And so we come to the re-written Chapter 2. For those of you who remember reading the original, I'd like some feedback as to how it is, in what ways it's better and in what ways it could do better. I really appreciate the feedback, especially since despite the fact I haven't worked on this story in three years, it's my most well-received and reviewed work.
Thanks to ShiningShadow1965 for looking over the chapter.
Anyway, there's not much else to say, so let's get on with the chapter.
Chapter 2: First Steps Into a New World
The four shinobi watched in a somber silence as the portal closed and all ties to their old lives were severed forever. As one, they turned around and began walking to who knew where. No one could judge distance or time in this realm of formless color, not even Hagoromo, and so they walked.
While walking, Hagoromo spoke up, garnering the attention of Minato, Hiruzen and Jiraiya. "I know not when we will arrive, or where, or how, only that we will arrive. Fate, in an inconceivably complex manner, is simple in that regard. It draws infinite possible routes from point A to point B, and then Destiny selects the lines that are used to map the timeline and spaceline of existence. Each of us is just a part of the line that has brought us to Convergence, and we subconsciously travel this line that will bring us to our unavoidable destination."
The others pondered this for a moment, before simply accepting it as truth. Even Minato did not wish to suffer himself the pain of a headache trying to decipher the Sage's cryptic words, as he already had one hell of a mental plate to digest as it was.
Eventually the three struck up a conversation. It began when Minato had asked how Jiraiya's clothes were getting ready to 'blow away in the wind', and had diverged into a more serious discussion of the former enemies of the Leaf, Jiraiya's death, Minato and Hiruzen's time in the Shinigami's stomach - if one could call it that - and, ultimately, Naruto's role in their current situation.
"I can sense Kyuubi slowly healing Naruto's wound, as well as the other biju that have somehow made their way into his body - let's not even get into that right now - but why exactly did the Old Man have us bring him with? He looked a fleeting touch away from death when we stepped through the portal." Jiraiya pondered on the machinations of the Sage, while Hiruzen stroked his beard in thought, and Minato frowned.
"Perhaps our young boy has had his fate cast from the same die as ours," Hiruzen suggested. It was definitely better than anything else he could think of. He knew for a fact, though, that if - no, when - Naruto woke up from what was basically a coma, he would be devastated to find out that not only had he failed in his second-biggest goal, but the price of said failure had been the extinction of his entire race. Such a jarring revelation would leave lifelong mental scars on the teenage boy, of that Hiruzen had no doubt. Many extraordinary shinobi - Sakumo Hatake came to mind first and foremost - had committed suicide over much less than Naruto would have to face upon his reawakening.
"Yeah, but if he's cut from the same cloth as we are in this, then what are our roles in this going to be? From what I'd heard, my son was basically the apex of strength, determination and leadership when the war started, and Team Seven and Kakashi were single-handedly responsible for Madara and Kaguya's defeat. That probably means Naruto is going to be a lot more important in whatever's to come than we are, that's for sure." Minato speculated. Jiraiya and Hiruzen had to agree the young man's reasoning was sound. Jiraiya even had evidence in the form of Naruto having been the Child of Prophecy backing such a statement up, so what arguments could even be made to the contrary or the alternative?
"Regardless, such matters are not what we should focus on. My instincts have informed me we are about to arrive at our destination." Hagoromo's sentence effectively cut off all conversation, as the others continued walking behind him. Within minutes - or was it days? Time was of no relevance in this space, nor could anyone have figured out how much had passed if they tried - Hagoromo stopped, then flared the power of the Rinnegan and created another portal, this one leading to what looked like a grassy field with a mountain backdrop.
The four men stepped through the portal, leaving Convergence behind, before looking around and getting a feel for their surroundings. A decent amount of trees were situated five hundred feet to their west, a mountain probably two and a half miles high loomed over them to their north, a large lake was to their south, and an entrance to what looked to be a large underground cave system was to their east. They had landed in a grassy clearing between the natural formations. A fallen tree near to them provided firewood, as well as some wood for building a temporary shelter.
