Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or High school DxD.
Just A Routine Trip
Chapter 1
It was just a routine trip, the elemental nations where gearing up for another Kage peace summit after the end of another bloody war. So how did things end up like this?
The war, had culminated in a final battle between the two strongest shinobi who still had a pulse, two brothers who where destined to fight. There battle, was the most important battle since the time of the clan wars. These two fighters, also happened to be the reincarnations of Asura and Indra, the legacies of the sage of the six paths.
There could be only one winner in this all or nothing fight, the prize? The winner, would decide the fate of the world. The representative of Asura, was Naruto Uzumaki, a man who fights for a world of freedom, hopes, dreams, and most of all peace. His opposition, the one who carries the will of Indra, is a man who would become darkness, Sasuke Uchiha. Should the Uchiha win, the fate of the world would be that of oppression, fear, and forced peace through aggression.
Although both warriors had a common goal, to rid the world of war, and bring about true peace. There methods differed massively, and neither would give an inch, when two forces meet, they either change and adapt, or clash until one claims dominance.
After a long battle that had more in common with two heavyweight drunks in a pub fight, than a battle between two top tier shinobi, the hero Uzumaki Naruto, claimed victory in classic style, when Rasengan met Enton chidori. Both attacks collided with the force of a speeding truck, the resulting explosion, left one combatant incapable of further fighting, and approximately two kilograms lighter.
A last minute replacement jutsu, allowed Naruto to escape similar injury, and left a clone to take the brunt force of the attack. The battle was decided. and peace could once more reign in these war torn nations, there was no more need for fighting, children could live normal lives, families would no longer be torn apart by the disease of war, the cycle was broken. Finally an everlasting peace?
With the war concluded, the people had to look forward to a tough couple of months, the economies of all five major nations had been hit hard, shinobi would need to be paid, weapons dealers would pick up there tabs, families would require financial support for those dependant on shinobi lost in the war. War was expensive, and the people of the five nations would be expected to foot the bill.
Through these tough months, the Kage of there respective nations, including the newly appointed Hokage Kakashi Hatake, met in a series of meetings to discuss the future of the nations, and hopefully agree terms on an official peace treaty. Discussions had been taking place between the nations on and off for four months, but an agreement had yet to be reached.
The citizens of the five nations, had been assured that discussions where moving in a positive direction, and an agreement could be reached within the month. That was over two months ago. The people had begun to grow worried again, the longer discussions dragged on, the less chance there was of reaching an agreement, this was logic.
That brings us to the present, today would be the thirteenth Kage summit since the wars conclusion, and the first that Naruto Uzumaki would be attending in person.
Entering the gates of Kumogakure, Naruto took a moment to look around at the village. This village lacked the warmth he was used to back in Konoha, the spires rising up to cloud level, made it feel closed in, and suffocating, although that might just be the thin air doing the talking. The lack of greenery didn't help either, for a shinobi from Konoha, trees represented safety, there ninja where the best adapted to fighting in forested conditions.
Thinking about the reasons for his uneasiness, maybe it was just how he felt subliminally, after all, his mothers kidnapping had been plotted here. Although that plan, was also the reason his parents met, so maybe he shouldn't be too harsh on Kumo.
No he probably didn't like this place due to what had happened to Hinata, and her family, because of Kumo's greed. Neji's father had chosen to sacrifice himself for there greed, and a family had been destroyed because of it. Hinata had grown up in a cold house, and became socially stunted from her negative environment. Neji grew to hate his family, and became obsessed with fate due to his fathers self-sacrifice. Never knowing that his fathers act of sacrifice, had been to deny the fate he had been tied to as the younger brother.
Looking up, Naruto realised he'd been lost in thought for too long, and was falling behind his client. Running to catch up he approached his appointed the back of his head, Naruto walked beside the man he was guarding "Sorry Kakashi, I just got lost in thought" Naruto said, smiling bashfully, falling into to step with his long time sensei, and newly appointed Kage.
Kakashi inclined his head lazily, whilst reading his Icha Icha "Don't worry about it" Kakashi said walking at a sedate pace. "Although, you getting lost in thought is odd" he said, in mock confusion. "I wasn't aware you could think that deeply" he added teasingly.
Naruto scrunched his face up "You become a war hero, and this is how the world treats you" Naruto said, shaking his head "No respect I tell you!" he finished, shouting in a joking manner.
"You're preaching to the choir here" Kakashi said, concentrating on his book. " Two wars, and this is the thanks I get" Kakashi added, pointing to the Hokage hat resting on his head.
Seeing this, Naruto raised an eyebrow "seems like a decent reward to me" he commented, after all he still dreamt of being Hokage, and was aiming to be the seventh after his sensei decided to retire. He fancied his chances this time, after all, his competition was Kiba and Konahamuru, he'd surely manage to beat them to it, right?
Kakashi snorted "Being Hokage is too much work, I barely have time for my precious Icha Icha anymore" Kakashi remarked, nuzzling his prized possession lovingly. " It's all paperwork and meetings, I don't know why anyone would want this job". He was a man in his prime,seriously, he was too young for this shit.
Naruto looked at his sensei in disgust "honestly, you have a one track mind" he said, shaking his head in exasperation. "It's not healthy sensei, you should get out more" he added, eying the orange covered book.
"No thanks" Kakashi said passively, honestly what he did off the clock, and in this case, on it, was his business alone. Turning his gaze to his student, with a glint in his eye "It's not like you can talk anyway, after all, you've got one of your own" he stated, in a triumphant tone, tapping the books orange cover and sniggering lightly.
Naruto looked at Kakashi in horror " lies and slander, you'd never catch me reading that smut" he stated quickly, with a rising blush. There was no way he could know about that, he'd made sure to lock the door, and draw the curtains. Carrying on, lest he draw suspicion " making those claims without evidence, honestly sensei who are you trying-"
"third floorboard from the wall, under the bed, beneath your stack of manga" Kakashi interrupted, watching his students gums flapping."You're ten years too young to pull the wool over my eyes" the scarecrow stated sagely. He didn't hold the title of Hokage just for his good looks, He had a sixth sense about these things, truly the talent of a Kage level ninja if he ever saw one.
