Hey everyone,
I finally got some free time, so I went back through the older chapters, fixed as many grammatical mistakes as I could, and reviewed them again. If you felt that I was a bit negligent in the beginning, I sincerely apologize. I take full responsibility for that. English is not my first language, and when I started writing this story, I only had a general vision of where I wanted it to go. Instead of waiting until everything was perfect, I decided to start writing and improve along the way.
There is another issue I want to address because I still receive comments claiming that this is a stolen story or that I'm copying another writer's fan fiction.
After seeing so many of those comments, I finally decided to read that author's story myself. I can understand why some people might think there are similarities. Both stories involve Naruto and an isekai concept. Beyond that, however, our stories go in completely different directions.
I want to make it very clear that I did not copy his work. This is my own fan fiction, built around my own ideas, plot, and character development.
From what I have read, our writing styles are also very different. His story moves at a much faster pace, while I prefer spending more time developing the world, the characters, and the events. Yes, my opening chapters were faster because I needed to establish the setting and get the story to the point where Naruto returned to Konoha. After that, the pacing slowed down significantly.
I spent a long time on the Suna Arc, then the Tenchi Bridge Arc, and now I'm putting a lot of effort into the Fire Temple (Sora) Arc. From what I saw, his story doesn't even cover the Sora Arc the way mine does, which should already show that our stories are taking different paths.
So, before calling this story a copy, I have one request. Please read it first. At least read through the Suna Arc before making that judgment. If, after actually reading it, you still have criticisms, I'll gladly listen to them because constructive feedback helps me improve.
I'm constantly making changes behind the scenes as well. I'm updating character outfits, improving dialogue, fixing grammar, and making the overall story more polished. It's a lot of work, but I'm doing it because I want this story to be the best it can be.
I don't usually like making posts like this or venting, but seeing the same accusations over and over again has been frustrating. I hope this clears things up.
To everyone who has supported me, left feedback, and continued reading despite the rough beginning, thank you. Your support is what keeps this story going, and I'll continue working hard to make every new chapter better than the last.
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The week following the return of Team Kakashi passed with a welcome, quiet predictability. It was exactly the relaxation week Naruto needed. He spent his days alternating between resting, going on a few more normal shopping trips with Ino and Hinata—even picking up some practical civilian clothes for himself—and putting in some light training. He spent a couple of afternoons helping both kunoichi polish their newly discovered elemental affinities. Their progress was undeniable; both possessed the kind of tremendous potential expected of the next heiresses of the Yamanaka and Hyuga clans.
But the peace didn't last long.
By the end of the week, Naruto found himself standing inside the Hokage's office once again, flanked by Kakashi, Yamato, Sai, and Sakura. Standing before Tsunade's desk, Naruto ran through his knowledge of the timeline. While he remembered the massive, world-altering plot points vividly, the finer details and smaller intermediate events of the original timeline had grown somewhat blurry in his mind over the years. He knew the looming tragedy involving Asuma was fast approaching, but the exact sequence of events leading up to it was hazy.
"What's the word, Auntie Tsunade?" Naruto asked, crossing his arms. "What is this mission about?"
"We received an urgent report from the Fire Temple," Tsunade explained, leaning forward on her crossed hands. "They have been enduring a series of coordinated attacks, and several of their hidden graves have been completely pillaged. These aren't ordinary graves—they contain the remains of the former members of the Twelve Guardian Shinobi."
Kakashi's visible eye narrowed. "The Twelve Guardian Shinobi? An attack on the Fire Temple like this... do we know the motive behind it, Hokage-sama, or is this part of a larger, more elaborate strategy?"
"We don't have those answers yet, Kakashi," Tsunade replied seriously. "All we know for certain is that the tombs are being systematically robbed. Your team's objective is to head to the region immediately and investigate who is behind this."
Naruto blinked, looking over the composition of their squad. "Wait, are we the only ones being deployed for this? No backup squads?" Yamato asked.
"No, just Team Kakashi," Tsunade confirmed.
