In a seemingly endless expanse of white, footsteps echoed in contradiction the workings of sound.
Two figures matching in appearance stood mirroring one another, their main difference came in the form of their sex as well as variations in their clothing. One being Uzumaki Naruto, the savior of the Elemental Nations and the second was Kaguya Ootsutsuki, the Rabbit Goddess and the would-be destroyer of the Elemental Nations. Polar opposites in more ways than one.
Naruto stared down at Kaguya with compassion shining in his pearl eyes. Kaguya had yet to move an inch since ever since she had come to reside within himself nor did she utter a word, not even when he siphoned her chakra. She simply sat there motionless, her eyes peering into the endless as if lost deep within her own thoughts spanning throughout the years.
In the beginning Naruto didn't care but after years passed and his compassion grew, he began to worry about Kaguya. She couldn't have been a bad person in the beginning. People weren't inherently born evil. If all his facts were in order, her intentions were in the right place, the means simply could not justify the ends.
Kaguya wasn't initially trained to kill, she wasn't trained to handle power that surpassed that of the gods. She was just a princess with a dream to end the pain and suffering war wrought, but power corrupted even the purest of souls. In the end Kaguya was no different. She did not have his fortune in having those around him who installed a sense of humility into him. Jiraiya and the Sandaime Hokage were great examples of men shaped through a lifetime of meaningless war.
It was this very same knowledge that ultimately cemented their victory. Naruto was trained by legends in their own right, had Kaguya posessed a greater knowledge of warfare, or even the basics of what the average Genin knew. Well the outcome may have been much different.
But that was all in the past and if there was something Naruto realized after so many years, it would be that time lamented was time lost. He held no grudge against Kaguya, not any longer. In fact he wanted nothing more than to see life return to those twin voids which held so much beauty.
Determination soon lanced through Naruto in a moment of creativity. His previous attempts had resulted in repeated failures but Naruto was nothing if not persistent. He proved this by conjuring up a delicacy he once tried and found himself liking second to his all time favorite food, ramen. They were alike in appearance and to some extent beliefs, perhaps they could share more.
Naruto held a single slice of carrot cake upon a silver platter along with a fork and a glass of milk. He didn't have high hopes but if all else failed, try-try again. And he would continue trying until Kaguya showed signs of life once more. Despite her godlike status Kaguya was at one time a girl, then a woman. His Reverse Harem technique proved as much. He had high hopes a semblance of her humanity remained.
He gently placed the plate and cake in Kaguya's reach and gave her space, his Byakugan activating subconsciously in anticipated concentration.
Initially nothing happened and Naruto was not disheartened. He spent days on end in a one way staring contest with the Kaguya; he could wait.
That's when her nose twitched in the slightest, the action so subtle Naruto would have thought it his imagination if not for his eyes, which widened when he saw her blink. Naruto found himself smiling like a madman at the first signs of life returning to the woman.
Kaguya now held the cake in her hands and inspected the item in wonder. Her eyes roamed the cake with curiosity akin to that of a child. Her nose wrinkled in a manner Naruto dared call adorable as she further inspected the cake with her sense of smell, followed by taste.
After the appetizing aroma became too much for her stomach to ignore Kaguya cautiously and with the grace of a true princess, she began to eat. Her eyes widened ever so slightly before she began eating at a much quicker pace, whilst maintaining grace and taking sips of her milk every so often. Soon there was nothing left but the chocolate frosting lining the edge of her peach lips.
Again Naruto couldn't help but feel taken aback by how adorable Kaguya was capable of being, natural beauty aside. Well at least when she wasn't busy trying to kill him and collect what rightfully belonged to her.
''Too sweet.''
Naruto felt his spirits and self esteem hit the floor almost as quickly as his face did. And in his self loathing induced fetal position he failed to notice the small, almost nonexistent smile that ghosted her lips.
"What is this, Naruto?" Her curious voice withdrew Naruto out of his childish bout of depression and stared at Kaguya in wonderment. Even now it appeared as though he'd yet to garner her full attention but it was certainly more than ever before.
"That was a slice of carrot cake, did you like it?" He smiled when she referred to him using his name and not Asura as before. Much to his continued surprise she nodded.
