PLEASE! Do NOT read this if you haven't finished the manga.

I don't own Naruto, or the front image.

Thank you for reading.

She felt herself falling. She didn't know how she was a she when mere moments before she had been a he. He had been content, finding inner peace with his brother after bringing peace to the lands, and settling their lingering differences on the battle field one last time. They had both lost a lot of blood, and were both ready to enter the pure lands together, to reunite with their families on the other side.

But it would seem, some force had other plans for her.

Sakumo Hatake faced a choice.

A horrible unavoidable choice.

He could either kill Chiyo, the Sand puppet master, with the result of her still wiping out his entire team, or he could sacrifice the rest of his chakra and shunshin them all out of the area, and Chiyo's reach, resulting in the failure of the mission.

He hesitated, his white chakra blade faltering its descent into the back of the old woman's throat.

He made a choice in a split second.

Ignoring the consequences, Sakumo threw himself between her army of puppets, and his incapacitated team, gathering chakra for a massive shunshin.

But it would seem, fate had other plans for Sakumo.

There was a loud crash, signifying the birth of angry thunder, and a tear, as if the universe itself was giving way to some egregious burden.

The blue sky disappeared, exploding with a swirling vortex of gold, red, yellow, and orange that spat out a heavy orb of flames. It was so fast as it fell, that it distorted the air around it, leaving a trail of gold.

Both Chiyo and Sakumo paused in their actions. Though, they probably shouldn't have, because the flaming orb slammed into the old puppeteer with a heinous force from above, instantly knocking her into unconsciousness.

Sakumo gawked as a mass of golden chakra arms sprouted up around Chiyo, two of them snapping her broken neck back around from its twisted position, healing the bruises that had immediately erupted across the woman's face upon impact. Chiyo's neck had been set right so soon after it had snapped, that the split second that injury took to kill someone hadn't even been able to take effect.

Sakumo was astounded by the sheer speed. It had been so fast, he hadn't even glimpsed it. But he heard it.

There was another flare of chakra, and the burning gold disappeared, sucked away by an unknown force. The silver haired Hatake blinked, not knowing what to do as his eyes found the young child sprawled face down across Chiyo's middle.

It was a girl, who couldn't be older than his little boy back home, only five, with blonde hair almost as bright as the gold chakra she had given off. It spilled around her in loose ringlets and lazy waves, probably long enough to reach past the back of her thighs. Her skin held a light tan, and she was so small. But what finally jolted the living legend into action, was the bloodied stump that should have been the child's right arm. The stump appeared to still be fresh, singed edges oozing globs of coppery crimson.

Horrified, and just a smidge sceptical, Sakumo bit his thumb, drawing a bead of red as he gathered chakra, and ran through hand seals with expertise. Slamming his calloused hand upon the desert sands, he called out his technique.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

There was a poof of smoke, and as it cleared, it revealed a large, stoic, gray and white husky sitting tall and proud.

"Shirona." Sakumo called, earning a pair of attentive blue-gray eyes.

"Please take this child, back to the village for questioning, and inform Hokage-sama that I need a retrieval team to pick up my squad. They have all been incapacitated and injured in some fashion."

"As you wish." The husky nodded, speaking in her characteristic monotone.

Sakumo's hands suddenly glowed green, and he dropped into a squat, running his hands above the little girl's bloody stump.

He winced as his mediocre medical jutsu forced the skin around the open wound to close, leaving delicate and ugly pink scar tissue to keep the poor child from bleeding out until a real medic could tend to her.

"Shirona."

"Hai, master?" She intoned.

"Do not fail me."

"Of course master."

The husky padded over the sands, approaching the unconscious child on top of Chiyo with caution. Sakumo watched his summon nose the little girl onto her back, and felt his brows raise at the sight of the thin three whisker marks on each of her adorable rounded cheeks.

The masked Hatake lifted the girl carefully, and placed her stomach down on his summon's slick back. Sakumo flinched, only slightly as two chakra arms burst from the little girl's back, and wrapped around Shirona's middle, securing her on the dog's back.

