Memories of the Future

A/N: i'm sorry. i had this ready at 3:30 this morning, but i didn't have anything witty to say so, eh. now, i know this story is really sad, and i promise i will try my best to have some happy or funny moments in the course of this fic. anyway, more relevant topics.

the winner, in a very close race, to find out naruto's secret was Kakashi. congrats, kashi-koi! to answer a question, kakashi finds out in this chapter, and this was possible thanks to all of you! i received more than 30 reviews in less than 12 hours, and i'm just so grateful!!

thank you to all my reviewers!! i'm so thankful that everyone enjoys this story! *bows*

enjoy!!

same tags apply


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Memories of the Future: Chapter 5 - Naruto
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Naruto stood off to the side of the training field watching his two teammates spar at a high, if not impressive, level. Because he was the girl, the boys had insisted on ‘her’ not getting in their way. Naruto had the thought that he now knew how Sakura had felt for all those years watching him and Sasuke spar. He turned to regard their sensei, the silver-haired jounin still reading his ever-present book, though the cover wasn’t its usual orange. After all the years Naruto had been ‘dead,’ the color had evolved to a lime green.

‘Please don’t tell me that ero-sennin is still writing those trashy books!’

Naruto turned his attention back to the spar. Shinsuke and Rei, whose name Naruto had finally learned, were currently using more jutsu than he or Sasuke ever had, and Naruto found himself wondering just what jutsu ‘Yuki’ could use. Oh, Naruto could use Kyuubi’s vast chakra to call up his specialties, but it wasn’t wise to just throw out Rasengan or call up six or seven clones to train with. He didn’t even know if he could use the transportation jutsu without bringing suspicion down on his head; Kyuubi was only a chuunin, after all.

And that thought brought no small amount of amusement to Naruto. Kyuubi, the fearsome and hated nine-tailed demon fox, was just a chuunin! Of course, Kyuubi was obviously allowed to replace a set of ANBU in escorting the Hokage from the office to home. That had to mean that ‘Yuki’ could easily be a jounin. So what was holding her back?

“What are you thinking about, Yuki-chan?”

“I was thinking that those two must not be too strong in their taijutsu if they’re throwing around jutsu so freely like that.” And it wasn’t far from the truth. Naruto had been thinking that earlier.

“I could have sworn we’ve already had this conversation, Yuki-chan.”

Naruto tensed. They had? Well, maybe they had. Well, no, they hadn’t. Kakashi had probably had that conversation with Yuki. Or rather, Kyuubi. Regardless, he hadn’t had the conversation with Naruto. And now Naruto really wanted to have it, because he wanted to know why two males from prominent clans didn’t have strong taijutsu skills.

“Perhaps we should rehash it.”

Kakashi laughed behind his book. “It wouldn’t make a difference. Most shinobi besides you and Lee rely heavily on gen- and ninjutsu. It’s been that way for almost two decades.”

“Why is that?” The question left his mouth before Naruto could think better of it.

“Come now, Yuki-chan. Everyone knows the story. It’s told to children every night as they lay down to sleep.”

“Well, pardon me for growing up alone.”

Kakashi looked up from his book at that. “Yuki-chan… I know Tsunade-sama died when you were still young, but you had a very strong support system through your life.”

“You make it sound as if I’m ungrateful.” Naruto had actually been talking about himself, but luckily Kakashi hadn’t picked up on that.

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you, Yuki-chan. If you could stay here with me for a moment.” Or he had. Kakashi lowered his book and looked across the training field at the two boys who were panting heavily as they rested in defensive positions. “Boys, that’s enough for today. You need to replenish your chakra before our meeting with the Hokage tomorrow.”

The boys nodded and relaxed, making their way toward Naruto and Kakashi. “Yuki-chan, are you going to join us for lunch today?”

“Thank you, Hyuuga-san, but Kakashi-sensei has asked me to stay behind today.”

“That makes sense, seeing as how you just stood there today,” Shinsuke drawled.

“Well, if you and Mr. Fancy Hair hadn’t stolen the spotlight and practically destroyed the damn field with your excessive jutsu, I could have done something productive! And for Kami’s sake, learn to reserve your jutsu. It’s not like you have a bottomless well of power to call upon like me. Come on, learn a little common sense!”

