Chapter 16: Persona Part III

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

"Hmm...."- Bijuu

Chapter 16:

Persona Part III

Naruto had come to know of many shocking truths throughout his life as a shinobi. The first had been that he was in fact the jinchuriki for the strongest bijuu. After that, it was that a secret and powerful organization composed sorely of legendary S-class criminals was after him. Then, it was to find out that he was not in fact the only human who carried a powerful demon within him, but that there were eight others. The one after that had been about the Uchiha Massacre, and that Itachi hadn't been the heartless criminal that the world had come to categorize him as. Finally, it was for him to learn just who his real parents were, one of which was a legendary shinobi and a world renowned genius.

Despite all those shocking truths, though, Naruto knew that they all paled in comparison to what he was currently going through. And he wasn't talking about being stuck inside some sort of legendary looking castle. Not that it wasn't shocking in its own right. No, what the blond Uzumaki was referring to was about the current circumstances that was now facing himself with. The day had been tiring enough, and that was saying something since it came from him. But it wasn't physical exhaustion that Naruto meant. It was a mental one. And just when he thought he could finally rest for some hours, this sudden situation appeared.

Naruto scowled as he looked around the giant sized room he had woken up in, the female puppeteer standing a few feet off to the side. Glancing at her for a moment, Naruto was now able to notice that the silver haired woman was wearing what looked like a pair of black cargo pants for women with a long sleeve silver shirt and black shinobi sandals, ones that reminded Naruto of the ones that Sasuke wore, under her cloak. She wasn't much for bright colors, it seemed. Putting her fashion sense to the side for the moment, the Uzumaki turned to face her directly once again.

"Just what the hell is going on here now?"

The woman was able to tell from the blond's tone alone that he was reaching the end of his patience. Shaking her head again, she replied, "Like I told you: I'm not the one responsible for this. If anything, it's your fault for having left Uzu."

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Naruto asked with a frown.

Before the woman could answer, the voice from before spoke up again, "Now, now, Miyuki-chan, you had your turn. Asura-kun is my guest now."

"Miyuki" scowled as she looked around the room in what seemed like a look of complete annoyance. "Just what is it that you think that you're doing? This wasn't part of the deal!"

There was more laughter with the door that had opened up earlier illuminating. Looking towards it, Naruto saw how the said door led simply into a bright space. He couldn't see anything else other than that. Needless to say, it wasn't exactly encouraging.

"A lot of things have changed, as I'm sure you know. I'm not exactly pleased with you or Hagoromo at the moment. But right now, I don't care about either of you. The boy next to you is the one that I wish to speak to now."

Said boy looked around him with an intrigued look. "And just what is it that you want to talk about anyway?"

"Just come to me, and you'll find out." The voice went quite after that.

Looking at the doorway, the blond jinchuriki made towards it until the now named Miyuki grabbed a hold of his arm.

"You can't possibly listen to what he has to say," she said with an astonished look.

Shaking her hold off of his arm, Naruto frowned as he replied, "It's not like I have any choice in the matter right now. I don't know where I am, Kurama and the others aren't here, and for some reason I'm back to being the way I was before the Sennin sent me back into this time period. The only choice I have right now is to make him send me back to Kumo."

"It's not as simple as that," Miyuki said while shaking her head. "That man will not listen to anyone. He only does what he wants to do. And he has the annoying powers to back it up. But you don't have to worry about not going back. I can send you."

"And do you actually expect me to trust you?" Naruto asked back with an incredulous tone.

"But you're willing to trust him," Miyuki retorted.

Naruto shook his head at that. "I never said I trusted him. As far as I'm concerned, he's just as suspicious as you are. Whoever the hell he is anyway."

"I told you: he's the last of the Otsutsuki on this Earth."

Naruto scratched his head. "See, you say that like it's supposed to mean something. But I have no idea who the hell the Otsutsuki are. You haven't been exactly forthcoming with what you know. Neither has the Sennin for that matter. So what exactly is it that you expect me to do under these circumstances?"

"To not meet this man," Miyuki answered, some desperation entering her voice. "One day, you will know everything that you want. But now isn't the time."

"And why is that?"

Seeing as the woman wasn't going to answer him, Naruto turned towards the doorway again. Seeing this, Miyuki reached for him again. But having expected this, Naruto shot to the ceiling in an instant and stuck to it through his chakra which he could still use, something which he silently thanked the ramen gods for.

"I said I'm going," Naruto said while narrowing his eyes. "Something tells me this dude will fill me in with everything that I want to know."

Miyuki shook her head again. "Don't push this, Naruto. Please. You have to trust me. The very fact that you're here in that form proves it."

Naruto frowned while looking down at her. "And just what is that supposed to mean?"

Swallowing, Miyuki answered, "What you are right now is simply your subconscious, or your mind. Your real body is back where you last were in your hotel room. Your subconscious came together to form this presentation of yourself. In other words, the form that you truly desire. It means that you still have lingering thoughts of your time."

