AN: The rest is after the chapter, I will just get on with it now. Still, thanks to Dilost for some translations. This chapter is Naruto-Centric.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto, Mass Effect or any other implied series; this is Fanfiction for a reason.

"Conversation"

"Jutsu"

Undisclosed location:

"Radec...he thinks that he has beaten me has he? He thinks he can mess with me?!" a very irate voice shouted out, and for those whom were in the vicinity of his office, people would have heard a generous amount of slamming. Obviously irate would be too much of an understatement in that case.

Now who was being irate as an understatement?

Well he would fancy himself as being called the illusive man, his name was practically kept hidden to the public, and some even deem his existence as a myth. Though that would be an exaggeration, because if it was not for him, how in the world would Cerberus exist? Well it did not matter, in fact, the person whom was called the illusive man actually enjoyed being regarded with such awe and naturally anonymity, such is his ultimate role as a Paragon for human supremacy. People, whether it be human or alien knew of the Illusive man.

But of course, just when he thought he had the will every organisation in the Sol System under his fingers, it was far from the case, especially so for the most elite and exclusive Pseudo-private military entity which was widely known as the N7.

The Chairman of Cerberus had to admit, it was exceedingly difficult to actually negotiate with them and he had expected that much. They were to some extent similar to Cerberus being that it was a Splinter Group, though its priorities were more towards the military side. However, what really annoyed him was that besides of the supposed 'founders' of N7 and the Current Head, Lord Mael Radec, his extensive spy network across the Sol system were experiencing a lot of difficulty in ascertaining the true composition of the group.

The Illusive Man was vexed, especially with regards to the Director, his threats and the very likely exposure of his identity. He prided himself as the person making the threats and the person exposing hidden identities. This certainly did not look optimistic, the N7 was without a doubt a threat to him and Cerberus in the near future, and he needed to find a way to neutralise them, one by one if necessary.

Thankfully for him, the founding members of the Pseudo-Private military branch were quite well publicised, ever since their contributions towards the First Contact war and many other sporadic conflicts across the system, now most recently, other systems. He requisitioned a fair bit of information on the six members via his network, hopefully they would deliver said information into his office in a matter of time.

With that in mind, the Illusive Man decided to calm down, this was merely a minor setback. If he could not gain the support of the N7, he would most certainly find ways to remove them before they became a thorn in his side.

If he could...

"The dossiers you have requested on N7 has been sent to your private terminal Chairman." Spoke out a synthetic voice, quite likely an AI assistant. By that time, the Illusive Man calmed down significantly. He took a seat at his work area accessed his private terminal. Curiosity sparked as he was interested in the profiles of the members of an organisation as secretive as his.

Chairman,
Here is all the information we were able to compile regarding the founders of N7; I do apologize greatly for the lack of detail in their dossiers however these were the most I was able to find. Attached to the dossiers are whatever records I could acquire on their participation in the Alliance military prior to N7.

My contacts in the Alliance as well as other related affiliates have very limited information on the founders and those whom have closer association with N7 know very little. I sincerely hope that this can provide you as least some information that is of use.

On a side note, I hope that you will go through with the arrangements we have made, looking forward to working with you in the near future.

Sincerely,
Henry Lawson

Dossier 1
Rank & Name: Cpt. James S. McTavish
Moniker (if Applicable): Weapon-Master,
Known to be highly proficient with just about every contemporary firearms used by the Systems alliance, also responsible for the weapons-research program for the Alliance prior to the formation of N7.

Dossier 2
Rank & Name: Lt. Augustus B. Cole
Moniker (if Applicable): Killer-Bee/Cole-Train
Veteran of numerous conflicts across the Sol system prior to the First Contact War, gained recognition across the conflict through fearlessness and for incredible luck. Eye-witness state that he was never once wounded in his course of service, even when in direct fire.

Dossier 3
Rank & Name: N/A
Moniker (if Applicable): Canaan/Sniper-Wolf
Veteran sniper who served numerous covert Ops across numerous areas of war. Credited for successful assassination of various anti-Alliance rebel leaders, deep behind enemy lines.

Dossier 4
Rank & Name: Cpt. Jane W. Shepard
Moniker (if Applicable): Chained Maiden
Gained fame and notoriety across the System as possibly the most powerful and talented biotic in the Sol System; inflicted mass casualties in a conflict on Titan, outnumbered 10 to 1 against Anti-Alliance armies.

Dossier 5
Rank & Name: Col. John L. Shepard
Moniker (if Applicable): Flying Thunder God
Gained fame as a commander of the Alliance 4th Army which was dispatched to the Saturn Colony Expansion Campaign, was successful in a span of two months, rather than the expected 1 year period allocation. Known to participate in the frontlines.

Dossier 6
Rank & Name: Col. Mael Radec
Moniker (if Applicable): Red-Eye
Infamous but well-respected by the men under his command, as well as the Anti-Alliance armies; known for his hardline views and often harsh treatment for insubordination and under-performance in his unit. Possibly the most Skilled tactician under the Alliance prior to the forming of N7, with numerous commendations for successful campaigns whilst outnumbered and outgunned; due to health complications, wears a re-breather and glowing red goggles during active duty.

Alas, his curiosity was not sated, morbidly underwhelming...

The illusive man could really see the problem with the information his contact and future associate had compiled for him, well there really was not much problem with it, if one did not consider how abysmally little the information his network and connections had managed to scrape out. Looks like Lawson was far more obsessed with making clones of himself than actually assisting him. Annoying, but this professional relationship still had its uses.

He ran his eyes through the names of the Founders of N7, as that was practically what the dossiers contained upon first glance. There were attachment links below their dossiers which the Illusive man assumed were their non-N7 military records and hopefully a photo or two that would give him a general idea of who they were.

