A Place in Time

A/N: I needed something else to occupy my mind. So I'm trying my hand at a Time-Travel.

---Start---

A large desolate barren landscape stretched outwards for miles upon miles. Barren, charred and burnt trees stood like sentry skeletons. Their lifeless limbs stretching towards the endless expanse of the bloodied red sky. A single wind drew its breath across the landscape as the sands slowly shifted under its unguided movements. Nine separate bodies lay strewn across the landscape, black cloaks surrounded them, hiding the limpness of their deceased bodies.

Amid the death, a single figure stood. A long crimson cloak billowed around his form. A long trailing ribbon flowed from his left bicep. The cloth was a deep black, its ribbon flecked with fresh, and dried, blood. A metal plate was attached to the cloth. The metal plate bore a symbol similar to a leaf. This symbol was the mark of a village. A village known as Konohagakure no Sato. The Village Hidden in the Leaves. This symbol had a single line drawn through it. This line represented more than anyone would care to comprehend.

The figure was tall. His red, nearly maroon, hair flowed gently in the breeze. blood flowed freely from a large gash on his stomach. His bare chest glowed in a faint red glow from a design drawn on his navel. The glow was a stark bright boiling red. It emanated from the seal drawn on the man's skin. This seal contained a beast of immense power, a beast known only as the Kyuubi no Kitsune. In the hand of the man was a long katana. Blood slowly flowed in runnels down the blade. On his back was a large sword wrapped in bandages. On his left was the hilt of a sword, decorated in gold and emerald, however, no blade was attached. The man's cold midnight blue eyes surveyed the landscape. As he stood, the wind slowly died out.

The man was having an internal conversation. "It's finally over. All of it. They're all gone. Every last one. We can all rest in peace." A deep rumbling voice from within the glowing red seal responded.

"Such a shame there isn't anyone left to revel in your glory isn't it kit?" The man gave a small smile.

"Still so cynical eh Kyuubi? Even in death I guess our old habits don't die." The voice gave a low rumbling chuckle.

"I suppose you're right. There isn't anything left. No Akatsuki, no Konoha, no one." The man, whose name was Uzumaki Naruto allowed a single tear to fall. Crying was not a luxury he had allowed himself during the battle. "Have you ever stopped to wonder how many people died because of what you did? How much was lost?" Naruto closed his eyes as images flashed through his mind.

The cheerful eye-smile of his sensei, Hatake Kakashi. The smiling face of Haruno Sakura. The gluttonous grin of Akamichi Chouji. The lazy disinterested stare of Nara Shikamaru. The shy sparkling eyes of Hyuuga Hinata. The stoic face of Aburame Shino. The boasting cheerful visage of Inuzuka Kiba. The slightly disapproving, but kind, glare of Yamanaka Ino. The stoic fate obsessed persona of Hyuuga Neji. The exuberant and excited Rock Lee. The smiling Hiroshi Tenten. The cheerful eye of the Sandaime Hokage. The drunk sleeping form of Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage. The motherly yelling picture of Shizune. The bearded and smoking Sarutobi Asuma. The bright red glistening eyes of Yuuhi Kurenai. The many faces of the citizens of Konoha. The hundreds of thousands of people across the Elemental Countries who had been killed in the rampage of the Akatsuki.

"Too much." Kyuubi nodded. Those two words held so much within them, that it was nearly impossible to comprehend what they truly meant to him. The Kyuubi listened as Naruto began to speak once more. "I suppose that it's time I held up my end of the bargain isn't it Kyuubi?" The Kyuubi blinked. It hadn't truly expected him to be willing to release him, even after it was all said and done.

"And release me to what? This giant endless wasteland? So I can watch for millions of years as you beasts rise from nothingness once more? No thanks. Instead, how about I help you out one more time?"

Naruto didn't know how to respond. In his twenty-six years of life, he had never expected something like this to happen. "I don't see how Kyuubi. But, if you want to, I don't think there's much I can do to stop you." The Kyuubi grinned within its cage.

"I'm doing this because I won't be able to come with you. I'll be lost forever. But at least you won't be. I promised myself I wouldn't tell you this, but I've come to see you as somewhat as my successor." Naruto was speechless. The Kyuubi thought that highly of him? "Now I want you to fix all this. When I come back again, I want it to be in a world worth living." Before Naruto could ask exactly what he was going to do, a bright red and blue light engulfed him.

The last thing he remembered before losing consciousness was a white stucco ceiling and pale canary yellow walls, and an uncomfortable bed and a lumpy pillow underneath his head.

---End---

A/N: I have ideas for this one. Plus I've always wanted to try a Time Travel. And this doesn't mean I'm abandoning my other stories. They're just sorta on hold. Life is busy for me right now.