Forming a thin line with his mouth, Naruto proclaimed "That's violation of privacy, you can't just go rooting through my stuff whenever you please!". Surely that broke some kind of law or something. What was it those people always said to the law enforcement "you need a permit for that!" Naruto shouted, imitating a criminal with something to hide. Which he did, his stash, was clearly incriminating evidence to fifty percent of the population.
Kakashi just shrugged "I'm Hokage, I can pretty much do as I please in the village" he drawled easily. "Besides, I still have to keep a watchful eye on my cute students" he stated teasingly, as they continued there walk towards the meeting."After all, with Sasuke becoming a criminal, and you a pervert, I should really be worrying about what Sakura is hiding" Kakashi said worriedly, did he even want to know? Maybe he was better off not knowing that one.
Bringing his hand to his forehead, Kakashi rubbed it tiredly "where did I go wrong? you used to be such good kids" he stated in a motherly tone, cursing the world and it's bad influences. It was obvious where Sasuke got it from, but Naruto's perversion was a complete mystery to him, he was certain that he wasn't involved though.
Naruto returned his expression to neutral, before replying "anyway that book isn't mine" he stated evenly. "It's all I have to remember him by now after all" he continued sadly, remembering his deceased sensei.
Jiraiya may have been a massive pervert, who enjoyed loose women, gambling, and boat loads of alcohol. But he had also been like a father to the blonde for three years, he'd learned more than just shinobi skills from the man after all, his upbringing had left him underdeveloped in many areas, not least emotionally. Spending a couple of years away from the pressures of the village, had really helped him there. They still had to work hard with his training during that time, but he had also felt what it was like to be a normal kid, doing things he had never had the chance to do, back in Konoha.
Seeing his students mood take a turn for the worse, Kakashi intervened "He'd be proud of you" the silver haired man stated "not just him though, your father, and mother too " he smiled sincerely " and me " he finished, ruffling the hair of his prized pupil. Naruto had done everything they could have expected of him, the rest was in the hands of the Kage, in his hands.
Picking his head up, Naruto smiled, a true smile, which was occurring more often since the end of the war. With the way things where now, there dreams could finally be realised, it felt like a massive burden had been lifted from his shoulders.
Kakashi smiled back, before perking up "Well no more moping around" he said neutrally "you're going to make us late for the meeting" the copy ninja stated, pointing accusingly at the whisker marked teen.
The blonde widened his eyes, and pointed at himself incredulously "me!" he shouted offended. "You're more than capable of that yourself!" Naruto said, forming a ram seal. "Lets use shunshin no jutsu then" he stated, building up his chakra and picturing the Raikage building.
Kakashi looked at his student lazily, before nodding "well ten minutes is late enough I suppose, this meeting is important after all" he just had to hope this didn't ruin his reputation. Kakashi, the eternally late ninja, turning up only ten minutes late, he hoped it didn't bring about the apocalypse. well maybe it wasn't that serious, it'd probably just revive Madara Uchiha, nothing they couldn't deal with.
Bringing there hands up into the ram sign, the two legendary ninja nodded to each other, before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.
Appearing in the Raikage building suddenly, the two shinobi found themselves surrounded, by the designated guards of the present Kage. Looking into the gaze of his current aggressors, the Hokage waved disarmingly.
"Yo sorry where late" the silver haired man said, in his typical disingenuous tone. "A black cat crossed our path in Shimogakure, so we had to detour to the shore, and water walk to Kumo" the former sharingan wielder stated, in monotone.
Hearing this caused most of the room to face fault, and left the guards muttering curses about silver haired scarecrows, and where exactly they'd like to shove that black cat. The room was a two tiered construct, the first floor was taken up mostly by the large round table used for council meetings, the second tier was a viewing platform that ran around the the upper part of the room.
Seeing the intruder was the perennially late Hokage, the guards sheaved there weapons ,and returned to there stations in the viewing platform. Naruto, seeing no present threat decided to join them on the platform, as Kakashi occupied the remaining seat at the table.
Examining his surroundings curiously, Naruto went about identifying his fellow bodyguards, and found he was familiar with all of them, although to a varying degree. Running through them in his head, he picked out there features and important information.
The bodyguard from Iwa is Kurotsuchi, an eighteen year old Jounin who stands at average height and is known for her lava release kekkei genkai. Her most remarkable feature is her pink eyes, rarely found anywhere in the elemental nations. She has an androgynous face, framed by short black hair, cut to just above her cheekbones.
The Iwa Jounin, was wearing her usual ensemble consisting off the standard brown coloured Iwa Jounin jacket, a red loose bodysuit that covers from just above her collar bone, and stretches down the length of her body, ending just above mid thigh height. Her legs are covered by ninja mesh leggings, and end in a pair of brown open toe ninja sandals, completing her look, the forehead protector designating the wearer as an Iwa Shinobi rests proudly on her forehead.
Moving on, Naruto next examined the shinobi from Kiragakure. Chojuro, the blue haired swordsman who wields the famous Hiramekarei, was standing with more confidence than he remembered, a testament to his growth through the war.
Standing at five foot three, the blue haired shinobi may seem lightweight compared to more imposing foes, though any opponent who treats him in such a manner would find themselves swiftly regretting it. His most unusual feature can be found in his mouth, the trademark shark teeth of the seven swordsman of the mist. Sitting on his nose are a pair of square thick rimmed glasses, connected to a pair of black ear protectors.
Chojuro's clothing consists of a light blue, pin striped shirt, covered by a vest like holster that holds his trademark blade firmly on his back. His legs are covered by three quarter length brown on white camouflage pattern pants, and on his feet he wears a pair of black shinobi sandals. His forehead protector is located on his holster, and signifies his position as a Kira nin.
