For a few days Naruto watched over his clan and learned from his grandfather about the history of the family along with the prestigious knowledge of Fuinjutsu. He wasn't alone as Hotaru also gave a helping hand.
The more time he spent with them, the more he realized that something was afoot. They were trying to bond with him while making him distant from outsiders. It was clear that they didn't like people from the enemy ninja villages.
As such Naruto tried to slowly make them understand that everyone involved was already gone and only unrelated people were left. However, words weren't enough and only time would let them adjust into the new world. It was especially true because the clan had been isolated for too long.
Once a week had gone by, Naruto brought the leader of the Uzumaki clan along with his advisors to the Hokage Palace. It was time for the clan to reunite with its original ally and rebuild the bonds of the past. Before entering the room, Naruto looked at the sky above and felt the barrier he had put around the planet.
It had been further strengthened after his training with Hades and it made it very easy to find problems. However, he had been failed by techniques before and so he always double checked just to be sure that something wasn't slipping through his defenses. At all times there were 100 of clones around the globe, hidden from sight that were going through information collected by the barrier.
'Don't be paranoid, we have done enough. This constant itch will only increase your stress.' Kurama spoke as he walked inside the grassland of his soul realm.
Naruto gave a nod as he agreed with the sentiment but it wasn't easy to let go. The world was filled with darkness, more than he had ever expected.
Should I just turn off this feature? Naruto wondered as his mind questioned his need to know about the state of the world.
Shaking of the mental demons whispering to him of a life of ease, Naruto walked inside the room. He was the one blessed with power, and if his desire was peace then he had to work for it. Difficulties was the norm for his path, and giving up at the starting point would only mean that he was just a normal man who could only follow what others thought. He wanted to become someone that others followed, and for that he needed to keep his spirit roused.
The meeting was shorter than expected and the results were within the probable range of outcomes. Naruto watched his relatives leave while feeling a bit annoyed at witnessing a meeting filled with nothing, as the Uzumaki clan had only presented pleasantries. They had declined from sharing anything beyond basic Fuinjutsu skills and stepped back from any conflict unless the world was ending.
However, there was an exception. They would put the whole clan at their disposal if Naruto would become the Uzumaki clan heir.
It was a shock to everyone and Genryu left them to think about it.
"What are we going to do about them?" Naruto spoke as if his answer expected since he didn't even consider becoming the head of the Uzumaki. To him they were still outsiders since he had never been with them, and his goal was greater than just a single clan. He was to become the Hokage.
"For now, you just have to learn from them properly." Tsunade responded with a thoughtful expression as she weighed the costs and benefits. Right now, Naruto was far too valuable. She couldn't allow him to get chained by a clan, especially because of his personality. If he had been a manipulative chess player, she would have considered it.
Hearing Tsunade, Naruto wanted to think that she was underestimating the clan too much. However, he realized he was still thinking like a normal person.
'There is nothing equal to my existence in their eyes.' Naruto realized as he looked at all the people present. He saw absolute confidence in their eyes. He was honored, happy.
'Will this cause an issue?' There was doubt in his mind as he had never really lived a happy life. From time to time he would experience a tragedy. It was like the world was intent on testing him through extreme hardships.
'Don't worry, I will be there to help you along and I believe in you.' Kurama chimed in to vouch for his character, since many people had let the praise get to their heads and become prideful.
"We will keep close relations with them, but you should avoid spending too much time with them alone. We don't what kind of tricks they might have cooked up over the years. Is that understood?"
"I will keep a close eye on them." Naruto agreed with her sentiment since it did seem like they would take extreme actions when possible.
"Good, now let's hear what the other teams have brought back." Tsunade turned to Sai and allowed him to convey his report.
Hearing about the various artifacts, the shinobi were impressed and alarmed by what they had ignored for so long.
However, now that unknown threat had brought them an opportunity to improve. It also brought along new threats to their attention that would have been devastating if they had remained ignorant.
"What do you think of his claim?" Sai asked Naruto about Merlin's statement about Artoria being the King of the World.
Naruto was the only one that could tap into the flow of the world after the Great Sage Toad according to their knowledge, so his opinion mattered a lot and it showed how extremely rare such a claim was.
Tapping into the flow, Naruto tried to find his destiny connected to King Artoria. It wasn't hard to find her presence as she seemed to glow like a star. Her presence was bigger than he had expected and was far above anyone else. It meant her existence was very important to the world.
Merlin had not been boasting thoughtlessly. Naruto saw multiple paths of their connected destiny and one of them was his servitude towards Artoria as her Sword.
