Pain.

Naruto felt like his entire body was being doused in hellfire. He could barely think, and his body would not respond to this will.

"Hang in there, Naruto!" Kurama screamed within Naruto's seal, but he couldn't hear him. Naruto couldn't feel anything at all.

"Ku..rama." Naruto breathed out. All he saw was darkness. Pitch black enveloped his surroundings and shadowy tendrils were flickering across his skin, almost as if trying to consume him. They would've succeeded if not for the golden chakra that covered his body.

"We're almost there, Naruto. Don't die on me!"

Kurama had been tapping into his near-infinite reserves to shield Naruto from this empty expanse of death for a while now. After Kaguya was caught by the deadly teamwork of Team 7 and was in the process of being sealed, she had used up all of her remaining chakra to suck in anything and everything around her in a last attempt to keep chakra for herself. The 8 other tailed-beasts had not stayed idle, however, and fought her for control over the manipulation of chakra.

The result of the imbalance of energy and the nature of the technique she had used was the implosion of the space around them towards her. Uchiha Sasuke tried to use his Rinne-Sharingan to open a portal to their dimension, but Naruto had been too close to Kaguya and was caught in the vacuum created by the botched technique.

Kurama was able to activate Naruto's chakra cloak as Naruto was knocked unconscious by the ridiculous amount of energy he was exposed to point-blank, but even with his near-infinite chakra reserves, he was uncertain if the both of them would be able to survive in this hell.

Fortunately, Kurama had felt a hole, tiny as it was. Seeing as how it might be their only chance of escaping, he began to force his chakra through the hole. Bit by bit, the hole became bigger, but with the amount of chakra Kurama was expending, the chakra cloak was starting to fade away, exposing Naruto to the chaos he had been staving off.

"Naruto, listen to me! You have to help me if you want to escape this place!" Kurama jolted Naruto awake. He couldn't open the hole long enough for them to pass through. He needed Naruto to help concentrate both their chakras to pierce through the hole.

"I'm… trying!" Naruto began focusing his chakra to form the technique that had helped him throughout the years. He began rapidly rotating the chakra he had gathered his hands in all directions. "Here it goes… Kurama!"

Naruto thrust his hand towards the direction Kurama's chakra was flowing through, and the next thing he felt was the wind. He was now falling.

"Ah shiiiiiiiiit!/Brace yourself, Naruto!" Naruto's cloak had faded as Kurama's energy was nearly spent, which meant Naruto couldn't float in the air. Naruto did as Kurama said and shielded his head and torso with his arms and legs.

Owen Reeves was not having a wonderful day. He had thought that once he reaches the age of 60, he'd be retired and surrounded by grandchildren. Sadly, he was 28 when his son had died before even reaching adulthood, and his wife died heartbroken three years later. Owen then became reclusive and anti-social. He began focusing on tending to his bar, The Blank. His wife had established the bar, but they were supposed to come up with a name for it along with their son when he reaches the age of 12, but fate had not been kind.

"Oh Evie, what am I supposed to do now?" He whispered.

For 32 years, he ran the bar. It was never a popular bar, only getting enough customers for Owen to be able to pay the fees to continue the business, but it was his life. Today was his 60th birthday, and he decided to take the day-off to relax and reflect on the past few years by going hiking in the nearby mountains of Adirondack.

He was old and unable to keep running the bar by himself. He didn't have the funds to hire employees and even if he did, no one who was qualified wanted to work in a bar that never gained profit. The time to close the bar down was coming, and yet he couldn't accept that. His wife loved that place, and he couldn't fathom the idea of selling it off.

He was a few miles away from his lodging when suddenly, an explosion deep within the sea of trees caused a tremor that made him lose his footing.

"What in the blazes was that?!" Owen exclaimed loudly. "Was that a bomb or something?"

Owen didn't know what came over him. He was not brave by any means, but in that one moment, he chose to try to find out what the cause of the explosion was.

He began to slowly jog towards the direction of the explosion, cautiously watching his steps.