'How fascinating...' Sakumo marveled. 'Not only is her chakra visible, it reacts automatically to outside situations to protect her, even whilst she is unconscious... a bloodline perhaps?'

Shirona nodded at her master, and blurred out of existence, taking off towards the border between Fire and Wind.

Sakumo slung Chiyo over his shoulder, and left two shadow clones to guard his team until the retrieval squad arrived for them. Taking off in a quick run to Sand, Sakumo wondered...

'Where on earth did that little girl come from? And what on earth is she?'

Two Weeks Later

With effort, a pair of eyelids fluttered, before slowly sliding open. They squinted at the surrounding and blurred white, blinking rapidly to get their brilliant sapphire eyes to clear.

Her ears swam into focus, and she heard beeping machines, the sound of oxygen bags contracting, and her own relaxed breathing. She lifted her arm to wipe at her still slightly blurry vision, and stiffened.

'Stop.'

Kurama's voice made her tightened muscles lax, but only slightly.

'Stop all movement this instant, and tell me what you know of your surroundings.'

She breathed out a sigh, closing her eyes to get herself to calm down her rising panic. 'I... I'm in a hospital room... A-and...'

'And...?'

Her eyes squeezed shut even tighter 'There's someone in here... No, it's two. Two powerful men, kage level, but non hostile... And... And I'm... I'm...!'

'Not dead.' The Fox finished. 'You are not dead, and somehow...'

'I'm a girl.' Naruto thought, eyes flying open. 'Good Kami in heaven I'm a girl...!'

'Naruto-'

The blonde shot into a sitting position, ripping out the things in her arms, and off the plastic mask over her mouth and nose. She stared with horrified eyes, lifting tiny hands before a gawking face. Well, a tiny hand. Naruto's right arm was missing from the elbow down, the stump wrapped in neat bandages.

'Omigod Kurama why am I so small!?' Naruto screamed, body beginning to subtly quake.

The blonde instinctively swatted away the large hand that was placed on her shoulder, attempting to comfort her.

'Naruto,' Kurama called. 'Child, calm yourself this instant!'

'I can't Kurama... I just... I can't!' Naruto couldn't stop, already beginning the first stages of hyperventilation. 'Oh god. Oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god!'

'We traveled back in time, foolish boy.' The Bijuu informed hurriedly, trying to get his Jinchuuriki to calm down.

Naruto felt hands pushing her head between her knees, and she was forced to breathe, feeling the blood rush to her head.

'I will admit to it being partially my fault. In my haste to heal you from your battle with that foolish Uchiha, I tampered with the process of your inevitable death. Death should never be cheated, for there is always a price. And my interference must have torn a hole within space and time, the price for saving your life being your age, and gender. You, fell into that hole, and now we are in Konoha, just not your Konoha.'

It took some time, but the blonde was winding down little by little...

'How do you know this is Konoha?' Naruto asked, finally able to regulate her breathing.

'I sense my other self, chained down within the confines of Uzumaki chakra.'

'So that means...'

'Your mother, Kushina lives.'

To Naruto's horror, tears sprang into hi-her eyes, spilling down her cheeks in endless streams, the small droplets leaving wet splotches on the bland hospital bedsheets.

'Based on the development of her chakra, she is about fifteen.'

'If Kaa-chan is alive, and she's that young... that means it was all for nothing.' Naruto thought, outwardly releasing a wretched sob.

'Naruto?'

'All those people, in the Fourth War, who fought with me, and beside me... a lot of them... they don't even exist!'

'Naru-'

'That means I'm all alone again... My friends... My comrades... all that death... all that suffering... And... all for nothing.'

'That's not true!' The Bijuu yelled. 'You can still-!'

'You didn't say anything about Sasuke...' Naruto continued as she sat up, unknowingly showing the spectators in the room a pair of dead eyes. 'That means I'm alone...'

'Naruto you fool!' Kurama roared, the magnitude of his anger making the blonde flinch.

