And…here we are! Another chapter! Sorry if this might be more of a wholesome, sidetracked, chapter from the main story, but goddammit this story is about the wholesomeness, the sap, and the drama!

Now, someone pointed out how does Naruto not know who their biological father is. Well, I'll ask you this, how do you know if he knows or not? Hmmm? For all you know, he might know…or he may not! Hehehe. Well, let's just say that Naruto wasn't just messing around and sitting on the sidelines.

With that out of the way, enjoy!

His eyes slowly opened as he looked around him. All around him were the bodies of the dead. Shinobi from all nations lay dead in the desolate landscape. He looked around frantically, no, this can't be.

"This is just a dream…" He muttered to himself. Yes, just a dream. These people were long gone, his world was already dead because of his failures. He tried to wake up, trying to wake up from this nightmare.

"N-Naruto…why…" He heard a voice, he recognized that voice. He slowly turned around to find his old teammate…

"Sakura…" He whispered to himself as he stared into her lifeless, dead, eyes. She was dead, she had to be dead.

"W-Why Naruto…w-why did you leave us?" She questioned him as she took a step forward. Naruto's breath hitched as he saw the forms of his friends come into being. All of the dead.

"I-I'm sorry…" Naruto spoke, tears slowly started to roll down his cheeks as he gritted his teeth.

"You left us…you left us to die," Sakura spoke once more as she now appeared right before him, her hands wrapped around his neck, choking him.

"You left us…you broke your promise…" She spoke as her dead eyes looked at him. Was it a glare? Or was it just the dullness of them? Either way, they scared him and horrified him.

"I-I…" He tried to speak, trying to claw his way out of her cold grip. But it was futile, useless.

"Lier." She spoke as he began to close his eyes, tears streaming down his cheeks. He had abandoned them all, kept none of his promises, and failed at everything he had set out to achieve. And now they were dead while he lived. He closed his eyes and accepted his fate.

"Naruto…" He heard another voice in the distance, it was muffled but he could hear it.

"Naruto…" It grew closer, louder. Who was this? Who was calling out to him?

"Naruto!" His eyes snapped back open as he looked up, the face of his wife, Ai, looking down at him in worry.

"Ai…" He spoke, his voice but a whisper, cracking at the seams. Ai's worry grew even more. To her, he was a strong, confident man, her pillar of strength. But right now, at this moment? He looked broken, tired, and afraid, and she knew why. After all, there was little she didn't know about the man she loved.

"It's ok, love. I'm right here." She gently spoke as she wrapped her around him, comforting him at his lowest moment. He sobbed in her embrace as he recalled the nightmare. Ai felt her heart break as she listened to his sobs. She tightened her hug as she let him grieve.

"I know that the pain you must feel must be unimaginable…but we are here for you, I am here for you…" Ai tenderly whispered to him as his sobs turned into whimpers.

"I…I'm sorry Ai…" He spoke through it, but she shook her head.

"Shhh, it's ok, everything will be ok." She whispered back to him with a loving smile. She hated this, hate how useless she was right now, hate how she couldn't help her love any more than now. Ai remembers when her husband told her when did he arrived in this world, it was his birthday: October 10th, but in that same day... he has lost everything.

A few minutes later:

Uzumaki Family are currently having a breakfast, but the head of the house was missing. At the time like this, no one knew where he was. Not even their mother knew, but she didn't appear to be bothered by his disappearance, worried yes, but not bothered.

"Kaa-sama, I was wondering why Father never celebrates his birthday." Minato spoke up, the question that was on all the children's minds. Now that they knew more about their father's origin, they wanted to know more. Questions that still needed answering and one of which was one that they had asked almost every year, but their mother refused to answer.

"I suppose I can let you know." Ai responded with a sigh. They now knew where Naruto was from, she supposed it would be ok to tell them how exactly he got here other than the very short reason they had initially given.

"You all remember how your father got here, correct?" She started as she looked around the table, and they all nodded.

"Papa said he was fighting an enemy that sent him here," Ruby answered but blinked at that. Now that she thought about it, that wasn't much of an answer. Ai nodded at her before she spoke.

"What your father didn't tell you is that he was fighting in a war, a world war." Ai started. Now that caught all of their attention.

"In his world, Shinobi used Chakra for than just simply missions, they used it to wage wars against each other. These wars were brutal in nature. Your grandfather managed to route an army of a thousand Shinobi on his own." Ai pointed out as they all looked at her in shock.

