Before you read the First Chapter of FITHB and hopefully the subsequent chapters, here are some answers to potential questions that you, the reader, may have about my story.
How long will the chapters be? Generally, I'm hoping for the chapters to be around ten thousand words in length once I get into the groove of things. Expect the first five to ten chapters or so to be shorter.
What will be your chapter release schedule?No clue. I'm sorry.
What inspired you to write this story? The frustrating lack of genuinely interesting, well written and well thought-out NarutoxHelluva Boss Fanfiction. That is just my view, and feel free to disagree. For two extremely popular Fandoms, it is extremely disappointing and somewhat confusing to see just how piss-poor a lot of the Crossover-Fics are. The vast majority are Sex-fests with no real plot. Some people love that in a story, I don't.
Will there be element's of Hazbin Hotel in this story? Possibly later on at some point. For now, I just want to stick to the Helluva Boss side of things, other than some references on a TV or something like that. The show isn't even out yet, and there is no way in Hell (pun intended) I'm going to add "important stuff" based on a Pilot.
Will there be element's of Naruto lore in this story? Of course, and if you're reading this that is to be expected.
Will there be Naruto character's besides Naruto in this story? Yes, and if you have a rough idea of what happened during Naruto's birth and what happened while Naruto was trying to fight Pain and later, master Kurama's power, you'll see where I'm going with this. No Naruto character other than Naruto will have a long lasting presence in this story other than some flashbacks or references.
How is this story going to be paced? It's definitely going to be a slow-burn type of story. There will be some filler-ish chapters, but they will still be canon to the overall story. For example, Naruto won't even be meeting I.M.P. until Chapter 4 or so, and they're going to be main character's in this story.
Hopefully all of your other questions can be answered in the coming chapters. Thank you for reading this "kind-of-QnA". This is my first genuine attempt at writing a quality fanfic. I hope you like the first chapter and continue to read my story!
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"Wake up…", a woman's voice called out in the darkness. Naruto thought it almost sounded motherly, but then again he has no clue what it's like to have one.
"What? Hello, anybody out there? I hear you lady!", and here is our unlikely hero. Of course he's screaming because, well, he's Naruto.
"Darling, wake up…", the woman called out again. Naruto was beginning to get frustrated by this lady. Her tone was annoyingly sweet and caring. A normal boy would accept this person with open arms, but Naruto is in no way a normal boy. He grew up an orphan, and unknowingly has a nine-tailed demon fox in his gut.
"WHO IN THE HELL ARE YOU?! STOP MESSING WITH ME!", Naruto bellowed furiously. How dare this woman act like she's his mother?
Just then, the seemingly infinite space around him that was previously the darkest of blacks turned the bloodiest red Naruto had ever seen in an instant. It made his stomach drop, his heart tingle, and his toes curl.
"H-hello? I-I didn't mean to yell, I swear! I-I mean it!", Naruto cried while his eyes were the size of the Fourth's Rasengan. There was no immediate clear response, but Naruto could swear that he heard a distant rumbling. "Oh, no…"
Suddenly, a female-esque figure made of pure orange with perfect white circles for eyes appeared not even 15 feet away. It (She?) looked at him, seemingly with maternal rose-colored glasses. Then, in a split second, the figure appeared right in front of Naruto and cupped their hands on his cheeks. Naruto was so terrified that all he could do was stand there in shock and look right into the figure's eyes.
The figure then pulled on his right ear, not too hard but not too soft. It growled, then pulled its head back. It breathed in in an inhuman way, then spoke in a tone that left no wiggle room. It wasn't the tone of an angry enemy, it was the tone of an angry mother. That tone was something Naruto thought he wouldn't get out of his head for quite some time, maybe never.
"I said…WAKE UPPPPPPPPPP!"
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"AHHHHHHH!" *Huff Huff Huff*, Naruto cried just after waking up with a jolt. He could faintly hear the annoying beeping of his alarm clock. The room around him almost felt a mile away, as he was still comprehending and processing that dream. He then slapped himself on his face.
"Gotta focus…I've been having that dream for how long? Years? Maybe…heh. Even my dreams remind me of just how alone I am- STOP!", Naruto shook his head. He has to get past that stuff, just ignore it. He'll become Hokage then everybody will love him.
