Naruto: The Noble Hermit

Uzumaki Naruto was a simple boy, he liked ramen, enjoyed the odd prank, and would do anything to protect those precious to him. His precious people as he called them were what drove him, what gave him the will to live, the will to keep fighting for a better day.

At least they were; because no amount of will, no amount of drive, seemed enough to bring him back to life.

Standing in the middle of what used to be a lush green mountain valley, but was now a barren waste filled with smoldering craters and charred earth, Naruto stared at the lifeless corpse in front of him; his body numbed by shock and disbelief over the vision before him, and the vivid memories of recent events, yet he was strangely at peace.

He knew the truth of what was before him; the war had been won, and those that had survived would be free to live their lives in peace, so he wasn't as distraught as he thought he would be.

The body in front of him was adorned in a red haori wreathed in black flames, the tattered orange and black jumpsuit being the most identifying article of clothing one would ever see on a Shinobi. Well, other than the golden blonde hair of course.

There was a peaceful expression on its' face, and a small serene smile on it's lips, as if they had come to terms with their mortality and were content with all that they had accomplished.

This was the body of Uzumaki Naruto, this was his body.

Naruto looked down at his chest, where a small chain hung down to his knees from where it protruded from his sternum. He looked unhurt, the wounds present on the corpse-his corpse-nowhere to be found on what he could only assume to be his soul; it was as if he hadn't just fought in a battle of epic proportions against a resurrected primordial god and the lunatic responsible for every moment of suffering he'd endured in his admittedly short life.

When he looked back up and brushed a hand through his hair, he couldn't help but notice that every movement was sluggish, his body felt as if he was trying to move underwater, like he would normally feel if he was suffering from chakra exhaustion.

Then again, he was dead, and even though he wasn't as smart as Sakura, Naruto was well aware of the fact that one needed to have a physical presence to wield chakra.

He was a soul now, with no physical body with which to house and produce chakra.

With another sigh, Naruto sat down in the dirt and crossed his legs beneath him in an attempt to meditate. He needed to stay calm, freaking out would do him no favors, and it's not like it would change anything.

The Shinigami himself would be coming for him soon, he could feel it in every fiber of his being. Where would he go? Would the shinigami devour his soul like he had his fathers? Would he go to the pure world? Or would he face a fate much like is father?

There were so many questions that Naruto wanted answered, but alas it was not to be. He could feel a presence behind him, powerful, yet serene.

It was a nearly overwhelming feeling, yet he could also sense an underlying layer of, mischief? Playfulness? The feeling he was getting from this being behind him was strange; the shinigami was supposed to be the embodiment of all the negative feelings the world had to offer, yet he sensed nothing malicious in the presence behind him at all. Only power.

For the longest time, there was no sound, not the whisper of the breeze or even the sound of a breath. When no words were forthcoming, and the presence behind him remained completely still, Naruto sighed and opened his eyes. "You're late, Shinigami-sama. After all, I've been waiting for some time now you know."

There was no vocal reply, but the presence moved until it was right next to him. Looking out the corner of his eye Naruto caught a flash of white cloth fluttering in the breeze, and shinobi style tabi.

Tabi?

Turning his head to take in the appearance of the person next to him, Naruto was met by the grim visage of a dark skinned woman with short purple hair, reminiscent of a late friend of his. Her narrow eyes directed her solemn golden gaze over the field as she stood next to the sitting Shinobi.

She was over a half a foot shorter than he was, he having hit a growth spurt during the war to stand at an imposing five foot eleven inches, while she stood at around five feet. Maybe a couple inches taller, Five foot two maybe? Her height wasn't really an issue however, but she definitely possessed a figure that even many kunoichi could only wish for.

She was wearing a white long sleeved haori over a black kimono, a white sash about her waist, and a black choker around her neck. A small wakizashi was strapped across her lower back, a hand gently resting upon the tsuka, ready to draw but still appearing nonthreatening.

She was very beautiful, Naruto thought idly, taking in her slender form and topaz colored eyes for several long moments. Her form was toned, obviously having been trained for combat; but boasted an incredible bust that only a small number of kunoichi he'd known in his life could compare to.

Her skin looked almost unnaturally smooth, colored like caramel; her amber gaze was set in a solemn frown, the corners of her mouth turned downward as she surveyed the battle field before them. The Juubi had long since dispersed, but the evidence of its' involvement were plain to see.

Overturned trees, burnt out earth, craters large enough to fit entire villages several times over. His body wasn't the only one on the field either; as hard as he'd fought to minimize casualties, he and the rest of Team Seven were not all powerful.

Considering they were fighting against a primordial demon god of incomprehensible power, a deranged psychopath with far more power than any one human should ever possess, and the manifestation of the mother of all Chakra; the Rabbit Goddess Kaguya Otsutsuki.

It was a wonder any of them had survived really, but it didn't change the fact that so many had lost their lives for the ambition of what amounted to a senile old woman who had been trapped in the moon or over a thousand years.

When he was finished with his observation, he turned his head back to the field in front of him and chuckled dryly. "This never should have happened, none of it, all these people never had to die. Yet we couldn't stop it in time, and so many people lost their lives to protect this world.

I'm just relieved to know that it's over, and those that survived can live there lives with some semblance of peace now. That all our sacrifices won't be in vain."

Still the woman said nothing, but her gaze had shifted until she was looking at him. So, he continued to talk, trying to comfort himself really as he realized all of the things he'd never accomplish, that some of his fondest dreams, would never come true.

It was all hitting him in a rush now; his dream of becoming Hokage was now out of reach. He had been named as Tsunade's successor and all but been given the hat, but it would never be.