A/N: Hey there! This is the Naruto story that's been occupying my mind space for so long. I know I've got commitment issues but I try my best to deal with them appropriately. By moving on to the next object of interest! ;) This story is pretty much set after the Boruto movie, so yes, basically, it is my take on what happens to the Narutoverse from that point on! I'd honestly prefer it if Kishimoto suddenly said "Hey, we're going to continue it after all! Har har har!", but until they do so, my word is law. In my kingdom, that is.
…
Ugh, I'm talking about my room, people. Take a hint *rolls eyes*.
Anyways before I get too carried away, I present to you the terrific, frightening, magnificent… DISCLAIMER!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto. If I did, I would continue it until I was old and grey. No, scratch that. Until I was old and dead. Why won't they give it to me?! I sense an injustice has been done here… *casts evil gaze at innocent bystanders*
Enjoy.
Chapter One: Illusions of Peace
'This world… disgusts me.'
He gazed at the group, his form hidden in the leaves.
"Oi! Cut it out Otoma-sensei You're embarrassing me!" The Genin yelled indignantly, his sensei's round belly shaking in laughter.
"Well, it's true, isn't it? I've seen the way you look at Kanade-chan! So... when's the wedding?"
"Gahhh! Stop it!" The Sand Genin tried to put his hand over his sensei's mouth but the round man easily kept his student's hand at bay. "Look, even Saotome is nodding his head in confirmation! Admit it, Kazui!"
Kazui's ears burned in embarrassment while the Kanade in question timidly poked her fingers together with a faint blush.
Having had enough of his teammates' taunts, he angrily exclaimed, "I'd never marry Kanade-chan! Who'd want to do that anyways?!"
...
Kazui realized that he had said something horrible and turned to Kanade, expecting her to be in tears. Except that she wasn't; she simply gave a small strained smile and waved off the matter. That hurt Kazui the most. He hadn't meant to say something like that; none of it was true. But he was stubborn, too stubborn to take it back, so he turned to tend the fire that roasted the fish they were to have for lunch. His sensei had a grim look on his face, while Saotome fixed Kazui with a silent glare which the boy ignored.
After a few minutes of tense silence, Kazui realized that his pride didn't matter in this case; Kanade had been the one hurt. Knowing that he absolutely had to apologize, he turned to his female teammate. "K-Kanade," he began. Seeing that he had her attention though her eyes would not meet his, he continued, "I… I just want to say that I'm-"
*slinkch*
…
…
"...This world... is truly disgusting."
Kazui stared, horrified, at the cloaked man standing before him. The man who had just cut Kanade from shoulder to waist in an instant, staining Kazui's face with her blood. He... hadn't got to tell her… how much…
"KANADE!" The boy rushed forward in a blind rage, determined to avenge his comrade's death. He was however stopped by his sensei appearing in front of him, delivering a spinning heel kick to the masked stranger. The man's body spiraled away and hit a tree with enough force to bring it down. "You and Saotome stay back! This man is dangerous." He added through gritted teeth, "I will avenge Kanade's death myself."
The pot-bellied man studied his opponent as he stood and dusted himself off. Otoma-sensei was in equal measures puzzled and wary. He hadn't sensed the man approaching; heck, he couldn't even sense him although he was standing some feet away from him. He was wondering how the cloaked stranger could mask his presence so well when he realized that his two genin were rooted to the spot behind him.
"What are you doing standing there?! Get to cover!" He yelled at them, and then faced his opponent who was content with just staring at them, unmoving. Deciding to make the first move, the large but agile man leapt into the air and, taking a deep breath, yelled, "Fuuton: Daitoppa! [Wind Style: Great Breakthrough]" A blast of air surged towards the hooded figure who stared at it coming, seemingly unimpressed. Seeing the cloud of dust rising from the impact, Otoma grinned in satisfaction. He began going through seals to finish off his opponent when he heard a yelp from behind him.