Naruto raised his hand slightly, a look of sheer disbelief on his face. "Hold on... isn't sending four—" He paused mid-sentence, turning his head to look at the pale boy standing next to him. "Wait, Sai, what is your official rank again?"
Sai turned his head, offering his signature, perfectly practiced smile. "In correct terms, I am a Jōnin, Naruto-kun."
"Right. So isn't sending four Jōnin on a standard grave-robbing investigation a bit of an overkill?" Naruto pointed out, letting out a small whine. He had an entire weekend of relaxed training and personal time with Ino and Hinata mapped out, and a sudden long-distance investigation completely derailed his plans.
"Just shut up and do it, Naruto," Tsunade snapped, pinning him with a sharp glare that brooked no further argument.
"Fine, fine," Naruto muttered.
An hour later, the team had gathered their gear, packed their tracking equipment, and officially departed the Hidden Leaf, sprinting through the trees toward the borders of the Land of Fire.
By the time they reached the designated tomb sector near the Fire Temple, the sun was beginning to dip. They established a hidden base camp and waited for the local monk tracking party that was supposed to rendezvous with them. Hours ticked by, and the contact group never showed up.
Recognizing the anomaly, Kakashi immediately took command. "The rendezvous party is compromised or delayed. We're splitting up to locate them and scan the surrounding perimeter. Yamato, take Sakura and sweep the western valley. Sai, you're with me to investigate the high ridges." He looked over at Naruto. "Naruto, you're on your own."
"Works for me," Naruto nodded. "I'll sweep the riverbed and the lower eastern sector."
With a collective nod, the team vanished in separate directions.
Naruto navigated the terrain swiftly until he reached a quiet, isolated stretch of the riverbank. Dropping down onto a flat boulder near the rushing water, he crossed his legs and dropped into a deep meditative stance. While his external senses expanded across the landscape, his mind slipped deep into his inner subconscious.
In the sewer chambers of his mindscape, the colossal form of the Nine-Tails shifted behind the massive iron cage, his crimson eyes locking onto his container.
"So, what is all this about, huh?" Kurama rumbled, his deep voice echoing off the damp walls.
"Just an investigation into the Fire Temple attacks," Naruto replied, sitting cross-legged in front of the bars. "But honestly, Kurama... I think I've forgotten some things from the original timeline. I know this arc happens, and I have a vague memory that I'm supposed to encounter a woman out here who uses all five elements and tries to forcefully kiss people to steal their wind chakra. I can't remember her name for the life of me. Do you think me forgetting these filler details is going to mess up the future?"
Kurama let out a low, huffing laugh, a massive gust of air blowing past Naruto. He lazily waved one of his massive tails behind his back. "Eh. You're a human brat at the end of the day. No matter if you crossed worlds and grew this strong, you're still bound by a human brain. It's impossible for you to remember every single minor event in absolute detail. Back in your old world, watching that show was just a casual way to pass the time. Now, this is your real life. They are two entirely different things. Your subconscious probably just didn't register the useless details truthfully."
The great fox shifted his weight, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Besides, you were quite young when you watched those specific segments, right? No need to stress over it. But looking through your residual flashbacks... I believe the woman you are trying to remember is named Fūka."
"Fūka," Naruto muttered, the name instantly clicking into place. "Yeah, that's right. Good catch, Kurama. You ready to move?"
"Always," Kurama grunted, instantly shifting a heavy, potent stream of pure crimson chakra into Naruto's system.
Naruto snapped his eyes open, breaking his meditation on the boulder. He stood up, stretched his arms over his head until his joints popped, and brought his hands together into a cross-sign.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
With a massive eruption of white smoke, eight perfect clones materialized on the riverbank. Naruto looked over the group, his expression turning thoroughly tactical. "All of you know the drill. Keep your heads down, secure the perimeters, and if you find the targets, secure them and eliminate killers cleanly."
