What's up everyone. Coming out with another commission fic, this time another single chapter commissioned by Warsage. This is a time travel fic and is going to be set in an Alternate Universe from canon, as in no alien stuff…wasn't a fan of that myself and neither is the man that commissioned the story. So now we have an alternate world set in the pre-warring clans era. I hope you really enjoy the story.
Tbh this could have been made into a full fic but it's a one shot. If you are interested in adapting this into a full story so that the scenes are better stretched out and everything, send me a private message.
For those interested you can find me to talk about commissions or simply to interact with myself and other writers of fanfiction on Discord at AizenTheGoat's discord server of which a link can be found here → /dV9hH5zd5F
If you would prefer and wish to contact me for a commission you can also reach me at my email address helghywrites at a normal gmail address. Fan Fiction dislikes links so I have to write it like that.
Remaking History
Hagoromo watched with worried eyes filled with pain as the current reincarnations of his son's battle the corrupted form of his mother. The war against first Obito and Madara and now against Kaguya Otsutsuki had gone on far longer than the sage had realized it could.
Naruto and Sasuke were not just the reincarnations of his precious boys, but they seemed to have surpassed their original souls completely. The powers they wielded had come closer to himself and Hamura than to Indra and Ashura. It wasn't enough though.
Kaguya was simply too much. Hagoromo had hoped they could move fast enough before she truly began to recover her strength. She had surprised him by playing defense when she emerged. He hadn't known her to ever take a patient and defensive position like that.
When he and his brother Hamura had battled her it had been her aggressive actions that had caused her to overextend herself and allowed them to seal her away. It seemed she had learned from that though as she kept Naruto and Sasuke at bay, all while regenerating her lost strength.
It was at a terrifying rate that she was becoming stronger too. Slowly but surely Hagoromo realized that his hope in Naruto and Sasuke being able to defeat and seal her away quickly was already dashed. Soon enough she would reclaim the level of power she once possessed and return to a state that had earned her such reverence and fear that she had been declared a goddess.
It was like reliving an ancient memory of himself and his brother battling her now. Sasuke reminded him so much of his younger brother Hamura as well as his elder son Indra. Quieter, more collected than his counterpart, and despite what some would think, naturally inclined to being an enforcer. Not a leader.
Naruto though, he was what he had wanted as an heir. Already he was so much like himself. He drew others to him like Ashura and inspired them to feats of heroism with mere words. Hagoromo doubted the boy really considered just how much of an effect he had on those around himself.
The golden form of Naruto pursued the Rabbit Goddess toward another portal, but just didn't make it quite in time. That was fine though, both Naruto and Sasuke were still in this dimension together. It gave Hagoromo an opportunity to speak to both boys…no it gave him the opportunity to speak to both young men about what their options were now that Kaguya was rapidly regaining her power. To the point that neither of them could handle her.
With a simple jutsu, one he had already used before when granting each one of his reincarnated sons a portion of his power, Hagoromo drew Naruto and Sasuke into a shared mindscape. One that allowed time to pass at a much slower rate so that they could have a longer conversation. The old sage had a feeling that this specific conversation might be especially difficult.
"Huh? Where the hell did she teleport us to now?" Naruto growled as he peered around in anticipation of an ambush from either Kaguya or Black Zetsu.
"This is familiar. I don't think this was her doing." Sasuke said as he too peered around in the event that he was wrong.
"Wait, you're right. This is like when super sage gramps gave us his chakra…" Naruto said before both he and Sasuke turned toward the phantom of their ancestor. The fact that they could sense him in this form, and in the mindscape no less meant they were truly growing into incredibly powerful shinobi.
"If only we had more time, you two would have grown more powerful than she was even when her full power returns. Sadly reclaiming power is far faster than procuring new power." The sage somberly said, not even bothering to greet them.
Naruto and Sasuke both grimaced as the Sage of Six Paths spoke. He was right. Perhaps given the opportunity to work and reach their full potential as experienced adults they could even have outright slain Kaguya. As it was now, they were already feeling the tables begin to turn against them as the Goddess reclaimed her strength.
"So, what then? We just give up? We came all this way. Lost all that we did, just to give up without trying our hardest?" Naruto asked angrily.
"Idiot, there is no giving up here. He has to have some kind of plan." Sasuke reprimanded causing the blond to shoot the other boy a scathing look.
"Then lets stop wasting time and strategize or something." Naruto growled. "Super Gramps, please tell me you got something up those big sleeves of yours."
"Hmm. I have an idea, though I do not think either of you will truly like it. As I was saying given time you could surpass her. We don't have that time though. Not anymore." Hagoromo began.
"We get that part skip to the end where we stop your mom and save the world." Naruto interrupted.
"Naruto, shut the hell up and let him talk." Sasuke hissed, though he was also beginning to lose patience with the rambling way the ancient founder of shinobi spoke.
"Ah, I will try to, as you said, skip ahead to the end. I know a technique that will allow for one of you to go back into the past and prevent this course of events from ever taking place. As I am sadly little more than an impression of my chakra clinging to the world long after my own death it cannot be me. One of you will have to go back to my mother's time and prevent the chain of events that led to this era of apocalypse." Hagoromo explained.
"Time travel." Sasuke said quietly as his mind took on the concept. It wasn't beyond the realm of imagination he supposed. After all several of the most powerful shinobi dabbled in Space Time Ninjutsu. This would be a bit extreme, and that was putting it lightly.
"Wait a minute. You said one of us." Naruto pointed out.
"I did indeed." Hagoromo nodded as he smiled faintly. He knew, just like Ashura, there was a more cunning and devious mind within Naruto that the boy occasionally employed. It was arguably his second strongest weapon behind his unshakeable resolve.
"So one of us will go back to the past and fix things while the other…what? Stays here and fights Kaguya?" Naruto asked.
"No, the one of you sent to the past will alter history forevermore. This entire reality at this point in time will cease to exist. It will collapse back onto whatever timeline that is inevitably created by altering key events in the past. It is likely the world will be so drastically different that it would be impossible to imagine for us now. One thing is more than certain however. If my mother does not ascend to become the Rabbit Goddess and begin feeding the people of the world to the God tree, then there will never be shinobi to begin with. At least not in the way you both know of them." Hagoromo explained.
"There wouldn't be us either. The Uchiha, Senju, and Uzumaki are all descended directly from Kaguya. If she doesn't have you, you don't have your sons, which means…" Sasuke struggled with the effects that would cause.
"Wouldn't that be a paradox?" Naruto asked getting both others to turn toward him. "You know, being as we are descendants of her, and if she never has you and we never exist at all, you can't teach us this time travel technique to stop her in the first place, meaning she never gets stopped and-"
Hagoromo shook his head. "I can assure you no paradox will occur. Time is not so fragile as to shatter upon a little distortion. One of you will simply have a new existence in a different time."
Both young men were silent for a moment after that. As if the fact they had gone from battling a handful of psychotic criminals, to undead legends, to a Goddess in a matter of days wasn't bad enough. Now they were facing the reality that the only way to win was for one of them to give up everything he knew to travel back in time never to return, and the other was simply going to be ceasing to exist.
"So. I guess now we decide who goes." Naruto said quietly, eying the Uchiha beside him. Naruto swallowed a lump in his throat. He had sacrificed every moment of his life for the world in some way. He'd been willing to die over and over and over again. Often for complete strangers, or in the case of Sasuke, for someone who was willing to kill him just for power.
Sasuke likewise eyed his counterpart. His eyes might not be able to physically see the thoughts of another person but he knew Naruto just well enough to see what he was thinking about. The inevitable decision his reincarnated brother would make. There was a tiny piece of him that pitied Naruto. Having always been the one to give for others. Still, if the choice was between a new start at life and ceasing to exist. Well, there really was no choice, was there.
"Before you both try to argue about who should go back," Hagoromo interrupted their thoughts. "Allow me to ask first what your strategies would each be if it was you going back. Perhaps the insight of one of you will help the other."
The pair nodded before Naruto turned to look at Sasuke for him to explain his plan first.
"Well, first I need to know what exactly I would be walking into and what would be at my disposal." Sasuke said.
"A good point. You would be returning to a time where chakra users were limited only to those that cared for the God Tree, and even then the techniques of chakra were limited only to healing and caring for the preserve surrounding the God Tree. War was rampant across the world, and this continent was much larger and connected to others at the time. Mine and Hamura's battle with the Juubi would eventually be the cause for the landmass you know today. As well as the creation of the moon I suppose." Hagoromo explained.
Both teens blinked at that information.
"Wait, you actually created the moon?" Naruto asked in shock.
"Yes, you have seen the Chibaku Tensei. With my brother's help and the addition of nature chakra I was able to form the moon you know of. Though I only created it to primarily replace the one that had been destroyed by my mother in the battles we had with her. The lack of a moon caused extremely damaging changes across the planet that needed to be rectified, and the rubble from the first moon's destruction rained down onto earth for nearly a century after my mother's defeat." Hagoromo further explained.
"We're getting off track and even though time is slowed with this technique we don't have forever to come up with a plan." Sasuke reminded the other two.
"Correct. As I had said, my mother's clan and including my mother herself were all pacifists. However eventually one of the warmongering neighbors would encroach upon either theirs or their ally's lands and my Mother felt a duty to increase her power by devouring the god fruit. It was too much for her though and while she achieved her goal of forcing an era of peace, she suffered from so much natural energy fusing with her chakra system. When I was still a child she still had a glimmer of the kind peace loving woman that she had been. Other members of the clan talked about what she had been like. In the end she went mad and became paranoid that others would try to overthrow or harm our family." Hagoromo became saddened as he continued to speak.
