The Hope of the Void

Chapter 1


His hand reached out, grasping her fingers, but it was too late. His arm was too short, his strength too little, and she slipped out of his grasp.

"MOM!" he cried out.

She smiled at him, her eyes sad. "Fly Naruto...Fly..."

Tears streamed down his cheeks as he helplessly watched his mother fall down into the bottomless darkness. He watched until only the streams of her red hair were visible. And then there was nothing. She was gone.

He sat there, crouched over the edge of the floating rock, staring down into the Void for a long time. A small kernel of hope wished that somehow, someway, she would catch a slab of land and make her way back to him. She was his mom. She had to come back.

His mother had told him this would happen one day. Over and over again she reminded him. But Naruto didn't listen. His mother was his bastion of light, he couldn't imagine life without her. She was the one pulled him up and saved him time and time again. It was impossible for one so strong to Fall. But it was not strength that survives here. It's luck.

This was the Void, a space of eternal vacuum. Here, everything is sucked downwards into a hole of darkness and one false step will cause you to fall for all eternity. Your only chance is to hope that you catch one of the small pieces of floating land that sparsely occupy the Void. These rocks slightly resist the pull of the Void, descending at a slower rate, and represent the only possibility of survival for the last people of the Nine-Tails Clan. They say that if you climb the rocks at a fast enough pace, you can escape the Void and make it to the outside world. That is the hope. No one quite knew for sure.

Generations upon generations had been born in the Void and all were told the same thing. Fly. Fly to the shining light above and you may escape. Some say it was impossible. Some gave up the Flight and settled for living out a short life out on an oasis, accepting the fact that this place too will eventually descend into darkness.

For most others, they were Nomads. They traveled in small in groups, leaping up from island to island, climbing the Void steadily, slowly, while sustaining themselves on the rare floating oasis. If they're lucky. If you don't die from a Fall, you will die of starvation or thirst.

No one could recall for what reasons were trapped in this never-ending hell. They had been in the Void for far too long and no one could remember. The old died young and the young even younger.

This is what life had been for Naruto, ever since he was born. When he was younger, he and his mom took the Flight with a Nomad group before they had been split up some years back, leaving only the two of them.

And now he had no one. Naruto sat there, enveloped in sadness, clutching his tiny knees to his chest. He wanted to die. He wanted to jump off the rock and fall into the Void, letting death take him.

Then the final words of his mother whispered in his mind. "Fly Naruto...Fly..."

Naruto balled up his hand in a fist and a determined look took over his expression. He looked up at the sky of light above of him and glared. He won't die here. He would escape the Void, like his mother had always wanted of them.


Naruto ascended the empty vacuum of the Void at a steady but quick speed. He ignored the hunger and thirst that welled up within and pushed on with a resolute discipline. It had been some days since his last oasis and every jump became more and more of a struggle. Since the Fall of mother, he had not seen a single person for a very long time. Such was typical of the Void. Once you got separated from a Nomad group, you would never see them again. Good luck finding another person.

As he latched onto the ledge of the tiny floating rock, pulling himself over the edge, Naruto's eyes widened when he looked up.

An vast island was above filled with trees. An oasis! And a big one. The biggest one he'd seen since he'd been a child. It was far, some ways on the other side of the rock on he was on, with only a few pieces of land in between them. It would be difficult but if he could make, he was sure it would be worth it.

Naruto took a deep breath and prepared himself. Then, he leapt. He had to be fast because the rocks were small and began to sink as soon as he landed on them. He flew through the air, making sure his landings were careful, and took one final vault with all his power to edge of the large oasis.

He felt his momentum slowing in the air and his heart rate began to hasten. He didn't know if he would make it. Finally, just as his flight began to reach its end, he flung his hand towards the edge and latched on tightly. The young boy clung on the cliff's edge, hanging there with sweat dripping from his forehead. He looked down into the darkness of the Void. Half a fraction less of strength and that would of been it.

