Kaien's wave of energy reached her. It wasn't a resurrection jutsu as known by the shinobi world—it was a cosmic impulse of Life and Death. The infinite energy began to rewrite death itself. The cells in Akari's body, long since inert remnants, were flooded with life force so pure and concentrated it defied comprehension. Her old wounds sealed shut, her tissues regenerated at blinding speed. Her heart, still for years, began to beat once more—weakly at first, then stronger and stronger—pumping this newfound vitality through her veins.
But the impulse didn't stop there. The power was too great, the emotional bond too intense. Kaien's desperate need to be reunited with his mother, to never lose her again, triggered a deep energetic fusion. The very essence of the dimension—the infinity that Kaien embodied—poured into her. This wasn't merely a resurrection; it was a transfusion of immortality. Akari didn't just return to life; she received the infinite longevity of Kaien's dimension, a portion of his very soul.
A muffled groan escaped from beneath the earth. Kaien, still in tears, his eyes unknowingly projecting beams of multicolored light, turned toward the sound. He saw the soil shift, the grass tear open—and then a pale, weak hand reached out.
"Mama?" His voice was a whisper of disbelief, his tears flowing anew—this time, tears of joy.
The hand searched blindly, and then his mother's face emerged, covered in dirt and thin roots. Her features were strained, but her eyes opened slowly. Deep blue eyes—Uzumaki eyes. They blinked in confusion, trying to comprehend where she was. Then her gaze fell on Kaien.
"K-Kaien...?" Her voice was hoarse, barely a breath. Recognition—and the pure love of a mother—banished the confusion.
Kaien rushed forward, clearing the earth and roots with impossible ease. He gently lifted her from the ground and held her tightly. He didn't notice the force he used or how he had moved tons of soil effortlessly. His mother was warm, alive—her heart beating.
Akari coughed, a puff of dirt escaping her lips. She touched Kaien's face, her fingers trembling. "My baby… you've grown…" Her eyes, still hazy, scanned his features. "Your hair… it's…" She ran her hand through his flaming red hair, now glinting with silver under the daylight that filtered through the canopy. "And your eyes… what are they…?"
She could feel the energy pulsing inside him—a boundless, pristine power. But she also felt that same energy deep within herself. It was different. Though her body had been restored, it now held a vitality far beyond that of a normal Uzumaki. She sensed an unbreakable bond with Kaien—an invisible thread woven from power and love. It was as though a part of him, a piece of the infinite being he had become, was now anchored inside her.
"How… how did you come back?" Akari asked, her voice still weak but filled with wonder and a hint of apprehension.
Kaien looked up, his eyes still sparkling. "It was the night everything was burning, Mama. There were loud noises, and lots of mean people." His memories of that night were hazy—flashes of fear and confusion. "I was hiding, and then… everything turned all colorful. I was in another place, Mama. Full of light." He tried to describe the indescribable with the words of a child. "I was all alone there, but I didn't get bored—I played with the lights. And when I came out… I looked for you, Mama. Everywhere. But I couldn't find you." His face darkened, the pain of loss returning. "And then… I wanted you to be here so, so bad. And now you are!" He pointed at Akari, the excitement of a toddler in his voice. He didn't understand the process—only the result.
Akari, a seasoned kunoichi and a true Uzumaki, had seen many strange things in her life. But this… this was beyond all of it. She placed a hand over Kaien's heart. She felt the monstrous energy vibrating inside him—an endless force, far beyond that of a Jinchuriki. And she realized, too, that the bond he had created—the impulse of life he had given her—was permanent. She would not age. She was bound to him, to the dimension he seemed to embody.
A deep gratitude and a growing fear bloomed inside her. Her son was a miracle—but a miracle on a terrifying scale. Though he appeared as a teenager, his mind was still that of the three-year-old boy she had lost. He hadn't developed emotionally in that isolated dimension, unaware of the complex concepts of the world, of death, of the vast power he held. How could she protect him—guide him—in a world that would never understand such power and such innocence? Uzushio was a natural sanctuary, but the outside world was dangerous.
"We need to leave this place, Kaien," Akari said, her voice now stronger, the Uzumaki determination rising in her. "It's not safe anymore, even if nature has hidden it." She looked around at the haunting beauty of what had once been her life. Infinite sadness washed over her—but it was eclipsed by the joy of having her son back.
Kaien nodded with an innocent smile. "Where are we going, Mama?"
Akari thought. Konoha—the village of her cousin Hashirama and her niece Kushina—was the only place that might offer safety and answers. But how could she explain Kaien's presence, and her own return from the dead, without sparking panic or greed? Her son wasn't just another shinobi—he was a force of nature, a master of existence, a being who surpassed anything the shinobi world had ever seen.
She placed her hand on her son's cheek, feeling the soft warmth of his skin. "We'll go where we'll be safe, my heart. Where we can learn. There's so much you need to understand about this world." And so much she herself needed to understand about him.
As she stood, Akari felt her long-dormant muscles awaken with a vigor she hadn't felt in decades. Her chakra was stronger, purer—resonating with Kaien's energy. She realized she was no longer the same Akari Uzumaki who had perished under Uzushio's ruins. She was now bound to the infinite—a reluctant guardian of a power that should have remained beyond mortal reach. She had become the mother of a god.
The sun was beginning to set, painting the sky in shades of purple—nearly as vibrant as Kaien's flaming red hair, now streaked with silver, and that of Akari. Their silhouettes stood tall against the lush landscape: two survivors of a tragedy, linked by a miracle that defied time and death. Kaien's journey in the world of the living was only beginning—and with it, a destiny that would redefine the balance of the shinobi world.