Featuring: Fem!Naru, Time Travel AU, Super!Naru, Fem!Naru/Kakashi (eventually), Probably Plot Holes ;D

Okay! Some notes (in this fic):

Both Rin and Obito are 13 at the start but Kakashi is only 9 – That's because Kakashi graduated from the Academy at 5 while the other two graduated at 9, so there's a 4 year difference between them but they were all on the same team.

Although I made Naru an adult, I'm not exactly giving her the personality she has in Naruto Gaiden because 1.) I prefer her personality from Naruto and Shippuden but I will calm her down to suit her age (i.e. won't have crazy angry outbursts over minor things) and 2.) I've seen hardly any of Naruto's new personality, I'd describe him as being a 'cool customer', as Shikamaru puts it (This will reflect when fighting though). Also, not sure when Naruto ascended as Hokage but he looks about 32 - 34 in the Gaiden - Since femNaru doesn't have children, I made her 25 and Hokage since I imagine that caused a bit of a hiccup in Naruto's succession plans.

So it doesn't feel like Minato and Kushina were horny teenagers, I made it so that they were 35 years old when Naruto was originally born and so I could say they had Naru at the reasonable age of 20 (I don't believe they look old enough to be 35 in Naruto but roll wid it, mateys. 20 is reasonable for shinobi since they tend to lead such short lives).

Speaking of age changes: To further incorporate the changes I made to Kushina and Minato's ages into the story coherently, I've added 10 years onto Jiraiya and Tsunade's ages, which means that instead of being 53 (in Naruto: Shippuden), they are 63 – Which means at the beginning of my fic, they would be 73. I've done this because Jiraiya was Minato's sensei but because I added about 11 years to Minato's age, that would mean I had to either: a.) Increase Jiraiya's age or b.) Give Minato a sensei that was only 3 years older than him, which didn't make much sense especially since Jiraiya looks quite old when he is Minato's sensei.

A lot of the inspiration for how this works is from the tsukuyomi used in Road to Ninja.

Minato is very much a doting, overprotective Father because I just love when he is depicted like that! It's so cute :') and its funny because of what we see in The Lost Tower, he is very calm and collected, even being able to erase his memory of meeting his son for the good of temporal space and all that jazz. Kushina will definitely have the disciplinary role.

There may be lemons – Not sure yet. If there are, I'll warn you beforehand and/or change the rating to M.

Naru's goal will STILL be to become Hokage so worry not! I have not changed her that much. It will be a long and treacherous journey but I think we can do it together (awh ^/ / /^).

Kurama's personality is probably off from the real thing but I couldn't capture him really well. I wanted to give him sort of a tsundere personality ("I-it's not like I l-like being sealed inside you or anything, b-baka!" / / /) but also hesitantly nurturing? I found this more suitable for FemNaru because she isn't as rough and tumble as the real Naruto because she's still a girl. I also wanted him to kinda be the wisdom/voice of reason for her at times and a way to kinda reflect how she is feeling, if that makes sense.

One last thing, I am aware that the First Hokage's Necklace broke in Shippuden BUT because I need to somehow create the bond between Tsunade and Naru in this time, its not. Love you :3

Anyway, this shit turned out to be the length of a short one shot :| I hope you read all that but if you didn't, whatever – It's there in case you feel the need to question my decisions ;P If you have any questions, you can review and I'll answer you, I guess. Please, enjoy reading :3

Naru sat at her desk, looking positively horrified. Rightly so, as there were two piles of paper on each side of the Hokage's desk – It was sturdy, anyone could see that, but Naru still feared that the sheer weight of the paperwork would split the desk cleanly, right down the middle. "Shikamaru, what is this?" The woman in question uttered slowly, looking with slight caution at her advisor.

"Hokage-sama," Shikamaru spoke, pointedly. It had become a habit of his, one that she found incredibly annoying, to alternate between calling her Naru and Hokage-sama, the latter only coming out when he felt he needed to remind her of her status, which he didn't. At all. "These are all the reports for the past three weeks of missions, as well as letters from the other villages which you need to reply to for the sake of diplomacy. Taking into account your personality, I separated your paperwork into what needs to be done by the end of today and what you can put off until tomorrow." He spoke, professional as always but with a hint of snark, as was his style.

Not missing the tone in Shikamaru's voice, Naru's cerulean eyes narrowed considerably: "What do you mean, considering my personality?" She questioned with a raised eyebrow. Leaning back in her chair, arms crossed. If she was Baa-chan, Shikamaru probably would've already been hit by a chair for insinuating she had personality problems - Because, god forbid, the woman with the monster strength and a quick temper like a land mine had any flaws at all.

"I, more than anyone, know that you'll do anything you can to have less paperwork and that you love putting it off. We might be older now but you can't fool me, I know you're still the same old Naru you've always been." Other villagers, those who generally didn't speak to Naru, would probably see Shikamaru as being insolent with his casual and disengaging manner of speech but Naru was thankful for this sort of thing in the office – It felt as though people often tip-toed around her, saying what she wanted to hear with only a few exceptions.

He knows me well. She thought, whole-heartedly bitter for a moment. Naru straightened herself, "Alright, I'll get right on this paperwork once I have some-"

"No ramen," Shikamaru cut her off.

Feeling as if she was about to cry, Naru huffed slightly and slumped over her desk: "Shikamaru, you're too cruel. Aren't we friends?"

