Here's another one!

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Chapter - 18

The biting wind howled across the frozen landscape, carrying with it the scent of snow and the faint, acrid tang of burnt Fragmentum. For as long as anyone has been alive in the desolate world, the unending winter had clung to Belobog like a shroud, and the expedition outside the city walls had become a grueling test of endurance. The base camp, perched atop a frost-riven hill, was a beacon of defiance against the encroaching cold. Wooden barricades, hastily erected and reinforced, surrounded the base, but today they were more than just a defense. They were a stage for a chaotic ballet of clones and monsters.

"Rasengan!" A dozen Narutos yelled in unison, each a spinning vortex of blue energy that ripped through the fragmented forms of the monsters. The air crackled with power as the clones, tireless and unwavering, threw themselves into the fray. They were a whirlwind of motion, a testament to the power of the unique shinobi. It was a sight that, despite the terrifying circumstances, gave a strange sense of hope. It was almost impossible to imagine the sheer amount of chakra he was using to maintain these clones, but he still charged ahead head first.

Just hours ago, the day had begun with a fragile sense of normalcy. The morning shift was preparing to venture out for geomarrow runs, a vital resource keeping the base's generators and defenses humming. Then, the scouts – Naruto's clones, ever vigilant – had reported it. A surge. Not just a patrol, but a wave, a monstrous congregation of Fragmentum unlike anything they'd encountered so far. A chilling, silent advance, swallowed by the swirling snow until it was almost upon them.

"Take this!" Another shout, another flash of blinding blue energy tearing through the Fragmentum masses. Clones surged forward, a fearless, tireless army pushing back the ethereal tide. They fought with a ferocity born of desperation and a deep-seated need to protect, their coordinated movements a testament to the singular will that drove them.

The attack had come without warning. No frantic message crackling over the radio, no telltale signs of an approaching horde. If not for Naruto's clones patrolling a two-mile radius, they would have been overwhelmed. The Fragmentum had surged from over the horizon, a relentless tide of ethereal creatures eager to devour the living.

The first barrage had been devastating, geomarrow-powered energy lancing through the snow, vaporizing clusters of Fragmentum before they even reached the palisade. But the wave was vast, relentless. They kept coming, a tide of ice and shadow fueled by the unnatural storm.

Naruto himself was at the heart of the defense, his original form weaving through the clones, reinforcing weaker points, shouting encouragement, his face a mask of grim determination. Each Rasengan, each explosive tag, was a testament to his resolve, a refusal to yield. He had promised Doctor Viktor. He had promised to bring everyone back alive. And yet, Viktor was gone.

The memory hit him with a sharp pang, even amidst the adrenaline of battle. Viktor, the brilliant, eccentric doctor who had led the first excursion into the ruinous caverns beneath Belobog. The excursion that had revealed wonders beyond imagination, ancient technologies hinting at a civilization lost to time, secrets that could save Belobog. Secrets they had brought back. But at the cost of Viktor's life.

"Fire!" Loud voices sliced through the cacophony of battle, commands sharp and precise. Many brave personnel stood tall, a figure of resolute bravery, behind the repurposed energy cannons. The long-range artillery, salvaged from the camp's ruins and restored with meticulous care, roared to life, powered by the precious geomarrow stones that had become the lifeblood of the expedition. Each blast sent waves of energy ripping through the monsters, reducing them to shimmering dust.

A Shade Weaver, a fragmentum monster slipped through a gap in the clone defense, its spectral body gliding unnaturally fast. It raised a shimmering limb and unleashed a blast of icy energy towards a group of terrified scientists huddled near the main tent.

"No!" Naruto roared, instantly creating a Shadow Clone to intercept. The clone took the brunt of the blast, freezing solid and shattering into icy shards, but it had bought Naruto the precious seconds he needed. He launched himself forward, Rasengan charged and crackling, slamming it into the Shade Weaver's core. The ethereal creature shrieked, a sound that grated on the very bones, and dissipated in a flash of cold light.

