Chapter 11: Thanks for the Memories 1/2

Disclaimer: I don't own this. Anybody wish I did? I know I do.

Author's Note: Yo! So, big news guys…I broke 500 reviews! Yaaay! You guys rock! And the awesome bastard that broke said review mark? A guest of course. And the review itself? "Awesome." That was it. Perfect right? Now, time to answer some questions. Aetemus, you believe that using something as powerful as an Infinity Stone should not have so straightforward, which I can totally see your point. But, from what I've seen of villains using the Stones, such as Ronan or Loki, they don't seem to have much trouble using the Stone's power right away. It seems to me the requirements needed to use them is that you need to be a powerful being or channel your power through some kind of item or weapon. So, I don't think it's too farfetched for Naruto to be able to use a Stone in his strongest form. That, and I don't believe that any of the villains or Naruto himself have even scratched the surface of what the Stones can do, with them just using their simplest abilities. Mfmxxx asked if Naruto will be involved in any way with Iron Man 3, Thor: Dark World, or Captain America: Winter Soldier. The answer is a solid no. The Sagas that I listed at the end of the last chapter should've told you that, with most of them taking place off Earth. Now, some of you may be like, "Why do you hate those movies Pibb," and let me tell you now that I don't. Winter Soldier was my favorite MCU movie until Guardians came out a couple months later, and Iron Man 3 and Thor 2, are not my least favorite, cough Thor and Iron Man 2, I just didn't feel that Naruto really needed to be involved in them at all. That's pretty much it. Whelp…that's it I guess.

-x-

Chapter Eleven: Thanks for the Memories

-x-

"Do you know why you are in trouble today…Naruto?"

Naruto, at the tender age of 8, turned his head away from the Third Hokage, the young boy sitting down in front of the elder's desk, his arms folded across his chest defiantly. His eyes squinted shut and his mouth in a wide pout he said, "I don't know old man, why am I here?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed in exasperation, "I've brought you here Naruto, because of the little stunt you pulled this morning. Surely you know what I'm talking about."

"Hmph," Naruto grunted, turning away even further, "That bastard Kibito deserved it!"

"Naruto…language." Hiruzen huffed out.

If possible, Naruto's pout got even bigger, "You act like I care if I curse or not, it's not I have any parents to punish me if I do."

Hiruzen looked at Naruto for several second, seeing the slight break in the blonde's façade, seeing the just how vulnerable the little boy truly was, "Why did you punch Kibito, Naruto?" He asked.

"Because he has a big mouth," Naruto answered, "And I just wanted to see if my fist could fit in it." He finished, looking at Hiruzen with a wide grin on his face.

"What did he say to make you want to punch the boy?" Hiruzen asked.

"I told you, he had a big-"

"Naruto," Hiruzen said firmly, "Please…tell me why you punched that boy."

Naruto hesitated for a moment, seemingly struggling over the prospect of answering, before he eventually exploded, "He called me…he called me a monster…okay?!"

"…what?" Hiruzen asked in shock.

Naruto looked away once again, this time a look of shame on his face, "He said that his dad told him…that the reason I'm alone, the reason I have no friends…or no family, is because I'm a monster."

"…I see."

Naruto and Hiruzen sat in the office, the two of them entering an awkward silence.

-x-

The five Hokage. Their faces emblazoned across the mountain top overlooking the Village Hidden in the Leaves, permanently keeping watch over the village they each loved dearly. Looking up at the third face on the mountain side, Naruto couldn't help but smile fondly at the man who he considered family. Turning around, Naruto found himself looking at the village he had yearned for for so long. The village seemed to have been frozen in time, appearing to not have changed since the day he left it for Killer Bee's training. His eyebrows furrowed together, he looked at the massive tree roots that were woven around the village.

Jumping up to the branches, Naruto channeled chakra to his feet as he dashed to their underside, heading towards the cocoons that held the citizens of Konoha. It was as he got closer that he saw something strange. Each and every one of the cocoons…were empty.

"What the hell?" Naruto asked. Quickly ceasing all motion, the blonde Shinobi quickly entered Sage Mode. Expanding his senses, Naruto searched the entire village for any life forms, only to come up empty, "Where the hell have they gone?" Naruto asked himself as he jumped down to the streets below. Dropping down into a meditative stance, his chin resting on his fist, Naruto began to think, "What the hell is going on?"

"Do you think it's at all possible that your team succeeded in defeating Kaguya, or at the very least got away from her and freed the people from their cocoons?" Kurama asked.

