Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

A.N: The answer to the question asked in the previous chapter, whether the Naruto in the ending is his Future Self or his Alternate Self is... Yes. Both of them are the right answer.

Anyway, as was said before, this chapter is the end of Chronicle: Naruto Uzumaki. So please, see my author's note at the end of this chapter.

1...

Chapter 9: Onwards to the Unseen Future.

When Haku woke up early at four in the morning, she thought that she would do something nice for Naruto and make some breakfast out of any ingredients that was available in his apartment.

Not only did he kill the War Beast, but he also helped her become a Shinobi of Konoha, allowing her to use this talent of hers in productive manner. Then he also gave her a place to stay while it was being taken care of. The least she could do was to thank him in some way, no matter how small of an act it was.

However, when she got to the main area, she saw Naruto floating above the sofa with his legs crossed and his hands rested on his knees.

"Morning." Naruto said to Haku, telekinetically rotating his floating body to face her. She saw how the eyebags of his closed eyes seemed rather blackened somewhat, an indication that he either slept for only a few hours or he had been awake ever since last night.

"Morning." Haku replied back, already used to Naruto showing his power so casually. "Did you have any sleep?"

"No." Naruto answered without a sign that he was exhausted despite the fact that he had a pair of faint black eyebags. "I've been awake for hours, testing myself to see how much my awareness and control has been expanded."

She recalled him telling her that once. He said that he had gotten more powerful, hence, why he was able to defeat the War Beast without permitting him to even retaliate. Deciding to humor him, she asked, "And what's the conclusion?"

Naruto opened his now red-colored eyes, looked at Haku and said, "My power has become exponentially stronger." was his answer, "It now stands at at least ten times stronger than before... In addition to that, I could also feel everything around me, living and non-living entities as if they were a part of me. It's safe to say that I can use my power more effectively as I actually am my surroundings."

"...Even... It even encapsulates me?" Haku asked.

"...Apologies." Naruto suddenly said, "But yes, even you. I'm... still trying to rein it, but I can actually feel your fear, the electrical impulses in your brain that made you do so is my source of information, obscure as it's supposed to be."

Discomfort was a fitting word to describe Haku's current sentiment. After all, his capability to feel everything at a limited proximity as if the things within that boundary were a part of his body was quite terrifying.

At the hands of another, she might be terrified. But she could trust Naruto despite the power that he held. "Would you... like for me to make you a breakfast?"

Naruto's eyebrows rose up to that question, indicating that he did not pry too deeply to her mind that he already knew that she was going to offer him such a thing, "Certainly, but I recall that there's no ingredient for you to work on besides instant ramen."

"Really? Just ramen?" Haku asked, somewhat disappointed that she could not even make him a breakfast, "Mind if I check thoroughly? You might've missed something." she insisted.

"If you wish." Naruto said with a nod, and with that Haku left for the kitchen.

"Well well, looks like you got yourself a fan." Kurama remarked at how Haku easily offered to do such a thing to him, "Kushina... what do you think of her?"

"Appearance-wise? Not bad, couldn't really complain about that." was Kushina's answer, "I also like her attitude. Calm, collected, devoted, for potential girlfriends, she's not that bad Naruto."

After a few seconds of silence, Naruto responded back, '...Are you two done playing parents? Besides her doing this just to show her gratitude, I just don't feel that way about her. Sasuke does.'

He had to admit that the notion of playing matchmaker for the two of them tempted him a bit. He could tell that Haku was a bit attracted to Sasuke and he was also attracted to her, and that with a little push, they could be together.

Still, he had decided to let the events pertaining to the hook-up unfold by itself, either it was meant to be or not, he would let it happen on its own.

Besides that, he had something that troubled him during the previous night. It was about the mental signal that he received from somebody during his stay in Nami no Kuni, whose sender was one that he wanted to find out.

There's a possibility that there was someone like him, someone who absorbed the powers from the mysterious Crystals and gained similar powers, not like the War Beast. However, considering the fact that Naruto had just begun a new phase in familiarizing himself with his increased power, the blonde had decided to at least spend some time minding his own business.

"You have some ingredients in your fridge Naruto." Haku said, breaking Naruto out of his reverie. He floated towards where Haku were, and saw that he had an enough amount of ingredients to make a healthy breakfast if he were able to make one for himself.

"...Now who would do such a thing?" Naruto wondered to himself, knowing that it was not him who provided such resources.

On another location in Konoha, an ANBU kunoichi with long purple hair who was just beginning to disrobe herself from her ANBU get-up rubbed her nose slightly, as if feeling a sneeze coming before it was gone.

'Is someone talking about me?' she wondered before she shrugged it off and continued to undress herself from her ANBU set of clothing.

"Well then..." Haku said with a noticeable satisfaction apparent in her tone of voice, "Let's see what I can make out of these."

When that statement was followed with her tinkering in the kitchen using Naruto's limited cookware, his mind began to turn to what he had found during the night session of training.

There were one spot within the area of Konoha where his awareness was unable to pry through. When he mapped out the layout of the village in his mind, he discovered that that particular spot was the Uchiha district. However, the spot was too small for it to encompass the whole district, and so he deduced that it must be covering something else.

Then, he came to the realization that it was Sasuke. When he managed to feel the presence of almost everyone in the village, one person that he did not manage to find was Sasuke, who was in this 'dark spot'.

He had sent a Kage Bunshin to scope things out from afar, but until now, the clone had not returned, meaning that there wasn't anything good to report as of yet.

For now, he was willing to wait. The 'dark spot' could either be created through his lack of power or the action of a third party.

'Hopefully it's the former.' was what Naruto thought, as the implication regarding the latter was quite unnerving for him to consider.

Sakura was hesitant as she stood in front of the door leading to Naruto's apartment. She wanted to talk about Sasuke, considering that both of them seemed to disappear at the same time, she deduced that they might've gone off together, doing who knows what.

