Rise of the Whirling Tides

Key

"Hi there" Normal Speech

"Hi There" Thought

"Hi There" Biju and techniques

"Hi There" Biju thoughts and techniques in head

Flashbacks

"Hi There" Normal speech

"Hi There" Thought

"Hi There" Biju and Techniques

"Hi There," Bijuu thought and techniques in head

Author Note: Sorry for the delayed post, I was out of town visiting relatives since Friday and only got back yesterday. Picked my nephews up on the way back and they are staying with me for the week during their school holidays. I will try and get another chapter out if I can, if not I will try to do make up chapters next week.

Also please note, I suck when it comes to romance so if the ending bit feels rushed, I apologise. But I needed to move things along for the next set of chapters.

Summary Chapter 31: Monkey D. Dragon arrived on Uzushiogakure to deliver the first payment of 25,000,000,000 Belly for an S Class Suicide Mission to distract Whitebeard, so members of his crew could return an item. Dragon substituted in some items to off set the payment of the mission. Out of all the items presented five truly caught Naruto's eye, a long green Guan Dao, a sword that channelled lightning and was one of the Twelve Saijo O Wazamono Grade Swords, a black devil fruit with a strange white swirled striped pattern and two other items. The last two turned out to be relics of Naruto's past, an old green toad wallet that used to belong to Naruto called Gama-Chan and the Usagi Clan Contract Summoning Scroll.

After realising the summoning scroll was active, Naruto chose to seal it away to fix up its matrix later, deciding first to finish the mission given to him. Naruto headed off to clash wits and strength with Edward Newgate Whitebeard, the Strongest Man Alive before Naruto's arrival.


Author Note: Link to discord channel ( h , t , t , p , s, : / / discord . gg / mX728eD ) just remove all the commas and spacing.

Please read and Review.


Chapter 32: Clash of Titans

Aboard the Moby Dick on an ocean that was part of the grandline, the crew of the Whitebeard Pirates were celebrating, loudly cheering as glasses clinked together. Seated in a giant chair was Edward Newgate Whitebeard, the Yonko was surrounded by nurses, used oxygen tubes, and was hooked up to intravenous tubes and life support systems; but that didn't seem to stop him from drinking by the literal barrel full of sake.

The ageing pirate released a bellowing laugh, chugging down a barrel of sake, surrounded by his many sons. The crew members of the Whitebeard Pirates were all Whitebeard's children, only in name not by blood but that didn't mean he cared for them any less. Whitebeard was the type of man to do anything for his family, risking it all, for he truly loved them deeply. As a result of this treatment, the whole crew affectionately referred to him as "Pops" or "Old Man, showing the bonds they had between each other.

"Gurararara! Uzushiogakure has certainly grown! Drink up my children let us celebrate Uzushio's continued development!" Roared the Yanko, picking up a giant barrel and downing it, the members of the crew cheered Whitebeard on. The pirates were eating everything in sight; a massive banquet had been prepared for this celebration, allowing the members of the Whitebeard Pirates to feast to their heart's content. The Whitebeard Pirates would celebrate anything; they didn't care as long as they had a chance to feast and drink with each other.

"Hic. Pops these guys have gone crazy yoi!" First Division Commander Marco the phoenix wobbled back and forth, already drunk with a large barrel of rum under his right arm, in the other hand a set of wanted posters released for the Shinobi of Uzushiogakure. Marco stumbled falling flat on his ass and started laughing. The other members of the crew joined in, many of them falling flat on their assess, each as drunk as the other.

"Gurarara!" Whitebeard laughed happily enjoying the time with his children. One of the things Whitebeard enjoyed the most was hearing the joyous laugh and cries of his family.

A strange mirror suddenly appeared interrupting the joyous feast. The mirror was an oval shape in a bronze casing over a metre in size, floating in mid-air over thirty metres from Whitebeard. The glass began to ripple like water that extended out into the air. Stepping out of the mirror was a tall six-foot man in his early to late twenties with wild spiky blonde hair, cerulean blue eyes and whisker-like markings. The man was dressed in a long white robe, with blue like waves around the bottom, on the back was kanji running down spelling Uzukage (Whirlpool Shadow). Decorated onto the robe was four whirlpool shapes, two on each side of the kanji. The hat he wore was wide, with a mix of blue and green that had a black swirl at the front. Beneath that the man wore long white monk robes. The man was none other than Uzumaki Naruto, the Shodai Uzukage of Uzushiogakure no Sato of Uzu no Kuni, with a One Billion Belly Bounty on his head.

What many didn't know was that Uzumaki Naruto was also Otsutsuki Hagoromo, an alias he used while in his true form. Otsutsuki Hagoromo, a man, called The Natural Disaster and the Strongest Man in the World with a Five Billion Belly Bounty on his head. Very few were aware of this fact outside of Uzushiogakure no Sato, the only ones who knew this outside of Uzu's shore was Whitebeard and his crew.

Whitebeard stared at the much smaller man, but didn't let his guard down knowing how strong the Kage was, "Uzumaki Naruto, Shodai Uzukage of Uzushiogakure no Sato, an honour for you to grace my ship with your presence." The pirate grabbed sides of his chair and stood up to full height, looming over Naruto.

The Uzukage looked up at Whitebeard without a hint of fear, "Edward Newgate Whitebeard, a pleasure to finally meet you. I've been looking forward to this day. Show me the strength of the man once called The Strongest Man in the World!" Naruto threateningly took a step forward.

The division commanders of Whitebeard's crew quickly formed a wall in front of Naruto in an attempt to shield their 'father', the man's sudden appearance had helped to sober them up. The Uzumaki didn't even acknowledge their existence, as he advanced. Naruto did not need to fear the division commanders; he had more power in his pinkie then they did combined. Three of the commanders shot forward launching towards Naruto; these were the top three division commanders Marco, Jozu and Vista.

Marco was a lean, muscular, blonde-haired man with a rather sleepy look on his face and some stubble around his chin, wearing an open purple jacket and a light blue sash adorned with an elaborate golden-yellow belt around his waist. Marco wore dark grey knee-long pants and black sandals, and on his left leg, he wore what appears to be some sort of straw decoration.

Jozu was a very muscular, broad-chested, heavily-armoured and dark-skinned man, who had a long face with black stripe-like patterns for a beard and hairstyle, while his legs are relatively thin in comparison to his muscular arms. Jozu appears battle-hardened and has a perpetual scowl on his face. The dark Armor he wore and his hairstyle is very similar to that of an Aztec warrior, with red-bolted darl shoulder pads

Vista was a tall, muscular, broad-chested, tanned man with a curly, black moustache, a dark blue top hat, and an earring in each ear. Vista wore a semi-open dark blue shirt with a white diamond stripe-pattern near the top that reveals some of his hairy chest, as well as a cape that his shirt, and white gloves. He also wears light blue pants with a belt that holds two sword sheaths, one on each side.

Marco advanced taking the front line, arms transforming into blue wings made entirely of fire. The man swung those arms forward unleashing a torrent of blue flames that roared ahead to engulf Naruto. The Sage eyed the fire, waving a hand into their path. Blue coloured chakra erupted from Naruto's hand colliding against the flames, smothering them until they had been stamped out. Appearing behind the smothered wall of flames was the other two commanders. Vista drew both swords, jumping overhead swinging the two blades downwards. Jozu was charging from the ground, the man's entire body was encased in diamond as he rushed the immortal attempting to shoulder barge him.

