CHAPTER 6: First Step Towards A Distant Future

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He felt himself being hugged tight by the arms of the blonde teen that plagued his dreams, though 'teen' wasn't an appropriate title in this dream as the older blonde seemed around five years or age. Naruto was held tightly into the other's chest as he ran as fast as his child-legs could carry him, running from something Naruto couldn't see, something behind the two and from the fading sounds of yells growing distant, whatever the blonde was running from wasn't chasing. That was until Naruto lurched forwards out of the blonde's arms and hit the ground, feeling no pain as he laid still on the rough ground, his small limbs not responding to any signals he sent to then, instead reaching out towards the stumbling blonde as he struggled to reach Naruto.

"Fuck," the blonde let out a low groan as he collapsed, his knees hitting the ground beside Naruto, his right hand clutching at his side. A kunai sat embedded up to the hilt in his side but not hitting any vital organs judging from the still conscious blond that reached out towards naruto with his other hand. The sight of the older blonde's blood alerted him to wetness in the back of his neck and as his 'brother' lifted him off the ground, groaning as the pain of the kunai embedded in his side stopping him from making sudden movement, he saw the bloody rock beneath where he had been laying just a moment to go.

His own cries snapped him out of his thoughts and back into the situation. The lack of physical pain when he was thrown onto the ground reaffirmed his suspicion, it was a dream. Although he still felt a dull pain in the back of his neck, as if the pain was once there but had left a long time ago. He was lifted as the older blonde struggled to his feet. This time, as he was held in the other's arms, he could see the assailant that they were running from and the horrid scene the bonde was running from. He could barely make out the two mangled corpses with blond hair in the distance, another enemy shinobi still hacking into their bodies with a blood drenched kunai, a somewhat familiar white armor that he couldn't quite place where he remembered it. His stomach twisted and his heart felt as if a snake had wrapped around it and begun constricting. What little he could see left of the two reminded him of the blonde in his dreams when he was older and so he thought it safe to assume the two were the blonde's parents. Yet, if the blonde called him brother, did that not mean that they were also his parents?

"W-we need to get to Onoki-oji," Naruto could barely hear the other as heavy breathing filled the air around them.

"Would you look at that?" there was a gruff voice that seemed to appear out of nowhere, "Big brother trying to protect his kid brother, how sweet?" The sneer lingering in the voice was clear and Naruto felt sick as he and the older blonde were flung fifty meters and onto the outskirts of the village, closer to safety yet still too far. He felt blood drip down onto him from his place helpless in the other's arms, peering up at 'his brother' whose blood dripped onto the younger blonde from the deep gash in his shoulder, soaking both their clothes.

"Damn it, h-hold on Naruto, I'll g-get us to safety," Naruto felt his heart clench tighter as the blonde smiled tiredly down at him, his eyes starting to lose their light. The blood loss was getting to the older blonde and Naruto's mind went through what he could do as he felt the building of chakra in the air as the blonde holding him built it up. The chakra was teeming with explosive power, waiting for a spark to ignite it and let loose. There was a sudden heat, the arms around him just enough to shield him from the scalding heat and the next thing he knew the two were flying just above the houses of the village, the explosion launching the two flying and before Naruto could register where they were he felt the impact of the older blonde against a stone wall ring through his body.

"Ack-" a sudden eruption of blood spewed from the blonde boy's mouth as he slumped to the ground, still holding his brother in his arms. "O-one more time," naruto felt his heart speed up as the other's bloody form looked down at him with nothing but love and determination, the life in his eyes barely hanging on. 'No!' Naruto thought to himself as the chakra built around them again, much less than last time yet the explosive power still roared with life. There was a white flash this time and the heat was bearable, the cool air as they flew through the air was sharp on his skin before he once again felt the impact as the older blonde slammed onto the solid stone walls of a large tower. Naruto looked up at the blonde as the grip of the arms around him slackened, the blonde-

"Naruto. You're up next," Iruka announced as looked up at the dazed blonde. Naruto jolted out of his dazed state and glanced frantically around him, searching for the heavily injured blonde brother of his. His hand shot to the back of his neck expecting to feel the familiar warmth of blood on his skin only to feel nothing but the smooth skin of his nape. "Are, are you okay?" Naruto's eyes focused on Iruka who looked concerned at his blue eyed student. Naruto let a hesitant nod and shuffled out his seat and towards the door where Iruka waited for him. He stuffed his hands into his pockets, a halfhearted attempt at hiding the shaking.

