Naruto sighed as he stared out over the town. Evening had fallen, taking Naruto's good mood with it. He and his team had succeeded with Kakashi's dumb test, but it was of little consolation to the boy. It wasn't how it had originally been done, and his constantly shifting position on making changes was starting to get under his own skin. Once Kakashi had dismissed them, he had left right away, saying that he needed to eat. Now here it was, a good day since he had last eaten anything, and his hunger had completely left him.

"I think," he murmured, "that I need to just dive in. If I keep faltering like this, nothing will be fixed..."

"A wise thought.' Murmured the Kyuubi. 'So? What path will you walk?"

"I need to take risks." Naruto stated. "If I have to... I'll repeat the process. I'll change what I need to until everything works, dammit..."

"No matter how long it might take? No matter the strain on our sanity?"

"We can shoulder it."

"You don't sound very confident." The Kyuubi said.

"I don't feel very confident." Naruto replied. "It's all really scary, ya know? For one thing, the hell are we gonna do after we go training with Ero-sennin? Kakashi won't fall for us revealing the ending to his books more than once, surely."

"After the hermit's training, we can let ourselves loose a bit more. It can all fall under the old man's guidance, of course. As long as we progress steadily, no one will be the wiser." Growled the Kyuubi. "So you've decided to take risks. What of the Uchiha brat?"

"When he's taken by Orochimaru's men, I'll give chase. I trust the others will survive again. As for Sasuke... I don't care if I have to break his spine, I'm not letting him run away this time. Everything that happened after he left would be a lot easier to deal with if he was fighting with us instead of against us. If we have to brainwash his revenge fantasies out of his head, we will." Naruto said, his eyes narrowing.

"And the girl? If you bring the brat back..."

"Like I said... if everyone else is alive and well, I'm fine with sacrificing my own happiness." Said Naruto, pushing himself up from the crouch he was in. "The town won't be destroyed, Sasuke won't run off, I won't let anyone die, and we'll kill Uchiha Madara and Kabuto before they can start raising corpses to fight for them."

"Your older self's memories haven't finished merging, have they?" Asked the Kyuubi.

"I don't think they have. How'd you know?"

"One very obvious sign." Stated the fox. "It'll come to you, in time. Sooner rather than later, I hope."

"Why don't you just tell me what it is?" Asked Naruto.

"It would be meaningless that way. I'll wait."

"Hey, fox. Mind if I throw a question your way?"

"Feel free."

"I know we only just got on his good side, but... y'know. Do you think Kakashi could be trusted yet?"

"It's very soon to be thinking of that." Said the Kyuubi. "The scarecrow might not believe you. He might go to the Third. Or worse. Just because you're on his team doesn't mean things are like they were before."

"It wouldn't be hard to prove that I'm not lying." Naruto said. "How much power do you think my body could put out right now?"

"Right now? Not much. You're still weak, unfortunately. I wouldn't dare even trying a one-tailed shroud as you are at this moment." Replied the Kyuubi. "Keep training. I'll keep an eye on your progress. And when the proper memories return, I might give you more room to move."

Naruto hopped down to street level, hands slipping into pockets as he let his eyes unfocus. He knew where he wanted to go by heart. 'Something else is bothering me, though.'

"What?" Asked the demon fox.

'Sasuke's eyes.'

"A minor problem at best. A few weeks' difference."

'Yeah, but I mouthed off like he had them already. And lo and behold, he did. I got lucky that time. I could just say I was spying on him while he was training to explain away how I knew he had them already, but I need to be careful.'

"There was no way you could've known."

'There are always ways.' Naruto replied. 'I just need to get used to using them. I can make my clones blend in perfectly if I wanted them to. Keeping a few active and stationary would barely take any chakra. Might send some out tonight, just to get recon on a few people. I really want to get ahold of Neji as soon as I can. And if they're found out, they're easy to hand-wave.'

"True enough." Replied the Kyuubi. "This isn't the way to your apartment."