With a barely-there smirk, Shikamaru turned away and began walking as he spoke: "I'm just your advisor, Hokage-sama. Don't be such a drag." With that, he left her office, closing the large doors – The guards that stood on either side were more often than not vigilant in their duties, even channeling chakra over the cracks of the door like a barricade after each visitor. They silently cringed at the pathetic and defeated look of their Hokage but ignored her pleading looks she sent their way in an attempt to get them to deliver ramen to her. Whenever she attempted to use a shadow clone, someone would make them go 'poof!' and she'd be returned the memories of a clone cut down in its youth without ramen in sight. Mind you, true ramen wasn't even a thing anymore in Konoha since Ichiraku became... a dipping noodle shop. Ugh! It made her cringe just thinking about! Curse Ayame and her stupid inter-nation business courses. How can anyone prefer dipping noodles over ramen, 'ttebayo?! She thought with a passing grit of her teeth.

Thinking of the ramen and how she could most likely get some once she was finished with work, she was once again motivated. "Yosh! Lets get this done, dattebayo!" She said with spirit, rolling up her, characteristically, orange sleeves. The guards had long since become used to her verbal tick, something that Kakashi claims to have been inherited from Naru's mother, although she would often try to hide it when conversing when it was to do with her job as Hokage – The elders deemed it unprofessional. Her sheer determination pushed her wrist to move a little faster than normal and anyone could see her love of ramen burned as brightly as her will of fire ever has. Two hours became four then six and she was finally done, falling back onto her seat with a long, drawn-out sigh - Oh, how she wished she could use shadow clones but more than anything else, receiving the memory of god-forsaken paperwork four times in all directions made her head throb and recede into safer territory (a.k.a leave her on autopilot - bad idea). She had a small, triumphant smile on her face as she looked upon the unbalanced amount of undone paperwork on her desk – It felt like she had won the battle but, she begrudgingly thought as she looked at her 'procrastinator-friendly' pile, she still had not won the war.

By the time she was off the clock, it was already dark outside – From what she could see, the night was dimming but most stores were still alive and kicking, so Naru assumed it was between 6 and 7, perfect timing for dinner.

Like every night, she noticed that children stared in awe, while their parents scolded them for being 'rude' and those she walked past took a few, tentative steps to the side, as if she would kill them if even a single strand of hair stood in her path. It was times like these, when there felt like there was a particular distance between herself and her people, that she wished she was allowed to leave the Hokage jacket, that boldly stated 'Nanadaime' to all those who looked, in the office - Though everyone knew who the Hokage was; thinking they would find her more approachable without the long jacket was just wishful thinking on her part. For Naru, the jacket was a sign of accomplishment, pride and the pattern, like flames alight, that licked the edges of the white article reminded her of her own, undying will of fire. But for the citizens, it was a sign of the revered, unreachable Hokage – like a barrier, it stood at her back and cloaked her humanity. Though she knew the villagers meant no harm, the lonely reception made her steps a bit heavier and a bit faster as she thought about her motivations to become Hokage, as she briskly made her way to Ichiraku – There, she knew, Teuchi and Ayame would treat her the same as they had always done. Hokage or not, they still saw that little girl who loved ramen more than anyone. Sure, Naru wanted to become Hokage since she was just a little runt of a girl and the villagers did acknowledge her, as was intended - Actually, she was acknowledged far and wide as the most powerful Hokage who ever lived. Sure, that was great and all but what's the point if the villagers are too busy acknowledging you as some God instead of as their village leader?

"Yo." She looked up from the ground, and her thoughts, to find Kakashi giving her a lazy, two-fingered wave and an eye smile, using only one eye, of course. Naru briefly wondered why he continued to cover his other eye but quickly dismissed the thought for the moment.

"Kakashi-sensei!" She returned enthusiastically. "Funny running into you here, huh?" She continued, scratching the back of her head with an easy smile.

"Well, if you mean it's strange for us to run into each other, then I'd say it's not. Firstly, this is the main street and secondly, I can always find you outside of Ichiraku, Naruto." Kakashi returned with only a hint of his usual patronizing tone. He briefly noted how Naruto, the Hokage, still called him sensei but decided he'd commented on it enough in this lifetime.

"Don't call me Naruto, 'ttebayo!" she said with conviction: "Call me Naru. Naru! Okay?" she insisted to him, as she ushered him into the ramen shop. Naru very much thought that Naruto sounded like a guy's name and while she wasn't particularly concerned with gender roles or the like, she was still a woman.

"I guess we're eating together, then." Kakashi said flatly, as the two occupied a booth at the back. It wasn't surprising to him to find that all eyes were on them, though the owners of those eyes kept a fair distance. Both the Rokudaime and the Nanadaime sitting in the same booth, enjoying ramen and some light company, now that was a sight.

They both ordered for themselves – Naru got her usual miso ramen (well, dipping noodles with some modifications) and Kakashi, being the deceptively-uniform guy he was, opted for simple salt broth with his dipping noodles, nothing too fancy – He did, however, prompt Teuchi to add a few slices of eggplant to the dish. Naru enjoyed some back and forth, as per usual, with Teuchi who still called her a brat, despite her status – It was shocking and perhaps a bit unnerving to see the many lines of age marring that hospitable smile Teuchi had always worn. Everything seemed to be moving and growing older, as was time's design. Ayame still helped her Father run the store, confiding in Naru that she wished he would retire and take care of himself better but the old man was strong like an ox and stubborn like a mule. Ayame herself was now in her late 30s and had long since married a humble farmer who lived in the outskirts of the village, no children as of yet.

Naru looked intently at her former teacher, waiting for him to take off his mask and eat, all but ogling him. She pouted and her face became red from the breath she didn't realize she had been holding as she anticipated the momentous occasion.

"Is there something on my face?" Kakashi finally spoke, a small sweat drop falling over his temple. He peered directly at Naru as she was making a rather interesting face, a mix of impatience and childlike curiosity.

