Naruto
A symphony of pain tore through Naruto's body. Existence ceased to be as every nerve in his body sang in agony. His mind raced with images of the scene seconds before the explosion. Fear, courage, love, hate, despair, and hope fizzled in the fireball that consumed everything Naruto Uzumaki was and would have been. Finally, the last whisps of his memories summoned an image of Saika, beautiful and radiant in the silver light of the moon, an avatar of divine femininity.
Naruto Uzumaki, the Hero of Konoha and Savior of the World, died with a smile.
Naruto Uzumaki, the Hero of Konoha and Savior of the World, lived with a frown.
Blue eyes stared into an endless sea of simmering stars. He attempted to take in a lungful of air but found himself incapable. Panic seized his mind as the thought of not breathing scared him beyond belief. Relief came when he realized he remained in control of his limbs, though the lack of air still freaked him out. With a slight groan, he climbed to his feet and looked around. He stood on the edge of a great plateau of black rock illuminated by a pale green moon. A soft wind echoed through the lifeless world surrounding him; an air of solemn solitude introduced a bitter peace into his heart. Distant mountains dotted the horizon as dark titans. A quick glimpse over the cliff's edge revealed a deep rift in the landscape that led into blackness. With only a single direction available, Naruto turned away from the mountains and walked over the barren landscape of the plateau without purpose.
Was he dead? Most likely considering what had happened at Castle Tate. He tried to remember the details but could only conjure an image of him shielding General Ren and the Daimyo with his chakra. Politics and the like never interested him beyond what was necessary to pass the Jonin exams.
"Saika," the word escaped his mouth without effort. He failed to keep her safe and wondered what horrors awaited her at the hands of his former village. Never one for religion, Naruto prayed that some deity would guard the young woman and give her the happiness she deserved. "I am sorry, Itachi." For the first time since his boyhood, Naruto wanted nothing more than to lie down and give up. Something, however, kept his feet marching over the dead world. Time did not exist in this world, or at least, there was no way for him to measure the passage of minutes and hours. If he really was dead, it was better for him to not keep track of eternity. Soon enough, the mountains and moon faded behind the horizon leaving Naruto in complete blackness. Unwilling to risk breaking his legs in the dark, Naruto huddled against a large rock and drew his legs close to him.
Sleep did not come to him, and he remained alert for the sound of any hidden predators in the darkness. Untold hours passed before the green moon appeared, allowing him to continue the journey with no destination. Visions of his friends haunted the darkest parts of his mind, and doubt crept into his soul at his actions. A portion of him wished that Kakashi had never sent him to Kobe. Perhaps the world would have been better off if he remained in Konoha. Saika would have been safer without him in her life. Thick tears rolled down his face, and the terribleness of the alien landscape only added to his misery. Finally, at the end of the fifth lunar cycle, Naruto reached the opposite edge of the plateau and found that the slope was not too steep to prevent him from sliding down. Fate granted him some mercy because the plains that stretched beyond the plateau lacked many of the jagged rocks that tried to trip or slice him.
The first signs of habitation came in the form of a half-broken clay pot. Naruto noticed it sticking out of the black soil of the once-fertile plains and dug it out. It made him feel a little better knowing that someone or something had once lived in such a place. A long-abandoned hope swelled within him at the remote possibility that he had not died. The lack of breathing still puzzled him, but any place where dead people went did not need things like pots. Confident, he continued forward with a lighter step than before.
Another six lunar cycles passed until the plains ended on the shores of a great sea of violet water. Naruto approached the sandy shorelines, kneeling at the water's edge, and dipped a finger into the liquid. It felt cool to the touch but soon began to numb his finger. The sensation made him uncomfortable, and he decided against drinking from the sea. With nowhere left, the most obvious move was to walk the sea's shoreline. Civilizations tended to build structures close to water. The initial uneasiness he felt about the place faded as the days passed, and he soon found himself enjoying the quietness of the place. His entire life had been spent being a loud knucklehead clad in the brightest colors, always searching for company. Now, it felt nice to be alone.
Naruto could not believe his eyes upon the end of his twentieth cycle on the world. A small boat tied to a stone lazily bobbed in the numbing waters of the weird sea. He sprinted towards it, shouting and cheering at this turn of events. The wood, while obviously old, looked intact enough to support his weight. A pair of paddles lay inside the boat, waiting patiently for someone to come along. Upon the moon's subsequent rise, he left behind the plains and plateau to find a new land. The water did not struggle against his paddles, and the excitement of possibly finding someone gave him the energy to row the tiny boat for hours upon end without rest. Sleep came easier to him among the gentle tossing of the waves.