"Stop you fools! You're not his match!" Bellowed Whitebeard but it was already too late.

Naruto raised a right hand and without effort used it to grab both the incoming blades between his fingertips, as for the charging Jozu, Naruto held out his left palm allowing it to connect with the man's shoulder. The Immortal didn't even budge as he brought Jozu to a screeching halt and began applying pressure to the diamond. The diamond began to crack, web-like markings appearing before the diamond around the shoulder shattered under Naruto's grip. The Sage lifted the man up with ease and threw up him upwards into Vista knocking them both back across the ship.

Marco hadn't given up, charging forward his entire body transforming into a phoenix made of blue fire, as a Phoenix Marco soared towards Naruto with the intent to ram him. The Immortal watched the incoming Phoenix and brought his right hand down, delivering a downwards chop to the Phoenix. Marco was sent into the ship's wooden deck with a loud thud, cracks forming in the word as if it could break any minute. The Sage looked down at the Phoenix and released a shockwave of chakra from the palm of his hand. The chakra hit Marco with enough force it shattered the wood creating a hole that sent Marco plummeting down to the next floor.

The Sage looked towards the other division commands, taking another step forward; blue chakra began to be released from his body. "Begone," Naruto bellowed, chakra exploding forward creating powerful shockwaves that sent the division commanders flying to the side, leaving Whitebeard unprotected.

"Shall we continue this song and dance?" Asked Naruto walking up until a distance of only ten metres separated the two.

Whitebeard grabbed hold of his bisento, slamming the end into the floor of his ship, a powerful aura began to release from the man's body, the other hand ripping out the tubes and needles connected to his body. A thick wave of will erupted from Newgate erupting forth with great power. Whitebeard didn't hold back, locking onto Naruto and releasing his Haoshoku Haki, unleashing it at full strength. The man's surroundings rippled as powerful shockwaves tore towards Naruto.

The Sage allowed a smile to grace his lips as a large pillar of blue chakra erupted from his body. The chakra began to change as it collided with the incoming power of will. Will and Chakra clashed violently against one another in a battle of dominance. As the blue chakra clashed, it began to dissolve, dissipating as beneath a layer of gold was revealed.

The blue chakra melted away as a thick pillar of golden coloured chakra erupted from every pore on Naruto's body. The golden chakra collided with Whitebeard's willpower, overpowering it and headed towards the pirate. This golden chakra was Naruto's true chakra; it had been sealed up tight, held within a cocoon. Naruto's chakra was so strong it could destroy the surroundings if released at maximum capacity, to fix this, the Sage had sealed it up. The blue chakra he radiated was its contained appearance, to keep his true levels of chakra sealed, stopping it from hurting those around him. Until now, Naruto had seen no need to let loose the true overwhelming might of his chakra.

Whitebeard swung the massive bisento into the incoming golden energy, daring to meet it head-on. The blade collided and a powerful shockwave erupted as fissures appeared in the very air itself. The entire ship shook as the two attacks collided. Shockwaves erupted on impact scattering out, causing cracks in the deck of the Moby Dick. The ocean water quivered, rocking back and forth as it rippled outwards to form tidal waves.

"Hahahaha! This is strength!" Shouted Naruto his tone of voice betraying the excitement he was feeling. Even though the immortal was holding back, keeping the Rinne-Sharingan sealed, along with many of his other abilities, he was still looking forward to this fight. Would Whitebeard be the first in this world to force him to the next level?

Whitebeard slammed the tip of the bisento onto the ship's deck and looked at Naruto, a smile of excitement forming on the pirate's lips. "It's been a long time since someone has given me a challenge! Come Uzumaki Naruto! GURARARARA" Whitebeard roared unleashing a powerful laugh that shook the ship.

Naruto gave a grin and swung his arms out to the side, golden chakra bursting forth "I want a real fight! I want to experience the true thrill of battle! It has been far too long!" The Immortal Sage reached out with his right arm, the arm melting into a strange black void before pulling something out, it was a large greatsword wrapped in bandages, and at the base of its long handle was a skull. The sword seemed to purr beneath the bandages as golden chakra flowed into it.

"Samehada (Shark Skin) it's been too long." Before Naruto had sunk the element nations, he had retrieved a handful of items, namely the swords of the Seven Ninja Swordsman of the Mist, Samehada, Kabutowari (Helm Splitter), Kiba (Fangs), and Kubikiribocho (Decapitating Carving Knife). The other three Hiramekarei, Shibuki (Splash) and Nuibari (Sewing Needle) he hadn't been able to find, suspecting they had sunken to the ocean's depths during the explosion that had destroyed half of the Shinobi Continent. However with the reappearance of two items from his era, Naruto's suspicions changed, perhaps they were still around. The Sage would put effort to try and find them after this fight.

Naruto had also collected the five Rikudō Sennin no Hōgu (Treasured Tools of the Sage of Six Paths), Banshousen (Banana Palm Fan), Benihisago (Crimson Gourd), Kohaku no Jouhei (Amber Purifying Pot), Koukinjou (Golden Canopy Rope) and the Shichiseikan (Seven Star Sword). The tools of the original Rikudou no Sennin, Otsutsuki Hagoromo, Naruto kept stored into his pocket dimension keeping them there for his personal use. However, Naruto chose not to use them for this battle, instead deciding to pick Samehada.

With Samehada in hand, the immortal released the hold on his chakra reserves. Golden chakra spiked shooting high up into the air, parting the clouds as it climbed. Chakra became a giant pillar whipping up a strong gust of wind. Waves crashed against the sides of the Moby Dick as the energy started to expand, encompassing the entire ship in its glow. The elements became wild as lightning flashed across clear skies. Nearby islands over thousands of metres away began to shake violently as earthquakes shook the land. Crevices were formed in the deep oceans as the earth was pulled apart.

Wind wrapped violently around the Moby Dick, pulling the ocean upwards as a maelstrom was formed, reaching up to the skies. The ocean raged becoming so violent, whirlpools had formed. The air became saturated with the thick presence of Naruto's chakra. The pressure exerted caused marine life to float to the surface, knocked unconscious from its powers, even powerful Sea Kings had fainted, their giant bodies floating atop the water, creating tidal waves.

The enormous pressure exerted from Naruto's reserves caused the timber of the ship to groan in protest, cracks forming along the length of the ship. The weaker members of the Whitebeard pirates collapsed, and the division commanders were no different, forced onto their stomachs struggling to look up from the pressure placed on them. The pressure, felt like gravity was pushing down, increasing to the point the commanders lost consciousness beneath it. Fissures formed in the air around Naruto, reality became twisted as the unfathomable amount of chakra not only bent reality but started to break it.

Whitebeard could feel his legs shaking, beginning to buckle under the godly pressure that pressed against him. The aged pirate felt like his knees could give out at any minute, and he would fall beneath the ever-growing pressure. Edward Newgate showed no fear. Instead, the excitement began to boil inside, "He certainly lives up to his reputation, this level of strength, no one in the world could stand against it."

