When she realized she was about to embark on a second life, being reborn not in the familiar lands of the Elemental Nations, but in a completely foreign world, Uzumaki Naru found herself at a loss. No words could truly describe the whirlpool of emotions churning within her.
The final image seared into her fading consciousness was a pair of wide, teary green eyes filled with heartbreak and desperation. Then everything slipped into eternal darkness.
After dealing with Kaguya (who was apparently, the ancestor of every chakra user in the Elemental Nations), thus ending the horrible Fourth Shinobi War that took the lives of many unfortunate souls, and settling her rivalry with a certain Uchiha, Naru eventually died in the trembling arms of her good friend, Sakura.
She knew, deep down, that this time there would be no miraculous comeback. No plot twist. No divine save. She had accepted it. She was ready.
She was ready for the Pure Land to greet her, the resting place of heroes and the departed. She had prepared herself to finally reunite with the people she missed the most.
Her parents, Ero-Sennin, the Third Hokage, and even Neji.
But fate, it seemed, had a different plan for her.
The first thing she saw when her eyes fluttered open was not the gentle white haze of the so-called Pure Land, nor the kind faces she had longed for. Instead, she was greeted by the grim sight of two unfamiliar old men hovering above her, their features twisted with something between awe and disbelief, as though they were staring at some kind of strange, otherworldly creature.
A chill raced down her spine before she even processed the scene, and her instincts screamed danger.
Her first thought struck like lightning.
She had been captured.
By who? She did not know. But she was certain that someone had taken her away.
Then another thought followed, absurd and did not make any sense.
Wait. Captured? But… hadn't she died?
Her last memory was crystal clear. She remembered the final clash, the flash of chakra, the sound of her previous people' voices fading into the distance. Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi-sensei had been right there, watching over her in her final moments. There was no way they would have allowed her body to fall into enemy hands. No chance.
Alarm shot through her veins as muscle memory kicked in. She tried to move, to spring into her usual defensive stance, summon shadow clones, and form a Rasengan for whoever dared disturb her rest.
She opened her mouth, ready to bark out accusations, questions, just anything!
'Who the hell are you people?!'
'Where are my friends?!'
'Where am I?! What is your purpose for kidnapping me?!'
…but what came out of her mouth were strange, garbled sounds instead.
?!
Only then did she realize she had failed to do everything she intended. No stance, no clones, no Rasengan.
'Something's wrong!' Panic clawed at her chest. 'What's happening to me?!
Her body refused to obey. No matter how hard she tried, her limbs wouldn't move, and the sounds leaving her mouth were nonsense, like those soft, babbling noises that reminded her uncomfortably of… babies.
'Wait a minute… Babies?' Her body froze at the strange thought that suddenly popped inside her head.
Trying to calm her rapidly beating heart (which felt and sounded very much ALIVE, hence she knew that she was not actually dead - WELL NOT YET), Naru forced herself to ignore the other people in the room as she let her eyes roam her surroundings.
Upon a closer look as at what her limited vision allowed her to see so far, she noticed that she was lying on her back inside what looked like an old wooden cage with absolutely nothing at the top, showing her the white ceiling above with some dust and spider webs that have been accumulated for who knows how long. The same went for the other furniture that she was able to catch a glimpse of.
Next, she did her best to turn her head to her left side and when she finally did, she caught the sight of a pudgy hand curled into a small, tiny fist that she knew instantly was her own, but felt like it wasn't at the same time.
It took her quite a while to register her situation and once she was done, she realized that the wooden cage was actually a crib meant for a baby, and that baby was HER!
Naru freaked out.
'WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL IS THIS?!'
Had someone hit her with some unknown jutsu before she died? Some forbidden genjutsu, maybe?
She had no idea what kind of expression she was making, but the two men in the room clearly noticed her distress. They began speaking rapidly in a language that sounded like complete gibberish to her ears.
The absurdity of the situation, the confusion, the exhaustion from her final battle, and the unnerving stares of two strangers who could very well be enemies, was too much. Her stress spiked, and before she knew it, some primal baby instinct took over (was it even her body anymore?).
Tears welled up in her wide blue eyes, and suddenly she was crying loudly, uncontrollably, and completely against her will.
Her wailing startled the men. They exchanged a few more words before the older one stepped forward, apparently deciding to do something about the screaming baby.
Naru's tiny body stiffened as his large hands approached.
'Oh, hell no. He's gonna kill me. He's gonna strangle me! That's it—I'm gonna die again! As a baby!'
In protest, her crying only got louder.
The man hesitated for a brief moment, then continued. To her absolute horror, he picked her up from the crib.
'Why am I crying?! Stop it! I'm not some helpless baby, damn it! Old man, put me down!'
And then-
"Shut up! I'm trying to sleep here!"
The voice cut sharply through the chaos in her mind, familiar and grumpy as ever.
Her body froze mid-sniffle. 'Wait… that voice.'
'...Kurama?' she thought, a flicker of hope lighting up inside her.
"Who else would it be, if not me? Now quit your crying, you're giving me a headache!"
'KURAMA!' Relief flooded her. If she could've hugged him, she absolutely would've.
While Naru basked in the comforting presence of her Bijuu partner, the two men continued their exchange.
"I don't think she likes you at all. Look, she cried immediately after seeing your face. Bwahahahah!" the old man laughed, gloating as he enjoyed the misfortune of the other man.
"We can't be sure she wasn't crying because of you," the other man shot back, visibly annoyed.
"Hah! She's calm now, isn't she? See? She obviously prefers me."
Indeed, Naru had already stopped crying. Now calm, she turned her focus to the strangers. To her surprise, the one holding her, despite his size and the scar over his left eye, didn't seem threatening at all. His hair was black streaked with gray, his beard rough, and his hands calloused, yet his touch was surprisingly gentle.
The younger man stood a little behind him, with long, messy black hair and a red tattoo snaking across his right cheek. There was power in him, a fierce, stormy energy but his eyes were soft when they rested on her.
Logically, she should have been on high alert. She did not know these people or what they wanted. But instead of danger, she felt… safe.
It was a strange feeling, she decided.
Her gaze drifted between the two, and when she caught the younger man's affectionate look, she felt no discomfort, only a quiet warmth.
'Strange indeed.'
Why did she feel so comfortable with these strangers?
Maybe… they were related?
If that was the case, she could accept it. After all, this was her second life. Maybe this time, she could have a family.
The thought filled her heart with a quiet, hesitant hope.
She was a little unsettled by how easily she accepted her bizarre reality, but before she could think too much about it, a yawn overtook her. Sleepiness crept in fast, heavy and irresistible.
'Ha… Kurama, I'm tired.'
"Go to sleep, kit. I'm here."
'…Promise?'
"Yes. I'll always be by your side, no matter what happens."
That was the last thing she heard before darkness took her once more.