Naruto scaled the side of oasis and looked around. It was even bigger than it had appeared from below. The oasis was filled with a forest of medium sized trees and small plants littered the ground. He took a closer look at the nearby bushes and his eyes lit up. There was fruit on them!

Immediately, Naruto grabbed a handful and began chowing down. Though they were bland and practically tasteless, he savored them nonetheless.

As he ate, the trees rustled from behind him but Naruto was too busy eating to notice.

"Well what do we have here?"

Naruto, his mouth full, whipped around in freight. Before him was an old, bearded man garbed in a robe and holding a cane in one hand.

The robed man smiled at him. "Enjoying my fruits?"

Naruto quickly stood up and said, "Mmphff!"

The old man chuckled. "Take your time, young one."

He chewed for a couple seconds and took a big gulp. "W-Who are you!"

"Isn't it proper etiquette to introduce oneself first?"

"Um..." Naruto scratched the back of his head bashfully, feeling a little shy. It had been years since he had seen anyone other than his mother and he was feeling cautious. "O-Okay I guess...I'm Naruto!"

"Greetings. I am Hitoshi and I am keeper of this oasis."

Naruto looked at him, then at the fruits in his hands, and then back at Hitoshi. Naruto dropped the fruits and put his hands behind his back with embarrassment. "S-Sorry! I was just hungry and I-"

Hitoshi waved him off. "Think nothing of it. I cultivate these fruits for all who take upon the Flight. Come, why don't you bring your fruits with you and follow me to my cottage. There, we can chat in peace."

Naruto nodded. "Okay!"

He followed Hitoshi through the forest and soon they were at an open clearing where Hitoshi's cottage was. The building was small, made of wood, and had a large pool of water beside it.

"Water!" Naruto rushed up to it. He was about to take a drink when he suddenly paused and turned to Hitoshi with beaming eyes. "Can I take a drink?"

The old man nodded. "Of course. Drink as much as you'd like."

"Thanks!"

Naruto shoved his head in the water and began taking in large gulps. After a moment, he pulled out and let out a gasp of pleasure.

Hitoshi smiled again and gestured towards the cabin. "Please, come inside why don't you?"

Naruto was feeling much better now and the man seemed very nice. "Sure!"

The cottage was smaller than it appeared. It was simple, with no adornments. A wooden bed was at one end and in the middle was a table with two chairs.

"Have a seat. It's been a while since my last visitor."

They both sat down and Naruto began eating the fruit that he had taken with him. Hitoshi looked at him with a gentle gaze, not saying anything. Finally, once Naruto was done, Hitoshi spoke up.

"Have you been alone for a while, Naruto?" Hitoshi asked.

Naruto looked down at the ground. "Yeah..."

"I see. I'd ask for how long but, of course, with no day or night, time is rather meaningless here isn't it?"

Naruto nodded and asked, "Are you Settler?"

"Indeed. I have been here for a long time."

Sadness crossed Naruto's face. "Oh...that must mean I'm pretty far down then. I'm never gonna make it to the top..."

The smile on Hitoshi's lips widened. "Actually, I have some good news for you, young one."

"Whazzat?"

"You are very close to the top. Why, it's only a few days of Flight up."

Naruto jumped out of his chair. "WHAT?! NO WAY!"

"That's right."

"But then, how are you so high up if you've been here for a while?" the boy asked with a quirk of his eyebrow.

"Because we are so near the top, I am able stabilize this oasis with ninjutsu and keep it from sinking."

He didn't know what ninjutsu was and didn't care. He trusted the old man. "WOW! I can't believe it! I'm gonna make it!" Naruto's eyes were brimming with tears of happiness. He was astounded beyond believe. After all his years in the Void, he was finally going to escape.

In the midst of the blond haired boy's euphoria, a question suddenly sparked inside his young mind. "Wait, why are you here then? Why don't you leave the Void?"

Hitoshi's eyes took a wistful appearance. "I escaped the Void some time ago in my younger days. I lived out there for a little bit until I couldn't help but come back. You see, I got separated from my wife just days before I escaped. I missed her deeply. So I returned to the Void and took residence in this oasis, hoping one day to see my wife again. But alas, she never came. The chances that I would see her again, even if she had not Fallen, were very small since, after all, the Void is infinitely large. She may have escaped the Void and simply missed my oasis."

