A/N: I know some of you might be annoyed that I'm suddenly writing another fic while still in the process of writing my other one. Don't worry; I'm simply trying to stimulate interest in the Time/Timeline Travel plot category by putting a few stories of my own out there. I will also be posting a challenge at the bottom of this fic, so be sure to check it out and consider its potential.

I'll still be continuing Reverse Destiny so all's well. In fact, I'm almost done with Chapter 4 so be sure to watch out for the update. That's all for now folks. Enjoy!

Summary: Naruto, in a last stand against Madara, is somehow inadvertently thrown around thirty-eight years into the past. He wakes up in a younger version of his body and the Konoha medics mistake him as the lost younger brother of a young war orphan—Namikaze Minato.

Disclaimer: I would think up a clever and original disclaimer but I'm just too lazy for that, so…yeah. I don't own Naruto…

Chapter 1: So Many Possibilities

The very air was oppressive in its nature as Naruto tried desperately to breathe it in. He knew he was meant to die at this exact moment but even after all the grueling physical training he'd endured throughout his life, he seemed to be unable to control his bodies reaction to the pain in his lungs. Why was he to suffer? Why, when everything seemed to be over and done with?

He couldn't guess the answer as his mind finally seemed to start shutting down, the pain gradually dimming. The last thing he saw in his mind's eye was the image of Madara's Sharingan, and he took pride, perhaps a bit foolishly, in the subtle hint of visible desperation that he had caused the former Uchiha patriarch in the ending moments of their battle. He didn't know what had happened at that point but he was pretty sure he had taken Madara with him at the very least.

His slow thoughts drew out even more leisurely until they finally came to an abrupt halt. Naruto welcomed the darkness of death with a smile. His only regret was that he would not get the chance to achieve his childhood dream, nor would he be allowed to see the Will of Fire come to pass onto the future generations of Konoha. Truly, it was a pity.

Naruto opened his eyes with distinct confusion and grogginess. It felt like he had slept in too late after a night of binge drinking and multiple fights. He felt sore in every muscled area of his body, more so than he had ever before and that was saying something. Suddenly his senses rushed back to him and he was immediately disoriented. He could hear faint voices in the background.

"—found him on the streets—"

"—how— survived?"

"—can't believe we missed him—"

"—war orphan. I think he's related to anoth—"

"—Namikaze?"

He opened his eyes and wheezed. He determined he had to be in a hospital because of the distinct and mildly repulsing variety of smells like blood and antiseptic, among other things, and the white walls that surrounded him. He had also through a bit of experience come to recognize the way and tone in which doctors or medical personnel spoke when referring to a patient—the perks of having an extremely skilled medical ninja on his team.

He shook his head a bit when he thought of that. Wasn't he supposed to be in heaven? Or hell, if the gods had it in for him as much as he thought they did? It was hard to believe he had seemingly yet again survived a battle in which he rightfully should have died, a battle he was surer than any other he shouldn't have come back from. He scowled a bit but tried to get back to reality to listen to the conversation currently being held outside his door.

He had caught a few snippets from the conversation only moments ago, but it hadn't made any sense to him. He strained his ears and listened intently.

"The resemblance is uncanny. Their facial structure is a bit different but besides that, they are no doubt related to some extent," he heard one medic say.

"He has no existing records though…how odd. Someone has to have been taking care of him, if only slightly," the other voice replied.

"Yes, it's interesting that we have no records on him…still, it's not entirely uncommon. This is a ninja village and with those problems we had a few years ago…well, that kind of explains it…though I am surprised none of the ANBU patrols ever came across him before now," another offered.

He heard a pause and some shuffling and muttering before who he presumed to be the superior of the group speak. "Ah, yes. The match is definite. This boy is related to another young war orphan…a Namikaze Minato if I'm correct. It would make sense because the boy's parents died a little over a year after he was born. He seems no more than a year younger, if that. I'm sure they're brothers, though I wonder at the circumstances of their apparent separation. Just another unfortunate mishap in the system, I suppose…"

Naruto didn't register the sad sigh the man gave as the medical personnel and the superior seemed to leave and head on to discuss another patient. His eyes were wide with both shock and confusion and he couldn't make sense of what was going on now. All of what those outside his door earlier had spoken of was a bunch of nonsense. What's going on?

