Naruto : Cruel Rebirth

In the 128th year of Konoha, there was an unknown island a hundred miles away from the Land of Water.

Deep within the cave, the candlelight flickered dimly.

On the stone bed lay an old man with white hair and a face full of wrinkles, his life nearing its end.

If not for his blue eyes and the three symmetrical lines of whiskers on his face, no one would believe that this was once the Seventh Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto!

In his life, he had risen against oppression, reached great heights, and finally fallen into despair.

At twelve years old, he graduated from the ninja academy and became a genin of Konohagakure.

At sixteen, he defeated Pain, becoming a hero of Konohagakure. That same year, he participated in the Fourth Great Ninja War, and together with Uchiha Sasuke, sealed Kaguya, bringing peace to the ninja world.

However, the calamity of the ninja world did not end with Kaguya's seal.

After that, Kinshiki, Momoshiki, Urashiki, Isshiki... one by one, they sparked conflicts! 

During his battle with Otsutsuki Isshiki, Naruto lost Kurama, the Nine-Tails, and Sasuke lost his Rinnegan.

With no other choice, they entrusted the future of the ninja world to the new generation, represented by Boruto.

Boruto lived up to expectations. After growing stronger, with his pure eyes and the Otsutsuki powers of Momoshiki, he once surpassed his father in his prime, resolving several crises in the ninja world and bringing about a new era of prosperity.

But that prosperity vanished in an instant when the Otsutsuki God Mode arrived.

The Otsutsuki God Mode was overwhelmingly powerful, far stronger than Kaguya ever was!

In that battle, the entire ninja world gathered all their forces to fight back, but it ended in a devastating defeat.

Close friends, wives, children, companions… all perished in battle!

Their last cries echoed in Naruto's mind, tormenting his soul for countless days and nights.

"Naruto, our power was useless…"

"Naruto-kun, please survive. I'm sorry, I can't continue with you…"

"Father, I've... done my best…"

"Seventh Hokage-sama, please retreat! You are our last hope!!!"

In the final moments of the war, Naruto, exhausted from the fight, was sent away by Kumogakure using a secret technique. When he woke up, the enemy had already left, leaving behind nothing but the scorched earth of the ninja world.

Naruto knelt and cried, his tears running dry as he began his life as a fugitive.

He thought about what he could do, but at his age, he was already powerless.

Having lived a useless life, he was now ready to say goodbye to the world.

Next to the candleholder stood an ancient turtle-shaped object, the time-traveling treasure of the Otsutsuki clan, called 'Li,' brought to him by Urashiki back in the day. It had changed hands several times before eventually reaching Naruto.

But now, this 'Karasuki' was broken. Not only had it lost its ability to travel through time, it couldn't even speak anymore.

Naruto, now alone in his old age, had no one else to confide in but this broken device.

"Hey, do you know? The biggest mistake of my life was underestimating the power of that clan…"

In his confrontations with the Otsutsuki, Naruto had learned the cruel truth.

Far, far away from the ninja world, in the outer reaches of the stars, there was a planet called Takamagahara, the birthplace of the Otsutsuki clan!

On Takamagahara, there were beings even more powerful than Kaguya, and they were everywhere!

"When we sealed Kaguya together back then, and later defeated Momoshiki, I naively thought the enemy was just at that level... I was so foolish, thinking that if we all worked together, we could defeat these beings from beyond the stars."

"We humans, from the very beginning, were doomed. It turns out that the path of the Rikudou Sennin was not entirely correct. Everything Kaguya feared back then has come true. In the end, we were too short-sighted... cough, cough, cough!"

At this point, Naruto coughed heavily, his vision growing increasingly blurry.

The candlelight flickered, almost going out. Time was running out.

At that moment, Karasuki, who had been silent for years, unexpectedly spoke: "If you could start over, would you seek revenge on them?"

Naruto thought he was hearing things before he died, but he didn't care anymore.

His gaze was calm, his words full of weariness: "Revenge only leads to a cycle of hatred. I won't walk down that path, but if I could start over, I would do whatever it takes to gain enough strength to fight those guys. Only then could I truly protect the people most important to me..."

Karasuki fell silent for a moment: "Doing whatever it takes, that doesn't sound like something you would say."

Naruto slowly closed his eyes, a bitter smile appearing at the corners of his lips: "The innocent, idealistic Uzumaki Naruto, the one who only spoke of dreams, died the day my country and family were destroyed..."

Karasuki remained silent for a long time: "Maybe... I can grant your wish."

Naruto mumbled: "Can you send me back to the past?"

Karasuki said: "It's possible to send your soul, but it's one-way. You will never come back. You'll remain in that era. Even so, are you still willing?"

Naruto smiled: "Why would I return to a world where no one is left?"

Karasuki said: "Then, extend your hand."

