Author Note: Since many liked this story version, I decided to release the second chapter I rewrote. It's nothing special since not much changes besides Kurama being Naruto's partner in this version, but I hope you all like it.
Summary: "You know... I don't even care anymore." Naruto experienced so much shit in his life that he wasn't surprised that there was more to it. With all those weird dreams, the voice in his head, his fighting skills, he wasn't surprised. But something kept him going even after all those years. He didn't know what kept him going, but he would find it out at one point.
"Speech."
'Think.'
Magic/Technique
Flashback/Events of the Past
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any other Anime/Manga used in this fanfiction.
Warning: English isn't my first language.
"Just leave me alone for a while. I need some time," said Naruto.
"As you wish," said Kurama, and Naruto sighed while he massaged his temples. He was standing in the forest and had a massive headache right now. Why did this shit always happen to him?
He opened his eyes and looked up to the sky. The sky began to be orange because the sun was about to set. He began to walk and thought about everything that he learned that day.
…
"I fucking hate my life," said Naruto to no one. He cursed at his luck like always. Why did he have to get into this entire shit, and why couldn't Kurama have chosen another host? If he hadn't Kurama inside of himself since his birth, he would never have the fighting abilities he had his entire life, and he wouldn't even live anymore.
He frowned and looked up into the sky, watching the clouds. He did it automatically after his previous experience, where his mind began to get light as a feather, and he was in some trance state where he didn't think about something in particular and let these thoughts flow like water. Like before, his eyes unfocused, his body moved independently and dodged every obstacle. Trees, bushes, and other things in nature, and while he walked through the dense forest, his body paused sometimes and stood there for a few minutes before it simply began to walk again.
"Naruto, be careful! Our target is near us!" said Sakura.
"I know, Sakura-chan. My Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clones) already searched exactly where he is," said Naruto, pushing himself forward and flying further.
"I hope you still remember the plan," said Sakura seriously.
"Come on, I know I wasn't the smartest in the past, but I improved! You don't need to treat me like the loser I was two years ago, alright?" asked Naruto, a bit annoyed.
Sakura cringed a bit when she saw Naruto's blue eyes. They looked at her angrily because she still occasionally treated him like a child. She didn't even do this on purpose. "I'm sorry, I know that. It's just that you have changed so much that I don't recognize you from time to time, and when I don't know how to handle the situation, I fall back into old things," said Sakura, a bit down.
"Don't worry and focus. I found him; he is 2 miles south of us; let's go," said Naruto. He landed on a tree before pushing himself off the tree and catapulting himself through the air toward his destination. Sakura did the same and became focused.
Naruto crossed his fingers, and 5 Kage Bunshin appeared around him. "Scatter and look for potential threats while we deal with Kagusa," said Naruto. All 5 Kage Bunshin said, "ROGER!" and vanished in a flickering motion.
Sakura could never understand how her once idiotic, hyperactive teammate, who always had this goofy smile, became the severe and calm Shinobi he was today. She missed the goofy Naruto from time to time when she was honest. Naruto changed a lot since the Chunin Finals and the death of the third Hokage. He took everything more seriously and trained like never before. He trained like a maniac under the tutelage of Jiraiya to become stronger. Team 7, as it was, didn't exist after the finals anymore. He left the team because he needed to become way stronger to protect those he held precious.
From that day onward… let's say he wasn't the same anymore. He left the team to become a permanent student of Jiraiya. He learned many things under Jiraiya, and just half a year later, he became a Chunin after he brought back Tsunade to the village.
The time after the Finals was tough for Konoha since they didn't have a suitable Hokage. Shikaku Nara took over the role until someone better was found, and after long debates and meetings, the decision was made to make Tsunade Senju the next official Hokage.
She smiled slightly when she saw Naruto's backside. Even when she missed the goofy and always carefree Naruto a bit, this Naruto right in front of her was better and much easier to deal with.
"I will cover you, so don't hold back," said Sakura as both saw their target in the distance. She made motions with her hand to prepare a Genjutsu while Naruto charged at their target with 30 Kage Bunshin that appeared out of nowhere beside Naruto.
The fight wasn't worth mentioning since Naruto was faster and stronger than their target. Sakura didn't have to do anything this time since Naruto was stronger than the target. In the end, 2 Kage Bunshins held the target down while Naruto formed with a single hand a Ōdama Rasengan (Giant Rasengan) and slammed it into the target, killing him.
Sakura noticed a year ago that Naruto didn't need a Kage Bunshin anymore to use the Rasengan. He always needed a Kage Bunshin, but he perfected the Rasengan after one year of training under Jiraiya. He could use the normal Rasengan with one hand and even the stronger version he used just a few seconds ago to kill the target. The Ōdama Rasengan was bigger and stronger than the normal Rasengan.
When the memory ended, Naruto came back to reality. He looked around and saw that he was at the forest's edge. He could see Kuoh in the distance and a few birds flying out of the forest behind Naruto.