'No. It isn't. Not gonna tell him everything. Just going to give a hint that I know more than I should. Talk about Haku and Zabuza a little, maybe. Nothing beyond that.' Naruto thought.

"Be very careful what you disclose."

'I will.' Naruto thought.

"Your confidence is ebbing back, it seems."

'No, I'm just a good actor.'

When he stopped walking, he stared at the door in front of him for awhile. It would be a bit before he got home, but that was alright. It was easy enough to get into the apartment, and even easier to help himself to something to eat while he waited. That, he decided, was Kakashi's punishment for trying to trick them into being hungry for the test. Naruto was thinking up routes this path could take him down, and trying to work out solutions to each of them. It was mindless busywork and he knew it, but he also knew it would be some time before Kakashi returned home.

When the door finally opened, it was nearly three hours later. Naruto was sitting at Kakashi's kitchen table, nursing a freshly-refilled glass of water. It took him a moment to realize his newly-named sensei was looking at him with a quizzical expression on his face.

"How, exactly, did you get into my locked apartment?" He finally asked.

"Years of practice." Naruto replied, not looking up from his glass. "We need to talk, Kakashi-sensei."

"About?" Asked the man, walking into the room and sitting opposite his student.

"Me." Naruto said. "You sensed it, right? What I did out there today."

"Indeed I did. The supposed dead-last pulled off some impressive tricks." Kakashi said. "So are you planning on divulging your secrets?"

"Only some of them. Too dangerous to go beyond the basics. ...Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

Naruto finally looked up, staring straight into Kakashi's visible eye. For a moment, the two sat in silence. "...If I told you I knew everything that would happen for the next few years, what would you say?"

"I'd say you need to read fewer books." Kakashi said.

"If I told you a few years in the future, everything was gone, and I'd lost everything, so I thought of a way to return to the past to try and fix it all... what would you say?"

"Are you feeling alright, Naruto?"

"Define 'alright,' sensei." Naruto replied. "My mind's full of memories from my older self. I have flashbacks to things that haven't happened yet. When I close my eyes, I see the stares of the dead looking back at me. It's due to him coming back that I'm suddenly behaving differently. Iruka-sensei has noticed, I'm sure you have, despite only being around me a short time. The Third's probably told you all about me. And none of it matches up. Am I right?"

Kakashi surveyed the boy across the table from him for a long time after he'd finished speaking. There was something strange to his tone of voice, and there was a distant look in his eyes. Kakashi had seen that look a few times before, but it always belonged to the older shinobi that were kept in the hospital. Whatever he thought of the boy's crazy story, there was something genuine to the pain in his eyes and voice. "The reports don't match up to what I've seen, no," he finally admitted. "But to come in here expecting me to believe this story of yours is a bit much, don't you think?"

"It doesn't matter if you believe me right now." Naruto said, glancing back at his glass of water "I can prove what I'm saying easily enough. But... and this is important... I can't reveal too much. I've changed a few small things already, and it's got me nervous. But I've decided that things have to change if I want to keep everyone from being killed this time, and I can't do it alone. My older self's memories are still merging with mine. Sometimes, when I see someone, I'll get flashes to things that haven't happened yet. I need someone I can talk to. Otherwise... I'm scared it might drive me mad."

"From my perspective," Kakashi said, leaning forward in his chair. "You sound quite mad already. Have you talked to anyone else about this?"

Naruto opened his mouth, then paused. Looking at at Kakashi, a weak smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Only the demon fox inside of me."

Of all the responses Kakashi had expected to hear, that one wasn't in the batch. "...What do you mean?" He asked slowly.

"You don't have to play dumb. Look..." Naruto said, letting a tiny bit of the Kyuubi's chakra surface. It was enough to switch the color of his eyes. "Don't worry... my older self had become friends with the Kyuubi. When they came back and merged with us, they told me how to break the seal my father had made. The Kyuubi's helped a lot with the memories, but it isn't the same. It's in the same boat I am, it's just better at dealing with it, ya know? I can use its power when I need to. I can't really show you more. Both because it'd put me in danger of someone discovering the seal's been broken and because I'm not entirely sure how well my smaller body here can hold up to it. The Kyuubi's power is strong, but it's a bit... destructive."