The stories Whitebeard had been told by Gol D. Roger passed on from the man's ancestors who had spoked volumes of the strength and powerful will Naruto was said to have. Some of these stories had helped to shape Roger into the man he had become, in later years they had even helped inspire Whitebeard when he had heard them.

Naruto was said to possess a charisma that could turn his greatest enemies into allies, Gaara of the Desert, Nagato of the Akatsuki and Obito were just some of those he changed. It was said Naruto had the ability to go against fate itself, performing miraculous feet's again and again. The Uzumaki was someone who had climbed to the top from very bottom.

"Let me experience the strength of the man who dared to fight against Otsutsuki Kaguya the Usagi no Megami (Rabbit Goddess) and Mother of Chakra. Show me the power that can reshape the world!" Whitebeard roared in his mind, swinging the massive bisento down towards Naruto, the world seemed to shatter behind the weapon as it came downwards. Whitebeard channelled the force of his Gura Gura no Mi behind the swing, using it to empower the weapon.

Naruto released a laugh, swinging Samehada up into the path of the incoming polearm. The bandages were torn apart, revealing the blue scale mass beneath. A hue of golden chakra surrounded Samehada, the sharkskin weapon purring as it was swung upwards, meeting the giant polearm head on. The two clashed, a shockwave exploded out on impact, appearing to seemingly break the space around it, bending reality. Chakra, Haki and devil fruit powers clashed against one another, fighting for dominance.

Two powers, a strong will and the ability to destroy the world, clashed with the power to breathe and destroy life. The shockwave echoed out into the world, nearby islands shook violently, splits beginning to form along shores. Deep beneath the oceans where the two fought, deep sea crevices over hundreds of metres long were split open. The Moby Dick began to crack, pieces breaking off, sections of the ship near the two broke off and were obliterated turning into wood dust. The whale shape shipped was starting to take a beating.

Naruto and Whitebeard stepped back; their weapons lowered beside them. "If we continue, your ship will be destroyed." The Immortal Sage looked at the pirate ship, how could they have a proper fight if they would destroy the foundation they stood upon?

Chakra surged up into Naruto's eyes; cerulean blue began to glow as the space around Naruto became distorted. The bronze case mirror appeared behind Naruto; the mirror began to expand rapidly in size, flying up into the air, where it positioned itself to lye over the two fighters. The reflection in the mirror changed, turning into a black space, with tall buildings inside, matched by concrete streets. Glass quivered as the mirror fell, falling on top of Whitebeard and Naruto swallowing them both up, transporting the two of them to its inter-dimensional space.

With the departure of Whitebeard and Naruto, the ship would be left unguarded, every member of the Whitebeard Pirate Crew knocked unconscious, unaware of a small rowboat leaving a nearby island and heading towards them, its crew members of the Revolutionary Army. The three occupants of the boat Emporio Ivankov, Inazuma and Hack, appeared visibly shaken from the collision between the two titans.


Inside the Mirror

Whitebeard and Naruto stood opposite one another within the space of the Seika-kan Mira (World Viewing Mirror). Inside the mirror was a large space that seemed to go on forever with no end in sight. Making up the inside of the mirror were countless buildings of all shapes and sizes with concrete roads. The space inside even if destroyed could easily be regenerated. Once someone entered the inner space unless released by Naruto, there was no escape, unless you somehow managed to destroy the dimensional world. However the amount of power to destroy the world was almost impossible to accomplish, but could it fare against the collision of Naruto and Whitebeard?

These two men of unparalleled measured each other up, clashing in a battle of pure will.

Naruto broke the silence, charging forward, appearing in front of the devil fruit user swinging Samehada from the right, making its way towards Whitebeard. The pirate threw out his left palm, bringing it into the swords path, seeming to carry the power to destroy the world. Shark scales and open flesh met as a shockwave erupted on impact destroying the surroundings, concrete sent flying into the ground shook as the streets shattered debris flying into the air. The shockwave from the impact carried on destroying the surrounding buildings making them collapse.

The sword grew in size, a mouth opening up at the top, releasing a long growl. Jaws open wide as the sword bit down towards Whitebeard's hand with the intent to devour it. The pirate's fist reached out, appearing to grab onto air itself as tremors erupted, striking against the sword knocking it and Naruto backwards.

Whitebeard gripped the bisento in his right hand and charged towards the Sage closing the distance. Newgate was big but surprisingly fast, closing the gap instantaneously and punched out with his left fist. Vibrations shook the air, causing the ground to quake as the giant fist headed towards the immortal sage. The entire domain shook under Whitebeard's power.

A crazed laugh escaped Naruto's lips as he leapt forward into the fray of battle to meet the fist head on. Samehada was gripped in the immortals right hand as he punched out with the left to meet the fist. Golden energy erupted from the limb as it transformed becoming ethereal, no longer appearing to be made of flesh. The limb forged of golden chakra collided with the fist that contained the power to shake the world. A powerful quaking force travelled through Naruto's arm as another shockwave erupted on contact.

The ground was broken as a crater formed at the feet of the warriors. The bodies of both warriors went sliding backwards as the force of their collision generated a shockwave so powerful it could knock them back.

The Kage reached out with his left hand, the limb slipped into his pocket dimension and pulled out a second sword. The sword was as big as Samehada and took the shape of a giant cleaver with two cut-outs in the blade one at the top and a semi-circular one near the handle. Lifting the giant blade, Naruto pointed it at Whitebeard, holding Samehada in the right, the open mouth, resonating with the new sword. Naruto had pulled out the Kubikiribocho one of the seven swords of the mist, just like Samehada.

Holding the two great swords in hand, Naruto launched into action, running towards Whitebeard. With just a few steps, the immortal appeared in front of Whitebeard, jumping up into the air swinging Kubikiribocho downwards with an overhead swing. Newgate's bisento came upwards meeting the blade of the oversized butcher knife, another shockwave erupting on impact. Swinging upwards from beneath was Samehada coming to join its fellow sword. The sentient sword was blocked as a giant palm came down containing the power of vibrations. A powerful earthquake shook the air as the sky began to break; a long crack had been created in the sky of the Seika-kan Mira.

Whitebeard may not be as strong as Naruto, but his Gura Gura no Mi (Tremor-Tremor Fruit) certainly made up for it. With the power to cause powerful vibrations and quakes with but a punch, Whitebeard possessed the ability to destroy the pocket dimension. The power at Whitebeard's fingertips went to demonstrate just how strong not only the man was but also the Devil Fruit he had eaten. It had been claimed that the Gura Gura no Mi gave Whitebeard the power to destroy the world.

Naruto was pushed back as a powerful quake struck him, launching the immortal backwards. With a flip, Naruto landed on his feet, both great swords carving a fissure in the earth as the blades dug into concrete. Raising the two swords up, Naruto rested them on his shoulders, smiling from ear to ear. It was clear as day from the smile that the Uzumaki was having the time of his life. It was not every day the immortal could find someone to give him at least some kind of a challenge.

The floor shook as Whitebeard made his move, taking the chance to go on the offensive. A giant fist punched out, the force of an earthquake behind it as everything around the fist was destroyed; buildings fell, earth crumbled, and space seemed to break as the vibrations affected everything.