It made sense if she was the ideal ruler. However, there was also the path where he chose to deny her offer and killed her. It seemed unrealistic but in that path Artoria seemed to have forced his hand.
These were the strongest paths, but both of them didn't seem to have good endings. It seems that he was missing something.
'Guide me to the ultimate destination.' Naruto asked while fully utilizing his powers. He had yet to master the flow, but now he could find some clues as to what he should do for the best outcome. Though he took great care not to get lost in the flow of the world, as the desire of the world might not align with his desire or goals.
Ripping apart the secrets of the universe, Naruto found a short clue before the backlash almost consumed him.
To the others it only seemed like he stood silent for a second before reeling back in pain. Hinata and Ino caught him.
"Are you okay?"
"I am fine. As for the answer to the question, I also saw that path. He wasn't lying, but I will observe before making my decision." Naruto collected himself, giving the girls a smile before answering their query. He understood one thing, he needed to build a bond with Artoria.
She was an important part of humanities survival.
It was a shocking revelation to the group, that they took a moment to digest the words.
"Are you sure?" My lord went unspoken as Sai didn't wish to hurry with his desire. From the moment he had awakened as a human being, Sai had wished to repay the kindness. To him Naruto shone like the sun, filled with hope and light.
There was no one like his liege. Sai didn't like the image of Naruto serving another, he couldn't trust anyone with such power.
Ignorant of his friends inner feelings, Naruto gave a nod. "If she is the ideal leader, then isn't it for the best."
He couldn't see what was wrong with such a proposal. Except, for his peoples desire for him to transcend.
"I suppose you are right. If this King proves her worth, we might finally achieve our potential as a species." Tsunade agreed after a moment as she thought about all the useless leaders over the past decades that they had to serve.
It was agreed by all of the people gathered except for Sai. Seeing all of them agreeing, Sai didn't act up and watched silently. He believed that Naruto would walk the path of a ruler, it was his manifest destiny unless he wished for the world to burn in the chaos.
"It seems we have come to an agreement about their proposal, so we shall discuss the date of our meeting after we hear from Team Shino." Kakashi spoke as the advisor of the Hokage and turned to Shino, who stood silently.
"Thank you for letting me speak, Lord Hokage. I shall keep my report short and concise… My team was tasked with exploring Star City. There were rumors of genetic mutation among large number of populace because of a fallen star fragment. Our investigation led us to the source, and we have a confirmed the rumor as the truth.
The leader of the village uses the fragment to grant mutation or random bloodline abilities to his citizens. He chooses the people with the best abilities to become his close retainers.
The fragment also allowed the leader to transcend the limits of a normal human, as he has even surpassed my strength to an unknown degree.
Furthermore, he has retainers that have access to the Dark Dimension…. To answer the expected question, the leader of Star City let us go after negotiating with the Hokage." Shino's tone remained neutral showing no sadness or anger at his loss. He understood that it was the logical end, and even death was an expected result.
Naruto was shocked by his words as he had not expected failure to happen unless Ishiki was involved. He hadn't even sensed the presence of such a strong being.
'I should have known that Ishiki might not be the only one with such a skill.'
"Did he hurt you?" Naruto looked at Shino carefully to find any hidden injuries. He felt anger that someone hurt his friend, but it was something they had to endure as part of their job. Especially since they were in the wrong, as Shino had snooped into foreign territory without permission and more-so in the forbidden regions.
"He only knocked me out and didn't bother doing anything else. He seemed to have expected a fight and was satisfied with the results."
"The leader of Star city didn't ask for much, just an agreement that we will not send Naruto Uzumaki to his lands and The Lightning Blade of the Second Hokage." Kakashi informed them of the exchange which was a lot simpler than it could have been if not for Naruto's standing in the world.
"Do you think we will need to fight him?" Naruto asked as he was curious whether the man was for war or peace.
"Yes, he seemed very ambitious." Shino gave his opinion on the man and expected Naruto to see his destiny for confirmation.
From his answer it was easy to see that Apocalypse desired to conquer the lands outside the Great Shinobi Lands.
"Aren't you thinking too negatively? How can anyone think of war now?" Ino showed her disbelief at such an absurd idea as she pointed at Naruto with both hands for emphasis.
"I suppose they have something that can turn the tide of battle in their favor. Regardless, we need to keep such people in check. Naruto, if you see him act out of line then give him a nice beating. We will handle the rest." Shikamaru finally spoke up and he directed Naruto towards violence. He understood that there was a possibility that people had found out about Naruto's personality. To avoid that fact to cause his friend and the world some trouble, it was best to just beat them up instead of asking Naruto to eliminate the threats like they would have done normally.
