A/N: whats up everyone?! How have you been? I hope everyone of you is alright, I know things can be rough sometimes. Just know that everything will turn out alright in the end. Sometimes we need to escape this reality, to read something that is different. I hope I am providing that for some of you. Sorry for the wait, but like I said, the more reviews that come in, the faster the chapter comes out. Don't forget to review people! Enjoy this chapter!

What Happens Now?

Chapter 20

Unpleasant Surprise

Sakura was currently kneeling behind Ino, using her medical ninjitsu to heal the rest of Ino's wounds and restore her chakra. Naruto had created a few shadow clones and had them spread out to secure a perimeter around them so that they could all rest. It was getting late at night, so Naruto had made a little fire for them all to be around and stay warm. The mountainous and forested region that they were in provided plenty of shelter for them. They were just outside the outskirts of Kumo, but the terrain was much the same. Not too long ago, Superman, Wonder Woman, Robin, and Hinata had returned and had given Naruto a brief description of the outskirts of Kiri. He was told that the guards around the village, that would normally be more heavily guarded, were just barely guarded, probably to where even a genin could sneak through with little to no trouble. He had expected as much though, after all the war had taken its toll on everyone. Kiri was not excluded.

After superman had delivered his report to Naruto about Kiri, Naruto explained what had happened when superman brought up the evil aura he had sensed earlier. He told him about Brainiac, who had now finally invaded the Earth, and had sent done hundreds of his humanoid robots. Other than Ino being badly hurt and others having a few bruises here and there, there were no major injuries and, thankfully, no casualties.

"Brainiac was responsible for the destruction of Krypton," Superman explained to Naruto. "He destabilized its core, which caused it to implode on itself. The result was the planet's explosion, which killed everyone and everything on it. Brainiac is no pushover, and he has the right technology to combat Kryptonians. He really is my ultimate enemy. I have a lot against him."

"Anyone like that deserves to die," Naruto said darkly. "In the Fourth Great Ninja War, there was someone very similar to that, only she didn't use technology, she used only chakra. She was way too damned strong. It tool absolutely everything my team and I had to seal her away."

"You didn't kill her?" Robin asked him. "Why not?"

"We couldn't," Naruto said. "She literally could not be killed. At least, not to my knowledge. All we could do was seal her away in another dimension. She's never getting out."

"What do you mean by 'sealing her'?" Wonder Woman asked. Hinata answered for Naruto.

"Sealing is a technique most ninja who have chakra use to do multiple different things," she said. "Sometimes we use them as storage units, other times we can use sealing to do as Naruto kun said and lock someone away."

"Could you give us a demonstration?" Superman said. "I am very interested in this sealing you are talking about Naruto."

"Sure thing," Naruto answered. He looked at Wonder Woman and said, "Diana, let me see your sword and shield."

Diana of Themiscyra was confused at the request, but nonetheless complied with her man's wishes. She removed her weapons from her back and handed them over.

Naruto grabbed them and said to her, "Wow, these are really light. I thought they would have been pretty heavy, seeing as they were made from the gods."

"Weapons from Themiscyra are made with the best metal known to man," Diana said to him proudly.

"I believe it," Naruto responded. He opened his cloak and pulled out a sealing scroll, laid it on the ground, then unfurled it. Superman, Robin, Wonder Woman, Starfire, and Harley Quinn watched as the scroll unfurled and they saw all of the strange markings on the scroll.

"Is that kanji?" Diana asked Naruto.

"Yes," Naruto said. "All of these in this formation create a sealing formula. The more complex the design, the bigger the items the scroll can hold, and the more items they can hold. Think of this scroll as a pocket dimension. Kind of like a closet that is shrunk down to this scroll."

Naruto placed the Themiscyrian weapons on the scroll and said, "Fuuin!". The weapons vanished in a small puff of smoke.

"So…they are inside of that scroll now, right?" Robin asked Naruto.

"Thats right," Naruto answered. "Imagine you putting your clothes, food, weapons, anything, in a storage container of any sort. Then, shrink that storage container with the contents into a scroll. The more complex the sealing formula is, the ore items the scroll can contain. If you have enough of these storage scrolls, you can literally walk around with your own storage house. They really come in handy. Kai!"

