"Ugh, that fucking hurt."
Naruto Uzumaki was lying on his back, feeling weak from his battle with Sasuke at the Valley of the End.
Sasuke...SASUKE!
Feeling some of his strength returning, he struggled to get up, blinking blinding stars out of his eyes. Groaning, he eventually got onto his feet, before looking around.
"...Okay, where the hell am I?"
It didn't take long for Naruto to realize that he was not at the Valley of the End. Where there should've been an abundance of trees and freshwater, there was nothing at all.
At first he thought he ended up in Suna, but he quickly remembered that the sand and dirt there wasn't orange.
"Hello?" he cautiously shouted out, hearing nothing but the dry wind and his dying echo. Clearing his dry throat, he tried again, only to hear nothing in response.
"...Okay seriously, where the hell am I?!"
He winced, grabbing onto his chest in pain as his lungs weren't strong enough to let out a shout like that.
Wait a minute, his chest!
His fingers fumbling, he quickly opened up his orange jumpsuit, which was pointless, considering how damaged it was. He checked his chest for two large holes, only to find that they had healed up quite nicely.
Granted, he still felt like shit, but at least he wasn't dying.
Despite the warm temperature, he shivered, suddenly feeling very exposed. He decided to finally start walking around, hoping to get help and maybe some directions.
…
"...Well that's not spooky, dattebayo," Naruto commented. After some wandering around, and after running away from dangerous looking creatures, he found what looked to be an ancient temple of some sorts.
The said temple had a lot of dead bodies around it, turned to stone by time, and with large statues looming over him. Their faces were faded from time, but he could still read their somber expressions, eternally etched onto their faces until the end of time.
"...!" Naruto swung around, his kunai already out in his hand. His breathing quickened, and his heart was racing.
...Nothing. Nothing was around him. So why did he hear some whispers?
His teeth chattering, he shivered as he finally lowered his arm. Looking around him one last time, he took a deep breath, before he stepped into the ruined temple.
…
The temple was cold, dark, and spine-chilling.
The whispers seemed to have grown louder, nearly driving the young boy insane, and the air seemed to drop at least 20 degrees, making him shiver and rub his arms to try to feel warm and safe.
He spotted some buttons on a control panel, and while even he understood the foolishness of doing this, he began pushing random buttons in hopes of something happening. For better or worse, though, nothing did.
Great, the blond boy thought, No power.
After fiddling with the dead control panel for a while, he gave up with a huff, and looked around for anything useful to him.
Left~
What the fuck?! Naruto spun around again with a kunai in his hands, his nerves shot to hell as he looked around for the source of the whisper.
Go left~
"...Holy shit, I think I've gone nuts, dattebayo," Naruto muttered. Now that he was in the temple, the whispers grew louder and more coherent - and thus, more ominous and spine chilling. He knew it couldn't have been the Kyuubi, since even the Kyuubi didn't sound that sinister. Just grumpy.
Still, he found himself walking down the left hallway. Even though every fiber of his being warned him not to, and even as the temperature seemed to be falling even lower, he kept on going. After all, he had nowhere else to go, and he didn't know where else to go, so at the moment, he had no choice but to listen to the whispers.
…
Oddly enough, the whispers began to grow more comforting as time went by. Perhaps it was because it made him feel less alone, or perhaps it was because it was starting to sound a lot less sinister, but either way, he went from being creeped out to just being a little skeptical.
Nonetheless, he pushed forwards, allowing the whispers to be his guide as he wandered through the cold, metal labyrinth.
Stop.
Naruto swore as he nearly ran face-first into a stone wall. Muttering some curses at the voices, he looked up and raised an eyebrow at the fact that the voices had just led him into a random wall.
"...Okay, so why am I here, creepy voices?" Naruto asked out loud. Surprisingly or unsurprisingly, he got no response, and he began tapping his foot in impatience.
"..."
"..."
"...OH C'MON!" he roared, before he kicked the wall. He swore out loud as he began to hop around, holding his throbbing foot.
Focus.
"Huh?" Forgetting about his toe for a moment, he looked around for the voice.
Focus, young one. Focus with your anger, your determination, your hunger, and search for your guide.
"...Ooohkay?" Naruto breathed out, before he sat down. Feeling very stupid, he closed his eyes and began to meditate.
