Note: In one specific moment in this chapter, the Nine-Tailed Fox will mention fighting Dragons, Gods, and Monsters. This is a reference to the Great War in High School DxD, a war he and the other tailed beasts participated in.

One last thing, yes, Naruto's hair turns red when using the more of the Nine-Tailed Fox's chakra. It's a little change that's a bit different from most fics where it's just a chakra cloak. The orange parts of his jacket will also turn glowing red.

OP1: Overwhelming Vivid Days by Nanami Yoshi

"MESSATSU!" Quickly weaving hand signs, Sasuke fires a large fireball at Naruto. The now-red-haired Naruto lifts one knee and "glides" along the ground with his eyes aglow, going through the fireball and appearing in front of the shocked Uchiha and uppercuts him into the air, instantly jumping up and knocking him into the water by bringing both of his fists down on his head.

Recovering from the attack, Sasuke looks up to see the red-haired Chunin charging a ball of red ki, dodging it as Naruto fires it, the attack hitting the water before exploding, splashing the Uchiha. Looking back up, Sasuke sees that Naruto had disappeared. The red-haired Naruto appears from above, his right leg arched back before he swung it around and delivered a strong vertical roundhouse kick to Sasuke's face, knocking him onto the water's surface.

"Just what is this power he's using? It's like my cursed seal's, but more malicious..." In the air, Naruto formed a basketball-sized ball of dark ki and hurled it at the Uchiha. Firing a large fireball at the ball of energy, the Uchiha looked shocked when the ball destroyed the attack, jumping back to avoid it as it explodes, knocking him into the Hashirama statue's left leg. Appearing in front of Sasuke, Naruto effortlessly caught his fist, clenching it tight as Sasuke screamed in pain, getting some of the wind knocked out of him when Naruto knees him in the stomach and throws him into the air, finishing with a powerbomb, sending both himself and Sasuke into the water below.

Underwater, Sasuke tries to throw a punch, only to miss as Naruto moves back to avoid it, retaliating with a powerful uppercut that sends the Uchiha flying into the side of the waterfall, next to Hashirama's statue, the Uchiha's cursed seal deactivating. As Sasuke tries to get up, he is stopped by Naruto, who grabs him by the throat with his left hand.

"One last chance. If you don't stop this nonsense of yours, I will go on my promise to break you...and when you're mangled enough to not fight back, I will drag you back to the Hidden Leaf," Naruto threatened.

"You crack me up...You have no parents, no siblings...What can you possibly know about me? You were alone to begin with! What can you know about me!? HUH!? This pain's born from my family bonds! How could you ever know what it means to lose anything!?" Despite being overcome with anger, Naruto hesitated after hearing what Sasuke had to say, allowing the latter to get a kick into his stomach, knocking him down to the ground. To his dismay, Naruto recovered and landed on his feet. As the blond calmed a bit, the ki surrounding him disappeared. Calming himself a bit more, Naruto lets out a sigh.

"...I don't know a thing about having a family. That part is true...But whenever I'm around people like Pervy Sage or Iruka, or Kureha...I get it. Kureha...She's kind of like a mother to me. Pervy Sage is my...Dad...or cool but perverted uncle. And Iruka's like an older brother. Yeah, we have a lot of problems with each other, Sasuke, but somehow we make Team 7 work, even when we dislike each other. I may not have said it or acknowledged it, out of stubbornness, or because I am not very good at saying what I want or need to say, but...somewhere along the way...I considered you a friend too." Sasuke's eyes widened, having heard how Naruto's true thoughts about him. Now...even with all this going on...I still see you as a friend, one I have to stop and bring back." Taking out his headband, the Uchiha wraps it around his forehead as his Sharingan fully develops.

"If that's what you think, then all I have to do...is sever that bond."

"Tell me, then...What's with the headband?" asked Naruto, Sasuke admitting the blond was strong in his own right.

"You're like me. You understand the pain of being alone. And...Pain is what makes people strong. If I cut this bond of ours, I'll become stronger. Much stronger. I'll fight you as my equal now. But...This time...You won't get a scratch on my forehead."

[Naruto Shippuden OST - Heavy Violence]

"I guess the chatting's done now," Naruto joked. All we have left...is the fight." Sasuke wasted no time in throwing six shurikens at Naruto who managed to catch them before they hit him and threw them back at the Uchiha. Sasuke dodges them in quick succession as the red-haired chunin ran at him and threw his right fist forward. With his matured Sharingan, Sasuke could keep up with Naruto's enhanced speed. Every punch, every kick, Sasuke would either dodge it or counter it with his own hits before Naruto knocked him away with a whirlwind ninpo.

