Hello! Normally, I would post another chapter of Tribute, but my Beta-reader is being lazy, and hasn't read over the chapter yet, so I started this side story, and ended up writing an entire chapter. Hopefully, Chapter 7 of "Tribute" will be out by Friday, but I can't guarantee.

Naruto's POV

He had failed.

He had lost to Sasuke, and now everybody was still trapped inside the Genjutsu. Sakura killed herself after Sasuke ran away, and it's just him and Kakashi-Sensei now.

Kakashi-Sensei was trying to find Sasuke, wherever the Teme had gone now. He was alone again. All alone. Ero-Sennin was dead, Neji was dead, Sakura was dead, and everybody else could be dead too, it didn't make a difference. It hurt.

The only thing He could do was try to fix it. Bring his friends back to life, bring his Sensei back. But he didn't want to torture them with the Edo-Tensei though. He needed to bring them back for real. Go back and bring them from when they were alive.

Naruto was 18 now. He'd been trying to make a new Jutsu. One that could bring people through time. It was my only goal now. It was time he faced the truth. Sasuke had had his mind perverted by Orochimaru, and it wasn't going to help me if he tried chasing him again. Bring him here from before he ran away, and maybe he could fix everything.

He just wanted to go back to when we were all happy. When we could all get along, and nobody hates everybody else. That's probably why he thought that wanted to be Hokage. He wanted to make it better for people like him. He didn't want hate. He didn't want war. Like the old man Sage said. Ninshu, not Ninjutsu.

"Taimudireshon Jutsu!"

Nothing happened.

"Did I mess it up?" He asked myself. "It's not like I'm tryin' to go back to the when Kurama attacked…" The ground began to shake, and his eyes began to glare. It was burning, and the earth began to tear itself apart. He could feel my chakra levels dropping.

'What did you do?!' Kurama screamed. He was seeing what Naruto saw, and it sounded like he was in pain too. 'It's so draining!' The world began to spin. He couldn't sense anything. He closed his eyes, but the light still got brighter. It was seering. He felt like I was floating, tossed around like a doll.

He could feel my chakra levels getting lower. He was dying.

'Maybe it's better like this…'

*BOOM*

He flinched. My eyes flashed open. The light was gone. He could see trees, buildings, the Stone Faces. He was in Konoha!

*BOOM*

He could see something fuzzy destroying things over on the other side of the valley. His heart began to pound, his chakra levels were dangerously low. He couldn't move anymore. He fell to his knees, then flat on his face.

'Ow…'

'You idiot…' They both stopped trying. He didn't know if it worked or not, but he was too tired. He couldn't even try anymore.

Time Skip: 36 hours

He was staring at the ground. It was green, covered in grass, unlike that hellscape during the war. "Did it work?" He asked aloud.

'I only see grass.' Kurama said from inside. He noticed how empty his stomach was, and how full his bladder was. It hurt. He stood shakily, muscles aching. After he finished his business, Naruto slowly limped towards the village, which was miraculously still standing.

"It looks...old." He said. "Granny's face isn't up there, and the new buildings aren't here." He pointed out to myself. Then he noticed the smoke. "We're under attack!" Naruto limped as fast as he could to the gates. Something flashed in the trees, and two Ninja he didn't recognize landed before me.

"STOP!" The left one commanded. "We aren't allowing any visitors now!" He halted. They didn't recognize me? That wasn't right.

"Hey! I'm a leaf ninja!" Naruto pointed to his forehead. "What happened?!" He gestured to the smoke. The right one raised his brow. "You don't know? The Kyuubi attacked yesterday night. The Yondaime's dead."

He reeled. He was back in the past. Too far back. He just wanted to grab Ero-Sennin, Neji, Sakura, and an unperverted Sasuke, and go back. Barely any of them were alive. Perhaps months old, not the people he knew.

"So who's Hokage?" He asked, still processing the information. Kurama didn't seem to have anything to say.

"The third took place again. He seemed pretty sad about it...we're all sad. Hey. At least the fox is gone." Naruto nodded.

'How'd you fuck this up?' Kurama asked. 'Now the're two of us. And I can say that the me from here doesn't like you very much. And you're just a baby now, not much help…'

'You think I don't know that!' Naruto slowly passed the two ninja, who stepped away from him, resuming their patrol. He limped through the gates, intent on talking to Jiji as soon as possible. If Jiji was alive, it meant he could change the future so everyone he'd ever known was alive.

People were staring at him, and at first, Naruto thought they were glaring like they used to. But soon, his sensitive ears picked up their conversations.

"Is he a relative of Yondaime-Sama?"

"He has the hair and the eyes…"

"Yeah, but the face...And his clothes..."

Naruto limped faster. He didn't need rumours springing around the village now. People began to crowd around him, impeding his progress.

"Is that you Yondaime?!"

"He's back!"

It was getting irritating. Naruto needed to see Jiji, and these people didn't understand a thing!

"Get out my way!" He yelled. They all jumped away. "Thank you…" He slowly made his way to the tower, which was still the same as he remembered. 'I haven't seen Jiji for real since I was a kid…' He began to tear up, and the civilians noticed.