Turning around quickly, he saw the man, who he had thought he hit, nonchalantly choking Saotome as the usually silent boy struggled against his grasp. Kazui, clutching a kunai in his hand, was rooted to the spot, slack jawed at the man's sudden appearance. Acting quickly, Otoma-sensei lunged at the man with the intent of freeing his student from his hold.
Faster than any of them could see, the man promptly ducked under the man's swing, kicking him with enough force to push him back while at the same time slamming Saotome's head into the ground, effectively killing him. Kazui's eyes widened even further, not quite believing any of it was happening.
Otoma stood up from where he had been launched, groaning. The mysterious man's kick was powerful indeed, but it was far from enough to keep the Sand Jounin down for long. Glancing at his last remaining student, he saw that the boy was in shock, staring at the lifeless bodies of his teammates. Clenching his eyes shut, he knew what had to be done at this point.
"RUN KAZUI! REPORT TO KAZEKAGE-SAMA, TELL HIM WHAT HAPPENED HERE! GO!"
Snapping out of his daze, the boy slowly began backtracking away from the man who stood in front of him. The stranger seemed content to watch him back away for a moment, then he took a step towards the retreating boy.
"DOTON: RYUSA! [Earth Style: Quicksand]"
The man's feet promptly sunk into the mud, sucking him in at a quick pace. "Run, Kazui! I'll hold him off!"
Kazui then went off at a full run, leaping away into the trees.
"Hehe. Guess it's just you and me now, isn't it? You'll pay. I swear to Kami, you'll pay."
The man with the plain white mask merely stared at the Jounin until his head and body completely sunk into the mud. After a series of quick hand seals, the mud solidified into hard packed earth.
Waiting a few moments to see if his opponent would get out of it, the Jounin walked over to the bodies of his students, shedding silent tears. 'Gomen, Kanade-chan, Saotome. I'm so sorry…'
He knelt there for a few seconds, lamenting his uselessness as a Jounin-sensei as he held their bodies close to his.
…
"This world..."
*slashhh* *thump*
"… without a doubt…"
Obtaining what he wanted from the Jounin's corpse, the masked man walked away in search of the last Genin, leaving the beheaded Jounin to rest in peace with his students.
He would be uniting them all soon enough.
"… disgusts me."
Three weeks.
He had been trying for three weeks to perfect the technique Uchiha-sensei said would definitely give him an edge in any situation. So far, the only thing he'd gotten for his trouble was a faint glow on the back of his hand that always only lasted for a couple of seconds. It wasn't for lack of trying, though. Oh no, far from it. Day and night, he worked his ass off in Training Field Twelve, hoping that he would finally pull it off. The field was the closest to home, hence why he chose it. Due to that fact, he could put in as much time as he could in training before heading back. It helped prevent him from getting home late for dinner, and thus irritate his mother. Reminded of dinner, Boruto glanced around anxiously for where he had dropped his phone so he could check the time. Kami-sama. It was about thirty minutes past six. If he high-tailed it, he could make it home before–
"Boruto…" a calm voice called out to him.
His blood froze. Turning around slowly, he racked his brain for an excuse. The truth was he was so engrossed in his training that, well, time flew. Judging from the look on his mother's face, he knew that he'd soon wish he could fly. "Kaa-san, l-let me explain–"
"Boruto," his mother interrupted. He closed his mouth with an audible snap. "You can explain at home. Come, you'll be late for dinner." She turned with a sigh and began leaving the training area, then turned to face him again with a raised eyebrow when she noticed he was still rooted at the spot.
Quickly snapping out of it, he gathered his equipment, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. His mother wasn't going to punish him, per se. She had a way of making him feel terrible just from her silence. And this situation was worse. It was the third time he'd almost missed dinner so he knew she would be really disappointed; his mother had a strict three strikes policy. He had no doubt that she'd ground him now; no more late training. He simply hoped that he would still be allowed to train with his team and Sarutobi-sensei. He could imagine Sarada's voice now, "Ugh, really?! You were late again?!What are we going to do now? It's called 'team training' for a reason, idiot."
He removed his thoughts from it and followed his mother home in silence.