Sasuke's feet skid back on the water's surface before he came to a halt, ducking Naruto's spin kick and delivering a kick to the latter's stomach, knocking him on his back as he made a splash. Before Sasuke could approach, Naruto used wind magic to blow at the water under the Uchiha's feet, encasing them in ice. Naruto gets back up and punches him hard in the stomach with his right fist, having infused it with reinforcement magic, his ki, and his fox chakra, knocking him into the waterfall. This attack had a drawback, inflicting intense pain into Naruto's right arm as his hair goes back to being blond, his eyes reverting back to blue.

[Music End]

"That was reckless of me to combine three different energies together..." Naruto told himself as his right arm tingled a bit. "If someone were to do something similar to this, they'd break their arm right then and there. I wonder how long that punch will keep him-" Before he could finish, he felt a large surge of power emanating from the waterfall. Out of it came an angry Sasuke, who had finally assumed his Cursed Seal Level 2 State.

"Give me a break..."

"You're really something special if you have all those tricks up your sleeves. But in the end...I'm still more special!"

"Do you really get that high off yourself?" asked Naruto, sounding bothered by what Sasuke said, all while thinking, "I've gone and done it now..."

With Ayane

Konoha Forest

"What happened here?" Ayane asked Shikamaru and Temari, their whole surroundings leveled, cut trees toppled over. Under one of them was an unconscious Tayuya.

"I sicked a weasel on the enemy," Temari responds.

"Must be one strong weasel...Should I finish the job?"

"Actually, should Naruto be unsuccessful in bringing back Sasuke, we can at least have some information on Orochimaru from her that the Hokage would want," Shikamaru told the Hajinmon kunoichi, who tells him she wasn't going to help lift the tree off the Sound Ninja, needing to go help Naruto.

"Help will be arriving soon. Your friends Choji, Neji, and that dog owner are in very horrible shape, but they will live." As Shikamaru sighed a breath of relief, Ayane went on ahead.

With Naruto

Valley of the End

Sasuke flies straight at Naruto with his hand-like wings, grabs him by his throat, takes flight, and smashed the blond's face against the side of the cliff, dragging him through it and throwing him at the Madara Statue, destroying part of the statue's chest. Getting up, Naruto tries to weave hand signs to perform jutsus, but the intense pain in his right arm prevents him from doing so. Naruto jumps out of the way when Sasuke flies straight towards him and throws a left punch, shattering the spot the blond was standing on earlier, some of the stones flying at him and cutting his left arm and legs. Once more, the blond chunin dodged another punch, only to be knocked back by Sasuke's left-wing.

Getting up, he sees the Uchiha flying at him, ready to slam his fists down on him. Unable to get his defense up in time, Naruto forms an air grenade into his left hand and blows it up point-blank, both stunning and knocking Sasuke back at the risk of injuring himself, his left hand being damage, some of the skin on his left forearm and palm were blown off from the explosion.

"What's wrong Naruto? Are you running out of moves!? Getting tired!? Huh!?"

"I can do this all day if I wanted to..." he responds before being kicked in the face. When he tries to get up, Naruto's neck gets grabbed by Sasuke, who proceeds to end the blond by drowning him.

[Dragon Ball Super: Broly OST - Prelude to a Comeback]

Nine-Tails Seal

"Heh...You are having trouble with that Uchiha brat...After all that talk about fighting with your own power, he's using something given to him by a snake to achieve a power greater than what you can overcome by yourself."

"I don't need your power..." he told the demon, sounding stubborn. "I'll handle this without having to rely on an evil power like-"

"Don't fool yourself, runt. You need my power...My rage to even the playing field." Having said that, red chakra leaks from the cage and envelops the blond, who tries to get it off of him, failing as it covers him completely. "This power has fought Dragons...Gods...and Monsters...use it with great abandon." Naruto screams in pain as his hair and eye color turns red again.

"That's it...Let this chakra overtake you."

Valley of the End

Abruptly opening his eyes, the red-haired Naruto lets out a roar as red chakra envelops his body, the orange parts of his jacket turning a luminescent red. A concussive force pushes Sasuke back as the water around the red-haired chunin boils when he gets up, the injuries inflicted on his left arm healing within seconds as the chakra cloak surrounding him formed a tail and two fox ears.

"That chakra-"

In an instant, Naruto forms a large chakra fist and punched Sasuke with it, cracking the Uchiha's ribs, making the latter spit out some blood. Looking at him, Sasuke's eyes widened when Naruto forms a demonic smirk on his face, showing him his demon fangs. Clenching his teeth in anger, the Uchiha flaps his wings to stop himself before firing a fireball at Naruto. It proves ineffective as the cloak protects him.

