Naruto found himself roaming The Great Desert. Walking over a sand dune the blonde hero just stopped and sat down. He watches as clouds roll over mountains in the far-off distance, his pack was beaten up, and he himself had a few sunburns. Desert fauna flew above him, birds of prey, seeking his meat if she should keel over and not get back up.

This empty void of dust and endless night left time to reflect. Perhaps he was reckless, and this was his punishment?

Stopping as he saw a small patch of savanna grass, Naruto licks his dried lips. They were chaffed, and he was slowly becoming dehydrated. Water release seemed like the easiest way out. Just create your own water, but that's not exactly how it works. You could, technically, create your own water. However, overall, you'll be finding that your wasting massive amounts of chakra to transform the energy into water. Then, to top it off, since you were already starving and dehydrated, you lowered your chakra pool and won't be recovering it as fast.

Its an example of balance. One must maintain a healthy body to keep chakra recovery and strength, if one was under an ailment, their entirety was weakened.

But, that one patch of grass meant that Naruto was coming to an end of his long desert journey. Sleepless nights because of Grimm, the entire week of traveling, alone. He almost broke down one night, Kurama wasn't there, no one was.

He thought he knew what it meant to be alone, but in truth, he was never truly all alone.

Resuming his walk forward Naruto found that winds had grown, faster and faster. Taking the map out of his pack, Naruto looked at it. The nearest town was Shajara, it was a border town, right at the foot of The Splitting Mountains.

Shajara was his mission, get there and rest up, push forward later into the wilderness. Taking a nutrient-rich candy bar of sorts, Naruto bit into it. He had packed plenty of food with him, the food that got destroyed by the Giant Sandworm Grimm was just some of it that he kept in specific scrolls.

Eating the bar quickly, Naruto began his walk at a faster pace. Closing his eyes, he felt that Nature Chakra was slowly increasing around him. That meant good things, and the best thing of all, water. Naruto took off at a full sprint, throwing caution to the wind as he followed the Nature Chakra.

He wasn't using chakra to speed up, he was using his stamina to keep up in pace with himself. That's when he found what he came for, coming to the stop at a tree. He was giddy, he was hardly able to contain himself as he started clawing at the sand with his hands.

Until he hit mud.

"Bingo!" Naruto screamed aloud.

The tree's natural water well, which was full, was muddy. However, with no choice, Naruto quickly dipped his head in and took slurps of the lukewarm water. Ignoring the bugs that fell into it, he just moaned in glee at the water washing into his system.

Finishing the gluttonous bout of hydration, Naruto pulled himself up from the hole he dug. Breathing hard, rolling to his side, Naruto just gave a laugh. His face was muddy now, his hands had clumps of mud on them. However, he didn't mind it, in fact, he reached and covered the sunburns with mud.

Wiping his arms with mud, Naruto made sure to coolest patches onto his skin. Leaning against the tree, Naruto closes his eyes and just found himself unable to stop laughing.

"Yeah, that's right, I'm still alive assholes!" Naruto yelled out in laughter.

He flicked off the desert in front of him, "your giant worms, and your frigging bipedal crocs can go kiss my blonde skinny ass!"

"Woo!" Naruto celebrates.

Getting up, filling his canteen, the former Jinchuuriki takes stock and just looked toward the mountains in the horizon.

Shajara was a small town, it was walled with stone, the town had some trees in it. Mostly surrounded by savannah grass, its tallest buildings were the guard towers at the very corners of the town. The blonde had changed his clothes when he got near the town, using a nearby river to bathe himself so he didn't look like some crazy person.

The river had a much better taste than the tree well's water did. Getting to the gates of the town, the guards stopped him.

"Hold there, traveler," the guard stopped Naruto. "State your business."

"Just passing through, looking for a warm bed and a hot shower, the desert was brutal. By the way guys, do you know what day it is?" Naruto inquires, seeing if he kept an accurate track of his days.

"It is May Fourth," the guard answered and looked at his partner with a nod. "You may enter, please do not cause any disturbances."

Getting into the gates Naruto saw that the structures were made of concrete. The town had a very rustic look, aged with scuff marks across the buildings. He found what he was looking for quickly, an inn. Walking toward it, Naruto saw some people giving him some looks. Perhaps they're sizing him up, maybe it had to do with the sunburns on his face and such.

Making his way toward the inn, Naruto saw the name of it, The Gentle Breeze.