Naruto forced himself to calm. He tried the breathing exercises that had been taught to him long ago when he had first tried controlling the Kyuubi with Jiraiya. It wasn't long before he managed to steady his heart rate and still his whirling thoughts. He tried putting the pieces together to form a plan of action.

From what he had heard mentioned of his deceased father, those medics were just now finding the relation between Minato and him. That was odd because it was an open secret that the Fourth Hokage was his father. But the context in which they spoke implied some kind of past tense and they made the mistake of assuming he was the Yellow Flash's brother…which was impossible because Minato had been dead for about twenty-two years now.

He tried sitting up despite the pain it caused him and managed to do so after a bit of struggle. He glimpsed a shining object in front of him and noticed it was a mirror on the wall directly in front of the hospital bed. He looked up to view his reflection absently and did a double-take.

His voice was somehow constricted so he didn't even manage to gasp as he looked into the mirror only to be looked down upon by what seemed to him to be an entirely different person. Well, not person, more like child.

He looked on with wonder and noticed he had the body of what seemed like a three or four year old. If he remembered correctly, this was what he had looked like when he had been that young. There was however one thing missing. He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt his stomach drop when he noticed he no longer had his trademark whisker marks on either cheek of his face.

What the hell's going on? Naruto thought while looking through his now empty mindscape. The sewer was still there but it lacked water. It also lacked any trace of the Kyuubi's presence, and that was setting him on edge.

Before he could start hyperventilating, a thought occurred to him. He remembered the desperate look in Madara's eyes and how shortly after, he had thought they both died. But was that really the case?

Now that he thought about it, aside from feeling like his lungs had been crushed, he had also felt a spinning sensation. Everything around him currently could have been a genjutsu, but all of his instincts were telling him it was reality, and he was pretty confident it was. The question was, then, where had Madara sent him with his time/space jutsu ability?

After going over his situation a few more times and remembering what the medics had spoken of, it suddenly dawned on him what this could possibly be the result of. He was, of course, thinking of time travel.

It seemed impossible, but as he thought about it, he couldn't refute that it appeared to be the only plausible explanation. There were however, many unaccounted variables in that. One was that he had been sent back in the body of his three or four year old self. Another was that he seemed to have lost the Kyuubi.

He didn't know how his whisker marks were gone; he'd always thought they were birth marks. He supposed being transported to a time likely before his mother had become the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi had caused him to lose the connections he had to it. It was only a theory but it was solid so he went with it.

From what had been said, he inferred that he had to be in Konoha. He also inferred that Minato, the Yondaime Hokage had to be a very young child, just like him at this point. The medics seemed to have mistakenly assumed he was Minato's younger brother, and that they had been somehow separated when Naruto was born; apparently after Minato's parents had died.

The situation was so surreal that Naruto could do nothing more than gape in the empty halls of his mindscape. His mind was a jumble of thoughts, of how he was in the past and that his father was alive, and that he was in the past!

He wasn't sure how long it took for him to calm down and think at a steadier pace, but he managed it. Now there was only the matter of planning his next move. His thoughts once again went into turmoil as he thought quickly about what he should do. There were so many things to change…

The doctor smiled down at Naruto in a disarming manner and Naruto internally grimaced. He had been waiting for this moment since yesterday. They needed to release him, and find out his name for that matter, since he seemed all healed up save for the soreness of his muscles.

"What is your name, child?" she asked gently.

"Isamu," Naruto replied, trying his best to look shy and naïve.

The name meant courage—bravery. It had been a name some had called him after witnessing some of his exploits before and during the war. It wasn't really a name that suited him, he supposed, but he couldn't use Naruto or else his parents may not name their future child Naruto.