'What the?' thought Naruto. He didn't know what just happened. Firstly, he watched the clouds and went into that state again like before, but after just a few seconds, he found himself in the body of Naruto, who looked like himself. He didn't watch the scene from the outside this time. He was the Naruto in the memory this time and did everything himself. It was weird… like he knew everything he did in the memory. Creating clones, jumping long distances without breaking a sweat, getting memories after a clone dispelled, talking with Sakura, arguing with her for a bit, and the fight, it was like he did all of this himself and not someone else. He even remembered the feeling when he created this weird blue rotating sphere over his right hand, with which he killed the enemy in the memory.
He held up his hand and looked at it.
…
He shook his head and lowered his hand. He began to walk again, having enough for one day. It just became worse and worse. He just wanted to go to his apartment to sleep a bit. He didn't need more shit he had to deal with for now. All the information from Kurama was enough.
"So that was what happened?"
"Yes, Buchō, I saw it with my own eyes. The rumors about his talent in martial arts were true. He used martial arts to take down the thief first. Afterward, he used martial arts in the beginning against a stray devil with strong regeneration abilities before he activated his Sacred Gear and became physically stronger while his appearance changed a bit," said Koneko Tōjō.
Koneko was a petite girl with white hair and gold eyes. The front of her hair had two long bangs past her shoulders and several loose bangs hanging over her forehead, while the back had a short bob cut. She also wore a black cat-shaped hair clip on both sides of her hair. She wore the girls' school uniform without the shoulder cape.
She stood in front of a desk. The room was lit only by a few candles. Right in the middle of the room was a table with a candlestick momentarily illuminating it. Right and left was a black leather couch, which could fit four people. Directly behind the table and further along the room's back wall was a solid wood desk with elegant carvings carved into the wood.
Behind the desk was a single leather chair where the person speaking to Koneko was sitting. There was another window in the room with curtains on it. There was even a functional shower in the right rear corner. Directly next to the double doors that led to the room, there were cupboards for books, glasses, and other things on the right and left. Pictures of landscapes or houses hung on the walls, which did not appear to be of that age. There were also some animals in the landscapes that shouldn't have existed then.
The person sitting on the leather chair at the desk was looking into Koneko's golden eyes with her blue-green eyes. She was a beautiful young woman with a voluptuous body, white skin, and blue-green eyes. She had a very curvy figure with massive breasts, unlike Koneko's. Many say this woman was the number 1 beauty at the Kuoh Academy. She wore her usual attire, which consisted of a white long-sleeved, button-down shirt (short sleeves for spring/summer), with a black ribbon on her shirt collar worn under a black shoulder cape, and a matching button-down corset, a magenta skirt with white accents, and brown dress shoes over white crew-length socks. This was the standard school uniform of the Kuoh Academy for females. After all, this woman was a student of the Kuoh Academy. She was also the president of the occult research club.
Her name was Rias Gremory, and she was the sister of the current Satan Sirzechs Gremory or Sirzechs Lucifer. She did not view her peer members as servants but as family members. The Gremory treated their peerage members as a second family, not servants or enslaved people.
"And what? I still don't like it that you reincarnated him into a devil," said another voice in the room. The voice belonged to another beautiful woman of the same age as Rias. She was a beautiful young woman of average height with a beautiful face, white skin, and ruby eyes. She had long crimson hair tied into twin tails using yellow ribbons. She had a charming body; her boobs were massive, just like Rias', and she had a voluptuous figure.
She, too, was wearing Kuoh Academy girls' uniform, which consisted of a white long-sleeved, button-down shirt with vertical linings, a black ribbon on the collar, a black shoulder cape and matching button-down corset, and a magenta skirt with white accents. That was Stella Vermillion, another member of the Occult Research Club.
"We talked about it, Stella. I couldn't let someone like Naruto Uzumaki die, you know why," said Rias with narrowed eyes. She knew how much her Knight hated men because of their looks and their perverted nature.
"Still, he is just like everyone else. You don't even know if he joins us. That man is only trouble, and even when he isn't a pervert like 99% of men, he is just a delinquent who does nothing but fight for no reason," said Stella while she crossed her arms beneath her massive breasts.
"Ara ara, are you possibly interested in him, Stella-chan? You know more than you let on," said another heavenly voice inside the room. The Occult Research Club was known for a few things, but one thing stood out: All members were female, and everyone was a natural beauty with an appearance not from this world. This was how every student from Kuoh Academy saw it.
Stella turned red and turned her head to the side, extremely angry. "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING, AKENO? AS IF I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN A DISGUSTING MAN LIKE THAT!"
Akeno Himejima was the president of the occult search club and one of the four queens of the Kuoh Academy. Stella and Rias were part of those "4 queens," as the students called them.
Akeno was a beautiful young woman with a voluptuous figure, long black hair, and violet eyes. Her hair was usually tied in a very long ponytail, reaching down to the floor with two strands sticking out from the top and sloping backward, with an orange ribbon in place. Just like Rias and Stella did, she had a very seductive and curvy body with massive breasts. Her breasts were even a bit larger than Rias' and Stella's.