'You have me, do you not?' The Fox demanded, outraged. 'And who do you think you are, acting so weak? Where is that foolish and pigheaded resolve that annoys yet simultaneously enthralls me? Don't you see, you stupid child? This is your chance!'

Naruto's breath hitched. But the Jinchuuriki already knew. She knew.

The blonde felt herself being lifted and nearly crushed in a warm embrace. Tears spilled from her enlightened eyes as she unconsciously clutched the shirt of the one who comforted her.

'Naruto... you can stop the Fourth War before it even begins.'

It had been two weeks, the girl Shirona had brought back to the village still in a deep coma. Sakumo had visited the child everyday, as he was off duty, his squad still on medical leave. The Hatake would admit, he had grown somewhat and absurdly attached to the mysterious blonde child.

The White Fang's mission had been a success, and lately he'd been the center of more attention then usual. Sakumo was a very modest, (if not awkward) man, and all of the chatter and fawning constantly following after him made him uncomfortable. So, he'd made a habit of escaping the attention by doting on his son even more than usual, and visiting the little fireball that had fallen from the sky.

There was a stutter in the steady beeping of the blonde's heart monitor, and with wide eyes, Sakumo watched the little girl come to. The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, stood at his side, wise lines in his face grim as he studied the neat bandaged stump of the comatose girl.

Both The White Fang and Sarutobi had gotten word the girl would be awakening soon. She had shown signs of lapsing in and out of consciousness all morning.

True to the doctor's word, her eyes suddenly struggled open, and Sakumo got the first glimpse of the child's jewel-like doe eyes. They were the most charming, and bluest of blues the Hatake had ever seen.

The child lifted her arm to touch her face, and stiffened. It was the one that had- based on her medical reports, literally been obliterated. Sakumo could not begin to fathom why and who had done so to the child. And he could not begin to fathom how she still drew breath, her only ailment being her missing arm. Such an attack should have obliterated her. Though, rest assured, if Sakumo ever found the one to harm a child, they would be the one obliterated...

His attention was brought back to the blonde, who seemed to be struggling internally with something, her eyes squeezed shut in distress, before relaxing marginally. She took several deep breaths, and immediately noticed there were people in the room.

"A sensor?" Sakumo mouthed to Hiruzen.

"Quite possible." Her returned, just as silent.

And with that, her little body stiffened all over again, and she shot to a sitting position, ripping out her IV and off her breathing mask, eyes wide and unseeing. She wasn't seeing anything but the tiny hand and bandaged stump she held before her horrified face.

When she began shaking, eyes alight with shock, Sakumo couldn't take it anymore, and moved to her side, trying to calm her, placing a firm hand on her delicate little shoulder. But she slapped him off, and didn't even seem to realize that she had.

It got progressively worse, and she began to hyperventilate.

"Her knees!" Hiruzen barked. "Push her head between her knees!"

Sakumo was happy to oblige, anything to help the poor suffering child. After what seemed like ages, she managed to quell her wracking trembling some, making Sakumo sigh in relief, only for his heart to splinter when the child choked on a deep sob. He let up from where he'd shoved her face down from the back of her head, and the child lifted her torso, her eyes streaming tears and empty like those of the dead. The sight sent chills down both Sakumo's and Hiruzen's spines.

'A child... should never suffer so deeply to have their bright eyes reduced to that.' Sakumo thought mournfully. 'It's horrible... absolutely horrible...'

Not thinking, Sakumo lifted the child from her tangle of sheets, disturbed by how light she was, and held her close. His heart ached for the girl when she immediately latched on.

Sakumo looked to his right, where his Kage had silently approached to examine the girl. The genius leader had children of his own, so he had deep empathy for children.

"Sir?" Sakumo inquired.

"I had Yamanaka look into her head." The Third finally said, kindly patting one of the saddened child's soft cheeks. "But they found nothing. The diagnosis was, the girl had either extreme amnesia, or mental blocks so powerful no one can enter without her consent."