Well, duh. That should have been obvious to anyone. There was just no way that Naruto could ever forget about the future. Every single one of his friends was there. It was where he had been all for his life. So why shouldn't he feel attached to it? What was wrong with missing his friends from time to time? It was normal. And yet, with the way this woman made it sound, it almost seemed like a bad thing.

Voicing his confusion, Naruto said, "I don't know what you're getting at. Just what's so wrong with that?"

The woman sighed as she answered, "It means that you're not fully ready to comprehend everything that there is to know. You still haven't gotten accustomed to how things will be from now on. The many dangers you will have to face, as well as the losses. As long as you can't get past that, you're still easily corruptible and not ready for the truth."

Huh, interesting. In some odd way, what she was saying made sense to the blond. And that only served to irritate him even more. Just who was she to judge something like that? After everything that he had gone through, after everything that he had overcome, she still expected him to change his mind about fulfilling his mission? It was a great insult to him. It made him seem like he was still an undeceive brat.

Miyuki frowned as she noticed how her words had the opposite effect on the Uzumaki than the one that she had been hoping for. At this rate, she wouldn't be able to bring the blond back with her. Since it wasn't his physical body, without his consent, she couldn't bring him back to said body. She didn't have the power to override his will. Only the true possessor of the sixth Path did. And the only one left was the very same man that she was trying to keep the blond away from. If only he hadn't left Uzu, then she wouldn't have had to deal with this. It was irritating.

"I don't know what you have that to base on," Naruto began with another frown, "but what you're saying right now makes no sense. If you think I'm going to trust you based on that, you can forget it. It just makes you even more shady in my opinion. I mean, you just admitted that you do know about all of this but choose not to tell me. Well, I'm tired of that. A smart friend of mine said that I'm just walking in blind. And he's completely right about that. So, as far as I can see it, despite how annoying all of this is getting, this situation easily fixes that."

By the end, Naruto's eyes changed into his gold ones with the frog irises instead of his normals ones, indicating that he was now in Sage mode. It was another hint to the blond that he was at least somewhere where natural energy still existed.

Seeing this, Miyuki gritted her teeth in frustration. "Fine then. I didn't want to resort to this, but your stubbornness isn't really leaving me any other choice."

Naruto's eyes widened as he came to a sight that he hadn't seen for many years now: bones. From under her cloak, Naruto was able to see how her entire right arm was covered in bones in like an armor of sorts. The last time he had seen something like that was when he was fighting that white haired guy that worked for Orochimaru when he was trying to first save Sasuke. The blond had long since forgotten the dude's name. But it also brought up an interesting question.

"You.....just how the hell can you use a technique like that!?" Naruto asked, his eyes still wide.

"Like I told you," Miyuki responded calmly, "you don't need to know something like that."

Naruto was forced to move from his position as the silver haired woman fired bone made projectiles from her right arm up at him. Landing back on the ground, Naruto looked towards at her while gritting his teeth. The bijuu had been right: they really didn't know anything about her! Naruto had only ever imagined that the woman was capable of using puppets and her transportation jutsu. And yet, here she was, unveiling yet another surprise.

Coming out of his thoughts, the blond Uzumaki was forced to dodge yet another barrage of bone projectiles from the woman who seemed to have no qualms about doing what she currently was.

Seeing the blond dodging her attacks so easily, however, caused her to frown. At this rate, she wasn't going to be able to get anywhere.

Naruto tensed when he saw his opponent bring down her bone covered right arm to the ground.

"Sawarabi no Mai!"

The entire floor beneath the blond's feet was instantly covered in bones, with said blond having had jumped into the air in the last second thanks to his senjutsu enhanced awareness.

'She really is trying to kill me!' Naruto thought with slight dread while still in midair. But at least that did give him the freedom to go all out himself. Because there was just no way that he could die a meaningless death here. Too many people were counting on him for that.

Miyuki paused when she saw a sudden look of determination flash on her opponent's face. It seemed as if getting more serious on her part had had the opposite effect that she had wanted. She had even reduced her technique too. Quickly focusing back to reality, Miyuki readied herself as Naruto produced a large amount of shadow clones. But she had suspected that. It was, after all, the blond's specialty.

As the clones began to surround her from both the ground and up on the ceiling, more bones began to grow from her body. The real Naruto, who was on the ground in the back with two clones flanking him, frowned as he saw this. Damn, his memories from his battle with that other dude who could use this damn jutsu were sketchy. He couldn't recall any of the techniques that he had used. But that was what his shadow clones were perfect for doing: gauging his opponent's strength.

As if a silent order had just been given, all the clones that were surrounding the silver haired woman began to rush at her. But having already been prepared for this, Miyuki produced a sharp sword produced solely from her bone structure which she used to quickly slash all of the clones that came her way. The clones tried their best to try and find an opening in her movements, but they were too irregular for them to detect anything even though they were still in Sage mode.

This went on for some time as Miyuki continued to slash through the clones like they were nothing. But she was beginning to feel irritated at the amount that there were. The boy just had too much chakra.

"Rasengan!"