"Over there! Focus fire on the transparent one! They're the most dangerous!" Naruto yelled, landing back amongst his clones.

"Already on it, Naruto! But they're adapting! They're dispersing, making themselves harder to target!" A silvermane guard called back, his voice tight with strain.

He could see it now. The Fragmentum were shifting their tactics, spreading out, becoming less vulnerable to the cannons' area-of-effect blasts. The initial advantage they had gained with the artillery was beginning to wane. The relentless wave was learning.

"Clones, fall back to the second line of defense! Create a funnel! Let them come in closer, but in controlled groups!" Naruto ordered, his mind racing, strategizing on the fly. He needed to change tactics too. He couldn't rely solely on brute force anymore.

The clones, despite the relentless fighting, moved with disciplined precision, slowly retreating, drawing the Fragmentum wave inwards, into a killing zone. The soldiers, understanding his strategy instantly, adjusted the artillery fire, focusing on the funnel point, creating a wall of energy blasts that carved deep swathes through the advancing monsters.

It had been a sudden, brutal eruption. No tremor, no subtle shift in the atmospheric energy – just a monstrous wave crashing against their robust basecamp. If not for the tireless perimeter scouting by Naruto's clones, they would have been overrun before they even registered the threat. Now, the frostbitten air crackled with energy as the expedition team, a motley crew of scientists, engineers, and a handful of security personnel, fought from behind the wooden barricades, bolstered by Naruto's unwavering front line.

"Argh!" A strangled cry pierced the air, a stark reminder of the ever-present danger. A security personnel, caught off guard, slumped against the wooden wall, a smoking hole burned through his armored vest. "Get him to medic!"

The scene was a brutal symphony of destruction, but within the base itself, there was a semblance of calm.

"Please bear with the pain," Dr. Natasha's voice was soothing as she cleaned a gash on a soldier's arm. Her medical team worked with focused efficiency. The makeshift medical room had long been replaced by a solid, insulated structure, a testament to the tireless effort of Naruto's clones. The medical bay itself was an unexpected luxury. When they had first envisioned this expedition, they had braced themselves for makeshift clinics in tents, battling frostbite as much as injuries. But Naruto, in the relentless months since their arrival, had changed everything. His tireless clones, their unwavering work ethic, had transformed the reconstructed base camp into something…livable. Solid walls, insulated rooms, even rudimentary plumbing – comforts unimaginable in the perpetual winter wilderness.

Snap! The quiet click of a camera shutter broke the tense silence of the medical bay.

"Doctor Natasha, how is it going?" Amy, Penya's assistant, approached, a small camera in her hands. She snapped a photo of the doctor, capturing the calm professionalism amidst the chaos.

"Amy, I thought you had something important to do when you left in a hurry an hour ago?" Natasha raised a questioning eyebrow, a hint of amusement in her voice.

Amy's eyes widened, pupils dilating in sudden realization. "Ah! You're right!" A hand flew to her forehead in exasperation. "Completely slipped my mind!"

With a muttered apology, she darted off, her short hair bouncing as she sprinted through the base. A flurry of apologies trailing behind her. She weaved through the base camp, narrowly avoiding workers repairing damaged doors, ducking under robotic arms meticulously maintaining the infrastructure. Shouts of "Watch out!", "Careful, wet floor!" followed in her wake, ignored in her hurried mission. "Sorry! Excuse me! Just a sec!"

Robots, diligently repairing blast damage to the insulated walls, paused in their tasks as she zipped past. She called out to startled expedition members in the makeshift cafeteria, ignoring the mild rebukes about the freshly mopped floors. Agility and a touch of clumsiness were Amy's defining traits. Finally, she arrived before a securely locked door, fumbling for her keycard.

"Please, don't be mad… Please don't be mad…" Amy muttered under her breath, her usual upbeat demeanor replaced with nervous anticipation. Her urgent mission, the one she'd almost completely forgotten in the heat of the monster assault, was to wake the expedition leader – Penya Sergeyevna.

