Brothers Of A Different Kind

Here's the seventh chapter of the re-written story. Enjoy


Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Marvel.


Previously –


Four Months Later –


August 1st, 1945

Naruto was extremely stressed out at the moment, but also happy beyond belief, if that made any sense at all. He was in quite the pickle. Three months ago in May, he had received the best news a man could ask for. He was going to have a child. The thought alone was spirit lifting, especially after he had come back from killing Hitler. Though that was where the good times stopped rolling.

He was happy he was having a family, but it was with whom, and how she went about it that had him questioning her motives. Tsunade had manipulated him, and taken advantage of his state when news of Bucky's death first reached him. The hits didn't stop there however.

After Germany had officially surrendered in July, he expected Japan to follow, but he was to optimistic it seems. Japan had refused the terms of surrender. They were given time to reconsider their stance on the terms, but once that time was up, they would be faced with mass destruction.

The blonde read through the lines of his government's threat to Japan, as he knew what they planned on doing. He'd been informed about it before leaving for Japan. It was called the Atomic Bomb, a very dangerous weapon first developed in Manhattan in 1939. His government had given Japan until the 6th of August to make their decision. Which meant his exit strategy had been expedited.

Namora was still out on her long-term mission, and he had a feeling she wouldn't be returning anytime soon, so he didn't have to worry about her safety. It was his, his unborn child's, and the mother of his child's safety that he had to worry about. He was still disappointed in Tsunade's actions, but it doesn't really matter how he feels anymore. His unborn child is all that mattered now.

That being said, the situation with Tsunade and their unborn child had gotten more difficult. With her being seven months pregnant, her Clan decided it would be better for her if she was moved to an area where she would have more peace and quiet. An area that was unknown to him, and where he did not have access to. He was informed that only those who bore the Senju name could know the information he sought.

Knowing when he was being bullshitted, he decided to stop playing nice, and began to use his eyes to get what he wanted. He enthralled a member of Tsunade's Clan, and from her he was able to get the information he was seeking. She had been moved to an isolated medical room, near the outskirts of the island. Normally, knowing this would have put him at ease, but it didn't.

A feeling of dread coursed through his entire body as he was now staring at the door that would open up to the clean room that housed Tsunade and his child. He couldn't explain why he felt this way, he just did. Something sinister was going on behind the closed door, and he needed to know what. Unfortunately, it was heavily locked, and he dare not force his way in now for fear of alerting those who were patrolling the grounds. He had about a few seconds to vanish before the alarm was raised. While confident that he could take on anyone in this organization, he was still outnumbered here. So with that being said, he would need to get planning.


Now –


August 9th, 1945

He was out of time.

The days between the first and the sixth had come and gone. Japan had ignored the ultimatum given to them, and they had paid the price. The atomic bomb had been dropped on Hiroshima, and now rumor had it that another was on it's way towards Nagasaki.

No plan had been devised, that wouldn't guarantee death, and Naruto had been hoping Japan would reconsider the terms of surrender. That didn't happen of course, and he was now a man who has been pushed to desperation.

He's tried speaking with those guarding the room, that didn't get him anywhere. His next option was trying to bribe them with something they may want. No such luck. His last option was hypnotization. Unfortunately, that wasn't go to work either, not with how regularly the guards switched positions. With that option failing, he was down to his last resort, brute force.

Making his way over to the clean room, he spotted the two men stationed outside and quickly made short work of them. Removing a set of keys from one of them, he opened the locks, slipped in, but didn't make it five feet before stopping, shocked with what he was seeing in front of him. His eyes went past all the medical equipment hooked up into Tsunade, and zeroed in on the seal that was placed on her stomach.

The shock wore off, and was soon replaced by anger, one that was taken out on the medical-nin inside the room. He frowned as he looked over Tsunade, and then at the seal. He couldn't make heads or tails of the thing. It was to complex for him to understand, and the more complex it got, the more dangerous it was.

Naruto shook his head. He doesn't have time to contemplate the complexity of the seal, he needed to get her out. Seeing that she was under heavy sedation, and checking to make sure there were no more seals, he began to remove all of the equipment hooked up into her. The breath he'd been holding since starting was released. He was done. All of the contraptions were removed, and now all the remained was escaping. Or that would have been the plan if more shinobi hadn't just entered the room, barring his path.

He took a deep breath, and exhaled. Looks like he was going to have to fight his way out, and though the odds were against him, damn it if he wasn't going to try. He activated his sharingan, and took his stance, he was ready to fight.

'...Wait a minute. There's something wrong with the picture in front of me.'