The reason as to why she didn't go directly to Sasuke's house was because she felt that she should not seem pushy and intrusive. Having done some retrospection regarding Sasuke, she decided to not be like how she was before so that she could have a better chance to earn his attraction.

However, she found out how hard it was to lift her hand and knock on his door after he said, without any hesitance or any semblance of lying whatsoever, that he had gotten over her.

Why? Why was it bothering her so much? Sure, he changed a bit to be a somewhat cool guy with unique powers, but did that mean that he was the one she fancied now?

'No. No, of course not, he's just a friend, a teammate of mine, nothing more and that's the way I prefer it.' Sakura said to herself before she recollected herself and knocked the door twice, signalling the one residing inside the apartment.

A moment later, she saw the door opened, though no one was there to physically open it. '...Must be his power...' Sakura thought before she slowly walked closer to the interior of the house, all the while saying, "Pardon the intrusion..."

"Come in Sakura." was Naruto's voice carried through from where he was and to her ears.

Acting on the given permission, Sakura walked over to the dining room, where she saw Naruto having his breakfast... along with the pretty girl that she had seen with Ino just yesterday, the one who accompanied Sasuke.

Caught in shock, Sakura could only stare in silence as Naruto turned to her and said; "Morning. What brings you so early to my humble abode?" he asked, as if not noticing how Sakura seemed to have trouble composing herself, which, as it turned out, he was aware of, as he continued with; "Perhaps to gawk at the girl sitting beside me? Sakura, this is Haku Momochi, a friend that I recently helped. Haku, this is Sakura Haruno, my teammate."

The girl whom she can now identify with her name, Haku, said this with a smile, "Pleased to meet you Sakura-san." she greeted her, nonchalant about her presence.

"H-hi..." Sakura said weakly as she waved her hand. "U-um... I saw you yesterday, walking with Sasuke-kun... W-who are you... to him?"

"Now that's a good question to ask to someone you just met." Naruto sarcastically remarked before he took a bite of the rather tasty porridge that Haku had concocted with the limited ingredients available.

Haku smiled, as if the question didn't bother her and said, "Ah, well, Sasuke-san and I are merely acquaintances. However, I must admit that I see his company as a welcome presence." was her answer.

Faced with Haku's nonchalant answer and admittance that she made without even sporting a blush, Sakura found herself confused as to what she should say. Strangely enough, she didn't feel as angry as she could've been despite the fact that this Haku girl managed to do something that she and the other girls in the Academy had failed to do for years, which was to actually have a conversation with him and for him to actually enjoy her company.

"Sakura, why are you here for?" Naruto asked, getting to the point of the problem as her presence in his apartment was a rare occurrence in itself.

"Uh... right, I was wondering, where have you and Sasuke been? You've been gone for a couple of days, there were no news where you've gone too, so... where did you guys go?" she asked rather abashedly due to a reason that escaped her.

"We went to Nami no Kuni. A country south of Hi no Kuni. That's where we met Haku here." Naruto said as he gestured his hand towards the raven-haired girl with the rather demure appearance which was augmented by her homely clothing that she chose to wear, which consisted of a blue kimono dress.

"Oh." Sakura said, rather satisfied that she now knew, but not so much so, as she didn't know why they were there, "What did you two do there?"

Naruto's choice of words to retell the story was concise and to the point, he told Sakura the story from the very beginning, from how Naruto wanted to go on his own to Nami no Kuni, but ended up taking Sasuke with him.

It only took him ten minutes to tell the whole story. Omitting some parts of course, such as him telling Sasuke and Kakashi why his personality became so different from the one that she was familiar with.

"Hm..." Sakura muttered in understanding as she sat on the dining table along with Naruto and Haku, "That's very daring for the two of you... Didn't know that Sasuke-kun is actually the daring type..."

"Both of us were driven by our selfish needs, mine and his." Naruto answered Sakura, "It's very unlikely that we'll do that kind of thing again, so don't worry about any re-dos."

Though Sakura was relieved that both of them got home safely after what they experienced, looking at the person in front of her, the girl named Haku, she actually felt rather threatened. Why? She had the capability and the competence in becoming a kunoichi, and considering Naruto's approval that she sensed in his tone of voice, she felt as if she were rather weak in her presence.

"I... I see." Sakura said regarding his latest statement.

Then a long moment of silence followed as Naruto and Haku focused on eating the porridge that the latter made. Sakura was silent as she pondered on what she should be talking about.

'Should I start a conversation about the weather? Should I talk about the recent gossips? No, he wouldn't be interested in that last one... Damn it, why is this so hard...?! And why am I being too wishy-washy about this? I mean it's Naruto, we've known each other for-'

She stopped that train of thought right then and there, as her uncertainty on what she should talk about or how she should converse casually with Naruto made her realize how little she knew of him, his past self or his current self.

Sakura had always considered Naruto as an annoying but affable friend, if not an acquaintance. However, considering how she used to treat his awkward, boisterous exclamations of his crush with physical inflictions, usually punches to his face, combined with some loud... obnoxious... derogatory mouth-offs that he really did not deserve... and then continue to treat him that way because of how persistent he was, simply because she wanted someone to validate her without even having a single moment in their history of 'knowing' one another that they spent without her being dismissive if not outright vitriolic towards him...

Not to mention how she continued to treat Sasuke the opposite of how she treated Naruto with glee and outright ignoring how that must've felt for him...

...A friend? She was his friend?

As Naruto finished his porridge, he turned to Haku and said to her with a grateful smile; "Thanks for that Haku, it was very tasty."

The girl merely nodded, satisfied that she was able to provide Naruto, and gave him a small thank you in return.

Naruto then looked to Sakura, and he saw how she cast her head down with a grim, regretful expression. Feeling the impulses on her brain, Naruto knew that she was troubled, but as to why, he did not know, so he was left to either assume, pry her mind or to ask her directly.

"Sakura, are you alright?" he asked, deciding not to intrude her mind.