Inside the secure room, bathed in the soft glow of emergency lighting, Expedition Leader Penya Sergeyevna lay asleep, a picture of serene composure amidst the raging storm outside. Amy approached the sleeping figure with the stealth of a guilty child. "Officer… Penya… wake up, please…" She gently shook Penya's shoulder, her voice barely above a whisper.

Indigo eyes flickered open, calm and alert, devoid of the grogginess of sleep. "Amy, you were late." Penya's voice was low, even, tinged with a hint of weariness, but without a trace of anger. She sat up, her movements fluid and efficient, already reaching for her official officer's jacket.

Amy dropped to her knees, head bowed in apology. "I'm so sorry, Leader! I completely forgot to set an alarm. It won't happen again!"

Penya, however, seemed unfazed by Amy's dramatic display of contrition. She was already focused on the larger picture. "Let's go. We can't afford to let the monsters breach the perimeter." She rose, pulling on her jacket, her gaze already scanning the situation reports flickering on a nearby monitor.

As she walked, Amy scrambledbehind her. "How is the situation? Are the old weapons holding up?"

"Yes, they are proving invaluable," Amy relayed, remembering Penya's meticulous work in restoring the antiquated weapons. "Naruto and his clones are holding the front, but the wave… it just keeps coming. It doesn't seem to be letting up."

Penya's pace faltered slightly at the mention of Naruto's name. A flicker of concern crossed her usually stoic face. She had observed him closely since Viktor's death, and the reckless abandon with which he threw himself into every battle was a tangible manifestation of his grief. She wanted to help him, to offer solace, but he remained elusive, deflecting any attempts at personal conversation with a forced cheerfulness that did little to mask the raw pain in his eyes.

"Alright," Penya said, resuming her brisk pace. "I'll take to the sprites."

"Officer Penya, are you sure?" Amy asked, a note of concern in her voice. "Maybe we should just let Naruto handle it. He's… capable."

Penya shook her head, her indigo braid swaying. "We are not here to rely solely on one person, Amy. Especially not someone who needs support, even if he refuses to admit it. We all have our roles. Mine is here." She stepped into the chamber, a small cylindrical lift. The door hissed slowly, and with a gentle hum, the chamber was about to ascend.

Amy watched the platform rise, swallowed by the ceiling, a knot of worry tightening in her stomach. Penya was determined, fiercely so, but Amy couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't just about duty. It was about Viktor, and about Naruto, and about a grief that seemed to permeate everything in this frozen wasteland.

The chamber doors sealed shut, and with a soft hum, it began to elevate. Penya took a seat, her fingers flying across the control panel as the chamber ascended to the highest point of the base. It opened to a panoramic view of the battle.

Her fingers danced across the keyboard, bringing a fleet of levitating drones to life. "Initiate, Sprites, take aim, and fire sound-based disruptions!" Penya's voice was calm, but the urgency was evident in her command. The drones spread across the perimeter, unleashing a wave of sonic energy that disoriented and staggered the monsters. They followed that up with blasts of energy, creating openings for the Naruto clones to exploit.

The drones, each larger than a person's head, zipped into formation, circling the advancing monster wave. Then, in unison, they emitted a high-frequency pulse, a wave of sound that rippled outwards, invisible but devastating. The monsters at the front lines stumbled, their roars turning to confused whimpers as their auditory senses were overloaded. Disorientation rippled through their ranks, slowing their advance, breaking their cohesion.

"Now, energy barrage," Penya instructed, her fingers flying across the controls. The Sprites switched modes, tiny energy cannons extending from their undersides. Beams of concentrated energy lanced out, striking with pinpoint accuracy, vaporizing smaller monsters and tearing chunks out of the larger ones.

Below, on the ground, the clones fought with renewed ferocity, the sudden advantage shifting the tide of battle. Naruto himself, at the heart of the chaos, was a blur of orange and yellow. He moved with a desperate intensity, each strike carrying a raw, almost reckless power. He was pushing himself, Amy realized watching from a monitor in the command center, pushing himself far beyond what was necessary. It wasn't strategy, it was a desperate catharsis, a furious outpouring of grief channeled into sheer combat prowess.