He made his way inside, and was immediately stopped by the Shinobi crowding the lobby. They were all taking running around. He recognized a couple faces. Retired Ninja he'd talked to later in his life. A woman was sitting at the counter, surrounded by papers, her hair completely disheveled. She was apparently the precursor to the secretary from Naruto's time.

"Minato-Sensei!" Naruto turned. A young Kakashi was staring at him. His eyes fell for a moment. "No...it's not you…" Kakashi turned away, staring at the ground for a moment, before deliberately marching out the door.

Naruto felt a pain in his chest. He wished he had been Minato, just so that he didn't have to see Kakashi so broken. He shook away that feeling. He had to focus. He had a future to fix.

It was so hectic that nobody was stopping him from climbing the stairs to the office. He'd memorized the route, coming to see Jiji, and later Obaa-San. He passed the other offices for lower ranking officials, the ANBU headquarters, The council room, and finally, the top floor. He stared at the door separating him from his grandfather. He was embracing the past, something he'd stopped doing so that he didn't cry anymore when he thought of Jiji. He slid the door open.

"I'm not taking any visitor's currently. I have much paperwork to do. Please see Ms. Sankyo downstairs…" He trailed off, looking up from his work, which was piled in stacks around the room. "M...M-Minato?!" He got out of his seat as fast as he could, straining his old muscles. He raced over, putting his hands on Naruto's shoulders. "You're back! How did you survive?!" His face was so bright, and Naruto felt horrible for how he was about to crush that hope. He leaned forward, whispering to the Sandaime.

"No. I'm not Minato...I'm Naruto, his son…" The Sandaime froze, glancing at Naruto's face, before examining his hair. His eyes were scanning Naruto's body, looking for something. "I'll explain if you get the ANBU to leave." He said, gesturing around the room. The Sandaime narrowed his eyes for a moment, before making the sign that dismissed the ANBU hidden in the room. Lingering smoke was left from where they had been moments before. He stepped back.

"Stay." He commanded. He sat down in his chair, holding his head in his hands. Naruto stood patiently, trying to come up with a way to prove he was from the future. The Sandaime was silent for a while, and Naruto was beginning to wonder.

"Who did you kill to get here." The Sandaime asked. It took Naruto by surprise, he almost didn't register how forceful the question was.

"Wha-What do you mean?" Naruto asked honestly.

"Obviously, you are not a leaf Shinobi. Who did you steal it from. One of the bodies left from the attack?" Naruto shook his head.

:"N-No. I'm a leaf Shinobi. I have the Will of Fire. I always have." Naruto scrambled.

"Then why have I never met you?" He said. Finally, something Naruto was prepared for.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki. The same Naruto that's probably in the orphanage now. I also have the Kyuubi inside me. Just like...me I guess."

"How do you know about the sealing?" The Sandaime was in Naruto's face.

"Uhh..." Naruto croaked. "Y-you told me...in the future...when Mizuki tricked me into stealing the scroll..." Naruto trailed off. "He sounded like he was making things up, and Naruto knew it. "Look! I can prove it!" Naruto ripped off his jumpsuit. The seal was clearly on display on his stomach. "And I can prove the fox too!" 'Kurama! Help!'

'Switch me over.' The Sandaime watched, completely baffled, as a red arau appeared around Naruto.

"Hello, Sandaime. I am the Kyuubi no Kitsune. I was sealed inside this brat 18...or I guess two days ago. Time travel is weird, huh old man?" Naruto took over.

"Don't call him old!"

"Why not? You called him Jiji for years."

"That's different!"

The Sandaime watched as this seemingly insane Ninja argued with himself. He didn't know what to do. Either it was a future Naruto, as the man said, and Sarutobi could see the resemblance between the baby and the man before him, and their was the undeniable resemblance to Minato and Kushina. But time travel was impossible. True, there were rumours of a man who couldn't be killed, but that was different. There were Jutsu for that, not time travel.

"Clearly you are insane. I am referring you to an asylum." He stated. Naruto froze, just in the middle of transferring to Kurama. He was losing his chance, and he definitely couldn't save the world inside a hospital.

"NO!" He held up his hand. The Sandaime narrowed his eyes. "I know that you read the Icha-Icha series that Jiraiya the Toad-Sannin writes in your free time. I know that Jiraiya trained at Mount Myoboku to attain an imperfect Sage mode. I know that dad was married to my mom, Kushina Uzumaki, and that Itachi Uchiha was one of the few to know about my parents. I also know who that masked man was. The guy who released the Kyuubi from my mom." Naruto finished. The Sandaime was silent for a moment.

"Speak…" He sat again. For the next three hours, Naruto proceeded in regaling his life story to Jiji, reliving the moments. He told Jiji about the Uchiha Clan Massacre. He told Jiji about Orochimaru being his murderer. He told Jiji about going with Jiraiya to bring Tsunade to become the Godaime. He told him about his Two and a half years away from a village that hated him for what was inside. He told him about the Pain attacks, Obito. The Fourth Ninja war, Madara's return, Akatsuki, The God Tree, Kaguya, The Power of the Sage of Six-Paths. He demonstrated his forms, from his normal cloak, to sage mode, to his Kyuubi cloak, to His Six-Paths cloak. He showed the Rasengan, his own Rasen-Shuriken, His Truth-Seeking Balls. Everything. By the end, The Sandaime was just trying to comprehend everything. He was thoroughly convinced. NAruto knew things that no one else knew, like Minato's own fox spirit, and the hidden vault with the mask of the reaper.