Done with the blue haired Jounin, Naruto turned his sights to the shinobi he was most familiar with, Sunagakure puppeteer Kankuro. The brother of the current Kazekage, and leader of the surprise attack squad during the recent war.
Kankuro is the second tallest among the guards, standing at five foot seven and a half inches tall, he possess a stocky build, which matches his fighting styles reliance on puppets and body strength, as opposed to the lithe build of a speed type shinobi, or the sculpted build of a taijutsu specialist.
The man from the land of wind is wearing a long black hooded top, and a pair of black ninja trousers with a red sash tied around the waist. On his feet he wears a pair of black ninja sandals, a functional, but rather bland outfit. His face is anything but bland though, mostly because of the purple make up,...I mean face paint that he chooses to employ, must be a Suna thing.
Kankuro has short brown hair hidden beneath his hood, and a manly, but unremarkable face with dark brown coloured eyes. Finishing his look off, is the before mentioned purple face paint, which is applied in a thick line across his face at eye level, and around the edges of his mouth.
Seeing his gaze, Kankuro nodded his head in greeting, giving a short wave of the hand. Smiling Naruto nodded back before continuing his observations. Panning to the final guard, Naruto felt an eye twitch coming on at the man relaxed posture and body language, it seemed to belong more to a man trying to sleep than a guard.
This man is Darui, the user of the famed black lightning of the Sandaime Raikage, and current favourite for the position of Godaime Raikage. Darui is also a kekkei genkai shinobi who possesses the storm release bloodline, a combination of water and lightning nature chakra which enables the user to create deadly energy beams.
Darui is the oldest and tallest amongst the guards, at twenty six years old, and five feet eight inches respectively. The storm release user has dark skin colour, a common trait amongst the citizens of Kumo, and medium length, white shaggy hair which covers one eye.
His clothing consists of a black sleeveless shirt, loose black pants, a white, single shoulder strap flak jacket, and a pair of black ninja sandals. The white haired man also has white bandages wrapped around his wrists and a broad bladed cleaver strapped to his back. His last notable features are the two tattoos on his shoulders denoting the characters for water on his right, and lightning on his left.
Done with his observations, Naruto turned his attention to the shouting going on downstairs, it seems Kakashi's entrance was appreciated only by a select few, namely himself. The Tsuchikage seemed the most displeased, if the shouts of "Youngsters these days" and "if I can get here on time with my back" where any indicator. The old man really should consider handing the hat to somebody more physically capable, but he wouldn't say that out loud.
With the old man's complaining coming to an end, it seems the meeting could finally get under way. The first topic? economic relief for the lands damaged on battlefield ten; site Charlie. This was what was discussed at the meetings? Was money the most important factor at play here? He could see why Kakashi was dragging his feet more than usual today, this stuff was boring.
This was not the only discussion on these matters, although he didn't know the exact amount there had been, he'd tuned out after the third instance, this was some seriously boring stuff, he wasn't into finances, and he wasn't interested in the value of the Tsukada families prized rice crops.
Checking the clock, Naruto noted they where entering the final hour of discussion, it seemed they might finally be getting round to the most important matter as far as he was concerned. The peace discussions.
Tuning back in with a stretch and a yawn, Naruto focused his full attention on the proceedings, this could be the most important hour in the history of shinobi after all. Observing the meeting, it seemed things where going well, indeed Gaara the Kazekage, Mei Terumi the Mizukage, and Kakashi, had already reached favourable terms. The Tsuchikage Onoki was also happy to agree to a coalition government as a way of merging there lands, as long as Iwa received favourable financial relief.
The land of stone had been hit particularly hard during the economic collapse, this was due to the price of iron and important metals rising rapidly after the war. Iwa's economy relied upon it's metalworks, but due to the rising prices caused by the short supply of metals, there was no way of producing these products at an attractive price, hence the need for financial relief.
The major stalling point of the peace treaty, was the Yondaime Raikage A. The Raikage, from what he had experienced isn't a trusting, or forgiving man. It seems the problem relied upon the imbalance of military power, Konoha was now the most powerful of the five nations, and that was by some distance.
A was no fool, the balance of power did not favour Kumo, his duty, was to protect his lands first and foremost, the only way to balance things, was if Konoha was willing to give up one of it's two army destroyers. Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki, both possessed enough power to level a great village, yes even the famous A and B duo, and the entirety of the Kumo shinobi forces, wouldn't be able to stop both of them combined.
All that could be offered where pretty words, merging forces, no more need for fighting. These things meant nothing. War can spark from anything, a simple dispute over land, crops, or money. When it did, who would the shinobi side with? Those from there home nation, there family, or strangers with no common background or connections.
Uchiha Sasuke was particularly dangerous, his mind was unstable. The Uchiha, had been given a light sentence from Konoha, due to his work in the latter parts of the war, but did that excuse him of international crime? If the reports about the final act of the war where correct, Uchiha Sasuke planned to throw the world into chaos, not only destroying the tailed beasts, but also the Kage system. This man, would be free to wander the world in three months time, was he simply supposed to trust this criminal, who had attacked his village, and attempted to kill his brother, not even a year prior. What kind of fool did they think he was?
That man, had also taken his arm during a fight, at a Kage summit of all things. No, he was correct in his path of thinking, they needed to dispose of one of these two shinobi, and he couldn't get at Sasuke. Plans were already in motion, after today, there would be only one remaining. Konoha, would then have to act, on Sasuke Uchiha, a shinobi they could no longer control, a shinobi with a violent history, a shinobi with delusions of grandeur.
Later today, a terrorist attack would result in the death of Naruto Uzumaki, the terrorists, would be brought to justice by Kumo, and the nations would find peace, to honour the memory of there hero. That was the plan, sometimes the few had to suffer, so that the many can prosper. Konoha had given them that avenue, Orochimaru still lived, a shadow that caused fear amongst the masses, and an easy target for the blame game. Konoha, had the bad habit of letting it's mess get out of control, and if they weren't going to clean it up, then it was left up to somebody else to put it right.
