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Naruto and Shikamaru stood around a small table with Hiashi Hyuga, Iruka Umino and Tsume Inuzuka. On the table lay many documents and photos, all having been read and re-read. The room they were in was dark and musty. After Kabochimaru invaded and took over Konoha, the rebellion had gone into hiding, and was now situated in a small shack on the edge of Konoha.

“Will this work?” Tsume asked.

“It has to…we’ll change everything.” Naruto whispered, looking at a photo of the late ‘Konoha 11’.

“Remember, you can tell them everything about the upcoming invasion, but you cannot tell them about their individual futures. Tell them they die, and that’s it. Naruto-” Hiashi spoke.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell her…or me. That’s one aspect of the future I don’t want changed. Shikamaru, you ready?”

Shikamaru nodded and the two men gathered their chakra. “By the way Naruto, happy 27th birthday…”

“Arigato Iruka-sensei. Don’t worry, we’ll fix this, this future will not happen.”

Shikamaru and Naruto ran through some hand seals and then suddenly disappeared in a cloud of smoke. The two elder people remaining got ready to leave. The younger men’s chakra had spiked, Kabochimaru would be there soon to see what had happened. They didn’t want to be around when that happened.
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Konoha was peaceful, a nice spring day with birds, ice cream and laughter. Iruka had taken his class to the interior of the Hokage monument. There were constant wisecracks about their current location.

“Ha, I knew it! The Hokages have empty heads!”

“No silly!” Said another. “They have rocks in their heads.”

Raucous laughter.

The merriment vanished as a surge of chakra almost suffocated them. Had the sensation lasted more than two seconds, it might have.

“See Shikamaru, perfect spot. Oh, Iruka-sensei! Wow, you look so young! It looks like you could be my brother!”

Iruka opened his eyes and straightened up, instinctively protecting his students from whatever threat had appeared. So he was shocked when his gaze landed on two males about five years younger his junior.

“N-Naruto? Shikamaru?”

The blonde grinned. “Yeah!”

“Damn, I was hoping for some place secluded.” Shikamaru mumbled. “Troublesome…”

“B-But what happened to you two? You’re both…older.”

“We’re from…ooh, Shikamaru?” Naruto turned to Shikamaru.

“Ten years in the future. We’re on an important mission, we need to see Tsunade-san…sama urgently.”

“How do I know you’re the real Naruto and Shikamaru?”

“Whiskers,” Naruto pointed to his birthmarks. “Seal,” He lifted his shirt to reveal his Kyuubi seal. “And the hitai-ite you gave me. Ja ne!”

Naruto disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and Shikamaru disappeared as if he dissolved into a black puddle. Iruka and the students stood in a daze. The students knew who the two men were, they’d talked at the Academy recently. But they hadn’t even turned 17 yet.
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Tsunade sat in her office with the teens that the town had named the ‘Konoha 11’. She was briefing them on the imminent threat of ‘Kabochimaru’, the merger of body and soul between Orochimaru and Kabuto. The Akatsuki war was still fresh in their minds. With the exception of Sasuke, Suigetsu, Juugo and Karin, who were all locked away in Konoha Jail, the entire Akatsuki was dead. But Kabochimaru would not let them rest. He’d already attacked once since the war, and sources informed them he’d be coming again soon.

“We have to be prepared for battle. Kakashi is still suffering from the last attack, Kurenai is still on maternity leave and we don’t even know of Gai will wake up-”

“Gai-sensei!” Sakura patted Lee gently on the back.

“At the moment, Anko is our senior Jounin, but you 11, you are our best bet at beating Kabochimaru. I need you to train hard. I need you to be able to work together and alone, and you need to be the best you can be with ninjutsu, genjutsu and taijutsu.”

There was a knock at the door and Shizune poked her head in, looking extremely pale. “Tsunade-sama, they…you, um-”

She was gently pushed into the room by the person behind her and in walked the older Naruto and Shikamaru. Everyone gasped as they gazed at the older men, but the younger Naruto spoke up, pointing at his older self.

“Ah, he looks like me!”