"B-But how?" Aqua stuttered out. He couldn't recall in history how one man could accomplish such a feat. Ai giggled at his confusion. It was very hard to catch Aqua off guard but when he was, he looked adorable, well, at least to her.

"Your grandfather was very well-versed in the art of seals. One of his creations that he improved upon was the Flying Thunder God. He had seals written on his specialized kunai that allowed him to teleport to the said kunai. It earned him the nickname of the Yellow Flash because that was what anyone say before he teleported." Ai recalled Naruto telling her the specifics and the tales of his father. She looked at her youngest, Minato, as he fidgeted in his chair.

"Kaa-sama, can Father teach me about seals?" He asked his mother shyly to which she smiled at him.

"Of course. You know that your father will never deny your request." She offered kindly to which he nodded.

"Back to the story, your father was fighting in a war, a war for the survival of his home, of his world. A great many people died during this war and in the end, your father had to face the one enemy he did not want you to face, his best friend." Ai continued as her children listened to her intently.

"His name was Sasuke Uchiha. He was your father's best friend…" Ai trailed off as she recalled the stories Naruto had told her. She had concluded that she hated that man. He had caused nothing but pain for her love.

"Was?" Aqua questioned with a raised eyebrow. Did he die? Ai nodded her head.

"He was also a Shinobi of the same village as your father, but he betrayed the village in a quest for power so that he could kill his older brother." She answered causing their eyes to widen at that. Why would anyone want to do that?

"But…why? Why would anyone want to kill their sibling?" Ruby questioned in shock. She couldn't even think of wanting to be one of her siblings. What would drive someone to such madness?

"Because his older brother had massacred their entire clan in a single night. From their parents, down to the last child." She answered with a straight face. That drew a horrified look from them all and it reminded Ai of just how violent Naruto's world was at times.

"Why would anyone do such a thing…" Sapphire muttered. Why would anyone murder their own family like that? Ai let out a sigh as she leaned back into her chair.

"Because Sasuke's older brother, Itachi, was a loyal Shinobi of the Leaf. His loyalty was first to the village and then to his family. And when he learned that his family was planning a coup, a civil war, to seize power within the village, he couldn't stand by and watch." She spoke with some sympathy for a man she had never even met before.

"He chose to massacre his clan, his own family, to prevent a civil war that would have taken more lives." Aqua reasoned to which Ai nodded.

"Yes, but he spared his little brother. On that night, Itachi drove his blade through his parents, and his little brother was witness to that massacre. He vowed revenge and to get that revenge he needed power. Your father and he fought when he first defected. Your father was sent on a retrieval team to bring him back." She continued as she balled her hands into fists, a rare look of anger overtook her face.

"Your father…made a promise to his teammate that he'd bring Sasuke back home, alive." She gritted through her teeth. It was that promise of his that left him that horrible scar on his chest and the one that would claim his right arm.

"The two fought, but your father was defeated. His best friend had betrayed the village, his friends, and everything they stood for. This was the man whom your father was fighting at the end of the war. They fought after defeating a common foe and in his final moments as he bled out, Sasuke Uchiha sent your father to this world." Ai finished telling the tale, leaving them all quite surprised and horrified at it. They never expected their father's world to be so violent.

"But Mama, what does all of that have to do with Father not wanting to celebrate his birthday?" Sapphire asked her the question that started the whole conversation. Ai smiled sadly at her.

"Because the day your father was sent to this world, it was his birthday." She answered. Naruto had told her that his birthday was a day that he didn't like celebrating because it was the day he failed, the day he failed to uphold his promises and the day his world died.

"Your father might be the strongest man in this world, but he is still human in the end. All of his friends…are dead and he feels tremendous guilt for that." She explained further before she stood up and smiled at her children.

"I'll go find your father. You all be good at school now." She excused herself as she left the kitchen to find her husband. This wasn't the first time he had been like this and despite her best efforts; this would not be the last. As their mother left, the children were left to their thoughts before Ruby shot up all of a sudden, a determined look on her face.

"We should get Papa a birthday present!" She spoke as her siblings nodded at that. Their father's birthday already passed, but they just couldn't ignore it! Now that they knew why, they had to celebrate it.

"But Papa's not in the mood." Sapphire pointed out with a sigh. She had never known her father to be weak, guess there was so much more she needed to learn.

"And we don't even know what he would want." Aqua added. Try as they all might, there wasn't a thing in this world that their father couldn't get his hands on. Minato crossed his arms and began to think.

"Come on guys! There has to be something!" Ruby shouted in frustration. Their father has always been there for them. It was time that they be there for him!

