As it were, within the invisible realm of his own disassociation he was fully capable of counting seconds, measuring into minutes and hours. Thus, when he had been snapped away from the fog- a peaceful half-consiousness; he knew that five hours had passed. The only reasoning he had gone there was of the objectively dull reality of guessing the crevices in the olden stone and proving himself correct or false. Madara had gone to sleep once more, the rasp following his breathing a disturbance upon his hearing, discomforting, especially in considerance of how short a time the man had been awake. In desperation for conversation, or indeed a distraction from the obstructing boredom which would continuously press against his thoughts, he had allowed himself to drift; however, Madara's breathing had shifted once more, his chains rattled a margin different, and Naruto knew he was awake.

Unfortunate he had been left victim to his own thoughts, for he knew what would be his reality upon being released. He had swam through the few possible options -none of which held pleasant tydings for him,- and knew. The Shinobi Council would play their hand, slipping to Ino verified information that he had been betraying her in some manner, perhaps propagate a rumour highlighting devious machinations. Effectively corhersing her into cutting ties with him, the slime of disgust in her gut for his mere presence. Then for authenticity, involve the Civilian Council into giving examples- all false and created by their surreptitious hands. After all, such evidence could not be controversial, could hold only authenticity; for all but a few distinctive elite jounin with personal experience -most of whom were fallen- knew that the councils would never betray their own rules of separation. Indeed Naruto knew, that though he may receive a public punishment of a sort, it was the humiliation, the propagation of propaganda that they would plant within the waters to smear further dirt over his skin. It would push at the delicate peace he had teetered into; without the invisible support of his sensei, mentor, and with the deaths of his high-stood friends holding their actions with soft-power. Some would continue to merely repudiate him, yet many would fall once more into the allure of despise; he would be debarred, ostracized, and assailed. Just as he had been when a lonesome child in a continuous wonderance of himself.

Unwitting, he let lose a breath containing a whimper, but so fast it was covered by the snap of his jaw shut, the grit of his teeth far more prominent. He could still hold his head high- he existed, and that was enough, even if none other then he took value in that. Even if, his want to be wavered more then leafs in a windstorm. The clog in his throat was large, perhaps it was pride, or maybe it was hesitation; that which he should indeed be feeling, given where his thoughts had come to.

"Hey... that world you dreamed of..." He heard the clank of metal, and he had to guess that his cellmate was listening. "Is there anyway to enter it, just one person, without bringing in others?" The words dropped out of his lips and their weight could have shattered the ground, having been heavy in his mouth they crashed onto the stone with a hefty force matching that of Tsunade's fist, yet more impactful. Traitorous thoughts. The silence stretched long, his lip became sore with the pressure of his teeth, not yet bloody, but reddened.

Naruto counted fifteen minutes before a softened baritone came forth. "No, there is not. The jutsu requires the moon to work, the chakra of the all tailed beasts is also needed regardless of the amount of people, howbeit not as much chakra." Blood seeped down his chin as his canine punctured through his lip, winced for the sting, and cringed at the iron taste. "However... there is an alternative which would work for as many as two people." Although uncouth, rather repulsive in nature, his eyes widened, as a sparkle alit within the irises, not cast by the torch flames' luminance- ears too wide for response. Yet, once again there was silence, the quiet dampening the air for the anticipation it that had already been brought. Though with this pause, Naruto understood, where he had been hesitant several times regarding the man, be that on or off the battlefield, the Uchiha hadn't been. To tell could prove problematic for him, should Naruto leave and speak to others about an 'alternative,' to the plan he had previously broadcast to the nations- even if it were only plausible for two people as he stated.

"The final act of the Rinnigan so to speak. The jutsu requires many years to prepare, and certain requirements must be met in order for it to activate at all." Chained though he was, the genin scuttled a margin closer to their barrier wall, eager to drink at any information he may be presented with. Not daring to talk. "A predominant factor is the need for an 'anchor,' an object which holds significant importance to the caster- connected to his or her past. It provides a connection to a specific time period, and when focused upon by the Rinnigan that time period becomes the one they will travel to- anchoring them onto that time." Momentarily, Naruto wanted to laugh for the words, the baritone vibrated in the air enough to have laughter smoothly fit within its sound. He could not though, for there was such a dire intensity to his words, that his bloodied lip trembled slightly.