Reluctantly, after some time of staring at the ceiling, he got out of bed then started getting ready for the day. Some minutes later, after he brushed his teeth and got dressed in his garish orange tracksuit, he looked over to his Ichiraku-themed calendar. With that, his eyes literally bugged out of his skull.
"GAH! Testing?! I thought that was tomorrow!", Naruto spat in both abject irritation and confusion. He's almost five minutes late! With that, he quickly put his shinobi sandals on, grabbed a cold toaster strudel and hauled ass out the door and towards the Academy. Like always, he outwardly-ignored all of the cold looks the citizens of the Leaf gave him everyday. Deep inside, though, Naruto knows that he cares deeply about what people think about him. He wants friends to laugh with, a family to confide in. He longs for love and compassion, but the Leaf has none to give him. The whole world, it seems, has none to give him.
Shaking his head at those thoughts, he rounded a corner and soon the front of the Academy was up ahead. Just as the front door was automatically closing, as per usual around 8:55 AM, Naruto slid his way through to the inside. Once in the interior, he sprinted towards his classroom while covered in a thin layer of sweat.
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*Knock Knock Knock*
"Huh?", Iruka intelligently remarked while looking up from the papers on his desk and towards the door. All of the classes had already started, and all of the teachers would have been busy with said classes. Then, Iruka somewhat-affectionately remembered that there was one student in his class that had a knack for being late: Naruto.
With a deep sigh, he got up from his chair and walked over to the door, clearly looking unamused. When he opened the door and looked down, Naruto's nervous face came into his sight. Iruka noted that he seemed to have picked up a sweat, looking somewhat disheveled. He clearly hauled ass over to the academy.
"Naruto, again? What's the big deal?", Iruka scolded in a disappointed and ruffled tone.
"I'm sorry, Iruka-Sensei! I just slept in on accident, I promise!", Naruto squeaked bashfully. For a few seconds, Iruka scrutinized him for any lies, but found none.
"...fine. Go take a seat where you normally sit.", and with that Naruto went to take a seat. Not three seconds later, Iruka's voice was heard.
"Oh yeah, Naruto, wait a minute.", Iruka called warmly.
Naruto turned on his heel, and droned, "Yeah, what's up?"
With a wink and a smirk, Iruka chimed, "Good luck."
Naruto's eyes went wide for a second, then went back to normal. "Thanks, Iruka-sensei. I mean that."
"Don't mention it, now go take a seat, okay?", and with that Naruto nodded, turned on his heel again, and went back to the process of finding his seat. In the chaos that is to be expected from a classroom full of twelve year old tweens, nobody even noticed Naruto's presence besides Hinata.
Unsurprisingly, not even a minute after Naruto slid into his normal seat, he was asleep like a bear in hibernation.
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When Naruto opened his eyes, he was in a black void, similar to the one he was in during his earlier dream. He cracked his neck, and heard someone soon after.
"That was the sound of a fucking divorce!"
"That's a..fancy voice?"
"Hey bub, here's your pay for the week, alright? Don't fuck it up next week, counting on ya'."
"Who are these people?!"
"Hey, Mox! Cleaned those guns for ya'!"
"That's…my voice?"
"Thanks, Naruto. You cleaned these excellently! I knew I could count on you."
"Who's 'Mox'? I'm so confused…also what's a 'gun'?"
Not two seconds after Naruto said that, the same voice droned on in a scientific way. "A gun is a type of weapon incorporating a metal tube from which bullets, shells, or other projectiles are propelled by explosive force, typically making a characteristic loud, sharp noise."
"O…kay? That helps…I guess?"
"Oh, come here, sweetie! Give mommy a hug!"
"What's going on…"
This was all very overstimulating to Naruto. He has no clue who these people are, who in the hell this 'Mox' guy is, or why some lady is calling themselves his 'mommy'. Especially the last one.
"Millie, stop it! You're suffocating the poor runt."
"Huh, that lady's voice almost sounds like she's Sasuke's sister or something…wait a minute! Who's she calling a runt?!"
Immediately after, 'dream Naruto' said the same thing. A muffled cry of, "Hey, Loona! Who're you callin' a runt?! Believe it!", could be heard.
