Chapter 1

Unknown Location

Ever since she'd first opened her eyes on the continent of Fodlan, Sothis has had very few instances where she could say she was honestly at a loss—situations so inconceivable that they left her scrambling for a possible resolution.

And who could blame her?

Everything she'd done from her birth to the day of her 'permanent' rest in Fodlan was all, partially, according to her design—her sudden death of her flesh being one of the few things she didn't foresee—a death completely unprecedented and at the hands of the same race she sought to help.

Luckily for the humans, Sothis was not vindictive.

Humans are flawed creatures. Their emotions made them predictable, yet their potential to grow through said emotions has proven time and time again to be their ultimate strength.

However, more than her lack of fury upon her awakening, there was...confusion.

For one, she knew she'd rested for far more than a few days. The flesh that once bound her spirit was no more, the proof of it being more petrifying than she liked to admit.

A war.

Her bones forged into a weapon meant to slay her own children.

Her children's bones forged into weapons for war.

Seiros...

The memories never stopped. Like a tale, they played in her mind on repeat. The agony of her children, the war that followed, the vengeance—all of it played out as if she were there to witness it. By the time she played through them all, she was aware of the events that had occurred in her absence and the state of the world she'd left behind...

She needed to get home.

She desperately needed to get home.

However, there was a reason for her lack of action. As embarrassing as it may sound, she does not currently possess the means to do so.

She was by no means, weak. No, the holy energy she could feel running through her spiritual form was more than enough to turn back time and even spill into the outside world. She was sure she could even recreate a kingdom within this void simply by willing it into existence.

The problem was: if she attempted to go too far beyond the void, something suppressed her advance; quite harshly. Extending her power, she found the source of the compression to be a dome that stretched above her. Symbols she'd never seen before aligned the dome and congregated into a single piece of paper that hovered on the outside of the barrier. She'd tried removing the parchment, but to her frustration (and bafflement), she received a violent shock that actually made her, even in spirit form, feel pain...

Fascinating.

That did not, however, mean she gave up, however unsuccessful she was. After attempt after attempt and failure after failure, Sothis could honestly say she'd never felt more frustrated in her entire existence.

She didn't know why or how, but someone, somehow, has imprisoned her very being.

Yes, this empty void was a prison.

And she was its prisoner.

How, humiliating.

She had created worlds and could create life simply by willing it. She could create beasts feared by men and build civilizations that could strive for millennia. She could turn back time itself and even split the lands with just a flex of her power

And yet, all her power, contained so easily by a piece of paper.

How humiliating indeed...

...

Which circled around to the situation currently at hand.

She had thought the prison was simply meant to contain her. To stop her from reaching the outside world at all costs while giving her the sustainability she would need to continue existing.

To an extent, that was not far from the truth. It was definitely meant to keep her contained. However, the small cracks she could feel in the strange dome surrounding her held small holes that periodically fed on the Divine energy she subconsciously released while giving her the ability to glimpse through the void and into the world beyond, telling her that her purpose would be far more profitable to her warden.

That was only confirmed the day she was introduced to said 'warden'.

"Get down from there this instant, Child!"

...Said warden she has had the displeasure of 'entertaining' since the day he'd 'materialize' within her prison.

"Take that out of your mouth! Do you wish for your end to be swift?!"

Of all her millennia, both spiritual and physical, she could not remember a single instance where she'd had to deal with an issue such as this. Sure, she'd had children in her days, but they were all born asexually with an intelligence rivaling even the oldest and most experienced human while being twice as tall as the crawling gremlin. If she had to guess, he was but four name days and was as curious of the outside world as she was upon her first descent to civilization—the big difference being, of course, that she was a Divine, and he was a child severely lacking in common sense.

"I said put that down you ignorant buffoon! Hey! Are you daft? Listen when I am speaking!"

It was as if her words were wind. The child continued running amok within her prison as if the dangers around him were nonexistent (which, technically, was the truth, but it was better he learned the dos and don'ts within this world and had no consequences than for him to perform them in the outside world where the consequences were much more severe). She had thought the creation of common human tools and toys was enough to entertain the child instead of bothering her endlessly like he once did on their first meeting, but it would seem the child had far more energy within him than she was sure even he knew what to do with.