He opened the links of the dossiers and was somewhat relieved that there were at least more comprehensive information of Military contributions and involvement for the members, basically any publicly circulated information. The Illusive man was certainly right in his thought; the founders were indeed the best in what they did. The six members were all veterans of many wars that took place over the years. Their most notable military contribution was surprisingly acknowledged when N7 was already formed, they were all recognised for their substantial achievements in the First Contact War, especially in the retaking of ShanXi.

Oh yes, he remembered the scuffle during the Contact war, the first time humanity faced off with a literal Alien race. Suffice to say that the System Alliance was temporarily confused with the abruptness of the Turian invasion of ShanXi, though they did have the brains to contract the N7 to begin reciprocating hostilities to the offending species.

The fact that the Alliance had to 'Contract' the N7 was a testament that they were very much separate from the Military itself. This little detail intrigued the Cerberus Chairman when he first caught wind of it, he had taken the liberty to research the Group itself in the past, as there was more readily-accessible information on the N7 as a whole.

CODEX ENTRY - N7

Founded in 2149 CE, alongside the signing of the Systems Alliance Charter, the N7 functions as a military and combat oriented splinter group of the Alliance in its early days. By the end of 2150 CE, the N7 collective disassociated itself from the System Alliance military, opting for pseudo-privatisation with ties to the Alliance. Senior members of the Alliance military argued that despite being an affiliated entity on paper, they were by all means more closely resembled to a 'Private' Military Corporation with a long-term government contract instead, and hence the N7 were given a strong measure free rein in how function, outside of the influence of the Administration. They were answerable only to the objectives of their assignments, and even those they were given freedom to select.

The Founders consists of War veterans and personnel whom have contributed extensively to the Alliance in their exploits. The N7 is currently being managed by Ex Colonel Mael Radec, whom has resigned in order to take a Chairman position in the Group...

And thus the entry goes on, information that he had read through for many a times. Information on various technological advances, finances and even general manpower of the other splinter group, let it be known that those were very vague as well, using generalised statements such as 'substantial' or even 'undisclosed'. Indeed, not much could be seen there.

The Illusive Man would not back down though, eventually he would find out enough about the N7 to either take it down or gain control of, but knowing the environment so far, the latter was going to be unlikely. For now, information is indeed key.

If he could find more personal information on the founders, it would provide immense assistance to neutralise them. He knew information like that was almost airtight but through rummaging some paperwork from the Systems' taxation office, he had managed to infer that the Head of N7 indeed had a person under his guardianship, possibly a daughter, by the name of Sonja Radec.

Speaking of such, the Illusive man has found a slight detail, seemed insignificant at first glance, almost immaterial to the average person. Though he did not run Cerberus without keeping a close attention to detail, that would easily spell his downfall if it were so.

The six members, were identified to be...Buddhists, a lifestyle and religion that is very rarely practiced by the human population, much less the military considering its pacifist ideals. Though suffice to say, religion has been dropping in popularity since introduction of more advanced space travel, and especially with interstellar hostilities, wars and unrest.

It was an unusual discovery, from the photos themselves, the founders seemed particularly diverse despite their association. It was indeed surprising to see them share a common...life view somewhat, all six of them, too much of a coincidence for it not to have some form of connection.

"I will have to look into that a little more. I will also have to dig deeper into the founders' personal life; as far as I know, Radec has a child...though I wonder if the others have any." The Illusive man decided, upon his decision, his was once again brought to attention by a message on his private terminal.

"Report on Utopia System, Exodus Cluster, Strange alien metallic fragment found in planet Nirvana..." he read it aloud.

Unknown:

He was walking along a very dark tunnel, though as he did the torches at both sides of the walls started to light up on by one. As he did so, many a thoughts raced through his mind, far too many thoughts for a normal person, and far too many voices for one individual.

The first voice was held a self-berating tone, a tone of disappointment "This has all been a great big mistake, we should have expected such stupidity to rear its ugly head only moments upon the end of our first vessel. We have sworn upon ourselves that Peace and Order shall come with the harsh lesson that has been taught to them millennia's ago. Has there really been so much hopelessness, humanity just would not learn..."

The second sounded more...hopeful, one might even call naive "But...not everyone is like that, everyone makes mistakes, we made mistakes. Not everyone asked for more war and more suffering, perhaps it just happens, we just need to find a way to bring peace!"

The first voice, upon hearing the second, responded "Indeed, this has gone to show that this cycle has been a mistake; its potential rotted away, four wars ago. No more hope for them. They had the chance to bring an era of Peace and Order after our first passing, with our knowledge and gifts, yet the flaunt it, asserting power for themselves, the Shinobi is a grim reminder of that outcome."

"So, does that mean-" The second was about to continue until it was interrupted by a third voice; it was apathetic, resolute and harsh.

"Destroy...and recreate"

"Pave the way for the next cycle, it is the only way. That much we have promised ourselves, promised our sons and daughters, and promised out parents."

Thus ended the Sage's multiple-persona thoughts, he was at the end of the tunnel and at the centre were two large stone coffins, side-by-side. One had the symbol of a whirlpool etched on its surface, the other had a word etched to it, in Elementaris, it meant "Fourth".

The man snapped his fingers, and very easily, the lids that sealed the coffins were propelled upwards and slammed to the ground. The bodies in them were far too hard to see in the dark, but the one in the whirlpool coffin was definitely female, whilst the other was male.

He approached the coffins until he was in between them, his left and right palms now rest on the heads of both still figures in them.