If the pain Naruto felt within the void expanse was akin to being burned by the hottest flames in existence, the pain he felt now as he laid in the crater he had caused was more like being crushed under Mount Myōboku. Most of his bones, if not all of them, were broken or fractured. Although they had already begun to heal, thanks to the tailed-beast sealed inside him, everything still hurts.

"We made it, Kurama." Naruto muttered, a small grin appearing on his face despite his current predicament.

"Damn, kit. Heh, you owe me big after this. I just saved your life from all that." Kurama breathed out a sigh of relief as he focused what little remained of his chakra to heal his friend.

"Thanks, furball. Let's discuss the debt I owe you after I recover, ne?" Naruto chuckled. 'Same old Kurama. Never change, buddy.'

"Just rest, kit. I'll do my best to heal you, so stay still and don't make it harder for me."

"Alright, buddy. I'll just take a nap I guess." Naruto sleepily said, eyes slowly closing from the fatigue. As he lost his awareness of his surroundings, Kurama sensed curiosity and fear from just outside the clearing they were in. Being as protective as he was, he decided to subtly take control of Naruto's body in case the being he sensed proved dangerous to Naruto's well-being.

After a while, an old man entered the clearing, slowly moving towards the crater with cautious steps.

"What in the blazes is this?" Owen muttered. He walked carefully towards the crater, fear already building up in his system. 'This was stupid! Stupid Owen! You could've been relaxing on a warm, soft bed by now!'

As he came into view of what was inside the crater, Owen gasped.

"A kid? What the hell is a kid doing there?!" Owen immediately went down to help the kid wearing ruined clothes that he had never seen before. 'Did this kid fall from the sky or something?'

When Owen reached the kid, he was shocked by the numerous wounds and bruises littered across his body. "What happened to him?" Owen muttered.

Owen began thinking about who or what did this to the kid. This was abuse at the highest level. 'And to dump him off in the wilderness? What kind of monster would do such a thing?'

Owen was revolted at the thought. Such a young soul hurt and broken by a scum of humanity. At that moment, he didn't just see a kid he didn't know lying in the crater. He saw his son.

His mind already made up, Owen decided to take the kid back to his lodging, and to report to the authorities about what happened.

Owen proceeded to carry the kid, carefully slinging him over his shoulder. It was a good thing Owen had been actively doing physical exercises, so although he was surprised by the weight this kid had, he was able to carry him out of the clearing with more than a bit of effort.

He carried him over to his bed and went out to get medical supplies from the staff, as well as intending to report to the authorities about the incident.

As soon as the old man had left the room, Kurama sighed in relief. While he hadn't felt any malicious intent from the man, he still couldn't be too careful, especially now when Naruto was at his weakest. Still, Naruto's luck was something else. To be found by a good Samaritan after landing in an alien world was sign that the tremendous fortune Kami-sama had given him was still there.

"You better wake up soon, kit. I'm almost at my limit." Kurama said, retreating into Naruto's mindscape to better focus on healing his friend.

Olympus was in disarray. Zeus had suddenly assembled the Olympian Council without prior notice, and the beings on Olympus were all speculating on what might have been the reason for the emergency meeting.

The throne room was in an even worse state. A few of the gods and goddesses were complaining about the sudden call from the King of the Gods.

Poseidon was restlessly pacing near his throne. "Brother, you better have a good reason why you interrupted my night." Poseidon bellowed, "Winter Solstice hasn't even been a month away and you've already called us into another meeting."

"I was just about to finish my final delivery for today. And 38 minutes ahead of schedule too! Now the deliveries will start piling up again." Hermes cried out, distraught at the fact that his 38 minutes of well-earned relaxation had just slipped out of his grasp, courtesy of his father's emergency meeting.

Apollo placed his hands on Hermes' shoulders and grinned, "I feel you, Hermes. I was just about to enjoy my post daylight relaxation when pops flared out his Bolt! All those precious minutes of clubbing gone."