Running on all fours, Naruto appears above Sasuke and swings a karate chop down as he lands behind him, leaving a large diagonal cut on Sasuke's back, hearing a scream of pain come out of the Uchiha's mouth. Turning around, Sasuke angrily throws a kick at him, knocking the blond back, though the cloak absorbs the force, leaving the red-haired chunin unscathed.

As the power in Naruto grows stronger, the dark ki from earlier returns, answering the power-possessed chunin's desire to win. When Sasuke throws six chakra-infused shurikens at him, Naruto's chakra tail swats it away before he rushed at Sasuke on all fours and lunged at him, swinging his chakra claws at him. The Uchiha avoids the claws and aims to knee Naruto in the stomach, only to have it caught by a chakra hand. Naruto's left fist gets caught by Sasuke's right hand when he tries to punch him, the two staring each other down.

[Music End]

With Ayane

Konoha Forest

Ayane looked up at Kimimaro's dead corpse, Gaara and Lee resting their backs against the tree behind her. Turning to face the two ninjas, she told them to head back to the village.

"What about you?" asked Lee.

"I still need to go help with the Sasuke situation. Hopefully, I'm not too-" Ayane stops when she feels a drop of water fall on her head, looking up, she, Gaara, and Lee immediately find themselves being pelted by light rain. Sensing a large rise in powers, Ayane tells the two to get a move on back to the Hidden Leaf before continuing her mission.

Valley of the End

Following an intense fight that lasted four minutes, the two ninjas found themselves on opposite sides of the waterfall. Sasuke on top of Madara's statue, and Naruto on Hashirama's, the light rain pouring down on them. The ninjas found themselves reaching their limits, their bodies going heavy due to the overwhelming power they weren't used to wielding.

"It's about time we wrapped up this duel," said Sasuke, charging a white and black Chidori as Naruto formed a red and black Rasengan. Charging at each other, the two clash their techniques. The power of both techniques envelops them in a sphere of chakra.

Inside, as the techniques disperse, Sasuke strikes him in the chest. As he slowly loses consciousness, Naruto scratched the Uchiha's headband.

"Looks like you win this battle...Sasuke..."

With Ayane

Nearing the valley, Ayane feels a powerful force push her back, doing her best to resist it long enough for it to stop.

"What was that?" Worry showed on the kunoichi's face as she hurried to the scene.

Sasuke looks down at a defeated and unconscious Naruto, the area around his eyes having burns from the lightning his Chidori gave off. As his headband falls and lands on his friend's chest, Sasuke starts coughing blood.

Hearing someone's feet land on the rocky ground a few feet away from him, he turns to see Ayane's shocked eyes directed at Naruto's defeated body, rage forming inside of the kunoichi after seeing the state the blond was in.

In an instant, Ayane ran at Sasuke and sliced off the Uchiha's left arm with her Fuma Kodachi. Sasuke reels back in pain as blood gushed out of his severed arm. The Hajinmon kunoichi then kicked him to the ground, intent on killing him. Before she could, Kabuto arrives and takes him away by teleporting, receiving a diagonal cut on his face from Ayane's right blade.

Ayane heavily breathed as the rain poured down on her, her breathing slowly returning to normal before she puts away her kodachis, turning around and going over to check up on Naruto after, Kakashi and Pakkun arriving five seconds later.

"Ayane, where's Sasuke?" Kakashi asked the girl.

"Gone..." she told him, clenching her fists in anger.

"I see...So we were too late..." Noticing Sasuke's severed left arm, he asked her what happened. Ayane does not answer him. "In any case, we should head back. The Hajinmon kunoichi simply nods before putting Naruto on her back and following the Jonin back to the Hidden Leaf Village.

"I'm sorry I was too late," she told the unconscious blond. "You must have given it your all..."

"To fight in the Valley of the End...They say the river was born from a scar...left by a pair of warriors, long ago..." Kakashi said, educating the kunoichi on the small bit of history. "When you watch the river flow by...it's like it's showing me that the battles, the fights, will never cease. Like the two men who built the Hidden Leaf, whose statues were built in their honor...Naruto and Sasuke...As long as there are two people with opposing paths and ideals, the cycle will continue..."

With Kabuto

"Damn that Mugen Tenshin kunoichi...She damaged Lord Orochimaru's body greatly," said Orochimaru's right-hand man, who had managed to stop the bleeding before carrying the unconscious Uchiha back to his master. "We'll have to build him a new arm, though Lord Orochimaru won't like it..."

