The world they found themselves in was nothing like the normal universe. Even though the planet had been stored away, leaving them stranded in what should have been the vacuum of space, they were not floating. Instead, they were submerged in a vast, endless ocean known as the Shadowsea. The water was thick and heavy, pressing against their bodies like a living entity, suppressing their senses and restricting their movements. Even breathing felt unnatural, as if the very air had been replaced by something dense and suffocating.
Naruto adjusted his stance, feeling the weight of the Shadowsea slow his every motion. His golden eyes flickered as he glanced at his teammates. Kakashi hovered nearby, his Sharingan dull as though its power was being restrained by the oppressive environment. Sakura clenched her fists, her chakra struggling to flow properly in this strange realm.
"This place is insane…" she muttered, her voice carrying strangely through the water-like abyss. "We should be floating, not swimming."
Kakashi remained composed despite the discomfort. "This world doesn't follow the rules of the universe we know. We have to adapt."
Naruto exhaled sharply, bubbles rising in slow spirals around him. "Sector 50…" he murmured, glancing at a glowing marker in the distance. "We need to reach Sector 72."
The sheer distance between the two points was staggering. Even at light speed, the journey would take thousands of years. Time they simply didn't have.
Sakura frowned. "Even if we push ourselves to our limits, we'll never make it in time. We need a shortcut."
Kakashi nodded. "A teleportation point. If we can find a stable one, we might be able to bypass most of the journey."
Naruto's eyes flickered with determination. "Then let's find it. We don't have time to waste."
The trio pushed forward, forcing themselves through the dense abyss of the Shadowsea. Strange, bioluminescent creatures drifted in the distance, their glowing tendrils vanishing into the void. The deeper they went, the darker and more oppressive the ocean became.
Something was watching them.
They weren't alone.
The Shadowsea was an abyss unlike anything found in a normal universe. It was an endless ocean of darkness, where light was a foreign concept, and time itself flowed in strange currents. Even the laws of reality seemed fragile here, bending and shifting like the tides. Within this void, countless behemoths lurked—eldritch horrors so vast and ancient that they made even mountains seem insignificant.
Yet, despite the overwhelming presence of these creatures, a colossal warrior of light moved through the abyss.
Naruto's Kurama Avatar, cloaked in ethereal Susanoo armor, radiated a divine brilliance in this forsaken place. The avatar stood 100 meters tall, a titan of power, forged from the combined might of Naruto's RinneSharingan. Within its protective shell, Kakashi and Sakura stood at his side, their gazes fixed ahead as they ventured into the unknown.
Their mission was clear: Find a civilization capable of helping them return home.
Their journey was not without peril.
Towering leviathans, beings that defied mortal comprehension, slithered and loomed in the endless dark. Some resembled monstrous cephalopods with tentacles large enough to ensnare entire planets. Others had skulls split open like blooming flowers, revealing endless maws filled with void-black teeth that dripped with corrosive shadows.
These creatures dwarfed even the mighty Kurama Avatar, reducing it to nothing more than a speck of dust against their immeasurable size.
And yet, Naruto did not waver.
Whenever these horrors of the deep turned their eyes upon them—gleaming with an insatiable hunger, their very presence threatening to smother all hope—Naruto unleashed his Immortal Aura.
Naruto's Immortal Aura that he learned from Hades was more than mere killing intent. It was the raw pressure of his existence, a force so absolute that it made reality itself tremble. As he released it, the darkness of the Shadowsea seemed to recoil.
The effects were immediate:
The massive creatures froze, their gargantuan bodies quivering. Their predatory hunger was replaced with a primal terror—a fear they had never known before.
Their senses started shutting down. The larger the creature, the more devastating the effect. The flow of time around them distorted, and the very concept of perception was stripped away from their minds.
The few creatures that attempted to resist found themselves experiencing something horrifying: They became aware of Naruto's eternity. They saw a being who could not be erased, who would never die, and whose existence was so absolute that it overpowered even their endless years.
One by one, the monsters of the deep withdrew, slinking back into the abyss as if they had never been there. Even the most ferocious among them refused to test Naruto's might any further.
Inside the Avatar, Sakura and Kakashi watched in silent awe.
"They're running…" Sakura whispered, gripping the edge of the Avatar's armor. "These creatures could destroy planets just by existing, yet they're running from Naruto."
Kakashi, ever the tactician, analyzed the situation. "No… They're not running. They're fleeing for their lives."
The Weight of Power and the Distance Yet to Go
The Kurama Avatar, wreathed in ethereal Susanoo armor, pressed onward through the Shadowsea, cutting through the abyss with unwavering resolve. The darkness ahead seemed endless, stretching infinitely in all directions. Even with Naruto's overwhelming presence, the sheer vastness of their journey weighed heavily on Sakura and Kakashi.
No matter how they looked at it, Naruto had surpassed them all.
Once, he had been their student, their comrade—someone they had fought beside, protected, and even scolded when his recklessness got the better of him. But now? Now, he was something beyond human. He had gone through the Ōtsutsuki transformation, embracing a destiny of immortalhood. His Immortal Aura alone could send creatures large enough to swallow planets into a state of pure terror.
Even in their current predicament, Naruto was carrying them.
Sakura had always known that Naruto's strength was immeasurable, but witnessing it firsthand in this place, where monsters of myth slithered and loomed, where even the concept of time twisted and bent—she finally grasped just how far beyond reach he had gone.
