Title: New Identity in the Past

Summary: It is not for nothing that Naruto has gotten the reputation of being the most surprising ninja. As if to keep this reputation, the blond often lands himself in unusual situations that ask for the most unusual solutions. However, after fighting Madara to the bitter end and caught up in a clash of jutsus, waking up in Obito's body and buried under piles of stones was not something even Naruto thought possible. How will Naruto take care of the upcoming threat of Akatsuki and Madara in a past he does not know while starting a new legend for Uchiha Obito?

Disclaimer (for the whole story): I do not own the OC from Naruto, they all belong to their respective owners. I'm merely a student that had to find a release for her imagination.

Beta: BelovedDaughter, thank you so much!

Edit 11/11: I have got a lovely beta!

Hello reader who is interested in this story. Or at least I hope you are. To start, I would like to discuss several points. First of all, this may not follow the canon. I am still unsure what parts will change dramatically and how long the story will be. I might split it up in different fics, but seeing as I have other stories too, I will have to see how many people enjoy the story. Second, this is one of those stories in which Kyuubi is not a completely evil and horrible blind demon that only lives too kill. He will have formed a mutual respect for Naruto. The whole 'you die, I die' having triggered the – dare to say it – friendship between the two. Third… I really shouldn't be doing this seeing as I have two other stories as well. For this reason my updates mostly depend on the inspiration I have and party how much me writing this story is appreciated.

If you have any questions, find holes in my story, or just like to share your own ideas, please let me know!

For now! Have fun reading!

Chapter 1: Crushing Weight

Pain.

Incredible pain.

This was the first and foremost thing that Naruto became aware of, as the young man once again regained a somewhat consciousness. Never before in his 18-year-long life had he experienced such agony. It was as if his whole body was on fire. As if he was being squashed to the ground.

He couldn't think straight. He was caught up in this ocean of pain and it felt like he was drowning. It would be so easy to give in. To simply let go and sink to the bottom of this ocean and to give in to the darkness that would let him rest in peace.

For a moment, he suddenly realized he was indeed sinking. He had stopped struggling. He was sinking deeper and deeper, into the darkness. Just before he wouldn't be able to get up again, something snapped him out of this stupor.

He was a survivor.

He did not give up.

He would fight.

He swam. He groaned. He cursed. It hurt to put so much effort in fighting against the flow, but he fought. He struggled to regain consciousness and to get out of this clouded mind that he had somehow ended up in.

Slowly but surely the blond ninja rose to the surface and suddenly was able to think again. Shakily he managed to stand up on the surface of the dark water-like substance.

'Where the hell am I?'

Doing his best to block out the pain, Naruto looked around.

'This is not my brain.' The ninja realized.

The feeling, the aura and its surroundings were completely different than the place he had been familiar with in all the years that he had frequently visited the fox. He glanced around, searching for the gigantic sarcastic fox that he had formed a mutual form of respect with in the two last years, which had been very tough for them both.

"Kyuubi!" He shouted through the darkness.

Silence greeted him.

Naruto grasped his head, desperately trying not to give in to the panic that was creeping up on him. Where the hell was he? What the hell had happened?

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a wave of memories slammed into him. He was thrown off his feet by the force and stared with widened eyes as he instantly remembered. His life was filtered right in front of his eyes and disappeared into the shadows of his surroundings. He had been fighting Madara. All his loved ones had died right in front of his eyes throughout the last two years. They had been the only one left in the end.

He had wanted to kill him. Kill him so bad. He had wanted revenge.

He remembered being overwhelmed by Kyuubi's chakra. Madara had been charging a jutsu when Naruto had interfered with a Rasengan… then he had been disconnected… Naruto wasn't sure what happened next.

'Am I dead? Am I caught up in someone's mind?' Naruto wondered, spooked out in this unfamiliar situation.

The ninja felt the mental shield in this mind shift around to accept the memories that his presence carried. He panicked.

'Whose mind is this?'

His mental request was heard and he was once again blown of his feet. Memories of another life opened up to him. He felt the mental link with his surroundings grow. This was his brain but at the same it wasn't. This was his life but as was his other life that he had just been watching.

It confused the ninja as he struggled against the overwhelming flow of information. He was an Uchiha. His name was Obito. He didn't like the way his family cooperated. He had a crush on this girl called Rin for a long time but never dared to voice it. He had a rival called Kakashi…

'Kakashi-sensei?' Two images greeted him and overlapped each other.

His sensei was Minato- Another pair of images overlapped.

He had his father and only one little nephew that he truly cared about. An image of a young boy flickered in front of his eyes and another one soon followed. The second was older and more familiar to the boy.

'Itachi?'

Naruto grasped his head with a gasp. His head was aching in protest to all the information that wasn't his. He was going crazy. Stop this! Unfortunately for the ninja, the mind wasn't listening. It was happy that it could once again connect with a user after losing its connection with the previous one.

Naruto couldn't take it anymore. This was not his life! He mentally shouted for help. He was losing his grip on the water and one of his legs sunk back into the water.