Naruto could feel the honesty and heartbreak from the old spirit before him. It seemed that this cycle of hatred he and his mentors had hated so much predated even shinobi. But of course it did. After all, not only shinobi were hateful or vengeful. It was universal to mankind. Even he had his own darker thoughts at times. He was just very good at suppressing or nowadays, releasing them. He felt sympathy not just for Hagoromo but even for Kaguya as she was a victim of the same cycle as everyone else. Some called him a bleeding heart, and he could accept that term. It didn't change the fact that he felt that way.
Sasuke, honestly couldn't care less. He was already planning his own moves after handling Kaguya once he was sent back. In his mind it was obvious he was to be the one chosen. Naruto wouldn't have it any other way and neither would he.
"I have my strategy. I'll just kill her and destroy the fruit. If I must, I will destroy the god tree. " Sasuke said simply.
"A simple plan." Hagoromo stated somewhat sadly, though it might be that such a thing was inevitable.
"An effective plan." Sasuke corrected. He didn't need to tell the old man or Naruto that he planned on then asserting his own power over that era. Like Naruto he wished to bring an end to the cycle of hatred. However unlike Naruto he saw only one way the world would listen. He wouldn't force people into an illusion like Madara, or play at being a god and require sacrifices like Kaguya. He would simply enforce his will of peace onto the world. A benevolent Tyrant.
"Perhaps the only plan. Naruto do you have another approach?" Hagoromo asked.
Naruto looked over at Sasuke for a second before turning back toward Hagoromo. "The issue isn't Kaguya itself. It's the power and then insanity that takes hold of her. Destroying the God Tree may be required, but killing a young girl who only wanted to protect her people isn't."
Hagoromo hummed at that while Sasuke rolled his eyes.
"Naruto, you would really spare the same woman that killed Kakashi and Sakura. Here I was thinking that you loved her." Sasuke mocked with a sneer causing Naruto's golden eyes to narrow on his comrade in genuine rage.
"You shut the hell up traitor." Naruto began, catching both of the others off guard and making Sasuke's eyes go wide. "You keep their names, her name, out of your mouth. As for Kaguya killing them. That Kaguya is innocent. Killing someone for another's crimes even if it's an alternate version of themself is nothing but murder with an excuse."
Sasuke huffed and clicked his teeth in annoyance at Naruto's statement. The Uchiha dropped it though. It wouldn't matter, he was set on his plan. Hagoromo eyed both for a time before moving forward slowly. He placed a hand on their shoulders with himself in between and sighed.
"I will transfer the chakra and even knowledge of the technique to you now. The decision has already been made. It breaks my heart but while you may not truly be them I think of both of you as my sons. I am sorry one of you must fade like this. Like myself before you are even fully grown." Hagoromo said sadly.
Sasuke felt it almost instantly but the siphoning of his chakra was so fast he had little time to react and could only gasp in shock and outrage as he twisted to look at Hagoromo and Naruto. Hagoromo looked apologetic, but Naruto was the one who stunned him. He simply looked resigned. Calmly accepting this result.
"But why?" Sasuke asked, still confused.
Hagoromo remained silent, simply channeling the last of the chakra into Naruto without a response. Naruto however didn't.
"You should get it. Out of everyone you should get it." Naruto said softly.
"Please help me." Sasuke mumbled out as he felt himself slipping away.
"I can't help you anymore. You aren't worth the world, Sasuke." Naruto sadly said as he watched his former friend collapse.
Hagoromo released Sasuke as he disappeared from the mindscape. He was dead and gone now. His chakra purely mixed with Naruto's own. Proven by the appearance of two sharingan already showing the three tomoes. It would take work but Hagoromo knew Naruto was up to the challenge of fully realizing his new level of power. He wondered idly how long it would take for the young man to achieve the rinnegan. He could imagine it wouldn't take long at all.
"I am passing my knowledge of the technique to you, Naruto. You will have to move quickly." Hagoromo said as he now felt his form begin to flicker like a candle going out.
"I will." Naruto replied.
"Do you truly believe you can save my mother from becoming the Rabbit Goddess?" He asked.
"If I have to do it like Sasuke planned, I will. But I won't kill an innocent person, Hagoromo. That's my choice." Naruto replied.
"Then I am happy with my decision. Good luck Naruto Uzumaki." The sage said as he faded away.
A moment later and Naruto found himself back in the battlefield with Sasuke's corpse laying on the ground not far from him. Naruto immediately began the sequence of seals to perform the technique that Hagoromo had impressed onto his mind. He frowned as the full extent of what was about to happen entered his mind.
"Kurama." He whispered.
"It's fine. I'll lend you everything I have anyway. You are the only chance for this world Naruto. No you are the only chance for a better one. I believe in you, so you can't fail me." The fox spoke calmly in his mind as it dumped every last bit of it's chakra into him.
"Thank you, Kurama." Naruto said tearfully.
"Thank you, Naruto. I wish we could have spent more time together. You are the only human I could be happy to call my friend." Kurama said causing the dam to break and Naruto's tears to roll freely down his cheeks.
"I'll miss you, I-" Naruto began, but the giant fox was gone. His consciousness destroyed and only his chakra fusing with Naruto's own remained.
The young Shinobi sadly had no time truly mourn the sacrifice of his friend as the time for battle returned.
He sensed rather than saw as Kaguya reentered this reality. Seeing Sasuke appearing vulnerable she speared his body with her All-Killing ash bones. Her eyes narrowed however as the body disintegrated into ash. Breaking down just before her eyes.
"Mother! The other one!" Black Zetsu screeched as he noticed Naruto finalizing his technique.
Kaguya turned to look at the young man glowing in gold with interest. She had no fear whatsoever in whatever technique he planned to use. However before she could even think as to what it might be she watched as the air rippled around him. His body seemed to contort and twist and suddenly he was gone.
The feeling of using the hiraishin felt oddly similar to being squeezed through a narrow opening. Kamui felt more like being thrown through rapids and over a waterfall. The feeling of this technique was like being ground up and run through a furnace all while being stretched into a long thin noodle shape.
At least that was what Naruto recalled before he fell unconscious from the strain of it all. It was probably a good thing as his landing on the other side was enough to slightly crater the ground and send up a pillar of smoke that could be picked out on the horizon for miles around.
Easily spotted by the patrol roving the area for foreign incursions into their lands.
The collection of riders quickly made their way toward what they presumed to be some sort of large bandit camp, or more frighteningly a possible incursion by foreign troops. Times had grown more difficult in the surrounding lands and a series of famines brought on by several failed harvests had led to the other nations to eye these fresh and fertile lands hungrily.
"Dismount before we reach sight of the camp. Three of you will follow me as we scout out the campsite." The leader of the patrol said.
"Yes ma'am." The other riders all replied.
Before long she and the three additional soldiers she had brought with her had found the origin of the smoke only to be shocked that it wasn't a bonfire as they had worried but instead was a beep trough carved out of the earth. They followed the path of it until they came to an even more shocking sight.
"What is it?" One of the soldiers asked.
"It's a man clearly." Another replied.
"I can see that, idiot. I mean it can't be just a normal man, he fell from the sky…I think." The first replied again.
"Both of you shut up." The elder among the three snapped as he watched their leader creep forward to inspect the stranger.
She knelt down beside him and regarded his injuries. He would live, but no doubt needed some medical attention. What's more is she could sense something from him. Something that should have simply been impossible for him to possess unless he was from her own land. That wasn't all that had her interest, but the fact that he evidently fell from the sky was enough for her to be interested. The fact that he had chakra, and more than any human being she had ever met, that could be a problem.
"Go get the others and bring the horses. We will take him home with us." She commanded.
The others paused at the order, but as she turned her head to give them a look, one of them took off to do as commanded.
"What is he, Lady Kaguya?" The woman in their group asked.
"Human as far as I can tell. He has chakra though." That caused both of the others to gasp.
"So is he an enemy or something else. How could he even have chakra?" The veteran wondered aloud.
Kaguya was silent as she eyed the form of the young man at her feet. She didn't respond to her subordinate. She didn't have an answer after all, but one thing was certain. She planned to have him locked up until they figured it out.
When Naruto came around he could tell he most definitely wasn't where he had been prior to using the technique Hagoromo had given to him. The simple, but tidy room made sure of that. Accompanying the change in scenery from both a chaotic battlefield or the otherworldly dimensions Kaguya had drug himself and his team through, was the fact that he was tightly wrapped in bandages and had a glass and pitcher of water beside his bed.
Even though it was clear whoever owned this place had taken care of him and was being generous with their hospitality, the door to the room looked more like something from a prison cell than would be found on a bedroom like this one.
'Kurama?' Naruto tested in his mind.
His response was as expected. The chakra of his lifelong companion, unwilling as it had been, was still there. Kurama himself though. The sentient being. He was gone. Never to return.
'Another sacrifice for Hagoromo's plan.' Naruto thought bitterly as he turned his attention to the pitcher and glass and helped himself to the water. There would be time to mourn the loss of all he loved and knew. After all, he had plenty of time now, if the technique worked as Hagoromo intended.
Naruto didn't doubt the Sage's word a bit after all.
Slowly he began to regain his bearings. Even standing from the bed to find with a small amount of embarrassment that whoever had dressed his wounds had to undress him. Thankfully there was a small dresser with a change for him laid out for when he awoke.