"Your face is the problem," She said bluntly, not thinking of her words very clearly.

"Some might think of that as rude, you know," Kakashi retorted, looking deadpan.

"Ah, I didn't mean that... your face isn't so bad," Naru looked nervous, "I mean, wait, no, that wasn't what I was supposed to say. How should I put this…?"

"You want to see my face?" Kakashi finally spoke, feeling bad for his fumbling student. Ever since she was younger, Naru had trouble actually voicing her thoughts under pressure or rather, not being able to find the words. In most situations, however, Kakashi would find that she found her words much too easily and perhaps, they would be better left lost.

"Exactly. Exactly!" She exclaimed, looking happy – One could imagine a tail, or nine, wagging behind her in excitement.

"Ah, Naru," Kakashi began, following the Hokage's wishes as was a Konoha citizen's duty, "Your ramen is getting cold, is that okay?" he pointed out, casually. No one could see, unless they looked extra closely, but his mouth turned up into a scheming smirk - She wasn't going to see what's under his mask if he could help it. Maybe in another life, Naruto. He thought cunningly.

"Ugh, not my ramen, dattebayo!" She said, as she put her hands together in a hasty 'itadakimasu!' and dug in – Kakashi passively acknowledged the verbal tick with a small smile. Forgetting her original agenda, she devoured bowl after bowl, enjoying the lovely pay rise that came with being Hokage. By the time she was finished, she looked up to find Kakashi's bowl empty and his mask intact.

"That's a really interesting face you're making," Kakashi said in wonder. His dark eyes, calm and composed as always, watched her face meld into disappointment and fury, like her world had come crashing down.

"Damnit!" She roared, as she took her wallet out and paid for her hefty meal before turning to Kakashi with scorn: "I'm not paying for you, Kakashi-sensei,"

"I wouldn't dream of it, Hokage-sama," Kakashi returned, teasingly. Even if there were a few more lines on his face than the old days, Naru still saw that infuriating but mostly familiar, and therefore nice, personality that has always been there.

Kakashi breezily pulled out his wallet and paid the much smaller sum for his one bowl of ramen – He felt a hand on his arm as he began to retreat from the booth, evidently ready to return home. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei, you're not going home, are you?" The blonde girl said, showing a lonely look. She had assumed that they would talk for a bit after eating, since Kakashi was such a quick eater.

"Don't you need to get to sleep early? You're the Hokage, after all." He pointed out. Naru huffed; he was still treating her like a kid. Nevertheless, Kakashi took his seat across from her in the booth once more, earning more than a few confused glances from the other patrons.

"I'm 25, you know? I don't have a bed time, Kakashi-sensei!" She bellowed loudly, almost proud as she said this. Her long fingernails clicked against the table in a subtle rhythm as she waited for her teacher to get comfortable again.

"Maa, you're really that old already?" Kakashi said with his eye turning in an easy curve, his rough fingertips scratching the nape of his neck.

"Don't tell me you forgot, Kakashi-sensei! That's too much," she returned indignantly. Naru found herself reminded of the years that passed, tracing the few lines that had appeared on Kakashi's face with her eyes – She found that he aged quite well. He was 38, yet he still looked like he could pass for 30, easily.

"Ah well, whatever," He dismissed easily, earning a short-lived glare from Naru. He chucked in amusement, which made his shoulders quake, only slightly.

"Whatever, my ass!" She returned, before settling down more. She found herself drawn to her former sensei's forehead protector. She tilted her head curiously and decided to ask: "Hey, sensei, why do you still wear your hitai-ate like that? I restored your eye, right?"

"Maa, it just feels a bit strange without it," Kakashi admonished, though his eye's smile looked slightly shaky compared to before. When he opened his exposed eye, Naru looked deeply into it; searching. "Why are you looking so intently?" He continued, not unnerved but merely observing.

A light blush dusted her cheeks as she was caught, "No reason… Well…" She paused, looking unsure. She began twiddling her fingers in a very Hinata fashion. Visibly steeling herself, she took a deep breath and looked at her teacher solemnly.

"Naruto, you're creeping me out, you know," Kakashi sweat dropped, watching his former student wearily. What was she doing, anyway?

Ignoring the fact that he had called her Naruto, again, Naru looked at him with sad eyes: "Hey, Kakashi-sensei, are you okay?" Naru couldn't help but see the fact that Kakashi continued to cover his eye as some kind of homage to the late Obito, his best friend – Naru thought about Kakashi's feelings quite often after that day, it was painful to think that the man had lost his best friend not once but twice, living with that regret all this time. Naru acknowledged that her former sensei was much stronger than anyone else she had met and greatly respected him for that strength.

Kakashi inwardly cursed; he knew, more than most, how aware Naru was of others feelings – He dared to think that, perhaps, she was even more aware of the feelings of others than her own. He didn't need to question her about what she meant, she knew the pain he felt deep down: "Yes, Naruto. Why wouldn't I be?" He bluffed regardless, uncomfortable with the feeling of being vulnerable to anyone.

Naru looked ready to pry but decided against it, knowing Kakashi's personality well enough by now – They had been close, dare she say, friends for roughly twelve years now, after all. She nodded at him, understanding. "Anyway, how's life?" She changed the subject, offering a large grin, long canines and all.

"Relaxing," Kakashi offered coolly, running a hand through his spiky hair. Naru almost laughed, imagining Gai-sensei exclaiming 'I can't stand the way you act so cooooooool!' – She earned a questioning look from Kakashi but brushed it off. "How about you, Hokage-sama?"