Despite Naruto being the hyperactive idiot everyone knows him as, he does pick up a few things here and there, and one of the few things he did pick up from Jiraiya was meditation. Granted, it did take him a while to get used to it, but once he got the hang of it, he found it to be a delightful way to calm his mind.
However, meditation was ordinarily used to ease your emotions, not feed into it. Naruto honestly didn't even know how to do it, so he decided to try to channel in his emotions.
At first, nothing happened...mostly because he didn't know what he was doing. It was only when he was about to scream in anger that he finally got it.
Taking a deep breath, he began to focus on his memories.
"That's him - the demon boy."
"Shh! You'll get arrested if they hear you."
"Hokage? He has the nerve to say he wants to be Hokage after he-"
"Why would I ever want to date a loser like you, baka?!"
His fists began to clench as his breathing began to quicken. His teeth were grinding together as those dark memories began to resurface.
Every time those damned civilians looked at him with those eyes. Every time the people around him made him feel worthless. So insignificant. So...weak.
"Did you hear? He failed the academy twice already! Serves it right, though, if you ask me."
"Hmp, you're not worth my attention, dobe."
"Can't do a simple clone jutsu. And he wants to be Hokage? Pathetic."
His emotions, his anger, his frustration, his hatred, they all began to boil inside of him, deep within his core, and suddenly, he felt a boost of power surging through his body and his mind. All of a sudden, the air began to feel hotter, and the mind became sharper, more hyper focused.
His eyes were closed, but he began to see his surroundings. And more importantly, he finally began to see what the voices wanted him to see.
Before he knew it, he was on his feet. His eyes still closed, his right hand was outstretched as he touched the cold wall in front of him.
A red glow made him open his eyes, and to his amazement, the walls were glowing red. No, that's not right, the walls had text on them that he couldn't see before. It was in a language he was not familiar with, but nonetheless, he knew that he figured it out.
The glowing text dimmed out, before the wall began to transform, its stone parts breaking away from each other as a small hole was opened.
Inside of it, was a small, glass pyramid, which began to glow ominous red. Without hesitation, he seized the forbidden fruit.
"Greetings, acolyte," Much to Naruto's surprise, the pyramid in his hand began talking the minute he channeled his emotions into it. In doing so, the tips of the pyramid began to move and float away from the glowing red pyramid, the tips turning a little in an angle before it began to speak to him. "If you are able to open this, I assume that you are here to learn the ways of the Force, yes?"
Naruto's brain froze, unsure how to respond to all of this. A million questions began racing through his mind. Who was the man speaking on this pyramid? What did he mean by "the dark arts of the force"? Did that mean that he was evil? Should he throw this thing away? Or could this thing help hi-
"Well?" It was just one word, but it forced Naruto to nod, before he remembered that he was speaking to a recording. But before he could say a word, the glass pyramid in his hands seemed to be satisfied with his silent answer.
"Welcome, Naruto Uzumaki. What is it you wish to learn about the mystical arts of the Force?"
Naruto let out a gulp, before he opened his mouth.
"What...What is the Force?"
…
Naruto forgot all about his pain, hunger, and thirst as he drank in the knowledge this strange device gave him. It told him everything about the Force, the Light and the Dark, and how both worked. A part of him wondered why it would even tell him about the Light, since it seemed rather positively biased for the Dark Side, and it simply replied that to defeat your enemy, you must understand them, and even learn what they learn so that you could use it against them. Naruto couldn't really argue against that, since dirty tactics weren't exactly something new for a shinobi.
It did get him thinking about which side he wanted to be on, though. From what this...holocron, if he remembered correctly, was saying, there were essentially two sides of the Force, the Light and the Dark, and from what this thing was talking about, he wasn't sure if he was satisfied with one or the other.
"So, my young acolyte, which side of the Force would you like to learn?"
Naruto stared at the glowing red holocron for a while, thinking.
Hmm, so from what I'm hearing, the Dark Side is pretty risky to use...but it does come with a lot of useful powers. On the other hand, the Light Side is pretty weak in general, and not to mention that the Republic's Jedi seem to be doing a shitty job on taking care of the galaxy.
It was then that a thought occurred to him.
"Darth Revan-sensei, can I learn both?"
