Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto or Legend of Zelda!
Having the Kyuubi extracted from him was something that he never thought he'd experience. The emptiness that accompanied the intense fatigue and drain on his chakra was harrowing. He almost wanted to laugh at the sadness bubbling up in his chest. Years ago, he wouldn't feel that hollow over losing the fox. However, becoming friends with Kurama and fighting as a team changed his opinion drastically.
Madara was a monster in his own right. An Uchiha that was capable of such surreal feats despite being wounded. A part of Naruto, a tiny voice in his head that he beat down on a daily basis, was genuinely scared. Having Kurama yanked out of him during a pivotal moment in the war ensured that things wouldn't go well for all shinobi. The madman's dream would come into fruition and the survivors would slumber forever.
Tears threatened to leak out of his eyes, knowing that he failed everyone...
"Wait a second... I'm in the seal?" Sitting up in murky waters, he looked around the open space. The gates that once held back the fox were suspiciously closed. Straining his eyes, he was surprised when he couldn't see a single thing held within. Pure darkness swam around in the seal, a scene that made his stomach turn.
Standing up on shaky legs, Naruto looked down into the reflection mirrored in the ankle deep water. His blue eyes appeared brighter than usual even with the heavy bags setting in under his eyelids. The normal blond hair he inherited from his father seemed to be mixed with bright red from his mother for a moment, making him blink a few times. Raising a hand and following it in the reflection, a new discovery startled him. His skin, which wasn't unfamiliar with gaining color after spending days in the sun, seemed permanently tanned in the reflection.
"W-What?" He questioned almost breathlessly while peering into the reflection. Bending closer to observe himself, he noticed the changes to his ears and nose, which almost knocked him onto his backside. A slightly pointed nose and ears that were akin to those silly fairytales with elves he read about as a child. "This... this can't be me...?" Losing Kurama wouldn't cause this.
"The one you see before you... is the new path you can tread."
Jumping in place, Naruto spun around slowly. A grimace made its home on his face when a sharp pain shot through his body, more than likely caused by the aftereffects of losing Kurama.
Darting his eyes around the seal, he searched for the sound of the voice, doing his best to ignore the inky black darkness contained in the seal.
"Child... you hang on the bridge between life and death. Your vitality is nothing short of astonishing, but not even you will last long."
Naruto knew the voice didn't belong to Kurama, or even any of the other Bijū. It was dignified, feminine, and almost comforting. Was this some deity coming to take his soul? Was he simply hearing things before death?
'I... I can't die yet. I can't let whatever this voice is take me.' Naruto rose his fingers into a seal that was second nature to him. He bit back a wince when he summoned up whatever small amounts of chakra remained after days of fighting. The nonsensical concept of fighting an actual voice was foolish, but he wasn't thinking straight.
A laugh came from the voice, almost soothing the pain in his heart. Soft and gentle, not unlike when he heard his mother's for the first time.
"Even in this state, you wish to fight. You truly are something special." The amusement was easy to pick up, but it wasn't mocking him. The voice seemed genuinely impressed.
Naruto was almost flustered when he realized how pitiful he probably looked. Trying to fight off a deity coming for his soul while looking like someone who hasn't slept or eaten in days.
"Please do calm yourself. I am not a reaper that has come to whisk away your soul." The voice practically read his mind. "Tell me... do you wish for this war to end?"
Naruto whipped his head around the seal as the question echoed in the long chamber. He didn't even need to think about.
"Of course! Obviously I want it to end. But… I failed everyone. I failed Kurama and the others." Naruto felt a fresh set of tears sting at his tired eyes. Everyone was counting on him, all the lives lost in the war, and he couldn't do anything about it.
"I've watched your efforts young one. You've accomplished and overcame plenty in your years. That is not to be classified as a failure."
The soothing words didn't convince him, but Naruto finally lowered his hands to his sides.
"Now as I asked, this war that plagues your world... it can all come to an end." Blue eyes became hopeful. "... For a price."
Naruto's face fell, already feeling that this wouldn't be easy to do. Everything came at a price after all. Taking the easy way out never occurred to him, not after learning to endure from so many in the past. However, what other option did he have? He lost Kurama, he was on the brink of death and Madara had the Bijū. What could he realistically do?