"Ah well, you would know," She joked, giving him a small grin. They both laughed; Naru let out a childish laugh, mouth wide open and Kakashi gave a small chuckle in return. "I would kill to be retired right now, sensei! You know, Shikamaru didn't even let me get ramen – Can you believe him? I can't stand that guy sometimes. Always going on about troublesome this and troublesome that." She fumed, looking rather peeved as she rested the side of her face on her hand, propped up by the elbow.

"Wasn't it your dream to become Hokage, Naruto?" Kakashi drawled, voice falling smoothly between them as Naru noticed the navy material of his mask mold around a nonchalant smirk.

"Naru," She reminded quickly before sighing and turning into a puddle on the table: "I don't really mean it, sensei – I just didn't know there would be so much paperwork. Why didn't you warn me?" She sulked, deep blue eyes looking defeated.

"Some things we must all experience for ourselves, Naru," He teased, looking smug – Naru noticed the small emphasis he put on her preferred nickname and huffed, feeling childish again. She questioned how he managed to make her feel like that 13 year old genin all over again after all this time.

The two settled into easy conversation, harmless banter mostly. Kakashi would occasionally tease and it would get the desired rile out of Naru, as expected. Naru mostly complained about her work, Kakashi quietly listened and hummed in agreement at some points, especially concerning how obstinate the elders could be, at times – And by at times, they meant ALL the time.

Sometimes, Naru appreciated Kakashi's listen and observe personality – She understood that the two were quite literally opposites – Realistically speaking, they clashed in the worst of ways but they found a way around it. But those observations also allowed him to notice things she didn't want noticed: "Maa, do you still keep in contact with Sasuke and Sakura?" He asked, the implications clear in his voice. Naru hated that he noticed things like the fact that she had, more or less, begun to avoid her former teammates.

It's not as if she wanted to avoid them. Well, Sasuke was easy enough to avoid, Sakura wasn't; up until recently, every time Naru visited the hospital, Sakura had been there with a smile so radiant and warm; a certain raven-haired duck butt was obviously the reason - It pained her to be so immature, like a spoiled child. When she didn't get what she wanted, she just sulked, that's how it felt. But... Seeing Sakura, and her tell-tale stomach, made her heart beat erratically and something that almost felt like physical pain shot through her. It didn't take a genius to know that familiar pang; it was sadness. But more than that, it was jealousy. She wasn't jealous that Sakura had a child and a husband, she was jealous that Sakura had his child and that he was her husband. Then again, judging by the fact that he barely showed his face in Konoha anymore, Naru sometimes felt like she dodged a bullet.

She closed her eyes and smiled in the way so reminiscent of her time as a genin, exactly like the time she promised to bring Sasuke back to Sakura for her - It felt so odd to have a smile be so forced. "Ah well, I still talk to Sakura-chan at times. You know, she's expecting her baby soon – I'm excited to see how the kid turns out, you know? I hope Sakura-chan's temper isn't hereditary." Naru offered in response, with a strained laugh at the end. She conveniently avoided the subject of Sasuke.

Kakashi wasn't planning to go along with her avoidance this time, it seemed, as he continued: "And Sasuke?" The retired Hokage pressed. If he was being honest, he'd tell Naru that Sakura had come to him, worried, as it seemed Naru had begun avoiding her since she had discovered her pregnancy. As Naru's former teacher, he knew how to read her well and knew what the problem was; he just wanted to confirm. Kakashi knew, all too well, how important Naru's bonds were to her and she wouldn't so easily break or neglect them.

Shifting uncomfortably, that same smile still plastered on her face: "Well, you know Sasuke, a man of few words to the very core. I talk to him sometimes – Not much of a chance since he hardly ever comes into Konoha anymore but I'm the Hokage, so he has to report to me. It's a shame he doesn't come back to see Sakura-chan more often, huh? If it were me…" She trailed off, looking hapless for only a moment before composing herself. "If it were me, you know I wouldn't stand for that kind of thing, 'ttebayo!" She said, grinning, almost convincingly.

Kakashi opened his mouth then closed it and opened it again, feeling foolish and much akin to a goldfish. His suspicions had been correct. He looked at Naru, trying to piece together a sentence to comfort her; maybe he even wanted to tell her, 'stop faking that smile' or 'don't try to be so strong on your own all the time' but how could he say that? He was as lone wolf as it got. In retrospect, Kakashi found that he was sorely inexperienced when it came to matters of the heart but also found the absence of a genuine smile on Naru quite unnerving – It was a sight he had scarcely seen during their 12 years of correspondence.

Kakashi all but sighed in relief as Teuchi came over to the table, "Sorry, kid – We gotta close up now, so you better be on your way, alright? I bet I'll be seein' ya tomorrow," The friendly old man said, patting Naru on the back. He returned to clean the counter, thinking how amiss the solemn atmosphere was around the cheerful and somewhat brash girl he'd known for almost her whole life. A quick scan around the room showed that they were the last patrons left in the reconstructed Ichiraku.

Naru, too, was relieved to avoid speaking any more about the two subjects in question. She had tried her hardest but she definitely can't fool the perceptive Rokudaime. "I guess this is goodbye for tonight, Kakashi-sensei." She said, affably - Kakashi briefly noted the shift in personality as if he was talking to someone different entirely. After receiving a similar sentiment from Kakashi, Naru walked briskly down the road to her home. She felt overcome by a feeling of guilt for leaving the man on such a depressing note, so she turned around and gave her best teeth-bearing smile: "Kakashi-sensei, don't get mugged on your way home, dattebayo!" She said with gusto.

