Here I am with chapter 2.

I hope everything makes sense...

Disclaimer: I don't have patience to draw manga. Especially something as long as Naruto!

Warning: Violence maybe? But meh, nothing too graphic.

The first stop

Kurama watched his blond container carefully. The poor human had a bewildered expression as looked around before focusing his attention on him.

"W-wha? Why am I here?" he then blinked at the demon fox. "Did you force my consciousness to come here? Hey! It scared the shit out of me, 'ttebayo!" He then paled visibly. "And Kakashi! Oh my God! Dammit Kurama! If you wanted to tell me something, you could have pulled me here nicely! What's with you?!"

The Nine Tails still didn't say a word. He kept watching him with serious features, before he sighed loudly, the exhaled air ruffling blond locks.

"You're the most stupid person I have ever met. Your stupidity is bordering the ridiculous at this point."He huffed with a boring look.

Naruto stared at the fox, mouth open, before anger consumed him. He started to yell outrageously. "WHAT THE HELL?! You pulled me here by force! And here I thought it might be something serious and urgent! AND FOR WHAT?! TO BE INSULTED?! LET ME TELL YOU-"

"Calm down." He interrupted the rant that he knew was surely going to come. He looked at the man in front of him with serious eyes. That look was enough to shut Naruto up. He felt dread bubbling up inside him and he knew that he won't like what he was going to hear. He tried to calm down and push the anguished forming webs in his stomach. After a quiet breath, he confronted Kurama. "Out with it, please." He demanded, blue holding gold, showing determination and the strength to take on whatever the demon fox would throw at him.

The staring match didn't last long. Kurama closed his eyes and tried to explain everything in simple words so that even his idiot container can understand.

"I wasn't the one who brought you here." He got a rise of a yellow eyebrow. "Remember how you were laughing with that Hatake brat about going back in time?" Naruto hesitantly nodded. He frowned though. Kakashi wasn't a brat! "And do you remember what you were doing with your hands at that moment?" The blond scowled and his lower lip stuck out. "I was… doing some random seals…"

Kurama nodded. "Right. Those weren't random seals though." At the questioning look he had been given, he decided to elaborate. "You apparently memorized some particular suite of seals from that forbidden scroll you were reading. And it seems you formed those seals unconsciously…"

Naruto's face became white from terror. If the situation was funny, the fox would have surely laughed his head off. "So you mean… that I activated the 'use all your senses' jutsu?"

Now, Kurama really wanted to throw something at his stupid friend. "What? No! You activated the 'time leap' jutsu!" he growled, annoyed.

Naruto stared at him, mouth open, again, with that horror look etched on his face. "Wait! What? Even if I indeed made the exact seals, I didn't put any chakra at all! So how come it activated it?!"

The kyuubi watched him with a pitiful look. "You are very strong, but even if you're on your way to become a seal master, there are still things you don't know in this world, and you may never know about them until you see them with your own eyes. There was a particular pattern in that suite of seals. That formation allows the jutsu to consume what it needs of chakra to activate itself. You were too open, and too concentrated on laughing and trying to ease that brat's angry look away, after he read that sharingan boy's letter, to notice that a small batch of your chakra was being used." He continued, purposely ignoring the 'STOP CALLING KAKASHI-SENSEI A BRAT!' indignant shout.

Naruto huffed, annoyed, but considered Kurama's monologue. "So that means that I have transferred myself to the past? And right now, I'm unconscious, so that's why I'm here, in my mindset." He nodded to himself, ignoring the worry and fear twisting his stomach. But the snort that came from his life-long friend made him pause.

"If only it was this simple."Kurama drawled. "The jutsu was incomplete, you've seen it youself." Naruto acquiesced. "Incomplete as it was, it didn't transfer you whole. It only allowed your spirit to travel." He said slowly.

