The poll results are in. At the start, the whole "remake" option looked like it would win, but then out of nowhere, this sudden rush of delete votes come in. Don't ask me how these things work, they just do. I feel sorry that my first fic has come to a close, but honestly, I can't bring myself to feel remorse. This fic was dying anyway. I just left its fate up to you.

P.S. I solemnly swear on all that I hold dear and holy that what follows is merely the result of your votes. Do not darkly mutter about how the 'evil author' ignored the poll results. This is entirely the choice picked among the general fanfiction community.

It's funny how things work out in the world. There's an old saying: 'For want of a nail, the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe, the horse was lost. For want of a horse, the message went undelivered. For want of an undelivered message, the war was lost. And all for the want of a nail.'

There is a great deal of truth in those words. It outlines what is generally thought of as the 'domino effect.' What that means is that a little thing can set off a big thing, which can set off a bigger thing, and so on. Basically, it's just a fancy way of saying 'Watch what you do. Your actions have consequences.'

Still, who could have possibly thought that Naruto's chakra explosion would have such far-reaching repercussions?

Chakra is a life source. It's as simple as that. Every living thing needs chakra to survive. So is it such a surprise that the planet itself has a chakra supply? It shouldn't be. And like all chakra networks, the planet's does not react well to great disturbances in the flow.

That was exactly what Naruto's outburst was. The veritable supernova of chakra was enough to disrupt the planet's natural chakra flow. What was even worse was that the Forest of Death was one of the planet's 'tenketsu.' Considering the massive amount of life present in the place, it should have been obvious.

Now, the planet didn't take well to the burst of alien energy. It was large enough to have saturated into the planet's own network, and its own chakra naturally tried to flush out the invader. Unfortunately, the situation was exactly like that presented by cancer. The planet has a very fragile chakra network, considering that it has to spread its energy across every living and non-living thing on its surface.

So, the automatic rush to remove the virus of the foreign chakra accidentally tore open the coil in which it was contained. This was cataclysmic, because the planet needed to recycle every drop of its energy in order to sustain life.

However, fate had other plans. The torn coil leaked chakra like a fire hydrant, noticeable to the people on the surface by an odd feeling in the air. The coil gushed out the chakra, leaving the planet weaker and weaker as its 'lifeblood' left it. Eventually, the planet couldn't take it anymore, and imploded.

By some sick twist of fate, this happened just in time for Naruto's yell of joy to end. The instant the exultation of life had faded into the air, the entire planet collapsed unto itself, crumbling into so much organic rubble, leaving nothing but a pitiful husk within minutes.

All life was wiped out within the first ten seconds, what with the collapse of the atmosphere and the heat from the planet's core breaking though the crust. Naruto never got to see his girlfriends again. Said girlfriends never knew if he was alright. Sarutobi never got to see the end of the Chuunin exams and weep with joy over the will of fire being strengthened by the new generation. Oto never got to see what would happen to the invasion with Orochimaru dead. Sasuke never got to see if he could resist the cursed seals influence. Temari never got to see if she could have a date with Naruto. Her brother's never got to know if their sister would finally get a boyfriend. Zabuza and Haku never got to see if they could forge a new life in Konoha. And the millions of people who lived ordinary lives never got to see if their dreams would ever come true.

No, they and all life with them simply died.

The End.

Let us take a moment of silence to mourn the loss of the entire Narutoverse…