Chapter 66

While Naruto's clone lived the simple life, making friends and laughing with neighbors, his original self was deep in the shadows, trying to find a solution.

The vampire threat was still an enigma. The cure remained undiscovered, and the enemy was nowhere to be found.

Even under pressure, Naruto refused to let negativity consume him. He had learned long ago that despair led to mistakes, and he couldn't afford mistakes—not with lives on the line.

But even so, he felt the weight of the situation.

Despite his burden, Naruto made sure to be there for others.

This wasn't just about finding a cure or stopping a threat. It was about the people left behind—the ones struggling to cope with loss. The fear was crippling, spreading like a disease.

Unfortunately, his clones weren't an option.

This kind of support required real emotion, deep conversations, and a presence that couldn't be faked.

Naruto had to be there himself.

And strangely enough, he wasn't alone in this effort.

Clark stood beside him—a beacon of hope in this dark time.

The man had his own struggles, his own sense of uselessness in a crisis like this. But rather than dwell on it, Clark kept moving forward, pushing past his own pain to support others.

Naruto saw through it. He knew Clark wasn't okay.

But sometimes, pretending to be okay was the only way to survive.

Amidst all the chaos, Naruto found another realization creeping in.

The deaths of friends had made him more aware of what he had left.

Kara, Raven, and Veritas.

They were different from the others. He didn't just care for them—he cherished them.

The feeling was similar to how he felt about his mother—protective, deep, unshakable.

And yet, it was something more.

'I guess it's love.'

That thought alone should have made him happy, but instead, it only added to his problems.

'Why is everything so difficult these days?'

There was no time for something as complicated as love.

And yet, it was there. Unavoidable. Unstoppable.

The world felt heavier.

The deaths, the uncertainty, the paranoia—it was draining.

For a brief moment, Naruto's mind wandered.

'Where has the fun gone? Everything is becoming so depressing. I feel like I need to overwhelm everyone with my chakra just to get them to loosen up—to stop them from making mistakes.'

It was an absurd idea, but a tempting one.

Because mistakes in this situation? They were fatal.

And yet, he reminded himself:

'Don't forget about yourself. In times like this, you might make a mistake. You aren't infallible.'

A smirk tugged at his lips.

'I have you for that.'

That inner voice—his will, his experience, his instincts—it always kept him in check.

He wasn't just a warrior. He wasn't just a leader.

He was Naruto Uzumaki.

The team of time travelers arrived at their destination, but things were… off.

They were supposed to land ten years into the future. Instead, they overshot by sixty years.

Yet, what truly shocked them wasn't the time jump—it was the world itself.

The Earth before them was utopian.

The sky was clear, the air pure, and the cities thrived in a way that defied their expectations.

There were flying cars, towering skyscrapers made of shimmering metal, holographic billboards, androids assisting humans in daily tasks, and not a single trace of pollution.

Wait, what?

Impulse's eyes widened.

"This isn't my future."

This wasn't the dark, war-torn world he had expected. Instead, people looked genuinely happy.

Jaime glanced around, taking in the sight of a massive park where they had landed, surrounded by gigantic trees that almost looked ancient.

"Where are we?" he asked, still processing the surreal atmosphere.

Kara, scanning the skyline, spotted something familiar—a towering building with a giant golden globe on top.

"Metropolis of the future."

Her enhanced vision zoomed in on the details, quickly locking onto the Daily Planet building.

Not far from it, a massive Superman statue stood tall, a beacon of the past in this new world.

"How far did we travel?" Jaime questioned, his voice laced with curiosity.

Impulse vanished in a blur, only to return a second later, looking stunned.

"Sixty years."

A heavy silence fell over them as they processed this.

Sixty years into the future.

They were further than they had ever intended to go.

Kara crossed her arms, her mind racing with possibilities.

'What was the result of the crisis? What were the casualties? And more importantly… how did we get here?'

'I wonder who ended up with Naruto… Did he change, or is he still the same knucklehead?'

So many questions burned inside her, but she held them back.

Impulse had brought them here for a reason, and she needed to hear him out.

"So what's the plan?" Kara asked, her voice laced with anticipation.

Impulse rubbed the back of his head, looking toward the futuristic city.

"We explore. We find answers by interacting with the future heroes. Some of the old ones must still be alive."

His mind immediately drifted to Wally.

'I hope nothing happened to him…'

Kara nodded.

"We stick together. We don't know what we're walking into."

Jaime and Impulse both exchanged a quick glance before nodding in agreement.

They had overheard what Kara had said to Naruto before.

And frankly? They didn't want to get on her bad side.

'Our legs are precious resources—not expendable like Naruto's.'

Deciding to check their base, the trio took off, leaving the Earth's atmosphere.

However, they didn't get far before something unexpected appeared before them.

A massive, advanced city was built right on the moon's surface.

Jaime zoomed in with his Scarab.

The name of the city blinked in bright, holographic letters.

NEW KONOHA

Kara's heart skipped a beat.

'No way…'

Excitement and nervousness flooded through her veins as she stared at the city below.

Without wasting another second, she soared toward it.

Thanks to Jaime's Scarab, they slipped inside unnoticed.

The city was a perfect blend of traditional Konoha architecture and futuristic technology.

Tall mountains and forests surrounded it, adding to its majestic beauty.

Kara's eyes drifted toward a familiar sight—the Hokage Monument.

Carved into the mountain were the faces of past Hokage.

She spotted Naruto's face as the Sixth Hokage, followed by an unknown man as the Seventh.

But what caught her off guard—what made her chest tighten—was what stood at the heart of the city.

Two massive statues.

An older Naruto.

And an older, bustier… Kara.