When he had finished dressing, and had finished more than half of the pitcher of water, he made his way to the door to hopefully notify whoever was his host that he had awoken. As he had noticed earlier, the door was more like that of a prison cell. With his chakra unsealed and no real restraints, Naruto could likely leave anytime he wished. However it was probably best to not get on the bad side of whoever was kind enough to treat him.
Instead of beating it down he decided to just knock on the door and call out for whoever was nearby. The response he got wasn't exactly what he expected but at least it had been quick.
"Return to your bed. You are still injured, Lord Hiraku or Lady Kaguya will be here soon." A man's voice said simply but with enough steel in his tone that Naruto knew they were expecting him to take their words as an order.
"Alright." He replied softly, though that was mostly because his mind was swirling with the fact that he had somehow already ended up so close to Kaguya.
'I need to calm down. Maybe it's not even her? Maybe Kaguya was a common name for noble girls back then, err I guess now. Shit they are gunna wonder how I got here. I don't remember anything after activating the jutsu though.' Naruto sat on the bed trying to think if he caught even a moment of what was happening since he had come back in time.
'Please let the technique have worked.' Naruto briefly thought toward the tail end of his silent panicking. He didn't want to doubt Hagoromo, but the more he sat in silence and thought about his situation the more his mind seemed to drift to the possibility that he did not in fact time travel as planned.
His worries were thankfully put to rest when the door opened. Sadly his thought of already being near to Kaguya had been right. She was unmistakable. Except for now her skin tone was more human, simply pale but still that of a normal human being. Her hair only reached as low as her rear end and…well she lacked horns.
Seeing her before him, looking nothing like the pathetic and cruel goddess she would become, Naruto couldn't help but hear Hagoromo's words about her before she went mad return to him. This was nothing but a noble girl who had been kind enough to be caring for him. At least that was what Naruto thought as she seemed to have hurried here upon hearing he had awoken.
"You're awake." She stated upon seeing him sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Uh, yeah. I am. Were you the one that did all the bandages?' Naruto asked a bit embarrassed that Kaguya may have seen a bit more of him than he was comfortable with.
"Yes. I have had to care for many injured people throughout my life." She replied somewhat stiffly, obviously understanding what naruto had been really asking.
"Who are you?" She asked suddenly with narrowed eyes.
'Straight to it. That's fair I guess.' Naruto thought.
"I'm Naruto-" He stopped himself from saying Uzumaki. He couldn't be certain how old the Uzumaki really were. He knew that the Senju and Uzumaki had repeatedly intermarried in the past and the Senju were descended from Kaguya herself. Were the Uzumaki older though?
"Did you have a clan name?" She asked with her eyes becoming more guarded as she could tell he had stopped himself in speaking.
"Yeah. Though I never knew any of them so I don't know if I should claim the name." Naruto tried to slip out of it.
"You should still give me the name then. You are only here because I brought you in and cared for your wounds. You owe a debt." Kaguya said crisply.
'I wish I didn't have to be so prim with you stranger but you have chakra and that is suspicious as it comes.' Kaguya mentally apologized, or at least as much as a princess was inclined to.
"Namikaze." Naruto said finally. "It's Namikaze. Truth be told, I don't even know if there are other members anymore."
Kaguya eyed him suspiciously but slowly nodded. "I've never heard of them but I will have someone go through the family archives."
"Thanks." Naruto replied with a forced smile. He really hoped that his dad had just randomly given himself that name when he became a genin, because if it had some sort of secret lineage that would be a real problem.
"Now that that's out of the way. Tell me what you are doing here." Kaguya continued her questions, crossing her arms across her chest and keeping her eyes trained onto Naruto.
That was when Naruto noticed she didn't yet have the byakugan either. Her eyes were a pale violet in color, but they most definitely weren't the all-seeing eyes that he recalled being in the woman's eyes. It must have been another alteration caused by the fruit.
"I was kind of hoping you could tell me." Naruto replied to the princess, causing her to frown.
"I found you in the forest at the border of my clan's territory. You apparently fell out of the sky and-" Kaguya began, building up for an accusation only for a hand to drop onto her shoulder causing her to tense up.
"That's enough darling." An older man said softly to her, though his eyes remained focused on Naruto.
Unlike Kaguya, Naruto could tell this man had at least something to do with the fruit from the god tree. He had the byakugan and his skin was a milky white. Thankfully he seemed to lack any sort of horns or third eye so Naruto imagined that perhaps he hadn't either consumed a full god fruit or perhaps he had greater control of it.
From what Naruto could sense though this man was nowhere near to the level he himself had been prior to gaining complete access to Kurama's chakra. Still he was by far the most powerful of those that Naruto could sense in this place. Kaguya came in at second but the gap between the two was immense.
"My name is Hiraku. This rude one is my daughter Kaguya." Hiraku said in a welcoming voice before his countenance darkened and he became far more serious.
"With introductions out of the way, it's time I ask the important question young man." Hiraku stated as he stepped past Kaguya and stood just beside Naruto's bed.
"Alright, what do you want to know?" Naruto asked evenly.
"Did you steal one of the god fruit?" He asked sternly, glaring down at Naruto.
"No." Naruto replied.
Hiraku narrowed his eyes but Naruto could see the veins of the Byakugan activated against his temples and cheeks. He knew that the older man could tell he was being honest.
"How did you gain chakra then?" He asked.
"I was born with it." Naruto replied.
"How? Only those of our clan are born with it. Most don't even know of its existence." Kaguya interrupted.
Naruto turned his eyes to her before looking back at Hiraku. He couldn't outright lie here as the Otsutsuki ruler would easily know.
"I was born with it, that's all I can say." Naruto shrugged.
While Kaguya took that to mean he was saying he didn't know anymore, Hiraku was a little more in tune with reading between the lines. Upon seeing the honest lie the boy was telling them. That didn't mean he had really anything to go on.
"Very well." Hiraku began as his Byakugan deactivated. "You will remain in this room until you are recovered. My siblings have encouraged the opinion that you are a thief and stole one of the sacred fruits at some point. I will give you a chance to show them and the rest of my people that you have indeed had your chakra since birth. I hope, for your sake that you have developed some unique techniques with it to show them."
With that the man led Kaguya back out of the room, although the young princess had continued to stare back over her shoulder at Naruto as they left.
When the door was locked once again Naruto dropped back against his bed and blew out a long, suffering sigh. He was less than happy about having to play the part of a dog and pony show but he didn't really have another option. At least not one that didn't end with him massacring a peaceful people and essentially becoming the exact thing he was here to stop.
With little other option he decided getting some more rest was in order. He was yet to fully recover, just as the Otsutsuki had said, and he couldn't shrug off how tired he was feeling.
A week later and Naruto found himself staring up at a collection of nearly a hundred people, most of whom had the Otsutsuki pale eyes and hair, though only one of which really looked like Kaguya had when he fought her. Even among his own family Hiraku stood out like a sore thumb.
Over the last week Hiraku had proven himself to be a very kind man. That didn't mean he wasn't protective of his people and land though. Naruto could tell he was very suspicious of Naruto's origins, but as Naruto had found over the last few years, he was very good at winning people over.
Slowly Hiraku had come around, and while remained suspicious he had gone so far as to encourage Naruto just prior to this showing.
Similarly, Kaguya had spent a decent amount of time visiting Naruto. She had been the one to care for his wounds and drag him out of the woods after all.
Needless to say, interacting with Kaguya was odd. Interacting with a young naive nearly sixteen year old Kaguya was very much more so. She actually reminded him of a mix of Shizune and Sakura, which was a difficult mental hurdle to surpass.
The princess was kind and caring but clearly passionate especially in regards to her duties to her home. She also seemed very focused on healing and helping others. Gradually he had gotten her talking to learn what he could about this time.
Kaguya was the last of Hiraku's children, her four brothers had all either passed from sickness or from conflict along the borders with either raiders or nearby nations. She held a lot on her shoulders and Naruto could see why she would eat the god tree's fruit.
He just didn't yet understand how she would go from this girl to the woman he had fought. Especially if her father had clearly eaten a fruit as well.
"Naruto." Hiraku called out.
"Lord Hiraku?" Naruto responded with a bow. He was pretty sure it was important to use the manners that several of his teachers had insisted would be important for a future Hokage.
"You are here to present yourself and your abilities to myself and my kin. Gathered before you are the members of my clan each of them a chakra wielder, and prior to my daughter's discovery of yourself…the only chakra wielders." Hiraku spoke loudly but evenly.
Naruto nodded along but remained silent.
"For my kinsmen here. I want you to witness this outsider's abilities with his chakra. Abilities impossible to be achieved from a bite of the sacred fruits." Hiraku said before waving at Naruto to show them.
Again Naruto nodded before taking the few steps to reach the middle of the platform. He planned to show off a little but not too much. From what he had learned, the range of techniques used by the Otsutsuki was extremely limited.
They didn't even possess one of the first techniques that Konoha taught it's young genins.
The crowd of Otsutsuki watched in shock as Naruto casually stepped into the side of the training post, before taking another step and another until Naruto was hanging completely parallel to the ground.
Without needing the use of hand signs, which had yet to be developed either, Naruto created a shadowclones pulling surprised gasps from the viewers including Kaguya. Hiraku simply watched on though.
Finally dropping back to the ground he had the shadowclone create a rasengan and drive it into the training post blasting the hardened pillar of wood into splinters.
