Somewhere Between Worlds — Time Suspended
It was no longer a place.
It was no longer a moment.
It was… the void.
Naruto floated in a matrix of light and shadows, unable to feel his body, unable to think clearly.
Everything spun.
Everything burned.
But not like fire.
Like a memory being forcibly erased.
Like skin being torn away, slowly.
He wanted to scream, but he no longer had a mouth.
He wanted to cry, but he had no tears left.
He was a suspended spirit—torn from his land, his world, his past.
And in that nothingness, a voice emerged.
Vast. Ancient. Terribly familiar.
— "Naruto."
Kurama.
But not whole.
A fractured version of him. A shard of consciousness. A remnant.
— "You're in the transfer zone. Between what you were… and what you could become."
Naruto fought the sensation of falling. He tried to anchor himself in that voice.
— "Is this… the system? This horror?"
— "No. The system chose you to survive. This horror is what your soul endures when it's torn from a world it still carried."
Shattered images flashed before him.
His childhood. The Academy. The loneliness.
Then… Jiraiya. Kakashi. Sakura. Hinata.
Their laughter. Their cries. Their deaths.
— "No… no!"
He tried to hold on. To grab them.
But his arms no longer existed.
His memories… were fading.
And he understood.
The system wasn't taking everything.
It was tearing him away from what could keep him from moving forward.
— "It's not fair! I want to remember! I want to see them again!"
Kurama sighed.
— "You will. Not like before. Not in the flesh. But in the reflections of your heart."
Naruto struggled.
But the light grew heavier. The void thickened.
He felt his memories freeze.
Hinata's laugh…
Minato's smile…
Kushina's tears…
Sasuke's gaze…
All turning to statues.
Frozen.
And then… another image appeared.
---
A silhouette in black. A woman. Standing tall, facing the enemy. Alone. Unyielding.
Her red hair flowed like fire beneath the moonlight.
Her eyes… saw him.
Even here.
Even across worlds.
Natasha.
---
And everything changed.
The void receded.
The wind returned.
Kurama growled in surprise.
— "You've anchored yourself to a new star."
Naruto gasped—his mind fractured, but unbroken.
— "I want… to live. But not just to survive. To choose."
The system activated once more.
> Mental anchor detected
New emotional bond: active
Intent fusion: validated
Arrival destination recalibrated…
> Destination: Stark Tower — Rooftop
Kurama exhaled softly, proud.
— "Then go, Naruto. And remember: everything you were… doesn't disappear. You carry it with you. You are the heir to your own past."
One last light appeared.
White. Vast. Absolute.
Naruto was no longer afraid.
He closed his eyes.
And let himself fall into the light.