Kakashi turned around with a small smile and found that her smile looked much more real than before and gave her one of his lazy waves before settling his hands in his pockets. The two walked in separate directions, mulling over their conversation. Kakashi found, though he often didn't enjoy socializing as much as other people did, that he didn't mind these kinds of conversations even if they steered into sensitive territory at times and he wouldn't mind sitting with Naru again sometime soon. He gave a passing thought to how well she recovered and wondered where she locked away all her pain. Not that he didn't have his fair share of pain.

Like most nights before, Naru found herself simply falling into her single bed with her otter hat on her head – When her apartment building had been destroyed, she'd been offered, with insistence, a large suite in one of the new, flashy buildings but turned them down. She instead opted to return to something similar to what she had before, a simple one bedroom apartment – Sure, she hadn't had the best of feelings in her old home but the nostalgia was there, plus she would stay with what she was accustomed to, if she could just find something that was stable and wouldn't change then she could be content for a while.

What are you doing? Feeling sorry for yourself?

Naru immediately registered the voice as belonging to her very own tenant, Kurama. The two had built what one could probably call friendship during the war and now she could converse with him naturally, as if they'd been friends all her life. "Shut up, I'm not," She defended. It was hard to admit but Kurama probably understood her most of all – It helped that he lived inside her mind.

Ah, so it isn't that you're thinking about that Uchiha brat and regretting your decision?

Naru frowned. When she was home, she didn't have to smile for others. She didn't have to hide her pain, so she didn't. At home, everything was quiet, everything was still. Nothing moved unless it was moved by her, the light didn't turn on until she flipped the switch herself. No one waited for her. "What do you know?"

Well, I know that you continued to soil yourself until you were eight. I know that you once ripped your skirt during practical training and wore pants from then on. I know that you secretly found Hatake to be quite pleasant to loo-

Naru's face went deep red as she let out a frustrated yell, pulling on her golden tresses from the roots, "Okay, okay, I get it! Stooooop!" She roared, feeling incredibly embarrassed.

Well? Do you regret it, brat?

"Of course I do," Naru uttered honestly, after a long silence. Her deep, blue eyes looked sadly up at the ceiling, as she laid eagle spread at an angle, not bothering to slip under the covers. Kurama laughed, deep and, though she was most likely reading it wrong, benevolent – It radiated inside her like long-forgotten warmth.

Then why did you not accept him as your mate? Humans are truly frustrating.

"You don't understand," She replied, slightly bitter but used to his personality – Brash, unreasonable, insensitive and perhaps a bit of a tsundere deep down. "How could I do that to Sakura-chan? She deserved Sasuke more than me. She always loved him."

You're weak, brat. When taking a mate, you must be merciless - It is about possession. Trying to understand brats like you would lower me.

"You're already living inside one of those brats, can you get lower?" She said, teasing him. She let out a slight laugh as she finally made her way under the blankets, staring blankly into the dark. However, behind all that, she knew he was right.

It was a well-kept secret; the time that Naru and Sasuke had spent together, not as rivals nor as friends but as something more. They had both felt that similar twinge of loneliness at every juncture, they had looked at each other with care and their bond was so simple – all the protectiveness of a family and the intimacy of lovers - well, as intimate as they could at their age without crossing any major lines. They were still young, Sasuke hadn't left Konoha – They were just genin; barely 13 years old. Still, Naru felt the pleasures and pangs of first love so deeply that they gripped her entire being and refused to let go. Even after many years, and his betrayal, Naru still loved him and pursued him without ever taking a break; everything she did was to save him from the darkness and to return him to Konoha. She didn't know what she wanted from him when that time came, but she still went after him regardless. After they had fought, and lost an arm each, Sasuke had even attempted to rekindle that barely-there flame still alight between them but she'd rejected him flatly, treating it like a joke. She was sure his pride had been hurt by that but when he'd told her that, Sakura's crying face flashed into Naru's mind and she just couldn't accept his feelings, no matter how sincere they were or how much she had secretly wanted to hear them from him. She hadn't expected the pain to be so sharp or relentless. It was her punishment for having fallen for Sasuke in the first place, for betraying Sakura, her comrade and her constant support.

Naru's had other relations with men since then, of course. Nothing serious, merely casual flings. They'd go out to dinner, catch a show and sleep together, maybe more than once if she felt like it - It was hard to find men who were willing to see past her role as Hokage; they were often intimidated by the legends told about her but she managed somehow. She realized that this loneliness she felt probably could've been amended if she had simply searched for something more serious; while all her friends were getting married and, subsequently impregnated, Naru was having one night stands. She knew it probably had something to do with Sasuke - No one even suspected that she might have feelings for the Uchiha, they all saw a devoted friend. She would go just as far for any of her friends but Sasuke was special; Naru loved Sasuke. Secretly, she held out hope that he'd see through her lies and force her to confront those feelings but he had simply glared at her and distanced himself for months; their relationship was nothing but superior and underling for what felt like the longest time. Then Sasuke had married Sakura and all Naru could do was give them a bright smile and say "Congratulations!" and forget about it. Naru, being the positive person she was, could easily forget the pain if she wasn't reminded - She felt bad each night but she didn't go out of her way to meet her former comrades either. If they needed her, she'd still be there for them but... She couldn't be the bigger person this time. After they got married, that was when Naru had been the most promiscuous in her short life - It wasn't anyone's business but hers; she practiced it safely and trusted her partners to keep it to themselves or she'd simply used a henge - Bedding the Seventh Hokage seemed to be a point of pride for some of them and sometimes it was too much. All she wanted was to erase the taste of the first time her lips met with his, with anyone's - It was all too innocent and chaste and she's yet to find anything like it. She wondered if it was just childhood naivety and nostalgia mixed into an emotionally-deadly cocktail.

