Naruto 1. Chapter 1: Dazed and Confused

**A/N:** I recently decided to get back into writing and this idea came to me. I was always fascinated with the Totsuka when they showed it in the Manga and I had many times wondered what it would be like if Naruto wielded it. Though this fic won't be all about the Totsuka and how Naruto uses it, I want to explore what it would be like if he had it.

I also wanted to try out a time-travel fic. And so I decided to simply combine my ideas. This is the result. I hope none of you guys are too annoyed with me for abandoning my previous story, _Hiraishin Reborn_, but I just can't come up with more for the story. I also think I kind of rushed it so I feel like it's a lost cause. I suppose it can be put up for adoption, but I would like for whoever decides to continue it to get my permission and consult me first.

Summary: Naruto gets sent to the past after a battle with Sasuke and ends up in a cave. He finds the legendary Sword of Totsuka in the cave and later learns that he is stranded in a time during the Second Great Shinobi War! Spoilers.

Generic-Ass Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Dazed and Confused **

Naruto shifted slightly, his no longer unconscious form stirring awake. His tired eyes opened slowly and he looked at his surroundings unhurriedly, his body still sore from his fight. Suddenly his memory of the fight came back and he bolted upright despite his injuries. He groaned as a sharp pain in his side revealed itself. He again looked at his surroundings, this time with caution. Had he been captured?

He supposed that wasn't the case as he likely wouldn't have woken up if he was. His mind whirled with possibilities as he slowly got up, ignoring his body's protests. It seemed he was in a cave of some sort. With nothing else to do, he cautiously crept through the cave, trying to expand his senses to see if Madara or Sasuke were nearby. He knew he couldn't fight in his current condition so he had to be careful.

Sasuke was likely in a worse condition, he noted with some pride. The young Uchiha and he had been fighting what Naruto had hoped would be their final battle. Madara was their, Naruto knew, but he had been occupied with Sasuke. Madara had probably set up the entire fight, Naruto surmised.

Sasuke had been desperate at the closing of their battle and had tried to grab him and teleport him somewhere, or at least that's what Naruto assumed. Sasuke had ended up grabbing onto one of the arms of the Jinchuuriki cloak. Naruto had pushed as much of the Kyuubi's chakra into that arm as possible at the last second. He hoped Sasuke hadn't managed to teleport him to some void dimension.

As he walked further into the cave, he noticed an area further ahead that emitted a light source. He crept a bit faster, excited that he may not have been transported to some void world. The room that emitted the light source was large. It turned out the light was natural as Naruto could see it shining out from the many turquoise crystals embedded in the walls all around him.

Something in the back of the room caught his attention. Naruto walked closer and saw that it was a beautiful katana that laid on a slab of rock. He looked it over and couldn't help but marvel at its beauty. Its sheath was a pure, shining white. Its guard was rectangular with small holes on each edge. In one of the holes, a string was knotted and connected to a white sash that led down to a part near the end of the sheath.

Naruto grabbed it but froze as his fingers touched it. This was no ordinary sword. He could feel chakra running through it. It felt almost neutral and he was suddenly much more interested in this blade than he thought he would be. He grabbed it fully and was immersed in the feeling it gave him. It brought a calming and powerful sensation over him and he knew he had to keep this sword.

He wondered if it was semi-sentient like the late Kisame's old weapon, Samehada. He gripped the smooth hilt that had what looked like a small version of the bottom of Gaara's sand gourd attached to the end of it and slowly began to pull the blade from its sheath. He again marveled at the beauty of it. It was skillfully crafted and the actual blade was a bright silver color with black markings swirling around the entire length. He knew it had something to do with Fuuinjutsu but he couldn't make heads or tails of it, even with his moderate understanding of the complicated art.

Naruto saw some small kanji near the hilt and took a closer look. He gasped and nearly dropped the blade as he read what it said: Totsuka. Of course he had heard of this weapon; Jiraiya had once told him about it and two other fabled and legendary weapons. Jiraiya had said that they were pretty much 3 mythical items of great power.

His former teacher had explained the legend of each weapon to him as a means to pass the time during their training trip. He'd said that if one was pierced with the Totsuka, they would be thrown into hell, or something similar. Jiraiya had said that if the sword was actually real, it probably had sealing properties and would force its victim into some kind of torture genjutsu. Naruto hadn't really understood much of Jiraiya's explanation at the time but had still been awed by such a powerful weapon, even if it was said only to be a legend.

Looking at the legendary weapon now, he knew it was anything but a myth. He didn't know why or how but he could just tell it was the true Totsuka no Tsurugi. Thinking of the powers the sword held, Naruto couldn't help but wonder just what or how much it could seal. He assumed it could probably seal a human soul or mind based on the legend. He probably had to pierce someone with it while channeling chakra into the hilt and blade. It would be seriously helpful with much of the dead ninja army still opposing the allied forces.

He was definitely keeping this sword and he was going to find a way out of the cave he'd been conveniently transported to. He already assumed he wasn't captured but he knew something pivotal had happened during that last moment of his and Sasuke's battle and he intended to find out what.

He walked back in the direction he came from as he noticed the area he had found was closed off on all sides. His trek back was exhausting and dangerous. The path he had to follow split into all different directions and he lost count of how many treacherous drops there were. Naruto had to use chakra to stick his feet to the distinct path he was traveling. He estimated it was over ten miles to where the sword was formerly located.

As he squeezed out of the small opening of the cave that led to the outside world, he heaved a sigh of relief. He had been afraid it would go on forever. Looking back, he almost fell over as he saw only a large boulder and no opening. He felt around the boulder for where the opening had disappeared to, but it seemed to be gone.

He frowned and tried to sense if this was some kind of genjutsu but couldn't detect a thing. He sighed and decided to enter into Sage mode to see if it could reveal the secret of the boulder. Five minutes later, he opened his eyes and breathed in the feeling of nature as he had finally entered Sage mode. He tried expanding his senses around the rock and smirked as his suspicions were proven true.

It seemed to be some kind of complex fuuinjutsu/genjutsu combination. He had to say he was impressed. No one would notice this unless they perhaps possessed a powerful eye-based bloodline, such as the Sharingan or Rinnegan, maybe even the Byakugan. It seemed someone went pretty far to protect this sword.

Naruto stood up from his meditative position and was surprised at how much better he felt. He almost forgot about the fairly powerful healing properties of Senjutsu. With his faster-than-normal healing rate and Sage mode activated, he could actually feel his four broken ribs mend themselves back together. He was still fairly low on chakra and a bit sore but still felt refreshed, and that brought his mood up.

He looked at his appearance and sighed. His clothes were pretty messed up. He would need to henge and get a new set of clothes at the nearest shop. That is, if he could find the nearest town. He was in a forest, but there were forests all around the continent. He sighed and picked a random direction. Hopefully, he would spot some human tracks to follow.

He was lucky as he managed to find signs of a settlement further ahead. He ended up arriving at a small town that he supposed could have been within the Land of Fire. Everything looked old-fashion though so he guessed it may have been a fairly old town.

Naruto used a henge to hide his new sword and appearance and stealthily snuck into the small town. There were very few people walking around and Naruto was confused by some of the much older-styled clothes he saw those few wearing. This town really was old-fashioned, it seemed.

After further sneaking, he managed to find a secluded tavern. Changing his henge, this time into an ordinary looking man with old-fashioned clothes on, he quietly entered the bar. There weren't many people in the bar but he could hear a low murmur from two men talking in the back. After informing the barmaid of his order, he walked over to where he could hear the two speaking.

* * *

Naruto had quickly left after the two had finished their conversation, his eyes wide and his breathing uneven. He'd almost lost it in there, listening to what those two completely sane-looking men spoke of. He quickly hid himself in a small alley and sank to the ground, his expression still filled with shock.

The two men had spoken of how the war was reaching the Land of Grass. That had confused Naruto as he hadn't heard that Grass country was still left unaffected by the war, but he wasn't in total shock. At least, not until one of the men mentioned that the Nidaime Tsuchikage was fighting for lands to the north and how the Nidaime Mizukage was getting fed up with the Tsuchikage's recent actions or something.

Naruto had almost choked on his sake. Listening even more intently, he heard of how Kumogakure was now entering the war because Konoha had. They spoke of how—what Naruto supposed was the Second Great Shinobi War—the war was escalating and how their whole town would probably need to leave before Konoha and Iwa started really fighting it out.

