Alright, so here's something else that's on my computer that I actually like a lot. What do you think, everyone?

I claim no ownership of anything related to Naruto.

So… Naruto got sent back in time. What else is new? Wait, Sasuke as well? I suppose that's a little more uncommon. Sounds like Kakashi's going to have a pretty cool team this time apart from- Hmm? What do you mean Sakura too? Isn't that kind of cheating? Hang on, do any of them even know about the others? This is going to be a bit of a mess isn't it...

xxxxxxxxxxx

"Hmm, how can I say this…"

Hatake Kakashi paused for a moment to take in the three new academy graduates before him.

Haruno Sakura, the class's top kunoichi and the one he'd expected to have the most tact of the three was sitting in the first row with her head leaning against one hand, lightly snoozing if the minute rise and fall of her shoulders was anything to go by. Directly next to her was Uchiha Sasuke, the top student of the year overall. As if he were trying to outdo the girl beside him, he was currently sitting with his legs crossed over the desk top, head back and clearly asleep. The dead last however?

Naruto was snoring loudly on his back, fully spread out on the remainder of the open desk.

"Was I really that late?"

XXXXX

Chapter 1: This looks awfully familiar…

Naruto Uzumaki was, without a doubt, an idiot.

At least that's what everyone in the village thought. There was barely a soul who didn't know of the pain in the ass in some capacity, and their dislike of him was reflected across an equally large statistic. How could they not dislike him when he constantly pulled pranks and caused more mayhem than most village attacks during wartime? When he harbored the greatest demon on the face of the planet within his being? If he could honestly walk down the street like he was doing just then, oblivious to the heavy glares that were leveled at him from all directions? The boy was simply contemptible.

However, if anyone could listen to the boy's thoughts at that moment, they would probably reconsider their opinion of him.

…Did I seriously go back in time?

Yes, they'd have to add crazy to the list.

See, the issue that Naruto was having was that he'd woken up in his old apartment that morning, and not where he remembered passing out earlier. Also he'd been a lot older at the time.

Understandably, he'd freaked out for a bit once confirming that it wasn't one big genjutsu; double checked that he still had "little Uzumaki", then made a clone and slapped himself twice.

Now though he was just taking a walk and rolling with it.

This is so bizarre.

Naruto cast his gaze about the market street. He recognized the shops and people easily, but it was a surreal experience. Like he was strolling through a dream. The village had changed over the years after all, particularly considering the times it had been nearly leveled to the ground. People he'd seen long dead now walked the streets without a care to their grim futures. And those looks… disgust, loathing, even fear. No matter where he turned he was met with ice.

I almost forgot how much everyone used to hate me. Almost.

"Oh, hey there Naruto! The usual?"

It took him a second to realize where he was. His feet had taken him to his favorite ramen stand automatically. Ayame's cheerful face smiled at him from just beneath the cloth hanging over the awning. Now there was a timeless experience that warmed him like a ray of purest sunshine.

"No money nee-chan," he said with a rueful grin. A common occurrence, really. Especially with no kind of mission pay to help out yet. His monthly stipend only went so far after all.

"Next time then," she replied, shrugging. "I'll make dad give you a free bowl."

"Where is he?" Naruto asked, curious. It wasn't often the old man left his stall.

"Just getting some stuff we're low on. The lunch rush will be starting soon." Two men entered the booth, sitting on the stools. "Talk to you later!"

Waving at the already distracted girl, Naruto tensed his legs, seeming to vanish on the spot to any civilian that had been watching him. He similarly appeared on a nearby roof, wincing.

"Owwww…"

He fell back into his behind, rubbing his ankles. Had he broken them? Surely they weren't just sore.

"Definitely a kid body," he grumbled, resigning himself to sitting there until they healed. He'd need to lay off his body until he knew he wouldn't break it to pieces. At least with Kurama it wouldn't take that long. Though thinking of…

Naruto closed his eyes, lying back against the warm tiled roof. Within seconds he was in the sewer-like representation of the seal space.

"What a mess," Naruto sighed, shin deep in water. The mass of tiny pipes that ran along the ceiling dripped at various places, unlike the far larger ones that he knew were completely empty. "Kurama!"