Like most girls at Kuoh Academy, she wore the customary Kuoh Academy girls' uniform and black calf-length socks.
Akeno held a hand in front of her face to hide her smile. "Ara, ara…"
"That's enough, Akeno," Rias said, looking at her Queen. Akeno was the first peerage member she recruited and reincarnated into a devil. She was her second in command and one of her best friends. Like her other peerage members, she would lay her life into her hands.
"As you wish, Buchō," said Akeno with an innocent smile. It wasn't rare that Akeno brought Stella or another member of the Occult Research Club into a state of anger. She loved to tease other people, especially her two club members. She sat down on the right leather couch and looked at Rias.
"Stella, he is important. He is one of the last living Uzumaki; he could even be the last one," said Rias. "Besides that, I think he would fit well into our group. He has the right abilities to complete our group," argued Rias.
Stella calmed down a bit when Rias talked to her again. "Even Koneko doesn't mind his reincarnation, and she hates boys like you," said Rias. "She knows that he is different from the others."
Koneko sat on the other leather couch and ate sweets she had just gotten from Akeno. She nodded her head to Rias and continued to eat her sweets.
"I am still against it. Just think about what Vali told us. He does nothing else besides fighting in the underworld of the human world to find stronger opponents. He even ignored the price of money when he won a fight. He left the fight when he won and ignored everyone," said Stella.
Rias sighed and shook her head. She loved every single member of her peerage. They were her family, and nothing would change that, but even her family gave her a headache sometimes. Stella had a strong mindset and didn't change her mind so fast. She was stubborn, and it didn't matter what Rias told her right now; she would not change her mind.
"I'm sorry, Stella, but you must live with it. He is a devil now and will join us, no matter what you think. I am sure you will change your mind once you get to know him," said Rias.
"Don't say this like you know him personally. It could still be that he won't even join us. Just know that I will kill him if I ever see him peek at one of us or if he threatens us," said Stella before she took her school bag and left the room.
"She won't change her mind that fast," said Akeno.
"No, but she had told us all her mind before. I decided to reincarnate Naruto Uzumaki. I will have to live with her behavior," said Rias.
"Let's forget that topic for now… she made a good point with one thing: Naruto Uzumaki is not the type of man who would bow down to anyone when the reports from Vali were right, and we know that her reports are always right," said Akeno with a more severe voice and face. Right now, she wasn't playing around. She talked with her King about a serious topic.
"It could be that he would attack us, Rias. I have nothing against Naruto Uzumaki, but the possibility is still there, and you know that," said Akeno.
"Yes, I know…" Rias explained her plan to Akeno to get Naruto's trust and guarantee he would join their peerage.
After a few minutes, the conversation ended, and Koneko stood up from the black leather couch. "Buchō, are you sure? The fallen angels in the city could hinder your plan," said Koneko.
"Yes, Koneko. We must succeed, or else his existence will become public knowledge. So far, my family has successfully hidden his existence, but now that he is a devil and he knows about the supernatural world, we can't simply hide his presence anymore. It is time for us to act," said Rias.
"I follow you, Buchō," said Koneko.
Rias smiled at her Rook. "I know that, Koneko," said Rias.
"It's only the question of when we will do it. He is at his apartment currently and is simply sleeping. He doesn't even come to school like normal. He only comes to school when he needs another set of uniforms and when exams are written, and since the next exam is in 2 weeks, he doesn't have a reason to come here," said Akeno.
"Oh, he has a reason to come to school. When he fought the fallen angel, his last uniform got shredded, and he has no left," said Rias.
"Oh, I understand; that will be fun," said Akeno, licking her lips with a seductive smile.
"Akeno, control yourself," said Rias.
Akeno raised both eyes briefly before holding a hand before her lips. "Ara ara, I'm sorry Buchō. I didn't even realize it," said Akeno innocently.
Akeno Himejima was an angel from the outside, but deep inside, she had a hidden side that was only known by the members of the occult research club. In secret, she was highly sadistic in battle. She didn't show any mercy or remorse towards the enemies she slayed, casually keeping up her smiling elegant persona over an enemy's death and showing an expression of pleasure and lust upon delivering them pain.
Hearing how Naruto's uniform got shredded was a statement that he got a lot of pain, which turned her on automatically. It was fucked up, but that was Akeno Himejima in her living flesh.
"I ask myself if Vali is successful this time," said Rias, leaning back in her leather chair.
"We can only wait and see. She searches for her rival for a long time, and it could well be that she still needs time to find her," said Akeno.
"Yes, I know," said Rias.
Vali was her only pawn and the strongest member of her peerage and family. Vali's full name was Vali Lucifer. She was a descendant of the original Lucifer and had inherited massive demonic power. She was also a half-devil, and because of that, she had the chance to get sacred gear, which she got. Her sacred gear was the Divine Dividing, one of the original Longinus Sacred Gears. With her lineage and sacred gear, it was clear that she would become the strongest member of Rias' peerage at one point or another.