Saika haunted his dreams each night once his eyes closed. They lay together in a bedroom decorated with the finest luxuries unimaginable to the world he came from. Sweet smoke drifted over them from the candles surrounding a bed of silken sheets. Her caresses, soft and passionate, touched him on a level that went beyond the physical and into the metaphysical. He responded with equal loving kisses that captured her moist lips in a battle of supremacy. Satisfied with his performance, her thighs parted to receive him fully. Onyx's eyes blazed red as her Sharingan captured his blue orbs. Seconds later, the crimson in her eyes evaporated into white pools of milk. She looked at him with love unfit for mortal words. His hands, rough from years of war, ran through her black hair, turning each strand white at his touch.
"Our love knows no end," she whispered between labored breaths. "I am yours, my king. Take my soul and do as thy will." A burst of pleasure jolted him as her body spasmed in ecstasy. Their bodies joined as one, radiating a power Naruto had never felt. The dream ended with one more exchange of words spoken with a conviction that went beyond life and death.
"No matter what, I'll find you."
"And I'll be waiting for you when you find me."
He hated himself for waking up and departing from her.
The journey over the sea ended upon the dawn of the fortieth rise of the jade moon. Sapphire's eyes widened at seeing a great city of jeweled towers and marbled pyramids tipped with gold. Battlements crafted by minds far superior to his own loomed over him, yet no soldiers manned the defenses. Great ships of white wood moored at great docks meant to fuel an entire nation with exotic goods from places beyond the great dark between worlds. He rowed his meager craft into the harbor, looking for any sign of life but finding nothing by the remnants of civilization. A nameless shadow entered his heart at the state of decay consuming the once great bastion of life. He abandoned the rowboat and entered the city through an open gate. Broken carts and carriages littered the white stone road, yet the expected bodies of the citizens remained hidden. Buildings of alabaster stone stood as monuments to those that had faded into wordless history. It took him three cycles to navigate away from the harbor and into a neighborhood of miniature palaces and vast gardens long withered into dust.
Strange runes glowed with faint azure light, and Naruto figured them to be the letters used by the people who once dwelled. He tried to find similarities to the characters used back in the world he left behind. Still, the alien language came from an origin without a shared ancestor. What concerned him, though, was that he noticed specific characteristics that reminded him of the Uzumaki fūinjutsu located within his parents' private library in Konoha. Patterns and arrangements in the runes hinted at a connection. He decided to spend an entire cycle of the moon with some of the more extensive arrays of the runes, memorizing them with the passion only an Uzumaki could give.
Naruto decided to make his way to the great spire in the city's center. It proved much more laborious than first expected due to the mazelike design of the town. He suspected that whoever built the city purposely made the streets confusing to disorient invaders. More examples of the runes slowed his progress. Still, they confirmed his theory that the Uzumaki must have been influenced by them. He tried to channel chakra into them but found nothing happened. Deciding to press forward, he ignored the runes. He quickened his pace through the corridors leading to the city center. Finding a road that led to the spire took another three cycles.
The size of the tower dwarfed all other buildings in the city, with the base easily larger than the entirety of Konoha. His mind nearly went crazy trying to think how such a thing could exist or how much effort it would have taken to construct such an achievement. Unlike the surrounding structures, the stone appeared blue, with veins of gold spreading through the masonry. Once again, the strange runes dotted the base in complicated arrays that would take even the greatest seal masters a lifetime to begin to understand. A marble staircase led to the massive black gates that opened into the tower's interior. Statues of armored warriors stood silent vigil over his approach. Their features were hidden behind rounded helmets, while the weapons they bore had no counterpart in the Elemental Nations. Each statue rested in a kneeling posture of respect, symbolizing their rules of revered guardians instead of honored conquerors.
"Thank you for letting me pass, oh honored one," the words left his mouth without a thought. He tried to think of why he said such a thing but came blank. Perhaps Saika's flare of the dramatic had rubbed off on him in their short time together.