"It was pleasant but I can't help but ask why?" Her tone is a mixture of uncertainty and defense.
Giving her a smile he sat cross legged in front of her, a blatant display of his comfort around her. He no longer saw his enemy, time did it's part in maturing his thoughts. Naruto could not blame her for what her creation did to the world. Kaguya was a princess who at one point became lost on the road to her dream of peace.
"I've taken so much from you over the years Kaguya, I think it's time I returned the favor by taking just one more thing. Your hatred. I used to hold the largest remnant of your chakra, Kurama was his name and I hated him just as he hated me. But then we became friends and he helped me believe everyone deserves a second chance, your no exception Kaguya. We aren't in Kans- I mean the Elemental Nations anymore. I believe you're entitled to a second chance."
His time with Kurama helped him understand one person's perspective of evil didn't necessarily match the same perspective of all others, the circumstances were too vast. More to the point, he was grateful for all of the knowledge the fox imprinted onto him and greatly missed his friend.
Kaguya didn't quite know how to interpret what she just heard. She supposed his sentiments were touching, granting her a second chance was the last thing she expected after all of the destruction she caused.
The time spent inside of Naruto she managed to see small glimpses of his life that appeared through his mindscape. She watched how he dealt with his family and loved ones, brought peace upon the world in a way she envied. It was during these moments when she watched him, something stirred within as it made her doubt her own methods. He did what she could not and without spilling the blood of a single man, when not in defense.
She would never admit it but she admired his perseverance. Like herself Naruto was immortal, body nigh indestructible and with a regeneration that left no room for wounds and on top of that, he also shared her curse. The curse of watching everyone around him age and eventually wither away. His answer to the problem also surprised her. He faked his aging with an extremely powerful genjutsu, one that far surpassed that of the Senju descendent she witnessed through his memories. And he did so to avoid hurting those he loved.
It was a beautiful lie.
Yet a testament of his will and endurance, watching those around you age and keep that same semi-permanent smile on his face wasn't for those of weak heart. She admired that will, to go on without breaking. No matter how powerful a man could become, in the end he would still be just a man, vulnerable to his emotions and his attachments. Yet that wasn't his case, even death couldn't hold him as a captive to his own emotions.
Now here he was, offering her a new start and she wasn't certain of what to make of it. Naruto took notice of her internal struggle.
"You don't need to give me an answer now, until then I suggest we make a deal. The recipe of the cake is still incomplete, as you've tasted yourself, and I wanted you to help me finish perfecting it. If you help me complete it to your perfection I will grant you one one wish, regardless of what it is. What do you have to say?" He finished with his signature smile.
Kaguya regarded Naruto in suspicion with the facial features to show. She used skills perfected through years of politics in an effort to detect any deception. Yet she found none. Despite this Kaguya simply couldn't believe his offer; he couldn't possibly allow the control of his body, there had to be a catch. Only she would benefit from such a deal.
''What do you get in this deal? Clearly there is something for you in this.''
Scratching the back of his head out of habit Naruto began to ponder on what to say.
"There is no catch, Kaguya. I give you my word, my promise. I simply want you to help me perfect the recipe for my carrot cake, of course that'll require you to learn to cook and such things but that shouldn't take long right? Once that's done then as I promised I will give you any one thing you want, even absolute control of my body, if that is what you wish," He explained.
"I see you already anticipated my wage. Very well Naruto I accept your deal, now leave me I have much to think about," Her words faded as she forcefully ejected Naruto from his own mind.
(Outside world)
Naruto awoke with a groan as he clutched his head in pain. Being ejected from his mindscape was a weird experience, it had been so long since Kurama had done the same and in that time he'd grown unaccustomed to the sensation. At the very least Kurama used tact when pushing him out, at least after some time, Kaguya on the other hand used the brute force of a Bijuu-dama.
His pain seemed to fade as he recollected his encounter with said woman.
The darkness of the room became apparent to Naruto when he heard the light snores coming from Ur as well as the loud one's coming from Lyon. Naruto himself was sitting in a meditative stance, his connection with nature informed him of the time of day. It was around four in the morning and without much to do until the two awoke so he was once again left to his memories, much more recent as to avoid digging at old scars.
