'Haaah… another day with those stupid missions,' Naruto, age eleven, muttered while lying flat on his bed.
The thin mattress creaked softly beneath him as he shifted his weight. Moonlight slipped through the cracked window, falling across his iconic blond hair that spread messily against the pillow. His blue eyes, lit with lingering frustration, stared at the ceiling above him.
The wooden planks looked old, darkened with age, with faint cracks running across them like scars that time refused to heal.
The room was quiet—too quiet.
Outside, distant footsteps of shinobi echoed faintly through the village streets, mixed with the low rustle of trees swaying in the night wind. Naruto clenched his fists lightly against his chest, his brows knitting together.
No matter how hard he tried, no matter how loud he laughed during the day, nights always felt heavier.
Slowly, his breathing evened out. The tension in his shoulders loosened, and his eyes fluttered shut. The quiet darkness pulled him in, his thoughts fading as sleep finally claimed him.
'Wang…' A strange sound echoed.
Naruto slept on for the outside world, but somewhere deep within, his consciousness stirred. His eyes opened—not to the familiar wooden ceiling, but to an endless grass field stretching far beyond his vision.
Cool wind brushed against his cheeks, carrying the scent of earth and something unfamiliar. He pushed himself up from the ground, blinking in confusion. Behind him stood a small house-like structure, simple in design, yet oddly out of place in the vast openness surrounding it.
"Eh…?"
Before he could fully process where he was, a flash of light burst in front of him.
Another figure appeared.
Naruto stiffened, instinctively stepping back. The girl standing before him was unlike anyone he had seen before. Her presence was calm yet sharp, like a blade resting quietly in its sheath.
Large eyes of deep, dark purple observed him with amusement, framed by long lashes. Red lipstick contrasted gently against her pale complexion, and a katana hung at her waist, secured neatly as if it were an extension of her body.
Her yukata fluttered softly in the breeze, patterned in a way that reminded Naruto of butterfly wings caught mid-flight.
"Oh, we have a new kid joining us today," she said, her voice smooth and light.
Naruto could only stare.
'Beautiful,' he thought, his face heating slightly without him realising it. Another flash followed. Then another.
Figures appeared one after another, each arrival accompanied by a subtle ripple in the air. Naruto turned in place, overwhelmed, his heart pounding loudly in his ears.
"Eh, look at that. We really do have a new member."
The one who spoke had light blue hair and an unassuming smile. His presence felt strangely calming, yet something about him made Naruto instinctively straighten his back.
Rimuru paused when his gaze landed on the blond boy.
"Naruto…" he said slowly, a hint of disbelief in his voice.
Naruto's head snapped toward him.
"Eh! Do you know me?" he asked, eyes wide with genuine surprise.
Rimuru blinked once. Then again.
His mouth twitched slightly as thoughts raced through his mind. Reincarnation had already been part of his existence once. If that was possible, then the existence of other worlds—anime worlds, even—wasn't that far-fetched.
"Now that is very interesting," he mused quietly, studying the boy more closely. Naruto, however, had already forgotten the strange setting he was in.
"Hey, brother," he said, stepping closer without hesitation. "How do you know my name?" The casual tone, the lack of fear—it caught Rimuru off guard.
"My name is Rimuru, Naruto-kun," he replied after a moment. "And although I don't look like it, I am an adult."
He extended his hand calmly.
Naruto hesitated, eyes flicking from the hand to Rimuru's face. Then, with a small nod, he reached out and shook it.
"I am Uzumaki Naruto!" he declared loudly. "The future Hokage!"
His voice rang across the field, filled with unwavering confidence.
The warmth of his declaration spread through the space like a ripple. Even Rimuru felt it—raw, unpolished determination that refused to be extinguished. "Hehe~ he's really cute."
The soft laughter came from the pink-haired girl standing nearby. Shuna smiled gently, her eyes filled with warmth as she observed Naruto. There was something honest about him—something refreshing.
Naruto turned toward her.
Her hair reminded him faintly of Sakura's, but she felt different. The small horn on her head and her composed posture made her clearly not human, yet none of that mattered to him. She looked kind.
'They all are nice,' Naruto thought.
"Hehe~ what are you thinking, little boy?" A gentle arm wrapped around him from behind, followed by a light pat on his head. Naruto stiffened for half a second before relaxing instinctively. The touch was warm—comforting in a way he wasn't used to.
Kocho smiled down at him.
With a faint blush spreading across his cheeks, Naruto scratched the back of his head. "I think both of the big sisters are kind and beautiful too," he said, grinning wide despite his embarrassment.
"Eh!"
Shuna and Kocho exchanged looks before laughing softly, not finding his words strange or awkward in the slightest.
"Is that so?" Kocho said warmly. "That's very nice of you, Naruto."
Surrounded by smiles, Naruto felt something unfamiliar bloom in his chest.
It felt… good.
"Naruto."
Rimuru's voice cut through gently.
Naruto turned serious at once.
"I might have something you need."
Before Naruto could ask what he meant, a strange voice echoed inside his head. Information poured in—images, words, and concepts that barely made sense at first. Multiverse Chat Group.
A gathering of beings from different worlds. Individuals so strong they rivalled—or surpassed—Hokage-level shinobi. Heroes, monsters, rulers, warriors.
Naruto's eyes widened, his breath catching.
His heart started pounding—not with fear, but excitement.
