narrowed as the enormous creature finished his explanation. Skepticism caused a frown to appear on the blonde's pink lips.

"What about your future self? If you're not lying to me, then that means you're currently sealed inside my mother."

"I foresaw this minor obstacle and altered your original seal. It now acts as a beacon for my chakra, summoning my present form from your mother. I'm already integrated with my past self."

Naruto eyed the towering fox up and down with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Well that would explain why you're much bigger than I remembered." She mumbled dryly under her breath before saying louder, "If it wasn't for the fact I know you wouldn't lie to me about something so serious, I'd think all that chakra had finally gone to your head. So how far back in time are we?"

A small relieved sigh escaped the mighty Bijuu seeing that his host was finally cooperating with him. "Before your father becomes Fourth Hokage. The actual time-line I'm still not quite sure, but that was the general area I was aiming for."

She felt as if the air had been knocked out of her at his words. 'That far back?'

"Why this time though?" She retorted vehemently. Her eyes the size of saucers. She was dumbfounded by his actions.

Kurama's crimson orbs became slits of hate as he further elaborated. "Madara's Eye of the Moon plan doesn't truly start until he saves Obito Uchiha, your sensei's old team-mate. I brought us here so you can stop Obito from being crushed by those rocks, which led Madara into finding him."

A gasp left her parted lips at his words. It took a couple of moments for her to find her voice again.

Naruto started to speak with a shaky tone, "That's all? Just stopping that event will change everything?"

His crimson eyes pinned her in place with their seemingly glowing gaze, as he spoke virulently, "No, that is just the first step. That immoral Uchiha will not be so easily deterred. Stopping him from recruiting the scarred one will be only a minor set back to that bastard. There are other significant things and events we must change. We will beat those cursed Uchiha at their own game!"

The realization of the Bijuu's intelligence and plotting overwhelmed her. She knew he was a creature of immense power, but now she knew he had the genius to back it up. It was a terrifying realization.

"Like what?" Naruto felt herself falling into her despair. To change the past... It was almost an inconceivable challenge, one she feared she could not do.

Then the faces of all those she failed to protect. To save from their darkness, of those she left behind in a ruined future, began to flash before her eyes in a never ending circle. It was maddening.

She remembered their smiling faces. Their hopes and dreams had been placed on her shoulders. All those promises she made. The one's she failed.

For them, she had to do it for them.

'I gave my word, dattebayo!'

'I will not lose my ninja way!'

'Never again will allow such weakness to take hold of me!'

'I will save my future!'

'Their future!'

"Just sit and listen, brat. Everything depends on you from this point on, got it?" The incarnate creature growled lowly to the panicking kunoichi, oblivious to her inner struggle.

'Or my name isn't Naruto Uzumaki, dattebayo!'

Suddenly, he saw that familiar cold, blue fire of determination spark inside her eyes once again. A fanged grin tugged at his lips.

"Good. This is what you need to know and do once you awaken."

Night had fallen over Konoha. Her civilian residents were busy preparing themselves for their well deserved bed rest after having worked through another day. The cascading rain which had last a few mere moments was a thing of the past as they laid their heads.

For the shinobi on the other hand, their work was still on-going. A ninja's job is never done when it involves the safety of their loved ones. Sentry's and patrol's did their duty without much of a problem and went about their task with a carefree attitude.

Inside a white, bleached hospital room, the carefree atmosphere was a thing of the past, and sorely missed.

Doubt besieged him as he heard the young Jonin speak. "Are you certain Minato that such a thing is even possible?"

The blond teen sighed tiredly as he met his superiors worried gaze. "Honestly Lord Hokage sir, I'm not sure of anything right now. Everything points to the Kyuubi being taken from within its seal. Yet, I can't think of any seals that can do such a thing."

Hiruzen turned away from the weary looking man. He turned his focus on his village enshrouded in shadows. His brown eyes flickered to the cloudless night sky and expansive twinkling stars shining down on them.

"Let's say for a moment that such a seal exist, how would it work?" A thought had occurred to him as he recalled the unusual light show he had witness earlier.

Minato turned surprised at the sudden question toward the man who's cloaked back was facing him. Frowning, the young Namikaze began to speak, not really understanding why his Hokage was asking such a thing.

"Well if anything, it would need a source marker. Something that it uses to target or track. If such a thing existed, it would have needed to use a small portion of the Nine-Tails chakra as a beacon to summon the remaining amount."

Sarutobi nodded absentmindedly as his mind worked overtime on the information he was just given.

He finally responded with a weary sigh, turning back toward the slumbering former jinchuuriki and Jonin. Shoving his speculations aside for another time and trying to focus on more pressing matters.

"I've already sent word for Jiraiya and Orochimaru to return. We'll need their expertise on this matter. I just wish Tsunade would listen to my summons as well. She can take better care of Kushina, but I'm afraid we won't be seeing her any time soon."

Minato brushed his spiky blond locks back roughly as he gazed down on his girlfriends unconscious form laying on the hospital bed before him. "Yes, Sensei will probably know what's going on better than I. At the very least, the Kyuubi's extraction didn't kill Kushina. Lady Tsunade's presence is unnecessary at the moment. She's weak, but the medic's say she'll pull through. However, they don't know how this will impact her chakra coils. They are severely strained and that's what they're most concerned about."

Clasping a tan hand on the younger man's slumped shoulder, Hiruzen replied reassuringly, "Don't worry, son. Everything will be fine. Have hope."

He paused momentarily before saying seriously, "It's best if we keep cool heads right now. Also, let's keep this whole matter quiet. I don't want the council getting word of this situation. It will only cause more problems."

"Yes, sir. I understand." Minato nodded sharply in agreement. He knew just how many problems the council had brought Kushina in the past.