In truth, the terrorists would be volunteers from there own shinobi ranks, ones who had lost everything during the war, who only wished the death of there families and comrades, had a purpose, to find meaning in death. The volunteers had been given mind seals to prevent them speaking the truth as a fail safe, but it was just contingency. The shinobi had been kept under monitored genjutsu for a month, a genjutsu in which Orochimaru was there master, and all traces of life in Kumo was removed, in short, Orochimaru was all they lived for, a common trait amongst his employ.
Naruto Uzumaki, was annoyed, no progress had been made in convincing the Raikage, he simply wouldn't budge on his position. Why was the balance of power important? there was no more need for fighting, the nations would simply merge forces under one banner, like they had already.
The meeting was drawing to a close, and still no agreement had been reached. Maybe it really was up to him to convince the Raikage, if he could just talk with him, then it might be possible. It was his burden after all, a legacy from Jiraiya, Nagato, Minato, Yahiko and Konan, he couldn't afford to fail.
With the meeting ended, the Kage's and there entourage took there leave. Waving at the retreating Gaara and Kankuro, Naruto jumped down to rejoin Kakashi and tell him of his decision.
Putting his serious face on, and finding his resolve, Naruto turned to Kakashi, and opened his mouth to speak "I'm g-".
"You're going too speak with the Raikage" Kakashi stated knowingly, looking his student in the eye, causing Naruto to splutter." Oddly, you're not the only one who wants that, the Raikage wanted to speak with you personally"
Naruto blinked in surprise, raising his eyebrow " He does?". Maybe there really was a chance to make progress, both sides wanted to meet, he would need to choose his words carefully though. He had not been successful at convincing him the first time, he couldn't get him to forgive Sasuke.
Nodding his head, Kakashi motioned for him to follow " Yes, the Raikage talked with me in private, he seeks assurances regarding Sasuke's loyalty and state of mind."He supposed that was fair, Sasuke's actions had been erratic to say the least.
Walking up an incline, Naruto and Kakashi approached there destination, an old Shinto temple, a rare area of greenery and solitude in an otherwise crowded, and quite cold city. Red arches towered above them as they climbed the stairs, bordered by sweet smelling bushes, a gust of wind sent bells jangling, accompanied by the rushing of leaves.
Reaching the zenith, the duo continued across white cut stone paving, and stopped in the centre of the paved area. To there left, a pond stretched down the length of the paved area, bordered by small trees with foliage the colour of fire. The right of the area, is taken up by an imposing temple of traditional design.
"Didn't think A was the religious type" Naruto stated amused, really? A temple was where they where going to decide things. "Strangely fitting though, something about this place feels otherworldly". Maybe gods really did exist, honestly he didn't know, and likely wouldn't until the day he died.
Kakashi made a noise of approval as he scanned the surrounding area, for a man who had already been resurrected, it wasn't hard for him to believe such beings where possible. You could say they'd already met god's, people like Nagato, Madara, Kaguya ,and even Naruto had performed feats that shouldn't be possible, even for super humans like shinobi. He wouldn't let Naruto know that though, didn't want his head getting too big, the last thing he needed was another person with a god complex running around.
Yawning, Naruto looked to the sky in thought, how was he going to change the mind of a man like A. How could he succeed, where the Kage had failed? What did he have to offer that no one else could, this was different from most other times. He'd managed to change a great many people, but they'd all shared similar experiences to him in one way or another. Did he and the Raikage even have any similarities, he couldn't think of anything that they shared. Even there personalities where like night and day.
Suddenly, Naruto was shocked out of his musings. Chakra on this level, a tailed beast? What was a tailed beast doing in Kumo. This energy level could only be output by a tailed beast, but why does it feel human?
Kakashi's suspicion had already been rising, every passing minute had only served to increase that. But this concentrated energy was unnatural, it had suddenly appeared, no build up, nothing. Tailed beasts couldn't suppress there energy to this degree, it was simply impossible, even the worst sensor, could feel the presence of tailed beasts at the range this energy had appeared. Then, just as suddenly as it appeared, the energy was released, at them.
Thinking quickly, Naruto, powered Kakashi and himself up with chakra from Kurama. It was no use trying to dodge such a large spread attack. He may have escaped alone, but Kakashi would be caught for sure, he couldn't allow that. Positioning himself in front of Kakashi, he prepared for the oncoming energy as best he could, creating a dense chakra coating, this should allow them to ride out the attack.
Grimacing, Kakashi cursed, if only he still had his sharingan, a Kyuubi enhanced Kamui would have given them the perfect gap to slip through. It seems he would have to rely on Naruto's power. The situation they where in now, was oddly reminiscent of there first c rank mission, he'd put himself between his students and Zabuza, in much the same manner as Naruto was now. Had the gap grown that big between them? Am I truly just a burden for Naruto now.
Feeling the high pressured chakra wash over them, it seemed Naruto's defence would hold, the chakra of the Kyuubi was simply too potent, even for such a vast amount of human chakra. It was like water on stone, sure water would eventually win , but in this instance, the amount of water was not nearly enough, or so he hoped.
That led him onto greater matters, such as the Raikage's apparent betrayal. Was Naruto that much of a threat that he needed to be removed in such a manner? Or was there more to it. Either way, this would certainly make any discussions of peace difficult, countries had gone to war for much less than the Raikage's current actions.
Naruto, was pushing everything he could into creating energy purely for defence. Riding out wave after wave of the oncoming attack, the air itself began to feel heavy. The area around the temple was becoming saturated with chakra to such a high density, that a sensor ninja could probably feel it, all the way in Konoha. An attack on this level, would be enough to finish most ninja, only those with an ultimate defence on the level of Susanoo could hope to withstand an attack of this magnitude.
