A love in time 6

"What. The. Fuck!" Naruto screamed, throwing her hands into the air as she watched her new teammates disappear. She turned to Kakashi with fire in her eyes and seethed, "What the fuck! What the fuuuuck, Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi sighed and rubbed her head gently, "It happens, kid."

"B-b-but…" She pointed in the direction of Sasuke and Sakura's retreating figures.

"I did warn you that you'd be ahead of them," Kakashi chuckled at her shocked face. "You've trained longer than those two combined and…" He lifted his finger to make a point, "If you paid attention to your classmates you would've known you'd be teamed up with Sasuke and Sakura,"

"B-but…"

"No more buts," He scolded lightly, "I believe it's time for you to take interest in people instead of your training," He clicked his tongue when she made a strained face, "Naruto, they're your teammates and will be your teammates for a long time. Hokage-sama made this team as front liners. I hope you'll be able to guide them as well,"

"You better not be shoving off your teaching duties to me. I'll tell Gai-sensei!" She threatened. Kakashi chuckled uneasily. "But why them? I could've made a great heavy hitter team with Kiba and Choji,"

"It's all about balance and speciality, in the end, Naruto. Konoha also needs tracking and capture and interrogation units." Kakashi pointed out as she pouted. "It won't be that bad," He tried cheering her up as they left the training grounds.

"Yes, it will be!" Naruto huffed as she followed after Kakashi. "Sakura hates my guts because she thinks I'm a love rival." The blonde stuck out her tongue in disgust. "And Sasuke has to be the cockiest person I've ever met. Worse than Tsume-sama."

"Oh?" Kakashi arched a brow, "That's a bold statement,"

"You know it's true,"

"Maybe, but you'll never hear it from me."

Naruto sighed, "This is going to be irritating,"

Kakashi glanced down at his companion. The frown on her face eerily reminded him of whenever Minato had a hard decision to make. It had been gradual but Kakashi noticed the changes in his student. Her episode had scared him but now she didn't look so anxious. "Are you angry?" He asked curiously.

"Just a little bit," Naruto scoffed, "That fucking idiot better watch his back,"

"Maa~" Kakashi kept his silence. He didn't want to be in her crosshairs when she was ready to attack. The resemblance to Minato was uncanny that it almost frightened Kakashi. It got him thinking if she would be as cruel as her father. Reaching out, Kakashi ruffled her hair and pushed away the frown on her face. When she looked up at him curiously, Kakashi smiled at her and said, "Don't get too lost, okay. I won't be able to find you,"

Naruto beamed up to Kakashi before glomping his waist. He floundered uncomfortably at the contact but Naruto only squeezed him harder. "Awww, know that's not the aloof and disinterested Kakashi-sensei that I know. Are you, perhaps, falling in love with me?"

Kakashi sent a fist into her head and left her crying on the floor. "Please, only 2D girls are worthy of my attention," He flaunted bravely.

Rubbing her head, Naruto looked up at her teacher in disgust. "You're such a weirdo, Kashi-baka,"

"What are you talking about? I'm a lover of literature," He lifted his book into the air and began praising it, "Only such refined words are allowed to grace my intelligent eyes–"

Naruto was quick to sucker-punch his gut and save Kakashi's reputation. There were a few eyes on them but they shrugged it off quickly, used to their odd behaviour. "I don't want to be referred to as the student of a major pervert," Gripping the back of his collar, Naruto dragged him towards the Hokage tower. Her perverted teacher needed to make his report and Naruto refused to let him turn up late. He had promised her ramen after the exam.

Whenever Naruto heard Kakashi's perverse giggles it only served to irritate her more. Her sensei seemed to become a major pervert overnight and it annoyed Naruto. By the time she reached the Hokage's office, Naruto was at the end of her rope and kicked the door off its hinges. Her outburst caused those in the Hokage's office to go quiet as she stood there silently fuming.

"Naruto?" Hiruzen looked around a shinobi and stopped the furious child. Spotting Kakashi lying behind her, Hiruzen nodded wisely, "Ahh it must've been hard on you, my child."