The man expelled copious amounts of energy, in the form of a black-white stream; equal amounts entered both of them, through the eyes, ears and the nose. This stream lasted for minutes, and in time it was done, both forms now had mist of black-white mist leaking out of them.

With that, the man cycled through many complex handseals, his rippled eyes started burning brighter, the tomoes spinning madly.

"Gedo: Rikudo no Jutsu" both bodies started to float upwards, as the energy within them started to flow through their entire body, a further few minutes and they both fell back down into the coffins.

And shortly after, the man could hear footsteps, heading to his direction and by the looks of it, many people were approaching.

"You have some nerve breaking in here...What are you doing with Yondaime-sama and his wife's body intruder!" He looked back to the source of the voice, and saw a familiar face, his white hair, half concealed face and one exposed eye would not be forgotten by his other fragment, the person he used to call Kakashi-sensei.

"It is only a family reunion sensei, a young man trying to meet his parents again, and in the flesh." He then turned around to face the newcomers.

Unsurprisingly, Kakashi was at the front of the group, his eyes wide, perhaps from shock, rational reaction given he has disappeared from Konoha for a handful of weeks and the implications of his full rebirth. Behind him, few more familiar faces, a hound-boy, Inuzuka Kiba and an Akamichi, Akamichi Choji specifically. Then there were many other nameless, faceless shinobi in his eyes.

"Naruto...it's you isn't it? You look different, what happened? You looked like your father when I last saw you but-" Kakashi then snapped out of his shock, his face now much more serious. "After Juubi's defeat, and when Hokage-sama was hospitalised, you disappeared. We have not heard from you until now. Do you realise you have desecrated the tomb of the Yondaime Hokage and his wife, your parents? This is reason enough for us to apprehend you."

Rather than anger towards his once sensei, the man, Naruto had felt saddened, almost to the point of disappointment. It was acceptable for Kakashi to think him desecrating the bodies from what they could see, but he was silently appalled that a person whom he has known for several years could and would accuse him of so.

Thus he replied, voice unwavering, "This is no desecration sensei, far from it in fact; I am requesting their aid. They are my descendants, and my parents. I will regard them with the utmost respect you can rest assured on that."

Kakashi looked less tensed from Naruto's words, but the hostile posture remained, and confusion was noted in his eyes, "Naruto...this is not like you at all, you are nothing like you used to be...what do you mean by your descendant and your parents how is that possible?"

"I am still Uzumaki Naruto, but not the one you claim you know sensei. Your last question, is none of your concern it's a...slip of the tongue."

Kakashi's lone eye started to narrow slightly, suspicions rising "If that is the case Naruto, what do you plan on doing with your parents' bodies?"

The Sage was silent for a moment, "I will take them away from Konoha, and they will be by my side when I bring about the end of this village, and of the others in the future."

That had done the deed, Kakashi armed himself with a kunai, along with the many nameless shinobi in the chamber. Choji and Kiba did the same, albeit reluctantly, their friendship remained even after his disappearance and to find out that the Naruto they were witnessing was not the one they knew and the fact he had loudly proclaimed the destruction of Konoha confused them. They really hoped Naruto would not be harmed too seriously for this.

A nondescript shinobi voiced out "You've got some nerve claiming that nonsense! Destroying Konoha, oh that's rich coming from you Uzumaki! Even with your tailed beast you can't go against an army of Konoha's finest! It the worst comes, we are not afraid to form another pact with the other villages to-" he was then promptly silenced by a glare from Kakashi.

"Why Naruto?! What do you stand to gain from making such a decision?! Do you want to destroy your home, everything you hold dear, your precious people? Do you want repeat what Madara and Obito have done?" Kakashi tried reasoning with Naruto, using his likely weaknesses to dissuade him. Though besides that, he wanted to know why, there were too many anomalies, starting from his disappearance through to the Hokage's severe wounding.

"...Tell me Kakashi, how is Hokage-sama holding up in the hospital?" Naruto quite casually inquired.

His sensei's face scrunched in confusion before widening in realisation, indeed it was exceedingly obvious how the last Uchiha was so mortally wounded...and he believed he knew the reason for Naruto's decision.

"So this is the reason then Naruto, you are angry, that with all you have done you have no recognition. You promised to yourself you would be Hokage yet Sasuke has it now. Is this really your motivation?! If that is the case you are nothing better than Obito, or Madara!"

Alas, Naruto believed that his once sensei failed to practice what he preached further disappointment "Kakashi, what happened to looking underneath the underneath? My motivations are not as trivial and as petty as you see it to be."

Whilst this conversation was going on, the bodies in their respective coffins started to stir, their hands flexing, almost as if life returning to the dead vessels.

"The shinobi wars have cost the lives of many men women and children, and many a kage, even Tsunade have fallen. Sasuke, is no leader, he will be a tyrant and will be instrumental to the further decline of this cycle. The very nature of the shinobi themselves are instrumental to their destruction. In my more lucid realisation, I want no part in the leadership of a warmongering people; this has never been my preaching."

Naruto's right hand was outstretched, right next to the spiral-etched coffin, chakra mist formed in his hands and a hilt could be seen materialising out from his open palm, a simple red sword hilt.

"Thus...the right thing to do, is to correct this mistake, undo what has been done. As the creator of this world, it is my responsibility to ensure it shall err no longer." It was then Naruto's eyes flared up, now clear for everyone to see, the purple ripple through to the pupil.

Kakashi realised the implication of those eyes, "Rinnegan!", he yelled out, this was bad for them as they were about to face someone with powers not unlike Pain.

He and the rest could not afford to waste any more time, so he gave the command to the group to engage and hopefully capture Naruto. All of them charged forward in great speed, but they were promptly forced back when the two coffins by the Sage exploded, the stone hitting many shinobi, Kakashi included.

