[ There's a new ache settling into a rattled jaw that feels strangely, comfortingly familiar. It'll fade fast; his new vampirism guarantees accelerated healing for everything that isn't related to the slow shutdown of organs as he continues his transformation, but he almost wishes it wouldn't.

It's less conflicting than actually looking at Naruto properly is; his stupidity and rash behavior is something that will never change but those younger features mean a hell of a lot more than just that he hasn't aged. It means their shared experiences are owned by him and him alone. Of course he asks what happened to him. How would he know if he hadn't faced him again in the Valley of the End? This Naruto is physically whole, not sharing in a loss that had marked them, scarred with yet another reaffirmation of their bond. ]

That's your question? Nothing you say should take me by surprise any longer...

The boundary between this world and ours may be thin but it doesn't mean that it will pull us from the same points. It's clear to me that you come from an earlier time than I do. [ Knowing Naruto as he does, he takes a moment to fully realize that even that probably isn't clear enough. ]

I'm nineteen-years-old. [ Better. ] A lot has happened that you may not be aware of. It'll be easiest if you tell me what you remember last.