Chapter 1: Something Amiss

For nearly five years now, Sasuke Uchiha has relentlessly wandered the vast worlds created by Kaguya Ootsutski. What he was searching for, only he could say, however, it wouldn't be so far fetched as to assume that he wasn't actually looking for anything in particular.

During his time spent in these worlds, he had discovered multiple structures that sparked some form of interest. Suffice to say, his discoveries were very few and far between, as he had only so far discovered around seven structures within these lands, all of which long since worn away by both time and the hazardous elements the worlds possessed.

Currently, within the mountainous peaks of Kaguyas icy dimension, Sasuke found himself taking shelter within a cavern in an attempt avoid the fierce blizzard that raged on throughout the realm.

He hated visiting this place. Aside from the temperatures ranging anywhere from somewhere far below zero, to somewhere really far below zero, he had yet to actually find anything in this world. Regardless, he continued searching this land every so often, not wanting to potentially miss anything that might actually be worth a damn.

He glanced outside of the cave, noting that the blizzard had begun to let up and that the light rays from the star looming in the distance were illuminating the land. He sat up, and exited the cave, emerging to find himself standing at a cliffside overlooking the world. With his vision no longer obscured by the dense snowstorm from earlier, he could actually make out a large tower standing tall over the cliffs and mountains.

A rare smile graced his features as he started down the mountain, eager to explore.

The hike down didn't take very long, and after crossing a frozen lake, passing through barren snowfields, and making his way over at least a dozen different mountains, he finally stood at the entrance to the courtyard that housed said building.

The metallic gate which sat at the top of a large incline, lay open, the eerily well-maintained structure beckoning him to enter. He started forward, noting that the surrounding terrain was mostly stone and fancy paver now and that the entrance into the tower was wide open.

He had hardly made it halfway through the courtyard when he felt a presence lurking beneath the snow. Seemingly ignoring it, he continued onward, unswayed by growing number of identical power signatures that surrounded him on all sides.

"Sasuke... Uchiha," a deep voice echoed throughout the area, fear evident in its tone. "How in the blazes did you find this place?"

"You sound familiar," Sasuke stated, completely ignoring the question. "Tell me, who are you?"

"Bah! My identity does not concern the likes of you! Now begone, and never return!"

"Now you've got me curious. Care to tell me what this place is?"

"This is your last chance," the voice boomed as a black, gooey substance squirmed through the snow.

Sasuke gripped his blade. "And just what do you think you can do to me?" he confidently stated while slowly sliding his blade from its sheath. "If you want me gone, then you're just going to have to force me out."

A loud hiss signaled the assault of an attacker, one which Sasuke easily disposed of with a slash of his blade. It was a creature, all black in color, with only glowing yellow eyes as its sole feature.

"Black Zetsu..." Sasuke mumbled just as dozens of identical creatures burst forth from the snow.

The man took one look at the creatures, his Sharingan flaring to life, and with a single, lightning infused, slash he sliced through the crowd and sent their now lifeless bodies sprawling. Upon impact with the ground, they turned to black mush.

"That all?" he mocked as he shoved the blade into the head of a Zetsu that thought he could creep up from the snow.

"Leave us be!" the voice cried as the giant stone doors that led into the building slammed shut. "This is your last warning Uchiha, leave us now or face mothers wrath!"

"Mother?" Sasuke wondered aloud. "They can't be attempting to-"

"GOT YOU!"

Sasuke spun around just in time to see a large, black hand slam down on top of him, kicking up the surrounding snow and blanketing the area in a haze of white.

II

Naruto was in a bright and cheery mood on this particularly fine and sunny day. How couldn't he be? Here he sat, on the balcony of his two-story home, looking over an ever prospering village with a bowl of ramen in one hand and a pair of chopsticks in the other. It was also worth noting that his wife was currently seven months into her second pregnancy and his son was only a few months away from being able to register at the ninja academy.

As he dug into the bowl, slurping away at the noodles and every so often picking out a piece of pork and shoving it into his mouth, he had a couple of thoughts. For one, the dishes weren't done, The living room had a pretty nasty vomit stain on the carpet courtesy of his food poisoned son from the night before, and the kitchen light still wouldn't turn on no matter how many times he flipped the switch.

In short, within approximately five minutes, he was about to have an angry, softspoken, pregnant women in his household and he couldn't even hide from her!

*Slurp*

Life was good.