The clones designated clones nodded simultaneously. In a swift, synchronized burst of chakra, they altered their standard outfits, shifting their clothing into full-black tactical stealth uniforms: tight black long-sleeve combat shirts, rugged black cargo pants, black fingerless gloves, and standard black shinobi sandals. To top it off, they pulled full-face black masks over their heads, completely concealing their identities.
Without a sound, the cloaked clones dispersed into the surrounding wilderness like shadows.
Left alone, Naruto closed his eyes and pushed his sensory network to its absolute limit, extending his chakra perception deep into the dark woods.
Suddenly, his sensory feelers caught a massive, highly irregular overlay of multi-elemental chakra vibrating through the trees just a few miles ahead. Naruto opened his eyes, a sharp, confident smirk cutting across his face.
"Found you," he whispered, blurring out of existence as he surged forward to intercept the anomaly.
By the time Naruto reached the designated coordinates of the pillaged tomb, night had completely fallen over the Land of Fire. The dense canopy of the forest blocked out most of the moonlight, leaving the clearing bathed in deep, shifting shadows.
Naruto stood in the center of the desecrated gravesite, the picture of absolute tranquility. His hands were stuffed casually into his pockets, his posture completely relaxed as if he were taking a midnight stroll rather than investigating a crime scene.
But beneath that calm exterior, his sensory net was fully deployed.
Just as it looked like he was completely off guard, Naruto slowly turned his head to the left, his blue eyes shifting toward the dark tree line behind him.
"Why don't you just come out so we can end this quickly?" Naruto called out, his voice echoing cleanly through the quiet forest.
Instantly, the rustling of leaves broke the silence. A figure leaped high into the night sky from the branches, completely silhouetted against the moon.
"I won't let you destroy the dignity of the Fire Temple!" the boy yelled furiously. He swung his hands forward, molding his chakra flawlessly. "Wind Style: Wind Slash!"
A massive, razor-sharp crescent of compressed wind tore through the air, screaming directly toward Naruto's neck.
Naruto didn't even flinch. He slowly pulled his right hand from his pocket. "Quite impressive power," he noted dryly. "But unfortunately, it doesn't work that well on me."
Naruto channeled a burst of chakra into a specialized, storage seal tattooed across his hand. Instantly, a heavy stream of water erupted from the black ink.
"Water Style: Water Whip."
With a flick of his wrist, Naruto shaped the flowing water into a high-pressure, surging whip. He slashed it upward in a fluid arc, colliding perfectly with the incoming wind blade. The two elements canceled each other out in a loud hiss of displaced air and scattering water droplets. Satisfied, Naruto cut the chakra flow, deactivating the seal.
Landing lightly on the ground, the attacker didn't hesitate. He reached into his pouches and unleashed a blindingly fast barrage of shuriken and kunai, all violently coated in wind chakra to increase their lethality and piercing power.
Naruto sighed. Instead of dodging, he stepped forward, pivoting on his left foot as he swung his right leg up into a devastating, chakra-laced axe kick. As his heel slammed down, the raw physical force and expelled chakra created a localized, explosive windstorm. The resulting pressure wave was so immense that it not only blew the wind-laced projectiles completely off course but also ripped the topsoil from the ground and violently shook the surrounding trees, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
The attacker landed on a sturdy branch, panting slightly as he glared down at the blonde shinobi. "Why are you just evading, coward? Are you that afraid of my attacks that you can't even come and fight me up close? I knew cowards like you only attack from behind!"
Naruto sweatdropped, looking up at the boy with a deadpan expression. "You literally just attacked me from behind."
Naruto cracked his neck, his annoyance finally bleeding through. "And honestly, brat, you aren't nearly powerful enough for me to waste my full strength on. I'm just trying to alleviate the boredom I've been feeling since I got dragged out here. You're just entertainment to me right now."
Internally, Naruto was still bitterly mourning his ruined weekend plans with Hinata and Ino.
Hearing himself being called mere "entertainment," the monk's temper flared violently. With a furious yell, he used the Body Flicker technique, reappearing instantly in front of Naruto. He gripped a lethal tantō heavily coated in screeching wind chakra, bringing the blade down in a vicious, point-blank diagonal slash.