Sai felt that it was disrespectful towards Naruto, as it seemed he was being treated like a pawn. However, he agreed that the world needed to understand their place and Naruto's show of power would be the best proof.
The constant turn events would also help shape his leader into the ruler of the world. It seems he wasn't the only one that saw beyond the seat of the Hokage for Naruto.
It should have been obvious that with his massive intelligence and insight, Shikamaru would see a realistic use of Naruto's powers.
With the reports conveyed, the group decided their next set of actions.
Finishing up with the meeting, Naruto decided to meet with his friends/subordinates. It was a weird feeling but such was the role of a leader.
Everyone seemed to be doing exceptionally well, except for Kiba. His loss during the mission and his perceived worth had taken a toll on his spirit. He seemed to be lost as all his hard work amounted to just being a regular shinobi in his eyes.
Naruto found Kiba in his were-form, he had combined with Akamaru to gain a boost in stats. It was the ultimate jutsu of the Inuzuka clan, and Kiba was one of the rare few that could do it.
However, the power equal to the Hokage before the war wasn't enough anymore.
Naruto found Kiba running alongside Akamaru with heavy weights on their body, even their chakra was being used to provide a burden to the body. It seems everyone was looking for a path towards the ultimate power to avoid becoming a burden.
Watching the duo rush through the woods of the new Forest of Death, Naruto saw the improvement his friend had achieved. However, the desperation and frustration was visible on his face.
"Naruto…." Kiba stopped and looked towards him, as Naruto hadn't tried to mask his presence and stood clearly on top of a tree.
Kiba seemed conflicted when he saw Naruto. The feeling of worthlessness was eating him from inside as he couldn't find a way to bridge the gap, and only saw himself becoming irrelevant over time. He wanted to find a path on his own, and relying on Naruto again after the last power up just made him want to off himself.
However, he wanted to help. Burying his feelings, Kiba seemed resolved and asked for help.
Naruto saw the conflict inside his heart, and allowed Kiba to sort out as he was unaware of what to say. The only thing he could do was to give him some time to think.
"Hey man, I guess you heard about what happened."
"Yeah, I was surprised that there were still people that could fight a Jinchuuriki. It really shows that we can do anything if we put our mind to it." Naruto replied as he floated down to the ground and stood in front of Kiba.
Kiba stared at the ground like he was very interested in the ants moving around as he listened to Naruto.
"Do you really think so? You know, I feel like as we go further along this road. The less I feel about myself. Naruto, am I just another….. nobody?" Kiba barely kept his composure as he shared his insecurities. To him life was all about being at the top, and now he couldn't help but see that he was just another faceless soldier in the army of mankind.
Kiba hadn't shared such thoughts with anyone else since they wouldn't understand him, and he was ashamed of sharing such weakness with family that could actually understand him.
People like Shikamaru and Shino were logical, and wouldn't care if they were at the top. However, he knew Naruto was like him.
"There are many paths that you can take, but all of them will put you on a level close to the average Shinobi." Naruto connected with the Universe and felt for Kiba's destiny. Brushing past the average futures, he searched for the true end.
The path that mattered. The path that was relevant to their current state of the world, not some alternative future.
"Except one path, focus on your roots and enhance them. Grow the path of the Inuzuka clan, and do not let your mind wander. Adapt everything to your way, instead of letting it warp your style… Hunt, Hunt, Hunt beasts of power and drink in their essence, it is your destiny." Naruto saw Kiba's shadow prowling and running, cutting through giant beasts filled with humongous life force. With each kill, it seems that his body grew in power.
The Kiba of the future seemed like a predator that gave off a dangerous aura that was incomparable.
Kiba hung on each word and saw Naruto looking beyond him, muttering in an eerie tone as if he was speaking from far away. Naruto took hold of his shoulders and stared into his eyes with eyes of gold.
Naruto let go as the world was reacting to his snooping and beings beyond could start noticing his presence.
In the darkness of the unknown, he noticed eyes of gold staring at him with amusement and he saw the unknown shadow mouth some words.
Why don't you follow your destiny? What a hypocrite.
Snapping out of the trance, Naruto felt fear and pain as he threw up blood as the millions of possibilities had contained too much information for his mortal self along with the actual resistance of the world. His brain had almost burst and his eyes were bleeding.
Kiba took hold of him as Naruto collapsed and laid him down so that his friend could recover. Seeing his state, Kiba had no idea what just happened and was worried.