With his last strength, Naruto shakily extended his hand... whoosh! The last bit of chakra left in his body was absorbed by Karasuki!

Buzz! The treasure tool activated!

Naruto's soul left his body, carried by the flow of time, back to the past!

Whoosh! The candlelight went out...

At that moment, Naruto's eyes shut forever.

Crack! Crack! His body was covered in cracks, and it was about to completely fall apart...

"In my time travels, I've witnessed countless things, Uzumaki Naruto. If anyone can stop the atrocities of your clan, it's you. Make a comeback, in a world line that is neither too early nor too late..."

Naruto felt his consciousness sinking in the tunnel... When he opened his eyes again, he was in a gray, sealed space! He was holding a book—Jiraiya's "The Story of Strong-Willed Ninjas"! In front of him was a mechanical vehicle with a thin, gaunt Nagato, and Konan standing by his side! What was going on? Was this a dream?

At that moment, Naruto was in a state of confusion... He pinched his leg hard, and the pain made him realize.

This isn't a dream!! Nagato spoke in a sad tone: "When the protagonist changes, the story becomes different..."

"I'm your senior, a fellow disciple, and someone who respected our master. I once said, we should be able to understand each other."

"Though I was just joking at the time."

"You're really an incredible person."

"It makes me think of the old me..."

"Nagato..." The unusual tone made Konan realize something.

"I can't believe in Jiraiya."

"No, I can't believe in myself either..."

"But... I have a feeling that the paths you and I walk will lead to different futures!"

"I'll try to believe in you... Uzumaki Naruto!"

As his words fell... Nagato pulled his hands free from the sticky restraints and formed the shocking seal!

—The Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique!

Konan exclaimed: "Nagato... you!"

Nagato said resolutely: "Konan, enough. I've found a new choice! The one I once abandoned!"

Naruto suddenly snapped back to reality: "This is...!?"

Konan, thinking Naruto was asking about the technique, explained: "The one with the Rinnegan not only controls the Six Paths of Pain, but legend says they can also escape the cycle of life and death. Nagato's power is the art of controlling life and death—the seventh Pain!"

"I know..." Naruto clenched his fists. What he knew was that the voice he heard before his death was not an illusion, but the words of Ri!

"I've come back. I really have come back. My soul has returned to the moment after defeating Pain, when I was negotiating with Nagato!"

His excited heart nearly leapt out of his throat. His trembling hands had nowhere to rest, and his sweat soaked into the cover of the book!

The Naruto in front of them was still Naruto, but his soul had returned from the future!

Of course, Konan had no way of knowing this. She watched Nagato with a worried expression. With the chakra Nagato had left, using this technique would soon...

She thought to herself: He's willing to go this far to help this child.

She then turned her gaze to Naruto, her heart filled with amazement: The unbelievable child who changed Nagato.

"Outer path...!!" Nagato's hands trembled as he formed seals, sweat pouring down his gaunt body. The extreme depletion of his vitality and chakra had turned his trademark red Uzumaki hair to a desolate white!

The technique was complete... Nagato's hands fell weakly to his sides. "This... this can be considered a small atonement."

Rustling sounds filled the air. A small slug, hidden in Naruto's clothes, crawled out and said to him, "The people in the village are being resurrected one after another..."

"Ah... I understand." Everything before him was something Naruto had personally experienced, deeply etched into the memories of his past.

But... his mindset was completely different now.

Nagato, barely able to speak, uttered his final words in a weak voice.

"War comes with deaths and injuries on both sides."

"The death of someone important is always the hardest to accept."

"You think the people you care about shouldn't have to die."

"Especially you young people who don't know what war is... You can't understand..."

"You want to find the meaning of death."

"But all that remains is pain, and hatred with nowhere to go."

"Like the death of ants..."

"Endless hatred, and pain that never heals..."

"That's war."

"Naruto, this is also something you must face from now on..."

"It seems my mission ends here. Naruto... maybe you really can handle it."

The tree formed by the technique turned into paper fragments and scattered.

Naruto lowered his gaze, his face buried in shadow.

Ah, I understand, brother... everything you said today, I've experienced it all in the future, and it left a deep mark on me! Your pain... I feel it even more strongly than I did back then!

So, this time I've come back, I must change everything!

Nagato smiled slightly: "Whether it's the book or you, it all feels like someone arranged it for me. No... is this truly the arrangement of a god..."

Konan, with a solemn expression, extended her sleeve... whoosh! Paper fragments swirled around Nagato's body.

Whoosh!

"..." Naruto took a deep breath, then suddenly grabbed the little slug on his shoulder and squeezed it hard.

Smack!

"Ah!!" The slug... disappeared.

This scene caught Konan by surprise. "Naruto, you...?"

Naruto said in a deep voice: "The following conversation is not suitable for others to hear. Sister Konan, for the future of this ninja world, I want to inherit Nagato's Rinnegan Eye!"

---