The world had ended in fire and silence.
Naruto Uzumaki lay at the bottom of a crater that looked more like a wound in the earth than anything natural. Dust still hung thick in the air, choking the light from a sky that had turned the color of bruised blood. His body ached in ways he hadn't known were possible—every nerve screaming, every bone feeling like cracked porcelain held together by willpower alone.
"Naruto! Naruto! Get up, you idiot!" Kurama's voice roared inside his skull, raw and frayed, like an engine sputtering on its last drops of fuel.
Naruto's eyelids fluttered. Pain lanced through his skull as consciousness clawed its way back. His right arm—severed clean at the shoulder during the fight—had already regenerated, courtesy of the Nine-Tails' chakra, but the flesh was raw, pink, and weeping. His ribs had knit themselves together, yet each breath felt like knives twisting between them. Dried blood crusted his chest, flaking away as he shifted. Scars—new ones layered over old—crisscrossed his exposed torso like a map of every mistake he'd ever made.
He grunted, palms pressing into the scorched dirt. His arms trembled violently as he pushed himself upright. The world tilted. Nausea surged.
"How... how long was I out, Kurama?" His voice cracked, hoarse from screaming.
The fox's response came slower than usual, laced with exhaustion. "I don't know, kit. I blacked out too. My chakra's barely a trickle. Whatever that monster did... it drained us both to the marrow. I'm regenerating, but slowly. Too slowly."
Naruto's blue eyes—dull now, almost gray—widened. "The others...?"
Kurama hesitated. That hesitation said everything.
"The Hokage—Tsunade—was taken first. Then Sakura. Then Hinata." Each name landed like a punch. "They were alive when he dragged them through that tear in reality. Barely."
Naruto's fist slammed into the ground. The impact cracked stone, sent a shockwave rippling outward. Blood trickled from his knuckles. "Impossible... We couldn't even save Granny Tsunade, and now—our friends—our family—"
He forced himself to his knees, then to his feet. His legs shook, threatening to buckle. The wind tugged at what remained of his tattered orange jacket, exposing the lattice of scars across his chest and abdomen—marks from energy blasts, punch strikes.
Kurama's voice turned grim. "Gaara and Sasuke made it back to the remnants of our forces. What they found... most are gone. Neji took a direct hit defending the retreat line—his Byakugan saw the blast coming but couldn't dodge. Shikamaru tried to outthink the bastard, laid traps that would shred mountains. They didn't even scratch him. Rock Lee burned through every gate he had left. He died smiling, believing he'd bought someone else a few seconds."
Naruto's jaw clenched so hard his teeth ached. Tears stung his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. "They didn't run. They fought... for everyone who couldn't."
"For a future that might not exist anymore," Kurama murmured. "That thing—whatever he was—he wasn't fighting. He was *playing*. His power... it's not something years of training can touch. Not ours. Not anyone's."
Naruto stared at the horizon. Smoke rose in distant columns where villages once stood. The air tasted of ash and ozone.
"Then we'll change it," he said quietly. "We'll restore what we can. And when we're done... I'm finding him. No matter what corner of existence he's hiding in. I'll drag him back here and make him pay."
Determination ignited in his chest like a spark catching dry tinder. Golden chakra flared around him—weak at first, flickering—then surged. Crimson eyes bled into view. Tails of chakra manifested, nine of them whipping behind him like living flames. The full Kurama cloak enveloped him, raw power roaring against the silence.
He leaped from the crater in a single bound, streaking toward the horizon where the surviving shinobi had gathered.
Far beyond the broken sky, in a place where physics bent and time meant nothing, two figures floated in an endless void.
Goku stretched, rolling his shoulders. He peeled off the last remnants of his torn gi, letting the fabric drift away into nothingness. His body was bare—corded muscle, old scars from a thousand battles, strange dark tattoos curling across his chest and arms like veins of shadow. He looked almost casual, as though he'd just finished a light sparring session instead of annihilating an entire ninja world.
"That was boring, Zeno," he complained, scratching the back of his head. "I thought they'd put up more of a fight. Especially the fox kid. He had spirit."
Zeno—giggled, the sound echoing strangely in the emptiness. "Don't blame me, Goku! You're the one who got too strong. You always do that. You play with them until they're broken, then complain it's no fun."
Goku smirked. "Yeah, well... maybe next time I'll hold back more."
Zeno spun lazily in the air, transforming into a pulsing white orb of light. "Your new toys are waiting. The women are secured on beds in the holding realm. Do whatever you want. Wonder Woman woke up earlier—she's just lying there now. Seems she's... accepted things."