Suddenly, all of the voices, including Sakura for some reason, yelled the same thing. "Naruto, wake up!"
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"Naruto, wake up!", Sakura bellowed like a banshee.
*Huff Huff Huff*, Naruto looked around like a mad man. The whole class was looking at him, including Iruka who had a visage of genuine worry and concern.
Sakura gave Naruto a look that just screamed, 'I hate having to deal with you', and proceeded to patronize him even more by saying, "You up now…idiot?".
"Y-yeah. Sorry..hehe.", Naruto nervously squeaked while rubbing the back of his head.
"You're up next, dummy. Knowing you, you'll probably fail."
Because of Naruto's post-wake-up funk, he somehow saw this as a compliment. "Thanks, Sakura! You're the best!"
"Uh…you know what? I'm just going to go away.", and with that, Sakura seemingly teleported to the other side of the room looking thoroughly weirded out.
Iruka, who saw the entire exchange, merely palmed his face. "These kids, I swear…"
"Alright, Naruto, come with me to the testing room. All of the other students are free to go outside and see their families."
Hearing the word, 'family', kind of stung. Nonetheless, Naruto made his way towards the testing room with Iruka-sensei while the rest of his classmates got to experience the joy of having a family.
Once in the testing room, Iruka sat down next to Mizuki and brought out some papers, most likely to record Naruto's score.
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After all was said and done, Naruto went outside full of misery and disappointment. He went to go sit on the swing, and when he sat down he looked around at all the other children that were talking with their parents and laughing. When he looked at them, he felt an innate inferiority, not only for failing, but also for not having his own parents there with him to console him and to show love to him. He felt empty. He felt worthless.
"...uto."
Hmm?
"...aruto."
Must be nothing.
"NARUTO!"
"WHAT-WHAT?!", Naruto looked around wildly for a bit before his eyes focused on Mizuki-sensei, who was standing directly to his right. He seemingly was looking at Naruto with a gaze of concern, which was something that Naruto could never recall seeing on his face before.
"Naruto, are you alright? You looked a little zoned out is all…"
"I…I failed…again."
After some seconds of silence, Mizuki broke it with, "I'll tell you what, how about you come with me and we can talk about things."
Naruto could've broken his neck with how fast he turned towards Mizuki. He was very ready to experience kindness from somebody, especially after his failure. He hung onto Mizuki's words like a lifeline, and Mizuki knew he caught him hook, line, and sinker.
"Of-of course! What time?!"
Mizuki then made the motion of looking at a wristwatch then chimed, "How about…now?"
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Soon after, Naruto and Mizuki were sitting next to each other on the roof of a nearby building. Naruto had trouble not falling apart. He didn't know how to feel or what to think. Apparently there was a secret test for those who failed the Graduation Exam. You had to somehow steal the Forbidden scroll from the Hokage's office and learn a Jutsu before your sensei finds you.
Naruto was ready to accept the offer, though he did have a weird sensation in his stomach. A sensation that was almost trying to tell them that the offer is fishy. Despite that, Naruto agreed. He readily latched on to any form of kindness he could get. Even Mizuki, who at best secretly had an immense amount of hatred for Naruto, found it quite sad.
With that, Mizuki made Naruto get the scroll an hour earlier than planned so Naruto could at least revel in a victory in life for a little bit before he kills him. That didn't stop him, however, from laughing at an apparent victory. "That brat won't know what's coming…I'll be among the greats after I steal that scroll!"
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The coast was clear. Naruto ran across the rooftops clad in his typical orange tracksuit. He had his goggles over his eyes so the wind didn't mess with his eyes, as he was going at breakneck speeds. A part of the test that Naruto found especially bizarre was that he had to start from the point in the village that was farthest away from the Hokage Mansion. For some reason, Mizuki had a map on him that had that place marked. He said it was in the Shinobi Library.
It was now night time, hours after Mizuki told Naruto of the test. Most ninja that were in the village were fast asleep in their homes, barring the rare ANBU that patrolled every once in a while. Once Naruto made it to the roof of the Hokage Mansion, he made his way inside with relative ease due to past pranking experience. It surprised him, however, with just how empty the halls were. He expected the residence of the Hokage himself to have more security present, especially while the Hokage is sleeping.
