Trust me, the song makes it 3x better, put it on! 

Disclaimer: This story has multiple mentions of trauma, death, and blood. So if it's not your cup of tea, please use discretion.

As a clarification, I do not own Naruto in any shape or form. However, I do own the plot so :D

'Thoughts...'

"A physical speech..."

"Kurama talking..."

"Past memory..."

Enjoy!

Edited as of 11/6/2020 

(Why the frick frack did no one tell me how garbage the original was??)

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  With a slow but robust kick, Naruto managed to launch a mangled and bloody Sasuke across the deserted wasteland. The man he once called a brother was gone, his body an unidentifiable mess of ash and grim. The minuscule flitch of his hand was the only indication of life in the male's pale corpse. 

   Naruto slowly limped towards Sasuke, his long red hair waving behind him wildly as he shakily gripped Sasuke's cold, bloody hand. His torn clothes barely clinging to him as he bent down to move the hair out of his brother's eyes. Everything rested upon that hand because finally, it marked the last of humanity. Everyone but Naruto was dead. Everyone he loved and cared for rested 6 fit under. And yet, his suffering was about to come to a steady close.

"Naruto," the Raven muttered hoarsely, a single tear made its way down his cheek onto the rigid rock under him. "I'm sorry, dobe." He whimpered, releasing unstable gasps as the sky began to cry. The redhead sat there for a while, his mind blanks as he released all his with-held emotions into the empty abies. He sobbed quietly, not having the strength to do more than a whisper. But, He couldn't say anything. Despite having rehearsed the words he needed to say over and over, he couldn't even whimper out the desperate 3-year words. 

He wanted to scream. To shout through all the mental turmoil that came with saying goodbye to his brother. His life long rival, his bestest friend. 

      Sakura, Shikamaru, Kakashi, Konoha, everyone was gone. Everybody. The world became a wasteland of rubble and death. Every inch of the land was covered in severed limbs and blood, all grimly washed away with the rain. The Jubi destroyed the world as his friends gradually destroyed his mind, picking and prodding as they left him one by one. And with a curse placed upon all his closest friends just before Orochimaru's final breath, he was forced to fight each of them to the death even after the acceptance of their true end. And with it came resentment. Resentment of his life, his destiny, the subtle longing for a quick swipe to the neck to cause him to get knocked down for good. What was it to live without the thing that he took up the knife for? What was a shinobi without a world to protect? 

   Every friend died in a similar manner. A quick and painless death, with small parting words, a smile and a final"Thank you." But this time was different. This time, the former ANBU captain held his Hokages gaze until his final breath. His eyes radiating sorrow and guilt with all he had done to the once blonde, bright eyed turned guilt-ridden dull man over the years. The one person who stuck with him through their differences, coming back to him even after making the worst mistake of his life. And Naruto forgave him, pushing past the years of anguish he left him in, favoring a future where they can create a place worth fighting for, side by side. It was always side by side; what of it now when he was leaving his blood to continue on alone.

   Even as Sasuke's hand fell limp in the teens and his red Sharingan eyes dimmed, Naruto held a plastered smile, refusing to throw away the last piece of himself he retained as "Naruto." He grasped at his blood-colored hair, pushing it to one side before picking himself up. His ocean blue eyes no longer held the innocent gleam of youth but the glitter of constant determination still rested in the depth of his pupils, his still-beating heart pushing him to save everyone, to end their suffering. 

    He could only pray to kami that this was the last death he had to face in his horrifying long and traumatic existence, soon be extended.

   With a shaky step, the whiskered teen made his way to a flatter surface, away from his still and dead brother, and pulled out the remains of a crumbled, white chalk from his pocket. With his attempt at mastering Fuinjutsu at the age of 17, his Godfather -Jaraija the gallant- assigned him a final task; A time-transfer seal. And so, for the past 2 years, Naruto spent the little free time he had working on a life-defying jutsu; A jutsu that could change the entire course of his world if need be. It wasn't a perfect nor an ideal solution but it was the last thing he could think of without the outcome listing him insane. The final step was to let his family rest, to let this world regenerate without the fear of having man put it through misery again.

    White chalk coated the rock around him, forming a large circle that was roughly the size of the red-heads body. A clock of sorts. Except for the fact that it ended with the number 13 rather than 12. Every dusted stroke reflected his incoherent dreams, his desires, his past goals, it reflected Naruto. And when he finally finished, the world seemed to freeze in anticipation. 

   This was the key to the past; A time-traveling seal he could use to change the course of the world. A way to save his friends in another past-era. 

