Time Travel Lovers **BEING REWRITTEN/EDITED WITH MAJOR CHANGES**

Chapter 26: Two Days

Grumbling but joyful rumors were everywhere in the streets of Konoha. The stories of the young couple who swept through the bars late last night, filled the streets as hung-over patrons nursed coffee or tea. The stories told of a young couple who cleaned everyone out of a bit of cash. Almost everyone lost to the lively pair. The source of most of the grumbling was coming from those who were either severely hung-over or those who were upset that they hadn't even been cheated and had still lost. The two hadn't cheated. They lost, rarely, but they lost. The never had the craziest hands or impossible setups. The just won. They had bad hands and close calls. And when they did eventually lose, they never lost big. They took no risks. If they went for it, it was best to fold then and save what money you had.

"The kids couldn't bluff to save their lives," said one older gentleman.

Another laughed. "I don't know what game you were watching but they can bluff. They just didn't choose too. They'd hop a table and take their losses before they ran on a bluff."

The first man grumbled. "Crazy kids."

Rumors floated and mingled with the air about a charming couple who had spent the night trying to outdo each other across the card table. How, even though they were together, they played apart. If both of them had a shot at winning, they wouldn't fold and let the other take the pot. They'd fight it out to the bitter end of who actually had the better hand.

But there was no ill feelings between the couple as either won. A smirk and a peck on the cheek quickly swept away any grumbles before the next hand was dealt. They would go back and forth or one would go on a winning streak. They joked and played and everyone had a wonderful time. Though most left with lighter purses than they started with.

No one had too sever of a complaint though. The couple played fair, bought plenty of drinks, and kept it light and cheerful even into the early hours. When the bar finally kicked the crowd out, everyone was in high spirits and a little wobbly. The couple was invited to return soon for a rematch. Unfortunately, the young couple wouldn't be seen for years to come.

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After a very successful night in the bars, Naruto and Hinata were tired, but very happy. They hadn't had that much fun in a while. The irony they felt when they literally pretend-drunk waltz past a couple Hyugas was amazing. Almost two weeks of dodging and hiding and they had been dancing in front of the very people who had been chasing them. Priceless. They also had gotten enough money to keep supplied once they were on the road. It would be a decently long first leg of their journey since they were heading to the Land of Waves.

Their first stop had been decided on the factor that with help before, they could do a lot of good. Prevention instead of reaction. By fortifying the town, helping establish trade routes, and disposing of Gato early, they could save everyone from a lot of harm. Teaching some basic fighting skills, weapons, and how to react in case of attack was a good set of skills for the village to have. 

The long, slow journey would also give them time for practice and training. Naruto would be increasing his clones and working on maintaining and independence. He had one clone tied to his apartment that would sleep there. The clone left the apartment then disappeared in the crowd. The clone would reappear every afternoon by Ichiraku's and then head back to the apartment.  It was a tedious to maintain but it kept the Hokage and his ANBU nanny squad in the dark about his new living conditions. Though he was sure that Hiashi had enlightened the Hokage somewhat since they had started avoiding Hiashi.

His clone in the apartment only acted so independently because he had tied it to a sealing sequence that fed the clone chakra to maintain it's form. The clone was still fully functional like any other clone but it had a range it could operate within with out Naruto having to be nearby.

That seal had been bittersweet to create. Jiraiya had been the one to teach him the basics of that seal. This trip would be similar to the one he took with Jiraiya. Gone for a long time, no contact with the village, intense training, and summons.

Summons. The biggest and maybe the first thing on their list after the wave. Without the scroll and Jiraiya to introduce him it would be hard for Naruto to make contact with the toads again. They also had to find a summon and sage aspect for Hinata. Hinata had never taken up a summon contract before and had never considered the possibility of becoming a sage. But with her malleable and changing chakra she was a prime candidate.  But it was finding an animal suitable to Hinata that was the issue.

Hinata was already experimenting with Kurama's chakra and what she could do with the amount the Fox had given her. She already healed faster and had seen an improvement in her strength. She still held less that 1% of the chakra Naruto had but it was a large amount regardless. Considering how much chakra he could pump out, even with his unbalanced seal again, she was at a serious advantage in any fight.

As Naruto lay on his bed with Hinata in his arms he though about what their life would have been like if everything had gone according to their first plan. Jump back to fourteen or fifteen and prepare for the war so that it would end differently. Save more lives, maybe avoid the war altogether.

What if they had stuck with their second plan? The one they made after they found out they were five? Stay hidden in the mid ranks of the academy, possibly get put on the same team, work to avoid the disasters together. 

Or the third? Skip the academy directly and work under Hiashi and the Hokage to silently fix everything. Try and change without destroying everything. 

Now? Their fourth. Leave the village. Leave the village and wander. Train and see and explore. Rely only on themselves and the few allies they knew they could trust. Try and rehabilitate the bad guys early. Stop some form ever going bad. If they could turn Orochimaru around, if they could send Tsunade back to take over sooner, if the made friends with Gaara, if they saved Deidara, saved Haku, saved everyone.

It was impossible. There was no way they could do it all. They would fail. They would try again. But, until the day they declared it safe to do so, they wouldn't return to the village that had raised them. But, for better or worse, Konoha had been their home and had made them into the people they had become. They would return, gain the trust of the village again, get married again, raise a family, and maybe, just maybe, Naruto would still become Hokage.