The woman's eyes widened as from above a pair of clones formed a rasengan in their hand and came down on her like a missile. She was forced to jump back in an instant, lest she try and test the durability of her bones against a senjutsu enhanced rasengan. But it seemed as if Naruto had picked up on this as all in front of her the clones began to form rasengans, only that these seemed to be extraordinary larger than the first one that she had just dodged.

"This is your last warning," the clone in front of the others said with a rasengan in hand. But it could just as easily be the real Naruto as well. Miyuki had already lost track of where the real blond could be. "I'm going through that door. If you don't want to end up with a big hole in your stomach, then I suggest you let me through. I'm not playing nice anymore."

Miyuki shook her head as the bone sword in her hand disappeared. "And like I told you: I can't let you through," she said while motioning to the door behind her. "Why can't you understand that I'm not your real enemy here? I only want to help you!"

"And you have a real great way of showing that," Naruto retorted while shaking his head. "First you kidnapped my friends, and now this. I know I've always been a bit of an idiot, but just who can accept what you're saying based on that alone? Not to mention the fact that you're keeping important things from me."

Before Miyuki had the chance to reply, the clones had decided that it was time for action. With a battle cry, they all charged at her with some jumping up in the air in case she tried to evade in that direction. Seeing this, Miyuki decided that she only had one option. Removing her cloak and letting it fall to the ground, she encased her entire body in what looked like an armor of bones just like she had first done with her arm.

"Senjutsu: Odama Rasengan!"

Her armor of bones clashed with the barrage of senjutsu enhanced giant rasengans with the initial contact creating a small crater beneath the woman's feet. As she pushed more chakra into her armor, however, Miyuki was able to see how her armor was already beginning to crack just seconds after clashing. Realizing that if she kept this up she would definitely lose, Miyuki knew that there was only one more option left to her. But that would mean that she would definitely lose as well. At least with this, however, she would still remain conscious. Accepting that that was the best she could do now, Miyuki closed her eyes as a small vortex opened beneath her feet.

The real Naruto, who had been the one that had spoken up before the clash, noticed this. But instead of trying to stop it, however, the blond was relieved. He had least been able to push the woman to retreat. Dissolving the rasengan, Naruto released the shadow clones as well. Looking at the door, the Uzumaki quickly dashed for it, lest the woman try to teleport back in here and try to stop him again.

After he had ran through it, the door closed behind him with a large bang, leaving the now slightly destroyed room empty.

When Naruto was able to see again, he came to a sight that was just as surprising as the one that he had first woken up to. The door had led him to what looked like a throne room of sorts with pillars lined up along the sides just like in the room before. There was also a fancy looking maroon carpet sprawled on the floor beneath his feet with said carpet leading up to steps. The steps in turn led to the only furniture in the room: a chair. But under closer inspection, it was more like a giant white throne with what looked like the sun and moon placed on a giant banner behind it. There was also a giant circular window behind said banner where one could see snow falling outside. But the most important feature was the man who was sitting on said throne. Said man had curly white hair with vibrant green eyes and pale skin. Just like the woman, he had two red dots on his forehead. He was wearing an elaborate looking kimono with six black magatama around the high collar. There was also a look of amusement in his eyes as he merely observed Naruto with his cheek resting on his open palm.

"So, you're the one that brought me here," Naruto said after a few moments of silence.

The man didn't reply for a few moments, something that was starting to irritate the blond. Just about as he was going to speak again, the Otsutsuki member beat him to it.

"That's a complicated question to answer," he said in calm tone. "If you want to stretch things out, one might be able to say that you yourself are the one responsible for being here right now. You were the one that agreed to this whole...fiasco."

Fiasco? Naruto couldn't help but be confused at this man's choice of words. "Just what are you going on about now? None of you people can ever give me a straight answer!"

The man chuckled as he replied, "Now that answer is simple. It's because nothing is ever that simplified. Like your way of thinking for example. You think of the world as black and white when in actuality that's not even close to the truth. Most things, just like with people in general, are more gray and down the middle. Like the so called Uchiha Massacre for example. While it may seem like a "bad" thing, it all technicality it wasn't. A civil war was averted, which is "good," but a whole clan with some innocent people was wiped out which is "bad." So what do you get in the end? Hmm? You on the other hand only like to classify things as "good" and "bad." But if you took a moment to analyze things, then you would want to question just what "good" and "bad" actually are. Who can ever know? Such things are only known to the individual. Take your brother Indra-kun for example. He believes that power is the only "good" thing. You, Asura-kun, believe that love is "good." Now, who is right and wrong? At the end of the day, only those that have the strength to make things happen are the ones that can determine what is "good" and what is "bad." In short, it's not as simple of a concept as you might want it to be."

Naruto looked at the man in front of him blankly, not understanding where any of this was going. Here he had come expecting to find out everything that he wanted to know, and yet this guy was spewing out complete crap. Not only that, but he had just called him "Asura." That was another thing that was beginning to get on the blond's nerve. First, that woman had called Hagoromo, and now this guy was calling Asura. Why the hell couldn't any of them just get his name right dammit! It was Naruto! It wasn't that hard to understand.

