Chapter 3: Interlude I

Naruto floated in darkness as the Death God's presence filled his mind. Around his mind's eye lights began to shine and suddenly, he wasn't floating in darkness, but amongst the stars. The presence grew stronger and darkness coalesced into a form of utter darkness. Naruto was thankful that the deity chose to wear a cowl so as to cover it's face. The child may have been brave, but he wasn't conceited enough to believe himself able to handle anything but the slightest signs of the Death God's aura. Much less his real face.

"To control, understanding is a necessity. To affect, control is a necessity. To exist, thought is a necessity. To control without loosing yourself in your power, you must first understand the begining."

"In the begining, there was nothing and nothingness existed. Like an empty container that can be filled with anything, infinite possibilities existed. The more nothingness existed, the more something had the potential to exist. Out of all the possibilities that could exist, only two occured, game to exist out of the nothingness at the same time. These two possibilities were known as Light and Darkness, Life and Death, Health and Sickness, Being and Not-Being."

"At the moment of their conception, everything changed everywhere. Therefore, another two possibilities came to existence, once again born at the same time, equally strong. They were called Time and Space. They gave form to what Life gave birth to and gave Death something to enjoy before devouring all that was born. While nothing would exist forever, everything could also exist as was their paradigm."

"All the things Time and Space, Life and Death gave birth to were split in two groups. Those alive and those not so. So, two new concepts had to exist to account for that, completing the triad of pairs. The were named Beast and Nature. Beast is instinct, motion, movement and it is as fleeting as it is strong and everlasting. Nature is thought, immovability, stasis and it is as everlasting as it is strong and fleeting."

"All things are composed of these three pairs, these two triads. Animals and humans and trees and stones and water. By knowing the truth, you can manipulate the unbidden energy of these cosmic forces. You cannot change the pattern of an existence because it is set, its potential complete. However, the power to call upon the cosmic forces isn't set, their potential not yet fulfilled. Therefore, you can control them, even bring them to be to a certain point."

"You have a power beyond compare or thought, beyond the rules we, the gods of your existence, though merely another potential, have set. Know this young Reaper... Everything is connected together by threads that even we have trouble controlling. Your fellow mortals have been tugging upon these threads for far too long, far too strongly... and the threads are coming to snap. You must restore the balance Reaper... lest the threads snap and we all spiral to non-existence... to oblivion..."

"See mortal, open your eyes, not your physical, but your mental, and see. All these cosmic forces maintain a perfect balance, each as strong as it's pair and unaffected, yet connected to the other pairs... But, the balance has been shaken, upset. Wander the land young Reaper, wander the land and seek out the imbalance, seek it out and fix it, correct the failings, remove the stress placed on the world's tapestry of existence..."

"Be careful however, for your powers are not absolute. The cosmic powers that birthed this world are beyond your understanding. Beyond anyone's understanding. At times, they seem fickle, at times they seem cruel. But they always converge together. When too much of a single cosmic force gathers at a point of existence, a shard of it comes to be. It resonates with both the reason and the power of that cosmic force, but as it lacks purpose other than that of it's parental force, it can attach itself to anything. Through that, even a normal mortal can grab hold of the Great Powers..."

"Heed my warning however child... these shards of power were never meant for mortals. Should one use it, regardless of reason or justification, they shall loose their soul. While normally the soul is immortal and is reincarnated through the existence as it desires to complete its experiences and reach Heaven, the shards bend and break these rules. Users of a shard loose their soul to Oblivion, the end, the nothingness. Their souls are never reincarnated, never brought back, never ascending to true existence. They become forgotten in oblivion, in the nothingness of everything."

"That is why these shards are so dangerous. While some could be beneficial, others are not. But only an intelligent, living, willful, soul-given shard can grant it's power to another without risking the loss of soul. One you have met, another you have touched, many more you will come across. Find those non-living, unwilled, soulless shards... find these concentrations of Cosmic Energy and undo them, unweave the threads that bind that Power to them, return them to the unity of the One that is Everything."

"That is my command young Reaper, that is your mission. Work long and hard, understand and learn, fight and protect, for your world and ours is in greater danger than you can grasp... Now awaken, awaken to your true mission and be All You Could Ever Be..."

Naruto bowed as the figure seemed to disappear like smoke dispersed by a mild gust of wind, wisps of blackness fading away. The universe around Naruto flickered and dimmed as his eyes grew heavy and he slept...

A few days of walking outside Konoha, Naruto came across the brick walls of a building that stretched for miles. He knew he had to go there, his instincts, his heart, his mind and soul told him to go to that place... He walked to the bronze heavy doors, his steps heavy with the tiredness that comes not from physical excercise but also mental exhaustion as well... With a hesitant, yet at the same time determined hand, the child raised his hand at the door and pushed.

A breeze of the freshest clouds, air that seemed to never have been breathed before, as if it came from the cold tops of the frozen mountains came across the boy's face. Naruto let a smile grace his face, he felt welcome and appreciated, he felt... home...

Less than a day later, Naruto would learn that the place was in fact a monastery, a place of meditation, concentration, spiritual and bodily perfection. He would then proceed to meet Lady Crane, mistress and leader, as much as one could lord over and lead a place like that, of the monastery. An athletic woman she was, sculpted by years of physical and spiritual exhersion, tanned by the time that had passed. Her eyes were a gentle brown color, not unlike very dark honey, aged with endless wisdom yet filled with a playfull and life-loving cheer suited only to children. She looked as a young woman as much as she looked as an aged elder, her body having grown past the limitations of human age. When her voice came, Naruto felt a warmth in his heart, her gentle voice carried by the freshest breeze, kindness, love, caring, compassion and maybe a little bit of a mother's anger laced in it. Yes, Naruto decided, he had come home, one of his many homes...

A/N: Short chapter I know, but it's a necessary evil. The next one will be published soon, so have no fear, it was done simply for the sake of continuity and convenience. Cheers!

Also, this is just an interlude, despite being named as the first. The next chapter shall not be one. It's back to the story until it's time to go travelling back through time.

Hope you liked the explanation of Naruto's powers so far.