Jiraiya and Minato immediately went to work cutting the large fallen tree into smaller and more manageable parts, while Hiruzen prepared a small fire around where the shelter was going to be. Hagoromo chose to use his chakra to examine the new world they found themselves in, casting out his chakra to detect any sapient life. He found many different kinds, though the nearest ones were five and a half miles away, situated near the center of the mountain's slope, on the side not visible to any of them.
Within minutes, the group was completely situated, Minato having made a small shelter using the wood and his sealing skills with Jiraiya's help, and Hiruzen having stoked a fire large enough to keep them warm. They all acknowledged that it wasn't necessary to stoke said fire, but other than Hagoromo, the others hadn't the slightest clue whether the planet would have enough latent energy to replenish their chakra reserves, and they weren't willing to take that risk, even for something so menial as circulating fire chakra within their bodies.
As the three men sat down, they thought once more about the lives they had left behind for good, and Minato sighed, hoping that whoever next came to be top dog on their old world wouldn't make the same mistakes as their race had.
Biju - Realm of the Six Paths
Naruto's unconscious form was laying in the center of the gigantic spherical chamber that the Biju called home. Hagoromo's chakra form stood next to him, and the Biju and Shinju, in their human forms, stood around them. The Biju, in their human forms, looked drastically different from their chakra forms; the purpose was so that they could blend in.
Shukaku, about 5'10", wore a gold loose-fitting suit with a black collar. His sandy blond hair was only a few shades darker than his light-colored skin. The irises of his eyes were completely black, his sclera were a dull beige, and his irises were black, and consisted of a four-pointed shuriken with dots at the corners opposite the points of the shuriken. Around his eyes and on the back of his neck, jagged blue markings resembling the markings he had while in his normal state represented his status as a Biju. He had pointed ears, with three studs and three rings on the outer part of each ear. His canine teeth had been filed into deadly points.
Matatabi, about 5'3", wore a purple kimono with an almost see-through skirt and an arm cover on either side attached by short, durable purple lace strips. A light, yet thick bronze rope held the kimono in place. Two wooden sheaths whee blades could be affixed hung from her back. She wore black shinobi sandals with purple toe-less socks. She had cream-colored skin with markings resembling those of her normal state covering her arms and right leg. Her silky electric blue hair fell down her back and came just short of her upper thighs. Three markings not unlike Naruto's whisker marks adorned her cheeks, and she had heterochromia: her left eye was blue, while her right was a light green.
Isobu, about 6', wore a suit of steel battle armor not seen since ancient times. It was segmented to allow for greater movement and flexibility. Spiked shoulder plates rested on his shoulders, and were the primary reason the armor did not simply slip off his body. Elbow guards fashioned from the same steel were also in place. Underneath the armor was a full-body black mesh suit. Large, folded leather strips tied together any part of the armor that was not already fused together, and a brown cape hung attached from the shoulder plates. Long, back-length silver hair was tied into intricate braids and designs by a set of long, thin black hair ties. He had skin and eyes like Shukaku's, the sole difference being a thick slit for his pupils in place of Shukaku's shuriken. Unlike the others, no markings belied his status as a Biju.
Son Goku stood at an impressive 6'5", with a well-built body that could more than likely break a log in two with a single strike. He wore a simple green kimono with a turquoise sash and a red, fur-lined back-length cape hanging from his shoulders, attached to the kimono. He had slightly darker skin than Matatabi - though one would have to look closely to discern the difference - and had a thick brow with brown eyes. He had bright red hair swept back to form spikes not unlike those of an agitated wolf, and sported a two-inch beard with sideburns that extended from his hair down. Feral, jagged lines on the style of the beard lent to him an intimidating look.
Kokuo stood at 5'4", and wore a cream-colored kimono with a two-piece thick blue sash. She had rose-colored back-length hair that faded into silver, white, and finally bronze. She had skin the same shade as Son Goku's, and she had bright blue eyes that made one feel like they were staring into the sky.
Saiken, standing at about 5'7", wore a sky blue undershirt, a short, teal overcoat, and blue-green jogging pants. A turquoise belt with tentacle-like extensions hung on his waist, holding his pants in place. He had skin the same shade as Shukaku's, and cold, blue eyes that betrayed none of the Biju's thoughts. Sky-blue hair cut yo shoulder-length hung from his head.