Hitoshi sighed. "That was a long time ago though. I'd decided to spend the rest of my life helping others in the Flight and welcome them to the top. It's a rewarding experience that brings me much joy."

Naruto's expression was filled with melancholy at Hitoshi's sad story. "I know how you feel. I lost my mom a while back. I really miss her."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"I..." Tears began streaming down his face and this time they were not happy ones. "I don't understand why we we're trapped here." He thought of all the hardships he'd experienced in his young life. "Why are we in the Void to begin with? What did we ever do to deserve this?"

The old man's gaze turned somber and it pained his heart to see one so young have a look of such sorrow. "I understand how you feel. I, too, wish it didn't have to be this way."

"Do you know why we're here?" Naruto asked.

Hitoshi sat there in silence before finally speaking up in a solemn tone. "When I was younger, my father did tell me a story. I don't know if it's true or not but the story goes, the Nine-Tailed Clan was once a powerful alliance of ninjas a long time ago. We were a peaceful people but strong, and the other clans feared our strength. So, one day, they banded together and cast a powerful ninjutsu on our entire city that created a hole in space and time. This hole came to be known as the Void. And ever since then, we have been striving to escape."

A ball anger surged within Naruto. "Who?! Who did this to us?!" He wanted to know. He wanted to know who caused all this suffering, who caused him to lose his mother, and who caused him and his people so many other tragic experiences.

Hitoshi shook his head sadly. "I do not know, young one."

Naruto's fist shook with hatred. One day he would find out.

"Let us speak of such things no longer. Today should be a happy day for you. Please, rest here young Naruto as you prepare yourself for the final leg of the Flight."


The blackness below had been getting fainter and the light above no longer appeared to be one large luminescence. Instead, it had turned into a small sphere of golden brightness. Naruto took it as a good sign that he was near the top. At last!

"Hey, the rocks! They're not sinking anymore!" Naruto said in surprise. Excitement began to fill him. He quickened his pace. The further he traveled, the more things began to change. Where as deep in the Void, there were no edges, only an endless scene of nothingness, both horizontal and vertical, a wall began to form. The Void was beginning to disappear and take the form of a gigantic chasm. In addition, he could of sworn he saw some birds fly across the sky.

Eagerly, he climbed some more. The cliff ended finally and he could see the edge. Naruto leaped up past it. What he saw next astonished him. Land. Land as far as the eye could see. And there trees, bushes, and animals everywhere! It was like an endless oasis!

Naruto landed on the floor and collapsed to the ground in exhaustion and glee. He laid there, his arms and legs sprawled out, staring at this the strange sphere of light in the sky. He had made it.

'Mom...I did it! I finally did it!' he thought to himself elatedly.

"So that's one of the Nine-Tails Clan eh?" one said.

"Of course it is! He came out of the Chasm to the Void!" said a second.

"I don't like him. He looks weak," said a third.

Three heads appeared in Naruto's vision, covering the sky. The young boy squinted up at them.

"Oi! You!" A foot nudged him. "Get up!"

Confused, Naruto did so and took a better look at the new strangers. They were three youngsters, appearing to be around his age, staring at him. The one who had nudged him was wearing a hooded jacket with fur on the rims. He had slitted eyes and a look of distaste in his expression. The next one was a girl wearing a cap that had bandages across the rim. Her long, red hair flowed out of it with a single, lengthy bang crossing the middle of her face. The last one had his black hair tied back, causing it to jut out in spikes like a pineapple and he gazed at Naruto with a bored expression.

"Uh...hi?" Naruto said with an awkward grin. He had never seen kids his age before.

"Let's see how strong he is!" the hooded boy said and lunged at Naruto with a fist.

Surprised, Naruto barely dodged and jumped back. "Hey! What are you doing?!"

"Shut up and fight!"