"Welcome back, onii-chan!" His blue haired little sister came rushing towards them but stopped upon seeing their mother's impassive face. "Is onii-chan in trouble…?" She asked timidly.
Sighing and deciding not to ruin her daughter's day because of her brother's actions, Hinata bent down to her height and touched up her hair with a smile, "Don't worry about it, Himawari. Is your father home yet?"
Himawari looked thoughtful and opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted.
"What? And miss your amazing oden? I think not," Uzumaki Naruto walked out of the hallway and into the large living room. Walking up to his wife, he gave her a quick peck on the cheek and grinned. She poked him in the chest and said in a false arrogant tone, "Of course you wouldn't. I am the best chef in Hi no Kuni."
"And the best wife," Naruto added endearingly. Hinata found herself blushing furiously as she used to oh-so-many years ago. Recovering, she said, "Well, you're lucky you got here on time unlike someone over here."
Naruto looked past his wife and spotted Boruto fidgeting at the doorway. A silent conversation seemed to ensue as they stared at each other.
'Please Dad, you've gotta save me!'
'Huh?! What do you want me to do?!'
'Talk to her or something!'
'I was lucky enough to teleport here right before you guys showed up! She can't find out!'
'But she's your wife!'
'And she's your mother!'
Boruto glared at his father as Naruto merely shrugged apologetically.
The young Uzumaki-Hyuuga heir grumbled under his breath as his mother let him know just how long he would be stuck at home. He wondered where Uchiha-sensei was; he hoped he wouldn't come back to the village too soon so he could have enough time to complete his technique. He sort of missed the brooding man though…
"P-please. I'm b-b-begging you!"
Kazui stared at the approaching man, his eyes wide with terror. He had wet himself without even realizing it.
The chase had been a short one. No matter where Kazui hid, the man always seemed to know where he was. Behind the tree; in the river; underneath the log; within the bushes. The cloaked figure always made a beeline towards him. He had tried running, and sometimes it seemed as though he had shaken off his pursuer. Until he would see the man eerily standing on a tree branch in front of him, waiting. It was a thing of nightmares. What made it worse: Kazui was well aware that he was awake.
Eventually, the man had grown tired of the game of cat and mouse and had thrown a well-aimed kunai at Kazui's right calf, ripping the muscles along with his hopes of survival. Which led to him leaning back against a tree bark, begging for his life.
He didn't want to die. He had just passed his genin exams a week ago. He had so much more to do. To achieve. He didn't want to die.
The man stopped in front of him and pulled out a wakizashi from within his cloak.
"…please…," Kazui begged, but at the same time knowing that he was dead.
The cloaked figure raised his wakizashi and swung it in a downward slash.
*clinkk*
Kazui slowly opened his eyes.
Before him was yet another cloaked figure with its back facing him. Finally registering the scene before him, he realized that the cloaked figure had just saved his life.
The masked man quickly used a shunshin and appeared several meters away from the newcomer. They stared at each other for a whole minute, neither making a move.
Finally, Kazui's savior spoke up, "…Who are you?"
The man with the expressionless white mask said, after a pause, "I did not expect to see you here. You are far too dangerous even for me to handle… at the moment."
"Hn," was the raven haired man's only reply.
Straightening up, the masked man finished, "As such, I shall be leaving now. I have achieved my aim." He turned and leapt to a higher tree branch.
The raven haired man crouched in preparation to give chase, "You believe that I would let you walk away?"
The masked man tilted his head curiously and expressed with the confidence that only came from stating fact, "I believe you will try. And fail."
Turning around, he spoke one last time, "We will meet again… Uchiha Sasuke."
And before Sasuke could move, the man disappeared. It didn't seem like he teleported or ran off. No matter how fast he could have been, Sasuke's eyes would have managed to keep track of where he had gone. No, the man had simply… vanished.
