1.

In the Valley of the End, two boys were staring each other down as they stood on the water, both ragged in appearance. One boy had a duck-butt hairstyle and his skin was dark from the curse mark, a chidori crackling in his hand.

The other boy had torn orange jumpsuit on, blond hair, and his once blue eyes were now red and slitted, while his whisker marks were more prominent. He was surrounded by red chakra which expanded into a chakra tail, and in his hand was a rasengan.

Words were exchanged, but there was no sound. It was almost as if they were in a silent movie, but completely unaware of it.

Both boys charged at each other and their attacks collided. The was a bright clash of energy and the backlash sent the dark-haired boy sprawling onto the land, out cold. But the energy backlash sent the blond boy skidding across the water's surface.

The blond felt his wounds reopen and worsen from the hit and as he slowly began to sink into the water, he couldn't help but feel a tired sense of pride. 'I did it, Sakura-chan. Even though I had to die for it.' Was his last thought as Uzumaki Naruto sank into the depths and the darkness took him.

(Tranquility, California)

In the early morning, an alarm clock went off and a medium tanned hand slapped down on it in annoyance. Inaudible grumbling could be heard as a lean figure emerged from under the covers, blond hair stuck out in different directions and tired blue eyes blinked wearily.

"Stupid clock." he growled and headed to the bathroom.

The face in the mirror made him blink in shock. It was very similar to his, only younger and had the same blond hair as him as well as the same true blue eyes. Three prominent whisker marks were on each cheek.

Miles Lancaster blinked the rest of the sleep out of his eyes and saw his own reflection staring back at him. Blond hair disheveled from sleep, dim blue eyes waking to reality, and faint whisker marks on his cheeks since birth.

If he didn't know any better, he would have thought the face he'd seen was a younger him, but that was ridiculous, a trick of the light must have been what it was.

Still, as Miles began to get ready for school, he didn't fail to notice the slight burning on his stomach, or the twinge of stinging behind his eyes as they faintly glimmered red.