Chomei, standing at about 5'5", wore a yellow and green hoodie with red arm warmers, and a black mesh bodysuit underneath. She also wore a light yellow knee-length skirt and netted stockings on her legs. A pair of brown shinobi sandals rested at the bottom. She had soulful hazel eyes and skin the same shade as Matatabi's, and had her light auburn hair splayed out behind her. The back-length hair mostly hung from her shoulders in a silky cascade, but the hair at the very back had been done up into a ponytail with a black hairband.
Gyuki, standing at 5'10", wore a dark gray kimono with black lining, tied with a dark green sash. He had on black socks and a pair of light gray flip-flops. A long, thin white scarf hung from his shoulders. His hair was done in two segments to match his two colors: the top half of his hair, which was black, hung behind his shoulders to about his mid-back; the rest, which was white, hung in front of his shoulders, and down to his chest. A plain katana with no crossguard and a plain handle attached to a leather sheath hung from his back. He had sharp, analytical yellow eyes.
Kurama, standing at 5'11", wore a two-piece set of sheer, revealing medieval battle armor - if one could call it that. Her top was comprised of a large metal ring that rested below her chest and held up her large bust. Fastened to it was a sheer, nearly see-through lace fabric that covered to the minimal degree of modesty her bust and went over her left shoulder. A blue strap was fastened to both this fabric and the ring. The metal ring was held by tightened straps of leather that prevented the entire ensemble from falling off and leaving her half-nude. Her lower piece was a ring with a similar function - the only two differences were that, one, the lace fabric extended down and covered her private area and her upper right leg, and two, a large metal plate akin to a shield hung from the leather on the left side of the ensemble. This outfit complemented her already radiant natural beauty, with her lightly tanned, smooth skin and her striking red back-length hair. A small metal hair clip that resembled a bandanna held her hair out of her eyes for the most part, and two copper pins held some of her hair, which was fashioned into a bun, in the back. She had steely-gray eyes that any who looked into them would swear she could see right into their soul.
Lastly, the Shinju, standing at 6'2", wore a dark blue bodysuit that covered her athletic body almost entirely. Over her arms and legs were bronze bracers, and over her chest and torso, she wore a gold chestplate fit for a king. Each piece of her ensemble had intricately carved designs that looked more like hieroglyphics than actual designs, and the pieces were linked to the chestplate by thin wires that were nearly invisible to both the naked and the chakra-assisted eye. Flexible bronze links had been fashioned to link the arm and leg bracers to the chestplate to allow for a greater range of motion. Finally, behind her, attached to the part of her bodysuit that was visible hung a knee-length white cape. Emblazoned upon it were, in several different languages, the written word for 'Heaven'. A dagger was strapped to her waist by a metal ring affixed to the bottom of the chestplate. The Shinju had skin quite a lot darker than the rest, as it was quite tan, and her eyes were unique. While normal eyes to anyone else, such similarities ended at the border between the iris and sclera. She had a black ring in place of a normal sclera, which rapidly faded into a shining silver at the center of her eye before the pupil. Her shoulder-length silver and white-gold hair fell across her ample bosom and shoulders.
Hagoromo hadn't remained unchanged, either. The Shinju recognized that his soul had been reincarnated to be at the exact same temporal age as the moment of his death so many thousands of years before, and thus his ending age had been determined. He had been reborn into a physical form that more resembled the man in his thirties than the old, wizened man that stories told of. The wrinkles had departed from his countenance, and his eyes, though still bearing the Rinnegan, were more alert and lively than normal. The habit of floating in the air had been borne of Hagoromo's aging body, and his legs had been paralyzed for two years before his death. Having been given back his body in its prime, such a practice was not deemed necessary, and the man elected to stand, the butt of his staff resting on the ground next to him.
The eleven stood, waiting for Naruto's wound to completely seal up. When it did, Naruto moaned in exhaustion before slowly opening his eyes. He looked around at the unfamiliar place he was in, as well as the unfamiliar faces he saw. Then his gaze shot down to his stomach, and a pained grimace made its way onto his features. "I lost..."