Sasuke was interrupted from his musings when he heard the boy he had saved loudly shed tears of relief. He was crying his heart out and Sasuke was at a loss as to what to do to calm him down. The boy had been extremely lucky. The Uchiha patriarch had been returning from an especially bizarre mission that Naruto had sent him on. He had only come to the boy because his Sharingan had picked up a lone genin's chakra signature, so he had thought it wise to investigate. He had not sensed the masked man at all; had he even been a fraction of a second late, he may not have been able to counter the man's wakizashi with his tanto.
Facing the man had left Sasuke feeling strangely blind. Unlike some ninja, he relied on his sensory abilities a great deal. To stand before someone he could see but not… feel… made him feel uneasy. Looking at the man with his Sharingan had only served to confuse him more. He had no chakra network that he could see.
Turning to the still sniveling genin, Sasuke observed that he was a Suna nin. What was a ninja from the Sand Village doing so close to Konoha's borders? And why was he alone?
"Where is your team?"
As the boy's cries got louder, Sasuke sighed, realizing that it was probably a wrong question.
"Well… it is no surprise."
"Is that all you're going to say to him?!" Sarada yelled in frustration.
Mitsuki calmly shrugged, "… It won't change the fact that he's grounded, will it?"
Muttering under her breath, Sarada turned towards her blond teammate. Since Boruto hadn't shown up for team practice, the two had decided to come knocking only to find out that he couldn't leave the house for a week. According to him, Boruto was fortunate that he only got a week's confinement and not a month, saying something about his father not being so useless after all.
"You…," Sarada began, trying to think of a way to convey her… displeasure… without resorting to beating him to a bloody pulp in his own house. "You… are always like this, Boruto. You do things without a single regard for your teammates, damn the consequences. I thought you'd grown past that."
Vexed, Boruto said, "No! I wasn't thinking like that. I just wanted to perfect the technique your father taught me before he comes back!"
"What?" Sarada was temporarily taken aback by the mention of her father. Gathering her wits, she ground out through gritted teeth, "Really now?"
Boruto nodded quickly.
"Have you perfected the Leaf Cutting technique Sarutobi-sensei taught us last week?"
Boruto was silent.
"Didn't think so." And with that she left, dragging an indifferent Mitsuki with her. She ranted to herself about how annoying the blond was. The reason Sarada wanted them to work as a team so much was because she knew that she could improve as a shinobi with the help of her teammates. And so could they. If she didn't get stronger, how could she hope to become Hokage someday?
"Damn him to hell, shannaro!"
The Hokage tower was usually busy in the afternoon. The Hokage had to deal with reports of bandits, petty thievery, noble clans asking for more privileges and so on. It was all very tiring to Naruto, and even though the clones helped with the paperwork, he still had to go through them when they were through. He noticed that his clones were just like him in the sense that when they were bored, they would often do silly things just to pass the time. Sometimes he would come across a form with doodles all over it and would have to take it out of the pile so it wouldn't be submitted.
The clones didn't do that to important contracts, of course, only to those that warranted it. Like the multiple contracts sent from prominent noble houses (most of them from outside Konohagakure) asking him if he were interested in having another wife. No matter how many times he made it clear that he was interested in no one but Hinata, they always sent him more with different suggestions, some going so far as to even send pictures.
A perfect example would be the one he was taking out of the pile of forms and contracts on his table. It was a marriage contract to one Tetsumaru clan depicting a woman who he supposed may have looked attractive if not for the mustache and hairy armpits one of his clones had drawn. Giving the form back to them now would have been too insulting, so he decided that no reply was more suitable.
As he sorted out the files on his table, he heard someone open the door to his office. He immediately knew who it was; the man never bothered knocking.
"You're back early, Sasuke-kun. Any complications?"
Sasuke walked up to the table Naruto sat behind, pausing slightly as he saw the picture of the mustached lady.
"No. Not exactly…," he began. Naruto raised an inquisitive eyebrow.
Sasuke sighed, not exactly knowing where to start considering he didn't really understand the situation either. "…I think you should arrange a meeting with Gaara. We may have a problem."