Unknowingly, there resistance was futile, the chakra cannon which Kumo had utilised, was a smaller version of there biggest secret weapon. The chakra transportation cannon, the smaller version worked by infusing an area with chakra, before triggering it's second mode. The second mode, used it's built in chakra manipulator to create an enclosed shell, inside this shell the victims would be subjected to a space time technique, one strong enough to bridge dimensions.
The Yondaime Raikage, in the guise of Orochimaru, stared at the ball of chakra that had formed, all that was needed now was his signal, and this could all be over. Kakashi was collateral damage in this instance, but there could be no going back, he'd already gone all in. Konaha, would most likely reinstate the Godaime Hokage Tsunade, as the replacement for the copy ninja. Tsunade was very fond of the Uzumaki child, she would most likely be distraught upon hearing of his death, but she would also stop at nothing to see his dream through, a dream her deceased comrade Jiraiya also shared.
Looking at Naruto in sphere, the Raikage remembered his words about the child of prophecy, which caused him to think, perhaps he really was the child of prophecy. "Naruto Uzumaki, you have seen that role through to completion". Naruto's very name now carried enough power to guarantee peace in his memory, at least for a time." There is no room for monsters in a realm of peace" the Raikage stated to himself. Monsters, with enough power to decide the fate of a world alone. That was a power no man should possess,they where just like Madara Uchiha, too strong for there own good.
Deciding now was the time, the Raikage thrust has hand forward, and formed a half tiger seal pointing towards the sphere, before closing his hand into a fist, the signal for stage two. The effect was immediate, the sphere started to shrink rapidly, before completely disappearing, no big explosion , no sound. The tale of Naruto Uzumaki ended in a single silent moment, and not the fan fair it perhaps deserved.
Nodding his head, A simply uttered "If you somehow survive this, then throw away that foolish moniker". Those who played that role, just forced themselves into a life of despair. complete everlasting peace is something that can't be obtained. We must simply protect the peace of the ones who are close to us, nobody can protect the hearts of all humans. When somebody chooses to protect someone in this violent world, they are also choosing to let go of someone else, be that a killer, kidnapper, or a thief, there is always a potential sacrifice involved when you choose to protect.
Naruto drifted through darkness, he couldn't breathe, did he even need to, was he dead? Everything was black, there was no sound, no warmth, nothing. He couldn't even feel scared, he felt nothing, no fear, no despair. Did emotion even exist here? Was this death?
After what felt like an age the sphere expanded again, he could finally breath, he could feel again. Gasping for air Naruto quickly examined his surroundings, the only thing that stood out was coloured light as far as his eyes could see. It seemed that no life lived in this place, was this hell? Feeling a drain on his reserves, Naruto realised that his bodies chakra was being depleted, at a rapid rate, no wonder he couldn't see any life if that was the case.
If this place was draining even his reserves this quickly, then Kakashi didn't have long, if he was here too, he half hoped that wasn't the case. Calling up Kuram- what? He couldn't access that chakra at all, running chakra to his abdomen, Naruto lifted up his shirt and examined the seal. Whilst not on the level of his parents, Naruto still possessed knowledge of seals, apparently it was an innate talent of the Uzumaki clan, they could read seals like normal people could read newspapers.
From his observations, it seemed the connector that allowed Kurama's chakra to flow into his coils, had been damaged in transit. That wasn't good, whilst he could read seals, he was completely useless at creating them, they where different skill sets. That was a problem for later though, right now Kakashi could be running on fumes.
Whilst Naruto was not an exceptional sensor, he was good enough to find a chakra signature in a lifeless void. Picking up his signature, Naruto forced chakra too his feet, and exploded into a full sprint directly north. It seemed Kakashi was on the move, but his reserves where running low already, he had barely a minute left before he was sucked dry.
Due to his larger reserves, it didn't take Naruto long to close the gap between them, turning to Kakashi, Naruto examined his village leaders condition. Kakashi had seen better days, his silver, hair matted by sweat, clung to his face, his skin colour was noticeably paler, and his eyes had thick rings beneath them. Kakashi was suffering the onset of chakra exhaustion.
Seeing the orange clad ninja catchup, Kakashi pointed ahead towards an area that differed from where they had been. Fourteen miles ahead there was a gap in the seemingly endless kaleidoscope. Kakashi always had sharp senses, even without the sharingan, his eyes where sharp and his nose was a match for some Inuzuka.
Kakashi, took heavy breath after heavy breath, forcing oxygen through his burning lungs, right now his body was operating on sheer willpower alone. Counting down the miles, the duo shot towards there destination like bullets in a chamber, thirteen miles, twelve miles, eleven, ten. Then it happened, Kakashi's legs gave out on him, sending him crashing to the ground, he had no chakra left for body reinforcement. When a ninja runs low on chakra, there body begins to shut down all none vital operations, a defence mechanism designed to protect the user from exhausting there last sliver of life force.
Assessing the situation quickly, Naruto applied the brakes, skidding to a stop next to his teacher. Placing his hands beneath Kakashi's neck and legs, Naruto hoisted the silver haired Kage firmly into his arms. Ten miles was all that stood between them and freedom.
"Naruto.."Kakashi forced out of his dry throat "this.. is as far.. as I go" the former sharingan wielder stated weakly, grasping Naruto's upper arm. The energy in this void didn't just corrode chakra it seemed, he could feel the effect on his body already. Even if they made it out in time it was to late for him, this was as far as he went. Minato, Obito, Rin, looks like I'll be meeting you again, maybe a bit sooner than you'd hoped though. He would have to choose his final words carefully, what could he say to his student, as his final lesson.
It might be weird coming from him, but Naruto had always been carrying the dreams and desires of others. Ever since the day he had been born, he had been carrying a burden, his first burden was something he had turned into his strength, the Kyuubi. That was the first weight, the curse of hatred. Naruto, was forced to bare the hate of an entire village on his shoulders. Naruto had grown up ignored, and hated by almost an entire village, but instead of hating back, he had sought to gain there love through great deeds.
