Important update.

A/N: .I have rewritten the entirety of Off Track, and every chapter have been replaced already. You may read them if you want but if you don't, I have short summaries completed below for convenience.

There are differences but otherwise follows the original chapters. (If anyone remembers them, haha). I've made some non-sensible choices that I would like to fix. I've increased the quality a bit, changing a few things. Below is a quick summaries of what has changed, or you may go back and reread it.

List of changes below.

Another time traveler. Killer Bee, has not appeared in story yet.

Naruto is 17. Wardrobe change. Red hooded jacket, sleeves are orange.

Mikoto is 16

Nagato is 10, Konan is 13, Yahiko is 13.

Naruto keeps his name. Made Naruto less 'idiotic'. Disturbed by failures. A 'disability' more time needed to recover, tires more easily. result of time travel.

Kurama is more Sassy? or something, less interruptive.

Fixed formatting for easier read, grammar, spelling errors.

Summaries of chapters. List of changes.

Chapter 1: Appearance change, old clothing too worn out. Naruto is drained by usage of time travel, lower lifeforce, chakra. Slowly recovers for x amount of days. Killer Bee also traveled back with Naruto. Meet's Konan, Figures out he's in wrong time, wrong place. Panic attack.

Chapter 2. Encounter's Konan, undertakes her as ally to bring peace. Go to town, it gets attacked. flee and meet with Yahiko. Yahiko's introduction is different.

Chapter 3. Nearly unchanged, Infiltrates town but does not take any jutsu. Naruto battles Mikoto, and flees. Naruto takes her sword, forgot to give it back. Mikoto learns shadowclone from him, with aid of her eyes.

Chapter 4. Nearly unchanged. Konan idly thinks about Naruto's goals. Mikoto reflects on lasts night's events, finds Naruto's back pack. Konan decides to join in on Naruto and Yahiko's dream. Naruto reflects on an occurrence with his father.

Chapter 5. Cave, Naruto teaches Konan how to cook. Starts teaching the two on how to access chakra. Shows them Sasuke's headband, that he still kept on himself. Konan makes him a paper crane.

Chapter 6. Nearly unchanged, only how Naruto rescues Mikoto. Mikoto runs into ambush, Finds Akira, stays behind. Fends them off before Akira returns, only to killed and herself captured. Naruto encounters the shinobi and rescues her.

Chapter 7:The most altered chapter out of all. Mikoto's and Naruto's exchange is drastically different. Recommend rereading.

Chapter 8: Same with Chapter 8 greatly altered, Mikoto and Naruto interact more, much differently than original. Recommend rereading.

Chapter 9: A new chapter.

Anyways, Enjoy

Chapter 9

Instead of further searching for Nagato, he really desired some place to sleep comfortably. So it was some time before he actually reached the cave where Yahiko and Konan stayed.

He was alright with them staying alone, they could take care of themselves, not to mention that there was plenty of food left. He bypassed through another small collection of houses that looked to be raided, otherwise there was nothing to be found around.

He was relieved when he finally reached it, the lack of sleep was wearing him down. He entered, seeing both Konan and Yahiko enjoying their lunch.

"Oh, you're back?" Yahiko noted.

He nodded, walking over to them and grabbing a handful of berries, some bread and chugging down some water. "Well, I'm just gonna sleep for a bit, been up for too long"

"Good night, um, I guess" Konan replied.

Otherwise, he plopped down on his bed and was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

He was stirred from sleep with another irritating nudge on his shoulder. "Five more minutes" He mumbled.

It stopped, for now. Before starting again a short time later.

"It's been five minutes now"

It was over that fast?

"What is it?" He asked groggily.

"There's another boy here, with his little dog. "

His eyes plopped open, seeing the blue haired girl kneeling in front of him. "Who?" His mind racing wildly, which easily woke him up.

"Nagato, and his dog tiny"

His mind drew a blank for some reason. "A tiny dog?"