Brushing that apparent fact aside, he made his way across the creaky floor boards to the so-called 'Forbidden Room'. It was a room that supposedly housed all of the 'forbidden' and 'secret' scrolls and writings of the Leaf Village. He knew about this room and its location, due to it being taught in the curriculum of the Academy. Why do they teach the location of this super important room, you may ask? Nobody, domestic or foreign, is stupid enough or ballsy enough to try breaking into it.
Naruto may be stupid in some areas, but there is always room for improvement and if you give him the resources, he can be a prodigy just like his father. There's no argument about him being ballsy, though. Some people who are relatively fond of the boy even joke about him having back pain because of how heavy his balls are. *Cough* I digress, back to the story.
Once he opened the door, which opened easily compared to the name of the room it allowed entrance to, a massive whirlwind of dust smacked Naruto in the face. "GAH! This place is dustier than Gramps!"
Behind him, the voice of an old man who had seen and done much echoed throughout the extremely quiet halls. "You were saying, dear boy? What are you doing here?"
"Oh, crap! Gotta think fast or this whole thing's gonna get blown!"
With the quick execution of the Dog, Boar, and Ram hand signs, and a cry of, 'SEXY JUTSU!', a comedic amount of blood gushed out of the old Hokage's nose and he promptly fell to the ground unconscious.
"Few, that was close.", and with that grabbed the scroll that was clearly marked, 'Scroll of Seals', and began to make his way towards the forest outskirts where he was to learn a Jutsu.
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*Huff Huff Huff*
Naruto had learned the Shadow Clone Jutsu. It seemed like the easiest one in there due to it only needing extremely high Chakra reserves for the most part, which Naruto had and then some. There was also a Jutsu titled, 'Hell Transference: Dimension of Flame'. Naruto tried it before trying to learn Shadow Clones because of its cool name, but it seemingly did nothing besides make his gut turn a little. The only thing really weird about it was its name and the fact that the steps for the Jutsu disappeared from the scroll almost as soon as Naruto tried it.
He noted that there was some rumbling in his head, but thought nothing of it. He had to focus on the now, not the maybe. At the end of that thought, Iruka had bursted into the clearing looking worse for wear. He had clearly been looking around desperately for Naruto, not that Naruto had any clue of that.
"Naruto, do you have any clue of what you've done?! Why would you steal the Forbidden Scroll?"
Naruto noticed that Iruka wasn't really angry, he was just incredibly worried about him. This confused Naruto. Not that he didn't appreciate the worry, he was merely confused as to why Iruka was worried in the first place, or why he seemed to be in such a hurry.
"The test?", Naruto responded as if it was obvious.
"What? What do you mean? What test? Why're you here?"
"Look, just listen, Iruka-sensei! I'm supposed to show you this amazing Jutsu and you're going to let me graduate. That's the way it works, right? Anyone who learns Jutsu from this scroll passes!"
"Huh? Where'd you get that idea?"
"Mizuki-sensei told me about it. Believe it! He told me where to find the scroll... and this place…"
"What? Mizuki?! How could he…"
That thought was cut short when he heard the signature noise of Kunai flying through the trees. They were going towards Naruto!
"NARUTO! GET DOWN!"
Iruka pushed Naruto back, taking the Kunai. They pushed Iruka back to the wall of the hut. Kunai are in the wall, some pinning Iruka there. There's also one in his leg.
"I see you've found our little hide away.", Mizuki's sly voice announced throughout the clearing from on top of a tree branch.
Iruka looked up towards Mizuki, clearly in pain both physically and emotionally. "So that's the way it is, huh? I should have known…"
Unruffled by Iruka's words, Mizuki impatiently called down to Naruto. "Naruto! Give me the scroll, now!"
Naruto looks stricken. "Wait a minute…", at this he looks over at Iruka, then back at Mizuki. "What's going on here?"
Iruka pants, then pulls out the Kunai in his leg and throws it aside. He then looks directly towards Naruto. "Naruto! Don't let Mizuki get the scroll! It contains forbidden Jutsu, Jutsu that could put this village in grave danger. Mizuki used you to get the scroll for himself. For his own power!"