The door to the balcony slid open much earlier then he had anticipated, and as Naruto predicted, he was immediately hit with a gentle tap to somewhere along his back, close to his spinal cord. The result, his body immediately went numb.

"Hinata, I can explain."

"You haven't done your chores."

"I know... but c'mon, gimmie a break! The stupid studying stuff took like two whole hours to get through and I wanted to relax!" he cried, finishing off the broth in his bowl and heading inside towards the kitchen.

"Naruto... please just help me out here for a bit. Once we the baby comes, things should go back to normal and you won't have to worry about dishes and the like."

"Hey now, you make it seem like I never do my chores!"

The woman giggled. "You only ever do them when I tell you too and even then..." she trailed off and gave him a look.

"That's because you spoiled me," he joked as he approached her, spun her around and wrapped her in an embrace. "Why are you such a bad influence?"

Hinata smiled, the joy in her features being enough to cause her husband to form his signature toothy grin. "Don't think this'll get you out of your chores, Mr. Uzumaki."

"Yeah, yeah... I'll endure it for another couple of years."

"A couple? And what about after?"

"We'll make Boruto do them."

As if on cue, Boruto happened to walk into the living room, his hair wild and eyes droopy. He took one look at his parents and groaned. "You guys are gross."

"You're gross," Naruto commented.

"You're grosser!"

"You're grounded!"

"What!?"

"You heard me!"

Hinata sighed and granted her son a gentle gaze. "Ignore your father, he's just grumpy because he's a tad behind on his chores."

"A tad? This place is a mess!" Boruto cried as he grabbed a bowl, a gallon of milk, and a box of cereal.

In contrast to his mother's chuckle, Naruto comically glared at the boy as he poured his milk into the bowl, and then poured the cereal. This troubled him deeply.

"Whos kid is that?"

"Hush," Hinata said as she shooed her husband away. "If you take care of the laundry, I'll do the dishes."

"You don't have to tell me twice."

Naruto walked off, his mind drifting back to its earlier, more relaxed state, and even though he still couldn't feel a single muscle in his body, he was happy that the scene played out the way it did. All in all, this was just your average day in the life of the Uzumaki family.

A solid ten minutes passed and Naruto had just finished gathering up the last of the dirty laundry when he heard his son call from the other room.

"Dad, there's someone at the door!"

"Who is it?" he called out, starting toward the front door.

"Some dude with a freaky eye and one arm..."

"Freaky eye... one arm?" he mumbled as he emerged from the hallway to find Boruto standing at the doorway atop a chair and peeking through the eyehole.

Upon sensing his father's presence, he stepped out of the way as Naruto went to check through the peephole himself. There, standing at his porch, was a face he hadn't seen in quite some time.

"It is you.." he muttered to himself as Hinata appeared from the kitchen.

Naruto opened the door and greeted the man. "Well I'll be damned, and here was me thinkin you'd never visit!" he cried, extending a fist. "How've you been Sasuke?"

"Fine, I suppose," Sasuke smirked and repeated the gesture. "Its good to see you, Naruto."

"Right back at ya."

"Nice to see you well, Sasuke," Hinata greeted as she approached the door. "Please come in, make yourself at home."

Sasuke shook his head in response. "I'm afraid I don't have much time to waste right now, but thank you nonetheless," he said, his gaze shifting back to Naruto. "There's an urgent matter that requires our attention."

Naruto looked concerned. "Did something happen?"

Sasuke glanced over to Hinata and Boruto, who both looked on with worry in their eyes. "Not here," he said, gesturing over to the Hokage tower looming in the distance. "Kakashi ought to hear about this as well."

"Alright," Naruto said as he started toward his bedroom. "Lemmie go get ready real quick."

Sasuke nodded as he watched the blond disappear into the house. He now stood, standing in an awkward silence with the Uzumaki family.

"You can come too I suppose," he said, gesturing to Hinata. "Where we're going could potentially prove hazardous, even for us. I'm sure Naruto wouldn't want you left in the dark."

Hinata shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't leave my son home alone. Who knows what kind of trouble he could get up to while no ones here to keep an eye on him?"

"Just like his father huh?"

"In some ways..."

"Hey, I'm still here ya know!?"

Sasuke knelt down to Boruto's eye level and gave him a once over. "Spitting image of him too, right down to the blue eyes and birthmarks."