"No, his name is tiny"

He shook his head, perhaps in mild disbelief and a mixture of excitement, he laughed. Sitting up, he saw the skinny red haired boy. The rinnegan was hidden from view with the messy red hair he had. He sat crossed legged, a small dog nuzzling in his lap. Both were eating a stick of bread.

"Someone else to help us?" Naruto said,

Nagato looked up, and he could barely see the ripple of his eyes through his hair."Uh, sorry?"

Naruto gave a grin."Well, you're here right? If you're gonna stick around, then you gotta be willing to help us"

"With...With what?"

Naruto didn't expect such a timid sounding voice, he spoke low and almost fearfully. It was far cry from the last time he had seen him. He wondered when he would start cracking jokes. The small puppy yelped in his lap, biting into the piece of bread.

He didn't answer, as Yahiko began to speak. "Oh, you know, steal food, train, bring peace, nothing too hard"

"Peace? Uh, how?"

"How about one step at a time?" Yahiko settled. "First, we need to find a teacher, someone powerful. Naruto, the oldest one here, knows how to fight and he says he could teach us a few things"

Nagato looked at him, any notion of emotion was hidden by the curtain of hair. "You guys are friends?"

"Yeah, want to join?"

"...Okay"

"Great!" Naruto clapped his hands, filled with glee. "Now, how about we get you started?..."

They were all fast learners, In the first few weeks since Nagato came. They were all able to access their chakra, just as natural as they could be. It was where he had gotten stuck, about what to teach them next. The academy days were rather hazy, with so many lost details. Hand signs, that was something he could teach them. He had already drawn the diagrams with the correct placements. His writing was getting better, but he was still somewhat rather slow. At least it looked good.

"Here, learn these hand signs" As he handed them all pieces of paper that he had created.

Yahiko looked at the paper, turning it around repeatedly. His eyes trying to decipher the drawing. "Er, What's this supposed to be?"

"Like I said, hand signs"

Konan had another in her hands, twisting it around. "Naruto, I don't want to be mean but-"

"It's kinda crap" Yahiko interrupted.

He was horrified, he took the diagram, the artistic pride he felt suddenly crumbled away and the true appearance of the drawing came to light. It was fucking horrendous.

"What? I'm a shinobi, not an artist!" Then he remembered Sai, god, fuck him for being both.

He grumbled as he took the drawings he made away from them. The sympathetic look that Konan gave, as well as Yahiko's mocking smirk. Nagato only asked when they would learn, he grumpily replied when he got better or found some.

It was some days later when Naruto was overlooking the stock of supplies that they had left. It was quickly dwindling, with only enough to last a few days. He had been the one to gather the food, stealing mostly, but working for some pieces here and there. Konan and Yahiko had also been getting their own.

The task of obtaining supplies was also a nice little simulation of shinobi skills. Deception, stealth and quickness. Maybe others, but they couldn't come to mind. An idea came to him then, so he might as well plan for it.

"So, you want to put this into some sort of game?"Yahiko asked.

"Mission, you can call it" Naruto replied. He grabbed a stack of papers, it was just a small collection of vendors, stores and stuff. Along with a list of supplies needed, both went hand and hand. Some of the items were more difficult to obtain, some stores were harder to sneak in.

He had sent some shadow clones to just watch how the stores were being handled. Some watched their own stock themselves, or had an employee watching it. There was however, a guard stationed at a few, they were definitely more vigilant than the average employee.

"Let's see, you have twenty four hours, I'll be watching, and uh, I'll grade it? I guess?" He said rather awkwardly.

"You don't sound so sure of this" Konan said, sounding unsure.

"Because I don't really know how to much of this." Guess he'll have to make some sort of system.

"So you want us to collect these stuff on here?" Nagato voiced.

"Sure do, some of them are harder than others, but you'll get a better grade. The easier places to get into will get you less points, get the supplies" Damn, that sounded weird to even say. He didn't consider himself to the likes or Iruka or Kakashi, or the Pervy Sage. Then again, if an old perverse man could be like that, then he could too.