Normally, his eyes allowed him to see the chakra flowing within a person, as he always recalled seeing Tsunade's whenever they spared. He could not however see a trace of it in any of the shinobi standing in front of him. Except for one, and now that he thought about it, he couldn't ever recall seeing another chakra system in all the time he's been here.

The gears in his head started to turn at a rapid pace, trying to figure out why this was, and he finally remembered. It was the restrictions placed upon him by Tsunade. Now he understood why she only wanted him to use his eyes against her, who could use chakra, and when he was on a mission, as he did those alone, most of the time.

'How could I have overlooked such a large detail?'

Naruto harked back to the mission in Madripoor, and the optimal opportunity he let pass him by. He had been so busy worrying about leading, acquiring the alliance with Hydra, and his brother, that he was completely oblivious to those he had been leading. His ignorance back then was coming back to bite him in the ass.

"What may I ask, are you doing with my future investment?"

Crimson orbs narrowed as the frown on his face deepened. He recognized that voice. It belonged to the Master. He didn't know how she was possessing the fool in front of him, nor did he care. What he cared about was that remark of hers. Though he had a feeling he knew what she was getting at. He just hoped he was wrong.

"Surely someone as brilliant as yourself has already figured it out?" she asked in an amused voice. He didn't answer. "Your newborn is to be my future vessel once I return." she revealed to him, confirming his suspicion. "I wouldn't have resorted to this if you had just brought me what I requested-"

No longer wishing to hear her irritating voice, he silenced it. Unfortunately, it was only a momentary reprieve as the woman simply jumped into another host, continuing as if nothing happened.

"It was supposed to be you originally." she revealed. "I had taken considerable efforts to insure that you grew the way I wanted. Especially after I removed you from the dimension I'm currently inhabiting and planted you in your current one."

Her little revelation had done it's job. It made Naruto pause in his escape plans. He gave her a very intense stare, one she pointedly ignored.

"I was a goddess to those people you know." she sighed, reminiscing. "As a reward for their continued worship, I eventually empowered all of them with a fragment of chakra, for fun. Unfortunately, the fun times never last, and after centuries of watching them wage wars, I grew bored of them. I planned on exterminating them. To start over as they say." she said, no hint of remorse in her voice.

Naruto was disgusted by this woman and her scorched earth policy. She treated her people as if they were cattle to be poked, prodded, and then slaughtered.

"My two sons disagreed with my plan however, and led a rebellion against me. Unfortunately, they did not have enough power, or bodies, to stop me, and I ended up killing them." She placed a hand on her cheek. "It was only years later when I wanted to return, and started planning my return, that I realized my mistake."

"That you killed your children."

The possessed shinobi shook their head. "No. Not only did I kill the only two who could have alleviated my boredom, but I also killed not only two potential hosts, but future hosts that would have eventually been sired by them."

If he thought he was disgusted with her before, then she had just proven him wrong. To think she was thinking of not only using her children, but potentially her grandchildren as well. She was a monster.

"I only learned how grave of a mistake it was when I tried transferring my soul into a normal human host." The shinobi shook their head. "It was far to stressful on the body, and the host died. My sons on the other-hand, and any future progeny of theirs, would have been perfect. Not only do they share my blood, but my flesh as well." she explained. "Alas, with them gone, I needed an alternative. So I began to plan once more."

Naruto didn't like the sound of that.

"After years of selective breeding, you were born, and once I made sure you were the ideal choice, I removed you from your birth parents." she revealed, stunning him. "Once I did that, I broke you down on a molecular level, and inseminated you into the one known as Sarah Rogers." she said. "It was an arduous process, moving you across dimensions, with what power I had, but I managed, and now here you are."

His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, and any escape plan he had came to a halt. If what she was telling him was the truth, then that meant he wasn't really apart of the Rogers family. Then there were his birth parents. Were they even still alive? Did they still love him? There were simply to many questions and not enough answers.

"...You're lying." he said. "If this was true, then I would have also died the moment you fully entered my body."

"Not so." she said. "As previously stated, I've been planning this for a very long time. My blood flows through your veins. The transition would have been somewhat seamless."

He gave her a confused look until it finally clicked in his head. "...The Infinity Formula." It was only one of two foreign substances he had ever put in his body, and it was the only thing that made sense.

The possessed shinobi nodded. "My blood is the building block of it's creation." she said. "Did you not find it odd as to why you suddenly started to learn at an astounding rate? Or how you even entered The Hand to begin with?" she questioned. "Or why you have that eye I'm looking at? You manifested my eye, but not the one I truly sought. I even took certain measures to insure you did."

"...What did you do?"

