A New Beginning...
This story will be told again...
Let us not wait.
Hit the opener.
There's a day when all hearts will be broken
When a shadow will cast out the light
And our eyes cry a million tears
Help won't arrive
There's a day when all courage collapses
And our friends turn and leave us behind
Creatures of darkness will triumph
The sun won't rise
When we've lost all hope
And succumb to fear
As the skies rain blood
And the end draws near
I may fall
But not like this, it won't be by your hand
I may fall
Not this place, not today
I may fall
Bring it all, it's not enough to take me down
I may fall
Where was he?
What was that sound?
Was that beeping?
Dear child, you have been broken….
What?
Who was that?
What was happening?
What had happened?
He hardly remembered anything…
He remembered desperately fighting for his life…
A lot of fighting…
And then the most crucial battle of his life.
Yes… The one to determine everything.
Against his very friend.
Sasuke…
It was coming back to him now.
Such a waste of a magnificent craft…
He had finally reached him…
It took forever, but he broke the cycle of hatred.
Broke every bone in both of their bodies to do it…
Possibly destroyed all their organs, but…
To see that look of recognition on his stupid face.
To hear those words coming from his lips.
Yeah, it was a good day for Uzumaki Naruto.
Uchiha Sasuke was his friend, and he had brought him home despite everything.
Allow me to rebuild you…
…Couldn't wait to tell Kakashi and Sakura about it when they got here and healed them up…
But why did he feel so weak?
And these damn beeps…
So annoying!
Wait…
Was he where he thought he was?
Well, at least he was back home…
And Sasuke was at his side too…
Right?
Ascend.
And take your place in this new world, my guiding sun.
Shine your light on this world, unlike my foolish boys.
"Where the hell am I?!"
As doctors and nurses yelled codes around him, Naruto was not in the mood to deal with any of them.
This place was not familiar to him.
He did not know anyone here or sense anyone he knew!
Everything was strange, and the people were too!
There was something happening, and he was planning to get to the bottom of it!
He only wished his gear wasn't ravaged!
And what was flopping on his head, twitching to his every anxious thought!
It was highly irritating!
"What are these?" Naruto grunted as he reached up, plucking the foreign fluffy and floppy objects wiggling on his head, unaware of what he was reaching with, before yelping. "Son of… What? Why did that hurt?"
"And why do I have my arm?!" Naruto leapt back, his eyes flickering in horror as he flexed his right-hand several times, noticing a very familiar symbol prominent on his palm. "I should not have that! What is going on here?"
"Sir, I know you are confused… You just woke up from a coma…" A nurse tried to calm the furious cataclysm known as Uzumaki Naruto.
"Oiy! You damn right I am! None of this makes a lick of sense!" Naruto spared a glance from flexing his arm toward the nurse, gritting his teeth as his entire body tensed, the visuals all around him not helping.
Being in an unfamiliar hospital.
The scenery outside did not give him clues about where this could be.
Not knowing a single person here.
Or not sensing anyone he knew.
And worse of all…
A familiar presence within…
Had vanished.
He was alone with no one he knew there.
"Where am I, exactly?" Naruto swallowed deeply, trying to relax his nerves and gather intelligence while calming the situation, knowing his breakdown caused a panic.
"Vale Medical." A nasally feminine tone with a slower draw on the vowels, a thick accent if he ever heard one, resonated from the door.
Cerulean eyes were drawn into the brown eyes of a young woman.
Naruto immediately took in her striking appearance.
She stood nearly as tall as he did, just an inch or two shorter, with straight brown hair that flowed to her back. Her attire consisted of a zipped-up cropped brown with golden shoulder plates and a very short pair of brown shorts with massive golden cuffs and a belt to hold it over the black tights and top she wore over it.
But her most prominent feature?
The two long and fluffy brown rabbit ears with pink centers flicked nervously as he stared at them wondrously.
He immediately shook his head and tore his attention from them.
They weren't odd by any means…
He had dealt with a sharkman before…
He just found them… Cute?
Was that the right word?
"I brought you here a few nights ago." The young woman announced timidly in the same thick accent, her eyes darting back and forth to the side toward someone outside the room. "I, uh…"
"Look, she came here to see if you were doing okay!" Another, most boisterous voice announced as another taller young woman with brown hair, wearing a beret and black sunglasses while inside, stepped forward. "Only to see you causing a scene and scaring Velvet…"
"But… He doesn't seem to know where he is, Coco…" The rabbit-eared girl, whom he heard was called Velvet, fidgeted, poking her fingers in a very familiar way that made his stomach clench.