As the Special Jonin regained his senses, he saw two figures floating by Naruto's side; two very familiar figures. They had their eyes closed and their now upright bodies descending slowly back to the ground, until they stood by the Sage's right and left. Then their eyes opened, and facing Kakashi and the rest of the now recovering group were a frighteningly and traumatically familiar rippled metallic-purple.

"Sensei...Kushina-sama? H-how could this be? I t-thought both of you were dead!?" Kakashi was shocked to see his sensei and the kunoichi he respected alive again, weight of time not affecting them...in fact they seemed almost younger.

Alas, in his bout of emotional backlash, he failed to remember what they actually were.

'Kushina' then replied, "They still are...and I miss them with all my heart, every second, minute, hour, and day." Her hand reaching out to the red hilt formed out of Naruto's outstretched palm. She pulled it and soon a full-length Katana was in her arms, for which she held it in a relaxed grip.

'Minato' then continued, "In my selfish desires, I would wish they could be brought back from death, but it has been years, there is no bringing back the long dead now. These vessels are merely extensions of myself, symbols of my ideals." his right hand flashed and a familiar kunai was in his hands.

Finally, Naruto spoke, "they are my paths, my parents may not live, but their memory will go on long after the destruction of the Shinobi."

By now Kakashi and most of the Shinobi have regained their senses, Naruto's ex-sensei remained hesitant to engage him but this though was not shared with the rest of the group, the many dispatch renewed their assault, kunai and shuriken were out of the question given that they are facing a supposed Rinnegan wielder, so getting in close was hopefully the more viable move in a considerably more cramped space.

Ningendo, which inhabited the body of Kushina walked in front of the other paths and the second sage, facing the charging crowd head on. She did nothing else, but a mist of golden chakra started to surface from her back, and the next thing that happened would have shocked those in the chamber.

Before the bulk of the shinobi could get any closer, twenty four solid chakra chains burst out from Ningendo's back, and stabbed through various bodily areas of the attacking shinobi, so strong were those corporeal chains of energy that they pierced through the solid rock that surrounded the chamber. Most of the shinobi were pinned to walls and the rest lost momentum and their footing. Miraculously they were all alive, some experienced serious wounds, but none were life threatening.

"Shit! What the hell was that Kakashi-senpai?! ", Kiba yelled out, finally deciding that silence was unnecessary.

"One of the reasons why Kushina-sama became so infamous to her enemies...but I have never seen it done to this scale and for such a purpose..."

Kakashi, Choji and Kiba thought themselves lucky to have not been as zealous as the rest of the other shinobi as they were not being attacked by the chains. Though in reality Naruto did not wish for them to be struck, as what he had in store for those impaled would act as a demonstration for the three of them.

A demonstration that when the Creator intends to undo its creations, nothing would stand in the way

Ningendo spoke again, "The chakra chains that all of you so closely associate to Uzumaki Kushina is an anomalous gift derived from the Outer Path, no one except the Rikudo Sennin would be able to use it to its fullest potential."

Then something strange happened, Kakashi watched on with morbid fascination as a blue energy started seeping out from the many impaled shinobi and into the golden chains, each and every one of them started to visibly tire, "And with the duties of the Human Path, the Chains will bring about power far greater than any mortal can comprehend, a thousand arms that will bring salvation and compassion back to those whom have fallen too far into wickedness."

With that said, Ningendo did a single hand-seal (1), one that was completely unknown to those in the chamber with exception of the Sage and his paths, it looked archaic, and instead of quick and hard combat-like movements, it was slow and relaxed, like a prayer.

Thus the technique was executed, merely a soft whisper by the Human Path and a deceptively serene name, "Ningendo: Jihi no Senju"(2) though what happened was anything but soft.

The energy seeped out by the chains increased in intensity, now it was evident that the souls the shinobi were being ripped out. Kakashi, the two rookies and the few shinobi whom survived watched in horror as the twenty four souls of the impaled men were drained from their body, leaving lifeless husks.

Ningendo dispersed the chains, and the bodies dropped lifelessly on the ground.

With the deed done, Ningendo stepped back to Naruto's side and said Sage declared to the survivors, "Know this Kakashi, for your sake as well as the others, I had hoped that the destruction of the shinobi will be done peacefully, that every man and woman would lay down their arms and live much simpler lives, with no war, no conflict...a life of peace. Alas this is not the nature of man, and the only way to free all of you would be to deprive you of such sentience." He looked at the lifeless bodies, "those twenty four are the first to be free of the pain and suffering."

Kakashi had had enough of this, he pulled up his headband and revealed his Sharingan, and he then barked his orders in urgency to Kiba and Choji.

"Kiba, Choji, leave the mountain and warn the others about Naruto, now!" the two shinobi were looked hesitant but nodded all the same and took off out of the chambers.

"Unnecessary Kakashi-sensei, I have only come for the bodies of my parents tonight and nothing more, I will face all of you again in the coming times and then...whatever will be, will be." Naruto interrupted.

"I cannot let you do that Naruto, for what it's worth, I am sorry; I have never been the best sensei, especially when you were younger... But please, do not destroy your home, do not kill your precious people!" once again Kakashi tried to appeal to the young genin he used to know so well.

"All mistakes of the past have been forgiven Kakashi, Uzumaki Naruto has forgiven everyone of their past sins; but this decision is not out of spite, it is necessity, the four great wars have been an insult to the greatest gift of existence, the gift of life. I am only doing what is right." The Sage spoke firmly.

To Kakashi, there was no convincing Naruto right now, he would have to attack and kill, he signalled the surviving shinobi to attack the trio and he performed a few handseals for the Raikiri.