"H-huh?" Sakura said as she tilted her head up, "O-oh, I'm alright, I'm alright, I just... I'm okay, really." she said with a tight smile, an expression that conveyed how she tried to appear as if she was fine, but the truth was the exact opposite.

To Naruto, this was not the first time that she had done this. When he told her how he had lost his crush over her, he saw how she seemed rather shocked, but he assumed that it might be because of how sudden and certain he was when he gave his answer.

The reason for this particular change of emotion confused him somewhat... But he decided that it probably had to do with something other than him and so he said, "If you say so... Anyway, I want to visit Sasuke, do you want to come along?"

Still in her troubled state, Sakura's answer came purely out of instinct, stuttering as she was, "O-oh... um... I... s-sure I guess, w-why not? Heh..." was what came out of her mouth.

Then, she turned her head slightly away from him, as if avoiding the very sight of him.

She felt guilty, she felt ashamed, the realization that she hasn't been a good schoolmate let alone a good friend suddenly crashed down upon her that she wasn't able to compose herself as the boy that she had a hand in what was tantamount to bullying was right there at her side, the boy who had become her teammate, the boy who...

...Who somehow bothered her so.

Noticing how she had become even more distressed, Naruto asked, "Are you sure that you're alright?"

Sakura bit her lip slightly before she answered his question, "I said I'm fine, I'm alright, okay?"

Naruto sighed at her complex, confusing behavior before he stood up and said, "Let me change into something else first then, you can wait here if you like."

With that, he left for his room, leaving Sakura alone with Haku.

After a couple of seconds of silence, the latter asked the former one question, "Do you perhaps, like him, Sakura-san?"

For a moment there, Sakura was confused as to who she was referring to, leading her to say, "O-of course not! W-why would you assume that I like Naruto?!" she asked in a rather loud fashion.

"...I was referring to Sasuke." Haku said after a second, knowing where the source of the misunderstanding lied.

Caught off-guard, Sakura began to blush uncontrollably, her sweat glands produced their products at a hefty amount, the edges of her lips trembled as it widened, showing a rather uneasy smile, and she diverted her eyes from contacting with Haku, "...! E-eh? O-oooh! Y-you mean Sasuke-kun! He... hehe... o-of course, I like him. I-I like him a lot!"

Though she tried to correct herself, and in her mind she knew that it was the truth, why did it feel as if she were lying her ass off when she said that? Why did it feel as if she said that just to save herself from further embarrassment?

Even Haku was able to tell that her loudness was a poor attempt to hide something else.

However, before both of them could say anything else, Naruto came out of his room, wearing a black shirt and a pair of blue track pants. He turned to Sakura and said, "Let's leave Sakura. Haku, don't worry about me if you wish to leave before I return, I can easily open the door."

Haku nodded his way and said; "Understood." Turning to Sakura, she said to her, "It's been a pleasure meeting you Sakura-san."

"C'mon Sakura. I have something that I want to talk to him about." Naruto said as he began to walk over to his door.

"O-okay!" Sakura exclaimed before she quickly stood up and briskly walked towards the retreating Naruto.

When Naruto got out, Sakura took a second to turn to Haku and said, "Ah, i-it's nice to meet you as well, Haku-san! S-see you!"

And with that, they left. And as Haku picked up the empty bowls to clean them up, she couldn't help but think, 'Is that Sakura girl in denial over who she really likes, I wonder?'

She thought about it for a few seconds before she shook it off, thinking that it was not really her business. It's not her problem who she really liked, but, one thing that she knew for certain was...

'Well, if she likes Naruto... then she needs to be prepared when the fact that her attraction is heavily unrequited hits her.'

Once, walking side-by-side with the pink-haired girl at a rather close proximity was something that Naruto constantly sought. He had thought that it would be the peak of happiness for him. But right now, when she took the initiative and got closer to him first, he didn't feel happy, just... indifferent. Despite that, it seemed that she was aching to talk to him about something. It was halfway to the Uchiha district, and the whole time they were walking, she showed signs that she was desperate to tell him something important.

Then, after fifty meters past the halfway mark, she said, "You know..." Sakura began, "Don't... take this the wrong way, but... As of now, with your... crush on me gone, what do you see me as?" she suddenly asked the question.

Naruto looked at her, really looked at her, and it caused her to blush and to turn away, as if afraid of his gaze.

"A-and, what's with your eyes?" she added as if it was an afterthought, "It's red now... w-why are they red?"

After sighing more to himself than at Sakura's sudden awkwardness, "...I'll answer the second question first I suppose..." Naruto began, choosing the easier question to be answered first, "My eyes had turned red because of an unknown factor that had given me this power of mine changed my eye color to that of a crimson-shade of red.

"As to what do I see you as now that I no longer have a crush on you, I only see you as a teammate. Does that answer satisfy you?"

No. No it did not.

"...What about seeing me as a friend?" she offered. Being seen as just a teammate would mean that outside of team exercise and mission, he saw her as nothing more than a professional colleague. He would trust her to keep him alive during a dangerous mission, but he would not trust her enough to actually become rather intimate.

Somehow, she found that she didn't like that.

It took Naruto a good couple of seconds to contemplate an answer. The most annoying and worrying thing for Sakura was how serious and conflicted he seemed in thinking about whether or not she could be seen as his friend.

Sure, she hadn't been that kind, or helpful, or friendly during the couple of years they shared as fellow students in the Academy, but...

After the five minute mark had been passed with silence, she bit her lip and said, "Hey! Am I really that bad that I can't be considered your friend?!" she asked as she felt her heart being constricted by something slithery and invisible, enveloping it in its ghostly grasp.

Naruto looked calm despite her sudden outburst. His now red eyes turned towards her green ones that defiantly stared at him. And after a moment, he said, "I can see you as a friend." Naruto answered, calming her somewhat, but then he continued, "But not the kind that I would let too close to me."

That answer stopped her at her tracks. Noticing this, Naruto followed suit, he stopped and turned to face her, who had cast her head down. Through her brain impulses, he felt that she had fallen into a rather deep depression and severe disheartenment.