Kubikiribocho was swung into the path of the approaching fist, sharpened blade meeting flesh. The power of vibrations hit the blade with enough force cracks appeared along its edge. A crater formed again, expanding rapidly from the strength placed behind the punch. Naruto even felt vibrations travelling into his body, carrying enough force to push him backwards, forcing the Sage to dig his feet into concrete, sticking to the surface with chakra. Samehada was plunged into the ground, bringing the Shodai Uzukage to a halt.

Naruto continued to hold back, savouring this test of physical attributes; it had been his choice to keep the Rinne-Sharingan sealed. In this space the Sage didn't fear exposing his other identity, keeping the eyes sealed simply to give himself a handicap. There were no intentions even to use any of the advanced elements or the numerous bloodline abilities Naruto had obtained, keeping it all contained.

A power containing the strength to destroy the world descended as Whitebeard swung the massive bisento from the right. The air rippled and was pulled behind, becoming distorted as the giant blade continued its path. Metal met metal as the Kubikiribocho intercepted the polearm, the blade shattered on impact unable to withstand the force a second time after being damaged. All the remained was the handle and the lower half of the sword.

The force behind the polearm strike had sent Naruto flying out to the right, smashing through buildings causing them to topple over on top of him. A golden pillar of chakra broke through the debris, turning it into nothingness. Golden chakra surged out violently, washing over the entire dimensional space making it shake. The sound of a mirror cracking sounded out as fissures appeared in the sky, on the outside web-like cracks made their appearance on the Seika-kan Mira.

Naruto stepped forward carrying Samehada and the broken Kubikiribocho. Flicking a hand the broken cleaver sword was tossed back into the Sage's pocket dimension, followed by Samehada. The Uzumaki dusted his hands off, looking up towards Whitebeard as the old pirate stood still waiting patiently.

"You're just as eager for this aren't you?" Naruto grinned from ear to ear, taking a few steps forward, picking up the pace, turning into a full-blown run, Naruto charged towards Whitebeard, holding out his right hand. Golden chakra spun in the palm of his hand, taking the shape of a golden sphere spinning in multiple directions.

"Rasengan (Spiralling Sphere)! The sphere of spiralling chakra was thrust forward in Naruto's hands as he crossed the distance closing in on Whitebeard.

Newgate released a bellowing laugh and swung the bisento into the path of the sphere with one hand. Chakra surged out of the spinning sphere as it met the polearm head-on. The bisento's blade vibrated coming into contact with the glowing golden sphere, making the ground quake beneath the impact. Golden energy exploded out from the sphere crashing against the bisento, creating a tiny crack at the tip. Chakra surged down the polearm into Whitebeard's arms, sending a shock of pain through them.

Whitebeard reached out grabbing onto the air itself with his right hand and pulled down. The world fluctuated as buildings were seemingly pulled towards Naruto, the world becoming distorted. These buildings were pulled from their foundations as the dimensional world swayed back and forth as if wanting to collapse on top of its creator. This power demonstrated, was the power that had the ability to destroy the world over, a Devil Fruit with a strength no weaker than a Logia-Class Devil Fruit.

Golden chakra erupted from Naruto's palm, to meet the incoming collapse of space, in the form of a giant golden sphere ten times the size of your average Rasengan, "Chouodama Rasengan (Ultra-Big Ball Spiralling Sphere)!" Chakra and space met as the sphere expanded rapidly in size and detonated. Hurricane force winds came into existence on the impact between the two forces as chakra decimated everything it touched grinding buildings down into dust. Cracks emerged on collision rapidly spreading out from the point of impact between the two attacks as small fragments of the domain broke off.

Naruto charged forward leaping high up over the conflict, falling towards Whitebeard. Chakra circulated around the Sage's right arm as it was raised into the air, chakra coming together to form a golden Rasengan three times the size of a normal one. Three regular-sized Rasengan's came into existence around the big one, moving like moons around a planet. The four spinning orbs of chakra were pushed down towards the aged pirate. "Wakusei Rasengan (Planetary Spiralling Sphere)!"

Whitebeard punched out into the air with his free hand, skin turning metallic black as powerful vibrations echoed off the fist. Cracks formed around the fist as the world became distorted under the powerful quake contained inside. The quake cracked the void of space as it travelled towards the Planetary Rasengan meeting it head-on. Vibrations and Haki collided head-on with the overpowering Sagely Chakra, causing the sphere to detonate in mid-air. The sphere of chakra expanded exponentially in size with such force both Whitebeard and Naruto were blown backwards. Chakra consumed the surroundings tearing buildings and the ground apart until all that remained was a giant crater over fifty metres in diameter.

Naruto landed on the broken ground, sliding backwards before coming to a halt fifteen meters from the edge of the crater. Across the other side was Whitebeard who had been pushed back a similar distance. The pirate coughed spitting out a ball of blood, a small trickle of the red life liquid spilling down the left side of his mouth. Newgate wobbled falling to his right knee, coughing violently, the man was powerful, but in his old age, at sixty years of age Whitebeard had begun suffering from health issues, and as time passed, they got worse.

The Immortal frowned at the sight caused by his opponent's sudden fall in health. Golden chakra erupted from Naruto's body as a golden flame-like cloak began to cover his body from head to toe. Flesh melted away transforming into golden chakra as the Uzumaki transformed into an ethereal state, his body comprised entirely of chakra. Naruto's body glowed fiercely as golden flames hung on his body, licking at the air harmlessly. Golden chakra extended from his back forming a golden cloak with nine black tomoes placed upon it.

A golden arm of chakra extended from Naruto's back and faster than Whitebeard could react, especially with his declining health, shot forward, crossing the distance and latched onto Newgate's chest. The limb seemed to sink into Whitebeard's chest before Yang elemental chakra flooded every part of Whitebeard's body. Scars that Whitebeard had obtained from his years as a pirate healed up, leaving not even a mark that they had ever existed.

The Yonko could feel his state of health rising, as the issues he had dealt with over the last few years vanished as if they never existed. The Golden Yang Chakra seeped into every part of Whitebeard's body restoring the man to perfect health. Whitebeard felt better than he had for a long time like he was once again in the prime of his youth.

Naruto had healed Whitebeard of his deteriorating health; the Yang Chakra provided would return the man to the equivalent of his prime. Why would Naruto do this to an enemy? The reason was simple; the Uzumaki wanted a proper fight and didn't want to beat an opponent just because they had health issues. Even of Whitebeard was weaker than Naruto at full strength; the Sage still wanted a decent fight, even if it meant healing the Yonko to full health.

Whitebeard looks across the crater, giving Naruto a strange look, "Indeed a strange man who lives up to his generous nature." Newgate climbed back onto two feet and clenched his fists as if getting a proper feel for his body; it had been quite some time since Whitebeard had felt this good.

"GURARARARA! Uzumaki Naruto! You're quite the odd one, aren't you! But I like it!" Roared Whitebeard as he crouched down before launching forward, jumping up into the air, crossing over the giant crater with ease, showcasing his restored physical abilities. The spot where he previously stood had been had shattered beneath his feet. Whitebeard sailed over the crater falling towards Naruto swinging the massive bisento downwards, put the power to destroy the world into it. The bisento came down quickly, cracks forming in the air as the world began to shatter beneath its power. Metallic silver transformed becoming black as Busoshoku Haki covered the tip of the bisento increasing its attack power significantly.

