Note: Second chapter of a two-chapter release, check chapter 348.

THE END WAR – EPILOGUE

Uzumaki Naruto is coronated as the 3rd Emperor of Homeworld. The Pocket-Emperor now resides in Ewoa where he carries out his duties both as Emperor and as King. It is in this country that the new Hidden Leaf Village can been found. The 7th Hokage often honours the new Hidden Leaf Village with visits, it is one of this favourite places to be.

Uzumaki Boruto is officially the Crown Prince of Homeworld. He has dedicated his life to the protection of the world that he once vowed to destroy. The Hive Mind claimed the lives of Tao Ma, Senju Hashirama, and Senju Tsunade, he honours them with his actions every day. He will forever fight to protect everything they loved.

Endou-Hyuuga Hinata is coronated as the 3rd Empress of Homeworld. She oversees the first free elections of Homeworld to ensure that a new leader is fairly selected. With a democratically elected leader in place she divides her time between her duties in Okarin and her private life in Ewoa with her family.

Uchiha Sasuke is still an active shinobi. He is the Head General of a reformed Imperial Guard. He will spend many years helping to fix the corrupt structure of the guard which no longer protects the imperials but the people of the empire.

Uchiha Sarada remains the 9th Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village. She worked with Boruto and the other Hokage to establish the village in a place where it would remain safe and undisturbed. She spends half her time protecting the village and the other half working on a way to reunite with their departed civilians.

Senju Hashirama rests on the other side with his wife knowing that in the end he did the best thing for his family. He rests happy in the knowledge that he left the village in the safe hands of those who came after him.

Haruno Sakura is memorialised for her sacrifice in helping to destroy the Foundry. The Haruno Base is currently under construction in the void, a monument that will carry her name until the end of time.

Senju Tsunade is finally free of the Hive Mind and has reunited with Dan and her grandmother on the other side. The years of torment she endured have finally come to an end.

Namikaze Minato spends half his time working with the reformed Imperial Guard and the other half raising Mito with Kushina. People often recognise him as the father of the Hero of Homeworld.

Uzumaki Himawari has finally retired from fighting as she always wanted. When she is not helping Homeworld in her capacity as the Blaze Princess she is working on her career as an artist.

Uzumaki Kushina has become a teacher, taking over from a position once filled by Kato Dan. She ensures that teachings in both divine energy and chakra are available to all the people in the village. She will forever pass on the lessons she learned on her most remarkable journey.

Sarutobi Mirai struggled to establish peaceful relations in the new pocket-world at first, but thanks to her great efforts those initial struggles have been resolved. She now holds the title of the 10th Hokage and has established a new Hidden Leaf Village. She hopes one day to return to Homeworld and unite with her colleagues. She doesn't know how the war turned out, but she has faith that somehow her friends won.

Shinki tours the pocket-worlds with a small portion of the Homeworld Military. He looks for those who survived invasion just like he did, inviting them all to join the new Hidden Sand Village.

Clyde followed Hinata's suggestion, running in the first Homeworld elections. Head General Clyde won those elections and is now President Clyde, the 1st President of Homeworld. He will dedicate the upcoming years to improving people's living conditions which have been in decline for many years. He will never forget how visiting one pocket-world changed his life so drastically.

Lara's torment will never be forgotten, nor her love for Clyde, Mirai, and Hannah. A new academy is under construction in Seblix which will be named in her honour.

Furst Jonas did a lot of damage to Homeworld as emperor. Evidence of that oppressive rule is disappearing by the day, vanishing as his successors usher in a new era of peace and prosperity. Homeworld will be better without him and will forever remember him as the man who lost to Uzumaki Naruto.

Mauer Sabine's reign of terror is finally over following her defeat at the hands of Enri, Hinata, and Himawari. Homeworld's most terrifying royal is quickly becoming a distant memory.

Weiss Max's laboratories are shut down once and for all. Never again shall Homeworld see such appalling work take place. His notes and his discoveries are discarded, resented for the way in which they were obtained.