Her face turned red.

'AAAAAH! I can't believe it!'

She wanted answers, but for now, she just stood there, overwhelmed.

Kara's heart pounded as she took in the sight before her.

A monument dedicated to Golden Dawn—her team—stood tall and proud.

The inscription below sent chills down her spine.

"In loving memory of my friends who stood by me through thick and thin."

Every member of the team was immortalized in stone, captured in their most heroic moment.

All except for Naruto and Jaime.

Jaime frowned, stepping closer.

"What does this mean?"

His own absence from the memorial confused him. Was he alive? Had something else happened?

Impulse, normally the jokester, remained unnervingly serious.

"We're most likely dead."

His eyes darted between the statues, analyzing the details.

"But why is Kara here when Naruto isn't?"

That was the biggest mystery. If they were all dead, Naruto should have been here, too.

And yet, he wasn't.

Kara pushed down her emotions, forcing herself to focus.

"Let's go check the base. It should have something."

If Naruto was still around, he would have come to meet them the moment he sensed their life signatures.

The fact that he hadn't meant one thing.

'He's not here.'

Ignoring the futuristic city, the trio flew away, heading toward a hidden facility in the mountains—their base.

As they approached the entrance, the gates opened automatically.

DNA MATCH CONFIRMED. WELCOME HOME.

Their genetic signatures had been saved in the system, meaning this base still recognized them.

That, at least, was a good sign.

Gliding through a long tunnel, they entered a massive underground chamber.

And there, standing in the center, was—

"Naruto?"

Kara's voice was filled with hope.

But as soon as the figure turned around, her heart sank.

It wasn't him.

It was an android—a perfect replica of Naruto.

The android's blue eyes flickered, scanning them.

"Kara, are you another clone?"

His voice was nearly identical to Naruto's, but it lacked his usual warmth.

"No, the entrance wouldn't have opened for a clone, so you must be real."

His gaze shifted, processing Kara's appearance.

Then, he spoke again.

"You look exactly the same as when you died."

A heavy silence fell over the room.

Kara's blood ran cold.

"What?"

Impulse and Jaime tensed, their minds racing.

Jaime finally blurted out the question on all their minds.

"Then who is standing with Naruto in the city?"

The android didn't hesitate.

"That is Kara from another universe."

The words hit Kara like a punch to the gut.

Another Kara?

A version of her that had lived—a version of her that had stayed by Naruto's side?

Impulse gritted his teeth.

"Explain the situation. Where is Naruto?"

The android's response was immediate.

"Master has left this solar system for a decade already."

"He is conquering worlds to bring them peace and harmony."

The air grew still.

Jaime blinked.

"…What?"

Kara stared at the android in disbelief.

"Peace and harmony? And conquering? You just used those words in the same sentence like they make sense together."

Impulse crossed his arms.

"Yeah, that sounds exactly like something Naruto wouldn't do."

The Naruto they knew wasn't a conqueror.

So what had happened?

What had changed in these sixty years?

Kara, Impulse, and Jaime stared in silence as the Naruto android continued explaining.

"You can see the world beneath us for proof."

Their eyes drifted downward, taking in the Earth's surface.

A pristine world. No signs of conflict. No suffering. No crime.

It looked… perfect.

"The Earth was taken over by Master 50 years ago after being chosen by the majority of the population."

"The world was devastated by the vampire crisis, and the system had crumbled."

Kara clenched her fists.

She remembered how bad it had gotten before they left.

Cities burned. People starved. Even the strongest heroes had been on the brink of breaking.

"The heroes were doing their best, but even they felt tired after losing so much."

"But Master put away his grief and continued helping the people."

Impulse frowned.

'That sounds like Naruto… but something feels off.'

"He was the guide, and they were the followers."

"Seeing his effectiveness and his love for them affected the people. They saw hope and joy in his presence, so they managed to convince him to become their king."

Kara's eyes widened.

"Then there was a battle."

The android's tone remained calm and neutral, but the weight of its words hit them hard.

"Some resisted this change, including heroes and villains alike."

Impulse and Jaime exchanged glances.

"After this, he implemented the Master Plan."

"To make sure that good is rewarded and encouraged."

The android continued.

"It slowly transformed people into completely good-natured individuals, with few exceptions."

Impulse's stomach turned.

"Finally, Master chose to make himself the anchor point of existence so that evil could not exist within his domain."

That was too much.

Impulse took a step forward.

"Wait, wait, wait—what does that mean?"

Jaime added, "And what kind of punishments are programmed?"

The android answered instantly.

"The punishments vary depending on the action, but there is no death sentence."

"The system prevents crimes before they happen."

Jaime's eyes narrowed.

"Prevents?"

"Yes. The system covers the empire and is powered by it. None of the inhabitants can resist it. If you had tried doing anything illegal, you would have received the appropriate punishment immediately."

Impulse's brain raced to process this.

"And this 'anchor' thing?"

"It means that all existence within the empire has a good conscience that keeps them from taking the wrong path."

Jaime crossed his arms.

"Yeah, I don't care about all that. What do we do now?"

Kara shot him an annoyed look.

'Why can't you listen to something useful for once?'

This was their future. This was Naruto's future.

Didn't he care about what happened to him?

The android continued.

"The workings of the Peace and Harmony System are confidential. Only Master knows the details."

Impulse's jaw clenched.

That meant no one else understood exactly how it worked.

"And the details of the Vampire Crisis you need do not exist in my database."

Kara's heart sank.

'Then how the hell do we find out what happened?'

They had come all this way, traveled sixty years into the future, and Naruto wasn't even here.

And the only person who might know the full truth…

Had left the solar system a decade ago.