"It should be here…"
Naruto hovered silently above the ocean, his gaze fixed on the dark waters below. The surface rippled faintly beneath him, reflecting the pale light of the sky.
Then—
He descended.
As his body lowered, the sea itself responded. The water parted, forced aside by an invisible power. Waves split cleanly to either side, forming a vast corridor that stretched all the way to the ocean floor.
Naruto stepped down into the depths as if walking through open air.
"This is it… the underwater ruins," he murmured.
"The time-space turtle should be here."
The seabed stretched out before him, ancient and silent. Crumbling structures lay buried beneath layers of sediment, remnants of a forgotten civilization.
Naruto scanned the area calmly.
For days, he had traveled across the ninja world, observing the aftermath of unification—tracking its progress, its flaws, and its impact on people's lives. Only after things began to stabilize did he finally come here, alone.
Just as he expected—
Across parallel timelines, certain things remained constant. If something existed without interference, it would always exist.
Including this.
The "time-space turtle"—the artifact that would one day allow travel through time—was hidden here, in the exact same place.
"…Found it."
Naruto crouched slightly and picked up a dull gray stone jar, its surface rough and unremarkable.
A faint smile formed on his lips.
Before leaving his original world, he had marked spatial coordinates. He couldn't pinpoint them perfectly across dimensions—but he could still sense them faintly.
This object—
Would help him understand the laws of space and time.
And eventually—
Lead him back.
Naruto turned the jar in his hand thoughtfully.
"…Time to collect the final results."
This entire unification had never been just an act of reform.
It was an experiment.
A forced, accelerated evolution of the world.
He wanted to know—
What worked.
What didn't.
What hidden dangers lay beneath the surface.
Only through real outcomes could he refine something better.
"Fast methods have their advantages… and their flaws," he murmured. "Slow methods too."
"Combine both…"
"And you get something greater."
With that—
He vanished.
---
Soon after, the new system was formally announced across the world.
The Ninja World Alliance.
A single Supreme Chief.
Seven administrative regions, each led by deputy chiefs.
All shinobi reorganized into a unified military and law enforcement system.
The daimyo abolished.
Nobility erased.
Equality established.
It was nothing less than a complete restructuring of the world.
And as expected—
It brought turbulence.
Even civilians—many of whom had suffered under the old system—struggled to accept the sudden disappearance of the daimyo. Generations of belief did not vanish overnight.
Still, others welcomed it.
Smiles began to appear where despair once lived.
"It feels strange…"
"We're part of the Ninja Army now… assigned to suppress unrest."
"I heard the former Fire Country daimyo is resisting—trying to restore his rule."
"I don't get it. He was a kind man. Why remove him?"
"Idiot. Just follow orders."
A squad moved swiftly across the terrain.
Shikamaru.
Choji.
Ino.
Sakura.
And Naruto.
The girls chatted lightly as they traveled. Choji ate as usual.
But Shikamaru—
And Naruto—
Remained quiet.
"…Hey, Shikamaru," Naruto said after a while.
"There's no Hokage anymore, right?"
Shikamaru nodded.
"The Hokage existed from the First to the Fifth," he replied. "But now… Konoha is just a district."
"There's no Hokage anymore."
Naruto fell silent.
"My parents are back… and I'm happy," he said slowly. "But…"
"If there's no Hokage…"
"What do I do now?"
For him, becoming Hokage had never been just a dream.
It was his purpose.
His identity.
And now—
It was gone.
Sakura opened her mouth to tease him—
But stopped.
Because she remembered.
Another Naruto.
A version of him who stood above the entire world.
Suddenly—
She couldn't laugh.
Ino stepped forward instead, smiling.
"Then aim higher," she said. "No Hokage? Then become something bigger."
"Become the Chief of the Ninja World."
Shikamaru smirked slightly.
Naruto's eyes lit up.
"…Chief of the Ninja World…"
The confusion in his gaze disappeared, replaced by fire.
"That's it!"
"I'll become the leader of the entire ninja world!"
His voice rang with determination.
Everyone laughed.
That—
Was the Naruto they knew.
---
Meanwhile, in the Hidden Rain Village—
Nagato stood atop a tall structure, gazing down at the unrest below.
"…Even after unification," he said quietly, "conflict still exists."
Yahiko smiled.
"It's just the darkness before dawn."
Konan nodded.
"At least now… there's hope."
Nagato exhaled slowly, saying nothing more.
Below them, Deidara, Kakuzu, Hidan, and Sasori continued to struggle under Naruto's imposed restrictions.
"DAMN IT—!" Deidara shouted in frustration.
Above them—
Naruto appeared silently.
With a flick of his finger, he sent a thread of spiritual energy into their bodies.
Further correction.
More restraint.
More pain.
Then—
He vanished again.
No one noticed.
Not even Nagato.
---
Naruto continued his journey.
He saw Kisame, moving through the world, maintaining order with quiet efficiency.
He saw Itachi, saving others—and slowly saving himself.
He saw Kaguya, traveling between dimensions, suppressing chaos, her expression softer than ever before.
He saw the Sage of Six Paths, no longer bound, quietly contributing where he could.
Former Kage worked side by side.
Old enemies stood together.
The world—
Was changing.
There was still bloodshed.
Still conflict.
But overall—
Things were improving.
Stabilizing.
Peace was beginning to take root.
"Unification really is the best cure for chaos…" Naruto murmured.
Then—
He paused.
His gaze shifted.
Toward a distant forest.
A small, hidden temple.
A familiar presence lingered there.
Naruto smiled faintly.
"…So you're here too."
"This world has you as well…"
"No wonder Sasuke never mentioned you."
"You're good at hiding."
The name surfaced in his mind.
Jigen.
Without hesitation, Naruto raised his hand.
"Ever heard of…"
"A palm strike from the heavens?"
"Who—?!" a voice shouted from within the temple.
BOOM!
A massive, invisible force slammed down, crushing the entire structure into a palm-shaped crater.
The temple vanished instantly.
From the ruins, a figure emerged—twisted, furious.
"Who are you?!" Jigen demanded. "Why attack me?!"
Naruto smirked slightly.
"I felt like it."
Then he added, almost casually—
"Since your vessel's destroyed…"
"Use me instead."
Jigen lunged without hesitation, his body dissolving into energy as he attempted to implant a Karma mark.
Naruto didn't resist.
He observed.
Analyzed.
"…I see."
"Otsutsuki Isshiki."
"Kaguya's partner."
"Betrayed… and barely survived."
Memories flooded his mind—fragments of truth, of origin, of power.
The nature of the Otsutsuki.
Their parasitic rebirth.
Their terrifying potential.
Naruto sealed the Karma instantly.
Isshiki's attempt—
Completely meaningless.
Before Naruto—
Even an Otsutsuki held no advantage.
"…Interesting."
Naruto smiled faintly.
"This is worth studying."
A being on Kaguya's level carried immense value. If understood properly, it could unlock entirely new possibilities—new powers, new limits, new evolutions.
"…This could elevate the entire ninja world."
He stored the sealed Karma carefully.
Saving it for later.
As for Isshiki's plan to take over his body—
It was laughable.
Because in Naruto's hands—
Even gods…
Were nothing more than subjects of study.
-------------------------
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