By now the viewers were whispering between one another and obviously quite frightened by Naruto's display. Kaguya seemed to notice as well as she tried to lend him some support.
"Clearly Naruto didn't steal a fruit and has had chakra since birth if he was able to use such techniques." She announced.
"Maybe so daughter but those techniques used the gift of chakra in ways that are absolutely forbidden." Hiraku said with a stoic expression as he stared down at Naruto.
Naruto stared back. He realized only now that while the Otsutsuki and their vassals might fight people of other nations, they did not do so with chakra. Their mystical gifts were only used for healing and scouting, and other indirect purposes.
"I didn't know." Naruto said as he continued to hold Hiraku's gaze.
The older man continued to look down at him for a painfully long time. Naruto could tell the man was utilizing his Byakugan to gauge just how powerful Naruto might be. Sadly for Hiraku, simply by seeing his slowly replenishing reserves he would never be able to figure such a thing out.
Hiraku eventually disabled his Byakugan and sighed in thought. It was time to make a judgement.
"Naruto, you have been honest as far as my eyes can tell and have made no show of wishing harm to myself, my people, or my lands." The Lord spoke pulling a smile onto Naruto's face.
"However," Hiraku said causing Naruto's smile to drop. "I cannot ignore the fact that you have possession of chakra, potent chakra at that. What's more is your knowledge of deadly and dangerous techniques. I will not judge you for having such techniques as you could not know of the law against it. Still I cannot simply allow you to wander. Neither can I allow you to mix into our people as you remain neither a vassal or a member of my clan. You are an anomaly."
Naruto allowed his expression to remain cold and unreadable though he felt a bit bad for putting the kind man in such a position. Still there was really nothing he could do about it. Hopefully Hiraku was benevolent as Naruto suspected he was.
"I have come to my decision. You are not free to go as you please, but neither are you to be harmed or hindered. You will remain in our lands for the next year and we will discuss a change at that time. Until then Kaguya bring Naruto to the stables after our mid-day meal. It is no longer necessary for him to remain under guard. I simply ask that you respect my ruling Naruto." Hiraku declared and the Otsutsuki clan began to depart as a whole.
"I will." Naruto replied politely bowing slightly once again.
With that Naruto followed after Kaguya. She apologized that he had to remain like a prisoner which Naruto of course simply laughed off. He didn't intend on going anywhere else after all. Eventually she led him to a dining hall where he got to enjoy a bit fancier level of meal than he had been before once more following Kaguya to the stables and riding out with her to a small home on the outskirts of the capital of the Otsutsuki lands.
It was modest, but we'll maintained. Evidently it was one of the places used for less dignified guests of the Otsutsuki court. Monroe nobles and wealthy merchant's usually stayed here for a few weeks to conduct their business before heading on their way.
It was clear to him that Kaguya wanted to talk to her father so Naruto politely thanked her for everything before he began to settle in allowing her to leave back to the palace without feeling too awkward about abandoning him in a new place.
With her gone, the young Shinobi took in his new abode and couldn't stop the small smile pulling at his lips. It wasn't much, but it was actually a pretty decent place. This country wasn't dirt poor but even the palace was modest. This house was large enough to have a handful of bedrooms a separate kitchen and dining area and a den. It beat his old apartment or the tent city Konoha had become after Pein's attack.
All things considered it was pretty cozy and it also meant he was going to be staying here for at least a year. That was the real win. He wanted to get close to Hiraku and Kaguya so that when that moment in the future came, whatever moment it would be, he would be there to prevent Kaguya becoming the monster that intended to end the world.
Over the next year things were peaceful. Enjoyable actually. Naruto was a bit lonely being kept away from the rest of the country's people for the most part except for those that brought him the goods that he needed to live.
Them and Kaguya. The young princess seemed to have adopted a heavy interest in Naruto as her intrigue following her nursing h back to health developed into a more natural interest between two young adults as they spent time together.
They exchanged stories about their pasts for hours, though Naruto's was slightly edited. This of course led to a strong friendship and eventually even more.
Kaguya was quite literally a princess though, and Naruto wasn't about to cause her strife at home with her father. Especially since the majority of their close family had passed away on one way or other. So he had begun trying to slow things with the girl down. Which proved to be the wrong thing to do as Kaguya had quite forcibly kissed him just this morning.
"Why did you do that?" He asked startled by the sudden move. He enjoyed it immensely but still, this could be a big problem.
"To make sure I wasn't imagining things." She replied simply crossed arms.
"What?" He asked dumbly.
"I'm not repeating myself, you heard me." She responded haughtily.
'What is it about me that the princess types like?' He silently wondered.
"That's not really what I meant. I meant what do you mean?" Naruto tried again.
Kaguya eyed him with an annoyed glance before blowing a pearly white bang out of her face. He noticed now that she was blushing a little bit and shuffling ever so slightly in awkwardness.
"Well, a few days ago we were laying on your roof after you taught me to surface walk and we were just holding hands and laying there. I thought that maybe that meant something." Kaguya while avoiding eye contact.
Naruto blinked before chuckling a little causing her to pout at him. She was too cute. He had to once again remind himself that Kaguya was just a normal, well normal for a princess, girl.
"Kaguya. You're a princess and I'm an outsider. You really should talk to your dad, don't you think?" Naruto asked causing the girl to let out a cute mewling whine. If he didn't know better he would think the whole rabbit motif was just because they were her favorite animal and she wanted to mimic them.
"He's been too busy to really talk to lately. The only time he has to really speak with me is to show me how to handle things for the clan and country." She said with a sigh.
"That's really unlike you. Usually you are so focused on your duty and doing this and that for the clan." Naruto commented in surprise.
The princess paused at that and stared out of the small window in the room they were sitting in. It was going to be another nice day. Her homeland was well known for its climate and usually temperate and breezy days. The envy of all their neighbours. That thought made her lips curl downward into a deeper frown.
"I know. Listen your year is almost over right?" She asked a bit shyly.
"You know it is." He chuckled again.
"What do you plan to do when it's over?" Kaguya questioned. Her father and even many of the clan members had come to generally accept Naruto by now. That didn't mean they were really warm and welcoming toward him. Her father was polite and even friendly, but the clan as a whole was still awkward around an outsider with such power as Naruto.
"I figured I would just stay here. Unless you wanted to kick me out." Naruto said with a small smile shared by Kaguya.
"That's good news. I had best go tell my father your plans." Kaguya said with a faux arrogant tone before she hopped to her feet and headed for the door.
"Well, until I see you again then." Naruto chuckled again knowing she was going to talk to her father about something else. Something that still involved him.
His smile slipped slightly as she left. He wouldn't lie to himself. He felt for Kaguya much as he had for Sakura in the past. He felt bad about keeping his real life from her and his mind often drifted back to the girl he had still held a crush on.
He knew objectively that she and everyone else from his time were dead to him. Plus he figures he could stop Kaguya from becoming the Rabbit Goddess all the more easily of he was dating her. Or maybe that was an excuse.
The whole situation was frustrating but he knew he felt something for the young princess and it wasn't merely friendship or compassion for her stressful situation.
As Naruto privately battled with himself in regards to Kaguya, the young princess was intent on speaking with her father about her one selfish request. She was always focused on her duty to her clan and people, just like Naruto said. Even her father had frequently told her she could stand to be a bit more of the spoiled princess, but she didn't care for being that in the slightest.
One single selfish request was all she needed. An opportunity to be courted by Naruto. Her father liked him well enough she was sure, and none of their vassal clans had a man of age and standing to wed her. It shouldn't be a problem.
She hoped it wouldn't be a problem.
However the addition of another banner to her family's own in the palace grounds was an ill omen if she had ever seen one.
The months following that day were unforgiving. Kaguya had only cried more than she was now when her brothers and mother had passed away. She hadn't seen Naruto in weeks, not since she told him what was going on.
"Kaguya, darling. Please understand I am just trying to do what's right." Hiraku explained with a pained voice.
"I know. I haven't fought it at all. We need an alliance with the Emperor of the land of Ancestors. I will do my duty, father. I can't help but weep though." Kaguya said tearfully.
Today was the day after all. It had come so quickly but with the growing threats from the other great nations the alliance between the Land of Ancestors and the Land of Heavens would keep the Land of Heavens much safer from greedy countries seeking to possess the God Tree.
"Emperor Tenji is a kind young man. He even shares many of your ideals. If you have him a chance-" Hiraku explained.
"I know Tenji is kind. He is a good man, but he is the wrong man. I told you I would do my duty father, but I can't help that my heart hurts doing it." Kaguya responded causing her father to sigh and nod as he left.
Out at his house Naruto stared at the growing collection of nobles and their servants and guards. He had tried to make peace with the reality of this situation. He'd tried to force himself to not develop feelings for the princess as they grew closer.
He thought that when she had tearfully come to tell him she was being married off to an emperor of all things, that he would be able to remain detached. Even if Naruto was no longer a gently treated prisoner he was still an outsider. He probably always would be.
Infuriatingly, since the announcement of Kaguya's wedding Naruto had found his mind turning more and more toward her. What could have been with her. It seemed that with the sudden absence of the princess in his day to day life he was unbearably lonely.
She had helped to keep thoughts about Kurama and his other lost loved ones at bay but now…he wished so badly to speak with Kurama again. Even if just to hear the bijuu call him names and belittle him.
The thought that he was about to spend a lifetime outside of his own time and effectively alone caused his entire being to ache and selfish as it was he found himself imagining the removal of Tenji more and more frequently.
