No one could believe what the masked man had just said. The five Kage were frozen in place while their brains processed what had just begun. Madara Uchiha had just declared war on the Five Great Nations.

"What the hell is going on?" Yelled the Raikage. "My brother's still alive? How dare he disobey my orders for him to stay in the village! He's going to get my Iron Claw!"

"Calm yourself Raikage. Now is no time to let our emotions get the best of us," said the old, wise Onoki.

"He's right," said the young, red headed Kazekage. "Madara wants to take advantage of our separation. If we stay divided against each other, we have no chance of winning this thing. Now is the best time for an alliance now that we all have a common enemy."

"Well said young man," said Mei, the Mizukage. "We also have to remember that he can't win this war without the jinchūriki. We have to keep them out of the Akatsuki's reach."

The Kage organized an army, the Shinobi Alliance, filled with shinobi and samurai. Madara, not to be easily outdone, had created an army of his own. It consisted of multitudes of white Zetsu clones and resurrected shinobi courtesy of Kabuto.

The island the Raikage had arranged for Naruto and B had not worked out how he planned. Naruto and B managed to escape and join the battle against the Akatsuki.

Allied Shinobi HQ

"There's no way we could do something that cruel to them!" yelled Tsunade.

"To hell with you and your ideas! There's no way I would toss my brother aside like trash!" said the Raikage angrily.

"It's the only way to guarantee a victory in this war," replied Shikaku.

"Madara needs them to complete his Moon's Eye Plan. This would make it absolutely impossible for him to resurrect the Juubi," added Mabui.

Tsunade and A both thought hard for a few seconds. "How can we be so sure that there aren't any other options? Can't we win this war without such an extreme last resort?"

"We could, but the casualties would be enormous. Our nations would be weakened greatly by a long lasting war with the Akatsuki that we aren't sure we can win. By guaranteeing a victory, we can focus our full military strength on defeating Madara, instead of having to divide our attention between protecting Naruto and B and holding back the Zetsu army."

After long deliberation, they put this mysterious plan into action. The other Kage had no say in whether this plan was something that should be done since the remaining jinchuuriki didn't belong to their villages, so Tsunade and A acted completely on their own. "It hasn't been long since they escapes the island," said Mabui. "We could intercept them before they make it to any of the battlefields. We'll execute the plan then. Remember, all you have to do is call out to them. If they respond, the technique will work."

Tsunade and A left HQ in pursuit of Naruto and B. They simply followed the two large Chakra signatures. Just about everyone could feel them, so they were lucky that Madara hadn't went after them first. "I see them!" yelled Tsunade. "Hurry, we have to catch up!"

Naruto was more determined than he'd ever been. He would, with his new power, end the war and defeat Madara. As he and B ran, their path was cut off by two familiar figures. the male figure they recognized as A opened a scroll and summoned a large gourd. 'So this is their plan,' B thought, recognizing the gourd as the Amber Purifying Pot. 'It would be an instant win against the Akatsuki thanks to the sacrifice of two people who happen to be me and Naruto.'

"Naruto, B!" yelled Tsunade and A simultaneously. Being the only person who was ignorant of the functions of the gourd, Naruto was quick to respond.

"What now? You comin' to stop us?"

Tsunade answered back with similar quickness. "This is a war to protect you two. We can't let you go any further."

"B! B! B, answer me! This is the best option for everyone. Just respond!" His brother's voice rang through his head. He shut out the noise and considered the previous statement.

He couldn't deny that it would render Madara's plans useless. He decided to obey his brothers plea. "Yo, Big Bro. So this is it then, huh?"

"What do you mean? Naruto questioned. "We aren't just gonna stop here. We have to help in the fight against Madara! Sorry Granny Tsunade, but we're going no matter what you say." He was about to dash away but was speed by B's hand on his shoulder.

"Naruto, it's already done. It had been ever since we answered their call."

"He's right Naruto. This isn't a normal gourd. We are going to use it to seal you two away. This is the only sure fire way to keep Madara from resurrecting the Juubi," Tsunade explained.

"And you expect me to just accept an eternity in a void?"

"It doesn't matter. Like B said, it's already done," said A. "Of course the idea is extreme, and the decision wasn't easy for us. B is my brother. Only a heartless person could make this decision easily."

"You both have people that love you," said Tsunade, "and they will all miss you. By sealing you away, we can guarantee that you lived ones won't be put asleep by Madara's genjutsu. As soon as A opens the gourd, you two will be taped inside it forever. We are sorry it has to be this way, but you're sacrifice won't be in vain. You two will be the reason the world is not under Madara's control."

Naruto sighed and looked at the ground in sadness. This was a lot to take in. He was slightly angry that he wouldn't get to test his new powers on Madara's face, but what hurt him deep inside was that he wouldn't see his friends anymore. He would miss everyone from the ones that lived and cared for him to the ones that despised him for being the "fox kid." "Granny Tsunade," he said suddenly. "Let everyone know that I love them and that no matter what, I'll never forget what they've done for me throughout my life. Whether they hated me or loved me, I'll remember it forever, because it made me who I am today, and I thank them for that. B? Do you have anything to say before we do this?" Naruto asked. B grinned.