Naruto's eyes, then, had a shade of blue he had never seen. "So… What you're saying is, my body now, is lying lifelessly somewhere in my time… while I'm here?" At the silent response he got, his repressed worries and fears washed through him, swallowing him completely. He is dead? What about the others? Tsunade-baa-chan! He couldn't leave her! She won't be able to overcome his death! What about Sakura! She'd go crazy with grief! He can't! He promised himself that he'd protect her smile! And Sasuke? And Kakashi?! Both of them would snap! Oh God! He couldn't die! At least for these two! Sasuke doesn't fully trust anyone but him. Naruto was practically the only soul he talks to willingly, about non related work topics. He is like the only family he got, and if Sasuke wanted to continue in his stubbornness, then he might be forever the only family the Uchiha has. And Kakashi? He had always put some space between him and the entire world! Not daring to form a true relationship with anyone, from fear of losing them. That was how he protected the last bit of sanity he had after the death of all his precious people. He only allowed Naruto in after Obito's death. And that had been after hours, days and weeks of efforts in destroying those horrid solid walls surrounding the silver haired man's heart. He can't! He couldn't die!

What about the world? What if another war started because the villages would accuse each other of assassinating him? What about Jiraiya's dream of peace? Is everything going to fall apart? He won't allow that. He was so close! So close to make everyone happy!

His form trembled, as his feelings and thoughts clashed against each other.

"What's with that look?" The deep voice snapped him out of his trance and he looked up to meet Kurama's worried golden eyes.

"I can't die…" He whispered, disbelieving.

"Oh, you won't." The calm and assured words left him speechless. His mouth opened again in shock but a small smile graced his lips. He won't? then…

"You're not dead. Your body is in some sort of coma. As I said, the jutsu was incomplete, so even if your spirit has been separated from your body, it wasn't a complete segregation. A faint and very small patch of your soul still lingers there. That's what is keeping you alive."

A relieved sigh escaped full pink lips, as a smile stretched them right after. "Then, I can track that small piece of soul and come back to my body!" He announced happily. But the smile was fast to die, as Kurama let out a tired huff.

"As I said, things aren't that simple. You won't be able to track it, since you won't be staying here forever. You're going to go somewhere else, and I won't be able to talk to you anymore. You're a being of one hundred percent spiritual consistency, like I am now, thus, I can't reside inside you while you're travelling through dimensions. I would be stuck inside your comatose body. Well, that's good if you ask me. I'd be able to maintain you alive." He explained.

Naruto frowned. "I can track it when I'd be transferred fully." Kurama shrugged. "You can try, but it's going to be hard. You may end up being attracted to another 'Naruto' soul instead of yours. The possibilities are infinite, as there is no end to time and space."

He paused and studied the lost and scared blue eyes. "I am going to be… all alone again…?" It was a small murmur, conveying all his anguish and fears. The fox gave him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry Naruto… But don't worry! Even the transfer jutsu was unstable! We may meet again, when the jutsu decides to take you somewhere else…"

"What do you mean?" Naruto's eyebrows seemed to desperately try to meet each other.

"That is also one part of the problem. You may take this as a blessing though. The 'time leap' jutsu is unpredictable. It will take you anywhere, in an alternate world, following the trail of the person you were thinking about while casting the jutsu."

Naruto gasped. "Kakashi-sensei!"

The fox nodded. "Indeed. You were trying to cheer him up at that time, so, my guess is that every world you're going to visit will have that brat in it. And if you're tracking your soul, then that would limit it to the worlds where you and him are present in the same time and space frame. Well I say 'limit' but there are countless worlds with that kind of options, I'm sure." He sighed again, massaging his temple with the heel of his paws.

Naruto watched him completely lost. "Wait… what? What is this about me visiting different worlds? I'm going back in the past right?"

Kurama closed his eyes. "It's not exactly going to be the past, per se. At least, it won't be your past. Time flows differently in every world. So maybe in this world you're 23, but in an alternate world, you'd be 40! Or 5 years old! You're going to travel to the present of those worlds, which may also be a past from your point of view."

Naruto stared at him and the kyuubi understood immediately that the blond didn't get it at all. Well, it's not something you can explain anyway. "Don't worry your cute little head. You'll understand soon enough. The wheels of fate had started turning. You can't stop it now."

At that, Naruto watched in panic as he was engulfed in a bright light. He shot up his head searching for his demon friend, only to see blurs of red and gold. "Don't be scared. Have faith. They will find a way to bring you back."