"Wouldn't we do better if we taught how to be a shinobi?" Yahiko replied, frowning.

He was almost stumped at the question, but luckily his quick thinking came to save him. "Yeah, but I also want you to see how much better you'll be when you do. Besides, I want to see your instincts and stuff"

"Oh, I guess that makes sense"

He hoped it did.

"How will you keep track of us?" Nagato asked quietly.

He felt a smirk, and created such a familiar seal, and a shadow clone popped up beside him. "With this, I could keep track of all you"

The slightly younger ones stared at him with awe."Alright, so get started, I'll be keeping watch. Also, I'll be grading you alone, er, individually"

Naruto would also likely fail them if they didn't act as a group, but they didn't need to know that. He watched them scramble for their empty bags, to fill with goods, their raincoats and other snacks for their robberies. Of course, when they became ninja, they wouldn't need to resort to petty thievery.

He followed them to town, he didn't say whether they could work alone or groups, but they were free to do as they wished. They talked idly for a while, until the gates of the village popped up. They all scattered, he was slightly dismayed that they started to work alone, but perhaps that would change in time.

He sent two other shadow clones to watch the other progress as he followed Nagato and his dog tiny. Nagato was overlooking to the list, and immediately was on his way. Undergoing a transformation, he kept hidden from view from Nagato, the red head occasionally looked around, no doubt wondering if he could be spotted.

He took a busy street that followed to a square of vendors. It was probably the more easier places to steal stuff off from. It wasn't too crowded today, so perhaps some difficulty might surface.

Nagato looked around, and edged himself closer to more of the busier sections, his loyal dog following in step. He dug into his pocket and seemingly counted the amount of money he had, before bending down to his dog.

Unheard words were spoken, as talked with his dog. He stepped to a vendor, a woman, not overly intimidating but not frail looking either. He was regarded with suspicion before he took out some ryo from his pocket, before some semblance of warmth appeared.

The vendor herself was selling some baked goods, wrapped in sealant. He handed the ryo for one, before Tiny approached the woman and licked her feet, calling for her attention. While she was momentarily distracted by giving a few pets, Nagato swiped several more and pocketed it. The woman was none the wiser as Nagato called for tiny and was on his way.

"Huh?"

The memories of a clone entered his head a few minutes later. It involved Yahiko, who had been walked out of a store by an employee, for trying to obviously trying to steal something. He had been scolded, but otherwise walked away victoriously with a canister of fuel he had hidden. Somehow.

Not too soon after, memories of Konan surfaced, she had been pick pocketing various people littered in crowded areas. She had nearly been caught, but was able to lie her way out with a excuse of them dropping their money.

"Huh." As he reviewed them. It wasn't exactly perfect, but they weren't shinobi just yet. Not only that, it hadn't exactly been the longest time since they started their mission. It was a nice start, with a few supplies knocked off the list.

He would just continue watching.

He felt bad for Nagato when he was thrown to the ground for getting caught stealing. He didn't need to get involved, as that was the extent of it. Nor did he think that he should get involved, they knew how to take care of themselves, but he also didn't want them to depend on him.

Konan placed a cold wet rag to the side of her face, a black eye was already forming from when she was hit. Her pickpocket spree had ended with that. At least for today. Yahiko's clothes were wet, as he had lost his raincoat when he had to run away from an angry owner. Nagato was the least affected, but he also didn't grab as many supplies as the others.

Speaking of which, they had enough to last several days, if they barely ate above minimum. From one day of gathering, stealing and buying.

"Well, you got until tomorrow until I give your grades" It was still weird as hell to even say. Maybe he shouldn't give as such. Fuck, this was all weird to begin with. "I'll just be outside alright?"