Naruto finally stands up and looks towards Mizuki, furious at being used for some scheme. He trusted Mizuki-sensei, and it appears that Mizuki-sensei abused that trust for his own greed.
Mizuki then gives Naruto a convincingly-caring look. He holds out his hand and states, "Iruka's just trying to scare you cause he doesn't want you to have the scroll."
Naruto understandably unintelligently replies, "Huh?". At this, he looks towards Iruka, seemingly looking for answers.
Iruka looks up at Mizuki. "Stop lying, Mizuki!", he then looks back towards Naruto. "Don't let him trick you, Naruto!"
"Ha! Don't make me laugh! I'll tell you who's really lying!"
"No, Mizuki!"
"They've been lying to you your whole life, Naruto, since the decree twelve years ago.", at this Naruto's eyes widen. "What decree?!"
"Everyone knows except you. Iruka's trying to hide it from you, even now. He'd do anything to shut me up!"
"What is this decree? And why does everyone else know about it?!"
At this, Iruka's eyes widen and he looks up towards Mizuki with a ferocity that wasn't there before. ""Don't tell him! It's forbidden!"
"The decree is, no one can tell you the Nine-Tailed Fox is inside you! The Fox spirit that killed Iruka's parents and destroyed our village has taken over your body. You are the Nine-Tailed Fox!"
At this, all Naruto could do is stand there, shocked beyond belief. His entire life was a lie. That sensation he felt in his stomach earlier came back at full force. He could almost hear all of those voices, and a deep, rumbling voice from the darkest depths of his soul.
He could faintly hear Iruka yell, "Stop it!", but alas it was too late. The damage had been done.
"They've all been sneaking around, hiding things from you your whole life. Didn't you think it was strange how they treated you? Like dirt. Like they hated you for just being alive!"
Naruto was starting to tear up. "No-no-no-no-no!"
Iruka looked at Naruto with his own tears. "No…Naruto…"
Of course Mizuki just had to add salt onto the wound. "That's why you'll never be accepted in this village. Even your beloved Sensei hates your guts!"
Iruka bends over in pain, hands above the wound in his leg. He remembers what the Hokage said to him earlier.
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Flashback
"Iruka, Naruto never had a Mother or Father to care for him. He's shut out of everything and doesn't know why. Most people won't even look at him. How would you feel if everywhere you went, people turned their backs on you? That's why he gets in trouble. So people would notice him. It may not show, but he's always thinking about the family he doesn't have. He's hurting inside."
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Present
Back in the forest, Mizuki is spinning a massive Shuriken in his hand. "Die, Naruto!"
"Naruto, get down!"
Naruto does, covering his head with his hands. Then, Naruto looks up. Iruka is above him, the Shuriken sticking out of his back. Iruka coughs a little, in pain. Naruto, with drops of blood on his cheek, looks up at Iruka shocked. So does Mizuki.
"W-why?"
"Because we're the same. When I lost my parents, no one seemed to care. They didn't have time for me. They just forgot I was there. My grades dropped. I became the class clown. I just wanted them to see me…and know my name. My schoolwork wasn't good enough to get the attention, so I did crazy things. And then I had to pay for it. It was hard. I know that's how you feel, Naruto. You feel lonely and it hurts inside. And I could've been there for you more. I let you down. I'm sorry. No one should have to suffer that much. No one should be alone like that…"
Mizuki chuckles upon hearing this. "Don't make me laugh! Iruka always hated you. He was orphaned because the Nine-Tailed Fox killed his parents. And that beast is now inside you. He'd say anything to get the scroll from you!"
At this, Naruto got up and ran away into the tree line. Iruka screamed his name, but he showed no signs of returning. Mizuki then jumps down, seeing Iruka as a defenseless rabbit.
"You know, once he makes up his mind, nothing can change it. He's going to use the scroll to take revenge on the village. You saw that look in his eye, didn't you? Those are the eyes of a beast."
Iruka then begins to pull the Shuriken out of his back. "No…Naruto isn't…like that!", then he throws the shuriken back at Mizuki. Mizuki easily dodged the Shuriken, and it flew off into the trees.