Rias had found her when she was still young. Rias gave her a place to belong, and after Vali joined her, they quickly became best friends. Vali thanked Rias for everything that happened to her. She gave Vali a place, a family, and the feeling of being welcome even when she was the great-granddaughter of the original Lucifer. The Gremory clan took her in and showed her what it meant to have a family. Vali would always be on Rias' side no matter what would happen.
"Could you repeat his name?" asked a woman with long black hair and black eyes. She stood in a room that looked like an office. She stood before a desk where a man sat in a leather chair.
"I said that we got reports about a person named Naruto Uzumaki, and I want you to confirm the reports. No one has seen a Uzumaki for 200 years, and if it is true, then we have to act. He lives in Kuoh, and we know who rules over Kuoh," said Azazel.
Azazel was a tall man in his twenties with an average build, black hair, golden bangs, and a black goatee. He also possessed twelve jet-black feathered wings that grew out from his back.
Azazel wore a long V-neck maroon coat with a wide, open, high collar that opened up at the hem. The coat also featured two black belts around the waist and four black bands on each arm, two at the wrist and the other two near the elbow. He wore grey slacks and brown shoes.
That was Azazel, the leader of the fallen angels in the Grigori Group.
…
The woman didn't speak at first. It looked like she remembered something from her past because she looked absent. Azazel didn't know what was happening in her head, but he said nothing.
"I will do it," said the woman.
"Are you sure? You know who lives in Kuoh. You told me that you didn't want to meet your rival even when Draig said it would be your fate," said Azazel.
"It is," a green orb appeared on the woman's hand. Draig's deep and powerful voice echoed through the office.
"And I said that I don't believe in fate," said the woman with an annoyed voice. "Don't annoy me with this topic again, Draig."
"Then why are you going to Kuoh? Albion will be able to feel me instantly when you go there, and his partner wants to find you and fight with you. Albion's partner knows that this fight can't be prevented. In one way or another, you will meet your rival, and you both will fight; that is your fate as the red dragon empress."
"My visit to Kuoh has nothing to do with this topic," said the woman. She knew that fate didn't exist. Someone had repeatedly shown her that fate didn't decide what you did with your life. You're the craftsmen of your road. Everyone decides for themselves what road they want to walk.
"I will grant you your requests, but I am a bit curious… why are you so interested in Naruto Uzumaki? I don't remember you showing interest in anything. You are not our Ice Queen for nothing. No matter what it was, you never showed interest in what I asked you to do," said Azazel.
"That is not your concern, Azazel," said the woman. "Just know I will take the job and fulfill him like always." With this, she turned around and left the office.
Azazel sighed when he looked at the door from his office. He stood up and turned around to look out the window, watching over his organization's facility. The sun was about to vanish on the horizon, and he hoped he wasn't too late.
He couldn't allow someone to get him if Naruto Uzumaki was real. The Uzumaki were haunted in the past, and for 200 years, everyone thought they were eradicated, and no one was left. The Uzumaki had the key to something that was wanted by many, and still, no one had been able to get the key from the Uzumaki. The Uzumaki never revealed anything, no matter how much torture they went through.
Azazel and his group were one of the rare groups that didn't haunt the Uzumaki. He didn't want what the Uzumaki had sealed away all those thousands of years ago, and he didn't want another war. He hated the war and wanted to do his research.
The full moon was high in the sky, illuminating Kuoh in a mysterious light. Because of the full moon, most animals who hunted at night took advantage of this opportunity; everything was lit up even in the middle of the night. Even at 3 a.m., somebody could see everything clearly as if it were in the morning, and the sun was already up to a certain degree.
Even in the dark apartment, Naruto got hit by the moonlight, even when all the curtains were in front of the windows. Naruto was lying on his bed with a neutral look on his face.
Naruto's body twitched a bit when he felt something over himself. The light that shone through the window at his face wasn't there anymore, and it felt like something or someone was right over him.
Naruto's blue eyes opened slightly. He didn't see much, but he knew he shouldn't move or he would lose his right eye. Directly in front of his right eye was the tip of a sword that would only need a very little distance to pierce his eye and head. His blue eye wandered up the sword and saw who wielded it.
It was a woman with black eyes like the endless night, raven black hair with spikes in it tied up into a high ponytail, and two long bangs that framed her face. She had pale skin, and her face looked almost identical to Naruto's: cold and blank. Her eyes were focused on his blue ones. The type of sword wasn't seen often in the world. It was a Kusanagi with a black handle. Her right hand was around the handle.
Unlike most females from the supernatural world, this woman over him wasn't very curvy. She didn't have those massive breasts that most female supernatural beings had or the other curves. She wore a grey top under a black leather jacket with short sleeves, blue pants, black leather boots, and a silver necklace around her neck.
Naruto couldn't help but think he had seen this woman somewhere before. He couldn't remember it right now, but he was sure he saw her somewhere before.
