Yes, yes, I know. Lazy copy and pasting from my old story with a few small differences. I promise, only the opening is going to be the same. Everything else will start off differently from there. ;)

Thanks for checking this story out! Please leave a review so I can make this story better!

Humanity was a fickle thing. If one looked at their history, you could point out one significant similarity that each generation shared, from the beginning of time to the present day that was clear and apparent.

There was war.

There was violence.

There was Conflict and Strife.

Humanity fought with one another and could be considered selfish beings. They cared and prided themselves, creating sin and atrocities throughout the annals of history and the earth for as long as they have existed.

One could say they were a worthless cause. They gave nothing to offer than any other beast. They were like hungry wolves, traveling in packs and killing others to survive and thrive. Other times they were like curious cats, throwing themselves at whatever piqued their interest without any concern as to what they were throwing themselves into.

They were like the bacteria of earth, establishing dominance wherever they saw fit to rule and inhabit. And within a few thousand years, they had completely covered Gaia with their footsteps and marked themselves over the sands of the earth to the white clouds in the sky. Yet no matter how much they advanced, humanity still retained its roots within the sins of their predecessors.

They created kingdoms and tore them down.

They created nations and tore them down.

They created symbols of peace and worship but even then they were torn down.

Many of us who watch from the shadows and away from their eyes lost hope in humanity. Those who used to be worshiped by humans and governed them had once thought that they held promise, but have since... resend that claim. Humanity was a failure. Nothing good could come out of them. They were like ouroboros, eating themselves to become stronger and ambitious.

But some of us... saw them differently.

They held promise. They had hope. They were different than the other beasts created by Gaia. They had a will to survive unlike any other, and while they certainly create and wage war...

They have also demonstrated the capacity to love and care for others, more so than any other. In times of need, they will come together to survive and persevere. And while they may often break away, they will always come back to each other.

For there cannot be hate without love. Those who do not know what it means to feel pain cannot know about peace. And those who do not know what it means to care for each other and work together are doomed to fail.

They adapt and change, creating those who rise up above others to perform feats of worthiness and heroics that to this day, have not gone unforgotten. They have been around for a millennium, slowly but surely creating a calmness that has not been seen in humanity since the dawn of time when their population could be held in the palm of your hands.

Even then, they continue to struggle. They have built their empires, established civilization, and have started to collaborate to move beyond Gaia itself and see the vast ocean of stars above them. They work to establish ties with others and increase peace and working relationships with them. Slowly but surely, they begin to build upon each other.

I am proud of them. A long time ago, I fought for that same dream. I fought for a dream where peace and love may exist. I fought for a dream that everyone could live in harmony, without the need for senseless conflict. Even after my era and time became a legend amongst those of today, I still hoped and dreamed that a day like that would come.

But I knew that conflict would always happen, no matter what the era. Humans would always fight with each other over trivial things like money or oil, religious beliefs and status, goods and territory... the list goes on.

Still, I am proud of them. I always knew they had what it takes to coexist in a way that was closer to peace than any other era. The seeds planted throughout human history had done well. They needed a beacon of hope to look at... to remind them that they could become so much more than what they were now.

In a world like this, I wouldn't mind living in it once again. Perhaps I could see them from a personal view and watch them interact with each other, learning how society has truly changed since millennia ago.

Unfortunately my plans were put on hold when something happened that froze me and those who were still watching Gaia from after. For in the blink of an eye, Gaia had suddenly turned red, every inch of her ancient body covered in flames as they snuffed out the life of everything on the surface.

I was angry. Scratch that, I was beyond furious. Life is simply gone. There was nothing left on the planet of Gaia except for the screams of the earth mother, wailing in pain as the flames ate at her and destroyed all life.

I turned my fists and anger at the others, asking who would ever think of doing something like this. Of course, even I could tell that they had nothing to do with it. This was... something else. Something sinister.

So I decided that enough was enough after watching and listening to the pleas of mother earth. I was tired of waiting. I was going back to Gaia. I was going to figure out what the hell was going on. Of course, the few who were with me tried to persuade me to sit back and continue watching what happens, but unfortunately they knew better that I couldn't be dissuaded. I had already made up my mind to go back and return to earth.