The air became distorted as chakra circulated into Naruto's right and left palm, ready to face the incoming attack head-on. A spiralling golden Rasengan formed in each hand, growing too twice their normal size. The chakra inside spun wildly growing in force as elemental chakra poured into both spheres. In the right sphere fire, elemental chakra poured in transforming it.

Fire elemental chakra poured into the sphere as it caught alight, bright red flames spinning in a multitude of directions with a bright orange core. An intense heat erupted from the sphere distorting the surrounding air. In the left hand, lightning began to spark as it flowed into the sphere turning it a vibrant shade of yellow, lightning crackled violently. A miniature lightning storm raged inside, just waiting to be released.

The two elemental Rasengan were pushed up towards the incoming bisento, as they were pushed up the two spheres connected. Chakra moved between the two spheres of elemental chakra fusing them together, bringing fire and lightning together into one giant Rasengan that was raging internally with a violent lightning storm and wild inferno.

"Katon + Raiton Konbijutsu: Rasenarashi Daifunka (Fire Release + Lightning Release Collaboration Technique: Spiralling Storm Great Eruption)!"

Lightning and Fire clashed against Haki and Vibrations in a battle of endurance. The two forces pushed back and forth, Naruto forcing the sphere upwards, as Whitebeard put his weight and strength behind the polearm. Splits began to appear in the dimensional space, as pieces began to shatter beneath the weight of the four types of power. The Rasengan began to break away as the elements stored inside were unleashed, a great heat exploded outwards as bright red flames came into existence, yellow lightning crackling amongst the fire as the elements worked in harmony.

The ground became scorched as a tidal wave of fire poured forth, heading upwards towards Whitebeard with the intent to engulf the pirate. Whitebeard removed a hand from his bisento, reaching out to grab at the air as the raging storm of lightning and fire ascended upwards. Fingers wrapped around the sky, clenching and pulled downwards, bringing the world down upon the incoming elemental attack. The world collapsed on top of the raging fire lightning storm, detonating on impact. A giant dome of elemental chakra erupted expanding outwards.

Naruto vanished backwards in a flash of white, as the dome expanded towards Whitebeard with the intent to swallow him up. The dome was a giant swirling tempest of flames as lightning surging violently within it. Everything was swallowed up by the elements as they clashed against Whitebeard. Newgate transformed both arms with Busoshoku Haki, gripped the bisento and slashed downwards creating a deep cracking fissure in the air. The powerful quake travelled onwards coming into contact with the raging elemental storm.

The quake impacted and the two techniques detonated, exploding violently, destroying their surroundings, washing over Whitebeard engulfing him in a torrent of fire empowered lightning combined with the power of vibration escaped these cracks, leaving the mirror world, entering the world outside. Outside the world become affected by their battle as the vibrations shook the ocean's floor creating earthquakes and tsunamis. Chakra raced across the sky summoning up terrible lightning storms across the grand line; red flames tore across the sky as balls of fire descended.

The Seika-kan Mira began to shake, large cracks forming in its glass that rapidly spread out, the bronze casing began to break as the mirror started to lose strength. If this continued, it was entirely possible the inner dimension of the mirror would break. If it was just Naruto, the damage would be quite minimal, but with Whitebeard whose power could touch upon the boundaries of the world, it was putting an enormous strain of the mirrors abilities.

Seals began to light up along the bronze casing, as the mirror began to glow blue. Green particles were pulled out of the air and into the mirror appearing to absorb them, the breaks beginning to recover. The flow increased as wisps of green energy flowed into the mirror, this was natural energy. The seals had been recently added, allowing the mirror to subconsciously activate them when damaged to draw in large amounts of natural energy to repair itself.

In the dimensional space, this natural energy flooded in like a torrent, rapidly causing the inside to regenerate as cracks were sealed up and the terrain restored. To assist in the rejuvenation process, Naruto sprouted four golden chakra arms from his body that transformed into clones, each encasing in a golden aura of chakra. The four clones shot off into four directions, each heading to a corner of the space to assist in its recovery and strengthening.

Whitebeard stepped forward, scorch markings running up his arms, the tips of his moustache had been signed, but the man looked no worse for wear. Newgate had survived the rush of elements that exploded from the collision of techniques. The bisento he carried had taken battle damage, cracks running down the metal with a chip or two in the blade.

Naruto grinned from ear to ear and shot forward like a missile. Speeding towards Whitebeard, intending to fight the man in hand to hand combat, to test the Yonko's physical attributes. The Uzumaki was a blur, moving at speeds almost impossible for any ordinary person to track, but Whitebeard wasn't ordinary by any means. With the man's health restored, his reaction speed had returned, working in tandem with his Kenbunshoku Haki (Colours of Observation Haki). With the aid of this type of Haki Whitebeard was able to keep track of Naruto.

The Immortal appeared in front of Whitebeard hovering in mid-air, is right fist striking forward. Newgate reacted, a giant left palm intercepting the punch. On impact, a shockwave detonated outwards destroying the ground beneath their feet. Naruto was far from done, using the arm as a springboard to jump up into the air above Whitebeard, extending his left leg and bringing it down in a falling as kick, "Tsuutenkyaku (Heavenly Foot of Pain!"

A heel came downwards with the intent to smash Whitebeard into a paste. The air shattered as a giant arm was swung upwards; the Yonko's left forearm met the strike head-on, hardening with Busoshoku Haki and contained the force of an earthquake. The ground shook, crumbling inwards from the impact as the dimensional space began to break again, large splits spreading out from the point of impact. Whitebeard roared, swinging the giant limb, releasing the power of the Gura Gura no Mi unleashing a massive quake in mid-air. Buildings crumbled as the earth collapsed away.

The force sent Naruto flying backwards, his leg torn apart. Golden chakra erupted from the Kage's body as he came to a halt in mid-air, chakra poured from the wound restoring limb and clothing. Looking up, the Uzumaki watched as Whitebeard rubbed his forearm, a bruise had already begun to form.

Charging back in, Naruto confronted Whitebeard once more. With every strike, Whitebeard would block. The Uzumaki flashed around the battlefield engaging with his fists, each impact creating shockwaves that destroyed the terrain. The Yonko met each strike without hesitation, blocking with a giant hand or swinging his bisento meeting it head-on. The mirror world shook violently with each confrontation, fractures appearing in its dimensional void. Neither fighter let up, as even Whitebeard went on the offensive, cracks forming with each punch or swing of the polearm. Shortly both opponents had given up on defence, trading blow for blow.

The ground shook, as shockwaves exploded out on flesh, blood spilling onto the ground, accompanied by wisps of golden chakra. Naruto's body was engulfed in chakra as strands fused together constantly repairing damage; entire pieces of Naruto's chakra body had been blown apart under the force of Whitebeards vibrations.

Newgate stumbled back using the bisento to steady himself. The pirate was covered in fist-sized bruises, blood trickling down his torso and lips before he spat out a tooth, accompanied by a large ball of blood. Whitebeard's face had swollen up, but the man wasn't bothered by the pain at all, instead revelling in it. How long had it been since he had been injured in battle? The last time he remembered being injured was in his last fight against Gol D Roger before the Pirate King's execution.