Huen Petra is imprisoned in Fayoth at her own suggestion. She will be released when fate gives her a chance to redeem herself and help Homeworld again.

Hoffman Swen is no longer the King of Gavaria. He serves as an advisor to his successor.

Nadia Hirsch was asked by President Clyde to present evidence that she always planned to betray Furst. Nadia presented this evidence without much difficulty and by popular demand was reinstated as the Queen of Seblix. Now she can continue with her lifelong commitment to protecting Seblix and its people. She is often called upon by President Clyde for advice, and by Nara Shikadai for games of strategy.

Hertz Erik's demise lead to great changes in the Hertz Clan. The clan is no longer run by its warriors and is now run by its seers. Theresa and Philip work hard every day to restore the clan's reputation and honour.

Muto Sora's statue is raised at the bottom of the crater where the Military Academy once stood. Each year everyone who learned from him travels to this statue and a close associate tells him that they did it. Homeworld is free because of the sacrifice he made while fighting Furst Jonas.

Muto Enri works for President Clyde's government. As a popular figure from the past she does important work keeping up morale in a world that will struggle for many years yet. Every day she is encouraged by what she sees, Homeworld is making progress at long last.

Carmen will never be forgotten. Her red and blue bow sits beside the secret entrance to the Imperial Palace. Naruto will never forget how she fought to protect him from an enemy he wasn't ready to face.

Hannah is now the First Daughter of Homeworld. She works as an ambassador to the Beast Kingdom and Aturia. She has helped many beasts and humans to develop a mutual understanding.

Claude the Owl is awarded a medal for his efforts in saving the warrior who would one day defeat King Max. He may not realise it but without his help the war may never have been won.

Marti Nina meets with the Emperor and the Hokage once a year to commemorate Rubio Juan for the role he played in the rebellion. Without his lessons about the One True Sense and the Future Sight the final battle may have gone very differently. Nina has become Homeworld's most revered teacher and the new Head of the Military Academy. Her family is now larger than ever.

Ming Dai is now on speaking terms with his father. After the war he was selected as the new King and Protector of Gavaria.

Yuuki Terukatsu is the new King of Fayoth. He has been rewarded for his continuous efforts and his leadership of the rebellion throughout the war.

Michel the Horse has been granted a full pardon by King Didier. He now lives happily with his Beast Kingdom comrades.

Yoshida Mana still travels with her sister Hinata. Shortly after the war she officially joined the Imperial Family and was named Princess Mana. To this day she still enjoys teasing Hinata as she has done throughout her life.

Endou Akashi is still revered throughout Homeworld and forever will be. Many people do not remember him as the 1st Emperor of Homeworld, but they do remember him as the man who saved Uzumaki Naruto when nobody else could. He returned to the other side knowing that he was leaving his beloved Homeworld in good hands.

Al-Aziz Safura was proven to be conspiring against Furst Jonas from the beginning. She surprised many when she emerged as the first choice for Queen of Cheqitori. President Clyde quickly made the appointment official. Al-Aziz Safura is now Queen Al-Aziz Safura of Cheqitori.

Ashen was pardoned for her previous crimes as promised. She has now dedicated her life to the protection of Homeworld as she agreed with Hinata. It was an unforeseen coincidence that she will now serve as Queen Consort of Cheqitori.

The Imperial Guard generals were permitted to use their full names once again. Ganim Alaa, Asfour Rana, Bata Odion, Isa Yasmine and Tahan Dodi now work with the Homeworld Military. They travel the pocket-worlds helping wherever they can in the name of Empress Endou, Emperor Uzumaki, and President Clyde. Their road to redemption will be long.

Tao Ma's death was unfortunate. Boruto is still searching for his village so that may return his remains home.

Shao Chin protects the jungles where he was formerly a most feared hunter. He hopes that one day he will be allowed to visit the Beast Kingdom as a friend.