"Kami…" Jiji sat back down in his seat. His feet were aching. He hadn't been prepared to take this job again, and this onslaught of information was not helping. Suddenly, he felt a wave of warmth through his body. Naruto's hand was on his shoulder. And his Six-Paths cloak was activated.

Suddenly, the Sandaime felt 10 years younger, back when he'd still been active. He had energy again, and his bones and muscles didn't protest anymore. "What?" He asked.

"I healed you." Naruto grinned. "I restored Kakashi-Sensei's eye like that." He flexed his fingers, the cloak slipping off his body.

"What can't you do?" Naruto's smile slipped.

"Keep my friends alive…" The Sandaime saw the pain in his words. He'd lost a lot. Including The Sandaime. "But now I get a second chance...Or not me personally, but the me from here...umm…"

"Didn't think this through, did you?" Kurama piped up. The Sandaime was still skeptical about that, but he would accept it for now.

"So we need to look into this Akatsuki group, and I need to ask: Do you know who ordered the Uchiha Massacre?" Naruto's face darkened. "I'm assuming that you do."

"Yeah. Danzo ordered it. He threatened to kill Sasuke if Itachi didn't, along with everybody else. Danzo's also the one who told everybody about the fox inside me. No one knew until he told them." The Sandaime had suspected Danzo of it, but now he was sure.

"Thank you, Naruto. Now then...what are you going to do now?"

"I'm going to stay here and make sure none of the bad stuff happens. Dattebayo!" The Sandaime paused for a moment.

"Well that's proof that you're Kushina's son." Naruto smirked. "But that's not what I meant. I want to know what you will do here." Naruto paused for a moment.

"Maybe...maybe I'll adopt me. I always wanted a family, and the me here doesn't deserve to grow up without one…" The Sandaime smiled.

"That's all well and good, but I was thinking that maybe you wanted to become Hokage, and take over this office."

"Really?!" The Sandaime nodded. "This has been my dream for years! Gimme that hat Jiji." The Sandaime laughed, granting the hat to Naruto.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Multiple Naruto's appeared. "Alright guys, it's time to live the dream. We've got a lot of paperwork, and it's not gonna sign itself. Dattebayo!"

"Dattebayo!" The Naruto's yelled. They spread through the room, working on piles of paperwork. Easily, 30 Naruto's were working, and the papers were disappearing. One singular pile of signed papers were stacked in the center of the room, while the stupid ones that had no purpose were shredded by a Kurama controlled Naruto clone, who seemed happy to use his claws for something. In half-an-hour, all the paperwork was done, and all the Naruto's disappeared. The original paused, taking in the information for a moment, and finished signing the last of the papers, which was asking to give the orphanage money to manage all the new children there.

"Done!" The Sandaime was sitting on the side, watching as the papers swept away. "I can't tell you how long I've wanted to be Hokage!"

"Slow down, slow down." The Hokage couldn't help but feel that this was the Naruto he'd developed and cultivated. It was a Naruto that embodied all the values that he had. Able to bring people together, without violence. He was happy, even after going through a war. He was proud, and he'd only known him for hours! "You need to be announced before this becomes official." Naruto slowed down.

"But it's really important! This needs to go into effect as so as possible. We need to rebuild again, and we need to improve stuff. Konoha's been destroyed enough that we invested in good material...and I know where to get that." Naruto stood up. "When can I be announced?"

"Enthusiastic are we?" Naruto grinned.

"I've dreamed of this day since I was Three! I just want it to happen as soon as possible!"

"Well...I think that the people would be happy to see a new Hokage able to take charge by tomorrow…" Naruto's face lit up. "But what will we tell them?"

"Huh?"

"You just showed up out of the blue. Nobody knows you. And you look similar to your father…" They thought in silence for a moment.

"Well...Maybe I'm his cousin...yeah! I'm the only cousin left. I'll just change my last name to something else…"

"How about Otsutsuki."

"Why?"

"That's the name of the Sage of Six-Paths. It would fit you, as you have his powers now, and it would quash any doubt of your legibility."

Naruto mulled over it. 'It wouldn't be so bad being called Naruto Otsutsuki. It fits, and the old man is a great guy…'

'I think so too...I remember when he told us about you...I lost faith in him for a while, but he was always someone precious to me, and any of the other Bijuu.'

"Alright…Otsutsuki…I can do that...Yeah! I'm Naruto Otsutsuki, and I'm gonna be the best Hokage ever! Dattebayo!" He paused for a moment. "But I need to adopt myself first." He made his way to the door.

"Wait!" The Sandaime stopped him.

"What's wrong, Jiji?"

"You need an ID to adopt someone." Naruto searched his pockets, pulling out said card.

"It's right here." He said, before eyeing the date. "Oh...I'm like, two days old on this…"

"Let me make you a new one, right now. Ms. Sankyo, please bring the ID printer here." He said into his microphone. "How old do you want to be?"

"Well, I'm 18 now, so something around that…"

"I think having a young Hokage would be beneficial for Konoha's morality, especially one as powerful as you." Naruto blushed a little, running his hand through his hair.