Still, with all the rationality he could possess with such a statement having been thrown upon him, he had to question. "So...its time travel?" It was poised meakly, such a manner that he did not want to acknowledge the voice as his own.

"Yes though, it is still more complex. The anchor provides a time point to focus on, and thus we would go back into some point within that time frame. However, both of us have lived past that time, our choices cannot diverge from what we have already done, lest our very existences' be purged. Thus, we will be taken to a place backwards in time, to a place which neither of our particular consciousness's have lived. A parallel, or analogous reality to this one." Candidly, Naruto wanted to laugh make light of the words, and shake them away as the ramblings of a man gone mad. That is, until he considered the fact that the man near him was not insane, from all he knew of the man, each conversation they'd held, it was plain to see he was extremely rational. Though the idea battered within his head with the words impossible stung above as chiming bells. The Uchiha was serious however, and Uzumaki Naruto knew it.

"How do you know this?" To gain such knowledge seemed more then unlikely, research -though Madara was obviously a studious man- would have been extreme. Searching throughout many differing nooks and piecing together differing scraps of information surely.

"Once I gained the Rinnigan I was given the knowledge. Once used, however, the Rinnaigan destroys itself." He blinked for that, such comprehension settling uncomfortable on his mind. He could not understand how kekkai genkai worked in truth, was there an innate knowledge brought simply with their activation, a sudden understanding of how they could -should be used? In past, he had wanted one, but in wisdom had decided they would be a burden upon him in particular. His mouth shut tight within the acknowledgement of the new knowledge, for he was not certain what emotions were arisen within him for the prospect- all within were jumping about in a cacophony of catastrophe, it seemed that within his own mind, his own feelings were battling one another in a large taijutsu match. In predominance was a twisted form of anticipation, following in close quarters there was dread ringing in his limbs with an odd obtunded sensation. Finally, managing to crawl forward fast amongst all other circling emotions- was joy, with hope being intertwined within. His thoughts however were tangled, detaching himself from emotion had never been a task he could do readily- or in truth with any type of competence; he could maintain rationality, however, even at his most focused there was still margins of emotionally inclined logic steeped within. Yet, this, just as strategy in battle, held dramatic potencial consequences be that blessings or curses.

Depending on the 'anchor' Madara mentioned, they would be put into a time when the other man had been alive. However, a differing reality, much the same- from what he comprehended, yet different enough to be noticeable, at least so he imagined. What that entailed was frightening without proper consideration, looking deeper into the possible inclinations was terrifying; would they still have heads on their necks? Would their hair be made of water? What if they grew another limb once there? Granted, those were extreme possibilities: Jiraiya had often expressed confusion, that then turned into exasperation as they traveled, then with a fond amusement as final metamorphosis before they'd returned to the village; that his imagination was far too active at times. Scoffing to himself with a chuckle that did not truly rest in his throat, he shook his head; he did not know with certainty what 'analogous' meant, but he did know what parallel did, perhaps in understanding that he could come up with a more accurate assumption. That is; if it were parallel to their own, it would have to be extremely -extensively?- similar to this one he knows.

He stared to the wall, wishing for the stone to suddenly melt with the fixation of his gaze; with the colour of his eyes however, he chuckled to think that it'd be far more fitting were it to crack from gelid. Blue. Ino had once said, months ago as they were sipping idle on tea; that his eyes frequently changed tones, from a more sharpened light glacial blue when angered -then stated with particular conviction she had only seen such a shade once or twice as they had known each other. A dark sapphire imposing when saddened. Although so very brightened with the tone of cerulean when joyful. Herein, he wondered what language they might be speaking presently, for not even he knew of what mind he was in- what his irises might say without consent.

