Naruto: Reborn in His Younger Self

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It felt like I was having the best dream in a long time.

A warm sensation spread across my body, as comforting as sunlight hitting my skin on a cold winter morning.

"Sunlight? Did I get reborn at home?"

As my consciousness slowly resurfaced, I became aware of my body. It didn't feel still—it was moving. No, it was running.

"Wait… my body's not at home. Where the hell am I?"

Suddenly, I heard myself speaking.

"Kiba! How is it?"

There was urgency in my voice, but why?

"I'm focusing on tracking Sasuke's faint scent, don't distract me!"

That voice—Kiba! Right, I had just called out to him.

Tracking Sasuke's faint scent?

Something clicked inside me. My memories felt like pages in a book being flipped through rapidly, searching for a specific moment in time. Then, everything stopped at one page.

"Shit... This is the time when I was searching for Sasuke!"

Realization struck like a lightning bolt. My entire soul jolted awake.

In the real world, my body suddenly froze mid-air. One second, I was leaping through the forest, and the next, I was falling.

"Naruto!"

Kakashi, who had been right behind me, noticed something was wrong in an instant. In a blur of movement, he caught me before I hit the ground.

The entire squad came to a halt.

Sakura, Kiba, Shino, Hinata, Akamaru, and Captain Yamato rushed over.

Sakura crouched down beside me, her brows furrowed in concern. "What happened?!"

Kakashi shook his head. "I don't know. He was perfectly fine one second, and then he just collapsed."

"Let me check."

Sakura had trained under Tsunade in medical ninjutsu. She quickly gestured for Kakashi to lay me down as she began her examination.

Hinata kneeled beside me, her lavender eyes filled with worry.

Inside my unconscious body, my soul was rapidly merging with my younger self.

Meanwhile, in the real world, Sakura placed her hands on my chest and began applying CPR.

"Damn it, Naruto, wake up!"

After several compressions, she hesitated before turning toward the others.

"I might have to do mouth-to-mouth. Kiba, Captain Yamato, Kakashi-sensei, someone!"

Kiba's face twisted in horror. "Wha—why me?!"

Yamato immediately raised his hands. "Uh, Kakashi-senpai, you're the leader. You should do it."

Kakashi casually turned to Kiba. "As the youngest, this is a great learning experience for you."

"Screw you, Sensei!" Kiba groaned, leaning in with an expression of pure suffering.

Just as his lips were inches away from mine—

"HNNGH—!!"

I shot up, my eyes snapping open.

The first thing I saw? Kiba's face, his lips twitching awkwardly as he hovered right above me like some kind of nightmarish wooden horse.

A cold chill ran down my spine.

"T-TOOTH?!"

Kiba's eyes went wide as he scrambled backward, practically tumbling over himself. "W-Wait! Naruto, let me explain! It's not what you think!"

The guy was flailing his arms so much he looked like a drowning dog. "Sakura told me to do it! I swear on Akamaru's tail! Neither Kakashi-sensei nor Yamato wanted to, so I—"

I blinked.

Then it hit me—I was back. I was really back.

I lifted my hands, staring at them. The fingers were thinner, smaller. I touched my face—rounder. My body—lighter.

"I'm a teenager again…"

Kakashi let out a breath of relief. "You really scared me there, Naruto." Then his single visible eye narrowed. "What the hell happened?"

A lump formed in my throat.

Kakashi-sensei was alive.

Memories of my past life surged forward—seeing Kakashi die, sacrificing himself during the fight against the Ōtsutsuki.

Without thinking, I lunged forward and hugged him.

"Kakashi-sensei! It's so damn good to see you!"

Kakashi stiffened.

"O-Oh… okay. That's… nice?" He awkwardly patted my back. "Did I… miss something?"

Sakura frowned. "Seriously, what the hell is wrong with you, Naruto? One second you're unconscious, and now you're acting all weird."

I let go of Kakashi and grinned. "Nah, it's nothing." Then my eyes widened. "Crap! Sasuke!"

Kakashi chuckled. "Yeah, that's what I was trying to remind you before you started clinging to me like a lost puppy."

I turned toward my team, excitement buzzing through me. "Sakura!"

She raised an eyebrow.

"Shino!"

Shino gave a small nod.

"Captain Yamato!"

Yamato blinked. "Uh… yeah?"

"Kiba! Akamaru, you good, buddy?" I ruffled the giant dog's fur.

Akamaru barked happily.

Sakura leaned toward Kakashi and whispered, "Are you sure you caught him properly? I feel like he hit his head when he fell."

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head. "I… think I did?"

I turned to Hinata, who had been watching silently.

Our eyes met.

Her lips parted slightly as she whispered, "Naruto-kun… I'm so glad you're okay."

A strange warmth surged through me. My heart pounded.

Before I could stop myself, I stepped forward and grabbed her.

And then—

I kissed her.

Deeply.

Hinata froze. Her entire body stiffened in shock.

Hinata looked at Naruto in horror, as if the world at this moment was unreal, until she saw Naruto-kun's closed eyes, leaving a line of hot tears.

ah!

Hinata's heart felt as if something had hit her, and she slowly closed her eyes.

As for the onlookers

Absolute. Utter. Silence.

Yamato's mouth fell open.

Shino's glasses slid down his nose.

Kiba looked like he was about to collapse.

Even Akamaru tilted his head in disbelief.

Kakashi's eye twitched. "Okay… I am no longer sure if I actually caught him."

Then—

"WHAT THE HELL, NARUTO?!"

Sakura's shriek echoed through the forest. Her fists clenched. "You've been chasing me for years, and now you're suddenly all over Hinata?!"

She stormed forward and swung a fist straight at my face.

But this time—

I caught it.

Effortlessly.

Her eyes widened in disbelief.

Still holding Hinata in one arm, I looked at Sakura with a calm smile. "Sorry, Sakura… I don't think I'll ever let you hit me again."

Hinata, still in my embrace, had turned the color of a tomato, hands pressed shyly to her chest.

The others? Still processing the absolute insanity that just unfolded.

And me?

I smirked.

Yeah.

I was definitely back.