There was no answer. Not that he'd expected one.

"Let's see… Left, left, right, left?" Naruto wondered aloud, the only other sounds coming from his legs cutting through the water. As with being through the village, it had been just as long since he'd wandered through his sewer themed headspace. Not like it mattered which way he went. Every path led to the same place, even the ones that technically should have him going endlessly in circles.

"Brat…"

"There you are," said Naruto cheerily, finally emerging into the cavernous room that housed the fox. He remembered how often he'd find the fox laying down in boredom, a massive solitary eye being the only indication that he was even paying attention to the blonde. This time however…

"How do you know that name?"

The Kyuubi was on his feet, towering over him with probably the most intimidating glare he'd ever felt from the sentient mass of chakra. That being said, the positively mind numbing paralysis anyone likely would have felt as their body shut down in terror simply washed over the blonde like a gentle breeze, the stupidly cheerful grin he was returning completely unaffected.

"You told me, fuzz brain."

"I did NOT!" was the furious response. The water surged outwards with the intensity of the roar.

Naruto just rolled his eyes, walking past the seal paper and unconcernedly stepping through the wide bars of the cage. Within moments he'd been pinned to the ground with a massive hand. The water easily closed over his head, cutting off his air. Of course this was putting aside the crushing pressure he was receiving to his entire body. Seconds later he was lifted out of the water, high above the ground, now at eye level with the fox. The interesting thing was that he was completely dry. A weird effect for an equally weird space.

"You sealed your fate the moment you entered my cage," the Kyuubi told him, teeth displayed in a terrifyingly wide grin that easily took up his entire field of vision. "Any last requests before I consume your pitiable mind and take control of your body? People you'd like me to spare when I reduce this hive of human waste to dust?"

The look on his face promised anything but mercy.

Naruto spit out a mouthful of water. "Do I really not seem any different to you than usual?"

"Irrelevant."

"Your face is irrelevant."

The Kyuubi stared at him in silence for a moment before speaking once more.

"Where did you learn that name?"

"I said it already, you told me," Naruto said patiently, picking at his ear with the hand he'd managed to wiggle free. The Kyuubi growled but nothing further.

"...How?"

At this Naruto gave him a puzzled look.

"Years from now… I think I went back in time? Like my mind did but not my body. Definitely not dreaming; already checked. Not a genjutsu either. And you're here, which pretty much rules everything else out anyway. Don't know what I'd do if you weren't to be honest. Or if I were a girl." He shuddered at the thought.

It was clear the Kyuubi had been caught off guard. Whatever he'd been expecting the boy to say it certainly wasn't that.

"Do you take me for a fool, brat?"

Naruto shook his head, taken aback. "No way, you're the smartest guy I know. I mean…" He couldn't help but send a grin at the fox despite the way its hand increased the pressure on him. "You're like, way older than ji-ji. You know a ton of stuff."

"Time travel is a fairytale," the Kyuubi growled. At this Naruto's expression became a bit stubborn.

"I still think it happened."

"Then prove it."

"If me knowing your name isn't good enough, then what can I say?"

The Kyuubi just held his glare, unaffected by the boy's words.

"Figure it out."

For the first time, Naruto returned the glare with one of his own.

"Fine. Let me go and I will."

The two stared in silence, the Kyuubi, eyes unreadable, Naruto, expression blank. They stayed like this for a minute before…

"Hmph…"

With a grunt the grip on Naruto's body slackened, allowing him to drop the considerable distance back to the ground. He landed easily on the top of the water, barely a ripple indicating anything had happened.

"Ouch, the ankles, the ankles," Naruto whined, falling with a small splash onto his backside while he rubbed them. The Kyuubi merely let out a short breath, making Naruto's clothes flap.

"I'm waiting, brat."

The boy frowned as he shot the Fox a calculating look.

"Over the course of your life as the Kyuubi, you've intentionally saved the lives of seven humans." Naruto paused, his expression curving into a small grin as he now leaned back on his hands. "All young kids."

For the first time the Kyuubi looked away, as if the sheer ridiculousness of what the boy had said was beyond even acknowledging.

"What nonsense."