Now however, he could fathom the reason as to why.

"...Have you come to like me somehow?" Naruto asked with a resigned expression.

Instead of responding to his question with an answer, Sakura kept her head cast down as she began to walk past him. Then, she said, "...Let's just go..."

Hearing how depressed she sounded, Naruto could not be more annoyed and disappointed at himself than he was right now. He could've been a little bit nicer in how he answered that question. Sure, he did not want to lie, but to make her on the verge of crying was not okay either.

"Hey, Sakura...?"

Hearing no response from her as she just kept on walking as if she didn't hear him, he decided to walk alongside her in the silence that he had created, not content with it, but acknowledged it somewhat. After all, he was responsible for it.

"I think you should apologize to her Naruto." Kushina said to her son, "You could've handled it better and you didn't. You need to fix it lest this gets worse."

"Why should he do that for?" Kurama replied back, his voice conveyed his annoyance, "He doesn't have to. The girl asked him what amounts to whether or not he likes her, and he answered it with complete honesty, why does he need to apologize for?"

"For being rather insensitive."

"Oh you big softie, let her learn! This kind of stern but blunt treatment is important to teach her to be mature."

Naruto merely closed his eyes in resignation and slight regret as he and Sakura walked through the streets of Konoha towards the Uchiha district.

Their silent walk finally brought them to the house which the young Uchiha had been staying at in solitude ever since the massacre a couple of years back. The Uchiha district had been left empty since then, making the area appear as if it were a ghost town in the middle of a massive village.

It was at this spot where he felt the dark spots in his awareness, and even now, it appeared to be blocking him from intruding through its interior, preventing him from feeling anything that might be happening on the inside.

As he let Sakura knock the door and said; "Sasuke-kun, are you home?" to the boy who might be there, Naruto looked around his surroundings, his awareness made him feel as if someone was watching him from up-close. However, there was something different about this 'presence', as he was incapable of feeling their physical presence, but somehow, someway, he was able to sense a 'presence' nonetheless.

'This person is intruding the imaginary bubble of my awareness.' was what Naruto realized. This person had similar powers to him, and the proximity of his 'awareness' was wide enough for him to be enveloped in it without him capable of sensing his physical presence.

"Naruto..."

Hearing Sakura calling for him made him turn to the pink-haired girl, who discovered...

"The door's unlocked." she stated in a 'as a matter-of-fact' manner, "...Do you think we should... go in...?" she asked, clearly unsure as to what she should do, and wanting him to be the initiator.

"...Let's." Naruto answered it rather simply with one word. Opening the door, they were greeted by a dimly lit, empty hallway, and Naruto was the first to enter the interior without even bothering to wait on Sakura.

Though she was rather annoyed, she only grumbled a bit before she followed suit, closing the door behind her in the process.

Sakura followed Naruto towards the dining room, whereupon they saw no one sitting on the chairs. Then, they moved to the kitchen, then the guest room, then the whole first floor before they decided to move towards the second floor.

The second floor consisted of two bedrooms, one of which was undoubtedly occupied by Sasuke since the one on the first floor seemed to be the main one that his parents used to use before they were murdered.

Opening the first door that was the nearest to the ladder, they found nothing but a simple bed in a room that was largely undecorated. Naruto had a suspicion that this might be the room that was once occupied by Itachi Uchiha, and quickly left after assuming that, knowing that this was not the room where Sasuke might be.

Faced at the final room that they have not checked, Naruto and Sakura was nigh-certain that Sasuke was not in the house. However, they felt the need to examine the house completely, and so they opened the door...

"...He's not here either...?" Sakura asked at seeing the empty room from the corridor, "Didn't you say that he came home with you?" she asked Naruto.

The moment she turned her head towards him, she saw that his gaze was fixated upon something on the room, something that she was not able to discern or see, something that seemed visible only to his eyes...

She then saw him walking towards the wall behind the unoccupied bed, at a spot where Sasuke's head would be situated half a meter below it. He traced his hand over that spot, as if he was tracing the object that only he could see...

...

It was an image of a spiral made out of red-colored fluorescent light. At least, that was what he saw it as. It was a feeling on the back of his head, that this mark was not something that was made in a physical manner, that it was created for his eyes only somehow.

'...But how...?' Naruto wondered to himself as the light of the spiral began to take form and slither over his hand as if a snake coiling on a branch. He let the light did whatver its creator wanted to do before it finally dispersed, his question met with silence.

Sighing at the strangeness of the situation, he looked at Sakura and began to say, "Hey let's search for him somewhere..."

Else. He was supposed to say 'Somewhere Else.'. However, he was not able to say the complete sentence since he saw her stop doing anything. Frozen, encased not in ice but in stasis, as if locked out from the stream of time.

"...What are you?" Naruto said to the one whose presence he could feel, the same presence who was able to make everything around him stop.

"What am I? Hm... depends on who you ask." spoke a rather unfamiliar voice, whose pitch was almost as deep as Kurama, but where Kurama was rather feral and monstrous in tone, this one's felt more suave and laid-back.

"I'm asking you."

"Well, then I suppose I am what you can call a human. Or... at least that's what I once was. This is a bit troublesome as if you ask me what I am, then it's a bit hard for me to stick a definition on what I have become."

"...Are you the same as me? An individual empowered by the Crystals?"

"True, we are the same." the voice replied back. "Hey, wanna come see me? I'm here with Sasuke. Both of you have become quite close haven't you? Good, good."

"What are you planning? Whoever or whatever you are?"

"Just come to me. You'll know where."

As time began to flow once again, Sakura saw how Naruto seemed rather uneasy as he kept on looking around the room with such an intense gaze that was accentuated by his red eyes.

"N-Naruto?" Sakura called him, "What's going on? Is there something wrong?"

Naruto looked right into her eyes for a couple of seconds before he approached her, grabbed her shoulders and said to her, "Sakura, leave this place immediately, I know where Sasuke is but don't follow me."