Penya watched him too, her gaze fixed on the orange blur amidst the green icons of his clones on her holographic display. She saw the relentless attacks, the almost suicidal charges into the thickest clusters of monsters. A wave of protective anger washed over her. Viktor was gone, but Naruto… Naruto was still here. And she wouldn't lose him too.

Her mind flashed back to that first, successful excursion, before they had left, the one that had unearthed the Sprite technology and so much more. Viktor had been alive then, his eyes shining with scientific excitement as he deciphered the ancient Belobogian script etched on the chamber walls. Naruto, ever the optimist, had been joking, lightening the tense atmosphere of exploration. "Don't worry, Doctor Viktor! We'll find something amazing, and we'll all get back to base safe and sound!" He'd slapped Viktor on the back, a broad, confident grin on his face.

Viktor, a kind, quiet man, had smiled back, a rare genuine smile. "I hope you're right, Naruto. I really do."

The "amazing" thing they'd found had been the Sprite technology, a potential game-changer for the expedition. But in the caverns, unimaginable foes appeared, traps laid and they had been ensnared into one of them. Naruto, true to his word, had fought tooth and nail to clear a path, his clones working tirelessly, but it had been too late. Viktor was gone, die to save the others life from the creature that manipulated their minds. The promise broken.

The memory twisted in Penya's gut, a sharp pang of guilt and grief. News of the death of the Doctor Viktor reach her and she knew Naruto blamed himself. He was carrying the weight of that broken promise like a physical burden, and it was driving him to the edge.

Back in the present, the monster wave was faltering, the combined assault of the Sprites and Naruto's clones taking its toll. But the fight was far from over. Penya adjusted her tactics, ordering the Sprites to focus on creating defensive corridors, clearing paths for the clones to maneuver more effectively.

"Amy, get me a secure comm line to Naruto." Penya commanded, her voice sharp with urgency while communicating through her vessel.

Amy, startled, fumbled with the communication panel. "Officer Penya, are you going to order him to fall back? He won't listen."

"Maybe not," Penya conceded, her gaze fixed on the holographic battlefield. "But he'll listen to an order to reposition. And I need to see him, even if it's just through a comm screen, to remind him… remind him he's not alone out there."

The comm line crackled to life. Naruto's face, grim and sweat-streaked, flickered onto the screen. His eyes, usually bright blue pools of energy, were shadowed with a deep, unyielding sorrow.

"Naruto," Penya said, her voice firm but laced with an undercurrent of concern. "Reposition. Consolidate defences. We need to create a fallback line."

Naruto heard from his ear piece; his expression unreadable for a moment. Then, a flicker of something – recognition? Understanding? – crossed his face. He gave a curt nod. "Understood, Penya."

He turned back to the battle, his clones shifting formation, following his silent commands. Even through the static of the comms and the chaos of battle, Penya felt a tiny shift, a nearly imperceptible easing of the crushing weight she knew he carried. It wasn't much, but it was a start.

The snow continued to fall, relentless and unforgiving. The monsters still surged, driven by some primal hunger, some unknown force. But within the wooden walls of the base camp, amidst the cold and the chaos, a flicker of hope, fragile but persistent, remained. They would fight. They would survive. And perhaps, just perhaps, they would find a way to heal, even in the perpetual winter of Belobog.


The biting wind of the frozen world whipped around Naruto, tugging at the edges of his worn, dark cloak. Snow, fine as powdered glass, stung his exposed cheeks, but he barely registered the cold. Perched atop a craggy hill overlooking the Belobog scientific expedition base camp, he remained motionless, a statue carved from quiet concern. The aftermath of the battle lay strewn around him – the remnants of Fragmentum monsters, crystalline shards glinting faintly in the muted sunlight filtering through the perpetual grey sky. For what felt like hours, they had come, an unrelenting tide of ethereal beasts, driven by some unseen force to crash against their makeshift defenses. But the tide had receded. The air, still heavy with the scent of ozone and frozen earth, was finally, blessedly, silent.