Kakashi reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose. This had now gone well into territory he didn't want to be walking in. The feel of the chakra was unmistakable, and it had bubbled up enough to just be visible. The other parts of his story might have been lies, but the Kyuubi's seal being broken was most definitely not one of them. In addition, he had mentioned his father and, though there were ways of finding this information out...

"How did you know about the Fourth?" He asked.

"It's... complicated. I've... spoken to him and mom both, though. That part's still kinda fuzzy to me right now. I think it had something to do with them leaving a bit of chakra behind?" Naruto said, tilting his head. "...The Kyuubi's being a pain and not telling me. Keeps saying I have to remember on my own or it 'won't count,' whatever that means. Look... just... give me a chance to prove I'm right, okay? In a week or two, I'm not sure when, someone'll come by the village. His name is Tazuna. He's a bridge builder and he's going to come asking Konoha for help. He'll say he wants someone to protect him from bandits, but that's a lie. A man named Gatou has hired a pair of assassins to kill Tazuna due to the bridge getting in the way of his smuggling operation. Team 7 will be sent out to protect him, and we won't find out the truth until much later. When all of this starts to happen... will you believe me then?"

"This is a lot to digest, Naruto." Kakashi said. "And I'm not sure I believe a word of it, save for the Kyuubi's seal being broken. What makes you think I won't go directly to the Third with this? If the Kyuubi tries to take control..."

"It won't." Naruto interrupted. "It used to try, but it and my older self finally started working together at a certain point. ...In the end, the fox was all he had left."

"How do you know it isn't lying?"

"I know." Naruto said. "I'd love knowing how far I can push our combined powers, since I haven't really had a chance to train since all this started, save for sparring with you... but with how much could go wrong from letting its power loose, there's no way I can do that. My older self got up to... what, three tails initially, before the Kyuubi tried seizing controls? Something like that..."

"Tails?"

"Huh? Oh, right, right. Uh... hard to explain. You'll see, eventually." Naruto said. "...Sorry, I know I'm making no sense at all. It's all really tough to put into words, especially since I have to be careful what I say. I'm not trying to be frustrating."

"How far into the future can you see?" Asked Kakashi.

"As far as my older self lived. The technique he used separated both his soul and the Kyuubi's from his body. In other words..."

"He committed suicide..."

"Yeah." Naruto said, staring at the glass of water again. "It was some forbidden technique that used up the last of their power. I only know what I saw the first time and what I heard about from others. I don't know everything. But I know enough. I have to let some things play out the same, if possible, or else I lose my advantage. That's what's driving me crazy. I need people to talk to about this kind of stuff."

"You talked about losing everything earlier..." Kakashi started. "How much, exactly, was lost?"

"When I say everything, I mean it." Naruto said. "And before you ask, I can't give you any information that might help prevent something from happening to the town. Not until it's safe to. There's one point a few years off that I'll need to prepare everyone for. I won't see the town turned to rubble again, dammit."

"You break into my house, tell me the demon fox that tried to destroy the town is free, tell me you can see the future, hint at everyone dying and the town being reduced to rubble, expect me to buy into all of it, and ask that I not tell anyone. Does that just about cover it?"

"More or less. If it helps, here... watch. I'll officially learn this from Jiraiya not too long from now..." Naruto said. Getting to his feet, he held one of his hands out, palm facing the ceiling. With a slight bit of concentration, a swirling ball of chakra formed in it. "...You know what it is, right?"

"The Rasengan..." Kakashi said, staring at the whirling sphere before Naruto let it fade. "...Okay, Naruto, you have my attention. If this Tazuna man comes by, then I'll think about believing your tale. Is that fair?"