"Is your name Naruto Uzumaki?" asked the woman with a cold voice. This voice could send a shiver through the body from someone, but Naruto wasn't affected by it.
"And what? You want to kill me? Fine, do it then," said Naruto without any hesitation. He didn't make a motion that he would resist or move. He lay there while his entire body was loose.
The woman looked into his blue eyes, and it seemed like she was trying to find something in those blank blue eyes. She took her Kusanagi away from his face and sheathed it in a black sheath on her backside.
She stepped down from his bed and stood now on his right side. Naruto looked at her and asked, "That was all? You don't kill me?"
"No," said the woman as she walked towards the door. "I am only here to confirm your existence, Naruto Uzumaki. Nothing more and nothing less."
"Disappointing," said Naruto, looking at his ceiling again and closing his eyes. "When that was all, leave my apartment, and the next time, simply knock on the door." He heard the woman walk through his door and stop. He waited a bit and didn't hear how she walked away. He frowned and opened his eyes.
He turned his head to the side, looking at the woman in his doorframe. "Anything else? I want to sleep; I had enough shit to deal with in the last two days. I want my peace as long as it lasts."
"You don't seem to care that I found you," said the woman.
"Why should I care that a woman found me? I am not hiding," said Naruto,
…
The woman remained silent for a few seconds before she said, "You don't care, are you?"
"Should I care?"
"Probably," said the woman.
"You know… I stopped caring when everyone was against me. After 18 years of a shitty life, you don't care anymore," said Naruto before he turned away and closed his eyes. "When you don't want to kill me, then fuck off. I don't have the nerve to deal with more shit right now."
Naruto tried to keep sleeping, but when he heard the woman begin to talk to someone, he opened his eyes again. He looked over his shoulder and saw how she was holding a phone to her ear.
"Yes… he is Naruto Uzumaki," said the woman while holding her phone to her right ear. She looked at Naruto, listening to the voice on the other side of the line.
Naruto stood up and charged at the woman. The woman raised her hand and caught Naruto's fist. Naruto's fist pressed against the hand of the woman while he looked into her black eyes.
"Don't get me wrong, whoever you are… if you don't want to kill me, then leave my apartment, or I will kill you right now," said Naruto. The woman pushed him away, saying, "Sorry, I must deal with something here." She put the phone into her pocket before she looked at Naruto.
"So, what would it be? You're killing me, or am I killing you?" asked Naruto.
"Wait, Naruto. You don't stand a chance against her," said Kurama.
"I don't care. When she is stronger than me, she can kill me, a win in my book," said Naruto.
"You don't understand! This is the red dragon empress. Her partner is Draig, one of the heavenly dragons. She is not just a bit stronger than you but much stronger than you," said Kurama.
"The stronger, the better," said Naruto while he walked towards the woman.
"It seems like your partner wants to die, Kurama," said a deep and powerful voice. A green orb appeared on the woman's left hand.
Naruto punched at the woman, and she blocked. "Are you Naruto Uzumaki?" the woman asked before they exchanged a few quick blows.
Naruto was pushed back a bit before he said, "Are your ears working? I didn't think you would be a woman with a terrible hearing ability."
The woman didn't react to the provocation. She raised her right hand and held it open like she was grabbing some round object. Naruto raised an eyebrow before his eyes widened when he saw how white lightning appeared around her right hand. It looked like an orb of white lightning was inside her right hand before it spread and danced around.
"Come on, Satsuki! Come back to Konoha; it is not too late! You have the support of the entire village; why are you trying to go to that traitor Orochimaru?" asked Naruto while he stood in some alley. He wore his Chunin outfit even when his flak jacket was shredded, and he had bruises all over his body. His ocean blue eyes looked into the red eyes with three tomoe from the girl who was once his teammate.
Six meters away from him stood Satsuki Uchiha, one of the last living Uchiha in the elemental nations. She had long black hair with some spikes. Her long, raven black hair was tied into a high ponytail, with two long bangs framing her face. She wore a blue shirt with a high collar, white shorts, and blue sandals. Her headband was nowhere to be seen on her.
"I already told you, Naruto… I chose this path for myself. You can't change my mind. You will have to kill me; otherwise, you won't get me back to Konoha," said Satsuki. Her fully evolved Sharingan spun a bit in both eyes before they calmed down.
"Don't try to use Genjutsu on me; you know that doesn't work on me," said Naruto while his eyes became blood red with a black slide. Satsuki scoffed and said, "I will win! I have to! I won't get strong enough in the village. I am too weak for my ambition, and nothing will stand in my way, not even you!" said Satsuki.
She made three hand signs and held her right hand up a bit. Blue lightning appeared around her right hand before she looked into Naruto's blood-red eyes. Naruto didn't say anything and created a Rasengan without help from a Kage Bunshin. Only two weeks ago, he finally mastered the Rasengan with one hand.