Naruto's gaze swept over the base camp below. A small cluster of heated tents nestled against the base of the hill, shielded by a sturdy barricade of felled, petrified trees – his handiwork. Scattered among the bunkers, he could see the silhouettes of the expedition team, moving with weary purpose, tending to the wounded, assessing the damage, and reinforcing their defences. He'd also put his clones to good use reinforcing the old, weapons Penya, with her uncanny mechanical aptitude, had resurrected from forgotten caches – crude but effective against the Fragmentum's.

His brow furrowed. It wasn't normal. Fragmentum monsters were a constant threat in the fringes of Belobog's territory, yes, but usually manageable skirmishes, patrols keeping the perimeter secure. This… this was different. This was a siege. He knew the front lines weren't far off, their expedition's secondary purpose to act as an early warning system for Belobog, to absorb any stray threats before they reached the city proper. But the sheer volume of monsters, the relentless, almost desperate attack, it felt like more than just strays.

"Why…?" he murmured, the word lost to the wind. Why such an onslaught? What had drawn them, driven them in such numbers to this isolated research outpost? A sense of unease coiled in his stomach, a familiar tension that pre-dated even his probation. This felt… wrong.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" With a swirl of chakra, a puff of smoke, a second Naruto materialized beside him. "Go to the front lines," he instructed, his voice low and serious. "See what's happening. Find out why so many monsters came here. Hide yourself, observe, and report back if you see anything unusual. Anything at all." The clone nodded silently and vanished in a burst of speed towards the distant, icy horizon.

A soft crunch of snow behind him made Naruto turn. Penya stood there, bundled in layers of thick, fur-lined clothing, her indigo hair escaping from her hood to dance in the wind. Unlike him, she was visibly shivering, the cold a tangible presence to her. Her normally sharp, focused eyes were softened with concern as they rested on him. Penya. His probation officer, technically. But in the harsh, isolated reality of the expedition, she had become something more – a friend, a leader he respected, someone he felt a fierce, protective loyalty towards.

"Naruto," she began, her voice gentle, tinged with the cold. "Are you… are you alright?"

Naruto sighed, turning back to the vista of the base camp. "Penya, if you're going to tell me to rest again…" he trailed off, the unspoken words hanging heavy in the frigid air. The loss of Viktor, during their initial foray into the Fragmentum-infested wilderness, still resonated within him. Viktor, the jovial, eccentric doctor, the first person in this stark world who had treated him with genuine warmth, without suspicion or prejudice. His death, seemingly random, a casualty of the very dangers they were meant to study, had shaken Naruto more than he cared to admit. It wasn't the monumental grief of losing a sensei, or a comrade in arms, but the quiet ache of losing a nascent friendship, a flicker of human connection in a world determined to deny him such things. "I slept plenty. And I ate. Don't worry about me." He wanted to deflect, to push away her concern, to maintain the facade of invulnerability he felt he needed to project.

Penya didn't push, didn't argue. Instead, she carefully picked her way over the rocky ground and settled down beside him on a large, frost-covered stone, keeping a respectful distance. The silence stretched between them, punctuated only by the wind's mournful howl. Finally, Penya spoke, her voice softer still, her gloved hand outstretched. "Naruto, give me your hand."

Naruto blinked, confused. He glanced at her, then back at his hands, clenched loosely in his lap. Hesitantly, he offered his right hand, palm up. Penya took it, her own gloved hand surprisingly warm, and gently guided it to rest on her stomach. Beneath the layers of clothing, he felt a subtle, rounded firmness.

"Did… did you eat too much rations?" The question escaped him before he could filter it. He immediately regretted it as Penya sighed heavily, a puff of white vapor in the cold air, and reached out to pinch his ear sharply.

"Ow, ow!" Naruto exclaimed, reflexively leaning away, his hand instinctively pulling back from her stomach.