A knock at his front door had Naruto hopping off of the roof startling Lord Hiraku who jolted slightly before sending a mild look of annoyance at the young man. Naruto didn't really care. He understood the man's reasons. Even Kaguya understood, otherwise he knew the girl wouldn't have let it go this far.
That didn't mean Naruto didn't intend for his displeasure to be known. He crossed his arms and shot Hiraku a sour look while his unique gold colored sharingan spun lazily.
Hiraku could feel the annoyance and agitation wafting off of the younger man without having to look at the clearly angry body language he possessed.
"Naruto." Hiraku greeted.
The Lord bit back his anger at the disrespectful nod he received as his only greeting. Moments like this made him wonder how it was the adolescent had wormed his way into his heart or the heart of his daughter. The boy was an aggravating, cocky, informal, delinquent half of the time.
He was also honest to a fault as far Hiraku could tell. Still he had doubted that Naruto shared the same affection his daughter had with him. It seemed that maybe the boy was a bit better at controlling his emotions than Hiraku had thought and it was clear that Naruto was unhappy with the wedding going on.
"Naruto, promise me you won't interfere today. The country needs this alliance to remain at peace." Hiraku pleaded with the boy he knew to possess enough power to cause a major problem. He might not know the true extent of Naruto's abilities but Hiraku was sure there was no way for the lad to take on all of the Land of Heavens enemies and win. It wasn't feasible.
Naruto said nothing and simply scowled more deeply at Hiraku. But slowly he began to nod. Internally he was doing his best to force himself into accepting the wedding of Kaguya and this Tenji guy. For all he knew as long as Kaguya married this guy and the alliance held then, no Rabbit Goddess and no problem. He would be around to protect her lands and stop her ever needing to become that monster. Easy win. Even if he himself would be miserable for a while.
"Thank you. I just wish Kaguya would be as accepting." Hiraku said with a relieved sagging of his shoulders.
The older man didn't notice the sharpening of Naruto's eyes at that information.
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked quietly.
"Kaguya is accepting of her role. She has always been a dutiful and responsible girl. My pride and joy. She keeps crying though. Hopefully she has a handle on it for today and can come to love her life as Tenji's wife." Hiraku explained.
"Wait, so she has been crying and weeping about it but you still force her to accept?" Naruto asked.
"Well, I don't enjoy making my daughter weep as she is, but this alliance means a future for my people. Safety, prosperity." Hiraku defended his choices.
"I can do that. I can make everyone here safe and prosperous." Naruto said suddenly, causing Hiraku to become worried.
"Naruto, you are powerful, but you are just one man-" He tried to stop the boy.
"The fuck I am." Naruto growled before suddenly bursting into a golden flame, much to Hiraku's shock and disappearing in a flicker of light.
The Otsutsuki lord stared at the empty space for a moment as his mind caught up with what his eyes had witnessed before he let out a curse of his own and raced to his horse to try and rush back to the palace.
Naruto's sudden appearance in the palace courtyard stunned the people around him. Only a collection of guards and servants passing through were present but all of them were stunned at the sudden arrival of a…something. None of them really knew what Naruto was at that moment. A few mumbled demon, others god, but most simply stood dumbstruck at the young man who seemed to be not only burning but literally billowing as if he was composed of flames.
He briefly took in the sight and cringed. He was acting rashly, that was obvious even to himself, but well the most basic of plans and solutions had come to a conclusion in his head. If he and Kaguya left then she couldn't eat the fruit anyway, right? So win win for everyone. Sure the Land of Heavens and Ancestors would both be pretty pissed off, but Naruto could take Kaguya anywhere. He could beat anyone in this time easily.
Really it was perfect.
"What are you?" The officer in charge of the guards asked him, though it probably came out far more timidly than was meant.
Naruto locked eyes with the man before an idea came into his mind. Seamlessly he created enough clones to stand directly in front of each of the people in the courtyard and stared them in the eyes as his sharingan did it's work.
The new sage hadn't spent the last year and change idle. He'd been training. Leaving a clone behind whenever he slipped away to test his abilities and skills and iron out the gaps in his power. One of the main things he had to train to use was the sharingan. He didn't have the mangekyou, thankfully as he wasn't sure about how it would affect him both physically and mentally. He had no-one to exchange eyes with after all, though he imagined he could likely simply heal whatever damage his vision suffered.
Still he had snuck into the city proper from time to time and tested out his genjutsu with it. Unsurprisingly it worked terrifyingly well. Just like this moment as all the people took on a brief slack look on their faces before the clones disappeared and Naruto made his way straight up the wall to Kaguya's window.
Peeking through his earlier choice only solidified in his mind. Kaguya sat at the edge of her bed, dressed in an elegant dress that made her appear even more beautiful than before. She was fighting back tears to the best of her ability and Naruto wasted no more time, forcing the window off of it's frame and gently setting it on the floor inside so as not to break it.
The girl heard the scrape as glass came free and jolted to her feet at the sight of a burning Naruto entering her room. She simply stated at him, shocked by his appearance and his actions as he quickly moved across the floor to her.
He didn't say anything before sweeping her into his arms and planted a heavy heated kiss on her lips that finally kickstarted her body into reacting. React it did as she felt herself melt into his embrace and returned the kiss as passionately she could manage. Slowly they finally came up for air and Naruto couldn't help but grin as he kept hold of her face and wiped the tears on her cheeks away with his thumbs.
"You came to take me, didn't you?" Kaguya asked a little hopefully.
"Yep, I thought I surprised you." Naruto answered back.
"This…fire surprised me, and the fact that you came through my window, but I was hoping." Kaguya said as she broke free of his hands to retrieve a large back that she had clearly prepared to run away with him.
"That's, wow I thought you would be all set on that duty crap." Naruto said as he deactivated his chakra cloak.
"I was, but I knew I didn't really want that. I wanted you to come and take me away." She said as she crossed the floor to him again and planted another deep kiss on his lips. Both of the teens were blushing heavily but neither was a particularly bashful person and they reveled in the feeling of holding and kissing one another. It felt right.
The moment was fleeting however as the door burst open and one of the Otsutsuki clan guardsmen rushed in.
"My lady, some sort of fire just burst into the courtyard and all the servants and guards present are acting strange I came-" He paused at the sight of Kaguya in Naruto's arms and his eyes filled with outrage immediately.
"Release her this instant outsider!" He bellowed as he reached to draw his sword.
The man never got that far as a pair of clones appeared, landing a blow on his abdomen that knocked the air from his lungs and tore the weapons he carried off of his person before using a pair of kunai to pin him to the wall. Kaguya was stunned by the display before shooting a Naruto a look. She had known there was much more to his abilities than he had revealed to the clan so far but she was still a bit shocked to see some of his skills in actual use.
"Thank you for not hurting him. Don't hurt any of the others either, please." Kaguya asked.
"Of course. I don't want to hurt any of them, but you and I are leaving this place." Naruto said as he shouldered Kaguya's bag and literally swept her off his feet and into her arms like the princess she was.
With a hop that elicited a scream from the princess, Naruto jumped from the window of her room back down to the courtyard only to grimace at what stood before them. Easily a hundred men of both the Land of Heavens and Land of Ancestors all led by Tenji who looked ready to kill Naruto at any cost.
"Release her! I won't stand by and let you kidnap my bride!" He roared drawing his own sword as the various soldiers prepared for a fight.
Naruto created half a dozen clones between himself and Kaguya, planning on letting them rough these guys up a little but not too badly while he simply used the body flicker to leave the palace and then the country behind them.
"He's not kidnapping me!" Kaguya said pushing her way out of Naruto's hands ruining his plan, not that she knew. Still he let her say her piece. He didn't really want to just take her and go. He knew she would miss her home terribly if they did that, and if they did elope they could never return here.
"What do you mean, princess? He just invaded the palace, and was carrying you off while you were screaming." One of the guards pointed out.
"Well, he jumped out of a four story window…" Kaguya said while blushing slightly at the scream she had let loose earlier.
"That's beside the point. Our nations need this alliance, and I can't stand by while my comrade's daughter and my bride to be is dragged off by some…something." Tenji said before his tone changed to shock as Naruto reactivated his chakra cloak.
"Naruto, don't hurt them." Kaguya cried out as she saw him apparently burst into flame again and she correctly guessed that such an appearance meant his power increased substantially.
"I won't but they are all gunna need to take a quick nap that's all." Naruto said as he geared up for an attack.
"Naruto? Wait, is this the same Naruto my servants have told me you have been weeping over the last few days?" Tenji asked in shock.
The crowd grew even more confused at that and the soldiers began to slowly lower their weapons as they exchanged looks.
"You had your servants spying on me?" Kaguya asked quietly in shock.
"Err, not for any nefarious reason Princess. I assure you. I just wanted to know more about the person I was to marry." He said.
"So you spied on her? Man that's weird. Actually it kinda reminds me of someone. Still why didn't you just take her out to date or something to try and figure her out?" Naruto asked as he lost his aggressive stance and his clones poofed.
"Date?" Several people asked.
"I mean, uh court. Why didn't you court her or something?" Naruto asked.
"I wanted to, but my father passed earlier this year and things have moved so quickly that we needed to finalize this alliance immediately. I had asked your father about Naruto and he told me that he was a minor foreign noble that had died shortly after the two of you had grown fond of one another. I didn't realize that you were…well lovers." Tenji said.