“Except hot.” Ino said.

The older Naruto looked at the older Shikamaru who nodded assuredly. “That’s because I am you Naruto. Shikamaru and I have come from 10 years in the future. We’re here to change the past.”

“How do we know you’re really from the future?” Neji asked.

“That surge of chakra before? That was us.” The older Naruto said. “Besides,” His eyes grew sombre as they scanned the group. “Just look at us, you know we’re real.”

As he gazed over his old friends, he smiled at the innocence they still held. Even after the war, they still retained that ignorance of real pain. But speaking of innocence…

His eyes landed on the innocent Hinata, her eyes alive with curiosity, suspicion and concern. He smiled at her sweetly and she blushed as she turned away. The younger Naruto saw the exchange and felt oddly protective of his Hyuga friend.

“Hey pervert! Don’t scare Hinata!”

Naruto smiled at himself before his companion coughed. “Naruto, this isn't the time. We’re on a mission.” Naruto nodded. “Tsunade-sama, we’ve come from a time when everything is wrong and it’s all Kabochimaru’s fault.”

Tsunade frowned. “Explain.”

“After the attack, he goes into hiding for five years before returning stronger. He took over Konoha and we all,” He indicated to the Konoha 11. “Started a resistance group and over the next five years…”

Older Naruto’s hands clenched into fists. The others noticed the sudden change in mood and their hearts dropped accordingly. The Hokage felt it was necessary to change the topic.

“So, why you two? Why not someone else?”

The response was one she hadn’t expected. “We’re the only two left…” Shikamaru whispered.

“Y-You mean…” Hinata whispered.

Older Naruto nodded and swallowed. “Dead.” He croaked.

Shikamaru placed a hand on Naruto’s shoulder. “But we’re here to stop that from happening. We’re going to train you guys and help in the next battle. Kabochimaru will perish.”
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The Konoha 11 plus the future men were walking down Konoha’s main street. They were getting lots of looks and whispers but the older two were oblivious, looking around with nostalgic expressions.

“Oh Kami, it’s the Yondaime.”

The older Naruto’s face turned towards the voice and he grinned. “Hiashi-san!”

Everyone froze. Hiashi’s face turned from white to red in a matter of seconds. The younger Naruto looked a bit confused, then he saw Hinata’s shocked face. He then realised it must have been her father. He swallowed hard. Hiashi frowned, having realised is wasn’t the Yondaime.

“Who are you?”

“Myself and Shikamaru,” The older Naruto pointed to his companion. “Are from the future. A very bad future, and we are here to change it. You and me, we’re friends. You’re one of the only members left of the original Konoha council left from before the Sound invasion.” He threw an arm around the shocked Hyuga man’s shoulders and looked at Hinata with a grin. “There’s an attack in three weeks and that’s when I,” He pointed at his younger self. “Save Hinata.” Hinata’s head snapped towards the Naruto of her age and she blushed as she met his gaze. “That’s when you start to like me. And…”

He looked at the shocked group of teens before nodding at his travel companion. He led Hiashi away from the group and made sure they were facing away from the others. He whispered something to the older man for a while and although they couldn’t see Hiashi’s face, by his rigid form they could tell he was shocked. The older Naruto reached into his ANBU jacket pocket and pulled out something that he hid from the others and showed only Hiashi. The older man studied the object for a minute, as the older Naruto whispered something and the Hyuga male nodded. Naruto stowed the object and the two men returned to the group.

“Hinata, Neji…you two are to remain with these two men and learn from them. Do as they say, it is vital to your safety.”

“Hai Hiashi-sama.”

“H-Hai Otou-sama.”

Hiashi gave a quick nod, an enquiring look to the older blonde man and a searching look at the younger one before leaving. Hinata stood beside Sakura with a concerned and confused expression, her father had accepted the older Uzumaki very quickly. For a hard-headed man who rarely changed his opinion, he’d changed his mind about the Kyuubi container very quickly.

“Oi, what did you say to him? What did you show him?” The younger Naruto asked, voicing Hinata’s…and the others’ thoughts.