"You think I care?" The girl called Coco scowled, lifting her sunglasses down at her partner before sighing. "Fine! I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, but this isn't a good start… We could be doing far more productive things, you know. Yatsu and Fox are out training like we should be."
"Fox isn't training…" Velvet snidely muttered under her breath, something Naruto caught, but Coco apparently didn't. "It's his off day… He just tells you that to get off his case…."
Naruto held but a sliver of a smile, which wasn't hard given the circumstances. The girl had some spirit despite the timidness she had shown so far.
However, he shook his head. There were more important matters at hand.
"Um… Vale?" Naruto scratched his head before running his hand through his locks. "Where is… What are these? Why are they on my head? Wait… Hold on…"
"No, no, no! Don't tell me these are what I think they are?!" Naruto gripped the peculiar appendages once more, grimacing at the pain they caused, ignoring the horrified expression Velvet gave and the bizarre glances of everyone else in the room as he began to rush around, desperately searching for a mirror.
And when he found one…
His world shattered at the long furry appendages flicking on top of his head.
" KURAMA! Why do I have fox ears like yours?!"
"You have got to be kidding me? You expect me to believe you were just in a war of that scale? There hasn't been a conflict like that in years! Yeah, come on! Get real!"
Sitting across from one another in a quiet park away from the hustle and bustle of the hospital, Naruto pinched his nose as Coco stared incredulously at him. "If the fact that my clothes in ashen tatters doesn't do it, or that I was painfully tugging on these ears, which I will remind you I didn't know I had, isn't enough proof for you, I don't know how to convince you otherwise. I'm not from around here."
Her reaction was to be expected from what he had gathered so far. No one knew where Konoha was…
That it was even a village.
No one knew that a Great War had just been fought, as Coco just confirmed for him.
Thousands of lives had just been lost.
They knew nothing.
They didn't even know what a shinobi was besides figures out of comics and movies, for crying out loud!
Naruto gnashed his teeth. Balled his fist.
His ears swished and swayed, much to his chagrin.
He relaxed after exhaling.
There was no need to get upset.
He needed to think.
He had two conclusions from the intel he had gathered so far.
One.
He was teleported to a remote continent on the planet where they didn't know anything or know anything that had happened. It would be awfully convenient…
However, there were several strikes against this conclusion.
The technology here he had seen just in passing was far more advanced. Even in the hospital, it far surpassed anything he had seen back home. While possible, this was some remote place in his world…
To be this far ahead in technology than everyone else?
Yeah, he doubted that.
Next was the two in front of him.
Their chakra signatures…
Were not right.
He sensed their presence and a signature from them. Yet it didn't feel like… Chakra.
It felt somehow different. As if it was…
Only the spiritual half. Like they were only using the power of their soul, not their bodies.
And finally…
Despite his struggles to activate it, he wielded his reincarnated powers, even if it was a brief second before they faded from him once more. While that was an issue for later…
He sensed everything…
And he couldn't sense anyone he knew.
Anywhere.
So, that led to conclusion two.
He somehow activated a further gene in his Ōtsutsuki blood, something he still had to come to terms with being an ancient descendent of that strange woman, and somehow activated her powers in particular and whisked himself away to another dimension.
And now he was stuck here without knowing how to get back or how to activate that power again.
Without Kurama.
How did he lose Kurama during it?
Yet became some weird fox hybrid?
Was it because this place had people with animal features?
His world had them, too!
"That is worrisome, and I think you need to go see a therapist about your delusions of grandeur!" Coco loudly retorted, reeling back from the explanation of everything she heard from the blonde fox Faunus. "I think you might need to stay for a while if you know what I mean…"
Scoffing at her reaction, he rolled his eyes.
He didn't have time for this.
He had to find a way back home…
"I believe him." Naruto's head snapped to the bunny girl with the thick accent while he was in the middle of standing up, her ears tilted as she wore a warm expression. "I can tell he's telling the truth."
"Vel, come on." Coco scowled, crossing her arms over her chest and furrowing her brow before she leaned into her friend's shoulder and whispered. "Yeah, he sounds earnest, sure… But I think there's something wrong with him…"
"I can hear you, ya know?" Naruto flippantly waved, the fluffy ears vigorously twitching, agitating him further as he wondered if that was why he had even more acute hearing. "You can believe whatever you want. I ain't here to convince ya. Just telling ya why I was acting the way I was."