Naruto did nothing but fluidly sidestep the blade by a mere inch. As the monk's momentum carried him forward, Naruto casually drove his right fist directly into the boy's gut.
CRACK!
The impact was brutal. A shockwave of displaced wind literally exploded out from the boy's back. The monk coughed up a splatter of blood, his eyes rolling back in sheer agony as he was launched off his feet, crashing violently through the underbrush.
"Honestly, brat," Naruto scolded, lowering his fist. "You should think twice about attacking people if you can't even land a successful hit on them."
The boy groaned, stubbornly forcing himself back to his feet. His traditional monk robes were now completely in tatters. Looking at the boy's ash-brown hair and furious eyes, it finally clicked in Naruto's head.
Right. Sora. This is his arc.
But narrative importance or not, Naruto needed to put this kid in his place.
"You..." Sora panted, his hands flying through a complex sequence of hand signs. Pure madness danced in his eyes. "This is my most terrifying jutsu! Let's see how you dodge this!"
Sora clapped his hands together, funneling every ounce of his volatile chakra into the air before him. "Wind Style: Clearing Typhoon!"
A massive, roaring vortex of wind erupted in the clearing, shredding the ground and expanding rapidly into a devastating horizontal tornado aimed directly at Naruto.
Naruto simply raised an eyebrow. He could feel the sheer density of the typhoon; it was undeniably one of the strongest wind attacks he had faced recently. But he had a wind attack of his own.
Naruto raised his right hand. A swirling sphere of pure chakra formed in his palm instantly, but instead of its usual pristine blue, the chakra violently shifted, taking on a brilliant, glowing green hue as Naruto forced pure Wind Release into the shape manipulation. It wasn't the completed Rasenshuriken, but a highly concentrated, elemental variant.
"Wind Style: Wind Rasengan!"
Instead of charging forward, Naruto pulled his arm back and violently threw the glowing green sphere directly into the heart of the oncoming typhoon.
The moment the Wind Rasengan entered the vortex, the opposing wind chakras clashed, destabilized, and detonated.
BOOOOOOM!
A blinding flash of green and white light consumed the clearing. The resulting shockwave decimated the surrounding forest, snapping century-old trees like twigs and kicking up a massive cloud of dust and debris. Sora was caught entirely in the blast radius, violently thrown backward until he crashed heavily against the base of a surviving oak tree.
As the dust began to settle, Sora groaned, his body bruised and battered. He planted his trembling hands in the dirt, stubbornly trying to force himself to stand again.
Naruto wasn't going to let him.
Flicking his wrist, Naruto reactivated the storage seal on his hand. Water immediately pooled out, hovering in the air.
"Water Style: Water Whip Binding!"
Naruto thrust his hand forward. The water shot out like a viper, wrapping tightly around Sora's wrists and ankles, slamming him firmly onto his knees. Before Sora could yell or mold another jutsu, the water snaked up and clamped firmly over his mouth, effectively gagging him.
The clearing finally fell silent.
Naruto walked over and casually took a seat on a massive, splintered log that had been ripped up by his Rasengan clash. He rested his chin on his hand, looking down at the furious, struggling monk.
"So," Naruto mused calmly. "What should I do with you?"
Before he could make a decision, a series of rapid footsteps echoed from the tree line. A tall, imposing monk with a commanding presence leaped into the clearing, closely followed by Team Kakashi. Sakura, Sai, Yamato, and Kakashi fanned out, their eyes widening at the sheer scale of destruction in the forest.
Kakashi looked at the devastated landscape, then at the heavily bound and gagged monk, and finally at his blonde subordinate sitting casually on a log.
"Naruto..." Kakashi asked, sounding genuinely perplexed. "What exactly happened here?"
Naruto just shrugged, pointing a lazy thumb at Sora. "Oh, nothing much. This guy just attacked me from behind when I got here, so I handled it."
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At Patreon.com/Godofwhatif
By joining, you'll get:
• Early access to upcoming chapters.
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