“That need not concern you.” It was not Naruto’s double that spoke, it was Shikamaru’s. “That is strictly need-to-know. And you do not need to know.”

The older Naruto shared th same hard look as his friend, his hand unconsciously going to the pocket holding the object. “We’d better get training, we have three weeks and a lot to cover.”
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The Konoha 11 had collapsed to the ground after five hours of non-stop training. The older Naruto and Shikamaru were still training, showing them advanced ninjutsu and taijutsu moves that hadn’t even been developed in the present time. The younger Naruto watched his double closely, he wanted to know these moves.

“I have a question.” The younger Shikamaru said. “Did you get here with a jutsu?”

“We did, and we’re not showing it to you. We developed it to get here. Once the past is changed, there will be no use for it so it will never be created in your timeline. At the moment you guys can travel one of two roads, and we’re guiding you down the right one.” The older Shikamaru said. “If we were to show you the jutsu, you’d be able to go back in time and change other events, and that can’t happen, we won’t let it.”

“Kami, I’m exhausted!” Sakura whined. “Not even Kakashi-sensei pushed us this hard.”

“We need you guys as strong as possible for the attack. We’re going to change history at the next invasion. Kabochimaru will die then, and not have the chance to become stronger. He will die by my hands…” Naruto whispered.

Older Shikamaru looked over at his friend and gave him a sympathetic look. “Don’t worry, I promise you’ll get to finish him off.”

“Are you strong enough to beat him?” Younger Naruto asked, curious and awestruck at the same time.

“I am. And I’m not going to let him get away, no mercy…he’s going to die slowly and painfully.” There was a harshness in his tone that frightened the others. “Besides,” He grinned cheerfully. “I have full control over the Kyuubi.”

There was a large outcry of surprise and shock. Younger Naruto got to his feet and walked right up to his future self. He looked deep into the man’s eyes and saw seriousness and strength. To demonstrate, the older Naruto’s eyes turned red and the training ground was filled with such power.

Young Naruto swallowed. “That’s…that’s more than four tails…and you didn’t even leak chakra. How are you doing that?”

“I have been through the greatest pain possible. I have witnessed what one should never see, and I was able to tame the Kyuubi’s chakra before I went mad.”

“What did you see?”

Naruto shook his head. “Doesn’t matter, after this is over, you won’t see it and it’ll be better that way. I’d give anything to be unable to control the Kyuubi and having not seen what I saw. I’d give anything to be you again.”
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A week later, the group was at the training ground, taking a short break to recuperate. Naruto and Shikamaru had praised them on their improvement in just seven days, but were only making the training harder as they went.

Younger Naruto sat with Choji and Lee, rubbing his shoulder gently. He’d received a hard blow to the shoulder from Neji, and it was painful as all hell. Older Naruto watched his younger self in awe, wondering if he’d truly been like that when he was young.

“I know you can’t tell us about our personal futures, but can you at least tell us how we turn out? What do I look like?” Ino asked.

Older Naruto and Shikamaru deliberated for a moment, wondering if it’d be safe to discuss such things.

Shikamaru spoke. “You looked stunning, and you knew it.”

“Did I get married?”

Shikamaru shook his head. “Gomen, I can’t tell you that. It might change something.”

“What about Tenten, Forehead-girl and Hinata, how do they look?” Ino continued.

Sakura shot an insult back at Ino, before turning to the future men, just as interested. “Well, you all turn out beautiful actually. Not that you’re not now. You all mature, all remaining ‘baby-fat’ and ‘cuteness’ goes, but you gain…what’s the word Shikamaru?”

“Sensuality, just like a true kunoichi should. It helps get enemies to let their guards down around you. Not to say you didn’t all turn heads in Konoha before and after the invasion.”

There was comfortable silence for the next five minutes, and older Naruto watched his younger self rub his sore shoulder. “You know Hinata,” He whispered to the girl who happened to be sitting near him. “In the future you’re really good at giving massages. I remember getting some sometimes. And when I was training for the invasion ten years ago, I was wishing someone would give me a massage. He,” He nodded towards his younger self. “Looks like he could really use one.”