He kept in silence, though its impending weight made his lip all the more bloody as he bit, his skelp sore for the amount of times he pulled his sweat coated hands through his greased blond hair. Not certain where his own thoughts were stearing him. For two hours there was no sound to hold attention onto save the weak droplets of water nearby, from a sorce Naruto doubted either of them knew. His elder hadn't made a bid to talk, though the shunted blond was astutely aware of the fact he had not fallen asleep, merely waiting for a form of response. Not unexpected given their impactful conversation, least he was patient. It was safe to say that the young jinjuuriki no longer hated the man near, indeed his head was not yet able to untangle the knot of his differing opinions and put the man into a category; still, the idea he had spoken of- that he had asked to hear, was ludicrously trusting, so many factors could deviate. The most prominent being betrayal by the man. The second being if he was caught- he would be charged with aiding and abetting a criminal- a known enemy of Konohagakure; one of the worst crimes in the village, the council would push for a malicious sentencing, though he doubted execution; what it may involve... Naruto was certain he had no want to contemplate. Or, and his optimism provided this thought with a tickle of glee infused; it could simply succeed with little issue. Then, he would be freed into a new life. Was it worth the venture?

His fingers pressed inbetween his pectorals. There was no longer a sting where his kunai had cut, nor an aberration. He hesitated once more, whispering rather then speaking clear. "Do you have anything that would work as an anchor?" A minor hitching of breath followed after the question, it was however, from both of them. Adrinelene was rushing through his system so fast, there was the illusion in his mind that a cliff was impending.

"There is one piece which will be suitable that I hid long ago, when I had been within the village..." Naruto was well aware that he would be let out eventually, a mock trial would was impending; nonetheless, he would be able to wonder about the village, if only slightly- perhaps there would be opportunity to retain the anchor Madara spoke of. The prime issue was if he would be permitted into the prison again so the other man could activate it. The blond breathed deep for his own thoughts, mind beginning to settle on a decision, rather then jumping between options. Everything that had occurred to his home had been from his own existence, for everyone knowing what he had locked inside him, with another chance, perhaps he could be a person of protection- rather then a lure for destruction and devastation. As he had always fought to be.

.o0o.

The cooling sensation had become one of a simplistic cold against the cells of his sensitized skin, yet though the rain poured as a reminder, he stared down to the wetted gravel road and kept placing one foot in front of the other; his gaze affixed firm to kicking of each pebble, the people scampering about out of the bad weather gained none of his attention- as they, in their familiarity avoided him as plague when he passed by. Damp though they were, his fists were coiled tight in the pockets of his pants as his hands shivered against the chill of the soft wind blowing, his thoughts already in height. So many questions arisen from the war, many which he had no want to face. He opened his eyes only to stare at the ripples of the river, calm his mind with its ebb and flowing nature, leaning over the rail for a rest; he sighed into the clean air.

Then looked towards his home village, all the countless civilians wondering about even within the downpour; they each communicated among each other with an ease no skepticism of their own heritage upon their faces, just a calm assurance of safety. The shinobi who occasionally walked within the crowd, never disregarded, smiled upon for their own contribution unto the protection of all- they even gained a casual conversation from the random passerby, a laugh, a smile, a nod, a greeting; nary a large gesture of appreciation, of welcoming understanding of a village who considered each person amongst them a piece of family always warmly greeted. Naruto found his eyes narrowing upon the conceptualization of thought, bitterness warm within his abdomen as he watched them all; he shoved down the feeling with a shake of his head, wishing for ignorance to the acknowledgement he already possessed. He touched at the zipper of his warming suit, remembering it as the gift he had received from his mentor: "now, excuse me, it would be bad if anyone caught sight of the Hokage talking to the demon of Konoha, so kindly- leave." Kindly- so she proclaimed, while her glare festered and bile covered her tone. Since when had she begun to fester a hatred for him as well? His fingers pressed hard onto the metal of the red bridge he had come to love in adolescence, only just having reached its border. "Such a brazenly threatening action against citizens is illegal, you will be brought to the Shi no Machiaishitsu for a few days to calm down, then you will be punished appropriately for your attempt to use the Kyuubi within the village walls."

