Inside the massive hole, the air was cool and still. Above them, huge, rough stones made a natural roof, like a giant, dark cave. Naruto, Lee, Ino, and Tenten all stood on the bumpy, rocky floor.
For a moment, it was quiet, except for their loud breathing. Then, everyone started asking questions at once, their confusion making them talk faster.
"What just happened?!" Ino cried out, looking around with wide eyes. She tried to brush some dust off her now-dirty skirt. "Where are we? And how did we even get here, down inside this place?!"
"This makes no sense!" Lee said, usually full of energy, but now he just looked completely confused. "One minute I was up top, and then... poof! We all just appeared here!"
Naruto scratched his head, looking up at the dark stone roof. "Yeah, dattebayo! It felt like... like someone just pushed me right in! Like a big hand I couldn't see!"
Tenten looked from one friend to another, her eyebrows pulled together. "So, we all felt a push? That means it wasn't an accident. Someone made us come here... but who, and why?" She quickly looked at the rough walls, trying to find a way out or a clue.
"This is crazy!" Ino said, crossing her arms. "First Naruto and Lee fell, and then Tenten and I! What kind of mean joke is this?!"
"A very dangerous joke, Ino-san!" Lee added, his voice serious. "This hole is super deep. If Naruto kun hadn't thought fast, I'm afraid I would have been badly hurt, or worse!" He turned to Naruto and bowed a little. "Thank you again, Naruto-kun, for your quick and strong actions!"
Naruto grinned, sticking out his chest. "No problem, Bushy Brows! That's what a hero does, dattebayo!" Then he looked around again, his smile fading. "But honestly, this place is weird. It's like a cave that just opened up under us."
"We need to find a way out," Tenten said, checking her tool pouches. "There has to be a reason we're here."
As they talked, Naruto's eyes suddenly focused on Lee. He tilted his head, a confused look on his face.
"Hey, Bushy Brows," Naruto said, stopping their talk, his voice a bit quieter now. "How... how are you able to walk around like that?"
Lee blinked, totally puzzled. "Naruto-kun? What do you mean? Of course I can walk. My legs are strong!"
"No, I mean..." Naruto paused, thinking. "Like, you're walking fine. But you were really hurt, remember? From your fight with Gaara. Your leg was all messed up."
Lee, Ino, and Tenten all looked at each other. Their faces changed from confused to completely shocked.
'Naruto is talking about Lee's fight with Gaara?' Ino thought, frowning. 'But that was a long, long time ago! Lee got better from that ages ago. Why would Naruto bring that up now?'
'My fight with Gaara kun...' Lee thought, touching his leg, which felt perfectly fine. 'That was during the Chunin Exams... a hard time, but I got completely better thanks to Tsunade sama and my own tough training. Why would Naruto-kun think I'm still hurt?'
Tenten's eyes moved quickly between Naruto and Lee. 'He's talking about an old injury... one Lee healed from. Does Naruto think we're back in that time? Or is he just... being Naruto?' Her smart mind tried to make sense of the strange comment, but it just made everything even weirder. The air inside the cave seemed to get heavy with a new, unspoken question: what exactly was going on with their memories, or especially, with Naruto's?
Far above, outside the huge hole, the mysterious forest still spread out. It was dark and felt strange under a sky with no stars. The quiet was only broken by leaves moving softly and the faint sounds of crickets.
Suddenly, deep within the unknown forest, a figure appeared out of thin air, tumbling onto the dark ground with a surprised yell. She was a 13-year-old girl with bright red, shoulder-length hair that had jagged bangs framing her face. She wore dark-framed glasses over sharp, smart red eyes, and her skin was light. Her body was thin and moved quickly. Her clothes were useful but special: a tan short-sleeved jacket with a brown line across her chest, worn open over a black net-like top that went down to her legs. She also had a short brown skirt and black sandals with open toes.
Her whole legs were covered in the same net material, making her look ready for anything. This was Uzumaki Karin.
Karin quickly pushed herself up, looking around fast. 'What... where am I?!' she thought, her mind racing. 'This isn't the hideout! Is this some kind of Genjutsu? Or maybe I'm dreaming?' The forest felt wrong—too dark, too quiet. She needed to know if it was real. Without thinking, she lifted her hand and slapped herself hard on the cheek.
SMACK!
Her face stung sharply. To her huge surprise, she didn't wake up. The dark trees still stood around her, and the air still felt cold. 'It's... it's real?!' Fear, cold and sharp, went through her.
Tears quickly filled her red eyes, making everything blurry. She was truly scared.
She took a shaky step forward, then another, looking very hard from side to side. The forest was so dark and thick it felt like a monster itself. Every shadow seemed to hide something. The faint sound of crickets suddenly got louder, very close. Crick-crick... crick-crick...
'Someone's there!' Karin thought, her heart beating like a drum. The fear made her act without thinking. She turned around fast and started to run blindly through the bushes, wanting to get away from whatever she felt was there, unseen.