His mind brought the pieces of this puzzle together and he was stunned; the old-fashioned town and clothes, the conversation about the beginnings of the Second War, and of course, the start of all of this, Sasuke's jutsu. It was not what he expected at all. Was he truly somehow in the past?

If the war hadn't hardened him and his brash attitude a bit, he knew he would have probably been screaming his head off right now. The impossibility of his situation pushed at him, but he couldn't just disregard what he had heard. He knew something pivotal had happened at the end of his battle with Sasuke, and now he was regretting it.

Space/time ninjutsu was dangerous and unstable; Naruto knew this. He himself had tried his hand at it but hadn't been too successful. He'd heard of how his father had used it as well as the Nidaime Hokage and just had to give it a shot. Of course, that had led him to studying fuuinjutsu. It was a complex art but Naruto surprisingly enough hadn't been too revolted of it.

He had been studying it while still trying to help through the war. Even with the use of many Shadow clones, he was only able to reach an intermediate level before his big battle with Sasuke. Space/time ninjutsu though was a long ways off and he couldn't begin to understand how the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan utilized such techniques.

Naruto sighed and stood up. He needed more crucial information and he couldn't get it while in this small town. He snuck back out from where he had first entered the town and made his way south. He first needed to find a place that sold ninja equipment and get a change of clothes. He knew there were places like that in the border towns between the Land of Grass and the Land of Rain. He could also travel further to the border towns between the Land of Fire and the Rain, but for now he wanted to get things over with quickly.

His journey to the border between Rain and Grass took only about two hours. It seemed he had been transported to a place in southern Grass country. Naruto managed to find another town, though this one was larger. They did in fact have a place that sold clothes for ninja but what they had was all a bit bulky and actually looked more like body armor.

Naruto scowled as he looked at the odd ninja apparel. He'd forgot that ninja back in the day used to wear this stuff before speed started to be more crucial and they had gotten rid of this style for the more commonly used small flak vests and limb guards. He sighed and decided the stuff they had would be better than nothing.

After pick-pocketing a few wealthy-looking people, Naruto went back to the shop to buy a change of clothes and some of the equipment they sold as well. He decided on getting something that would go with his new sword. His clothing was therefore mostly white.

He had white forearm guards, what he supposed was a flak vest of this generation that was also white and covered his entire torso along with his shoulders, a pair of white Shinobi pants, a long sleeved, white turtle-neck shirt, and finally white tape to cover the bottom of his shins as well as the bottom of his face in a style similar to the late Momochi Zabuza. Well, Zabuza wasn't even alive yet so maybe 'unborn' was a better word.

He did all this for more than one reason. He knew him being in the past could radically change the future and so the first thing he wanted to do was make himself a separate entity. He couldn't have anyone connecting the dots between him and his future self, or even his past family. Also, the shop had nothing orange, so…yeah.

He definitely looked odd wearing all white like this. The only thing that stood out was his bright blonde hair, his bright blue eyes and his blue Shinobi sandals that were luckily still intact. He sighed as he remembered his blonde hair. It was a distinguishing feature in that very few around the elemental nations had blonde hair as bright as his. His father had it and if Naruto had to assume, his grandfather or maybe grandmother had it as well. That and his piercing blue eyes were too much of a resemblance.

Luckily, he knew a jutsu that could change his hair's pigment. It was one of very few medical techniques that required no great chakra control. He had convinced Sakura to teach him some first aid and had tried to learn some medical jutsu but he had only ever managed to master a few, this one included. It was one of the more entertaining, if a bit useless, medical techniques he'd learnt. And so, his hair, just like his clothes, was now white.

* * *

Naruto finally decided to do what he had been putting off by keeping himself busy. He finally decided to ponder upon what he would do now that he was trapped in the past. He had no idea how to get back to the present, and if he had to be honest with himself, he wasn't sure he wanted to go back. So many had died during the Fourth Great War and this time traveling incident gave him a chance to stop certain things.

He probably couldn't change too much in Konoha though. Actually, he probably couldn't go there at all now that he thought about it. The consequences in the future of him even just being there now could be severe. He sighed and wondered what he could do to stop certain bad things from happening without him accidentally causing his younger self to not be born or something.

Should he enter the war? Create a counter-organization to Akatsuki? Kill Hanzo of the Salamander before he could kill Nagato's friend that had fought for peace? There was so much more to consider. Naruto sighed. He just couldn't decide what to do.

There were also other things to consider; like if he could still summon toads or if the Kyuubi had traveled to the past along with him. He quickly ran through the hand signs for the summoning technique and slammed his hand to the ground. He smiled as markings spread across the ground. His smile faltered and he felt dread when no puff of smoke appeared to signify a successful summoning.

This was not good. He supposed it made sense that he wouldn't be able to summon the toads as his name and blood technically weren't on the contract yet. Still, he thought there would be some kind of bond that would stay with him and allow him to summon them or something. Well, at least Sage mode seemed to still be an option, though he wondered if he would still share any toad-like qualities while Sage mode was activated now that he was no longer aligned with the toads.

He took a breath and activated the Jinchuuriki cloak. He gasped as he took in his appearance and the feel of the cloak. Instead of the cloak being yellow, it was now a whitish-blue and the seal that was supposed to spread across his torso was no longer there. He could also actually feel the significant drain on his chakra. Naruto estimated he could probably use the cloak for roughly an hour before his chakra was completely drained.

This was also not good. After further inspection, he found that the seal that had been with him for all his life was nowhere to be found, and that there was no Kyuubi in his mindscape, not even the beast's old cage was still there, though it was still a sewer.

Naruto stared ahead of him with a stunned and terrified expression on his face for about five minutes. He couldn't fathom what was currently happening. He couldn't think of what needed to be done now that one of his world's most powerful beings was no longer trapped inside him. What really could he do?

And then it came to him. The fox was sealed inside Uzumaki Mito! He sighed at that. He really hoped the Kyuubi didn't suddenly get a load of new memories while still inside her from the future though, or that Mito didn't suddenly have two Kyuubi's inside her. It would be a problem no doubt but he would have to deal with everything eventually. His life definitely wasn't getting any easier.

* * *

Naruto was currently walking through Earth country on his way to a settlement near Waterfall Country. He wanted to gain entrance into Takigakure to see if they had that hero's water stuff. He had an idea on how to use it and he only needed about 6 ounces. He wouldn't drink it all in one go, but if he were to drink just one drop, perhaps every two weeks, then he might just be able to expand his reserves significantly over time without risking his life.

Now that he was without the Kyuubi, he didn't know if he would last in a fight against someone truly powerful. Sure, his reserves currently were still beyond massive, but he wanted to be as strong as he could be. Besides, he'd already decided he was going to enter the war as some mysterious and unknown warrior to try to bring it to an end peacefully, and that wouldn't happen without a fight or two.

Naruto also had plans to start training more. He intended to travel to the Land of Iron in awhile to get training in Kenjutsu. He didn't know where else to go besides Kirigakure, and that just wasn't an option. He hoped to find a decent Samurai willing to train him in the art of the sword now that he had the Totsuka. Of course, the Totsuka would stay a secret, even to the Samurai that would train him.

Naruto looked behind him at the large scroll strapped to his back. He had a few Shadow clones in a hidden area that were gathering natural energy, ready to be summoned at any moment through the reverse-summoning seal he'd drawn on the scroll. One could never be too careful during wartime after all. Besides, it was refreshing to just enter Sage mode at any time. Thinking of doing that exactly, he walked over to a nearby tree, relieved himself of his scroll and sat down to begin the process of becoming completely still.

His appearance in Sage mode was only slightly different than how it used to be. The color above his eyes wasn't orange anymore but completely red. His face seemed to become narrower as well and his eyes were still blue but now became distinctly slit. Naruto was unsure of what the change meant, if anything, but he didn't particularly think it would change something significant.

He sensed the area around him and was shocked when he felt something slowly approaching north of his position, about sixty yards away. It wouldn't have been shocking if the thing slowly approaching him wasn't a human that, from what Naruto could tell, had no chakra. It felt like any human would and yet it seemed not to have chakra. It was impossible to live without chakra and so Naruto was accordingly confused.

