Chapter 69

"Banish them to the Dark Lands—that's where they belong," Naruto instructed. "But make sure to take care of the Noblesse, or he will kill them all."

Kara frowned. "Noblesse?"

Naruto nodded. "At the climax of the event, three armies fought:

Crucifierand his vampires.The Amazonsand the Noblesse.The Humansand the Heroes.

"It was a devastating battle—the planet suffered massive destruction. But in the end, every vampire was wiped out."

Kara processed the information, memorizing each detail while the Scarab recorded his words.

"The Noblesse is the origin of all vampires," Naruto continued. "And Crucifier is his direct servant."

Kara exhaled, trying to digest everything. "Is there anything else we need to remember?"

Naruto's gaze softened slightly. "Yes."

He leaned forward, his smirk playful, yet knowing.

"With your sweet little mouth, tell him that sometimes it's good to be selfish and listen to your heart."

Kara blinked. "What…?"

Naruto chuckled.

"Some things are simple—why make them complex?" His smirk grew. "Tell him this when you kiss him, and he'll understand."

Kara's face burned.

Impulse's eyes widened in shock. Jaime nearly choked on air.

"You're telling me to kiss him and say that?" Kara asked, her voice rising.

"Most likely, he'll get it," Naruto teased. "Just so you know, I already love you, Raven, and Veritas at this point in time, so it depends on how you approach this."

Kara froze.

Impulse stared at Naruto like he had grown another head.

"You mean you—?"

Naruto grinned. "I want you to be happy. But you chose someone like me, so you'll have to accommodate such a thing."

"But you only have one wife right now!" Kara blurted out.

"You only see one," Naruto said cryptically. "I have four. The others just aren't here at the moment."

Impulse suddenly narrowed his eyes.

"Wait…" He muttered. "You already know one of them."

Naruto gave a knowing nod.

"Donna."

Impulse's breath hitched.

Kara felt her head spin. "You bonded after the crisis?"

"Yeah," Naruto said casually. "It just happened."

The Weight of Responsibility

"Why is everything so difficult with you?" Kara groaned, massaging her temples.

Naruto laughed. "I trust your abilities—I think you'll get through this just fine."

Then, his expression turned serious.

"But make sure that Raven ends up with him."

Kara stiffened. "What?"

Naruto's voice was firm.

"Or it will be bad for you."

Kara's heart pounded. "Why?"

"Because when I was almost killed, Raven lost control—and she died for me."

Kara felt her chest tighten.

"Right now, her heart is weakening. It's not a good idea," Naruto warned. "She needs support, not a heartbreak. So even if you don't want other girls joining, you need to at least get Raven there."

Kara felt her stomach drop.

"Are you actually saying this to me?" she whispered.

Naruto smiled, gentle and knowing.

"You're a good girl, so I know you can do it."

Kara let out a long, frustrated groan.

"Ughhhhh!"

Impulse exhaled as the conversation neared its end. But there was still something that weighed on his mind.

"What about this dangerous event you said was worse than what we're facing now?"

Naruto's expression darkened.

"I can't tell you about it," he said, his tone firm. "If you know about it now, you'll die when it comes."

Impulse and Kara stiffened.

"Knowledge about it only gets you targeted—so it's better that you don't know anything specific."

Kara gritted her teeth. "Then what can we do?"

"Just remember this—you will need everyone." Naruto's eyes burned with seriousness. "And I mean the world as a whole. This isn't something a small team can handle."

Impulse's hands clenched into fists. "So it'll affect the whole universe?"

Naruto nodded. "Yes."

A heavy silence fell over them.

"But don't lose hope," Naruto continued. "Train hard. Because when the time comes, you'll meet new friends who will join the fight."

Impulse swallowed before asking, "Is Wally alive?"

Naruto smiled. "He's living as a rich old man, surrounded by his grandkids."

Impulse's heart ached at that image. He wanted to see Wally—to ask him everything—but…

"Do you want to see him," Naruto asked, "or do you want to meet the new Flash?"

Impulse's chest tightened. He hesitated… but then shook his head.