The first burden, had been placed on him by his parents, and solidified by the people of Konoha, he had not chosen this burden. The second burden, was one he received from his team, Sasuke Uchiha. The day Sasuke defected, Naruto, had promised to return the love interest of Sakura to team seven. Naruto had failed on his first attempt, but his sheer determination and unbending will had eventually won through, he defeated Sasuke on the final day of the war, and fulfilled a four year long promise.
The third burden, had been placed by his godfather Jiraiya of the Sannin, bringing true peace, and ending the cycle of hatred. Could such a thing be achieved? For as long as humans had been in existence, so to had hatred, could you really abolish something that was an inherent part of human nature. Naruto had been charged with this task, and in his opinion, had come as close to succeeding as was possible. The rest, was left up to those left behind. Naruto had done enough.
Catching his students eye, Kakashi prepared his words "Naruto..you always.. lived for others" Kakashi said, smiling bitterly. "You've always carried.. the weight of the world.. on your back" Building up his strength, he uttered the words his student needed to hear "It's okay to help your friends.. but you must follow your own dreams.. it's okay to be selfish..You've done enough, Naruto" smiling truly Kakashi hoped his words could reach him. If not, Naruto would continue to walk the path towards self destruction.
Naruto felt his eyes tear up "What are you saying Kakashi?" gritting his teeth "this isn't the end, it can't be!". Naruto continued to run, Letting his tears run, leaving a silver trail behind them. They'd come so far together, to end like this, that was just too cruel.
"This is.. the last.. time Naruto" Kakashi muttered smiling " You've done well...it's enough" feeling his consciousness fade Kakashi muttered the words Naruto had always wanted to hear "I'm proud...Naruto.. but it's time for...your story to truly begin". Feeling his last strength disappear Kakashi uttered two simple words " Live..Naruto.." before his eyes closed for the last time, his body fading into the void.
Crying openly, Naruto looked at the face of his sensei in despair, had he been quicker, or stronger, could things have ended differently. Naruto shook his head, but what he had said, was that true? Did he truly have no dreams. His dream was to be Hokage, wasn't it? Or was it simply the continuation of his childhood search for recognition, what he said could actually be true.
He'd been living his life for a prophecy, Asura and Indra the relics of the past, just how much freewill had he even had? How far had Asura's will extended over him? Where did Asura end, and Naruto begin. He couldn't stop himself from cursing the sage slightly, was he manipulated? all the previous carriers of Asura and Indra had also shared strong bonds that caused each other hardships. Sighing, Naruto shook his head, he guessed there where some things we never truly found out, he had to move on. He was free now, the prophecy had run it's course. Now he had to find it, a reason to live, his reason to fight, a dream.
He felt oddly relieved despite the situation. If he survived this, then he could find it, a new world, full of opportunity, a place where he could finally be Naruto Uzumaki. Finding his resolve, Naruto powered forward faster than before, carrying the words of his Sensei in his heart. "Thank you sensei, for your most important lesson" launching himself through the dimensional gap, Naruto turned his head to the side " I'll never forget those words Kakashi, from now on Naruto Uzumaki, will follow his dream!". looking ahead, Naruto gave his warning " look out world, here I come!" the Blonde ninja charged forwards determined.
Naruto had arrived, in the world of Dragons, angels, devils, and all manner of strange creatures, truly a world where dreams could be forged. Not that he knew that of course. The question was where would Naruto's loyalties fall?
The world flashed for a moment, and his vision became hazy as he adapted to the change in scenery, wait, what was that brown thing up ahead? " Ooffff" feeling the wind knocked out of him as he tumbled to the floor, Naruto rubbed his head. That brown thing was a tree.
"That was kinda lame" Naruto said, looking around, still rubbing the back of his head " Don't think anyone saw it though". Damn trees ruining his cool entrance, how selfish of them. He only had one chance to get the perfect entrance, and now it was ruined.
Jumping to his feet, Naruto looked around in wonder at the trees and plants around him. He was in a whole new world, who knows what he could find here. The first thing he did, was jump up the tree he had ran into, and settled himself in a meditation pose. Sage mode was his strongest tool when it came to learning about an area, and in this case it would give him a window into this worlds inhabitants.
He hoped there where at least humanoid beings here, could get kinda boring otherwise. There might even be ninja in this world too, or maybe there were other things that could be a threat. Closing his eyes, Naruto began to take in the worlds energy, though he could already feel something odd about it. The nature energy in this world was strangely malevolent, he could only compare it to the hatred found in unfiltered Bijuu chakra. His prior experience with that type of energy, made ignoring such intent a simple task, but for inexperienced users, it could lead to situations like he himself had faced in the past.
Stretching his energy through nature, Naruto searched for areas of life force that would indicate towns or cities. This world was different to his own it seemed, there where vast pockets of life signatures on a scale his world couldn't even come close to matching. The closest pocket, seemed to be located to the east, this area in particular had a large array of different signatures, ranging from tiny to quite large. There where beings like Shinobi in this world, if the gap in power between these signatures was any indicator, though there seemed to be a much lower ratio of trained fighters.
The lower amount of fighters did make sensing strong opponents easier, most signatures seemed to be nothing to worry about, but some held the potential to fight Kaguya, and have a fighting chance of victory, if they had similarly broken techniques. The biggest energy in the area was one such being, though it's energy felt odd, it felt empty. Everybody had some form of characteristic, or an emotion that there energy carried, for someone's energy to be empty, they would have to feel literally no emotion. what sort of thing could produce this energy?
Deciding he should probably stay away from that area, Naruto climbed to his feet and stretched his muscles, heading east would bring him to the closest settlement, right now he needed a place to rest. Ever since being sent to that void he had been feeling oddly tired, there was still the issue with his seal to solve too. He needed to speak with Kurama, after all he had a lot to tell his partner, it wasn't every day you ended up in another dimension.
