Saga of the Sage

by Shodaime Hokage

The Fourth Great Shinobi War is over and it has had its price upon the world. However, in a strange turn of events, Uzumaki Naruto was the sole survivor of his final battle with Uchiha Sasuke. What is stranger is that he came out with a Rinnegan to replace his right eye - destroyed by Sasuke in their battle. Join Naruto on a new journey. A new sage. Naruto x Harem! SotSP!Naruto

1. SOTS Prelude

PRELUDE

The battle was over.

He was not expecting to have that thought cross his mind, and yet it did. He had done battle against his former teammate and friend – and he won. A bloodied smile crossed his features and he let out a wheezing chuckle. There was something joyous about having won, but it was also not the greatest thing. Blue eyes lifted up to the opposite of him – Uchiha Sasuke. A young man who he had fought to bring back, and fought to help. It ended up in the most unpleasant way and Naruto regretted it. He coughed some blood to the side.

Naruto.

It was the voice of Kurama and the fox for once sounded worried. He smiled to himself and pushed himself up. It hurt to move, but he had to. He began to limp and stumble over to the water that kept him from Sasuke. As he did he began to recall the battle that just happened – how the two of them clashed back and forth. They had come far since their genin days – and some might consider them the new Hashirama and Madara in power alone.

Naruto, what are you doing?

He grimaced as he heard Kurama's voice louder now – but his mind was set. He used some of his remaining strength to leap over. As he landed, he thrust out his left hand to catch himself. He had nearly fallen over, and his body was wracked with pain. The young shinobi grit his teeth and continued forward with a few stumbles and almost fell over a few times.

When he was done, he was laying besides Sasuke. He stared up at the sky as the black-haired friend of his seemed to be as still as a rock. Naruto's Rasengan and Sasuke's Chidori were so strong that it's likely that the last Uchiha was dead. Naruto glanced to Sasuke and frowned. He didn't want to be responsible for Sasuke's death – but he knew deep down that Sasuke might have been too far gone at last.

His eyes shifted forward once more – and he barely acknowledged the arrival of other figures. His name was called out by a pair of female voices. His vision was blurry and he smiled to himself – for the last thing he saw was pink hair and green eyes. He swore he saw Kakashi approach from behind with a shocked look on his face.

Both the last Uchiha and the young hero's right arms were entirely gone. Both of their outfits were torn to shreds. One was alive, and the other was not by all appearances. The blurry vision faded for Naruto and it seemed he was done. Yet, not all things were as simple as that for them. Naruto blinked when he heard a chuckle – and he realized he was in another place. He turned his head – spotting none other than Hagoromo. It was the old man Six Path Sage once more who stood before Naruto.

"It would seem that something or someone still has plans for you, Naruto-san." spoke Hagoromo. This confused Naruto – which was visible across his face. Hagoromo crossed his arms as his ringed eyes watched the boy. There was something different about him, and then the old sage noticed it. He sighed and shook his head. "Naruto-san, it seems you will become just like me. A herald of a new age. A vessel of immense power. Beyond what you have now."

"What do you mean, oji-san?" inquired Naruto. He wasn't sure what the man meant, but then he felt his body surge. He looked down at himself – confused. Hagoromo uncrossed his arms and took steps forward. "It means that you will become like me. A Sage. A guardian and a guide." He was then right before Naruto – spooking the teenager.

"You will be the next Sage of the Six Paths." intoned the elder man. The fact was still confusing him, but Hagoromo was certain. This young man before him was going to be the new light. He briefly wondered about his mother's family - a family he had only begun to understand in his older years. He raised a hand and put it on Naruto's shoulder. He wished that the new burdens wouldn't have to solely fall on Naruto's shoulders.

But they had to.

[AN: ..Aaaand my first go at being a fanfiction writer. Good lord, this might either rock or suck. Howdy ya'll - the name is Shade and I'm trying my hand at this. Saga of the Sage is an alternate take on post-war Naruto. A lot is going to be happening - but don't worry, this won't be some ultra powerful Naruto x Harem fan fiction. Well it might have the latter but Naruto's powers isn't the main focus of this. Hope everyone enjoyed!]