The sun was rising by the time he had gotten back to the streets he was familiar with throughout his childhood last night and he had decided instead of heading back to his 'home', where Kushina and Minato were likely to still be arguing, he ventured towards the academy. It was empty when he had arrived but judging by the stares of the students around him as he walked out the door and towards the examination room with Iruka, not anymore. Naruto supposed he had fallen asleep, memories of the Red Light Trio lulling him into sleep as thought about them fondly.

"Alright, Naruto. The three standard academy jutsu please," Iruka spoke as he took a seat beside a substitute teacher Naruto didn't recognise. Mizuki, the teacher with iruka had been found to be a spy a few months back and had been sent to torture and interrogation immediatly. Supposably still there or perhaps even disposed of by now, Naruto wasn't sure.

"Sure thing, Sensei," He performed the three standard academy jutsu without a flaw, the expected result considering his family and his talent just in general.
"As expected, good job!" iruka beamed at the blonde, Naruto returning the smile but it didn't quite reach his eyes. The warmth he felt from Iruka was, to him, shallow. He missed the warmth of someone he never really met, the person from his dreams, his older brother as he had come to accept him. Naruto grabbed a headband off the table and waved to the teachers before heading out into the academy grounds, their phrases falling short as he shut the door. The grounds were bustling with energy, mostly happy academy students presenting their headbands to one another, the occasional upset student who didn't pass. A strange feeling came over the newly graduated blonde. He felt as though he was watching everyone around him grow up while being stuck in time, not feeling anything as everyone around him moved on.

"Naruto! Wanna come have lunch with us?" the familiar voice of kiba, a friend he had made through his parent's meetings to get togethers, called out to him. He turned to them, the feelings of isolation still lingering. The Inuzuka waved happily at Naruto, seeing the headband gripped loosely in his friend's hand, a familiar one tied proudly around his own forehead, on display for all the world to see. Naruto opened his mouth to speak before a sudden feeling of drowsiness came over him and he hurriedly tried to blink away the exhaustion.

"Ah, I'm alright. I might just go and take a nap in the classroom or something. Thanks for the offer, Kiba," Naruto gave him a weak smile and turned back towards the classroom without staying to hear the other's response. Kiba gave him a strange look, concern and slight annoyance crossing his face, not that Naruto cared all that much to see it.

He walked into the boy's bathroom, noticing the slight bags under his eyes. For a moment his image in the mirror flashed and he was faced with the blonde teen from earlier. The mirage lasted for but a second and Naruto let out a light chuckle. "Found a way to leave my dreams then, huh?...brother," the question was left unanswered as he stared blankly at his own reflection. A thought popped into his mind as the dream from earlier played on repeat in his head. Leaning closer to the mirror, he pulled back his hair that had begun to reach his shoulders and tilted his head as far as he could while still looking at the mirror. It was faint but there it was. A white, line-like, scar with a few jagged edges. Right where the young him from the dreams had been injured when his...brother? Had been running from what he thought must have been an enemy shinobi. there was a dull phantom pain that made the back of his neck ache but he chalked it up to having made it up. The word brother felt weird on the back of his tongue but calling the blonde teen that wasn't any trouble. In fact, it felt so much more natural then calling Kushina mother despite having apparently known her his whole life and this brother of his only through a few dreams. Naruto felt the migraine coming as he shook his head and splashed some water across his face.

The classroom was empty, similarly to when he had first entered in but a few hours ago. The chatter and noises of the outside became dull and muted as he slid the door shut behind him. A melancholic feeling came over Naruto as he sat into the all to familiar seat by the window, crossing his arms on the table and resting his head upon his them as he half watched the other kids play outside and half just unfocused as he recalled the newest dream. Tried as he did, he couldn't seem to fall asleep and return back to the dreams of his brother. They left him with so many questions, so many questions but no answers. Naruto had just come to accept that the blonde was his brother and perhaps these weren't dreams at all? But then- Naruto thought for a moment. Memories?