"You've hated humanity for a really long time, but I know a tiny part of you still likes them as well. Just the way your father raised you," Naruto added, more as an afterthought than anything. "Really, really, tiny part."

It was with a thundering crash of displaced water that the Kyuubi dropped into to a relaxed resting position, making Naruto cry out in alarm as a wave of water engulfed him momentarily, the force pushing him back out of the cage.

"Get out of here, brat. You've used up my patience for the day."

"Okay, I'll visit later then," Naruto replied easily, getting back to his feet. "Though before I go…"

Under the peripheral gaze of the Kyuubi, Naruto put out his right hand, palm upwards, eyes closed in concentration. A few seconds later his fingertips lit up with a violet colored chakra, like each was aflame.

"Try not to make me go crazy," he said lightly, looking up through the bars. "It would probably cause a huge problem."

And with that, he jabbed his fingertips into his gut, directly over the center of the seal.

xxx

Naruto awoke with a start, sitting up rapidly. The sun was still high overhead, moments of time had passed overall. Still, only the barest minimum of his awareness was on his surroundings. He was putting everything he had into suppressing the enormous influx of Kurama's chakra into his system, painfully widening his chakra pathways bit by bit all the while. The last thing he needed was anyone sensing the fox even for a second.

Truthfully, he wasn't exactly too sure what to expect apart from a certain amount of, well… discomfort. When Jiraiya did this to him before, he'd ended up blacking out and apparently almost killing his off guard sensei in a four-tailed rage.

Really, the risks he took for his village...

Five, ten, twenty minutes passed. Slowly the surge receded back to normal where he felt nothing but his own chakra circulating his system, though there was no doubt whatever fine control he'd managed to retain had gone right out the window. It was nearly an hour later that he finally stood, stretching with a huge yawn. He was also pleased to note that his ankles were entirely healed.

"Swell of him to hold off like that," Naruto said to himself, well aware that the fox knew he'd said it.

Considering everything that had happened, and that he had absolutely no idea how to go back to his original time, loosening the seal was the best step he could possibly take to fast track his recovery to the level he should be at. Abusing shadow clones would assist with anything that may have slipped, but there was no getting around his weakened and younger body. Easier access to Kurama's vast chakra and healing would allow him to tear his body apart and recover incredibly quickly. Really it was just unfair the kind of advantage he had.

It was too bad the other half of Kurama was locked behind the Shinigami's death seal. After everything he'd been through, not having that piece made him feel like he was missing something. Then again, it wasn't like he needed to be one of the strongest shinobi in the world anytime soon. No need to rush things along if it wasn't necessary. Besides, being a kid again was an opportunity in itself, especially given-

Naruto suddenly looked to his right as a shinobi landed on the roof as well. Even with the badger mask, he could tell the person was giving him a blank expression.

"Shouldn't you be at school?"

"School?"

"…."

"..."

Xxx

"NARUTO!"

"I forgot I still went to school, okay?" the blonde shouted back, clearly frustrated. "Just graduate me already, this place sucks!"

"If you didn't suck then you would have graduated years ago!"

"Not cool, Iruka-sensei!"

"Hahahaha!"

"What a moron…"

"Say that to my face, bandaid!"

"Bandaid?!"

"Naruto you retard! What kind of idiot forgets something like that!"

"You aren't helping, Kiba!"

"Come on! It's not my fault he's developmental!"

"How'd you manage that big word with a tiny dog brain?"

"Hey don't insult dogs!"

"Then stop barking like one!"

"You wanna fight, orange slice?"

"Bring it on meow-mix!"

"OUTSIDE!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes as the two boys argued with Iruka, insulting each other with every other word as they were both dragged and summarily tossed into the hall by the backs of their shirts. They'd be buds after standing outside for ten minutes regardless, the two were that similar. It was also just like Naruto to show up to class halfway through the day only to get himself out in the hallway seconds later.

Turning his head away from the commotion, he returned to doing what he'd been occupying himself with for the majority of the class, looking out the window. It was a nice day outside and he was looking forward to class ending. Considering that he'd spent so many years in different regions it was nice to have mild weather once again. Besides, without the obsession of finding and killing his brother he found he had more time to do whatever in general. A lot more time.

Killing your brother once already kind of did that.