"Jiji...I'm not that strong. Not like Madara or Kaguya. Or even Sasuke…" He whispered.

"I don't think you should openly adopt Naruto. The village should believe you to be the biological father, and it's better like that." Naruto looked at him questioningly. "He will grow up to look almost exactly like you. You can explain that by saying you are his father. His mother died in the attack, and you weren't here for her birth. That way, we don't have to mess with the orphanages directory, and you can explain why he was in the orphanage for a time."

Naruto stared, dumbfounded. "Heheh...I would'a never thought of that...this is why you were the best Hokage, Jiji."

"Sandaime-Sama?" The secretary walked in. "You wanted the printer?" She said, hefting the said printer up. As a civilian, it was probably heavy.

"Thank you, Sankyo. You may have the rest of the day off." He dismissed her. "Alright. So...Name, Naruto Otsutsuki... Nationality, Land of Fire, Konohagakure no Sato...Birthdate...October 10, XXX...Kekkei Genkai?"

"Uh. Sage cloak?"

"Sure...Kekkei Genkai, Sage Release…Age of graduation?"

"12."

"Let's make that 10." He punched in the last few things, and the machine began to whir. "Picture." Naruto smiled, holding his hands in front of him, in the sign for peace. The machine made a snap, and began to slowly print his new ninja ID. Finally, Naruto was done.

"That's it. Just use this, and claim that you're...your father. They are too swamped to really care, and the resemblance is there." For now, I guess you can live on your parents property, since you are family, son or cousin. Do you know blood seals?"

"Please, I'm an Uzumaki, Jiji, and I traveled with Ero-Sennin for years. I know my seals." The Sandaime laughed.

"I'm sure you do. I will announce your Kage-ship tomorrow, so please be here around 10 or so. You can leave Naruto with a nurse that I will provide." Jiji waved him off. "You don't know how lucky you are, Naruto. Nobody has gotten a second chance before. I hope you know what you're doing."

"Trust me, Jiji. I know what needs to change. I need to appoint advisors, don't I?" The Sandaime nodded. "You and Ero-Sennin. It's time that it was given to somebody who actually cares about the village, not lining their own pockets." He jumped from the window. "I'll see you!"

The Sandaime watched him hop away, towards the orphanage. 'Maybe this is what the world needs. Naruto Otsutsuki. A powerful leader, who can unite us, without fear. I do hope you achieve it.'

Naruto had memorized the route to the orphanage, because he was always running away for the day, only coming back to sleep. On the way there, he noticed that Ichiraku's was open. 'I can stop there right? It's not like little me really cares…' Naruto turned, intent on getting something into his stomach.

"Hello Ramen!" He said, moving the curtain. Teuchi looked up.

"Minato...no…"

"I've heard that so many times today…" Naruto laughed. "But I am related to him." Teuchi looked up. "Cousin."

"Well any cousin of Minato is my friend! What do you want?"

"I want 40 bowls of Miso-Pork Ramen." Teuchi jumped.

"F-Forty?!" Naruto chuckled.

"Why do you think he ate so much? It was in his attempts to beat me!" Teuchi began to prepare his biggest order yet. 'I can't wait to have Ramen again. It's been so long…'

"Who are you? I've never seen you before, but you're obviously a leaf ninja, he said, glancing at the hiate. Naruto traced his mind, trying to remember what he and Jiji has said.

"I'm mostly a secret, especially cause of my Lineage. I'm Naruto Otsutsuki, Cousin of Minato Namikaze, and the only direct descendant of Hagoromo Otsutsuki." Teuchi nodded, and kept working. Of course he wouldn't be fazed by being in the son of a legend. He was a Ramen worker who knew secrets some top officials didn't know. Naruto leaned forward, gesturing for Teuchi to come to him. "Let me let you in on something." He paused. "I'm going to be announced as the Godaime tomorrow."

"Oh. Hokage-Sama… I hope it goes well."

"Just call me Naruto." He sat back down.

"Aren't you a little young?" Teuchi asked, bringing the first bowl to the table.

"Yeah, but Ji-The Sandaime thinks I'm ready, so…" he grabbed a chopstick. "Itadakimasu!" He slurped up the Ramen. He's forgotten just how good Ramen tasted. He'd missed this.

40 bowls later, and Naruto was surrounded by piles of bowls. People were crowding around, staring at him as he obliterated the previous record, held by their own Ramen lover, Kushina Uzumaki. Naruto was finally satisfied, after sleeping for over a day. Teuchi and Naruto were talking in between the bowls, and people tried to listen in, but the stories made no sense. What was a Sage cloak. Kaguya who?

"Yeah! I was fighting so hard, I almost lost my arm!" He said, shaking his right appendage. "I'm really lucky!" He looked at the clock on the wall. "Already! I need to pick up Naruto!"

"Who?" Teuchi asked.

"My son! He's in the orphanage. I wasn't here for his birth, and his mother died in the attack."

"You came here before getting your son?"

"It's Ramen! I had to!" Naruto slipped a couple bills onto the table. "That's enough right?"

Teuchi counted the bills, pausing after a while. "This is 3000 yen too much!"