'Help!'

"Kyuubi!" He yelled.

"Kid! Stop thinking!"

The familiar growl made the surface of the black substance vibrate ever so slightly. To know that the fox was still present, immediately calmed the young man. At least one thing was the same. That damned fox was still there. Their souls were connected, Naruto knew that, but for a moment he had been afraid that Madara had somehow managed to get a hold of his last companion.

"I'm trying!" He groaned. "What the hell is going on?"

"Kid! We don't have time! You have to wake up now! Get the body out of there! I only have so much energy to heal it!"

What the hell was he talking about? Naruto swirled around, trying to find the only ally he currently had, but he couldn't find.

"Where are you?"

Not now kid!

A rough shove caught the Uzumaki of guard and he was flung to the opposite site than he previously had. He yelled out in pain as it greeted him once again. He nearly wanted to crawl back to the safe heaven he had just came from, but Kyuubi's words were still fresh in his mind, as was the urgency behind it.

The moment he somehow regained consciousness, he realized why. Large boulders were squashing him. The now-dark-haired chuunin couldn't move. His limps were locked in place. His mind screamed at him. He had to get away. He had to move! He had to get away!

But he couldn't. He was dying… again.

Somehow – in a desperate attempt for an escape – his mind provided him with a memory. It snapped him right back to a certain moment in his fight with Madara. It had been in this mere second that he had been able to get a feel of what the bastard had been doing with his chakra to become intangible for few periods of time.

It was his only chance.

Naruto desperately commanded his chakra copy the maniac. At first it didn't seem to work. He was still being squashed. However, suddenly the ninja felt his surroundings change. It felt like he was flowing through water. He didn't have much time to observe it though, as he was already moving.

He pushed himself up and crawled forward with the leg and arm that hurt the least. The ninja struggled and groaned but – after what seemed like years - was eventually able to push himself out of stones and into an open but enclosed space between the boulders. It was safe there.

With a heavy and painful growl the unfamiliar – and at the same time familiar – mutated body fell on the ground.

The constant wave of pain was disrupted with a more familiar pain, one his mind could cope with.

He greedily accepted the burning chakra of the fox demon, knowing that Kyuubi had his back with this. Over the last years their souls had become connected too closely for Kyuubi to have a reason and the ability to take over. A human had the most control in a human's mind, so Naruto was safe.

He could get some rest, or so he thought. His sleep was disrupted by the voice of the fox.

"Kid don't you dare sleep yet. You will have to heal yourself. I am not in control of this body. I can only provide you with my chakra for now."

A soft choke came from the ninja's mouth. 'What? I can't do that.'

"Since when did you give up so easily without trying brat?"

Naruto growled at the fox, gritting his teeth and snapped right back at the fox. "I never healed myself before, furball. How can I…"

"No need for names, Monkeyboy. Now follow my instructions, damn it. I hope you have the brains to follow it."

The ninja let out a silent chuckle full of disbelieve, but didn't complain. It was not like he had a choice. He had to live, damn it. Following the fox's instruction as carefully as he could, while trying to make sense from it, the ninja set to work.

After what seemed like ages, Naruto was finally told to stop.

"No bad for a first try Kid. Now sleep. I will be able to take care of the rest.'

Naruto didn't even waste a second to follow that last instruction and he let himself fall back into a comfortable darkness.

~ Time Break ~

A groan escaped his lips as he finally regained consciousness again. His eyes opened and took in twinkling stars in the dark sky and the familiar sigh of trees surrounding him.

What happened? Had it all been a dream?

Naruto frowned as he sensed his surroundings. No, something was off. He had to find out what happened. Where was that damn know-it-all-fox?

"Kyuubi?"

Naruto pushed himself from the ground, realizing that he had been sleeping in a pile of soft grass. A light breeze caught him of guard and he turned to look at his surroundings. He was standing in the middle of a large clearing, the moon shining brightly and high in the sky.

He was in his mind. That Obito guy's mind. Kakashi's teammate? Alright if he didn't think about it too much, he could cope with that for now.

But where was the demon?

"Kyuubi!" Naruto screamed again, feeling slightly uncomfortable in this unfamiliar place. A growl made him turn to the forest on his right. He ran forward as he heard it, determined to at least find something he was familiar with.

"Be silent Kid, I'm trying to sleep."The fox grumbled, his massive voice carrying over the plains.

Naruto, who had already been looking for the massive fox that usually greeted him, frowned when he didn't see him. He had been sure that the voice had come from this spot. He turned around; head tilted back as he continued searching for the large figure that usually loomed over him.

"Kyuubi?" He tried again, never one to just simply listen to the fox.

An irritated growl made him turn around again, this time looking right in front of him. His first reaction was one of surprise, which then followed into amusement and eventually he couldn't hold back a few laughs.

It had been a long time that he had actually laughed.

"Kyuubi? You look…" He searched for the right word. "… different." He snorted and dared to step walk the strong trees that had seemingly replaced the bars he had in his own mind.