Hinata blushed red and looked at the younger Naruto, who was still rubbing his shoulder with a grimace of pain. She looked back at the blonde man sitting beside her and nodded. She willed herself to stand and go over to her crush, but she couldn’t find the courage. So the older Naruto helped her.

“You know,” He said loudly. “In the future Hinata is really good at giving massages.” Younger Naruto looked very tempted. “I reckon Naruto, if you ask her nicely, Hinata will give you one now.”

Younger Naruto looked at Hinata pleadingly. “Would you Hinata, please?”

“H-Hai Naruto-kun.”

Naruto was hugging her within a second, and then pulled away when his shoulder twinged in pain. He thanked Hinata again and seated himself in front of her. Tentatively, and with shaky hands, she began her massage. Naruto relaxed under ministrations almost immediately and groaned out appreciatively. Older Shikamaru sent warning look to the older Naruto, who seemed not to notice, looking instead at his younger self and Hinata, smiling nostalgically.
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Four days later, both Narutos’ were seated in Ichiraku Ramen. The older inhaled appreciatively before stuffing his face.

Teuchi laughed. “This is great, older Naruto has an even bigger appetite than younger Naruto.” He passed another bowl to the older blonde man. “Your poor wife, she must be exhausted from cooking for you all the time.”

Naruto’s face fell and his whole form slumped. Beside him, his younger self’s eyebrows rose.

“We have a wife?” He asked.

“ ‘Had’, past tense.”

Younger Naruto slumped too, understanding his future self’s words. “But…you’re here to change the past, she won’t die. Tell me who she is and it’ll be alright.”

Older Naruto shook his head. “No can do little buddy, you have to fall in love with her in your own time. It wouldn’t be fair on you or her if I told you.”

“So I already know her?”

The older Naruto wouldn’t say a word.
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“Guess what guys! I get married!”

“Naruto!” Older Naruto cried.

“Naruto, you told him?” Shikamaru snapped. “We agreed-”

“I didn’t say anything! Teuchi said it and he,” He pointed to his younger self. “Figured it out. Once he did, I only corrected his tense, I didn’t tell him who.”

“So he knows she’s dead?”

Both younger and older Naruto nodded and the elder looked at the younger. “That’s why I have control over the Kyuubi.”

“You watched her die?” Sakura whispered.

Naruto shook his head. “I got there too late, she was dead when I found her.” He looked at Shikamaru, who nodded slowly. “I was fighting a Sound ninja, and once the attack was over, I went back to the rebellion base and found her.” He clenched his fists and tears formed at the corner of his eyes. “Our four-year-old son was dead beside her. And…” He swallowed hard as he looked at his pained younger self. “She was 8 months pregnant with our second child…a daughter.”

Sakura swallowed, oblivious to the tears running down her face. “H-How did you…how did you know that?”

Naruto bit her lip. “Kabochimaru had cut the baby out of her belly…and broke her neck. I found the baby on the floor. Oh Kami…” Naruto shuddered as he collapsed to his knees, tears finally spilling over. “That’s why I’m going to kill him. I’m going to tear his heart out…if he has one.”

“H-How did you remain calm after seeing that? How is that possible?” Lee asked, patting the older Naruto on the shoulder.

“I almost didn’t, but they’re my family. I couldn’t leave them like that. And who knows what I could’ve done if I’d given into the Kyuubi. What I wouldn’t give for them…for you all to still be alive. We’re going to change it.” Naruto looked up at his younger self. “And you will have your family.”

Hinata stood beside Ino, looking down at the sad older blonde man. Inside, her heart was tearing too. The man she was in love with would lose his family, one he’d craved all his life. And another part of her was aching inside because she knew it wouldn’t be her. Naruto’s wife was a lucky woman. Her husband loved her deeply.
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It was the day before the invasion, and the group was sitting in the training ground looking at the starry night sky. Naruto had spent days training and trying to find out who his future wife was, but his older self wouldn’t say. But he’d promised himself he would get stronger, so he could help defeat the bastard that made his future self so sad. And so he could save his friends.

