I own nothing

The saying of 'live life to the fullest' was a hypocritical one. Yes, it means to not hold back and have no regrets, but it also holds you down. Say for example, one wanted to be the Hokage, he didn't want regrets, so he became it. And suddenly, instead of living, the entire world was weighing him down, having to constantly fix a broken world.

That's why Naruto Uzumaki, hero of the Fourth Shinobi War, container of the great demon fox Kyuubi, and self proclaimed badass was now nothing but a hermit. Walking around and doing what looked like absolutely nothing with his life.

In his opinion, he hasn't lived at all as a ninja of Konoha, or the hero the entire Elemental Nation needed. Everywhere he went as a child was clouded by other influences, the constant watch of his grandfather Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, kept him sheltered and immature. And his entire ninja career was dictated by things like 'Become Hokage!' or 'Bring Sasuke back!' or even the now dead 'Make Sakura fall in love with me!'

He never truly realized how free his time with Jiraiya was, walking around with a person who cared for him, learning how to become a true man. He only wished he didn't take it for granted, that he savored every minute he had with that old pervert. Because before he knew it, he was gone, along with any form of childhood innocence Naruto Uzumaki had left.

He was a man in the middle of a world being torn inside out, people who couldn't understand, armies fighting pointless battles. He went from idiot in orange to a hero of war. A symbol of hope and freedom, an epitome of power.

And with his entire teenage life centered around Akatsuki, he never had a chance to live. And after the war? He was trained in becoming the Hokage, then actually became the Hokage. A so called dream come true. He achieved everything he ever wanted, he lived life to the fullest.

It was years later that he realized he hadn't lived at all. So the Seventh Hokage of the Leaf, the 'Peace Maker' as so many called him. Gave the office down to Konohamaru, and walked away from everything. Everyone searched for him, but nobody would find him.

Because he was out trying to live, and he didn't want anybody to stop that.

"Hey asshole! Comeback!" Waka yelled. His morning was now ruined by some guy who ruined his precious work. His art. He left it outside his house to dry quickly, having to deliver it to a noble the next day, and some person just walked up and kicked dust into it as he passed.

The figure kept walking, so Waka chased after. He got up behind the hooded man and grabbed his shoulder, "Look man." He said as the figure stopped, "You messed up my stuff!"

The man turned around and pulled of his hood, Waka had his vision filled by the vivid red of the man's hair. He barely managed to tear his eyes off the head to look into his face, smooth with strange marks on his cheeks, with very unique violet eyes.

"What?" The man asked with a smooth voice, his eyes analyzing even the littlest crevices in Waka's soul.

Waka gulped, "You uhh... messed up my painting."

The man looked over behind Waka to the painting, he pursed his lips at the speckles of dirt on the bottom third of the picture, "My apologies." He said, "If you want my opinion I think it looks better like that." He reached into a pouch on his hip and pulled out a bag, "But here you go." He gave Waka the bag.

Waka opened the bag in confusion, before stopping cold, "What!? The... the amount of money in this!"

The man put his hand on Waka's shoulder, "Tell me son, what is your name?"

Waka looked at the taller man a bit dangerously, "Son? We look around the same age!" The young artist claimed, the man chuckled and muttered an apology. "Waka." The artist said, "My name is Waka."

"Naruto." The man replied, only to make Waka raise his eyebrow.

"Naruto?" He asked, "After the old war hero?"

"Old?" Naruto said confused, "The war wasn't that long ago."

"Is 70 years not that long for you? Because my grandfather who fought in it definitely doesn't jump around like he used to."

"If that's the case then yes." Naruto said unconvincingly, before he noticed the look Waka was giving him, "Actually I was named after a character in a book. Since I am the Uzumaki Naruto you know of."

Waka snorted, "You look twenty, not someone in his eighties."

Naruto shrugged, "I age well."

"Well I know for a fact that Uzumaki Naruto wasn't a tomato head like you. He was blonde."

'If my mom is beautiful, and I look like her, that makes me handsome right? And you've got really pretty hair, I bet that would've looked good on me too!'

Naruto laughed softly, "It's camouflage so nobody recognizes me..." He said quietly, "You know my mom used to hate her red hair. I don't know why, it's beautiful." He looked off into the distance, "Well kid I have to go. Thanks for the chat." Without looking back Naruto walked away.