With a small pause and a slight hint of bashfulness, Kurama finally replied: Hmph. It is not as if I particularly like it here, it is merely familiar.

Naru laughed; she knew that it was just his way of saying that he liked it there – Sometimes he was just too proud for his own good but she couldn't deny that he was a being of immense power. The two had, somehow or another, fallen into sync over the years following the end of the war but Naru knew that Kurama wasn't particularly pleased with the idle and repetitive work that came with being the Hokage – He didn't care about missions, or diplomacy, or land disputes, or anything like that. She knew the excitement he drew from battle could be rivaled by no other – She almost felt bad for him, he was free to come and go as he pleased but he was unexpectedly considerate of her feelings, choosing to keep her company when no one else was around.

Well, what was it that you are so hurt over? Is it the loss of your friends, the Uchiha brat, or the duties of a Hokage?

Naru let out a deep sigh, knowing she could keep nothing from him. She gave in: "All of the above." She said, sounding uncharacteristically docile. "I wonder what my dead friends would do if they were here right now, if I would feel this lonely, this incomplete. I wonder what it feels like to have someone waiting at home for me, the lights already on, the bed already warm. I wonder if being Hokage was truly all I wanted all along. I know that I want to be Hokage, I'll never not want to be Hokage, but lately, I've wondered if that was all there was to my dream. If maybe, along the way, I had become truly greedy and wished to have everything." She let her thoughts fall out of her lips like a ceaseless waterfall, as she let her pillow mold the shape of the back of her head into its soft material.

Kurama snorted but nevertheless, allowed rare tenderness to penetrate through his voice Come into your mindscape, kit.

Naru obeyed willingly, tired of the lonely space in her small room - She'd found that when she was feeling particularly down, Kurama would drop the 'brat' and call her 'kit'; it reminded her much of a stern Father - He'd kill her if she let him see that thought. The cold, metallic prison that had once occupied her mindscape was now replaced by a deep, lush forest of varying hues and her resident Kyuubi sat unflinching in his gigantic cave, large enough for him to comfortably walk around in as he pleased – From the cave, there were smooth pathways going in all directions, which served as walkways for Naru and Kurama's chakra.

Kurama had been sleeping, or relaxing with his eyes closed, when she had beamed into existence at the entrance of his cave. He opened one, red eye to peer at her. "Come here." He commanded, though the gentleness was clear in his gruff voice. Naru followed his instruction and ran to him, jumping into his abundant fur as if he was a fluffy mattress and sighing. "Please, make yourself comfortable." Kurama said sarcastically, peering down at her as she snuggled into his fur.

Naru laughed happily: "Don't mind if I do!" She said, as she began making fur angels on Kurama's forearm. Naru enjoyed the time she spent in her mindscape – It was literally an escape from reality. Kurama was, at times, rude and didn't understand her feelings well but she could see past that. She found that more often than not, there was always a hidden layer behind what was shown to others.

"Stop thinking that I have hidden layers." He grumbled, closing his eyes and moving his arm closer, allowing Naru to rest in a crease between his forearm and his chin.

"Ah, you knew?" She said sheepishly, making herself comfortable in the warm fur.

"I know everything." The fox pointed out pompously.

"I'm sure you do," Naru returned dispassionately. It was awhile before she said something else, "Maybe I should go see Sakura-chan tomorrow,"

"She's the enemy, kit. Your benign nature will be the end of you,"

"She's not the enemy, idiot." Naruto gave a shaky sigh: "She's one of my best friends, that's why I can't ignore her anymore,"

Reeling at being called an idiot, Kurama let out a guttural growl as an intimidation tactic but as usual, it had no effect.

"She's having a baby, I gotta be there for her,"

"Her offspring isn't your concern. If you do not plan to steal away the Uchiha brat, you should be searching for a mate of your own and reproducing before it is too late,"

"What do you mean, too late?" She asked, poking him in the cheek, "I'm still young, dattebayo!" She said with conviction.

"Don't yell near my ear, brat," Kurama grumbled, the aforementioned ear flopping away from her in silent disapproval.

She settled back down and looked out into the trees absently, "I wonder what the kid will look like,"

"Hopefully the child is fortunate enough to avoid the pink hair gene,"

"Hey! Sakura-chan's hair is cute,"

"Forgive me for not agreeing but I will never find anything cute," He said with a hint of disgust, almost spitting the last word.

Naru let out a small laugh and rubbed his fur, "If you did, that would creep me out more than anything,"

"Even more than the leery way your sensei looks at you?" He pointed out flatly, his tails absently flailing around, slapping each other.

"Stop making things up, you stupid ball of fluff," She said, slightly embarrassed.

"Kit, I have lived for many of your pitiful human life spans - I have far more experience than you do," He said without any sign of humor.

"Still, Kakashi-sensei isn't interested in me like that," Naru corrected resolutely, cuddling into the Kyuubi's fur more. If she were to tell her twelve year old, Academy Student self, or anyone for that matter, that she was cuddling into the Nine Tails... Well, lets just say, she'd be having a nice, long, constrictive stay in Konoha's very own psych ward.

Kurama hummed in mock thought - In reality, he didn't need to think; he knew how that fool Hatake's mind worked; the Fox was sure the Sixth Hokage didn't even register how he felt himself, "If you say so, kit,"

"I do say so," Naru returned. She wouldn't admit to anyone ever but she had briefly (read: a year) entertained a crush on the older man but she was 12 and he was 25 and that was just wrong no matter how you looked at it. If Naru had a daughter who was that age and she was romantically interested in a man 13 years her senior, well, she'd be worried, to say the least.