"The price isn't what you may be thinking. Your people will remain, surviving the war and rebuilding from the ashes. No... the price... is you."
Naruto swallowed whatever saliva he had left in his dry mouth. He contemplated the meaning before realizing what that could entail. His life for the lives of everyone. It was a sacrifice that his parents made for him. It was a sacrifice many in the shinobi world made.
"You can have me." Naruto wasn't sure what he was fully agreeing to and ironing out the details wasn't at the forefront of his mind. Madara wouldn't waste time in putting the world under an eternal slumber. He needed to be stopped quickly.
"You readily sacrifice yourself for your people, almost akin to a king protecting his subjects." Faint amusement still carried in the mysterious voice. "My words were vague child, yet you don't hesitate."
"I can't hesitate now. What other choice do I have... damn it." Clenching his hands into fists, he wished for any other outcome. "I accept."
Silence rang throughout the seal for an unbearable amount of time, making Naruto wonder if the voice was actually real. Maybe he was losing his mind right before death. That wasn't comforting.
"... Very well. Your world will be saved, and in return... you become one with who you see in that reflection."
Naruto glanced down at the appearance of his reflection. He could recognize himself, although the differences stood out like a sore thumb. If the price he had to pay for saving everyone was looking different, he'd do that in a heartbeat. He nodded, not sure if the voice could truly see the action.
"You will encounter new hardships, those of which you've never seen before. The body you're given will be different, but the mind is not. Reach your hand out to me..."
For the first time, Naruto saw a glimpse of the voice. A heavenly glow of gold appeared before him, and the warmth it provided felt familiar to the chakra cloak he became accustomed to. Basking in the glow was a person, or at least it appeared to be. He couldn't make out any specific details, the light almost blinded him completely.
His right hand slowly became encased in that golden light. It crawled up his arm, spread throughout his body and soothed the pain held within. Naruto tried to form words, he tried to question the godly figure before him, but his weary eyes finally began to close.
"Never have we taken help from outside of our realm. Desperate times brought this on, and you will be the one to aid in cleansing Hyrule. Go Naruto, fulfill your end of the bargain."
Naruto shut his eyes, feeling himself drift into the darkness of the seal. His failures ate away at him, his fears gripped his heart and jumbled his thoughts. Yet, the warmth encapsulating his body pushed all those negatives to the wayside.
Uzumaki Naruto no longer belonged to the Elemental Nations.
Sakura shed tears while pumping the heart of her almost comatose teammate. Pushing her mouth against his, she refused to give up. She couldn't give up.
'Naruto, please... please... please...' Sakura chanted mentally while riding atop Gaara's sand. The Kazekage next to her watched with sadness in his usual stoic gaze.
Madara's extraction of the beast and the directions left by the Kyuubi made Gaara push ahead despite his own tired body. Sakura was sorely needed to help his friend cling on to life.
"He's... he's... his heart is slowing even more! No!" Sakura's tears started anew, panic creeping into her tone. The boy that annoyed her endlessly, the boy she relied on, and the boy she would always cherish was dying. Her skill as a medic felt like it was worth nothing.
"Do all you can, please." Gaara's voice was tinged with pain, not liking this outcome in the slightest. He willed his sand to move faster, pushing everything he had into it. His body could collapse later, he needed to save Naruto.
'I can't... Naruto... you... are you giving up?' Sakura knew how strong he was. How strong his will was. She loved Sasuke, for reasons that were often lost on her, but Naruto held a part of her heart that could never be claimed by another. Her bonks on his head and harsh words were to hide how she really felt towards him. His heart was slowing to a crawl, and for the first time in her life, she believed he was giving up.
It was irrational to blame him, he was dying after having his Bijū extracted, but Sakura needed something to blame. She couldn't lose him. His dream of becoming Hokage, the one she used to laugh mockingly at, was genuinely possible. It was always possible, everyone was blind to it. He needed to accomplish it. He couldn't die before then.
"Naruto... please!" She shouted before a blinding golden light shot out of the back of his right hand. Gaara brought a hand up to his eyes, tensing his body for an attack. Sakura stared in open mouthed shock as the light began to cover the sky.