He shoved himself hard back away from the painted rail as the bridge suddenly began to shake. His heel slipping in slight with the wooden panellings' instability. He turned and jumped to the trees glad for the familiar territory, though each branch required a slight amount of chakra to stick upon as he ran. The leaves were dancing in the subtle breeze and tiny droplets of water filled the air as he sprung by the branches, he breathed in the light mist with shaken breaths. Pausing, at the training ground as three familiar logs came to view, as did the stream beside, though there was hardly a light to properly take in the sight the clearing was too integrated within his memory to forget, and he jumped swift into a patch of damp grass. Allowing himself to walk towards the stream he'd so frequently fallen within, not bothering to care as the wet stones matted his already-soaked jumpsuit further as he sat at the edge. For just simple seconds of mental reprieve, he wished to envision the training grounds as he had known them, to see the fogged silhouettes of naive children, not comprehensive of the banes they would soon hold. Sasuke unknowing of the truth his brother held incased, when he had not been so readily poised for revenge- before the chunin exams. Their mutual annoyance at Kakashi-sensei's poor time management, the stupid excuses the man used to throw simply to agitate them all in good humour. Being fed rice as he was tied up, that whimsical happiness- the warmth in his chest at not being ignored.

He could see it all in his mind's eye, the sun shining down in a comforting illuminance unto all of them, the one that nowadays stung his eyes as he reeled away in disgust for its mocking radiance. He opened his eyes to see the rain, his hair uncomfortable on his neck, heavy and matted. He slapped his own hands onto his thighs as a signal to himself to rise, he had a newfound responsibility to perform and was determined to see it through- even if it meant a bitter end. It was odd to consider that the last Uchiha alive was trusting of him, the wise man was no doubt aware that his trust could prove fatal. Yet, Naruto knew as Madara was a seasoned veteran of war, a previous leader of his clan- a commander by all standards, he would be more than adapt to taking weighted risks, perhaps he merely saw this as a rationalized one. It weren't as if they had a life within this world to miss.

There was a reason he stood within the area, not simply for recollection's sake, no doubt there was eyes on him, it weren't as if he was unfamiliar with the concept. An ANBU stood nearby to observe his movements and to make certain he did nothing out of their restrictions. Which, naturally, was exactly what he planned on doing; although this time it was not for the casual satisfaction of rebellion so much as distraction. There had been many times within his life that the council had seen fit to watch his actions and often he defied their rules, as such he knew the routine whence doing so. Should he utilize chakra, he would be stopped and told off, perhaps hauled away- that however meant that they would be distracted and thus in using his chakra to create shadowclones- he could create two further away, out of line of sight; then that one could go find the anchor Madara had told him about as it was outside of the village. It was not a plan without considerable risk, but given his situation it was all he could contrive upon short notice.

Thus, he conjured his shadow clones.

It took only a millisecond for his guard to descend upon him, as he'd devised- within the back of his mind he wished to snicker at his cellmate -former?- a mockery for having called his shadow clones useless in previous, they certainly weren't now. 'Motley crew' indeed.

.o0o.

Once more he was thrown in, forceful and impactful as his bicep slammed into the ground, hitching his breath and causing a small dry cough from the unexpected action. The corner of his eye bid to glare, but the mask of the man blurred from the difficult angle, no fruit was borne from his attempt. There were no words given to him in recompense, though blue eyes could see through the clay as he sat up with aching shoulder; a scowl was plainly underneath- vicious downglaring eyes, so poignant, so familiar. Naruto met the unseen expression with equality, but said nothing in retaliation where he would have before; control was a necessity were his plan to work, he turned his gaze away in mock subserviance. Looking to his shackles instead; they blocked his chakra from forming outwards but that didn't mean they impaired it, thus his shadow clone was still intact and on its way to the Valley of the End. Were he capable his cheeks may have turned into a smirk, but instead a simple smile rested there instead.

He had limited time.