Naruto sensed further ahead and found about six other people a few kilometers behind the approaching figure. They thankfully did have chakra, and from what Naruto could tell, they were Shinobi, but it seemed they were following the person with no chakra from a distance. Naruto was confused at what exactly was going on now. Surely he couldn't have been sensed?

He knew he was close to Iwa but he had hoped to simply pass through undetected. It would be a hassle to have to try to evade or incapacitate a patrol team, but he supposed he had no choice now. It would be better to leave quickly and utilize his speed, but the border to Waterfall country was still about two hours away. He supposed he would have to take care of this quickly, though he would have to be careful of the one who seemed to emit no chakra.

As the person came into the clearing, Naruto made sure to appear calm, as if he was simply resting against a tree. He looked ahead of him and saw nothing, but he knew the person was there. The invisibility technique this person seemed to be using was flawless; that along with this person's chakra masking ability and they were probably one of if not _the_ stealthiest ninja in the world.

The person seemed to be observing and assessing him, as if they thought they had not been sensed and thus were in no danger. Naruto would take pride in dashing those thoughts.

"Are you just gonna' stand there all day?" asked Naruto casually, looking straight ahead to where he was sure the person was standing.

The surprise and shock from the Shinobi was almost palpable and they quickly jumped back about twenty feet without a sound to make distance from the man who'd managed to sense them. Naruto didn't blame them. There were few people in the world with the ability to sense this person and they unfortunately had the luck of meeting with one of those few.

"I'm impressed," said a calm, male voice.

The invisibility technique dissolved to reveal a man wrapped in bandages from head to toe with a flak vest similar to Naruto's. The man had two swords strapped to his back and an Iwagakure headband.

"You should be proud," continued the man, "to have somehow managed to sense Muu, the Nidaime Tsuchikage."

Naruto's eyes widened as the man revealed who he was. It was no wonder the man had managed to sense him. Naruto remembered leaning about how this specific individual had chakra sensing abilities that were second to none during his time. It was just his luck to end up in a situation like this. He instantly wondered though why a Kage would be on patrol. Wasn't that left to ANBU or Chunin or something? He really didn't need this.

"Why would the Tsuchikage himself be attending a patrol mission?" Naruto asked in response.

The Tsuchikage decided to answer the question. "Normally I wouldn't, but it just so happens that I am my village's best chakra sensor. I decided to make new secret patrol routes because of the coming war and just recently brought a team of chakra sensors out of the village with me to show them my secret routes personally and to demonstrate how to better utilize their abilities."

Naruto nodded in comprehension. It did make sense but they had decided to do this at a seriously bad time. He wasn't sure what to do now that this situation involved a Kage. He was confident that he could escape without dying but he didn't know what the consequences of that would be. He knew the Tsuchikage would want to take him in for questioning but Naruto couldn't allow to divulge his secrets.

The Nidaime Tsuchikage's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Imagine my surprise when, a few kilometers south, I sense a huge source of chakra traveling toward Taki no Kuni within my borders. So, from which village do you come?"

Naruto sighed and stood up slowly. The Tsuchikage tensed but Naruto held his hands up in a placating gesture. "I belong to no village. I am simply traveling through. I would appreciate it if I could just be on my way."

The Tsuchikage chuckled. "I know you are powerful because of your chakra capacity, and that you managed to sense me is amazing; your appearance also intrigues me. No, you won't be 'going on your way,' you are going to come with me for some questioning."

"I am afraid that isn't possible, Tsuchikage-san," replied Naruto as his eyes narrowed.

The Tsuchikage smirked under his wrappings and pulled one of the swords on his back out of its sheath. "I thought you'd say that."

* * *

-Contrary to what some of you may believe, this is not a cliffhanger; well maybe it is, but I simply don't know enough of how the Second or even the Third Tsuchikage fight to write further. I am waiting for the next chapter in the Manga to get some insight first before I write the second chapter.

-And that's a wrap. Feedback is welcome.


	2. Chapter 2: Nothing like a Kage Level

**A/N:** Hey guys, sorry for the late update. I was mostly just waiting for the fight between Onoki and the dead Second Tsuchikage so I could improve my impending fight scene. It seems though that Kishimoto is saving the best for last and so I just decided to improvise. I hope my story doesn't contradict the Second Tsuchikage's actual canon abilities but I guess it can't be helped…

Summary: Naruto gets sent to the past after a battle with Sasuke and ends up in a cave. He finds the legendary Sword of Totsuka in the cave and later learns that he is stranded in a time during the Second Great Shinobi War! Spoilers.

Generic-Ass Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

070

**Chapter 2: Nothing like a Kage Level Battle!**

Naruto sighed, pulled out a kunai and readied for battle. The Tsuchikage didn't charge in at him as he had thought he would but simply slashed his sword in his direction. Naruto's eyes widened when he realized the Tsuchikage was using a wind attack. He jumped abruptly out of the way and threw his kunai, which he'd pumped wind chakra through, at the older man.

The Tsuchikage looked at him appraisingly after he'd swatted his kunai away with the sword he was no doubt also pumping wind chakra through. "A Fuuton nature, eh? Interesting."

Naruto narrowed his slit eyes and made an all too familiar hand sign. _Kage Bunshin no jutsu_, he thought to himself.

Two clones appeared and ran at the Tsuchikage to assess the man's skill while the original stayed back and watched for an opening. The Tsuchikage pulled out his other sword and readied for the clones' assault. He was confident he could take on a couple of Shadow clones, even from this mysterious Shinobi.

As the clones reached him, he swiped his swords in their directions, sending out slashing and deadly winds at them simultaneously. As he'd expected, they dodged in opposite directions and came at him again. It was a flurry of quick close combat from there.

Despite the use of his swords, both of which were extended with deadly wind chakra, the clones managed to impress him with their evasive abilities. They were very good at avoiding blows it seemed and were also surprisingly strong for just being regular Shadow clones.

The Kage leapt back as they tried to overwhelm him again. His eyes widened when they each went through a series of hand signs with great speed. The Tsuchikage was taken off guard slightly by what he saw when they let off their attacks simultaneously.

070

The few Iwa ninja all jerked in surprise when a massive burst of flame, no doubt also enhanced with wind, burst from where they knew their leader had went to check on the unknown enemy that had trespassed on Earth Country territory.

"That wasn't any technique I've seen Tsuchikage-sama use before…" muttered one of the senior sensor-ninja to the rest of the group.

The others nodded seriously. "Do you think we should go to see if Muu-sama requires assistance?" asked one of the younger members of their group.

"No," answered another. "We were given specific orders to stay out of it if a fight should occur. Besides, you should have faith in the Tsuchikage. He isn't our leader for nothing."

The others nodded, their moral rising along with their pride. They would wait it out and have faith in their Kage's battle prowess.

070

Naruto could tell the Nidaime Tsuchikage wasn't hurt at all from his element combination attack. Using a strong wind jutsu and a simple Great Fireball, if combined correctly, always did a good deal of damage to opponents that weren't prepared for it. Naruto had learned to use attacks like it to take out large quantities of Zetsu clones quickly when they weren't ready for it. Though he wasn't proficient at fire jutsu at all, he did manage to learn the Great Fireball technique and had then learned through a good deal of training how to combine it with a few various wind techniques he had also learned.

The Nidaime Tsuchikage however was a battle-hardened and experienced ninja leader. Naruto hadn't expected for his attack to do any damage, just to buy some time. He quickly grabbed his large scroll and unrolled it. He made quick work of reverse summoning one of the three clones and hastily had it dispel. Immediately, he was filled fully with nature chakra. The little bit he had gathered before the Tsuchikage arrived probably wouldn't be enough to fight the man without taking too much damage. After that, he created another clone with a little extra chakra and had it run as fast as it could with the scroll toward Waterfall Country.

Just as he finished, the smoke cleared to reveal a severely burnt landscape and an unharmed Tsuchikage. "That is an impressive elemental combination attack. I even had to use my _**Hokori no Tate**_ to block it. There aren't many in these lands capable of such grand-scale attacks. How intriguing…" the Tsuchikage stated. "Who exactly are you?"

Naruto didn't know how to answer that. He hadn't exactly ever thought of a name to go with his new appearance yet after all. He mentally sighed as something fairly simple came to him. He supposed it was fitting to go with his new look, though he would need to think of a surname later on. For now, "White" would be everything.

"My name is…Shiro," he answered.