Four days passed since his arrival in Earthland and he was honestly enjoying his time thus far. As expected Ur refused to even acknowledge his existence on the first day and then freeze his posterior off on the second day after Lyon asked him to teach him the technique used to immobilize her. It was apparent the boy's innocent mind couldn't comprehend the perverse nature of the technique.
Ah the innocence of childhood.
During the next three days, and after he was able to convince Ur not to try killing him, the two spent their time teaching Lyon. Naruto himself liked to tell both of them stories from his days as a genin and then some while Ur shared basic information such as geography and the political situation of Earthland.
During the next three days they spent their time between teaching Lyon, him telling them a few of his stories about his genin days, her instructing him about the geography and the political situation of the Earthland.
From what Naruto gathered, Earthland was much more peaceful than his own, though flawed in it's own way. Such things as dark guilds, dark mages, demons, and even dragons of all things. The guild system was similar to the hidden villages, only smaller in scale. Like Shinobi they were located within the cities and were paid to take on missions and protect the town if necessary.
Then a more cheerful memory came to light, one of previous night. He had finally managed to get his caretaker to open up more about her past, albeit with the help of sake, but such details were unimportant.
(Flashback)
In the living room of Ur's house Naruto and Ur sat cross legged directly in front of one another, both enjoying sake. Lyon had gone asleep some time ago, neither of them much felt like joining the boy yet so they enjoyed each other's silent company.
Naruto swirled the sake inside of his saucer while his mind wandered in thought. He wasn't much of a drinker as the liquid had next to no effect on him, it never stopped him from enjoying the burn as it went down his throat.
He downed the remainder of the sake and set the cup in front of him in a purposeful attention grabbing motion.
"Ne Ur, what are your dreams?" He asked, bringing her own of her respective thoughts. She eyed him for a bit before taking a large sip of her drink and leaned back with a short sigh.
"My dreams? I suppose I'm living them now. My dream was to watch my daughter grow into a woman but now that she's gone, I'll settle for teaching my pupil."
"Can you tell me about your daughter?" Naruto asked as he refilled his cup.
"Her name was Ultear and she was quite the bundle of energy, especially when she awoke. So beautiful, so pure, but she had a problem. She was born with too much magic. Her magic was too much for her little body and she ended up getting fevers constantly, so I took up taking her to a doctor. She passed not too long after." Ur finished with yet another large drink of her sake.
Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly in thought. Something seemed wrong about that story. It could have very well been nothing more than instinctual suspicions but trusting his gut saved him more times than he could hope to count.
"Tell me more about this doctor."
"What does that matter to you, she's dead now. There's nothing to be done about it anymore. What about you Naruto-san? What are your dreams? Did you have children?" She asked.
"It matters to me because I care, but I won't press. As to your question. My dream was becoming Hokage and bringing peace to my land."
Ur had to bring her hand up to her mouth so as not to expel sake as she giggled. She knew what a Hokage was, Naruto explained this among other things about his world.
"Hey what's with that laugh," Naruto began indignant, "I'll have you know that I managed both! Through a lot of blood, sweat and ramen if I may add! Together with my friends I managed to bring peace to our world. And that was before I even made it to Hokage!"
Now that surprised Ur, bringing world peace and becoming the strongest and head of his village? She realized Naruto wasn't the type to lie but it wasn't an easy pill to swallow.
"Don't give me that look. I will have you know that as I am now, I was the strongest person to walk the Elemental Nations! Actually even beyond that. But on to the next question, I did have children, grand children too. Now I'm the last of my generation, you could say that what made me become what I am, also made me immortal. I didn't lie when I told you that I was bored when I came here but there is more to it than that." Naruto smiled at her worried look.
"I won't get into details as to how I became immortal but when it did, my body began healing at an abnormally fast rate. So fast in fact that my cells continuously regenerate, never allowing me to age. So I casted a very powerful illusion on myself to seem as though I was aging so that my wife and all of my friends didn't feel bad about me forever living while they aged. It is within my power to stop others from aging, granting a lesser form of my immortality but knowing my wife, she wouldn't have wanted that. But my Hinata-chan was always a smart one, I suspect she always knew." Naruto blinked tears at the edge of his eyes.