"Uzumaki Naruto my ass." Waka muttered, "I could smell the sake on that freak."

'He didn't believe a single word you said.'

Naruto shrugged, "It doesn't matter. It's tough to believe I'm the 'Great Hero'."

He could here Kurama, the Kyuubi, snort in his mind, 'Great my tails.'

"You know?" Naruto started quietly after a few minutes of silence, "Maybe we should go back and see the toads, see how Gamakichi is handling things over there." The young toad had became the chief of the toad clan about a decade earlier, the party was absolutely wild from what the redhead remembered.

'There is nothing better to do. We've seen all the shit this place has to offer, and nobody uses chakra anymore to fight.'

"That's because the need for chakra has ended. Who is there to fight? Each other? Because unless there is a civil war it's not happening with the Elemental Nation's being one country."

'You did good job.' Kurama referred to his previous appointment as Hokage, 'A VERY good job.'

Naruto sighed at how long ago that was, "And to think Konohamaru actually dissolved the shinobi system, that villages has no need to be 'Hidden' anymore."

'You sound like you don't like that. A little tired of peace eh?'

Naruto rolled his eyes, "You can read my thoughts, you know it's just my ninja side speaking." He suddenly looked thoughtful, "Maybe we should visit the city of Leaf, the girls where really nice before we left."

Kurama chuckled, 'Channeling the inner pervert you godfather so gratefully bestowed onto you?'

Naruto smirked, "I like to say that me and Ero-sennin are 'Educated entrepreneurs of the female gender that enjoys all the advantages a fine female has to offer'.

'Right...' Kurama said dryly.

"You know what? Let's go to the-" Naruto suddenly doubled over, "What?" He said weakly as he felt something just on him.

'Get into Bijuu mode!' Kurama yelled.

Everything felt dizzy, "Huh?" Naruto moaned as the world started to spin in cirlces.

'BIJUU MODE!' The fox roared.

Naruto felt the warmth of Kurama's chakra as he entered Bijuu mode, before his world was engulfed in blackness.

Naruto groaned as he rubbed his head, his consciousness finally returning. He rubbed his tired violet eyes before sitting up.

He was in... black? Purple?

The entire room he was in was pitch black, not black as in darkness and no light to see, but the color black. A deep black that seemed to go for miles, just looking down looked like he was floating in space but with not a single star to give hope.

"Beauty queen is awake huh?" He looked up to see... Kurama? The fox was physically there, "This isn't your mind." Kurama said, answering his unsung question.

Naruto shakily got to his feet, "What are you doing?" The fox was holding something, a purple circle of some kind. Naruto could tell the fox was trying to hide his strain, and he could see the hole slowly closing by micrometers.

"Hey Naruto." Kurama said a bit too gently, "You know Kamui?"

Naruto nodded, "You know I do." Kakashi and Obito's technique was one of the most craziest things ever.

"Kamui is dimensional travel..."

Naruto caught the gist, "Woah woah! Nobody uses chakra anymore! There is no way someone can even have a Kamui to send us to another dimension!"

"We weren't sent from our world! Someone is pulling us from theirs!"

"What!?"

Kurama gritted his sharp teeth as the purple circle closed even more, "Look... we can't go back. We are in basically inter-dimensional limbo. Once this portal closes this place disappears along with us."

"Then let's go! We can go to this new place! A new adventure! Maybe the fights we've been missing!"

"I'm sorry." Kurama said suddenly.

"Huh?"

Kurama's arms trembled under strain, "If I let this thing go it will close in an instant. The minute I held this while you where sleeping it was over for me."

Naruto felt his blood chill, "NO! Nonononononono! Please no!" He felt tears prick his eyes, "You serious?" He asked sadly.

"Oi!" Kurama roared, "My host does not cry! We are stronger then that! For eighty six years you have been the bitch of some prophecy or issue! Now you shall live free! Go away and live life as Naruto Uzumaki! Not the 'Hero' or 'Hokage'!"

Naruto wiped his tears and nodded.

"Look kid. For almost nine decades I have been with you. And I have never loved a person as much as you! You are my brother! I may have hated you once! But I shall never let harm befoul my kin!" The fox smirked, "I must keep my underlings safe."

"Underlings..." Naruto snorted, "You giant, arrogant, bastard of a fucking fox! You are the biggest asshole in the world!" He trembled, "And I love it. You fucking fantastic giant bastard fox... The greatest friend I will ever have... ever..."