The water began to ripple uncontrollably. Naruto and Satsuki didn't move while they watched into each other's eyes. It was like they were conversing silently, just with eye contact. After a few seconds, a single leaf between them fell into the water. That was the moment when Naruto and Satsuki charged forward towards each other.
'Was it because of me? Should I have stayed on the team?' thought Naruto before they were both in front of each other. "RASENGAN!"
"CHIDORI!"
Both jutsus from A-Rank clashed with each other, and shortly after, a white sphere surrounded both before the white sphere exploded and lit up the entire valley.
Naruto looked at the woman's hand and then into her eyes. 'What?' he thought. He lowered his sword, which the woman noted. The white lightning around her hand vanished, and she stepped forward.
"It seems like he remembers something, Satsuki," said Draig.
Naruto's eyes widened when he heard the name of the woman who looked exactly like Satsuki Uchiha from his memory just a few seconds ago. "That can't be…," said Naruto.
Satsuki stood in front of Naruto, looking straight into his blue eyes. "So, you are the loser I once knew," said Satsuki with a slight smirk.
Naruto narrowed his eyes and said, "If I am such a loser, what makes you give the fact that you are here because of me? A lost little birdy?"
Satsuki lost her smirk before she narrowed her eyes. "Say that again, dope."
"Lost little birdy," said Naruto without hesitation.
Satsuki was surrounded by a golden aura for a brief second before she vanished. "Calm down, you are here to protect Naruto Uzumaki, not to kill him. Remember that," said Craig.
"Naruto, you should not provoke her. It seems like you know her?" asked Kurama.
"Not personally. You know about my weird dreams. I saw her in one of those dreams," said Naruto. She looked exactly like in my dreams, and even this lightning technique she just showed us was like the Chidori she used in my dreams."
"Anyway, why are you here, Satsuki?" asked Naruto while he went to his bed and sat down.
Satsuki went to the light switch and switched it on. Light came to the room, and now Satsuki could look around for a second, analyzing Naruto's living arrangements.
Naruto didn't blink when the light switched on. "Better than your old apartment back in Konoha," said Satsuki.
"Should I know this place called Konoha?" asked Naruto.
Satsuki looked at Naruto. "You don't know what Konoha is? It's the village we both lived in in our previous lives," she said.
…
Naruto didn't say anything. "You really can't remember that?" asked Satsuki.
"No. I had weird dreams my entire life but never really understood what was said. It was only two days ago that those dreams became clear, and I could understand what happened there," said Naruto.
Satsuki remained silent. 'So, he wasn't born with all the memories from our past lives like me… that would explain why he doesn't know me,' thought Satsuki.
"I will ask again, what are you doing here?" asked Naruto.
"I was sent here to confirm that you are real," said Satsuki.
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Why would someone think I am not real?"
"You are the last living Uzumaki. For 200 years, no one saw an Uzumaki since your clan was hunted, and all believed that no one survived," said Satsuki. "I didn't even believe you were real when I heard about the Uzumaki Clan. I thought I was the only one reincarnated into this world after I died in the elemental nations."
"Ok, slowly… why was my clan hunted, and didn't someone know I existed? I was fighting in many underground clubs and on the streets. I didn't even try to hide my identity. I was a well-known fighter in the underworld. Next… what did you mean by reincarnation? Are you the Satsuki from my dreams, and do you say I am the Naruto from my dreams?" asked Naruto.
"I can explain why your clan was hunted, Naruto." Said Kurama while Naruto's eyes became crimson. Naruto raised an eyebrow at this declaration.
"I am all ears," said Naruto with narrowed eyes.
"The Uzumaki Clan has a long history in this world. Thousands of years ago, they sealed away a dangerous beast. No one knows where they sealed it or how they sealed the beast. The Uzumaki Clan was known for using sealing magic, a rare form only available to the Uzumaki Clan. Many tried to copy sealing magic, but no one could recreate the sealing magic that the members of the Uzumaki Clan could use. No one even knew how they got the knowledge for that.
It was later discovered that every Uzumaki was special in some way. Not just because of their sealing magic or longer lifespans—up to 200 years—besides normal humans…, but because they all had dreams about another life," said Kurama.
Naruto's eyes widened. "Wait… so you tell me all my ancestors also had those weird dreams?"
"Yes. They all dreamed about a life outside this world. It was never truly revealed what exactly they were dreaming about and in which world these dreams took place, but I would bet they also dreamed about this elemental nation Satsuki talked about," said Kurama.
"So basically, I am not the Naruto from my dreams; I am my person," said Naruto while he looked at Satsuki.
Satsuki stood there without saying anything. "Continue," said Naruto.
"The Uzumaki were hunted because they had the key to unseal the beast that was sealed away all those thousands of years ago. It was speculated that they all knew because of their dreams," said Kurama.
"So, you tell me… that I would sooner or later dream about something that would give me the knowledge of how to unseal that beast and where it was sealed?" asked Naruto. "How does this even work? When something got sealed in THIS world and not in the elemental nations, how should I dream about it? That's just stupid," said Naruto.