Pushing off the branch leisurely, Naruto started jumping from tree to tree towards his destination, there was no rush this time, and after the day he'd had, well you couldn't blame him for wanting to take things slow. Traveling at this pace, also gave him time to think, Kakashi's words had carried a weight of truth to them, but what did he want? What did he always dream of?
Smiling lightly, the answer came easier than he'd thought it would, it was one word, one word that he'd always wanted to associate himself with, family. The Konaha twelve had been close, but more and more often they found themselves drifting from each other, particularly after the war, it had seemed like there relationship, was more of a working one, than that of family. He was closer to some members than others though, but that was a given.
Shikamaru, had been the one to pick him up when he fell down. He could come across as nonchalant due to his lack of effort, but nobody amongst there numbers cared about his comrades more than he did.
Sakura was also precious to him, but lately they had been drifting slowly. There conversations revolved more and more around Sasuke these days, but maybe that was the way it was always going to be after his return. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing though, he was happy for her, she now had a real chance of finding the love she desired. He just hoped Sasuke was capable of giving that to her. Sasuke had never been the most open person, and his actions during recent times, caused him some concern regarding his intentions. Had Sasuke really changed?
Then there was the member who he was closest with, Hinata. Without her support, he wouldn't be standing here today. She'd dragged him back from the brink in there fight against Obito and Madara, he owed her more than he could give. Her love confession had shocked him though, the fact is, he didn't really know what love is. That wasn't really surprising when he thought about it, he'd never had time to get emotionally involved with women, and his crush on Sakura, was simply another way of competing with Sasuke.
The thing he wanted more than anything, was family, a family that wouldn't fall apart, something that would last the test of time. The other thing he wanted, was freedom, he'd lived his whole life tied to destiny, and as a ninja in Konoha's employ, his movement and desires where restricted. He wanted to truly follow his heart, that meant he couldn't subject himself to servitude, call him a hypocrite if you will, but he wanted to be the one calling the shots now.
Arriving at the edge of the forest, Naruto tree walked up to the highest branch to get a good vantage point. Looking down the forested slope, Naruto saw the town he had arrived at, was positioned in a valley, with steep rising hills to the left and right. The town itself had buildings of a design he wasn't familiar with, though that wasn't really surprising. Most of the buildings in this town where smaller than the ones back in Konoha, but the sheer number of them made up the difference. If he had to guess, then this town probably had a population at least two times that of his home village.
The buildings weren't the oddest thing though, the weirdest thing here, was the vast amount of moving metal objects. They had trains where he came from, and that's the closest thing he could relate them too. He could see they where used by humans though, which was definitely a plus point. That eased his worries about a possible man eating alien race, and best of all, no ghost civilization. Anything was better than ghosts, you could fight monsters, aliens, and shinobi, but what could you do against ghosts?
The language used here seemed to be remarkably similar to his own, that was interesting. Did the people here, and those of his world, share a common point of origin? Had something manipulated the culture of his world to resemble this one, or was he it just coincidence. Right now it was more of a convenience, than a cause for concern though. He'd had a hard enough time learning one language, learning another right now would be, to take a phrase from his friends book, troublesome.
Springing off the tree, and acrobatically flinging himself towards a vacant street, Naruto landed in a crouch. The first thing he needed to do was find a safe place to sleep, a simple task for a ninja. Tapping into sage mode momentarily, Naruto scanned the buildings up and down the street for life signatures. Sensing nothing in the building at the top of the hill, Naruto made his way to the top of the slope, before ascending the stairs.
The building he was entering was interesting, it's design, didn't really seem to fit with the overall theme of the town. His rest stop, is a large white building ,with stained glass windows stretching almost the entire height of the building. The major difference between this, and the other buildings, is the steepled roof, with what looked like a cross symbol, sitting proudly at it's peak.
Shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly, Naruto reached for the heavy oak doors, pulling firmly. It's not like the buildings design really mattered, he wanted to sleep in the place, not buy it. Stepping through the arched doorway, Naruto headed inside and quickly located a long bench to sleep on. Unzipping and removing his jacket, Naruto bundled it onto the bench as a makeshift pillow, satisfied with his sleeping conditions, he climbed onto the bench and laid his back against the wooden furniture.
Finally having a chance to lie down, Naruto closed his eyes to perform his last task of the day. He needed to speak with Kurama, his chakra had felt out of whack since the incident in Kumo, more worryingly his chakra reserves hadn't been replenishing at all, if anything his chakra was being drained. The void he had found himself in, had really put a drain on his reserves, he needed to figure out the problem soon, if he didn't, then everything he had accomplished today would be for nothing.
It was strange how quiet Kurama had been today, was that also due to the seals malfunction, it seemed quite likely. Ever since they had become friends during the war, it had seemed like Kurama had an opinion on everything, and often provided intelligent insight into even the most mundane tasks. That probably stemmed from the fact he'd been locked up for close to a hundred years, that and his containers for the previous eighty or so years treating him like a disease, it was no wonder he had been full of hate back then.
The connection they normally used, seemed to be blocked, either that or Kurama was ignoring him, which seemed unlikely after today's events. He would have to do this the old fashioned way, concentrating his chakra towards his abdomen, Naruto's surroundings warped into the familiar surroundings of the seal. Though the place was looking better than it did during his early teens, it was still a bit of a dump in here.
Seeing his friend appear before him, Kurama opened his eyes and raised his head off his hands, his face taking on a serious tone. "So you finally decided to show yourself" he stated unamused "Now, maybe you can tell me exactly what you've gotten yourself into this time"
Naruto nodded guiltily, whilst what had happened hadn't really been his fault, he could understand how worried Kurama must have been, especially after the seal had cut there link so abruptly. Taking a breathe, Naruto explained everything that had happened since the moment they lost connection.
Kurama for his part was beginning to think Naruto was pulling his tail, but then again, this was Naruto, something like this really wasn't out of the realms of possibility when it came to him. He wouldn't be surprised if he'd ended up fighting on the moon in his absence, he was just that kinda guy.