"More than fair." Naruto said. "I figured I'd have to wait for him to show up. Just... please, don't tell anyone, alright? I don't plan to let everything fall apart this time, so... believe in me. I know how insane all of this sounds, believe me. But I need someone I can trust. Out of everyone in this town, I trust you the most. I know you won't rat me out to anyone."

"How can you be so sure?"

"'Those who abandon their friends are worse than scum.'" Naruto said.

"...You've given me a lot to think about. And I'm not sure I like any of it." Kakashi admitted, finally getting back to his feet.

"You don't have to like it. I sure don't. But I have to deal with it, because I don't have any choice. Hey, tell Yamato hi for me, will ya? ...Uh, wait, crap, you know him as Tenzou right now, huh? He doesn't take Yamato as a name until later..." Naruto said, pausing to think.

"Tenzou? How do you know him?" Asked Kakashi.

"Can't say!" Chirped Naruto. "Don't worry too much about it, it's not because anything bad happens to you."

"You realize that saying that is only going to make me want to ask more questions, right?" Kakashi said.

"Yup. Maddening, isn't it?" Naruto said, smiling slightly. "I think I'll head out to train a little. Lee should be out there somewhere. Still getting used to fighting in this body again. Older self's memories are getting in the way. I keep thinking my arms and legs are longer. Gonna train with Lee until I get my fighting sense back."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Yo, Lee! Still at it, huh?"

"Ah, Naruto-kun! It's good to see you've recovered!"

Naruto smirked slightly as he walked up to the green-clad ninja. "Yeah, I have a talent for healing, it seems. Working on anything in particular today?"

"Mostly just exercises." Lee responded, hopping up from the ground, where he'd previously been doing push-ups. "Have you come to train with me again?"

"Yeah. I think last time helped a lot. I've run from the villagers a lot due to my pranks, but I've never actually sat down and thought about exercising properly." Naruto said, looking sheepish. It was a straight lie, but Lee didn't need to know that. Besides, stretching his muscles and getting used to his smaller body was top priority at the moment. "Though... I did hear a rumor..."

"About what?" Asked Lee, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"You." Naruto said. And, walking closer and lowering his voice, Naruto made a showing of glancing around to make sure they weren't being listened in on. "I heard you wear weights to help with your speed. Was just wondering if you think I could use that, too..."

Lee blinked owlishly, obviously not expecting to hear this. "Who told you about that?"

"I overheard Guy-sensei talking." Lied Naruto, grinning crookedly. "I didn't mean to! Was gonna set up a prank on the old man, that's all. So it's true, then?"

Lee made a face and thought for a moment before nodding slowly. "I do wear weights around my ankles, yes." He finally said, looking at Naruto. "Don't tell anyone, though. As far as someone else using them, I'm honestly not sure. You need to have the stamina to adjust to them."

Naruto crossed his arms, tilting his head in thought. "If I kept training with you in my spare time, do you think I'd get up to where I could do that? It sounded like it could be really useful. An enemy can't hit what they can't see, right?"

"You'd have to do more than train with me." Lee said, another smile returning to his face. "You'd have to really push yourself and work out to start catching up with me. I can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu, so I've focused solely on taijutsu. Guy-sensei has pushed me to my breaking point more times than I can count. Of course, you're free to try! It was nice having someone other than my teammates to spar with. I haven't caught up to Neji yet, and matches with Tenten usually end with us throwing weapons back and forth..."

Naruto snorted as the thought ran through his mind. "Well, I'll certainly give it my all. I want to get stronger. I'm gonna be Hokage one day, after all! ...But I don't think I'm quite ready to protect a whole town right now. I've got to get stronger to keep everyone I care about safe, though."

"An honorable goal." Lee said, the smile growing. "Guy-sensei says that to truly be strong, one must fight for someone else's sake."

"I definitely want to do that." Naruto said, a far-away look passing over his face for a moment. Blinking it away and clearing his throat, he stretched and asked, "So, fill me in. What kind of exercise did you plan to do today? Dunno if I'll be able to keep up, but I'll be doing everything in my power to."