Naruto shook his head, "Maybe…" Looking around, the Sage couldn't help but take more notice of the city around him. The buildings were…decayed. Rust and foliage had begun to form and spread around, with several of the buildings having begun to fall apart. It was then that we noticed something else…it was quiet. Not just a lack of people, but a lack of…anything. No birds singing, no squirrels rustling through the trees, nothing.

Getting up from the ground, Naruto formed his hand into a cross hand seal, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" The entire block was soon filled with Naruto's with the original shouting out, "Search as many villages as you can, big or small, and see if you can find any survivors! Human, animal, anything!" His orders given out, the hoard of clones dispersed to do as their creator commanded.

A thought suddenly entered his head before he brought his hand up to his mouth. Biting his thumb, the Sage drew blood before swiping it across his palm. Flipping through a set of hand seals, Naruto shouted out, "Summoning Jutsu!"

"…nothing happened."

"Don't you think I know that?" Naruto asked agitatedly, rubbing his hands through his hair in aggravation.

"Maybe you should go to the last place you were on this planet?" Kurama suggested, "Find some clues or whatever."

Naruto nodded, channeling his Magnet Release and flying off into the direction of the Great Ninja War battlefield in the Land of Lightning.

-x-

Hovering over the area that was once called the Land of Lightning, Naruto looked in horror at the sight before him. The country was now a massive crater, lava boiling and spewing out over the surface, molten rock gleaming in the sun light, towers of ice stalagmites blasting outwards towards the sky, and in the center of it all, was the massive structure that was the God Tree. The bodies of hundreds of thousands of White Zetsus were littered all across the area, each and every one of them torn to shreds and obliterated. As he hovered, the memories of the clones he sent out to do recon invaded his mind sporadically, showing him that each village was no better off than Konoha, each and every one a ghost town.

"What…what happened here?!" Naruto asked. The carnage that he saw below him couldn't have happened long ago, there's no way. Descending to the ground below, Naruto found a safe place to land as he inspected one of the White Zetsu splayed out before him.

"It was the battle…to end all battles."

Turning sharply, Naruto came face to face with the catalyst to everything that had happened in the Ninja World, Black Zetsu, third "son" of Kaguya. Emerging from the molten rock beneath him, Black Zetsu swayed halfway out of the ground, it's black humanoid form hunched over and its olive-green eyes stared at Naruto in boredom. Coming out fully, Zetsu was forced to jump to the side to keep Naruto's Kurama Cloak fist from driving into his face.

"What happened here!?" Naruto shouted out, following after the back peddling Zetsu, "Tell me what you did!"

"Me?" Zetsu asked, "This was not my work."

Catching up to Zetsu, Naruto drove his knee into his stomach before bringing his fist down on the creature's temple with the force of god. Grabbing him by the neck, Naruto lifted him off the ground, "Then whose?" Naruto demanded.

Zetsu didn't seemed to be bothered by Naruto trying to close his windpipe, not even trying to pry the blonde off of him, "Why do you think Kaguya was so desperate to activate the Nativity of a World of Trees? It wasn't to bring 'peace' or anything as trivial as that. It was so that she would have an army at her side when they came."

"Who, when who came?!" Naruto demanded.

"Kaguya isn't the only of her kind…there were two others. Two others who have eaten a God Fruit of their own, and have gained the ultimate power said Fruits hold. Unlike Kaguya however, they were not satisfied with a single Fruit. After draining the Fruit and Tree of all their chakra, the two of them would go to the next world, and the next, and the next. Kaguya knew that they would come eventually and that she would need an army to defend against them. Hence, the Infinite Tsukuyomi and the Nativity of a World of Trees." Zetsu explained. Sweeping his arm across the battlefield, he continued, "This…this is what happens when gods squabble. Destruction."

"…what happened to Kaguya…to the others. To my friends?"

"They killed each other. The others, Momoshiki and Kinshiki, killed off the army Kaguya formed with ease, and it was not long before the three titans ripped this country apart. And that was before Kaguya took them to her dimensions, similar to what she did with you and your friends. The fight lasted for years…decades, with Momoshiki killing Kinshiki and taking his chakra to become even more powerful. Eventually, Momoshiki finally managed to absorb the last of Kaguya's chakra, what little there was left, killing her." Almost as an afterthought, he continued, "Her chakra, along with the chakra of the rest of the Biju."

"Kaguya…is dead?" Naruto asked, stunned by the news, "What about this…Momoshiki?"

"I killed him in his weakened state." Zetsu said, "It was rather easy, the man's chakra was at practically zero, and after he came here to absorb the chakra within the God Tree, I took advantage of him having his guard down." The creature had a defeated look on his face, "It was the least I could do…for taking away my purpose."