The shinobi were effortlessly dispatched by Ningendo, armed with the red-hilt katana, 'her' blade sliced through every charging shinobi within seconds cutting off torso, head or just a clean thrust into their heart, and by the end the ten survivors were reduced to five.

Now desperate, the survivors unleashed their jutsus, every elemental jutsu they could perform was done in order to stop the trio. It was then Tendo, bearing the vessel of Namikaze Minato brought his now opened palm towards the approaching offensive justus and muttered one phrase well known since Nagato's siege.

"Shinra Tensei"

The jutsus were pushed back, rather they were turned back towards those who performed them, a few shinobi were lucky to avoid their attacks but two of the five were in too much of a shock, and were in turn killed by their own techniques.

The tri-pronged kunai in Tendo's hand started to sparked to life, the seals on it was now clear. In moments, he disappeared from his original position and reappeared at the other end of the chamber, the three surviving shinobi had were now dead, their throats cleanly sliced off.

Kakashi watched the events unfolding but fortunately for him the ten now dead shinobi provided him with enough time to finish his technique.

"Raikiri!" Kakashi charged with blinding speed toward Naruto, whom have remained still whilst his paths did the work. He should have given it a little more thought to see the sage remaining so still even when the assassination jutsu was heading for his direction.

"Sorry Naruto but it must be done..." as he was now arms reach to his ex student, and moved to shove the lightning blade into his heart. It was then Kakashi made a grim realisation...

As his outstretched arms phased through Naruto, his student's body turning to smoke and mist for a short while. Kakashi remained shaken as his entire body fazed through Naruto. His body dispersing into mist before reforming at the same spot he was at from the start.

And now Kakashi's arm is stuck deep in the wall of solid stone, and he would not have enough time to escape it.

Naruto walked towards his stuck ex-sensei, he placed a palm on his shoulder, "please do not worry sensei, I will feel remorse. I have felt it for the past few thousand years when I decided to give chakra to the world, and the many deaths it has ultimately caused. In time, I will return and all of you will be free from this cycle suffering." Naruto then removed his palm from his sensei, and shoved his arm into his head, which would have been fatal if the arm had not turn into an intangible mist. Kakashi's eyes widened for a moment, before they closed, now rendered unconscious.

Tendo then raised his palm towards the ceiling, a ripple-like force surrounded him flowing outwards, the space in front of the stone ceiling had started to distort as a more violent shaking had occurred. The Path whispered the words of another almighty push.

The force on the ground then moved inwards, towards the Deva Path, and was expelled out of his opened palm. The almighty force blasted through the layers of solid stone of the ceiling, and continued on until a gaping hole was opened.

To the villagers of Konoha whom were awake, they would have witnessed the stone head of the Fourth Hokage imploding, leaving a mass of falling stone on the buildings. Fortunately for them not many of the residences were in the general area of the shocking event.

Not far away, the rest of the once "Konoha Rookies" were converging towards the Sage's position, he had half the mind to remain for a moment to have some form of a friendly reunion, he is Uzumaki Naruto, he wanted this last moment of amicability.

He was about to decide so but something unexpected crossed his mind, relayed to him by another Path, there was something else he that caught his attention some distance away. (3)

The Sage and both his paths responded in unison, requiring no words or signals that it was time to leave; such is the nature of an extension of one's self. Naruto however did not intend to disperse into chakra, partially because his other paths were solid and he did want to have a look at the village that was both his home once upon a time, as well as the village his children erected. The next time he returned, it will perish...he only hopes that the Shinobi would have the sense to evacuate the civilians.

His pace was even, almost casual, he had preferred to take a light run to the village gates, he wanted to reminisce. Though as he jumped roof after roof, he could feel, quite clearly someone was...chasing after him at a speed that exceeded those of the others, from his recognition of the person's chakra, it was made clear to be a Byakugan user.

He already knew who it would be, and the thought itself had made him weary.

Though as annoyed as he was by her presence, he slowed down and eventually halted his movement, he was curious as to what the girl would say this time. Tendo and Ningendo continued on however, as the Sage deemed it prudent for the two vessels to take their leave before more Shinobi caught on with them.

"Naruto-kun!" alas she came, this girl with long dark-blue hair and pale eyes, Hyuuga Hinata reached to him, obviously exhausted from the speed she took to do so. He wondered to himself, what would she try to do?

"Hyuuga-san, something you require?", the Sage gave a casual nod to her, his face remained impassive, his rippled eyes bore into the panting Hyuuga.

"W-we've been looking for you for so many months Naruto-kun! I missed you!" The girl shouted out, and said nothing else.

Naruto frowned, "Of all the questions or statements you could have made...you could have questioned my intentions of destroying Konoha, perhaps dissuade me to do so, yet the very first thing you said is that you have missed me?"

It was apparent that the Hyuuga did not sense the apparent disdain evident from the Sage's voice, as she continued with her passionate words. "Of course! When you disappeared, I felt like...my world was coming to an end, the hole in my heart too big. I really wanted so much to be with you, I love you Naruto so I won't stop you from destroying Konoha. Please take me with you, that is the only thing I want!"

In the midst of the girl's words, Naruto could feel that she was becoming more and more irrational, he was no blind man that was for sure. When he was that seemingly innocent and energetic young boy, he had seen this...obsessive introvert of a Hyuuga at the corner of his eyes. Day in and day out, when he wanted privacy, she was there, when he wanted an acquaintance or someone to speak to, she did not gather even a miniscule amount of courage to even greet him. When he was incomplete, he had forbearance; he had unwavering tolerance, so he did not give her any mind.