The weapons reappeared in another puff of smoke, and Naruto handed the impressive weapons back to Diana and said, "The same works for people. There is nothing that cannot be sealed, unless either someone can stop the sealing process by either preventing the sealer from completing the sealing formula, destroying the sealing scroll, or stopping the sealer directly. Unsealing works the same way. This art of sealing is known as Fuinjitsu. It is incredibly powerful, and my clan were masters in this art, second to none. Thats why they were so feared and ultimately, destroyed."

"So is this woman that you and your team fought in another scroll right now?" Superman asked.

"No," Sakura answered before Naruto could. "She is actually in another dimension, sealed into a giant rock that basically looks like the moon."

"I thought you could only seal things into scrolls?" Diana asked the pink haired kunoichi.

The book smarts in Sakura kicked in as she said almost word for word from her Academy days, "The strength of the seal being used depends on two things: the complexity of the sealing formula being used, and the amount of chakra being put into the seal itself. The simpler the seal, the more complex it is. The reason for this is because every single seal requires at least ten sealing marks for it to hold something small. If a seal has three marks, for example, that means that at least ten - if not more - marks were combined into the three marks, thus making it more powerful."

"That's…actually a pretty good way of putting it," Naruto praised. "How can you even remember that entire explanation Sakura?"

She tapped her head and said, "I'm really smart, remember?"

"That can be questioned," Hinata mumbled under her breath.

Superman of course heard the remark and smiled, but didn't say anything.

"So I guess what im trying to say," Superman said to Naruto, "Is that I would obviously have a hard time fighting against Braniac, since he has everything needed to combat a Kryptonian, namely Kryptonite. Would you be able to seal him away like you did this woman that you fought against?"

"Can this Braniac be killed?" Naruto asked.

"I'm sure he can, yes," Superman answered.

"Then his death should be the goal, not him being sealed," Naruto explained.

"Why is that?" Starfire asked her lover.

"Because remember," Naruto began, "If one knows how a sealing formula works, they can also unseal whatever is sealed inside. Thats what happened before. That woman, whose name was Kaguya, was sealed before a long, long, long time ago. However, she had some black thing called Black Zetsu, that made it his personal mission to get her unsealed. After a couple thousand years or something like that, he finally succeeded. The only reason why he wont be doing that again is because I sealed him along with Kaguya in that moon in the other dimension. However, if they are dead…well, then there's no need to seal them away now is there?"

"I understand," Diana said. "So if you lock them away, even if you throw away the key, you can still pick the lock, so to speak, correct?"

"If you know how the seal works, then absolutely," Naruto confirmed. "Which is why the seal that was used to seal Kaguya was so damn strong. It was actually two different seals used together that we used. Nobody else alive knows the sealing formula. Hell not even I do. And the guy who helped was executed for his crimes. There's no way Kaguya is getting free ever again."

"I would prefer that Brainiac dies anyway," Robin commented.

"I agree," Diana said.

"Me too," Naruto said. "After what I just saw…he could kill millions of people indirectly. Thats not saying what he himself would do."

"Okay everyone," Naruto said, "Its been a long day, and the rest of the team still needs to recover from the fight today. Lets get some shut eye, we're gonna need it. Tomorrow, we are all going to hunt down Brainiac and take him down."

A few minutes later, everyone had their tents set up and were soon sleeping.

….…..

Naruto had a really hard time sleeping. Several nightmares were at work keeping him awake. The first nightmare of the night was back when he was fighting against the vengeful Uzumaki, Pain. He had to admit that Nagato had a very good point in his logic. Wrong it may have been, ut it wasn't like some crazy person had lost themselves. No, Pain actually had a reasonable grudge against the Leaf.

He honestly couldn't blame him, as he now had a huge grudge with the same village.

The nightmare consisted of an endless battle between Pain and himself, slowly losing everyone he cares for throughout the fight. The scene that woke him up was when Pain slammed one of his rods through Hinata when he slammed her on the ground with his jutsu.

The second nightmare was no better. He was plagued with the horrors of the Fourth Great Ninja War when he exited the giant turtle island, armed in Sage Mode, and he immediately sensed all of the battles and the lives that were lost. The feelings of shock and horror were the second nightmare that had kept him from falling asleep.