Kurama stretched his hind legs, careful not to disturb Naru's placement, "I'm sick of conversing with a brat like you. Go to sleep,"

Naru usually would've argued but she was actually tired. She was both physically and emotionally exhausted; she supposed she shouldn't sit up talking to Kurama like they were having a slumber party when she had to get up and be Hokage all over again tomorrow. She sighed and settled back into the warmth and comfort he offered her. She closed her eyes and immediately felt her mind becoming dull and senseless, the darkness behind her eyelids consuming her.

Kurama's voice, though still deep and grumbling, came out quieter to accommodate her, "You are dissatisfied with things as they are, are you not, kit?" He asked. She nodded. "Would you change things if you could?" Nod. "Should I allow you to?" Flimsy nod. "Very well. I'll give you a second chance; this time you will be wholly in control of your own destiny, kit. In truth, I tire of the view from your precious Hokage Tower - I want to feel a truly exciting battle once again," A toothy grin spread across his face as his eyes opened wide and he mumbled words under his breath. That familiar, red chakra sizzled in the air around them but Naru was now fast asleep, snoring and rolling around to no end, paying no heed to the actions the fox was taking.

That night, Naru's dreams were oddly pleasant and completely unfamiliar. A content smile curved her mouth as she slept, remembering things that she could never recall before, things she was sure never happened:

"She's beautiful, she has your eyes. And your hair. Hey, what exactly did she get from me, dattebane?!"

"Honey, calm down… She sort of has your facial structure. Look her eyes are there."

"That's where everyone's eyes are!"

"Jiraiya-sensei, this is Naru-chan! Isn't she the cutest baby you've ever seen?"

"Huh? I thought you had a boy since you named her Naruto. I was going to teach him all the wonders of the female body. Those soft, marvelous mounds—"

"Stupid pervert, what are you saying infront of my baby, huh?!"

"Ah… Kushina-chan, strong women are also beautiful in their own way,"

"Shut up, pervert, 'ttebane!"

"Pervy Sage!"

"Hey kid, didn't I tell you not to call me that? This is research. Research!"

"Those… those were Naru-chan's first words…?"

"Ah, honey, calm down, it's okay – It's not the end of the world."

"Shut the hell up! Look what that pervert did to my baby! Her first word was meant to be Mama!"

"Ah dear, your hair… It's sticking up again."

"Pervy Sage!"

"I'm not Pervy Sage! Are you trying to get me killed, kid?!"

"Mama!"

"Naru-chaaaaaaan~ I'm so happy, dattebane!"

"Daddy~!"

"Ah, Naru-chan, mummy will be so angry that she missed your first steps but atleast daddy is here to see them. Come here, to me, to me."

"No!"

"Naru-chaaaan~ Come back! Daddy loves you!"

"Stupid daddy!"

"Whyyyyy?!"

"Happy First Birthday, Naru-chan!"

"Look at mummy, Naru-chan! Over here,"

"No, look at daddy! Daddy got you a great present."

"Gahh, Minato! Mummy got you an even better present, Naru-chan, so come to mummy, okay?"

"Ah, Naru-chan, please don't cry! We'll come to you, okay? Daddy's coming to you right now."

"Mummy will get there first, dattebane!"

"I don't want to go on a mission! She's only a year old, don't make me leave!"

"Just go, Naru-chan will be perfectly fine with her Mother! She doesn't need a man around all the time!"

"Honey, how can you be so cold?"

"Naru-chan, say bye-bye to daddy,"

"Bye-bye daddy!"

"Say you love daddy one more time before I go, Naru-chan~"

"Seriously, you're such a baby, dattebane!"

"Don't cry, Naru-chan. Daddy will come home from his mission tomorrow. The time will pass faster if you go to sleep, alright?"

"Wahhh!"

"Come on, Mummy will hold you until he comes home so don't cry."

"Pwomise?"

"Promise."

"… Okay! G'night mummy."

"Good night, Naru-chan."

The scenes went much the same. They zoomed past as if in an instant but ingrained themselves somehow in the back of Naru's mind like true memories. She was in all of them – Ranging from a baby to almost breaching adolescence; she continued seeing pleasant flashes of a life she had always yearned for, especially in her childhood.

When Naru awoke, she was still inside her mindscape, allowing herself to relax and breath in sync with Kurama's low, grumbling exhales. "Good morning, Kurama." She said, scratching behind his ear affectionately – The scale of Kurama was so large that her entire hand was like a mere spot on his thick, dark orange coat.

"Hmph. Brat." He said, no hint of malice present. "Do you believe it's polite to put your hands on others when they are sleeping? Truly, you are a brat with no manners to speak of." He continued haughtily.

"Shut up, you over-sized fur ball," She said flatly, removing her hand. "I know you don't sleep, you just laze around in here all day." She pointed out.

"You talk as if there is more to do than that in this place, brat." One of Kurama's nine tails came up and flicked Naru lightly in the face.

"Oi, keep your tails to yourself, 'ttebayo!" She roared, jumping down from her place on the fox. She didn't feel cold from the loss of contact; she knew that her real body was cozily tucked into two blankets in her small apartment. Then Naru remembered her dream, which was odd: "Hey Kurama, I had these weird dreams about my parents last night."

"Brat, I don't need to know who is in your perverse dreams," Kurama said flatly, deadpan.

An irritation mark landed square on Naru's forehead and she pointed directly at him: "You know that's not what I mean! Don't be so disgusting! I'll destroy you, you flea-bitten ball of fluff, dattebayo!"

"Tsk. I'd like to see you try, brat," Kurama antagonized, looking sharply at Naru and letting out a deep, low chuckle – The breath he let out sent Naru's hair flying off into different directions.