Entering The Gentle Breeze, Naruto found that the smell of fresh made his mouth water. Walking over to the counter, the teen took a seat while shrugging his pack off. A bartender turned toward him, she had a smile on her face as walked over toward him.

She was obviously a few years his senior, "Hey there hon, how can I help you."

"Um," Naruto smelled the food in the air. "What's that I'm smelling?"

"Oh, that, that's our signature meat pie." Naruto's eyes lit up at her answer.

The blonde composes himself, "I would like a meat pie and a room for a couple of nights, please."

"Sure, thing hon," the woman watches him get his money out. "It'll be two hundred liens."

Smiling, the woman took the money, putting it into a register. The woman walks toward the back, Naruto could hear some talking before she comes out with a plate. The food steaming hot, Naruto's mouth was watering as he quickly reached over to the knife and began to carve away.

He didn't care how it looked, he quickly dug in. Tearing through the meat pie with no hope of missing a moment of it. Finishing his piece of meat pie, Naruto leaned back and patted his stomach, did he seriously feel full?

'Man, that was good, can't wait to tell…' Naruto sighed as he looked at down at the plate, no wonder he felt full, 'Kurama…'

"You alright there, sugar, need some more?" The bartender asked as she picked up his plate.

Naruto nods, "please, also…do you by chance have any alcohol?"

"Sure do," The Bartender laughed as she looked at him. "You Sixteen?"

"Yeah, I'm seventeen," Naruto answered.

"Okay then, what would you like?" The Bartender inquired as she walked over to the display cooler.

The blonde just sighed, "I just want a couple of beers, best you can think of miss…"

"Rothschild, Ivory Rothschild," the woman told him her name. "You?"

"Naruto Uzumaki," Naruto answered as he nodded his head as she handed him his beer. "Thank you."

The blonde's day went by quickly, he watched television, regarding recent events in Vacuo and Vale. How in Vale City there was apparently robberies happening at the docks there, and some douchebag named Roman Torchwick was just making life difficult.

There was also The White Fang being in the news. From what Naruto learned in Vacuo, each country had a different sect, and apparently, Vale's sect was rife with corruption. Slowly, he felt his buzz coming on, he finished his last beer. The teen just leaned back in the wooden chair before watching as the sun went down from outside the window.

Watching as the repeat of the same news report came on for the umpteenth time, Naruto got up. He stumbles past the bartender, a guy this time while grabbing his pack and key. Walking up the stairs, the blonde makes his way toward his door.

There, he walked into his room. Stripping off his clothing, the teen found his way into the bathroom. He saw that it was a standing shower, not too different than some of the hotels he had stayed in the elemental nations.

Turning the shower on, Naruto walked inside and allowed the hot water to wash over him. Slowly, he just leans against the back wall as the hot water washes over him. It started hitting him hard, now, it hurt. He felt his heart shatter as he slid down the wall, sobbing his clutched his face.

"Fuck," Naruto cursed as he shook his head. "Damn it!"

Crouched down, holding himself as the water washes over him. The drunk teen was looking at his reflection, he just leaned his head on the glass. He sobbed as his drunkenness took hold, slurring curses at himself and at anyone willing to listen.

The teen just trailed back to memories, memories of friends, and his first true family. The times he first learned a Jutsu, the time he thought of someone as more than just a friend. The first time even he made love to a girl, and how it affected him.

Naruto was lonely, he felt alone, he needed contact and needed connection. That was part of the reason he just did his thing with Rosa, he wasn't even sure in his drunken state of mind, looking back on it. Was he using her, or was she using him?

He didn't mind the sex, the sex was the best his limit experience had to offer, yet every time it was empty. That's probably why he wanted to leave Vacuo, no sooner than he got done with helping them out, it had everything to do with just wanting to be away.

Only for him to become lonely again, all so alone. Huddled under the hot water of the shower, Naruto just wanted to wake up. He wanted to wake up for the last six months, he just wanted to see Kurama's smug face.

He'd even settle on the black void again. Closing his eyes, he just silently rocked himself back and forth in the shower. He didn't feel like he was "Naruto" anymore, just a toy, all he was, was just a toy. He was a plaything, he hated that feeling, he squeezed his hands until it bled.

Shutting his eyes together even tighter, Naruto just focused on nothing, and soon…felt nothing.