As Naruto began to walk towards a nearby window that he had telekinetically opened, Sakura tried to halt him and ask, "W-wait! What are you talking about?! What do you mean by that?!"

"Leave. And do not follow me." Naruto reiterated calmly before he flew out of the window and closed it behind him.

"This guy is quite crafty isn't he? To be able to send you information regarding his current whereabouts from far away using a power similar to yours." Kurama remarked with an impressed but concerned voice. "Still... why do I feel as if I recognize that voice...?"

"He sounds similar to... him. But... it can't be him, right?"

"Of course not, he's long dead Kushina, you know that. Your son has also ensured the last sliver of his existence is gone from this world." Kurama reminded him in case she had forgotten.

'It's someone else... It has to be.' Naruto said, knowing what his mother was saying but considering the implication if what he was thinking were true, he decided to withhold any assumptions and consider the most rational notion as the truth until proven otherwise.

He flew towards a small shack located deep in the forest surrounding Konoha. Normally, the location would've been rendered hidden by the presence of seals surrounding the place, but someone was able to disable it. Judging by its size, it could either be a storage or a safe house of some sort.

"I-Impossible..." Kushina said suddenly after Naruto landed in front of it, "It's... it's supposed to be destroyed when Minato lured Kurama here during his attack."

So it was known that this was the safe house of his father. Its current state was, judging by what his mother said, impossible, as it should not be existing at the current moment in time.

'Then it must've been rebuilt by him somehow.' Naruto said as he opened the door and entered the interior...

In it, he saw Sasuke, sitting in a seiza position with his hands placed on the topside of his bent knees, his head tilted down slightly and his eyes closed. His expression was one that conveyed calmness and it seemed that he was either deep in sleep or concentration.

"...Sasuke?" Naruto said as he began to approach him. Then, he found that he was unable to reach him, even with his power, as his mind proved to be repelling his intrusions.

It took him half a second after his failure to make him realize he was there to know what was going on. '...You gave him a part of your power.'

"That I did."

The voice came not through their ability to establish mental connection with the minds of living beings, but through the vibrations in the surrounding air. He spoke using a physical body.

Naruto quickly turned to the man who was standing behind him...

And when he saw how much... alike they were, he got rooted in place with his expression conveying how thoroughly, utterly confused he was.

Outside of the faint stubble that had sprouted over the three pairs of whiskers adorning his cheeks and how adult he looked, this man in front of him was a spitting image of himself, had he were older, still possess the red eyes, and more rugged-like as if he were a roguish-looking man.

He wore a jacket adorned with the a deep shade of red whose fringes reached his ankles over a black shirt, this set of attire was combined with a black cargo pants that was halfway away from being terribly baggy. His feet however, were not equipped with any footwear, leaving them bare as he let the skin soles of his feet touch the ground.

The man's smile was a wolf's grin. His expression was something that he found alien when it was used with his aged face, it was as if he were watching a strange reflection from a warped mirror. It conveyed his sentiments, his confidence, his experience... Everything that made him who or what he was at this moment.

"Hello... me." he said, "Of course, that noun does not actually fit, as you are not me, despite the similarities... Still, it's the most comfortable one for me to use. And hello to you too, Kushina-san, Kurama-san."

He then smiled widely and said, "Apologies in advance, but I need to talk to him alone."

Suddenly, Naruto felt as if his body had been pierced by something, and though he could not see it, at the same moment, two orbs went out from his back, one colored in red and the other in orange, and then they floated to a spot just a centimeter above the older man's right hand that had been flipped downside up as Naruto fell down to his knees.

He looked up, and saw what he correctly assumed to be the souls of his mother and Kurama, shaped into a pair of spheres and kept that way by his power.

"...How...?"

"I'm much stronger than you." the older man said as he let the two orbs floated to his sides... Then, Naruto watched as the orb was suddenly engulfed in biomass that was slowly shaping itself to become bodies to house the two souls, with his mother being in the exact same form as before while Kurama was turned into a rather big fox with orange fur and multiple tails.

As the unconscious woman whom he had made clothes to cover her for and the Bijuu floated down gently and lied down on the floor, the older man continued to speak...

"Plain and simple." he said with a rather mocking smile.

After a moment of tense silence, Naruto stood up once again, extending his awareness to his mother and Kurama. He discovered that they were not that badly affected after being extracted from his body, and so it allowed him to ask the older man, "What are you planning? Giving Sasuke similar powers to mine and yours, taking away Kurama and my mother from me... What's your cause?"

In response, the older man chuckled out of amusement, from a source that Naruto could not decipher or deduce, rendering him confused.

"Well... my cause is one that concerns you and him." he said as he pointed to Naruto and to Sasuke, "You might've deduced that I am your future self, correct?"

"...It passes my mind, yes." Naruto admitted as much, considering their likeness, it was the most probable explanation among many. "And if it were true, what, did you come here to repair the wrongs and the mistakes in the past?"

"No, I already tried that, merely created another universe in the process while leaving the one that I intended to fix at its broken state still." he answered nonchalantly as if speaking about the weather, "Your future is not mine, and mine was not yours. I am your future self, correct, but we do not share the same past, therefore, I am one of many versions of you."

As Naruto difficultly trying to digest the information, the man added, "My existence, compared to other versions of ourselves is unique, as I am here, but also almost everywhere else, a byproduct of my power and my reckless usage of it during the fight that I had with the beast known in almost every version of our world as the Shinju. What you see here is one aspect of me, but my true self has been spread across the multiverse."

It took Naruto five seconds of silence before he said one thing that came to his mind, "...You're a multi-layered existence. You are no longer three-dimensional, this one that I see before me is merely a-"

"Projection. An aspect of myself, bound by some of the laws of the three-dimensional world and the fourth-dimensional plane, but due to my nature, I am able to become a rule breaker."

"...But you were once... like me? Before the Crystals changed us?"