"No need," he said quietly. "I'll just talk with the Wally of the past."

Naruto nodded approvingly. "Your choice."

They stepped outside. And there it was—the time machine.

Impulse felt a strange weight settle over him. A machine like this… a chance to go back, to change things…

He turned to Naruto.

"Why did you never go back in time?"

Naruto smirked but his eyes carried an ancient weariness.

"I only found it after living for twenty years in this world," he admitted. "By then, I saw no point in it. To me, time travel is a weakness."

Impulse frowned. "A weakness?"

"I will fix things in the present—and show the world that you don't need to go back in time to fix things."

Naruto's eyes hardened.

"Obviously, I also can't forget the mess I'd cause if I appeared in the past. My very existence would never be welcomed in the world you live in. It would just start another war."

Impulse froze.

Naruto chuckled. "There are many reasons why going back is bad for me. But in the end, those reasons don't actually matter."

His voice was calm, yet absolute.

"I don't go back because I only live in the present."

Impulse let those words sink in.

Wally had told him something similar.

Barry had once saved his mother in the past—only for it to create a future where there was no Flash.

Even the smallest change could lead to a worse future.

"Thank you for your help," Kara said softly. Then, to Naruto's surprise, she stepped forward and hugged him.

Naruto blinked in amusement before a mischievous grin spread across his face. "You know," he mused, "for a moment, I actually thought about kidnapping you all and changing your memories. It would be so easy for me."

Instantly, Kara and Impulse froze. Jaime stiffened as his scarab immediately went into full alert mode.

"Threat detected! Prepare for immediate countermeasures—"

"Whoa, whoa!" Naruto waved his hands in the air, laughing. "I'm kidding! Relax! Geez, you guys are so jumpy."

Kara pulled back from the hug, narrowing her eyes. "You do realize that's not a normal joke, right?"

Naruto shrugged. "Hey, some people joke about bad driving—I joke about reality-warping kidnapping. Everyone's got their thing!"

Impulse crossed his arms. "That's not a thing."

Jaime let out a breath as the scarab finally calmed down. "Dude, you can't just say stuff like that! My suit was already preparing a counterstrike!"

Naruto pouted. "Aw, come on. You don't trust me?"

Kara huffed. "It's not about trust, it's about how that sounds!"

Naruto tapped his chin, pretending to ponder her words. "Fine, fine. I won't joke about kidnapping." He paused for dramatic effect before his eyes twinkled with mischief. "What about forced adoption?"

Impulse groaned and facepalmed. "That's literally the same thing!"

Kara groaned. "You are impossible."

Naruto smirked. "Hey, I was just saying—I could have rewritten your memories so you all thought I was your hot older brother guiding you through life. Imagine it! 'Big bro Naruto, please train us in the ways of awesome!'"

Kara gave him a deadpan look. "I'd rather drink Kryptonian dishwater."

Jaime shuddered. "Yeah, hard pass, man."

Impulse shuddered even harder. "Also, the idea of you being my brother? I think I just had a stroke."

Naruto sighed dramatically. "Man, no appreciation for my comedic genius."

Kara smirked. "No appreciation because it's not funny."

Naruto grinned wider. "It's hilarious—you're just in denial."

Impulse shook his head. "This entire timeline is a mistake."

Naruto patted his shoulder. "That's the spirit! Now let's go fix it!"

As the trio prepared to leave, Naruto suddenly chuckled and shook his head.

"Man, you guys are so serious." He grinned, hands resting casually behind his head. "Did you really think I'd just drop a bunch of doom and gloom on you and leave it at that? Come on, I've been messing with you from the moment you got here!"

Kara crossed her arms, clearly suspicious. "What do you mean?"

Naruto smirked. "I mean… you did die at one point in my life."

Silence.

Impulse blinked rapidly. "Wait, what?!"

"Yup." Naruto nodded. "You all kicked the bucket. Gone. Poof. Very dramatic. Real 'Avengers: Infinity War' type of stuff. There were even some tragic last words—Impulse, you cried like a baby, by the way."

