Hello everyone! Back with a second chapter, third in the works. I hope y'all enjoy. For those who read my old story, Curse of the Sharingan, drop a comment where you think the story direction will go, and we'll see who is closest to the mark.
As always have a great day. For disclaimer, i do not own Naruto, thats property of Studio Perriot and Kishimoto.
The sound of a drop of water hitting a pool of water woke him up. Startled him awake as he suddenly sat up in a room that looked very similar to the seal he housed Kurama in, only the room was darker than the one he housed his furry friend in. He brought a hand to his face and held it.
He saw his reflection on the water, his blonde hair so much like his father's. His black eyes he inherited from his mother, his black shirt, and his orange pants. Something from each of his parents, even the orange, a mixture of yellow and red like his step mother's hair.
"Fitting, that I would be denied the pure lands," Naruto muttered to himself. He may have stolen the title of the God of Shinobi from the old man Hiruzen, but much of what he achieved in life made him no better than a butcher. As he lay back down onto his back, he said, "Just an eternity with myself, with only my reflection as a companion."
"So it seems," a voice spoke from the darkness, causing the blonde to shoot up to his feet into a stance.
In front of him, a figure sat floating in the air. A man with pale skin, marred by wrinkles, and a rather strong jaw line. He had shoulder length brown hair, with a matching goatee, and horn-like protrusions in his forehead. However his eyes were purple with concentric rings originating from a dot-like pupil, and a third eye in the middle of his forehead similar to his normal eyes, but red as opposed to purple. He wore a white full length Kimono, adorned with six magatama markings along a high collar.
The man exuded an otherworldly aura, and Naruto would happily admit he was rather intimidating.
However, like any good shinobi, he let no emotion slip through. Instead he cocked his head to the said and asked, "And who might you be?"
"I am he who shall achieve peace and order, the founder of ninshu- the ninja creed. My name is Hagoromo Otsutsuki, also known by most as the sage of six paths," the figure introduced himself.
However something about how the man introduced himself irked the blonde. Crossing his arms he gave a skeptical look to the man, a raised eyebrow and an unimpressed glimmer in his eyes, slowly, he spoke, "So you claim to be the father of the ninja system, but also claim that you shall achieve peace and order? I don't know if you noticed but there's no peace and order on the horizon. You essentially created a system that enslaved shinobi to a cycle of vengeance that ensured war continued for generations after your time."
Hagoromo nodded in acknowledgment, "Indeed, one of my greatest failings. Do you know the conflict that has lasted millenia sprung from my two sons?"
Naruto shook his head, replying, "No, but I'm sure you will tell me."
The sage nodded and spoke, weaving a tale of an alien princess. Her quest for peace and descent into madness. He spoke of himself and his brother and their discovery and exploration of their innate ability to use chakra, and the conflict between sons and and mother. Then went on to speak of his sons, the ancestors of the Senju and the Uchiha. Their own conflict when he named the youngest the heir of ninshu and the conflict that it sparked, as well as the bijuu.
All in all, Naruto was even less impressed with the so-called sage of six paths by the end, and made it known as he said, "For a man said to be wise and knowledgeable you sucked at resolving issues between your sons."
To his surprise, the old man chuckled, and agreed, "Yes, maybe if i had focused a bit more on my children. Spent more time with them rather than leaving them to their own devices, things would have turned out differently, but alas. Time has long since passed."
Then the sage looked up at him, "See, the conflict between Indra and Asura was so strong, their chakra continued to cling to the earth. Until eventually, they would migrate and cling onto two children, of their respective descendants. I think you're aware of who they were. Being your ancestors and all."
That made Naruto listen to the sage intently as the godly figure continued, "Of course, neither of them were exactly like Indra and Asura. Asura was a fool by every metric, a late bloomer who learned to work with others to achieve their goals. But your first Hokage was prodigious in his ninja arts even if he acted foolish."
"What happened next?" Naruto asked with a hint of genuine curiosity.
"The cycle was interrupted, curiously, by a descendant of mine. Something I didn't foresee happening," the sage answered admitted, "Somehow, the descendants of my children joined in matrimony, and sired a child that put an abrupt end to the cycle. As their chakra, could no longer cling to this world."
"My parents," Naruto deduced, and received a nod.
The blonde let out a sigh, and said, "Why do I need to know this?"
"You're much like my two sons, inherited something from both… but you have this certain foolishness to you," the sage stated.
"Duh, just because I was who I was doesn't mean I have a wealth of wisdom or knowledge," the Shinobi scoffed, crossing his arms, "It just meant I knew how to kill people in multiple ways."
"And you were?" Havoromo asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Last I checked, I was still recognized as The God of Shinobi. Stole that title from the old fart Hiruzen," Naruto answered, "Not that I did much to stop the war or the cycle of vengeance."
"I would say otherwise," The sage replied, "A butcher in war, sure. But didn't you marry someone who should have been your biggest enemy? Did you not earn the respect of the Kages of the villages and fought and stood against them as equals? Do the shinobi of your generation not speak of mercy and your words."
"What would they care about? I spared them because I'm tired of being a killer. I'm tired of pretending as if the place of your birth, the families you were born into… gives you a right to toss and take lives so carelessly." Naruto answered the query.
