It was the climax of the final battle, Kaguya had pulled them all into another dimension that, unbeknownst to them, would become Naruto's grave.
Frozen in motion and struggling to stand before her, she had them lined up like cattle just waiting to be slaughtered.
"You," The so-called Rabbit Goddess spoke, her voice authoritative yet soft-spoken, "This is all your fault, Ashura."
Raising a pale-white hand, Kaguya manifested a spear of bone from her palm and shot it towards the immobile blonde.
Time slowed to a crawl for Kakashi as he watched the bone-spear soar through the air directly towards his student. He wouldn't make it in time, but, if he could just use his Kamui-
shnnk
Kakashi thought too little, too late as the bone made contact with Naruto's body, his Six Paths chakra cloak instantly dematerializing and his body beginning to wither away into dust.
An outstretched hand, Obito's, was the only physical attempt at stopping the injury, but like Kakashi, the Uchiha was just too little, late.
Silence befell the group as they watched in shock horror as the body of their blonde friend withered away.
"Well..." Naruto barely muttered out, his voice raspy and broken, "This sucks..."
A lone passing breeze finished what little was left of the crumbling jinchuriki's body as it blew away.
When Naruto came to, he would open his eyes to an endless sea of pitch-black.
For as far as he could see, or at least he assumed he could see, he saw nothing but the very absence of light, or maybe it was the presence of all colour? He didn't know.
Silence rang deafeningly in his ear and his body felt the unique sensation of being frozen, yet burning hot all at the same time-As if the very cells that composed his body were being ripped apart and pulled back together hundreds of millions of times in the span of an instantaneous second-yet, there was also no pain..
It was an odd thing, to feel such a sensation paired with the innate knowledge of the lack of such a sensation in the first place.
To be frank, it made the young Uzumaki question whether or not he was getting a bit loose in the noggin.
But hold on, there it was again, another odd sensation.
Tell me, have you ever tasted nothingness?
No? Well, let me just tell you now, it tastes awful.
It dries your tongue like nothing else yet makes your mouth feel like it's filled to the brim with water that you can neither spit or nor swallow.
Finally... That smell. Was somebody purposefully burning their toast, or was that just him?
"Naruto Uzumaki."
What was that?
"Awaken, Naruto Uzumaki."
There it was again- OHHH SHIIIITTTTT
Bright light flooded his vision, all his previous sensations wiped away.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" Naruto yelled before realizing where he was. He found himself standing on the edge of the cliff of a forest overlooking a vast and empty grassland below.
"Are you done?" That voice... It was coming from right behind him!
Swinging around, Naruto honestly didn't know what to expect, but of all the things he did expect, he didn't expect to expect this. (God, he sure has a lot of expectations.)
"I see you have come to your senses," Standing before him, was none other than Sasuke Uchiha.
The one whom he called his brother, best friend, and comrade in the final days of the war leading up to his... Death.
Yet, there was something... Off about the usually cold-demeanored Uchiha, more than usual at least.
"You catch on quick," 'Sasuke' spoke, a hint of amusement in his voice, "You are correct in your assumptions, I am not your friend, Sasuke Uchiha."
"Then who are you?" Naruto asked the being, wearily.
A pregnant pause fell between the two lone individuals standing on the cliff's edge.
"Did you know that technique that woman used, Kaguya, I believe her name was, was capable of more than just destroying the body?" The onyx-haired impostor began as he clasped hands behind his back and began pacing around the blonde in a semi-circle pattern.
"What do you mean? What does she have to do with what's happening right now?" The blonde man questioned, his brow furrowing.
"I'm going to take that as a 'no' then," The being snorted before continuing on, completely ignoring Naruto's question, "You see, Naruto Uzumaki, you aren't supposed to be here right now."
"What? Stop speaking so cryptically and just give it to me straight, asshole!" Naruto decided that he had enough of the man who wore Sasuke's face arbitrary speech, grabbing him by the scruff of his shirt.