Gaia wouldn't be happy with that fact, of course, but I always was able to convince her to let me visit her. Usually the puppy eyes and a promise to grow more healthy trees inside China worked wonders on her. Plus, she was currently on fire. She had better things to worry about other than me crawling around.

Using my sensing capabilities, I scoured the Earth for any sign of life and paused when I found myself staring at another anomaly. I'm surprised I hadn't noticed it before. it's a small passageway, barely recognizable unless you were looking extremely hard for it. You could say I was just lucky. From it was a kind of sinister energy, the focal point and gathering of numerous curses and where the fires were the brightest.

Fuyuki City.

Whatever it was, I was going to show up. Perhaps it had something to do with what had just happened? Most likely that origin of this chaos.

So I stood up and paid her a visit, resuming my human form once more for the first time in over a thousand years. Willing myself to the body of Gaia and crashing through the atmosphere, I found myself standing atop one of the collapsed stone building. One that was secluded and where no one seemed they would notice my landing.

I sighed as I felt the heat touch my skin. Really, it felt wonderful. Thousands of years in a body made of pure energy wasn't as exciting as one would think. In a body of flesh you could touch, feel, and taste everything.

I opened my eyes and took in my surroundings for a moment before steel determination crossed my eyes.

"Yes... This really is a beautiful world. A place like this... shouldn't be destroyed."

My name is Naruto Uzumaki, The Spiral That Watches Over Humanity.

I gazed towards the mountain in the distance, my instincts going off.

Something was happening... something important. Seemed like a good place to start if any.

"Somebody... Somebody save me!" A young woman screamed as she hovered closer and closer to the 'treasure' which she so coveted. The foundation that her family prided over everything else.

How she wish she could turn her eyes away.

"You should be grateful, Director. For I am giving you the gift of being reunited with your most precious treasure." Lev Flaurous, the former ally turned traitor of Chaldea, spoke with a gleam in his teeth. "Though it's not that much different than a black hole, or perhaps the sun. Either way, it doesn't matter. You'll be split apart at the molecular level, experiencing living infinite death until the last of you burns out."

"Director!"

"No, Sempai!"

A young man in his late teenage years as held back from running towards the floating director by a sleek lithe arm from his female companion. The two of them could only watch in horror as the Director's body, beyond her control, floated towards the sun-like orb in the sky.

"Why? Why does this always happen to me?!" The Director screamed, desperately trying to regain control of her body. "No, no, no! I mean, I haven't done anything yet! No one has ever praised me for anything!" Her eyes widened. She was now mere inches away from her death.

"Nooooooooo!"

Lev's smile grew wider. Truly, the screams of despair were the best. Everyone watched, fascination and horror, as the director was absorbed by the sun until nothing could be seen and the sounds of the director's pleas for help were silenced.

"Well, that's done." Lev sighed, slightly disappointed at not getting to hear her terrified screams. "I hadn't expected you to get this far, 48th master potential. Turning a blind eye because of your inabilities was a mistake."

The girl quickly moved in front of her master and planted her abnormally large shield into the ground, feeling a sudden danger as the man turned on them with his blank eyes.

"Hoh? How expected of a demi-servant. You noticed that I was a fundamentally different creature, couldn't you?" Lev bared his teeth, seemingly amused at this situation. "Why do you humans always want to avoid the course of Fate that is chosen for them?"

He shrugged. "Well, I'll simply reintroduce myself once more." He gave a mock bow. "I am Lev Lynor Flauros. I am the one in charge of 2016, tasked with the elimination of the human race." He straightened himself back up. "Are you listening, Dr. Roman? I know you can hear me."

The small watch like object beeped on the young man's hand. "Professor Lev."

"As fellow students who once studied sorcery together, I shall give you a final piece of advice." The man chuckled. "The future has not disappeared. It has been incinerated. Chaldea has probably been protected thanks to the magnetic field that surrounds it, but I'm sure that the outside has already met the same fate as this time."

"I see... So the reason why we haven't been able to contact the outside world isn't because of our connections, but because of the fact that there is no one to receive them."

Everyone gasped. Lev just smiled.

"Do you understand now? You won't die because of an evolutionary deed, nor will you be destroyed after engaging in war with a different race, Rather, you shall perish because of your meaninglessness, your incompetence, and for your lost favor with our king! You will burn away like useless wastepaper, leaving no trace behind!"