Naruto tensed up as he felt the familiar presence from before appearing behind him. Turning around and expecting to battle the woman again, the blond Uzumaki was taken back when she only looked at him with a look filled with irritation.

"You're just too much, you idiot. After everything I tried to do up to this point, you just made it all worthless," she said through a frown.

While still not on friendly terms with whoever she really was, Naruto was beginning to think that maybe she had been right and coming here was all just a waste of time.

"Ah, Miyuki-chan," the Otsutsuki said with a small smile, "I'm glad you could make it to my long awaited talk with Asura-kun."

Before Miyuki could reply, Naruto pointed up at the man with an annoyed look on his face. "Oi, stop calling me Asura, you idiot! I'm Uzumaki Naruto! Just why the hell is it that you people keep getting my name wrong dammit!"

"Ah, yes," he said with even more amusement dancing in his green eyes. If he was upset at Naruto's outburst, he was doing a great job at hiding it. "Where are my manners. I had forgotten that Miyuki-chan and Hagoromo haven't told you anything yet. Another amusing prospect."

"And what the hell do you mean by that?" Naruto said in response, his anger starting to rise up.

Noticing this, the man simply continued to smile as he said, "That you would actually continue down on your path without knowing anything. You're the only person I know that would do such a thing for the naive reasons that you did it for. Even Indra-kun had his motives for not caring about such things. But you.....it's a different case. Especially with what you have to look forward to."

"Dammit, Nori, this isn't part of the deal!" Miyuki stated through clenched teeth. "You told Hagoromo-sama that you wouldn't interfere!"

The now named Nori chuckled. "And it only goes to show you how much he keeps from you, Miyuki-chan. Did you really think that your master didn't know that this was going to happen? Oh, he knew very well. But he still needed my help, so he had no other choice. I also had my own reasons for lending him a hand in this little charade that all of you are playing."

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked in an exasperated tone. He couldn't keep up with any of this dammit. They weren't making any damn sense! No wait, it wasn't that they weren't many any sense. It was just that he wasn't informed well enough, so he wasn't able to keep up with what they were saying.

Nori shook his head as he said, "And this is what I was referring to. You know nothing, and yet you continue to make assumptions. But since Miyuki-chan isn't in a talking mood, I can help fill in the gaps for you, Asura-kun."

"Oi-"

"Be silent," Nori interrupted with narrowed eyes at Miyuki. His voice also gained a dangerous undertone to it. "This is my domain at the moment. We may share the same powers, but yours are nothing compared to mine. It would serve you well to remember that, you little experiment."

Miyuki could do nothing more but look at him with gritted teeth, knowing that he was right. That didn't mean that she liked the current situation. Far from it.

Naruto merely looked between the two, trying to figure out just what this Nori guy meant by "experiment."

Said man turned his attention back to him as he stood up from his seat. "The reason you and your brother were able to get to this time period alive is because of me," he stated, getting straight to the point.

Already Naruto was confused. He didn't have a brother. He and Sasuke weren't related like that.

But Nori either decided to ignore this or simply didn't notice it as he continued, "The most important thing you should know, Asura-kun, is that our powers....are special. They're nothing compared to what other humans can do. We are, after all, the original clan of chakra. We are all related, and in your case a direct descendant, to the princess who possessed all the complete powers: the Sixth Paths as they came to be known. To this day, some of the other indirect descendants possess a single Path on their own. They're known as the Hyuuga, Uchiha, Senju, Kaguya, and Uzumaki. Of course, the Uzumaki and Senju actually share the same Path. But these four Paths are the most common ones in all of the descendants still alive today. It's the other two that are more...tricky. Of course, some of Indra-kun's descendants have been able to gain access to these last two in their own ways. I also possess one of those two. And that Path is the dimensional travel. To its wielder, traveling through time and space is nothing. Just like how I was able to bring your mind to my home at this moment. To me, such a feat is nothing."

While Naruto did have to say that the guy in front of him might have a bigger ego than Madara, what he was saying did make sense. But at the same time, he couldn't wrap his head around the idea that all those clans were all related. It just seemed impossible! Then again, coming from a guy that had time traveled, maybe saying such a thing didn't sound as convincing.

"The other and third Path is the one that you refer to as the Rinnegan. That's the power that one can achieve from combining the first and second Paths, one of which you possess, Asura-kun."

Naruto t'ched at being called Asura yet again. But wanting to find out the rest, the blond didn't interrupt the man as he continued.

"You wield the first Path, the body. And in my opinion, what is the weakest one too," Nori said with some more amusement in his voice. "You have the special and powerful chakra that our princess once possessed. Your body and physical abilities are also enhanced. It's why it's so easy for you to handle the chakra from the nine pieces of what was once the Juubi."

Well, that explain that little part. But while the blond did have many other questions, the one that he was trying to get at the moment was what did this guy have to do with bringing him and Sasuke here.

As if reading his mind, Nori carried on. "But what few know is that there is in fact a seventh Path, one that's just as rare as the third and sixth. A path that only I was ever able to awaken aside from the princess and Miyuki-chan who is standing next to you. But maybe I shouldn't include you in that. After all, your powers aren't natural," he said with a shake of his head directed at the silver haired woman.