The last straw was drawn when the ball the child was playing with knocked over a particular vase near the base of her throne.

"NARUTO UZUMAKI!"

Stopping on a dime, the boy slowly turned until he was looking up at her from his position on the playground she had created and up to the stone throne she sat upon. Standing to her feet, the jewelry she wore chimed as she descended the many stairs until she was standing before her 'ward'. Hands on her hips and a frown prevalent, she looked down at the blonde child who stared up at her equally childlike form. His face was void of emotion, yet she could practically feel the fear and apprehension practically shimmering from her glare.

"I am displeased," she stated plainly. "Do you know why that is?" His gaze continuously broke her own, but Sothis was having none of it. "Look at me, Child." Big green eyes focused on her own, and she made sure they never broke contact this time. "Do you know why I am displeased?"

"B-because." His voice was soft, as if speaking any louder would get him struck.

"Because what?"

"B-because I... Because I, break something..."

"'Broke', but that is correct. And what were you not doing once more?"

"I was... I was not... I-I was-"

"I do not speak gibberish, Child. Speak clear sentences before I lose what little patience I have remaining."

She could see him gripping the ball closer to himself while continuously finding the ground more interesting.

An action she had no patience for.

Her hand came to his chin, rectifying the situation by lifting his chin up to maintain focus on her.

"Look to me and speak, Child."

Water began building in his eyes, but it did nothing to deter the Goddess's mood.

"I, was not listening, O-Onee-san," she would have further reprimanded him for using the foreign title instead of her name if she hadn't already known it to be an effort in futility.

"And what will you do the next time I call for your attention?"

"I...I will listen, Onee-san."

"What else?"

"And, and I will stop what I'm doing, Onee-san."

"What. Else?"

"And I will come to you immi, immediately," Satisfied, Sothis released the boy and allowed him to compose himself.

"Very well. I believe you understand, so I am willing to forgive you this time. However," her glare deepened, increasing the boy's unease. "I will not be so lenient if we must have this discussion again. Do I make myself perfectly clear, Child?"

"Yes, Onee-san," he answered immediately, his bright orbs never leaving hers until she willingly broke contact to head back up to her throne.

"Good. Now, if you've learned your lesson, carry on. And, please, be mindful of your surroundings next time. I do not wish to continue replacing that which you seem to eventually break."

"...But-" Sothis paused in her ascent to look back to the boy now staring back at the ground. "N-none of it is real. W-why do you care if, if I break anything?"

Sothis sighed at the question. Of course the child didn't yet understand the importance of mindfulness. "Whether or not I can 'fix' it isn't the problem, Child. It's about principle."

"Pr, prin-cee-pull? What does that mean, Onee-san?"

Sothis stared at the boy analytically. His eyes were filled with innocence—the kind only a curious child his age could give. With a sigh, she about faced and descended back down to his level. At the last two steps, she sat on the third and motioned for the boy to sit next to her. "Sit, Child."

Willingly complying, the boy quickly moved to sit next to the older girl. Sitting so close they were almost touching, the boy looked up to Sothis who looked down at him with neutrality. It was a look he rarely got from anyone else, and it made the boy happy despite how strict she usually was.

The brief gaze they shared was broken by the Divine who looked out to the playground and the void beyond it.

"Look out, Child. What is it that you see down there?"

The boy looked to the playground in the distance, ignoring the void that stretched behind it.

"It's the playground from the orphanage I live at, Onee-san."

"Correct. Now what do you see."

The boy had only taken his eyes off the playground for a second and it had already changed to a completely new scene. It would have shocked him if not for the fact that he'd seen this multiple times in the few weeks he'd known his Onee-san. Now, it was simply a new discovery that he was always eager to see. The current discovery, however, was very familiar to the blonde. Stone made up most of the floor, while roots and other greenery made up the rest. Pillars of stone stretched to an endless ceiling, and vines hung from a nonexistent support.

"Uhm...stone," the boy answered unsurely.

"You are correct, yet incorrect," the reply got the blonde's attention to be placed on the side of his Onee-san's head. "You see stone, yet I see much more. These stones, once untouched by nature, was a place I once called home. A home made for me by my own children, no less." The boy's eyes widened in shock. Moments later, he began hearing the sound of multiple footsteps in front of him and turned his head to see instinctively.