"You didn't think it coincidence that your mother Sarah suddenly falls into depression, re-enlists as a nurse only to contract tuberculosis, and then ends up losing her child, do you?" she inquired. "Or how your father Joseph just happened to be in the exact trench where a canister of mustard gas hit?"

Naruto's jaw flexed, and his glare intensified tenfold.

"Let's also not forget about prince T'Chaka. If he hadn't just shown up out of the blue, then you may not have had to kill his father." she said. "I had hoped that the amount of suffering you'd been through to be enough to awaken the next stage of that eye, but alas, it was not meant to be."

Naruto still remembered that night, vividly. His decision would haunt him for the rest of his years. She continued.

"After the eye I wanted failed to manifest, I deemed you a failure..." She told him. "Though the seed in your loins still had much potential. So I began to plan once more."

His eyes traveled to Tsunade and the bump on her stomach.

"Did you not find it odd how she acted with you the moment you arrived?" she asked. "Going from the woman you first met at the expo, to the woman who was sleeping with other men, to suddenly a woman who wanted to be with you again." she said. "I was manipulating her from the beginning. Though I do admit that you rejecting her advances put a hamper on my plans, however temporary it was. Eventually the two of you did the deed, and now here we are seven months later."

"...Everything up to this point has been apart of one big plan, hasn't it?" he questioned, as the story of the Shintō pantheon fighting amongst themselves because of her suddenly entered his head.

"Truly, those who carry my blood are destined for great things." She praised herself before giving him a nod. "Correct. I eventually grew bored with life after my birth and the war. After visiting the human world, and liking it, I devised a plan." she said. "One where I would rule and never follow. In order to accomplish this however, I couldn't have my family, or others interfering."

"So you had them exile you after it was found out you were interfering in the affairs of humans, which in turn set in motion the rule of non-interference."

The possessed shinobi began to clap. "Bravo. Yes, it's true. However, being a goddess among mortals didn't mean much since I could still be attacked. It was then that an idea came to me. The rule of non-interference only applied to the pantheons, and not humans, so it was then that I decided to transfer my soul and power into a human vessel." she said. "Nobody would be able to touch me then. Everything was calculated." she declared smugly.

"Except for not knowing a human body couldn't handle your power, or then being sealed into another dimension." he stated, wiping that smug look off her face.

"Yes. I had not anticipated my family going to such lengths." she spat, cursing the word family like it was a disease.

Naruto waited for her to continue, and when she didn't, he knew it was time. As he mentally prepared himself for the hardest fight of his short life, he just wanted one question answered from her.

"...What name did my birth parents give me?" he asked. While he will always consider the Rogers his true family, he needed some closure on the family he never knew.

"Your current name here is the same as it was there-"

Hearing what he wanted, he didn't allow her to finish that sentence as he flung his blade across the room, and watched as it impaled the possessed shinobi, killing them instantly. He repeated this process with his other blade. Before any of the others could react, he was on them in an instant, his kusarigama spinning rapidly as it killed the rest.

Once done, he re-sheathed his kōdachi's, and sealed his kusarigama. He walked over to Tsunade and gently picked her out of bed, and began to walk towards the door.

"...Damn."

The chances of escape were already plummeting before he acted, and they were pretty much zero now when he exited the door. In front of him stood what seemed like the entire organization, ready to kill him at a moments notice. He suddenly felt two hands clamp down on his shoulders, forcing him to his knees. From out the corner of his eyes, he spotted the stony faces, and glazed eyes, of the Tsuchikage and Raikage. The Mizukage had the exact same look to her as she came up to him and removed the mother of his child from his arms.

'I need to think of something-'

His head snapped to the west. His enhanced hearing caught the sounds of a Boeing B-29 Superfortress engine, and it was getting closer by the second. He needed to do something. It was now or never. No sooner had the thought entered his head did his eyes widen, and he grab his head in agony. It felt like something was trying to force it's way in, and he couldn't stop it.

'Do not resist. We only wish to help you by providing you with the means to her end.'

Not sure who was contacting him, he decided to listen. The enemy of his enemy was my friend after all. He would deal with the consequences of his actions later. Once he decided to stop resisting, his mind was suddenly bombarded with knowledge from the voice that claimed this would defeat his enemy. Not having much of a choice but to believe, he took a deep breath, and exhaled. He weaved the particular hand-seals that appeared in his head, and just for a second, he felt everything around him. All the life. It was like he was seeing for the first time in his entire life. It was a beautiful feeling. It vanished just as quickly as it came though. He then clapped his hands, and waited.

Time slowed to a stop, and a chilling shiver ran up the spines of everyone present. A cold sweat broke out on Naruto's brow as he now realized he did something he probably shouldn't have. He blinked and a lone figure suddenly stood amongst the group, as if it had always been there, and it was demanding obedience from all. Slowly, everyone began to prostrate before this being.

