Chapter Text
"Watch out Naruto!" Kakashi yelled, his voice muffled from behind his mask as he tackled Naruto and saved his life.
A shuriken made out of exploding clay struck the air where's Naruto's head was just a second ago. Before the clay shuriken exploded, Kakashi used an earth style Jutsu. The ground developed the two shinobi in a tight embrace. "Damn it!" Naruto's muffled voice yelled, "I'm still not strong enough!"
"Naruto, be quiet, your yelling in my ear and I'm trying to think."
Kakashi winced, he knew that even though the blonde shinobi beside him took a two-year training mission, he hadn't learned much. Of course, Naruto was physically stronger and taller and maybe a bit more mature, but besides those particular things, nothing had changed. He hadn't even learned a new Jutsu. What the hell did he and master Jiraiya do during their trip? Slack? Kakashi's thoughts were shattered when another explosion shook the earth and broke the jonin's Jutsu. Naruto was the first to jump out of the ground , Kakashi following almost instantly. "So you decided to stop hiding." Their enemy, Deidara, taunted.
Naruto took the bait and retaliated with a kunai throw but missed his target. The silver-haired jonin groaned inwardly, they were never going to win like this. The Akatsuki were just too much stronger than the shinobi of the leaf. Kakashi thought of ways to get the genin and himself away from their battle with Deidara without said enemy chasing them. His thinking took on the form of his Mangekyō Sharingan, which not only worked as a weapon but a way of transportation.
It was a risky decision because he had never tried it, but it was the only thought that rose to the occasion. He hoped he could gather enough chakra before Naruto got himself killed. He closed his eyes and concentrated as Naruto continued the fight to no avail. Deidara kept hitting Naruto with powerful attacks that the blonde could barely dodge. Much less could he fight back, the boy was only 15, 13 years younger than himself. No one expected him to be a hero. He sighed, Naruto needed a lot more training, he had drawn them out of the radio's signal range without a second thought.
The genin had also forgotten about Sakura, who was still back at the cave fighting, Sasori was it? Speaking of Sakura, Kakashi hoped she was doing ok. She had become significantly more powerful over the years, though, she should be fine. Kakashi's chakra rose quickly since he had not used much since the beginning of the battle.
He had just obtained enough chakra as a louder than normal explosion seemed to rip the air itself in half. Kakashi winced again, this one seemed more powerful he thought. He heard Naruto grunt in pain so he opened his eyes. Naruto was lying at his feet, his body covered in blood. He quickly released the advanced sharingan and commanded it to take the two shinobi somewhere far from where they were.
If he were asked to describe the method of travel he was currently using with one word, he would say bewildering. It was like looking in four different directions at the same time but seeing nothing. Naruto was making painful mumbling sounds in his sleep. The jonin was not usually emotional due to his past as an ANBU, but he felt guilt and melancholy as he looked at Naruto. He shook his head in confusion as his Jutsu continued to carry them to their unknown destination.
Kakashi stood there with his eyes closed because opening them hurt. He didn't like the way the foreign emotions ate away at his being. He sighed and opened his eyes as he felt the Jutsu end and they landed... somewhere. Kakashi jumped as a confused voice yelled. "What the hell? Who are you? Why the fuck are you here? No, scratch that. How the fuck are you here?"
Kakashi turned around to find a teenager sitting on a sofa, staring up at the intruder. The silver-haired shinobi's ninja instincts kicked in and he pressed his kunai into the unexpecting teen's throat. He looked at the kid and realized the new face looked a bit like Naruto. The only difference was the hair which was slightly more orange. Kakashi thought the two might even be the same age, which most likely they were.
Hmm, he's cute, he thought in his head just to blink and shake his head surprised. The kid looked a lot like Naruto, and if he thought the unknown teenager was cute then he was basically saying Naruto was cute. What the hell is happening to me? I'm not one to usually compliment strangers who might be a threat. Especially with the word cute. And that goes double for guys. His internal argument continued as the teenager struggled to talk due to the kunai against his throat.
"A kunai?" The orange haired teenager looked up and gasped in shock, "That headband. No way. You can't be."
Kakashi spoke cautiously and suspiciously, "Can't be what?"
The boy ignored the question and his eyes wandered to Naruto's bloody body behind Kakashi and gasped again. His hand flew up to Kakashi's wrist and easily removed it due to Kakashi's inner argument with himself. The teenager flew off the couch he was sitting on, raced to Naruto with lightning speed, picked him up bridal style, and carried him off somewhere.
Kakashi mentally kicked himself, his carelessness caused Naruto to be possibly kidnapped. Though as he followed the rushing teenager down a set of stairs he had time to think, however, briefly. The boy's strong, got to hand him that, and fast too. He followed the kid into a bathroom and watched as he laid Naruto down carefully and started to undress him.
Kakashi reacted quickly and stuck the kunai against his throat again. To his surprise the boy chuckled, not at all bothered by the kunai, "Relax Kakashi, I'm taking care of his wounds."
Kakashi refused to budge bothered by how much the unknown boy knew, "How do you know my name?" he demanded.