"Indeed... But unlike you, I received my power when I was seventeen... When I forced myself to wake from a deep slumber that was shared by every humans on the planet. It was the plan of a mad man with a desire for a twisted peace... I broke myself out of the world of lies that he crafted and gained my power through pure chance. We are similar in regards of the circumstances that led to us gaining our powers, but on everything else... we are starkly different."

Naruto could tell. The man before him, a three-dimensional projection of his self from his extra-dimensional state of being, felt as if he was bearing the weight of everything on his proverbial shoulders as if they were his problem alone.

The way he spoke of the deep slumber and the battle with the beast known as Shinju made Naruto think that the two were connected somehow, a series of chained events that led to his current state. He was facing a version of himself that was once not so different from himself, but turned into something that he had no sufficient perspective to truly gaze upon his real form that, as was said, had been spread across the multiverse.

Still, there was the matter of why he was here, in this universe, and so he asked, "But why are you here? What do you hope to gain?"

"To banish the bleak, hopeless future from whence I was once a part of before it reached its supposed climax. To nip it in the bud so to speak. " he answered, "As a final attempt in trying to change a world similar to mine for the better, a self-imposed final exam if you will, and this time... I will use you two to be the catalysts of change."

While that was very blunt of him, Naruto nevertheless appreciated the honesty, "Why not do it yourself?"

"I have more grave matters to attend to. Believe it or not, I have a duty to uphold and my existence hangs between the safety of numerous universes and their destruction and this world is not yet unsalvageable or irredeemable for me to just blink this world into a state of non-existence."

"...So what? Are you a guardian of some sort?" Naruto asked, finding the implication that there was a force out there that sought their destruction to be both fascinating and scary.

"I am. Though they call me the Mad One for my numerous interferences in several worlds and... the variants of the methods that I used regarding that and fighting my enemies... nevertheless, they acknowledge my capability to protect the multiverse as a whole." he explained.

Naruto was silent as he contemplated what he just said before he asked one thing that he found to be most intriguing to his mind, "...Who are They?"

In response, the man merely smiled in a mysterious fashion before he responded with, "Perhaps you'll meet them. ...No. You will meet them. You and the others. He's gathering a team you see, a second one. After this is over, perhaps I'll put forth your name to him. No doubt he would welcome you."

Before him was a man with connection to power beyond his imagining. Even he, with the power to have some control over nature, could not create a body from out of thin air, and this man... this being, did it without even get himself tired in the aftermath.

"Now, regarding the crux of this world's problem, Sasuke there has agreed to do this self-appointed mission. I remembered how he used to be a dick, but he mellowed out well. Your doing I suppose?"

"Partly. I can't take all the credit." Naruto said rather honestly.

The man laughed again, slightly harder this time before he said, "Really now, what happened to you that made you so unlike who I was?" he asked in an amused fashion, "The Crystals cannot change one's personality through direct means, so what exactly happened to you?"

"...Identity amalgamation. With my father." Naruto answered his question with just two words.

"...Ah. I see." the man remarked with a less cheery voice before he said, "Returning to the matter at hand, I want you two," he said as he pointed to Naruto and Sasuke, "To leave your village and seek out the man who hides beneath the earth. Destroy him, destroy his base, destroy everything that has a link to him. Only then can this world be safe from what I had experienced."

"Who is this man?"

"He fancied himself with the name Madara Uchiha, but though he is an Uchiha, he was not the indomitable monster that he was in my universe. You know what? I'll let you see for yourself."

Then, his mind was infiltrated by images and the memories of the man that was once Uzumaki Naruto.

It was... it was as if he was submerged in the ocean that was the man's memories. He saw some familiar faces, such as Sakura's, Sasuke's, the Hokage along with some strangers, such as a hermit-like old man with long, spiky white hair and a busty adult woman who wore a haori with the kanji for 'gamble' printed on its back... due to this, the events that happened was not the one that he knew.

He remembered how Sasuke left Konoha, he remembered making a promise to Sakura that he would bring him back no matter the cost and how he failed to fulfill it when the opportunity was upon him.

From there, things went towards the far future, one that he had not yet experienced. He saw deaths, he saw people brought back to life rather gruesomely, he saw destruction wrought by many people with twisted goals, he saw a gigantic abomination absorbing every single human being on the planet into its body, and he saw how, in the end of his journey, all that was left of humans on his universe... were none.

Because in the end, even he, the last of the humans of his universe, had become a monster... to defeat another monster.

It was right then that he was cut off from the torrents of memories. The memories of the man in front of him now became a part of himself, his cause he now understood, and now, he found himself pitying the man in front of him.

"I may have lost the world and everything in it that I came from, but do not look me in the eye as if you wish to donate a charity to my well-being." said the man who had lost everything from which he came from, "I'm not that pitiful and frankly speaking, I do not need you to pity me. It's unproductive of you to do such a thing."

"...Apologies." Naruto said, genuinely regretful for pitying him when it was clear that he had grown to accept what he did.

"Accepted." he said it rather simply before he continued on with the previous topic, "So now you know... do you accept this offer of alliance and do what must be done and set a better course of events for this world to prosper?'

"...I have several questions." Naruto offered, "Why me? Why this universe in particular? Why not the parallel ones? What makes me and this universe distinctive?" he asked

The man merely raised his eyebrows, his smile still existent, "You mean you don't know? ...No of course you don't. It's because of the Crystal's presence. Do you know what they really are, or more to the point, what they were?" he asked in a rhetorical fashion since he answered it soon afterwards, "They were corpses. Or, parts of a corpse."

Though Naruto was rather taken aback by the revelation, he gathered enough sense to formulate another question, "Corpses of what?"

"Corpses of lost universes. Dead universes." answered his older, much more powerful self, "They are the very fabric of reality from dead universes condensed into something material during the moment of their death. Only few could break through to other universes, and it's a rare occurrence in itself. More so when it's known by the inhabitants of that particular universe. What you and I found was of a similar type, powerful ones, allowing us to become this. While on other universes, the materials were so miniscule and transient that nothing could even perceive it."