Artemis rolled her eyes and scoffed at her two brothers and their trivial complaints, 'Boys.' Artemis glared softly at Zeus, clearly unhappy that she had to leave her hunters alone and out of her watch. She was still gripping her bow, and her clothes were covered in dirt and mud.

"Father, please tell me there's a good reason for this meeting. My hunters and I were in the middle of hunting a pack of Laistrygonians in South Dakota."

The other gods and goddesses present in the council were unconcerned by the meeting and were just hoping for it to end as soon as possible to get back to whatever they were doing.

"SILENCE! Any more complaints and I will punish you lot for daring to act so disrespectfully to me. Now sit." Zeus thundered, violent electric sparks emanating from his being. The useless squabbling was getting on his nerves even faster than usual.

The Olympians proceeded to sit at their respective thrones, and the previous chaos disappeared, obedience replacing it.

Zeus looked at each of the Olympians gravely, he then proceeded to inform the council of the reason behind his sudden emergency call.

"I have sensed a disturbance within my domain. About an hour and a half ago, someone or something entered the skies above New York, one with an extreme amount of energy." Zeus sighed, and looked at Poseidon, "Greater than even my own."

The reaction of the council was explosive. A power greater than Zeus? Is it the Titans? Or maybe something even greater, like Gaea? Everyone became wary as the implications of such an incident became clear to them.

"What do you mean 'greater than yours'?" Poseidon asked, eyes wide in disbelief. "Are you saying someone more powerful than you entered your domain?"

"It was only for almost a second that I felt it before it disappeared!" Zeus glared, and then looked down in embarrassment, "I wasn't able to react to it before it faded from my senses."

Athena stood up and looked to Zeus, "Father. If what you are saying is true, then a great threat to Olympus has appeared." Her eyes filled with determination and more than an ounce of curiosity, as she said, "I suggest we launch a full-scale investigation. All of us. This matter cannot be overlooked."

Zeus contemplated the suggestion for a bit, debating internally if such an incident warranted the attention of all Olympians, and nodded. "So we shall, daughter. I want you all to be vigilant," Zeus glared at all those present, "And if you find something. Anything. You share it with the council. Am I understood?"

The gods and goddesses in attendance all nodded in affirmation to Zeus' order.

Zeus nodded to them, "Good. The energy appeared in the skies of New York. Everyone should start there. You are all dismissed."

Everyone started to get up and flash out of the throne room, when Zeus suddenly called out to Artemis, "Not you, daughter. I have something for you to do."

Artemis raised her eyebrow and crossed her arms, but relented and faced her father, "What is it, father?"

"I want you to be my eyes and ears in New York. Take your hunt there and track down the culprit. I have faith in you, daughter. Don't let me down."

If Artemis was surprised by the order, she didn't show it. She instead nodded and bowed to Zeus, "Yes, father. Will that be all?"

Zeus stared at her for a few seconds before sighing, "Yes. You are dismissed."

Zeus nodded at her and stood up. He raised his Master Bolt high and disappeared in a bolt of lightning, leaving Artemis alone in the throne room.

Artemis sighed. 'Another mission for dear old papa.'

She glanced at the hearth of the throne room and waved for a second before flashing out of the throne room to continue her hunt with her huntresses. Trouble was brewing, and Zeus had all but ordered her to stand in the middle of it. For her hunt's sake, and hers, she hoped it wasn't as serious as everyone thought.

"Hey, kid. You awake yet? You need to eat."

Owen nudged the sleeping Naruto in an attempt to wake him up. He had been sleeping for almost 4 days now, and the lack of nutrition was starting to show.

"Oi, kid. Wake up." Owen was just about to lightly slap Naruto's cheeks when suddenly his eyes flew open.

"What the?! Where am I? Who are you?" Naruto looked around frantically and backed away from Owen, his hands already searching his pockets for a kunai.