"Really, But isn't…ohh, Inflation…"

'Of course things are cheaper now. We're in the past, back when things weren't so expensive. Maybe you could buy some new clothes too.' Kurama said.

"Ya know…keep it. I've got enough." Naruto walked away from Ichiraku's, surrounded by whispers. He went to the nearest clothing store He immediately went to the Shinobi section, looking for strong clothes. He needed to look respectable.

By the end, he had completely replaced everything he wore, transferring all his belongings to his new attire. Black pants, A dark blue shirt, accented by orange, and decked in the signs for the Uzumaki and Otsutsuki Clans in each shoulder. He felt...distinguished. He felt like a Kage.

"That will be 124000 yen sir." The lady at the register said. Naruto went back into his wallet, using the last of his money. With that, he finally made it to the orphanage. It was already evening, and Naruto had left the tower at 4. He entered the orphanage, and his ears picked up the sound of crying. Lots of crying. The staff was rushing around, trying to deal with the onslaught of new children. Even some of the older orphans were helping. He weaved through the crowd, ringing the bell at the desk. After a couple minutes, an elderly lady walked over, clearly very stressed.

"Yes? How may I help you?" She said hurriedly.

"Um...I am here to pick up my son. His mother died in the attack, and I wasn't here when he was born." He said nervously. She checked his face for a moment.

"Are you the father of Naruto?" I nodded. "Thank you! He has been milking us dry. How can a baby eat so much?!" Naruto chuckled. "I'll be right back." She hurried off to the back, and some of the staff had overheard the conversation, and he could hear them cheering.

"Here he is." She drew Naruto's attention to a mass of blankets. "He's been changed and fed. I'm sorry you lost your wife. May I see an ID?"

"Oh, yeah." He reached into his pocket. "Here ya go." She took the ID from him, looking at the date.

"You're a little young for a father…" She said, looking up.

"Yeah, but I'm a ninja. I don't know how long I'll last, so I say you should start young." She nodded, handing him his ID back.

"Just sign these." She pushed some papers in front of him. "Your Full Name, Naruto's full name, and your address and signature." Naruto started to fidget.

"Actually, I'm moving today, and I don't really know my address yet…" He pulled on his locks.

"That's alright. We have a database here. Do you know where it is?"

"Uh, yeah. The Yondaime's establishment…" She dropped her pen.

"The Sandaime is just selling the house so soon after an attack!" People stopped to look. She seemed furious, and little Naruto began to rustle in his swaddling.

"No, no. I'm his cousin, so legally, the house goes to me…" She stopped, frozen.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know that Yondaime-Sama had family."

"It's fine. Most people don't know anyway." Naruto bent down, signing Naruto Otsutsuki, on all the lines. 'I guess we have the same name then…'

'You're the same person…'

'Yeah, I know. It's just...a little weird.'

'You went through time, and you're weirded out by having the same name as yourself. Why is that the one that's creepy to you?!'

"Done." Naruto said, ignoring Kurama's input. "Anything else?"

"No. That's it. It's not an adoption, just a pick up, so nothing's wrong." She straightened the papers, sliding them into a drawer. She handed Naruto to him, and, for the first time, Naruto understood how his parents had felt looking at him. He was so cute, so tiny. There was an instant connection.

'That makes sense though...We are the same person.' Naruto left the orphanage, slowly making his way to the edge of the village. The entire time, he was holding Naruto as close as possible. He was his own father. It was...exhilarating. Little Naruto could be a better ninja in every way. A smarter, stronger, and all around better person than Naruto was.

"You'll be the greatest Shinobi to ever step on the earth. I'm going to give you the world." Naruto moved in his blankets, eyes flicking open for a moment. He stared up at Naruto, taking in the face. "Hello Naruto. I'm your dad now." He sang. Little Naruto moved his mouth, into what seemed to be his attempt of a smile. "You're just a ball of happiness. I'll make sure that never

goes away." Naruto's heart was throbbing. He could feel that love, that his mother and father had described, that he'd held for Jiji, Obaa-San, Ero-Sennin. He wouldn't let that feeling leave this time.

"Are you Naruto Otsutsuki?" Naruto glanced up. He was standing in front of the estate, and a young woman with short, dark blonde hair was standing before him, dressed like a maid.

"...Yes...That's me." She bowed.

"Greetings, Godaime-Sama. I was assigned to you by Sandaime-Sama. I am Inuko Akuma. I will be young Naruto's nurse, and your personal maid. It hope that you find this pleasurable."

"Oh...I didn't know I was getting a maid...Ok…" Naruto turned towards the gate between him and his new home. "Guess I should open the door, huh?" She nodded. "Hold him please." He said. She took Naruto from his arms.

"Alright!" He bit his thumb, drawing it across the seal. It flared red for a moment, before slowly melting into the wood, and the gate swung open. "It's open now, but if I'm not here, you still need to get in...You gotta a paintbrush?"

"No sir."

"This is gonna hurt. Welp. Sooner the better." Naruto drew with his blood, biting it every time it began to heal. Slowly, he drew the seal needed to give access to a blood seal. "I'm gonna need you to draw your blood on the seal, Inuko"

"Alright sir. Do you have a knife?"

"Uh, I've gotta a kunai." Naruto said, pulling it out his pocket.