Naruto drew breath into his starved lungs, so annoyed that he didn’t even notice the shocked faces of his team. Then an odd echo of what he’d just said bounced around in his head, distinct reverberations of ‘like me’ pounding behind his eyes.

‘Well, damn.’

“Fellas, another time. Yuki-chan and I have some things to discuss.”

Naruto swallowed nervously as the two boys nodded their goodbyes and left the training field. Kakashi didn’t say anything at first, just went back to reading his book. Just when Naruto thought his limbs would snap from all the tension his muscles were under, Kakashi closed the book and let his arm hang lazily by his side.

“What’s going on here? Who are you, and what’s happened to Yuki-chan?”

“Why would you think something as outrageous as that, Kakashi-sensei?”

“For one, you have never, in the entire time I’ve known you, called me ‘Kakashi-sensei’ until the day that you fainted.”

Naruto didn’t move for a moment, and then he screamed, “What?!”

“Since you were first part of my genin team, you’ve always called me ‘Hatake-sensei.’ I don’t think anything short of our marriage would ever have you calling me ‘Kakashi-sensei.’” His eye crinkled in amusement that quickly turned to a leer.

“Gah, you are so perverted, sometimes even more so than ero-” Naruto stopped himself from finishing the word.

“Hm? Were you about to say ‘ero-sennin’?” Kakashi laughed. “I haven’t heard that since…” Kakashi trailed off, and the look in his eye seemed thoughtful, yet very sad.

“Kakashi-sensei…?”

“Naruto…”

It didn’t register that Kakashi’s eye was glazed and very far away, as if he were in another time and place. All that mattered to Naruto was that Kakashi had picked his name out from the well of time, cracking Naruto’s thin shield of ignorance against the future by doing so. So Naruto just looked at the jounin, wide-eyed, before taking off in the blink of an eye into the forest.

~*~

“Yuki-chan?”

Naruto looked up at the dark form of Kakashi; the sun had gone down some time ago. He’d come to the very tree he’d always come to when he felt sad or depressed and Hokage Mountain was too far away. Sitting at the trunk, Naruto had let his head rest on his knees, and he’d just let his mind drift.

He’d thought long and hard about the consequences of Kakashi finding out his secret, and surprisingly, the good had far outweighed the bad. Kakashi could catch him up on everything that had happened over the sixteen years he’d been ‘dead,’ and he could help him make sure that he didn’t screw anything up, like getting people’s names wrong, apparently. And, most importantly, he’d have someone he could discuss Sasuke with, someone who was close to the Uchiha now.

“Kakashi-sensei…”

“Why did you run away?”

“I want to tell you a secret, sensei. Can you keep one?” The masked jounin sat down next to him and remained quiet for Naruto to continue. “I’m sure you can, since no one knew about your relationship with Iruka-sensei for a while, if I know that chuunin.”

“What are you-?”

“I don’t know how to tell you this, Kakashi-sensei, I was never the sensitive one. Hell, Sakura-chan was hardly the sensitive one. Out of the whole Rookie 9, I think Hinata-chan was the only one who could be a balm to very difficult news. Gah, I wish she was here right now!”

“Yuki-”

“No, Kakashi-sensei, not ‘Yuki.’ I’m Naruto.”

Kakashi just stared at him. Then his visible eye narrowed in anger, and he pushed off from the ground. “Do you think that’s funny? How dare you make a mockery of the dead like this! There are many people in this village still plagued with pain from Naruto’s death, and you have the gall to play this sick joke?”

Kakashi made to storm away, but Naruto quickly grabbed his wrist. “Please, Kakashi-sensei, believe me! I need your help! I will gladly slit my throat for Kyuubi to heal to prove it!”

Kakashi stilled. “What?”

“This body belongs to Kyuubi! It’s a long story, one I really don’t understand, but I’m here now while she does her thing-”

Kakashi jerked at his wrist. “Kyuubi was male!”