Seeing Kurama's lack of surprise, Naruto looked at him strangely "you're taking this well, or have I broken you?" he finished with amusement. Eyeing his partner, Naruto waved his hand to get his attention "you okay up there Kurama?".
Smirking amusedly, Kurama replied "nothing surprises me anymore when it comes to you, this is just another day for someone like you". Looking at the blonde haired ninja, Kurama returned his inquiries "I should be the one asking that, Kakashi was very close to you, are you okay?" he asked worriedly. He was taking the death of his teacher well, for someone like him. Had he truly accepted his death, or was he in denial.
Naruto's face shifted mysteriously "Kakashi isn't the sort of guy who would want people moping around, he did enough of that himself, it was his way of punishing himself when he couldn't protect his precious people". If there was one thing Kakashi didn't want, it was that. Team seven had been almost a carbon copy of his team, before things went to hell. Kakashi fought against that fate everyday, as there sensei. He didn't want Naruto to suffer like Obito, he didn't want Sakura to face Rin's fate, and most of all he didn't want Sasuke to become him.
Smiling Naruto looked into Kurama's eyes "the best way to honour Kakashi, is to live a full life." Naruto then pointed at his chest "Kakashi isn't truly gone, I'll always carry his will right here". Watch over me sensei, let me show you the true Naruto. I can't promise it'll all be good, but even so, please watch over me.
Kurama smiled, the kid had really come a long way since that day. The first time they met face to face, was not such a pleasant experience, Naruto really was a little brat back then. Though he supposed he hadn't been any better, they had both come so far these past five years, there growth surprised even him.
Straightening his features, Naruto decided it was time to get onto more serious matters, like what exactly they could do to fix the seal. If they couldn't, then they would have to find an alternative solution, he couldn't live without chakra after all. From what he could gather his body was still generating chakra, but the seal was draining him quicker than his body could handle, and with the connector returning there mixed chakra to his body broken, he would eventually be sucked dry.
Sensing the change in mood, Kurama focused his attention on Naruto, they did have a problem after all. Right now he was probably more powerful than he had ever been, but the reason for that would eventually kill his friend. Uzumaki chakra truly was magnificent, the sheer amount of life force, and the strength of there chakra, was something only the Otsutsuki clan could match. The problem with the seal, wasn't something that an amateur sealer, Uzumaki or not could fix though. If Naruto tried tampering with the seal, it was more likely to hasten his death than fix the problem.
Naruto also knew that the chance of him fixing the seal, was too close to zero to be worth risking, it was made for holding the strongest tailed beast, it wasn't just some explosive tag or storage seal. He would need an alternative to sealing, or if it came down to it, a safe way of separating him and Kurama. First of all, he needed to know exactly how much time they had to work with.
"Kurama" Naruto said seriously in a thinking pose " how long do we have before I become a living vegetable?". He would probably survive for half a day in a vegetated state, unable to do anything but breath and think, he could do nothing productive in that time, so it wasn't even worth counting.
"At the rate your losing chakra, two days at best" stated Kurama seriously, he had faith in Naruto though, a two day time limit was nothing for someone who had fought battles where you could lose your life in a split second. He would need to find something capable of saving his life in that time, anything would do, it would likely mean the removal of the seal, they both knew this. But there friendship wouldn't end there, they would see each other again.
"So, two days to save my life" Naruto lifted his head up, a trademark smirk on his face "that's more than enough time for Naruto Uzumaki!" he shouted, throwing his fist into the air. The best way to find the key to his survival would be surveillance, he would need to investigate the strange beings in this town, why was there energy different to that of the humans here? Ninja possessed the same energy as humans of his world, only on a larger scale, but these people had energy that bore no resemblance to the humans here at all.
There was one signature in the area that he was familiar with though, there was a chakra user in this town. Whilst there chakra felt less complete than his own, it was still chakra. That wasn't the only thing they possessed though, they also shared the same energy that seemed foreign to this area. Would replacing Kurama's chakra with this energy be a possible route to survival? Maybe, it was his best shot at the moment, if it wasn't possible then he would just have to find another way, there wasn't really anything to lose by at least trying.
Deciding on his best course of action, Naruto waved his hand "later Kurama, it'll be a busy day tomorrow, and I'm going to need all the energy I can get in this condition". Smiling lightly, Naruto uttered his final words of the day "I'll let you know if I find anything, you may be able to make more sense of things than me". Kurama was intelligent, that much he had found out during the war, his planning abilities matched even Kage level shinobi, and his wisdom outstripped that of any human he knew. He did have the advantage of living several hundred years though, in that time he had amassed an impressive amount of knowledge on Jutsu that stretched back to the time of the sage of six paths.
Kurama smirked, bringing his hand to his chest "you'd better, if we leave things up to your brain alone, then we might as well end things here" the nine tailed Bijuu boasted. " Sleep Naruto, you're going to need it, especially if you end up in a fight" he added seriously. He didn't really have the chakra to waste as it is, and the fatigue caused by lack of sleep, significantly increased the rate your body burned through chakra.
Nodding his head at Kurama, Naruto's surroundings blurred back to the real world. Pulling nature chakra into his body, Naruto performed a final check of his surroundings, feeling nothing out of place he released his control over his chakra, and drifted off into a much needed sleep. He certainly didn't think he'd be in this situation when he woke up this morning. which made him wonder what tomorrow might bring.
Well first chapter of my first story is done. I hope to improve my writing as the story goes on, there are many areas where improvement is necessary.
Chapter length will probably vary, this first chapter, was about establishing early character development, and also, coming up with something less cliché regarding dimensional travel.
This story will not just follow canon either, although those events will still take place in the story. There will be arcs that branch of between canon events, these will mostly be things like; Naruto establishing his own territory, and the events that take place within that area.
Anyway, that's me done. Let me know what you think in the reviews. Good Day to you all.