Prologue

Knocking on Heaven's door

I own Nothing

A barren land of light and white, that is what greeted our young hero as he opened his eyes - expecting to be met with the soft blues of the noon sky, clouds scatter across it as they slowly move from one side to another.

Moments ago he was on his back - blood pooling beside him as his right arm was now missing from the elbow to the tip of his now non-existent fingertips. His long lost friend was to his side, brandishing the same wound as his own, both pools meeting somewhere in the middle. He was cold - down right freezing - even though the sun was overhead, beating down on the stones they laid their weary head to rest on. After a while, his mind began to blur and his breath started to hitch in his chest. He was done for, he could feel it. He was losing blood far too quick and was miles away from any Medical-nin. It would take them two hours to reach them and by then it would be too late, today was the day that Naruto Uzumaki's eyes closed for the last time, the final words to be heard in his last second was spoken from his friend.

"I lost".

Those words - impactful and emotional, rattled around the boy's mind as one of the few things he could remember. As he stood - surrounded by the white, empty space - his thoughts grew foggy, chipped, and shattered.

"A newcomer, such a pleasant surprise." A voice spoke, catching the young man's attention only to find nothing for the voice to originate from. Nobody, no mouth, no face, no nothing. He was alone, drifting in this white abyss with no direction, no purpose, no path.

"Is he who I think he is, the so call Hero of Prophecy?" A deeper, more authoritative voice spoke this time, this one coming from what he believed to be the left. He looked to find the same emptiness that surrounded him. "Yes, I believe so. At least - half of the said prophecy, I suppose."

"His eyes, his hair - it couldn't be denied, this is also the son of Minato Namikaze, the sacrificed child for none other than the Kyuubi itself." Now a third voice entered the fray, this one was more reserved with a raspy tone, almost as if he was inches from death. "I thought it would have been 10, 20 more years before I saw you before us; your death was most unforeseen." The vale of white was soon lifted, revealing the three that now stood before Naruto. They encircled him, each draped in their own garbs while the sat upon a custom throne of their own design.

The first was dawned all in white, her dress reaching her ankles as scarves looped around her elbows. Her hair was bright blonde and her eyes were a piercing silver. Her throne was a cream color, the smooth marble complemented the lady draped upon it.

The one to her right was dressed in varying colors of black and gray. Her skin pale while her hair was as black as tar and her eyes held nothing but white, an endless depth of white. This one's throne was composed of black and bones. The final one was something Naruto has seen once before, but only in a memory. The Shinigami, the bringer of death. It's throne was nothing more than a symbol of it's ability, the passage of time. The regal chair shifted and warped, not one word or a combination of them could truly describe what it was.

"So, it's true. I really am dead?" Naruto asked, astounded by the sights before him.

"Oh, and how did you come to that conclusion?" The one draped in white asked coyly, hiding her thin, rosy red lips behind the palm of her hand which was covered by her long sleeves.

"I don't know. Bright lights, ominous beings in big chairs, and the...lack of feeling. I guess you could say it was just an educated guess." He said with a sigh though he wondered how that was possible, seeing as dead things shouldn't even have lungs let alone the capacity to sigh or talk. "First educated guess in my life, I guess."

"Yes, mortal." The creature draped in black and grays spoke first, "I am Yami."

"And I go by the name of Kami," The one dressed in white spoke, a smile on her porcelain white face as she introduces herself, "and it's a pleasure to finally meet you. We've heard much about you."

"Wait, you've heard of me? From who?" Naruto wondered, only to see Kami chuckle at his question.

"This is the focal point where every man, woman, and child who dies comes forth to meet their makers, many that you've seen and touched in your life have passed through here. Jiraiya, Kushina, Minato, Asuma, Itachi, Obito, the list continues." Kami stated calmly, her voice as soothing as silk and honey. "And we are no strangers to peeking into the mortal realm. We've seen you grow from a little orphan to a war hero. It's quite remarkable."

"I wouldn't call myself a war hero," Naruto blushed slightly, a bit bashful to such praise. After his battle with Pein and being slapped with the label of "the hero of Konoha", he's grown to feel a bit embarrassed for being called such things. "I was only one soldier in a war. We couldn't have won against Madara, Obito, or the Ten tails without everyone, and I mean that. A lot of good men and women died that day, I guess now you could add me to the list too."

"Without you, child, this war would still be going on." Yami interjected her voice more forceful and bass driven than her associates, "You may have been one man, but you've done the work of a million."

"Not to be rude but is there a reason you brought this up?" Naruto questioned.

"Impatient - Uzumaki blood truly runs through your veins." The Ghoul draped in white spoke this time, his voice so composed, so small. A voice you would never believe to come from such a menacing and feared creature. "This is a most fortuitous occasion, Naruto. The day of your death might be the day of your rebirth."

"Rebirth, I don't think I understand?" Naruto said a brow cocked slightly towards the gods before him.

"Of course you wouldn't, Shinigami has never been good at explanations. Especially to mortals." Said Kami, taking this time to speak out to the boy and elaborate on her "friend's" explanation. "We wish to provide you with a choice, between your own personal paradise and the gift of living once again. You've earned it for what you've done."

"Wait, do you mean winning the Fourth Shinobi War? Why would I be rewarded for something like that?" He asked once more, his already fractured mind began to ache from this new information just flooding forth, and he was never quite fond of thinking when he was still alive.

"No, war is a construct of your human ways. You human's killing one another over beliefs or land is as predictable as the sun setting or grass growing." Yami said, her words harsh but rung with the truth. No reward could be given for something as simplistic and single-minded as wars in the eyes of the Dark God. "No - we wish to give you this choice for doing the impossible."

"what did I do?" He wondered.

"We see all, from the creation of man to the rebirth of one of our creations - Kaguya, the Rabbit Goddess. We even foresaw the death of your people and the death of your dimension. But, you changed it - our eyes were blind to what would happen next. Not even the famed Sage of Six Paths could deviate from our foresight. You did something no one else has ever done - You blinded gods and changed your predestined fate." Kami explained, taking over for her sister as if it was scripted. Their tone's seemed so different yet, when spoken in tandem with one another, it creates an easy blend of warmth and cool tones.

"I don't understand, how could I do that?" He questioned.

"That is something even we cannot explain." The Shinigami stated simply, his bony finger pointing rigidly towards Naruto. "But we know that you are the key to all of this."

"But I still don't get why I should be given this choice. I didn't do this alone - Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi, Obito and countless otheres helped me defeat Kaguya, I wasn't the only one on that battlefield and I wasn't the only one working to change our fate." Naruto stated firmly, unwilling to believe he was the only one to do this.