"Don't sass me, old man," Naruto hissed and tossed Kakashi into the room. She gritted her teeth when he flipped onto his feet nonchalant. Taking a deep breath, Naruto was quick to plaster on a polite smile.

The occupants in the room shivered at the sight. The smile didn't look polite at all. It looked more menacing than anything else.

"My apologies, I was quite rude with my words before." Naruto placed a hand over her chest as she spoke softly, "I'll make sure to correct my behaviour in the future,"

Hiruzen kept his smile despite the ominous atmosphere. "That would be welcoming, Naruto. Kakashi will be dismissed in half an hour. Please feel free to wait in the shinobi lounge in the meantime,"

"I will take up your offer, Hokage-sama," Naruto bowed before leaving the office.

Hiruzen moved his gaze to the unaffected Hatake. "What did you do to her?"

"I was the utmost gentleman," Kakashi replied sincerely, causing his colleagues to groan. Kakashi's ego flourished at the noise.

With Naruto:

Throwing herself on the nearest couch, Naruto let out a heavy sigh. Her head hurt. "Fuck," She hissed, the image of Sasuke stayed in her mind. The burning hatred he held. It overlapped the kind smile of Itachi she recalled. It was a disturbing sight to see. Naruto knew that Sasuke's path could've been her own but she wasn't attached to the Uchiha clan like Sasuke. Naruto only bonded with Itachi and frankly, didn't care about the rest of the clan. She felt her body ache as her past memories surfaced. A bloodied Itachi standing outside her door. His odd Sharingan flaring as he stared at her listlessly. The drenched tanto - thick with blood.

Naruto should despise him but her gut refused to listen. Curling upon herself, the blonde took deep breaths as she tried to remain calm. She wasn't mad at Kakashi. No, that was just an excuse. She was mad at the Uchiha brothers. She was mad at herself.

"Come to me,"

Naruto listened and entered her mindscape. She found herself sitting in the sewer system and looked at the Kyuubi.

"What do you want to do?"

"Why are you asking?" Naruto replied with a question.

Kyuubi growled at her, "You don't have a choice in your life. The Gods have forsaken you. What do you want to do?" He asked again, narrowing his gaze when she tried to brush off his comments.

"I want to protect him,"

Kyuubi frowned, he had heard those words before. "Protect who? The Nidaime Hokage or the blood killer?"

Naruto released a ferocious growl. Her blue eyes tinted red just briefly but the Kyuubi noticed it all. "Do not speak as if you know him!"

"The blood killer then," Kyuubi laid down on his crossed paws. Her killing intent didn't scare him, "What is your plan? Hunt him down and force him to tell you the truth?" He said mockingly, making her hesitate. "You're smarter than a brute. Use your head."

"I...he…" Naruto frowned, looking down at her clenched fists pathetically. "I can't hunt him down,"

"Oh?" Kyuubi was curious. Her normal confidence was gone and what was left was a confused child. "Do explain and entertain me,"

Naruto threw a quick glare at the Kyuubi and explained, "Itachi-sensei is not just any shinobi. He's a genius. An ANBU captain at age 13. Highly respected and sought after as a shinobi and a man. Even now, the top hunter-nins are unable to track him or hunt him down. How am I meant to compare to experts?"

Kyuubi watched her quietly before saying, "You'll figure something out,"

"What? It's been 5 years and I've come up with nothing!" Naruto pointed out, "Every plan I make to capture him is useless. Every seal I make is nothing. I can't go up against a genius like Itachi-sensei. He's an entirely different monster,"

"You're a monster too," Kyuubi rebutted, taking in Naruto's offended face. "You'll find a way,"

"How?" Naruto was flabbergasted by Kyuubi.

"Figure it out yourself,"

"You always do this!" Naruto was annoyed at the beast. "At least give some advice," When the Kyuubi turned around and showed his tails to her, Naruto gasped. "Damn it! Kurama is better than you! At least he helps me out properly and gives great advice!" Naruto puffed out her cheeks when he ignored her. "You fucking suck," Naruto left her mindscape and opened her eyes. The light hurt her eyes. Rolling off the couch, Naruto decided to go home. There was no point in waiting for Kakashi, he would only make her wait.

