The Right Way Around: Book One

Chapter Two

A/N: HELLO! I've clearly been motivated, and my muses are loud cause I've never updated a story within 24 hours of just updating. Haha, I hope everyone is enjoying it so far. This chapter deals with anxiety and PTSD, a LOT. So, be prepared. Also, some mentions of Madara and what he did to Naruto. It's not graphically descriptor, so yeah, more implied kinda.

Uhm, on with the show?
P.S. I don't own the pic, and I don't own the one from chapter one either. No idea where they came from, randomly found them with bing weeks ago.
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Fingers curled into sun-warmed grass and soil, hands trembling and covered in streaks of blood. Loud, desperate gasps for air the only sound disrupting the eerie silence. A long, drawn-out groan left bruised and bitten lips as the body shifted with a twinge of rippling pain as it rolled onto its side weakly, then flopped onto its stomach, unable to keep itself on its side. Another weak groan slipping free as the person pressed their face into the grass, almost nuzzling it. The sun warming his bareback...and...ass?

Jerking up Naruto let out a gasp of sharp pain from the abrupt movement. He pressed his still quivering hands into the grass beneath him. Blurry vibrant blue eyes were taking in the scenery around him. This was the forests surrounding Konoha, no mistaking it.

"It worked..." He breathed out in startled denial. He honestly didn't think the fuuinjutsu would work. Time travel was something that hadn't been tapped into. Only the extraordinarily desperate and nigh psychotic even endeavoured to do it. And of course, Naruto and Kurama said fuck it and went for it. Could anyone blame them, though? They weren't positive how long they had been in Madara's grasp, but if they went off how long Naruto's hair had gotten...it had been months, probably half a year, if not longer.

Pressing his hands into the thick grass, he took a steadying and deep inhale through his nose, closing his eyes as he breathed in the fresh air of Fire Country. Fuck, it felt good. The warm breeze caressing over his nude form, drying the tacky blood smeared all over him. Apparently, they had been torn apart as they went back in time. Thankfully the universe sought to put them back together, and correctly too!

Naruto couldn't feel Kurama, but he knew his ever-present friend was there, likely just exhausted and sleeping deep within the seal. So he wasn't immediately worried about it. Kurama would come around when he was able to.

Pushing himself to his knees, he sat back on his heels and looked around. His eyes widened, and his jaw dropped open. "Holy six paths..." He breathed the words out, scared anything louder would further destroy the area he was in.

A 15km circle, with Naruto at the centre, surrounded him with complete destruction. Right where he was looked barely touched, soft grass under him. But just a foot away it was a spiralling circle of deep gouges, grass still on fire as it twisted out to the trees that were blown in the opposite directions of him. Almost every tree was either burning, charred to a crisp, or shattered for the full 15km distance. It honestly looked like a bomb had gone off like Deidara had done his big blast. Except for the small ring of grass surrounding Naruto in a two-foot radius.

Swallowing tightly he just stared at the damage, despite the pain that continued to undulate through him in tides as his body tried to heal from his trip to the past. Except...something was off. Gradually he looked down at himself, tilting his head curiously. Why was his body so... so small? He lifted a brow, a shaky and bloody hand moving to touch one of his thighs. "How...old am I? I thought... I thought I was supposed to travel through time and retain my body... Not..age down?" He blinked wider at the realization of how young his voice sounded. He sounded like he'd just started puberty! That'd make him like...eleven or twelve! Oh.. I don't feel so good...

Naruto's stomach lurched as he gave a dry heave. "Whhhy!" He whined. "I don't want to go through puberty AGAIN!" He let out a distressed wail at his new reality, drooping over his legs in child's pose, arms stretched out in front of him.