"Alrighty," Naruto said, emerging from the house in his ninja gear. "Let's go."

Sasuke nodded and started off with Naruto trailing behind.

"Wait," Hinata said, causing the duo to stop in their tracks.

"Yeah?"

"Not even going to say goodbye?" Hinata said in a joking manner.

"I won't be gone for long, I'm sure."

"At most, we should only be gone for a couple hours," Sasuke chimed in. "I'll have him back at least before dinner."

Naruto approached his wife and wrapped her in a warm hug, this exchange ending with a gentle peck on each other's lips. "I'll be back before you know it."

"I know... I'm just... you know I worry."

Naruto smiled, then turned to his son who currently staring intently at the ground. "You're the man of the house while I'm gone y'hear?"

"You'll only be gone for a few hours right?"

"Well yeah, but you still gotta keep your mom safe for me while I'm away, especially since she's carrying your little sister!"

"Tch, whatever dad."

Naruto ruffled the boy's hair, this eliciting a smile from him. "See you in a bit kiddo... oh and, when I get back, whats say you and me do a little shuriken training yeah?"

"Deal!" the boy cried out as he ran off into the house. "I'll start warming up!"

"You'd better! If I come home and see you lazying around on the couch, it'll be pushups instead of technique training!"

"You got it!"

"Boruto, don't run in the house!" Hinata cried out. She glanced over at Naruto who simply nodded in return. She smiled, then entered the house, closing the door behind her.

Sasuke cracked a genuine smile at the scene before turning away, not wanting to hear a peep about it from Naruto.

"Sasuke, was that a smile I just saw?"

"Tch," he uttered before starting toward the Hokage Tower, "Let's get going."

Naruto caught up to Sasuke in seconds, falling in stride with his longtime friend. "Hehe, it's tough being a dad and a shinobi at the same time."

"So it seems."

"What about you Sasuke? Are you gonna visit Sakura when we get back? You know, Sarada's gotten pretty big since you last saw her."

"I may. I've actually been thinking about visiting more often, you know... being apart of my daughter's life a bit more."

"I'm sure the girls would love it."

"Yeah..."

III

The click caused by his office door opening prompted Kakashi to look up from the computer monitor for the first time in a solid hour. "This is rare," the man commented, "you two never visit me."

Naruto stepped in first, and Sasuke after, closing the door behind him.

"Sasuke said he's got something he needs to tell us."

"Of course..." Kakashi said with a sigh. "You know, I remember a time when you two would get up every morning just to come and see me. Now you lot are all grown up and don't even have the time to stop by and say 'hello' to your old sensei..." he finished, wiping a solitary tear from his eye. "Talk about ungrateful."

"Oh yeah? Well since we're remembering things here, does the phrase, 'I got lost on the road of life,' ring any bells?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke scoffed. "If I recall correctly, it happened just about every other day... and when it wasn't that, it was helping old ladies across streets and carrying their groceries."

Kakashi smiled beneath his mask.

"Anyways," Sasuke began, "the reason for my... unannounced arrival, is because I have something important to relay."

"Well let's hear it," Kakashi said.

"Black Zetsu is still alive."

Naruto and Kakashi widened their eyes at this statement.

"Black Zetsu? You mean that brat behind Kaguya's revival?"

"Seems like it."

"Elaborate," Kakashi said.

"As you know, my Rinnegan grants me the ability to travel through Kaguyas worlds. I was wandering through her snow realm when I came across a tower standing tall above the mountains. Naturally, I investigated, and when I did, that's when I encountered him, him and group of his clones. He seemed awfully protective of the place as he continued to throw clone after clone my way in an attempt to stop me."

"You don't think he's found a way to revive Kaguya do you?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke shook his head. "He mentioned something about 'his mother's wrath'. But if she really had been revived, I'd have sensed it the moment I stepped into that world. The reason I want you to tag along should be obvious now, Naruto. If something goes wrong, and we need to seal her up again..."

"Better safe then sorry, I get ya."

Kakashi nodded in approval. "Alright, I'll let the other Kage know about your findings immediately. If Black Zetsu is still out there in this world somewhere, then the world can never truly be safe."

"So... me and you, just like old times?" Naruto asked, a grin adorning his features.

"Looks that way."

"Well, I suppose I don't have much to worry about then now do I? With you two on the case, you should be able to make short work of whatever threat comes your way."