Boruto sat on his bed, mulling over Sarada's words. He didn't want to admit that he was wrong. The problem though, was that he was and he knew it. By focusing solely on the technique Uchiha-sensei had taught him and neglecting that of Sarutobi-sensei, it seemed like he wasn't taking his team seriously enough. Maybe he wasn't.
He just couldn't help but want to learn from Sarada's dad. People always said that he was on par with his father in terms of power. His dad was too busy with the Hokage's duties – which he could understand – to teach anyone. Lately, however, Uchiha Sasuke had been around the village more than he used to be, meaning that he had more time to spend with his family. Boruto always took the opportunity to learn a thing or two from him whenever he could, which the man usually obliged.
Could it be that he was subconsciously classifying Sarutobi-sensei's teachings as 'not worth his time'? Boruto became saddened that his teammates seemed to think so. Perhaps Konohamaru-sensei thought so as well. Boruto swore to himself that he would make it up to his team the moment he was free to roam again.
Besides, it wasn't like Uchiha-sensei would be back any time soon. His missions usually took months, and he'd only been gone for three weeks.
"Onii-san!" Himawari bounded into his room and dived on his bed, bouncing with excitement. "Uncle Sasuke's here!"
…?
The three had chosen Naruto's home and were seated in his study. The two Kage wouldn't have minded having the discussion in the Hokage Tower but Sasuke had objected, stating that during his travels he had seen that the rise in technology had enabled people to create tiny devices that lacked any form of chakra signature and could be used to listen in on conversations. He did not wish to take the chance that one such inconspicuous microphone could be hidden in the Hokage's office.
With a slight crease on his face, the Kazekage muttered, "This is indeed bad news."
Naruto's face was scrunched up in contemplation. A thought had formed in his head – and he was certain that it was in the minds of all those present – but he didn't like it one bit.
What village did the stranger belong to?
Sasuke had told them all about the mission Naruto had sent him on and what he had encountered on his way back. He believed that the two were related in some way. Naruto reflected on the details.
He had gotten an appeal from a small village's leader, asking for aid against the continuous raids on the village within Konoha's borders. The queer thing though, was that no one ever saw anything happen. The raids always happened at night so guards had been posted to keep watch on the village's market and produce. Some of the guards were even former shinobi who had retired either due to old age or to raise a family, but none of them ever sensed anyone coming into the village.
However, anytime no guard was looking at one particular area, in the time it took to blink, everything would be gone. Fruits, vegetables, clothes, weapons. Especially weapons. The blacksmiths had gone penniless because all of their wares got stolen after they were forged, no matter how well they secured them. It was bewildering.
Naruto had decided to send Sasuke to solve the matter. With the man's top notch sensory abilities, Naruto had hoped he would be able to put a stop to the matter.
Sasuke knew that the thieves would likely put their raids on hold once they caught wind of him staying in the little village, so he stood guard and walked around for the duration of two weeks after which he publicly bade the village leader farewell and took his leave, claiming that it would seem the raids would no longer be a problem.
He returned the same night of course, this time transformed as an unimposing guard and took watch with the hopes that the raiders were stupid enough to fall for his ruse. The first couple of nights, they were not.
But then they came back. Or rather, he came back.
Sasuke did not sense him coming into the village, nor did he know when or where he came from. But his Sharingan could still serve its purpose, although not in the way he'd planned. His eyes could see chakra anywhere, wherever it may be. Which was why he found it strange to spot a moving dark form that had no chakra signature whatsoever. He couldn't see it without his Sharingan, but when it was activated, he could vaguely see the outline of a humanoid shape. What gave the figure away was the simple fact that everything had a tinge of chakra to it. The fact that he didn't seem to have any made him look like a blank space in an otherwise finished painting.
He stood out by not standing out. Sasuke smirked.
Lunging at the figure, he pulled out a kunai and threw it with the intention of immobilizing his opponent. The figure, however, simply… shimmered?… in his sight before it was gone. As though it had never been there.
Sasuke knew it wouldn't be back anytime soon. Thus, he decided to report it as soon as possible to the Hokage and left the very next day. Which led to him stumbling across the Sand genin and his assailant.