Kurama felt his arms give way, his tails now holding the portal, "Naruto... I want you to live. Try to find happiness that this world couldn't give to you. I'll give you my chakra, go blow some shit up for me alright?" He slowly raised his fist towards the boy.

Naruto shakily bumped fists with him. Their emotions and thoughts being conveyed to each other. Just like their first time doing it both of them shared a little laugh at each others thoughts. Naruto looked at his best friend longingly, before closing his eyes and jumping into the purple hole.

"Oh crap... that is not what I meant to happen..."

Naruto stirred at the voice, he could feel his body go to work to fix the burns and broken burns it sustained. And the fresh feel of the air as his numb body slowly regained feeling. He sighed as he realized he was alive. The ride was not smooth, and his body had been pushed to its limits.

"Are you alright?" A male voice asked.

Naruto wanted nothing more then to just ignore the man and go to sleep, but he fought the laziness bestowed upon him by Kakashi and sat up, looking at the man infront of him.

He reminded Naruto a bit like both Sasuke and Sai at the same time. He had black hair that had a single strand falling to his nose, revealing dark black eyes. His face was handsome and he stood with not confidence, but power. He had on robes with a white towel like thing tied around his waste, a pretty circular necklace wrapped around his neck.

His expression is what reminded the Uzumaki of his old teammates. Uncaring, serious... pained. The look of someone who has lived through dark times, someone who has felt pain.

Naruto gave the man a small wave, "Hello there!" He said with mock joviality, "By any chance where you the one who did... whatever you just did to me?"

The man swallowed and nodded, "Yes..." He started slowly. "I am the one who pulled you from wherever you came from... though I promise you it as an accident. I did not mean for a person to be dragged through here."

"And what did you mean to be dragged?" Naruto asked.

"I was looking to pull something out of the dimension of Edolas into here. I think I might have used too much power."

Naruto nodded and hopped onto his feet, "I think you used a lot more power, because I have no idea what 'Edolas' is." Naruto looked around, every tree and piece of life in the surrounding area was dead. And no doubt it was the man who caused it. Definitely too much power.

"Oh." The man seemed shocked, "I... I just looked for the strongest power source... I didn't know it would pull a person from another dimension into Earthland."

"So this place is called Earthland then?" Naruto asked, which he got a nod to, "Well... cool." He chuckled at the mans dumbfounded expression, "My name is Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto. I'm from a place called the Elemental Nations." He extended his hand, and hoped that handshakes where used here.

The man took his hand and shook, "My name is Zeref... it's a pleasure to meet you Naruto."

Naruto looked at the drink infront of him. He hasn't seen much. But at least a pub is still a pub no matter where you are. Unfortunately it seemed like sake wasn't as popular in Earthland, not that he couldn't drink other stuff. He just liked how smooth Sake felt down his throat, unlike the hard alcohol Zeref ordered him.

Apparently they wrote in different languages. The spoke the same language, but wrote in another one. Naruto didn't even try to comprehend how that worked so just told the bartender to give him whatever Zeref had.

He downed the drink, before taking a moment to think over the taste, "Hmm... Good choice Z. You have a taste in drink." Zeref asked him to not say is name in public, Naruto guessed he was probably a criminal or a killer. But He honestly didn't care, he was done being a hero, not that he was going to be a villain. He just wanted to be a simple, unbothered shade of grey.

Zeref took a slow sip of his drink, "I don't drink often." He said quietly.

Naruto stared at his drink as it was refilled, "Well you will soon with me around." He had picked up quite the taste for alcohol during his years traveling, he personally blame both Jiraiya and Tsunade for that.

Zeref looked at him, "And why would you be around me?"

He was given a dry look, "You dragged me into this unknown dimension. I am now your responsibility. Besides," He shrugged, "You look like you have no friends, I know what it likes to be alone." It was tough before he became a ninja, when he didn't even have Kurama to be with him.

"And who says I want company?"

Naruto smiled slightly, "You're not saying it. But I'm feeling it, it's a trick I have from my land."

Zeref sighed and stared at the liquid in his cup, "I... I'm dangerous."

He turned and felt a little nervous at the smirk on Naruto's face.

"Oh man..." The redhead said, "Just wait till you see me... dangerous doesn't even begin to describe it..."

Ages

-Naruto: 86

-Zeref: 142