"You bet!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Naruto," Sasuke began, "before we set out... are you sure you want to go through with this?"

"We're already here, aren't we? Of course, I want to go through with this, we can't let Black Zetsu roam free, even if he's in another world!"

"I'm aware, however, isn't Hinata expecting soon?"

"She's about two months or so away I think. We'll be fine Sasuke!"

"Right... you're right."

"You sound worried there," Kakashi commented.

"Just a nasty feeling I can't shake. It's probably nothing."

"I see... well, are you two heading out now or-" Before he could finish, the area between Naruto and Sasuke began to distort, eventually forming a rift of sorts that sucked the duo inside. Kakashi stared at the spot where they once stood and chuckled. "Aaaaand... they're gone. Good luck you two."

IV

Naruto and Sasuke materialized before the tower, standing atop a large puddle of ooze.

The blond glanced around the area and whistled, "Man you sure did a number on this place!" he said, referring to the various craters that littered the courtyard. "You sure you needed me for this... and what the hell am I stepping in?"

"Zetsu juice."

Sasuke approached the tower and kicked the two metal doors with enough force to send them flying off their hinges. A sinister hiss emanated from within.

"After you," Sasuke said, gesturing with a head motion.

"Don't mind if I do," Naruto complied, immediately jumping into his chakra cloak mode, this illuminating the chamber with a harsh light that revealed numerous cowering Zetsu.

"Don't let them go any further!" one cried as the Zetsu army rushed the duo.

"What's the plan?"

"Keep at least one alive. We ought to have some words with him."

"So we keepin score or-"

"I've already got twenty under my belt," Sasuke interjected, "you've got some work to do to catch up." With that, Sasuke rushed forward in a blur, his sword drawn.

"Wait hold up!" and with that, Naruto blinked forward, dispatching a group of Zetsu in the blink of an eye.

Explosions and squelches mixed in with screams could be heard for the following three minutes as they dispatched the Zetsu in groups at a time. Hundreds had fallen to their hands by the time they reached the third floor.

By their estimate, they had at least a hundred more floors to transcend.

The blasts caused by their signature techniques blew holes in the exterior, causing the raging blizzard outside to trickle in.

"No please!" one Zetsu cried as he was crushed with a single blow from Naruto, turning him into a tar-like mush.

Five floors in and they had just reached three hundred Zetsu total.

"Jeez, how many of these things are there?" Naruto cried out as his arm pierced straight through one of the Zetsus chest.

"Far too many for my liking," he said as he sliced one in two, spun around, and obliterated a small group with his Fireball technique.

"C'mon, let's pick up the pace!"

The moment Naruto uttered those words, the duo had started to clear out rooms in mere seconds, not even bothering to use the stairs afterwards and simply opting to pierce straight through the ceiling. Tens of floors were cleared at inhuman speeds, their competitive drive to outdo one another only adding fuel to the flames of this massacre.

Around floor thirty-two-ish, they lost count.

By the time they reached the top, they were still rearing to go. Standing before them was a pair of metallic doors not unlike the ones used for the entrance. Mimicking what he had done before, Sasuke kicked the doors clean off their hinges and darted inside with Naruto following suit.

The room around the size of the rest, that is, somewhat large and was only briefly illuminated by Naruto's chakra cloak before it died down. There was a stone alter situated at the center of the room and it held two objects, a purple orb, and a blue one delicately placed within the indents carved out for them. The walls had a design that wrapped around the room, however, the duo only caught a brief glimpse before the light faded away.

Surprisingly, only a single Zetsu was present within this room, and this one was mostly solid, unlike the rest.

Sasuke shot forward and lifted the being off the ground by its neck and slammed it into the alter, knocking one of the orbs onto the ground and cracking it slightly. He ignored this and applied pressure to his grip.

"So, since you haven't turned to mush like the others, I believe it's safe to assume that you're the real Black Zetsu."

"Damn yo- ack!"

"Might wanna let up there Sasuke."

Sasuke dropped the feeble being onto the ground and pointed his sword at it, thus causing it to panic and crawl up against the altar, in fear.

"I'm going to ask you a couple of questions," he began, his Sharingan flaring to life, "and you're going to answer them, do you understand?"

"I have nothing to say to you!"

Naruto, meanwhile, had since re-entered chakra mode to illuminate the room. The designs on the walls caught his interest.

"So, the Zetsu we sealed away with Kaguya, was that one of your clones?"