"Yes, we are aware of that, mortal," Yami stated firmly. "But you were the only one to catch us by surprise. Sasuke's death was foreseen, Sakura's as well, and Kakashi alongside Obito was nothing more than a forgone conclusion. But their deaths - they were stopped or altered by you. Obito and Sasuke died with dignaty and reconsilation with his long time friend, while Kakashi, Sakura, and the world are now safe because of your influence. You rewrote the set path, you deviated from our foresight. We wish to give you this choice above the others because you've caused a change, a change that we are fascinated with." Naruto fell silent, his mind raced with thoughts as he stared at the white floor, hoping something would come to him - anything.

"If you choose paradise, then that will be the end of it - we will not force this upon you. But if you choose life, we will watch over you in another dimension, studying this phenomenon more closely this time around. Hopefully, this will give us an explanation of this strange occurrence." The Shinigami explained, catching Naruto's attention once more.

"Dimension?" He asked.

"Yes, once again Shinigami has forgotten he is talking to a mortal, who is unfamiliar with the intricacies of how this works." Kami smiled, though from her tone you could tell this was something that happened on a daily occasion. "Your world is one of an infinite amount of other worlds, some very similar while others are drastically different to your world. They are created by the infinite possibilities of a single choice. Let's take, for example, your death. You died, that is for certain, but before that - there was a whole host of possibilities that could have happened. But, for time's sake, let's narrow it down to two. The possibility that you die - the world you just came from - and the one you didn't die. Now, thanks to those two possibilities, two identical worlds are formed - except for those exact crucial point. Both exist at the same time but as a different dimension. One dimension is the one you just came from, a dimension that lost their Naruto Uzumaki - while the other, you're saved and healed by Sakura and live a life of happiness and love with your wife and two children. Do you understand this now?"

Naruto stares at the god, his eyes wide and his mouth ajar. "...So, what you're saying is I get to live again in my….. "old" dimension? So, like, I'll be a zombie? Don't you think that would be a little….odd?"

"Let's see, how can I explain a complex situation such as this to a mere mortal?...Life and Death are like doors, child. Once it is closed in your dimension, it cannot be opened. Now, this is the first time we've ever given a mortal a choice to live after his soul has been collected from his body. So, we believe that if we bring you back to life in another dimension you will be given a new door that will stay open until you die once again." Yami said, her voice held a mix of annoyance and total detachment. Though this unknown phenomenon has gotten her curious, the boy that caused it certainly has not.

"So, I'll be alive again, but in another dimension," Naruto asked, looking to Yami for confirmation.

"Yes," she nodded with little motivation, her head now resting on her knuckles as she looks down on the boy with her lifeless eyes.

"So no one else will be given this chance, not even Sasuke?" He asked, still a bit hopeful his long time friend might get a shot at redemption - but then, as he looked to the gods, another thought came to his mind that needed to be voiced. "And what happened to Kurama, did he die with me?"

"No, no one shall. Sasuke or anyone else for that matter, does not exhibit the same signs that you have, which means it would be useless to give them this opportunity." The Shinigami answered his first question without delay, but when it came to the other one, he stopped and pinched his chin between his thumb and forefinger. "As for the Nine-tailed Fox spirit that rested within you after your death. He was killed alongside you - however, the seal bonded your soul with his, meaning his spirit and chakra lives within yours. So, this discussion effects both you and Kurama."

"Bound spirits?" He asked once more, this meeting of the gods seemed to raise more questions than it could ever answer.

"Far different from being a simple Jinchuuriki - his mind is within yours while is chakra is pooled deep inside you. But you and you alone have the ability to control this power. He's alive within you but also not, in a way." Yami said simply, though to Naruto, nothing she said seemed simple.

Naruto remained silent - his thumb and pointer pinching his chin in thought. "...Wait, before I decide, I need to know. This world - this other dimension I could go to, is it the same as my old world? Is what happened to my world the same that will happen to this one?"

"In what way do you mean?" Kami wondered.

"Well, you know. Like the stuff with the Akatsuki, Orochimaru's invasion, Madara, Obito, all of that. Will it happen to this world too?" He clarified.

"Does it matter?" Yami asked dismissively.

"Of course it does! If they will face the same stuff I did, then I can stop it! I can save hundreds of lives, even stop a war before it happens! If I go back, I can save the people I lost before." He said with renewed vigor. Though he couldn't save many of those that mattered to him before, if he could have another chance to do it all again, maybe he could truly save those he loved and create a better, peaceful future.

"This world will be different, Naruto - changes always occur in different dimensions. Some more minimal than others, we cannot say that everything will happen in accordance to your dimension's timeline. But, we can say that the pieces are there." Kami said tenderly, hoping to let Naruto's rather ambitious hopes down gently.

"So….you're saying it's like a puzzle. All the pieces are there, but the can be arranged in a different order?" He said after a moment of silence on his part.

"I suppose if you wished to make something as complex and infinite as other dimensions and the timestream as a whole sound so simple. There will be changes, it is up to you if you wish to live in a world like this." Yami said, strangely surprised at how Naruto could dumb down such a complex part of the universe.

"...If there's even a chance that I can save Jiraiya-sensei, old man Sarutobi, Asuma, and all the others that died, then I have only one more question for you three. When do I leave?" He said triumphantly, prepared to dive into the fray one more time without fear or, rather, without any forward thinking or planning, but he's made a career out of that.

"Why? I do not wish to skew your choice, but I just wish to know. Why throw away paradise for a dimension of people that might not even know your name?" The Shinigami questioned, curious as to what the boy's answer would be - and it seems that he wasn't the only deity that was curious about his answer. They all perked up just slightly enough to go unnoticed by Naruto but not by the Shinigami, who seemed to smile weakly at their new found interest.

"Because with this new chance, I have hope in actually creating a peaceful world. I was weak as a kid; I could barely make a clone, how could I ever help anyone back then? Yes, I grew in strength, but it was always too late to truly make a difference. But now, I have the knowledge and the strength of my old self to bring forth peace with my bare hands. I can help the world become a better place, how could I pass this up? I couldn't live with myself knowing I could save the world and I chose to be selfish." He said, a fire burning in his non-existent stomach at the mere thought of his new trails.

"Who said you would have your knowledge still intact? We said we will give you back your life. That is all. Your knowledge and technical strength are not on the table here." Yami asked simply, prepared to see the human's burning drive whittle under the truth of the matter, only to be shocked once more by this blonde boy before her.

"Then…..Then I'll just become stronger in that dimension without it! I won't sit back and let this world suffer like mine!" He said without missing a single beat as he locked eyes with the pupil-less being of darkness, his stare unrelenting and unflinching.

"Such a true spirit and a strong heart." Kami smiled.

Yami heard her sister's praise and broke her gaze from Naruto in a slightly defeated manner. " A strong devotion to protecting others. I suppose this human is not entirely like I had thought, you are full of surprises, Naruto Uzumaki." Yami nodded, resting her hand on her chin in thought once more.