But now, her zeal to abandon her village disturbs him greatly; especially so that he had communicated too little with the girl.

"Is this what you truly want? You are willing to abandon your home for so many years, bid a silent farewell to your family, your father and sister, in order to join me? Are you willing to lay your arms against your own home, as you know of my intentions?"Naruto asked, his facial expression and tone of voice withholding any apparent emotions.

Hinata hesitated slightly, her indecisiveness showing slightly, "Of course Naruto-kun! To be honest, this place has never been my home, and father never cared for me, I feel so miserable in my own home. He won't miss me when I am gone. I am also shunned from my family, they mean little to me. I truly know how you feel because I am just like you! So I want to be by your side where ever you go! Please Naruto-kun, we will be happy together!"

Frankly, the Sage was thoroughly surprised that she had the bravery and the stupidity to declare that so loudly, especially in the middle of the village. It was a touching declaration, a heart-wrenching confession, if it were indeed true...

He was once a father as well through strange connections, and he saw Hyuuga Hiashi with his own eyes a few years back; he was a strict father, often viewed as harsh to his children but he was a man of priorities. He knew without a doubt that he wanted only the best for his children, and he had dedicated a lot of his time to teaching his oldest daughter to protect herself and represent her clan in the future...the same daughter whom is now willing to abandon the same father whom raised her.

Indeed, this did not sit well with the Sage, not at all.

"I sincerely hope that you realise...how appalling all of this sounds Hyuuga-san." Naruto's face turned cold, killing intent slowly rising. He could idly see that the Hyuuga girl was becoming increasingly disturbed by the slow rise of the killing intent, the Sage had found it prudent to rein in his rage, he was not here for this; but it was a tall demand.

Hyuuga Hinata was becoming increasingly detesting in his eyes; so much that he could not overlook it any longer. He had wanted to satiate his curiosity by hearing what she had to say, but now it was time to teach a young unguided child of her mistakes.

Hinata's faced was shocked for a moment, but soon after tears started welling up in her eyes, "W-w-why Naruto-kun?! I am completely loyal to you alone; I love you with all my heart from the moment you saved me from those bullies years ago! Why can't you understand?!"

"You speak of love and loyalty but it is obvious to me that those words hold no value to you. Without so much as infatuation you have readily decided to abandon your family. You rationalise your actions with irrational reasons, and have refused to accept the reality that you are living in." Naruto then approached the now panicking Hyuuga, anger still boiling which he is still putting up immense effort to rein in.

"Let it be known, Hyuuga-san that any responsible father, no matter how cold or hard he may be...will always care for his children. From his children's birth and until his death, he will never stop worrying and never stop caring. If the father lives for ninety-nine years, he will worry for ninety-nine years. Your father, Hyuuga Hiashi-san is one of them."The Sage's eyes flashed for a moment before he appeared in front of Hinata firmly grasped her neck, lifting her body. Despite the firm grip, it was still enough for her to speak.

"H-how would you know...Naruto-kun? You have n-never spent your life with a man like him-" he squeezed her neck slightly to silence her from the rest of her words. Indeed, if he were the incomplete Uzumaki Naruto, he would have pondered on Hinata's question. But, he is no longer that boy, he was the Rikudo Sennin, he knew.

The Sage's eyes diverted away slightly from Hinata's still panic-ridden ones, just for a moment, before he diverted it back. The sage's eyes remained firm and steadfast;

"Only a father can understand that feeling. Only when you have children do you understand that...being a good parent does not necessarily mean being Kami to the eyes of your children."

Hinata's eyes scrunched up, before widening in some form of realisation, and this was clear for the sage to see.

"Something dawned to you Hyuuga-san, an epiphany perhaps", he loosened his grip slightly to hear what she had to say.

"Y-you're not, Naruto-kun", the moment she finished the statement, the Sage released his grip, and the Hyuuga heiress fell to the floor.

"Partially correct, I am not the Uzumaki Naruto you know of, I am much, much...less. My mistakes have been vast, I am a disgrace to my own duty. I have vowed to forge a future of peace, yet I have created a world of endless cruelty and un-fated death, which is why I can understand with such clarity that the only solution is to undo what has been done."

Naruto then approached the Hyuuga, and once close enough laid his left palm on her head. Hinata tried to free herself from his grip by striking him with her Juuken, hoping to push him back or disable him. To her shock, her fingers merely phased through his torso in a gentle mist of chakra.

"My heart weeps for you Hyuuga-san...you are born into a life that you certainly are not a part of, too spineless. A person like you should never have been born a shinobi. In fact, a person like you should never be born into such a world." She could feel a pull of her life-force from her body and from her memories of Pain's invasion, she knew what was about to happen.

"I will free you from this world of suffering...Hinata, free you from this merciless cycle of rebirth. This is the least I could do."

More tears started to flow out from the Hyuuga, and the Sage silently lament such cowardice. She could have easily attempted to attack his arm and free herself yet she rather put on a look that was expected to gain her pity.

Indeed as he resolved his mind to do so, he could see the image Hinata was portraying to him, a defenceless girl without hope. It would have worked if she were actually defenceless, the arsenal of Hyuuga techniques were hers to use for her defence without struggle. A firm Juuken strike on his arms would have dispersed it and she could escape.

There were more people whom were truly defenceless, as his Paths travelled the Elemental Nations, he could see children...victims of circumstances beyond their control, being sacrificed, tortured and having no means to protect themselves; too weak, to frail, one against many.

That was what defenceless is all about; no one to give them the strength to protect themselves. A shunned girl could be buried alive with no one helping her.

"Ningen-" he could not finish the deed as a multitude of kunai and shuriken rained down on him. The airborne blades struck true but the sage merely dispersed into a mist.