He had only ever felt like this one other time, and that was when he had nearly died. It was now that he realized that he had summoned something that was beyond dangerous, and that should be avoided at all costs, despite it always being around every corner.

He had summoned Death.

'Why have you summoned me?'

Five little words nearly froze his heart in place. When he had first met the Master, he thought he was in the presence of something otherworldly, well he was wrong. Standing in front of him was something far above him, and everyone else he'd ever met. He swallowed hard, and gathered his courage.

"...I wish to seal something within the realm of death." he finally said, repeating the exact same words that the voice in his head had instructed him to.

'What do you wish to seal?'

"The being known as The Demon Rabbit Goddess."

'Kaguya Ōtsutsuki?'

'So that's her true name.'

He nodded in affirmation.

"Yes."

'Very well. You know the price for summoning me, and using my power, correct?'

Naruto nodded. "I do, but I will offer something of even greater value than my soul." he said. He knew of the price, and the voice had given him an alternate route. "I not only offer up the soul of Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, but of all those present as well, excluding mine, Tsunade's, and my unborn child's."

The visage of Death was covered in a shroud, so no one could see what they were looking at, but the moment he decided to barter, the being focused solely on him, intrigued. The veil surrounding it's face was removed and the face of a beautiful woman was looking down at him. He was so confused.

'This is Death?'

'Did you expect something different?'

Her sudden question snapped him out of his stupor, and he quickly shook his head.

'I see.' Death suddenly transformed, and before him no longer stood a woman, but the skeleton of a human woman. That chill he felt earlier came back again full force. 'Is this more to your liking?'

Naruto violently shook his head as her bony hand nearly caressed his face. He looked up, and wished he hadn't. Her stoic eyes were gone, and all that remained were sockets. She suddenly returned back to normal.

'Back to business.' Death looked at everyone present. 'One soul is not equal to that of another's.' she said. 'Excluding Kaguya's, your soul alone is worth more than the others combined.'

The blonde super-soldier was frowning. The voice told him this plan would work. How could his soul hold so much more value than an entire organizations?

"...Is the payment not satisfactory?"

Death shook her head. 'No, the payment is satisfactory, but only for two of you.' she said.

"What do you mean?"

'One of the other two you specified will not be exempt from my touch.' she revealed. 'Kaguya and her organization of people are only worth two souls. So choose. Your time is running out.'

Naruto knew she was right. The bomber was getting closer and closer, and would be here in less than a minute. He let out a sigh.

"Then save Tsunade and my child."

'Oh, and what of you?'

"It appears I'm to die here today." he answered. It sucked, but at least he saved his child's life, and he at least completed his mission.

'If there was another way to survive, to be with your family, would you take it?' asked Death.

He knew manipulation when he saw it, and right now, he was being manipulated into something by this being. Why? He had no clue. Had his situation not been so dire, he would have asked what this other option was, but now that he was potentially being presented with an option to live, how could he not take it? He nodded. Death grinned for the first time in a very long time, and she waved her hand in front of him. A black skull mark appeared on his left pectoral. Naruto suddenly grabbed his chest in pain, and then looked inside of his shirt before looking at her.

"What's the tattoo for?" he asked, agreeing to her manipulation.

'Entertainment.' said Death. She couldn't wait to see what this human did in the future. 'The deal is complete.' Naruto was suddenly aware that the others around him were on the floor, dead. 'Though I warn you, do not summon me again unless you are willing to part with your soul.'

Before he could ask Death to save him and his family, which is quite ironic, he heard a scream, and he looked for the source. He found it quickly, as it was the only shinobi still left standing. Soon however even they fell, and a tear in the fabric of reality opened up. His sharingan bore witness to the moment he saw Kaguya Ōtsutsuki in all her glory, being dragged away like a child by ethereal arms of Death.

As he continued to watch, he suddenly felt another pair of eyes watching him. Turning around, he tried looking for the source, and then he looked up. It was a man, an odd one, but a man nonetheless. He was ten times the size of a normal human being. He simply floated in place, watching.

'I am Uatu the Watcher, and I have come to record this event.'

"I curse your name, Uzumaki Naruto!"

Turning back around, he could see that Kaguya was nearly in Death's realm. While he would definitely say that Kaguya was in the same category that Brünhilde was in, a goddess, as he could feel the insane amount of chakra she had, it still paled in comparison to the power wielded by Death. That being said though, had this been a fight between the two of them, he would have lost, badly. Her voice also no longer had that quality to it that made it sound otherworldly. It sounded normal to him.