"I see," she stated, still smiling, "do you have anyone to go to? Anyone to take care of you?"

Naruto made sure to look a bit sad before he answered. "Takumi-baa used to help me. She even taught me to talk, but she's gone now..."

Naruto had made up 'Takumi-baa.' He had only mentioned that the imaginary woman had helped him to make it seem like an old woman was simply helping a homeless child in need. Adding "baa" would contribute to the made-up person's old age and would perhaps help the medics come to the conclusion that the old woman had possibly died or left.

Naruto also knew that Takumi was a fairly popular name, at least in his time, and it was likely to throw off anyone that would try to dig up information on him or his imaginary caretaker, though he didn't believe that would happen. After all, he was just some nameless three year old; there was no chance someone so young could be a spy and he had proof of blood ties to another known villager—the young Namikaze Minato.

All in all, his fake background story was coming along nicely. Judging by the sympathetic look the doctor was giving him, it was a pretty believable tale anyway.

After asking for some more information on Naruto's imaginary caretaker—without any real success since he had said he only knew her first name and that she had grey hair and a wrinkled face—the doctor had told Naruto carefully that he had an older brother that lived in an orphanage in the village.

Naruto had acted both confused and surprised. He made it seem like he didn't know what a "brother" was, which was understandable and made his story/act more believable, so the doctor had explained a few things. Naruto made sure to seem happy that he had a brother after the false confusion was cleared up.

The doctor had gone on to say that Naruto would now go stay with his brother at the orphanage. They had already made arrangements for him to go there and soon a Chunin of the village came to escort him to his new home. He couldn't believe that things had worked so well in his favor, or that his new name now was Namikaze Isamu.

Naruto had been there when the matron at the orphanage had told Minato that he now had a responsibility in the form of his long lost younger brother. Minato had seemed utterly surprised but he was soon in acceptance of his new situation. He introduced himself and made sure Naruto knew everything about the orphanage that he needed to know; well, as much as a four year old kid could anyway. Naruto was surprised he hadn't questioned him more but he chalked it up to being young and probably lonely.

It was an odd experience for Naruto. In the week that he had so far stayed and became accustom to the orphanage, his 'brother' had started developing protective tendencies, even at the age of four. Minato always made sure he had enough to eat at their mealtimes, and he followed him around a lot now to make sure he was watched after and taken care of.

Naruto smiled at the care and brotherly love Minato had already developed for him. They were still getting to know one another but Minato was determined in the duty he felt he had to the last remaining part of his family. He promised himself he would do his best to help Minato in turn.

Naruto observed his 'brother' with a stoic expression. That was what he did after all when something important had been introduced to him or someone he cared about, and that's just what had happened. Just thirty minutes earlier, the Hokage had finished telling a group of orphans that were in the age-range of five to eight years old that if they were interested in becoming ninja of the village, they should tell the matron so they could be enrolled in the Shinobi academy that month.

Naruto being five now and Minato likewise six, were both in that group. Minato seemed to go into a rare serious mood after the Hokage had finished while Naruto had started on some deep thinking of his own before noticing the future Fourth Hokage's expression.

"What should we do now, Minato-nii?" he asked with his usual calm and nonchalant voice.

It was a huge personality change from back when he had first been a child. He had cultivated this new attitude so as to further stimulate the likeness between him and his 'brother.' He also wanted to be different from his future self just in case. It wasn't entirely inconceivable for the future Naruto to not be born if he was too much alike, or any other number of differences to the original timeline.

He was really just acting like his former (and currently unborn) sensei, Kakashi, with a bit of differences of course…like not reading porn ten hours a day, or appearing late anywhere, or making up ridiculous excuses if he accidentally was late. And he was doing a good job so far, at least in his own opinion.

"I want to be acknowledged…" Minato started hesitantly. "I want to be acknowledged by everyone in the village and become a great Hokage, and I want you to be there with me. We should become the best ninja we can be!"