"Now I'll just get out of your hair." Naruto slid his hands into his worn-out pockets while he strolled away from them, grimacing at the state of his clothes. "Man, I liked these… Gonna need some new gear while here… Guess I'm gonna have to find a store to replace my stuff."
"Hey, we're supposed to take you back!" Coco leapt up, her sunglasses falling from her face. "They didn't discharge you! They only let you out to calm your nerves! Don't make me drag you back…"
"Good luck with that." Naruto passively waved, continuing to walk further away casually. "If Sakura or Granny couldn't keep me in a hospital, you sure aren't gonna be able to."
"Oh no, you don't!" Coco rushed forward, confident in her ability, reaching out to stop him.
Only for her hand to swish through empty air…
And white smoke?
"Huh?" A befuddled expression crossed her face, her sunglasses fully tilted on the bridge of her nose as she tried to analyze what she was seeing. "Wait, I've seen this kind of thing in the comics…"
"Shinobi rule seven…" A haunting voice echoed from behind her. "One must always look underneath the underneath."
Coco let out a shrill scream as the world was pulled out from beneath her until she was looking directly at the blonde's tattered ankles.
Walking away from her as he stretched his arms behind his back in a lax fashion. "Or if my sensei had any semblance of normality, instead of showing up hours late for nearly everything, he would have used the actual rule instead… But his version sounded cooler, so I'll stick with it."
"You are a ninja! The hell!" Coco screeched, her head wiggling against the dirt she had been buried into. "Whoa! Don't leave me here! Okay, I believe some of the things you said! You are not entirely crazy!"
"Are you sure you will be okay?" Velvet called out, a worried expression as she trotted over, her eyes flickering between Naruto and Coco. "If you don't know your way around…"
"I'll be fine. Don't ya worry. I can take care of myself and get back home just fine!" Naruto turned back around, flashing a broad grin at her. "Appreciate your concern. Thank you! …But I think your friend might need your help more! I'm gonna get on out of here! Gotta get rolling if I'm gonna get home, ya know!"
"Don't you dare! Get me out of here!" Coco roared, her head wiggling wildly. "Velvet, stop him!"
"Buh-bye!" Naruto vanished into smoke, leaving the two alone and Coco violently cursing and Velvet with a solemn smile.
"Hope you find your way."
This place smelled horrible.
This city…
Ugh…
He would need to rinse out his nostrils to get this stench out.
Naruto wanted to hold his breath.
The air quality was that putrid.
And that wasn't even the worst thing!
He had discovered while he was with Coco and Velvet something was bothering his senses. Unable to pinpoint what it was, it frustrated him.
Whatever it was, it was affecting his ability to draw natural energy.
He already discovered he still had access to that power, even if it was only for a brief second.
A brief second was more than enough to handle most things if push came to shove.
He hoped that he wouldn't need to try and access it. However, if the case arose…
Naruto was absently theorizing how to gather energy and recharge the form in the back of his mind.
If it was anything like his standard Sage Form…
There were more pressing matters, unfortunately.
The first thing was he was here. In Vale…
Wherever that was.
And his tattered appearance has garnered quite the attention, with people chatting about him as he walked by.
His newfound ears twitched, hearing all the conversations about him.
And it annoyed him that he could hear them without applying chakra to listen in.
However, he had to repress a smirk at some of their conversations about what kind of tussle he had to be in akin to a large-scale battle.
They didn't know the half of it.
But it wouldn't do him any good to draw further attention, and he needed new clothes.
So he found himself in front of the clerk, having picked out some clothes he fancied. "Alright, what's the damage?"
"That will be twenty one-thousand, three hundred and four Lien, sir." The clerk held the most vivid smile while she rang up the purchase, preparing to bag it.
Naruto winced, groaning at hearing the price while reaching for Gama-chan. That was roughly what he was expecting. Clothes were always expensive…
His brow furrowed, and he scrunched his face.
Her words greatly bewildered him.
"The hell is Lien? You don't use Ryo?"
"Back to basics…" Naruto grumbled, sitting on a dock, crafting a makeshift fishing pole from the materials he had and from what he had around him. "Hope that shop doesn't mind I had to do what I did… I can't afford to stand out."
For one of the few times, Naruto didn't stick to his usual color palette, although he refused not to have orange.
Just not so much of it, so he wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb. Especially after stealing clothes…
Taking a high-collared, zippered white shirt with the orange line so he could have his favorite color, he had on underneath it loose-fitting black pants again with an orange belt. Thankfully, he had plenty of tape so he could tape it around his ankles, and his sandals were just fine…
Needed a coat, though, but he could live without that for a while.