Red Teardrop Lan-Fen sacrificed herself along with Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji. Her child is now being safely raised on her old estate. Her sacrifice worked just as she hoped.

Chang Ziyi visits her old friend Naruto often. She speaks to young warriors about his determination and why it is a valuable quality for any warrior.

Duke Laurent the Gorilla is fighting to undo the damage he once caused. He spends his days working to restore humanity's damaged reputation in the beast clan. He presents Naruto as a symbol of what they could become. An ally that can be trusted.

Princess Emilie the Leopard is the Beast Kingdom's and Aturia's ambassador to Okarin. She works closely with President Clyde.

King Didier the Lion has at long last secured the future of the Beast Clan, just as he always hoped he would. He thanks the humans who risked their lives for the Beast Clan every day.

President Clyde of Homeworld. Queen Al-Aziz Safura of Cheqitori. King Yuuki Terukatsu of Fayoth. King Didier the Lion of Aturia and the Beast Kingdom. Queen Hirsch Nadia of Seblix. King Ming Dai of Gavaria. Empress of Homeworld and Queen of Okarin Endou-Hyuuga Hinata. Emperor of Homeworld and King of Ewoa Uzumaki Naruto. These people are the new leaders and protectors of Homeworld, walking it forward towards a bright new future. Under their protection the people of Homeworld are free at last.

Several Years Later, The Hidden Leaf Village, Ewoa

Boruto and Sarada stand atop their house, looking at the artificial mountain behind their new village. Sarada knows that she could have completed this structure with her 'creation' energy, but that wouldn't be as special. It is a new Hokage monument. She is pleased to see the detail with which Konohamaru is being depicted. He will forever be remembered as one of the village's greatest heroes. They wouldn't have got here without him.

"Some prankster will paint it any day now," Boruto says.

Sarada laughs. "That's always turned out OK in the past."

Boruto nods.

Five minutes pass before someone leaps up onto the roof with them. Boruto looks around to see that it is Yamanaka Inojin. Inojin has taken over most of the village's communications with the outside world in recent years. When he delivers a message to Boruto it almost always means the same thing. It is time for the Shadow Hokage to leave. He wishes that he could spend all his time here with Sarada but being Crown Prince means that there are things people expect of him.

"Time to go?" Boruto asks.

Inojin nods. "There are a group of bandits to the east. We think they're preparing to raid Genzee."

Boruto nods.

"When do you think we will see you next?" Sarada asks.

"A month or so, I've nearly worked out where they're coming from."

"Make sure you hurry back."

"Don't I always?"

Boruto departs, walking calmly outside the walls of the new village. He has no need to rush to keep up with bandits like this. The villains that plague Homeworld are no longer a threat to him, they are an annoyance. It will take years to redeem himself by fighting people like this, and years is exactly what he must give. He understands now that it is painful to sacrifice time with your family, that his father did it because he had a higher purpose, a duty.

Sarada watches from afar as Boruto begins to hum. A strange grey and wispy energy descends around him, surrounding the Crown Prince. He is humming the same tune that terrified the village that day. The same tune that Tao Ma and his followers hummed.

A small child runs up to Sarada and tugs her sleeve.

"Mom, what is this strange feeling?"

Sarada smiles.

"It is your father."

A portal descends around Boruto and he disappears.

To the West, Near Genzee, Ewoa

Boruto arrives but does not find what he was expecting. He was expecting to find a group of bandits with weapons ready to fight, ready to raid Genzee. He doesn't find a group that is ready to raid Genzee, he finds a group of hundreds of defeated warriors, each unconscious on the ground. He looks around quickly to find the person who defeated them and when he looks behind himself he is not surprised.

It is Naruto.

Naruto is sat on the ground, a cup in hand and one ready for his son.

Boruto approaches Naruto and takes the other cup.

"You beat me to it old man."

"You'll have to be faster than that next time."

Boruto smiles.

"Would you like to make a toast?" Boruto asks.