"Woah, woah, woah, kid! Calm down, will you? You're still recovering from whatever happened to you." Owen couldn't understand what the kid had just said, but he seems to be panicking, so he proceeded to raise his arms as if to say he's harmless. He looked at Naruto with concern and looked at the plate beside the bed, "You haven't eaten for 4 days. You need to eat if you want to recover."

Naruto couldn't understand a thing the stranger was saying. The language sounded so alien to him. No language in the Elemental Nations sounded like that.

"What are you saying, old man? I can't understand you. Can't. Understand." Naruto tried to communicate using his hands, gesturing how he couldn't understand a thing the man was saying. Thankfully, the man had understood, as he also started to communicate with hand gestures.

"Well, crap. The kid doesn't speak English." Owen sighed and pointed at the uneaten food he had prepared for the kid, "Eat. You need to eat." He said while mimicking an eating motion, hoping the kid would understand him.

'I think he's telling me to eat.' Naruto glanced at the plate the old man was pointing to and began to move slowly towards it to pick it up, 'Oi, Kurama. You there?'

As Naruto picked the plate up, he looked at the old man, who was staring at him expectantly, "Well? Are you going to eat up now?"

"I guess I should eat. I am pretty hungry." Naruto inspected the food for a moment before devouring it all with such fervor that even the old man watching him was taken aback.

"Woah, slow down kid! You'll choke if you keep eating like that." Owen said, chuckling at the sight. 'I guess it's good that he's eating as much as he is, even after 4 days of no food.'

He patted Naruto's back as he continued to eat like a man possessed, "Now I know you can't understand me, but we should really do something about this language barrier." Owen said softly.

"Ah. That's a lot better. I'm still hungry, though."Naruto placed the plate down to the nightstand and wiped a few crumbs on his mouth, "Oi, old man. Who are you and where are we?" Naruto said as he looked around the room, gesturing at his surroundings to try to communicate his question.

The room seemed so foreign, though he could see it was a bedroom. The design of the room did not match any of the nations in his world at all. He wanted to know just where he was. Kurama still hadn't replied to his call a few moments earlier, so he guessed he was asleep. 'Just rest, Kurama. You've saved us, so now it's my turn.'

"You're wondering where we are? We're in Adirondack, kid." Owen said before he suddenly thought of something and started walking towards the door, "I have an idea. Stay there for a bit, will you?"

As the old man went out the door, Naruto was left alone in the room. He then stood up and stretched for a bit, bones popping as he did so. "Man, Kurama did a great work with his healing. I should thank him soon." Naruto said before trying to start molding his chakra.

He didn't expect the intense pain that followed as soon as he dipped into his reserves.

"Ah, shit! That hurts!" Naruto stumbled down to the floor, clutching his stomach. He felt as if his body was being ripped from the inside. Naruto bit back a scream, and instead curled up into a ball.

"Hey kid, I brought a-" Owen entered the room and saw Naruto on the floor. He immediately closed the door and hurried over to him, "Are you okay, kid?! What's happening?"

Naruto couldn't respond. He was drowning in the pain he was feeling. He gritted his teeth, 'What the hell is happening to me?! Argh, Kurama! Help me!' Naruto called for Kurama from within his mindscape, but the fox did not wake from his slumber.

Owen panicked and moved to carry Naruto up and said, "I need to get you to a hospital. Your body isn't fine at all." He slung Naruto's arms over his shoulders and made a move towards the door when Naruto stopped him.

"No. Don't bring me outside. Let me stay here." Naruto bit out as he shook his head to convey his disagreement with the man's plan. He fell towards the bed, exhaustion getting the better of him as he fell unconscious as soon as he closed his eyes.

Owen sighed and ran his hands through his hair. He was getting too old for this shit. He glanced at the world map he was holding, and set it down on the nightstand beside the bed. He'll figure out the kid's predicament when he wakes up. For now, he might as well take care of him.

'God must hate me if he's making my life so crazy. I just want some rest!' Owen sighed again and shook his head.

Tomorrow was going to be something, he just hoped it was better than today.