"If I am to travel the endless abyss, then I will not be doing so alone!" screamed Kaguya.

Nearly all of her had been sealed at this point, but she still had enough of herself in the current reality to do something. She could have killed the blonde, but she decided that death was to easy. She wanted him to suffer. Sending her chakra out, she reanimated one of her dead subordinates, and had him go straight for Tsunade and child.

Naruto saw a random shinobi suddenly stand up and rush towards Tsunade. He ran as well, pushing his body to move faster than it ever has. He wasn't going to make it at his current speed. His eyes told him that, as the shinobi was seconds in front of him.

'Shit!'

Unsheathing one of his kōdachi, he threw it like a javelin, and nodded when it embedded itself in the shinobi's head. Though that didn't stop him, and he kept running. No time to be shocked, he took out a kunai, wrapped his ninja wire around it, and threw it. The wire wrapped around the shinobi's neck, and he pulled.

The blonde grit his teeth as he had just made it in time. The shinobi was but a few inches away from using his own blade to impale Tsunade. The shinobi managed to turn it's head, and looked at him. The person suddenly gave him a look of triumph-

Boom!

"...Ugh." Naruto groaned as he had been blasted right onto his back. His ears were ringing, and his entire body hurt, but he had to get up, he had to push through this.

Finally getting to his feet, he began to stumble forward before falling to his knees. His hands quickly shot up to his mouth, to stop the contents of his stomach from escaping. He was no stranger to seeing gruesome scenes, or atrocities, but this felt different. This was a child who had been killed, but not just any child, his child. A child not yet even born to this world had already had their life snuffed out. Tears of blood ran down his face uncontrollably as he turned around and glared Kaguya with every ounce of anger and hate in his body.

"Bitch!" he snarled. "I swear, on my life, on my soul, that if we ever cross paths again, I am going to personally tear your soul out from your body, destroy it, and then burn your husk in the deepest fires of hell!"

Death grinned at his proclamation. Kaguya began to open her mouth but was not able to speak as she vanished. The process was complete. She now resided in the realm of the dead. Death's grin suddenly widened. The bomber was finally here. Seeing as she had fulfilled her role, she decided it was time to leave, but not before transporting her new form of entertainment out of the blast zone. Turns out it was a good idea to come down when she could have ignored the summoning. She now had a new toy at her disposal.


Naruto's blood red eyes were still focused on the spot where Kaguya had just been, all the anger and hate still on his face. After a few minutes, he finally had the power to look away, and turned to look at the spot where the remains of Tsunade and his child were. Instead of the...mess he had witnessed just a few minutes ago, there were now two patches of dirt. They were unmarked graves. His emotions were gradually beginning to soften.

The second he let go of his hate and anger, he began to feel something else, and he absolutely hated the feeling. It could be anything else, anything, not this...grief. No longer able to keep his emotions in check, he let everything out, howling his sorrow into the sky.


~A Few Minutes Later~

'...This is as good a place as any.'

After venting for a few solid minutes, he was all worn out, emotionally. He had contemplated moving their graves but thought better of it. The place they were at currently was good. Though he couldn't say the same about himself at the moment.

He couldn't afford to stay here anymore, not when their graves would bring him to much pain. Though before he left, he decided he should at least say a few words. After all, despite the machinations behind their...tumultuous relationship, Tsunade was still the mother of his child, and he would show her the respect all mother's deserved.

His mind was drawing a blank when trying to come up with something to say. What could he say? That everything he thought, and initially felt, for Tsunade was a lie? Or that their progeny was only created to be used as a vessel for a psychopath?

He shook his head. He was thinking to much about this. The words would come to him eventually.


Two Months Later –


October 10th, 1945

The blonde super-soldier has been wandering around the countryside of Japan aimlessly for the past two months, despite the war being over already. Even after all military branches had pulled out. He honestly didn't know what he was still doing over here.

No, that was a lie. He knew exactly what he was doing. He was waiting for Death to come and claim him. If he returned, what was he returning to? Nothing, that's what. Steve was gone. Bucky was gone. His parents were gone. That happy memory of the first time he met Tsunade was tainted. So what was left for him? Work? No, not that.

All that was left was for him was to die and rejoin those he had lost. It was because of this that he no longer cared who saw him, or where his feet took him. Even if they took him to the base of Mt. Fuji. He still recalled seeing this mountain in all it's beauty when he had first entered Japan a year ago.

Down below the glorious mountain was it's ominous forest. He stared right into it, and he found it quite fitting he ended up here. He remembered the stories Tsunade told him of this forest, where murders to suicides would take place. He also remembered being told that many believed this to be an entrance into Yomi, the Japanese underworld. He entered.