Glancing at the woman, Naruto saw how she was looking up at the man with hatred in her eyes. So, there really was more to her than he had first thought.

Sighing for a moment, Nori said, "As I was saying, the seventh Path is a rarity. Not even Hagoromo, whom the world now refers to as the Rikudo Sennin, possessed it. It's why he's not alive today, after all."

Naruto's eyes widened at that particular detail. Hagoromo was the Sennin's real name! What the hell! Glancing at the silver haired woman again, Naruto couldn't help but wonder why she had called him Hagoromo when he most clearly was not the Sennin.

Looking down at the blond from the top of the stairs, Nori stated, "The seventh and final Path is immortality. One's body never ages. One is the master of death! One's body becomes even more durable and special than the one that you possess, Asura-kun. After all, if it weren't for me sharing this power with you and your brother when you were trapped in the void, then you never would have been able to survive. It's thanks to me that you are able to be here today."

Naruto shook his head. "But that's just not-!"

"Did you really believe that Hagoromo was the one responsible for doing such a thing?" Nori asked with more amusement in his eyes as he shook his head. Returning to his seat, he added, "Do you think that he's also the one that made you younger again while still being able to retain all your powers?"

Naruto's head clicked as that. "You...you did that too?"

Nodding, Nori pointed down at Miyuki. "Yes. You've already seen how she can manipulate her own age while her abilities don't deteriorate. It's one of the abilities granted to us as wielders. But unlike her, I can pass it on to others if only momentarily. It's what I did to you and your bother. Not Hagoromo. He's only a spirit now. Even if he wanted, he couldn't interact with you in such a way. The only thing he can do now is unlock your full powers. But, just as I thought, he hasn't done that yet. An interesting little detail, don't you think, Asura-kun?"

It would certainly make sense. Naruto and the bijuu had been wondering just how Naruto had turned back into a little kid again. And the man in front of him had just answered that...funny, the real answers to some of the biggest mysteries were always the most uninteresting ones. Especially since this guy was just really rubbing Naruto the wrong way.

"Would you stop calling me Asura already?" Naruto said with a shake of his head. "While I'm grateful for what you did, it's really starting to get on my nerves."

"You don't have to be thankful to him," Miyuki stated while looking at Naruto. "He already told you, didn't he? He had his own reasons for doing what he did."

"She's right, Asura-kun," Nori said with a smile. "You don't have to thank me. Especially with what you're going to have to go through very soon. You might even wish to have never come here as a result of it."

"That's enough," Miyuki said while walking to stand between Naruto and Nori. "You've told him enough as it is, Nori. Now, let his mind return to his body this instant."

"No, it's not enough," Naruto said with a shake of his head. "Right now, he has all the answers I'm looking for. Answers that I will get today."

Nori hummed while looking at them. "So, you've started to see things from my point of view already, is it? Good."

Miyuki's eyes widened at hearing that. But Naruto shook his head again. "No, I haven't. All I want to know is what the Sennin is trying to keep away from me. But I'm not on your side. My true goal remains the same. I will save the world. That hasn't changed in the slightest."

Miyuki visibly relaxed at this, something Naruto didn't pick up as he focused all his attention on the man currently sitting down.

Nori sighed again. "Naive as always. You're no different from when I first tried to talk to you, Asura-kun. Always seeing things in a simple way. Always trying to find some sort of redeeming quality in humanity when there isn't any!"

Naruto didn't even bat an eye at the man's outbursts. "You seem to think that the Shinobi world isn't worth saving."

"That's because it isn't," Nori replied instantly with a snarl. "The time period you've currently landed in is all the proof that I need to know that I'm right. At their core, humans are nothing more than savage beasts who love to kill one another. They want nothing more than power, and not even once do they stop to think about who they have to step over to do so. They create circumstances that bring only misery and pain to one another. And you're risking yourself for a race like that?" Nori shook his head. "The Infinite Tsukuyomi seems more fitting to me than anything else. By having humanity wiped out will peace finally come to the Earth. Then and only then. In all the time that I've lived, that truth has never changed. My belief has only been strengthened now that they possess chakra thanks to Hagoromo's naive ideology."

"What do you mean by now that they have chakra?" Naruto asked with a frown. "Shinobis-"

"Haven't always existed," Nori interrupted with a shrug. "The concept that you know today as shinobi wasn't always there. Just like chakra wasn't always a factor into the equation. They're both relatively new concepts in the grand scheme of time."

Naruto glanced at Miyuki who had her eyes closed. "Is what he's saying true?"

Sighing, the woman nodded and answered for the first time, "Yes. Hagoromo-sama's mother, Otsutsuki Kaguya, is the one that brought chakra about to your world. She was the princess of the clan, the leader. She saw chakra as the way to finally stop all the wars that humans were waging on one another. She was successful. Peace did come. But..."