"No, you idiot." Penya chided, though her voice lacked real anger, more exasperated affection. "You've been so lost in your own head, wallowing in that… moodiness of yours, that you've forgotten how to simply talk, to observe. You think you are nothing but a bodyguard, a shield for everyone. Do you even see us as people anymore?" Her words stung, but they were laced with a truth he couldn't deny. Since Viktor's death, he had retreated inwards, becoming a silent guardian, a tireless protector, neglecting the small human interactions, the casual conversations that had started to bloom between him and the expedition team. He had become a shield, nothing more.

"I…" he began, searching for words but finding none that adequately expressed the turmoil within.

Penya softened her grip on his ear, releasing him. She took a deep breath, steeling herself for the revelation she was about to share. "Naruto," she said, her voice now gentle, "I'm pregnant."

The words landed like a soft avalanche, unexpected and momentarily disorienting. Naruto's eyes widened, his mind struggling to process the information. Pregnancy. Life. In this desolate, frozen realm of death and danger, life was burgeoning within Penya.

Then, the implications hit him, and his reaction was immediate and overwhelmingly protective.

"Pregnant?!" he exclaimed, his voice cracking with surprise. "Penya, you're… you're going to have a baby?!" He was instantly frantic, a whirlwind of questions tumbling out of him. "Are you alright? How long have you known? You shouldn't be out here in this cold! We need to get you back to base! Is the baby, okay?!" He finally looked at her belly, truly seeing it for the first time, his eyes widening as he registered the slight, but undeniable swell beneath her layers. He realized, with a jolt, that she was further along than he initially grasped, likely months into the pregnancy.

"Naruto, calm down," she chuckled, though her voice was filled with tenderness. "I'm fine, really. It's still early, just… around six months along."

"But! But!" His eyes concern as he pull his own cloak to cover her.

A genuine, warm smile bloomed on Penya's face, chasing away the weariness and the bite of the cold. "It's funny," she said, her voice now laced with amusement. "You're the first person who's asked about my and my child's safety, rather than who the father is." She chuckled softly. "Everyone else in the base camp is practically placing bets on that." It was a rare moment of levity from Penya, a glimpse of the woman beneath the stern leader, the no-nonsense scientist. "But you… you just care about us being okay."

"The father?!" Naruto roared, his voice echoing across the frozen landscape. "THE FATHER?! Who is this… this irresponsible person who let the mother of his child wander around in this weather, fighting monsters?!" His outrage was pure, untainted by judgment, fueled only by a fierce protectiveness that bubbled up from deep within him. Life. A new life, growing within Penya, in this harsh, unforgiving world. It was a miracle, a fragile spark of hope in the face of so much cold and danger. And he would defend it with everything he had. He had been so consumed by grief, so focused on preventing another loss like Viktor's, that he had almost missed this incredible, joyful thing. He hadn't even seen it coming. He'd been so detached, so focused on being a bodyguard that he was blind to the life blossoming around him.

Penya's smile faded, replaced by a gentle, but firm expression. "Naruto," she said, her voice serious now. "That's enough." She stood up, brushing snow from her thick trousers.

"Huh? Why are looking so serious?" He asked, as the tremble in her pupils said something.

Penya's expression shifted then, the happiness fading, replaced by a look of somber resolve. She lowered her gaze, her voice softening. "Naruto," she began, her tone weighty, "I've made a decision. You'll be heading back to Belobog."

The words struck Naruto like a physical blow. He blinked, confusion battling with disbelief. "Wait, back? You're kidding, right?"

"…" She didn't respond, her silence answers his question.

"Back to Belobog? What? That's…"

Naruto's joy evaporated, replaced by confusion and a surge of protest. "No! Penya, we need everyone we can get. The monsters… they aren't stopping. My clone will report back soon, but something is wrong out there. You can't send me back now."

"I've already made the arrangements," Penya said, her voice leaving no room for argument. "But hear me out. The reports we've been sending back have been taken seriously. Belobog understands the strain on the frontline. Reinforcements are being mobilized. A large contingent of Silvermane Guards and logistic staff will be arriving soon. They will bolster our defenses, lighten the load. We don't need you pushing yourself to your absolute limit anymore."