Entering her apartment, Naruto moved into her bedroom and ignored the mess of scattered papers. Waddling through the mess, the blonde picked up an unsuspecting and dull-looking scroll and opened it up. Her eyes scanned the paper with a hard look. It would be a dangerous seal if she ever managed to crack it.

All she needed was a drop of blood to be able to track whoever, whenever she wanted to. It was a dangerous tool that brought shivers to her soul whenever she worked on it. "No," She muttered and rolled the scroll back up. This was a seal that would never see the light. It was encrypted and Naruto strongly believed that nobody would be able to read it or complete it. Tossing the scroll with the rest of her mess, Naruto threw herself on her bed and found herself deep in thought. Something was wrong. Something was off but she wasn't sure what it was. "This suck,"

Tobirama:

"This sucks," Tobirama groaned, hugging his ribs tightly as he looked to the deep wound on his leg. The rain was harsh and refused to let up. The black mucus oozing out of his leg didn't look good. "Poison," He sighed, looking around at the fallen bodies around him. It was only a matter of time before his body gave up on him and forced him to sleep. He didn't have enough chakra to signal his brother his location. It was up to luck. "Heh, I sure am lucky," Tobirama muttered, forcing his gaze up and peered through the rain. "You look older, Naruto,"

Naruto frowned down at the beaten man. She was already in a bad mood and now she appeared before her friend. It had been almost six months since she last saw him. "You're dying," She whispered, licking her dried lips as he only nodded. Naruto clenched her fists tightly, taking a deep breath before kneeling before Tobirama. "How long has this poison been in your system?"

Tobirama mostly focused on keeping his breathing even. "T-twenty minutes...n-no, twenty t-three minutes,"

"You need to get moving," Naruto said calmly as she brought her hands over his wound. Her hands were shaking as she tried channelling chakra into his wound. It wasn't enough. Her chakra in this condition wasn't enough to heal the wound. "T-there should be a cave a couple of miles southwest from here." Naruto forced more chakra into her hands, barely being able to close up the wound and exhausted much of her chakra. She looked into his ruby gaze. His eyes were glazed over but he was still conscious, "Tobi, I need you to move. I'll find the herbs to neutralise the poison,"

"Y-you can't…" Tobirama huffed, his chest hurt making it difficult to breathe.

"My chakra still works. I'll find a way to get them. Please, move, Tobi," She begged him when she saw his gaze grow heavy. "Move!" She yelled, snapping his eyes open. Although she wanted nothing more to hunt down the herbs, she needed to stay by his side and keep him awake. Otherwise, the rain would get to him and he would undoubtedly die. "You need to move, Tobi."

"Urgh," Tobirama grunted, rolling onto his stomach and started crawling.

"No," Naruto stayed by his side, "You need to stand," she whispered sadly, "You won't make it there by crawling. Please, get up,"

"Fuck you," He hissed at the blonde, gripping onto the tree to get onto his legs. If he wasn't close to delirium, Tobirama would've never sworn at her. "I'm going to...m-make you regret….t-talking to me like that,"

"But I'm not being mean," Naruto rubbed her temples as she slowly guided the injured man.

"Mean?" Tobirama snorted, his line of sight was getting smaller. He could barely see in front of him as his vision waned. "Y-you're a bitch,"

Naruto growled at the jab, "I'm trying to keep you alive, you fucking bastard!" Stiffing, Naruto realised she was getting mad at a man that wasn't in his right mind. "Sorry," Seeing him trip, Naruto yelled out his name and rushed to his side when he groaned, "You need to keep moving," Her voice was wavering, desperate for him to move.

"Heh," Tobirama smirked, though it only looked like a pained grin to Naruto. "I'm n-not going to g-give up so easily,"

Naruto tried to control her face. Although his words were one thing, his actions were another story. Looking to the skies, it was still raining and thick in grey clouds. Although she couldn't feel the rain or the biting wind, she knew her friend felt every scathing touch. She followed him diligently and hesitated before reaching out. Placing a hand through his body, she saw his body react to her chakra. To Naruto, Tobirama's chakra felt colder than usual. It was like her chakra pathways were slowly being frozen over. Gritting her teeth, Naruto kept her hand inside of Tobirama, even with every stumble he took and the chilling cold that took over her body - Naruto refused to remove her hand.