"Katon: Gouka Mekkyaku (Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation)!" Naruto breathed in kneading fire nature chakra in his body before expelling a virtual sea of flames. A tsunami of intense flames came into existence spanning a wide range, bearing towards Whitebeard, to engulf him in its sea.

Whitebeard laughed at the incoming sea of fire. A giant fist smashed against the air in front of the oncoming attack. Fissures appeared in the void swarming towards the wall of flames. Powerful tremors smashed against the fire tsunami splitting it in two was a sea of fire poured around the Yonko leaving him unharmed.

Smoke puffed up around Naruto creating a thick cloud. Golden flashes poured out of the smoke as a dozen shadow clones raced out charging Whitebeard. Each clone darted in, coming in from the front throwing strategy to the curve. The fight between Whitebeard and Naruto used no tactics, each of them attacked directly with no plan, simply fighting through the use of overwhelming strength.

Clones closed in, forming twin glowing golden spheres, creating twenty-four golden Rasengan's. "Rasen Tarengan (Many Spiralling Serial Spheres)!" The clones leapt high up into the air and thrust the spheres downwards to bombard Whitebeard.

Whitebeard released a bellowing roar, gripped the bisento with both hands and struck at the air with it. Ripples fluctuated throughout the world, tilting the world itself making the dimension rock back and forth. Terrible tremors travelled through the ripples hitting each clone, making them dispel as the many Rasengan's detonated in mid-air.

"Fuuton: Renkudan (Wind Release: Drilling Air Projectile)!" Five compressed balls of air shot forward; each fired from Naruto's mouth as the original hadn't moved from his spot. Each of the spheres was at least one-third of Whitebeards size. The Pirate showed no fear and punched the air, releasing another overbearing quake that collided with the spheres making them detonate. Gale force winds shot out on impact blowing debris away and knocking over buildings.

If these two had fought on a popular island, the loss of life would be astronomical, as would the damage.

Newgate brought the bisento down, settling into a lunging stance. Feet dug into the ground, muscles condensed as the pirate shot forward, vibrations erupting from his feet destroying the floor and launched the Yonko forward with great speed.

"HRA!" The bisento was thrust forward, aimed towards Naruto's chest, the world around it shattering carving a deep fissure in the air and earth.

Naruto kicked off, charging directly into the path of the oncoming polearm, thrusting his right arm outwards, chakra coming to life in the open palm. A golden Rasengan formed, its size three times that a normal one, with three Rasengan's orbiting it as the Sage created another Planetary Rasengan. The Rasengan began to grow in size, as did the moons that accompanied it. The natural energy in the air flowed into the spheres and Naruto's body.

An orange pigment formed around Naruto's eyes, as from the black iris of his pupil ten tail like lines curved outwards amongst cerulean blue. Black lines appeared on his face, running down from the eyes to the chin looking like long tear marks. It was as if Naruto was crying from the world's pain at the hate and violence that had come into existence. Those tear like markings grew in length running down his neck, across the shoulders and along to the back of each palm forming a set of markings, a moon of the left hand and a sun on the right.

"Senpo: Odama Wakusei Rasengan (Sage Art: Big Ball Planetary Spiralling Sphere)!" The empowered Rasengan collided with the tip of the bisento, the three moon like spheres spinning around together into the blade, becoming one. Chakra ground against the edge as a powerful quake erupted into the sphere. Natural energy surged through the sphere, destroying the vibrations and smashed into the blade. The sound of cracking was heard as the bisento blade began to break. The Sage gave a push, and the blade shattered into thousands of pieces that were ground into dust from the sphere.

Whitebeard dropped the polearm and punched out with both hands, covering them in Busoshoku Haki. The two fists collided with the incoming spinning spheres and a tremendous earthquake erupted. The entire dimension shook violently as the cracks that had been healed split open, deep fissures form in the space as buildings sunk deep into the ground.

An explosion reacted as the two forces collided, the natural energy coursing through the Rasengan travelled onto Whitebeard and coursed violently through his body. The powerful vibrations released by Whitebeard flowed through the chakra into Naruto's right arm. The vibrations created an earthquake inside, ripping the limb apart, carrying up to the shoulder tearing it apart and throwing the Sage backwards, the residual quake energy created a deep fissure in the dimensional space.

The entire dimension began to shake from the force; pieces of glass fell from the sky as energy began to escape. The outside world shook violently, as the glass of the Seika-kan Mira was cracked from top to bottom. The mirror seemed to darken, losing its shine, reflecting its rapid loss of strength.

As for Whitebeard, the energy had flowed through his arms, tearing the muscles and bones from the inside, before hitting him in the chest. The Yonko's lips parted vomiting up a large amount of blood as he was sent sailing backwards, crashing into the ground with a loud thud creating a human-sized crater.

Naruto climbed to his feet, strands of golden chakra shooting out from his wounds regenerating the missing limb. The Uzumaki flexed the arm and examined the dimensional space. The Seika-kan Mira had taken quite a bit of damage from the strike and from those that came before it, the clones were working overtime to stabilise the damage and restore the damage. If the fight continued, it was very likely the mirror would be destroyed.

A groan escaped Whitebeard's lips as he began to stand, arms aching as blood dripped from them like a waterfall creating a virtual river of blood at his feet. The Yonko spat out a ball of saliva and blood, feeling as if his inside's had been crushed. Whitebeard's organs might not have been pulverised, but it certainly felt as if they had. Edward's entire body shook with pain, but the pirate showed no reaction to it, revealing his high level of pain tolerance.

Naruto looked to Whitebeard, then seemed to peer off into space, transferring his vision outside to see if the mission had been completed. The Kage must have distracted Whitebeard long enough. Using his connection to the mirror, Naruto locked onto the three members of the Revolutionary Army, finding they had boarded onto a large Dragon Shaped ship over two hundred metres away from Whitebeard's Moby Dick. The Dragon shaped ship looked banged up, no doubt having suffered at the hands of the escaped energies.

Sighing, Naruto turned back towards Whitebeard, "It seems we must bring our little song and dance to a close. While I would love to continue, I have other matters to attend to." The Sage flicked a wrist, and a golden arm of chakra shot forward from his palm, engulfing Whitebeard in a golden aura. The vibrant energy of Yang Chakra coursed through Whitebeard's body restoring the damage that had been caused by their fight. Naruto would hate for Whitebeard to be affected negatively from any injuries sustained in their fight. The Uzumaki had gained a deep respect for the man's strength; the two had bonded on the field of battle through their fists.

Whitebeard picked up the remains of his bisento and began to laugh, "GURARARA! That runt Dragon must have persuaded you to help him!" Whitebeard roared vigorously as he approached Naruto, showing no signs of killer intent at all. The look reflected in Whitebeard's eyes was one of respect and camaraderie.

"This fight truly rejuvenated my old spirit! I look forward to the next time we meet, Uzumaki Naruto!" Roared out Whitebeard, slapping a hand onto Naruto's shoulders like they were old friends. "Next time you must share a drink with me!"

Naruto smirked at the old man's attitude and clapped his hands together. The mirror world faded away as they were spat out of the Seika-Kan Mirror reappearing on Whitebeard's ship. The crew of the Moby Dick had begun to stir, awakening from their forced state of unconsciousness. Whitebeard looked at his sons, though they had been rendered unconscious, they hadn't suffered severe injuries.