"But I'm fine!" Naruto insisted, standing up to face her, his voice rising in frustration. "I'm not pushing myself! I can handle this! You need me here!"

"Naruto," Penya's voice softened again, though her resolve remained firm. "You are my friend. An extremely important person to me. And I know when you're hurt, sad, and stressed, even if you pretend, you're not. I want you to go back. For your own sake. For me. For…" she placed a hand protectively on her belly, "…for us." She stepped closer to him, her eyes locking with his. "And," she continued, a hint of a smile returning to her lips, "consider your probation officially over." With a deft movement, she reached behind his neck and deactivated the hidden collar he hadn't even realized he'd forgotten about due to the device transparency. The faint hum of its monitoring system ceased. He was free. Truly free.

Naruto's eyes widened. Probation… it had become such a background detail, swallowed up by the urgency of the expedition, by the weight of responsibility, by the shadow of Viktor's death. And now, Penya was ending it, along with his mission here, sending him away. "Why?" he asked, his voice now quiet, pleading. "Why are you sending me away? If you don't give me a good reason…"

Penya's gaze was unwavering, filled with a deep, genuine care that resonated within him, silencing his protests. "Your presence here has been invaluable, Naruto. More than invaluable. You saved us countless times. But relying on you, especially in the face of this increased danger… it's taking too much of a toll on you. And," she paused, her voice catching slightly, "everyone here knows the risks. We accepted them when we signed up for this expedition. Viktor knew them." Her words hit him like a punch to the gut, the mention of Viktor a sharp reminder of the fragility of life, of the cost of sacrifice. "I don't want you to make that sacrifice, Naruto. I want you to live. Please. Live, and know that you made a difference here. We'll meet again, after the expedition is over. I promise."

She stepped forward and embraced him, carefully maneuvering around her pregnant belly. The warmth of her hug, the sincerity in her words, it chipped away at his resistance, at his ingrained need to protect, to take on every burden. "Thank you, Naruto," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "Thank you for everything. For protecting us, for fighting for us, for being you. You will be rewarded handsomely when we return, I promise."

He looked down at her, at her earnest face, her pleading eyes. He saw not just his leader, but his friend, a woman carrying new life, asking him for something he realized he desperately needed – permission to rest, permission to step back, permission to live for himself, for a change. He nodded slowly, his heart heavy but strangely lighter too. "Okay, Penya," he said, his voice thick with emotion.

"I'll go back." He would go back, not because he wanted to, but because she asked him to, because she cared. He would return to Belobog, a free man, carrying the bittersweet weight of farewell and the faint, but persistent, promise of a future reunion.

As he accepted his fate, a familiar sensation rippled through his mind. A low, rumbling voice that he hadn't heard in what felt like an eternity echoed in the deepest recesses of his consciousness.

"Naruto…"

He straightened, his eyes widening. The cold air ceased to matter; the wind became a whisper. He hadn't heard that voice in so long. The fox...

"Kurama?"

Kurama's voice. The fox. The entity he had thought forever dormant, unresponsive as a corpse, perhaps even… gone. He had lived so long in this new world, in this constant struggle for survival, he had almost convinced himself that the whispers of his past, the memories of that other life, were just figments of a fractured mind. He had believed he was alone.

But the voice… it was undeniable. Real. Present.

His heart pounded in his chest, a mixture of shock, confusion, and a flicker of… something else. Hope? Fear? He wasn't sure. He stood there, in the perpetual twilight of the front lines, the snow swirling around him, the whisper of the icy wind fading into the background, lost in the sudden, overwhelming realization.

He wasn't alone after all.


And done…

Age:

Naruto: ?

Serval: 14

Gephart: 12

Natasha: 19

Penya: 23 (No, she will not be interested in Naruto)

Abilities

Rasengan, Odama Rasengan, Incomplete tail beast bomb

Multi-Shadow clones

Fire manipulation and ignition

Transformation technique (How he hid his fox features.)

Substitution jutsu

Chakra mode

Bye!