The Kage raised an eyebrow, almost as if in amusement. "Shiro, huh? How fitting. Well, Shiro-san, I think it's time to stop playing games…"

Naruto was immediately on edge and ready for anything. He knew of the Sandaime Tsuchikage's Dust techniques and how he had learned them from his sensei, the Nidaime. The battle between Gaara, Onoki and the other deceased Kages was pretty legendary and Naruto had heard much of what happened. He was sure to be prepared.

The Kage immediately jumped high into the air and stayed floating there, bringing his hands together to focus energy. Naruto was shocked that the Nidaime Tsuchikage would turn this serious so soon into the battle and bring out one of the Dust releases' most powerful abilities. It was probably because of his last attack. After all, from Naruto's timeline, that combination technique wasn't that big of a deal. In the past however, there were very few with the ability to throw around huge attacks like that.

Consequently, the Tsuchikage had probably upped his threat level and just decided to use a swift and powerful technique to kill him quickly. Naruto was prepared for the lethal abilities of the Dust release bloodline though. He quickly formed two Shadow clones and quickly formed the seals for a wind shield technique.

As a huge square block of what looked like stone but with a glowing spherical center descended on them, the clones rapidly worked together to form one of Naruto's favorite techniques. The Tsuchikage's attack only seemed to be getting bigger, but Naruto had faith in his technique and waited as a strong swirling wind engulfed his body.

As his clones finished and the Dust technique was almost upon them, one clone dispersed while the other stood up fully with a huge white sphere in its hand. It ran head on toward the attack and yelled out, "Fuuton: Oodama Rasengan!"

070

"Wait! It can't be…"stated one of the Iwa-nin that were stationed a distance behind their leader.

"Muu-sama is using his Jinton bloodline powers; there is no doubt about it," declared the youngest ninja of the group as he saw a figure ascend from the trees and create a large mass of energy in the shape of a three-dimensional square.

The others nodded with a bit of trepidation. "He must be getting really serious if he's using that so soon," said another grimly. "I wonder who he's fighting…"

070

As the Tsuchikage watched his Extended Atomic Dismantling technique strike the ground, he was startled and more shocked than he would have ever believed he could be when he heard a grinding noise and his technique stop in its tracks. He added more force to the technique through his connection to the jutsu but it seemed to have no affect besides pushing against some kind of force.

He'd never thought there would be anyone capable of blocking his techniques with techniques of their own. He supposed that was a weakness now that he thought about it, but he had just never believed it feasible to block or counter most of his devastating and powerful Dust release attacks, especially this one.

This person he was fighting had to be at the level of a Kage from everything he'd seen of him; easily S-class. He now knew it was a good choice to have his subordinates stay back. They would have only been a hindrance in the fight and would have likely been killed.

He was confused though as well. He had never heard of this 'Shiro' person before and yet he could have easily been an enemy village's leader. Perhaps he was and was simply using a disguise? No; that wouldn't explain some of the new abilities he'd encountered, especially not this new ability to somehow block one of his Dust release attacks. At this rate, he might even need to use his newly perfected Dust Cone technique. It would be devastating to the surrounding environment but he wouldn't hold back against a man as seemingly dangerous as this 'Shiro' person was turning out to be.

070

The large wind-powered Rasengan finally blasted the huge block of chakra stone after much effort from the clone. It resulted in a huge explosion that, luckily, the real Naruto had been prepared for. His Wind Shield managed to protect him from the blast's debris and his use of chakra to stick to the ground made sure he didn't get pushed away by the force of the Dust attack's discharge.

Naruto sighed in relief as he let go of his wind defense and looked on at the surrounding area. He was standing near a huge crater and he couldn't help but smile at his luck. He was well aware of the Sandaime Tsuchikage's destructive capabilities and it looked like the Nidaime shared those same traits. He truly wasn't sure if what he did would work but it seemed to, even with a clone, and for that he was relieved.

The great covering of dust dispersed with a strong wind and Naruto got ready once more. The Tsuchikage lowered to the ground on the other side of the crater, never taking his eyes off of Naruto. Naruto found those beady brown eyes a bit creepy but didn't show his discomfort.

"I wonder why I've never heard of you," started the Kage, "someone as strong as you shouldn't have been able to avoid my resources…"

Naruto gave the impression that he was smirking. "Let's just say that I've finally decided to come out of hiding, what with this war starting up and all."

The Tsuchikage narrowed his eyes. "Be that as it may, I cannot allow you to interfere with the war effort..." he declared ominously, "I will have to eliminate you here and now."

Naruto snorted and crossed his arms. "You know, I really respect the Kages; every single one of them. To get to where they are, they had to really endure; they had to be the strongest, the most dedicated, and have the best interests of their village in mind. Even you I respect. I really hoped to be on your good side and I suppose traveling through Earth Country illegally wasn't the smartest plan, but hey, not many can tell the future and I never expected to have to fight you."

He sighed and looked away from the man. "I always seem to get into situations like these…" he muttered to himself, though the Tsuchikage could hear him. "Anyway, I'm not going to continue fighting you. It would be dangerous to the both of us and I don't want to possibly go down in history as the man who killed the Nidaime Tsuchikage. I'll have to take my leave."

"What makes you think I'll let you leave here alive?" the Tsuchikage asked curiously.

Naruto smiled as he felt the tell-tale feeling of the beginnings of being reverse summoned. _Right on time_, he thought. "Oh believe me…" he started with a curving of his eyes to signify he was smiling, "I'll be long gone."

And with that, he was reverse summoned to over sixty kilometers toward the Land of Waterfalls, and thankfully away from the Tsuchikage, by his clone through the use of his scroll. Naruto smiled and continued on, running more quickly now to make it to Takigakure before the Tsuchikage or anyone else possibly managed to catch up with him.

070

The Tsuchikage internally cursed as he jumped back through the trees toward his ninja. He was contemplating the man he had just fought and how he had in some way escaped. He had instantly checked with his chakra sensing abilities to see if Shiro was anywhere within about ten kilometers after he'd disappeared and had found nothing. No one could Shunshin that much of a distance as far as he was aware; such a feat was physically impossible and he'd heard of no one with that ability.

Was it then a bloodline skill of some sort? He knew he would have sensed the residual chakra and the path if it was some kind of overpowered, unique Shunshin, but he hadn't been able to. The man just seemed to teleport away…

_That's one dangerous technique_, he thought with a mental grimace. If the man really had the ability to teleport farther than ten kilometers…well the possibilities were numerous. He would theoretically be able to escape any battle. _But he stayed for a long time during our fight_, he thought confusedly.

Perhaps then, Shiro needed some time before he could use it; a preparation period so to speak? It was still a valuable technique regardless and the Tsuchikage knew he would now have to watch out for this new and mysterious entity. Though Shiro said he respected all the Kages, that didn't mean he wouldn't fight against or ally with one of them.

As he reached his men, he saw them each stiffen and stand straighter to salute him. "As you all may or may not have assumed, the enemy has somehow escaped," he started calmly, ignoring their surprised looks, "I will need to prepare an elite tracking squad."

The ninja nodded seriously. "I will also need to update the bingo book," he continued, "this new name will go under Section '_S_'."

The others again looked startled. Sure, they had thought of the possibility that the person fighting their leader was at the level of a Kage, but it seemed it was someone new the Tsuchikage was talking about. A new and unknown addition—it was pretty much unheard of.

Their thoughts were broken as Muu addressed the youngest member of their group. "Onoki, you are going to come with me while the others go back and alert Dekoboko-sama and Jari-sama to send out Team Suru and to alert them that I will be helping personally to search for a threat to the village."

Onoki and the others nodded in acceptance of the orders. Things were about to get going…

070

As Naruto finally made it past the boarder, he couldn't help but feel that his name would now soon be known by many. Fighting the Tsuchikage and surviving would gain anybody a quick reputation, but he knew that was the wrong way to go about things. Now he would probably have a kill-on-sight notice on him or something by Iwa-nin.

He was fortunate the battle hadn't escalated further. His quick and clever use of reverse summoning himself with a clone out of harms way definitely had its uses. He might have to look into that further. Jiraiya had done something similar with the help of the toads and Naruto knew there would be a time when he'd need to leave a fight quickly.