"You're a joke. As soon as I eliminate Naruto and get the scroll, I'll be back for you.", Mizuki then jumps away.
"I won't let you…", Iruka thought before seeing Mizuki disappear from his sight.
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Later in the forest, Iruka is running after Naruto, through the trees. Iruka then comes up right behind him. "Naruto! Everything Mizuki said was a lie. Give me the scroll. Hurry! He's coming after you to take it away."
Naruto stops on a branch, then jumps right into Iruka, sending Iruka flying back. Naruto lands on his feet, and slides to a stop. He's panting hard.
It turns out that Naruto was actually Iruka in disguise, and Iruka was actually Mizuki in disguise to trick Naruto.
Now some time later, we see Naruto standing off to the side behind a tree and holding the scroll while Iruka and Mizuki are arguing.
"You're a fool. Why are you protecting that freak? He's the one who wiped out your whole family."
"I don't care what you say, because you're not getting your hands on that scroll."
"As if you could stop me. Don't you get it? Naruto is just like me."
"How's that?"
"He wants the scroll for his own power, and his own vengeance. That's how beasts are. He'll pour all his rage into the scroll and destroy everything."
"You're right…", at this Naruto just starts bawling his eyes out. "That is how beasts are, but that's not who Naruto is. He's nothing like that. Naruto's one of a kind. Works hard. Puts his whole heart into it. Sure he messes up sometimes, and everyone jumps on him...but his suffering only makes him stronger. That's what separates him from being a beast. So you're wrong. He's nothing like the Nine-Tailed Fox. He's Naruto Uzumaki, of the Village Hidden in the Leaves.", and this leaves Naruto dripping snot from his nose.
Mizuki then reaches around to the last Shuriken on his back. "Hmph! You really believe that dribble? Iruka, I was going to save you for later but I changed my mind. You're finished!", he then begins to run at Iruka with deadly intentions.
Naruto suddenly jumps in between them, and head butts Mizuki in the stomach, sending him flying backwards. Iruka's eyes widen. Naruto skids to a stop, standing the scroll up beside him.
"Naruto?!", Iruka yells in his mind out of confusion.
"Hmph, not bad, for a little punk.", Mizuki scoffs.
"If you ever lay a hand on my Sensei... I'll kill you!"
"Such big words. I can completely destroy you with a single move!"
"Take your best shot, fool. I'll give it back to you a thousand fold!", Naruto then makes the hand sign for Shadow Clone Jutsu in front of his face.
"Let's see you try! Show me what you can do, Nine-Tailed Fox!", after Mizuki says that, Iruka watches, shocked with his mouth slightly opened.
"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!"
There's a poof sound, and Iruka's eyes widen. Surrounding them are hundreds of Naruto clones, in the trees and on the ground. Mizuki looks around confused and overwhelmed. All of the clones are calling out 'over here' and 'come on'.
"Huh? What is this? No…"
Not even five minutes later, Mizuki can be seen beaten on the ground, with Naruto standing above him, rubbing his head and laughing. The scroll is on the ground next to him.
"Sorry, I kinda got carried away. You okay, Iruka-sensei?"
Iruka then lets out a deep breath. "Yeah…"-"He's amazing. He wants to surpass all the Hokage...and I'm starting to believe he might do it."-"Naruto. Come here a minute. I've got something I want to give you."
Naruto has his eyes closed. "Sensei, how much longer?"
"Okay, you can open your eyes now."
Naruto opens his eyes. Iruka's standing there, smiling, holding in his hands Naruto's goggles. Iruka's missing his headband. Naruto looks dumbfounded.
"Congratulations. You graduate. And to celebrate, I have a surprise. We're going out for Ramen tonight."
Almost in a split second, the sound of a vacuum cleaner rings out in the clearing. Iruka opens his eyes and Naruto is nowhere to be seen.
"Oh no…NARUTOOOOOOO!"
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And that's chapter 1. We won't be seeing anymore of the Elemental Nations, so I'm just letting it be said that everybody there lives happily ever after.
This is my first attempt at doing a fanfic, so all feedback is extremely appreciated. Hell, if you love it, fanart would be awesome too. I'd love to hang some up on my fridge!
Thank you all very much for reading, and chapter 2 will soon follow.