A/N: Originally, I was supposed to write a chapter or two ahead of what I post to give myself time to proofread, but I got excited. As a precaution, please note that this will focus more on how characters feel than action. This doesn't contain any sage of six paths and all that because I haven't finished watching Naruto Shippuuden for one and I don't read the manga.

Madara stepped forward with shaky legs, swaying closer and closer towards the young ninjas. Though the man seemed to be standing on his last legs—the accumulation of both fatal and shallow wounds during the long battle wearing him—Naruto and Sasuke stayed alert, watching Madara with caution. Naruto shifted, ready to attack the man if he tried anything weird. He jerked when Sasuke moved in front of him.

"I'll do it," he said. He channelled his chakra into Kusanagi, clenching his teeth at the amount of effort he had to put in. The fight wore him down more than he'd like.

"Don't push yourself," Naruto said and Sasuke glanced over at him. He snorted, squeezing out as much chakra as he could. His sword glowed in blue, electric arcs jumping from one end of the blade to the other. Just one more attack and they would have defeated Madara.

Sasuke breathed heavily, shoulders rising and falling along with each breath as he walked to meet Madara in the middle.

"I'll watch your back." Naruto smiled at him, looking just as tired as he sounded but still on guard. Sasuke's lips lifted slightly.

"Yeah," he replied. They kicked off the ground, Naruto right behind Sasuke. Sasuke gripped his sword and charged at Madara. The blade pierced through the man's flesh and blood oozed from the wound, spilling down his chest. Madara raised his head from his hunched form, coughing and choking. Sasuke noticed the man slowly bring his hand up and he leapt back, but it was too late. Madara grabbed his wrist. Sasuke frowned and pulled at his sword. The sword wouldn't budge.

"Tch." For a dead man, he sure had a strong grip.

"Sasuke!"

The desperate tone of Naruto's call agitated him. As he was about to stop his tugging on Kusanagi and punch Madara with his free hand, the man leaned closer.

"If you could, would you change the Uchiha's fate?" Madara whispered. Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"What are you trying to say?" Madara chuckled and tightened his hold on Sasuke's wrist.

"I'm saying…" His mouth was moving. Sasuke stood still, listening to him despite everything. When Madara finished, Sasuke was petrified on the spot. "You'll…help me won't you?" The man sneered. Black scripts started leaking from Madara's hand to Sasuke's wrist, the scribbles curling and climbing up Sasuke's arm.

"What are you doing to Sasuke?" Naruto yelled, running towards the two Uchihas, a kunai in hand. Sasuke jolted from his daze at the familiar voice.

"You bastard," Sasuke growled. He pulled his fist back, about to punch the man.

"After all, we're both from the Uchiha clan…"

Light began to shimmer between him and Madara. He stopped his fist midway and turned his head.

"Stay away, Naruto!" he shouted. He watched as Naruto's figure clouded over in white. Sasuke could only stare as his vision filled with blinding light. Though the faint calling reached his ears, he had no way of interpreting them. Must be Kakashi stopping Sakura from chasing us, he thought and from there, everything froze.

The sound of the wind stirred Sasuke out of unconsciousness. His eyes opened reluctantly and he found himself staring at a gray sky. He exhaled, a smoky puff drifting out of his mouth and disappearing into the air. Sasuke forced himself to sit up. He looked around, finding himself on a pile of leaves and Naruto sleeping a couple feet away from him. He stood, walking over to Naruto.

As Sasuke got closer, he frowned. What was going on? Naruto looked exactly like he did when he was seven years old.

"Naru…" he uttered and his hand flew to his mouth.

He lifted a hand to see they were small like a child's. Sasuke pat his face, clothes and body. He most likely had his seven year old appearance as well. He growled in irritation. Sasuke took off to survey the area, seething. Countless questions plagued his mind, understanding nothing was never a good thing. Why did they look like seven year olds? Where were they? Sasuke kept wandering until he came to across a clearing and looked up. His eyes widened at the view.