For now though, he would be focusing on getting into Takigakure. Actually he wasn't so sure about that now. The ninja of this timeline all seemed a bit overly hostile, most likely due to the beginnings of war. He sighed. Infiltrating Takigakure probably wouldn't be too difficult. Naruto knew of the clever hidden entrance and most of its safeguards and the village itself wasn't that strong.

He felt bad about it, but he really wanted more chakra and his spur of the moment idea to use that 'Hero Water' stuff had come to him rather quickly. He didn't know why he'd thought of that so fast or the unique way to utilize the odd substance, but he'd contemplated it and it seemed pretty reasonable and safe.

070

Getting into the village wasn't hard at all. They had a fairly small population to begin with and an even smaller amount of ninja. So far, making it to the hidden entrance behind the waterfall, he'd only encountered two ninja. They both seemed to only be Genin, so sneaking past them was child's play. He'd managed to jump into the waterhole where he could swim through into the village, but that wasn't his purpose.

He had to swim to the roots beneath the huge tree of Takigakure where he remembered Shibuki had gotten the Hero's Water. Surprisingly, their hadn't been anybody guarding the sacred water. After stealing around six ounces and placing it in a vial, he had left just as easily.

All in all, it was a complete success. He really wondered though how Takigakure survived so long. Through all these wars, they didn't seem like a village that could keep up, but he supposed their strategic hidden location and their Hero's Water really gave them that needed advantage. He was glad of that at least. His mission to Takigakure as a Genin with his team had been a fond memory and he hoped to keep it that way.

070

Naruto's days were a bit busier now. He was now training himself up so he could get stronger, drinking only a drop of Hero's Water mixed in with regular water every couple of weeks after a training session. He didn't notice any difference in his chakra capacity in the first month, but he kept at it nonetheless.

He was also slowly making his way toward Iron Country for some training in the use of the sword, gathering as much money as possible through any low key mercenary jobs he could find. In this time, his name was slowly becoming known, though he wasn't fully aware of that.

He truly hoped he would get the chance to be trained by someone of great skill. Someone like the old samurai leader from the Shinobi Alliance he was only slightly acquainted with; Mifune, if he remembered his name correctly. It was said that the man was an extremely powerful swordsman on a level of his own. He did things with the sword many would have thought impossible.

It didn't really matter though. He had many ideas on how to get stronger and being trained a bit in the art of the sword wasn't the most important matter. He also wanted to get more training in fuuinjutsu as well for various reasons. For one, he wanted to create a time/space ninjutsu of his own; something that would prove extremely useful. He didn't know exactly what kind of time/space ninjutsu he wanted to create, but he would come to that obstacle eventually.

He wanted to comprehend the fuuinjutsu on the Totsuka as well. He felt it was necessary to understand and know as much about his new sword as possible actually. In addition, Naruto knew of the prospect of recreating the Totsuka and adding more to it. It was all just theory and ideas now, but if he could bring it all to reality, the possibilities were numerous.

070

Naruto scowled as he dispatched yet another samurai. Things weren't going as he'd planned. It seemed the Land of Iron was in some kind of civil war and samurai that were loyal to the lord of the land were attacking him everywhere he went. He supposed he should have expected something like this to happen with his luck.

Apparently the leader of the country was corrupt in his dealings and had been imposing his power upon the people a little too much. Naruto had heard that the man's long-time political enemy had now formed an opposing group to challenge the leader's power. Unfortunately, the opposing group seemed to wear the color white.

Naruto decided he would leave here and travel to the east, towards the mountains. It was a rumor that many rouge samurai had traveled through that way to escape hostility or offers to join either side. He knew it was unlikely that he would find himself a skilled samurai willing to guide him in the way of the sword, but he had a reputation to be stubborn and he never gave up.

070

_What the hell?_ Naruto blinked as he stumbled upon what looked like a fierce battle between two samurai. One seemed to be murderous while the other was defiant. Naruto could instantly tell which of the two was the bad guy. One was dressed in black and red samurai armor—the bad guy. The other one was dressed in simple blue and white armor.

They both had impressive looking blades and both seemed to be channeling chakra through them without much thought. Naruto managed to hear some of their conversation.

"You were a fool to refuse Yasasugata-sama's offer! You could have been a General with that worthless traitor Teiyoku gone!" shouted the red and black samurai resentfully.

The other man parried a strike skillfully and replied, "I have a son now. He will not grow up under Yasasugata's tyrannical regime, nor will I leave him to join Teiyoku's group! He will grow up in these now dangerous lands no longer!"

His opponent sneered in response and attacked with more vigor. "It matters not! By the order of Yasasugata-sama, I shall kill you, Keikan Heikou, for betraying the country!"

"I would rather die than betray my country!" the man yelled back strongly, "but you see, Moushin, it is not _my_ country anymore!"

They ceased all talk and simply battled it out from there. Naruto couldn't deny that he was impressed. They fought with everything they had and were also extremely skilled. They both seemed almost evenly skilled until what seemed like the end of their battle. Naruto guessed the guy named Heikou was winning now because he had something to protect and love; his son.

Just as Heikou dealt what looked like a lethal blow, his opponent fell forward at his feet. He was clutching his stomach, a pained grimace showing clearly on his face. Heikou put his head down in a respectful gesture and slowly turned around to walk away.

Naruto watched as the man that was supposed to be dead got up silently, grabbed his sword and dashed forward at the turned back of his opponent. Heikou turned around in surprise at hearing a sound behind him, but by then, his enemy was already upon him, ready to stab his blade through his heart.

He never got the chance.

As soon as the man got within striking distance, Naruto appeared right in front of him. His kunai managed to stop the man's sword and he was thankful for his quality equipment. Just as the bad samurai registered the new threat in front of him, a Rasengan was plunged into his already wounded stomach. He was blasted over forty feet away, dead.

"And here I thought samurai were all about honor," Naruto muttered until he felt the samurai behind him put his sword to his neck.

"Who are you?" Heikou asked coldly.

Naruto chuckled a bit nervously, still conscious of the blade touching his jugular. "Whoa, whoa guy. Is this the way you treat all the people that save you?"

The man grudgingly removed his sword from Naruto's neck and backed away. He never put his sword away though, just in case his mysterious savior decided to attack him for whatever reason. "Why did you save me form Moushin's attack?" he asked cautiously.

Naruto took a moment to respond. "Well…I heard what you said about your son."

The man tensed and narrowed his eyes. "Why would that matter?" he questioned.

Naruto looked away, a reminiscent smile growing under his white mask. "When I was young, I learned from a former enemy that one can only be truly strong when they have something to protect. Whether it be a person, a home, or anything really, to gain true strength, one must wish to protect something precious to them. When I heard what you said about how you left to protect your son, I understood that. I couldn't allow for you to die when you stood for something right, especially not when your back was turned."

Heikou looked a bit startled but soon a small smile graced his lips. He slowly sheathed his katana and turned around. "Your former enemy was a wise man," he replied quietly.

Naruto watched him walk away until an idea formed in his head. "Wait!"

The man stopped and looked back with a raised eyebrow. "What is it?" he asked.

"The reason I came down here, to Tetsu no Kuni, was because I needed to learn Kenjutsu," he answered. "I have with me a very special katana and yet I only know the basics in how to use it properly. I have no set style of my own and so…I need someone to guide me; to train me in the art of the sword; someone like you."

The other man turned around to look at him fully. Heikou's face was expressionless as he looked into Naruto's determined eyes. He didn't want to train anybody but the man before him had just saved his life and had also unknowingly taught him a valuable lesson. He looked again into those strong blue eyes and finally decided on his answer.

He turned around and started walking once more. "Follow me."

Naruto grinned triumphantly and ran up to Heikou's side to walk with him. "Oh, by the way, my name is Shiro," he informed.

Heikou smiled and nodded. "I am Heikou."

070

-Well, there's the Second chapter. Hope you guys liked it.

-Oh yah, most of the stuff in the later parts of the chapter and even Naruto's fight with the Tsuchikage is all stuff I guessed up. I'm mostly going off of what I think would work best with Naruto. Sorry if you don't like that but I don't have much background info this far back anyway.

-_** Hokori no Tate**_ translates to Dust Shield or Shield of Dust. I made it up.

- And that's a wrap. Feedback is welcome.


	3. Chapter 3: Further Assimilation

**A/N:** The whole situation in Japan has just turned into one big disaster. I hope they can pull out of this one without any further losses but I doubt that will be the case. It isn't much, but I'll pray for them and try to donate some money as well. I urge those that are able to do the same.