On the other side of the battlefield, Madara watched the sky wearily. His transformation into the Jūbi Jinchūriki went well, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out what this was. Never before has he seen a technique cover the entire sky. His thoughts were shared by Black Zetsu who felt its own panic at the sight.
A shrill noise emitted from the light tearing through the lands. Madara's body took on a fighting stance, though he wasn't quite sure what to do against this new development. Regardless, he vehemently refused to give up when he was this close to his dream.
A mere second later, his entire body felt heat like no other. His mighty Ninjutsu honed after years of combat couldn't hold a candle to the fire taking over his very being.
The golden light of what could only be a god spared no part of him. It destroyed whatever beasts he contained within his body alongside him. Ridding the world of the Uchiha ghost once and for all.
The entire shinobi force could only watch on in shock. Pandemonium swept through the remaining alliance, unsure if they were next to be taken by the light.
Sakura focused back onto the body of her teammate and her eyes widened. The golden light slowly overtaking him. Her words died in her throat when he was practically pulled into the sky above her. Her arms shot out to grab him, desperate in her actions.
Her efforts went unrewarded. When the light dissipated, and the shinobi world could see clearly once more, Madara was gone.
Sakura sobbed into the quiet air, ignoring Gaara's shaky questioning. The war was won, but the Elemental Nations lost someone important that day.
The first breath he took was not like anything he's experienced before, at least knowingly. The air was hot, almost scorching, but he sucked it in greedily. Opening his mouth to call out for help, his ears picked up multiple voices. Women spoke loudly, they were unrecognizable voices and accents to him.
His eyes felt too heavy to open and momentarily he thought he was back on the battlefield. Suffering under a Ninjutsu weighing him down into the unforgiving earth. That wasn't the case, and it became apparent when his words could only form loud cries for attention.
He was reminded of those newborn babies that would be screaming their little heads off while their mothers recovered from the intense labor.
He didn't realize that it wasn't coming for another baby, it was coming from him.
"It's a voe! A voe!"
"Send word for the chief!"
"How are her vitals?!"
"She's not doing well! Please, we need more help!"
He could barely make out anything that was happening. The words sounded strange in his sensitive ears, and his eyes still refused to crack open.
The shouts around him were filled with frantic orders, desperately trying to help someone or something.
That's when he heard a new voice. One that carried the love of a mother. Weird voices, strange accents, it didn't matter. A child will always know their mothers voice.
"You... my precious little voe..."
Bright blue eyes opened, staring into a pair of emerald. He desperately searched her face with his gaze, trying to tell her he needed help while his mouth could not create the request.
"You will be the one... to lead us. You... my little Naruto..."
Naruto watched the dark skinned woman's face drop, becoming almost peaceful as she held him close to her.
More cries came from his mouth.
More shouts came from the women in the area.
A new king was born in Hyrule.
A/N - Just gonna say, the Legend of Zelda series is something I've loved my entire life. This idea sparked in my head after watching my younger sister play BOTW. It's been a while since I've played it, but everything still feels fresh in my head. I put too many hours into that game before college.
Don't read this expecting things to go according to Link's story. Naruto here is a separate person, he is not Link.
I really don't want to reveal anything else about this, let it be a little mysterious for once lmao.
If you're curious about the pairing, it won't come into play for a bit, and I have a few ideas. I know how most feel about harems (myself included), but the way I'm handling things in my Senran Kagura story is along the lines of how I'll do things here with romance. Meaning he'll interact with plenty of people. That doesn't mean a "harem" is confirmed or anything, just throwing that out there. I don't exactly have everything planned out lol. Whatever happens, happens.
I know I'm starting other stories without finishing my current ones, and truthfully I wish I had infinite time to update every single one. However, I feel that dangerous writers block setting in with my other stories at this time due to how busy my life is. It's hard for me to sit down now, get motivated and think of all these new ideas for chapters. I'm not the 16 year old who had time to read fanfiction everyday anymore, even if I wish I was sometimes.
Anyway, I chose to write this instead of leaving people who enjoy my stories with nothing. Life just throws you curveballs, you know.
Let me know what you all think, and thanks for reading.