~Hours Later~

Everywhere he looked there seemed to be an endless darkness that stretched on, and at times seemed to be encroaching upon him. Time was lost on him, and he didn't know if he had been walking for hours or days. It was all starting to bleed together.

"Oof!"

Not paying attention to what was in front of him, he tripped and fell face first into a ditch. He remained motionless, and decided to wait here, for his end.

"...I wonder what's going to end me first, starvation, or a pack of wild animals?"

"Neither I believe." said a soft voice. "You dying here would defeat the purpose of me guiding you this far after all."

His eyes were suddenly closing one moment and snapping open the next. He bolted up when he heard a voice he recognized. Coming into view was one of the most beautiful women he had ever laid his eyes on.

"Thank you for the compliment." she said.

His eyes widened. 'Did I say that aloud?'

"You don't always have to speak with your mouth when your face conveys what you're thinking." she said, amused. A question was on the tip of his tongue, but she held a hand up, silencing him. "I know you have many questions, and they will be answered, but for the moment, I need you to rest."

The beautiful woman mimicked the action of Death, waving her hand in front of him, and he suddenly felt the warmth of the sun envelop him, which he thought impossible in this place. As it continued to embrace him, he slowly found himself drifting off to sleep.


~Two Days Later~

Naruto slowly began to open his eyes, blinking a few times, when he suddenly recalled the beautiful woman in the forest, and they snapped open. In a matter of seconds, he unsheathed his last kōdachi and pulled out a kunai with his other hand. Despite his poor state in the forest, his training was still ingrained in him. His weapons fell from his hands the moment he saw the view in front of him. It was the most mesmerizing thing he had ever seen.

It was a city, but unlike any city he had ever seen before. If he had to compare it to something, then he would say it reminded him of what Japan used to look like before modernization. There was nothing but castles, and land as far as the eye could see. With the sun directly behind them, it appeared as if the city was made of gold.

If he could just stare at this serene, picturesque, moment forever, then he felt like all his troubles would just go away. Unfortunately, as much as he wanted to do that, he couldn't. Not when he had spotted a few individuals off to the side of where he was. The group of individuals stared at him, and he vice versa. None of them said anything, or made a move, until one of them decided to step forward.

"You know who we are, correct?" asked a large Asian man, with a jeweled spear in hand.

The blonde super-soldier nodded. Judging by what country he was in, what he had experienced in the past few months, and the woman who felt like the sun, then yes, he knew who they were. Though he did note there was a group missing.

"You're the Shintō and Ainu pantheons."

The man in front of him nodded. "Correct. I am the leader of the Shintō Kami, Izanagi. Those behind me are my family and friends."

Before he could ask the god in front of him about the missing Buddha's, he was suddenly caught off-guard. Every person in front of him, including Izanagi, was bowing before him.

"Thank you." They all said in unison.

The shock wore off, and a frown soon formed. "For what?"

"For taking care of my daughter." answered the woman who had retrieved him. If he was right, then he was assuming this was Amaterasu. "If my daughter had been able to acquire a mortal host, then we would not have been able to intervene when she began to attack earth." she said. "The only time we could have attacked was when she came for us, and she would have eventually."

"I see..." he said, and looked at her for a long moment. "...You're the voice."

Amaterasu nodded. "Correct. It was indeed I." she admitted. "Knowledge is all I provided you with though. The credit for actually defeating her goes to you. It is because you did this for us-"

"How did I even accomplish that?" interrupted the blonde. "All I have is the sharingan, and I know it alone is not strong enough to summon Death. So how?"

The goddess of the sun paused for a moment, thinking of how best to answer. "...We do not know." she answered truthfully. "Even after centuries, Kaguya's power is still a mystery to us. Her blood flowing through your veins could have awoken something within you. Only time will tell what allowed you to summon the entity known as Death to our realm."

Naruto frowned. That info just burst his bubble. He was hoping since they were gods they would have known the answer to his question.

"Now, as I was saying beforehand." Naruto muttered a sorry. "We wish to reward you for your victory over Kaguya."

"...How?"

"By making you our champion."

Now that he heard her answer, he could officially give her his, but before he could answer, he was suddenly bathed in flames. Once they receded, he looked like a different man. No longer did he look scruffy. He was now clean shaven, his hair was clean and cut, and the gear he wore was now in pristine condition. With one addition. It was a black haori, and on it's back were two symbols. One was a red whirlpool, the other was a gate of some kind, with the gate atop the whirlpool.