Naruto smiled and chuckled a bit at Minato's eager tone and excited face. He had to agree with his mother that his father really did look too flaky to proclaim something so momentous at this age. It was odd seeing him act and look this way now, when in the future he would become a powerful and fearsome ninja.

"Then we'll become great ninja—together," Naruto said matter-of-factly.

Minato nodded with a small grin before his expression suddenly sobered. "Isamu…"

Naruto glanced over at him from the corner of his eye. "Hm?"

"Well, that was my dream, but what's yours?" he asked after a pause. "Why do you want to be a ninja?"

Naruto had expected as much. "I want to protect my brother and help him achieve his dream."

Minato smiled and shook his head slightly. "That should be my job," he said.

Naruto looked up into the night sky and paused for dramatic effect before replying. "Me and you, Minato…we'll be the best. We'll both be acknowledged as the best, and when you become the Yondaime, I'll be your right-hand-man."

Minato's grin came back twice as big. He shoved his hands in his pockets and nodded before gazing up at the stars just as Naruto was. He made sure to imprint this moment into his memory. It was truly the happiest moment of his entire life so far; he hoped he could experience times like this as he grew up and became a ninja with his brother.

Their entrance into the academy had been fairly difficult at first. Both Minato and Naruto had demanded that they be placed in the same class together despite the age difference. At first, the Chunin that sorted them wouldn't allow it but had soon gotten fed up and arranged for Naruto to take a test to see if he was suited for the six-year age group.

The five-year age group was really only there to teach the kids to read and master basic math and first aid. There wasn't much too it and Naruto already knew everything the academy itself could teach him…well, save history of course. He didn't know too much about the village's exact history, which he was regretting a bit now that he was stuck in the past.

The orphanage had a few people that taught children willing to learn and not disrupt the learning environment so Minato had been there since age four and Naruto had started going with him after awhile. They just so happened to teach basic math and reading skills in the orphanage so he had a good excuse for advanced knowledge.

After quickly passing the test, he had been begrudgingly allowed to enter into the year-six academy class.

Naruto realized they put kids through a tougher program in times of war. First, instead of entering the academy at the usually mandatory age eight and graduating at twelve, one entered years earlier and graduated years earlier. The students also had longer school days and only had Sunday off every week. It definitely posed more difficulty than the peacetime academy requirements.

Naruto stood up with a small smile as it was finally his turn to introduce himself and tell of his dream. "I am Namikaze Isamu. My dream for the future is to become a great ninja with my brother and help him achieve his goals."

Naruto sat back down and was amused to see the majority of the class still muttering over the new student still standing in front of the class. They were really just doing this for the sake of the new student. They had already introduced themselves at the beginning of the year, about three weeks ago.

Naruto had initially been surprised when a young and nervous looking girl with striking and oddly styled red hair had walked in with a Chunin escort. She had a round face as well and he instantly knew who this girl was—the second Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi and his mother-to-be, Uzumaki Kushina.

He had managed to stop from gasping at the sight of her mostly because he had anticipated something like this happening at some point. As the class finished with their introductions, he listened intently to what his mother would say now that it was her turn, even though he already knew.

After a bit of indecision, she spoke loudly and it seemed her nervousness was gone. "I'm Uzumaki Kushina, and I'm gonna' be the first female Hokage!"

The muttering became progressively louder until many of the students were either snickering or jeering at her for making such a preposterous claim. Naruto had forgotten how annoying and mean kids could be.

"You dumb tomato-girl!" one student shouted.

Soon, many of the males were calling her tomato and from the dark look Kushina's face was starting to show, Naruto didn't think her reputation as the 'Bloody Habanero' would be long awaited. He chuckled a bit at the thought. The kids that had just made fun of his mother would soon come to regret it.

"Hey, can I borrow a pencil, Inoichi?" Naruto asked to the blonde sitting to the left of him.

"Sure thing, Isamu," Inoichi replied absently as he tried to pay attention to the dispute between two students going on a few rows below theirs.