"That'll do." She took the knife, handing Naruto back to him. Carefully, she slit her thumb, enough that only one drop of blood came out. She traced it across the seal, and that too became ingrained into the wood. "Did it work?"

"Yup! Now the door will open whenever you need it to!" Naruto walked into the field surrounding the small house. It was vast, and for some reason, completely empty. He slowly walked the expanse of the field, finally reaching the door, which doesn't have a lock. But, considering that the gate wouldn't open without blood, you didn't really need a lock anyway.

Opening the door, Naruto was greeted with a small living room, connected to a kitchen right to his left. A small table stood between the living room and the doorways connected to the living room. Looking through, they were two bedrooms, the Master Bedroom, and a smaller room with a queen sized bed. Each room had a bathroom connected.

"Please, rest sir. You have a big day tomorrow. I will take care of Naruto."

"...okay…" Naruto gave Naruto to her, and she disappeared into the smaller room, closing the door behind her. He didn't feel comfortable just giving his younger self away, but Inuko seemed to be knowledgeable. And she was right. He was still sore and tired from the drainage. He might as well sleep, he had a big day.

Naruto stepped into the shower, throwing his clothes to the side for the next day. They were clean enough. Letting the water run over him, he leaned against the wall.

'Long day?' Kurama asked.

"You know it…I didn't think I could go this far back. I thought maybe to Neji, or something. Not...this."

'That's why you don't mess with time. We don't know if it will be better or worse now.'

"I don't think it could get worse…" Naruto washed his hair, trying to get the grass out. When he felt like he was clean, he stepped out. Searching the drawer, he grabbed one of his father's boxers. It was creepy, thinking that he was almost taller than his dad. He climbed into the bed, and was immediately conked out.

He woke up startled, to this odd noise he couldn't identify. It was this screeching that reverberated through the entire house. It sounded vaguely human, but Naruto wasn't sure. Nobody could be so loud. Except Sakura…"

He walked through the house, slowly opening the other bedroom door. "Whassa goin on?" He asked tiredly.

"Naruto was hungry." Inuko replied. She was sitting on the bed, in her lingerie, suckling little Naruto. He would have blushed, but he didn't really understand what was going on, being in his half sleep state.

"That's what that was?" Naruto mumbled. "That was loud…" Naruto turned around, intent on going back to bed. "What time is it?" He asked through his yawn.

"Roughly 5 in the morning, Godaime-Sama."

"Stop that."

"What?" Naruto heard a trace of fear in her voice. He was just guessing, but she seemed to be scared that she would mess up. Maybe she was new?

"Don't call me that. Just Naruto. I don't like formalities." She breathed out, slowly nodding.

"Yes, Naruto-Sama."

"Ehhh, that's better, I guess. Wake me up in, like, 3 hours…" Naruto walked back to bed, completely erasing that interaction from his mind. It was too early. Hopefully, Little Naruto wouldn't make it a habit of screaming that late in the night.

"Sir, it's 8:30. You may want to prepare for your inauguration."

"Uhnnn...5...more...hours…'' Naruto groaned. It felt like he'd fallen asleep seconds ago.

"I prepared breakfast." Naruto bolted up.

"Food?" She nodded. "Alright!" He jumped out the bed, and Inuko seemed to disappear from the room. "The hell…?" Naruto ignored that, finally realizing that he was about to realize his dream, 3 years before he'd first dreamed it. He threw on his outfit, knowing it would be covered by the cloak anyway, so it didn't really need to be neat. He strapped his pouch to his knee, and tucked his team picture into his breast pocket.

Stepping out of the room, he smelled the aroma of some kind of egg. It smelled really good. By the time he was in the kitchen, he was drooling. "What're you making?"

"Scrambled eggs with mushrooms and sliced pork." She responded.

"That sounds good."

"Thank you, Naruto-Sama." Little Naruto began to cry. "Excuse me." She began to move away from the stove.

"No. I got it." Naruto said, stopping her. 'Just focus on cooking. It's probably his diaper, and I got enough training on my D-rank missions." Naruto laughed,

"Are you sure? It's my job to serve you." She asked.

"Yeah, just keep cooking. I got this." She relented, focusing on her dish. I watched for a moment, before slowly sneaking into her room. Naruto was crying out, laying on the bed. He was wiggling around, and, according to the smell, needed a change. "Thought so…"

'Didn't think you'd have to do again, did you?' Kurama teased.

"Shut up." Naruto just needed to focus. He spread Naruto on a mat that Inuko seemed to have placed for this specific reason. Naruto stopped crying, staring up at Naruto, Slowly, he opened up the diaper, and felt his nose die from the smell. "All you had was milk! How?!"

His eyes were watering, and carefully, Naruto closed the diaper, and threw it out the window, as far as he could. It flew a good couple miles, sinking into the forest.

"Ackha!" Naruto turned, seeing Little Naruto shaking around, laughing.

"That was funny? Now some poor animal has to smell what you did. You should be ashamed." Little Naruto laughed harder. "I guess I was a prankster as a baby too…Now where are the diapers?" Combing the room, Naruto found an entire stack of diapers, with one being recently opened. His parents seemed very overprepared for his birth. He cleaned Little Naruto with some of the wipes he'd found in the closet, before carefully putting the diaper on Naruto's baby bottom. "Now you're clean again." He swaddled Little Naruto in a new blanket. An orange one, that was also in the closet, along with all the baby stuff. Picking Naruto up, Naruto entered the living room again, just as Inuko was placing his food at the table.