The man then created shards that looked similar but smaller in scale to the Crystals that Naruto found and rendered it floating atop of his upturned right palm, "These, for example, are parts of the universe that was once my home."

Naruto's eyes widened at this. Destruction of a whole universe was a destruction of a massive scale that even he could not fully comprehend while maintaining his sanity, and to think that there was a survivor of such a catastrophe...

"The destruction occurred during my absence. At that time, I was not powerful enough to prevent something of such a scale, I was at the training phase of the new existence." he explained, "Still, I tried, and a new universe was created from where it once was, a good one too, so I suppose it wasn't a total loss." he added with a shrug.

"I assume that... the death of your universe... and all these other universes... are not natural?" Naruto asked.

"No." he initially answered, "...Yes." he changed his answer, "Do you consider a force that was once a collection of every species contained in one universe from the first to the last merging together with the immaterial objects during the universe's re-creation process and become one nigh-incomprehensible being driven by destructive curiosity natural?" he asked as if asking someone from afar about the weather on that location.

"...Can't say that I'm qualified to define such a thing as natural or not." answered Naruto, thoroughly baffled by what he had described.

In response, the man merely smirked, as if knowing that he would answer his question that way, "True. In any case, I've been fighting them ever since I am capable to actually push them back and clip their constitution bit by bit. The deaths that they cause is something that I want to stop, since I am their natural antithesis."

An individual organic being that reached a transcendental state without resorting to merging with other organisms and other materials in the universe... Such a thing would be the perfect antithesis of a monstrous amalgamation that was created through an attempt to reach a transcendental state of being.

"I am their sworn enemy, or so the saying goes." he remarked without even showing any fear, in contrast to Naruto, who showed slight fear when he described the creature that he was constantly fighting. It came from experience, was what he thought. Or, he really was as mad as he claimed, to consider such a thing as an enemy that one could defeat instead of an incomprehensible, undefeatable monster was quite something.

His current status as an extra-dimensional being also helped, he supposed.

Then, he said, "Which reminds me... This world may be put at odds with the being sooner or later. It is an inevitability."

Naruto's eyes widened, "Wait, if that were true then we're horribly out-"

"I will help you save this world from utter destruction, don't worry. But, I will also put you two to the test. See if you fit the requirement to become guardians like me. Not exactly like me, mind you, but you understand."

Naruto scoffed a bit and said; "So this is also a recruitment plan? Set up by either you or... Them?"

"By all of us." he said, referring to him and his companions whose task seemed to be guarding the multiverse, "So what do you say? Would you come with Sasuke and me to bring about a brighter future for this world and perhaps, should you choose, to become a guardian similar to myself after all of the conundrums here are over?" he asked of him, not demanded.

"Another question." Naruto offered, "Why not change the mind of this man? This Uchiha Madara? Certainly it is not beyond your sphere of influence to do so?" was his question.

"I already did that. Trust me, it merely made the situation a whole lot worse in the long run." was what he said, "I have been directly interfering in many events in the worlds of many universes, and what I have found is that for me to influence something to become better is through a change made by the denizen of that universe. There were many times where this is false, but most of the time, it holds true. Better to not take a risk... for every universes destroyed or made worse, my being, strong as it is, takes its toll."

"...So it's either we defeat him... or for me to change his mind through force." Naruto said.

"The former is preferable." was what he said, "Some minds are more resistant than others to forced changes, and this man that you will have to kill is far stronger than most." There was a moment of silence before he said, "What do you say to this?"

"One more question... Am I right in assuming that you're treating this as an experiment of some sort?" Naruto said with narrowed eyes. The notion was not that far-fetched, considering that this man, no this being in front of him was so powerful that he could nullify any problems he deemed need fixing.

All that he got was a smile that was formed in a deliberately slow fashion. He provided no verbal answers. The Mad One indeed. But somehow, with him being a twisted existence himself, Naruto found himself smiling back.

'This could prove interesting.' was what Naruto thought, deeply contemplating on the next course of action that he should take.

'It will.' his older self replied back.

Waking up from her slumber, Kushina felt strange. Her body felt... different somehow, as if there was something that made her feel more connected with her own body.

"Wake up."

At least there was a familiar voice. Kurama, the Bijuu's low-pitched voice was something that she welcomed as she turned towards him.

And there he was, in his fox form, though smaller than his real one when he was at full power, it was a sight that allowed Kushina to drop her guard slightly. "Kurama... what just... happened?"

"...In case your drowsiness took away a huge chunk of your awareness, Naruto met an equivalent of an Eldritch God and he brought us out of him."

That sentence helped Kushina remember what exactly happened, and quickly she sat herself up and examine her surroundings. She and Kurama were in the same safehouse of Minato's that was supposed to be destroyed when the masked man broke Kyuubi free and controlled him to do his bidding.

Remembering who Naruto met made Kushina ask the question that plagued her the moment she woke up, "W-where's Naruto? Where's Sasuke? Don't tell me that he..."

Kurama nodded, confirming her suspicion. "They've already left long ago. It's late in the afternoon now, almost nighttime. As to how I know they've already left, your son left us a note. Not in the physical sense mind you, but he placed it on our minds."

He then grasped his head a bit, and pulled out something that looked like an orb of some kind, colored in red, and then he threw it on the ground, where it materialized into the form of her son, glowing in a rather bright shade of red...

"Mother... Kurama... with this, you might know that Sasuke and I have already left..."

First thing that I want to say to you is that I'm sorry.

"What drove you to agree, Sasuke?" Naruto asked the Uchiha who was sitting beside him at the clouds overlooking Konoha located far below them, "Besides your desire for revenge?"

Sasuke looked at him before he said, "...Seeing what I could've become." was his answer, "He showed me the atrocities that I would've committed for the sake of my obsession... What I would've done when I discover something about my brother... From my perspective, what my other self has done is not something that I would want to do. No matter what the reason was."