Rows of bookshelves formed neat rows within the tower's interior, illuminated by glowing stones nested together in copper bowls hanging from the ceiling. Each tome was written in an alien language, disappointing Naruto beyond belief. He did not know what he had hoped to find within the spire but accepted that something drew him here. A small staircase led to the tower's second level, which contained even more bookshelves. He figured that part of the tower must have been a library where the city held its records. A winding staircase led upwards, connecting the levels of the tower. Large writing desks waited for him on the third, fourth, and fifth levels. The city appeared to have had a large team to produce the books. Half-finished manuscripts lay uncompleted, surrounded by bottles of dried ink. It saddened him that these works, obviously cared for deeply by those that used to live in the city, would remain unfinished for the rest of time. What knowledge had been lost as this civilization faded?
The sixth floor of the tower showed that people used to live within the tower. Bedrooms, kitchens, and other necessities of life occupied the space dressed in fine silks and handcrafted dark wood furniture. The tower's sealed and sterile nature prevented dust accumulation, leaving the rooms like their owners left them. He decided to skip exploring the spaces instead of continuing his ascent upwards. After finding more bedrooms on the seventh and eighth floors, he found a bedroom to spend the night in.
Once more, Saika visited him in the world of dreams. She sat at the edge of the bed in their palace room, clothed in a flowing white hime-komino with a high collar. Streaks of ruined makeup ran down her pale face as her crimson eyes stared at him with great sorrow. She bowed her head low to hide her tears as he approached. "Please." Such a simple word clashed with the Queen sitting on their bed. "Please find me." She reached out, taking his hands into a tight embrace. "Promise that you will find me."
"No matter what, I'll find you." Naruto leaned forward to capture her red lips. "Nothing will keep us apart."
"I am waiting for you."
The dream ended far too quickly for his comfort, and he found himself in one of the abandoned bedrooms once more. Naruto continued his upwards journey with heavy feet, suddenly feeling more tired than he had when going to bed. Saika's tear-stained face haunted the dark corners of his mind as if an ill-omen of things to come. His lips curled back into a loud snarl. So long as he still moved, he would find Saika no matter what.
An armory and training halls occupied the ninth level of the tower. Thick locks prevented him from retrieving a weapon from the glass cases, and the strange runes etched into the panels warned him not to attempt a forced entry. Instead, he studied the designs of the weapons, nothing that the civilization favored, long-handled blades and spear-like weapons. Most of the weapons seemed to have been forged of a blue metal that glistened purple. TenTen would have had a field day examining one of these weapons, and he wished he could have had one. Perhaps, he mused when climbing the stairs to the next level, he would have something similar made in the future. Maybe he could take some classes with Saika, forming a bladed power couple.
More bedrooms of even higher quality dwelled on the tenth and eleventh levels of the tower. By this point, Naruto figured out the spire was a palace for the city's rulers. Basic nobility lived on the lower levels, while those of higher rank lived on the higher floors. The armory was probably used for the guards stationed at the tower, allowing them to be well-armed at a moment's notice. A barracks must be located within the building to enable a permanent garrison.
Naruto reached the staircase leading to the next level when something forced him to stop and listen. Soft footfalls echoed throughout the hallways above him. His body tensed as the noise was replaced by the sound of a door being opened and closed. Years of shinobi training did little to prepare any man for an adventure in a nightmarish realm. Naruto climbed the stairs slowly to avoid making any noise. He reached the top and paused as the sound of a door opening reached him. Given that this civilization did not speak his language, it seemed foolish to attempt to make contact.
Slowly, he peered around the corner in hopes of spotting anything. Nothing.
He took a deep breath and moved forward through the hallway, hoping to avoid running into whoever else was there with him. Unfortunately, tracking the footsteps was impossible due to the echoing effect. His training reminded him that avoidance and stealth was the best approach when facing an opponent of unknown origins. Luckily, the staircase to the next level was relatively close to the one he had just climbed.
"Brenin Melyn?"
Naruto spun around as the soft voice called out, slipping into a combat stance. "Huh?"
The woman stood at the end of the hallway staring at him with the wide pupilless eyes of the Byakugan. Short white hair framed a sharp ghostly face that retained an air of gentleness. Her outfit consisted of a simple purple robe tied with a golden sash. Overall, she looked far too similar to Kaguya and her kind. Nevertheless, she seemed relaxed and sprinted towards him with a gigantic smile. "Brenin Melyn!" Naruto stiffened at the thought of her attacking him but frowned when the woman dropped to her knees with her arms spread out.
"Hi?"
She looked up at him with a confused expression. "Brenin Melyn, filch yw fy nghalon. Ble mae'r gwningen?" The woman's dark lips twitched violently as a sob escaped. "Ble Mae fy chwaer? Ble mae Kaguya?"