It was Konoha. Though the arrangement of the buildings were different, it was definitely the village he lived in for most of his life. He ran his hand up and down the tree bark beside him. This was real—he was confident he could tell if it were a genjutsu.

Was Madara serious? Sasuke blinked as he noticed something else that further confirmed his suspicions. In the far distance, he saw the Hokage Monument. There was only one face carved in on the mountain, a face he knew and talked to in person.

Senju Hashirama.

Sasuke's jaw hung loose, a breeze tickling his skin.

Did Madara's space-time jutsu succeed?

No, there was no way. It wasn't possible. Sasuke clawed at the tree bark, leaving marks on the wood and returned to where Naruto was. He dropped onto the floor with a plop. He thought through his options. The fact that there was a space-time jutsu capable of sending the both of them back in time was sketchy. It was difficult to grasp the concept of time travel, more so when they were sent back more than half a century. Sasuke bit his thumb. His stream of thoughts kept winding in his head.

Once he was sick of simply sitting and doing nothing, he got up to carry Naruto on his back. It was best for them to stick together for the time being. There was no telling what Madara did to them yet and the effects of the strange jutsu. If they were really in the past, the moron would screw things up if he was alone. Sasuke sighed, adjusting Naruto's position so he wouldn't slip off.

They reached the bottom of the hill and Sasuke finally spot Konoha's entrance gates. He paused in his steps, hearing footsteps and ducked under the bushes. Above him were Konoha ninjas judging from the familiar forest green vests.

Deeming the area clear of any ninjas, Sasuke let go of Naruto. Naruto fell limp onto the ground and Sasuke crawled out of the bush, dragging the other by the ankle. He closed his eyes, waiting for someone to find them. Unless the ninjas Sasuke saw weren't from Konoha, his plan would work considering the First Hokage's attitude. If it came to it, Sasuke would take the ninjas down and find another way into the village. Or would killing them benefit more?

In order to figure out the details of what was going on, they had to get into the village walls and in order to get in Konoha and stay long enough to collect information, they had to officially become citizens.

"Hey," someone said. "There's two beaten up kids here." The other man looked around for enemies and bent down, checking Naruto and Sasuke's pulse. He sighed in relief.

"They're alive," he said. His face then changed into one of worry. "Should we bring them back to the village?"

"But, we don't know if they're spies…" It wasn't uncommon in the warring era that clans from neighbouring countries would send children to infiltrate Konoha. "And that sword laying over there is their's isn't it?"

The hesitant tone was obvious.

Come on…

Murmuring voices muddled together, more and more of the patrols' colleagues regrouped in the area. Chatter of where'd the children had come from, who they were, and if they were spies continued to circulate amongst the group.

"Mito-sama," someone greeted, bowing. A red haired woman walked onto the scene.

"What is going on here?" she asked and the chatter hushed.

"I thought you were with the Hokage?"

Mito glanced at the man for changing the subject. "I am out running errands for him." She waved him off. "Who are these children?"

"We don't know who they are. They appear to be lost, injured children ," a man reported. Mito's eyed the two children's clothes.

"What are you waiting for? Get these children to the hospital," she ordered.

"B-but Mito-sama, we don't know if they're spies."

Mito pointed to the clan symbols on Naruto and Sasuke's shirts. "Look closely, one of them is an Uchiha child and the other is of my clan, an Uzumaki."

Naruto was half-asleep when he saw dried leaves on the ground. He heard the sound of crunching footsteps, but they weren't his because his legs were dangling in the air. His right cheek rested on something and he wondered if someone was carrying him. It was warm and comforting. He tried to bury his face deeper into the warmth. Naruto's conscious fogged and a blur of red replaced the fallen leaves. He reached out to touch it.

"Pretty…" he mumbled. Someone giggled, making him snap his eyes open. In front of him was a woman with her hair tied in two buns sitting on a chair. Naruto sat up. "Who are you?" he asked, immediately freezing up. He touched his neck, blinking.