"I can't say this to you since no Uzumaki has ever told anyone this information. The Uzumaki Clan were the guardians of the seal that held the beast at bay. It didn't matter if a Uzumaki got captured and tortured to death. No matter how much pain was inflicted on them, they never revealed anything," said Kurama.
Naruto's eyebrows showed that his blank face wasn't present. His face slowly filled itself with anger and rage. "Who did this to my clan?" asked Naruto.
"Every faction over the thousands of years—every major faction—hunted a member of the Uzumaki Clan at one point or another," said Kurama.
"I would suggest you leave, Satsuki. Since I am not the Naruto directly from your old life, you no longer have a reason to be here," said Naruto. In his eyes was raging a fire of pure anger and rage.
Satsuki turned around before she looked over her shoulder. "I will be around Kuoh. When you calm down, come to me," said Satsuki before she left the apartment. Naruto lay down on his bed, deep in thought.
"Hey, Kurama…," said Naruto after 5 minutes.
"Yes?" answered Kurama.
"In my memory of seeing Satsuki, I also had crimson eyes, as if I were using your chakra. Can you explain to me why this is?" asked Naruto. He could remember the feeling he had in the memory. The exhaustion, the pain in his body, the creation of the Rasengan, but most of all, he remembered the moment when he used the familiar chakra of Kurama, and his eyes became crimson in his memory.
Naruto waited and didn't get an answer from Kurama. "I see… so even you are not completely honest with me," said Naruto while he turned away and his blue eyes returned. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep.
When Naruto opened his eyes, he was in a black void. He could see his body, but everything was pitch black around him. He didn't know how long he had flowed in this black void before something caught his attention. He looked slightly to the right when he saw a little flame in the distance.
The little flame turned into a light before it became stronger and, shortly after, was so bright that it lit up the dark void. Naruto held both hands before his face while he closed his eyes. He could feel a warm feeling inside of his body while the light lit everything up around him. Naruto opened his eyes and took his hands away.
He stood now in some graveyard. The graves were well done, and it was clean for a graveyard. Every gravestone was clean, and he could read every name and word. He walked through the graveyard and looked at some names on the graves. One thing was straightforward and clear: every grave was from an Uzumaki. The second name was always Uzumaki.
'Where the fuck am I?' thought Naruto confused. He didn't know why he was here.
"Naruto." He turned around when he heard a gentle, feminine voice behind him. He could see a beautiful woman with long red hair and purple eyes. He didn't know why but thought he had seen this woman before.
"Who are you?" asked Naruto as he approached the woman. Her expression was full of love and understanding, and he couldn't help but feel drawn to her. It was like an unknown connection bound him and her together.
"My Name is Kushina Uzumaki," said Kushina while she turned slightly to the right and signaled him to follow her. Naruto did what she told him to do, and while they were both walking through the graveyard, they had a conversation.
"Are you real, or am I just dreaming again?" asked Naruto while he looked up into the sky where a purple sky was. He had never seen such a sky before in his life. He already saw blue, red, orange, and pink, but never purple.
"Yes, I am real, but not in the sense that I am still alive," said Kushina.
Naruto looked towards Kushina and raised an eyebrow. She looked at him with a warm smile. "You are just like your grandfather. He was always so grumpy and calm. Sadly, you didn't get the personalities from me or your father."
"Wait! Are you saying you are my mother?" asked Naruto wide-eyed.
She only closed her eyes and smiled at him. Naruto looked at her with a shocked look. "W-what?"
"I know that you are going through a hard face right now, and I would love to help you directly, but I am already dead," said Kushina. She stopped and reached out to him with her hand. Just when her hand was about to touch him, her hand phased through him like a ghost.
When her hand went through his body… an unknown feeling so strong that it burned stronger than every sun in the universe, Naruto could feel something he had never felt. He couldn't describe it. It was a feeling that gave him a sense of comfort and safety as if everything that happened was not necessary anymore: gentleness, warmth, worry, anger, an unbreakable will, and other things. It was indescribable.
He looked up to his mother and found his answer when he saw the tears in her eyes. She smiled sadly while her hand was still on Naruto's chest. "I am so sorry, Naruto."
"Huh?" asked Naruto, a bit overwhelmed with the emotions that rose inside of himself. "You were alone your entire life. You had no one to explain to you the giant responsibility that came with being an Uzumaki. I wanted to see you grow up and raise you, but I couldn't because I failed."
Naruto looked into his mother's teary eyes, unable to speak. His feeling was a roller-coaster of emotions. He wanted to yell, to scream, to cry, to jump into the air because he finally saw his mother; he wanted to kill someone, and he wanted to embrace his mother, but, in the end, he did nothing from it. He looked at his mother with his full attention.
"I had to decide an hour after you were born. Either it was fighting an overwhelming opponent or giving up on you and fleeing. Since your father and I would have never left you alone, it was clear what we had to do. But we weren't strong enough because we were both killed in the end, even when we killed the enemy," said Kushina.