Kaguya. The woman's language did not make any sense to Naruto, but he knew that name perfectly. He backed away slowly from the woman with his hands up. "I can't understand you! Can you please…uh…speak normal?" As expected, the woman tilted her head to the side as tears tumbled down her face. He did not feel threatened by her but wanted to keep space between them.
" Brenin Melyn, fe'ch clwyfir in yr enaid." She stood, brushing the dust off her robes, and reached for his hand. He tried to bat her hands away but ended up relenting upon seeing those pleading eyes begging for understanding. The strange woman led him up the stairs, ignoring the rest of the floors in their ascent. There was nothing to lose at this point by allowing her to guide him. He needed answers, and she was his only chance of getting some despite the language barrier. It took them almost two hours to reach the top of the spire, with the woman practically dragging him the final stretch of the way. He vowed to take cardio more seriously and promised to make himself train with Lee and Gai upon his eventual return to Konoha.
A pair of double doors stood guard over the exit onto the pinnacle of the spire. Runes covered the doors, and the woman forced him to stand back as she ran her fingers over the letters. They pulsed with an eerie yellow light before disappearing from reality. His Uzumaki blood demanded him to figure out these seals worked, but the woman pushed the door open and ushered him out. The city and the lands beyond could be seen from the top of the spire. He had never struggled with heights before but found himself dizzy when looking out over the strange, dead world he had been placed in.
The most defining feature on the rooftop was the ruby throne in the center. Carved from a single massive gemstone, the throne pulsed with ethereal energies that reminded Naruto of his chakra cloak. The woman took his hand once more and walked him to the throne. "Croeso are." She lifted a golden crown from the seat and raised it into the air, allowing the moonlight to reflect off its polished surface. Her white eyes stared at him without blinking.
"What do you want me to do?" Naruto shrugged but kept on admiring the throne. This made Lord Askura's throne room look like his apartment. His fingers brushed against the red gemstone gently, tingling at the raw power contained within the throne. What type of man would actually sit on such a thing? The woman sighed heavily and stood on her toes to place the crown upon his head.
"Os gwelwch yn d da, cymrwch eich used."
Naruto tried to remove the crown but paused as the woman slapped his hands angrily. "Look, lady, this does not belong to me." She pointed at the throne and smiled. "Do you want me to sit there?" Then, after a few seconds, she repeated the gesture without a smile.
"Whatever." As he figured it, something really good or really bad was going to happen when he took a seat on the throne. The throne contained some type of chakra or power that could help him get home. "Wish me luck, Saika."
Naruto took a deep breath and lowered himself onto the throne slowly. The woman took a step back, kneeling on the ground before the throne like the guardian statues at the tower's base. More tears flowed from her pupilless eyes as the biggest, dumbest grin split her face open. He was about to complain about the roughness of the seat when a surge of chakra coursed through his entire body like a bolt of lightning. His mouth opened to scream, but a searing flame erupted around him.
Reality shuddered.
Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki admired the beauty of the God Trees with a slight smile. The time of harvest was approaching quickly. His eyes widened as a new star appeared over the dead planet. In an instant, the grove of God Trees was consumed in fire.
Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki mediated among the cherry blossoms of spring. He opened his eyes and looked towards the dawn with a smile. "It begins…"
Gamamaru awoke from his nap, much to the amazement of his attendants. For the first time in over a hundred years, the elderly toad climbed off his seat. "...the child returns…."
Kurama and Matatabi sprinted across the border into the Land of Fire. Both tailed beasts paused as a sudden surge of chakra washed over them.
"Kit…?"
Holy hell in a hand basket, this was one of the most difficult chapters to write in any project I've done. I went through six different versions of this chapter until I was able to get something that I was happy with. I believe it was well worth the effort and would love to hear what you folks think. The next chapter will be Naruto and Saika's reunion along with General Ren explaining what the hell happened at Castle Tate. As for the juicy plot...there is much more going on than either of our heroes realize. I highly suggest all readers to go back and reread the previous chapter after finishing this.
Other than that, thank you all for your patience! Apologies this took so long for me to get out. I wanted everything to be perfect. If you enjoy this story, please check out 'A Fox's Life', a much more light-hearted story featuring a foxy Naruto (who is a bastard literally), a cynical Kushina, and an actual Kitsune Kurama.