Madara had managed to pin the intervals between shifts by listening to the guards- and when a new voice in came with a greeting, a new shift had begun. By that, Naruto could use the next guard to play oblivious; after one of his clones fround the anchor, the other would henge into a commonplace ANBU and deliver himself into the cells. Escape quite literally in the palm of his own hands. It wasn't foolproof by any marginal stretch, yet there were scarce options; by any rationality, the village would not allow him out of the gates to idly wonder, thus he would have to exit covertly, and return in the same manner. As it were, with his experience with ANBU and Sai- to his own similar manerisms, Naruto was aware that the organization's bid for secrecy could be easily exploited if one was subtle. The guard whom had released him was different to the one he had seen whence being dragged back, and once again there would be a new man when he returned watching the prison. His exit and re-entry was unlikely to spread as interesting news through three different shifts, especially as he had only left a few hours prior.

Closing his eyes he infused a very minimal amount of chakra inside and focused on one of his other eyes -so to speak.

The light of the change made him blink quite rapidly, though there was no sting or discomfort inlayin with seeing from his clone's eyes, the experience still jarred his mind in obscurity. Nevertheless he looked around, seeing the familiar battleground, both old and new; the eclat it presented, the pride of the Land of Fire, in knowing hidden truths it stood less impressive unto his saddened gaze. In redirecting himself he saw his copy searching on low level of cliff faces near the water, and decided he in turn should search around the statues first. He had been informed that there was a hidden compartment of sorts, a storage area around the Valley- the problem being that the Uchiha had placed the item before the fight between his friend; therein, the Final Valley hadn't existed at the time. Madara had not visited the place -being as he had been stuck inside a cave most of his remaining life, first life.- Thus, he could not depict where his object was with any particular clarity. What would further his conundrum, was the simple fact that the anchor was a stone, a rather flat rock that was a dull, shaded grey, as almost all surface rocks were. The superior difference being that it had lettering upon it, words. However, that was the only discernible element. He would be ired at the man, if it weren't their only viable option of escape.

He could infuse chakra as a clone, though only so much before his real body began showing signs, the problem came from not quite knowing how to proceed. His main goal would be to find the storage area, which he hoped would have some type of seal, a protective barrier or a marking which could indicate him in the right direction at the very least. Madara, in comparison to all those he had met, appeared to be the type not to take a simple chance and leave his secret storage area easy to access or without protection. In fact, unfortunately, when Naruto had gone to ask if there were some type of marking to the place, the Uchiha had fallen asleep. Really Naruto would have attempted to wake the man because of the importance of the situation, however, when they had been discussing it- there was an obvious lethargic nature to the mans replies, they were slow and egregiously rasped out from a dehydrated throat, the blond hadn't the will to wake him. Now it was considerably inconvenient, even so, in judging the man's character, the fallen shinobi could wager on a type of defensive measure. Chakra may be of most use in order to aggravate it and activate a response, even if it were minimal. He had two clones, and therefore could attempt to measure Nature Energy to see if anything was disturbed with his Sage Mode, connecting to nature itself would likely bring forth a type of answer, perhaps only in the general vicinity of disruption, but there at least he would have a specific area to cover, instead of the entire valley.

He sat down rather tentatively as a clone. Keeping his consciousness there, rather than within his actual body, he needed to proceed as quickly as possible. The goal was to return on the third shift, where the guard was bound to be different and wouldn't have been aware he had left-came back-left and come back again. The odd, but welcoming sensation likened to water lathering itself over his skin settled over him, the feeling of chakra seeping into his cells. Instead of weighing him down, however, it brought the lethargic illusion of weightlessness. Opening his eyes brought the clarity of the world around him, the green was vibrant more so then any common eye could see, the sunrays sparkled with their reflections as the leafs turned a mixture of green and yellow as they were hit with the midday sun. The water was a vibrant blue with whitened tips, glittering like fallen stars in the water. Despite his hatred for the beauty of the sun in the last year, its light tones, the luminance that represented joviality stinging at his eyes; he was entranced, as he always was, with the vibrancy Sage Mode brought. This way he could see any chakra disturbance in nature, it would show up as an out-of-place resonance of blatant chakra. As it were, he could see nothing ostentatious; his eyes narrowed, wondering if the place was infact slightly outside of the valley.