"She died a few days ago and it would only be a matter of time before other's realized what I was. I may have brought peace upon my world but ultimately greed is a powerful motivator. When people discover who and what I am it won't be long before someone strives to control me. That's why I decided my time in Konoha was over."
Now Ur felt an equal mix of inadequacy and anger at herself for ever feeling spite against Naruto when he simply asked about her child. His situation was much more complicated, if as equally painful, and yet he could still smile.
Perhaps the world wasn't as bleak as she thought. She felt that the least she could do now is answer his previous question.
"I don't remember the doctor's name but the place that I took her was the Bureau of Magical Development. There's a folder in the first drawer over there, the other details that escape me should be in there." Ur said.
Naruto smiled at Ur as he stood to his feet and quickly pulled her with him and to his chest. Their differences in height became visibly apparent when the top of her head only reached the base of his neck.
"I think we've reminisced enough for today, how about enjoy the rest of the night?" He asked in a smooth tone.
Ur stood stock still in his arms for passing moments before she felt herself nodding into his chest. She held her face as close to Naruto's chest as she could so as to hide the massive flush on her face.
"I think you'll like what I have in mind," Naruto whispered into her ear, "please close your eyes."
Ur simply nodded again in his hold.
Nothing happened.
She began to wonder if it was yet another perverted prank of Naruto's in the making, only to feel something on her waist followed by a chuckle.
"You can open your eyes now Ur."
She did as she was told, her eyes widening far past default as she took in the breathtaking surroundings. The place was the perfect picture of a paradise, filled with various statues of varying sizes and materials. The floor itself was made of polished gold.
A number of the statues towered over many of the buildings that she'd ever seen, the biggest numbered nine in total. Each of the depicted glorious yet frightening creatures the likes never before imagined in her wildest dreams, the moon shining above reflected an ethereal glow.
The first statue was of a fox in a size that rivaled a mountain, composed of ruby and melanite, then a octopus/ox hybrid, an amber and amethyst bug like creature with three pairs of wings and tails, a slug like creature with six tails made of rose quartz, a aquamarine horse/dolphin hybrid, a monkey with four tails made of imperial topaz, a turtle with three tails composed sodalite, a sapphire colored feline with two tales, and finally a sunstone mix between a raccoon and a dog.
Each of the creatures were carved with care and dedication shown in the details. Next to each of the gigantic statues, with the exception of the fox, was the statues of a human made from the very same material of their corresponding creature. Each of them were posing in various forms with varying numbers of fingers being held matching the number of tails of their matching creatures.
"You like it?" Naruto asked. Ur didn't reply let alone register his question, but he continued regardless, "I hope you do. This is the sanctuary I created inside one of my accessible dimensions, a memorial dedicated to some of my fellow brothers in all but blood. Took a long time and hard work to create the stones and then to carve them out. I like to call this place, Ground Zero.
It was very special to him with all of the time and Shadow Clones it took to create the material. Luckily Garra was willing to teach him his Magnet Release as well as giving him a copy of his father's scroll on creating gold dust. The carving of the stones themselves were done without the help of clones and was a great source of pride with how well it all turned out.
Ur finally seemed to register his words and gave a nod, though she'd yet to figure out how to react. The place was beautiful and from the tone in which he spoke of it, Naruto was emotionally attached to it.
"W-Why bring me here?" She asked in shock, "This place is very special to you right? We haven't known each other for more than a week, why did you bring me here?" She would have continued with her line of question had Naruto not placed his finger gently over her lips.
"It's true this place is of great importance to me, which is why I brought you here. In fact you are the first person after my wife that I've shown this place to. Overall though I feel that it would be a shame if such a beautiful place is known only to myself, I feel as though I can trust you Ur. My eyes are scarcely mistaken, I know a fine jewel when I see one. Now how about a dance? Come now don't be shy." Naruto removed his finger from her lips, a large flush showing on her face as she looked back up at him.
"Dance?" Ur shook herself from her trance, "Right here, right now? Have you lost it Naruto?"
Ur's defense quickly became halfhearted, especially when Naruto refused to back away and remained in the same position, just waiting for her to take his hand. When she realized he wouldn't back down, she took his hand, if reluctantly.