"Warm? Heh, I must b-be dying," Tobirama chuckled bitterly, wondering why he was walking. He should be resting. It was an honour, wasn't it? To die on the battlefield. A shinobi's greatest honour. "Ahh, an honour," His mind was betraying him. He could just see it. Naruto crying over his cold body, begging for him to wake up and stay with her. "You're s-such a cruel woman," He muttered. She wanted him to stay with her when she refused all his efforts to be with him - what a hypocrite. Yet he was warm. As if touched by an angel. It was warm and familiar. "My lilac,"

Naruto looked at Tobirama strangely. He was babbling nonsense every so often as if he forgot she was beside him. "He probably has forgotten," She shook her head sadly, "We're almost there, Tobi," Naruto continued to encourage him.

"Tch, I'll make you pay…."

Naruto shivered at the threatening tone and laughed awkwardly. She spotted the cave up ahead and sighed in relief. It had taken them almost an hour to get here but she was glad he somehow managed to make it. Guiding him inside and past the thick ivy, the cave instantly went dark. With a snap of her fingers, a light orb appeared on her finger. Naruto tossed the light orb unto the ceiling and slowly talked Tobirama into taking off his wet clothing and to lay at the end of the cave.

"Naked? Heh, naked I am," Tobirama mumbled as he slowly fumbled to take his armour and clothing off.

Naruto sighed at the delirious man and used her chakra to cut off a thick bundle of ivy. "How do I carry this to him?" She tilted her head and tried manipulating the wind beneath the bundle. It barely lifted off the ground and looked unstable but Naruto used that opportunity to fling the bundle towards Tobirama. "Shit," She hissed when Tobirama was knocked back by the ivy and scrambled over to him. "Sorry sorry sorry sorry!" She cried out and looked over his frame. "Huh?" Tobirama was out cold. "Damn it,"

Kyuubi appeared beside Naruto and looked at the unconscious man. "This is unfortunate,"

"You think?" Naruto said sarcastically, doing her best to manipulate her chakra to make a bed of ivy for Tobirama. Sweat gathered on her forehead as she tried levitating Tobirama so she could wiggle the bed underneath him.

"Do you have no shame?"

Naruto barely noticed Tobirama in just his underwear, "Please, I've seen worse in the hospital." She rolled her eyes and went to gather some more ivy and wood to make a fire. "I need to get him warm and then I'm off to find the herbs. Stay here and watch over him,"

Kyuubi was offended, "I will not,"

"Kurama please!" Naruto shouted at the fox, the desperation in her voice was thick. Her blue eyes held tears yet she refused to let them fall. "Please," She pleaded.

Kyuubi scrunched up his nose at the tone. "I will go. Stay with the brat," He ignored her trembling thanks as he left the cave.

Naruto reigned in her tears as she hurriedly prepared the fire. "Please work," she muttered, snapping her trembling fingers together to create a spark. Naruto whimpered in relief when the spark caught onto the ivy and found her next problem. She couldn't breathe onto the spark to create fire. "Damn it," Working hard, Naruto focused on creating a spark in one hand and a small gust with her other. Juggling two chakra natures made her nervous. She had never attempted it before but she had to hurry.

"Ahh!"

Naruto flinched when Tobirama groaned and lost her spark. "Please please please work." She pleaded with her stiff fingers. Her head snapped up when she heard movement, sighing in relief when Kyuubi walked into the cave with the needed herbs hovering before him.

Kyuubi sighed at her pitiful face. Approaching the fire pit, Kyuubi blew gently and started up a small fire. He flung the herbs her way, concealing his surprise when she caught it with wind manipulation though she was a bit clumsy with her actions. "Get it done," He grumbled and snuggled up by the fire. He couldn't feel the heat but the light gave a sense of security and Kyuubi didn't want to leave his host alone in her condition. He was worried that she would fall apart right then and there. "Wake me when you're done. We need to talk about what happened today,"

Naruto felt nervous at Kyuubi's words. "Y-yeah," elevating the herb in her hands, Naruto focused her attention on the herb and carefully directed her chakra to cut up the herb until it was just paste. She glanced at Tobirama, he was pale and looked feverish but she saw the opportunity when his lips barely parted. Scrambling to his side, Naruto slowly lowered the herb towards his mouth. Working silently to direct the paste into his mouth, "Swallow it please," She muttered, sliding the rest of the herb past his cracked lips. Naruto prayed she made it in time.