"Naruto, what happened? Is it an enemy?" Kiba sounded urgent and almost contacted others for help when Naruto took hold his hand and shook his head.
"It's okay." Naruto muttered with difficulty as the damage was severe and not even his fast regeneration was helping as the world seemed to slow it down.
Everything came at a cost, and he was doing something that was not recommended for him. The future would always remain unknown as none could see the true path of the world, but with this ability Naruto was finding clues towards the true future to help accelerate the growth and avoid the costs that were too extreme.
'You will die before the fight even takes place if you continue being this reckless.' Kurama advised as he compared the damage Naruto had received from the previous trances. The damage was growing with the usage and some readings gave worse injuries.
'Yeah, I can see that.' Naruto snapped back sarcastically as the pain made him aggressive.
Calming down and healing a bit, Naruto talked with Kiba about his problem as his friend was still confused. For guidance Naruto also spoke with Hades, and the man told him the answer they were seeking.
Let him hunt and survive in the realm of hungry beasts. It was a dimension filled with beasts of all kinds that had power but didn't develop higher intelligence, instead increased in their predatory instincts.
"Are you sure about this?"
Kiba could feel the worry in Naruto's voice as the destination was extremely dangerous. There were even creatures stronger than Naruto in that world, so he could die within few days if he was unlucky.
"Yes, but don't worry. I won't hurry and jump into the pit of wild beasts without preparations. I will go after a few months and adapt what has been found, and what will be released within these days. I am not an idiot, okay.' Kiba assured him but Naruto still looked at him with doubt.
"Are you sure?"
"Dude, that was just rude. I have never done anything stupid…..Oh, okay I promise I won't jump into another world without your permission." Kiba was about to prove his control when he remembered that he had done a lot of stupid things during the war and even before it.
"It's a promise." Naruto laughed as he hugged Kiba and promised to keep him safe by sending a clone behind him. It wasn't perfect but it was something or the worry wouldn't allow him to let his people leave his sight.
Leaving aside Naruto, Hotaru Uzumaki the current host of the Phoenix was contemplating her choices. As the host of a primordial force representing the life force of the universe she certainly didn't have much to worry about, but at the moment one Naruto Uzumaki was a problem at her side.
Even though she was blessed with ultimate power and knowledge, her body had reached its limits and it wasn't enough. As the host, she had only received a small percent of the power and for further growth she needed to prove her worthiness.
The Phoenix always tested its host and if it found them unworthy, they would die. For each growth in power, the host had to complete a test and all of these tests were extremely difficult.
Her first test had come to her when she was only 10 years old and she was commanded to defeat one of the strongest summons of the Uzumaki clan. She had completed the task but ended up dying from the injuries.
However, she was revived since the task was complete. Her second task had been to defeat her father along with his elite squad. She had killed everyone of them except for her father, whom she begged the Phoenix to spare.
The force didn't understand nor care for such petty things. However, it granted her desire as she had passed the test.
That had been when she was 14 year old and now she was 18. Her new task was to leave the planet and search for a being called Piccolo from the Namekian Race. It was obvious there were more races beyond humanity, but she was certainly surprised to know that the Otsutsuki were not their only problem.
They might have to face the tyranny of Emperor Freeza or Darkseid. The future was unknown so who knew what would end humanity, but she would never allow such a thing to happen while she was alive.
No matter what she had to do, Hotaru's desire was to keep the world peaceful for the sake of her family. They meant everything to her, and for that she needed the world to follow her lead.
However, Naruto was being an annoyance towards that goal. It should have been easy to takeover the world once they were out, but he had to receive the artifacts of the Sage.
It would have been fine, if he was willing to takeover the world as he was a suitable person to work with. However, he wished to let everyone do their thing and not interfere.
"Haah, what a pickle?' Hotaru muttered with a sigh.
What is the ideal path? Should I just kill all of our enemies and make Naruto our enemy? That isn't an ideal ending. He is important for the survival of our world.
A way to keep him on our side.
Hotaru's thoughts led to her using Naruto's path of life against him. She chose Leader of Star City as her vessel of destruction that would lead Naruto to the real world, and snap him out of his delusions. Once Naruto understood that there was no other way, he would take over the world with the Uzumaki clan on his side. When she returned, it will all fall into her hand as no matter how much Naruto struggled it was all pointless in front of the primordial force.
"I am sorry for what you will have to face, but this is the only way." Hotaru spoke silently as she wished to voice her emotions. She didn't desire to torture Naruto, but the state of the world had forced them against each other.