Naru, Naru, Panic!

Chapter 3

Here is the continuing adventure of Naruto Uzumaki!

Naruto now sat dressed in his clothes with a steaming hot cup of ramen in his hands. After he had been taken off the table and given his clothes he had been brought to a room with a large mirror. Naruto knew he was being watched by someone on the other side. He had given up on figuring out what was going on. He just hoped that this nightmare would end and he would wake up late for the mission.

Watching Naruto eat from the other side of the glass Sarutobi just watched with Inochi Yamanaka. "You see Inochi?" Sarutobi said waving a hand at Naruto. "Everything is the same, his movement while not as smooth or feminine are exactly like Naruko's. "He has the seal, on his stomach as well, there is no doubt that he is who he says he is... but it doesn't make sense."

There was a long silence before Inochi then asked. "You want me to mind walk him don't you?"

Sarutobi shook his head. "At first yes, but if he is exactly like her, I don't want you to go through that again... I've tried to figure things out Inochi, that maybe Kushina had twins and Minato sealed half of the Kyuubi in one and the other half in the other... but that doesn't make sense because he know me like Naruko does, yet I have never met the boy..." There was another moment of silence before Sarutobi spoke. "I think he might be from an alternate universe... That's the only explanation for everything, his reversed organs, his gender... I mean hell even his finger prints are just flipped the other way."

"Then how did he get here?" Inochi asked. "I mean, if he's from an alternate universe wouldn't that mean Naruko would have gone to his world to take his place."

Sarutobi frowned. "Equivalent exchange... one for the counterpart... but Naruko is still here, and if it was a mirrored reality wouldn't everyone genders be changed for him? Naruto knows me as Jiji, not Baba... That can't be right... maybe some sort of cosmic fluke? A burp in the way the universe works? That just doesn't make sense."

"When has anything with Minato's child ever made sense?" Inochi said with a small smile.

"Indeed," Sarutobi said with a nod. "...I will have to confront him with this. He has to know the situation, its the only way to calm him down fully and to find a way to work around this." Inochi nodded in agreement even as Sarutobi rose to his feet. Inochi handed him a manilla folder as he made his way through the door of the observation room and into Naruto's holding room.

Naruto looked up and flinched slightly making Sarutobi mentally sigh in remorse. Sarutobi then took the seat opposite Naruto and began to speak. "Naruto..." Sarutobi started. "... we have much to discuss." Sarutobi opened the folder and pulled out the most recent picture of Naruko, her Shinobi Registration picture.

Sliding the picture towards him Naruto picked it up stared. "Who is she?" Naruto asked. "Why does she look so much like me?"

"She looks like you Naruto because... she is you." Sarutobi said causing Naruto to look up in confusion.

"What?"

"Naruto, I don't know how it has happened or why, but you are no longer in the Konoha you grew up in. As unbelievable as it seems, you have traveled from an alternate reality to ours... or is it the other way around for you?" Sarutobi thought on this a moment before shrugging. "This is another world Naruto... one in which you are female."

Naruto stared at the picture for several long moment before setting it down. "...So your saying... This world is not my own... and... I'm stuck here?"

Sarutobi frowned. "Now that we do not know... How you came to be here is a mystery to us but you might know. Can you remember anything, anything at all before you came to the tower."

Naruto nodded. "I remember waking up in training ground seven... which is strange since I sorta remember going to sleep in my own bed... but..." Naruto looked down at his clothes. "I wouldn't have been waring these then..." Naruto scratched his head in though. "I don't know... but I do remember this distinct feeling of... weightlessness."

Sarutobi nodded and then frowned. "This is very troubling indeed. Not much is know about the laws of physics... we have barely scratched the surface in the past few decades... The one who probably knew the most was the Fourth Hokage... The creation of the Hiraishin is shrouded in mystery but we so know it was like summoning ones self by bending the fabric of space and time..." Sarutobi scratched his chin. "...maybe somehow you have had a side effect from it."

As soon as the words left his mouth Sarutobi stiffened. I've said to much...

Naruto was silent for a moment in mild confusion. Why would I have a side effect? That's only something that could happen to his children right? Suddenly something the man Ibiki said popped into his mind.

"...and I really don't like it when people try to mess with his kid."

His eyes widened and he picked up the photo again. "Its her... I mean us, me! Me and her are the children of the Yondaime!"

Sarutobi suddenly cursed and sighed in defeat. "...I was hoping you wouldn't figure that out..."

Naruto fell back into his chair with a smile on his face. "I'm the son of the Yondaime..." Then his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes narrowed in anger. "You said you didn't know who my parents were..." Naruto leaned forward. "You lied to me! For all those years you've lied straight to my face!" Naruto slammed his fist on the table. "I trusted you and you lied to me! How could you!"

Sarutobi then sighed and looked up. "Naruto... would I have done it without a good reason?" Naruto flinched and then shook his head slowly. "That's right, I wouldn't, your father and mother were feared Shinobi through out the Elemental Nations... If they found out he had a child they would have come and tried to kill you... and for Naruko it would be so much worse."

Naruto hearing this flinched and shuddered realizing the implications of the comment. "I... I understand... but... couldn't you have said something, anything that could have given me some sort of comfort? All my life I've thought my parents abandoned me... that they didn't want me... that they feared and hated me for what I contain... couldn't you have said anything to make me feel better?"

Sarutobi could almost see the pain and grief radiating off the young blond before him. Is this how Naruko feels everyday? Is this the pain that she has hidden away from me? Sarutobi could almost feel his heart tearing inside him. It was with that thought that he steeled himself. I can't let that go on any longer... I couldn't bare it if I had to endure this twice.

Sarutobi then reached out and place one of his hand on Naruto's. "How would you like to make things different?"

Naruto looked up with teary eyes. "Wha... What do you mean?"

"Naruto... I've kept the truth hidden from Naruko as well. She has no idea that I know, because like you she trust me without a shadow of a uncertainty. You have shown me what my actions have done to you and in turn her... She feel the same if not worse than you..." Sarutobi then gave a smile. "Why don't we help her and you at the same time?"

Naruto sat there looking at Sarutobi. She shares my pain...Naruto thought. She's exactly like me...If there's a chance to make things better...Naruto straightened up in his chair. "How?"

Sarutobi smiled and sat back in his chair. "She's in my office right now, hoping and wishing with all her being that you might be related to her... that she might finally get what you both want and rightfully deserved... a family." Naruto's eyes widened in understanding. "Naruto... how would you like to be a brother?

Half an hour later...

The door to Sarutobi's office opened and Naruko whirled around to see Sarutobi walking in. "Naruko..." He said ushering in Naruto through the door. "This is Naruto... he's come a very long way to meet you..."

Naruko's eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat. "Y-you mean... that..."

Sarutobi nodded and Naruto took a step forward. "Hey Imooto... Its nice to finally meet you."

She stood there for several moments her eyes shimmering her body trembling. "Im... Imoo... Imooto? Then... then that means..." Naruto nodded and out streaked his arms. Naruko blinked and the tears finally fell."...Onii-chan..." She rushed forward and tackled him to the ground with a bone crushing hug. "Onii-chan!"

Naruto winced as his female self squeezed and snuggled into his chest. He looked up at Sarutobi and they both shared a pained smile, one physically the other emotionally.

This is the start of something wonderful... They all thought as one.

Well I hope you liked it, I sure did.