"Even in death, he still thinks of others. How interesting." Shinigami said - his raspy voice portraying his intrigue.

"What are you guys talking about?" Naruto wondered, looking to the three gods with his eyebrow raised. This meeting of the minds gave Naruto more questions than it answered and it wasn't really helpful when they seemed to be in their own little world, discussing things that in Naruto's mind made no sense. "you're not making much-"

"Very well, is this your final decision?" Yami questioned, deciding to forgo Naruto's previous thought to get to the simple question that all three gods wished to know.

"Yes, one hundred times, yes!" He declared strongly, a fire burning in his eyes. This was the fire that kept him moving, kept him striving for more, and this exact fire will be the same thing to give him a new life, a new chance, and a new hope for this new world.

"Then your choice has been made. Your body shall be restored to the way it was before you died, your memories and power intact." Kami said sweetly, her teeth glimmering in the afterlife's afterglow.

"Wait, but you said-" He began but was stopped by another.

"Simply a test, Uzumaki. Simply a test." The Shinigami said, raising his hand to stop the boy's question. "Besides, the Sage of Six Path's power that he bestowed upon you cannot be taken from you, not even if we wished it. The power was fused to your spirit, so even in death, you are recognized as the wielder of his power."

"Alright, I'm ready. Send me home!" He said with a smile. Though it might have only been a few minutes in real time, Naruto was finally going back home to where he belongs. He was now gifted with a second chance to make things right, he wasn't going to squander it, not even for a second. "Jiraiya, Asuma, old man Sarutobi, and all of those lieves lost - I won't let you die, not this time. You can count on it!"

"Very well, have a productive second life, Naruto Uzumaki." The Shinigami said as Naruto fades from their view to be placed within this new world. "We'll be in touch."

-New Dimension -

A ball appeared within the forest of death, a gleaming orb of gold light morphed within the clearing - dissolving anything it touched. Soon, it gave way to a man, 16 of age, a pair of ripped orange pants and a fish net vest the only thing keep him modest. "Damn," He murmured, feeling the wear and tear on his body. "When they said they would restore my body to the way it was before I died, I didn't think they meant it literally. Well, at least they gave me my arm back."

"This place," Naruto thought, slowly raising to his feet as tenderly as possible. "Where have I seen this place before…..Oh, right! Chunin exam, this is the forest of death! But…..but something doesn't feel right. It's night time, and I don't sense any chakra except for….a few over there. Wait, one's a Jinchuuriki!? What the hell is going on? But I guess I'm not going to learn anything by standing here all night." and like that, he was off with enough speed as you would expect from a bruised shinobi.

-Unknown Location-

As the reborn hero from across dimensions speeds towards this unknown group, said group is gripped in a heated battle between the truth and the known. "They've been lying to you your whole life, Nami - since the decree 16 years ago." A sickeningly bitter voice spoke, her twisted smirk one of the few defining features. Her white hair rested shoulder length with a slight hint of blue to it and green, beady little eyes. She wore the standard attire of the Konoha-nin, which included a flak jacket and forehead protector that she wore like a bandanna. High up in the canopy of the Forest of Death she stood as she looked down on another pair of females who looked worse for wear at this point in time.

"What decree?" One asked, looking up at this smirking harpy with a confused tone in her voice that matched in her eyes.

"Everyone knows except you. Ikuko's trying to hide it from you even now, she'd do anything to shut me up!" She said ever so smugly, her smile seemed to grow the more she toyed with her prey.

"What are you talking about, what is this stupid decree!?" She cried out, growing tired of being played with.

"Don't tell her, it's forbidden Misuzu! Don't do it!" The now named Ikuko added another voice into the fray,

Misuzu wasn't deterred, however, as she continued onwards, staring deep into the blonde's eyes. "The decree is that no one can tell you what you really are, what's really inside you!" She said, pointing a sharpened nail towards the blonde, "Nami! Within you is the Nine Tailed Fox spirit, you are the Kyuubi! The fox spirit that killed Ikuko's parents and hundreds of lives in this village rest within you! "

"Stop it! Nami, don't listen to him! You're not the Kyuubi!" Ikuko cried out, hoping to reach her student but sadly, her words seemed to elude her precious Nami.

Seeing the tormented look in the girl's eyes, Misuzu pressed on, unrelenting in her onslaught. "They've all been sneaking around, hiding this from you your whole life. Didn't you think it was strange how they treated you? Like dirt! Like they hated you for just being alive!" She said wickedly, without even a second to let Nami breath for even a moment.

"No….No! You're wrong, you're lying!" Nami cried, gripping the side of her head to hopefully block out Misuzu's words and the thoughts that soon followed.

"Nami, wait! Please - calm down!" Ikuko said tearfully, practically in tears as she watched her favorite student's mental state start to break before her and she could do nothing to stop it. It was too late, Nami now knew what almost everyone else did in the Village Hidden in the Leaves, that she was the Jinchuuriki of the nine tailed fox.

"That's why you'll never be accepted by this village! Even your beloved sensei and sister figure hates your guts!" As Mizusu's onslaught continues Ikuko tries to move towards her struggling friend but is unable to, her wounds immobilizing her, forcing her to watch as her favorite student is sent through such harsh torment. "Die, Nami!" Nami, noticing the twirling Shuriken now spinning on Misuzu's finger, begins panics.

"Nami, get down!" Fumbling backwards, all she could do was turn and duck, hoping the blade might miss her out of sheer luck. Ikuko jumped to protect her student - prepared to bite the bullet just to make sure Nami lived to see another day. Clinched and prepared for the attack - Ikuko waited for what felt like minutes for the sharp pain that usually accompanies an attack. Nervously - Ikuko looks back, prepared for the worst and whatever that would entail.

She was shocked to find someone - some stranger standing behind her, his hand grasping the tip of Misuzu's deadly windmill shuriken.

"People like you are nothing but garbage!" The man spoke bitterly through his teeth, clenching his fingers down on the blade as it crumbled like it was nothing. "You are poison that needs to be purged. This girl is not the monster, you are!"

"Who the hell are you?" Misuzu questioned, glaring harshly down at this mystery man for taking away her perfect opportunity to take out her only threat. "And who are you to judge? Do you even know what that freak is? It's a-"

"Jinchuuriki, the term you are looking for is Jinchuuriki!" He corrected, tossing the broken windmill to the side. "They hold a burden that you couldn't possibly understand nor will you. You know, I met a guy just like before, looked like you, talked like you, and even thought like you. Do you know what I did to him? I beat him to a bloody pulp for hurting my sensei and for all he's done to me over the years. Now, I'm going to do the same to you!" He said sternly as his eyes stared back at Misuzu with a glare so harsh it could burn through her head if he wanted too.