"We cannot be certain that they are the same person," Gaara mused.
"Maybe not, but there must be a connection between the two," Naruto interjected. He added, "What could that man have wanted with that team anyway, Gaara?"
Gaara sighed. He'd recognized Kazui when the boy had been brought to him. The boy had been on the same team as Kanade. Matsuri's niece. Dreading having to break the news to her, Gaara faced the subject at hand. "The mission I sent them on was simple. It was to deliver a letter to you, Naruto, informing you of the changes in prices of goods being imported to Konoha from Suna. I do not particularly understand why he would be interested in that."
The three men were silent for a while. The letter wasn't much. It was part of the simple day to day business in economy; Naruto had sent a similar letter to Iwagakure recently.
Rubbing his temple, Naruto muttered under his breath, "Why is it always people with masks?"
Sasuke spoke up, "Perhaps… it is not the contents of the letter that matters."
The two Kage looked at the raven haired man curiously.
"Perhaps it is the letter itself."
It was dark. And cold.
The five men within the echoing cave stood silently, staring at each other. Finally, the one who they had been waiting for showed himself, stepping out from behind a boulder. They did not know how long he had been there. Why?
Because they could not sense him.
The man with the expressionless mask began without preamble, "Things are moving along nicely. At this rate, we shall have everything prepared earlier than scheduled." Taking a look at all of them, he added, "I trust you shall do your part."
Four of the men nodded curtly, but the fifth looked hesitant. Mustering courage he spoke, "M-My men are a-a-asking questions. They wish to understand exactly what the plan is. W-W-What they are risking their l-lives for, Ryuuzaki-sama!"
Ryuuzaki tilted his head to one side, "What they are risking their lives for? For my cause, of course. That does not suffice?"
The man whimpered shamefully.
"Very well, I shall give you an idea of what is to come."
The men were surprised at this. They had half expected their comrade to have been but a smear of blood on the cold ground. They had not expected an actual explanation.
Walking up to the man that asked the question, Ryuuzaki placed a hand on his shoulder and looked at the people gathered. "I can read the expressions on your faces. I am not a cold-blooded killer; I do not find death pleasing or fun."
His hand, still on the man's shoulder, then burst into white hot flames, consuming the man immediately. His screams had only lasted for seconds before he was a smoldering pile of ash.
"But I do, however, find it necessary. I have no need for craven men.
"The world has revolved around a single notion: The weak die, the strong survive. That has shaped every country, every war, every empire through the ages. No sensible person began a war when they knew that they were at a disadvantage. It was common sense. Logic."
Summoning flames in a circle around the group, he continued, "The last Great Ninja War. Uchiha Madara sought to build the world in his own image, to make it perfect. That is my goal as well. He, however, sought power more than anything. He wished to attain immeasurable power. I wish for no such thing."
The gathered men – minus the smoldering ash – were curious, as could be seen from their rapt attention.
Ryuuzaki continued, "How can I reconcile these two things then? To change the world, but without seeking powers inestimable?"
The fire was snuffed out. "By purging this world of chakra itself."
There were strangled gasps as the men tried to contain their surprise.
Ryuuzaki continued, his voice rising higher with every word, "Madara tried to crush them with power, but I will render them powerless! I will show them that chakra does not define life! DOES NOT DEFINE ME!"
Silence.
He continued matter-of-factly, "Millions will die, unfortunately. But those who are not so dependent on chakra will live. And they will understand."
Walking away from the gathered group, he finished, "I will show them a better world. One that isn't as disgusting as this one. One where there is no bullying, no preying. Only peace without war. Because all this world has now is a lull before the war begins. They should all know by now that it will continue again and again and again for one petty reason after another. Why, you ask?"
And right before he vanished, Ryuuzaki said, "Because it never ends."
A/N: There! Hope you guys like the first chapter! The next one should be posted sometime next week, hopefully. Reviews would be great, I'd like to know what you guys think about the story. Personally, I think I should have given Hinata more screen time xD
Rhylan Writer,
*insert badass signature*