The Immortal looked at the crew and unleashed his chakra, allowing multiple arms to shoot out from his back, latching onto every single member of Whitebeard's crew and engulf them in Yang Nature chakra, restoring any injuries they had suffered. Naruto didn't have anything against them; in fact, the Uzumaki felt like he could possibly get along with Whitebeard. The Yonko had a strong will and moral code that Naruto could agree with.

"Hopefully we will meet again soon Whitebeard," Naruto revealed a friendly smile talking up Whitebeard who easily dwarfed him. The Sage was brimming with a semi-satisfied aura, the fight while they hadn't completed it had helped to scratch and itch Naruto had, and he was looking forward to clashing with Whitebeard again.

Instead of using the dimension of the Seika-Kan Mira, Naruto would transport them to another dimension with the Amenominaka (Heavenly Governing Inside), inside the two could go wild without fear of destroying the dimension. All of this had simply been to help test the Seika-Kan Mira's abilities.

"Gurararara. I can't wait!" Whitebeard approached his chair and sat down with a heavy thud, making the ship groan. The Moby Dick was in need of serious repair, the energy that had escaped through the cracks of the dimension had damaged the ship, the ship looked like it was barely holding itself together.

"Before you go, allow me to pass a message." A smug look appeared on Whitebeard's ageing features "Uzumaki Naruto, the Child of Prophecy, an old friend has a message to give you."

Those words caused the Immortal to freeze, who in the era would ever call him that? No one in this time should even know about that title. Who could have left him a message? Everyone from his era should have been long dead, without the ability to pass on a word.

Whitebeard reached into his pockets removing a golden locket with care, the very one Gol D. Roger had given to him. Reaching out with a giant hand, Whitebeard gave it to Naruto. The Sage caught it with bond hands, feeling a strange kinship from inside.

"Inside you will find answers. It has been passed down for six thousand years, coming into the hands of countless descendants. An old friend passed it to me before his death, that locket belonged to his ancestor who had been saved from certain death. Her saviour passed on a message believing that one day you would return." Whitebeard didn't know the man or woman's name they had been lost to the ages.

Naruto held the locket in his hands, afraid to open it, for the last six thousand years he had believed he was the last survivor of the Shinobi Era. Gulping the Sage carefully examined the item, finding no traps he opened it up. On the left side was a storage seal, on the other side a clan symbol Naruto was all too familiar with, it was the red fan of the Uchiha clan.

"Sasuke?" Naruto became choked up at the sight of it. The Sage injected chakra into the seal, and an item appeared in mid-air. The item was an old Konoha Hitai-ite with a slash mark through the leaf symbol. Naruto reached with his right hand, clutching onto the forehead protector. At his touch, the forehead protector glowed as chakra surrounded it. Chakra rose up from the plate taking a humanoid shape. Standing on top was the tiny image of a young man over seventeen years of age, with spiky black hair that had blue tints, black bangs framed the right side of his face, revealing only the left eye, showing a fully developed Sharingan.

"Dobe if you're seeing this it means I am dead. Regardless I hope you're well and this terrible mess with Kaguya is over. No doubt you want to ask how I managed to survive. However, I'm running low on chakra, with just enough to spare for this message. I have passed this message onto an old acquaintance of yours and will help them escape the White Zetsu Army which terrorises the land killing everyone in sight, in the hope you will one day see this." Sasuke sighed heavily, showing an expression of deep remorse.

"Before what little chakra dissipates I want to say two things. I'm sorry, I'm sorry for leaving and throwing our friendship aside, I was an idiot who couldn't see how good things were. I let my hatred and desire for revenge cloud my judgement, guiding me towards a destructive path. It blinded me to the friends that I had around me, forcing them aside in my desire for power. Sacrificing everything to obtain my idiotic notion of revenge." The words spoken were full of grieving emotions as Sasuke reflected on his youth.

"Which is why I now have this to say to you. You shouldn't feel sorry for what happened to the element nations and her people. You did your best always striving towards peace. That is why I believe you will return to throw away the discord of war and allow true peace to exist. Which is why I say this, live your life to the fullest, always moving forward never looking back! Open up your heart and find someone to love and never let them go. Don't allow the chance to slip through your fingers; if you do, then you're still just a dead-last dobe. Prove me wrong, Naruto."

There was a hint of loneliness in the Uchiha's words mixed with a deep-seated regret, regret that he had spent his own life full of hatred and allowed happiness to walk by without ever noticing. Too filled with the idea or revenge against his brother, later Danzo and Konoha, moving it from one person to another. The words he spoke seemed to weigh heavily on his shoulders.

"Sasuke…" Naruto started to choke up and didn't know what to say. A hand reached out towards the image as it started to fade away, turning into blue wisps. Hands clenched the band tightly, knuckles turning white. Tears began to stream down Naruto's cheeks, eyes never leaving the cloth in his hands. Never in all these years had he ever thought his friend had survived, the question was how?

Naruto had seen Sasuke impaled through the heart by Kaguya's All-Killing Ash Bone, his body breaking down on the molecular level. The Uchiha with the last of his strength had passed on the power of the Rikudō no In no Chikara (Six Paths Yin Power), entrusting the fate of the world to Naruto's hand.

Suddenly a puff of smoke popped out of the seal as an old photograph appeared. The photo was of three kids one with pink hair, another with blonde and the last black, behind them was a man who had gravity-defying silver hair. Holding the locket and forehead protector in his right hand, Naruto grabbed the photo with the left; tears dropped onto it as the Uzumaki couldn't help the pull on his heartstrings. The photo had been taken not long after they had passed Kakashi's bell test. It was probably one of the few times that they had felt like a team.

The Uzukage sealed the items back up and wiped his tears, "Sasuke I promise to keep going forward, in your memories. I never go back on my word that is my nindou (Ninja Way)!"

Naruto would take it to heart, as quite possibly these words would be the last he received from his age-old friend and rival. The Uzumaki didn't know if Sasuke escaped the Shinobi Continent or if he left any words behind other than these. Until a time came when Naruto discovered differently, he would consider these as Sasuke's final blessing.

What Sasuke had said resonated within Naruto, making him think over his current life, had he been letting life slip by? The image of the beautiful young woman, Suzuka came to mind, her radiant smile directed towards him casting a loving gaze. Even now the Kage could feel the affection she had for him through memories of their life spent together. At first, they had simply been Teacher and Student until that fateful day of her confession. Naruto may have accepted her feelings and had even begun to develop affection for the woman. If there was one thing Naruto could count on it over the last few years, it's that Suzuka would always be by his side. Cheering him up with but a beautiful smile, everything the woman did was done with tender love and care.

In the beginning, Naruto had been unsure of their relationship, but as time grew, he found himself becoming attached by dared not to say he loved her. It was something he felt unsure of, fearful that he wasn't deserving of someone else's love. It was because of this fear; Naruto kept his feelings bottled up, keeping them even from himself. But every time he thought of the woman, he felt his stomach flip, and heart flutter, a sense of warmth filled him from head to toe. Every time Suzuka was by his side, Naruto felt calm and relaxed like nothing in the world matters. The Kage felt like even if the world turned against, as long as Suzuka was by his side he could get through it.