Naruto smirked as he grabbed the pencil from his distracted classmate. He now knew where Ino had gotten her nosiness from. It seemed that Inoichi wasn't as different from his daughter as Naruto had initially thought. Actually, all members of the original Ino-Shika-Cho trio acted like their respective future children to a certain degree.

Naruto found it very nostalgic and had often almost slipped up by calling to one of his classmates using the name of their child-to-be. It rarely happened but he still couldn't shake the habit so far.

"Alright kids, that's enough!" Hideki-sensei shouted irritably from the front of the class.

Naruto didn't mind learning from him. He reminded him a lot of Iruka but instead of the monotonous and dull voice Iruka had taught with, this man actively tried to make things more interesting. Naruto couldn't deny the man was creative in his teaching methods.

Soon the classes were over and they were dismissed. "Well, that's it for today. Remember to study and try to memorize the fundamental fuinjutsu theories we've been working on," the Chunin started, "if any of you are at all interested in it, I'll be holding an after-school class in an hour to lecture on some history of fuinjutsu."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at that and sighed when he saw the deciding gleam in Minato's eye. Minato was always eager to know everything and always stayed completely attentive in class whereas a good amount of their peers mostly faked their interest.

Naruto himself was surprised by how much the material in class caught his own interest. He knew it was difficult to stay on task when your teacher was talking on and on about how one marking attached to another and a single perfect circle was important to many specific seal formulas.

No matter how creative a teacher was, it was an uphill battle for any eight year old to really keep focused on the subject like a few in the class were. Naruto didn't have a doubt that if he was truly a seven year old, or even eight like the majority of the class were, all of this information would pass through one ear and out the other.

As it was though, he wasn't mentally seven, and he could always appreciate the obscure teachings of fuinjutsu. He had known of its potential when he'd first learned about the fact that the Fourth Hokage had used a seal to trap the most powerful tailed beast inside him when he was a baby.

He had never had any patience for the difficult art though and as far as he could recall, they'd never taught as much about fuinjutsu in his first time through the academy as they did here. He now had that needed patience due mostly to the war and his current situation.

He also was now more than ever truly aware of the things he could do with the sealing arts and how much it could help him should he ever have to fight Madara again. Back then he'd relied mostly on the Kyuubi and Sage Mode, but he couldn't use either; Kyuubi, because he no longer held it and Sage Mode because it would arise too much suspicion unless used secretly.

Still, things were going well so far and he had a lot of time to simply hold off and wait until he had a chance to make true differences. In the meantime though, he would train like crazy to regain some lost abilities and create some as well to make up for what he couldn't use. He could already see himself utilizing his wind element to the greatest degree…

"Jiraiya," the Third Hokage started to gain the attention of one of the three students standing in his office. "Please stay. I wish to discuss something with you privately."

As Orochimaru and Tsunade left, Jiraiya sighed and waited for his sensei to start speaking. He wasn't sure if it was to reprimand him for getting caught peeking at the bathhouse recently or to just talk about something concerning his training; nonetheless, he gave his full attention.

"You may not be aware but the Genin examinations are but a week from now," Hiruzen started and Jiraiya was suddenly dreading where this was going. "There are many promising young graduates to choose from this year and I would like for you to consider taking on a team of your own."

"But sensei," Jiraiya whined, "I don't want to have to deal with bratty Genin! It's a waste of valuable research time!"

The Third Hokage gave a deadpan stare and coughed into his hand a bit before sighing. "At least look into the academy files, Jiraiya. I know how you taught those children from Ame to protect themselves a few years ago. Since then, most of the other nations have agreed to disarmament acts. In fact, we are already on the way to creating neutrality treaties with Suna, Kumo and Iwa.

"In the time of peace that will inevitably follow the war, you will be serving an important purpose. You will be passing on your will to Konoha's next generation."

Jiraiya looked more seriously at his teacher before sighing in defeat. "Why me though, sensei?"