Goku's eyes darkened for a moment, something cold flickering behind the usual carefree gleam. "Good. When I'm finished, send them back. I don't need souvenirs."
He turned and walked—though in the void there was no true direction—toward a shimmering portal that opened at his approach.
Tsunade Senju woke to restraints of pure energy coiling around her wrists and ankles. They burned where they touched, not enough to scar, just enough to remind her she was powerless. The "bed" beneath her was smooth obsidian, cold against her bare back. Her clothes were gone—replaced by nothing. Humiliation warred with fury in her chest.
"Where... the hell am I?" she snarled, straining against the bonds. The energy tightened in response, sending jolts of pain up her limbs.
A voice answered—calm, almost bored.
"The Void, Tsunade."
She twisted her head. Goku stood at the side of the platform, arms crossed over his bare chest. His erection was blatant, shameless. Scars and those strange tattoos seemed to shift in the dim light, as though alive.
"You—" Rage boiled over. "You bastard! Let me go!"
Goku tilted his head, studying her the way a predator studies cornered prey. "We can do this easy... or hard."
"Release me if you've got the guts," she spat. "I'll rip your spine out through your throat."
He smiled—slow, dangerous. "Hard way it is."
With a casual flex of his fingers, the energy bonds dissolved. Tsunade exploded upward, chakra surging into her fists. She aimed a brutal haymaker at his jaw.
Goku didn't even blink. He caught her wrist mid-swing, fingers closing like a vice. Bones creaked. She gasped.
"Not bad," he said conversationally. "For a mortal."
He twisted. Pain flared white-hot up her arm. She swung with her free hand—chakra-enhanced strength that had shattered mountains. He blocked it effortlessly with his forearm, the impact ringing like a gong.
Then he shoved.
She flew backward, slamming into the obsidian with enough force to crack it. Air exploded from her lungs. Before she could recover, he was on her—straddling her hips, pinning her arms above her head with one hand. His weight was crushing, unyielding.
"Get—off—me—" she hissed through gritted teeth.
Goku leaned down until their faces were inches apart. His breath was warm against her cheek. "You shinobi... always so proud. Always fighting until the end. I like that."
His free hand trailed down her side—slow, deliberate. Calloused fingers brushed the curve of her breast, then lower, across the taut plane of her stomach. She bucked, trying to throw him off. He didn't budge.
"Stop," she snarled, but her voice cracked.
He ignored her. His touch grew firmer, exploring without hurry. When his fingers dipped between her thighs, she froze—every muscle locking in shock and fury.
"You think this breaks me?" she whispered venomously.
Goku's eyes met hers. No warmth. No mercy. Just endless, alien hunger.
"No," he said softly. "But it'll be fun finding out how long you last."
He shifted, pressing forward. Tsunade's body arched involuntarily as he entered her—slow at first, then deeper, relentless. Pain mingled with unwanted heat. She bit her lip until it bled, refusing to cry out.
He moved—steady, powerful, each thrust driving the air from her lungs. His hand slid up to cup her throat—not choking, just holding. Controlling.
Time stretched. The void offered no escape, no mercy. Only sensation. Only him.
Somewhere deep inside, Tsunade's mind fractured—rage, shame, defiance warring in endless cycles. She wouldn't beg. She wouldn't break.
But her body... her body answered.
Goku's pace quickened. His breathing grew rougher. When he finally came, it was with a low growl—his grip tightening until bruises bloomed on her skin.
He pulled out slowly, watching her chest heave. Sweat glistened on both of them.
"Not bad," he murmured again. "You're stronger than most."
Tsunade turned her face away, tears of rage burning tracks down her cheeks.
Goku stood. "Rest. You'll need it."
He walked away without another word.
Behind him, Tsunade's fists clenched. Blood trickled from her palms where her nails had dug in.
Miles away—worlds away—Naruto landed among the survivors.
Gaara met his gaze first. Sand swirled protectively around the Kazekage, but his eyes were hollow.
"You're alive," Gaara said quietly.
Naruto forced a grin—broken, bloody, but real. "Takes more than that to kill me."
Sasuke stood apart, Rinnegan glowing faintly. "He's gone. Took them through a rift. We can't follow."
Naruto's cloak flared brighter. "Then we make a way."
He looked at the survivors—wounded, grieving, but still standing.
"We're not done," he told them. "Not while any of us breathe."
Kurama rumbled agreement inside him.