When he picked one up, it would be an exquisite orange.
He had to live up to his promise and become the Orange Hokage like he told his mom he would be!
Living up to the legacies Red-Hot Habanero and the Yellow Flash.
"Gotta get some dinner first…" Naruto muttered, examining his makeshift pole as he finished it. "Well, that will do once I get some bait… Now to get the bait…"
With a single toss, one of the few senbon he kept on him swished into the water, piercing through so quickly that the audible splash was barely noticeable. He let out a sigh as a memory of an old acquaintance surfaced.
If only he had gotten to see what the world was like…
Well, before the Great War, at least…
Pulling back on the senbon, having tied some wire to it, Naruto grinned at the fish wigging against it.
Wasn't enough to sate his hunger…
But it would be good for bait.
With a city this size, there were many places to set up camp.
What bothered him was why there were so few people around.
A city this size back home would have been bustling. Yet it seemed vacant for some reason. It wasn't, for there was plenty of bodies…
More than he could count, that was for sure.
Yet, the size of this place indicated there should have been more.
Way more.
Did something happen?
"Something feels off about all this…" Naruto muttered, poking at the campfire he set up in the quiet alley he found away from all the noise, prepping his fish over the fire while night fell. "Still not sensing anyone I am familiar with. Everything feels off, and no one seems to know anything about the Kages or even the Daimyous… Really starting to think my theory of falling into another dimension might not be too far-fetched…"
"I am a descendant of her, apparently," Naruto grumbled, flicking her hand through his locks before flinching as his ears flicked. "Dammit! Still not used to those! Why do I have them?!"
"What do we have here, boys?" A gruff voice grumbled.
Naruto repressed a groan, rolling his eyes and sensing the approach of several staggering men.
Why did this scenario seem familiar?
Was it October tenth?
Wait…
If it was…
Well, nothing terrible happened, but he did have to kick a lot of drunks' asses on his birthday, as they didn't know when to shut up!
He was Uzumaki Naruto, and he was the best there was and the best there ever will be!
"Heh, beat it, kid!" The drunkard staggered over with his buddies following, chuckling behind him. "This is our meal now…"
"Yeah, nah." Naruto retorted, staying seated, cleaning fish, feeling at ease, not taking his eyes off his task. "Now, if you want to join me, I could spare you some as I caught a little extra. You guys look like you are on hard times too…"
"You filthy little vermin!" The man staggered over, stomping on the campfire and putting it out, reaching down and grasping Naruto by his collar, who narrowed his eyes at the contact. "You dare pity me? You worthless, vile…"
"Let go of him!" A voice cried out, a ribbon lashing out, slapping the man in the face, causing him to stagger back after he broke his hold.
"You protect this animal?" The drunkard barked at the intruder; a young woman with long, slender black hair, wearing a black bow standing on the top of her head, dressed in black and white clothing and purple stockings, stepped between. "Stupid little girl… You don't understand a thing! But we'll put your pretty little mouth to good…"
Each of the men gasped for breath.
Their knees buckled, and their legs shook.
Bodies trembled while spines shivered.
The air around them grew heavy and became frigid.
Their very breaths wisped vapor mists.
And Naruto slowly rose to his feet. His eyes glinted with a cold fury.
"I am unsure where this hatred of yours comes from." Naruto took care to draw out his words, staring directly into the leader's eyes. " I honestly don't care. I was just being humble and willing to share because that is the right thing to do. Yet here you are, willing to cause harm over just a few fish?"
"You are garbage… No, worse than the trash. Unworthy of my time. Unworthy of being a person!" Naruto said plainly, the men falling to their knees before scoffing as they inhaled. "Mah, get out of here before you make me do something I might regret."
With his intense gaze firmly staring into the drunk leader's as he panted, unable to catch his breath, the man hollered as he took off, pushing his lackeys out of the way, stumbling and bumbling out of the alleyway with them hot on his heels.
"What… Was that?"
"Hm?" Naruto turned to face the young lady who came to help him, forcing a sliver of a smile on his face despite his foul mood, noticing her holding her hand over her chest, clearly affected by his intent.
Wincing, he lowered guiltily, his long ears curling down.
He didn't mean to affect her.
"I apologize for that…" Naruto grimaced, dragging his palm over his face in embarrassment. "That wasn't my intent… I just didn't want things to come down to violence. I knew if it did… I would hurt those guys, and they are already in the dumps. …They don't need me piling onto it."