What he saw baffled him further.

People, both with and without similarities to his friend, were walking and talking with various mixes of expressions and emotions. The stones that once looked worn were now bright gold and reflected light from the sun that was once absent in the void. If the scene couldn't get any better, the two giant lizards that he'd only seen in story books were currently nuzzling against each other by the window on the far left of the room. It was a scene he'd only seen and heard in stories the orphanage patrons told. He was tempted to even go out and join the children running about if not for the words spoken next by Onee-san.

"My children once walked these halls. Walls built from the sweat and tears of the ones I loved became a place where I was most happy. It was a sactuary filled with praise for my name and joy the likes of which you may never witness in your life. It, was a place I once called home... However," a snap and a blink later, the world around him transformed back into the halls that was but a shell of its former glory. "It is no more, and this hall is but an illusion built by my own design." Looking to her left, Sothis could see the boy was confused and let out a sigh. "In lament terms, this is but a figment of your imagination; it's not real. The consequences of destroying this place are inconsequential compared to your world simply because it is a world of my own creation. If something is broken here, it can easily be replaced with just a thought. You feel no pain here because I will it as so. I govern the rules of this realm because it is my own."

The Divine stopped her speech to frown down at the boy. "That being said, destroying my work, as little effect as it has on myself, is the same as disrespecting me in my own home. Do you understand now, Child?"

"I-I'm sorry, Onee-san. I, won't ever break anything ever again."

Sothis shook her head at the childish comment and said, "Do not make promises you cannot keep, Child. You are human and still so young. Perfection will forever be beyond your grasp, and it is not something you should waste your life trying to pursue. I simply wish for you to err on the side of caution in the future. "

"I, I don't know what that means, Onee-san."

'Like talking to a,' the Divine did her best to reign in her frustration via massaging her brows. "Just, be more careful, Child. No good comes from recklessness, nor will I tolerate it. If you wish for this place to remain hospitable, then you will do well not to anger me again. Am I clear?"

Her peace said, she turned and marched back up to her throne without waiting for the boy's confirmation. The sudden drowsiness she felt told her the boy's time here was nigh. Soon, he would wake, and she would sleep for a few days to replenish the energy she'd lost 'entertaining' her warden. She only hoped she could get more done with the time given in their next meeting.

"O-Onee-san!" This time, Sothis didn't even try to hold in the frustration that left her lips.

"What is it now, Child?" Her irritation was clear, effectively causing the blonde to instinctively react by making himself as small as possible. In doing so, he also lost the will to ask what was on his mind. Unfortunately for him, time was not a luxury Sothis currently had. She could feel the drowsiness hit her like a War Hammer and soon even standing would become problematic. "Speak today, Child," she urged, arms crossed and foot tapping rhythmically against the stone steps. Standing at about 4'8, she didn't really strike as an intimidating figure, but the sternness in her tone and the fact she spoke even more commandingly and intelligently than the caretakers at the orphanage made the blonde shiver.

"I, I just, I... I wanted to, I hoped you'd... maybe we could, hopefully, pl-pl-play with me..."

His question was innocent, something she'd come to expect from a boy of his juvenescence. The look in his azure eyes was pleading and shone with a want that honestly made Sothis uncomfortable. The feeling was unfamiliar to her, and the longer she looked into his eyes, the harder it was for her to simply walk back up to her throne.

"Why," she instead asked, getting the boy to break eye contact and look to the ground, abashed. "Have I not given you sufficient entertainment, child?"

"...Yes. But...but none of them are, are real. I can hear and feel them, but, its not the same because they are not really there."

That actually gave the Divine pause. So young, and yet already partially understood the intricacy of escapism. And here she thought he was lacking in intelligence.

"I-I'm happy that you help me, and I really have fun with them, Onee-san. It's... It's just, it's... not the same. I, I want... friends... real friends."

"...I see." The curt reply was promptly followed by a sigh. "But as I said before, simulations are the limits of my current abilities. Attempting to invoke my will into the outer world will have lasting consequences the likes of which your body is not ready for."