That was the last thing he heard before the scenery changed around him. He looked around, inspecting this new environment. It looked like Konoha, but… bigger? There was a different feeling about it.

His inspection came to a halt when his eyes locked on bright yellow flashing at his left. He turned sharply, only to see a small blond haired, blue eyed kid, with whisker-like marks on his cheeks, running as fast as those small legs can afford, through the crowd in the street, while another mob of very angry and mad men were close behind. Panic rose again, and he too, ran, trying to catch the small blond before he gets killed.

~KN~

Naruto ran. And ran. And ran. His heart was beating fast. He was scared. Why? Why did he leave the estate? He did tell him to never go outside on his own. He told him again and again how dangerous the world was. He warned him several times. He had said that they all hated him. It wasn't his fault! He didn't do anything! he cried. He told him that they didn't care. He was an Uzumaki. That clan was known for always carrying the most dangerous bijuu. He was the last one. The whole world was scared of him. And people tend to be violent when they are scared. When they see something they can't understand. It didn't matter that the Uzumaki clan was trying to protect the world from the beast. It didn't matter that they sacrificed themselves to subdue the demon and preserve the peace. Because all the world can only see is hate. All it can see is a clan who is trying to master a beast and use it as weapon.

And he is a threat. He has to be eliminated. Just like the rest of that cursed clan. He knew that. He had explained this time and time again. And yet, he couldn't resist the temptation. He longed to see the world! He wanted to live! How ironic, when this very thought will cause his death.

His lungs burned. It hurts to breath. His legs' muscles strained. It hurts to run. He was tired. Suddenly, his ankle twisted itself. It hurts! There was a crack. He wasn't sure he heard well, with all the screaming behind him. He fell, arms bracing themselves, cushioning his face. His face had to be protected. He loved his face. He would always tell him how smooth the skin of his cheeks was. How cute his pouty lips were. His face was precious. He couldn't let it get hurt. When he landed, his arms hurt. They were surely covered in scratches now. He barely had time to get up, when he felt a great pain on his side, and his body flew several feet away, landing harshly again on the hard floor of the street. It seemed that they caught up and one of them kicked him with all his might.

He only took a sharp painful breath, before someone yanked him up with his hair. No! Don't touch it! He will get angry! He will be punished! He will surely punish him! His hands came up in a vain attempt to free his captured locks, when a punch, followed with a hard slap, fell upon him. No… His face… it's going to bruise. He won't be able to escape the punishment anymore.

Another punch. A kick here and there. He doesn't know who was doing what. They were all around him, suffocating him, hurting him, leering at him, spitting at him, cursing him.

The people walking the street didn't even stop. No one even glanced his way. As if it was okay that a bunch of adults would beat up a nine years old kid. Or maybe, they didn't care because it was him… He felt tears well up in his eyes, but refused to cry. He didn't scream. Didn't utter a single word or a whine. Ninja don't show their emotions. He remembered him saying that one day. He wanted to be like him. So he has to be strong. He won't show his pain. He won't!

~KN~

Naruto ran. He screamed, trying to get their attention.

"HEY! STOP IT! HE'S A KID! HEEEEEYY! DAMMIT WAAAIT!"

His throat felt dry from his constant screams. But it was like talking with a deaf person. They didn't acknowledge him. As if he wasn't yelling at them. As if they couldn't hear him. When he saw the blond boy fall, his heart fell too. "GET UP! FUCK, GET UP!"

Too late, a giant muscled man caught up, raising his leg for a kick. Naruto then jumped between the man and his small replica, hoping to receive most of the damage. But the man's leg went right through him, as if he was air, and landed on its target, without mercy.

Naruto got up from his spot on the floor, eyes wide. He watched as the kid was overwhelmed. With a battle cry, he ran again toward the cruel man and tried to throw a punch.

His fist went past the head of the man, and his body, following the momentum of the punch, was now half inside the man, who really didn't seem to notice him.