The boy's smile split into a grin and, not for the first time, he had a feeling that training with Rock Lee would end with his body hating him.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"I hate being right." Naruto groaned, collapsing onto his bed and wincing as half his body told him that such a maneuver was most certainly not appreciated. "And I hate that I couldn't keep to his pace..."

"Your body isn't used to it. Give it time" The Kyuubi growled.

"Time is something I don't have an excess of." Naruto said, opening his eyes and staring up at his darkened ceiling. Once more, he had finished training with Lee far later than he'd anticipated. But he was too worked up to sleep, not to mention too sore. "...I want to deliver one of the letters, fox. I know you've mentioned that I shouldn't, but... if we can alert the other jinchuuriki, shouldn't we do it?"

"They'd be suspicious. Some might not even read what you send." Said the Kyuubi, its voice lowering slightly.

"That's the real problem, huh?" Naruto murmured. "B might read it, but..."

"The others are on their own. Even then, you only really knew two others."

"I wish I could talk to Gaara." Naruto said, his eyes closing halfway. "I wish I could talk to all of them in person. I wish I could get to know them. Maybe if I could pass information along, they might not fall this time."

"But there's also no guarantee they'd work with us. They all have their own circumstances."

"I need to think about the order, too. Fuu-san and Han-san need to come first. Their bijuu were already extracted after I trained with Jiraiya, right? Roushi-san was probably next. Then Yugito-san and Utakata-san. But..."

"Isobu is the problem." Said the Kyuubi. "The kid is probably dead already and Isobu's loose and in hiding right now. And we don't know where that is, unfortunately."

"Dammit. Why can't anything ever be easy?" Naruto asked. "...Lemme borrow some chakra."

"What do you plan to use it for?" Asked the Kyuubi, wariness in its voice.

"Something important." Naruto stated, pushing himself up and off the bed. Walking over to the window, he opened it up and slipped outside. It was a quiet night in the village, and the air was completely still.

"It seems your newfound determination has also made you foolish. If you get caught doing anything..."

"I won't get caught." Naruto stated. "I'll fake getting sick and use training with Lee and pushing myself with Kakashi as my excuse. I just need a week, dammit all. I know I can do this!"

"And how do you know that no one will catch you? How do you know you'll succeed?"

"Because I'm the greatest ninja in the world." Naruto declared, grinning as he brought his hands up.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Four days of travel. That's how long it had taken. It had been a very trying process, to say the least. But they had worked out a system. Still, Naruto was suffering for his plan, because he was getting almost no sleep at all. He was staying in bed as much as he possibly could, and when anyone came by to check on him, he could use the Kyuubi's chakra to heat himself up just enough for any suspicions to go away. So far, he had driven off Kakashi, Iruka, and even a surprise visit by Lee, who was curious why Naruto had stopped dropping by in the evenings.

Four days, and his Clone had finally arrived, slipping into the city just as stealthily as he had slipped out of Konoha. His Clone had gone completely undetected, under the cover of night, and he had disguised it to look like someone else on top of that. He sure hoped the guy who worked in the clothing store that Naruto got his outfits in didn't mind. He was only borrowing the man's appearance, after all, and it was for a good cause.

Stepping out of the alley, the disguised Clone glanced around. Night still had a few hours left to it, but the city was still bustling, which came as a bit of a surprise. Walking up to one of the people just outside of a restaurant, the Clone cleared its throat. When the group turned to look at him, he asked, "Would it be possible to point me towards someone? I've only just arrived here, and I'm trying to hunt someone down. I uh... I've heard he isn't difficult to find, but I'm a bit lost."

"Who're ya lookin' for?" Asked one of the men.

"Short, red-hair, tends to go crazy with sand?"

The look on all three men dropped at this, and they exchanged a glance. The one Naruto's Shadow Clone had been speaking to licked his lips before looking back and replying, "Why're you after that thing? He'd sooner kill ya than talk..."