He looked around at his friends and studied each one of them. Sakura was discreetly holding Lee’s hand, and that knowledge didn’t bother him. She deserved happiness, and Sasuke hadn’t given that. He’d practically torn her heart out when he’d attacked with the rest of the Akatsuki, and he wished the best for her. Not to mention Lee, he looked ecstatic.

Neji and Tenten were in a gentle lip lock, sitting away from the others. Shikamaru, Ino and Choji were gazing at the stars, making up imaginary constellations. Kiba and Shino were in deep discussion with his older self and older Shikamaru, and Hinata was giving Akamaru a nice head scratch. The dog was whining happily, his huge tail wagging from side to side, hitting him on the leg every now and then.

Naruto looked at Hinata again, watching her hands and imagining her massages. She’d given him one after each training session since the first time. His older self was right, Hinata was great at giving massages. Looking at the older man, he wondered how many the future Hinata had given him, and how it started since no one would have told him about her ability to make him melt.

Looking at the innocent girl, he couldn’t imagine her being dead. The older Naruto had revealed to them over the past weeks sketchy details of how old each of them were when they died. He and Shikamaru had been the only two of the Konoha 11 left. But Hinata being dead didn’t compute. He’d seen her deathly sick before, during their first Chuunin exams, and he thought that was it, that no one could actually kill her. Who would want to? She was too good, too sweet.

He tried to imagine a world without Hinata and failed miserably. Hinata had always been there, for him and everyone else. Apparently tomorrow he’d save her life, and that he could imagine clearly. He’d do anything for her. But a life without Hinata, to be deprived of her stutter and her blush, her soft voice and sweet nature. It’d be like losing a limb.

The older Naruto disengaged from his discussion with Kiba, Shino and the older Shikamaru for a second and looked at his younger self. He was quite relieved to see that he was looking tenderly over at Hinata, who was staring at the stars as she scratched Akamaru’s head. Maybe all would turn out right anyway. He’d been tempted over the past week and a half to tell his younger self that Hinata was his wife, but each time he stopped himself because he remembered how good he’d felt when he’d confessed his love to Hinata, and she’d replied the same way. He wanted his younger self to have that, and not be given spoilers. And what if the two younger ones felt obligated to be together for the sake of the future? No, younger Naruto had to learn love himself, it was something he didn’t want to change.

He’d still get his family. He’d have Hinata, and they would create a family together. Kouta…Suki…maybe more children too. It would be one area where two diverged timelines…two roads would meet. Destiny.

But Hinata would not die. That’s where the two roads would differ. He would not lose the love of his life.
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The next day, Konoha was prepared. In Naruto’s timeline, Konoha had been unprepared and not as strong. But in this timeline they knew exactly when Kabochimaru would attack, and they were much stronger than in his timeline. Hyuga members were stationed at the look out towers of the village, Byakugan active and searching in the direction the older Shikamaru had informed them Kabochimaru would be coming.

Konoha 11 and the future Naruto and Shikamaru were stationed in the front lines of the attacking party. Hinata and Neji had their Byakugan active, Kiba and Akamaru were sniffing the air carefully, and Shino had released many battle-ready bugs. Younger Naruto leaned over towards Hinata and gently touched her hand to get her attention.

“Don’t worry, I’ll save you today. My older self told me when it’d happen, so I’m ready. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Hinata blushed and thanked him quietly, and was unable to stop herself from giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. Naruto was shocked at first, but then that feeling gave way to warmth and nervous happiness.

The older Naruto watched the exchange with quiet sadness, because he’d said those words to Hinata the morning she’d died. He’d woken up thinking it was going to be a normal day…as normal a day could be under the control of an evil bastard. He’d kissed her gently on the lips and whispered that he wouldn’t let anything happen to her. Kouta had burst in moments later and jumped on his parents’ bed, before climbing in with them for a morning snuggle.

The Sound ninja had attacked the resistance’s base an hour later, they’d been betrayed by someone they thought had been on their side. Naruto, Neji and Shikamaru had pushed them back, but somehow Kabochimaru slipped through and killed Hinata, her unborn baby, Kouta and Ino.

