The Return of the Boy

Year 128 of the Hidden Leaf. An unnamed island a hundred miles from the Land of Water.

Deep inside a cave, the candlelight flickers dimly.

On a stone bed lies an old man with white hair and a face full of wrinkles. His life is nearing its end.

If not for those bright green eyes and the three whisker marks on each cheek, no one would believe he is the Seventh Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki!

His life has been a journey from oppression to glory, ultimately ending in despair.

Graduating from the Ninja Academy at twelve, he became a genin of the Hidden Leaf. At sixteen, he defeated Pain and became a hero of the Leaf. In the same year, he participated in the Fourth Great Ninja War, where he teamed up with Sasuke Uchiha to seal Kaguya, bringing peace to the ninja world.

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

Afterward, Kinshiki, Momoshiki, Urashiki, Isshiki... one after another, they sparked new conflicts!

In the battle against Isshiki Otsutsuki, Naruto lost Kurama, and Sasuke lost his Rinnegan.

They had no choice but to entrust the future of the ninja world to the new generation, led by Boruto.

Boruto did not disappoint. After undergoing training and growth, he used his Jougan and Momoshiki's Otsutsuki power to surpass his father at his peak, resolving multiple crises and bringing a new prosperity to the ninja world.

But that prosperity was reduced to ashes with the arrival of Otsutsuki Kamiki!

Kamiki wielded overwhelming power, several times stronger than Kaguya!

In that battle, the entire ninja world united to fight, but it ended in a tragic defeat!

Friends, wife, children, comrades... all perished in battle!

Their dying cries echoed in Naruto's mind for countless days and nights, tormenting his suffering soul!

"Naru...to, our power... is useless..."

"Naru...to-kun, please live on, forgive me for not being able to accompany you any longer..."

"Father, I... did my best!"

"Lord Seventh, please retreat quickly! You are our last hope!!!"

At the end of the great war, an exhausted Naruto was sent away by the secret techniques of the Hidden Cloud. When he awoke, the enemies had departed, leaving behind the scorched earth of the ninja world!

Naruto knelt and wept, shedding all his tears, and began a life of exile.

He wanted to do something, but as an old man, he was powerless!

Living in obscurity until now, he is finally about to say goodbye to this world.

Beside the candlestick, there is an ancient-looking turtle. It is a time-traveling tool of the Otsutsuki clan, known as "Li," brought by Urashiki years ago and eventually ended up in Naruto's hands.

But this "Li" is broken. It has lost its ability to traverse time and can't even speak anymore.

In his old age, Naruto is alone. This "Li" is his only companion to whom he can pour out his heart.

"You know, Turtle, my biggest mistake in life was underestimating the power of that clan..."

During his battles with the Otsutsuki, Naruto learned the harsh truth.

Far beyond the ninja world's planet, in the outer space, there is a planet named Takamagahara, the origin of the Otsutsuki clan!

On Takamagahara, beings stronger than Kaguya abound!

"Back then, we united to seal Kaguya and later defeated Momoshiki. I naively thought the enemies were only of that level... I was too naive, thinking that if we all worked together, we could defeat those extraterrestrial foes."

"We humans, from the start, lost at the starting line. It proves that the path of the Sage of Six Paths is not entirely correct. What Kaguya feared all those years ago has come true. In the end, we were too short-sighted... Cough, cough, cough!"

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At this point, Naruto coughed heavily, his vision becoming more blurred.

The candle flickers on the verge of extinguishing. Time is running out.

Then, surprisingly, the long-silent "Li" spoke: "If you could do it all over again, would you seek revenge against them?"

Naruto thought it was a hallucination before his death and didn't pay it much mind.

With calm eyes and a weary voice, he said, "Revenge only brings a chain of hatred. I wouldn't go down that path, but if I could truly start over, I'd do whatever it takes to gain the power to stand against those guys. Only then can I truly protect the people I care about most..."

After a moment of silence, "Li" responded, "Whatever it takes? That doesn't sound like you."

Naruto slowly closed his eyes, a weary smile on his lips: "That naive, idealistic Naruto Uzumaki died the day our world was destroyed..."

After a long pause, "Li" replied, "Perhaps... I can grant your wish."

Naruto murmured, "You can send me back in time?"

"Li" answered, "I can send your soul, but it's a one-way trip. You'll never return and will be stuck in that time. Even so, do you still want to go?"

Naruto smiled, "In a world where no one is left, what would I come back for..."

"Li" said, "Then stretch out your hand."