The boy came at him once again. He struck out at Naruto's face with a fist. Not knowing what to do, Naruto brought up his arms and blocked clumsily.

"Stop!" Naruto cried out. But the boy wasn't finished. He spun and kicked outwards, smashing the young Nine-Tailed Clan member in the stomach. Naruto fell to his knees, clutching his stomach in pain.

The hooded boy raised an eyebrow. "Eh? What is this Shikamaru? I thought the members of the Nine-Tailed Clan were supposed to be strong!"

"He might be tired," the boy with his hair tied back commented with a shrug. "He did just get out of the Void."

"Move Kiba, let me try this runt," the girl said, stepping forward.

Seeing she was about to attack, Naruto squirmed up off the ground and quickly tried to defend himself. He had never fought before and had no idea what to do, so he swung his arms wildly trying to defend the girls punches. It wasn't long before one got through and sent him flying backwards.

The girl scoffed. "What trash."

Shikamaru cocked his head to the side inquisitively. "I don't think he's fought before, Tayuya."

Naruto slowly picked himself up off the ground, seething with anger. Why were they attacking him? What's wrong with them?!

"What?! That can't be right!" Kiba exclaimed. "Maybe he's hiding it. I'm gonna attack him again."

Naruto balled up his hands into fists and glared angrily at Kiba.

Kiba grinned. "Ha. The little tike is pissed! C'mon kid, show me what you got!"

Again, Kiba attacked. He threw several punches and kicks which Naruto struggled to block, getting hit twice.

Kiba stopped and threw his hands up. "This kid sucks. I don't think-"

The hooded boy's sentence cut off as Naruto slammed his fist into Kiba's cheek, sending the boy reeling.

"Ha! Idiot!" Tayuya said with a laugh.

Kiba wiped the blood from his lip and stared dangerously at the whiskered blond. "You're gonna pay for that..."

Naruto returned the stare in earnest with a fire of his own. "Back off! I'm warning you..." He wasn't going to die. Not here, not now, not after just getting out. He would do whatever it took to survive.

Kiba took a step forward but Shikamaru put a hand on his shoulder. "Cool it Kiba."

"Outta the way Shikamaru!" Kiba tried to shrug off the hand but Shikamaru's hand gripped tightly.

"I thought we were going to make him our servant? You wouldn't want to damage our new property would you?" Shikamaru said coolly.

"Hm...maybe..."

"Are you sure you want to take him in Shikamaru?" Tayuya asked. "The kids got guts, I'll give him that, but you're right. He ain't fought before."

"We can teach him. Everyone who says that Nine-Tailed Clan members are strong can't be wrong," Shikamaru said, eying the boy. "He's got good instincts for someone that's never fought before."

"He got in a lucky punch! That's all!" Kiba shouted, annoyed.

"Yeah, but he also blocked some of yours and Tayuya's attacks with no fight experience at all."

Naruto glowered at the youngsters before him. What were they talking about? Servant? He wasn't going to be serving anyone! He had just escaped the Void! He was free!

The three youngsters gathered in a huddle, conversing amongst themselves before nodding and turning back to Naruto. Shikamaru stepped forward. "I think we got off the wrong foot. To put it lightly. I'm Shikamaru."

Naruto eyed Shikamaru suspiciously but he did seem the most sensible out of the three. He had not attacked him and stopped that Kiba boy from harming him further. "...Naruto."

Shikamaru nodded and gestured to his companions. "This angry furball is Kiba."

"Hey!" Kiba shouted in protest at the insult.

"And the tomboy is Tayuya."

Tayuya glared. "Watch it Shikamaru..."

Shikamaru gestured helplessly at them and grinned at Naruto. "As you can see, they're a little quick to the trigger. Sorry about that. What I want to offer you is a deal. Become our servant and we'll help you out."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Servant? No way!"

"This ain't a request-"

"Quiet Kiba. Let me handle this," Shikamaru interrupted. "Let me explain your situation, Naruto. You just escaped the Void. You know no one, you have no where to go, and you know nothing about the outside world. Not only that, you're a lot better off with us than some clan or the army."