"It wasn't a permanent thing," Nori finished. "Something that peace will never be. If even she failed, what makes you think that you will ever succeed? Especially since humanity has been engulfed in the darkness that chakra made possible to them? When even you yourself can be corrupted as well?"

Naruto shook his head. "That's not going to happen to me. Nor do I question my beliefs. Once I do, it's all over. I will continue to walk forward, just like I have. That's the best way to do things."

Nori sighed. "I must say, Asura-kun, our talk hasn't been as interesting as I had hoped. Indra-kun was much more understanding than you. It seems like I'm only wasting my time here."

Miyuki scowled at hearing that. "That's because Indra was weak. He only wanted things for himself. Asura wanted things for others. It's why Hagoromo-sama chose him, not Indra."

Before Nori could reply, Naruto took several steps forward. "Tell me," began the blond, bringing the man's attention to him, "just what you have been doing this whole time?"

Nori paused at the question, not quite sure that he understood.

But Naruto didn't pay attention to that. Stopping at the bottom of the steps, he looked up at Nori with narrowed eyes. "You have this incredible power, and yet you choose to not use it for the better. Instead, you choose to sit up there on your ass like a spoiled brat while complaining about every single little thing. Well, guess what? I do know what's right and wrong. I know that what I'm doing is right. Despite everything that you may say about humans, we still have our redeeming qualities. And those are enough for me to want to change how things are going to happen. No matter what fancy words you may throw at me or whatever complicated logic you may take out of your ass, my mind won't change. You can't stop making me believe that what I'm doing is correct. No matter what happens, I won't ever give up. I'm going to change the world and the shinobi. But don't worry. You won't have to do anything. You can just keep on doing what you've been doing up until now. As for my gratitude for making sure I got here in one piece, well, you'll have a front row seat to how I go about doing things. You got that? This is my nindo, my ninja way. I never go back on my word. So you can just go and teleport yourself to another dimension for all I care. Things are going to keep on proceeding just like usual, whether you like it or not."

Behind him, Miyuki finally understood why Hagoromo hadn't bothered to worry about whether Nori interfered or not because of their agreement. It was because, no matter what Nori might say, Naruto wasn't going to fall for the man's words. He was too determined to be deterred by something as mere pretty words.

Looking down at her hand, the silver haired woman sighed, knowing that she had been acting like an idiot for nothing. She should have had more trust in the blond from the beginning.

As for Nori, the male Otsutsuki looked down at the Uzumaki with an unreadable look for a few moments. He then started to laugh, which was the exact opposite reaction that both Naruto and Miyuki had been expecting.

"Hahaha! How amusing, Asura-kun! I must say, I'm going to enjoy myself with you a lot more than I did with Indra-kun."

Naruto paled at hearing that. The man was starting to sound too much like Orochimaru for his tastes.

Getting his laughter under control, he added, "I wonder for how much longer you'll be able to keep this persona of yours for, Asura-kun. After all, now that you have new bonds, the more possibilities there are of breaking you."

Naruto scowled as he took a step forward. "If you try anything, I'll-"

"Oh heaven's no," Nori said while shaking his head. "You have nothing to worry about me. I'm not despicable, Asura-kun. I'm kind of hurt that you would ever insinuate such a thing."

Naruto t'ched. "Then what are you-"

"Why, everything that we've been talking about of course," Nori interrupted with a small smile. "You like to think that humans are worth saving right? Well, I'm anxious to see if you will still feel the same way after they take the ones that you love the most."

Miyuki stepped up, ready to interrupt the man again. But at seeing this, Nori shook his head. "Don't worry, Miyuki-chan. I'm not going to spoil anything else anymore. I had been planning on doing so, but this way, I'll be entertained even more. Now that Asura-kun has spit on my kindness, I want to see the look of despair on his face when he understands that things just don't have the happy ending as he likes to think. Hope is nothing more than for the weak, Asura-kun. And I'm starting to see that that's just what you really are. Unless you're able to open your eyes and finally understand the reality of things. I'll be looking forward to that."

Naruto took a step forward. "Hell no! I'm not a pawn for your amusement, you bastard. You seem to know more about what's going to happen. I want-"

"It doesn't matter what you want," Nori interrupted with a frown. "I've told you everything that I'm willing to by this point. If only you had been nicer, I might have been willing to reconsider. But you just don't understand the way the world works. Now, I'm simply going to let things run their course and for you to understand that what you're doing will amount to nothing in the end. It'll all be for naught, and then you won't be able to tell me that I am wrong just like you are doing right now, Asura-kun."

Turning his attention to Miyuki, he said, "You can take him with you now, Miyuki-chan. Our conversation has ended."

Before Naruto could say another word, the world around him went blank yet again.

Naruto sighed as he looked up at the full moon from his vantage point on the top of the hotel he was staying in. The female puppeteer was standing behind him, her features hidden yet again by her cloak. After the woman has gotten him out of that world, wherever the hell it was, Naruto had woken up back in his hotel room with nine bijuu freaked out of their minds in his own mind. Apparently they had sensed how his subconscious had left his body, but had no idea just how that had happened. They had first suspected that it might have been some sort of jutsu by a Kumo shinobi, but after an hour of nothing having had happened, they had ruled out that possibility which had left them with nothing. Apparently he had been stuck in that other world for three hours in time in this one. It had felt shorter for Naruto than that.