Shaking the thoughts, Naruto stored the locket into his pocket dimension and looked to Whitebeard, the old pirate intrigued by what had happened. Whitebeard had remained silent, a show of respect, dismissing his crew beneath deck giving the immortal a brief moment of privacy.

"You said a friend gave this to you before he died? Did he say anything else?" Asked the Uzumaki, having seemed to age rapidly, his cerulean hues looked tired but twinkled with a brief sparkle of hope.

"The only one who could answer that is Silvers Rayleigh; my friends trusted former first-mate and right-hand." Roger had passed these words to Whitebeard, to lead the Sage to Silvers. Once the Dark King was found, more of the past would be revealed. Silvers had been Roger's trusted confidant and friend, spilling all his secrets to the man over the years they had known each other. If anyone held the answers, it would be Silvers Rayleigh.

"Right-hand? Gol D. Roger is the link to my past?" The realisation was quite a shock, Rayleigh had only ever been The Pirate Kings first-mate and had often been called his right-hand. From Whitebeard's words, the locket had been passed down for generations, moving from child to child, remaining in the one family line until it arrived in Gol D. Roger's hand. Roger was the direct descendant of the person Sasuke had saved, an acquaintance of Naruto's. The mystery confounded Naruto, irritating him as he wanted answers.

Giving a long sigh, the Kage looked to Whitebeard and bowed, "Thank you for passing this on to me. I owe you a great debt."

Whitebeard laughed and waved a hand as if to say it was nothing, "Gol D. Roger was a man who I respected and even called my friend, I was only accomplishing his dying wish. It did not go as I wished, as the one who should have passed it on is his son." Whitebeard expressed a look of forlorn, staring off into the distance. The pirate released a solemn breath as if there was much he had to regret in life.

"Child?" This was news to Naruto, the fact Gol D. Roger the Pirate King had a child was shocking news but compared to what he had just discovered it didn't even measure on the same level. Whitebeard gave a curt nod of his head, revealing no more, whether it was because he didn't trust Naruto or it was a secret he intended to take to his grave the Sage couldn't know.

Seeing how clear it was that Whitebeard would not be saying any more on the subject, the Uzumaki bowed again, "Until we meet again, Edward Newgate." Naruto called the man by his direct name and vanished in a flash of white retreating to Uzushiogakure no Sato.

"Until we meet again, Uzumaki Naruto." Whitebeard leaned back in his giant chair and shouted out towards his men, "Raise the sails, boys!" The Moby Dick was in desperate need of repair.


Uzushiogakure no Sato - Uzumaki Main Compound - Midnight

Naruto appeared at the front gate of the Uzumaki Compound; stars filled the sky as night had fallen on Uzu no Kuni. Islands on the grand line followed their own time zones the further the distance they were from each other. Uzu no Kuni was on the far west of the New World. The Grandline was split into two halves Paradise and the New World. Uzu no Kuni could be found to the far West of the New World, farther away from every other island, to the point some often use to think it was but a myth.

Taking a deep breath, the Uzumaki walked through the gate of the Uzumaki Compound. Naruto pulled out the locket and began to fiddle with it between his fingertips. The Uzumaki contemplated over what Sasuke had said, thinking over every word as he walked into the master bedroom.

Seated on the left side of a large king sized bed, was a young woman with long black hair and chocolate brown eyes, wearing a light blue yukata that hugged her developed body. The young woman was wide awake, in an upright position reading from a scroll, as if she was waiting for Naruto's return.

The two had started sleeping in the same bed for quite some time, having progressed their relationship to another level. But what Sasuke had said, made Naruto think, truly think and preparing him for what he was about to do. The immortal stepped up to the bed, catching Suzuka by surprise as she hadn't sensed him enter.

Suzuka looked up, putting the scroll aside, wondering what was going through her boyfriend's head. Chakra surrounded Naruto as he reverted to his true appearance, white hair, Rinne-Sharingan eyes and horns. A pair of strong arms swept forward picking the woman up getting a loud but adorable 'Eep' of surprise.

Naruto raised Suzuka up in his arms, pressing his forehead against hers making the young woman blush, "N...N...Naruto-kun! What's gotten into you?" The woman was startled, the immortal had often done things like this, but that was during the day, at night they often just lay peacefully together in each other's arms.

"I've never said this before to you or anyone in my life. I thought in my youth I knew what these words meant, but I was delusional. But being with you day and night fills me with a warmth I've never known before. Being by your side makes me the happiest man in the world." Naruto spilt out the emotions in his heart, feeling clumsy, unsure if he was truly saying the right words.

Naruto possessed countless memories, but it hadn't turned him into an expert on the subject as romance was always subjective, changing from person to person. Taking a deep breath, the Kage said three words that would change his life forever.

"I love you." Three words were said, but they were said with such strength and emotion it forced tears to swell up in the woman's eyes as her arms wrapped around his neck. Tears streamed down her cheeks, pulling the Kage's head down and capturing his lips with hers in a searing kiss.

The two remained in but each other's arms, as if time stood still, before breaking that kiss that would be the start of something new for both of them.

"And I love you Naruto, for now, and forever." The woman looked up at the man she loved with an affectionate gaze, a hand gently stroking his right cheek. "I've been waiting for you to say those words. I could often see it in your eyes, but you always hesitated, but I still waited for this day, regardless of how long it would take."

The young woman pressed herself to his chest, a deep blush staining her cheeks, increasing her appeal in Naruto's eyes. For Naruto everything the woman did make her all the more beautiful in his eyes, there was nothing that could ruin his image of her.

Looking up the woman's blush deepened, placing a hand to his chest, "I've waited a long time Naruto-kun and for a Kunoichi, time can be short. I don't want any regrets." Suzuka looked down, her entire face beginning to turn red, hands clumsily fumbling with the hem of her yukata as she fidgeted in the immortal's arms. Suzuka took a deep breath and collected herself gathering up all her courage.

"Take me, tonight. I want to be yours in mind and body!" Declared the young woman without hesitation, she would have no regrets in this life, especially if she could give herself to the one she loved.

Perhaps many would criticise the woman's decision in offering up her body for so-called 'love', to them perhaps it would be seen as a foolish decision and was made with ease. The truth was Suzuka had been contemplating it for quite some time, ever since she had been invited to stay in the master bedroom, sleeping every night beside her loved one. Every night Suzuka had been trying to work up the courage to take that next big step.

"Are you sure?" Naruto spoke up, asking if the woman was truly sure of her decision, when in fact he was quite startled at her declaration. The Kage had never even thought about going that far in their relationship, especially now that he had finally said those three words to her.

"Yes." The woman didn't pull back, instead nodding her head, keeping her look of determination, but it was a stark contrast to the fact her entire face was red. The very thought of being that intimidate caused her great embarrassment, especially seeing as she had been the one to push it. Suzuka knew that unless she was the one to take that step forward, Naruto wouldn't.

Naruto embraced Suzuka in a loving kiss and fell towards the bed, placing her down gently, supporting his weight with his knees. A hand lovingly brushed through long strands of black hair. The woman's dainty fingers pulled away at her sash, bravely exposing her sinful body to her partner. That night the two took a large step to becoming closer with one another, bonding through flesh.

Passionate moans were heard through the Uzumaki Main Compound that night as the couple embraced one another.