"Done!"

"Breakfast is ready, Naruto-Sama."Inuko said, backing up from the table. She took Naruto from him, before slipping down her outfit, and holding Little Naruto up to her chest. Naruto ignored it, figuring that it was probably the only way little Naruto could eat. Ramen would come later.

"What about you?"

"Hm?"

"Aren't you eating?" Naruto asked, pointing to the one plate she placed.

"No sir. Not with you. Maids do not eat with their Masters."

"This doesn't feel right…" Naruto mumbled. "Alright I guess…" He sat down at the table, slightly miffed it wasn't Ramen, but after his first bite, he didn't really mind. "This is really good!" He began to eat faster, finishing within 10 minutes. Inuko took his plate from the table, placing it inside of the dishwasher. Naruto was still in her arms, staring out into the world.

9:00

I should go to the office...JIji needs to see me."

"Jiji?"

"Oh, that's what I call the Sandaime. He's kinda like a grandfather to me, since I don't have any family." She nodded. "I'll be back late, first day on the job."

"Yes, Naruto-Sama."

"By Naruto." Naruto waved.

"Agah!"

Naruto left the estate, jogging to the tower. He could see posters around town talking about an announcement the Hokage was going to make at 10. It was getting closer. He was going to be Hokage.

He walked into the lobby, which was much emptier today than yesterday. He ran up the stairs, all the way up the the office. He stood in front of the door looking at the name it held, and how he'd hold it within the hour.

"Jiji?" Naruto said, sliding the door open.

"Naruto! You're here! Come, try this on." Naruto was dragged inside, and forced to dress in the Hokage cloak. He had orange flames, with Godaime Hokage written on the back. He had a custom made hat too. "Perfect!" The Sandaime said. He was rushing around in a frenzy, something Naruto had never seen before.

"What's up with you, Jiji? I've never seen you this excited."

"I'm being replaced! I never wanted to take the job again. Minato was supposed to hold it for years after I was gone." He rushed around the room, without any purpose.

"What do I need to do?" Jiji stopped in his tracks.

"You just need to speak a bit, about your goals as Hokage, and where you want Konoha to go in the future. I will introduce you. Do not worry, Minato walked on stage without knowing what to say at all!"

"O...k…"

'You did it, you're gonna be Hokage. Never thought it would happen.'

'What's that supposed to mean?!'

'No offense, but you're kinda stupid. Strong Ninja, but an idiot.'

'Hey!'

'You know it's true.'

"Sandaime-Sama, the people are beginning to crowd. You can start soon." The intercom said.

"Oh!" He jumped. "Come." They went down a couple flights of stairs, before stopping before the balcony. The council was already assembled on the stage. Civilians on the right, Clan Heads on the Left. Naruto and The Sandaime were behind a curtain, hidden from everybody, including the council.

"Ok. I will start the speech in a few minutes. Just come on when I announce you, and stay until it's over. Just stay calm, and be a reassuring presence." Naruto nodded. "You're ready to be a Kage." He grinned. "Just don't make me take the mantel again."

Stepping through the curtain, the crowd quieted down. Naruto paced behind it, nerves getting to him. It was happening. Now.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. Shinobi and Civilians. We have just survived the greatest threat Konohagakure has ever seen. I would like a moment of silence for all of the people whose lives were lost to the Kyuubi." The crowd was silent for a moment. "Konoha is in ruin, and we need to rally together to survive this. However, I have good news. I, The Sandaime Hokage, am old. I gave my title to my successor, Minato Namikaze, our beloved Yondaime, who gave his life to defeat the beast. I didn't want to take this title back. I have held it for too long, and Minato was the perfect successor. But now that he's gone, I was forced to retake the title. I have decided, that I will be naming a new successor. I am announcing the Godaime Hokage today. He is a bright young man, the only living relative of The Yondaime, and the only direct descendant of Hagoromo Otsutsuki."

He paused for a moment, and he could see the confusion in their faces. They'd never heard of this guy. "He's been kept a secret from most of the people here, because of his extremely potent Kekkei Genkai. However, The Will of Fire burns within him more brightly than anyone I've ever seen before. He is stronger than I am, the The Nidaime, Perhaps even stronger than The Yondaime, and The Shodaime. He has defeated foes of unimaginable power. He returned to the village after The Kyuubi Attack. His pregnant wife gave birth during the attack, and died shortly thereafter." Silence. "He still agreed to take the mantel. Granted, he is young, but age doesn't matter in the ninja world. I believe that he will be a Hokage who goes down as a legend. But, I've said enough. Without further ado, I present to you, The Godaime Hokage, Naruto Otsutsuki!" The crowd watched in anticipation as the curtain opened slowly, and a young, handsome man came through. He had light blonde hair, just like their beloved Yondaime Hokage, and some people recognized him from the day before.

Naruto looked over the crowd, his nerves getting to him. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Jiji smile warmly, and he could feel the pride burning in his chest. This was his chance to make things right. And Kami-be-damned if he screwed this up.