As he finished saying that, the entire cave they were in trembled and rocks began raining down from the ceiling. The young man and the girl rightened themselves while Lev looked annoyed.

"An earthquake?" The man muttered.

"No... This is..." The girl whispered, clutching onto her shield.

"So this singularity has reached its limits, eh?." Lev grumbled, palming his face. "That damned Saber... trying to preserve this timeline even when she had the Holy Grail." He slowly began rising in the air, levitating towards the large hole in the sky were the director was absorbed. "And so farewell, Roman, Mashu, and the 48th potential. May we never meet again."

And with that, the man disappeared in a flash of light to safety and leaving the two to be trapped within the collapsing singularity. The two of them were broken out of their stupor when the rain of rocks began falling near them. Raising her shield, the girl covered the two of them from the debris.

"The cave is collapsing!" The girl grunted, forcing herself to hold up the shield. "Doctor, please activate the Rayshift immediately!"

"I know! I'm trying!" The doctor responded frantically. "I'm sorry, but that cave might collapse around you first!" There was a sudden pause. "Wait... Somethings approaching at high speeds towards your location! Ident-a- Par-met-r to Se-v-nt."

The doctors voice fizzled out, having lost connection.

"Doctor?!" The man yelled out, gripping the device. As he did so, however, the ground split underneath them and the two of them were flung through the air.

"Sempai!" The girl cried out, finding herself blown away.

"Mashu!"

"Fou!"

The white creature on the young man's neck cried out as it tumbled through the air like a soccer ball. The two of them, Master and Servant, reached out to each other in order to stay together for whatever may happen. If they were going to die, they would die together.

Their fingers lightly touched, but they couldn't get close enough to hold hands. It didn't matter though. For if they could stay together, they could at least meet their ends in solace.

But then...

They both felt something touch them. A hand on both of their shoulders. Looking up, they saw the silhouette of a man with blonde hair and whisper marks grasping them both. There was a smile on his face, like he himself has found something precious.

"I found someone..."

And then the world went black.

Ritsuka Fujimaru gasped as his eyes shot open, his hand outstretched towards the ceiling as he woke up. Blinking, he looked towards the back of his hand where the command seal usually laid. Upon further examination, he noted that it was missing one of its marks and a simple faded tattoo had taken its place.

He sat up and groaned as he felt his muscles unwind. He must have been asleep for a while if his body locked up like this. Other than a few sore muscles, he didn't seem to have any permanent injuries.

"What... happened? Where am I?" He muttered, staring down in thought. All he remembered was the collapsing cave around them and then darkness. It seems the Doctor was able to Rayshift them back, but he must have passed out during the ordeal.

But wait...

Where was Mashu?

"Fou!"

He looked up, his eyes landing on a small creature that was sitting in a swivel chair right next to his bed. The creature was a small white ball of fluffiness that was no bigger than a teacup dog. It stared at him with cute purple eyes before jumping off the chair and trotting off towards the door, giving him a look to follow.

So he did. The creature known as Fou, whatever it is, was intelligent to a degree he has never seen from animals before. Mashu was its caretaker so it would no doubt lead him to her.

Climbing out of the bed, he glanced at the folded Chaldea uniform which had been neatly stacked on the table. He had only worn it for a day, and he couldn't believe it was still clean after what he had been through.

"Your clothes have been folded and processed if you're wondering."

"Eh?!" Ritsuka jumped in surprise as he spun around to face the unknown voice. Seated in the chair to the left of his bed was a young man who looked like he was in his early to mid twenties. He wore a white cloak with red flame patterns at the end over a bright orange shirt with black stripes. His pants were jet black and his dark boots had openings at the bottom resembling sandals which revealed his toes.

He looked Asian in descent, with hair color that was honestly rare in Japan. He was a natural blonde, with whisker marks on his face and vibrant blue eyes that resembled the sky.

All in all, he was pretty... bright.

"Sorry." The man said, leaning back in his chair. "It's been a while since I talked with anyone, so excuse me if my manners aren't top notch."

"Oh... it's fine." Ritsuka muttered, slightly disturbed a bit. How long had he been there?