"Can't I explain that later? Do you want Naruto dying in my house? He isn't in a serious condition, but I don’t want him bleeding out. Your just lucky you arrived while my foster parents are gone."
Kakashi slowly removed his kunai from against the teen's throat but kept it in his hand for safety. The boy finished removing the clothes but left Naruto's usual green and orange frog print underwear on. He jumped up, ran to a cabinet and pulled out a bottle full of liquid, cloth and bandages. Kakashi stayed where he was and let the boy take care of all the wounds. The kid applied some of the liquid to the cloth he grabbed and dabbed all of Naruto's cuts and scrapes. Naruto muttered something about pain as he slept.
The Copy Ninja's heart panged with sorrow, but he ignored it and asked, "What is that?"
The strawberry blonde replied, "Alcohol, it's great for cleaning out wounds. It hurts a bit, though."
Kakashi stepped back and gave him a bit of room. The boy dressed the wounds almost perfectly. "How do you know so much about medical treatment? You don't seem like the medical type."
"When you get enough wounds yourself, you catch on quickly." The teenager replied a little depressed.
"What's your name? Are you friend or foe?"
"I'm Zanda, and obviously friend. Would I be helping Naruto if I wasn’t?"
The teenager had a valid point. "Last name? It's nice to be formal."
"I don’t have one. Well, I should say it changes very often, so much so I forgot my original one."
Kakashi couldn’t lie, the teenager had piqued his interest. Zanda stood up and went to clean off his hands. "He should be fine, especially with the Nine-Tails helping."
Kakashi glared at the back of the boys head questioningly, "How do you know so much about us? And where are we anyways?"
The teenager finished washing the blood off his hands, picked up Naruto and gestured for Kakashi to follow him, "That's going to be hard to explain."
They walked up the stairs and turned right, "I have the time."
Zanda laughed in agreement, "It'll take a day for Naruto to be fully healed. And you should be able to use your sharingan in about two? Am I right?"
Kakashi nodded slowly, How does this boy know so much about Naruto and I? And what's up with his past? He seems really gloomy, almost as much as Naruto was before he made friends. Zanda set down Naruto on a bed.
"Care to enlighten me?"
Zanda nodded dramatically as he sat down on the floor, "Sure. I've actually had a theory about this for a while now. I didn't expect it to be right much less for it to be proved. Anyways, alternate universes."
Kakashi looked confused as he sat down next to the teen, "Alternate universes?"
Zanda nodded again, "Different worlds, with the same people, sometimes different people, living their lives differently. For example my theory is if someone wrote something, or thought of something, it would become its own separate world."
Kakashi still looked confused, "Separate worlds?"
Zanda sighed exasperated, "Let me make this more simple. Ok, so say you made a choice, like for example picking a left path from a right one. I think that an entirely new world would branch off from that decision, you taking the left path while the branched off world taking the right."
Kakashi nodded in understanding, "That actually makes sense." Zanda grinned broadly, "Thank you. I think your Mangekyō Sharingan took you into an alternate world. Mine. Well, not mine, but this one."
"Wait so were in a different world? Really? I find that hard to believe."
Zanda sighed and pulled something out of his pocket, it was a small rectangle with a weird screen. The teenager pressed a button on the rectangle and the screen lit up. "This is a phone, there are a bunch of these in this world, but probably none in yours."
Kakashi nodded suspiciously, "OK, but how do I know you're not from some different continent in our 'alternate world'?"
Zanda grunted, "This should work."
He tapped the screen of the 'phone' a couple of times, then started typing something. He tapped the screen again and showed Kakashi the phone. "In my world, your world is just a show."
Kakashi stared blankly at the screen as a show called 'Naruto' popped up. "Woah? Seriously?"
Zanda nodded, "There are obvious differences. A lot. For example, Naruto is much more tan in real life. Taller too. But you, " he gestured wildly, "look at you! You're like! Awesome! I barely know you but I can tell they didn't do you much appreciation in the show."
Kakashi blushed at the compliment he had just received and was glad his mask covered it up. Then he mentally kicked himself, I get a lot of compliments, but I only blush like a school girl that this kid gives me? What the hell is happening to me? "You don't seem so shocked by Naruto and I falling out of mid-air."
"Don't get me wrong, I was at first, but I'm just glad to have company."
"You don't get much?" Zanda waved the question away, "I'll answer that later."
The strawberry blonde looked at the phone and tapped the screen again. He typed something and showed it to Kakashi . It read I didn't know if you know, but Naruto just woke up and I kind of wanted to ask a personal question. I know personal questions aren't your type of thing. So just nod if I can ask, if not, just shake it.Kakashi cringed when he saw the word 'personal'.
He also realized Zanda was right, if he listened carefully, he could tell Naruto was slightly awake. Although he didn't know why Naruto wasn't up and yelling at someone. That is what he does most of the time. Kakashi guessed his interrogation deserved at least one question in return so he nodded slowly, locking his uncovered eye with Zanda's bright blue ones. The teenager erased the words already written and asked his question. I'm sorry if this makes you uncomfortable. I am just curious. I am if you wanted to know, but are you... gay?