The third and final nightmare was when he was fighting against Kaguya. She was easily the hardest opponent he had ever faced, and more than likely ever would face. He was surprised that he even survived, win or lose. This particular nightmare was the worst one yet. He saw that Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi, and Obito were all killed within seconds over and over and over again, and he was powerless to stop it. It was as if he was trapped in a never ending loop in time where all he could do was watch his friends be killed over and over.

He hated that feeling. What was worse, was that he couldn't seem to wake up from it, like he was trapped in his own head while the nightmare played out. It wasn't until Kurama actually woke him up with a burst of chakra did the nightmares end. Naruto could only lay there for a long time, eyes wide opened with fear and shock.

THIS KID IS REALLY MESSED UP, Kurama thought to himself. WITH EVERYTHING THAT HE'S BEEN THROUGH, HIS CHILDHOOD, THE HEARTBREAK, THE WAR…I'M SURPRISED THAT HE STILL HAS ANY SANITY LEFT IN HIM.

Naruto finally sat up, getting his bearings together. Maybe some fresh air will help me, Naruto thought to himself.

He walked outside of his tent, taking a deep breath and enjoying the cool, crisp air of the early morning. He exhaled and saw the mist that formed from his breath. He shook his head a little bit, trying to shake the rest of the feelings from the nightmares. He walked out into a small clearing and stared up into the early morning sky, seeing all of the beautiful stars. It was then that he saw a really bright star that was flying through the sky.

He thought of how beautiful and mesmerizing it was. Seeing something like that really made him feel small, to think of how vastly huge the universe was.

It was then that a huge lightning bolt appeared out of nowhere, making the entire area flash brightly. Naruto jumped back in to a defensive position, ready to fight if need be.

The lightning faded to reveal a tall man garbed in a white karate gi uniform with a blue tunic over it, shoulder armor on both of his shoulders, and a talisman on his chest. He also wore gauntlets and chin guards. An armored, pointy hat with curved horns on the front sat upon his head. But the thing that stood out to Naruto more than anything were his bright white eyes and the occasional spark of lightning that appear here and there at random.

"Do not be alarmed," the figure spoke in a tone of voice that was kind and yet commanded enormous respect. "I am an ally, Sage Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto was now very alarmed, despite what this guy had just said. "Who the hell are you?!"

"I am Raiden, God of Thunder and Protector of Earthrealm," Raiden said.

"And?" Naruto questioned.

"I have been assigned to assist in the elimination of Brainiac by the Elder Gods," Raiden answered. "The Elder Gods have also told me that you, Sage Naruto Uzumaki, will be the one to finish him."

"And who are these Elder Gods exactly?" Naruto asked suspiciously.

"The Elder Gods are the ones who keep the realms balanced," Raiden answered. "Brainiac now poses a threat to that balance. I am here to assist in its assurance of survival."

"I see," Naruto said. "How can I trust you though?"

"The Elder Gods told me that you were wise for your age, and I must say that I have to agree. The Elder Gods have granted me knowledge that you would be interested in, Sage Uzumaki."

"And what would that be, Raiden?" Naruto asked the Thunder God.

"That Brainiac was the main cause of Uzushiogakure's downfall."

Naruto was shocked. "Wh…what do you mean?" Naruto asked, feeling like he had been hit in the stomach with a sledgehammer. "Kumo, Kiri, and Iwa formed a united front and wiped them out."

"That is only partially true," Raiden informed. "They had come after Brainiac had already done his damage. Brainiac is a collector of worlds and knowledge. Anything and everything that is worthy of studying and increasing his knowledge, he will try to get it. Uzushiogakure was famous for its fuinjitsu, so much so that it was hailed as the strongest village - and the strongest clan in this realm - therefore Brainiac discovered it. The moment he did, it was only a matter of time before he appeared. He arrived in his ship and extracted all of the knowledge that he could from the center of the island of Uzushio. In doing so, much like he did with Krypton, he killed almost everyone. The Elder Gods revealed to me that if Brainiac had not attacked, that the Uzumaki clan would have been able to repel the invasion of the united front of the three villages."

Naruto was now both shocked and furious. He couldn't help but focus on that last sentence that the God of Thunder said to him.

If Brainiac had not attacked, that the Uzumaki clan would have been able to repel the invasion of the united front of the three villages.