"Anything you have in mind?"

"I'll leave it up to you."

"Well then…" Naruto says.

Naruto considers it for a moment before raising his cup.

"To the future!"

Author Note

Hi Everyone,

Writing this final author note is a very strange feeling.
A bit of behind-the-scenes, I am writing this after the replies, so these are the final words I will type about To the Future.

Wow... wow... it is hard to think of what to say.

This story was started four years ago and since I started it has dominated my life.
I had no idea that it would continue to develop to this extent, that it would become so long.

Final Stats

Reviews: 1,916
Favorites: 1,173
Followers: 1,200
Communities: 9
Views: 1,312,343

What can I possibly say to numbers like that other than this: thank you!
I could say thank you a thousand times and it still wouldn't be enough.

Writing every chapter of this story has taken hours.
The planning for each chapter has taken hours more.
Every time I've hesitated or felt tired I've known that there was someone out there who was waiting for another chapter. That is a powerful motivator.

Writing this story has genuinely changed my routine and the way I work.
By changing those habits writing this story has changed my life for the better.

If it weren't for your kind words and reviews I would have given up long ago.
Writing this story, although challenging, has been very fun and has become the most rewarding thing I have ever done.

Again, I cannot say it enough times, thank you, thank you, thank you!

I hope that I can write again for you in the future, so I won't say goodbye, I'll say see you next time.

Thanks for reading, seriously, thank you,
Cbehrills

In Response to BusGrunts
Who asks if Naruto's negative emotion sensing could have located the Hive Mind using the Death Mask?

Maybe so, but I'm not sure to be honest.
I suppose one could argue that the emotions were positive from the Hive Mind's perspective.

Thanks for reading.

In Response to Demon90340
Who has some very kind words.

I feel it is only right that I reply since this is the final chapter.
I cannot thank you enough for the support and kind words you have offered as I have written this story. Thank you, thank you very much.

Thanks for reading.

In Response to Silver Warrior
Who asks several questions?

Question: Will the civilians be retrieved from the pocket-world?
Answer: Sarada would work out a way eventually.

Question: Is there any xanxia I would recommend?
Answer: My first was Coiling Dragon, I haven't had time to read for a long while now. I look forward to that changing.

Thank you for the many reviews you have left on this story.

Thanks for reading.

In Response to secret love writer
Who asks if I will share the map I made for Homeworld?

I'm not sure I can since it was made with 3rd party software.
Sorry about that.

Thank you for the ongoing encouragement you have given as I have written this story.

Thanks for reading.

In Response to Snaketh
Who has some very kind words.

In the final chapter I thought it was only right that I reply to a review like this.
Thank you, sincerely, your words mean a lot to me, more than I can convey with these words. Thank you.

Thanks for reading.

In Response to m'j doom
Who has some very kind words.

You have offered me a lot of support throughout this story right until the end.
Thanks for that, I know it sounds like I'm exagerating, but it really has meant a lot.

Thanks for reading.

In Response to Namikaze Valor
Who requested a strong finish.

I hope I lived up to your expectations.
Thank you for the ongoing encouragement you have offered as I have written this story, it has really helped.

Thanks for reading.

In Response to BLCKFOX2020
Who says I should write an original story.

Long-term that is my plan, but for now I am taking a break.
Thanks for your constant support, reading comments like this gave me the motivation to keep going.

Thanks for reading.

In Response to Hyokage
Who has some very kind words.

Thank you for your kind words, as with the others, your words have encouraged me to keep going.
Thank you for your support, it has meant a lot.

Thanks for reading.

In Response to KristinalUzumakiPrime23
Who has some very kind words.

You have nothign to apologise for.
Your review is very kind and gives me encouragement to continue writing in the future.

Thank you for the support, thank you very much.

Thanks for reading.

In Response to Jsi34Joey34
Who has some very kind words.

Thank you very much, your praise is too kind.
I hope that any future work of mine lives up to your expectations.

Thanks for reading.