“I know that, baka sensei, but Yuki is a girl!” Kakashi glared more and made to leave once again, and Naruto latched onto his chest in desperation. “Please, Kakashi! Remember… remember when I first told you and Iruka-sensei that I was pregnant with the twins? Iruka-sensei gave me a tongue-lashing because I was ‘too young to possibly know what having children means for my future, how the hell can I have children, and who the hell is the father ‘cause Iruka-sensei was going to slice him open from crotch to sternum for even laying a finger on me.’”

Naruto felt the man go deathly still. “How do you know that?” His voice was pure ice, and Naruto had the thought that someone had been spending too much time with a certain teme.

“Because I’m Naruto, Kakashi-sensei! Please, just think! I’ve made mistakes in Yuki’s personality that you’ve noticed. On the bridge, I accused you of lying about being late the same way Sakura-chan and I used to, and I know that you were visiting with Obito-san, like you do every morning. Then in Hokage Tower, when I accused you of reading that book while I was fainting… You know it’s me, Kakashi-sensei! I need your help!”

Kakashi looked confused and lost, caught between believing him and running a kunai through his heart, which may or may not have worked to his advantage, as it could either prove that Kyuubi did in fact inhabit the body, or it would kill them both.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to pull, or what you’re trying to get me to help with-”

“I need help for Sasuke-teme!” At that, Kakashi gasped, but Naruto kept on. “I need help for all of us! Kyuubi, she’s trying to set things right, the way they should be. She wants me to live, and dammit, after having to see my children every day, knowing I wasn’t here to watch them grow, seeing how Sasuke-teme is in so much pain, I want to live, too! I want my life back, and I need your help, Kakashi, to make sure I don’t screw this up.”

Naruto was sure he was crying, but he didn’t care. He snapped his head down into the jounin’s vest and sobbed. If Kakashi didn’t believe him, he could always try someone else, but the masked man was just so perfect to help him. They were even on the same team!

“Please, just… look underneath the underneath, Kakashi-sensei…” he whispered brokenly into the rough material before him. Two strong hands then gripped his face, and his head was pulled up to meet one searching eye. Naruto watched as that eye roved over his features, watched as it misted over with tears.

“I haven’t uttered those words in sixteen years. Only my first genin team would have known them… Naruto…”

Naruto let out a strangled cry as he buried his head in the firm chest once more, clutching the jounin tighter when two strong arms wrapped protectively and comfortably behind his back.

When his sobs died down, a hand glided soothingly through his long hair, and Kakashi whispered, “Tell me what’s going on, Naruto. What the hell is happening here?”

“I don’t know, but thank Kami I can tell you about it.” Naruto leaned heavily on Kakashi in exhaustion.

“Maybe in the morning, ne, Naruto-chan?”

“Fuck you, Kakashi-sensei.”

“Now, now, only Iruka can do that.”

“Oh gross, you perverted kappa! I didn’t need to know that!”

As they continued to bicker good-naturedly on the walk to the Uchiha district, Naruto felt a small peace fall over him as Kakashi seemed to believe him more and more. It helped that Naruto kept recalling embarrassing stories about the jounin that only the blonde could have known, as they involved one very dear chuunin Academy instructor.

They neared the Uchiha mansion sooner than expected, and Kakashi turned to Naruto. “Tomorrow, while Shinsuke and Rei are sparring, you’ll tell me what’s going on, and in exchange I’ll fill you in.”

“Thank you, Kakashi-sensei. You don’t know how much this means to me.”

“On the contrary, Naruto, you don’t know how much this means to me. Sixteen years is a long time to be without a sun to brighten the days.”

Naruto blushed as Kakashi grinned, as told by the crinkled eye, and the man waved lazily as he walked away. Naruto watched him go, and then turned to the house smiling. Now he had a confidant, and even though he wished he could just tell Sasuke everything, it still helped his anxiety to know a real genius was there to help, even if said genius was a pervert.


TBC


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was that a bad way for kakashi to find out? should i rewrite it? oh well.

thanks again for all of your votes!! don't you love having a say in one of your fav stories? (not that i'm implying that my story is all that popular ^.~)

i want y'all's opinion again though. i have no idea about the next chapter, so tell me who you think he should run into next and maybe it'll inspire me. just remember, dead people are off limits. and if you think tsunade's the only one who's dead... well, heh heh...

thanks for reading!!