Neji had died six months later after another attack, and then Naruto and Shikamaru had been the only two left, and with the help of Tsume, Iruka and Hiashi, they create the time travel jutsu.

“I see them!” Neji whispered fiercely. “Today, two roads diverge.”
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“Hinata, get down!”

Hinata was pulled behind a rock just before a sound blast shattered her bones. She found herself in Naruto’s arms, and both of them were panting heavily. Naruto looked down at her, running his hands down her sides to check for injuries, but found none. They jumped clear of the rock as it shattered under another sound blast, and Naruto killed the Sound-nin with a carefully aimed wind blade.

His older self had taught him to master the wind element during the three weeks, showing him how to manipulate the airflow into a cutting blade, much like Hinata’s chakra blades.

He grabbed Hinata’s hand and they ran off searching for friends or colleagues, stopping to kill some enemy-nin who were about to kill a group of young Genin. As they moved on, Naruto blocked a flame jutsu from incinerating Hinata by removing the oxygen from within the flames. Hinata then returned the favour by killing a Sound-nin with a Jyuuken strike to the heart as he’d snuck up on Naruto.

“I see Lee!” Naruto shouted.

There was a sudden blast and Kabochimaru was thrown through a building and landed in the street they were running through. The older Naruto appeared through the hole and approached the shocked enemy.

Kabochimaru had not expected this. Fine, he’d expected the ninja of Konoha to be stronger, and possibly aware of their arriving, but not this, not two ninja from the future. And such strength, the two men were stronger than him. He promised himself he’d get stronger if he got out of this. But the look in the eye of the older blonde man that looked so much like the late Yondaime told him that this older Naruto was not going to let him escape.

Kabochimaru smirked as he straightened on his feet, he’d find a way to defeat this angry man. Looking at his opponent, he saw the angry red eyes. Wait…

Red?

The older Naruto was glaring at Kabochimaru, hands trembling as he barely contained his killing intent. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his younger self holding Hinata’s hand a little way away. He knew his younger self had already saved her, he remembered pulling his own Hinata out of the way of a sound blast and fireball before taking her to help others. He’d held her hand then too. His hand clenched. The man…the monster in front of him had taken all that away from him.

“You’ve gotten stronger Naruto-kun? And how did you develop that delicious time travel jutsu?”

“Like we’d tell you!” Snarled the older Shikamaru, who appeared behind the younger Naruto and Hinata.

He moved around them and joined his best friend. Time, pain and bonds had drawn Naruto and Shikamaru together, strengthening the friendship they’d already had. The two shook hands before turning on their greatest enemy, knowing that here and now would decide the future.

Kabochimaru readied himself for the onslaught, thinking he was going to win. He unsheathed his new sword and summoned a fire jutsu.

Naruto, Hinata, Lee and other ninja of the leaf village that were around watched in awe as the two strong men of the future fought the greatest enemy of their village. As he watched his double, Naruto promised himself he’d get that strong. He’d be able to protect those around him, like his older self was doing now. But control of the Kyuubi, now that he knew it was possible, was his goal, without having to witness the death of his wife and children. It sounded eerily like the way the Uchiha would kill their best friend to obtain the Mangekyou Sharingan.

His focus was drawn back to the fight in front of him when he saw his older self create a Rasengan without the help of a clone. And he threw it! It left his hands! Kabochimaru dodged easily, but spun on his feet when the Rasengan transformed and Naruto appeared holding a kunai. He received a gash on his cheek from the swing of the enemy’s sword. He flipped over and landed beside his friend, where they exchanged a hushed word. Naruto nodded to Shikamaru and then faced Kabochimaru, who was running through many hand seals very quickly. Naruto carelessly tossed a Rasengan at the man again to break his focus and ran at him again. He ran fast enough that he situated himself on the other side of the merged man.

He was slashed at again and this time the sword cut at his ANBU jacket, slicing it off the blonde man’s body. Kabochimaru taunted the man for a minute, before realising that his voice only made Naruto angrier, and instead or unsteadying him, his anger was making him stronger.