With Kureha

Konoha Hospital

Kureha and Momiji had rushed into the room Naruto was in, seeing him in bed, along with Kiba, Neji, and Choji. Shikamaru, the Sand Siblings, Kakashi, and Hinata were in the room, having heard of their failure to bring Sasuke back. They move aside as Kureha caressed Naruto's face in a motherly manner, Momiji watching her from behind.

"How bad are his injuries?" asked Kureha, directing her question towards Kakashi.

"He...Naruto...Whatever power he used...it has done a great deal of damage to his chakra network." Everyone's eyes widened in horror after hearing the extent of the blond's injuries.

"No...No way..." said a teary-eyed Hinata, who gets consoled by Momiji.

"The doctors say his body wasn't ready to use the power he was wielding. It's only because of the fox inside of him that his injuries are healing," Kakashi adds. "The good news is that the damages he received are temporary, though it will take a couple or more years for the damage to fully repair itself if you include rest and proper healing techniques."

"In other words, Naruto Uzumaki has been tremendously weakened," said Kankuro, Kakashi nodding his head.

"Right now, he's going to sleep for three days...All we can do now is hope that he wakes up." As everyone leaves, Momiji noticed Kureha wasn't leaving just yet.

"You go back to Naruto's house. I'll stay with him a little longer," she told her sister, who says, "Take as much time as you need," before leaving, closing the door behind her.

"I wonder why Ayane didn't come to see you after dropping you off here. She must be out on another of your Hokage's missions...I know you're not awake, but...I cannot imagine how you must feel after failing to bring back your friend...Don't worry Naruto...As soon as you recover, you'll get him back, no matter how long it takes...I know you will...I'll see you tomorrow. I love you, Naruto." After planting a kiss on his forehead, Kureha gets up to leave.

With Ayane

Late into the night, as Kiba, Choji, and Neji rest in their beds, Ayane snuck in through the window beside the unconscious blond.

"You are the most reckless person I've ever met," she told Naruto before sighing in annoyance. "What were you thinking, mixing all those powers together? Not only do I not have a good sparring partner, but we also can't have a rematch...Worst of all..."

[Tokyo Ghoul JACK OST - Nine]

"Worst of all...you scared me...you made me scared for you. When Sasuke stood over your body like that, I almost thought I lost you. If it wasn't for the thing inside you, you would have...Why am I telling this to someone who's not even conscious? You're not going to hear it anyway...Though who am I to complain? I can't tell you these things unless you're sleeping..." Taking out a vial containing a red-colored medicine, the kunoichi told the unconscious blond of the medicine Genra had shown her how to make.

"It took me a bit of time to gather the necessary ingredients required to make it. You should be able to regain consciousness sometime tomorrow." Pulling the cork off, Ayane noticed one error: Naruto couldn't drink it himself in his unconscious state.

"How am I supposed to..." Ayane turns red, realizing what she needed to do to help him drink it. Once she popped the liquid into her mouth, the girl lowered her face down to Naruto's level before helping the unconscious blond drink it by kissing him. Even after she finished feeding him the medicine, Ayane couldn't help herself as she savored the feeling of her lips on Naruto's. Finally parting, she heavily breathes to herself before getting up.

"You can be quite a handful...Though I'm one to talk...Take as much time as you need to recuperate, okay?" she said to the blond, preparing to leave through the window. Turning to see the blond's sleeping face, the kunoichi says goodnight to him, closing the window behind her on the way out.

[Music End]

With Naruto

The next day

Early Morning

Opening his eyes, Naruto sat up from his bed, looking at the sleeping Kiba, Choji, and Neji. After out a sigh of relief, Naruto smiles knowing everyone was alive despite their failure to bring back Sasuke.

"The doctors said you were supposed to be out for three days," said Jiraiya, having just arrived for a visit.

"The doctors thought wrong," Naruto responds, his smile fading. The toad sage informs Naruto of the damage done to his chakra network, the blond silently listening without saying a word, taking the news well despite how bad it was.

"You can't use your chakra or your ki for a pretty long while. Your magic circuits, however, will still work. I had Tatsuya look over the records I sent him before I got here, just to be sure. Shouldn't be a problem, if I must say so myself. We ARE leaving this village soon."

"Yeah..."

"...So you failed to rescue Sasuke huh?

"Does Sakura know?"

"Yes. Your friend Shikamaru told her about it," answered Jiraiya. "I saw her on the way out of your room. She wanted me to tell you, "The next time you go after Sasuke, she's coming with you." Naruto responds by telling Jiraiya if she's planning on coming with him the next time he goes after the Uchiha, she'll need to improve herself within the three years he was going to be gone.