Floating around a void, Naruto watches memories fall into place around him. All his friends, were they waiting for him, or had they moved on? Did Hinata go to have a happy life? Sasuke and Sakura, did they have a child or two, did Sasuke stay this time?

Was Konohamaru being groomed to be The Nanadaime Hokage? The teen twists, turning to the invisible punches that came with happy memories. This had to be a nightmare, he just wanted to wake up, he didn't want to be asleep anymore. Even if he woke up a Zetsu, he just wanted to wake up.

This eternal dream was nothing but an eternal nightmare. Breathing hard, he screamed as he fell into a deeper part of the void. Watching as his dreams started to fade, he was coming apart, he was literally coming apart at the seams.

No needle to piece him back together again! Humpty Dumpty had fallen off the wall one too many times and can never be put back together again!

"Naruto-san," Naruto's eyes widened at the voice. "Are you okay?"

Naruto's eyes widened as tears refracted the light from himself as they traveled up. Hagaromo floats right in front of him, facing him, eye to eye. The blonde just looked at the old Sage before sighing. The sigh reverberated across the dark void.

He answers The Sage of Six Paths, "no…"

"I don't know if you're just an illusion," Naruto gripped his head as he grimaced. "I'm losing my mind, I have trouble sleeping sometimes…I…I just want to know if they're okay, I can't…"

"Naruto-san," Hagaromo placed his hand on Naruto's head. "If you remember the vision you had, when you were in a coma, that was real."

"So," Naruto looked away as he scrunches his face up. "All I am is just some toy to someone, because I took out someone close to him or something?!"

Naruto's felt emotions running through him, "why me huh?! What did I ever do, I'm not a toy, I'm a person! I'm not a toy, I have friends and family!"

He whimpers as he looked upon the void around him, "you don't know what they want…do you?"

"I don't know," Hagaromo answered Naruto as he continued to float with the boy. "Now that I'm away from The Light God, I can speak freely however."

Naruto's eyes widened, "so, you…hid something?"

"For your safety," Hagaromo reassured the teen. "I do not trust them, I have no love for them, they are not kin to me."

The blonde took a deep breath, "so, if he can't hear us…he lied?"

"Yes," The Sage revealed as he floated with Naruto. "The truth is that they are Gods, but they aren't Omnipotent, Omnipresent, or Omniscient."

The blonde's eyes blinked, "Omni-what?"

"Ah," Hagaromo sighed as he rubbed his nose. "I forgotten that you aren't much on big words. All-powerful, everywhere and nowhere, and all-knowing. That's what Omni and its root words mean, from what I gathered they are what they say they are to an extent."

Naruto felt his body turn, landing on solid ground. The Sage of Six Paths lands in front of him, clapping his hands as the world shifted around him. They ended up in a void of blue, Naruto looked at the void, noting white orbs floating toward a golden light.

"Welcome to The Pure World," The Sage of Six Paths revealed to Naruto. "My domain."

"So," Naruto noted that no one else was near them. "By your domain…you mean, you are a God as well?"

"Correct," Hagaromo stopped him while he replied. "I am The God of The Cycle."

"The…Cycle?" Naruto questioned the older Sage.

Hagaromo laughs as he sat on the ground, "The Cycle of Life and Death. Those who pass must walk into the light and be judged for their misdeeds and goodness."

"It's like good and bad karma?" Naruto asks.

"Correct," Hagaromo chuckled, "and I don't even have to put into laymen terms."

Naruto suddenly remembered, "crap I was in the shower, what if someone thinks I passed out?"

"Don't worry, here, I effectively can speed up and slow down time…well…in your subconscious anyway." Hagaromo watches as a soul floats past him.

Naruto recognized the soul, "isn't that…Onoki?"

"It would seem The Sandaime Tsuchikage passed away, his soul is weighed heavy by the burdens of life he carried with him. I fear," The Sage of Six Paths lowered his head. "That those regrets will poison his reincarnation."

"So, wait a minute, time out. Everything and everyone have the same cycle as Indra and Ashura had?" Naruto was freaking out as he asked, "that's terrifyingly awesome…"

"Not exactly, most people die and get reincarnated as different people. Their souls are the same, they just wipe the slate clean. Souls like yours and Sasuke however have bond, that bond has transcended many incarnations. A brotherhood, oath, rivalry, brothers in arms, enemies, brothers, sisters, sisterhood and even lovers in one instance." Naruto blushed a little bit as Hagaromo explained it to him.