With his last bit of strength, Naruto shakily extended his hand... Whoosh! The last remaining chakra within him was absorbed by "Li"!

Buzz!

The tool activated!

Naruto's soul left his body, flowing back in time!

Whoosh!

The candle went out...

Naruto in this time permanently closed his eyes.

Crack! Crack!

Cracks spread across "Li," and it's about to be completely destroyed...

"I have witnessed countless Naruto Uzumakis during my time travels. If anyone can stop the atrocities of that clan, it's you. Rise again, in a timeline that's neither too early nor too late..."

Naruto felt his consciousness sinking in a tunnel... When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a gray, sealed space!

In his hand was a book: The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi by Jiraiya!

Before him, in a mechanical walker, was a gaunt Nagato, with Konan standing beside him!

What's going on? Is this a dream!?

At this moment, Naruto was in a state of bewilderment... He pinched his leg hard, and the pain startled him.

This is no dream!!

Nagato, in a sorrowful tone, said, "With a different protagonist, it becomes a different story..."

"I am a fellow disciple, one who admired our master as you do. I once said we should be able to understand each other."

"Although I initially meant that as a joke."

"You're a remarkable guy."

"You even remind me of my former self...!"

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

"I couldn't believe in Jiraiya."

"No, I couldn't even believe in myself..."

"But... I have a feeling that the paths we walk might lead to different futures!"

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

With those words, Nagato withdrew his hands from the viscous restraints and formed the shocking hand seal!

—Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique!

Konan exclaimed, "Nagato... you!"

Nagato resolutely replied, "Konan, enough. I've made a new choice! A choice I had once abandoned!"

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

Konan, thinking Naruto was questioning the technique before him, explained, "The person with the Rinnegan can not only control the Six Paths of Pain, but it's also said they can transcend the world of life and death. Nagato's eye power controls the technique of life and death, the Seventh Pain!"

"I know..." Naruto clenched his fist. He realized that the voice he heard before his death was not an illusion but the words of "Li"!

I'm back. I truly am back. My soul has returned to the moment after defeating Pain, negotiating with Nagato!

His heart raced with excitement, and his trembling hands found no place to rest, sweat soaking the book's cover!

The Naruto before them was still Naruto, but his soul had returned from the future!

Konan, of course, had no way of knowing this. She looked at Nagato with concern: Given Nagato's current chakra, using this technique will soon... He'll go to such lengths to help this boy.

She turned to Naruto, sighing inwardly: This remarkable boy changed Nagato.

"Outer Path...!!" Nagato's hands trembled as he made the seal, sweat streaming down his emaciated body, his life force and chakra drained to the limit, turning his once vibrant red hair to a sorrowful white!

The technique completed... Nagato's hands dropped weakly: "A mere token of atonement."

Rustle, rustle, rustle!

A small slug crawled out from Naruto's clothing, speaking to him: "The people in the village are being resurrected..."

"Ah... I understand." Everything before Naruto was an experience he lived through, imprinted in the depths of his memory!

But now... his mindset is entirely different!

Nagato, his voice faint, spoke his final words.

"War brings about casualties on both sides."

"The more important the person who dies, the harder it is to accept."

"Important people don't have to die."

"Especially for those of your generation who don't know war, there's no way to find meaning in death."

"The result is only pain and hatred with no outlet."

"Death like that of insects..."

"Endless cycles of hatred and never-healing pain..."

"That is war."

"Naruto, this is what you must face next..."

"It seems my mission ends here, Naruto... If it's you, maybe you really can."

Rustle... The tree disguised by the technique scattered into paper pieces.

Naruto lowered his gaze, his face hidden in shadow.

Ah, I understand, brother... Everything you said today, I lived through it all later, and it left a deep mark on my soul!

Your pain... I feel it even more deeply now than I did then!

So, having returned this time, I must change everything!

Nagato's lips curled into a faint smile: "Whether it's the book or you, it feels like someone arranged this for me, or maybe this truly is divine intervention..."

Konan, her expression somber, extended her sleeve... Whoosh! Paper wrapped around Nagato's body.

Whoosh!

"..."

Naruto took a deep breath, and suddenly, he grabbed the small slug on his shoulder and squeezed it tightly.

Smack!

"Ah!!" The small slug... vanished.

This scene caught Konan by surprise: "Naruto, what are you?"

Naruto spoke in a low voice: "The conversation to follow is not suitable for others to hear. Sister Konan, for the future of the ninja world, I must inherit Nagato's Rinnegan!"