"People of Konoha!" He yelled, raising his hands. "I know that I'm young, and that most of you, have never seen or heard of me before. But I do hope that you can give me a chance...This day has been my dream for the majority of my life. I just never thought it would come true. Look. Konoha is my village. I live for this village, and I die for this village, even if none of you have ever seen me here. You all just survived a harrowing experience, that of which has rarely been seen before. But it has been seen before. Right here in Konoha, when Madara attacked. Konoha came back from that, stronger than ever! And I believe that we can do it again! Konoha is a village in which team work is the most important aspect of our lives. An individual is strong on his own, but with a team, he is an unstoppable force. That, is Konoha. Konoha cannot be stopped. We must come together, and rebuild Konoha, to become better than ever before. I know that many of you lost friends, family, teachers. I lost my wife, but I will still work for Konoha! I will always work for the people of Konoha! That is my duty, as one of the Kage! I am honoured to stand with the heroes, and I do hope that one day, I will be remembered as such, but right here, and right now, I'm a Shinobi of Konoha, and I will try my hardest, all day and night, with my son, or without, for Konoha's prosperity."

There was silence for a moment, before slowly, the people began to clap. It started with Teuchi, the staff lady from the orphanage, and it grew. It began to roar in his ears, They were cheering, stomping, whooping. Naruto couldn't help but smile. Jiji was smiling too. Only a few still seemed uncertain.

"Is there anyone who objects to this inauguration?" Jiji asked. The people were still cheering, and it didn't seem like they objected. Then a council member stood up.

"I do not object, however, may we see a demonstration of this supposed, Kekkei Genkai? Does it have something to do with the odd swirl in your chakra network?" Naruto looked to his left. It was Hiashi. "I believe it would add more legibility to your Kage-ship."

"Of course, Hiashi-Sama...Please! Move away." The crowd backup a little, and the civilian council back away. Naruto stood up as high as possible.

"Hah!" Air whipped away from Naruto as he activated the cloak. People covered their faces, feeling the wind whipping past. "Happy?"

The people looked. The new Hokage was covered in a golden cloak of flames. Around him, six completely black balls floated around him. His very presence invoked a feeling a familiarity. They could feel the power rolling of him, and then their minds were blown. He began to float off the ground. Hovering in the air above you. One of the balls morphed into a staff, which he held over his shoulder. He flashed through series of hand signs, and from the ground beneath him, a stone ball rose. It was easily the size of a building, and he looked pathetically small compared to it.

He slashed at it with his staff, and watched it crumple into pieces after his strike. Slowly floating down, he deactivated the cloak. He didn't need to scare them with a fox cloak.

The audience watched, fascinated, as they saw him do things they'd never seen before. He was powerful, that was for sure.

"Was that sufficient, Hiashi-Sama?"

"Y-yes…"

"Naruto will be a fitting successor for me. Don't you think?" The Sandaime asked them.

"Wait! So his name is fishcake?" The audience devolved into laughter. Naruto grinned too, but that remark was slightly annoying.

"Actually, it's Maelstrom." Naruto corrected.

"That makes more sense!..."

"Thank you all for coming out today, so soon after the attack. Goodbye." Jiji dismissed everyone just like that.

By the time Jiji and Naruto were back in the office, Naruto clones were already carrying paperwork away, trying to get it into effect as soon as possible. One of the clones approached the original.

"Uh, hey. I finished writing the letter to that old man in Wave. Wanna send it?"

"Yeah, he's a great builder, and it would be great to have him working on renovations." The clone nodded, disappearing into the crowd of Naruto's.

"Already taking charge...I think I made the right choice." Naruto started to play with his hair again.

Entering the office, he saw that some paperwork had piled up again. "That fast?"

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Another 10 Naruto's appeared. "Alright guys. Do the new paperwork. I gotta talk to the paparazzi."

"Make sure they get our good side!" One of them shouted.

"We don't have a bad one though…" Another one said. Naruto just smiled.

"Get to work." Looking down, he saw that the people were crowded around the base of the tower, trying to catch a glimpse of the new Hokage. 'I'll give them more than a glimpse…' He jumped. 6 stories to a ninja was nothing.

"Hokage-Sama, shouldn't you be doing work?"

"Shadow Clones."

"What is your sons name?

"Naruto."

"Are you starting a war on Kumo?"

"What?"

"Did you know The Yondaime personally?"

"Yes."

"So there is no war against Kumo?"

"Where did you hear that?!" Naruto answered as many questions as he could. He stood there for hours, just listening to questions, and trying to answer them as best as possible. Eventually it was only people coming to congratulate him, and finally, 9 hours later, the people stopped coming. His clones had finished the paperwork, and when Jiji saw him, he immediately sent Naruto home. Naruto was grateful for that. Sleep was what he needed.

"I'm home!"

"Shhh…" Inuko whispered. She was rocking Little Naruto, who seemed to be sleeping contently.

"Ohh, sorry." Naruto whispered. He took off his cloak and hat, setting them inside the closet. "How was he?"

"Good mostly. He eats a lot." She said, staring down at him.

"So I've heard…"

"How was your first day as Hokage?"

"...Stressful. So many people to talk to. I'm just happy that I got my clones to do the paperwork...but I loved it. It was great. Perfect,"

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