Hagaromo giggles a little bit, "and that was the most awkward time involving my children's reincarnation cycle."

Naruto's eyes widened a little bit, he retched slightly, "but wouldn't that be incest?"

"Not…so much, you see though the chakra would be passed along a distant relative, they aren't much cousins as one would be to a best friend at that point," Hagaromo explained to Naruto, putting him at ease.

"No kidding," Naruto nervously laughed while rubbing the back of his head.

The blonde watches as yellow souls floated in the sky, "so, I'm guessing those are people getting reborn?"

"No," Hagaromo shook his head, "new souls."

Naruto saw these lights float up and across a dark blue sky, "people being born for the first time?"

"Yes," Hagaromo confirmed as Naruto took a seat on the ground. "Yet, with these talks, your thoughts linger to Sasuke?"

Naruto nods, "do they think I'm dead?"

Hagaromo remained silent for a bit, sighing he finally answers Naruto's question, "yes."

"Hagaromo err…Senin-Jiji," Naruto watches the many spirits cascade away into the skies. "You were saying something about the others earlier, about The Light God…"

"Ah yes," Hagaromo turned to Naruto, "I suspect that he has you here for a reason. I don't know when he will come to you with a mission, but I will ask that you be wary. He hides many things, I can sense that much."

Naruto lowered his head, "why can't you just send me back?"

"I don't have that power," Hagaromo lamented as he lowered his head.

A small sigh escaped Naruto's lips as he looked up, "I don't know what to do…"

Hagaromo looked at Naruto, placing his hand on his shoulder. "Do as you must but do only what is needed."

Naruto nods as he sits down, "So, what happened with Sasuke…and Sakura?"

"They're in a relationship, Sasuke was pardoned, and is on the road to becoming The Nanadaime Hokage," Hagaromo answered Naruto, watching the blonde wince slightly.

Naruto took a deep breath before smiling, "I'm glad, really, I am."

"Kakashi Hatake visits your grave often," suddenly the landscape shifts to show Kakashi at Naruto's grave.

It was at the top of The Hokage Monument, Naruto's favorite spot in the village beside Ichiraku. He saw Kakashi sitting by his grave. Chuckling somewhat despite his saddened look as he read that little orange book of his. Something, even now, annoyed Naruto to no end.

Naruto walks forward, reaching out to Kakashi, only for his hand to pass right through him. Naruto frowned, watching as an insect took flight, only to watch it repeat its actions. This wasn't a real-time image, just something Hagaromo was showing him.

Hagaromo watches as Naruto took another deep breath, he then smiled as the blonde started to take control. Slowly, but surely, it came to where Sasuke was studying the massive number of books. Sakura was standing behind him, cooking him something to eat in an apartment that looked all too familiar.

"They," the blonde realized something, "they took my apartment?"

"They felt that it would be a shame if they didn't use it," Hagaromo told Naruto as he walked around the room. "He chuckled slightly as he saw the clean room, they're mourning you still."

Naruto clenched his eyes, tears spilled from them, "Sasuke-teme…Sakura-chan…"

The blonde then took notice of something, it was a bulge in Sasuke's pocket, a box shape. He stopped crying, then looked at his brother in arms. He had a smile on his face, a genuine smile, a contented one. Something that Sasuke rarely had, even as kids, he simply looked happy.

Sakura did as well, she was cooking…Miso?

"So," Naruto breathed in. "What advice can you give me?"

"Our time draws to a close, Naruto-san," Hagaromo watched as the void began to collapse. "This realm is open to you when you sleep or meditate, as for my advice…live.'

The void glows bright, blinding Naruto.

Naruto woke up in the shower, the water was still hot and steamy. The teen got up, watching as the steam rolls of his skin. His scar pained him a little bit as he thought of Sasuke, but slowly he brought himself up to his feet. Checking himself, Naruto just found that everything was normal, and took a deep breath.

"Holy crap," Naruto gasped a little as he clenched his head. "That was weird."

Finishing with his shower Naruto simply got out and dried off. He looked at his face, some stubble had been allowed to grow. Taking a deep breath Naruto just rubbed the stubble, he'd clean it up later if he felt like it. Walking into his room the hero of The Shinobi World took to putting on his undergarments and a pair of string shorts after unsealing them from a scroll.