"Let go of Hinata-chan teme!" a voice rang out;

Hinata was temporarily freed from his grip, and she took advantage of that by quickly getting on her feet and jumped back a few meters.

Naruto recognised the voice as his body reformed, the same person in the chamber, so he decided to greet his old friend.

He gave a calm but friendly smile to the Inuzuka "Kiba-san, it has been a while; and I suppose this would be quite a blast in the past would it? I was not expecting a reunion so soon but I should not be surprised."

Indeed, the remnants of the once 'Konoha Rookies' were there to greet him, all of them sported a similar look of shock, likely from what he was about to do to the Hyuuga if it were not for the intervention, and the fact that he must have looked far too different from what he did before. He suppose they noticed that the whisker marks that marred his face for those many years were not visible any longer, his clothing were different, and he suppose he was now suitably taller.

Finally, it might just be his Original eyes that struck them immensely.

"Naruto! The Hokage monument! Kiba said that it was you who destroyed it! You said you wanted to destroy the village is that true?!" another very familiar voice, the tuft of pink hair in the crowd was unmistakeable, far too striking.

"Correct Sakura-san, but rest assured that the destruction is not reserved to Konoha alone. Every village will have to perish." Naruto responded casually.

He could feel the frustration boiling in his ex-teammate's head, he could then hear her irate voice resounding, "Why?! Your reasons make no sense! Shinobi is the cause of the war, how could you say that, we are all people, all human! I-is it because Sasuke-kun became the Hokage? You are jealous, is that it? I thought you were better than that Naruto-"

The constant yelling and baseless accusations were making him weary, "I implore you Haruno-san please do not make undue conjunctures and exclaim so loudly!" he strengthened his voice ever slightly, yet was clear enough for Haruno Sakura to hear. Understanding the situation she was in and the visually aggravated mood of the Sage, she decided to fall silent.

"But that being said, how is Sasuke by the way? The wounds treating him well?" the group was confused by his statement for a short while, but soon enough they knew the significance of his question, given that the now Shichidaime Hokage was still in the hospital in need to intensive treatment. This is even more reason for them to raise their guard.

It was then that Nara Shikamaru, the more level-headed of the group decided to voice out the reason for intercepting him, the question that was ringing in their heads and as of yet not much has been said about it.

But the Nara, he was very hesitant to announce the ultimatum.

"We are here to detain you Uzumaki Naruto, on the grounds of away without official leave, the damage of Konoha's treasured monument, and for intentional injuring of the Hokage. You will then be questioned by the Torture and Investigation unit for your motivations. Will you come willingly or do we need to use force?"

Indeed, it has come to this then, though Naruto was now satisfied with this considerably more friendly reunion between friends and his old home, as when he does return, it would be for more tragic reasons.

In recognition of those years where there has been some form of interlude from the madness, the Sage gave his once friends a rather warm smile, "Unfortunately friends, I have no intention to linger in Konoha any longer; though I certainly have enjoyed this memorable reunion. I can only wish all of you the best and hope that you will take my coming advice to heart; give up on being a shinobi, and leave Konoha it is my only warning."

As he spoke, the tomoes of his eyes started to spin wildly and space started to distort around him; knowing what was about to happen, the group started to throw shuriken and kunai at Naruto, hoping to disrupt it.

Instead of phasing through him like before, the weapons merely halted their travel when they got close, and fell harmlessly on the ground. Shikamaru, Kiba and Choji decided to take a chance and rushed towards Naruto's position hoping some way to stop him.

"For if we do meet again, it will certainly not be as friends, and if we meet as adversaries, no one will be spared. Three months...three months and I will return."

Naruto's body dissipated into a mist and swirled before it completely disappeared, no one of the Rookies could even get close to him.

He casually opened his eyes, and what greeted him was a familiar place, a field at the centre of a ruined city-scape, that is slowly mending itself. Oh yes, the mindscape of the little girl, now called Erza Shepard;

Naruto sighed, his mind wandered in his state of meditation; the memories that he had shelved those many years ago were so casually unpacked and relived. Those memories were so different to those before he had fought Juubi, and understood who he actually was; those memories made him feel, contemplative.

So contemplate he did, as he looked at the mindscape idly, just letting his mind wander again. Though that would not last long, as he really should have remembered there was someone else in the mindscape with him.

"Ya done brooding yet, lord and master?" spoke a very young feminine voice, the voice of a little girl. Rikudo knew exactly who it was, and turned attention to the owner of the voice. Alas he saw Erza's other, she bore perfect resemblance to the owner of this mindscape, though she looked much more irate, and certainly bored. Rikudo idly noted a chain around her neck, with a seal on it.

The other occupant of the mindscape noticed where he was staring, and that made her smirk, a little too mischievous in the Sage's opinion, "A chain around my neck...master? Never knew you were into that sort of thing. Though I suppose it's not my place to question what you like..."

Naruto's eye twitched...

Indeed, upon sealing her innate power from causing havoc in the mindscape, he had been subjected to another annoyance from Erza's darker side. He had ascertain that she was indeed not insane in the purest sense, rather she was exceedingly eccentric and had excessive violent tendencies. Her thoughts work in some very...unconventional ways, often with very vulgar undertones. Though in most cases, she is outright crude in the way she speaks.

"Get your mind out of the gutter girl, your EZ nodules are sealed but it would be troublesome if you wandered away, and knowing what you are from the limited time I have seen you so far, it is entirely a rational thought.", it would be fair to say he lectured her repeatedly on this issue, though it is not like she had any intention on improving.

With that the insane child stopped talking, and she visibly sulked and mumbled something under her breath. Naruto could not hear what she was saying, but he was not that curious.