The Hokage smiled before replying. "Tsunade already has her time occupied with running the medical ninja training program and I really don't believe Orochimaru is quite ready for students. You, however, have already gained some experience in teaching and I trust you to take your responsibilities the most seriously."

Jiraiya could only crack a prideful smile at the confidence his sensei had placed in him. "Alright, I guess it wouldn't hurt. Let's see those files Sarutobi-sensei."

After going through the list of the pre-graduates, Jiraiya had his eyes set on two in particular. "A lot of these kids were already requested because of how late you told me about becoming a Jonin-sensei," Jiraiya started absently, "but I guess it doesn't really matter. Most of those kids were from certain clans anyway."

Sarutobi nodded pleasantly. "Yes, many of the Jonin have noticed the potential of the students this year. My young cousin Kouta-kun is already certain to lead the three heirs of the Yamanaka, Nara and Akimichi. Many have also placed much interest in the two Hyuuga boys, the Inuzuka heir and the young Aburame heir."

"Yeah," Jiraiya muttered. "What can you tell me about those two blonde kids there?"

Hiruzen smirked at the pictures of the two boys he was talking about. "I was wondering when you would ask me about them. The Chunin instructors, and many others for that matter, refer to them as the 'Namikaze Brothers.' The younger of the two is named Isamu and his older brother is Minato. They are both very talented."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "More like a couple a' geniuses. Their records are practically perfect. A lot of Jonin are requesting these two."

The Hokage chuckled a bit before responding. "Yes, I myself was surprised by all that I heard about them after one of the instructors felt it necessary to inform me of their prowess while I visited the academy."

"Really?" Jiraiya asked with more interest. "What can they do?"

"Well, for one, I hear they are both interested in fuinjutsu and both have apparently shown some talent in the basics. They each are very perceptive and the instructor told me their individual skills are greater when placed together. According to him, Isamu-kun shows skill in close and mid-ranged combat while Minato-kun shows skill with long to mid-ranged combat."

"Hmm," Jiraiya mumbled. "They really compliment each others' abilities. What do they want to do with their careers as Shinobi?"

"Their goals are quite admirable actually," Sarutobi replied with a fond smile. "Minato wishes to gain the acknowledgment of the village and become Hokage. Isamu has only expressed that he hopes to become a great Shinobi alongside his brother and help Minato to the top."

Jiraiya couldn't help but smile at how good-natured and strong-willed the two brothers seemed to be. From what he could tell, they were both hard working and focused on achieving their dreams. It was proven by how strong they had gotten so far without any parental guidance. He respected their resolve greatly.

"I want those two," Jiraiya stated after a minute of silent thinking. "And this girl, Kiku Midori. She shows some ability with genjutsu. She can be the support member with her talents; maybe even get some training in medical-jutsu. They would be a good team."

The Hokage smiled with a content nod. "With proper guidance, I have no doubt they will do great things. Good luck, Jiraiya. I will inform you of when to meet them next week. "

-This story just came to me and I wrote it on a whim really. I couldn't get it out of my mind so I decided to see where I could go with it. Wish me luck, Readers!

And here's the Challenge:

-Someone, PLEASE TAKE IT!

-I'm not quite sure what I should name the challenge…I guess you could call it the 'Misty Past Challenge.' Heh…it's kinda' corny, I know, but I don't know what else to call it, so unless anyone can offer a cooler name, I'll stick to that.

-Firstly, I would like to state that those who take up this challenge don't have to use Naruto himself as the "time-traveler," though it is strongly preferred. For the sake of this challenge though, I will assume you are using him.

-Naruto gets sent back in time to around the time of his birth, but NOT in Konoha.

-He wakes up, or "lands," or whatever, in a small town (preferably). This town is conveniently in Water Country and perhaps near the Hidden Mist Village. It is up to you to decide how he ended up getting thrown back in time or to a different timeline or whatever.

-After figuring out his situation (the time he is in, his location, etc.), he concludes it is probably unwise to head back to Konoha for whatever reason.