"W-why didn't you simply leave me back? I was just a baby! You two could have just made another baby. I was alone my entire life and wanted to die! I was raised in an orphanage and got harassed by the other kids because of my whiskers. I never found friends because the other kids spread rumors about me. At some point, I just wanted to die, but no matter what I tried, I couldn't die! I wanted to be reunited with you and Dad, Mom!" said Naruto while his vision blurred because something wet was gathering in his eyes. "I never wanted this! I just wanted to be loved by someone!"
"Even when I began to fight with thugs or criminals, I couldn't die because I always won! Whatever I did, nothing worked, and my life became worse and worse with each passing day! I lost my sense of love early on in my life. Even when I tried to get the love and the respect from others, they ignored or assaulted me."
Naruto looked at his mother, tears flowing down his face without an end. "Why couldn't you just leave me and have another child? I hate my life, and this way, you two would still be alive, and you would be happy!" His knees became weak when all his life's emotions surfaced. All the emotions sealed inside his soul were breaking free now that they had finally been the catalyst to be free.
Naruto got on both knees and cried. He didn't look at his mother anymore. He couldn't take it anymore. Why did he have to be the one? Why couldn't he be just a normal kid with a family? That's all he ever wanted. A family that loved him for who he was and nothing else. He gives a shit about everything else.
A family. That was everything he had wanted from the start, ever since he was a little kid.
His eyes widened when he felt two arms being laid around his head. He could feel physical contact. His mother gently pressed him into the chest while she began to sing a song for her crying son. Naruto hesitated for a second before he hugged his mother.
He didn't know why she could touch him out of nowhere, but that wasn't important right now. Like before, he wanted to feel her touch; like before, an overwhelming feeling washed over his entire body. His shaking body calmed down a bit when the warmth spread to the last cell of his body.
"I am sorry, Naruto, but your father and I could never have left you. We love you too much for that," said Kushina while she gently stroked his blond spiky hair.
Naruto's eyes widened when he heard it. He leaned a bit back to look his mother in the eyes. She smiled at him and said, "We love you more than anything else, Naruto. You were the most important thing for us the second we knew you were in my belly."
He opened his mouth to say something, but his voice didn't come out. Kushina hugged him, and he hugged her back. Ten minutes later, Naruto had calmed down and sat beside her on a bench that appeared out of nowhere. Both were smiling, especially Naruto, who didn't look anywhere but at his mother.
"I still have to explain to you what it means to be an Uzumaki," said Kushina.
Naruto got a bit serious and nodded. "Yes… you mentioned something like that before. I only know that it has something to do with a beast that was sealed away and my dreams about another life."
Kushina nodded. "You are right, but there is more to it than you can imagine," said Kushina. "Listen carefully; I will now explain everything to you. You are now exposed to the supernatural world, so it is time to learn everything you need to know."
Naruto nodded and gave his full attention to his mother. He still remembered the words she said.
"I love you."
Only three words… but for Naruto, those three words meant everything to him. Those three words were everything he ever wanted to hear and feel.
After Naruto had heard everything he needed from his mother, his mother told him something. "You ask yourself how no one found out about you, right?" asked Kushina.
Naruto nodded and looked into the purple sky. "I asked myself that question since I learned everything from Kurama. How could I remain unknown when I moved from city to city and became a topic in the underground? Someone had to know me by now, but this whole mess started two days ago when I became a devil. It was like a switch was turned around."
"This has something to do with an agreement your father and I made with the Gremory Clan," said Kushina. "We knew of the danger that was following us around. If ever something happens to us, we wanted you to at least not deal with the supernatural world for as long as possible. Sirzechs Gremory has made a deal with us that he and his family would hide your presence from the supernatural world."
Naruto now understands why Rias Gremory always tried to talk to him when he was in school. Even when this was a rare occasion, she always tried to talk to him about something, even when it wasn't necessary. He would bet she knew of the deal, his existence, and his role as the last living Uzumaki. He had a huge burden to bear, and he was sure that Rias also knew it. He was also sure that she reincarnated him into a devil.
He technically had a debt to pay off since she saved him a few days ago. Would he be dead, then a catastrophe would be triggered, and that wouldn't be good for the entire world.
Kushina looked up into the sky and sighed a bit. "Sadly, our time is over, Naruto-kun. I wish I could have spoken more with you," said Kushina.
"Wait! I still want to ask you so many questions," said Naruto while he stood up.
"We will meet another time, don't worry, my son. At one point, you can visit this place whenever you want. But until this moment is reached, we have to say till next time for now," said Kushina and stood up. Naruto and Kushina hugged, and Kushina kissed her son on the forehead. Naruto hugged his mother as if his life depended on it. Kushina smiled and saw how Naruto slowly vanished from the scenery.
Before Naruto vanished completely, he said, "Thank you, Mother… I love you."
She got a few tears and said, "I love you too, my son. I am proud of you and happy to be your mother."