"It's a Torii gate." said one of the men in the back. "Apologies, but I have not yet introduced myself have I? My name is Susanoo." introduced the man. "As I was saying, that is a Torii gate, and it will inform others that you are under our banner."

Naruto didn't know what to say, what could he say? Things were moving to fast. He needed to slow it down. He closed his eyes behind his new mask, and took a deep breath. Once he had calmed down, he addressed them.

"...I'm flattered you'd bestow such an honor upon me, but I must ask, why me?" he asked. "Because I'm not sure I even want this."

"Truthfully speaking, some of us were wary of bestowing such a title upon you because of your current state of mind." admitted Amaterasu. "However, a few others and I felt differently. We managed to sway them to our side, and accept our logic."

"Which is?"

"That you will push past the pain inflicted upon you, and become stronger because of it." she stated in confidence. Her face then softened. "I know it is hard to move on from that which you have lost, but do you truly believe that those who are gone would wish to see you as you are?"

He didn't want to admit it, but he knew the sun goddess was correct. His father, mother, Steve, and even Bucky would give him a swift kick in the ass if they saw how he was acting. He knew they wouldn't want him wallowing in his misery. They would want him to move on. Just thinking about the family he no longer had was making him sad. He needed to move on from this topic of family.

"...Would you still bestow such a title upon me despite knowing of the things I did during the war?" he asked. "Or what I may do in the future?"

"Yes." Amaterasu answered without hesitation.

Naruto's teeth clicked. "I can't promise to forgive what your blood has done to mine, but I can promise to move on from it when I'm ready." he said. "If you can accept that, then I will become the champion you seek."

"That will suffice."

He nodded. "So be it then. Now, what is to be expected of me when I decide to take this role?"

"Very little." answered Izanagi. "All I ask of you is to heed our call when we have need of you."

The blonde super-soldier was now frowning. Why were they going to such lengths to give him a title if they weren't even going to be really needing him? His paranoia was starting to act up. Was there some backdoor dealings going on here?

Amaterasu seemed to sense his uneasiness, and quickly spoke. "What my father means to say, is that if we ever enter a battle, which is unlikely, then we will call upon you. Straightforward, yes?"

He nodded. "It is straightforward, though I do have to wonder. Just what sort of enemies do you have that you, gods and goddess, cannot destroy, and would need the help of a mortal?"

"You'd be surprised how often it's mortals, and not gods or goddess, who are the deciding factor in a battle." replied Izanagi. He's witnessed enough battles to know it was possible. "Besides, you're hardly a mortal anymore. Not with Kaguya's blood flowing through your veins. Not to mention a slew of other gods and goddess."

Now that he thought about it, the leader of the Shintō Kami was correct. Because of the her blood, he was now technically related to Amaterasu, her husband, and the very god who had pointed this all out to him, Izanagi. His head was beginning to spin. It felt like he had just been sucker punched in the gut.

"If I'm not technically a mortal anymore, then what am I?"

"You're still mortal, Naruto. Don't fret." reassured Amaterasu. "You're just something more. I suppose the correct term to use in this situation would be Demigod, though even that might be stretching things out a bit." she said. "Considering that you weren't actually born of a divine being and a mortal."

"If that's the case, then I'll stick with being referred to as a mortal." said Naruto. He wanted to keep some sense of normalcy.

Izanagi nodded. "Very well. Now, is there anything you wish to ask of me, or any of the others before you depart?"

He wasn't all that surprised they were kicking him out already. As gods and goddesses they probably had a bunch of stuff they had to do. Nevertheless, he gave Izanagi a nod.

"Speak."

"...I wish to know more about the being known as Ōtsutsuki Kaguya."

While he was confident in the speech he gave the goddess as Death took her, he still felt the need to know more about his enemy. If she ever did come back, it would be with a vengeance, and it could be at any point in time. He needed to be ready, and he was looking for any advantage he could get.

Izanagi looked to Amaterasu, who nodded. "Kaguya was not born out of love, but of necessity." she said. "To understand our reasoning, you must first understand the why."

"Which was?"

"War."

Naruto nodded. "It was against the other Japanese pantheons, right?" He remembered this story from Tsunade's lessons.

Amaterasu shook her head. "No. Kaguya misinformed you. Why? I don't know, but it was not against our brothers and sisters. It was against space gods simply known as The Celestials."

"Who're they?"

The sun goddess once more shook her head. "Even we don't know much about them. What we do know is that they are extremely powerful, and they were only few in number when we fought them. Who knows how many there are exactly."

"Why were you at war with these Celestials?"

"Because they came to pass judgment on earth." answered Izanagi. "A meeting was held between the leaders of all pantheons when the fourth host arrived. We agreed to attack."

"The result?"