Reaching out, Naruto's hand moved through Tobirama's body. His chakra still felt incredibly uncomfortable to her. "What should I do?" she thought desperately, watching her friend shiver as she sat helplessly by his side. It was one of her nightmares coming to life. Seeing him injured and unable to do anything to aid him. Naruto knew deep in her heart he would survive. He was to be the Nidaime Hokage who shaped the village to be prosperous. Yet her heart was still anxious. In all her years to train so hard, Naruto only felt useless before Tobirama. A feeling she hated with all her being. He was someone she couldn't protect. A precious person she couldn't protect.

With a hesitant mind, Naruto brought her other hand to Tobirama and noticed the minute change. His shivering was subsiding, though just barely. Naruto had heard from Gai about the time he and Kakashi had to huddle together naked to keep warm during a blizzard. She wondered if it would work the same way but with her chakra. "You always said my chakra was warm," She said sadly to the unconscious man and laid beside him. Half of her body sank into him, making his feverish shivers settle. However, Naruto gritted her teeth as the seething cold bit deep into her astral body.

"Honestly," Kyuubi got up, seeing his host shiver in pain. Approaching the two, Kyuubi moved behind Naruto to keep her up and shared his warmth with her by draping his tails over her frame. "Explain yourself,"

Naruto frowned, "I lost control of my emotions for a second,"

"Yelling at your teammates for five minutes isn't a second." Kyuubi snorted, her shouting had woken him from his nap.

Sighing, Naruto explained, "We're in the middle of our second exam and they hid important information from me. That could've gotten us killed and it almost did. They're so fucking annoying."

"I agree," Kyuubi reluctantly agreed. Her teammates were the worst. They constantly belittled his host and refused all offers of help from her. It was a real shame.

"I killed the sound shinobi and they had the audacity to get mad at me," Naruto chuckled bitterly, "They're lucky I didn't forfeit that match and stop their chances of becoming chunin." She felt Kyuubi hum in response. He would've supported her decision if she chose to back out then. "That bastard had no hesitation to use Orochimaru's mark. I'm going to seal it off completely when he's sleeping."

Kyuubi perked up, "Why not get rid of the seal?"

"No way, remember what happened when I got rid of Anko's seal? It was an absolute disaster trying to kill that Orochimaru." Naruto wrinkled her nose, recalling the destruction the Hokage made in his efforts to kill the part of Orochimaru that was once sealed within Anko. Many were injured and some had died. "It's too dangerous to do it when we have other villages visiting. It'd be a political disaster for Konoha,"

"A pity. I would've enjoyed the show," Kyuubi chuckled at his morbid comment. Naruto only sighed heavily. "You know there's another way,"

Naruto growled, "You know I suck at Katon jutsu,"

Kyuubi growled back at her. "My ninshu isn't your water-downed ninjutsu. I wasted my efforts teaching you ninshu,"

Naruto knew Kyuubi was sulking but she wasn't in the mood to apologise to him. Ninshu was a concept she wasn't familiar with. She was raised to use chakra in combative ways. Chakra wasn't something people understood. No matter how many times he pounded it into her head, Naruto still didn't understand it.

Seeing Tobirama shuffled out the corner of her eyes, Naruto brought her attention to him. There was sweat gathered on his brow with a slight grimace on his lips. The tight lines on his face and sharp features mesmerised Naruto. He was someone unattainable to her. She wasn't sure how long she was looking at him when his eyes fluttered open, startling her when his ruby gaze locked onto hers.

"N-Na…"

"Shh," Naruto eased, "You're safe. Get some rest. I'll watch over you,"

Tobirama ignored her advice. His bleary gaze barely making out the features on her face, "W-what's it like?" Naruto frowned, not understanding his question. "The Land o-of Darkness,"

Naruto was perplexed. She didn't know anything about the Land of Darkness.