"Try me, boy! I'll rip you to shreds!" She yelled bitterly, preparing to toss the last windmill towards the blonde, believing his previous catch was somehow a flock. As her arm reached back the blonde male disappeared in a blur of tattered orange clothing and his bright blonde hair only to appear before her with speeds unlike anything she's ever seen.

"You abused this lady for something out of her control, you use her for your own personal gain, and now you wish to kill her for your own sick, twisted version of preciousness." He gripped her wrist, keeping her from grabbing her trademark weapon to defend herself. He lifts her from her crouched position so she was now face to face with his piercing blue eyes, and now she realized how dire this situations has just turned. "You won't touch a hair on that girl's head or anyone else's for that matter for as long as I live. Now, begone." Those were the final words heard by Misuzu for quite some time as Naruto raised his free hand and brought it across her face, propelling her downwards onto the waiting ground….with enough force that would make Tsunade jealous.

To Naruto's defense he actually wasn't planning on hitting her all that hard….it just kinda happened. He still wasn't used to his new found strength and he mostly fought people at his level or stronger, not giving him all that much time to scale his power against lesser beings. As Misuzu laid in her crater twitching, Naruto jumped from his perch and landed in front of the wounded ladies, who he quickly helped up.

"Hey, are you two alright?" He asked, slowly helping the darker skinned lady up first before assisting the blonde.

"Y-Yeah, just a few cuts. Nothing serious." Ikuko said numbly, placing a hand on one of the more active wounds to stop it from soaking her flack jacket. "I should be asking you that very question. You're a mess!" She said quickly, noticing his tattered clothing and dried blood and bruising that coated a decent portion of his face.

"Oh that, don't worry about me. I'm a quick healer. What are your names?" He said bashfully, hating to look like this in front of two rather attractive females.

"Ikuko, and this one is-" She began, but was silenced when her student whipped around her, now standing in between both her and Naruto with widened eyes and a jovial smile.

"Holy crap, mister! How did you do that? That was so cool!" She practically gushed as Naruto's blush creeped moreover his features the more this blue eyed beauty continued to stare at him.

"This one is Nami, she's a bit ditsy as you can tell." Ikuko sighed, though anyone could tell it was all in jest. This now named Nami stood a few inches below both Ikuko and Naruto, she wore a dark orange and black jacket that is unzipped, revealing her black tank top and fishnet top. Her pants were baggy with the same dark orange hue that matched her jacket. She looked around Naruto's age, though her "ditsy" stare could have been confused for a 12 year old. (Naruto's outfit from Shippuden but open in the front.)

"Hey, who are you calling ditsy? I'm just curious - is all. But mister, seriously, how did you do that? You beat Misuzu with one slap!" Nami said, switching between her nose stuck up in defense to a enthusiastic teen once more, her long pigtails bouncing with every swivel of her head.

"Oh, well um, it wasn't very hard for me. I've trained a lot to take on people much stronger than her." He said, scratching his whiskers as he usually did when he couldn't really come up with a clever answer.

"And that stuff you said - the stuff about Jinchuuriki's, were you telling the truth?" She asked, her eyes glued to the blonde as if his words were law.

"Of course, I know a lot about the struggles of Jinchuuriki's." He said, his bashful nature now replaced with his trademark smirk and thumbs up, making Nami's smile grow even more.

"What's your name, mister?" She wondered, her curiosity peeking the more she spent with this strange man, and she wasn't the only one who seemed curious as to who this man could be. Ikuku stared at the blonde, her eyes transfixed on his birthmarks on his left and right cheek as she then quickly looked to Nami, noticing the exact same lines in the exact same place. She continued this for quite a while, looking back and forth as her eyes grew wider and wider as she noticed how similar the two were.

"Oh yeah, how could I forget my manners. The names Naru-" He began only to see a bush twitch out of the corner of his eye. He looked behind him but was too late to stop what was about to happen. A squad of masked ANBU's burst from their hiding space, surrounding the three with their weapons bared and authority in their voice. "Nami Namikaze, drop the Forbidden scroll and come peacefully or we will use force!" One said, his purple hair the only thing separating him from his comrades. He points his sword towards the blonde as he slowly walks toward the girl who held the scroll on her back. Quickly, the wonder in Nami's eyes vanished, leaving her nervous and rightfully scared.

"Wait - ANBU's stand down! There's been a mistake!" Ikuku said forcefully, standing in front of her student with her arms stretched out wide - and though her words were strong her body did not give off that same strength. The brutal assault that Misuzu rained down upon her had taken it's toll, leaving her little options to protect her student.

"Wait, the Forbidden Scroll? Why does this seem so familiar? And did she just say Namikaze?!" Naruto thought as he just stood stock still, watching everything transpire while something in his mind began to click, a memory from years past.

"Ikuko Umino, stand down. We'll take it from here." A voice called out, catching everyone's attention. The group looked to the tree line to find an aged female who donned the customary hat and haori with a red, full-length kimono that is tied using a white sash. As she walks into view a tiny bit of smoke billowed from her nose. This was the third hokage, Hiroko Sarutobi.

"No, wait. Lady Hokage, this isn't Nami's fault!" Ikuko said firmly, "she was tricked by Misuzu. She wanted to steal the Forbidden Scroll and used Nami to do it. It was a farce to get Nami blamed for the theft of the scroll." The Hokage stood still, her eyes hard and focused as they turned from Ikuku to the student who she protected.

"...Is this true, Nami?" She asked, firm yet a bit of hope still evident in her voice.

This time Nami decided to speak for herself, stepping out from behind Ikuku as she looked her leader dead center. "Hai, she told me if I could take the scroll without you finding out and learn a technique from it before any of you found me I would pass and become a ninja." She said honestly, slipping the string that held the scroll to her back off and cradled it in front of her, prepared to pass the sacred scroll back to it's rightful owner.

Hiroko stood silence for a moment as she took another drag of her pipe. "And Misuzu, where is she now?" She asked, looking to either of them for this answer.

"In that crater over their." Nami said, almost as if she was pointing out a restaurant on the corner street to a stranger.

Hiroko's eyes widened slightly, seeing only Misuzu's pale hand hanging limply from the hole in the ground. She motioned for her ANBU's to take care of this problem before turning her attention back on the group, now fully aware of this new and yet familiar face. "...and who is this blonde fellow? The one gawking in our direction."

The said blonde fellow has spent the past couple of minutes racking his brain over and over again to find out why this seemed so familiar to him, it was almost like deja vu. Then, just as the Hokage strided forth did he realize what was happening before him. "Y-Y-Your Jiji, S-Sarutobi! B-B-But you're a girl, and Iruka, you have boobs. A-A-A-And Namikaze….What the hell is going on here?!" He sputtered, his words incomprehensible mess of statements that no one truly understood. He began pointing at each person he listed off as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

The Hokage cocked a brow to this but decided to keep her composure, for now. "I think I'll be asking the questions here. Now, who are you?" She said calmly.

"Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto said, though his eyes still seemed to bounce from person to person in a hectic fashion. "What is going on here?" he wondered, "Iruka-sensei and old man Sarutobi….there all girls! And who the hell is this other girl? I've never seen her before in my life."

"...Impossible," Hiroko whispered, "all Uzumaki's have been wiped out. The last Uzumaki was our Fourth Hokage."

"What? No, the Fourth Hokage wasn't an Uzumaki. It was Minato, Minato Namikaze!" Naruto said sternly, though, the fact that he was in another dimension far different from his own seemed to be lost on him as he blindly defined his own history.

"There is no one of record named Minato Namikaze. The only Namikaze to ever live in Konoha is Nami and her mother." The Hokage said, perplexed at this man's insane ramblings.

"Wait….Nami Namikaze, Fourth Hokage was an Uzumaki." He began to think as his eyes slowly turned to Nami who's been standing there, patiently watching them argue back and forth. "Forbidden scroll, a fake test, Misuzu…...Oh my Kami!"

"You're me!" Naruto yelled, pointing at Nami.

"What?!" Nami yelled, gripping the scroll tightly from the loud proclamation. While this statement startled Nami it utterly confused the rest of the group. Each ANBU collectively stared at this man as if he had grown an extra arm while the Hokage decided she had heard enough, without a single word she signaled a dark haired ANBU to "take care" of this odd man before he continues to scare Nami.

"Y-You're me! B-But how is this possible? You should be at least 13! What are you, like 16? A-And you're a girl, you look…..you look just like your mother, our moth-" Before he could continue his mad rants the masked assassin silenced him with a single chop to his neck, knocking him unconscious for quite some time. .

"Wait, he was saying something about my parents!" Nami said desperately, surprisingly entranced by his ramblings. What did this man know about her family? What does he know about her mother? All of these questions remained unanswered as the Hokage walked next to her, a tender smile on her face.

She placed a tender hand on the girl's shoulder, alerting her to her presence. "He was talking nonsense, Nami-chan. Nothing to worry about."

"But, - "

"trust me sweetie, nothing he said was true. Now run along, you have a big day tomorrow." She said sternly yet sweetly, showing off her caring side towards Nami. Though she isn't related by blood, the Hokage couldn't get enough of her "grandchild". She was sweet, energetic, and downright infectious, something she shares strongly with her father - I suppose you could say that was one of the reasons she loves Nami, that and many more.

"Tomorrow?" Nami said curiously, passing the scroll back to it's rightful owner who took it with a smile.

"Of course, your team placement is tomorrow, isn't it?" She said coyly, slipping the strap over her shoulder as if this highly forbidden scroll was nothing but a purse.

"Y-You mean?" Nami asked, quivering at the thought of what her grandmother figure was about to say.

"You've earned it, Nami-chan. You've shown a lot skill tonight, even if those skills were used to steal from the Hokage." The Hokage said, but decided to make sure to emphasize that this shouldn't be something that is done regularly.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! Baa-chan, you're the greatest!" Nami cutely squealed, latching onto her Baa-chan with such strength the aging joints of the Hokage began to pop and crack.

"Nami-chan," Ikuko said, getting his energetic student's attention. "I want you to close your eyes." She did, "alright, now open them." her eyes were greeted with Ikuko but missing one important piece of her attire, her headband. Nami touches her forehead to feel the cold metal touch of a headband engraved plate.

"I-Ikuko-sensei, but...but this is yours, you've worked so hard for this headband." She said, teary eyed.

"And so have you, Nami-chan. You've earned it. Besides, what genin doesn't have a headband?" She smiled.

"Thank you, Ikuko-sensei. I'll cherish this forever." Nami said, running off towards her house to get some much needed rest. A few ANBU's help Ikuko up and shisun her to a public hospital for treatment, leaving the Hokage and the unconscious Uzumaki alone.

"What do you want us to do with him, Lady Hokage?" The ANBU questioned, kneeling over Naruto's unconscious, snoring body. She grabbed a kunai in preparation for the Lady's command only to see the Hokage raise her hand in protest.

"That won't be necessary, Neko-san...bring him to my office, I think I have a few questions for this Naruto Uzumaki." She said, before she and her squad of ANBU's dispersed, leaving no trace of their existence behind.

-Hokage's Office-

"W-Where am I?" Naruto asked, his body felt heavy and stiff while his neck was pulsating with pain. Whatever hit him, she knew what she was doing. He slowly looked around, finding himself in a very familiar place. Though a few things were out of place or just moved, but it still had the same old smell and the same old feel that could never be taken from the Hokage's official office.

"Oh, you're already up?" Hiroko said, looking up from her stack of papers to address her newly awakened guest. "Good, I was afraid Neko-san had hit you a bit too hard."

"Jiji, is that you?" He asked, gawking blankly towards the aging woman who, if you added a goatee to her and take away the obvious female figure, would look almost identical to his "jiji".

"Jiji? I am not an old man or your grandfather and I would appreciate it if you didn't call me that - I'm not that old." She said, at first to stave off any thoughts the boy had about her being a man or related to him, but then she felt slightly insulted by being called a grand-anything, only one teen could call her such things and her alone.

"Done, I'm just glad I can finally see you again." He said joyfully, happy to finally see Sarutobi alive, even if he's now more of a she, but it's still him…..just in a girl's body, right? "All though, you are a lot different from the last time I saw you - and I mean, A LOT different."

"What are you talking about? I don't believe I've ever met you before, and I think I would remember you." She said sternly, looking over the tattered mess that was Naruto Uzumaki at this moment.

"Your right, you don't know me. Well, not really," he said, "okay, now that the….initial shock has worn off - at least I think it has, I should be able to explain myself."

"That would be very helpful." She said simply, though curious as to what story this boy would make to explain himself.

"Before I say anything, please, keep an open mind. That is the only way we'll be able to get through this whole thing." Hiroko Sarutobi nods, allowing him to continue. "Alright, let's just get this out of the way first. I am not from here."

"That's quite obvious." She smiled.

"Jokes aside, I'm from a world….no, universe? No, they said dimension - yeah, that's it." He said, the memory of confronting the physical embodiments of gods and grim reapers seemed to be a bit fussy in his brain at the moment. "I'm from another dimension, one that seems a lot different than this. I was sent here by the three beings that make up all the world's checks and balances. Kami, Yami, and the Shinigami. Are you with me so far?"

"As much as I can be," skeptical as one would be, Hiroko wasn't all too invested in what he had to say, but she wished to keep her promise to the boy so she allowed him to continue.