Eyes wide, he took a step back, staring in horror at the carnage happening right in front of him. And he remembered what Kurama said. He was 100% constituted of spiritual cells. He was a ghost. A useless one. He started to tremble, as the small Naruto became a mess of blood and flesh. Then, when he saw one of the man take out a knife he screamed at the top of his lungs.

Anyone! Please! Help him! Help him! Help me…

It happened so fast. One of the men went through him after he had been pushed away violently.

He saw blood flow left and right, cries of agony here and there, throats being slit without a single hesitation. He could hear those damn civilians, who were walking away ignoring the harassment before, now screaming in horror and running away.

And then it stopped. Those who were still alive ran away as fast as they could. The street now was empty, screams getting far away. There was only the corpses of the ones who were beating the boy, small Naruto, himself and the new person who had saved the day.

Naruto watched intently, as the man was glaring at the retreating back of the assailants, his face hidden behind a mask, both black eyes set in a scary frown, silver hair moving gently with the wind.

"Kakashi…" the sound was small, coming from still not matured vocal cords. Naruto turned his attention from a younger Kakashi to his younger self. He grimaced. He was a mess. But it's okay. Kakashi-sensei was here now. He will protect-

All thoughts stopped, his brain coming to a halt, as he saw a furious Kakashi slapping, without restraint, the beaten up kid.

"Why are you outside the walls of the estate? Why?" Another slap.

The kid was trembling now, mouth full of blood. It was seeping out as he tried to talk.

"I'm sorry…" Slap.

"SORRY? YOU DISOBEYED ME!" Slap.

"You deserved this! I warned you!" Slap.

Naruto was beyond shocked. Stop! Stop that! He wanted to yell, but knew it was useless… and he felt every cell of him crying in pain for his small-self.

That small-self was still trembling. But still no tears fell from his watery eyes.

Slap. "Look at you! Is it painful? I hope it is!" Kakashi spat.

"I'm sorry…" Slap.

"DAMMIT WHY WON'T YOU CRY?!" Hug.

Blue eyes watched the scene, confused, not knowing what to do with the situation.

Kakashi, after slapping the kid several times, causing more injuries, is now hugging him tenderly.

And the first tear finally escaped those almost same big blue eyes. Small hands reached in front of him to clutch tightly on the grown man's back, bloody head resting on a strong shoulder. A hiccup. Another tear. And then finally, the dam broke loose.

Naruto cried. And wailed. Screamed about how much it hurts. His foot hurts! His face hurts. His sides hurts. How sorry he is. He won't do it again! Promise, dattebayo! He will always listen to Kakashi. He is so so sorry! Please! Don't hate him. He will do anything. Just don't hate him.

He stayed like that, in that warm embrace, for some time. He didn't want to move. He loved Kakashi's arms. They always felt nice. It's where he belongs.

Too soon, Kakashi loosened his hold and got up. His eyes sent a weary look around him, falling on the dead corpses at his feet.

He sighed. And Naruto understood. This meant more work and extra-papers to write and report about.

Then Kakashi glared at him. "I am very angry and disappointed, Naruto."

He hung his head in shame. Somehow, even though all his body hurts, nothing could compare to the pain caused by those words. Then he felt himself being lifted up.

His small hands went to secure themselves around a strong neck. He let himself being adjusted in those cherished arms, before Kakashi headed back home.

He rested his swollen cheek on the warm shoulder and closed his eyes. His promised himself then. That was the last time he will disobey Kakashi.

Unbeknownst to them, they were followed by a ghost. They couldn't see him. But if they did, they would see confusion, worry and a small smile full of relief directed at them.

~KN~

Kakashi didn't move from his seat, beside Naruto's bed. His hand was still holding the other boy's tanned one. Tsunade was on the other side of the bed, turning the pages of a thick book about souls and spiritual occurrences. On the bedside table, there were numerous books talking about the same topic.

Both of them waited. It didn't take long though. The door opened and Sasuke, Sakura and Lee came inside in a hurry.

"We found it! It's this one right?" Sasuke asked, before presenting the scroll.

Kakashi eyed it carefully and he nodded.

Tsunade then closed the book she was reading before stretching her hand. Sasuke didn't hesitate to pass the scroll to her. She opened it fast, and read it carefully. At that moment, Shikamaru came, holding a basket full of food. Sakura took it from him gratefully.