She ran as fast as she could, small branches breaking under her sandals. But in the darkness, she didn't see the danger in front of her. Suddenly, the ground disappeared under one of her feet. Her leg slipped into an empty space.
"Aaaahhh!" Karin screamed, a high-pitched cry of terror. She lost her balance completely, falling forward into the deep pit. Her screams echoed loudly as she plunged down into the deep, dark hole.
Hidden behind a thick curtain of shadowy trees, Hyuga Hinata watched everything. Her wide, pale Byakugan eyes were fixed on the spot where Karin had just vanished. Her mouth was open, but no sound came out. Her heart beat wildly against her ribs, a frantic bird trapped in a cage. She was frozen, unable to move or speak.
'That girl... she just fell in,' Hinata's mind screamed, but her thoughts felt muffled, hazy. 'Who was she? And why did she fall into that terrifying hole?' A cold wave of fear washed over her. It was the only thing she had seen happen, and it was horrifying.
Her hands trembled. 'I... I just stood here! I saw her! I could have yelled out! I could have warned her! But I didn't do anything!' A deep, heavy feeling of guilt settled in her chest. She had just watched, uselessly. Her legs felt like stone. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, blurring the already dark forest even more. She felt like a terrible person, a useless person. All alone, she believed.
'Why didn't I help her? Why am I so useless?!' Her inner voice was harsh, unforgiving. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, wishing she could rewind time, reach out, do something. But it was too late. The forest was quiet again, the only sound the faint, distant echoes of Karin's scream.
Far behind Hinata, hidden even deeper in the shadows of the twisted trees, stood a tiny figure. He was a six-year-old kid, small and silent, his dark eyes sharp and watchful. He had seen everything. He had seen the red-haired girl appear. He had watched her run in panic. And he had watched her scream as she vanished into the hole.
This young boy was Mini Sasuke. He had accidentally arrived in this strange place, separated from his older brother, Itachi, and his friend, Shisui.
'Another one fell in,' Sasuke thought, his child's mind working much faster and sharper than most adults. His small face showed no emotion, only a deep focus. He had been very careful. He had felt the sudden appearances of Naruto, Lee, Ino, and Tenten. Each time, he had seen them as invaders, enemies who could harm him.
'They could harm me,' he had decided. 'They could be dangerous. I need to get rid of them before they notice me.' So, with quick, unseen movements, he had used small bursts of his newly discovered chakra, or perhaps just a strange, unseen force that came from him, to give Naruto, Lee, Ino, and Tenten a sudden push from behind, sending them tumbling into the deep pit. He was very careful not to be seen, making sure to hide himself perfectly each time.
He remembered seeing others fall earlier too – like the boy with the pale eyes, Neji, and the pink-haired girl, Sakura, and now this red-haired girl, Karin. They had all fallen in on their own, without his help. It was strange how they kept appearing and falling into the same hole.
Now, he looked at Hinata, his dark eyes studying her. 'She's an enemy too,' he concluded instantly. 'She's a threat to my existence. She doesn't know me. I need to get rid of her.'
But then his sharp mind began to work through the problem. 'She's not near the hole. I can't just push her in from here. She would know I'm here. She would see me.' A tiny frown creased his brow. 'If she knows about me, then I'd be doomed. I can't let that happen. Not now.'
He stood perfectly still, a silent, smart child, thinking very hard about his next move. The forest was dark, and his presence was completely hidden from Hinata, who still believed she was the only one there.
Naruto wasn't really listening to Lee, Ino, or Tenten anymore. His mind had drifted, like it often did, to one person. 'Man, I wish Sakura-chan was here,' he thought, a little wistfully. 'She's probably got some smart idea for how to get out of this weird cave. And if she fell, I could totally catch her! Yeah! Like a hero!' A goofy grin spread across his face as he imagined it. 'Kami-sama! If Sakura-chan falls next, I swear I'll catch her, dattebayo! I'll save her, and she'll be so impressed, she'll totally fall for me! Just you watch!' He even pumped a fist in the air, full of childish hope.
Just as he finished his silent wish, a new sound cut through the quiet of the underground cave. A sudden, high-pitched shout, then a terrified scream, echoed from far above them, coming closer fast!
Naruto's head snapped up. 'Whoa! Someone else is falling!' His eyes narrowed, trying to figure out the sound. He gave it a quick thought, just a second. Then his eyes widened. 'Wait a minute! That scream... it sounds kinda familiar! Like... like Sakura-chan's yell when she's really mad at me! Ha! Maybe Kami-sama actually listened!'
He suddenly jumped and started hopping around, a big, excited grin on his face.
"Sakura-chan! Hurry up! Come right into my arms, dattebayo!" he whispered loudly, feeling a mix of desperate hope and anxious excitement. He stretched his arms out wide, getting ready.
The voice from above screamed again, louder this time: "Saaave meee!"
Naruto's grin grew even wider. 'Yep! That's definitely Sakura-chan! The voice is getting super close! She must be just a few inches away!' He quickly aimed his outstretched arms upwards, ready to make the perfect heroic catch.