After having calmed the bijuu, the female puppeteer had confronted him. The blond had been ready for a fight, so had the rest of the bijuu. But instead, the woman had simply asked if they could talk. And that led to where he currently was, sighing and looking up at the moon, his mind currently filled with millions of thoughts. Not that anyone could blame him. He was still trying to figure out just what he had gone through.

"Just who is Asura?" Naruto asked after several minutes of silence. "That guy kept calling me that over and over again...just like you called me Hagoromo the first time that we met."

"That's.....one of the things that he didn't tell you," Miyuki began while shifting uncomfortably. "It's something that I'll gratefully tell you one day. But....."

"Just not today," Naruto finished with a sigh. He didn't need to turn around to know that the woman had just nodded. "Just why all this secrecy? I thought the Sennin trusted me."

"He does," Miyuki said instantly. "But trust is not the problem here. It's more of a trial than anything else. To see if you're worthy. I have no doubt in my mind that Hagoromo-sama already thinks that you are, but this is necessary. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here today. If you pass, you'll know what I have to tell you."

Naruto was silent for a few moments. Miyuki expected him to blow up again. But instead, Naruto turned to look at her with a smile. "So your name is Miyuki, is it?"

Slowly nodding, she replied, "Yes. Hagoromo-sama gave it to me when we first met. I've come to identify myself with it since then."

Naruto remembered how that Nori guy had called her an experiment. "Just what are you exactly?"

The woman stiffened fro a few moments, making Naruto quickly shake his head. "I-I'm not trying to offend you or anything! It's just that, you share traits with that guy, but apparently you two aren't related. And he even called you an experiment. It just makes me curious, ya know."

Miyuki relaxed. "I understand. But unfortunately, my past isn't something I like to get into. Not that it really matters to me anymore. I only concern myself with the now. It's what it's important."

"While I don't disagree with you, you shouldn't just disregard it either," Naruto said with a small shake of his head. "The past has its importance too. It's because of our pasts that we are who we are today. So you shouldn't try to dismiss it as nothing."

Miyuki looked at him for a few moments before she sighed. "You're right about that. But maybe I'll share it with you one day. Just not tonight."

Well, that was twice that she had rejected him already.

"Smooth, brat," Kurama said in his head with a chuckle. "You're definitely taking after your teacher when it comes to women all right."

Hey, even he wasn't that bad. After all, he wasn't perverted.....much.

"Just accepted it, boy," Chomei commented. "We've all seen your memories and dreams already. While there's a lot of ramen in them, it's filled with a lot of naked females too."

"I could help you, Naruto-kun," Matatabi said with an uncertain voice. "I have some images of Yugito while she was bathing. Maybe-"

'NO!' Naruto thought with a small blush appearing on his face. 'Just no.'

Son Goku laughed. "Still innocent, eh? I wonder how long it'll take you to grow out of that!"

Miyuki smiled at seeing the blush on the blond's face. "Conversing with the bijuu, are you?"

Naruto nodded while scratching the back of his head, his blush receding. "Yeah. They can be a real handful sometimes. But they're all great in their own ways."

Miyuki simply continued to smile.

Naruto returned her smile for a few moments before he asked, "So this Kaguya person that you two were talking about.....just who was she?"

Miyuki's smile disappeared at hearing the question. "Just like you heard, she was once the leader of the Otsutsuki clan," she began. "She was also the one that first ate the fruit that gave her the ability to use chakra."

"Hold up," Naruto cut in with a frown. "Are you saying that chakra came from a fruit?"

Nodding, Miyuki elaborated, "Yes. I'm surprised the bijuu haven't told you about this yet. The Juubi's final form is what it originally was: a tree. From the fruit that it created, Kaguya was able to gain chakra. She was also the one that had all seven Paths. It's from her that all other clans, the Uchiha, Senju, and the like, come from. She was, in all sense of the word, a goddess. A nurturing one at that. During that time, all wars ceased. The Earth was engulfed in an era of true utopia. It was during this time that she also gave birth to Hagoromo-sama and his brother. Hagoromo-sama was gifted with the Rinnegan and incredible chakra. Then again, all members of the Otsutsuki possess special chakra. It was soon after that that Kaguya changed. She turned from being the caring goddess to a corrupt demon. People started to fear her. Their fears turned true when she attacked her own sons, having had absorbed the Juubi whole into her. Hagoromo-sama and his brother faced their own mother in combat. They were forced to seal her away for the good of the planet. But it was then that Uchiha Madara began his plot, leading up to the events that shaped your time period."

Okay, so she was leaving out a very big important detail. But this was another one of Hagoromo's instructions. Naruto and Sasuke would have to figure things out on their own. In order for what they were planning to work, both boys needed to be ready for the task. And this was their way of getting ready for it. It was the only way.