"Nope. What you just said completely covers whatever I might have said. Big Bro, you can seal us now. We're ready." Naruto and Tsunade shared a final hug, Naruto, A, and B shared first bumps. As they opened the gourd, Naruto and B were whisked into it. Tsunade and A, with tears in their eyes, closed the lid. To ensure that Madara couldn't get a hold of their powers, they destroyed the gourd, essentially making it impossible to ever reach them again.

In a Strange Place

Naruto and B fell through the gourd's opening, and saw the lid close. Where they currently were was beyond anything they could have imagined. There were large orbs of light floating around them at various distances and speeds. There were no words to describe the beauty of it all. 'So this is what heaven looks like?' they thought.

"This can't be heaven since we aren't technically dead," B said. "And these orbs are somehow different from each other." Naruto simply nodded in understanding. Upon closer inspection of these orbs, he could clearly see that each one looked like a small world. They definitely weren't planets. They acted almost like windows, letting them see the world that that orb represented. Some looked barren, others lush, some very strange. Some showed people. So far, Naruto had seen two flying blond guys fighting and a spiky haired kid in short green shorts.

"Could we be between universes or something?" He was greeted with silence. He looked around for B and saw that they had drifted apart. B had just noticed it too.

"Don't use your Chakra to grab onto me, Naruto. If you make a mistake, you could touch one of the orbs, and we don't know what could happen."

"Then what should we do?" His question would go unanswered. At that moment, B's body hit an orb, and he disappeared into it. Naruto yelled out to B before giving up. He knew that his efforts were futile. B was in a totally different place now. He floated there for a few minutes until he also collided with an orb. The collision wasn't painful, but as he was swallowed into it, he lost consciousness.

"Ugh. What the heck just happened," Naruto groaned. He sat up from where he was and yawned. Wait. Where was he? He opened his eyes and saw absolutely nothing. "Oh my god. Am I blind? Say it ain't so!" He frantically patted his face when he felt something on his face. "What the he-? Oh. It's just my headband. Hehe. Silly me." He readjusted his headband took in his surroundings.

He found himself on a bed in a small room. He still couldn't see much due to the darkness in the room. He stood and felt the walls until he found a light switch. The light revealed plain walls with a few pictures hanging up, a curtained window, and a dresser with a mirror built in. He gazed at his reflection and noticed something peeking from under his shirt sleeve. 'I must've gotten hurt somehow. Whoever found me even bandaged me up.' He walked toward the bedroom door when it opened. A woman peered in and grinned at him. "You're finally up! I heard you shuffling around in here so I came to check on you. Come to the kitchen. Dinner is ready. I'll explain everything."

The woman walked away before Naruto had a chance to say anything. She left him with two options: go eat dinner or go eat dinner. He didn't need to think long. His growling stomach lead him through the house into the kitchen where the aroma of a home cooked meal filled his senses. "Hurry and sit. Your plate is already set." Naruto looked toward where his plate was waiting for him. What he didn't expect to see was other people waiting for him. They all looked at him, their eyes taking in his appearance.

'I'll need to take a seat if I'm gonna find out anything about how I got here.' He took a seat at the table next to a young boy. It was awkwardly quiet at the table. the woman was the first to speak. "I'm Vera. The boy next to you is my little brother Darius. These two next to me ate my brother and sister, Clara and Antonio."

"Hello," they all said in a quiet tone. That was understandable, since a mysterious young man was sitting at their dinner table. Naruto observed their features in detail for the first time. Vera was definitely the oldest. She must've been in her early 20s. The boy named Darius looked to be about 10 years old. Clara and Antonio seemed the closest to Naruto's age. He looked at them and introduced himself the best way he knew how. "Hello. I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I'm 16 years old. My likes are ramen and the color orange." He decided to be vague about it until he found out more about them. No need to spoil the beans in his life story.

"It's nice to meet you Naruto. In regards to how you got here, our father found you on the side of the road on his way out for a job. He brought you here and told us to take care of you. He'll be returning tomorrow."

"You say that he brought me here. Where exactly is here? How long was I out?"

"It's been 2 days since you got here," replied Antonio. "There's no telling how long you might have been laying out by that road. And you're currently in our house on the edge of Crocus."

'What the heck is a Crocus?' Naruto's face gave away that he'd never heard of that place. "Heh. I don't recognize that city. I'm not from around here, you see? Have any of you ever heard of the 5 Great Nations?"

The others people at the table thought for a moment. "Nope. Sorry. I guess wherever you're from is really far away," said Clara.

Naruto was silent for a moment. He wondered if he really was in a different world. "You're right. It's farther than you'd ever imagine. Well, thanks for the food. I'm gonna go get ready for bed. Goodnight." He found his way back into the bedroom and closed the door. He slid onto the bed and spread across it when he heard a knock on the door.

"Um, Naruto? If you need anything you can just let us know. We're happy to help," said Clara through the door.

"I'm fine right now. Thanks," he replied. Such nice, generous people. They are so quick to take him in and nurse him back to health. He would have to repay them somehow in the future.

Lacking the energy to do much else, he laid still and eventually dozed off. He woke up in the sewer that made up his mind scape when a deep voice spike to him. 'So you finally come to visit me, eh, Naruto?'