Summary: Naruto gets sent to the past after a battle with Sasuke and ends up in a cave. He finds the legendary Sword of Totsuka in the cave and later learns that he is stranded in a time during the Second Great Shinobi War! Spoilers.

Generic-Ass Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

070

**Chapter 3: Further Assimilation **

Naruto's training with Heikou took a surprisingly long time. His teacher hadn't allowed Naruto to learn his family style since it was only passed down through family, but he did teach Naruto how to create his own. In fact, they worked together to utilize his wind chakra and his agile nature to form a unique and precise sword style.

Normally that wouldn't have taken three and a half years, but Heikou insisted on teaching not only the way of the sword but also the way of the samurai. He taught him much about an honorable samurai's philosophy and nature. Truly, Naruto had a deeper respect for both Heikou and his profound beliefs.

They became good friends along the way and Naruto was a sort of older brother/uncle figure to Heikou's son, Mifune. He didn't think it was a coincidence that the boy's name was Mifune, but he didn't really like to think about the consequences of that. He was already nervous of changing the future too drastically and he didn't need more stuff to worry about.

They had to constantly travel around, avoiding both samurai and the occasional ninja but it still felt like some kind of long vacation. Naruto didn't mind the rigorous and somewhat odd training he was put through; it was all for a purpose after all. In the end, his style was to strike swiftly with quick and precise movements, all the while his blade was to be extended and sharpened to great proportions with wind chakra. Heikou had once remarked that it was similar to his own family style.

He was now much more adept at predicting an opponent's movements and at dodging as well because of his new training. His already honed reflexes were heightened further and he even had a stronger and more reliable connection to nature. It was an odd addition to his slowly expanding repertoire of abilities, but a welcomed one. Naruto suspected it had to do with all of the meditation he had done during bad weather or under intense waterfalls.

All in all, his training was a great success and he now no longer desired to remain in the shadows like he had so far during the now raging war going on in the Elemental Nations. He had of course been training to further prepare himself so he had an excuse but not anymore. His mind made up, he readied his equipment and the katana he usually used and prepared to say his goodbyes.

070

"So you are leaving," Heikou stated more than asked as he saw Naruto with all of his things packed.

Naruto nodded solemnly. "Yes. My training is about complete. All I really need now is experience with some skilled swordsmen other than you. But before I go, I wanted to show you something…"

Naruto took out a scroll and unsealed what he knew Heikou suspected was a katana wrapped in white cloth. Naruto glanced at the man before he slowly started unraveling the cloth. "I know you've wanted to know what I meant about me having a special sword all this time."

That was definitely true. Heikou had been quite curious and a bit confused when Naruto had told him about a special sword. Naruto never showed him the sword though and so with time he had gotten over his curiosity and forgot about it. Now though, his curiosity was back two-fold.

Naruto continued speaking as he was almost finished removing the cloth. "I never showed this to you because I wanted to keep it a secret, but I believe you deserve to see it. It's the least I can do in exchange for all that you've done for me."

Heikou seemed even more curious and watched on with interest as Naruto finished with the cloth to reveal a sheathed white katana with an odd spherical object attached to the very bottom of the hilt. Heikou definitely liked the design and the white sash holder but he didn't know what was so special about it.

"This sword is possibly the most famous katana in history. It is one of the three legendary spiritual items; the Totsuka no Tsurugi," Naruto stated seriously.

Heikou's eyes widened and he gasped in astonishment. He looked visibly taken aback. "H-how…?" he muttered in shock.

Naruto couldn't blame the man for being so stunned. This particular spiritual item was probably more famous and renowned in Iron Country than in the other nations. "I found it in a cave," Naruto stated while pulling the blade from its sheath slightly. "There were many protections and it was difficult to find. I wasn't really even looking for it actually; it was through luck that I found it at all."

Heikou wished desperately to touch it and examine it, Naruto could tell, but he was too respectful to do such a thing. He had a certain philosophy not to touch another man's swords unless necessary. It was one of Heikou's foremost beliefs in his way of the samurai. Naruto thought it odd, but he wouldn't contradict the man.

"I-I see..." Heikou responded after he composed himself. "Thank you for allowing me the honor of seeing it. I now know it is not merely a myth anymore."

Naruto nodded with a smile and placed it on his back instead of wrapping it back up; he now knew how to use it after all. He turned around and started walking away slowly. "I will visit you soon if I can, Heikou."

070

As Naruto walked through the outskirts of Fire Country, he could tell something was happening. He could just barely feel chakra being used in a large mass. It was most likely a battle between two armies of ninja or between two powerful enemies. Either way, he felt the need to check it out.

He travelled with top speed to an area about an hour south. With his speed he made it in less than half the time and came upon a shocking and grim sight. Around a gruesome battlefield laid many corpses of both Konoha and Iwa Shinobi. The remaining forces of both sides were stationed behind their respective leaders, who happened to be battling it out intensely.

Naruto quickly jumped out to an area in between the two forces. Instantly he heard a couple of gasps from both sides, no doubt probably from the sensor-nin. He wouldn't blame them. Before he had finished up all of the Hero's Water, his chakra was huge, but after he'd used it up, his reserves had at least doubled; easily Bijuu-level, though he'd had to increase his chakra control training greatly.

Immediately he heard yelling from both sides, each of the sensor-nin trying to gain the attention of their leader. Naruto was stunned when he realized just who they were both trying to alert. It seemed both the Sandaime Hokage and the Sandaime Tsuchikage were the two that had been fighting. Though they were both much younger than he remembered them and looked a bit different, their resemblance was unmistakable.

He was broken from his thoughts when both the Tsuchikage and the Hokage jumped back to their respective sides and focused their attention on him. He could hear both sides' sensor-nin tell their leaders of his high level of chakra. Onoki's eyes widened when he took in his appearance, but the young Hiruzen just eyed him warily.

The battlefield turned quiet as both sides regarded him when suddenly the silence was broken by Onoki. "You! It couldn't be…"

The Sandaime looked a bit surprised and turned to the Tsuchikage. "You know this man, Tsuchikage?"

Naruto was surprised when he heard the Hokage refer to Onoki as the Tsuchikage. It meant that the Nidaime had been succeeded. Naruto wondered what could have happened. No village would instate a new leader in wartime unless their previous leader had fallen in battle.

"Could you be 'Shiro?'" asked the Tsuchikage, ignoring the Hokage's question.

Naruto chuckled a bit but nodded. He would need to plan his next words well. "I am. Who might you be?" he asked casually.

Onoki narrowed his eyes and scowled as he replied. "I am Onoki, Sandaime Tsuchikage of Iwagakure."

Naruto made sure to look surprised. "Oh? What happened to Muu, the Nidaime? He seemed really strong."

Onoki grit his teeth but answered. "About two years after you and Muu-sama fought, he and the Nidaime Mizukage killed each other in combat."

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise as he heard that. He hadn't actually ever learned the history behind the Nidaime Tsuchikage's death, nor the Nidaime Mizukage's. Well, he had probably heard it at some point, but he had never been a big history lover so he'd probably just forgotten. He was really regretting that now though.

"He fought the Nidaime Tsuchikage?" he heard a Konoha ninja say in shock while the remaining Iwa-nin behind Onoki all seemed to look at him with a bit more recognition and surprise, no doubt from Muu giving his ninja a description of him after their battle.

"I see," Naruto stated after a tense silence. "I'm sorry for your loss. He was a great Shinobi."

Onoki looked a bit startled but his scowl returned quickly. "Whatever. With both you and the Hokage here now, my chances of winning this battle have lessened. I'll be taking my leave. Men, Retreat!"

Quickly, many of the Iwa ninja threw down smoke bombs that cloaked their part of the battlefield. The Konoha ninja were tense and prepared, but the smoke soon cleared to reveal an empty landscape, with most of the dead bodies of Iwa-nin gone as well.

They stayed still and silent for awhile, many of them looking at Naruto and assessing him. Naruto blinked and shrugged. He was a bit surprised that the Tsuchikage had just left like that. Though it was a good thing, he supposed; he just hoped Iwa didn't think of him as some kind of great enemy allied with Konoha now.