   The redhead's eyes brightened slowly, the smile on his face becoming more sincere. He glanced back at Sasuke's bloody corpse before swiftly placing his hand on the middle of the seal. "I could save you, Sasuke. " He thought solemnly as his palm began to glow,"I could save everyone."

      In his mindscape, his foxy friend beckoned Naruto to continue, placing a claw on his young kit in support but not daring to utter a word. His kit didn't need comfort, he needed to move on.

   At once, both container and beast released a steady flow of chakra that merged together to form a bright golden color. The chakra seemed to sing in glory, emitting happiness and hope. But at the same time, it felt solemn and dark, as though all evil was about to rise once more.  

    Almost instantaneously, Naruto was pulled into a world of black, the only sound being the constant pulse of a droplet on another form of water. He felt weightless, time drifting past him as he felt a tingle in his fingertips and the soft beating of his pulse. He was alive, a miracle that he couldn't help but feel guilty for.

With cautious steps into the abyss,  he was able to see a small lamp in the middle of a strange body of water. As Naruto walked toward the lake, he was startled to see the reflection of a pale man with long horns and purple eyes. On his forehead, a Sharingan emanated red light throughout the black abyss. The man's long white cloke, covered in black orbs moved steadily behind him, despite the windless abyss. The orbs shone brightly as they formed a circle behind the man's back, easily capturing all of the younger's darkness, pushing him into ease. 

"Hello, Naruto." The figure spoke warmly. "How have you been?" 

   The teen stared blankly, considering his options. This "thing" knew his name, does that mean that they know each other? But he had sworn he had never seen such eyes before. He would have remembered such a strange man. 

"I'm not a "thing", child. I am-"

"Father?" Naruto could hear Kurama's whimper echo throughout the room. And as he turned around, he could've sworn he saw a tear fall down his brightly colored fur. "You're alive." 

"No, Kurama. I merely exist within the boy's soul. He is the child of prophecy after all. " The figure shook his head, black orbs following his every movement. "Currently, I am here as an informant for the boy. You two must consider something before you foolishly break the laws of time itself." 

Naruto nodded his head, unconsciously choosing to put trust in the man. 

"As you go back to an era with your younger counterpart, his life will no longer be based upon the prophecy. This would mean that his life will not be parallel to yours as he is no longer the successor to my throne." 

"What throne exactly?" The redhead inquired skeptically. "I mean, who even are you?" 

"I am the Sage of Six Paths, boy." The sage laughed. "Have your mentors taught you nothing?"

"No, sir." He mumbled.

"Well, all in due time then. Kurama, teach the boy a few things, will you? But back to the matter at hand." The old man stared knowingly at Naruto. "You must understand that within the laws of destiny, every small movement you make, every word spoken, will change the lives of all those around you. At one point, you will cease to exist, as your body does not have a true vessel and all those you impacted will forget your very existence. You know this, do you not? At any matter, I have a bargain for you, dear child."

Naruto nodded again. Him and Jiraya had already gone through the rules of existence. The very rules forged by the man in front of him. The elders of mount mokoku had already suggested a possible encounter of the man before him. Somehow in his constant stress he forgot the basis of how life intertwined with soul.

"I am willing to give up a body up as your soul's vessel. To allow you to create a new life past the mistakes of this story." Naruto's gulp echoed lightly, to the disgust of the other with a twine of his eyebrow.  "An apology, of sorts. If I hadn't allowed my brother to push his ideals onto the helpless."

The sages gaze grew soft toward the boy. "In exchange, you must do you as you always have. Bring the world to peace bit by bit. It is a task I have been unable to do my entire life, but I have faith in you, boy. The true ideals a shinobi should strive for in a world of misguided fools."

The whiskered teen toyed with his split ends, shifting his feet before he uttered a response.

"Um, I-" The redhead hesitated, his breath hitching in his throat as the vast possibilities filled up his mind.  The sage smiled understandingly. "Thank you, sir."

"You will do well boy. I wish you both farewell and good luck." He looked a Kurama, his body beginning to appear translucent. "Say hello to your siblings for me, will you?"

" Wait, Fathe-" Kurama began, only to be engrossed by complete darkness. The abyss fell silent, the only sound being muffled voices that only seemed to be getting louder and louder. The words began to be clearer and clearer before he was once again overwhelmed by a bright golden light. 

  "I think he's dead."    

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Well, what did you guys think? I think it was pretty neat, considering that it's my first fanfic. Well anyways, 

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