And she hated it.
Not because she resented him—far from it.
She loved him.
There was no more hesitation in her heart. She had finally accepted that she loved Naruto, that their bond had deepened beyond friendship, beyond mere admiration. But love alone wasn't enough. No matter how much she had trained, no matter how much power she had gained, she was still stuck in limbo.
Hinata and Ino… they had advantages she lacked. Hinata had inherited the Will of Hamura, evolving beyond her clan's legacy. Ino, with her spiritual prowess, had grown in ways Sakura simply couldn't replicate. And Naruto? He had ascended into something that felt untouchable.
What did she have?
Yes, she had grown. Yes, she had learned new techniques. But the distance between her and Naruto was still too great.
It wasn't just her.
Kakashi felt it too.
He was the vessel of the Leviathan, a gift—or curse—that had given him power beyond anything he had wielded before. But even with that, he was nothing in comparison to what they were up against.
Kakashi had always known that he was past his prime. He had long accepted that his era had ended. He had found peace in being a mentor, in guiding the next generation. But here, in the face of these cosmic horrors, he was reminded of a brutal truth—he was a passenger in this battle.
They both were.
Sakura clenched her fists, frustration and helplessness swirling in her heart. She loved Naruto, but she didn't want to be left behind. She didn't want to be protected while he fought alone. If she was going to stand beside him, if she was truly going to be his equal, then she needed something more.
As if sensing her emotions, Naruto spoke without turning his head.
"You're not weak," he said, his voice steady. "Neither of you."
Sakura's breath hitched.
Naruto always had this way of reading her heart.
"You're comparing yourself to me, aren't you?" he continued. "That's not fair to you."
Sakura looked down, feeling shame creep into her chest.
"You're both strong in your own right," Naruto said, his RinneSharingan glowing faintly. "And we're not done growing yet. We've still got a long way to go."
A long way to go.
Sakura exhaled, releasing the tightness in her chest.
Kakashi, too, let out a small breath.
Naruto wasn't looking down on them. He never had. He had always been like this—lifting people up, carrying them when they fell, reminding them of their own strength even when they doubted themselves.
Even now, after becoming something more than human, he was still Naruto.
And for now, that was enough.
For now.
But Sakura made a silent promise to herself.
She wouldn't stay behind forever.
Even if it took everything she had, she would close that gap. Because she wasn't just Naruto's lover.
She was his partner.
And she would not be left behind.
Naruto had always known that his ever-growing power placed a burden on those around him. It was a vicious cycle—one that he had been trapped in for as long as he could remember.
He wanted to protect his loved ones, so he had pursued power. But in doing so, he had left them behind, and they, too, sought power so they wouldn't become a burden to him. It was an unending loop—one fueled by love, determination, and the unshakable will to stand together.
As he watched Sakura and Kakashi, he could see that same struggle in their eyes.
Sakura had always wanted to stand beside him—not behind, not beneath, but beside him as an equal. She had trained tirelessly, fought with everything she had, and now, despite her overwhelming strength, she still felt the gap that separated them.
Kakashi, on the other hand, had once accepted his limitations. He had been at peace with the idea of stepping aside, of letting the next generation surpass him. But now, something had changed.
It was no longer about strength.
It was about atonement.
Kakashi had come to see Naruto not just as a former student, not just as his successor, but as family. Naruto was no longer just the reckless kid with big dreams—he was the future Emperor of Mankind, and Kakashi wanted to do whatever he could to help.
Even if that meant becoming more than human.
Naruto had been considering this for some time—helping them undergo the Ōtsutsuki transformation. Ever since he had awakened as an Ōtsutsuki, he had known that such a thing was possible. But he hadn't rushed into it. He had waited, thinking through the risks, considering the responsibilities that came with such power.
His ability to see fragments of the future had been sealed the moment they entered the Dark Dimension. Whatever fate lay ahead, it was hidden from him now. But Naruto had long since learned to be cautious, to prepare in advance.
And so, he had made up his mind.
They needed to evolve.
But it wouldn't be his decision alone. He would ask them first.
Naruto turned toward them, his expression firm yet gentle. The glow of his RinneSharingan softened as he met their gazes.
"There's a way for both of you to grow stronger," he said. "A way to keep up."
Sakura and Kakashi listened intently.
"I can guide you through the Ōtsutsuki transformation."
For a brief moment, there was silence.
Then, just as he expected, they agreed.
Sakura's decision was immediate.
She had wanted this from the beginning—to stand beside him, to fight alongside him, not just as a lover but as a true equal. There was no hesitation in her voice when she said:
"I want this, Naruto. I won't be left behind."
Kakashi's answer came a bit slower, but it was just as firm.
"If this were years ago… I wouldn't have cared," he admitted, his voice calm. "I would have accepted my limits and let the next generation take over."
His dark eyes met Naruto's, filled with a quiet determination.
"But I want to make amends," he continued. "I wasn't always the best teacher to you. I see that now."
Naruto's breath caught slightly.
Kakashi had never needed to say it—Naruto had never held anything against him. But hearing those words still meant something.
"You've become the protector of humanity, Naruto," Kakashi said. "And I'll do whatever I can to help you—as your brother, not just your teacher."
Naruto felt a warmth spread through his chest.
Kakashi had become more than a mentor to him.
He had become family.
Naruto nodded, his decision fully solidified.
"Then let's begin."