Naruto knew that Kyuubi wouldn't have the energy or the will to hurt him, not when they were in this unknown situation. So he didn't even falter in his steps as he walked through the trees that separated him from the fox, which was currently only the size of a large horse. The fox bared his teeth at the ninja, but said ninja knew that it was simply a way of showing his annoyance.

Naruto flopped down next to the much-smaller-than-usual-fox, leaning over slightly in an attempt to check up on him.

"Are you alright?" He quietly asked, taking in the fact that Kyuubi only had three tails.

"Besides the fact that we nearly died and I had to save your pathetic butt once more, that we are stuck in another timeframe and in the mind of an Uchiha" The demon spat the name. "Of all people, and that I just lost about two-third of my chakra to keep us alive and heal the body that had been practically pulverized to death…I feel absolutely giddy."

Naruto rolled his eyes at the fox's sarcasm and settled himself comfortably against the side of the fox, pondering about what the fox had said. Kyuubi let out a warning growl but Naruto knew that it was just a matter of pride that made the fox this touchy.

"Will they come back?"

"Eventually. I will need a lot of rest. I might sleep for a long time in which you cannot always contact me."

"That's good. In the mean time, you can be my pillow then." Naruto teased, rubbing his face in Kyuubi's soft fur.

A few seconds later the blond found himself upside down in the air as two of the three tails held him by his ankles. He grinned cheekily at the fox's glare. "I'm glad Madara didn't get to you." He said. Kyuubi, who had been planning to drop the ninja face first to the ground, paused at that comment. The demon took in Naruto's grinning face and let out a deep sigh as he dropped him on his back.

That brat had managed to get even Kyuubi to like him.

"I haven't seen you so cheerful in a long time brat."

Naruto, who was now lying nearly upside down on his back on the fox's first, turned his head into Kyuubi's direction. "Yeah… well. Everything is over, you know. I know they are all gone…" His face fell just ever so slightly before he smiled again. "But they are all together and I'm sure in a good place. Now it is over, I suddenly feel a lot lighter. It is difficult to explain."

Kyuubi acknowledge his short ramble with a low growl as he put his head on his paws in an attempt to get some rest. Naruto though, still had some questions and climbed up so he could sit on the fox's back, just behind his neck. Lying down forward on his belly, he started patting the soft fur just behind his ears.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"I can't help it, it looks so soft."

Kyuubi growled at him but didn't stop him. "If you even dare to make a move to touch my ears than I don't care that we are connected by soul. I will kill you personally." He warned him instead, earning another grin from Naruto.

"Yeah right, Kyuubi."

They sat there for a while, before Naruto's face grew serious. No way to get around it.

"Are we in the past?"

"Yes. The clash between that space-dimension jutsu of that damned Uchiha and our chakra killed us all instantly. Unfortunately or fortunately for the two of us, depending how you look at it, our energy – and which also means our soul – got sucked into that Uchiha's jutsu and send us here. Since our soul needs to be bonded to a body and the boy's soul is in coma, we got permission to bond."

Naruto's eyes stared at the fox in surprise.

"He's still alive…?"

"I wouldn't say alive, kid. The only reason he is still here is because we keep his brain running. If we had arrived just a second later, the boy would have passed on and we would have been screwed, wandering around this plane for who knows how long."

"Wow."

Naruto wasn't sure what else to say. Now he realized that Obito was still here, he suddenly became aware of the boy's quiet presence. The boy was not far away, most likely having hidden himself in one of the foxholes that Naruto had spotted.

"Will he wake up?"

"I am unsure. The essence of the boy's spirit is very strong, but the spirit itself is currently very weak. It feels familiar somehow though."The demon moved its eyes to glance at the blond but didn't comment on it any further. "Only time will tell..."

Naruto sighed, feeling bad for the other spirit. He knew he had not pushed the boy away or put him in this state, but he would be carrying the identity of the boy. Naruto's eyes narrowed in determination. He would take good care of the body. Not only because he wanted to, but because he also felt this connection with the boy. He could not really explain it, but it felt as if they were close. Obito felt very familiar. Strange. The ninja decided that it must be because of the fact that he had received a couple of his memories. Pushing the thought away, Naruto let himself relax on top of the fox.

"I guess I will be Uchiha Obito for a while then."

"That seems to be the case… now shut your mouth Gaki, I'm trying to sleep."

Naruto chuckled and closed his eyes too.

"Kyuubi?" He mumbled once he was half asleep. He only got a slight grumble in return.

"Thank you..." He didn't need to explain what for.

Another grumble followed and the ninja took it as a 'you're welcome.' A smile formed on the ninja's lips as he snuggled just a little deeper into the demon's warmth.

A few moments later both were fast asleep, mentally preparing themselves for a long journey in this unfamiliar past.

~End Chapter~

First chapter done! So that means feedback time!

Want to read more? Or should I just already quit? Hehe...

Let me know alright?

Till next time!

Edit: Kyuubi's text was all sticking together, so I had to put the spaces back in... sigh. Ah well everything for good intro. :)