Hi Bird 👋
Your most recent post about time travel in WOTW has me thinking. Fun time. Would their reactions be different if the person came from another world? Like isekai style? Also how would they handle a Hatake of their time time traveling back? Say Tsuki for example because he's the first one who popped into my mind.
He was cackling in there, FYI. The chaos. The chaos.
[Previous post]
Ooo the classic Naruto isekai fanfic set up,,, hold on I have to think on that actually.
I think it would change things, yes. First off, that would mean it's not a shinobi but a civilian stumbling into their lands; Which still carries a similar danger of an intruder that might tell others about them, but it's not as big as the danger would be if they were a shinobi.
So in general they'd probably get more bonus points of being pathetic / out of place. Plus I have to imagine they'd be visibly struggling with generally everything-- the way of life, the terrible weather, the different, plainer food, etc.
I think Tetsuo's reaction would change the most; He's very susceptible to pathetic people, especially civilians, especially if it's a kid. He'd likely keep his distance still, possibly even more so than before (aware that his resting bitch face has a history of frightening or upsetting people, and not wanting to make their time here even worse) But would be much more likely to step in with Tsuki's meddling, whereas before he'd only step in if Tsuki looked like he would cause actual harm to them.
Come on Tsuki, have some self control-- it's like kicking an injured animal, in Tetsuo's eyes.
Second off, Isekai style getting tossed into this world is very different from just time travel.
The Hatake are ready to believe a time traveler because they have Tsuki standing over there; Living proof that time fuckery is possible (as he lost those 3 years then appeared one day looking just as young), and also a walking detector for time-shenanigans that could verify there's something wrong with the person.
I think they would still believe them, but there'd be a lot more doubt/mystery/questions involved. What do you mean, another world? Like... the spirit realm? No...?
But that's also assuming our traveler tells them-- but also, even if they don't, Tsuki is still like. Right there. And definitely senses that they have some fucked space time shit lingering around them. If anything, I'd have to imagine the traces of it are even stronger or stranger than they would be if it was simply time travel.
Quoting the previous post real quick;
Tsuki doesn't really know what he thinks of her as a person yet, but has taken interest in the anomaly that she is. The way the world warps around her calls to him, the wrongness of her being there speaks to smthn inside of him. I don't know if she can sense it too, and I don't think Tsuki particularly cares if she can either way. She has his interest for now, and while he's liable to get bored eventually, that attention probably won't move for a while. Especially while they're still in the iron woods and she's the most interesting thing he's seen since he first witnessed the spiral.
So all of this still stands, but I do not think he's going to get distracted as easily as he would if it was time travel. Another world entirely... Our time traveler has his full attention, and likely will for a long time.
In general, I imagine the clan is a bit nicer and much, much more curious. Both those with the knowledge of them being from another world and not. How did a civilian end up all the way here? What do you mean another world?!
!!! Hatake time travel !!! Im ngl, I think Tsuki would actually be a terrible choice for it. But that also makes him a fun one, so,
Let's pretend this is a full circle time travel, so around when Tsuki got eaten by the spiral for the final time. He is at his worst. This guy is not mentally sound. Waking up, 18 again in the Iron Woods, he will likely assume this is a dream, or maybe the pure lands, or even some illusion in the heart of the spiral meant to pacify him.
He's going to wander out into the snow and just sort of stand there for a little bit. He's going through a lot.
I think that specifically seeing Daisuke, actually, would be the thing to wake him up a bit.
So quoting another post for context;
Kind of a side tangent, but as I drew this I got to thinking about his and Tsuki's relationship. I think that Daisuke is the person who Tsuki tends to resemble his old self most around— or even the man he might have been without the spiral's involvement. Something about Daisuke's presence makes him comfortably himself in a way no one else can trigger.
So walk with me here really quick. Envision with me.
Tsuki is standing in the middle of the snow. Around him, dawn is breaking. His clanmates begin to go about their day; In the distance, he hears the twins laughing, saying something about Kurumi. There are dogs barking. He can hear sheep. When is the last time he heard a sheep? He thought they'd all wandered off, once no one was around to take care of them.
There's a sudden thump on his back, where Sora has appeared and flung herself at him as she's one to do-- dangling off of his back with a wide grin, looking at him expectantly.
Tsuki looks at her.
