Silence…
That was all that existed.
No sound, no color, no sense of time.
Only an infinite void where Naruto Uzumaki's soul floated — without a body, without a destination.
His thoughts were the only thing keeping him conscious.
I was so close… so close to divinity.
He had defied the heavens, faced immortal saints, and lost everything in an instant.
For a moment, he believed that this void would be his eternity —
until a blinding light enveloped him.
It was so bright that it erased everything he could see, everything he was.
---
Konoha – Medical Wards
Sunlight filtered through the windows. White curtains swayed with the breeze, and the distant sound of birds filled the room.
Several beds were empty… except for one.
On it lay a boy, about twelve or thirteen years old, with messy blond hair and three whisker marks on each cheek.
Naruto slowly opened his eyes.
A white ceiling.
A warm, familiar feeling.
"Where… am I?" he muttered, rubbing his head. "Is this… purgatory? It looks much cleaner than I imagined…"
The door burst open. Two men wearing leaf-shaped headbands entered.
"Naruto! You're awake, thank goodness," said one of them — a man with a scar on his nose and a kind smile.
Naruto looked at him, confused. There was something familiar about his face… but he couldn't remember.
"Don't worry about Mitsuri," the man continued. "According to the Leaf Village's laws, he'll be imprisoned indefinitely."
Leaf Village…?
Naruto quickly stood up and looked out the window.
There they were — the faces carved into stone.
The Hokage Mountain.
"I'm back…" he whispered, his voice trembling. "I finally came back!"
He clenched his fists tightly, his eyes shining with suppressed emotion.
The ninjas looked at him, confused, thinking he had lost his mind.
Iruka, the man with the scar, gestured for them to let him rest.
Naruto lay back and stared at his reflection in a nearby mirror.
A child. Again.
"I'll have to get used to seeing myself young again," he laughed softly. "Haha…"
He raised his hand toward the ceiling, watching his fingers tremble.
"The heavens gave me another chance… I won't waste it."
He sat cross-legged, took a deep breath, and tried to contact his old companion.
"Kurama… can you hear me?"
Silence was his only answer.
The memory of his sacrifice pierced his chest.
"Kurama…" he whispered sadly. "So… you really fell asleep."
He closed his eyes and tried to sense the spiritual energy around him.
But soon, he frowned.
"The energy here… it's too thin. There's almost nothing to refine…"
He tried to circulate his energy, but only a thin thread of chakra moved within his body.
---
Four Days Later
Naruto was discharged from the hospital.
He walked through Konoha's streets, observing the houses, the trees, the children running around. Everything felt so familiar… yet so distant.
"My cultivation technique doesn't work here…" he murmured. "The spiritual energy is weak. I need another method."
When he arrived home and saw the mess, he sighed.
"I can't believe I lived like this…"
He sat on the floor and thought.
"I can't absorb the energy of this world, so… I'll have to strengthen my body directly. A body refinement technique… yes, that'll be my foundation until I find a way to absorb spiritual energy again."
He remembered an ancient technique from the Immortal World:
The Chaotic Body Refinement.
A feared and respected technique. Painful, but stable.
"I have no other choice," he murmured, closing his eyes.
His body began to tremble.
Bones cracked, blood boiled, pain tore through him like liquid fire.
He gritted his teeth.
"Aghhh…!"
For an entire day, he endured that torment.
And in the end, when dawn touched his face, he felt his body stronger, his skin denser, his blood purer.
"Initial stage of Body Tempering…" he said between breaths. "Worthy of the Chaos Refinement Technique."
In his mind, he reviewed the seven realms of immortal cultivation he once knew:
1. Body Tempering
2. Qi Refinement
3. Core Formation
4. Nascent Soul
5. Spiritual Transformation
6. Rebirth
7. Transcendent Ascension
That was the path he had once walked… and now had to begin again.
---
The Next Morning
Naruto decided to walk around the village.
His memories were in disarray; he needed information.
He discovered that the current Hokage was Hiruzen Sarutobi — the legendary Third Hokage, a wise and patient man.
He also overheard rumors about the clans and their hierarchies, though he paid little attention.
What he did notice, however, were the looks.
People avoided him. Whispered behind his back.
Why? he thought, confused. What did I do?
He couldn't remember the exact events of his youth. For now, it didn't matter.
Until a familiar, comforting smell stopped him.
He followed the scent to a small restaurant with a sign that read:
Ichiraku Ramen.
He smiled.
"No way… it still exists."
"Naruto!" a familiar voice called.
It was Iruka-sensei, running toward him with a smile. "I was going to visit you at the hospital. I'm glad I found you."
"Come on, let's go in," Iruka said. "We have to celebrate that you're okay."
They sat down, and steaming bowls of ramen were placed before them.
Naruto took the first bite… and froze.
A lump formed in his throat.
The taste… it was identical to what he remembered centuries ago.
It's been hundreds of years since the last time I tasted this.
Unable to contain himself, he devoured bowl after bowl as Iruka laughed.
"Naruto, you really haven't changed at all," Iruka said, amused.
When they finished, they walked through the streets together.
"Iruka," Naruto said suddenly, "I'm having trouble with my training. Can you help me?"
Iruka raised an eyebrow.
"Training? You… training? That's new."
"I tried increasing my energy, but I couldn't," Naruto said seriously.
Iruka burst out laughing.
"Haha, Naruto… that's basic. You can't increase your energy, only learn to control it. You should pay more attention in class… though I know that's asking a lot."
Naruto smiled, though his mind was already racing.
Back home, he sat to meditate.
"So this energy… it's called chakra. It's the essence of this world. Everyone is born with a limited amount… but I… I can refine it."
He began to circulate his chakra as if it were Qi.
And something incredible happened.
He discovered he could purify and strengthen it — making it denser, more stable.
And every time his chakra was depleted, his body naturally regenerated it.
This is… impossible.
But it was real.
"So this is my new path," he whispered. "No heavens will stop me."
Suddenly, a knock on the door pulled him from his meditation.
When he opened it, a Leaf ninja stood there, serious.
"The Hokage wants to see you."
And with a Body Flicker Technique, he vanished.
Naruto frowned.
"The Hokage…? Why would he want to see me?"