"Good, at least I'm not the only one who's still confused." He said knowingly. He knew how crazy this sounded, hell, if he hadn't just been through it he would think it was crazy nonsense too. "Now, I've been given a second chance at life because of some test they want to run or something like that. Really, after a while the stuff they were saying and the way they were saying it confused the hell out of me. But, anyway, I took their offer to come here to protect the people that matter the most to me and hopefully bring peace to your dimension, something I wasn't able to do in mine."

"Is that the end of your story?" Naruto nods, " Very well. Now, I've been considered an open minded woman in my day. I can look into a person's eyes and tell if they are genuine in what they say and you, my boy, are telling the truth. But, I cannot - in good conscience, say that what you just told me was sold me on you being this dimension hopping being." She said honestly, taking a drag of her pipe once more. She stared the boy down this whole time and saw nothing but truth in those baby blues, but even if he believes himself to be telling the truth it doesn't mean that what he said wasn't any more outlandish and...well, crazy.

"What do you mean? You said that you believed me," Naruto asked.

"Yes, but god's giving you second chances, other dimensions, bring peace to another dimension. You may believe what your saying is true but I'm still needing to be convinced." said truthfully.

"So, you're still willing to hear me out?" Hiroko nods, "Okay then, I still have a chance. Let's see, if I can tell you something that no one else could, like a village secret or a secret of your own and if it's true, would you believe me then?"

She paused, pinching her chin in thought before she answered, "I might." Which gave Naruto just the slimest amount of hope but it was still possible.

"Alright…" He started, trying to think of anything and everything he knew about the world he came from and hopefully things that would still be applicable to this one. "One of your student's created a book named Icha Icha Paradise and you read it religiously." He said as the idea came to him. This version of Sarutobi seemed to act just like his - stern but kind when he needs to be, serious to those who pose a threat to his village but playful towards his village and it's people; so his perverse nature could have transferred to this dimension.

The Hokage blushes, slipping A hidden, orange clad book deeper into her Hokage rob sleeve. "I-I don't know what your talking about."

"Fine, be that way you perv." He smirked, though he wasn't too happy that she's actively lying to him which is making it harder for him to convince her. "...you have three students, Jiraiya of the Toads, Tsunade the Slug Princess, and Orochimaru of the Snakes. Orochimaru betrayed his village to seek everlasting life, Jiraiya is off dealing with his spy network, and Tsunade is drowning herself in cheap sake and gambling debts." He said once more, trying this time to deal with something more specific. Yes, everyone knew of the legendary Sannin but none of them truly knew where they were or why Orochimaru left the village so, possibly this could give him the edge he needed.

Unfortunately, Naruto's luck was not that great.

"Other than their titles, you couldn't be more wrong." Hiroko said with a sigh. "Orochimaru has never betrayed the village, in fact, she loves it. Her role in the council and around the village has helped it prosper for the past few years; especially after the last war. She's even garnered followers - a Clan full of passionate people ready and willing to protect and serve her. I've never trained anyone by the name of Jiraiya or Tsunade, though the names are quite similar to my other students. Jin of the Toads and Tsubasa the Slug Prince. But I do have to say you were right about their whereabouts, so, I'll give you ½ credit. Got any more?" Perhaps it was they way she looked at him or maybe the way she spoke to him, but Naruto knew she truly wasn't taking him seriously now.

"Oh god, Jiraiya and Orochimaru are girls? I-I don't even wanna imagine what they look like! And Tsunade as a man?...Well, she always had the temper of one and she had an odd obsession with destroying things." A shiver ran up his spine as the image of the old perv peeking in on him while he's in the hot spring. Now he knew how girls must feel when the saw his trademarked white, spiky hair walk into town. "...Okay, ummm, Jiray- I mean Jin once raised and trained three kids during one of the Great Shinobi Wars. One had a Rinnegan, Jin even believed the Rinnegan wielder to be the Child of Prophecy!" He said sternly, this time he was sure that it would work. It might seem like a very specific thing to pull out of his hat, but that's what he needed right now; something that could not be refuted or twisted.

A silence hung over the room as the Hokage stared deeply into the boy's eyes, shocked and astounded. "...How could you possibly know that? Jin only told a select few people, me being the last." She asked, recalling the day she heard about this "child of prophecy" from her student as if it were yesterday.

"That's because in my dimension that very Rinnegan user told me that story. But in my dimension the Rinnegan user, who was named Nagato in my time, grew to become a driving force in a group known as the Akatsuki." Naruto explained, happy to see he hooked her attention.

"The Akatsuki? What do you know of them?" She asked,curious as to what this boy knows of the Akatsuki.

"A lot, actually. Being hunted down by them for years gives you a lot of first hand experience." He said with a bitter chuckle, though three of the members became a precious person to him - four if you count Obito towards the end - but he would be a liar if he didn't say he couldn't stand what they stood for or what they did at the time.

"They hunt down the village's Jinchuurikis, extract their Bijuus, and use them to form a creature that they believe would bring peace to the world called the Juubi, an unholy beast formed from all nine bijuus."

"You must be mistaken. From the rumors I've gathered on this 'Akatsuki' group - they are nothing but a group of bounty hunters. A small scale group at that, they only have 4 members at best." She said with a tone of authority over the matter.

"Whatever rumors you've heard are lies. They've spread around to keep their secret dealings underwraps until they grow more in numbers and strength." He told her with a stern voice, his tone indicating he wasn't joking about the matter. "They did the same thing in my dimension and it worked like a charm."

"How strange." She said simply, unable to think of such a come back.

"One of the members is a Missing nin from this very village. An Uchiha who helped in the massacre of his very people that you and your council orchestrated to cut down the Uchiha revolt." He said, deciding it would be best to go for the gold. One of the best kept secrets of Konoha was now stated in a simple sentence, now let's see how the Hokage reacts.

"How dare you!" Apparently not so well, "we would never be so barbaric as to kill an entire clan to stop a few bad eggs and I am offended that you would even accuse us of doing what amounts to a mass genocide!" She howled, enraged by his accusation.

"A few bad eggs? It was practically the whole clan!" Naruto howled back, rightfully cross about how one of his genderbent role model's seemed to try and lie to him about such a horrific event in Konoha's history. It was one to lie about being a aved reader of those pornagraphic novels but a complete slaughtering of a clan was something entirely different.

"Maybe in this so called "dimension" you claim to hail from, but our history books say otherwise." She said, silencing Naruto for now. "A few, I would say 100 out of 300 members, believed they deserved more - that the great Uchiha people should be running this village, not sitting behind a council desk - a small cog in a massively complex machine. They believed that they could start a revolt, a coup to overthrow me and our entire way of living to make the Uchiha the top of the food chain. Unknown to these "visionaries", 2/3rds of their clan were still very much loyal to the village and two of them - the most loyal in their ranks, came to us with a plan. We neutralized the one's who went against us and nurtured those who stood with us. We did not slaughter a clan, are we clear?" She said, her voice demanded his compliance. Naruto looked to her, his eyes saying something his mouth could not, he was wrong and he was sorry.