"Are you really that strong, Rimuru-san? As strong as Hokage?" he asked suddenly, eyes shining.
Rimuru paused, blinking at the boy's unfiltered curiosity. After a moment, he smiled faintly.
Considering his power level…
"Maybe," he replied.
[Naruto talked with them for what felt like hours.
Laughter echoed through the open grass field, mixing with the gentle wind that brushed past his ears. It was strange—no one here looked at him with disgust, suspicion, or forced smiles. They listened. They reacted. They treated him like he mattered.
For the first time, Naruto felt genuinely happy.
But that happiness did not last untouched.
Slowly, he began to realize something unsettling.
They knew things.
Things they should not know.
Images appeared in the air like moving paintings—art that breathed, moved, and spoke. Naruto stood frozen as he watched himself stealing the Scroll of Seals and fighting Mizuki under the moonlit forest. He saw himself struggling against Kakashi, falling for tricks, and standing back up again with grit clenched in his teeth.
His chest tightened.
Then came the Land of Waves. Zabuza. The thick mist. The sound of steel cutting through the air. And then—Haku.
Naruto's breath hitched as he saw the boy with gentle eyes step in front of Kakashi's lightning. The moment replayed itself again and again, slow and unforgiving. Though it was only an image, the feelings crashed into him as if they were real.
No—they were real.
He could feel it.
The helplessness.
The rage.
The despair of being too weak.
'That's… me,' Naruto realised, his hands trembling.
It felt like he was standing inside his future self, sharing the same heart, the same frustration. His nails dug into his palms.
If Rimuru were there, Naruto was sure of it—Haku would have lived. Even Zabuza could have been saved. No… even old Gramps Hokage could have changed things. He had done it before.
These were the same emotions Naruto would one day feel while standing before Haku's grave.
The regret burnt deeply.
Shuna and Kocho watched silently.
They saw the loneliness. The unfairness. The cruelty placed on a child's shoulders.
Anyone would feel angry watching this.
But the rules of the group restrained them. The future could not be revealed recklessly, not here, not in front of Naruto. Knowing too much too early could shatter the path itself.
Rimuru understood this better than anyone. Still… some truths could not be denied. He quietly took permission from it. He knew that if anything. Naruto has the right to know about his parents.
And the scene changed.
Naruto's breath stopped. He watched it very silently, his bigger self fighting someone very strong, and then that red energy of the ninetail turned him into something beyond recognisable, making him shiver in fear. When he was about to give in. He saw it.
A familiar face appeared.
Blond hair. Calm eyes. A cloak that carried authority and warmth.
The Fourth Hokage.
Naruto's idol. His future self stood there, listening as the man spoke words that shattered Naruto's world. "I am your father."
The sound around him faded.
Naruto's vision blurred as tears welled up and spilt freely down his cheeks. At first, he wanted to say something. He wanted to shout in anger at the fact that they kept this from him.
But then he heard it.
His belief.
His father believed in him.
Believed that Naruto was the only one who could save the world.
His chest trembled violently as he clenched his fists. Slowly, he wiped his tears away with his sleeve, his jaw tightening. 'No… I can't cry,' he told himself. 'Not now.' He had to live up to those words.
And the happiness that he knew his father was the Fourth Hokage. And he trusted in him that much; he believed that he could become one. Stronger than him.
A gentle warmth wrapped around him.
Shuna had moved behind him, her arms enclosing him in a soft embrace. Naruto stiffened for a moment, then relaxed, leaning slightly into it.
"You are strong, Naruto," she said quietly. "So believe in yourself. And train." She did not know the perfect words—but she saw the strength he was forcing himself to show.
"That's right, kid." A loud, confident voice rang out.
Naruto turned to see a man with wild blond-orange hair and a blazing grin. His presence was overwhelming, like a roaring flame that refused to be extinguished. Naruto smiled; it was not that long ago they all came in. Especially Rengoku; he was really a warm personality.
"With a kind heart," Rengoku continued, laughing proudly, "you can become stronger."
He crossed his arms. "How about it, guys? I'll transfer him my swordsmanship. I think it'll suit him perfectly."
Naruto blinked, stunned. "Eh…?"
Before he could process it, Rimuru waved his hand, and another image appeared—Rengoku fighting atop a moving train. Every strike burnt with purpose. Every step was unwavering.
Naruto's heart pounded.
'Is… is that really him?'
"No," another calm voice interrupted. "Mist form suits the shinobi image better."
Tokito spoke gently, his expression serene yet distant. Naruto felt it immediately—this man was strong. Quietly strong.
"Tokito-kun is really kind…" Naruto muttered without realising it. At first he found him quite weird, but later, opening up, Naruto realised that he talked less but was truly kind.
"Nope," Tanjiro said cheerfully, stepping forward. "Sun style fits him best."
They laughed lightly among themselves. Zenitsu smiled from the side, saying nothing. Naruto noticed something strange—some of them felt… faded. As if time had already taken them once.
Then Rimuru spoke.
"Why not give him all of it?"
The group fell silent.
"We have to gift him something anyway," Rimuru continued calmly. "And Naruto must give one skill of his in return. It's one of our founding rules." The silence broke with agreement. A voice echoed through the space.
[Gift Ceremony Commencing.]
Naruto stood frozen.
"Huh…?" Before he could ask anything, streams of information flooded his mind. Movements. Breathing. Footwork. Intent. Power.