"My name is Mito," the woman said, getting his attention. Naruto looked at her.

"Your hair is pretty," he complimented and grinned. Mito smiled.

"You're the only one other than my husband to think so. Thank you."

"It's like my mom's…" An image of his mother flashed in his mind and he smiled. He untangled his fingers from the woman's hair.

"What's your name?" Mito asked.

"I'm Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto," he said.

Mito maintained a stoic expression, a hint of softness peaking through. "Naruto, why were you ou—"

A curtain swished, interrupting Mito. "Naruto," the third occupant in the room said. Naruto turned, straightening up on his bed at the voice.

"Sasu…ke?" Panic bubbled in Naruto's stomach, quickly rising and registering in his brain. He leaned forward, kicking the white sheets that covered him. Sasuke was here.

Sasuke's safe.

Naruto stumbled onto the floor, landing on his stomach. He scrambled to his feet and over to Sasuke's bed. His legs tangled and he tripped, grabbing at the edge of the mattress.

"Sasu—" Naruto lifted his gaze from the bed. He pointed a shaking finger at the other, opening his mouth to question what on earth he was doing looking like a kid. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and Naruto closed his mouth.

"Are you two okay?" Mito asked. The woman hadn't moved from her seat and didn't seem too surprised with Naruto's reaction. Sasuke nodded and looked down at Naruto.

"You okay?" he said. "I know you're confused right now, but I'll explain what happened later, alright?" Sasuke hoped Naruto would know not to throw a fit here. Given Naruto's silence followed by a nod, he understood.

Though Naruto's face couldn't hide his confusion and worry, he climbed onto Sasuke's bed.

"It'll be fine…" Sasuke whispered. Naruto did a double take at the gentle tone. Was this really Sasuke or was this guy a fake? His previous words were also strangely phrased. Naruto was expecting a shut up I'll tell you later with a glare or nothing at all.

Their attention was brought back to Mito when she cleared her throat. She stood from her chair and asked, "Can I trust you two to stay put while I find my husband?" She exited the room after receiving a nod from each of them.

Silence sunk between them, the bristling leaves outside being the only sounds they heard. Naruto had enough of staring at the door and shifted on the bed to look at Sasuke.

"Sasuke, where are we? And why do you look like a kid?" Naruto knit his brows, propping a hand to his chin. Sasuke breathed out. His gaze hardened at Naruto.

"Shut up and listen for now. Don't make a fuss," Sasuke said. Naruto chuckled and it earned him an even harder glare if that was possible. There wasn't mistaking it, this was Sasuke.

"Okay, okay. I'll be serious. So, what's going on here? Did the war end while I was unconscious?" Naruto grinned. Sasuke was still here in the village after the war and that was great. He could become a shinobi of Konoha again. His grin faltered when Sasuke's expression turned cold.

"The war's not over," Sasuke said. Naruto's eyes widened, a heavy heartbeat thud in his chest.

"Huh? What…do you mean it's not over?" He trembled, a nervous smile creeping on his face. "W-what are you saying Sasuke? We're back at the village aren't we? And…you're here too," he said. Naruto gazed into Sasuke's dark eyes. What else could've happened if the war didn't end? He remembered chasing after Sasuke when a bright light shone…

"We didn't get trapped in Madara's Infinite Tsukuyomi did we?" Worry swirled in sea blue eyes.

"No, we're not. It doesn't feel like one," Sasuke said, looking out the window. At that, the other's shoulders dropped with an exhale. Naruto glanced up at Sasuke, knowing the man had something more to say.

When Sasuke continued to silently stare outside, Naruto shot out the question. "Then where are we?" he asked.

"Listen, Naruto," Sasuke started, turning back to Naruto. "That light you saw when Madara had his grip on me was a space-time jutsu he used." He paused, giving Naruto a chance to talk.