Choosing to feel a little more then see, he let the breeze wash over him, letting his senses acknowledge every brush of their touch, each strand of hair they misplaced. The weighted pressure against his feet as he stood on stone. With each breath the slow rise of his chest, as he exhaled and the soft air tickled upon his lips, the whisper of nature's sweetened voice entering his ears. They blew strongest on his left side, pushing him lightly towards his right. Unthinkingly, he followed the direction, opening his eyes, but in doing so keeping their presence around him as if cloaking his mind. Leading away from the valley and forward toward the lake above, rather then the wayside he fell from the trees swift unto the surface of the water, where on the far side near the shore, but further in then the edge, there was a prominent glow. In walking towards it there was a subtle shift to nature's energy, cold, but Naruto under their influence there was a certain cleansing sensation- their air felt ever more pure the closer he walked to the discrepancy. Rather on instinct, he submerged his hand into the water, the washing sensation of liquid gentle and alluring onto his skin with each soothing droplet. A brush of his finger against the stone producing the light had each of his cells nary magnetic, thus with its physical allure upon his own chakra, he pressed his palm upon it- taken by the suckling pressure as it was leeched away from him; and he allowed it to do so.

The only distinct instruction his fellow prisoner had provided him was the necessity of a 'power drain' so to speak. Though apart from modernized sealed storage areas, this was olden, traditionally made and far less simplistic. With modern methods whence to seal began draining it stopped after a particular amount, then opened; within the past, there was no limit it would continue until you completed a second task. As it were Madara had told him to use his other hand to trace the word 'leaf of hawk' and then flare his chakra ever so slightly; that was the key. There was a click as he finished, the sound of a stone dropping upon its kin, and he withdrew his hand as a panel at the front of the rock slid down. Revealing yet another stone, small but not a pebble, it was considerably flat, and in taking it out he found that it nary fit into his palm. Indents upon it drew his attention to find they were in fact kanji crudely engraved, reading out 'trap, scram,' his eyebrows pinched for the sight. Curious now, as to what made this, a token, one important enough to the Uchiha to provide sealed storage. He did not linger upon his wondering, he profoundly doubted his accomplice would tell him his reasonings, obviously, it was of sentimental value, and Naruto would not pry unless he needed to.

Reconnecting with his body always jolted his mentality slightly, more prominently when sat upon the damp rock of a cell. He woke gasping in his next breath, the sudden smell of rotting flesh and shift in air quality had him reeling in discomfort. Attention shifting, taken by the sudden clanging sound of chains rustling near, and he knew his cellmate was awake.

"I found it, now we just have to wait for my clones to return, get the key off the guard and then we can activate your jutsu." He got a gentle snort in reply, though oddly, Naruto could distinguish its softened tone -and he pondered at his own ability to read Uchiha, as he had heard the same type of sound from Uchiha Itachi once and had thought it to be in mockery after he had spoken of Sasuke being likened to a brother; in reality, now, he knew it had been a kind amusement, perhaps even relief. As it sounded presently from his ancestor, it was predominantly similar.

"I'll admit, you are not incompetent." At a younger age, he might have taken that to be an insult, as it implied that he had been thought to be previously; now it was a gratification, and the acknowledgement from someone was warming. He grinned for it, it was genuine praise, within its own boundaries, despite the fact that there was no compliment within.

"Thanks! So... what do you think it'll be like?" He wrapped his shackled arms around his pulled up legs, allowing himself to rock back and forth slightly- the thrill of anticipation boosting his spirits further then they had been for a very long time. Sadly, for the fact that he'd be leaving the home he'd known the entirety of his existence- for the fact that he would have the chance to start again. With the absence of those he knew as solid supports -their deaths, with the soon fall of his friendship with Ino, doubled with the months of guilt with Lee's- there was nothing tieing him to Konoha.

"From minor comprehension, it will be nary identical in many aspects, yet shifted away by added or taken discrepancies. Of what, I cannot fathom."