"Shiro, was it?" a voice suddenly asked, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Hmm?" he answered looking back at the Sandaime Hokage who looked like he was waiting for a response. "Ah, yes, I am Shiro. You must be the Hokage. It's nice to meet you," he said pleasantly as he bowed in greeting.

The Hokage seemed a bit puzzled at his casualness but bowed back nonetheless. "Yes. Is it true that you fought the Nidaime Tsuchikage?"

Naruto chuckled and rubbed his white hair a bit sheepishly. "Heh, yeah, I guess I did."

There were a few raised eyebrows at his response. "I see…" the Hokage replied, looking at him carefully. "Does that mean you are against Iwagakure in this war?"

Naruto could see where the young Sarutobi was going and he sighed. "Well, technically, I'm not against anyone. I am a wandering ninja and I happened to unfortunately come upon the Nidaime Tsuchikage while walking through Tsuchi no Kuni."

The Hokage nodded before replying. "Would you perhaps then be willing to ally yourself with Konohagakure? There would be many benefits and I could offer you protection as well."

Naruto frowned and shook his head. "Sorry, but I don't want to have allegiance to anyone during a war."

The young Hokage seemed a bit put out. "Very well…"

Naruto nodded and smiled under his mask. "Well, I've got to go," he stated before turning around and glancing at the group over his shoulder. "Good luck, Hokage."

Naruto opted for a dramatic farewell. He activated his Jinchuuriki cloak and it enveloped his body. To the others, he looked like some kind of spirit, his silhouette barely visible in the middle of the powerful chakra covering his form. He left with the extremely powerful version of the Body Flicker technique that was accessible to him in this state, though to those watching, it seemed like he phased out of existence in a flash of white.

"W-What the hell was that?" the man to the right of the Hokage asked in shock.

Hiruzen narrowed his eyes in thought and suspicion. "I don't know, but we must stay wary of that ninja. He is strong."

His subordinates nodded. They would definitely think carefully before getting on 'Shiro's' bad side.

070

Naruto chewed on the grilled pork in his mouth with relish. It had been awhile since he'd eaten and this seemed to be a delicacy in the Land of Rain. It was a surprisingly cheerful barbecue stand he'd conveniently stumbled upon. He supposed it was understandable though; it was located in the very northwestern parts of Rain Country after all. Shinobi from enemy villages rarely ever travelled through the town he had come upon and so the people were oblivious to the war for the most part.

Naruto had come out here for a bit of vacation. He had been slightly successful in stopping battles between opposing armies from escalating, but he only seemed to be delaying the inevitable. In fact, he felt he was even prolonging the war. His presence and show of power on the battlefield usually always worked to cause both sides to retreat, but then they would be at it again at some other location.

He was really starting to get annoyed too. His name had become renowned and famous after a few years of him trying to stop battles and succeeding most of the time. He had managed to gain his own moniker as the 'White Spirit' and everyone was now realizing his true intentions. They now knew it was his goal to stop opposing villages from killing each others' ninja.

Most had scoffed at the idea while a surprisingly large amount of people respected him and his stance. Well, they respected his ideas and goals but they just couldn't fathom them coming to fruition and so they discarded the thought of siding with him at all.

Naruto was growing more frustrated as each day passed. He couldn't stop all fights and the ones he did stop seemed to never show any significance to the war save for him becoming more renowned. He could care less about fame though.

He was at a loss now. He didn't know what to do anymore and so he decided with a bit of selfishness to go on a vacation. Naruto knew now that he would have to think of a different way to stop the war and he supposed a vacation would help him do that.

So far, he could only see joining a village would help stop it sooner. With his allegiance, a village would gain a significant bit of power and sway and would most likely prevail on the front lines. He didn't want to do that though. He could only think of joining Konoha and that would be too dangerous. In the end, he was again at a loss.

070

After about another two years of trying different strategies to stop battles and the war altogether and failing, he had sighed to himself and stopped. He was definitely doing things the wrong way and he could easily see that. Naruto now knew that interfering in the war was a waste of time, no matter how much it pained him to admit it.

If he never allied himself with Konoha, there wasn't much he would ever be able to do. Naruto had then decided it would be in his best interests to simply be patient and wait things out while getting stronger and establishing a network of information.

With that thought finalized, he had set out to find a teacher of sealing and a few willing informants. He'd already had a few people giving him inside information from both Earth Country and Water Country so he had only needed to expand his resources.

Finding someone to teach him more advanced sealing was the most difficult thing though. He'd managed it though and had been lucky enough to find an old man with no current ties to any village willing to teach him. The man was harsh and demanded perfection, so, naturally, he was quite annoyed with Naruto most of the time. He also demanded pay and thus Naruto was equally annoyed.

Still, he enjoyed their conversations on fuinjutsu theory and he had been steadily gaining more experience and knowledge in the complex art. With Shadow clones, he even managed to memorize patterns and formulas faster than normal. It was a work in progress though and he could only hope the war didn't become too brutal in his temporary absence.

070

"So he has finally given up," Koharu stated more than asked.

Hiruzen sighed and leaned back in his chair with a bit of weariness. "It would seem so. I truly admired his goals though, as unattainable as they seemed."

Danzo scoffed. "I cannot understand how someone can have so much power and yet still be so naïve."

Homura nodded a bit in agreement. "At least he's realized trying to stop villages from fighting isn't the way to go about things. It has served to put a slight strain on our budget for the war. Anymore and the Daimyo would have likely become angered with the village."

Hiruzen frowned at his teammates/advisors. "I don't believe he is naïve; he merely wishes for less death and bloodshed. He is a great man with great ideals but his methods to stop this war will not work with the current system. Perhaps he simply doesn't understand that system fully. He did say he was a wandering ninja with no allegiance to any village, after all."

Koharu nodded. "That seems more likely. I wonder, however, what he is doing now that he has stopped interfering with the war."

"My sources say the Sandaime Raikage wants him dead," Danzo offered. "He will likely try to stay out of sight to avoid further problems with Kumo."

Hiruzen nodded. "I believe it was rumored he has been last seen in Mizu no Kuni, though it is unlikely. Wherever he goes, he would no doubt be wearing a disguise."

"Why would he be in Mizu?" Homura asked with a bit of confusion.

"He's obviously planning something," Danzo answered. "Perhaps he is gathering allies to build up a stronger and more influential force to affect the war; we can only guess."

The four sat in silence for awhile until the only female of their group spoke. "Onto better news," she started, changing the previous subject, "how have your students been doing, Hiruzen?"

The Hokage smiled as he thought of them. "They are all progressing well. While Orochimaru is a Jonin already, Tsunade and Jiraiya are close behind. They will do great things together one day, I know it."

070

"Ugh!" Kashin grunted in annoyance as he looked over his students work once again. "At this rate, you will master fuinjutsu in another seventy years!"

A tick mark appeared on Naruto's forehead as he tried to ignore his sealing teacher and continue his work. He knew for a fact that his skill wasn't that far off from a master's level, but his teacher seemed to think motivation was needed to help him along, and that motivation came in the form of dry sarcasm and insults.

He could scarcely believe four years had passed already while he trained to gain mastery over sealing. It was reality though and he could only go with it and hope for the best. So far, he'd managed to improve by leaps and bounds and was now much more knowledgeable in many things not just pertaining to fuinjutsu.

His studies had ranged from calligraphy to biology and much more. Kashin had made him learn such things to insure he was well-rounded and understanding of every aspect of fuinjutsu and its possible correlating subjects. Naruto had quickly gotten used to the headaches that came with using Shadow clones too frequently. He'd needed to keep up with the fast pace and difficult work his teacher had pushed on him and clones seemed the only way to manage.

After awhile, Kashin had stopped requiring money to teach and instead took great joy in Naruto's company and his creative ideas, though he never admitted that. They had been working on trying to create seals that could help Naruto in battle while Naruto also continued to try to master the complex art.

It had been going well so far, but Naruto didn't know how much longer he could sit idle while the war seemed to get worse and worse. He was close to his goal of mastering sealing, but at the same time, he was ignoring the responsibility he felt he had in the war. He needed to finish up his few projects and ideas and apply them so he had a better chance of making a change.

070

"Finally, it's finished," Kashin remarked in relief as he and Naruto gazed upon their combined creation.

Naruto nodded with a triumphant smile. "I'm glad. This one and the others will definitely help me in a fight."