"I think I'll be alright. So, do you know where he is?"

"...He's usually off on his own at the far end of town. Think he has a room around there. I dunno. I try to keep as far away from that demon as I can..." Said the man.

"Thanks!"

As the Clone made its way across the city, Naruto opened bloodshot eyes. "Why the hell didn't I leave a Clone behind and go myself?"

"Because it's easier to get the hell out of there if something goes wrong this way."

"Yeah, but if he gets a clean hit in on my Clone, that's it. Four days down the toilet."

"This was your plan, not mine. You wanted to track him down, now you've almost reached that goal."

Naruto winced as he shifted his position in bed. "Yeah yeah..." He muttered. "You have permission to veto my stupid plans, ya know. Might wanna run better ideas by me next time before we go with something of mine, huh?"

He could almost hear the Kyuubi smirk as it replied, "As you wish."

Dropping into a crouch, Naruto's Clone found what he was looking for. It wasn't hard. The boy was sitting out in the open, staring up at the sky and looking just about as exhausted as Naruto felt. Glancing around, Naruto let the disguise on his Clone drop. This was it. Either he'd start to get through to his old friend or four days had been wasted.

"Hey." Naruto's Clone said, walking towards the red-haired boy.

The boy's eyes shifted ever so slightly as he looked over. "Go away."

"Not a nice thing to someone who took over half a week just to come see you." Said the Clone, walking just close enough that he hopefully wouldn't get into what the boy considered his personal space. Looking up at the sky, he asked, "Can't sleep? I know how that is. Mine won't let me sleep sometimes, too."

The boy glared at Naruto's Clone, finally getting to his feet. "I told you to go away."

The Clone turned and stared straight into the boy's eyes. "Gaara. I want you to listen to me. My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I live in Konohagakure. What's talking now is a Shadow Clone I've spent the last four days hauling the distance between our villages just to see you. Why? Because, like you, I also have a demon inside me. Everyone in my village hates and fears me, too."

The boy, Gaara, narrowed his eyes at this. "What do you mean?"

Naruto's Clone closed his eyes for a moment. When they opened, they were scarlet. Allowing a trace of the Kyuubi's chakra to rise to the surface, he explained, "You have one of the nine tailed beasts sealed in you. Shukaku. I'm at the other end. I have the Kyuubi in me. I've been bullied and looked down on my entire life because of this. I had nightmares that it would take control, devour me whole, and destroy the city. ...But things changed. I can't explain what right now, but soon we'll have plenty of time to talk. Some day in the near future, you and your siblings will come to Konoha. I'll be waiting for you there. It won't be hard to find me. I don't expect you to accept anything I'm saying yet. I just... wanted you to know you aren't as alone as you think you are."

"You know nothing about me." Hissed Gaara through gritted teeth.

"I know more about you than you think. And I know more about what you'll become than you could ever realize. One day, Gaara... everyone in this town will respect you. Everyone will look up to you. Everyone will turn to you for guidance. You'll become a leader everyone will love. That self-inflicted scar of yours will have a completely different meaning then. And until then, no matter what anyone else thinks about you, I refuse to give up on you! I don't care if I have to beat it into you, I'm gonna be your friend, Gaara!" Said the Clone, puffing his chest out and crossing his arms as he smirked at the redhead. "I know what it's like to be alone. But I've met people who didn't care that I had the demon fox sealed inside of me. People who didn't think I was a monster for something that wasn't even my fault. I'd die to keep them safe. And no matter what you try in the future, I'll fight to keep them safe because they saved me from the hell I was living in. And I'm gonna do the same for you. Even if I have to beat you up to make you realize it."

"BE QUIET!" Gaara screamed suddenly. And, just like that, the Shadow Clone was skewered by sand.

For a brief moment, just before it dissipated, the Clone grinned at Gaara once more and gasped out, "I'll be waiting..."

It was gone, and Naruto winced at the backlash that suddenly slammed into him. Whimpering as he rolled onto his side, he squeezed his eyes shut and mumbled, "I think I made him mad."