"This conversation is very personal to be had in front of a hundred armed guards in the middle of the courtyard." Kaguya said while blushing bright red as several of the soldiers glanced back and forth between her and Naruto.
"Yes, it's best if the four of us discuss things in private. Obviously things have changed quickly and we need to come to a new agreement." Hiraku said as he arrived on horseback.
The two rulers dismissed the soldiers and Naruto similarly deactivated his cloak, again. They all headed back into the palace, though Hiraku was sad to see that Kaguya and Naruto had distanced themselves from him while Tenji looked rather displeased as he continually looked between the three others as they moved to a meeting room within the palace.
Once within the meeting room silence reigned for a time. None seemed sure who should be the first to speak. Tenji was clearly awkward as he glanced between the others present. Away from his followers and power base and near to someone who seemed unnatural as Naruto did, or at least had when he had been burning like a second sun, Tenji felt very small. Very vulnerable.
Hiraku felt primarily tired. Tired, frustrated and yes a slim amount guilty. He had tried to lie to ease his own conscience. His thinking had been that in time the lie that Naruto was gone and no issue for Tenji and Kaguya as they returned to the Land of Ancestors and spent time together. He wanted them to fall in love as Kaguya and Naruto so quickly had.
Seeing them there in one another's arms. He knew a lost cause when he saw it.
"I won't beat around the bush. This agreement must continue forward-" Hiraku began holding up a hand to silence both Kaguya and Naruto as they clearly made to speak. Their indignant glares and angling toward the door told him all he needed about their position.
"Obviously it cannot go on through a political marriage. I hope you can forgive the offense against you that my clan and myself has caused, your highness." Hiraku bowed his head slightly to the more powerful lord.
Tenji nodded slowly but decided to speak his mind. "I'm not insulted by the fact that your daughter is clearly intent on another Lord Hiraku. I'm offended that you would conjure up such a stupid little story to try and force this through. Do you think myself so without understanding or honor that I would cause you issues if I knew of the truth?"
Naruto was a bit surprised by this Tenji. All the nobles and royals he had met since coming back in time had been so different than he had imagined him. He had to consider himself lucky for that. Most that he had met had been arrogant and puffy. These people were earnest and dutiful. It made him feel kind of at home. They had shinobi like mindsets after all.
"I was wrong to do so, but with the expansion of the Land of Plains and Land of Mountains we truly have little other choice than to make some sort of pact." Hiraku stated.
The group fell into silence before Naruto stepped forward. He looked between them and held out a hand. The others looked confused by such an action, and Naruto himself felt a bit stupid, but not for the reasons one might expect. This was another extremely rash decision. One that he prayed would not come back to bite him.
He just hoped their total lack of experience with the use of chakra at the level he had would allow for him to only show them things that he wanted them to see.
"Naruto, what are you doing?" Kaguya asked.
"All of you touch your hands to mine. I can't do it as well as the old sage could but I will show you some of my true abilities." He said.
The others looked at him in confusion. Not sure who he was even talking about. Still they had all seen that he was more than they could have imagined, even for the two who knew he possessed the gift of the God Fruits. Slowly they each pressed their hand against his and gasped in shock at the visions that imprinted themselves into their minds.
Images of Naruto in constant battles. Against figures they would compare to demigods or even gods themselves. Against literal demons. It was awe inspiring at times and terrifying at others. The entire process lasted less than a second but a lifetime of battles, largely without context, had displayed themselves before their eyes and for the first time in this time period others had a rough idea of what it was exactly that Naruto was capable of.
"You are a god?" Tenji asked in wonder and fear.
"No! Nope, not a god." Naruto replied hurriedly.
"A demi-god?" Kaguya asked trying to wrap her mind around it.
"No, well actually I don't really know anymore. A lot of stuff happened. Lets just say I am a Sage. How does that sound?" Naruto asked.
Kaguya and Tenji both nodded dumbly as they still tried to process the madness they had just witnessed and it's impossibility. Hiraku remained silent as he stared at Naruto stoically before shifting his gaze between the young man and his own daughter a few times.
"That is all well and good. You are powerful. Extremely so, though i do worry where those enemies of yours might be. I don't want to have to worry about what they might do to my people if they were to pursue you here." Hiraku said a little harshly causing Kaguya to close in closer to Naruto's side with a frown on her face as she stared back at her father.
"I can promise you, none of those you saw me battle are alive at this time." Naruto said smoothly causing Kaguya to glance at him briefly and tense up before she seemed to recall who it was and leaned closer in.
"I see." Hiraku hummed before he turned to face Tenji.
"Your Highness, perhaps a few alterations to our agreement would be possible instead of a marriage. I'm sure you can see that the Land of Heavens has something greater to offer." Hiraku smiled causing Tenji to smile warmly back as if he came to the exact same conclusion as the elder leader.
"Indeed. Well, I assume myself and my advisers can meet with you tomorrow in regards to the changes of the agreement. You no doubt have much to talk about with your household." Tenji said with a knowing glint in his eyes as he easily slipped from the room.
Naruto and Kaguya watched the two with narrowed eyes as they spoke. For two men capable of hiding their intentions and desires so well regularly, this interaction was jarring. Especially so when Hiraku turned to the two young adults and smiled warmly at them. A bit too widely perhaps but still warmly.
"So, I suppose we should draw up some plans regarding you, Naruto my boy." Hiraku said.
Naruto remained a bit slow on the uptake at this point, but Kaguya had caught on by now. Her eyes widened before small tears escaped them once again and she launched herself at her father in a rib crushing embrace. Naruto smiled at the display even if he was a bit confused.
"So, plans. Like defensive plans? How bad are things with this Land of Plains and Land of Mountains exactly?" Naruto asked.
"Ah, those can wait. First we need to make new wedding plans." Hiraku said jovially.
"Wedding…plans. For me and Kaguya?" Naruto asked quietly though the words tasted sweet on his tongue and he could feel his lips curling up into small smile.
"Of course, after all it's not like you were about to run off with my only daughter and elope." Hiraku said coldly as he eyed the blond. The man was a bit disappointed as it didn't really seem to affect the boy at all. He simply started back blankly before approaching and pulling Kaguya into his own hug.
The otsutsuki leader huffed at that but would let it slide. After all, a marriage of his only daughter and heir to the 'Sage' as he labeled himself meant that his clan and people would be intermixing with the likes of the divine or demonic. As far as he could tell anyway. He didn't truly care for the origin of the God Tree or Chakra or Naruto. But they all made his people stronger and strength would be needed in the coming days. He was certain of it.
Life was kind of like a maze. That was Naruto's take on it at least. Ignoring the crazy facts leading up to his eventual discovery by Kaguya and her subordinates in the forests of the Land of Heaven, Naruto had still essentially gone from a random peasant boy found in a foreign land to being the adoptive son of one of the most powerful and respected clans in the world and engaged to that same clan's heiress.
To add a little extra on top he had just completed the ceremony that essentially declared himself, Lord Hiraku, and Emperor Tenji as blood brothers. Both men still had a bandaged hand from the event. Naruto of course had already healed from the cut made on his palm. None of this was what he had expected laid ahead of him as a little boy sitting on top of his father's monument and staring out over his home.
"You're day dreaming of something interesting I hope." Kaguya said from beside him, pulling him back to the present.
"Just wondering what I did to get on the gods' good side. Here I am a nobody, engaged to marry the most beautiful girl-ow alright, woman, in all the world and I can't help but wonder how exactly everything lined up so perfectly for me." Naruto said before rubbing his side where the light pinch from his fiancee had twisted at the skin covering his ribs.
"Hmm, well I wouldn't call you a nobody. Tenji and my father are a bit obsessed about your chakra. I don't like that." Kaguya said as she leaned in closer.
Naruto could hear the slight worry in her tone. At her heart Kaguya really was a simple girl. She just wanted to live a peaceful and happy life and help her home. He adored that about her. He could say that was why he had fallen for her so fast. He rarely now, even in his head compared her to the people he had known before. Everyday they became more distant and the people now, this girl now, became more of his focus.
"They are enticed by my strength but they aren't coveting it like you worry about Kaguya. They are my blood brothers now anyway, and one of them will be my father-in-law soon." He said.
"I'm well aware of that. Still, they just see you as your chakra and abilities and me as…" A stormy look passed through her eyes as she silently spoke the word. Naruto could practically hear it still though.
"You're my leash. Yeah, I know. I don't care." Naruto said simply, causing her to shake her head in frustration.
"Kaguya, relax really. Let them play at their manipulations. It's in their nature. It doesn't matter. I got the better end of the deal." He grinned at her, eliciting a blush from her.
"If you flatter me all the time like you do now it will stop meaning as much to me eventually. You know this correct?" Kaguya asked.
"Hmm, nah. I don't think so. Besides you are a princess. You're supposed to get peppered with flattery all the time." Naruto said with a grin.
Kaguya shook her head but blushed faintly still and smiled into his side.
Naruto however had to force a smile as they passed a small group of peasants that dropped to their knees and pressed their foreheads to the ground as they passed by. That was something that had quickly caught on in the last month since his showy moves over the city and at the palace.
He'd gone out of his way to explain that no he was not a god, but at some point in the bullshit he had made up about his origins it got a little too close to reality. He didn't spill the beans about his journey back in time but he did end up telling them a little about his birth. At least that evidently a fox spirit was involved and that it had given him the golden chakra that he made use of.