"We were crushed." replied the Shintō Kami leader. "Our first siege had nearly been our last. It was then that we realized a different approach was needed. That was when my daughter approached me."

"Not alone." said Amaterasu. "It was the leader of the Ainu, Kandakoro, and I who approached you."

Naruto was surprised. That was different than what he was told. "I thought it was with a member of the Buddhist pantheon that you had a child with?"

Amaterasu shook her head. "Once more my daughter misinformed you. It was the opposite of what she told you. The Buddha's were in fact the ones to bless her."

The blonde nodded. That made more sense regarding the whole chakra business. Amaterasu could see where the facts had taken him, and nodded.

"Yes, many of us, including the Buddha's, did not foresee her gaining chakra." she said. "Many of us had hoped she would instead gain a better understanding of life and the universe. Wisdom would have served us well in that war." stated the sun goddess. "I know this information will matter very little to you, but you are now the only being who wields chakra, that does not belong to the Vishnu or Buddhist pantheon."

She was right, it mattered very little to him, but he nodded nonetheless.

"The moment she came into being, we fed her an elixir that aged her." said Izanagi. "She was then put to training, by all of us, and then into battle."

While he still hated Kaguya for what she had done to him and his family, he could at least understand why she turned out the way she did. Born with so much power, aged the next second, trained by all of these gods and goddesses, and then thrust into a cosmic war. It was no wonder she turned out to be a bored psychopath.

"Was she the edge you needed to win?" asked the blonde.

"Unfortunately no." answered the leader of the Kami. "For as strong as she was, even she could not kill a Celestial, though she did put up more of a fight."

"So what happened?" he asked. Something must've since he was talking to them.

"Before judgment could be passed by a Celestial known as Arishem, Gaea suddenly arrived." he told him. "She arrived with twelve humans who best represented humanity's worth."

"I'm confused. Why were you fighting them to begin with if they only sought to judge humanity and not the pantheons themselves?"

"The answer is quite simple really. The people of earth pray and worship us, who are we whom they believe in not to protect them. We were not about to leave their lives in the hands of the space gods."he explained.

Hearing his explanation suddenly brought Naruto back to that conversation he had with Brünhilde a few months ago, about what makes a god a god. He had just received a good answer to that question of his.

"I take it they accepted."

Izanagi nodded. "Yes. They took the twelve aboard their ship, and we have not seen them since." he said. "Though many of us anticipate they will return one day." he finished.

"I see."

"Do you have any other questions for us?" he asked.

Naruto contemplated his response carefully before nodding to himself.

"It's not so much a question as it is a request."

"Speak it."

"...Is it within your godly power to bring my child back to life?"

"No."

His request was shot down immediately by Izanagi. "Even we do not have the power to bring the dead back to life. Once a soul has been claimed by Death, then it is hers forever."

"Oh..."

"Is there anything else you wish to request of us instead?"

It took him a moment to think of something, but he did. "Yes actually. I would like to know everything there is to know about the world I was originally born in."

He had nearly asked to learn about his birth parents, but decided not to just focus on them. While he would love to know more about them, he didn't need that emotional baggage right now. So what better way to cover learning about them than with learning about other things at the same time. It was a win win situation. He'd learn about them, and his home.

"That request is more manageable, but it does come with a risk to yourself."

"Which is?"

"Potentially leaving you brain-dead." answered Amaterasu.

"...How would that even happen?"

"A number of ways, but with regards to your situation, it would be the amount of information we'd be sending directly into your mind." replied the sun goddess. "If it can't handle the strain, then your brain is mush. Do you still want to proceed?"

Naruto actually grimaced. Hearing that his brain could turn to mush if he went through with this was not something he needed to hear. Then again, no sacrifice, no victory. He gave Amaterasu a nod.

"Let's do this."

She nodded. "Please follow me."

As he followed behind her, he decided to ask a question about the procedure. "How long is this going to take anyways? And will it hurt?"

"Normally, it doesn't take that long, but since we've never done it with a human, who knows." she told him. "Though it might be different in your case, what with the super-soldier serum and Kaguya's blood in you."

"I see."

"Oh, and it will hurt, but only if you let it." she said. "Don't resist or you'll only make it worse."

Naruto was reminded of that time when the very sun goddess in front of him spoke to him when he was fighting Kaguya. He resisted her, and his head hurt like hell. He gave her a nod.

"Noted. Let's get started."


End – Chapter Seven


Pretty self explanatory, but I'll state it again. Ōtsutsuki Kaguya in this story is Marvel related, and not from the Narutoverse. Though the one in this story does share some similarities with the other. There will be no more characters from the Naruto series appearing.


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