"Did you honestly believe you could change him just by walking up out of nowhere and giving him a speech?"

"Nope. Not a bit."

"Then why?"

"Planting the seed of doubt." Naruto said, cracking an eye open and grinning crookedly through his pain. "He'll come when Orochimaru comes. He won't get rid of the real version of me that easily. Just like last time, I'll probably have to beat him up to make him realize that he isn't alone. Maybe this time... maybe we can save Shukaku, too..."

"Saving the others would be nice... but we can't let ourselves get too worked up if we don't. You know this, correct?" Asked the Kyuubi.

"Yeah... but I'm still gonna try." Naruto said, pushing himself up and letting out a weak groan. "Try and help me figure out a way to deal with the Sanbi bein' loose. What'd you say his name was earlier? Iso-"

It was different from the pain of his Clone being destroyed. It was different from the pain he had felt after training with Lee. It was different from the pain he felt when Sakura had spoken how she really felt about him when he had been disguised as Sasuke. His chest had suddenly seized up, sucking the wind out of him in the process and making his vision go blurred. Memories. More memories had come flooding back to him suddenly. He wasn't sure if it was due to the sleep deprivation or if thinking about the other bijuu was simply what triggered it, but something had caused more memories to hit him. Memories, he realized, that he should have remembered from the start.

"More visions of the past?" Asked the Kyuubi.

Naruto nodded slightly.

"...What's the matter?"

Bringing a hand up, Naruto wiped at the corners of his eyes. It did no good, as more tears spilled out immediately. Finding his throat suddenly feeling tight, he swallowed and tried to speak, but all that left his mouth was a ragged breath. Squeezing his eyes shut once more, he pulled in a long, slow breath. As he let it out, he opened his eyes again, blinking away the tears that were blurring his vision. A shaky smile formed as he lifted his head. This wasn't going to stop any time soon, he realized. But, perhaps just this once, it didn't need to.

"Nothing." He managed to finally say, his voice quiet. Wiping at his eyes again, he laid back down and gazed up at the ceiling as the tears fell freely. "Nothing at all, Kurama..."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Author's Notes: Psst. Hey guys, don't tell anyone, but this is a story about altering the timeline. Some things won't be the same! Shock and wonder!

Seriously, people actually pushed up their thick nerd glasses at me to tell me about Sasuke's eyes. Guys, I know what I'm writing. I've got all this stuff planned out. I might miss a particular detail, but I do the research. Like, for instance, that it apparently takes three full days to get from Konoha to Suna. Is that right? It's as right as my research tells me it is. I only found a few sources, but they all seemed to agree on the matter. If it isn't, handwave it. It's fanfiction. I don't have to be one hundred percent accurate on small details like that.

But stuff like Sasuke's Sharingan coming in before the fight with Haku? Come on now. I've got powers and interactions and the like plotted out. Some people are going to have things early, some will be missing things. Because Naruto sent a clone to go and Friendship Speech at Gaara, things will be a bit different when the exams roll in. Because Naruto's training with Lee, he has a way to get to Neji and Tenten if he wants to. And he most certainly wants to. Especially Neji, because there's a few things he wants to deal with there. But, like Gaara, he'll have to Friendship Punch him a few times to make what he says sink in.

Speaking of the exams - this 'book' will go up to the end of the exams. That is, when Orochimaru and Gaara attack Konoha. After that it'll switch to a second 'book.' Mostly to help me stay sane, because I don't want to plan one long, 80 chapter continuous thing after working in 'book' form for Harry Potter stuff for all these years. It'd drive me batty.

Anyway, next time a familiar face will stop in and Team 7 will be off on their first real mission. I hope it won't take me half a year or however long it's been to get chapter 7 out. Writer's Block and real life circumstances involving family health problems and the like have been what's kept me silent for so long, and I do apologize for that. But I'm forcing myself to get back into the swing now that things are calming down again.