But I've already made my decision. We are going on a mission to defeat an evil that would plunge our world into war and catastrophe. We have the power to stop it, and we're going to do just that.

"But you still want some payback for what your brother did?" Naruto asked.

"...Yes. I'll still carry that out, hopefully in the near future." he answered, "But this time, I won't sacrifice everything good that I have just for the sake of my satisfaction." he said as he looked at Naruto and remembering a certain girl that they had helped and brought from Nami no Kuni.

We have left the village. Sasuke, me, and the man that was once me. We are leaving and perhaps someday, will return.

Naruto smiled at his answer, and then they felt that certain someone calling them, Naruto turned to Sasuke and said; "Ready to start this journey?"

Sasuke's answer was... "Yeah."

But as for myself in particular...

"Naruto... Naruto, you idiot...!" Kushina berated her son as she and Kurama, abandoning their common sense, ran as fast as they could to Konoha, to inform the old monkey about what has happened and to try to prevent him from going.

...There is a chance that I, in particular, will not return to Konoha after all of this is over. And perhaps, Sasuke will follow me as well.

"Kushina! Calm down!"

"No I will not be calm! That... idiot of a son of mine...!" she said as tears began to leak out from her eyes, conveying how concerned she was for her son, who had decided to abandon her, Kurama, his home, and perhaps, the world that he had been born into.

I want to see what other worlds have to offer. Call me selfish, but... I can't help but to be curious.

"He's my son! ...He's not some being who could just run off to other universes as much he wants! He belongs here!"

"Hey, you know how humans say that when they're adults, they have the privilege to go wherever they want. Your son is one no matter how much you might object." Kurama replied calmly.

Kushina could only purse her lips as she went on, bothered but nevertheless undeterred by what Kurama said.

Sakura tearfully looked at the form of Naruto in front of her, an apparition that she knew was not the real him, but a form of a farewell note.

We're sorry for our selfishness... But this is the path that we have chosen. Sasuke and I are really sorry for abandoning the team without any of your consent. Especially for the possibility of leaving forever.

With his one visible eye, Kakashi looked at the ghostly apparition of Naruto with slight sadness apparent in his visible eye.

I hope that you can forgive us... It might take some time, of that we are certain. But we will be gone for quite a while, so whatever you decide, whether or not we are above redemption, should we return and ask for it, we will accept whatever you have chosen nevertheless.

The Hokage tangled his fingers in front of his head as he propped his elbows on his desk and watched Naruto finished his message...

And as for our punishment... Well, if we decide to go back, we will accept it all as long as it is within an acceptable boundary. For now... this will be a goodbye. For all of you. ...May we see each other again someday if possible.

When that was over, the apparition was gone, and Hiruzen looked at Haku, who had brought this to his attention. "...Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Momochi Haku."

"It's because it was imperative to tell you this, Hokage-dono." she said rather humbly, "...Will you punish them should they decide to return?" she asked, rather worried by what the Hokage would do.

He sighed and rubbed his wrinkled forehead before he took his kiseru, light it up, and took a smoke to calm his mind. What they had chosen to do saddened him, but it was a decision that they had made while aware of the consequences.

Not to mention, the reason why they left was also not because they were defecting, but because of a mission. Self-imposed, but nevertheless, it wasn't something that could directly endanger Konoha, at least not to his knowledge.

"...It's something to think about. Still, I'm inclined not to for the moment."

As he turned to the window that overlooked the village, he saw two figures causing a rather loud ruckus as they were approaching his office. Squinting his eyes to see better, his eyes widened at the identity of the two figures.

"...Somehow, I knew he was the cause of this..." Hiruzen said as if a man resigning his fate to an inevitable catastrophe.

Some time later...

Naruto and Sasuke landed at a hill on a seemingly unimportant area known as Mountains' Graveyard, located in the land neighboring Taki and Otogakure, on the northern-most part of the land.

This place was the base of the man bent on subjugating the whole world for the sake of fulfilling his own goals, not caring about what the others would want, a man that would rather drive the world into a twisted dream of peace rather than try to weather the wave and find out another way, a seemingly improbable, difficult way, but nevertheless, a way that existed nonetheless.

"This is the place..." Naruto said to the young Uchiha. "You sure you have a good grasp on your power?"

Sasuke responded by summoning a massive gusts of wind using his psychokinesis that forced the leaves from the surrounding tree and the dusts on their feet to scatter, "I might not be as strong as you... not yet at least... but I have enough."

Smiling to the raven-haired friend, he then sent a message to the ever-present extra-dimensional being that was himself, or, an alternate version of himself, 'We're ready. Why don't you start?'

It took a couple of seconds before there was a massive explosion that covered the entirety of the mountain's underground region, an explosion made solely by sudden expansion of air due to the exponential increase in heat within a nanosecond.

Though the explosion was quite messy, they managed to locate a certain someone that managed to escape relatively unscathed by the ordeal, a man who was beginning to run away from the ground zero.

"There's our guy." Sasuke said as he pointed his finger at the fleeing man in black cloak.

"Then let's get him."

With that, the two of them flew off to eliminate their first, most important target of all... The man known as Madara Uchiha.

End.

0.

So, that's the end for this story. It's a bit abrupt, that I would admit, but... with the way this ends, it makes two promises that it will keep: One, everything in this universe will turn out alright (With Sasuke being less of a dick and working together with Naruto with the same godlike powers.) Two, Naruto and Sasuke of this universe might be found on my other stories.

Emphasis on might. My very, very first plan of ending this was to send Naruto, psychokinetic powers and all, to Negima universe after defeating his canon adversaries, but after conceiving the concept of a Godlike!Naruto drawn to its logical conclusion in the form of Naruto's Alternate Future Self, just sending him to Negima universe seems rather small of a scope, especially with the whole 'Guarding the Multiverse' bit.

However, I won't continue this story any longer, as from my point of view, this is already finished. Tell me your thoughts, and see you in my future works.