Naruto skilfully skirted around the sword and placed a punch square on the pale man’s jaw. The two men participated in a short taijutsu battle and the younger ninja had to turn their attention from them because a new wave of Sound-nin began attacking.

Naruto lost sight of his older self during the scuffle and even lost Hinata’s grip in his hand. The next he saw of her was when she tripped over something and found herself flat on her back with a Sound-nin leaning over her with a menacing smirk. The crowd seemed to part just so Naruto could witness the moment, but Hinata was not to be deterred. In one graceful movement she lifted a leg and pulled the enemy’s feet out from under him. The next thing he saw was her standing on her feet with an unconscious Sound-nin at her feet.

He ran over to her, using clones to take care of the Sound-nin around her. He grabbed her hands and looked at her in a frenzied state.

“Are you okay, are you hurt?” He shouted over the noise of the battle around them.

She nodded. “I just tripped!” She too was shouting over the explosions and screams.

Naruto’s eyes trailed to the ground and he saw what she tripped over. It was his older self’s ANBU jacket, the one that had been ripped off. He saw at the last moment, something flimsy sticking out of the jacket pocket. It was the object older Naruto had shown Hiashi. He leaned down to pick it up.

“Naruto, no!”

He looked up and saw the older Shikamaru standing in a gap of fighting ninja. He was looking right at him with a worried and angry glance. There was a loud explosion and ninja were blown clear. Naruto pulled Hinata to the ground and covered her with his body, protecting her from falling debris. Once the dust settled and they looked up, they all saw older Naruto and Kabochimaru in the centre of the now cleared circle.

He carefully rolled of Hinata, staying close beside her in case of another explosion. His older self and Kabochimaru were in close combat, unaware of anything else around them. Naruto could tell by the look on his future self’s face, he was furious…enraged…in pain. He turned his eyes from the sight and saw that lying directly in front of him was the ANBU jacket, but in even worse condition than before the explosion. And that flimsy thing was still sticking out of the pocket.

He reached a tentative hand forward. There was a shout and a roar and he looked up to see both the future men shouting at him. Kabochimaru was standing back taking deep breaths, but the fighting blonde and his companion were looking at Naruto.

He didn’t even have to pick up the object. A sudden gust of wind shifted it enough that it lodged free of the jacket and lifted into the air for a moment, before it fell back to the ground and landed before him, right side up.

It was a photo.

A photo of his older self with a small blue haired boy in one arm, and his other arm around the waist of a very pregnant Hinata.

His eyes widened and he looked up at his older self, who was looking back at him sadly. Now he knew. Now the younger man knew he future, and they that unless they defeated Kabochimaru, he’d lose it forever. The small woman who lay beside him would die a horrific death at the hands of the monster standing before him.

He looked sideways at Hinata, but she wasn’t looking at him or even the photo. Her eyes were on Kabochimaru but a sudden tremor shook the earth. She squeaked and huddled against him, and even in his shock, he covered her again, protecting her from harm. The tremor lifted the photo into the air and seen only by the older Naruto and Shikamaru, it landed in a fire. The older blonde roared again in pain, the pain of losing his last treasure, his last reminder of his family.

His head snapped back to the man who had taken it all away from him. The monster looked as if he was ready to continue, but in that moment Naruto wouldn’t have cared if he weren’t. He ran at his most hated enemy, and formed a Rasengan but didn’t let it leave his hand. He wanted to rip through his chest himself.

There was a slicing sound and the younger Naruto and Hinata looked up. They both gasped, as did all their friends and acquaintances present. The older Naruto had his hand in Kabochimaru’s chest, but his sword was protruding out of Naruto’s back. Naruto and Kabochimaru were leaking blood from the mouth, but Naruto grinned.

“You’re finished. Now Shikamaru!”

Shadows slid up Kabochimaru’s body, slowly choking him with the dark shapes. But older Naruto grinned in the dying man’s face.

“Don’t worry, you won’t choke to death.” He slowly began removing his hand from the evil man’s chest. “Whaddya know, you do have a heart. Here, shall I show it to you?” Kabochimaru started screaming. “How does that feel? What you did to me hurt more than this. You ripped out my heart, I’m only returning the favour.”