Impulse gawked. "Hey! I refuse to believe that!"

"Believe what you want, speedster." Naruto shrugged. "But yeah, Krypton was gone, you guys were gone—it was a whole mess. But look at you now! Breathing, running around, getting confused by my jokes."

Kara took a deep breath, struggling to process the information. "So… we were dead? But we're not?"

Naruto grinned. "Exactly! Because I already fixed everything. Krypton is back, you're all alive, and I accomplished everything I promised. I just didn't want to say it at the start—figured it would be funnier to let you all panic for a bit."

Jaime's scarab immediately spoke up. "Confirmed: This is psychological warfare."

Kara stared at him. "You mean… you already saved Krypton?"

Naruto nodded. "Yep. Superman's chilling there right now, probably having a barbecue or something."

Impulse's eye twitched. "And you let us stress over this whole thing… for fun?"

"Listen, in my defense, you guys were freaking out in a really funny way."

Impulse facepalmed. "Dude, you have issues."

Naruto placed a hand over his heart. "Aww, thanks, buddy. That means a lot."

Kara sighed, rubbing her temples. "I'm not even surprised anymore. I should have expected this."

Naruto grinned. "You really should have."

"Anyway," Naruto continued, "before you go, tell your Naruto that when the time comes, he should definitely get help from another Naruto—goes by 'The Emperor of Mankind.'"

Jaime squinted. "The what now?"

"The Emperor of Mankind. Big title, bigger power, pretty chill guy. Just don't ask about his hobbies—trust me, you don't wanna know."

Impulse groaned. "This just keeps getting weirder."

Naruto gave them a thumbs-up. "That's life, buddy. Now get out of here before I decide to make this even more complicated."

Kara shook her head. "You are insufferable."

Naruto beamed. "And yet, you'll miss me."

As the group stepped into the time machine, Naruto waved them off.

"Tell your Naruto not to stress too much! And remind him—he's got a whole multiverse of himself to rely on!"

The machine activated, and just before they disappeared, they heard Naruto's final words—

"Also, Impulse totally cried! I have the receipts!"

Impulse screamed as they vanished into the timestream.

However, Naruto stopped Kara for one more moment.

Naruto simply smiled as he looked at her. Then, his voice softened, taking on the weight of wisdom carried through lifetimes. "And remember—when we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too."

Kara blinked, taking in his words before nodding. "I will remember it."

Naruto's smile deepened. "Good," he murmured. His gaze drifted toward the portal, watching as reality folded around it. Then, as if speaking more to himself than to them, he added, "It is good to love many things, for therein lies true strength. And whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is well done."

Kara stepped through the portal, their forms shimmering as she vanished into the currents of time and space.

Naruto remained where he was, standing in silence as old memories surfaced. Memories of other goodbyes, of paths walked, of battles fought. Of laughter. Of love.

A soft voice broke the quiet.

"Dear, you forgot to tell them about the virus."

Naruto exhaled through his nose, a sheepish grin tugging at his lips. "Ah, it just slipped my mind."

"Slipped your mind?" The voice hummed in amusement. "Or were you too busy staring?"

Naruto chuckled, turning toward the woman beside him. "What can I say? I'm a crazy lover, and holding back was a real challenge."

Her golden hair shimmered in the soft light of the world they stood in, her eyes filled with equal parts warmth and mischief. "Are you not worried about him dying?"

Naruto took her hand, lifting it to his lips as he kissed it with an unshaken confidence. "Dying? I handled it without much help, so he should get through it without much problem."

She arched a brow, unconvinced but entertained. "I am not letting you go today. You really tested the limit of my patience here."

"Ooh, I'm so scared," Naruto teased, his grin widening as he took a step back. "The big bad wolf is going to eat me."

Then, with a burst of laughter, he turned and ran inside, his energy as boundless as ever.

The woman laughed, shaking her head before chasing after him.

In this world of beauty, where the air was sweet and the skies endless, they were the only ones present—at least until the children or the other wives returned.

For now, in this stolen moment of peace, it was just them.