"You're wondering how long I've been here, huh? Or what I'm even doing here, right?"

His eyes widened. "How-"

"It's written all over your face. Expressions can tell a person a lot of things." The man said with an amused tone as he stood up. "I was the one who saved you and your girlfriend when the space was collapsing, though it seems you already had an escape plan. I was just dragged along for the ride, so to speak." He looked around. "It's quite strange to think about. The future isn't as different as I thought it'd be."

Ritsuka blinked. This man was the one who showed up when the cave started collapsing? Now he's here with them? It seems like the doctors Rayshifting thing worked a little bit too well.

But...

"Um..." He muttered, feeling very sweaty. "Mashu isn't my girlfriend..."

The man just chuckled like they were sharing a private joke. "Mashu? What a nice name. I didn't get the chance to talk to her, but she seems like a nice girl. Definitely a keeper if I ever saw one." He leaned forward. "Go follow the furball. You need to have an important debrief. I'll talk to you later when you're done."

"What?" He glanced towards the door where Fou was tapping its furry tail against the floor impatiently. "Oh. I see... Thank-"

He turned back towards the chair and blinked. The man was gone. He looked around, wondering if he had managed to sneak out through somewhere but soon gave up trying to figure it out.

"Probably some magecraft technique."

After putting on his Chaldea uniform, he followed Fou through the winding hallways as the creature led him around until they finally arrived in the layshifting room after several minutes of walking.

He swore the dog-thing had led him around in circles for its own amusement.

Entering as the sliding doors opened, he couldn't help but wince at how much of the rubble had yet to be removed and restored. They were lucky that the explosion Lev rigged hadn't been bigger. Otherwise, he might have actually gotten the observational terminal in the center of the room.

Still continuing to follow Fou, he climbed through the rubble until eventually seeing the familiar sight of a white haired girl in standard issued Chaldea clothing looking around amongst the rubble. Smiling, he quickly moved towards her as Fou came to a sitting stop near her feet.

"Fou-san?" Mashu questioned, staring down at the small creature in surprise. "What's wrong?" She turned her head as his footsteps grew closer, her eyes widening in surprise before smiling. "Good morning, Sempai."

He paused for a moment before giving a smile of his own as he resumed walking towards her. "Good morning, Mashu." He replied before wrapping his kouhai in a hug, surprising the girl.

"Sempai?" She squeaked, obviously surprised by the action.

"Thank you..." He whispered, making her freeze at the compliment before smiling once again. This time, it was his turn to tense up in surprise when he felt her arms return the hug.

"It's thanks to you. Sempai." She whispered, feeling the unknown emotions flood into her. The two of them just stayed in their comforting embrace for several seconds before an awkward cough broke the silence.

"Ahem."

The pair quickly separated in surprise, seeing an awkward looking Doctor Roman sitting atop the rubble with his hands under his chin. Oddly enough, he actually seemed to be pretty serious right now despite the weird look in his eyes.

"Erm, well, First of all, congratulations on actually returning alive, Fujimaru-kun." Roman nodded, righting himself. "Thanks to your efforts, both Chaldea and Mashu have been saved. We can all thank you for that."

"Um... What about the director?" Fujimaru hesitantly asked, earning a sad look from the doctor.

"Unfortunately... She is gone."

Everyone seemed to perk down at that thought. True, the doctor had been quite strict and a few other words that had no business being said in the presence of civilized individuals, but her death had been a tragic one.

"Because of you three, the Fuyuki singularity has disappeared and history has been righted. However..." He turned towards SHIVA, the optical device. "Seven more singularities have been discovered. They're space-time disturbances that don't even compare to Fuyuki. Using our Rayshift and heading to these timelines are the only way we will be able to fix these anomalies." He walked towards one of the coffins, running his hand across its surface. "Other than you, everyone else is out of condition to take on the role of a master right now." He paused. "Well, other than another one, but she's not in proper condition right now. I took her off team B for showing signs of sickness, but she has yet to make a proper recovery."

He turned back to the pair, a steely look in his eyes. "48th master potential, are you and your servant prepared... To shoulder the responsibility of humanity's future?"

The master in question paused for a moment, an unsure look on his face before trading a small glance with Mashu who gave him a comforting smile. Righting himself up, his unsure look quickly morphed into one of determination as Fou jumped onto his shoulder.