It was an interesting turn, as the days turned to weeks, the girl was becoming less hostile against him; and at time attempted to spark a conversation, it started out as jabs and crude derogatory comments, but soon it started to simmer; it was a welcome for the Sage as he would not want to hear death threats for the years he would spend in here.

As if hearing his thought, she asked a question that would have plague her thoughts and anyone else for that matter.

"Master, I never did ask you why the heck you would insert yourself into a little girl's belly like some sick fuck, but now that I thought of it, why the hell did you do something like this?"

Such an appalling and crude way to ask a question, the Sage sighed again and answered, "before I answer that, just please stop calling me Master, it just feels wrong. Although I know this will still continue." After he said that, his face turned serious.

"As to your crudely asked question...do you believe in prophecies?" Naruto asked.

It was obvious the girl was annoyed of him answering the question with another; still she decided to entertain him, she gave him a shrug, "well I don't know, I think prophecies are a load of bullshit but that's just me. Never did like the idea of how fate is pretty much the reason your life is all sunshine and rainbows, or just make it as screwed up as your grey matter can imagine. Why do you ask anyway?"

Despite her choice statement, Naruto disregarded it and continued his explanation with a rather cryptic look on his face, "you know child...I once thought the same thing, that I could be a master of my fate and in many ways..I have. It was just when I tried to achieve something significant, something that would affect not just myself but everyone around me that, I found it too difficult, fate had become too independent."

Rikudo sat up from his meditative position and stood up, though he remained where he was, "you see, before all of this, I had heard of a term that was often said by a teacher of mine, he called it being a Child of Prophecy, said that whoever it was, could either bring peace to the world, or destroy it entirely. I tried to find the answer to peace but it turns out, I have failed."

Erza's dark-side frowned at his words, Naruto wondered what was in her mind.

"Child of Prophecy? Sounds like a load of shit, whoever thought of that must be crazy or just ret-" she was about to continue before being bonked rather hard in the head by the Sage. She yelped in pain and rubbed it, at the same time glaring daggers at him.

Unaffected, he asked, "Do you still want to know why I decided to...as you say 'insert myself into a little girl's belly'?"

She stopped her glare and just nodded to him.

Naruto nodded, before continuing, "and what that teacher of mine failed to understand was...the individuals who told him about that, were a secondary source...not the original person who conceived it. So they naturally made mistakes, the Child of Prophecy brought peace alone...not destruction. As time moved on, I came to realise, the reason I failed was simply because I was no Child of Prophecy. I was someone completely different, it was beyond my role."

The girl moved closer, she looked anxious to hear what he was about to say.

"Well it was indeed rather awkward, but I was the Prophet, I just did not realise it." Naruto said, whilst scratching his head. She face-faulted, thrown off the loop at the sage's sudden character change, she then gave him an incredulous look before asking.

"So if you are this prophet, then the child of Prophecy would be..." her eyes widened, as she started to realise the implication of the statement, the sage's expression turned a full one-eighty. Now calm and serious as he nodded towards the girl,

"Then you being here...does that mean..."

"I am not making the same mistake, I am not taking any chances. If she is the possible key to finally finding an answer to this mistake, I will make sure she does not stray from it." He fixed a blank stare at the girl for which she shivered, the power from his eyes were keeping her restrained from moving further and the aura from him was frightening.

"This is why I will not take my chances on restraining you if I have to; Erza will learn and she will become stronger before she faces you, and after she faces you. If you even attempt to assert you control over her mind and cause destruction, I will end you in an instant. Understand?"

She nodded furiously, getting a dreadful sense of déjà vu, his glare then simmered and his face became less frightening as he gave her a casual smile. He then took a seat at the platform he had formed some time ago.

"I'm still not sure who is more bat-fuck insane, me or him? It's like he is some wacko nice guy on one hand, and a vengeful god on another. Why the heck am I even thinking about this?"

As she calmed down, asked one last question;

"How are you going to get little Erza into a military academy? I don't think the government appreciate child soldiers and all."

"That is the least of my worries, I will get it done."

Although dissatisfied, she decided to leave the question at that, she just looked up at the 'sky' of the mindscape, hence she noticed something seemed off;

"Hey Master, is that suppose to be there?" Naruto looked up as well and he frowned, sharing her thought.

Before the reconstruction took place, the sky was exceedingly dark, and a red moon could be seen rather vividly. Now, the sky remained dark, but the moon was very much different, for it resembled an eye that was all too familiar to him, but a light blue tint, with concentric circles and three commas in each circle making nine in total.

"I was not expecting that..."

(1) Search Dhyana Mudra for the hand seal

(2) Human Path: Thousand Arms of Mercy

(3) There is another story I have posted addressing that little matter, read the AN

AN: How was it? Turned out a little long once again

It has been awhile since I last updated this story, I kept writing and I kept feeling dissatisfied with it. Let it be known that even if the story takes longer than expected, I won't abandon it until it's done.

Suffice to say since my last update a lot has happened in Canon, but all fanfiction is essentially AU, I will keep mine the way I have set up. Seems like Kishi is not intending to finish Naruto anytime soon anyway...

As I have noted in (3), I have uploaded another fic that runs alongside the plotline for this story, the title if you are interested is called Jigokudo no Musume, (Daughter of Hell's Path). It is a Hell Girl x Naruto crossover and it is something that just struck me like a sledgehammer which I just had to write myself. It does NOT involve Hell's Website, Highschools or even any other themes on the archive. Look it up if you're interested.

So as always like any author, I appreciate any comments/reviews/constructive criticisms. I will improve on them if applicable.

Thanks for reading! Next chapter will be ready when it is.

Druid