If the legacy of the masked Sith still had a face, it would've raised an eyebrow.
"Y-You told me that it's best to learn everything you can, especially about the enemy. From what you've been telling me, it sounds like both the Jedi and the Sith aren't the best people to rule the galaxy, so in a way, they're both my enemies. Besides, the Sith would definitely want to use me because of Kyuubi, and I don't even know what the Jedi's going to do to me. On top of that, they don't even have real power anymore, since they gave it up to the Republic, and now the galaxy's not in its best shape right now. S-So can I learn both?"
The holocron remained silent for a moment. Then, it let out a chuckle.
"Good, very good, my acolyte. It appears that I have taught you something after all. Yes, I will teach you both sides of the Force. However, the trials will not be easy, and you must be willing to sacrifice everything to obtain power, including what you've been taught as right and wrong. Is that understood?"
For a moment, Naruto hesitated. Darth Revan sounded pretty serious about the last part, and a part of him wasn't sure if he could go through with it.
But what about all the wars your ancestors faced? the Dark part of his mind whispered. Your parents didn't exactly have clean hands, you know? And the people you trusted? Kakashi-sensei? Jiji? They did some bad things too in the name of the greater good. If you can't do it, what does that make you?
This made Naruto clench his fists.
Besides, I think you of all people deserve this. Deserve a chance to become something greater. Deserve the knowledge you've been denied...like your parents.
Blinking, Naruto then realized that it was the Kyuubi that was talking to him. He opened his mouth to tell him to shut up- and then he closed them.
M-My parents?
The Kyuubi grinned.
…
Naruto stumbled onto the cold, metal floor, the holocron slipping out of his fingers, where it gently landed on a pile of sand.
"S-So you're telling me that my parents weren't nobodies?" Naruto stammered, tears welling up in his eyes. "And on top of that, the Fourth fucking Hokage was my father?!"
Yep. Life sure has a way of kicking you in the teeth, huh? the Kyuubi sneered.
"B-But if my parents were heroes, then why-?"
"Because people are foolish," Darth Revan's holocron chimed in, sounding a little annoyed at being dropped. "It's obvious that this...Third Hokage did not trust you with precious memories of your parents, thinking you were so much of a fool that you would be targeted simply because you would show off your father's name to your enemies like how a bird would do so. But tell me, if that was the real danger, then why wouldn't he teach you personally on how to become stronger? Surely in a civilization where one man's word is law, he could easily make some time for you, could he not?"
"He...I…" Naruto's words failed him as his brain failed to find ways to excuse his old man.
"The answer's simple, is it not? The old fool didn't trust you with power, because in the end, he was just as foolish as the others, fearing the things he doesn't understand. Besides, perhaps he enjoyed watching you struggle since from what the Kyuubi's told me, his wife was slain during his rampage."
"Y-You can talk to him?"
"Of course I can, my young acolyte. He's rather fascinating if I must say so, being made of pure, raw dark energy, and yet being more functional than an average human. In the few moments where you had time to process your emotions, I had a very long, pleasant chat with this fine being."
"C-Can you tell me more?"
"I'll do you better, Acolyte Uzumaki; I'll show you."
It could've been just him, but he thought he felt the holocron "twitch" towards his direction, prompting Naruto to press the holocron against his head.
Before he had time to figure out whether that was such a good idea, he suddenly began to see visions. Visions of the Third Great Shinobi War. Visions of famine, death, hatred...and yet, love.
His parents' memories, from when they first met to when his father saved his mother. His mother, who grieved the loss of her clan, especially after Konoha did nothing to save them. His mother, whose heart full of hatred was cured by her father's unconditional love for her.
Then, tragedy fell upon them. A masked man attacked them, taking him hostage before taking his mother away to free the Kyuubi. How joyful the Kyuubi felt to finally be free after years of painful imprisonment, only to become the masked man's slave through his mystical eyes of the Sharingan. How the Kyuubi- no, Kurama? How Kurama was forced to attack Konoha. How his father managed to beat the masked man, but he still had to deal with the rampaging bijuu. How his parents gave their lives for him so that he could live.
"That's him - the demon boy."
"Shh! You'll get arrested if they hear you."
"Hokage? He has the nerve to say he wants to be Hokage after he-"
"Why would I ever want to date a loser like you, baka?!"