"That you did, young Naruto." Hagoromo stepped closer as Naruto turned to him. He recognized Hagoromo due to the Rinnegan and the horns, but otherwise, it looked to him like Hagoromo was strangely younger. "Our destinies were not to be decided on your world. From the beginning of my fate as Sage, I knew a day would come whence my younger would be felled by my eldest in battle. With your battle against Indra's reincarnation concluded, your world, and your path along it, have come to an indefinite close."
Naruto, still not very easily able to understand Hagoromo's cryptic speech, and asked Hagoromo to clarify. "It means, young Naruto, your race has met its inevitable fate. As they rise, so too must empires fall, and thus, the empire known as humanity has met its end." Naruto fell back to the ground in shock. Humanity was gone? Had his failure in his battle with Sasuke caused such drastic consequences? "I can see you attempt to blame yourself for this, but alas, the fault for this lies with my mother. My connection to the Shinju allows me to discern the far future, far past either - any - of us will endure. Humanity had two paths available to it: obey the last directive of the departed gods of our former world and endure in darkness of what the Shinju held, or break those rules and pay the price. That fateful day when my mother chose the path humanity would take, our world's fate was sealed. The very instant she picked the Forbidden Chakra Fruit, she doomed our race to an untimely end. Had she not been so foolish, humanity on our world would have persisted until the end of time."
Naruto could barely comprehend what he was hearing. "So what you're saying is... I was going to fail this whole time?"
"Near as it pains you to hear it, yes. Our fates, though, were cut from a different cloth, so to speak. Another world in peril will need our strength, more specifically yours, in the coming trials. Should you choose to believe the blame for our world's end lies on your shoulders alone, consider this your redemption, a form of reconciliation for the sins of your past. This world I have brought us to is now also in danger of falling in the same manner, and we are the only individuals powerful enough to bring low the darkness that will one day come to pass."
Naruto nodded. He had unshed tears in his eyes from hearing of the fate of the place he was born, but if Kaguya's actions were what inevitable led him to be here, than there was nothing he could do, other than soldier on and gain a new goal. As he remembered all of his friends and family and said his final goodbyes, a new goal surfaced: the desire to protect. Though it was predetermined to happen, he had failed one world, and by the gods, he was going to make damn sure he didn't fail another!
He finally remembered there were other people here, and blushed in embarrassment, scratching the back of his neck nervously. "Hey, uh... Super Gramps? Who are these guys with you?"
Hagoromo chuckled lightly, both because of the affectionate - though slightly outlandish - moniker Naruto continued to use to refer to him, as well as the fact that Naruto still had the bad habit of being unable to see what was right in front of him, in both a figurative and a literal sense. "In a way, I am not surprised you do not recognize them. The Biju are also intertwined in this fateful journey and mission of ours, and this world we have arrived in does not follow the same fundamentals as the world we have departed. The Biju could not simply exist as being composed entirely of chakra, being from another reality entirely, and so, they were required to take physical form. Their physical bodies function the same as ours do, and their youki has been converted into the equivalent proportion of chakra. Because of this forced physical manifestation, the seals that once held dear Kurama are now broken, and have dissipated entirely from your body."
Naruto raised his eyebrows and his mouth hung open in shock as he tore off what remained of his tattered shirt and mesh covering to discover the Eight Trigrams seal on his stomach was completely absent. Mysteriously, though, he could still feel his connection with Kurama. Then he realized, in a moment of total shock, that he also had connections to the other eight, at which point he quickly figured out that nine of the other ten were the Biju themselves - or were they humans like him now? They weren't giant chakra constructs anymore, if what Hagoromo said was to be believed - but Naruto could not figure out who the last woman in the group was. He also failed to notice the reactions the former beasts had upon seeing his toned, shirtless chest - Shukaku's grin turned bloodthirsty for a short moment, as if he were contemplating a battle, Matatabi put a hand on her hip and smiled while chewing one of her fingernails, Isobu hmm'd in thought and put his hand under his chin, Son Goku could be heard cracking his knuckles, Kokuo had already done an about-face and did not face him, Saiken started counting on his fingers and tapping the side of his head as if figuring out a complicated equation, Chomei whistled in appreciation as she made sure to get a good look, Gyuki shook his head at the reactions of the others, and Kurama's gaze softened for a fraction of a second before returning to its normal steely gaze.
