Powerlessness

On the way back to konoha, Mugen was very depressed. Naruto and Sasuke. Even if by some godsend miracle he were to surpass their level of power, it would certainly be longer than their 'five years'. He had to do everything from scratch. Naruto has minato's incomplete rasengan and minato in the Edo tensei was overpowered as well. Mugen couldn't help be gloomy at how weak he was perhaps at best he will attain hashirama's level but while powerful he wasn't the strongest.

And if he were to attain that level of power, what exactly would happen after. Look at Naruto and sasuke, at their level in the end, they probably didn't have to go all out in any fight. If they did it would most certainly be counted on one hand. That five years was really getting to him though. In five freaking years... Those monsters. Madara and Hashirama seemed to die young as well. Could he keep up with any of them?

If this was the warring era then perhaps he would pursue power singlemindedly with little time for worldly desires like food and women. Peace will arrive though not all that close to now it isn't that far off as well. He could take the nine tails 'complete self' from kushina. However there wasn't a need to go that far for power. While he didn't fear death and wouldn't mind experiencing 'true death' to see what it's like. Darkness,emptiness or the other myths such as heaven and hell.

He wasn't asura's reincarnation and his chakra reserves weren't that exaggerated as an uzumaki. Kakashi said perhaps slightly exaggerat edly in naruto's training that if his chakra wasn't suppressing the nine tails it would be a hundred times stronger than his. He wasn't at that level, he didn't have any of their advantages. A time of peace and technology would ensue after the fourth war.

He could stop all of this as there were plenty of opportunities to kill both of them and alter the course of Destiny . He could plunge the entire world, into war if he wished. He was at heart a fighting maniac at heart like madara. It was tempting however he would eventually reach his peak and halt his strength increasing. Mugen decided to just live his life as an old man who has so many wives he struggles with finding time for each of them than a war lover who worries his women and embraces them occasionally.

To keep his destiny however, in his own hands. He must possess a decent level of power. His previous age and his current age combined makes him a middle-aged borderline old man so he might just act his age and sit somewhere reminiscing everyday and quelling his loneliness with his women and visiting his mother now and again. He could revive the Madara, Hashirama and the others and fight them to quell the emptiness he was already starting to feel even as weak as he currently was.

However the dead deserve some level of respect. Perhaps? He would not like it if he was called back from the afterlife. He would have to make some 'arrangements ' to prevent that from happening also at his death he doesn't want to look old. He should find some way around that. If he were to be the strongest he already had plans for an endgame. Perhaps that gibberish of him uniting all hidden villages was bull however a real man has ambition. He doesn't mind dying trying to achieve that goal. However failing and rotting away while watching the world go on is totally not his style. He would rather be like sasori and allow himself to die.

The akatsuki, for some reason he always liked them. Though they all were a group of crazy bastards. But maybe that's what he liked about them. Their interactions always made him think cool or laugh unlike naruto's. He had decided. To live just as he would. Without thinking of Madara Sasuke and Naruto. Though that in and of itself would be difficult since he was a warmonger. But it has always been that way even in his previous life. But as society demanded he locked that part of him away and just watched others enjoying their lives in fiction.

He would have to treat this life as the same. At least he could have some of his desires like sloth and women. He could spent months and years on them later. I'm his previous life such a thing was unimaginable. It was in this moment that a weathered old man manifested himself perhaps or just a man resigned to his fate.

"You look out of it, something wrong" Tsunade asked,

"Kids should enjoy their youth more." She smiled and said.

" indeed they should, perhaps it would've been better if I was born a kid ignorant of this world, but because of this accursed ability of mine, I know it all better than or perhaps on par with a wizened old sage," he thought of that frog present even in kaguya's time, the leader of the toads.

"Ability?" Tsunade said bewildered .

"Yes ability, you might not believe me but I know of one 'future' and a 'past'. That is why I know about you." Mugen looked up to the sky as they both stopped and rested. It was already nightfall. He was really out of it .

"One future and one past," lady tsunade muttered in thought.

Seeing her Mugen thought he might as well explain," There are an infinite amount of possibilities and futures that can occur. For instance if you were to have died before your brother and before meeting your previous lover things would have turned out much differently perhaps better though unlikely. Another instance is an action what if, just what if, sarutobi wasn't your sensei. Would you have turned out the way you are now? " he glanced at her to find her deep in thought. He caressed a now sleeping little black and white cat..... no perhaps tiger would be better though technically the saber tooth is a cat.

He continued, "There is a term known as the butterfly effect. A butterfly flapping its wings weeks earlier can affect a tornado being formed later. Though the butterfly isn't the 'source' and 'cause' so to speak it affects the resulting tornado formation. In the same way so much as a pebble being thrown in a different direction as it should it may or may not affect a battle to occur later. While the future i know of could be wrong that possibility is minimal. Fortunately, what I saw, though there was much death,loss and sorrow. It ended in peace."

They camped below a certain patch of trees.

Mugen put his hand behind his head as he watched the night sky. Beautiful in its majesty.

Tsunade seemed to be digesting all he just informed her.

"This future...." Tsunade wanted to ask but Mugen placed one of his fingers in a shushing motion on her mouth.

" Shh, I understand the future intrigues you but you will find out all in due time. Knowing more is not beneficial to any of you. " he whispered. The darkness of the trees covering his facial expression. "Live your life as you would don't worry if the future." He told her.

"Get some sleep" he said.

Tsunade didn't know why but this seemingly younger man was more mature and have off a respectable and older vibe. Maybe it had something to do with that ability of his. Tsunade didn't feel he was lying with her expertise as a medical ninja at most he became more 'desolate' as he spoke. Nothing indicating lies and such like throat or chest movement. She then tucked in the ignored and forgotten shizune who, not surprisingly was eavesdropping.

After scolding her, tsunad e was about to go to sleep when she heard something, it was a sad melody, the longer she listened to it the more painful memories would ensue after she found herself going towards the source, she was already in tears.

It wasn't really mugen's fault he just tried out this expensive looking flute he stole from one of oro's rooms. It didn't seem to have been used,ever. He played the only flute song he knew which was one of the sad soundtracks of the Naruto series. He didn't foresee a melody could bring one of the legendary sānin to tears.

As he saw tsunade in t ears(It was then Gen knew, he fucked up) heading towards him he hurriedly stopped playing. He rushed to her and embraces her. "NawKi....Dan....." She called out weakly full of s borrow tears streaming her beautiful cheeks. She grabbed his clothing and clenched it tightly. Mugen stared solemnly thinking as he embraced her. "Shhhh, it'll be okay." He comforted her and wiped her tears with his hands. She looked at him her eyes dead and still streaming along while, she fell asleep in his embrace.

Women, ah. Their tear ducks are so developed.(Though naruto,lee,guy, ah hell I'll just stop),