This isn't real. This can not be real. A nice vision, perhaps, but not real. So he smiles at her, a small and inauthentic thing offered to the illusion of a girl he loves but does not believe to be truly there.
INSTANTLY Sora is letting go and backing up. Tsuki is in a mood, she thinks. A weird one. He's had moods for a few years now, though there's something about this one that's... off. She's never seen a smile like that from him, let alone directed at her.
Well, she thinks, if he's in a mood, I oughtta tell someone about it. Warn the others so they don't go stepping on his toes and making it worse.
And at this point, Tetsuo wasn't quite The Tsuki Handler(tm) just yet. One of, yes, but it's once they're in Konoha that he becomes the main guy for that. So as Sora backs off to go give the heads up, she wonders if she should try to send someone to help Tsuki along. Tetsuo, sure, but beyond that...
Tsuki continues to stand there, simply watching as the shadows of his clanmates move about their day. It's very realistic, he thinks. Very convincing. He'd want to believe in it, if only he didn't know better. He's tempted to indulge in the fantasy, but is still debating if it would be distasteful to do so. Beyond that too, he feels... odd. Not quite real, floaty and detached from what's happening around him.
His clanmates, sensing his mood and likely warned by Sora, continue on as they were; Going through the motions of their morning routines.
And then--
There's a hand on his shoulder. Big and warm, belonging to a man a head taller than him. Tsuki can smell tobacco smoke. It's a smell painfully reminiscent of his childhood, something he associates almost exclusively with one person.
(Daisuke had not died with the majority of the clan on that dreaded war-time mission gone wrong. Instead, he had passed some time before. Tsuki had not been present, but was assured he died a good shinobi death, protecting the young shinobi accompanying him.)
He was taller than Tsuki remembered. Or maybe Tsuki was shorter, now. He was saying something too, his lips moving for all that Tsuki could not hear the words over the sudden sound of crashing of waves filling his ears.
(Tsuki had taken his death as well as he could. Which was to say, not very well at all.)
Daisuke waits expectantly, seemingly for some answer to whatever it was he just said. When Tsuki does nothing but stare at him blankly, the man scowls. And then, as if Tsuki really was still some child, he scoops him right up to carry back inside.
This can't be real. Is playing on loop in Tsuki's head. But the smell-- That smell--
Tsuki buries his head into Daisuke's neck, and for a moment, allows himself to indulge in this dream.
He just wants a hug from his dad :(
Anyways.
Tsuki time travel would be lots of fun and chaos but I think it also has to come with angst. I cant see a world where Tsuki doesn't absolutely Go Through It(tm) at least for a little, if sent back in time. And that isn't even considering how much his and Tetsuo's relationship grew and changed when they came to Konoha-- yeah, the basis of their dynamic had been years in the making, but it was in Konoha that things really fell into place in a comfortable sort of way.
Tsuki is only 20 when they go to Konoha, and 31 by the time he's once again taken by the spiral. That's eleven years of character development gone. 13, technically, since we'd be some time out from them going to Konoha. (Let's say this specific time travel AU puts him at the start of Wolves of the Woods, a few months before they get invited to the Iron Capital, near the start of the winter (so also before winter sickness kills 5 of them))
Plus, if we're looking at Tetsuo/Tsuki as a ship, while I honestly can't tell you when they started leaning into more of a romantic reading, I guarantee it wasn't till Konoha that you could consider them any sort of "serious".
That'd be a serious loss to Tsuki, who while he would be super down to just act like nothing is wrong and go straight to treating Tetsuo his sort of normal, obviously wouldn't be given the reactions he wants/expects from the Tetsuo of his time.
This would be a period of time where, while Tetsuo may be able to comfort Tsuki, he doesn't really know how to control him yet. And this is also suddenly a Tsuki who is, well, used to letting Tetsuo influence him. Who almost depends on it, especially when he feels vulnerable, off kilter, or not in control of himself. And this is also a thoroughly vulnerable Tsuki coming from the height of his spiral (budum tss)
I imagine that his dominant emotion, when not keeping up his mask, is a detached passivity that has him just sort of,, floating through life. Which is honestly probably some sort of mechanism keeping him from fucking losing it and trying to obliterate everything around him in some sort of well overdue fit of rage and grief.
I do think Tsuki would have fun, poking at this younger version of the clan he loves. He gets to re-experience a lot of wonderful firsts, gets to reminisce about how life used to be, all that good stuff. And as I said, that would be fun for him! It's just that he'd also lose a lot, and I have to imagine that'd hurt him more than he can even really put into words/recognize.