Taking a seat in front of the sage, he started, "We want to protect our loved ones, so we hate everyone who could be a threat to them. We want our village to prosper, and be the best. So we send thousands to their death, and funnel millions of ryo into destructive wars. Until the individual, believing they are carrying out justice. Kills the one who wronged them. Then the children of that person go after the one who killed their father."
"And those words, while may have not reached everyone. It may have reached some, that maybe just enough for things to start shaping in a different manner," Hagoromo pointed out, chuckling, "Who knows, maybe your daughter may find herself leading a Shinobi Union one day."
"I would rather she not become a shinobi at all," Naruto snapped back, "I'd rather she lead a peaceful life away from all the war and what comes with being a shinobi."
"I know, but do you think that her blood will let her do anything else?" Hagoromo asked.
The blonde lowered his head, and let out a shuddering breath. He knew full well that given her parents and her ancestry, Sāra would aspire to become a shinobi herself. Her environment wouldn't help, especially given Kurotsuchi would most likely become Tsuchikage within the year, two at most. Instead, he changed the topic, "Why are you here? Aside from annoying me with history and philosophical debates of the future?"
"There is, as I said before. I have foreseen the future and many possibilities." Hagoromo started his explanation, "however you were an unforeseen possibility. An exceptional and unique possibility, who in some ways outshined my premonitions, but in others were absolutely foolish. Regardless, I am concerned, and I need your help. A timeline where someone else plans to use my eyes for destruction. And should things remain the same, my mother being free… is not advisable."
"Right, fucking alien chakra goddess. How am I supposed to help with that?" Naruto asked, he was incredulous, the galls on the guy! He may have been a strong Shinobi, with enough guile, cunning and strength to defeat the Kage of his time. But he could not fight, didn't want to fight.
The sage raised an eyebrow, "That world is in a peaceful state, there is no war going on. But my children have transmigrated for a third time. And I fear what could happen to them, without a firm guiding hand, would you let a child of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki struggle through life without anyone else being there to help and support her? Teach her right and wrong, and how to be strong?"
Damnit, the old fart just had to drive a hard bargain, resigning himself to the whims of a God, he asked, "How could I even help? I'm dead. My body was destroyed to the last atom!"
"Leave that to me," Hagoromo stated, and then he said, "But first, there's some people i think you'd want to see."
Naruto found himself standing in a white room, it took him a moment to blink away the harsh glare of such a bright room. But then he felt someone tackling him and hugging his waist. He looked down to see his little brother, Ashina, as his little brother yelled, "NII-SAN! You're here!"
"A-ashina?" Naruto gasped in shock.
Footsteps approached from the side and another more emotionless voice called out, "So it seems you finally joined us, Naruto?"
"Itachi?" The blonde muttered, as his younger brother stepped in front of him.
"He's not the only one," The voice of his birth mother called out. And as he looked around, his mother Mikoto, his father, and his step mother were all there.
Minato stepped forward and laid a hand on his son's shoulder and said, "I'm proud of you, we all were."
"Though, you're here a lot earlier than any of us wanted, ya know?" Kushina said, crossing her arms with a look of exaggerated indignation.
"Im sorry," Naruto replied with a sad smile, "But It was necessary, I had to protect my wife and child."
"Tell me Naruto," Mikoto spoke, "What was wrong with finding a good girl from Konoha?"
"Nothing," her eldest son replied, "But my wife… she's different. She was never afraid to put me in my place, and what we had, she was my light. If not for the love we shared , I wouldn't have lived at all."
"That's right," Minato agreed, saying, "someone who has not found a reason to die for, isn't fit to live. Though, it's funny that you and Onoki's granddaughter would end up together, considering that when I was holding peace talks with the old fence sitter, an arrangement between you two was on the table."
That surprised the younger blonde, considering how much he and Onoki fought over the years. But shrugged it off and chuckled, "Definitely wouldn't have worked out like that. Kurotsuchi is not someone you can just tame and tell her what to do. She's like a wave you get swept up by."
"Everyone," Naruto spoke up once again, "I'm sorry I wasn't always able to live up to your expectations. I'm sorry for failing to protect Ashina and Itachi. But I won't apologize for loving my wife nor the actions that I took to protect her and my daughter."
"No one expects you to," Itachi stated, "Besides, I knew. I didn't say anything because it wasn't my place, I was the one who told you that if we were going to have peace we needed to forgive the people of Iwa and the other nations."
"Big bro is the best!" Ashina agreed, hopping up and down as he hugged his oldest brother.
"You have become a good man Naru-chan," Kushina said as she also hugged her step son.
Mikoto also embraced him and whispered, "Don't forget, we believe in you absolutely. I'm sorry that the adults failed to clean up our mess, we'll watch over you and our precious little granddaughter."
"Naruto, remember a father's duty is to believe in their children," Minato picked up in place of his first wife, "Just as we trusted you with our will of fire, just as you trusted your daughter with yours. We're a family."
"Yeah," Naruto replied, making his peace with them, "I know."
"Naruto," Kushina spoke up softly, "Look after her."
"Were you able to make your peace?" The Sage asked the blonde as they stood side by side, looking at the world below.
"I did a long time ago," the blonde replied calmly.
The duo watched, standing over the Hidden Leaf, a greener, more vibrant version than the one the blonde lived in. Naruto in particular watched a small little head of blonde walking alone as others whispered and shot looks of hatred or disgust at.
Hagoromo nodded and said his goodbyes "Then, I wish you luck, descendant of mine."