Hagoromo turned to the Shinju as well. "This is the Shinju, who has also been required to take a physical form. What you know not about the Shinju is that its fruit contained a minuscule fraction of its power, and it sealed its consciousness and the remainder of its power away in the core of our world, awaiting the dusk of humanity to return."
Under any other circumstance, Naruto would be flipping out. This time, though, his features had been schooled into a thin line. Don't overreact, don't overreact... Man, no wonder I'm always on edge. Between the war and this, I- no. Don't worry about it. Probably get a heart attack at this rate. He turned to the Shinju, unsure of what to say, but he didn't have to speak, as she started first. "I would please not like to be referred to as the Shinju. It is painfully obvious now that the gods forsook me, and I wish not to have any ties to that part of my past. Instead, please call me Žiara."
Naruto nodded. "No problem, Žiara! Pretty sure you've already figured it out, but I'm Naruto Uzumaki!" Despite his nature, Naruto still held out his hand as a show of respect.
What he got was not a handshake. Instead, he felt himself being pulled forward and hugged by the taller woman. He blushed at being surprised so suddenly, before hesitantly returning the gesture. He heard her speak next to him. "Thank you for doing your best to protect your world from the dangers it has had to face. Never, in my long existence, have I met a human with such courage and resilience in the face of adversity. I understand your failure has affected you greatly, and for that, I have to apologize. Were it not for my own kind and trustworthy nature, Kaguya Otsutsuki would not have taken the fruit and brought about the changes that have brought you here."
"It's okay... I know you didn't mean anything by it... It's just, I have to cope with my friends and family all being gone..."
As Naruto finished speaking, Žiara finally released him from her embrace, and looked seriously into his eyes for a few short moments, as if staring directly into his soul. She then allowed herself to break eye contact and her eyes roamed up and down Naruto's body shamelessly. "But damn if the gods don't know how to pick fine specimens for their champions!"
War tends to have a drastic effect on one's psyche, and Naruto wasn't nearly as dense as he used to be. He blushed at the blatant admiration. "Uhh, thanks... I guess?"
Hagoromo chuckled again at the young boy's discomfort. "Near as I appreciate the bonding being here has brought about, it is time for us to return to the waking world. We will revisit this realm again soon."
The others nodded and left, their forms dissipating into thin air. Hagoromo was the last to leave, and as the realm became quiet, Naruto focused on the outside world and his form dissipated as well.
Peak of Mt. Canterhorn, Equestria, Equus
Princess Celestia observed the midday sun and took in a breath of fresh air, enjoying the peace and serenity of the mountain's calming atmosphere. However, her peace was disturbed by the feeling of an energy wave moving faster than the speed of sound passing over her and shooting out to the horizon.
She got off her seat and looked in the direction of what she believed to be the source of the disturbance, an area near the base of the mountain. "That's certainly no energy I've felt before. I guess this peace wasn't going to last forever... Well, it's time I took a look into it." Celestia started walking down the mountain and toward the source of the disturbance, electing not to use her wings.
And we come to the end of the rewritten Chapter 2. The Biju become humans in the same way Naruto is, Naruto recovers and finds out the consequences of his failure and his role in the future, and Celestia moves to unknowingly investigate Naruto and co.'s presence in Equestria.
I put up a poll on whether the characters are going to be anthros or humans. Notice no matter the winner, they'll still have their horns/wings, as displayed in this chapter. Please take the fifteen or twenty seconds it'll take to answer the question if you like the story.
Probably not going to start working on Chapter 3 until I get off my shift at work tonight, about 10PM. In other news, we've just had rumors leak out over the past week or so that Generation 8 of Pokemon is going to revisit old regions of the series, and the first episode of the English dub of Boruto airs on Toonami tonight at 9:30 my time. Lastly, Sun and Moon: Ultra Adventures just finished airing in Japan two weeks ago, so we're going to have to wait a while to see if the anime continues. I think there's a small chance that if it does, Season 22 and/or 23 will be based on the remastered Yellow Version that just got announced.
That's all for now, DuNamarSundavar signing off.