Chapter 1: The Seventh, Naruto, Awakens.
"Where... is this?"
"Didn't I... die? In the final battle with Kawaki..."
The Seventh Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki, groggily blinked his eyes open, his mind shrouded in a fog of confusion as he took in his surroundings.
He was in a vast, white space. An endless, featureless void that stretched to an unseen horizon.
He tried to shout. "Is anyone there? Anyone?"
Nothing.
Not only was there no reply, but there wasn't even an echo.
Naruto sighed, a single thought crystallizing in his mind. So, this must be heaven.
He let his mind drift back, recalling the long road of his life.
His parents had died the day he was born, leaving him to a miserable childhood. He was an outcast, shunned by the entire village, often starving, never knowing where his next meal was coming from.
But he never gave up on his dream. At the age of twelve, he finally met Iruka-sensei, who gave him his first forehead protector and acknowledged him as a Genin of the Hidden Leaf.
Then he met Kakashi-sensei and officially graduated from the Ninja Academy.
In the Land of Waves, he faced Zabuza, stabbed his own hand with a kunai, and through pain and blood, forged the foundation of his ninja way.
During the Chunin Exams, he defeated the prodigy Neji Hyuga, and the 'demon fox' officially made his mark.
Soon after, he defeated a rampaging, tailed-beast Gaara, protecting the village and earning his first taste of fame in the Leaf.
Then, he began his training under Master Jiraiya. For the first time, he had a master, a mentor. Someone he could rely on.
He rescued the Kazekage, Gaara, from the Akatsuki, securing peace between the Leaf and the Sand and winning the respect of most of his village.
At sixteen, wielding the power of a Sage, he defeated the infamous leader of the Akatsuki, instantly becoming the Hero of the Leaf and shedding the 'demon fox' label for good.
With the help of Uncle Killer Bee and the Eight-Tails, he mastered the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
He fought in the Fourth Great Ninja War, and in the heat of battle, he and the Nine-Tails, Kurama, became true partners—a perfect Jinchuriki, fighting as one.
Afterward, he and his brother-in-arms, Sasuke, received the power of the Sage of Six Paths. Together, they sealed Kaguya Otsutsuki and brought a long-awaited peace to the entire ninja world.
During the tenure of the Sixth Hokage, Kakashi, Naruto's arm was healed, he was promoted to Jonin, and more importantly, he finally understood his feelings for Hinata.
They fell in love, married, and had children. His life was full of happiness.
Then, at the age of thirty, Kakashi-sensei stepped down, and Naruto became the Seventh Hokage, fulfilling his lifelong dream.
By then, his friends had all started their own families. They had children and were living happy, fulfilling lives.
The ninja world was at peace.
Everything was perfect.
But that peace was not destined to last.
The beings that Kaguya had feared, the ones she stared at the stars for, finally arrived.
The Otsutsuki clan returned with a vengeance.
Kinshiki, Momoshiki, Urashiki, Isshiki…
Each one was stronger and more terrifying than the last. Naruto quickly realized that compared to them, Kaguya had been almost insignificant.
In the battle against Isshiki, Naruto lost the Nine-Tails—the lifelong partner and comrade who had been with him since birth.
And his best friend, Sasuke… was ambushed by Naruto's own son. Possessed by an Otsutsuki, Boruto had stabbed Sasuke's Rinnegan with a kunai, destroying it forever.
Even though he knew Boruto wasn't in control, the pain of Sasuke losing his greatest power was a wound in Naruto's heart that would not heal.
Realizing his own strength was no longer enough, Naruto desperately sought help. At Mount Myoboku, the Great Toad Sage, in a deep slumber, delivered one last prophecy:
"In the coming age, Boruto will be the one to change the world of shinobi!"
And so, Naruto devoted himself completely, pouring everything he had into training his son.
Boruto did not disappoint.
Awakening his Jogan and mastering the Otsutsuki power within him, he trained personally under Sasuke. He inherited Sasuke's sword, his cloak, and his forehead protector, eventually surpassing all the Hokage who came before him to become the strongest shinobi in the world.
But right on cue, when things seemed to be going smoothly, disaster struck.
During his training, Boruto met a boy named Kawaki. He bore the same strange Karma seal as Boruto, and the two hit it off immediately. Kind-hearted as ever, Boruto brought him back to the Leaf Village to recover.
It was the village's greatest mistake. Influenced by the shadowy organization known as Kara, Kawaki turned on Boruto, vowing to destroy the entire ninja world and enact a new "Moon's Eye Plan" by planting a "Moon Tree."
And so, the Fifth Great Ninja War began.
As the memory surfaced, Naruto clenched his fists in the white void.
In that war, he had watched his family, his old friends, his comrades… fall one by one.
Because he was the Hokage and had lost Kurama, everyone protected him, forcing him to command from the rear.
Tears began to stream down his face as he remembered their names.
Hinata!
Himawari!
Sasuke!
Gaara!
Iruka-sensei!
Kakashi-sensei!
Shikamaru…!
And so many more… all gone, consumed by the war.
In the end, only he and Boruto were left standing.
And then Naruto himself died, sacrificing his life to protect his son from one of Kawaki's attacks.
Thinking of this, Naruto stared up at the endless white and let out a heart-wrenching sigh. Why did the world have to be so cruel?
That's right, he thought, a new wave of anxiety hitting him. Boruto's last battle... what happened? Did he manage to save the ninja world?
"He and Kawaki both failed. They were both defeated by the power of the Otsutsuki clan."
A calm, ancient voice echoed through the void, snapping Naruto to attention. He spun towards the sound and saw a figure slowly coalescing out of the white light.
Naruto's eyes widened in shock. "Gramps Sage of Six Paths?"
The Sage of Six Paths smiled faintly. "We meet again, Naruto, Child of the Prophecy."
Naruto rushed forward. "What did you just say?" he asked, his voice frantic. "What do you mean Boruto and Kawaki both failed? Wasn't Kawaki working with the Otsutsuki?"
The Sage sighed. "After your death, Boruto and Kawaki fought. But in the end, Kawaki saw the truth behind the Otsutsuki's plans. He and Boruto joined forces to fight them together. In the end… they both failed. They were turned into vessels."
The words struck Naruto like a thunderbolt. His eyes grew wide with terror as he muttered, "How? How is that possible…?"
A memory sparked, and a new wave of desperate anger surged through him. He screamed at the ancient figure, "The Great Toad Sage's prophecy! He said Boruto would be the one to change the ninja world! So why did it end like this?! WHY WAS THE WORLD DESTROYED ANYWAY?!"
His final hope had been shattered. The roar died in his throat, and all the strength left his body. He stumbled back a few steps before collapsing to his knees, clutching his head as sobs racked his body. "Why…" he whimpered, his tears soaking the endless floor. "Why did it happen like this… why…"
The man who was once the unbreakable, ever-optimistic Seventh Hokage was utterly broken.
The Sage of Six Paths watched the grieving Naruto in silence for a few moments before speaking again.
"The Great Toad Sage's prophecy," he said softly, "was not wrong."
Naruto looked up, his face a mask of confusion, with fresh tears still clinging to his eyes.