Naruto fell to his knees and cried in both anger and sorrow. Just one more thing that had to happen to his family. What the hell was going on!? Was the Uzumaki clan cursed or something?!

Starfire came out of her tent and saw her love on his knees in front of Raiden and was immediately concerned. She flew to Naruto, shouting "My Love!"

Apparently everyone else had heard Starfire's shout, because they were also coming out of their respective tents. Looking over to see what was going on, they were surprised to see the Nine Tail's chakra begin to emerge from Narutos body. They saw that slowly one…two…three tails were formed. Naruto was growling in anger, hatred, and sorrow. His eyes were red with black slits in them. Claws were extending from his fingers and his fangs grew past his lips. A fourth tail was beginning to form.

When Sakura saw this she yelled out, "SOMEBODY CALM HIM DOWN RIGHT NOW!"

Sakura remembered seeing the horrific sight of the four tailed form of Naruto. That was one thing that she would absolutely never forget. And she absolutely did NOT want to see it again!

Hearing what Sakura yelled, Starfire immediately hugged her man from behind and whispered in his ear, "Its ok My Love, I am here for you. Do not give in to your anger."

For some unknown reason, this only seemed to anger Naruto more. Inside of his mindscape, even Kurama was having a hard time trying to reign in his demonic chakra being channeled.

HEY KIT! YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN!

No…for once, I want to let it consume me.

KIT, I SPEAK FROM EXPERIENCE! DO NOT DO THAT AT ALL COSTS!

Kurama, I've had to stay calm my entire life. Every time something has happened, ive always had to stay calm. Everyone else gets to let loose every now and then. Its my turn. Only difference is I have a suitable target in mind.

NARUTO…KIT…I CANT LET YOU LOSE YOURSELF!

Then help me avenge my family! And not just them, but all of those who have fallen victim to that bastard!

I WILL KIT, BUT YOU CANT LOSE CONTROL!

He…he needs to DIE, Kurama!

TRUST ME KIT, HE WILL DIE THE MOST PAINFUL DEATH THAT I CAN THINK OF. RIGHT NOW, STARFIRE AND HINATA ARE TRYING TO CALM YOU DOWN. SO CALM DOWN DAMMIT!

That seemed to have done it. When Kurama told him in his mindscape that his girls were worried about him, something inside of him snapped back to reality.

He shut his eyes tight and willed the anger away. However, when it did, sorrow took its place. Having found out that your village and your family actually would have survived if it wasn't for one man was pretty damn heart breaking.

Tears streamed down his face as he struggled to contain his cries of heartache.

Starfire looked at Raiden with hard eyes as they glowed green with raw power and said authoritatively, "What have you done to him?!"

Raiden looked at the sad scene and simply said, "I have revealed a truth to him that he needed to know."

"And what would that be?" Hinata asked furiously, hugging Naruto to her chest protectively.

Naruto answered in between sobs, "Brainiac…mostly responsible…for Uzu's…destruction…"

Superman, who was now beside them all, had just heard what Naruto had said and was shocked. "Is this true Raiden?!" he asked angrily, upset at the fact that someone else had suffered a similar fate as him.

"Unfortunately, Superman," Raiden confirmed. "I have not seen you since the downfall of Dark Khan. How are things?"

"Obviously not good," Superman said. "There was a large scale war between our two sides. That has passed, but we are still suffering the consequences. And yourself?"

"Much the same," Raiden said. "there was a terrible war between Earthrealm and the Netherrealm. However Earthrealm's might was strong enough to obtain victory. And now, Brainiac is here and threatening the balance between the realms."

"He will die…" Naruto said through grit teeth as he slowly stood up. He withdrew his sword from his back. Removing one of his gloves, he cut his hand a little and made a fist, his own blood seeping through his fingers. Much like he did before at the chunin exams all those years ago, he made another pact.

"I swear upon this blood of mine, on this Uzumaki blood, that Brainiac, and any of his allies, will die by my hand! I will avenge all of the innocents that have fallen at the hands of that monster! On my blood, on my parents blood, on the blood of my ancestors, I swear it!"

….…

A/N: alright ladies and gents, here you go! Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Don't forget to review and comment! Until next time, Roku out.