New Beginning (Prologue)

A/N: Hello, I am Shadow, and this is my first work in fanfiction. I'm not here to bore you, so I'll make this quick. You'll find a lot of inspiration from other people's work in this, so consider this a warning. I don't know when this story will be updated, or if it ever will, so don't get your hopes up. This concept was stuck in my head, so this story was more of a let-out than anything else. Enjoy, and remember, I don't own anything, so please don't sue me.

Xx—After The Fourth Great War—xX

They did it. They had won the war, but a sense of dread clung to Naruto. They had defeated Kaguya, sealed away the mad goddess, and finally freed the tailed beasts. Yet, he couldn't shake off the feeling of impending doom.

Just as he thought his fear was unwarranted, Sasuke—his friend, his brother in all but blood—declared his idea of revolution. Once again, Sasuke tried to enslave the tailed beasts. Naruto attempted to reason with him one last time, but before he could, Sasuke used his space-time technique, Amenotejikara, and with a Chidori, pierced Naruto's heart.

"I couldn't let you ruin my plan, Naruto. This is goodbye."

"I can't let this happen. I won't let this happen!" Naruto thought. "I made a promise to Ero-Sennin, to Nagato. I promised to bring peace to this world, and I won't fail."

Naruto grabbed Sasuke's lightning-covered hand, and using Kurama's chakra, he formed a chakra arm. Instead of sprouting from his own back, the arm came from Sasuke's back and grabbed onto the forming Chibaku Tensei pulling the tailed beasts out of them and Sasuke's control and into himself.

Seeing this, Sasuke tried to use his space-time technique to send Naruto to another dimension and finally rid himself of his friend. But at the moment Sasuke cast the jutsu, the massive influx of chakra made the technique unstable. It created a rift in space and time, swallowing both Naruto and Sasuke and leaving the Elemental Nations to their doom.

Xx—Space Between Time—xX

Naruto and Sasuke drifted through the space between time, where everything begins and ends. The only reason they survived was Naruto's tailed-beast chakra cloaking them from the adverse effects of the void.

Sasuke, lost for words, finally asked, "Why are you protecting me, you dobe? I just tried to kill you."

Naruto snorted. "Yeah, teme, but I made a promise to Sakura-chan and your brother. So, hurry up and open a portal back home so I can kick your ass and drag you back to Konoha."

Sasuke chuckled bitterly. It was so like Naruto to fight him, yet still try to bring him back home. But Sasuke knew the truth. They had drifted too far from the Elemental Nations. He wasn't proficient enough in the Rinnegan's power to return. He also knew they didn't have much time. He could hear Naruto's labored breathing. Unlike Sasuke, Naruto had been fighting for three days straight. He couldn't maintain the cloak for much longer.

Sasuke made his final decision.

"Thank you, Naruto," Sasuke said softly, "for being my friend. I hope wherever you land, you find happiness."

Before Naruto could respond, Sasuke transferred all his chakra, along with Sage's chakra and his eyes, to Naruto—just as Itachi had done for him. Sasuke then threw Naruto toward a portal he had opened.

Xx—Fuyuki City—xX

When Naruto opened his eyes, he was in pain, as though his body had been compressed and stretched at the same time. Confused, he went to his mindscape to ask Kurama for help. As he traversed the familiar sewage-like tunnels, he expected to meet all the tailed beasts. Instead, only Kurama awaited him.

"Kurama! Where are the others? Why does my body feel so strange, and why does my voice sound… so small?"

Naruto looked at his reflection in the water and was shocked. He saw the face he had as a child. Panic surged through him, and he began running around like a headless chicken.

"Brat, stop acting like a fool and listen to me," Kurama growled.

Naruto froze, giving Kurama his full attention.

Kurama sighed and began explaining. "Do you remember what happened after Sasuke threw you through the portal?"

Naruto shook his head.

"We were in the space between time. That place exists and doesn't exist simultaneously. It's the beginning and end of all things. The only reason we survived was because of my chakra cloak. But you were exhausted and couldn't maintain it much longer. Sasuke knew that, so he sent you to a world where you could survive."

"Sasuke is…" Naruto began.

"Dead," Kurama interrupted. "Without our chakra, he was reduced to nothing. In his final moment, he gave you the Sage's chakra. Now, flow some chakra into your eyes."

Naruto did as Kurama instructed. Tears welled up when he saw Sasuke's Rinnegan in place of his own eyes.

"I'll see through your eyes, Sasuke," Naruto whispered. "I couldn't keep my promise to your brother, but I'll cherish your final gift."

Naruto paused, still confused. "But why am I a kid again? And why does my body hurt?"

Kurama sighed. "It's complicated. When we arrived in this world, it tried to erase you from existence."

"The world?" Naruto asked.

"Yes," Kurama continued. "This world has a consciousness of its own, and it was trying to kill you. To protect you, we had to combine our powers. But we were too divided. So, the other bijuu… sacrificed themselves. We unified to shield you, and I remained as the sole consciousness."

Naruto noticed for the first time that Kurama had ten tails instead of nine. The sacrifices dawned on him, but before he could mourn, Kurama interrupted.

"Brat, mourn later. We're surrounded by fire, and in your current state, we need to get out of here."

Naruto awoke to find himself in the middle of flames. Activating Sasuke's Sharingan, he searched for survivors. Amidst the carnage, he spotted a red-haired girl with a faint life signature. He rushed over and tried to heal her, but it didn't work.

"Kurama, why can't I heal her?"

"Your chakra is still unstable, and you can't use any jutsu for a few years. My chakra is occupied holding back the world's influence, you should leave her and go look for shelter"

Naruto clenched his fists. "No! I won't leave her behind!"

"Perhaps I can help," came a voice from behind him. A shady-looking man in black stood there, holding a golden sheath.

Naruto, sensing no ill intent, allowed the man to help. He watched as the man inserted the sheath into the girl, healing her wounds. When the girl's life force stabilized, Naruto asked, "Who are you, and why did you help us?"

"My name is Kiritsugu Emiya," the man replied. "But let's get to a hospital first."

Naruto nodded, trusting him, but before he could take another step, he collapsed from exhaustion, leaving Kiritsugu to carry both children to safety.

A/N: If you made it here, congrats! I didn't expect you to find it this interesting. If you want to chat, I'm on some Discord servers, though I'm not very active there. I go by 'Beans.'

M.A.D.B Overseas Server:-/Cz3uYEXnub/

The Goat Server:-/mT7dmXMTzf/

The GrumpyWolf Server:-/37JMbeaRwe/

P.S. Don't forget to leave a review! I love hearing your thoughts on this