"Why would I be with a clan or an army?"

Shikamaru shook his head. "I don't think you get it. They prey on your kind. They're everywhere around the Chasm, scavenging for members of your clan to enslave."

"What?!" Naruto's eyes glowed with fury at Shikamaru's revelation. Here, his people had suffered endless generations in the hell of the Void and what did they get once they finally escaped? Enslavement?! He couldn't believe it. "Those...those bastards!"

"That's reality," Shikamaru said. "Worry about it later. What I have for you is a proposition. Come with us and we'll show you the ropes. We'll teach you about the world, how to survive, and even teach you how to fight. We got a nice little place in the City where you can sleep and eat."

Naruto thought over the words. This Shikamaru made some good points. But should he trust them? "...And what do you want in return?"

Shikamaru's grin twisted upwards. "You're smarter than you look. In exchange, you become a servant in our gang. You do what we tell you. If I tell you to jump, you jump. If I tell you to fight, you fight. No questions asked."

Naruto looked at Shikamaru. He seemed smart and looked like he knew what he was talking about. He glanced at Tayuya and Kiba. The girl appeared indifferent to the whole situation while Kiba was clearly miffed. He didn't particularly like either of them but Shikamaru's offer seemed genuine. What choice did he have? "...Alright. I'll come with you."

Shikamaru nodded expectantly. "Good. Now, come with us back to the City and I'll tell you what you need to know..."


The three youngsters walked through dense forest as they made their way to their destination.

"Do you know where you are?" Shikamaru asked their new companion.

Naruto shook his head. "I dunno."

"Man, he's dumb," Kiba commented.

"Duh Kiba, he's been in the Void all his life," Tayuya said, stating the obvious.

Naruto cast a glare towards the two but turned back to Shikamaru.

"You're in the Land of Fire," Shikamaru explained, "just outside The City of the Leaf, which is the capital of the Land of Fire."

"I see." Naruto pondered the words. The Chasm to the Void was located here. Does that mean they were the ones who created the Void?

"There are four other countries you should know about," Shikamaru continued. "The Land of Wind, the Land of Water, the Land of Lightning, and the Land of Earth. There are other countries but those are the biggest ones other than ours."

"Okay."

"You obviously wouldn't know but up until three years ago, everyone was at war with each other. Us and the Land of Water were fighting the Land of Wind, Earth, and Lightning. Many of the other smaller countries got involved too. Technically, it's not over. We're in cease fire right now. It's pretty tense between all the countries at the moment. No one knows when the fighting might start up again."

Naruto knew what war was of course but he wouldn't call what went on in the Void a war per se. Groups fought each other often over the precious oases but these were small skirmishes as everyone in the vacuum were vastly spread out. Settlers in particular were quite aggressive in taking possession of oases because where as Nomad groups just stayed for a couple days and left, Settlers established permanent encampments where they would stay for several years.

"Right now, it's really chaotic in the City of the Leaf. We got a lot of refugees from the smaller countries during the war and most of them came to the City. Tayuya was one of them."

"Really?" Naruto glanced at the girl.

Tayuya looked back with an annoyed scowl on her face. "What?"

"Uh, nothing..." Naruto muttered. 'Geez, she's prickly...'

"The refugees destabilized the City bad," Shikamaru continued once again. "Since they had no where to live, ghettos and slums started popping up everywhere. Crimes a big issue now. As a result, the Army of Fire started taking refugees from their homes and conscripting them. You'd think they'd worry about spies infiltrating but apparently they have some sort screening system that they say is full-proof. This means you need to watch out for any soldiers because they love taking in refugee kids."

Naruto frowned. He had imagined that life outside the Void would be paradise, full of peace and plentiful resources. But it appeared that they had their own problems. He was about to speak up when something ahead caught his eye.

In the distance, creeping over the canopy of the trees, was a mountain range where two faces were embedded. They were intricately carved with marvelous precision and they must be huge to be able to be seen from this far.

"Wow, cool!" Naruto said excitedly. "What's that?"