"Sounds harsh," Naruto said with a frown. Having to fight his own mother...the blond wasn't too sure that he could ever do such a thing. He simply owed his mother too much. But faced with the choice of bringing her down or letting her destroy the world....well, it was a tough decision either way.

"But you really should be more careful," Miyuki said after a few moments. "In part, it was because your mental state was down that he was able to bring you into that dimension in the first place."

Naruto already had an idea what had caused that. "And the other part is?" he asked, curious as to why that Nori guy hadn't tried anything in all the time that he had been in Uzu.

"I did tell you how that temple was my domain," Miyuki began. "I had set up base there and built a barrier around the whole island. It was one that even he couldn't get through. But once you left the island....."

Naruto frowned, getting the gist of it. "But I was going to leave Uzu sooner or later. You should have known that."

"True," she agreed. "But I didn't think it was going to be this soon. Just why did you come to Kumo in the first place?"

"The Hiraishin of course," Naruto answered instantly. "I need the kunais my dad once built in order to do so."

"It's a combination fuinjutsu and ninjutsu," Miyuki stated. "I know that your fuinjutsu is lacking, but if you trained, it wouldn't be long for your mastery on the area to expand."

"It's not that," Naruto replied with a sigh. "I know that, even after I get the kunais that I need, I'll still need to practice with the seal itself. But the way I see it, my dad gave me this kunai as a way to keep his legacy alive, even if the rest of the world doesn't know it. Also, for whatever reason, I picked my actual father as the shinobi that I wanted to be one day when I was just a little kid...well, in my own time. Now that I can master the Hiraishin, that dream is even more reachable than before. And since there's nothing really stopping me from accomplishing it, I'm going to do it. It'll only be a matter of time before I get it down."

'He does have determination,' she thought before shaking her head. "Your reasons are your own. But just be careful. There are still a lot of powerful shinobi on their own right out there. War has a tendency to build up legends."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I got it. Thanks."

Without another word, the woman disappeared with her teleportation technique, going to wherever it was that she spent her time.

"I'm surprised to see you acting all chummy with her," Kurama said after a few seconds. "From what you told us, you even fought her before confronting that other guy."

It was a sentiment that was shared by the rest of the bijuu.

Shrugging, Naruto answered, 'I don't really know myself. But as far as I can tell, she's really not trying to kill me. So as long as things stay that way, I don't mind having her as an ally from now on. It'll be better this way. She's strong too. The only reason our battle when the way it did was because she couldn't phase through things because the Nori guy was restricting her powers. I don't think I could have won otherwise. And even then, it was a draw at best.'

Naruto was smart enough to admit when he was outmatched. Unless he was using Kurama's chakra, there was just no way that he could possibly catch Miyuki off guard while she had such a technique. With the Hiraishin, though, such a problem would be fixed. He couldn't wait for when he mastered it. It was going to be awesome!

In Naruto's mind, Gyuki sighed. "And here we go again. One moment serious, the next? All goofy again."

"And that's the way to live!" Saiken declared.

Naruto couldn't help but chuckle. Looking up at the moon one more time, the blond Uzumaki decided to pack it in. He was still tired after the day's events. His little night adventure hadn't done much to fix that.

As he made his way down to his room again, however, a sudden question flashed in the blond's mind: just what the hell was he supposed to do now while he awaited for his kunais to be finished?

These were going to be some long days all right.

Despite the fact that he was still critical injured, the Sandaime Raikage continued to grin as he gazed out the window from his hospital room that he had been brought to earlier today.

This was the scene that Dodai, one of the Raikage's most trusted shinobi, walked into. "Raikage-sama, you mustn't be up so soon! I know that your physical prowess is leaps and bounds from the normal shinobi, but-"

"Dodai," the Raikage interrupted. "Right now, I don't have time to be thinking about such things."

Dodai was taken back by what he heard to be excitement in his leader's tone. But why would he be excited? For a lack of a better way to say it, the man had just gotten his ass kicked by some mysterious shinobi. If the other shinobi villages heard of such a thing, their image would be tarnished, something that would be extremely hard to bounce back from.

"Just what is it that you're thinking right now, Raikage-sama?" Dodai asked. If he wanted to have any shot at knowing how to help his leader, then he would first have to know just what was going on his said leader's head.

"The person who beat me today was a boy," the Raikage stated with no shame. "A boy! Have you ever heard of such a thing!? A mere child possessing the strength greater to that of a Kage! Amazing! Absolutely amazing!"

From the Raikage's tone alone, Dodai knew that he wasn't going to like what the man was thinking.

"That boy...I shall find him one day. And when I do, he'll become a part of this village. He'll make Kumo the strongest of all the shinobi nations!" the Raikage said with the utmost conviction.

Dodai couldn't do anything else but nod. If what the Sandaime Raikage was saying was indeed true, then the boy could in fact accomplish such a thing. But the thought that a boy was capable of such strength...well, Dodai wasn't buying it completely just yet.

Looking at the village he was the leader of, the Sandaime Raikage continued to smirk as he imagined the possibilities with having that boy under his command.

One day...it would be real.