It seemed like the right thing at the time. It wasn't his power. It was Kurama's. Kurama who had sacrificed a millennia of life and experiences for him. Sadly the people had construed that to somehow mean he had the blessing of Inari or was the avatar of Inari or some other such nonsense.
Hiraku, Tenji, and even Kaguya had said it was as good of an explanation as any and was helpful in the long run. Naruto still thought it was a bad idea to essentially have the peasantry slowly begin making offerings in his name, and even blessing Kaguya as 'the Lord Sage's Chosen Bride'.
"Naruto, look there." Kaguya said pointing at the sky.
He narrowed his eyes up at the messenger bird as it circled the palace before diving down into the palace grounds to deliver whatever news it had to Tenji and Hiraku. He couldn't be certain, but with how well things surrounding Kaguya and Tenji had panned out, he felt that the news carried by that bird was nothing that would make him happy.
"I really do hate it when my gut is right." Naruto mumbled getting a confused look from the others gathered in the room.
Naruto waved them off before they all turned back to the map spread across the table. Things didn't look good for the capital of the Land of Ancestors. Tenji was understandably upset. He and Hiraku had never contemplated the idea that the warlords ruling the Land of Plains and Land of Mountains might unify their lands by marrying their children together. They'd both thought that men were too arrogant and ambitious for such a thing.
Clearly that wasn't the case. A force six times the size of the Land of Ancestor's army now encircled and besieged it's capital city. Tenji's cousins led the defenses as best they could but things were not looking well and the city couldn't hold out for more than a few weeks under such numbers.
"We must lead a relief force!" Tenji declared.
"With what forces? Attacking them on open ground with the measly amount of troops we could raise in time would be suicide." Hiraku stated.
"We have to do something." Tenji said as he turned to face his ally.
"Father. What about the fruit?" Kaguya asked, causing the man to stare at her.
"What about it?" He asked.
"You took a single bite to achieve what you can do. If I eat the whole thing surely I could-" Kaguya began only for Naruto to place a hand on her shoulder.
"Over my dead body. You don't know what eating so much of one of those could do to you. Obviously you have all been avoiding the answer to this problem because you feel guilty about relying on me so soon. I am ready and willing to help though, so calm down." Naruto said.
The others were silent before Tenji shook his head. "You are still only one man, my friend."
"We've been over this before. I'm not one man at all. Besides, I've already left. I'll arrive at the battlefield tomorrow morning sometime." Naruto said, causing Kaguya to gasp before planting a fist into the clone's back and dispelling it.
Far away from the Land of Heavens Naruto grimaced faintly at the betrayed look his fiancee had possessed as she broke his clone. That would come back to bite him, he was sure of it. He just hoped she wouldn't do something brash while he was gone.
As the sun began to rise the defenders of the Land of Heavens were greeted to the same nightmare that saw them off to sleep the night before. A massive force easily greater than ten thousand strong set arrayed around the capital sitting and waiting.
Things were bleak for them. The women and children were all deeply entrenched into the palace and more easily defended buildings while the soldiers and every able-bodied man available stood by at the walls and barricades for the city.
Lord Takaatsu was only fifteen but as one of the eldest of Emperor Tenji's cousins he had helped to set up the defense for the city with their leader gone. Several of the common folk and rank and file soldiers believed that Takaatsu's cousin would be coming with a relief force to save them all. The young nobleman was not so hopeful though.
They would need a miracle from the Kami themselves to get out of this alive. Let alone to hope for any kind of victory. His hope dying, the young man had to rub his eyes to try and clear up his vision at the sight before him.
A long line of golden light seemed to form up on the ridges and hills surrounding the valley that the capital was set into. It completely surrounded the tent city that besieged the city. His eyes widened in shock even further as a golden glowing speck seemed to hover over the camp and a booming voice called out through the skies, clearly understandable even here on the walls.
"Listen up! Turn back. Return to your homeland and live. Spare yourselves, your subordinates, and all your families at home the loss of life that will befall you should you continue on this path!" The voice cried.
"What is that my lord?" One of Takaatsu's men asked.
"I don't know. Maybe the witches and priests of the Otsutsuki sent it?" Takaatsu said in as much confusion as his men felt.
"Maybe it's some kind of trick?" Another soldier asked.
"It has to be a kami. Some kind of spirit or god." A commoner pressed into defense of the capital cheered.
That idea picked up quickly as they watched the invading force attempt to attack the golden being out beyond the walls. They watched as the wind seemed to knock the arrows off course and the force of enemy soldiers cowered in fear as the voice boomed out again.
"You should have taken my warning seriously." The voice cried out before disks of wind and energy spun to life and an ear splitting screech began.
In the next moment the golden god, as Takaatsu and the people of the Land of Ancestors were convinced it could be nothing else, launched the screaming disks at the camp of the invaders and the world shook from the detonation of the divine attack. The camp seemed to dissolve into tatters, soldiers and all, as the disks expanded out into massive domes of spinning wind and energy.
As the last of the domes faded away, the remnants of the invading army scattered as quickly as possible. Takaatsu stood in wonder as less than a tenth of the force that had once besieged the capital fled back to the lands they had come from. A greater blow was done to the Land of Plains and Land of Mountains than ever before.
"It's like a kami came to save us." Takaatsu mumbled.
"Lord Takaatsu said it was a kami here to protect us!" One of the soldiers cried, catching the young noble off guard.
"My lord why though? Why would it defend us?" Takaatsu wasn't sure what to do, but then it did appear first from the direction of the Land of Heavens. He also recalled his cousin's account of the new alliance with their allies. And one particular stranger.
"His Majesty has formed a pact with that Kami. In exchange for stepping aside and letting the Golden One marry Princess Kaguya as they had fallen in love, my dear cousin became blood brothers with him. Now the defense of our nation and theirs has the attention of even the divine." Takaatsu announced, patting himself on the back for his story. Hopefully when Tenji returned home he could actually explain just what the hell was going on.
The time it took Naruto to return after sending the invaders packing had been about twice as long as it had taken him to get there. He could have been back in around the same amount of time but he needed the extra few hours to try and calm himself down.
He'd killed before. He hadn't talked much about it, it was just part of shinobi life, but he had killed before. Nothing like that though. Thousands, in the blink of an eye. He felt every bit the demon he had once been called as a little boy. That hung heavy on his heart but it wasn't what bothered him the most.
It was the ease he could do it and move on. Already his mind focused more on Kaguya and to a far lesser extent Hiraku and Tenji. The thousands of live he had just reaped were just something that had to happen in order for him to preserve what he was building for himself. A new life.
That felt incredibly selfish, but maybe he was ready to start being more selfish. He had convinced himself the reason he was so accepting of himself being chosen rather than Sasuke for the trip back in time was because he knew that Sasuke would go out of his way to rule the world and conquer the people of this era to push forward his own dominance.
Naruto had convinced himself he was different and that was the reason it had to be him and not Sasuke that went back in time. Doing what he had just done, just to preserve the state of living he was enjoying at the moment made him review the moment in a different light.
Naruto found that in truth it hadn't just been for the betterment of the world like he had told himself. No, that had a part in it but the truth was he was tired of sacrificing. He wanted to be the one to enjoy the rewards of another's sacrifice for once. And now he was enjoying it again.
Soon he reached the place he had come to call home. Immediately he sensed a change. A worrisome one at that.
Tenji and his men, as well as a sizable force of the Land of Heavens army were gone. No doubt racing to the Land of Ancestors to help if they could against the already vanquished invading army. That wasn't what had Naruto's attention though, as he allowed the golden aura around his body to dissipate and he barged into the chambers of his bride to be.
She was unconscious, which would have been worrying to begin with, but her appearance had changed drastically. He skin had adopted a pale complexion, paler than was naturally possible for a human being. Having become almost pure white in appearance. Her soft eyes had paled as well, developing into the byakugan, he could sense it rather than see it.
Thankfully she hadn't devoured a full piece of the god's fruit. Her transformation had stopped before completion. She lacked horns, and her hair had not grown to an abnormal length and she hadn't sprouted a third eye in the center of her forehead.
Hiraku sat beside his daughter's bed and held her hand tightly before looking toward Naruto in surprise at seeing him already back. He could imagine that meant only one thing and the fact that Naruto neither had blood or even dirt marring his appearance, he felt a new level of terror at the young man's level of power.
"How much did she eat?" Naruto quietly demanded.
"A little less than half of a full fruit. I've never heard of a member of my family taking more than one or two bites." Hiraku quietly said.
"Maybe it won't be too much then." Naruto said as he looked around for the fruit before finding it on a small tray nearby. Such a small thing with so much power.
"Wait, don't eat it. I refuse to allow that!" Hiraku declared as he stood to glare at Naruto.
"I don't want to eat it." Naruto said before he shredded it apart with pure wind manipulation.
Hirakua stood staring at Naruto in confusion. The young man knew what power the fruit possessed and turned it down.
"I have enough power as it is. More than I need or will ever likely awaken." Naruto said, as his mind went to the rinnegan which he doubted he would ever need to awaken for anything this world could send his way.
"I-I see." Hiraku confusedly stated before retaking his seat and Kaguya's hand.
"How long after I left till she ate it?" Naruto asked.
"An hour, maybe less." The lord said as he stroked his daughter's snow white hair.
"And she's still unconscious. You see how dangerous these fruits are, don't you? I'm sure that she ate it to try and help me and protect everyone, but you see what it did to her anyway." Naruto said coldly.
Hiraku said nothing and simply stared at his beautiful daughter in worry.
"Hiraku." Naruto said.