"...Is it true that Orochimaru wants Sasuke as a vessel?" Jiraiya's eyes widened in surprise before they narrowed.

"It sounds like you know the reason Orochimaru wants Sasuke."

"I do, and from the moment one of the Sound Ninjas, Kimimaro was his name I think, came to help his comrades, I could tell Orochimaru was desperate, even when he wasn't present. Why else would that guy come?" Jiraiya couldn't help but wonder how accurate Naruto's observation was, seeing as how even the tiniest of information could tell a lot for him.

"Based on that, I can tell that the team and I managed to piss him off by forcing him into another body before Sasuke could arrive at his hideout."

"Geez, you should become a detective...Naruto..."

"What?"

"This is just me, telling you this out of concern for you...I think you should forget about Sasuke." Naruto, while surprised, didn't show it when Jiraiya said those last three words, deciding to listen on to what the sage had to say, knowing he says things he needed to hear out of concern. "Sasuke went to Orochimaru willingly. It doesn't matter what you do for him, he won't change. I've seen people come and go, most of them being ninjas, and Sasuke's of the same cloth as Orochimaru. It's the tragic path of a self-righteous fool."

"Maybe so...But Sasuke is my te-...He's a friend."

"Friend?"

"...Yeah, I know, ridiculous that someone, who got me this damaged, is considered a friend. Maybe it's the wrong choice, and yes it's foolish to believe I can bring that jerk back, but it's my choice, and if I have to do it on my own and become an enemy of the village because of it, it's fine by me."

"Are you sure? You'd actually become an enemy of the village, just to bring him back?" Jiraiya asked.

"Yeah," Naruto responds, staring down Pervy Sage. "At the same time, if he's too far gone by the time we meet again, I'll take it upon myself to end him."

"Spoken like a reckless fool...the good reasonable kind of course," Jiraiya said, a smile on his face. "Very well, personal business with him is yours alone, whether he's redeemable or not. We leave in three days instead of next month like I said. For now, let's get you out of this hospital. Not really a fan of them."

"Sounds good...Did you bring my phone and earphones?" Jiraiya responds by showing them to him.

With Orochimaru

Orochimaru's Hideout

Orochimaru screams in anger as he swipes the medicine and research off the table behind him. He cursed Ayane for cutting off Sasuke's left arm, damaging his perfect vessel. He would need to have Kabuto build a new arm for the Uchiha to compensate for his failure to retrieve Sasuke before the damage was done. He needed him back on his feet and ready. His future lied within his new body. Once he made Sasuke body his own, he vowed to hunt down the Hajinmon kunoichi and kill her.

With Naruto

Hidden Leaf Village

Naruto selects a song to listen to on his earphones as he made his way towards Ramen Ichiraku to meet with Kureha and Momiji. Naruto's attire consisted of a white t-shirt with a blue moon on the top left side, a blue hoodie, and grey jeans. Making a turn, Naruto looked bothered as Hibachi and his friends surround him, arrogant smiles on their faces.

"This getting pretty old, ya know..."

"Time for some payback," said Hibachi. "I overheard the doctors say how you couldn't use your chakra anymore. This makes it easier to-" Before Hibachi can finish, Naruto roundhouse kicked him in the face before making quick work of his friends, all while his hands were in his pockets.

"It's only temporary you dolt. Just because I can't use chakra doesn't mean I can't still defend myself. You can summon clones, maybe even bring out the ninja tools you have with you or stole from your parents, I'll still beat you three down, with nothing but the body I honed to fight. To try and gang up on me with your group, especially when I can't use chakra...Never thought you'd be more pathetic than you already are." Hibachi and his friends had looks of fear on them as Naruto turned around to leave. To his annoyance, Hibachi pulled out a kunai and tried to attack him, only to be stopped by Hinata, who disarms the boy and struck one of his tenketsu. Seeing the Hyuga look at him with anger in her eyes, Hibachi and his friends finally leave.

"I could've just dodged it and kicked him in the face the second time," Naruto told Hinata, who decided to walk with him to meet with Kureha.

"I know...You scared me, and some of the others when we heard the extent of your injuries," Hinata confessed.

"Sasuke wasn't really making it easy, ya know."

"...You're leaving earlier than planned."

"Yes, I am," Naruto responds. Hinata looked sad by this as they walked together. "I'll be back, just in three years, maybe less. We can still talk by vid chat, and...if you want, I can have you and the others come visit me during December." Hinata looked surprised when Naruto told her she and their friends could visit him outside of the village and the Ninja Nations.

"You can do that?"

