The Future World
Chapter 5: Hereafter
"So this is what he did with it."
Naruto was standing at the edge of a large canyon, his hands grasping the railing so hard his knuckles were white. At the bottom of the canyon was a river and to Naruto's right there was a large bridge that spanned the chasm with numerous people, wagons, and animals traveling across it. On either side of the canyon there was a large town bustling with activity.
It was the Valley of the End now called Keikoku City.
"The statues aren't even here anymore." Naruto looked over at the bridge and realized that it was placed directly where the heads of Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju should be.
"And these people just go about there business without even knowing what kind of things happened here."
Naruto walked through the streets; he couldn't really stop anywhere as he didn't have any money. Nope that hole in his stomach would have to go a little longer before being filled.
"I suppose I could just…. no, I'm not going to steal anything." Naruto knew that these people weren't bad, even if they did love Orochimaru, thinking about that Naruto shuddered, he wasn't going to steal from innocent people.
Suddenly Naruto heard a loud rumbling noise behind him. He looked backwards to see an out of control horse running at full speed down the street with people diving out of it's way.
"Somebody stop it!" A running man yelled, probably the horse's owner.
"Shiori look out!" A woman yelled to a young girl who had fallen over while trying to get out of the horses way, now she was directly in it's path.
'She's gonna get trampled!'
Naruto dashed towards the girl and scooped her up in his arms and rolled out of the horses way just as it ran through where Shiori had lain not a moment ago.
Naruto stood up and looked down to the girl in his arms. "Are you alright?" She was sniffling but she didn't look hurt.
"Shiori!" The girls mother ran over to Naruto and grabbed the child out of his arms and embraced her in a bone-crushing hug. Then the father came over and joined in, thoroughly squishing the girl in between them who had forgotten about crying and was now gasping for air.
Soon enough they had released there daughter from the hug and turned to Naruto, who was still standing around dumbly. "Young man you saved our daughters life! What can we do to repay you?"
Although Naruto was slightly peeved that everyone called him young he decided to let it slide. "Uh you don't need to do anything man, I'm fine, it was just the right thing to do."
"Nonsense we need to repay you somehow! Hey come to our restaurant we'll give you a free meal!"
"I'll take it!"
"You guys really didn't have to do this." Naruto said as he finished his tenth bowl of ramen……. and then asked for more.
"You saved our daughters life, you deserve more than just this." The father, who Naruto now knew as Kouta Takashi, said. Apparently the man was the manager of one of the ramen restaurants that Ichiraku had been made into.
"Oh man do I really have to thank you for all of this." Naruto said as he gobbled down more ramen. "I don't have any money and I haven't eaten in forever, I don't even have a place to stay!"
"What you don't have anywhere you're staying? Don't you have a hotel or at least some money to pay for lodgings at all?"
"Nope, I don't have anything. More please!"
"Kid you've got it, but also why don't you stay with us? I can even get you a job here."
"What? Really!"
"It's the least I can do after all."
"Thanks man!"
Shortly afterwards the restaurant closed up and Naruto went home with Kouta to there house, it was surprisingly large but it's not like Naruto had a problem with that. When he entered the house Shiori had ran up to Naruto and hugged him which caused him to rub the back of his head and fro once not brag about his awesomeness. For the rest of the night Naruto talked with there family, not really about anything but it was a nice reprieve from his usual dreary life since waking up in the future. Kouta mentioned they had another daughter who worked at another one of the ramen chains restaurant in Yamata City and Naruto continued to talk about how ramen was his favorite food of all time.
Eventually it got late and everyone went to bed. Except for Naruto that is. He snuck out of the house without a sound and quickly ran out of the city into the woods that still covered a great deal of the land around the Valley of the End.
"Good thing I found a place to stay for awhile or else I might never have gotten this chance." Naruto looked around to make sure nobody was watching and made a few shadow clones to be extra sure.
"Okay, lets hope this works." He flashed through some hand signs. "Summoning Justu!"
Naruto slammed his hand on the ground and watched as nothing happened at all.
"Damn it! But why, it's not like I'm in a different dimension. If the toads are at least still around I should be able to summon them. Could Orochimaru have wiped them out?"
Naruto was puzzled and more than a little angry, but he had other important things to do and he couldn't waste his time standing around bitching.
"Well if I can't summon then I won't just be able to crush that stupid palace like I had planned to, I guess I'll just have to do it the smart way." Naruto remembered Kakashi telling him how amazed he was after he defeated Kakuzu, if Naruto recalled correctly that was the first time he won an actual fight without the help of Kyuubi.
"Hmm Kyuubi." Naruto smiled and closed his eyes. "I guess I should have a talk with you."
At the Yamata City gate Naruto had left from five figures stood.
One of them was the absurdly tall overseer. The four others were average looking guys but they just gave off the vibe that said "ninja". They were all wearing identical grey bodysuits which had the number five marked on their left shoulders. Three of them had identical hair styles that left them with a ponytail, one with black hair, another with green, and the third one red. The last of the four was bald.
"Lord Akkakumaru what have you summoned us for?" The brown haired one asked
"I have a new mission." The large Overseer answered. And then he pulled out Naruto's picture from his cloak. "The Emperor has ordered that this man be captured or killed! Jin, I expect you to find him and report back to us on his position, we will then confront him."
The bald one nodded and disappeared in a flash.
Akkakumaru turned to look through the gates of Yamata City into the countryside. "Now we wait."
Naruto speaks to Kyuubi for the first time since awakening and the powerful Akkamumaru is now closing in on him! Next chapter the battle draws nearer!
