Changing the River of Time

What.

Naruto didn't feel pain or exhaustion when he finally regained consciousness. He felt as though he just woke up from a nap- which he practically did. When he looked around, he saw that he was near numerous hills and mountains. He could smell salt on the breeze and felt some kind of... power thrumming in the very ground. Something too old to be someone's chakra, but too powerful to be natural.

No... can it be...?

With wide eyes, he ran. Well, lightly jogged is probably a better word for it, but he chased the chakra pulling him home and, soon enough, a ruined village came into view.

Uzushiogakure. The Village Hidden in the Whirlpools. His clan's home. His home.

He walked through the rubble for a long while, just relishing the feeling of home and safety and belonging.

Eventually, he came across a huge building somewhat... less destroyed than the others, barely a whisper of chakra coming from the place. Repeating familiar actions, he went in and smeared a few seals with his blood, letting flickers of chakra run over others. 

He had to pause, an immense area just... falling. Appearing? The little chakra around it fell, revealing a powerful thrum of pure energy acting as a beacon for anyone with any sort of sensing ability. He immediately ventured further into the building, searching for the source with growing excitement. After a bit of wandering, he came across the only completely intact wall in all of Uzushio- a large, thick wall with hundreds if not thousands of varying, swirling images. All linked through a bright red line in the background matching the shade he remembered adorning his mother.

With a gentle push, the wall swung backward, exposing a dimly-lit corridor leading down.  The same he found in his time, about halfway through the war. Following the stairs lead him to a filled yet comforting room- or did he only find it comforting because of the countless hours he spent there? All along the tall walls and strewn seemingly-randomly were bookshelves reaching the ceiling and overflowing with scrolls, books, and relics. Things like Uzumaki paints (mixed with chakra, because the clan made their own materials and mixed them with the immense amount of chakra they had), brushes lined with seals, weapons of all kinds against the back wall... Hell, there was even a bookshelf filled with clothes, accessories, and scrolls depicting the Uzumaki's traditions and legacy. The kind of stuff a child would grow up with instead of having to be told.

In his time, Naruto had learned sealing from his elder Uzumaki and what they left behind, finding the vault in the height of the war. He quickly became a master in his own right- mostly thanks to his blood, but also because of the urgency he scoured the vault with back then. He had a field day just looking at everything again, taking his time to really learn what was offered instead of searching.  

He stored a few scrolls away- scrolls he knew some of his precious people would love to see one day. Plus a few he didn't feel comfortable leaving, as they were too important to leave behind. Powerful seals, yes, but also scrolls depicting the most sacred of Uzumaki traditions, glorified cookbooks, a minor record of all the jinchuriki from Uzushio and their experiences and loved ones.

You know, the important things.

At the river that nearly split the village in half, he got a good look at himself for the first time in several years.

He now had Uzumaki red hair, sharper features, and violet eyes. His signature whiskers weren't in sight, leaving behind an unmarked face. His body was skin and bones, his muscle having been destroyed in an effort for his body to feed itself. He was pretty weak at the moment- at least compared to what he previously had. He would recover much faster than anyone else in his position, but it would be a pain. He sighed and summoned Kurama out from the mindscape.