"Oto-sama loves Ramen, why don't we him his favorite one?" Minato offered up the idea. If they were to rank their fathers' favorite things, ramen would be right below his family. Naturally Sapphire was onboard the idea in a heartbeat.

"Yes! Let's do that!" She declared her support with a bit of droll coming out of her mouth. Ruby and Aqua gave her a blank look at that.

"The ramen will be for Papa, Sap-chan." Ruby stated causing her sister to pout. She knew that! Aqua sighed as he looked at all of them before looking around the kitchen.

"And do any of you even know how to cook his favorite ramen?" Aqua questioned as everyone shook their heads, not one of them knew how to cook. He messaged his forehead and released a deep breath.

"All right, this is what we will do. Ruby, Minato, and I will buy all the ingredients for the ramen after school. Sapphire, you'll have to distract him with your training until we are ready." Aqua laid out the plan as his siblings paid close attention.

"I hope the ramen turns out ok." Aqua thought to himself. Since none of them knew how to cook, they'd have to learn as they go and the last thing he wanted to do was to give the man he called father food poisoning.

With Naruto:

Naruto sighed as he sat in the little garden he created years ago. Over the years it had grown and he'd added a small pond as well with koi fish. He found it to be a peaceful place to be on this day.

"I'm sorry…" Naruto muttered to himself as his thoughts went back to the war, his friends, and his dreams. Everything had gone so wrong and he felt like such a failure. As he stared at the koi fish swimming about in the water, he found himself hugged by his wife from behind.

"Are you ok, my love?" Ai whispered as she nuzzled her face into his. He closed his eyes and leaned into her hug.

"I'd be lying if I said I was." He answered. He couldn't deny her, he couldn't push her away. She was his love, the mother of his children. The only person whole truly understood him and accepted him for who he was.

"You know it wasn't your fault." She spoke to which he shook his head.

"But it was. I was weak, not strong enough. If I had just…" Naruto stared but trailed off. If he had just killed Sasuke, if he had just stopped Jiraiya, he had just done things differently…

"Tell me, Naruto-kun, would you leave this world behind if you found a way home?" Ai questioned him. Naruto mulled over that.

"I…I don't know…" He answered, unsure if he even wanted to go home now.

"If you did, what about me? Aqua, Ruby, Sapphire, and Minato? What about your family here?" She questioned him as she hugged him tightly as if he would vanish. The thought of him leaving was…too great for her to handle.

"I could never leave you or our children." Naruto quickly responded as he turned around to face her but felt his throat go dry when he saw small tears going down her cheeks, the hurt look in her eyes. He cursed himself, his earlier answer of uncertainty meant that he was on the fence.

"Naruto-kun, the day you saved me is a day I consider a turning point in my life. I didn't know it then, but I found the man I would fall in love with. You showed me my feelings and emotions. You showed me that I did know what it was like to love." She spoke as Naruto brought his only hand and set up on her cheek, wiping away some of her tears.

"A-And if you weren't there…I would be dead…" She spoke but was stopped when Naruto kissed her lovingly before he pulled back.

"Don't…don't say that. I cannot imagine a world in which you are not amongst the living, with me, with our children. I…I'm sorry, Ai-Chan. I made you cry...I'm such a scum." Naruto finished with a sad chuckle. Ai's eyes widened before she lightly slapped him, taking him by surprise.

"Naruto Uzumaki, you are not a scum! You are a kind, loving, and wonderful man! Don't ever think of yourself like that!" She chastised him causing him to straighten up at that. Ai was not the angry type. While Naruto was hotheaded, she was the calm one, but her anger was very much a real thing.

"I…I'm sorry." He apologized for what seemed like the hundredth time, which was now beginning to annoy her.

"Stop apologizing. You have nothing to apologize for. I know you feel guilty, but you cannot let the past hold you down forever." She said, as she leaned in and set her forehead to his.

"No, Ai, I'm…I'm sorry. Every year on this day I make you worry for no reason. You are a wonderful woman, a great mother, and an even greater wife. I don't know what I did to deserve you or this life." He whispered, but even if she couldn't hear him, his eyes told her everything.

"And I'd worry for you for this entire life, and then the next and the next and over and over again. I never believed in fate or any of that stuff, but I know for a fact that you, Naruto-kun, are my soulmate. Don't ever forget that." She spoke firmly, her declaration of love to him. Naruto smiled at that. Truly he wondered what he did to be with a woman like Ai.