"Man, this world is so much different from what I'm used too." He sighed as he sat back down. Apparently through this heated debate, he stood from his chair placed in front of the Hokage's desk.

"It would seem so." She said, her voice betraying nothing but aggravation towards the boy and his suggestion just a few moments ago. "Now, if you're done-" she began, looking to her desk to keep her eye contact with Naruto at a minimum.

"No, wait. please, there's gotta be a way for you to believe me." He said quickly, his mind racing to find something else that could persuade her to his side of thinking.

"I'm sorry but you've only been partially right on the things you claim to happen. Yes, some were never told to the public, but that doesn't compel me to believe you about this "different dimensions" that you claim to be from." She said without a second thought, grabbing her pen to begin her paperwork once more.

"Tell her to grab your hand, I'll deal with the rest." A voice called out to Naruto, catching his attention and tongue from saying anything at the moment.

The voice was all too familiar for Naruto as a meek smile appeared on his face as he thought the name, "Kurama? Is that you? And why should I ask her to grab my hand?"

"No time to explain, just do it!" He roared in his usual demanding tone, silencing Naruto's questions for now.

"Wait, before you do anything-" He extends his hand over the desk right overtop her paperwork, catching her attention. "Please, grab my hand."

"Excuse me?" She said, slipping the pipe from her lips as she cocked her brow.

"I know this may seem weird," he began.

"extremely so." She said, staring between his outstretched hand to the body this arm is attached too.

"But please, it will explain everything. Trust me, you're the only one who could." Skeptical as anyone would, Sarutobi looked to this stranger's extended hand - hesitant to trust him. She looked to the corner of her office, peering at the ready in wait ANBU's, and was given assurance that if this was a trick - it would be swiftly put to a bloody end. Slowly, the aging Hokage raised her hand to meet Naruto's, gripping it lightly. And for a moment, everything seemed normal, only for a moment though. Once their skin connected everything before her blinked out of existence except for the blonde. Her office, her desk, the ANBU's she counted on - they had all disappeared to be replaced with eternal darkness.

"W-What is this place? What have you done?" Hiroko asked, mystified yet terrified of what just happened. She felt light, almost weightless as she seemed to float in this single spot seamlessly and without any help.

"I don't know." He said honestly, amazed at this sudden shift as much as she was. "to be honest, this is all new to me. One big surprise after another."

"How do you not know what's happening? You're the one who did this!" She barked his direction, feeling an uneasy in her stomach at seeing how empty and bottomless this dark abyss was.

"I was told to do this by Kurama, I've learned to sometimes just go with the flow when it's dealing with him." Naruto said, feeling rather at ease about this whole thing. To be honest, out of all the things that's happened to him today, this seems like the easier thing to take in.

"And who's Kurama?" Hiroko asked, though a part of her really didn't care, she just hopped this "Kurama" fellow knew how to get her back home.

"Naruto? Can you hear me?" A deep, booming voice answered the Hokage's question. She turned, looking aimlessly around to try and find where this resonating voice could possibly be coming from, but unfortunately she had no luck.

"Yeah, Kurama. I'm all ears, buddy - where are you?" Naruto said, copying the same aimless look as Hiroko as now both he and she were spinning in an infinite direction to find the body this voice originates from.

"Do you not remember a single thing Kami said to you?" He asked, causing Naruto stopped his weightless spinning and ponder on what Kurama could be trying to get at.

"Well, not exactly - I mean, I got the jest of it. You know, being given a second chance, something about different worlds - the rest was just white noise." He said truthfully, though the truth might not have been the best thing to say to his old partner.

"Thick-headed as usual." He sighed, Naruto could picture the usual face he made when he was feed up with Naruto's lack of brain power. "Fine, then listen up cause I'm only going to be explaining this once more to your dumbass! When we died, we died together thanks to the seal placed on you when you were little. Also, thanks to that seal, our souls were bound together; meaning when you were revived in this world my soul was bonded to yours, along with my chakra."

"Okay, but that doesn't explain why I can't see you." He said impatiently.

"I'M GOING TO EXPLAIN THAT IF YOU WOULD GIVE ME FIVE FUCKING SECONDS!" The beast howled, causing the pair of physical beings to cover their ears in pain. "Now, as an average Jinchuuriki, my physical form would be sealed within you. But, since there's already a Kyuubi within this world, the gods decided, seeing as our souls were still bonded, to only send my consciousness and chakra with you. So, I have no physical form."

"Oh, okay. I gotcha." He said simply, nodding his head in confirmation.

"You're lying to me, aren't you?" He asked dryly.

"Yeah, sorry." He sighed, hanging his head in shame of his lack of understanding.

"Damn you, Naruto! What is so hard to understand!?" He yelled.

"All of it, none of it - I don't know! This is a lot to take in! Can you blame me for being a little confused?" Naruto asked, hoping his partner would understand where he was coming from. Gods, bonded spirits, different worlds, gender switched people of his past - all of this was a lot to take in at once and Naruto's only been given a few hours to fully process this.

"Fine, I'll dumb it down for your puny little human brain. My mind and chakra are there but not my physical body because there's already a physical Kyuubi in this world and this world could not handle more than one Kyuubi! Okay?!" He said, hoping to move past this impasse to get to the reason he brought both of them here.

"Why not?" He questioned once more.

"I hate to interrupt this…...charming display of intelligence, but I still would like to know what is going on here!" Hiroko cut in, justifiably confused about what all of this and what was going on. Today was suppose to be a normal day - wake up, eat some breakfast with her husband, go into work and meet with the council about some civilian affairs, and then waste the day way with paperwork - but after Nami stole the scroll it seemed that all hell had broken loose.

"Right, your explanation can wait, Naruto. We need to focus on swinging this Sarutobi to our side." Kurama stated, understanding that this was of far more importance than Naruto's memory trouble.

"From everything that's happening, I'm more inclined to believe anything right now. So, Kurama - was it? let's hear it." She said with a sigh, hoping that what happened next would hopefully get her back at her desk, pushing papers all the more faster.

"I don't need to explain it to you, I can give you the full experience of our world. Just close your eyes and you will see everything." He said. So she did, hoping this might make sense of this whole crazy mess - and she wasn't disappointed. Every last memory from the point of view of Naruto flashed before her very eyes from the day he first drew breath to the second his last breath was drawn out of him. Everything was here, from the Forbidden scroll heist to the final climactic end to the Fourth Great Shinobi War. She even saw her funeral - how sad the people of Konoha seemed and how they grew to become stronger under the helpful rule of her student - or at least, the student of this dimension's Sarutobi.