"Of course. You don't mind if it's only half the December days, do you? Maybe a full month if possible?" Hinata tells Naruto it sounded wonderful. "Just make sure you guys don't use any chakra while you're out of the nations." Arriving at Ramen Ichiraku, the blond thanks her for keeping him company. When asked if she wanted to come and eat with him and Kureha, Hinata, while she wanted to, declined, promising Hanabi she'd go out and try a new dumpling place that opened with her.

"I guess I'll see you later?"

"Yeah...Have a good evening Hinata."

Ramen Ichiraku

"Mmmm, so good!" said Momiji, finishing the remaining noodles after before drinking the soup alongside her sister and Naruto, setting their bowls down at the same time and ordering more ramen.

"Going to a university in Tokyo...Will you be okay there?" Naruto assures Kureha she had nothing to worry about, a smile on his face. "I can take care of myself and handle university life."

"Make sure to make new friends while you're there, okay?" Naruto promised her he'll try, though he tells her he might not make a lot. "That should be fine, as long as you make friends you can rely on and trust."

"I know," Naruto told her.

"And make sure you do well in your studies and don't neglect your ninja training. Don't forget you can make both your chakra and ki stronger when you train your body. Just because you can't use them now doesn't mean you can-"

"Kureha, I'll be fine," Naruto calmly interrupts.

"...I know...I just can't help but worry about you," Kureha said.

"I don't mind," said Naruto.

"I'll try to find time to visit as I promised, maybe visit you three days a month instead of the one, and take a whole month off in December." Naruto had a very happy look on his face, telling her, "That'd be great!"

"Only when it's Kureha do you light up," said a smiling Momiji, just as their ramen arrived.

"I am like a mother to him, aren't I?" Kureha asked her younger sister.

"I guess that makes Momiji my aunt," said Naruto, Momiji telling him she was too young to be his aunt. "Then...Momiji nee-chan?" Momiji turned bright red from being called an older sister by the bespectacled blond.

"Just Big Sister Momiji, and simply Momiji, is fine." Momiji smiles to herself at the thought of having a little brother as the three start digging into their ramen.

Naruto's House

Naruto's Room

Since Ayane was staying over, Kureha and Momiji had decided to sleep in the guest rooms. As the two got ready for bed, Ayane noticed and opened a notebook on the desk. Picking it up and taking a good look at it, she found out Naruto had been busy drawing ideas for a suit he was going to wear, along with the materials he would need. Seeing this, a blushing Naruto took it out of her hands.

"No one's supposed to look at it..." said the embarrassed blond.

"They're just drawings and idea for a...ninja-suit? Ninja tights?"

"It's a suit, and a work in progress," he answered, closing it before putting it in a locked drawer. "I just got started on it after I came back from the hospital."

"Must say, the design looks cool and well thought out. It's more...you. Though I'm skeptical about the utility belt, it's your thing, I won't say anything bad about it."

"Thank you...Ayane?"

"Yes?"

"...I won't be in the village for three years, maybe a bit more than that if the situation calls for it. If possible, do you think you can help out my friends once in a while? Hidden Leaf as well?" he asked the kunoichi.

"You're asking me to watch over your friends and help with doing missions for the Hidden Leaf?" Naruto tells her she didn't have to do it if she didn't want to. He just thought he'd ask her.

"Sure, I can help them out once in a while," she answered.

"I thought I'd be getting more resistance from you...Great, I appreciate this, Ayane, and you can stay at my house whenever you're in the village. Just...Be wary of Danzo and the elders." Ayane lets Naruto know he didn't have to tell her twice and that she's always cautious when she's around them. "Alright, you take the bed and-" Before he could say anything, the kunoichi grabs him and pulls him onto the bed with her.

"Let's share it for tonight..." When asked why Ayane told him she had a bad dream last night and she needed someone to be here for her.

"What sort of bad dream?" Ayane buried her flushed face into Naruto's back, telling him, "Just do it, okay?" She couldn't tell him she had a dream where the blond had died from his battle with Sasuke unless she was ready to die of embarrassment. With a smile, Naruto agreed to share the bed with her before they fell asleep.

For the next three days, Naruto didn't go on any missions. Instead, he stayed at home, working on drawing ideas for his new suit alongside Ayane, who had some ideas for offensive and defensive capabilities, as well as ideas for new tech shurikens, only going out when Kureha and Momiji went out to shop for dinner, and when Shikamaru asked him to come to visit Choji, Neji, and Kiba at the hospital, who were kept there for psyche evaluation and therapy. On all three days, Naruto would fight and win against Hibachi and his friends, even when they learned substitution and the basic Fireball Technique.