"If it is something that I can do."

The doctor smiled, happy that the man has accepted the responsibilities. Everything must have been happening all too fast for the substitute master, but he was going to have to learn quickly. These are the greatest threats humanity faces, they had to be strong to stand against them.

Of course, some help would be welcome as well but the servant summoning system still needed to be prepped. It would surely take a day and a half to pr-

"Bravo, new master of Chaldea! You have demonstrated strengths of kindness and determination, the qualities of a true leader! Even with your hesitation to shoulder all of humanity's burdens, you have done so anyway! For that, you have my respect."

The trio turned in surprise, seeing the blonde man sitting casually atop one of the stone spikes that jutted out of the ground from the remnants of the rubble. How he got there without anyone noticing was beyond anyone.

"Oh, um..." Roman paused, staring at the man. "Kuzumai-kun... is it?"

"Oh, just drop the honorifics already." The man waved his hand dismissively. "Also, Kuzumai isn't my real name you know. It's an anagram of my true name. I just used that to hide my identity, ya know. To make sure you all were really worth my attention or you were just a fluke."

"So... What is your real name?" Fujimaru asked curiously as the man hopped down from his pillar.

"Well, it might come as a sort of shock." The man muttered, rubbing his neck. "Please watch closely."

In the air next to him, the word 'Kuzumai' appeared in golden fire. Swiping his hand through it, the words began rearranging themselves into another formation to spell-

"Uzumaki." Mashu read, everyones eyes widening. "Uzumaki... Spiral?"

"Well, my name does mean that." The man laughed in amusement. "Though that's not what it's usually associated with. It's usually associated with-"

"Naruto." Roman finished, his jaw nearly hitting the floor. "A god of Shinobi. The Seventh Hokage of the hidden leaf, but... it shouldn't be possible! More importantly, why would you even be here?!"

"Oh but it is possible, dear doctor." Naruto smiled in amusement at their individual reactions. "Most of us don't choose to do it often, though. As for why I choose to come back... You could say that I felt compelled to by the goodness of my heart. Is it wrong for an individual to help if someone needs it?"

"Well, no..." Roman admitted, suddenly feeling like he had treaded in a minefield of nuclear explosives. "It's just... well... gods aren't known for being-"

"Benevolent, caring, awesome?" Naruto shrugged. "Don't worry, you've aptly described pretty much 85% of the immortals. The other 15% like me, however, love you guys. We can't leave you alone for a moment without getting worried. As such, I was the first one to respond to the burning flesh of Gaia to find out what was going on. It was just luck that I was the first one to reach you guys. Enough about that for a moment though..."

He turned towards Fujimaru, making the young man jump as he felt Naruto's eyes on him. Much to everyones surprise, however, Naruto stuck his arm out in a handshake gesture.

"For the sake of humanity and my ideals, I shall become your sword. My light is that of the Will of Fire to burn away all opposition for the correction of human order, and my chakra is that of the Six Paths to correct and guide you through this ordeal. My question to you, Master of humanity, do you choose to accept this help?"

Fujimaru's breath hitched as he stared at the outstretched hand. Here he was, receiving an outstretched hand from, if he recalled correctly, a long lost divine spirit. Now, he knew he should have taken the hand immediately, but he felt himself hesitate. What if the man wasn't content with him later on? What if incinerated him on the spot out of anger?

Though studying his relaxed look and posture, he felt like he really didn't need to worry about that. Besides, turning down his offer wouldn't end well for anybody.

He reached forward and grasped his hand.

Naruto smiled. "Very well. It'll be a pleasure working with you, Master."

Finally got this done. Even after going at double speed, this chapter did take a while for me to finish. Doesn't help that New Years took up my time as well.

Anyway, unlike my old story, Naruto will take place in the beginning of the grand order series. Starting him too far forward lost all appeal to me because it doesn't give you much room to show any growth and development for the characters.

And yes, Shinobi's will be considered canon in this universe. Gives him an actual reason to be around instead of the ZELRETCH plot hole device.

If you have anything to say, please leave a review. It'll help me greatly with the story.

Check out the next chapter, which should be coming out shortly.

-Mpmvirgo1