"That's the Birth of Flames monument. The one on the left is Hashirama Senju. He's known as the Hokage and he's the leader of the Land of Fire. His younger brother is on the right: Tobirama Senju. He's the General of Fire, commander of the Army of Fire. The two of them founded the City of the Leaf and brought together the Land of Fire."

As they got closer and closer to the monument, the tops of gigantic buildings of concrete and wood revealed themselves. Pillars of smoke rose in the midst of the skyscrapers and as they got closer, the buildings completely dwarfed the surrounding forest. Naruto hadn't realize just how massive they were. He felt his heart stop. It was incredible. He had never seen anything like it. Throughout his young life, he had come into contact with various small nomad groups with no more than twenty, and the most they built were small tents. But this...this was just colossal. He wondered how many people lived here.

"And that is the City of the Leaf," Shikamaru said.

"Whoa..." Naruto murmured in awe.

Kiba rolled his eyes. "Bumpkin."

"Welcome to the City, Naruto," Shikamaru said with a grin.


In a large chamber, a man in the center floated in the air and had his legs crossed in the lotus position. The man's white silk kimono was decorated with complex gold markings that ran along the hems and rims. A metal skull cap lay atop of the man's long black hair and the tubes protruded out of it, hooking up to a gigantic machanical sphere above. He had his eyes closed and appeared deep in thought.

The large doors to the room opened and a man stepped inside. He was garbed in white robes, wearing a triangular hat with the symbol of a flame in the center. The man was flanked by two others. On the left of him was a man with spiky white hair and solid blue armor. To the right was one in white armor who had dark brown pointed hair and a short, sharp beard on his chin.

"Hiashi," the robed one address the man in the kimono, "I am here. I am told you had a vision of grand importance you wished to tell me of?"

Hiashi slowly opened his solid pale blue eyes. These were the eyes of the Byakugan, a power that afflicted the man with distant visions of the future. "Yes, Lord Hokage..."

"What is it? Is it about the Dark Reaper your brother prophesied of?" Hashirama Senju, the Hokage, asked.

"We still do not know if our spy's information is accurate," said the man in blue armor. "It could easily be a fake prophecy created to mislead us, Brother."

"I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss it, Lord General," cautioned the bearded man. "That information came from one of Danzo's Root ninja. His spies are quite dependable."

"Do not rely on Danzo, Hiruzen," the General of Fire, Tobirama Senju, said with narrowed his eyes. "Danzo, while his methods are...effective...his motivations and intentions can be suspect at times."

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Lieutenant General of Fire, frowned. "Danzo is a man who will always put the nation before himself. I trust him."

Hashirama held up his hands with a smile. "Now, now, you two. Talk of such things at another time. The Sage of Destiny has had an important vision. Let us listen. Go on Hiashi, tell us what you saw."

The Sage nodded. "As you wish. I foresee a great figure emerging in the coming times and the threads of destiny are tangled deeply around him. The thread he chooses to untangle will change the landscape of our world in ways that we cannot imagine."

The Hokage cupped his chin ponderously. "Interesting."

"What does he look like?" Tobirama asked.

Hiashi shook his head. "He is showered in an enormous light that covers his figure. I cannot tell."

"Do you know how he ties in with the Dark Reaper?" Hashirama questioned.

Hiashi shook his head. "I have never seen the Dark Reaper. The paths that connect to darkness are hidden to me. All I can I see is many threads of light ending abruptly, which may be this Dark Reaper."

"If only the Land of Moons hadn't kidnapped your brother from us," Tobirama muttered angrily.

"True," Hiruzen acknowledged. "With the full prophecy of the Sage of Fate, it might be possible to decipher these visions. Unfortunately, he is in the hands of the Uchiha Clan and, according to our sources, they have only allowed the Land of Earth to see him. They would never allow us access to Hizashi, despite the cease fire, due to our history with them."

Hashirama shook his head, his eyes somber. "The Uchihas play a dangerous game. If this Dark Reaper prophecy is true, the world may truly be in grave danger..."