"Oh yeah?! You better be ready then, you bastard, don't dare beg me to stop later on! I won't stop even if you cry, ya hear m—" Naru paused, remembering that she was adult, as well as the Hokage. She took a deep breath and centered herself. She cleared her throat before speaking again: "More importantly, as I was saying, I had these strange dreams with my parents in them. I still remember them clearly now. They feel like memories, like they've always been there."

Kurama blinked a few times at how quickly Naru's disposition had changed but decided to shrug it off, it wasn't worth his precious time (although he was immortal but that's beside the point). He followed Naru with his eyes before speaking, his deep voice filling the cavern: "That's because they are memories."

"Whose?"

"Yours. They're your memories."

"But my parents died when I was born, remember?"

Kurama seemed to finally realize what this meant: He had asked Naru if she wanted to 'fix' things while she was half-asleep and she must not have registered what she agreed to. He sighed, realizing this was going to be troublesome. Suddenly, he understood Shikamaru on a whole new level. "The simplest way to explain this would be that I cast a jutsu and we've gone back in time. You are welcome."

"Time travel?"

"Yes, you brainless brat. I cast a jutsu that essentially caused us to time travel to the past. However, it is not exactly the same."

Naru was deeply perplexed but decided the conversation was more important: "What do you mean, 'not exactly the same'?"

"Well, the most notable change would be that your birth was pushed back 15 years. In the current timeline, you're also 11 years old."

"What the hell?! Why am I 11 and why 15 years?! What the hell are you even doing? Do you think these things through before you do them or is it just an impulse with you?"

Kurama glowered at her but Naru felt no fear – Their relationship was built on trust, they were both aware of that, and Kurama's side of the relationship was held up by the pillar of tolerance, which needed to be sturdy when one was dealing with Naru on a daily basis. "You seemed to feel quite sorry for Hatake after learning of his close friend's fall. I assumed you'd want to save the Uchiha for your precious sensei but perhaps, I was mistaken."

Naru looked at him for a while, awestruck: "Are you telling me that I'm around the same age as Kakashi-sensei right now?" She began piecing together.

"That would be correct. Since you are constantly thinking about how he makes you feel childish, I made it so you're actually two years older than him. It amuses me to see the tables turned, you see." He chucked darkly, earning a grin from Naru.

"Woah, Kurama, you're actually a pretty nice guy, huh?" Naru said in amazement, looking at him as if revering the Kyuubi – Frankly, it was creeping the bijuu out.

"Yes, yes, the nicest. Now move on already. I was nice enough to skip the formative years," which is mostly for my sake because I do not want to deal with you when you're a sniveling infant again. He added in his mind without letting on what he was thinking, "… You will also find that you won't have to tip toe around your parents, trying to avoid revealing your identity as a time traveler since, for all intents and purposes, you've been here this entire time. It is reminiscent of your time in the tsukuyomi where your parents were already very used to your presence. What I am saying is that you are their daughter, they are aware of this and you live together. I think you'll find the home to be quite warm."

"My parents… are alive?"

"Very much so."

"We live together…?"

"Yes, that's what I've been trying to say."

"But they know I'm Naruto, right? Not Menma?"

"Yes, Naruto Uzumaki is still your name."

"I see." Naru uttered slowly, allowing the information to sink in. Without further delay, she pounced onto Kurama's back and began mercilessly hugging him, rubbing her cheek against his uncharacteristically soft fur. "Thank you, thank you, and thank you!"

"Before you become too grateful, remember this: You are no longer Hokage. Your friends will not be born for another four years and due to your age difference, you will most likely not be able to interact with them as you once did, on equal terms. You may see familiar faces but they do not know you and they may be different from how you remember them."

Naru considered the implications for a long time – She would surely miss her friends but this didn't mean they wouldn't exist – She would just have to find another way to befriend them, that's all. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that she had become wiser as she grew, especially after taking her place as the Nanadaime Hokage. Regardless, Naru grinned wide. This was her chance to correct everything that went wrong. She can save Obito and prevent him from becoming Tobi, she can stop Rin from killing herself – She can finally help Kakashi-sensei the way she'd yearned to for so long. There was so much more, too. She could meet her parents, she could—Wait, she thought, "If my friends are going to be born in 4 years then doesn't that mean that… I am going to be born, too? What will happen there?" Naru panicked, ruffling Kurama's fur.

"I was wondering when you would realize that detail. Don't worry about that. Originally, you were born when your parents were 35 but I managed to change this fact so that you, the real Naruto, were born when they were 20. I think your Mother will find she is quite infertile now, however."

Naru felt guilty: "She can't have other children?"

"Worry not, brat. She is lucky to even be able to raise one; she should not even be alive to have the opportunity to spawn more of you." Naru flinched at the comment on her Mother's demise but then a small smile graced her features, realizing that the Kyuubi was just trying to cheer her up.

"But how does this whole thing work? How can you manipulate when I was born?" She pointed out, suspicious.

"I suppose you can say that the jutsu I performed split us off into a parallel universe. If left unchanged, it would turn out exactly the same as your original one if you had not been involved but at the time of conception, I am able to manipulate your date of birth and so on. Honestly, changing anything is up to you from hereon. I've given you the means, now you have to use your knowledge from your past life, so to speak, to correct what you couldn't then. Anyway, time's up. Your ape of a Mother will be coming in here to wake you up soon. I suggest you do as she says."

On that same day, a 44-year old Tsunade found her Grandfather's necklace missing and Jiraiya found a new signature on his summoning contract with Mount Myboku, one 'Naruto Uzumaki' with a diminutive hand print made with blood directly underneath…

~Chapter End~