Actually, what was he going to do when they finally met? Get dango?

"Now, as I was saying before we were interrupted…"

Sasuke turned his head back to his returned sensei automatically. Old habits die hard.

"With your graduation test only a week away I wanted to remind you once again that although we aren't doing anything new, it is on you to practice your skills. The academy training ground is always open to you after class, so if you don't have another place you prefer I suggest you use it. The Academy library is also there if you need it. Any questions before we continue our review?"

There were a few, all of which Sasuke tuned out in favor of looking at his classmates. They would all become quite strong given some time, though certainly not to the level of himself and his old teammates.

Speaking of old teammates though…

Sakura was asleep. There was no second way about it. She looked awake enough, leaning on her hand, bangs just shrouding her eyes, but he could tell she was resting. All things considered she looked exhausted. Bizarre, really, he couldn't remember a day where the girl wasn't as attentive as could be in class. Or tired for that matter, at least before team training.

Then again, against all logic it truly did seem as though he'd been thrown back in time. Who could truly say that he was even in his own original timeline? For all he knew Sakura actually did do some kind of serious training and Hinata was some kind of super, extroverted maniac.

He paused for a moment before sneaking a quick look at the Hyuuga. She was still watching the door Naruto had been tossed through with a hidden fond expression, touching her pointer fingers together like she usually did when she was being shy.

Thank kami for that.

It wasn't long before the bell rang, signifying the end of the school day. Naruto ran off with Kiba, likely to do something stupid, and Sakura had also left immediately, which put him at the center of a group of girls asking him to spend time with them. Now there was something he still hadn't readjusted to…

"Well," he said to himself, performing a quick substitution with a log outside the nearby open window, much to the girls' disappointment, "this is a bit of a problem. How am I supposed to get my Mangekyou Sharingan back? Can I even get a Rinnegan again? Ugh I'm so weak…"

And he sulked off, the picture of misery.

Xxx

"Sweetie, are you sure everything is okay?"

"It's fine, Mom, can I have more rice?"

"O-of course."

Sakura happily accepted her fourth bowl of rice, eating with a vigor worthy of her knucklehead classmate with the ramen obsession. Her mother had, quite expectedly, been rather concerned with the radical change in her eating habits. Going from hard dieting to what looked closer to binge eating was probably more than a little alarming. Her father however…

"Hahaha! That's my girl! Finally found her father's appetite didn't she?"

"Dad stop, I'll get fat if I eat like you," Sakura said with a smile. And they laughed, her mother just shaking her head at their nonsense.

Of course what her parents didn't know was that she was using an absurdly advanced medical technique to help stimulate her body growth and muscle development, something that required her to eat an obscene amount of food for the energy it took. Not as explosively potent as any Amakichi technique, but far more holistic and one hundred percent more permanent. It would take a while before she was anywhere near the strength she used to have, but she'd only have to suffer through it at this extreme for a week or so longer. At least when she was done she wouldn't feel like she was dying of starvation anymore. How had she ever had the energy to do anything before?

Oh wait, she hadn't. Useless fangirl.

Actually, what was she doing insulting her past self? She ended up becoming arguably one of the strongest ninja in the world before she turned twenty. People wished they had a success story like she did.

This time though she was shamelessly cheating.

"I'm really looking forward to graduation," she said suddenly, pausing between bites for some water. "Being on a team should be fun and I'll be able to help make the village a better place like you guys do!"

Her mother beamed at her while her father finished his drink with a satisfied exhale.

"You'll be a fantastic kunoichi," he said with the utmost faith. "You've got your mother's mind and your father's spirit. Whoever's on your team will be lucky to have you."

Sakura just grinned. The revenge obsessed survivor of a slaughtered clan and a downtrodden, desperate jinchuuriki with delusions of grandeur.

"They sure will."

XXXXX

AN: Short but sweet. It's a fun idea that I like more than any of the other Naruto ones I've come up with. All three of them try to fix things in their own way. The main aim I think here is gonna be fun and feels good. Let me know if you enjoyed it and want to see more :D

Also any of the Naruto stuff I put out has a decent chance of being totally inaccurate, so just roll with what you read and just enjoy. Cheers