"Your purpose?" Naruto asked, "Your purpose?!" Slamming Zetsu's body down with all his might, the ground exploding outward forming a crater around the all black creature, "What about everybody else's purpose? Every man, woman, child that you killed, the countless innocent lives you've snuffed out, all for the sake of making sure some people don't take that monster of a woman's chakra! There's nothing left!" Naruto began to bring his fists down on Zetsu's head, the black chakra that made up his body splattering around his closed hands, covering his hands in the black liquid, "Iruka! Sakura! Sasuke! Kakashi! Hinato! Kiba! Shino! Tsunade! Shikamaru! Ino! Choji! Kurenai! Konohamaru! Shizune! Killer Bee! Gaara! Kankuro! Temari! Shukaku! Matatabi! Isobu! Son Goku! Kokou! Saiken! Chomei! Gyuki! EVERYONE! ALL GONE!" Each name he brought his fist down on Zetsu's face, the creature reforming after each strike, "I HATE YOU!" Naruto brought his fist down a final time, with all his might, his hand driving through Zetsu's head into the ground below, shattering both the earth and his fist on contact.

-x-

"Naruto…" Hiruzen said softly.

Naruto looked at the elder, a look of defiance in his eye as he spoke, "You better not pity me old man, you hear me?!"

"Do you think I pity you, Naruto?" Sarutobi asked.

Naruto scoffed, "I don't know." Looking Hiruzen in the eye he continued, "But I've gone my whole life without the pity of others, and I don't need any of it now, believe it!"

-x-

Getting off of Zetsu, Naruto huffed as he tried to catch his breath, sitting down next to the still laying down monster. Eventually, Zetsu's head reformed fully, with the creature slowly getting up from the ground, the two of them sitting quietly next to each other.

"Your friends…they died quick deaths. The Uchiha put up quite the fight…but not even he could match her might. Hatake and the pink one fell soon after."

"Do you really think…that that's going to make me feel any better?" Naruto asked as he slowly made to stand up.

"No…just thought you'd like to know they died honorable deaths. The least I could do for the man that will be ending my miserable existence."

The two of them stood there for several minutes before Naruto spoke, "…and what about the toad summons? Or the rest of the summon animals for that matter?"

"Dead as well. No living thing on this planet survived Kaguya's technique, every last thing was turned into a White Zetsu."

"Gamakichi…Grandpa and Grandma Toad…Gamabunta, all gone." Looking over at the tree looming over him, Naruto felt an overwhelming need to destroy something, "AUGH!" Naruto screamed out, forming a massive Tailed Beast Ball in his hand before firing it off, the beam of pure chakra rocketing towards the God Tree.

BOOM!

-x-

"I do not pity you, Naruto." Hiruzen reassured.

Naruto nodded, "Good." After that declaration, the blonde child seemed to mentally withdraw into himself, growing unusually silent.

The two stayed in that silence for a long time, Hiruzen starring down at the boy in his care as he spoke around his pipe, "Naruto…you know that that Kibito boy is wrong, don't you?"

"…then why?" Naruto asked.

"Hmm?" Hiruzen asked.

"Why does everyone…hate me so much?" Naruto asked, his voice near desperation in his need to know why.

With a sigh, Hiruzen leaned back in his chair, "People hate what they do not understand Naruto…and you Naruto are someone they do not understand."

"But why?!" Naruto asked, "What's so hard to understand about me?!"

"…" A flash of sadness spread through Hiruzen's eyes for only a moment, only to disappear as fast as it came, "That is something that not even I can answer."

"I hate them."

Hiruzen, startled by Naruto's remark, said, "What?"

Naruto got up from his seat, throwing his arm out as he yelled, "I hate them! The villagers, Kimito, his dad, everybody!" Now right in front of the Hokage's desk, Naruto slammed his hands on the top of it, "All they do is ignore me, pretend like I don't exist, treat me like I'm a monster! I hate them!"

Hiruzen looked at Naruto for a long moment, "Is that how you plan on living your life, hating them just for the sake of hating, even though it is only a minority of them that truly see you as this 'monster?'" Leaning forward, he continued, "Would that make you no better than the people that call you a monster?"

Naruto looked at Hiruzen in surprise, stepping back from the desk, "But…but," Balling his fingers up into tight fists, he continued, "But…"

"Would you like to hear something my sensei once told me, Naruto?"

Looking up at Hiruzen in surprise, Naruto asked, "Your…sensei?"

Sarutobi nodded, "Yes, my sensei, the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. A very wise man who, on my first day under his tutelage, told me, 'It doesn't matter what you do, you may live or die as you like. However, no matter what road you may end up taking, remember to always protect the people that are precious to you."

"Precious…people?" Naruto asked.