"I suppose we only need to graft this and that other one on you now, eh?" Kashin asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Yeah," Naruto answered. "You'll have to use my blood and some natural black ink. I'll get everything ready."

070

Naruto smiled as he walked through the dangerous lands of Rain Country. Despite his current location, he was content with finally making it to his destination. It had taken over a week of travel just to make it here from Water Country after he'd finished getting a couple select seals tattooed to certain areas of his body.

Over the approximate five years he had spent with Kashin learning and practicing fuinjutsu, he'd thought long and hard about where he would go after he had finished. He hadn't thought it would take so long for him to complete his training, but he supposed it worked into his plans. It also helped him to understand and explain certain things as well.

The reason for him still having the ability to use his Jinchuuriki cloak was a prime example. He now knew it was because the area that had been originally sectioned off to house the Kyuubi's chakra had conveniently stayed while the Kyuubi's chakra left. The difference now was that it was filled with a significant portion of his own chakra and it seemed to somehow siphon a bit of it every day to add to the stored amount, much like he remembered Tsunade's seal on her forehead had. He didn't know how this was possible, seeing as the Four Elements Seal was gone, but he didn't really care as long as it didn't hinder his abilities.

Suddenly, Naruto's head shot up in surprise. Not a second later, a relatively large explosion rocked an area roughly one hundred meters in front of him. He couldn't see what had happened because of a few hills blocking his view, but now that he had been brought from his musings, he could feel the chakra of a few people coming from the area up ahead, and from what he could tell, something big was going on. Quickly, he grabbed his scroll and unrolled it. He swiftly reverse summoned a clone that had been gathering natural energy and dispelled it just as fast.

After the nature chakra had completely flowed into him, he gasped and realized what was happening up ahead and just who were fighting.

070

Naruto arrived just in time to witness Hanzo of the Salamander jump onto a salamander's head and speak to who he knew were very young versions of the three Sannin. "—only you have survived. I, Hanzo, hereby dub you the 'Sannin of the Leaf.' Refer to yourselves as such in return for having your lives spared."

Naruto's jaw almost dropped in surprise as he saw the three panting and weary ninja standing against Hanzo's imposing figure. He was literally witnessing history in the making. He jumped out from where he was hiding and landed only a few meters behind Jiraiya, Tsunade and Orochimaru. In their tired state and partly because of the slightly load pattering of the rain, they didn't notice him.

Hanzo, though, noticed him instantly. The legendary leader of Amegakure took in his appearance and his eyes widened in surprise. "The White Spirit! What brings you to my lands?" he asked with a scowl.

Naruto looked at the man with wary eyes. Hanzo didn't look in bad condition at all even after his fierce battle with three of Konoha's strongest ninja. He then looked at the young Sannin who all seemed to now be staring at him in shock. He wasn't sure if they knew of his reputation but he had to assume they did.

"Nothing, actually," Naruto finally replied. "Just passing by and all…I was surprised when I came upon you all though."

Hanzo's eyes narrowed. "I had thought you stopped your meddling with the war after you disappeared. I suppose you are going to try again now?"

Naruto glared back at Hanzo. "What I do does not concern you."

"Oh?" Hanzo exclaimed with a bit of sarcasm. "And walking through my country without my approval doesn't concern me either?"

Naruto scoffed. "I could care less about your approval. Anyway, I have places to be, so I'll be taking my leave."

"Fool!" Hanzo yelled as he saw Naruto turn his back and start to walk away. "I will not let you leave! This is the perfect opportunity to test my strength!"

Naruto looked over his shoulder. "Screw your strength; I'm going."

"Well," Hanzo started as Naruto began to walk away again, "I guess you wouldn't really care if I killed these three little Konoha-nin, now would you?"

That effectively stopped Naruto in his tracks. He wouldn't think twice if it was just Orochimaru, but both Tsunade and Jiraiya were there as well. He clenched his fists tightly and grit his teeth in frustration. He couldn't let Jiraiya and Tsunade die. It would change the future drastically and he was pretty sure Hanzo would do it, despite him telling them earlier that they would be known as the Three Legendary Sannin from now on.

He sighed and turned around. "Well, if you're that eager to die, who am I to deny you? Get out of the way, Konoha Shinobi."

Hanzo scoffed and readied himself as Jiraiya, Orochimaru and Tsunade quickly jumped out of the fight to a nearby hill.

070

"Who the hell was that guy?" Jiraiya exclaimed after they had made it a safe distance away from Naruto and Hanzo.

Orochimaru scoffed at his teammate. "You don't know? You're even more of a fool than I thought."

"Shut up bastard!" Jiraiya replied with a scowl.

Tsunade rolled her eyes and decided to share what little information she knew about him. "Sensei told us about him, Jiraiya. He said that his name was Shiro and that everyone calls him the 'White Spirit' for some reason. He supposedly fought the Nidaime Tsuchikage at some point."

Jiraiya looked surprised. "The Tsuchikage? Is this guy as strong as Hanzo?"

"He is potentially stronger than Hanzo," Orochimaru answered first. "He was said to have stopped and delayed many battles between large groups of ninja by simply overpowering or incapacitating them with powerful jutsu."

"Why did he stop battles between other ninja?" Jiraiya asked with a bit of confusion.

"Damnit Jiraiya, were you even there when Sarutobi-sensei explained this to us?" Tsunade snapped exasperatedly. "He said that this guy's goal was to stop the war, but about five years ago, he quit trying because his methods never worked. I guess he's back."

"Stop talking and pay attention to the fight now. We must observe their abilities," Orochimaru said quickly and the others nodded and watched on as Hanzo and Naruto engaged each other in a fierce battle of taijutsu.

It was clear who was winning in hand to hand and the three of them could easily see that early on. Naruto seemed to somehow have the same strength as Tsunade when she used her chakra to enhance her physical attacks. They watched on as Hanzo staggered and barely managed to block Naruto's precise and unpredictable kicks and punches.

"His taijutsu is incredible…" Tsunade muttered and the others could only agree.

And it was. It didn't seem graceful at all, but it was still somehow extremely effective. His monstrous strength and surprising speed definitely combined to create a dangerous style.

Hanzo quickly jumped back and out of Naruto's range as he seemed to realize this as well. They watched as Naruto jumped in the air for seemingly no reason until not a second later, the large salamander that Hanzo had been previously standing on before the fight burst from the ground and clamped its jaws at where Naruto had escaped from.

His safety was short-lived as Hanzo threw a multitude of kunai with explosive tags attached while he was still in the air. The three Sannin were fairly surprised when the man formed the seal to create a Shadow clone and cleverly used it to push him out of the way and toward the ground.

They could practically hear Hanzo's annoyed grunt as the man pulled his Kusarigama from his hip and expertly swung it around before he used it to strike out at Naruto as fast as a rattlesnake's lunge. The former blonde was fast enough for it though and managed to duck under the strike, only for more to come his way. He dodged continuously, back flipping away from the numerous strikes and occasionally using a kunai to deflect the blade of the kusarigama, causing flashes of sparks and large panging sounds to fill the clearing.

"Why is that Shiro guy only defending?" Jiraiya suddenly asked after he stopped himself from becoming too captivated with the fight.

Orochimaru narrowed his serpentine eyes in thought and intrigue before absently replying. "I cannot be sure, but I suspect he is trying to determine Hanzo's skills and abilities for now."

"Seems like it," Tsunade said in agreement. "But he's taking a risk. Hanzo's weapons are coated in poison. As soon as he makes the smallest mistake, it'll be all over."

They stayed silent after that and put their full attention back on the fight. It seemed like it was only just beginning, and they were eager to see a fight that would surely go down in history. The two battling it out seemed like titans among men and they could now clearly see the gap in ability and experience between these two renowned warriors and them. An exciting show awaited them, and each of the three newly dubbed Sannin knew it.

070

-Well, there's the third chapter. Hope you guys liked it.

-Before anyone mentions it, I know I rushed Naruto's training and I kind of regret that now but I don't want to rewrite anything. I'm just lazy like that…

-I've found out it is fairly difficult to write about the past since there isn't much information on certain peoples' abilities and a lot of stuff is skimmed over in the Manga. That's sort of' why I rushed things actually…

-For that reason, don't expect the battle with Hanzo to be too grand. I'll have to be original while also being careful to not over/under exaggerate certain things.

-Anyway, I'm done here. Feedback is welcome.


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