Author's Notes: Hello everyone! For now, this will just be a one-shot, but I might expand it into a short series if people are interested. This is just a small diversion from my main story at the moment, "Forty Four," so if you like what you see, head on over to my profile and check that out as well. Reviews, comments, and criticism are always welcome!

Warning: Spoilers up to very recent manga chapters.

The Everyday Shinobi's Guide to Time Travel

Naruto found himself flat on his back with stars in his eyes.

He felt like he'd just been given a bear hug by a brick wall. His body ached everywhere, and he felt emptiness where chakra normally flowed in buckets. After a moment, his vision cleared, but he was forced to squint; the sun shone brightly from its position high in the cloudless sky. It had to be about noon. Great, lunchtime! Ichiraku's, here comes Naruto!

Naruto leapt up, only to find the sky switching places with the ground as dizziness swept his legs out from under him. The ground rushed up to meet him and he faceplanted with a loud groan. Now his head hurt even more.

From his position on the ground, he actually stopped to think for a moment. Wait…wasn't there something he was supposed to be doing? Something important….

Oh shit, the Fourth Shinobi War.

Naruto's eyes snapped open, and, overcoming his nausea, he leapt up. For some reason, he almost missed the ground with his feet and met it with his face again. Was he…shorter? His body felt scrunched, like his limbs had been pulled partway into his body.

But back to the important stuff! Where was Madara, or Tobi, or whoever he was? Naruto swung his head around, but only saw a wide swath of forest in front of the grassy clearing in which he stood. The forest seemed familiar. In fact, the training ground—he recognized the wooden posts used for weapons practice—seemed very familiar as well. He looked into the distance and saw a massive stone wall rising into the sky.

Was he at the Leaf Village?

What the hell?

Not moments ago he'd been fighting against one of the most powerful ninja ever, the leader of the Akatsuki. Their battle had been colossal, with the surrounding forest flattened like mere trodden grass. More importantly, it would have decided the fate of the entire shinobi world. He had to find a way back. Maybe it was still going on. He remembered being hit by one of Madara's attacks, but nothing after that. And now there was no sign of any struggle anywhere he could see.

Maybe Kurama would know what was going on. Naruto closed his eyes, and with a mere thought, found himself in his mind, in the familiar stone chamber housing the king of the tailed beasts. However, his eyes widened upon seeing the familiar seal locking the Nine-Tailed fox behind gigantic steel bars.

"Oi, Kurama!" shouted Naruto. "Why's the seal still on your cage?"

Shifting out of the shadows, the demon fox loomed like a skyscraper over him. "Are you mocking me, mortal?"

"No!" yelled Naruto. "But now how are you supposed to give me chakra?"

After letting Naruto know exactly where he could put his chakra, Kurama forcibly expelled him from his mindscape, which sent him reeling to the ground again. The taste of grass had become painfully familiar.

What the hell was going on?

It was at this point that Naruto noticed a thin hardcover book lying next to him on the grass. Considering there generally weren't random books lying around training fields, he reached over and picked it up. Curiosity piqued, he sat up and read the title aloud:

"'The Everyday Shinobi's Guide to Time Travel?'"

Alright, now he was really confused. He flipped open the plain black cover to the page entitled "Introduction" and began reading.

Greetings, shinobi. If you're in possession of this handy guide, it means you've traveled back in time. Congratulations! This handy guide will help you have a pleasant time-traveling experience.

Naruto read the short passage multiple times. He'd never been great with books, and he wanted to make sure this one wasn't screwing with him. But yes, he'd read it right the first time. He looked up, examining the training field in a different light. Was this some sort of joke? That didn't make any sense. Time travel wasn't real…or was it? He looked down at the page again.

Surely you're questioning the validity of the statement above. After all, time travel doesn't happen every day. However, examine yourself closely. Do you notice that you resemble yourself at a younger age? Are you shorter? Are you wearing clothes you would have worn when you were younger?

Looking down at himself, Naruto realized that he was, in fact, wearing his old orange and blue attire. And his lack of coordination now had an explanation, as well. Wow! Was he really in the past? He could barely believe it. He could save everyone, fix everything before it even became a problem! Possibilities flashed before his eyes as he casually glanced back down at the book in his hands.

If you need more evidence, there are many other ways to determine the validity of your time-travel experience. Turn to Chapter 1 for a full explanation. However, if you would like to skip straight to the rules you should follow while residing in the past, go straight to Chapter 2.

Throughout this guide, keep in mind that, while time traveling can be a pleasant experience, you should be very cautious. These guidelines will keep you from making mistakes that could jeopardize the future you surely hold dear. Be wary of impulsiveness, as there is no way of undoing your mistakes once more. Changing events without fully recognizing the consequences can have disastrous-

Naruto leapt up, tossing the book aside.

"Books are boring! I know exactly what to do!"

By the end of the day, the Akatsuki had captured the Nine-Tailed Fox, the Leaf Village was destroyed, and everyone was dead.

The End