It was the crack of dawn, a start of a new day. The red and orange blended sun rays were just beginning to peek over the horizon, shining over the green landscape. The surrounding nature slowly awakening from its slumber. Singing morning birds announced the weary team's arrival to their long awaited destination.

"I never felt more happy to be almost home than I am now." The 19 year old Chunin sighed tiredly as they trudged forward homebound.

The others groaned their agreement, too exhausted to speak. Trench digging and non-stop running was not a light task to do back to back after all, much less in under a day.

Sakumo led in silence, lost in his thoughts not paying much attention to his complaining team-mates.

'This mission almost makes me want to retire.' The silver haired man thought sourly as he saw the approaching imperial village of Konoha, which thankfully seemed as peaceful as ever.

Wrapping a blanket around the child in his arms, to keep away prying eyes, Sakumo hurried pass through the gates, waving at the Chunins on duty who were bewildered by the lack of protocol.

They recognized the silver hair, and the direction in which the four man squad was racing towards, so they didn't question it and returned to their post. This sort of thing happened every now and then after all.

Just as the familiar red tower came into view, Sakumo noticed the lack of the Hokage's chakra signature inside his office. Searching the village for the man, he pinpointed him at the hospital.

Fearing the worst, he picked up his pace and headed in the Hokage's direction with his team hot on his heels.

"Do you understand brat?"

Naruto hung her head in response to his question before grumbling, "I-Um... well... This is a lot to take in, you know?"

"Yes, I get that. But you must play your part exactly like I told you or else we won't have a chance to save your pathetic tree-hugger village."

"Yeah, I know. Are you sure you covered all our bases for this to work? It seems pretty farfetched don't you think?", the blond responded, distrusting of his plan.

Kurama huffed in contempt at the insinuation. "Who do you think I am? Of course I did, simpleton. I even went as far as mutated your blood to hide your Uzumaki inheritance."

Now that caught the skeptical blonde's attention. "Mutated my blood? Why would we need to hide I'm an Uzumaki?"

"How do you think you'll be seen if you show up having your blood work match up with not only one, but two of the village's Jonin? By doing this, I helped secure your standing in the village without arousing too much suspicion. One coincidence is enough to warrant second thoughts, but two are sure to be a problem."

The blonde understood what he was referring to. If the Third Hokage was anything like she remember the old man to be, then he would naturally suspect her origins. That man never believed in a innocent coincidence.

"I remember your father had a much better standing within the village than your mother. So he is the better option of the two choices. He is also big advocate on that ridiculous philosophy, Will of Fire, just as you are."

Kurama paused to smirk before continuing smugly, "So naturally if he learns the two of you are related, he'll find a way to convince the Hokage to allow you to stay and become a ninja. That is when our plan begins."

Naruto chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully before asking, "Why can't we say I'm an Uzumaki instead?" 'I've always been an Uzumaki and proud of it! I don't want to hide that part of my heritage.'

Nine tails swished impatiently as the Kyuubi rolled his eyes, practically hearing the thoughts racing inside the blonde's head.

"Besides the fact that your clan is supposedly entirely wiped out, you have your father's coloring. It will be easier to convince them just by looking at you. If you were a redhead, then we could have worked that angle instead."

This was swiftly met with cries of protest and disbelief. "Yeah, but everyone said, even Kakashi-sensei and pervy sage, that I have my mother's face! If they see how close alike we look, they'll be suspicious!"

"Weren't you listening brat? I mutated your blood." Kurama snapped at the remark bitingly at the skeptical girl.

He chuckled darkly to himself, seeing the flash of surprise in her eyes, before saying, "By doing so, I've changed some of your key features, such as your face structure and eyes."

Wide blue orbs looked up at the fearsome Bijuu with confusion.

"I've made your sire's genes more prominent than before. Your eyes are now more similar to his than your mothers. Not exactly alike, mind you, but no longer identical to hers. Your face is also a bit sharper, not as round as it once had been. Who knows, you might even be more attractive than you were before." He finished explaining with a pleased nod.

Not another word was said as Naruto processed this new bit of information. Finally with a whine of annoyance and resignation, she threw up her hands in defeat before running them through her long blonde locks.

She reluctantly conceded that what her partner did was for the best, but that didn't mean she had to like it.

She raged silently at the thought, but managed to keep her voice calm. "Okay, but how I am going to explain that a seventeen year old is the long lost relative of a man, who's practically my own age?!"

A fanged smirk formed on Kurama's face as his crimson orbs twinkled in amusement.

"Who says you're a seventeen year old?"

Not liking the mysterious tone the large beast had suddenly taken, a sense of trepidation and weariness formed as she raised her head to meet Kurama's.

Oceanic eyes narrowed warily at the bemused Bijuu. "What do you mean?"

"When you wake up, make sure to look in a mirror."

"Why should I do that?" Her mind was racing through all the possible meanings behind his words. 'I already know he changed my face, but how bad could it be?'

Kurama grinned sadistically seeing the uneasy in the blonde's usually confident cerulean eyes. "You'll find that you are no longer in your adult form. To better ensure your success in saving that sorry excuse for an Uchiha, I de-aged you so to speak. You're currently in the body of a five year old."

Naruto recoiled in shock. "What the hell!?"

A/N: Well this is getting a rewrite. I found a lot of conflicting issues with my timeline and I thought it best to just rewrite and changed certain parts to fit the timeline better. So now Naruto and Kakashi are the same age.

I've always loved this pairing and time-travel fanfictions, so I decided to try my hand at it. I won't discard my other Naruto Fic, but my time will be more divided between the two! So I ask that you guys be patient with me and when I update!

Hope this sparked some interest and please let me know if you guys like it!

Until next time dear readers!