Hinata hid in Naruto’s chest, unable to look at the scene before them. Naruto that angry, she couldn’t handle it, it wasn’t right. He seemed to enjoy inflicting pain. She prayed to the bottom of her heart that her Naruto, the one that was holding her, wouldn’t turn out like that. She prayed his wife wouldn’t die and he wouldn’t lose everything. His happiness meant everything.

“The moment he dies,” Shikamaru shouted to Naruto, Hinata, Lee and the others that appeared sometime during the battle. “Naruto and I will cease to exist. You timeline will be different, we’ll have no future to go back to.” He smiled at the pained look on Hinata, Ino, Sakura and Tenten’s faces. “But that’s okay, what’s there to go back to anyway? Our task was to change the past, and now we have. Goodbye.”

Older Naruto’s face changed, an expression of peace and clarity washing over it. “And so, two roads diverge…”

With his last ounce of strength, he ripped his hand from Kabochimaru’s chest, holding his heart in his hand. There was a cold, eerie silence for a moment, and then Naruto and Shikamaru were gone, like they’d never been. Kabochimaru remained standing for a moment, before he collapsed to the ground in a dead weight.

It was over.
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12 hours later some semblance of order had been gained. The fires had been put out and all the Sound-nin had been captured and hauled off to Konoha Jail, where their ex-associates Sasuke, Karin, Juugo and Suigetsu sat, unaffected by the battle that had raged outside.

The Konoha 11 was in the hospital. Sakura, Ino and Hinata were running around healing where possible, and even the others were applying bandages and compresses where they could.

Every now and then Hinata would pass Naruto, and he’d always pause in what he was doing an watch her go about her business in awe. He’d already been seeing her in a new light, but the photo opened his eyes. She was the one he’d spend the rest of his life with. She wouldn’t just be a passing fling, or even just a girlfriend, she would be so much more.

“But he told me I had to fall in love with her on my own.” He whispered as he watched her leave.

“If she treats you nicely, then I don’t think that’ll be a problem.”

Naruto looked down at the old man he was treating. He smiled goofily and got one last glance at Hinata before she disappeared around a corner.
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Three hours later the Konoha 11 were standing in the Hokage’s office looking tired and hungry. Tsunade was sitting at her desk writing a report, listening to the details given by the 11 teens. The doors to her office opened and Hiashi Hyuga walked in. His eyes scanned the room, pausing on Hinata, Naruto and Neji.

“So you saved my daughter?”

Naruto nodded. “I guess I did.”

“H-Hai Otou-sama, he pulled me out of the way of a sound blast and a fireball. N-Not to mention he protected me from falling debris.”

Hiashi studied Naruto for a moment. “I am greatly indebted to you. Even though your future self said you’d save her, I still have my doubts…fears. Arigato. You grow up into a fine man.”

“With great taste apparently.” Naruto snuck a glance at Hinata, and only Hiashi noticed.

In that moment Hiashi knew that Naruto knew he’d marry Hinata. Hiashi knew he’d be getting those grandchildren he saw in the photo. And apparently, he’d taken that photo a few days before his daughter had died, as the older Naruto had explained.

“Are they gone?” He asked.

“Hai, Naruto and Shikamaru are gone and Kabochimaru is dead. The future has been restored, now it looks bright. And no one knows what lies ahead.”

Naruto glanced at Hinata again, but this time she caught his gaze. She blushed under his eyes but didn’t turn away. Naruto smiled warmly.

The others headed home, eager to see their families. The Hyuga, Naruto and Tsunade remained.

“As I said, I am greatly indebted to you Naruto,” The use of his first name by the older man shocked him. “Would you going us for dinner?” Naruto nodded slowly. “And Hokage-sama, would you join us?”

“I’d be delighted, let me just grab Shizune.”

Tsunade left her office to find her ward and best friend. Hiashi looked at the three teens before nodding.

“We shall celebrate being alive. Celebrate the life two brave men gave us.”