"Sakura-chan!" he beamed, looking up, a triumphant smile on his face. But then, as the falling figure got closer, his smile slowly vanished. His eyes blinked. The person hurtling down did not have the bright pink hair he knew so well. And her eyes weren't green.
Naruto's mind went into a deep puzzle. 'Huh? Wait... that's not... that's not Sakura-chan! Who is that?!' But it was too late to move. The figure landed right in his outstretched arms with a soft thump. It was Karin. Neither Naruto nor Karin knew each other. In fact, Karin knew no one here, and no one here knew Karin.
Naruto frowned, his face falling. He was both sad and a little annoyed that it wasn't Sakura. He gently put Karin down on the rocky floor.
Karin, still shaking and with tears in her red eyes, looked up at him. "Th-thank you!" she whispered, her voice still trembling.
Naruto sighed, trying to sound cool even though he was disappointed. "It's okay. dattebayo." He then looked back up towards the hole, wondering, 'So if that wasn't Sakura-chan... where is she?!'
Suddenly, a sharp scream ripped through the air from deeper within the cave. "SAKURA!" It was Ino's voice. Almost at the same time, Tenten's voice followed, full of panic: "NEJI!"
Naruto's playful mood vanished completely.
His eyes widened, and all fun left his face. He turned sharply towards Ino's shout, a dark thought pushing its way into his mind: 'No. That scream... Ino wouldn't scream like that unless it was really bad. And she yelled Sakura-chan's name. What if Sakura-chan is here? What if something happened to her? No, no, it can't be! Sakura-chan can't be hurt!'
He was not accepting that Sakura would be there and hurt. He quickly rushed towards the direction where Ino had screamed, his face now completely serious and worried.
Far above, outside the huge hole, the forest was still dark and quiet. Hyuga Hinata stepped out from behind the thick bushes, her heart pounding. She needed to know if the person who had just fallen, the red-haired girl Karin, was okay.
She slowly walked closer to the edge of the huge hole, her Byakugan active, trying to see into the darkness. As she got nearer, she realized just how big and wide the hole was. It felt like it covered a huge part of the forest floor. She carefully peeked down inside once more. It was completely pitch black. She couldn't see anything at all.
'It's so dark... so deep,' Hinata thought, a shiver running down her spine. A new, strong fear began to grow inside her. 'What if I fell inside? What if something happened to me? This place is terrifying!' Her legs felt weak, and she started to become very scared.
Mini Sasuke, who was still hidden in the bushes far away, saw Hinata moving towards the hole. 'Aha!' he thought, a tiny spark of cunning in his dark eyes. 'She's getting close! This is my chance!' He quickly moved forward, ready to sneak out from behind the trees and the bushes to push her in.
But just as he was about to step out, Hinata suddenly stopped. Her fear of the dark hole made her change her mind. She turned around, looking nervous, and started to slowly walk back towards the safety of the bushes she had come from.
Mini Sasuke's eyes narrowed. He froze. 'No! She's getting scared! She's going back!' Seeing her retreat, he reacted instantly.
Without making a single sound, he quickly melted back into the deeper shadows of the bushes, hiding himself perfectly. He knew that if Hinata noticed him now, it would be very bad for him. He couldn't let her know he was there. Not yet.
---
QUIZ QUESTION:
What was Mini Sasuke's internal motivation or thought process when he pushed Naruto, Lee, Ino, and Tenten into the hole?
Options:
A) He was playing a prank and wanted to see their reactions.
B) He believed they were enemies or threats and wanted to get rid of them.
C) He was trying to help them escape the unknown forest.
D) He was testing his newly discovered chakra control on moving targets.
Share your answers in the comments down below!
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Wow! 🤯 Chapter 5, "The Unseen Hand's Game," brought a whole new level of intrigue, didn't it? We saw the immediate confusion and quick teamwork as Naruto, Lee, Ino, and Tenten navigated their unexpected predicament. It was a thrill to write their bewildered reactions and the classic banter, especially with Naruto's focus on Sakura, even in a crisis! 😉
But then, just as they thought they had a handle on things, Karin tumbled into the mix, adding another layer of mystery. And let's not forget the shocking revelation of Mini Sasuke lurking in the shadows! His calculating mind and hidden actions reveal a much darker game at play, explaining those mysterious "pushes." Talk about a chilling twist! 🥶 And poor Hinata, burdened by guilt and still utterly alone... for now.
What's Next?!
Get ready, because the chaos is far from over! In the next chapter, we're diving deep into the mysteries of this bizarre hole. What secrets does it hold? 🕳️ And will our displaced heroes finally come face-to-face with the unseen forces at work? 👻 Plus, will Hinata finally find her way to the others, or is she destined for a different path in this twisted timeline? 🧭 You won't want to miss the shocking discoveries that await! 💥
Thank you as always for joining this wild journey through 'NARUTO: A CHANGE IN TIMELINE'! Your support means everything. See you in the next chapter! 👋✨