As for Tsunade, she had Inoichi Yamanaka and Ibiki Morino handle Tayuya, the only member of the Sound Four who survived, hoping to find out Orochimaru's location and bring Sasuke back. Once they got what they needed from the Sound Ninja, Tsunade had her sent to the Konoha Correctional Facility, where she remains. After planning a raid on Orochimaru's hideout, to their dismay, Orochimaru had left it with Kabuto and Sasuke, taking all their research with them, leaving only their subjects, all of them considered failures by the snake.

Three Days Later

Morning

Village Gate

Walking towards the gate with Jiraiya, Kureha, and Momiji, Naruto noticed Shikamaru conversing with the Sand Siblings, mainly Temari. Noticing the blond, Gaara says hello to him.

"On your way out, huh Naruto Uzumaki?"

"Yes, you as well, Gaara?" The red-haired Sand Ninja nods yes to him in response.

"Thanks for helping Lee, Kiba, and Shikamaru. You three really came to their rescue."

"I owe Rock Lee a lot, especially since I gave him those injuries," said Gaara.

"If anything like what you boys experienced ever comes up, let us know. We'll help you all out. You as well, Crybaby," said Temari, directing the last sentence towards Shikamaru.

"Just one word too far," said Shikamaru, letting out a small smile on his face. "That's what makes girls so weird..."

"Alright, Gaara, Kankuro, let's go home." Nodding their heads, the two brothers followed Temari back to their village as the others watched them leave.

"Is there something going on between you and the Temari girl?" Kureha asked Shikamaru, sounding curious.

"Please, a girl like her?" said Shikamaru. Naruto adds in on it, telling him Temari looked like his type.

"You too, Naruto?" The blond nods his head in response. "You two are something when you're together...Did you see everyone before you came here?"

"I said my byes to Hinata, then I visited the hospital and said bye to Choji, Neji, and Kiba. After that, I said bye to Iruka and Konohamaru at the academy. Sakura, I couldn't find her, so I left a note on the front door of her house. After that, I said bye to Kakashi, Lee, and Shino. Shino wasn't too happy about being left out."

"Do-Don't remind me," said the Nara boy, recalling the insect-user being not too happy with him as well. After letting out a sigh, Shikamaru gives Naruto a smile, telling him, "Good luck in your studies, Naruto. I wish I could come with you, but you know how it is. Duty and all. Though I am looking forward to visiting in December."

"When that day comes, I'm buying dinner for all of us." The Nara boy tells him he looked forward to that, adding how he and the others will order all the good stuff when that day comes.

"Of course," said Naruto. "Catch you later, Shikamaru." As soon as Shikamaru left, Naruto told Kureha and Momiji he was going to leave now, the latter two each giving him a hug before he finally left with Jiraiya.

"He's off..." said Momiji, Kureha nodding her head yes. Watching the blond as he walked farther away from them, Kureha smiled as the wind lightly blew her hair to the left.

Elsewhere

In a cave with several stalagmites, all the members of Akatsuki met up via holograms.

"The last time we all gathered like this...was when Orochimaru left our family. Seven long years..."

"And now Orochimaru has the Sharingan."

"So it's your brother, Itachi?" the older Uchiha stayed silent as the members continued their conversation.

"Don't worry...Hmm...I'll finish off Orochimaru soon enough...Hmm...We have only three years left...Just out of curiosity, why don't we go off and capture the Nine-Tails? He's leaving the Hidden Leaf, considered a safe place for a jinchuuriki. He'll be open to-"

"It won't work," said one of the members, assumed to be the leader. "We cannot. Even if we all go after him, it'll be impossible. Believe it or not, the world is filled with people with abilities we can't comprehend...Going after the Nine-Tails in a place we can't understand or hope to come back from would put everything in jeopardy."

ED1: Self-Inflicted Achromatic (自傷無色)(Cover) by Raon Lee

Less than a month later

Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo U

Walking on university grounds during a rainy day, holding an umbrella, Naruto could only sigh as he walks toward the dorm he was going to live in for the next two and a half to three years. To not stand out too much at the university, Jiraiya had given him a pair of black-rimmed glasses to wear, something Naruto was skeptical about but decided to try. It took a half hour of trying on different pairs Jiraiya had on him until Naruto decided on the ones he was wearing now.

"Almost late because of him...worst of all it's raining. Some first day..."

"Look out!" a girl from behind yelled. Reacting quick, Naruto caught the girl in his arms, removing her from her bike before she can crash into him, the bike harmlessly plopping on some wet grass after.

"T-Thanks for catching me."