As expected, Naruto gave him a confused look. "You mean like Kakashi-sensei's Kamui?" He crossed his arms and sat criss-cross applesauce. Sasuke blinked and Naruto explained, forgetting Sasuke never saw Kakashi's Kamui upfront. "Kakashi-sensei can pull people and objects into a different space dimension…I think that's what he said?" he finished off unsure.

"Yeah, it's similar to that," Sasuke nodded, "But it's different. I said it was space-time jutsu."

"And…that means?" Naruto looked at him, urging him to clarify exactly what he meant. Sasuke sighed and shrugged.

"We're in the past," he said. Naruto went stiff and stared at Sasuke. The room became silent again. Naruto held out his hand in front, the other hand pinching his nose. He squeezed his eyes shut.

"Stop, wait." He sighed, opening his eyes slowly. Naruto cleared his throat and asked, "What exactly do you mean by that?"

Sasuke frowned. That was as clear and simple as he could make it. Though Sasuke understood it wasn't easy to accept that they were sent to the past, Naruto's hesitance frustrated him—the information was difficult to digest for him as well.

"Naruto," he growled. Naruto straightened his back and the atmosphere turned serious at Sasuke's face.

"Yeah, what is it?" Naruto stared straight into Sasuke's eyes and Sasuke did the same.

"Madara sent us back in time and we're further back than I expected," Sasuke said.

Naruto filed a question in his mind to ask later and listened on.

"Judging by the look of the village, I'm confident to say we're in Konoha's founding era."

"Konoha's founding era," Naruto repeated to himself. "Then we're in the time when the First Hokage is the village's leader?"

"Yeah, he's alive," Sasuke confirmed.

The thought that they were back in the past finally sunk in. Dread pooled in Naruto's stomach and the air in his chest felt stale, putting pressure against his sternum. His eyes darted around, searching Sasuke's entire face.

"…We have to get back," Naruto murmured. "Sasuke, we have to get back…" He stopped, stunned by Sasuke's surprised look. He was about to say something when he noticed his vision blur. Naruto rubbed his arm across his eyes, wiping the moisture out of them.

"I'm fine…" He fixated his gaze again on Sasuke who had his usual indifferent expression on. "How are we going to get back Sasuke? We left Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei and the whole shinobi alliance with Madara!" Naruto shouted without realizing it.

"I don't know and this sort of jutsu isn't a field I know much about," Sasuke replied. Naruto clenched his jaw tightly. "They're fine. I told you not to make a fuss ou—"

"Fine? How are they fine when Madara is still standing?!" Naruto spat. "If he had enough strength in him to use this space-time jutsu, then maybe we weren't so close to defeating him as we thought." He held his arms by his side in his fighting stance, fists balled up in anger and unease. Naruto had left his comrades to fight alone.

While Naruto was yelling, he had stood up on Sasuke's bed and Sasuke glared up at the man.

"Even if Madara had the chakra left to fight, Sakura and Kakashi would be fine is what I'm saying," Sasuke said sternly. The other threw his hands down, the mattress squeaking from his movement.

"I need to be there. We need to be there with them. It was our fault for getting caught in Madara's jutsu but we left them alone," Naruto said. "I can't do that to them."

"Cut it out, Naruto!"

Naruto jumped at Sasuke's harsh tone and volume. He caught a glimpse of black and before he knew it, Sasuke had slammed his head to the bed.

"They aren't as weak as you think, Naruto," Sasuke said lowly and Naruto let out a pained groan, choking on his saliva. He clawed his way to grab on Sasuke's wrist, pulling. He bit his lip and looked to the side, releasing his grip to instead shield his face.

"I don't need you telling me that. I know…" he whispered.

The two went rigid and their heads whipped towards the door as they sensed an incoming presence.

"Two…"

"No, three."

Sasuke removed his hand from Naruto's forehead and together they watched the shadow behind the door slide it open revealing…

They both froze, mouths parted in shock. The man they had fought just recently, the strained aura, the stench, the stress of the battle still freshly embedded in them and they could only stare.

Madara