She'd thought that would be enough to end it there, but his tightened grip on the ball told her otherwise.

"...But, you're very smart, Onee-san. Can't you, help me make friends?"

Sothis mirrored the boy's 'permanent' flat stare with one of her own. "Do you honestly think me capable of arranging playdates? Better yet, what advice could I possibly give in a world whose cultures and etiquette greatly differ from my own?" For a moment, there was silence. Sothis didn't know if he just didn't have an answer to her query or just didn't have the comprehension to understand it but he finally looked down and began shuffling in place.

"Then...then what if we play something you want to play, Onee-san?"

"And what enjoyment would you get from playing games you are too young to even grasp the complexity of?"

The boy didn't quite understand some of the words his friend used but did understand a 'no' even if it wasn't exactly what she'd said. Likewise, Sothis didn't need the boy to show emotion to know what the disappointment meant.

"Uuuuuugh! Fine! FINE!" she reluctantly conceded. "I shall, indulge you this one time. And ONLY this time! Am I clear?"

The boy replied in the form of throwing his hands high and letting out a loud, dull 'yay'... right before he seemingly vanished into thin air.

Now that her 'distraction' had left her, she was all too aware of the drowsiness that threatened to close her eyes without her permission. Turning back, it took a mental effort she didn't know she possessed to levitate her body up the rest of the stairway and into the stone throne that was far more comfortable than it had any right to be. She didn't know when she'd next see the boy, but she dearly hoped it wouldn't be any time soon. She had better things to be doing with her time...than entertaining a toddler, not even one of her own blood. Her top priority should be finding her way back to Fodlan...and finding the last of her children. Every...minute she wasted trapped here is a...minute they were...alone. She need to... her lands will... help...

But...she would worry...that...when the time...came...

For now...she...

...would...

Fodlan

(Unknown Location)

The Kyuubi no Kitsune, the strongest Bijuu to ever walk the Elemental Nations, opened his eyes for the first time for what felt like an eternity. His vision was unfocused, but the feeling of freedom from his limbs for the first time in literally a century was what shook the cobwebs from his mind and the blurriness from his vision. Raising one of his forelimbs to his face, he was amazed to see the familiar shackles missing and nowhere to be seen. On further investigation, he found that not only could he now stand and walk about, but there was far more room in this new stone-wide landscape that stretched for what seemed like an eternity.

Then he noticed the gate that blocked him from the only corridor in the void. He noticed the thin piece of paper with familiar markings and lettering he'd never forget. He noticed the familiar chakra behind the tag and what that meant for his fate.

And he definitely noticed the small, green-haired figure looking up to him on the other side of the bars with widened eyes and shaking limbs.

His look of shock, which was mirrored by the one on the small child's face that was definitely not Uzumaki Kushina, was only momentary.

The next moment, his chakra flared angrily and he charged at full speed towards the small monkey that didn't even have the right of mind to flee. His maw and human-like paws slammed against the cage—the Bijuu not at all surprised that the bars held firm despite his size and power. In fact, it only pissed him off more and he began clawing and screaming at the child who'd fallen in absolute terror. He could smell the wretched smell of feces coming from her, but was too lost in rage to even scrunch his nose in disgust. Lifting his maw, his voice rang loud and clear through the prison—the name he bellowed surely heard by the Gods themselves.

"NAMIKAZEEEEEEEE!"

A/N: Yes, this is the rewrite I promised. Been on my mind since the rewrite of 'A Shinobi's Awakening'. Now that I have a clear image of what I wish to do with this story, decided to add it to the list of updates. This will definitely interfere with the regular monthly update of 'The Fate We Have Chosen', but currently, I have no regrets.

Quick note before we begin.

Understand that events happening in Fodlan with Byleth WILL NOT be on the same timeline as Naruto for a few chapters. In canon, Byleth is 7 years older than Naruto, and by the time he graduates the Academy, Byleth with still not have met the Three Houses. Byleth is 20 by that time, and I want you all to know it will be a while until we get to that scene. I plan for this story to not exceed 250k words, but plans can definitely change. Just hope you all stick around for the ride, because I plan on finishing this along with my other story.

Current Ages in Scenes:

Byleth: 7 (cannon 9)

Naruto: 4