I can also definitely picture him getting unreasonably upset when one of his precious people don't react in the way they would have 13 years in the future. The fact that Tsuki himself would suddenly be stuck in his 18 year old self, with all the chemicals and mental shit he was dealing with at the time, would also probably make him even more dangerous in that regard.
Past all of that though: Tsuki is 1000% the kind of time traveler to "take matters into his own hands" and go around making some uhhh. Executive decisions for people. Only he's Tsuki, so the things he chooses to change are a huge mixed bag and he's generally insufferable to work with.
I think one of the first things he'd try to fix, seeing as he came before the winter sickness, is obviously the deaths that brought them. Which means his first self imposed mission is going all the way to Fire Country to drag back a Senju to heal them <3
This is also a pretty good time to mention that Tobirama actively dislikes this guy. Entirely for legitimate reasons too, seeing as again, Tsuki can be insufferable to work with and often chooses to be on purpose. So. I'm sure that'll go great.
And hey, while he's there, maybe he can even help prevent Izuna's death. I think that he'd like Izuna, actually.
Also on his list of things to change: He might insist on going to the Iron Court with them but also might use it as an excuse to vanish into the woods on another self imposed mission.
Also he's 1000% going to go hunt down the biiju to warn about the future-- them being sealed away was the source of so many future problems, in his point of view. It starts the war that kills his clan, it spreads the jinchuriki seals that prevent him from exposing his own yokai affiliations for fear of what may be done to him, it in general upset the balance of the world and pushed yokai into hiding, and it was technically (from his point of view) tied directly to Madara coming back crazy with Kurama in hand.
On the note of Madara: Tsuki has some motivation to do something about that general mess (though who knows what). Madara was well liked among the Hatake before he went off the deep end, and ofc, as just stated it is in Tsuki's interests to prevent him from putting Kurama in the position to get sealed.
As I say all this though, there's also the fact that Tsuki is established to be incapable of taking missions away from home because of his mental state. So how the fuck is he supposed to do all this on his own? Easy! I think he should get to drag along a deeply confused and concerned Sora and Tetsuo with him <3
Alternate option that could be fun is actually the Tsuki and Daisuke father-son road trip of doom. Daisuke deserves more of a spotlight anyways, and while the Tetsuo of this time isn't quite yet up to knowing how to direct Tsuki's crazy, Daisuke is forever the original expert.
And even is his brat is acting stranger and older than he ever has or should, that's still his brat, and he'll take responsibility for him in a heartbeat.
On a more lighthearted note: Tsuki, after telling people about the time travel (something I think he'd do eventually, but also he might just as well never mention it simply because he doesnt feel like it.) would definitely just start lying about shit.
He's gonna tell Tetsuo they are happily married with three children (Behind him, Sora sneezes) Meanwhile Tetsuo is just staring at him like:
Tsuki: "You impregnated me Tetsuo. Take responsibility." Sora: "Yeah Tetsuo, take responsibility." Tetsuo, through gritted teeth and with real tears in his eyes: "Stop talking. I need you to stop talking. Now. Right now."
But yeah, Tsuki time trave my beloved,, he's such a fun option for time travel to me bc he definitely has the unique power and position to be doing shit, but also like. That guy is a total wild card. And the few out of clans connections he has are largely negative, even among allies. Plus it comes in with so much built in angst,,
Another version of this I can imagine is Tsuki being slammed back into his body at 16, freshly free from the spiral and spitting up water somewhere on a Wave country beach. That one would probably be the "Tsuki immediately goes wild and jumps straight to causing chaos and trying to fix things without giving himself even a minute to process his emotions" au, largely because he wasn't lucky enough to wake up already surrounded by his clan.
Full circle type energy with him going from his final to first interaction with the spiral,,, could be neat,, in this I think he'd also be fully assimilated with The Spiral (as he would be in AU's where he escapes the spiral a second time) so no voices are calling him back to the sea and he could definitely be classified as a yokai. I'm sure that won't have any implications or consequences at alllll
(Meanwhile in Iron Country, his clanmates still believe him dead. Completely unaware of him tearing up the countryside)
Ok this is getting very long (but also it was also very fun to think about), so I'll leave it here for now. Thanks for your ask !!! I will be thinking about this all day now