"I know y-you live there," Tobirama mumbled, closing his eyes as he took a deep breath. "Terrible place,"

"What? I don't live there," Naruto denied.

"Liar," He whispered, enjoying the sensation of her warm chakra in his body. Promptly lulling him back into a deep sleep.

Kyuubi kept quiet. He knew why the boy thought Naruto would be from there. It was a lie on his part and the boy took it another way. "What an idiot," he scoffed, closing his eyes and decided to take a nap too.

Naruto squeezed her eyes tightly. She was tired. "This is probably the longest time I've been here," She said to no one in particular but it held weight. No matter how much time she spent in the past, only the time she slept would pass in her time. Naruto remembered being in the past for 10 hours yet when she returned to her time, only 20 minutes had passed. It was so weird.

Getting into a comfortable position between Kyuubi and Tobirama, Naruto felt exhausted and closed her eyes. Joining her companions into the dream world.

XXXX

Kyuubi found her sitting at the entrance of the cave. It was a new day and they were still in the past. Getting up slowly, Kyuubi approached his host and sat beside her as the soft rain fell outside. "What are you thinking about?"

Naruto watched as the earth soaked up as much water as it could. "Why am I here, Kurama? Why do I keep coming back here?"

Kyuubi sighed. He wondered how long it would take for her to ask. She had always brushed it off, despite spending hours researching into her phenomenon. "Events like this happen very rarely. Perhaps once in a millennium. The new gods come across a path they don't like and intervene in harsh ways."

"You've mentioned new gods a few times…" Naruto huddled her knees close to her body. "...what happened to the old gods?"

Kyuubi released a low growl, "They were tricked and consequently banished to the Neverlands. A land that only knows darkness, forever unmoving and frozen in time. It is a place that even demons fear,"

Naruto glanced over to her companion. The rage burned brightly in his eyes. "Do you get tired of being angry?" she looked back outside when his growl deepened, "Because I do. Once I become chunin, I'm leaving the team. It was Shikamaru's suggestion and it's only now that I've made up my mind. Seeing Tobirama dying hit me deep. It was as if all the anger and bitterness I held was nothing more than a bug. What mattered the most was making sure the future was safe...and it took me to see my friend dying to realise that."

Kyuubi's heart trembled. She rarely spoke beyond her age but when she did, it always hit deep. That she was no longer the helpless child that would cling to anyone that would give her attention. That, Naruto Uzumaki, was growing up.

"I don't know why the new gods have cursed me but I know where I belong," Naruto looked over her shoulder to Tobirama's sleeping form. The images of her comrades overlapped him. Sandaime Hokage. Itachi-sensei. Shikamaru. Choji. Kakashi-sensei. Surprisingly, Ino and Hinata. It was a small group with a questionable member, but Naruto wanted to stand beside them in the future. Her comrades disappeared one by one until she saw only Tobirama. Although she couldn't stand beside him, Naruto saw her place behind him. Watching him grow into the formidable Nidaime Hokage that shaped the shinobi system.

"When did you start growing up?" Kyuubi spied her slight smile. It wasn't forced. Her smile was just existing. Ready to take on whatever was thrown at her.

"I haven't grown up yet, Kurama. I'll still need your help to destroy those bastards who think my life is worth toying with,"

Kyuubi quickly retracted his statement about her smile. Her smile was terrifying.

"I'm going to make those who wronged me regret ever crossing my path," Naruto already had a list. She already had a plan.

Kyuubi grew weary of the blonde. Nobody ever mentioned it out loud and Kyuubi wasn't going to break that streak ever, but Naruto was scarily similar to her father. A kind and strong figure to the public but an absolute demon behind closed doors. It was the scariest type of leader. Hearing the unconscious man stir, Kyuubi didn't hesitate to return to the seal. He would talk to his host once she had calmed down.

Looking over her shoulder, Naruto saw Tobirama's eyes flutter open and got up. "I wasn't expecting you to be awake so soon," Approaching him slowly, Naruto saw his eyes swarm with emotions. His eyes softened in relief as she sat beside him with tears fresh in her eyes, "I was so scared," She admitted, the fear rising to the surface now that he was stable.

