It was a large room with several paintings on the walls. They showed parts of what had once been the history of the Amazons. The room was decorated with gold and other treasures. In the middle stood a crystal sphere showing several women landing on a beach.
"That's how we arrived here... This is our paradise, far from all the malice of men," Hippolyta said. She was no longer wearing her armor or crown. Now she only wore a white tunic with golden details. In front of the Queen stood a serious Naruto, looking at the sphere as it continued showing how the Amazons prospered in their new home.
"I can see why they all want me dead. They've suffered a lot at the hands of men," the Uzumaki said with a sigh. This world was no better than his own. "So you've been here for almost 2,000 years... Are you immortal?" he asked curiously. If the woman really was as old as she claimed, the blond couldn't help blushing a little as he took another look at the Queen, who didn't seem to be older than twenty-five.
At his conclusion, the woman simply shook her head. "Not exactly. We just don't age. That's why we can still die in battle or from powerful poisons, but dying of old age is impossible for an Amazon," she explained calmly. However, the atmosphere suddenly grew heavier. Taking on a serious expression, the Queen looked at the blond. "I've told you our story... Now I need to hear yours," she requested seriously. The two had agreed to tell each other their stories to strengthen what might become an alliance.
"Alright... I need you to trust me," he requested as he approached the Queen, who tensed up. The blond extended his fist toward the woman, who looked confused but copied the Uzumaki's gesture. Once their fists touched, Hippolyta felt a sudden pull. Then everything went dark.
Flashback:
It was night, and the red moon illuminated the sky. The ground showed signs of a great battle, but now enormous roots could be seen, with thousands of cocoons hanging from them. The roots stretched across the entire area and seemed endless, just like the cocoons.
"Now!" Naruto shouted with his Ashura Mode active. The Uzumaki successfully placed his right hand against his enemy, Kaguya. On the left was Sasuke, who also placed his palm against the Rabbit Goddess. Above them was Sakura, who landed a powerful right-handed punch on the white-haired woman's back.
"Well done, Team 7..." Kakashi said. He had lost the Susanoo given to him by Obito. However, no one noticed Kaguya's dark smile. Slowly, white bones began forming around her body. Seeing this, Naruto's eyes widened in fear. Just as he was about to shout and warn everyone of the danger, it was already too late.
"All of you! You'll regret challenging me!" the Rabbit Goddess screamed madly as she released hundreds of bones from her body. Everyone tried in vain to dodge the projectiles. Naruto barely managed to use his Truth-Seeking Orbs to save himself. Falling to the ground, he crashed down hard. Getting up, he watched as rocks began breaking away from the ground, rising and surrounding the Rabbit Goddess, who was lifted into the night sky, slowly forming what would become a new moon.
"Guys, we did it! We did—" he celebrated, only to turn around and watch in horror as he saw several of Kaguya's bones piercing Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura.
"Naruto..." was the last thing Sakura managed to say before turning into ashes before the Uzumaki's eyes. Kakashi was next, with a resigned look in his eyes. The shinobi simply shook his head before giving his student one last smile. The blond ran in a vain attempt to stop the inevitable.
"SENSEIIII!" But it was too late. The Uzumaki tried to catch his teacher, who turned to dust. Panicking, Naruto watched as Sasuke fell to his knees. The Uchiha had two bones embedded in his body, one in his shoulder and the other in his stomach.
"Dobe..." Saying that, he looked at his own hands as they began to disintegrate. However, Naruto quickly caught him and used his mark to try to heal him, but the black-haired young man only shook his head. Getting to his feet as best he could, he looked at the Uzumaki, who couldn't hold back his tears of frustration. "Naruto... thank you." With those words, the Uchiha disappeared while still standing, a smile on his face.
Falling to his knees, the blond stared into nothingness. Everything was silent in the dark night. Hearing footsteps, the blond looked up and saw the four Hokages arriving at the scene. They had witnessed everything. Faced with the situation, they could only lower their gazes. Taking a deep breath, Minato approached his son, who was still kneeling.
"Son, I'm truly sorry..." the Yondaime said as he knelt beside the Uzumaki. He didn't even have arms to hug his son. "I know how you feel... That feeling of helplessness..." His son only lowered his gaze, refusing to look at his father. "It's the same feeling I had when I had to seal Kurama inside you... I had to watch Kushina die before my eyes... I had to endure knowing that I was leaving my son alone... in a village where they would treat him like a monster." Those were the painful words of the Namikaze. He felt a lump in his throat as his guilt began to consume him even more. "I know how you feel..."
"I lost everything, Dad... Now we can't free everyone from the Infinite Tsukuyomi... We lost," the blond said with anger and frustration. Several loud rumbles were heard, and the Kages saw the nine Bijū gathered around them. Taking a deep breath, the blond stood up and looked at the Bijū. "What now...?" he asked no one in particular.
"I'm afraid there's nothing we can do, descendant of Ashura." To everyone's surprise, the Sage of Six Paths appeared before them. His ghostly figure was floating in front of everyone present. "The only thing I can do is this." He glanced at his Bijū children, who nodded silently after a few seconds. They all transformed into chakra and merged with the Uzumaki, who frowned as he endured the pain and burning sensation spreading through his body.
"Are you telling me... that's all... And what the hell is going to happen to them?!" the Uzumaki shouted as he stood up and pointed at all the cocoons around him. Furious, he looked at the Sage, who only lowered his gaze. "What do you suggest? That I wander the world alone?! If only I'd been stronger..." Not knowing what else to do, he fell to his knees before sitting down. Never in his life had he felt so useless. "I don't know what to do..." the shinobi whispered, staring into nothingness.
"Start over..." Hashirama spoke up, taking a step forward. "You must not give up now, young Uzumaki... You can give up now and stay here thinking about the mistakes you've made... Or you can start over and find the peace you need." Saying that, he turned to look at his brother. "Tobirama, is 'that' still there?"
"Are you crazy, brother? That will kill him!" Everyone was confused by the words of the Senju brothers. Sighing, the younger Senju brother looked at everyone present. "Listen... In Uzu, the Uzumakis developed a seal. It was originally intended to allow women and children to escape the terrible fate that awaited them. Supposedly, this seal could send people to another reality. Mito told me that the idea was abandoned because the seal practically destroyed those who weren't strong enough to withstand it," he explained with great seriousness, surprising everyone present.
"Are you crazy?! That could kill him!" the Sandaime shouted furiously. He wasn't willing to watch his grandson carry out this suicidal act.
"What else is left here, jiji?" Naruto said as he looked around. Everything looked dead and barren. "I know it sounds bad... But this world is already lost... If I die, it won't mean anything anymore," he said in an empty tone. Why did simply saying those words hurt so much? The fact that he had failed Ero-sennin, that he had failed everyone. Hearing his words, Hagoromo only looked at the sky. Of all the possible futures, this was the worst scenario.
"I hope you find peace... This is goodbye, descendant of Ashura." Those were the last words of the Sage of Six Paths before he disappeared.
"Alright... Let's go to Uzu."