Naruto's smile grew slightly a centimeter and in the air next to him, a copy of him in his current form shimmered into existence and one of his TSB went towards it, transforming into a beautiful brown violin with a golden outline. The clone nodded to its creator and took a few steps back before jumping towards the gigantic nine-tailed fox statue, and began to play a song.
The doppelganger's song ran smoothly throughout the area and before she knew it, Ur's head was leaning onto his shoulder as he guided her steps across the sacred land that he had created for her.
(Flashback end)
After they had finished dancing, she had fallen asleep in his arms and Naruto returned her home.
Naruto smiled with a goodhearted chuckle, though his smile quickly turned into a frown as he thought about it. With the amount that she had taken in, Ur would probably not remember the events that transpired on that night.
He was very glad he was immune to the effects of alcohol but when he wasn't, Naruto remembered the aftermath of a night's heavy drinking. Speaking of which, Ur wouldn't be a very happy camper when she awoke. He would have to do something about that. No matter what time, what universe, or the power the entity held, a cranky woman was always troublesome to deal with.
So Naruto did what any good and sensible man would do when they knew that a woman would be upset. He would have to try his best to placate Ur in an effort to minimize her discomfort, which in turn would minimize his own.
Naruto conjured up a couple of clones and touched a specific seal on the inside of his robe, producing an elegant white bow from within. It was simple yet very deadly, especially in his hands. It's structure was made from his All Killing Ash Bones. The string itself was created from a strand of his hair, hardened and pressurized to surpass the toughest steel of his world while still being pliable. Only he was capable of pulling the strength to draw the bow without losing fingers to the sharpness of the string. All of that combined with his vision was something to be feared on the battlefield.
One of his clones accepted the bow before disappearing in a Body Flicker, off on a hunt for lunch and dinner while his other clone began preparation for breakfast.
While his clones went about their business Naruto silently approached the slumbering woman. Kneeling down close to her he coated his right hand in his yang chakra and placed it on her head then onto her belly. A soft moan escaped her lips as his chakra began to affect her body. Yang chakra could be used as a preemptive counter against a hangover.
It only took Naruto a few seconds as his chakra was extremely potent and its effects on someone from Earthland was unknown to himself. He didn't want to risk possibly hurting Ur without more practice on his early magical abilities.
Naruto carefully detached himself from her and walked towards the drawer Ur pointed to the previous night. The woman in question had proven to be a very light sleeper, opening the drawer would no doubt wake her up. So he flashed his rinne-sharingan open for a moment and ran his hand through the drawer through the small portal he conjured and retrieved the folder.
It was a clear abuse of his powers and yet, Naruto didn't find it in himself to care. Not when such an ability was as easy as an intake of breath for him and the chakra he needed was insignificantl, by his standards at any rate. Anyone below Jounin level would have died from chakra exhaustion from the use of the jutsu.
Hovering in the air he made his way into the living room so as to inspect the folder's contents. On his way there he passed the clone who was putting the finishing touches on the breakfast, a meal consisting of pancakes and orange juice.
Simple but delicious.
Sitting on a mat, Naruto opened up the folder pertaining to Ultear Milkovich. Sadly, he only understood a tenth about what was written in it. Not even the Rinne-sharingan could do such miracles in the span of a few days. The little he did understand were the notes that Ur had written on a separate paper.
The notes didn't offer much information but they managed to give him some insight on the deceased girl. However it was after dealing with the likes of Orochimaru that Naruto was able to detect some abnormalities.
He took Ur's lesson about the geography of the planet to heart. He spent well over six hours memorizing every spot on the map that she had provided him, every city, every bridge, everything, and subsequently their names, which drove him to learn the basics of the language.
The place location of the Bureau was in a very remote area far from civilization. Hospitals were usually placed as close to civilization as possible. That in itself was fishy and it didn't end there. The Bureau's name was suspicious enough as it implied the development of magic and Ultear was born with extremely large magic results. The facility was run primarily by scientists, which from personal experience, they cared little about morals and methods. Only the ends.
Something wasn't right and Naruto wouldn't rest until he was certain, he was a man of action after all. He would go there and see for himself and if he was wrong then that would be the end of it. But if he was right and they were somehow involved in the death of Ultear. Demons, dragons and whatever Zeref was, they would all be the least of their problems.