"I'm sorry," Tobirama's throat was dry. The instant relief he felt when she was the first person he saw when he woke was a new feeling. She looked worn down. He felt her chakra instantly warm his body when she leaned into his body, sobbing quietly as he laid there. "I'm so sorry,"

"I want to kill them," Naruto seethed, lifted her head and stared directly at Tobirama. Naruto didn't know her eyes were slowly turning crimson red, "I'll kill them all,"

Tobirama held his shock, "A kekkei genkai?" "I've already finished them," Sitting up slowly, Tobirama clutched his wounded leg and noticed his state of undress. Gasping, he covered his chest with his arms and glared at the blonde. Yet she only looked at him determinedly. Ready to kill his enemies. "She's already killed," "The enemy is dead, Naruto. I'm alive and safe thanks to you." A small unsatisfied growl left her lips, "Stand down," He commanded, before clutching over in pain and coughing up blood.

"Tobi!" Naruto yelled frantically, doing her best to check his condition. "The poison is still in your system. It's a miracle you're even awake! I'll go and find more herbs,"

"N-Naruto," Tobirama called out to her, wheezing as he forced himself to find her. She was already at the entrance ready to leave. "I'll never forgive you if you kill in my name," She was shocked by his answer. Although she didn't like it, Tobirama knew she wouldn't betray his word.

Once she left the shelter, Tobirama groaned as he laid down and observed the cave. What struck him the most was the foliage he was laying on and the dying embers nearby. "How did she do this? Chakra manipulation?"

More mysteries kept surrounding his first friend that it was beginning to get suspicious. He couldn't fathom the idea of her lying to him because she never did. Perhaps it was his mind betraying him. Naruto would never betray him. Closing his eyes, Tobirama tried to focus on his breathing. Barely registering the warmth that flooded his body.

Naruto looked at Tobirama worriedly. She had returned from collecting herbs to see him going through another feverish bout. "Please hang in there. Kurama," She called to her companion, "Can you find his brother?"

"The wood child?" Kurama appeared beside his host. He didn't pay mind to the unwell man but to the determined blonde. "The man can't see you. What are you going to do to get his attention? Act like a poltergeist!"

"Yes,"

Kurama was gobsmacked. Naruto was unpredictable as ever but Kurama could see the signs. His host was preventing her return to her time. Her body flickered every now and then but ultimately, she was able to keep her spiritual form in the past. "You won't have much time." Kurama sighed, "He's five miles east of here. You'll recognise him as soon as you see him,"

Naruto nodded, feeding Tobirama the herbs before she rushed out of the cave. She didn't hear Kurama follow her or feel him return to the seal. "Let's go," Naruto muttered to herself, channelling wind chakra to her feet and propelled forward. She was fighting against time and her own consciousness to make it in time. She couldn't stop Tobirama from getting an infection and becoming septic and Naruto prided herself on never going back on her word. Even though he was sick, Naruto refused to grovel to the past Kurama to allow her to use her solid form. It was a difficult decision, one she thought about repeatedly, but Naruto trusted Kurama's words and kept them close despite the pain she went through watching Tobirama struggle.

Naruto felt it before she saw him. The overwhelming chakra presence of the man that would become the First Hokage of Konohagakure. Breaking through the treeline, Naruto sucked in her breath when kind brown eyes locked onto hers as she landed before him. Naruto's eyes widened as he stared right at her. "Y-you can see me?"

Hashirama took in the blonde before him and tilted his head. "I was expecting a human. Not a ghost,"

It was Naruto's turn to tilt her head, "Huh?"

XXXX

Hi everyone, sorry it's been a while. Although the country is in lockdown (NZ) I'm one of the essential workers that have to be on the frontline. I've been swamped with various afternoon and night shifts that I had to write this chapter bit by bit. I hope everyone is safe and is self-isolating. It's going to be a difficult time once the pandemic has subsided and I hope that everyone has a roof over their heads and a warm meal. I will try my best to keep up with this story. Please be safe and be kind during this time.