He got a few items and went outside, finding a tree that shielded him from the light misty rain. He sat down, but didn't really know what to do at the moment. So he dug into his tool bag and brought out his favorite.

Even though it was one of the only few books he had read, still, it counted.

A copy of, A Tale of Gutsy Shinobi. It was worn from use, signifying it's age. He had found it in a store before he left. The first one he had possessed had been at the memorial for his master.

He had already re-read the entire thing since coming here. It wouldn't be bad to do it again.

"Naruto?" A soft voice belong to Nagato roused him from his reading.

"Yo" He replied. Closing his books and looking up to Nagato standing in the rain."What's up?"

"I was wondering..." He went silent for a little. "You look like you know what you're doing, like you have everything figured."

"I seem that way huh?" He replied.

"Do, Do you mean you don't?"

He rubbed the nape of his neck. "Sort of, trying to achieve peace seems kinda hard doesn't it?"

"Yes, but, it's nice to think about..." Nagato said quietly.

He smiled. "Sure is, especially right now. You see, I try to do it in steps. First, I need a team, with similar goals..."

"And we're a team, but you need us to be a trained"

"Exactly" He replied, and Nagato only nodded as the silence kept on.

"So what if you don't know? How would you find the steps?"

"Hm?" He didn't think he was referring to his struggles on what to teach, or how to. "Well, you find it of course."

"Just like that?" Nagato said.

He wrapped his hands over his neck. "Well, depending on what you might be looking for, it might be easy, it might be hard. One day, though, you'll find it if you keep looking. It's what I think"

"Oh...Okay" Nagato replied as he stood there in the rain, he didn't seem to bother moving from his spot however. He decided to talk again.

"Do you know what a nindo is? It's about what a ninja follows, actually there's already one, like how you're supposed to be a weapon for your country, but never mind that trash. Anyways, I have one. Never going back on my words, and I know for sure that I'll follow through every single one. So that means peace is involved in that"

Nagato looked surprised, and nodded in thanks. His attention however, was brought to something else.

He could feel it, a pressuring chakra to the south, farther than the Rain country. It resonated within him, and he could Kurama stirring. He recognized it, the other Kurama that was placed inside his mother.

Momentarily distracted, Nagato's words failed to reach him. He rid himself from his thoughts but Nagato was already walking back to the cave. Only the unsettling feeling kept rising from the south.

Nagato didn't seem to feel it, perhaps the sensory types could. He did have a peculiar connection to the other fox. His gut twisted in worry as the force continued to rise. He stood up, his muscles taut and aching for movement. The thunder stirred, cracking the sky as if it could feel the energy of the greatest of the tailed beast.

He gasped for breath when reality came back to him. Kurama's chakra had waned, before settling down to near indistinguishable levels. That was his mother, and he couldn't help but feel the worry plague him.

Within the seal where Kurama was kept, the fox itself had its eyes open and focused. Ears at attention from the recent burst.

"...So, how many times have you tried to break out?" Naruto asked. Kurama turned to him, as he stood at the open gate.

"Plenty of times, it was harder than it was with you though"

"Because my seal was designed for your chakra to come through right?"

Kurama smiled, whenever it did just that it bared it's teeth. "I thought it was flaw, but your old man is clever. Your chakra can basically go to zero, but for Kushina, it's a bit different where she can't go near it, there would've been a danger of me breaking out."

There was silence as he thought about his mother, his village, his home.

"Y'know? I think when I find the old Pervy-sage I think it would a nice time to go the Hidden Leaf Village"

"Huh, Thought you wanted to stay with these three?" He asked.

"If I remember, Nagato said something about Yahiko dying several years after, so we got time"

"That's if we haven't changed much"

"Sure, but I think they'll be fine for a while. There's something else back at home too."

