I want to preface this story by saying that this is a rekindling of ideas I had a long time ago when I tried to write this crossover many years ago. I called my story Fairy Tail of a Lone Ninja under the name Teriyakibowl. Anyway, if you're reading this and were ever invested in that story I apologize. You can consider it scrapped. I hope this new one can sate some palates. Honest reviews welcome. Enjoy!
The Fifth Shinobi World War had spiraled far beyond a point of return. After Kaguya's defeat, the shinobi nations lived in relative peace and the land experienced great prosperity. This peace, however, was short lived, as corrupt and greedy men eventually found their way to power, throwing the land into chaos again. As it happens, grudges are not so easily forgotten, and new friends reverted to old enemies. Those wishing for peace like a certain jinchuuriki were quickly eclipsed by the power hungry. In the struggle for dominion, two factions steadily grew larger and larger. The enormous empires of Konoha and the Sand faced against the Rock and Cloud. Many of the smaller nations took up with what they saw as their best bet for survival, and the rest were quickly occupied by the surrounding forces.
It had been a long eight years for Naruto, and still there seemed to be no end to the war. The once cheerful blond boy no longer held the sunny disposition most people were accustomed to. This Naruto was no longer a boy, but a battle worn and tired man. He scorned the world that robbed him of of his friends and rendered him the last of his kind. Indeed, Bee had been slain, by the leaf's forces no less. Naruto often struggled with the question of how he would face Bee in battle and mourned the fact he would no longer have the chance.
Perhaps no longer caring much for his own life, Naruto had grown accustom to forsaking his techniques and giving in to a reckless and wild nature. It was for this reason that he now found himself mortally wounded on the battlefield. Apparently even a sage had his limits. Most of the combat had ceased and moved into the distance, so the blond's labored breaths resounded off a backdrop of the brisk wind and far off battles. In immense pain and rapidly losing blood, he desperately tried to prop himself up. Painstakingly, he put up his left arm, then a thud. Peering down at his frame, he looked at the now vacant space where his arm once was. Deep gashes and wounds covered his torso creating the wet mixture of blood and dirt he now lay in. His panic soon gave way to resignation as he peered up at the night sky.
"You wouldn't happen to have any chakra left eh, Kurama?" He asked already knowing the answer. The pair had been fighting a whole day, and while the fox's power was immense, it wasn't infinite.
"Don't ask me leading questions, you know it pisses me off." the fox snarled.
"Nasty as ever" he shot back with a smirk. "Glad you can still be annoyed at the end of the road." Despite time's toll on the blond, he still had the nerve to offer a sarcastic quip or two.
The fox paused with a contemplative look, then quickly replace his expression with a sneer. "Perhaps for me, not for you."
Confused, Naruto questioned, "What are you-"
"Save it. There is not much time," the fox interjected. "Brace yourself. This will not be pleasant. I'm taking you to a realm beyond this plane where you can heal your wounds."
Naruto hadn't missed Kurama's cryptic words earlier. "That's good, right? We can heal up good as new, right?"
"It's a technique. In exchange for the bijuu, we can open a rift to this plane. From there you'll be spit back out to the real world once your wounds have healed." The fox rapidly began weaving signs.
"Wait just a second Kurama, what do you mean you're going to-"
The fox interrupted him again, "Just don't go telling long tales about my charity work. If you fucking blab a word about this, I'll find a way to come back and kill you, brat." Completing the seals, a bright light engulfed the fox. Naruto felt a vicious tugging sensation from the center of his body and the last thing he heard before his world went black was the fox's distinct bellows of laughter until they faded into the silence.