"There's no way, she's what, five? She would have to be Kage level to achieve such a thing." Sakumo frowned, stroking the long, unruly golden tresses atop her head.

Could either genius shinobi read minds, they would have heard Kurama hum pleasantly.

'Well what do you know?' The Bijuu's black lips stretched into a large fox grin. 'The perfect cover for you, foolish boy.'

'Amnesia?' Naruto echoed, sniffling, and only making Sakumo pet her more gently.

'Precisley.'

'I don't want to lie...' Naruto thought, tears still trickling from her eyes as she studied the face of her long dead Jiji. She had fought to return his soul to the Pure Land of the dead, and never expected to see him until she herself died. But now that she thought about it, she would have met him again quite soon, had Kurama not butted in and forced her into some time reversing paradox.

'It was not my intention to make you suffer so,' Kurama said, unusually subdued, and speaking the closest he'd ever speak to an apology. 'But you are here now, and you will have to make due, Naruto.'

'I wish I could hate you for being right...'

Sakumo looked at Naruto, studying her wide tearful eyes.

"What's your name sweetheart, do you remember?" He asked her gently.

Her bottom lip trembled, and she nodded.

"M-my name's Nawuto..."

'What a strange name for a little girl...'

"I don' weally remembewe anythins but being all awone..." The little blonde said quietly.

Once again, Sakumo's heart clenched. 'The poor baby...' He mourned.

"So you don't know how you came to be?" The Hatake asked carefully. "You don't remembering anything strange, like... falling?"

"No. Nothin' like that... sowwy."

"No no, it's okay sweetheart," The Hatake assured hurriedly. "Just tell me what you do remember, okay?"

When the blonde nodded, Sakumo smiled, his eyes arching into friendly crescents, unknowingly ripping Naruto's hear apart when she saw Kakashi-sensei in that smile.

"I had a fweind..." Naruto mumbled, blue eyes falling and expression contorting with pain. "His name was... 'asuke..."

"Sasuke?" The Third finally spoke up. "Was that your friend's name?"

"Yes." Naruto nodded, tearing up all over again. "We were fighting, even though thewe was finally no more blood. But 'asuke was still angry... And he wanted to make more blood, 'cause people had always hurt us. But I didn't want anymowe blood. And 'cause we thought different... We had to fight... and we did... we fought really hard. After a while, we were gonna die. We both got really hurt... So now 'asuke is gone, and I gots nobody again..."

Sakumo looked at the child grimly, barely restraining his inner horror. From what he had gathered, Naruto came from a place where extremely young child soldiers were allowed, and both she and Sasuke had been sent into active duty. They had already killed, as appalling as it was, they had been forced to kill barely out of their diapers.

Sakumo was disgusted with the prodigious shinobi side of him that saw the ups of child soldiers. They were small, and could fit into slight spaces. They were so fresh, and their little brains so easily absorbed information; they were like sponges. If you taught them right, they would be the perfect shinobi. They could easily hide in shadows, and they were so small it would be hard to notice them until they were slitting your throat.

The White Fang could almost see it... Sasuke, being consumed by hate, wanting to kill the ones who had caused both he and Naruto such suffering. But Naruto, had disagreed, resulting in the poor children fighting so hard with justu they shouldn't even know, that Sasuke was killed, and Naruto was left with one arm.

Of course, Sakumo couldn't have known Naruto was referring to Sasuke's new ambition to change the entire world after the defeat of Kaguya and Madara, and Naruto fighting him one last time to once again change his ways, and accept peace as it was. Naruto had succeed, moving Sasuke to tears when he told the Uchiha he wouldn't mind dying beside him, as they would always be brothers. They had lied in a pool of their shared draining blood, ready to take death's hand.

Sakumo looked at Sarutobi. Dark gray eyes and deep brown studied one another, before the older of the two legends nodded.

The Hatake smiled slightly, and looked back into Naruto's blue blue eyes.

"How would you like to come live with me, Naruto?"

How was it?