Hiruzen nodded, "Yes, people who you love with all your being, people that you live and die for."

"But…what if I don't…what if I don't' have any precious people?"

The Third Hokage gave a small chuckle, "Am I not precious to you, Naruto?"

"What?" Naruto asked.

"What of your friends at school, or Iruka-sensei, or the Ichiraku family? Are they not all precious to you?"

The images of Choji, Shikamaru, Iruka, old man Ichiraku and Ayame popped up in Naruto's mind. A small smile spread across Naruto's face, "Yeah…they are precious to me."

"Good."

-x-

"How long…has it been, since my battle with Kaguya?" Naruto asked, remembering that Zetsu had said that the battle between the Otsutsuki had taken decades.

"...76 years."

"That…long?" Naruto asked, nearly dropping to his knees in shock over hearing how long he'd been gone, "I've been gone for 76 years?"

Zetsu nodded, "For nearly five decades I have waited for something to come along. An anomaly I hadn't foreseen. Something that could finally bring an end to the era of the Otsutsuki." Turning to face Naruto, Zetsu's face scrunched in a look of agitation, "So…what are waiting for?! End it! Kill me!"

"Naruto…"

"…because of you, this has happened." Naruto said slowly. Looking around, he smiled sadly, "Every war or conflict. My mom and dad. The Biju and their Jinchuriki. Madara, Obito, Itachi, hell the whole Uchiha Clan. So many lives lost. Because of you." Raising his hand out, the blonde enveloped himself in the Six Paths Sage Mode, a Tailed Beast Bomb. As the ball made of pure chakra grew in power, three identical but much smaller spheres appeared around it, orbiting around the original Tailed Beast Ball.

"Planetary Tailed Beast Ball."

The firing of the attack from Naruto's palm sent a sonic boom, the ground beneath the blonde shattering outwards, forming a crater beneath him. Being at such close range to Zetsu, it only took a second for the attack to reach him, before a flash of white spread through the area.

-x-

"Naruto, get over here!"

"Yeah, yeah Sakura, I'm coming!" Running over to the pink haired girl, Naruto came to a stop just a few yards away, stuffing his hands in his tracksuit pockets, "It's not like Kakashi's gonna show up soon anyway, we've got like another hour before he'll be here."

"That's not the point Naruto." Sakura said with a sigh.

"Hmph." Naruto said squinting his eyes as he did, folding his arms across his chest, "Whatever, what're you in such a hurry for then?"

"Here." Sakura said, pushing something out in front of the blonde, "Happy Birthday, Naruto."

"You…you got me a birthday present?" Naruto asked in shock, gently grabbing the gift from the girl's hands.

"Yeah well, Sasuke and I did. We heard your birthday was today from that Ichiraku family." Sakura said, a gentle smile on her face.

"You," Naruto said, "And Sasuke?" He asked, looking over at the Uchiha, the boy resting against a nearby training post, facing away from the duo.

Looking over, Sasuke looked Naruto in the eye for a second before scoffing, "Hn, just open it loser."

"Right…right!" Naruto said excitedly. Tearing through the wrapping paper, Naruto revealed a box underneath. Throwing the lid off, Naruto pulled the object out of the box.

"A…a wallet pouch?" Naruto asked confused. The blonde remained quiet as he looked down at the frog shaped wallet in his hand.

"Do…do you not like it?" Sakura asked worriedly.

"No…" Naruto said, his voice a strange low. Quickly wiping his eyes so that the two of them didn't see the tears that had begun to build, Naruto looked up, a wide grin on his face, "I love it!"

-x-

Minato Namikaze.

Kushina Uzumaki.

Obito Uchiha.

As Naruto read threw the names of the Shinobi listed on the Konohagakure Memorial Stone, he quickly found the names of his mother and father, and the man that killed them. Kneeling next to the stone, Naruto ran his hand over the dusty marble, showing more and more names as he cleared off the stone's surface. Forming two Truth-Seeking Balls in his hands, one forming into a stylus like shape, and the other as a simple blunt object.

Clink

Clink

Clink

-x-

"Yo, Naruto!"

Turning his head, Naruto looked over to see his Jonin Sensei, Kakashi Hatake, crouching in his open window sill. Giving a single fingered solute, the cyclops looked at the blonde with his usual lazy demeanor.

"Kakashi-sensei, what're you doing here?" Naruto asked, the boy having just put on his blue pajamas as he was preparing for bed.

"Well," Kakashi drawled out, "I heard the other two gave you a birthday present, so I figured I'd do the same. What kind of sensei would I be otherwise?" He said, giving one of his iconic eye smiles at the end. Pulling out a small gift wrapped package, the silver haired ninja threw the gift at the blonde.