The blonde slowly made his way over toward a remote control, turning on the small T.V in the room. Looking flipping through the channels he settled on a channel displaying something called Sci-Fi. Watching as a horribly mutated monster chased people in a train of sorts, somewhere deep underground.

"Biohazard Two?" Naruto mouthed out as he read the words, "huh, sounds interesting…and it has a marathon?"

Still feeling slightly buzzed Naruto just sat down on the floor, leaning on the bed for support and comfort as he began to watch the movie. A person screamed at another named Leone, while the person screaming was a girl named Claire.

"Leon, catch!" Claire shouted as she handed the man a magazine for his pistol.

The man caught it, ", Claire, we need to get this train disconnected!"

"I'm working on it, just kill the bastard, so we can get out of here with Sherry!" Claire yelled at Leon as they start working on their ends to beat the mutant.

Naruto hums a little as he watches it go down, "neat."

Naruto was doing crunches as the series went into the fifth movie. His muscles ached as he counted out his five hundredth crunch, he had started them since the fourth movie. He was bored out of his mind, nothing to do. He hadn't had anything left to think about either.

Nothing he could do would change the situation at large, he was stuck. So, finishing his set, he stops as sweat rolled down his body. Getting up from the floor, Naruto just climbs up into the bed. Laying his head on the twin bed, the pillow was very soft and offered him something better than couches or the inn beds at Vacuo City.

Rolling to his side, Naruto just stares at the wall. Taking a deep breath as he lulls himself to sleep.

Waking early in the morning the blonde decided to go for a walk. He walks through the dusty roads of Shajara, looking at the desert trees that the city apparently got its name for. The Shajara Tree, a tree that blooms in winter and dies in spring, the opposite of most trees.

Its flowers were on display in various shops, these desert flowers were rare, and acted as Vacuo's Alstroemeria. A flower that symbolized both patience and honor, a custom at Vacuoian Weddings. Walking over to a stand that was selling them, about thirty liens per flower, Naruto saw the little white flowers blowing in the breeze.

The man maintaining the stand looked at Naruto, "hey there youngster, are you looking for a flower for a significant other?"

"No," Naruto answered. "I'm just looking."

"Aye," the man sighed. "The Shajara Tree Flower is truly a beauty. Shajara is one of the few places that grow them regularly, they often get shipped via Bullheads toward Vale…but they lose such luster."

The man then laughed, "sorry, where are my manners, I'm Verde."

"I'm Naruto," Naruto greeted the man. "It's nice meeting you Verde."

"Likewise, young man," Verde then sighed. "You wouldn't happen to be on your way into Vale, would you?"

"Yeah," Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "That was going to be my next destination."

"There's a Giant Grimm by the name of Poseidon that rests it head in the mountains. I would stick along the coastlines, you may lose a few days in your journey, but you'll be able to get there in one piece." Verde told Naruto as the teen crossed his arms.

Naruto took a deep breath, "is there a reward for this Poseidon thing?"

"Are you a mercenary?" Verde inquired.

The blonde nods as he looked into the man's bright green eyes, "yes…what does this Poseidon Grimm look like?"

"It has the shape of a man, but it is large. Its skin is hardened by bone, it has one single eye at the top of its head. The beast has a trident made of bone, perhaps, it is intelligent enough to make it from the bones of another Grimm. Many that have survived the beast say that it can channel lightning through the trident, but…yet…I fear any mercenary before…and Huntsmen sent…have perished." Verde sighed as he looked at his flowers. "The beast has killed so many would be heroes."

"One of which was my brother," Verde admitted as he rubbed the back of his head. "idiot…was always looking for a good fight."

Naruto sighs, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to open old wounds."

"It's quite alright," Verde waved Naruto off. "It's been few a years anyhow."

"So," Naruto looked around. "What could I do to prove that I killed Poseidon?"

"The Beast's lair is in the very center of The Mountains, on an old trade road. If you kill it," Verde took a deep breath. "If I manage to kill it, you could take a caravan along the mountain pass. The Old Trade road leads directly to Vale City."

Naruto nods and then smiled, "guess I can't back out if it is to where I need to go…especially if it saves me time."

"Don't be foolish, kid, many of better women and men have tried, what makes you so sure you'd come out on top?" Verde questioned Naruto.

Naruto smirks, "I have my ways, just you wait and see."