"What?" He asked.
"It's too dangerous." Naruto insisted.
"I know, but my people would never allow it to be harmed. The god tree isn't just our homeland's sacred relic, entire faiths center around it Naruto. What would you have me do?" He asked.
"Look the other way. I can handle it without making a big scene." Naruto said. Well he thought he could, he wasn't absolutely certain of what effect his plan would have on it.
"Do what you have to do then. Just be back here before she wakes. I don't want her running off to the Land of Ancestors after you when you are in the other room." Hiraku commanded.
"Hmm, she will probably know where I am at the moment she wakes up. No matter where that is." Naruto said as he left the room.
He quickly made his way down to the base of the God Tree. Away from any prying eyes and pressed his hand to the thick wood of the ancient flora. In an instant he could sense it. The connection this tree had with the natural energy of the world. It was exhilarating. But it was also unnecessary.
Essentially the tree had come about as a way for the world to circulate the Natural chakra through a process that was supposed to purify it of the taint human beings created. Nature was truly ingenious.
That explained why Kaguya had gone mad though. The taint was what caused the eventual fall of his beloved from the kind sweet girl he knew into the apathetic and vengeful woman he had fought. He could already see it. She had unknowingly ingested the power of the tree through eating a full fruit in the first timeline, leading her to take over the role the God Tree had performed. In doing so she had attempted to take over the role of siphoning and purifying the chakra of the world herself. It obviously had failed spectacularly.
Naruto however had something to his advantage that a young Kaguya hadn't when she first began trying to do that. He could already sense the negativity and could already feel how it was purified. Easy enough to mimic now that he could do it himself. He would just need to regularly enter sage mode and purify himself. He already did that to meditate.
"Problem solved then. You gotta go still, I'm sorry." Naruto said as he focused his chakra and began severing the tie between the tree and the natural energy of the world. In time the tree would wither and die. His task was complete though, so he had best return to Kaguya's side for when she awoke.
He would have, if he didn't feel her jolt to awareness and immediately make a beeline for him. The way she blitzed through walls on ehr way to him informed him he would need to teach her to control her newly massive chakra reserves.
"Kaguya." He greeted happily as he turned to face her only to frown as he saw the open palm headed for his cheek. He could dodge, but he really didn't want this argument to last longer than it needed to.
Plus, he could see the way her muscles moved, the follow up to the slap was worth it. As his cheek stung mildly, he felt her arms wrap tightly around him and her face press into his chest as she took in his scent and warmth.
"An army alone? You idiot." She mumbled causing him to snort in amusement. He was looking forward to explaining just how easy it was to crush that army had been.
It could wait though. He just wanted to enjoy holding her for a bit. The close call she had with the fruit had shaken him, more than he wanted to admit even to himself and he just wanted to reassure his heart and mind that she was still here and she was still his.
He smiled as he kissed the crown of her head.
In the year following the events of the Land of Ancestors, many things had quickly changed. The world had learned of Naruto and Kaguya and their inhuman levels of power twice more since then. Now they were beginning to feel the annoying response of well wishers and worshippers who considered them both as deities or at the least demi-gods.
Well Naruto found it annoying, Kaguya simply used it as an opportunity to push a message of unity and peace not all that dissimilar from what Hagoromo and later Ashura had once tried to push to the world.
It was a necessary thing these days. Following the destruction of the largest armies on the continent by Naruto and later Kaguya helping him, the most powerful nations had collapsed. Without some form of iron fist to keep their people in line the countries finally succumbed to the poor conditions they had forced upon their own people.
The shattering of the large powerful nations in favor of smaller warlord led states had gradually led to more and more people approaching not Hiraku, but Naruto to surrender themselves as his vassals. He'd wanted to refuse but Tenji, Hiraku, and even Kaguya had twisted his arm into accepting.
Now he and Kaguya were set to wed today, and evidently receive both Hiraku and Tenji's abdication in favor of becoming their vassals. Naruto still wasn't sure what had gotten into Tenji and Hiraku being as they knew the truth about him just like Kaguya did.
Still, Naruto now found himself standing beside Tenji as Hiraku led a veiled Kaguya down a narrow aisle between various lords and members of the Otsutsuki to be handed off to Naruto. It was quite the occasion. Anyone who was anyone was in attendance.
Hiraku stopped as he placed Kaguya's soft hand into Naruto's own and circled around them to stand before the gathered guests as well as his daughter and soon to be son-in-law. He couldn't help the smile that spread onto his face. He could feel the changes already taking place that these two had started. He could feel confident in placing his faith in them and their future children.
The ceremony was short. Naruto had insisted on that. Kaguya had supported that as well being as she knew what was to come after being wed to her beloved. The new Empress and Emperor of the Land of Heavens left the ceremony right at its end in typical mesmerizing fashion. A simple burst of speed that left the discarded veil Kaguya had covered her face fluttering through the air before it landed on Hiraku's own head causing Tenji to snort in amusement.
The two young rulers appeared within their bedchamber in an instant. Niethe wasting any time at pawing at the other's clothes. Kaguya almost felt it was a shame to remove her husband's attire as it made him so handsome, Naruto a little less caught up on the dress as he felt Kaguya always appeared breathtakingly beautiful. Wisely though he resisted the urge to tear the garments off of her form and simply ravage her like his baser instincts wanted.
No instead he kissed lovingly along her jaw and neck while his hands parted her dress and let it slip off of her and pool on the floor around their feet. His calloused but tender hands slid up and down the curve of her body finding purchase on her breasts and the roundness of her ass, squeezing softly and eliciting soft moans and giggles from the empress as her beloved explored her figure.
"I can't hold myself back for long, Kaguya." Naruto said as he caught her lips with his own once again.
"Then don't." The pair had wanted to be married quite a long while ago and had kept to traditions for the sake of Hiraku. Meaning they hadn't done much more than kissing and some soft petting since their engagement over a year ago.
It had been a very long year.
"The bed, I want my first time on the bed like a married couple." She said with a gasp as she came out of the kiss for some air.
"Of course. We're newly married right?" He chuckled picking her up into his arms in a bridal carry and approaching the bed before setting her down on top of it and taking a moment to enjoy the sight of her body.
She was a wet dream come to life. Pure white, flawless skin and a curvy fit figure only further enhanced by the pert teardrop shaped breasts that swayed with her chests every movement. The faint blush on her face and shy look in her eyes as she felt him take in her sight only made it better before climbed over her and began kissing her once again while massaging her tits in his hands.
Kaguya moaned happily as Naruto continued to kiss her and explore her form. She did the same as her hands slid across his taut athletic form that she knew rippled with corded muscles born of a lifelong warrior. The feeling of his body under her hands hardened her nipples even more that they already were under his skillful ministrations and she felt her thighs growing slick with her own excitement.
"Love me." She begged, causing him to hum out a simple yes in response.
Naruto had quickly grown as hard as his body could with Kaguya squirming beneath him. Or at least he thought he had until she begged him to make love to her. Her soft whispery voice asking for it set his entire body into override as he lined up with her opening and began to slowly, gently push his way into his newlywed bride.
The young woman gasped as she felt her body being stretched to fit the girth of her lover and husband. The widening of her lower mouth as he pushed deeper and deeper into her, pausing only slightly at a small barrier before continuing his slow steady pace and pressing into her pussy until he sheathed himself into her.
Kaguya had a small trace of tears run from her eyes as she felt her love deflower her. He was gentle and careful with her, but he didn't stop. Slowly and carefully he slid in and out of her opening pulling gasps and moans from her mouth as her body adjusted to fit him.
Soon enough the sensation of pain was gone completely and she joined him grinding her pelvis against him. Her fingernails dug tightly into his back and soon her thighs licked into place against his hips as she twisted her body against his own.
Neither lasted long. Not for their first time. Soon both found themselves reaching a climax that had them tightening their hold on one another's bodies while they came.
They didn't stop though. Neither was close to being satisfied with a single round and as they quickly regained their breath they began kissing even more passionately than before. Their bodies picked up speed and power as they began to thrust and grind against one another in a fashion the average people of their world couldn't hope to mimic.
"Like this." Naruto said as he flipped Kaguya over and gripped her hips to pull her back against him with a wet pop.
"Yes! Like that!" She cried as she bounced herself back against him just as hard as he thrust into her.
The servants outside blushed brightly as they heard the rutting from within. Having to be chased away by an older maid who herself tried to keep her blush down. To imagine the sweet and kind Kaguya and noble and friendly Naruto sounding so…lewd.
By the next morning Naruto and Kaguya had passed out within one another's arms. More than a little sticky from the mix of fluids left from their love making. That being said, Kaguya felt pretty confident that she would have a little prince or princess along the way in no time.
Naruto slowly awoke and stared down at his lovely wife as she rested her head on his chest. Her hair was splayed around her like some sort of veil and she while her makeup for the wedding had run during their long night of lovemaking he was still certain she was the most gorgeous benign he had ever encountered.
Incomparable to any other past, present, or future. Simply breathtaking.
His thoughts never wavered beyond that. They never thought to the worry of her becoming some Rabbit Goddess. That worry was gone. They never thought on the lost members of the former Team Seven, they never existed. They never centered on his forgotten village. It would never even be founded.
All his thoughts centered around were his family, and his present. His.
And that is that. I hope you all enjoyed it. Like I said I really would love if this was adapted into a full fic somehow.
Again a thanks to that man Warsage for a killer concept and commissioning me on this.
Anyway
Till Next Time