"It was."

"And the one that manipulated our ancestors and caused countless problems in our world, was he also a clone?"

"A clone, he was. Is that all, Uchiha? Your rancid scent is violating my nostrils!"

"You're awfully annoying."

Naruto narrowed an eye at the drawings that wrapped around the walls, noting that they looked somewhat like landmasses of some sort.

"What is the purpose of this tower? Who built it? Why are you here?"

"The purpose of this tower?" the creature asked, gaining a thoughtful look on its face. "That's an easy one..."

"Explain."

"BWAHAHA! Oh, that's RICH! You expect ME to tell YOU shit about ANYTHING after what you did to mother? That dumb look on your face is absolutely pricele- AH- AHHHH!"

Naruto glanced over just in time to see Sasuke draw his sword from the Zetsus shoulder, then turned back to face the wall. "Hey Sasuke, this stuff on the wall. Doesn't it look a bit like a map of some kind?"

"A map, to another world," the Zetsu commented in a sage-like manner, only to get stabbed in the other shoulder. It let out a shrill cry as he fell on his side, grasping its arm in pain.

"I didn't say you could speak."

"Curse you!"

"Now, answer me this before I send you to the grave. Just how many of you are there?"

"Fuck you."

"That's all I needed to hear," Sasuke said before shoving the blade through the Zetsu's chest. Upon retracting his sword, it fell to the ground, its body stone still."

Naruto approached the altar and pushed his foot against the body, causing it to tumble onto its side. "A bit harsh there, don't you think?"

"Sorry, but its a bit hard to be kind to the very creature that's responsible for countless atrocities, wars, and the very cycle of hatred itself. He deserved no mercy."

"I agree with ya there but..." he looked at the body, "we could've gotten more out of him, ya know?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Probably."

Naruto glanced over to the altar, and tilted his head. "Whats that?" he asked, grabbing the purple orb.

"Reckless idiot," he commented.

"What? It's harmless, see?" he said as he tossed it up and down like a baseball. "I wonder what it's for?"

Sasuke took hold of the orb and, based on a hunch he had, peered at it with his Rinnegan.

"Anything?"

"Nope."

"Huh... weird. Hey, wait... weren't there two?"

"No clue. C'mon, let's check out the rest of the tower," Sasuke said, pocketing the orb.

The two had just barely stepped out of the chamber when the sound of a voice graced their ears.

"Not so fast..."

Naruto and Sasuke spun around to face the alter, and to their surprise, the Zetsu stood, alive and well. It cackled madly, eliciting concern from the duo.

"I thought I killed you."

Naruto approached the alter cautiously. "Should've just went for the head," he said, noticing the blue orb the creature grasped in its hand.

"It'll take FAR more than that to kill me!"

Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other, then to the Zetsu.

"Now..." he began as he lifted the hand that held the orb.

Sasuke shot forward, blade poised for the Zetsus forehead. The sword pierced straight through its skull, causing the creature to scream, and then go silent.

There was a moment where not a single noise was made, not even the raging blizzard outside could pierce through the stone walls of the chamber. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and went to retract the blade, when the creature's eyes opened, startling the man.

Black Zetsu chuckled, "Fool, you can't kill me."

Sasuke jumped back, recalling the fate that Madara had met all those years ago, and retracted his blade.

The sound of glass shattering sounded throughout the room as dozens of tiny blue shards fell at Zetsus feet. Before they could react, a blast of energy sent the occupants of the room back, slamming them into the walls behind them.

Sasuke recovered first and looked at Naruto. "You alright?"

"I think so."

They looked up, noting now that the walls had begun to glow a bright blue-ish color, and that a low humming noise was sounding throughout the tower.

Naruto pushed himself to his feet and looked around. "What's going o-"

Before he could finish, the duo felt a powerful force rip them from where they stood. Looking up, they saw the source of this power, a rift similar to the one Sasuke used to bring them to this dimension in the first place.

It being so narrow, caused the two of them to slam into one another, hard.

They blacked out and the rift closed, leaving behind a ruined tower infested with the black ooze of the Zetsu clones. A chilling silence swept through the structure as darkness fully claimed it.

Zetsu stood from behind the altar, having taken hold of it to avoid being pulled in, and cackled wildly.

"Hehe... it seems... I won't have to dirty my hands after all," the creature muttered. "Mother... soon... just wait a little longer."