"Stop," Naruto whimpered, shutting his eyes tightly as he held his head. The holocron clattered onto the floor, but the visions continued.
"Did you hear? He failed the academy twice already! Serves it right, though, if you ask me."
"Hmph, you're not worth my attention, dobe."
"Can't do a simple clone jutsu. And he wants to be Hokage? Pathetic."
"Stop!" Naruto yelled, tears pooling down his eyes. His nails began to grow as he unconsciously drew in the Kyuubi's power, drawing blood as he dug into his dry scalp.
"Naruto?"
Suddenly, he began to see shadowy figures looming above him. Shaking, he slowly looked up and saw two people in front of him. One of them was a blond, blue eyed man who looked a lot like him. The other was a beautiful, red-haired woman. Both were bleeding, and both were on the verge of death, with a giant hole in their stomach.
"Naruto...don't be picky about your food." his mother whispered to him lovingly. "Eat lots so you can grow big and strong, okay?"
"And don't stay up late at night, you'll need your sleep. Make friends. I'm not the one to talk, but do your best in school and ninjutsu."
"M-Mom?" Naruto croaked, his lips trembling as he struggled to hold back tears.
"I love you," his mother began to cry as she coughed up blood.
"I love you too, my son," Minato Namikaze managed to say. "I'm sorry for putting such a burden on your shoulders."
"Please," the two of them said in unison. "Please work hard to stop this cycle of hatred and suffering."
Before Naruto could ask them anything - to beg them to stay a little longer - they faded away, quickly being replaced by the villagers. Naruto recognized one of them to be Mizuki, the silver-haired traitor who tried to kill him.
"That's him - the demon boy."
"Shh! You'll get arrested if they hear you."
"Hokage? He has the nerve to say he wants to be Hokage after he killed our beloved Hokage?"
"I'm not- I'm not-" Naruto tried to say, but the words just got stuck in his throat, strangled by the glares from the phantoms.
"You've been lied to by everyone!" Mizuki sneered. In his hand was a bloody fuma shuriken. "Didn't you find it odd how everyone hates you? Iruka is the same! He also hates you! Everyone hates you! EVERYONE!"
"Shut up."
"He has never known a parent's love and is hated by all the villagers," the Third Hokage said solemnly, staring down at Naruto.
"Nobody will ever love you!"
"So to get attention, he causes a lot of trouble. He wants people to acknowledge his existence in any possible way-"
"Shut up!"
"Naruto-"
"Naruto!"
"Weakling!"
"Loser!"
"Demon Fox!"
"SHUT UP!" Naruto roared, and the temple began to tremble as he let out a wave of power, forcing everything around him to scatter in the wind.
Nearby, a metal empty box suddenly began to collapse on itself. Creaking and groaning, the metal protested as an invisible force suddenly began to crush it like paper. It began to float in the air, trembling like it was in pain, until-
Naruto finally stopped yelling, falling onto his hands and knees, sobbing.
Whatever rage was inside of him was gone now, drained out of him like a bag of blood, leaving him as a hollow husk. The ruined box fell onto the floor, but he didn't notice.
"W-Why?" he whimpered, tears falling onto the dusty floor like rain. "Why is this happening to me?"
"It's because you're weak," Darth Revan explained solemnly. "One may argue about morality, one may debate all they want about right and wrong, but in the end, the universe only obeys one law: the strong dominate the weak. And you, Naruto Uzumaki, are weak. Your parents were no different, and thus, the universe consumed them. It's a cruel law, but it's the only one."
Naruto bit his lips, holding down his sobs. He tasted metal as his teeth dug into his flesh.
"Tell me, Naruto Uzumaki, what will you do now that you know just where you stand in the universe?"
Naruto, whose eyes were hollow and lifeless, suddenly began to be filled with light. Turning around, Naruto crawled towards the fallen holocron, and went on his knees, before bowing, his forehead kissing the floor.
"Please...teach me."
"Teach you what, my young acolyte?"
"Everything. Please...teach me how to be strong! Please...help me get stronger so that I can make things right!"
"I...I don't want to be weak anymore," he gulped, choking down a sob. "I...I want to make things better, but I need to be strong. So please! Please teach me how to be strong!"
The red holocron glowed brightly as it answered Naruto's prayer.