"You were still looking out for them? Despite what they said?" The young lady skeptically spoke, stumbling before regaining her bearings. "They were trying to cause you bodily harm… Yet you were still being kind to them… And not react with violence?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Naruto scowled, crossing his arms and scrunching his face. "People don't deserve to be treated like shit. Yeah, I would have knocked them senseless if they were dumb enough to keep going or would do it to someone else, but I have the tools to stop them. To teach them a lesson. Maybe make them change their ways."
"I have to believe that everyone wants to change for the better deep down." The fake smile on Naruto slowly turned genuine, and he chuckled. "Otherwise… What good am I doing?"
The young woman's head curiously tilted at him, the same frown adorned on her features momentarily. Then, a slight chuckle escaped her lips, and she shook her head. "A fool's errand… But one I approve of. I think you and I see the world very similarly…"
"It's nice to meet ya then! Wish it was under better circumstances!" Naruto broadly grinned, offering his hand, kneeling beside his campfire before sighing. "Gonna take a little bit, but if you are hungry…"
The loud rumble of her stomach echoed, and he caught a spark within her golden eyes before she quickly turned away, her face flushed with embarrassment. "I mean… If it isn't too much of a hassle… I am like yourself, scrounging for food for the meantime…"
"None at all! Sit down and enjoy!" Naruto let out a boisterous laugh upon seeing her reaction, making her flush further before her expression widened, and he stretched his hand toward her. "Oh, before I forget! The name is Uzumaki Naruto!"
"No, it can't be…" Her golden eyes flickered before she took a breath. "Nah, that wouldn't make sense…"
"Huh?" Naruto narrowed his eyes, taking his hand back and squinting at the strange girl.
She was acting as if his name was familiar to her.
How could that be even possible?
"Sorry about that!" She held out her hand, a soft expression on her face, her bow strangely twitching as she offered her hands. "My name is Blake Belladonna. Your name threw me a bit as the novel I've recently been reading features a character with the same name!"
"Oh, that is strange. My name isn't common at all!" Naruto laughed, accepting her handshake, the tension lifting from his body…
Only to escalate as realization dawned on him.
"Wait, the only novel I know that has my name in it was written by the perv!" Naruto roared, thinking about the book series in his pouch as Blake paled, a secret she wanted no guy to ever know about being revealed.
Especially one she just met!
"Can I see this book, if you still have it on you?" Naruto asked before exhaling. "Sorry, I know what the book is. I am sorry for calling you out on it. …It's embarrassing, I know… But I am a long way from home, and I'm trying to get back. I'm kind of lost, you see… And if this book has any connections, I might be able to start finding a way back home."
"Oh, I'm sorry." Blake's shoulders slump, feeling silly for feeling as embarrassed as she did before, reaching behind into a small bag she was carrying and lifting a black and red book. "Here you go. Is this it?"
"Huh?" Naruto frowned, looking at the cover and seeing the title of Ninjas of Love , not recognizing it, before flipping it open to confirm. "No, it's not… Wait, it is? Where did this come from? I've never seen this version of the book before."
"It's sold everywhere." Blake frowned, looking quite confused and worried. "But there was always a little insert on the back flap about the author that confused me. It was about the origins of the book… I always thought it was a joke…"
"What do you mean?" Naruto flipped to the back and scanned the excerpt before biting back a curse. "The hell!"
"What do you mean a tree woman gave you an orange book for a whole new audience to enjoy?"
For all those that enjoyed the original, I do apologize. But this was a necessary step to move on. Something that had to be done.
It will follow along the tracks of the old, I will ensure you that. But it will make it's own path and things will be different as you can see.
However, do note...
This will now be an explicit story and the full tale will not be able to be viewed here for certain scenes aren't allowed.
So when those scenes come about, they will be only on Ao3.
For those disappointed that this has become a poly, yes poly, not a harem (Blake is very much a driving force in the relationship with the others) the original intent for the story still loves on in Wildflowers... A technical first remake of Fox of Remnant, I suppose. So in a way, there are two active remakes of the story, this one is just a more... Direct remake in a lot of ways.
I do hope you enjoy. While I write for my enjoyment, I do wish to hear your thoughts, so hearing your lovely voices means the world to me. Any comment you can spare means the world to me.
Even negative ones (not trolling, however). Sometimes that "FUCK YOU" energy is just what I need :). I think we all prefer positivity, but you know... Sometimes we need a kick in the ass.
Besides it cold... I need some warmth guys! Send your heat, stat! Haven't seen the sun in like a month!
Hope you are enjoying the seasons and until next time...
Peace out my friends.