Kurama hummed, which sounded more like a low growl. Of course, he might have not noticed the difference. "Obito Uchiha"

"Yeah...I'm, I'm not sure what I'll do with him yet. Guess I'll just find out when it comes to it"

"Then maybe, you'll do something about the Uchiha"

He rubbed his neck. "Eh, I don't even know where to start. Maybe I'll take my own advice and start small"

He got an affirmative grunt, and Naruto knew that the conversation with Kurama had stalled. So, he sat back down and resumed where he started from with the book he had. There was still quite a few chapters where his favorite part was.

He didn't follow the other three orphans this time. He probably should have done that the other day, to give them a bit of privacy. This time, they went towards a town that was a bit further away, nearly a hour away. He didn't give them a dossier for a different town. He guess he should write down some points for that.

Wait, how many points should he put? Out of how many? Fuck, maybe he should not have power read through most of the book yesterday and instead concentrated on this.

When they reached the town, he couldn't help but smile when they stayed grouped together. He guessed he shouldn't be surprised, Nagato did say something about what the struggles they went through. Even his little thing about grading them individually didn't deter them.

They turned out okay without him. Except, y'know, Yahiko dying and Nagato turning out as he did. He had grown a bit attached to them, and he considered them friends.

He watched from a distance, seeing as Yahiko loudly complained about crap quality food as Konan and Nagato pocketed a few items to steal. Again, they worked together to steal from a vendor.

An hour before the time-limit ended, they ended up near a store settled in a building, the type that had more security but with higher quality items to sell. He was curious as to how they would do this.

They couldn't channel chakra in their movements, for higher speed and strength as well so many other benefits. All that was second nature to him, he never noticed doing it after a few months learning in the academy.

They spent their time loitering around the building, talking amongst themselves. He stared down below from atop the roof as they fiddled with rope down below. They tied across the length of the alley and marked it with a red can. They looked to other alleyways and did the same thing.

They returned to the store they found, talking a bit before Konan headed inside, moments later Yahiko trailing, and then for longer, Nagato rolling in. Tiny was left outside.

Naruto jumped down below to get a better look, the windows looked to be reinforced, with a 'We're open' sign posted. He could barely see through the cage that had been placed by the windows, but it was enough. The open door also gave a nice amount of view.

There was a guard standing by the door, sitting on a chair and looking at them suspiciously. Konan bought an item, a Popsicle, before standing in front of the guard. The guard 'himself' looked to be more of a employee.

She began chatting with him, and the guard seemed slightly disinterested, but otherwise not hostile. His vision slightly obscured, but it wasn't hard to see both boys were in the process of stuffing their pockets with goods.

The guard seemed to be alerted, the clerk standing by the counter pierced from out of the store with her voice. He could see Nagato started to rush to the exit. When the guard took a step to get a hold of him, Konan tripped him and he fell to the floor. Nagato sprinting out and heading through the trapped alleyway.

Naruto sent a shadow clone to follow.

Inside, Yahiko was being chased by the clerk, a frantic expression as was hit by a thrown brick. Konan was still stationed by the door, digging into her pocket, she flung mud at the clerk behind Yahiko. Blinding him temporarily. Yahiko threw a bag of goods at as they both bolted out of the store, following after the red haired boy.

"So how did we do?" They asked.

"Pretty good" As he sorted out the supplies they had stolen. There was a few missing items, luxuries mostly. They even got a water purifier, a hard item to replace.

"What about our grades?"

"Good"

"Just good?" Yahiko asked.

"Haven't really worked out the grades yet, but what matters most is the teamwork I saw. You guys got more stuff than yesterday when you all were alone."

They all seemed embarrassed by his announcement.

"Konan was the one who suggested it" Yahiko said. "She noticed you said nothing about teaming up"

"Yahiko came up with the plan" Nagato added.

"Nagato had came up with the traps" The blue haired girl said.

Naruto looked amusingly at them. The traps didn't need to be used, but it was a nice escape plan. Now what else should he teach them? Damn, now he had to think about that.

Still, he was looking forward to when the Pervy-sage came around. So that he could take over his lame and awkward attempts at teaching them.