"No problem...Hmm?" Looking at the girl, he takes notice of her features, mainly her pink hair and green eyes. Her hair and her clothes were a bit wet, letting him know she came without an umbrella. Upon further inspection, Naruto's eyes widened.

"You're-" Looking up at him, the girl looked equally surprised. They recalled the first time they met, which was several months ago, taking an exam that would allow them to go to a university or college of their choice depending on how well they scored. The girl had lost her ticket for the train, Naruto having to pay for a new one and letting her ride with him. The two then struck a conversation with each other on the way to the exam. The blond remembered how she put faith in him changing how the Hidden Leaf and its people saw him, even though she was unaware of his identity as a ninja and didn't know anything about him.

"You're the girl who lost her train ticket."

Three minutes later

"So you passed the exams and decided to come here?" asked Naruto, who had offered to share his umbrella with the girl as she carries her bike.

"Yep Yep," she said in a happy tone. "I was a bit nervous, seeing as how I don't know anyone here, but with you watching my back and me watching yours, I'm sure we can pull through."

"Glad to hear it," said Naruto. "...Listen, I don't know if you remember, but the encouragement you gave me, about changing how the people in my...town see me...it helped me. I'd like to thank you for believing I can change them, even if we didn't know each other, and even when I had doubts. I still have a long ways to go, but people are changing."

"I remember the talk, and you're welcome," said the girl. "I'm happy to help whenever someone has need of me."

"If you don't mind me asking, you didn't know it was going to rain?"

"I forgot to check the weather this morning," the girl admits. "I would have used an umbrella, but I forgot to pack mine from home. Sorry to-"

"No, it's fine. I don't mind the company," he interrupts, giving her a welcoming smile. This makes the girl turn red, looking away from him.

"S-So we're going to be living at the same dorm, huh!?" asked the blushing girl, Naruto nodding his head yes to her.

"Oh, that reminds me, we never gave each other our names the first time we met...I'm Naruto Uzumaki. What's your name?" The girl was a little bit surprised when he asked for her name. With a bright smile, she looks up to him and answers his question.

"Moka...Moka Akashiya. It's nice to meet you, Naruto Uzumaki." As the two conversed, the mysterious woman with white hair watched them from atop one of the campus buildings. Saying nothing, she disappears in a quick flash of light.

NARUTO UZUMAKI AND FRIENDS WILL RETURN IN PART II: ADVENTURES OF NINJA

Part I is complete and Part II will begin. I will say that Part II will be an anthology of adventures for not only Naruto, but his friends. In it, Naruto, while in Japan, will deal with threats from time to time, all in the form of UltraTech, and then some. He's not alone, though. Characters like Moka Akashiya, Xenovia Quarta, Compa, and more will help him out, though, given their backgrounds, they don't let anyone know who they are really. Compa will make appearances.

Yes, Ayane sliced off Sasuke's left hand, and yes, he lost it early. He was bound to lose it the moment the kunoichi saw Naruto injured and possibly dead. To compensate, Sasuke will replace the one he lost with a cybernetic one with synthetic skin that will have pain receptors and is quite durable.

The dark power Naruto used alongside the Kyuubi's chakra is the Satsui no Hado. Like Ryu from Street Fighter, Naruto IS susceptible to its power, which is powered by his anger, rage, and eventually, grief. Why grief? It'll be answered in Part II.

With Naruto being unable to use chakra and ki, it gives Naruto a handicap and a reason to leave. He just used the Nine-Tailed Fox's chakra and the Satsui no Hado,due to using both powerful and dark energies to fight Sasuke, he strained both his chakra network and his body. This is based on "Dragon Ball Super Episode 43", where Goku strained his body due to recklessly using his ki and strained his senses.

Part II WILL have comedy moments, mainly in Naruto's part. After all, he's in Japan, things are bound to happen. When the serious stuff comes, it'll affect him greatly and carry on in Part III. Also, Part II will be the one where Naruto does the one thing he hasn't done for a long, long while.

For Moka, she's the closest female character I know who can understand Naruto due to losing a family member of her own and knowing what it's like to be a monster. She also has problems of her own like expectations, though that's remedied by the blond. I also want to base the relationship with her on Kasumi Yoshizawa's from the game, "Persona 5 The Royal", seeing that both Naruto and eventually Inner Moka will be against each other and later on be working side by side. The relationship between Naruto and Moka is also going to be like the ones he has with Ayane and Hinata.

Regarding his training, Naruto will have training segments here and there, since I want to focus on his more human and sociable side, which will be based on the Persona series. The times where Naruto gets actions will be during the night, when he acts as a vigilante under the guise, "The Orange Ninja."