He cocked back a fist-
"That's quite enough," With a single fluid motion, the jinchuriki found himself flipped and on his back, now on the floor staring up at the face of his black-eyed friend, or at least, the person who assumed his appearance.
"Fuck you..." Naruto grumbled, getting up from the floor and dusting himself off as he took a few steps back away from the being, still glaring daggers at him.
"I sense your confusion, so allow me to try and explain this to you as simply as I can-You, Naruto Uzumaki, only son of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki and final vessel of the Nine-Tailed Fox, Kurama, have died."
He paused for a moment here as he watched the blonde process what was just told to him.
"But the conditions of your death, however unfortunate as they were, were not the results we had expected and planned for."
"Wait, what? We? Who's we-?!"
"That technique, the All Killing Ash Bone, like I had previously stated, is a technique that does more than just destroy the body. This technique destroys the very soul as well."
"Oi, answer my question, jackass-"
A wave of the being's hand and all of Naruto's further attempts to interject were instantly cut off as the blonde's mouth seemed to just... Disappear from existence. Where his mouth had been had now become a smooth mass of flesh.
"Yet against all odds, Naruto Uzumaki, you survived. Can you tell me why that is?"
a wave of his hand and Naruto found himself able to breathe once more as he grasped at his throat, breathing ragged.
"W-What the hell..?" He uttered out, feeling around his chin to confirm that his mouth had indeed returned.
"Please answer the question, Naruto Uzumaki," The entity demanded, his voice raising slightly now.
"Why the hell should I?" He knew it unwise but felt the need to see if he could challenge the being once more, regardless of the results of his previous, more physical, attempt.
Hearing those words, the man who wore Sasuke's face took a step back and observed the sight before him, clasping a hand to his chin and closing his eyes as if seemingly in deep thought.
"Strange," He began once more, "I can feel it now. You know the answer yet you refuse to give it to me whilst, simultaneously, you don't, therefore you cannot. Regardless, this is a rather perplexing situation.
"What are you even talking about..? And can you cut that shit out with your face?! It's creeping me out!" The blonde demanded, angrily.
"Fine, then," There was the sound of cracking bone and shifting muscle as the man who once bore the impression of Sasuke's face and body as his own writhed painfully as his face and body shifted, turning at unnatural angles and flesh pulsating.
Gone now was the Uchiha's face and in its place, a young woman's. Fair smooth skin, stunning rainbow-colored eyes, thick eyebrows, and long luscious silver hair that flowed down her back, stopping just before it made contact with the ground. She was nude, yet did not possess any nipples, genitals, or even a belly button for that matter.
"Is this better now?" The now-woman asked a hint of impatience now in her voice.
"I- Uh..." He was dumbfounded as he just awkwardly stared at the nude(?) woman's body, a mad blush spread right across his face.
"I'm going to assume, yes, Anyways..." Shrugging it off, the being thrust one of her hands forward and one flash of light later and a large farmer's scythe manifested in her outstretched hand, "This can go one of two ways, Naruto Uzumaki."
Motioning to the scythe she continued on.
"One: I destroy your soul, right here, right now,"
Raising her other hand, she snapped her fingers and the sea of trees behind her all transformed at once into a wide array of different coloured and designed doors, all with varying levels of intricacy in their design.
"Or two: You enter into one of these many doors behind you and are reincarnated into another world. You will not keep your memories, but you may regain back your abilities if the law of that world permits it."
She dropped the scythe, stabbing it into the floor beside her before crossing both her arms in front of her chest.
"So what will it be, Naruto Uzumaki? Will you choose life-"
She motioned towards the doors behind her.
"Or death?"
Naruto paused.
"Before I choose, can you answer me at least one question?"
"I don't see why not, so go ahead."
"Why?"
The look on the nude woman's face did not so much as twitch as she emotionlessly stared back at the man before her.
"Why?" Naruto asked once more.
"For reasons beyond your understanding... And entertainment."
"I... See..."
Naruto looked up, his eyes blazing with determination.
"Then, I choose-"