-After training for a year or two, or maybe three or four, (preferably in fuinjutsu, wind ninjutsu, and or something else), while also trying to think on or figure out what he should do with this new opportunity, he hears of the failed Coup orchestrated by Zabuza, which subsequently led to the start of the civil war in Kirigakure between the Pro-bloodline rebellion forces (perhaps led by Mei Terumi's father or something, since she would be a bit too young (17-19 years old)) and the Anti-bloodline forces, obviously led by Yagura (under Madara's control, preferably). Zabuza's actions don't have to be the starting point of the rebellion, but that seems like a good time for it to set off.

-After much thought, he decides to join the Pro-bloodline side so that he would have a better chance at changing the future for the better once they win (he already knows they will win because the Fifth Mizukage (from his future) had a bloodline and that obviously means the Pro-bloodline side won).

-The Pro-bloodline forces are a bit desperate since their numbers probably aren't great, so they accept Naruto into their forces without too much trouble (though they should have some kind of way to tell whether or not he's a spy or something first, so it doesn't seem too unrealistic). After awhile he gains their trust.

-This is the point where everything deviates. I myself would prefer that Naruto act a bit different from his usual goofy, unintelligent, unperceptive and generally stupid younger self. Maybe you could justify a change by having him previously fight in the Fourth Shinobi War, causing him to mature/harden up or change or something. It's really up to you.

-It's a given that he change his name and appearance as well. Maybe he could dye his hair red (or somehow permanently change it from blonde to a different color) and wear a mask to cover his whisker marks—make it seem like he's a remnant of the Uzumaki clan or something, so he could at least keep his last name and have a connection to his younger self later on when or if he needed it. Fuinjutsu could come into use here if you decide to have him trained in it (by the way, however he learns fuinjutsu, wind ninjutsu, or whatever when he's training in at first is up to you).

-I would prefer he also lose the Kyuubi, though that is up to you as well. Maybe he could still have the ability to go into a weaker Jinchuuriki cloak state and be able to use his super-body flicker, or maybe sense emotions, or form chakra arms (whatever really), but I think it would be wise to make it so Naruto loses the Kyuubi when he is sent back. It would create way too many questions, even if he did make up an excuse like he was similar to Sora from the Fire Temple or something.

-He should keep his abilities with Sage Mode though I suppose his contract with the toads should be void (also up to you). His whole situation with summons should be thought over carefully, actually.

-I'm not sure if you should keep his use of the Rasengan or Rasenshuriken or whatever, though I would prefer he keep it as a prominent technique in his arsenal. I suppose you could justify that by him having others believe he recreated it and perfected it or something.

-I was hoping for one of the major deviations being that Naruto becomes the Fifth Mizukage instead of Mei. It seems unrealistic I know, but if you planned and wrote everything right, it should work. He could win over a great deal of the rebellion forces' praise and trust through coming out successful in numerous battles/missions against the Anti-bloodline forces, or saving various members' lives, or utilizing his friendly and charismatic personality to get people to want to follow him; the list could go on.

-Another factor in this story would be its pairing and I believe it should be fairly obvious—it should be Naruto U./Mei T. It would be up to you to cultivate their relationship throughout the story (if you decided to go through with the pairing). I should have said this at the beginning but I want for Naruto to be around the same age as Mei at first (roughly 18 or 19 preferably, though 19 seems like the best age).

-Around when the younger version of Naruto turns 12 or 13 should be when the rebellion forces finally succeed and from then on try to establish themselves and recover. It would be pretty interesting to see Naruto become the Mizukage and have him attend the Kage Summit later on.

-Anyway, that's about all I could think of for this challenge. A bit much, right? Well, I'm just eager to see where a skilled writer could go with this. I would do it myself, but I'm currently occupied (and having a bit of trouble) with my own time-travel fic. I'm also busy with various other things so even if I endeavored to write it, I would probably only update every few months, if that.

-Good luck!