She opened her eyes once more but this time she was not surrounded by the darkness that swallowed her up mere moments ago, but she was back to her usual office, her hand still grasped firmly in Naruto's - time almost seemed to stand still. "H-How long was I out for?" She asked to no one in particular, slowly releasing her death grip on Naruto's hand.

"Kurama said to us it was only a second. It's pretty cool how he does that, isn't it?" He said with a knowing smile, now he could finally move forward from this and, hopefully, with her help put the steps into motion to create a solid foundation for peace.

"T-The things that you showed me - those were real, they actually happened?" She asked nervously, the images still fresh in her mind.

"In my world, yes. And I came here to make sure it doesn't happen to yours." He said sternly, in his eyes was the fire of a determined man and Hiroko saw that now.

"I don't understand, this - this is so much to take in." She said.

"Welcome to my world." He smiled, happy that someone finally knew how he felt at this exact moment. "The second I've arrived in this world everything I've ever known has been dropped on it's head. Up is down, north is south - and I can bet it's just going to get a lot weirder as time goes on." He said knowingly, "...Wait, I do have a question for you. You called Nami - Nami Namikaze, why?"

"That's her last name - her mother gave it to her to protect her from her father's enemies." Hiroko said as the images from her out of body experience eased into the recesses of her mind for later.

"...Okay, before I stick my foot in my mouth in this new world, I'm gonna need some straightforward answers from you. So, here goes, who was the Fourth Hokage and who is Nami's mother?" He questioned.

"His name was Kukahiko Uzumaki, the first ever male Hokage. Nami's mother is called Minami Namikaze." Hiroko listed off.

"First ever? So, you're saying that every Hokage before him was female?" He asked, making sure his facts were lined up properly.

"Of course, it was a complete shock to Konoha and once word got around - many of our neighboring villages believed we were weaker for it." She said with a slight bitter note in her tone as she swivelled around in her chair to get a view of the gorgeous setting sun in the distance.

"Why?" He asked simply.

"There are many people out there with this foolish notion that men are weaker to women. Simply because there are fewer Shinobis produced from the Academy a year than Kunoichi - making many believe that they are the weaker sex in terms of being a formidable ninja. I believe it's a foolish idea to begin with, a gender does not restrict anyone from doing their job properly and effectively." She explained, her eyes now trained on the single male face on the Hokage Monument. "Some Kunoichi even have the nerve to opt out of a mission simply because they don't wish to be "held back" by their male counterpart. It's childish and stupid, plain and simple."

"...I can't believe I'm stunned again at how different this world is to mine." He said numbly, slinking back into his chair.

"How so?" She asked, turning back to face her guest.

"What you just said - it's the complete opposite of my dimension. Well, except from the part of opting out of missions - but other than that, it's pretty much a spot on flip of the switch." He said, recalling how oddly male dominate his dimension used to be. Sure, you had your Tsuande's, Anko's, and Kurenai's who push the boundaries for Kunoichi's everywhere, but in the history books, there are far more male shinobi's who are held as the strongest in the nation.

"All of this is far too much to go over in one night, I'm afraid. I think if we truly went over the differences of our two dimensions we would be her for days. So, I think it might be best if we pick this up tomorrow." Hiroko said, seeing the setting sun slowly roll below the monument, it's warm glow fading from sight to be replaced with the ink-black night sky.

"Well - I hate to ask this but, umm where will I be staying?" He said, hating to be a bother.

"Oh, yes that's right. I forgot to tell you - while you were asleep, I spoke to Nami and she couldn't stop asking me questions about you. Where you're from, what's your full name - the whole nine yards. If I didn't know any better I would say she had a crush on you and I can't say I blame her. You left quite an impression on her, so much so she offered to take you in. You'll be sleeping at the Namikaze residence tonight." She explained.

"Okay, I guess I'll see you tomorrow" He nodded, standing from his chair before giving the leader of the Hidden Leaf village a respectful bow, both of gratitude and respect, something he sadly didn't show all to much when his Sarutobi was alive.

"Yes, meet me at the hospital at 12. I have a few test I wish to run to make absolutely sure that you are indeed who you say you are. Just precautionary acts, really." She said, waving the boy to stand. "Now, one of my personal ANBU's will escort you to the Namikaze residence. Goodnight, Naruto." As she said those final words to the boy, the same ANBU appeared behind him and lead him quite forcefully through the door, leaving Hiroko alone with a lone figure who lurked in the shadows.

"You believe him, don't you?" The shadow questioned.

"Do you?" Hiroko asked, her eyes trained solely on the papers before her, as if she didn't register this talking shadow.

"I'm not really the trusting type, sensei. You know that." She said coyly, "But he seems sincere, all though - even I've been wrong before. I suppose only time will tell. I'll inform Katsu that we'll be expecting a special guest tomorrow." The shadow soon faded away, revealing a slender woman with a pale skin tone and snake like eyes.

"Thank you, Orochimaru." She said with a smile.

"Of course, sensei. Anything for you," She said sweetly, a small smile graced her humble face. "And if I might suggest something, I would keep a very close eye on him. Something like this doesn't happen everyday." She warned her long time sensei.

"Why do you think I sent an ANBU to "escort" him to the Namikaze residence? I wouldn't let anyone that close to Nami without some boots on the ground." She said with a knowing smirk. Neko-san would keep a close eye on this boy, she would be his shadow for however long the Hokage will allow it. "I've learned over the years not to trust anything face value, but something about this boy - what he showed me, part of me does want to trust him."

-Namikaze Residence-

"So this is the Namikaze residence. It's nice, better than my old apartment. Thank you for showing me the way, Miss." He turned to find the young ANBU gone without a trace. "Talkative bunch, aren't they." He sighed, before turning to the Namikaze's door and giving it a good knock. His long talk with Sarutobi had dulled his senses to the danger this place still held, causing him to overlook the ANBU perched two building over - watching him from afar with her hawk like gaze.

Whispers were heard throughout the modest home, things like "is that him?" and "move, mom! Move!" Could be heard clearly by the newcomer, which brought a charming smile to his face. However, the smile also hinted at something more - a slight bitterness maybe? This world's Naruto - Nami has grown up with a mother; a different mother than his, mind you - but a mother nonetheless. He wished to have that, and maybe he could in this new world but deep down, he knew it wasn't his true mother. "I wonder what I would have been like if I was raised by you, Kushina?"

He was pulled from his thoughts when the apartment door flung open, revealing a smiling Nami and her mother who stood behind her - seeming rather composed while he couldn't say the same for her daughter. Her smile was practically wrapped around her face, the trademark Uzumaki smirk.

"You came!" She squealed, grabbing him by his wrist and dragged him into the house without a second thought. This was going to be a long night.

Thank you all and please, if you have any questions feel free to PM me. Don't forget to review!