They all looked at Tsunade when they heard a loud huff. At the face the Nara kid was making, she tossed the scroll at him. It didn't take him a long time to figure the problem.

"It's incomplete." He stated.

Sasuke then scowled. "So what? We will just figure out a way to complete it!" He snapped.

"But Sasuke-kun… There aren't many seal masters. In fact, they are as rare as medic nins used to be, before the war. If not more." Sakura tried to reason, but a harsh glare of red eyes made her shut up and look at her feet.

"We will just have to study seals then! I've got some basis from when I was with Orochimaru. Worst case scenario, we look for that old snake bastard, and force him to complete the jutsu!" He snarled.

"Orochimaru is too dangerous and untrustworthy. This kind of jutsu can't be shown to him." Sasuke turned sharply at Kakashi.

"You're good with seals too! So instead of shutting down my last resort plan, DO SOMETHING!" Sasuke shoulders were tense. His eyes turned towards the sleeping blond. His face looked so peaceful. And he hated it! He loathed it! Here he was nearly tearing his hair out, while that idiot was sleeping serenely.

"Isn't it funny, that the only real seal master we have here, is in a coma…?" Tsunade smiled. She got up and kissed the blond's forehead. Then she went to the small table and picked up the books she brought.

Kakashi didn't look at any of them. After he successfully identified the scroll, he went back to watch Naruto's face. He didn't even look at Sasuke when he expressed his opinion and doubt about Orochimaru joining them. He stared, memorizing every feature and curve that he already knew by heart, but never really gotten bored from watching. After some long silence, he closed his eyes, squeezed gently that warm hand he held, running a thumb over the skin there before he let go and brought his hand on Naruto's face. He stroked his cheek with the back of his fingers, knuckles running down slowly. He marveled at how soft and smooth it was, even with those whisker-like scars.

He brought back his hand at his side. Then he got up.

He noticed Sasuke's glare, but didn't say anything about it.

"Right. Sasuke has spoken wisely for once." He turned towards Sakura.

"You and Lee will stay here. Shikamaru, Sasuke and me will understand what exactly this scroll is about and we will find a way to end it in our favor, without fail. When Hinata comes back with her clan's scrolls, send her to us." He ordered.

Both of them straightened and nodded.

Tsunade then turned towards them. "Sakura, I'm going to alert the other kages about this. Hopefully, they will send help. I can't stay long here, since I am needed in Konoha. So I will have to depart soon. But we will keep contact. Everyday, I will send you a bird. So keep your eyes open."

Sakura nodded, eyes shining in determination.

Lee asked then: "But, Sakura-san is smart. I'm sure that having her in the scroll-team would help. It's better than leaving her here…"

Shikamaru nodded. "Of course. That's why she is going to receive a copy of this scroll tonight. Ino will come and will play as an intermediate between her and us." He said evenly.

Lee frowned. "I don't understand… Wouldn't it be far more simple if she went with you?"

Sakura then smiled. "Ah, well, you guys really know me better than I thought." At Lee's confusion, her smile widened.

"Unlike Kakashi-senei and Sasuke-kun, I wouldn't be able to shoulder the stress and worry. That's why, for me to be able to concentrate, it is best if I stay by Naruto's side. With him within my reach, I can work without worrying about his well being." She explained, with a small sad smile. She really needed to become stronger. This wasn't enough. If Naruto wasn't by her, she couldn't stand tall. How pathetic… But she has to be strong. Naruto needs her.

Lee nodded then. He understood. He smiled comfortingly, trying to cheer her up.

Shikamaru turned slowly, the scroll in hand, and left the room. Sasuke and Kakashi both lingered a second longer, glanced briefly at the sleeping blond before they left.

They've got work. And hell will break loose before they will even consider giving up.

Humm... I hope I wasn't too confusing.

Every small part of this chapter had been written from a certain point of view... But I guess that it may confuse some.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the read.

Review if you do! It's always a motivation to write!

Critics are appreciated. As long as they are fair and gently/politely said.

See you next week, hopefully!