Naruto, despite his youthful appearance, had lived a long, challenging, and rewarding life and was now approaching death's door with a gentle smile on his face. He was surrounded by his nursing team, closest friends, and a string of terminally ill patients. He cherished every extra moment they shared, but he was aware that time on Earth was limited, and the Pure Land would always be waiting.
During his final moments, he exerted the last of his energy to heal the sick patients that had gathered at his bedside at his request. Despite the fog he felt in his mind, he fought on and cured patient after patient until everyone had been treated. Only then did he finally fade away.
In his youth, he achieved his dream of becoming Hokage, the leader of his village, and saved the world along the way. He was the Nanadaime, the 7th Hokage.
After 50 years as Hokage, he decided he'd lived too long to be bogged down by the responsibilities and paperwork that the job entailed. The third truly was a saint for doing two terms. He stepped down from the position and handed the mantle down to Konohamaru, the 3rd's grandson and his lifelong friend. There was definitely nepotism involved, but the leader was chosen by the people from a list of prospective candidates. They couldn't go against the will of their citizens.
Being known as the Saviour of the World was a title that brought great pride but also some annoyance to Naruto. He didn't like the obsessive devotion and hero worship that sadly accompanied him after all of his accomplishments. Ever since Sasuke and himself freed the world from the life-draining Infinite Tsukuyomi, attention followed him everywhere he went.
Sasuke's questionable past and the battle that they shared following Kaguya's defeat left him mostly excluded from the public's attention. Naruto envied Sasuke for that. He could wander the world freely without disguising his appearance, like Naruto had to do for anonymity.
Having thousands of willing and wanting fans may be a dream for some, but it was a nightmare for Naruto. He was already happily taken, and he had a distaste for fangirls from his youth. Every night, Naruto had to sort through and shred an absurd amount of papers sent to him from all over the world.
Marriage proposals continued to flow in, despite the presence of his wife. Those proposals were returned to the sender with a strongly worded no in response, or simply burned if the sender was particularly persistent.
Thankfully, his wife, Hinata, took it in stride and found it amusing. He was still amazed every day at her kindness. She was too good for this world. What made his blood boil was any discussion of arrangements for his children. They would never be used as tools for diplomacy.
He got to see his children grow and have children of their own. His lack of aging was noticed as he held his first grandchild. His appearance hadn't altered whatsoever, despite the 20 years that had passed. His wife's beauty had only matured. Before, she was like a princess; now she is a goddess.
Naruto remained a young man. With this discovery, he made a reverse version of Tsunade's age-concealing illusion. He slowly increased the effects to mimic the impact of natural aging.
Saviour of the World or not, he didn't want any more unwanted attention. People would use him as a science experiment if they found out about his lack of aging. He had 80 good years with Hinata before her passing. She was one of the few who was aware of his aging problem. Once she was gone, only his children remained privy to the secret.
He decided that a nice life for an old man was to help as many people as possible during his remaining time on Earth. He stayed by his home in Konoha so he could dote on his grandkids and their children. He loved doing the senile old man routine. The kids loved it, and it exasperated the hell out of their parents, who knew that it was just an act.
After 146 years, Naruto decided to fake his death. A body was prepared and cremated after it had been altered to take on Naruto's appearance. Naruto observed his funeral as just one of many faces in the crowd. He still looked 25. He was under a light transformation to cover his whiskers and colour his hair red. He had been under the illusion of an old man for so long that a simple disguise was sufficient.
He didn't linger after the funeral proceedings had finished. He moved on to his next task for the day. After changing out of his formal clothes, Naruto donned a standard flak jacket and the black and orange pants he had worn in his youth. His useful belongings, including camping gear, food, and water, were stored in seals.
Following his supposed death, he travelled throughout the elemental nations and discovered many beautiful areas of his wonderful world. Being unbound to his village, he had the freedom to explore to his heart's content.