Later that night:

Naruto sighed as he watched his youngest daughter train in her Chakra control. She had decent control over tree walking, she could easily cut a leaf in half, and she was progressing very nicely with controlling her Chakra. He wanted to train her more, train her faster, but he had to hold himself back.

"This isn't back home. She's not a Shinobi." He thought as he reminded himself of that fact. He relaxed at that thought. She wasn't going to go and fight out Shinobi. She was training to control her Chakra.

"All right Hime, that's enough for the day," Naruto called out as she stopped letting Chakra control exercises, but pouted instead as she crossed her arms.

"But Papa! I can't get the golden chains to summon! Can you please teach me how?!" She begged him as he smiled sheepishly at her. He didn't have any experience with these chains.

"Hmm, well, try to imagine the golden chains, their form, shape, length, weight, etc. Then try to mold them with your Chakra." Naruto offered his advice on how to bring forth the golden chains. He himself never inherited them, so he didn't really know how to.

"Got it," Sapphire said as she closed her eyes and focused, trying to imagine those chains she summoned by accident. She frowned as sweat began to form on her forehead. Naruto smiled at his daughter's attempts.

"It's ok, Hime. Bloodline abilities tend to manifest on their own and over time you will be able to control them. It will be like second nature, as easy as breathing for you." Naruto advised as she sighed and sat back down.

"But Papa! I'm not advancing nearly as much as I would like!" Sapphire moaned, causing Naruto to chuckle.

"Hime, why are you trying so hard? You're already well on your way to learning how to control your Chakra better," Naruto questioned with a raised eyebrow. He knew her dream, but she was trying so hard.

"B-Because, Papa, I want to protect you!" She answered with a blush on her face from the embarrassment. Naruto blinked at that. Protect him?

"Hime, come here." Naruto tapped the spot next to him. She walked over and sat down as the two now stared out into the yard, at the garden.

"Hime, you know you don't have to protect me, you know that, right?" Naruto questioned but she shook her head.

"Papa, I know that you are a super strong ninja! But…you are still human. So, I will protect you!" She shot back, taking him by surprise. All his life he had been the one trying to protect others, his friends, his village, and the Shinobi world. He smiled slightly as he ruffled her hair.

"You're just like your mother and grandmother." Naruto commented as she pouted and tried to swat his hand away.

"Papa! I'm not a baby anymore!" She complained but Naruto's chuckles evolved into laughter.

"Oh? Shall I stop calling you Hime then?" Naruto questioned her. Her eyes widened at that and shook her head.

"N-No!" She shouted in protest. Naruto's laughter grew at that before it slowly died down.

"Hime, you will always be my little baby girl, no matter what. I'm sure your mother feels the same way." Naruto said. Yes, no matter how old she gets, she will always be a baby to him.

"Sap-chan, Naruto-kun, dinners ready!" Ai called out to them, drawing the attention of the two. Naruto stood up and he began to head to the kitchen with his daughter in tow.

"Hmm, I wonder what your mother cooked up today." Naruto wondered as he stepped into the kitchen, only to find the lights turned off.

"Huh? What the..."

"Surprise!" Naruto started but was taken by surprise as he saw his entire family gathered together in the kitchen. All around the kitchen were birthday decorations, food, and…ramen. He looked at them in surprise, but he noticed how his children were all covered in some matter of cooking material.

"They did all of this…for me…" Naruto thought. The only other time anyone else celebrated his birthday was after the village was destroyed by Pain. This…this was his family. He had never wanted to celebrate his birthday, he didn't like to, but this…

"Are you ok, dear?" He heard Ai question him as she walked up to him. Naruto turned to her as she raised her hands and wiped away his tears. He hadn't even realized he was crying.

"It's your birthday, rather late one, but your children were very adamant about celebrating it." She said as Naruto looked at his children, all of his children. Minato was always standing there, polite as ever. Aqua seemed uninterested, but he could tell the boy was smiling. Ruby, joined by Sapphire was grinning ear to ear. He had no words that could describe what he was feeling, but all he knew was that he was happy, happy to be with his family. The family he had always wanted.

"Thank you…all of you." He smiled. He wouldn't trade this with anything in the world.

And that's a warp! With this, Naruto celebrated his first real birthday (late one, but regardless) with his family! I wanted to explore more about the war and how it plays on Naruto's mentality. He pretty much has what you would call PTSD from failing in the war. For not saving his world, his friends, etc. No way he would be mentally sound after going through all that and like Ai said, he's only human. Leave a review with your thoughts! With that I'll see you all next chapter! Bye!

Chapter edited: 6/9/2023.